You can check out anytime, but you can never leave (Republic Dominion of Zeltros)

[Orphen]

Location: Zeltros - Red Light District
Objective: 1 & 3

Orphen, ever the studious one had landed on Zeltros with his master, though they had separated she seemed like she had a mission to accomplish around here, while, Orphen had a few contacts that he was hoping to hit up. He had not been here for a while, though, it was about time that the Blood Knight came back to Zeltros. So, taking the appropriate datapad to fit the persona, he spent a little bit of time getting into character, remembering that the Blood Knight personality was not so much as lie, but rather a series of circumstances which could never truly be forgotten. Accumulated from the memory of his time with his adopted father running errands for various cartels, some of which, ended here on Zeltros... Orphen often loved the scents and aromas of this planet as she was growing up, he could not understand at that point in time that Zeltrons were able to emit intoxicating pheromones which lingered in the air, it was one of the many reasons people never wanted to leave, making this place a massive tourist trap, but also, making it a good place to make contacts with the right, or wrong people, and especially to gain information. So, walking down a familiar street, the darkened pavement tred apon reflected the luminescent cacophony of chaotic colours which served to inspire and amaze.

Part of Orphen wanted to lower the microfiber scarf which he had donned, silken, red, and stylish, but also serving a very useful purpose as a filter for some of the pheremones which filled the air, though little could be done about some of it, Orphen could already feel himself becoming a little more engrossed and aware of his surroundings as the colours of the world became a little more enhanced, but, such a small effect could easily be attributed to the spice and the death-sticks which were already in hot demand in the area around him. Though, it was not long until be reached his location. Of all the places he hoped he would not have to come to, here was one of them, but, as far as arms dealers went in the Galaxy, bobby was in about the top... 16th when it came to this particular area of Zeltros. Though, unlike many Bobby participated in manufacture and customization rather than simply supply and demand, which gave him a clientele which were somewhat dedicated to him. Entering the establishment was easy, spending a couple of minutes outside with the wireless on his datapad until he was able to forge himself a current invitation from the man himself. There was a high chance Orphen was not going to be remembered by the man, so he would need to make an impression of some kind. Something which would make him seem useful to the crook. Information, usually helped in that respect.

There was always enemies to people hanging close by when it came to dealers like Bobby... so, it was just a matter of finding one, whether it would take minutes, or an hour, most of these hired wall-flowers didn't have the brains or the know-how to hide all traces of themselves. Pulling up some current events from holo-net as far as crime went on Zeltros, it was not hard to find a list of known gangsters and wanted men associated with them. Then it was simply a matter of using his own connection to attempt to integrate with the devices around him. Mechu Deru came in handy here, Orphen used his visor to scan the body heat of those around him, looking for those hotter than usual, and displaying any odd mannerisms... once targeted, he would focus on a device on their person, and through his control of that device, connect it to his datapad, therin he would search its contacts for calls and messages which were suspicious or seemed to follow a pattern, as well as recorded messages in recent history, looking for keywords around those names...

The result would not take long...

This is what Orphen did after all...

 

[Gir Quee]

Location: Champion-class Star Destroyer Obi-Wan Kenobi, in orbit via Zeltros
Objective: Re-establish a stronger tie with the local government
Allies: "Pubs" in the pubs?
Enemies: Me, myself, and I

[ 1 / 20 ]

"Is this thing really necessarily?" said the woman, sweeping her hand to encompass what was either the whole ship, or just the fighter squadron hangar bay.

Gir found himself grinning from ear to ear. There's something about her...like I'm perpetually buzzed even though I haven't had a drink in a week...must be the pheremones...He tossed his head to the side to gaze upon Luxi, a slim zeltron that he guessed was his junior by a handful of years. As an distant observer, he would have found her physically attractive, but in this close of proximity to her, he found her absurdly alluring despite knowing that it was probably the pheremones at work. It was as if he was back in secondary school, getting ready to ask a girl for a date. He glanced at the diminutive rank sewn onto her collar. But still, she's a soldier just like you...He blinked.

"Well, not everyone just likes to party all the time," said Gir, resting a hand on a svelte starfighter, "some people like to spoil that from time to time. I remember the first I was here..."

A rare frown creased across Luxi's face, "I don't want to talk about it."

"I don't either, that's why you here, and why I'm here..." said the grand admiral, "because there are party crashers."

She flashed him a dazzling smile, "You're trying too hard. Relax, just be natural..."

He shook his head and began to stroll towards the magcon field, half in a effort to hide his embarrassment, and in half because he did have something to point out to her. With a bemused grin, she quickly followed in his wake to gaze out of the magcon field and into the black ocean of space beyond. The ship began to turn, giving them a view of the night side of the world beneath them. A thousand thousand lights began to shimmer from its surface, making their way to their eyes to twinkle like the distant starlight all around them. She apparently stumbled on some mechanic's wayward tool and caught herself on Gir's shoulder. But she slowly removed herself from his body to stand next to him.

"Looks like the party's still going," smiled Luxi.

"Hmmm? Oh, yes, it does look like that," agreed Gir, taking time to point out the nearby hull of smaller capital ship, "See that ship?"

"Yes...it's another one of your ships, right? it seems to be following this thing..."

"It is," admitted Gir, "that's where we're going. They tell me you're a certified pilot, right?"

"Oh, someone did their homework..."

"Well, let's catch a flight over there then, shall we?"

 

[Corvus Raaf]

[Post=1/20]​

Politics? She spent her life running away from them but the faster she ran, the more she seemed to bump into them. The concept of a Senator on Zeltros was a great idea. The Jedi there as a show of unity was stretching it in her opinion, but as ever she duly obliged.

And when she thought of Zeltros she remembered her only time there. When she'd met a Sith that was so atypical she would have remembered him anyway. But the crash on that remote planet oddly threw them together a second time and they'd had an understanding.

And the last time she'd seen him, she'd assumed her sister had betrayed her and on that basis alone, probably owed him an apology. So she sat in the cockpit of her ship, the saber she'd been given by her Padawan Uri on her lap. It belonged to the Sith Lord and as odd as it might appear to anyone else, given how Uri had come by it and the Mon-Cal's views, she felt obliged to return it.

So she prepared to leave her ship. She was in the spaceport that looked so different from the last time she was here and hoped that her sister would come to join her and the Mon-Cal had received the message. Today there would be no fighting.

[member="Darth Veles"] | [member="Taeli Rae"]

 

[Darth Veles]

[SIZE=9pt]Memories of his last visit reminded him of the bloody slaughter that led to his self-imposed exile, a brief, yet interesting experience that provided him with many different paths to follow. All options have been considered, all denied just as well. It also reminded him of the need to reform the Sith, free them of these pointless genocidal tendencies he could not understand. How was one supposed to bring peace and order to the galaxy when half of the Order he belonged to actively worked against it, spreading war and chaos? In this aspect, the Jedi Order definitely worked better than its Sith rivals, the entire body moving in unison towards one, clearly defined goal. Unfortunate, as the inner divergence of the Sith was the only thing standing in the way of ending this war swiftly and effectively. It was safe to say both groups had their flaws that desperately required fixing in order to emerge victorious from the last, final battle. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]Large amber orbs of the Mon Cal Sith Lord glared at the spaceport outside, the structure swiftly growing closer. He knew of the Jedi operating on the planet, but it took more than a few Jedi to stop this experienced assassin and infiltrator from getting in and out. As always, his presence and signature seemingly stopped to exist in the Force, vanishing, almost as if they became one with the Force itself. A necessary precaution, even though what brought him to the planet was not some malicious intention of stopping the Republic, no, it was the Grandmaster’s message. Quite surprising, given their last meeting on Korriban. That was so long ago… More memories started to emerge from the depths of his mind and he pictured Corvus, standing there with Kana, about to fight two Dark Jedi. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]It would be a lie to say Veles had no other reason to take the flight to Zeltros. Unsurprisingly, without a large body keeping lawful eye on the planet, slavery started to take seeds and grow. Having no tolerance for that kind of depravity, Avreet played with the idea of taking a closer look at it and permanently shutting it down. Such a cruel and barbaric relic of the less civilized times had to be stomped upon before its tentacles grew too large, too strong. He’d have to see what the Jedi Grandmaster wished to say first, of course, before taking any action. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]The shuttle finally touched its designated landing pad and sentients of many different races started pouring out. Among them, the amphibious Sith once again couldn’t help but smile at the advantages of public transportation. Unlike the people who swiftly scattered and disappeared in the endless loops of music that could be heard from far away, indicating multiple large parties going on, Avreet stopped in his tracks and glanced around. His dark cloak that safely concealed a lightsaber beneath the thick layer of cloth occasionally moved in gusts of warm wind and his large eyes searched for the violet-eyed woman. It did not take long to pinpoint her presence, and from there it was easy; once again, it reminded Avreet of an old situation lost in the past. Two crashed ships in an endless sea of sand and dirt, two pilots making their way towards the other. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]The two once again closed the distance between them as they walked towards the other. The Jedi Grandmaster’s presence radiated a calming light that felt strangely soothing, just as the bulbous eyes of the Sith Lord watched her with unfeigned calmness, as if reflecting her presence. Yet, deep inside, Avreet remained aware he still watched his rival, someone who also wanted to promote peace and order. Similar goals, different methods. Oh, and they were at war. That little detail turned their game of “who is the better galactic policeman” into a brutal conflict that had little to do with peace or order, something both sides strived for.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“Grandmaster Raaf,” Avreet said, his voice cool as always and carrying his accent through the air, “How have you been? I hope all is going well given the, eh,… circumstances.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]He said nothing more, cybernetic eye warily swivelling around to scan the area. Ships continued to land and lift off, delivering both people and supplies on and off the planet. The fact the planet wished to embrace the Republic received no appreciation from the amphibian, and if not for its poor state, he would have preferred it to remain neutral. Its people needed protection from pirates and slavers, though the Republic presence ironically threatened to lead to the same massacre that had happened several years ago. Just thinking about it again forced Avreet to try and find some sense in it. What exactly did the Sith expect to happen after their raid? The planet called for protection more than ever. Whatever the One Sith wished to accomplish, all they gained was a planet that would not join their empire without a fight, unless scared enough and submitting swiftly in hopes of avoiding another slaughter.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt][member="Corvus Raaf"] [member="Taeli Rae"][/SIZE]

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

A small side smile made way across her face as Morgana snapped out of her brief infatuation with Dair. Though as she apologized Sera raised her hand to pause her, but Dair intervened instead. His words echoed her thoughts, as if he had someone gotten into her head and stole them from her mind before she had the time to think them herself. Of course this wasn't the case but she thought it amusing to think about all the same. Moments later Morgana shouted and pointed toward two figures that clearly stuck out as potential suspects in their hunt.

Her arm stretched sideways to gently lower the Padawan's hand, so it wouldn't be obvious to their targets that they were being watched or followed. Even if the crowd was thick, it was a risk they didn't need to chance. "I see. Excellent sight! Very good work!" Dair broke away from the pair and wandered to a nearby bar, sitting casually as he ordered a drink and watched the scene. She nodded to him and turned to circle around the other side to get in behind the reptilians. "We'll need to follow them, quietly, and slowly. We can't risk them noticing us and fleeing. They have to lead us to where the younglings are being held, and the rest of their group. Taking down these two wont mean much if we lose the others."

Sera made sure to keep her eyes on the two as they slowly wandered behind about 10 meters. The Twi'lek would pause now and then, looking back to Dair and around the market items for sale to give off a traveler and tourist vibe, in the event that the slavers ever turned around. It didn't look like the Trandoshans were in any hurry, so they would have to play this game for some time until they departed.

[member="Dair Cotarin"] | [member="Morgana Forceborn"]

 

[Morgana Forceborn]

4/20
Objective: Find the younglings
[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"] [member="Dair Cotarin"]

Morgana was glad there were no hard feelings from either Master Sera or Pdawan Dair. She still felt the fool though. In any hope she at least knew that having pointed out the trandoshans meant they were one step closer to hopefully finding the younglings. Morgana was almost about to act herself before Dair had made his move towards the bar and ordered a drink. Not the move she'd have gone for but at least it worked. She then listened as Master Sera explained not being seen while following them, Morgana tapping her nose to indicate she understood. Given her prank nature Morgana was good at sneaking up on people, especially other Force Users like the padawans back at the temple. But playing the following game with these trandoshans would be different.​

​

Anytime they would turn Morgana would quickly wrap her arm around Master Sera and say "Just follow my lead." before laughing as if she'd told a joke. The idea was to look like two ordinary party goers of Zeltros and now obvious Jedi. At least given how Morgana dressed, often like a punk rocker-like girl, it would be easier.​

 

[H3xle]

6/20
Location: Zeltros streets
Objection: Help free younglings
[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"] [member="Morgana Forceborn"]



The trandoshans moved through the crowd like the graceless bruisers that they were, leaving quite a visible wake behind them. The lady jedi were around ten meters behind them, doing a rather convincing tourist routine. When they were about ten meters from him, Dair began to weave through the throng of people, drink in hand. With all of the jostling of the crowd, it was easy for Dair to feign stumbling every few steps. His drink sloshed on several people, which made it look like he had actually drank from it.

'This Shadow type stuff can be a bit fun, but it is nervewracking! When in battle with other Jedi and soldiers at your side you had back up and morale that spread to moe than just you and emanated from more than just you.' This, while he had two jedi with him, was more internal. He had to keep quiet and in his character. He just hoped he didn't mess it up, with all of the distraction around.

Far up ahead, the Trandoshans were manhandling everyone out of their path. Every once in a while they grabbed a woman and carried her a way, laughing at the struggles before letting one go and grabbing a new one. Almost as if sampling merchandise at a market, they went through people, tossing some and dragging others.

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Corvus Raaf"] [member="Darth Veles"]

Post - 1/20

Taeli sighed as she got up from the boarding ramp of her ship. She arrived on Zeltros as a sort of stop gap in her journey towards Ossus, and that was when she had recieved her sister's message that she was on the planet, helping reclaim it for the Republic. It made a tactical sense as it would secure more paths to the southern Republic systems, but she wouldn't necessarily come here on her own free will or stay that long as it were. The party planet really wasn't for her, and it brought memories of her first ever battle.

Keeping her presence hidden in the Force for now, she did feel her sister in the Force here in the spaceport, and moving towards where she was, she sent her a message through their Force Bond.

'Maybe I was wrong, you do have a bit of a party side,' she thought, a teasing tone in her thoughts as she wound her way through the crowd of people. Many of the Zeltrons and people were hustling about, the pheromones thick in the air as some plied their craft in trying to pick up some of the spacers for a crazy day. Maybe they were being told to do so, she had heard of the slaver ring rising in the system.

She caught a flash of dark hair and purple eyes ahead, and a large smile broke out on her face until she saw a certain Mon Calamari standing near her. Well well, it seemed Veles had decided to come here as well. Lovely.

"Oh this is interesting," she said aloud, approaching the two. She had been hoping to avoid any Sith for awhile, but it seemed fate had other ideas. "Been a while Avreet, been a while."

 

[Corvus Raaf]

[Post=2/20]​

Corvus suppressed a chuckle. How incongruous this meeting would appear to anyone who knew them.

'Funny you should mention it, I'm actually here on a date. No, not him, a pilot. He saved my life and I enjoyed his company and we promised each other risotto.'

She left it at that. Enough clues but not quite enough information.

"Greetings Avreet." She gave a small bow and a smile, as was her custom. "And the circumstances are good thank you very much. And I have something for you, but I'll wait until my sister arrives. Actually I have two things for you, but let's all be together."

Once Taeli arrived, she gave her sister a hug. Then she turned to both of them. "I owe you both an apology. Taeli has already received hers but I'll say it again. I wrongly believed that you had been talking about our family relationship and jumped to a conclusion. Totally the wrong one. I wish to apologise unreservedly and I hope you'll find it within you to forgive me."

[member="Taeli Rae"] | [member="Darth Veles"] | [member="Lugus Porkins"]

 

[Laira Darkhold]

Location: Zetlros, Basement of Paradise
Objective: 1
Allies: Minerva Do'ral
Enemies: Zeltons, other Gladiators
[7/20]

The big man roared, and spun, sweeping one of his blades in my direction. He was already too far out of reach, but his spin slowed him and he slid to a stop only a few meters away. I could see what he would be doing, and brought my spear up, horizontal with the ground to block his overhand strike that I could tell was coming. With a grunt he brought the blade up and swooped it down, with great force. Splinters few off from my spear’s handle and it snapped in twain. The two halves wouldn’t do me as much good given my current plan of action. Adjustment would have to be made, and I didn’t have a lot of time to adjust.

He bellowed and brought his other sword overhand in a furious display of strength. But strength wasn’t everything in a fight. With the un-bladed half of the spear I deflected his blow off to the side, letting the sword thud into the sand beside me, and with the bladed half I lunged for his unarmored midriff. Another roar escaped the big man as the spear tip pierced his hide. I stepped in close, given a brief moment in which he was too preoccupied to continue his attack, getting in too close for his swords to be of use, driving the spear deeper into him as I did.

He dropped his swords in a fit of rage, gripping the spear haft with his left hand and punching me with his right. My head rang from being struck in the face, and I could already taste blood in my mouth. No time to think it through, just act and react. Instincts took over and I let go of the spear. I tucked my head, barely avoiding the second right hand, and began driving my gauntleted fists into his ribs, letting the cesti tear flesh from bone with each uppercut. I began driving him backwards, though we were meters from any of the walls. He reacted by grabbing my head with his left and raining blows on my back and head with his right. Each blow was dizzying and jarring, but I did not relent.

 

[Matron Malgus]

Location: Zeltros, Basement of Paradise
Allies: [member="Draco Vereen"]
Objective: 1
Post Count: 4/20

Blaster fire rang out across the arena as she was thrown through another air-locked door and into an entirely different area. She had just barely caught the end of someone introducing two fighters before she was thrown through the doors and rolled across the dirty arena. The trandoshan presence seemed to be stronger than she had originally anticipated, so this would take a bit longer than originally planned, which would mean even less time to search for valuables. This was starting to irritate her, and her irritation was made evident by her sudden tightened grip on the battle staff she had looted, as well as the look of anger plastered on her face as plainly as ink on paper.

Just as she began to stand she heard the battle cry of warriors, and watched as two warriors charged each other, one clearly an ally of the republic and the other... well, she didn't know what he was. He was a very large man, and she would definitely be staying far away from him.

"Good luck." , was all that she said to the slightly smaller man, before skirting around their fight and charging back into the trandoshan battle group. It was a rather simple matter of moving faster than them, they weren't the brightest tools in the shed, so if she could outsmart them --- or even move faster than them-- she could win this battle.

Cheers erupted from the arena as they got an unexpected fight on their hands, but she vaguely registered this as she brought the battle staff down on the snout of another trandoshan watching as blood erupted from its snout. It wasn't long before she looked behind her and noticed that the republic soldier was managing to push the larger man towards the wall. The larger man was beating his head, no doubt causing some measure of pain.

So, despite her own sense of survival she turned and ran with feline agility ahead of the two men, before turned directly behind the larger man planting the sharp end of the battle staff in the ground and angling it towards the large mans back. She hoped that this maneuver would cause the larger man to flip over the staff and disorient him long enough for the soldier to knock him out of the fight. But, she was not sure that the large man could be defeated so easily.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

Post 5/20

Sera watched as the much younger Padawan put on her act of looking discreet and followed along by seeming to be the nervous and awkward one of the pair, casting a confused look to Morgana as they walked about. "Oh---Okay. If you say so!" Trandoshans weren't known for their blazing intellect and scholarly achievements, so it wouldn't take a mass of ingenuity to outsmart them. Still, being cautious was required. Seraphina contemplated for a brief moment on the possibility of breaching their minds through telepathy and extracting the information necessary. There was next to zero chance that these brutes were sensitive to the Force, let alone trained to use it. Just look at how they carry themselves. Nothing short of thugs.

Dair moved into the crowd close by, and as her attention wandered back to the brutes she rolled her eyes, looking on as they moved through the crowd tossing people about like little more than toys to be played with. If subterfuge wasn't her top priority she would have intervened, but this was not the time or place to get involved with the smaller schemes. They were making their way towards the outskirts of the market district. This meant one thing. They were bored and returning to their camp. In which case they might catch a glimpse of what they were up against, and hopefully see where the younglings were being kept. Likely in cages stowed somewhere quiet to keep from raising suspicion.

[member="Dair Cotarin"] | [member="Morgana Forceborn"]

 

[Morgana Forceborn]

5/20
Objective: Save younglings
[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"] [member="Dair Cotarin"]

At least Master Sera was getting the idea. Even as the lizard men turned away Morgana still kept an arm around her in case. Best to keep up appearances in case anyone around was watching. She just hoped she wouldn't have to get too convincing. As she watched them pushing people out of the way she commented under her breath "Scaly jerks." before seeing as they were making their way out of the market place. Good. It meant they were on the right track. It wasn't until she and the others were out of the crowded path that Morgana finally let go of Master Sera and crouched herself down to hide wherever possible as they followed. She'd come close to where Dair was, only nodding that she was following his lead, but then would wait until Master Sera arrived or passed her before taking up the rear. It was clear she was good at sneaking around in a coordinated manner, one that helped her to act as eyes for all sides. Funny enough though when they'd ask her how she knew all this she'd simply answer "I saw it in a bunch of war holo-movies."​

 

[Gir Quee]

R46 Valiant-class Starfighter White Tiger Five, in orbit via Zeltros

[ 2 / 20 ]

Gir's eyes flashed around as he tried to pick out the ion trails of Luxi's R46. Suddenly, her R46 flashed by his port side as she deftly looped her ship around a communication's satellite. Gir inwardly groaned. While he was perfectly capable of flying a ship during normal circumstances, he was hardly cut out to be a dogfighter or a combat pilot of any sort. He liked to keep his movements slow, predictable, and yet still efficient. It drove him nuts to see her push the limits of the Valiant, with the S-foils in attack position no less. She suddenly stopped her antics and decelerated her craft to drop by the side of his own. Gir turned his head to eye the helmeted zeltros through the panes of their ship's canopies.

"Well, at least you didn't hit anything," mused Gir.

"What can I say, you can't just plop me down in a new ship and not expect me to put it through its paces," said Luxi, "we haven't gotten new ships in a while now. But this one isn't too bad, not quite like what I'd want, but definitely not bad."

Gir turned his gaze forward again, as they skimmed over the party world's atmosphere, "What's wrong with it?"

"Not fast enough."

"Of course not," sighed Gir, taking them in a gentle loop towards their original destination, a small corvette with a hangar opening to its rear, "I'm afraid the Wavecrest isn't going to be any more agile."

"Oh I know," shot back Luxi, "that's why I had to take a little diversion. Besides, my original job was as a starfighter pilot, not some barge driver."

"And now you're a desk driver."

She snorted over her comlink, "It's not bad on Zeltros, always have booze and fun just on the other side of the door. Though I hear it's not quite like that at other places."

"Very true," admitted Gir, lining up his craft to land in the diminutive hangar of the Wavecrest.

The man promptly decelerated his fighter to almost his running pace as it neared the hangar. Alongside him, Luxi followed suit. It must be killing her to go this slow...They flew just over the Wavecrest's ion trail before their ships entered the corvette's hangar to land in one of the smallest hangars Gir had ever been in. Their own ships barely fit in there with its existing occupants, a pair of R45s and a pair of D25s. He knew that the ship's other R45s were on CAP right now, otherwise there wouldn't have been any room for them to land. After lowering the landing gear, he gently landed his R46 on the durasteel floor and popped the canopy.

"You're getting too old for this, it looks like," said Luxi, already clambering down her fighter.

"I'm not that old..."

"Just not that fun any more?"

Gir felt that he should feel insulted by her irreverence, especially towards someone with his rank or station, yet he find that he couldn't be. There was something about her that constantly threw him off. He blamed it on her pheremones, though he was beginning to wonder if it was really that, or something else. She waited for him at the bottom of his ship.

"So what are we doing here?"

"Two things," said Gir, landing on the floor with a dull thud.

"Which are?"

"Oh, so now I have to spoil the surprise..."

"This isn't a date, is it?" said Luxi with an off-kilter smile, "if so, that warm up flight there wasn't too bad of a start..."

 

[Laira Darkhold]

Location: Zeltros, Basement of Paradise
Objective: 1
Allies: [member="Minerva Do'ral"]
Enemies: Zeltros, Other Gladiators
[8/20]

I could hear blasterfire in the distance, but that couldn’t be. There is no way they would give a gladiator a blaster and the rest of us spears and swords. I would have looked around to see the source of the blaster fire, but my attention was occupied at the moment. I was losing the pace I had set, his clubbing blows taking their toll. No doubt my uppercuts were taking a toll on my opponent physically, cuts and deep gashes in his abdomen from my cesti, but he didn’t seem to have slowed or show any signs of stopping.

It was at that moment I caught the faintest glimpse of someone behind the colossus I was embattled with. She was leveling a staff at the man’s back. I needed to capitalize on this situation, she was obviously helping me, or intended to for as long as the Immortan was around, so I needed to take advantage of her presence while I could. Dropping slightly and tucking my head under his arm, I grabbed his legs and lifted him up, slamming him back down into the ground and the woman’s staff with as much force as I could muster in a massive spinebuster.

I heard howls of pain and agony escape the big warrior, but I didn’t have a chance to see the damage I had wrought.

 

[Matron Malgus]

Location: Zeltros, Basement of Paradise
Allies: Draco Vereen
Objective: 1
Post Count: 5/20

It appeared as though the maneuver had worked swimmingly this time, the Winged Goddess had favored her and apparently the republic soldier as well. He had survived the brute's onslaught of attacks, which could be a testament to the determination of the man for his Faction. While she did like many things that were light and good, she could find respect for the man who had taken such a beating and still continued to fight against the brute - she doubted even the strongest of Dathomir males would stand against this soldier if given the chance. It seemed she had found a new target to get close to, she may have use of him later down her chosen path of vengeance against her 'sisters'.

She did not have time to think too long, as the crushing weight of the larger man snapped the battle staff in two sharp pieces. Amethyst eyes turned down in disbelief as her weapon was rendered useless by the brute of a man. Well, useless for the most part, but anything sharp would come in handy. She picked up a piece of the staff and drove it through the throat of the brute, hoping that it would sever some vital organ. But, the man was well muscled and rather large so it may just irritate him more.

Either way, she had done her job. She stepped away from the brute and as she did so, a blaster bolt caught her shoulder and sent her spinning slightly with the impact - the bolt strengthened by some sort of propulsion system within the trandoshan weapon. Her shoulder seared in pain, but it did not register on her face. She was a mask of impassiveness as she gripped her shoulder with her good arm to stem any blood that may seep from the wound.

 

[Darth Veles]

[SIZE=9pt]So the woman had a surprise for him. At first Veles did not know what to think about it; Corvus was a rival, but also a fairly wise Jedi that lacked the genocidal tendencies of several Jedi Grandmasters who have lived in the past. She presented hope, just as Taeli; two sparks of hope to bring peace to the galaxy, make peace between the two massive orders. If only the Sith and Jedi joined forces and wiped out all Dark Jedi! It was still nothing more than a dream of Avreet, something he wished to witness, one he liked very much despite fully realizing the possibility to ever achieve that looked non-existent. Still, two small sparks could ignite the galaxy and burn the old orders to ashes, giving more than enough space for a new large player to rise from the ashes. Thinking of Taeli…[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“Ah! Greetings, lady… Rae. It is a surprise finding you here.” The smile that appeared for split second revealed the original intention of calling her Arcanix, which would have been most dangerous given the setting and several Light-Sided signature shining close to the spaceport.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]Taeli’s presence further added into this strange meeting, catching the Sith Lord by surprise given her concealed presence. It was her soft, yet firm voice that prompted Avreet to look for the source, knowing what he’d find even before his eyes landed on the black haired woman. This begged many questions, concerning the Sith Lady’s purpose here, something solid to justify her being on Zeltros, conveniently meeting Avreet. The large domed head of the amphibious assassin turned back to allow the eyes gaze at Corvus, expression unchanged despite the surprise. The Jedi Grandmaster must have planned it – in the end, Taeli’s presence wasn’t as surprising given the relationship between the Sith Lady and her Jedi sister. Avreet suddenly seemed out of place, staying silent, the look in his face demanding an explanation, almost as if the Mon Cal wanted to read Corvus’ thoughts by looking into the purple jewels that adorned her face. No answer’s been provided by gazing into the Jedi’s soul.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]Blinking when the two women shared a family-like hug, the Sith Lord wished for Grima to be there. To embrace the woman he loved so dearly, share the happiness, bask in her presence,…. This begged another excuse to have a dinner with the older Togruta Sith Lady. Surprisingly enough, the mental image within his head grew stronger as he thought to have detected her presence nearby. Her similar signature, so dark, yet so convincing and wise.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]One step forward brought Avreet closer to Corvus after the woman apologized. The Mon Cal shook his large head.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“Oh, it is alright, lady Raaf. I know you were stressed and worried about your family. That is understandable. You wanted to protect your sister, nothing more, and it was difficult to assess the given situation as a Jedi while love danced within your heart. No need to apologize, please.” His last sentence came out as a whisper, soft voice accompanied by a dismissive gesture of his webbed hand that added more weight to his words and he spoke again.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“But I admit I still do not entirely understand the purpose of this meeting,” Avreet looked at Taeli and back at Corvus.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]Two sisters out of three.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]“I apologize if my following question hurts you, as that is not my intention and I know your family is a sensitive matter. Is this about Melori?” [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]It sounded logical. The Jedi and her Sith sister wanted to help Melori, bring her into their loving embrace. As far as Avreet remembered from his meetings with Taeli and Melori, the youngest of the Raaf family passionately hated Corvus. The two older sisters may have discovered a way to make it better, needing someone else to help – someone who knew them all. The look on his face grew slightly worried, yet curious. The rest of the planet did not care, their massive party not pausing.[/SIZE]

[member="Corvus Raaf"] [member="Taeli Rae"]

 

[Laira Darkhold]

Location: Zeltros, Basement of Paradise
Objective: 1
Allies: @Minerva Do’ral
Enemies: Zeltrons and Other Gladiators
[9/20]

The woman stabbed a sharp stake into the big beast of a man’s throat. My vision was tunneled from the beating I had taken, and possibly from the battlelust I had fallen into. Her quick stab had done most of the work, but I wasn’t done. I needed to be sure, I needed to take some measure of revenge on the man. Not because he had injured me, and not even against him. Against those who had captured me and brought me here, made me little more than an object to be killed or praised at someone else’s whim. I brought both my fists down into his face with all the force I could, trying to ensure he wouldn’t rise again anytime soon. I smashed his face again, with a grunt from exerting myself and looked down to see his face in ruins, his abdomen shredded. I didn’t think after all that he would rise, at least not in this fight.

Cheers erupted from the crowd, followed by a roar of disdain. I heard a blaster bolt echo out from the arena, and I could only guess that the woman was an unwanted guest in all of this, especially considering how she had assisted me. I saw the woman get spun around by a blaster bolt, catching her in the shoulder, and followed the bolts path back to its origin, a trandoshan warrior coming into the arena for a smaller door. Most likely a service door. Others were emerging behind that one. I needed to check on the woman, but first I needed to drop this trandoshan. I darted off away from the woman, the Trandoshan not paying me as much attention as I deserved, focusing on the woman who had come to my aid. Within seconds I was almost upon him, he turned to try and bring his weapon around on me, but I had already dove, spearing him to the ground. At least that would buy the woman vital seconds to decide what she was going to do next.

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Corvus Raaf"] [member="Darth Veles"]

Post 2/20

Hugging her sister back, she couldn't stop the small smile that formed on her face. She was actually rather enjoying Avreet's confusion over why she was here, it wasn't something that usually occurred with the Sith Lord assassin.

"No, I was just passing through the system on my way to explore the galaxy when Corvus called and said she was on Zeltros as well," Taeli explained, waving the mention of their youngest sister. "Melori has actually grown and moderated herself a bit, a trip to Ambria to learn patience and about herself certainly helped with that. Neeks and all."

Her sister would understand the lesson she put their sister through all too well, she had mentioned it before that she had plans to take their sister to Ambria. The subject hadn't come up on Mimban while they were exploring, but the lesson had been quiet successful.

"I'm actually just as curious about what Corvus wanted myself," she said with a small shrug. "She doesn't need to apologize to me after all. Water under the bridge and all that."

 

[Gir Quee]

[ 3 / 20 ]

The two wandered through the hangar's airlock deeper into the tiny ship. She eyed him intently, engendering a crimson blush across Gir's face. It would hardly do for the Wavecrest's crew to see me like this...He attempted to focus on the more official matters at hand.

"Back on the Obi-Wan," said Gir, briefly stopping past the foyer, "you said that you wondered if this was really necessarily."

She hesitated, "Shouldn't we all? Vessels of war should be something that shouldn't exist, just like the war themselves."

Gir nodded and started to move on, "A good point. I guess I just didn't quite get what you were getting at back there."

"You're among the more interesting ones."

Gir blinked, "What do you mean by that?"

"You just don't go with the flow...I mean, why bring up something I said thirty minutes ago?"

"I was curious."

"So that makes two of us, huh?" said Luxi.

"Yeah, I suppose so," said Gir, inserting his code cylinder into a nearby data socket.

Above them, a diminutive camera focused down on them, and Gir looked up at it. A brief flash of red light washed up against his face before disappearing. The door in front of them slid open to reveal the ship's main corridors. he could only see a few people, but then again, the crew on a Halberdier-class corvette was never large to begin with, just like its forefathers.

"Well, I guess when you said what you said earlier," started Gir, "You know what, that just sounds odd. I'm almost better off starting without a preface..."

"A bold move..." half-joked Luxi.

"We're supposed to be working together to get those slavers."

"I figured we'd get to that at some point, and I'll admit, I was kind of hoping that it was going to be when we were flying your fighters back there."

Gir raised an eyebrow, "And you were going to do all that from a fighter?"

"Why not?" said Luxi, before stopping, "we're doing it from this ship, aren't we? That's your surprise."

"Well, part of it, but I'll admit, it's not that much of a surprise," said the blonde man, "the Obi-Wan is a bit too slow and conspicuous to chase down any potential slavers or smugglers participating in sentient trafficking. That's where ship's like the Wavecrest come in. She was designed for this type of thing in mind, hunting down the smaller ships."

"I see. Doesn't look too impressive to me yet."

"Well, maybe you'll change your mind on the bridge."

"Oh, I wouldn't count on that. It's still a barge..."