You see, what I have here.....

[Neiros Starwind]

Spoiler

This shouldn't be a long, overly involved thread, just enough to set some groundwork for [member=Ryn'Dhal]'s 'rescue'. Hope you all don't mind me taking the liberty of setting this up. Would take place some time before the Dominion for Tash-Taral

[member=Coci Heavenshield] | [Member=Thurion Heavenshield] | [member=James Justice] | [member=Lady Kay] | [member=Ultimatum] | [member=Cathbodua]

Cantina on The Wheel, Middle-Rim​

It had taken the scoundrel a bit of work, slicing through layers of encryption through the holonet, but it seemed these contacts were priority contacts. There were other names that came up, but these were the ones most likely to be impacted by the news. Whatever 'excuses' were best suited to draw the various parties to this meeting was sent out, and at the expected time, the various parties would arrive at the cantina on the station. One by one, the parties would arrive, a protocol droid taking the guests as they arrived to a private 'banquet hall' with a lovely view over-looking the gambling floor, people playing away life savings, or this months earnings. Money exchanging hands at an alarming rate. As... seedy... as the layout was, it was kind of nice. No political lines drawn, just money.

A long, slow drag on a cigarette, a smile playing across that handsome fact. He had something fun planned for this day. Making sure the appropriate level of security was in place to keep the meeting calm, collected, and diplomatic, Neiros waited in the main cantina, waiting to make sure as many of his guests as possible arrived, before making his actual presence known.

 

[Cathbodua]

[member="Neiros Starwind"]

The jedi knight crossed her arms while she looked at some of the things within the ship while she was getting her gear. The lightwhip on her hip glowing with the force as the ever hardening waters slowly wit time became more and more dense and hard. Eventually the saber waters would be impossible to touch with a saber but for now she would let the healing crystal of fire within the hilt empower her and her telchek to make her healing abilities augmented same for the calming crystal within it. She raised the flaps of the face mask just a little to make sure they were secured before crossing her arms and walking through the ship onto the station.

 

[Kay-Larr]

[member="Neiros Starwind"]

It was an odd message to receive, but not unusual. The last time and only time that Kay was at the Wheel was for the sixtieth birthday of the head of the Garon clan. That was.....an unusual evening to say the least.

A trade meeting was the excuse that brought her here, and being the Senator of a trade heavy planet, she just couldn't pass it up. So she dressed to impress, all fancy, however her satchel was slung over her shoulder. Kay hardly went anywhere without it.

So without further ado, she entered the...banquet hall of sorts and looked for the potential trading partner that had contacted her.

 

[Ultimatum]

Ultimatum had come surprised that he had been summoned. The last thing he had expected was to be called by an unknown source within the HoloNet to meet at a gambling station. He had no idea what this was about. His own attempts at following the communication back to its sender had been for naught, that told him that more than likely it was a slicer. But why? Was it another assassination or kidnapping attempt. He smiled at that thought. The last time that he had been kidnapped he had come out with an Old Republic cruiser, still being repaired and outfitted with newer technology.

As he made his way to the banquet hall, following the protocol droid while he allowed himself to wander in thought. He really loathed places like this. Organics seemed to become too attached to something so damaging as this. They lost of control of who they really were and became little more than husks, losing or gaining money seemingly at random. What a waste. They had so much potential, their ability to be creative and evolve to work in any circumstance, yet they were beaten by supposedly random chance, more often than not actually set against them.

It was saddening. People would lose their entire life to places like this, never realizing what had destroyed their homes and happy lives. That was one thing that they needed help with, overcoming these failings.

When he reached the hall he was not surprised to see an organic with a rather casual look about him. From Ultimatum's understanding most organic slicers were casual or very strange. He could not say whether this one was one or the other. He simply waited for the organics to initiate any conversation, that was what the host was supposed to do after all. He focused his attention to preparing weaponry systems in case this turned south. He promised himself that this time if someone tried to take him prisoner there would be no taking him without sufficient damage to his body.

He did not immediately notice the familiar face nearby, too much of his processing power to centered on the single target that had brought him here for unknown reasons.

[member="Neiros Starwind"]

 

[James Justice]

"And the gentleman in the corner wins again," the dealer said with a hint of disgust.

James let out a cackle of delight as he scooped the winnings up. Had he checked his comm in the past few days? Nope, he left Justice Shipping in the hands of Stardust. After the fiasco with Rose Blade, the spacer needed a long, much needed get away from the world as he knew it. What better way than to steal away several fortunes in a set of gambling runs from a few foolish goons until he was kicked out? He had already been kicked out of four other casinos for this and two nighclubs for drunken disorderly conduct. To make things worse, Sasha was gone. Missing, he--he couldn't think about that right now. He loved that redhead fiercely. Now she was missing like she was never a part of his life.

He slammed his fist down and ordered yet another ale. He was intent on destroying his liver even faster tonight than his did normally. On the usual he was slightly buzzed, now he was drunk--in a few minutes he hoped to black out. He was in agony, losing everyone he cared about too fast. This was how he dealt with pain. Drowning it in alcohol.

[member="Ultimatum"]
[member="Lady Kay"]
[member="Cathbodua"]
[member="Neiros Starwind"]

 

[Neiros Starwind]

The scoundrel sighed, and pushed up from his seat near the window overlooking the gambling floor. He'd glance over at [member="Lady Kay"], then [member=Ultimatum]. "I've read up on each of you, and am well aware you two are at least acquainted." His eyes flickered back and forth again. "Trust me, with enough time, skill, and desire to find information, anything can be uncovered on the Holonet. But, please, be at ease, this meeting is a peaceful one. One I hope all parties involved will find interesting...."

He'd glance at the time on his datapad on the table, and take a drag of his cigarette. "Poodoo... I know for a fact that one Captain [member="James Justice"] is on the station.... I'd sent him an invite, and in fact was just watching him winning creds hand-over-fist out in the casino.... But, I suspect that due to his tardiness, he likely is here purely by happenstance...." His gaze move back over once more towards Lady Kay, before motioning for her to join him nearer to the window. "As I know he's worked with you before, and he, along with the Jedi I'd also invited, are quite important to this meeting being a success. Would you do me a great favor and ask him to join us? Inform him I have a bottle of Corellian Ale with his name on it. I would be so very grateful." The handsome rogue would ask, a winning smile upon his face.

If Lady Kay accepted his request, he'd turn to Ultimatum, eyeing the droid objectively. "You know.... seeing you in person, the Holovids do not do you any justice. You, sir, are beyond impressive. And I'm not trying to flatter.... Mostly because I doubt that'd have much effect if I were." He'd say, an almost nervous laugh escaping his throat.

Now... the scoundrel pondered to himself, where are those damn Jedi? He'd activate his encrypted datapad, pulling up the data he had on the three Jedi, [member=Cathbodua], [member=Coci Heavenshield], and [member=Thurion Heavenshield].

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay raised a brow as [member="Neiros Starwind"] spoke. It was nice to see [member="Ultimatum"] again. She offered him a smile and bow of her head too. So this wasn't some trade meeting. Now she felt overdressed. And it came as no surprise that information was found on her through the holonet. However Ultimatum was making sure that some things were gone forever from it.

At the mention of [member="James Justice"] , Kay looked out of the window she was beckoned too. "Yes, I did work with him before. I'll have a look and if he argues, well, I'll just remind him that he owes me a favour still."

Without further ado, she headed down to the gambling section to look for her 'friend'. And there he was, drunk as a...well, you know. But he seemed both sad and angry. "Hey....you okay? Why don't you come upstairs with me and we can have a chat." She was almost ready for an argument.

 

[Ultimatum]

Ultimatum was glad to return the gesture to a friend. A bow and a smile. He was glad that he had been built with the complex facial structure to allow expressions. It opened a world of complexities and it was truly amazing just how precise the facial features could affect words. One could say something and depending on the tone and appearance of the person saying it it could mean two completely different things. There were somethings he was still learning about this, organics had a very complex structure and understanding of the various smiles and frowns that were out there.

He was surprised that this man had collected so much data from the HoloNet, he hoped that the information he had been tasked with destroying had been sufficiently dealt with so as to leave little trace for others to follow. Certainly there had been no real activity towards those spots in the HoloNet, he had set up beacon like programming in the Net so that he could be aware of people trying to access certain parts. All the better to know if something was compromised and therefore give [member="Lady Kay"] heads up if something occurred.

The droid was intrigued that the organics speaking was so quick to point out lack of justice in holovids. Ultimatum knew that he would be seen on the holos, how could a leader of a planet not? He definitely had to make a new body, maybe something a little more organic like. He was a little more relaxed now, it did not appear that there was hostile intent, but that did not negate the distrust of a man who came by the information dishonestly.

[member="Neiros Starwind"]

 

[James Justice]

James looked up, his eyes barely focusing in on [member="Lady Kay"]. When he could tell who she was he gave a toothy and intoxicated grin, "Ye, its ye," he waved to the bartender across the way shouting, "A round for me friend here, on me."

Then suddenly his emotions turned on him and he slammed his fist on the table. Credit chips and poker ones alike that had been stacked came crashing down. He remembered what she had done. What she put him through. Anger. Raw anger. He didn't deserve to get captured and tortured by that--that---that pink freak. It was the last thing this emotional roller coaster needed right now.

He jabbed his finger at her as he stood up and leaned on her. He unwittingly began walking with the wild gate of a drunken man to where she had wanted him to follow.

"Ye not my friend," he bit out with drunken vemon, "I don't have any friends. They all leave me, they hurt me and I find meself alone. All alone, always alone," he sniffled before remembering why he was angry at Kay, "Ye pit me against that creep Thattius--or Thankus--or," he shook his head, "whatever. Ye put me against him," he stopped in the door way of their location and dropped his voice to a low whisper. Or at least a drunk's attempt at one, "He tortured me. You know he did that? He hurt me and ye put me against that freak," he sniffed and tried to stand on his own, to only lean back on Kay, drunken sobs began to heave from his body on her shoulder.

"I am a broken man," he wailed.

He had clearly had too many drinks for his own good by this point.

[member="Ultimatum"]
[member="Lady Kay"]
[member="Neiros Starwind"]
[member="Cathbodua"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay signalled to the bartender that she didn't want anything. She jumped a bit as [member="James Justice"] slammed his fist down. The quick change in his emotions was disturbing. Not to mention the smell of alcohol that was all over him.

And then he stopped and whispered. Once he spoke about Thraxis she frowned and lowered her head. "I didn't think that you'd go alone. I thought that you were capable enough to capture him....I am so sorry. I know....what it's like to be his prisoner. I have been tortured by him too. He even put me in a mental institution and pretended to be a doctor."

Kay rubbed and patted his back as he cried softly on her shoulder. She hadn't had to hold anyone like that for a while. Her concern however was also racked with guilt. "I didn't mean for it to happen. It was horrible and wrong...and evil of me. I won't do it again. I can't risk anyone's life but my own....I hope that in time you can forgive me. I owe you now...many times over..."

 

[James Justice]

James cried like hadn't in a very long time--mainly because he had not cried in a long time. Thraxis hadn't been the first to torture him. And in some ways was not the worst. He remembered the Prosecutor. That mechanical horror had caught him eventually and nearly squeezed the life out of him. James barely escaped, he knew he had lost his mind in the process and it had been a painful process trying to find it again.

As the image of the dark monster formed on James, his eyes flashed opened, a darkness flowed through him in the Force like a shock, the reminant of what had been done to him. His eyes stared ahead in a deathly coldness. His anger threatened to grip him in danger. Touching him alone brought an electric painful shock. His muscles tensed in anger. Yes, he had found his sanity again. But in the process his soul had been cracked. A dark streak ran through him.

He shook himself out of it. His drunken aura bleed pain again, emotional abandonment and a desire to forget. The spacer slapped himself twice. He could handle this, he could get a grip.

"Ye ain't evil, ye was doing what ye felt was right," he said in a slur, his mental facilities sharpening slowly. Very slowly. "I--I be sorry. I shouldn't have gone of on ye like that. Ye are alright, I sorry I--I--" he fumbled with words in a rare moment, "I just had too much to drink and be needing to sleep it off, I thinks."

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Neiros Starwind]

Neiros would break away from the Droid, who seemed to not be too talkative, in order to secure a couple of strong cups of caf, as [member="James Justice"] and [member="Lady Kay"] re-entered the banquet hall. Neiros would place both near James on the table, giving a slight gesture to pick whichever he wanted. "We all say things we don't fully mean when drunk. Like, your lie about not having any friends."

The handsome rogue would grab the other cup of caf, the one James didn't pick, and take a long draw from the cup, before continuing. "I don't know about all your past acquaintances, but I do know for a fact, that you, have at least one, true, honest to goodness, friend." He'd glance between the three of them, then the door, before giving a slow shake of his head.

"It's sad, when Jedi from your own order don't bother showing up to help you...." He'd murmur to himself, another shake of his head given.

"I digress.... You three are here, so hopefully, you three will care more about what I have to share than the others who neglected to show up. A quick introduction, I am Neiros, and I am a bastard seeking redemption for a crime I committed." He'd say, genuine regret in his eyes as he look at the three of them. "James, your friend, your one friend, the truest friend I've ever seen someone have, is why I called the three of you, and our missing Jedi friends, here today. You all have ties with the man who wore this mask...." Neiros continued, lifting a very, very familiar mask, along with the armored robes, gloves, cloak and boots that were always worn with said mask.

"Now, before you decide to kill me..." He'd say, his eyes mainly on James, knowing of the mans volatile nature, "I came to you, to help him. I didn't have to, I chose to." Last thing he wanted was a shootout, especially here on the Wheel. He liked the card games. "I am a scoundrel. A smuggler. A criminal. I even used to pick up bounties from time to time." He'd glance at Kay, giving a slight wink. "Not interested in yours, by the way."

"I took a job, what became my last bounty...." the rogue continued, his face paling slightly as he recalled it. "I responded to a request, and met with a Miraluka. She wanted me to acquire a Force Sensitive. She didn't specify, but offered up a pretty hefty purse to do it. I just happened to be in Hutt Space when I found an easy picking for the job. Bar fight turned south.... and well, I watched a cloaked figure, in a mask, beating feet to get clear. He moved faster than a normal person could, so I got a lucky shot off, downed him, and bagged him to go. It was around that time I saw you..." He'd say, nodding to James, "being dragged from the bar. I... Didn't know what she had planned... I just knew I was getting paid...." He'd grit his teeth, clenching his fists, as his knuckles turned white. "I saw things, I never wanted to see. She did things. Made him feel things.... People shouldn't have to feel.... And to make matters worse.... You said you were tortured? I'm almost certain he felt it. All of it. Because your name, he cried for. And not as if seeking your help, but as if seeking to help...."

"It was disgusting. She ended up turning him over to some members of the Black Sun. I tried to help him.... but, all I could do was tag the ship they loaded him in from Dromund Kaas with a tracker...."



[member=Ultimatum]

 

[Kay-Larr]

"I was being selfish and that was wrong. But I'll make it up to you some day." Kay sat [member="James Justice"] down at the table and chose a seat next to him, looking to [member="Neiros Starwind"] as he spoke. Hopefully the coffee would help.

She gripped the table a little as the mask and robes of her friend [member="Ryn'Dhal"] was presented and quickly looked to @Ultimatum. No doubt he recognized them as well. "Ryn...."

Her poor little friend. Did he ever change form to protect himself? Or was he not able to for some reason? Kay had heard a little about the Black Sun, though she wasn't sure if she had encountered any before.

"We'll have to secure his release. Any idea as to what they would want with him, other than being a toy?"

 

[Ultimatum]

Ultimatum's response would have been hostile, as soon as [member="Neiros Starwind"] said that he had taken [member="Ryn'Dhal"]. However, he contained his protocols and ordered himself to maintain control until he knew the full story. By the end he looked to see that [member="Lady Kay"] was looking at him as well. He nodded. All resources would be going into this. If the ship that was in his shipyard had been finished he would have taken that to help. For now he had to work with the ships he had and these other individuals.

He was silent for a moment, listening to his friend ask about plans. He was concerned with where exactly the man had been taken, it would take time to move things from Mustafar all the way to Dromund Kaas. He was already planning. The Fate would be fully loaded with weaponry and he thought of bringing the clone soldiers that he had. But it was too soon to cement anything, he had to wait until he had more information.

"Will you be helping us bring him back?"

[member="James Justice"]

 

[James Justice]

James began sipping the caf. As it began to do its magic and reduce his level of intoxication to its regular state, he felt his rage boil inside. So that was where the feline had gone. And this scum had the gettissi to stand here and talk about it? He let out a gutteral growl of anger, glaring at the mask. Yes, it was unmistakable. He would know it from a thousand miles away. His best friend's known visage could not be mistaken. It made his rage even more full blown. He would turn over every rock in the galaxies and burn the suns if he had to, Ryn would be rescued. And those who were guilty would suffer until their deaths met them slowly. This scoundrel before he would either be the first or the last.

The spacer was a man of extremes. Those he loved he loved more than life. His missing Sasha, his best friend Ryn, and Stardust. Those he hated he hated without mercy. Those who reached that point to suffer at his hands only earned so by making the innocent suffer, like the kidnappers and rapists he had brutally slaughtered. Or Rose Blade when she went on the bombing raids of innocent cities using his own ships to do it. He made a mental note to find her after this and tear her android body apart--alphabetically.

James set his drink down and pinched his nose.

"I will want the transponder intel of that tracker," he spat out, "I want crew ye saw, times, dates, read out numbers, Galcatic ID call numbers, everything, no small data will be lost here," he knew he could use every inch of that to go further than most with his knowledge and his specialist slicers. The spacer leaned forward pushing the datapad across for the info, his anger clear in his eyes, "mark my words: if he has even a scratch on him, when I be done with ye, ye will be cursing the day ye were born."

[member="Ultimatum"]
[member="Lady Kay"]
[member="Neiros Starwind"]
[member="Cathbodua"]

 

[Neiros Starwind]

Neiros would heave a sigh, bringing a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose, between his eyes. "Captain.... I'll chock that up to you being upset, which is completely understandable.... But I've got all the data I have been able to acquire right here..." He'd say, tapping his own datapad. He'd set it down on the table, and look at the three of them. "And it's surrender to you is in the understanding that after you learn what you need and want, we part ways, peacefully. I hope, I pray, you can get to him before anyone else can." Those cold, blue eyes locked on James, and if the spacer looked, he'd likely notice a genuine glimmer of emotion, of remorse, flicker in their depths. "That boy needs his family. Family I never should have taken him from."

He'd not give them a chance to give their word that they'd let him go, has he'd slide the datapad across the table to James' waiting hands. In the datapad it showed the freighter information that Ryn was caged on, it's flight plan, and information of it going down on a fringe world. Tash-Taral. It even showed the life-signatures of the crew one by one being extinguished by an unknown force. There was no record of the padawan being stored as cargo, and his signature was not one of the registered crew.

"If you would just activate the surveillance footage.... You'll see your friend is in fact on Tash-Taral.... You need to head there, without delay."

When James would activate the footage, it showed video of different angles within the ship. A large, black furred beast, with large spikes down it's back, slaughtering the slavers, the crew, every last man on the ship. The violence was extreme, swift, and brutal. Not a single person was spared. Then, after killing the captain, who inexplicably had his holdout blaster somehow ripped from his hands by an unseen force, the beast would glare at the camera, directly at the camera, and give a god-awful roar, which caused the audio to blare, and the camera itself to implode under some unseen pressure.

"I... never expected... what I saw after I took him..." The young man rubbed a shoulder, shuddering slightly. "He, honestly, was my first, and last, bounty. I'd collected on petty ones, yeah... People owing a few hundred creds here or there.... but this was a 'big job'.... And.... I didn't realize...." Neiros is far from being a good guy. But, he never really thought of himself as a bad guy. Torture.... Just wasn't his thing.... He'd kill, he'd murder, but he'd never torture. There's no mercy, no honor, in torture.

As they now had all his available information, including the coordinates of the world, and the coordinates on the surface where the ship went down, he'd slip his hands into the pockets of his jacket, and watch. Would they leave, would they go to save their friend? Or would they deign to waste more of their time here with the scoundrel, instead of addressing what was more important?


[member=Ultimatum] | [member=Lady Kay] | [member="James Justice"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay watched the exchange between [member="Neiros Starwind"] and [member="James Justice"] , the tension in the air being rather thick. Then there was the video. She watched in horror, feeling for the crew and their violent ends. Yet that creature looked familiar....

She got to her feet and looked to [member="Ultimatum"] . "He needs his pack. We are a part of it, remember? So we should get there as soon as possible." Kay looked to Neiros and James. "I have everything that I need. I just don't have a ship to get there. Either we use one of yours or I go and try to hire a transport that'll take us there. It's obvious that the one-time bounty hunter doesn't want to go. So James....time to sober up and grab your gear."

Boy she felt bossy. But sometimes there was a need for it.

 

[Ultimatum]

Ultimatum took a breath, a useless gesture in so far as physical necessity. However it was a habit that he had been given by his creators, he breathed much like an organic, but the air he exhaled was much the same as the air that he took in. "You are right. I have a ship as well. I would suggest that we take what James has, if only for the longer trip being relatively comfortable during it."

The Fate was really not a good ship for trips longer than a few days, it was not built with comfort in mind. It had been Ultimatum's second ship ever, and he had simply been looking for something that could transport more than the small fighter craft that he had built before. He assumed that because James had a larger company with more flight based resources he would have ships better made for transportation of organics in a more comfortable manner than an old Clone Wars era Assault Transport.

He was going to have the Fate come along anyways, it was well geared to an attack on ground troops, which he assumed they would be doing quite a bit of to get Ryn'Dhal out of there. As [member="Lady Kay"] had said, they were part of the organic's pack, as strange as it might have seemed for a droid to be part of a pack. He took that obligation quite seriously and had loyalty that might have surprised some people. He doubted that Kay would have been surprised, the work that he had done for her was long complete and more thorough than anything he had done on the HoloNet before. He did not care for the dangers that could be posed by the pirates, they were physical and he could fight any physical force.

He looked to [member="Neiros Starwind"] and [member="James Justice"], they were organics, he had met some like them before. They had emotions, no matter how much they tried to contain them. They needed to vent the anger that was within them, he had seen organics who did not allow their emotions to be free, they were damaged beyond most repair. He felt some sympathy for the one time bounty hunter, but he did not allow that to justify the man. He had still made a mistake, he had done something wrong. But then again, so had many people, so had Ultimatum himself. Perhaps not in the same ways, but definitely they had all done wrong. Forgiveness was the only thing that stopped everyone from simply shooting each other.

"I am ready whenever you two are."

 

[Cathbodua]

[member="Lady Kay"] [member="Neiros Starwind"] [member="James Justice"] [member="Ultimatum"]

There was something happening as she moved out of the ship and going towards the place she had been invited to. It gave her some things while her attention shifted to the different things there before she was entering and seeing more people. Ones she did not actually know and a droid... okay she knew the senator by reputation standing there in the black bodysuit with her facemask and breathing piece. Her lightwhip on her hip while she walked in more wondering until she heard a sound and her head turned watching a video before she glared. There was tension and things happening while she wondered what the frak they had all been brought into the place for. Ryn was on the video and she heard the senator speaking about some of the things.

 

[James Justice]

James watched the carnage without a flinch. His face was set like it was in stone. The holovid appeared to do more to sober him up than anything else. He rose to his feet without a word. His dark eyes flickered in the most dangerous of his rages. The quiet ones.

Drunk or not, he was still one of the most powerful criminal masterminds in the galaxy. One so skillful until his recent unveiling he was commonly considered nothing more than a businessman whom filled the tabliods and gossip columns. His mind was quickly cutting through what would be needed, who would be needed to get his feline friend back safe. Safe at all costs, even if it killed him.

The only indication that he gave that he understood was a nod of his head as the spacer grabbed his datapad and the new one. His steps were quick and precise as he made his way to his ship, the Lost Angel. His eyes flickered violet with the rage of the Force. He was walking a delicate balance between the light and the dark, even for him. Once the passengers were aboard, the ship's loading ramp sealed shut and the ship's cockpit scanners gave a gloss over his retinas. Satisfied, the engines roared to life and James catapulted it into space. Reed, the battered yellow astromech droid trundled into the cockpit and gave an inquisitive set of chirps. James did not reply. He didn't care. He had other things on his mind.

[member="Lady Kay"]
[member="Neiros Starwind"]
[member="Ultimatum"]
[member="Cathbodua"]