1 Shade of Gray

[James Justice]

James sat back, watching the compound carefully. He had hired [member="Gray Raxis"] recently. The young man had more than shown himself on one occasion. He has helped protect his daughter, helped keep him from making a grave mistake, and treated Stardust when she had been injured in a fight. He was alright so far. And with Stardust's approval he was good enough for James.

Now he was taking the boy on a solo joy rescue ride. It was a simple enough rescue mission; the convoy would come in a few minutes, and the pair would whole sale slaughter the slavers and rescue the poor beings from their poor future in captivity. If the kid could show his stripes on this one then he was in for a real future with Justice Shipping.

James shifted his weight in the speeder looking at the young Mando, "Ye feeling good, mate?"

 

[Gray Raxis]

[member="James Justice"]

Gray was glad to be hired on by such a big company as Justice Shipping was. He finally had some steady income to enjoy. He was enjoying the thought of the current mission as well. Slavers were not exactly the best of people, and he didn't mind liberating their cargo. It might not have been exactly your usual merc work, but what really was? He got thrown into all kind of crazy situations with his job.

Gray looked over at James. He was in his armor and had his blaster pistol strapped to his right leg. He smiled inside his helmet and said, " Better than these slavers are about to be. Doubt anyone would feel as good as these slaves are about to feel in a bit though."

 

[James Justice]

James gave a hearty laugh. "Good" was not the term he had in mind for what was about to happen to them. And he doubted they would feel anywhere near "good" anytime soon when he was done with them. But all the same, it worked for him. He gave the younger merc a slap on the shoulder, "Ye alright, mate. Ye alright."

The convoy began to roll up to the drop off point. It was a small, off the grid compound that served as a landing pad for space ships, disguised as a warehouse. These were common for the slavers to use and set up. James had even used then once or twice to drop off spice, guns, and a few other goods of the same kind.

There were four speeder vans ((I dont know if thats a thing but roll with me, ok? )), eight swoops, and a pair of vanilla-speeders. James gave Gray a wry smile, "Show time mate."

He strode out of the speeder they had been staking out on. A brown trenchcoat hung around his body losely over his leather coat and pants. Between the two was an arsinol of blasters, slug throwers, explosives, and a flame thrower. The spacer knew what he liked and he came to destroy everything that was in his path. But first--to say please.

One of the goons, a Trandoshan stopped them, "Hold back, you no come here."

James gave the man a sad shake of the head, "I will be offering this once: hand the slaves over. Or suffer the consequences."

The Trandoshan spat on James his smelly, stickly saliva, it landed on the man's trenchcoat. The captain looked at Gray with a pleased smile that read one thing; show no mercy.

"What the--"

James' wrist snapped, the hold out blaster in his sleeve popped into James' hand. He emptied the small weapon's four shots into reptile's torso. The smell of burning flesh filled the air and battered guts went flying as the body fell to the ground.

"Give them bloody hell!" he roared in a savage voice.

[member="Gray Raxis"]

 

[Gray Raxis]

[member="James Justice"]

Gray followed his boss out to the compound. He knew what was about to happen, but he really hoped it didn't. He hoped they would just hand the slaves over and then everyone could be happy, well then the slavers could be happy too. He didn't mind getting into shoot outs, but there was never anything wrong with and easy job from time to time. Too bad with his luck no job was ever easy. He was also getting the feeling that it was the same with his boss James.

Gray watched as the trandoshian sealed the fate of everyone there. He pulled out his blaster pistol and went into action. He rushed towards the slave vans taking shots at everything that even hinted at being hostile. He got close to the speeders and charged up a shot. He took a shot at the first speeder before repeating for the next. The fun part about his blaster was that it had this unique function while being extremely accurate. It's regular shots might not have been as powerful, but he could put out some damage with it's charges. Both the speeders exploded with the pilots still on them. He was having fun now.

Gray said as he kept up his march, " Stand down if you want to live! I will not be merciful to idiots and fools!"

 

[James Justice]

James twisted around, trenchcoat flail as he dodged a barrage of blasterfire. Into his waiting hands from the folds of his garment a Lil Monster appeared. Ratcheting a round into the chamber quickly, James shot from the hip, laying down a rapid line of fire that made his assailants duck for cover. He heard Gray give the order to surrender. At this point, the bloodlust had consumed James, he didn't care if they begged for mercy, there would be none.

He took the moment to sprint to one of the speeders where his attackers had taken cover behind the hood. Planting one foot on the bumper he leaped over their cover in a tight, Force-guided, twisting flip. Landing on his feet, facing his stunned opponents the spacer grabbed one by the hair and rammed the barrel of his weapon into its throat. As he squeezed the trigger, the life went from the enemy's body and its blood splattered across the vehicle and ground.

"Come to ye death ye fething fools," James roared as he released the body.

Watching his comrade collapse, the other raised his weapon to fire, shaking. His resolve had been devoured by the darkside running and coursing through James' body and the air around the spacer. James was done fighting his darkside. He was through trying to undo what Thraxis had done to his soul. He would use it and he would burn--If for nothing else than to save the poor souls who were in the speeders.

The spacer wrenched the weapon from its weilder, bringing his own down on its head in a heavy slam. The thug reeled as bits of his blood and skull went flying through the air. James rammed his foe onto the hood of the speeder and cracked the skull with another blow. And another. And another. His throat gave a hearty roar as he shattered the man's head open like an overly-ripe melon.

[member="Gray Raxis"]

 

[Gray Raxis]

[member="James Justice"]

Gray followed through with what he had said earlier. He left every slaver who dropped their weapons alive, and killed every one who didn't. He went over to the slave cages and began to shoot off every lock he could find. The slaves looked terrified, but not because of Gray. They were terrified as a roar erupted out of the other person with him. He got the last lock off and looked over at his boss. The brutality of what he saw did not sit well with him. He frowned under his helmet and rushed over to James.

Gray said as he tried to pull James away from the dead body, " It's over! Stop! We won. There is NO reason to continue!" He turned to the slavers and yelled, " Leave the weapons behind and run. IF you do you live."

 

[James Justice]

The slavers weren't about to stick around and find out how bad James was when he really got going. But unfortunately, the spacer was far from done. His righteous indignation was just beginning. He saw the fleeing, terrified assailants. Mystique. Echo Emerald. Ryn'Dhal. The close friends of his who had been captured and forced into slavery echoed through his mind. These beings had been captured too. Unless they were killed the slavers would capture again. And again. And more suffering would be continued.

It wasn't over. It would never be over until they all were dead and the cycle was broken.

"Its not over," he snarled, "Until I say it is."

He stormed after the enemy, heart pounding, rage fueling his zeal to, "Die you dogs!"

His hands reached out and he willed them to die. He wanted death, he wanted it so bad. His will opened up the Force, sending a vortex of black, purple electricity arcing from his fingers and onto his enemies. Their bodies writhed in pain as the energy flowed through them, their screams of death and agony were a sound of music to his ears. How long it lasted James didn't know. At last he snapped his fist shut and their lives were over. Panting heavily, sweat beading off his brow, James could feel exhaustion taking over as his knees threatened to buckle, "Oh feth."

[member="Gray Raxis"]

 

[Gray Raxis]

[member="James Justice"]

Gray watched the scene of James' fury with horror. He didn't like slavers, they were as bad if not worse than pirates. His dad was killed by a pirate right in front of him and was the reason Gray had the scar across his face. He had gotten his revenge, but it was hollow at best. He knew the anger it built up inside of you. He had lived his life throwing his life to the wind and killing without a second thought, but not anymore. He knew it didn't solve a thing. Killing was killing. All it did was end a life, not solve a problem. There was always someone else to fill the shoes of the one who dies. He couldn't stand this senseless slaughter.

Gray decided to do something. He rushed over to James and tackled him full force into the ground. He would throw a punch full force towards James' face as he screamed, " You didn't have to kill them! They might be scum but they have as much of a right to live as we did. They were no threat to anyone! We came here to free slaves, not slaughter slavers! OR did you forget what was important here?" His own emotions were overflowing. He could feel his own body strengthen as his emotions rose. He hadn't felt this way in a long time, and he wasn't liking it. That fetching trip to dagaboh was bringing up too many emotions he worked hard to bury for a reason.

 

[James Justice]

James was too tire to fight as he got knocked down and punched. A taste of blood filled his mouth, he shoved Gray off of him with what little strength he had left in his body before sitting up and spitting a mouthful of saliva-blood mix onto the concrete. His dark brown eyes glared at the Mandalorian before him, flickers of purple darkside energy wising at his eyes still.

"They forfeit that right when they decided to take that right from others," James growled, "Out here no one gives a damn what happens to kids like this. Ye think this is the only truckload of slaves they ever hauled in? It ain't. And it won't be the last. We did the galaxy a favor by killin' em."

He managed to stand with a heavy grunt. "Ye will learn sooner or later. Ye will learn who I am and what I be. I will burn. I burn always. I burn for the innocent, so they dun't have to and I don't give two rat's arses what the consequences are."

The spacer wiped his lip and craned his ear a moment, 'C'mon, there be more inside."

[member="Gray Raxis"]

 

[Gray Raxis]

[member="James Justice"]

Gray just stood there and listened to the man. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Was this guy serious? He was making claims that he clearly didn't feel. No person who actually cared about others would slaughter people who were no threat like that. He clenched his fists wanting to punch James again badly, but holding back his rage. Calm down Gray, don't be who you use to be.

Gray unclenched his fists after several seconds and said, " With all due respect, I refuse to go in. We are not done out here. What are we going to do with the slaves out here? They are terrified. Too terrified to even leave their cages. And the reason for it is you. The innocents you claim to be here to rescue are too frightened of you to even think about accepting your help. What good is that to them? What kind of life are you even giving them anyways? They don't have any credits to their name and you are leaving them behind without any further help. All you care about is slaughtering those you claim have 'forfeited their rights', but who are you to decide that?"

Gray was heated up now. He had tried to calm down, but he was just too far gone. He pulled his helmet off and threw it on the ground near James. He said after he did with a scowl on his face and anger in his eyes, " You say I will learn, but clearly it's you who haven't learned a fetching thing about how these things work. Every slaver you kill, every slave you free, another takes their place. There will be no end to the cycle the way you do things. Killing is killing, it doesn't solve anything. All you did was remove a life, not the problem. The real problem is bigger than us, and unless we all address it it will always be there. If all you want to do is slaughter in some claim for good be my guest. But I will have no part in it. My job was to help people, not kill them."

Gray walked over towards the slave vans when he finished speaking. He didn't even wait for a reply. He needed to calm down and clam down these poor slaves. He was going to do what he could for them, with or without James.

 

[James Justice]

"That's why we have to try damn it!" James roared. His body was shaking, not with the darkside this time, but the sheer anger of it all. He could feel the weight of the worlds on his shoulders some days. Most days. Every day.

"Its not perfect but we do what we can," he continued. "Yes its damn big, and yes its damn strong. But if the slavers know there will be payment and hell for what they do, they'll think twice afore they strike again. Maybe there will be more. Maybe there won't. I dun't know and frankly its not anything I can control. But when someone realizes that they can get kilt doing somethin they start to think twice afore doing it."

A wiser man would have stopped. But Force help the fool who mistook James for a wise man. Set in his ways, as tainted by the world that he sought to break as by the one he sought to create, he couldn't. He was blind to the way he was, seeking to make things better he had become the pragmatist of them all.

"And what do I do? I set them up at Second Chance," he said flailing his arms wide, "I give 'em homes, I give 'em jobs, I give em food, water, and clothing. If I cain't hire 'em I find someone who can among me associates. I train em to work, I give em hope, Gray, I give them goddamn hope. Hope that as they sit in their cells waiting to be sold or waiting to be forced into labor that some fething b@st@rd like me will come swooping in to save them. I give them something to hold on to. Something they can feel. Now are ye gonna sit here or are ye gonna help me free the ones in the shipping crates inside?"

[member="Gray Raxis"]

 

[Gray Raxis]

[member="James Justice"]

Gray began doing his best to calm the slaves down who were still refusing the leave their cages. He listened to James all the while. He had to agree that James was doing good by providing them with stuff, but he was also not right about it all. He wasn't giving them hope. He was giving them things. There was a big difference between the two.

Gray found it wasn't working to calm the slaves down. He turned to James and said, " Do you see any hope here with these slaves? All I see is people who are terrified to make a mistake and get on your bad side. Fear does not lead to hope. Fear leads to hatred, which leads to more fear and even more hate. You give them stuff sure, and that is a wonderful thing. You do good by them there, but don't ever, ever delude yourself into thinking you are giving them anything other than fear that you might turn on them next. When you have blood on your hands, it tends to stain everything you touch." He walked over to his helmet and picked it up. He put it on his head and added, " Trust me on that. I have stained too many good things for one life time."

Gray began to head towards the compound and said, " I will help you free the slaves, but that is it. I won't help satisfy your lust for blood by helping you slaughter people. They may not show mercy, so I will be one to do it. I am not like them after all." He turned to face James and added, " Are you?"

 

[James Justice]

James didn't expect Gray to agree with him. But he wasn't going to argue about it. No one saw things the way he did. The Jedi solved things by naval-gazing and talking. The Sith by enslaving and dominating. James was a crimelord, pure and simple. It was who he was, it was all he would ever be. He had accepted that title a long time ago.

He grabbed the DeathHammer from his thigh and blasted the locks off the gate with a shot from the armor piercing round. Though trite in saying, it was a truth nonetheless, "A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do."

Swinging them wide he stepped in and gave a loud shout, "Slaves of the galaxy have no fear, ye redemption has come."

A blaster shot rang out from the other side of the hall, hitting James' blast vest under his jacket. The spacer was nocked back a step.

"Bloody hell," he muttered, whipping out a slugthrower rifle. The second shot hit his other shoulder, James cursed again, his sights landing on the skull of the assailant's. A single shot rang out and the body on the scaffolding fell with a clatter. Lowering his weapon James shouted, 'Will there be more ninnies dying today? Step right up and get some."

[member="Gray Raxis"]

 

[Gray Raxis]

[member="James Justice"]

Gray took cover as soon as the gate was down. The reason he did that became obvious as James took two shots right after his little line. He just shook his head and said trying to imitate James' accent at the right parts, " How about you take some cover. 'A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do' right? You can't help anyone if you are dead."

Gray scanned the place. He didn't like dealing with warehouses on jobs. There was too much cover and it was always hard to pin point where his enemies were at. He eventually gave up on that and settled for trying to spot the slaves. He said as he did, " So how about you keep them distracted and I free the slaves? Oh and try not to expose yourself too much while you do it. I'd rather not lose my boss and my paycheck at the same time."

 

[James Justice]

James laughed and nodded, "Mate, it takes more than a few scrapes to take an old hand like me down."

With heavy, intentionally loud footsteps he began marching down the warehouse. Massive cargo containers stood along either side, in strange unorganized containers. In his gut, through the Force, he could feel the people inside. There were even more in here than there were out there. James held his rifle ready in the pit of his elbow.

He spun on his heel, feeling someone behind him. A Rodien shot at James, missing by inches, James shot back three times, ripping holes in the alien's chest, and sending it stumbling back. The spacer charged at it, bringing his rifle around in a heavy ram that splattered its brains across the container wall in a gory display. The body fell back and James stepped on it, and over it. His teammate standing on the top of the container shot at James, the slug thrower grazed his shoulder, drawing a sliver of blood. James turned with a scowl on his face and unloaded five shots that tore through his assailant's body and sent it clattering down onto the asphalt flooring.

[member="Gray Raxis"]

 

[Gray Raxis]

[member="James Justice"]

Gray just watched as James made a fo-er, distraction of himself. It was working well because all of the slavers seemed to have forgotten there was a second hostile in the place with them. He just stayed low as he moved through one side of the warehouse. He holstered his pistol and pulled out his vibro-knife. As he came up to each slaver hidden among the crates, every single one with their eyes on James, he would come up behind them and silently execute them. He couldn't tell which of the crates held the slaves, so he figured he would find who might know.

Gray began to keep his eyes out for the person in charge of the facility. It seems they were the cowardly type because eventually he found them in the very back of the place in a barricaded office. Gray looked out it trying to figure out the best way in. The door was no doubt locked and the windows had been covered with metal. He didn't look at it long before he made up his mind. He pulled out a two thermal detonators and activated their timers. He set them against the door and took cover. As they exploded, metal scrap flew all around. The door wasn't nearly as strong as he had thought it was. He rushed into the room with his pistol in one hand and his knife in the other. As he came in, he found a person laying on the floor moaning. They were not injured hardly, but they did get knocked out. He found a speaker system in the office and went to it.

Gray said as he pressed the button for the speaker, " Drop your weapons to the ground and walk out with your hands up. Your leader and office are taken. Follow these commands to live, ignore them to die. I will leave the judgement up to you James." He walked over to the person when he finished and picked them up. He smiled and said, " Now then, where are the slaves at? Let me know and you might survive this."

 

[James Justice]

James watched as four of the slavers dropped their weapons and came out into the open. The spacer was willing to show mercy as he set his rifle aside and prepared to walk towards them.

When the spacer came halfway toward them he felt a tingle in the back of his spine. Dropping to the ground, he barely dodged in time to keep his head on his shoulders from the sniper in place. The "unarmed" slavers drew melee weapons and chargered at the prone crime lord.

James twisted and extended his palm, his wrist flame thrower activated, sending a beam of fire tearing through them, charing their bodies into the unlife. As their husks collapsed the spacer rolled from the next sniper shot.

"Mercy indeed," James muttered as he drew his slug throwing revolver.

Using the force he spotted the sniper and sent a trio of shots into the being's skull. "Force damn it. Anyone else wanna die?"

He stood up and discarded the empty weapon, drawing another.

[member="Gray Raxis"]

 

[Gray Raxis]

[member="James Justice"]

Gray heard the conflict going on in the main room. It seems these slavers were not the most intelligent of people. They had their chance to live and then they went and not only poked the bear, but pissed it off too. He just shook his head, even though he felt they got what they deserved right now. He turned his attention back to the person in charge. They were still semi out of it as Gray reached down and lifted them up off the floor. They were a short Zeltron woman. She had looks that could sway any man she desired, but she couldn't be any less attractive to Gray right now. He wasn't into her type of person. The inside was what mattered...although looks did count too.

Gray said, " I'll repeat myself, where are the slaves at? Tell me and I might let you survive meeting my boss out there." His words seemed to bring some sense back to the woman and she began to smile seductively at him. She said in a sweet voice as she slide her hands onto his chest, " Look who is a strong, mind letting me down? Then we can talk politely, and maybe something more?" Gray smiled at her and slammed her into one of the walls of the office. He said after he did, " Wrong response. Now answer my question and stop playing around. Slavers who think they can seduce their way out of a bad situation aren't my type. But maybe you are my boss's type? Of course if his girlfriend finds out she might just make you wish you were dead."

 

[James Justice]

James couldn't hear, and his gut told him, that there were no more slavers left in the area. He stormed to follow what Gray had left as a destructive wake. He could see the woman getting her face shoved into the wall and frankly the spacer couldn't give two rat's arse's.

"Or, we could hand ye over to Thraxis, would ye like that?" James asked in a snarling voice. "Ye know who he is? He was the Hutt's torturer. And now he works for me. Ye wanna find out what he can do to ye?"

"Ok, ok," she screamed in a pleading voice, "Containers 7-12, please, just don't let me--"

James's blaster gave a single shot and her body went limp. He gave her a disgusted look, like a rabid dog that had just been put down. He turned and stalked off, moving to open the cargo containers and free the poor slaves from a life of servitude.

[member="Gray Raxis"]

 

[Gray Raxis]

[member="James Justice"]

Gray held onto the woman as James showed up. He dropped both the name of the best torturer in the galaxy and the woman quickly broke. He was glad about that, because it made things so much easier. She gave the locations to the slaves so Gray dropped her to her feet. He walked away as she begged for her life, and then heard the shot go off. He would have turned around and said something, but he knew it wouldn't change anything. What was done was done, and after her behavior he had no sympathy for the woman. She had tried to use her feminine charms to seduce him and broke immediately just because her life meant so much to her. She could care less about those slaves, but she sure would have done anything to save her own skin.

Gray said, " I'm going to go find those containers and let those people out." He went out to go about freeing all of the slaves from their metal, box prisons.