Arena Acier, are you okay? Are you okay? Are you OK, Acier??!

[Drifter]

Somewhere in Black Sun Space​

At first, there was nothing, just a void and the faint hum of something mechanical. Then came the pulse. A low, throbbing bass that wormed its way into his skull and dragged him up from the dark. By the time Drifter cracked an eye open, the noise had turned into a full-blown riot of lights, music, and voices even through the filter of his polarized helm.

[ ...Oo-w, ] he muttered, instantly regretting having a head at all.

Something clunked against the back of his helm. He turned just in time to see a crushed can bounce off the floor beside him. Overhead was a ring of scoundrels, gangers, and general sleemos howling for blood -- a real welcoming crowd.

Citrine eyes squinted up at them from beyond the polarized helm he wore and then down at himself. A metal unfamiliar belt that glowed a faint orange was clamped around his waist.

[ - aww, gorram it! ] he cursed, as he realized all of his weapons were gone too. Feth, feth, FETH! Alex was never going to let him live this down. Before he could continue to curse about it, a spark leapt from the thing, tethering him to another belt across the pit. That one was attached to someone else, still slumped over and dead to the world.

Figures. Even unconscious, the stranger had better timing than most of his old partners.

Drifter exhaled through his teeth and rubbed at the sore spot on his neck. The last thing he remembered was tailing a lead on a bounty down in the lower levels on syndicate territory. Guess he took a wrong turn despite that nagging bad feeling at the base of his neck. Should've listened to it.

The crowd started to chant, all ugly enthusiasm and cheap booze breath.

"Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!"

[ Yeah, yeah, I hear you,] he muttered under his breath through the modulator. [ No pressure. ]

He kicked the crushed can across the pit, letting it clatter against his tethered companion's Acier Moonbound 's shoulder.

[ C'mon, partner, ] he drawled out with a modulated voice as dry as a desert. [ Wakey wakey. Hate to start the show without ya. ]

Because if they were gonna die in this hole, he'd at least like to know the name of the idiot he'd be dying with.

OOC: This fight is between Ace and me and randos PVE, but feel free to join, make bets, watch or have your own fight somewhere else if you like!

 

[Kinley Pryse]

You've been hit by... you've been struck by...

Kinly Pryse is a disease the galaxy hasn't found a cure for​

The roar of the crowd was a living thing, hungry, electric, and wild. Every cheer shook the rusted beams of the old arena, filling the smoke-hazed air with a pulse that matched the thrum of the prize fights below. Kinley Pryse sat high in the stands, a shadow among shadows, her dark coat blending into the neon gloom.

Around her, Black Sun enforcers, smugglers, and gamblers leaned close to the rails, shouting wagers and curses as blood hit the sand. Kinley's attention, though, wasn't on the fighters. Her focus was the quiet trade happening beneath the noise with a quick flash of a vial, a subtle exchange of credits, the practiced sleight of someone who'd made a career out of never being caught.

She dealt with the calm precision of a surgeon, sliding packets of glittering spice into waiting hands, her expression unreadable. The fights made the perfect cover as no one noticed another transaction when fists were flying and bones were breaking.

As another cheer rattled through the stands, Kinley leaned back in her seat, letting the din wash over her. This was her arena just as much as the pit below. And in Black Sun space, control didn't always come from strength, instead it came from the right product, in the right hands, at the right price.

Open to interaction (you wanna buy some deathsticks?)​

A Smooth Criminal

 

[Acier Moonbound]

Location: Black Sun Space

Equipment:
Field Gear | Cybernetic Arm

The world faded back in crooked seams. Voices first, then the smell: old sweat and cheap liquor. Ace's eyelid twitched before the rest of him did, the familiar throb behind his temples pulsing like someone plucking a frayed thread in his mind.

Ace groaned, rolling onto his side. His left forearm whirred, servos adjusting as the prosthetic compensated for however long he'd been unconscious. Tic wasn't here... that hit him next. No soft chirps of concern. Fantastic.

Something clattered off his shoulder. A can. Then he shot up, wide awake and alert now. There was a helmeted guy on the other end of a glowing tether attached to his waist. Ganger crowd above them, roaring like they wanted blood on the walls yesterday. And Ace was… in a belt? With a lock? Great. Absolutely excellent. The Force really loved pulling stunt levels of stupid with him lately.

Then the man's voice crackled through an emulator. Ace ran a hand, his real one, through his loosely tied locs. Exhaled through his nose, at this point he'd evolved past being surprised by the chaos that was his life now.

He pushed himself to his feet, wincing at the bright arena lights. The crowd roared harder. Ace ignored them, eyes scanning for exits, structural weaknesses, anything he could use... but the Force kept tugging him toward the guy beside him. Not danger. More like… entanglement. A thread looped through both of them.

A shared fate. Temporarily. Annoyingly.

He clicked the edge of the belt with his prosthetic, sparks pinging back. In that moment, he realized he didn't have his lightsaber either. Finally, Ace looked at this... drifter.

"So, what? This some sort of tag-team gladiator match?" He sighed, completely unphased. Then he cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders. "I'm not dying in a hole with you. No offense."

The crowd roared again. Louder. Something mechanical began to rise at the far end of the pit. Time to get to work.

Drifter | Kinley Pryse​

 

[Drifter]

Interacting With: Acier Moonbound

Drifter's visor tilted slightly as he canted his head to the right, a faint metallic rasp humming through the modulator that might've been a laugh. The Hunter leaned forward with one elbow on his knee, studying the Ace as he finally came to. The droid arm, plus the scuffs, and that sort of look that told him that clearly the kid was the type that was a magnet for trouble and a big chip on their shoulder

[ Oh, thank Inari the Reviver, you're alive. I was startin' to think I'd have to do all the dyin' myself. ]

Even through the voice modualer, there was a distinct wry sarcastic amusement that bode of being used to having to be in these types of situations. He rose to his feet, rolling his shoulders until something in his back cracked, immediately sparking a bright orange flare between their tethers.

[ Tag-team? Nah. More like unwilling duet. My money says this crowd's not big on fair fights. ]

The chant from above grew louder, and even a few stomps joined the rhythm. Something heavy shifted behind the far gate and a grinding of gears along with the hiss of hydraulic gave a heck of a dark forewarning.

Drifter gave a grimace unde rhis helm as he turned his head toward the sound, only to mutter a low curse under his breath.

Ahh feth me.

[ I knew I shoulda stayed in bed.. or at least taken that Twi'lek's offer of a ride. ]

The polarized helm gave the glowing belt another glance, going into investigation mod. His gloved fingers gave a tap at the node until it shocked him back for his trouble -- FEeeethhhh!

Immdiately, Drifter shook out his hand with sharp hissing curse.

[ Well, guess that answers that. We're stuck together. So here's the deal, partner -- ] his voice hitched with a dry note of humor [ -- we stay on our feet, we keep breathin', and we don't kill each other before whatever's behind that gate tries to. Sound fair? ]

The gate shuddered open and soon enough they found out waht was beyond it -- a hulking silhouette lumbered out as the metal plating and servo whined and echoed off the walls. The pit lights flashed crimson and swept over the pit, painting the floor in blood red hues.

The gate slammed fully open with a jolt that rattled the floor beneath their boots. What stepped out was not a droid, not some patched-together thug special, but a hulking, snorting mountain of muscle and horn.

A Reek.

Big. Red. Angry. And judging by the scars carved across its hide, well accustomed to this particular dance.

Drifter went very still.

[ Oh you have got to be kiddin' me, ] he muttered, visor tilting up at the ceiling as if appealing to whatever cosmic prankster kept doing this to him.

[ Of all the rancid, back-alley beasts they could've thrown at us, they pick the one with a head shaped like a battering ram. ]

The Reek huffed, steam curling out of its nostrils. Then it scraped one massive hoof against the ground. Once. Twice. The air vibrated.

[ Aaand it's angry. Great. Wonderful. Perfect. ]

The beast charged.

Heading straight at Ace.

 

[Acier Moonbound]

Location: Black Sun Space

Equipment:
Field Gear | Cybernetic Arm

Ace just stared at him for a second. Not confused. Not impressed. Just… staring.

The guy kept talking, rolling with the situation like this was normal for him. Ace took him in: the visor tilt, the posture, the immediate acceptance that they were in a mess. Figures. He attracts the same type as him.

"Unwilling duet." Ace repeated, tone so even it was almost bored. "Never heard that one before."

The stranger tapped the belt. Got shocked. Hissed. Complained. Ace didn't react, just watched him shake out his hand. When he referred to Ace as 'partner' his brow lifted maybe half a millimeter.

Then the gate screamed open. Metal groaned and the air shifted. The threads of the Force in Ace's mind coiled tight. A Reek lumbered out, huge, scarred, snorting steam.

Ace looked at it. Then at Drifter.

"…Outstanding."

The Reek stomped once. Twice. Lowered its head and charged... straight at him. Ace didn't flinch. Of course it went for him first. But then everything clicked. Weight. Motion. Thread tension. Drifter bracing near him. The Force pulling all of it into one clean vector.

He exhaled once and stepped toward it. "Jump." He said, barely louder than the crowd, maybe too quiet for Drifter to even hear.

It didn't matter. He already had him. At the last possible moment, Ace pushed off the ground, a sharp, controlled Force-assisted hop that lifted him clean over the incoming horn. His prosthetic hand tightened on the tether, and with his other hand he sent a smooth telekinetic lift into Drifter's center of mass, guiding the man upward in sync with him. Just enough to keep him airborne.

He cleared the horn by inches. Ace landed in a messy two-person crouch on the Reek's flank as the beast thundered past, slamming into the arena wall hard enough to shake dust loose from the rafters. How Drifter landed? He had no idea. Least of his problems right now.

The crowd's roar cracked in half. A wave of "NO KRIIIIIFFING WAY!" Someone spilled a drink. Someone else screamed a bet they instantly regretted.

Ace straightened slowly, brushing grit off his knee. His eyes were locked on to the Reek, regaining its bearings.

"If I can get close enough, I can calm it down."

Drifter ​

 

[Drifter]

​

Interacting With: Acier Moonbound

Drifter hit the ground in a half-crouch, half-stumble that definitely wasn't graceful but absolutely was intentional, thank you very much. His boots skidded across the crimson Reek-hide before he found his footing, hands flung out like he was trying to balance on a drunken bantha.

The crowd roared. Bottles flew. Someone yelled something about betting their cousin's speeder.

Business as usual.

He heard Ace's deadpan, all calm and cool Jedi poetry, and snorted through his modulator.

[ Calm it down? Kid, this thing eats calm for breakfast. ]

The Reek bucked again and Drifter felt his spine attempt to relocate itself somewhere between his shoulder blades.

[ Oh feth! ] he cursed as he windmilled both arms shouting, [ Who-o-oa there, cowboy! I do not have Reek insurance! ]

The tether jerked, pulling him sideways just as Ace steadied himself like he'd done this a thousand times. Drifter flapped for balance only to land on a pose that would've looked heroic if it weren't so hilariously off-kilter.

Citrine eyes a hue of the blazing Twin suns flashed wide behind the visor as Ace seemed to try to click into that weird serene focus that Jedi always slipped into right before something exploded or someone regretted their life choices.

'Course, this was just whgen the Reek snorted steam through it's large nostirls, pawed the dirt and was more than ready for round two.

Nonetheless Drifter grinned under the helm. Chaos was his language. And right now, the galaxy was speaking fluently.

[ Yeah, well, typically happens when a hunt goes sideways and I end up with more dancing partners than I planned, ] he called back, bouncing on his heels like he was warming up for a rodeo he absolutely did not sign up for.

Of course, that was when the Force grabbed him. Not metaphorically. Literally.

Citrine eyes widened. [ Huh… well look at you go. Into the fancy mov --GAH! ]

He was airborne. Airborne.

[ Oi! Oi! OOOOI! A little warning before the Force foreplay! Buy a guy dinner first! ]

Then he hit Reek-back. Somehow. With the grace of a panicked flamingo trying to escape a wind turbine. Arms flailing, legs scrambling, dignity abandoned in the dust somewhere behind them.

The beast bucked like someone had strapped fireworks to its hind end. Hard enough to rattle his teeth.

[ Let's lasso this thing! ] Drifter shouted over the chaos, already grabbing the tether they shared.

He whipped it up and over the Reek's massive horn. It tightened. Caught. Success.

[ Yeah! That's how you -- AUGH! ]

The Reek flung its head like it wanted to send him straight into orbit. Drifter flew off its back, slamming against the durasteel wall with a crunch that was definitely going to bruise something important.

He slid down the wall in a heap, groaning.

At least the tether work as some form of reins.

The only problem now was that as soon as the Reek jerked his head, it yanked Drifter along with it.

 

[Acier Moonbound]

Location: Black Sun Space

Equipment:
Field Gear | Cybernetic Arm

Ace's eyes darted to Drifter when he mentioned lassoing the Reek. He couldn't be serious, could he? Considering the pair were tethered, the idea was unequivocally stupid. Even by his standards.

"Wait! Stop--!" He cried out, but it was too late.

All he could do was watch as the helmed man launched the tether over the reek's horn. His shoulders loosened and he sighed, all too aware of what was coming. When the wrathful creature flung its head and sent Drifter into the air, it would only be a moment before he was up there with him.

And that he was, Ace's boots flew off the ground immediately. He felt his torso snap into the direction of where Drifter was, mid-air Ace flipped his body over - angling his lower body toward the incoming durasteel wall.

His soles slammed against the wall, sending tremors up his legs. Gravity called for his return and Ace adjusted his positioning to land on the ground in a messy crouch.

Ace barely had time to get his feet under him. The Reek jerked its head again, harder this time, and the tether snapped like a whip. Drifter's body lurched forward in a violent swing, dragged by the creature as it tore across the pit.

For Ace? One moment he was crouched. The next he was ripped sideways so fast the air punched out of his lungs. His boots skidded across the dirt, leaving two long trenches behind him as he dug in with everything he had. It didn't stop the drag, but it slowed it just enough to keep him from eating the floor.

The Reek barreled forward again, Drifter ragdolling behind it. Ace was forced to run a few uneven steps just to stay upright, tether biting against his waist as the beast hauled both of them like unwanted luggage.

The crowd howled with a mixture of laughter and excitement. They were clearly getting more than they bargained for.

He caught his balance only when the Reek stuttered, confused by the sudden resistance of two full-grown sentients tied to its horn. It shook its massive head, snorting steam, feet grinding against the floor.

Ace inhaled once. Steady. Controlled. He lifted his real hand, palm open, letting the threads of the Force tighten gently around the creature's frayed mind, not a shove, not dominance, just a slow, deliberate pressure to take the edge off its panic and rage.

The Reek hesitated. Not calm. Not docile. But thinking. Ace took a careful, tether-limited step toward it.

He recalled Drifter's earlier scepticism about calming it down. "I can calm it down..." He said, eyes still fixed on the beast.

He didn't look back at Drifter, but his voice carried just enough for him to hear over the chaos.

"No sudden movements." He said quietly, softly. "Don't startle it..."

The Reek's breathing shifted, still rough, but no longer all teeth and rage. Ace reached out through the Force, steady and quiet, letting that calm bleed into the edges of its panic. The beast's head dipped a fraction, feet grinding uncertainly against the dirt.

Ace stepped forward once, slow. The tether hummed between him and Drifter. The Reek rumbled, caught between instinct and hesitation. He held his hand out, palm open, and stopped there - right on the edge of the moment, waiting for it to tip one way or the other.

Drifter​