Bounty Catching the Tiger by it's Tail

[Jonyna Si]

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Location: Ran Dom Kuun, City Tree on the northern side of the Cathar Equitorial Jungle.

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The last few days had been a whirlwind of events for Jonyna Si. She'd taken on a new padawan, who now was off to Ukatis for some sort of purification ritual. She hadn't really paid attention to that call to arms. With no immediate threat, she felt she was better elsewhere, and it would give her padawan the chance to spread his wings a bit after their first training session.

In her own time, she had gone hunting for Imperials. That's what had her in the pickle she was in now. She'd came across a derelict station that was transmitting a signal the day before, and engaged in combat with three people she had since tried to murder. Now those people put a bounty on her head. She'd put a call out to the council, and now had a meeting set up with Kahlil Noble on her home turf. She'd hope he'd understand the situation she'd put herself in. The Imps were fascistic monsters, not people who deserved the will of the law. The jedi were meant to be heroes, avengers of the fallen. The Empire had genocided them once before. Jonyna felt she was only doing what was right in attempting to kill an unfrozen Inquisitor, a man she now knew was also an inquisitor, and a force user who she learned had ties to an imperial moff. If she hadn't been beat the shit, she'd had killed them all.

For now though, she waited patiently for the jedi master to arrive, keeping on guard as she sat at the spaceport on her home tree. She knew bounty hunters were on their way.

Hilal Vizsla

 

[Hilal Vizsla]

Mandalorian Armor

Location: Ran Dom Kuun

"All right," Hilal's starship landed in the middle of the Jungle planet Carthar. Dressed in her Mandalorian Armor, Hilal waited near the ramp of her ship preparing her weapons. She had to admit in a wild and brutal way, the planet looked beautiful, and Hilal was always fascinated with the Carthar species. Cat like people who had an elegant yet savage fighting style with their fangs and claws and are considered to be ruthlessly efficient predators similar to the Mandalorians. Hilal wanted to visit the planet one day and while she did get her wish, it was under more..... professional circumstances.

A week ago, Hilal received a contract by an Imperial Moff Aculia Voland to take in an acquisition Jonyna Si alive for 100,000 credits. Jonya was a Carthar which piqued Hilal's interest, but it eroded away when she read that she was also a Jedi...... A stinking Jedi. The young woman sighed heavily, yeah, all the crimes Jonyna did was pretty bad, but she was Carthar for crying out loud! At least she could've talked to Jonyna about her culture when she took her to the client but now Hilal will just have to treat her with a cold indifference because of the Mandalorian's history with the Jedi. A real Mandalorian wouldn't dare look at a Jedi as nothing more than warriors to win against. And Hilal will make sure that the job will be done, though it sucks because she had so many questions to ask Jonyna.

"DVA," Hilal said calibrating her DC-15A Blaster Rifle and E-11 Blaster Rifle before slinging them in the back and her hip respectively. "I see the spacesport and the home tree dead ahead. I want you to drop me at the entry point and then fly around in the atmosphere until I call for you again."

Her faithful Droid companion gave a reassuring whirr in Hilal's commlink before opening the ramp. Hilal smiled as she stepped out of the ship. "I'll be fine DVA," Hilal said heading to the Jedi's location. "After this Bounty is done, I'm going to Denon and going on a shopping spree."

Jonyna Si , Kahlil Noble

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Bounties weren't anything too new for Jedi, but they were something to worry about. Kahlil had no intention of letting any of the New Jedi Order be targeted if he had anything to say about it. Thankfully, he did. But first he needed to talk to Jonyna, to at least confirm she was alright where she was.

And, well, he'd be lying if he said he wasn't curious about Cathar. They were a warrior people, and he enjoyed learning about them.

"Alright, so. Tell me what happened." Kahlil glanced down to Jonyna once he was off his ship, giving a kind smile. "I do think it's important to know."

Jonyna Si | Hilal Vizsla

 

[Jonyna Si]

​

Jonyna let out a sigh. It was a lot. "My ship is pretty old, so it tends to pick up any old transmissions. I picked up one that was repeating on a frequency that no one else was using. It was an old imp frequency. I went to investigate, finding a station orbitting a planet outside of our space, figuring, hey, if no one is gonna be using it, might as well take it out of the sky instead of leaving it for bad guys to steal their tech and use it against us. Figured it'd be easy. But when I landed....there was this girl. Tella. Found out after the fact she's the daughter of this Moff, but in the moment, I was more focused on causing damage. I asked her if she was an imp, and at first she kinda dodged the question, telling me she was with some guy named Jegy. When he came out with an inquisitor flanking him...I attacked them both. Took him out, then tried to kill the Inquisitor. Things devolved from there. All of three of them attacked me, and while I took out Jegy, who turns out is also an unfrozen inquisitor and is tied to a LOT of war crimes...the other two got away and now they want my head."

She finally took a breath. She'd spoken half of that faster than she could breath, and now her mind was stirring. Kahlil Noble could handle any bounty hunters that came along, but she was more worried for someone like Ko Vuto or Rayia Asai , padawans that now were in danger because of her. She snarled at the thought, her mind slowly coming down from the high of her blood racing.

What really worried was now her people were a target. Again. The Empire could never seem to leave Cathar alone, and now it was directly because of her.

Hilal Vizsla

 

[Hilal Vizsla]

Mandalorian Armor

Based on the information that was provided to Hilal, Jonyna should be around this area though before heading to the Carthar's surface, Hilal made sure to do a thorough scan of the city in search for her. Thankfully, the information confirmed her location a Bounty Hunter can never be too trusting of the information that's been given to them. Trust but verify, it was something that Hilal practically drilled into her head because clients tend to be deceived by the acquisition or they don't have an accurate location.

As Hilal made her way to the target's home she flew on top of the tree branches to cover her tracks. Tracking the prey was the easy part, the difficult and arguably the most fun part was fighting the target. Hilal hadn't fought a Jedi in some time, this will be a great fight. "I'm here," Hilal saw the house from a distance. She accelerated her repulsor pack headed straight for her target, she has the Force so stealth wasn't an option the more she is startled the less time she has to react.

Jonyna Si , Kahlil Noble

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"A Jedi shouldn't be the first to strike."

Kahlil paused for a moment.

"At least, with the intent to kill. Not that I blame you. I can't imagine what it was like in that age when the Inquisitors actively hunted down the Jedi and other Force Users. Just, remember not to let your emotions get the better of you." It was a little bit of a lecture, but it was what he was supposed to say. Still, he reached out to pat her shoulder, give her a warm smile. "The Jedi, and the Alliance for that matter, don't recognize this group as anything worth respecting. You're welcome to come to the Temple. It'll be safer there. Hate to say it, but this is probably not the last time you'll have a bounty on your head. I'll do what I can for this one, but our nature as Jedi will put us at odds with those who would gladly use bounties to bring us down."

Again he paused, but this time it wasn't to let his words sink in. Instead he turned his gaze around, towards the sky. Then frowned. Without a word he raised a hand, forming an array of runes before it. Barrier, shield, enhance.

"Though it feels like there are already hunters coming."

Jonyna Si | Hilal Vizsla

 

[Jonyna Si]

​

As Kahlil Noble got done with his lecture, Jonyna couldn't help but feel a little angry at the thought. She wanted to hunt down every single imp left out there. If they were so keen to wipe the jedi out, they should face the consequences of such an action.

But her rage shifted as soon as Kahlil Noble moved to form a barrier. She squinted, her cathar eyes scanning the sky for any targets, while simultaneously reaching out with the Force. She could feel something. Something in the tall branches of Ran Dom Kuun. Jonyna on instinct drew Lucy, ready for a fight. "If they're here for me, they'll have to take us both..."

Hilal Vizsla

 

[Hilal Vizsla]

Mandalorian Armor

"Chit!" As soon as she got close to the targets home, a barrier appeared in front of Hilal causing her skid to a stop. The Bounty Hunter floated in the air for a brief moment, her HUD quickly analyzing the shield.

"Force Barrier," Hilal muttered while her HUD picked up two targets. "Looks like you have a partner with you eh?"

She was aware all this time, clever girl but this Force Barrer that was erected wasn't too sophisticated compared to even a regular ray shield. A couple of missiles could crack it easily. "Activating concussion missiles!" Missile slots appeared all over her armor as the concussion missiles slid through the slots primed and ready to go. "HEY JEDI!" Hilal yelled through her intercom. "KNOCK! KNOCK!" A flurry of missiles about 10 of them flew towards the barrier hopefully it'll destroy it.

Kahlil Noble , Jonyna Si

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"You know that's something I'm supposed to say, right?"

Kahlil chuckled just a little. At least she trusted that the Jedi certainly weren't going to abandon her. They weren't after all. He raised another hand as the missiles came, then pulled directly on them with the Force. They spun, twisted, before crashing into each other to light up the sky with their explosive ordinance.

"Mandalorian, you should leave. I mean, I know you won't, but the offers there regardless." He shrugged just a little as he reached a hand behind him. Runes formed again, out of sight of the woman flying towards them. Not runes, words.

Don't get caught in the open, but aim for her jetpack. I'll keep her attention.

Jonyna Si | Hilal Vizsla

 

[Jonyna Si]

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Jonyna nodded, immediately jumping onto a vine that seemed to wrap around the branch that held up the landing pad, and seeming to surf it away, dipping out of sight. She couldn't let this mando get away with hurting anyone on her home, but she knew if the locals saw her in danger, they'd get militant. That's just how the Denik were. To them, she was their hero. Their jedi. She couldn't live that down.


Using the mobility the maze of vines gave her, Jonyna made her way towards the other side of the massive trunk that made up Ran Dom Kuun. While the trunk was a couple miles across, just traversing a few hundred feet away was enough to get the jump. She kept her body close to the tree as she latched onto the bark with her claws, trying to keep the tree's own biological signatures to mask her own, climbing up into the canopy to get the jump on this mando. If they were willing to wildly fire explosives in a densely populated city like this, who knows what they would try next.

Kahlil Noble Hilal Vizsla

 

[Hilal Vizsla]

Mandalorian Armor

"What?!" Hilal noticed the concussion missiles not only failed to hit their intended target but instead they collided against one another leaving the barrier untouched. A Jedi's trick. "Chit," Hilal frowned seeing a white-haired man appear before her asking her to stand down? Laughable.

"You honestly think I'm going to leave?!" Hilal retorted beginning to rain down fire on the force barrier with her blaster cannon embedded on her arm. "The acquisition has committed heinous crimes! She needs to face justice for what she's done! Get out of my way or you'll end up blast up to bits!"

Where was Jonyna? She wasn't even here, Hilal frowned staring at her HUD in search for the target but there was no sign of her. No one except Kahlil Noble Jedi Master according to her HUD's initial scans. According to the information, he was the husband of Valery Noble: The Sword of Jedi. Hilal remembered meeting Valery back in the Great Hyperspace War where the Mandalorians reluctantly worked with the Jedi. She remembered cursing her out causing Valery to leave. A part of Hilal felt guilty about it, but Valery was a Jedi and Mandalorians hate Jedi. Hilal was NOT going to choose to be friends with a Jedi if it meant going against her people.

"DVA!" Hilal whispered in her radio uplink. "Scan the nearby treehouses for signs of Jonyna, she's running away and this guy was trying to distract me. I don't think she's gone very far but I'm going to keep him busy while you conduct your search."

DVA gave an alert whir while Hilal continued to fly around the barrier continuing to rein down fire. "It's not everyday a Mandalorian faces a Jedi Master!" Hilal shouted at Kahlil. "At least you'll keep me entertained! The acquisition can't hide forever!"

Unlike him, Hilal isn't going to bother asking a stupid statement like: Where is Jonyna? She knows she won't get an answer to that from the likes of him.

Jonyna Si

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"I already said I know you won't."

The Shield of the Jedi raised his hands once more towards the Mandalorian as she pelted blaster fire against the barrier he'd made. It wasn't going to last much longer, he could tell that much. But it didn't need to. Not for what he was going to do next. Jonyna would likely strike soon, so why not make the target even easier to strike? The Force swelled under his control as he reached out. Shots warped and scattered around him, gravity itself sending them twisting harmlessly away as he reached to grip the Mandalorian outright and keep her still, even just for a moment.

"I was just giving the offer so you'd only have yourself to blame if you die."

Hilal Vizsla | Jonyna Si

 

[Jonyna Si]

​

And strike Jonyna did. But not how one would expect. Out from the trees, Jonyna rocketed out, onto Hilal Vizsla 's back. She knew that her lightsabers wouldn't do much against a full suit of beskar. However, at least so far, this mando didn't have any defences against the Force.

"Hi! You don't need this armor, do you?" She quipped as she hung onto the mando's back, reaching into the suit with her telekinesis. She'd seen where the missiles had come out of, so she just had to reach in and...activate them.

 

[Hilal Vizsla]

Mandalorian Armor

Hilal continued to go round and round Kahlil's shooting at the barrier trying to find a weak point that she can exploit. Her wishes were answered as Hilal saw the barrier fading becoming weak. "Just a few more shots....." Hilal muttered attempting to raise her integrated blaster cannon yet as soon as she did so, the Bounty Hunter froze unable to move her arm or any other part of her body. Alarms inside of Hilal's suit began ring with HUD displaying a warning that something was interfering with the locomotion system.

"Chit!" Hilal cried out straining hard to move but it was like trying to escape the grip of a Tsaisi. "It'll take MORE than magic tricks to stop me!"

DVA beeped loudly in Hilal's integrated radio uplink, warning Hilal about Jonyna Si location, however Hilal was consumed by anger and frustration for being rendered powerless only for a brief moment. "If there's one thing that makes a Mandalorian warrior great is not our weapons or our armor, It's OUR PRIDE!"

Hilal utilized her replusor back to full power accelerating out of Kahlil's grasp..... only to run into the acquisition who landed behind her. "Damn you!" Hilal growled attempting to fly up high however once again, her HUD displayed that the system was malfunctioning as if they were being controlled. "No you fracking don't!" Hilal yelled. "Activating failsafe!"

The armor began to emit electricity attempting to send a jolt to Jonyna. Hopefully she can shock her.

Kahlil Noble

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"Pride, huh?"

The barrier around Kahlil shattered as he lowered his hand. Frowned as he watched Jonyna and the Mandalorian tangle midair. He couldn't fly himself, nor did he want to risk taking a shot just yet. Beskar wasn't something he could shoot through anyway. Though, he could.. He took a breath before reaching his hand up to pull on the Force once more. A different rune etched itself in the air close by before it erupted with ice.

Right around the engine of her jetpack to freeze it solid. Cats could land on their feet, right? Hopefully Jonyna took after that.

Jonyna Si | Hilal Vizsla

 

[Jonyna Si]

​

First the shock came. Normally she'd avoid that with Liz, but there was no doing that here. But she would endure. What's a little damage to the nervous system when you have The Force pushing you forward? Then came the sudden plummet. She'd definitely be giving Kahlil Noble a punch to the shoulder for that later.

But, lucky for him, Cathar did in fact land on their feet. Or at least, on the branches of their trees. She didn't need to keep latched on for very long as she focused, allowing her still relatively new Shatterpoint ability to mess up Hilal Vizsla 's suit internals. For now, she needed to retreat and regroup. Her coat would allow her to dip into the canopy and disappear for now. She needed a better angle...

 

[Hilal Vizsla]

Mandalorian Armor

Good news is the acquisition was electrocuted and was off of Hilal's back. Bad news was Khali used the Force froze her jet pack sending her careening towards the platform where the old Jedi bastard was. The Bounty Hunter activated her backup boosters located on her feet to help her land safely onto the ground. "Increasing temperature to Repulsor Pack," Hilal said seeing the temperature increase on her HUD. In a few seconds, the Ice will be melted off. In the meantime......

"DVA," Hilal said. "Track that down the acquisition again, this time try to isolate her body heat, she's likely camouflaging her heat sig with the Trees."

DVA gave a chirp while Hilal focused on Khalil. Missiles won't work as Khali could just manipulate them using the Force and Hilal can't risk trying to fire away at the barrier as the acquisition could ambush her again. Which leaves one simple tactic....... with the Ice successfully melted, Hilal accelerated at full speed towards the Force barrier curling her hand into a fist. With all of her strength and a little help with momentum, Hilal yelled and slammed her fist against the barrier. Hopefully it would be final blow needed to shatter the Force field.

Kahlil Noble , Jonyna Si

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Oh she could land. Kahlil let out a sigh of relief and a chuckle. If she couldn't, he'd of caught her anyway. But instead he could focus completely on the Mandalorian charging for him. She was quick to adapt, as all Mandalorians likely were. Clever. The broken barrier around him shattered under her charge, but he wasn't standing idle. Instead, he was before her, his lightsaber in hand and arcing up for her now extended arm.

Right for the joint where he knew Beskar wasn't.

Jonyna Si | Hilal Vizsla

 

[Jonyna Si]

​

Thank Sylvar for her new coat. With it, she was invisible on any kind of thermals.

Now she needed to reposition. Get the jump on Hilal Vizsla once more. If she could, then she could strike back. The maze of vines and branches within Ran Dom Kuun made for a perfect way to do that. It was home, a tree unchanged for 900 years outside of the denizens who walked it's bark. This was more or less her backyard, and she knew it well. She knew Kahlil Noble could handle the mando for now, even if it meant he'd get her back for it later. PArt of her wondered how she would fair against him now. Their last duel had been before Caldera. A voice in the back of her head almost believed she needed it. To be humbled once more. To be reminded that she wasn't the true hero she believed she was yet.

A slide off the branch, she had to come up with a plan. Her swords were practically useless in this case, as the mando's armor was all encompassing. The hips were an opening, but they could also be cortosis lined. That wouldn't stop her sword, but that would require her to get up close.

 

[Hilal Vizsla]

Mandalorian Armor

"Frack yeah!" Hilal gave a cheer seeing the Force Barrier shatter into multiple pieces before dissipating in the air. That was annoying but the old Jedi bastard was vulnerable. Hilal hoped that DVA could track down the acquisition, she upgraded her ships scanning model to give the user precise tracking. Jonyna should've been detected by now.

"What's the holdup?!" Hilal thought but she was instantly alerted to familiar snap hiss sound. Kahlil Noble Lightsaber activated, the blade angling towards the unprotected joint of Hilal's arm.

"Chit!" Hilal quickly retracted her arm, the Lightsaber narrowly missing the gap of her armor and slid off the armored section leaving a gash. Hilal grunted grimacing in pain. Her arm felt like it got hit by a Vibroblade set to low power. Hilal definitely received a bruise from that attack, but better a bruise than a severed arm.

Hilal spun around flashing Khalil with a douse of her wrist mounted flamethrower, the orange flame heading straight to his face. "Parry this casual!" Hilal yelled before using the jetpack to create distance before firing off a single concussion missile towards Khalil. "DVA where is she?!" Hilal hissed at her droid.

DVA gave confused beep and showed Hilal that he could not find Jonyna on the sensors. "Impossible!" Hilal said. "Cloaking devices that small are extremely rare! She couldn't possibly have gone invisible."

Hilal gave one look at the HUD and frowned Jonyna Si was definitely blending with the heat sigs that much is known. There had to be another way to find her......

"DVA!" Hilal whispered. "I want you to slice in the security systems around my location, use any cameras or devices that you can find and use it to track her."