Bounty Crimson Tears | Hunt for Darth Maliphant

[The Quartermaster]

C R I M S O N
H U N T

Darth Maliphant.

The Sith Lord was notorious for his scheming's and machinations, one of the most infamous of his ilk. And perhaps one of the most well-connected and assimilated out of those of his order, for he had mostly evaded the persecution of the Sith following their Empire's collapse at the hands of other galactic powers.

Yet Mandalorian justice was not satiated. And it could not be evaded, though for a time it could be avoided.

Recent intelligence received at Karjr headquarters in Tor Valum, the capital city of the Mandalorian Enclave, had alerted the Marshals of the Frontier that Darth Empyrean would be making a public appearance at one of the nightclubs of Barbatos, a budding ecumenopolis in the Outer Rim. As soon as that information was made public -- the hunt was on.

Official parameters were to capture him alive, though it could not be blamed if a Mandalorian hunter took it upon themselves to end the Sith Lord's scheming themselves. But it was preferred that he be captured and taken to the secret Mandalorian city, so he could die facing the people the Sith had once tried to destroy.
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[Darth Empyrean]

The Sith Lord has made one of his first public solo appearences in years - dressed in what appeared to be a tailor made suit from one of the luxury designers of the core. Black with small crimson threaded pinstripes broken up every few inches - unbeknownst to anyone else, cured in the blood of a jedi he had killed some months prior. There was something about holding a Force User's soul in aesthetic purgatory that really made armor, weapons, and clothes all the more fun to wear - especially when other force users could feel the pain that still wept from each stitching.​

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But, he doubted very much that anyone in the room would even notice the immaculate care and detail he put into the threads. Instead, he expected the only person to notice him now to be mercenaries, bounty hunters, and if he were lucky - some SIA or Maw agent looking to bring him to trial. He exhaled heavy in the smoke laden room as hyperpop music blasted in time with the rainbow lights. Lasers threatening to blind the drugged out population dancing before him while waitresses desperately worked for the tips of their customers.​

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"- and that's why the Red Ravens won't ever come back.", the man next to him said.​

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Maliphant, almost suprised at the man's presence, glanced to him - confused as to when someone else had joined him. For a brief second, he realized it was the club owner hoping to make friends of a Sith Lord, the man who had actually given him his table. It seemed after sitting down and getting a drink, Maliphant had all but forgotten the man even existed - often what happens when one deals with proverbial ants. So insignifigant in the grand scheme of things, he doubted if he stopped breathing this very second anything would come of it.​

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A shame, to waste your whole life's potential on nothing more than a club and shmoozing.​

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He sighed once more as he glanced back to the stage - watching a notably famous singer work through her set. Barmin'Ka, a Zabrak popstar known for her outlandish outfits and bouts of fame fueled insanity. Nothing like someone lost in their own success to drive home the point of the night - that he was here to bait someone to reach out to him. A shame so many would have to die for his political games.​

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The Quartermaster​

 

[Eliz Krayt]

Nightclubs, huh? Sith knew how to party. Probably had to do with passion and what not. Whatever the reason, it didn't matter. What mattered was the hunt. The information had come in, and Eliz was going to join it. No, he needed to join it. A chance to prove himself in the eyes of his Vod that he'd been away from for so long. All the time he spent in former Chiss space, hunting Maw alone taught him how to kill. But not how to be Mandalorian.

Anyone could kill.

Fully armored and armed to the teeth, he entered the club. Not from where anyone should. He wasn't sure if there was a policy about weapons and armor for the club after all. Instead, he made use of his armors fractal coating to stay out of sight. Just to get in position. Wait for the others. Taking on a Sith Lord by himself was a fools errand. Maybe before he'd of done it, but now he had Gwyneira Vizsla to think about. Stay safe, come home.

Win.

He found a spot in the crowd, slowly crossing his arms over his chest. The signal would come soon.

Darth Empyrean | The Quartermaster

 

[Shai Maji]

Tags: Eliz Krayt | Darth Empyrean | Kranak Vizsla | Siv Dragr | Tae'l Vizsla | Open
Equipment: In bio | Standard loadout | Basilisk chilling at the spaceport just in case

Shai had almost forgotten that they were actually on a mission. With her helmet clipped to her belt, she had a drink in one hand and a nervestick in the other as she swayed to the beat of the music. If it weren't for them hunting an actual Sith Lord, she would have gotten rid of the armour and actually gotten more in the groove of things.

Her position was rather obscure, but it allowed her to not only see her target without much effort, but to keep an eye on the other entry points as well. Her armoured figure had surprisingly not drawn much attention, most likely because the group around her was absolutely plastered. She was rather surprised when she saw none other than the boy she had met on Mandalore nearly a decade ago. Eliz, if she could remember right. He was the son of that Chiss guy that joined the clan. She knew more Mandos would join, but she didn't know that this was a day for reunions.

She made her way towards him through the crowd, smoke and pungent odour. This was exactly why she preferred cantinas over night clubs, despite her love for the stuff. Once she was next to him, she gave him a gentle nudge with her elbow. "Been a while, huh, kid?" She quipped over the sound of the music and cheering. "Relax, have a drink! Enjoy the time here. We'll blow his head off in a bit." She quipped with another sip of her pint

 

[Faison Kelborn]

TAG: Shai Maji Eliz Krayt Darth Empyrean The Quartermaster

The more Faison tried to escape the beat of a bounty hunter, the more the galaxy seemed intent to drag him back into the life kicking and screaming. Well, kicking and cursing to be more accurate. At least this time, it was to get a pretty bad player off of the street, rather than some simple spice-addict who owed a crime-lord enough credits to place them in debt for life five times over. There was a time when Faison wouldn't have cared - credits were credits, after all. But one could only take on so many of such bounties before they changed you; in ways that really sucked. Now, as if one of many opportunities that Faison hoped to capitalize upon, he could atone for that prior version of himself.

The Mandalorian strode through the entrance of the cantina, his HUD blipping at the presence of fellow Vode within the establishment. He gave a nod to both Shai Maji & Eliz Krayt , before his viser caught the figure of their target. Faison carried the full kit one would normally expect of him, save for his blaster rifle, and adding a vibrosword sheathed across his back. He did not intend for this 'Darth Maliphant' to make it so far as to require the use of his blaster rifle. Either the renegade force user would be stone cold at Faison's feet, or Faison himself would be carrion within his own armor in the process. There was no other option.

Faison Kelborn strode up to the bar, keeping roughly three seats between him and his mark, doing his best to keep non-chalant (as non-chalant as a Mandalorian in full battleplate could look). His hand rested on his Skathe, which was nestled within its holster across his right hip, which was opposite the location of this Jetii. His preparedness wouldn't be obvious, but Faison was ready for when the signal was given. He had to be - if not for himself, then for his dead brethren. 'This is for you, D'aryc.' He thought to himself.

 

[Adi'ka Awaud]

Hey, sweet cake Shai was among the other hunters!
Adi'ka saw the cute, fluffy and well muscled friend of hers through the surveillance cams she had hacked.

Her drone swarm was already taking position to wreak havoc on all technical equipment and zombify the complete computer network of the building.
She was in position, hybrid sniper rifle loaded with armour breaking rounds, which would punch through walls to get her targets

She was no longer the rookie, but a seasoned warrior of the Mandalorian clan Awaud, squadron leader and tempered in many a great battle of her nomadic people. To bring down some filthy sith spawn was a duty for her.

The black armoured bunny of death was back in action, ready to support her vode.

 

[Siv Dragr]

C R I M S O N
H U N T

Objective: Vengeance
Allies: Kranak Vizsla | Eliz Krayt | Shai Maji | Faison Kelborn | Adi'ka Awaud | Tae'l Vizsla
Target: Darth Empyrean

The night air atop of of the Club Jabba was cool, though under Siv's beskar armor he could not feel its breeze on his skin. Such momentary pleasures were lost on Siv.

He had been a bounty hunter for most of his life; that was the Way of Clan Dragr, to prove oneself as a warrior worthy to make a living, and perhaps even a legend, hiring themselves out to whoever in the galaxy would pay for their services. Clan Dragr had always been small because of that, had never risen to the great heights of the much more famous Clans, despite its proud and ancient history. Clan Dragr had not boasted of any great stronghold, nor mighty armies and fleets, nor vassals to provide them resources, incomes, and labor.

And when the Sith had rained fire on Mandalore, Clan Dragr had been one of the hundred of other clans that had been snuffed out in a moment, millennia upon millennia of history wiped clean from the galaxy.

Nearly.

Siv still stood, a last scion and lost heir to a Clan that was more memory than not. There might be shadows and whispers of other Dragrs that had survived the genocide, and Siv had even met a few that had claimed to be of his blood, though where they were now he could not say. And no amount of rumors could warm the bitter cold that numbed his heart.

A light rain began to fall, streaking down Siv's beskar armor. He clenched a gloved fist, feeling the anger well up inside of him. Below him, surrounded by the rich and powerful, enjoying the liveries that a privileged life unimaginable to most had to offer, sat a schemer and manipulator, a liar and betrayer. How many of Siv's brethren had been slaughtered by Darth Maliphant, directly or indirectly? Should they take his life, would that be enough to atone for his long list of sins?

Those were questions best saved for after the fighting was done. He drew a hood up over his cloak and crouched low, raising a gauntlet to his helmet to key into his comms. "I'm in position. Status on the target?"
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[Adi'ka Awaud]

Immediately, the Lepi sharpshooter answered:

"Adi'ka speaking: on position too. Surveillance of the location under my control. Clear sight on target.

Target is soft. No heavy ordnance. No obvious bodyguards, but intel says the club is in the pocket of the sith spawn. Caution advised!

No clear shot on the target. Too many civilians in between me and him at the moment, but ready to send overridden suicide droids as distraction on his filthy head.
Brainticks like him cannot sniff droids in advance.

Target is sitting on table at sent grid coordinates, back to wall, three possible escape routes plus upward and down, if he could breach one point five meters of reinforced concrete.

Oh, and the Zabrak singer is great!"

 

[Kranak Vizsla]

H U N T
F O R
V E N G E A N C E

Location: Barbatos, Nightclub Jabba
Local Time: 19:27
Date: -DATA CORRUPTED-
Primary Objective: Capture HVT Alive
Secondary Objective: N/A
Equipment: Loadout 1 (Right Vambrace’s retractable Fusion Cutter swapped with Paralyzing Darts)
Friendlies: Siv Dragr | Eliz Krayt | Shai Maji | Faison Kelborn | Adi'ka Awaud | Tae'l Vizsla
Hostiles: Darth Empyrean

The Supercommando couldn’t recall the last time he went out on a bounty, especially with a team. It was so long ago. He always preferred mercenary contracts over bounty missions as those tended to be more fun for him. The giant also didn’t have the time to go out on bounty missions back when he was in the Mandalorian Union army, as well as the Mandalorian Covenant under the Concord.

The giant was seated at one of the tables in the lively nightclub, not too far from the overly crowded dance floor. From where he sat, the crowd between him and the target was too thick for the giant to retain full line of sight of the HVT. But that wouldn’t matter, he assumed, for the civilians in the nightclub would scurry around for their lives once blaster bolts started flying around.

The club was host to one of the more organized criminal hotspots on the planet. There were some mercenary and other bounty hunter types coming and going, taking assignments and contracts from crime bosses and the likes. As a result, openly carrying guns and blasters for such men and women were allowed in the Nightclub. He himself was approached by a few fine looking men and women in formal attire to hire his skills for whatever the gig they wanted him to be a part of. The giant hadn’t spoken a word to their requests of him. He simply spared a gaze behind his glimmering white visor at them until they left his table with hurried, intimidated steps. He was already in the middle of a job right now, and he wasn’t going to be taking any contracts from crime bosses to do their dirty work. He was not the Mando for that type of work, not anymore.

His feet rested on the table in front of him with his arms crossed over his broad chest as he waited for the go-ahead to engage today’s target: Darth Maliphant. His atrocities against the Mando’ade were well documented. He was among the top priority targets for The Enclave as a result, like several other Sith Lords of his caliber. This would be a fun fight. He wished they had orders to eliminate him, but they were instructed to take him alive.

There were several Mando’ade mostly from The Enclave that took the same bounty on the Dark Lord’s head. His visor had automatically uploaded and linked up with their visors when he was in range of their helmet’s internal communications antennae, allowing the Supercommando to monitor the vitals of all his vode near him. Their whereabouts in the nightclub were also highlighted in his interactive HUD.

<”Shouldn’t be long now…”> the Vizsla sighed softly as he continued to wait. He was a patient hunter, but he couldn’t wait for the damned, irritably loud hyperpop music to be interrupted by blaster fire. Who in their right mind listened to this genre anyway? He could barely hear his own thoughts from the almost deafeningly loud, tasteless music. With a pre-recorded movement of his eyes, he filtered out the loud music from his high definition audio sensors for some peace of mind. It got considerably quiet after that. A sigh of relief followed the silence. It was now just the muffled clatter of shoes, people dancing about on the dance floor in front of him, with soft chatter in the background as white noise. He couldn’t help but to chuckle at the sight of dozens of fine looking men and women dancing without any music now. The way they danced without any music from his perspective looked absolutely hilarious. It was as if they were under the influence of some mind altering spice. Who knows, maybe some of them were.

Commlink chatter on the hunters’ secure comm circuit flared not long after he managed to get a peace of mind from the terrible music.

”I’m in position. Status on target?”

”Adi’ka speaking: on position too. Surveillance of the location under my control. Clear sight on target.

Target is soft. No heavy ordnance. No obvious bodyguards, but intel says the club is in the pocket of the Sith Spawn. Caution Advised!

No clear shot on target. Too many civilians in between me and him at the moment, but ready to send overridden suicide droids as distraction on his filthy head. Brainticks like him cannot sniff droids in advance.
Target is sitting on the table at sent grid coordinates, back to a wall, three possible escape routes plus upward and down, if he could breach one point five meters of reinforced concrete.

Oh, and the Zabrak singer is great!”

The giant had listened to Adi’ka’s report silently as he spared glances to his surroundings without moving around his visor. He had seen the target for himself on a few occasions as well. The Dark Lord seemed to be wearing stylish attire that didn’t pass for armor. He didn’t spot any obvious bodyguards himself as well. The Dar’jetii was sitting there as if he wanted to be hunted, which somewhat worried the Supercommando. He assumed men like him would have a detail of bodyguards protecting his shebs. The Dark Lord looked like he had no protection. But looks could be deceiving with the Sith. He was a Sith Lord after all, and a strong one at that as far as their intelligence suggested. Maybe the hunters were about to walk into a trap of his, and be hunted in return. There was one way of knowing what exactly would go down. They'd know soon enough what was what once the hunt was on.

<”Kranak, checking in. Ready to engage the HVT.”> said the Vizsla over the secure comm circuit; his voice was isolated within his buy’ce as he had his annunciator turned off at the moment. The hyperpop music would echo in the background as he spoke. There was a hint of excitement in his voice when he spoke. He'd get excited in anticipation of a good, memorable fight.

 

[Darth Empyrean]

The club was bumping, the people jumping, all while the hair on Maliphant's neck began to rise. Subtle, but he could feel the danger encroaching - the soft nudges of the Force around him, drawing his eyes to the crowd. For a brief second he was almost curious who was in the club hunting him, as he could sense no strong Force signatures; yet when he counted the beskar'gam and felt the eyes watching him, it became all too clear that it was the Ori'rammakade. Mandalorian supercommandos built and trained for the express purpose of putting men like Maliphant in the ground.​

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A shame he had killed so many already, and for those he didn't kill - he sold them the weapons they most often used. In a sense, they should be thanking him for all the help he offered through his businesses and design acumen - it wasn't everyday a God of War was born afterall. With that thought, he smiled and stood looking down on the owner next to him.​

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"I believe it is time you leave. Take anyone important with you - and pull the fire alarm.", he said with a smile.​

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The man gave him a confused, almost combative look -​

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"But there isn't a-"​

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His voice cut short as Maliphant lifted a finger in his direction. Were it a warning or the Force being used, the man's mouth closed, his head bobbed in an affirmatory nod, and he stood. In short order, he was gone and the fire alarm was pulled - forcing the crowds to began to cry as the music was undone. While none could see smoke - Maliphant could feel the proverbial flames begin to rise from the embers of conflict. His eyes looked directly towards the unmoving form of Kranak Vizsla and a devious grin fell upon his face.​

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The crowds in their chaos would cover his movements for a short time, so he thought he'd have fun with them. A hand raised, and fingers tensed in a mocking wave to the Mandalorian. He mouthed the words 'I see you', then fell into the crowd; mixing himself into the rushing masses. If the Mandalorians wanted to find him, they would need to search the crowds, amidst the lights, and among the chaos.​

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Siv Dragr // Eliz Krayt // Shai Maji // Faison Kelborn // Adi'ka Awaud // Tae'l Vizsla​

 

[Eliz Krayt]

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"Huh?" Eliz blinked slowly, turning his gaze to the voice that had spoken to him. ".. Shai?" His arms fell to his sides as he stared at Shai Maji . It was hard to tell what he was thinking with his helmet on, but the joy in his voice as he started to speak again made it all too obvious that he was smiling. "You're here too! Karkin' Sith doesn't stand a chance if you're here. I didn't know you were gonna join! It's.. Ah.. Yeah. Been a while."

While being an understatement. As happy as he was to see her again, she was part of his father's clan. A clan he never really joined himself. All this time among Vod had him wishing he'd gone back to the Krayts, if only to have family again. A selfish desire, none the less. He nodded to her words, reaching up to pull off his buy'ce to grab a drink. Yeah. This was a nice club. Not his thing, but why not enjoy it?

The fire alarm was why he wasn't going to enjoy it. Just as he started to lift the metal from his face the whole club went to chaos. With a frown he pulled it back down, turning his gaze to where he'd last seen the Sith.

The Sith was gone.

Of course. He cursed under his breath before clicking on his com.

"Anyone have eyes on the target? He's hiding in the crowd!"

Siv Dragr | Faison Kelborn | Adi'ka Awaud | Tae'l Vizsla | Kranak Vizsla ​

 

[Shai Maji]

Tags: Eliz Krayt | Darth Empyrean | Kranak Vizsla | Siv Dragr | Tae'l Vizsla | Adi'ka Awaud | Faison Kelborn
Equipment: In bio | Standard loadout | Basilisk chilling at the spaceport just in case

"That's the idea, kid. Can't let you have all the fun." She flashed a wink as she smirked down at him. Though his praises might be a bit of an overstatement given her recent track record. Regardless, it was a pleasant surprise to see the boy again. More voices chimed in over the comms from various other members, all checking in to make sure that everything was ready to rock.

She brought her vambrace up to her lips. :: Target is still stayin' put, no weird movement yet. Weapons hot, though, if he moves we shoot. :: She reported back to the others on the channel. With a sip at her drink she spared a glance back to Eliz, the boy drawing her curiosity. He was different compared to the last time she saw him on Mandalore... he likely had a journey of his own just like the rest of them. Unfortunately the pleasantries flew out the window when Maliphant seemed to focus his attention on them. :: Weapons hot, we've been made. :: She spoke just before the alarm went off and people started to freak out. Callously she tossed her glass and nervestick aside, slipped her helmet on and activated her jetpack. She overheard Eliz's question over the comms as Maliphant disappeared into the crowd. Her gaze turned to the major exit points on either side of the dancefloor, earning a growl from her.

"Kark the crowd." She muttered as her jetpack's sides opened up to reveal a missile on either side. Both fired, aimed at the supports above each exit to bring down the walls and block them off. For the innocent people already crammed in the doorway, there was no escape as the walls and parts of the roof structure came down on them, ending almost every single one in an unceremonious, brutal death. For the last exit in the back, her particle rifle came to life and gave it the same treatment, making sure nobody had time to get through among the crowds. "I thought we were dealin' with a Sith Lord! Come out, pretty boy!" Her voice boomed over the crowd, amplified by the vocabulator in her helmet.

Still hovering in the air with the help of her jetpack, she scanned the area around them with her rifle at the ready for the first sign of him. She wasn't going to let a bunch of civvies get between her and the target. With every easy major blocked off, nobody had a quick way out. Not the civvies, not the hunters, and not their prey. A few more bolts fired at the speakers to shut the music up that continued to boom in her ears. As another measure, she tossed a bunch of flashbangs into the crowd around them to get them all out of the way. If anything, it would hopefully point out the karking pretty sith boy among them. :: Flashbangs out. :: She warned over comms before they exploded around them.

 

[Faison Kelborn]

TAG: Eliz Krayt Darth Empyrean Adi'ka Awaud Kranak Vizsla Siv Dragr

'Karking Hell!' were the first words that popped into Faison's head as a literal rocket flew up and impacted against the overhead supports of the exit. The carnage that unfolded thereafter was shocking to say the least. And here he was, wondering if firing a few shots in the air to cause the civilians to duck whilst leaving the sith lord the only figure standing was a bit too overt. He had no idea he was working with a karking foundling...

Of course, he couldn't be too critical of the decision. It did prevent the Sith from escaping in the rush of civilians exiting the cantina, although it did bring a lot of attention to the Mandalorians now. Faison's style was more covert - more methodical. Unfortunately, when the announcement of a flashbang rang through the room, it appeared any semblance of going about this in a clandestine manner was shoved down the barrel of a mortar and blasted to the other side of the planet. He looked away as the flash bang detonated, his helmet doing much to shield him from the other affects of the device. Thereafter, he instantly reached up to his sword hilt with his left hand whilst pulling his hand cannon with his right. Although Faison had led a portion of his life as a criminal sellsword, he never allowed himself to devolve into killing innocent civilians. The Shistevanen would have to live with those consequences - they wouldn't be on his conscience.

To prevent any further bloodletting, the scion of Clan Kelborn spoke above the din through his speakers, which he amplified: "We are here for the fugitive Darth Maliphant. Anyone who wants to live should either stay down or get out of the way - and as for our target:" Faison adopted a stance that bespoke a well honed preparedness to spring into action at a moment's notice before he added: "We can bring you in warm, or we can bring you in cold. Your choice." Faison wasn't normally a very vocal person. But considering at least one of his companions already had proven to be a hothead, someone had to be level headed in this situation.

 

[Adi'ka Awaud]

Adi`ka was surprised by the fire alarm. It was not shown in the computer network, and so she couldn't have to take countermeasures. Who would nowadays have an analogue fire alarm?

Then hell broke loose. In horror, she saw the carnage and then the panic of the party goers. Blood, dust cloud, secondary fires, cries of agony.
That was not the way! At least not the way of the Mandalorions. That was the way of the Sith.

In the big book of assisting the Sith targets, this would be on page one: creating fear and agony, the sources of power for the evil sorcerers.
Plus, creating a panic and through fog of war obscured terrain. Great way to complicate things and made a bad example how Madalorians should not act.

Kark it! Shai was not a rookie who lost her nerve! Why would she act cruel and stupid at once, like some maniacal laughing villain without tactics?

The panic and the dust and smoke shocked Adi'ka deeply, even on HUD. The flashbacks were there again, as some pirate was obliterating a city block to cover his retreat. The helplessness and terror was back.
The shaken Lepi breathed deeply and fought against the instincts of her species.

She would stay on her post out of loyalty for her comrades. But now she was part of a war crime. Bounties would be placed on their heads by grieving parents, children and spouses!

Frantically, she got to work to open escape routes by her droids, before more civilians would die in the sealed room suffocating by the dust and smoke.
Maybe the Sith would escape, but with that she could live, with more innocent lives perishing she could not.
If the Mandalorian would no longer care about civilian losses, they could have dropped a seismic bomb on the nightclub.

 

[Siv Dragr]

C R I M S O N
H U N T

Objective: Vengeance
Allies Tag: Kranak Vizsla | Eliz Krayt | Shai Maji | Faison Kelborn | Adi'ka Awaud | Tae'l Vizsla
Target: Darth Empyrean

Siv descended down the narrow rooftop exit as the blaring music from the nightclub pulsed louder and louder. Over the comms, he could hear ther est of his team -- they had eyes on the target. Good. Now, if nothing went awry, they could bag the Sith Lord and be back on Kestri in time for tihaar. He threw the hood of his heavy dark cloak over his head to cover the beskar helmet, giving him a little more anonymity as he strode out of the stairwell and into the dark lights of Club Jabba.

"Wait to engage," Siv ordered. "I don't want any slipups. We pounce only when he has no angles of escape." The Mandalorian hunter drew his blaster discreetly, keeping it out of the light and low to his hip. None of the club's partying members saw, and barely any sound could be heard over the blasting through the nightclub. It took him only a few moments using the rest of the team's position to triangulate the Sith Lord's location, and suddenly, twenty meters away, he could see the back of the. . . creature.

He was about to call for position when the music stopped, replaced by a loud fire alarm. The club lights went from the pulsing blues and purples to red as patrons began to panic and crowd the exits. Siv saw only a glimpse of the Sith -- and then, they were gone. "Eyes on target? Get me eyes on target!" Siv barked into the comms as someone in the crowd screamed. There was another scream, and then it was a full-on mass panic. He could hear explosions in the distance, feel the vibrations of their impact in the ground, but he had no idea what they were or from which side they had come from. Raising his blaster defensively, he looked around before he spotted a high railing above the crowd, and pushed his way through to vault above. Here the density was much less, and he could move better than down stuck in the crowd. "I need someone on perimeter. There can be no escape for this Sith creature."
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[Darth Empyrean]

Even as the crowds stirred towards the exits, Maliphant seemed to walk with a smile. They would provide fine cover for him to gracefully move about the club and dispatch at least some of the Mandalorians; but no doubt once the crowds became thin enough he'd had to fight more conventionally. This was his thought even as the first rockets slammed into the exist big enough to let them out - but once they had collapsed beneath the weight of explosives, and flashbangs began to stir the crowd into even more of a frenzy, Maliphant couldn't help but laugh.​

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They had done more for his small plan than he ever intended - likely to stop his escape. What they didn't understand, he pondered, was that they were not truly trapping him in here with them but the reverse. Amongst a sea of the panicked and fearing, he was but a shark smelling blood in the water - especially when the soft cracks of their teamwork began to show and the dangerously subtle hatred of one anothers actions began to flair. The one that had done the war crime was one he would have to instigate further - they were more a boon than a hinderance at the moment.​

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Ducking with the crowd as the shot rang out, he couldn't help but think that the man Faison Kelborn was a victim of his iconic culture. How many times had he heard that line so far? What too many times to count, he imagined - but the only one who had actually captured him thus far was a man long gone who had gone the route of 'suprise'. A poisoned dart to the neck and Maliphant was his - though he went by a different name at the time.​

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With the crowds surging, Maliphant gracefully picked up a small knife from a table someone had once been eating at. It wasn't a lightsaber, persay, but it would do the job he had intended for it. Rushing through the crowds, who's screams were still overbearing even the fire alarm, now scattered as they had no direction to move towards, Maliphant would move to sneak up behind Faison and drive the knife into his armpit. It wasn't a mortal wound, but it would be extremely painful - right where armor was avoided for mobility sake, driven deep by the enhanced strength of a Sith Lord.​

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In that moment, he'd use the Force to attempt to slam Shai Maji into the nearest wall from her elevated position, and whisper just loud enough for the man's audio to pick up -​

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"You were so close."​

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And then he'd dip into the stirring cataclysm that was the crowd, low and quick to hide amongst them once again. A vornskr in the tall grass - only this tall grass wouldn't stop screaming and trampling one another.​

 

[Kranak Vizsla]

H U N T
F O R
V E N G E A N C E

Location: Barbatos, Nightclub Jabba
Local Time: 19:32
Date: -DATA CORRUPTED-
Primary Objective: Capture HVT Alive
Secondary Objective: N/A
Equipment: Loadout 1 (Right Vambrace’s retractable Fusion Cutter swapped with Paralyzing Darts)
Friendlies: Siv Dragr | Shai Maji | Eliz Krayt | Faison Kelborn | Adi'ka Awaud | Tae'l Vizsla |
Hostiles: Darth Empyrean

::Target is still stayin’ put, no weird movement yet. Weapons hot, though, if he moves we shoot. ::

”Wait to engage, I don’t want any slip ups. We pounce only when he has no angles of escape.”

The Shistavanen reported over her commlink, keeping the hunting party in the loop for those that could not get eyes on the target. Siv had instructed the hunting party to wait. They would be choosing the right time to assault. The giant would see her report confirmed once he got a moment of clear line of sight at the Dark Lord.

The crowd in front of the giant would part on a few occasions as people partied on the dance floor, allowing him to get a few glimpses at the Sith Lord. The Lord stood up after a moment, and looked down on a short, well dressed man next to him. He could see the Dark Lord’s lips move as he said something to the shorter man, but couldn’t exactly make out what he was saying. Maliphant wasn’t close enough for the giant to hear him. Despite his audio sensors, The Lord’s voice was mixed up with the background chatter and conversation of other patrons seated all around Kranak. He couldn’t read his lips well from this angle, either. Not to mention the people dancing about the dance floor kept blocking his line of sight every once in a while.

But soon after he spoke with the short, well dressed man, the fire alarms in the nightclub shrieked. His audio sensors automatically reduced the intensity of the blaring fire alarm as it rang. The lights had changed from vibrant, lively colors to a deep, flashing red in the nightclub after the pull of the fire alarm. The giant raised an eyebrow as he watched the partygoers scurried off the dance floor with haste. There was confusion in their faces as they hurried to the nearest exits to evacuate the building. But he was a little confused himself. Was it one of them that set off the alarm on purpose? No, that wasn’t a part of the plan.

He catched a glimpse of the Dark Lord as the civilians evacuated. He was staring directly at Kranak with a devilish grin on his face. The Lord knew full well that he was being hunted. Kranak shot a grin from underneath his faceplate at him in response as he stood up slowly. If what he had heard and read about him in intelligence reports were right, this would be one hell of a fight to remember.

If he survived to recall the fight.

:: Weapons hot, we’ve been made. ::

”Eyes on target? Get me eyes on target!”

The Dark Lord vanished in the crowd shortly after Shai’s chatter. The giant grasped his blaster rifle hanging on his broad chestplate slung over his left shoulder and kept it at a low ready stance as he parted the crowd around himself to find the target; his lips retained the grin. It was time to hunt!

They couldn’t let him use the crowd to his advantage and elude them, or worse, ambush them. The giant silently cursed at the civilians all around him as they tried to hastily make their exit from the club. Non-combatants always complicate things in an operation, bounties and mercenary contracts included. And no matter how meticulously you had planned out a battle plan with the lives of non-combatants in mind, a few of them would almost always die to a stray blaster bolt, whether it was due to a failed PID* (Positive Identification) of a target, or the adrenaline playing tricks on the mind of a raw recruit, causing him or her to think he was firing at a hostile. Fog of war.

First, the giant heard the shriek of a jetpack activating. Before he could spare a glance at the source of the sound, the ground underneath him shook violently as two rockets arced above the crowd of people struck the support columns by the exits with a deafening boom. Dust, debris, sprayed blood and mangled limbs flew in all directions following the explosion. The parts of the roof above the exit collapsed, crushing the unfortunate souls underneath. <”What the-”> Kranak was taken aback by the unexpected explosion. His gaze darted around to identify friend and foe, and determine if the individual behind the explosions were friendly or not. It was then he would see the Shistavanen suspended in the air with her jetpack, with her particle rifle raised. Her particle blaster rifle then let loose a salvo of bolts, aimed at the last unobstructed exit’s support columns, bringing down the roof above it to block the last exit of the nightclub.

”I thought we were dealin’ with a Sith Lord! Come out, pretty boy!”

The Shistavanen vod bellowed, challenging the Dark Lord to reveal himself and fight as she hovered in the air. She discharged her blaster rifle at the speakers dotted around the nightclub to silence the music.

”I need someone on perimeter. There can be no escape for this Sith creature.”

The Revered Bounty Hunter commanded the other hunters over his commlink amidst the chaos.

:: Flashbangs out. ::

Shortly after blocking the last exit, Shai reached for several flash grenades from her rig, and threw them at the crowd around them. Once detonated, the flash grenades let out a deafening boom, and a blinding white light. Thankfully Kranak had Flash Guard treatment on his transparisteel helmet visor. The audio sensors had automatically lowered the sheer volume of the deafening sound to a muffled bang.

<”What in Death’s name are you doing!?”> Kranak spoke over Shai’s personal comm circuit, isolated from the secure comm circuit shared with the other hunters. His annunciator was also turned off at the time. He wasn’t expecting an answer from her, as he saved the conversation about what she did after the mission was finished. What had happened came to pass, there was no way of reverting what had happened now. There was no use talking about it right now. They had a Sith Lord in the room they needed to capture.

The giant smoothly raised his blaster rifle as he assumed a combat stance and started scanning his sectors, shooting glances around him to locate Maliphant among the crowd. By now, the civilians trapped in the nightclub were scattered all across the room; their backs pressed against the walls behind them, with shock and terror in their faces. Their eyes widened in fear for their lives. Their mouths let out muted screams of terror.

Muted for Kranak. He filtered out the loud cacophony of terrified screams to listen to footsteps by using his helmet sensors. So far he only heard the debris and rubble crumble to dust underneath his armored boots as he cautiously walked around the nightclub with his blaster rifle razed, sweeping over the crowd with his finger trigger resting on the trigger guard as he scanned their faces swiftly to locate the Dark Lord, one by one.

He could hear Kelborn speak through his helmet annunciator behind him as he cleared his side of the room. He still couldn’t get a positive identification of the chakaar among the crowd as his interactive heads-up display scanned the terrified faces the giant glanced at. The scans of their facial patterns yielded no results so far.

”We are here for the fugitive Darth Maliphant. Anyone who wants to live should either stay down or get out of the way - and as for our target: We can bring you in warm, or we can bring you in cold. Your choice.”

He then heard what he was waiting for. Rushed footsteps, someone sprinting! He immediately turned around to his rear with a swiftness that belied his immense stature, as soon as he heard the noise. The Dark Lord’s face was highlighted in his HUD with a hollowed out red square over his face, besides Faison’s hollowed out blue triangle over his buy’ce! <Kark!> he exclaimed internally before he shouted over the hunters’ comm circuit. <”Faison! Behind you!”>

The giant did not shift his trigger finger on the blaster’s trigger that time. He didn't have a clear shot, so he didn’t take it. All he could do for now was to warn his vode. He did not want to risk hitting his vod or a civilian on accident.

Kranak kept his gaze directly on Maliphant, tracking him throughout his entire movement. With the help of his HUD, he would be able to track where he hid amongst the crowd after his attack and swift movement. With a pre-recorded movement of his eyes, the giant shared his helmet recorder’s live-feed to the HUD’s of his vode, so they could see what he was seeing.

Seizing the initiative in hopes of subduing the opponent they were tasked to bring in alive, the giant let go of the heavy and large blaster rifle; The Paranaor dropped over his chestplate, suspended over it thanks to its sling, as the rifle was slung over his left shoulder.

Swiftly after letting go of his primary, the giant assumed a textbook combat stance of the Mandalorian Core in a mere moment; He pointed his right shoulder towards the Dark Lord with his right arm extended towards him. He kept his feet a part in a shoulder width to keep his balance. His right foot was extended to the fore over the left. The Supercommando’s knees and hip bent slightly, with his back fairly straight. His hands clad in a pair of crushgaunts curled into a punch.

With a crisp, muffled snap of his right vambrace’s grappling hook launcher, Kranak shot the grappling hook at Darth Maliphant. At his neck in particular, in hopes of having the grappling hook’s line coil around his neck. If successful, the giant would lean back slightly as he would try to pull him out of the crowd with great force, pulling Maliphant towards him. Once the Dark Lord was mid air in flight towards the giant, Kranak would greet the Dark Lord with a very mean left hook at Maliphant’s face in hopes of knocking him out by punching the daylight out of him.

Spoiler: List of Actions

• Started scanning the faces in the crowd of civilians with his interactive heads-up display to locate opponent. Shared his helmet recorder's live-feed to all hunters' HUD's so they can keep tabs on the opponent once Kranak locates him.
• Kranak's helmet heads-up display highlighted Maliphant's face when he attacked Faison.
• After letting go of his primary, Kranak took a melee stance and shot a grappling hook from his right vambrace, aimed at Maliphant's neck to curl the grappling line around his neck.
• If successful with coiling the grappling hook's line around his neck, Kranak would try to pull him out of hiding and would try to deliver a mean left hook at Maliphant's face once he's close enough to the giant, in hopes of knocking him out cold.

 

[Faison Kelborn]

TAG: Darth Empyrean Kranak Vizsla Shai Maji Siv Dragr Eliz Krayt Adi'ka Awaud Tae'l Vizsla

Contrary to Lord Maliphant's intent, Faison would not prove to be so easy to eliminate from the fight. As standard practice, Faison made it a point to be aware of his surroundings. His back was not far from the opposite wall of the entrance which crumbled under the assault made by Shai, and most of the patrons were either In front of him or at his peripherals. That meant any motion his sensors or eyes picked up outside of that band would immediately catch his attention. It was as soon as the Sith Lord emerged with a dagger in hand, along with Kranak's abrupt warning, that Faison had shifted at just the right moment. The dagger thrust, while strong and would have been quite potent, impacted against Faison's upper arm plate mere centimeters away from the gap betwixt it and his shoulder plate. He would have to remember to thank Kranak after this - if they both survived, of course.


He came about just as the Sith sped past him, obviously the dark side assuming his attack's success. Why else would an opponent turn their back on a Mandalorian, if not because they assumed success? To do otherwise would be tantamount to insanity. Faison's right leg went wide in a sweeping attack, meant to trip up the Sith Lord as he glided past. This attack, coupled with the grapling hook Kranak launched, would be hard to avoid. It was altogether likely that the Sith could avoid one, but not both assaults. But, Faison had been surprised before. Maliphant's cunning was underestimated by the group thus far, and Faison felt it best to suspend such assumptions of success at present.


Never underestimate an opponent; especially an outnumbered one. After Faison's sweeping kick, provided the Sith did not respond with a rapid counter himself that the Mando would need to swiftly react to, he would quickly set about holstering his hand cannon. Considering the close proximity of allies and bystanders, Faison soon deduced that the ranged weapon would be useless here. His blade on the other hand, would not be.

 

[Darth Empyrean]

Mandalorians were a tough crowd - with technology to back that. Most could not even begin to face off against a Jedi let alone a Sith; but the Mandalorians were the best trained soldiers in the Galaxy who built their entire Empire on fighting - but more than that, they had the best technology in the galaxy and enough bravery to use it. A single man against a cadre of their top commandos was always going to be a tough cell - but what was a fight for a Sith without some challenge?​

​

Their technology would be his burden now, at least - and the visor of another informed his target of his position. The knife snapped against the beskar, and he'd move with the hesitation of someone who had failed in their strike. The kick would land, Maliphant would grunt, and the hook would slip around the Sith Lord's neck only to pull him through the air. It was an expertly timed move only capable to be executed by the most elite of combatants with skill in teamwork.

The hook would rip Maliphant towards Kranak Vizsla and the blow he offered would land hard and heavy. Kranak would feel the bone bust beneath his fists, the blood dripping from his gloves, and the thud of the body landing beneath him. For a moment, he'd even feel the great pride in a perfectly execcuted maneuver - but it'd be burst by the soft echo'ing tones of Maliphant over the crowd. Amplified by the Force, he broke through the chaos with a dangerous confidence;​

​

"Good hit.", he'd offer from everywhere and nowhere at once.
​

The man beneath the Beskar Brute would stir, turning onto his back as lightning shot from his fingers at him. It was truly the Sith, but his teeth were busted and the bruises beneath his cheek showed part of his jaw and cheekbone were fractured. The immediate confusion was odd - until the brutal clarification became clear.​

​

Another Maliphant appeared from the crowd behind Faison Kelborn - only this time with the Force Saber Staff in his palm. It ignited facing his back - perhaps not able to break beskar itself, but through the Dark Side would corrupt and eat away the flesh beneath where the blade hit. Once more, not necessarily a lethal hit - but the corruption would feel like an infection driving deep.​

​

Lights flickered above them all now as others now ran from the carnage and blades appearing. Where many could still not escape, for the moment these 'two' Maliphants were exposed and in the open, if not dangerously close to the other two Mandalorians.​

 

[Eliz Krayt]

Chaos.

Eliz stared as the entrances blew up. People scattered, the Sith went into hiding. Then came out from the crowd. Twice. Wait, two? His eyes narrowed some as he tried to think through it. Was it a clone? Duplicate? Some Force power that the Sith had? Man, the Force was just too good at breaking the rules. Shai Maji was being targeted. They all were. If there were more in the crowd..

But which was the real?

Lightning shot from one of their fingertips, and that was enough for the smaller Mandalorian. He slipped through the crowd, his fractal pattern turning him invisible as he went. It wasn't unique, and he certainly didn't view it as a gift, but being Force Dead was certainly going to help sneak up on the Sith Lord. From behind he'd strike, pulling out a Beskad to impale Darth Empyrean from behind.

"He's got copies! The real one might not even be here!"

Kranak Vizsla | Faison Kelborn | Siv Dragr | Adi'ka Awaud