[Duel] Swimming with the Fishes

[Lord Gaius]

Hasjo stood within the bowels of a LAAT/i. He overlooked the water planet of Dac. The ancient home of the Mon Calamari and Quarren people. He had received intelligence from the Silver Jedi Order, that the one known as [member="Darth Veles"], was currently on the planet. He didn't know where, he didn't know why. He would allow his instincts to guide him. He glanced over one of the marvellous wonders of a floating city above the waters. Never would Hasjo's own home planet have such a thing. The horrible and mammoth hurricanes that tore across the storm-ridden planet would tear a city to pieces before it could finish construction.

The pilot signalled the green. The bay doors slid back with a grind. Hasjo nodded to the man, and dived. He fell thirty feet before spearing through the waters surface with elegance and experience. He took in a deep breath, water filling him up. He let out a breath of water, having sapped the oxygen out of it. He began to kick his powerful legs, propelling himself through the water. Down towards one of the cities the Mon Calamari had built beneath the waves. He wore only tight fitting brown breeches, and a lightsaber pike hilt at clipped to his waist. He would begin his search here.

 

[Darth Veles]

Although Dac wasn‘t Avreet’s homeworld and he did not care for the Mon Calamari species, as he considered himself an Imperial, the young Mon Calamari Sith was sent to spread anti-Jedi and anti-Republic words, possibly creating small cells of rebels fighting for the Empire. The planet’s prospered under the Sith Empire until its fall, leaving many loyalists with hatred burning in their hearts as the Republic conquered the planet. Since Dac lied on the Republic’s border, it hopefully would not be swelling with Republic soldiers of all kinds. And even if, Avreet was not worried. As a Mon Cal, he could effortlessly blend in, becoming just one of many billions of Mon Calamari living on the planet. With an identichip containing a fake name, he posed as an engineer from Coruscant, coming to free Dac in hopes of finding a well paid work. Force stealth allowed Avreet to hide his Force signature, making him appear as an average non-Force sensitive.

Dressed in garb that allowed the Mon Calamari to swim underwater without restraining him, the amphibious Sith hid both of his lightsabers in his clothing. His first stop would be in an underwater city, where the Republic did not have many eyes and because it contained many workers – those were usually easy to persuade to join a rebellion, the Empire took good care of hard working sentients. A small transport ship dropped him with a dozen of other Mon Calamari, two of them guards to protect them from various sea creatures on their way, directly above the city. It felt so natural when he dived into the cool water and started using his webbed feet as flippers and breathing with his gills. His left eye immediately supplied him with a great sight of the city, while the right cybernetic eye had to be manually adjusted. Staying with the small group, he kicked his strong legs and swam towards the city.


[member="Hasjo Hallu"]

 

[Lord Gaius]

He meditated on[member="Darth Veles"]. While he did not know him as that name, he knew him as another, a cover-up the Mon Cala had devised. Hasjo didn't know that though. His mind was at peace, a blanket of calmness that washed over himself. His fluid movement through the waters propelled himself further into the darkness of the ocean, searching out for disturbance in the force. For anything. He began to swim right, towards a Mon Cala city. The planet of Dac had a long history with the Republic, and during the Empires reign they had fought back with everything they had. Tooth and nail. He recalled an old teaching of some general in ages past, of which his name now evaded him. "We forced the Empire off our world once. They fought with blasters and fighters, destroying cities at will. We fought with whatever we had – kitchen utensils, industrial tools, our bare hands. We won that time." He knew not if this swelled him with pride for these people, or horror that they could so viciously fight. He began to enter a centre of the city where others congregated.

 

[Darth Veles]

With no beasts attacking them, the journey towards the city could be described as relaxing for the amphibious beings. Avreet's right hand caused the young amphibian a bit of trouble, he was not used to swimming with the heavy cybernetic replacement, but as a Sith he had to adapt, use it to his advantage and never allow it to slow him down. Luckily, that was not much of a problem with his strength multiplied by the cybernetics enhancing his body. The amphibian's large amber eyes swiveled around, watching the guards as he wondered where their loyalty lied. Another powerful kick sent him deeper, into the cold waters of Dac, and he could finally see through the dark waters good enough to view the underwater city. The Sith Knight had to admit it looked quite beautiful, its architecture unique and making the city feel as it was organic.

The group continued its fast descent; three Mon Calamari broke off the group and continued swimming in a different direction, while the main group headed for the center. It was then that Avreet felt something weird in the Force. His eyes darted around, searching for the disturbance when his cybernetic orb picked a Nautolan man, [member="Hasjo Hallu"], with a lightsaber pike on his waist. The Mon Cal frowned; he had not expected to meet a Jedi there and he definitely had no intention to give him the pleasure of a fight. More often than not, the legal way of taking care of a problem was the best one. Slowing in his movements, he waited for one of the guards to swim by and tapped his shoulder. “The Nautolan there is armed with a lightsaber, it looks like he will cause trouble. He might be a Sith saboteur.” Avreet said and watched the guard armed with a spear blaster motioning for his friend as they moved to approach the Jedi. The group of civilians remained behind, keeping their distance.

 

[Lord Gaius]

Hasjo craned his neck, peering at the guards that approached him. He parted with them private words, re-assuring them he was here on a peaceful mission on behalf of the Jedi Order. His mind was a wave of total calmness, and his Nautolan eyes that swam with emotion told them this. Just like the Mon Calamari, the Nautolan utilised their large, black eyes to convey emotion without deception. He swam in the spot with his hands clasped, a universal Jedi symbol of neutrality. He looked past the guards of where they had come from, spying the group of Mon Cala.

@[member="Darth Veles"]

 

[Darth Veles]

Avreet's left eye cautiously watched the situation, hoping the Nautolan would be taken for questioning. Unfortunately, both guards quickly returned back with no results. That was disappointing. The man Avreet had talked to found him and explained the Jedi's presence. Peaceful mission, of course. The Jedi dogs called everything like that. If only the planet still belonged to the Sith Empire, the guards wouldn't have been satisfyed with a simple explanation like this. That, and the Jedi would have been shot on sight. Avreet certainly missed those times when he could go anywhere he wanted without the constant presence of Jedi searching for Sith. "And how do you know he's not lying?" the Sith asked a simple question once the guard finished talking, "That man admits he has a mission here. As a security guard here, you should have been informed the Jedi will be operating in this area. If you do not know of his mission... perhaps he is not a Jedi? Please do your job and search for his name in the Republic database of the Jedi." He said and watched the guard thinking about his words. The man certainly disliked the way the young Mon Cal spoke to him, but he saw logic in his words, turning around and swimming back towards the Nautolan to ask his name, specifics about his mission and call his superiors to confirm the man's Jedi identity and mission. All of that should slow [member="Hasjo Hallu"] enough and give Avreet time to disappear with another group of workers and persuade them to join the rebellion.

 

[Lord Gaius]

Hasjo watched the guards speak with a Mon Cala, before they returning hurriedly. They were playing messenger. It was strange they were taking orders from someone who appeared to be a citizen. They began to inquire further with Hasjo, to which he quickly replied calmly "No, it is not typically procedure to inform the local law enforcements of our activity. As you can understand, Mon Calamari, sometimes our missions require us to be discreet so that our mission can be successful. As a guard that keeps the peace here, I am sure you're understanding of this." He reached into his cloak, taking out a titanium plated Identification Card that had been holographically printed. The card would confirm himself as a Jedi, and reveal a military history in the Republic Navy. Along with the basic information on race, age and sex. "I do not mean to cause trouble to the locals, as my people" and by his people, he referred to the Nautolans "Hold the Mon Calamari with respect and consider you noble and steadfast allies. I appeal of you to inform me of any activity of a Sith that may be in the locality. It brings me sorrow that I must inform you, he is believed to be Mon Calamari." It wasn't like the local guard to be so intrusive on a Jedi mission. Hasjo raised his gauntlet to his mouth, raising the LAAT "Juliet 0-1 to Gamma 0-6. I might have a trail. Inform the Jedi Master Ru, and the Council that I'll be residing in the city for a few days. Over." He then looked back to the guards. The communication link crackled with the confirmation of a trooper on the other side. Hasjo moved his eyes to the group of Mon Cala, and namely the one that had been having quiet words with the guard. He could start there with his investigation.

@[member="Darth Veles"]

 

[Darth Veles]

The group continued to move while [member="Hasjo Hallu"] explained the situation to the guards, though the Sith knew the Jedi had noticed him. The explanation gave Avreet some time to gaze around and plan hos next action as he disappeared amothe all the amphibious sentients swimming around. He had to admit, this was his first time to an underwater city and he just couldn't get enough of it. He could not see himself living like this for long though, knowing that the world on the surface was vastly larger. Still, it was good to see from where his race originated. With their help, the Empire would conquer all seas in the galaxy. Unfortunately, with the Republic and its belief the natives were able to govern themselves, the planet did not do as good as with the Empire having control. This resulted in poverty in some areas of all cities and racial escalations, with the Mon Calamari and the Quarrens blaming each other for everything. The Mon Calamari Sith did not even have to go far to look for such problems; a young Quarren woman swimming just a few meters from Avreet suddenly found herself abruptly stopped by a Mon Calamari getting in her way and blocking her. Another Mon Cal joined and grabbed the woman from behind. Racial slurs flew through the water and prompted Avreet to move closer and intervene.

"Stop it." The Mon Calamari Sith barked at the two attackers, frowning. "Release the woman immediately and explain yourselves." The one holding her did not react, but his complice swiveled his right eye to stare at Avreet, who continued to glare at both of them. "Go kark yourself! This Quarren's a daughter of a collaborator who worked with the Empire. She deserves what is coming to her."

Avreet propelled himself even closer, facing the one who talked and staring straight into his eyes. "That is no justification. You only prove racist fools like you need a firm hand holding them by throat." The adressed Mon Cal just rolled his eyes and was about to turn back to the Quarren when Avreet's webbed hand landed on his cheek. Turning back to him in surprise, the racist found himself getting another slap on the other cheek before Avreet grabbed him by the collar and tossed him through the water. "Go, both of you, or you will lose more than your pride..." Avreet said and reached to his garb as f wanting to pull out a blaster. This scared the two punks and they quickly left to different waters while Avreet approached the attacked female. "Are you alright, mistress? Please, allow me to accompany you on your way home. Those two might not be the only ones intending to assault you since government is unable to secure safety for everyone... but the waters you travel will be safe with me by your side." He spoke with a kind and gentle tone, his expression showing little emotion though. The Mon Cal's eyes remained cold, looking at the woman who was still confused of what just happened. A simple, silent nod was the only response.

 

[Lord Gaius]

His legs pumped in a rhythmic motion as he set to work swimming after the group of Mon Cala. His twin hearts beating out of sync. Unlike most non-amphibions, it was not a difficult process to swim for a Nautolan. Born under the water, they were raised with powerful bodies that were designed to swim, and could all day long without break. The Mon Cala and Quarren were the same. It was an advantage that applied above land, the amphibians had a naturally superior cardio. He was above and behind the Mon Cala when he began to slow down, using his arms to come to a halt and counter-act the kicking of his legs. He watched from above, now only recognising the voice of the Mon Cala. He swam down, curious as to why he would set the guards upon him. Was he so bitter about the conversation on the space station? Perhaps he could help him find this Sith that roamed Dac. "Greetings, Velet? Was it?" Hasjo said with genuine warmth "Forgive me, but I have forgotten your name."

@[member="Darth Veles"]

 

[Darth Veles]

The Jedi's Force signature came closer, prompting the young Sith to turn his right eye around and look behind. The man felt somewhat familiar in the Force, making Avreet frown as he tried to remember from where. "Huh? Velet?... You must be mistaken, my name is Verrack." Avreet muttered, not realizing what the Jedi spoke about at first, then remembered his meeting with a Nautolan Jedi from a while ago, when [member="Hasjo Hallu"]'s fellow rogue Jedi lied to him to help Avreet, calling Avreet Verte or something like that. So the rogue Jedi Order sent one of their own to this planet... and luckily for the Mon Calamari, one he already knew. This presented an interesting possibility since the rogue Jedi was no longer an official member of the Jedi Order or the Republic, yet he acted like that. Avreet could have pretended to be a different Mon Calamari, as they all looked very much the same to any non-Mon Calamari, yet he wanted to test something and learn a few things he could use against the Republic later. Leaning towards his Quarren companion, he silently whispered into her ear canal, "Call the guards. Tell them there is a man impersonating a Jedi. Very dangerous." The Quarren woman looked a bit unsure, but nodded and swam away, disappearing among the many sentients swimming around and paying little attention to the two. Gently kicking his legs, Avreet turned around in place, facing the green skinned Nautolan. His large amber eyes glared into the Jedi's pitch black orbs. "I would have asked you your name, friend," the Sith started gently in as polite tone as he could muster, "But it hardly matters, for I know you are from a group of rogue Jedi who have left the Republic to pursue your demented crusade against all 'evil', without any rules, laws or restrictions holding you back. Now, you will wait here for the guards to arrest you for the crimes of theft of the Republic property and falsely portraying yourself as a member of the Jedi Order."

 

[Lord Gaius]

"But it hardly matters, for I know you are from a group of rogue Jedi who have left the Republic to pursue your demented crusade against all 'evil', without any rules, laws or restrictions holding you back. Now, you will wait here for the guards to arrest you for the crimes of theft of the Republic property and falsely portraying yourself as a member of the Jedi Order."
"Republic property" he flashed a grin. "Hardly. And falsely portraying myself as a member of the Jedi Order? Nay. I never quite officially left - I'm simply considered.. missing." It was true. When he had left the Order, he went into deep isolation without informing officials. When he resurfaced, it was frequent and far in-between. Rarely in Republic territory, sticking to the Outer-Rim Territories. He swam around the Mon Calamari. "Though it makes me wonder.." the Nautoan trailed off, his headtresses gently moving in the water "What horrible grudge you have with me." He continued to kick his legs, pacing around the amphibian. He curled his webbed, clawed hand around his wrist and pressed against the transponder beacon. He quickly twirled his body, his feet kicking powerfully as he utilised both his hands to propel himself quickly through the water. Towards the oceans surface. His body spinning as he continued to swim upwards. Quickly fleeing. He was not yet ready to leave his isolation from the Republic's Jedi Order.

@[member="Darth Veles"]

 

[Darth Veles]

Veles silently listened to the rogue Jedi's explanation. Lying, probably the most typical Jedi attribute seemed to be play a large part in this rogue group as well. But what to expect from those dogs, trained to lie and deceive their way to victory? Before the Mon Cal came up with an answer, the Nautolan Jedi pressed something on his wrist and quickly started making his way to the surface. No action came from the disguised Sith, he just swiveled his large eyes to watch the man's retreat. Several guards finally appeared and chased the fleeing [member="Hasjo Hallu"], to no avail as the Jedi had a large head start. Running from justice, probably knowing the explanationexcuse of technically never leaving the Jedi Order the official way would not be met with much understanding.