Public (Hand Wavieum) This is NOT the Bar You Are Looking For

[Muad Dib]

Another dead end.
Another dead group of jackals who swore they possessed the information wanted.
Another dead bar.

Well, not dead per say. Certainly not alive. Even the flames have died down to dull red embers. The wind stoked the charred remains as though the ruin of the establishment once known as the "Hutt's Bile" was on life support.

The sithspawn of a bar should have been a DNR. Do Not Resuscitate.

Blackened skin of the rodian sizzled with the remaining fat of Grando, the green hued rodian who gave a reasonable impersonation of a hutt. Mazakka, the albino wookiee, left an acrid scent of scorched fur.

Reminded the madman of a Coruscanti native who tried his hand at a bbq off the balcony of his suite. Di'kut. The fire suppression units in the city never figured out how a badly orchestrated impromptu bbq turned into a firestorm that destroyed the luxury wing of some pompous politician.

Afterall, it wasn't his fault he helped the fire leap from the grill into the high rise apartment. Their bad grilling and scorched fumes clearly ruined the high end death stick he was smoking nearby. They got what they deserved. And the flames illuminated the night sky in a beautiful sorta way. Never discount a bonfire at night. Even if humanoids were part of the fuel.

Never said they were intelligent humanoids.

He rose from the debris of ash, hands rubbed together to discard any remaining detritus. No ashy rodian smeared onto pants for him. A light chuckle followed the man as he left the scene. Tan tunic tucked into dark brown trousers with knee high black boots encased calves was the dress of the day. A curved kal rested on his left hip while a pistol rode low on his right thigh. Across his back a sheathed beskad peeked its hilt above his right shoulder. Blackened cylinder sat in a horizontal sheath at the small of his back.

The man's build seemed average. Neither tall or short, muscled nor skinny. Brown hair ruffled in the slight breeze as a feral grin peeked from tanned face. Stubble adorned his cheeks. He tossed his leg over the swoop which rested upon repulsors while the bike awaited the return of its master.

In all appearances the figure was roughly nondescript. Just another no named person on a no named planet in a no named section of the outer rim. He was unremarkably average in every sense but one.

Glowing blue eyes blazed against the evening dusk with a ferocious spark of insanity that promised madness from within its depths. Laughter erupted from his chest as he activated the thrusters and feathered the throttle which launched the bike into motion.

The swoop consumed the klicks with hungry, wild abandon as the Mad Master leaned forward over the body of the bike. Wry amusement etched upon hardened features as the man headed for the next dusky town with a bar called the "Devaronian Horn of Plenty".

Maybe there he would find the answers he sought.
If not … well, he would find some way to pass the time.

His laughter was lost in the wind.

 

[Zuyami Rayln]

A group of shifty looking people, with Zuyami Rayln in the corner.

The dark haired woman was sitting in a new bar that had opened up a few weeks prior. So far, it seems as if the only people who pass through are sketchy looking people, or people looking for trouble. Just in the few hours that Zuyami spent there, there had been three bar fights resulting in the owner, literally, throwing people out. It was chaotic nonetheless.

The owner, now he was an interesting person. Zuyami found him to be quite peculiar, and shady. Then again, who wasn’t shady in the bar? The owner, whom Zuyami didn’t know the name of, was a Trandoshan. And quite intimidating to the woman at first, as this was the first time she had an encounter with their species. Whenever he walked around his bar to make sure things were in order, Zuyami’s attention would be glued to him. This was mainly due to her trying to register what he was.

And the fact she was recalling the memory of meeting their species, which wasn’t her personal memory. It belonged to the memories of the woman she was cloned after.

A loud bang drew her out from her thoughts, being lost in her mind. Her head turned to look over at where a fight was brewing. Two creatures were snarling and arguing in their native tongues over a trade. Typical.

With a snort of slight amusement, Zuyami looked back down at her Holo-Pad. She had been looking for a bounty, in desperate need of some credits. Her ship needed a few repairs, and her droid needed an upgrade that she couldn’t afford at this time. Of course, there was a bounty out for one of the Hutts, but the giant slime bags grossed her out. Not many things grossed her out.

One bounty in particular caught her eyes. A man named ‘Muad Dib’ had a bounty over his head for… Ten-million credits?! That would set her on her way for a good while. Who the hell was this Muad guy and why was so many credits promised if he was captured? Her eyes began to glow from the thought of having so many credits to her name.

After the initial shock, Zuyami began to read further. An audible groan could be heard as she read his affiliations, and her eyes dimmed a bit.

“A Mandolorian? That explains it there..”

She muttered to herself, shaking her head. She read further, only to see he was also a part of the ‘Confederacy of Independent Systems’. Jeez, this guy had a rep.

As the woman scrolled through the data on Muad, she realized he also had numerous bounties on his head. And most wanted him dead. All were worth no less than a million credits, and no more than Twelve-Million credits.

After a few more moments of reading, she shut her Holo-Pad off and picked up her drink. Her favorite drink of the outer rim planets was Moongan Tea. Its sweet, spicy, and frothy taste drew her in. Not to mention the fact that the Alcohol in it made her mind fuzzy, to the point where she didn’t think or have any ‘recalls’ of her ‘mothers’ memories.

Her ‘mother’ being the woman who ordered for her and her sister to be created so she could raise them as her own.

Zuyami shook her head to rid the image of her sister as she downed the last of her drink

 

[Muad Dib]

Was it technically roadkill if you kicked in the door of their shack, beat them up the stairs with their own rifle, then tossed them out the second story window?

He sat on the fractured windowsill, one leg hanging free over the front scrap yard, while he loaded a round into the old slug thrower rifle. The human rooster, a red mohawk with a feathered trench coat, crawled forward to reach the dirt hardened road. Poor bastard tried to land in a standing position. Splintered bone poked through shattered legs.

But he was giving it the ole Bothan try. You know, saying look what we did and the steep price of success. Only to realize that it was a trap and you did nothing but fall in. Hook, line, and sinker. Bothans are truly worthless.

With a shake of his head, the madman came back to the moment and shouldered the rifle to aim down the sight at the second figure. She may or may not have been a bothan. Couldn't tell anymore. Not with the shot which removed most of her head. A smirk pricked the corners of his mouth as deft fingers loaded a second round.

The round chambered smoothly and gained a begrudged grunt of acknowledgement. Shabuir the human may have been, but he cared for the rifle. That much was evident. Of course that didn't earn the dung heap a reprieve. The scales didn't even out. No chance in the manda were the sins and atrocities balanced.

Carefully Muad gazed down the length of the barrel. Iron sights lined up on the back of the human rooster's head. A quirk at the corner of his mouth and the rifle rose subtly before it fired once more. Smoke momentarily obscured his view, then the broken man below became visible. Mohawk and perhaps a centimeter of skin was removed by the spinning bullet. In effect, the shot scalped the broken man who finally escaped the yard, body strewn upon the hardened path comically called a road.

"Now that's what I call splitting hairs. Kinda."

Before he could laugh at his own lame joke a sudden weight crashed into his back. Leg and arms windmilled for a brief second before he regained balance. A spin and Muad was back in the upstairs bedroom, crouched, as his right gauntleted hand gripped the heavily used handle of the pistol.

Before him snarled a foaming ewok.

Absent were patches of fur, instead wounds wept a clear ichor that stank of rot and death. Pupils were blown. Fetid breath reached Muad on ragged breath. At that point the man chose to breathe only from his mouth. Bloodied prints stained the floor with each staggered step the poor creature managed.

Almost did he pull the pistol to grant the mercy of death. But vengeance stayed his hand. Not justice as many would call it. Revenge. Pure unadulterated revenge. Eye for an eye, life for a life.

Slowly he released the pistol and raised both hands, palms out, toward the ewok. The force flowed into and through him as he sought to quench the raging torment of hell and pain in the barely sentient being. Exaggeratedly the ewok collapsed into a ruined heap upon wooden floorboards tarnished by ichor, tears, and blood.

With careful movements, Muad retrieved a pillow and liberated the case. It might have once been white. Now, time and unsanitary life choices soiled the garment a disgusting crud spoiled brown. He wasn't quite sure if it smelled worse than the ewok.

It was a very close call.

Gently he placed the ewok within before securing the restraining case with torn strips from the equally unpleasant curtain. With the package softly cradled in one arm, he left the shack and moved to his swoop. A few moments of work saw the ewok restrained in the front of the bike upon the handlebars.

"Hang in there little buddy. The person responsible for your current predicament is the same one I'm after. Before this night is over we shall both have our revenge."

As the swoop pulled onto the road, Muad took care to run over the formerly rooster haired human. The memory of the roadkill's screams kept the smile on Muad's face for several minutes.

Yeah. That guy was definitely roadkill eligible.


Later …

Barren lands of dust and shrubs eventually surrendered to visible signs of life. Even for the speeding swoop. Dusty landscape of muted browns transformed to a carpet of green. Wind sent miniscule needles which stung his unprotected face. Grains of sand can be quite unpleasant. Plus, in general, sand is coarse and gets everywhere. (Bwahahahahahaha)

The gradual absence of stinging was the first sign the wasteland was ending. Green hue heralded the trees which grew from the horizon until he sped between the trunks. In the forest the bike slowed a small amount. Between the force and his reflexes, Muad wasn't worried about crashing into a tree.

It was an experience he never wanted to repeat. Once was enough for him. Well, twice if you counted that instance on Nal Hutta. And maybe that time on Manda'yaim.
Whatever. He did not want to do it again.

A clearing opened and revealed his destination. Technological spears of buildings stretched nearly a hundred stories above. Between the city skyscrapers existed markets, restaurants, and bars. Neon lights flashed against the reflective glass of the towers which reminded Muad of a festival. There was always a creepy funhouse designed to distort reflections.

Bar signs stretched in impersonations of the actual establishments.
He picked the most garish and colorful bar in sight.

Parking stalls stood in long lines. Great, he was about to park in the toothless maw of the closest tower. Dust billowed as he set the bike into park and deactivated the swoop. His package once more lay nestled in one arm. The only difference being the ewok was now conscious.

Foam still dribbled from its snarling mouth. Muad grinned as he crossed the lot and slipped into a bare turbolift.

"Don't worry mate, I agree. Cities make me foam too. But I've had my shots.

The lift doors opened and spewed them out. It was the only way not to get trampled in the quick moving crowd. Like always, there always seemed to be a bubble of space surrounding him. People moved from his path and slipped away from either side. It wasn't long before he found the bar seen from below.

"Now be on your best behavior here mister bites-a-lot. Only I'm allowed to bite."

Doors opened and he entered the establishment. Within, the bar sat opposite the doors. Card tables scattered like a minefield between him and the drinks. Each wing cloaked casual tables and hidden booths. The majority of occupants were a rough looking lot. But there were always the scattered fancy pants. Usually sabacc sharks.

It was time for a drink.
Behind him the doors closed and sealed the occupants inside with the madman.

 

[Zuyami Rayln]

“Hey you! Leave her alone!”

The clone's head snapped to the side to see who had called out towards her general direction. Her shoulders stiffened slightly as her crimson eyes landed on a Hutt that had just moved next to her booth.

‘Great, just what I wanted.’

Nose wrinkled in disgust as her hand moved to her thigh, where her coufee was hidden, the dagger she kept.

“I’m not here for a fight,”

Zuyami said in a calm voice, not making a move. Really, all she wanted was to drink and be left alone that night. Alas, the universe had different plans. Her eyes flickered over to where the bar owner was watching them, seeming to be ready to split up yet another fight. Poor guy needed a night off.

The Hutt grunted and said something in his native tongue that Zuyami didn’t quite understand. She tilted her head to look at her droid, R8-H4, for a translation.

The droid beeped before responding in Basic.

“Louva wants Mistress Zuyami as his next bride,”

This resulted in a nasty laugh from the clone as she looked up at the Hutt, her fingers closing on the hilt of the dagger as she unclasped it from its sheath.

“R8, kindly tell this Hutt to get lost before things get ugly,”

She calmly stated, her eyes narrowing a tad at the Hutt. God, she hated these creatures. They were so greedy, and just plain nasty. Never good news.

Well, the Louva didn’t appreciate this as he roared, literally, in anger and struck out to grab the woman.

Thankfully, Zuyami was faster.

She grabbed the blaster from her belt and jumped up from her seat, landing on the booth table with the blaster aimed at the Hutts head. A silence settled over the few who were nearby and watching the action as it unfolded. Zuyami’s finger was on the trigger. One pull and the Hutt wouldn’t have a head anymore.

“Listen, I don’t want to make a scene. There’s a bunch of lovely people here, we wouldn’t want to ruin their night, would we?”

Of course, this was a load of crap. These were not lovely people by a long shot.

The Hutt, however, seemed to be convinced as he grunted and returned to his table, grumbling something else in his native tongue. He was lucky the woman couldn’t understand him.

Zuyami watched as he moved back to his table as she stepped off the table, hooking the blaster back into her belt as she settled back down. She waved one of the servers down to order yet another drink. She was ready to just end this night. No more surprises.

Hah, that’s funny.

Now, she didn’t pay attention whenever the door would open to the bar. Who cared if another sketchy person walked in? But this time, she caught the scent of… Smoke?

The pale female lifted her eyes and froze, her hand holding the glass to her mouth as she was just about to take a sip. Her eyes widened slightly as she recognized the man.

It was Maud, the Mandalorian that had quite a few bounties on his head. What was he doing here? What were the odds he would show up here?

She shouldn’t have cared one way or another. So what? People with bounties come by all the time. No biggy.. But the man's demeanor was different, almost scary to the woman.

“...R8, scan him.”

Twisting around in her seat, she crossed her arms and watched as the man walked in. Her nose wrinkled as the muggy air wafted in before the doors shut, carrying the charred scent from the male to spread in the room. That may be one reason he seemed intimidating.

“Muad Dib, five foot eleven inches, age… What’s this? His age isn’t registering. It’s almost glitching.”

Zuyami’s attention was now on R8 as it spoke, her brows furrowing from the last part. Who was this guy?

 

[Muad Dib]

As the doors whipped closed behind him a cold tickle teased down his spine. Outside a humid heat lay draped over everything. An oppressive hand that gripped all within clammy, sweat slicked hands. When the cool air swept the length of his form, the tickle turned to a singular shiver. Above, vents labored in an attempt to control the climate.

Bodies draped with spoiled attire combined with the scent of unwashed bodies. Faint aroma of soured liquor joined with the unmistakable odor of vomit. The cacophony of smells caused Muad to become a temporary mouth breather. Half a dozen creatures rested near their masters. Not to be ignored, animal musk joined the fray.

Shoulders shrugged as he moved through the card tables. Boots creaked with every step. Unknown fluids congealed on the floor which evolved to a half hearted glue. The sticky floor tried to hold the soles of his footwear in vain.

At each table the players glanced at Muad as he passed. Then they returned to their games. Excess smoke drifted from several occupants who partook of legal and illegal products. Above their heads the smoke condensed into billows reminiscent of clouds. He wouldn't be surprised if rain was about to descend from the stormy billows clutching the ceiling. At the bar, Muad took care not to lean against the bar top which looked eerily similar to the floorboards.

The seemingly mandatory mirror hung above the bar. What appeared to be a form of black mold marched across tarnished reflection. As long as the glasses were clean, the whole bar could be a sewage plant and he wouldn't care. Finally the bartender approached, a grubby towel wringed in his hands.

"Whyren's Reserve. If not that, whatever that can double as a paint thinner."

The man grabbed a nondescript bottle and poured several fingers in a tumbler.

"Don't forget my companion here."

The bartender looked between Muad and the frothing ewok. Another glass appeared and filled before the bartender beat a hasty retreat. Anyone who traveled with a rabid ewok needed a wide berth. Muad smirked as he tasted the liquid. Yep, it was cheap and strong. He wasn't sure but the skin in his throat might be melting. A sigh of contentment crept over his features and smoothed the furrows etched across brow.

In the reflection behind the bar, Muad appeared to casually glance around. However, his gaze sought a specific target. The one responsible for mister bites-a-lot and a new version of plague weaponized into aerosol form. Three of his clan were exposed. All three needed to be put down.

His hand performed the deed.

The doors slid open as two gamorrean and three heavily armed men entered. Scars crisscrossed the exposed chests of the green piggys. Each of the three men moved with a cadence and grace that bespoke of their experience. The five neared a booth on the wall. The darkened wing didn't reveal much.

But the sheen of slime reflected the ambient light which caused the hutt to stand out. Louva the Hutt. Despicable and vile even by hutt standards. And that said a lot. Those overgrown slugs were notorious for having zero morales.

As he watched, the hutt garbled an indecipherable order. The pair of gamorrean crowded a booth at the prompt of their master. A silhouette sat cloaked in darkness. The hutt rumbled in his version of laughter.

Intrigued, Muad continued to watch. Beside him the ewok managed to roll on its side and was lapping at the glass of liquor.

 

[Zuyami Rayln]

Zuyami glanced up as the male crossed the room to his target, the bar counter. She just couldn’t seem to look away, as she found him odd. More odd than the others there. Whilst the others were just sketchy, not necessarily dangerous, this man was definitely dangerous.

Something about the way his eyes glowed sent a chill down her spine. It seemed to almost radiate insanity. The Aura around him, showing his mentality, is something she definitely didn’t want to mess with.

A snort of amusement escaped from her while he walked. She had the same issue when she first walked in, as her combat-like boots kept getting stuck to the floor. If she wasn’t careful when she took a step, the whole boot would escape her foot.

“Mistress Zuyami, it appears as if the man is traveling with an Ewok. He doesn’t look too well either. It appears there’s an unknown mutation in his bloodstream.”

The droid beeped as it finished speaking.

The woman glanced down at her companion before back over at the bar, where Maud was with the Ewok. He really didn’t look too well..

One reason Zuyami was so intrigued by Maud, minus the multiple bounties, is that she had no memory of him. Surely a man that was wanted this badly would have made an impact on her ‘mothers’ life, even a small one.

But no. Nada, Zip, Zilch. No memory at all.. Maybe the clone shouldn’t have drank those two Moongan teas.. It started to make her mind a bit cloudy..

A glint of blue in the reflection of the mirror behind the bar counter caught her attention, realizing that the mad man was looking around the room. She immediately lowered her eyes back to the table, shaking her head slightly to clear her mind as much as she could.

There was a loud thump that made Zuyami look up against her own will, noticing the Hutt who had, once again, moved over to her booth. A groan could be heard as she twisted to face him, already reaching for either her blaster or her coufee. Time would tell which one was needed.

“Get lost Louva, I’m not interested,”

Her voice raised a tad, allowing a bit of acid to seep into her response to the oversized slug. She was done with these creatures at this point. Why couldn’t he let her have her drinks in peace?

After she had spoken, the two piggish creatures seemed to appear on both sides of the Hutt. Louva bellowed out in his version of laughter as Zuyami’s eyes began to glow.

Unclasping her dagger, she downed the rest of her third tea and rose to her feet.

Showtime.

When the slimy creature commanded his two to grab the woman, she wasted no time in striking out at them, pushing herself back into the darkness of the booth. The first gamorrean snorted in annoyance and peered in to find the female, only to squeal as he was met with a dagger in the left eye. The ugly pig staggered backwards, followed by the woman who emerged from the dark of her booth, reaching out to pull her dagger from its eye before stepping back.

“Who wants to dance next?”

A silence settled over the other five, well except for the creature writhing in pain on the ground, holding his face.

After a silent moment, Louva barked out another order in his native tongue, which made one of the armored men step forward. Ah, a fellow bounty hunter, definitely a former Sith by the looks of it.

Zuyami stared the taller man down as her legs tensed slightly as she readied to spring at him when he moved, which he did.

The former Sith lunged to grab her, only for the clone to spring and launch herself over his head, kicking him square in the forehead in the process.

She landed on the balls of her feet before looking up at the man with a slight smirk.

“Headshot,”

Well this didn’t make the former Sith happy, as he let out a snarl and took out his lightsaber. The woman’s only reaction was her eyes widening slightly before it returned to its normal shape.

Other hand reached to grab her blaster as she took a step back to evaluate the situation.

One Hutt, one gamorrean left, and three heavily armored men. Against one clone.

A battle hardened clone at that.

Shouldn’t be too hard..
Should it?

 

[Muad Dib]

Well looky there. That shadow in the booth was a lithe woman. And apparently she made a friend of the giant slug, Louva. One day he really did need to get a transport full of salt and dump it on a hutt. He really wanted to know if the fatty would sizzle out like an actual slug. Not this hutt. Muad had plans for this slimeball.

A belch escaped his companion beside him, the straight jacketed ewok grumbling with grunts that didn't sound as crazed. Liquor was a cure all. One way or another. Muad tossed back the last of his drink just as the shadows erupted with a flurry of action.

One piggy was struck in the eye with a blade, its squeals drew the attention of all in the establishment. As the young woman stood defiant, her opponents gathered as a united front. Even the one eyed porker got back up. Five and a hutt against one. Not horrible odds. Especially since the woman proved she had moves.

Course that was before some force flunkie ignited a red lightsaber. High School Sith dropout by the look of it. Then Louva propositioned the bar as the bartender escaped through the door behind the counter. The audible sound of locks slammed into place. Louva bellowed again.

""A thousand credits to each of you that help bring this woman to heel. Like the dog she is!"

Over a dozen of the bar's patrons stood and moved to side with the hutt against the lone female. An oversized wookiee with tawny brown fur stood head and shoulders above the rest. A wickedly curved scimitar clutched in his right. Blasters and melee weaponry filled their hands as several laughed raucously.

All this meant only one thing to the mad master...
OPEN BAR!!!

He hopped the counter and grabbed a few of the top shelf bottles. Surely one of these would have some flavor. The first one smelled fruity with a touch of engine cleaner. After the cap was removed he poured the ewok a generous portion. Yub Yub might have been said as the ewok either drank deeply or attempted to drown itself. Sometimes you can't really tell the difference.

Number two and three bottles were bad. Like kill a krayt dragon kinda bad. These were put aside as Muad tried the fourth. Not bad. Certainly not great. At least it was potable. His hand slipped into a pouch at his belt and pulled out a death stick. Deft fingers snapped and created a small blue flame that ignited the quirly between his lips.

A deep breath and release. Blue smoke wafted from his mouth and nose with a sigh. He and Mr Bites-a-lot did have business to attend to with the hutt. But the current scenario didn't involve the pair. Another deep swig from the bottle helped wash down some of the dust from the trail. Maybe he would just watch a bit.

With no effort Muad leapt to the counter top and watched, a death stick in one hand and a bottle in the other. Boots scuffed the bar top, but let's face facts, it was an improvement upon the surface. Too bad there was no one there he could make bets with. Because this would be entertaining.

 

[Zuyami Rayln]

After Louva had said something in Huttese, R8-H4 immediately translated it for its mistress. Zuyami watched as some of the patrons crossed over to stand behind Louva, taking out whatever weapon they desired.

The sound of their laughter echoed through the air as the clone waited for one of them to make a move.

Fortunately, someone did.

Unfortunately, it was the giant Wookie who had.

Zuyami stepped backwards as the Wookie lashed out towards her face with the sharp object in hand. She had moved to aim and fire the blaster at him when..

One of the armored men had grabbed her by the arm and slung her across the room. Her body hit the bar counter and rolled over to the opposite side. She didn’t realize it, but she had almost crashed into the madman who was having drinks above her.

The group of creatures neared the bar with grins, in hope the woman either had been knocked out, or injured overall.

When she hit the ground, Zuyami curled up and landed on her left side. This minimized any injury, although she had, however, knocked the wind out of herself. She hadn’t emerged just yet.

Once they approached the table, one of the other armored men shoved Maud aside as he spoke.

“Out of the way, we have things to get too,”

Louva looked at Maud, uninterested as he hadn’t realized who exactly he was. With another gruff as an order, one of the creatures besides him laughed and hopped the counter. When he did, he was met with a kick in the gut as Zuyami rose from the ground. Her arm would definitely be bruised, but it wasn’t anything she couldn’t deal with.

The former Sith struck out at the woman with his lightsaber, which was met with her coufee. She felt the metal heating up, but ignored the fear and reality of it as she grabbed one of the bottles from the table with her free hand to launch at the man's head.

It smashed open, causing the man to stagger backwards. Zuyami hopped up onto the counter, glancing at the male already there but didn’t focus on him too much. She was slightly crouched, her legs were tense and her eyes bounced around the remaining people watching her.

“Just give up already, just come with us peacefully and all will be just fine,”

One of the armored men called to her. Zuyami wasn’t dumb, she knew how Hutts were. Aside from being giant bags of slime, they were cruel overall. Once he lost interest in the woman, he would make her die somehow. They all seem to resemble that horrid Jabba the Hutt, who had died long before she was even thought of.

“Or you guys could just let me go, you know, and avoid a fight. That seems peaceful enough, right?”

She offered as the group moved closer, whilst she spoke. Like she wouldn’t realize they did.

I repeat, Zuyami isn’t dumb.

Off the table, she sprung at the main target. Right at Louva. Grabbing onto his slimy skin, she felt sick as she did.

Shaking the feeling off, she managed to climb her way to his head, the blaster raised and aimed at the side of his head. As she wanted, the group froze, unsure of what to do. If Louva died, they wouldn’t get their credits and all this would be for nothing. A smirk played on her lips as she scanned the rest of them.

“If you value anything in your tiny lives, then I’d suggest to leave,”

She calmly stated. See, that's why people found her a tad intimidating. No matter what she was doing, she always seemed to be in a state of calm, even while holding a blaster to a giant slugs head.

 

[Muad Dib]

And so it began.

The woman careened around the wookiee which, because of his size, made it difficult to see the action. By the time the thought filtered through his mind she was already free from the mob and flying over the bar top. The crush of bodies pushed Muad from his perch and gave him enough distance to remain sufficiently disconnected from the event.

This wasn't his fight. However the lightsaber wielding thug was the one who pushed at Muad. And Muad was not one to go unpunished. One of the newly hired hutt muscle was speaking to the woman. Each offered a surrender. Neither were amused.

Inevitably, and perhaps unavoidably, talk ended and action began.

With a quick leap of agility, she was over the crowd and landed beside Louva. There were slight grooves in the slime pasted to the hutt's hide. Her hands were coated by the missing slime. Despite the goo, she held a blaster against the head of the hutt. It was a good plan, just ill informed. And the woman was only moments away from learning her mistake.

Hutt hide was thick and durable. Pistol fire and even lightsabers slowed against the skin. Furthermore they are fat. Layer upon layers of cushiony blubber to help protect the deep organs. The other mistake was clear for those experienced with the Hutt Cartel. Louva was young and small. There was no way he was the leader. Possibly his parent pulled the strings in the syndicate.

No matter how the scenario would play out, one thing was certain. It was going to be bad.

As the hutt laughed deeply from his chest, the crowd continued to aim their weaponry at the woman. If she managed to pop Louva then the crowd would still attack. Might get a bonus with the higher ups in the cartel. All for avenging Louva.

Muad drained the bottle in his hand and replaced it with an unlabeled one. A small smile twitched his lips while he strolled along the bar to be directly behind the crowd. The two piggies were in the process of flanking the woman. A pair of the bar recruits advanced with weapons.

"Not yet Muad. Let's see how this goes."

Though he spoke to himself, the words formed upon his lips.

 

[Zuyami Rayln]

Upon seeing the other members making their way closer to the woman, she didn’t hesitate to pull the trigger, blasting the Hutt. It took a moment before the Hutt seemed to stop moving, which surprised Zuyami at how it took a moment before the blast was effective.

She definitely needed to research Hutts some more.

Once Louva stopped moving, the crowd was still before there was a roar, and all hell broke loose. Zuyami was surprised and a tad confused, as she slid off the Hutts back, slinging the goo from her hands towards the people charging her.

There was a squeal as one of the ugly piggys grabbed the woman from behind, wrapping his thick arms around her chest which, in the process, restrained her arms. The second snorted something to the others, that Zuyami didn’t quite understand.

“Restrain her, I’ll call the Hutt Cartel,”

One of the beef heads said before stepping to the side, taking his Holo-Pad out.

“Also, get rid of him. We don’t need witnesses,”

He continued, nodding towards the area Maud was previously in, before noticing he had moved. He didn’t waste any time to look around and see where the crazy man had moved, only snapped for the Wookie to find him.

Zuyami was silent for a moment before kicking backwards, in hope of getting the creature to let go of her. All that happened was his grip loosened for a moment, but that’s all the clone needed.

Using the goo that was on her, she began to thrash around and slide, literally, from the gamorreans grasp. She ducked as one of the bar patrons fist wooshed through the air where her head was a few seconds prior.

The dark haired woman rolled backwards before hopping to her feet. From the base of her neck to her navel was coated in that gross mucus-like goo. Although it grossed her out greatly, it was an advantage nonetheless at the moment. She huffed slightly as the others began to close in on her, backing the woman into a corner.

Bad move.

Zuyami tensed her legs, as she's done before. Once they got close enough, she leapt and used the wall to kick off, soaring over their heads. This would’ve been good if one of the beefy guys hadn’t caught her by the hair.

During this commotion, the oversized Wookie scanned the room before his eyes landed on the shorter male. Well, short compared to him. With a grunt he grabbed his scimitar and made his way over to the man.

“You can either come peacefully, or make it harder for you,”

The Wookie growled out in his native tongue.

Poor guy didn’t know who he was facing off against.

 

[Muad Dib]

Poor sluggie. Just wasn't as durable as the bigger snails. One day he was going to have to force feed a ton of salt down one of their gullets. Force feed. Laughter slipped out at his own inner monologue of a joke. It was something he could arrange after all. Plus it would not be devious in nature. Merely a science experiment to confirm a hypothesis.

I mean, Muad was a philosopher at heart.

A dim flash of red blinked under the epidermis of the downed hutt. If the madman was to guess there was a pretty good chance it was a tracker and vitals reader. Most likely designed to communicate along a nearby transmission hub as it relayed the news that Louva was no longer among the living.

And a big ole location ping for the mama hutt. Or daddy hutt. Who the hell knew which gender cycle the parent was in. Didn't really matter anyway. Not when you're dead. And that was very much the plan.

Not included in the plan was the massive wookiee that smelled like a wet nerf herder rolled in bantha dung and sprayed by a bull rancor. Of course he was heading directly for him. And here Muad was without his dancing boots. The rumbled roar from the wookiee's throat nearly muffled the translator on the belt festooned with vibro blades. Gotta give the steroided giant teddy bear, the vibro scimitar complimented the other equipment,

No doubt the curved sword was sharp. However the ultrasonic vibration generator in the hilt expounded the lethality of the weapon. The tip of the blade hovered mere inches from Muad's chest as the wookiee waited for the man's response.

For ages the vibro sword was used against force users. Even without a cortosis-weave, or songsteel, the efficient weapon could stand up to a force users' blade for some time before it succumbed to the elegance that was a lightsaber. But it possessed a flaw that, for some unknown reason, was rarely utilized.

While it was dependable against the plasma fields of a lightsaber, the vibroblade was susceptible to electricity. Specifically the generator and power cell that snuggly rested within the tightly gripped hilt.

"I guess I've got to choose the hard way. It's always more fun."

Muad quipped, the deathstick between his lips, as he rubbed his fingers together lightly while only a handbreadth from the naked blade. The miniscule static charge leapt from his fingers under the direction and energy of the force to race along the scimitar directly to the hilt. Not only did the ensuing explosion deftly remove both the wookiee's hands but excited the power cells within the other vibro weapons around his waist.

The explosion divided the wookiee, top from bottom, and sent a spray of red mist and shrapnel in all directions. The shockwave shoved Muad back against the bar. Only the beskar plates saved him from being snapped in two. The concussive blast still hurt a bit. And who was ringing the bell?

As Muad worked his jaw amidst a groan, he noticed most in the bar were either hit by the blast or hit with shrapnel. Even now the sith washout rose to his feet, lightsaber raised in a double handed grip in order to bring the crimson blade down onto the young woman. Rivlets dripped down the guy's garments as Muad grinned.

"Mate, I'm just helping you get ready for the hellfire of the netherworld."

With that he flicked the deathstick at the sith groupie. The ember hit the man and ignited the highly flammable liquor from the bottle Zuyami smashed the sith with just moments earlier. Flames engulfed the man which reminded Muad of one time his marshmallow had fallen into a campfire. Glops of goo melting off as it rolled across the ground.

"And here I am without a marshmallow."

Burning sith fell toward the woman as the two piggies squealed at the flames.

"But we got bacon!"

 

[Zuyami Rayln]

During this commotion, Zuyami bucked her body to escape the larger males grasp, to no avail. The man had effortlessly lifted her by the hair, as now she was about three feet off the ground. Her hands went up to claw at the man's fist, in hopes to be dropped. Which didn’t quite work.

Maybe biting her nails all the time wasn’t a good habit after all.

Meanwhile, the Wookie had grunted with a growl at Maud's response. He hadn’t planned on Maud coming easy, but the somewhat cocky way the man responded had irritated him.

And a mad Wookie is someone no one wants to deal with.

Unless, of course, you were Maud Dib.

Blade raised, the old-looking creature was ready to strike the man, when the explosions went off. Then it all went dark for him.

Poor guy.

The beef-head who had a hold of the woman didn’t have time to react, his legs being hit and almost blowing off fully, causing him to crash to the sticky ground of the bar.

Thanks to her being hoisted in the air, Zuyami was unharmed by the explosion, except for being slung to the ground when the man fell. Her forehead smacked the ground with a loud crack, blood beginning to gush down her face. She didn’t seem to worried; head injuries bleed more than necessary anyways.

The retired sith took advantage of the clone being knocked down for the time being, rising to his feet with his saber clutched in both hands.

Like a child about to attack their parents with a toy sword. Or saber in this case.

He partially limped over to the woman who was now on her hands and knees, raising the saber above his head to bring down on her when he heard the mad man speak. His mistake was glancing over curiously at what he had said.

Curiosity really does kill, doesn't it?

The clone had finally stood, turning when she heard the screams and watched as the sith, now aflame, fell towards her. With a yelp, she moved out of the siths path, only for him to fall on the two remaining piggies, setting them aflame.

Soon the screams and squeals died down, leaving Zuyami standing across from Maud. Most of the patrons had been blasted to the death, or right there at the brink. Or they were just unconscious.

Or too frightened to get back up.

After a silent moment, she had opened her mouth to say something to the man, when the faint sound of beeping caught her attention. Turning to see what the noise was, she caught a glimpse of the flashing red light. The Hutts' thick hide had protected the tracker from the blast. But some of it had blown off to where you could faintly hear the beeping sound.

Cursing under her breath, Zuyami looked back at Maud.

“Now I understand why you’ve got so many bounties on you.”

She said with a dry laugh, attempting to wipe the blood from her face, to no avail as she only managed to smudge it across her cheek.

The mixed smell of all the different bloods in the area made her a bit nauseous, but she didn’t let it show in the moment. She only stepped forward and held the less blood-stained hand out to the man.

“Zuyami Rayln,”

 

[Muad Dib]

Fog, made of smoke, thickened the stillborn air. Vents lined the ceiling with paper tassels tied to the slats. They hung limp as the corpses who littered the floor. A few tongues of flame watched with indignant frustration at not being able to spread

"The day is still young little ones."

Muad murmered the words while he used one of the flickers to ignite another death stick between his lips. The carnage in the bar was bad, but it was still salvageable. Couldn't add this to his "bar destruction" tally. Yet.

The young woman was speaking to him which drew his glowing blue eyes. Gutsy kid with enough skills to handle herself reasonably well. And with just enough ability to get herself in trouble. Case in point.

"Well kid, those bounties are usually from the grieving family. Or their bosses. There was this one time the bounty was two million credits, delivery alive. I tried to turn myself in and collect, but they told me it didn't work that way. By the time I left I had my money. Sadly there was no repeat business."

A slight nod acknowledged her name as Muad moseyed over to the Hutt. The toe of his boot pressed the flaccid flesh of the slug. Light flashed just beneath the skin. A laugh echoed out upon the wings of blue smoke

"I'm Muad Dib, as you apparently know. Listen kid. You need to split. You notice how no one has come running? The Hutts own this place. It won't be security that comes. Nope."

The hutt's body twitched and began to move. Eyebrow arched while he motioned at the corpse. A bulge appeared and grew from the midsection before the skin split and the ewok slid out munching on green hued flesh.

"This is Mister Bites-a-lot. He's a bit misunderstood. Anyway kid, get out of here. Hell is coming on the wings of mynocks. You might have a few minutes still before the hammer falls."

Soot stained his cream colored tunic. Miscellaneous fingerprints streaked artistically in random smudges. Fingers scratched his cheek, a rasp sounded from the stubble. With a shrug he leaned back against the bar.

Half a bottle of whiskey remained in a bottle's lower portion. Still good, just don't drink the larger shards. He tossed a healthy portion back

"When they hit it'll be run and gun. I won't be able to babysit. Either way, time is running out. Papa Hutt is coming."

 

[Zuyami Rayln]

‘Kid?’

The corners of Zuyami’s lips twitched downwards from the way she was addressed. She was not a child.

The woman's hand lowered as Muad walked over to the Hutt, wiping her palm on the side of her top, staining it even more.

She allowed her face to melt into a partial scowl at the seemingly cocky man, starting to feel a tad annoyed with him.

Then again, she wasn’t a ‘people person’ anyways.

Crossing past the Hutt, the clone retrieved her Hutt-slime covered blaster from the ground, where she had dropped it after sliding off of Louva. Her nose wrinkling slightly in disgust once again, she attempted to clean most of the goo off before turning her head in the Pyromaniacs direction.

“I can take care of myself. And stop calling me kid, you’re not that much older... Actually, on second thought..-”

Her eyes glowed a bit brighter, the crimson color a contrast of the man's glowing blue, as she inspected his face for a moment.

“-I take that back.”

She had said this in a partially joking way, to show that she too could be witty.

When Muad had motioned for her to look in the direction of the Hutts corpse, she grabbed her couffee from its spot on the floor, locking her eyes on the moving bulge.

Another irritate sigh escaped her as the Ewok slid out, clearly pleased with his evening meal.

“Mister bites-alot,”

She snorted in amusement at the name before sheathing both her couffe and blaster back in their correct areas.

After the man continued his speech, Zuyami folded her arms across her chest like a defiant teen, leaning against one of the tables that hadn’t fully been blasted to bits.


The dark-haired female watched as he drank some more of the liquid he had, not saying anything as well as not leaving, or making any motion of her leaving.

She too could be stubborn.

Assuming the man realized this when he warned her, yet again, about the Hutts coming, Zuyami blew out a harsh breath, tinted with her annoyance.

“I’m sure I’ll be fine against a few more slime-bags, go big or go home, right?”

She said with a half shrug, to show that she wasn't frightened or worried.

Really, she was trying to mirror the others nonchalant demeanor, even when knowing that there were people after them.

She could definitely tell he was used to being hunted.

Whereas she, however, was not.

 

[Muad Dib]

It didn't take someone with the force to tell he annoyed the woman by calling her kid. Her body language was almost petulant. A rebellious youngster who felt the need to snark back at her better. Couldn't totally blame her. He did more than his share of pushing back against the older generation.

In his day.

Gods and manda that made him feel old. And not just because the galaxy he knew so well wasn't the same one he was born in. He was ripped from his own time and tossed into this one, so many lifetimes from where he once learned from his masters in the Sith. Before he realized the fallacy of that order.

Yes, he earned his place in this galaxy but he could never forget the timeline of the original dimension he came from. A shrug rolled his shoulders as he limbered up unobtrusively. Another misadventure on another plane added a century to his life before a group of gods redistributed him back here. In roughly the same state as he left. Yeah, there were miles on his meter. But he was far from ready for the grave or retirement.

The ewok looked between the two humans, still frothing at the mouth. However it was a pink froth as the blood from its enemies mingled with drool. Glass shattered on the floor when Muad tossed the empty bottle to its demise.

"Go big or go home … I like the way you think, kid. Mister Bites-a-lot, you should scram. Time is about up."

Lithely he leaped the bar top and crouched behind the counter. Miscellaneous pots were tossed over his shoulder. Some crashed into the glassware and spilled even more liquor upon the blood slick floor. Let's face it, there was no way the floor could get worse. A grunt slipped from his lips as he stood, a hose held in his palm.

"I say let's go big."

Instead of hopping the counter, Muad waltzed to the end and moved around upended tables in varying degrees of destruction. At the edge of his mind he felt them approach. A new smell filled the bar. Rotten eggs. Along one wall was an opaque window, graffiti from countless customers decorated across the surface in countless tongues. Course the stick figure art was universal.

And vulgar.

A smirk crossed his lips as he bent and retrieved a discarded holdout blaster. Small and weak, it nonetheless possessed all the requirements he would need. Metal rang on metal as the enemy neared the door. He motioned for the woman to join him at the window. The ewok stood on the bar, arms outstretched, as it yub yubbed euphorically.

Poor bastard couldn't handle his liquor.

The bar doors blew open before an onslaught of armed guards rushed in. The press of bodies spiked the temperature in the room in the wake of dead air conditioning. A woman pushed through the crowds and pointed a gnarled old finger towards the duo. Talons gleamed in the low light and lekku writhed in rage as she commanded the room.

"You will lay down your weapons, disarm, and surrender to the great Lord Appa's rule and punishment. Or you will be subdued, scourged, and beaten before we bring you before my master."

Muad poked his elbow out toward the young woman's side.

"I haven't had a good scourge in a long minute. Almost tempted. But I'm fond of my arms, I don't want to be disarmed. Sounds unpleasant. And permanent. Nah, I like my idea better. Tell you what brain tail chicky, You let that clown Appa know that Muad Dib, and Zuyami Rayln, are ready for him to bring his fat shebs down here, assuming he can fit his bloated body through the double doors, and I'll let him lick my boots."

Muad raised his leg and brought one boot into view.

"It's got some kinda sticky muck on my soles. And a bit of blood splatter from his lackeys. And he better bring me a present. I love presents. I just get all sorts of giddy at surprises."

The twilek woman sputtered, coherent words escaped her capabilities. Of course her scream combined with the raised pistol told the rest of her guards it was time to fire. Muad pulled the trigger and sent a ruby laser blast toward the bar.

The unseen gas ignited and exploded outwards, the concussion crashed into all as a ball of fire leapt out to converge upon the entire room. Tensed legs kicked from the ground and launched Muad out the opaque window as he flew through glass.

The last thing he saw as he hit the metal walkway outside was the ewok riding the blast wave, fur aflame and a froth filled mouth that shouted yub yub as it crashed into the twilek woman's face. Then fire spewed from the window.

He hit hard and rolled to his feet, already in motion away from the bar.

 

[Zuyami Rayln]

There was a silence for a few moments as Zuyami noted the male had seemed to be thinking. Well, more of reminiscing, but she didn’t know that.

Her attention drifted back over to the Ewok on the ground, who was yub yubbing as it watched the humans, almost as if it was mumbling to itself.

Simple creature with a tiny mind, clearly it didn’t have a care in the world at that moment.

Well, the liquor may have had a factor to play as well. Oh well.

A shattering of glass as the man had tossed his bottle aside drew her attention back to his general direction, before he spoke. A partial roll of her eyes showed her irritant, yet again, at him calling her kid. Although, her mouth twitched into somewhat of a smile as she scanned her area once again.

The woman quickly moved out of Maud's line of fire, where the man was launching bottles over his shoulder, which caused a wave of the liquor to quickly spread. She wasn’t going to complain though, it helped mask some of the blood scent.

Turning when the man spoke, she noted the hose he was holding, picking up on the plan he had. A smile pricked on her face again as he agreed with her previous statement, watching as he made his way over to the window.

The smile soon faded as she felt the presence of other minds heading their way; they were much closer than she had anticipated them to be. Her sigh was cut off with a wrinkle of her nose as the place filled with that awful smell, indicating gas was being released into the air of the bar.

Surely the people who arrived wouldn’t notice, the smell would be right at home with the bar.

When Maud motioned for her to join him, she wasted no time crossing over to where he was, turning to watch as the doors burst open and the crowd pressed in. Sweat gathered at the nape of her neck, trickling down.

Zuyami watched as the Twilek spoke, a hundred memories flashing in her mind of encounters that weren’t hers. She grumbled at herself, trying to focus on what was going on now instead of allowing herself to slip into her mindspace. That definitely wouldn’t be a great thing to do at the moment.

Her attention was renewed as Maud elbowed her in the side, thankful that it saved her from ‘staring out in space’ so to say.

A snort escaped her as she nodded in agreement with him, stretching out her arms above her head.

“I’d rather keep them,”

Was all she quipped as the man continued to speak. The clone was quiet as the male spoke for the rest, occasionally glancing at the people behind the woman.

Soon the talk ended, and the screaming started.

As soon as the pistol shot, Zuyami tensed her leg to get ready to launch herself out the window after Maud, arms raised to protect her face from the shards of the broken window.

The explosion was much larger than the woman had anticipated it to be. Both the gas, and the bit of flammable alcohol on the ground, had caused the flames to grow higher.

Out the window, and down to the walkway, Zuyami hit the ground quite harshly. The wind knocked out of her, but that didn’t hinder her from jumping to her feet and darting away, in the same direction Maud had.

Although not quite as fast as the male, she still had pretty good speed.

Soon after the explosion went off, there was the sound of people trampling over the rubble, following the two who had left.

“Uh oh! We’ve got company!”

Zuyami shouted up towards Maud, glancing back for a split second before back forwards. She scanned for an escape, when she heard the familiar beeping of her droid not too far off.

As her mouth opened to tell Maud to follow the beeping, someone from behind began gaining on the, aiming a blaster in their direction as they began to fire at the two.

The woman ground her teeth together as she renewed her speed, unclasping her own blaster rifle from its place on her hip.

Turning around, she yelled for Muad to keep an eye out, since him doing so for himself would keep her backside safe as she ran backwards at him. She raised her blaster and began to fire in the enemies direction, while dancing from side to side to stay out of their line of fire.

 

[Muad Dib]

The whine of blaster fire and clang of running feet upon the metal catwalk played a techno tempo for their escape. All that was needed was a few bith and a zeltron singer.

Zuyami shouted from behind which made Muad laugh as he neared the doors to one of the other white spires of the city. The dual doors flashed open to reveal a small crowd of clustered soldiers for hire.

"At least you're color coordinated."

The short quip landed on surprised faces of the mercenaries dressed in bright yellow jumpsuits. Weapons festooned their outfits.

Just as the group began to react, Muad's hand flicked out and depressed one thermal detonator attached to a bandolier.

Equally as fast, his fingers found the grips of the protector revolver strapped low on his thigh. Left hand smashed the door's controls which shut the doors even as his right rotated the pistol's barrel at the touchpad and fired.

The doors would remain shut for a hot minute. Of course the explosive detonated and bowed the doors outwards.

"You keep entertaining company then, kid!"

Arm raised and leveled the protector around Zuyami while Muad leaned over the catwalk rails. His finger squeezed the trigger firing four shots. Four targets collapsed.

Yes, he had mad skills. Then again, the catwalk made a nice bottleneck. Which would prove fatal to the pair in mere moments.

Until he noticed a turbolift rising from the levels below. A smirk stretched his lips as he dove over the side and fell two stories to land on the roof of the lift.

Sadly his weight and momentum proved no match for the rigid plastic roof. Without a chance to react his body smashed upon the metal floor which elicited a groan.

Lying flat on his back, Muad raised his head and watched out the floor to ceiling glass exterior. Zuyami came into view. Then the enemy, who finally made progress directly onto the catwalk, became visible.

"Get your shebs in here kid!"

A finger hit the selector on the revolver and switched to flechette rounds. Glass shattered outward while the opponents fell back. The lift continued to rise which gave Zuyami a few moments to leap on before the turbolift would pass on it's trek to the top of the spire.

"Going once … going twice …"

Muad shouted as he continued to fire

 

[Zuyami Rayln]

Zuyami had a split second of doubt when she heard the madmans laughter. The doubt soon depleted once she noticed the people after them were gaining, and had backups.

She was so focused on trying to keep the people off their tail, that she didn’t notice Maud had made some friends until she heard the explosion go off.

Shortly after that is when the clone heard Maud yell something to her, not having the time or care to be annoyed at him for calling her kid once again.

“What do you think I’ve been doin’?!”

She called back towards him, stopping in place which confused the crowd before darting out of the way as they trampled towards her, firing at a few. A few of the enemies were confused, which was their demise as four of them collapsed after being shot by Maud, whom they weren’t paying attention to at that moment since they weren’t sure where he had gone.

Not taking a moment to revel in the fact that four targets had collapsed, the female darted around the crowd, firing when she could. She was partially listening out for Maud’s yelling, or laughter, confused when he had vanished from her peripheral for a moment, greeted by the sound of his body smashing through the roof.

During this, she got somewhat sloppy in her defense, resulting in a few shots from the enemy burning through her right upper arm, and her left thigh. This drew her full attention back as she continued her firing, both her high pain tolerance and the adrenaline pumping through her helped buffer the pain in that moment as she fired back at the enemy.

Once again, Zuyami began running backwards as she fired at the enemy, coming into view of the older male who was on the lift. She heard him yell at her, reluctantly turning and scanning for him quickly before bolting in his direction, moving out of his line of fire at the group behind her.

“I’m coming stop putting pressure on me!”

She shouted up towards Maud as she sprinted towards the lift, diving at it right before it went past it being too late for her to jump on. But doing so, she went chest first into the side, hearing something, possibly a rib, crack as she scrambled to get on, rolling onto her back with a deep breath of both relief and pain. That hurt.

“Not baby-sitting huh?”

Zuyami laughed, soon followed with a groan.

Even laughing hurt.

 

[Muad Dib]

"I'm pretty sure the point is not to get shot. Repeatedly."

He grinned at the young woman as he rolled to his chest, planted his hands, and pushed himself back on his feet. Beneath them, the floor thudded with vibration as the enemy below fired ineffectively at the bottom of the turbolift.

"You planning on taking a nap down there? Or you going to get up?"

Hands deftly reloaded the protector while he took stock of himself. Left knee was sore. A graze along his right side. And … what the hell was that? Fingers plucked a piece of glass from his hairline. Nonchalantly he tossed the shard out the shattered window. With the pistol holstered, Muad gripped the metal frame and leaned out the window to glance below.

Secondary explosions erupted beneath, a chain sequence that spread fire and smoke. Above, the spire rose higher than all the others. That would be where poppa hutt would look down from his throne. And if he was right then when the top floor doors opened they'd be blown away. He pressed a button on the turbolift.

"They expect us to show up at their front door. Then blow us away. I love disappointing people."

The lift doors whooshed open a floor short of the top. His head popped out and he looked around. So quiet. When he stepped onto the floor there was an echo. Another grin stretched his face while he listened to the echoed voice that answered him.

"Hello … hello."
"You're an idiot … you're an idiot."
"Metus still owes backlog child support … metus still owes backlog child support."

Amused, he turned to the kid.

"Here's a perfect chance for you to bolt. But if you still wanna play, take the stairs to the top floor. When I hear a commotion I'll take the lift up. Hit them from two directions. Your call and your move kid."

 

[Zuyami Rayln]

"For you maybe,"

Zuyami said with a snort before sitting up, rolling her eyes once again at the males quips.

"No naptime? Bummer,"

She responded before getting to her feet, assessing the damage to herself. One of her arms and the opposite thigh had been shot with the blasters, burning holes clean through. Not to mention her already bruised arm, forehead injury, and possibly broken rib.

Twas not a good day for the young woman. But at least the wounds from the blasters were cauterized, therefore wouldn't need too much attention. Her main concern was the somewhat achy feeling right under her chest, gently pressing the area before wincing. If not broken, then it was definitely bruised.

With a sigh, Zuyami followed Muads actions by changing the magazines of her rifle, having her spare magazines hooked to the belt around her waist, along with the holder for her blaster.

Down on her, at the moment, uninjured thigh was the strap where she kept her coufee styled dagger just within reach if it was needed.

The clone cast a glance in Muad's direction as the man hung out the window to look below. She heard the explosions before the male spoke once again.

A nod of acknowledgment from the woman before she snorted at the end of his remark, shedding her jacket to look at the damage that was done to it, which definitely wasn't pretty. A frown transformed her features as she poked her fingers through the many holes in the leather, not to mention the areas where it appeared as if it was shredded. Oh well.

She sighed and draped the jacket over her arm, wearing what used to be a white tank top, which revealed heavily scared, yet toned arms. She'd dispose of the jacket at some point, and look for a new one later.

Once the doors opened, Zuyami went silent to listen, following behind Muad as he walked out. She stood still, near the unmoving lift before looking at Muad as he spoke.

"...And you call me kid,"

She quipped before taking a few more steps out, listening to the echoes before turning her head to face Muad as he continued speaking.

There was a split second of hesitation after he finished his line of speech. She could leave, find her ship and go back on her mission of finding her sister.. But that would lead her back to her lonesome. Traveling the systems alone in hopes of finding her home planet, with her only family.

Well, biological family that is.

And even though this man annoyed her to bits, she felt somewhat safe with him around. That also may have been because of the fact he saved her, twice.

"Sounds like a plan. See you at the top old man,"

Zuyami said before turning and climbing the stairs.

During this time, she allowed herself to slip into her own mind, while being aware of her surroundings.

A million different memories began to play, memories of her 'mother', the woman she was fashioned after. Well, minus the scars and injuries obviously.

The main memory that haunted Zuyami almost every night recently was the one when her mothers spouse left. The woman was unable to have kids, no matter how much she tried. She was infertile. This is what caused the separation when the man left, absolutely breaking Zara, the woman, into pieces. She had loved the man with everything in her existence.

Many months after is when she went to have Zuyami and Yukio fashioned. To have the daughters she was never able to. She wanted to have something to love that would love and adore her.

The woman never got her wish, which left Zuyami and Yukio to be put into training for any war that needed them.

Her poor sister must be worried sick. If only Zuyami hadn't gone berserk and left, then none of this would have happened.

The sound of voices drew Zuyami from her dark thoughts, taking an account of her emotions before stopping, staying hidden right before the doorway of the floor.

"We'll find them, you just have to-,"

"Do not tell me to be patient or I swear on Lord Appa that I will throw you out this building,"

A somewhat deep, female voice snapped in return to the first voice.

"I got a scan below, I've got eyes on the target,"

A different voice said loudly. There was the shuffling of people moving.

"Great, you've got the thermal scanner going? You've got eyes on the both of them?"

The deep-voiced female, who was obviously the leader of the group, asked. It was silent for a few moments before the timid voice of the male with the scanner responded.

"Both of them? I thought there was only one,"

"YOU FOOL!"

The leader's voice rang out as something crashed to the ground, what it was Zuyami wasn't aware of yet.

"There were TWO of them! How did you miss that?!"

She continued, yelling at the man. Poor guy.

"I'm, I'm sorry Phiona, but there's only one,"

The man replied, fear tinting his voice. Must be one scary woman.

"I should have you as a sacrifice! Which body do you have eyes on then?"

"It appears to be a man,"

"Find the woman using the scanner,"

Phiona replied with a growl. Time for Zuyami to make an appearance.

"That won't be needed,"

The clone said as she stepped into the room, blaster in hand as she took a note of the people in the room.

The redheaded woman with bright, hatred filled eyes who was staring right at her must've been Phiona. And great galaxies was this woman tall. It looked as if she were a good foot or maybe even two than Zuyami, who wasn't a short person.

A few feet away was a burly, viking like man holding a thermal scanner. That must've been the male that was being yelled at. The sight of this made Zuyami laugh, the guy looked terrified of the woman.

Not to mention the about thirty or forty-ish people that were crowded in the room, all dressed in that ugly yellow jumpsuit as the crowd that Muad had faced below had.

"Sounds like we're pretty famous here, would anyone like a signature?"

Yes, the young woman was channeling Muad's irritating attitude. And she could understand why he did it, it was somewhat amusing watching as the taller womans face went red before she lunged at the clone, receiving a tattered leather jacket to be thrown in her face, temporarily blinding her as Zuyami darted past her, into the crowd of people, which caused an uproar.

Which is what she wanted to let Muad know that there were people, and she was ready.