Hunting the Stormy Sky

[GhostOfProtocol]

He slid his hands into his pockets, back onto the stairs. He listened to the thug as he began to stroll up the stairs, slowly. He was going back to his his hotel room, taking time and planning his attack on Kallux Brews and his gang. He would need to be quick, sneak round to the ship then go right up, get airborne, get the ship to the spaceport and to the old fella, get the papers signed across then get himself and the woman off this planet. Question the woman and be happy.

He smiled, it was working out. His plan would be perfect, he just didn't expect to have to do any more planning. He'd spent most of the day working, two days on Dromund-Kaas. He looked up lightly, a star glinting in the sky. A star, a star or a planet. He wasn't quite sure, chances are it was a star but for all he knew it could of been a planet.

He strolled back into the hotel room, glad to see that the woman had gone. Chances are, she was in her hotel room now, and Kei would let her sleep. He didn't need her yet, nor did he need T3-J8. If the ship was in good condition, which it sounded like it was, then it would be a case of just getting her airborne and being done with it.

Was the hope, anyway.

He strolled into his hotel room, flopping slightly into a chair. He was tired, walking none stop all day. He hadn't found out much, he'd found out where The Ebon Hawk was, but that was useless because of who had it. He needed to get to the ship, take her and get out. It would be easy, was the theory anyway.

 

[GhostOfProtocol]

He slept happy that night after spending time drawing up plans on paper. He was very happy, his plan was coming together great. He yawned once more, smiling. He had taped the plans up to the wall to study them, and when he peeled them off, he was afraid to admit he'd pulled some of the paint off in the process. It happens, he knew that and he regretted that. He smirked once more, leaving the room for what would easily be the last time.

It was game time, and he thought about that as he strolled across the upper city towards Kallux Brews little territory. It wasn't much more, a few spray painted mansions and guys with guns, a regular day for Kei. The Hawk was in the garden of the largest mansion, the garden having been converted into the perfect landing strip. He had done recon the night before, his hotel room on the eighty third floor had a perfect view across Kaas city and a pair of binoculars helped him catch sight of the ship.

It would be easy enough, and he thought about that as he began phase one of the plan. He'd seen a ladder on the side of a mansion just outside of Kallux' turf. The mansions were close enough for a man to jump the gap, and he thought about that as he began his climb. It was an easy climb, not much to it. He felt his knees connect with the tile of the roof, happy.

He broke into a sprint, launching his body across the gap between the roofs. He was in, Kallux' territory wasn't as secure as he thought, and Kei smirked once again as he got low, ducking behind a chimney stack. The Hawk was right there, three guards in front. A man in a suit stepped out, Kallux himself? He looked ready to board the ship.

Kei had to move quick, he couldn't risk the Hawk being taken. He launched himself into another jump across the roofs, right onto what he could assume was Kallux' home. He slid from the roof onto a balcony, and from the balcony down onto the ground. Kallux and the guards all turned, each one armed with a blaster. There were many different makes, too many he couldn't list.

"That ship isn't yours Kallux"

Kallux shot first, blaster shooting past him. Kei shot, a guard falling as the shot hit him in the chest. The engines of The Ebon Hawk came online, a pilot clearly on board. Kallux broke into a sprint towards the ship, ordering the guards to keep Kei away. Kei took another shot, another guard falling. He broke into his own sprint, up the ramp and into the Hawk, fist slamming against the button to the close the ramp.

The pilot took the ship into the air, unaware Kei was on board. Kallux turned around, muttered something and attempted to shoot. Kei threw himself forward, battling the blaster from the grasp of Kallux. Both men locked in a fist fight, punch after punch being thrown. Kei had enough, managing to kick Kallux towards the ramp of the ship. One well placed punch, Kallux bounced off the ramp button, the ramp extending. A second punch, Kallux falling back. One kick later, Kallux had fell.

Kei closed the ramp, picking up his blaster and strolling into the cockpit. He took one shot, the pilot falling forward. He would be pushed from the ramp later. He was happy, he had his ship, the ship he'd wanted for months. He would land the ship in the spaceport, dispose of the body and get the papers signed by the old man. It was hard, the old man was a massive idiot. Yet, it happened, the ship was his.

 

[GhostOfProtocol]

He chose to leave The Ebon Hawk in the spaceport, Kallux was dead so he wouldn't be coming back to get it any time soon. He cackled, strolling back up to the stairs. He would of left Dromund-Kaas as soon as he got the ship, but he had his droid and his passenger to go pick up first. It had been a long few days, three days upon Dromund-Kaas, twice he'd ended up covered in blood, but only once was the blood his own. This time it was the blood of the smuggling thug Kallux.

He smiled, continuing up the stairs. He was all for the stairs, especially after he'd been stuck in the turbolift last time he got in it. Although, was he glad he got in the turbolift? Yeah, he was. He learned more about himself in that hour than he had in his life. He was a Raxis, member of the Raxis family with his cousins. Gray Raxis, his cousin.

Jack Raxis, his cousin.

He smiled again, walking back into the hotel for the last time. He took the turbolift this time, right up to [member="Lady Kay"]'s room. He stood outside, not even bothered about trying to look presentable. He had brushed the dry blood off on the way anyway, for the most part he looked like he did when they first met.

He knocked, because he was the one who knocked.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay didn't even leave the room. It wasn't as though she was scared to or anything, she just didn't want to miss her chance to get off planet. She rather enjoyed the relaxation time, got to catch up on some much needed sleep, meditation as well as escape into some holo-movies. She didn't order any room service, didn't spend any of [member="Kei Garnik"] 's money outside of staying in the hotel room. She had ration bars in her satchel and of course her tea. It wasn't much but she wasn't expelling much energy either while she lounged around. In a way her time here was a vacation.

Poor T3 must be so bored!

And then the knock came. She paused the holo-movie, an adventure story about kids hunting treasure and slipped out of the bed. Her Force signature was kept small as she answered the door. Seeing who it was, she let him in.

"I take it that things went well?"

 

[GhostOfProtocol]

"Well, I have your way off this planet if you wanna claim it."

He smiled, a cocky smile. T3-J8 beeped, rolling over to Kei. He had to admit, he was happy, the female had managed to keep the little droid alive, and he didn't appear too bored. He beeped again, Kei understanding him perfectly. He was glad he understood binary, it made this easy. The droid was happy, he'd been watching holodrama's and it would appear he liked them.

"Great, you got my droid addicted to holodrama's"

He smiled, making sure that [member=Lady Kay"] knew full well he was only joking. It'd been a fun few days, but it was at that point he was more than happy to get away from Dromund-Kaas and see what happened next, he liked the rush of life.

"So, if you are ready to go, we'll be out of here. The Ebon Hawk is on the lower floor, spaceport. Oh, and I never actually got your name"

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

She smirked at his statement on holo-dramas. "They were movies, not shows."

Kay packed up her tea supplies and made up the bed, giving the place a once over first before she was ready to go. Sure there were droids that could clean up, but she didn't want to be a messy guest.

Once everything was settled she slung her satchel over her shoulder and handed him the key card for the room, as well as her daily credit allowance. She didn't spend any of it. "I'm Kay. Thanks for the ride...And for the room."

 

[GhostOfProtocol]

He nodded lightly to Kay, sliding the chip into his pocket. He knew full well that it was only a few hours until he would get the answers he'd been after since meeting the woman in question. He shook his head, T3 leading the way to the turbolift. Using his shockarm, he would touch the button lightly, turbolift shooting up the shaft.

T3 would lead both Kay and Kei into the turbolift, and he would lead them from the turbolift after it hit ground floor. Kei would take over leading after, flipping the room card over to the receptionist as they passed. He lead the group from the hotel, quickly heading towards the stairs. He explained quickly why he was choosing the stairs, and he was happy when T3 figured out the best way to get down the stairs.

The group would reach the spaceport after around an hour of walking through the undercity of Dromund-Kaas. The Ebon Hawk sat, as left by Kei. T3-J8 would give out a little beep, leading Lady Kay up the entrance ramp. The main hold was spacious, but Kei was sure that Kay would like her own room for the two day flight into republic space, or the republic enemies space, Kei wasn't sure which one Kay was.

He would lead Kay through to the left crew quarters, explaining how she would have the quarters to herself. Then he strolled up into the cockpit, taking a seat in the pilots chair lightly. He would explain to T3 the major issue with the navcomputer, T3 understanding and plugging into the computer itself. It would be hard for him to try and unlock the computer for Kei, but he could use it, the best thing about the upgraded navcomputer.

He smiled, slowly flicking the switch to close the entry ramp. His fingers danced across the console, starting up the main engines. The lifting thrusting system would come online, Kei tilting the steering shaft, tilting the ship into the air. They would begin to climb, Kei working with a guy in Air Traffic Control to plot the safest route through the storm.

When he was glad they'd broken atmosphere, he allowed T3 to take over the ship to begin plotting a route from the planet. He strolled into the back, shouting through to Kay lightly.

"Where's the drop off point?"

Once he got the answer, he would walk back through into the cockpit, taking over manual control and explaining to T3 where they were heading. T3 would beep lightly, the navicomputer locking in the co-ordinates lightly. Kei would flip a leaver, the hyperdrive engine coming online. A small pop would announce that the ship had entered hyperdrive.

He had two days to question Lady Kay.

He strolled back into the main hold, continuing through. He knocked on the door of Kay's quarters, pushing it open and strolling on in. He took a seat on a small chair in the corner, shrugging lightly.

"Back on Dromund-Kaas, you said that the feeling I was getting around you should be discussed in private. This is about as private as we can get so, you know anything?"

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay had followed [member="Kei Garnik"] and his droid to the ship. It was her ticket out and she wasn't going to pass it up.

Once on board, she let him know to drop her off on Commenor. That was probably the safer bet.

She settled in to her quarters easily enough, had already made herself some tea by the time they had hit hyperspace. As Kei knocked and stepped into the room, she sat herself down. His question wasn't something that she really felt comfortable talking about with strangers. People always got angry when she did as they felt as though she had betrayed them. Slowly she let her guard down and let her Force signature be felt to it's full extent. She wasn't the strongest either, maybe about the middle as far as her powers went, but it was stronger than when she had kept her signature hidden anyways.

"What you feel is the living Force around you. Surely you've heard about it?"

 

[GhostOfProtocol]

Kei shrugged, lost. He'd never once heard of "The Force", perhaps it was a religion some people spent their life devoting themselves too. But yet, something in Kei's mind somewhere was telling him something else. He had always known the force flowed through him, he just needed someone else to confirm it. He felt this force radiate from other people in batches, power him in batches. The force was a power, it gave him the strength he needed to win fights in bars, he managed to push someone to the other side of a room with a light push. He shook his head again, looking around.

The lord Revan was a force guy... He'd read about it.

"I've never once heard of the force, but something somewhere is agreeing with you. The Lord Revan was powered by the force, apparently it gave him some sort of power to beat people or hide or something, I don't know."

He looked at Kay again, replaying some of T3-J8's message in his mind. T3 had spent hours in Kay's room, digging up information on her on the holonet. You could find a life story on the holonet if you knew where to look, everything was on the holonet, pictures just helped confirm certain things. T3 had informed Kei that Kay was a former senator, the senator for commenor.

"It's all true then? The war between The Republic and The One Sith? Powered by a hatred between the good and bad? The Republic claim to be the good guys, but yet they are slowly becoming worse than The Old Empire. It's all a game innit', good vs bad, Jedi vs Sith."

He shook his head again, a small smile on his face.

"Former Senator of Commenor, I need you to pass on what you know, the basics. I need to know the limits of what this power can grant me. I don't care about the war going on between the Jedi and Sith, I need to learn how to grasp this power, control it and harness it. You understand that, right?"

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

[member="Kei Garnik"] did hear about it. She knew this to be true given what he said that he had heard about the stories. There was much about her that was removed from the holonet with the help of the brilliant slicer droid, Ultimatum. But most that was removed were any visuals of her hiring and working with the Sith to free slaves.

Kay frowned as he mentioned the Republic becoming worse than the Empire. It just wasn't true. She knew it. "Don't believe the media spin that you see with the regards to the Republic. It's all propaganda by our enemies...."

She frowned again as he called her by a denounced title, instead of by her name. "I can't teach you all of that, nor all of the basics. Everyone has different strengths and weaknesses. It all depends on what you want to do with it. Learning it just for learning's sake isn't the right way to go about it. And neither is calling me by my old title when you know fully well that I don't have it anymore. What are you trying to gain from me with that? I don't need a reminder of what I have lost."

 

[GhostOfProtocol]

Kei shrugged, apologizing for using the term of former senator. He didn't mean to offend her or upset her, he was making a point. He thought again lightly, wondering what he could actually wanted to do with the force. He didn't want to get involved in the fighting, in the war between the light and the dark, he didn't even have a weapon any better than a blaster. He'd thought about the war before, wondered if there was actually any point to it, learning what he'd learned just proved that there was.

"I apologize for using the former title. When talking about the force, you need to understand how you want to use it, right?" He paused, looking around. "I don't want to get involved in the war, I've explained that much. I think, when learning the basics I can pass on the basics to my family, allow them the use of the force for however they wish"

He'd clearly thought about it.

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

"I'm not involved in any war. I try to prevent them, not fight in them." She wondered what it is that she could teach him that he'd be interested in. "I could teach you to keep small objects from hitting you and pushing them away. Most of my skills involve healing and hiding, however."

[member="Kei Garnik"]

 

[GhostOfProtocol]

He nodded to Lady Kay lightly, happy to know that she was willing to pass on what she knew. Learning to manipulate this power to hide would be great, but learning to push weapons away, push people away and push any bullets away would be the better option he thought to himself lightly. He had lied to Lady Kay in the first place, but she would never know that what he wanted to learn was for him and him alone, he knew that much. Perhaps he would take on a pupil one day, but for the most part it would be him and just him, and he knew that fully.

"Learning to push with the force, if I could learn that I would be very, very happy. Learning to push, seems easy enough for a beginner"

He smiled, standing up. Then, he waited for Lady Kay to begin to start and teach him.

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay just blinked as he stood up. Did he want her to teach him right now? She got to her feet and stirred her tea, now that it had steeped enough and was ready. Sipping it, she looked around the room for a moment. What could she use? When she had learned, she was outside where they had used pebbles and rocks. But here, there were no such items to be found. Hmmm.....

"Close your eyes and focus not on your senses, but what you feel. And not you emotions either. Think of it as though there's a swirling wind moving through you and around you, a wind that you can control. You can manipulate it into a solid, like a brick wall, or as a stronger gust of wind. Right now I want you to think of it as though it is a wall..a barrier to keep you safe. Nothing can breach it and it is less than a foot in front of you. Give me a thumbs up when you are ready."

[member="Kei Garnik"]