Junkyard Warriors (Nemene)

[Laith Varad*]

Raxus Prime

...the Gladius Class Light Freighter touched down in a wasteland of junk ranging from scrap metal and debris to the leftover parts of various droids that had been dumped on the industrial planet and forgotten here ages age. Inside the starship Laith would have instructed the Astrometric Droid to keep the engines on standby incase of trouble and to maintain a low level scan of the surrounding area. This Planet was dangerous, the environment was dangerous, and an appropriate amount of caution should be taken. The Mercenary had only come here following rumors that another Sith was in the area and hoping to collect the bounty that Field Marshal Strider Garon had placed on all of them. Foolhardy perhaps but Laith was a skilled combatant that felt he could handle the various challenges that he would need to contend with. After all this wasn't his first rodeo.

When he departed the Light Freighter via the landing ramp he'd ensure the filtration system on his helmet was working correctly. Raxus Prime was a toxic world filled with vast fields of debris, immense factories, streams of super heated water and toxic lakes to name only a few things. Laith had come with his Mandalorian Armor, the symbol of Clan Varad etched over the breast of his armor, and toted a Blaster Rifle in his right hand that he leaned back against his shoulder while a Vibro Blade was worn sheathed across his back. The Armor came with a wrist launcher and he had several grenades on his person, attached to a belt, as well as a fibrocord whip attachment and these were only the most obvious items. Of course there was also a secondary sidearm, a Blaster Pistol, in a holster over his hip. It appeared Laith had ensured he would come to this world well armed. No chances were taken.

As he stepped out onto the field of debris outside of his starship Laith would have made a grunting sound beneath the cover of his helmet before moving in the direction of an immense factory he saw in the distance. The Factory was still automated, likely self sufficient, but its purpose was just as likely irrelevant in the wasteland of junk metal that was Raxus Prime. He'd have maintained a comm frequency with the Astrometric Droid on the ship so that he was could be updated as to scan results and as he marched away from the ship he'd have activated the three hundred and sexty degree hud built into his helmet. Never leave home without it. Well, lets see what we can find...​

​

@Nemene Talith​

 

[Lira Dajenn]

Nemene had a look of disgust on her face as she stood on the wreckage of a former Star Destroyer in the middle of a lake of what seemed to be acidic toxic sludge. The green ooze bubbled and boiled, hissing every time a piece of the wreckage fell into it. A chill crawled up her spine as a chunk of the Star Destroyers overhanging wing flip fell into the acid, large waves spilling across the dangerous lake. The piece of wreckage slowly slipped into the sludge, disappearing with a cloud of steam.

The Queen of Rattatak reminded herself not to fall into that, it would be incredibly dangerous even with her armor. Slowly Nemene wandered down the spine of the Star Destroyer, making her way towards the bridge tower. There she would find what she was searching for. Old Star Destroyers carried a wealth of information, and this one the Dauntless supposedly held plans for the old Empires genetic experiments, something that Nemene very eagerly wanted to get her hands on.

As she walked she adjusted the blaster on the small of her back, shifting it slightly and slipping her sash beneath it as to no inhibit its draw.

Nemene stretched slightly as she reached the halfway point of the Star Destroyer, squatting down and rubbing the outside of her thighs touching the hilt of her Saber-staff as she did so. She would have to scale the tower, and it wouldn't due for her to get a cramp while climbing. Absent minded she scanned the area around herself, pondering the junk world and wondering when the last time was that anyone like she was here.

Frowning Nemene rose again and continued her path to the Star Destroyers Bridge.
[member="Ermac Laith"]

 

[Laith Varad*]

...crossing the wasteland of junk provided all of the usual difficulties, the terrain wasn't flat which meant that travel was slower than usual, but as Laith moved across the land he'd see the enormous factory he'd been moving towards come closer and closer into his view looming overhead as though it were some monolithic herald of doom. Undaunted the Mercenary would have pressed on until he received a transmission from the Astrometric Droid scanning the area back in the Light Freighter. Apparently it had picked up life in the nearby region, or a lifeform anyways, and coordinates were sent to the hud in Laith's helmet so that he could adjust his course. Without a second thought he did so and he began veering away from the factory in the distance towards a new destination that was obscured only due to the scrap metal that littered the landscape and had become the ground all around him and underneath his feet...

...after he'd been traveling for a time Laith would have come over a small hill of scrap that peered down across a new landscape and revealed to him that same lake of toxic sludge that the Star Destroyer was protruding out of. It must have crashed here a thousand years ago. The Star Destroyer wouldn't have been particularly easy to get to, it was in the middle of this toxic lake, but according to the information the droid was providing from aboard his own ship this was where the life signs had been dectected. Interesting. Indiginous maybe or something else; Laith couldn't fathom that something might have been native to this world though. Other forms of wreckage dotted the lake and he could use these to help him cross...

...before he descended from his vantage point Laith would take the Blaster Rifle, plant it into the nook of his shoulder, and aim towards the Star Destroyer relying on the enhanced optics to see if he could pick up anything from this distance. While the zoom was considerable it was nothing amazing though which meant it'd be hard to spot anyone on such a large wreckage. No matter.

Laith descended to the shore of the toxic lake, circling around it so that he could find the point closest to the fallen Star Destroyer, and then he would use the wreckage to cross. The Lake must have been littered with a hundred different things smaller than the Star Destroyer rusted and corroded but still viable to an extent. Like little islands or makeshift rafts Laith would have used the various pieces of wreckage and debris to cross the accidic sludge, keeping mindful he didn't want to fall in, until he reached the frontal section of the Star Destroyer extending out of the lake itself. He'd use his fibrocord like a grappling line to help him onto the impressive wreckage and take a knee, looking up body of the capital ship as he did so while continuing to read the transmissions of the droid...

...getting closer now...​

​

[member="Nemene Talith"]​

 

[Lira Dajenn]

Nemene didn't notice the Mercenary growing closer to her, the force wasn't all encompassing and she had never been one to Sense things that weren't life threatening, and as of right now the man had not attempted to kill her...yet.

Instead the Queen of Rattatak kept moving up the spine of the ship. At the sections of the Star Destroyer where the hull began to rise in tiers she climbed upwards. She moved lithely and with an almost ballerina like agility, hopping from surface to surface. Over and over again her muscles flexed, then relaxed, until finally she managed to jump onto the last tier of the Star Destroyer.

With a single leap and an outstretched hand Nemene caught herself on the ledge. She hung there for a second, and then with a pulse of upper body strength pulled herself up onto the final edge of the ship.

She sat herself down, resting for a moment and letting out a deep breath.

Then she spotted a figure. It was but a spec at the edge of the Star Destroyers triangle tip, but with eyes enhanced by the force she could make out a person. Her eyes narrowed, attempting to further focus on the person. She frowned, this person wasn't here by chance.

They were here for her.

Some might have called that Hubris, but for Nemene it was simple logic. Raxus Prime wasn't a very big vacation spot, and toxic lakes with old wrecked Star Destroyers even less so. No, that person was here for her, and she very much doubted it was for good reason.

From her back Nemene pulled the Ripper, setting it besides herself and flexing her neck. She would wait for them to catch up, then kill them.
[member="Ermac Laith"]

 

[Laith Varad*]

...traversing the hull of a Star Destroyer was no small task, after all even the smallest Star Destroyer measured several kilometers in length, and having crashed here on Raxus Prime uncountable years ago the hull was, likely, not thoroughly intact meaning there were many breeches to the structural integrity among other things. Nothing said that the climb was going to be easy though and Laith began his trek up the Star Destroyer with a vigor that would likely have surprised anyone that had seen it. There was no denying that the Mercenary was strong but just how strong would have been a mystery to anyone who hadn't actually been hit by him even though simple observation would have revealed the basics...

...anyways climbing the Star Destroyer was a process, the Astrometric Droid continued its feed of information from scanning which revealed Laith was on the right course, that would likely have given Nemene plenty of time to rest. On that note Laith wasn't charging up the hull of the capital ship either, he knew how to conserve his strength, and hed take a knee when it was necessary before surveying the landscape around him as well as looking ahead. Eventually he'd be able to see her there, a figure waiting for him up above, thanks to the enhanced optics of his helmet. He wasn't a force user but he had his own tricks, his own traits, that enabled him to have an advantage or two which might not have been expected...

...it wouldn't have been long before Laith himself was ascending the tiers of the Star Destroyer towards her, climbing and pulling himself up over various ledges and around wreckage that was hanging down and threatening to rip free of the main vessel itself, but eventually he would make it to his destination. Aware by the time he got there that she was waiting for him. He'd kept a watchful eye on the figure since the moment he'd noticed it, always watch and checking...

...well no point beating around the bush seeing as how Laith imagined she must have known why he was here. He wouldn't climb that last tier up towards Nemene, there were plenty of spots to take cover between the two of them, instead he activated the comms of his helmet to make himself louder as he called up..."By order of Field Marshal Strider Garon I've come to take you into custody."...but he didn't imagine she'd care..."Lets do this."...then he'd raise his Blaster Rifle in his right hand even while he was reaching down towards his belt with his left...​

​

[member="Nemene Talith"]​

 

[Lira Dajenn]

Before the man could completely raise his blaster Rifle Nemene had already swept the Ripper into her hand. The Blaster was by no means accurate, and it wasn't the most powerful thing in this world, but the roll of a submachine gun was primarily for suppressing fire, and thats what the role here would be. She lifted the blaster, and then pulled the trigger.

With an incredible steadiness aided by a firm grip of the force the blaster began to spew bolts towards the Mandalorian at an incredible rate.

The powerback it held contained 150 shots, and Nemene carried three. In total that made for quite a bit of firepower, Though Nemene only held the Trigger long enough to allow her to spring backwards into the air and land on her feet. In the same instance her Saber-staff sprang into her right hand, one end igniting in a brilliant orange glow with a snap and a hiss.

She had the high ground, and therefore the advantage.
[member="Ermac Laith"]

 

[Laith Varad*]

...the Blaster Rifle had begun to raise when Nemene took the Ripper and raised it before the blaster started to spew its suppressive fire. In response Laith would waste no time in beginning to strafe to his right, Nemene's left, away from the fire seeing as how a moving target was always more difficult to hit when compared to a stationary fire. He returned fire with the Blaster Rifle, not terribly accurate when used one handed, to distract her as she was leaping backwards into the air and away...

...this was all a distraction from his real attack. Laith had begun to sweep his left hand down to his belt before Nemene had fired her Ripper at him and as he strafed he would detach one of the grenades on his person and lob it overhead at her while she leapt backwards. The Grenade itself resembled a short stick however this was inconsequential. When the grenade came down onto the upper tier, the high ground, it would immediately bathe the blast radius with supercooled chemicals that were adapted from carbon freezing technology. The chemicals created ice that caused pain, damaged living tissue and otherwise froze things in place however it also had nasty effects on equipment as well which could well be imagined. This was a CryoBan Grenade, one of two specialty types that Laith liked to use. Laith found some wreckage, twisted metal, off the hull of the Star Destroyer to take cover behind after he'd thrown the grenade...

...adrenaline flowed quickly after the start of battle. It was so quick that Laith didn't notice the sensation of pain he felt until after he took cover. Several of the Rippers shots had hit his armor, deflecting off of it or being absorbed by it, kowever not all of them. Every piece of armor had its weak spots, areas that were softer to help the wearer move, and Laith had been struck just above his left breast. Blood was leaking out, the wound wasn't bad yet, and he'd grimace beneath his helm indicating the pain was real, noticeable...​

​

[member="Nemene Talith"]​

 

[Lira Dajenn]

Grenades were usually bad news. Nemene was no expert in weaponry, but she knew this little fact from past experiences in battle. She had no way of identifying the grenade either, she had only really ever seen Thermal Detonators before, and this was no thermal detonator.

Still, she decided that it was best to get out of the way, there was no telling what this thing would do.

Before the Grenade exploded overhead Nemene dashed to the side. Her lightsaber and her body itself dashed to the side. She moved quickly, almost a blur. Nemene was not strong in the force, she could not use telekinesis or telepathy or any of the fancier force powers, but she could enhance herself quite well, and moving fast was her staple.

As she dashed Nemene blocked a few flying shots with her lightsaber, batting them back down towards the Mandalorian as inaccurately as they had come towards her.

She wasn't fast enough however and as the grenade exploded its gooey ice substance sprang out towards her. It struck her in the side, hitting rough leather and instantly freezing.

It leaked in between parted leather and touched her skin, burning biting and freezing in place. Her eyes bulged slightly as the cryoban grenade took effect, freezing her side and inhibiting the rotation of her arm ever so slightly. She let out a curse as she came to a sliding halt at the edge of the Star Destroyers top tier, looking behind her to see small spikes of frozen metal jutting out where she had been standing.

She tried to move her arm, and found she couldn't raise the appendage above her shoulder.
[member="Ermac Laith"]

 

[Laith Varad*]

...no horrified scream, no cries of panic, Laith could only assume that the CryoBan Grenade hadn't been completely effective while he remained behind cover however he wasn't sure which is why he had a contingency plan. He managed to put the pain from where he'd been hit above the left breast out of his head. It was a wound that would bleed and turn numb eventually but not yet, well not the numbness anyways. Using the Wrist Launcher located on his right arm however Laith would thrust his arm upwards and activate the rocket which shot into the air above his head; then he'd duck back down and wait...

...there was nothing horrifyingly terribly about this rocket and its payload, in fact some people might even contest Laith had wasted it, however as the mini rocket took to the air it would reach a height above the top tier of the Star Destroyer before exploding. Nothing enormous, nothing destructive, but very loud and bright. It was a Flash rocket which would erupt in a blinding array of intense light with the purpose of blinding, even disorientating, anyone who had been looking at it. Laith wasn't so sure it would do anything at all but he intended for it to cause a distraction that he could use...

...once he heard the rocket explode he would charge from behind the cover he'd been keeping and rush the upper tier of the Star Destroyer. Whipping his left arm out he'd have utilized the fibrocord as a grappling hook again that would literally attach itself to the wreckage of the Star Destroyer hull and help him to pull himself up once it had done so. He wouldn't waste any time. It was up and away. Once he was out of cover it appeared very much like the Mercenary was focused on his task, giving up his back even, but the three hundred and sixty degree hud in his helmet ensured he'd still see anything going no around him. He'd climbed the fribrocord quickly, pulled himself up onto the high ground as it were, and taken a knee with his Blaster Rifle cradled in the care of his right arm, the blood from his wound clearly visible on his armor...​

​

[member="Nemene Talith"]​

 

[Lira Dajenn]

Nemene looked at the rocket for only a brief second before she realized something was wrong, it wasn't headed for her, but above her. Only a brief second before it burst Nemene averted her eyes from the device. A loud pop was heard and a blinding flash erupted, Nemene's ears immediately began to ring.

Through the haze of her eyes the Sith searched for the Mandalorian, she knew he would use this opportunity to move, but the question was where to.

There!

She spotted him climbing up the tier towards her. Immediately she moved, dashing forward towards the man in an instant. She became a blur and bounded off the top of the Star Destroyer, jumping towards the man and brandishing her lightsaber. She slashed for the fibercord, aiming to sever it and send a kick directly into the mans helmeted face.

She hoped she aimed right, her vision was still hazy from the rocket.
[member="Ermac Laith"]

 

[Laith Varad*]

...there was little he could do while he was climbing up the fibrocord except brace for the impact but thankfully due to the arc of the hud in his helmet Laith would have at least seen Nemene coming; he turned his head after her lightsaber cut the cord ensuring that when her kick came around it would crash into the side of his helmet instead of into its face. Nonetheless, regardless of where he was kicked, the Mercenary was sent crashing towards the ground after he had attempted to ascend to the next tier of the Star Destroyer and when he came down it was like a ton of bricks ensuring that all he could attempt to do was marginalize his impact. As he came down onto his back Laith was thankful for his armor but he was thankful for plenty of other things as well like the increased bone density that made him more durable and the biotech that had grafted synthetic muscles throughout his body. It made his crashing down that much more bareable...

...there was a loud -thud-, it sounded like a block of concrete had hit the steel of the Star Destroyer, but Laith was almost certain one of his bones had broken. He saw stars, he might have been bleeding a little on the inside and he ear was ringing from where Nemene had kicked him in the side of the helm but he wasn't finished. In fact he would begin to roll to the side, he'd come around onto his stomach and as he did so he'd whip his left arm out again...

...when the fibrocord was severed Nemene had cut it in half but there was still length enough for other things besides using it as a grappling hook to high places. Whipping his arm out again Laith would have used the remainder of the fibrocord in an attempt to ensnare Nemene around her thighs, just above the knees, then he'd pull back with the intent of throwing her off her feet and onto her back while he pushed back to his own feet. He was incredibly strong. Due to the synthetic muscle grafted to him Laith was easily as strong as two men though he might not have looked it at first glance.

He wasn't moving quite as fast as he had been before he'd taken his fall that much was for sure but as he came to his feet he wouldn't waste any time. The Blaster Rifle was somewhere on the hull of the Star Destroyer, out of reach for the moment, so he unholstered the Blaster Pistol he'd been wearing over his hip with his right hand and take aim before firing at Nemene. It wasn't pretty, or well aimed, but he wanted to keep her busy and give himself a few more seconds to recover...​

​

[member="Nemene Talith"]​

 

[Lira Dajenn]

Sometimes subtlety was overrated.

Nemene landed on the lower tier of the Star Destroyer with a heavy thud. Her feet struck the hull, an almost instantly she felt a cord wrap around her thigh. Her eyes bulged open, and traced the path of the cord back towards where it came from, the man of course. She cursed, but it was too late. A sudden jerk on the cord sent Nemene flying to her back.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw the man raise a blaster pistol, and out of pure instinct Nemene flailed her arm wildly, batting away the bolt with her lightsaber but causing her to lose her already tenuous grip on the Ripper.

The small blaster rifle went flying, sailing into the air and sliding across the hull of the Star Destroyer before coming to a stop at its edge, above the boiling acid.

When she struck the ground Nemene flailed again, the back of her head smashing against the metal hull. She was dazed for a second, but then jerked her arm, slicing her lightsaber through the fiber cord and springing to her feet, finding thatthe man was rushing towards his rifle. Her eyes bulged again, searching for the weapon. The other end of her saber-staff ignited in a glorious haze of orange.

She felt blood trickle down her neck, the hit on her head had done some damage.

Nemene frowned, then cocked her arm back. With the aid of the force she threw the saber-staff. The whirling blades flew towards the Mandalorians rifle, hopefully slicing it in to and rendering it useless before he could reach it.
[member="Ermac Laith"]

 

[Laith Varad*]

...he'd been reaching for the Blaster Rifle, outstretching his left hand to take the Blaster Rifle and lift it off the hull of the Star Destroyer, when the saber-staff came in and destroyed it in a fabulous display of sparks and made the Mercenary reel backwards. Instantly he knew the Blaster Rifle was destroyed beyond repair, probably cut in two, but rather than lament his loss of the weapon he'd already begun to turn back towards Nemene. Laith still had the Blaster Pistol in his right hand and he'd aim it towards the Sith Woman again before beginning to fire at her again however this was largely a distraction from his true attack...

...the Mercenary had reached down, taken another grenade off his belt with his left hand and raising his arm he'd hurl it at her while popping of shots with the Blaster Pistol. He had to keep her on the defensive and throwing a grenade required less accuracy then aiming a blaster while he remained dazed from his fall. As his arm snapped outwards and the grenade left his grasp it would become clear that Laith's target was not specifically Nemene but rather the area in between the both of them. Unlike the first grenade he'd thrown this one did not resemble a short stick it was more circular, maybe even hexagonal, and one end of the shell seemed to glow with a faint emerald hue...

...it was a Sonic Detanator, the second type of grenade Laith enjoyed using, and as it clattered onto the hull of the Star Destroyer it would -pop- before unleashing a sudden burst of high frequency sound in the blast radius. Usually this sound could burst the eardrums causing deafness, temporary but in some cases permanent, however in species with extremely sensitive hearing it was known to cause their heads to literally explode in a shower of gore. It was the type of sound that could incapacitate and make concentration difficult. Laith hadn't been concerned with his own proximity due to the fact his helmet came equipped with a sound filtration system, fairly common in many Mandalorian style helmets, however it didn't appear Nemene had her own helmet which meant he'd take advantage of the situation.

Blaster Rifle destroyed. Fibrocord now essentially useless. Wounds sustained. Laith wasn't in the best condition. After he'd thrown the grenade he would sink back down onto a knee, coughing inside his helmet, before a bit of blood started leaking out of his mouth. That fall had definitely done something to him but it was no surprise seeing as how the height he'd fallen from hadn't been that short. On one side the hud in his helm started to flicker too; damaged from the kick he'd received earlier and now just showing it a bit more as the electronics began to glitch.​

​

[member="Nemene Talith"]​

 

[Lira Dajenn]

Nemene attempted to stop the grenade with a push of the force, but found herself quite lacking in strength to do so. The grenade faltered for a moment, then dropped to the ground, rolling for a moment before opening and beginning its shrill call. Instantly Nemene fell to her knee's, clutching her ears and trying to protect herself from any damage.

The Lightsaber that she had thrown circled back around the Mandalorian, flying like a boomerang and returning to Nemene. On its path the Lightsaber bisected the grenade, causing a small explosion as the sonic systems within were quickly melted and torn apart. As soon as the grenade ceased Nemene looked up, his popping open just in time to open her pal and grip her lightsaber.

It slapped into her palm, and immediately deactivated.

She stood, disoriented and head swimming. Blood dripped from her ears but with each passing moment she seemed to gain more confidence, a work of the force. She began to walk towards the kneeling Mandalorian, a confident stride that was perhaps false.

“My Father started a war with your kind, did you know that? The First Emperor to openly declare War on the Mandalorians. Do you know why he did this? Why he chose to fight you?” It was a rhetorical question. “It was not by choice. Many will tell you it was but its not the truth. No, in truth my father tried to treat with you first, not once, not twice, but thrice. Three times he attempted to forge an alliance between the Mandalorians and the Empire, and three times he failed.”

She paused for a moment, then continued. “And do you know why he tried? Because out of all the species, out of all the races, out of all the cultures in the galaxy. He respected yours the most. He held the Mandalorians in esteem above all others. Warriors he called you, men of battle and honor. He held you above even the other Sith. That was who my father was, a man of battle, of war. It was the only place he truly felt at home. He wanted to return your people to their glory, to bring back your Empire. To raise the Mandalorian people up and make them conquerors, not the scavengers that you have become.”

She nearly spat the words.

“I make you the same offer Mandalorian. Serve me, and I will bring you back your honor. I will take you back to the grand days of the Mandalorian wars. Where you fought, where you conquered. Not leave you as you are now. Politicians and children prancing about with the Republic.” She said the words with a sneer. She was well aware that the Mandalorians had been posturing to fight the Republic for some time, but thats all it had been, posturing and bluffs, nothing more. She would see that
changed.

She now stood only a few meters away from him, lightsaber at the ready.
[member="Ermac Laith"]

 

[Laith Varad*]

Laith had been watching as Nemene's saberstaff came back in, bisecting the sonic detonator, before the Sith Woman had caught it in her hand and it deactivated. While she stood he would remain down on his knee, he was kneeling still feeling ill after some of his wounds had caught up with him, yet despite this he could have fought on. At least awhile longer. Looking at Nemene as she approached he didn't stand, she would come within meters of him while speaking, but he did listen to her out of necessity at the moment seeing as how it gave him more time to regain his constitution however he was always wearing of her weapon....

...he wasn't defenseless himself, his Blaster Rifle was destroyed and his Fibrocord was gone, he was still holding onto that Blaster Pistol though and he still had his Vibroblade sheathed across his back, its hilt still clearly extending up over his shoulder where it would wait for him to take it. While Nemene talked he would remain down, the damage to the hud in his helm meant that it was still glitchy on one side, however as she started to finish he would begin to rise up onto his feet...

...he'd maintain that distance between them and instinctively start to circle away from her saberstaff, deactivated or not, ensuring that he could always put himself on the opposite side of it just for safeties sake. "You're talking to the wrong man if you expect me to bend the knee to you lady."...his voice was mixed with mechanized sounds due to the helmet..."You might have mistaken me for someone loyal to the cause."...which was really the meat of it, Laith wore the armor and he was a member of the Varad Clan but the Varad Clan were a bunch of mercenaries tried and true even beyond what Mandalorians might have been concerned, but incase she didn't fully understand he'd spell it out for her..."They pay well. Strider pays very well."...he wasn't part of the Mandalorian Empire as it were, even their Field Marshal had to pay him, he was as Mercenary as a man could get....

...now that they were standing, talking, he could actually get a good look at Nemene too. Not to bad looking but maybe that was just the womanizer in him talking. He had to wonder just how strong she was feeling though; they'd went back and forth fairly evenly as far as he could tell but looks could be deceiving. "You talk a good game."...he'd admit..."Fight a pretty good one too. All you force users have your little tricks though."...this wasn't his first rodeo after all..."What do you want to do?"...his hand was tight around the Blaster Pistol, he was ready, and even though he didn't think Nemene would let him apprehand her he wasn't so sure she wanted to fight anymore either. Maybe there was a compromise in there somewhere...​

​

[member="Nemene Talith"]​

 

[Lira Dajenn]

Nemene stood regal as a Queen. Her armor was scuffed and broken in places, scratched and the silk beneath torn. But she still stood with an air of command about her, the hair on her head flapping to the side slightly as the wind struck her. Nemene did not appear tired, she did not seem like she was dizzy or about to pass out. She seemed as though she could run a marathon. It was partly a bluff of course, she was injured and her head was still bleeding.

The force attempted to knit her back together, but it was slow going. Any time she bought now would only work in her favor, though she hoped that the man before her wouldn't know that. His words however brought a feeling of relief into her heart, a solid branch of mirth flowed through her. She could deal with mercenaries.

She smiled at his words, money? Was that all. Oh this was perhaps too perfect. Her smirk spread across her face until she spoke, her voice soft, but still commanding. “Money? Is that all? You're doing this for money? Not clan, not people, not Mandalore?”

Again all the questions were rhetorical, she had already affirmed this cause.

“Do you know who I am? Did they tell you who you were hunting?” She flexed the fingers on er lightsaber slightly, as if becoming more relaxed. “I am the daughter of the First Sith Emperor, the Queen of Rattatak, and the host of the greatest fighting tournaments The galaxy has seen in an age. If it was money you wanted, you were employed by the wrong person.”

Her smile broadened. Money was something she had. She had enough to last her a thousand life times. “Whatever it is they're paying you for my capture. I will double it.”

Nemene was at heart entirely sure that she could kill this man if it came down to it. She still had her razor wire and her lightsaber was still in hand, most of her wounds were to her head, and as long as she finished this quickly those did not matter. But why should she end his life? Why would she kill a man who she could buy and turn against one of her most hated foes?

“And furthermore I will give it to you again and double any sum offered to you in the future if you stay within my service, among your...people.” Slightly cryptic, but still obvious. She was offering him a wild amount of money to turn on the Mandalorians for her. To report on their movements, and do anything else she might require of him.

Confidence brimmed in her, but she remained weary, he could have been lying of course.
[member="Ermac Laith"]

 

[Laith Varad*]

...unlike Nemene he didn't have the force to knit him back together but the main damage he'd received had been when the stray round from her Ripper had penetrated his armor early on and then when he fell down at height after she'd cut his fibrocord the initial time. Not the worst damage he could have sustained and he actually had been far worse for wear in the past but the taste of copper in his mouth wasn't endearing him to the situation. He listened to her and noticed how she seemed to relax, he might have went so far as to say she seemed pleased however then she introduced herself in a manner of speaking...

...it's funny when recognition spreads but when Nemene mentioned that she was the Queen of Rattatak it was a curious thing because Laith actually knew a thing or two about the Queens of Rattatak. After all he knew Evelynn. He might just have known a little bit more about Nemene then she would have realized just then but the Mercenary was wise enough to keep his hand close to his chest as it were. He didn't say a word....

..."What's your name?"...was his initial question even after she'd told him she would pay him double, maybe he was just playing dumb, but regardless of her reaction that would have been the first thing out of his mouth. With the introduction she'd just given herself it might be stunning to hear someone ask her name even if Laith likely had some idea of whom she was. After all he had been provided with files on the various Sith he could encounter. There must have been something in there about Nemene, Queen of Rattatak...

...regardless Laith considered her offer before stating..."Alright. I'll walk away this time for double."...he was being paid a hundred thousand credits to capture any Sith, the price never changed, which meant by walking away he stood to make two hundred thousand credits. Not bad for a days work and a scar that told the tale. Of course he remained silent as to her other proposal but he'd have added..."You have some way to contact you?"...either he'd accept her proposal that he become a double agent for her or he'd use whatever means she'd provide him to track her down alter. Laith was arrogant, hubris might have been something that the two of them shared, and he never doubted his ability to kill her either but if she was paying him to stay alive, as he saw it, then why not...

...everything else aside Laith had his own plan if this went south he'd always been patched into the Astrometric Droid back on his ship, it'd been how he'd found her to begin with as it scanned the area. It would be enroute to this location shortly. He continued to circle around her, moving in a wide arc, and keeping his eyes on her.​

​

[member="Nemene Talith"]​

 

[Lira Dajenn]

Nemene never moved, she simply thumbed the ignition switch on his lightsaber. She was confident, apparently they were both creatures of Hubris, but she was not stupid. She watched him carefully for any signs of attack.

“Nemene Athaem Talith.” She said the name with no hint of annoyance. She may have been Queen of Rattatak, but she was not yet famous galactic wise, though that did still irk her in many ways. She smiled slightly as her eyes followed him, bright orange globes in his head. She was not dumb enough to give him a comm-frequency or anything silly like that. “There are two very prominent women on Contruum. Twins. Lady Aramile and Lady Serith. If you wish to take me up on my offer, find them and they will direct you to me.”

Both of the women were of course the unique super-soldiers that Nemene herself had created. Genetic freaks that functioned as spies, soldiers, and sacrifices for her and Evelynn. After her little trip to Contruum Nemene had left the women in place theirto keep an eye on Mandalorian movements, the start of her and her sisters little campaign against the warrior peoples.

“I'm sure locating them will not be a problem for you. You found me after all.” She said the words with a slight shrug, her shoulders movement causing a slight hint of something to shoot up her side. The effects of the cryoban grenade still clung to her, but she didn't let it show.
[member="Ermac Laith"]

 

[Laith Varad*]

...now that he knew her name personally, meaning she'd introduced herself, Nemene would forever be remembered by the Mercenary who moved across from her. Eventually Laith would have come to a halt, he felt secure in the new position he'd take on the hull of the Star Destroyer, and he'd listen as Nemene told him how she could be contacted. It didn't surprise him that he'd need to go through a third party to get ahold of her, very smart, but he'd only nod his head once before replying..."No problem at all."...he had found her which meant, as far as he was concerned, finding these other two women wouldn't have been much of a task at all...

...arguably their business had concluded for a time. Neither one of them was dead. No one was the captive of the other. It all seemed to have come to a conclusion for a time. Wait, there was one more thing. "My credits?"...he'd question Nemene, after all that was part of their agreement and a Mercenary never forgets when his pay is on the line; there wasn't much point in all this if he wasn't getting paid. He reached for his belt...

...but his left hand would just set itself there. Unmoving afterwards he'd provide Nemene with the information she needed to transfer the agreed upon amount to him..."Two hundred thousand."...it was a large number where most people were cocnerned though she was exactly most people either. After that it was just a matter of a pleasant..."Until the next time Nemene Talith."...​

​

[member="Nemene Talith"]​

 

[Lira Dajenn]

Nemene simply seemed to smile, calm and relaxed as a Queen on her throne. She had gotten what she wanted out of this. She had learned of the mercenary, one that could be loyal to her in the future. That was all that mattered. Even if he came after her again, things would end far more differently, and if she never saw him again...well it was a day well spent to learn that there was a Mandalorian...perhaps an entire clan that was not.
This was excellent news.

And she had received it all for the paltry sum of two hundred thousand credits, she had bought dresses that were less expensive, heck this armor cost nearly ten times that. She did not mind paying this man, its not like she would miss the money after all.

“Farewell Mandalorian.” She said as she reached with her off hand into a small pocket on her armor, pulling out a datapad and entering a few things. “Remember. There is always more money to come.”

Her words were soft and seductive, a snake in the garden.
[member="Ermac Laith"]