Nak Shimor Shenanigans

[Ronan Dyre]

Nak Shimor

...the world Nak Shimor was located on the Perlemian Trade Route, a member of the Colonies, it a was a trade world for the Republic which had seen hard times due to the ongoing war with the One Sith ensuring that the economy was strained and that Republic forces were having difficulties maintaining a constant vigil. While Nak Shimor was not in immediate danger of military action that did not necessarily mean that everything on the planet was safe or secure from insurgents or those wishing to take advantage of the Republic's turmoil as well as the current state of the Jedi...

...shortly after the Republic's loss at the Battle of Manaan, which also saw the Republic seeking to move its capital to a world further from harms way, a transmission would be sent from Nak Shimor to Republic Intelligence and the Jedi. The transmission was of a plainly dressed man who identified himself as Oss Luka, a wealthy Vultan Merchant with political ties to the Republic, and relayed the following...

[Jedi, I am Oss Luka. Recently my people have intercepted a courier of the One Sith bound for the Colonies and detailing several operatives. It called for the assassination of several prominent republic figures. Please, I implore you, send assistance; I fear for my life knowing what I do and dare not transmit this data openly.]

...the man seemed distressed, as though his life was in peril, however it was hard to make any assumptions over a holographic recording. The transmission would end on the note that it had requested assistance from the Jedi but there was no guarantee they would send anyone to Nak Shimor during these troubled times. On the other hand because of these dark days they may not to want to abandon anyone and risk them developing sympathies for the One Sith which were a constant presence in the background. Would the Republic, the Jedi, send a representative to investigate?

---------------------------------

...the base of operations for the Merchant, Oss Luka, was fairly lavish. It came with its own landing pad which could accommodate small vessels. The residence itself was several stories, boasted many rooms all of which had rich furnishings. Hired help was on hand to meet any visitors and direct them through the residence towards a central chamber where Oss Luka was said to located. Guards were posted in small numbers...or they should have been...everything seemed very...sparse...​

​

[member="Hal Terrano"]

 

[Hal Terrano]

A representative was sent.

If they were fearful for lives then they would send a defender. Enter Hal Terrano. He was not a Jedi renowned for his duelling abilities, he wouldn't arrive at Nak Shimor with a nose ready to hunt out the Dark Side. Not at all. In the scene of battle Hal would be found at the side of those that needed defending, he preferred to accompany one Avalore Eden, a healer out on the field. Healers held one of the most important duties of all, preserving and saving lives, they couldn't both defend and save. So that's where he came in.

A shield more than a blade, he had no qualms with being dispatched away from Cato Neimoidia for this. Not that he'd usual have a qualm, he served the Republic, naturally.

The small vessel (piloted by droid) touched down upon the private landing pad and out disembarked the stoic sight of Hal Terrano, decked in the traditional brown Jedi robes as per always. Duty bound he cut to the chase, there was no need for idle chit-chat. Swatting away the pleasantries of the welcoming party he was given directions to the location of his new charge.

With his typical no nonsense urgency he stormed off, footfalls actually echoing with the sheer quiet that surrounded him. Strange.

He had a bad feeling about this.

[member="Ronan Dyre"]

 

[Ronan Dyre]

...despite his desire not to trade in pleasantries Hal might get the sense that the individuals sent to meet him were uneasy, on edge and that they were afraid of something. Not Hal though that much was certain. Once they had directed Hal towards the chamber where their employer could be located the remainder of the journey through the residence would be fairly lonesome without much in the way of companion. No one lined the halls. No one looked busy. No one seemed to be at home. Odd?...

...eventually, after moving through several corridors, Hal would have arrived at the indicated destination. Double doors that stretched taller than most men lead into the chamber, sealed shut but easily accessible, old fashioned and carved rather than made of durasteel and worked with hydraulics that would -hiss- as the doors pulled apart. Wealth had a quality all its own apparently. On the other side of the doors lay the chamber...

...the chamber was spacious and vibrant. Drapes hung across an exit that lead out onto a balcony. Furniture consisted of a low table, couches and a large desk at which, it could be assumed, business was performed. A tray of fruit, freshly picked, decorated the face of the low table where it sat in the center. Across the room, seated at the desk, was the man that Hal had come here looking for...

---------------------------------------

...Oss Luka, Voltan Merchant, sat with his back straight behind the large desk. He dare not slouch. Lifting his right arm he would gesture Hal closer saying...[Greetings, Master Jedi. You've come not a moment to late.]...his voice seemed hesitant, his breath a tad labored but unless Hal had the eyes of an eagle the only thing that might seem suspicious was just how straight the Vultan sat. Waving Hal closer he put on a smile, a nervous one...

...if Hal chose to draw near there was one thing he might notice. It was thin. Almost impossibly thin. A fibrowire had been tightened around the Vultan's throat and were he to slouch it would inevitably tighten and choke him. A trap...​

​

[member="Hal Terrano"]

 

[Hal Terrano]

The bad feeling in his gut mingled well with the silence in the halls. He had expected at least some manner of hustle and/or bustle. Merchants after all have quite a lot of affairs to worry about, and that requires people, people that were suspiciously absent. Not to mention the fact that his life was in danger, wealthy man would be able to hire protection, no?

When they came to the door, Hal frowned, not entirely knowing what he could expect to meet upon the other side.

Could it be a trap?

With a hiss the door revealed the lavish chamber. No explosions. No bowcaster tied to a string. That's a good start. The man sitting at the desk wasn't a dummy either, so you know, there was something to put the Jedi Knight's mind at ease. However it didn't. Since he stepped off of the shuttle he had a grim feeling weighing down his gut.

“Merchant Luka,” he said in standard Hal Terrano monotone, giving the Vultan a slight bow of the head in greeting. He took a single step forward, taking in the details of the room and trying to catch anything that might have been amiss but ultimately missing the throat of the matter.

His own posture was stiff at the best of times, and his lack of conversational prowess left him to miss the glaring detail of the man's strange posture. This also meant that there would be no light and frothy ice breakers. Only blunt observations.

“Your residence is very quiet.”

[member="Ronan Dyre"]

 

[Ronan Dyre]

...the Voltan couldn't have agreed more if he had a choice however he didn't...["Yes. Quiet."]...was his response, his eyes veered to a space behind Hal as though he were trying to alert him to something, then the fibrowire tightened around his throat cutting off his next few words which came out more a...["Behiiii...."]...like he was choking on something or in this case like something was choking him as his hand moved to his neck. The Voltan struggled a bit, trying to breath, however he had outlived his usefulness in this endeavor. As it were he had only been kept alive to lure a Jedi into the clutches of the man that was waiting and he had preformed his role exceptionally well. Of course it would take some time for him to choke to death but Hal could attempt to save him...

-----------------

...the Camouflage Armor that Ronan wore was like a chameleons skin, it bent the ambient light rending him almost invisible and allowing him to blend into the background all around him, it didn't hurt that Assassin also had a Taozin Amulet affixed to his chest meaning that detecting him would be cloudy, fuzzy, at best in most instances. There was more too, like the Terentatek Glove underlying the armor, Hal could learn all about that in time though. Right now he may have had more pressing concerns...

...normally Ronan used a Disruptor Rifle, illegal in the Republic and most other established factions, however today he was carrying an E-11 Sniper Rifle fitted with a zoom scope that had been sighted in on the Jedi's back. No doubt Hal might feel something was off however any suspicions would be confirmed when a voice said..."Your lightsaber. Drop it."...somewhere behind him though the camouflage would make it difficult to locate exactly where the voice had come from. It wouldn't do well for Ronan to make it easy for Hal to find him...

...Ronan had been here for days now just waiting to see if a representative would arrive. Most of the surviving staff in the household lived because he allowed it. They were to scared of him to risk their lives for the sake of their Voltan employer. Imagine how pleased, inwardly, Ronan had been when news had come that a Jedi representative was actually on his way here. All this had been worthwhile after all...​

​

[member="Hal Terrano"]

 

[Hal Terrano]

This detail he caught.

The merchant's glance behind him rather than at him. That was a slight alarm trigger, but the manner in which the Voltan began to choke mid-sentence was more a giant screaming klaxon. It was a trap, which upon quick reflection was rather obvious, but wasn't every oversight so obvious upon reflection?

His eyes widened upon this realisation and yet the Jedi remained perfectly still, the voice that spoke moments later justified this decision.

Hal knew of a few Jedi that in this moment would have whirled around and played the big Force damned hero game, but he was not that kind of Jedi, not that kind of man. With slow, obvious movements his hand went to the belt to which his oft-neglected lightsaber was clipped. Hand moving out to the side, he dropped the hilt.

It fell to the floor, the clatter very clearly punctuated in the tense quiet.

Frigid blue eyes remained fixated upon the choking merchant however, this was his primary concern, the preservation of self should have always come after the preservation of others, or at least that was how Terrano viewed it.

“Let me help him, please," he spoke, voice still perfectly calm.

[member="Ronan Dyre"]

 

[Ronan Dyre]

...the obvious movements of the Jedi punctuated by the sound of his lightsaber hilt hitting the floor pleased Ronan who continued to watch from the cover provided him by the Camouflage Armor he wore compounded with the Taozin Amulet imbedded in the flesh of his chest that would cloud the ability of Hal to sense him. In response the fibrowire around the throat of the Voltan would tense and then, like a hangmans noose, it started to raise higher and lift the Merchant out of his seat where it would tighten around his neck, further robbing him of his breath, while ensuring he remained helpless and up on his tip toes...

..."Please do, Jedi."...came the reply to Hal's plea, Ronan was more than happy to allow Hal the opportunity to attempt saving the man however the reality was he was probably close to dead already. Moving forward after his statement the silhouette that the camouflage armor created would begin to flicker as it attempted to maintain the blending pattern it exuded around the Assassin. The E-11 Sniper Rifle was still snug against Ronan's right shoulder as he moved out of cover allowing a portion of his camouflage to to become relatively inactive for the time being...

...he was somewhere behind Hal. If Hal turned he would be able to see Ronan moving away from one of the far walls were he'd allowed himself to blend in prior to the arrival of the Jedi he'd lured into this trap. Footsteps carried Ronan closer, he waited hoping that Hal would go to the man as his last breathes started to scratch out of his throat and his eyes began rolling into the back of his head, where he eyed the lightsaber that Hal had dropped and began to crouch down before his left hand slid off the underside of the rifle...

...reaching for the lightsaber hilt that Hal had dropped Ronan went to pick it up for himself while the Jedi was preoccupied with the life of the Voltan...​

​

[member="Hal Terrano"]