Of a Curious Meeting at the Crossroads [OPEN]

[Laura]

Kashyyyk, Silver Rest, 858 ABY.
The Reading Room.

Glittering off slowly drifting motes of dust, dappled sunlight pooled around her as she sat cross-legged in her chair, a thick tome closed and forgotten on her lap. Laura breathed in deep, willing herself to relax, forcing the tension from her shoulders, trying to just let herself sit amongst the quiet hum of the library, to enjoy the sun even if she could no longer appreciate its warmth.

It was no use, Laura was ill-at-ease. She fidgeted and glowered at the floor, unable to free her mind from the intrusive thoughts that plagued her. Finally, after a time, she jumped to her feet, sighing in frustration and returning the book to its shelf. She approached the tall windows, looking past the serene gardens, and the distant towering trees, past the setting sun and the delicate hues of the red-orange sky.

She saw herself as she had been yesterday, sitting uncomfortably in the infirmary after days of testing, gazing unflinching into the eyes of the Jedi healer as her gut twisted in worry. It had started a few months back; First she'd felt tingling in her hands and feet when she woke, then her limbs would be numb for hours, until a few days ago she had awoken from a fitful sleep to find she could feel no sensation.

Now, she stood by the windows, her fingers wrapped around a talisman hanging from her neck. The stone allowed her to feel again, though dully. It was supposed to be temporary while the doctors worked on an actual solution. In the back of her mind Laura knew that they wouldn't find anything, but she was thankful for the talisman, without it she was in darkness.

Laura knew what was happening to her and what would become of her, and she knew that once again, luck, or some other force, had turned against her.

After all, she was on borrowed time. By all accounts her run-in with the Lullaby Plague should have killed her, but she had been revived. Now, her body was slowly shutting down, and the universe would reclaim its prize.

Not for the first time, Laura wondered if it was fair that any of this was happening to her. It certainly didn't feel particularly fair. But, she reasoned, it was no less fair than it would be for anyone else, as if that were any comfort.

Morosely, Laura continued to play with the talisman. She didn't have anything to do, that was the worst part. She knew nobody, found no pleasure in food, she couldn't even relax anymore. Besides, she'd never belonged her, to have enjoyed a walk or shared in conversation with the actual Jedi here would have felt like an imposition. So she was left with standing where she was, watching the sun set outside and waiting for the light to fade from her eyes.

Fantastic.

 

[Kresslyn Cantor]

​

Objective: Find the asset

• Side Objective: Find out why asset was worth so much
• Side Objective: Sneak into the Silver Rest without detection

Atop the large, untrimmed tree native to the planet of Kashyyyk, Laaz sighted in on the Silver Rest. Home of the Silver Jedi Order. Here, he was in uncharted territory. Laaz normally never got involved in Jedi affairs, but bounties became less and less challenging as he turned in puck after puck. Once in a while, he'd pursue the odd job. The anonymous bounty. No puck. This one was incredibly strange because although there was no puck, all the information that would be on a puck was on the poster. Whoever made this bounty must've been a newcomer to the business. Laaz liked the idea of trying to get the bounty warm and without a fight by showing them their own puck, so he copied all of the information from the poster onto a puck of his own.

One thing Laaz had modified dad's rifle to do was synchronization with a tracking fob, having the scope emit a subtle red flash as he looked in certain areas where the fob would've began to flash faster and faster.

"Gotcha..."

He said to himself as he sighted in on a potential target from afar. Now it was time for phase two of his plan, getting into the Silver Rest.

"This should be easy." he thought. Although he didn't interfere in their affairs, he knew that the Silver Jedi were a lax organization that wasn't used to galactic conflict or anything of the sort. Almost instantly, Laaz stood up and jumped off the limb of the tree, using his jump back to ease himself back onto the surface. The walls of the main compound could easily be flown over with a jetpack, so that's what he did.

When he got into the main courtyard of the compound, he put on a large robe to cover his head and conceal his weaponry. Robes fit well in this scenario because a lot of Jedi wore them. As for the tracking fob, he turned it off and synced it to his HUD, eliminating any chance of it being found on him. Then, he simply walked towards where he sighted in on his target: The Reading Room/Library area.

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

The tracking fob synced to his HUD continued on, letting him know whether he was getting closer or farther.

[member="Laura"]

 

[Gryylarc]

The Elder's voice still rumbled in Gryylarc's ears.

A survivor of interesting plagues, the Padawan is. Useful she would be, if not wasted. Hunters and Jedi she will attract. Be wise.

***​

@Laura @Laaz Fett
APPROACHING SILVER REST

A skilled Jedi would sense he had deep reserves of anger, but he wasn't explicitly angry at the moment. Tired of walking in the woods, sure. Frustrated. With his Force presence suppressed by the Elder's arts, Gryylarc was just another old Wookiee back on his homeworld. He'd come unarmed, alchemized claws retracted, leaning on a raw brylark walking stick. By now the Jedi security systems would have detected him. He took a seat on a bench by a path and rested his knees.

Perhaps he should have felt fear; he didn't, and he wasn't sure why. Perhaps it was the deep thrill of being home after traveling to so many strange worlds this past year. Perhaps it was contempt for whatever the Jedi or bounty hunters could throw at him, if it came to that.

 

[Atiniir Starrider]

[member="Laaz Fett"] [member="Gryylarc"] [member="Laura"]

It had been quite some time since Atiniir had had a job like this. It had been quite some time since he'd had a job at all. In fact, it had been so much time since he'd done anything of significance that it almost wasn't even worth thinking about. Mandalorians were warriors, bred and built for combat. Stagnation was a sin of the highest order. It was time for him to recant.

The beskar'gam fit to his body like a second skin, as armor always should. He scanned the area ahead with a pair of electrobinoculars, observing the location ahead of him, Silver Rest, from the top of one of Kashyyk's ancient trees. Atiniir knew of the Order, and he'd encountered a few of its members during his travels and his time as a soldier of Death Watch. This would not be easy. The tracking fob-a piece of equipment he'd gotten a measure of familiarity with the last few years as he'd struggled to keep dust from collecting on his blaster pistol-beeped incessantly, guiding him further and further towards the massive structure. His mind ran through approach after approach, as he tried to think of a way to penetrate the home of the Silver Jedi.

He didn't know if he could get in silently, the Temple's security was too tight, but maybe if he moved quickly enough, he could get in, get the asset, and get out without having to make a mess. His heart began to race as he decided on the approach with the least amount of security, and began to race faster when he spotted the flare of a jetpack from the side of one of the walls. Another hunter then. He'd have to move even faster.

Activating his jetpack, Atiniir flared into the sky, rapidly gaining altitude. Then, hoping his profile would be small enough to avoid being caught on scanners, he cut his pack and free-fell into Silver Rest. Moments before he hit the top of the building, he activated his pack again to slow him just enough to avoid breaking his legs on impact. He was on their grid now, he had to move quickly. Following the tracking fob and the scanners in his HUD, he found a rooftop maintenance hatch and sliced the lock with his vibrosword. He pulled the hatch open, and the hunt was on.

 

[Akash Guul]

He usually didn’t get into jobs that were not in the Outer Rim. Too much competition meant lower than usual prices considering the complications they usually came with but this case was different. He’d been near former Mandalorian space headed to the Outer Rim when this job popped.

Now Ordo found himself sneaking through and into Silvers Rest. Complete madness. The heart of the Jedi who very recently had smashed the United Clans of Mandalore at Azure. One thing led to another and the clans were no more - Mandalorian worlds fell quickly under Sith rule.

When he heard and saw the flare of a jetpack being used, Jair stood completely still.

What an idiot, he thought, but that might work in my gain.

If the target was alerted and so were the Jedi, the other hunter was in a ride for his life. Maybe if he used the competition as distraction, Jair could find the better opportunity to attack the target.

All he had to do was wait and observe.

[member="Laura"] [member="Atiniir Starrider"] [member="Gryylarc"]

 

[Tulan Kor]

"Gunnery Sergean-"

Tulan shoved the plate of food into the Jedi's face as he came to tell him what he already knew. Tulan just wanted to eat before it all started.

Tulan walked and pieced on the pieces of his Katarn armor, rolling his shoulders as he locked the wristguards into place. He pulled the slide back on his Disruptor pistol, brushing past the armory. If he needed something bigger than the weaponry on the armor, or the Disruptor pistol- well. Well then he'd need backup. The armor came on quickly- after all, he already had the flightsuit on. The Rangers had been rotated back for security.

You know, because of the constant attacks.

Rangers began to pour out, and Tulan stood as the platoon came to arms. He turned his head, and narrowed his eyes. He slid the orange-highlighted helmet over his face. He stood out. He was in charge. He was the boss, the big cheese.

And the big cheese was about to mess up whoever decided to interrupt his lunch.

And then, walking through the hallway- some nerf herder, some Mandalorian nerf herder, dropped right in front of him. Tulan shooed the other Rangers away, as they came to the defense of Silver Rest.

Again.

For about the third time in a few weeks.

"Wrong house."

He stared at the Mandalorian, holding the Disruptor pistol to the ceiling. He didn't make any sudden movements. But his helmet shifted slightly to the right, just a tad bit. Tulan was smirking beneath his armor.

"You wanna be buried in that or you want it sent home?"

[member="Atiniir Starrider"]

 

[Atiniir Starrider]

[member="Tulan Kor"]

Kark.

So much for getting in and out quickly. Just his luck, to pick this place to drop into. Well, so be it. The man, while a good seven inches shorter than the beskar-clad Mandalorian, was tough-looking and armored; not a Jedi, a soldier. He gripped a disruptor pistol in one hand, aimed at the ceiling Atiniir had just dropped through.

Kark me.

A goddamn disruptor. Nasty pieces of Rancor dung that made any armor, beskar included, completely useless. How was Atiniir going to play this? He didn't want to get into a fight, it would slow him down and possibly get him killed. At the same time, he didn't know who this woman was to the Silver Jedi. She could be the karking Grand Master for all he knew. Still, a good warrior fought on their own terms, not the enemy's. Atiniir didn't enjoy diplomacy, but it looked like it might be the best option here. Moving slowly so as to not trigger a firefight, Atiniir sheathed his vibrosword and held his hands away from his other weapons.

"Easy there," he said from behind his T-visor, his HUD calculating as much about the man before him as possible to give him any edge he could get, "This isn't an invasion. I'm going to reach into a pouch now." He pulled out a holo-projector, on which was contained his credentials as a legitimate hunter of the Bounty Hunter's Guild, as well as a copy of the bounty posting.

"I'm a registered bounty hunter, pursuing a legal bounty posting," he said, turning the projector on, "Forgive my aggressive means of intrusion, speed is essential to successful interdiction. Surely you understand, soldier." Atiniir was surprised by his own language. Before the rise of Ra Viszla he'd have smacked a Mandalorian who talked like this. But it had been a long time, and time changes everyone, even Mandalorians.

Still, one must always have a back-up plan. As he displayed his credentials and the posting, Atiniir lined up the repulsor hidden on his left gauntlet, ready to strike at any moment.

 

[Tulan Kor]

A flick of the thumb, the safety was off.

"Kid, you think the Bounty Hunters Guild has authority in Silver Jedi space? Against a Jedi?"

Tulan, holding the Disruptor in his right hand, leveled the barrel with the kid's chest. His left hand came up, and his hand went flat and downward. He smirked and shook his head.

"Keep movin' that gauntlet and I'll move mine."

He said, the magnetic-tazer, wrist-mounted to his Katarn armor, aimed at the kid's nuts.

"And you won't like what I do."

[member="Atiniir Starrider"]

 

[Kresslyn Cantor]

"Heh. Someone must've just stormed in." He thought to himself, watching as multiple of what he assumed to be the Silver Rest's security force storm by him, armed with an array of weapons in their hands.

Focus, Laaz.

When he shifted his focus back to his objective, the tracking fob synced to his HUD began to flash a bit more rapidly. He was getting close to the asset once again. When he sighted in on the target, it was possible he might have to get rid of his helmet to fit in with more of a "Jedi" like disguise. Of course he knew that any Jedi could sense that he wasn't a force user himself, but whoever was actually paying attention might not. As he turned the corner that would lead him to a shortcut to the library area, he saw a very odd situation. A one-sided stand off. Heh. He must've found the fool that got caught.

"Not my problem." he muttered to himself as he continued on and skipped the shortcut. With the schematics uploaded to his HUD, he walked the much longer route towards the library. He didn't really have a plan, but he came prepared for a fight. The disruptor pistol, blaster rifle, flamethrower, wrist-rocket, the usual. Kidnapping a Jedi or a Jedi Hopeful wouldn't be easy. Maybe the fear factor would work. Maybe not. He was known to get himself out of sticky situations easily, though.

Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.

He muted the tracking fob and kept it to a subtle flash in his visor as he neared the asset, quietly pushing a door aside to reveal the empty reading room. When he looked at the large window revealing the beautiful sunset, the fob flashed rapidly before shutting off, indicating he was within feet of the target. Then, he took a few steps forward to the middle of the room, standing quietly behind the asset and waiting for her to notice. This short moment he took to think.

"How am I gonna get out?"

"Will that distraction in the hall last long enough? Probably not."

"Will she go with or without a fight?"

The questions continued to flood his mind, but he kept his eyes on the asset at all times, holding the disruptor pistol under the robe in his hand. Then, his focus was taken by the moral side of his mind. She was obviously quite young, possibly the youngest bounty he'd pursue... Was this right?

[member="Laura"]

 

[Laura]

A distant glint caught her attention, the brief flash of silver breaking her from her reverie, and a moment later, she heard a dull thud from above her. Frowning, she looked around, but the room was empty. Apparently it was nothing, as she heard no disturbance as she looked curiously up at the spot on ceiling from which the sound had seem to come. A few moments of silence followed, and she turned away.

Standing at the window, still looking out, a strange sense of foreboding began to take hold. Her gut churned with a seemingly sourceless anxiety. It was if she were being slowly wrapped in light cloth, imperceptible at first, and then suddenly smothering and tight as it took hold.

Suddenly a little light-headed, Laura turned away from the window, her heart jumping a little as she saw a figure enter the room ([member="Laaz Fett"]).

Laura forced herself to be calm. She was jumping at shadows. Forcing a tight smile at the masked fellow still on the other side of the room, she hurried past, moving in an ungainly half-run as her chest tightened with unexplainable fear. The door clicked behind her and she sighed deeply, casting a glance up and down the hallway, her dark eyes widening as she took in the confrontation in the hall.

Two people faced off: A man she didn't recognise, and one of the grizzled Rangers tasked with protecting the Jedi here. They were perhaps ten metres away, and facing each other, so that the Ranger had his back turned to her. Laura tensed as she saw the gun in his hand. Slowly, she turned back towards the door, but instinct told her not to go back the way she'd come. Instead, she elected to back slowly away, down the long stretch of corridor towards the entrance hall.

[member="Laaz Fett"] | [member="Tulan Kor"] | [member="Atiniir Starrider"] | [member="Jair Ordo"] | [member="Gryylarc"]​

 

[Kresslyn Cantor]

When he stood there, contemplating, he looked up to see perfect proof that this was wrong. Whoever would put this bounty out was sick. As he watched her daintily yet frightfully jog out of the room, he decided that he'd have to help the girl. Though she was a Jedi and he had a strong disdain towards any sort of force user, she was still young. Whoever placed this bounty or came to collect it definitely had malicious intent. At a seconds notice, he changed his mind.

"I've gotta get you out of here, Laura."

Because she walked towards the confrontation between the other bounty hunter and the Antarian Ranger, Laaz decided to dump the mysterious look. When he was finished pulling the hood off his head and taking his helmet off, placing his large and round hat on his head instead, he walked right out the door he came from and found himself right in front of her.

"Look," he said in a pleading and worried tone.

"I came here to collect a Bounty on you, yeah" he stuttered as he held up a puck and tracking fob that was now rapidly flashing

"But this is wrong. I've gotta get you out of here and fast. There's probably a dozen more bounty hunters coming here to collect this huge bounty on you, just like that one right there." he said, pointing at the Mandalorian that held his hands up at gunpoint.

"Whichever way we do it, I'm sure it's going to be a fight. You've got to trust me though."

This was the most talking he'd done in a while and it definitely showed. He wasn't nervous at all but it definitely sounded like it as he struggled to form sentences and convey his thoughts.

[member="Laura"]

 

[Gryylarc]

[member="Laura"] [member="Laaz Fett"]

As the innocuous old Wookiee sat there on the bench, two people came into the complex on jetpacks, independent of each other. Both were heading in essentially the same direction, a knot of tree-swaddled buildings that likely had significant security. No blasterfire yet, though he caught the hum-whine of a good vibroblade cutting metal.

Leaning on his brylark walking stick, he headed in the same general direction as, apparently, everyone else. His Force presence remained hidden by the Elder's arts, making him just another Wookiee on Kashyyyk.

 

[Atiniir Starrider]

[member="Tulan Kor"] [member="Laaz Fett"] [member="Laura"]

Well, so much for the diplomatic route. At least no one could say he didn't talk before he started shooting. Atiniir met the gaze of the soldier, faceplate to faceplate, and gave a barely perceptible nod. As the disruptor came down, before it came fully level, and before the gauntlet came fully aimed, Atiniir quickly moved into what one might call "aggressive negotiations". Without changing body position and without any physical indication, he ejected the forearm-length blade from the sheath on his left gauntlet. Then, like a rapier duelist, he lunged forward into a thrust, aiming for the gap between helmet and armor but hoping most of all to knock away the deadly disruptor before it came fully level.

Then, with the speed of a nexu, he pivoted on his left heel out of the line of fire. He ejected the blade on his right arm and cut across, again aiming for the gap between head and neck, then activated his jetpack. He shot upwards slightly, spun in midair with a full roundhouse kick, then rocketed backwards, gaining distance as he shot down the hall, aiming for the door where the still-beeping fob told him his bounty was located. He drew his blaster and fired two shots, then flew right...

Hold on, was that the girl from the bounty posting?

Atiniir shot past Laura as she started towards the entrance hall, and in his mild shock crashed right into the wall. He bounced off, shook his head clear, and was faced with a most interesting conundrum. Three signatures now flashed in his HUD. The soldier, the girl from the bounty posting and...karking hell, another hunter.

Atiniir immediately shot to his feet and leveled his blaster. He took a moment to gather himself, then spoke, making sure to keep a bead on all parties present.

"Su cuy'gar, ner vod," he said to the hunter, whose armor, if not helmet, he recognized as Mandalorian make, "It seems we were here for the same reason."

The T-visor locked onto the girl standing between the two hunters.

 

[placeholder012]

Silver Rest, Landing Pads
Moving towards the Reading Room

​

The shuttle doors slid open with a hiss.

Turning back to face the broad-shouldered man standing at the helm, Hana Celeste raised her arms and wordlessly clasped her hands to his. The man's face was hidden behind an impassive mask, the owl-like visage concealing all emotion. Still, Hana could tell he was anxious to be away from this place, and hesitant to let her go. His reluctance was understandable; Hana was young, barely past the age of a ward. But, she was the Chosen, and the Chosen must fulfill their Duty.

Releasing herself, Hana slid her own mask into place, checking the compartments of her rough leather sash were securely fastened, and pulling her worn fur jacket over her muscled shoulders. A bowcaster was slung carefully across her back, and from Hana's belt swung a metal cylinder of glimmering Songsteel, similar in construction to a lightsaber.

Striding down the loading ramp, Hana made a beeline for the set of doors that lead to the library. Her trackers indicated that her quarry waited there, with several of their hired hunters already moving in for the kill. It was a shame, that one so young had to die, but she had been Seen, and like all of the others who'd been Seen before her, she had to be eliminated. It was Hana's duty to see to that, and though it would be an ugly affair, Hana knew she would feel no remorse.

Her communicator beeped and crackled, a message had been sent to the bounty hunters in the vicinity:

<: "Your quarry is in sight. Move in and terminate, or else rendezvous with the package at the marked shuttle." :>

Hana picked up speed, not risking a run until she was closer to the doors. Under the dappled light through the canopy, she skimmed her eyes across the courtyard adjacent to the Landing Pads, spotting a small group of soldiers moving rapidly towards the hallway that housed her objective. Further away, she saw a pair of robed figures were running towards her: Temple Guards.

That complicated matters. If they were to pull this off they would have to move quickly. The bounty hunters were expendable of course, as was she, but they were running out of time to eliminate the Seen one. Soon, all of the Silver Rest would be upon them, and they would be struck down. Suicide mission or not, there was work to be done.

[member="Laaz Fett"] | [member="Gryylarc"] | [member="Atiniir Starrider"] | [member="Tulan Kor"] | [member="Atiniir Starrider"]​

​

 

[Micah tol Powl]

​

Location: Silver Rest - Hangar Bay
Wearing: Lightweight Tunic | Sasori Toolkit (wrist gauntlets)
Wielding: Vibrodagger (x2)
Companion: Azi the Amphistaff
Tags: Open

The young Pantoran was anxious about coming here.

Chances were low that he'd run into Ser Scruffy of Nerfherder. Théo was most likely back on Midvinter with [member="Ylva Heavenshield"], but the boy had no way of knowing until now whether or not Thurion or Coci had taken any measures to flag or cancel the boy's Silver Jedi identicard.

The answer appeared to have been no, he hadn't. The Equinox made the landing at the Silver Rest without any issue, though the young Pantoran was internally counting down the minutes until they could take off again. What was likely was that Boo having come to Kashyyyk would make its way back to the Heavenshields.

And Force only knew what they were going to do about their wayward padawan when they caught up to him.

The boy had traveled from Coruscant to Kashyyyk, risking exposing himself in order to get some necessary supplies for the ubiquitous soup kitchen that [member="Abaigeal E'ron"] was operating out of the Coruscant Undercity. It took a lot to keep an underground clinic going and shopping for those on the planet was only going to draw the attention of all the wrong sorts of people. So, he'd come to where he'd known that they could find what they needed.

And the Silver Jedi would help them with a smile, because that's how it was. It was one of the reasons that the boy knew that he'd never truly be one of them, no matter how hard [member="Théodred Heavenshield"] tried to put that lipstick on the proverbial pig.

No one even asked him any questions. Was it for the Jedi Outpost on Alaris Prime? Had he concocted some elaborate deception about an outbreak on Denon? It didn't matter. He'd said he was looking for some medical supplies for a clinic and the Silver Healers were heaping additional bacta bandages and kolto at him. A few droids were loading those supplies into the ship now, as the young Pantoran mulled over the stark contrast that existed between him and Théo.

The Jedi were so good at helping people. It was more than just the desire to help people. Boo wanted to help people, but all he really knew how to do was kill people. The Imperial Academy on Dosuum hadn't exactly prepared the boy for a life of humanitarian good works, it had prepared him to enter the ranks of the Knights of Ren. Even after he'd left the service of the Supreme Leader, he'd fallen into assassination as a familiar habit. The Hutt Cartel. The Primeval. Hell, he'd even worked for the One Sith.

This was about all he could do for Abby. Round up some bacta and bandages, drop them off as a way of saying thank you. Then get back to what it was that he did best; identifying the targets among the criminal underworld and taking the motherkarkers out.

It was not the Jedi way, but calling Boo the worst Jedi of all time would have been the understatement of the year.

An ill wind seemed to move through the Silver Rest. His brooding interrupted, the violet-haired youth turned his head up. Amber eyes seemed to prowl with predatory intent as he scanned the horizon. The sound of the alarms filtered through the Rest.

Bringing his fingers up to his lips, the Pantoran gave a shrill whistle. His amphistaff had slithered away to hunt around the interior of the hangar bay. At the signal, the black head of the biot appeared from behind a crate, with a dead rat in her jaws. Dropping her prey, the Yuuzhan Vong creation darted across the hangar. Springing off the ground, the serpentine creature leapt up to wrap its around the boy's outstretched arm.

With the Silver Rest alarms activated, the boy wasn't going to be leaving anyway. So he might as well see what was causing the problem. As the biot wrapped itself around him, the boy headed from out of the hangar bay. He didn't bother to try to mask his Force presence, the Terentatek venom in his veins giving the impression that something wicked this way comes...

 

[Kresslyn Cantor]

Just as he finished trying to get through to the asset and convince her that he was going to try and help her after having a change of heart, two more problems arrived. The Mandalorian in the altercation with the Antarian Ranger had just pulled a fast one to get past the soldier and up to where he was. To introduce himself, he spoke in their native tongue of Mando'a.

"Su cuy'gar, ner vod," he said to introduce himself, then adding on some sort of negotiation talk "It seems we were here for the same reason."

He was right about the last part about turning in the same bounty about 3 minutes ago, but Laaz's mind had quickly changed since then. It was time to do the moral thing. The fear he saw in her eyes when he initially came to collect the bounty said it all. Whoever set the bounty out there was wrong.

Well, what do they always say? Speak of the devil and he shall appear.

<: "Your quarry is in sight. Move in and terminate, or else rendezvous with the package at the marked shuttle." :>

One problem came after another. A series of unfortunate events for Laaz today. What could come next? A Wookiee?

"Su cuy'gar, ner vod," he said back to him to introduce himself as well. "You were right about that about five minutes ago, but my alignment has then changed. This is wrong, my friend. Look at the fear in her eyes. I've carried out a multitude of bounties, but this won't be one with innocent blood on my hands. Not today."

While this conversation went on, he casually rested his right hand on his holster where an age old weapon was stored: a powerful sidearm.

[member="Hana Celeste"] | [member="Atiniir Starrider"] | [member="Laura"] |

 

[Laura]

Once she'd stepped out into the hall and spotted the confrontation between the Ranger and the unknown man, a lot of things happened in rapid succession.

First, as Laura turned to move down the long hall, the Reading Room's side door clicked behind her once again. She spun om to see a man clad in strange armour not unlike that of the man currently held at gunpoint by the Antarian Ranger not far away. On his head was slouched a battered-looking hat, and as he spoke to her Laura gaped like a fish, heart heart jumping, unable and unwilling to catch on to what was going on.

A bounty on her?

That couldn't be, it defied sense. But, the man had known his name, that much couldn't be ignored. Briefly, the world seemed to dim around her, the gentle sunlight cascading from the skylights fading into grey, and the sounds of the scene reducing to mere echoes. Bile rose in her throat, she was being targeted, and she din't know why. One moment Laura had been restlessly wandering and now she was surrounded by danger.

Laura's desperate gaze met that of the mysterious stranger, her eyes round and wild as she listened to his offer of assistance, his explanation. It didn't make sense, he had the wrong girl, she was sure of it. Why would somebody go after her? She was already kriffing dying!

Instinct drew her to look up as, after a moment of silence, the other armoured figure leapt forward, appearing to savagely strike and the ranger, before turning heel and smoothly careening into a wall, his jump-pack roaring as he soared backwards. As the sound of blaster shots faded, the armoured figure rolled to a stop to her right, essentially hemming in Laura and her mysterious wannabe ally.

As he rose to his feet the figure spoke in a language Laura neither recognised nor understood, and to her surprise the man behind her responded in kind. A couple of words stood out to her, and a nagging sensation tugged at her brain. Then, light a bolt in the blue the dots connected. That was Mando'a, and that armour was not as unfamiliar as it had seemed. The jump-pack should have given it away, how had she been so stupid?

Mandalorians.

Reacting instantly, Laura yelped and recoiled from the man behind her, stumbling and scrabbling backwards as the other Mandalorian rose to his full height, his visor turning to face her.

Finally, as she saw the light from the end of the corridor darken with approaching figures, Laura found her voice, calling out loud and shrill:

"Help! Help! Mandalorian attack!"

[member="Boo Chiyo"] | [member="Laaz Fett"] | [member="Gryylarc"] | [member="Atiniir Starrider"] | [member="Tulan Kor"] |​

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[Atiniir Starrider]

[member="Laaz Fett"] @Laura @Boo Chiyo [member="Hana Celeste"] @Gryylarc @Tulan Kor

For the love of Mand'alor, would there be any point in this job that it would go smoothly? The target was right in front of him, ripe for the taking, but now he not only had a base full of armed hostiles and a grumpy officer mucking things up, but also one of his own vode deciding now of all times to grow a conscience. Atiniir was seriously getting frustrated; was any bounty payment worth the trouble he'd gone through to get here, and the increased trouble he'd face getting out? Behind his T-visor, his eyes flashed from hunter to target, hunter to target, logic and conviction wrestling in his mind.

<: "Your quarry is in sight. Move in and terminate, or else rendezvous with the package at the marked shuttle." :>

Working on it, you di'kut, Atiniir said in his mind. As far as he saw it, he had two options. One, he could shoot the girl with a stun dart and hope that he could deal with the other hunter in a timely fashion. Two, he could shoot the girl with his blaster and make a break for it. Unfortunately, neither choice was optimal. He knew there were more of these "Rangers" on the way; in fact they probably only had a matter of moments before they were completely surrounded. He didn't have time to do things the hard way. And even though he hated this hunter for letting his morals get in the way of a mission, Atiniir agreed with him. He couldn't bring himself to shoot a defenseless girl, not after all the horrors he'd seen.

The sound of boots on metal and the girl's pained cry made Atiniir's decision for him. They were out of time. He sighed and locked visors with the other Mandalorian.

"<If you were anyone else, anyone else,>" he said in Mando'a, "<I'd shoot you right here and be done with it. But I have enough Mandalorian blood on my hands to last a lifetime, and I don't have time to do this the hard way.>" Atiniir aimed his gauntlet and fired his stun dart at the girl, hoping to catch her in the neck and put her down long enough for the other hunter to do whatever mad plan he had concocted. Even though he hated the man right now, he was still a Mando'ade, and Mando'ade looked out for their own.

"<You made this choice,>" he continued, "<Sure hope you know what you're doing.>"

"There they are!" shouted a voice in Basic, one of the Rangers no doubt. Atiniir turned to face their charge with one more glance back at the other hunter.

"K'oyacyi," he said simply. Then he aimed his gauntlet again and fired a wrist-mounted rocket towards the pack of Rangers charging down the hallway. The whole squad dove for cover as the rocket screamed past and blew a man-sized hole in the wall behind them. Daylight streamed through and within seconds Atiniir was flying down the hallway past the shocked Rangers.

"Stop that hunter!" the squad leader cried, "Blast him!" A few scattered shots followed Atiniir out the breach, but they just pinged off his beskar armor. Then he was clear, roaring towards the Kashyyyk trees.

In his HUD, the tracking fob continued to beep.

The hunt wasn't over yet.

 

[Kresslyn Cantor]

After a brief conversation in Mando'a and a very fast series of events, there was a gaping hole in the wall and the other Mando was flying out of the mess he'd created. He could hear the disdain he had for him in his voice, but Mandalorians protected their own... for the most part. Moments before he departed, it seemed as if they were surrounded by the men who called themselves rangers. Luckily, no Temple Guards had arrived yet. They were most likely securing the perimeter.

He was in an even stickier situation, though.

The girl shouted that there was a Mandalorian attack going on. This was.... a very, very difficult situation to get out of. Though he was here to capture the bounty initially and now truly meant to save the girl, he doubted that the Ranger standing in front of him would believe that story. She was obviously too lost to vouch for him, too.

Fear had controlled her thoughts. It was very obvious.

Now that even the contractor was on site, it'd be even harder to get out of here. There was no telling how many tracking fobs were in or around the Silver Rest.

Before the other Mando departed, he fired a stun dart in the girls direction. He felt an impact, but wasn't sure whether it was him or the girl that had been hit by the dart. If it was him, it would've deflected off of his Beskar'gam. If it was her... well.. the situation just got even worse.

[member="Atiniir Starrider"] | [member="Laura"] | [member="Tulan Kor"]

 

[placeholder012]

Hana Celeste was running at speed by the time she rounded the entrance doors and entered the corridor, her booted feet slapping loudly against the metallic floors. Behind her, panting heavily, a Silver Jedi Ranger was in hot pursuit, and gaining despite his armour and weaponry. Flashing a glance behind her, Hana grimaced and spun, ripping the metal cylinder from its holding on her belt and clasping a latch on its surface, extending it into a long staff.

Wheeling the weapon around, Hana swept the soldier's legs out from under him, and he barrelled past her and crashed to the ground as Hana herself skidded to a halt. He had not been felled, however, and in a flash he was on his knees and raising his rifle to fire. The metal flashing in the sun, Hana swung again, knocking the gun from the soldier's hand and sending it skittering across the floor.

Her eyes darted up as she heard a crashing sound, and she glanced up the corridor to see sunlight steaming into the corridor as figures struggled in the distance.

That momentary distraction proved enough for the soldier, the moment Hana had looked away he was on his feet, jumping and throwing his full weight into her. Both of them went down like a sack of bricks, Hana loosing grip of her staff as it flew from her hands, falling to the floor and collapsing. Rolling across the floor, she fought to escape his vice-like grip, kicking and clawing at any exposed flesh she could get to. A savage swipe at his face loosened his embrace just enough for her to struggle out, and she was up once again, this time pulling the bowcaster from her back and unloading two quarrels into the soldier as he rose to his feet, and scooping up her fallen staff.

By now two temple guards had made it to the entrance doors, a mere twenty metres behind her. Hana didn't bother firing at them, as she had been educated on the Jedi. She knew that her bolts would be deflected easily. Instead, she turned and ran, desperate to reach her target before she was killed or captured. Time was running out, but as she approached she was thrilled to see the target was still there, and that she had been incapacitated, collapsing in a heap as Hana approached.

As Hana closed the distance, she slowed to a stop. Now within range of the target she raised her bowcaster again, levelling it at the crumpled form of the girl, her eyes lining up the shot...

Heavy footsteps sounded from behind, Hana spun too late to avoid the soldier from before, a quarrel sticking out of his shoulder, as he crashed into her once again, knocking them both heavily to the ground. The man rolled over, groaning in pain, and Hana scrabbled onto her knees, looking frantically for her weapon.

It was too late, a hefty kick to the ribs slammed her into the wall and she blinked dazedly at the humming yellow blade of a saber held a few inches from her.

No, no it couldn't be over. She wasn't done yet. The contract wasn't completed, the mission not over with. She would be flogged for this, shamed and humiliated. After this, she'd be lucky if she could ever show her face at home again.

"You can't" she muttered, "you don't understand anything."
Hana was seething. They didn't get it. Even if they knew, they wouldn't accept it. Laura had been Seen, so she had to die. It was how it had always worked, for the good of everyone.

Risking a swipe from the saber, Hana turned her head and called out, her voice echoing across the corridor to the group struggling a dozen metres further down.

"KILL HER! KILL HER NOW! SHE'S TOO DANGEROUS, YOU MUST COMPLETE THE JOB, LAURA HAS BEEN SEE-"

A sharp kick cut off her cries with a yelp, and Hana curled up, winded, desperately hoping that one of the bounty hunters would finish the task that she could not.

[member="Laaz Fett"] | [member="Atiniir Starrider"] | [member="Boo Chiyo"] | [member="Gryylarc"] | [member="Tulan Kor"]​