One Man's Trash, Another Man's Treasure

[Orion Darkstar]

​

The night was brisk with a fetching cold air that stung his lungs. Perched and watching, Orion sat atop a stone ledge handing over the harbor. The small chimes that clanked together in the distance harmonized with the wind. The rushing waves that crashed into the docks caused the boats to sway, knocking the wooden planks they were tied to. The streets were filled with locals. All of them making deals with peddlers that had no right taking coin. The items they sold were not theirs to sell, but still they prospered on their filthy living. The tents that stretched into the city were littered along the harbor streets. It meant larger and larger crowds would continue to splurge on the precious belongings of others. It was unfortunate, but crime was very much a part of the galaxy. ​

​

The one thing that really mattered was finding the head of the serpent. Orion was here on strict business for the empire. A smuggling ring by the name of Diamond Syndicate were up to no good. They thought stealing from the empire would net them more money, the cost to such an act meant death. Orion wouldn't have it any other way, being able to dispatch the thieves made his job easier. Another from the empire was supposed to assist him, but they were late. He stood on the curved stone now, looking over the harbors bright lights and hundreds of people. His black cloth was light, wrapping his skin from head to toe. The solid black cloak buried his lethality, weapons hidden within. He felt the force for only a moment as his hand reached for his mask. Lifting it from his delicate pale face, black hair fell to his shoulders. Wearing the menacing thing would cause too much attention. ​

​

Quickly, he placed the mask inside his dark robe and stepped off the ledge. Like a ball of pure darkness he descended towards the ground. His cloak flapping behind him like a wave of shadowy flames. The force breached him as he landed. The pure black boots of his own, clamping onto the concrete with little effort as he began to walk among the crowd. Finding a lead would be hard, hopefully, someone would slip up. Better yet, Orion looked for any signs of sith artifacts being sold out in the open. If he found a vendor doing such things, he'd have a hot lead. He brushed his hand through his hair and grabbed the crease of his hood. Pulling it forward he molded in with the crowd. He was a monster quietly walking amid his prey. ​

​

[member="Garland Kramer"]​

 

[Garland Kramer]

Oorn Tchis, when Garland took this job, the last place he thought he would end up was Oorn Tchis. The small unimpressive planet was host to nothing but petty crime and money hungry fools. Though the planet belonged to the empire, someone here was foolish enough to steal from them. The only lead that he was given, was that the offender belonged to a group known as the Diamond Syndicate, a smuggling ring that flourished here where the dark hearts of men and degenerates lived.

Garland checked his communicator, his partner for this mission, [member="Orion Darkstar"] had wanted to meet in the market of the inner harbor. They were there to try and find a lead to infiltrate the Diamond Syndicate and recover the stolen goods. Garland however, had lost track of time, and was now hurrying to the marketplace, knowing full well that Orion would not wait to start the mission without him. I only have myself to blame, Garland arrived at the harbor and slowed his pace, not wanting to draw attention to himself. He looked around and saw that the meeting point set for him and Orion was empty. Now I have two things to search for in this crowd.

He wasted no time blending into the masses that had gathered here to buy the stolen goods of others. Passing by stalls that carried an assortment of goods varying from small trinkets to blasters, Garland had to wonder if everything here was illegally obtained. He then saw a stand that caught his attention. A small man stood behind the display case, and had noticed Garland eyeing his merchandise. "Interested in Ysalamir's are we? They just came in last night from Myrkr, and if you buy now, I'll throw in a portable nutrient frame, free of charge." The man's grin made Garland's stomach churn, for every missing tooth was another that looked decayed and infected, though the Ysalamir definitely peaked his interest. It was a small lizard that had the ability to create a ten meter bubble that disabled the influence of the Force. He had never gotten the chance to get to Myrkr to try and obtain one. I might as well make this trip worth it.

Garland paid the man and the disgusting merchant pulled out his purchase. Garland used the force to imprint animal bond onto it, though his influence subsided almost immediately, his power had become erased within the bubble of the Ysalamir. Garland knew this would happen, he had to make sure they were the real thing. He took off his robe and carefully placed the Ysalamir onto the nutrient frame that was part of the small harness. As it began to eat, Garland felt the force begin to flow within him once more. He used animal bond again, however, this time it took. The Ysalamir had deemed him an ally as it absorbed its meal. A couple of minutes passed and Garland now had full control of his newest pet.

Having put his robe back on to conceal his purchase, it appeared as if nothing was out of the ordinary. The small frame and Ysalamir made only a slight bump, that only someone that was looking very closely would be able to notice. Garland continued to make his way down the harbor, looking for both Orion and any sign of the Diamond Syndicate. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a couple of merchants shouting loudly at one another. The commotion was enough to warrant a couple of goons armed with blasters to arrive on the scene. Seems like a decent place to start my search. Garland knew that Orion was going to be very difficult to find in this crowd, especially if he didn't want to be found. This argument may attract him as well, after all, these goons have to belong to someone. Garland slowly moved his way to the loud men, and stood on the edge of the growing crowd that had arrived to witness the action, keeping his eyes peeled for [member="Orion Darkstar"].

[member="Orion Darkstar"] | [member="Jayce Vitalus"]​

 

[Jayce Vitulas]

Jayce had only been to Oorn Tchis once before. It was the best place in the galaxy to buy fabrics, the rich colors the merchants bartered were extraordinary. Though the Grey Jedi loved his darker appearance, it was nice to see and imagine different styles. The merchants were probing Jayce with questions, asking if he liked the look of this, or perhaps he was interested in some jewelry. With a scoff he waved off the toothless critters grabbing at his credits. It wasn't just the exotic fabrics that drew this young man to the planet, no, it was something much deeper.

The Diamond Syndicate had embedded themselves, corrupting the very foundation, eroding it from inside out. There were stories that they acquired many special artifacts, the thieving scum had got their hands on some powerful artifacts. Jayce felt that something was calling to him, asking for help. Something else was in the air, though he couldn't put his finger on what it was. Shifting amongst the crowd, he heard the shouting of two merchants. From what Jayce could understand from one of the watchers, they began fighting after one called the other on undercutting his prices.

This act of conflict was stirring something up inside of Jayce, the blood began to fizzle inside. It was almost like a storm of rage was sweeping over his body, something that hasn't happened in quite awhile. This feeling of excitement that was pulling at him, it was something only experienced in the presence of another being. Clearly, there were others here that feed themselves to the dark side. This was something that Jayce struggled with for a while now, the dark side clawing its way up his soul. The longer he was exposed to it, the more he felt the need to release his aggression.

A small grin appeared on his face, it was uncontrollable, unavoidable. The conflict with in himself was becoming a struggle, it was hard to keep the balance in check. Eyes still observing the fight, he hoped that a substance would make the final push. That someone or a group of people, would involve themselves in this little scuffle. Jayce desired action.

[member="Orion Darkstar"] | [member="Garland Kramer"]

 

[Orion Darkstar]

Holler after holler, the vendors antagonized one another. The vicious words that spilled from their mouths attracted a crowd. It was mere seconds from becoming violent. The dark skinned, vendor stood not even meters away from Orion as he lashed out to the other peddler. Barbarically, they continued, spit and mucus spraying across the crowd as they did. ​

​

"I'll gut you! Last time was the last straw, keep your wares close Jack!" Screamed the dark skinned vendor. ​

"My prices are the best around, I've not stolen a thing from you, piss ant!" Jack rebutted. ​

"Liar!"​

"For the last time, Duane! If you don't like it, set up somewhere else!" Jack paused and turned back towards the crowd. "Free mug! with any purchase! Need something old or new, I've got you covered!" ​

​

The two clearly knew each other. Orion was at the forefront of their argument, standing in the crowd as they jeered back and forth. They were childish about the whole thing. In the hierarchy of the sith, there were no words to be said, only actions. If such things were handled in the way of a salesman on Oorn Tchis, the sith would be weak. Orion understood though, working along side others you hated. He did it everyday in The Sith Empire. Differences aside, they all had one common goal for the Empire, to extinguish the non-believers. ​

​

Orion slithered through the crowd a little more before reaching Jack's wares. The old wooden tables were vulnerable to theft, ironically, the person selling was clearly a professional thief himself. gathered from the little bout between the two shopkeepers, Jack had the lower prices. Why not take a gander. Orion knew that if he was to come across the sith artifacts lost to the empire, they more than likely would want to be sold quickly. Holding onto such things could get one killed and ferociously so. Orion placed his hand around a small box and examined the tiny lock on the front. Pressing his finger against the wooden grain of the box, the tiny lock flipped upward. A small clap bellowed out form the light impact. The small lid, sprung open slightly, a thin line of darkness teasing what was inside. ​

​

The pale, lengthy fingers delicately touched the corners and lifted. Just before Orion set his eyes on the prize the lid slammed shut. Jack grinning at him like a fool. ​

​

"Sorry Sir, that can't be opened till purchase." The peddler Jack, stopped for a moment and leaned inward. "You like antiques?"​

​

Orion was agitated at the abrupt process, he didn't like having someone else in control. Then a question he wasn't ready for presented itself. ​

​

"Antiques, Yes. Yes I do. I'm a collector." Orion lied. "Do you have anything exceptionally interesting?"​

​

Jack guiltily curled a smile onto his face. With a wave of the hand, Jack motioned to the far corner of his tent. Orion followed, slipping under the tent's tarp for cover. The shiny tools that he passed by, slowly turned into scrolls and wooden trinkets. Some still metal in their own right. I wonder if you're the one I'm looking for. Orion thought as he picked up a dusty scroll to examine. The inscriptions along the wooden holder at the center was in the form of a wolf head. Odd. Putting it back down he continued to follow the man deeper into the back of the tent. A large chest sat on the floor. Jack bent down and swung it open. ​

​

"Just so you know, everything but the small ones are at least 1,500 credit and up. No lower. Got it?"​

​

Orion glanced down at the chest, hoping to see what he came for. His face fell short of amused, as the pile of guns rested inside. What a waste.. The time he wasted only made him angry. Still, it was worth a shot. He glared at Jack and turned away. Jack refused to walk away without the sale and yelled. ​

​

"Come on! I'll do it for 1k even! I'm sure a guy like you needs protection!" ​

​

Orion ignored him further as he made his exit from underneath the shopping tent. The force signaled him a familiar aura, one that he embraced heavily as he bumped into the shoulder of the annoyance. His eyes falling on the one, the only, [member="Garland Kramer"]. ​

​

"I see you made it." Orion said, his head slightly tilting upwards to reveal his face to an old friend. "So the empire sent you, good. No leads, unless you want guns from Jack." ​

​

The force spoke to him one last time. another ally among them lingered closer. Orion knew this one all too well. His mind digging for the right answer... Jayce.​

​

[member=Jayce Vitalus"]​

 

[Garland Kramer]

Garland slowly moved his way to the tent that belonged to the merchant known as Jack, one of the men that was in the heated argument just moments earlier. Jack had given up on his sales pitch in the market and returned to his merchandise quickly, something seemed off. Pushing through the crowd annoyed Garland, these filthy cretins gather like vultures around a corpse, and for what, to hear two merchants argue about who has more right to take their money? Pathetic to the core. Garland finally made it through the masses, but as he did, a familiar figure came out of Jack's tent. "I see you made it." [member="Orion Darkstar"] looked up at him, scarcely revealing his face. "So the empire sent you, good. No leads, unless you want guns from Jack." Garland could hear the irritation in his friend's voice. Jack had apparently wasted his time with unwanted merchandise. "Sorry I'm late, lost track of time. I'm afraid I've had no luck in finding anything on the Diamond Syndicate either. Everything here, illegal as it may be, seems to check out with what our intel says should be present." Orion's mind seemed to be occupied as he told him of his search. "Is something the matter?" No sooner than the words had left his lips did Garland feel what he assumed Orion was focusing on.

The force, like a small tinge in the back of his mind, it called out. The signature did not come from either of the two men, but for some reason it felt familiar to Garland. His eyes began to scan the crowd, searching for the source of the signal. Hundreds of people, all unimportant, scrambling around to make deals on the stolen goods, then he stopped. His gaze fell upon a man that held himself differently from the gathered masses. A tall thin man clad in black stood on the other side of the ring of people that had gathered here minutes ago for the commotion that had ensued. His blue eyes seemed familiar, Garland knew this man, or at least he thought he did. He wracked his mind to figure out who this individual was, then it hit him. The last time he had seen this man was aboard the ship known as the Ablution, being carried away on the back on his Acklay after passing out. What was his name again, Jack? No, that's not it. Was it Jason? That doesn't seem right either, Jayce!, it was Jayce.

A feeling of relief washed over Garland, for he knew that Jayce was an ally. He turned back to Orion, "It appears we are to have another join us, your friend Jayce is on the other side of this crowd." Now I just need to get his attention without drawing much to ourselves. Garland devised a plan to alert Jayce of their position, he noticed the vast amount of birds that resembled seagulls that were present among the docks, swooping down to catch fish out of the water, or even trying to steal a shiny trinket from one of the merchant stands while the owner wasn't paying attention. Garland easily entered the minds of two birds and commanded them to land on Jayce's shoulders. A smile slipped across Garland's face as he then ordered the birds to defecate onto Jayce's black robes, this would surely get his attention, but just to make sure he got the message Garland's final act with the avians had them fly to the side of the crowd where he and Orion were, with no intent of stopping. The crowd separated as they approached as to not be hit by them. Garland made sure he was standing in the opening of the crowd as the birds then ascended and returned to normal, having no recollection of the stunts they just performed. That should do the trick, he thought, turning back to Orion. "He should be here momentarily." Garland couldn't help but smirk as he finished his sentence.

[member="Jayce Vitalus"] | [member="Orion Darkstar"]​

 

[Jayce Vitulas]

The merchants had separated, leaving Jayce even more aggravated. This sensation to see bloodshed was also irritating and anything for it to stop would be a blessing. Suddenly, a group of birds circled overhead, the neutral warrior could feel something was amiss. Then, the disgusting creatures proceeded to defecate all over Jayce's favorite jacket. Enraged, the young man used the force to snatch one of the fowls from the sky. With the bird firmly in his grasp in one hand, the other proceeded to twist its neck.

The crowd around him gasped in fear, the sapphire eyes glaring at them, a thick smile grew across Jayce's face. "Like you wouldn't do the same," said the grey jedi with laughter in his voice. The rage dissipated, leaving him relieved, but not without noticing he was standing out in the open. Those cretins knew it was about to happen and no one warned him. Jayce did notice something out of the corner of his eye, two men standing together, one of them looking directly at him.

His face was familiar, but from where? This plagued the young man, trying to put the pieces together. With another sharp look, Jayce saw a man he did recognize. [member="Orion Darkstar"]. The young man pondered, rubbing his black hair in the crisp sunlight. Then, a sudden epiphany. GIMLI! It was the man who saved his life aboard the Ablution, after Jayce saved his of course. He moved slowly across the open space, merchants begging him to buy their Poodoo remover 5000, but were greeted by a cold shoulder.

Coming face to face with the two individuals, he spoke silently. "Hello Gimli, Orion. Funny running into you guys here." A calming grin shown brightly over his face. It appeared there was going to be some powerful allies here, if the need called for them.

[member="Orion Darkstar"] | [member="Garland Kramer"] ​

 

[Orion Darkstar]

Orion pulled out a small piece of paper and unfolded it. Tiny letters scribbled across the page at the top. He read it quickly and stashed it back into his pocket. Garland wore a nutrient frame, an odd contraption to be lugging around. Garland, however, needed such things for his profession and abilities. Creatures were his life. Finally, the sith knight replied.​

​

"Sorry I'm late, lost track of time. I'm afraid I've had no luck in finding anything on the Diamond Syndicate either. Everything here, illegal as it may be, seems to check out with what our intel says should be present."​

​

Orion tilted his head in agreement, the Diamond Syndicate were good at keeping a low profile. The mission would prove far more difficult than he had hoped. He shifted his attention to Jayce, the young grey jedi standing in the distance. Getting his attention would cause suspicion. Thankfully, Garland was capable of more than just fluent conversation. ​

​

"It appears we are to have another join us, your friend Jayce is on the other side of this crowd."​

​

"I know." Orion said, his attention turning back to Garland. The weird mannerisms that came after seemed to have Garland elsewhere. The ripples in the force spoke the truth on such a matter. It seemed that Garland was already hard at work trying to bring the third ally into the center fold of their conversation. Orion looked above the grey jedi and watched the debauchery take place. Jayce would get them flagged if he continued his selfish acts of heinous animal abuse. Orion was crapped on many times on the bays of Bespin, as a sith not even he got as angered over such loose nature. Still, it happened and as Orion watched the life leave the bird, Jayce moved towards them. Idiot. Orion thought, as he listened to Jayce talk. ​

​

"Hello Gimli, Orion. Funny running into you guys here."​

​

Orion clenched his teeth, the indents of his cheekbones poking outward in frustration. Being associated with the person who caused such a scene could pose a threat to the operation. Orion wouldn't stand for it. ​

​

"Nice to see you too, Jayce." Orion paused, pleasantries were out the window, anger setting in. "I'll have you know, that another act like that will get you killed. If you ruin this for the Empire, there's no going back. You'll answer for it, mark my words." Orion's voice sunk to a cold and silvery demeanor. The irises that were once a bright green, flared into a sunset orange as he stared at Jayce. They were friends, but Orion cared little for childish ignorance. He looked back to Garland and shook his head. Whatever the Beast Lord did with the birds clearly was just as antagonizing. He knew Garland from his previous endeavors, but not the extent to speak out of rank. Although, the frustration remained, Orion leaned in closer, his voice dropping lower. ​

​

"Jayce, are you here for the same reason Garland and I are?" Orion asked, taking out another, smaller piece of paper and handing it to Jayce. "It's a list of what we are to retrieve." Orion leaned toward Garland now. "Do you think we'll have better luck at the other end of the Pier?" Orion looked upward, a clock tower staring back at him. A few hours was all they had. If the three of them were going to find what they needed, it had to be fast.​

​

[member="Jayce Vitalus"] | [member="Garland Kramer"]​

 

[Garland Kramer]

Jayce approached after causing his scene in the marketplace, a stunt that could cause them to become exposed on their mission. He approached and greeted them with a smug smile. "Hello Gimli, Orion. Funny running into you guys here." Garland wasn't upset that Jayce had forgotten his name, after all, they had only known each other for a few minutes before Jayce was hauled away on the Ablution. "It's Garland, Garland Kramer, take care to remember it this time." That was all that Garland was able to squeeze in before Orion began scolding the young man. "I'll have you know, that another act like that will get you killed. If you ruin this for the Empire, there's no going back. You'll answer for it, mark my words." The tongue lashing made Garland happy to not be on the receiving end of it, though his stunt did manage to get a disapproved head shake from Orion.

Jayce was given their objective and known intelligence for the operation to catch him up to speed. Orion then asked Garland "Do you think we'll have better luck at the other end of the Pier?" Garland made note of the time from the clock tower overlooking the marketplace, they had to make haste, there was only a few hours left until everything shut down for the day. After that their lead would be cold, and the thieves could go anywhere, even off-world. "Yes, we need to split up and cover the other end of the pier now, and keep your eyes peeled, for all we know the armor could already have been sold." The thieves knew who they stole from, and most certainly expected retaliation for their crime. The best way to lose the heat was to pawn the item immediately. After all, it's what I would do.

Garland made his way to the other side of the docks, pushing through the horde of customers with little effort. He drowned out the noise of the busy marketplace and focused on his search. He passed by a few stalls, all with nothing of interest, nothing to show they might be part of the Diamond Syndicate's network. A tent then caught his eye, it was a bit bigger than the usual ones around here. On the front of it was a sign that read "Grok's Armor Emporium", Worth a look, after all, armor is what we came here to find. Garland entered the tent to find all sorts of armor hanging on the walls and sitting on stands. A man in the back working on an anvil stopped his work when he noticed Garland browsing and got up to greet him.

"Welcome to Grok's Armor Emporium, I'm Grok, what can I get for you." He wasn't much to look at, five foot tall at the most, dirty brown hair and beard, presumably from his line of work. Something caught Garlands eye though, the watch on Grok's wrist, it was exquisite, the craftsmanship of the timepiece was far superior to any of the armor in this shop. A gift from the Diamond Syndicate perhaps? This would be the best place to pawn armor with little suspicion. Garland pulled out his intelligence papers, and pointed to the sith armor they were hired to retrieve. "I'm looking for something like this, you wouldn't happen to have one in stock, would you?" Grok's eyes widened and the blood drained from his face when he saw the sith artifact. He then looked up to Garland and reacquired his nerve. "I think you need to leave mister, and stop asking questions around here if you know what's good for you.

Grok turned around and quickly headed for an armor stand. I'm done playing nice, they were running out of time, and they were no closer now then they were at the start of the mission. His belt began to unwrap from his waist, revealing itself to be an amphistaff. It moved across the floor hastily towards Grok. The merchant had grabbed something from behind an armor stand, he turned around and had a blaster pointed at Garland. "Get out now!" The amphistaff lunged at Grok, spiraling up his leg slicing deep into the skin as it moved. It traveled up his body lightning quick and coiled itself around Grok's arm and wrist, blood pouring out of the wounds inflicted by it's razor sharp skin. "AHHHHH, get it off." Grok cried out in pain, dropping his blaster from the tight grip the amphistaff had on his wrist. Garland used the force and brought down the flaps of the front of the tent, tying them down to conceal the scene inside. "How about you tell me where you got that watch." Garland said, an evil smile appeared on his face as the amphistaff sat an inch from Grok's throat, hissing in anticipation, ready to feast.

[member="Orion Darkstar"] | [member="Jayce Vitalus"]​

 

[Jayce Vitulas]

"It's Garland, Garland Kramer, take care to remember it this time."​

​

Jayce felt embarrassed for calling Garland the wrong name, but the Sith didn’t seem to mind. In all fairness, they only met for a moment on the Ablution. Just as the grey Jedi was about to say something, a witch tried to barbeque them both. If not for Jayce, Garland wouldn’t be here, but that wasn’t something to bring up at a time like this. “I apologize Garland, it won’t happen again,” the young man said, a sheepish grin following as he spoke the words.

"I'll have you know, that another act like that will get you killed. If you ruin this for the Empire, there's no going back. You'll answer for it, mark my words."​

​

Orion’s words lashed out at him, causing frustration, a clenched fist was Jayce’s rebuttal. Something about being around this man with long black hair, his teeth grinding as he spoke, was like a gnat buzzing around in his mind. They were friends, good friends but the idea of Orion being able to talk down to Jayce, aggravated him. The flash of gold in the Sith’s eyes made the feeling worse.

Releasing the tension that was held in his mind, the grey Jedi took the words with grace and listened to his friend’s council. If Orion and Garland’s mission was coming from the Sith Empire, it might be a wise decision to keep a low profile. Jayce understood little about the workings of the Sith but, knew that their order was strong enough to erase him from existence, with ease.

"Yes, we need to split up and cover the other end of the pier now, and keep your eyes peeled, for all we know the armor could already have been sold."​

​

Listening to Garland’s words, it seemed like an innovative idea, if they were going to find a way to the Diamond Syndicate without alerting them. Orion had filled in the blanks to Jayce, letting him know why the two dark side users were here, vaguely anyways. With them splitting up, they could cover more ground, especially with no leads. The sith believed that the syndicate was involved, so that was a clue Jayce needed to follow.

In that moment, Jayce had an idea. Who would know more about what goes on, that had no loyalties and that food was more valuable than credits? Children. Oorn Tchis, with all its cleaver tongued merchants, still had a huge homeless problem. A starving child might know more keep tabs on everyone, just in case the right buyer would stroll along. Jayce moved towards a merchant’s table selling sweets, his black boots clomping on the stony path.


The Britarro gave the grey jedi a good deal, a jar of ladybabies for twenty-two credits. Now that he had the bait, it was time to find the snitch. Jayce glided towards a group of younglings, he approached carefully, not wanting to scare the children. When he got in range he spoke softly, “Hello there, little ones. I don’t mean to disturb your playtime, but I have a question about the Diamond Syndicate. Anyone who tells me anything helpful gets one of these,” he held the jar of ladybabies in front of them, their eyes glistening in the sunlight. “You are the eyes and ears of this planet, and only you can help my quest.” A child stepped up, looking to claim a prize from the man in black. "I think I know something," the little girl spoke, oh so softly.

[member="Orion Darkstar"] | [member="Garland Kramer"]​

 

[Orion Darkstar]

Orion cared little for the conversation between the other two. He looked over in the distance towards the pier. The wooden walkway that split off toward the water, rocked back and forth. The small lanterns that hung over the wooden planks began to light the pathway. As dusk took hold the streets grew thicker with population. It would only make their job harder. The words of Garland snapped his attention back to the group. ​

​

"Yes, we need to split up and cover the other end of the pier now, and keep your eyes peeled, for all we know the armor could already have been sold."​

​

Splitting up would cover more ground, Garland was right. Another clever piece of advice slipped from the sith knight's mouth, the armor could have already been purchased. The other items on the list were also concerning. Those could have very well been sold too. If anything, Orion wanted the remnants of the Dark Lord. He knew for sure that it was present in the Inner Harbor of Oorn Tchis. The only question that really needed to be answered was where. Faster than he thought the other two were already in motion. It was nice to see cooperation, between them, even after the words exchanged. It showed character beyond all else.​

​

Weaving in and out of the crowd he took a sharp turn onto the wooden planks, the walkway littered with trash. Old barrels lined the sides of it as a underpass slowly came into view. The stone curvature was shrouded in darkness, till the opposite end showed the remaining light of the sun. The small tunnel was designed for the bridge that rested above him. It was an easier way to get supplies to and from boats. Orion wasted no time as he slithered into the dark passage. He reached the opposite end of the tiny undercover and a sprawling vista of boats, water and brick built buildings spanned the harbor. ​

​

Tiny fish markets were lined up into inner locking alleyways that stretched for miles into the actual city. The bright white steam that painted the air, came from the churning pipes of old fashioned boats on the water as they came and left. Steam power was obsolete in most cases, but here it remained a vestige of the seas. Orion was taken back by the pure beauty, the inner workings of the harbor in the grand scheme of things was an ancient system of purity. Who would have thought that such a community existed within a criminal riddled area. As much as he wanted to keep staring into the distance as the ships and people left, he continued onward. ​

​

​

​

The creak of the timber, splintered below as he walked. The only signs of anything remotely suspicious was a man diving into the water and bringing up tiny crystallized rocks. It had been a half-hour and the sun officially sunk below the mountains in the distance. As night took hold, the harbor transformed into a skittering pile of homeless and wretched sellers. Most of the items sold along the way were clearly drugs. It seemed that in the vast span of the galaxy, drugs were still a constant. Orion took a seat, a small bench looking out towards the crashing waves. The moon reflected off the waters like a hazy dream. The rousing waters eliminating it as they slammed into the docks. ​

​

Then, with the force tugging him, he felt something. An allure almost on the opposite end of the dock. A large ship was hoisted to the end of the lengthy landing. It sat gently on the water, a small light lifting the veil of darkness on it. Three men exited the faring boat, obnoxiously so. Orion's eyes narrowed, the system of crime clearly at hand as he sought past the loud shipmates. Boxes and chests spotted, changing hands as they were loaded onto the transport. The darkside spoke to him, almost calling his name. ​

​

You...Need....Me....Dark...Star....​

​

The soft whisper was all he needed in order to decide. He would surely find something stolen from the Empire there. Afterall, the darkside never lied. ​

​

[member="Garland Kramer"] | [member="Jayce Vitalus"] ​

 

[Garland Kramer]

"Let me go you crazy bastard!" Grok spat his vile tongue towards Garland, even while being terrified in the face of death. "Now now Grok, is that any way to talk to a man who holds your life in his hands?" Garland asked sarcastically, the fact that Grok still had enough gusto to speak to him that way surely showed how powerful the Diamond Syndicate were. "Where is the Diamond Syndicate's headquarters Grok? I'd think carefully about your next words, they could very well be your last. Grok's eyes were wide with fear as the amphistaff attached to him began to hiss and inch closer to his throat, all while the sharp cuts already inflicted were releasing blood and beginning to pool on the floor in front of the merchant. "I can't tell you, they'll kill me." Garland was displeased with the man's willingness to help. "Time to pay the price for a wrong answer Grok." Garland snapped his fingers and the amphistaff moved the lower half of it's body up and sliced off Grok's left hand with a quick and clean cut. As the luxurious watch slid off the stump of a hand, Grok immediately opened his mouth and as soon as the start of a scream came out, the amphistaff's upper half slid up to and ripped a deep hole into his throat with it's fangs, and no sound emerged from the pained face of Grok. Grok stared at Garland, screaming in agony without a sound to accompany it. "It's not looking good for you Grok, if you don't get medical attention soon, I don't think you're going to make it." Garland enjoyed mocking the insignificant man. "Now how about we try that again, WHERE CAN I FIND THE DIAMOND SYNDICATE?" Garland did not care to raise his voice often, but knew that it had it's uses when employed correctly, his patience was wearing thin as was Grok's life.

He stormed over to the merchant's desk in the back of the tent and picked up a pen and order book for Grok to write down the location. Something caught his eye, a framed picture of a woman and a little boy. They appeared to be smiling and having fun in the picture. They were in the shop where he stood now, posing in some armor, and making a battle stance. Garland smashed the frame on the table, and took the picture out of the broken glass. The back read "Anthony's 7th birthday." This should jog Grok's memory pretty fast. he turned back to the dying man, and handed him the order book and pen. "You are going to write down what I want or I'm going to pay Anthony and your wife a visit. You wouldn't want them to die for your mistakes now would you?" Garland held up the photo from Grok's desk and the man broke down almost as if on command. Tears streamed from his face as the color was draining from it from blood loss. He scribbled quickly onto the pad of paper, understanding that not only his life was at stake now. "I'm so happy we came to this agreement Grok, your servitude to the empire will be remembered. He took the information from Grok and read it, so they have a warehouse about a mile from here, near the ports, covering as a commercial fishing company. Also, there was a carrier ship that moved their rare stolen goods in industrial cargo crates. It leaves on a shipment tonight, I'm willing to bet that the- His thoughts were interrupted by Grok dropping to his knees, clearly begging from his hand motions and pointed at the picture of his wife and child. Garland smiled "Oh goodness Grok, do you think I would do something to your lovely family!? That hurts Grok, I am not a monster." Garland said in a fake sympathetic tone. He turned and grabbed the back of the amphistaff and pulled, the crack of the bones followed by an ever so satisfying thud sound brought Garland great joy. Grok's head had landed next to his body as the amphistaff had sliced all the way through during its retraction. The amphistaff returned to it's place, hiding as Garland's belt. Garland tossed the picture of Grok's family to the floor and it landed in the pool of blood surrounding Grok's body as he silently slipped out of the tent.

I need to get to that boat, if it's still in the harbor we can board and look for the artifacts there. He took a quick look around and didn't see Jayce or Orion anywhere. It wouldn't do them any good if he went to find them only to have the artifacts shipped away while discussing a plan. I have to believe that they will find out where I'm going next and meet me there. Hell, they might already be there, and I'm the one late to the party. The area was quite dark now, everywhere was only lit up by barely functioning streetlamps. He took another look at Grok's note, and talked to a stranger that passed by, asking the fastest way to get to the pier. He took off looking for the underpass that stood further down on this end of the market. Shuffling quickly through what he could only assume to be homeless people and drug dealers, he slowed down his pace for none of them. He at last saw the long dark tunnel of the underpass that lead to the pier. Garland wasted no time in sprinting through the darkness, after all, he was the most dangerous thing in it right now. He could make out the outline of the other end of the tunnel by a slight color variation from the dark walls around him. He emerged from it and halted to a stop, taking in the scene in front of him.

The pier area was about as well lit as the marketplace had been. There were only a few lights that illuminated patches of the pier's walkways, however it was missing the large crowd shouting for overpriced stolen goods. What Garland could make out was that only a couple ships were at port here now, which would make the search considerably easier, and that there were only a couple dock workers here, so resistance wouldn't be a problem, at least until they got onto the boat. As he continued to scan the area, he caught sight of a cloaked figure sitting on a bench overlooking the pier. He could tell by the force presence that it was in fact [member="Orion Darkstar"]. He quickly slipped over to the bench and took a seat also. "Enjoying the view are we?" Garland snide introduction would surely earn him a scowl from the serious man. "It would seem that we both had luck in our investigations, I have some good news, one of the merchants, Grok, was very forthcoming with information about the Diamond Syndicate. He claims that one of these boats has our stolen artifacts on it, It's a larger boat that covers as a fishing liner, which falls in line with their operation they run out of their headquarters here too. It leaves soon so we need to hurry. Do you have any clue as to which one of these might be our ship?" Garland asked, hoping to narrow their search even further. Hopefully [member="Jayce Vitalus"] will figure out this location too, the more ground we can cover, the faster we can find the stolen artifacts.

[member="Jayce Vitalus"] | [member="Orion Darkstar"]​

 

[Jayce Vitulas]

The child’s eyes moved gradually to the left, then thrashed to the right. Speaking very cautiously, the trembling lips sputtered out words. “My daddy use to work for the bad men. He was a merchant.” The young man looked into the sapphire eyes, still darting from left to right, making sure no one was listening in to rat on her. Jayce watched as her shoulders tensed up, the tiny legs preparing to run.

“Where is your dad now?” Jayce’s tone low and calm. He had no intention of scaring a poor innocent girl, she was just the pointing finger.

“He was killed by the bad people,” tears running down her face, looking at the jar of ladybabies. Jayce took notice and opened the jar, grabbing one and extending out his right hand. “Easy now, it will be okay. I have a plan for the bad men,” the young man whispered. One of the other children in the back spoke up, “Hey that’s not fair! She didn’t tell you anything!” Jayce’s head whipped up, crimson irises flashed in the direction of voice. The child began to slowly choke, struggling to catch a breath. The little girl was about to scream, but Jayce held the ladybaby out further. The adolescent’s eyes flickered, she didn’t know what was more important, the boy’s safety or the candy.

“Don’t you know it is rude to interrupt,” Jayce roared, words aflame. He released the boy, the child coughing instantly. “Now. As you were saying my dear.” The grey jedi’s words were sweet again, calm. Not wanting to anger this man anymore, the girl glanced in the direction of the pier. A giant vessel gently moved on the ocean’s surface. “That boat,” her voice shaking, “They take. They take that boat somewhere. I… I see them on it all the time. They walk onto that blue boat.” The girls figure stretched out towards the docks. The black-haired gent peaked in the direction, seeing a teal craft. Markings on the liner spelled out “Vantage”.

Jayce was grinning from ear to ear. It wasn’t much information, but it was a lead nonetheless. He stopped smiling, for fear of creeping out the children, or worse, getting the authorities called on him. The grey jedi put the jar on the ground and rose from his hunched over position. “Thanks kid. Don’t eat all of those in one sitting.” Striding forward, six other children ran up to him, grabbing his onyx-colored coat. The little fat boy who spoke out earlier was right there with them. The greasy barbarians were searching for credits. Jayce’s hand clenched, willing the force to push them away. Not far, but enough distance to make a point. They flew backwards, running once they realized that he was a force-user. You think they would have learned the first time.

Picking up the pace, he reached the pier, the force telling him that Orion and Garland were close. Two gentlemen were sitting on a bench, gazing out into the emerald seas. Stepping in front of them, Jayce looked at them both with a giant smile. “Vantage is where we'll find our next clue about the Diamond Syndicate,” his voice a dull roar. He leaned forward. “What did you figure out?” The man’s eyebrows were cocked, waiting for a reply.

[member="Orion Darkstar"] | [member="Garland Kramer"]​

 

[Orion Darkstar]

Orion listened to the both of them. They were both good at collecting information. It was odd that there leads came from actual people and his own came from the whispers of the darkside. He could feel a unstable connection with whatever was lingering on the boat. Whatever resided in the crates he wanted, badly. ​

​

The same boat that the henchmen were loading all the crates onto had to be Vantage. It was a fairly big ship. The steel hooks that hung off the back were tarnished with rust. Leading up to the wire that held them was a blue beam to pull things out from under the sea-bed floor. It seemed that the nets and random crates that spread along the top half of the deck meant a long travel for fishing. According to Jayce and Garland, one of the boats would look like a fish liner. Orion stood, tapping both of them on the shoulder in sequence. ​

​

He slid out from the both of them and stepped closer to the ledge. The water rocked into the side of the piers walls. A sudden ray of light came to life. A lamp post, directly near him, gave just enough light to spread across the water and onto the boat he had been watching. The bold and silver 'V' was all he needed to see before he looked at the other two. He felt it before and he was more sure even now. his arm extended sideways as his finger pointed. ​

​

"That's the Vantage, that boat right there with the rusty hooks and the shiny V, on the side." Orion took a moment to observe the crew still piling the crates onto the boat. Only a few left remained. "The last batch is about to be loaded. We need to make haste."​

​

Orion turned away from his comrades and sneakily followed the darker parts of the dock before reaching the side of the Vantage. He hoped his quick and deceiving motions didn't leave the other two behind. He leaned up against the swaying ship, tiny bells ringing for its departure. The sound of a bubbling motor roared as it began to power up. There was no time to look back, getting onto the deck would expose them, but entering through the hatch on the lower deck would force them to stay hidden for a short while. Orion had to decide. ​

​

Stepping onto a short wooden pillar along the dock he jumped, the force granting him more height than usual. He slammed his hands downward as they caught onto the Vantage with success. The circular frame that he grabbed was hard to maintain control of. Quickly he forced himself up and slid in through the lower deck with a tiny thud. He hit the wooden floor like a sack of bricks. He looked around, hopefully no one would come and inspect the loud sound he had made. Carefully, Orion moved out of the way and into a darkened corner. He waited to see if anyone was on the same floor of the Vantage as he was. Silently, he stepped about. Tiny knick-knacks lined the inner wooden shelves. Some crafted from the very wood they sat on. Orion admired them for only a moment before spotting a large table. A large map spread across the entirety of the table, its golden and dark lines showing longitude and latitude. ​

​

Another thud came after, Orion looked to find Garland entering from a different location. ​

​

"Stay quiet and come look at this." Orion said, wondering where Jayce was. "It's fascinating."​

​

[member="Jayce Vitalus"] | [member="Garland Kramer"]​

 

[Garland Kramer]

Garland watched as Orion jumped from a beam next to the dock, launching himself towards the Vantage. His figure disappeared into the darkness as he left the light of a small lamppost nearby. The Vantage was beginning to take off. He turned to Jayce, "No time to waste, see you inside." Garland turned back to the leaving ship and pulled out his amphistaff. With a snap of his fingers, it loosened it's molecules and became a whip. He tossed it towards the Vantage, catching the lip of the upper deck with his beast. He swung down from the ledge, heading for the side of the boat. As he approached it with speed, he put up his hand and used the force to absorb him hitting the side, leaving no sound for guards to check on. After gaining a footing on the side of the Vantage, he slowly moved his way towards the back half, he kept his feet above the windows lining the side though, as to not attract unwanted attention. Reaching the farthest window back he lowered himself and used the force to pull off the window entirely, it fell into the water with a splash, nothing loud enough to compare to the Vantage's running engine and crew talking above him. He slipped into the lower deck with a small thud. Graceful as always.

He hoped that his botched landing didn't warn the guards of his presence. As he stood up and dusted himself off, he heard a familiar voice, layered with a small amount of criticism. "Stay quiet and come look at this." Orion beckoned him over to see what he had found. "It's fascinating." Garland was curious now, it took a bit for Orion to show interest in an object. He made his way over and saw what had captured Orion's attention, it was a map. Not just an ordinary map though, this one was large and splayed out on a table, lines connected to pins were crossing over it in many directions. "What do we have here, shipping routes perhaps?" These lines stretch to many surrounding planets, but all the lines seem to be connected from here." The name above the pin holding all the lines read "Oorn Tchis, HQ." "If that's the case, destroying the Diamond Syndicate here should stop all major operations in this sector. There will be a lot of resistance here then too, should be fun." Garland yearned for battle, any opportunity to hone is abilities. He stood up from the table, and looked around and saw tons of barrels on the lower deck. Garland approached one and pulled off the lid, the smell hit him first, fish, it caused him to wrinkle his nose involuntarily. That smells horrendous. Not what I was expecting from a crime syndicate though. I wonder.... His mind wandered and he reached deep into the barrel on instinct, he felt something hard and metallic further in the barrel. He grabbed the object and pulled it through the fish covering it, as it left the barrel, Garland got a better look at it. "Now that looks like something the Diamond Syndicate would carry." He had pulled out a blaster rifle that had been hiding at the bottom of the barrel. What else could they be hiding in these? He looked to Orion, tossing the blaster to him so he could inspect it. "They are moving their hauls in the fish barrels, the artifacts we are looking for might be on this boat. We could search through all of these, but getting a shipping manifest would be faster. I'm sure they have one above deck somewhere. Once Jayce joins us, we can set up a plan of attack. As he finished, he heard footsteps coming down the stairs to the lower deck. Of course, we could always improvise.

[member="Jayce Vitalus"] | [member="Orion Darkstar"]​

 

[Jayce Vitulas]

Jayce watched as Orion slipped into the shadows around the large vessel, while Garland let his amphistaff take him away, like a spider shooting its web. The young man was taken back by Garland’s methods. Watching old men fly was never on his to-do-list, but he checked it off in his mind just the same. There were many roads to take to the ship, watching the crew line up along the dock, Jayce thought of an incredibly stupid idea. He wasn’t one for stealth or crazy old man webs, so his approach would be different. Walking towards the craft, raising his black cowl, the young man took to the anchorage, putting himself into the back of the line.

A couple more gents popped up behind him, making up a total of nine people waiting to gain entry onto the liner. A few of the recruits were talking to one another, gossiping and discussing pay. One was a greasy fellow, dirty blonde hair and glasses. The other two were twins, sapphire skin, crimson eyes and black of hair. They spat out credit numbers, first three-digit figures, then four. The debating lead to arguing till a giant of a woman stepped next to the line. Standing at seven feet, chestnut hair that passed her shoulders, proceeded to grab the greasy fellow and one of the Chiss and throw them off the dock. Turning back to the last blue skin standing in line whispered, “If Ah hear anymair ramblin' frae onie ay ye, yoo'll be th' next a body aff.”

The remaining seven people turned their eyes forward and looked at the man with a screen. Long spiked emerald hair, onyx-colored pupils perched in immense bug eyes. His nasally voice ringing out across the water. The word “name” being the starter of the sentence, followed by, “get on” after hearing a satisfactory answer. Jayce heard Morrie, Barkur, Flora, and Laurence, the first four onto Vantage. The bug eyes pierced Jayce, looking upon him with disgust and judgement.

“Name?” the voice thundered. A moment passed for Jayce, he was trying to think of an alias, only one persisted to jump at him. “My name is Remy,” the cloaked figure responded. The bug eyes slipping up and down, inspecting the young man. “Little clean for a Remy,” the man chuckled. “Hell, with it, go on in. Just make sure you pull your weight.” The fingers slid across the screen and the door opened.

Vantage’s first floor was a tapestry of boxes and crates, all out of place and broken. More people littered themselves inside the craft. In total, there were twenty-three individuals. The giant woman climbed in, the ceiling rubbed against her head. The thumbing of her massive feet shook the vessel, making it impossible to sit on the crate. Jayce was placed towards the middle of the room, behind him was a mix of ten people and creatures and ten in front. Sitting in the back was to obvious, the “rebel” thing to do. Placing himself in the front might give something away. So, he sat in between the rabble, watching the monstrous woman.

“Alrecht ye lot. we will be departin' tae th' islain tae pick up some gear. th' boss will provide ye wi' a communication device an' a tracker. efter 'at, we will gang huntin' fur some artifacts. th' raur it is, th' mair bunsens ye gie. onie questions?” The voice roared over the crowd, everyone putting their hands to their ears.

The room was silent. A hand raised, it was the Chiss whose twin was thrown off the dock. A raspy throat threw up some words. “What was that last part?” The emerald spikes lifted from the screen, “She said the rarer the object, the more you get paid. Now shut up before you get tossed off too.”

The boat began to creek and twist, the engines roaring as they leaped to life. Jayce sat there thinking about the possible items that were held on the island. Maybe this was just the meeting spot and there was another location, one with a vault. Jayce’s thoughts soon switched to his comrades, wondering if they had made it on just as easily as he did.

[member="Orion Darkstar"] | [member="Garland Kramer"]​

 

[Orion Darkstar]

The rifle was tossed through the air, Orion caught it with minimal issue. The lingering smell from the dripping liquid forced him to grin. The raunchy fish water almost made him gag. He was strong when it came to certain things, but pungent elements forced him to suffer. He examined the rifle with disgust. Slamming the top half of the bolt forward the gun charged up and became operable. It was an older version. Orion slipped the bolt backwards as it powered down. ​

​

"The guns are operational. Which means if we do find those artifacts, they should be the real deal." Orion looked at the map to decipher where the ship was heading. Being out in deep waters could mean trouble for him. So long as the boat remained above sea level, Orion could manage. Just the thought of crashing waves below made him feel sick. He looked at Garland, and waved him away as footsteps approached from the stairs. ​

​

Quick and without enough time, Orion tried to spin out of sight. ​

​

"Hey, are you the entertainer!?" The small heathen asked, loudly. "The captain is waiting for ya. In his quarters of course. Nice mask, get your things and let's go." Orion nodded in agreement. "I'll be waiting for you on the top deck, I wouldn't make him wait. We've got a three day trip under our belts, he'll take your rations." ​

​

Orion waved him off, pretending to look for his belongings. Peaking, he waited for the man to vanish up the steps. ​

​

"Garland, I'm gonna go to the Captain's Quarters. See if you can find what we need, chances are the manifest could be with the Captain." Orion stopped for a moment, contemplating what kind of entertainer he was supposed to be. "Try to find Jayce.." Orion turned to moved up the steps, he smirked. The thought of being a jester to the court was an odd predicament. Something else bothered him though, the whispers of the darkside were muffled. Unlike before, when they called to him. Hopefully, the force would guide him. ​

​

Orion crept upward onto the top deck, a large crew of standing recruits lined up. each of them just as slimy as the next. All of them, spelled criminal. Some were missing teeth, others had robotic arms or legs from ventures, that the Diamond Syndicate force them into. Still, he couldn't change them and the lot of them were better off here than they were back on Bastion. They would be fit for slavery. On other worlds they would be considered riff raft and in cities, they would be peddlers for overlords running the streets. Where else could they go? If their loyalty resided with the syndicate, they would be taken care of. Or so, they were told. Orion bowed his head downward, shifting his eyes towards the crowd of recruits. He spotted the very last thing he thought would be there. ​

​

Jayce!​

​

[member="Garland Kramer"] | [member="Jayce Vitalus"]​

 

[Garland Kramer]

Garland snickered as Orion went onward to the stairs leading up to the floor above them. Orion was talented at improvisation on missions, but to see him perform for the captain, Garland was sad he wasn't going to be able to witness that. He want back to looking at the table that the shipping route map was on, there were words written along the side, notes of some sort. He looked over them a bit before finding one that pertained to his situation. It read "Vantage: 3 day training with exclusive shipment, no mistakes, Blair will be leading this. Keep an eye out for intruders, intercepted reports of empire dogs appearing on Oorn Tchis." Appears they are aware of us, might complicate things here on the boat. Garland wasn't too worried though, he had known Orion to hold himself easily and he had seen Jayce in action before, he held within him a large amount of power. Garland looked at more notes but none of them held information for his situation. I need to get out of this part of the ship without being seen, the trainees won't know any better, but the one from the note, Blair, would recognize that I don't belong and compromise the mission. He listened as water crashed against the side of the boat, and he had en epiphany, if he couldn't go up the stairs, he would just scale up the side. Shouldn't be too hard with my amphistaff.

Garland stacked a few boxes on top of each other and climbed up so he was sitting on the rim of the window he had come through earlier. His amphistaff came out of his sleeve and it's molecules arranged themselves looser to become it's whip form. He then tossed it up, grabbing the lip of the upper deck above him. He planted his feet on the side of the Vantage and scaled the side, his footsteps wouldn't be heard as the water continued to splash against the Vantage. When he was close enough, he gripped the railing of the boat and pulled himself up the rest of the way. Luckily no one was around to watch him arrive on the deck. Must all be inside for training right now, I need to move before that changes though. As his amphistaff returned to it's position on his right arm he scanned the area for a course of action. He then found what he considered to be a good lead. There was a gray door that read "Maintenance Crew Only." a further down on the side of the upper hull. Seems like a good place to start. He hurried over to the door to avoid any possible patrols. It was locked of course, but that wouldn't stop him. He pulled his lightsaber hilt from his belt and ignited the red beam, it took mere seconds to melt the lock, granting him access.

A metal staircase lead down, he couldn't hear the sound of the water anymore, it had been replaced by large machines churning away. The engine room was quite large, as it was host to all the machinery that kept the Vantage running. Garland entered on an upper walkway that lead across the area, there were staircases at each end that lead down to the actual machines. He went down the one at the far end from the entrance to the room. As his feet clanked on the metal stairs, he heard the sound of someone talking. "Is that you Joe? I finished the rounds and the machine checks, everything looks good for your shift." A man came around the corner of one of the large ship engines and saw Garland staring at him as he finished his descent to the lower part of the room. His face showed that he was aware that Garland was not supposed to be here and his left hand reached for a two-way radio on his belt. Garland knew that if he was allowed to communicate his situation, things would get worse. He raised his hand and felt the force surge through it, he shot force lightning at the man and the radio exploded in his hand before he could even get a word out. Garland then walked over to the lifeless body of the guard and found something useful, a set of keys, labeled to different parts of the ship. With these he could gain access to anywhere he wanted as long as nobody questioned him being there.

He headed towards where the guard had been coming from. On the side of the engine room was a blue door, labeled "Power Controls." Garland looked through the keys he had just acquired and found one labeled the same. He put the key in and entered the room with ease. The room was dimly lit and smelled of cleaning supplies. It wasn't very big compared to the engine room but it housed one single piece of equipment, the generator. While Garland didn't want to sink the Vantage, taking out the lights and main power would make things interesting. The engines would still be operational, since they ran on a different power supply. They would surely come down for him as soon as it happened, he would need to be prepared to fight the protectors of this ship. With a evil chuckle he let loose force lightning from his hands once more and destroyed the generator housed there. Sparks shot out from the failing equipment as the lights in both this room and the engine room right outside went dark. Loud sirens began to wail as Garland assumed the rest of the ship was now as dark as it was down here. He was ready for a fight, it would buy Jayce and Orion the time they needed to retrieve the artifacts they boarded the Vantage for. One thought sat in Garland's mind as he walked back to the engine room, his eyes slowly adjusting to the newfound darkness. Let them come.

[member="Jayce Vitalus"] | [member="Orion Darkstar"]​

 

[Jayce Vitulas]

Shaking, rumbling, a sudden halt. The vessel had come to a complete stop, crimson lights replaced the charming yellow that illuminated the room. Jayce looked around the chamber, faces of confusion and emotions came over the 24 other faces, but the Grey Jedi knew what was happening. He didn’t know which of his comrades had done it, but one of the had blown the engines or shut the power down. Either way, the show was about to start, and Jayce was getting excited.

The spiky-haired man walked over to the giant berserker of a woman, calling out her name. “Blair! Someone shut down the power, the computer is going crazy!” Blair looked over the screen pad the punker held, wrinkles forming around her mouth and below her eyes, anger. She spoke no words, just headed away from the large room, her destination unknown to Jayce. The Grey Jedi’s eyes locked with the punker’s, he had taken notice of Jayce’s smile that extended ear to ear. “What are you so happy about?” the emerald spikes turned orange from the change in lighting. “I just like the sudden change in scenery,” Jayce responded sarcastically.

A hand just waved in the young man’s direction, the spikes twisting back to the chair, he didn’t care about it that much. Jayce’s eyes wandered, taken notice of Orion, though the Sith was trying to make it hard for people to notice him. Slicking his black hair back with a right-handed sweep, the Grey Jedi knew he couldn’t just approach Orion directly. The dark side user already yelled at him for his lack of stealth, it was best to just acknowledge Orion and figure out a plan to get out. An idea dawned upon him, why not write what he knew and pass it along?

Jayce pulled a piece of parchment from his boot, along with a pen, something he picked up from one of the merchant’s booths. Just something he grabbed for a just-in-case scenario. He wrote the words, “No one here is allied yet. They can be bought or intimidated.” Looking around after each word, making sure no one noticed his actions, then crumbling the paper when he was done. He got up from his seat and moved towards Orion. He bumped his shoulder into the Sith, making sure to slide the paper in his hand. “Watch where you're going,” Jayce let out as he kept moving.

A group of men rose from their crate-seats and positioned themselves in front of Jayce. Five in total, crossing their arms, trying to intimidate the young man. They wanted something from the Grey Jedi, but what was a mystery. A few snorted, grimaced, and spit near him. “You trying to start trouble lad? We don’t like trouble makers,” a fat pig-nosed man said. “If you start trouble with me, it will be your funeral,” Jayce let slip from his tongue, his anger getting the best of him. The tiny group laughed, proceeding to make remarks about his cloak and the scar on his right eye. The pig-nose snickered, looked back at one of his friends and tried to swing. Missed. Jayce’s fist was already in trajectory towards the man’s jaw. Crack. The fat body floated in the air for a moment and landed on the ground.

Not good.

[member="Orion Darkstar"] | [member="Garland Kramer"]​