Rajivari

[Rusken Shaxx]

Another blow sustained by the young man. This fight was becoming more enraging for the broken Jedi as he continued to push himself to kill just because he thought it a necessary evil. Survival was a peculiar thing when it came to the human condition, the lengths a man will go just to come out on top and later regret every action committed. Rusken's mind was too cloudy at the moment, but maybe it would take nearly losing his life once more to see clearly again.

As Ein came in for another attempt, Rusken felt his faith completely slip away. It was like a piece of him actually disappeared into thin air causing a weakness to overwhelm the old man's body. His duty as a Jedi was over now - it had been over for some time now. It was only until this moment that such a massive realization took its toll.

Without his Republic, the old veteran felt truly alone in the galaxy. He had no family waiting for him somewhere, he was alive to serve and end conflicts before they got out of hand. His duty as a Guardian had also reached its bitter end.

Alone, once again.

Rusken dropped his defenses and spaced out as reality hit him harder than any blow. Ein would be granted the disarming of the veteran, sending the crimson lightsaber skidding across the ground. Scorch marks being carved haphazardly as the blade itself settled against a far wall, humming softly.

The seasoned warrior stood without having anything to say. His gaze dropped to the ground, almost as if he was giving his silent surrender. He knew he couldn't win this fight for nothing, it wouldn't mean anything. Not even for himself.

"I give up."

He grumbled.

[member="Urya Uvatera"] [member="Ein Necavich"]

 

[Urya Uvatera]

[member="Charlene Adaska"] [member="Ein Necavich"] [member="Rusken Shaxx"]

Urya was merrily whistling to herself, flipping switches and checking buttons. She stopped for a moment, bending down to look at a light. She prodded it for a moment. "That's funny. Where'd the 'check engine' flash go? Why did you stop, light? Hehe. Stoplight." She leaned her cheek against the steering wheel, listening to the hum of the engines up the steering column. " You're working right now. You were flashing me a moment ago, cheeky darling." She chastised the 'dash'. "Did something fix you?"

 

[Placeholder 0123]

A victory well earned, so far as Ein was concerned. He paid the crimson lightsaber only a moment's notice, before turning back to the former Guardian. His blade leveled on the neck of his opponent, the amber weapon ready to carve Rusken in two with the flick of his wrist.

"I can't leave you here." He grunted. "Hands behind your head, we're leaving. If you stay calm, I won't have to restrain you."

He held out his right hand. Rusken's weapon soared through the air and came to rest in his open palm. Ein examined the hilt for a shot moment, and flicked the activation switch The crimson blade dispersed with a quiet hiss.

Ein affixed the weapon to his belt, and disengaged his own lightsaber. He motioned upward, toward the obsidian steps that the unconscious Gregory had descended from.

"Ship should be up there. Shift it." He grunted, striding forward purposefully, though Rusken never left his peripherals.

[member="Urya Uvatera"] [member="Rusken Shaxx"] [member="Charlene Adaska"]

 

[Charlene Adaska]

She could do this. Easy, right? Just like in the holos. Just... Take her out and go to the proper authorities. Simple. Like changing the hyperdrive on a Naboo Cruiser!
...Yeaaah.

With a cry, she rushed into the cockpit, heavy wrench aimed for the back of... some girl? Didn't matter. She had a job to do! Never get between a girl and her job!

[member="Urya Uvatera"]

 

[Urya Uvatera]

[member="Rusken Shaxx"]
[member="Charlene Adaska"]
[member="Ein Necavich"]

The engineer's battle cry jerked the Cyborg out of her reverie. She grabbed the steering wheel and yanked it sideways. The ship did its best to oblige (while still docked!), bouncing up, tilting sideways and smashing hard back onto its landing legs when Urya pushed the column back into neutral position. Good built-ship could take such a shock, but anything not strapped down inside suddenly would find itself on the floor. " Contents may have shifted during flight!" She cackled, looking behind herself at her assailant, hoping she'd jarred whoever it was enough.

 

[Charlene Adaska]

...Nope. With a jerk of the ship, Charlene went tumbling, and when she hit the ground, the wrench flew out of her hand. What... was this girl? Err...? Girl? Or whatever? The young mechanic scrabled away to find her wrench. Where was the damn thing?
Charlene was not a fighter by trade. That was something reserved for pirates or smugglers. Mechanics typically knew how to do one thing and fighting was not it. Still, she had better senses and timing than most people.

"Get off this ship," she demanded. Well, okay, she tried to demand. Her voice was shaky. Yeah, she was scared. How many people tried to steal your clients ship while you were fixing the air conditioning? "Or else... Or else I'll call security."

[member="Urya Uvatera"] [member="Ein Necavich"] [member="Rusken Shaxx"]

 

[Urya Uvatera]

[member="Charlene Adaska"]
[member="Ein Necavich"]
[member="Rusken Shaxx"]

"Security!" Urya snorted in choked giggles. "What security? The Sith are destroying what they're finding! Bad bubbles for Security, I'm afraid." She settled the ship, patting it affectionately. " No, what we're going to is settle down, pop open a Bluesky Fizzer, and wait for my thief." She hit a button, the cockpit door hissing shut and locked behind them. " What's your name? What do you do? Because I think we're going to be very good friends." Urya grabbed a hold of a display, tuning it to a camera on the outside of the hull. She found a ship. She did her job! Now she had to wait.

 

[Charlene Adaska]

No security? The girl blinked up at the other young woman. But... Never mind that! She was still trying to take her customers ship. She spotted her wrench, slid all the way back under the co-pilots seat. She could try to reach for it while she was on the ground. She had to try. Make a statement by bashing this thieves face in.

"I don't care what you say. This ship doesn't belong to you. I'm getting paid to fix it, and I don't get paid if the ships taken."

She kept talking, trying to distract her while she reached under the seat to pull the heavy wrench back.

"I don't give my name to common criminals."

[member="Urya Uvatera"]

 

[Urya Uvatera]

[member="Charlene Adaska"]
[member="Ein Necavich"]
[member="Rusken Shaxx"]

Urya responded to the 'common criminal' jab by bouncing the ship once again, in the opposite direction. " Excuse you. That was rude. I demand an apology." She huffed. " See if we become good friends now. And you aren't getting paid, unless your client was Sith. And honestly, do Sith pay for anything?"

 

[Charlene Adaska]

The girl was knocked back on the opposite side of the ship. Great. Now she couldn't find her wrench anywhere. No. No. There it was, so far under the seat she'd need tentacles to be able to get to it. She cursed under her breath.

"My employer was... I don't think I need to tell you that. You stole a ship. That makes you a thief. That means that if I allow you to just fly this ship out, I'll be just as guilty as you. I wasn't trained for thievery. I was trained to fix things."

She grabbed onto the side of the ships interior walls, hauling herself up again. Weapon or not, she was going to do what she could to take this criminal out. This was her moment to be a hero. But, ugh, her head hurt from hitting it on the wall again. She was walking towards the back of this girls head peaking out over the pilots seat. She could just punch her, right? Take her out that way?
She raised her fist....

[member="Urya Uvatera"]

 

[Urya Uvatera]

[member="Charlene Adaska"]
[member="Rusken Shaxx"]
[member="Ein Necavich"]

Turned around in her seat to face Charlene, hands on the back of the chair, beaming. " Reeeeeaaally? So you're the custodian of the ship! What's it's name..? I was thinking Jabba, but that seems to bring a corpulent ..." She stopped, noticing the raised fist. She curled her flesh hand into a fist, and lightly tapped it. " My name is Urya. I'm glad we're friends."

 

[Charlene Adaska]

Her hand froze in mid air. She was... confused. Why was this ship thief talking to her like they were best friends already? She was trying her very hardest to do the right thing and take this woman down so she could return the ship to it's proper owner in perfect condition. But...

"Err... Mister Finn called it..." she hesitated, feeling her cheeks go a deeper shade of green, "Blinkie."

Stupid name. Mister Finn was weird. And even weirder was the fact that she just couldn't bring herself to hit this... woman... thing. She ran her dirty hand across her face, leaving a smudge of grease on her cheek.

"Are you kidnapping me?" she asked, "because I will have you know that literally nobody out there gives a wamp rats behind about me, so you'd really be wasting your time."

[member="Urya Uvatera"]

 

[Urya Uvatera]

[member="Charlene Adaska"]
[member="Ein Necavich"]
[member="Rusken Shaxx"]

"No one gives a wamprat about you? Fantastic! You can come with us then. I can fix ships, yes, but.. uh. I get... distracted. And sometimes upgrade things that perhaps don't need upgraded. Like toilets. In my defense, I honestly thought that people would enjoy the feeling of bubbles on their wamp rats while they did their business. Also, Blinkie is a terrible name. Mr. Finn will have to be shot. Do you have a gun?" Urya turned around, looking at the camera. Where was that man? Her attention returned to the Mirialan. " What is your name?"

 

[Charlene Adaska]

Yeah. This woman was out of her mind. Charlene had seen this kind before. Probably some brain parasite. Best be careful around her. She backed away, shaking her head.

"I'm not giving you my name," she stubbornly insisted, "You don't deserve my name. I don't make friends with criminals."

Charlene did not carry any weapons on her. Why would she? Nobody bothered her. She was just a simple gal, doing a simple job. She'd been held up once by some drug addict once, but when she gave him her pocket change, he took off pretty quickly. No reason to go thinking she needed to be carrying a blaster now.

"I'm gunna ask you one more time. Get off of this ship. It ain't yours."

[member="Urya Uvatera"]

 

[Rusken Shaxx]

This was the first and only time Rusken had ever considered surrender, let alone gone through with it. If this were any other time then it would have been a ploy and not a sincere gesture. The crazed old bat put his hands behind his head with an unsavory expression plastered across his face. His eyes were glazed over from the lack of rest he was getting, cuts and bruises littered his face. The man had been through hell and lost everything for a second time in his entire life.

How many lifetimes could the Epicanthix live through and still find reason to cling on? This was yet another trial for Rusken of the Republic - Of the Republic no more.

"Where do you plan on going? I might be surrendering to you, but I at least deserve some insight."

The former Jedi walked towards the general direction the young man said the ship would be in, casting a glance at the other man being taken as a prisoner.

For now, all Rusken could do was ponder what his life was going to be like without the saving grace of the Republic - if it could even be called that. The future was obscured by burning thoughts and emotion that the old veteran hadn't felt before. Was this truly his fall?

Time answers all questions.

[member="Ein Necavich"]

 

[Placeholder 0123]

A very good question.

Ein left Gregory where he lay. He did not have the time or the patience to deal with the arrogant Sith apprentice, nor did he wish to waste whatever medical equipment might be aboard the ship treating him. Some might see it as cruel, but Gregory had assaulted the young warrior with full intention to kill. It was what he deserved.

"Somewhere in the core likely. I need to reestablish myself in the Sith hierarchy, make connections with the Imperial faction. I hear they're looking to gain more power. It's an opportunity to gain the influence I need." He answered. It certainly wasn't straightforward, but it was all Ein had. He breathed a heavy sigh as he began the long walk up the obsidian stair case. "Likely Coruscant or something like it."

He came to a halt at the apex of the stairs. Tython was still as alive and verdant as ever, but there was an electricity in the air. Rather than the pure serene grace the planet had given off under the Jedi Order's protection, there was an air of malice about it. It spread from the trees, to the earth, and up to the skies above. Whatever the One Sith had done, Tython would be forever changed.

"I'm not Sith. The Republic took someone from me. The Sith are the only way to get that someone back - I don't agree with what they're doing." He assured. "We should leave this place...it's wrong."

[member="Rusken Shaxx"]

 

[Urya Uvatera]

[member="Ein Necavich"]
[member="Rusken Shaxx"]
[member="Charlene Adaska"]

"And one more time, I'm going to have to refuse." The malaise of malice was beginning to perk at her circuits, alerting the cyborg to the danger approaching. She jabbed the PA button, her voice bouncing through the ship and outside of it. " If you can hear this, Saffron, HURRY UP!"

 

[Rusken Shaxx]

Rusken furrowed his brow at Ein, perplexed by his response. Gaining a means to an end through the Sith themselves? That wasn't only dangerous, but if he were to be discovered, then it wouldn't end well. The old man had little choice in the matter, but this was something to think about. He had a chance now, a way to leave his mark on the Sith with the determination of others.

It might be selfish, but this could be the old man's ticket to punching the Sith square in the jaw. To finally spit in the face of the one that leads them. Rusken didn't particularly care for the life of the boy or even the woman but they would be his key to true freedom. After that... the rest is yet to be set in stone.

"I'll give it to ya' kid. You're about as blind and bold as they come, trying to step on the toes of the Sith like that. What makes you think it would even work out? I've been fighting you pieces of crap for a couple decades now and nothing has changed. I still see arrogant asses flicking their wrists at whatever they don't like. "

Rusken sighed softly to himself.

"So much for my retirement plan; I'm out of smokes too, got any?"

The old man wasn't the most lovely person to converse with, but he had his quirks like any other person. Perhaps he would grow to like this kid, but nobody ever knows what could happen when you align with Sith.

The old grump shifted his shoulders and cracked his neck. He didn't see how some of these Imperials wore such heavy suits of armor without popping something out of place or straining themselves just to move freely. A poor decision on Rusken's part.

"If it means anything, kid, I want you to know that the Republic has always held some dark secrets back from public eyes. Everything from prison camps, experiments, weapons of mass destruction, you name it. As a Jedi, you're trusted to guard the Republic with your life if you make such a decision. I don't mean to sound like a conspiracy nut, but I've seen some things."

Rusken paused and coughed a few times, clearing his throat.

"I'm about fed up with them anyway. I've given them more than enough of my life and it's time I take in a new direction. I might be old, but I've got plenty of time." He looked to Ein with a more softer expression. "I'll help you get back whatever it is you're after, kid. I've got nowhere to be, plus, I'm being detained, aren't I?" Rusken chuckled and shifted his gaze toward the scenic view of Tython, a world gone to ruin.

[member="Ein Necavich"]

 

[Charlene Adaska]

One more refusal. Fine. She hated to do this, but she was going to have to. And now she was asking for reinforcements? Great.

"Alright. I tried," she whispered, moving up behind her, aiming a fist at her head from behind.

[member="Urya Uvatera"]

 

[Placeholder 0123]

What was this? The crazy old man was being friendly? At first, Ein took it with a grain of salt. He glanced over his shoulder suspiciously at the former Guardian with a lofted brow. Yet, that laugh was real. It put Ein at ease, if only for the moment.

"I know what I'm doing. This isn't my first time playing the game." He assured. He offered a thin smile as they trod across the ruined grassland just outside the fount. He had heard from old stories that, at one time, Tython had been beautiful. It certainly didn't seem that way now.

He parted his lips to say more when the cyborg woman's voice chimed in on the PA system. Without another word, Ein ignited his amber blade, fastened Rusken's own to his belt, and dashed up the gangplank. He shot down the corridors with the speed of a crazed man and came to a halt just outside of the cockpit.

"The previous owner of this vessel has been disposed of for disobeying his superiors. It now falls to me." He lied on instinct. Gregory had really just been doing his job - but it was one that happened to be detrimental to Ein's cause.

He doused the amber blade, and cast his gaze between the two women. "Calm yourselves. I am Ein Necavich, and we need to dust off as soon as possible."


[member="Charlene Adaska"] [member="Rusken Shaxx"] [member="Urya Uvatera"]