Second Chances (Alatar Istari)

[Akio Diachi]

Sound track for this post---here

Location: Leb'Reen, Roon
Time: Twilight

Akio looked out from his position, hidden among the shadows. In the middle of the megatropolis of Leb'Reen massive spacescrapers straggled the skyline like dying fingers reaching for mercy. Law in this city was all about who you had connections to--and then only on their turf. Even among the lawless there are rules.

Standing the tallest in the city was Citidel Luxurious, who's name alone explained what the brothel/hotel/uptown drug center/massage palace was. He was confident inside were debaucheries that could rival the ones he had witnessed in the White Palace.

Ah, the White Palace. Where he had been given the offer--quite a loose term for it--to kill this obnoxious male Rodien known as "Dazzle." He made his first misstep when getting in league with the Hutts, the second was when he started stealing Twi'lek dancing girls from the Hutt syndicate. The numbers were in the hundreds, the cost to the Hutts nearing the millions. His third and final misstep was placing an order here on his known bank accounts. Fool. His appetites will be the death of him. And justice shall be served. For you--Dryzl.

The armored Chiss adjusted his black gloves. It was time. He jumped off the precipice onto a speeder, landing on his feet. The driver lurched and began cursing him in Huttese. Akio didn't hear half of it as he leaped off, grabbing another to flip off of. Akio went somersaulting upward, through the air, landing precariously on a windowsill. Akio shimmied inside. It was work time, he was ready to kill.

Akio's Katana and daggers rattled lightly as he jogged down the side passages. Even these worker access routes were incredibly opulent. He pulled into a Turboshaft and pressed the floor number. In and out in a matter of seconds. He fished a hypodermic needle from his satchel and began filling it with spices laced with neurotoxin. This time the death would be painful and long--justice.

[member="Alatar Istari"]

 

[Alatar Istari]

One thing you should never do is mess with the Sith. The Rodian fool Dazzle had done that one thing and now he was going to pay for it. Dazzle had stolen a large shipment of very precious glitterstim and sold it to a differentc contracter than the one he was supposed to sell it to and now was rolling in stolen dough, except he was going to die for it..

The assassin known as Ghost sat in an alleyway across from the building where Dazzle was staying, careful to not be seen by anyone passing by as she adjusted the silencer on her blaster. Once that was complete, she stood up from her kneeling position, making sure her goggles were in place and her hair was not apparent under the hood of the cloak, and strolled into the building that could rival some palaces, taking the first elevator that was empty to the 34th floor. Stepping out onto the dance floor, the music from the party stopped as Ghost approached the Rodian that had chosen his death by her hands and made her blaster apparent. The Rodian's eyes went wide, if that was even possible, and he backed up, shouting that hadn't done whatever it was. Ghost held up a hand to silence him as she took off the goggles so he could look her in the eye as she spoke in a deep, almost mocking tone.

"Oh I think you have, Dazzle, and I've come for one purpose." As she spoke she calmly raised the blaster to his forehead.

"Your judgement."

[member="Akio Diachi"]

 

[Akio Diachi]

Akio watched the revelry from the scaffolding over the dance floor. The patrons were each in various states of debauchery; some drunk, some dulling the world in spice, others dancing, while some watched lustfully. It disgusted Akio. It wasn't too hard to find the target, despite the overload of stimuli; the golden rhinestone jacket and matching pants gave Dazzle. Two twi'leks flanked him, trying to dance with the uncoordinated scum. Judging by their level of effort, Akio could guess they were his slaves dancing for their lives.

Akio had no problem waiting and striking quietly, when the moment was right. It would appear like a simple over dose. The idea went crashing down when the dark person came onto the dance floor.

Everything stopped and watched her cross the floor directly to Dazzle. Judging by the way it walked, Akio guessed the humanoid was a female. Akio grit his teeth, this was not what he wanted. Competition, of course. Either the Hutt booking had gotten sloppy or this Rodien had a knack for angering people. When she raised her blaster, Akio knew he had to move, and fast.

Jumping from his perch, the Chiss flipped twice and landed on his feet between the two. His black trench coat fluttered in the wind as he landed. The bystanders watched dumbly, the silence was so pervasive Akio could hear everyone's breathing--including her's. Its unnatural. Ragged. Slow. Akio stored the idea for later as he rose to his full height, left hand on his Katana. He didn't want to get deadly but if this female required it, he would use force. His glowing red eyes flickered from behind his Cortosis helmet. "Mine."

[member="Alatar Istari"]

 

[Alatar Istari]

Alatar's eyes flickered to the man who had come in between her and her bounty and had calmly stated that this was his bounty in one word. She took a step forward, not lowering her blaster.

"Move, or I'll have to add two lives to hell." She didn't want to spill more blood than necessary, but would if the man made any sudden movements. the Rodian tried to run while the two bounty hunters were distracted, but his movement was too sluggish due to the poison in his blood and Ghost shot him in the leg so he wouldn't move.

@Akio Diachi

 

[Akio Diachi]

Akio smirked behind his helmet. She was persistent, if not foolish in breaking the rules. He couldn't see her eyes but judging by the tone of her voice, Akio could guess what was in them; anger, soullessness, rage, lostness. Be gentle. You were here once too.

"'No hunter shall slay another,'" Akio quoted the Bounty Hunter's Creed. "We can work this out like civilized beings or we can fight like akk dogs. On one hand we can both win, or on the other we can both loose. Your choice." His eyes flickered. He was hoping to appeal to her higher senses. If that didn't work, he was ready to do what was necessary, "Though I have a feeling you want an easy target like I do, and don't want to see a worthy comrade die needlessly."

[member="Alatar Istari"]

 

[Alatar Istari]

Alatar's gun slowly lowered. She could not shoot the other hunter if she wanted her reputation to stay where it was, and also because of a lingering memory that haunted her. I do not want to break that rule again.. Ghost looked down in shame, but then a cry of agony brought her back to the moment at hand and remembered what she was doing here in the first place.

"You are right." She said no more as Dazzle had already crawled to the elevator with the orange Twi'leks holding him up. Ghost whipped around and charged at the elevator which closed right before she got there. Frustrated, she punched the door with her metal arm, making a dent in the steel. She turned back around to the male.

"Would you be willing to help me instead of fighting?"

@Akio Diachi

 

[Akio Diachi]

Akio smiled, genuinely pleased. He saw the break in emotional leakage, pain, shame, hurt. He felt a sense of compassion. Even the worst monsters can be salvaged. He nodded, "Do not kill the slave girls. That is an imperative."

He walked to the Turboshaft and examined it. A stronger person might be able to crack the door open. However, what he had in agility, dextarity, and speed, he lacked in brute force. Thinking, he looked around the rest of the room. The civilians standing by were unsure what to make of this, and frankly he didn't blame them. The north wall was made of several ceiling to floor panes. I could make that work.

He bowed slightly to the female, "Akio. You may call me Akio."

The Chiss sprinted to the window and catapulted himself through it, shattering the transparasteel amid the screams of terror and surprise of the patrons. He began diving face first towards the ground. The wind felt good, whipping alongside his armor, making his trench coat billow behind him.

[member="Alatar Istari"]

 

[Alatar Istari]

"Yes, Akio." Then he jumped out the window. Holy chit.. Alatar followed close behind, spread-eagled to slow her fall. She dived a bit to catch up with the Chiss, whooping a bit in sheer exhilaration. Her cape almost came off from the force of the wind, and she grabbed it, making it a temporary parachute to try and slow her fall even more. She looked over at the other hunter.

"How are we going to survive a fall from the 34th floor of a building?"

[member="Akio Diachi"]

 

[Akio Diachi]

"Its only 34 stories," Akio replied with a hint of humor. He had fallen father and harder than this before.

Timing it, the Chiss flipped his body closer to the side of the building. He sighed looking at Alatar. He hadn't calculated for the extra weight, so the landing would be rougher than he'd have liked. With one hand he grabbed the woman and with the other he slammed his cortosis katana into the side of the building. flecks of glass, metal sparks, and permacrete. The bits of debris bounced off the Chiss' armor and his blade started to glow as it absorbed the quantitative amounts of energy as they slowed from a wild death free-fall to the more manageable speed.

They landed in the entrance, Akio on his feet with his burning Katana in hand. He streched his neck, "That wasn't too bad, now was it?"

[member="Alatar Istari"]

 

[Alatar Istari]

Alatar practically landed metal arm first, but instead landed on all fours. She swore at the pain, but then looked up at Akio with a crazy look in her eye.

"Yea that was fun. I'm Ghost by the way, let's get this kill over with." Almost in full Soldier mode, Ghost stood up and wiped the bit of blood on her arm, surveying her surroundings. She could feel the Ghost Soldier fighting to get out, but she couldn't let it all the way out, or she would kill innocents. She looked at Akio, unsure of what to do next.

@Akio Diachi

 

[Akio Diachi]

Akio flourished his still glowing sword, leaving a wake of warm energy and glow behind the blade. When the woman introduced himself he gave a half bow. There was always time to honor those you were hunting with, "It is an honor to meet you, Ghost."

He could see that she was getting a hint of the bloodlust in her. He couldn't blame her. The adrenaline in their veins often had that affect on those who were not trained in self-control. He was, gratefully. But will it still hold after--

Akio snapped himself out of his self-doubt. She was looking to him for guidance. He noted she was bleeding and would have to help with that. Later. He examined where they were. The entrance, he doubted that Dazzle would come gallivanting through the front doors, however, under spice some did stranger things. The Chiss shook his head. He needed to get his head in the game. He wasn't used to giving orders, but now he would have to. The precious moments of advantage would be burned up if they didn't move quickly.

He pointed to the massive glass doors, "Through the lobby is the main and private hangars for air speeders. My bet is that's where Dazzle is headed. Security may put up some resistance, but do not commit lethal force unless necessary. I would bet that Dazzle has his own set of thugs and they are getting ready fast for us." His head tilted back to her, "Questions?"

[member="Alatar Istari"]

 

[Alatar Istari]

"Nope." She processed the orders and ran into the building, practically smashing the glass doors. She looked around and spotted the said doors that led to the speeder garage just as they closed. She sprinted over to it and tried to open the door, but it wouldn't budge, so she punched the lock with her metal arm and kicked the door down. Dazzle's thugs began shooting as soon as Ghost showed her masked face, and she pressed against the wall, setting her gun to stun to make sure she didn't kill anyone. She checked behind her and then rushed into the room.

@Akio Diachi

 

[Akio Diachi]

Akio followed after the Ghost. She is strong. Good, we will need a muscle for this job. When the doors to the speeder hanger opened, Akio waited for the obligatory barrage of blasterfire. He sighed inside. Why can't these jobs ever just be as easy I want them to be?

He watched the hail of blasterbolts. He gauged their calibur with the sound of the weapons. None of them were higher than heavy assult weaponry. I can take that.

"I will draw their fire, you press the advantage," Akio shouted over the din.

Without waiting for a reply he walked calmly through the door. Blaster marks railed against his dark Cortosis armor to no avail. The Faraday-cage design on the G'ecnsi vesir made the air around him hot and buzz with static electricity with each shot. Increasingly powerful arcs of blue electricity skipped from his armor to the metal ground. The guards started shouting, all were focusing their fire directly on him.

"I forgot to leave my datapad on the ship," Akio grumbled. He knew that it was now fried beyond repair, but he hoped Ghost had made her move.

[member="Alatar Istari"]

 

[Alatar Istari]

Ghost nodded and followed shortly after she heard the shouting and gunfire turn away from the door. She slipped in and scanned the immediate area for Dazzle, and saw the two orange Twi'leks trying desperately to help the practically unconscious Rodian into a very fancy speeder. She sprinted over, only to be blocked by two large Zabraks, most likely Dazzle's thugs.

One of them came at her and swung with a roundhouse, which she ducked under and gave a face full of metal fist. That Zabrak backpedalled while the other one came in with a few short jabs and a kick, clearly more trained than the other one. Alatar blocked the first three punches before taking the kick in the stomach, actually sliding backwards a good foot or two.

"Go to Hel, you fethin' bastard!" The Ghost Soldier launched herself at the male, giving him a good kick in the kisser to knock him out. Now onto the first Zabrak, who had gotten over the punch to the face and was charging at her.

[member="Akio Diachi"]

 

[Akio Diachi]

Akio reached behind him, drawing a pair of chakrams. He saw Ghost out of the corner of his eye moving in. I have their attention, now its time to keep it. He reached behind his back and drew a chakram. With a flourish of his fingers, the Chiss flicked it at the speeders where a cluster of thugs were taking cover. The blade bounced off both of the speeders, knocking some of their rifles out of their hands, and cutting into their bodies.

Twisting in a wild flip, the Chiss reached on his belt, drawing a handful of throwing needles. The electrical storm on him was growing bigger as the fire continued to focus in on him. Just like your master taught you. Do it right.

Landing on one of his feet, he tossed the first one, it sank deep into one of their chests. Akio planted his foot on one speeder and catapulted himself into an acrobatic somersault, unleashing the volley of needles on his enemies.

Akio landed on his knees. He felt the wind whirl beside him as a grenade flew past his face. Oh feth--

The speeder's explosion lifted the assassin off his feet and slammed him back on the ground with a hard slam.

[member="Alatar Istari"]

 

[Alatar Istari]

The Ghost Soldier had finished beating the Zabrak like a fruit when she felt a heat wave from a grenade, rolling to the side so she could avoid the larger debris. She stood up and looked around for a second to make sure Akio was still alive. She saw him on the ground a few good meters away from the grenade's blast point. She ran over and rolled him onto his back.

"Don't you fething die on me dangit." Akio was still breathing and his Cortosis armor had deflected most of the shrapnel, so he was okay. Now to go in for the kill.

@Akio Diachi[member="Akio Diachi "]

 

[Akio Diachi]

Akio felt his ears ringing and the world swinging and changing around him. He forced himself to get his bearings and sit up. Ghost was moving in towards Dazzle. Dazzle, of course. That is what I came here for.

Akio tried to stand up but his legs slacked on him, making him fall back down. He took a deep breath and forced himself up, willing the muscles to obey. Stumbling forward, he followed Ghost. The world spun around him like carnival ride, but he would make it. He had to.

He spotted a soldier trying to get up. The Chiss gave a slash with his sword that made the body go limp. He felt no remorse, but inside he knew he would later.

[member="Alatar Istari"]