Sposia Red

[Karisa]

Spoiler

This is set ~6 months after this thread.

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Ch'avz, Sposia​

Chiss Space, Unknown Regions ​

___​

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Brask'ari'sabosen could barely keep her wits about her, but knew enough that she could not give in now to the overwhelming desire to pass out. She had to find somewhere safe to hold up, but more so figure out who to ask for help as those on her homeworld she called family were all dead.

Tears blurred Ari's vision for a moment as a wave of pain came over the Chiss noble as she stood in the chilly fall, coastal rain. It was both physical and emotional in nature. The pain was from the injuries incurred during the failed assassination attempt on her life. The emotional was from the cold-blooded murder of her father and other loyal family members supporting the Aristocra of House Sabosen... or rather who was.

The highly orchestrated coup came swiftly and the attack with precision a few hours after the official announcement of the arranged marriage agreement of the Sabosen First Daughter to the First Son of House Csapla. The two major Chiss Ruling Houses together as an aligned voting block in the Circle of Families with all their vassal minor houses they each carried under them would make both Aristrocras too powerful, but more so Mitth'oru'sabosen in many eyes; mostly those that loathed him within House Sabosen.

This small dissenting group of blood borns hated the handpicked heir by Aristocra Sev'ero'sabosen, who was forced to step down due to ill health from a devastating stroke. They wanted nothing else than to see Oru choke in his own blood... And that exactly is what had happened, though the elder Sabosen did not go down without a fight while taking a few of them with him; once a marine, always a marine.

Brask'ari'sabosen stumbled along in the shadows of a downtown Ch'avz alleyway like a bum, trying to get her bearings when a service door of an establishment opened. She ducked down behind a dumpster with a silent wince only to have the male Chiss walk out with a bag of trash. Ktah! His face was familiar though.... He was the bartender from the In'dulge Nightclub; the very one who seemed to know Vesnam'alica'raith on a personal level when the two Chiss nobles had drinks together before the trip that cemented their prohibited relationship due to their different positions in Chiss society.

Gods how Ari missed the charismatic shipping tycoon; their short lived, forbidden love affair while the two were on a medical supply run to Dremulae for the Ascendancy had not been forgotten at least in her heart. The Sabosen often wondered what if she'd said yes to the Vesnam's offer at the time to whisk her away from the isolationist nation of the Unknown Regions that held their ideals of the Red Flame over all else But Brask'ari'sabosen hadn't, and here she found herself in this dire situation. What if she said yes now? Was it still a possibility? Did he still care? Would he come for her after all this time?

The highly trained doctor was desperate by this point in her struggle to stay alive and took a chance he just might give aid without too many questions. The assassins sent to kill her would soon find out the First Daughter of House Sabosen wasn't as dead as they thought.

"Excuse me.... " Ari ground out softly while standing up in a ginger state from her hidden position, then she added quickly with her left hand raised shakily upward in a non-threatening way to calm the man's edginess as he began to reach for a concealed weapon no doubt holstered in the small of his back; her right hand was left pressing against the opposite side of her abdomen.

"Please do not be alarmed. I mean you no harm, but there has been an... incident. I need to get in touch with [member="Malicar"]. Would you be able to facilitate that for me quietly? I can pay you for your trouble."

With that last part uttered past her bloodied lips, the rapidly paling woman began to collapse... Ari's destiny now was out of her hands as any resemblance of conscious gave way to complete blackness from blood loss.

 

[Malicar]

In'dulge Nightclub
Ch'avz, Sposia

Theme​

Jolus had served as a bartender for the In'dulge Nightclub for over a decade. The chiss commoner had been a bit of a drifter for many years until he began working as a server at a nearby restaurant and then landing a job as bartender of the infamous In'dulge Nightclub. Jolus did not get back on his feet on his own. Chiss society never talked about their homeless or unemployed population, bit it existed. Often, these individuals were outcasts or outliers that ran into a spell of bad luck—or made the wrong noble angry. But Malicar found that often gems could be found among this population—down and out, but highly capable and eager to work. In the case of Jolus, the Eclipse Consortium found him homeless and recruited him to work for them. The deal was fairly simple: be an informant for the Eclipse Consortium and they would get him back on his feet. They set him up with a job in Sabosen space and he made his way to bartender in the In'dulge Nightclub, which he was quite pleased to be doing. Eclipse Consortium paid him a stipend and in return he fed them all of the dirty secrets and rumors he ran across in Sposia. He was one of many contacts now a part of The Shroud…

Taking out the trash, Jolus immediately recognized the Sabosen noble. Rumors had already gotten to him about the death of many Sabosen nobles, a literal coupe occurring across Sabosen space. The beautiful face of Karisa was known to Jolus—he was with the boss of his boss of his boss, Malicar Raith. Which meant, if anything happened to an acquaintance of the Underlord Eshro and he could have prevented it, it would be the death of him…

Looking around to ensure the pair were alone in the alley, Jolus looked down to see the injured chiss fall into unconsciousness. Quickly, he pulled her inside the door of the bar and closed the light blast door behind him. Panic filled the chiss as he realized the Sabosen noble’s fate was now in his hands. But fear won the day—crossing Black Sun was not an option. Stepping away from the chiss female, he made his way to the kitchen and called out to the chef of Indulge, “Kilga, I have to take the rest of the night off—it is an emergency…”

The female chiss dressed in the black suit came storming over to the bartender and said coolly, “This is one of out busiest nights and you wish to—”

When she rounded the corner and saw the black and red garb of the injured Sabosen noble, she stopped in her tracks, looked up at Jolus and saw the fear in his eyes. Her response was immediate, “Go…I will watch the bar.”

The chef did not know the situation. All she knew was that her bartender was in deep with Eclipse Consortium and she did not want any trouble from them or anyone else in her establishment this night.

“Go now…”

Nodding grimly, Jolus reached down and hooked her over his arm while reaching for his comlink at the same time. Keying a channel, he opened the line and said frantically over the channel, “Mace, I need a pick-up in the Kuzen Alley…discreet.”

Moments later, a dark speeder pulled into the alley at the back blast door of the Indulge establishment. A burly chiss got out of the driver’s seat and made his way around to the door, meeting Jolus with his unconscious Sabosen cargo. Together, the pair got her in the back of the speeder and closed the door. Jolus got in the passenger seat of the speeder, looking back at the unconscious Karisa and looked over at Mace, “We can’t let her die. That Sabosen is connected to Malicar Raith…”

Mace looked over aghast, “What! What have you gotten me in to, Jolus!”

Jolus wasn’t done. He added, “I have to get word to him about this…he will want to know.”

“The Underlord Eshro is coming here? Isn’t he exiled?”

“Well, yes…but do you really want to not tell him his lady friend is in trouble and that we did nothing about it?”

Silence.

“That is what I thought…”

With that, Jolus sent a holovid message to the Underlord Eshro of Black Sun…

It had been an eventful six months. Black Sun was now a thriving criminal organization that was made up of dozens of underworld groups that completed the whole, including the Eclipse Consortium. The merger was timely due to House Vesnam violently separating themselves from the Eclipse Consortium. An attempt to kill the Raith family by the House Vesnam phalanx on Varl was a surprise move from the Syndic of House Vesnam. Malicar’s uncle was never known for his brazenness or his courage, so the move against Malicar and his family was an unexpected one. However, the Underlord Ehsro and his entourage were barely able to escape the ambush, but many of his associates and other family members were not so lucky. Simultaneous assassination attempts were carried out across the galaxy with great success. Many known operatives spread from system to system were discovered and killed by Chiss Expeditionary Intelligence Division (CEID) and soldiers from the House Vesnam phalanx.

Fortunately, some groups within House Vesnam and operatives within CEID were still secretly loyal to Malicar, so much of the crimelord’s information network remained intact. These contacts gave him the information that House Vesnam and the CEID now officially exiled Malicar and the rest of the Raith family. The exile was levied due to drummed up charges of treason, so Malicar knew that any forays into Chiss Ascendancy would have to be taken in obscurity.

Malicar knew it was a matter of time before the Eclipse Consortium would be ousted—the Chiss Ascendancy tolerated the presence of his criminal organization due to the information he could bring them, but now the Chiss Ascendancy was a shadow of their former selves, and they began to cling heavily to their traditions. This meant criminal activity needed to be out of the picture, thus House Vesnam’s response. But opportunities arose in other ways…

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Interstellar Shipping Main Hub - Sith Empire​

Pesktda, Garqi​

Outer Rim​

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Courier and cargo ships zipped around the huge structure north of Pesktda. Freighters of all sizes continuously came into and out of the massive spaceport. To Malicar, it made little sense to build a new spaceport when existing ones just needed a little bit of tender love and care to serve his purposes. The planet of Garqi was in the heart of Sith Empire territory, but due to the new alliance between Black Sun and the Sith Empire, it allowed Malicar the freedom to travel and do business within those systems under the domain of Darth Carnifex. In addition, Malicar had brokered a deal with Darth Carnifex on behalf of Interstellar Shipping, which would provide the monstrous empire a logistics solution across the board—it was easily the most lucrative contract Malicar had ever signed with another organization.

In order to support the needs of the Sith Empire, it was absolutely necessary to have a spacesport in their heart of their territory. After careful consideration, Malicar chose the planet of Garqi in a location just north of the capital of that planet, Pesktda. The Chiss crimelord gave the owner of the small spaceport there an offer he could not refuse and bought the spaceport outright. Since that time, Interstellar Shipping had moved in and began delivering loads across Sith space, with Garqi as one of the main hubs. Logistics was something Malicar knew well, so he knew this location would be critical in servicing the Sith Empire wherever they needed it. While the credits were being raked in, this was a huge logistics puzzle to ensure the thousands of loads got to where they needed to go, on time, every time.

Malicar was standing on the landing pad next to his office when his chronometer chimed. It was an incoming message from Sposia. He grinned. Perhaps it was Ari reaching out to him with good news. The crimelord went over to a nearby terminal and accessed the message.

A holovid of the Indulge bartender from Sposia appeared. He seemed like he had seen better days, but his voice was full of something uncharacteristic coming from the bartender—fear and desperation.

“Underlord Malicar. A thousand apologies for disturbing you, but something has happened in Sposia with the Sabosen noble you were here with months ago…she is injured and she seems in danger. I have taken her to my apartment, but I think she is being hunted. She needs medical attention as well and I am no doctor…please advise.”

Anger and fear settled in the pit of Underlord Eshro’s stomach. He had heard enough. This kind of message was no rouse—the people involved, the timing, it was all something he feared. Grabbing his comlink, the Underlord Eshro of Black Sun sent a quick message to his pilot of the Dark Remnant, “Prepare to receive the Shadow Hammer and prepare for hyperspace.”

As he was quickly running to the Shadow Hammer, he returned a message to Jolus, “Do what you must to tend to her wounds. I will be there in less than 24 standard hours…”

The Dark Remnant was one of the fastest ships in the galaxy—he did not like the hours it would take to get there, but it was the best he could do--and there would be hell to pay if anything happened to Karisa…

[member="Karisa"]​

 

[Karisa]

Ch'avz, Sposia
Chiss Space, Unknown Regions
___



"Yes, Underlord... I will do my best." Jolus answered matter of fact with a nod just before the holovid connection was cut by [member="Malicar"] from the other end; the order from the crimelord taken as 'do or do not, there is no try'.

The bartender swore under his breath as his crimson eyes peered over his left shoulder at the woman laying unconscious on the back seat of the speeder looking dead all except for the subtle rise and fall of her chest, then the glowing reds flicked to the well-muscled, blue-skinned near-human in the driver's seat.

"We are so screwed if we don't get her some medical help like yesterday."

Mace turned his dark head and just gave the other Chiss a knowing smirk. "We, buddy? You're the one who promised to do his best, not me..." he shrugged his broad shoulders, then flashed Jolus a lopsided grin after a few moments of letting the man sweat. "But I feel ya... Got us a plan. Be ready to do as I say."

The kidnapping of an unsuspecting doctor walking to their speeder after a long shift at the Rizin'ci Medical Center went without a hitch as well as the acquisition of some much needed medical supplies from the back of an unattended ambulance. They had made sure to grab the Chiss in the blind spot of the parking garage where the security feed wouldn't pick up the incident; same with the supplies from the ambulance. In other words, they had done it real quiet like or so the two Eclipse Consortium associates hoped for their sake and that of Brask'ari'sabosen; their charge by default until the Underlord Eshro of Black Sun got there.

Jolus' apartment had become a meg-shift medbay. Karisa had been gently laid upon the kitchen table so that the doctor could tend to her injuries... of course under persuasion. Well, not really. The doctor had worked with the former Chief Medical Officer and had nothing but respect for Brask'ari'sabosen. Her skills as a clinical physician and surgeon were renown not only in Chiss space, but when she was serving the First Order in their medical corps as a battle surgeon during the Border War with the Galactic Alliance.

Feris had tried to stay neutral and out of Chiss politics especially when the Qell family was in charge under the Jen'ari's reign. Relief though had been felt when the Sabosen's once again regained their ruling house status... This situation though just didn't make any sense. Why would someone want to do Dr. K - as she was known by outsiders, harm? And why not take her directly to the ER for care in the first place?

"How is she doing, doc?" Jolus inquired as he popped his head into the kitchen.

"I have stabilized her for now, but the First Daughter needs more advanced care than the rudimentary supplies I have available here, and the sooner the better. A dip in a bacta or kolta tank is needed to increase the odds of survival and/or complete recovery. At this point, I cannot guarantee either."

That answer didn't sit well with Mace as he was keeping watch. The burly Chiss narrowed his eyes and set them upon the doctor like laser pointers as he leveled his heavy Charric pistol to the doctor's head. "Well for your sake you better keep her alive and well, if get my drift... "

"Yes, yes I do," Feris nodded in complete understanding of the threat to his life if he failed.

"Additional assistance is on the way... A few more hours and you should have what you need to complete your job," Jolus chimed in quickly trying to reassure the man... or was it more for himself.

Gods how he needed a drink, but wouldn't you know it the bartender didn't have any booze in the house! This was going to be a long, nerve racking wait.

Meanwhile...

The assassins continued to seek out their target within the city. It had been unfortunate the first attempt had failed. Now the Coup group's narrative would become messy to control as their deed to the remaining family and the Ascendancy slowly became apparent. Plan B would have to be initiated to seal Brask'ari'sabosen's fate as she was a liability to their cause, if not taken care of for good, and soon.

 

[Malicar]

​

Downtown Sposia​

Being patient was something that Malicar had to learn. It was very non-Chiss of him to show impatience, but not all Chiss were created the same. In many ways, Malicar was the antithesis of what it meant to be Chiss—he was a social creature, impatient and had a blatant disregard for rules and regulations. However, his strategic mind, disciplined approach and deliberate actions were very much present and "chiss-like". Once an integral part of the Chiss Ascendancy as an extension of their intelligence gathering capabilities, Malicar had been thoroughly separated from the Chiss Ascendancy with the call for his exile by the Syndic and Governor of House Vesnam, Syndic Okunn—his Uncle. After an unsuccessful attempt to slaughter Malicar and his family on the planet of Varl, Malicar dedicated himself to Black Sun completely.

It took fourteen hours for the Dark Remnant to make the trek from Pesktda to Sposia. Most astrogators would find it hard to believe that a frigate could make that trek in such a short amount of time, but Malicar did not have a single ship in his shipping fleet that was of a standard stock. In hyperspace, transit times were king. The Dark Remnant, the fastest of all of them, was no exception.

There was plenty of work to be done for the 14 hours that would have to be endured before reaching the Sposia System in Chiss Space. The CEDF was vigilant about defending their systems from foreigners, but they were ill-equipped to prevent incursions into their system by people who knew the hyperspace lanes, knew their patrol routes, and had intimate knowledge of their signals intelligence (SIGINT)...and Malicar knew all of these things. Despite being an exile from Chiss space, he retained the knowledge to navigate it and the contacts to facilitate it…

The fourteen hours came and went quickly. Malicar worked diligently while in transit. There was no lack of work to do with the governing of Nal Hutta, Nar Shaddaa, Circumtore, Hollastin, and Tol Amn. This was in addition to situating Interstellar Shipping to run their loads within the Sith Empire immediately. It was risky to have the pressure of delivering time critical supplies within the Sith Empire, but Malicar enjoyed the challenge and rose up to it dutifully. Not an hour was wasted with either work or much needed rest. The crimelord knew when he entered the Sposia System, he would need to be on his toes…

The Dark Remnant came out of hyperspace, right on the far side of Sposia, opposite the CEDF fleet. Immediately, Malicar took the Shadow Hammer (light freighter) and discreetly entered the Sposia atmosphere. With fabricated credentials, the Shadow Hammer was able to land in a docking bay central to the city spaceport and the crimelord left the light freighter with a contingent of Clan Sharratt bodyguards. While he would have loved to have the combat support of his mercenaries within the city sprawls of Sposia, they would stand out like a sore thumb. He decided for the sake of discreetness and expediency, he would have to go alone.

Malicar exited the Shadow Hammer and immediately was met by his informants on Sposia. A pair of informants quickly gave him information about the whereabouts of the Sabosen noble and alerted him to the possibility of assassins seeking out Karisa. With a grim nod, the Underlord Eshro finished speaking with the informants that met him at the spaceport and took public transportation alone to the apartment of the bartender known as Jolus.

Dressed discreetly, the leader of Black Sun exited the speeder and entered the apartment complex. Stalking through the complex, the crimelord had both pistols drawn, perfectly willing to shoot anything that even remotely seemed hostile.

No one knew who the crimelord was within the apartments, so he was able to make his way to the apartment without incident. Pressing the chime, Malicar waited outside of the bartender’s apartment. Jolus opened the door with Malicar staring at him. Quickly, he moved aside and explained as the crimelord entered, “Underlord, she is alive, but not doing well. We had a doctor come tend to her, but she needs a bacta tank…soon.”

His red eyes shot over dangerously towards Jolus, Mace and Feris the doctor. In a cool, deadly voice, he stated simply, “I hope, for your sake, she makes it…”

[member="Karisa"]​

 

[Karisa]

Ch'avz, Sposia
Chiss Space, Unknown Regions
___





There was a bright light shinning in the background of the otherwise area that was pitch black. It was so bright that it made Ari raise a hand up to shield her eyes. A moment later shadows moved forward from the illumination towards her.

They were so close yet so far away. It took a second to two to make out the shimmering silhouettes that appeared before the young Sabosen's crimson gaze. They were family members; Ari's dead mother,, cousin,... and father. Had he met his end too this night?

A warm feeling flushed over Ari as they peered at her in a loving way. She smiled back at them longingly, wanting to run to them for comfort, but her feet wouldn't move.. All too soon a chill replaced the warmth as the shadows slowly disappeared back into the brightness, then everything became dark again... except now a familiar voice could be heard in the opposite direction from where the bright light had shown. Ari turned and moved towards it as if the voice was calling her home...

Karisa's heavy eyelids strained to open, but finally they did. Crimson orbs with a dimmed glow to them spotted the Vesnam nearby. He seemed both angry and concerned at the same time. She reached for his hand shakily, then croaked out the shipping tycoon's name over a dry throat.

"Malicar? You came... " Ari said with the faintest of smiles as a tear rolled down her cheek. "I couldn't save.... They thought Mer was me," she barely got out before a bout of coughing racked the Chiss noble's battered body.

"Is my father dead as well... I saw him before I woke up just now."



[member="Malicar"]

 

[Malicar]

DOWNTOWN SPOSIA​

Meeting Karisa’s gaze, the crimelord was matter-of-fact with the concerned Sabosen, “Your family has come under attack. We cannot allow them to catch up with you. We have to move…

Looking over at Jolus, Mace and Feris, he said in a voice that brokered no pushback, “Help her up. We need to get her to my ship. Where is your speeder?”

Jolus answered quickly, “It is parked out front. It will accommodate all of us…”

Malicar nodded grimly. The Underlord Eshro, stalked to the front door and made sure both of his MAP-30 Gauss pistols were loaded for bear. Once ensuring they were ready to spit silent death, he opened the blast door to the corridor. He stalked down the passageway to the turbolift at the end. Glancing back once to ensure the trio was behind him with Karisa, he turned his attention back to the turbolift doors. The small band was in a race against time. It was a matter of time before the CEID and House Vesnam loyalists would find them. Peering down at his chronometer, their search net would be ever widening and the hope was that they could get in a speeder and to the Shadow Hammer before the vice closed on them.

As the group got within a dozen meters of the lift, the blast door chimed and swooshed open. A trio of armored Chiss attempted to emerge from the lift. The pair of MAP-30s began clanging away as the magnetically accelerated pellets began tearing through their armor. A dozen shots were clipped off at a fast rate nearly silent from Malicar as he was pressed up against the wall—they were barely able to register that they were under attack and the three of them fell in a heap. Malicar stalked the remain of the distance to the turbolift and allowed for the trio of Chiss and Karisa to enter, before closing the lift doors behind them. As the lift sank down at a fast rate, Malicar quickly reloaded the pair of pistols, wishing to be topped off in the event of anymore enemies.

Quickly they made their way out of the apartment complex. A mother and her child were walking down the sidewalk and saw the trio of Chiss and Karisa getting into the speeder. He would take no chances. Popping off two quick shots, the crimelord put the mother and small boy out of their misery. No witnesses. Malicar would let nothing get back to the CEID about who helped Karisa escape…or this would never end.

Jolus, Mace, and Feris looked on in horror, but Malicar paid them no mind. They would never understand the lengths that had to be taken to ensure Ari’s safety…

[member="Karisa"]​

 

[Karisa]

Ch'avz, Sposia
Chiss Space, Unknown Regions
___


Malicar's matter of fact response told Karisa all she needed to know... Her family was indeed being hunted down and systematically wiped out. But why? And more so by whom? What was the motivation to do such a violent act? With Chiss politics as it was especially lately, Family or House infighting was not unheard of. Was it her own doing it?

At the moment though, fight or flight was all that mattered it seemed. Karisa was still alive and that meant the First Daughter of House Sabosen continued to have a big target on her back as long as she was breathing and on Sposia and/or even in Chiss space.

In her current condition, Karisa wasn't able to take care of the situation herself. For that, she would have to rely on Malicar to do it on her behalf. After all, the Vesnam had come when asked to help her... He still had to care deeply about her welfare. Little did she know just how far the shipping tycoon as known to Sabosen would go to get her to safety...

Orders were given by Malicar that it was time to move out. While Feris got her ready from a medical standpoint, giving one last dose of pain med via hypospray as well, Jolus grabbed a dress shirt and cloak from his closet to cover the Chiss noble woman up as her clothing had been cut away to get to her injuries. Mace helped to get Karisa to her feet, then let the doctor and bartender take her as he would take up the rear position.

Mace barely got his weapon drawn by the time the Vesnam had unloaded with his hard hitting twin pistols on the armored Chiss that met them at the turbo lift. He liked the Underlord Eshro's style... It was why the Vesnam was the leader of Black Sun.

Karisa was feeling good by now, but still aware enough of what was going on around her to a degree. Crimson eyes went wide when Malicar shot in seemingly cold blood the innocent woman and child the group came across outside the apartment, but the horrendous act didn't completely set in at the time... or what it meant about the man she'd fallen in love with.

When the five of them got to the speeder, Karisa was placed inside with rushed care first, then the others made to get in as well...

[member="Malicar"]​

 

[Malicar]

NORTHERN OUTSKIRTS OF CH'AVZ, SPOSIA​

Feris continued to see to the Sabosen in the back seat of the speeder with Mace. Jolus was driving the speeder with Malicar in the front passenger seat. The ride was silent, but there was muffled conversation coming from the crimelord’s earpiece he fit over his ear. The Dark Remnant was sending Ch’avz law enforcement chatter to Malicar as they zipped down the city streets. A pair of landspeeders with blue lights streaked by at a dizzying rate, heading to the apartment complex they just came from. Followed closely behind them were another pair of sleek, black airspeeders that Malicar knew was a CEID death squad. Once they got out of the city proper, it would be better. Just as they zipped by a congested intersection, Malicar turned back to see a checkpoint being erected. His timetable was on schedule so far…they had breached the ring of security that had been laid across Ch’avz. Speed was the name of the game to get them out of this predicament.

Malicar also was receiving an information feed from his informants within House Sabosen. For years, he had worked to get eyes and ears within that noble house and the right amount of credits finally got the resource he needed. The information about the Sabosen coupe was starting to stream in. The circumstances were eerily similar to what happened to his family within House Vesnam just weeks ago. With the Chiss Ascendancy in an economic tailspin, it seemed many of the noble houses were using the decentralized mindset to take advantage of some “spring cleaning”. Malicar was quite sure that House Sabosen and House Vesnam were not the only houses that were forcing “structure changes”.

The news about House Sabosen was not good. The Brask family, Karisa’s family were being slaughtered, whether in Chiss space or elsewhere in the galaxy. Anyone who was loyal to her father, Thorus, was being put to the knife. Details about the justification for the actions were hazy, but the actions were real. They were being murdered. As far as Malicar knew, she was the only Brask survivor. He looked over his shoulder and met Ari’s eyes with a grim look. In a calm voice, he said quietly, “We are almost out of this mess. Just a bit longer…”

[member="Karisa"]​

 

[Karisa]

Ch'avz, Sposia
Chiss Space, Unknown Regions
On the run....


Karisa's mind whirled in a drug-enhanced fog as the group made their getaway in Jolus' speeder through the streets of the capital city. She was sandwiched in-between Mace and Feris in the back seat while Mailcar called out directions from his shotgun position upfront as the bartender drove. The doctor was a nervous wreck and he seemed to be getting greener and green so to speak as the speeder juked and jived in and out of traffic. Her fellow physician was innocent of all this, only brought in because of her needs. She did not want to see him get hurt because of the target on her back... Same with the others, but they seemed to be more willing and able to go along with the Vesnam's lead in this matter. They seemed to have a past together in some way.

And of course, Karisa hoped that by asking Malicar for help, she didn't inadvertently put him and his business in jeopardy... Well, guess now it was too late. He had blood on his hands and was the de facto leader of this fugitive effort on her behalf. The funny thing was that it didn't seem to phase him one bit; like the shipping tycoon had done this before perhaps even regularly.

Malicar turned his dark head to look back over the seat, his glowing red orbs seeking hers.They went from harsh to comforting as if someone flipped a switch. He was a hard man to read, but she knew enough that things were balancing precariously on a knife's edge. The chances they all would make it out of this alive were pretty low. And if Brask'ari'sabosen did, she would exiled and probably still hunted down for some trumped up charges. It was the way of the Chiss concerning house politics. She had seen it before, the Nuruodos as of personal memory at the ball, but never in a day thought it would ever happen within her own family. House Sabosen had always been one of the most stable of the Ruling Houses. Karisa's naivety and/or wishful thinking was almost the death of her. A hard lesson to learn for the First Daughter, former as it would be now, and one she would strive not to ever make again. This event would forever change Ari to her core.

"I know, and thank you, Malicar. I am most indebted to you for your aid," Ari simply nodded with a small smile that was forced through the discomfort of her injuries... but at least the fugitive Sabosen was still alive to do so.

Lights ahead indicated they were almost to the starport...

[member="Malicar"]​

 

[Malicar]

NORTHERN OUTSKIRTS OF CH'AVZ, SPOSIA

Malicar eyed Ari for a few moments and a small smile formed on his lips. He said quietly, “You owe me nothing, Karisa. We will be safe soon…”

There was more to say, but there would time for that later. The safe part was not a certainty at this point, but he told her that anyway—it was close enough to the truth. The Underlord Eshro knew enough about CEID that they would discover what vehicle they were in soon. They had access to all of Ch’avz’s surveillance and holocams, so they would get to the ship quickly—they could ill afford to be caught in this speeder.

Looking over at Jolus, he commanded, “Pull into the side street to the right…”

While Malicar could not control any of the surveillance on Ch’avz, his contacts had at least sent him where the surveillance was located—and there was none in the alley coming up on the right…

Jolus swung the speeder into the alleyway and maneuvered the speeder down the alley. Other speeders lined the dimly lit, left side of the thin alley street. A chiss businessman was making his way hastily to his speeder, walking down the left side of the street. Malicar ordered, “Slow the speeder down and cut the lights…”

Doing as he was asked, Jolus slowed the speeder to a crawl and the headlights went dark. Malicar said gravely, “That is the speeder we are taking to the ship—get ready to move…”

As the business man came to his speeder and unlocked it with a visible access card, Malicar smoothly slid out of the passenger seat and crossed the alley towards the man accessing his speeder. The Underlord Eshro wasted no time. As the man looked up, Malicar's MAP-30s were in his hand and two nearly silent shots bucked from the two pistols. The man was shot once in the throat and once in the face. He instantly dropped to the ground dead, with the door to his speeder wide open. Malicar barely broke stride as he plucked the access card from the ground next to the dead chiss.

The crimelord got in the driver’s seat and started the stolen speeder with the man’s access card.

Jolus, Mace and Feris helped Karisa walk to the stolen speeder that Malicar was now driving. It was a tight squeeze, but all of them fit in it. Jolus could only look down in horror as he passed the poor dead chiss. He had to remind himself that he was with the Underlord Eshro of Black Sun…killing an innocent for the sake of those he trusted or cared about would not make the Chiss’ pulse even race. Malicar Raith lived in a world that Jolus would never completely understand…nor did he care to.

Once everyone was loaded into the sleek speeder and the doors were closed, Malicar pulled the speeder out of the alley and continued them on their way…

[member="Karisa"]​

 

[Karisa]

Ch'avz, Sposia
Chiss Space, Unknown Regions
On the run.... northern outskirts of city


Malicar still cared. That was very evident in the shipping tycoon's smile he flashed her as it reached his crimson eyes even after all this time the two lovers had been apart. The other Chiss noble seemingly would cross a multitude of lines to keep her safe, but how far was she willing to let him?

Desperate times called for desperate measures, but the innocent lives were starting to stack up as another dropped to the ground by his hand. Karisa didn't have time to contemplate the matter in any depth as she was curtly extracted from the back of Jolus' speeder by Mace when Feris took too long helping her out. The injured Sabosen gritted her teeth to keep a yelp from escaping from her bruised lips as she was manhandled. She hated being so helpless in her condition, but time was of the essence right now and they couldn't afford her slowing them down.

She was placed in the front passenger seat for ease next time, then the three men squeezed into the back with the poor doctor in the middle. Now that Karisa had some room to breathe and her mind clearer, her right hand wandered down into the confines of the borrowed cloak's pocket finding the edges of a holdout blaster stashed in the fabric. Now at least if push came to shove, the Sabosen would be able to defend herself or do what was necessary to aid the group should the time come.

Turning her dark head towards the Vesnam, who was now driving, Karisa spoke out in soft tones as they sped closer to their destination for exfil. "I have a feeling this will be the last time I ever see my homeworld... I hope you know what you are getting into associating with a wanted woman," she quipped ever so lightly trying to counter the profound sadness felt at losing everything all at once, but mostly her sense of family and those closest to her; all gone in a blink of an eye with malicious intent at the heart of it.

[member="Malicar"]

 

[Malicar]

NORTHERN OUTSKIRTS OF CH'AVZ, SPOSIA

Malicar looked over at Ari with his glowing red eyes with a dangerous smirk, “You really don’t know, do you?”

Many of the house leaders across the Ascendancy knew about Malicar’s other career. The crimelord let out a small chuckle. He reached out and put his right hand gently on her cheek, “I relish the opportunity to associate with this 'wanted woman' you speak of…”

The handsome crimelord wore a mischievous grin before continuing.

“I have a feeling you have no idea what you are getting into with me, dear Karisa…but we will speak more on that later.”

Pause.

“You will see your homeworld again…but it will be on different terms...your terms”

The luxury commuter speeder hummed down the thoroughfare without incident. Airspeeders streaked by in an attempt to provide air support for the planetary “manhunt” that had begun on Ch’avz. The net was closing…fortunately for the small group, the net would not close on them. Looking down at his chronometer, Malicar did some quick calculations in his head and then let off the accelerator some. Without turning around, the Underworld Eshro, looked at the three crammed in the back, “Unfortunately for the three of you, I cannot allow you to stay on Sposia. Your new homes will be far from the Ascendancy. All of you must come with us. If you have families, we will try to see to them, but not this night…”

Turning back around, Malicar considered the matter closed. Suddenly, the Shadow Hammer streaked in front of them and lowered to the ground. Its cargo ramp was already open. The modified light freighter had no running lights on at all—a sickly red light spilled out of the cargo hold providing some source of illumination. Malicar quickly brought the speeder to a stop. He looked back at the three in the back, “My pilot is going to give you a spray can. You are going to spray the speeder down to remove any trace of our existence. He will then give you instructions on how to burn this speeder. You should be done in less than two standard minutes. I will see to Karisa.”

Even as Malicar finished speaking, a Chiss in light battle armor came quickly down the ramp with a basket full of supplies. Jolus, Mace and Feris unloaded from the speeder, some still stunned at the news that they would have to go with them. To Jolus, it was great news…it meant that he would not be shot in the head by Malicar as just another “witness”. No witnesses, after all…

Getting out of the driver’s seat and coming around to the passenger side Malicar gently opened the door, draped one arm around his neck and he gently sweep her up from the speeder, carrying her in both of his arms with her head leaning on his board chest. He quickly, yet carefully walked up the cargo ramp and immediately took her to small medbay on the Shadow Hammer and gently laid her on the patient’s table. Leaning down and lightly kissing her on the head, he whispered, “I will be right back…”

Making his way to the cockpit, he sat in the pilot’s chair. Malicar quickly sent a communique to the Dark Remnant and coordinated their exact pickup in Sposia’s orbit. Glancing down at his chronometer again, he was running up against the wall on his timetable. At this point, everything was planned down to the second for their egress. It was a common practice in complicated CEID operations to plan meticulously every phase, but there were always variables in the egress. Malicar took a different approach. He was a survivor, so a great deal of pre-planning went into their egress plan.

“Boss, we are done!”

Malicar flipped a switch and the cargo ramp began to close. The sublight engines roared to life as the Shadow Hammer lifted off barely a few dozen feet from the surface and streaked across the semi-flat terrain for several minutes.

Over the ship’s intercom, he warned, “Secure everything. Feris, see to Karisa…”

Malicar pulled up on the yoke, sending the Shadow Hammer into a sharp climb. It streaked to the atmosphere, shuddering as it pulled through and into the Sposia orbit. Immediately, Malicar streaked to a certain set of coordinates. One minute later, the Shadow Hammer turned and drifted. Suddenly, the Dark Remnant appeared from hyperspace behind the Shadow Hammer. With calculated precision, the Shadow Hammer drifted into the Dark Remnant’s waiting landing bay and then settled on the deck. The landing bay door closed and the Dark Remnant disappeared back into hyperspace. The Dark Remnant was in subspace for less than a minute…

HYPERSPACE - ENROUTE TO NAR SHADDAA

An Hour Later…

The Dark Remnant cut through space, with white streaks going by. The transit to Nar Shaddaa would not take long aboard the frigate—it was one of the fastest in the galaxy. At this point, Karisa had undergone all the medical care the Dark Remnant could provide—which was fairly robust. Malicar had her resting in a stateroom, which he entered after minutes later. The lights were dim, allowing the Sabosen noble to sleep. The exiled Vesnam noble sat on the edge of the bed next to her. Her eyes opened and looked up at him. With a small sigh and a soft smile, Malicar said quietly, “It seems I owe you an apology. I made an assumption all this time that you knew things about me, my other life. But it seems I made a grievous error in assuming such things. In full disclosure, while I am indeed the owner of Interstellar Shipping, I am also the Eshro of Eclipse Consortium, a Chiss crime syndicate, which I am sure you have heard of. I am also the Underlord Eshro, or leader, of Black Sun, which occupies a good portion of Hutt Space. We are headed to Nar Shaddaa as we speak…”

Pause.

“In some ways, this may horrify you and if so...I understand. We will see to you obtaining a new identity and I will set you up with a life wherever you please…”

He looked into her eyes and she could hear the seriousness in his voice, “But if you are not afraid of who I am and the life I lead…I would love to have you with me, at my side, Karisa.”

[member="Karisa"]​

 

[Karisa]

​

Aboard the Dark Remnant; stateroom ​

En route to Nar Shaddaa via hyperspace​

​

​

Karisa had not been completely asleep, but more so resting soundly when Malicar entered the dimly lit room. She knew it was him by his footfalls and not the doctor's, who had been checking on her ever since being moved from the medbay to the comfortable surroundings of a stateroom aboard the frigate that had stealthy rendezvoused with the Shadow Hammer in the high orbit of Sposia.

Time spent in a bacta suit had helped to speed the healing process of the Sabosen's physical injuries. The mental anguish and grief attributed to the planned assassination of the First Daughter of House Sabosen and her family would take a bit more... The knowledge that the Vesnam had come for her when asked, and was now by her side bode well for a meaningful recovery. After all, he had helped Ari vanquish the nightmares of her time as a Ssi-ruuk prisoner of war. Karisa hoped his caring presence would do the same now that she was mourning not only the loss of loved ones, but also the only life she'd known; one of duty to the Ruling House born into and predetermined place in the Chiss Ascendancy as a whole, and upholding the ideals of the Red Flame. Change could be a good thing, though scary as well especially if she chose poorly. But, life was too short not to take a leap of faith once in a while.

As the bed shifted gently to the side of her form where he sat, Karisa's eyes fluttered open; dark eyelashes parting to find the charismatic shipping tycoon's glowing red orbs looking down upon her in a loving way, though there was something else lingering about them... a form of regret perhaps? She just listened thoughtfully as Malicar spoke; the man had a lot to get off his chest it seemed. When he was through, Karisa reached for his hand and slipped hers within his larger one.

"I suspected you were living a double life and had many irons in the fire so to speak. There were tell tale signs here and there. I chose to ignore my inner conscious that warned me not to fall for an irresistible bad boy... "

Pause.

"Despite knowing what you are capable of and stand for, I still let myself fall in love with you, and have not forgotten you since that day we parted on Dremulae. I have always been the good little Chiss and adhered to the kindred ideals of our society... But now after all this, I do not think I could go back to doing that anymore. That life for me is over, and I am ready to make a new one... with you, Malicar, that includes the good, the bad, and the ugly. I am not that naive to know what I will be willingly getting into choosing to be at your side from this time forward," Ari said with conviction, giving the crime lord's hand a loving squeeze.

"But, there is one condition... You will need to make an honest woman out of me sooner than later. Otherwise, my father will haunt you from his grave for the rest of your mortal life and probably eternal," she smiled softly with a hint of bittersweet mirth at that last notion.

[member="Malicar"]​

 

[Malicar]

Aboard the Dark Remnant; stateroom
En route to Nar Shaddaa via hyperspace

Malicar held the Sabosen noble’s hand and returned the loving squeeze.

Although Sabosen noble would no longer be applicable to Karisa…he knew how noble houses worked. If House Vesnam was any indicator, when Sabosen realizes that she has escaped, they would inevitably trump up some false treasonous charges, probably pinning the murders that Malicar committed, on her. She would be an exile from her noble house…but she was alive.

The reports had been flooding in all morning. The propaganda was alive and well. Reports came in that Thorus, Karisa’s father, was attempting to stomp out rivals to his title and brought his entire family in on the effort. Some amount of violence occurred overnight as Thorus tried to use his power to eliminate rivals, but it was unsuccessful, so new leadership was forced to step up…at least that was the story that had been spun.

In truth, it was a bloody coupe, where Thorus and his entire family were assassinated—except for Karisa. While most of the Chiss Ascendancy knew what really happened, it was done well enough and buttoned up enough that nothing was done about it. Welcome to Chiss politics. While the return of Karisa and her accusations could turn the cart upside down, she was only one voice…it would instead, be suicide.

House Vesnam faced eerily similar circumstances months ago, where they separated themselves from the Eclipse Consortium and attempted to wipe out Malicar’s family, the Raith family. Fortunately, they underestimated Malicar and his allies, but that would not happen again…

Looking down at the weary, injured chiss next to him, his heart began to beat a bit faster. He knew he had fallen for her. It seemed she had fallen for him and now that she had seen him in all his many colors, good, bad and ugly…she wished to remain with him. This pleased the Underlord Eshro greatly. He knew this would be a life that was everything she had stood against in the past, but Ari was a remarkable Chiss in many ways. She would adapt and even flourish in the criminal underworld. Regardless, he was going to take care of her, protect her and make sure happiness found her…

“I cannot tell you how much it pleases me to hear you say that. As for the honest Chiss? We will see what we can do…”

He gave Karisa a mischievous grin and then leaned down and kissed her forehead. He whispered quietly, “Get some sleep, my love…when we get to Nar Shaddaa, we will hit the ground running…”

/END THREAD​

[member="Karisa"]​