The Allies we choose--the Enemies we are Born With

[James Justice]

Taris. The underworld of such a planet was hell without equal. And James knew it. The Raghoul plague, the bombing during the time of Revan. The rebuild. The monsters bellow were almost as bad as the monsters above. None were as bad as the monster James had brought with him--[member="Thraxis"] .

The Zeltron had skills in getting information that were beyond any James had experienced or seen before. He knew from personal experience that he was a professional at extracting information. And that was exactly what James needed right now. Word had been given that a Nikto was on world that knew a personal agent for the Prosecutor. A young boy who ran errands and gathered information for the devil that hunted James himself. The spacer needed to find this boy to find the Prosecutor. He was sick of running, sick of hiding, sick of this endless game of cat and mouse. It was time to take the offensive and that's what brought them here; to tear the information from this man's mind and bring them one step closer to James' nemesis.

A massive step.

They came to a small hut on this barren, lightness ground that made up the Taris underworld. James gave Thraxis a look and a gesture to the door that had a clear meaning; after you.

 

[Thraxis]

Thraxis had begrudgingly come along, his normal Attire consisting of his Custom Made Armor and his twin pistols, though his helmet had to be left behind to keep a Gas Mask on him. Not for the stench that radiated from ever cess pool that burned in this rundown place... no that smell would be lovely compared to what he was standing next to. A damn dirty Zeltron, not a full blood but a half-caste and with enough stench to remind him of his time on Zeltros. Though another piece was a part of his attire. A whip, its long threads of skin had small undone knots at the end, to the untrained eye this was the weakest of all torture tools, though Thraxis had ways of making it... the best.

Though the company was not optimal, the surrounding area was comforting, it was the place Thraxis would thrive on, "Damn. This place looks great. Rats litter the street." he said as he picked up a mice as it ran into his hand, holding it tightly not to let it get away. The damned walk around ready to fight to the death over a scrap of moldy Blue Milk. Really should have set up shop here." he chuckled as he pet the rat in his hand, its futile attempt at freedom only thwarted by a tightening grip.

Soon his footsteps came to a halt, a small unimpressive hut had become an eyesore compared to the disrepair and beautiful architecture he came accustomed to. With a wave of the hand Thraxis pulled out one of his sonic pistols in his other hand, keeping the mice tightly in the other. His leg rose up, twisted back for a second, before lunging forward, taking the door of its hinges. His pistol being drawn it started to fire wildly into the room, set on low to prevent any collateral damage. All the while a motion started to come back, a melody had caught him in a trance as pulled the trigger unrestrained, for a few seconds before forcing himself to take control.
[member="James Justice"]

 

[James Justice]

To say James was disgusted by [member="Thraxis"] was an understatement. The man was a freak without equal. His entrance into the building was just a testament to how bad of a psychopath he was. The spacer watched for several moments, biting his tongue and resisting the urge to tell him to stop. The agreement had been clear; if Thraxis was going to work for James, he had to be given freedom to do as he saw fit. Even when even fiber of the man's body said to stop him.

At last it stopped and James looked inside. There had been worse, James decided. The Nikto was sprawled back over what had been a make-shift chair, stunned into submission. A case of spice was splayed out, waste on the floor from what had been a hit. A high-tech computer sat in one corner, no doubt the being's workspace. It was pretty cut and dry; the brute's love of spice had sent him down this spiraling path of poverty.

James stepped over the threshold and looked at Thraxis. He wished the Zeltron would discard that filthy rodent, but he knew better than to voice that opinion or suggestion. The man might even decide to torment his boss with it if James said a word about it.

"Let's get to work," he said grimly, "what do ye need to get this done?"

 

[Thraxis]

"Calm down Jamesy-boy." he retorted, a quick glee spread across his lips always wanting to say that line, "We got a few things that need to be done first of all." he said as his body became limp as he slowly walked over to him, piercing his lips he pushed the blood out to slither down his gas mask to become visible. His voice twisted and curled as it was contorted through his lips and once more through the Mask.

"Now listen here plaything. I don't really care for what James wants... what I want is to get back home to the Pitt." he whispered into the boys ear his head slowly rising as his eyes rolled back, "Now... we have a few options." taking a brief pause as he breathed through his mask, "You can tell us straight up... or be tortured." his voice started to roll over as he muttered his body moving over to a glass and placing the mouse inside of it. "Now pick." he said as he started to laugh manically, the blood starting to drip a little faster as his mouth vibrated from the laughter.
[member="James Justice"]

 

[James Justice]

James chafed under the comment and grimly watched as the psychopath began to start his work. Memories from his time in the Pitt threatened to surface once more, making the spacer's scars on his arm itch and burn. He swallowed, he could almost still see the sander going down, taking off bits of his skin and brutalizing what was left of his limb. James grit his teeth, that would have to wait. For later.

"I, I will never talk," the Nikto spat.

James had to admit, the being had grit. They were known for being some of the hardest to break in the galaxy. Their social and mental fortitude was beyond the limits of most beings. James had no doubt in Thraxis' abilities, however, he was not about to believe this was going down quickly--or easily.

[member="Thraxis"]

 

[Thraxis]

"Hehe.... hehe... AHAHAHAHAHAHA!" he screamed as he ran up to the Nikto pushing him towards the ground, placing the mouse in the Glass against the table upside down so it couldn't escape. His hands ripped through the clothing it wore as he put aside his whip and retracted his hand to grab the glass. His hand tightening as he placed it atop the Nikto's skin.

"Hehe... I've always wanted... to do this." he slowly forced out between laughter, it would only take a few minutes before the mouse started to try to reach freedom. It was a rarely used trick, the rat would need air and tit had only one way out. Through the flesh. He placed all his wait on the mans body, his arms outstretched to prevent them from escaping while his legs pushed his against the ground. All the while his chest placed heavy on the cup to ensure the mouse couldn't escape.
[member="James Justice"]

 

[James Justice]

James watched with a grim expression as the rat began to scurry, screeching and panting. And, then true to the Zeltron's plan, began to dig its way towards freedom. The gnarly Nikto began to let out grunts and slight shouts of pain as the rat's claws and teeth elicited blood and fleshy bits of muscle. Deeper, deeper it went, making the disturbing show of carnage even worse every bit. Blood and bits of flesh splattered on the glass as the Nikto screamed at last, struggling, thrashing.

The theory was these beings had not only evolved with higher pain tolerance, but deadened nerve endings. James had no doubt that this being was having that tested right now. He had seen one of these take a shot to the chest and give little more than a grunt. But this guy--he had to be in hell.

The spacer finally had to divert his eyes. It had reached a point where he could stand no more of it. After a while he heard the sound of a rat squealing and screeching. James chanced a look. The Nikto had passed out at last, and the rat was moving free, doused in its blood. James felt bile in the back of his mouth, but managed to suppress the urge to vomit. He knew he would be seeing this in many nightmares in the future. Along with Thraxis' twisted face.

[member="Thraxis"]

 

[Thraxis]

The screams. The screams so delicate that radiated through his mouth echoes through his room, though to soon did they grow silent. Thraxis rose from the body, tossing aside his mask, taking in the slight scent of the Half-Caste James, "He... he dares to faint. But this was... so mediocre." he muttered as he looked down, his eyes growing empty as he turned to Justice.

His lips twisted and forced out a sentence, "This... may take a while if he does this again." he spat out, he hadn't come prepared for this. It seemed to happen a lot when he was given the call to torture someone.

He moved over to the cupboards, looking through it for any booze in the room. Though there was little and having little alcoholic content. "What kind of prick doesn't have a huge stash of booze! he screamed as he threw the bottles to the ground "Oh I am going to kill this rodent!" he continued as he started to tear apart the room, taking little care for the burn marks he scorched into the room.
[member="James Justice"]

 

[James Justice]

James gave a slight sigh of relief, one that was lost in the sounds of Thraxis' blaster shoot. James nodded, "I dun't want this to take any longer than needed. We have other jobs to do."


Though of course that was just an excuse. The methods The Zeltron could employ were even enough to make him sick. Time to get moving. James kicked the Nikto. And again. It woke up with a slight spasm. His black eyes looked in the room, remembering what had just happened, then saw its own wound and suppressed a shout of pain and shock.

"Ye wanna talk or ye wanna go through more of this crap?" James asked.

The alien replied with an obscenity of its native language. James sighed and shook his head, giving a sweeping hand gesture, 'Have at him, sir."

[member="Thraxis"]

 

[Thraxis]

"With... pleasure." he said as he motioned over towards the Nikto, Blaster in hand he held it aimed at the Nikto's head as his hand brushed across his skin, a sick satire of how a lovers would hold each other. His finger gripped at the fingernail and tugged at it, pulling of the first and placing it within arms reach.

After a few pulls of the fingernails he moved over to the teeth. They were deep rooted but with enough of a tug they came out eventually, a river of blood following their release from their prison. After a few more were taken he took them and placed them on a counter top. His hand moving down to his whip as he started to knot the teeth and nails through the un-knotted whip. After a few mote minutes, all of which grew to take ten minutes he had refurnished his whip, it had the Nikto's teeth and nails strung threw and now the fun had began.

He stood over the bloodied body of a Nikto, his whip laying laxed and lazy as it swung through the air. "Now. Tell him what he wants to know." he yelled as he pulled the handle back and dropped it ferociously with force pulling back at the last second, the nails and teeth forcing themselves into the skin as he pulled it out, taking three cracks to tear the skin before taking a pause and staring down on him, blood scabbing on his mouth as his lip grew dry and his eyes grew large and bulbous with joy as his head slowly tilted to the side with twisted lips.
[member="James Justice"]

 

[James Justice]

"Calvin! Calvin, his name is Calvin Justice!!" Shouted the Nikto at last, screaming out in pain.


James lurched forward, hand gripping the Nikto's throat, "Ye fething lying to me you lil chit? I will let this b@st@rd really get painful on ye if ye--"

"I swear, I swear," the Nikto begged, "please, I swear, his name is Calvin Justice. Just please, please no more," the Nikto began to break off in sobs.

James wasn't satisfied, he slapped the being's face, 'Where, where can we find him?"

"He's staying with the homeless under the Bridge, just please, please--"

James discarded this pathetic being with a toss, "Do what ye do when ye are done. We got a child to get."

And James needed answers. Lots of answers. Like why a child with his last name was working with someone who was trying to kill him.

"Sh!t, Prosecutor," James growled. "Ye don't play fair. Sh!t."

[member="Thraxis"]

 

[Thraxis]

"Huh. Same last name. Maybe you have a little brother." he said with a snarl, he quickly rushed over towards his mask, strapping it over his head to remove the scent from his presence, he took out the whip and looked to the Nikto, "You stay there now. Because if you are lying... well. I have a nice little room in the Pitt." he said with glee as he started to calm down, a hop and a skip he would follow James with.

In the Crevices of Thraxis' mind, Who is Calvin, maybe he is an undercover cop trying to help the prosecutor, the name does sound judgey. Maybe this is all an intricate setup and I am really but a figment of a simulation James is in and the prosecutor is pulling the strings. Or what if Kay has imprisoned me and done what I done to her and put me in a simulation and James is a figment. So many questions, so much more torture to be done. It seemed Thraxis mind slowly started to spiral out of control, each though getting more insane with each step.
[member="James Justice"]

 

[James Justice]

His feet ate the ground in a rapid pace that was borderline a run. He was intent on his mission, making a bee-line to the bridge and in the process almost running over five people and a droid on the way.

The Bridge, as it was called, was a massive structure that held up a spacescraper called the Dalwin Towers. From space and the upper regions that hotel looked amazing. Down here it looked like a grimacing overlord. Here, under its twin tower legs, the poorest of men had come to take roost. Degenerates of the lowest degree, these men barely wore rags. Their poverty was accentuated only by their criminality. Sunken cheeks, pallid skin that clung to visible ribs and thigh bones under their ragged garments testified to the malnutrition that was rampant. Their eyes, hollow but hungry and devoid of all humanity looked at the world, corrupted with hostility and utter darkness.

As the spacer got closer, they looked at him with obvious calculation; there was much meat on those bones, how many of them would that feed? He likely had much money, how much spice could they get with it? Almost primitive sounds of hunger came from their lips and could be felt washing from their position. James stopped a dozen yards from them, standing authoritatively. All eyes were on the either foolish or brave man.

"I am looking for Calvin Justice," James shouted loudly and clearly, "ye hand him over and ye will live. Ye dun't I'll kill every one of ye."

A tense stare off ensued. One of the wild men lost himself to his hunger and began galloping toward James on all fours. A makeshift club, formed from an iron pole was clutched between his fingers. As he lept into the air, weapon raised, James drew his DeathHammer and blasted the poor savage's chest open with a spray of carnage. The armor piercing round shattering his ribs, body, and atrophied muscles.

[member="Thraxis"]

 

[Thraxis]

Thraxis followed in hot pursuit, keeping his hands on his twin pistols he looked around, the vagrants seemed to like the bridge. He looked around, the place was in disrepair and seemed to be a hotspot for them to gather. In an instant he saw some sort of feral cat come bursting towards James, Thraxis moved his hand quickly to his pistol only for James to be quicker on the Draw.

"Should have gone for the leg... could have asked questions." Thraxis muttered to himself at the impressive display of a hole that had been torn through the mans chest. The pistol rivaled his twins, both seemed to have the power of a Blaster Rifle, the size of a pistol, and overall were bad-ass to use.

Though he decided on a plan with a bit more underhandedness. Instead of fighting them all and wasting bullets his mind decided to see if he could turn them against each other. "Hello there good citizens. My name, is Thraxis." he said as he took a step forward, "And boy do I have a proposal for you." he said as his masked face turned around to look at every individual. "If you tell us where this..." he took a brief pause as he rose his fingers to bunny-ears his next word, "Calvin" he was skeptical if the man had actually told the truth. Leaving him alone was a bad idea in retrospect. "Is, I shall pay each of one you amazing folks one-hundred credits." he said as his head became awash with, Helping the homeless is such a good thing to do. He thought to himself.

"And if you kill every one till only you stand, then you get to have over a thousand credits!" he screamed as his arms rose into the air, looking around the people a datapad ready to transfer the cash. But killing the homeless gets rid of the problem entirely! He thought with jubilant glee in his twisted crevices of his mind, this was not only a good thing, but a gift to society.
[member="James Justice"]

 

[James Justice]

James winced at this tactic. It was brutal and it was horrific. But to be honest, it was little more than he had offered them. It didn't take long for the violence to ensue. Brains were soon being splattered across the walls, blood was being poured out in gaping wounds. Limbs were snapped in savage displays of power, necks were twisted or throttled. Anything that could be a weapon was turned into one, anything that couldn't still received an effort.

It was savagery and need at its worst. And James forced himself to watch all of it. If he was going to gain the benefits from their brutality, he had to suffer the consequences. And what was up with the gasmask thing that Thraxis seemed to be doing lately? Part of James wanted to know, and was morbidly curious. The rest of him was smart enough to not ask.

At long last, it was over. James strode over to the sole suvivor, a Zabrak who was in his middle ages, it appeared, but was probably younger. In one hand was a shiv the size of a short sword made from rusty, jagged durasteel. In the other was a crude club made from the freshly acquired femur of a humanoid.

"Where my money?" he demanded.

"Where be Calvin first," James said back with equal demand.

The Zabrak gave a sour look--until he realized it was non-negotiable, he jerked his thumb towards the back of the Bridge where a latter led up a small was to the sewers, "Up there. Now gimme."

James looked to [member="Thraxis"] with a wave of his hand, "Mate, his reward."

 

[Thraxis]

He looked towards James, clearly someone had never learn from the best. He drew his Pistol and aimed at the Zabraks head, "Did I say I was not apart of this?" he said as his lips warped into a smile, then his fingers twisted back, lurching from the barrel of his gun a full powered blaster bolt would zim through the narrow distance, a quick hole being torn through, not blood or brains to be spread as the wound quickly cauterized itself.

"Take note Jamey-boy." he said with a twisted joy echoing past his lips, "what I done, was turn them against each other, then wasted one bolt." he said with pride as he strapped his blaster back into its holster, "Instead of a ton for nothing." he said as he decided to look around the carnage, wishing he had a camera to keep as a souvenir of the gorey-ious day he had just spent.
[member="James Justice"]

 

[James Justice]

James gave him Thraxis a glare. The man was brutal, savage, and Machiavellian. If he hadn't paid his way this far, and James hadn't agreed not to kill him, the Zeltron would be dead too. Or at least in a fight.

"If ye are gonna kill people," James snarled, motioning to the other bodies, "at least have the balls to do it with ye own work."

The spacer stormed off. The sooner this was done, the better. He wanted to get out of this place, this hell of suffering. So many broken dreams lay here, so many beings who had wants and dreams and could have had families. He would have, under better circumstances, offered everyone here jobs. But now was not the time to mourn the loss of lives and the broken dreams they had carried. Now was the time for the spacer to get his chit together and get this Calvin.

He climbed up the later to the sewers. Where to next? The spacer hesitated, there were three tunnels and he had to pick one to follow. Summoning his gut instinct--the Force--James reached out. Left. Go left. He nodded and began confidently swaggering that way. They would find this kid, and hopefully Calvin wouldn't be Thraxis' next victim.

[member="Thraxis"]

 

[Thraxis]

Thraxis turned, "It was my own work. Mental mind games is a valid form of warfare." he said as he looked towards where the man had pointed, it was depressing to have to wade through crap. He already knew that he should have felt it, though he didn't, but having to wade through it was simply unfair.

As James moved towards the Sewers Thraxis saw the parting, three options and James took the left. A bold strategy but with all mazes, the books do say always stick to the left. He took a brief pause, the gas mask had done its job well and it seemed that it was even good at blocking out the scent of crap which would make the journey far easier on him. "James. Explain to me, why we don't just get a map of the sewers. Instead of possibly gettin' lost for the rest of our lives." he said as he crossed his arms, his head tilting to the side. His fingers rang across the phirik melodically, creating a slight echo through the sewers. "Lets be honest, you detest me because of what I am, I detest you because Zeltron blood." another pause taken as his mask pulled through air, separating the stench of both Zeltron and Crap though personally they were one in the same. "So why take the risk." breathing out of the mask his eyes bounced around, noticing ripples in the water coming from the left.

[member="James Justice"]

 

[James Justice]

"I dun't detest ye cause of what ye is," James said back in a low voice, as much hostile because of who he was talking to as to where he was and what they were doing, "I detest ye cause of what ye choose to be. And what ye do. Thar be a big difference difference. Asides, trust me. I ain't ever been wrong on these sorta things. I ain't gonna be now."

The crap was real--not just metaphorical like dealing with Thraxis' mentality. At least the freak wasn't trying to kill him right now--for now at least. James had to keep reminding himself that was a plus not a draw back.

The path stayed left, before cutting back right. Another divide to the left and ahead came up. James felt in his gut to go left again, and they did. Then right instead of forward. Then forward over left. It was a long, slow journey. If James were with anyone else, he would have struck up a conversation to make the time fly by. Instead he lit up a cigarette and smoke his way through four others. At last they reached a latter, leading up to a guarded control terminal. James guess that was most likely from the bad old days with the worst of the Ragoul plague on world. All the same he climbed it and came into a small room.

The den had been made into a make-shift hole of a home. Across one end of the wall were a few threadbare blankets in a pallet, in another corner was a stack of miscellaneous, poor belongings. And standing before James, with a shiv was the young man. The spacer blinked, "Calvin?"

[member="Thraxis"]

 

[Thraxis]

"..." he just looked towards James, his shiv was rusted and short, a thin drip of blood ran along its edge as he stared down the man, he was a different sight to behold. Clad in expensive looking clothing and had meat on his bones, more then could be said for the people Calvin had ever met. "Yeah. So you here to do what the man said." he muttered as he looked with his eye, flipping his head back to show for a second the eyepatch.

He looked to the man behind him, a gas mask covering his face and wearing a heavy and pricey looking set of armor. It would appear James didn't have the courage to do it himself. "So... you even brought someone else to do your dirty work." he yelled as he gripped the shiv tighter, looking towards the two of them.

The boy took a few steps back, he had been told by the man a few things when he was looking into his Father, he was a monster from what he said. He done what he wanted and once he learned of Calvin's existence would silence him so he wouldn't have to spend any coin on the boy.
[member="James Justice"]