Ven A'ndi
Coffin Full of Credits
Mejevi was as close as one could get to civilization in this part of Wild Space. Its capital city, Jerite, was a sizeable, sprawling metropolis, with a constant flow of traffic within the city itself and in and out of the spaceports. Just like any large enough city, there were clear divisions between the wealthy, and the seedier underbelly.
These two worlds were inexorably linked, however. Those who ran Mejevi were part of a brutal cartel of slavers and drug runners – they acted as the government and royalty here. The richest families looked, dressed, and acted like nobility, but they were all part of the system of exploitation that plagued the surrounding parsec. The underworld supplied the upper class, and the middle class were merely those who kept things running on a day-to-day basis.
While it was never the kind of place Ven liked to visit, the work tended to be high-paying. Not only that, but he could move around with impunity, as a bounty-hunting Mandalorian certainly wasn’t out of place here. He moved through the crowded streets, stepping past scoundrels, thugs, and merchants. Some were here to try and make something for themselves, while others were here for the encouragement on their immoral businesses.
This particular bounty was a high-profile one, to be sure: a prince, one that had committed assault against a young noble woman from a planet a few parsecs away. Ven only had a few rules, one of them being that he didn’t go for heads of state. This was an incredibly high bounty, however, one that could set him up for a while… and Ven had no love for the Mejevi.
The Mandalorian was nearing the large, opulent palace situated in the middle of the city – the tallest buildings around. He expected a lot of guards, droid or otherwise, as well as electronic security that would need to be taken care of. Right now, he was just on reconnaissance. The actual operation of extracting him alive, as per the bounty, would have to be delicate.
Up ahead, he could see some sort of commotion – Prince Taaf himself, roughing up one of the locals. Perfect timing, the Mandalorian thought as he drew near. A small crowd had gathered to observe, and the Mandalorian merely joined in, his helmet keeping him expressionless.
“Come now, Rollo!” Taaf smiled, arms wide with bravado. “Surely you can fight!” The prince tossed some sort of metallic, cylindrical object on the ground. It looked intricately designed, with a basket handle. Was that…?
The Mando’s theory was confirmed by Taaf reaching to his belt and drawing his own weapon, igniting it – a red lightfoil. These were somewhat smaller and lighter than a Jedi or Sith lightsaber, although the blade was still the same length. They were meant to be wielded in one hand with fencing-style techniques. Their cutting power also seemed to be reduced, as they were most effective at stabbing. The Mandalorian hadn’t seen any before, but knew that lightfoils were rather popular with some older noble families in the Outer Rim that used them for sport and status. The Mejevi were also known to use them, and it was rumored that some in the royal family were lightly Force sensitive.
The man named Rollo tentatively picked up the lightfoil thrown to him and activated it – a light blue blade emerging from the hilt. Taaf smiled and psyched himself up, getting into a practiced stance. He started out with a few thrusts and swipes, with Rollo barely able to keep up. The Mandalorian watched in still silence. It looked like a loth cat playing with the prey it was about to turn into a meal.
Vaeri
These two worlds were inexorably linked, however. Those who ran Mejevi were part of a brutal cartel of slavers and drug runners – they acted as the government and royalty here. The richest families looked, dressed, and acted like nobility, but they were all part of the system of exploitation that plagued the surrounding parsec. The underworld supplied the upper class, and the middle class were merely those who kept things running on a day-to-day basis.
While it was never the kind of place Ven liked to visit, the work tended to be high-paying. Not only that, but he could move around with impunity, as a bounty-hunting Mandalorian certainly wasn’t out of place here. He moved through the crowded streets, stepping past scoundrels, thugs, and merchants. Some were here to try and make something for themselves, while others were here for the encouragement on their immoral businesses.
This particular bounty was a high-profile one, to be sure: a prince, one that had committed assault against a young noble woman from a planet a few parsecs away. Ven only had a few rules, one of them being that he didn’t go for heads of state. This was an incredibly high bounty, however, one that could set him up for a while… and Ven had no love for the Mejevi.
The Mandalorian was nearing the large, opulent palace situated in the middle of the city – the tallest buildings around. He expected a lot of guards, droid or otherwise, as well as electronic security that would need to be taken care of. Right now, he was just on reconnaissance. The actual operation of extracting him alive, as per the bounty, would have to be delicate.
Up ahead, he could see some sort of commotion – Prince Taaf himself, roughing up one of the locals. Perfect timing, the Mandalorian thought as he drew near. A small crowd had gathered to observe, and the Mandalorian merely joined in, his helmet keeping him expressionless.
“Come now, Rollo!” Taaf smiled, arms wide with bravado. “Surely you can fight!” The prince tossed some sort of metallic, cylindrical object on the ground. It looked intricately designed, with a basket handle. Was that…?
The Mando’s theory was confirmed by Taaf reaching to his belt and drawing his own weapon, igniting it – a red lightfoil. These were somewhat smaller and lighter than a Jedi or Sith lightsaber, although the blade was still the same length. They were meant to be wielded in one hand with fencing-style techniques. Their cutting power also seemed to be reduced, as they were most effective at stabbing. The Mandalorian hadn’t seen any before, but knew that lightfoils were rather popular with some older noble families in the Outer Rim that used them for sport and status. The Mejevi were also known to use them, and it was rumored that some in the royal family were lightly Force sensitive.
The man named Rollo tentatively picked up the lightfoil thrown to him and activated it – a light blue blade emerging from the hilt. Taaf smiled and psyched himself up, getting into a practiced stance. He started out with a few thrusts and swipes, with Rollo barely able to keep up. The Mandalorian watched in still silence. It looked like a loth cat playing with the prey it was about to turn into a meal.
Vaeri