The Smell of Burnt Slaver in the Morning.

[Aithne Charr]

Solan walked beside the man to his right, both concealing a set of light armor and weaponry for a little strike they were planning.

First, Welcome to Kal'Shebbol. Formerly one of the Southern outer rim's main trade ports, but lately lowered to a mercantile dictatorship that Solan hated even as he walked in the streets. The take overs of the Moross and the Rose had both left the planet with moments of regained stability but with the last falling, it had become a place for slavers and pirates. Now normally this wasn't such a problem that Solan would have to intervene but this time he had gotten word of the slavers taking a few Keshiri here on business as captives, and the Kal'Shebbol leadership seemed to have been bribed off by those slavers.

With that news, Solan's planted legionnaires gave him the information from their undercover positions on planet and after a day's trip on a civilian shuttle Solan had arrived.

That was why his hand tightened on the sabers and he now split from the commander of the Legionnaire squad, moving towards the front of the warehouse in question where the slaves to be were hiding and the slavers were counting their soon to be losses. He smiled inwardly as he let his feet fall on the earth under him, hand closing around a small pistol as he started towards the front doors of the warehouse with his entire form and stance changing to appear drunk. All he needed now was for the two guards to be dumb enough to try and deal with their new drunkard coming towards them.

[member="Kurenai"]

 

[Kurenai]

It had been a mere week or so since the library at Tahv. Kurenai had gone from off-worlder refugee to the employ of the master of Kesh, or at least that was what she called him. A simple maid, nothing more, albeit one who borrowed heavily from his private library by day and fulfilled her mundane duties.

The simple maid would then wear the glamer of a staff officer of Solan's on Kal'Shebbol, a hub world for slave trading. The Legionnaires paid her little heed, though wondering what their Prince was now doing with a staff officer in the field. She followed Solan as he split from his soldiers, to covertly assault a warehouse. She said little as she followed, speculating that the warrior's hunger was in Solas, hence he sought out these slavers personally to slake his battle lust for them. Nariko herself was not one for straight battle, but the thought of countless slaves being bought and sold here, perhaps some even to be sent to her accursed homeworld, meant she was there with him in a supporting role. Better to let Solas have his sport- she would observe from a distance first, and assess their enemies' strengths and search for weaknesses. She was also more cautious, and wondered if a Force User consorted with these slave drivers.

[member="Solan Charr"]

 

[Aithne Charr]

[member="Kurenai"]

Solan's focus wavered for a few moments, making sure that he could sense all his men right as he feigned his collapse infront of the guards. It was a simple way of getting their attention, his hand tightening around the grip as a hand touched his shoulder.

In the time before this assault he had taken on the aid of a woman he had met recently, someone who had become a servant without him really needing one. She seemed like someone that needed a place to be though and he was not going to deny someone a home, temporary or permanent mattered not. None the less she was also pretty proficient in her own way. Her glamor made it far easier to procure information when he was in need of it and the woman was also an intellectual and that was something he needed around him these days.

None the less his focus returned as he was turned over, the two guards looking down at his face. Solan watched their eyes as his hand moved, drawing out the slugthrower pistol and letting the first crack shake the air around them, those nearby turning their heads and watching until the second crack was sounded a second later and the splatter hit the ground behind the guards. With that though those not involved ran, leaving Solan to finish off both guards with two more shots to the skull. "Operation is a go. Make sure no civilians are hit."

 

[Kurenai]

[member="Solan Charr"]

Kurenai abstained from direct battle, as she could feel the lives being snuffed out... and she drew Force energy from their deaths. She could harness much more if she could drain them, but that might've been too much too soon She came over to help him up, walking with a most unhurried pace."Most dignified for a world's master, lord of Kesh." She snarked, using that title on him. She looked at the dead and felt the slugthrower so... inelegant.

Their commotion attracted more guards to the front door, and Kurenai found such a straight-forward approach lacking in creativity. A squadron of four armed and armored private security in black uniforms approached as the rest of the warehouse began mobilizing, the less prepared slavers finding their weapons.

Her glamor finally dropped, as she needed to concentrate on battle arts now. Gesturing with her two hands, she quickly threw three of the four men straight up and away, hurled over plasteel crates and larger, durastee shipping containers. The fourth man was poised to fire when the Force User took his weapon from him. "No don't kill me!" He pleaded, seeing the blaster now in Kurenai's hands, and realizing that he was in the presence of a witch.

"No... but you will lead me to where the slaves are kept." She stated, and immediately the warehouse guard's mind folded.

"I will lead you to the slave pens. We must hurry. they are almost here." The guard said in a monotone, his mind hi-jacked. He knew a roundabout way to reach their destination.

"Lord of Kesh. Would you like to come with us?" She asked, curious if he was truly here to free slaves... or kill slavers.

 

[Aithne Charr]

[member="Kurenai"]

Solan watched the four and let Kurenai act as she moved to simply knock out those that came through the door. He himself straightened his clothing as she worked and with his hands finished he found that she was all done dealing with the. He had to admit that she was efficient and effective, otherwise, he might have a bit more trouble with having her along. With that though he was a bit worried about what was inside seeing as his soldiers should be rushing the main warehouse right then and there.

"You know that you need not call me Lord of Kesh right? My name has and will always be Solan." He waited for his hand to return the slugthrower to his cloak before withdrawing his two sabers and keeping them on hand. He was far more comfortable with the use of a saber over a firearm, though they were both something he was proficient in. So much so that he almost considered simply keeping hold of his sidearm but it was far easier to play on the defensive if need be with his sabers, as odd as that sounded.

While he waited for a response, he started to follow the controlled guard. He was always careful, always waiting if those controlled might break from their minds being held. Of course though he had trust enough that this man would remain undercontrol until a point of conflict but once it did break he woul be ready to rectify any problems which might be caused.

 

[Kurenai]

Kurenai remained between her thrall and Solan, allowing the soldier to guide them past the main force, through all the massive piles of supplies, loot, and vehicles. He was even responsive enough to alert Kurenai that a raider approached.

"Wait." The witch raised her hand in turn, keeping the King of Kesh at the corner, just out of sight.

"Hey man! We're under attack! you saw where they were coming in from?" He asked, brash and uncouth in speech and manner.

"No. Hutt told me to secure the pens. Don't be so hungry for a fight." The thrall spoke to him in his natural voice.

"Ha! no loot for you then."

The raider scum moved on from the enthralled companion, Kurenai in plain view of him yet he acted like she wasn't there at all. Once gone, Kurenai and the thrall moved on, telling Solas it was now clear to move.


"There it is." The thrall pointed to the holding pens where dozens of captives languished, yet wondering what the commotion was about. Two guards stood at the entrance-way, these ones having the luxury of wielding heavy gatling blasters. What other defenses lay beyond, the witch did not know.

"There are your people, Lord of Kesh. They await liberation. Do you wish to be seen as an avenging warrior, or a beguiling shadow?" She asked in that strange off-world accent of hers, with a flair for the poetic.

[member="Solan Charr"]

 

[Aithne Charr]

[member="Kurenai"]

Solan watched them leave before just as she was finished, The prospect of being a shadow was not a foreign one to him but he needed some practice and these two were just what he needed. The problem he knew that would arise though is that of the gatling blasters, something he could deal with but not without a bit of work on his own part. "Lady Kurenai, do keep what im about to do a bit quieter for the people of Kesh please. Its a pain to have to hide this but im going to have to drop my facade for a few seconds in order to deal with these degenerates." With that his hands crossed behind him and he breathed in.

Slowly and like a velvet fabric falling to the ground, his features began to change to Kurenai. His face drained of color, showing burns and cuts, followed by the appearance of dark veins that stretched over his face and down his neck. His eyes drew their color, turning from the normal blue into a golden color that looked sickening. His hands twitched for a second as his whole body dropped the hidden appearance that had become of him through use of the darkside until finally he breathed in as a creature that was far different from what had looked human a second before.

"Im a Demon Kurenai, never forget that fact." He smiled at her in that deathly appearance and without halt his eyes hardened and his body shot forward down the hall. What followed was quick yet still blood churning. The sound of the blasters firing as the hall filled with fire and plasma rounds, the fire twisting and turning towards its victims before finally consuming them. Just as would be expected from the result was screams of pain, echoing and sounding in such a way that Solan's own visage amplified as it terrified the men who now were on the ground burning.

Solan himself stood there with two wounds on him now and his body heaving as the first had slammed him in the shoulder and the second in his left arm which now hung weakly. "Die." With that his foot came down on the first and broke his neck through an amplified kick while he let the other burn slowly until he was dead. With that he just stared at the cages, turning from them and walking back towards Kurenai with an expression that told her that it was clear to free them now.

 

[Kurenai]

Kurenai turned to her thrall, the control she exercised now reaching its limits and verging on brain damage. Kurenai decided to release him.

"You. Do you have a family to go home to?"

"No, mistress. I'm an orphan and a bachelor."

"Then go find yourself a nice girl and start a family. And forget about slavery- forget everything that happened here. Start a farm or something."

"I will find myself a nice girl and start a family and a farm." The raider turns the other way to find himself a nice girl and start a new life.

[member="Solan Charr"]

Kurenai emerged from cover to rejoin Solan in the middle of of his rampage, cutting them down with the fury of one touched by the Dark Side. Considering he already saw her real form first, it was somewhat reassuring that the Lord of Kesh hid a secret much like she did. She looked upon the slain warriors with pity, feeling their departing essence, and feeding on it... if Solan himself didn't feel the need to feed on others' life force.

"Monsters we are, lest monsters we become." She simply stated, fetching the access keys and opening the cells. She places it in the keyhole and with that, entry to the pens was now free. She wondered if any more defenses waited on the other side. Perhaps a giant spider droid, or perhaps a renegade Force user.

"After you." she politely offered.

 

[Aithne Charr]

[member="Kurenai"]

"You know, it would have been simpler just to kill that man..." His eyes ran to Kurenai as the feeling of death started to lessen down around him. The fighting was ending in the rest of the warehouse. It was a good thing as it meant he would not have to worry about anything standing in his way with the exception of what ever remained. "Things are not so simple as to let people go. And mind manipulation will only change a person so far. It would have been safer to end him."

To be honest, he wasn't sure when he began to think like this. It was rather sudden that he changed to such a degree that death was like waving a hand and it was done. He hated that apathy towards killing and yet, it was a part of him at this point. He had spent almost fifteen years causing death, at first for money, then to serve the agenda of others. Finally he killed to help others but that damage had been done. He no longer felt that sense of mercy unless circumstances forced him to show it.

The thoughts continued to register though, his hand moving to place his saber infront of him and slowly walk forward. The cells should be unguarded up to this point, but he wasn't sure if it was all over. The force seemed to be muddled here because of the death and he was still refusing to use the dark as it was. So this left him in such a place where he could not rely on his force sight to tell him the truth. "Stay near."

 

[Kurenai]

The second they stepped into the slavers' holding area, a secondary blast door slid down and shut off the exit. There at the control panel, in the overseer's tower three floors up, a figure in black robes locked the exit. The slaves in the pens hugged the bars, clamoring for freedom. "Please help us!" was the sentiment, but they recoiled when their slaver drew near.

"I sensed two who were strong in the Force. Your interference is most unwelcome." The robed one said, slowly stepping into view. "Yet, you are not Jedi... Perhaps we can come to an arrangement? Something... mutually beneficial? There is much wealth and slaves plenty to share."

Kurenai wouldn't hear a word of it though. The catwalk he walked on was wholly ripped from the wall and folded in on itself like a piece of crumpled paper; the would-be Sith would have been crushed, were it not for a hidden assassin droid firing a grapple at Kurenai, sending an electric shock that caused her to pass out. The assassin droid began dragging Kurenai to itself, the murderous thing bristling with knives. The Sith-pretender leaps from the crushed catwalk and lands hard, using the Force to cushion his fall. With Solan distracted, he rushed in, opening with a Force Push to separate them further and unbalance Solan, a pair of stolen lightsabers- green and blue- wielded in unison to end him.

[member="Solan Charr"]

 

[Aithne Charr]

Solan was beyond done before Kurenai even tried her little trick. It was stupid to push herself as much to try and crush the man in a quick second, though there was something more he could focus on now with the man on the same ground as him. First though he had to deal with the damned droid's cable as it drug Kurenai over the ground and that was something he would need to stop so that she could deal with the droid. The problem was the force push that slammed him into the wall which was not appreciated in the least. He had three seconds, three short seconds to act before the sith got to him.

It took a flick of the saber that he already held to strike the cable, out of his hand and left to sail over the ground while he now left himself far under armed compared to the enemy. Two seconds before the sabers would meet his flesh if he did nothing, the time was short and he had to focus purely on the Sith over helping her at the moment. The problem remained that he had only one saber and his body shot to the side as the sapphire blade leapt out and connected for one of the sith's. The problem came as the second blade cut across the top of his shoulder, pain flaring down his back and setting in.

 

[Kurenai]

Kurenai was still in a daze when the assassin droid came upon her, bristling with wicked blades all over his exterior. "Slice open the meat bag!" It growled through a deep bass, menacingly walking over.

"...I think I'll pass." Never quite the most proficient saber user, Kurenai's humble short-saber flips off her belt and activates midair, spinning to strike at the droid. He evaded it as the short saber went flying past his head.

"Foolish meatbag. I have been programmed to counter all forms of lightsaber combat. I AIAIAIAI-!" Kurenai's gloved hands glowed as the lightning erupted and connected to the Droid's systems. It shorted him out, making it fall over like a statue. She slowly got to her feet and getting the cable off of her.


"Raaaaagh!" The would-be Sith fought Solas with wild abandon, swinging his two blades for kill strokes. There was a brutal efficiency in his simplicity, relying on strength and speed than technique. Technique didn't prepare him though, for a Force grip that seized him bodily and lifted him up into the air. Kurenai bent his limbs back, but he fought against it with sheer might.

"...You are strong in the Force, but you are also frail!" He had time to monologue, pushing against Kurenai's power. The Sith warrior balanced offense and defense; Kurenai was not used to enduring telekinesis, and readily ragdolled from a modest Force Push from her opponent. Despite that, it offered Solan an opening to attack him while distracted.

[member="Solan Charr"]

 

[Aithne Charr]

[member="Kurenai"]

Solan instead of striking chose to worry about where Kurenai landed after she was pushed out of the way, creating a cushion of force energy behind her to slow her and soften her landing. It wasn't done for any reason past holding true to his beliefs though and that was to protect and defend anyone that he saw before him. It was a bit much of an idea but he was a servant to his people and as far as he was concerned anymore, Kurenai was every bit Keshiri as the native born or himself. That was what caused him to look after her rather than take his opportunity to strike at the less than focused sith, and that was why he only now drew both his sabers into his hands.

"Id appreciate if you didn't harm her any further, it is hard enough to keep them alive on my planet, lets not make it a pain off it too." He smiled and drew his hands back into a ready stance as the Sith charged him once more, striking out in a flurry of enraged strikes. It was something that Solan frowned upon when it came to combat. Rage made one clumsy with their strikes, relying far more on raw power than on skill or efficiency and that made the sloppy and quick to burn out. None the less though the strength of this one was no joke.

The first strikes brought the sabers of his foe dangerously close to his neck, the heat causing him to struggle and push back the enemy blades. Then the strike on his left caused his defenses to crumble in for a second, cutting into the arm before forcing Solan to push off and away, hoping to lessen the damage. It was going to be a hard won fight but he would find some little way to make sure that this man burned.

 

[Kurenai]

Kurenai braced herself for impact, but it seemed Solan had ensured she wouldn't endure the worst of it.

The Sith, pushed away from Solan to give him breathing room, heard Solan's concern for his companion, and decided to exploit it. The monstrous fighter charges towards the still prone witch. Kurenai tries to use Push to drive him back, but panicking the massive wave of energy came sluggishly, allowing him to see it coming, somersault to the side and avoid it. Still, every crate struck erupted violently, sent flying into the cages of the frightened prisoners.

"...Foolish creature. such potential, yet you are so weak!" With her modest shoto-saber she tries to defend herself from a swing, but her feeble lack of any saber form made the Sith laugh in contempt. He kicks the saber out of her hand with a hard kick, hurting her fingers as well. He goes for a killing thrust, but Kurenai holds it back with her hands in sheer desperation. With sheer telekinetic force, Kurenai holds the red blade's tip less than an inch from her palm, her hand and the blade creeping towards her chest. The very ground seemed to depress around Kurenai, as she could concentrate on nothing else but the hot plasma glowing in her sight.

"GNNHH!" The Sith powers through, focused on killing the weaker one first yet, raising his saber to overcome her.

[member="Solan Charr"]

 

[Aithne Charr]

[member="Kurenai"]

Kurenai would feel the strength behind the saber vanish after a few seconds though, drawing away from her hand as Solan held his hand up and pulled back on the Sith's entire body as any hint of Solan's illusion was gone. He had burns, scars, and corruption showing on his face. His eyes crimson red as he stared at the Sith's back with his saber in one hand and pointed down towards the ground as he walked closer to them both. It was hard to keep from simply getting out of the hold though as Solan was not holding back himself. "Ill give you one piece of advice."

He grinned, his smile somehow amplifying the malice that he was feeling for the man right now. "Ill give you these words. Your last you will hear before you meet those you killed in the netherworld. You made the mistake to think that you could kill those i am charged to protect... Next time you decide to try and take advantage of a situation, or enslave those who cannot protect themselves, pick a different foe because this mistake has costed you your life."

He swung, plasma reaching for flesh an cutting through the man's chest as he carved down and through. It was a cross slash that bit deep and through the entire torso before exiting out the other side.