The Wheel of Fortune

[HK-17]

Ikora listened deeply as she rested in a seat, her back against the chair and her eyes closed. The Mynerysh crowded in around her, leaving Jareth to sit on his lonesome. He spoke long and duly, and each word she nodded her head too. She knew of the bounty, she knew it too well. Many were gathering in arms and marching off to discover this man. To locate him. She was about to speak but stopped when a hiss sounded throughout the hold, it signified the shuttle had attached to the Mendacity-class corvette. A large tube-like ship spanning two-hundred meters in length. The doors opened, the Mynerysh shuffled out with Ikora, only to be greeted with more of their kind in the hallways. They dwelled there like an infestation, overflowing with this strange four-armed double-torso species, concealed behind their exotic armor. "Come," she said, "We'll speak where no one will hear." She began to walk down the corridor and the strange aliens moved aside, some began to appear in small numbers that were noticeably larger and made of pure muscle; Gen'Dai. They looked like hulking walkers, but instead of thick metals, it was muscle as equally thick and dense. "And what is it you desire of me? You say no amount of security will aid you, then what is it you're asking?"

​

[member="The Cartographer"]

 

[The Cartographer]

Bael smirked a little. "Protection, for the most part. But yes, that can only work for so long. There is something a bit more pressing that I need assistance with. It concerns the Red Ravens. Tell me, do you know of Cryax Bane?" He asked this last part carefully. Not everyone was as openly friendly with everyone as he was. [member="The Queen"] may or may not hate the criminal organization as a whole, so he asked of Cryax personally. If she was enemies with the Ravens, he would simply ask for her to buy him time to set his master plan in motion.​

 

[HK-17]

"I know not of Cryax Bane, but I know of the Rravens." The shuttle detached from the corvette, and the ship seemed to come to life. She flipped her wrist and revealed a mounted datapad, she pressed a series of holographic symbols that activated her transceiver. "Inform the Captain to enter hyperspace, I want the quickest route to Gulamendis." The Queen gave a cautionary glance to one of her guardsmen, and suddenly they surged forward. They pushed past the Queen as if she was a mere pawn in their game of chess. She staggered but caught herself, and smirked. They lowered their bladed vibrostaffs, converging on the Cartographer. One of the guardsmen howled, and corresponding howls followed and echoed every direction throughout the corvette. More Mynerysh were coming, and the thundering of an approaching Gen'Dai. The ship trembled, and the Queen stood back. The Cartographer had just fallen into her web; the spider was coming.

​

[member="The Cartographer"]

 

[The Cartographer]

The moment Bael heard the destination, he knew that he'd just been had. [member="The Queen"] had no interest in helping him, oh no. She was going to bring him to Dredge. Dead or alive. The way things were escalating, most likely dead. He internally kicked himself for being so dim-witted. She was infamous for being as treacherous as an ocean. Using what little force he knew, he sprinted down the corridor, weaving through the creatures that came for him in that direction with unnatural speed. He needed to find a place to hide, and then something to get off the ship before it was too late.​

​

((Oh, you little... ))​

 

[HK-17]

He ran, and straight through the guardsmen, and past the massive Gen'Dai that made up most of the corridor. She was impressed, but not surprised. He would be his own end. She was going to keep him alive and unharmed, but he had ran. She spoke over the transceiver, "Fire all escape pods, and cut the engines on the fighters in the hangar. We've got a humanoid escapee, take him alive. If he resists - kill him. Captain, take us into hyperspace, now." In a matter of seconds, four explosions of oxygen sounded, the escape pods had been launched. The hanger would soon be flooded with Mynerysh, and now it would become a game of cat and mouse. He had walked right into a floating pressurised tube surrounded by the void of space, and within that tube was many dozens of his enemies. It was unfortunate he didn't recognise the Primeval-designed corvette, or that the Concordat worked for the Primeval. It was amusing to her, and so she moved towards the bridge where she would rest. The ship jerked, and something roared from the engine room, and they were flung into hyperspace. She would let him run around like a headless chook.

​

[member="The Cartographer"]
((What can I say? Manipulation is my forte. I hope this doesn't bring bad blood between us.))

 

[The Cartographer]

((Psssh! No no, no hard feelings. Just sending me to me slow and agonizing death after telling me that you'd help in exchange for info. I have nothing to be angry about at ALL..... <_< ))​

​

Bael could easily outrun them. He could avoid them if he played his cards right. Bet there were too many of them. He was in a single ship, now on a direct course to his death. And he'd just, walked right on in. Finally, he spied an emptied room to his right. He quickly darted inside. It was very dark inside. He turned on the thermal imaging in his cybernetic eyes. It was a small storage space of some kind. Looking upward, he saw a small space just big enough for him to squeeze into between a large container and the ceiling. He climbed up and got into it. His thermal sight allowed him to watch the corridor outside as the Mynerysh clamored about, searching for him. They would find him eventually. He didn't have much time. Bael pulled out the tiny holo-computer from his pocket, hastily typing a code and recording a message in a hushed tone:​

​

"Sage, I'm in trouble. I was stupid. [member="The Queen"] never intended to help me. She got me onto her ship, and now intends to give me to Dredge. I managed to avoid being captured, but her loyal army will find me soon. Please. You have to get me out."​

​

Pressing send, Bael awaited the inevitable, alone and very afraid.​

[member="Sage Bane"]​

 

[Aster Jen'allé]

*Destiny reached out to place her hand on top of the hand of [member="Seto Du Couteau"].*

Destiny: *With a sly and flirty smile* "I may have a couple of questions for you. Though I've decided I can end your misery... I'm a mercenary."

*She waited for her last comment to settle in, all while wondering curious as to where the foreign woman ([member="The Queen"]) with the massive guards went in such a hurry. She may have been mostly droid but she had a bad feeling. And a feeling that someone was looking for her...*

 

[HK-17]

The Queen rested on the bridge, unalike to the Mynerysh and the odd Gen'Dai that flooded the corridors of the corvette, the bridge was commandeered by a squadron of Umbarans. They tended to various technical machines that displayed firepower, speed, shielding, engine input and output, hyperdrive integrity, among other things. She sent out a transmission on the communication array that would be relayed back to Gulamendis. "Host Lord," she would greet, "Prepare a defensive blockade around the system. Have Dredge meet me at space-dock twelve-A, I will be at Gulamendis shortly." She settled into the throne-like commanders chair that was situated at the forefront of the bridge, before the large and spacious viewport. She would bargain for a price with Dredge, and if he didn't comply, The Cartographer would be hers, and he would be alive.

​

[member="Dredge"]
[member="Anja Aj'Rou"]
[member="The Cartographer"]

 

[Dredge]

[member="The Queen"] [member="The Cartographer"]

The massive fleet dredge commanded sat in orbit of Gulamendis, the Omen command ship sitting pretty at the center two kilometers long. The living war ship bellowed a horn into the depths of space and all around it the other ships in Dredge's command waited for their prize. Apparently the queen had captured Bael and was now bringing him to Dredge. This would prove to be very interesting to say the least.

The overlord did as such and waited at space dock twelve A with an escort of Yuuzhan Vong and Graug guards. And chained up besides them were slaves, women and children some small enough to still have baby teeth. They looked terribly depressed and tired and longing for death at such young ages. Dredge simply stood there and waited

 

[Boethiah]

Location: Order's End, above Gulamendis
Objective: Set up a blockade.

The Host Fleet Blockade
x42 Deliverance-class heavy cruisers
x28 Carnage-class heavy frigates
x63 deluge-class frigates
x80 mendacity-class corvettes
x24 Raze-class transports
Plus numerous support ships
(Reference, The Republic Grand Navy during the Clone Wars had entire armadas with thousands of warships -- in case you're worried about the numbers game)

Anja Aj'Rou -- Host Lord -- sat in the command chair of Order's End the flagship of their fleet and one of their several Deliverance-class Heavy Cruisers. The bulwark of warships formed a blockade to protect [member="The Queen"] on her return to Gulamendis and more importantly to [member="Dredge"] who seemed to have a score to settle or something of the like. Anja didn't mind it too much; she was rather interested in learning what was going on that became so important that one of her Warlords had requested the full military support of the Host Fleet above Gulamendis. Depending, the Host Lord may have some choice words for The Queen based on her actions. Nonetheless pre-judgement was not in her interest and she could afford the luxury of waiting momentarily to see what was going on.

The various warships armed all their guns, enough fire power to decimate an entire world; enough to bring whole fleets to their knees. So whatever The Queen wished of her master, Anja was not unconfident in her ability to succeed; not when she had a massive fleet at her disposal. At least massive in most terms, few could handle the logistics of hundreds -- let alone thousands -- of warships without having half the galaxy to back you. Worlds are carefully selected and mined to not strip them clean, except in this case, Anja had done just that. Their fleet scoured entire star systems like a plague to strip them clean of every metal they could produce. This scourge to many, The Primeval, are not too caring of the concerns of others. They would not compromise their most sacred quest for the sake of others.

"Connect me with her.", she ordered her intercom officer. There would be no addressing of The Queen's name as usual. The Warlords were meant to obey, even within their luxury of freedoms, and if there was one thing for sure it was that perhaps The Queen was one who afforded herself this luxury far too many times. Traveling the entire galaxy and risking exposure for greed, lust, and power. It seems Catalys Maijora was unable to report in time. Whatever happened on The Wheel better have been worth Anja's time.

 

[Seto Du Couteau]

Seto grinned as he felt her hand fall on top of his, slowly he turned own hand around now that both their palms were pressed against one another. His eyes focusing in on [Member="Destiny"]'s as he kept himself calm. A slight thought shot across him as he wondered if he was being played for a sucker, he already lost a large amount of his credits and was quickly sucked in, but Seto immediately shot down that thought. He was a risk taker, and this was certainly a risk he was willing to take for the moment.

". . .I'm a mercenary," She finally said to him.

Seto initially blinked once, then twice to fully show how surprised he was at this realization. His smile slightly wavered but after a moment he chuckled but then laughed outright for a moment. His smile grew larger as he nodded at her, his hand holding hers as he calmed himself with a few breaths. "I am certainly coming across the most interesting people at casinos, and boy don't I have all the luck, but please do not take my outburst in any negative fashion" He explained, even though he was certain he stood nowhere near the combat experience of this woman at the moment he was not her target. "I'm sorry for my outburst, I just get excited when I come across very interesting people that simply cause me to want to know more and more of," He added as asked for another round from the bartender.

"Anyways, anyways, I'm calm now, but I sadly have several more questions but as I promised," He waited as the bartender brought another glass, "You deserve to ask yours, so please ask away and I promise to answer them truthfully and without hesitation," Seto said.

 

[Aster Jen'allé]

*At first Destiny was puzzled at this outburst and wore an equally puzzled expression on her face. Even after [member="Seto Du Couteau"] explained himself she had difficulty understanding exactly why he was so amused; however, she liked different. People become so boring when they can be predicted. Rather than a setback, this was a pleasant surprise.*

Destiny: "I was wondering actually, what do you do for a living? Also, where do you sit in this wide galaxy? who are you really? You just seem so different. I would like to know"

*He was different to her, it was strange, but she felt something for him. No, she couldn't feel anything, she was a machine, someone constructed her. God she hated that word, constructed, as if nothing she did mattered. It was all as her creator would have intended, if her creator were still alive so far into the future of her life. Everything she was, it was... it was... From the hands of another. Why should she go against this? She knows that even if she was somehow able to feel for someone, they would hate her as soon as they knew the truth about her, yet somehow, the unpredictable quality of this man, once a stranger, appealed to her. It was almost too much to deal with, she stood up quickly but misjudged the sturdiness of the stool beneath her and ended up falling awkwardly on top of Seto. Somehow the emotions interrupted her thought process and made her 'clumsy.' perhaps now he would believe she was drunk. but wait! Oh no, he would have to notice how unnaturally heavy she was. Please no, please not before I even got to know who he was!*

 

[Seto Du Couteau]

Seto placed a single finger on his chin as he wondered how to answer [Member="Destiny"]'s questions. He opened his mouth to begin but quickly noticed her standing up but his own reaction slowed by the alcohol he did all but try to catch her as she fell forward at him. "Osu!" Seto started but gave a humph as he tried to steady her back to an upright position. Seto's right hand wrapped around her waist as his left around her shoulder and back, his legs though felt her unexpected weight and adjusted a tad slower but he managed to hold her upright but only barely.

Moving himself back slightly he looked at Destiny with a small embarrassed smile, patting her on the shoulder once to give her some assurance, "I guess I shouldn't have ordered that drink?" He jokingly ask, already trying to forget her little fall. If muscle ways a lot more than she certainly is not a mercenary to take lightly He mused, as if he was going to take her lightly in the first place though even before and after this fact.

"But anyways, I lead my family business, Du Couteau Engineering, a Luxury Ship and Vehicle company that started several generations ago by my ancestors and since me being the only child and son of my family the responsibility of me keeping the business going naturally fell on me," Seto explained a bit of his own life, not that he had much of a story to begin with, "As I said earlier Seto is my name and I always been a risk taker, a gambler I guess, so I don't always fret and get anxious of the littlest of strange or interesting details but as so much I actually want exciting facts and truths to cross my path in life," He added with a gleam in his eyes and a smug smile of confidence.

Slowly removing his hands from her body he gave her a thumbs up, "So anything else Jennifer?" Seto asked, hoping she wasn't too embarrassed with her earlier incident.

 

[Aster Jen'allé]

*Destiny regained her composure, she was shocked and relieved that [member="Seto Du Couteau"] didn't mention anything about how heavy she was. She listened to what he said, giggled a bit at his comment about the drink, and focused on his words about his life. Finally, he settled on a question, anything else, and destiny decided to answer.*

Destiny: "I can't think of any good questions, so I'll let you ask again."

*The feeling of being was pushed to the back of her mind, little did destiny know [member="Ciara"] was searching for her at [member="The Queen"] s request.*

 

[Seto Du Couteau]

"I know it's rude to ask a woman about her weight but remind me to never get you angry, I would certainly sure that your punch will pack a wallop," He added with a small laugh. Seto relished the sound of her laughter, it was a beautiful sound and Seto but could only smile more at [Member="Destiny"]. Her occupation though does contain hazards, for Seto as well if he were to stay long and close, but he wouldn't be called a risk taker if he doesn't take risks. His eyes looking back at the entrance for a split second, something made him and he wondered if perhaps it was his assistant but luckily nothing appeared ready to pull him out Destiny's company at the moment.

"Well then, I didn't take you are a mercenary type, you look all the more ravishing in my eyes," Seto said, his hands gesturing outwards towards her, "The only question I have would be if you any plans later tonight?" He asked, his eyes hopeful, "Because I would simply adore you if we could spend the rest of it together and enjoy ourselves," Seto explained.

 

[Aster Jen'allé]

*Destiny thought about his proposal for a moment. It was odd, she wanted to say yes: she was entranced by the thought of this man, once a stranger, now a fast friend.*

Destiny: *To [member="Seto Du Couteau"]* "Don't worry too much about my weight. You're right though, I do pack a wallop. Anyway, I don't have anything special planned for the night, so I wouldn't mind hanging around here for a little while. Though, it might be nice to be able to get in contact with me later."

*Destiny gave Seto a small comlink. What was she thinking? These were for combat use if she needed to be in constant contact with others on the battlefield. That didn't seem to matter now, she could afford to lose one.*

Destiny: "This Comlink will get you in touch with me anytime, anywhere, so whether you just want to... have a discussion, or even if you need help, send a Comm my way and I will do what I can to help or talk or anything like that."

 

[Seto Du Couteau]

His fingers slowly wrapped around the comlink, keeping his gaze on [Member="Destiny"] for a moment before adjusting his focus on the comlink once more. Seto pondered over it before he placed it gently into his pocket and flashed her a smile. Nodding once he patted his pocket, reassuring himself that the device was still there, "If anything I need assistance or in need of?" Seto asked, his smile turn one into a mischievous one. His grin tugged the corners of his mouth. Earning the right to continue prolong communications always brought a chance of a better relations in the future. Seto understood this fact as it worked for his business.

Stretching his right hand towards her, offering his companionship for the rest of the night, "Come on then, lets explore a bit," Seto urged, before reaching with his left hand to straighten his tie once more. His eyes showed a mischievous glint as he asked then, "Do you believe love at first sight?" His grin growing.

 

[Ciara]

Ciara felt a disturbance of sorts... An ominous feeling about the events to come. But Ciara heeded no attention to the feeling. Her mission was to located Destiny and there was nothing else to it. She looked around and bumped into a seemingly wealthy merchant. She bowed her head in response and said in a remorseful tone, "My deepest apologies sir," and took a deep bow.

The merchant scoffed and raised his head in absolute arrogance, returning to his meandering of his abundance of credits. Little did he know, however, Ciara had stolen the keycards to his merchant freighter. Ciara grinned as she pocketed the keycards into her pocket and paused to open her data pad. Furiously typing an additional encryption program, now noticing the advanced security on the Wheel, into the programming backbone of her message system, Ciara sent [member='The Queen'] another response. "Understood. Locating target." before proceeding into gambling den... It was only a matter of time before she could find [member="Destiny"] within the confines of the Wheel.

She slowly surveyed the area for the inhabitants of the gambling den. Merchants...No. Nobles...no. She could deduce that Destiny, being a Human-Replica Droid, would have no sizable wealth to flaunt like most of the inhabitants of the Wheel. Quickly eliminating the high stakes gambling areas of the gambling den, she looked towards the low stakes portion of the gambling den. Ciara paused before continuing and quickly occupied an empty cocktail table. Removing her datapad, she connected the internal computer of her helmet wirelessly to her datapad and began re-configuring her visual sensors to thermal, specifically flagging anomalies that were outside the normal acceptable ranges for Humans, to and her biological sensors to only detect humans. She tapped the side of her visor, shutting down the HUD display and tapped it once again, rebooting it with the newly configured parameters.

As the new configurations began initializing, Ciara waved to a nearby Human female server. She slowly approached and soon, her entire vision was flooded with a blend of bright orange and red figures among a dynamic light blue background. Ciara looked at the server and a human figure was flushed with bright red. No red flag. She tapped the side of her visor once again, turning her visor from a dark opaque black to a translucent light grey.

"Hello. Could I have the entire bottle of namana-flavored tihaar?" Ciara inquired politely before throwing a 100 cr chip at the server, as the server turned to leave.

"Quickly," Ciara implored with a greater amount of urgency and the server began scuttling across the gambling den to the bar. Ciara tapped her visor once again and continued surveying the area.

One anomaly was detected. Ten degrees colder than the acceptable temperature parameters for a Human.

She sent another message to The Queen. "Target acquired. Dead or alive?"

 

[Aster Jen'allé]

*Love at first sight? This was a concept that was rather foreign to destiny. Such a strange thing; however, Destiny thought of what he might mean. Any chance that this was an attempt at humor was lost on her.*

Destiny: *To [member="Seto Du Couteau"]* "Love... Seto, I don't think love can apply to me. There's something you don't know and I fear that it will... Change... the way you think in regards to me."

*Destiny looked composed but nervousness could almost be seen in her eyes. Something was going off in her mind, there was someone using sensors to zero in on her ( [member="Ciara"] ) and the extra sensory traffic somewhat registered, but Destiny was so distracted with the situation at hand that she ignored the information as it streamed in.*

 

[Seto Du Couteau]

Seto covered his mouth to stifle a chuckle as he turned to look at [Member="Destiny"], a smile he gave, "I do not believe in that idea either," He explained. Seto titled his head towards the left as she told him that if he were to know a certain fact his opinion of her would change. Something more than just a mercenary? Seto asked himself. Raising an eyebrow at her, if there was something more to learn about her, well Seto was now much more interested to find out.

"Oh? Well, don't need to explain anything to me," Seto said, flashing her a winning smile, "Come on then Jennifer, if you're really worried about what I would think about you if you told me, then don't tell me," He added, stretching out his right hand once more, "Let's have fun tonight?"