Vanity

[Kirill Bratan]

Kirill was enjoying his food and the peace and quiet where he was. See this was his favorite restaurant in the Promenade. And he believed they had the best steak for about 600 city blocks. So he was in here often and the owners know him. They owners also got protection from Kirill's men because Kirill didn't want anything to happen to this place.

After eating half his steak he put the silverware down and took out his comlink and called Barbossa the Hutt. One of the main Hutts on Nar Shaddaa and part of the council.

"Good evening sir. The mission is complete and if you require proof then switch on the holo and you will see a fire and people strung up in a courtyard. My personal calling card to punks who steal from us."

Barbossa was impressed and also said that his spies found out that there are two Jedi in the same district that you are in and as you know we can't have them poking around. I want you to find them and see what they are up to and if need be then eliminate them. One has purple hair and the other is short and both are human looking females."

"Yes sir. It will be done." With that Kirill terminated the call and motioned for his Lieutenant to come over. "I want you to find the two Jedi that the boss just spoke of. Take some men and spread out. Don't engage them unless you have to. Just follow them and see what they are up to. My guess is that they are at the fire or the courtyard. Knowing Jedi they will be were the suffering is. Oh. And if run into the little Zeltron kid that ruined my suit....please have a "talk" with him. He thought his pheromones worked on me but they didn't. I just didn't want to cause a scene in my favorite restaurant."

The Lieutenant said, "Yes sir." And grabbed about ten men and told them to go in different directions with the orders he was given. Then he took four men with him to back to the courtyard.

A little while later five armored men appear near the courtyard.

 

[Kirill Bratan]

[member="Charity Luckless"] [member="Tanaski Yumi"] [member="Sky'ito Yumi"] [member="Eri'anya Forr"] [member="Barnabas Harou"] [member="Noviac Caligo"]

Sorry I forgot to tag you all. Using my phone.

 

[Eri'anya Forr]

No pain here... It certainly seemed to be the case, a quick survey of the hanging bodies made it clear that most had been killed rather quickly. Some of the victims wore an eternal look of fear, but none seemed to have been suffering when they fell. No passion, then... A burning warehouse and bodies hanging in a courtyard smelled more like a message to the Jedi, but it was not clear to whom it was addressed. It certainly couldn't have been the rabble who had fled from the sight.

Reaching a hand into the confines of her cloak, Eri'anya produced a small datapad as she took a step around her amethyst-haired companion, making sure to avoid disturbing her silent respect for the dead. Taking a moment to find a decent angle, she captured a few shots of the bodies for later reference, jotting down a few notes to accompany the images for a more thorough examination. After taking a slow, sweeping shot of the blazing warehouse, the knight returned the device to the pouch secured to her belt. It was tempting to run in and determine what caused the fire, but it wouldn't do to be tied to the crime in any official capacity. It hardly looked like an accident anyway.

Taking a less clinical look at the bodies above her, a familiar pit settled in the young Jedi's stomach. There was a nagging urge to cut them down, but she new deep down that there was little point in it. Whatever part of these people that required such kindness was long gone. They were weak and unfortunate, and they had been preyed upon by this dark place. The thought caused her mouth to dry and a lump to form in her throat. It was truly a tragedy.

Her musings were interrupted by a rather strange man speaking from nearby, his "observations" tugging her lips into a morbid smile. They certainly are... She glanced over at the man, her eyes passing over those siblings, as well as a Zeltron who she did not recall seeing before, finally settling on the newcomer's rather distinctive features. She kept her distance, preferring not to stand too close to those who towered over her, which was most people. It was a childish reservation, but it was becoming more and more clear by the odd group gathering that adult worries would be an ill fit.

"I'm sorry... who are you?" As the question left her lips, the sound of armored feet caught the Jedi's senses, pulling her attention to a group of five who seemed too heavily armed to be passers by. Making no sudden moves, Eri'anya made her way back to her friend's side, gesturing her chin towards the suspicious newcomers as she took position between them and Charity.

This can't be good...

[member="Charity Luckless"] [member="Sky'ito Yumi"] [member="Tanaski Yumi"] [member="Noviac Caligo"] [member="Kirill Bratan"] [member="Barnabas Harou"]

 

[Tanaski Yumi]

Eventually he made it into the courtyard, immediately his nostril's filled with the smell of smoke, blood and chard skin, it was powerful and for a moment he cringed. Though this reaction was due to the fact that he had become to antiquated with being the smell of dead and burning bodies. Surveying the area it looked as if the victims were killed rather quickly considering the wounds. Most were precise shot aimed at vital area, combined with the expression on their faces, the same as those he had eliminated on a common occasion.

As the more assertive personality Jedi started to survey the area and take pictures of the 'crime' scene he too decided to make his own investigation. The complex in flames was a store house of some kind, ideal for shipping/receiving as well as a common place for illegal dealings, combined with the outfits of the dead bodies it was probably safe to assumes these men were gun/spice or some sort of dealer gang, but there was more. The amount of bodies indicated a fairly small for the size of the complex they had, and from the way the dead were on display he could only deduce these people were here, severing as an example, it was the only explanation that made scene.

This begged the question, what happened, many things came to mind but from the information present he concluded the most likely senario, including what he had seen a little earlier, those armed men. 'These poor sod must have stolen, acquired something valuable from a big wig Hutt, from there the Hutt probably set up a mock deal, and used it as a chance to recover his good and get pay back, while laving these guys as a reminder for other'. It may have been a long shot but from his limited experience as an assassin he had once been apart of a similar, ordeal, for said person getting payback.

Standing up and looking around it seemed as though the whole group was here. Sky'ito was giving a placid look as always checking out the area for themselves, the new man merc was going about his business with a slight confrontation with the two Hedi, but there was a new addition, a Zeltron if his memory served correctly. needless to say he had a slightly odd appearance, though definitely good looking, he gave the newcomer a predatory sly look. Before anything else could happened though, the sound of armored footsteps became prominent in the distance, the sound being the same as those of the men who walked passed earlier. Looking to Sky'ito he waited for a response, these men most likely were a clean up squad of sort, to keep thing under the lid, the question was, do we stick around, getting involved with potential crime lords was something he wanted to avoid, unless he was getting paid by them.

[member="Eri'anya Forr"]
[member="Kirill Bratan"]
[member="Charity Luckless"]
[member="Noviac Caligo"]

 

[Lancer Damar]

Five. There were five. Just five.

Hutt Council be damned. Nar Shaddaa had bigger players. Bigger pieces on the boards. Made of better wood, too. They'd be here soon enough. And they didn't want a certain group of individuals running around. Lancer Damar wasn't here to protect the Jedi. They just happened to so coincide with his mission.

The pistol was Verpine, totally silent. Maximum penetration, too. He grabbed one of the five, and stuck the barrel inbetween his armor plates, under his arm and fired three times. He fell limp in Lancer's arm. Lancer casually dropped him into a nearby seat by one of the local caf shops. The other four hadn't noticed yet, or they hadn't turned around for the rear man yet. Hopefully no radio chatter would occur before Lancer could get to the other four.

[member="Eri'anya Forr"] l [member="Kirill Bratan"]

 

[Kirill Bratan]

[member="Lancer Damar"]
I had to hope to Just talk to the Jedi with this squad and find out what they wanted and were doing here. If they talked or fight then so be it. But I like where this is going so I will pay along. You could have waited until events panned out before acting but such is life. Good work and nice post. Welcome.

 

[Sky'ito Yumi]

Dead, blood and bodies, she would be lying if such a site didn’t bring up some dark though, her slightly sadistic side taking in the surrounding’s and playing out how such methods could be used against some certain individual which annoyed her. She shook such emotion away, resisting the lure of the dark side for the time being, more pressing matters were standing right before her, what happened here, and why?

He brother would most likely have a theory already, but her own perception on the event would be good. From the look of the victim they were kill quick and precise, the expressions on their faces, that of shock and surprised, like they had been fooled ad reacted to the threat to late. No, these men were an example for someone, a rival gang showing what happened if someone messed with them, or a crime lord, cementing their dominance over lower crime lords, or getting pay back? Her thought was drawn to the man that had passed earlier, the one that looked too good for this area, and was accompanied by guards.

If that was the case and said person was responsible for this, they were in trouble, getting involved in a clean-up of some sort was not a good idea. Despite not caring about the victim and how they probably had this coming, this type of display was… barbaric. Looking around the group she noted the Jedi having a slight confrontation with the mercenary looking man, and her brother giving a sly look at a Zeltron, another person who seemed to randomly showed up, though that was none of their concern as the moment as tingle in the force altered to a coming danger.
Looking in the general direction the sound of combat boots became louder and louder, looking to her brother she gave him a replying ‘don’t move’ hand signature, perhaps they could negotiate something. Though with the Jedi present that could be hard, though the through process was completely thrown of its rails when she reached out with the force to sense the incoming threat and noticed one of the signatures being snuffed out. “Oh not”

[member="Kirill Bratan"]
[member="Lancer Damar"]
[member="Eri'anya Forr"]
[member="Charity Luckless"]

 

[Charity Luckless]

"...as I suspected: they are dead."

Charity was interrupted from her reverent rumination by the foreign voice, its source previously undetected to her. Her eyelids opened and her pupils darted to the corners of her eyes, briefly capturing the figure of Captain Obvious. Subsequently, the ruffle of Eri'anya's cloak brushing against her own regained her attention as the shorter woman sidled up to her once more. She looked down to notice the nonverbal cue and rotated to check on what her comrade had spotted. What she initially saw approaching their vicinity was a quintet of armed enforcers, men that she assumed were the local law enforcement come to lock down the courtyard area. It took her a moment to realize that the uniforms hardly fit the wardrobe of police officers, even on worlds like this one where crime was king. Steadily, she held her ground as Eri'anya took the point.

There was a shadow of a man that suddenly appeared at the back of the formation, and Charity's eyes furrowed with suspicion at the apparition. Only moments later, her lungs contracted in an unprecedented manner, squeezing a silent gasp through her windpipe. Her blood rushed cold and unnaturally to the back of her neck, numbing her with the rapid shock. The shadow was gone. And so was the rearmost gunman.

Charity unfurled the right of her robe. The newly exposed cylindrical device glimmered under the glare of neon, its silver casing perfectly polished and nearly devoid of a single scratch. It wasn't often that she felt the need to unveil such a tool, and it showed in her hesitance to bring her left arm around. She started forward for just one step, glancing to the side at "Captain Obvious" warily. This all felt entirely wrong. People had died. A person was dying. And the circumstances favored someone else dying very soon. Just who, and by whom?

"Eri..." She banked her head towards the arriving thugs--the four remaining, at least--and coolly unclipped the hilt of her weapon from her belt. Simultaneously she extended her right hand in the direction of the armored newcomer, palm opened towards him in order to ward him back. She didn't want anyone else getting involved in the trouble at hand. And, more importantly, she couldn't trust a masked individual decked in a suit of armor enough to turn her back to him.

Igniting the unmistakable turquoise blade of energized plasma, the tall Jedi inched forward slowly, one eye glued to the armored stranger's handgun. With the way the scene lay, she wasn't sure if anyone would know whose side who was on by the conclusion of this unnerving ordeal. Just watch Eri's back.

And the kids. She simply shook her head.

[member="Eri'anya Forr"] [member="Sky'ito Yumi"] [member="Tanaski Yumi"] [member="Noviac Caligo"] [member="Kirill Bratan"] [member="Barnabas Harou"] [member="Lancer Damar"]

 

[Eri'anya Forr]

For several seconds she stood still, a critical eye passing over the five newcomers as they steadily made their way towards the crime scene. The men were armed, that much was clear, and their armored footfalls were such that the Jedi had heard them long before they had revealed themselves visual. Certainly they meant business, but what exactly that business was was yet to be seen. The Smuggler's Moon was not without its own form of law enforcement, but never had she seen them mobilize this quickly for something as "minor" as arson and murder. Not unless there were larger parties in play.

Let's just see what they have to say, then...

Eri'anya knew that her meager frame did little to shield her friend from trouble, her presence intended more as a comforting tool than some form of cover. Charity certainly didn't need it, regardless of how large a target she looked to be at first. It also made the small Jedi feel good to know her back was covered, her gaze passing over the mismatched group spread throughout the courtyard as the air seemed to grow heavy. She knew better than to assume her companion needed looking after, but there were strangers mixed up in this whole mess. Kids too...

A fingertip absently grazed across the sabers dangling from her belt, the assortment of weapons silently clattering together under the cover of her cloak. It was a source of both comfort for the knight, the constant reminder that she was protected steadying the primal quake running up her spine. She found her shoulders raising, her faint twist of the feet giving her stance just a bit more grounding for a leap. She had a bad feeling about this...

While she could not hear the report, Eri'anya's jaw clenched at the sight of one of those men going limp, a sixth one she had failed to notice ending his life without noise or showmanship. She had just witnessed a murder, and it was only a matter of time before the other four became aware of their missing man. Things were about to take a turn for the unpleasant, and everybody in the area had just been pulled into it. The whole affair agitated that growing tension in her gut, spurring it into a silent fire that tunneled her vision towards the armored group ahead of her. Something had to be done.

Nodding in response to the sound of her name, Eri took a mechanical half-step forward, creating a reasonable gap between the two Jedi that would prevent any risk of friendly fire. With a trained lack of flourish, the Jedi lowered herself into a wider stance, her hands coming out to the sides to rest at about waist height. On her right there was a simple, utilitarian metal cylinder, held in an unconventional reversed grip as a brilliant purple beam crackled to life from the end. In her left hand, she held a beautifully ornate curved saber hilt, covered in its entirety by a multitude of designs and engravings. This one emitted a fine blue beam, jutting out as an extension of her arm in direct contrast to the other one.

Taking another step forward, the undersized Jedi projected her voice with all the authority she could muster over the distance. "Stop where you are!" It was time to bring things back under control before the situation descended into mere chaos, and she was determined to have words with that killer in the back of the party. I saw you...

[member="Charity Luckless"] [member="Sky'ito Yumi"] [member="Tanaski Yumi"] [member="Noviac Caligo"] [member="Kirill Bratan"] [member="Barnabas Harou"] [member="Lancer Damar"]

 

[Tanaski Yumi]

He waited with anticipation as the group slowly approached, armed and dangerous looking, their black clothing probably designed in a way to intimidate other's, no doubt the were the goon's of a Hutt lord of some sort. Being on Na Shadda for a while, he instantly knew these imposing figures were not here to reinforce some sort of law and order, no they were here to make sure non of this matter reached the public. As a crime lord it was wise to make sure you didn't make too many enemies, and surpasses those all those that would appose your power, cleanly and quickly, it was why they would hire assassins, especially the sneaky one.

Thought it would seem the person who owned these guards already had an enemy, from the shadow a masked and just a well armed man quickly dispatched the rear most guard, most likely using a superseded weapon of some sort, before calmly laying them down on a table. The crowd around to panicked and haywire to notice the deed done, but if the guards had the best equipment money could buy, they would probably have dead-mans switches or some sort of device to let the others know a comrade died, even if the assassin was very skilled, taking on 4 heavily trained and armed personal Hutt guards would be impossible.

As they approached the familiar sound of a light saber being activated was heard from the side, looking over the non-purples Jedi had decided to brandish their saber. Its purple bright beam being a contrast to the scene around and what might play before them, the woman was brave and was undoubtedly a good person, even if these men were known weapon dealer such a fate that became of them was unfitting and if the Hutt guards were sent to 'clean up' they must not be one to negotiate, or would they.

He discarded the thought's, trying to talk his way out of things never really ended well, it was fairly common for him to piss who ever he was talking off rather easily. As the men continued to approached, weapon slightly raised it became apparent a peaceful confrontation was not what they had in mind, in response he unsheathed his short vibro swords, the slightly curved thin blade, the light glistening of the blackness of the cortosis covering. Once fully unsheathe he proceeded to flip the one in his left hand aounrd, holding the simple but deadly object in a reverse grip, and proceeded to enter a Jar'kai stance.

Though the approaching men were of concern, it was the assassin that seamlessly came out of nowhere that was the real problem, after he dealt with what ever thing he was hired to do, they would probably try to silence any witnesses. A good assassin never left witnesses, especially if those witnesses were Jedi, the encounter would probably end with the two at the side trying to apprehend said stealth master over their. He looked at Sky'ito seeing how she'd react to it all, though putting on an calm face he knew their would be a lot of emotion running though her mind at the moment.

[member="Eri'anya Forr"]
[member="Charity Luckless"]
[member="Kirill Bratan"]
[member="Lancer Damar"]

 

[Lancer Damar]

Four gunman. Two Jedi. If he was a betting man, he would've avoided betting on him right now. The Jedi reacted in a manner he didn't expect. The Jedi telling him to stop was about as useful as a roadblock in front of a train. He was going to listen about as well as the train would to the roadblock, as well. Lightsabers drew. The guards were going to react- because they didn't know Lancer was there yet. Regardless of how the guards were going to react to the Jedi withdrawing their weapons, Lancer had to react as well. The Jedi exposed him.

And maybe turned the course of what he was doing here for the worse. He didn't want to report back a failure. Failure meant less money and less of what he was here to do. Lancer reached into his jacket, pulling out a garrote wire and handles. Simple thing. Made out of copper wire and two pieces of metal. But one of the most effective tools of an assassin. He let it hang from his left hand, using a strong-side grip on his handgun as he weaved through the panicking mass of people.

Armored troops.

Some had spotted Lancer.

Terrifying Jedi- people weren't just afraid of Sith if they didn't understand, or know. Jedi had been responsible, or part of many terrible battles. Including ones on this planet. Needless to say, people were scared. He didn't know how the security team was going to react, either. He needed to create some space between him, the Jedi, and the team at hand here. He did so by entering a cafe- by striding, not running, and slipping his way to the kitchen after moving past the cashier. The Promenade, and the area around it, had plenty of small shops- but unfortunately, they ended more or less in the same place as far as exits went. The path he was taking was predictable, an alley on the backside that could easily be blocked off. But he wasn't going that way. Lancer shoved the cook against the wall and put the barrel under his chin. A finger to his lips put the terrified Chiss into total silence.

Lancer crouched low and near the door, behind the oven. Anyone who crossed the doorway would get a Verpine to the chest. Headshots were for amateurs.

[member="Eri'anya Forr"] l [member="Charity Luckless"] l [member="Sky'ito Yumi"]

 

[Sky'ito Yumi]

The air was tense, and by now the whole body fiasco and display seemed to have excited everyone minds, the new force of armored men being the target of the misfit groups gaze. The men walked with an air of intimidation, they literately looked as if they would trample anyone in their way. It looked as if the sudden appearing assassin had dispatched on of the guard, but for how long and once they knew their friend was dead, what would stop them from simply firing without a chance for anyone to utter a word. An even worse though was if more would show up, a crime lord or Hutt wouldn't be to thrilled about one of his highly trained guards getting murdered, and if the assassin kept silent their employer would mistake them for being the killers.

The sounds of weapon's being brought out to her left distracted any train of though, the more mature Jedi was wielding a bright purple blade, a bit more colorful then her own, pointing it in a action to promote their authority and poise as the entering a ready stance. Her brother had his personal cortosis vibro short swords out and not surprisingly was in a Jar'kai pose, one he favored very heavily, the purple haired Jedi was touching her saber but had yet to draw it, was she scared? There was not time to ponder such a question, if she was a Jedi she could take care of herself, looking back at her brother he was giving a look, one saying 'whats the next move'. Despite being a reckless and care free, Tanaski would follow her if she decided to leave, regardless of his personal preference, but they were in too deep at this point, a fight seemed inevitable.

Taking a step back she slightly lifted the Kinetic jacket covering her upper body, 3 light sabers and a blaster dangling from her belt, she unclipped the saber staff with her left hand while using the force to summon it to the right one. The black and grey hilt, fitting well with her current choice of clothing, it's length giving away any doubt about it being duel sided, a weapon hard to use effectively but worked wonders against groups of people. Putting the blade at eye level, and in front she ignited both side at the same time, the blade emanating a darker purple then the Jedi's, intertwining the two sabers bathed the court yard with a haze of purple light, illuminating all the surroundings. She gave the saber fluent spin her body remembering how to use such a weapon almost on second instinct, grasping it with both hand and entering an Ataru form, though she would wait for either the Jedi, the armored men or the assassin to make a move, something told her at masked man was not here just to play hero, not they had a second agenda, one she didn't like.

[member="Eri'anya Forr"]
[member="Charity Luckless"]
[member="Kirill Bratan"]
[member="Lancer Damar"]

 

[Kirill Bratan]

[member="Lancer Damar"] A shame that you decided to make a retreat before the armored men could have a chance to react. Again acting without seeing how things pan out. If you want to be the wannabe badass then stick around and suffer the consequences of the things you do.....unless your character is just to much much of a badass to be tried with trivial things such as that?

The soldier that was murdered helmet captured a picture of the man who killed him and was sent to a database to be analysed later by the Cartel. The Lieutenant that was being being held in place by the force spoke up after seeing everyone with their weapons out ready to fight.

"Hold on! We mean no harm. We just wanted to talk to the Jedi! I have a message from the Cartel that they would want hear."

The other soldiers still did not have their hands on their weapons just like before the murder of one of their own. They were still standing in a non threatening manner.

"The Lieutenant continued. "This message is from Barbossa the Hutt and relayed to you by Kirill Bratan. The message is: What are you two Jedi doing in Nar Sharddaa out of your jurisdiction? The Cartel wants to know your motives here and are interested in helping you if need be in exchange that you leave them, their associates and business alone. If you do not agree to these terms then the Hutt Cartel wants you to leave on your own accord and if you still do not leave then the Cartel will use other means to make you leave. But as stated in the first part of the message they want to handle this peacefully first and foremost. End message.

Then the Lieutenant said, "I have a Holoprojector with me that will let you talk to Kirill Bratan himself in my left, middle satchel pocket on my utility belt. Again we are here only to deliver a message and if you want you can take our guns as proof of us being peaceful." He tried to look around for that lone murderer but couldn't because of the force hold on him. Then he yelled out. "But as far as you go murdered! We will hunt you down and kill you for murdering one of own! You hear me coward?!"

Then the other soldiers grabbed their weapons in a nonthreatening manner and offered the weapons to the Jedi.

[member="Sky'ito Yumi"] [member="Tanaski Yumi"] [member="Eri'anya Forr"] [member="Charity Luckless"] [member="Noviac Caligo"]

 

[Noviac Caligo]

Through all this melodrama and action, Noviac opted to stare blankly, kicking at collecting piles of ash as the fire lulled its deep roar into a steady blaze; Barbossa the Hutt, Kirill Bratan ... didn't mean much to him, not one way or the other. As the others collected themselves - or, in some cases, continued murdering each other - he found a suitable pile of rubble to get comfy on, relaxing back with his hands on his lap. So they were Jedi - not just a Jedi, there were two. And a couple kids. And a pink person - he thought they were called zeltrons. He ruminated upon this deeply as the group collected themselves, then realized he didn't care. Resigned, he relaxed, the popping, melted metal and collapsing structure echoing out over the courtyard garden like a sweet symphony of ... something - he realized he didn't care much to get poetic about it either. If anything, he was simply trying to distract himself from the issue at hand; he didn't know who anyone was, why they were doing it, what the cartel was doing, why people are dead - in fact, he had done well to convince himself if he did know, he might as well go up there and join those fellows hanging around by their necks.

Kirill. Kirill, Kirill, and Kirill. That name rung a bell - he couldn't keep his mind off of it, no matter how much he enjoyed the prospect of going blank as the world burned down around him. Ah, yes, there it was: somebody's somebody of a something-something crimelord - probably Barboddo, or whoever the mook was talking about earlier. Still, he was here at the satisfaction of a particular Hutt; then again, he was probably going to kill said Hutt. Though, he had yet to kill said Hutt - he figured this was irrelevant to current matters, however; standing up, he put his hand on his holster again, eyes darting between the three parties currently locked in some sort of confrontation, if he could call it that. Maybe a staring contest. With lightsabers. Great. Worst case scenario, he figured he'd just start shooting; maybe not even at people - maybe just at the air, to pretend he was doing something. Then he'd tell the survivors he was on their side. Or, if they all died, maybe he could talk to Kirill; maybe Rabozz didn't have to die after all. Or maybe he'd just die - in that case, might as well do it relaxing back down on that rubble.

No, he was feeling all pumped up for once; the alcohol had been flushed from his system, he was energetic - he wanted to hit something.

From afar, with a blaster - which he drew and began pointing it at random people, the barrel bouncing back and forth between the countless bodies present - even pausing to place it against his own temple for the hell of it - then back again, finally on one of the dangling bodies, which he shot. It fell to the ground with a sickening crunch. "Somebody mind explainin' to me why we're having a showdown in front of the Promenade? Real simple - please, I'm getting tired; a little frustrated, too, maybe scared - I'm man enough, I can admit that. Lightsabers and Jedi do that, and so do a bunch of bodies dangling in an open fire; but, in a good way. A real good way. So before I get excited can we all just calm down a little bit, maybe?"

[member="Kirill Bratan"] | [member="Sky'ito Yumi"] | [member="Tanaski Yumi"] | [member="Eri'anya Forr"] | [member="Charity Luckless"] | [member="Lancer Damar"]

 

[Charity Luckless]

Charity held her stance, lightsaber still angled to her left at the ready, but implying no aggressive intentions. Her right hand remained leveled at the armored individual nearby, allowing him space but making sure he was well aware that every move he made was being scrutinized. Maybe it wasn't fair of her to assume danger from the stranger, but he seemed the most likely candidate for doing something exceedingly brash. Well, until the kids acted. Her gaze was diverted in an eyeblink as she caught the sound of not just Eri'anya's two sabers, but two more activating in the vicinity.

What? So, not only did she have to watch her partner's back in case the masked man made any alarming moves, but now she had to keep a Jedi wannabe and her vibroblade-wielding brother from doing something astronomically stupid as well? Not to mention, on the chance that the man standing ominously near her was actually an innocent party, she would have to protect him too? This was just getting better all the time.

The message from the so far unseen "Kirill Bratan" put her at ease, oddly enough. It signaled that there was no need for bloodshed and their greatest concern should be the wraith-like being that had just killed one of the men in the messenger party. Angling her right arm away from Captain Obvious and towards the teenage girl, Charity motioned her hand downwards to bid she stand down and put her weapons away. And preferably grab her equally impetuous brother and scram. The children were only a liability, and the circumstances were complicated enough as it were.

And then Charity whipped her head about, an incalculable instant before the man fired his weapon into the sky. Her palm returned to its warning extension, left hand now swiveling the humming turquoise blade in the general direction of the armored stranger as she established the defensive stance. A perturbing, crispy smack of fragile bone and dry skin sounded behind her as one of the bodies dropped from its respective cord and fractured against the pavement. His words were confusing; quick; almost defensive, and yet forthright. Her own skin seemed to tense with his articulated movements, his restlessness was almost infectious as one of her fingers twitched.

The tall Jedi borrowed a moment to inhale and exhale, then she gradually lowered her right arm and released the saber ignition, retracting the blade into the pristinely reflective hilt. "Your gun." Lower it now.

[member="Eri'anya Forr"] [member="Sky'ito Yumi"] [member="Tanaski Yumi"] [member="Noviac Caligo"] [member="Kirill Bratan"] [member="Barnabas Harou"] [member="Lancer Damar"]

 

[Tanaski Yumi]

Tanaski kept his weapons in a ready stance as the men approached, noting the assassin disappear completely, what was their angle on this whole afar, were they just trying to spark conflict of some sort. Though things seemed to get a bit strange when the men came with a message of peace, wanting to talk with the two Jedi, still he kept his blades raised, ending up like the earlier victims of these goons was not something he’d let happen. The massage for the most parts was slightly more, lax then original though, even when they expressed other methods of removing the Jedi, it seemed this Hutt was more a negotiator then a silencer. They had yet to talk to him and his sister, but perhaps they didn’t care about two seemly inexperienced children, he just hoped they didn’t realize he was in the assassination business, his last job on the lower levels less then, covert, after going a bit rouge form the assignments main objective.

He mentally chuckled when they then proceeded to address the assassin, from simply killing one person he was not the target of a rather large man hunt, though such matter were not his concern for now. Looking at the group again he observed the purple haired Jedi look over with a bit of surprise at Sky’ito and her light-sabre staff, did they not realize both were trained force sensitive. Though he made a habit of hiding his signature he knew for a fact Sky’ito wasn’t as skilled, but perhaps the commission and hectic event kept them from finding out, dead people were rather distracting. Continuing to look the purple haired Jedi gave them a hand motion indicating to stand down, which he promptly responded with an ‘aww shucks’ shrug followed by relaxing his stance and sheathing the vibro swords. If things did go a south he could still just use his wrist sabres, they were more convenient to anyways, crossing his arms he made a statement saying ‘I’m not moving’ this situation was to interesting of an observation.

Thing seemed to start calming down before the sudden sound of a shot ringing out echoed in the yard, followed by the crushing sound of a body falling from its precarious potion above the group. This put the Jedi on edge, both seemed to be fairly, shaky, but then again, they might be new to this whole crime syndicate stuff, and dead people. The Jedi ordered the mercenary looking man to drop their weapon, hopefully said action didn’t spark any fight, though that was not to say he wasn’t ready for one. Fighting always improved ones skill, but he would wait for Sky’ito’s response, her actions would decide if they stayed of left, and they still had a rather nice night ahead of them, discounting the dead people.

[member="Charity Luckless"]
[member="Noviac Caligo"]
[member="Kirill Bratan"]
[member="Lancer Damar"]
[member="Eri'anya Forr"]

 

[Sky'ito Yumi]

She raised an eyebrow at the armed men’s message, wouldn’t it have made more since to send a more diplomatic party if they ’just wanted to talk’, then again, such a meeting seemed hasty, and perhaps the crime lord didn’t have anyone else on hand for this mission. Since they were addressing the Jedi mainly she assumed said ‘threats’ were not aimed at her or Tanaski, they couldn’t afford to have the cartels as an enemy, that would make it very difficult to keep up an explorer lifestyle. She wasn’t surprised that the Hutt was pissed off at the assassin newcomer who had run off to hide for some reason, that might have been due to the Jedi recognizing him and attempting to stop the man before things became ugly, with that in mind she took a glace over the group again, interested in their action.

It seemed that the Jedi were observing their authority telling the two to stay their weapon to which she obliged, the purple blade retracting to the device from which it came from. Despite respecting the Jedi, letting them boss othrs around was not something she would let happen because of this the hilt stayed hand. Though this action was due to the other’s in the group, the armed men, even if they were handing over their weapons, and most notably the mysterious assassin, she made it common practice to always be wary of other. The man’s methods seemed to rather strange, though defiantly skilled she wouldn’t really say he was very stealth at his job, letting everyone see him commit such a task was not really a good move on their part. Was he trying to lure the men away or just sparking conflict? Though it didn’t matter as the situation seemed to be getting under control, untila shot rang out, raising the tension once again.

Next a body fell to the ground, making a sickening crunch as it landed, the corpses being contorted in way a body shouldn’t, the sight made her remember some unpleasant thing which had befallen a few of her torture victims. It was a horrid sight but she couldn’t look away and continued to stare for a bit before being pulled out of the trance by one of the Jedi, demanding the stranger merc dropped his weapon. Turing her head back she looked at Tanaski, obviously waiting for her to decide on the whole fiasco, though it was clear he wanted to stay and ride it out he was leaving the final choice to her. The situation was tense but leaving didn’t seem to be a bright idea, not with mister shadow running around killing people. Making a hand gesture she indicated to her brother to stay put for a while, in the meantime waited for any response from the man lying on the ground tried anything again she'd destroy that blaster.

[member="Charity Luckless"]
[member="Kirill Bratan"]
[member="Lancer Damar"]
[member="Eri'anya Forr"]

 

[Eri'anya Forr]

Regardless of her personal experience with the general unpredictability of Nar Shaddaa, the ever shifting tone was almost enough to give Eri’anya a distinct feeling of whiplash. In under an hour’s time, the Jedi had gone from chasing a savory-smelling escaped animal, to investigating a local crime scene, to engaging in a semi-armed standoff with armed strangers and a murderer. Now it seemed as though the Hutt cartel was somehow involved, and they wanted to talk to the Jedi pair.

She walked forward, the purple and blue beams vanishing with a muted hiss as she released the ignition on her sabers, returning the one in her right hand to her belt. While she kept the more ornate saber at the ready, it seemed productive to try and reduce the threatening tone between her and the group of men before her. It would be simple enough to reactivate them in a flash, after all, and she wasn't done with these men yet.

Mumbling something vaguely affirmative, Eri made no move to disarm the surrendering men as she passed them by. Mulling over their claims of non-aggression, she glanced into the cafe behind them where that sixth man had gone. Whereas the Jedi could only make assumptions about these three and their relation to the tragedies of tonight, the killings she had seen that other man take part in were certifiable. ...he can't be gone yet... Her jaw clenched, tension running down from her neck to the hand gripping her remaining blade. She needed to stop him before he hurt someone else.

She entered the building, taking a few careful steps as she quickly scanned the area before her. She trained her ears, relaxing her jaw once more to increase their acuity as she tilted her head back and closed her eyes. Her body relaxing, she inhaled deeply through her nose. She could smell gunmetal, carbon scoring and sweat, as well as other, less flattering bodily odors, but there was something else hanging thick in the air.

...Fear...

There was fear in the air, an acrid, bitter smell that was all too distinctive if you knew the flavor well. It was everywhere in places like the Smuggler's Moon, but it was particularly potent in this moment. He's gotta be close... She took blind step forward, drawing in another lungful of air as she felt the smell get thicker, like she was walking into a cloud. Very close...

Eri'anya was shaken from her thoughts, however, but a blaster report from outside. Opening her eyes once more, the brilliant blue of her saber illuminated her features once more as she turned to face the courtyard. She had slipped in her control for only a moment, but she was grateful beyond words that Charity had not seen her so distracted. Regaining her composure, the Jedi leaned her head back out into the open air. "What was that?!" She could grab that holoprojector after she was certain that a fight was not breaking out.


[member="Charity Luckless"] [member="Sky'ito Yumi"] [member="Tanaski Yumi"] [member="Noviac Caligo"] [member="Kirill Bratan"] [member="Barnabas Harou"] [member="Lancer Damar"]

 

[Noviac Caligo]

"You don't have authority out here, Jedi," said Noviac, flaunting his blaster, still - better yet, firing it off again, the bolt hitting the ground close to his own feet, a few sparks burning out on his leg. He didn't seem to mind this much. "All I'm asking - a simple, thought-out explanation; don't have that? Fine, fine - Hutt Cartel, corpses; pick your poison, deal with it. I just want to know what happened, and what part you're playing with the people pulling the trigger - and why there's some freak out there taking them out." He waved his pistol towards the body, now lying face-down on the ground, arm bent backward and juicy bits split over the pavement. "Doubt it was one of these guys, don't seem too competent up there; nor would they be going after a couple of spooks haunting the crime scene with their chests puffed out." He lolled his neck to the side, as if in though - though his gaze remained zeroed in on the purple-haired knight; his blaster shot up, finger on the trigger, but he didn't fire.

In truth, he cared little for the whole ordeal - knowing that events were unrelated to him certainly took a load of tension from his shoulders, but he was in a particular mood tonight; he wanted to see how this story panned out, to test the edges and boundaries of these folk, these characters that stood out so prominently against the backdrop of lights within the Promenade.

He'd never had a cruelty streak - this was more along the lines of morbid curiosity.

Then, he lowered his pistol - though he didn't holster it, instead tapping the barrel impatiently against his thigh; no point, no fun - then again, was it fun in the first place? He had a taste earlier, he wanted that back; he wanted a bad guy here, he wanted the chase, the rising tension - it aroused within him that predatory instinct he had been so lacking whilst on the run. He needed it again. "Nothin' but a graveyard now, this planet might as well be one, for all I care; no, no - I don't like this. Not because the bodies, who gives a damn, this Galaxy is paved by it - don't like some shadow stalking around picking people off around me. Dunno what he's here for," he said. There it was, the hunt again; he liked that. "Dunno. He with you, Jedi? The kids? That Zeltron? He sure isn't with the Cartel, and out of all the parties here I'd consider myself more considerate of their needs; no, Jedi, I'm gonna keep my gun on the ready, if that's alright with you."

"You'd best do the same, until our new friend rears his head to apologize," he added.

[member="Eri'anya Forr"] | [member="Charity Luckless"] | [member="Sky'ito Yumi"] | [member="Tanaski Yumi"] | [member="Kirill Bratan"] | [member="Barnabas Harou"] | [member="Lancer Damar"]

 

[Lancer Damar]

He pulled the slide back and checked the round in the chamber. It was still there. The terrified cook he was near began to sweat profusely. He heard the Jedi get closer, the tell-tale humming of the lightsaber getting closer and closer. Slugthrowers and lightsabers were a interesting combination- the only weapon system in the galaxy that Jedi had slightly less defense against. If he dumped the magazine, the Jedi was going to get shot. And Jedi weren't usually fans of armor. Impeded movement. But Lancer had learned to move about the same with the little gear he carried. He pulled the balaclava up, breathing softly as the cook shook in fear.

The Jedi apparently left, and the cook sighed in relief as he didn't get to witness Lancer get into a shooting match with the Jedi, or Lancer cut in half by the blade. Lancer looked at the cook, and made a door motion. The cook pointed behind him. He would do nothing to impede Lancer's movement away from him. Lancer walked by, and wrapped his arm around the man's head. The humanoid shook violently, before falling limp. Lancer didn't kill him. He wasn't a monster, but he didn't need him squealing as soon as he left. He dropped him gently on the floor in a recovery position. He'd be fine, once someone came in to complain about the man coming into the kitchen, or the food being slow.

Lancer used his foot to open the door, gently pushing it open. He stood about a foot away from the door, cracking it, checking down one side of the alley, his gun not crossing the threshold of the doorframe. To any casual observer, the door was opened by less than an inch. That gave him enough field of view to look down the entire right side of the alley. No visible threats. Just trash and a few bystanders. He pushed open the door and exited, heading to the left. He reached up and pulled off the mask, letting it fold back into the compartment on his neck. That would at least throw them off enough for him to find a better position.

They weren't going to goad a professional assassin into giving away his position, or coming out when he didn't have to. Lancer had definitely gone sideways on this. He was in a world of trouble now, and escape was the best course of action. That was of course, if he could manage to escape unscathed. He could strike back later.

[member="Noviac Caligo"] l [member="Eri'anya Forr"] l [member="Sky'ito Yumi"] l [member="Kirill Bratan"] l