Private Vigilantism

[Aryn Teth]

​

Mercy​

​

There was something comforting about an ecumenopolis, there always had been for Aryn. The constant hum of traffic, the lights that never quite went out. These worlds never slept, and as the infrastructure grew and evolved, there would always be new things to discover. You could never map it all. Furthermore, it offered so many places to hide. How many things happened in the shadows of these worlds? Coruscant alone had some of the highest crime rates in the galaxy, and its underworld dealings were legendary. That was even more so on these more far-flung worlds, Denon, at the edge of Alliance space, was practically lawless at times.​

​

Of course, the particular group of gangsters that Aryn had set his focus upon were just one of the thousands of groups that dotted the lower levels of Denon. They trafficked arms, people, and spice - a plague on the world and the galaxy, but even that was not enough reason to focus on them as opposed to any other. But there was something that set them apart from the rest of the street-trash, drawing Aryn not only to the world of Denon as a whole, but to a dark warehouse in the sublevels, watching the pair of Nikto thugs outside who stood guard.

The Brightspears, this particular group called themselves. It had taken some time and research to discover that they had stepped beyond trading drugs and weapons, and had instead dipped their hands in the market of force-related objects. Lightsabers stolen from old battlefields, tablets and holocrons plundered from tombs. And this was where they kept it all, under heavy guard.​

​

The masked and hooded figure slipped through the streets, concealing his signature in the force enough that to the guards he might seem nothing more than a shifting shadow. Into the side-alley of the building, he found another door which led within, locked but that was little obstacle. As he moved within, another guard heard the shifting door but his investigation was cut short by the quick and quiet flurry of movement that came from the hidden infiltrator to the diaphragm and throat, cutting away the guards ability to speak before a swift kick put him under. Years of Echani training paid off.​

​

The interior of the warehouse itself was a maze of containers and shelves. It no doubt made using blasters difficult, but from what he had surmised the Brightspears relied more upon secrecy to keep this particular location safe. He didn't doubt that an alarm raised would quickly draw reinforcements, and so for now he kept to the shadows, searching for what he had come for and inwardly hoping that this particular mission would go without incident.​

​

 

[Mercy]

Aryn Teth

Mercy didn't concern herself with gangs setting up shop and conducting business.

If she did, she'd be busy on Denon a long, long time. It was a different stories with the Brightspears however. Those little chits set-up shop in the Moonfall district. Exactly the place where her workshop was located. This in itself wasn't a big issue, but they were causing noise. Mercy didn't like noise that wasn't made or allowed by herself.

When a notice was put out of a bounty on their heads?

Oh, kark yeah, Mercy decided to cash in on it. Just killing them was a waste of time, but earning cash for each head she brought? That was basically perfect to her.

He didn't doubt that an alarm raised would quickly draw reinforcements, and so for now he kept to the shadows, searching for what he had come for and inwardly hoping that this particular mission would go without incident.

Aryn would be disappointed.

The moment he slipped silently into the building? A loud blaring alarm started sounding through the corridors. At first, he could reasonably suspect there was some motion sensor tripped that brought the whole place down on him. Until a pair of guards rushed past the shadowy alcove he was frequenting just then.

"Who the kark would attack us??"

"What does it matter, jus' point an' shoot!"

If Aryn followed it wouldn't be long before he heard the sounds of blaster shots, explosives. Turret fire. The whole karkin' nine yards. In the middle of it all?

Mercy.

But there was nothing merciful the way she rumbled through the room. Ducking and punching, and throwing enforcers around like they were ragdolls. Nor was there anything peaceful about the bloody grin plastered on her face. The booming laughter as she immersed herself in the beatdown entirely.

 

[Aryn Teth]

​

Mercy​

​

Aryn swore under his breath at the sound of the alarm. He didn't know what he could have tripped, how he could have been detected. Hearing the sound of approaching footsteps, he readied himself, prepared to fight his way through the thugs. Yet, as they sprinted right past him, he turned his gaze aside, listening intently as the distant sounds of combat grew closer and more immense with blaster fire being added to the mix. So, he wasn't the only person that had business with the Brightspears, it seemed.​

​

Whoever it was, their engagement might have made for a suitable distraction, allowing him to complete his business without risk of being assaulted. Yet, the sound of turret fire above him suggested it would not be so simple. A distraction was only decent for as long as it was alive, after all.​

​

Setting his gaze on the turret where it was positioned above containers, Aryn was momentarily impressed that he had not noticed it before. The weapon was positioned remarkably well despite the maze of cargo below, turning the maze below into a series of choke points that would decimate any attackers. The Brightspears clearly had put a great deal of thought and effort into protecting their business here - Aryn made a mental note to thank this new attacker for revealing these defences.​

​

Leaping up to the top of the containers, Aryn clenched his fist as he reached out towards the turret in this corner of the room. The barrel of the weapon morphed and rolled in on itself, and as it fired next the explosion of tibanna found nowhere to go, instead detonating the turret itself and sending the gunner flying back to the ground.​

​

If he hadn't been spotted before, they would no doubt be aware of his presence now.​

​

Hopping from the top of one container to the next, the masked and hooded figure made his way quickly towards the center of the fighting, a few stray shots sent his way as he dashed over walkways containing more reinforcements. Jumping into the fray, Aryn landed behind a pair of gunmen trying to get a bead on Mercy, quickly dropping down to sweep his leg across them both and bring them down, a pair of follow-on kicks as he rose to his feet once more heavily discouraging either of them from getting back up.​

​

​

 

[Mercy]

Aryn Teth

She was about to be gunned down from behind.

Or well, shot in the back anyway, and majorly piss her off at the least. Until some cloaked masked figure slipped out of the shadows. It was straight out of a comic book. One of her favorites, Shadow Hand and the Seven Cubes, had a scene exactly like this. Shadow Hand's costume was a bit more flashy though compared to this guy.

"Hope ya ain't here for the bounty," Over her shoulder as Mercy ducked and punched someone in the gut. Doubled over she took them by the shoulders and absolutely threw them into a whole gaggle of thugs.

They were bounced back into the crates where they crumbled.

Mercy drew on the Force and... was surprised to note there weren't any left. Here, anyway. Spinning around on her heels to face Aryn she looked the man up and down. "Who the kark are you an' where can I get a cape like that?" Which might not be exactly a question Teth was expecting, but Mercy worked in mysterious ways.

"The cowl is cool too, I guess, but that cape, damn."

Grinning as she pulled out her knuckledusters, putting them on calmly, while keeping the newcomer in her optics in front of her shades.

"I dun' mind a duel, if ya got yar heart set on that bounty tho."

 

[Aryn Teth]

​

Mercy​

​

As the last of the initial group of attackers was dispatched, Aryn let out a sigh. It had ended far sooner than he had expected, but he imagined there would be more reinforcements on the way, there was no way this was actually done. Yet, at least this mystery individual was a far more capable warrior than he had expected, perhaps their presence would not make this as difficult as he thought it might.​

​

"I'm not here for your bounty, I have my own business here." He explained plainly, crossing his arms over his chest for a moment as he let his perceptions carry outwards, searching mentally for the very object he had come in search of. He could feel it, on the other side of the warehouse, no doubt through the maze of containers.​

​

He did not attempt to answer her query about his cape, evidently he didn't assume it was a genuine one. "You can call me Achared, which of this scum is your bounty?" He questioned, presuming they were here for just one of the gangsters, rather than all of them. His footsteps took him towards the beginning of the container maze, his eyes casting upwards to the walkways overhead and a small office that sat above them, considering the best way of reaching his objective while he listened to the stranger's response.​

​

​

 

[Mercy]

Aryn Teth

An ah there.

Did it sound a bit disappointed? Possibly.

"Guess we dun' have to fight then after all." Oh, yeah, that was definitely disappointment. Mercy had been looking forward to test her mettle against this guy. He seemed capable enough and these thugs... well. The alarms in the distance was the only thing keeping Mercy's mood a bit up. She did not get out of her fighting position however.

Words were one thing... actions were a second.

"Achared? Fancy arse name. Almost as fancy as yar cape." Another layer of disappointment. If they fought and she won, she could have grabbed his cape afterwards too. "Mercy." Thumb to her chest before shrugging and looking around the place.

"All o' them? Sounds about right. The contract is one o' those freaky ones. They want me to cut their heads an' mount them in front of the building."

This did not seem to bother Mercy all that much.

"Gon' be a pain in the arse to get enough sticks, but what else is new. How about you, what is yar secretive business 'ere or would it ruin yar mysterious persona to tell me."

Oh yeah, Mercy was karking with him.

 

[Aryn Teth]

​

Mercy​

​

A faint chuckle escaped the vocoder of his mask. At least for all his aloofness, he seemed to have a sense of humour at the comment regarding his name and his cape. He spared a glance towards her as she made mention of her contract, his head tilted to the side in a manner that seemed curious, potentially cautious. Yet, it was hardly his place to judge. Once he might have made a moralistic argument about how even killing such individuals was wrong, that it might have been beneath this stranger.​

​

That was a long time ago.​

​

If that was how she would make her living, then all the power to her. What would the galaxy lose through the deaths of these individuals? Precious little, he imagined. The Brightspears were scum, murderers and thieves for hire who trafficked in the worst things known to the galaxy, he couldn't feel any particular sympathy for them at the idea of what she had come to do.​

​

Mercy, indeed.​

​

"There's an object in the care of these thugs, they intend to trade it in the coming days to a collector, I have a better use in mind for it." He explained simply, raising his shoulders in a shrug as he peered back over towards her.​

​

"I suppose at this point it'll be easier to get it, now that I don't need to worry about stealth."​

​

​

 

[Mercy]

Aryn Teth

'An object in the care of the thugs'

If it could get more vague than that Mercy would be in a murder mystery novel.

"Well, buddy, I ain't here for any object, so we good with that." Once upon a time Mercy might have gotten greedy. Just the mention of it enough to send her into a conflict with this guy. Mercy knew better now though. Marginally. Part of her was still kinda tempted to make an issue out of it. "Tell ya what, why dun' we fight together on this one. Like ya said, ya can't be stealthy now anyway, and it will be easier for me to slaughter 'em whole sale with someone at mah back."

Yeah, definitely not the old Mercy of a year ago.

That one would never have admitted anything was easier with someone else backing her up.

"Dun' worry I won't ask ya to help me mount folks on pikes, I will do that part mah'self." A wink there as Mercy waited for his response.