You dead yet, Ren?!

[Dax Perl]

​

Location: Coruscant

Coruscant was one described as a mausoleum of glass. Well apparently whoever said that had never see the blasted planet for themselves because all Dax could see was endless rows of duracrete buildings and polluted fog. Sure, most days one could see the blue sky above, but for that you had to be on the upper levels. Any lower however, and you got to the scum and acrid stench of those less fortunate. Very little was offered down here. But the one thing that it did offer, aside from vomit inducing trash-odor...or perhaps body odor... was anonymity, and Dax didn't that mind for the moment. Buying armaments wasn't always easily done. Sometimes one was better off going to those who obviously knew how to use said armaments. And right now, Dax was looking for one big ass gun.

[member="Ara Ren"]

 

[Ara Zambrano]

How had she ended up back in Coruscant? Back in the slums of a city she swore to only return to when she could destroy it. And yet....here she was, in Galactic Alliance territory nonetheless.

As she wandered the streets of the lower levels, she pulled her hair back into a loose bun at the base of her skull. She'd opted to not be conspicuous in her usual black and red attire, instead wearing a simple pair of maroon pants tucked into brown boots, an olive shirt, and a black vest. Tucked inside the vest were two lightsaber hilts, both as insurance against...accidents. A steady pace, stern expression, and the vibroblade also on her hip deterred most would-be pickpockets.

She'd already contacted her ship's comm unit for preparation to depart within the hour, but here she was, wandering the streets and delaying the inevitable. She was using the planet as an excuse to further practice her Force Sense abilities. It felt akin to trying to find the perfect lightsaber piece when your table was covered in parts and wires. Every being pulsed with a different level of force aura, the brightest burning from streets away.

She was about to duck into a local bar when a familiar face and force signature caught her eye. Had she seen the young man at the Military Ball on Dosuun a few days back? With a smug smile, she resolved to find out and changed direction, trailing him from a distance.

[member="Dax Fyre"]

 

[Dax Perl]

The Master walked into an abandonded warehouse, just off some alley awayfron the main streets. The man had seen the inside of far too many of those by now. The holovids had it right with all the shady business being conducted in the backstreets of big cities though. Had to hand them that.

Even as the man walked into the warhouse, three men before him with crates, the Rogue was aware of another Force presence nearby. Well then...he'd have to see who the uninvited guest was.

[member="Ara Ren"]

 

[Ara Zambrano]

Ara paused, watching the young man disappear. This was generally not the best place to try tailing someone. The type of business conducted in these locations lent themselves to armed bodyguards and while she was confident in her abilities. There came a point at which she was unwilling to test fate, or the Force, or whatever one wanted to consider being in control of their lives.

So instead of following him in, she slipped into the shadows nearby, content to watch.

His force signature was strong and steady in the building. The girl settled back to wait, retrieving a small comm unit from her pocket.

"Ara to Crimson Sparrow"

A moment's delay before the tell-tale crackle of connection roared to life. "Sir?"

"Stand down for departure. Wait for my next communication."

"Yes, sir."

She smiled and tucked the device away again. Now she settled in to wait.

[member="Dax Fyre"]

 

[Dax Perl]

The Force presence drew no nearer. But the same couldn't be said for the three men who stood before him. Like many on Coruscant, they wore nice clothing. Much nicer than what Dax could afford. However, they weren't gaudy by any means. They simply fit the planet on which they resided.
"You're the one from the Underground eh?" the first asked. The man was a tall wiry Duros. He wore black pants and shoes, with a purple top, lined with a gold material. The shirt sported long sleeves that hung very loosely. Dax was willing to be there was a blaster or two hidden up those sleeves.
"That's right." the Rogue responded. "If you've got the product, I have the credits ready to go. Unmarked and all."
A sable skinned Zabrak stepped froward, clad in all grey. It was clearly evident that a vest of some sort lay underneath the thin fabric of his shirt, and he was not nearly as subtle as his Duros friend, toting a blaster carbine. Dax's slugthrower rasped against the holster as he drew it and pointed the barrel at the Zabrak. "Product first."

[member="Ara Ren"]

 

[Ara Zambrano]

Very few had passed in the last few minutes. The force signatures were steady in her mind, the one much stronger than the other....three? Yes, there were at least three other auras in the building in front of her, none indicating another force user. She shifted her position, watching the entrance with narrowed lids. She was patient but she also hated this world and was ready to be rid of it. She glanced back the way she came and debated if the curiosity was worth it.

For one, the man she was trailing was a strong force user. Interesting, definitely interesting. Two, he seemed very at home on a planet in deep Galactic Alliance space. Probably a good reason to tell her curiosity to kark off and go back to her transport. Three, he had been present at the Military Ball, so perhaps an ally?

She sighed and settled in again. The girl really needed to spar more. All this restless energy built up into the urge to investigate things that shouldn't even capture her attention. She pushed away from the wall, intent on leaving the warehouse and it's mysterious occupants behind when something shifted.

Reversing course immediately, she ducked into an alley, finding a small side door. She grinned and investigated the lock. It had been a long time since she'd had to break in to an abandoned warehouse and this would be good practice. She frowned as the door opened with barely any pressure. The locking mechanism had been long disabled. Disappointed in the men who used the warehouse as their base of business, she slipped into the shadows, door closing almost silently behind her.

[member="Dax Fyre"]

 

[Dax Perl]

The Zabrak looked back to the Duros, apparently the leader of the group, and the Duros nodded. The final member of their party, a Twi'lek, plainly garbed compared to the other two, lifted the lid of the crate and took out a large canister, a foot long and perhaps six inches in diameter. Through a clear glass panel, it would appear as if the canister was completely empty, and yet the pressure gauge indicated it was full.
"Coma gas. Colorless and odorless, just like you asked."
Dax nodded in approval and pulled out a datapad. Just before he was going to toss it over to the three men he paused. He sensed something...the presence he'd felt earlier. It was much closer.
"Eh, what gives?"

[member="Ara Ren"]

 

[Ara Zambrano]

A Zabrak, a Duros, a Twi'lek. Two finely dressed, the other, plain. A bodyguard most likely. Ara paused, staying to the shadows as she surveyed the scene in front of her. Between the drawn gun, the crate, and the datapad, it was easy to discern a back-alley business venture when she saw it.

But what was in the crate?

She moved back, deeper into the shadows, committing the man's face and form to memory, intent on reporting back the moment she returned to the ship. It was completely possible he was just another mando or bounty hunter looking to score some cheap and most likely illegal weaponry. Somehow she doubted it. A force user as powerful as he was would hardly bend to mercenary work.

She froze as his attention turned in her direction. She felt his presences as he felt hers for a moment, the two locked in a stalemate of questioning the other. Slipping a hand into her vest, she drew the hilt of her saber out, poised to ignite the blade should the need arise. She debated faking her way out of the situation, pretending to be a lost street-rat looking for some discarded tech to scavenge. No, her outfit was too nice and too clean to get away with it. Instead, she held still, hoping the three thugs would become riled enough to offer her an escape route.

[member="Dax Fyre"]

 

[Dax Perl]

"Not goin' back on us now are you?" the Duros said, a veiled threat. Dax made no reply, attempting to focus in on the other presence. The intentions weren't clear to him, no matter how hard he tried to read them. He'd never been good at that after all.
"Hey! I'm talking to you!" the Duros said again, clear annoyance in his voice. Dax's attention snapped back to the three arms dealers. The datapad clattered to the ground in front of them, and he Duros knelt to pick it up. "Just needs an account and routing number."
The Duros' fingers input a string of digits, then another before tossing it back to Dax. The man caught it with the Force before it hit the ground, and the pad floated to his hand. "Pleasure doing business."

[member="Ara Ren"]

 

[Ara Zambrano]

The moment the datapad started to fall, Ara darted for the side door, hoping the sound of it hitting the floor would mask the sounds of a door opening. She was a hair too slow, the tell-tale sound of a door popping opening echoing through the building.

Kark.

She was well and truly screwed. As the attention of all four occupants of the room turned to focus in her direction she plastered a sheepish smile on her face and stepped slightly away from the door, keeping her left hand, and the saber hilt in it, hidden in the shadows.

"I take it you gentleman are not interested in scrap tech?"

[member="Dax Fyre"]

 

[Dax Perl]

Three blasters and a slugthrower all snapped back towards the shadowy newcomer. Then one blaster snapped back to Dax, "What the feth is this?" growled the Duros, "Who is she?" Dax's slugthrower turned on the Duros next, the other two blasters coming to bear on him, "Not mine if that's what your asking." Well things had just gone from honky dory to straight chit in all of a second....Dax's left hand was poised to draw on of his sabers. His hope of not having to resort to violence was dashed.

[member="Ara Ren"]

 

[Ara Zambrano]

Ara kept one hand in the air as all four weapons turned to point to her. Her smile wavering slightly as she considered the likelihood of escaping unharmed if they all decided to fire.

"Honey, you couldn't handle me even if I was yours."

Needling them probably wasn't the best idea, but it was almost a reflex. As they trained their weapons away from her, she took a step forward, her right hand held straight down by her side, saber hilt hidden behind her back.

[member="Dax Fyre"]

 

[Dax Perl]

Itchy trigger fingers were never good. The other Forcer's step forward had gone unnoticed by the three arms dealers, it didn't escape Dax, and his switched to point his slugthrower at her so quickly it had startled the Twi'lek, a blaster bolt lancing from his blaster and just past Dax's chest, close enough he could feel the heat coming off the ray. A loud bang echoed deafeningly through out the warehouse, the Twi'lek falling, a new hole in his chest. Hails of blaster fire erupted from the other two aimed at both the Forcers.

[member="Ara Ren"]

 

[Ara Zambrano]

Instictually ducking behind a shelving unit, the ren activated her blde, a crimson glow lighting her side of the warehouse. Spotting the nearest thug, she reached out with the force and yanked sending the blaster flying from his hand. The Duros' shocked expression was cut short as the girl unged, sendin her blade deep into the unsuspecting man's gut.

As the ody fell, she moved, crossing the room quickly, her speed the best defense against being shot. Usnig herblade todeflect the shots that came too close, she divded to the side, trusting the other force user would take care of third thug before she could get there.

Spinning as she rounded a corner, she cursed, a blaster shot grazing her thigh.

"Do you always shoot first?" She kept her blade ignited, warly as the sound of shots died down.

[member="Dax Fyre"]

 

[Dax Perl]

The blaster bolts that screamed towards the Master were deflected in every direction, pinging off the walls and ceiling. For every step that the Zabrak took backwards, Dax made two or three forward, rushing towards him. As he drew closer, Dax deflected another bolt, tossing his saber upwards as he did so, catching it again in a reverse grip. The next step pushed the man, not forwards, but straight into the air as he spun sideways, body parallel to the ground. As he came back to the earth the orange blade of his saber cleaved down the chest of the Zabrak, two bodies thudding to the ground, only one with a still beating heart.

"Well usually if they shoot at me, I shoot back!" the man retorted as he stood up. "Who the feth are you anyways. Red blades are usually a bad sign in my book."

[member="Ara Ren"]

 

[Ara Zambrano]

Ara turned, keeping her blade at the ready for any continuing attacks.

"Touché."

She chuckled, eyes dropping to the her blade admiring the crimson glow.

"Would you believe I'm just searching for some scrap tech to sell for a few credits and just got lucky?" She shook her head ruefully before she realized he couldn't see her.

[member="Dax Fyre"]

 

[Dax Perl]

"Not really." the man said, "I felt you a while back. And I know you've been following me." Admittedly, he had no clue why the woman had decided to follow him. "Why were you following me?" he asked, twirling the saber in his hand.

[member="Ara Ren"]

 

[Ara Zambrano]

Keeping her blade firmly in hand, Ara stepped out of the shadows to lean against the wall.

"Curiosity, mostly. You looked familiar. Have you been to any balls recently?"

She purred, eyes half closed as she inspected him. Definitely a familiar face. She carefully avoided mentioning a location, or the fact that he'd been in First Order space, just in case she was mistaken. No sense creating a conflict where there was none.

[member="Dax Fyre"]

 

[Dax Perl]

"None I was invited to." the man said vaguely. Outback personnel showing up to an FO ball uninvited? Yeah, Dax doubted that'd be very good for galactic political stability. The FO already had enough reason to try to go toe to toe with the Outback. "You just gonna stand there?" he asked after a little. "I've got some shopping to finish." he said, gesturing with his saber towards the two crates off to his left.

[member="Ara Ren"]

 

[Ara Zambrano]

Ara raised an eyebrow and laughed. "A party crasher, I like it." She held up a hand to ward off any argument that may arise. "I'm not going to say anything to anyone who matters, Buttercup. I hardly care that someone decided to crash a social event." She winked and stepped away from the alcove, saber ready in case he tried anything.

She took a step closer, eyeing the crates. She chuckled and met his gaze, eyes half lowered.

"What I am interested in, is the content of those crates. Indulge me and then I will move and leave you to your shopping."

She highly doubted he'd just tell her what he'd been purchasing in some back alley, but it was worth a shot.

[member="Dax Fyre"]