After Dusk (Open)

[Ares]

Novus' eyes bulged as the other man leapt down and killed the woman, moving on Yekara. The young man wasn't about to have his eleven-year revenge spoiled by some lowlife. Lifting his hand, he grabbed Yekara with the Force and flung him through a rotting wooden door leading to an abandoned building. His dark brown eyes fixed on Temis.

"You should know monologueing is for amateurs."

Novus dashed into the building, igniting one of his golden-bladed lightsabers. He held it backhand, and leapt at the portly man, who was now smiling at Novus. He stopped before stabbing him. The young man heard a ticking beep.

"That other man was right... Death does come to all of us." His mustache curled menacingly, and Novus swirled around, leaping as fast as possible from the other man as the thermal detonator in Yekara's hand rolled across the floor.

It exploded violently, flinging Novus from the building. He rolled upon landing, tumbling across the gorund. The young man stood up, and glared at the building.

"Damn fool. That fat old man's spoiled everything..."

 

[Niner]

Temis' eyes went to the thermal detanator that had rolled out. He sprang backwards in a reverse handspring and landed on his feet near the young man.

He reached under his cloak and drew his long sword and switched his dagger to his left hand.

"You had better explain yourself or I'll be forced to kill you. You just cost me quite a large sum of money, and you don't want me as an enemy."

 

[Gambler]

Dal watched the twi'lek and cathar leave the bar through the alley door. He was about to follow them when he decided that there was no harm in letting them leave. "Stay safe," he breathed. Though he appeared hard and passionless, Dal respected those he believed did not need to get involved. And the two who just left definitely didn't need to get involved. Silently he drew his pistol and stood up. He waited until the door closed behind the two before looking out at the streets again. The fight was starting to seem one sided.

"Damn my soul if I can't resist an opportunity to help out he young," he cursed as he saw another figure turn its head towards the alley. Probably not an assassin, but considering the circumstances outside... nothing was held up to chance. And those two did not need to be killed senselessly. Dal's training as a soldier taught him that much at least. Quietly he opened the alley door and started to follow the pair, trying to catch up to them. He didn't care if they perceived him as a threat, all that mattered was eliminating the true threat should it threaten the innocent.

 

[Ares]

Novus smiled. "Oh, you can kill me. Surely. But the question is- can you do it without dying?" The young Ospion Guardian smiled. "I think you're eyesight's failing you. Can your little toy stand up to this?"

Novus reached into his singed cloak and drew the lightsaber hilt, igniting the golden blade.

"I would say we should both start answering each other's questions. I go first. My name is Jeron Lek, heir to the Lek Merchant Empire. That fat oaf helped some pirates who felt threatened destroy my home and kill my family. My motives are revenge.. Not money, like you evidently desire."

His face twisted into an expression of mild contempt. "So what's your story? Who hired you?"

 

[Niner]

Temis raised an eyebrow,
"Names are for friends, so I don't need one. My employer wishes to remain anonymous however so I am unable to give you that information. I would recomend you not go shouting your pedigree into the night sky like that. There are those who would like to make the money a ransom would bring."

Temis eyed the lightsaber, "I have killed Jedi, boy, your shiny stick doesn't grant you invinsibilty."

 

[Ares]

Novus grinned. "And I've killed pond scum before, too. I don't think you're a big deal. But for the sake of peace on this troubled street, I think I'll go for a drink."

The young man put the saber hilt on his waist, but pulled out a concussion grenade. "No sudden moves, or this goes off."

He backed away, facing the bounty hunter. He could tell this guy was very good.

 

[Kitt]

Faan'tina followed Hakim cautiously, through the rusty hinged back door that squeaked when they opened it, and into the cool night air. Faan'tina let out a sigh of relief; she felt like she wanted to say something, anything, but the words were escaping her mind. Instead she settled for giving Hakim an uneasy smile. She just wanted to get as far away from this place as possible.

An explosion sounded through the air like the crack of a giant whip, causing the ground to vibrate briefly beneath their feet from the brute force of the shock wave. "This place is insane," Faan'tina thought to herself, tensed, almost as if she was waiting for more disruption to occur. Faan'tina couldn't count the number of creepy cloaked men she had seen in the club. She wondered how there was any lifeforms left alive on this planet by now.

 

[Gambler]

One man stepped out of the shadows behind the twi'lek and cathar pair. One man holding a slim, lethal looking knife stepped unknowingly into the path of Dal Lothian.

Without a sound Dal punched the man in the jaw with his metallic arm, smashing the bone. The man didn't crumple immediately. Instead he stabbed out at Dal, catching the former soldier in his good arm, drawing a thin line of blood that gleamed in the dim moonlight. Dal tensed and fired his blaster. At point blank range the outcome was inevitable and painfully quick.

One man who stepped out of the shadows fell to the ground dead. Blood fell freely and profusely out of his nose and mouth while a small hole was burned through his stomach. Two ragged breaths escaped lips that were already turning blue as his eyes glazed over.

"Dammit! Run! More of them might arrive soon!" Dal shouted to the pair before stalking towards Temis and Novus, his blade in his hand a moment after he holstered his pistol.

 

[Jiang Winters]

"Kriff!" Hakim swore softly, freezing in mid-step and glancing over his shoulder as a explosion tore through the night. "That's it, this is the last time I'm coming back to this madhou..." The cathar smuggler was suddenly cut off by the shriek of a blaster discharge from behind them.

In a heartbeat, Hakim had taken a step back and to the side, placing himself between Faan'tina and whoever had just fired a blaster. Just as he started to look over his shoulder, a man called out to him and his Twi'lek companion, ordering them to run. In the brief glimpse he got of the fellow, he saw that it was the same eye-patch wearing man they had bumped into inside the club.

He decided that didn't really matter though, as he stepped back to Faan'tina's side and nodded his head forward, towards a towering structure a couple blocks away that was capped with a landing platform. "My ship's there; just run as fast as you can to the elevators in the lobby. I'll be right behind you."

 

[Kitt]

Faan'tina had hardly had time to register the blaster shot and yet another dead man on the ground, before Hakim told her to run. Needing no incentive, Faan'tina took off toward the towering building that Hakim had pointed out. Faan'tina's legs powered her faster than she'd ever run before, she wanted nothing more than to get to Hakim's ship and safety. Her feet pounded along the hard earth and skidded into the lobby, almost causing her to fall from her own speed. Collapsing against the wall by the elevator, she waited anxiously for Hakim.

((OOC: I'll be back again tomorrow.))

 

[Jiang Winters]

[Right-o, see ya later. :) ]

Hakim had always thought of himself as being fairly athletic and speedy, and he had always thought that he would be able to keep up with pretty much anyone. He did not, however, expect Faan'tina to be anywhere near as fast as she was. Within just a few seconds, she had put nearly sixteen yards between him and her, much to his astonishment.

That surprise didn't last long, though, before he took off after her, his boots pounding out a steady beat against the unyielding durasteel and concrete ground underfoot as he ran as fast as he could. He arrived at the lobby only a few seconds after her, just in time to see her collapse against a wall near one of the elevators at the back of the lobby.

The smuggler slowed to a halt next to her and punched the 'up' button for the elevator, then turned and slowly slipped a arm around Faan'tina, then gently ushered her into the opening elevator doors. He stepped in after her, turned, and tapped the button for the top floor, where his vessel, the Tien, was docked. The polished steel doors slid shut moments after the button was pressed, at which point Hakim leaned back against one of the elevator walls, planted both hands on either side of him on the handrail, took a deep breath, and let it out in a sigh of relief.

After several moments of silence, he spoke up, asking in a concerned tone; "Are you alright, Faan'tina?"

 

[Ares]

Novus gave Temis one cold smile, and turned, running. He looked over his shoulder once, and disappeared into the shadows. The robe flapped behind him and he dashed down the backalleys of Coruscant. After a few minutes he heard a growl. Spinning around, Novus landed a kick in the face of a burly alien wielding a slug-thrower. The creature collapsed on the metal walkway.

"There he is!" a voice echoed through the alley. Novus looked up, seeing several armed ruffians on the rooves of the apartments above. "Shoot him!" a Weequay yelled.

Then Novus understood- these were the rest of the now dead man's thugs. The young man cartwheeled to the right, dodging several slug blasts. Dashing towards an uncompleted building, the young Ospion Guardian leapt into the metal framework. Two human thugs armed with melee weapons followed, and several blaster-toting aliens began to walk onto the higher pieces of framework.

Novus stopped, his brown eyes going flinty, and dashed foward to attack. Several quick jabs of his hands took down the sword-wielder, but the hammer toting moron swung it wildly to the side. Novus easily ducked under the blow, lashing out with his foot. He made contact with the man's back, sending him in a plummet down the skeletal structure. The young Ospion Guardian then leapt up to the higher levels, golden lightsaber ablaze.

The fun never ends...

 

[Kitt]

Faan'tina let herself slide down the slick elevator wall, until she was sitting on the floor. The silence was pure bliss after the hectic day; all she could hear was the monotonous whir of the elevator's air conditioning system. Then she realized Hakim had just asked her a question, "All you alright?" she heard him query. Was she alright? Faan'tina wasn't sure how to answer such a question. She didn't feel alright at all, although if he meant "Are you injured", then she supposed she could answer "No". Instead she settled for shrugging her shoulders, not sure whether she felt like laughing, or crying.

Faan'tina rested her head on her knees, the adrenaline still pumping through her body, making her shaky and tense. She couldn't stop reliving the past few minutes; the man falling to the ground, blood pouring out of his mouth and nose. Faan'tina shuddered at the thought, starting to get a little queasy.

 

[Jiang Winters]

After Faan'tina shrugged and had rested her head on her knees, Hakim sat down right alongside her, and in the manner of a older brother, he looped one arm around her shoulders and gently hugged her.

He didn't speak or do anything else, he just sat beside her and gently embraced her. Hakim was the kind of soul who hated to see others upset, unless they deserved it in some way. And the Twi'lek girl alongside him most certainly didn't deserve to be upset, so he was set on making things right for her, on taking her mind off what she had seen in the club.

 

[Kitt]

Faan'tina leaned her head on Hakim's shoulder, she felt a little better already. The elevator almost lulled her off into a dreamy state with it's repetitive sound effects. She found it difficult to keep from falling asleep, overcome with fatigue. Faan'tina distracted herself by counting the number of squares on the patterned elevator carpet, finding it surprisingly calming.

In the middle of her addition, the elevator clicked to a stop, and the doors slid suavely aside. Faan'tina slowly rose to her feet to head toward Hakim's ship.

((OOC: be back tomorrow.))

 

[Jiang Winters]

Hakim smiled faintly as he felt Faan'tina's head rest upon his shoulder. The cathar stared ahead at the doors as the elevator slowly ascended to the top of the concrete and steel spire, absentmindedly caressing her far shoulder with his hand as he waited for the elevator to reach it's destination.

Once it halted and the doors opened up with a smooth motion, Hakim watched as Faan'tina rose to her feet, then he followed suit. The moment he was on his feet, he started walking forward, leading his twi'lek companion out of the elevator and towards the docking bay at a leisurely pace. They soon reached the durasteel power door that lay between them and his ship, and after a quick swipe of his acess card through a card reader in the door frame, the door parted and Hakim once again moved on, leading Faan'tina into the well-lit hanger in which his ship lay.

"There she is. Go on ahead to the side acess hatch, it's at roughly the middle of the ship on this side. It's unlocked, so you should be able to go on inside and make yourself comfy. I'm just going to check the maintenance log and make sure she was fueled up. I'd hate to make it ten kilometers up and then hear the 'low fuel' alarm go off."

 

[Kitt]

Faan'tina tread sleepily across the metallic landing platform, sticking close to Hakim. It was very dark by now, and the only a few scattered lights guided them to the hanger. When they reached the thick steel door, Hakim casually swiped his card through a card reader, activating the acknowledging beep, and causing the door to slide cleanly out of sight. Behind the door was a large, brightly light hanger; Hakim's ship sat calmly in front of them, gleaming and waiting patiently for it's pilot's return. As Faan'tina listened, Hakim directed her to a hatch on the ship. Spotting the opening, she drifted over to it, entering the ship.

 

[Jiang Winters]

Hakim took only a couple seconds to locate the logs and ensure his ship was fueled. After his task was complete, the cathar turned and jogged back to his ship, arriving just after Faan'tina had entered the Tien. He stepped into the hatch behind her, sealed it, then slid past her in the fairly spacious corridor they had entered into. "Excuse me, just need to slip through here." He said quietly, as he walked past her and deeper into the corridor.

He paused for a moment as he came to a intersection roughly in the center of the ship, then turned around to face her. "Right, well, the side you're on has the galley and medical bay. The Medbay is on your right, galley's on your left. Over there;" He paused for a split second, gesturing into the corridor behind him. "Are the crew quarters and lounge. My private quarters are in the room at the end of the corridor on the right; you can have any of the other three rooms. There's a shared bathroom on the right of the corridor, right after the second room; the toilets and showers are in there. They're set in stalls, so you've got plenty of privacy." He continued, trying to give her the layout of the ship as best he could.

He then gestured to the corridor leading to the front of the ship. "Oh, and that way leads to the cockpit. and the ladder down to the belly gun turret." Hakim turned, then gestured to the final corridor, heading to the stern of the ship. "And that way leads to the stern gun turret, the cargo bay, and a few miscellanious rooms. So, feel free to pick your room and get settled in, and if you have anything you need help with or have a question about, come get me and I'll happily help."

 

[Kitt]

Faan'tina nodded, she had taken most of that in, or at least enough to get her around without becoming too lost. The corridor that lead to the crew's quarters sounded like a good place to start, so she headed in that direction. Hakim's ship was much bigger than she had expected, she couldn't recall being in one this large for quite a while. Strolling to the farthest left room, Faan'tina pushed the opening button with her left pointer finger. The door parted aside, and Faan'tina stepped into the reasonably spacious bedroom. A fully furnished bed was on her right, so she gratefully flopped backwards onto it with a relaxed sigh. It was contenting enough to lie there, staring at the nice blank ceiling.

((OOC: Am I correct that they use buttons instead of doorknobs?))

 

[Jiang Winters]

[Yup, you're correct.]

Hakim watched for a moment as Faan'tina made her way to her chosen room, then after she had entered her quarters, the cathar smuggler opted to make his way to his own room. It was getting late, he was getting tired, and some sleep sounded like a good idea.

The cathar silently made his way to his room, tapped the control pad for the door with his index finger and ducked inside once the door slid open with a quiet hiss. He moved over to the bed settled in the middle of his fairly well-furnished room -which was roughly the same size as Faan'tina's room- sat down on the edge of the bed, and removed his boots and socks. After that he just turned and laid down atop his bed, placed his hands behind his head as a sort of impromptu pillow, and then relaxed in the dimly lit room.