Return to Glory

[FallenKeeper]

Lux Hunk sat silently on the hull of his ship waiting for the arrival of his target. He had spent the past week stalking his latest bounty in the hopes that he would be able to cash in and earn enough credits to continue searching for the Mandalorians. Already he had come to grips with the loss of his family and now all he wanted was to reclaim his family's honor. Finding the Mandalorians was the only way to achieve that goal. Being a bounty hunter had kept him away from his home and spared him from the fire bombing but now he had nothing left but the Mandalorians.

The whine of a spaceship engine drew his attention upward to watch as a red shuttle streaked across his view of Nar Shadaa's cityscape. There it was, his target, some famous ex-racer who had earned enough debt to warrant being worth a large sum of credits. Lux was luckily not renown enough for his visage being an omen.The sleemo probably had never heard of him. That would make this an easy job, he hoped. With a rustle he stood up and drew his pistol as the craft landed in the hangar adjacent to Lux's ship. "Time to clock in," as he hopped down and began marching to his prey.

 

[Pureblood-Sin]

Talossas was thankful that his helmet kept out the rank stench of Nar Shadaa's air . Pity it couldn't keep out the pangs of anguish emitted by the poor and deprived. Thankfully however, the hunt kept his mind focussed...and the fact his quarry, a former racer, also acted as a mule for deathstick dealers. If his head were unadorned, Talossas would have spat at the thought; the Zeltron/Sephi cared little for why the Aruetii scumbag hired him as long he could remove another cog from the deathstick trade. Leaning over a rooftop, the Netra gaan kept his eye out for the ship. He checked his bowcaster for any kinks and terminal flaws, that the clip was full and that his dart launcher was loaded. The Zeltron/Sephi then checked his vibroswords, that they were ready to be drawn at a moment's notice.

After a full review over his gear, a whining echoed throughout the air; his quarry was arriving and Talossas will be there to give the Aruetii Sleemo his last ever welcome. Breathing deep, the Renelo Mandalorian leapt off of the rooftop into a deserted alley next the landing sight. He activated his modified silent jetpack to create a more safe landing. After doing so, Talossas then crept through the alley with the stealth of a predator hunting its prey, it wouldn't do well for his quarry to figure out the Mandalorian was there for his head.

 

[FallenKeeper]

Lux normally envisioned himself approaching his quarry in such an intimidating manner that he would be greeted with pleading and bribes. He would have the shroud of a reputation that would dissuade attempts of resistance. Instead he wore beaten light armor and bore the look of a sleep deprived freighter pilot. The luster of his rookiee days was gone and now he was just winging it to meet his goals. With a heavy sigh Lux tread towards the large cargo doors and slammed his fist down on the access panel.

With a grind the ill-kept doors lurched open to the sides, one jutted out and jerked slightly back and forth as it tried to finish its path. Ahead of him was the landing pad,littered with refuse and toppled piles of crates. There, the center of this mess was the red shuttle... and several armed humanoids. What Lux had hoped would be a simple grab and drop had just gotten complicated. There was no backing out now but he wished he had brought his rifle with him instead of just the pistol. The doors had made enough noise to draw all attention on him. This was where he ended up for not becoming a full fledged Mandalorian more than a decade ago.

He had to think on his feet while he reacted. Raising his blaster up to level, Lux fired two shots while he darted behind the nearest pile of crates. The first shot scored a direct hit to one of the thugs midsection while the second went high and left a score on the ship. A cacophany of blaster fire rained down on his position. Lux steeled himself and waited for a break in the fire to return his own.

 

[Pureblood-Sin]

As Talossas crept further through the dank alley, two men came across his sight. The Zeltron/Sephi remained in the darkest shadows and eavesdropped on the two humans. They mentioned how his quarry would be paying double for their fee on this garbage-hole of a moon. Reaching down for a piece of scrap, Talossas threw it behind the guards, one of them went to check. So far his empathic abilities picked up concern from the investigating guard, while the other is indifferent to the situation. Good, thought Talossas as he crept up behind the latter. Drawing a vibrosword silently, he grasped the mercenary across the mouth and proceeded to whip the blade across his throat. As the human choked on his own blood, the Netra gaan spun the weapon and threw it into the investigating guard. The vibrosword pierced his heart from behind. Retrieving the blade from the corpse, Talossas carried on moving until he came across a door. Knowing that it will be locked from the inside, the Mandalorian activated his jetpack, which sounded like a strong breeze. He landed safely on top of the roof, but his pointed ears twitched as he heard the all-too familiar sound of blaster fire.

" Haar'Chak!" He hissed. "No kriffing Aruetii is going take my quarry!"

Drawing his bowcaster, the Zeltron/Sephi silently crossed over to the ledge and swiftly analysed the situation. Several of the prey's bodyguards were targeting some unfortunate Di'kut. Talossas opinion of the human changed slightly when he saw him take one of his assailants down. Now he was pinned. Sensing they were still focused on their target, the Mandalorian shouldered his bowcaster and drew both vibroswords. Assessing the two nearest targets, he leapt off the roof but there was no need for the jump pack. He angled the blades to pierce the back of both targets' necks...and so they did. Still unnoticed, except by the pinned human, the Zeltron/Sephi drew his bowcaster and fired it into the nearest guard, a Gamorrean. Before retreating behind cover. This should force them to split their fire.

 

[FallenKeeper]

There was a brief pause in the firing before it resumed again, this time there was a significantly decreased amount of blaster bolts peppering the ground surrounding Lux's cover. Carefully Lux peered out and noticed there were two fewer men than before and the gamorrean was doubled over clutching his grotesque green belly while squealing like... well a gamorrean. That meant three remained and two were redirecting their fire elsewhere. Targets. Lux fired a few shots from his position at the ground of his attacker's feet before ducking back into cover and scrambling over to the opposite end to line up the other two. As he had hoped the one on him was now shooting at where Lux used to be.

A plan had been hatched, someone else was there, possibly another bounty hunter, but they were providing something Lux needed: a distraction. With that the playing field had been leveled and now was the time to act. His training was coming back to him now, all of it. These goons were nothing compared to the lineage of Lux's people's prowess in combat. A smirk, the first to cross his face in a while, played at the corner's of his lips. After all was said and done he would have to figure out what to do about the party crasher. If he was some other thug there would be another battle, if he was a fellow bounty hunter there would have to be a deal made or a race. Neither could attack the other, Lux hoped, if they followed the bounty hunter's code.

Carefully he lowered himself on his belly and fired two shots precisely into the back of his targets' knees to send them to the ground and vulnerable. Now he had to wait. If the last thug turned to face his comrades for any reason he would see it and take him down with a well placed shot to the back.

 

[Pureblood-Sin]

Ducking behind the cover, Talossas was further impressed by the Aruetii. Or perhaps he wasn't entirely Aruetyc, given how the human seized the advantage from his distraction. He had taken the quarry down with two shots to the knees, no doubt intent on taking the bounty alive, just as Talossas slew a Weequay with a head shot. With only one thug left, and a need to replace the bowcaster's clip, the Zeltron/Sephi whipped out one of his vibroblades and threw it into the guard's head, he fell to the ground with a dull thud. Clearly not determined to continue fighting someone who was after the same thing, the Mandalorian raised his bowcaster in a sign of truce. He went to retrieve his blade, it squelched as he removed it from his victim's grey matter. With a smile concealed by his helmet, the Netra gaan spoke.

"Peace hunter, we can share this bounty. I digress, it was somewhat di'kutla of you to bring a blaster pistol to a fight which required more powerful weaponry. Given the way you have fought, I can conclude that you are no Aruetii. Talossas paused and looked at the human from head to toe. "But you do not clad yourself in Beskar'gam and your skills seem somewhat unrefined, therefore you are Dar'Manda.

His Empathic abilities then picked something up from the human; an emotional reaction to the presence of one of his estranged kin. Talossas swiftly made a conclusion.

A Dar'Manda who wishes to find his true self among the Mando'ade, if you don't mind me saying."

 

[FallenKeeper]

Dar'manda... The word struck a chord within Lux as he stepped out of cover with his weapon raised in truce. The last time he had been referred to in such a way was when he left home to become a bounty hunter. All but one of his family had disowned him. And here was this stranger talking to him in Mando'a. There was no doubt this person was a Mandalorian. Everything about him screamed it. As badly as he wanted to address this moment and ask questions, the job had to be completed first. "Let's finish here, we can talk after we get our bounty."

Lux was brief, talking was not one of his strong points. The man moved towards the ship carefully stalking close as he readied his weapon. "Lux Hunk," he whispered as he stepped over the now dead gamorrean. The stench it emitted was one he had, to his chagrin, become accustomed to working as a bounty hunter. He could not recall how many of them he had worked with in the past.

Deep down he wanted to ask the man about the scattered Mandalorians and if he knew a way to contact them. He had never had his own suit of Beskar'gam but now he yearned to represent his family by bearing their colors on his own armor. To be a warrior again.

 

[Pureblood-Sin]

Talossas chuckled slightly.

"Then take in the bounty we will, but first thing's first."

The Mandalorian whipped out his left arm and fired a tranquiliser dart into their whimpering prey. A slight hiss through the air and he was out like a light. The Zeltron/Sephi then turned to the human.

"Should save us the trouble of his struggles and whining. After we hand in this unfortunate Di'kut in we will head to Talmo's for a drink and to answer the questions you seek."
-------------------------1 Hour later---------------------

Talmo's bar, or Koht'alm'odassi to her fellow Chiss, was a surprisingly clean place despitits questionable surroundings. This was what drew Talossas to the place in the first place; that, and the fact that the Chiss is notorious for her temper which scares off most troublemakers. Turning towards the Dar'Manda, the Netra gaan gestured for him to sit, whilst he ordered the drinks in Cheunh. He silently prayed he didn't order Jawa urine if he mispronounced it. The Mandalorian then returned his attention back to his companion.

"Now then, lets get down to business."

Talossas then proceeded to remove his helmet; as the Great Galactic War relic was lifted, locks of long ebony hair fell free. The Netra gaan's mixed heritage showed through the violet eyes and light red skin of a Zeltron and the pointed ears of a Sephi. Talossas activated his pheromones, so as to create an easier atmosphere for the human. A smile crossed his lips.

"To get the most basic question out of the way, I am Talossas Dionatrios Renelo of Clan Renelo. Speak your name friend and let your questions fly."


OOC:Hope you don't mind the time-skip.

 

[FallenKeeper]

Lux sat at the table and watched as the man removed unshackles helmet. Lux's eyes lingered on the T visor for a moment before looking to his "partner's" eyes. In the light much was revealed. This hunter was a mix of a couple of species though which Lux would not pretend to guess. So many near human races shared similar characteristics that it would be insulting to assume. Lux himself was a human with short, unkempt, light brown hair, light blue eyes, sharp features,a scar across the bridge of his nose stretching from one cheekbone to the other and a black jolly roger on his chin.

"My name,"he began, pausing lightly to nod in thanks as their drinks were brought over, "Lux Hunk. I want to find our people. I want to reclaim my family's glory and my heritage. Is it possible?" There would be no beating around d the bush.

 

[Pureblood-Sin]

Talossas smiled, the answer was simple.

"Clan Renelo seeks to preserve the Mandalorian way of life and to see the Mando'ade united again, they would happily take in a Dar'Manda who yearns to regain his true self. I myself was originally of Renelo, but was taken in by Clan Traszvar at the age of 8. My Buir and I grew disillusioned with our Aliit'Alor, who blindly followed Mand'alor te Di'kutla into acts that even a Mandalorian ought to question.

The Zeltron/Sephi's hand balled into a fist at the memory, too many innocent Aruetii were slaughtered that day at the whims of a fool and remembered well the nexus of pain and despair his Empathy sensed. Returning to the present, Talossas once more took up a smile.

"To cut a long story short, we left Traszvar and became Netra gaan and Verde of Clan Renelo. Poor Trevaas, the old Chiss died two days after we arrived on Mandallia. We will go to Mandallia and speak with Aliit'Alor Sisk, he will be more then happy to take a prodigal Vod into our ranks. Just one question...have you ever undergone your Verd'goten?"

Something radiated off of Lux, it seemed to be the sweet taste of curiosity. Talossas knew what the question was, it was obvious.

"For the record, I am half Zeltron and half Sephi."

 

[FallenKeeper]

Lux took in all the information carefully. He may have appeared gruff but he was no fool. There were a few times when his search had attracted the wrong attention, though this time it seemed to be the opposite. This had found him and for once he wondered if there was some greater force at play. The half sephi half zeltron had yet to divulge his own name, not that it mattered much. Already he had shown himself to be Mando'ade by his prowess and speech. There were some things con artists could not pretend. The air of a Mandalorian. Confidence in words and the success of their goals. That was learned by living not by being told. Lux chuckled and grasped his drink firmlybefore taking a swig.

"Long ago." That was his answer to the question posed to him. It had been more than fifteen years since he had undergone the rite to adulthood. And everyday he lived seemed to scrape by on what he learned of himself from the ritual. Even now he could vividly recall the entire event, down to the last moment when he was finally accepted into the Mando'ade as an adult. "Let's go," he said with a fullhearted smile, "I want to see with my own eyes and rejoin my kin."

 

[FallenKeeper]

Lux took in all the information carefully. He may have appeared gruff but he was no fool. There were a few times when his search had attracted the wrong attention, though this time it seemed to be the opposite. This had found him and for once he wondered if there was some greater force at play. The half sephi half zeltron had yet to divulge his own name, not that it mattered much. Already he had shown himself to be Mando'ade by his prowess and speech. There were some things con artists could not pretend. The air of a Mandalorian. Confidence in words and the success of their goals. That was learned by living not by being told. Lux chuckled and grasped his drink firmlybefore taking a swig.

"Long ago." That was his answer to the question posed to him. It had been more than fifteen years since he had undergone the rite to adulthood. And everyday he lived seemed to scrape by on what he learned of himself from the ritual. Even now he could vividly recall the entire event, down to the last moment when he was finally accepted into the Mando'ade as an adult. "Let's go," he said with a fullhearted smile, "I want to see with my own eyes and rejoin my kin."

 

[Pureblood-Sin]

"Then you will be welcomed as a Verde of Clan Renelo. We also need more Netra gaan, there just isn't enough of us Bounty Hunters among the Vode.

Talossas gulped down his drink in one go before he placed his helmet back on his head. He rose from his chair and offered his hand to Lux.

"Take my hand Vod, to Mandallia we go where we will be amongst kin. And you will return to your true home."

 

[FallenKeeper]

"Vod," Lux said as he reached for the outstretched hand and clasped the man's forerm firmly. With a smirk he stood up. Finally his search was over and a wave of relief overcame his mind. Now all that was left was to see this path through to the glorious end.