Ask Onderon A civilization that took a very peculiar form

Fiach Dubh

Character
Jedi Order
Rank
Jedi Knight

Character Profile
Link
OOC
Corbeau
Joined
Jan 8, 2020
Messages
1,040
Reaction score
403
Fiach didn’t do sarcasm or banter, but she recognised the humour in Aska’s voice. “I don’t actually drink,” she said. “Could never afford it in our house and once I became a Jedi, I never saw the point in starting. In truth, I forgot I had it. I keep it in case someone has a shock. Other than sugar, it’s a good simple remedy to help someone in the field.”

Aska’s question caught her on the hop. “I, um…that is…I don’t really do plans. I tend to react. My Master says it is something I need to work on. Not to be too rigid, but at least to have some outline of a strategy.”

She gazed into the distance, clearly deep in thought. “Nope,” she said, finally, “Nothing’s coming to me. We hand the bounty over. I’ll explain the little problem we left behind before we high-tailed it here. And I drop you off at Coruscant? Does that amount to a plan?”

@Tulos
 

Aska Ryun

Character
Independent
Rank
Legend

Character Profile
Link
OOC
Tulos
Joined
Mar 24, 2020
Messages
459
Reaction score
203
Listening to Fiach as she spoke, Aska took another swig from the flask she had been given while considering their options. In a perfect world then perhaps their departure from Onderon could be this simple. Though if this entire trip was an indicator, there were harbored doubts on the ease of the remainder of their time on the surface.

"Coruscant?" Aska responded. "You take a hit on the noggin back there, kid? Nar Shaddaa. We came here from Nar Shaddaa," she laughed, though she couldn't entirely blame Fiach. It had been a long trip and both were undoubtedly exhausted from all that had transpired. "Maybe you're right. Maybe it will be that simple and us getting off Onderon will be pretty straight forward. I'd much rather expect the worst, though," Pausing to consider their options, Aska took another pull of whiskey while she thought out each step. The ship they had arrived on was some distance from the main gate of the city and when they had left, they had to gallop the dalgo along the edge of the market square. Considering that at the time the sun had begun it's descent and the crowds were thin, the increased flow of civilians could come to their advantage. "Give me your cloak, I have an idea,"

@Corbeau
 

Fiach Dubh

Character
Jedi Order
Rank
Jedi Knight

Character Profile
Link
OOC
Corbeau
Joined
Jan 8, 2020
Messages
1,040
Reaction score
403
Fiach shook her head softly. “Something in my mind said you were going to Coruscant. I must have been mistaken.”

The trip back to the city seemed to be a much slower affair than getting to the cave. Perhaps because they were both tired and after the encounter, everything felt something of an anti-climax. On the positive side, Fiach did not have to worry about being attacked again. She kept her wits about her but neither man nor beast made an attempt against them.

They reached the outskirts of the city at nightfall. This, Fiach postulated, would work in their favour. It would be easier to move about without being recognised or challenged. Of course, the down side was that it was a lot quieter and so there were fewer people to mingle with.

Fiach dismounted and offered Aska her cloak. It was not an out of the ordinary item of clothing and it would disguise the captured Darksider relatively easily.

Saying goodbye to her mount, she looked around and – seeing there was nobody in sight – leaped quietly and stealthily onto the roof of an adjacent building. Using the Force, she was able to jump from one structure to another, out of eyesight in the failing light.

Soon she reached the starport and she slipped down the side of the building and entered the main office. Clearly her image had been posted by the local authorities – as the first officer she approached immediately pulled a pistol on her. Sighing audibly, she knew what she had to do.

Connecting with the Force, she waved a hand towards the official. “I am not the woman you are looking for.”

After a few moments, the man repeated, somewhat flatly, “You are not the woman we are looking for.”

“You will put away your sidearm.”

“I will put away my sidearm.”

“And you will release the ship from being impounded, it is free to leave.”

“I will release the ship, it is free to leave.”

Fiach stayed with him whilst he visited a nearby terminal and performed the necessary changes to the ship’s records.

“Now, it’s time your shift finished. Go to the nearest cantina and enjoy yourself.” She put credits into his hand.

Once he’d left, she headed to the landing platform. With luck, Aska would already be there.

@Tulos
 

Aska Ryun

Character
Independent
Rank
Legend

Character Profile
Link
OOC
Tulos
Joined
Mar 24, 2020
Messages
459
Reaction score
203
The trip back to the gates of Iziz had taken longer than Aska had hoped, evident from the sun once again descending towards the horizon, finally casting the haze of twilight as the green foliage came to life with an orange radiance and the walls of the city seemingly glowing with a matching shade. Nodding to the young padawan, Aska waited until Fiach had made her ascension to the roof tops before dawning the Jedi's cloak, raising the hood to cover her facial features and, hopefully, to not raise too much suspicion. Drawing in a deep breath, the woman slid off the dalgo that had provided her transport and rubbed her hand affectionately along the ridge between it's eyes which was met with a soft rumbling from the creature as it leaned in to her touch. She couldn't help but allow a small smile as her animal companion did this. It had been some time since she was able to connect with a creature, not since she was just a small girl. It was a comforting and familiar feeling that urged her to take action in the beast's favor. Walking around the dalgo, Aska unclipped the fasteners for the saddle that had been fitted around it's middle and finally allowing it to slide off to the ground. Repeating this process, soon all three animals were free of the restraints, a still unconscious Kiriena laying on the ground at Aska's side.

"Get out of here, go! Take care of each other," Aska shooed the animals away as she spoke. The thought of returning them to the Aqualish beast tamer didn't sit well with her, feeling they would be better off in the wild where they belong. It didn't take long before the creatures made their way off out into the jungle, leaving Aska alone with her bounty. "Now... What am I to do with getting you to the security offices?" Aska queried softly as she pulled one of the last cigarras from her pocket before lighting the tabacc. Leaving the smoke in her mouth, Aska bent down and began to struggle with lifting the Mirialan woman over her shoulder.

"Unnnnngh," seeped from Kiriena's lips as Aska walked, drawing a lung full of smoke as she did. The city gates weren't far away now and they would no doubt be guarded. Unsure of how this would go, Aska only hoped that Fiach would be successful in releasing her ship from it's hangar should she need to be picked up for a quick get away.

"Halt! Where are y- By the stars, is that woman alright?!" the voice caught Aska off guard but soon the two men standing watch of the gates came rushing over, soon relieving Aska of her heavy burden.

"She'll be fine. I stunned her awhile back, been keeping her unconscious on purpose. This is a wanted woman. Kiriena Buli. She had a bounty placed on her for theft and assault by a man named Div Sedonias. She killed him and two others in the jungle so your boss might want to levy a few murder charges against her," Aska did her best to remain calm as she explained her position but didn't give the guards any opportunity to interrupt. She wanted her story stated clearly before they could misinterpret her words.

"Buli, hey? Yea, I remember the file. And you say you're the one who captured her?" The guard responded. "Alone?"

"Do you see anyone else here?"

"Fair enough. Good work, bounty hunter. When we got word that she fled into the jungle, we assumed that would be the last we would see of her. Especially as the days went by. Takes a special kind of person to survive an extended amount of time in the Onderonian wilds. I'll call for a speeder from the precinct and we'll see that you two get back there safely,"

"Excellent,"

@Corbeau
 

Fiach Dubh

Character
Jedi Order
Rank
Jedi Knight

Character Profile
Link
OOC
Corbeau
Joined
Jan 8, 2020
Messages
1,040
Reaction score
403
The spaceport was unusually quiet. Yes, it was the dead of the night and even space-farers tended to follow the natural order of things and land and take off during daylight. From time to time a ship would exit hyperspace in the early hours, but few left – unless in an enforced hurry.

But it wasn’t the lack of activity in terms of crews loading or unloading vessels, it was something else. The Force wasn’t so much giving her a gentle warning, as blaring a claxon in her ear. No…make that two claxons. As she mentally debated the correct plural of claxon, she slipped into the shadows. The Force was warning – and worse still, her base instincts were warning her something was up. But was it related to Aska and herself? As usual, the Force was of no help whatsoever.

But, deciding that an alive Jedi was more use to the galaxy than a dead one, she did not go directly to her ship. Instead, she visited every part of the spaceport that was not near her ship – and everywhere she found the same thing. Nothing. Not in the sense of nothing to worry about nothing, but the absence of anything nothing. No guards. No crew. Not even any droids working.

She considered what she knew. There was no way the authorities would stake out her ship for this period of time and to this level. So, what else could it be? Had Aska been captured? Unlikely, she would have sensed something, she was sure.

Running out of logical answers, she arrived at the one that made most sense. Or perhaps the least nonsense. Someone had bribed the gate-guards to tip them off when Aska returned. But who?

She could only think of one person.

@Tulos
 

Aska Ryun

Character
Independent
Rank
Legend

Character Profile
Link
OOC
Tulos
Joined
Mar 24, 2020
Messages
459
Reaction score
203
”So this is the run away, is it?” The lieutenant behind the counter stood as Aska and Kiriena, escorted by the two guards who had arrived on a speeder to retrieve them from the gate, walked into the precinct. The Mirialan woman had came too during the drive only to find herself secured in a set of hand cuffs, throwing profanities and threats at her captors as they travelled through the dark city. None of her words bothered Aska, however. A trapped womp rat will try anything to survive.

”Yes sir. Kiriena Buli, in the flesh,” Aska responded as she pushed the captive forward rather aggressively, which was met with a sinister growl.

”When I get out of here, I promise you that I’ll kill you. My Master will not abandon me here, and when I’m free I will do everything in my power to taste your blood, girl!”

”I can’t wait,”

”That will be enough, bounty hunter. You have my thanks, of course,” As he spoke, the Lieutenant motioned to the guards at her sides to remove Kiriena from the foyer and place her in their custody. ”This woman caused quit the stir when she fled into the jungles. Many of us believed her to be dead and were hoping for a body at best. The fact that you brought her in alive is a pleasant surprise, to be sure,”

”Did your men inform you of what I told them at the gates?”

”About the murders? Yes, they did,” The man’s expression went solemn as he spoke. ”I knew Div. He was shifty but he had a good heart. He will be missed in the community,”

”I only know of the three victims. There could be others in the cave I had found her in. I’ll give you the co-ordinates if you want to search the place though I’d recommend that you just blow that cavern shut and forget it exists,”

”I will take your thoughts into consideration. Now,” The lieutenant paused as he pulled a disk from his desk before handing it to Aska. ”This holodisk contains the information that will allow the bounty placed on the young Miss Buli to be deposited into your account. When I received word of the further accusations levied against her, I took the liberty to increase the reward. One thousand credits and it’s all yours,”

”Thank you, sir. I’ll be sure to put the money to good use,”

”Be sure that you do. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to interrogate the prisoner. I’ll have one of my men give you a ride to… Where ever it is you need to go,”



As the speeder cruised through the streets of Iziz, Aska leaned back in her seat as she lit another cigara, finally lowering the hood from her head. Finally, she felt as though she could catch her breath. She had proven to herself that she was fully capable of the seemingly impossible and that sense of achievement washed over her as she closed her eyes to bask in her glory. Though as she was prepared to bring the cigara back to her lips, the speeder suddenly came to an abrupt stop while a blaster barrel became placed firmly against her temple, the guard smiling devilishly.

”This was much easier than you said it would be,” the guard declared loudly to what appeared to be no one.

”You’re making a big mistake, pal,” Aska began but as she was about to reach for her pistol, three men began to surround the speeder and grabbed her by each arm.

”Well done, girl. Well done,”

”Boola,” The Rodian woman soon stood at the front of the speeder with a blaster trained directly on the young clone.

”Ah, so you remember me? How lovely,” Boola’s voice remained calm and ice cold as she stared at Aska. ”Seems you owe me for stealing my bounty,” Laughing, Aska spat in the Rodian’s direction though the projectile came up short.

”Your bounty? Not a chance. Terrik gave me the bounty puck and I did what he couldn’t. Your boss lost his own bounty,”

”Terrik was not my ‘boss’, girl. He was my colleague and more an employee of mine than anything. Those credits belong to me and you will give them to me or I will carve your skin from the body inch by inch,”

”Heh, that’s a good one. I’ll have to remember that,” Aska knew she shouldn’t antagonize her captor when she was at a four to one disadvantage and in no real position to defend herself, but she couldn’t help it. ”Where are you, kid?”



((Sorry if this reads as rushed. If if it does, it’s because it was lol))
 
Last edited:

Fiach Dubh

Character
Jedi Order
Rank
Jedi Knight

Character Profile
Link
OOC
Corbeau
Joined
Jan 8, 2020
Messages
1,040
Reaction score
403
Fiach did three perimeter checks, once leaping from ship’s roof to ship’s roof. And every time she drew the same conclusion. It was unnervingly quiet and something was off.

So, she checked her bearings and drew a line in her mind between the starport and the gate Aska would have used.

Then, shinning up a nearby pipe, she took to the rooftops once more using the Force to jump from one to another. Every time she landed, she would close her eyes and centre herself, reaching out with the Force. She’d been drawn to Aska by the very same Force and had spent enough time around her to have a sense of her aura – and cold pick it out in a crowd. As long as she was close enough of course.

And so, like some radar system, she plotted a course from roof to roof – changing direction when the impression grew weaker. Finally, she found herself on a relatively straight line to Aska, as every subsequent rooftop meant the aura grew stronger.

And then, subtle as it was, she sensed another familiar sensation. Not as familiar or as strong, but there nonetheless. Sighing audibly, she picked up her pace and threw caution to the wind as she jumped from one building to another without any attempt at stealth. She hoped the fact it was night, that she was way above eyeline and her pace would combine to keep her hidden.

She was now a distance away from the straight line she initially followed. Clearly Aska had taken a course away from the starport – or potentially had had one foist upon her.

Slightly breathless, Fiach edged to the extremity of the flat roof she stood on, in a poised crouch. It had been a trap all along.

Below she saw what she hadn’t wanted to see…the Rodian. Either she held a significant grudge, or there was more to the bounty than met the eye. In truth, Fiach suspected it was the former – and the bounty hunter had a reputation to maintain. Given the two of them had dinted it repeatedly along the way, she no doubt had a lot of reparation to do.

Fiach could just make out the conversation. Maybe this was about the money? And maybe Aska had this all under control?

The next words she heard suggested that was not the case and Fiach stood, drew her saber hilt and jumped from the building in one fluid movement. “Time to spring the trap,” she muttered as she dropped.

“Hello there,” she said, smiling, as she landed softly and silently alongside Aska in the middle of the group. Her saber had been activated mid-flight and the violet hue bathed the scene in an unnatural light.

“This is the part where I give you the chance to surrender. Or, if you like, we can ship you back to Nar Shaddaa in a cargo hopper. It’s entirely up to you.”

@Tulos
 

Aska Ryun

Character
Independent
Rank
Legend

Character Profile
Link
OOC
Tulos
Joined
Mar 24, 2020
Messages
459
Reaction score
203
"Last chance, girl. Hand over the credits or we peel you like a meiloorun and leave you for the authorities to find," Every passing moment that she turned a cold shoulder to Boola's request was a second closer to her unfortunate and painful demise. Taking another drag off her cigarra, proving to be her last as the ember had reached the filter, Aska flicked the butt to the ground. The poetic irony wasn't wasted on her as just as she had brought the cigarra to an end, her life also seemed to have run it's course.

"I've had a good run," Aska said with a smirk. Arrogant and headstrong to the last. Was her genetic host the same way upon her own death? She found herself unable to doubt she would have been any different. Closing her eyes, the young woman aimed her face towards the moons of Onderon, opening them in time to see the giant ball that would be Dxun. Bracing herself for the inevitable as she gazed on the jungle moon, another irony struck her in that both her and the original Aska were bound to die on the same world. A jungle planet, just as the one where they had originally came from. Yet as she prepared herself for her fate, the humming of a lightsaber brought her attention back to her surroundings.

"Hello there,"

"Ah, it's the Jedi Padawan. My, aren't you a bold one," Boola spat as she turned her blaster on the young Fiach. As she did, the three men holding Aska in place quickly stepped back and brought their weapons up to aim at the Jedi as well.

"Man, it's about time you got here!" Aska laughed. "Couldn't bring the ship though, huh?"

“This is the part where I give you the chance to surrender. Or, if you like, we can ship you back to Nar Shaddaa in a cargo hopper. It’s entirely up to you.”

"Unlikely," Boola gave the Padawan no time to respond before firing her weapon on her three times. The red bolts surged towards Fiach at a blinding pace but they also provided Aska the opportunity she needed. The men who had been hired by Boola had clearly been unprepared for things to develop as they had and this allowed Aska and opportunity to pull her own blaster from it's holster. Keeping it closer to her hip and moving her head backwards out of the line of fire of the driver of the craft, Aska pulled the trigger and watched as a blue light quickly illuminated the small cab before disappearing, leaving a burning hole in the man's chest. Pushing the passenger door open, she quickly rolled from the craft and fired a volley into one of the remaining city guards.

@Corbeau
 

Fiach Dubh

Character
Jedi Order
Rank
Jedi Knight

Character Profile
Link
OOC
Corbeau
Joined
Jan 8, 2020
Messages
1,040
Reaction score
403
A lot happened in a short space of time. Of course, to a Jedi, a lot seemed to happen in a long period of time – but the important constant was that much occurred.

Fiach took it all in and her focus was, quite naturally, on the blaster pointed directly at her. She trusted that Aska could fend for herself for now, and decided that self-preservation was a good starting point for any ensuing fight. After all, she always used to say, an alive Jedi was invariably more use than a dead one. Not always, she sometimes mused – but more often than not.

She was also aware that the other goons were bringing their weapons to bear on her. At distance, the odds were still in her favour. But at this proximity, 360-degree defence would prove a step too far for the Padawan. She was good – but nowhere near that good. But as she focused on Boola, she was aware that Aska was on the move.

The split in attention was almost costly, as three energy bolts came Fiach’s way. Fortunately, she was naturally in the Center of Being and she was able to parry two of the shots with apparently zero effort. The third she deflected, but it caught her own shoulder as it ricocheted off her saber. The smell of burning robes was added to by the aroma of freshly signed flesh. Fortunately, it was just a flesh wound and as Fiach stared into Boola’s eyes and registered the shock in them, she sensed Aska was now occupying the other goons’ attention.

“I’ll not harm you any more than I have to,” Fiach said, her voice low and soft but carrying surprising gravitas. “But you’ll not leave the scene this time. So please, surrender now.”

The response was two more red bolts. It would have been three, but as Fiach deflected them, she closed the gap and swung down with her saber before the third left the blaster’s chamber.

Half of the weapon tumbled to the ground and one of Boola’s fingers was still wrapped around the trigger.

@Tulos
 

Aska Ryun

Character
Independent
Rank
Legend

Character Profile
Link
OOC
Tulos
Joined
Mar 24, 2020
Messages
459
Reaction score
203
The sounds of a moving lightsaber were always hard to ignore, no matter how many times Aska bore witness to such a weapon. And yet, despite knowing fully well that Fiach had her violet blade humming behind her, Aska was fully enveloped in dealing with the two remaining city guards that had their loyalty purchased by the Rodian woman. As one man moved in to try and wrap his arms around Aska in a vain attempt to subdue her, the more agile woman managed to duck herself beneath his grasp before bringing her right knee up into his abdomen, putting all of her weight on to her left foot. A pained grunt came from the man and was matched by Aska as she pushed with as much power as she could muster off her left foot, bringing all the momentum she could to throw the man to the ground with her right knee still firmly placed in his stomach. As the guard tumbled to the ground gasping for air, the young clone followed through with her momentum to allow herself a three hundred and sixty degree spin, falling to her right knee as she did. Raising her blaster and utilizing the training from her time on Coruscant, she watched carefully for the final man to come into view as she turned before finally squeezing the trigger. One last blue bolt of energy raced from the barrel, slamming directly into the armor plating that adorned the officers chest, sending him flying backwards but ultimately still alive.

Meanwhile, Boola looked down to the smoldering blaster in her hand or rather what little remained of the weapon. A grimace broke across her face before raising her left arm and squeezing the palm-activated trigger, sending a powerful pulse of air towards Fiach that she would either need to evade or risk being thrown back. It was less for intent of hurting the Padawan but instead for giving her the space she needed to break away from the entanglement. As Boola ran into the darkness of Iziz' streets, Aska over heard her call into her communicator. "Kayto! I need a pick up! Now!"

"Right away, Mistress. I'm already almost above you," came back across her communicator. As Aska raised her blaster to prepare to fire on Boola and interrupt her escape, the guard who had suffered the knee to the abdomen soon made another attempt at securing his target. The shuffling of his feet on the dirty road caught her attention, giving her enough time to react by bringing up her left elbow and swinging back directly in his jaw. By this time, a small freighter had swooped over head and dropped an ascension cable and soon after, it began to fly away into the night.

@Corbeau
 

Fiach Dubh

Character
Jedi Order
Rank
Jedi Knight

Character Profile
Link
OOC
Corbeau
Joined
Jan 8, 2020
Messages
1,040
Reaction score
403
If Fiach expected Boola to capitulate or simply fall apart given the shock to her system, she was some way off in her hope. The bounty hunter was made of sterner stuff and no doubt used to injuries during a fight – although losing fingers was possibly a new one for her.

Those few moments of reflection were compounded by Boola’s quick thinking.

If there was any positive to take from the situation, it was that the Force telegraphed the bounty hunter’s actions faster than they actually unfolded. So, Fiach was able to leap to the side and remain on her feet with breath-taking speed. But – despite her pace – it was enough of a delay in re-engaging for Boola to escape.

One moment, Fiach was considering her next move and then the cable was lowered and Boola was getting away. There were options to bring her down, but in the built-up area, innocent lives were at stake. Finally, Fiach decided to throw her saber at the cable – but missed by a good metre and simply stared into the darkness as the bounty hunter made good her escape.

@Tulos
 

Aska Ryun

Character
Independent
Rank
Legend

Character Profile
Link
OOC
Tulos
Joined
Mar 24, 2020
Messages
459
Reaction score
203
Scurrying away while they still had their lives and a lack of payment for the job, the remaining guards soon disappeared into the night as Boola and her ship simultaneously began to fade away into the starry night sky. It was over... Holstering her blaster, Aska made her way up behind the young Jedi before bending down to recover what remained of Boola's weapon. Much to her surprise, however, she also found one of the Rodian's fingers still wrapped tightly around the trigger. Prying it loose, Aska observed the green appendage carefully with a smirk before tossing it back to the ground.

"Well, hopefully that will be the last I see of her," Aska finally spoke up as she observed the night sky. Somehow, she doubted this would be their last encounter but that was a problem for the future. Turning her attention back to Fiach, Aska gave her a friendly slap on the shoulder. "We make a pretty damn good team, kid. Ever think about leaving the Jedi behind and meddling in a life of crime?" she joked. "What do you say we get the hell out of here before those losers come back with their friends? I don't think either of us are going to be welcome here for a while,"

As the pair made their way back towards Fiach's freighter, Aska could swear she heard a faint sound of sinister laughter in the breeze, but she wasn't sure. Not until the weight of the holocron in her jacket was soon paired with a mediocre sense of heat against her chest. Now her path was clear, but she needed time to mull over everything that had taken place.

@Corbeau
 

Fiach Dubh

Character
Jedi Order
Rank
Jedi Knight

Character Profile
Link
OOC
Corbeau
Joined
Jan 8, 2020
Messages
1,040
Reaction score
403
Fiach turned slowly to face Aska. She shook her head at the suggestion they would never see Boola again. “Not soon, I suspect, but never? That seems unlikely. You’ll meet up when you least expect it. Maybe, just maybe, you go on the front foot on this one. Visit her – and maintain the element of surprise?”

Aware of how the statement sounded, she quickly added. “Not to kill her, of course. But to ensure she doesn’t come looking for you? Or maybe find some leverage that keeps her at bay?”

The Jedi sighed and her shoulders slumped momentarily. "It’s been a long day, week, month…whatever. So, you’re right. Not on the life of crime part, but the high-taling it out of here bit. But then,” she smiled, “you knew that.”

Thankfully the bribes to keep people away from the freighter now worked in their favour, as the route to Fiach’s ship was free from any interference and very quickly they were able to put the planet behind them. Memories, on the other hand, would linger a while longer.

@Tulos
 
Top