A New Song (Open to tagged. Please PM me if you want to join)

[Jade the Protector]

((Open To: At least one Jedi, @Caligula @Talon maara (if you are interested) and anyone else, as long as you pm me.))

Location: Trandosian homeworld

Time: Late Morning

Time Frame between Threads: One year after "A Normal Life, as it seems




Work was hard........
But she didn't expect any better or worse.
She was a slave after all, just an object of her master.

The girl used a last bit of strength to push a box of mechanical parts onto a shelf, giving a nod when it stayed where it was. It was a box of droid parts that had been sent to her master, a very heavy box of droid parts. Panting a bit, the girl went to the living room, looking at the dust and mess that had been left for a while. Sighing with frustration at her master's friends, she took a broom, dustpan, a small bucket of water, some cleaning cloths, and a duster from the supply closet. She then proceeded to start cleaning the room. Master's friends tended to be very messy, especially when they decided to drink.

A few hours later, she nodded with satisfaction at the now sparkling clean room. The small, wood table shone in the sun that shone boldly through a front, open window. The chairs and couches where back to their plushy glory, and everything else had been cleaned and dusted to perfection.

She had done well. A fit of coughing tore through her, dust often irritated her throat and lungs.

When she had relaxed her lungs and throat, she went to find other duties to do, not stopping till late afternoon. She then met with Peirce to have a small lunch. She never ate a lot, she couldn't, every time she did, she got sick.

 

[Caligula]

Another day, another business transaction. Kaza had returned home for two reasons. One, he wanted to visit his base of operations and check up on everything that was happening while he was gone. And two, he had business to conduct. They had landed on Trandosha 3 days ago and Kaza had kept himself busy. He first began with the inspection of his assets and his stock. His small army had done very well, considering his absence for the past 6 months. He always liked to check up on them at least twice a year. They had kept the trade going and the stock was good and strong. They had workers, dancers, personal assistants, translators, and gladiators all organized and sorted into well kept environments. His numbers were looking good and his cost/profit ratio was great. Business was good as usual.

On to business; he was supposed to negotiate with a fellow slaver for a sort of 'merger' between their two groups. Kaza was going to try and convince the slaver to join forces and share their resources. Now, the slaver was notoriously stubborn and Kaza knew he'd have to lay on some skill if he wanted the transaction to go through. He would need to be, primal. Trandoshan politics wasn't the same as the rest of the galaxy. They didn't settle arguments or business by talking. They settled their problems through bare knuckle combat. No weapons, no tricks, just your fists and your wit. Kaza was a large Trandoshan, but he lacked the weight to beat the opponent on that front. He'd need to rely on his speed and quick strikes to take down the slaver.

Before the fight, Kaza had invited the slaver and some friends over to his home for a special pre-battle ceremony that every Trandoshan took part in before a fight. It was a time of relaxation before the thrill of combat. They ate, they drank, they enjoyed themselves. They made a mess but Kaza knew that his slaves would take care of it. He had acquired a second slave a year ago and she had been useful. She was weak but she got the jobs done and helped Pierce where she could. It was a useful relationship. But he caught himself finding himself wondering if she had been worth all the trouble it had been to get her. He shook off the thought and went to sleep, the mess in the common area still there.

The next morning, as Kaza slept in, Pierce went about his duties. He gave the girl, whom he had come to call Friend since she had yet to decide on a name for herself, her morning chores and went about his business. The two of them worked hard until the afternoon, when they came together for lunch. Kaza was still asleep so Pierce carefully woke him up and went to prepare lunch. He saw the girl in the kitchen, as though she had just arrived and he smiled. "Hello there." He moved over to the stove top to prepare the afternoon meal. "How's your day so far? Hard work?"

Kaza sat up in his bed and rubbed his eyes, working through his hangover as he tried to focus. He had an important fight today and he needed to be ready. He got up and went to dress himself.

 

[Jade the Protector]

"Very, but not hard to do." The girl said. "I just hope the mess isn't as big tonight as it was today." She said honestly. Coughing, she eyed the water supply, wanting a drink, but wouldn't unless she was given permission. "Master Kaza awake yet?" She asked. "I.... am not sure what else to do."

 

[Talon maara]

Kip roamed the crowds as they gathered around the gladitorial pits. Kip was on a mission, he intended to gain access through some of the underground trade routes to various systems so that he could conduct jedi business without being bothered. Even against the jedi orders command, he found himself once again dosobeying their call.

The crowd was an ugly sort and a shady bunch at that. All he. Needed was to find a special prospect, one willing to give him access....for a price that is. Kip cloth was that not of a jedi, but more black cloaked with the internals of said robe lite up with an artificial UV, that gave the sentient plant, or rather Neti his nutrition he needed to survive without actual sunlight. His dual, extended double blade lightsaber were connected at the hilt creating himself to the naked eye as a special cane or walking staff to help the old mans movement.

Falling shortly behind the undercover jedi was his good old friend, a Selonian name Sal Falüd. Sal was a tattered and worn man, one with no knowledge of combat could see he was a very well and over seasoned veteran of said task. But despite his appearance he tended to lean on the more lighter side of things.

Sal was a mercenary for hire, former bounty hunter and smuggler. He always carried with him an array of weaponry on his person at all times just incase his past came back to haunt him. The selonian tended to be the Jedi's taxi in time of need, seeing as Kip had saved his life during a battle when Sal was just a pup.

Wondering through the crowd they pressed through the bodies, attempting to not catch to much attention upon themselves.

 

[Caligula]

Pierce smiled at his friend. "When Master wins his duel today, he's going to want to celebrate. I wouldn't be surprised if it's worse than last night. But it's nothing we haven't cleaned up before, eh Friend?" He said, poking a little fun at their past endeavors. They had been through quite a bit over the past year, traveling the galaxy, serving the Master wherever he needed them. Sometimes they even helped on missions, like keeping the ship in place or preparing a prison cell for a bounty. Over time, his friend had proven herself to be useful, which was the only reason she was still around. Pierce had often heard Kaza talking about how he sometimes regretted buying her all that time ago, but she was a dedicated and hard worker, which was a difficult pair of traits to come across. Especially considering she was a slave.

Kaza trudged into the room, dressed in his casual attire, with a splitting headache and a hand on his head. "Pierce," He croaked out, trying not to make any noise. "Detox. Now." Pierce nodded and went to work without a word. Both slaves knew what the word meant; Master was hung over and he wanted silence. Pierce went to the kitchen with a sense of haste and began to prepare a special drink. It was a recipe of Pierce's own design and it was meant to remove a hangover and clear the drinker's head. Pierce had made the drink dozens of times and knew exactly what he needed and where it was. He moved quietly, barely even making a sound when he sliced the fruit. After 3 minutes of work, Pierce came out and handed Kaza the glass. The lizard quickly downed the contents and winced as if he were in pain. "Bitter, sour, and tangy all in one drink." He coughed. "I'll never know how you do it Pierce, but I'm glad you do." He blinked a few times as he finally woke up, his mind clear. He looked around the clean room and looked towards the girl. "Good work girl."

Then he called out to Pierce, who had returned to the kitchen to prepare lunch. "What work do you have left to do Pierce? That's between the both of you." Pierce was preparing a hearty meal of Nerf meat and Bantha Milk Cheese as he recounted the day. "We've taken care of nearly everything on your list. All that's left is to clean the droids. Then I was hoping I could go maintain my garden, if you'll allow it sir." Kaza nodded. "Clean the droids and you can care for your silly garden." He motioned towards the girl. "Bring her with you." He remained seated as Pierce continued to prepare lunch.

 

[Jade the Protector]

She nodded in agreement at Pierce's statement, giving him a small smile as he mentioned past jobs. The girl tensed as their master walked in, she could smell the alcohol on his breath. Though he never beat her, it still made her nervous when her masters were drunk. When he mentioned the detox, she shrank behind the kitchen counter, this wasn't something she could help with. She quiet her breathing, knowing it might grate Master Kaza's nerves. After he drank the liquid, she slowly came out of her hiding spot.
"Thank you, Master." She bowed when he complimented her work in the living room.

She stayed silent as Peirce and Kaza spoke. She went to a counter and started to cut more bread and fruit. she noticed something in the bread basket, looking closer, she gasped. it was some sort of slug. Shuddering, she lifted it out of the basket and prepared to place it in a tank her master had for future pets.
The creature bit her with its hard pincers, making her yelp and drop it into the tank. "Master...." She swayed on her feet as something tore through her bloodstream. Her body felt like it was on fire. "Someone..... planted......slug......" She gripped the counter, fighting to stay awake. "It...wasn't...there.....this....morning......I....swear....."

(OOC: I'm an evil author)

 

[Caligula]

Kaza didn't really move from his seat as much as he shifted his weight to see the girl better. Pierce rushed to her side in a sense of panic. "Slug? What kind of slug? Can you describe it?" He held onto his friend as Kaza read the situation and slowly rose from his place to retrieve a medkit. Pierce kept asking the girl if she remembered any details, where did the slug go, where was it, stuff like that. He was scared for his friend. She had been bitten by something that had some nasty poison too it and they didn't know anything about it.

Kaza returned with a series of vials containing anti-venom. He had encountered many frightening creatures on his journeys and he always had a vial or two of anti-venom lying around for emergencies just like this. The tricky part was determining which slug had bit her. If they gave her the wrong anti-venom, she would die. Kaza helped the girl to lie down on the ground. "Shh, calm down. The more you panic the faster the venom spreads through your body and the less time we have to save you."

 

[Jade the Protector]

The girl laid as still as possible, gasping for breath. Shuddering, she weakly pointed to the tank, where the creature had landed. She gripped Pierce's arm as she fought to stay awake.

 

[Caligula]

Kaza got up and walked over to the tank, inspecting the slug that was still crawling around inside. "I see. Lucky for you, we've got an anti-venom for this kind of creature. It's a rare little worm, but commonly used for assassination attempts because of their potent venom." He returned to the girl and knelt down next to her. He took the vial of anti-venom and put it into a syringe. Then he stuck the girl in the arm and released the serum. It went to work quickly, cleansing the girl of the pain the venom had caused. Kaza stood up and looked at the bread box that the slug had emerged from. "Now we have a small problem to take care of." He turned to his two slaves who were now cowering on the floor. "Who put a venomous slug in my bread box?" He looked between the two humans with a very dissatisfied look. "This is a job for you two. Find out where the slug came from and how it got so close to my home, and get it done now. I have a duel to prepare for."

 

[Jade the Protector]

The girl pulled herself up, bowing in thanks to her master.
"Who put a venomous slug in my bread box?"
"I am unsure, Master." She looked at the bread box, trying to figure out who got into the house and at what time.
"This is a job for you two. Find out where the slug came from and how it got so close to my home, and get it done now. I have a duel to prepare for."

She gave a nod as he walked out to prepare. Once he was gone, she pulled herself up. Looking a Pierce, she walked back to the breadbox. Carefully pulling some bread apart, she jumped back. There were eggs and little slugs all over the bread.
"The bread is spoiled, Pierce. I keep thinking one of Master's so called friends slipped the slug in."

 

[Caligula]

Pierce nodded. "We have to consider it as a possibility. That's the only thing that's coming to my mind as well." He inspected the spoiled bread before taking a cooking torch and igniting the worms and the bread. The little monsters went up in flames and died quickly, making sure that no other slugs would grow in the house. "Now, we need to know who was here last night. If we can get a list of suspects, we'll get closer to discovering the identity of the potential assassin." He walked over to his data pad and began to scroll through a list of people who he was told to invite. He had also made sure to check off anyone who had arrived at the party. "Alright, I've got the list. Now to narrow down the suspects."

Back in Kaza's room, he went through a small cleansing ceremony where he purged himself of any physical impurities and cleared his mind of any unhelpful thoughts. He had a duel in 1 hour. The arena was 30 minutes away. He exhaled as he continued his little purge. "I will be victorious. I must be victorious." He continued to repeat the words to himself as the time ticked away.

 

[Jade the Protector]

"I don't know the people that came, but some felt abit... off." The girl took a breath, "One, Master's rival, I believe. kept looking like her was acting, not really having what they call fun. He never got completely drunk. He even went into the kitchen and asked for some bread." She shuddered. "He was scaring me."

 

[Talon maara]

Smiling Kip greeted the fellow onlookers as they began to take their seats. Front row, thats where kip would sit, with Sal sitting a few rows behind him for....security reasons of course.

Kip remained standing as he overlooked the crowd. All the low life morsels eating drinking and have a rather good ol' time. A time only achieved with food, such toxic beverages that one would think he was drinking bantha urine and well...female and male slaves alike.

As the portable sales bots rolled through the Selonian ordered his taste in sustenance only to "fit in" of course. Otherwise he would be considered well? An alcoholic.

The crowds rowdy roars could be heard from even within the busiest of streets. The ground rumbled with the steps and cheers of every passerby.

Kips eyes roamed the floor as beings walked a crossed the main floor. Shaking hands of the onlookers as they worshipped their person. These people could be the possible aid he is looking for.

Rising to his feet he worked his way down to the main floor...the battle ground one would say with all the high end rollers. Being stopped short of the entrance by a much larger guard, who seemed firm of deflecting kips presence.

"to be truthful"

Kip mentioned allowed.

"Im here seeking aid."

With a slight hand gesture kip kept on speaking.

"Step aside and let me enter, i am of no threate to you or these people."

In a minor trance the guard stepped aside repeating what the jedi had said only in confirmation of his words.

Slowly kip approached the small crowd, switching his demeanor over to a more stuck up attitude like the rest.....

 

[Caligula]

Pierce nodded, taking the time to fully process this information. A false accusation could result in a hefty penalty and possible death for the both of them. "It does sound like the culprit, but we can't jump to any conclusions before-" "It's him." Kaza said as he reentered the room, dressed in a pair of ceremonial slacks and nothing else. The pants were loose but not enough to cause drag or be grabbed. His opponent would be wearing the same thing. "The madle would try and kill me before the duel even starts. Your information only confirms it, girl." Kaza was now a little angry. "I'll go meet him in battle, and take everything from him."

After Pierce and the girl got ready to be shown in public, cleaned up with nicer clothes, they all got in the ship and headed for the arena. Kaza was biding his time, storing up his anger. He would need it for the fight. His opponent was larger than him, weight wise not height wise. Kaza had an advantage in speed but not in weight class. One wrong move and the match would be over. But if Kaza hit him fast and hard in the right places, then he might have a chance at beating him.

They arrived at the arena and Kaza could already feel the energy of the crowd. Their cheers echoed through the ship before they even landed. Apparently everyone was interested in the outcome of this duel. It was an important business transaction after all. Kaza exited the ship with his slaves very close to him, as anyone could scoop them up and take them away if he wasn't careful. He had put special collars on them for the occasion; special tracking collars. If they got too far from his current position, he could track them down or have them terminated. He didn't want to kill his property, but he didn't want someone else to have what was rightfully his. He disappeared into a sort of waiting area before the duel began. His rival was there too. They didn't exchange words, only looks. The rival didn't seem surprised that Kaza was still alive, only disappointed.

When Kip entered the area, Kaza and his rival reacted accordingly. "What is the meaning of this?" Kaza hissed. His rival was the same. "We are not to be disturbed before our duel! Leave, now!" He barked as both contenders focused on Kip. Pierce and the girl were sitting in the corner with the other slaves watching everything unfold.

 

[Jade the Protector]

The girl shrank back behind Peirce as the drama unfolded. There was something about the stranger (Kip), something that was different about him.
"What is going on?" She whispered softly. she turned to see her master grappling with his opponent. She was scared out of her mind, what would happen if he lost?

A coughing fit tore through her throat, a big one. She fell to her knees as she choked on the smokey air.

 

[Talon maara]

"Just placing a wager, is all"

Kip offered with his hands held above his waist to ensure to tricks were being played. Kips mind was set on one of the two, preferably the underdog Kaza.

"Im here to offer 10,000 credits, on Mr. kazas winning."

Kip pulled out a small satchel and held it in front of him. Kip knew what he was getting into flashing so much around, but that was a risk he was going to have to take if he needed to find the right....opportunity and passage.

In the back of kips mind he hoped it would help aid him upon getting closer to Kaza....IF he survived the battle at hand. Rising to his feet sal overwatched the scene unfold, his hand slowly reaching for his blasters just incase of a brawl or an attempt on kips life.

 

[Caligula]

Kaza and his rival growled at Kip. "Betting takes place at the tent near the entrance. Not below the ring." An assistant helped Kip out of the room and back towards the wager tent while Kaza and his rival conducted business. "Okay, let get everything straight. If I win," Kaza pointed a finger at himself. "We merge our two companies and you come work for me while still maintaining control of your cell. But if you win," He pointed to his rival. "I join you, and serve under your control." His rival nodded and beat his chest with his arm. "That is correct. But I'd like to add a small wager within the agreement." Kaza would've raised an eyebrow if he had any. "What did you have in mind?" The rival shrugged with a dissatisfied look. "What do you say to this? If you win, you get a weapon from my personal armory. But if I win," He pointed to Pierce and the girl. "I get one of your personal slaves."

Kaza was taken back by the wager. "Why would I accept that? A weapon or a slave is hardly a fair trade. Pierce alone is worth a battle cruiser to me!" His rival shrugged again. "Then how about just the girl?" Kaza paused, considering the offer. Then he looked back at the girl, weighing his options. Then he turned to his rival. "I'll wager her, but not for a weapon. You'll need to get me something special." The rival looked confused. "What'd you have in mind?" Kaza waved his hand dismissively. "I'll tell you after I've won. What do you say?" The rival pondered this for a moment before nodding. Then the two shook hands and rose from their kneeling positions. The rival looked back at a nearby attendant. "Inform the announcer and the betting booths that the duel will begin shortly." The attendant nodded and ran off.

 

[Jade the Protector]

Gasping, the girl stood up, clinging to Pierce. Shaking, she attempted to look around, but what she saw frightened her. While she had seen these sights before, they still scared her all the same. In a place like this, anyone could take her and not care who her master was. "Pierce." She said in her harsh whisper.