Ask Break the Prideful

Maxims Tionson

Character
Jedi Order
Rank
Jedi Council

Character Profile
Link
OOC
Nefieslab
Joined
Jan 5, 2020
Messages
839
Reaction score
380

3d27b1ee8300911d545740f4f3666adc.jpg

Zygerrians were a prideful lot by default as far as Max had observed but when they had some skills to actually be proud of then they were even worse, practically insufferable with how much they enjoyed rubbing their supposed superiority in the faces of their enemies and their allies alike. Thankfully for Max and Nykoria this was actually something that would help them in locating the specific Zygerrian they were after since he couldn't help but brag to everyone in the sector who he was and why he was supposed to be feared and respected.

Tabouil the Zygerrian bounty hunter was resting after 'another successful hunt' on Tatooine with a group of Trandoshans who had agreed to hunt alongside the respected hunter. Seemed to Max like they were waiting for him to slip up honestly and he would be happy to provide them with a slip up to observe. Word on the street was that the hunter they were after was enjoying himself in a cantina.

Having landed his ship in one of the bays, Max made sure he had all of his equipment as he waited for Nykoria to arrive as well. He had made sure to grab a concussion grenade as well just in case things needed to get a little bit heavier but he was kind of hopeful that things would go well.

Call it naivety or optimism.


@Catbert
 

Nykoria Tallis

Character
Jedi Order
Rank
Jedi Master

Character Profile
Link
OOC
Catbert
Joined
Apr 26, 2020
Messages
467
Reaction score
436
Tatooine... Of all the possible places, it had to be karkin' Tatooine!

Nykoria was tense. It wasn't because of the mission, but because of the planet. Coarse, rough, and irritating sand that got everywhere. One sun too much. Zero to none modern conveniences. Oh, and aggressive Tusken Raiders. That alone would be reason enough for anyone to dislike the sandy planet. But Kori's reasons were different—some bad experiences during a previous mission. She had only found out the destination after agreeing to help out a fellow Knight. Too late to back down now, purps. That's why the Zeltron would arrive on schedule.

For this mission, she had chosen her standard lightly-armored outfit, along with a hooded Jedi cloak over it, to protect the head and neck from the scorching suns of Tatooine. The lightsabers were hidden on the back of her belt; however, she had been warned against using them. Some Trandoshan custom or whatnot. That's why Kori had borrowed an electrostaff from one of the fellow Knights, just for this mission. Now the staff was split into 2 batons, hanging off the Zeltron's belt under the cloak. A stun baton wouldn't quite cut it, as the Zeltron had learned during her previous trip to Tatooine. That's why a heavy stun pistol in the holster on the right hip completed the picture.

The cloak concealed most of Nykoria's gear, just like the hood concealed her purple face and indigo hair. Thanks to that, the Jedi looked inconspicuous, just like another settler. Sensing a presence in the Force, she would approach the source of that presence—a middle-aged man clearly waiting for someone. They had never met before, so the purple-skinned alien went for a formal introduction: "Maxims Tionson? I'm Nykoria Tallis... Though most people call me Kori. I've been told to meet you here by... a common acquaintance." Saying "the Jedi Council" outloud in the Outer Rim might've drawn attention, not all of it wanted.

The Zeltron continued in a lower voice: "I guess we're paying our Zygerrian friend a visit. How do you want to play this?"

@Nefieslab
 

Maxims Tionson

Character
Jedi Order
Rank
Jedi Council

Character Profile
Link
OOC
Nefieslab
Joined
Jan 5, 2020
Messages
839
Reaction score
380

She was a zeltron it seemed - not the most common species amongst either the Jedi or the Galaxy as a whole but not a species that he actually had any issues with. He trusted her to know better than to abuse her natural abilities in the same way every Jedi Master had to trust that their allies wouldn't abuse the Force. So he just smiled a little bit and waved.

"Nice to meet you Kori - you can call me Max."
he assured her brightly as he picked up the vibrosword he had brought along with him for the confrontation, "Our common acquaintance does love trying to pair me up with beautiful young women. I'd swear they were trying to set me up if I wasn't completely convinced that they have no sense of humour for that."

Chuckling brightly, he strapped his vibroblade to when his saberstaff would usually be. Right now it was hidden in a special holster along his spine so as to not stand out. After all, a long staff was harder to hide than a traditional single-bladed lightsaber. As they made their way towards the cantina, he frowned a little bit.

How were they could to play this?

"I want to say we should have a discussion but that's not how these people work unfortunately."
he frowned a little deeper, "I say we insult his honour openly in front of the Trandoshans. Say his score is invalid because he is a coward who deliberately only hunts prey that's too weak to give a good fight."

He grinned.

"That'll get the Trandoshans so riled up he'll have to fight us or risk looking weak. If he doesn't fight us? We win. If he fights us and loses? We win."



@Catbert
 

Nykoria Tallis

Character
Jedi Order
Rank
Jedi Master

Character Profile
Link
OOC
Catbert
Joined
Apr 26, 2020
Messages
467
Reaction score
436
Nykoria chuckled to the compliment and offered Max a faint smile. Being a Zeltron, she was used to drawing a lot of attention... At least prior to joining the Jedi Order; she became a bit more reclusive afterwards. Still, Kori's ability to handle herself in such situations wasn't squandered entirely on the jungle of Ajan Kloss. The Zeltron came up with a comeback she considered rather witty. She delivered it with the seriousness and peace only a Jedi could muster: "One way or the other, I'm sure they only have the best of intentions in mind."

Then Max explained the plan. It made sense, and the pre-Jedi-Order Kori would've already been looking for witty insults and running them by her colleague. Knight Nykoria Tallis, however, simply nodded in agreement: "Very good call. I'm usually better at defusing the situations, but I'll see if I can spice it up."

The walk to the cantina wasn't long. Contrary to her expectations, Nykoria didn't even break a sweat. Finding the mark inside was pretty easy too: right from the entrance, the Jedi with their keen senses could hear the bragging of a Zygerrian hunter, surrounded by a few hissing Trandoshans. Something about a vest made of Krayt dragon hide. That could be useful. "I got it," Kori winked to Max, before dropping her hood to reveal a mischievous smirk. She was clearly enjoying the scene she had planned.

"Excuse me, I couldn't help but hear your discussion. Is that really a rancor vest?" Surprised, the Zygerrian turned his feline face towards the sudden interruption. Smile mostly flushed from his face by a rookie hunter's question. But as he looked at the Zeltron's face, the tips of the Zygerrian's lips moved up again. Clearly, he was about to give Kori a friendly lecture and bolster his own self-esteem. Curse you, pheromones and good looks! The surrounding Trandoshans didn't seem impressed either; a rancor was worth less than a Krayt dragon, but still a worthy prey.

Nykoria had to raise the stakes. Before the Zygerrian could even reply, Kori raised her hands and offered a smile of apology: "Sorry, my bad! How could I be so dense? Of course it's a bantha." Her smile turned into a triumphant grin, as if she had solved a mystery of the century. One of the Trandoshans showed his tongue with a hiss, clearly smirking too. Kori realized she was on the right track.

She sniffed the air twice and nudged the nearest Trandoshan with her elbow: "And a domestic bantha at that. You can clearly tell by the slight scent of poodoo from the vest!" That remark made the Trandoshan burst out laughing, but also painted the Zygerrian's face almost to the same color as Kori's. "This is Krayt dragon hide, you imbecile!" the feline hunter growled in response, his voice dripping with anger. "If you can't tell one from the other, you'd better scurry off."

It looked like Kori had hit a nerve. But the Zygerrian wasn't going to lose ground so easily. That's why the Zeltron went for the last-ditch argument. Conceding defeat, she returned to her semi-apologetic tone: "Oh, it's my bad then, I suppose. Though it does leave the question..." She looked around the Trandoshans and smirked mysteriously. "If it isn't your vest that smells like poodoo here, then what does?" A dramatic pause for the Trandoshans to put two and two together...

It worked like a charm! Now a few more lizard-men were laughing along with Kori. The Zygerrian hunter looked like he was about to explode. If he had been a Sith, he would've had enough anger to conjure a Death Star laser beam now... Or perhaps just take the pesky Zeltron's scalp right then and there, without any warning.

@Nefieslab
 

Maxims Tionson

Character
Jedi Order
Rank
Jedi Council

Character Profile
Link
OOC
Nefieslab
Joined
Jan 5, 2020
Messages
839
Reaction score
380

Ha.

Something of a running joke in his life that the Jedi Council had the best of intentions. Sometimes they did but most of the time, in his experience, they couldn't see the forest from the trees. They focused on the big stuff and sometimes the little stuff got pushed to one side.

He was glad that Kori was supportive of his plan considering it was the best one he could come up with within the last five minutes. Prior planning would have been nice but he didn't want to over-think it because Trandoshans, as a people, were very direct.

Following her he smiled a little bit as he entered the cantina. In his experience just smiling politely at people who had a problem with him really got them annoyed. He just stood behind Kori as she went to town on the bounty hunter.

It was... a thing of beauty, truly.

Sitting down atop one of the tables, he looked over the vest. It seemed prudent to keep up the attack on a known weakness.

"The stitching on that vest is real nice though."
he announced with an impressed whistle, "Really high grade work that! You make that yourself?"

Before the cat-man could answer he shook his head.

"Wait no, that's corellian stitching machine work. My mistake."


Cheap and proved he couldn't work with the materials of his own kill... if it even was his own kill. He smiled that same, placid, polite smile as he locked eyes with the Zygerrian.

"Doesn't even look like it suffered damage in a fight, leather's so fine. You sure it didn't just die of sickness?"



@Catbert
 

Nykoria Tallis

Character
Jedi Order
Rank
Jedi Master

Character Profile
Link
OOC
Catbert
Joined
Apr 26, 2020
Messages
467
Reaction score
436
The Zygerrian would have jumped at Kori already, it it weren't for Max's intervention. Lost for words, the hunter's gaze traveled between the Zeltron and the Human. "Outside the main gate. In 20 minutes!" he snarled at the two Jedi, haunted by the coarse chuckles of his Trandoshan posse. He had to save face, and there were no other options other than a challenge.

"They'll have to stitch you up after I'm done with you, old man" the Zygerrian scoffed at Max, using the Jedi's own words in his retorts. "Unless you die of age before you get there. As for you..." the angry hunter turned the attention to the Zeltron: "I thought I'd sell you off to some Hutt if you dare to show up... But since you like poodoo so much, you'll spend the rest of your life at the bantha farm!" With that, the Zygerrian pushed the obnoxious arrivals aside, and came racing out of the cantina. The Trandoshans soon followed, giving the two Jedi an evaluating glance before leaving.

"Well," Nykoria shrugged and turned to Max, now that their mark had left. "That was... easy enough. Now we just need to beat him, I guess. Which of us should do the honors? I mean, a two on one wouldn't be as impressive and prove a point." A defeat by the hand of a feisty female Zeltron might prove more humiliating; but losing to a middle-aged one-eyed man would probably be just as embarrassing.

@Nefieslab
 

Maxims Tionson

Character
Jedi Order
Rank
Jedi Council

Character Profile
Link
OOC
Nefieslab
Joined
Jan 5, 2020
Messages
839
Reaction score
380

Honestly, Max was surprised to be called old by the man who was going to try and kill him to prove he was apparently so very awesome at combat. Seriously, who drew attention to a so-called weakness when trying to look strong? The teacher in Max wanted to lecture the young man about properly thinking through sentences before speaking but the pragmatist knew that it would be a waste of his time, that the bounty hunter had wax in his ears for anything he didn't want to hear.

Disappointing in some ways, good in others and entirely expected in either case.

He rolled his eyes and smiled a Kori in amusement at their target's antics. They had done well to rile him up, though even Max would agree that Kori had done more on that front than he had. Humming in thought, he walked in the general direction of the main gate, content to make sure they were only slightly early.

"You make a good point." he agreed, "Both of us have a good case as to the best option so..."

Smirking, he held out a closed fist.

"Crystal, saber, blaster for the one who gets to take him?"


Rock, paper, scissors for the banter

@Catbert
 

Nykoria Tallis

Character
Jedi Order
Rank
Jedi Master

Character Profile
Link
OOC
Catbert
Joined
Apr 26, 2020
Messages
467
Reaction score
436
In all this excitement, Nykoria didn't even realize that the Zygerrian had undermined his own position by insulting Max the way he did. Then again, the Zeltron didn't really take into account the Trandoshan system of Jagannath points; all she knew was that the feline hunter was really angry. If he was off balance that much, then the Jedi could try and use it to their advantage.

Kori returned the smile and followed her more experienced colleague towards the gate. When Max offered her a game to determine who'd take the Zygerrian, Kori chuckled softly. A rather unorthodox way to determine things, especially for a Jedi. "Sure, I'm down for it," the Zeltron extended her own closed fist in return.

"One." A simple kids' game revolved mostly around luck. Yet a Jedi knew that there was no such thing as luck. There was only the Force. The the Jedi, this game was something different... "Two..." It could be seen as the embodiment of the will of the Force. However, it could also demonstrate one's higher skill in precognition. "Three!"

With that, Kori's fist remained closed, symbolizing a crystal. However, Max had either anticipated that move, or it was the will of the Force that he'd take on the Zygerrian. His blaster annihilated Kori's crystal. "Well," the Zeltron shrugged sighed with some faint disappointment. "I guess it's fair. I set them up, you knock them out. Teamwork, huh?"

Their mark was waiting from them outside the gates, off the main road, surrounded by his Trandoshan posse. The hunter had clearly prepared for battle. The "bantha" jacket was still on, but this time weapons were hanging all over the Zygerrian. A characteristic blaster rifle on the shoulder, a vibroblade in the sheath on the back, and a hilt akin to a lightsaber on the belt.

The Jedi were at a respectable distance still, so Kori slipped in some last advice: "I've got your back. Though I can take him, if you prefer."

 

Maxims Tionson

Character
Jedi Order
Rank
Jedi Council

Character Profile
Link
OOC
Nefieslab
Joined
Jan 5, 2020
Messages
839
Reaction score
380

Games of chance that had no monetary incentive were things that Max rather enjoyed. If anyone got to know him for a longer period of time than a few hours they would know that he was very interested in playing card games with people. Thankfully he never bet anything other than food when he was playing so it never got too bad. He knew it was frowned upon by the Order but no one had seen it to be such a glaring fault as to actually take issue with it.

Seeing that he had won the little contest he grinned and fist-bumped her "crystal" before she could pull her hand away, letting her know that he was amused by it more than anything.

"Can't have you hogging all the fun."
he teased her with a smirk, "If you'd taken him down AND riled him up I wouldn't have needed to even be on this mission!"

He smiled a little bit, still smiling politely at the Zygerrian.

"Nah I've got this - keep the Trandoshans off our backs."
he asked her quietly, "Their honor system doesn't forbid outside interference even if it is discouraged."

The Zygerrian sniffed at him.

"Ready to die old man?"


Max rolled his neck a little bit.

"Ready to make it interesting little kitten?"
he ribbed with a grin, "I wager I can take you down unarmed. You care to make that wager?"

The Trandoshans around the bounty hunter perked up at that and the bounty hunter looked a little nervous. Max might have been middle aged but he didn't have the traditional "dad bod" so much as he had the "my dad can beat your dad" body. In the end though he agreed, discarding his weapons as Max made a show of doing the same.

"Don't worry whiskers... I'll be gentle."


With a snarl the Zygerrian launched himself forward and Max met his charge with a laugh and a charge of his own, sending the two of them tumbling, grappling, to the sand.



@Catbert
 

Nykoria Tallis

Character
Jedi Order
Rank
Jedi Master

Character Profile
Link
OOC
Catbert
Joined
Apr 26, 2020
Messages
467
Reaction score
436
The Zeltron chuckled at Max's fist-bump, retooling a popular expression: "Well, go get that tiger." The older Jedi was right—why should Kori get all the fun? Especially since Max got a chance to taunt the Zygerrian a little bit himself. He even convinced the mark to make it a fist-fight. Not Kori's first choice, but perhaps she would've been able to do it as well. I really could use that sort of practice too. On second thought, they looked like children rolling in the sand now.

Mindful of the warning made by Max, the Zeltron circled the fighting men to stand between them and the Trandoshans. She made it look like she was observing the fight, but also was making sure the lizard-men wouldn't interfere. So far, Kori couldn't tell whether the Jedi or the Zygerrian had an upper hand.

But as it turned out, the outcome of the fight didn't matter as much as the Jedi thought. Out of the corner of her eye, Kori noticed the lizard-men forming a semi-circle around the fighters and herself. Sensing their intent a moment before they could act, the Zeltron summoned both blades from behind her belt and ignited the azure blades... Moments before the Trandoshans had drawn their own rifles and fired multiple stun bolts at the Zeltron.

"Max, it's a trap!" the Zeltron yelled desperately. Her black cloak fluttered in motion, as both her blue blades weaved an elaborate pattern around her: dissipating the incoming stun bolts, and forcing more Trandoshans to open fire. As the lizard men were circling around her, Kori realized she wouldn't be able to keep it up for much longer...

It all happened quickly. A single stun bolt passed through her defense, hitting the cloak and the padded armorweave beneath it. Slowed down, but not defeated, Nykoria continued with her defense, but the damage was done. Another bolt made her even slower, and then she suddenly felt a cord around her neck. "AAAARGHHHH!" the Zeltron's shriek spread across the desert, as immense mind-numbing pain made Kori let go of her sabers and drop on her knees, with a couple more stun bolts hitting her.

Nykoria could barely see how the Trandoshans surrounded her: tearing off her cloak, grabbing her by the arms, taking away her electrostaff and the stun pistol... And worst of all, picking the lightsaber hilts from the ground. "No," she exhaled a whisper as she saw her sabers taken away; yet her tone was one of relief. From the pain... And from needing to keep her eyes open. Her last thought resonated with the insults she had cast at the Zygerrian half-an-hour before: So that's what an electro-whip feels like. You're in some deep poodoo now, girl.

 
Last edited:

Maxims Tionson

Character
Jedi Order
Rank
Jedi Council

Character Profile
Link
OOC
Nefieslab
Joined
Jan 5, 2020
Messages
839
Reaction score
380

Of course it was a bloody trap - why had they expected someone like these people to actually act with something close to honor? He snarled as he kicked the Zygerrian right in the junk, knocking the wind right out of his sails before pushing him heavily off of himself. Advancing on the Trandoshans, he scattered them away from Kori with a Force Pull, flinging them over his shoulder towards the recovering Zygerrian.

Pulling his saberstaff from where it had been hidden against his back, he stood protectively over Kori, igniting both of the blades and hissing as he saw that none of them were surprised. He held his blade evenly in his hands as he stared them down.

"Did you think we wouldn't do research on you?"
The Zygerrian jeered as he recovered his blasters and other weapons, "When an old man and a pink slut decide to walk up to a bounty hunter and start a fight... you check and look what we found!"

He held out a datapad, showing a picture of Max using his saber in the Trandoshan slaver camp on Kashyyyk that he had destroyed with the help of Indy.

"You're a Jedi so it made sense she was too - no other reason a hot young thing like that would stick around with you old man."


Thinking quickly, Max took a deep breath and did his best to stall. If he could give Kori more time she could try and recover from the blasts using the Force and at least be some assistance.

"Well I guess you think you got it all figured out huh? Well-"


"Yeah, I do. Fire!"


Mid sentence they opened fire, forcing the Jedi Knight to immediately take half a step back as he spun his saberstaff frantically to block the incoming attacks. One of the stun bolts hit his right leg but he ignored it, feeling the limb go numb but resolving not to move from this spot anyway.

Kori needed to be protected.


@Catbert

 

Fiach Dubh

Character
Jedi Order
Rank
Jedi Knight

Character Profile
Link
OOC
Corbeau
Joined
Jan 8, 2020
Messages
1,040
Reaction score
403
They say one dusty, arid planet is much like another.

Except they don’t say this if you’re raised on one. Despite being brought up – or maybe because of it – Fiach could differentiate between one desert planet and another. So, despite their similarities, they were distinct. And Tatooine had a richer history than her ‘home’ planet.

Her role here was unclear. She’d been asked to join up with a couple of Knights on a mission. She was used to being drafted in at the last minute. More often than not, when the challenging work was done. A fresh pair of legs and eyes typically. Just along to tidy up any loose ends.

She landed her ship near to the others and headed straight out to rendezvous point she’d been given. She travelled light and pulled up the hood of her cloak to protect her head from the heat. She dressed in traditional Jedi garb, in shades of beige and brown that blended in well on this dusty planet. Her saber was, as ever, well hidden but accessible if she needed it. Within minutes she looked native – the sand and dust coating her boots – as she slipped into a gait that suited such a hot climate, her years on Klatooine paying dividends. Maybe that was why she was chosen to go?

She only knew the basics of the mission and was expecting to be briefed when she met up with the Jedi Knights. The cantina she’d been told to travel to was a short walk away, and she made the journey quickly enough.

Except, when she arrived, they were nowhere to be seen. She grabbed a booth and ordered a water and waited. Closing her eyes as if in thought, she connected with the Force and listened for any conversations that might indicate why the Jedi Knights weren’t there.

After a few minutes, she half-heard a muffled conversation that sounded promising and focused as best she could whilst sipping her water. It sounded as if the Jedi headed back to the landing bay - which surprised her, as she thought she might have seen them. But she trusted her instincts and downed her glass before heading back to where she left her ship
 

Nykoria Tallis

Character
Jedi Order
Rank
Jedi Master

Character Profile
Link
OOC
Catbert
Joined
Apr 26, 2020
Messages
467
Reaction score
436
Nykoria needed a breather; a few moments to recover from the stun bolts and the electro-whip. Even then, she'd be far from her tip-top condition. With the Trandoshans holding her by the arms, an escape attempt would've been impossible just yet. However, Max took care of it in a spectacular fashion. The Trandoshans had to let go of the Zeltron—they were too busy flying towards their Zygerrian friend. With nobody to support her, the "hot young thing" lumped down.

Landing the face into the sand was akin to a pat on the cheek—something the Zeltron needed there and then. She opened her eyes, vision still slightly blurry. She saw Max, towering between her and the treacherous Trandoshans, lightsaber humming at the ready. My sabers... Kori got up on her fours, hands sinking in sand; then she got up one one knee and looked around, just when the Zygerrian was about done talking to Max. Alas, the Trandoshans held on to most of Kori's weapons... except for a half of her split-saber that one of the Trandoshans had left out of his grasp after being tossed into the air.

"Come here, sweetie," the Zeltron forced herself to say as she reached for the hilt, just to keep the mind focused on staying conscious. One saber wasn't all her weapons, but it was a start. She'd need to recover her second blade and the pistol at least. When the Trandoshans opened fire again, Kori realized that she was in no shape or form to deflect enemy fire. She did ignite the azure blade just in case, but remained behind Max's back, confident in his ability to protect them... for now.

This is exactly why I hate Tatooine. All that Kori could hope for was that either Max would prove triumphant, or that the sounds of the shootout would attract anyone who could help. An unlikely possibility. Even though hoping for some sort of Force intervention, Kori realized that she had to do most of the job. The best bet would be to try and channel the Force through her body, to recover from the previous fiasco and regain at least some combat capability. Hopefully, Max would be able to keep his guard up in the meantime...

 

Maxims Tionson

Character
Jedi Order
Rank
Jedi Council

Character Profile
Link
OOC
Nefieslab
Joined
Jan 5, 2020
Messages
839
Reaction score
380

He could see that Kori was rousing herself behind him and he could feel someone else drawing close with the Force but he knew that neither of them was going to be able to aid him in time. Already he could feel it in his bones that standing guard and protecting Kori wasn't going to work forever. He could probably keep doing it for some time but it was only a matter of time before one lucky shot got through and he was overwhelmed.

It was... aggravating.

Gritting his teeth, Max continued to build the Force within himself. Every scrap of it that wasn't precisely required to protect himself and Kori he poured into his concentration until he felt it blossom within his mind's eye, ready to be used. Reaching out with his left hand, he ground his teeth together and roared with the effort.

The blasters of every Trandoshan were yanked out of their hands but rather than merely being flung away, he twisted his hand around and squeezed it into a fist. With the action the blasters opened fire on their one-time owners. Uncaring that rapid fire would cause the weapons to malfunction and explode, he pushed them beyond their limits and, one by one, they exploded into scraps.

Three of the Trandoshans were now laid out unconscious on the ground and everyone was looking at him. Shaking off the numbness in his right leg, he took a menacing step forward, scowling fiercely.

"You shouldn't have hit the woman."
he declared with a growl, "I was just going to stun you. Bring you in, humiliated but alive. Now?"

He twirled his saber.

"I'm going to cut off your limbs and bring you back a cripple."


Righteous anger or not, it was still anger but Max couldn't bring himself to care overly much in the heat of the moment. He had seen too many young charges killed while he was unable to help and he would not stand for another.



@Catbert @Corbeau
 

Nykoria Tallis

Character
Jedi Order
Rank
Jedi Master

Character Profile
Link
OOC
Catbert
Joined
Apr 26, 2020
Messages
467
Reaction score
436
It was just like all those years ago... Tatooine. A helpless Zeltron, almost subdued by enemies. A life-threatening situation. And an older Jedi to protect Nykoria from the danger. Of course, there were differences as well. For one, Max was standing close to Kori and didn't have to cover a lot of ground quickly or throw his blade. The other difference was that Max was angry. Standing behind him, there was no chance that a Zeltron, let alone a Jedi, wouldn't feel it. But even a non-Jedi would see it in Max's intimidating show of Force.

I still have much to learn... Levitating the weapons of all your opponents, turning them at the original wielders, and shooting until the guns couldn't take it. It would've been a vicious slaughter if the Trandoshans hadn't set their weapons to stun to subdue Kori earlier. "Woah, even I am a little intimidated," the Zeltron stepped from behind Max's back, now that blasters weren't a threat. She had to defuse the situation and make Max snap out of it; yet something prevented her from saying it directly. Perhaps she found it wrong to scold someone who had saved her from a life of slavery.

"Look," she addressed mostly the Zygerrian and the Trandoshans, but hoped that a short break would give Max some time to calm down a little. "Since you were so kind to only stun me, I'll return the favor. Give me back my pistol and saber, and surrender. Then we can skip that whole crippling part." Then the Zeltron cast a glance at Max, to see if he was willing to go from "cutting off limbs" at least to "maybe cutting off limbs, if those guys don't get it". It's the little steps, Nykoria.

Meanwhile, the Zygerrian and his posse were preparing for a showdown. With their ranged weapons gone—Kori would still have to go through the and find her stun pistol in all that mess after the fight was over—the hunters would have to rely on vibroblades and electro-whip (for the Zygerrian). One o the Trandoshan's ignited Nykoria's own azure lightsaber as an alternative to his vibroblade.

"You two won't leave the planet alive," the Zygerrian hissed at the two Jedi; he almost felt cornered. "More men are already on their way. Kill us, and in a few minutes even your Force won't save you." Nykoria tilted her head, whispering to Max: "I don't think he is lying about that. We should expect more enemies soon."

Kori gets better, and will perform well enough when the time comes.

I figured it could make sense for enemy reinforcements to arrive at the landing bay and head towards the showdown point. That way, Fiach will have something to work with as well. But the decision is up to you.

@Corbeau, @Nefieslab
 

Fiach Dubh

Character
Jedi Order
Rank
Jedi Knight

Character Profile
Link
OOC
Corbeau
Joined
Jan 8, 2020
Messages
1,040
Reaction score
403
A sense of unease enveloped Fiach as she found herself back at the ships – and with no Jedi in sight. A discrete question or two told her that none of the ground crew had seen them return either.

And given Fiach didn’t do hunches or emotions, the warning bell had to have been rung by the Force. But given it was inscrutable, it didn’t give her any help in understanding why she sensed danger or what she should do about it.

Supressing an audible sigh, she sat cross legged on the floor beneath her ship and connected as deeply as she could with the Force. The feeling of disquiet did not go away, but neither did she gain any new insight.

Standing, she paced the area, wondering what to do next. Then she narrowed it down…what would her Master do next?

Her immediate thought was to return to the cantina. Not that it held any answers but staying put served no purpose either.

She reached the cantina quickly and decided against going inside. Maybe she’d been fed false information? A second attempt was pointless. So she decided to do all she could do – to circle the bar in ever increasing circles until she bumped into something that might pass as a clue. Picking up her speed, she moved at a jogging pace before the unmistakeable sound of blaster fire caught her attention. It was hardly a guaranteed lead, but it was better than anything else she had.

Pinpointing the sound, she set off at a fast jog now, keen to intervene with whatever was going down whilst she still could. Half-way there, the sounds of blaster fire stopped and she ran even faster. Was she already too late?

@Nefieslab @Catbert
 

Maxims Tionson

Character
Jedi Order
Rank
Jedi Council

Character Profile
Link
OOC
Nefieslab
Joined
Jan 5, 2020
Messages
839
Reaction score
380

Kori was up and that was good but there was still a singing in Max's blood that meant he wasn't about to just let this go. Rolling his neck a little bit, he nodded in understanding to Kori's comment. There were reinforcements coming and that meant they needed to be careful.

Or they needed to be quick.

"I don't think he is either."


Reaching out suddenly with the Force, he took advantage of the fact that the Trandoshan holding Kori's second saber did not look AT ALL comfortable with it in his hands. He twisted the saber violently, suddenly, in his hands and the blade did what it was always going to do.

The Trandoshan screamed and dropped to the ground as the stolen saber cut through his own shoulder before it flew through the air to impale a second one in the gut. With the second Trandoshan injured as well Max made a pulling gestured.

Kori's second lightsaber flew through the air, landing in the sand a few feet in front of her... and the Zygerrian flew forward suddenly through the air. Lunging forward, Max didn't use his saber to cut the airborne cat-man down. Instead he extinguished the blades and met the flying man's face with his fist, punching him down to the ground.

Max felt one of his knuckles break but it was worth it to see that he had broken the Zygerrian's nose. He loomed over the bounty hunter for a moment.

"You answered my threat with one of your own. I don't make threats I don't intend to keep."
he hissed down at the man, "Surrender now - throw yourself at Kori for mercy for you shall have none from me."



@Catbert @Corbeau
 

Nykoria Tallis

Character
Jedi Order
Rank
Jedi Master

Character Profile
Link
OOC
Catbert
Joined
Apr 26, 2020
Messages
467
Reaction score
436
In another spectacular display, Max incapacitated the remainder of the Trandoshan posse. To top it off, he accidentally handed Kori's second blade almost on a silver platter. Instead of calling upon the Force, the Zeltron simply walked over towards the hilt and picked it up. That wasn't beneath her, after all.

The Zygerrian hunter could only snarl, anger from his powerlessness clearly showing. After breaking the rules himself, he couldn't even accuse the Jedi of cheating and using the Force; and the promised reinforcements were being too slow. The stare that the hunter gave was incinerating. "I yield," he grumbled, wiping the blood trickling down his lips. His feline eyes darted between the "old man" and the "pink slut"... Who was still busy recovering her arsenal.

"Good call," she commented after clipping both sabers to her belt. Then Kori finally noticed what she had looking for amidst thr blasters lying around. Her own heavy stun pistol! It was among the guns that Max had used to pacify the lizard-men. Summoning it to her grasp, Nykoria signed: the power pack was spent, and the weapon was apparently damaged again. Yet that particular blaster had sentimental value; so the Knight couldn't just leave it behind.

With almost all her weapons back, the Zeltron summoned two long stun batons—the parts of the electrostaff that she had borrowed for this mission. With all the other arms secured on her person, Kori pointed at the Zygerrian with one of the batons, set to stun. "Do get up then. We don't have all day. And I'd hate to bring you in cold. Mainly because it'd mean carrying you." With a grunt of pain, the defeated and disarmed Zygerrian hunter got up, wiping blood off his mouth again. "Get a move on, kitty cat!" the Zeltron couldn't but chuckle. Even though revenge wasn't a Jedi way, a little touche probably didn't count.

Kori would follow the hunter toward the settlement; prepared to prod him with a stun baton if he tried anything funny. However, between them and the city gate, there was a small crowd of various aliens: another Zygerrian, a Rodian, a Weequay, a Zabrak, and a few more Trandoshans. One of the lizard-people stepped forward and hissed in Basic, noticing the predicament of the feline hunter: "Tabouil? What is this kark?"

The situation didn't look good, and Kori couldn't reliably read the newcomers' intentions yet. However, the Zeltron also noticed a young woman running outside the settlement and towards them. She sensed a strong presence in the Force from that particular woman. Perhaps she would even the odds, if things escalated again.

 

Fiach Dubh

Character
Jedi Order
Rank
Jedi Knight

Character Profile
Link
OOC
Corbeau
Joined
Jan 8, 2020
Messages
1,040
Reaction score
403
As Fiach sensed she was getting closer to the source of the previous sound of blaster fire, she came across a small group. Or, more accurately, she came across an array of backs of a small group.

Ahead of her were a selection of species: a Zygerrian, a Rodian, a Weequay, a Zabrak, and a few Trandoshans. Although Fiach never assumed, she felt it safe on this occasion to presume they weren’t assembled here for a picnic. Then she heard a voice, clearly a Tranoshan, state, “Tabouil? What is this kark?”

And, at approximately the same time, she sensed a surge in the Force. Jedi were near, she was sure of it. Slowing to a walk, she advanced on the group — glad their attention was on whoever they were speaking to. Once she’d reached a distance of about two metres, she stopped and closed her eyes. Connecting with the Force, she used Force Sense and detected two Jedi on the other side of the group — no doubt the two Knights she’d come to assist. Re-opening her eyes, she pulled back her cloak, to enable swift access to her saber, should she need it.

But for now, she was the latecomer to the party and had no idea what had transpired. So, she would play a watching brief until events — or the Force — dictated she became an active participant.

@Nefieslab @Catbert
 

Maxims Tionson

Character
Jedi Order
Rank
Jedi Council

Character Profile
Link
OOC
Nefieslab
Joined
Jan 5, 2020
Messages
839
Reaction score
380

The fact that the Zygerrian actually decided to yield was good - it meant that he didn't have to go through with his threat. Honestly the thought of maiming someone like that made him sick to his stomach but he knew he would have had to do it if the bounty hunter had proven to have more of a spine.

In this game of points... an empty threat was a weakness that shone bright like a sun. So he would have been forced to choose between following out on his threat or making all of this worthless. He wouldn't have been happy about it but he would have done it.

Of course then the reinforcements showed up.

Max was beginning to feel the weight of his exertions at this point so even though the anger was gone, his frustration was still real. He could use it to fake the anger, even though both of his Jedi allies would be able to feel that he was making it up for a show.

"What this kark is that this slimy sack of shite tried an ambush to a challenge and still managed to lose. He and his men are downed, crippled or stunned like children before an adult."
he declared loudly, targetting the Trandoshans in particular who were starting to stare at the bounty hunter in disgust, "And to make matters worse for himself - he yielded. Surrendered to an old man to save himself some pain."

The Trandoshans could smell lies when they put their minds to it... and they smelled nothing. As one the Trandoshans of the reinforcements snarled before walking past them, ignoring them... Max did his best to ignore the sounds of their blasters firing behind them as they executed the stunned and crippled Trandoshans as failures before leaving.

This still left the four other reinforcements, the ones without a strict point system to push them on. Still... they looked hesitant given the loss of most of their allies.



@Catbert @Corbeau
 
Top