Ask Caught Fox-Handed

[Roman Kallo]

PARADE OF GHOSTS, ENTRALLA
20:10 hours​

Roman was the first one off the transport, still fuming but he resolved to keep it under control.

He kept replaying the events of The Wheel in spite of himself, retracing how it had happened. He had not realised his ID was missing until he was halfway back to Imperial space. The hoops he’d had to jump through on arrival had been irritating enough, but the realisation, after replaying events, that it had been the weasel boy had been enough to drive him mad.

But the fox was not that clever. The ID could be traced, especially when used, and the trail had led Roman right here. To Entralla. He had kept the chase to himself, hoping to avoid the embarassment involving his superiors would incur. He would track down the thief himself, and make him pay.

Roman filed out of the starport and kept to the edge of the street, pulling the hood of his overcloak close. Kodi or whatever his name was had seen him and knew his face, so he had to be careful. He hoped to have his hand round the critter’s throat before he even knew Roman was there.

@Sreeya

 

[Z'Kair]

Of course Kai knew the ID could be traced. However, he also knew this particular district and lower level of Entralla was absolutely awful. The ‘authorities’ here were bribed and even Imperials knew to stay away. The tracking only gave a general region, but nothing that pinpointed. As a result, the moment Roman turned into a particular alley, a group of men stepped out from the shadows.

“You lost, little boy?” One of the men, a massive Feeorin, asked. It was clear he and the others were armed. This was a juncture between a turf war and Roman casually stumbled right into it. He could try fighting and meet with certain death or find another way out of the situation. Nevertheless, the fox from the Wheel was nowhere to be seen.

Because he had sold the ID to these goons.

Nevertheless, Kai was still nearby after making his deal. His smuggling was done and he was in the process of picking up a new job to smuggle weapons from Entralla to the Outer Rim.

@Alhon

 

[Roman Kallo]

The neighborhood quickly proved pretty grim. The farce masquerading as a parade up on the main street just seemed an excuse to breach the peace. Roman kept away from the main thoroughfare, turning down side alleys. His pad was able to do a simple ping search for the ID and at least told him he was getting closer.

When the final corner led him not to weasel boy, but a group of heavies, Roman stopped in his tracks.

He made a quick calculation of his odds. "Yeah, think so" he said gruffly, turning on his heel and walking quickly back the way he had had come. He was hooded and cloaked; with any luck they would think him a nobody and let him go.

"Not so fast boyo" another man hissed, stepping from the shadows and drawing a blade so fast that the tip actually slit Roman's cheek.

The flash of pain and shame was Roman's fuel and he threw a hand out at the man, knocking him back against the wall with a blast of the Force. Then he broke into a run.

The use of the Force gave the men pause and Roman got several steps ahead before they bolted after him, screaming about breaking some rules on their turf.

Roman turned left and then right, darting through narrow gaps and leaping over obstacles. He had to lose them and get back to his own chase. He'd lost an ID and now nearly an eye. The weasel really was going to pay.

6/20 for escape success

@Sreeya

 

[Z'Kair]

Kai was having a great night. Not only did he manage to smuggle some high quality spice in here, but he also sold an Imperial badge AND secured a job moving weapons from here to the Outer Rim. He just needed to head to the warehouse in question to collect the supplies. The Fiani stepped out into the night, puffing on his cigarra and pondering to himself. He had an unassuming appearance for someone wandering around these parts, but his eye patch usually made it clear he was just as shady as the rest of them.

Despite having decent reflexes, he didn’t anticipate someone turning the corner and running right into him.

“HEY!” He snapped, his cigarra falling from his hand as he almost keeled over, “The hell is your problem?” Kai hissed, glaring at the culprit. His single eye widened when he realized who it was at once.

“Ehehe…Kyle?” Kai asked with a nervous laugh. From his ID he had seen that Kyle was an Imperial Knight, which meant he was a Force user. Kai’s thoughts were quickly distracted when he heard commotion behind Kyle. It took only a moment to put two and two together before a sly grin appeared on his face.

“Stuck your nose in where it doesn’t belong, eh?” He snickered with a knowing look. Kai knew how to get the guy out of trouble, but he needed some assurances first - namely ones that ensured Kyle wouldn't fry him on the spot.

@Alhon

 

[Roman Kallo]

The goons’ blood was up and they were accustomed to street chases, but they were also reticent to stray too far from their turf. Roman by contrast was running for his life and he was not unfit. He gradually took the lead and was half hoping he had left them behind when he barrelled straight into someone standing there like a lollipop.

”My problem?!” He scoffed, steadying himself “screw that, I’ve got to-”. He suddenly took in the figure in the dim light. No. You had to be kidding. A thousand thoughts went through his head, but he had not forgotten the men behind him.

Roman stepped around the weasel quick as he could, trying to put himself in the doorway of the building and hide himself from view. “My name is not Kyle” he hissed through gritted teeth, flexing his fingers but knowing it was no time to get into a fight. He looked the fox up and down, meeting his one eye “and I’ve never seen a bigger nose than that”. It was more of a snout in truth.

He risked a glance back up the way he had come. He thought he could hear at least one of the men still coming this way. “You gave them my fucking ID” he breathed. He wondered if the cretin would even deny it.

@Sreeya

 

[Z'Kair]

Kyle had to be the crabbiest guy Kai had met in a while. The Fiani calmly pulled out another cigarra and lit it as the guy mouthed off, starting with insulting his nose and then just spiraling from there. Kai remained unfazed, his tail lazily waving back and forth while he grinned at him.

“That’s right,” Kai said, “This nose sniffed out the most gullible idiot on the Wheel,” Kai said with a snicker, taking a long drag as he heard the footsteps coming closer.

“Don't be silly, I didn’t give them your ID,” Kai said with a dramatic pause, “I sold it. It was a fine ID, Kyle, it served me well. Thank you,” He said right as the Feeorin and other man rounded the corner. Kai was feeling pretty confident about himself and prepared to have front row seats to Kyle getting an ass whooping.

However, fate would have it that one of the thug crew just so happened to recognize him from a whole other planet across the galaxy. He pointed a finger right at Kai, a high pitched voice ringing out, “IT’S THAT FOX! THE ONE THAT RAN OFF WITH OUR LOOT DURING THE TOYDARIA JOB!”

Shit.

Kai turned tail and bolted at once, suddenly finding himself in the same shitty boat as Kyle. Unlike the latter, the Fiani actually knew his way around these parts. He ran till he ducked into an alley, spotting a fire escape that he hastily began to climb.

@Alhon

 

[Roman Kallo]

Roman didn’t know what was more infuriating; what this guy had done to him or how unconcerned he seemed about it. He was smoking a cigarra like he hadn’t a care in the world. Roman was so incredulous it actually stayed his hand.

When their standoff was broken by the shouts of the men, Roman was surprised to find himself a side character all of a sudden. The weasel bolted, well, like a fox, running off without a word. The mercs gave chase, seeming to not recognise the squire part-hidden in the doorway.

Roman only had a few seconds to decide. He told himself he didn’t care what happened to the fox, but he needed that ID back. It was a loose end that could bring him down if it came out.

He waited for the goons to hurry past and then fell into step behind them. They were not expecting to be chased themselves and Roman told himself that was the only advantage he needed.

The Feeorin was up ahead, close on the weasel’s heels, but the smaller man was falling behind. Roman bit his lip and channeled the Force as he ran, reaching out towards the guy. The Dark Side could be fickle to work, but simple workings of the Force came to him increasingly easily. He was able to grab the man in a grip long enough to catch him up and shove him into the brick wall head first.

The outburst of violence renewed him, reminding him he should not be anyone‘s prey. But the man’s pockets held no ID. The weasel must have sold it to the stinking Feeorin.

So be it.

@Sreeya

 

[Z'Kair]

Kai had one thing going for him in this scenario - his speed. If the Feeorin managed to catch up, even a gentle caress would send the Fiani right through a wall. He curled up his tail so the massive thug couldn’t yank it as he hastily climbed up the ladder. A glance over his shoulder suggested that Kyle had actually taken out the second guy. Of course, the man was a god damned Imperial Knight!

The Fiani made it over the railing on a roof, glancing down to spot the Feeorin climbing up behind him. It was nothing but a flat roof, so he could only bank on the single door that led down to the building. Kai peered over the balcony, spotting Kyle standing around. He didn’t shout at him, but he urgently flailed his arms about to motivate him into action while frantically pointing at the Feeorin. Kai’s borderline interpretive dancing would be enough to convey that tentaclehead had his ID and hopefully encourage an attack.

From where Kai was standing, they both had a common enemy now. Kyle didn't need to know that the Feeorin didn't have the ID either...

@Alhon

 

[Roman Kallo]

Roman arrived at the foot of the fire escape to realise the weasel and the Feeorin were most of the way up. He paused to catch his breath, wondering if the pursuit was really worth the risk.

That was when he saw the little foxy cretin, jumping about like a ballerina up on the rooftop. He seemed to actually be pointing at the Feeorin, as if trying to get Roman’s attention. So the brute did have his ID after all.

Roman took hold of the steel railings and hurried up the steps. He was lighter on his feet than the Feeorin, but still strong enough to haul himself up with gusto. Like his comrade, the big guy was focused on the chase ahead and had no expectation of someone coming up behind. As he reached the lip of the roof, Roman was at the foot of the last ladder below him.

The squire drew his saber this time, igniting the orange blade and pulling himself up the ladder to slash at the Feeorin’s leg. The tallest man was easy to beat on his back.

The merc cried out in pain, but didn’t go down. The tentacled head twisted, furious face taking in Roman on the ladder below. Quick as a flash, the Feeorin leapt free of the ladder and slid down it at speed, slamming into the squire and knocking him down onto the platform below. Roman had to roll to avoid a stomp, pulling himself up into a guard and hoping the fox might have morals enough to help.

@Sreeya

 

[Z'Kair]

Of course the fox didn’t have morals enough to help. Psh! He got the best of both worlds - both his enemies tangled up in a fight and a window for him to escape. Kai looked around and realized there were no immediate buildings to jump onto. He walked over and tried the door to get down into the lower levels of the building. Locked. Panic began to set in as he realized there was no real way out except for the path he came.

Cursing to himself, he looked for an opening to slink down and just plain run. Kai climbed back over the edge and started to work his way down as Kyle was engaged in an all out brawl with the Feeorin. The alien had no chill and kept coming at Roman with all his might, intent on crushing the other man with his bare hands.

Kai landed on the ground and actually attempted to gingerly step away into the darkness. However, the Feeorin had his back turned to him and the man had been the bane of his existence for a while. He grumbled to himself, fishing out a knife from his pocket. The Feeorin was too tall for Kai and the Fiani still felt a bit queasy about murder.

He sprang forward and slashed at the back of the Feeorin’s knees. The alien gave out a huge howl of pain, dropping to his knees. Kai didn’t wait around, turning around to bolt away. He only hoped Kyle was smart enough to finish the job or also run.

@Alhon

 

[Roman Kallo]

The Feeorin had some balls, that was for sure. Roman had his saber up pretty quick when back on his feet, but the brute didn’t seem to care, coming at him so fast and with so little care that it caught the squire off guard.

The merc had hold of his wrist in no time, knocking the saber from his hand and landing a glancing blow on his cheek before Roman recovered. He was more agile and weaved around the bigger man, hitting him where it hurt but still not bringing him down. He hadn’t fought on such a knife age for a long time and adrenaline pounded in his veins.

Then he saw the pathetic little weasel climbing down behind the Feeorin, sloping off with barely a look. Anger and frustration flared within Roman and he found the strength and determination to fend off the Feeorin’s attacks. But even then, they were evenly matched.

A few moments later, the brute cried out as if struck by thin air. Roman realised with a mixture of shock and derision that the weasel had got involved after all, slashing at the Feeorin from behind. Whatever his motives, Roman would use the opportunity he created, retrieving his saber and stepping forward to forcefully impale it through the merc’s chest.

Killing was not yet entirely second nature to Roman and even as his foe went down he took a few seconds to centre himself. He searched the Feeorin’s pockets with a grimace, one that morphed into a furious scowl as he realised the guy did not, after all this, have his ID.

He could just see the fox disappearing into the shadows again, but no shadow would hide him. Roman barely cared where the ID was anymore. This guy was gonna answer for it, one way or another.

@Sreeya

 

[Z'Kair]

It would take a bit of time for Roman to find Kai again. The Fiani had just rounded another alley and realized it was a dead end. He began to backtrack and almost ran right into Kyle again. He cleared his throat, flashing a smile, “Ahh, fancy seeing you here,” He said with a nervous chuckle. Kyle still had a saber in his hand and that alone made Kai incredibly nervous. Kai cleared his throat, knowing full well he was on thin ice.

“Look, I sold your ID to a bigshot,” He explained truthfully, “You’re not getting it back. He’s a crimelord around these parts. You can just say you lost it and get a new one,” Kai offered. He highly doubted the Imperial Knight was the first to ever be irresponsible enough to lose an ID.

“Why did you bother following me all the way out here?” Kai asked with a quirked brow. While this was technically an Imperial planet, this entire side of the world was largely forgotten by authorities. It was poverty stricken, run-down and largely ignored. This Knight threw caution to the wind to come out here and was likely abandoning a post somewhere.

@Alhon

 

[Roman Kallo]

Roman stalked after the little weasel and found him soon enough, finally pinned in a dead end. The squire approached him slowly, marking the walls to either side and scanning for any exits. He had the guy cornered at last and this time there would be no wriggling out of it.

He said nothing at first, enjoying the look of unease finally forming on the fox's little face. The chuckle didn't sound quite so genuine and the truth was finally coming out.

"Oh I'm not, am I?". Roman quirked a brow of his own, though in truth he was probably not going to go after the ID. He had dispensed enough law and order in his years of squiring to be a reasonable judge of truth and lies. This weasel, despite his size, knew at least something of what he was talking about.

"Maybe I just can't get enough Emryc Energy" he said, his voice flat and deadpan. In reality, he couldn't stand the stuff and had junked most of it. He was still on with getting out of the subscription.

But he could hardly tell the guy he had made the whole trip running on anger. Anger at losing the game to strangers, losing his credits to a swindler, losing his ID to a crook.

He thought wrestling the ID back off this runt would make it all better, but that chance was gone. All that was left was the chance to kill him.

The anger was still there and it whispered to Roman to strike. To cut the weasel down. He could do it, he had killed many in his time.

But it would not be justice. Thievery did earn one death. "I wanted to kill you" Roman said, just to see if it had an effect. "But i used to be like you, dealing and running, so much running". He flexed his fingers on the hilt of his saber. "Don't you ever want to stop?".

@Sreeya

 

[Z'Kair]

Kai scoffed at Kyle’s deadpan remark about Emryc Energy, “I can hook you up with more if you want,” He said with a flashy smile and a thumbs up. The Fiani had been in threatening situations before, and he seldom lost himself in it. After he lost his eye, he knew he could do everything right and still have things turn out horribly.

His smile faded slightly when Kyle admitted to wanting to kill him. Of course. Imperial Knights were just discount Sith. If it was fear Roman was looking for, he wouldn’t see it on Kai’s face, only disappointment. The follow up question caught him off guard. Kai scowled at the other man, “Are we having a philosophical discussion now?” He asked. Nonetheless, he reached for a cigarra, ignited it, and placed it between his lips.

“Don’t try to relate to me, Sir Kyle,” Kai said, mocking the silly Imperial Knight title, “You replaced running with chasing, that’s it, nothing more. You are still on a leash and the evidence of that is that ID that’s so fucking precious to you that you ran across a galaxy to get it,” He blew out a cloud of smoke to the side before taking another long drag, “I never get sick of it because at least I operate on my own terms. Even your cousins, the Sith, who live like cockroaches, probably have more freedom than you do.”

Kai leaned against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest, “Don’t you ever want to stop?”

@Alhon

 

[Roman Kallo]

Of course, weasel boy turned the question back on him. For a few moments, Roman began to formulate an answer. Then the cigarra smoke wafted in his face, the scent piquing his own cravings and it was as if someone pinched him.

What on earth was he doing? It had been crazy enough to come here for an ID, stupid even, and knowing that it was stupider still to be standing in a back alley, trading words with a crook he did not know or care for.

The fox mocked and insulted him, but rather than inspire him to more violence the cretin’s words just made Roman numb. The anger he’d had for the weasel now turned inward and he was furious at himself for having come here at all.

Far from the demands of any leash, he had made a free choice to chase this guy down, and it had been a huge mistake. Cutting him down would gain him little, and talking to him even less. Roman had made the weasel important, when he was not.

“You don’t know me” he said simply. “Enjoy your freedom, but stay the hell out of my way”.

He turned and strode down out of the alley, primed for any foolish moves by the crook and determined to leave him behind for good.

/Attempted exit

@Sreeya