Ignorance of Rhetoric (Open; Ask after two)

[Mr Mythos]

The Zabrak shrugged nonchalantly, completely unaware of the pistol pointed at his head.
"Smuggling...information retrieval...destruction of property...having certain individuals removed...quite a few things, now that I think of it," it was suprising how many times the Gossam's name had come up yet Zhun had just glossed over it... "you seem like a very generous being."

 

[Lavi]

Jedi? How would he know I was looking for the Jedi? Alcyone was about to ignore Kunta's comment until he mentioned it.

"What makes you think that I'm looking for the Jedi?" she inquired, choosing her words carefully. As she asked, the Tae placed a hand on the tree where the Jedi she saw earlier in her previous casted Art was, and began murmuring another mantra.

'Who passed by here?' she asked the tree.

'Four pigs that walk like humans. They took a furry gopher that was sleeping,' The tree answered.

'Do you know where they took him?' Alcyone continued.

'East.'

'Thank you, Great One,' the Tae finished, ending the connection.

 

[Incubi Priest]

(OOC: the jedi was a Tynnan, not a human)

"Eh, I've been called that." The Gossam nodded casually, a subtle signal for the bodyguard to return the pistol to its holster. Exiting the stairs, the group found itself in a very ornate foyer, complete with droids programmed with service and hospitality protocols as well as a food court and beautiful fountains.

"Escort him to the medbay," Eul said to one of the guards, this one a Wookiee, "and get him something to eat. You need more spice before you go?"

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The Zeltron smiled and took his saber in hand, igniting it and making a lunge towards the female. However, before he had moved so much as a foot, the same cloaked figure that had assaulted Retto had appeared from the shadows. It came down with a powerful strike to the Shade's skull, sending him several meters away into the ground. It pulled two swords from holsters adorning its back and stared at the female in complete silence before speaking in a monotonous voice.

"Draw your weapon and die."

 

[Lavi]

(OOC: the jedi was a Tynnan, not a human)

((Oh. *fixes*))

Her pulse quickened at the ignition of the lightsaber, though it surprised her that another stepped in to knock out the one accompanying her. Her reaction time was slow in that particular moment: the Tae would have been defeated if Kunta was able to make his move.

The one taking Kunta's place did not give the stance of a friendly, further indicated by the drawing of sabres from their sheaths. Its words slightly confused Alcyone, though she did not take the moment to ponder on it. Being taken off-guard once was bad enough, but twice would be on the verge of embarrassment.

Alcyone took a defensive martial art stance, aiming the palm of her left hand towards the other. Her right hand was cupped, facing the sky, and glowed slightly as she began focusing a technique of the Art within it. Both knees were bent slightly as the Tae took in the stance of this unexpected visitor to the scene, waiting for the other to make a further move.

 

[Mr Mythos]

"Blimey..." Zhun managed, looking around the foyer in wonderment. He felt a little nervous, this all being built under a lake, but he trusted Eul's word when he said there were defenses and such. But still, there was that nagging little voice in the back of his head...he ignored it.

The Gossam asking him a question brought the mercenary's wandering eyes back down again. It took him a moment to register the words at all.
"Er, no, thank you. I feel quite alright, though thank you for the offer." He looked up at the Wookie who would soon become his escort. He gulped.

 

[Incubi Priest]

Eul smiled and nodded before setting off to his own quarters. Once inside, the Gossam gave orders for several of his men to perform background checks on their new visitor.

"If this guy is a snitch then we'll just kill him, simple enough. But I like him. We need to set him up with some aptitude tests, training opportunities, etc. The usual to test his skills. He seems more competent than a basic smuggler at first glance, but then again I could be wrong. If we can I'd like him to lead some operations."

Meanwhile, the Wookiee led the Zabrak down a sterile hallway, white lights glowing brightly. He knocked on the wall after a short walk, and an opening appeared. Inside was a lavish medical room with a solitary doctor inside.

"What seems to be the problem? Mr. Tymn has taken an interest to you, so I'll take good care of you."

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The cloaked figure pointed one of his blades towards the Tae, and the other to the Zeltron. A red beam shot forward, one connecting with Eamic and the other putting a semi-transparent orb around Alycone. Eamic was lifted into the air, while the orb had no apparent effects on Alycone.

"Choose who dies. You or him. The results will be permanent."

 

[Lavi]

She still stood next to the tree she communicated with. With the tree, Alcyone can escape from this... prison of sorts, though she was curious why the man came out of nowhere and placed her, unwillingly, into a trial.

"And what would you want with the one that lives?" she asked.

 

[Mr Mythos]

"Well you see, my ship crashed and I think one of the Bio-electro refuelicators," Zhun didn't actually know what it was that had burned him but saying Bio-electro refuelicators sounds much better than saying 'cable' "and it connected with my body...as you can see," the Zabrak lifted up his shirt to reveal the cracked and red raw skin of his stomach, revealing lightly toned muscles "it's burnt right through the armour and all...my tailor's gonna have a breakdown..." he tittered at the charred cloth and leather, more concerned about his clothing and the possible inconvienience it could cause someone rather than his own well-being.

 

[Incubi Priest]

"The survivor will receive power beyond comprehension, Alycone." The dark figure said ominously, "Eamic Saabal will die and his abilities will become yours. This will ensure the death of your Jedi target, Retto Veraber. He is powerful, but is currently weak and broken merely six kilometers away. The death of either of you will greatly alter the course of events."

The mysterious stranger spoke in a dark monotone, revealing naught to his captives about how he knew such things. Such was to be expected: the identity of the man was as infamous as his power was unpredictable.

=================================================================

The doctor nodded, taking in the information quickly. Electrical burns happened quite frequently in the underwater facility, though many weren't so extreme as the Zabrak's injury.

"I'm fresh out of medication," the doctor said, "but it seems you've taken some opiatic spice for the pain due to the uneven dilation in your pupils. I don't want an overdose in my O.R, so..." the medical professional pulled a small vile of ointment out of a drawer as well as a pouch green powder.

"Apply the ointment to the wound, it will prevent infection until I can get the appropriate medication in. And do a few lines of this. It will speed the healing process, but don't expect to sleep for a week."

 

[Lavi]

Alcyone allowed herself to smile at the unnamed one's words, though curious as to how the other learned so much about herself when she never met the man before. "You speak as though you know exactly what I am doing, but you misunderstand me."

"The death of the Jedi is not in the best interests of myself or my people."

The Tae's eyes began to glow a light violet as she drew upon the energies of the Art to devastating quantities. The air felt heavy, and a deep tremor could be heard. And all that energy was released, instantly, shooting out at the mysterious figure with raw silvery power.

"Begone!"

 

[Incubi Priest]

The cloaked one leaped with enormous speed, grabbing onto a tree and jumping from branch to branch like a monkey. His agility and dexterity was impressive to say the least but his red beams of energy had dissipated once his concentration was diverted to the battle.

Sabers in a reverse grip, the dark figure blended in with the night sky as he soared down toward his female opponent. Spinning around furiously, the man became a near blur with his blades extended outward in a lethal maelstrom of sharp steel as he closed in proximity with Alycone.

Eamic slowly picked himself up, but once he rose he was ready for combat. Drawing his lightsaber he charged forward with a sadistic grin lighting up his face.

 

[Mr Mythos]

Zhun blinked at a few times. His pupils? He became a little self-concious and blinked a few more times. Then he wearily took the green powder and the ointment.
"Thanks, doc...should I just wait around here or is there somewhere I have to go?"
The Zabrak looked around at the Doctor's room, noting the various jars and packets and little bottles marked 'X.' It seemed safe enough. No big pointy sharp things that would pull out his eyes. Well, none that he could see...

 

[Lavi]

There was no way Alcyone could defend herself from the maelstrom of blades. However, there was a way to quickly keep the blades out of reach of her body. She raised a palm towards the speeding foe, her eyes still glowing the eerie color, and the same silvery energy from before came to being, this time forming a shield-like barrier between herself and the nimble foe.

As this barrier formed, the Tae fell to her knees in order to present a smaller, more distant target to the unknown assailant coming down from above her.

 

[Incubi Priest]

"As a matter of fact, I think Mr. Tymn would enjoy your presence. I doubt he believes your treatment would last much longer than it has. After all," the man smirked, "I'm very good at what I do."

The Wookiee stood silent, and the doctor walked out.

"C'mon, I'll take you to him. It's not far away. So...what brings you to this schutta of a planet?"

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The figure's blades made contact with the shield, and it wasn't long before the ferocity of his onslaught had rendered it useless. Of course, Alycone's primitive form of defense by ducking was more than successful as the blades hit a tree behind her. In less than a second it was severed and falling in the combatants' direction.

He leaped to the side and rolled before charging back at her, this time with his blades returned in their sheaths and his torso complete exposed and vulnerable to her as he threw his arms behind him.

Eamic had trouble dodging the giant tree as it fell, but quickly sprang back to a closer proximity to Alycone. Smiling as the man ran forward, he spoke to Alycone, while his focus did not leave their enemy.

"A bit of fun for an old boring swamp, wouldn't you say?"

 

[Lavi]

His words hardly registered in Alcyone's mind: her consciousness was so deep into the flow of battle. Options seeped in and out of her mind as to how to crush this unknown assailant. One such option, she liked the most.

Gathering the silvery energies of the Art in her hands, Alcyone began manipulating it. The visible energy transferred from her hands to the ground beside her, formulating the shape of a creature. A hound native to the wilderness of Tae'Sha. It was the physical embodiment of Alcyone's way of the Art: beautiful, yet relentless and deadly.

It was still vulnerable to the manipulation of the Art, but it is not as weak as when she used it twenty-plus years ago. Her skills were honed and refined since then. This hound bounded after the man who threatened her and her companion's life, giving a growl resembling that of the real deal.

 

[Mr Mythos]

Zhun moved towards the door, considering his answer.
"Nothing, really. I was trying to get past when suddenly one of the engines blew...I was heading for Nar Shaddaa, y'see. I have some buisness there. I made the jump and came out here, then there was a bit of quiet and suddenly the engine exploded...not quite sure what did it..." he lapsed into silence, thinking of all the possible causes of the accident.

Now he came to think of it...he had been working on that engine a few days back...and his hydrospanner had gone missing...the colour drained from the Zabrak's face. If the other mercenaries heard about this...but maybe it wasn't the hydrospanner. He could have a bounty on his head...yeah! That'd work...

 

[Incubi Priest]

"Yea, sorry about ruining your ship." The doctor said as they approached Eul's office door, "Our Productive Sabotage Department decided that your ship could be replaced fairly easily, and ostensible accidents are the least ostentatious ways to recruit those Mr. Tymn thinks would be useful in his operations. But anyway," He opened the door to Eul's office and waved the man in. The wookiee and doctor stayed outside, "He'll explain the rest."

Eul looked up from his desk and smiled, waving the man in.

"Come in brother, there's a lot that we need to go over. And some paperwork, but we'll save that for last."


=================================================================

The figure stopped midway of his charge and his stomach convulsed slightly. Red beams shot from his eyes, scanning the animal in front of him. He revealed his face, and it was anything but beautiful: his face was pure flesh, no eyes, nose, ears, or hair, and his mouth was sewn shut. The color of his skin resembled a corpse that had laid in a dark swamp for weeks, greenish gray with open lacerations revealing decaying tissue with black blood leaking out.

He opened his mouth, the stitches not ripping but rather stretching so as to stay sewn to his lip-less mouth. The cloaked man regurgitated a vile brown plasma-like substance onto the ground in front of him. The acidic liquid melted a crater into the ground in front of him, and out of it a large arachnid (roughly the size of a wildebeest) crawled out. It resembled a spider, except it lower part was flat and wide, with an array of scorpion-like stingers that were poised to strike. Its head was sunk into its body for the most part, yet a set of jaws that unhinged horizontally to reveal a mouthful of serrated teeth dripping with venom were exposed.

"What the hell is going on?!" Eamic didn't even try to hide his confusion when he saw the two beasts. These powers...they couldn't be of the force, Alycone's nor the Cloaked. To him, this seemed a battle between wizards rather than Force-adepts.

When he spoke, his mouth did not move, yet it reverberated in the forest: his words filled the minds of both his targets. All the while, the arachnid slowly crawled forward, taking one slow step at a time, sizing up the enemies in front of it.

"Alycone, you are the catalyst that will damn entire galaxies. Some will merely vanish, and others will burn slowly so all inhabitants suffer. From you will come the one who sells his soul for love and in return gets the abyss. His child shall step on air and cut the chains of slavery from this galaxy.

Eamic, you are as important as your female counterpart. Your himyuk and hers were poured from the same vial in Avalon during the creation of your souls. However, you have the Inshi, and for that your journey is clouded. I see your aura, and it is brighter than hers, but the color is the key. Hers is a dull light, but there are wisps running throughout it. Yours is gray. That is dangerous, not to you, but to the Core."

Eamic, at this point, was utterly confused. The words were obviously not meant to be cryptic, but the Cloaked knew that neither would understand their meaning. Regardless, his procedure was flawless. Eamic's blade slowly drew itself back into the hilt, and he stood relaxed. However, at the dull hissing of the blade's retreat, the spider like creature let out a raspy screech and its head moved from its hiding place. The head resembled that of a spider completely, only covered with serrated barbs. It hissed violently as the hound grew closer, while the Cloaked stood relaxed.

"Alycone what the hell is going on here?" Eamic asked, his eyes watching as the hound charged at the odd arachnid. "We need to stop this battle. My intuition is telling me that we'd be better off just talking to him. But if I'm wrong...."

 

[Mr Mythos]

Zhun froze on the spot, still in the doorway. His ship...gone? All those years of work dissassembled into scrap? This was outrageous! He was hoping that this was all just a big misunderstanding. Lost in translation. Slip of the tongue. Anything. The Rebel could not be gone. This did not fit into the equation. This was a joke, yeah, a big elaborate joke, set up to tickle his funny bone. Next they'd be telling him his droid had been scrapped too...

The Zabrak stepped forward, slightly relaxed but still completely riddled with doubt and worry.
"Yes...discuss..." his voice was far away, as if his mind was on other things. And it was. Images flashed through his head of big squashy machines crushing his ship into a cube of metal. Another flashed of Seewun, dissembled into various objects; his dome was now an ashtray, his chasis a rubbish bin and his legs had become...er...um...polo hammers. He suddenly pulled the emergency brake on these thoughts. What did he care about that stupid little droid? Nothing, that's what! Just a hunk of metal used for cleaning...and..and...driving...and..and...keeping everything working...and...oh damn.

 

[Incubi Priest]

"Hey!" Eul shouted, snapping his fingers a few times, an agitated look spreading over his face, "I'm gonna need you to pay attention to me here, kid. Its not every day you're gonna get an opportunity like this, so you might wanna listen up. Trust me, you don't hide the fact that you're distracted very well.

First off, any questions for me?"

 

[Lavi]

At the other's last words, her mind "flicked" and the hound jolted, missing its target and disappating into nothingness. The energies gathered in Alcyone's outstretched palm, where it remained simmering. The glow if her eyes faded, hiding the tell-tale sign of her heritage. Once the adrenaline of battle faded, she registered the cloaked man's prophetic words.

Pray that you're right, Kunta.

"Is that why you followed us?" she asked.