Ask Nothing More Powerful Than a Good Story

[Nathan Braxon]

WATER TOWER COMPLEX, BEGAMORIAN SOVEREIGN LAND, GATALENTA​

Senator Nathan Braxon cut a solitary figure on the balcony of the water tower, leaning on the rail in shades and casual attire as he gazed out over the green plains. The sun was shining on Gatalenta, and it was shining on Nathan too.

The assassination of Elspeth Berg had been executed perfectly. His greatest rival was dead, his next competitor implicated and the supporters of both were now falling in behind him. His homeworld of Begamor was now securely in his grip, with no viable prospect of challenge to his office for years.

Now he no longer had to look over his shoulder, Nathan could strike out ahead. He owed that peace of mind to Lok Skyshatter, the unconventional but highly effective mercenary who had followed his instructions to the letter. The Senator rubbed gently at the bacta pad on his ribs, the last vestiges of his own flesh wound still giving him some discomfort. He spat over the rail and watched it fall. There would be more than discomfort on the road to power.

His security chief Stamper paced behind him inside the tower's old control room. It was long since abandoned, but they had made the place useable for the meeting with Skyshatter, watching the skies for sight of his stolen ship.

It had been a few days since the attack on Elspeth and they had made their way off Begamor separately, Nathan ostensibly to rest in tranquility offworld. But they had slipped a covert message to their man to reunite here. He needed his reward, and Nathan had brought double the whisky this time too. Skyshatter might just be a man of rare calibre, one Nathan could bring properly into the fold.

For what the Senator had planned next, he could certainly use him.

@Mythos

 

[Skyshatter]

When Lok arrived at the meeting spot, he had long ditched the stolen ship and came riding in an inconspicuous speeder he bought on the way out. While the authorities searched for an unknown assailant, Skyshatter was long gone, a ghost in the machine, leaving behind a murder, a crashed and incinerated ship, and no identifiable trail leading to him nor the good Senator. It would lead them to a dead end another cold case to add to the likely building file storage.

Looking upon Nathan before him, Lok would wince. He hadn't meant to leave anything more than superficial wound. But the moment had obviously took hold of him. Lok took the moment to speak. "Senator... Stamper..." He would nod at each in turn before his eyes slowly focused on Nathan's ribs. "My apologies. You're welcome to take the medical out of my payment."

Gazing behind Stamper, Lok would eye the two bottles of whiskey and grace his face with a youthful smirk. "All's well that ends well, eh?" He questioned of the mission's success before running over and grabbing both bottle. "Then tonight we drink until our feet feel not the floor." Before anything else could be said, he bit down on each of the corks and pulled them free before guzzling a large gulp from one and handing the other to @Nathan Braxon. Tonight, he would treat the Senator as a fellow Beast Rider. And perfect timing too, as the distant son began to set.

With a smile, he querked out a single observation he had made. "I've performed a few assassinations before, but never have i had to shoot a client. You have my respect Senator." And it's truth was more than what was spoken. For Lok respected a man with complete conviction in his envisions.

 

[Nathan Braxon]

"My father always said I bruise too easily" Nathan joked "but it's no matter, you hit your mark Mr Skyshatter" he rubbed his ribs almost appreciatively "both of them".

He had half expected Lok to take a whole bottle to himself and was glad that this time he was prepared. Nathan stepped inside and settled into one of the control room's chairs, threadbare though it was, pouring himself a glass. The former beast rider worked hard and played hard, an attitude the Senator respected. The man had bought considerable goodwill with him by dispatching Elspeth.

"I believe in giving my pound of flesh when it's required" he answered "and just rewards to those who earn them. Elspeth is dead and my sources tell me there is not a thread of credible intelligence linking you to her murder. A job well done".

He slid an unremarkable case across the floor to the man. "Your credit chips. Unmarked and untraceable, though I'd still suggest you bank them on a Rim world with few protocols". The money was enough buy a decent ship.

"If credits are your all, there can be more" Nathan said, sipping his drink "but what motivates you, Mr Skyshatter? Why do you do what you do, given your past?".

Nathan was intrigued what made his new acquaintance tick. He had shown he could be an effective instrument, but if their goals could align he could perhaps be much more.

@Mythos

 

[Skyshatter]

Lok grimaced and winced at Nathan's question before looking at his open bottle of whiskey and realizing it wasn't enough for such an indepth conversation. Without moving or turning his head, he reached out in the Force and pulled an old and hallow gourd from the satchel on his speeder up to his hand atop the tower. His gaze shifted then to Nathan as he took more than a few guzzling gulps from its container and offered it to Nathan.

"My own specialty. Aged Tarsian Ale fermented with Marcan and distilled in barrels casked by Vjun lumber. Secret is in the emotions behind the reason to drink it." Lok chuckled as he awaited Nathan to try it and turned his attention back to his question. You mean, why did I leave the Jedi and become a sell-saber?"

It was an adamant question, and one Lok hadn't spoken about in years, let alone to a client. Yet, here, before Nathan, he found himself compelled to tell the story he wished to forget. After a moment in wait had passed, and whether the gourd was shared, Lok tipped its form over his shoulder and took another gluttonous serving of its liquor as he felt his head go dizzy and his mind loosen to the more painful memories of his life. Even for a moment, a smile would appear before disappearing behind a veil of regret and anger.

"Being a Jedi isn't all its cracked up to be, you know?" He poised as his memories swam back to his time as a Jedi. "Wars are a constant, and one can easily find themselves swept away by the numerous battles. You make enemies, enemies you know nothing of nor about. And in the end, you find yourself swallowed by the darkness."

By now, if Nathan had followed, both had nearly emptied the gourd in its entirety across the span of the few moments that passed in his recollection and his hunt to find the words to describe it.

"I was a Knight within the Order. Thought I knew all there was in my own self righteousness. Was a good Knight. Fought to defend the Galaxy with my very life. Little did I understand there were far worse things than death. Had a wife and a daughter. Toddler. That all ended with a spiked drink and PTSD from the war."

There was hesitation in his voice as he spoke, tears streaming from glazed eyes as he remembered his life from before and openly spoke to Nathan about it. In reality, he could figure out whether was telling Nathan his story as a means to speak about it or if there were other reasons. He simply felt compelled to tell his tale. Either way, it felt like he was breaking all over again.

"I guess I had made an enemy out of someone well connected. It was the night of my rising to the rank of Master that it all unraveled. And when I came to, I had slaughtered my wife and child. A nightmare induced by a singular drink caused it all. And they blamed me for it, even after the results of my blood work came back and proved it. That blasted Order, and it's blind Council.... I was the one who slew what meant the world to me... and they didn't even bat an eye at it."

Fighting back the urge to cry, a cry that would bleed his very soul if he allowed it, Lok finished the gourd and turned to the bottle still in hand from Nathan. Regaining his composure, he concluded.

"To save face, I was demoted and set in the Agricultural Corps, sweeping the incident with my wife and child under the rug and spinning the tale to exclude me and place another in my stead. Only, I never made it to my posting. And I left behind everything in the process."

Its been five years since he walked away from the Order and his disdain for them still left behind a bitter taste. It reminded him of how easily one could become another's scapegoat and how the imagry of one mattered more than the truth. And not a day goes by that he doesn't think of his wife and child. Only difference now was that he placed his skills up for hire, rather than stand behind a false facade.

 

[Nathan Braxon]

Nathan's eyes flashed when Lok pulled the bottle from his speeder with the Force. It was easy to forget the mercenary had the gifts shared by all Jedi and the Senator regarded the talent with both awe and fear. Any power that existed outside the wit and strength of men was an incredible weapon to wield, but a terrible one to face. Nathan did not like forces outside his control, and tried not to even think about the Force for that reason.

He accepted a swig of the Tarisian ale, not generally to his taste whatever wooden barrel it had been squatting in. "We are all swallowed by the dark sometimes..." he said quietly, intending only vague agreement. But as Lok went on his tone grew steadily more emotional. It caught Nathan off guard and he softened in spite of himself, losing any impulse for clever quips as he simply listened.

He had expected a blasé answer as to the other man's motivation. Credits, fame, even the thrill of the kill. But he had gravely misjudged Lok Skyshatter. The man's tale was harrowing. Nathan could see the guilt and grief in the mercenary's hazel eyes, the weight of the burden that he now tried to drink away. He was so capable, and yet in that moment so vulnerable, chased by a black dog he could never outrun.

Nathan was not inhuman. Youth and ambition made him a target and so he'd had to grow a thick skin, but his heart was not as cold as he would have others believe. He motioned to Stamper to give them a few minutes and the burly man stepped outside.

The Senator slipped out of his chair and leant next Lok, offering the other man his favourite ale back. "Jeez....I think you need this more than me". He put a reassuring hand on Lok's arm as he handed the bottle back, looking thoughtful. They were of age, but none of the challenges Nathan had fought through compared to the guy's impossibly hard road.

"I'd say those are damn good reasons to leave the Jedi behind" he nodded "but I'm less sure they mean you have to sell yourself to the highest bidder". Their run together had been short and Nathan paused briefly, before he decided he had already seen everything he needed to.

"Work for me, Lok" he said "with me, full time. You don't know me well yet, but I promise I'm about more than assassinating my rivals". He risked a weak smile. "I need a guy with your skill set and I can offer credits and diplomatic protection". Something made him want to invest in the former Jedi and it was not pity.

His hand fell away and the politician returned. "And, if you want to, we may even find of the truth of what happened to you, together".

@Mythos

 

[Skyshatter]

There was a long pause, a lingering moment of silence as he took in all that Nathan had to say and to offer. He didn't doubt what the man said was true. He knew it likely was the sincerest truth he had been told in a long time. He didn't need the Force to tell him this. There was, however, a miscommunication that needed to be addressed first. Taking another gulp of liquor, Lok's gaze shifted to Nathan, tears still streaming as his face grew emotionless in appearance.

"For a Knight, it's impossible to stop being a Jedi." As Lok spoke, he emphasized this point particularly, a hidden truth. "The Force is as much a part of your nature as it is to love, to feel, to taste, and to breath. It's at the very core of your being."

He took another swig, his eyes glazed and the overtly emotion soul, it was apparent that Lok was beyond inebriated. And Lok had became that old man that sits on the corner bar stool that had became such a regular that his seat had become reserved, and pours put his entire life behind the inhibitions of alcohol. And yet, there was the self awareness of himself beneath that compelled him to straighten his truth before Nathan.

With a belch as he beat against his chest away from Nathan, he continued. "So I offer my services for ideas that I find justified. Always the good soldier, fighting the good fight, and killing one to save millions. Have I fallen? Become one of the darkness, I can't say for certain. I just am the man before you. The good soldier, surviving, until my final battle."

Perhaps it was the alcohol, or the bringing up his past, maybe a combination. One could not say for sure. But he felt an unexplained compelling to express the depths of his reasoning. To justify the dark line he walked. Excusing himself, Lok made for the railing outside and hoped no one was below. Outside, he looked at Stamper with a chuckle, he let loose his bodily fluids in full display. But in truth, Lok's thoughts were far away. It had been a long time since he had a compatriot, someone to entrust himself to. He felt that with Nathan and part of him wanted that. A friend.

But Lok was also a professional. He knew that whether he and Nathan became friends, settling in place along side Nathan could be hindering as much as it was beneficial. He had rivals. He had enemies. Maybe even a few bounties on his head, at least one as a former member of the Jedi. Jedi were a valuable target, current and former. And anything resembling an attachment could be dire under the right circumstances. He sighed as he put it away and turned to return inside.

"Stamper." He spoke briefly to the grizzly man that even he had to look up at, even if only the slightest, and gave the man a strong pat to the shoulder. "You have an easy life, my friend."

Stepping up to Nathan, Lok offered up his own hand. "We have a deal Nathan." It mattered not what tasks he would carry on on the Senator's behalf. He finally felt a chance to return to doing something good as a former Jedi, a chance at redeeming himself for his sins. If one life could truly save millions, it would be a start. He smiled, a sincere one. He pulled a flask from his coat, chromium, inlayed with brozium drexl and jiggled it before Nathan.
"Now we truly celebrate. I call it Sith Poison. Alcohol proof of 195 percent."

 

[Nathan Braxon]

Nathan fiddled with his class ring as he listened, recovering his sense of perspective. The good fight. It was a nice sentiment, but the good fight was a point of view. The Senator believed he was engaged in a truly good fight, for the future and soul of the galaxy, yet many would say his methods and motives could never be wholly good.

The sight of Lok vomiting over the railing was almost enough to sober Nathan up. He still believed this man could be a real asset, if his emotional trauma could be harnessed, channeled into something constructive. Nathan wanted to help Lok, in spite of himself. Perhaps life would reward him if he did.

"I'm glad" he replied, clasping hands with Lok as they sealed their bond. Nathan did not allow just anyone to call him by his first name, but Lok had earned the right, tonight at least. Stamper called him Sir, and he would try to bend Lok to the same mould in time. The man needed structure and Nathan would be all too pleased to provide it.

"Take a breather" he suggested at the sight of the Sith Poison. "You're lucky I've seen your work. I will need your best again where we're going next. I'd like to tell you about it". He took the flask from Lok, if only to give the man a few moments of respite, and started making up a mixer with some bits he had brought.

"You used to be a Jedi, what do you know of the New Republic as was?".

@Mythos

 

[Skyshatter]

Nathan's question was a somber and sobering thought for Lok. While he despised the Jedi Order for the life they had placed him in and the actions that led to his leaving, the realm of governing bodies had never really been his forta. In truth, Nathan was his first excursion within its realm as he mostly dealt within the Galaxy's underworld. To say he held any thoughts upon them was in honesty an overt statement.

"In truth, I knew very little of the New Republic during my time as a Jedi." He gazed casually at Nathan before gazing downward in thought. "I rarely engaged in diplomacy unless you count aggressive negotiations."

There was a chuckle behind his words, a joke made to lighten up the seriousness of his role as a Jedi. For what he called the good fight was an aspect he callously embraced under sarcasm. It wasn't a good fight, but rather, viewed as simple survival, and a feeble attempt to self reason. Something he told himself to justify his role. It was his role as a Jedi, a fortunate son of war, and now as a broken hunter who sought some semblance of a life. He was a soldier, and it was all he had ever been.

The only difference now was who's orders he chose to follow.

Wiping his face with the palm of his hand, starting at his forehead and running his pointer and thumb around the creases of his lips as he slide his hand down his the entirety of his face and beard, Lok took both hands and slapped at his knees in an attempt to sober himself up.

"Don't worry my friend." He replied in earnest jest. "I never mix business with pleasure."

 

[Nathan Braxon]

"No matter" Nathan replied, setting both himself and the bottle of Sith Poison down. "The main thing to understand is that there has been a Republic, of one form or another, since the beginning". He steepled his hands. "Oh the Empire or others have come in and knocked it down now and then sure" he smiled "and more recently the ISC has tried to take its place".

The Senator leaned forward, arranging the various glasses and bottles of liquor on the table between them. "The last New Republic collapsed Lok" he explained, spreading the bottles out in a disparate pattern. "Right now, everyone is on their own, looking out for themselves. You and I know that's hard".

Nathan gradually grouped the bottles together, all shapes and sizes in one large group. "But that instinct is still there Lok, the instinct to come together and be more than the sum of our parts. The New Republic needs to rise again, and this time it will be the one knocking others down". He resisted the urge to actually knock anything over. His new friend was not a fool.

"I intend to remind my Senate colleagues of that instinct, and unite them with a story. To tell it, you and I need to take a trip to Coruscant".

He waited to see Lok's reaction. The traditional galactic capital was famously a smoldering ruin, attacked and pillaged by the vile hordes of Darth Raze. It was a dangerous place for anyone to go right now, let alone two men with little more than their wits.

@Mythos

 

[Skyshatter]

Lok looked down and a chuckle erupted from his lips and a smile crossed his face. He liked Nathan. The man surprised him in many ways. The naivety he heard in the man's words and convictions, the innocence was deeply intertwined. At least, from Lok's point of view, and he respected it. He didn't, however, agree with them. His gaze shifted back to Nathan, his chuckle still apparent.

"It's an idealistic belief to hold onto, my friend." He spoke, the undertone of his movements condoning Nathan's right to hold to his beliefs, but agreeing to disagree. "Don't get me wrong. It's one of your better qualities. But sentience is self destructive. That instinct is simple out of survival. The Republic, The High Republic, The Sith Empire, The Galactic Empire, the ISC, even the Jedi and Sith Orders.... all created out of the sole purpose to survive. Ideology differs, intent behind the Ideology differs, but each believes themselves to be the better.

Lok chuckles again, his hands flipping outward and open handed as he emphasized his point. At least the Mandalorians were open about it and saw the truth. Societies will always war and others will fall. Their ancient deities were focused on the societal changes." Taking a sip of his flask that Nathan had returned to the table, he wondered if his straightforwardness had been too harsh. But neither was Lok one to mince words nor sugar coat anything. He didn't want to give Nathan any false pretenses. That he would hold true to his beliefs.

And yet, as he sat there a moment and gazed at Nathan, there was a part of himself that wanted to believe Nathan could do it. His charismatic nature, his good heart, his knowledge and expertise, all made Lok want to hope again. He couldn't deny it. They hadn't been acquaintances for very long now, a simple job having bonded them. But there was a certain charisma about him that pulled people in. Lok could certainly tell he was a pure politician who knew the game. And yet Lok could neither deny his own experiences.

Lok chuckled again, this time albeit in a different matter as embarrassment came into the moment. Shaking his head, he spoke. "Bah, forget the ramblings. I'm just a hired mercenary. What do I know of Politics and the weight of society? Nah. You continue being you and prove me wrong. I'll protect your along the way, yes?"

Sitting forward, he offered Nathan the flask.

@Alhon​

 

[Nathan Braxon]

Nathan smiled at Lok’s cynical assessment of human nature. “You’re not wrong” the Senator agreed “we’re all animals, fighting our base impulses every day. The instinct to survive is stronger than most”. But there were other instincts, including the pack mentality that made many want to band together. The task was convincing people that their best chance of survival lay in combining their resources.

”We’ll make an optimist of you yet Lok” Nathan smiled, accepting a drink. “But yes, in the meantime your protection skills will do. We are headed for the Galactic Senate building itself, or what remains of it. The whole district was ravaged by the hordes of Darth Raze. Aside from natural dangers, we may face some unnatural ones….”.

The Senator steeled himself against the possibility. This would be the most risky venture he had ever voluntarily entered into, but Lok needed to understand why it mattered. “Symbols tell a story Lok - we go searching for those that will help me revive the image of the New Republic; the original Declaration signed by the founding worlds and the ceremonial gavel of the Supreme Chancellor“.

They were small items, small enough to have perhaps survived the destruction. In Nathan’s hands, they would be lightning rods to call others to his banner.

@Mythos

 

[Skyshatter]

Lok chuckled at Nathan's comradery and jest. To make an optimistic out of him would likely entail a complete reset of his life and experiences, but he welcomed the attempt wholeheartedly. If anyone could do it, he was starting to realize that it would be Nathan. And yet, there was hopefulness lost in his heart. He couldn't see himself experiencing life any differently than how he saw it today. Only the drive to bring Nathan's fruitful vision to life. Perhaps all Lok needed was a friend to stand beside in dire times, unlike the moments leading up to and following his current outlook.

The day he slaughtered his wife and child, the day he felt the birthing of the Sith Poison circulating in the veins of his form, and the living hell he endured afterwards, he had always stood alone. And in him grew a bitterness. Not just against those that placed themselves above others for their gifts in the Force, but against the aspirations of those who could weaponize science for personal gain as Sentient Societies often did. And out of that bitterness, he lost all hope in the future of the Galaxy, resorting and finding contentment in playing the portrayal he felt the Force had meant him to.

But Nathan stood before him on the opposing spectrum, full of purpose and convicted in his hopefulness of the Future. His convictions both made Lok envious and drawn in, a desire to play a part in it even if it brought ruin to either. Perhaps his heart began to beat for the first time since his loss. Or maybe he found himself swept up in Nathan's charisma. Lok was unsure. Only that his mind about going with Nathan was long made up.

"My blade is yours." Lok spoke, laying the hilt before Nathan and scooting it across the table with the tips of his fingers, a symbolism of his oath being made with the Senator. "You need not ask for it, only to activate it."

Metaphorically speaking. Lok didn't actually expect the Senator to actually ignite the blade, at least, without some training to wield it. But he meant what he said. Whether he was simply a tool to be wielded, or considered a true friend, didn't become a hindrance on Lok's decision to do this. No. Only that for the first time in many years, he felt to be a part of something greater than himself, or rather, that could lead to something greater than himself.

Grabbing his hilt from the table, Lok stood up and clipped it on his side. Nathan..." He spoke to Senator before calling out to "Stamper..." and speaking loud enough that bother could hear. "I guess our next stop shall be the Galactic Senate Building on Coruscant."

@Alhon

 

[Nathan Braxon]

Nathan was pretty good at reading people, he made a point of it. But Lok Skyshatter was more difficult than he could ever have guessed, a man with more layers than he could count. One minute the former Jedi chuckled, the next he looked more thoughtful than an aged monk. There were practically the same age and yet Lok managed to seem both younger and older at times.

But he eventually slid his lightsaber hilt across the table, offering his blade. Nathan regarded it for a moment, more uneasy about the weapon than Lok could possibly guess. It spoke of a path he tried never to think about. He almost breathed a sigh of relief when the mercenary picked it back up.

”I promise to use it well” Nathan smiled, rising to his feet. “Stamper and Skyshatter” it sounded quite the duo “I am fortunate in my friends“ he smirked. Truly he had taken another step in building his team tonight. With these two men by his side, he was a more formidable force.

* * * *
​

They took the night and then some to sleep off the spirits, but eventually they were ready to make for Coruscant. It was a short hop into the Core from Gatalenta and Nathan spent it pouring over the schematic of the old Senate building. He knew where the items they sought were before the fall, but whether they would be easy to find in a half collapsed ruin was anyone’s guess.

They set down in the shadow of the vast Senate dome, pockmarked and mishapen from Raze’s assault on the planet. Nathan ordered Stamper to stay with the ship, ensuring they would always have a way out. The security chief was reluctant to leave him solely in Lok’s hands, but he never disobeyed a direct order.

”There’s an old service entrance up ahead” Nathan explained to Lok. He had exchanged his suit for his covert field gear, giving him limited protection and obscuring his appearance. The whole area was derelict, some of it still burning from self-sustaining gas fires, but they could potentially encounter other scavengers or worse. The Senator would prefer not be recognised.

”I can’t speak for the conditions inside, or whether any of Raze’s creatures may have been left behind” he said solemnly “are you ready?”.

@Mythos

 

[Skyshatter]

After Lok returned with the remainder of the alcohol from his rental, Lok would spend the remainder of the night carrying on in a drunken bliss until he, along with Nathan, passed out from his intoxication. When morning finally came, however, Lok would likely be the first up and boiling away a canister of insta-caf with his gear strewn across the remnants of a table as he cleaned, processed, and checked the power levels of his weapons. He didn't want to go into a red zone unprepared.

When they arrived at Coruscant, Lok had made sure he memorized the blueprints to heart, ensuring her knew every shaft, fortification, and blindspots that it showed to hold. Geared up in his usual armor and weapons, Lok also brought along a small disrupter pistol and a few Ion charges for safe measure. But most important was the addition that now sat upon his wrist, a Mandalorian Flamethrower, compliments of the creds he earned from his last mission. It seemed Lok made an early morning trip into a nearby town before they left.

"I've heard of Raze and his 'Exalted' creatures. Heard they held a weakness to light and fire." Lok spoke as they headed to disembark the ship via the gangplank. "Hopefully there's some truth to it, or we're not going to fair very well against them."

Lok took the lead as they disembarked onto the surface of Coruscant amidst Raze's carnage and destruction. Scanning the area around them, the immediate area seemed to have very little life to it, if any. Motioning for Nathan to follow, Lok headed in the direction of the service entrance but kept his gear's scans set to interval checks, making his moves meticulous and well planned as the duo moved forward. The need for caution was at the utmost importance and Lok kept his finger upon his rifle's trigger for good measure.

This wasn't like his last mission. Although stealth was still a possibility if the cards were played right, it was a slim outcome in this open of an area. "3 Clicks to the Service Entrance. You ready?"

@Alhon

 

[Nathan Braxon]

Nathan stood back, looking at Lok all tooled up and confident. The other man had a baseline capability about him that was impressive, even more so now that the Senator knew the emotional baggage Lok carried all the time. Stamper was the only man Nathan had truly trusted, but as he looked at Lok right now he half hoped he could be the second.

“I don’t plan for us to grapple with them unless something goes wrong” he said, hoping Lok’s flamethrower would not be needed. Nathan had seen an exalted, but he had read reems of reports about them. Meeting one was unlikely to end well for them.

Nathan kept close to Lok as they headed in, hands constantly checking the blaster and vibroblade at his belt. He made sure he kept up with how to use both, but he prayed he would not need to.

They made it into a service hallway and Nathan circled the perimeter, identifying the two doors. Their first objective - the original Declaration of a New Republic - would have been in the Chancellor’s office. The most direct route there was via the stairwell.

Nathan keyed open the door for the stairwell. The door retracted sluggishly, apparently because something was pressed against it. Too late, he took in the mass of eyes and tentacles of a slumbering exalted. The beast awoke, one of its limbs whipping around on instinct to knock him to his feet.

Fuck.


6/20 for entry success

@Mythos

 

[Skyshatter]

And things went horribly wrong. His off hand quickly grappled at Nathan through the Force, the Senator likely sliding back across the durasteel plates upon his toes just before Lok stepped forward with his dominate hand and let loose an arid fume of his flame thrower. Much like napalm, this liquid oozed out of the tubing connected to a canister upon his hip and as it lit, it spread upon the skin it connected like oil as it bubbled against the heat, and spreading like foam as it coursed the form. This is what awaited the Exalted, an pitiful creature that despite it's mystical prowess, found its self with a dead Master. It was quick to retreat up the stairs to higher levels.

D20: 13; attempted murder of Exalted Fiend

"You alright?" Lok questioned as he quickly turned to Nathan out of concern, quick to ensure none of the liquid fire had attached its self to his friend in his quick reaction to the fiend. As it seemed Nathan was safe, Lok ran his hand across his braided hair as his adrenaline kicked into overdrive and Lok realized what had truly transpired. "What the hell was that? Was that an Exalted? Did we.... are we.... you okay?

Lok was as breathless as could be, or rather, with his words as the reality of the moment took hold and slowly dissipated. He hadn't even thought to ignite his lightsaber as pure instinct had kicked in. Or training. Whichever you chose to believe. With a heavy sigh, it was obvious that this adventure was going to be one for the history crons, if they survived. As his panic subsided, he looked back to the stairway, before turning back to Nathan.

"Are you sure we have to go this way?" He questioned in a half hearted jest. "Mean, it could have gotten off on one of the levels above, but we've no way of knowing if it'll attack again."

Even upon a Rancor's skin, the liquid emptied from that canister would likely cause the creature to think twice about reoccurring wounds from something that likely felt excruciating. But legends say the Exalted held no true train of thought, a simple hunger. Wounded, yes. Dead, possibly. There was no way of telling with this one. But would it dare tred against the two remaining canisters that clung to his belt as he pulled the tubing from the empty one and switched it to one of the remaining two? If it wasn't dead, another attempt would bring it swiftly.

@Alhon

 

[Nathan Braxon]

The thought that this was how he would die flashed through Nathan’s mind as he was near knocked to the floor. He even found a a nanosecond to contemplate his own funeral.

Then he was sliding backwards, unnaturally suspended like a puppet in the air. Only when Lok stepped past him, unleashing fire on the thing and driving it away, did he realise the former Jedi had used the Force. Used it on him.

“Expertly done” he breathed, adrenaline making him pant and cough. In truth, he real feeling was far less logical and business like. Lok had probably saved his life. Again Nathan looked at his dark eyed friend with respect and admiration, though he tried not to let it show.

”I am fine” he said quickly, brushing himself down. Lok worked for him and yet having to be saved like a damsel so early on made Nathan feel a little embarrassed and self-conscious. “I think we can safely say that was an exalted yes”. The way its look and anatomy broke every law of nature told him he was right.

“We move to plan B” he said, turning towards the other door as if he had always had the possibility in mind. It led through the Senate library and ultimately up a different stairwell to the Chancellors office. Longer, more fraught with danger, but so be it.

Nathan keyed the second door and stood back this time, but the entry slid open without incident. The library beyond appeared dimly lit by emergency lighting and no creatures reared their heads as they passed through. Any other time, the Senator would have peered over the records for information he could use, but they could not afford delay today.

They made it about halfway across before an earsplitting wrench split the air. Nathan flinched, glancing up, and spied several beetle like exalted perched higher up in a reading gallery, seemingly tearing at debris looking for food. One of them sniffed at the air suddenly, seeming to spot the two men down below.

“I suggest we run!” Nathan shouted and burst into a sprint for the stairwell at the far end.

11/20 for library passage

@Mythos

 

[Skyshatter]

"I see." Was Lok's only response to not only Nathan's words, but upon the moment that lingered the reality that they had come to birth in their transgressions. The Exalted... a fairy tale told to the younglings of his former Order, and likely to children all across the Galaxy to somber and humble acts of ill deeds and selfishness... come to life as they trekked the halls of the Senate Building. In truth, this was likely the first time in the entirety of his life that his blood froze and his mind fraught the primordial aspect of fear. And Lok did not care to linger too long in place.

When Nathan took the lead, Lok made sure to position himself close to his compatriot, taking not a position behind the man entirely, but closer to his side so that if the moment called for it, he could step to the forefront. And that would be the pace he set, at least for the moments that passed until the shrieking startled both simultaneously. The corridors of the Senate Library were ill lit, the atmosphere almost palpable and impossible to see. So when the shrieks began, Lok held little time to react, even as Nathan took off in his sprint.

"Wait.. what?.. Oh kriff." Jumbled words echoed from Lok's lips in a primal gutter as his vision shifted across the blackness of his surroundings, void of movement until the moment they came into the light as his lightsaber was the first to ignite amidst his reaction to the fluttering of wings. Back turned toward the front behind Nathan's retreat, Lok covered their rear and a barrage of illuminated volleys and parries as he took off behind the Senator. "Wait for me!"

To say the reality of the moment was both lost and unlost upon the former Jedi's mind as they retreated into the safety of another stairwell was not an understatement. They were beings of pure evil incarnate, primordial aspects of the darkside. But they were once human, or at least, sentient as well. Which made their reaction to them a conundrum to say the least, lost souls torn asunder by the corruption of darkness voluntary and involuntary all the same. But for Lok, the less they had to entangle with them, the better, for both sides.

Behind the safety of the stairwells sealed door, Lok looked back to those whom he had clipped with his blade, monstrosities which struggled against clipped wings or found limbs ichoring blackened blood as it dripped in puddles, causing both infighting amongst those who were unharmed over the prospects of food as much as those who felt his blade recoiled in defense to those who now hunted them. It was both a sobering moment as much as one of pity.

Turning to Nathan, Lok motioned for him to traverse farther in. The quicker they got this over with and away from Coruscant, the better.

@Alhon

 

[Nathan Braxon]

Nathan stood panting for a while after Lok slid the door shut. He was not unfit to look at, indeed he had Stamper take him through a regular workout to maintain an attractive physique, but he was always slack with the cardio. Now it showed.

The young Senator supposed it had been a little selfish to make a break for it with barely a thought for Lok. But he was self aware enough to know he had that tendency. It was not that he did not care about the guy at all - in fact he was rapidly coming to care more for his welfare than most - be was Nathan was no used to anyone dead.

"Well done with those things" he said, pulling himself together. "That's hopefully the hard part behind us". After a brief pause, they headed up the stairwell. Nathan remembered his way despite the dust, debris and dimly lit halls and they eventually found themselves in the doorway of the Chancellor's old office.

"So much ruined" Nathan seethed. Guys like him spent most of their lives hoping to ascend to offices like this. Like this had been. The ramshackle eyesore of a room before them made that a joke. What was the point. What was the point of trusting in democracy and the rule of law when they were powerless to save themselves from destruction. The last Republic had been broken long before Raze, but it could not even find its backbone to repel an evil as great as he.

The great window behind the desk was shattered, allowing pallid light to spill into the ashen room. Perhaps that was why no exalted appeared to have made their home here. Nathan stepped gingerly through the debris, working his way to the left hand wall. He saw the outline of a frame hanging awkwardly on the wall at an angle.

"Our first prize" he breathed, reaching out to gently lift the encased Declaration of a New Republic down. It was an actual paper document, bearing the signatures of great figures from the past. It could remind many what just a few could achieve.

"Look sharp!" Nathan called out, pulling his blaster free and firing at a security turret that had been lazily descending from the ceiling. Of course the antique was alarmed; it was fortunate there was barely any power in the grid.

"The second one won't be so easy" Nathan said as he busily began to roll the parchment into a protective bag. "The Chancellor's gavel isn't kept in here - it has pride of place in the chamber". The vast Senate chamber, or what remained of it, was a large space entombed deep within the centre of the building. It was almost certainly where any remaining creatures would gather.

15/20 declaration recovery success

@Mythos

 

[Skyshatter]

"Those abominations are true to their stature and in name" He jested with a smirk across his face. His eyes, however, spoke of concern and duress. "Their presence in the Force, it's corrupt and tainted. Their existence is a blight, nothing about it."

Their rise to the Chancellor's Office was a mild trek, but at every movement, every heaval of noise, Lok would shift his gaze back and search his surroundings through the Force and honing on close signatures. But for the most part, they seemed to stay at a distance, content on not following them any farther, or possible couldn't. Letting his guard down, Lok would take in the room where Palpatine once worked.

Yes, he knew of the tales. It was standard history for Jedi. Mistakes that should never been made again. And yet, within the Force, he could the events like a Nexus, both of Dark and Light, as the culmination of the Old Republic and the Galactic Empire that followed. For Lok, it was a surreal feeling, the lingering emotions that flowed through the Senate Building like stale air.

Ducking as Nathan called out, the blaster bolt whizzed by his form with emerald conviction before disrupting the power flow to a recognizable turret. He chuckled as he looked back to Nathan, his debt for the events of earlier repaid. "Aye. That was too close for comfort."

"Then we best be sure to be quick and quite about it." Lok jested moments later in response to the possibility of their second target being a harder prize to get and where they would go. "Likely the center of their congregation. We're literally going to walk into the center of the Corellian Hell. I like it!

And yet, as he spoke these words, his adrenaline in overdrive at the realization, a part of him was deeply hesitant. As much as the danger excited him in the moment, he couldn't help but feel a deep reluctance to even attempt it. "I'll follow your lead."

@Alhon