Ask Secluded

[Darth Caelestis]

Artorigas looked up into the sky as the two ships flew away from their secluded meeting site, the traders/smugglers/ depending on what side you stood upon had upheld their end of the bargain. Securing a rare and unique item that the Sith Councillor had eyes on for some time, his mind was still not out of the gutter, drink was always on the edge of his thoughts and his mood flip flopped from melancholy to anger. But a singular thought had shifted into his mind a few weeks ago and this thought had pushed away at least some of that self-deprecating attitude in a direction which could benefit himself, Avillion and perhaps even the Sith Empire proper.

The Sith Noble stood at the edge of the platform, wind whipped through the long dark trench coat half of his face was covered in a mask. He doubted the traders or anyone else who saw him could identify him as the Sith Councillor Artorigas Wessex, there were too many Human's in the galaxy for his fact to be unique. But one with his looks, accent and dealing with these items could bring some unwanted attention. So caution was at its extreme, his face was half covered, hair dyed blonde, beard shaved and not a sign of his allegiance in sight. He left his lightsaber in the ship, carrying only a blaster at his hip, no members of Avillion had joined him out here on this remote jungle world, outside help had come been brought in instead.

Some would worry about working with a hired gun, but Artorigas had worked with Corvax before. It seemed like an eternity ago, he was but a lowly Acolyte, a second son of House Wessex. Now look were he stood. Turning towards the man he nodded towards the ship. "Well that was simpler than expected."

@Taz

 

[Covax]

Covax watched the ships fly off as Art was doing the same. The meeting had gone off without a hitch, which was a little odd in his experience. Smugglers typically like to change the deal or haggle for a little extra. Not always but more often then not. So the simple "here you go" of it bothered the merc. Or, perhaps he was just getting to used to be shot at.

The merc stood only feet away from this Sith employer. Dressed in his usual combat armor that told the galaxy he was a hired gun. Along with his hand cannon that he never left his ship without, and the usual utilities on his belt. Art wanted company just in case but assured the towering sized human in how did he put it, "We're not going to war Mr. Covax. I think you can leave the explosives." So he did as Art requested, even left his rifle behind.

The lower profile bodyguard approach was not new to the mercenary, stand around a look mean was part of the job description. However he did not expect the Sith to be in costume. A little perhaps but Art had gone to great lengths to make himself look anything but noble. Covax was aware the man had risen within the Sith Empire and some manner of adviser to the Empress, but did he really need to look like a bad holo animation character.

"Some times you get lucky." He commented to the Sith's statement. "And sometimes you way overthink it." A dig as the Sith's need for anonymity.

@Braden Drake

 

[Darth Caelestis]

Artorigas turned to face the hulking Mercenary a half smile crept across the side of the face Corvax could see. "Overthinking got me to where I am today." He replied. When he thought back later he could hear the hum of thrusters in the distance, but for some reason he had ignored it, his mind too occupied on returning to the ship and home with his new score. He held the metal cannister containing his prise in his right hand, making his way towards the shuttle about thirty yards behind Corvax.

As he passed the Mercenary, he felt it, that itch on the back of his neck, The Force telling him he was in danger. Sensed went into overdrive, The mythical energy poured into his body, but it was too late to really do anything. From the corner of his eye he saw a missile plough into the side of the shuttle. The explosive warhead ripped into its lightly defended hull igniting the starship fuel, Artorigas was able to pull some of The Force around him to protect him the worse of the explosion.

But it was all to no avail as a ball of fire flowing out all across the stone ledge, the force of the detonation flinging the Sith Councillor off the side of the cliff edge. He tumbled through the air, as he spun he caught glimpses of flying bodies whizzing past the destruction. Then came the trees first it was light twigs easily breaking under his body weight, but they quickly became thicker slowing his momentum before he hit the branches which smashed into his spine, shoulder, leg, stomach before finally hitting the jungle floor.

And it all went black.

@Taz

 

[Covax]

Covax cocked his helmeted head in a question. Not at Art's statement, as it was clear from the moment they met he was different from his fellow Sith. Both in his ambitions and level of planning and thinking things through. No, rather it was the smile on his face. In all his encounters with the Noble, never once did he smile. "So it would seem." he agreed with a nod of acceptance.

It was in that very moment in all went to shit. He was half turned to walk Art to his shuttle when the odd noise suddenly rang in his helmet. Like the sound of a missile being fired from a ship. "Did.." the only word to leave his mouth as he turned to find the source of the sounds. The sudden blast robbed him of the rest.

The hulking mercenary was suddenly and violently through from the stone platform. The way a child might cast a stone across the yard. He felt heat on his back, wind ripping past him. Pain racked him, bits of metal and people few around him. Before he could think he was falling, dropping. The worlds turned a greenish blue and he plunged into it like the stone his body had become.

@Braden Drake

 

[Darth Caelestis]

The darkness faded away to pain, his every inch of him was crying out in agony. He was on his side, he could tell that through the throbbing, he kept his eyes closed for a moment trying to gain some semblance of awareness of his surroundings. Using the physical pain he drew countless amounts of Force Energy into his body, he sent it out liked tendrils trying to sense any danger around him. He found nothing at least at the moment, a few small mammals hid in the trees, the birds having taken flight when he crashed through the canopy. A little way from him he felt the beating heart of Corvax. At lease he had survived.

Opening his eyes he immediately noticed the missing mask, turning onto his back sent a combination of stabbing pains through his body. The main culprits came from his ribs and his leg, the former was at least cracked as every breath brought pain. His leg was worse, any attempt to flex the lower half sent waves of suffering so great he almost threw up. That was broken for sure, apart from that it seemed to be mainly brusiers and cuts, nothing a little Bacta wouldn't cure in an hour or two.

With The Force to give him strength and settle his stomach Artorigas pulled himself towards the trunk of the tree which had stopped his fall. It was two feet at best but every inch hurt like hell. Turning to face the undergrowth around him he began scanning it, first for enemies, then the cannister and finally Corvax. "Corvax." He called out through the trees, hoping his voice would raise or summon the Mercenary. He held the blaster across his lap as he waited, it was more for show than anything. There was enough pain and rage running through his body that every ounce of him hummed with the Dark Side, any enemy who walked within range of him would snap like a twig.

@Taz

 

[Covax]

His name suddenly rang in his head like a thunder clap, as if spoken like a word of power. It worked. He shot up suddenly from the floating position his body was in. Suddenly flailing and then swimming to the near by shoreline. Once he felt mud and sand under his boots he walked the rest of the way, until it was shallow enough to him to fall to his knees. So he did. Taking a few breaths to to collect himself.

Smoke on the horizon caught his eyes and he suddenly looked toward the rock landing pad well over 20 meters away and high above. "Shit!" he blurted. Suddenly realizing he wasn't dead but he should be. "Art!... Art?" more a statement and then a shout of question. The merc took a quick assessment of himself. Finding his gear and weapons mostly intact, his body not broken but feeling like it went 6 rounds with a hand to hand combat training droid.

Getting to his feet and made his way into the nearby tree line. Just as he did so his head darted to the sound of craft flying over and landing. His helmeted eyes glancing over to the source. A shuttle landing near the site of Art's now blown up craft, while another ship seemingly covering the craft in support. It was suddenly clear who fired on them.

Quickly now, he moved a little deeper into the tree stand, as he found the Sith Lord resting on a tree nearly as wide as a speeder. "Not a great time to rest." He commented sarcastically, then noticed the leg. "Well, you picked a fine time to become mortal." again ribbing the Sith as he took a knee near the leg.

 

[Darth Caelestis]

Artorigas could hear the roar of engines high above them, whoever had attacked them was hanging around to check for survivors. Did they know he was a Sith? No normal human would have survived the blast from that close, or where they about to start the search for his little box. Whatever was going to happen he would not got down without a fight, Artorigas' hand bolted from his lap as Covax moved into view. The mercenary was lucky that the adrenaline pumping through him had sharpened the Sith Lord's mind for if he was a millisecond later Covax would be lying on the grass a neck snapped clean in two.

He chuckled at the man's stupid excuse of a sarcastic comment. "What did I say about calling me Art?" He hated the nickname, only his father and older brother had called him that and look what happened to both of them. The rumble of engines became louder as something flew overhead, he hoped there sensors were only visual as the canopy would keep them from being spotted at least for a short time. "Well I wanted you to pull your weight for a change, I don't pay you stand there and look pretty. Any medical experience in that inflated CV of yours?"

@Taz

 

[Covax]

Covax glanced up again as the roar of the engines continued. They had some time, but likely not much. Looking back toward his benefactor. "If you expect me to ever call you Lord or Master, Mustafar will freeze over before that happens. Besides I can't keep up with all the damn titles you guys use."

The merc then took a knee near the Sith's broken leg, and pulled out the medkit from his utility belt. "Just the basics, the kind of shit a medical droid teaches grunts just before they're shipped out to war." He didn't allow the man much time to argue the point. Instead rolling up a package of bacta pads to stuff into the man's mouth. Then without warning, set the leg so the bone was no longer exposed. Then filled the area with a bacta spray, and sealing that with a spray brace of hardening medical grade foam. Finally, giving the man a stim-shot in the leg well above the brace. To ease some of the suffering.

Covax then put the kit back together and away on his belt, before helping the Sith to his one good leg. "We need to move, where's the box?" The merc had no doubts they were running short on time. When they didn't find bodies on the landing pad, the Mandos would start hunting on foot.

 

[Darth Caelestis]

"Just Artorigas." He grumbled between the bacta pads stuffed in his mouth. Artorigas let out a scream biting down hard on the pads as the mercenary re-set the bone. The pain shot through his system twice over, once as a negative experience his nervous system crying out for mercy and the second time waves of Dark Side energy filling his entire body with power fed by that pain. By the times his eyes had cleared from the pain Covax was over halfway done in sorting the wound.

He placed his arm across the mercenary as he pulled him to his feet, grunting as fresh pain and power washed over him. He reached out with The Force at the man's comment about the box, it took time to sense the dead object but he soon found it. "About a hundred meters that way." He said nodding in the direction, it was perpendicular to the old landing pad, not great. He would prefer further away but he needed that package otherwise all this would have been for nought.

@Taz