Ask The Most Dangerous Game

[Kliedden Raxx]

Klied couldn't help but smirk as he approached the bar of the star yacht he was traveling on. The other passengers standing around immediately turned to him with confused or disdainful looks, some even seeming perturbed by his wild appearance and walking away. It never ceased to amuse the beast hunter how out of place he had become to his native high society. He very much enjoyed using his family's wealth to secure passage on the most expensive ships, just so he could torment his fellow aristocrats with his uncultured presence. It was something his uncle had loved to do as well. He was happy to keep the tradition alive.

But of course he had a guest with him on this trip, and didn't want to be inhospitable. He ordered two drinks from the unnerved bartender, one for himself and the other for the Mandalorian River Wren, or at least the Mandalorian he thought was River Wren. He returned to their booth with a smile, sliding Song her drink as he sat down across from her. "Comfortable?" He asked, clearly reveling in the looks they were getting. Mandalorians weren't exactly a welcome sight around here either. "We should be touching down in Kunbal in a few hours. We'll have to tread carefully, word has it two tribes in the area are on the brink of war. We won't want to get caught in the middle of that..." Normally Klied would never risk hunting in an area under such circumstances, but war on Kalee was more common than the changing seasons. There was always fighting going on somewhere, Kunbal was one of the few regions where the tribes weren't currently at each others throats. So they had little choice.

It had been some time since Klied last visited Kalee. Were it not such a war-torn mess he'd hunt here far more often. The Kaleesh were his kind of people. Deeply steeped in hunter traditions and appreciating of the animalistic nature of all sentient beings. They understood the importance of being able to survive with nothing. They could stand to be a little less bloodthirsty, but Klied still had a tremendous level of respect for them. He had a tremendous level of respect for Song as well, the Mandalorian that had fought side by side and nearly died with him on Dantooine just a few weeks ago. He was hoping to get to know the Mandalorian better, and perhaps find a new hunting partner on this journey. He chuckled as he focused on her unreadable helmet. "Maybe I'll get me one of those bone masks for myself. Bet I could pull off the faceless wanderer look twice as well as you." He joked as he took a gulp of his drink.

@Feng Mian

 

[Song Wren]

Song was pleasantly surprised to discover the beast hunter hailed from a wealthy family, and had booked their journey to Kalee aboard a star yacht. She had half-expected to wallow in the cockpit of a rust-bucket ship, but there she was, with a private room and servers who attended to her every need. A part of her reveled in the treatment, but the Mandalorian side? It made her uncomfortable. Not the glares, but the lifestyle. It was a far echo from what she was used to. What she did.

Still, Song knew the lavish trip would reach its end the second they were on Kalee. That was when the real adventure would begin.

The bounty hunter sat opposite from Klied in their cushioned booth, a glass of spotchka in her right hand. She raised it to the drinking apparatus in her helmet, taking the occasional sip. Song rarely drank, but in this case, it lightened her spirits. “Pretty comfortable,” she said, even if that wasn’t the whole truth. “I know I’ve said this before, but… it still surprises me that you got this much credits to throw around.”

She laughed, then slumped back into her seat. “And don’t worry. I got it. Avoid the natives, enjoy the hunt. Sounds easy enough.”

Song glanced over to see a young woman clad in a sparkling white dress staring at the two them. Not with disgust, but obvious interest. The Mandalorian rolled her eyes. Rich people. Although she wondered what Klied really thought of them, whether or not if he was even open to the idea of interacting with them. Of a relationship. She always took him as the kind of man who only loved the nature and the hunt. Nothing more.

“You could get one,” she said, imagining him in one of the bone masks the local Kaleesh liked to wear. ”Though I seriously doubt you could pull the look off better than I can.” She leaned in over the table and stared straight at him through her expressionless visor. “Besides, too late. Already know what you look like.”

She smiled. Song enjoyed these kind of conversations, just as much as the hunt. Even if she struggled to adapt to her extravagant surroundings, it was never hard talking with Klied. Since Dantooine, they shared a unique kind of relationship. A hunter’s bond.

@Reyn

 

[Kliedden Raxx]

"My family is well established on Onderon," Klied explained. He thought of the labyrinthine Raxx family tree his uncle had once showed him, his head spinning as he tried to remember all the counts and dukes they were related to. He took another sip of his drink to get his mind off it. "Never cared much for the society, but the bank account is something I've taken great advantage of." It was fairly clear from his expression he was uncomfortable talking about his noble heritage, he felt it didn't really define who he was at all.

Klied followed Song's gaze to the attractive young woman sitting across the room, looking at them with a suggestive smile. The hunter immediately feigned a cough to look away and cover his mouth. As the Mandalorian looked back she could notice the man suddenly looked bashful. Almost like a flustered teenager. At Song's words of "You could get one," His head immediately turned up, flushed with embarrassment.

"W-What?" He stuttered out, although as he realized she was responding to his remarks about getting a mask he became a little more relieved. As she brought the conversation back around he managed to recover his more confident demeanor somewhat, giving the Mandalorian a sly grin in response to the remark about her already knowing what he looked like. "Well I guess I'll have to kill you then..." He joked, taking on a mocking gravelly voice that somewhat mimicked Song's voice modulator. He chuckled and raised his glass to finish his drink when the ship suddenly shook violently.

The hunter reflexively grabbed the side of the table to steady himself, though he couldn't stop his spotchka from going all over the surface. Screams rang out as the less prepared passengers were thrown off their feet, one waiter sending a platter of food scattering across the floor. Suddenly the room was in an uproar as everyone was blabbering and demanding what had happened. In another moment the captain's clearly unnerved voice came over the comm, trying his best to sound calm. "We apologize for the unexpected turbulence," He explained. "We're experiencing some minor technical difficulties, but everything is under control. Please remain calm and return to your cabins." Klied looked to Song. Any experienced spacer could tell exactly what had just happened. The ship had just been winged by a warning shot. "This planet never changes..." The hunter said with a sigh. So much for a pleasant hunting trip.

@Feng Mian

 

[Song Wren]

“Kill me?” she said, biting back a laugh. “You could try.”

Before she could jab him a second time, the ship lurched. On instinct, pure reflexive nature, Song grabbed her own glass of spotchka, balancing the drink in one hand so as not to have it spill in her lap. She recognized the sudden turbulence from many of her travels across the Outer Rim—it was an evasive maneuver. Just what was going on outside the ship?

“Maybe a yacht wasn’t a good idea after all,” said Song, polishing off the last of her spotchka through the drinking apparatus she had recently installed into her helmet. Beat using a straw.

She slid out of her seat, rising to take a look at the cabin. Other passengers were shaken, more irritated than frightened. A woman in a fur coat was already babbling to one of the attendants, demanding a new drink to replace the one she lost. Song rolled her eyes. The rich never changed. She knew, were the ship to crash, they would not survive even an hour alone on the planet below.

She glanced over to Klied, arms crossing. “After our last hunt, I have a feeling this isn’t going to go the way either of us expect. I hope you’ve got a plan.”

Song could have come up with her own. An outline in case of a worst case scenario, but she trusted Klied was better suited for the task. He knew the planet, the tribes, the hunt. He had been the one to initiate this adventure in the first place, it was only natural he be the one to make sure it went the way it should.

Then again, a part of her hoped it would go differently. She loved a challenge as much as a good surprise. Her only hope was that she left it alive.

@Reyn

 

[Kliedden Raxx]

Klied bit his lip as Song asked if he had a plan, already deep in thought. If they were being attacked it was most likely coming from Kalee itself. The Kaleesh weren't very friendly to outsiders at the best of times, and if a war had just broken out in the region they'd be hostile towards any ship in their space. Looking across the cabin and seeing the passengers filled him with a dull sense of dread. These people were as good as dead. He certainly didn't like it but that was the truth. They could try to turn the ship around and jump away but this vessel wasn't built for combat. In all likelihood they were going down in the Kunbal jungle. Klied had hunted there many times, knew how to survive. These people though wouldn't stand a chance. As he looked Song in the eye his expression would tell her exactly what he was thinking.

"Try to get them ready to hop in the escape pods on a moment's notice. Make sure to save one for us." He said as he stood up and headed towards the cockpit. "I'm gonna see if I can still unkark us here..." He pushed pass the attendants with little effort to make his way into the cockpit, drawing surprised glances from the pilots. They were sweating, eyes wide with fear. Yeah, they definitely weren't prepared for this.

"What the hell are you doing here?" The co-pilot asked sharply, his fear clearly overriding his manners. "We said to get back to your cabin!" Klied ignored him as he looked at the readings on the console.

"What's the situation?" He asked calmly, taking an authoritative tone. The pilot looked at him. He was an older man, though still just as nervous as his colleague. But he seemed to recognize Klied knew what he was doing.

"Someone on the surface fired on us, I'm trying to hail them." He explained, and flipped a few switches. "We transmitted our ID as soon as we entered the system and they cleared us. They know we're civilian I don't understand..."

"Forget that." Klied cut in bluntly. "Turn the ship around and chart a hyperspace jump, anywhere will do. They're going to shoot us down."

"That's... gonna take some time..." The pilot muttered uneasily but followed Klied's order. Unfortunately it didn't matter. The sensors indicated another projectile heading for the ship. The pilot took evasive action again, violently banking the ship to the side to try and avoid the blast. He succeeded in preventing everyone from being blasted into dust but not from taking a fatal blow to the ship's engines. "Dammit! We're going down!" He shouted. Klied sighed.

"I'm sorry boys I really am. If either of you have any weapons I suggest you retrieve them now. You're gonna need them..." Without waiting for a response Klied turned to exit the cockpit, ignoring the co-pilot asking what he meant. He needed to find Song and get off the ship. Maybe if they could make it to the surface alive they could try and regroup with the other survivors and lead them to safety but now all he could afford to think about was his own survival.

@Feng Mian