Ask Nar Shaddaa Time to Bounce

[Kyosuke Yamato]

Nar Shaddaa, early 148 ABY, midnight
skyslums near the redacted nightclub
current theme

Pinned down... Not the best way to start a mission, Kyosuke Yamato thought to himself as he poked the corner of his hooded head out of the vacant vendor stall he'd taken cover in. Four of the Zhou family's decently skilled bouncers had chased him from the area near one of their little hideouts and were closing in on his position. He hoped the distraction at least gave his droid, Gremlin, enough time to scout the target location. Kyo wasn't sure how things had gotten this bad between the Zhou and Yamato families -- they'd been close allies for about as long as he could remember, but he wasn't in a position to dwell on that now. Unfortunately, the stall he had foolishly decided to dive into had some random appliances that gave off some dim orange light, which flickered intermittently and nearly put his stealth at a disadvantage. Thankfully the faint glow didn't reveal too much of him when it hit his armorweave cloak.

Kyosuke ducked his head back down as one of the men in a black shimmersilk suit looked his way, then barely heard the guy yell something to the others that were still catching up. "Dank farrik..." Kyo cursed under his breath and let out a frustrated sigh through the black armorweave facemask that covered the bottom half of his face. He couldn't risk exposing his identity by starting a dialog, and he wasn't sure he'd be able to hide the fact he's a Jedi if he used any obvious Force techniques in front of them. It was beginning to look like he was going to have to get into an old-fashioned scramble. He quickly drew his Smartpad Dataphone, swiped over to an application for private messaging, and quickly punched in:

P1N-N3D

He then hastily sent the message to his contact and stashed the device back into the front right zipper pocket of his black pants. The footsteps grew louder, then slowed and began to approach at a seemingly cautious rate. Kyo realized he was about to be detected, and unaware of whether or not the goons had called any backup yet. It didn't matter though, he knew how things often went down in the underalleys of the Smuggler's Moon. The raven-haired young man took a few deep breaths to calm his nerves as he lowered his head, pulled back his large black cloak, and secured it into a small clasp at the back of his handmade outfit that helped to hold it in such a way that it'd be more like a long scarf -- his facemask and the hood of his shirt remained on, of course. A tiny spark of electricity then harmlessly jumped across his fingertips as he discreetly activated both of his jet-black shock gloves and felt their soft electrokinetic hum through the Force.

"We know you're in there. Come out and talk to us. We don't want to hurt you." A sinister snicker escaped the closest man as he came within a few meters and started to shine a narrow light from his stun glowrod over the messy counter and into the back of the cramped vendor stall.

Barely still hidden by the counter he was crouching behind, Kyo took one more deep breath, whipped his stun-set DG-34 Peacemaker out of its holster with his right hand, and planted his left palm on the countertop as he kicked his feet out above the counter while his body went parallel to it in a slightly low profile maneuver. With his right arm swinging through the air he swept his blaster pistol toward the nearest target, and started blasting.

 

[Kyosuke Yamato]

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The blue stun bolt from Kyosuke's DG-34 Peacemaker went wide over the closest bouncer's left shoulder as the man caught Kyo's right wrist and twisted it back. Pain shot down his arm and his momentum came crashing down across the counter as the man continued to pull back on Kyosuke's wrist. He then swiftly jabbed the tip of his pocket-sized stun glowrod into the young man's ribs and yanked him forward through the air toward the other bouncers in the dark alley.

"Nngh!!" Kyosuke groaned through clenched teeth and internally pushed outward in all directions through the Force, trying to direct the overwhelming tide of electrically charged particles away from shutting down his nervous system. His vision blurred and dipped for a moment while he put all of his focus into maintaining his concentration on altering the currents, until he suddenly hit the ground and slid between two of the other men. He could feel the swarm of unsettled sparks as they jumped across his muscles and nerves. His senses faded out and back in, then he felt the front of his body collide with durasteel as he was slammed up against one of the alley's walls.

"Cuff 'im." The initial bouncer ordered while he approached Kyosuke's fallen blaster pistol. A pulse of energy churned in Kyo's core as he gradually started to regain control of himself and was beginning to realize the situation he was in. His forearms were tightly being held together against the back of his hips, and it felt like he was being pinned against the wall by the largest of the four men. Then he heard the rattle of the stuncuffs as the other man next to him reached for the pair of cuffs in his pockets. Things weren't looking good for Kyosuke, and he sensed they were about to be much worse if he ended up getting captured.

The raven-haired young man kept his bright blue eyes closed and tried to feign a sense of unconsciousness as he slowly took in a long deep breath and focused on the flow of the Force through his body. He used his control to guide it down into his arms, gathered it into his muscles, and readied himself as he sensed the cuffs coming within a few inches of his wrists. It was now or never.

 

[Kyosuke Yamato]

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With the Force pooled into his arms and enhancing his strength, Kyosuke suddenly ripped his arms outward from the large man and broke free of the hold. He then quickly grabbed one end of the cuffs, and swiftly spun around to lock it to the wrist of the man that had pinned him. A sudden hit to his abs came from the scrawnier man who held the stuncuffs while Kyo had gone to move his grip from one end of the cuffs to the other. He winced and threw a quick jab into the guy's gut, who groaned through his teeth as the energy from Kyo's shock glove jolted through his body.

The large man next to him then slammed his bulbous fist up into the right side of Kyosuke's ribs. He grunted and winced as he tried to endure the pain, then swept the heel of his right foot into the back of the larger man's knee. The man's leg buckled forward and he was thrown off balance, which gave Kyo just enough of an opening to land a quick series of lightweight hits into the sides of both men. Each strike discharged more and more electrokinetic energy into each of their bodies, buying Kyo a few more seconds as he slapped the open-ended side of the cuffs onto the wrist of the man who drew them in the first place -- effectively locking the two men together. He then spun under their arms and away from the wall with a low spinning sweep that knocked them off their feet and brought them to the ground. Their heads smacked the durasteel metal hard as they fell, seemingly knocking them unconscious with the combination of several lightweight shocking hits they'd both taken.

There was barely enough time to catch a breath as the bouncer he hadn't scuffled with yet jumped into the fray - literally - landing his foot into the center of Kyosuke's chest. The sudden momentum threw him back into the wall, nearly knocking the wind out of him had he not tensed his biceps and back muscles in time to endure the impact. He hardly had a moment to react to the man's standard-sized stun glowrod as it swung down at him. Kyo pushed his forearms into the man's arm that held the glowrod to deflect the strike away from his body, before he then kicked out from the wall and dove into the center of the alley a couple meters away from the man's flank. The other Zhou with the Peacemaker remained calm on the other side of them and watched with an inquisitive expression.

The man with the regular length stun glowrod pursued Kyosuke as he rolled to his feet, swinging the blunt object toward the athletic young man. Kyo stepped back with his left foot, jerked his torso away from the weapon, and watched as the stun glowrod barely swept over. He then pushed the edge of his right forearm against the lower arm of the hand that swung out to keep the weapon from returning against him, and sent a pair of kicks up along the guy's right side thigh. The man staggered back slightly, bringing the base of the glowrod into Kyosuke's hand as the young man reached down to grab it, twist it, and swiftly pulled it into his own hand.

 

[Kyosuke Yamato]

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A momentary lull in the action occurred as the disarmed bouncer took a few cautious steps back toward his partner while trying to maintain the stance of one of his family's unique martial arts forms. The young Yamato man's bright blue eyes gazed from behind his raven bangs to the longer haired bouncer beyond his current adversary, the one that had denied his ambush and took his blaster pistol. He could feel the soft hum of the stun glowrod in his right hand as he held it at slight angle away from his thin athletic frame. Despite it being his best chance of winning the fight, Kyo tried to refrain himself from entering one of the forms from the same style of martial arts that their families shared and mixed.

"Move." The bouncer with the pistol said to his comrade as he began to aim the tip of it down the alley towards Kyosuke's head. Kyo bolted toward the distracted man between them, planted his left hand on the guy's left shoulder, and vaulted through the air similar to his initial attempt over the counter. This time he didn't have his pistol to blast. This time he pulled down on the man's shoulder as he tumbled to the ground behind him, tucked his feet into the guy's back, and rolled along the ground with his shoulders just enough to aim the bouncer at his comrade. Kyo then kicked outward with both feet and released his grip at the same time to send the man flying through the air. Without hesitation he then followed through the roll to his feet, swept the stun glowrod through the air, and threw it toward the DG-34 Peacemaker's handle with a little push to get it to the target with speed and precision.

"Ghh!! Helluva throw--!" The bouncer who held the blaster flicked his hand away from it as the glowrod collided near the weapon's trigger and nearly hit him. The Peacemaker and glowrod flew far enough away that Kyosuke was able to close the gap between them before either of the men had a chance to do anything other than activate their own black shock gloves. Kyo came in with a mid kick to the bouncer he'd thrown, who had just barely gotten to his feet. The man stumbled back, and his partner stepped forward with a series of quick strikes to cover him. Kyosuke backpedaled a few steps and reverted to instinct as he swept his arms up through his center and began to strike out to the sides in small controlled bursts with his forearms to push aside as many of the punches as possible.

The young Yamato man remained on the defensive, and managed to swat away a few more of the man's attacks while the other bouncer moved in close to join the brawl. A flurry of blows flew through the air from the two bouncers as they gradually tried to position themselves on both sides of the young man. Kyo felt nostalgic as memories of training with his father and getting into scuffles with the other families began to flash through his mind. He raised his feet to kick away an incoming shin and switched between different forms to block the familiar strikes. The three of them continued to exchange a number of quick light blows up and down the alley, momentarily shocking each other and barely recovering in time to block additional strikes between hits. Kyosuke's muscles pulsed across his body as he tried to mitigate as many of the zaps as he could while focusing on keeping their shock gloves from striking him.

A few small hits got through his strained defenses as the group danced back and forth in the dark and narrow underalley. It was an impressive display of martial arts, but Kyosuke knew he wouldn't be able to outpace them for much longer. They were on either side of him, pushing his concentration further and further as he relied on his Sense to match his moves to theirs, and yet still they managed to land several hits across various parts of his body. He kicked away one of the longer haired bouncer's attempts to sweep him off his feet, then immediately sent his same foot into the man's chest and caused him to stagger back in the direction of the blaster pistol.

 

[Kyosuke Yamato]

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The other opponent then whipped his right leg high through the air towards Kyo's face, who in turn smacked his left forearm against the man's incoming shin and simultaneously sent his right foot to the inside of the man's left knee. The man grunted and crashed to the ground, which was then quickly followed up by Kyosuke as he stepped next to the man's chest and began to unleash a rapid barrage of lightweight strikes into his opponent's chest and face. Kyo could feel the electrokinetic energy ripple through his target as both of his shock gloves expended a hefty amount of their remaining charges in the series of fast-paced punches. He then pulled his right elbow back as far as he could and threw one last heavy fist into the man's face. The man's body twitched as his skull racked against the ground, and then he went limp.

"Why would one of our own be attacking us?" The longer haired bouncer called out, seemingly perturbed by the situation. He stood a few meters away with Kyo's DG-34 Peacemaker pointed right at him. Kyosuke felt a sense of empathy for the guy. Their families had roots that went way back to the same origin world, though he never was taught much about it. He even held a few of the Zhou who worked at his father's workshop in high regard. Did they not start this conflict? He wasn't sure anymore. Their families had too many secrets between them.

It didn't matter, he wasn't just doing this for family, and he didn't plan on sticking around much longer once he collected the final creds he needed from this side job to finish paying for the Shinigami's latest touchups. Soon he'd be away from the complicated feud, and back to hunting for artifacts or temples.

Kyo slowly rose, turned to face the bouncer, and somewhat rested his stance, slightly relaxing his hands next to his thighs while his feet remained shoulder width apart. His breaths were slow and heavy, crimson trailed down from the corner of his left cheekbone, and he wasn't sure if he'd suffered a cracked rib or not -- but it definitely hurt either way. There was still much left to do in the mission, yet his stamina was already starting to feel fatigued, and he might've already alerted the rest of the gang that trouble was brewing.

 

[Kyosuke Yamato]

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"Not much to say?" The charismatic man seemed confident yet conflicted. Both of them were merely pawns in a much larger game, and they knew it. "Fine. We'll see what the elders have to say once I drag you back." A heavy breeze pushed down through the alley, whipping their hair and clothes around as they stood poised to bounce into action, the bouncer hesitating to give the skulker one last chance to say anything that might help him figure out what was going on. Kyo inhaled slowly, filling his lungs as he decided to take a risk and drew upon the Force once again. It swelled and coursed down through his legs, wrapping itself through muscles and nerves as he pulled it into himself in order to bolster his Speed.

A few brief moments passed. Kyosuke's bright blue eyes shimmered in the moon's dim light, and he exhaled with a heavy sigh. The man's face contorted with disapproval as he noticed the young man's knees bend forward ever so slightly. He pulled the trigger of the blaster pistol, and watched as Kyo became a blur that bolted under the stun blast and appeared directly in front of him.

"THE HEL-- Ghhaa!" His core sank back as Kyo's right palm went deep into the man's solar plexus and unloaded a charge of electrical energy into him. A handful of the electrokinetic sparks danced between Kyo's fingertips and the man's torso as he staggered back, then felt an even more explosive impact after Kyo recoiled his arm and sent his fist right back into the same spot. Another jolting pulse of energy ripped across the man's body and nearly overloaded his nerves. The DG-34 Peacemaker flew back to the ground, followed by the man's pocket-sized stun glowrod, while he slid to a stop with his heels and grasped his chest.

The raven-haired young man quickly closed the distance with a low sweep to the slightly staggered bouncer's right foot. He followed through the spin, whipped back around to face the man who tried to steady himself, and threw a fist into the thigh of the same leg. The bolts zapped through his body to stun him for a brief moment, then another fist hit the inner thigh of the other leg to bring him to a knee. Kyo quickly stood out of his spin and kicked his foot toward the middle of the man's torso, who somehow managed to bring his arms up just in time to catch it like a huttball.

"Hnngh!!" Kyosuke tried to endure the jolts from the shock pads at his opponent's palms, then jumped off his other foot a couple seconds later with another kick aimed at the man's face, who then yanked back, twisted his hips, and tossed Kyo's airborne body to the side of the vendor stall he had initially hidden behind at the start of the encounter. "Gahh!!" His back slammed into the corner of the old durasteel counter and painfully bent his upper body backward against it. He slumped to the ground a moment later, his eyes momentarily slammed shut from the pain before he reopened them and saw his opponent's fist coming right for his face.

 

[Kyosuke Yamato]

current theme



Kyo raised his left hand and barely caught the bouncer's attack before it could hit. The young man then quickly tightened his grip on the fist as both men struggled and pushed their nearly equal strength against each other. The electrokinetic discharges between the shock pads on his palm and his fingertips connected with those on the knuckles of his opponent's gloves, where they continued to spark irregularly as Kyo tried to steel his pounding heart and focused in on the feedback of energies. The bouncer growled with frustration as he tried to push and pull his grip away, but Kyosuke held it in place, serenity washing over him as he tapped deep into his core and drew upon the reservoir that dwelled within.

He felt the light side flow through him as the essence swelled across his chest like a rising tide, then guided it up through his extended arm, and let it flow across the sparking arcs of electricity in both of their shock gloves. A slight zap jerked their hands to the side, followed by another, and then a few more as the charges in their gloves were being constantly reengaged against each other. The bouncer threw his other hand into his pocket, grabbed his stuncuffs, and brought them out to the front as he went to slap it onto the wrist of the hand that held his fist.

Kyo closed his eyes, inhaled deeply, and pulled back on the man's fist just enough to bring the stuncuffs against the part of the guy's own wrist that contained the blue display of his shock glove. The cuff hit, latched, and sent another pack of shocks into the area where Kyosuke continued to channel his concentration into the coalescing energies. He caught what he could through the electrokinesis, and forced it under the display where the glove's delimiter resided. A small burst of blue sparks erupted from the glove's screen as the overcharged delimiter short circuited and blew out along with the nearby power pack, suddenly shocking both men with much greater intensity.

Their chests rose and their backs arched as their bodies tensed from the sudden discharge of charged energy. Kyo did his best to focus the electrokinetic blast into his opponent, but his wounds and the strain of exhaustion had taken their toll on him. The bouncer flew back a few meters and slid to the ground, his muscles lightly twitching for a moment before finally going limp.

 

[Kyosuke Yamato]

current theme



Kyosuke remained against the counter, his body caught in a feedback loop as the rampant energy scoured his body. His muscles tensed, his head was thrown back, and his jaws clenched tight. He nearly lost consciousness once again as he struggled to push the remnant swarm of charged particles away from as many vital spots as possible and into the ground over the course of the next several excruciatingly long seconds.

It seemed like an even longer amount of time passed as the rampant shocks scattered across Kyosuke's body, and gradually began to settle. He remained paused for a few more moments and panted heavily, a few of his muscles twitched once or twice to the last traces of electricity that he was unable to fully guide away from himself.

'That-- could've gone better...' Kyo thought to himself, then slowly struggled to stand. A sharp pain along the right side of his ribs then suddenly brought him to his knee. He groaned through his teeth, lowered his facemask under his chin, and spat out a small splatter of crimson as he became suddenly aware that he'd taken a few harder hits in the brawl than he'd realized.

His rib was not in good condition, and he was going to have to spend a moment taking care of it if he wanted to be able to finish the mission effectively. However, he'd already strained too much of his stamina in the fight, and wasn't sure how well things would go if he had to use up more of it to heal himself. He didn't know how much longer Gremlin would be, or how the little scout droid was doing, but he definitely knew he could use one of his little buddy's medical stim packs right about now.

 

[Kyosuke Yamato]

theme change: respite



Kyosuke's heavy gaze lazily trailed across the alley to the unconscious body of the long haired bouncer that was slumped against the wall. The explosive blast had been amplified by the blown power cell in his own glove and scorched a scar through his clothes and skin that extended up the man's arm, shoulder, chest, neck, and the lower half of the right side of his face. Kyosuke felt a pang of guilt in his core, then glanced down at the Zhou bouncer's badly ravaged wrist and hand that sizzled and burned. The miniature explosion wasn't his doing... Not the way he had intended it anyway.. His unrefined technique led to the mistake, and now the man would likely be left with some vicious scars for life if he couldn't get the proper treatment soon. From the looks of his wrist and hand he might have to get a limb replacement as well.

A crack rippled through Kyosuke as he remembered growing up with members from the Zhou and other similar families. They were all innocent once upon a time, but now they were being forced to fight each other. It felt wrong. These were comrades, not enemies. His mission here was to intercept some item, not to disfigure and maim old friends. It had been so long since he'd seen any of his childhood friends, he wasn't sure if the man in front of him was any of them or not, but he knew he couldn't leave him like this.

Compassion and guilt struck at his core again as he pushed through the pain in his rib and gradually forced himself to shamble over to the long haired bouncer. "Sorry..." He muttered weakly as he slowly folded his heels and legs under himself, then cautiously sat upon them in front of the unconscious man in such a way that it wouldn't trigger the pain in his rib as much. His raven bangs caught the breeze and were swept away from his bright blue eyes as he studied the man's handsome features and tried to recall which of his old friends it was that could've become this man. It had been so long, and he'd been through so much since then. He could barely remember their faces as kids, and the fresh scars didn't help either.

The Smartpad Dataphone in his pocket vibrated. He deactivated his shock gloves, unzipped the pocket, reached in, and drew the device. His thumb flicked across the screen as he unlocked it, and a new message appeared from the contact he messaged earlier.

-- u good?

Kyo let out a shaky breath and hesitated. After a moment he tucked the device back into his pocket without responding to the message and zipped it shut. He then paused for another moment as he looked back down at the grievous wound, then shook his head and gently pulled the heavily wounded hand against his lower lap and knees. He then softly covered it with his other hand, and slowly closed his eyes. Healing never was his forte, and he'd already strained a bit of his stamina in the fight, but he felt responsible. He felt he had to try.

 

[Kyosuke Yamato]

respite theme



Goosebumps trickled up the back of his neck and down his chest as he focused deep within himself, and began to concentrate on the swelling tide in his core. The soothing essence slowly crept out across his body and flickered with a sensation of bliss, gradually flowing up his back, across his chest, and down his arms to his hands. His slow and heavy exhale echoed in his ears as he tried to bridge the gap between his hand and the badly wounded one he held in his lap. He waited, feeling the flow as it remained within him and failed to reach out to the wounded hand. Kyosuke hesitated, he felt the waning ripple of the Force as he doubted himself. His chest sank, the tips of his fingers shook, and his muscles tensed ever so lightly.

The gradual pain from his rib bit down and caused the young man to wince with a soft grunt. 'Come on...' he tried to push himself, but found his control and concentration slipping. 'I-I can do this...' The essence began to wash away at his arms, slowly fading as he thought of the mission, and of the fact that he was just wasting his time and energy when he should be completing the objective.

But this was different than the usual side job or bounty hunt. And he wasn't fighting to survive on some wild planet either. This was some stupid feud from a bunch of outdated leaders that pit him against people that were his friends and comrades when he was a kid. People that might as well have been his own family -- if he'd stuck around over the last dozen cycles anyway...

Kyosuke paused and released another heavy breath. 'No.' He thought to himself. 'I'll figure this out.' The waning essence lingered at the edge of his shaky frame. 'I'll make this right.' Then it stopped, and slowly began to rise up once more. He closed his eyes, calmed his heavy breaths, and leaned his shoulders back as far as he could. The pain in his rib stretched and flexed, then suddenly began to numb over as the light side flowed across his surface. The essence washed across his frame and gathered at his core, then memories from his childhood began to roll through his mind.

 

[Kyosuke Yamato]

respite theme

---

"Kyo! Over here!" Four young teens with big grins crossed their arms and stood in front of a luxurious speeder.

The essence ebbed and flowed, slithering up his torso and sliding down his arms.

"Look out!" One of the kids yelled at little Kyo, who could barely see over the steering console of the speeding vehicle they'd stolen.

A sudden pressure built up at the back his eyes, beating against the surface of his face in an attempt to break free.

The crash echoed in his mind.

He bit down and tried to contain the emotions, his tightly shut eyes squeezing and shaking.

Little Kyo cried out for help as he desperately tugged and pulled at the safety harness that trapped his unconscious friend.

The essence slowly spiraled down his arms and gathered at his hands once more.

The speeder lurched and bent as burning metal twisted and cracked.

His breath shook, and then froze. The essence swirling at his palms.

The young Kyosuke fell back as the speeder began to slip over the edge of the Nar Shaddaa skytower. He reached out to stop it.

The tide beat from inside his head, his chest pounded and his lungs quivered.

His young teenage voice cracked as he cried out for help and thrust his outstretched hand to the falling speeder. Then it stopped and froze.

The young man exhaled deeply, the essence shook at the edge of his being.

The little boy paused, his eyes wide in disbelief and filled with hope until the vehicle suddenly shifted, and disappeared over the edge.

He bore down on the swelling tide that ebbed and flowed as he began to direct the current from his palms into the badly scorched hand and wrist.

Young Kyo was on his hands and knees with his head against the metal roof, the unconscious bodies of the friends he managed to pull away to safety lay scattered behind him.

It started to feel like every atom of his body was draining, sinking into a funnel between his palms.

The sound of metal burning and creaking echoed through his ears as little Kyo slowly lifted his tear-filled gaze.

His eyes shifted behind closed eyelids, his body gently trembling as he let the essence flow away from him.

A fire from the side of the speeder began to rise over the edge. Little Kyo looked on in disbelief, the bright flames glistening in his dark blue eyes as the speeder slowly began to rise over the edge once again.

An unfamiliar pressure tightened and pushed down against his chest. He tried to ignore it and began to focus his senses on the wounds in the scorched hand between his palms, guiding his life energy into the heavily damaged parts of the wrist and down the hand toward the fingers.

The little boy watched as his friend reappeared as well, still trapped in the passenger seat. He then glanced to his side and saw a darkly robbed figure at the corner of the roof, the bearded man's hand extended toward the speeder.

Kyosuke felt his breath hitch. The flow of essences that he weaved together into the tissues of the scorched hand and wrist had began to take effect, and it slowly began to stitch the seams of the wound back together.

His worried father and mother looked at him with such depth as they left the decision of whether or not he'd join the Jedi up to him. Their faces faded away, and he disappeared aboard a small shuttle to leave them behind.

---

The swirling essence shifted and hinged, then suddenly slipped and began to fade. Kyosuke felt it trickle at the sides of his frame until it gradually washed away. His bright blue eyes shimmered with a ray of light as he slowly opened them and gently removed his upper hand from the Zhou bouncer's wrist. The scorching wound that once wrapped around it had healed quite nicely, and the hand seemed like it was in better condition as well. The young man then frowned with disappointment as his gaze traced up along the scar at the split sections of the tattered suit. He was barely able to heal anything much further up than the wrist. His eyes lingered on the tail end of the scar that trailed up the jaw and face, and at the part that extended across the right side of the man's chest.

He let out a heavy sigh. 'At least you should be able to keep your hand...' Kyosuke thought to himself, then slouched and accidently triggered the pain in his rib again. He winced and clenched his teeth, then felt the emergence of a new pain in his right wrist and hand that trailed up along his arm in a similar fashion to the man's wound he somewhat managed to heal. 'Of course..' His left hand wrapped around his other hand and wrist as they pulsed with more pain. He closed his eyes and let out a soft sigh, feeling slightly dizzy and lightheaded. A few moments passed, then his left palm caught the ground as he leaned his weight on it, and gradually allowed his heavy eyelids to rest.

 

[Kyosuke Yamato]

respite theme



Gremlin came running down the dark and narrow alley at a steady speed, chirping gleefully and proudly at himself for accomplishing his mission so well. The little scout droid passed a couple of unconscious bodies and tilted his little jet-black metal head in confusion, then slid to a stop near Kyosuke's last sent location and froze as he saw the young man slumped in front of another unconscious bouncer. Gremlin whimpered worriedly and ran over to his unmoving friend. His little legs scurried with haste as the droid raced over to Kyo as fast as he could and looked up into the young man's closed eyes. The little droid trembled and whined with a set of worried beeps, then waited a moment before he began to gently paw one of his tiny footpads at the seemingly unconscious young man.

"Mmph.. I'm awake..." Kyosuke's eyes remained shut as he slowly held out his right hand with the palm facing up, fingers weakly curled as he barely held his hand open. Gremlin hopped in place happily and chirped with relief, then shot one of his medical stim packs into the air so that it would land in his friend's hand. Kyo's fingers gripped the small stim tightly. His arm then swung in on himself as he tensed his abs, and the medical syringe stabbed into his upper abdomen near the damaged rib.

"Hnngh!" He grunted through his teeth and shut his eyes as the impact momentarily reactivated the pain in the rib, then gradually relaxed his expression as the stim's contents began to course through his body. He could feel several bruises across his torso begin to numb away, along with a few minor lacerations across his face and arms that he didn't even realize he'd had. The rib seemed to take longer to heal, but over the course of a few more moments he felt it tighten and release comfortably when he turned his torso from side to side.

"Thanks buddy." Kyosuke smiled softly and gently patted the cheerful little droid on the head. Gremlin nodded back then jumped onto Kyo's extended arm and began to run up it onto his friend's shoulder. Kyosuke pulled the scarf-like cloak out of the clasp at the back of his outfit and let it billow wide around him, then pulled it's large baggy hood up over the smaller shirt's hood, and let the cloak fall closed around him. Gremlin climbed over onto a ruffled clump of cloth at the upper back of the several layers the young man wore, and latched on as best he could. Kyo then pulled out his Smartpad Dataphone and returned to the last message from his contact that he hadn't replied to yet.

After a brief pause he glanced in the direction of the club hideout, purpose and determination surging through his revitalized spirit. It was time to stop playing the role of a simple pawn. It was time to figure out what was really going on with the Yamikuza and its conflicted family strife. His bright blue eyes glistened then shifted back down to the dim-lit screen, his thumb tapped out a response, and sent the message back to the contact.

-- fine. omw

"Let's get going." Kyosuke released a calm breath and Gremlin chirped affirmatively. Kyo tucked the Dataphone back into his pocket, zipped it closed, then extended his left hand and cupped his fingertips toward the DG-34 Peacemaker that lay on the ground a few meters away. His large black cloak billowed outward, swept up by his suddenly extended arm. The blaster pistol glided effortlessly through the air as he pulled it through the Force, then caught it in his grasp and shot the magnetic anchor of the ascension modification up to a pipe that extended up beyond the alley rooftops a few dozen meters above.

The small round device clanged to the metallic surface and attached itself with a secure hold. Kyo tested the strength of the anchor's hold with a quick tug on the pistol and found it to be satisfactory. He then glanced back down at the wounded man again. His heart pounded and his breath hitched as he felt something inside tug at him, something screaming at him like he was missing something important. He pushed the feeling down, and bottled it up. His gaze returned to the rooftops, and then he engaged the ascension attachment and shot up through the top of the alley, disappearing into the shroud of darkness above of the skyslums.