Ask Trouble in Paradise

[Varyn Atrix]

Per my new OP template, thread is death enabled. Looking for one other person to join who can post semi-regularly and then I'll close it!​

Things had been weird for Varyn since Yavin. His mind was split, he lacked... focus. His body had finally recovered from his injuries, but something wasn't right. He felt more isolated than ever and although he'd finally made amends with Altair, the gap between himself and Vahliri had widened.

Ultimately, despite the indecision, he had settled on just moving forward. He'd taken Vandelhelm for himself, and the next closest option was Woostri, so that was where he had set out to go. The fact that it had one of the largest library repositories in the galaxy was just an added bonus for him. He was sure he could find interesting things in those archives.

He'd cut a deal with the planetary administrators to help them put down an insurrection of particularly troublesome criminals on the planet. With the resources of the Empire and the ISB behind him, he didn't think it would be terribly difficult.

The resorts of the planet were beautiful, warm sun shined down on the white sand beaches and brilliant blue water. Varyn could tell there was a breeze, though in his armor and with his sabers at his hips, he couldn't actually feel it.

He'd tracked the leadership of the criminal activists - the Pactari - to this island. He could see why they'd come here. It was beautiful, and they had the money to purchase whatever locations they wanted. Now his job was just to track them down and... deal with them.

 

[Nakoa Singh]

Nakoa was summoned by the phrases "Woostri Holoscan Database" and "Oceanic Planet". Everything else involved was really just a bonus. Unlike Varyn, he could feel the nice weather just fine in his much lighter armor, outer robe flowing in the cool sea breeze. He had his lightsaber with him, hanging in a traditional position rather than something ultra-practical. Much of his face was hidden behind a breath mask and a pair of round-lens, side-shielded sunglasses fit for such a sunny planet, while his hair was tied behind his neck in a tight braid.

The Wrean Champion hadn't actually seen Varyn in armor before. Or the man himself more than like, once or twice? So this was a new and fun experience. It was a very serious situation, but Nakoa still had to actively resist laughing. "We look so out of place." Two black-clad Sith on a white sandy beach in the middle of the day? They looked like a couple of goths got lost on the way to a nightclub playing melancholic metal and synth-pop.

It was a nice location, though. Nakoa wondered if he could swing his own little island somewhere. First step was getting rid of these- he checked a waterproof notepad- Pactari, that was it. "What're we dealin' with?" he asked Varyn in the hopes someone, somewhere, had done recon.

@Phoenix

 

[Varyn Atrix]

Varyn had gotten a little tired of subtlety, it turned out. Well, we're here on official business, not to blend in, he countered. Sometimes looking scary is all you need to break morale, he added. There was a lot of truth to that, actually.

Sure, they drew looks from more than a few people, but ultimately, no one was stopping to make inquiries.

They were smart enough to keep pressing on when they saw two armored Sith standing and chatting.

The Pactari have a lot of influence on the planet. They control a lot of local politicians, kidnap, blackmail, extort. Their claws are deep, but not everyone is willing to submit. We're... the purging fire, he said. Yeah, that was just the kind of poetic and philosophical thing Varyn would say.

This island allegedly houses some of its leadership right now. Leadership retreat or whatever the kriff the criminals call it, he said. They'll have security, but frankly, criminals aren't military, and they aren't likely going to be ready for two armed Sith, he said. They were secured against a rival attack. Brutalistic people who weren't soldiers and could scare off most competition and citizens by just showing a gun.

I'm not really planning to take a lot of prisoners. Maybe some interrogation, but a... definitive ending, he said, turning to see if his partner objected.

 

[Nakoa Singh]

He did actually chuckle this time from Varyn's serious answer. The most attention they got was staring from curious children their guardians steered away from the two Obvious Sith. Varyn wasn't wrong; first impressions were everything and Sith should always endeavor to dress in their bloody best when strolling into a fight. At least in Nakoa's opinion.

A few more notes in shorthand were taken on his notepad as Varyn gave a summary of the Pactari. Basically, they were the local mob. Ah, nostalgia. Varyn earned a flat look from his purging fire commentary, although the Wrean didn't reply until the explanation was over. "So hired mugs with guns and all the backbone of your average sea slug." And much like sea slugs, best handled with a good roasting. Purging fire indeed.

"I don't like that word 'allegedly'," Nakoa commented, then shrugged. Then there was the subject of prisoners. Without skipping a beat, Nakoa's answer on that front was, "Got it, set saber to ceviche." Chopped fish with seasoning. His humor could get dark. He shaded his eyes with a hand and looked ahead at the building in question. "I vote we work top-down."

@Phoenix

 

[Varyn Atrix]

Pretty much, he said. That did summarize it about the way that it would be. Thugs, gangsters, and people who needed a dishonorable burial at sea.

Yeah, well, you know how it is to be in the intelligence business, he said. Actually, he had no idea if Nakoa knew what that was like. While Varyn had been a Shadow and now was involved with the ISB, he had absolutely no idea what the other Champion had been involved in. Actually, that was something he should probably try to find out.

All your data's from second hand, shady sources, and then someone changes their plans and suddenly nothing is what you thought it was, he said. Yeah, there was definitely a lot of room for "allegedly."

But that's why they sent us. If two Sith can't figure it out, then who is? he said.

As Nakoa mentioned "ceviche," Varyn just looked over at him, a blank look on his face behind his helmet.

Um... I, uh, I don't actually know what that means, but yeah, probably, he said with a nod. Set sabers to "super stabber."

Hmm, I guess, he said, starting to head over to the resort. Top down means we might accidentally flush them out of the building and on the run, he commented.

Might be able to stop by the front desk and get their rooms, he further suggested, walking into the lobby of the resort and looking even more out of place as the families and service droids strolled about and they were quickly approached by one of said droids.

Hello and welcome to Starren Resorts. Do you have a reservation? the droid asked.

 

[Nakoa Singh]

"Yup. I'm really into libraries," was Nakoa's deadpan answer to knowing how it was in the intelligence business. He nodded seriously along to Varyn's explanation. "Truly, little is ever how one expects it to be. Else things would be boring, yes?" A pause. "Well, improvisation is the spice of life." He shrugged.

"I'll show you what ceviche is after." They probably even had some in the kitchens, or at least something close. Nakoa was starting to think he should've eaten more before showing up. His face scrunched up a bit as they strode toward the doors. "They're rich criminals. Roof's gotta have a blinged armored speeder or some shit." An opinion given, he moved right along.

Almost immediately the pair of Sith were accosted by customer service. And it was a fucking droid, typcal. Removing his sunglasses, Nakoa fixed the droid with a steely, amber-gold gaze. He snapped them close and placed them on his collar, leaning atop the front desk's console with the imperious air of your average everyday Karen Supreme. "Where are our keys for the honeymoon suite?" he demanded in a voice that was halfway between entitled and whiny. "I was told this place was prompt!"

Being a stupid robot, the droid went through its Standard Script and activated Karen.exe or whatever, offering a handful of basic apologies and assurances before asking what date the reservation was for. "The 17th!" Nakoa huffed convincingly. Notably, today was the 16th. Some philosophers debated whether droids could feel things like fear or love, but surely this one felt regret for its own existence at this moment.

In truth, however, Nakoa didn't give a damn about the stupid machine. He was leaning on the console for the purposes of technometry and hoping Varyn would catch on to his bullshit act.

@Phoenix

 

[Varyn Atrix]

Mm, possible, he agreed, taking the comment about the armored speeder as purely a comment on the tactical concerns of an escape vehicle that might be armored.

Well, it seemed that Nakoa had quite the knack for acting entitled. For Varyn's part, he didn't quite catch on to what Nakoa was doing at first, but he swung around while the droid was distracted to rummage through the console himself, only to catch a glimpse of the screen already functioning.

He put two-and-two together quickly, scooting back over again to confront the droid. I want to talk to an actual person, he growled in an intimidating voice before bumping past the droid and heading for an organic employee.

We had reservations, and your idiot droid has lost them, he growled at the man who started heading over to take a look at the droid. Varyn's visor turned toward Nakoa and even through the duraplast and plasteel, Nakoa would get the "hurry up" vibes.

 

[Nakoa Singh]

Nakoa scowled at the secretarial droid like its very existence was offensive, pulling off a pretty solid impression of Serennian-grade self-importance. A living representative had shown up and was trying really hard not to look off-put by a pair of upset Sith in his lobby. One never could predict what a Sith would do next. There was a stream of assuaging apologies as the poor man tried to figure out what the hell was even going on.

"Well?" Nakoa snapped, impatiently tapping his foot. It wasn't clear if he'd caught Vary's look but shortly thereafter he stood up to his full height, arms crossed over his chest and doing his best impression of impatient nobility. As it turned out, they didn't have a reservation. The man delivered this bad news with the utmost trepidation and tentatively suggested there had been a mistake somewhere along the way.

Amber-gold eyes that for all their brightness read real anger locked on Varyn, and then the hapless secretary. "Fine," Nakoa huffed, waving a hand dismissively through the air. "Then you'll give us the keys to the best available room, right?" Varyn would feel a pulse of the Force working at the employee's well-hidden but undeniably risen emotions, his desire for the two scary people to just go away. "Why yes, we just renovated the-" What followed was a glowing recommendation, an elaborate description of the various amenities, and an exchange of keycard and tip.

With a huff, Nakoa marched off toward the resort elevator, by all appearances genuinely upside by the entire ordeal. It was only at whatever point Varyn followed and the doors closed that his entire body relaxed and his expression returned to a half-bored, half-grumpy neutral. The room key was offered to Varyn.

"517, 519, 607."

@Phoenix

 

[Varyn Atrix]

Varyn watched the annoyance - no, the anger - as it shifted between the manager and Varyn. The Champion huffed slightly in indignation and placed a hand on the manager's shoulder. The kind of "friendly" touch that held the menace of threat beneath it. The Champion was simply playing a part, but it was a part that had become so much easier to play over the years.

Finally, the manager found them rooms, and the two Sith headed off in the direction of the turbolift, making their ascent before Varyn finally let out a satisfied snort.

Nice work, he responded, raising a fist for a bump and punching the button for floor six. Top down. Now they were just off to deploy some justice. That was all Varyn was here for: justice and order. The Jedi just... if they could only see the order that the Empire brought. If they could have only purged it of the most wild of the Sith.

But that was neither here nor there. For all the mistakes the Jedi had made, they did teach him to keep his attention on the task at hand, and he flipped his mind back to their next task.

Elevator music played, the doors dinged, and Varyn stepped out into the hall, making his way at a brisk and commanding pace to the room.

He reached down and pulled one of the sabers from his belt before waving his hand in front of the door, reaching into the lock to pluck it open as the door hissed. And just like that they were in.

 

[Nakoa Singh]

A sly little smirk appeared on Nakoa's face, breezily bumping Varyn's fist. Boring elevator music tinkled from high-quality speakers on their way up, during which the Wrean appeared to completely space out. He zoned back in when the lift went ding and the two Sith stepped out and walked to the first door.

Once in front of the door, Nakoa didn't draw his lightsaber. The moment the door opened, loud music and a snippet of conversation would reach the duo's ears. "-and den halfway troo goin' down, tha hookah ODs on spice!" "I really don't like discussing my ex-girlfriend with you." Definitely not sober and with how loud the music was, it took a moment for them to notice the door was open.

"FFuuuuuu-!?" Nakoa lifted and clapped his hands together, a wild grin lighting up his features and amber-gold flashing. Both guards slapped powerfully together in the suite entrance hall and, with a pulling motion from Nakoa, yanked toward the saber-wielding Varyn standing in the doorway while they were still stunned.

@Phoenix

 

[Varyn Atrix]

Varyn was not expecting them to be this... altered. They were completely high and hammered, and while they probably could have arrested the criminals, that wasn't really why Varyn had come here. This wasn't about offering mercy or redemption, it was about taking out the trash and securing an alliance for the Empire.

Nakoa reached out with the Force, manhandling the two guards in the hallway as Varyn darted forward. The saber burst to life, and Varyn swept it around, relying on precision over power. The first swish took off the head of one of the guards whose body collapsed in a lump, and the other guard still seemed stunned by the impact, letting Varyn thrust his arm outward and impale his victim directly through the heart. He "survived" slightly longer as the life drained out of him, but the outcome was already determined.

One of us should go around the back of the rooms and make sure they don't have any sort of getaway: leaping to another room's balcony or something, he said. There were still two suites to clear, and they probably had their own balconies in addition to the main, common-area balcony connected to what the two Sith had just cleared.

 

[Nakoa Singh]

Black boots walked over the impaled guard dying on the ground without a second look, amber-gold eyes sharp as knives, hawk-like in how they looked beyond Varyn into the room ahead. "Aye," he agreed, walking past Varyn toward the balcony to check things out. Based on the room numbers, he might even be able to get from here to the ones below if he needed to.

Meanwhile off to Varyn's right, there was a muted flushing noise from the closed bathroom door. Between the loud music and Varyn's murderous efficiency, someone must not've noticed all the... well, murder. Who could it be, this mysterious lord of the porcelain throne? The door swung open, wafting a horrible smell not much helped by the addition of chemical flowers.

A middle-aged man, obviously blitzed out of his mind and dressed in a fine but askew suit, stumbled from the entryway. Varyn would recognize him from the dossier as one of the leader types. The man stared, swayed slightly, and then fumbled to grab a pistol stuck into his belt.

Nakoa on the other hand had found a cigar-smoking guard on the balcony. The man's cigar had ignited explosively across his face and down his throat, from the look of things.

@Phoenix

 

[Varyn Atrix]

Varyn moved against the man from the fresher in a flash. As he fumbled for his blaster, Varyn could tell it had been a long time since he had actually had to use it. On the other hand, Varyn trained with his sabers daily, and closed the distance with a slash in an instant.

The blow was hard and clean, cutting halfway through his torso before he fell to the floor. Just for good measure, Varyn let the Force slam out of his left hand, and into the blaster-grabbing arm, knocking it aside in case he drew the pistol in time. Evidently, he hadn't.

Varyn turned back to the room that Nakoa had disappeared to, hearing the raspy, agonized gasps and coughs of someone choking to death on scalded lung. It wasn't a pleasant sound or sight. For all his fall to the Dark Side, Varyn was still no fan of unnecessary cruelty. He winced behind his helmet before bringing his saber around and plunging it into the back of the man's head.

Looks like you got him, he said. It was... kind of congratulatory.

Down a floor? he asked. It seemed they'd gotten one of their three targets already, and it had been... well, thus far it had been exactly what the intel had said it would be.

@Mr. Teatime

 

[Nakoa Singh]

Nakoa turned to look at Varyn with an expression that, at first glance, might come off as mildly annoyed mixed with boredom. Mostly that was just his face, though. "Fire no good?" he asked in his usual flat tone tinged with bemusement before leaning into the room and seeing the other dead guy. Next, he glanced at the first two dead guys. All quick, lethal blows with a lightsaber.

"I see your point." What point he'd reached wasn't precisely clear, but he'd apparently seen a point somewhere. That or it was just a pun about swords. Probably both. Nakoa walked over to the railing and looked down toward where the other rooms should be. His face scrunched up and he whispered, "Why is there a rabbit in a trench coat?"

As nonsensical as that sounded, there was what appeared to be a rabbit in a trenchcoat on the balcony of room 517, currently facing the opposite direction. It was smoking a comically large cigar. Actually a Kushiban, a species Nakoa didn't recognize, in a trenchcoat. None of the known leaders were rabbits, especially not wearing a trenchcoat. Something about it would give the two Sith a bad vibe.

"We should take the stairs."

@Phoenix

 

[Varyn Atrix]

Although Nakoa claimed to "see his point" Varyn kind of doubted it. Maybe it was the impression in the Force or maybe it was just something as simple as the tone of his voice. Either way, Varyn let the issue lie.

Instead, as he turned to start climbing over the balcony he spotted the "rabbit in a trench coat" in question. To be honest, when Varyn had heard him say it he thought Nakoa was high or something, but no... no, there it was.

For a moment, Varyn just kind of stared from above and was going to disregard or kill the being, but there was an unpleasant and eerie vibe that things were not what they appeared, and Varyn gave a slow nod, never tearing his eyes away from the... rabbit.

Yeah... he muttered, heading back into the room with all the dead bodies and heading for the stairs, closing the door behind them on their way out.

Two more leaders: Rodian and Nautolan, he said before pausing. I didn't see anything in the briefing about... rabbit guards? he said with uncertainty.

 

[Nakoa Singh]

Status of sobriety notwithstanding, there was a rabbit in a trench coat and Nakoa didn't like it for reasons yet unknown. Out they went into the hall and toward the stairs. Nakoa's face scrunched up slightly. "No. I have a bad feeling about this." This concerned him, as his 'feelings' were often accurate.

On the next floor down, rooms 517 and 519 were adjacent to one another. 517 was on the left so that's what Nakoa went for by default. He stopped near it, lowering his mask to sniff the air. "Rodian," he said with a hint of amusement. "And spice." While both Rodian and Nautolan species had distinctive scents, Rodian was especially... Uh, distinct.

His tongue swept over sharp fangs. "Music's quieter," he said, the wild grin from earlier steadily creeping back onto his face.. Somehow, this felt vaguely like a trap. Nakoa stepped to the door's left side, waving Varyn toward the other end, and pulled the lock over with a hand wave. As it slid open, a scattergun blasted almost immediately into the open space along with a string of Huttese expletives.

@Phoenix

 

[Varyn Atrix]

Varyn's gut was unsettled as well, and with several years worth of intelligence operations under his belt, he'd learned that that was one of the most critical indicators of a problem.

Yeah... I've got the same bad feeling, he said, gripping the saber hilt in his hand even tighter now.

They made their way down, coming to the first room in question and Varyn took up a position on one side of the door out of reflex. As the door slid open, a blast riddled the far wall, and the concerns about this being a trap were completely justified.

They knew the Sith were here, they knew where they were, and they were covering the door. Varyn's eyes darted up and down the hall before settling on another idea. One that the hotel wouldn't be too happy about, but they'd get over it.

He pointed to himself and then to room 518 before putting his lightsaber hilt up against the wall and making a motion of cutting a hole. He was pretty sure Nakoa would get the drift and then he added quietly Keep them busy, before going off to invade the room of some unsuspecting patron.

@Mr. Teatime

 

[Nakoa Singh]

Nakoa, squeezed up against the wall after the scatterblaster shot, flashed Varyn an 'ok' sign and a fang-filled grin. Keep them busy? He could do this. The Wrean cleared his throat, grumbling a little. One of the other doors in the hall opened, a rich-looking old lady peeked out. He waved her back in with a shushing motion and, given everything, she went back inside with a muffled 'Oh my word!'

The Sith Champion prepared his greatest ability for use on these shotgun-toting ne'er-do-wells. "Hey, fuckface! Yeah you, with the bitchmade scattergun," he shouted into the open doorway, getting another blast through for his trouble. "Fuck you, ya scum-suckin'-" "Hey now, there's no need to bring your mother into this! Just-" another blast, "-come on out, fight like a man, and maybe she'll be proud of ya!" "Oh yeah? Why don't ya stop fuckin' hidin' then!?"

The Force laced his words, poking and prodding at fear and anger. Nakoa scooted to the side just before the man in question shot the wall he was hiding behind, then stepped away from the wall entirely so he could keep an eye on the door. "Hah, missed me you poorly packaged pile of nerf shit!" An empty beer bottle sailed through the door and bounced off the far wall while someone else in the room started snickering despite themselves because this situation just seemed so stupid.

It sailed back through at speed when the scattergun guy tried to peak around and bounced off his half-helmeted face, causing him to retreat further back in a flurry of swearing and another misaimed shot.

@Phoenix

 

[Varyn Atrix]

Varyn could hear a variety of yelling and screaming inside the room and pouring out into the hallway as he climbed into the adjacent room and pulled out his sabers. He plunged both weapons into the wall, carving a quick hole before coming out into one of the bedrooms.

And then he descended on them in a flash. He was all whirling blades as he closed in on the criminals, dicing them to bits without so much as a second's hesitation.

Down the first of them went in a heap, particularly targeting the scattergun man while the others scrambled backwards.

And then in came the bunny man. Varyn still had no idea who he was, but when the rodian throwing razros suddenly started whipping through the air, Varyn was very glad to have his armor's breastplate.

One of them slammed into said armor plate, knocking him back as the rabbit man went leaping and hurtling razors through the air. This... this was weird.

 

[Nakoa Singh]

There was a smattering of stifled laughter as, in the middle of a very rude proclamation that it was actually Nakoa's mother who was of the scum-sucking variety, Varyn turned the apartment into an impromptu deadly laser disco. Everyone but Varyn did the flop. "Yippee-ki-yay mother-"

In hopped the leather-clad bunny man- literally, he leaped over from an adjacent balcony. And then the razor blades started flying like wedding confetti. "Fucker!" Nakoa dove to the ground further into the room, a whirling blade slicing along his left arm as he rolled and a couple more flew overhead. Landing near Varyn, he came up and tried to grab the squirrely rabbit with the Force- and could not do that, his telekinesis just... sliding right off him?

"Wha- Oh man!" He ducked down again just before a razor returned from behind him, back into the rabbit's hand, and was thrown again at Varyn. The rabbit was juggling a roomful of throwing razors, bouncing around on any available surface all the while. What was even happening right now?

Nakoa whipped an arm forward while maneuvering toward the scattergun guy's corpse, a flash of blue-violet light forming a six-inch blade that completely missed the rabbit because of course it did he was tiny and fast.

@Phoenix