Ask Coruscant Payback

[Talak Rand]

Talak hated everything. Her statements made him irrationally angry. He wanted to destroy things again and vent his bloodlust all over again. The idea of everything he'd done going to waste and those girls facing a worse fate all over again enraged him. He wanted to go through and slaughter each and every person who had been involved. He wanted to stop that from happening. He wanted to set up a network to get them out.

But he knew he couldn't. He was helpless again, destined to watch someone else endure agony because he wasn't strong enough. And just like that, he was watching Zatara die all over again.

Hate was flowing through him, and he buried his head in his hands before running them through his hair, pulling at it and gripping fistfuls. His face was still looking at the ground and from her perspective it would look like he was in some sort of agonizing pain.

All this and for what? He'd let the dark side have its way to save those people, and it was all for loss. It might have even made things worse. Satisfying his own bloodlust wasn't a good enough reason. Not for him.

In a flash, he was on his feet and his fist lashed out and slammed into the holoprojector hard enough to leave a dent in the casing and cause the display to flicker for a moment. It should have broken a normal person's hand and no one should have been able to move with that speed and force. It betrayed that there was something unnatural about him once again, but what it was, wasn't so clear. At that moment, Talak was beyond caring.

WHAT'S THE SHABLA POINT?! he screamed at the top of his lungs. It wasn't clear if it was directed at her or not, but it was the first time he'd lost his temper so clearly in front of her, and although the look in his eyes wasn't quite as murderous as the warehouse, it would no doubt be unnerving.

As quickly as it had come, it was over, though. He stopped himself dead in his tracks, half of his fingers steepled across his nose and taking a deep breath in. Unless she spoke, there would be silence for a moment before he finally spoke again. His voice was quiet but shaky as he tried to regain his composure. The side ruled by logic and calculation returned, still cursing himself for all of this.

We need to get the holodata back or they'll come after you, he said. That much he knew to be true. Whether they could do anything about the slaves or slavers was up in the air. He could probably track the Barabel, but more than anything, he knew that there was a single mother and a boy on the line who he knew. Neither of them may have liked him, but he wasn't going to let the Cartel's have them.

You've always been too weak to save the people you care about. Why would this be any different? He knew the voice he was hearing in his mind had to be his own, but somehow it sounded like his old Master. The man he detested beyond any words.

 

[Trys Aran]

This was why she hadn’t mentioned anything prior. She hadn’t known him for a long time, but she began to see patterns in what could get under his skin. She had her cup of caf in hand and sipped from it as she saw him begin to unravel. Trys couldn’t deny that there was a part of her that feared him - there was something off and strange about him that she couldn’t place her finger on.

She didn’t flinch when he finally exploded and lashed out, though the way he moved to punch the Holo was striking. He moved faster than a human should have been able to, and it sent a haunting chill down her spine. Trys watched it all play out without a word, her expression blank. She couldn’t deny that his heart had been in the right place, but he was entirely too impulsive.

There was nothing but a moment of silence for a while, even the droid was quiet. Trys looked down at her caf and gave Talak a moment to recuperate, giving him the space he needed. She was surprisingly calm in the situation, but it was only because she had her own battles she had fought through.

Once he mentioned the Holodata, Trys had to smile, “I was knocked out in some side room. I think it’s you that needs to be concerned,” However, even she couldn’t deny that it was better to cover their tracks. After a moment, Trys spoke again, “The greatest strength you can have is to use whatever skill you have responsibly,” She said quietly, “You don’t always need to have something to lose to know when to stay your hand and choose your battles.”

---​

A part of her didn’t like the idea of heading back as she had no clue what to expect. Word would have gotten out by now, and there would have been a manhunt going on for whoever was responsible. Trys remained quiet on the drive back, anxiety sitting at the pit of her stomach. She almost wanted to suggest splitting up and for him to clean up the mess here while she followed up with Talvo. It had gotten to the point where even she didn’t want to know what happened.

As they began to pull up near the shipping dock, Trys’s blood ran cold. She slowed down the speeder and came to a halt. Up ahead in the distance she couldn’t see any people walking around, but she did see something far worse.

There were a few trees in front of the building, and from each one hung a frail, young girl. There was no one else in the area at first glance, and even from here she could see their cold, dead faces and the way the wind blew their still vibrant hair.

Trys inhaled deeply and exhaled, taking it all in. However, almost instinctively she reached a hand over to place over Talak’s before she could stop herself. Her gaze remained trained ahead, “Don’t,” She said quietly, “Don’t do exactly what they expect you to do.”

 

[Talak Rand]

Talak had only just begun to come to terms with the ugly reality of what might have happened as a result of his actions. He was far from reconciling it with himself or accepting it, but at least the seething rage had been temporarily subdued.

The speeder pulled up to the docks and Talak's stomach dropped. The bodies hanging in the wind, most stripped naked or almost naked with open wounds and bruises covering their bodies, would forever be etched into his memory. He tried to tell himself that they were one with the Force now. That death was a mercy compared to what they'd had to endure, but it was hollow. It didn't fill the hole that now caved within his soul.

He felt physically ill and that feeling was only eclipsed by the rage that was growing inside of him again. Like a volcano, the seething threatened to crack through the hole that had just been created. One more piece of his soul had fallen away and turned to scars. He wondered how long it would be until he couldn't feel anything but animosity anymore.

He shifted in his seat, feeling the lightsaber hilt press up against his hip. It seemed heavier now as if the crystal inside were calling to be fed, and he was inclined to acquiesce. It could sense the darkness, and it was thrilled.

He was already reaching for the door handle when Trys's hand made him pause. It was... an oddly human gesture, and one that had been almost foreign to Talak for years. Maybe it was compassion or perhaps it was motivated by her own self-preservation, but it cut through the rage long enough to make him pause.

His whole body was stiff, every muscle tensed, and she would be able to feel the hand she had grabbed was trembling. Her voice was quiet and calm in contrast to him, and he didn't know how she could remain so calm and detached. Was she so jaded? Of course that wasn't the case, but Talak was far from thinking clearly.

Why? Tell me they don't deserve everything I'm going to do to them, he said. He couldn't bring himself to look at her. Whether it was because he couldn't look away from the image of horror in front of him or because he couldn't bring himself to let her see what was in his eyes wasn't even clear to him.

 

[Trys Aran]

Trys could feel him moving to get out, but he abruptly stopped. She firmed up her grip, and she also didn’t look at him. She was rapidly thinking about the next course of action, all while trying to ensure he didn’t burst in and try to kill everyone. The faint possibility that he even could was still sitting in the back of her mind.

“It’s not a question of whether they deserve it or not,” She finally turned to look at him, her resolve completely calm and composed, “It’s a matter of when to strike,” Trys looked back at the scene, “You go in and kill whoever is there, walk right into an ambush and that doesn’t help the girls one bit because they can still be hunted.”

She drew her hand back then, trusting that Talak had calmed down slightly by then, “First thing we need to do is kill their ability to track the girls,” Trys didn’t know anything about slicing, “They will have them logged into their central terminal. We need a slicer to go in and completely wipe all that data and make it impossible for them to ever find the girls again. This should come right after we get the info on where everyone is so we can follow up later.”

Trys could see some movement ahead - armed guards coming out front to check if anyone were there. She wasn’t close yet to stick out too obviously, but she began to back the speeder up regardless to keep out of view. She also didn’t want to keep looking at the bodies.

“Once we blind them, then we can crack down on them and they have no leverage on us,” Trys looked at him, “Does that sound acceptable?”

 

[Talak Rand]

Talak listened as she spoke and her words seemed to calm him down if ever so slightly. Rather than flying into a rage, lightsaber raging, and killing everyone in the building, he slumped back into his seat. There was a hint of defeat in his posture, but he knew that she was right. She was right about all of it.

Yeah, he agreed with a nod as she asked if the plan sounded acceptable. It was the most sound plan, and he was grateful that she had to reverse the speeder. He hadn't been able to tear his eyes away from them, and he didn't want to see them anymore. Unfortunately, he knew he would be seeing them again in his dreams. He always did, and it was why he avoided sleep like the plague.

His hand rubbed across his face as he pushed all these thoughts from his mind. He was no help to anyone if he wasn't thinking clearly, and this was what he always saw as the danger of the dark side. The greatest wielders of the power didn't succumb to mindless rage, but Talak was too fearful to immerse himself so deeply in it that he was able to easily control it.

Thank you... he said quietly after a moment. Whether he was thanking her for stopping him from running in, for helping him do this deed they were planning, or something else entirely wasn't clear.

Okay, slicer... he started speaking out loud, trying to think how they would find one. Gamorr wasn't exactly a high tech world or the kind of place that you went to in order to do tech work, which put them at a pretty serious disadvantage.

They'll be criminals... he kept thinking aloud. So where were they going to find criminals on this world? Preferably ones that weren't directly connected to the slavers or if they were at least they would be willing to turn against their "masters."

The coin and the... his voice trailed off and he cast a sideways glance at Trys that screamed "I have a terrible idea that we're both going to hate."

I wonder if there's anyone in Zaltor's organization that we could... recruit, he said. Even if they couldn't catch Zaltor yet - or maybe this would be their in to doing that too - they might be able to convince to rival factions to work against each other. Or even kick off a gang war and let them both purge each other. This was a terrible idea, even by his standards, but it might well have been their only chance. They'd have actual business for Zaltor this time.

 

[Trys Aran]

Trys couldn’t deny that seeing the girls had shaken her. She simply knew that she couldn’t crack near Talak, not when he was battling his own demons. As he spoke, she remained silent and distant, though she privately agreed with his idea. There were a lot of criminals out here, and they would have to blur the line between what was ethical and legal. She despised thinking like that, but she didn’t have an alternative solution.

She found herself driving towards Nudskutch, and she withdrew into her mind for most of the journey. Trys had brought up a cigarra and smoked it on the way there, needing a quick fix after the last few tumultuous days. The settlement wasn’t exactly nearby, and they had a bit of a drive.

“You fight with yourself a lot, you know,” Trys said after a long moment of silence and abruptly. She drew in the cigarra and blew out a plume of smoke, “Like you have a part of you that you can’t entirely control, but your heart’s in the right place. Almost like...a disease you carry with you.”

Trys didn’t think she made any sense, but she wanted to get the observations out there. She knew he had his struggles, and she worried how they would jeopardize their overall mission. Trys had her own battles to fight, but she handled it very differently and compartmentalized.

After a while, she could see civilization again. The drive had been pretty - forests and rivers on both sides as they moved away from the initial metropolis. Nudskutch was a small settlement that was nestled against more woods and forests behind it.

She parked the speeder and got out, stretching her arms. Trys pulled out the coin and looked at the symbol before glancing up at Talak, “Ready to find our friend Talvo?”

 

[Talak Rand]

Talak sat back in the speeder while they traveled. It was silence for most of the trip, and although the smell of cigarra was a bit overpowering, Talak didn't say anything. Everyone had their outlets, and smoking was probably less destructive than Talak's tango with the dark side, so who was he to judge?

He wasn't expecting her to suddenly blurt out something about him like that. He looked at her through the side of his eyes but didn't say anything. Was that a question? He supposed if it were she probably would have continued to pursue it. Statement then, and not one that he could deny. He wasn't going to insult her by trying to tell her it wasn't true.

So he did what the only thing he could do: Hm.

A necessary evil, that was what it was. But if this was the natural state of the Force as he was taught and believed, and this was a necessary evil, did that mean that the Force was evil? Or was he mistaken on how to handle it? Or was it like most things in life: good in moderation, but excess was dangerous. He had to assume this was the case.

He couldn't lie, though, it was becoming more difficult for him to reconcile the things he saw and believed. Perhaps his failure in defending those girls was precisely why the Sith Eternal didn't care about the individual. He had told a Jedi once that the Jedi were too narrow minded in viewing only the individual. They needed to view the galaxy as a whole, not the isolated suffering of single people. But now that he was looking at that suffering and wasn't looking away, it was difficult to simply put it aside.

But maybe the natural cycle of the Force wasn't to produce death. Perhaps he'd been mistaken. But if the Force said that was the case, how could he argue with it? What was the purpose of a Force user? And who could he go to ask? The Eternal? No. The Jedi? No. The ancient holocrons of the Sith? Maybe, but probably not.

He shoved the thoughts out of his mind. He needed to stay focused. Now isn't the time to think about your role in the galaxy. If the Force wants you to wipe people out then who are you to... stop. Now is not the time, he reprimanded.

It was a blessing when Nudskutch came into view because it gave him something else to think about. He exited the speeder, anxious to get underway and feeling that stress that always accompanied danger beginning to seep through his body.

Yeah, he said, wondering how they were going to find a specific Gamorrean on Gamorr. Might as well get started, he thought. He knew they should be subtle, but at that exact moment he just couldn't seem to care if they were subtle or not. Was he really becoming this reckless? He really needed to start reevaluating himself... again.

Talak headed for the cantina first because everyone knew that no one knew people like the cantina owner.

Pushing his way through the door - and actually pushing his way through because it wasn't actually an automatic door - he started glancing around, finding a female Gamorrean behind the bar. Somehow wearing lipstick just managed to make these pigs even creepier...

I'll have a Corellian Whiskey and whatever she's having, he said, pointing to Trys. He was sure she wouldn't drink anything as she was driving and on duty, but at least she could order something.

We're looking for Talvo, he said.

The woman looked at him and it appeared she had understood him. Imagine his surprise when she actually spoke basic. He knew that Gamorreans could but they just... didn't usually. He supposed if there was anyone who would it would be the cantina owner.

Who's lookin for him, and why? she asked with what Talak had to assume was a scowl. Gamorreans always seemed like they were scowling, though.

 

[Trys Aran]

Trys looked suspiciously at Talak as he ordered a drink. Drinking on the job?! However, she felt strange ordering water, and she knew one drink would still keep her under the legal limit. With a shrug, she turned to the Gamorrean woman, “Dantooine ice twist please,”She said. Trys wasn’t quite sure how drinking was part of the plan, but she supposed Talak needed one after the fiasco earlier. Moreover, she wasn’t going to pass up someone buying her a drink.

As the bartender returned with their drinks and displayed suspicion about Talvo, Trys rolled her eyes. She fished out the coin and presented it to her, “Look, we don’t have time for bullshit,” Trys said flatly, “Where can we find him?” The Gamorrean stared at the coin and grunted, huffing and puffing to herself. After a moment, she pointed behind them to a table near the back where a large Gamorrean was sitting with a group of them. These ones looked extra mean and ugly and Trys sighed at the sight.

She made her way over, grimacing at the smell from the bar and being surrounded by pigs. Trys came towards the table and looked around, “Looking for a Talvo,” She announced. The biggest and brutest of them all looked over and grunted.

“Banfi sent me,” Trys explained, “Said you can help find Zaltor.”

The entire table appeared to go silent. One of the Gamorreans slammed a fist down on the table and growled towards Talvo. The others quickly joined in, all seemingly yelling and grunting at him in their language. Talvo simply picked up his mug of ale and drained it, slamming it down on the table and belching loudly.

“Banfi and any friend of Banfi’s can go to hell,” Talvo growled in surprisingly clear Basic, “I don’t want nothing to do with him with the circles he’s been running in lately. Get out of here before I kill both you puny humans.”

 

[Talak Rand]

It appeared that finding Talvo was the easy part, but getting him to cooperate was the hard part. Gamorreans were not the definition of intelligent and strong willed, but he couldn't start doing his handwaving with Trys here and a room full of other pigs. Not that she hadn't already picked up on something being weird about him, but there was no reason to lay out a breadcrumb trail.

Fine, we lied. We killed Banfi because he was doing business with our... rivals. We want Zaltors help in finishing the job. And we can pay, he said. It was a gamble, but if Talvo was willing to threaten to kill them on hearing Banfi's name, Talak was willing to gamble that he wouldn't take the news of Banfi's death poorly.

And if you don't believe us, then we can wait while you have a contact of yours poke around and see if anyone's found his body yet. We didn't exactly hide it, he said, crossing his arms and waiting.

It was obvious that he hadn't been expecting that, and Talak had to assume the expressions on his face and what he was sensing in the Force was surprise and suspicion. It was always difficult to tell with an alien.

I heard about trouble out there. Dead Hutt, that you two? Some big time off worlders trying to squeeze into our business? the Gamorrean asked, looking back and forth between the two of them. He seemed more curious than violent, which Talak took as a good sign.

And why would you lie about being friends with Banfi if you killed him? he asked, now growing a bit more suspicious. Hopefully his mind worked slowly enough that he could be diverted before he put too many pieces together. Like all lies, it held hints of the truth. They had killed Banfi, and they were going after the Hutts, and they did want the Barabel's help. It was much the same as the lies that Talak had told Trys contained portions of the truth. Just enough to be believable... usually.

 

[Trys Aran]

Trys had been quiet during the interaction, observing things and trying to formulate a plan. She had hoped that Talvo would be the typical dumb Gamorrean that didn’t have two braincells to rub together. However, there was something very perceptive and calculating in his beady little eyes, and despite the appearance, he wasn’t entirely oblivious.

Silence hung for a moment after he asked about them lying, but Trys decided to try a curious angle, “We needed a quick way to you and Banfi was someone we ran into. We didn’t know how you felt about Banfi, but now we do,” Trys said, “We’re only out here because Zaltor managed to blow the operation on Coruscant.”

Fortunately, the hook worked - Talvo’s eyes widened, and the others at the table suddenly looked over. She knew she had their attention then. Trys looked around and went on, “Oh yeah. He got the spice lab in the lower Coruscant districts exposed. He shot the guy that saw it and brought down the Rangers who were able to bust the operation.”

“What?” Talvo hissed.

“And he also killed Shaka,” Trys name dropped the dead Rodian from the spaceport, “He isn’t afraid to knock out anyone in his way,” She was really going out on a limb here, and she hoped it would pay off.

“I’m gonna kill him.”

“You don’t wanna be known as someone that kills your people, do you?”

Silence.

“Set him up, let him get axed by a Ranger. Your hands stay clean.”

Talvo thought for a long moment, rubbing his chin. She could tell he was strongly considering it. He glanced up at Trys and Talak, eyeing them suspiciously.

“What do you want out of this?”

“We need a slicer,” Trys looked around, “No questions. I’ll give you some nice, refined off-world spice if you hook me up. And I’ll also help get Zaltor on the Ranger radar.”

 

[Talak Rand]

Tension hung in the air. Everything about this interaction was precarious at best. He wasn't sure that it would work, but it was as good - or better - than any of their other options. Trys was quick thinking on her feet and gave an explanation that the Gamorrean found to be acceptable. No, it was even better than that. He didn't just find it acceptable, she had solidly managed to get the two groups on the same side.

Talak watched the exchange, listening as this Talvo became more and more inclined to work with them. He glanced around to the other Gamorreans as if looking for their input before he seemed to remember that his drinking companions were actually idiots.

My name doesn't get attached to this at all or I'll kill you and you, he said, jabbing a fat finger against both of their sternums in turn with his addressing each of them.

He turned to one of his drinking buddies and began grunting and snorting in his native tongue. Talak found himself hoping that he wasn't secretly giving some sort of instructions to have them both killed or set up. A sense of dread and anxiety began to creep up and he resisted the urge to brush his hand against his vibroblade.

Then he turned back to them, and it seemed Talak's fears were for naught.

They're going to get him out of the compound and onto neutral turf in the town tonight at docking station 241. You have the Rangers take him there. And spice up front before you get your slicer, he said defiantly. Talak still wondered about that spice stash of hers, but he hadn't had the chance to ask in all the recent chaos. He supposed it was just for situations like this... probably.

The slicer will meet you at the docking bay, and I never want to see either of you again after that, he said. Trys seemed better at handling things like this, so he let her do the talking before withdrawing outside the building.

It'll be a long drive to get back, he said, mildly annoyed that they had to turn around just when they'd gotten here, but seeing as they'd have to head back that way to deal with the remainder of the Hutt's operation anyway, it was probably for the best.

We'll need to make sure he doesn't get away this time, he said before deciding he needed to tackle the actually difficult question here.

What's our policy on this guy? he asked. They could bring him in warm or they could bring him in cold. If they took him alive they risked the Gamorrean's wrath if he expected the Barabel dead. Talak knew what he would prefer, but Trys played by a different rulebook normally.

 

[Trys Aran]

Trys couldn’t believe their luck - two birds with one stone! She had to keep from looking too excited. She nodded to Talvo’s terms and fished out the packet of spice, handing it over. His eyes lit up at the sight as he took it and took a sniff. She knew he could identify good quality from the looks of it, and he quickly pocketed it.

There wasn’t much else to be said, but Talvo was able to provide them a temporary comlink to keep in touch throughout the exchange. Trys waved goodbye and walked back out to their speeder, finally allowing herself a small smile.

As Talak grumbled about the drive, she turned to him and grinned, her eyes lit up, “That went way better than I could have expected,” She finally said, “We’re actually making progress on both cases. Coming here was a great idea, good job, volunteer Ranger,” She beamed at him before getting into the speeder and shutting the door.

When he asked about the policy on Zaltor, Trys actually looked at him in surprise, “You’re….actually asking this time?” She looked ahead as she started driving and shrugged, “I dunno, slice and dice him up if you must.”

She knew that would get a confused reaction from him, but she kept talking, “He was hostile towards Rangers. It wouldn’t shock anyone that a followup lead to a violent encounter. I don’t think he can tell us anything we can’t figure out through Talvo,” Trys shrugged again, “So by all means, do what you want.”

Trys turned to him and smiled, “See? Not a matter of deserving it or not, but when to strike,” She turned forward and continued driving. This was the first time they were making any true headway, and she couldn’t help but be in a good mood.

“Oh and,” She said after a moment, “You’re going to have to play a real Ranger. Which means you need to look like one instead of…” Trys glanced at him, “Your usual depressing get up…”

 

[Talak Rand]

Talak found her good mood was somewhat infectious, and as she mentioned how well things were going he had to step back from himself and remember that things actually were going well for once.

He snickered a bit as she called him volunteer Ranger. How had he of all people ended up being a pseudo-Ranger... even if he was a terrible one. It actually looked like the two of them were rubbing off on one another. He was asking before killing people, and she was letting him kill people. Pretty soon they'd have this happy middle ground of closely pondering who they would and wouldn't kill...

You know, this is not what I expected when I butted into that caf-shop investigation, he reflected humorously. Not even close to what he'd expected.

When she commented on his "depressing" get up, he scowled and looked down at what she was wearing. His robes were still a better option than her slave outfit, but she was swimming in them.

Despite being about three sizes too big for you, I haven't heard you complain about it. It's comfortable, he said. Did this mean she was going to try to force him to use a blaster, because... that meant he was going to be pretty worthless.

The trip back was more cheerful than their trip to the meeting, and in short order they had found what had to be the only off-worlder clothing facility in the city. They came inside, and a nice, old hag-like human woman immediately greeted them.

What can I do for you both? Oh my, deary, we need to get you out of these clothes, they don't fit you at all, she said, immediately taking a fancy to Trys that was a bit uncomfortable.

Oh, these are just lovely tattoos you have. It must have taken you some time to acquire them all, he said, reaching out and actually touching one of her neck tattoos as she walked by.

Let me help you find some clothes that will be fitting for you! she said excitedly before scurrying in the direction of the clothes racks.

 

[Trys Aran]

Trys’ good mood was instantly ruined when the creepy woman at the clothing store decided to cross some boundaries. As she reached for the neck, Trys reached a hand up and caught her wrist, staring into the woman’s eyes, “My scary boyfriend doesn’t like when anyone touches me,” She said quietly and in an undertone. The woman immediately looked over at Talak, who was probably staring at nothing and just innocently standing there but always managed to look grumpy and lethal. The woman’s eyes went wide and she audibly gulped and quickly backed away.

Happy to have that nuisance out of the way, she decided to go and pick out her own clothing. She would never admit to Talak that the clothes he had lent her were comfortable. After a while of searching, she finally found clothing that was more her style. She finally felt in her own skin again, and she had stashed her blaster away.

Trys came out fully dressed and paid for her attire, curious to see what Talak had picked. She half wondered if she needed to actually help him pick something out. The fact that she scared the old lady into thinking Talak was a violent person meant he had absolutely no help. When he went to pay, the lady stumbled over her words and was beyond flustered and scared.

After they left the shop, she got back into speeder, feeling much more like herself. She began to drive towards the docking station. Trys glanced down at the comlink from Talvo and there was a message that they were on their way. She sped up and made a beeline for the station, parking a short distance away from it.

At night, it was mostly empty, and they had a vantage point of everything from here. Trys got out of the speeder and gazed ahead, “I hope they’re not setting us up,” She didn’t know what to expect from all this, “And why Zaltor is coming here to begin with,” They also had to be discreet and not strike till Talvo or others were away, or it’d blow their cover.

 

[Talak Rand]

Talak began picking through the clothing, keeping in mind specifically articles that might help his lightsaber while still keeping with his personal aesthetic that Trys seemed to dislike. As Trys had predicted, Talak wasn't paying any attention to the old woman, but he was still looking rather intimidating without even trying.

After pawing through the clothing for a while, he picked out several pieces that would fit well enough and emerged in something other than robes. It probably wasn't quite what Trys was hoping, but it was a large step in the right direction. Apart from the hood - always needed at least access to a hood - it was basically normal people's clothing. His lightsaber was tucked on the inside of his jacket and the sword... well, the sword just looked a bit too out of place to wear now. He kept his utility belt, but decided to carry the sheathe and leave it in the speeder for the time being.

Their trip to the port flew by quickly, and they had time to spare. And time to spare, meant time to worry. For once, Talak seemed not to be the one quite as on edge. He didn't sense a trap with the Force, but that was neither foolproof nor something he could tell Trys.

He lightly fingered the hilt of his sword as the minutes ticked by. When the doors to the hangar opened, Talak sat up straighter. The Barabel (the Barabel!), Talvo, and a pair of Weequay guards all strolled into the hangar and began to exchange words. He didn't know what they were saying, but he stood at the ready, glancing over at Trys to see what she made of the situation.

The other three left without a hitch, and Talak glanced sideways at Trys again. Surely things couldn't be going this well for them, could it? Perhaps the Force had finally decided to favor their journey.

I'm going to circle around, can you hit him from here? he whispered. He wanted to get into position if the man fled, and he knew a shot from this distance with a pistol wasn't easy to make. His movements to the left were slow and predatory, staying low as if a cat stalking its prey. He knew he could get into a position to drop to the floor below behind the Barabel, but they would need to time the shot and his drop well.

 

[Trys Aran]

Trys judged the distance and frowned, “It’ll be hard to get a shot on him,” She turned to look at Talak, “Remember, we’re not trying to just take him out from the get go. We have to move in to arrest him and he has to attack first in order for us to turn the kill switch on,” She gave him a stern gaze that reminded him to play by the rules, no matter how loose they were in this scenario.

She took up a different position, circling around the other side as she watched Talvo and the others leave. Zaltor remind with the Weequay, and he appeared to be speaking to them about some new deals. She barely caught snippets of them discussing getting into a new line of business that focused on trafficking instead of just spice.

When the trio began to finally leave, Trys knew it was now or never. Despite having vantage points, they’d have to give them up to follow the rules and give the criminals a chance to surrender. At times, even Trys wished she wasn’t so strict about following the law…

“Sector Ranger! Drop your weapons!” She cried out as she stepped out into the open and pointed her pistol at Zaltor. The three froze at first, glancing around to see if they were surrounded. Zaltor hesitated for a moment.

“You’re a persistent little bitch,” He growled at her, swinging his tail about in irritation, “Kill her,” He commanded his guards as he began to turn to bolt.

 

[Talak Rand]

Talak was scowling as she said that they had to try to arrest him. He was under the distinct impression that he was allowed to "slice and dice" and he was more than happy to oblige that particular request. Now he had to pretend to want to arrest him!? How preposterous!

Maybe Talak would "accidentally" stab him or something equally as absurd. He quietly huffed to himself and kept moving into position, trying to get directly above the thugs in order to attack them. There were three of them, and it was only now that he began to realize how problematic this was going to be. Trys was going to see him fight... and that meant doing things that he probably had no real right to be doing.

That was a problem for after the fight. He just wished he could use his lightsaber.

Once he was in place, he gave a wave of his hand toward Trys, who stepped out and shouted for them to drop their weapons. Of course, that didn't happen, and Talak took that as his opportunity.

He pulled the vibroblade free and dropped down behind the lizard. The blade whirred and pulsed through the air and Talak used the Force to cushion his landing. Although it was a landing that could be accomplished without it, there was no point in risking pain or an injury. He landed gracefully and swung the blade down... but it only caught the air.

The Barabel was quick, and Talak could see why they'd had so much trouble catching him. The tail swung out at Talak, who wasn't anticipating such an attack, and caught him in the legs. He hit his back on the ground, but was quickly rolling back to his feet, just in time to avoid the blaster bolt that struck where his chest had just been a moment earlier.

Kriff, too close, he thought. Meanwhile, the two guards were getting ready to cause problems. One had opened fire on Trys and the other was trying to get a clear shot on Talak, but the Barabel was in the way for the moment. If he wasn't careful or Trys didn't give him help, he was likely to either be shot or have to retreat and the Barabel would escape... again. No, that's not happening.

 

[Trys Aran]

Trys was happy to see Talak spring into action, though her focus quickly shifted to the guards. They both only saw her in the beginning, and this allowed Talak an opportunity to get into the fray. Trys ducked behind some cargo crates once the blasters went off. This admittedly also gave Talak a moment to do some things out of her view.

She peered over the edge of the crate and saw one of the guards taking aim at Talak. Without hesitating, she fired a bolt into him, the Weequay immediately dropping to the ground under the full impact of a stun bolt. He was immobile, but his buddy was still up and standing. He whirled around and fired shots at her, and she had to duck again.

Trys used an opening to run even closer to duck behind closer cover, peering over to shoot at the guard that was standing. She knew she had to keep the guards distracted enough to allow Talak to deal with the Barabel. After one more hop to a closer cover, the remaining Weequay shot near her collarbone, and she felt searing pain. The shock of it sent her flying back with a thud. She rolled on the ground and recovered, but she knew it wounded her.

She gritted through the pain, coming around the other side of the crate to fire a few more shots. This finally downed the remaining Weequay as he fell near the other one that was still on the ground. Trys took a moment to glance down, seeing smoke rise from her wound. The pain was horrible, but she had no time to focus on it now.

Trys rushed out into the open, looking to see how Talak and Zaltor were faring. She would provide cover where she could.

 

[Talak Rand]

Talak's eyes were flicking around the battlefield and the area of their skirmish. He leapt back out of the way of the Barabel's tail again. The space let him see that Trys had dealt with one of the thugs and the other was focused on her instead of him. One on one shabuire, he thought with a wicked smile pulling at his lips.

The space, however, allowed the Barabel to pull his pistol and fire. The same reflexes that would have allowed him to block the shot with a lightsaber moved his head from out of the way of the shot, but it was close. It tore through the hood to the side of his face and left a singed hole in the fabric.

Way too close, he thought. Secrets were good, but living was better. His left hand reached out and the Force yanked the weapon free of the Barbel's grip. The surprised look on his face told the whole story.

Sssssssorcccccery! he hissed, and Talak hoped the sound of the blaster fire would drown it out. Well, that sealed his fate. No one could live to tell the stories about the Not!Sith working with the Sector Rangers to kill criminals.

Talak closed the distance in two steps and dropped low. The Barabel's claws swiped just over his head and he buried his vibroblade into the creature's leg. It was a nice hit and cut into flesh, but unlike most humanoids, the scales on a Barabel were tough so instead of cleaving straight through the leg, it only cut down to the bone.

Kriff, it's stuck, he realized, releasing it and finding himself suddenly weaponless. The Barabel was turning on him now and swiping again, only slightly slowed by the massive gash in its leg. It was after blood now, and Talak was on the proverbial back foot.

Trys had maneuvered into the open now, but Barabel were particularly resistant to stun weapons, so she would have to acquire a blaster from one of the downed thugs or else risk being considerably less effective.

 

[Trys Aran]

Trys thought Talak had the upper hand for a moment, but she saw something she couldn’t believe - was Talak’s blade stuck? Her eyes widened at the sight, and she cursed to herself, leveling the stun gun to shoot. However, she quickly realized that it wouldn’t have the desired effect, not when Zaltor could take such an extensive beating and still keep moving.

She rushed towards the downed guards and grabbed one of their blasters, quickly looking for an opening. It was critical for her to aim correctly to avoid hitting Talak, and it took precious seconds to find that perfect window. The Barabel was relentless, and his tail swung around in an attempt to hit Talak over the head.

Right when Talak was slightly out of the way, Trys leveled and fired two shots at the Barabel. With a roar, he finally collapsed to the ground. Trys rushed over and pointed the gun at the back of his head before firing again just to make sure he was dead. Within moments, the struggle was over, and there was nothing but silence.

She could hear the two guards moving slightly, and she quickly fired a stun bolt into each to keep them immobile. Trys glanced down at Talak, “Are you all right?” She asked urgently. If he looked up, he would see the deep gash on her body through the cracked armor she had on.

Trys stared at him in confusion, recalling how he had his blade stuck and struggled with the Barabel, “How...did you wipe out that entire lounge?” She couldn’t help but ask barely above a whisper.