Changing tides and changing sides

[Moriarty]

"Yer a real piece of work, Karasym, ya know that?" A man asked. Karasym stood under an overhang outside a cantina on Nar Shadaa. He often visited this place for personal reasons. It was supposedly his homeworld as well. Nothing quite like it from a certain perspective.

"Yeah, I've been told that before," he said sarcastically. He was in a little bit of a cheery mood. The man in front of him had exchanged the turrets on his ship for the latest upgrades. He loved scrap dealers.

"Good luck, buddy. May tha force be with ya," he said. Karasym nodded and walked towards the ship bays. He pulled his hood over his head to protect it from the rain, but it didn't do so well on his face. His ship would be done in at least two days, but that didn't mean he couldn't stay in it for that long. It was ultimately his property.

He reached the entrance to the bays after a long walk and was halted by one of the guards at the door. He flashed his port I.D. and was let in. He pulled his hood back and looked around at the other people. Something felt eerily familiar, but foreign at the same time. He looked around for the source until he saw a beautiful woman walking in his direction. No doubt, she had just landed.

 

[AriaDran]

Nar Shadaa wasn't where most people would go for a vacation - at least not most people who considered themself to not be a criminal. It suited Saeryl's wants perfectly, however - noone asked questions as long as you didn't go poking your nose into other people's business. Officially, as far as Luminado was concerned, she was only here on leave, just enjoying a nice quiet vacation in one of the dirtiest corners of hte galaxy. Unofficially, she had some private business to take care of - hunting down a reputable medical clinic that wouldn't try to gut her and steal her organs was step one. Thankfully she had the credits to keep that from happening.

She couldn't believe how fast her plans had changed from that to... well, she wasn't sure she knew what to do now. She had just landed, she wasn't even out of the spaceport yet - as she neared the exit, the last person she ever expected to be walking the other way.. well, was. She stopped in her tracks, her jaw dropping open at the sight of him.

She knew his face - Lane had shown it to her. Just knowing their connection made her think of Lane, and that thought brought a cringe to her form. Her hand instinctively moved to her face, subconsciously running over her black eye. Her other hand moved to her lightsaber, but she didn't draw it. All of the stories she'd heard said he would kill her or worse, especially if he found out that she had anything to do with Lane.

Stopping and reacting like that had likely tipped him off that she recognized his face, though. She wasn't sure what to do. She glanced around, then back at Karasym - there was noone around to help. It was just her and the monster, face to face, and somehow she just knew that he could read the fear in her eyes.

 

[Moriarty]

There was something odd about her. She had a black eye, a wound from an abusive partner, and her face was filled with fear from the sight of him. He was used to people fearing him, but not someone who saw his face with such familiarity. She obviously knew who he was, and he was curious to learn who she was. He walked towards her.

"Who's been beating you?" Karasym asked. He couldn't stand it when men abused women, and since he was trying to fix all the things he did wrong, he wanted to try and help her.

 

[AriaDran]

Saeryl panicked as he stepped towards her, drawing her lightsaber and pointing it at him until he came to a stop. She didn't ignite it, but she would try to use it as a detterent at first. At least until he spoke and asked his question, worded in such a gentle manner. Could this really be the evil man she had been told he was? Maybe she was confused and he just looked similar?

She would lower her arm shortly after his question was asked, her saber returned to her belt. Her other hand was still on her black eye, and the first hand moved to another bruise on the side of her ribcage. She could barely admit to herself that Lane had grown so violent, so how could she tell this man she had never truly met?

"It was.. noone."

She looked down at the ground, unable to meet this stranger's eyes. What was happening? Everything felt so strange. Maybe she had entered the twilight zone - that would explain Lane's behavior recently, and Karasym's gentleness now as well.

 

[Moriarty]

"Miss," Karasym said, lifting her face up softly. He examined her eye carefully, "This isn't an accident. I know that much. And he has to be someone stronger than you, because I can feel the force flowing through you like a raging river." He held his other hand over her eye and let the force flow through. A purple and black aura materialized in his hand and began to fix the wounded flesh around her eye. He then let his hand hover over her torso area, fixing anything that felt wounded, injured, or bruised.

"You should be fine now..." he said. He still couldn't shake the familiarity he felt from her. "I apologize, have we met somewhere? I can't recognize your face, but you seem so vaguely familiar..." He asked.

 

[AriaDran]

Saeryl didn't answer, but she didn't refute his claims either. She couldn't just throw Lane under the bus, regardless of what he had done. Especially not with... things developing as they were. She flinched as the strange aura appeared in his hand, but then relaxed as she felt it soothing away her pain instead of adding to it. She bit her lip and waited for him to finish before speaking.

"You're a lot more... well, what's a good word. Nice." She nodded slightly, perhaps to herself. "Nicer then they said you would be."

She paused for a moment, unsure how much she should be telling him. Well, it probably wouldn't hurt to tell him just a little. He had saved Lane's life once, and now he had even healed her, after all. How bad could he be, really?

"My name is Saeryl. We've never met, though we were close to eachother once. On Kashyyyk. I'm part of Luminado, and La..."

She stopped abruptly, then cleared her throat and left it at that.

 

[Moriarty]

"Ah. That would make sense. I remember now," he said. He wasn't going to be rude to her, seeing as how he could feel two lives forming inside her womb. She was obviously his lover. But why would he abuse her? He understood he was his opposite, and incarnation of the lightside... "What I don't understand, is why he would hit you," he said. It was obvious by the way she reacted to him healing her, and why she had bruises on her body as well. The man he thought was going to be the good guy was turning into something... evil. It was something Karasym was supposed to be, but even that was starting to change.

"I'm sure you don't want to be stuck here in a hanger bay for the rest of your day. Woud you like a drink?" Karasym asked gently. He knew she knew what he used to be, and it was important to him to change that image, though he didn't know why.

 

[AriaDran]

Saeryl opened her mouth to protest, then realised she was doing it too quickly and he's see through it. She brought her arms up and crossed them over her belly, subconsciously protecting it. She waited a few moments, then shook her head. Her words didn't sound very convincing in her own head, even.

"I never said it was Lane who hit me. You're just assuming things..."

She looked away from him for a moment, then back to him and quickly changed the subject, or at least tried to.

"Yeah, a drink sounds good. But nothing alcoholic. I'm just... well, not in the mood, right now."

 

[Moriarty]

"Whatever you say," he said. He turned and walked out towards the exit of the hangar. He relealized it was still raining. He then took his robe off and offered it to Saeryl. You need it more than I do," he said. It was true. The cold never bothered him, neither did rain or anything else that cause a drop in temperature. His only problem were the jedi hunters. His lightsabers were exposed instead of hers, which was a good thing, but it meant he would have to kill more people to defend. He knew their type, and they didn't quit until they were dead.

He stepped into the rain, looking up as a flood of water complete drenched him. He was thankful everything worked in water. It saved him trouble countless times. "I'll let you lead the way. If you've been here before, I'm sure there's a place you specifically like," he offered. Before he could even think, there were already people eyeing him curiously. It was like they wanted to give themselves away.

 

[AriaDran]

Saeryl was again surprised as he handed her his cloak. Nothing that was happening added up to what she had been told about this man. What was going on here? She accepted it and slipped it on, putting the hood up before s tepping out into the rain. She didn't notice the people eyeing Karasym - she was caught up in her own thoughts. She started to walk, but didn't really have a destination in mind. She hadn't been to this specific part of Nar Shadaa before. That was why she was here, so noone could possibly recognise her, or so she thought.

So she just continued walking until a cantina unevitably appeared, and she would pick that one to enter. She would stop once inside and see that it was thankfully one of the quieter places in town, which didn't say much since this was Nar Shadaa. On any other world this place would be the worst of them all.

 

[Moriarty]

It was an interesting choice, in Karasym's opinion anyways. This Cantina was one of the quieter ones on Nar Shadaa. Not much happened here aside from the usual drunken bar fights and other such things. It wasn't anything too big. "So why are you here? I wouldn't expect a woman such as yourself to escape to the slime hole of the galaxy for a vacation," he asked. He did find it unusual the favored member of a mercenary organization would come to this world. The only reason Karasym visited this place often was because it was where he was born.

 

[AriaDran]

Saeryl didn't answer until she had found a seat, a quiet booth in the corner - or as quiet as they came anyways. They wouldn't be overheard, and that was enough for her at the moment. She sighed at his question, bringing a hand up to run through her hair before she spoke.

"I'm not here on vacation. I'm here... well, it's kind of personal."

She frowned suddenly, leaning forward to talk quieter to him.

"And it's my turn to ask questions. Not that I'm complaining, but aren't you supposed to be evil and have killed me painfully back in the dock?"

 

[Moriarty]

"There's a lot that's changed. Yeah, I used to be an assassin. I wouldn't have killed you unless you were a target, though. But now I don't feel the same. I'm not... Angry anymore," he explained. "I'm sure you know about Lane and I. Well, I'm not so sure I know myself all too well. Instead of killing to attack, I'd only kill to defend," he said truthfully. He wouldn't be able to harm anyone unless they were to attack him or someone he cared for. From his understanding, Lane was like that too. "Anymore questions?"

 

[AriaDran]

Saeryl continued frowning, then shook her head and waved a hand dismisively, but not at him. She was actually doing it at her thoughts.

"Well that doesn't make sense. Lane once told me that if I ever met you, you'd kill me slowly in ways I couldn't even imagine."

She let out a sigh, thinking over his words and wondering. Well, she did have another question she had been dieing to ask. She looked back up at Karasym, looking him in the eye and waiting until he was looking back in hers before she asked.

"Why are you being so nice to me?"

 

[Moriarty]

"Do I need a reason?" He said. By some chance I would feel a pressence that was familiar to me, and it would be you. I know it's hard to believe but I..." He struggled to get the word out, not being used to the word or the feeling yet. "I regret everything I've done. My father and I were both done an injustice by the Jedi Order, but we were both wrong to react the way we did... I want to correct my mistakes..." He looked out the window, suddenly remembering the famed Psuedon, his birth father, Ledo. He wondered if Ledo would be proud of him, or feel disgraced. It didn't matter. He wanted to set his family name right in the first place.

 

[AriaDran]

Saeryl studied him quietly for a few long moments, then reached out a hand to pat his arm genty, a smile appearing on her face.

"Well, if that's the way you feel, then I for one will forget about everything I've been told about you."

She paused for a moment, then nodded and looked to his eyes, waiting until he looked back into hers before she spoke again.

"I don't know why I felt familiar too you - perhaps because I've been close to Lane? But regardless, that has to mean something. Correcting your mistakes, well, that's not going to be an easy road. You wanting to walk down the hard road tells me you are definetly not the evil man I was led to believe."

 

[Moriarty]

"Tha-" Karasym was interrupted but the sound of the door being blown open. Several men walked in, rifles rained at both Karasym and Saeryl. Karasym immediately stood, all rifles were then trained on him. He kept his hands by his lightsabers.

"I wouldn't make any sudden movements, Jedi," a Tradoshian said. He seemed to be the leader of the pack.

"I would lower your weapons if I were you," Karasym said calmly. He was suppressing an extremely large amount of anger. "I don't want to hurt you."

"The girl a jedi too? 'Cause my boss wants any Jedi he can find on Nar Shadaa. He prefers them alive, but would still pay extremely well for dead ones," he said with a coy smile. Karasym clenched his fist. He wouldn't strike first this time.

"Leave. NOW!" He yelled. One of the men shot a blast straight for Saeryl's arm. Karasym put his hand in the way to deflect the blast, but reacted too slowly. He paid it no attention, but steam radiated from the burn. His other hand sparked a few times with his signature black lightning. "I warned you..." He said. He threw his arm forward, launching a short blast of black lightning at the Tradoshian, then pulled out his blue lightsabers. All the patrons got up and ran out of the cantina. It was just him, Saeryl, and the other eight men. An easy job.

 

[AriaDran]

Saeryl blinked in surprise as the door blew open, the sat still and waited as Karasym and the bounty hunter spoke. She gasped as one drew a blaster and shot, surprised by Karasym's reflexes, and that he had blocked a blaster shot with his hand. Why had he done that? She slowly stood, pulling her lightsaber out and igniting the silver blade. She moved to stand next to Karasym, placing a calming hand on his shoulder while looking at the bounty hunters.

"There is no need for this. There are enough dead bounty hunters in the galaxy. You make take me if you leave him alone."

She extinguished her saber and clipped it onto Karasym's belt, just to show she was serious, then held her hands up and took a step towards the bounty hunters. She stopped there, waiting to hear their answer.

 

[Moriarty]

"A Jedi is a Jedi," one of the hunters said, a Taung, by the looks of his armor. He came forwards and placed cuffs around Saeryls arms. "I dunno why the boss wants Jedi, love, but he's gonna be in for a treat once he sees you."

"Why are you doing this?" Karasym asked Saeryl, truly confused.

 

[AriaDran]

Saeryl didn't complain as the cuffs were put on her, but she would correct the man.

"Oh, neither of us are Jedi. But I'm sure he'll love me."

She looked over at Karasym, smiling softly at him.

"You say you want to change,t o be a better man? Well, killing these people is not the way to do it. Don't worry, I'm sure I'll be fine. I'm pretty tough."

She leaned in to whisper to him, providing the bounty hunters let her anyways.

"The way to do that is to stop whoever is hiring these bounty hunters, so that other Jedi who come through here can be safe. I'll be the bait. You just wait until the opportune moment."

She winked at him, then leaned away and looked back to the bounty hunter. She nodded, signalling she was ready to go.

"Well, why don't we go get you boys paid, hmm?"