Open Nar Shaddaa Explosive

[Maxims Tionson]

Who would have standards that low - evidently not Talak. Having the other man so suddenly, very seriously, right up in his personal space was a new experience. He hadn't spent a lot of time with the other man and suddenly they were within like half a metre of each other on a planet with a pandemic. Part of his felt like that was a bad call but he was mostly focused on Talak. Watching the way he reacted without saying a word, scanning him with his gaze and with the Force.

A nerve was touched.

He hadn't ever felt the urge to date his apprentices either but the way Talak said it, along with some of the other cues he was beginning to pick up from the rest of the conversation made it clear it wasn't due to some rule against it. No, Talak resented the idea that he had dated his student, certainly, but the anger of that sudden caliber? Talak held something deep inside of him that fed that.

What exactly fed that well of emotion... Max did not know and he didn't need to know. It was the other man's business and none of his. It didn't come up very often and Talak seemed to be confronting it right now.

Good on him.

So he just raised an eyebrow to Talak before following after him and the Sith - he wasn't about to just let this all play out. Especially not when it seemed that Talak wanted to play the role of the martyr. He stayed about ten feet away with a small frown firmly in place.

"Killing a problem doesn't solve a problem - it just makes it a problem you carry with you for the rest of your life." he spoke quietly to both Talak and the Sith woman, "Marks your soul like a tally but no matter how many tallies you count there is always a way to step back from the marker."

He carefully didn't place his hands on his hips, on his weapon.

"We can still come back - we're not too far gone. We get to come back and I know that." he shrugged slightly, "And I think you know it too. But the change scares you."

@Phoenix @Dread @Charndley

 

[Juniper]

Nara was genuinely surprised at the flash of anger coming from the other man. Gentle ribbing about him and her had clearly struck a nerve. He seemed to care about her too. This went beyond your normal attempts at 'turning someone to the light.' They should've normally tried to cart her in for questioning right about now.

She fought back the irritation that was building in her. Oh woe is me. I have suffered and must go and kill, for I am dark and twisted. Get over yourself. Letting that out certainly would have been satisfying, but might counteract Max's and Talak's attempts to get her to see sense. Nara followed them all up to the roof, more out of a sense of obligation than anything else. If things went bad and she tried to stab someone with a saber, she should be there as a witness to try and stop it.

"What even is your plan here? You're flailing around, angry and aimless. You've told us twenty times that you're going to kill him, but all you've done is stand there," Nara asked her, shouting on a rooftop. She pulled her saber hilt from her belt, but didn't ignite it. Yet. "If you were gonna do it, you'd have done it by now. You'd have done it the moment you saw him, never mind us." She motioned to herself and Max.

"Three of us, one of you. Whatever's going on, you don't have to try and go down that road. Max is right, you don't want to do this. Not really. Or you wouldn't be making this much of a song and dance about it." She thought Max had struck a nerve in both of them, really, but Talak's presence had thrown a wrench into the Sith woman's plan.

"Just... stop."

@Dread @Phoenix @Nefieslab

 

[Lilith Vye]

Lilith's first instinct when being turned around was to smack Talak's hand off her shoulder. When she saw the saber, however, she was taken aback. She stared at the weapon as he talked, as if she was transfixed.

Talak was right. She had already been a killer before they met. A thug on Nar Shaddaa, formerly street rat, but she'd always secretly wished there was good somewhere in the galaxy. There was none to be found on Nar Shaddaa during her youth, but the galaxy wasn't just a place of corruption, abuse and greed.

Good did exist. She knew that now. And not just self serving, manipulative good.

...Right?

Her chin lowered, and she allowed locks of hair to cover her face as she thought more about what Talak was offering. She moved suddenly, grabbing his saber. Turning it so it's emitter faced to the side, away from him, then pressed it against his chest. "Even if I wanted to," she started, one uncontrollable tear warming the side of her cheek. "I couldn't do that to you, Talak."

The more she thought about it, the more she felt some anger evaporate. A self-inflicted burden lifting off her shoulders, though it was replaced by guilt. "I've been so angry at you, Talak, for so long. I'm..." She let go of his saber and stepped backwards a few times, away from him. "I'm sorry."

She heard the Jedi master next, listening to him carefully before closing her eyes. All around her was darkness, fear, the whispers of the dark side, the resentment and hostility in the female Jedi Knight's words and voice. But for the first time in her entire life, Lilith knew exactly what she wanted. She reached out, not physically, but mentally. All of the chaos faded as she saw a small fragment of light. It felt almost as if it was just out of her reach....but it was there.

Though her eyes opened as she caught the tail end of the Knight's words, and all the hostility that poured from them like venom. If one Jedi had this type of anger towards her, no doubt more would. There was no point in her trading one hostile order for the next, and so she spoke, "But you'll have to drag me to a Jedi temple against my will, if that's why you came," she said, looking back up finally. "You were right all that time ago, I don't belong there. And besides, what I'm doing here is more important." Lilith looked at the Jedi Master. "Maybe it does mark your soul, but if a death could bring relief to the entire galaxy, is it not a small price to pay?"

@Phoenix @Nefieslab @Charndley

 

[Talak Rand]

When he saw her grab the saber, he forced down the instinct to move or strike. And it was a strong instinct. He wasn't suicidal and he probably wouldn't have just stood there to be stabbed, but it didn't happen. And he was thankful that he'd been right that she didn't want to kill him.

But he hadn't expected it to actually work. He hadn't expected to see that he had actually gotten through to her. He relaxed muscles he didn't realize were tensed as she pressed the saber into his chest and he took it, hanging it once more on his belt as he looked at her.

When she uttered her apology, there was a surprising wave of emotion that accompanied it, rising within Talak. His face was grim, and he knew that he still bore some of the responsibility for the path she walked.

So am I, he said. And then there were the other Jedi. And Lilith's clear hesitance toward them. In truth, Talak had no intention of trying to drag her to a temple. Perhaps she would end up in one eventually, but that wasn't something that could be forced. You couldn't force someone to be a Jedi. That was another thought he needed to meditate on later.

Maybe not yet, he ceded as she said that she wouldn't go to the temples and that wasn't where she belonged. He wasn't interested in starting an argument over that, and indicated he had no intention of dragging her back.

For now, he glanced at the other two Jedi. He didn't know what they were thinking, and he knew that whatever was going on here could certainly get complicated, but... there was more. His brow twisted into a contemplative frown and he looked back to her.

He recognized the logic behind what she said. They were the exact things he had said before and the exact philosophies that he held in many cases. There were issues with it that he was beginning to come to terms with, but there were kernels of truth in it as well.

Just remember that all the things I did to you were in the interest of "the greater good," he warned. He knew that the kernel of truth could be quickly and irrevocably warped by the dark side into something heinous.

What is it you came here to do? he finally asked. He always had been absurdly curious, and he could only keep that at bay for so long. @Dread @Nefieslab @Charndley

 

[Maxims Tionson]

Max wanted to sigh - why was it that people thought Jedi took people against their will to be trained as Jedi? Seriously, even in the old republic they would ask for the permission of the parents and respect their wishes. In the newest version of the Jedi Order it wasn't even something they did. But instead of reacting to that bit he just smiled a little bit and shook his head.

"We don't drag people off to the Temple - when you're ready, and one day you will be, you'll walk there on your own."

And he truly did believe that.

People who had been touched by the Dark Side could, of course, return to the Light but it wasn't something that could be forced. It wasn't a case of fighting someone until they agreed with your principles. No, it was about them coming to the decision themselves and walking that path because they wanted to.

Ah yes.

The Greater Good argument.

Against most Jedi it likely held some measure of weight but it held nothing on Max himself. Max, the man who had never killed during his time as a cop or his time as a Jedi. His smile stayed in place but it weakened slightly.

"No." he answered her straight, "A death is always a price too steep."

Was it really? Maybe. Maybe not. But he believed that it was.

@Dread @Phoenix @Charndley

 

[Lilith Vye]

Not yet? Lilith wasn't sure how she felt about that comment. The Jedi Master was more direct about it, though Lilith didn't say anything about either comment. She'd never felt like she belonged to the Sith, so she wasn't sure she'd ever feel like she belonged to the Jedi either.

But obviously.... things changed.

Lilith frowned a bit when the master answered her question, though she looked at Talak after when he spoke. "I... understand," she answered. It had been awhile since she listened to any sort of warning or advice from Talak, but what he said made sense. So did what she was doing though, so she replied, "But this is different."

She paused a moment, looking at the Jedi. A small bit of paranoia surfaced about telling them, but she tried to push it away. "I'm getting information on Darth Occidius' movements. Specifically, if and when he tends to visit Nar Shaddaa and where he parks his ship," she admitted. "I'm going after him. I have the skills, the equipment and the plan." It was a risk, one that would more than likely end with her death, but she'd already decided it was worth it.

"Master Jedi," she assumed by the man's age. "I have to disagree with you. Every day he exists the galaxy is paying that very price, and I have a chance to stop it." She wasn't trying to convince him her idea was good, or trying to change his views, but she was telling him that she wasn't going to be talked out of it.

@Phoenix @Nefieslab @Charndley

 

[Talak Rand]

Talak tried not to do the highly doubtful side eye as Max said that any death was too high a price to pay. That was... really not something he was sure he was on board with, but this wasn't the time to argue.

When she explained what she was going to be doing, Talak couldn't help but quirk and eyebrow and throw a glance over at the other Jedi. That was a juicy opportunity, and regardless of the man's feelings on killing, he wasn't sure that was an opportunity that could be passed up.

I think everyone can agree he needs to be stopped, he said. Though the exact means of doing that was questionable, they were at war. There were many, many instances of Jedi killing Sith throughout history.

You're sure you know where he is? he asked. He had very, very nearly been screwed over recently thinking he knew something when he didn't. It had nearly cost innocent people. Such was what he had begun to learn since leaving the Sith. Actions had consequences. Often foreseen and unpredictable ones. But inaction had the same issue. @Dread @Nefieslab @Charndley

 

[Juniper]

There was a notable chill in the air when the Sith girl mentioned Darth Occidus. Nara blinked, shivering a little as she described the plan. That changed things. Her frustration and anger melted away, replaced by the deep, dull tug of fear in her stomach.

Oh no. What've you got yourself involved in?

"Seriously? Yeah he does need to be stopped but..." she started to say, biting her lip as her words fell away. Confronting someone powerful enough to earn a Darth title wasn't exactly on the list of things she was eager to do... but supposedly the blonde had a plan. The thought of one of them skulking around Nar Shaddaa, always lingering close...

"You're braver than most," Nara said to the young woman, nodding. "And he does need to be stopped. In a very permanent manner," she said, hoping Max wouldn't pull her up too much on it. Yeah, okay, she was letting fear rule her a little bit... but c'mon. Max could lecture her later about it, if they got a chance.

"What's your plan? Sneak aboard his ship?"

@Nefieslab @Dread @Phoenix

 

[Maxims Tionson]

Yeah he didn’t think anyone else would agree with him and he didn’t expect them too and, most importantly, he didn’t hold it against them either.

He might not want to ever kill and he might think that it was always something that could be avoided but it wasn’t something he held against others. Max knew that some people thought he was a bit sanctimonious but he wasn’t the type of person to demand that everyone follow his view or else be labelled as ‘evil’ or whatever. No one here (except, maybe, the Sith) killed without a purpose and he could respect that they thought that those deaths served that purpose well enough.

The plan however…

“I can respect your planned outcome, even if I don’t personally agree with your methods.” He admitted easily with a small smile, “And having him stopped would be a boon for the entire Galaxy I agree.”

He just also thought that bringing the Darth into a court of law, broken, defeated and brought low in front of the entire Galaxy was a more powerful message. Killing the Darth would solve a lot of ill in the Galaxy for certain but there were ways that he could be stopped that could, arguably, manage even more than just simply killing him.

And maybe a small part of him wanted to see a Darth be forced to actually live with their defeat, their humiliation.

“So.”

The Jedi Master raised an eyebrow.

“Would it ruin your plans if a Jedi Master and two plucky Jedi Knights joined in?” he asked with a smirk before glancing at Talak, “Well… One plucky Knight. I don’t think anyone’s ever called Talak plucky before.”

@Phoenix @Dread @Charndley

 

[Lilith Vye]

Both her eyesbrows raised as each Jedi spoke. They all seemed very interested in her little suicidal plot. It surprised her. Oren wouldn't ever take part in straight up assassination...right? That was why she never told him. She didn't want to disappoint him again.

Why did she feel the need to get approval from a Jedi? She... didn't know.

"I'm trying to find out where he is now," she answered Talak after a long pause. "That's why I'm going to invite myself into a monitoring station. I can pin him down if hes on it enough," she added with confidence, pointing at the rooftop door beside her.

She planned to slice into the door. It lead into a stairwell that went up into a slim tower. The tower, of course, had the monitoring station on the top. It was likely heavily guarded, but it was Nar Shaddaa so maybe the guards were drunk or something. The female Knight asked a question too but Lilith wasn't entirely certain she was going to let everything slip.

When the Jedi Master asked his question, Lilith thought for second. It couldn't hurt to have more help, even if she withheld some information from them. She looked at the master for a handful of seconds before walking up to him. As she did, she took out one of her sabers and held it out, the emitter faced away from the Jedi Master.

"On one condition. Purify this lightsaber for me." It was the lightsaber that Oren had purified once before, but it was retainted. Lilith had used the white saber under one of her alias', the one she planned to use for this plot. "And... Rain's my name." No Sith knew that Lilith was connected to The Rain, so using the alias was her safest bet from swift retaliation, if she succeeded. She didn't react to the 'plucky' comment. She wasn't exactly plucky herself.

@Phoenix @Nefieslab @Charndley

 

[Talak Rand]

Talak looked over at the other Knight as she agreed with him, though it was obvious she was hesitant. And for good reason. The last time Talak had fought one of the dark councilors it had nearly killed him. If he could keep this from being a fair fight, he was more than happy to do so. And he doubted Lilith had a fair fight in mind.

Then his eyes moved over to the Jedi Master. He seemed hesitant about killing - even more than most Jedi, it seemed - but ultimately he decided to come along. That was good. He had a feeling they would need all the help they could get on this one.

No, he said flatly in response to the "plucky" comment. He wasn't even entirely sure what that meant, but he knew he didn't fit into any category that reminded him of "boisterous."

He frowned a bit as Lilith shoved the lightsaber toward Max. Why did she need it purified? That didn't make a lot of sense at all, but Talak didn't say anything. He simply watched and let it happen. He knew her well enough to sense that there was some sort of inner conflict, but he didn't know what.

Someone could create a distraction while you sliced in. Unless you're wanting a no-trace of the in and out, he said. There was risk to either plan, but having someone draw the guards away from the tower seemed like a safer option than hoping to avoid them inside the building. @Dread @Charndley @Nefieslab

 

[Juniper]

Plucky is probably one of the nicer things anyone's called me to my face, so I'll take it.

The woman revealed her name and Nara made a mental note of it. Rain. Hm. Whilst she asked Max to purify the saber, Nara stepped a little bit ahead to check out the tower. Wondering how many people would be in there, how well armed they'd be and how much trouble they'd likely be expecting. They probably weren't expecting three Jedi and a maybe-Sith to be there. It shouldn't be that much of a problem to deal with them.

Talak's idea seemed the most sensible though. One of them could distract them, pull the majority of guards out of there. Leave the tower empty (or practically empty) for Rain to do her thing. Max was older and built like a badly-weathered titanium slab. Talak looked like a better fighter than runner, and Rain was going to be doing the slicing so... Ooooh that'd be me then.

She took her blaster from her belt, zipping up her coat a little bit more. "I can pull them away if you want. Send a couple of shots up there, yell something in Huttese, make them thing it's some gang thing. I can disappear easier in the streets than either of you," she suggested to Max and Talak, shrugging. "Then you guys can get inside and do your thing." She looked between the others, from the Master, to the Knight, to the Sith.

"That's an option, anyway."

@Nefieslab @Dread @Phoenix

 

[Maxims Tionson]

Oh yeah the plan wasn't too bad but it was more of a vague idea than a plan based on what she had told them. However, they didn't make idiots Jedi Masters and he was not ruling out the likelihood that she was only telling them what she thought they needed to know. What she thought they would need to know to actually help them. He didn't exactly think even a 'good' Sith was going to fully shed the intricacies of being a Sith, the traits that had ensured she actually survived and thrived in a nest of nexu like the Sith 'Order' or Empire or whatever it was they called themselves.

Still, breaking and entering wasn't exactly against Max's moral code. He was just soooo flexible when it came to morals - the group should be happy he wasn't a stickler to the rules.

"Depending on what kind of security they have there, we may not need too much in the way of a distraction." he reasoned, "The people of Nar Shaddaa are weak willed... and Very focused on this own goals. I have discretionary credits from the Order and you all have the temperament to threaten violence. We appeal to their cowardice and their greed and you'll have your opening."

There was usually a way around killing.

Taking the lightsaber that she handed to him, Max gripped the saber tightly. He took it from her with a deep frown. Max scowled as he felt the crystal through the Force, felt how it had been bled and forced to the edge. He began to syphon off the negative energies, the Dark Side, that had been forced into the crystal and it flowed from the crystal, into him and then out into the Force around them.

The air took on a foul taint that both Talak and Lilith would be so very aware of. Nara would feel it but not know it on the same base level as the Sith and the former Sith. He was drawing the Dark Side from the crystal like poison from a wound before dumping it out into the surroundings to avoid taking it in and keeping it inside of himself.

The last of the Dark Side left the crystal and he held onto it for a few seconds, closing his eyes and forcing himself to really feel it. To know it for a few seconds before releasing it into the Force again, the Light once again the only thing residing within him. He ignited the now white blade before extinguishing it and handing it to Lilith, keeping hold of it when she touched it for a moment.

"Don't violate it again."

His face appeared more angular for a moment and his tone had lost all traces of warmth it had once carried. Then he let Lilith take the saber and he was smiling again.

"Shall we begin?"

@Dread @Charndley @Phoenix

 

[Lilith Vye]

Lilith listened to all their suggestions. They all had merit. "It doesn't need to be traceless," she answered at first. However, as the Jedi Master began to purify the blade she watched and sensed the whole thing. The Dark Side leaving, the Light taking it's place. The blade felt...peaceful after.

But when she went to grab it, the Jedi Master spoke and what he said immediately made her look away. A pang of guilt hit her. She'd always felt guilty for tainting the saber again. The guilt was so strong that, maybe illogically, it prompted a spike of anger in her.

She pulled the saber back when the Jedi Master let go, and grunted, "Maybe I'm working with you, but the last Jedi that really pissed me off ended up with half a fried face" before turning around and storming off to the doorway.

Beside the door was a panel, which she stopped in front of silently. Taking out her datapad, she began to upload several things once she recognized the software the building's security system was using. One being a program that'd overload the system and send electrical shocks pulsing through anyone close enough to a console or panel, it was something newer that she'd developed. The second thing she did was shut down the cameras and trigger the alarm for the door.

With that she turned around, pulling her hood up to obfuscate her face. "How about, you distract them anyway you want, and I enter through a window," she said without giving them the chance to answer, summoning the Force once more to bring herself to the edge of a window. No one would see her face this way, which was important since she doubted the Jedi would kill the guards. Speaking of guards, she saw the backs of two gamorrean's from the window, making their way down the stairs. The first or only line of defence?

Both of them had DL-18 blaster pistols and viobroblades. They had their pistols out, and as soon as they opened the rooftop doorway they.... started shooting wildly.

@Phoenix @Nefieslab @Charndley

 

[Talak Rand]

Talak watched the blade purification, sensing the shifting an changing in the Force. As was always the case with the Dark Side, it was both foul and also offered an incredible power. It wasn't unlike a drug, and he could all but smell it in the air. Still his face remained passive and stoic.

A moment later Lilith stormed off, and simple watched in silence. This entire situation was odd and not what he was expecting from today. The other Knight offered to draw their attention and Talak nodded. She seemed capable and seemed to know something about Nar Shaddaa. Max had his own plan, and ultimately, Talak was content with doing whatever. He was relatively confident that whatever they chose would be successful.

Lilith disappeared up into a window and the three of them were left with dealing with the Gamorreans who came through the door. Talak wasn't sure the extent to which they wanted to declare "we're Jedi" so he started his movements without lightsaber in hand. He took cover behind the corner of another nearby building and looked over to the other two Jedi. He wasn't sure if they both carried guns or just the Knight, but that would be useful. If not, Talak could always pull some Force shenanigans. He knew how to do those things. @Dread @Charndley @Nefieslab

 

[Alania Vane]

She heard the talking nearby. It was just something she had. It was weird. Alania could hear things far away. She decided to investigate and walked more closer to the talking. Not them! she thought to herself. She groaned and started walking closer to the talking.
Why hello Talak. she said. Well this shall be interesting.
I mean hey, Alania can just walk away. Or maybe just use her saber. But she can't. She was talking to another jedi. She'll not be able to be a Jedi is she killed another Jedi. Just wouldn't work.
Why are you here? she asked Talak.

 

[Juniper]

Nara shuddered as she felt Max push and purge the dark side energies from the lightsaber. She could feel it in the air around them, cloying and viscous, clinging to everything it could. It left her with a horrid, unclean feeling, like she'd just had some oil tipped over her head. Her face twisted in vague disgust, before she focused on the problem at hand.

"Hey, some of us are from this pit of a moon," she whispered in a very sharp tone to Max, before she turned her blaster down to the stun setting. The Master was right, they shouldn't really be killing anyone. She was doubtful how many of the thugs would stop to discuss terms and cash when a threat was immediate, but it didn't sound like that bad of an idea.

That was, until she saw the Gamorreans shove through the door, firing wildly. Instantly, Nara moved out of the line of fire, looking between the two of them. Great. Famously diplomatic people, the Gamorreans of Nar Shaddaa. She looked over at Max, wondering what sort of bribery shenanigans he'd try to pull, before making an executive decision. With a breath, she raised her blaster pistol, aimed it towards the Gamorrean's head and fired twice.

The blast fired right between the Gamorrean's piggy eyes, stopping the thug in his tracks. He swayed for a second, as if caught on puppet strings, before collapsing forwards. The pistol skimmed ahead, it's blade dropping from it's belt with a metallic clank. The other bolt missed the thug, but hit the metal behind them, causing a shower of sparks. Almost blindsided by how good a shot that was, Nara whistled and yelled for the attention of the other thug.

"HEY! UGLY!" she yelled, firing again towards the remaining thug to attract his attention as she moved towards the edge of the roof, ready to jump off. "COME ON PIGGY, COME AND GET IT!"

@Nefieslab @Dread @Phoenix

 

[Maxims Tionson]

So Nara was from Nar Shaddaa huh? Well you learned something new every day he supposed but it didn’t really change what direction he wanted everything to take. He didn’t want anyone dying over this so he was going to do whatever it took to make sure that happened. The pig-like guards made the idea of bribery or conversation kind of… pointless.

He couldn’t speak their language and they didn’t really speak common so he was just going to have to make sure that the violence they brought with them didn’t get them killed. The guards that was – he didn’t think the guards had even a chance in hell of ending any of the knights or the rest of their party but it was their lives he worried for.

Then the random little girl popped up.

“Down little girl!” Max demanded as he made to grab her by the hair and drag her behind cover as one of the guards swung for them with a vibroaxe, “This isn’t the time for conversation child!”

Honestly.

Children these days.

The last guard was distracted by Nara and he let her distract it as he sparked his stun baton to life. Sneaking behind the guard, he waited until it was fully paying attention to Nara before jabbing with the stun baton. Specifically stabbing at it’s piggy junk from behind to stun it in the privates – it squealed loudly but went down in seconds.

“I’m going to cause some chaos a few streets over – Nara, you come with me and we’ll make a thing of it. Talak, you want to make sure Rain doesn’t get herself killed?” he reasoned before staring at the child and just pointing to her, “And send her home or something.”

Then he was off, jumping from the roof toward a side street to cause a bigger distraction.

@Dread @Phoenix @Charndley @Alania Vane

 

[Alania Vane]

Little girl? LITTLE GIRL?!
"What the h**l?! I am no little girl! And no one touch me! Im not a padawan!" Alania argued.