Shadows over Umbara

[Baobhan]

What came next, few could anticipate...
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... Hastur, inept as he was in the ways of the force could feel the dark side pull on the bleak surface of a planet like Umbara. The resonating blackness that enveloped the young boy from every angle as he exited the ship-yard into the wide open air was stifling and claustrophobic to the senses. He thanked Ashla that he wore a slick visor across his eyes, allowing him at least to see in the save Ultra Violet spectrum that the Umbarans did, simply as a means to get by on this world where nature was but a cruel phantasmagoria. His sight outside immediately fell on the twisted night-flowers that looked as dangerous to the touch as the people who cared for them. Without a doubt, this was a hostile world, and he would have to be careful when it came to the many customs of the Umbaran people, as well as the wild-life which surrounded them.

... Looking to his sensor resistant Case, the two pistols he carried as his venerable cargo, supposedly named 'Lady' and 'Stinger,' resided within it, each of them carefully placed in sealed padded layers that would protect them from so much as being scratched even should the case receive high impact damage. Whatever these pistols were, they seemed to be valuable enough to send him on an errand to deliver them to a world like this. Perhaps they were a gift to a son or daughter entering the Umbaran military? Or for personal use? Sadly, it was not Hastur's job to speculate, all he knew was that the papers on the transport of the weapons were legal and that the weapons were registered when they had come into contact with the shop he had picked them up from. Meaning that everything above these weapons was above the table this time around. The humanoid could not have known that such good record keeping would be what placed him in even more danger than if they were illegal.

Records created a paper-trail, and a paper-trail, no matter how official, could be tracked if a person was looking hard enough.
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... Mounting up on a speeder bike, the boy would rocket towards his destination, following the GPS system in built into the speeder, case hooked to the side of the machine where any cargo would usually lay. While uneventful, it looked like the Umbaran military were on guard, the world was a neutral place, but it seemed with the republic at the gates and the Sith becoming more and more active as time seemed to move on, the people here were preparing for the worst... Civilization was soon enough left behind him, allowing Hastur to speed up all the more as he traveled to his somewhat isolated destination. The jungles of Umbara consisted of spiraling twisted plants that reached for the heavens, as if to soak in phantom sunlight. Tendrils flickered out the corner of the Jedi's eye as movement seemed to be ever present, but never present enough to gaze upon it directly. Hastur had heard stories and been warned about the Vixus whcih grew and prowled the more native areas of Umbara, highly dangerous cephalopods which would ensnare and devour any who were caught within their tendrils... luckily enough, it seemed that this road was well traveled, and as Vixus were stationary creatures, any that would have been around here seemed to have been cleared out.

... Hours passed as Hastur had arrived as his destination, a military looking manor that seemed to boast guards standing at the gates, Hastur noted rather oddly that they did not seem to don the same uniform as the active military that he had seen closer to the township he had landed in... perhaps a separate outfit? Or more likely they were some sort of private contractor. Hastur gave his information, his mind warping into an official, diplomatic persona as he weaved through rules and regulations in order to deliver his package. Talking to what seemed to be a supervisor at the gate, the boy was not allowed to enter the premises, something about not having the permission from the owner, who at the time happened to be away on some sort of business. Hastur sighed, opening the case and taking the containment from it, delivering it to the supervisor instead who then signed for the delivery. Bringing what seemed to be a small communicator to his lips Hastur would speak to the Supervisor and ask for him to confirm the delivery.

"Goods received on time and in excellent condition." Hastur could not help but smile in response to that.

... Saluting the man, the boy left hastily, moving back towards the town and his ship through the Umbaran badlands on his light speeder bike, chromatic case still at his side as he would occasionally stop to gaze and analyze the plant life around him, wondering if somehow it could be cleansed of its taint should someone try.

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No kill or GBH​

 

[soed]

Torin had amassed a few thousand credits, and then a little more. Happily, with shore leave, he had set his sights for one of his favourite pawn shops on Nar Shaddaa. Looking to pick up both Lady and Stinger, he soon found himself distraught as they had both been purchased. Torin had insisted he had a deal with the broker, who in turn informed him that the buyer had been very insistent on those two specific items, and paid above even factory new value for both. Luckily Torin still had his knives, and with blood dripping from his fingers, the broker was soon talking - a real pushover, and a real business partnership ruined. Real friends were proving evermore sparse and worthless, in this grand galaxy. Torin left the shop with three valuable pieces of information: First of all, the pistols were being delivered by courier, some kid with a proper courier case. Secondly, the destination planet was Umbara, neutral space. Lastly, the buyer was "Aisano", a chiss with the proper name of Mlerta'isan'ogig.

Aisano was a smuggler Torin had worked with on some cargo- and slave runs years prior. He was an untrustworthy bastard, much like Torin himself - but the difference between them was that Aisano had known how to grab himself a big score and then retire from the game. He was several years Torins senior, and it seemed like he was now utilizing his time in a quite extradordinary fashion: By buying up Torins old gear, much to Torins chagrin. Torin felt almost overpowered with rage, but instead of going on some sort of out-of-character rampage, he instead channeled the negative emotion inward and let it fuel him towards a solution. He would spend most of his credits securing passage aboard a fast vessel willing to make a detour, to drop him off at Umbara.

As Torin disembarked the ship, he took a deep breath. It was when the corruption of the land filled his nostrils and he could feel it deep down in his lungs and body, in that moment, that he truly understood just how much Sith he really was. He was not Sith in the way Lady Caillaich was Sith, but he embodied his own values and was secure in his belief that in some tucked-away corner of his soul, he was even more vile and wicked than she could ever be.

Torin rented a speeder bike after inquiring about first "Aisano" and later "That treacherous, backstabbing chiss bastard", the latter of which produced significantly better results than the former. Apparently Aisano didn't just live on Umbara, he had cut out a little slice of paradise for himself, accompanied by what was unquestionably some trophy-hunting wives. Torin sat on the vehicle and took another deep breath before he sat out on his journey towards his old partner. Collecting himself during the journey, Torin took in the scenery. It was a macabre landscape and actually quite unsettling. Torin might feel at home with the darker side of the force, but the effects of it were still foreign and somewhat appalling to him.

That was when, on the long, lone road, a speeder approached from the other direction. It was a kid, and he had a case with him. Torin gritted his teeth and pulled up the speeder as to block the road, hoping it would at least make the other stop. He needed that case and his pistols back! Weighing, judging the kid, as he came closer, Torin pulled out his blaster, having it at the ready and unsure of what to expect.

@Baobhan

 

[Baobhan]

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... Hastur sped along the solemn and familiar road, social isolation causing his mind to retreat in on itself into a state of zen-like nothing. Focused a little more on the road and the world around him, he would make regular stops along the expansive highway to take seed, root and chloro-samples of the plants along the path, wondering if they may have any properties or how they would react or grow under different conditions. This process of slowing, stopping, collecting, tagging and moving again slowed the boys return considerably, all the while he knew he should be returning to Republic Space as quickly as possible, his presence here was likely strained under the guise of a civilian courier, but, the fact that he was a Jedi was something that would no doubt leak eventually the longer he stayed anywhere. It wasn't long until he would come across the attempted blockade, a solitary speeder sprawled across the street in the path of Hasturs' own... slowing to a crawl, Hastur would quickly note the blaster he seemed to be holding in his hand, combined with the bike blocking his path, he could expect this was going to be a hostile encounter.

... The boy pulled up to a side, keeping the side where his light-saber would be hitched blind to the aggressor as he would slip that arm nonchalantly down, wrapping his fingers around it in an ice-pick grip as he would survey his surroundings. He seemed to be alone, a young man, probably only a few years older than himself in his early to mid twenties. The air around the man appeared to be antagonistic, so, changing as quick as the weather, Hastur's persona would sink in like quicksilver as a peaceful calm empathy and reason would wash over his being, colouring him as a different person than he was moments ago. Raising his hands to either side of his head in surrender he would dismount his bike and look around further for any sign of anybody else.

Woah. What's going on sir? Is there something I could help you with?​

... Hasturs' words would be soothing, silken and soft to the ears as he would speak, the boy using all of the tools at his disposal in an attempt to diffuse the situation from being anything more than it needed to be. All the while his muscles and mind were preparing for a confrontation should it arise. The person before him was older, larger, stronger but not necessarily faster than he was in a long distance obstacle course, the kind that Umbaras nature happily provided to its residents. Though, with everything considered, the Jedi initiate thought that he had a good chance against the man before him should they come to blows... While he wasn't the strongest Jedi in the order, or even in his grade, he was better off than the average thug in a scrap.

But that blaster...​

... It was something the Jedi had to seriously consider, he didn't have anywhere near enough training in the force to push the weapon aside should it be aimed in his general direction, with a quick enough movement he may be able to avoid a shot suddenly enough that he could evade a shot or two, deflection with his shoto light-saber would be a bit of a gambit due to him still being in the early stages of his training, he was confident he 'might' be able to deflect a blast at this range, it was no different than deflecting the shots from the training drones, but, this was real, this was lethal. One misstep and it wouldn't be a light irritation to the skin, it would be death... So, he would await the response of the being before him, should he be simply wanting to raid him, there would be little to take, some credits, sure, some samples of the local wildlife... he doubted there were any rare specimens among them.

Hopefully, all this could be avoided.​

@soed

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[soed]

The kid dismounted his speeder and called out to Torin, and did so in such a willing, passive way that Torin was taken aback. Did he have the right kid? How many kids would be driving around alone, on Umbara, with weird cases? He gripped his blaster tightly and held it up, aiming directly at the chest of the kid. "Your case, there" Torin said, motioning towards the kids speeder, "I'll be taking that" he demanded, having been reduced to some kind of simple highway robber. He knew he couldn't leave any witnesses either, or he would wound up with some idiotic bounty on his head. Truly, it was amazing how much trouble old habits had dying. It had been years since Torin had last done something like this and he had honestly thought himself above it. Stinger and Lady demanded special treatment, however.

Torin watched the kid, still surprised by the kids lack of both situational awareness, very calm demeanor and apparent submissiveness. Such a person wouldn't last long on a planet like Umbara, so either he was extremely lucky and just travelling through - or he was hiding a demon within, much like Torin himself. Either way, he would have to be on his guard. Torin had been lucky enough to live long enough to know that underestimating your opponent meant certain death - also, and perhaps especially, the more harmless they initially appeared. He was shortly reminded of the story of a young trandoshan he once knew, one who pulled off the innocent look so well, despite his beastial features. It had served the trandoshan extremely well right until the time he was shot in the face.

Torin would have already fired his blaster, if not for the fact that he didn't know what was up with the special case - if he needed some special combination, or if it even contained explosive failsafes. The easiest would be to have the kid show him, whatever it was, and then dispose of him afterwards. No sense in wasting a precious ressource, however timely its usage had to be.

Luckily, though, if the kid was indeed as meek as he appeared, he would be a real pushover and it would be a job well done in record time. The kid could be left in the ditch and Torin could leave one special case heavier.

@Baobhan

 

[Baobhan]

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... Hastur could barely believe his ears, as the man had demanded for what was in his case, the first thing that had come to mind were the samples of night flowers and vines he had taken from the surface of Umbara... Could the man really want what little botanical research he was looking for? But then the cord struck hard, the resonant hum resounding through his mind like a chime of clarity as he remembered his cargo but hours before... the weapons that had been sent. It seemed self evident that the weapons were valuable now for one reason or another. Hastur would have to have a word with the dealer who sent him on his way, divulging information of his route to someone who would intercept him was not acceptable as a model of business. But as the fire-arm rose to the boy's chest he could not help but step backwards with a little shock at the whole situation. Things were escalating quickly, and he doubted that he would get out of here unscathed if he didn't do something about this 'quickly.' His emotional specrum fanned out before him mentally, re-enforcing his voice with pure sincerity, adding fear to the mix as the pistol was levelled as his chest height. Fringe elements of anxiety and empowerment as adrenaline would trigger his fight or flight sense...

"H-h-hey! No need for that, your weapons are still in the case! Look, I'll stay right here, you can grab it, take Lady and Stinger and be on your way, savvy? The code for the case is Gamma, lambda, alpha, alpha, kappa, iota... okay? "​

... Hastur would watch eagerly to see if the man would make a move on the case, while locked, he was a professional, the risk of placing a trap in the case when he would have to open it anyways would have been unnecessary to say the least. His eyes would stay locked on the weapon, whether or not his finger would be on the trigger or not would play a large roll to how Hastur would be feeling in the present, ready to spring into action at any moment as his body prepared to move quickly... The boy would re-assure his assailant of the safety of the case, motioning toward it with his off hand, inviting him to simply take the goods and be on his way, the courier wanted no trouble that he could not avoid...

But even Hastur was not so naive to think that after he knew he was lied to, this would not end in a fight.​

... Mind focused like a laser as anticipation would begin to pique within the hollow shell of the boy, knowing full well that no emotion was allowed past his visage without the express permission of its owner. The eyes of the boy flickered naturally, as his hands and knees would begin to quiver and shake somewhat, helped come to pass by the adrenaline spiking in his system. All the while hoping that his mark would take the tantalizing bait. All the boy needed was that one solid distraction, for the man to take his eyes off of him for a moment then he would be able to make his move. Hastur knew his speeder was between the two of them, but with the art of movement he had practised, it may as well have been a flat plane with each of them no more than ten feet away from one another... Well within range for Hastur to make a quick charge should he need to...

it would need to be over as quick as it started.​

@soed

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