The Jedi Hunter

[Ten10dix]

Vandar did not like cities. He only ever visited planets such as Coruscant when the jobs were big time, and this counted as one of those times. To compare Nar Shaddaa to Coruscant would have once been like comparing a small rusted star fighter to a prime and ready battleship. Not anymore though, mainly because of the Apocalyptic state Coruscant was in. He had already killed three Jedi on his own, and had helped the Imperials capture the other four. The credits he had received for his work far surpassed anything he had done before, he was getting richer and richer by the day. Soon he would have enough money to retire. He would buy himself a nice little house deep in a forest, a tranquil place where he could spend the next hundred years or so without having to be concerned about the troubles of the Galaxy. He believed he deserved that much at least, he had spent the past fifty years as a bounty hunter and had been exiled from his home, Kashyyyk, when he was 200 years old. So he had killed the Chieftain's son, so what? He had been begging for it.

A few days ago, he got a tip that a Jedi had been hiding out in an abandoned warehouse in the Undercity. He had asked the Imperials if they wanted the Jedi alive or dead, but they didn't seem to mind which. They were worth more alive, but Vandar would kill the Jedi all the same. Better safe than sorry. He crept up to a hole in one of the warehouse's walls, and stood still for a moment. His black fur blended in with the semi-darkness that engulfed this part of the planet. He was picking up not one, but two distinct smells. Both were human, he could tell that much. His contact must have been mistaken, either no Jedi was present here or there were two. Vandar hesitated. Could he take on two Jedi at once? If they were padawans, then this should be easy enough. But what if they were Knights?

He shook his head, letting out a low growl as he did so. He would not be frightened off by two pathetic humans. He would split them in half with his blades, or tear their necks from their bodies with his hands. A suitable pre-retirement bounty, he thought. Leave the business with a bang, so to speak.

He raised his hands to his back, taking out his two vibroblades as he cautiously entered the hole into the warehouse. He was a Wookie, not only that, but a hunter. He scanned the area, hoping to spot some sort of light, maybe a fire, to indicate where they were. He walked slowly forwards, seeing no obvious signs of a camp of some sort. As a hunter, it was only when he had taken around ten paces forward that he realized that this did not add up, and that he was almost certainly being lead into a trap. He roared, expecting a band of mercenaries to appear any minute now, out of the gloom and to rush at him guns blazing. What was it this time? Forgar the Hutt getting back at him for the raid he made on his palace? Kar'lan wanting to bit of personal revenge? He didn't care. If this was indeed an ambush, anyone who stood in his way would die.

"RRRrrruurgh! Arrggg!"

 

[Insoulent]

A shadow seemed to flicker for only a moment in the top of the warehouse.

Arkantos kept his eye on the target, a well-known Wookiee Jedi Hunter, known to be in the employ of the Empire from time to time. He stared at him from behind a large metal pillar which was part of the foundation, keeping only one eye peeking out to notice the rather aggitated quarry. Arkantos had build quite the skill set since his life as a Bounty Hunter, picking up tricks and habits, and one of these habits was testing the mental resolve of his targets. He could get a better grip on their personality, which more than often would show much more during a fight. Not only that, but it was Arkantos who had tipped the Wookiee Hunter that there was a Jedi in that warehouse, choosing to see how he could of acted should the information had been false. Arkantos wasn't done yet with this Wookiee, not by a long shot, but for now, he'd have to be leaving. He jumped off the pillar, and out of an open window near the ceiling of the warehouse. He checked his datapad, it was nearly time for Orlaan to arrive, and made his way to his loft nearby the spaceport.

He had decided to use his place for base of operation, but had asked his Jedi friend to wear clothes that didn't really scream "Jedi Knight", but more of a regular citizen of the Galaxy. Cloaks were quite often around Nar Shaddaa, from spies trying to cover themselves, to shady spice dealers, walking around with a cloak would raise no suspicion, but the clothes underneath that cloak is something most citizens of the planet would take quite notice of, and so deep in Hutt Space, he'd rather not risk an incident. Arkantos himself was dressed in his black flight suit he was often seen wearing when in public, his holster still holding his Mandalorian Ripper at his side. He finally reached home, and quickly prepared to go over their plan to capture this Wookiee. Two chairs in his small table, with a holoprojector to aid them in a visual way. He had hoped Orlaan had some ideas already in his head, but began to think of his own, hopefully the two would agree on something. He could always find the Wookiee thanks to his contacts, though whether or not he'd be happy to see him would be a different story.

 

[Ben]

Orlaan knocked three times on the door of the loft apartment on Nar Shadda, the address he had received not half an hour early; this Arkantos was clearly a cautious chap. The sound was soft, not at all what Ghess' bulk would suggest, but he only through his weight around when he needed to do so, and tapping on a door was not such a time. He was dressed head to toe in - what he deemed to be - a stupid outfit that a young Knight on Arba had picked for him before he headed out on the mission he still did not know the details of; simply ordered to leave ASAP by his superiors. He was wearing a pair of tan cargo pant's that tapered at the bottom to blend seamlessly with his high combat boots; on top he worse a white tank-top and a glossy black bomber jacket ridden with 'fashionable' pockets and openings; he looked stupid, but at least the gear had some practical aspects. The boots were sturdy and had real durasteel toe-caps, the pants were his own, so the were made for working in, not looking good in, and the vest was his too for training; the girl had stolen the jacket from another Padawan considerably smaller than Orlaan and insisted he wear it with the sleeves rolled up to hide the poor fit. He felt like an idiot, but she was a nice girl and had good intentions, and he certainly fit into the more high fashion area's of Nar Shaddaa.

The door opened to reveal cold, grey eyes a few inches lower than Orlaan himself; the handsome features were framed by cropped black hair, and a cool expression. This looked like a professional man, Orlaan could work with professionals. Ghess shuffled into the small room through the miniature doorway and offered a giant hand to the Jedi in front of him; who was clearly not used to being the smallest person in the room. "Orlaan Ghess, nice to make your acquaintance Arkantos." Orlaan cast a furtive glance around the room looking for anything oddly suspicious, when he did not recognize anything immediate he turned back to the Jedi and laid down his trendy rucksack. "I have been told you can bring me up to speed regarding why the heck I am back here again?" The room smelt a little funny, and the couch was covered in funny stains similar to those on the carpets... and the drapes. The walls were dented metal and bare access panels, no plaster or paint to improve the look of the place, just bare bones.

Orlaan's tone was comical rather than aggressive or irritated, and a little chuckle accompanied the question; as much as he disliked Nar Shaddaa, he always felt that he had done some good after leaving. There were a million and one places he would rather be at the moment however, but he had a mission to do, and as of yet he had no idea what it was or just how important the task could be.

 

[Insoulent]

As Orlaan stepped within the apartment, he couldn't help but notice how tall he was, his stature was larger than Arkantos, and already he was assessing his possible fighting style. Djem So, he assumed, the large frame was perfect for it, and it would come to his advantage, Arkantos only hoped, either way he was well-versed. Their target was a Wookiee, and they'd have to rely on their wit and their skills to overpower the Wookiee's strength and ferociousness. Still, there was an air of experience about him, of course, he was a Jedi Knight. He had stroke him as a bit familiar to Arkantos, at least from his demeanor, but the clothes he was wearing... he wasn't comfortable in them, and it was a bit obvious. Still, he could of been mistaken for one of the more fashion trendy thugs out in the upper levels of Nar Shaddaa.

"A pleasure Orlaan, welecome. Sorry for the mess, don't use this place much, just a place to meet if I have the time." the Knight spoke as he made his way to the chair near the table. "I'd offer you something to drink but there's only some lager and water. You're free to help yourself." the Knight said, as he tapped on the holoprojector, pulling up the view of the Wookiee. "This is Vander the Jedi Hunter. Exiled Wookiee, and Bounty Hunter extraordinaire. He specializes in killing Force Users, and he's pretty good at it. I was able to keep track of his progress thanks to my connections within the Cartel. While usually I'd be able to simply take him down, he's working with the Empire. With his connections to the Imperials, I can't kill him as my role with the Hutts, they wouldn't approve of killing an Imperial-aligned Bounty Hunter, he has a bit of immunity around these parts. But... we're Jedi Shadows." the Knight said with a bit of a grin.

"I managed to feed him some false information on a possible Jedi here on Nar Shaddaa, and he bit it. I wanted to see how he reacted in the Hunt, and to keep it simple, he's not a calm one."' the Knight said, as he tapped some buttons on the holoprojector, revealing an abandoned warehouse. "One of my connects was able to let me borrow one of his warehouses close by by the Spaceport, it'll be unprotected, and there I've set a trap for him. It's a bit short noticed, but we can't leave a trace of him behind, and I haven't had much time to prepare a good operation. Here on Nar Shaddaa we don't really have police, so it'll be the best place to capture him, without really setting off many alarms. We're under orders to capture him, though because of his unusual aggression and his record of killing various Jedi across the Galaxy, we're under orders to kill if we must." the Knight said. Arkantos was more than sure they'd had to kill him, he was a terrifying enemy of the Jedi, and was too good at his job.

"I've sent him a message to him. I've been one of his contacts here while on Nar Shaddaa. I've basically let him know that the Jedi keeps moving. He thinks you're hiding until you can find a transport off the planet. Since it's close to the Spaceport, we'll be able to move the body rather quickly if we bind him or kill him. In the Warehouse I have a hoverbarge, it'll be easier to transport a Wookiee with that than walking around with one. I have a special series of Force Shackles and a dart with neurotoxin if we plan on going the non-lethal route. They cost a pretty penny, but they'd keep a Mythosaur under control. All of it is in the Warehouse, if you need it. If it were up to me, we should kill him, he's found his niche, and he won't stop anytime soon." the Knight said, as he looked at the holodisk. "It's up to you really, you'll be taking the Wookiee on. You'll basically be our bait, thought your size is a bit more comparable to the Wookiee than I am, I suggest some stronger hits. I'll be your backup obviously, but I'll focus more on making sure no one suspects we're up to anything, though once we make it into the Warehouse we should all be alone. We got about an hour window before the owner of the warehouses sends his security back "[/b] the Knight spoke, as he looked at the holodisk. "As for now, I'll go meet with the Wookiee, lead him to the Warehouse. For now, I guess you'll have to wait in the Warehouse. There should be a skeleton crew of four guards at the warehouses, so it should be pretty easy to sneak in, but if you have any trouble, tell them your Lars' friend, they should know what it means and take you directly to the warehouse." the Knight instructed. He made his way to the couch, pulling the cushions off, revealing his blaster carbine and a few vibroblades. "Help yourself to whatever, though do me a favor and take my saber, I'll probably end up taking it once we corner him in the warehouse." the Knight once again said, as he made his way to the door.

"Comlink Chanel Six will be our private channel between me and the Wookiee, you should get a heads up on our movements from there." the Knight said, as he turned around to flick his comlink on. "Vandar, I think I got a new location on the Jedi. He met up with a Twi'lek, he's moved to a warehouse in Lars' sector, move quickly I'll meet you there. He's waiting for a transport to get off-world." the Knight said, as he spoke into his comlink. There was little doubt the Wookiee would follow along, while the Jedi were prepared, he had no experience of ever working with the Wookiee, and he doubted his skills would allow him to go down without a fight, Arkantos only hoped he and Orlaan were more than enough to stop him; he was alone after all.

 

[Ben]

Orlaan nodded at his fellow Jedi's pleasant manner, grabbing himself a beer from the fridge and tossing one in Arkantos' way before settling down on the edge of the table, listening intently to the other Knight's plan. It seemed like he had it all sorted it out, and the plan sounded like a sound one. "That sound's like a solid bit of prep work you have put in there, Rajax, nice job!" He took a swig of his beer, practically draining the normal sized bottle in one gulp; he looked down at it's remaining contents swimming round in the bottom of the container with a grumpy frown. "Buy some bigger beers, though. Definitely some bigger beers, we won't be able to celebrate a win with these things!" Ghess laughed and sipping up what was left of the drink, just as Arkantos pulled up a floating fascimile of a Wookie, whose face and name rang a bell in Orlaan's mind. "Vandar! That bastard, I thought I had killed that dusty rug!" He bellowed, the swig he had just taken spraying out of his mouth. "Back in my day's as a Padawan, me and my Master tousled with that ugle SOB; well, my Master with his scaley friend, I had to tango with that tough bugger. Here, check this out."

Lifting his vest up, Orlaan twisted to show the big scar that ran down his latissimus dorsi, an ugly jagged line that had faded to brown around a foot long. "He gave me this back when I was around twenty-three." Orlaan jabbed a figure at the floating Wookie, shaking his head. "The Force knows how he got a way, took a fair few chunks out of his sorry hide as a returned favour." Frowning now, recalling the skirmish he had gone through at the time, when the Wookie had towered over him - no longer the case, most likely - but had the fight really been that hard at the time? "Hey, I suppose he could have gotten better, and I am not saying that it isn't better being safe than sorry; but isn't two Jedi Knights a bit overkill for this?" Whilst the Wookie was already in his prime at the time, Orlaan had still been progressing, he still was, but he definitely had a lot more room to grow that the Wookie should had done; and Ghess was a damn sight stronger now than he had been then. Orlaan scrubbed the thoughts from his mind though, he would not want to be going into combat with an overconfident mindset; this was still a killer-Wookie with more Jedi lives under his belt than Orlaan had Wookie's.

Moving on with things, he grabbed and drained another beer, it was no worry, he could drink dozens of the things before getting tipsy given his size. Orlaan pretty much just nodded and grunted in agreement during the explanation of the plan, the thoroughness of Arkantos' plan allowing him to taking a passive role. He did not mind taking the fore, his physique made it the logical choice, it would make the Wookie's usual strength advantage obsolete. Listening as Arkantos set up the call, Orlaan prepped himself, grabbing the other Jedi's lightsaber for him and leaving the rest; he wanted to use his hands for this one. "Let's get this over with." Orlaan did not want to kill the beast, but he was willing to make the sacrifice if it meant the safety of more Jedi live's, as difficult as killing often was to him.

---

Three hours later, industrial district, Lar's warehouse.

The warehouse was not in good shape.

The shadows of Nar Shaddaa's towering buildings that made the whole place seem like an enclosed space rather than a city were only enhanced by the falling of night, and inside the murky, ramshackle warehouse, it was pitch black. There where flood lights on standby for when the Wookie was well inside, but for now, Orlaan knelt in the damp ground, water dripping form the broken pipes of the dilapidated structure. He had managed to make his way past the guards easily enough, one was patrolling the perimeter, one was reading a magazine in the cam booth, and the other two were chatting outside the front door, facing one direction. He had simply moved on the back of the building wen the patrolman was not on that part of his circuit, and flashed the cams on his way for safety.

Now all he could do was wait, his comlink extension nestled in his ear, robe silly jacket discarded and his lightsaber - along with Arkantos' blade - safe in his cargo-pants pockets. He planned on disarming the Wookie with what he knew of Teras Kasi before pummling the beast with his hands and knocking him out; it was messier, and not as sensible as using his saber, but it also made the none-lethal option more viable. Not to mention a giant man fighting a Wookie screamed JEDI to the imperials a little less than it would if he was using his hands rather than a shiny green stick. When nothing happened after the first half-hour, Ghess settled in for the long haul.

 

[Just Matt Now]

Vandar was no fool, he understood well that public transportation was a key factor that made cities like Nar Shaddaa thrive. Any civilian could easily find a way off world, let alone a Jedi. Transports came and went at all times of the day and to nearly any world near or far. This alone rose the Wookiee's suspicion of his apparent connection. Reason for such paranoia would save his life, and had done so in his past. And while this would essentially be his last hoorah, he would take zero chances. And so he would use his normal weapons, as well as a gift given to him by the Imperium, one set smaller sized than it's original model.

Once the com message came through, the Wookiee started putting on his gear. A ritual hat set him back about ten to fifteen minutes. He started with his his armor,writs guards and shin guards, a light chestplate that would make short of small blaster fire. His disruptor rifle slung on his back, his pistol attached to his hip, his prized songsteel Ryyk blade on his other hip, and his songsteel Ryyk kerarthorr especially made with clawed knuckles that he personally made form the claws of a ferocious katarn. All trinkets of his long and profitable past. all weapons devastating to a Jedi. And after he was all set and ready, a smile grew on his face. Memories flourished from each weapon. He remembered every devastating blow he had made with previous Jedi, some lethal, and some not, he remembered each strike. His weapons held special meaning to him, they were being in their own right, beings that were used as lethal tools and that tasted the blood of many in h their past.

And so the Wookiee left his rented apartment, on his way to Lars section as he was designated to go, a remote that linked to his Imperial gift in his hand. In walking distance, no one bothered the heavily armed Wookiee. Surely they had seen bounty hunters before, and would dare not interrupt them, let alone a ferocious Wookiee. Towering over most, he stayed secluded on his side of the walkways, until he reached the warehouse. Vandar approached carefully. If the Jedi was truly hiding out in this warehouse, would he have gotten proper permission? Most likely. From Vandar's experience, Jedi rarely disobeyed foreign law, some part of their peace keeping efforts. Therefore the security would be highly suspicious of a giant Wookiee bounty hunter walking up to their doorway. Yet another suspicion that arose since his connection asked him to meet right in front.

Though there he stood, awaiting his connect to greet him. His hand on his remote, getting tighter and tighter as moments passed. In a low tone, Vandar spoke into his comlink to determine where his connect was.

"Rrruuddo bbbriii."

 

[Insoulent]

Arkantos had moved through the city, one he knew rather well thanks to his time with the Cartel. He had come to enjoy the tattered and slimy city-planet, as best as anyone could at least. He enjoyed more natural planets, like Tython, with trees and more simple forms of life, rather than civilized and heavily sentient-population planets, but just like Coruscant, they had their advantages. Cities made it easier to make connections with people, it'd be easier to blend in, and above all, it gave people something to do. With that said, there was always something happening on the planet. Arkantos followed after his Jedi "target" some minutes after he left, covering any tracks he might of left, but it seemed his Jedi companion made easy work for Arkantos, as he did little to leave his tracks exposed.

Lars, was a small Toydarian, a drinking buddy of Arkantos he had met many years ago on Nar Shaddaa. He enjoyed credits above all, especially if he had to do nothing for it. "Ah, Elohim, my old friend. I hope your business is almost concluded? I have a shipment in another hour, and need the space, you understand." the Toydarian said with a bit of a grin. Arkantos nodded, as he removed his crossed-legs off the table, tossing some credit chips on the table. The Toydarian smiled now, his gold tooth almost blinding the Jedi-turned-Bounty Hunter. The Toydarian never asked questions, and only had one condition for the Bounty Hunter: clean up the mess. Easy enough. Arkantos knew the Toydarian didn't truly consider the human a friend, but a source of credits, but it didn't mind the human, he knew his role rather well, besides, they rarely bothered each other. Arkantos stood up from the office in the back of the Warehouses, and snuck through the shadows of the warehouse buildings. The smell there was rather unpleasant, but it didn't bother the man much.

He used the Force and propelled himself to the top of the warehouses, quickly running through the tops of the buildings. The Wookiee's roar suddenly chimmed in through his comlink on his wrist, as he pulled it up. His Shuriiwook was a bit rusty, but he could keep up. The Wookiee had announced his presence, his grunting and roaring was actually a faint echo by where the Bounty Hunter was. He leaped, again with the help of the Force, propelling across to another building, though he slid through the side of it, and landing softly on an empty walkway. "I'm around the corner." the man said, as he paced to meet with the Wookiee. As he turned the corner to walk to the direction of the warehouses, he saw the Wookiee, fully armed. The Human was simply clothed, his black flight suit, and Mandalorian ripper on his hip. Quite the contrast between the two, but Arkantos could tell the Wookiee would rely on his ferociousness, and maybe even cunning to win his battle. But the Jedi only needed one thing to set them above their Wookiee opponent: the Force.

The Warehouses had a durasteel wall that surrounded them, but one that could easily be climbed over. Arkantos had no need to worry about the security, though he had to trick the Wookiee into believing it. He moved rather quickly and surprisingly quiet, a nice talent to have given his knack of infiltration and stealth. "Vandar." the Bounty Hunter said suddenly. "He moved into Warehouse 2B. It's in the southwest part of the complex, near their loading docks." the human explained, as he looked within the compound. "We sneak in. You go in through the front door of the warehouse, I'll take the top of the building. If he manages to escape, I can follow him much easier from up there, or I can jump in to get your back, a two-pronged attacked would be better, and catch the Jedi off-guard." the Bounty Hunter elaborated in his plan, as he looked at the wall. "I'm assuming you can jump over?" Arkantos said, looking back to the Wookiee. He was sure the Wookiee had more than enough power to carry not only himself, but three others over the Wall, but still, it was no trouble in asking. Without even letting the Wookiee answer or remark, he jumped onto the Wall, pulling himself up, leaving little to no sound, pulling himself up fast, and landing on the other side, all in one fluid and almost graceful nature. No thud, not even a slight thump could be heard, as he looked over. Hopefully, the Wookiee would be following. Arkantos only hoped no patrols had found his Jedi companion.

 

[Just Matt Now]

There was still a feeling the Wookiee had got about his contact. His apparent knowledge of the complex also proved to enhance this dreary feeling. Though he had no direct reason not to trust him. Vandar was still cautious. He would not risk any danger on this mission, other than facing his target. Though one thing did not add up. Facing so many Jedi he understood that they were always calculating, always prepared and ready. Their demise merely because of Vandar's overwhelming force. And never had they let themselves be cornered to a warehouse. Things did not add up. Vandar pressed some buttons on his chrono, targeting his contact in case things go south.

Having no time to interject about the plan, he had no choice but to follow through with it. Despite his not knowing, he sill felt safe. His plan was still in effect, and would not go into this battle with no ally to trust completely. And what better to trust than technology. Vandar always trusted his weapons and tools to complete bounties, and this would be no different. With his contact locked on, Vandar leaped across the wall and landed next to Elohim.

The complex seemed desolate. There was a distinct lack of security that also had the Wookiee curious. Though he headed for the southwest warehouse. Vandar did not like the idea of entering the warehouse through the front door, it seemed quite obvious and certainly something Vandar would not come up with in a plan for himself. Although, he could not question Elohim, as he was already on his way to the top of the warehouse. Checking his chrono, Vandar tracked the location of his ally, of his ally, which seemed to be right on track.

 

[Insoulent]

Arkantos knew that the quickest and most subtle way to remove doubt, or at least postpone it was to keep moving. Should the Wookiee prove to doubt Arkantos' plan, all Arkantos had to do was keep moving. So long as he stayed dedicated to his role, it would work. It had worked for the past decade in his time with the Cartel, and this Wookiee would be no different.

Arkantos climbed easily above the warehouse ceilings, as the shadows of speeders high above and far away managed to conceal most of his movements above the buildings. After a few moments, he arrived to the top of the ceiling where Orlaan would be to spring the trap. His plan was simple, too simple almost. But he'd have to rely on Orlaan keeping their target busy while he worked it out. Standing above the building, he looked over, "I'm above the warehouse now. Got some movement in there, waiting on you, boss." the man said, as he looked around for a sight of the Wookiee. Boss. Yeah right. But, if it would help him sell his lie, he'd be all for it. While he waited, he pulled his blaster slightly up out of its holster. All systems-a-go.

He'd have to hope the Force was with the Jedi today, it proved to be in the past. Maybe not the recent past, but History had a bit of chance of repeating itself, from his experience. Action and reactions, he thought. That's what it all boiled down to. Actions and reactions.

 

[Ben]

Orlaan was tensed, his body quivering and ready to act at less that a moments notice. His mind was calm however, his heart slowed, his eyes almost half-shut in the depth of his focus. He had to keep the Wookie from sensing anything off in the Force signature of the place, even none Force sensitives got odd vibes, especially if they dealt with Forceful beings often. At the same time, he wanted precise situational awareness, and so he fell back onto his favourite technique. Blurring his aura, like wet painting being smeared across a wider area, Orlaan put himself everywhere, whilst still lessening his distinction in the Force.

He sensed and heard Arkantos on the rough above him, ready to make a sweeping ceiling entrance through the rear window. The Wookie lingered just outside the warehouse entrance; trepidation was there, obvious and stark. He was still moving forward, but there was a cautioun there, more pressing than a simple anxiousness for combat. Orlaan did not seek to retract his presence or change positions, it was down to his allies guile and the Wookies own decisions to get him inside. If Orlaan remembered anything about his previous engagements with Wookies, if the hulk realized - which it probably already was doing so - that this was a trap, then it would only want to rise to the challenge and slaughter any who doubted him. All Orlaan could do was wait, absolutely calm, still and ready; blended into the background noise of the Force around him into nothingness.

 

[Just Matt Now]

The Wookiee kept peering over his shoulder the minute he came to a dark realization. Both his contact and the Jedi were in front of him. The suspicion of this becoming a trap came into play, though Vandar could not be completely sure. So for now, he would cover himself and look over his shoulder for a small force to come and take him. Taking another look at his chrono, the large bounty hunter was skeptical to enter, though his ally was en route and ready to take action. Vandar felt bad, his contact was on the roof. Though if he would have stayed and discussed the plan for even a moment, it might have went better for him. Though at the same time if he was a conspirator against him, then he would be killing two birds with one stone.

The Wookiee took out his songsteel Ryyk kerarthorr and his disruptor rifle. Because of the design of the blade it made it easy for him to carry both weapons in one hand. Vandar was cautious, he didnt touch the door yet, though tried to find a hole to peak through. When he found one, his head on a swivel, he tried to get a good picture of the inside. Of course he saw nothing but empty space, a good place for a battle. The Wookiee smiled. It was almost certainly a trap.

Pressing a button on his chrono, he was met with a light chime. The buzz of the busy planet drowned out the sound any incoming ships or vehicles alike, which certainly helped Vandar's case. The Wookiee backed away form the warehouse, searching for teams of guards and security to come from behind and attack him, fortunately his paranoia was for nought.

In moments his prize and secret weapon was upon them. The 75-meter tall version of an H-K probot descended from the high altitudes of busy traffic. Swooping down the large droid with it's four mechanical arms and array of weapons and scanners alike assessed the situation, keeping tabs on both Vandar and the more recently targeted Elohim. Being the Wookiee's plan from the very beginning, he only wished he would let Elohim know, although the effect seemed more real if he didnt. The H-K droid looked like something from a nightmare, darkened by the night sky, it's scanners could see everything in thermal. Though it could not get a read on what was inside the building, the structure blocking any read from the droid. It's arms dangled precariously, though with purpose as it flew through the night sky with great speed.

No Jedi could stand to see an innocent die, and so Elohim would serve as the perfect hostage until the Jedi were to reveal himself. Although it worked out even better, now that his suspicion of Elohim had grew.

The Hunter Killer bot rushed towards the subject on the roof, activating a strong tractor beam to engage the target. If all went to plan, the unsuspecting Elohim would be trapped in the grips of his so called ally via the droid, which would then fire upon the warehouse with it's dual ion cannons and quad blaster cannons. Vandar was looking to bring the warehouse down on the Jedi. The droid pulled away, hopefully it was carrying Elohim, though in any case it would have moved away from the contact and continued to fire on the warehouse. It's ability to fly away and still be able to carry out it's operations gave it the best defense if Elohim decided to attack it.

Though in his best case, Vandar would have the warehouse flattened, and Elohim in the H-K's clutches, all until the Jedi would reveal himself.

 

[Insoulent]

As he peered over the warehouse, Arkantos couldn't help to notice a large shadow suddenly creep over him, as it almost eclipsed the other ships flying above him. It was an odd feeling, as if the darkness was consuming the entire complex, though as he turned around, he saw it. He had seen something similar to it, a Viper Droid, but this was much bigger. And it had big guns. It wasn't Orlaan's doing, was it? No, this wasn't a part of any protocol they knew of. Vandar... he had an ace up his sleeve. Good, Arkantos wanted a good fight.

As he reached for his blaster pistol, an odd sensation suddenly crept over his body, as he began to become lifted by the droid. Did the Wookiee know he was a Jedi? No, that wasn't it. Not yet at least. He had shown no connectivity to the Force yet -- damnit! Could it have been possible he caught on? The fact that he'd yet to move in, and still pull Arkantos into his droid's field of attack, must of meant one thing: he was trying to pull the Jedi out.

As the droid began to pull the Jedi-Bounty Hunter up, he closed his eyes, focusing on his partner's aura. Blank. Damnit. He had to think fast...fast...tractor beam. He got it. He began to focus the Force behind his back, releasing it to shoot him even faster towards the droid, flying directly to it's lens. He quickly wrapped onto it, sending three shots from his mandalorian ripper straight into the detection array which acted as it's eyesight. If he could blind it, maybe it could save them some time. That, or simply cause a lot more trouble for them, given it was a blind droid with a lot of firepower, he doubted the Wookiee would let it sit there. Still, it was worth a shot. He still wasn't certain how he'd take this droid down yet, but he'd think of something. Hopefully.

 

[Ben]

Orlaan first felt it as a distant sense of foreboding; an indirect intent. Then, as the tiny displacements of energy typical or droids; but there must have been swarms of them. They arrived en mass outside the warehouse, doubtless at the bidding of their target. What he did not expect was the sudden panic of Arkantos, something that was not a good sing. Orlaan could not risk revealing himself yet, but he could not let his ally potentially come to harm for the sake of a mission. Ghess sneaked to the top of the building, to where he would be able to peer through a tiny whole in the corrugated iron. His presence was still completely concealed, and he was quiet as a mouse, but he only just managed to prevent himself from cursing when he looked outside.

The biggest droid he had ever seen was pulling Arkantos into a giant tractor beam, and the Jedi was struggling to fight back. Orlaan felt him use the Force, and hoped the old Wookie bastard did not notice it as the other Knight fired round after round into the droid. Orlaan growled under his breath and felt out the location of the Wookie more exactly. Gotcha... He thought as he locked on. Now was the time to act, Orlaan had to disable the puppet master, he could not take down the droid quick enough to do any good, so he would cut the head off the snake; well, preferably none lethally.

Orlaan stepped to the railing at the edge of the floating railway and angled himself perfectly; he planned to jump straight towards the Wookie and pound him into the ground. Bending the rusted iron bars out of his way, Orlaan prepared himself, he was still concealed in the Force, he would be until he burst through the wall opposite him and into the hunters face. Tensing his legs and angling his body, he sprang, shooting off without the aid of the Force and angling down quickly, straight towards the wall. Just as he was about to impact he let out a roar, as loud as the engines of the massive droid. Gathering the Force in front of him, Ghess smashed an over-sized fist into the already weakened brick wall as he reached it, finally revealing his aura as a terrible, whirling energy; terrible, but righteous.

The bricks exploded outwards in a shower of debris and dust, a bellowing bearded Jedi emerging from the mess, shooting towards the Wookie with the aid of the Force now. Orlaan relished in the shear speed and surprise of his assault, it would be expected by no means; he hoped the Wookie remembered him from their first round as he drew closer, fist drawn back for another titanic smash.

 

[Just Matt Now]

The Hunter Killer held Elohim a distance away from it's main cavity, though with the Force being used to push him closer, the probot was caught off guard. The blasts from the Mandalorian Ripper had managed to damage it's sensor, though the probot drifted in mid air which possibly saved it from being completely going blind. Stretching it's mechanical arms, the probot reached out to grab and hold Elohim to prevent him from keep firing. Attempting to wrap it's claws around Elohims arms and body, the probot flew over to Vandar while it continued to fire on the warehouse. Though just as the building was staring to lose it's structure, another figure was picked up by the probot's sensors. Ceasing it's fire, as the only person it could be was the Jedi it was supposed to fire upon, it's targeting system immediately picked up on the new figure as it busted through the wall.

Vandar did not expect what had burst through the wall. While he knew it was the Jedi, he was not prepared for which Jedi it would be. A smile gripped his lips. The Jedi he had a run in with years ago. A Jedi who in their previous battle had been a victory for the Jedi, although not without leaving Orlaan with a scar. Now was time for vengeance, this had just become more personal than just business.

"Uugggh aarrragghuuhw uughghhhgh!!"

Vandar let the moment sink in, only tensing himself up to be hit by the once young boy. There were significant differences form the last time they had met, though Vandar never forgot a face. and while his beard had grown thick, it was still the little boy he had faced some time ago.

The shot hit Vandar across his chin, though he did not expect just how hard it had gotten. Nearly falling to his back, having to take steps in retreat to balance himself, the Wookiee stood straight up to face his attacker. Vandar was impressed with his strength and speed, their first encounter was nowhere near this magnitude. Wiping the blood off of his chin, Vandar stared straight into the Jedi's eyes.

"Huuguughghg aaaaahnr uughghhhgh uughghhhgh raaaaaahhgh aarrragghuuhw aaaaahnr. Huuguughghg uughguughhhghghghhhgh huuguughghg aaaaahnr raaaaaahhgh aarrragghuuhw hnnnhrrhhh aguhwwgggghhh huurh raaaaaahhgh?"

The Wookiee's words merely meant to waste time. Vandar had subtly pressed over his chrono. The Hunter Killer aimed one of it's barrels at the Jedi and fired five or so shots. Vandar also ordered the probot to aim another one of it's barrels at it's captive. Hopefully the Jedi would think twice before attacking again, though just in case, Vandar held his rifle and aimed it at Orlaan's skull.

 

[Insoulent]

Arkantos grew frustrated as the droid's ocular sensor still lit with light, though it went static every so often, indicating Arkantos had managed to damage it some. Arkantos was about to release another set of rounds to destroy it, but not before the droid wrapped it's mechanical pincers on his left hand where he held his blaster, and his right foot. In this awkward position, he could barely tussle his body out of it. He tried to squirm, but noticed the next set of arms coming to attach themselves to him. The droid zoomed across the warehouse, sending various shots to where his companion was in, only to find that the Jedi had burst through it like a rocket. He was glad he survived, but Arkantos himself was now in quite a bind. He tried to set off more rounds to the droid, which ended up as fruitless.

"You can put me down now! We pulled the Jedi out!" the captive Jedi shouted, keeping up his ruse, hoping that maybe he could quell the Wookiee's apparent paranoia. The droid stopped for a second, but not to release the Jedi, but to aim it's blasters. Arkantos quickly send out his free hand, allowing himself to manipulate the Force around the turret which was aiming for the Jedi which was fighting the Wookiee. He managed to move it slightly, right before the rounds escaped. The rounds would more than likely aim in the middle of the two, which for a split second, should give the Jedi a distraction, though as he send his hand out to the turret which was aimed at him, he barely managed to effect it, before the other droid arms caught him. The turret managed to pierce one of Arkantos' thigh, as the pain now began to set in.

For now, Orlaan would be on his own, Arkantos only hoped the Jedi would focus on their target, and not on him. He still had some fight left within him, and he knew the Jedi's only weakness in this battle would be their compassion. They'd have to stand their own ground now if they were to survive. Besides, Arkantos wanted to deal with this damned droid on his own.

 

[Ben]

Orlaan grimaced at his partners strife, but there was no way he could run to his aid; it simply was not a viable option. 'I'm sorry buddy, you can hold out. I've gotta get this bastard, quickest way to help you out.' Orlaan growled as the blaster bolts flashed down in between them. He knew they would not hit, the Wookie, did not.

Taking advantage of the momentary distraction, Orlaan launched a three-pronged assault. Even as the Wookie began to reel in retreat from the bolts, Orlaan was invading his consciousness, doing anything he could to add to the confusion with his dominating will power. Next, he shot out a Force push, nothing so powerful as to break the beast again the permacrete, but hopefully enough to further put his blaster off balance. Lastly, Orlaan dashed forth; all flashing green eyes and bared teeth.

He could not analyze as fast as he could dash, so he could only hope that the Wookie hunter was off balance by time Ghess reached him. He would go with a simple attack, a body blow, incapacitating his movement, a punch to the jaw, ruining his focus, and then a wrist lock, breaking the remote from the beasts grasp by Force if he must. Orlaan was confident in his abilities to physically overpower most Sentients, even this seasoned Wookie.

 

[Just Matt Now]

Clearly his old adversary was more focused than he was in the mood for preliminary conversation, not that the Wookiee gave him a chance to speak. Vandar's arm had been redirected from the Force push and knocked the blaster right out of his hand, although not before he watched the barrel of the Hunter Killer also be redirected. Orlaan didnt even need to move away from the probot's attack in order to avoid it. His curiosity nearly confirmed. Yes the probot had been damaged, though it's targeting system was still intact. The Wookiee grew angry, nearly in a blind rage. He was being played for a fool.

Just as Vandar was about to press another button on his chrono, Orlaan had gotten closer. Though his melee attacks may have grew in strength from his former, younger self, they were still not enough to overpower the Wookiee. With his now free hand, Vandar was able to block the initial body blow. Though the faster Jedi had connected with his chin, causing the Wookiee to swing out with his other hand, slashing across Orlaan's chest with his sharp Songsteele ryyk kerarthorr, roaring while he did so.

It would not be so easy to disarm the bounty hunter, and Vandar sent breathtaking haymaker with his free hand to Orlaan's chest. Before he lost his chance, Vandar ordered the Hunter Killer to continue to fire on the Jedi attacking him, while still holding Arkantos captive.

 

[Insoulent]

From the look of things the Wookiee wasn't planning on letting Arkantos go freely, which meant the human bounty hunter would have to squirm his way out. From his current position, being held up by four hands wasn't ideal, but they were more like clamps built to secure small ships, not human beings. At least not the larger ones, which held his blaster arm, and his right leg.

Arkantos shifted his body left to right, hoping to move his arm well enough to remove the grasp of his metallic opponent, but barely budged, as a red mark appeared on his skin, indicating how tight the grip of the droid was. But the fact that it moved gave the Jedi Knight hope, as he continued to squirm, pulling and dragging the droid's arm, as it resisted, tightening it's grip. At that moment, four droids suddenly appeared from another warehouse out of the front of the compound. These metallic rollie-pollies were infamous throughout the Galaxy, having served since the time of the Clone Wars. These droids were known to be quite dangerous to many organics because of their shielding and their blaster fire. The four of them zoomed passed the Wookiee and the other human Jedi in a fight, plopping themselves infront of the burning building. Two of them unloaded, shields up, but instead of turrets, they released a violent wave of an odd chemical which seemed to work as a fire extinguisher, while the other two unloaded from meters away from the burning building, unloading their own shield and began to fire upon the giant assassin droid which held the Jedi Knight captive.

The droid zoomed across the sky, avoiding the fire, though Arkantos could count a few hairs that thought otherwise. The HK-probot released it's own flurry of blasterfire to the droidekas, only to have them stop at their shields, protecting them. Arkantos continued to struggle out of the droid's grasp, which now was unfocused given it being in a pure attack mode. Arkantos managed to wiggle his body free with the exception of his left leg, as he dangled in mid-air for a few, while the droids continued to assault one another, narrowly missing shots of the human target. Arkantos quickly shot off some rounds to the droid's arm, which allowed him to be free, but the suddenness in the drop didn't allow him much time to fix his landing, as he dropped on his back, the pain of the drop pulsing through his body. He groaned a bit now, only a few meters away from the droidekas. This subtle ambush now turning into a small-scale skirmish. Damned Wookiee.

 

[Ben]

The Wookie was not as old as Orlaan thought he was, and he did not go down with the initial assault. On the plus side though, Ghess spotted Arkantos making trouble out of himself and smiled a little, clearly not out of his depth yet. The beast was as fast as it was hairy, but Ghess had one advantage: it was underestimating just how far Orlaan had pushed his body. Ducking under the snapping swing with the wrist-mounted blades, Orlaan was inside his adversaries guard; not enough to stop the Wookies counter though. Orlaan eyed the soaring fist with a grin, his eyes glinting at the idea of the challenge. Ghess had a shot at the Wookie's exposed chin, probably enough to knock him out if the blow landed, and from there, Ghess could get him in a bone-crushing bear hug. In order to get himself into that position, he would have to take the oncoming blow. Grinning, Orlaan let out another massive roar, tensing his massive chest and plowing straight into the fist.

Breath swooshed from his lungs, a grunt escaping him. If anyone without the body mass Orlaan had accumulated tried that, they would probably have been sent soaring with a score of broken ribs; Orlaan was just too strong and too heavy to throw around like that now though. Hurting, but still operational, Ghess slammed his head into the exposed chin of the Wookie, a blow that would turn the jaw of a Reek to powder. He was now inside the reach of both arms, and so Orlaan followed through with the butting motion and tucked his head tight to the beasts chest. He would then wrap his arms around the Wookie's exposed midriff and lock his arms like clamps; a force strong enough to squeeze the breath out of the beast and leave him unconscious in moments if things went through; although he couldn't see how he could fail at this range.

 

[Just Matt Now]

The Wookiee let a screeching roar out in pain. The Jedi had manages to grab hold of him. With Vandar's arms above both his own head and the head of the Jedi's, he could feel a few of his ribs cracking. From the feel of it, he didnt have much time before he blacked out altogether. here was nothing much he could do at this point other than give a sharp elbow to the Jedi's back. Though with the point of his ryyk blade nearly parallel with his forearm, the blade would pierce his back. Vandar had been barely conscious, the headbutt did not hit flush, though it was enough to disorient him, and his cracked ribs filled his body with a painful sensation. Though the Wookiee knew pain all too well.

Not noticing the situation going on with the Hunter Killer, Vandar tried to get the Jedi to release his grasp. And if his blade digging into his back didnt work, then a knee to the groin would suffice. Though he was sure it didnt need to get to that. Vandar writhed in pain.

On the other side, the probot continued it's assault on the droidekas. It's concentration would continue on the nearest and most direct threat, until all were disposed of and it could carry out it's priority, which would be to continue shooting at both Arkantos and Orlaan.