Migraines and Back Pains

[Mu Satach]

The streets were filled with people coming and going. Mu pulled her long black coat tighter around her body. Wind rushed through the streets and blew her long dark hair across her face.

<i>"Frelling wind."</i> She pulled the hair away from her face and tucked it behind one ear. She moved forward against wave after wave of bodies pressing and shoving against her. There seemed to be more and more the further down the street she went. The sheer volume of people around her started to grate on her nerves. <i>"You should have hailed a cab."</i>

Seeing a small alleyway ahead she shoved against strangers, slowly she worked her way towards the freedom of breathing space it promised. <i>"No, stretch you're legs a bit, a walk will do you good, get some fresh air, enjoy the sunshine, you know you don't get out enough."</i> her inner voice mocked herself.

She longed to be hidden away in her private office at Cloud 9 where no one would be around except a well known close friend called Johrian Whiskey. Even though she had grown up on Coruscant, she'd become somewhat of a hermit of late and unable to deal with large crowds. She'd spent too much time alone in space traveling from backwater system to system in search of a forgotten dream.

She made it to the alley and escaped the continual onslaught of pedestrians. She began to massage her temples. Now that she wasn't being bombarded by strangers pressing against her she was able to think.

The creature she met earlier had given her yet another lead to follow. It sounded promising. But then, they always sounded promising in the beginning. <i>"Maybe you should let this one go... let them all go."</i>

Mu reached beneath her collar and pulled out a silver chain with a black crystalline pendant attached to it. She studied it for a moment. Then gripped it tightly and knew she would never be able to stop searching... searching for home.

[Floating Ad Blimp]

The ad blimp floats down the street hovering over the masses, an automated ad plays, then loops as it makes it's way around the city.

Today's ad:

[Mu Satach]

Mu watched the blimp float by and sighed. "<i>Ads... the price of becoming respectable.</i>" She let the pendant drop and rest on her black tunic. Reaching down she pulled out her personal data pad. "Note to self, remember to buy ad space for the Bar. Look into hiring a publicity manager as well, need a friendly theme or something to create a nice front for the place." Mu clicked off the device and placed it back in her inner coat pocket.

Her fingers brushed against a decorative box resting inside the pocket, "<i>Ahhhh, yes... the key. Finally, after six years of searching...</i>"

Smitty's back office of the loading dock had been dark and muddy. Through the dim light she'd been able to verify that the short dress ceremony sword he was selling was indeed from one of the noble houses of Muun. <i>If</i> it was the sword she had been looking for, it could lead her to the lost cache of San Hill. And if it wasn't, she still could turn it around to some collector and make a tidy profit. Their elaborate jewel encrusted designs screamed "We're Rich!" and were highly sought after by modern robber barons along the outer rim.

But as far as Smitty was concerned it was just another one of the many items Mu had told him to be on the look out for. Earlier in her office when Smitty had sent her the specs, she almost gave the game away. She had seen archived holo vids from the reception where it was announced that San was the new Chairman of the IBC and presented with the sword, and boy did this one fit the bill.

After the Clone Wars were over, much of the Separatists goods were looted and sent to Coruscant for "safe" keeping. Now a days, with things being as they were, many of those lost items were finding their way off of Coruscant and into the hands of those with money. Hands like Mu's.

Anticipation got the better of her. Looking quickly around she moved further into the alley. She stopped far enough in to be out of plain sight and removed the long cylinder case that hung off her shoulder. She felt giddy inside. She twisted off the top and pulled the sword out. It was glorious, breath taking, exquisite craftsmanship and a puzzle all rolled into one.

"Now where are you hiding your secret compartment." She began to inspect it carefully under the bright sunlight for the keyhole. Finding that tiny detail here and now where there was plenty of light would save time later. She was still having trouble with the electrician crews and Cloud 9 was darker than the loading dock office.

[Alexander Bane]

Ah, another glorious day Bespine, or rather, over Bespine. Cloud City was the luxury of luxuries. Nice hotel suites, great food, plenty of bars and assorted wenches. He was having the time of his life, especially when he gutted the wenches and dumped their bodies in some dark alley. The greatest part was that the authorities were nowhere close to tracking him down. They were off running down rabbit holes and chasing after geese. How the goose got in the hole he'll never know, but he'd love to find out. Pity there seemed to be quite a lack of geese and rabbits, and their holes, on Cloud City. Thus he was forced to postpone his experiments involving a goose, a hold, and a refresher plunger. Pity.

Instead, he decided to take a stroll through the city, just in case he happened across a stray goose or rabbit. There were already plenty of holes, just not rabbit holes per say. He was dressed as he always dressed: flashy. He wore so much black that he made Atlanta look white. Wait, what? Nevermind. Shut up voices! I'm trying to monologue here!"

The woman next to him turned away and walked away quite rapidly. Somehow, the police would have a sketch of the murderer in their possession within the hour, and he had no idea how.

"Now, where was I... Oh yes. Flashily dressed in a black trench coat, boots, and gloves. Although, he was very curious as to what Atlanta is what it has to do with the color black. He was determined to find out what this Atlanta is, just in case it turns out to be a powerful weapon of mass destruction. But that was another adventure for another time... like in five minutes, perhaps, or after teatime, or tomorrow. However the day pans out, you know.

And now our heroic hero steps off the curb and, Ahhhh!, almost gets hit by a passing speeder. YOUR MOTHER'S A WOOKIE UNDER HER DRESS!, and is now making his way across the rest of the street unmolested."

The moment my moment account of his life, as told by him, continued as he walked down the street, which did not go on for very long, as the press of bodies became choking. So, he played his trump card, which was to shout "BOMB!" and the street, literally, emptied in a matter of moments. It worked every single time. He loved it. Returning the trump card to his pocket, you know, the little yellow piece of paper with 'BOMB!' written on it. Yeah, that trump card. What'd you think it was, ya' flapper?

He continued down the sidewalk, unmolested as he liked to say, until he came to a sudden stop at the mouth of an alley, and that was only because something metallic and shiny caught his eye from just inside the alley, Turning on his heel, he twisted to face into the alley, and the woman standing there concealing the shiny in her hands like an amateur. A blade, which looked expensive, and shiny! It must be his.

"'ello poppit," He said, thrusting his hands into the pockets of his trench coat and casually walking into the alley. "Would you happen to know where Hopkin's Diner is?"

Foolproof!

[Mu Satach]

Startled Mu spun around, <i>"FRAK! You frelling frelling FRELLING IDIOT!"</i>. Holding the sword slightly behind her she examined the stranger. Maybe just maybe he hadn't see... <i>"Oh frell, not good, not good at all."</i>

He had a strange gleem in his eyes. "'fraid I don't know that one pal," she called back. <i>"Pointless chit chat."</i>

She sized up all the things around her, a few crates, garbage bins, and she'd seen a fire escape earlier. It was further up the alley behind her. "I'd check with one of the locals," she nodded her head and pointed towards the street, "back that way."

<i>"This is going to get ugly."</i> Mu readied herself, the bar, the ads, San Hill's treasure, all thoughts fell away. There was only here and now.

<i>"Here and"</i> the echo of a forgotten voice faded in her mind. <i>"now."</i> She breathed deep. <i>"Real ugly."</i>

[Alexander Bane]

"That might be good advice, friend," He said, looking over his shoulder in the direction that she indicated, but his feet kept on moving, bringing him continuously closer to her position. "But I don't think I can do that. Ya' see, I've taken a liking to you, ma'am, and I am curious as to whether you would like to join me for..." He paused and looked up at the sky, well, as much of the sky as he could see from within the alley, "...Lunch?" He finished, looking back down at her, a pleasant smile crossing his face.

[Mu Satach]

Mu quickly slid the sword back into it's carrier tube and watched the stranger continue to close the distance between them.

<i>forward? No...</i> The alleyway was too narrow, even moving as fast as she could she knew trying to slip past him was pointless. He could merely reach out as she tried to pass, that would put her on the defensive with no room to move.

<i>over? No...</i> There was nothing immediately available she could jump onto as the crates were flimsy at best to gain the high ground to launch herself over him and get back to the street.

<i>backwards?</i> *sigh*
<i>It's the only option left honey and it sucks.</i> She hadn't been in this area of the city before so who knew where the alley led. But the fire escape she'd seen, it had to lead somewhere and maybe, just maybe the alley would widen a bit further up or lead to another street... <i>and maybe you're a complete wank.</i>

"Lunch huh?" she slung the carrier over her shoulder and raised one eyebrow. "Gee," for a nano second the thought he might just be hitting on her crossed her mind followed quickly by a mental image of her slapping herself silly for even considering that possibility. "maybe some other time. I have to be running along now." She jerked her thumb and head slightly to indicate she needed to leave while taking a few steps backwards. "Nice chatting with you."

Suddenly she turned and bolted up the alleyway putting as much distance between them as possible. "Bye!"

[Alexander Bane]

The many damaged and disused nerve endings throughout his body sent warm bubbly messages up to his brain, which told him that she was, in fact, quite taken with his proposal. These sensations also told him to kill her, kill the people out in the street, and the proceed to kill everyone else. They also told him to do quite a lot of other things. most of which included fresh ginger, engine oil, and a broom. It was like a battle of ideas was going on in his head. So much potential that, if he could harness all of those ideas into a single thing, he could be, well, a really screwed up person, but a really famous one! But he'd tried that once by putting all them ideas into art. It took a huge canvas to get it all on there, but then the art society burned the painting and revoked his membership to the artisans guild. They said that splashing a lot of red paint around a painted orgy scene was not art. Shows what they know!

"Really? Aw, that's too bad. Maybe some other day," He said, with the kind of emphasis that said that he would ask every day till eternity, starting now. "Ooh, how about right no-" Was as far as he got before his eyes caught up with his brain and perceived that she was, despite all odds, running away down the alley. How rude!

Anyways, he took off after her, his heavy boots pounding against the alley floor as he chased after her. He opened up his coat to allow freer movement and soaring through the air after her, his long legs allowing him to move at great speeds. Alas, he had an ace up his sleeve: the force, and even with his low experience with it, he was able to utilize it to give him additional energy that he used, in turn, to propel himself after her all the faster.

"Come back little Slashrat," he called after her between strides, "I have many wonderful naughty things to do to you!"

[Mu Satach]

She heard the thud of his boots pounding up the alleyway behind her. Closing the distance much faster than what should have been possible. She felt a tremor move within the Force. <i>Oh bloody hell, a darksider.</i>

She'd run across the paths of a few master's of the dark arts and frankly, they unnerved her like nothing else. There was something truly twisted and horrid about them that made her skin crawl.

The fire escape was within sight, but at this pace the freak would reach her before she could reach it. As she ran she reached out with the Force and began throttling the bins and crates at him; creating a hailstorm of flying metal and wood debris behind her all aimed squarely at him.

[Alexander Bane]

WHAM!

That's the sound the garbage bin may have made when it collided with his chest, but in reality, it made more of a "Gloop" sound, and then there was the sound of air escaping his lungs that followed the impact sound, which was still being debated by the many voices in his head. He stumbled on, holding his chest while wondering what it felt like to suffocate. He'd often wondered that, but had never had the pleasure of experiencing it first hand. Oh, well. Some day, some day, sunday?

Charging after the woman, he fended off more flying objects with the sides of his arms and his head. Yeah, he had to use it for something, right? What really got his puzzled was why all the things in this alley suddenly hated him enough to jump out and attack him. It's like the walls that jump out and hit him. Racist, no doubt. He'd gotten them walls good, though. A detpack or two, and there wasn't enough left to hear him scream "pwned!" at them.

"Imma gonna get you, my little Slashrat," He said, as a knife flashed in his hand, having just been slipped from the sleeve holster he always kept it in. "Come to Uncle Bane, he wants to play with you!"

[Mu Satach]

The debris caused enough of a ruckus to slow down the madman enough for Mu to hurl herself forward. With a burst of energy she lept towards the lower rung of the fire escape. Her hand reached out for what seemed an eternity stretching forward, straining until finally *WHUNG* her fingers clenched around the lower rung. Her legs swung forward then back and she began pulling her self as fast as she could upwards, one arm over the other pulling her body up the ladder. She had to get to where there was more room.

[Alexander Bane]

Forgoing the ladder, he opted a more direct route, which involved planting his foot on the same wall as the fire escape was mounted to, and pushing off it with the force behind his jump. He sailed up, but not far. There was a loud clang as his metal hand grabbed the edge of the railing of the lowest section of the fire escape. He hanged there for a moment before bringing his other hand up to grip the rail as well. Grunting, he pulled himself up and over the rail, only to fall to the floor of the section.

Swearing loudly, he rolled over and got up. The woman had already moved on and up. Quickly, he charged up the metal stairs in hot pursuit.

[Mu Satach]

Mu could hear him gaining on her again. Quickly she pulled out her lightsaber and hacked at the fire escape around her then jumped to a higher level as the metal work gave way and began to fall away from the building. Without waiting to see it fall, she continued towards the top as fast as she could.

[Alexander Bane]

Hmm... what is that creaking noise? You know, like the sound of stressed metal? Also, why is the fire escape tilting and falling away from the building it's supposed to be attached to? This doesn't make sense. These things are supposed to be solid, like a Gamorean's buttocks, but right not it was performing like a used chastity belt.

Running to one end of the fire escape, Bane threw himself out into space, only to crash land on the wall, well, on the pipe bolted to the wall. It was not a pleasant feeling, but he quickly recovered and began climbing. He scaled rather quickly for a man who'd just cracked a nut. The pain was driving him onward. He pulled himself up on the rooftop and once again chased after the crazy bisnitch.

[Mu Satach]

Her lungs burned as she pushed herself to go faster across the roof top. She ran up the incline of a small roof and launched herself through the air, she caught a cross bar and let the momentum swing her body around in a 180 degree arc. She let go and sailed feet first towards the madman. Planting both feet full force deep into his chest.

[Alexander Bane]

It was unexpected, to say the least. The woman came flying out of nowhere and drop kicked him out the door, or rather, if there was a door to be kicked out of. Instead, the kick just launched him over the edge of the rooftop and down into the alley below, except for the alley part. He managed to wrap his prosthetic hand around the cheap material of the edge of the rooftop, and then it was all a matter of how long he could hang before the edge crumbled away beneath his metallic fingers.

Although it would have been fun to stay and wait it out to find out, he'd rather not be a chalk line on the street below, so he pulled himself up lickety-split and chased after the woman again, only this time he had a knive in his hand. Correction, he had a knive in his hand a moment ago, because he'd just thown it across the rooftop at the woman.

[Mu Satach]

Mu saw in her mind the knife coming at her, she twisted and rolled across the roof top to avoid it. Behind her she heard it sink deep into something hard. She skidded to a stop at the far end of the roof. "HA!"

She took a moment, drew a deep breath and readied herself for, <i>Ow?</i>
Her eyebrows came together, the knife hadn't missed completely. She kept her focus on the maniac charging her and off the blood beginning to trickle down her left side. <i>What I wouldn't give for a cannon right about now.</i> Her hand reached for her... <i>GONE?!?</i>

Mu's eyes widened in horror. Somewhere between the fire escape and here her saber had fallen. No time to think, just react the madman was a breath away now, Mu leaped in the air over the top of him and aimed a kick at his head.

[Alexander Bane]

Oop! Unexpected once again. Damn, he really needed to stop expecting the woman to drop all her clothes and make wild love with him. She soared over and he began to turn to face where she'd land, only to get a boot in the skull as he turned. He flipped head over heels and landed on his back, the side of his head nicely scrapped up and bleeding gently, each blood drop was like one of the thousand black emo tears shed by emos around the galaxy, only these were red. How unfair.

He quickly placed his hands to the rooftop on each side of his head and hand-flipped back on to his feet. He turned, a pair of knives being pulled out of seperate pockets already, one in each hand. Charging toward the woman, who'd retreated back to the fire escape for whatever reason, he let one of the knives fly toward her while he kept the other in hand, with the intent of cutting her when he reached her, if he ever did.

What a drag...

[Mu Satach]

Mu scanned the roof top looking for the saber with no such luck. Behind her she felt more than saw a second knife come at her, reaching out with the force she pulled it to her hand. She flipped the knife around in her hand so that the blade extended from the bottom of her fist and ran along the underside of her forearm.

As the man charged up behind her she ducked and pivoted slashing at his torso.

[Alexander Bane]

He descended upon her, froth forming at the corners of his mouth. She came around, his arm was already coming down, the knife pointed down in his fist, coming down toward her shoulder, to bite into her soft neck and end her life on the spot. Nothing could stop him, not even the blinding heat that suddenly enveloped his chest. His only desire was to plunge his knife into something soft.

[Mu Satach]

As Bane came down Mu curled into a ball and rolled out of the way of the knife, instead of it plunging into her neck she felt it drag along her shoulder blade, cutting through the leather on her coat and severing the strap of the case holding the cerimonial blade in the process. The case dropped and rolled away from her. Standing up she turned and reached out with the force, pushing at Bane to throw him away from her.

[Alexander Bane]

Whipping around, he wore a smug little smile on his face. He had inflicted damage, although no blood was visible. Yet. Regardless, the case with the pretty knife in it was cut loose and tumbled away, hitting the rooftop and rolling down towards him, as if it knew who it's true daddy is. He began to bent, his hand already stretching out, when he noticed the blood on his fingertips. Strange, it was his free hand, why was there blood?

Pity that he never came to the conclusion was he was struck with nothing, and sent tumbling end over end across the rooftop like a toy thrown by a child. A very angry, PO'ed child. The kind that throws violent tantrums. Save the lamp!

He stood up, and found more blood around him. Hmm... very odd, and forgotten easily as he drew his arm back, perceived her most likely path to the fallen canister, and let the knife fly in what would hopefully be an intercepting attack.

[Mu Satach]

Mu dived for the case as it rolled away and towards the edge of the roof. Her focus taken away from the maniac for a moment. Stretching and reaching out for it and then, SLUNK.

She felt the cold metal scrap along the edge of a rib and lodge it's self neatly deep into her left side. Her momentum gone she crashed into the roof's surface, rolled onto her back and tried to regain her focus. She couldn't move well with the knife in, but removing it could start a blood flow she wasn't quite sure how she could stop at the moment.

Short gasping breaths escaped her lips.

<i>Think, think think...</i>

[Alexander Bane]

"Ha!" He smiled brightly as he waltzed over to the canister, picked it up, opened it up and pulled the prize out, and then proceeded to beat her over the head with the canister until her nose fell off. That's plastic surgery for you. Turn enough of yourself plastic and all the grave robbers are going to find is your nose and possibly a breast. He thought about these things, as he repeatedly hit her over and over again.

Or that's what he would have done, had the first step not caused him to keel over and pain, and cause a lot more blood to stain his lovely coat. It would cost a fortune to get the stains out this time. Worse then that old guy he stabbed in his own bathtub the other day. The guy had bled into the air, like a little red geyser. It was disgusting, and oh so riveting. So, while the guy was still hanging in there, he had a content with himself to see how high he could squirt the blood. Eventually he ran out of veins and arteries, and blood pressure for that matter, and somehow had managed to get blood all over himself. He still got away before the police arrived. Silly coppers, always one moment late.

So, since he could not move without making it feel like he was being raped in the belly button, instead he extended his out other hand, the one not holding in his guts, and beckoned the force. The canister shot from the rooftop and the strap ended up in his hand, but with the momentum still in the canister the object simply used the strap and his hand as a slingshot and flew around and hit him upside the head.

He went down for the count.

[Mu Satach]

The knife was killing her, literally. She half laughed, coughed up what felt like a chunk of her lung. A small spray of red shot out of her mouth and into the air above her. She looked around the roof in a bit of confusion. She fully expected to have mister wonderful on top of her now making mince meat out of her face.

She twisted her head and saw his crumpled form lying not far from her. Fate or his own clumsiness had given her a slight reprieve. Reaching down she ripped a piece of her tunic off, wadded it up and then placed her hand around the knifes hilt.

She sucked in several quick short breaths then in one quick motion yanked the knife from her side. She tried to not make a sound and failed. She could feel the life begin to drain from the wound. Dropping the blade she shoved the material against her side hoping it would stop the flow of blood enough for her to get back the sword and get away.

She rolled over holding the compress to her side and started slowly hauling herself back into a standing position.

[Alexander Bane]

"HOLY HAND GRENADE!" He exclaimed as he woke with a start. He was still on the rooftop and still, unfortunately, dressed. Somehow he had hoped the woman had ravaged him in his sleep. It would have made his day, but instead she was just standing there, holding her side and wincing. Maybe she'd eaten something that tasted awful? But what could that be? His pants are still on after all. Not much else to eat up here save them little bugs that float around up here.

He was mad now, because his head, and other parts of his body, were hurt and bleeding, and because she had not ravaged him or partaken in any of the naughty pleasures he wanted to enact upon her, or viceversa. She made him sick, downright disgusted even. "Get out of my face," he said before throwing his free hand out at her, the collective force energy unleashed in a powerful force push aimed at her chest.

[Mu Satach]

There was an odd silence that accompanied the sensation of flying backwards off the roof. Droplets of red blood were suspended before her eyes before she saw the ledge retreat from her outstretched boots and in a brief moment of absurd clarity thought, <i>"This is going to hurt."</i>

The wind roared, gravity began its sickening downward pull, she twisted her body in vain, reaching out into the cold evening air for something, anything to grab onto. Instead the dangling wreckage of the fire escape rushed forward to greet her.

Her left hand reached out instinctively and caught onto it, her body flung itself around and yanked against it; a loud sickening POP signaled the dislocation of her arm from it's socket.

The metal creaked and what had remained attached to the edifice broke away and all came crashing down onto the pavement below.

Something gritty was grinding itself into the side of her face, she opened one eye and wondered, <i>Why is everything sideways?</i> A glint of silver caught her eye, her hand moved, it moved, she closed her eye and pulled with her mind. The lightsaber, previously lost now found, skidded across the pavement and connected with her hand. She let out a painful sigh of relief as she opened her eyes. Her gaze drifted upwards towards the roof where the stranger now had possession of the Muun ceremonial sword.

<i>"At least,"</i> she thought and gripped the saber tighter in her right hand, <i>"I didn't lose you."</i>