Destiny's Clarion Call

[Riani Starchylde]

Riani Starchylde looks at the bustling Kozen Starport on Kiffu. The crowds are full of various species from all around the Galaxy. The sheer vastness of her situation is daunting. The starport is assaulting all her senses. The various smells of lubricants mixed with more tempting smells of various foods being hawked to space travelers is overwhelming her nose. The sounds of trade basic and other more exotic languages interlacing with music coming from several cantinas situated about the central hub of the main hanger achingly resonates through her ears. Her normally blue eyes are shimmering blue chrome-like mirrors that are straining examining each face she passes by looking for a specific someone who may be trying to disguise their presence from people looking for them. She hates opening up her senses like this in such a crowded place. She has a hard time filtering everything out put what she wants to find when she uses the Force.

Riani runs her right hand through her long blonde hair with a frustrated sigh. Riani is looking for a contact who has gotten herself in trouble. Nisa is a Twi’lek dancing girl from Nar Shadda; who has helped her and her deceased mentor, Tymak Jass, obtain information the led to the capture of several bounties their were pursuing. Riani is a bounty hunter and she is Force sensitive. She has had limited training in the use of her abilities. She is no where in the class of a Jedi, but she is ranked one of the best bounty hunters in the galaxy because of them.

Nisa had left her a holomessage at the Bounty Hunters Guild on Dantooine; her home planet. She had requested Riani to come here to Kiffu to extract her. Riani knew just from the general lack of information Nisa left that the Twi’lek was in trouble. That was why she was here opened open in the Force trying to find Nisa’s familiar presence using her unrefined abilities. As she walks past a old YT-2400 that looks like it’s ready for the scrap yards when she feels a tug in the Force. Riani stops and looks at the old ship intently. Reaching out in the Force trying to perceive the unperceivable. Her pulse quickens and the small hairs on the back of her neck raise up. “ Kark! How many times have I passed you?” she whispers to herself as she moves to the landing ramp of the ship.

Looking around at the swarming crowds to make sure she hasn’t been spotted by anyone who would be watching her; she slowly moves up the ramp and into the light freighter. “Hello?” she says as she looks around the entranceway. She waits at the entry for a few moments focusing and pinpointing who she believes is Nisa. “ Nisa are you here?” She speaks in a tone about a whisper but not quite her normal speaking voice.


“This belong to you?” comes a deep baritone voice from her left.

Riani turns her head to see her contact the violet colored Twi’lek dressed in a somewhat tattered black cocktail dress unconscious and bound in stun cuffs. Riani’s eyes shift back to her normal blue as she gasps in shock as her left hand drops to one her DL-44 modified heavy blaster on her hips.

The tall dark haired man dressed in what seems like an armored flight suit already has his Blaster aimed at her. “ Don’t test me girl I’m not in the mood.” His steel grey eyes burning intently his disposition on what he would like to do. “Drop your blasters and kick them over to me. Then we’ll take a trip to the local security office and have a little talk about you two stowing away on my ship.”

[Zeke]

There's been a lot of issue lately with crap on the Curvy Lady. The old Action VI is still in need of repair, but its at least spaceworthy enough to fly around again. The latest trouble steming from this is that he's been getting a lot of stowaways. So much so, he's had to hire security. The man's competent, but can be a bit ham-fisted in his methods. A little presumptuous, too.

"It's fine if she keeps the das't weapon," Zeke says huffily to his security guard, pushing the man's weapon down and out of line with Riani's face. "Just relax. All you have to do is keep unwanted people off my ship. Clear?"

His latest employee answered affirmative with his intimidating baritone, but didn't let go of Nisa. Zeke turned to Riani, squeezing the bridge of his nose. "Look, I don't need more trouble than I've had already. Let's just go to spaceport security like Ace over here says, get it sorted out all nice, and we can all keep going with our business."

[Riani Starchylde]

Riani tries to play it fast and loose. " Look I don't want any hassles. My friend there is easily duped into doing stupid things. She's a Twi'lek for frellings sake. Party party party." She twirls her finger in her blonde hair as her eyes shift to blue chrome-like mirrors.

In a low even monotone voice she says. " Let the the Twi'lek go. Just get them off my ship." As she intently stares into Zeke's eyes there is a wave of power that flows from her to Zeke.

[Zeke]

Zeke's head tilted to the side. When he repeated Riani's words, it wasn't with the blank tone that indicated a successful mind trick. It was with slight confusion, and plenty of amusement. The former-Jedi's smile broadened as he parroted the statement back to her.

"Just get them off my ship..." His smile broke into a full grin. Yes, he recognized what she'd tried to do. "Well, we'll do that. Come on, let's check in with security." Ace pulled Nisa along with him, and Zeke trailed behind, nudging Riani.

"Nice try," he whispered, "Though it may help your technique a little to point or wave a bit when you do it, for focus." He grinned again, then, louder, said "I'll try to keep security from going too rough on you two."

[Riani Starchylde]

Riani's eyes widen in shock as they shifted back to their normal blue, when he whispered his comment on how to focus the Jedi technique. It was obvious that he knew what she had tried to do. Her mind raced at the possibility that he was a Jedi himself. When he nudged her and made his next comment she knew he was trying to cover himself.

Riani casually flipped her hair over her right shoulder as she planted herself in front of Zeke with her hands on her hips. " Why do we have to go to the security office? My friend here just made a mistake and climbed upon the wrong ship. She's been waiting for me to get here. Did she take anything?"

[Zeke]

Zeke stopped, watching his new security officer get ahead of them. Nisa looked worriedly back at them as Riani stopped the Captain. Zeke offered a half-smile before addressing the fiery Starchylde.

"We'll have to check. In the meantime, I'm not taking any chances on a strange person in and around my ship and cargo." An idea occurred to Zeke. "Or she could've added something, in which case, it'll be important for security to check. They'll be able to spot out dangerous objects better than my crew. C'mon, they've gotten to there already." Zeke stepped around her and together they arrived at security.

[Riani Starchylde]

She let out a frustrated sigh."Kark!" she breathes out in a whisper. 'So much for doing this covertly.' she thinks to herself. Not knowing who is after Nisa or why they are after her; getting involved with the local security could be detrimental to both their survivals. Certain crime lords have very long reaches with informants and local law enforcement personnel on their payroll.

This scruffy looking captain is going way overboard to protect the junk heap he's flying and the cargo he is supposedly trying to protect. Riani's eyes widen with a thought that suddenly gets lost at the overpowering surge she feels to get past the captain and protect Nisa.

Swiftly she side steps the captain to approach Nisa and the security officer. Both coming in view at the same time Nisa's violet eyes go blank when the sound of a blaster rifle shot produces a smoking circle in her forehead.

"Noooooo!!!!!" the scream flows from Riani's lips as she spins in a fluid practiced counterclockwise motion facing the direction of the shot; bringing both her blasters to bear at the same time. Scanning the crowd and then looking up the multiple tiers of balconies to find the assassin had already faded into nothingness.

Tears streaming in her blue eyes she looks toward the captain her anger evident on her face. Her normally soft friendly voice comes out harsh and cold. " You just aided in the murder of my friend. Someone who was seeking my help." she moves dangerously close toward the captain, her eyes ablaze with distain, looking up mere inches from his face. " I hope you’re pleased with yourself."

[Lamar Starworth]

Nubia was a place of growth, beauty and chance. Kiffu was just hot. The transporter flight went without a hitch, and Lamar couldn’t be more disappointed. He hadn’t the time to think. He was on the move, and Kiffu was close. Right off the Rimma Trade Route, he created some distance without overdoing it. The move was subtle, and clean.

Nothing last for long though, and there wasn’t much left for him to spend. He had to keep running.

In a matter of months he had become an Imperial agent to a wanted man. The very idea was mind-boggling for some, and disturbing for him. Not a night went by without doubt. Maybe he should not have turn, and just lived a careless life. It was the simple way, the least passionate way. Now, all he had was his passion. Now, all he had was his heart.

He was all alone, on a hot planet, with a bunch of faces he didn’t know.

He had to get off this rock.

Tearing his eyes from the window, he slumped over in his seat. Thoughts raced back and forth through his mind, but he was wordless. Motives raced back and forth through his spine, but he was motionless. For a single second, he felt like a corpse. He had felt this before. It was like the Mondays back at the Imperial Center as a kid when he didn’t want to go to class. The feeling was a horrible one to have.

“Frack,” he whimpered and chuckled. Somehow he still found a bit of humor in all the shame. It was a painfully therapeutic snigger, but he would have to get use to it. In reality, it was all he had beside his pack of goodies and the little, archaic bit he had hid behind his jacket.

Unrolling himself out the chair, he rocked through the walkway. After a quick nod at the droid, he gracefully ousted himself to the world. The heat wasn’t bad, but the stench was. Bantha poo-doo littered the yellow, and a foul Weequay was nearby. The two didn’t mix. A frown stumbled across his lips as he slunk off into the traffic of bodies. A stretch of diverse faces clumped together to their refuge. Some would retreat to the cantina and others to houses. Either way it went, they wanted to get out of the commotion. Street merchants plagued the walk ways, screaming and calling at the nearest tourist or fool who dare trek in their direction. Lavish men yelled out their religious words, fighting with the sellers clamor. Between it all flocked Lamar, only to hear above it all one profound scream.

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!”

He glanced over, and so his visit on Kiffu began.

[Ad'ana Saesrin]

Kozen security had arrived with seemingly perfect timing, barging their way through the crowd towards the source of the commotion in light armor and heavy blasters. They surrounded the two human squabblers and the crew.

"Throw down your weapons," said a red tattooed face Kiffarian officer. "The rest of you, hands in the air."

Amidst the tall and robust natives that made up the task force, a slender young woman watched with impassionate interest. She wore no armor, only robes that held no discernible understanding of her position as part of security or even of the Clans. The robes themselves were colored of blue that shimmered green depending how daylight fell, with a black vest hugging her chest, clasped together by the official seal of the Guardians.

She was Ad'ana Saesrin, of the Clan Saesrin, Truth Seeker of Kiffu. She alone would find the root of the disturbance felt through the Force and ensure that the Twi'lek's death finds resolution.

Emotions were high and the accusations had already begun. Anger, fear, loss, confusion ... It was this chaotic mess that Ad'ana often found herself immersed in, feeling the lure of something sinister in the distance, wanting her to be more ruthless in judgments, but the young Kiffar had always proven herself fair and impartial. It was how she became anointed as the Truth Seeker by Clan Vos, for she had mediated many a dispute for the current ruling body.

And now she was called again to oversee this murder and dispute by off-worlders...

[Riani Starchylde]

Riani looks at the security team with fire in her eyes. She slowly turns to look at the Captain. "Well Security is here." she said coldly. "You got what you wanted. Still think my friend was on your ship to steal your cargo?" she adds sarcastically as she slowly kneels to place her blasters on the ground in front of her.

Riani looks up to the young woman in the blue robes. Her youthful beauty is overshadowed by a sense of forced responsibility making her seem older than she is. Unexpectedly Riani's eyes shift again to blue chrome-like mirrors and she feels a great deal of power radiating from the young woman.

A security guard notices her eyes shift and he menacingly points his EE-3 blaster rifle at her. " Whatever your doing I suggest you stop before I place a blast through your head like your friend over there."

Riani slowly raises her hands over her head from her knelt down position. "I'm not doing anything." She replies

" Then what's with your eyes?" he growls at her.

"I'm a native Dantooinian. It happens when I get excited." She offers as an explaination. Not wanting to tell him it is an outward manifestion of her connecting to the Force.

[Zeke]

Zeke shrugged. How absurdly bold and sudden that attack was. He found himself somehow detached from the act as he bore that thought in mind, and wondered if security would be able to capture the people responsible. He also wondered if maybe he should do his own investigation, if security held him over as a witness.

"So, uh..." he said, addressing the officials rather than Riani, who seemed to be attracting even more trouble, "What can we do to help the investigation of this, uh...crime?" He still wanted to have them check his ship, but with a corpse there, it felt silly to ask. He decided to let the murder take priority.

[Lamar Starworth]

Who runs toward the danger?

Well, maybe an ex-Stormtrooper turn fugitive would. Lamar didn't have any sense. Or possibly he had too many senses, but whatever it was Lamar was on the move. His ears rung with trouble, and heart paced with concern. A tug called at him, but he had felt this before. The moment was old, dusty, and filled with nostalgia.

Each time he had this points of concern, he was always right. Since he was a child, his intuition overwhelmed his thought. The nunction that something was beyond to be grabbed was well worth the risk. It always had been. He never was wrong about these things.

At least up to this day.

Bumping through the crowd, hands pushing aside small, shoulders banging tall, he grew near. It was coming. Soon he would know exactly what was at him. Somehow he was snatched, and he wouldn't resist. There was a beacon there, off to the ship, and it was invisible but so obvious.

It was clear.

It was the Force....

Lamar stood there, motionless, in the distance in that instance. He was certain. Mouth wide, almost at a gape, he swarmed his thought and tried to conjure an act. He wasn't sure what to do, or how to do it. Although there was nothing menacing about it, the feeling was rare. Months of survival, tactics, and training had kept him close to the Force, but he hadn't felt such a concentration before.

Not even in his years behind the bucket uniform

[Ad'ana Saesrin]

Ad'ana raised a hand, silencing the guard before he could respond to the scruffy looking pilot. She walked towards the dead Twi'lek, carefully stepping over a flailed limb, and knelt down at the deceased's side. The guards that were not training weapons towards the accused, lowered their heads in respect at exactly the same time the young girl had. It was eerie how they moved as one unit.

Every one of the accused could feel it. A deep, potent, sense of sadness focusing on the Twi'lek girl, eyes feeling the sting of unshed tears, but they themselves did not cry.

Ad'ana rose her head, wet lines still visible against her cheek, as she respectfully closed the eyes of the Twi'lek. Her breathing was shaky, her spirit somber as the Seeker stood once more, relaying silent orders to her men.

Two of them shouldered their weapons and pulled out a sheet to cover the Twi'lek and placed her on a gurney. As they removed the body, the guards motioned with their blasters for the accused to follow.

"Come on. Into the station so we can all sort this unfortunate situation peacefully. Korgan! Vas!"

Two guards made their way through the crowd and saluted, forearm to chest. "You're off crowd control. Go and see how Farsis and Rehal are doing. They haven't checked in yet and were pursuing the murderer."

"Yes, Veriatu!" they said in unison, using the respectful title to honor their Captain, before running off to their personal swoops to lend in the manhunt.

[Riani Starchylde]

Riani's temples were pounding now. The overload on her Force senses and the adrenaline quickly dissipating in her blood stream had left her with a pounding headache. She slowly rose to her feet to face the young woman who as apparently in charge.Her eyes slowly shifted back to their normal blue as she did. "Nice trick." Points to the guards. " How did you do that without saying a word?"

The rude guard points his weapon at her the waves it in the direction he wants her to go. They both stand locked eye to eye for a moment in silent contest of wills. Riani knew she didn't do anything wrong and this guy is treating her as if she had killed Nisa. " Say the magic word and I'll move otherwise we'll stand here all day."

[Zeke]

"So...yeah," Zeke said, lacking anything of real substance to say or do. His security man, Ace, was looking anxiously back at the Curvy Lady, eager to get back on his job.

"What a waste of time," he grumbled. Zeke elbowed the man in the ribs and stepped up.

"What now? Statements? Interrogations? Will you be holding my ship over for the duration of the investigation? The whole reason we're even standing here now is that this woman was caught trying to sneak aboard my vessel."

[Lamar Starworth]

The sound of his trot didn't set alarm. All the people were in their own. Each conversation unique, yet the same. Most of it fell under topics of politics, and relationship. They were popular topics across the galaxy, and broad words. Lamar ran through them. Key words splashed his ears as he barged through, growing closure to the source.

His face showed his determination. The snarl of his lips, and hold of his brows were strong, pronounced. No one was going to get in his way. Well, except himself, and even then it was only feet away.

The ship stood there before him, his body arched behind the nearest wall to hide. Eyes over his shoulder, he stared for seconds, letting his other senses take in the moment. There was chatter inside. A disturbance of sorts that was far more emotional than he had felt from afar. Deep within his mind the Force painted the scene, while he waited patiently for it to play out.

As of now, it wasn't safe. He had barged through the crowds, rushed a long the streets, but inside that ship was something he'd respect. Or maybe in there was someone, but there was a cluster in the Force and he would mind it.

[Ad'ana Saesrin]

"It's no trick," said the Guard and waved Riani towards the station.

The Veriatu addressed Zeke, seeing as he was more rational and asked appropriate questions. "Saesrin apologizes for the inconvenience," he said, motioning to the young girl, "but a being lost their life today and it is her duty to understand the circumstances that led up to her death. Once statements have been heard, she'll render judgment."

Ad'ana placed a hand upon the Captain's arm, brows furrowed in concentration. Her features relaxed once eyes fell upon Zeke. "You shouldn't be delayed too long."

[Riani Starchylde]

Riani grumbles but goes to the station where they are ushered into an conference room the guards taking positions at the door. She watches as the young woman seems to be gathering her thoughts. The man who speaks for her seems concerned for her.

Riani bends over and runs her right hand through her long blonde hair. The reality of the situation finally hitting her hard like catching a punch in the gut from Gammorean. Nisa is dead. She will never see her friend smile again, recieve intel from her , or in those extremely rare occasions talk about her dreams with her. The impact of all this finally erupts in a wave of tears as she buries her face into her shakey hands. " She gone." she says more in the Force than with her mouth. The raw assault of her emotions and her relative lack of control with her Force gift waves over the young woman they call Saesrin.

[Zeke]

Zeke met Ad'ana's eyes, head tilting a little as he studied her. He wanted to say something, but wasn't sure what. There was something terribly unique about the way her operation was being run. She hadn't issued a single command, yet her men seemed to be acting as if she'd ordered them all in turn.

"Well," he said at last, "Let's go make the statements." The group moved into the station, barely settling in at the table before Riani's grief overcame her. Zeke wasn't sure what to do, or even if there was anything he could do. He was certain Riani blamed him at least in part for the death of Nisa. He fixed a happy thought in his mind and looked to Ad'ana.

[Lamar Starworth]

Lamar slunk back. Shadows casted by pillars, ships, walls, and any obstruction became his friends. In the stalk of the distance, he watched and followed the group to their destination. He hid behind a wall, keeping his eye at the corner watching. If anything, he wasn't going to be lost in the pace. There was too much at stake here. Anytime such a calling came from the Force, it had to followed.

His life was a wreck, and even the slightest bit of hope had to be savored.

[Ad'ana Saesrin]

Riani felt a gentle twinge at the edges of her mind. It was the Force enveloping her, but not in an subversive manner that would impinge on her own consciousness. The Light reached out like a cautious hand that wanted to show comfort in this time of distress. The sensation was peaceful and strong; a beacon for the young woman to focus on and bring control over her emotions.

One of the guard stepped forward and handed Riani a box of tissue, while the Veriatu cleared his throat to break the uncomfortable silence. "We'll start with you. Just the facts of what occurred."

While he talked, a small recording device hovered out and up from the table, it's optical lens revving as it focused and Zeke.

[Riani Starchylde]

She feels the warm sensation wash over her. Trying to ease her pain. Riani looks up her blue eyes red and puffy from the tearful breakdown she just experienced. Somehow she knew the young woman who has not spoken a word since her arrival was behind it.

She takes the box of tissue from the guard and dries her eyes. Instead of looking at the Man speaking she locks her eyes on the young woman. " I came here at Nisa's request. She had said she had gotten into some trouble on Ryloth and made it here to lay low. She said she had some information for me concerning a private matter. That was to be here payment to me to come pick her up and take her to a safe haven." She looks at Zeke across the table and she shoots him a nasty glare.

" I had been looking for Nisa all day since I got here. I eventually found her on Poodoo for brain's ship." She thumbs over to Zeke's direction." Nisa was scared for some reason and I believe she was hiding from whoever shot her. Instead of accepting a simple I'm sorry and letting us leave. He decided to bring us to the security department. Evidently whatever cargo he has on the flying deathtrap he calls his ship is important..." she does the finger quote thing mockingly."...SO important he wanted you to check to see if if safe and secure. Me personally I think you should quarantine the whole ship and burn his cargo." She shoots Zeke a hard look and a fake smile.

[Zeke]

Zeke shrugged lightly, weathering Riani's angry tirade with a weary smile. Behind his right shoulder, Ace stood with stoic professionalism.

"A Twi'lek woman was skulking around the ship, looking very suspicious. My security officer, Ace, did his job and investigated what she was doing. There was a brief, somewhat heated discussion on what she was doing there, and we decided to come and confirm with security that everything was kosher. My ship was recently attacked by pirates who planted a mole aboard my ship, and there have been several attempts made by violent criminals to stow away aboard my ship. I place the safety of my passengers and the security of my cargo above all other priorities. It's the only way I can maintain good business."

All of this was stated matter-of-factly. It was simply business. Ace, his security officer, offered his own brief summary of his thought process.

"She kept eyeballin' the ship and the workers like she was looking for an opening to get in. So I confronted her. That's all there is to it."

[Lamar Starworth]

Lamar had hunted in his day. Easy credit, especially for the kinds that could make blaster bolts stop mid-flight, and things hover. So, when it came to hiding, espionage, and such, it wasn't new. That isn't to mention his days as a Stormtrooper and Imperial agent. Lamar was conditioned for such infilitration, hide, and seek. This was nothing more than child's play, but this was no game.

This was serious.

His ears were intent. He listened, groaned, and went a long with the story. Each word from around the corner was like words off a page. It was an unsteady flow. Something was going on, and it wasn't in the diction, the tone, or emotion. There was someone there who had a strange relationship with this weird substance known as the Force.

Everything about it was so new.

Soon, he knew he would act on the thought, but for that moment he had to hold back. He had to. It was necessary, just to see how it would play out.

[Ad'ana Saesrin]

Ad'ana shuddered from the strong emotions emanating from Riani. A shift in her head almost look as if she had been slapped from the turmoil felt that clung to the Force, not wishing for absolution but of vengeance. Eyes fell upon Riani devoid of judgment as they shifted towards Zeke.

Once her mind retreated from the woman's statement, her mind easily cleared and felt nothing. Where emotions dictated Riani's statement, Zeke's aura was placid and tranquil, although understandably perturbed at being delayed. Riani's accusations about his cargo were outlandish and unfounded. Quite the contrary in fact. He was worried about something planted on his ship.

The Truth Seeker looked towards two Kiffu who merely bowed and departed with swift purpose. The Veriatu looked to the Captain to explain, "Saesrin has dispatched them to double check that your cargo has not been tampered with. We will need a manifest to double check of course. As for the incident ..."

He steeled his gaze towards Riani, "Grief has affected your judgment and understandably so, but the Captain of the ship has broke no laws, only sought to secure his interest. He was not an accomplish to the death of your friend. So far the only law that has been broken was your attempt at free passage. Saesrin is willing to over look the matter and allow the Captain to decide your fate ... as long as nothing illegal has been smuggled into our system."

[Riani Starchylde]

Riani rolls her blue eyes with a heavy sigh. "Fine. I assume he'll want me thrown in the stockade for setting foot on the deathtrap he calls a ship. If I may be granted one request if that is the fact. I would like my ship secured in Shipyard storage facility for the duration of my incarceration."

Riani sets there not looking at anyone. Just at the blank spot on the wall in front of her. She feels drained of all emotion as she awaits with a blank face her fate that has been nonchallantly handed over to the Captain.

For a breif moment she entertains the idea of fighting her way out of here but quickly dismisses it. In her mind she hears her mentors words "Patience yeilds more than quick action."