New Beginning

[Luther Prower]

Luther Prower was from a planet called Murkadia. At the age of 8 years old the planet he called home was raided by thousands of masked men who he knows nothing about except that one referred to their leader as the Masked dragon. During the raid Luther's family was killed, but he escaped only after being scarred right above his left eyebrow by one of the attackers sword. leaving him an orphan with nothing except for his father's armor. For the next five years he managed to survive by living off of the natural resources and keeping to shadows of the land in stealth. At age 13 a cargo ship emergency landed just a few hundred feet from his shelter. Luther could either stay stuck on this God forsaken planet or sneak into the cargo bay of the ship and escape his home planet which had become his prison for the past five years. Luther quickly made up his mind to board the ship, and once on-board he quickly realized he a fear of flying which shook nearly all of his motor skills. After hours on the nerve rattling journey the ship landed in port, and he bolted into his new found world which was called the New Orbit.

This new found planet looked much like this home planet Murkadia in the sense that it was mostly a slum. There were many dirty and sickly looking creatures traveling throughout the city grounds. After roaming around for a few hours a man by the name of Drake Meridian found him pillaging through his home looking for food. Luther quickly explained his story to the man who's house he was raiding hoping to justify his thievery. After hearing Luther's story Drake felt for the young lad and allowed him to stay the night. Drake then found that Luther was seeking revenge on these mysterious masked creatures. "It may be that faith has brought us together Luther Prower. You see I'm in the mercenary business which means I hunt down and kill people for a living." When Luther heard this his face lit up with enthusiasm. "So you'll help me then?" Luther desperately asked. "Yes, but I will not fight your battle. Instead I will teach you all that I know, and then you may be ready for the journey that lies ahead.

After many tiresome years of training Luther took on his fist contract and pulled it with ease. Within his first year of work his reputation grew immensely, and he quickly became the go to merc. The only problem was getting him onto a ship to get to the contracts, because Luther had never got over his fear of flying every time he was on-board there was hours of vomiting and a struggle to control simple motor skills. When on a ship he was as good as useless.

Two weeks before turning 21 Luther had a contract that sent him to Cloud City to eliminate a man by the name of Hurlek Chinelo who was a bounty hunter that was obviously after the man who hired Luther. When Luther arrived to Cloud City and got rid of his flight anxiety he went to the bar that he was told Hurlek Chinelo often attended. Luther sat at a booth in a dark corner of the room and waited. After waiting for close to three hours in walked Chinelo a burly man covered in hair form head to to. He was wearing an armored breastplate and a huge axe by his side. Chinelo was a disgusting sight of a human being really, but Luther could tell he had his fair share of fights around the galaxy. In fact Hurlek was most known for his perfect record in the bounty hunting world, so Luther was told. Creeping up to the stoat man with his double edged sword drawn Luther called out,"Hey bounty hunter" hearing this Chinelo quickly turned from the bar and faced Luther. "I'm here to blemish that pretty little record of yours" Luther said with arrogance. "Hahahaha" Laughed Hurlek, "Bring it on Princess" Luther then sent his sword toward Hurlek in a downward motion aimed at his head, but he easily dodged the blow. "Hahahaha is that all you got" Chinelo scoffed as he swung around his battle axe just missing Luther's helmet which contains his head. At this time two more men came to Hurleks aid. Luther saw one of his new found enemies out of the corner of his eye to the left of him reaching for a blaster. "Well I tried to play nice" Luther thought to himself as he quickly pulled out his own blaster and started shooting towards the man on his left taking him out. He then got struck by a blindside blow from Hurleks other partner. Luckily the blow was taken by a blunt sword to the helmet and only sent him flying into a table where an old man and what was most likely his son were earlier drinking and having a good time. With the ringing in his ears form the blow still sounding off Luther quickly turned to face the man who hit him and was immediately welcomed with Chinelo's Axe falling toward him with tremendous force. Rolling out of the way the axe hit the table and split it into at least ten pieces. Continuing onto his feet Luther rose and started frantically shooting in Chinelo's direction, but his blaster was no match for Chinelo's huge shield that easily protected him from the shots. The shield had two gold plated dragon faces engraved into it which lit up with every glancing shot from the blaster. While backing toward the entrance and Luther's only exit Hurleks friend started shooting his blaster in Luther's direction penetrating his armor and left arm which caused Luther to drop his blaster. Having had enough Luther retreated into the cities back ally's and made a hasty escape.

Now that Luther was most likely a fugitive in Cloud City he would have to sneak on-board a departing ship back to New Orbit. After staying to the shadows and away from all forms of life for about three hours the ship he was waiting on finally arrived. Once on-board Luther thought "Dammit I should have done that different I can't believe I was so reckless." This would definitely tarnish his reputation that he took pride in building. Especially for the fact that he couldn't return to complete the contract without money on his own head. Going back to finish the job was an option but a very risky one but for his reputation Luther would be willing to take it. After returning to New Orbit Luther broke the news to Drake and told him he would wait for a few weeks before returning to let the situation die down. Drake agreed to his idea and began patching up the flesh wound Luther received during the battle.

One week after Luther's 21st first birthday and three weeks after the Cloud City incident Luther returned home from seeing a merchant with the supplies he was taking with him to finish the job in Cloud City and found Drake in a bloody puddle of blood on the living room floor with a note in his mouth. The note read,"Hello Luther Prower of Murkadia the Orphan Boy! This is now the second time we have left you with no one to call family, you see I was there on that pitiful rock you once called home with the rest of my brothers from the Black Dragon Clan, and as fate would have we met again. I could never forget the boy who ran from the scar I put over his eye. I will be watching you Luther Prower. I'll be within the ranks of the Empire do not go back to Cloud City for I will not be there, and it would be a shame for you to die by any other hand but mine. I could have killed you here, but how fun would that be. Remember that Luther Prower, Come Find Me When You Are Worthy Princess Hahahaha."

Luther was now mixed with emotions, anger, hate, and confusion. "Why would he be with the Empire if he was with the Drago Clan, what is the Drago Clan, are they connected?" Luther thought with every question leading to another. Luther then knew that he could not make this journey, and answer these questions on his own, and who better to help than the Rebel Alliance. They already had information on the Empire and a stronger force than he. He thought that he might even find someone who knew about the Black Dragon Clan. The next day he had a ceremony for Drake which he was the only attendant, because let's face it not too many people want to be friends with a mercenary, and the ones who do aren't going to show their faces to the public. After the ceremony Luther went back to the house for the supplies he had previously acquired and set off for the ship port to Bothawui.

Once the ship arrived Luther boarded and instantly felt sick to his stomach, "what's ye matter son ye fraid of flying uur sumthin hahaha you'll not be wanting to join the Navy then will ye!" A voice came from a few seats down. Luther was not amused at the statement, but refused to reply knowing that more than just words may come out of his mouth. "This is gonna be a long ride" He thought to himself. Half way through the trip Luther fell asleep due to the exhaustion from the hours of fighting to keep his insides inside him. Luther was awoke by the man who earlier spoke to him. "We're here you better hurry if you don't want to be taken on another fun ride." After getting his bag that his equipment was in Luther hurried to the Alliance New Recruit quarter's and up to the receptionist who was a beautiful women with long dark brown hair and an elegant stare. "Can I help you sir?" She asked with a smile. "Yes I would like to become a member of the Rebel Alliance" Luther replied with a flirtatious grin. "OK you'll just need to fill out these papers and have a seat over there after you return them." She said pointing over toward the waiting area. After filling out the documents needed Luther Prower sat patiently awaiting the next step to his new found journey.

[Eluna Thals]

If there was one thing that Eluna Thals had picked up from her time with Byl Laprovik, it was how to spot talent. It was quite easy, really. Talent rarely found itself at recruit depots, at least not the kind of talent that's readily apparent. Even the ones who sign on the dotted line and hardened up over the course of a few campaigns were usually only good for the kind of fighting where you fought the enemy in front of you. It was an institutional lack of imagination, and one she didn't have time for.

No, to find the kind of talent that Phoenix Cell was interested in recruiting, you trolled HoloNet. Public assassinations, bombings, violence applied suddenly and without warning like red graffiti smeared on a wall. The white-hot sparks of rebellion that happened on planets so far from Rebel control that they were momentarily beyond hope were often exactly what she needed. Zealots. Believers. People with next to nothing to lose, and who weren't squeamish about putting their desperation to practical ends.

Why she was on Bothauwi at this very moment was because it was a locus intersecting these two points. She wanted somebody who was about to make a wrong decision. She intended to correct it.

Heels clacking through the recruitment office and arms full of holoflimsies, she busied herself in the task of reading while walking, which was never advisable except when it was. Almost predictably, she bumped into Luther, the flimsies she was carrying falling to the floor in every direction.

"Oh, damnit. I'm sorry..."

She stooped down, flame-red hair spilling over her shoulders as she frantically picked up the flimsies at her feet. Hurriedly shuffling them together, she stood, an embarassed look on her face.

"...ugh, I'm going to be late."

Finally gathering her flimsies into a slapdash stack, she pressed them close to her chest, shaking her head as she hurried away.

She missed one flimsy in her haste, which rested just behind Luther's left boot heel. It read simply: Follow Me.

[Luther Prower]

After being bumped into Luther stood up to make sure the woman was okay, and accept her apology, but before he could say a word she was already hurriedly shuffling across the hallway with her arms full. He had only been here for twenty minutes and already ran into two of the most beautiful women he had ever seen. As Luther turned to sit down he spotted a lone flimsy no doubt one of which the young lady was just carrying, as he reached down and picked it up he noticed that it read follow me. He quickly looked up to see if she was looking back at him, she wasn't. "Is this for me." Luther thought to himself "Well regardless she may need this back" he said to himself as he stood up to follow the lady. "Luther Prower" A voice came ringing threw a door which stood behind the receptionist desk. "Ahhhh what should I do." Luther thought seeing a recruiter standing at the door. "Luther Prower" The voice came again this time with a spark of agitation. Luther then bolted toward the direction the woman was walking pretending not to be the one the man at the door was calling. It was just like him to let curiosity get the best of him, and plus he could always get back to the recruiter. He thought as he hurried to catch the women, but she was now nowhere insight. His fast paced walk turned into a slow jog as he was reading faces trying to catch a glimpse of this mystery women.

[Eluna Thals]

She drew up the slack, staying ahead of him yet playing unaware and aloof. Eluna took time to watch a public kiosk displaying holo news, before crossing the street towards a caf house. There were a neat row of wrought iron tables for two along the sidewalk, partially shaded by an awning. She occupied a seat, setting her flimsies aside in favor of a menu.

[Luther Prower]

Continuing down the busy street Luther caught sight of the women standing in front of a public kiosk, as he hurried in her direction he seen her cross the street and sit at a table placing her flimies down. In Luther's mind this was surely supposed some kind of private meeting given the fact that she sneakily dropped the flimsy at his side, and now seemed to be hiding behinnd a menu on a busy street waiting for his arrival. "I could just be paranoid." He thought, but still sat at the table next to her, and buried his face into a menu too just to be safe. "Was this for me" Luther said as he pulled the flimsy out of his pocket just far enough for her to see. He then quickly put the flimsy back into place in his coat pocket, and awaited her answer.

[Eluna Thals]

"That depends on your point of view."

She gestured for him to sit. The waiter came to take her order, and she called for a carafe of hot caf, with two cups. Whether Luther decided on having any or not was moot. It was a social construct.

"Do you believe it was fate that you found it, or was it something else?"

[Luther Prower]

Luther said,"Well if you didn't mean to drop it at my feet then I would say fate depending on how this conversation goes, but if it was intentional then it is obviously something else." "At worst I can ask her out" He thought, now waiting to see if she was interested in him or if it was just his imagination and a mistakenly dropped flimsy that brought him to this cafe and away from the recruiters office.

[Eluna Thals]

"A man walks into Cloud City and starts a one man war, only to run halfway across the galaxy and join the bloody infantry?"

She added sugar packet after sugar packet to her caf, stirring the piping hot liquid with a finger.

"Is that some kind of romantic notion, Mr. Prower? I'm looking for a realist. Now, you're here. Impress me."

[Luther Prower]

Luther immediatly threw a look of confusion onto his face. "I don't know what your talking about. I've never been to Cloud City before in my life." He said raising his left hand in a questioning manner to distract her while quietly aiming a blaster that was concealed within his coat at her from under the table. "Better safe than sorry." He thought, as he began speaking to the stranger.

"Besides what makes you think I would tell you anything if I was him?" I still don't even know your name, who you are or what you want. Surely only a fool would incriminate himself under such allegations." Luther said offended, but not showing it in his expression, or tone.

[Drago Merridian]

Drago had landed on this backwater planet. He would would find the one that had killed his brother, this Luthor Prower. Find him and make him bleed. He checked his shoulder harness and his forearm blades. His hip holster where he kept his old world guns. No blaster for him. He relied on old school techniques. Guns did not run out of power only bullets and Knives never lost there ability to kill. A true master always relied on skill not props. As soon as Drago had checked his many hidden weapons he was soon ready to begin this hunt.

[Eluna Thals]

"I'm Captain Eluna Thals, Alliance Intelligence."

Sliding a small disc onto the table, she activated a holographic recording of a bar fight on Cloud City that had been sliced from the Imperial grid by her network.

"Was this a figment of my imagination, then?"

[Luther Prower]

"Alliance Intelligence hmmm that's interesting." He thought keeping the blaster pointed at her, but removing his finger from the trigger.

Still unimpressed at how sloppy he had been in Cloud City Luther said, "ok you got me, and at an embarrassing moment at that. What is it that you want to know?"

[Eluna Thals]

"I already know what I want to know."

She shut off the holo, and sipped her over-sweet caf.

"You're something of an artist in terms of close and personal combat. It's not that useful in infantry, and I think I have better ideas."

Easing her cup down, she continued.

"Do you know why the Empire hates us, Luther?"

[Luther Prower]

Never shying away from a compliment Luther said, Thank's you should see me when i'm not making a fool of my self.

While carefully placing the blaster back in it's original position under his coat. He continued, "Is it because of the ability you have to find talent, or could it be that they can't keep you under their thumb like they do most others?"

[Eluna Thals]

"You're close on both of those, but there's more."

She leaned back slightly in her seat.

"The Empire's war machine is vast. Trillions upon trillions of credits poured into star destroyers, legions of stormtroopers, untold amounts of armor. By comparison, the Alliance's war stockpile is meager. This war should have been over years ago, and not in in our favor."

Eluna took another sip, and continued.

"And yet for all of that strength, they can't beat us. We strike, and we move on. We use surprise and speed that they can't match, but that's not all. The Rebellion is an idea. There isn't a weapon that's been made yet that can kill an idea.

We're in the business of ideas. Listening for them. Giving them wings. That can happen anywhere, and that's what the Empire truly fears."

[Luther Prower]

"So i'm guessing thats where I come in. I've never been good at giving ideas, but I would definetly be interested in enforcing them." Luther said now interested in the conversation.

"I have been pulling mercenary contracts for the past five years under the guidance of a man named Drake Meridian." Luther continued telling Eluna the rest of his story.

"You see Eluna why I am here is too try and get information on Hurlek Chinelo and the Black Dragon Clan. I can't do this on my own due to lack of Intel and resources, so the way I see it is I can join your cause in hopes that you would join mine. You know I scratch your back and you scratch mine" Luther said with a look of importance.

[Eluna Thals]

"We're open to special arrangements. I can't promise anything of course, but we can monitor that situation." she said cryptically, and took another drink of her caf. Luther's own personal motivations were more of the price of doing business. As long as his motives didn't interfere with Alliance resources, they could be accepted.

His acknowledgement of his place in the business of nurturing ideas of Rebellion was more apt than he realized, and she continued.

"Our arrangement is informal. Beyond myself, we don't operate with a traditional military structure. I will be your liason, and assign you mission locations, caches of credits, weapons, and direct you to other assets we have in position."

She crossed her arms and continued.

"Of course, how invested you are is determined by your success. If you contravene a directive or don't meet mission objectives in a way we require, we will disconnect you, or worse.

Those are the terms. Do you accept?"

[Luther Prower]

"Monitor the situation. That's just another way of saying I'm on my own. It shouldn't be a problem getting what I want if I can prove to be useful to them." Luther briefly thought as he reached across the table between he and Eluna with a new sense of self worth. Luther was happy to accept the offer. "Offer accepted" Luther said with his hand open in front of Eluna waiting for her grasp as if it would complete the deal.

[Eluna Thals]

"Good."

She met Prower's handshake curtly. Upon release, she gestured to the street, just as a speeder car landed. The gull wing doors parted, and a pilot in civilian clothing looked behind as they prepared to board.

"Follow me."

[Drago Merridian]

As someone who was not familiar with his surrounding he would have to acclimate himself. First some clothes purchased to blend in and then some information about this Luther Prower. Drago thought about his brother Drake.
How there father had trained them both to be lethal. The nights of stalking in the darkness. The conditioning and discipline of the blades and there use. The demand of the hunt and how to focus the mind to the exclusion of all fatigue, frustration and weakness, until that which was hunted was run aground. But, Drake decided not to use his talents so they had waned a little from misuse. But he could remember when they use to hunt together. Drake was the best then but the lifestyle got to him and he had decide to retire from this way of life. Drago would find out which one of there old enemies had done this. He had only hints and rumors of this Luther Prower and no clue yet as to who had hired him. He had heard things about a Black Dragon Clan but nothing concrete. The latest news that had brought him here is that he is trying to join this alliance. Possibly another goose chase or another way for him to work his way into his new target. Drago had very little to go on. But he was anything if not persistent.

[Luther Prower]

It had been years since the last time Luther was last in a speeder due to the fact that he lived just inside the city on New Orbit and there was no need to pass the outskirts of the city unless a contract ordered it. Even then the target was usually on another planet and within city limits so speeder cars weren't used.

Upon entering the speeder and seeing all of it's components Luther remembered the first time he rode in one. He was a boy and his father called him out from supper just as the sun was setting on Murkadia. He remembered seeing his planets moons change color from grey to red and blue just as they did almost every other night when the sunset. "Son get some clothes and a few jugs of water your coming with me to the market tonight" Luther's father said with a slight grin. Luther had been waiting years to hear these words. "Right away sir" Luther replied as he quickly dressed himself and shuffled out to the family well with six two gallon jugs. After placing the jugs in the mini cargo department of the speeder Luther and his father said farewell to his mother and off they went. This was the first of very few times Luther rode in a speeder with his father.

After accepting the ride with Eluna, Luther sat quietly watching the lively city at work. He had never seen so much hustle and bustle, out of all the other planets he visited not one could compete with this one. This one also had a sense of pride and companionship that you just couldn't ignore.

After pulling up to a building that had to be at the very least twenty stories high the gull winged doors opened and all Luther could see was about ten uniformed rebels walking toward their speeder, as they approached one of them took Eluna by the hand and told her that she's late and it would be wise for here to hurry. Luther stepped out right behind her and waited to follow her lead.

[Eluna Thals]

This wasn't her preferred way of doing things, but even Alliance Intel had a certain degree of pomp on Bothauwi. She politely excused herself from the retinue of guards and moved alone with Luther to hangar adjacent to the building.

"I'll brief you along the way."

The ship, a fairly unremarkable YT-2400 freighter, was already primed to go. She climbed aboard, giving him enough time to board himself before she drew the gangplank. It would only take a few minutes of checks and clearances before they would depart.

"Our destination is Mimban. The Alliance has been reaching out to the native population there for a year. There are complications and I intend on eliminating them."

She looked at Luther.

"That's where you come in."