Angels. Demons. Knights.

[Tannis Kroll]

-click-

The woman had never thought that a simple hollow click would sound so damnably good. But there it was…such a sweet comforting sound. Especially when the muzzle of the gun was pressed against her temple; the classic, solid-round weapon threatening to blow a messy hole through her skull.

It was safe to say that Tannis had had better days than this one.

On the other end of the gun was a viciously tall, mostly human man, as calm as water without a breeze blowing across it. Arres Kol, leader of the UnderDark Tribe, was not in a good mood, in spite of his calm demeanor. Anyone who knew the man, knew anything about the nearly 7’ 0” tall being holding a gun to her head, knew what the white knuckled grip meant.

The two thugs holding her, arms splayed out in their vice-like hands half murmured to one another that they’d never seen him in such as state as Arres stalked away, pacing the length of the narrow chamber. “One more time, Tannis, and don’t lie to me…who gave the order? Who sent you here to work your way through our ranks and earn our trust? Who sent you to try and seduce me?” he growled, rage making his voice reverberate more than usual.

His last words elicited something unexpected, making the pair holding her let go and step back in surprise. Tannis burst into laughter, her melodic tone rippling around the room as slender fingers rubbed life back into her arms. As her laughter faded, she slid gracefully to her feet, the motion deliberate as she adjusted her now-torn top and worn leather pants - both, like her fraying boots, a dull shade of brown.

“Seduce…you? You have got to be joking, Arres. I know what kind of tralks warm your bed, you freak…there is no way I’d ever seduce you. There isn’t enough money in the galaxy to make me want to climb into bed with a gorram half-blood prick who’s just barely this side of human.”

The venom dripping from every syllable was enough to send everyone else in the room scurrying for the exits. There was about to be a bloodbath, as there always was the moment anyone dared to bring up their leader’s parentage. Or, really, lack thereof, given that no-one knew who they were. That was the trouble with Iego…you belonged to whoever found you once your ship crashed, and cross-tribe allegiances were nearly unheard of. No matter the personal relationships you had when you arrived.

It was harsh, but to Tannis, it had been home for her entire life.

“YOU INSULT SOMEONE WHO’S HOLDING A GUN, YOU FRELLING BITCH!” Arres roared, indignation coloring his cheeks and shame glowing bitterly in his gaze.

Tilting her head to one side, she brushed her tangled, dirty crimson locks aside, revealing the length of her neck, a trickle of blood trailing down it. Knowing full well that the sight and the scent of the fresh blood would distract him. Her voice dropped to a soft, soothing monotone that always seemed to get through. "Your gun has no slugs, Arres. And we both know you'd never shoot...its just me...Tannis...you've known me for almost two years now..."

She murmured softer as he came closer, eventually sliding the gun from his hand as his elongated tongue danced across her skin, wiping away every last drop of fresh blood and lingering in the still-bleeding cut. It was a tribute to her control that she didn't shudder with revulsion, and instead spun the pistol neatly in her hand as she flipped off the safety switch.

"Waterdeep sends its regards and thanks you for your contribution to our territory."

The look of surprise mingled with shock on his features as she pulled the trigger. The muzzle had been pressed to his chin and the subsequent explosion of flesh, bone, and brain matter made a most impressive mess. With deliberate care, she flicked the larger chunks off of herself before stepping over his corpse, dark eyes focused on the panel that hid the elaborate 'fresher.

Tannis needed to scrub the bastard off of her skin in every way. Not the least of which was needing to scrub his scent away otherwise her mother's jealousy would flare wildly again. And she tended to end up with creative new scars when that happened.

[Rossos Atrapes]

Orbiting Iego - 9.355

"Have we found the ship's position?"

"Not yet, my lord," the captain of the ISD Potent answered briskly, approaching the speaker, a man wearing a cloak of black over a dark blue tunic underneath. "We are scanning the surface, it will only be a matter of time."

He turned and looked out the viewport and gasped.

"What - what in the stars? Lord Atrapes - "

"Diathim," Atrapes answered, studying the mass of creatures which floated by the bridge, and skittered gracefully across the massive hull of the ship. "These creatures entrance the unwary and lead them to crash their ships onto the planet below."

The captain did not answer.

"Captain," Lord Atrapes said in warning. The other man shook his head and steadied himself, as if he had suddenly lost his sense of balance.

"Sir, we have a general position for the ship. However, conditions on the planet are keeping us from getting clearer reading."

"Jamming?" the Captain asked, turning toward the scanning lieutenant, followed closely by Atrapes.

"No sir," the lieutenant answered after a moment, looking over the displays and read-outs before him. "It seems that there's something like low-level electromagnetic radiation all over the area where the ship crashed. The entire planet is... giving us some strange readings, sir."

"Then we will have to send down a search party to retrieve the ship and any surviving crew," Atrapes said. "Assemble a company of Stormtroopers, and I will gather the Knights which have come with me."

"But my lord, is that necessary?" the captain asked. "Surely the Stormtroopers - "

"There are creatures on that planet that present a grave risk not only to a company of Stormtroopers, but also to the squad of Knights, Captain," Atrapes answered. "Prepare a shuttle for our departure."

"My lord."

Atrapes strode off the bridge, and entered a turbolift, disappearing as the door slid closed immediately after. The Captain shared a small look and sigh of shared relief at his absence.

[Tannis Kroll]

Gray eyes closed as she stood in a stream of hot water. She was going to have to claim this as her own as soon as the rest of the territory was parceled out. Her mother would be pleased, and as she did not know about this little treasure tucked away in Arres’ quarters, would think nothing of her daughter’s desire to have it for her own. The woman would simply shrug it off as another one of her ‘peculiarities’.

Tannis was bound and determined to use every last drop of the water in the tank. She sighed, turning in place and letting the water cascade down her back and draw away the last of the soap. Normally pale skin had been scrubbed until it was a nearly raw pink; until she was certain his stench was gone and she couldn’t feel his touch on her skin anymore.

But she was delaying the inevitable. A frown marred her features as the water prosaically sputtered and slowed. As it stopped, she stepped out and hastily dressed in the spare clothing she’d scrounged together. More of the usual Iego fashion – drab earth tones that might have once been colorful but like everything else had been beaten down. At least it fit, however, which a makeshift needle and scavenged thread had seen to. Necessity was most certainly the mother of invention.

Tannis didn’t bother glancing at her reflection, fingers following a familiar pattern as she pulled her hair back into a loose ponytail. She smoothed her clothing into place before fastening her belt and slipping the slugthrower into the holster.

With a particular internal prompting, she knew it was time to go. That sensation hadn’t steered her wrong yet, and she’d long ago learned to trust the instinct. It kept her alive, after all. There would be time enough to investigate the new crash Arres’ scouts had brought rumor of before returning home.

She set out through the jungle, following the directions she’d overheard, stopping at the edge of a small pond. Gray eyes narrowed before Tannis turned and continued on in a different direction. The smell of charred vegetation heralded the sight of it, and in its own turn led to the path the ship had crashed through the trees.