A Message Sent to a Sniper Dude (Finished)

[Dalethria Mal Pannis]

Dalethria walked down the hallways of the Sith Empire after recently coming from congratulating Dyne Darkforce on his promotion (http://pub4.ezboard.com/fsithempire76244frm9.showMessage?topicID=478.topic ) to Knighthood. It was her last duty as an active member of TSE that night. Not long before that, she stepped before tbe Council and requested a leave of absence (http://pub4.ezboard.com/fsithempire76244frm9.showMessage?topicID=477.topic ) to go on her Musha Shugyo, a Warrior's Pilgrimage. As with her once Master, Sith Kat, a dragon (http://pub31.ezboard.com/firentiosfrm2.showMessage?topicID=23.topic) came to her and spoke of the journey that she was to take. Dalethria already knew she was leaving the Empire ... but little did she know how important that decision was. Already things were changing at a fast (http://pub4.ezboard.com/fsithempire76244frm9.showMessage?topicID=467.topic ) pace (http://pub4.ezboard.com/fsithempire76244frm9.showMessage?topicID=476.topic ). It was too much for her to deal with anyway, especially with her current state. This break will only help her to deal with all that has transpired.

Entering the communications station, Dalethria looked up and noticed the time on the chronometer. She had about thirty minutes before her shuttle was going to leave. Her attention went to finding an open terminal and couldn't help but smirk at the looks she was receiving. The techs were trying to not blatantly stare at the Sith Lordess' new attire but at least had the common sense to not say anything. Dalethria pulled out a disk and inserted it the computer as she sat down. From her time as Navaria, she remembered Tondry's conversation (http://pub2.ezboard.com/fswvstitanicthejedicouncil.showMessage?topicID=239 7.topic) with her and figured that this would be the best way to contact him. Opening a channel, she relayed the message.

Tondry,

I need to speak to you in person. There is some business that needs to be settled ASAP. I am sending you the coordinates to a space station near the Carida sector called, The Bazarre. Don't try and respond to this message because I will already be gone from the point of origin. I'll meet you in a tapcaf called The Green Slug in about three standard days.

Oh ... don't worry about this message being traced to you. I redid the program that you originally sent me when we first met with a new code and everything. A nice holo-ad will pop up about drinking Chai Tea (http://www.chaistall.com/) if they try and read this message.

Dalethria out

Satisfied, she stood up and grabbed what little belongings she had now, and left for the hangar bay.

[Pierce Tondry]

Pierce Tondry was standing on his apartment's balcony, quietly staring out over Coruscant's cityscape. He was thinking.

"Sir?"

It was the droid at the balcony door, but with Lucious Vadgrin's voice. Somehow, the slicer had managed to tap into the droid's vocal circuits through the apartment's central computer. "What is it, Vadgrin?"

"We've got a message for you, sir. We can't make sense of it, but the encrypt appears to be one you've used in the past, so we figured you could work with it."

"What?" Pierce looked sharply at the droid, which did not do anything other than stand there. "Who's it from?"

"We- er- we suspect Dalethria Mal Pannis."

"Don't suspect, confirm," Pierce said coldly. "What was the subject line?"

"To the Sniper Dude?" Vadgrin's voice replied hesitantly. "We guessed that was you."

Pierce blew his breath out. "Yeah, that's her," he grumbled. "Send it over. I'll see what I can do with it."

The droid turned and strode back inside, with Pierce following it. Back when he was just a field agent, he'd gotten ahold of one of Intelligence's more awkward and esoteric encryption sequences, persuaded someone to refine it, and then developed several random algorhythmic versions of it. They'd been stored on his old ship as personal contact lists.

The only problem was that the ship, along with all those encryption sequences was now lost, and Pierce was not a man with the skill to duplicate them.

There was, however, an alternative solution.

Pierce pulled his rigger array off the counter where he'd been keeping it and plugged it into a wall jack. The device turned on and accepted download of the file from the "Office".

The array took the message and began its' work. Within a few seconds, it had the entire message decoded.

"What the hell-?" Pierce shook his head. "What possessed her to send me an ad for Chai Tea?"

[Dalethria Mal Pannis]

She shifted the duffle bag that was across her shoulder as she walked down the long corridor to where her shuttled waited. Her lip twitched nervously to what lay ahead, but finally Dalethria could try and figure what was caused her to attack her husband and sister. She removed herself from the family she came to hold in high regards, preferring the solitude of Irentios then the high paced life of the Empire. The faces were familiar but she distancd herself from everyone because it was for their own good. Dalethria did not want another incident where she almost kills someone because of a loss of control.

At least, that is what she keeps telling herself.

Looking ahead, she wondered what Tondry would think of her message and what she could possibly want. It also occured to her that he might be quite upset with her. A grin formed on her lips because Dalethria couldn't wait to see what the look on his face will be. Tondry was the last person that Dalethria needed to see. Everything would be set for her journey but a question came to her and she furrowed her brow, not knowing the answer.

What next?

[Pierce Tondry]

The Bazarre. It was one of the few places in the galaxy Pierce Tondry detested upon landing on it. The same symptoms which made him want to spit at the Republic's notion of cooperation existed here in plain view: a lack of order and focussed goals, alien species tugging and pushing at each other, all just to grab what they could from out of the hands of the next thing around them.

There were species he respected, of course, but they inevitably let themselves be pushed around by those with talent for manipulation and desire to use it.

Pierce left his ship at the landing bay and began hunting for The Green Slug. He hadn't spoken to Dalethria in months, and why she would want to speak to him all of a sudden was unclear.

It wasn't long before he found the tapcafe in question. Still, he was a day early, so he decided to wander around and inspect the area.

After all, if Dale still wasn't happy with him, he needed to be prepared to defend himself.

[Dalethria Mal Pannis]

It already had been a day in travel. The shuttle that Dalethria departed on only had to exit hyperspace once and move on a new vector to The Bazarre. Things were quite uneventful and it was a nice quiet trip so far. The pilot didn't talk to her and she didn't talk to him. A beautiful relationship. Dalethria was left to her own devices and for most of the first day, meditated on the events that had transpired. Something that she quickly gave up as whatever dwelled within her now refused to let her think clearly.

After such a failed attempt, Dalethria gave up trying again and didn't eat as a punishment to herself for being weak. She stood up from the lotus position on the floor of the make shift "area" she designated her sleeping quarters. Dalethria refused the pilot's suggestion for stopping along the long trip. She wanted to see Tondry and be done with it. Nothing wrong with sleeping on the floor anyway.

Spreading out the blanket, she made herself as comfortable as one can having their back on a cold metal floor. She folded her hands behind her neck and stared up at the ceiling. Letting her mind drift ...

[Pierce Tondry]

Pierce's cold, efficient eyes swept the cafe again. He'd already staked out the entire Bazarre station, tapped into the computer network and taken a floor plan, and examined the ship listings.

As far as he could tell, there was no trace of Dalethria on the station. Not surprising, since he had gotten there early.

Well, it was time. The third day since he'd recieved the message, and he needed to be waiting in The Green Slug.

Pierce's stomach growled, and he paid attention to it. He'd been eating a lot since he gave up his soul. It was odd. The best Intel's medical physicians could tell him was that his metabolism had increased exponentially. Small wounds healed up within seconds, if they happened at all.

Almost as if his body was ready for the punishment it would recieve before it had to take it.

The downside was that Pierce was now eating another full meal a day.

And if he had to have a meal, he might as well eat it in The Green Slug.

Pierce left the observation balcony and headed for the tapcafe.

[Dalethria Mal Pannis]

Crowds. She hated them now. Before it wasn't so bad, but from the lack of control that had developed ... so many minds were hard to block. Why in the hell did Dalethria think meeting Tondry here was a good idea? She really must be loosing her mind.

A Duro bumped into her and broke her thoughts. He was yanked back hard, dislocating his shouler, as he fell with a scream of pain. Dalethria pushed down on his shoulder, furthering his injury as a small circle formed around the two of them. The other beings watched in fear or with curiosity to what was going on.

"Give me the dagger back and you won't die."

The Duro grunted and spoke in his native language, "You wouldn't. Local authority take you down."

"Authority doesn't matter to me."

She grabs his hand and presses down on his fingers, causing one of them to snap.

"All that matters is what's mine."

The dagger came out from his jacket as he shook the stolen weapon free. Dalethria let go and called the weapon back to her hand, noticing the looks of understanding and heightened fear from those around her. Most of the beings further their distance or went about their business like nothing happened. None of them wanted to cross a Force user. She looked back down at the Duro and her eyes flashed gold. His black bulbous eyes widened and he pushes himself away, slinking across the floor and disappearing into the crowd.

Dalethria didn't need to disappear into the crowd, it parted for her. Not too far in the distance she could see a pale green glow coming off the sign of the Green Slug. Thank the gods that she was finally here and as soon as she met Tondry, Dalethria could get off this station of wretched swindlers.

Stepping inside the tapcap, she sheathed her dagger and took a look around. The place was filled with different beings from all over the universe so it already played havoc with her brain. Closing her eyes, Dalethria fought the headache and slowly, very slowly, made the little voices in her mind go away. Weeding out all the aliens until only humans remained, she pushed herself further to find the one that matched Tondry's. This was infuriating as she felt like a newbie Disciple trying to do something so simple for one of her skill!

Then nothing. He wasn't here yet. She sighed, somewhat disgusted with Tondry and being a little exhausted from her efforts. Might as well make herself as comfortable here as possible.

Stepping up to the bar, she elbowed her way to the counter and ordered herself some talorian ale.

[Pierce Tondry]

"Dalethria!"

Pierce watched Dale turn around, obviously surprised. He called out again, allowing Dale to get a fix on his location.

She headed towards the booth where he was sitting. "That's close enough," he told her quietly when she was several feet away. "And be warned- underneath this table is a loaded microgrenade launcher. I didn't think it wise to be unarmed, considering how we parted last."

"You didn't used to be like this," Dale replied calmly.

"I don't take half-assed measures anymore," Pierce fixed his dead eyes on her. "More efficient that way. Thank Sorsha for me when you see her next."

"I will."

He gestured to the head of the table. "Pull up a chair, if you like."

"I'd rather not get that close to the ysalamiri there with you," Dale replied.

"Suit yourself," Pierce said. He stuffed a large bite of a Chandrilan wrap into his mouth with the hand that was still above the table. "You had something you wanted to talk to me about?"

[Dalethria Mal Pannis]

Dalethria tilted her head and found this new Tondry quite interesting and disturbing at the same time. She liked it. She liked it alot.

"Well, I won't beat around the bush with you and forego the pleasantries."

She slid the duffle bag from off her shoulder and placed it at the end of the table.

"I believe this belongs to you."

With a quick push, the bag moved across the table and Tondry caught it with his free hand.

"You'll notice that nothing bad happened to it. Everything is in perfect working order if not better. I won't go into great detail why I did all this but I think you'll like."

Slowly Tondry pulled the zipper back and inside revealed his rifle that was stolen so long ago.

"Holds more shots. The cartridge interface has been modified for that. Also, the cells inside have been replaced with better tech. Don't worry ... for you it's all legal. The rifle charges quicker now for faster shots. Not as much of a wait inbetween blasts."

She couldn't gauge what his reaction was at all to this. Even if she could, probing him was useless because of that damn ysalamiri. Dalethria kept her senses alert incase something did happen. She would have to rely on her speed if Tondry decided to blow her away for fun. Hopefully, she wouldn't have to kill him. Sorsha would be mad and it would be such a waste.

[Pierce Tondry]

Pierce blinked in surprise. His rifle was one of the few things he'd used to prize, and to know that Dalethria had been the one to steal it was both a shock and a real pisser.

"I spent a lot of time trying to find this," he said, regarding the smooth metal of the gun barrel. It still had its' cortosis ore covering, and since it wasn't slag that meant no one had taken apart the reaction chamber. Funny- with all the effort he'd put into finding the weapon, he didn't get the rush he'd expected upon getting it back.

Probably because his soul was gone.

With a hard heart, Pierce grabbed the bag and shoved it beneath the seat. "You blistering bahashi," he growled. He could feel the prickles of anger on the back of his neck, but they were muted- again, the lack of soul was coming into play. "You made three mistakes. First, you actually went and had something of mine stolen. Second, you made me waste time and effort trying to find it. Third, you told me about it."

"I wasted weeks tracking people," he said to himself. "All that time and energy that could have been better used, wasted because I didn't know who the target was. Thank you for the upgrades." Pierce felt his upper lip curl.

He jerked the zipper on the duffel bag shut and stood up, sliding the microgrenade launcher beneath his long jacket and into a set of special holding clips on the body armor beneath. He stared Dalethria coldly in the eye, then brushed past her. "Never, EVER touch my things again," he called over his shoulder.

On his way out, he grabbed both bouncers by the neck and slammed them into the wall to vent some frustration. They fell to the floor, unconscious.

Pierce, on the other hand, broke neither sweat nor stride.

[Dalethria Mal Pannis]

Perhaps if Dalethria wasn't so affected from whatever it was that had its hold on her, she might have actually cared about Tondry's outburst. For some reason that made no sense to her now, Dalethria felt that she wronged Tondry for giving away the sabre that he once gave to her. It was quite trite actually. She smirked when the sounds of grunts and bodies slumping were heard, knowing that Tondry had something to do with it.

Her fingertips glided across the table as she turned around, looking at the exit where Tondry departed. A deep chuckle started at the pit of her throat until it was a full loud laugh. The nearest patrons looked at her annoyed but Dalethria didn't care. She liked the ironic nature that she and Tondry shared. Both of them had changed in drastic ways. It was also clear to her, that Tondry was affected by the death of her sister just as she was. Dalethria thought it very amusing that things were so similar between them, but so different at the same time.

There was no reason for her to partake in the scenery any longer. She got rid of the useless weight that she had been holding onto for so long. All the physical constraints from her old life were now gone and she could go on with her journey, not having to worry about any ghosts that might haunt her.

Dalethria pulled out a coin and flipped it to the bartender as she walked by. The sooner she got off this floating flea market, the better. This incessant headache would hopefully be gone by the time she found a shuttle heading anywhere as long as it was away from here. She stepped over the two bouncers and headed for the hangar bay, wondering where Vicet would lead her next.