The Death of Sanis Prent (open)

[Sanis Prent]

I was late.

Running down the stairs, I paused in the lobby of the hotel just long enough to settle my bill with the Concierge.

"I'm checking out."

The Twi'leki smiled warmly at me, with an appropriate gesture with her lekku.

"I hope your stay has been a pleasant one, Mr. Prent."

With a half-smile, I notorized the credit chit for the right amount, passing it to her.

"Don't worry, it always is."

With that, I was out the door, slinging the strap of my bag over my shoulder. At the curb, a taxi speeder waited. A thin Barabel blinked at me, and took my bag as he opened the back door. I got situated, then we headed out.

"Traffic's hell this time of day." He growled.

"Yeah. I usually try the skylanes when I can."

The Barabel adjusted his rear view.

"Guess I'm afraid of heights"

We coursed along slowly on the physical streets of the sub-sector. Fortunately I didn't have far to go. The spaceport was just a few blocks up. Unfortunately, traffic was getting worse.

"You in a hurry?" the Barabel asked.

"Nothin I can't work around."

Good thing I padded my schedule, because now we were in gridlock. Somebody must've tagged fender up ahead.

"Frell."

I leaned back in my seat, glancing out the side window.

He opened the door without my notice. I didn't get wise until I felt the weight of the speeder shift as the driver hauled his mass out of the cab, and quickly closed the door behind him.

The c-chink all around me indicated that the Barabel activated a remote locking mechanism. Or at least I think he did. I looked to the side and saw him sprinting through the gaps in the gridlock, as fast as he could from the cab.

The dren was about to hit the fan.

I fumbled at my belt for something, anything, to help me get out of this mess.

"OH KRASS-"

<font size=7><font color=ff0000>KABOOOOM!!!!</font></font>

A bomb underneath the cab's chassis detonated, throwing the frame of the vehicle up into the air, severing it into two pieces that fell back to earth in a rain of fire. Showers of debris and broken glass came down afterwards, as a snow of embers drifted down from the flames.

[Kelt Simoson]

' URGH!' The blast of the explosion hit Kelt like something hard smashed into his chest and sent him flying into the air. For a split moment his cloak wrapped around him and blinded him, before he would do anything gravity took its 2 cents and he hit the ground with a sicking thud, rolled over a few times and then came to a hault.

The body of Kelt sat motionless for a long moment before the heap of cloak began to move. Got to move, got to get up to see if others are okay. As useral he was thinking of others. The Jedi Knight rolled onto his back and then used his arm to learn up and look at the area of which exploded. The Knight had hurt his back but that mattered little right now.

' Aye Im okay...' He said holding out a hand to the few passes by rushing to the scene. ' What happened?'

'Taxi just exploded...Three other speeders around it went up also...'

' Three?' Kelt used the hand offered by the Rodian and nodded in thank you. The flames were quite intense almost unbearable, but Kelt had seen worse in his time. ' Which exploded?' Asked Kelt to the Rodian, perhaps another taxi driver.

'This one i think' The Rodian said pointing to the one worse for wear. it was in two sections burning a mad fury of red hot flaims. The other 3 were burning but not quite so badly.

' Okay, can you call the services please, also if you can get hold on any other jedi in the area i'd appriciate it.' Kelt said offering the Rodian a small smile.

' Your a Jedi?'

' Aye, a Jedi Knight and Member of the Council actually.'

The Rodian smiled, almost bursting with excitement to be given a job from a Jedi Knight. He ran off almost shrieking. kelt meanwhile edged closer to get a better view of the disarster...perhaps survivors were in there....just perhaps.

[Sanis Prent]

I opened my eyes to a world of smoke, flame, and debris.

"What the frell happened here?!"

I stumbled up to my feet, blinking away at the thick smoke as I tried to get my bearings. Already, rubberneckers were gathering around the explosion, trying to see what happened. To one side, a bearded man and a rodian started to make headway of the situation.

"Hey! What happened?"

No response.

"HEY!"

Maybe the explosion rattled my eardrums, but my voice seemed a bit quiet. I walked toward the men, shouting some more.

"What's going on here?"

I whirled about, surveying the damage, and thats when I saw him. He was lying on the pavement, a distance from larger pieces of debris.

"What the frell."

It was me.

[God]

"That was a 50 pointer!"

A weasely-looking man in shades and a hat hopped off the hood of a nearby car, and walked toward Sanis.

"Good clearance, bonus for the somersault, and landed more or less in one piece."

He glanced to Sanis's body.

"I'd say you're blessed, but that seems a little cliche, and believe it or not, I'm more pragmatic than that."

[Kelt Simoson]

Kelt edged closer to the debris. The flaims licked merrily at the metal and rubber, eating away slowly at the mess that had been caused. The Jedi however could go no nearer to the heap of debris and so retreated back slightly, the flaims were to much, to rich to approach.

Suddenly another male, human, rushed around the edge of the accident, his face quite stunned, shocked. Smoke marks on his face made him look dirty...perhaps he had been in another speeder near the accident.


'Master Jedi?' The blonde male called.

' Aye?' Kelt said, still his attention on the burning wreckage.

'We have a man down over here on the sidewalk, it seems he was hit with the blast...' Kelts attention was then captured and he followed the man around the flaims to the other side of the area.

This man Kelt had seen before, a Sanis Prent he recalled, he had shot a member of a gang with his shell gun not so long ago and kelt had let him walk away. It was not suprising actually to see such kind in a position such as this. However the Jedi knelt by the mans side and pressed two fingers against the mans neck. He was still alive.

The Jedi uncliped his cloak quickly and drew the cover across the unconcious Sanis Prent.

' Wheres the Rodian?' Kelt asked quickly looking about himself for his assistant.

'Here, they services are on their way.'

' Good, i fear we have little time.'

[Sanis Prent]

The obligatory 'what' was hanging on my lips, ready to spring out in a retort to the man's observations.

"So..."

I looked to the man - a Jedi - tending to my body.

"...I'm dead?"

My brow furrowed.

"And that makes you..."

[God]

"God."

Behind the shades, the deity's eyes widened a bit, as he waggled his cigarra in his teeth.

"HA-CHA-CHA!"

God took a puff from his smoke, blowing a fantastic smoke ring into the air, before shaking Sanis's hand. He paused, made a forlorn face, and allowed his cigarra to droop.

"Aww, why the long face? Hang on. This is the part where you validate your entire life's beliefs, or in this case the lack thereof, and try to find 'Up', right?"

God smiled again.

"Am I real, or not? If I'm not, how am I here? But you don't believe in me, so how can God exist without belief?

Its the classic theological quandry, Sanis, and it sucks. Only philosophers talk about this stuff, and they're all dead anyways, so forget about it. If I'm not God, consider me a benevolent hallucination. Hell, I can roleplay. No skin off my back."

[Sanis Prent]

"Yeah."

I didn't really know what else to say. I'd call anybody who claimed to be God a bit off kilter, but then again, I did look down at my own body. That has a way of causing a conundrum.

"So, what now?"

[God]

"I was just about to ask you that."

He shrugged, looking around.

"But then, wouldn't I know what you're about to ask, and thus, know the answer? If you had any idea how circuitous this job is, you might give me a little more props...er...in the next life or whatever."

God looked to Kelt and Sanis, and then back to Sanis, and smiled.

"Ah....I get it, I get it. You like to watch. Cool, man. Cool."

He draped an arm over Sanis's shoulder as they both watched Kelt tend to the victims.

"There's always a bit of fun in watching yourself get sent off into eternity. Its pretty popular with most people. Did you want to be buried? Cremated? I remember this one guy who got shot out of a proton torpedo casing to the tune of bagpipes, now THAT's a way to go!"

God shed a melodramatic tear.

"Eh, but you're not that morbid. You probably thought you were invincible. Probably half believe this is still fake, right?"

[Sanis Prent]

"I...don't know."

I was resigned to utter bewilderment. I shook my head at the man who called himself God.

"I have no idea."

[God]

"Apathy!" God exclaimed. "Good ol catch-22 for the damned!"

He grinned, and took a drag.

"Eh, at least we got you past outright denial. How's that rabbit hole, Alice?"

[Ace McCloud]

Ace had been in a nearby tavern when he felt a rupture in the force and heard a thought shattering explosion.

"That's not good..." he said as he got up, leaving his drink behind, pushing his way through the patrons. He finally emerged through the exit of the bar and was greated with a not so great site. He looked on as 3 speeders were bursting in flames, something had happened.

He quickly walked over to a man leaning over a messed up body. It looked like he had been in the middle speeder. Ace looked at the man wearing the jedi robe, it was Kelt Simoson!

He knelt down, feeling the urgency of the situation. "Master Kelt, what can I do to help?" Ace said, looking at the body on the ground, then to him.

[Sanis Prent]

"I never saw it like this"

I relented, finally turning away from my 'body'.

"If I ever did, that is. I figured I'd see it coming, if it ever came. This...I didn't expect it like this. I have too many things left to do. I wasn't ready."

[Kelt Simoson]

' Hello Ace ' Kelt gave a short nod in greeting ' We have quite a bad situation here. 4 speeders just exploded into flaims, all of which i trust had someone inside, the services will have seen this traffic jam and they will possibly come on foot which will take time.

I want you, if you can, to try and scan the wreckage now the flaims are lesser and see if you can see anyone within. If you can and you can get a path into the speeder and get them out, do so, i fear that we have waisted enough time already on just one man.' Kelt said, his face without his common smile, but with a look of sadness and grief.

The Rodian returned.

'I have a lady Jedi on her way, named Jacali' Kelt smiled gently at those words, Jacali was always nice to have around. He had helped her a few timesnow, one with her being arrested and the other with her master and Kelts long time friend Dasquian.

' Good okay. Rodian, whats your name?' He said before his new friend could run off to help with something else again.

'My name Master Jedi is Ghelail'

Kelt smiled ' My name is Kelt, thank you for your help today, friend'

Ghelail smiled and ventured off, he was heading in the direction of where the medics would arrive, he was off to guide them to the location.

[imported_Jacali Danner]

Jacali had been out and about when she heard the explosions, she made her way quickly there and saw the fiery mess. She saw Kelt across the street and made her way there.

"Kelt, what can I do?" She asked him quickly, she felt death all around her within the Force.

[Abagael Zellan]

News always seemed to reach the office at supersonic speed; it was one of the perks of being a lawyer at Zellan and Zeeren. Abagael Zellan had been having a rather quiet morning, drafting up a closing argument for a court date the next afternoon, when news of the incident reached her office. She didn't know why she decided to go and check it out; sometimes things like these resulted in a new client, but when thinking back, Abby realized that she hadn't been concerned with that aspect of it.

It took her a good part of an hour to get to the accident scene, having walked to work off the big breakfast she'd eaten that morning. Abby had to shove through the crowd that was gathering to make her way to the center of the action. It wasn't a pretty sight. The woman shook her head.

"Jesus. Anybody got any idea who it was?"

[The Devil]

"Is that regret?"

Another figure walked up from nowhere, passing obliviously by the destruction of the bomb attack.

"That sounds like regret."

She tossed her hair back, and smiled.

"I bet you'd do anything for a second chance."

[God]

"HA!"

God turned to look at the temptress as she approached.

"Unfortunately, sales pitches don't stop in the afterlife. Just got to learn how to turn the volume down, my boy."

He rolled his eyes at the devil.

"Call it metaphysical spam. Better sex, more money, immortality. And all they want is your soul, and your credit card number."

He paused, scoping the temptress's bod and leaned in, whispering to Sanis.

"And believe me, those aren't real. You wanna talk coyote ugly, throw down with that firecracker. You'll have Cthulhu cooking breakfast for you in the morning, slick."

[The Devil]

The Devil smiled thinly, crossing her arms as she looked at God.

"Y'know, for somebody so self-righteous, you've got an awfully crooked halo. Probably haven't even told him the truth about where he really is, and why he's here."

[God]

"All things in due time!"

God exclaimed indignantly in a puff of smoke.

"Its always now, now, now with you. Instant gratification. You're the kind of brat that has to find out what presents you're getting for your birthday, before the fact."

God clasped a hand around Sanis's shoulder for emphasis.

"We're having a little quality time here. Sorry if that cramps your style, but some things shouldn't be rushed."

[Sanis Prent]

I was now extremely confused.

"Ok...the Devil?"

I guessed. Seemed they were in on the same game, on opposite sides of the coin.

[The Devil]

"Psssh!"

The Devil exclaimed, rolling her eyes in indignation to Sanis's query.

"Thats practically slanderous. We've just gotten to know each other. Why don't I just call you 'murderer' or 'thief' and other such nonsense."

She smirked, and softened her demeanor a bit.

"If you must know, you and I are in the same business. We do favors for influential people. We don't pry into needless questions of morality, we simply provide a necessary service to humanity.

Just consider me a businesswoman."

Delicately, she removed God's hand from Sanis's shoulder.

"And as a businesswoman, I feel that you deserve a fair shake."

She jerked a thumb at God.

"Him? He's offering free advice. When has free advice ever come without strings attached. At least with me, you'll know exactly where you stand."

[Sanis Prent]

I looked at the Devil with renewed curiosity. With God speaking in vague terms, I felt somewhat more assured with this woman than with him.

"Ok, so tell me. Where am I? What is happening to me. Who are you two, and what do you want from me?"

[The Devil]

"Thats four."

For emphasis, the Devil held up four fingers.

"You've got sixteen after that."

Smiling cattily, she indulged Sanis's curiosity.

"You are right there."

She pointed to Sanis's lying body, surrounded by Jedi and good samaritans.

"You haven't left home. You aren't floating to a spiritual plane. Lets just say that you're taking a 'time out'. The engine's running, but the driver isn't at the wheel.

As for what's happening to you, this is the classic Faustian contemplation."

She smiled, then held out two hands for emphasis.

"In one hand, you have your 'good' side, embodied by that rambling hippy over there."

A miniature version of God's image popped into one of her hands.

"In the other, you have your....more pragmatic side, embodied by myself."

A small copy of the devil appeared in her other hand.

"Now, we're obviously involved in a sales pitch for your time, effort, and devotion. Since I know you better than that, lets just call this an inner monologue of sorts. The game is paused, and now you get to decide how you want to play, or if you even want to continue to play."

She giggled.

"But you're not that masochistic, so I figure you'll listen to reason."

She held up three fingers.

"So that answers number three as well. As for number four...well, we'll get to that."

[Sanis Prent]

"So...I'm not dead?"

Finally, I was making some headway here. Hopefully I could cut the hazy responses and get to the bottom of this.

[God]

"No...you're not dead."

God sighed, rolling his eyes. He looked to the Devil, and made a face.

"You are such a spoilsport."

[The Devil]

The devil replied by sticking her tongue out at God.

[Sanis Prent]

"THEN WHY THE HELL AM I HERE? WHAT IS THE POINT?!?!"

This was beginning to become infuriating.

[God]

"Because you could have very easily died today!"

God threw down his cigarette, and slapped Sanis in the face.

"For such a wise guy, you can be dumb as a brick at times. You spend your whole life around fast ships, fast women, drugs, booze, and crime. For twenty-five years, your life has been a vacuous hole. You even said so yourself. You just don't get it, especially seeing that the best thing that happened to you is the EXACT thing that you'll push away by staying on the status quo."

[Sanis Prent]

"Ow!"

Sanis exclaimed, rubbing his face.

"Hey, that actually hurt. How the hell? I thought this wasn't real?"

[God]

"SHUT"

*SLAP*

"UP"

*SLAP*

"AND"

*SLAP*

"LISTEN!!!"

God snatched the shades off his face, and jabbed them at Sanis's chest.

"You keep living your life like this, and you're going to lose. I'd have figured that you above anybody would know that the odds are always on the house."

God sighed, and continued, with less shouting.

"Who's the mortal here? It ain't me, and it ain't the bitch. Stop acting like you're not gonna have to pay the piper. I'm saving you a world of hurt by telling you this."

He paused, slipping his shades back on, and lighting a new cigarette.

"Listen, this girl, this Navaria. I don't really have to tell you where she fits in this, but I'm going to. It bears repeating. She's the one thing you've done right in your life. Whatever you see in her, its bringing out positive, redeeming characteristics in you that you'd never realize you have if you never met her."

God jabbed a finger in the Devil's direction.

"Thats what she can't sell you. But hell, what do I know? Want more money? More power? Want to have it all? Want to make it big? You think you know big? With her you'll make it big, believe you me."

God shrugged.

"Fine. Whatever. But I know that you know that you'll never be happy with all that. Its like a kitchen full of spices, but no food. You'll still go hungry, looking for something to complete you."

[Sanis Prent]

The pain of the slapping combined with the clarity of God's message finally appearing brought a sense of sobriety to the situation. I had finally gleaned something out of this I could work with.

"You're right."

I paused, thinking.

"I've really never thought about death. I've either ignored the possibility, or figured it wouldn't matter."

I glanced over to my body, and those around it.

"Who would miss somebody like me, after all?"

[The Devil]

"Oh stuff this melodrama!"

The Devil snapped.

"You're talking like you have one foot in the grave. The only thing that matters now is that you are still alive. Can the 'what-if's' and get with the program. You're obviously doing something right."

She tilted Sanis's chin so that he looked at her.

"You're getting so absorbed in rhetorical issues, that you've ignored the obvious question."

[Sanis Prent]

"Who wanted to kill me?" I asked, almost on cue.

[God]

"Who doesn't these days?" God muttered under his breath, which was ignored by all.

[The Devil]

The Devil snapped her fingers...


...and suddenly they were somewhere else. Inside a cab. Not just any cab. The cab, moments before the deed was done. Sanis and God sat in the back seat. The Devil sat up front in the passenger seat, adjacent to the driver. She turned around in her seat, so that she faced the passengers in the back. The driver continued his business, oblivious to what was happening.

"Now that we're at the heart of the matter, aren't you just a little bit curious as to who wants to do you in? I mean, most people wouldn't bother. You're just the messenger. Who's going to expend the effort to arrange such an intricate assassination?"

[God]

"What are you, Matlock with tits? This is irrelevant."

God lit up another smoke.

"Of all the chumps and goons of the galaxy, one almost got lucky. I'm failing to see the drama here."

[Sanis Prent]

"There's always Saurron. And Sorsha. Maybe Saarrreeaa and Cirrsseeto? I wouldn't put it past Spearman. De'Ville seemed to hold a grudge, too."

I strained to think. It seemed that try as I might, it was still impossible to avoid enemies.

[The Devil]

The Devil said nothing. She smiled sweetly, and leisurely pointed to the exposed forearm of the Barabel who was driving. Amidst the scales on his arm, a symbol was visible, tattooed underneath the transluscent scales.

<img src=http://www.sw-fans.net/forum/attachment.php?s=&postid=591517>

[Mirko Spendrim]

A long low whistle reached the Jedi ears and they turned to look upon the diminutive, if not shabby, form of Mirko Spendrim.

"Wow - what a doosie!"

The information broker spoke to no one in particular as he looked over the burning undercarriage of the cab. His manner was almost jockular. This accident had brought a spark of interest to an otherwise boring evening.

His eyes swivelled in separate directions, taking in Kelt and Jacali. Then he shifted one from Kelt to look at Abagael. He smiled at the lovely view that filled both his eyeballs.

Then he focused back again to the wreck, bending slightly and hunching forward to look at the body within.


"Bet he never saw it coming, poor slaymo. You know who it is? The identity? Anyone important?"

[Ace McCloud]

Ace affirmed to Kelt and go up quickly, almost running into Jacali, but he quickly moved out of the way and went on his way. The flames were hot and hurting his eyes and in reaction, his eyes began to flame as well, making it easier for him to see into them. He covered his face with his arm, covered in his cloak as his skin began to heat up. He could see someone in the backseat of another taxi. The person was still alive but on fire, and struggling to get out.

Without a second thought he quickly ran towards the taxi, ripping the door off with a quick command to the force. Wrapping his hands in his cloak, he reached and grabbed the burning victim, while quickly looking to find the driver. Unfortunately the explosion had sent a piece of metal from the speeder behind him into his head. It was a grim sight. Ace quickly threw the victim on the ground away from the speed and rolled out of his cloak. He wrapped the burning victim in it completely, trying to douche the flames. He got the flames out for the most part, but the unlucky bystandered was scarred for life. He left him for the rescue team.

[Sanis Prent]

It was a feeling in the pit of my stomach that I'd grown used to. A warning I'd figured out how to ignore. If the pain is small and persistent, you start to ask if you even feel it anymore.

I'd been under her thumb for so long, and yet forgotten that her thumb had a claw.

And any minute, it would spring.

"Today must really be my unlucky day."

She'd finally reached the breaking point I'd tried to avoid for years. She couldn't have me, and now, nobody could.

Even if I returned to my old ways, it wouldn't be the same. I was sport, and nothing more. Entertaining, but disposeable. And now, I was yesterday's news.

"I'll have to kill her."

I said, without malice in my voice.

"I'll have to kill them all."

[The Devil]

"Then you'll be even."

The Devil smiled, and her eyes seemed to sparkle at Sanis's response.

[Sanis Prent]

"No."

I shook my head. It wasn't that simple. Never would be.

"Even would take too long. I'll settle for death."

Damn. And to think, it all started two years ago, when I lost a hand of sabacc. Of all the debts I've collected, its the one I can never seem to repay.

[God]

"Great idea"

God chided sarcastically.

"Revenge. Greatest galactic pasttime. Makes for a good holomovie."

He pointed the ashy tip of his cigarette at Sanis as he talked.

"Let me get good and square with you, Joker. You've been living your life as a cold fish, and despite my sincere advice, you seem to think you're bulletproof. Fine.

But we're about to open a whole world of pain with this revenge business. You make it personal, and it doesn't stop. You bleed a little bit every time you kill. There ain't no body count in the galaxy to close that wound, boy.

If you ever do burn them down. If you somehow find yourself on the top of crap mountain, you won't even recognize yourself in the mirror.

Just think what Navaria will see."

[The Devil]

"Like it matters. She's obviously not your type."

The Devil snapped her fingers, returning the trio to the scene of the crime.

"You're smart, handsome, and now you're rich. If you stay ahead of the curve and blow away all these no-talent hacks, you can name your price."

She played with Sanis's hair.

"Women love a man in charge. I'm hesitant to tell you this, because you've been led astray, and it might be hard to hear, but Navaria doesn't deserve you. She doesn't even understand you."

[Sanis Prent]

"The hell she doesn't."

I snapped at the brunette seductress, withdrawing from her touch.

"I've felt alone all my life, until I met her."

I was frustrated. Torn between my two biggest loves. My two greatest fears. Like anybody in such a situation, I procrastinated facing the inevitable conclusion. Despite the bumps along the way, the road I'd run for the past three years was better than in the 24 before it. I had made it big, more or less. I loved somebody other than myself. The material and metaphysical coexisted in the same euphoric circle.

But I'd be a damn fool to think it would last.

I stayed awake at nights, knowing I'd have to make a choice. I lived in a world of habit and addiction, and both battled for my soul.

God seemed to smile as I rebuked the Devil.

"Shut up! Don't even start!"

I jabbed him in the chest with a finger.

"You don't just drop this life! They'll come gunning for me no matter what I do. You might feel safe up there on your mountain, but let me tell you about the real world.

I am the Alpha. I am the Omega. I can't make the rules, but I can damn sure play this game better than anybody. It don't start till I say go, and it don't end till I say whoa. Let those suckers and hustlers come after me. I'll be waiting for em."

I started to walk towards my body, brushing both God and the Devil off my shoulders.

"Hope you've got vacancy. No telling how many saints and sinners you'll be checking in when I'm all said and done."

[God]

"Alright, wait!"

God ran forward, catching Sanis by a shoulder before he could return.

"I cannot stop you, but allow me to warn you. You won't get out of this with bullets. You're going to need something more. Something stronger than that. You already know the answer. I just want to hear it."

[The Devil]

"You really are a hopeless romantic." The Devil rolled her eyes in frustration.

[Sanis Prent]

"I know."

I looked to God, nodding my head.

"I've got what you're looking for. The rest..."

I glanced to the Devil, and back to God.

"I'll let you two sort that out. Till then, I've got loose ends to tie up."

I moved toward my body again, and lay over it, superimposing myself inside it, so that two became one. All became a blur, then a white light.

[Narrator]

A warrior is a man apart. He fights for his own order by sowing chaos. His kind exist in that great divide between heaven and hell, but never truly seeing either kingdom. Their comraderie is solitude, the silent conversation between killers that culminates in death. In this, there is great respect. Those who are about to die never dispense their art in vain.

If such a man finds solace and embrace elsewhere, then he must sheath his sword forever. A warrior has only one mistress, and it is his blade.

The warrior who must choose between love and death fights many things, none greater than his own spirit.

[Sanis Prent]

...and then the light faded back into the world. Shapes and senses of my averted demise returned to me.

"GAAAAASP!"

I bolted upright, brushing imagined embers and phantasm shrapnel from my body. Every nerve ending screamed in agony, as I looked around with adrenaline-glutted eyes.

[Kelt Simoson]

'And welcome back Sanis Prent' Greeted Kelt just as the Medi-Van managed to weave in and out of the speeders that were moving out of its way.

'I am glad to see you are here, it seems your luck is honored one more time.' Kelt said patting Prent on the arm gently with a side smile. The medi crew came to Sanis and Kelt stood up nodded to the outlaw and then looked at the Rodian who had helped him.

' Thank you.'

' It is quite alright Sir Jedi, i take it i can take my fair all the way he asked now?'

Kelt smiled and looked back at the miserible face in the back of the Rodians Taxi.

' Aye go ahead...take care my friend' The two shook hands and then the Rodians was off in his Taxi, Kelt smiled to himself before adressing Prent again.

' Dont suppose i can have my cloak back now can i?' Kelt asked Prent, knowing full well that the man was far from dead now.

[imported_Jacali Danner]

Jacali had been crouched beside Kelt when the man suddenly came back. The death and pain she could feel was overwhelming, but this man had survived.

Jacali stood with Kelt as she began to notice the black marks on his face as well. "Kelt, were you here when the blast hit?" She asked him, her eyes full of concern.

[Sanis Prent]

The world spun on a dancer's toe. Life and death, beauty and ugliness all a blur around me. All I could feel was pain, but I couldn't feel enough. It sobered my drunken senses, and without it I was inconsolable.

I fell forward as the vomit came past my lips, splashing across the ash-scarred, blood-freckled pavement like a Jackson Pollock from Hell.

"Grrlaaahgh..."

My head was splitting as I heaved. Somewhere, I would hit bottom. From that point, the only way to go was back up. I looked up at the two Jedi with bloodshot, dialated eyes. All around me was ashen, charred decay. I stood at the eye of the hurricane, bruised and bloodied, but unravaged by flame.

There is probably some mythological parallel for this, but I'll be damned if I can think of one. As my hearing floods back into my brain, all I can make out is the sparking sizzling sounds, coming from the ruined shield generator at my belt.

I laughed, blood and spittle running down my chin. I laughed a victor's laugh.

Now they'd better run.

[Kelt Simoson]

Kelt frowned somewhat in question towards Sanis.

'I am fine Jacali thank you, my back huets but nothing a good morning sesson wont handle.'

Kelt turned back to Prent.

' You look pleased with yourself?'

[Sanis Prent]

"a....aaagh"

With the slow, inexorable intent of a glacier, I rose to my feet. The light in my eyes dimmed from a blinding aura, back to normal. I began to find my center, as I handed Kelt his coat back.

"I just had a staring contest with Death, and he blinked."

The sound of my voice ricocheted off the other sounds around me in a distant, tinny report. The world sounded as if it were inside a can. My ears protested from the explosion.

With a severe limp, I walked toward the wreckage, a one man audience at the closing act of a macabre play.

[Mirko Spendrim]

"Would ya look at him..not many people would be walkin' away from that one."

Mirko's eyes swivled in opposite directions, reflecting is consternation and speaking to anyone who would give him an ear.

"I seen a guy once get pulled from a burning hoverlimo - it had been flattened by a freight transport - flat like a pancake flat - and he survived it, but he was breathing through a straw and was fed by a tube in his guts and and he was wrapped in this sticky, oozy dressing crap.."

Mirko looked again at the wreckage and back at Sanis.

"I think, pal-y, you got horshoes up your keister"

[Kelt Simoson]

The Medi Crews started to full charred bodies from the speeders, some alive some not. Ace was heading up that whist Kelt stuck with Prent.

' You know somone has eyes on you Mr.Prent? Through the force i feel them. I'd say somones keeping tabs on you my friend.' Kelt said not bothering to turn to look.

' By the way, thats two you owe me Prent. Coulda had you locked up the first time and now i look after you once again? I hope you dont make a habit of using my kindness to your advantage.' The jedi said with a smile.

[Sanis Prent]

I turned back at the onlooker's statement, with a half smile.

Kelt's words turned me around fully. I looked at both men.

"I know. They'll just have to keep trying."

Through the debris, I spotted a familiar length of red-finished wood. Tossing the half-charred piece of a door away, I looked beneath, and pried my shell gun free from the wreckage.

-CLACK!-

I thumbed the release. The weight of the two barrels pitched the front of my weapon forward, exposing the breech to sunlight.

"Don't worry, Kelt."

Two shells slid into the breech, drowning out the sunlight.

"I'm in a mood for settling my debts today."

A snap of my wrist, and...

-CLACK!-

...the breech slammed closed. I wiped the ashen dust from the barrel with the bottom of my bloody shirt, and with a flourish, twirled my weapon back into its holster.

[Adia Issoris]

The gunmetal speeder flew to the heart of the matter, a bullet that cut through the traffic with impossible precision. It came to an abrupt halt, nearly on top of Sanis and the Jedi nearby. The high sun gleamed off the silvery, reflective window tint. Wide and heavy, the coupe's door swung open.

Black boots appeared under the door. They weren't very large, but they were well made and rugged.

Adia stepped from behind the door with a Stoker Concussion rifle shouldered, pointed at Kelt's back.

"GET DOWN AND PUT YOUR HANDS ON YOUR HEAD! NOW!" She growled from behind mirrored black wraparounds.

[Kelt Simoson]

' My name is Kelt Simoson, Jedi Knight and Councilmen of such Order, i would as you politely to holster your weapon' The Knight said his face strait and calm. Kelt always gave a warning before defending himself or attacking if possible.

' I do not wish to fight...' Kelt said giving a sidelong look at Prent. Something to do with him no doubt. ' One of yours? Kelt murmered in the direction of Sanis.

[Sanis Prent]

"No."

I glanced to the petite assassin, and back to Kelt, angling my body toward the group of people so that my non-shooting hand faced them, allowing me to draw my shell gun relatively concealed from view.

"Even still, you should probably do what the lady asks. Your saber's no match for a concussion rifle."

[Mirko Spendrim]

"oo! geez"

Mirko ducked dramatically, sheilding his head with his forearm as Adia brandished her weapon towards Kelt. He skittered back ignobly behind the twisted wreckage, seeking concealment but keeping a curious watch on what was going on. Just a guy in a crowd, thats all he was.

He thought to himself that this could lead to some great info- might even be worth somethin to someone - as long as he managed to keep his knobby head atop his skinny shoulders long enough to make it worthwhile.

[Adia Issoris]

Adia stared at Prent, forcing down a smile that never made it to her lips. Something moved through the wreckage.

"Pencil neck! OUT IN THE OPEN! HANDS ON YOUR HEAD, KNEES TO THE GROUND!" Nothing moved. Coldly, she flipped a switch with her thumb and blew most of Mirko's cover skyward. Debris rained down around them, one chunky peice of metal smacked the speeder's hood.

"Sanis Prent. I suggest not attempting to kill me. I also suggest getting in the car. The wolves no longer keep the Coruscant dogs at bay. The blood on the ground is yours, Prent. I've got a fast horse. You can ride if you want."

[Ace McCloud]

The shot rang out. Had another car exploaded? Ace looked over to see a small woman at gunpoint with Kelt. He stood slowly, slipping his hand to a dagger at his side but nothing more. He looked at Kelt. What was going on? This was...stupid, he thought.

[Mirko Spendrim]

As the wreckage shot heavenward, Mirko felt exposed, like a man who'd been using the outhouse and had the walls and roof blown off, leaving him standing there with his pants round his ankles.

"Geez! geez - you coulda' killed me!" he protested as he almost tripped on his own feet in eagerness to obey Adia. As it was, bumped into Prent and apologising quickly.

"I was just taking a look, really Im nobody. You wanna shoot the Jedi, I think. They look like trouble to me. Dont they look like trouble to you?"

He was soliciting support from Prent (afterall, he was the guy with all the horsheshoes) but none was forthcoming.

Mirko wagered this pair werent on the side of the Jedi and so hoped to align himself with the ones holding the guns. It was sound reasoning, besides, there was no where else to hide.

[Kelt Simoson]

Kelt tilted his head in the direction of the assassin as if to say 'go'.

' Do as she says, i'll catch up with you later.' The Jedi muttered toward Prent and did as the woman asked. Glancing quickly up at Ace, the Jedi Knight sook his head at the Knife.

Keep the peace Ace, no weapons... He sent through the force.

[Sanis Prent]

"I'm sorry, you seem to have caught me at a bad time."

Given my condition, and the warzone around me, it was an understatement. Reluctantly, I holstered my weapon.

The little lady was speaking in precise riddles. I didn't need an explanation.

"I can't even remember what I was doing today. Maybe I was just out for a pack of smokes. Who knows? Now..."

I laughed a little.

"...well, isn't that a curveball."

I looked at my 'savior'.

"You got a deathwish, lady? I've only got enough luck for one. Hell, might have cashed it all out for the day, anyway."

My unseen hand came into view slowly, an empty palm visible.

[Adia Issoris]

"I'm hard to kill." She said, matter of factly.

Adia jerked her head at the speeder. "Passenger side is unlocked." The assassin waited until Sanis got in. She dissapeared behind the door, collapsing the Stoker's stock, dropped the clip, and dropped it in the back seat.

"I"m glad you're alive, or that check I got this morning wouldn't have cleared." Adia punched the accellerator. The speeder leapt forward with a deep snarl, leaving the Jedi and the wreckage behind.

Sanis shrugged.

"I'm surprised that those Jedi didn't have you in cuffs." Again, he shrugged.

"I'm Adia. Most of the galatic underbelly knows your name already. You've come a long way from a punk kid trying to take a short woman's speeder on Nar Shadda."

[imported_Jacali Danner]

Jacali stood beside Kelt and sighed deeply, but stayed quiet. She would only do what the knight instructed, but so far there was nothing much she could do.

[Kelt Simoson]

'Ace!' Kelt shouted towards Ace who was a across the other side of the smoking speeder catching his fellow Jedi's attention. ' You know how to drive a speeder?....' Kelt asked him looking over to the curb, catching the aye of a swoop bike.

' Or a swoop?'

[Ace McCloud]

"Uh...not really," he said as he looked at the speeder, then to the swoop, "maybe a swoop. Though I've never tried..."

[Mirko Spendrim]

Mirko got up from off his knees, though kept his hands knitted behind his head - he was still nervous to make any sudden moves.

He smiled ingratiatingly at the Jedi, conveniently dismissing the fact that he'd so recently offered their hides up over his own.

"That was somethin eh?" he said, looking after the disappearing coupe. "Whatta woman"

[imported_Jacali Danner]

Jacali cleared her throat quickly. "Uh, Kelt. I can drive both, so let's go!" She ran over to the speeder and jumped in the drivers seat, a second later the two men were in and she threw it into gear and took off. She used the Force to guide her and zipped in and out of traffic at a high rate of speed to catch up with Prent and Adia.

[Kelt Simoson]

' You know' Kelt said scrunching the sides of his seat within his fists as they sped up. ' We are Jedi and we just left the owner of this speeder back at the crash site!' The Knight said rather comicaly as his eyes widened to Jacalis weaving in and out.

' Okay, from what i saw Prent was being kidnaped by the person who failed to kill him in the speeder-bomb. Now im not a great lover of scoundrals like Mr.Prent but we cant let this happen right under our noses.' Kelt said looking between both Jacali and Ace.

' Agreed?

[Mirko Spendrim]

Watching the second departing speeder, Mirko finally downed his arms back to his side.

Blinking a moment in thought Mirko licked his lips-an unattractive habit - and then turned his head. Tilting his nose upward, he sniffed the night air for the aroma of a preztle or hotdog stand.

He was suddenly quite hungry.

[Ace McCloud]

"Agreed. I don't like being insulted like that..." Ace said as he tried to get comfortable in the small speeder. He was a little nervous about riding in a speeding speeder like this, and he didn't really know how good of a pilot Jacali was. He sighed.

[Sanis Prent]

The realization came to me like a bucket of ice water in the face. Strange how you make connections like that. As she drove, I looked at her face, her features, her pointed ears. Albeit, pointed ears weren't all that uncommon, but put things together, and it all came back.

"Adia."

She definitely had kept up with the Joneses. That kept me on my toes.

"You sure don't miss a beat."

I was a speeder-boosting hood rat the last time we met. Obviously, she'd made it a point to remember me. Why? I guess I was about to find out.

"I'd thank you for the rescue, if that's what this is. Guess its no suprise that I can't trust anybody now, definitely including you."

[Adia Issoris]

"If it wasn't a rescue you'd be dead, and if I missed a beat, I would be dead. No, someone finds you entertaning, Prent."

Adia had passed up an easy opertunity to kill Sanis in his smalltime days. Instead, she had given him some friendly pointers on how not to sneak up on someone. From his knees, with his own knife at his throat, and his arm twisted painfully behind his back.

She worked her way through some back streets before merging into Coruscant traffic. If there had been pursuit, it had done a very good job of keeping hidden. In the meantime, she pointed them at the nearest spaceport. This was fast becoming the most dangerous rock in the Galaxy if you had the wrong reputation. Now that Black Sun had marked Sanis, the Fifteen were more than eager to comply. It was a question of who got him first.

"Black Sun wants you dead. Did you kiss Sasseeri with garlic on your breath?"

[Sanis Prent]

This all seemed a vicious cycle. Out of the frying pan, and into the next frying pan. Given enough time, I'd pray for the fire. Adia seemed to be doing somebody's busy work in keeping me in the land of the living. What a pyrrhic rescue this was.

"Close enough. She stopped finding me entertaining."

I looked at her, and laughed a little.

"You've got a lot of guts, getting on Black Sun and the Jedi's bad side. What do you expect out of it?"

[Adia Issoris]

"But did you give her head? Diamonds and a good licking, girls best friends." She countered. Sanis balked.

"Jedi... please. I haven't done anything illegal, except for the Stoker. Doubt they'll bother after a week. They might be a little upset about being in a situation where that Force crap doesn't do any good. Maybe a little humiliated. I can live with the -ahem- enmity of a few Jedi." Adia almost giggled, but turned serious.

"Black Sun... well. I tell that tale and you have entirely too much information about myself. There is no love lost between me and Black Sun." Adia was wanted by Black Sun already, but wasn't a high priority, since she was a Pre-Sasseeri engagement. Old dirt wasn't interesting, or partituarly annoying.

"I expect to be paid for my trouble, Prent."

[Sanis Prent]

"Do you have some kind of sick desperation in your life?" I asked.

Some people lived their favorite soap operas vicariously through others. Never answered her question, not like she deserved an answer there. It was best left not talked about. The sooner I closed the chapter of my life that starred Sasseeri Reeouurra, the better I could get on with bigger and better things.

Adia's confession regarding Black Sun didn't suprise me. Nothing she'd done up to this point and including our previous engagement had indicated that she even cared about seeing tomorrow.

"Well, you can expect trouble." I told her flatly.

"Hope the money follows suit, for your sake."

The one thing Sasseeri hated more than losing was losing me. The half-breed had enough temper to cook an egg on. She'd roll every hood, ghetto, and barrio on Coruscant with every cold-eyed killer she could pay off, just to get to me.

As the speeder kept on trucking, I got another uneasy feeling. A cold fire in my stomach that wouldn't be put out easily.

[imported_Jacali Danner]

"Agreed." Jacali said as she kept a calm composure and pushed on the throttle a bit more. She dove in and out of traffic several more times, jostling her two passengers around and finally slowed down a bit as Adia went down some back streets.

Jacali stayed back for the most part, keeping a very close eye on the two assailents. When Adia hit another busy traffic lane, Jacali followed.

Adia was traveling a bit faster now, so Jacali put some more speed on, she wasn't about to lose them.

"They are headed to that space port, I bet." She said as she zipped around another speeder and dove down below traffic for a second, narrowly missing several vehicals.

[Adia Issoris]

"No. I wasn't being serious. Sorry--that was below the belt. No pun." Sasseeri's sexual appitite was fairly well known, as was her reputation for killing "wayward" lovers. The Cizerack half breed was pure bred bitch. It was possible that her comment had a lot more truth than Sanis was comfortable with, even if it wasn't accurate. In retrospect, she wasn't sure why she had said it.

Adia checked her rear-view and sighed, but kept with the traffic. Jedi didn't usually carry ranged weapons.

"There will be a yatch waiting in the private section of the port. Its a bussiness proposition. My money is my concern, Prent. I'll worry about it." The Jedi's speeder was weaving through the congestion. It was a smaller model without much go. Now that they were in the main flow of traffic, the lighter weight that helped handling was neutralized. Out here, it all came down to legs, and hers were much longer.

So she waited. Half because there wasn't any reason to draw extra attention, and half from morbid curiousity.

[Kelt Simoson]

And she'd need her legs if she was planning to get out and escape on foot. Kelt, although looking rather middleweight in the upper sections of his body, was actually a extremely fast runner, and was was excellent at keeping up the speed in endurance. The Jedi Knight infact was probably one of the fastest runners in the GJO. All those years spent tracking enemy soldiers through forests and land in his youth upon his home plent, payed off it seems.

Of course she was not expecting this.

The speeder they were in was smaller aye and it had not the speed to match, but its light handling and Jacalis better driving it seemed, suprisingly, was helping the Jedi to keep up. The Bulkier speeder of the Lady Assassin was slowing it down through nicks and nacks of heavey traffic.

' Aye! Space Port it seems and i'd like to wager they shall escape on foot! The Knight said seriously. ' This is how were gonna do it Ace Jacali. Ace, i want you to take after me with her Ladyship whoever she is. Shes gonna be fast so i hope you can keep up. Jacali, i dunno if Prents on our side but he seems a chap that knows when the game is up. I doubt, i HOPE he wont be trouble.'

Kelt smiled, this was his first ever Speeder chace and he was enjoying it....a little....secretly.

[Sanis Prent]

OOC: Kelt, as Adia explained in her post, your speeder isn't going to be as fast in a straightaway. Its more nimble in turning areas, but in high traffic lanes, Adia's speeder will outgain your own.

IC:

Seeing Adia again, aside from being metaphysical deja vu in some sense, brought a question to my mind. Something I really didn't think about otherwise.

"Adia."

Maybe it was the kind of question one could only ask in the company of thieves, liars, and killers. Whichever one Adia fit, if not all of the above, she would suffice.

"You ever thought about your profession. I mean really thought, talkin beyond just what you do between making your ends meet?"

It wasn't quite coming out right.

"I mean, is it the love or the money? Guess that's what I'm askin."

Me at my most philosophical. How charming. With the bloodstains, I almost seemed stoic, asking some open-ended thriller like that. The skyscrapers, artificial canyons, and the sea of speeders that swam the sky like metal fish passed before me in a reflected neon migraine.

[Adia Issoris]

"Its all I know. First there were the men with the stun sticks that kept the more frenzied of us from killing each other or the scientists. After I escaped I was picked up by slavers. Black Sun's. And then the Mistryl."

Adia did dare tell anyone the details, especially of the Empire's quest to improve on nature. She was happy to let that terrible place keep its secrets, wherever it was. But every day with the slavers had been terrible. The first few nights were actually the best, before they knew how strong she was. The slavers starved her for a week, shocked her into unconiousness, and bound her in stuncuffs...

"Its all I know." She repeated, somewhat distant as the Jedi's speeder began to close.

"Why do they want you so badly?" Adia asked as she pulled the speeder out of the lane and accellerated hard.

[imported_Jacali Danner]

"We're gaining, Kelt." Jacali said with a sly grin. She took the speeder to a new height of speed. She zig-zagged wildly as they edged closer. Not paying attention to the looks she was getting from either Kelt or Ace, she handled the speeder with graceful ease. The speeder lunged and dove when she needed it to.

The kidnapper pulled out of their lane and was starting to pull away, but not for long.

Jacali worked quickly and cut to the right, the speeder banked hard, nearly dumping her passengers, but then straightened immediately. "Sorry, about that!" She yelled, continuing her pursuit.

[Sanis Prent]

I could see the Jedi's four-seater in the rear-view, as it maneuvered through traffic lanes. For whatever reason, they weren't throwing in the towel just yet.

Adia's reply sounded familiar. It's all I know. I'd said the same thing to myself so many times, I sounded a bit repetitious. After a while, it was even a bit insulting. I'd never been a fan of predestination. I wasn't one of those Jedi that was content to chain my existence to some master plan. I hated not having my way.

So did I buy the line for so long? Why not go clean? For every bit of free will that I had, I had twice as many addictions. Getting out wasn't a choice. Staying in was a hard habit to break.

Why do they want you so badly? she asked.

I had to give it to her, it was a good question. Sasseeri had taken me under her wing, sure enough. But why? There was no love between us. She could proposition me well enough, but there was nothing between us. I'm even sure there's better sex to be had in the galaxy besides me, ego aside. My business savvy? My gunslinging? Good, but the best? Maybe I was some mockery of a renaissance man. A walking, talking testament to synergy.

Or maybe I just had a name that made you stop and remember it.

"You ever watch those holo cartoons? The ones with the hunter who wears the big hat? Ever wonder why every time he went out, he found the same damn rabbit, each time? The woods are pretty big, and there are probably plenty of other rabbits. But its always the same one. The smartass, clever rabbit that you can't help but screw up whenever you go after it. He never catches it. Never will. What does he do after that?"

I paused. This was supposedly getting somewhere.

"She wants me so bad, but I'm willing to bet that the day she lucks up and gets the drop on me, the twinkle in her eye will fade away. Sometimes, the race is more important than the finish line, I guess. Makes me a damn fine cynic if I'm right. But if I'm right, I'm a dead man, so I'd rather be wrong I suppose."

[Kelt Simoson]

' If that Assassin wanted to kill Sanis she would have done so already' Said Kelt quietly.

' Ether they are allies or she had a diffrent motive for him, i wonder what it could be?'

[Ace McCloud]

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend," he said, to no one inparticular. It seemed to be one of those situations. He knew these kind of 'alliances' well. They were friends but they weren't exactly allies either. There had to be something in for the both of them.

"Where do they think they are headed? I am getting bored of this chase. Perhaps there is a blaster somewhere in the speeder..." He suggested. Perhaps he could slow them down. He could throw one of his daggers with percision accuracy but even if it did hit, it wasn't guranteed to do anything.

[Adia Issoris]

"Oh." Half of Sanis' spiel on the rabbit and the hunter was lost on her, but she understood the concept of the chase. Adia hadn't really done anything besides being a science pincushion and a killer. She knew what a holotoon was, but had never seen one. After a brief stint with a sitcom, Adia had decided against more holos. Most of that had been spent scratching her head.

Now and again other cultural references would crop up that would simply be missed. It was annoying sometimes.

Much like the Jedi behind her. The traffic thinned slightly, and Adia burried the throttle. With a growl from the large repulsor drive, the speeder leapt forward. She needed about thirty seconds on the Jedi, and traffic was cooperating.

[Mirko Spendrim]

Quite some distance from the speeder chase........



"And then BOOM! The guy's transport goes off like a Hutt FireCracker in a slave girl parade"

Mirko quipped a laugh, dribbling sautaeed onion on his chin and licking it with his mustard-clad tongue. The burger vendor handed him a paper napkin over the counter and Mirko murmered his thanks before stuffing the remainder of the sesame bun into his mouth.



"All's I can say is.." he continued through bulging cheeks, "someone upstairs liked this poor schmoe, this Sanis Prent. "

The woman who'd arrived for a timely rescue had affirmed as much when she'd identifyed Prent. If Mirko hadn't have been so occupied in not being shot to oblivion by Adia, he woulda got the notorious scoundrel's autograph..


He slurped back his namana smoothie and got off his stool. Pulling some crumpled, grubby cred chits from his pants pocket and putting them on the laminated counter, Mirko slid off the vinyl stool.

He turned to head once again from the open-air burger stand again to the Coruscant night.


"Be seein ya, Harry."

And he would be, too. Harry was one of his best information highways. What Mirko didn't know - which wasnt a whole lot when it came to Coruscant streets - Harry did. But tonight, the word was a bit of a dry river bed, and plying Harry was like getting blood from a stone.

But he hadnt left empty handed - Mirko atleast had a place to start. Harry said there had been some stirrings on the scene of some new Assassin group - ACES or something. Stupid name for assassins if you asked Mirko, not very scary..

Scuttling, more than walking, along the busy pedestrianways of the massive City, the scruffy little information broker hurried to his apartment in the brookland district to do some homework..Maybe this card group had something to do with it. Maybe not. Maybe it was worth something to find out. Maybe.

[Sanis Prent]

The silence was grating. I watched things pass as Adia gunned the accelerator. Somehow, my mind was going faster still.

"If this is going to be another offer I can't refuse, I'd appreciate knowing about it."

[Adia Issoris]

"I don't think it is, but I'm just the delivery girl. Its a bussiness proposition of some sort." Adia pulled the glasses off her face during a brief speeder free stretch of lane. Her eyes were mildly dialated, but oddly catlike. She wove through the speeders between her and the spaceport, putting more distance between the Jedi and herself. Sometimes there was scarsely more than a speeder's length when Adia sliced through the traffic.

The peremiter road was right ahead. She mashed the left brakes and the right accellerator, and ran the red light. For a brief moment, Sanis and Adia were facing an oncoming freighter, but the coupe slid neatly into the correct lane. Designed for touring, the speeder devoured the wide, sweeping curves around the cargo terminals until they came to gate K. She swiped a pass card, and waited anxiously while the gate slid aside.

“Cmon...” she muttered as the gate ponderously moved out of the way. The repulsorwhine slid up the scale, and the craft shot forward again. The Assassin made her way across the tarmac until they were beside a “Yenry Cargo” transport.

Adia killed the power and got out. A pair of armed gaurds stood at the entrance to the boarding ramp.

[Sanis Prent]

I eyed the guards, who stared a bit more than they were paid to, I gathered. The side effect of success was that you became somewhat of a familiar face to those in the business. Couple that with a layer of soot, and a dash of blood, and it could distract.

"Hey fellas."

I passed a smile. Not suprisingly, I didn't get one in return. My eyes slid toward Adia.

"Right. Guess the ball's in your court then."

[Kelt Simoson]

It took little time for Kelt and the two padawans to get through the check point with enough jedi banter on rules and regulations. The 3 passed through the gate and slowed the craft down perhaps 100 meters from adia's speeder.

The Knight got out.

' Now, Prent and you m'lady' he shouted well enough for those to hear. ' I would suggest quite urgently that you both stop what your doing and come and chat with me for a few moments, the inncident back there and the fact that i had a weapon pointed at me, well funny enough,im still not happy about.' The Knight said, his hand tocuhing lightly on his sabre.

' If you would both like to step over hre perhaps we can discuss it.'

OOC: Really to busy to do to much more, sorry about detail and sorry for content.

[imported_Jacali Danner]

Jacali jumped out of the speeder and followed the Jedi Knight, knowing she wasn't going to be much help without a sabre.

Her sensing abilities would warn her if trouble were in the midst. She stood behind Kelt looking at Sanis and his captor.

[Adia Issoris]

OOC: I kind of feel that you Jedi ignored the hand you were delt in terms of transportation, and also the description I offered of what Adia was driving. Adia was basically driving an Infinti G35 or Nissan Skyline Coupe, depending on where you live. They're a bit heavy, so they don't take corners in the most spetactular fashion, but on a wide, sweeping curve, they're absurdly quick. You guys are basically driving an econobox, like a Toyota Corrolla. They take short corners really well because they don't weigh very much, but will get eaten alive in the straights and wider sweeps where mass doesn't play as big a part.

IC:
The ship was warmed for takeoff, and the repulsors thrummed as Sanis and Adia boarded. The pair of guards retreated up the rising ramp with the vistors.

The small cargo vessel was spartan, with bare metal being the main feature of the décor. Sturdy seats from a civilian transport lined the wall, but they were crudely bolted to the floor. The two guards secured themselves with metal handholds on the walls near the door.

Prent wobbled his way into a seat as the craft rose off of the tarmac, while the assassin's balance was almost unnervingly precise. She sat three seats from the rouge and frowned. The cargo hold was completely sealed from the cockpit.

After the ship leveled out, Adia started to get up. One of the guards held a hand up. "Please stay seated, ma'am. We're just going around the block."

She glanced over at Sanis, who's poker face was in full effect. The assassin wished she had left her mirrored wraparounds on.

Twenty minutes of sludgy silence passed by before the repulsor whine changed. The landing gear moaned its way out from the hull, and connected softly with the permacrete below.

When the boarding ramp dropped, the wind poured in.

Adia got up, and paused at the bottom of the ramp. They were on one of Coruscant's many highrises.

“Take the lift, it will know what floor to go to.”

[Sanis Prent]

I suppose if she wanted to kill me, she could've done it plenty of times. Still, it would take more than that for me to trust her, or anyone.

"Not coming along?"

[Adia Issoris]

Adia sped up and matched Prent's stride into the repulsorlift.

"Just figuring out where we are." she said, staring into the doors as they sealed shut.

The lift was typical. Metal, with a carpeted floor that smelled of cleansers. It had been washed recently, and the rest of the lift had been polished to a shine. Her fingers gently tapped against the small hand rail that ran across the walls. One hand kept with Sanis' heart beat, and the other with his breathing.

The door opened, and Adia put on her wraparounds. Ten meters of hall with the same carpet on the floor led to a simple door. Adia pressed the only button, and it slid open, revealing a massive room. Rina Ofsden, the fit, middle aged woman who hired Adia, sat behind it.

"Sanis Prent, a pleasure to meet you." She said as she stood.

Twenty-some meters from the door was a heavy marble-topped desk, supported by ornately carved marble columns. An offset display and a keyboard were the only things present, aside from a holoprojector in the middle. Two body guards stood against the back wall.

"I have a bussiness proposal for you, Mr. Prent."

[Sanis Prent]

"That fast, huh?"

I limped out of the lift, and looked around.

"Okay. Mind if I sit?"

[Adia Issoris]

The light picked up off Rina's smooth olive skin, giving her a radiance Adia felt she didn't deserve.

"Well, Mr. Prent, I represent an experimental division of a corporation looking to break into holo production. In one of our meetings, you came up as a choice for the focal point of one of our pilot shows. The focal point, rather. However, it might require some lifestyle changes." Rina smiled as she said the last part.

[Sanis Prent]

I was getting tired of pleasantries and cryptic half-speak.

"Go on?"

It was all but a formality for me to refuse at this point. I wasn't much in the mindset of playing the pawn.

[Adia Issoris]

"We have an idea for a new type of holo. A "reality" show. You'd be implanted with micro recorders. Every action of yours would be recorded and edited." Rina smiled, flashing perfect white teeth.

"Now, you would be sizeably comphensated for whatever trouble you'd get into, and I assure you, our laywers on retainer can keep you out of almost any situation you could possibly concieve of getting into, beyond assasination of a senator. I'm afraid we would not be able to help you if you so choose to do that. Anything below that is fair game."