Ecstasy of Credits 10.048

[Aurelias Kazaar]

Aurelias Kazaar was staring at the speeder wreckage. His head still hurt a bit from where a shard from his house went through his left cheek, but over all he felt okay physically. Mentally, something was gnawing at him. Like a craving that wouldn't go away. It made no sense how a small-time pirate gang who'd tended to rob locals from Taanab of food and a few credits were able to afford a Nemesis-class gunship. (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Nemesis-class_gunship). Especially if they had patched up clothes and used a piece of shit speeder which exploded after taking moderate damage from a rail detonator and a light turret. It hung inside his brain and refused to stop.

He knelt down next to the body of one of the pirates. The human had little which would identify him or tell him where he was from. Kazaar pulled 20 credits from the pirate's jacket and pocketed it. He wouldn't keep the dead man's blaster, it was too cheap to be any use. Another odd thing which increased the gnawing. The next pirate told him nothing, except for yielding 35 credits and another cheap blaster. He found another 50 credits going through the pockets of the rest. Booze money for later.

Kazaar finally got to the leader. His frayed Imperial jacket had been burned and a piece of shrapnel had gone right through his chest. Something Kazaar noticed was a red circle-like tattoo on the leader's chest. That stuck with him too, but he wasn't sure why. The ex-bounty hunter poked through the guy's pockets, pulling out 200 credits, an S-5 heavy blaster (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/S-5_heavy_blaster_pistol) and finally found a small datapad and a holocom.

He looked at the datapad first. It wasn't password protected and Kazaar was able to sift through its contents. Nothing too interesting, except for a guide on how to use the gunship and a map of the farms and ranches on the planet. His wasn't on it, nor was his now-dead neighbor's. Probably meant the two guys he'd blasted down the day before (http://sw-fans.net/forum/showthread.php?55467-Quenched-and-Tempered-10-045-47) were surveying. Possibly seeing who was going to pay up and who wasn't. They never got the chance to enter in the data because he and Lilaena De'Ville had killed them all. She was hopefully still sleeping in his bunker with the blanket he'd put on her body before going outside.

The holocom was password protected, which meant 'Trey,' his R7 droid, would have to unlock it. Hopefully it would have the secrets he needed.

The sun was just coming up as Kazaar turned back towards the road to his ruined home. It was time to find where his weapons and hat were buried in the rubble. Then he'd see who sold these assholes their high-powered death machine. And kill every last one of the bastards.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Lilaena reached the top of the stairs and pushed open the door, sunlight flooding down into the shelter as she stepped out. She shaded her eyes with her hand, and saw Kazaar walking back up the road toward her. She didn't wave.

What was her next move? Was her debt to Kazaar paid? She'd killed five persons for him, in exchange for him saving her life. Was a debt like that ever really paid in full? On the other hand, did she really care what he, or anyone else for that matter, thought?

She took a few steps, walking away from the walls of the house that were still standing and might not be for long, and found a place to sit in the sun. She closed her eyes and simply soaked in the rays, emptying her mind. Meditating.

[Aurelias Kazaar]

"Mornin'," Kazaar stuck a cigar in between his teeth and lit it with two matches he'd clenched together. Smoke billowed from his mouth as he made sure the cigar's end was lit. He blew out the matches, made sure they weren't going to spark again and tossed them in the dirt.

Kazaar started going through the rubble of his home, tossing various pieces of lumber out of the way with his gloved hands. The first bit of good news he found was his Imperial repeater rifle. It had survived without too much damage, just a few nicks on the casing. He found his T-28 sniper rifle in horrible condition. It had landed barrel first on the ground. He'd have to completely replace it, except maybe the stock. Kazaar swore under his breath as he set it down next to De'Ville.

"Damn fine blaster, one o'the few those frackers in th'Imp army actually put out." He blew smoke up in the air. "Ain't easy t'find either. Most stormies're just blaster fodder fer rest o'us. May hafta find o'supply station somewhere t'get o'new one."

He tossed the S-5 blaster towards De'Ville. "Ya do o'helluva job with ya saber. Fight like it's o'frackin' extension of ya arm. Still need o'real blaster." He then held up the holocom. "Ever use one o'these?"

[Lilaena De'Ville]

The blaster halted in mid air in front of her, and slowly rotated. Lilaena breathed out slowly, and opened her eyes and looked at Kazaar. "I am proficient with many blasters, including the S-5." It spun around and she put out her hand, plucking it out of the air.

"What are your plans, Kazaar?" She gestured at the ruins of the house just behind them.

[Aurelias Kazaar]

"Good question," Kazaar put the holocom back a vest pocket. He knocked up more wooden planks. Still hadn't found his rail detonator.

"Figure..." He grunted as he lifted up a large piece of wood which had been a roof support, "...gonna look f'my last weapon, figure out who was bankin' those frackers an' kill 'em." He found the remains of the True Mandalorians banner, then his view screen. His boots briefly crunched glass and he stared down. It was the remains of a small holo-art frame. He tore the bottom of the wood and found the capsule which held the image of his dead son Bren. It looked undamaged. Kazaar gave a small smirk. Small miracles do exist.

"Those hoods were too small time t'own that ship ya took down. Ever run in t'any assholes out there with o'red circle're planet tattoo on 'em? Like o'badge of honor or some kinda branding?"

[Lilaena De'Ville]

She shook her head in the negative. "Doesn't ring any bells." Lilaena watched him stump around in what had been his living room, and sighed. "You are planning on taking on a criminal organization equipped enough to purchase a Nemesis gunship by yourself, aren't you."

He didn't respond, but his emotions were spilling off of him like thunderclouds forming over a plain. Oh, he was going all right.

"Hey, it's your lucky day," she quipped. "I don't have anything better to do, so I'll go with you. Make sure you don't kill yourself."

[Aurelias Kazaar]

Kazaar didn't turn, but knocked over another few splintered logs. He thought a moment, then tossed more pieces of wood out of the way. There it was, his rail detonator. He picked it up, felt the weight in his hands. He stared down the barrel, unloaded the weapon, and made sure there were no obstructions. He put one rail in, checked it again, aimed at his fence, and fired. It still worked. He slung it over his shoulder, next to his repeater rifle.

"They destroyed my house." His guttural voice was defiant. "Think I ain't gonna repay those frackers double? Destroyin' that frackin' gunship ain't gonna do a damn thing. Gonna hafta teach 'em in full."

He tossed over one log and found his hat. Finally. Kazaar grabbed it and put it on. "Let's go. Gotta few things t'grab downstairs."

It took Kazaar and De'Ville about ten minutes to haul the weapons out of the bunker. They didn't take much: a concussion rifle, a Scalphunter rifle (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Scalphunter_rifle), an HH-4 grenade launcher (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/HH-4_grenade_launcher) and an almost ancient looking blaster rifle. (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Mandalorian_assault_rifle) Kazaar and De'Ville also took the two sets of Mandalorian armor.

They entered his freighter where 'Trey' was already waiting. He whistled a greeting to both of them, while Kazaar stalked to the computer next to the communications console. He wasn't the biggest technology fan, but knew how to use it. Kazaar placed the holocom on top of the computer and turned it on. Several glyphs popped up asking for a password. "'Trey'...can ya hack this?" He turned, but the R7 droid had already exited the room, headed for the cockpit. "Force-dammit," Kazaar swore under his breath and stood up. "'Trey'...'Trey'...Get ya scrawny wheels back 'ere! Gotta job for ya!"

[Lilaena De'Ville]

She set the armor down as the droid trundled back into the room, tweeting and beeping what was probably supreme annoyance at being ordered around. Astromechs who weren't wiped regularly gained persnickety personalities, and it seemed Trey was no different.

Aurelias pointed the droid toward the comm, and it set to work slicing the password. De'Ville ran her hand over the T-visored helmet, and found a place to sit while Trey hummed a tuneless song to itself as it worked out the holocomm.

[Aurelias Kazaar]

"Yeh, yeh." Kazaar snorted at 'Trey' and grabbed a bottle of bourbon. He poured himself a rather generous glass, then offered the bottle to De'Ville. She declined. "Look, ya get t'take ya oil bath aftah we get this frackin' comm hacked. How long it gonna take." 'Trey' *blatted* a retort. "Awright, awright, don't let ya power cells all buggered up. Jus' a frackin' question."

He smirked at De'Ville as if to say, "Droids," then lit a cigar. 'Trey' was a bit temperamental for an R7, but Kazaar worked with him/it well. The little guy had survived two droid brain transplants and kept its wits. Showed how tough it was. Kazaar was pretty sure parts of 'Trey's' old brains were fighting with the new one but he could never prove it. Nor did he want to.

It didn't take 'Trey' too long to get the comm unlocked, but Kazaar was sure the droid swore at him in a *bleet* and a raised arm before headed off for the oil bath. 'Trey' would get over it. Despite its occasional volatility, 'Trey' did a hell of a job. There were worst things to deal with.

The holocomm had four messages on it, all from the same ID. Kazaar picked the earliest one and hit play. The holographic face of a Cathar suddenly appeared. Its normally shaggy hair was cropped flat with a ponytail coming out of the back of the head. There were multiple rings in each cat-like ear. He had a shaggy mustache and two silver labret piercings which dangled. Kazaar recognized him almost instantly.

"Yee-Lee Barsoom." The red tattoo he'd seen earlier now made sense. "Ever hear o'him?" De'Ville shook her head. "Used t'work with Kimiiki Crei before that Albino bastard bit it couple years back. Guess he's takin' a cue from 'is old boss an' going afta folks who can't defend themselves. 'Fore I got th'frack outta galactic affairs, heard he'd started the Red Circle. Pirate gang on th'Outer Rim. Guess no one gave o'shit he was goin' after merchants an' medical frigates. Too busy with their Force-damned 'civil war.'"

He took a sip from his bourbon. "Not sure where th'frack he's holed up...know who might." Kazaar pressed a few buttons on his communications console and waited for a few. "C'mon answer th'damn call ya prissy, over-hyped up gizka."

"H...hello?" The voice on the other end sounded nervously tired.

"Spenny. Wake th'frack up." Kazaar smirked and puffed on his cigar.

"Aur-Aurelias?" It sounded like the voice had just gotten an injection of caffeine. "Is-is that you? Y-you're alive?!?"

"Who th'frack do ya think is callin' ya, Spenny. Th'frackin' Jedi Council...need ya f'something."

"Well...umm..." Mirko Spendrim still sounded confused, "I don't know where you've living. I can't send you a sweat-"

"'Nough with th'fracking sweaters Spenny! Need ya t'find someone!"

"Who? I don't know where Adelai-"

"Not her." Kazaar cut him off. "Yee-Lee Barsoom."

Spendrim yawned. "The Red Circle leader? Umm...A-a few weeks ago he was in the Norulac system. (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Norulac_system) H-he's got a Carrack cruiser with him, Kazaar. Be careful, he's a..."

"Pay ya later Spenny." Kazaar ended the connection before Spendrim could finish. "Awright, we're off t'Norulac." He started for cockpit, stopped, then headed in the opposite direction. "Be right back." Kazaar mumbled and disappeared outside.

He came back a minute later with a blue fabric clutched between his hands. Without saying a word, Kazaar hung the tattered True Mandalorians banner on a bare space on the wall. "Let's go." He strode towards the cockpit. Minutes later, his ship was in the air headed to Norulac.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Norulac. De'Ville pulled up the holonet to see what she could find on the planet - generally it seemed like an underdeveloped system, with just the one habitable planet. There was no planetary government, and the conflict between continents made it a prime location for pirates to find shelter. It was apparently an historical jumping off point for raids on Taanab - she turned off the console and leaned back in her seat. The upholstery was new enough, but randomly speckled with holes from where ash had fallen from the cigars Kazaar was so fond of. She stared at the banner and scratched at her forearm absently.

There was very little about Kazaar that was familiar to her as a Mando'ade. He was... difficult to figure out. She would have pegged him as loyal, but he'd left the Rebellion behind and had no connections to Mandalore that she knew of, so then what held his allegiance? His old fashioned ideas about females was another that did not mesh with what she knew of Mando'ade. Females were as equal as males and equally expected to protect themselves. Her fingernails raked over the itchy spot on her skin as the ship flew through hyperspace, and then she cursed. Idiot!

Lilaena dug into a drawer in the galley and pulled out a knife, pressing the thankfully sharp tip into the skin of her forearm and creating an inch long opening. Blood oozed as she pressed on either side of it, a small capsule popping up. She gritted her teeth and pulled it out of her arm, dropping the knife into the sanitizer and pressing a cloth to the new wound. The capsule, a small multi-tasking locator chip that she used to sync with her armor (and call her Basilisk droid to her side), was dropped to the deck and smashed under her boot. If Callidus somehow knew about it and used it to track her -

- but no, that was paranoia. He was not aware of the inner workings of the Mandalorians, nor had he shown more than a passing interest in how their technology worked. Still. She picked up the pieces and threw them in the compactor before returning to her seat.

[Aurelias Kazaar]

Kazaar was smoking and drinking in the cockpit. It was quiet and allowed him to think. He was about to get back into the galaxy, probably, not like he had been. This wouldn't be doing a nerf run to Hapes to sell a calf. It would be repaying a son of a bitch what he deserved in buckets of blood and blaster bolts. This would be war. The kind of war Kazaar was used to. It would be glorious. It would cause his blood to boil and his body to relax.

The question was for what? His decision to leave the Rebellion had been coming. Too many lies. Too much bullshit. He swallowed the bourbon and grabbed the bottle. Another drink. Half the politicians didn't give a damn about actually saving the galaxy and the rest were too much like the Empire. They just wanted to be the ones in charge. Not letting folks actually be free. The 'freedom' they were offering still came at the barrel of a blaster. Just depended on what it was about. Kazaar snorted. It was bullshit. Total bullshit.

He swallowed again. Maybe there were those out there who cared. The Kid sure did. That was why she had disappeared on assignment. She was probably out trying to burn what Imperials she could find. In her own way. Maybe she'd contact him. Maybe she wouldn't. Kazaar figured it could go either way. He licked his lips. Definitely either way.

Kazaar couldn't figure out De'Ville's role in all this. She was as muddy as he was. Maybe muddier. Why she'd decided to come along with him to kill the pirates. He puffed on the cigar, enjoying the rush of tobacco through his bloodstream. Maybe she was playing an angle. Her puzzle pieces didn't make sense. Not yet anyway.

He pushed himself out of his car and headed back towards the hold. De'Ville was staring at True Mandalorian banner. Kazaar leaned against the wall and took another drink. "Parents had it f'years. Always told me never t'be on th'wrong side o'the fight. Ever run inta that? Bein' on th'wrong side?"

[Lilaena De'Ville]

She frowned a little, memory of being trapped in her own body while she watched it battle her allies too fresh to ignore. Probably not what he was thinking of, but she couldn't think of a more wrong side to be on. Observing. Practically helpless.

De'Ville shrugged. "The victors write the history books, but that does not mean the ones who lost were wrong. If you believe in what you fight for then those that oppose you are always on the wrong side."

[Aurelias Kazaar]

Kazaar snorted. "Ain't talkin' 'bout winnin' an' losin'. Talkin' bein' wrong. Fightin' f'something that ain't worth fightin' for. 'Cause it sucks." He shrugged. Drinking made him introspective. It'd all change once he got drunk, but he wasn't sure if that would happen tonight. Too much work to be done.

"That Carrack cruiser o'theirs is prob'ly gonna have, what five...six levels?" He changed the subject to clear his head. "Pirate crew like that's only gonna have 100...hell, maybe only 75. Whatta ya wanna do? Just head right t'the bridge an' take out the Barsoom? Or go kick their asses all th'way through th'ship?"

[Lilaena De'Ville]

"Depends on your objective," De'Ville said softly. She'd never considered her battles to not be worth fighting. If you did not believe your cause was just, or that you were in the right, why fight at all? Then again, she'd never beaten herself up about past choices, either. What happened, happened. "And how you are intending for us to gain entrance to the ship in the first place. What's your plan for breaching the hull?"

[Aurelias Kazaar]

Kazaar smirked. "I registered this ship out t'the Refugee Relief Movement (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Refugee_Relief_Movement). Gotta pal who owed me o'favor. Perfect way f'the pirates t'make o'quick cred." At least that's what he was hoping. Kazaar had a feeling it would work out that way. Pirates weren't always predictable, but the Red Circle would want the supplies. It would be easy for them to sell the supplies on the black market. "I know what ya thinkin'...what if'm wrong. Got powerful 'nough backup shield t'get us the frack outta space're down to th'planet. Need be, we hide out forra couple days'n fly out.

"I ain't 'spectin' that t'hafta happen. Those frackers'll prob'ly dock with us an' try t'force us to surrender." He gave a smoke-filled smirk. "Those grenades I brought sure as hell ain't f'show. Once we take out th'first few pirates...be easy t'get on board an' kill th'rest."

[Lilaena De'Ville]

"Sounds like you have it all figured out." She smiled thinly, staring through the tattered Mandalorian banner with unfocused eyes. There was little chance for a sneak attack to the bridge, and she wasn't feeling like trying to crawl through vents to make that happen anyway. "And once we have the ship?" She didn't seem to think it was a possibility they'd fail.

Lilaena blinked, and turned toward Kazaar. "Fighting our way to the bridge will be messy. Do you want to take the ship, or leave it?"

[Aurelias Kazaar]

Kazaar shrugged, then downed a final glass of bourbon. "Got no use fer it, but someone'll want it. Figure I can get more than o'few creds for it. Rebuild th'house or go find 'nother spot t'disappear to. Hell, might even use th'creds f'more grenades an' go do my own war 'gainst the frackin' Imps. Since th'Rebels ain't interested in doin' their frackin' job."

He scratched behind his right ear. His was getting a little shaggy, but he liked it. "Why? Know someone who'd want it?"

[Lilaena De'Ville]

"No. Just wondering how concerned you were about it's integrity after we're done with it." She smiled and raised an eyebrow. "Lightsabers cut through anything, after all."

Lilaena leaned back in her seat and watched him drink. "The Alliance chose to settle for the stalemate. Not a victory, or a loss." She frowned, trying to tie his sentiments about the Rebellion into his previous comments and not coming up with anything. "Governments concerned with billions of innocents can never make the hard choices. They will go with the safe ones." She shrugged. "I fought the Empire before I joined the Rebellion and I will continue to. Thanks to you," she added, raising an imaginary glass to him. "You saved my life."

[Aurelias Kazaar]

"You ended up on my ship." Kazaar raised his empty glass to return the salute. "Th'frack I was gonna do, space ya? Ain't m'style. As f'the Rebellion...frack them. Difference between playin' it safe an' not havin' the stomach to finish th'job." His voice went harsh and his eyes flashed. "I was there. Those frackers didn't care. Hell, had o'Bothan councilor tell me it'd be 'peace in our time.' Frackin' di'kut. Empire don't give o'shit 'bout treaties an' peace. Just want power."

Kazaar didn't tell De'Ville the full story. He'd actually sworn at the Bothan councilor and his entourage. When the Bothan councilor retorted it was obviously Kazaar was just a "blunt instrument" and didn't understand how the galaxy worked, he snapped. Took five Rebel army soldiers to pull him off the politician, with The Kid yelling, "Aurelias stop!" the entire time. Estelle Russard had known how mad Kazaar was, but didn't think her partner was going to do that. She'd visited him in the brig an hour later, telling him how badly he'd "fracked up" and how she was pulling whatever favors she could. But The Kid couldn't do a lot, she was about to disappear herself. Kazaar had volunteered to go with her, but Estelle shook her head. She'd tried to put on a good face, but both of them knew he was done. Kazaar was released later and told never to show his face on a Rebel ship again. If he did, he'd be tossed back in the brig. His answer was a raised middle finger.

Kazaar gave an ugly look at the memory. "Rebellion ain't 'bout freein' folks. Ain't 'bout winnin'. Just 'bout stalemate. Ain't how t'win o'war."

[Lilaena De'Ville]

"It could never be a rebellion forever. Their goal was always to form a new galactic government," she pointed out. "And the fact is there is a treaty and more peace right now than there's been since the Rebellion started. The war's over - there's nothing to 'win' at this point." He grunted, and glared at her over his cigar, and she held up her hands. "But everyone's entitled to their opinions."

Rather than debate the finer points of a treaty she only knew the cliff notes on, Lilaena got to her feet and then sat on the deck, reaching for her toes and stretching out her tight and tired muscles. "How much longer until we arrive?"

[Aurelias Kazaar]

"'Nother day." Kazaar scratched his eyebrows. "Hyperdrive can only go so fast. Be makin' dinner inna bit. Endorian chicken (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Endorian_chicken) an' Mandalorian orange (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Mandalorian_orange)." De'Ville looked at him strangely, causing Kazaar to smirk. "Shocked I know how t'cook? What...think I just survive on ration bars?"

His chuckling, low laugh followed him out of the room and towards the small kitchen. De'Ville didn't hear anything for 30 minutes while Kazaar cooked. When he called her into the kitchen, she noticed he'd set a small table and scooped the chicken and oranges onto two plates. They ate in silence, focusing on their food. It was flavorful and tasted a lot better than the pre-made food and soup she'd had at Kazaar's bunker. Kazaar had a beer, while De'Ville had water. When they'd finished, Kazaar took both plates and dumped them in the dishwasher.

"Yer bleeding on ya arm." He pointed towards the spot where De'Ville had taken out the capsule. "Smack yaself somewhere?"

[Lilaena De'Ville]

"Something like that," she said, even though it looked like someone had sliced into her arm, and there was no disguising that. She had put pressure on it to stop the bleeding, but it had started again sometime during dinner. Might as well tell the truth. "There was a chip that I used to sync with my armor and Basilisk. It isn't incredibly long range, but I took it out. I don't need my troubles following me."

[Aurelias Kazaar]

He considered De'Ville's words. "Makes sense. Dumped one o'my ships when I got this one. No frackin' point in being tracked."

Kazaar lit another cigar, breathing the smoke into his mouth. He held it there, truly appreciating the flavor, then breathed it out. The cigar flavored coated the bottom of his pallet with flavor that wouldn't go away until he washed it away with water. Just the way he liked it.

"So," His tone was like someone asking what the weather was, although he was pretty fracking impressed. And maybe a little surprised. "How'd ya get a Basilik? Damn things ain't been 'round f'centuries."

[Lilaena De'Ville]

"It's a long story," she said, aware of his heightened curiosity despite what his body language was telling her. "Oh what the hell, it's not a secret anymore." And so she told him - told him about Onderon and the lost group of Mando'ade abandoned on Dxun during the wars. How they sheltered by the tomb made of Mandalorian iron and fought off the beasts of the moon, and finally traversed with their jetpacks and droids to the planet where they kept their culture intact while struggling simply to survive in the harsh environment. They grew by stealing women from the walled city, but their numbers were never large - constantly battered down by the bloodthirsty beasts.

Then how she had gone into the jungle to end centuries of conflict between the city and the wild Mando'ade, defeating their Mandalore and taking his place as war leader. How many years had it been now? Five? In the end it didn't matter. She had abandoned them. A new leader would rise. "It was not my wish to leave, but ...I was forced. They will not know or care the difference." Lilaena didn't want to get into the nebulous territory of ghosts and Force imprints and her long dead master possessing her body. Kazaar would probably swallow his cigar in his haste to denounce the very possibility.

"They scavenged metal and parts over the years, through raids on the city and crashed ships in the Wilds, and built more Basilisk droids. They are very animal-like in their design, like the stalking boma of Onderon. While they kept up their armor and reforged what was too old to be passed to the next generation, they are a wholly different breed of Mandalorian than the galaxy is used to."

[Aurelias Kazaar]

"Sounds like it. That's o'helluva story ya got." Kazaar's experience with Mandalorians had come from growing up in Mandytown, a section of Brentaal's capital city of Cormond. Small place in a larger city. It was the only way Kazaar could describe it. "M'parents gotta past in Mandalorian space. Never bothered t'talk 'bout it. Just told me t'look at that banner in th'hold. Dad'd say 'Remember t'make sure the side ya on is th'right side.'" He gave a shrug. "Guess they got on th'wrong side ovva fight (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Mandalorian_Civil_War) at some point. Never talked 'bout it either."

He put his feet up on the battered table and leaned back. His boots looked dusty even though they'd been in the ship for a while. "Never wanted m'own set o'armor. Saw it too much like o'crutch. Too many people out there see it as just o'way to look like a frackin' bad ass. They don't get th'why. Hell, some Mandys don't get th'why. Figure havin' it means they're th'best. Frackin' idiots."

De'Ville and Kazaar were quiet for a few minutes, not having anything left to say. "M'gonna sack out. Ya can use my bed. I won't be usin' it. Figure by th'time we get some shut-eye it'll be time t'take on Barsoom."

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Lilaena watched him go, and then sensibly did the same, lying on the bed fully clothed. She was asleep in minutes, her sleep undisturbed by dreams.

***

She sat in the cockpit with Kazaar, watching the countdown timer for reversion to realspace. She'd decided not to wear the full armor, settling instead for the body glove and boots, with the utility belt and wrist dart launcher. Her lightsaber was attached to the belt. "Time to see if your pirates will take the bait."

[Aurelias Kazaar]

Kazaar was in full armor, although he hadn't put the helmet on yet. That part would be weird for the simple reason Kazaar preferred to have his head exposed so he could look around. But in a fight which would be in closed quarters, having a little extra protection wasn't bad. He cracked his knuckles and let his ship out of hyperspace.

Norulac quickly showed up in his viewscreen. The Kazellis-class freighter (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Kazellis-class_light_freighter) was about 15 minutes away from orbit. Kazaar figured he'd let the ship go around the planet a few times before either landing and waiting or going back into hyperspace and cussing out Spendrim for being wrong. Kazaar scratched his cheek, puffed on his cigar and waited as the planet got closer and closer.

The ship's sensors *buzzed* as a contact showed up. Kazaar quickly killed the notification and stared at the readings. Ship larger than his and long. It was closing fast. Kazaar smirked. "Ain't even botherin' t'conceal their sensors. Overconfident frackers. Well...let's give 'em a show."

He swung the ship to the right, hoping it would make the pirates think he was trying to run. He'd know soon enough what their plans were. If they fired at him with blaster turrets, Kazaar would have to hurry the frack up and figure out a different strategy. If they went after him with ion cannons, he'd know they wanted his goods. Kazaar smirked as bright blue ion cannon bolts lanced across his viewscreen. That was good news.

Suddenly his ship's missile indicator went off. Shit. Kazaar slammed his left hand down on a green button on his console. It was the power for his back up shield, giving the freighter extra protection. He swerved the freighter again and launched countermeasures. It didn't help. The missile kept getting closer and closer. Kazaar pulled up again and swore as the warhead slammed into the freighter.

Everything went dark and the freighter slowed to a stop. Kazaar gave a smirk and shook his head. A magnetic pulse (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Magnetic_pulse). The frackers were looking to capture them. "Guess they thought we were gonna run 'way or somethin'."

His comm station blinked and Kazaar turned it on. "Freighter." The voice was dark and staccato. "We have disabled your ship with a powerful weapon. If you surrender --"

Kazaar's black eyes flashed. "H-hang onna second, maaan." His gutteral voice went a little higher and slightly whiny. "Hang on. All I got is foodstuffs, maaan. Sum-sum mechanical items too. I'll geev 'em to ya. Pleeease maaan. I gotta family."

He could always hear the pirate's smile. It was obvious the pirate had heard this multiple times. "If you surrender, we will let you live." Kazaar's ship lurched as the Carrack cruiser's tractor beam started pulling them in. "Your ship will be docked underneath our ship. You will climb the ladder, then enter our ship with your hands up. And no weapons."

"Whatevah maaan. Whatevah. Jis' lemme live." Kazaar shut the connection and smirked. He grabbed the helmet and put it on as the ships docked togehter. "Frackers bought it."

He stalked down into the hold, slinging his concussion rifle over his shoulder. Kazaar checked the charge on his Imperial repeater rifle, then held up a concussion grenade towards De'Ville. "'Bout 15 feet b'tween us an' those pirates. Wanna give 'em o'surprise?"

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Lilaena just looked at him, and shrugged. "Your show, Kazaar."

He grinned, pulling the pin on the grenade as the airlocks cycled, and then tossed it through as the doors began to open. There was a confused shout and Lilaena braced as the grenade went off, the explosion knocking the boarding party off their feet and lacerating their bodies. She dove through the doors as they finished opening, lightsaber active, and leaped over the pile of gore and groans that had once been an optimistic group of pirates.

She had the layout of the ship in her memory, and quickly turned right, running up the passage and cleaving in two the first unfortunate person to step out of an adjoining door. Alarms were going off, and soon she'd have plenty more to fight through on the way to the bridge.

[Aurelias Kazaar]

Kazaar moved slower than De'Ville only because he was falling into old habits. Look for target. Aim. Fire.

It was easy. It was fun. The yearning inside at making bastards who deserved it pay. He spotted four pirates hunched in two side doorways, shooting off blaster bolts which De'Ville easily deflected.

"I got this."

He fired his concussion rifle and watched as four blue spikes took out each pirate. Kazaar smirked. "Ship's got eight decks. I'll take th'frackers out down 'ere if ya wanna straight f'the bridge."

He started down the hall. "Meet ya there."

The Carrack cruiser had long hallways, painted white with a big red stripe down the middle. There were doors and alcoves evenly spaced about every twenty feet. Surprisingly, Kazaar had little resistance until he got to the hallway's end by the lift.

The pirates had thrown up a temporary barricade comprised of tables and chairs near the lift. It was obvious of their strategy. Keep him bogged down in the lower levels so more reinforcements could arrive. Kazaar's HUD in his helmet detected six heat signatures behind the barricade. He was able to duck behind a corner as blaster bolts filled the corridor. It was here the rail detonator would've been a fantastic weapon, but Kazaar could only grab so much.

He replaced his concussion rifle with his repeated and waited for the blaster barrage to die down. Kazaar fired short bursts when he could, taking down two of the pirates. A third one went down with a projectile lodged in his head.

Kazaar grabbed another grenade and tossed it towards the barricade. It turned the wood into splinters and sent pirates diving for more cover. Another few hit the deck as Kazaar sent a steady stream of death into them. When he was sure they wouldn't get up, he got into the lift and hit the button for the next level .

[Lilaena De'Ville]

She'd run down the passage until she'd reached the room she'd been aiming for, checking it quickly for occupants, and then going inside and barring the door. Lilaena stood on the built in desk and pushed her lightsaber blade into the ceiling, carving a hole which she held in place with the Force, and then lowered gently to the ground.

She cooled the edges of her cut and hauled herself up into the space between decks to repeat the process. This section of floor she pushed high into the air with the Force, and burst up with it. She caught a pair of pirates gawking and unsure of themselves, blasters pointed uncertainly forward, and she carved them apart with her lightsaber. She'd cut into the galley, but it was mostly empty. Well, completely empty, now. Lilaena repeated the process to gain access to the sixth floor, using the disc of decking to knock out a wayward Trandoshan.

[Aurelias Kazaar]

Kazaar strode through Deck Five, his boots clumping on the ship's floor.

The long hallway was filled with ten pirates racing towards him. He smirked then tossed another grenade towards his attackers. The explosion pasted the walls with flesh, blood and bone. Kazaar kept the pressure up, firing two blasts from his concussion rifle. He was alone again, except for the bodies beneath his feet. Time to keep moving.

He dashed forward this time, wanting to keep the pressure on the pirates. Kazaar didn't know what De'Ville's plan was, but figured his distraction would allow her to accomplish whatever the frack she was going to do. He reached another corridor junction and almost wished he'd been moving slowly.

The pirates had set up barricade with a golden-haired Whiphid carrying a heavy blaster rifle (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Heavy_blaster_rifle) as the guard for the lift. Kazaar tried to slip into an adjoining room for cover, but found it locked. Shit! Kazaar dove back the way he came as blaster bolts chewed up carpeting in front of him. The door across the corridor was unlocked and he slipped in before the Whiphid took aim again.

Kazaar considered his options. He had another grenade, but wasn't willing to use it yet. The Whiphid was large and had jewelry of some kind dangling from his teeth. It was odd seeing the creature with a blaster and not a spear, but Kazaar wasn't willing to discuss the finer points of Whiphid culture. Not until he was sure the pirate wouldn't be a threat. Kazaar switched to the repeater rifle and fired a couple shots. He then fired another few shots and waited a moment. It would take another minute or so, but the Whiphip would be dead soon.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

She'd made her way up to the bridge in an unconventional way, sometimes cutting through the ceiling/floors, and the last bit vertically through a vent shaft. As she ran toward the bridge, lightsaber at her side, the people inside panicked and slapped the controls for the blast doors. The heavy durasteel doors began to close, and she sped up, calling on the Force and deactivating her lightsaber as she leapt almost horizontally through the rapidly closing hole.

The blast door clanged shut.... but she was on the wrong side. Lilaena smiled tightly, turning on her lightsaber as pirates fumbled for their blasters.

[Aurelias Kazaar]

One way or another Kazaar had to get to the lift. It was the only way up to the next level and he wasn't about to leave a bunch of pirates alive who might end up being worse than the one he wanted to kill. He briefly remembered a comment his old flame, Ashley said, "Wipe 'em out or leave 'em alone." It was the only way to operate.

The Whiphid hadn't moved from its guard post, except to spray a few blaster shots towards Kazaar's location. The monstrous alien had said nothing, no roars of challenge, no *churfs* of triumph. Just silence, except the blaster fire. The repeater rifle wouldn't take the beast down, both of them knew that. Kazaar had already ruled out the grenade. Which meant the concussion rifle.

Kazaar came out of his hiding place in the small room, just after the Whiphid had sent a couple more bursts at the door. The furred creature got the rifle back up and got several quick shots off which spattered on the ground at Kazaar's boots. The next one was absorbed by Kazaar's shield and by then he'd already fired his concussion rifle.

The explosive blast shot up from the ground and covered the Whiphid in energy. It took a few steps back, shook its head at the shock, and dropped the blaster rifle. Then it roared. Loud. Kazaar hadn't killed the damn thing, he'd just made it mad. He quickly fired another shot but the Whiphid appeared to not be affected by it. Instead, it pulled a sword from its back and charged.

Shit.

Kazaar acted quickly. He slung the rifle back on his back and pressed two buttons on his wrists. Four vibroblades, each about 12 inches, extended from a housing on Kazaar's forearms. The wrist blades been something he'd been working on for a few years, as a way to keep himself from having to lug around his vibrosword. Kazaar still hadn't been able to test them out, but now was as good of a time as ever.

He got his wrists up just in time to block the Whiphid's first blow. It knocked him back a step, but he kept his ground. The Whiphid swung another angry blow, obviously relying on fury instead of anything else. Kazaar blocked again and jabbed his right hand into the Whiphid's thick thigh. The alien howled and punched Kazaar's helmeted head. He briefly saw stars, but dodged the blade which came at him again. It slammed into the floor and stuck there.

Kazaar punched the right blades into the Whiphid's thick face, earning another howl of pain. The left blades went into the creature's soft belly and Kazaar ripped them out as quickly as possible. The Whiphid staggered, yowled and fell down, its life draining out of it. He considered letting the beast just die, but that wasn't the way to let a warrior die. Kazaar pressed the buttons on the claws again, sending them back into their housing. He then pulled one of 'The Twins' and shot the Whiphid twice in the head. It rolled over dead.

He didn't think much else as he got into the lift. Time for another floor and more death. Wipe 'em out or leave 'em alone. Only way to go.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

By the time Kazaar got up to the bridge he'd blasted through a majority of the pirates, and he found De'Ville sitting in the captain's chair with her feet propped up, picking dirt out from under her nails with a knife. The bridge crew, such as it was, lay on the deck...in pieces.

"Didn't find the captain," she said, flipping the knife up and catching it deftly by the blade as she got to her feet. "How many are left, do you think?"

[Aurelias Kazaar]

Kazaar's armor was splattered with blood of various shades of red. If he'd decided to not wear a helmet, it would have made him look like some unholy creature. Instead, he just looked like he was wearing Mandalorian armor that meant he was honoring his father.


He smirked beneath his helmet. "One're two. Didn't leave buncha folks alive." Kazaar looked around the bridge. Not a ton of hiding places but still..." Barsoom ain't o'idiot. Fracker's hiding somewhere."


Kazaar stalked over to a sensor console and presses a few button. It was locked. "Trey, hack into this place will ya? Wanna see where th'frack this furry bastar-"


He was cut off as his senses screamed a warning. Kazaar felt himself picked up and tossed across the bridge. His armor probably saved him from a broken back but he saw black tunnels start to close over his eyes.


De'Ville had already got her lightsaber out. She turned and saw a large Cathar in a doorway. He had multiple piercings, long hair, a loose tunic and a long-handled lightsaber with a green blade.


"Well," Yee-Lee Barsoom's voice was a deep mew. "What have we here..."


A console ripped from the wall and flew at De'Ville's head. A chair from behind her followed.


"Get off my ship."

[Lilaena De'Ville]

She ducked smoothly, shoving with the Force at the projectiles and sending them careening toward Barsoom. He gestured and the debris slammed into a control panel with a shower of sparks. Kazaar wasn't getting up, but he was still alive from what she could tell. De'Ville vaulted over the captain's chair, lightsaber up in a heavy, overhead attack that the Cathar was forced to block. The energy from her descent propelled them both to the ground, lightsabers popping and sliding against each other.

He used another Force push to separate them, and she found herself with her back to the blast door, and Barsoom with the bridge (and Kazaar) behind him. She curled her lip in a silent snarl, feinting and then attacking, pulling on the Dark side to fuel her Vapaad style flurry of strikes. He was skilled, but she was better.

[Aurelias Kazaar]

Kazaar saw stars and tunnels of darkness which threatened to suck him in. He felt comfortable with the darkness and almost thought about falling asleep and letting his weariness go away. He fought against it, trying to get his brain to start working. Kazaar hadn't expected Barsoom to be a Force User, but that may have been what Spendrim was trying to tell him when he cut their conversation earlier. That made sense. Also made sense as to why Barsoom got a power structure set up so quickly.

He tried to shake the cobwebs out, but it was taking longer than he wanted to. He took a deep breath and tried to push it away again.

Barsoom blocked several blows, ducked another, then slammed the blade of De'Ville's lightsaber into the bridge floor. He kept the pressure up on the blade, looking to force De'Ville to expend energy to fight out of it. He then picked up a small section of debris and sent it toward De'Ville's lower back.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

The blade of her saber bit into the deck as the Cathar pinned it down, and Lilaena could feel the movement of what was coming toward her from behind. She thumbed the activation plate on the hilt of her saber, the blade retreating instantly. For a moment she was free and Barsoom still concentrating on holding his sabers down.

Lilaena shifted her hands a fraction and activated her saber again, almost as soon as she'd turned it off. She sliced through Barsoom's wrist, his hand and saber falling to the deck, and blocked the debris with a blast of hardened air mere inches from her back.

[Aurelias Kazaar]

Barsoom yowled in pain as he watched his hand and saber fall to the ground. He was a mix of pain and rage and just completely gave into it. Barsoom ignored De'Ville's saber and just started throwing large pieces of the bridge towards her. It put a strain on his power, but he didn't care. This...interloper had to die. Quickly.

Kazaar was still down, but he was starting to get his senses back together. His own anger at getting tossed aside like a ragdoll was bitch. Kazaar fracking hated Force users, and all this bullshit involving this furry chakaar was gonna get it and get it good. That's if his fellow Mando'ad didn't take care of him first. Kazaar grabbed one of his silver Bryar blasters and started to get up.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

As Barsoom gave into the pain and anger, Lilaena half-turned toward the incoming consoles, a vein on her head popping out as she froze them in place. The Cathar gaped at her, grasping at the stump of his forearm and nearly frothing at the muzzle he was so full of rage. She narrowed her eyes at him, and then spun her saber around, taking off his head.

It thumped to the ground heavily, and then the still sparking consoles that Barsoom had torn from the bridge followed suit, crashing noisily as Kazaar got to his feet.

[Aurelias Kazaar]

Kazaar got his head together, just in time to see De'Ville take off Barsoom's head. He smirked beneath his helmet. "Pretty frackin' impressive, Lady...pretty frackin' impressive."

He'd seen plenty of people get decapitated, and done a few himself. The way De'Ville had done it, was almost like art in its fluidness. It reminded him of Millivikal k'Vik and some of the stuff she'd been able to do. Force Users who knew how to fight, and didn't just rely on "The Force" to save their asses, got plenty of respect from the bounty hunter. He just wasn't the kind of person to go out and say it. Wasn't their business how he thought.

Kazaar went over to Barsoom's body and started rifling through his pockets. There wasn't much besides a comlink, small holdout blaster, and a key of some sort. Kazaar figured it went to his quarters, or office or something. He scanned the bridge and spied a door off to the left. He strode towards it and plugged the key into the lock. It worked, and the door slid open. Kazaar looked up and down through the room to make sure there wasn't any booby traps. His scanners didn't detect anything, and his eyes didn't see anything either. Kazaar took a step in, and wasn't surprised when nothing happened. His instincts were pretty good, and it showed Barsoom was so confident in his position over his men he didn't bother putting traps. De'Ville was about ten paces behind him, probably in case there was a trap which would've killed Kazaar but not her. Lady was thinking smart.

Barsoom's office was pretty spartan. It had a small desk in the middle, a chair behind it, and a wall safe off to the right. He stared at it, trying to figure out what his options were. There didn't seem to be any real security measures, but there had to be countermeasures of some kind. The key fit into the safe as well, and he pried it open. There was a stack of credits (a pretty hefty stack in fact), plus some sort of datacron or holocron. He picked it up and tossed it towards De'Ville.

"Somethin' ya can use?"

[Lilaena De'Ville]

She caught the object, and turned it over in her hand. "Perhaps." Lilaena looked over the office from where she stood. It was decorated minimally, and the only real furniture in the room was the chair, which was well made and customized for a Catharian frame. "So, what now? Boss."

She smirked at the look on his face. "There aren't any virus-carrying rage people trying to kill us, so the next step isn't as clear cut as it was last time we worked together."

[Aurelias Kazaar]

Kazaar had pulled his helmet off and set it down on Barsoom's desk. He seemed to ponder his options a bit, before yanking out a cigar and putting it between his teeth. A flash of a lighter later and he was good.

"Not sure." Kazaar answered honestly, as he pulled the stack of credits out of Barsoom's safe. "Figure s'time t'count Barsoom's credit stash, then split it 'tween us. Looks 'bout $50-thousand total. Ain't o'bad haul. Might use it t'rebuild my home since I ain't got o'ton o'creds left."

Problem was, he was back out in the galaxy. Kazaar had felt the rush of his adrenaline when he opened fire on Barsoom's men. The way his body reacted to each kill. It was the type of thing only someone who really enjoyed his work would feel. The lust for battle. The craving of danger. He hadn't felt it since he and The Kid, Estelle Russard, were a pair. But that for a cause, and the Rebellion had abandoned that cause a long time ago. They didn't want victory, just detente. That was gonna work for only so long.

He spewed smoke out of his mouth and made his decision. "Take it ya ain't pals with th'Imps..." Kazaar smirked. "Wanna go t'war?"

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Lilaena smiled a bit, the surge of emotion from Kazaar sinking into her and resonating with her own beliefs. "I've never stopped."