EliteCommander

Star Wars - Lawless Galaxy

Paradise

Sirka had ended up heading to the nearest bar to their hanger, with her sister tagging along with her. They had split up from the Mandalorians for now, though she had no doubt they would be meeting back up again when it came time to report to Koren. Sirka was somewhat surprised that Delni had not ran immediately back to their room, considering that she was still wearing that revealing ensemble that Elias had given her, though it was not as if she stood out, considering that they were not exactly visiting the highest-class bar on Paradise.

Sirka took a seat as best as she could next to Delni at the bar, and ordered something for the both of them. They were different types of alcohol, naturally, considering that anything Sirka would normally drink would probably end up giving Delni a repeat of the last debacle. "So, sis, I know everything worked out and all, but, uh, let's avoid any repeats, alright? No more drinking yourself under the table and getting yourself kidnapped."

"Yeah, yeah." Delni replied, rolling her eyes as she took a drink. "You're never going to let me live this down, are you?"

Sirka gave a low, rumbling laugh. "Oh, how could I ever? You've given me enough ammunition to last for years."

Delni grunted. "Sure, yeah. That's fair, perfectly fair. But, uh, I can fight fair too, you know?" A sly grin crept across Delni's face as she took a small sip of her drink and looked to Sirka out of the corner of her eyes. "Because, you know, I happened to learn about a certain, what might you call it...event, that happened last year in that little club...with that pair of Gungans..."

Sirka coughed for a few seconds after accidentally inhaling some of her drink. "Say what? How in the blazes did you learn about that?"

There was a definite, smug expression on Delni's face while she continued to sip her drink. "I have my ways. I've been just dying to share the story of how my sister lost a few thousand credits, and her favorite blaster. The details are just so...interesting. Why, I especially think people will like the part where..."

"Fine, fine, I get your point." Sirka relented. "We'll call it even."

There was something of an extended silence between the two after they returned to their drinks, and into their own thoughts. Sirka had to admit that she was genuinely worried about meeting Koren again. She had performed not one, but essentially two jobs for him on Circumtore, but she could not admit to knowing exactly how he would take it. Some employers liked a hire who could use their own judgement and initiative, while others demanded blind obedience. Koren did not seem like the kind of man who would be so stubborn, but she did not really "know" for sure. In the moment, Sirka just wanted to get her mind off of it. She flicked out her nose tongues to take in the veritable sea of scents around her. Most were too mixed and indistinct to have much meaning to her, but there was the stronger scent of a Weequay right next to her, who had sat down on the seat just to her left. She had the feeling he was a bit curious, based on his scent, though she could have been mistaken.

Sirka gave a slight, brief nod towards the Weequay. "Hey." She said simply, without any real positivity or negativity to her tone.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Do'rhajul and Yerig soon joined Sabine in searching through the crates and piles of other goods. Some of what they found were reasonably valuable East Empire Company trade goods, like textiles, spices, and alchemical ingredients. There were crates of weapons, like crossbows, swords, and even enchanted staves. Yerig found a crate full of soul gems, of various sizes, which might have been a more exciting find before the clan established themselves in Blackreach.

While most of what was present did seem to come from the East Empire Company, it did also appear that the dragon had been hoarding goods from any other source he could find. There were several mismatched chests and crates, along with some loose items simply scattered on the ground. Some were quite valuable, like gold and jewels. Do'rhajul broke open a crate with an insignia depicting a ram, and found it packed full with bars of silver. He stopped for a few silent moment, staring down into the crate contemplatively. "To think, this would have been such a wonderful find for me naught but a few days ago. Do you know how many weapons could be forged from this silver? I suppose it could still be useful to you as a resource, if nothing else. All of this that the dragon had collected...and you said there was a bounty on the dragon's head, yes? I cannot imagine it would be a small one. It seems like this will be quite the windfall for your clan."

Yerig, meanwhile, walked up to the watchtower itself, after finding no trace of the axe in the area he had searched. It was a tall, circular structure made mostly from stone, but its entrance was a simple wooden door. It looked like its purpose was simply to provide a good vantage point on the surrounding seas, rather than to actually be defensible. Yerig opened up the door to the watchtower, only to immediately cough and turn away, holding his hand over his nose. "I...think I found the bodies." He said aloud, while looking as if he was only barely holding down his lunch. The floor just inside the watchtower was covered in corpses strewn haphazardly on top of one another, in various stages of decay. The smell was truly something awful, but he still managed to steel himself enough to hazard another glance into the room. Flies were swarming inside over the bodies, some of which were blackened, bloated, and maggot-ridden, while others were almost skeletal. It appeared that not everyone inside had been killed at the same time, but rather, it was simply where the dragon had been piling the bodies. Yerig was not quite sure how the massive dragon managed to get the door closed, but he certainly understood why he went through the effort.

On the far side of the room, in the stiffened hands of one of the corpses, Yerig thought that he could see an auspicious weapon. "I...think the axe might be in there. I think I see it, but it's hard to tell from this angle."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

With Sabine's well-aimed spell, the dragon did not have the chance to understand what happened before his head suddenly dropped to the ground just in front of Sabine, lifeless. Sabine had guessed the dragon's weakness accurately, so his death had been fairly immediate. Do'rhajul was not entirely convinced that it was dead until he cautiously stepped up closer to Sabine and looked into the beast's unmoving eyes.

Yerig stepped around from the other side of the dragon with his arm held in front of his face to keep the wind from the torrential rainstorm out of his eyes. The dragon's death had not ended the effects of his Thu'um, so the lightning was still a threat. Lorig concentrated for a moment and took in a deep breath as he looked up to the sky. "Lok-Vah-Koor"

With Yerig's shout at the sky, not only did the rain and lightning stop, but the clouds themselves parted above them to reveal the sun once more. Even though the fight had not drawn on for too long, Yerig looked tired and sore. The rainstorm had soaked his robes, but his attention was more on the dragon itself. Yerig had never seen the kind of magic that Sabine had used to trap him. The large spikes of ice pressed against his body, and ripped into his wings in places. He did not doubt that the dragon would have had the strength to break the ice, but the way it surrounded him removed most of the leverage he could have had on it. But, even with all of the power she had over the dragon, Yerig had the feeling that Sabine had not wanted to kill him until the dragon gave her no other option.

"So it's over then." Yerig stated as he looked over the body. Now that he had a chance to look closely, he could see the scars on the dragon from a long life of fighting. His pride and stubbornness, even in the face of death, was perhaps not surprising considering the pieces of his history that he had revealed to them. "And another Dovah falls. It's a shame he didn't give you a choice. I suppose it was necessary, though; who knows how many he killed trying to lure the Dovahkiin here? High Rock will be safer, at least. Hopefully this axe you're after is here somewhere."

Coruscant Sacked: Aftermath

Fa-Val-Kuul

~|Strike Team Base of Operations, Feena

Day 2 ATC, 13th hour|~

There was another pause, with more silent contemplation from Fa. This was quite a lot to suddenly take in; the ramifications of the Jedi Temple being sacked were potentially terrible, and far-reaching. How many Jedi had been killed? How many friends had Fa lost without even knowing? And Gar had mentioned something about a treaty as well. Even without knowing the specifics, Fa did not think it sounded good by any means. It could potentially interfere with her mission, but treaty or no, Fa did not intend to allow Darth Nyiss to escape justice, especially with captive Jedi.

“Hmm, my mission is to stop Darth Nyiss. She is a threat to the whole of the galaxy, even moreso than most Sith. Allowing her to continue unopposed could have dire consequences for countless innocents, so I cannot abandon my mission.” Fa stated firmly as she leaned herself forward onto the table between them. “But…that does not mean our missions are mutually exclusive to one another. I do not wish for our fellow Jedi to remain in her clutches any more than you do. Freeing them could go to our advantage. If they have prisoners in that base, then that means we already have allies in that base. I believe I can allow this; we can coordinate to stop Nyiss, and I certainly do not want to turn down the help. However, I cannot have any more surprises. If there are going to be more ships arriving, I need to know where and when. Having ships coming and going from the planet is incredibly dangerous, and could easily reveal our presence to the enemy. We have to be able to plan out these arrivals. I believe we should take some time to…”

Fa stopped several seconds before the sound of the first blaster shot reached the cave. There was danger, fighting nearby. She hardly even moved her hands before pulling two of her lightsabers from her belt into her hands. “We’re under attack.” She said quickly with a calm, focused demeanor. Her soldiers would already be moving to the defense; they did not need orders to act on their training.

Fa darted away from Gar at full-sprint towards the exit of the cave, and at blistering speed. She moved with the aid of the force, but even without it, her physical capabilities were clearly beyond human. Unlike Gar, her body did not show her age. Her physique was that of a seasoned warrior…or a dangerous predator, depending on the perspective.

Once out of the cave, Fa was able to get a better sense of what was happening. They were not under attack by the Sith, thankfully, but she could see quick movements in the forests just outside of camp, and blaster fire from her men towards them. Fa activated her lightsabers: one green blade, and another, shorter orange blade in her left hand. There was not a great deal of time for decision-making, so Fa had to scan the area quickly as she sprinted forward. She spotted wounded on the ground among the foliage, which made them her immediate priority. Setting her sights on one of the creatures nearest to a wounded soldier, she threw her lightsaber shoto ahead of herself towards the beast.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

A deafeningly loud bolt of lightning struck down from the sky straight onto Sabine's ward. The storm was at least as powerful as some of Meesei's stronger spells, but that only meant there was more magic to be absorbed into Sabine's staff. The dragon roared at Sabine in her hesitation to continue to fight, which continued into a low growl as she continued to ask for his name.

"I am...Faasnuhenvokaal. I was a champion of Alduin, a commander of his armies, a ruler of his subjects. I…am a warrior. And it is not the fate of a warrior to live in fear of mortal armies.” He raised up his head, staring down Sabine in a few moments of silence.

“Dezi saraan. It is the fate of a warrior to fight!” With those words, the dragon opened his maw and lunged his head towards Sabine, to end the fight in one way or another.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

The dragon struggled against the ice, roaring in anger at Sabine. Do'rhajul and Yerig had recovered by this point, but they were keeping their distance from the trapped beast. Yerig was at the dragon's right, holding up his blade, while Do'rhajul circled around to its flank.

Regardless of whether or not the dragon now understood how the staff worked, he certainly understood that Sabine was no normal mage. She was stronger than he had assumed, and he was paying the price for underestimating her. He tried in vain to struggle free from the ice once more, then stared her down with a low growl. "You...are not Dovahkiin. Am I to be slain by my bait? Orin brit ro. Do it! I will not surrender to a joor!"

It seemed the dragon did not intend to give Sabine a choice in the matter, as he raised up his head and let out another shout to the sky. "Strun-Bah-Qo"

Within seconds, the dragon showed the true potential that the Thu'um held. Thick rain clouds suddenly materialized in the sky in what had been a sunny day. A downpour of rain fell from the sky, and they could hear the roar of thunder above.

"Lightning!" Yerig shouted from behind the dragon to warn the others.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Since Do'rhajul and Yerig had been batted away by the dragon's tail, with unknown injuries, Sabine was, for at least a moment, facing down the dragon alone. The beast, though he was taking the battle seriously, was still confident. At least, until Sabine released her spell. The icy spear was deceptive in its strength. It was not a large, overwhelming spell, but the magic concentrated within the ice spike was enough to split apart even a dragon's scales. The spell hit the top of the dragon's head at an angle, cutting a long gash from between his eyes to the back of his head. It did not quite have the power to break through the dragon's exceptionally tough skull, but it was clear from the dragon's roar of pain that even he had been surprised by the damage it caused. Blood poured from the wound down the side of the dragon's head; although, something the size of a dragon had a lot of blood to lose.

What was more, the dragon was close enough to Sabine to be caught within the intense blizzard she had summoned around herself soon after. The dragon could feel his very bones start to chill, and even the blood from his open wound started to freeze. He had already survived far more direct damage than any normal opponent, but even a dragon was not invincible. Sabine would be able to hear more, heavy steps from the dragon, but this time moving away from her as he tried to get away from the blizzard. It would be difficult to see through the frost, but she would be able to hear his shout: "Yol-Toor-Shul". Following the words came an intense and forceful wave of fire through the ice, towards Sabine. His change of tactics showed that her magic was strong enough to keep even a dragon at bay, and perhaps that he did not yet understand how the staff could turn his own magic against him.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

If his awareness and behavior was any indication, the dragon was beginning to take his opponents more seriously as a threat. He was not leaving himself open to attack as readily, and was watching them more closely than he had at the beginning of the fight. He noticed Sabine, and more importantly, the spell she had charged.

For a few moments, the dragon kept his head low, growling at Sabine. However, he knew he could not simply refuse to act while the others were recovering. As he turned his body towards Sabine, he swiped his tail at Yerig and Do'rhajul, then started to charge right at Sabine, watching for her spell all the while.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Spellbreaker's ward was as indomitable as always against the dragon's shout, so Do'rhajul was safe against the draining magic. Instead of hiding behind his Khajiit friend, Yerig took another approach by letting out his own shout: "Feim"

Yerig's body took on a ghostly, ethereal form, through which the dark violet magic passed as if he was not even there. His momentum did not stop as he rushed forward at the dragon with his blade at the ready. The beast could not affect him while he was in his ethereal form, but unlike most opponents, the dragon knew exactly how the shout functioned, and how to prepare. Yerig would not be able to rely upon the element of surprise. He feinted to the dragon's left, but then dashed to his right as he swung his blade across the side of the dragon's head. He aimed his blade for the weaker scales at the edge of the dragon's mouth to pierce through, then dragged his as far as he could across the dragon's head as he continued to run, trying to put distance between himself and the dragon. Unfortunately, the dragon was too seasoned of a fighter to be stunned by the pain, so he was able to react. Although he could not turn his head back quickly enough to bite Yerig, he was able to lash out with his wing to strike Yerig from behind and knock him straight down to the ground.

Do'rhajul was not far behind, and did not allow the dragon the chance to take advantage of Yerig's vulnerability. As the dragon was rearing back to breathe his fire, Do'rhajul smashed his shield into the side of the dragon's head from a full sprint, while also stabbing his blade towards the dragon's eye. Unfortunately, he missed the eye by a small margin, but his blade still carried enough force to stab into the dragon's snout.

Letting out a roar, the dragon quickly pushed his head against Do'rhajul to send even the large Cathay-raht flying a short distance. By that point, Yerig had managed to get to his feet, but it was Sabine that would be in a position to attack first. The power of her staff could allow her to hit the dragon with some exceptionally destructive magic, if that was her plan.

Star Wars - Lawless Galaxy

Paradise

The remainder of the hyperspace journey back to Paradise did not take terribly long. Sirka ate as quickly as she could after giving her hand some treatment with some medical supplies that Elias had on hand. She had taken several blaster bolts across her body, but her scales would heal without much worry. It was just her hand that required some attention.

Returning to the system, it seemed that Paradise was just as busy as before, now with at least one Venator-class star destroyer in proximity to the converted Separatist capital ship. They were rather old vessels, and Sirka wondered if they were even Imperial. Though, with how desperate the Empire was becoming in recent days, she supposed it would not be surprising if they had to resort to using some older relics to bolster their ever-lessening forces. Fortunately, since Elias had his own hanger, there was no delay for them to get back aboard Paradise.

Once landed, the group still, of course, had to go through security and give up their weapons. Although it was broken, Sirka made sure to drag out the E-Web she had recovered to give it to the droids. Otherwise, she risked losing it if Elias ended up leaving the station with his ship before her. A few of the B1s were confused about what exactly to do with it, given that heavy blaster cannons were generally not the type of weapon that one carried on their person, but they eventually took it.

Their first priority upon returning was, of course, to speak to Koren about their respective jobs and get their pay. Unfortunately, according to the droid they spoke to, Koren would be unavailable for an indeterminate amount of time. So, it seemed that they would have some time to kill.

Her recent promise still fresh in her mind, Sirka turned to Elias, staring at him with her arms crossed in silence for a few seconds before finally speaking up. "So...want a drink?"