So NV Talon's RPG Update, July 5 - "Showdown in the Alleys of Theed"

Kleff looked at Skyler. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

"Of course," Skyler said. "Are you sure you have 500 credits?"

"I have the credits, so do this right," MRV1N's voice said. The droid was finally getting fixed by a new acquaintance to the group, Skyler. They had met him at a droid repair shop, and much to the dismay of the shopkeeper, they had giving their business to Skyler, who assured them that he could do a better job for a fair price. They were now at Skyler's apartment that he rented by the week- he could barely afford it, and he welcomed the chance to make a few credits. Redd, MRV1N, Kleff, Foshe and Skyler all crowded in the one room apartment, with Skyler opening up his tool kit.

"Okay, lay right here, and let's see what's wrong with you," Skyler told MRV1N. MRV1N complied, making it even more crowded. Skyler felt right at home, though. He would gladly work on droid circuitry than flesh and blood any day.

Foshe looked a little uncomfortable. The Kel-Dor's breathing mask processed the small room's air just fine, but she felt a little crowded. Her comm went off, and she picked it up. "Hello?"

"Foshe, this is Petra. I need to talk with you privately, are you alone?"

"Uhh, just a minute." Holding the comm to her ear, Foshe slipped outside the apartment, and closed the door for some quiet and privacy.

"Petra, I thought you were dead!"

"Yeah, that's been going around. I'm not, though. Listen, I want your help. There is some stuff me and Bann are working on, and we need your help to pull it off, but you can't say anything to the rest of your group."

"Go on, I'm listening."

"We are going to take out Rralcree. He just kidnapped me, and almost killed me. He said the next time he saw me, he would kill me. He even said he implanted an explosive in me, but I think he was lying. I need to take care of him once and for all, or he will continue to be a thorn in my flesh." Petra knew this to be true. Bann had been trying to tell her that they should take care of Rralcree, and she had finally given in.

"Foshe, we need your help to do this. Plus, we could use you on another thing we're doing that could be very lucrative. Can you meet me right now?"

Foshe agreed to meet her at a small caf shop. Foshe walked back into the small apartment. "Hey, I am gonna take off for a little while. I am going to get some Noobian Doughnuts."

"Oh, well grab me some too," Kleff said. He tossed her five credits.

Foshe slipped out, and made her way to the cafe.

_________________________________________

Petra hung up the comm. "Well, Bann, I think I will go inside the cafe, you follow me and wait outside. Keep an eye out for trouble."

"Okay. Keep your comm open, and click twice if you need me to come in."

"Done."

They made their way there. Bann tried to look inconspicous, and loitered outside the entrance to the shop. Petra went in and took a table in the corner.

Foshe approched the cafe, and observed the hulking form of Bann tryin not to be seen. "Hi Bann!" Foshe said, and walked in and joined Petra at her corner booth.

"So here's the deal," Petra began. "I really want to kill Rralcree."

"Yeah? Well I really want to kill Redd."

"Well if you help me kill Rralcree, I'll take care of Redd for you. Plus, Bann and I are working on ripping off the Silver Lining, and if you help up do that, we'll give you a third of the take."

Petra was interupted be a throat clearing sound coming from her pocket. She pulled out her comm. "Pardon me," she told Foshe. Turning to the side, she whispered "What?"

"I would appreciate you consulting with me before making offers."

"Oh, well, what did you have in mind?" Petra whispered back. She glanced at Foshe, who was listening. "Foshe could you give me a sec?"

"Yeah sure..." Foshe got up and went over to the counter.

Bann continued, "Tell her that if the 'job' is completed, we will give here 25,000 credits, plus a possible bonus."

"Okay, I'll tell her. You might as well come in here now." Petra hung up the comm and motioned f

 

Foshe commed Rralcree, who growled hello.

"Rralcree, I've been kidnapped, I couldn't get ahold of the others, please help me!" She decribed the location of the warehouse, and then Petra, in a deeper, disguised voice, yelled "She's got a comm! Get her!" and then Petra turned her comm off.

Bann moved a dumpster inside, and hid behind it. Foshe got all the way to the back, and lay on the ground as if hurt, with her palm blaster concealed. Petra got inside a dumpster outside the warehouse, with a view of the alley leading up to it. They waited.

_______________________________________

Back at Skyler's crowded apartment, MRV1N's comm went off. Although much of him had been opened up as he lay there, he was not deactivated, and still had the use of one arm, with with he moved his comm closer to his head and answered.

"Rrowl woooof rooorrwwweerrr greeellll rrrlrrruuhhf..." came the voice of the wookie.

MRV1N translated: "It's Rralcree. He said he got a call from Foshe, who said she was abducted and needed help. Apparently she tried to call us but couldn't get through. Rralcree said we have 10 minutes to join him, or he's going alone."

Kleff and Redd quickly talked it through. Kleff commed Foshe himself. A whispery, raspy voice answered: "The person your calling for can't talk right now, and soon it will be too late for them!!" The comm clicked off.

Kleff and Redd talked further. Deciding that it was not the wraith, they decided that they would join Rralcree. They told Rralcree to give them a half hour, and Rralcree agreed. They thought the whole thing seemed a bit fishy, but they couldn't quite put their finger on why.

Redd quickly put their plan in action. He commed the Imperial that had detained them the day before, but had released them after Redd bribed him. Redd knew that that guy would welcome the chance to make more credits, and he did. It cost Redd and Kleff 2,000 credits each, but their Imperial friend was now sending four stormtroopers to investigate the warehouse with them. They had the stormtroopers for an hour.

MRV1N and Skylar were obviously unable to join them, so they remained in the apartment when Redd and Kleff hurried out to keep their rendevouz.

Redd and Kleff got to the area, and met Rralcree. Together, they approched the alley entrance of the warehouse, scanning the area for signs of trouble. They knew the troopers were around the corner.

From inside her dumpster, Petra peeked through the trash several times to see what was going on. This movement was noticed, and the trio of Redd, Kleff and Rralcree approched the dumpster, blasters drawn.

Kleff fired a shot at the wall above the dumpster. Petra was startled, but didn't move. Kleff wondered if there was some kind of animal in the trash. Redd fired directly into the trash, and Petra had to give herself away to dodge the bolt. She threw a frag grenade at the trio, and jumped out of the dumpster and started running away.

The trio began pursuit, and the grenade went off. The wookie took the worst of it, and they then began firing on Petra, but she avioded getting hit, and made it to the intersecting alley. She commed Foshe and Bann "come out!" She got behind a corner, and started shooting at Redd. That's when she saw two troopers running at her from the opposite end of the alley she was hiding in.

Bann and Foshe ran out, only to meet two other stormtroopers who were running into the warehouse.

So begins the first of two major battles that happened in the alley.

to be continued!

 

Now, I know you would love a play by play of the battle, but a lot happened, and with each passing minute, I am forgetting details. So, a synopsis:

Petra throws a grenade at the two troopers near her, they both go down.

Redd, Kleff, and the Wookie continue to fire at her.

She continues to try to kill Redd.

Bann shoots at one of the troopers near him.

Bann and Foshe are fired upon by those two troopers.

Petra takes off down the alley, she is still being fired upon. Redd pursues, firing at her. It is clear that one of them will die today.

People are hit, vitality is lost, characters go into wounds.

The two troopers near the warehouse go inside to check it out.

Petra is knocked out, as she is now in wounds.


to be continued...

 

Redd goes to Petra's prone, knocked out body, and fires a stun bolt into her, to make sure she doesn't come to.

Bann is trying to get to Petra, to see if he could help her...

Petra comes to, sees Redd standing over her, and shoots to kill him.

Redd, avoiding death, switches his blaster to kill, and fires upon the still prone Petra at his feet.

Petra body goes numb in an instant. She looks up, and Redd is no longer alone. There, standing next to him in the alley, is her master. Her master looks at her with regret, and shakes her head. This all fades, and suddenly, Petra is no longer face down in an alley, she is back on Corellia, and the Darkriders are firing upon her family, although now, she is CorSec again, standing with her family, firing back at the Darkriders. This is where I should have been, she thinks. This is where it all went bad. All the anger and hate wells up within her and then releases as she unleashes a torrent of blaster fire upon the Darkriders. It is all happening in slow motion now, and she turns her head and looks at her family, and they look at her and smile at her.

She smiles back, as amid a hail of blaster fire, everything fades to black.

____________________________________________

Axia is standing in her ship, chatting with a tech. The tech had told her that the minimum cost would be 20,000 credits to repair the ship, but that was a rough estimate, he wasn't totally done checking things out.

And then it hits Axia- a pulse sent out through the force, with twinges of dark side energy. Axia sinks to her knees, her mind reeling.

"Pet... Petra?" Axia utters. Then it hits her again, this time in the form of a vision, it lasts only a split second, but it is enough: She sees through the eyes of Petra the image of a smoking blaster barrel pointed right at her, with Redd behind the weapon holding it.

Axia feels, through the force, Petra's presence vanish.

"Uh, miss Euzine... are you alright?"

"Go away..." Axia growls, and puts a hand up, indicating that their conversation was over.

The tech prudently remains quiet, and goes to continue his estimate.

Axia gets up, and immediately comms Petra. There is no answer. She tries again. Nothing.

She then contacts her friend in the Crimson Dawn. "Can you trace a comm unit to find it's location?"

"Perhaps. Ask the technician, he should have the equipment to do it." Axia motions the tech back, and hands him her comm unit and tells him what to do. The tech leaves with her comm. He returns shortly, with the comm and some coordinates. Axia continues her conversation with her well placed friend.

"I want everyone in the area of this comm unit killed. I'll pay whatever it takes."

"Hmmmm... I don't think I can do that, as I have no idea what's going on here, or who is involved, or anything. I can't just bring in the Crimson Dawn like that."

"I need help to do this... what can you do?"

"I can provide a couple of bodyguards for you. If anyone makes a move against you, they will do what they have to do to protect you... even if it means using lethal force."

"Ok. Tell them to meet me at these coords..."

Axia gives all the necessary information. Before her friend hangs up, he says, "Done. Shall we deal with what this costs at a later time?"

"Of course, I figured as much," Axia replies. They conclude their conversation, and Axia exits the hangar, gets in an air taxi, and takes off.

 

Back at the battle...

Bann ends up in binders, courtesy of the Stormtroopers. Everything seems like it has calmed down.

And then an air taxi lands, and Axia gets out, two blasters drawn.

Part two of the battle begins.

Bann retreats to the back of the alley, a stormtrooper following him, telling him to stay where he is.

Axia starts firing at Redd, Kleff gets a shot off at Axia, and then suddenly, Bann, who is now out of his binders (the stormtrooper that was with him is now on the ground), fires at Rralcree's back with the stormtroopers carbine.

Rralcree goes down.

Two new combatants enter the scene from the other side of the alley. They are both dressed in all black: leather trenchcoats, gloves, goggles, everything. One is a female, who acrobatically flips down the alley, and takes her place near Axia's side. The other is a male, who remains in the thick of things. "I hate stormtroopers!" he says, and deftly inserts his vibroblade between the helmet and chestplate of the trooper. The trooper falls. The man in the leather trenchcoat begins to wipe off his blade, and looks at the other troopers, with a gleam in his eye.

Redd gets fired on, I think by Bann and Foshe. Redd and Kleff try to run away.

Redd goes down. Kleff rushes to his side, and Redd gives him his bag, and whispers something to him. Kleff takes the bag, and sprints away.

(note: Kleff not only sprinted away, but did so after being UNSCATHED through this whole mess. Amazing.)

Redd looks at Axia, who is now taking aim at him, with anger and hate burning in her eyes.

"The dark side is not stronger," Redd says, utter conviction girding his words like steel. Redd then raises his own blaster to his head, and fires. His body falls lifeless.

Axia looks around at the carnage. All the stormtroopers are dead, and Bann is stepping away from the fallen form or Rralcree. Axia goes to Rralcree, flips him over, cuts him open, ripps his heart out and throws it on the ground.

Everyone watches her, no one says a word.

Axia goes over to Redd, and gives him the same treatment that Rralcree got. Then covered in blood, she scoops up the lifeless form of Petra, and calls for pickup. She glances at Foshe and Bann, and extends an invitation to them to join her. They agree, and together, they leave.

Axia searches Petra, finds the amulet, and puts it on.

 

[as posted by Axia elsewhere]


Axia Euxine steps from the transport she numbly remembers getting into with the body of Petra Blackwing still cradeled in her arms.

With her are Bann and Foshe, but she is only dimly aware of thier presence. Axia is numb, the blood of those that caused her friend's death cake her arms and torso. The blood splatters flecking the rest of her body including her face and legs has long since dried while the remainder remains tacky with the smell of wet iron.

Axia had tried to save Petra, she had tried and tried and tried even at great risk to her own safety. Her firend would not listen. It had only been the previous night where Axia had nearly begged her friend to turn from her chosen path or it would lead to her destruction and those around her.

Axia had been right. Petra was dead and Axia didnt even know why. The man who had killed her Axia had only known for a handful of days... Didn't matter, he was dead as was Ralcree. And so, largely, was Axia.

Axia had been dark before but had met a deceased Jedi who helped show her what she believed to true nature of the force. What a joke. There is no true nature. Petra's master was just as impotent as her own apparently. Niether could prevent the death of her only friend. Niether could prevent Axia from calling on the "dark" side to avenge that death.

There was no right side, Axia knew that now. She looked up from the scarred and battered body of her friend to take in the scarred and battered ship that had belong to her family setting in the hanger she had returned to.

I have nothing now...

Tears ran down Axia's face to mix with the blood of her enemies. She looked down at Petra again. I was going to find my mother. I thought it was important. Maybe Petra was right. If my mother cared about me she would not have abandoned me. She would have sought me out later, she would have made contact. That's what a mother would do right?

Axia looked up again, her eyes taking in the ship that belonged to the Euxine family. They were slits not taking in anything in front of her. They were focused with her new goal. No, I will find my mother. It is still important that I find her. Not to reunite with her...






To kill her.

 

I do not say anything to Axia at this time, (doesn't seem like it would help a lot anyways)but I am going to remove the binders from Bann if they have not already been removed.

I say to anyone who is listening: "We should get off planet. The Empire will undoubtably have a bounty out on us now, if they didn't already."


I look at Bann. I look at Axia.

 

"I need to take care of some business before I can leave the planet. As far as the Empire is concerned, I don't think they realize how much of a threat we are to them. If the three of us are to be considered a team, I say we help each other with personal business, then focus on taking out the Empire in any way we can. I don't think Axia is a state of mind to be listening, but I'm sure she'll agree that we can't let this deed go unpunished. And I don't think Axia realizes how much power she has at her fingertips at the moment. Redd and Ralcree are dead, but we shouldn't stop there. As far as I'm concerned if the others aren't willing to join us, they need to be eliminated."

"Now we can grieve for Petra, but we can't let emotion run ourselves blindly. Foshe, its hard to read your face under that mask, but I know you must be hurting too. You were friends as far as I knew. So spend these few moments releasing whatever you're feeling so we can move on. I would suggest Axia do the same, but I doubt it will be as easy for her to do."

 

GM NOTE OUT OF GAME:

Axia and Foshe, this is not only the most you've ever heard Bann say at one time, but also the most lucid thing you have ever heard him say. You have never, ever heard him talk like this, using words with more than 1 or 2 syllables. If you weren't in shock from the events that just transpired in the Theed alleyway, you certainly are close to it now.

 

Kleff runs all the way back to Skyler's apartment. When he gets there, assuming they are finished repairing, he tells Skyler and MR-V1N, "Grab everything you need and follow me. We have to get out of here. Redd and Rralcree are dead, and I'm not sure if we're safe. I'll explain everything later, now hurry!"

 

From the look on Kleff's face I get up and grab my stash of credits and tool kit and take off. "Not that I knew your friend Redd that well anyway. He kinda seemed a little off to me, but I am sorry for your lose and of this other you speak of." With a little moment to mourn i gladly take off with Kleff and Marvin thinking. Finally I have something to do!

 

Axia Euxine whether in reponse to Bann's words or simply in spite of them suddenly and violently falls to her knees cradeling the still and limp form of Petra to her.

Those around her do not see a woman who has lost her only friend they see a woman on the verge of a complete and total breakdown. They know time is against them but they can only stop and stare.

If Axia could concentrate on anything other then the ever-widening chasm that used to be her soul she would feel the frail chains of sanity beginning to melt away. But that is not the case.

I have nothing. It's a mantra that repeats in her head over and over again and she realises that it's not an exageration. Petra was the only person that even came close to knowing her. She had no one to turn to... What would she do?

I had a goal before, purpose. I was on a path... Path, there was that word again. The one I always used with her. Her Path, my Path, the path.

I will not loose the last thing in this galaxy that I care about. I will not...

Axia lays Petra down on the ground and places one of her hands on Petra's chest while wrapping her fingers of the other one around the shard of Jedi Holocron and the Amulet. She draws on the force and the two artifacts of a by-gone era throwing caution and her soul to the winds. I will not live without her. I will serve whatever answers my call...

 

I am (to say the least) shocked by what has just taken place and by what is now happening. I stare at Axia dumbly, not knowing what she is doing or what I should do.

I want to put my hand on Axia's shoulder, but, frankly I am afraid. She is radiating a dark energy and I am afraid of what she is doing.

"Axia? Maybe we should do this on the ship where we are not in danger of being spied upon."

I look at Bann and whisper,"What is going on? What is it that she is holding?"

 

"I don't think she's in the state of mind to do what she's doing," I whisper back to Foshe.

Reaching out I put a hand on Axia's shoulder. "We're here for you Axia, she meant a lot to us to. We'll see you through whatever you need. But perhaps this isn't the time or the place to be doing this. Why don't we take Petra's body to a medical center for the time being?"

 

(OUT OF GAME) I dont even know if Axia is in a state where she would hear this or feel your hand on her shoulder. I sent a PM to Talon about what I am doing I will have to wait to hear from him before responding.

Also, I got the impression from Talon that this hanger is somewhat isolated. But. Im not sure.

Wow, just when things seem a little dry, then BAMMO! This is getting good. Talon, where are you ?!?!

 

check your PM, I sent you one back, Axia.

Roll a will save, if your total is above a 12, you notice the hand on your shoulder.

 

mistake post.

 

yet another mistake post

 

I rolled a 5 +3=8

Axia does not notice the hand on her shoulder.

 

"Ban, since all the rest of my team is dead, I guess the ship that 'belonged' to Ralcaree is ours for the taking. Let's get it and sell it."

 

Kleff, you and MRV1N and Skyler take off. Skyler, you don't have very many possessions, and the rent is about to be due, so you don't really care about giving the apartments any 'official' notice of your departure.

You guys go where you (Kleff) PM'd me.

Skyler, check your PM's.

Axia, check your PM's.

MRV1N, don't check your PM's, only because to my knowledge, you don't ever cruise this board. Kleff, maybe you can fill in MRV1N.

 

I'll fill him in.

 

<bump> Talon, did you get my PM? I'm buying new virginal dice today for the upcoming event. No way I'm gonna trust my current dice to this.

 

So Vic is making me wait till Saturday to roll for this. Not wanting to trust this event to my dice which seem to hate me right now I have bought a new set of dice. These dice have not been opened and wont be until Saturday night. hmmmm, maybe I should bring some windex to clean the table?

Well Saturday should be interesting as Axia attempts to bring Petra back from the grave.

BTW we wont be selling Rralcree's ship, we will be gutting it and using the parts to help repair my ship. Whats left will be sold for scrap to further repair my ship.

 

Axia pauses momentarily and although she doesnt open her eyes both Bann and Fosche can tell she's become if not more lucid at least aware of her surroundings.

"Do you two wish to help me? If so, sit beside me and each of you place your hand over one of mine and concentrate on Petra and me helping her, think of nothing else." Axia instantly returns to her previous state and concetrates on her task...

Talon, read your PM.

BTW How did Redd know I am a force-user? Did Axia ever tell him this or display powers in his presence. I dont think so.