Star Wars The Silent Cities of Coruscant - A game for everyone

OOC: Waiting for a response...

 

IC: Ensign Ewlla Iillor, Room of a Thousand Fountains, Jedi Temple.

?Actually, it might indeed produce a sufficient sign. Clone, try and find suitable material.? The bald jedi master said. That her suggestion had been met with approval, pleased the junior officer, no end.

She had her arm raised to indicate the massed flora as ?suitable material?, when one of the words jumped out at her.

?Clone?? She echoed, frowning at Master Windu.

The soldier glanced around, then looked towards her, taking much notice of her legs, she figured. She gazed down, unable to meet his eyes, and felt herself blush a bit.

He put his orange-masked helmet on, ?Alright Ensign, you heard the generals, we have work to do.? The voice-filter did little to hide the gruff tones, and an accent she could not place.

?Yes sir.? She nodded, then, noting to herself that nothing was going her way today, she held up a finger. ?Be with you in a moment.?

She bent over to grab her pillowcase containing everything including her sidearm and the muja fruit, and a large rock from the side of pool that she had soaked her feet in, stepping behind a thickly-leaved bush.

?Once we get this smoke signal of yours going,? Cody continued to her back, ?we can scrounge you up some proper attire.?

?Sure!? She called back, kneeling to put the rock down on a bed of dead brown leaves and mulch, hopefully out of anyone?s casual awareness, draping her damp underwear over the rock. She would have to rely on the arboretum?s ambient temperature to dry them for when she made it back here. ?That would be gerrr-reat!? Though she would not know it, of course, she managed a passable Tony the Tiger impression.

?Master Windu,? She heard the unseen Kenobi?s voice through the thick branches, ?our gathering might have been cut short.?

Oh yes? Grabbing at her blaster, she stood, and made her way back to the others.

?Someone arrived. Someone most unfriendly. I think he is somewhere above in the library and I think he is a Sith.?

?Sith? Those Brotherhood of Darkness fellas still around?? Ewlla wondered aloud, heading after the soldier, who had stopped in the wake of Master Kenobi?s ominous announcement, and turned back. ?Oh yes, time travel. I was forgetting.?

?Well in that case I suggest that we find our way out of here and leave the Sith to our jedi friends. Meanwhile, we need to find other survivors. What do you say Ensign, are you up for a little recon??

Ewlla opened her mouth to tell him that she had already reconnoitred several kilometres of this empty city, trailing those damn cleaning droids, but, instead, flashed the citrus-coloured warrior a smile of cooperation, and caught up with him.
This Cody person seemed like he needed the company of someone his own level, and she wanted to feel useful, anyway.

He arced a comlink over her right shoulder to one of the jedi behind her.

?Once you have dispatched this Sith menace, Master Kenobi, give me a bump and we?ll mop up any scraps that you might have left behind.?

?But not with a real mop though, right?? She queried. She hadn?t joined the Judicial Forces to do drudge work. That was for droids. ?So, why do they call you ?Clone???

Tag: Cody, Windu, Kenobi, others at the Temple.

 

IC: Leia Organa
Hotel room, Coruscant

The low-frequency hum of the industrial servos resonated through the walls. Just outside the room, amid the din of muted klaxons and warnings sirens, the hive of Rebels in the Massassi temple was laboring away. Each man and each woman worked to ready the base for evacuation. For the busy bees had angered a much larger comb - the Galactic Empire.

Leia Organa's sleep did not come easily. Pressure was bearing down on her and her faction. Each sequential morning following the Death Star's destruction had exponentially incremented the odds of the Empire's counterattack. The vaporization of the behemoth instrument of pain and fear was a cause for celebration, to be sure; however, most of the Alliance's leadership wished the endgame would have been under different terms. The forced nature of the encounter had thrown the Rebellion movement into a frenzy. As there was no opportunity to carefully plan an offensive on the Death Star before it showed up on the Alliance's doorstep, the location of the secret base of Yavin had been revealed to the entire galaxy.

That was unintended. Though the merriment of thanksgiving over the first major Alliance victory was extant, the Rebellion's exile from Yavin was impending. There was scarcely time for revelry; the tension was stronger now than it had been before the Death Star plans had been uncovered.

Another klaxon blared. A sudden impact crashed somewhere outside of Organa's living quarters, rumbling the bed and sending an ominous reverberation throughout the temple. It was probably a container slipping off of a binary load lifter.

A crash. The Princess of what-used-to-be-Alderaan pealed her eyes open. She knew she must awaken. Two hours of sleep were one hour too much in a time like this. She flung the covers off of her delicate body as her eyes adjusted to the light.

She was going through the ritual of setting her hair into its trademark conical form before she realized something was amiss. This was not a room of ancient stone and musty air. The walls were polished marble, glimmering white in the sun's rays with inset saffron-hue gemstones iridescing. The bed was oversized, with a silky translucent canopy held by four carved, apparently-calcareous pillars. The nigh-garish room was monstrous in area, almost as big as the largest briefing room on all of Yavin.

This was not Massassi.

Leia thought she was dreaming. She tested her body's muscles, jerking them about in an attempt to snap her out of the fanciful locale. It didn't work. As she became more lucid, her worry proportionally increased.

It pinnacled when her chestnut eyes were struck by the apparition cast through a generous window. The sun was cresting over the mountains, casting infinitely-long shadows all through the forest. However, it was not a living environment. The trees were skyscrapers, and the mountains were bigger skyscrapers. Horror struck Leia.

She was on Coruscant.

Crash! The vibration sent waves through the floor, right under Leia's soles. She jumped. It was then that she became aware of the other sounds. The alarms continued to screech, and the crashes continued. It was not the sound of busy soldiers moving freight; it was something else entirely.

Leia's bare, nimble feet worked over the cold floor, away from the imposing viewport towards a door. Her heart was racing as she mulled over the possibilities. For a moment she entertained the thought that the past weeks - the Tantive IV's capture, her nightmarish interrogation by Lord Vader and Moff Tarkin, the subsequent death of Obi-Wan Kenobi and ultimately the destruction of the Death Star - had themselves been a mirage. The idea was pushed out of her mind as a more ghastly one assaulted her conscious; she had been captured by the Empire and brought to Imperial Center.

Vainly she set her eyes to work over the room, searching for some kind of weapon. She didn't know what she was going to face outside of that portal, nor if she could even open it. She felt incredibly disarmed in her

 

OCC: I'm really, really sorry this is taking so long, I'm usually pretty good with keeping on top of posts...Now I'm back at Uni, I should hopefully be able to post more regularly.

IC: Darth Vader
location: Apartment Parade

Vader looked after Starkiller, watching him leave...making SURE he was leaving. The young man was still on edge and unpredictable. He should kill his tool now...make sure he didn't somehow become alive again...

Was this what Obi Wan meant with his "...I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine."? Was Kenobi now wandering around somewhere, corrupting more individuals to the weak side of the force? He couldn't help but growl softly at the thought, his mechanical fists clenching tightly with the twice the strength of a normal man.
Obi-Wan Kenoboi. He could feel him. He just suddenly realized he was here too, although far off...Vader would have to kill him. Again.

This was like reliving a nightmare. Vader was alone, outnumbered and completely lost.
So much to do, so little time. One of the lampposts behind him began to bend and twist, the dark powers at Vader's command being used to take his frustration out on something, anything.
It wasn't nearly as satisfying as an Imperial Officer, but it was a start.

TAG: Spycoder

 

OOC: If you read my post, Galen is still there, unsure of whether to attack Vader or not.

 

OCC: This is really really not my day...

IC: Darth Vader
location: Apartment Parade

Vader looked after Starkiller, watching him leave...making SURE he was leaving. The young man was still on edge and unpredictable. He should kill his tool now...make sure he didn't somehow become alive again...

Was this what Obi Wan meant with his "...I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine."? Was Kenobi now wandering around somewhere, corrupting more individuals to the weak side of the force? He couldn't help but growl softly at the thought, his mechanical fists clenching tightly with the twice the strength of a normal man.
Obi-Wan Kenoboi. He could feel him. He just suddenly realized he was here too, although far off...Vader would have to kill him. Again.

This was like reliving a nightmare. Vader was alone, outnumbered and completely lost.
So much to do, so little time. One of the lampposts behind him began to bend and twist, the dark powers at Vader's command being used to take his frustration out on something, anything.
It wasn't nearly as satisfying as an Imperial Officer, but it was a start.

Starkiller paused and Lord Vader could sense the conflicting emotion...The young man reeked of it. He was going to turn and kill him. With the slightest and quietest of movements, Vader's lightsaber hilt was in his hand.
A mere precaution, of course. He could kill the boy with a single thought...but better safe than sorry.

TAG: Spycoder

 

IC: Leia Organa
Hotel corridor, Coruscant

The distant rumbling had waxed greater with each step, until Leia felt as if she was in the unstable penthouse once again. She flew down the hall, vainly hoping each corner turned would reveal the bank of secondary service turbolifts. Time and again she was disappointed. The corridors were not meant to be labyrinthine, but in her strategic state of mind she over-analyzed each bend and stretch. Whenever a sign was found to guide her path, she took it. She knew that, eventually, she would find the lifts. She just had to trust that they were still in operating order.

Traversing an intersection, Leia briefly hesitated before a straight hallway littered with debris. The tunnel seemed to be in disrepair, and was the only sign of structural collapse she'd seen, other than the insane turbos. That made her worry even more. What if the building itself would be the next item to tumble to the depths below?

Regardless, the directions were unambiguously pointing down this specific corridor. Her feet resumed their strides, managing to find ground where no wreckage was strewn.

"Hey! Mind giving me a hand?"

Leia jolted at the sudden human voice. She came to a dead stop. She hadn't considered anyone else was in this godsforsaken hotel. She simultaneously felt concern for the fellow victim, and worry that the stranger might be the cause of this calamity.

It took her a moment to find the mysterious shape in the midst of the wreckage. But nonetheless, it was there. The neat man stood by a fallen tapestry, outside of one of the rooms. His short hair was dark, but his eyes were bright and curious. Leia found herself distracted from the present moment by the very sight of his finer features.

Then she noticed something else; his stark black clothing, shirt and trousers of the same palette, a plate attached to the breast of the uniform.

He was Imperial.

The very prospect of seeing an Imperial officer on Coruscant was, obviously, a given. But for some reason, Leia realized she had felt more comfortable when she was alone. She swallowed several times, tactics running through her brain.

She was a good judge of people. If he was trying to capture her, he would have pulled a blaster and stunned her easily. It didn't add up. Besides, he didn't look like soldier or guard. He was stuck here as well. Leia took several steps towards him, methodically as if toeing the water.

It had nary been a week since the Empire was able to prove Leia's true allegiance to the Rebellion. Maybe with the Death Star's destruction, more important things were being disseminated throughout the Empire. Perhaps she could avoid detection by this lesser officer. It made no sense at all, but Leia was out of options. She had no way of disabling him, and for the moment, she would have to cooperate with him. She prayed the young man would not know she was a target.

She glanced at the officer's rank plate. "Lieutenant," she began curtly, her voice thick with the forced, false accent of Coruscanti prestige. Her tone left no doubts to the fact that, as a senator - formerly, anyway - she was in a position of power. However, her own inherent kindness was impossible to mask. "Are you okay?" Her eyes bounced over his body, her forehead creasing when she caught sight of a crimson gash above his face. "What's going on?"

TAG: HS29

 

Chewbacca
Streets, Outside of Eastport

Chewbacca peered down the streets in the general direction that Solo had told him that they all needed to follow, while Han was talking with that strange droid.

THAT, was suddenly interrupted by Han's scream, as he cut off in mid-sentence.

Chewbacca whirled around as he took in the scene in front of him. The strange droid had a grip on Han, was it was using heat to seal off Han's wound, much like a mech droid would solder part of a ship back together. Chewbacca growled, as he quickly stepped close, baring his fangs at the strange droid. If he had not had Han by such a tight grip, he would have pulverized the strange droid where it stood...just so he could have the delight of putting it back together...and smashing it again.

Han quickly jerked his arm away after it was over, pain etched on his face.

"W-wha---what the hell was that?!" he shouted. "Dammit, I said bacta! Not surgery!"

"Guuurrk! Raaah Aahhh..."
{Say the word, I'll pull its arms off!} Chewbacca growled softly to Han, as he checked over his friends arm, to make sure there had been no serious damage done. Sheesh, couldnt the droid have numbed out his arm or something? Chewbacca wasnt sure if the thing was something type of Imperial droid, after that procedure. At least Han would not be bleeding to death.

The one called Jacen had reached their position. "Are you okay, father?" he asked. The look on Han's face was priceless. Chewbacca gave a gruff sniff, as he scanned the area. Han's reply was equally terse. "Do I look like I'm okay?!" he ranted, throwing a shaky index finger in the direction of Vuffi Raa's frame. "That metal monster just decided it'd be a bright idea to shove his fingers into my cut, dig around a bit and graft my skin back together!"

Chewbacca gave Han a quick pat on the shoulder, as he decided that if he could curse, he was fine. He began to scan their surroundings once more, as they continued to walk towards the directions given to them earlier.

He heard Han and Jacen talk about some people called the Taung, and how the Old Republic Jedi had dealt with them. Chewbacca gave a small woof. That would have been back in his younger days, when he was still back on the Homeworld. He shook his head. This was much too confusing to try and think about. So Chewbacca only focused on the here and now. They were all here. And they wanted to stay alive. He would let Han and the others worry about anything else, until he had more information to go on. He would keep his eyes on that droid thought.

But Jacen seemed to have gotten rather cozy with that strange droid. He started to speak up after a few moments.

"A lot of strong force users arrive here, one by one. I think we should also try to make contact with some of them...."

Han was quick to respond. "You're kidding, right? I don't know about you, but I'm not about to go wandering off, only to stumble into the wrong end of a lightsaber. There's plenty of other options out there."

Chewbacca nodded his head.

Jacen continued like he had not heard a thing. "...Maybe me and Vuffi should try and locate that signal, while you try to catch this ship we saw. If you need assistance, I try to get some of thos Jedi to help us. Maybe they have figured out what to do, already. I mean, they´re Jedi, after all."

Han grumbled under his breath. "That's not always a good thing." Chewbacca gave a growl deep within his throat as he looked over towards Han. He didnt like this, but this was something that Han would have to respond to..after all, this was HIS family.

Jacen looked to his parents and then at Chewbacca. "Agreed?" he asked them.

Han turned and traded glances with both Chewie and Leia before unleashing a heavy sigh. "Alright, kid," he finally conceded. "You better be right about this."

There were too many unknowns here, and if there were other Jedi around, he would rather run into them than the alternative. They had no idea what else had been pulled from the

 

IC: as Galen Marek
Apartment Parade

His lightsaber, the one of his father, was in his hand now, as he began to turn towards Vader, voices in his head, both light and dark, beckoning to do something. Several called for him to turn, to leave Vader and abandon his murderous leanings. Yet many more, the injustices Vader had committed still fresh, called for his demise, to finally be rid of him and avenge those injustices, or at least remove him as a threat, so as to not hurt others, in a twisted sense of justice.

He knew and was fully aware that these thoughts were wrong, and reeked of the Sith. But really, did he know anything else in his brief existence? Having his memory, that of his childhood. supplanted by cruel beatings and scant teachings certainly made the dark side a dominant force in his payche. Although Kota's teachings...and Juno, helped guide him in the brief time he knew them (that time ended by Vader and the Emperor he might add, but the thought did not anger him as much as it did others), they marginally helped fight back the dark side, which was so a part of who he was. Perhaps of what he always would be.

He tried so hard to find another recourse. He had better things to do. Find Juno and the others, for one. Or any other Rebels.

But then he remembered that if Vader found them, he would kill them without hesitation, partly as service to his Empire, partly just to spite and stamp out the memory of Starkiller.

Indeed, it's what he came down to. If he let Vader live, he would continue to do acts for the Emperor he served, which he himself had unknowingly served.

Tried as he did, the dark logic just seemed so...right. So fair in action. For wouldn't he be doing the galaxy a favor?

With his thinking done, his ind was made up. The course of action blared in his consciousness.

Kill Vader. Free him and yourself from the Emperor's grip, and you will save your friends,", the voice inside said, assuring him that what he was doing was right.

A loud yell escaped from his throat, able to be heard from across the apartment parade, as he ignited his blue blade, leaping in a back flip, yet turning in mid-air, bringing the sapphire blade crashing down on Vader's angled helmet, aiming to split it and his skull in half.

He was going to end this. Once and for all.


TAG: darthhelinith, GM, anyone

 

IC: Darth Vader
location: Apartment Parade

It happened almost in slow motion and at the same time so quickly.

Starkiller, still frozen and at the same time the force still rushing around him and through him, both sides vying for supremacy, suddenly leapt at him in a graceful force aided leap, activating the blue blade of his lightsaber and twisting to face his old Master in midair as he brought it crashing down, straight for the middle of his helmet with a wild, almost primitive yell.

But Vader was still a skilled duellist. His crimson blade was activated and meeting Starkiller's in a defensive block in less than half a second, which suddenly seemed to make so much more sense than anything else. To kill was now his objective, and a simple one at that. He could focus on the skill and fury of the duel, and leave this puzzling state of Coruscant to ponder on once Starkiller was dead.

Vader used his immense physic to summon more weight behind his blade, attempting to push Starkiller off himself and force the young man down onto the ground where Vader knew he himself would have the advantage. After all, it would be risky for Starkiller to use force powers in such close quarters, where it would take time for them to charge up and where Vader's blade would be far to close for comfort. He had to keep him close, and occupied. That wasn't without its risks, of course, but it was vastly preferable to being thrown across to the other side of the parade.

TAG: Subzero, GM, anyone else

 

IC: as Starkiller
Apartment Parade

The force of Vader's parry sent him tumbling to the floor, yet not on his back, as that would certainly be a deadly mistake when facing his former Master. Instead, he rolled against the impact, now back on his feet quickly, his lightsaber positioned in the signature reverse grip of the Shien style. Vader was in front of him, his crimson blade close enough to shine blood-red on his white Jedi robes.

Galen quickly grasped Vader's strategy. He wanted to keep him in close quarters, so as to prevent his use of Force powers, as it would be too dangerous with Vader's blade in such close-proximity.

It was the same strategy he employed on the still under construction Death Star, trying to keep him close, to press the combat and make it lightsaber to lightsaber.

Galen couldn't help but remember the setting, those events on the Death Star. Yet one stood out more than the others...

'Will I ever see you again?' Juno said, worry evident in her voice as he stood close to the Rogue Shadow's ramp, waiting to jump.

That tender recollection ended when he realized sho he was facing. His former Master was the type who would look for a weakness and exploit it. So, pained him as it did, he pushed the memories to the back of his head, that self-reflection ending too quick for Vader to capitalize as Marek continued the attack. He struck at Vader's head, midsection, and hips, his strikes having all the fury Vader made sure to foster in their training long ago.


TAG: darthhelinith, GM, anyone

 

OOC: I seem to have missed out posting for a few days and got behind. So behind that I have no idea what is going on. If someone in my part would like to explain what is going on, I would greatly appreciate it. If not, I will try sorting through this.

 

IC: Leia Organa
Hotel corridor, Coruscant
The man's hand was on his holster. He wasn't a trooper, but he seemed familiar enough with it. There was no way she could run or attack him first, if he decided to fire. She briefly considered how to react; she could try to intimidate him, or she could make him feel unimportant and nonthreatening.

Leia did not attempt to hide her inquisitive glance at the Lieutenant's holster. Instead of pretending to ignore it, she pretended to be unconcerned. She put on a hint of a smile, trying to make the man feel as if his doubt and belligerency were hilarious. She began walking towards him, then finally, past him, hoping her gambit would work. "Unfortunately, answers are not at a premium. I woke up in a hotel bed. I've seen haywire turbolifts and had fire extinguishers try to drown me. All I know is it's not a good idea to stick around."

She continued to walk down the derelict corridor. She tossed a glance back at the young officer. "If you like living, I don't think this is the best place to book a room right now."

TAG: HS29

 

IC: Vuffi Raa
Streets, Near Eastport

Shrinking somewhat closer to the ground at the rapid discussion he was only slightly aware that he was about to sent into temporary exile to operate as little more than a glorified scanner by Captain Solo's child. If the kid thought he was about to start calling him Master he was very mistaken.

"Captain Solo, I as I have told you my qualifications I thought you might have realized that I do not have bacta. As well you indicated a fair familiarity from stories by my Master Calrissian, which would have shown a knowledge that was a caretaker of the Millinium Falcon, instructer to Master Calrissian, and an overqualified astro-navigator." pulling a tentacle up beneath himself in a gesture of appeasement he tipped that portion nearest of his casing to Han Solo.

"If you believe it is best though sir, I will go."

Taking a step back he wondered absently how he would ever be able to fulfil Cade's request of noting their deaths if he was not around to see them.

TAG: HanSolo29, Sirak, Ktala, spycoder, SkywalkerShine, LordT

 

ooc: As you might have realized, i have fallen behind on posting on tags. I am moving and have limited access to the net right now, so this state of play might last a few more days. But at the weekend I should be fine and read and react to all tags. Until then feel free to move your characters together or anywhere where you ant, as long as it is not Godmodding . . .

 

1. LordTroepfchen (GM): Anakin Skywalker, Pre-TPM; Obi Wan "Ben" Kenobi, Around the time he confronted A´Sharad Hett
2. DarthSubZero: Galen Marek/Starkiller Just Before his Duel With The Emperor.
3. Ceillean: Jaina Solo, FotJ
4. Kahn_Iceay: Yusanis Before his Duel with Darth Revan.
5. HanSolo29: Han Solo, NJO - a few months after Chewie's death; Lieutenant Han Solo, during his time with the Imperial Navy - prior to rescuing a certain Wookiee
6. Sir_Draco: Luke Skywalker, beginning of The Empire Strikes Back
7. darthhelinith: Darth Vader ESB
8. Spycoder9: Leia Organa, following the Death of Anakin Solo, Yoda, right after his death
9. TheSithGirly: Kreia/DarthTraya, Time of her final return to Dantooine; Darth Zion, same; Darth Nihilus; (at LordTs request and I´ll make him appear later)
10. A_Sith_and_a_Vampire: The One, just before the arrival of Revan
11. Mitth_Fisto: Vuffi Raa, just prior to Lando's duel with Rokur Gepta
12. DarkLordoftheFins: Cade Skywalker, prior to arriving on Tatooine and Mace Windu, after the Sith Lord was revealed, before he enters the office
13. Sith-I-5: Ewlla Iillor, my younger game version, starting where The Machine Wars: Star Wars versus Terminator got locked.
14. SirakRomar: Jacen Solo, End of TUF, pre-JINO; Tera Sinube, right after "Lightsaber Lost"
15. Sawn_Kassal: Revan, End of KOTOR
16. darthramza: Evelios D'Rtan, of Tide of Flames fame, adapted for Star Wars use and immediately prior to the events of that game, and Anakin Solo, immediately prior to the Junior Jedi Knights series.
17. Ktala: Chewbacca, Immediately after EP VI - ROTJ
18. Corellian_Outrider: Dash Rendar, ESB, Shortly after the Escape from Hoth. Before events of SOTE
19. SkywalkerShine: Mi, during the kidnap by the criminal gang leader Grintlok, and Celeste Morne, before killing Constable Noana Sowrs
20. DarthXan318: Darth Krasus (OC), approximately at the end of Integrated Balance of Power
21. Gurthrim_Lah: C-3PO At the very moment before the stormtrooper's blaster fire hit him on Cloud City in ESB
22. Cad Bane: Jaxxon Twelve drunken hours after defeating Valence on Aduba-3[/quote]
23. CPL_Macja: [link=http://starw

 

OOC: Trieste, welcome to Silent Cities, and our RolePlaying Forum. Hope you enjoy your time with us.
And while I am OOCing, CrazedEwok, I really enjoyed your first post on here.

 

ooc: Hope it´s fine for all of you if I move a little forward with our group parting . . .

Jacen Solo
Streets

He said goodbye and waved as he parted with the small droid.

Once they wondered down the streets Jacen broke his silence. The jedi would come to them, it had never been his intention to go looking for them. But whatever danger awaited them, his parents would be save now. More or less.

"Tell me Vuffi, what do you need to find that signal for me?" He asked and made sure he was not seen by his parents as he turned to the droid. "How long would you need?"

TaG: Mitth

---

[b]Tera Sinube[/b]
[i]Temple[/i]

"Hmmmm." He sighed and realized the Sith was gone. The Jedi still there. And on their way towards him. Folding his arms Tera moved out of his chambers and into the corridor. He pushed the button of the elevator, so he would stop and reveal him to his two Jedi colleagues.

And just as they passed him, the doors slided open.

"Hunting sith, rtoday, Master Windu? I am afraid he is gone. as is much of this planet these days, right?" Sinube antered the turbolift. "Master Kenobi."

[b]Tag: LordT, Fin[/b]

 

IC: Wuher
The Rose Garden Cantina

Wuher couldn't have been happier that he was finally leaving Tatooine. There would be no more oppressive heat, no more 0% humidity chafing his skin whenever he stepped outside, no more sandstorms pitting his skin. He was getting out and moving on up to the big time, the show, the place for someone of his bioalchemical skills: Coruscant.

It had been a month ago that Wuher had gotten the offer to move to the Rose Garden Cantina from the owner, who had assured Wuher that it was one of the best cantinas on Coruscant, attended by only the most exclusive clientele. Wuher knew that the owner was lying. Still, the opportunity to leave Tatooine and go to Coruscant might eventually help him to get to an establishment that had been described to him. He certainly wasn't going to get that opportunity on Tatooine. So Wuher had pulled up stakes and taken the first trip through hyperspace to Coruscant.

It turned out that Coruscant was even worse than Tatooine.

Tatooine might have been hot, dry, arid, and horrible. Coruscant was putrid, overpopulated, morally lax, and there were way too many droids. Wuher was miserable and he was pretty sure that his scowl was now permanently etched into his face. The Rose Garden Cantina was all of that and worse. Chalmun's Cantina had at least been cleaned once a month with a dingy mop. The Rose Garden--which didn't have roses or a garden--probably hadn't even had that in the last year or two. The place didn't even have a droid detector.

But here he was, serving drinks to even less reputable customers than he'd encountered at Chalmun's on Tatooine. Unfortunately, as much as Wuher found Coruscant distasteful, he was stuck here. Chalmun wasn't going to pay to have him back. With a sigh, Wuher went back to work.

The one thing that the Rose Garden had that Chalmun's hadn't possessed was an uplink to the Holonet for the enjoyment of the cantina's patrons. It was usually tuned to some inane entertainment that nobody watched. However, today there was actually something worth watching and Wuher flipped the channels until he found it.

"Annnnnnnnnnd we're back here at Ancorhead Municipal Stadium for exciting Elite League Limmie action as the Tatooine Sandskimmers host the Naboo Ducks in a critical match up with playoff implications," the two-headed Triog announcer said, "And it is just a lovely day out here. Not a cloud in sight and we're not even supposed to have the sandstorm hit until the second half!"

Wuher didn't much care for bolo-ball, but it was something to get interested in. On Tatooine, life was so bleak that you had to grasp onto everything that you could that was of at least passing interest. The Tatooine Sandskimmers were one such thing. Besides, for a team stuck on a backwater hole far from the center of the galaxy, the Sandskimmers were actually a very impressive team with their seven Galactic Cups of Limmie in the modern era, tying them with three other Limmie powerhouses.

"Hey," a Nikto shouted at one end of the bar, "Put the Senators game on!"

Wuher rolled his eyes. The Coruscant Senators were the hometown team and usually the laughing stock of the League. They usually had more fans show up for the visiting team than for them. "No," Wuher said flatly.

"Why not?" the Nikto retorted.

"Because this is a Sandskimmers bar," Wuher replied with a scowl.

"Since when?"

"Since I got hired."

"You know I can take my credits elsewhere!" the Nikto said angrily.

"You do that. Hope you get a bartender who knows not to put Corellian brandy in your Twistler but susbtitute with Kareas brandy instead for a similar taste, but one that won't cause your intestines to explode," Wuher said without emotion, "Niktos do have such sensitive digestive systems when it comes to alcohol."

The Nikto said nothing and remained seated, simmering at the accuracy of that statement. Wuher turned away and allowed himself a brief smile at that small victory in life.

"And it's a goooooooooooooal by Ben Watanobe of the Sandskimmers to give them

 

IC: Darth Vader
location: Apartment Parade

Vader watched in satisfaction as Starkiller was forced down under his weight, but was disappointed to see him roll away and then adopt his shien backhanded attack stance. He quickly adopted a defensive stance, trying to use his sheer bulk and physical power as an intimidating physiological weapon, as he quickly dove into Starkiller's mind, although still making sure he was well aware of his surroundings.

Starkiller had the sense to move his mind quickly onto the duel in front of him, although Vader caught the very brief image of a female in officers uniform...vaguely familiar, although he couldn't quite place it. But the change in focus of the young man was quick and final, bringing Vader himself back to the real world. Vader himself though was well used to hiding his mind from any opponent. The countless Jedi he had faced and defeated had only rendered the barriers in his mind strong and well defended. Starkiller would have no grip in the darkness that almost reeked from his mind, although no where near as powerfully as the Emperor's ability to corrupt, which even Vader himself found the intensity of such to be a little overwhelming.

Starkiller was moving again; Vader felt it in the force almost before it occurred. The young man's fury headed straight, first for his head, midsection and then hips, all of which Vader blocked skilfully with his unique defensive moves, although to the Sith Lord it felt like his limbs were moving agonizingly slowly. He couldn't help reflecting that back in the days before Mustafar he would have probably been able to bring down Starkiller in half a minute, or at least push him to the limit of his capabilities. Waiting for Starkiller's next set of blows and uwilling to push any attack as yet, Vader focused his mind on Starkiller and the dark side of the force.

Tag: Subzero