Beyond - Legends Make Yourself (Sequel to New Skin, OCs) Completed 1/28

FORWARD!

 

Rok: The two have different temperaments, all right. Drace is still operating in his old CorSec ways, while Selin is... Well, Selin's being himself.

Casper: Thanks! Yeah, it's an interesting bit of juxtaposition, to go from a week of physical work to a week of mental exercises.

---------------

It was night, the perfect time for Drace to strike. According to the datacard, Calasta was being held by a Demerisk?s? majordomo. He was out for the night, but Calasta was still at his house. Drace dropped from a tree on the vast lawn and peered over the landscaping through a lit window. The room was empty. He slipped into tikash, the Aing-Tii battle trance, and teleported into the room.

He reached out with his feelings, scanning the hallway outside the only door in the room. It was as empty as the room in which he stood. Drace opened the door and poked his head through the entryway. The data suggested that Calasta would be found in the upper levels of the house, probably near the servants? quarters. That was a quirk of the Demerisks; they rarely made use of droids, opting instead to employ living beings. Nobody was quite certain as to why, though there were several theories, the most bizarre of which claimed that the Demerisks were rogue Vong in elaborate ooglith masquers.

Drace could feel someone a few floors above where he stood, so he latched onto that life and teleported to a location near it. As the new location snapped into view, he saw a security guard rearing back in surprise. Taking advantage of that, he landed a punch to the shocked guard?s nerve plexus and caught him before the unconscious man hit the ground. Once again, Drace stretched out his senses and searched the sprawling mansion for one girl he had never met. Then, he found it. It was a life energy very much like one that he knew quite well. It was Quesr?s sister. The family resemblance transcended mere appearances.

The only problem was the grouping of other minds near her. Drace couldn?t tell what he would be dealing with if he jumped in blind as to the room?s layout, and his death would do no good for either of them. He was about to ignore the consequences and teleport anyway, but he noticed a security cam feed on the display the guard had been tending. It showed a girl, maybe eighteen, sitting in a chair in the corner of a bedroom containing several armed humanoids. It was her, all right. There was no doubt about her identity. Drace chose the best spot in the room to maximize his potential for damage and drew Quesr?s slugthrower. Then, he teleported in.

He threw the first punch before his eyes could even focus. He followed up with a shot from the slugthrower, then fired at two more targets before they could react. The first to recover was a Rodian who placed a blow to Drace?s elbow, causing him to drop the slugthrower. Drace spun and kicked the man?s legs out from under him and sent him flying back sideways with a Force-enhanced punch while he was still in midair. The last two standing leveled blasters at Drace and fired. The energy flowed to surround Drace?s fists and two high-speed punches put them to the floor permanently.

He heard a soft click and turned to behold Calasta Caloff with tears in her eyes, pointing the weapon at his head. Drace bled off the energy harmlessly as he held out his hands in a gesture that indicated he meant no harm. ?Calasta, I didn?t come to hurt you. I just want to?? He was cut off by the opening of the door to the bedroom. Through it stormed a dozen CorSec combat specialists from what Drace knew to be the city?s most brutal unit, led by a tall man with a shaved head and a grim faced Quesr Caloff. They all carried projectile weapons, none were equipped with even a standard-issue blaster.

The tall man pointed to Drace. ?This is the man you are looking for,? he intoned, voice devoid of emotion. ?The Force energy he gave off merely in reaching the inside of this house stood out like a beacon for one such as me.?

?Quesr, wait,? Drace said. ?I?ve found her.

 

Oh poopie!

Well that family union..........went super. Wonder what happened? Completely she changed, obviously, but for what reason? Was he such a bad guy or is there something else more sinister at work here? We will have to wait and see.

But I guess that is a 'better way' than any to get both groups together. But now they're all in a heap of something awful.

Oh goody!

FORWARD!

 

FORWARD!

 

Thanks, Casper! As for Calasta, I don't really have plans to revisit anything pertaining to that in this story (though you may get a little more if anyone's up for the Drace solo story I'm working out). So, I'll just let you know that Calasta's been missing from her birth family for most of her life. I could just say that Stockholm syndrome (which, despite what is said in The World is Not Enough, does not have to sexual in nature) fueled her feelings, but that's a little too easy. Drace isn't sure he did the right thing, and that's got to be tearing him up.

No post today, since I'd like to let Rok get caught up, and there's plenty more to digest in the next post that only adds to the increasingly bleak situation. No new events, but revelations that make you realize some things about what's been posted thus far.

Until then, Forcefire out.

 

Cool. Thanks! UP!!!!!!!!

 

Yaaaaaaaaarrrrrrr...I hate having two jobs...but I needs the crdits...


But never mind that...AW POOPIES!!

See, such a situation like that one is where the US military's approach would actually work rather well: Drop in a few area effect stun grenades, drop everybody to the floor, and sort the unconscious bodies later...ah well...Not everybody can be as cool as Boba Fett I guess...


And I loved this line:

?If you want to stay alive, come with me,?

Very "Terminator" moment, I loved it!

Great job! And sorry for being such a delinquent poster...

 

Hey, no worries, Rok. I completely understand. Glad you liked the post. Yeah, I wanted to evoke the Terminator image without directly quoting (something I've tried to avoid for the most part). Anyway, here's a quieter post that thickens the plot. I would also like to say that the views of Drace Ashelum as the Rainbow Order leader do not reflect mine as the originator of the Rainbow Order thread.

------------------

The tall man with a clean-shaven head walked up to Ressut Glure in a crowded outdoor marketplace. ?Ezekiel Rithig,? Glure greeted. ?What do you have to report??

?The target escaped,? he replied. ?With assistance from your prospects. You did not mention that they would be a factor.?

?For the simple reason that I didn?t know. If I had, I would have advised further precautions.?

?Rare of you to acknowledge your limitations, Glure.?

?Mister Rithig, I have no problems with admitting when I?m wrong. It just doesn?t happen often.

?Here are your new orders,? he continued, removing a datacard from the pocket of his shirt and handing it to Rithig. ?The Master wishes you to return home once the assignment is complete.? The tall man nodded solemnly and glided away.

Glure strolled into a café and opted to be seated on the patio, feeling the evening air, still cool after the previous day?s storms. As promised, he was asked to take a call half an hour after transmitting Rithig?s report. He slipped a fifty to the staffer by the telephone and shooed him away for privacy. He listened intently as the speaker began speaking. ?You are to return home, Ressut. I have need of you.?

?Are you certain you don?t have a task for me to complete first, Master? You could have given me Rithig?s. I don?t trust him.?

A chuckle came back over the comm. ?Of course you don?t. It?s your nature to not trust. That?s why you?re working for me. You should trust my servants, though. They are just as worthy of your faith as you are of mine. Perhaps more so. I will see you here.?

?Yes, Master.? The connection terminated and Glure put down the receiver, thinking about travel arrangements to get off Corellia. He paid his bill and was about to leave for the spaceport when he noticed a very attractive woman walking by. Well, he did have to pay for this night on his hotel bill since he hadn?t checked out in time, and he was in no hurry to leave. Another night wouldn?t hurt. Maybe it could be a long one.

He was about to start a conversation with her when he remembered that the others that served his master would no doubt be returning as well. He could not afford to delay and leave them the chance to force him out. He changed direction and started toward the spaceport, paying the hotel electronically. There would be time for rewards such as her later. Those rewards and more would be his.

**************

Selin stared at the man who said his name was Drace Ashelum critically. Drace was sitting across the galley table, nursing a cup of caf. Selin laid his hand over Velu?s and leaned over to whisper in her ear. ?You?re sure this is the guy we?re looking for??

?Positive,? she whispered back. ?Not a doubt in my mind.?

?Then that?s good enough.? He straightened up and broke the hushed atmosphere. ?So, how?d you learn that teleportation trick??

Drace looked up from his drink. ?Long story.?

?That?s all right,? Jen said, her holographic representation appearing from a projector in the table, one of many throughout the Hybrid, fitted for just this kind of situation. ?We?re used to those around here.?

Drace seemed a little taken aback by Jen?s sudden appearance, but recovered quickly. ?I used to live on Kuat. Several years ago, before the invasion, I left home for the Unknown Regions. Wanted to see the side of the galaxy nobody else did. When I came out of hyperspace on one of my jumps, I ended up flying straight into an asteroid field. No warning. My ship was out of commission, dead in space. That?s when they showed up. The Aing-Tii monks. They?re Force-user

 

Heh, cool, nice backstory! Nice to see that you fleshed out the story of the Rainbow Order a bit even though there wasn't much from the actual thread to go by. Great job! ^_^


And yes...interesting notion with the whole "Ashelum" deal...I guess we'll figure out what the 'shiny' guy meant soon enough!

 

It never hurts to get a certain name fitted in the story somewhere to give a story some humble quality to it.

Nice short back story. Got a feeling that I can bet money on that the funky monks weren't just calling Drace Ashelum because he smells good. Definately this meeting with Selin and Velu is no coincidence.

Joy! Destiny coming into focus is always fun!!!!

BURP!

 

FORWARD!

 

Rok: Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it. I was planning for this story and at the same time of cool things Drace could do independently of the planning and the two trains of thought came together, and behold, a major Make Yourself character was brought into the fold. From there I just had to decide what he was doing back on Corellia.

Casper: Well, I'm not the first to do it. It's not something I'll stress, but I thought it would be kind of neat. As for the Ashelum thing, it seems that Drace is the only one who doesn't buy into it, and that's gonna culminate in a post that I think is gonna pack one heck of a wallop, provided I pull it off.

New post by Sunday, so I can finally catch up to my customary 12 page buffer. Since you've been so patient with me though, I'm going to provide a little look at what I call...

Similarities
-----------------

Sometimes our ideas just happen to coincide with those of others unintentionally. I think we've all done it. It's occurred to me that Ressut Glure is not dissimilar from one Agent Smith, of the Matrix films. Both have a pentient for referring to our heroes formally: "Mister Anderson." "Mister Glif." Both have come back from the dead, after a fashion (Glure's will be revealed later, I'm actually not too far from writing that part). The biggest difference is that Agent Smith provides a physical threat to the protagonist, while Glure is more a mastermind, like Lex Luthor to Superman.


Forcefire out.

 

Here we go, on to the introduction of a major player in the story.

-----------

Selin walked into the Hydrospanner cantina, surveying the establishment as he pulled up a seat at a table near the bar. A waitress that looked as though she had been through a hard day came to his table and asked for his order in a voice that confirmed the guess. ?Water,? he said. His healing capabilities made it nearly impossible for alcohol to affect him, but his old military habits kept Selin from drinking while on missions.

The cantina had changed quite a bit in the year or so since his first visit. There were probably seven armed guards hanging around, not attempting to look casual as the Rodians protecting Fless Tay?enk had been. The alterations were no doubt a direct effect of the ease with which Selin had penetrated Tay?enk?s security measures. He heard some noise from across the cantina and craned his neck to see two more toughs trying to intimidate someone. He stood to see who it was and froze. It was Boba Fett. He wore a reflective silver helmet and a poncho covered him from the neck down, but it was him, without a doubt. Selin ducked back down with a hissed curse. Fett was good. He could eat every thug that had tried for the bounty for breakfast, with the exception of the Tuxedo Killer, maybe. He accepted his drink and scooted closer to hear what the hired muscle was saying to Fett.

?You?ve been told, Tay?enk just hired a head enforcer,? one was saying. Selin narrowed his eyes. It sounded as though Tay?enk wanted to expand. It must?ve been something big if Fett wanted in on ground floor.

?Besides,? the other said, ?what good is someone as ancient as you??

?I just want to speak to Tay?enk. I could bring a lot to this organization.?

?Just leave,? the first said as the others got up. ?Or we make you.? The others drew closer, brandishing assorted blasters.

Fett cocked his head to the right and there was an audible click. When the bounty hunter spoke again, gone was the chilling, emotionless voice, replaced by that of a woman. ?Not until I talk to your boss, boys.? Two lightsaber blades, one red, one blue, erupted from the poncho, slicing it to shreds as they were spun in a tight circle around their owner, revealing reflective silver Mandalorian battle armor protecting a female form.

She ducked under sudden blasterfire, blades buzzing angrily. She came back up swinging her blade upwards into a thug?s stomach. As she withdrew that blade, she thrust the other into another?s chest. The woman kicked a man behind her hard, driving him back and knocking him to the floor. She whirled in a circle, lopping one henchman?s head from his shoulders and catching another in the knee. She paused to deflect an incoming barrage of blasterfire, but did not see the man behind her raising his blaster rifle. Selin rose from his table as he drew his blaster and switched it to shell fire. One smooth squeeze of the trigger took the thug?s life and saved the woman?s.
Not that she seemed to need much of it, he noticed, as the last man on his feet took a swing at her and the momentum carried him through her body as though she wasn?t there. Without looking she stabbed her lightsaber backwards and impaled him. The woman whipped around to look at Selin, but before she could say anything she had to deflect a scattering of bolts from the man she had kicked away early in the fight. She extended her right arm toward him and fired a thick, twenty-centimeter spike through the air and the man?s shoulder, pinning him to the wall. She smoothly deactivated and put away her lightsaber, then drew a blaster carbine that was clipped to her jet pack, which did not contain a rocket at the moment. The thug struggled to pull himself off the wall, then looked up just in time to see a streak of red screaming toward his face.

?Who are you?? she demanded as she replaced the carbine.

?The name?s Selin Glif. Does Fett know you?re stealing his shtick??

?Uncle Boba? Yeah.?

?Uncle??? He was about to press furth

 

WHOOPS! You posted!

I missed it. Sorry, sorry, sorry. Dang heat wave!

I'll be right back after reading this post.

 

A pretty cool new character, and a female to boot! Woohoo!

Resurrection, eh? Better name than any I guess; it works. I mean Sexy Fett would be just too obvious.

Lightsabers? Well, she doesn't have Jango's phobia by the looks of things. One wonders: like Boba is she using them for the matter of convience, or does she know the Force and uses it, and therefore the lightsabers? Definately interesting either way.

MELTING!

 

Casper, there's a reason for the name. Don't expect to find it in this story, though. After all, how much did we know about Boba at first? She's definately Force-powered, all right. I probably could have conveyed this better, but she did become intangible a couple times in this scene. Expect a tiny bone on that fact. Glad you like her.

On another note, I just finally saw Pirates of the Carribean. That's a really fun movie, and one I highly recommend. New post Monday. I hope.

ARRR!

 

Okay, cool dude.

I might see 'Pirates' on Monday night, or Tuesday.

SHIMAMEETIMBERS!!!!!!!

 

All right, this is my first-ever attempt at space combat.

----------------

The Hybrid came out of hyperspace shortly after Fett?s transport, a seemingly beat-up patrol ship she called the Yasalla. Selin was certain that the apparent state of disrepair was to lure in enemies, though. That would be just like a Fett, he thought. He keyed the comm frequency they had agreed to use. ?Everything on your end set for the next jump??

?Set,? Fett confirmed.

?Before we get going, how do you do that passing through solid objects thing??

?I?m what?s known as a Grey Jedi.?

?Grey??

?Old secret order of Jedi. They could do all sorts of things that normal Jedi never learned.?

Selin waited for her to elaborate, but there was only silence from the woman. ?That all??

?All you need to know,? she replied.

Selin shrugged and was about to give the order to move into position for the next jump when an alarm began blaring. ?Multiple contacts,? Jen reported. ?Starfighters, coming in fast.?

?Jen, take the helm. I?m going for the quad lasers.?

?You?re lucky I absorbed a piloting program.?

?I know it.? Selin raced into the main portion of the ship where Velu and Drace were having a discussion about the Force. Selin wished he knew enough about it to have that kind of talk with his wife, but banished the thought as quickly as it came. ?We?re under attack. Starfighters are coming that?ll be able to hit us before we can get into jump position. Ashelum, there?s a proton torpedo launcher on a turret where the starboard escape pod used to be. Velu, get to the cannon and wait for a shot.? The two made indications of acknowledgement and scrambled to their positions. As Velu and Selin headed for the ladders to their stations, Selin stopped her before she could begin climbing. He leaned over and kissed her. When they broke contact Velu spoke no words, but gave him a smile that made Selin glad once again that he had married this woman.

They wordlessly went to their places and waited. They didn?t wait long as two of the six fighters- mostly uglies, or hybrid ships- screamed in at top speed. Selin smiled. He was in a real hybrid vessel. One of the interesting things about the Vong that had captured and altered him was that they had no reservations about mixing technology and their own shaping methods. This vessel was a gift to the Peace Brigade from an installation that was separate from the one where the Vong had tried to bend him to their will. The Peace Brigade lost it to pirates, who in turn lost it to Selin. The Hybrid was a heavily modified YT-1300 that the Vong modified further. The first modifications were the proton torpedo launcher where Drace was stationed, and the huge heavy cannon on the bottom portion of the ship. The Vong overlaid the ship with a deep blue translucent substance that acted sort of as a second hull. It took the blasts just as well as a shield could, and eventually grew itself back. In addition, it contained highly sensitive sensors, which was what gave them enough warning to prepare.

He turned his attention to a fighter that replaced X-wing s-foils with TIE fighter solar panels. He didn?t know the name. Let the fighter pilots remember that stuff. Selin checked his display panel and began firing. The ugly jerked out of the path of the incoming fire and continued its attack run. He kept tracking the fighter with fire to prevent it from centering in on any one spot and wearing it down. The tactic worked as the fighter went away having dealt only minor damage. Selin kept following it and fired a shot that separated a solar panel from the ship and sent it spinning away.

The next ugly was one of the same type. It came in from the bottom. However, it came in too early, and, by the sound of it, the pilot barely had time to regret coming inside Velu?s effective range as it was vaporized by the massive cannon.

Another fighter, this one TIE-based, came in on Selin?s side of the ship and began firing, aiming for the spots it

 

First time writing a space battle? You sure?

No, you did fine. In fact you did it right; short and connective, yet descriptive. Plus you continued the tension by adding the last part ala 'A New Hope'; they got away, but they didn't necessarily get away.

Which of course leads to more galactic carnage!

 

Thanks, Casper. Oh yes, there's carnage a plenty to come. Short post today.

----------------

Once they had reached the Olegos system, the group hung on the outer edges to avoid being seen by the many hired killers that stayed on Olegos III. The passengers on the Hybrid moved to Fett?s less distinctive ship, the Felosa. On board, they made preparations. Selin?s appearance had to be altered in order to avoid the undesirable situation of fighting off hundreds of killers eager to collect on the death mark on his head. An artificial scar was placed on his face in the spot where the Tuxedo Killer tried to place one. That had been Selin?s idea. They also placed contacts in Selin?s eyes, one to change the color of his left eye to a clearly nonhuman red, and the other a milky white in a continuation of the false scar?s travel. It was opaque to observers, but Selin?s vision was perfectly intact. Lastly, his hair was dyed to white and his hairstyle was changed with gel. The overall effect would be enough to throw off practically any observer.

They received permission to land and set down on the outskirts of Fearlin City. Selin and Velu went to collect information while Fett left to gather supplies. Drace remained with the ship.

The newlyweds found all the informants they could want in one place: HitCon, the yearly convention of assassins, mercenaries, and bounty hunters. It began years before as a gathering of a few allied mercenary groups and gradually grew into a place for hired guns to swap stories, purchase weaponry, and share trade secrets. For a gathering of the volatile personality types the attendees usually were, fatalities were surprisingly few. HitCon was generally viewed as neutral ground.

Selin and Velu split up to ask around, but not before Velu made her husband promise not to make a scene. He began to wander the convention center, occasionally stopping to look some display set up to show off the newest weapons from each of the major manufacturers, along with booths made by highly specialized small companies.

It was at one of these that Selin found his lead. He stopped in front of a small weapon touted to be a new step in repeater blaster technology. He leaned over it and picked it up, examining the weapon?s weight and features. Selin set down the weapon, dismissing it as not worth the cost, and was about to move on when a Quarren stepped toward Selin confrontationally. ?I don?t like your face,? he growled.

Selin reminded himself of his promise to Velu and ignored the alien. ?Don?t you hear me, human?? he continued. ?Or are you just too gutless to answer me??

?Look,? Selin said in exasperation. ?I?m looking for weapons, not trouble.?

?Well, you found both.?

Selin did not back down as the Quarren drew closer to him, but found it increasingly difficult to hold himself back. He was bracing himself for a blow when he saw a human hand tap on the Quarren?s shoulder. The alien turned around and immediately received a punch to his tentacled face. He stumbled back and fell on a nearby display table, where the human man pinned him with a knife that appeared in his hand in a movement almost too fast to follow. Another knife was in his left hand and pressed to the Quarren?s throat. ?Back off,? he hissed. ?Or I bring down every friend of mine in this building down on your head.?

The man straightened up and turned to face Selin and extended a hand in greeting as he placed the knife in his hand in a sheath hidden from Selin. ?He won?t give you anymore trouble. Name?s Teletos Tyberr. What?s your business at HitCon??

?Weren Mactog . Mainly looking for weapons, maybe connections. I?m planning on going after this Selin Glif guy. Heard he was tough and decided that more firepower would be needed. Know much about him? I?m relying on second-hand information.?

?Most of it is on that hit. Tell you what, if you do kill the guy, take the proof over to Gallows. Little planet on the edge of the Unknown Regions, barely counts as part of the New Republic.

 

I swear on a stack of Yodas I posted here yesterday. What the heck? Honestly!

Let's see..........what did I say? Oh.

LOL! HitCon!!! Ah man, what yarn.

Can't pick on the fanatics and geeks there: they'll kill you! Really, they will.

Good post.

 

Glad you liked it, Casper. I really liked HitCon (which grew out of reading about a serial killer convention in one of Neil Gaiman's comics). I might put it in another story, provided I can come up with an idea for using it again.

Also, as of now, the amount of story posted has surpassed the length of New Skin. Yay!

-----------

Teletos Tyberr slipped out of the convention center and surreptitiously glanced around the street outside. Apparently satisfied, he strolled nonchalantly into a nondescript building next door. He paused in the middle of the set of double doors and seemed to be listening to something. ?No, you can?t come out and play.? He paused again. ?Only if things get too hot. Now shut up.? Tyberr walked calmly past the secretary?s desk, flashing a forged ID. He punched in the keypad code he had been given and stepped into the sterile lab on the other side.

Busy scientists briefly glanced up from their work and went back to ignoring him. He was dressed in a long black coat and wore crimson gauntlets, but they paid him no mind. Their work was all that mattered to them. A security guard stepped up to him. ?New here? Lemme just run you through the scanner?? The human ran a handheld scanning device over Tyberr and received a negative sounding beep. He frowned. ?Funny, you?re not on file.?

Tyberr sighed Just when things were going so well, too. A knife flew into his hand and he stabbed the guard, unseen by the scientists. The guard made a gagging noise and doubled over as his blood flowed onto Tyberr?s gauntlets, which were just the right shade to conceal the blood on his hands. ?This man is sick,? Tyberr called as he steadied the guard, withdrew the knife, and led him deeper into the laboratory. One of the employees waved acknowledgement and Tyberr headed for his ultimate destination.

There was another guard at the desk outside the vault. He looked up from his reading material, his face instantly displaying concern when he saw the now dead human. Tyberr had stabbed quite skillfully. ?What?s wrong?? he asked.

?Nothing,? Tyberr replied as he drew a knife in a flash and threw it into the guard?s head. ?Nothing I can?t fix.?

He telekinetically yanked the knife back into his hand and sheathed it. He grabbed the guard?s key card and opened the vault. On the other side were a dozen guards, all well armed. ?All right,? Tyberr breathed. ?Now you can play.?

A maniac grin overtook the man?s face. ?Playtime!? Two knives flew from their sheathes into his hands and were quickly directed into the throats of two guards. The others drew their weapons and fired, but their shots were blocked by four knives that were ripped from their sheathes and spun in midair at incredible speeds, moving to deflect oncoming bolts.

Tyberr pulled six more knives from his coat, one between each of his fingers, save for his thumbs and forefingers. A horizontal swing of each of his arms later the knives found their marks. Three of the guards got too close to him and were shredded by the knives he used to deflect incoming fire. Satisfied, Tyberr telekinetically placed those knives back where they belonged and pulled the knives from his victims through the air two by two, another pair in hand as soon as he could sheath the last. Soon he had collected them all and had two in hand.

He was about to step forward, but whirled around without warning and slashed the remaining guard with both knives. ?Do I have to go?? he asked what seemed like no one. He sighed. ?Fine.?

Tyberr?s face contorted temporarily and returned to the calm man that had entered the building. He walked up to the safe at the end of the room and entered the code he had received with his fake ID and grabbed the contents from the safe. He took it all. That would conceal the real target of the robbery: plans for a new generation of Human Replica Droid. He surveyed the carnage with a brief glance. ?You make such a mess.? Then, he barked out a laugh. ?Yes, I do love it.?

 

Congrats on making it this far in the sequel. Keep it up: remember, the goal is to finish what you started.

Neil Gaiman? Did he write 'The Sandman' comics series? His name does sound familiar.

Anyhoot-hoot-hoot: There are times when I know I'm sooooooooooo right about a character, like in the case of Teletos Tyberr. And then..............he talks to himself, and I discover I'm not all right.

Oh, that was confusing (my speech that is.)

But not only is Tyberr listening to voices, apparently the voices are skilled. Yikes!

What in the name of George Frickn' Lucas is going on here? Can't wait to find out.

And....... I bet Rok will be posting soon. Only a hunch, though, but soon.......

FORWARD!

 

I swear Casper practices some form of clairvoyance...I don't know how he does it yet, but I know he has it!

Oooo! But what to comment on first? It sures seems like the Schitzos are coming out of the wood-work! I think this is the second story I've read through today featuring a character with multiple personalities. Now that's scary...and so is this guy's skill with knives...definitely more to Mister Hyde over here than it seems.

And a femme Fett! With lightsabers! Interesting development there indeed!


Sorry for being delinquent for so long. I'm trying real hard not to make a habit of it! No really honest!

 

Casper: Thanks! Yes, Neil Gaiman did indeed write Sandman (which I really should get around to reading), though the serial killer convention in question may have been in another story. Glad to see I can still keep the intrigue going. By the way, I'm sorry I've been absent in TSM prologue one, but I still need to finish TFL. I've been slacking on that.

Rok: Hey, great to have you back! Don't worry, we all have things that keep us away. Expect to receive a PM with a couple more Heroclix dials.

I'd also like to take this time to say, lurkers, if you're out there, feel free to say hi. Now for a new post that will end this part of the story.

---------------

Selin and Velu met Fett in a diner not far from the convention center. Despite the fact that it was not a prime time for eating, the place was practically full, and the three were left with only two choices for booths, neither close to the window, which Selin considered ideal. He liked to see trouble coming. They settled for the spot with the better level of visibility. The holo display ran news of a city that had been destroyed by an orbiting weapons satellite. ?I?ve got a lead,? Selin began, and explained the encounter with Tyberr.

Fett shook her helmeted head. ?I don?t like it. A stranger just gives you information? Did he at least ask for money??

?No. I would say that maybe I found the only nice guy on Olegos III, but I don?t believe it. Maybe he?s employed by the people who spread the word for whoever wants to kill me, they did something to make him mad, and his way of getting back at them is by giving strangers tips so they won?t have to pay to find out they need to go to Gallows.?

?A little farfetched, don?t you think??

?Well, there?s no good reason to lie to a stranger, either. I say we look into it.?

?Fine. Let?s get going.?

As they stood up, a Gotal carrying a satchel approached them. ?Excuse me,? he said to Selin, ?are you Selin Glif??

?No he isn?t,? Velu said, waving her hand as a focusing exercise for the Jedi mind trick.

The Gotal seemed satisfied, but a figure obscured by shadows stood up and shouted, ?She?s using the Force to cloud your mind!?

?Which means she was lying,? the Gotal said with a smile. ?This man is Selin Glif,? the Gotal shouted.

Selin quickly assessed the situation. A room full of people willing to kill for the right sum had just been informed that a reasonably hefty sum was available in the room. He couldn?t finesse his way out. He couldn?t buy his way out. The only option left was to take them all down before they could get him first.

His mind was still racing as the occupants of the diner stood practically in unison, even a pair of waitresses pulling blasters. A Shistavanen wolfman was trying to sneak up on Selin from the right, where the white contact made him appear blind. The Shistavanen was about to bring a deactivated vibroblade down on Selin?s head when Selin drew his blasters, pointing one at the Shistavanen?s face and the other at the Gotal, stopping them short and catching the would-be killer by surprise.

Everyone in the diner froze for a moment, the place still and silent. Selin?s hand was forced when someone shot him in the chest. He didn?t let that throw off his aim as he blew away the Shistavanen, then blew the Gotal?s head cone from his head. The alien collapsed into unconsciousness automatically. Selin grabbed him as he fell and used his body as a shield, returning fire to the many hostile occupants of the diner. Fett lit up her lightsabers and started deflecting blasterfire while Velu coordinated them through the Force. Blasterfire destroyed all the fake plants and reproductions of famous art around the three while they remained untouched by the attacks, or in Selin?s case, only temporarily touched. The cook stumbled out of the kitchen with a disruptor rifle in hand, but Selin shot him in the face before he got a shot off.

Fett edged them toward the glass front of the diner and phased through the glass, leaving Selin to create his own exit