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Arkania

The Graeme Apex had just arrived out of hyperspace to this planet after a week’s long hiatus on Ruusan. A local Hutt had hired the crew to seal a mine that was giving him financial woes for his own crystal sales. Not really caring who or where they got their money from, Galion Trask accepted the bid and made plans to stop the harvesting and eliminate the competition on Arkania in a large explosion.

Nevard was usually kept out of the planning. He was ready for field action under the guidance of his mentor, but was still far off from being able to carry his own weight. For now, he trained under Bishops tutelage and worked with Nandox to further decrypt the files recorded off of Ord Mantell.

Recently there was a breakthrough with the files leading the crew to search out Ruusan for the Imperial logo found at the cloning facility. Days of searching and asking locals questions turned up nothing. But this was the first time Nevard was exposed to Bishops emotions on the subject. Without even thinking Bishop was grabbing the blaster at his hip when people would casually brush off the questions he had. If it wasn't for Cas and Galion being there to calm him down those locals might have been in danger.

It was dark out, but early in the morning on the planets side where the specific cave entrance was. Galion set up a plan so flawless it would have made any special operations book worm jealous. The team was to be split in four groups - Galion was going to infiltrate the light tower located outside the cave entrance and set thermal timers to destroy the area. He would then climb to high ground to watch if anyone would get in the way of the next phase proceeding to plan. With the distraction of the explosions outside Cas would slip into the cave and find the main power generator for the entire facility. She would have to hurry because first light would be coming up soon along with the projected repair time Galion gave the miners before they would return inside being less than three minutes. Once phase two was finished and total power was knocked out, it was time for Bishop, Flek, and Nevard to finalize the mission. Coming out from the rear of the mine was a natural water stream that was flowing into a shallow lake. The three of them would follow the stream as far as they could inside and let loose gas grenades. The effect was planned so that the gas would carry throughout the mine towards the entrance, like a vacuum, and cause all the workers inside to run out. Once the cave was clear of all workers Nandox would fly towards the entrance and use the Graeme Apex’s' main cannons to destroy the entrance and collapse the mine.

Nevards' only instruction was to stay near Bishop at all times and mind his surrounding's. The plan was finished with everyone synchronizing their wrist timers and setting their portable ship beacons to be picked up when it was all over.

When it was time the crew was all dropped off at one location while the Apex itself took off 3 miles west of the cave. Galion and Cas headed north towards the entrance while Bishop, Flek, and Nevard went south towards the stream. Bishop reassured Nevard that as long as thing didn't go out of hand this should be easy.

In less than twenty minutes time later the three were in position and ready to go. Galion looked to his wrist timer and infiltrated the mine grounds with ease. He quickly made it to the light tower where a guard was posted. Using the rear end of his rifle, Galion knocked him out from behind and proceeded to plant thermal detonators. He then hiked the guard up on his shoulder and moved the worker a few feet away from the tower before proceeding on to his next location.

At the same time Cas had just made her way to right outside the cave entrance. Fifteen seconds later the thermals exploded on time which caused a loud alarm to be sounded, but no miners exiting the cave. Cas quickly entered the cave and saw that it was literally empty. There were no workers, no carts, no sifters, no droids, and no diamonds. Things were definitely wrong and Cas tried to escape but the local authorities had already reached the area. With nowhere to go, Cas ran inward towards the cave hoping to get out through the back.

Time was running out before the gas grenades Bishop and Flek was going to ignite and they were just outside the lake with no chance to make it in time to shut them off. With no reception inside the cave for Cas Galion quickly radio'd in to Nandox that the plan needed to be adverted and a pick up was needed asap. They couldn't start a fight with local authorities if they wanted to get away scott free and they couldn't afford for Cas to be arrested. Something was definitely wrong.

While inside with the power off Cas had to rely on the small light attached to her shoulder. She wandered around aimlessly until she found a small room, possibly for breaks. There was resistance when she tried to push it open, but with a little effort it barely gave her enough room to poke her head through. With a horrific fright she saw where the miners had all gone - stuffed inside this room bound and gagged then shot. Not knowing what was going on Cas heard the authorities entering into the cave and she had to think fast. Once the police had made it to this room they were horrified. There were workers, male and female, all dead. A couple of police stayed while the rest ran outside to inform others what was inside. It was when the three stayed behind that Cas made her move. Disguised as one of the dead bodies in the dark Cas unsheathed an older vibro knife and killed the three pretty handedly. Efficient cuts were made to their wrists, knees, and necks in graceful movements. One guard didn't die immediately, but was dead none the less. His wrist was cut so he couldn't hold up a blaster; His knee was cut so he couldn't stand; and his necks was bleeding. Not leaving the man to suffer Cas quickly made another swipe that made a Pez dispenser out of the policeman's head.

Outside the Apex arrived just short of the mines perimeter with no detection. Galion hopped into the Ava-1 and instructed Nandox to get the rest while he would get Cas. Both ships took off at one time and were greeted by even more units. Galion looked at his timer and began to descend to the ground as if he were surrendering. The Apex took right off and had half of the air born police team follow him. Once on land, Galion shut off his engines and put his hands up, all the while still looking at his timer. Two units made there way over to him with their rifles pointed squarely at Galion’s nose. Ten seconds. One of the units instructed Galion to get out his ship while the other began reaching for his restraints. 5 seconds. Galion began lowering his hands out to be cuffed. Zero seconds. The gas grenades went off and made a large boom. Galion quickly started up his thrusters and flew through the smoke coming from the entrance. Cas was waiting for him right there as Galion pulled a 180 degree turn, opened the cockpit for Cas to jump onto his lap, and quickly take off.

On the other side of the mine Nandox was heading towards Bishops beacon. In the distance both Bishop and Flek saw that the Apex was being tailed and so they ducked under cover. Bishop and Flek pulled out their blaster rifles while Nevard readied his side arm. Bishop held his hand up and told the two to wait; keep waiting. The Apex flew right over the threes head and Bishop ordered them all to fire. The mini cruisers being used by the police units were unshielded and were easily damaged. Many of the other units behind them simply lowered towards the ground for more hand to hand fighting. Flek kept his distance and relied on his weapons while Nevard was surrounded by 5 officers. He tried his best but his implants were too poor in design for fighting and he was manhandled, giving off only a decent bit of defense. Bishop was dealing with 4 officers himself when he saw Nevard was in trouble. He quickly used techniques trained to him in his youth that disposed of the local authorities with ease. Bishop then ran over to the officers that were trouncing on Nevards’ broken body. Choking off, then nerve punching, one of the guards Bishop got the attention of all four that were left. They began circling him and tried to attack all at once. Bishop dodged the first ones punch, then kicked the second one in knee cap. The third caught him from behind and held him up for the fourth to work over. But Bishop used the back of his head to head-butt the officer holding him, breaking his nose. The first then caught Bishop with a punch across the face which was quickly retaliated with a spinning punch from Bishop back at the officer. With Bishop on the ground breathing heavily the fourth officer stood over him before being blasted in the chest by Flek.

With more officers on their way and Bishop and Nevard hurt, the Apex finally opened its hangar door and picked up the three. They quickly took off and met with the Ava-1 heading into orbit. As always, Galion had a plan and dropped ion boxes that, when detonated, caused a blinding flash and disrupted any exhaust readings that their ships might be leaving to be followed.


A lot of blood was spilled for something as small as a trade dispute between two gem dealers. Nevard was disturbed by how casual the crew seemed about it but was especially afraid at how he was not able to handle himself in a real fight. Bishop reassured him that there will be more fights to come and that sometime you win some and some times you lose some.  Bishop, however, looked more distraught than anyone else. He was looking at his face in a mirror and the bruise a guard had given him. Maybe he was feeling like his own mortality is catching up with him?

In any case, Galion was not happy at all with what all transpired. He set course back to Ruusan with the intention of asking the Hutt a few questions…

Re: Between Man and Demon (closed)

Nevard was sprawled out along the back workbench. The seams where his body met his implants all had the smallest signs of bleeding. The fight on Arkania proved not only that he wasn't skilled enough to protect himself but that his own body was not ready for high physical stress.

Bishop had to hold Nevard down at the shoulders while Cadmus used a welding pin to reseal the implants back to their tissues. Nevard screamed out at first, but the high pain factor soon took over his body so much that he passed out. The Graeme Apex didn't provide a smooth enough ride for such meticulous work, so a lot of scarring and new wounds were left all over his body. Cas was at the pilot seat with Trask at her side. The local authorities were fooled because of the ion boxes that covered the exhaust readings of the ship, but it would only be a matter of time before photo readouts would be posted on every holovid from here to Mustafar. Galion was in a pinch. He couldn’t jump to light speed because of Nevards’ condition. With all his bleeding any amount of shock, no matter how large or small, could rupture any damage he has to any vital organs; Looks like the fight on Arkania wasn't over yet.

Seeing a small squad of interceptors on the radar Galion and Cas jumped into both Evas' and prepared them for combat. Nandox got on the Apexs' helm and headed her nose towards Ruussan while Eva-1 and Eva-2 headed back towards the squad coming their way. Cadmus was working as fast as he could to stop the bleeding around Nevards leg, arm, and eye but the more he worked the worse Nevard became. One hundred clicks away from the Apex Galion and Cas engaged the squadron now tailing them from the planets surface. Both fighters we good pilots but even better partners than the single enemy flight tactics. When one Eva had an enemy on its Six another Eva would appear behind the both of them to help out. Watching the two fighters work this way, one helping out the other in rotation, was a true sight to behold. The squadron from the planet kept tight formations with a wingman on every ship. They would roll out, drop speed, and fire all guns in unison. But Galions’ style of flight made the enemy fight his way. They couldn't approach him with any normal text book pattern without leaving them completely exposed to Cas' support fire. About the only disadvantage Galion had against him, other than their numbers to his two ships, was money. Energy packs were expensive for both Evas' engines let alone their onboard guns; That’s why the two of them gave no wasted shots. It was either shoot to kill or don't shoot at all.

The Apex was now two hundred clicks out from the battle with only one ship from the planet having passed the Evas'. Nandox called for someone to man the onboard guns while he executed dodging maneuvers. Bishop stared coldly at Cadmus, which gave an uneasy tension to the back room. Cadmus nodded and ran to the cockpits defensive control board. Having no wish to kill anymore, Bishop stayed behind with Nevard pressing down gauze over anywhere that was bleeding. When Cadmus powered on the main firing blaster he lined up the target on the navi-computer. A good shot at the ships cockpit should end it all pretty quickly. But Cadmus was above the standard of lesser men and like to aim for the back engines. Hitting them with a reduced power blast should disable the ships power all together. The fighter would lose oxygen in about twenty minutes, but he was still close enough to the planet to be rescued in time. Meanwhile, Galion yelled over the intercom that it was time to leave. If he and Cas stayed around too long the entire planets defense force would join up soon and they'd be done for. He then ordered Cas to finish the fighting and burn out all engines to rejoin the Apex. On the way back Galion deployed one more mini ion box to blind the squadron behind them and destroyed the dormant ship that Cadmus left alive.

Nandox pressed the button to let loose two tow-hook cables from the Apexs' nose and prepared for light speed towards Ruusan. As soon as the Evas caught up and locked themselves into the cables the Apex would jump to light speed, dragging the fighters behind it. It wasn't a safe practice for the crew or the ships to constantly engage this maneuver, but in a pinch it could get them out of a bad situation quickly. Once in light speed the two ships dragging behind the Apex would be tumbling around while lowering the optimum jump speed for the Apex. All pilots had to be skilled for this because once they stopped the two ships that were being dragged would still have light speed momentum while still attached to the main ship. If timed correctly the Apex would have to disengage the hooks from its hull so the two fighters could engage their own engines to even out their ships before crashing into one another.

When Galion and Cas finally caught up the Apex the maneuver was engaged. The ship went into light speed and the planets defense force was left behind. Bishop had strapped down Nevard to the table before buckling in his own belt. Light speed would have to last for at least five minutes to get far enough away from their previous position before they could come out of it and compose themselves. And like everything on the Graeme Apex all went according to plan. Five minutes after jumping they came out of light speed. Nandox unlatched the tow-hooks and Galion and Cas engaged their engines to just pull out of the drag and narrowly miss hitting the Apex.

As soon as everything was checked to be clear, Eva-1 and Eva-2 docked on the Apexs' mid hull and the crew was set to make way for Ruusan. Cadmus ran back to the work area to check on Nevard. Galion followed out of mere curiosity but excused himself by saying he had to recharge his blaster with the energy packs located there. Bishop had unbuckled himself and began untying Nevard as soon as the other two arrived. Nevard was still unconscious with gauze layered over his body which made the three looking over him nervous. Cadmus removed the bloody scrapped from over Nevards arm at first, and then the leg, to find that the bleeding stopped on its own. Bishop then removed the patch over Nevards eye and saw that not only did the bleeding stop but that the extra wounds Cadmus created from using the welding pin had cleared up as well. They all gave each other a strange site and resumed their business. Bishop re-strapped Nevard back to the bench for the time being while Cadmus headed back to the cockpit. Galion walked to the back wall and grabbed the extra energy packs he had gone there for in the first place. He remarked to Bishop that this new "cargo" was an interesting find to which Bishop agreed. Galion noted that "family or not" this man could be a threat to the entire ship one day and should not be kept long after they find news of where Turren Haddocks wife and daughter are located. Bishop simply nodded and the conversation ended there.

Back in the cockpit Nandox laid in coordinates for the hutts location. Galion strapped himself into the co-pilot seat while Cadmus stayed at the navi-station. Trask quickly remarked to Cadmus that if any soldier from any rival of theirs were left alive again that Cadmus would be left out in dead space to make sure that that rival was dead before being allowed back on the Apex. Cadmus' face froze for a second as he agreed with the captain of the ship while then turning his attention to the weapons system screen. Cas locked herself into the seats nearest the Eva ports for a quick entry in case of more fighter squadrons appearing. Bishop was still in the back while standing next to Nevards body. Having a pondered look over his face Bishop locked up the welding pin in its case and headed towards Cas' position to prepare for hyper jump. When the entire crew was ready they made the jump to light speed to find the hutt and make him answer for the dilemma the Graeme Apex crew now faced…

Re: Between Man and Demon (closed)

"Joon… Joon! Time to wake up."

It was early morning on the farm and it was time to start the day. Joon was at the local town dance till 11pm the night before and was seriously drained. She knew if she didn't wake up and get started on her chores on time that her dad was gonna be mighty peeved that he ever agreed to let her out like he did.

"Oh man…" Joon sputtered out underneath her breath as she rolled the blankets down and slid out of bed. She looked over and saw that her sister was already out since her bed was made up. "I guess I should take a shower before I get out there just to wake myself up."

She lethargically motioned towards her bedroom door, but froze in her tracks as she reached the hallway that ran the entire house. Suddenly, she was in a metallic corridoor with nothing but flourescent lights running down the middle of the ceiling. As she stepped forward, one foot cautioned in front of the other, the coldness of the steel could be felt on her bare feet. The lights were getting brighter every step closer she would take towards the end.

"Who's there?!" Joon yelled out to a semi shadowy figure. His face was covered in a glow, but she could faintly see the outline of his suit. The figures posture was that of a curious sort. His hand was held at his head while tucking in his other arm underneath. It was as if he was studying her, watching her, with the kind of attention one would give to an experiment.

As Joon stared at the overwhelming light that was becoming brighter and brighter, she yelled out for her father. "Dad!? Where are you?! Help me!!"

Joon began taking steps backwards now. She was frantically pushing against the walls, trying to find a way out. Suddenly then the mysterious figure began walking towards her. She again yelled out for help, "Dad! Juul! Where are you?!"

As soon as Joon made it back to her bedroom door she slammed it shut and ran back to her bed. Hiding under the covers Joon was shaking all over in terror. There was no sign of her family or any way to leave this place. Sensing the mysterious man was going to burst in at any time, she began to lower the covers down past her brow to look at the door. But when she did she saw that it was still dark outside and that her sister was in her own bed.

"It was a nightmare…" she softly said under her breath. Laying back down and resting her bed on the pillow, Joon relaxed and was about to fall back asleep. Suddenly, the mysterious man appeared beside her under the covers and covered her mouth with one hand while pinning her whole body down with his own.

Re: Between Man and Demon (closed)

Nevards' life signs were stable, but he was stuck in some state of shock. A fever was rapidly rising in his body and his implants began bleeding again while unfusing themselves from his body. Bishop made the call to the helm that Nevard was in trouble and needed help right away. But there was nothing that could be done. The Apex came out of light speed damaged because of loose debris that wasn't projected to being in their jumps pathway, a warrant was soon going to be posted across the next 4 systems for their ship, and they were low on fuels. Add to that Bishop was worried that Nevard was struggling with something no modern medical practices could solve and there wasn't much hope for Nevards sudden ailments. "There must be something back at that factory we found him in…" Bishop thought to himself as Galion got on the intercom, telling everyone to prepare for  a hard arrival on Ruusan.

Galion was at the helm of the ship when he and Cadmus strapped in to their seats. Flashes of white began sparking up at the nose of the Apex from the blaster damage that had dented and ripped the hull up a bit. The planets atmosphere was gonna shred their ship to pieces if the ship came in at any angle. It was a rough ride, but Galion gave the order to dive straight towards the landing beacon that was showing up on the console.

"Put the nose down and set the engines to maximum boost!." Without hesitation Cadmus pull all his weight down on the control handle and the Apex made a sharp dive at 90 degrees down. Nandox and Cas were both seated in the Evas to detach when ordered while Bishop stayed in the back area with Nevard.

Pieces of the Apex began peeling back, like the top of a can, until they ripped entirely off. Long screeches of metal splitting apart could be heard all along the sides of the ship. A large rattling began and unsecured pieces of equipment began falling to the ground or breaking off from their hinges. It was a very frightening moment for a couple of the crew members, but their facial expressions would never let anyone know it. Galion yelled at Cadmus to get ready to pull up hard on the ships controls.

"3! 2! 1! Pull!" Galion ordered and Cadmus wrenched back as hard as he could. The ship nearly split in half from the momentum they gained from re-entry, but then both Eta starships activated their thrusters to help pull the ship up. It was a brief fifteen seconds of gravity pushing down on the crew, but it was enough to cause nose bleeds and oxygen deprivation.

As the ships exhausted their fuel cells the landing could only be seen as a soft crash from afar. It was still enough to rupture the lower hull of the Apex and both Eta starships broke off from their restraints, but the crew was safe enough. In the distance landspeeders could be heard coming closer to the crashed ship while Galion struggled to raise his arm to activate the inner com system.

"Is everyone alright?…Anyone? Answer me…" Galion immediately passed out and time was ticking away for the crew who are escaping Arkanias defense force and retrieving Nevard medical help.

Re: Between Man and Demon (closed)

The room was a bright white with blue pigment rimming around its upper ceiling. In the middle was an enclosed tube that looked to be six-feet long and 4-feet wide. A sudden "click" noise was made and the tube began to split in half, sliding its top away from its bottom. Inside was a body, blanketed in a silver wrap and having one elector attached to its bare chest.

Inside layed Nevard. He was cleaned up, shaven, and even had a new haircut. The tube continued its transformation as the top lid slid back and then tilted upward as the lower body moved into a vertical position. Immediately a woman dressed in white entered the room and began toiling around with the silver garb that draped its wearer.

Nevard awoke minutes later with two more people now in the room, staring at him intensely. There were no words spoken, just gestures of smiles and pointing. Nevard had been asleep ever since Arkania when he was injured by the local authorities and had no knowledge of anything that transpired since. "Where's Bishop? Where's Cas? Where's the crew of the Graeme Apex?" he asked, but there were no answers given, just smiles. Nevard frustratingly jerked himself out of the tube only to fall down hard on the floor. His prosthetics had been removed. Both men in the room then rushed over to help him up, but oddly enough stood him there to face the exit door.

"Who are you?! What do you want with me?! Where is my arm?! Answer me now!" Nevard said with a scowl.

"All fair questions" a man said as he entered the doorway. "All fair and all answerable, in time." This man was tall with spiky dark hair and a tattoo of three black lines under his right eye. Nevard stared at him attentively and knew he had seen this man before. "Who are you?" he asked subconsciously to which the man shockingly replied "I'm your older brother"…

Re: Between Man and Demon (closed)

Not paying much attention to the fact that this stranger just read his mind, Nevard released himself from the two mens grip and stumbled back abruptly until he tripped over the center stasis pod he was formally encased in.

"Who are you?" Nevard asked again, this time with more of a whimper to his voice.

"My name is Savid; Savid Nero and I'm your older brother." this man said calmly while maintaining a wry smile. "And we've been waiting for you to return to us the past year; ever since you were released from the cloning facility."

Nevards puzzled face couldn't look any more puzzled than it already was and he was carefully helped up by Savid as the two other men exited the room.

"Let me tell you a story…" Savid said while walking Nevard outside of the room with their arms interlocked. "Long ago there was a brilliant scientist who was given a great task to find the supreme being of the universe…" As the story progressed, Nevard and Savid walked along a narrow metallic hallway with single bright lights illuminating their surroundings. There were no signs of the other two men who were in Nevards room at first and yet there were no signs of other doors or paths for them to have taken. "My father, our father, was a genius ahead of his time and was and was asked by the Emperor himself in finding the secret of the Force within all sentient species." Savid continued. "He was given complete power over his own sect within the Empire and free reign over all activities within there." But before he could continue the story, Nevard felt faint and leaned up against the wall.

"I'm feeling nauseous…" Nevard thought to himself. Savid gave a quick smirk and replied "Come, let's meet the family and continue the story…"

Savid then waved his hand in front of a barren wall and an opening revealed itself. A bright green luminance shined through the new passageway and Nevard could only feel sicker as he stood up and walked through the door.

Re: Between Man and Demon (closed)

There were about twenty people in the next room, all around the ages of twenty to thirty-five. Nevards nauseousness was at its highest effect when he entered from the previous hallway. Seeing how ill Nevard was looking, a blond haired woman gently put her hand on his forehead and sat Nevard down on the closest chair. Somehow, the dizziness and sick feelings went away and Nevard felt better.

"I'm sorry about that…" Savid said as he walked to the center of the room. "I had forgotten how intrusive it is when we all reunite for the first time with one another."

The eyes of everyone on the room were fixated on Nevard as he in turn looked back at them. There were faint smiles and wonder on their faces as Savid continued speaking.

"So here we have it, the last of our family has finally come home. Let me re-introduce you to your brothers and sisters." Savid then walked to his right and put his hands on a mans shoulders. "This is Cibo." He then moved to the next in line on his left side, "And this lovely lady is Daou. Over there is Corr, Uli,  and Xander. Sitting next to you is the next youngest sibling, Iylie."

Nevard looked at Iylie, who still had her hand pressed to his forehead, and looked back to Savid. "And who are the rest of these people?"

"Ah!" Savid said while gleefuly walking towards a chair back at the center of the room. "These are our employees; the ones who make sure our jobs are that much easier in life."

"Our jobs?" Nevard asked immediately.

"Yes. You see, we are the inheritors of a great mission to bring back order to the galaxy. We are the ones who're gonna put power back in the hands of every man, woman, and child who can feel the Force. We will bring peace back to the galaxy and do away with wars and poverty and needless destruction at the hands of the corrupt. And what's best is that we will be at the top of the universe dispensing out the right justice as a family." Savid explained in an excited pose. "This is why we needed you so badly and did all that we could to get you back to us."

Nevard stood up slowly with Iylie still holding on to him, "What happened to the crew of the Graeme Apex?"

"They are of no concern to you anymore. It's best to move on and forget that nightmare of an existence you endured for the past year."

Nevard felt something odd in his gut feeling. As he looked around the room, he only saw lifelessness in the faces of these people who were calling him "brother". With his prosthetics gone and Iylie holding back the intense ill feeling feeling there was nothing Nevard could do but stand there. Still, playing the feeble bodied prisoner for these people wasn't going to stop Nevard from trying, so he acted out brashly. Nevard feigned sitting down with Iylie when he grabbed her by the same wrist of the hand she held to Nevards forehead. Twisting it around and behind her back, Nevard slowly hopped backwards while holding Iylie in a choke hold. The sick feeling instantly came back to Nevard and he immediately went weak with dizziness. In this split second Iylie spun her body around and used both of her hands to chop at Nevards throat and trip him down to the ground.

"Shame on you brother, but I guess it is all my fault." Savid said in a low tone. "I was just so excited to have the family back together that I neglected to remember that you'll need some persuading before you can accept all of this. Still, your violent act against your older sister cannot go unpunished. We'll have to think of something while you take the time to get all better, and then we'll have a little fun with you."

Two of the men unnamed in the room walked over and picked up Nevard. "You can take him back to his room now." Savid said as he turned to face his brothers and sisters. Nevard was hoisted up over one of the mens shoulders as the other opened the door. As they were exiting, Nevard looked back to the seven "family" members who were all staring at him with a serious expression. And just before the door closed, Savid looked back and gave a smile.

Re: Between Man and Demon (closed)

A gallon of water splashed on the unconscious Bishop while he layed in a bunk. A man holding a now empty bucket yelled out "It's time to wake up!"

Bishop arose in a groggy state and stumbled to his feet. The man in front of him stepped back while three other men approached the jail cell from outside. Each one held a single, separate device in their hand to make sure the former Mechanic couldn't cause trouble. One held a type of straight jacket that would bind Bishops arms around his own person while another one held magnetic ankle shackles that would make sure Bishop couldn't make long strides in his steps. The third, and last, person held an electric wand to jolt the prisoner if he got out of line. The last time they brought a side arm into his cell Bishop almost got out of his confinement and out to freedom entirely. "That security guard has been nursing a broken elbow ever since." Bishop thought.

"It's time for your meeting with the warden." a guard said while they all were closing in on Bishop.

There was no struggle and Bishop looked calmer than ever. He was blind folded and led out of the cell these days in the hopes that he couldn't map out the corridors in his mind. Two guards led him on both sides while two guards stayed behind, in case of any mishaps. Bishop could no longer hear any other prisoners in there cells leading him to believe he was in a holding area on his own. After counting the five hundred and forty-three steps Bishop had figured they traveled a good three hundred feet from his holding cell to where he meets the warden every week or so. There was the sound of three locks before a door opened and he was led inside. Another fifty steps and he was sat down to a bench with no back support. They would add on another set of ankle shackles that locked him to the base of the chair and one final chain that hung from the ceiling to his back harness. It hadn't happened yet, but Bishop was sure this was so they could stretch him up and administer any type of torture with ease.

"Ah, welcome Bishop. And how are we today?" a hoarse voice spoke out as the blind covering Bishops eyes were removed. The room was faintly lit with one lamp standing from the floor while there was a small opening at the top of the right wall which allowed sunlight to enter. There were no lights, no electric fields, no data panels; nothing. This was a room prisoners who knew how to use their surroundings were taken to to insure less of a chance of escape.

"Still not talking, eh?" the voice continued on. "No matter, I'm not expecting that after all this time you're gonna say something anyways."

"Dam, still not giving me enough so I can know how long I've been here." Bishop thought to himself while keeping his eyes to the ground. He wasn't sure how long it had been since the crash on Arkania and whether or not he was back on Ruusan or not. Daylight was blocked away and he could never tell when it was nightfall or daybreak. Meals where being brought to him on alternating schedules in different consistencies making it hard for him to time out eating and using the restroom. Whoever had him captured knew very well what he was capable of.

"Let's just get the formalities out of the way so we can get to the fun part, ok?" the supposed warden said. "Firstly, name, rank, and serial number? Secondly, the crew you were traveling with. Their names, ranks, serial numbers. Third, number of passengers aboard your ship. Names, data serials, etc etc." The warden was rushing his words now "Yadda yadda, no response from the detained, blah blah blah, now it's time to move to the next step." The warden was smiling.

The were four guards in the room with the warden and Bishop; each one standing at a corner of the room. One of them motioned to the locked door, two of them walked out of the room, and the last positioned himself behind Bishop. Bishop still kept his eyes to the ground while the warden moved in front of him. He motioned to the guard to lift up Bishops head while he in turn forced a plastic piece in Bishops mouth. The two guards returned with a roll away cart and moved to the right of the warden.

"So, I know you're an old style soldier who has probably spent more than half a lifetime conditioning himself for torture and mind probes and all that good stuff that gets lesser men to talk. Well, what I've got here is something special. See we couldn't just hope to pump you full of drugs and hope you'd give us answers; no. What we've got to do is attack a soldiers most vulnerable weakness… His dedication to survival."

Immediately then the fourth soldier wheeled in another prisoner that was blindfolded. He or she was seated on a wheelchair and moved to face Bishop. When the warden removed the blindfold Bishop was shocked to see that he was facing his very own comrade Cas! The smiling warden then moved into Bishops field of vision and simply stated "Let's begin…"

Re: Between Man and Demon (closed)

Eight months had passed since Nevard was re-introduced to his "family". The haughty displays of his brothers and sisters died out soon enough and Nevard was no longer relegated to the notions of "galactic re-adjustment" and "destiny" speeches they were so fond of. Still, once in a great while Savid became  "holier than thou" and gave sermons let alone instructions on what their organization should do next.

The plan dated back to Dr. Neros original idea of taking over the Empire not through force, but through politics. The five wealthiest families in the Galactic Senate were targeted specifically. Sans knew that their power came from their abundance of credits and that if he could control it, he would have many options at his behest to overthrow the Emperor and his religious tomfoolery. So PlaDis was born both as a way to create strong soldiers, but to ingeniously take the riches very own dna and use it against them. When their children were called out to special schools that the Empire had created exclusively, Sans Nero would then have the ability to steal and combine their genetic code with his other experiments, the abused Force users. It was a plan that would take many years to come to fruition, but it would be well worth the wait in his mind.

Xander was the easiest to handle. His dna file listed the Daawx family as his own. The Daawx's were wealthy mineral farmers from the Inner Rim from centuries ago. They became strong political figures within the Empire after the first Death Star had been destroyed and funds were needed to create the second. Fortunately for Neros plan the Daawx family all died after being caught on the second Death Star when it exploded over Endor. A "routine inspection for all share holders" was the explanation the ICB gave out before absorbing their estate. Opening the account and taking back the entire sum of credits was as smooth as ice. All that was needed was a retinal scan, a quick dna check, and a holophoto for Xander to claim his fortune back to the Daawx name.

There were some minor hiccups with Cibo and Uli getting their families fortune put under their own name, which worried Savid. If too many claims to large fortunes were cast too closely together, someone would become the wiser and might seek them all out. And let's not forget that any blood relation to the deceased can claim ownership to credits who might fight against us, posing a bigger problem. There in lied the second point to Sans original plan - use the Force users inherent abilities to "make things go our way, when need be." Do to an untimely heart attack, Mottle Lur died in his sleep leaving the vast Lur fortune to the only living descendant still alive, Cibo. The following month an unfortunate avalanche crushed the vacationing Giew family, leaving their fortune to Uli.

Nevard was next, and things should be the simplest. Though he initially didn't come from a wealthy family the Cire estate had grown immensely over time and garnered a high value of credits - every bit helps Savid though. Nevard, now with some of the highest end of quality prosthetics assembled on his person, seemed to go along with everything Savid was ordering. Actually, Nevard seemed to be non rebellious in every way and eager to work with his "family". But, what about the Graeme Apex crew? What about that last job that set them up for a fall? What about helping Bishop find his daughter? It seemed these things were far from his mind.

The ICB branch on Coruscants southern end was going to be where Nevard would make his claim. Savid accompanied him while 3 employees stood at the front door with a fourth keeping their hover car on standby. Savid briefed Nevard on what details were needed to be known to make the claim for the Cire fortune - and how odd that Savid was the one to have these files and not to have shared them with the anyone else until these transactions took place.

Details were laid out to Nevard while on the way to the ICB branch. Nevard at first was attentive and docile, but the second Savid dropped one name, Nevard seemed to lose focus and get lost in his own thoughts while others were spoken to him. "Nedrood Cire had two daughters, Joon and Juul who both died from farming accidents. You are to be Joons son who was sent away for schooling and was lost in an orphanage during the Rebellion wars. You have now come home and are seeking your estate" Savid said. But Nevard was lost in his mind, flashes of still images and memories of a farm with two girls playing on the tractor came to him.

"Hey!" Savid said while poling Nevard in his arm, "You've got to get your head on straight for this. Ne mess ups, no worries, right?"

Nevard somewhat came to and nodded in agreeance as they arrived. The bank was somewhat busy, and there were no real guards posted anywhere except for the two automated turrets posted at the entrance. Nevard entered casually as Savid motioned over to the opposite corner without suspicion. Still looking at his files, Nevard was brought out of his dizzy spell when a clerk abruptly asked if she could help him.

"No." said Nevard without much confidence. "Uh, I mean yes, please. I'd like to make a claim to my families estate who have all been deceased for a many number of years."

"I'm so sorry to hear that, but come right this way and we can help you no problem." Nevard followed the clerk over to a small desk off to the side of the entryway and sat down. The clerk activated her terminal and asked for his family name.

"Cire, Nedrood. He died about thirty years ago" Nevard said calmly. The clerk entered the information and suddenly had an odd look about her. "Are you sure that's the correct name?" she asked. "Positive." Nevard replied while sitting up to a higher position. Savid could see there was something to be worried about and began walking towards their side of the building now.

"If you'll wait a moment, there's someone who'd like to ask you further questions." the clerk woman said. Almost immediately a man with two of his own guards came up from behind Nevard. The one man, dressed in a fine suit and carrying himself very gentleman like, placed his hand on Nevards shoulder and introduced himself.

"Hello. My name is Thanton Shadou and I am the executive president of business affairs for this branch of the ICB. If you don't mind, I'd like to ask you about why you think you stand to inherit the Cire fortune from its still living family members."