Bright Lights, Nar Shaddaa

The lights above the stage slowly strobed, causing a dazzling shaft of rainbow light to caress the dancers skin as she rocked and writhed sensually right at the heart of it. The tight white custom hugged her slim figure magnificently stark in comparison against the metallic purple skin. Her lekku trailed elegantly over one shoulder, small golden rings dotted along the length an elegant touch. Frankly, she should have appeared obscene dancing in semi-transparent clothing which clung to her breasts and nestled in at the waist, ballooning out somewhat at the hips and thighs before coming together once more to caress her shapely calves and dainty feet. A golden chain tinkled merrily around her waist as her hips rotated and thrust for the pleasure of the horde watching her. However, despite her attire the serene expression she wore as she danced for their amusement, the elegant swoop of her back and the way she glided across the stage couldn’t be considered vulgar. She was a performer and her audience was utterly under her spell.

The last note ended and for a moment silence reigned as the dancer known only as ‘that twi’lek performer’ bowed and started to leave the stage. As she hit the wing the first ring of applause rang out and a unison of voices called for her to return and perform again but the canteen manager never let her respond, it was his hook to get them to come back. She only performed once but for customers willing to part with fifteen extra credits they could have one extra repeat performance and possibly the chance to speak to the girl. Jovial music filled the air as she passed her fellow twi’lek entertainers as they bounded out onto the stage, some of them smiled; some of them poorly concealed envy in their eyes. None of that mattered to Dia, the once-a-night performer.

Sitting at a small mirror and stool she started to undo the straps of her sandals and the manager raved about how she managed to once again make a small fortune for him that night, that seven – could she believe it, seven people had paid to see her one more time that night. He’d been a blessed man indeed that day he’d spotted her in his club on Nar Shaddaa but they had to keep her on the lowdown or the gangsters might take her from him. What followed was his usual rant about how she better never betray him and if she stuck with him he’d make her a star, dancing for the Hutts themselves and she nodded as usual as she slipped behind the curtain and changed into another outfit, a black one this time for her last performance for the evening. The manager watched her silhouette through the screen, his mouth watering at the sight of her luscious curves and felt so haughty that only he could squeeze those breasts and hear her sighs.

Or at least, that’s what he believed and perhaps what a small section of the audience believed by a small wave of her hand. Dia carefully strapped her lightsaber to the inside of her thigh once more, she was one performance closer to bringing the Hutt in for the Jedi Council…

Nar Shaddaa. The city stunk of refuse and death, as it always had. He stood in the streets, letting the filthy masses pass around him. There was precious little compassion left within him, and he spared none of it for the pathetic inhabitants of this rock. They were beneath him, insignificant gnats buzzing around in their insignificant lives. While they all wanted to make a name for themselves, he already had. It was a name he did not like, nor particularly want, but it was a name earned in blood and death, and like anything else he earned, he kept it.

Like many of those that passed him, a heavy cloak clung to his frame, keeping much of him hidden. But while the gnats dressed so to hide from those who might find them, he was ensuring that his prey did not catch wind. His prey was well prepared, as well as powerful and rich; the most dangerous kind of prey. It was that danger that thrilled him. There would be a struggle, a great battle. Chaos, destruction, death. These were the things that continued to draw him back to the trade, to the hunt. His only companions, now that she was gone. He had not meant to think of her, not here, not now, but as he always did when confronted with memories of her, he let them come and endure them. Her smile, her laugh. The way her face scrunched up when she was mad at him, and the way her little fists pounded at his chest. He had always let her vent upon him so, as she could not harm him, and in many ways, it was those tiny, stinging blows that he missed the most.

She was gone, and he endured. That was his curse. No matter what came, the dangers he threw himself at, he always survived, always endured. Chaos, destruction, death, but never for him. With a violent lurch, he was moving again, forcing his way through the crowd. Those who did not part for him quickly enough were battered away by one massive fist. He would finish the hunt, seek out the prey. Chaos, destruction, death, but never for him.

He was the Immortal.

Something was different. She knew that the instant she stepped onto the raised platform in the small private room where she performed for the paying few. That knowledge didn’t tinge her expression or composure in the slightest however as she positioned herself, arms stretched elegantly above her head, slender fingers reaching for the light which would in a moment time shower down on her, single her out as the most important person in the room.

The first note sounded, the lights came on and she danced – danced the way her mother taught her too as a child back in the cantina on Tatooine before the Jedi arrived to take her away to a better life. Dancing had become a part of her life, deeply entrenched in her psyche, when most other Jedi meditated they believed their bodies needed to be silence, stilled but Dia had developed a different technique, only when she danced did she feel a connection to the living Force as it pulsed through her, guiding her actions. As she twisted and contorted under the spotlight she could see them perfectly, her audience, their auras and glimpses of their thoughts.

The song was over before it started and once again she became still. Something was different. The manager was joining her on the stage, something he never did. He was ushering most of the people out, another irregularity until only one remained. A Rodian who gazed at her with a mixture of lust and curiosity, her manager was speaking to him and at the end the Rodian merely nodded and left. Dia arched a brow to the manager and he turned to her with a look of sheer joy, “It’s a done deal, baby doll. I’m going to get a fortune for you.”

By the end of the evening Dia found herself in a room with a variety of other ‘entertainers’. She’d been taken to the Hutt Buja, aroused his interest and been sold. The manager had been paid a small fortune for her and left elated without so much as a look back towards her. Dia knew he probably wouldn’t make it back to his club before he was gunned down and the money taken back, after all, Hutts didn’t make their money giving it away on entertainers. She let her eyes move about her new quarters slowly; her mission was to get into Buja’s inner sanctum and discover the identities of his dealers and if possible bring the Hutt in for trail on Coruscant. A bell chimed as the doors to the room opened, the other women preened, arched their backs but the Rodian she met earlier in the evening ignore them – pointed squarely at her.

“He will see you.”

Once again Dia found herself performing as the Hutt watched her, its fat tongue licking its lips. She closed her eyes and let the Force guide her bodily movements as she focused, she’d have to be prepared. Soon, she’d be in battle.

The Immortal saw what he needed to see, and he knew what he needed to know. The Immortal had dealt with Buja the Hutt in the past, and knew where to find the fat slug now if he needed to. He had been stalking Nar Shaddaa for days, watching the Hutt's den, waiting for his moment. Timing was everything in his job, and he had developed a very fine sense of timing. That sense itched now, urging him to action. The final whispers of a simpleton club manager in his ears, and the Hutt's credits in his own pockets now, the Immortal knew it was time to make his move. There were four secret ways into the Hutt's den that he had found in his days of staking the place out, but this time he made his way for the main entrance. Let Buja know that the Immortal was coming. Would he be afraid, knowing of the bounty upon him, or would he welcome the bounty hunter that had provided him with so much profitable business in the past?

His cloak abandoned now, the guards at the Hutt's door recognized him on sight. Any other visitor they would have stopped, but neither was willing to get in his way. They called to him, but he paid no heed. He was nearing the end of his hunt, the most exciting part, and nothing was barring his way now. The room was dimly lit, the air thick with the scent of dizzying drugs. The Hutt had not seen him yet, and neither had the lackies. All of their attention was on the twi'lek dancing on the raised platform in the room. Luscious curves and an ethereal grace, the Hutt had found himself a treasure in this twi'lek, even the bounty hunter could notice that. He found himself a dark corner to hunker down in and wait, letting his sense of timing continue to itch away. Soon it would be the time to pounce, and until then, he could appreciate the show.

Dia’s dance came to an end and almost immediately the Hutt beckoned to her to come closer to him. Her eyes flicked momentarily to the newcomer as she stepped off the stage gracefully, she’d sensed him the moment he walked into the room and faded into the shadows of the corner. There was something menacing about him, powerful but also somehow she knew he as not in league with the Hutt - so her plans had to continue despite the changed situation.

She was dressed in white again but tis time with dazzling golden touches which caught the yellow in her eyes and made the Twi’lek sparkle like a jewel caught up in the gutter. The sheer top hugged the swell of her breasts and long sleeves tapered down her arms, hooking about her middle fingers and dropping a small purple jewel into her palm, Her hips swayed slightly the scarf tied about her dainty waist was of a glittering golden netting, small balls dotting along the outside hem jingled merrily against one another as she untied it and playfully tossed it about the Hutt’s nonexistent neck winking at him sensually as she did. The guards stiffed at her actions but relaxed as she flashed them an alluring glance of her inner thighs as fearlessly she swung herself up and sat on the Hutt’s body, stroking the side of his head with her slender fingers. Dia was a master of luring people into a false sense of security, playing wholly on their perceived notions of Twi’lek nature and sexuality.

The Hutt leaned into her touch as planned, pronouncing it had been a long time since he had such a delightfully trained pet but he hoped there was still some fire left burning in her. Dia smiled and laughed, it was light and playful, perfectly poised. “Oh…I assure you I am full of fire and surprises…" His tail thrashed faintly beneath her in excitement as she ran her hand up along her inner thigh, sliding inside the folds of her tiny shorts. She moved faintly, lengthening her body along his as the finger of her left hand clutched into a fist lazily. Buju quivered again and dared the Twi’lek to prove her claim, demanding her name for good measure.

Dia smiled and the trap was sprung. Two things happened simultaneously then, firstly the balls on the hem of her scarf tied about the Hutt’s neck started to beep and flash red, “My name is Dia Olan, Jedi Knight.” The second she spoke the lightsaber she’d managed to retrieve without anyone noticing flashed into life. “Nu-ah” She waggled one finger from her left hand at the guards as they moved to grab their weapons, “This is a dead man switch, which I am sure you are all familiar with. Take me out and this will activate the thermal detonators currently wrapped about your bosses neck.”

“Now.” Dia hopped off the Hutt and stood before him, her stance ready for a fight but she did not really expect one, after all she’d come thoroughly prepared and their hands were tied. “Buju, you will come with me to Coruscant where you will stand trial. No, you do not have a choice in the matter – I may be a Jedi but I am more then happy to allow those detonators to go off at the first sign of trouble from you. Quite frankly it would save me the bother of having to drag your fat ass in on my ship. Now, you and I will head to the western pier were my ship is cloaked and ready for us. Any questions?”

The dance was entertaining. Th sensual heat of her motions penetrated even the bounty hunters cold heart. Part of him was greatly aroused; her elegant grace and her luscious curves caught his eye, but part of him hated that she dare touch a part of him that was private and reserved for the woman he had married. It would be a pity to see her broken in the arms of the Hutt slug, so the Immortal had decided that he would make sure she was struck down in the cross fire that would ensue, so she need never feel the horrors that Buja had inflicted on countless others of her ilk.

As she approached the slug upon his throne, all eyes were upon her. That was something that the Immortal could use to his advantage. Like a ghost he made his way closer, picking out those in the crowd he knew to be body guards of the Hutt and making sure they would not interfere in what was coming. First one and then the other fell before the mighty hunter, huge hands with powerful fingers curling around throats, cutting off air as well as the chance to call for help, and the deep voice of the Hutt neatly covered the sounds that followed savage twists of those mighty hands, bones in the neck snapping easily under his strength.

He hunkered down, preparing to strike. The Hutt still had his right and left hand men by him, but that meant nothing to the Immortal. He would tear through all three before any of them knew what was happening. This was the part of the hunt that he preferred most. The kill. Extra systems on his armor began to power up as he made his preparations. The servos in the armor that would provide him even greater strength, the faint hum of the shockweb built into the metal plates that would fry anyone who made contact with the conductive surface with thousands of volts of electricity, the shoulder mounted blaster cannon rising up, its targeting software beginning to select target from non-combatant. With a final, faint ring of steel, the two short vibroblades concealed in the forearms of his armor slipped out into his grasp.

And just before he struck, the twi'lek made her move. There was a stunned silence for a moment, where she taunted and questioned the Hutt further, but the Immortals deep, resounding laughter shattered the silence. She had taken the Hutt completely by surprise, not only fooling Hutt and bodyguards, but even the Immortal had been taken unawares. Beautiful, fearless, confident; all traits that reminded him of his long lost love. No, he would not strike her down to save her from the Hutt, for she would not need it. He would leave her safe and unharmed, so that he may cross her pass again. Admiration flickered in what could be considered the heart of the Immortal.

"One question only, beautiful Dia Olan Jedi Knight. How will you be getting him passed me?" His voice was soft and curious. He was not angry with her, not yet, but others in the room knew how quickly that would change. The moment the body guards moved he would end them, but he was going to enjoy this Jedi.

A long time ago a Jedi Master once told her, she couldn’t plan for everything and no matter how hard she may try the Force had a way to throw unexpected things into your path. Dia thought off the Master now, in the exact the moment she’d heard the laughter resound through the room, she knew she’d finally come face-to-face with one of those unexpected things he’d warned her about. Her eyes closed briefly as she cursed her luck, why now? Why on this mission of all the ones she’d ever been on – the planning, the timing, everything had to done so cautiously, inching her way closer to this moment. A Jedi must always be prepared and Dia always believed she had been until now, now she felt a child pawing at candy through a shop window, so close yet so far…

Still all was not lost yet and in only a space of a heartbeat she pirouetted on the balls of her feet to face the unexpected. There wasn’t a trace of the anxiety in her expression nor did it tinge with a trace of fear as he finally noticed the bodies littering the floor, when had he done that, so many dead and done so quietly and quickly, this wasn’t someone to be underestimated. She tilted her head and regarded the being for a moment taking stock of her situation with a quick glance about the room. “Well, if I told you that….” A faint flicker of a smile touched her lips as she paused momentarily, there was an underlying playing tone in her voice which seemed unfitting for the situation, “... it wouldn’t be any fun.”

The situation was clear to them both, he wanted the Hutt dead and she needed it alive. If she had been anything other then a Jedi Knight she might have stepped aside and let the man finish his task… but she was, she had made a solemn vow to protect and serve, so she had no choice but to save the slug. It wouldn’t be easy though. In the space of another heartbeat she’d calculated the odds. He had vibroblades, blasters, armour and aura which spoke of his ability to kill anything that stood in his path. She had a large slug with the agility and speed of a newborn baby, a lightsaber but in the confines of the room the changes of causing collateral damage to the other somewhat innocent people was too high. Of course, there was the thermal detonators but if ignited would do nothing but serve his purpose. Conclusion – confrontation with him here, impossible. She clucked her tongue and offered him a coy smile, “I think I shall perhaps ask your name now, sir and leave my daring, imminent escape to take you by surprise instead…”

The moment she finished speaking the guard on her right, unnerved by how calmly the pair were addressing one another took his chance. It came as a surprise to her but a welcome one indeed. A weapon was raised in a quick motion and sprayed the room in a haphazard shower of blaster fire. There was screams and a flurry of motion as people started to run, there was the distinct sound of someone being hit and going down and then the lights flickered, strobed wildly and died. Dia meanwhile had leapt backwards onto the Hutt and furiously whispered that if he wanted to live, he’s show her the emergency escape, every gangster had one so when things got hairy they could run like cowards whilst their men died.

The other end of her lightsaber flared into life as she neatly deflected a bolt which emerged out from the darkness as the Hutt smacked his pudgy hand down on the arm of his throne. He’d obviously calculated his chances too and apparently chosen Dia has the preferable outcome for now. The throne jerked violently as the wall directly behind it slid open and Dia used the force to thrust her and the Hutt into the space behind it and closed the door again with a thud. Dia swung and cut the consol operating the door in half, buying herself some more time but not long and perhaps not enough. If she got the Hutt into the open and back to her ship, the odds might swing into her favour but as of right now they were both on even footing and that was the best she could hope for. Her eyes flicked to the Hutt, she could see perfectly in the low light and she motioned to him with a toss of her jaw, “Move it or I’ll let him catch up.”

His laughter did not stop. The few remaining armed guards were inconsequential to the bounty hunter. He doubted any of them had any weapon strong enough to harm him. The shield generator built into his armor was almost powerful enough to stop the weaponry on a small starfighter, their little hand held weapons were nothing. The autonomic blaster mounted to his shoulder took aim and silenced each of them in turn. And all the while, his eyes did not stray from the Jedi. She deflected a stray blaster bolt right towards him, but it fizzled harmlessly when it met his personal shield. He would enjoy this indeed. He stalked towards her, his laughter filling the air as the bodies of the guards dropped.

And then she was gone. His laughter died off, but its ghostly echo remaining in the room, almost taunting him. Both the Jedi and the Hutt had disappeared. He would not be able to open the door from here, he knew. One of them would have seen to it that the door controls were no longer functioning. It would require something a little more creative, and a little more violent, to give chase now. With a faint, wry smile on his lips, the bounty hunter knelt by the wall.

As the sounds of his work rang out through the room, he considered. She had kept her cool when faced with him, and that took either the kind of bravery that he admired, or the kind of ignorance that he despised. When he got to them, he would find out which it was, making sure to pull the words from her pretty little lips, and then he would decide if she lived or died. While he thought, his fingers worked on one of his thermal detonators, re configuring the casing to concentrate the force of the blast towards the door. She had a head start, but he would take that from her with a bang...

The walls shook with the force of the explosion, and the hidden door was blown apart. The figure of the Immortal hurtled through the dust and smoke, and shot off down the hidden passage after his prey, borne aloft in the air by the power of the jet pack built into his armor.

"I'm coming little Jedi. I'm coming."

“This is not the ideal situation, I grant you.” Dia spoke to the Hutt as she practically shoved him onto the platform. “But you would be a merciless criminal, making enemies and causing misery, so really, you have no one to blame but yourself.”

Dia looked about the room swiftly, gauging her position. After going down the hall as fast as a slug could possibly move they’d emerged into a room equipped with weaponry and a hover platform just in time to hear a shuddering explosion sound behind them. Thankfully this seemed to put the fear of god into the Hutt and he tapped into hidden strengths, lurching himself onto the craft with an urgency one would not expect from a vile gangster. Later she would admit it had sent her heart racing watching as the Hutt follow her orders without question simply because he feared the man coming after them more then he ever feared the final judgement waiting him on Coruscant. Dia felt like she was transporting a refugee rather then a prisoner and that knowledge alone was enough to kick up the adrenaline surging through her body a notch.

She easily scaled and stood atop of the Hutt prone body and somewhat trembling body, lightsaber still ignited, one end pointing towards his head just in case he came to his senses and tried to exploit the situation and escape. She knew there wasn’t enough time to go through the weapons the he had stashed in this room in case of emergencies, it was somewhat frustrating but she’d just have to remain calm and act on instinct alone. Dia wasn’t at all frightened by that prospect; she was very good at following her gut and as she faced the hallway was filled with anticipation, eager to see how this situation would ultimately end, knowing at any moment now the hyena would emerge and the shit would hit the fan. Still the hand holding the dead-mans switch she reached back and petted her charges head softly; “…still we’ll try and make the best of the situation, shall we?”

Her tone didn’t seem at all phased, rather just as light and jovial as it had been when she informed him of the detonators wrapped about his neck and this set the Hutt somewhat at ease as he started the engine of the platforms and started for the hangers door. He’d have chance enough to escape from the little Jedi later but for now, he had to outrun the horror that was the Immortal. Dia was obvious to the Hutts thoughts and using the Force sent three grenades flying off a bench top and down the corridor towards the Immortal, she had no idea what kind they were but it was another delaying tactic and as the platform glided out past the door she blew a playful kiss back at her opponent.

Trailing smoke and flames, the Immortal shot from the explosion like some kind of chaotic meteor. The energy shield around his body shimmered in the light, fading as the threat was passed. The skiff like platform the Jedi and the Hutt rode shuddered faintly as the Immortals metal clad feet landed upon it. He rose to full height slowly, towering over both girl and Hutt, a giant slab of metal, muscle and aggression. He did not lash out, because he was not fighting with her. This was not a battle to him, but a dance. He had lost all of his limbs to Jedi blades at one point or another, he doubted this one could cause him harm that the predecessors had not.

"Come, beautiful Dia Olan Jedi Knight. Show me your resolve." Letting her strike first, all part of the game. The Hutt was almost completely forgotten now, his mind drawn more to the opposition before him. There was something in her eyes, in her determination, that he could not shake. She could have drawn his attention away from a hundred bounties, and he would not give up this chance at enjoying the dance with her for billions of credits. Bounties came and went, without really impacting on his existence, but she had. When his eyes had fallen upon her something within him had changed, shifted, and he needed to follow that experience to discover what it meant.

Bad, Dia, Bad. She thought idly as she almost smiled as the hunter landed on their skiff and towered above and the quaking mass of Hutt beneath her feet. A Jedi should take every situation seriously, especially when the life of another was at stake but Dia wasn’t like other Jedi. She didn’t show any fear, in fact she almost seemed to be enjoying herself as she turned to face the bounty hunter, a glimmer of something playful in her eyes as she arched a brow at him. “Oh, you just don’t give up, do you?”

The order would have a thousand fits but the Force help her, she I was enjoying herself. The process of infiltrating the Hutts lair had been demanding and at times tedious but with this new opposition she now faced was breathing some life back into her limbs, forcing her mind to awaken and calculate the odds once again. The Force flowed through her; deliberate and controlled, life essentially was good again, well, apart from the whole cat-and-mouse game which threatened to take it from her. The skiff continued its journey as she nodded slowly, idly twirling the lightsabre in only free hand to hear it hum as she took stock of the situation in her usual confident manner. The only thing that was spoiling her mood was the knowledge she was going to loose if she fought hand-to-hand with the Immortal. She had no doubts about that after she’d seen him tackle what she already had thrown at him, all she could do was buy some time and hope that once again the Force would favour her and offer her another alternative but she had a feeling her luck was running out in that regard.

“I could always just release this switch and blow us all too high heaven.” She offered him another dazzling smile, keeping her balance atop the thrashing Hutt who clearly was not in favour of that idea,” but then, I doubt it would really faze you and Hutt stains are a bitch to get out of white. Guess that means we’ll have to do this the old fashioned way…” She tilted her head and let her eyes trail over the lean mass of muscle that was the Immortal and clucked her tongue, “Pity… You’re kinda cute.”

Before she even finished speaking the blue lightsabre was coming down on him, threatening to slice him in two. She was at a disadvantage striking first, she knew that and so she assumed did he but she had to buy time to get the Hutt to her ship which was so tantalisingly close now that she could almost fancy she could hear the astromech on board it putting in the coordinates back to Coruscant. Also, she had spoken the truth to him just now. She did think it was a pity – not just because he’d provided her a challenge which awakened her from slumber and not just because she was a Jedi sworn to protect life but because she genuinely enjoyed flirting with him. It was her one vice that she couldn’t seem to shake and even as she initiated combat a part of her couldn’t help but wonder what would have happened between the pair had the circumstances been different. Bad, Dia, Bad.

How could something so large, so heavily armored, move so fast? The Immortal was surprisingly swift as he slipped to the side of Dia's overhead swing, his vibroblade coming up and intercepting the glowing arc of her weapon. The cortosis weave of the blade screeched in protest as the two weapons collided, but it did stop the lightsaber.

"Now the fun begins," he whispered to Dia, his other fist coming up towards her face. Far too skilled a Jedi to simply beat to death, but that was not the intention of his swing. When she dodged back he could follow, and then all the advantages were on his side; size, mass, momentum. The Hutts' life was over now, there was no doubt in his mind. It was all a matter of timing. And he was going to take as much time as he could to savor this. As he and the Jedi traded blows across the bridge of the skiff, his mind was racing. He studied not just her form and weapon, but her body itself. The fine curve of her calves, the delicate points of her toes. His sensitive hearing caught every breath and every beat of her heart, and all of his breath was through his nose to catch as much of her scent as possible. He was determined to lose himself in this fight. The hiss of her blade as it arced through the air was like music to him. This was the dance he was familiar with, the dance he was a master of.

Between the discordant sounds of his weapons meeting hers, he spoke. The voice was deep and sinister, but there was no disguising the curiosity in it, and he did not even try. "Tell me, beautiful Dia Olan Jedi Knight, why you fight so hard for this scum?" Her motives and her dedication were a puzzle to the Immortal, and he enjoyed puzzles so. Bit by bit, the battle with this Jedi was reawakening parts of his personality that had laid dormant, some for almost fifty years. How close would he be to the man he once was when the battle was finished? "You do not like the Hutt, and its money holds no sway for you."

The playfulness slipped from Dia a little more with each blow, stripping her back to surging adrenalin and faith in the Force. She was holding her own for now, not allowing him to gain ground on her but neither was she gaining the edge. He spoke to her during battle and it amazed her that he didn’t seem laboured to breath or even concerned he was battling with a Jedi now, in fact he seemed oddly curious about her and that fact alone set a shiver of long unexperienced fear through her limbs. “Your mistake, Immortal, is thinking this is about the Hutt at all.”

She landed one last blow and skipped away, giving herself the barest of moments to regain her breath and to speak with a clearer mind. “Perhaps you have heard of us before. The Jedi Order, sworn protectors of the galaxy and its long arm of justice? What I personally think about this Hutt is irrelevant; I have a duty to uphold.”

Crack, fizzle, hiss. Keep him talking; distract him from his surroundings and noticing that her ship was just around the next corner. Dia licked her lips, for the first time since they met her tone was completely serious, almost fervent with her beliefs.

“This universe is a paradox. Life is sacred but many take it so easily without a second thought. Honour has become an ideal many aspire too but few rarely try to uphold. I made a pledge the day I picked up my first training sabre that I would be honourable despite the odds and I would protect and serve all creatures because someone in this universe has too, someone has to be bold enough to try and maintain order or chaos will reign and we’ll be no better then the beasts most of us evolved from.”

Parry, lunge, thrust, crack. Her eyes flicked up and hope skimmed across her heart once more as her ship materialised into view, its cargo doors thankfully already down to receive her, clever R2 unit. Her gaze darted back down to meet the Immortals again, a plan already concocted in the depths of her mind. The most important thing was to get the Hutt of the planet and back to face trail, everything else would be the will of the Force.

“Now you tell me something...” The blade hissed against his, crossed in a delicate x as she leaned closer and suddenly smiled utterly playful again. “Do you really think I am beautiful?” Her lips met his in a brief daring kiss, another tool of distraction she’d employed if desperate times called her it. Surely the Immortal would not have been expecting it despite her thinking it the natural climax of a long often flirtatious battle. A moment was all she needed to set him off guard and off balance and she pushed down hard with her feet, intending to topple of the pair off the skiff and allow it to continue on alone to safety.

Her lips met his, and for a moment, the world did not move. They did, of course, tumbling from the skiff as it carried along its path. The skiff did as well, slowly making its way towards the ship that was preparing for launch. His massive armored body would have been what protected Dia from the fall, although it was not exactly a soft landing upon his heavily armored shell. He had not felt lips on his own since his beloved had died. They were soft, sensual. It really was just the lightest of kisses, the faintest brush of skin on skin, but it was enough to break through his defenses. For a moment, his eyes were widened, his fully vulnerable self exposed to the young, beautiful woman.

That was when the fire came. It burned through him like never before. How dare she? He would tear her limbs from her body and then beat her with them until she was smeared all over the floor. With a primordial roar he threw the Jedi's body from his own and was on his feet too fast to be real. Nothing that large and heavily armored could be that quick, could it? His weapons were forgotten now as he closed the distance between himself and the woman, ready to beat the life from her with his bare hands. There was no defending himself as he came in at her, no concern for his own well being. The sting of her lightsaber was nothing to the agony that was buring through his mind now. The moment she slipped in her defense his mighty gauntlets would brush her head, battering against her lightsaber time and time again, the gauntlets being the only part of his armor that would withstand the energy of the blade.

With each blow comes another savage snarl or roar, the playfulness gone now, the only light shining in his eye was the flames of the rage that fueled him now. Never had anything come close to making him feel, and he was determined that he would drown those feelings in her blood until there was nothing but the deadened sensation he was accustomed to.

For just the barest of moments Dia was surprised to find the mighty warrior relented, unexpectedly soft lips unresisting against hers. The Force twined around them like ivy cradling a trunk of a tree communicating loneliness, broken mind and an emptiness she should hardly fathom. Who was this creature who broke her fall, the pain of it a shadow compared to the pain which radiated off him now like a thousands suns and quite suddenly just as searing.

Damn.

It wasn’t the fact he threw her with off of his body like she weighed nothing more then a ragdoll which stung her, it was the surging rage which rose and struck her like a serpent, its venom cutting shot the connection she’d made with a creature under the armour. It was disorienting, arresting her senses, it was instinct and years of training alone which allowed her to use the momentum of the throw to roll on her shoulder and be almost immediately up on her feet. For that she was thankful because he was on her before she had the time to really comprehend what was happening before his gauntlet was coming down on her lightsabre with the ferocity of a volcanic eruption.

Rage, hate, the marks of the dark side, the Immortal was suddenly the embodiment of everything they were taught to be cautious against growing up in the temple. In her heart Dia lamented this change of events, she caused this pain and strangely somehow she felt like she had betrayed him though they had only just met. Flirting in combat was thrilling and it added a level of control. This was serious though, this shit was real, raw and flirting now would only add fuel to an already out-of-control fire. For the first time since they had met, the first time in her whole life Dia started to understand the meaning of terror. Somehow the fury of the Immortal had stripped her back, exposed her vulnerabilities even Dia didn’t know she had to him just as she had done a moment before to him.

She knew in a flash she had to cut herself off from those feelings, had to force the guilt of being the catalyst for his transformation into the back of her mind along with the growing fear. Focus, control, form – a new kind of resolve shot through her expression, a renewed determination which spoke her clearly to the Immortal. If I am going to die here by your hand, I’ll be damned if I won’t do it as a true Jedi. She immersed herself in the Force, allowed it to naturally channel into her hand to reinforce her grip on her lightsabre which with every blow was threatening to shake loose or at time impossibly simply disintegrate under his assault. She gave ground to the hunter, reasoning it wasn’t because she simply couldn’t fight back against the onslaught but rather the further he followed her the more time she brought for the Hutt to safely leave the planet.

“Let’s see what we are really made of.”

The discordant squeal of her blade blocking his strikes rang out again and again through the streets. She ducked and weaved, barely escaping being crushed by boot or gauntlet. He paid no heed as the collateral damage piled up; a stall sign shattering underfoot as he tried to stomp the life out of the Jedi, or his wild haymaker slamming into a near by parked speeder and severely damaging the vehicle. He saw nothing but the red of his rage and the beautiful violet of her skin.

While he was hampered by his rage, she too was hampered by the fact that she could not release the dead-man's switch in her hand. Their titanic struggle left the street in chaos, civilians running in every direction to get away. The sight of the Immortal was enough to strike terror into the hearts of those who knew of him, but this was the Immortal as he had never been seen before. In the distance the sound of security personal preparing to respond to the disturbance could be heard, but the only sounds that mattered to the Immortal were those coming from the woman he battled with.

His eyes went wide once more as he lunged forward, impaling himself upon the blade she had brought up to defend herself with. If a heart had ever beat within his broad chest, she would have impaled it with that strike, but his kind had no centralized internal organs. For just a moment their eyes met once more, and while she would undoubtedly expect him to fall, instead his hands came up, spreading wide and reaching for her throat. Here was his chance.

Dia parried another blow and struggled to regain her footing before another one came. He wasn’t fighting her with reason, wasn’t thinking but acting like a rancor whose veins flowed with madness rather then blood. Around them she saw people scatter, running for their lives and realised darkness as beginning to wrap itself around the pair turning them into apocalyptical figures raining destruction and chaos down upon the streets. Somewhere sirens sounded and Dia felt her heart skip a beat, any enforcement would be hopelessly unprepared, it would be a slaughter. It had to end now.

She struck a blow and darted away, spinning out of reach from his next wild swing and whispered a silent word of apology for what she had to do, she never wanted it to end like this but she’d been given no alternative. Her lightsabre struck with deliberate aim right where his heart should have rested, a quick death was the only mercy she could give now. The smell of his burning flesh assailing her senses as she watched his eyes widen, deliberately focus on her own and waited for them to close for the last time. Her heart beat once in her own chest as he gazed at her, his pupils dilated and then razor sharp in an instant. She own eyes widened faintly as she realised her mistake too late as his hands wrapt about her delicate throat. Her lightsabre was shaken loose from her grip; impaling him a moment longer before it deactivated and fell to the ground with a clatter as he sharply lifted her off her feet.

Dia put her hand on his a futile attempt to pry him loose, she had known from the moment the battle started she would loose and it’s seemed it reached in inevitable conclusion now. Not to say she was giving up as she kicked and struggled against him but she had to admit things were not currently in her favour. That changed too in an instant as a flash of light in her eyes caught her attention, was she to die bothered by sun glare now? She focused on the distant glitter of gold on the ground, perplexed a moment about what it could be. Her scarf, the thermal detonators! The Hutt must have untangled himself from it before boarding the ship, thank the force for that bastard Hutt.

Her hand reached the Force flowing desperately though her as the scarf twitched, for a moment she feared it as too far away and then it moved reacting to the invisible pull. It danced like a golden ghost, an invisible gypsy twisting and turning amongst the rubble of their battle which finally settled its arms about the Immortals legs, embracing him for the last time. The Hutt was on his own, she’d done what she could for him. Her lips twisted into her trademark smile as she raised her hand high for the Immortal to see and deliberately let the dead man switch drop, come what may.

The moment she raised the switch, it all clicked into place for him. The rage was snuffed out instantly, and he sprung into action. Faster than the human eye could follow he was flinging the woman away from him as his personal shield activated. Time seemed to slow for him. He could see every ripple in her clothing, the startled look she gave as response to being tossed away like a rag doll, and the trigger finally coming free of her hand.

Then the detonators exploded.

When the Immortal next opened his eyes, the read out on his helmet based H.U.D. told him that he had been unconscious for almost thirty seconds. Most of the integrated systems in his armor were not functioning, and the armor on his legs and feet were gone. It took a moment for him to tear the helmet from his head. Closer inspection revealed that it was not just the armor missing, his legs had been completely vaporized, and the remains still smoked and smoldered. The air was filled with acrid smoke and the scent of ozone. His vision swam as he looked around. The force of the explosion as well as the Immortals throw had carried the Jedi quite some distance, and he was not certain what condition she would be in, but hopefully the personal shield generator had protected her enough to save her life.

Without power the servo motors built into his armor no longer aided him in moving, meaning he was half a man lugging around almost four times his body weight in armored plating. And yet somehow he had the strength to reach out, grasp part of the ruined ground under himself, and begin to drag himself towards the Jedi. If he could be quick enough, he could get to her and fire his grappling hook at her ship, keeping them both out of the reach of the law enforcement officers who would no doubt be coming, and no doubt far more corrupt than any criminal they had ever apprehended. His body was broken. His legs were missing. Every movement and every breath radiated agony. As he dragged his shattered carcass towards the Jedi, the Immortal once again began to laugh.

So close...

The grip around her throat tightened and she braced for the pain that would follow comforting herself that surely it could only last but a moment before she was vaporised and rejoined the Force. Her eyes widened in surprise however, her expression morphing to one of shock when she realised she was sailing through the air. Before her eyes a myriad of colour burst forth, reds and yellows blooming around the Immortal and Dia become conscious that was she watching the last moments of some bodies’ life. She was caught in the swell of the explosion and tossed like a leaf in the wind before the impact came seconds later and darkness descended.

When he opened her eyes next she was laying facedown on the street, her vision swam and she was overcome with intense pain and nausea. She had no idea how much time had passed whilst she was unconscious but it couldn’t have been all that long, she still heard fires crackling near by the only sound which broke the deadly silence. She was alive though, that was a bonus and that fact alone kept her lucid long enough to take stock of her injuries. Pain radiated from every joint and muscle, she’d taken a beating but it wasn’t the first and pleasantly surprisingly might not be the last now. Slowly became aware she couldn’t really feel her right leg, it was numb throbbing only vaguely near her thigh. She lifted herself to her elbows and rolled to the side with considerable effort, the pain that spiralled through her body caused a stream of half-uttered Twilekian swears to leave her lips a second before she vomited. She managed to turn her head in time for it and collapsed on her back. The vomit steamed next to her, dark red dots like coffee grinds speckling though it. Dia closed her eyes, trying to control her breathing, her thoughts and strength. Once again she lifted her head to inspect the wounds on her leg and realised it was lanced in some places through and through with pieces of jagged metal. The remains of the Immortals armour? She closed her eyes again, a sad smile flickering across her lips and she lowered her head to rest on the ground once more to wait for medical aid, the world slowly starting to fade out once again.

She was playing in the sunshine; her fingers nimbly stringing together masses of flowers to form a delicate chain which she through around the neck of the boy next to her. He blushed adorably, his plump cheeks reddening and in delight she kissed one and skipped away. He held her hand and soon other did also, a whole string of younglings skipping and singing together as they entered the temple. The boy hesitated at the threshold though, he looked worried for some reason and Dia went back for him. She held out her hand again and suddenly he kissed her, tiny warm lips on her own for the barest of moments before with another blush he dove into the temple ahead of her. She laughed happily and the others joined in, a bright chorus of innocent angels. That’s when she heard it, one laugh was not like the others and it grinded hard against the delicate sound, stamping it out of existence. Her eyes opened wide in an instant, she’d passed out again but she’d heard the noise in her dreams and it had called to her coming now like the sound jangling of bells through her still ringing ears but it was there – laughter and the dull scraping of metal of concrete.

Sluggishly she turned her head to the side, confusion on her brow, she couldn’t be seeing this. Could she? Only a few feet now from her the half-broken mass that was the Immortal his hands like talons as he dragged himself forward, he was still alive and coming for her still. Her laughter of disbelief joined with his for the barest of moments before she winced with the fresh pain it caused and cut it short. What manner of creature could live through that kind of explosion and still come for her? As he came closer to her broken body would he notice the shine of tears in her eyes as she struggled not to give up, give into the fear and just let him end it? “Oh, hey long time no see, you look different. Have you done something with your hair?” She managed to speak in a slurred, staccato tone the brightness had gone from her voice and she realised dully how small and frail she sounded, would the pitiful noise even be able to reach his ears. She was blacking out again, that much she knew and her eyes struggled to remain opened and face her death as she thought she faced his.

So close… so far…

His laughter trailed off as she spoke to him, and his lips spread into a grin. She was clearly in as bad a shape as he, and lacked his recuperative powers. In a matter of hours, the Immortal would be well and whole again, but it could take beautiful Dia Olan far longer to recover. "I had some pretty radical work done," he offered with a chuckle. He could see the speeders coming now, and this spurred him to greater efforts. The last few feet to her side were pure agony, but finally the Immortals left hand reached her, fingers latching on to her robes and pulling her to him, ignoring any protest or pain she may express. He turned towards her ship as its engines fired to life, and tried his best to gauge the distance. Too far?

He knew that there was no way he could crawl to the ship before it took off, and that the officers coming would have horrible fates in store for both himself and his new found Jedi toy. His armor was severely damaged, but the grappling hook should work if he could just get within range. Seeing no other choice, he angled himself as best he could, and activated his damaged jet pack. The smell of burning fuel was intense, and the sound of the pack itself was lost under the Immortals roar of rage and pain as massive flames licked from the rear of the pack, charring the still smoldering remains of his legs. He and Dia were only airborne for three and a half seconds, but that was enough. The magnetic hook shot from his wrist, and connected to the ship with a satisfying twang. With the Immortal and Dia trailing, the Jedi's ship began to take off.

The grappling line whined in protest as it struggled to retract, drawing the two broken beings closer to the ship. The Hutt was trying to shut the loading dock, but Dia's astromech unit would keep the ramp down until the absolute last moment. He had mere moments to get Dia aboard before the ship broke atmosphere, and he wasted none of those moments. He kept his grip on her tight, ready to try and toss her the last of the distance if the line looked like it was going to snap, but that was the last miracle smiling on the Immortal that day. Somehow it held, and he managed to get both Dia and then himself aboard the ship as the astromech let the ramp close.

He knew he should tend to her wounds, but he could not continue. It had taken the last of his strength to engineer their escape, and he needed to spend a few moments recovering before he would have the strength to aid her. "Hold on, beautiful Dia Olan Jedi Knight. Hold on."

The pain had kept her conscious during their daring escape from Nar Shaddaa. She had felt every scrape and pull like flames of agony licking at her wounds as he quite valiantly got her back to her ship and collapsed by her side. It was a strange turn of events but an exceedingly welcome one, perhaps she should blow peoples legs off more often if this was the treatment it got her? She chuckled softly under her breath. Everything suddenly seemed so damn funny to Dia, which probably meant she lost too much blood but even that was amusing as hell too. They were like two taps at a local cantina spilling golden ale, oh that was a thought – she could’ve use a drink right about now. She rubbed her eye casually, a silly grin plastered on her expression as she realised her needed focus, she had to do something important… what was it again?

The Immortal lay besides her and she rolled her head to the side to observe him. He looked like hell but strangely less hellish then down on the planet, was he healing already? What kind of species was he to have his legs blown off but still manage the feats he did, she’d had to ask him sometime but for now she had more pressing issues. Dia cleared her throat and addressed him solemnly. “You’re a changeable guy. I’d kiss you for rescuing me but that didn’t work out too well for me last time…” A burst of laughter from her causing pain to seer once more but she was rapidly not beginning to care. Dia tried to quieten herself as she used her strength to get up; she was lightheaded but her tone was just as bright and confident as it had been since he met her as she continued to speak to him like she was welcoming him to her home instead of just concluding an epic battle with him. “I’m being a bad hostess. Let me give you the tour, this is the cargo hold, this is my Hutt prisoner and down that corridor to the left in the med bay with the happy make feel goods…”

She chuckled again softly as she managed to somehow hook her good leg under her and balance her weight on it, amazing the things you can do when you’re not in pain anymore. The smile vanished from her lips though as her eyes met the Hutt sharply as he tried to ‘covertly’ get closer and use their injuries to end them both, her expression was suddenly exceedingly clear. Her voice was low, almost as menacing as the Immortals had been during battle as she spoke. “Don’t even think about it.” She wasn’t able to use the mind trick on his species but it oddly seemed she’d done the impossible as he shrunk back against the wall apparently quite unwilling to attempt his plan anymore so had the Jedi struck fear into his heart. At that moment her astromech came in through the door buzzing and whistling happily. It rolled over casually and shocked the Hutt with its probe, the final nail in his coffin to assure his compliance before coming over to render assistance to Dia.

She waved the droid off; she’d had her times to rest while the Immortal was lugging her around like a sack of potatoes. The droid seemed unwilling to let the matter drop and it bumped against her indigently but once more she shook her head, balance on her good leg like some kind of acrobat. “Come on, places to go and such….” They were on her ship now, she knew the small med bay it had wouldn’t be enough too fully heal either of them but it staunch the flow until they were able to get back to Coruscant and find real help… maybe.

She was distracted with the Hutt, but the Immortal was distracted by something else entirely. The burning from the shattered remains of his legs was gone, replaced by the horrible itching he knew accompanied their regrowth. His good hand clawed at the lower plates of his armor, needing them to be freed to allow room to regrow. He cursed under his breath as his fingers worked their way under the armored plate, looking for the tiny manual release. The internal generator had completely shut down now, all of the electronic functions of his armor (including the automatic release circuit) were inoperative. The second he tore the plate away he heaved a massive sigh of release, and a massive lump of tendril-like fibrous flesh almost sloshed out of confinement. Already they sinewy tendrils were coiling about each other, forming the new legs he would need. Free for the moment to heal naturally, he slumped back against the wall of the ship, his eyes seeking out Dia once more.

She had intimidated the Hutt into submission, and that was no small feat. Now she stood, swaying on her feet, waving away assistance from an astromech droid. One of her legs seemed quite poorly off, but somehow she managed to stay upright, on her face she wore a mixture of ragged determination and slighty hysteria caused by her blood loss. She was not in a good shape at all, and he was going to need to help her. One massive hand came to rest palm down on the floor, and he pushed himself upright as best he could, his other arm seeming to stretch, for a moment the plate segments of armor on his arm separating, showing the same fibrous flesh that was now regrowing his legs beneath, and he grabbed a handhold onto the roof, beginning to drag himself towards Dia. There were no words from him now. She expected him to follow, and after she had fought so well and come so close to killing him, he figured she deserved that much at least. Slowly dragging himself from hand hold to hand hold, the Immortal swung after Dia, regrowing legs dangling mere feet above the floor.

By the time he caught up with her Dia was sitting in the med bay, her skin has lost its metallic lustre but somehow she seemed more lucid. She was sitting on the bed, holding a pair of tweezers. Her features were contorted in a mask of pain as she pulled free a large chunk of shrapnel from her leg which she waved towards the Immortal as he swung in, “I believe this is yours.” She smiled easily and put it with a few others atop the small tray which balance on the astromech’s done and immediately went back to inspecting her wounds to see if there was more. She was relaxed now, more focused, clearly she did not regard the Immortal as a threat any longer.

“You know…” her sentence was interrupted with a hiss of pain, her hands shook and the tweezers dropped with a faint clatter to the ground. She gaze after them idly for a long moment before slumping back onto the bed which was angled in the sitting up position and she looked to the Immortal once more, brow furrowed in deep concentration, “…what was I saying?” She canted her head drunkenly to one side, her eyes widening faintly as she suddenly realised he looked very different. “Are your legs growing back?” she chuckled loosely as her head rolled back to rest on the bed, eyes closing slowly. “That’s cheating. Tsk, naughty.”

She looked at him again with an effort, amazingly a flirtatious smile gracing her lips once more before her gaze started to roam the room, “I don’t have my lightsabre anymore – those things are a bitch to make.” She licked her lips and they felt dry, her fingers inching out weakly to reach for some water, “Oh yeah I remember now, why were you after the Hutt? No one fights that hard if it’s just about a bounty,” She gave up on the water, letting her arm hang loosely at her side off to the bed and looked to the Immortal again with glazed concentration, “what did he do to you?”

"Wait! How are your legs growing back!?"

By the time the Immortal reached the med-bay, his regrowing legs were dangling and dragging along the floor. He did what he could to straighten them, and then gingerly placed his weight upon them. When they seemed to hold, his hands released their holds on the roof, and he swayed faintly on his new legs. They were longer than the pair she had blown off, but as the regrowth completed they would shrink in length and make up more girth. "No one fights like that for a bounty?" His voice was gentler now, but still deep and sinister sounding. "I have never let any danger stop me from claiming my bounty. That is why I am feared."

He stepped into the bay slowly, peering around and taking stock of her supplies. There was easily enough there to bind her wounds and keep them from developing infection on her flight to Coruscant, and he had enough anatomical knowledge of more sentient species to deliver it properly. She was doing a good enough job herself, and he knew that the Jedi had strange powers of meditative healing of their own. She was going to be fine. "I am relentless. I never stop. I never fail." He began to gather the supplies he would need, bandages and stim packs. His reputation was why he found so much work. Without that, what was he, really? Since she had died, he'd had no need for anything else but his work.

Dia chuckled and rested against the bed, “So it’s not over then….” Her laughter trailed off as she gazed at him as he moved about the small room, taking in everything within it with the same calculating gaze he’d used on the planet and suddenly things stoped seeming so funny to her. “And I am in no condition to stop you anymore.” A flicker of a smile danced across her lips as she canted her head to the side. “Can’t say I am surprised but I had hoped my display of awesome bravery in the face of certain defeat had earned me some points.”

Suddenly serious she moved like liquid lighting, her fingers reached out and touched his shoulder, her expression was twisted with mild pain but her distress seemed to be more from some emotional memory instead of the wounds he’d inflicted on her. “Two months. It took me two months to get close to the Hutt. I had to do things, seedy smoke filled bars, seen as an object to be leered at instead of the person I really am. I had to be everything my parents never wanted me to be, everything my mother hoped to save me from the day she begged the Jedi to take me away.” She slumped against the bed once more, smearing blood as she rested her arms above her head comfortably, her voice slurred with faint traced of sleep. “Can you imagine how hard it must have been for her, having to say goodbye of someone you love?”

Dia closed her eyes slowly and licked her lips, she felt the Force trying to aid her lull her into the meditative trance that would sustain her until they returned to Coruscant. Her eyes flickered open once more briefly and she smiled, always the same confident flirtatious grin. “How about we get a drink together sometime? We can reminisce about old times, like how I blew your legs off and you managed to regrow them. Good old times.” Her eyes closed and she shifted once again, getting comfortable on the bed as she relaxed further, “Just don’t kill the Hutt, ok? For me – I’d hate for all of it to have been for nothing.” She smiled again once and then succumbed; the fight had gone from her and she’d done everything she could. Her head slumped limply against her arm as the Force washed over her and pulled her deep under its comforting darkness.