Nar Shaddaa

With the morning's business concluded, Layne arrived back to meet with the guide Reshir had informed her of over comms. Hopefully this could be handled quickly enough so that she wouldn't be stuck on this planet the entire day.

She finds Ensign Reshir standing next to two nikto wrapped in loose fitting cloth and robes with staves. The heat is sweltering, dry and very arid here. Rolling hills of dirt and stone with rugged plant life and a crimson hazy sky, most likely from the dust in the atmosphere. There are many tents setup, with other people milling about.

The heat is intense though.

She took the time to take measure of the two as she approached; as well as any Nikto that might be lingering near. If any were showing any overt signs of being interested in her weapons, that was surely a point of interest. But ultimately irrelevant. As she stopped, Layne cocked her head and looked between the two of them.

"Which of you is the guide?"

One of the robed nikto nods, a woman by the shape. She says in Huttese, "I will guide you, 200 credits is the agreed upon terms."

"Provided you actually see me to my destination, that money is yours."

She looked toward Reshir for a moment, then back to the woman.

"Have you been told where I want to go?"

She nods and says in Huttese, “It would be trusting to give something for the work to be done. I know where you wish to go, I will take you as far as I am able the rest you will have to do on your own.”

“That is as the Masters say, the deal.”

"I'm feeling generous. Half now, half on completion. But this had better pan out."

She'd transfer 100 credits to the woman, as stated.

"How long will it take to get there?"

“An hour by foot, the rest you must do on your own. It is forbidden to walk the places of the dead for my people. You are not the people,” she says accepting the offer.

“I am ready when you are, Outlander.”

"Then let's get underway," she nodded, then turned to Reshir. "I want you to track my signal from the ship. See if there's any place you can land the ship safely closeby, so we can get underway quicker when I finish my task."

Ensign Reshir replies, “It will be done, my lord.”

The female nikto turns to the male by her side, they place their foreheads together and say quiet words before she turns to Layne and says, “Let us go.”

She starts walking deeper into the rolling wastes.

"Lead the way," she said; and followed the woman into the wastes. A trek on foot through this terrain was a relatively straightforward affair, even with the heat and dust.

"Tell me of the God that died," she asked, perhaps hoping to pass the time... or gain insights she could call upon later.

The nikto nods and says as they walk, “This is a local myth, but long ago before the coming of the Masters there lived a God in the Blood Valley. She was a cruel God who fed on misery and suffering. She brought many to her side through war and her shadow brought death.”

“None could stand against her power, none dared speak against her. She gave birth to two sons, but the omens said they would be her undoing, so she had them strangled and left for the carrion creatures of the wastes. A witch found the children, and lacked the power to save both and saved one but grafted the soul of the other to the one boy,” she says.

“His second soul made him stronger, faster and gifted enough to learn the ways of what we call the Red God. He learned the techniques to fight the dark God, to strengthen his mind from her influence, to be as swift as the wind and to strike with the strength of the mountain. He returned to his mother and laid her low and her death cursed that region forevermore but the people were free. Or so it is said,” she finishes as they walk in the savage heat.

"I see," she said simply.

Sounds like a Sith alright.

The rest of the way would prove for a quiet journey, as Layne crossed the distance in something approaching a walking meditation.


((not sure if we arrive within the same timeslot?))

The duo reach a spot and the nikto waves for her to stop and she says, “This not good.”

She points and in the valley they are heading to, Layne can see an encampment and a cargo freighter, though they are still about half a kilometer out so details are not the best.

Layne activated her comms.

"Reshir, there's a freighter and camp at our destination. Any chance you can use the Shifting Wound's sensors to make out more information?"

“There is a great deal of interference in that region I cannot get a clear reading of the region. I do have the craft on screen it is registered as the Bashu Vek. I can bring the ship in closer though I doubt we will do so without being seen,” Ensign Reshir replies.

OOC: Failure! But she uses the advantage for something.

Ensign Reshir Computers check: 1eP+1eA+2eD 1 failure, 1 advantage

"Keep that idea on standby," she said. "I'm going to try and get closer. If they appear hostile, I'll give the go ahead and the Shifting Wound will do a close flyby, blasting as many targets as you can."

And with that, Layne would try to get closer, ideally without being seen.

OOC: Stealth at Average please.

Stealth: 2eA+2eD 1 success, 2 threat

Layne can get closer but her approach does not go unnoticed. The nikto by the ship spot signs of her approach but not the Sith. This puts them on edge.

She does make out slaves it looks like hard at work excavating a structure.

Noticing the group being on edge, Layne briefly cursed herself, before settling in for a bit. The slaves probably weren't going to be a problem, it was the non-slaves she was worried about, and went to work trying to figure out exactly how many of them there are and what sort of weaponry they have to work with. Hopefully it'd just be a few of them.


Perception, average?: 1eP+1eA+2eD 1 failure, 1 advantage

Layne thinks she counts eight armed nikto, but what catches her eye or maybe just intuition is a slave currently taking a beating by two nikto.

The human slave is trying to resist but is unarmed.

Well then. She had a decision to make. The guide had said that the Nikto weren't allowed to walk the places of the dead, yet here were a bunch of Nikto were doing exactly that. Layne assumed that meant these guys were probably of the not-so-nice-and-rule-abiding variety. Plus, there were eight of them, and she didn't really want to give up the element of surprise by trying to negotiate with them.

Also there was the slave being beaten. That in itself wasn't particularly noteworthy, but it meant they might help her out if she started fucking shit up.

It was a longshot.

"Reshir, come in. Do a flyby. Focus your fire on a point just a few meters ahead of me. Try not to hit me or anything else."

And then she took out her lightsabers, focused briefly on the force, and launched into a run straight at the biggest cluster of armed nikto that were also not too near any of the slaves or excavation. She wanted to keep collateral to a minimum.

Initiative, cool: 1eP+1eA 0 successes, 2 advantage


(also taking 2 strain to commit a force die for +1 brawn)

OOC: Make a Lightsaber roll difficulty Average gain a free upgrade to the Attack roll due to Ensign Reshir but gain 2 setback due to numbers there are 10! But gain a boost die due to Sense and a boost for surprise! Spending Desting to Upgrade the difficulty by 1.

Oh gain a boost die for slave aid. If you succeed describe your victory. Fail well uhh you know.

Already being on edge, the armed group of Nikto raised their weapons up against the robed girl running their way, one letting off a few bolts of blaster energy that even Layne; normally less than capable at the feat; could reflect with ease. The others readied their vibroblades, barely able to raise them up before Layne launched herself into the air at them...

...and then the ground in front of her exploded as the Shifting Wound made a low pass and unleashed heavy fire from its forward-facing turrets. Just as it died down again; the moment passed; Layne's feet touched the ground again, right in the middle of those that survived. They were too confused and dazed to offer much resistance, a few quick swings of her lightsabers ending their existence.

Mere seconds had passed, but the whole place was now in disarray. As the Sith warrior pushed up to the next group, the slaves began to take advantage of the chaos she had caused, overwhelming the two guards that had been beating on one of their own.

Layne didn't stop to admire her work. The bulk of the armed resistence was hers to face, their forces wisely deciding the scary-looking Sith was the bigger target. Fortunately, shii-cho excelled at combat with multiple opponents, and everything seemed to come together perfectly for Layne to dispatch them with fewer swings than there were bodies to rob of life. The high-pitched whine of the darkblade alternating with the lower hum of her shoto creating a symphony of death.

And then it was quiet. And Layne was left standing over a field strewn with corpses, and a bunch of nikto slaves staring at her in confusion...


((how's that?))