February 26, 2010

572. The Heist - Raezyr

The sound of Kolant desperately struggling to speak despite being gagged was coming from inside the cell. Trychon risked a quick glance only to see the Zabrak furiously shaking his head 'no' and attempting to get up.

Taking a guess at what he was trying to say, Trychon eased his stance and put a hand on the younger Sith's arm. "Are you Kolant's men?"

"We are indeed," the man replied. "And we're here to rescue him."

Trychon and Raezyr switched off their lightsabers simultaneously. "Then we're on the same side," the older Sith informed them.

The men looked confused for a minute, but by this time, the Zabrak had gotten to his feet and exited the cell. Trychon removed the gag. "Thank you my loyal friends, but these are the men we came to meet."

With that, Kolant's men lowered their weapons. "Come with us, boss. Reinforcements will arrive soon."

Trychon spoke before the mercenary could answer. "No. Kolant will stay with us." He handed a data chip to the leader of the rescue party. "Meet us at these coordinates. Our men and our ship are there. We will bring Kolant. If we don't, we'll all be discovered."

"Do as he says," Kolant ordered and all his men turned to go except one Rodian who came forward and shook Kolant's hand.

As the Rodian turned to go, Trychon reached out and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Yes?" the mercenary asked.

"Interrupting lightsaber."

A puzzled look crossed the Rodian's face. "Interrupting light-"

The sound of Trychon's green lightsaber interrupted the mercenaries question as it sliced through his torso. The Rodian collapsed to the floor.

"What did you do that for?" Kolant cried, and the other mercenaries drew their weapons again.

The Sith turned his lightsaber off and hung it back on his belt. "It was necessary. Do you really believe that after these men fought their way in here that they would be scared off by two Jedi without any bloodshed? No. And neither would anyone else."

Dagus' shoulders slumped. "You are right, Sith, but that doesn't mean I am happy. Groosh was the first one to fight by my side." He looked up at his men. "Go now, before more guards come."

They all watched the mercenaries trot down the corridor and around a corner.

Suddenly Raezyr began snickering, and his brother and the Rodian turned to look at him.

"Interrupting lightsaber... now that's funny, Trych."

February 25, 2010

571. The Heist - Raezyr

They continued on in silence, punctuated only once by a quiet chuckle from Trychon which illicited a glare from his younger brother.

When they finally reached the detention center, Raezyr reached over and tapped the door controls. The door opened to a small lobby area with a uniformed man sitting behind a desk who looked up when they entered. "This better be important. We're a bit busy right now," the guard said irritably.

"I believe you'll make time for us," Trychon said and motioned for Raezyr to hand the writ to the guard.

The big Sith stepped closer and handed the sheet of flimsi-plast over. "We're here to pick up Kolant, per your Baron's orders."

"Kolant? I wasn't notified about this," the guard said, setting the order down on his desk without looking at it.

In a flash, Raezyr stepped forward, grabbed the back of the man's head and slammed it onto the desk on top of the flimsi. "There's your notification: an order from the Baron. Read it and open the door, or I'll cut it open myself," the big Sith whispered harshly into the man's ear.

He released the guard who sat up, wiping blood from his nose. He still didn't look at the order, but moved to open the inner door anyway. "Cell 43," he said.

When the door had closed behind them, Trychon leaned toward his younger brother. "Real Jedi-like, Raez. In fact, you almost had me convinced you converted," he chuckled.

"We don't have time for this crap," the big man replied.

For a small province, it was a surprisingly large facility, and they made their way down several corridors before arriving at their destination. As they came around the last corner, they saw the cell door was open and two guards were standing outside the cell looking in and laughing. Grunts could be heard from within.

"Get your licks in now, boys. He ain't gonna feel 'em anyway in just a few minutes," came voice from inside the cell.

"I wouldn't be sure about that," Trychon spoke loudly. They could now see that Kolant was tied up and gagged on the cell floor and two guards were taking turns punching him. A third was standing there, his hands on his hips and the insignia on his shoulders identified him as some sort of leader among the guards.

"Who are you and how did you get in here?" the Captain asked.

"We are Jedi Knights. We've come to take Kolant back to Coruscant on Jedi business. Baron Zon Vona has ordered him released into our custody. The guard at the front has the order on his desk," the older Sith informed them.

The captain pulled a communicator from his belt. "Torqa, this is Captain Dayl," he said into it.

A moment went by with no response. "Torqa... pick up your damn comm." Still no voice returned. Dayl returned the comm to his belt. "Jak, Myke, you two stay with Kolant and the Jedi. You two come with me and we'll verify this."

The 'Jedi' watched as the Captain and the other two hustled down the corridor then they moved into the cell and helped Kolant sit up. The two guards seemed not to know whether to stop the Jedi or help them, but in the end just stood and watched.

"We meet again, Dagus," Trychon said kneeling front of the Zabrak mercenary with his back facing the guards. "Do you remember the last time we met?"

The Zabrak eyed them suspiciously. They knew he recognized Trychon although he was unsure about the Jedi robes. Raezyr had worn his helmet on their previous encounter. Trychon winked subtly and recognition grew in the Zabrak's face. "You'll be coming with us, and we don't want any trouble, understand?"

Dagus nodded.

Suddenly sounds of blaster fire erupted and the two guards at the door dropped to the floor.

Raezyr and Trychon sprang quickly to the doorway, blue and green lightsabers ignited and ready.

Five men were coming down the corridor blasters leveled. They paused when the saw the two men standing there with blazing lightsabers.

"Who are you?" The lead man called.

"Who are you?" Raezyr retorted.

"I asked you first."

"I'm the one who will gut you like a Ngok-swine," Raezyr said.

JEDI, Raez, Trychon thought to his younger brother.

February 24, 2010

570. The Heist - Raezyr

"I can't see as I have a problem with that. Tell me who it is you need so I can comm over to the detention and have them get him ready," Baron Zon Vona asked.

"A Zabrak named Kolant. Dagus Kolant," Trychon replied.

The Baron's hand stopped in mid-reach for the communicator. He looked back slowly to the two 'Jedi.' "I'm sorry... who did you say it was?"

Trychon could almost hear his brother's hand creeping toward his lightsabers and he winced inside. He had thought it was going all too smoothly. "Kolant, your Lordship," he affirmed.

"I'm hanging Kolant in an hour. You are more than welcome to interrogate him in his cell, although I dare say you'll probably not get much from him. Zabrak's tend to be a bit stubborn and prideful," Zon Vona informed them.

"My Lord, I'm afraid that we need to take him back to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. The fact that he will probably not be cooperative is all the more reason it's imperative we take him with us. We have equipment and other things which will aid us that we do not have access to here on Talus," the disguised older sibling explained. "The Jedi Order knows just how big of a favor we are asking of you, Baron, and we always repay the debts we owe. Your generosity and magnanimity are well known even to us. If it were a lesser man we were asking, we would be in fear of losing the vital and secret information we so desperately seek from this criminal.

"Once again, be assured that we will bring Kolant back to you when we are finished. On that, you have our word as Jedi Knights," Trychon finished. He hoped he hadn't layed it on too thick, and for a moment he thought maybe the Baron might refuse, but the benefits of the Jedi owing him a favor must have outweighed whatever Kolant's crime must have been.

"Very well, then. I can do nothing but live up to my reputation. I will comm the detention center," the Baron said, clearly taken with the flattery the Sith had provided as well.

"If it's possible, my Lord, can you issue a written order we can take to the guards? As we said, our mission is of the utmost secret and we'd rather not risk using a comm. It's why we did not comm you about our arrival either," Trychon said. He wanted to make sure they had a decent start before word spread among the commoners that Kolant wasn't going to be hanged today.

"Oh of course!" the Baron exclaimed. He pulled a stylus and sheet of flimsiplast from his desk. After a quick scrawl and embedding his holo-stamp, he handed the order to the Jedi. "Good luck, Jedi... and may the Force be with you."

The two 'Jedi' bowed and turned to leave. On their way over to the detention center, Trychon could tell that his younger brother was growing more irritated by the minute, not only dressed as, but being treated as one as well.

"Hey Raez..."

"What is it, Jedi?" the younger man replied tersely.

"Knock knock."

Raezyr rolled his eyes and said nothing.

"Knock knock," the older Sith said with a bit more insistence.

The bigger man sighed heavily. "Who is it?"

"Interrupting rancor."

"Interrupting ra-"

"RAAAAAARRRRGH!!!" Trychon interrupted, doing his best imitation of a rancor roar.

Raezyr said nothing for a moment, instead looking around at several people who had turned to look at the robed, screaming man. "Trych... not only was that the worst joke you've ever told, it was probably the most unfunny thing I've ever heard."

Trychon ignored the comment and instead spoke to himself under his breath... although loud enough for his brother to hear. "Heh... interrupting rancor... Well 'I' think it's funny."

February 19, 2010

569. The Heist - Raezyr

"I still don't know why we couldn't have gone with my plan," Raezyr grumbled just loud enough for his brother to hear as they made their way on foot through the throng of people. In the short time since they had left The Tavern it seemed even more people had arrived in town. The streets were now choked with people and any travel by vehicle had become impossible.

"Raez, violence is a good plan 'B', and if this plan fails, we'll cut our way into the detention facility and cut our way back out. The problem that arises with that plan is that we might need to come back to the Corellia system sometime. It'll be easier if we're not wanted," Trychon explained.

"I just feel so filthy and dirty wearing these clothes. They make me want to throw up," Raezyr said with disgust, looking down at the tan tunic and trousers he was wearing. He pulled the hood of the brown cloak up over his head, a bit sub-conscious about the scar on his face. "Besides, these knee-high boots are a bit small."

The older Sith ignored his brothers complaints. In reality, he had no qualms about dressing as a Jedi like his younger brother did.

"You're just lucky that kid back on Korriban had a green light saber for you to use or they'd never believe we're Jedi," Raezyr commented.

"If we're really lucky, we won't even have to turn them on," the older man countered. "Thanks again for putting your blue crystals back in your lightsabers for this."

Raezyr ignored it. Switching crystals wasn't easy, and he'd had to race back to the ship to do it, and to grab the extra lightsaber while Trychon had purchased outfits that closely resembled something a Jedi might wear.

They continued through the throng on their way to Baron Zon Vona's keep. It was drawing near to sundown and the time of the execution. If this was to work, they needed an audience with the Baron quickly. If they he refused them, they might not even have time to implement Raezyr's 'Plan B'.

They needn't have worried though. Posing as Jedi, they were shown into a large office almost immediately. The room was lined with large shelves containing many volumes of old parchment manuscripts and tomes and the floor was covered in plush red carpet while the furniture was gaudily trimmed and overly carved. The books, although well dusted, were obviously never touched. It was apparent the Baron was one who wished others to think he was more important than he really was and did his best to present that image, although the Sith brothers doubted the facade fooled anyone but the commoners.

The Baron himself sat in an overly stuffed chair behind an over-sized desk, giving not the impression of importance, as was probably intended, but in reality gave the impression of a kid sitting at his father's desk, playing at being someone important.

"To what do I owe the honor of a visit from two Jedi? Neither of you are stationed on Talus, so I can only assume that you traveled here from off-world," the Baron said. His expression was smug, and he was obviously pleased with himself for deducing they weren't from this planet.

Trychon immediately decided that flattery was probably going to be his best line of approach. "Your Lordship, you are quite astute in your guess. We are indeed from Coruscant," he said, although he would have guessed the thought hadn't even occurred to him that they might be from the Jedi Temple.

"Our business is one of utmost importance and secrecy, and one which only The Honorable Zon Vona can assist us with," the Sith said.

Immediately the Baron's interest was piqued. "Oh? The mighty Jedi need the help of a lowly Baron such as I? In what way might I possibly assist the great Jedi Order?" he asked.

"My Lord, it has come to our attention that you have in your possession a certain criminal... one who possesses information vital to the success of a very important, and highly secretive Jedi mission. We humbly seek your permission to covertly take the prisoner with us back to Coruscant, and when we are finished with him, we shall return him to you, to stand for his crimes against your honorable Barony," Trychon explained. "In return, all we can offer at this time is the gratitude of the Jedi Order, and the assurance that we are in your considerable debt."

February 12, 2010

568. The Heist - Raezyr

The two Sith Warriors took the swoop bikes into town the next afternoon in order to keep their meeting with Dagus Kolant. There was plenty of hustle and bustle going on and they had to slow once inside the village to avoid collisions with not only landspeeders of various makes and models, but foot traffic as well, which for the most part seemed impervious to any of the vehicles trying to push their way through the throng.

"It seems Kolant choice of meeting place wasn't as bad as we initially anticipated," Trychon said to his brother quietly enough so others couldn't hear.

Raezyr just nodded. He felt a bit out of place as no one else was wearing armor. He pulled his cloak hood up over his helm then pointed to what he thought was a good place to park their swoop bikes.

Once they had parked, it took no time to ask, and get directions to the tavern. Apparently it wasn't the only place that served alcohol, but it was the only one called just, "The Tavern."

The establishment was fairly bustling even for mid-afternoon, but the Sith chalked that up to whatever was going on in town. Even so, they were able to find a secluded booth near the rear of the cantina.

An older, heavy-set waitress took their drink order and and when she had left, Raezyr slipped his helmet off, sitting it on the bench seat beside him. "What's going on around here, I wonder?" he commented more to himself than to his brother.

"I have no idea, but I've a mind to ask. It's way too busy around here for this small of a town," Trychon agreed. He looked around for a moment and when he caught the eye of a man at the next table, he leaned over and asked.

"Oh, there's gonna be a hangin'," the man remarked. "Hain't been a hangin' roun' here for many a year. Folks comin' from all over the region to watch."

"When is execution scheduled for?" Trychon inquired further.

"Oh, it's gonna take place this ev'nin' jus' afore sundown," the man replied.

"And one more question, sir... Who is it they are hanging?" Trychon asked. He didn't really care, as he doubted he'd have ever heard of the man, but he thought it might be more suspicious not to ask.

"Oh some Zabrak outlaw... goes by the name of Kolant... Dagus Kolant."

Trychon tried not to let shock show on his face. "Thank you for your time."

He turned back to his little brother who actually had a grin on his face. "I guess we get to watch him hang then, hunh?"

Trychon scowled and grabbed his brother's cloakfront, pulling him closer to be sure no one would over hear. "Don't you get it? If they hang Kolant, then our whole scheme is down the tubes. We'll never find someone to take his place at this point in time. Not someone we trust enough to do the job."

Realization dawned on Raezyr. Then a wily grin crossed his face as his brother let go of his cloak.

"I don't like that look, Raez," Trychon said warily. "You're not going to do anything stupid, are you?"

"Hey, it's me!" Raezyr replied with a mock-innocent expression.

"That's what I'm afraid of."

February 11, 2010

567. The Heist - Raezyr

Raezyr clicked off the comm after speaking with Dagus Kolant, the Zabrak mercenary to whom the Sith brothers had sold the fighter they had stolen during their escape from the Republic star-cruiser. "He'll meet us at the tavern in Volahz on Talus. It's apparently a small village and only has one tavern," Raezyr said to Trychon as he turned to the older Sith.

"Well, at least it's an out of the way location, i guess. I would have preferred a large city and a big club where strangers coming and going would be unnoticed, but it shouldn't matter," Trychon commented.

A few days later the Jet Razor and the Twilight Stalker exited hyperspace on the fringes of the Corellian System. It was no accident they had chosen to meet Anya and Tyr on Corellia. It was the close to Talus, yet public enough to not give away their mercenary contact. Neither Sith knew quite why, but both were loathe to let their counter parts in on all the details they had learned.

Having had Schyrt and Reed around had an unexpected benefit for them as well. Instead of checking on the instruments in the cockpit and around the ship throughout their flight, the Sith could focus on learning from Lord Var's holocron and meditate, while their "henchmen," as Trychon and Raezyr had jokingly begun calling them, took care of the mundane tasks.

Over the course of their two days, the two Apprentices began wondering just how much more the holocron could teach them. Lord Var's avatar had grown increasingly hard to appease and glean information from, and the brothers began to suspect that the holocron did not contain as much information as they initially suspected.

That investigation would have to wait for another time though, as Reed informed them they were approaching Talus. "Very good," Raezyr said. "Trychon and I will take over from here. You and Schyrt check over the swoops and make sure they are ready to go."

"Yes m'lord," the man acknowledged, then disappeared back down the corridor.

Trychon and Raezyr took over the controls and after a brief discussion with the Royal Talus Space Command, they gained permission to bring their ship into the planet's atmosphere. They deviated slightly from their stated course, although by only 20 kilometers or so and landed in a forest, rather than right on the outskirts of Volahz. They wanted to come in as unobtrusively as possible, and 20 kilometers wasn't far enough off course to be questioned.

It was night time when the Jet Razor set down in a small clearing, and after sending HK-51 outside to stand guard, the crew caught a few hours sleep.

February 05, 2010

566. Black Phoenix - Trychon

After spending part of the afternoon picking up necessary supplies for their next trip, Trychon and Raezyr made their way to the Jet Razor. They caught several nervous glimpses from various personnel as they passed.

"News travels fast. Good." Raezyr noted loud enough to be heard, but to nobody in particular. As they entered their docking bay, one of the gaurds clutched his weapon, unsure what to do.

"At ease, soldier." Trychon commented without looking at the man. "You're not looking for any trouble, I'm sure." With an unnecessary gesture, he forced the nozzle of the guard's rifle towards the floor from its ready position.

Both of the Sith could feel the increased tension from the guards, but any heroic ideas they may have been forming dissipated quickly.

They brought their small gravsled to their ship and were greeted by HK-51, Schyrt, and Reed. "Load up, gentlemen and droids. We're ready to get off this rock for the near future."

Trychon unlocked the ship's defenses using his datapad, and got a preliminary reading that all was well on their transport. Regardless, Raezyr insisted that they do a quick visual check of the exterior and main systems and ensured his older brother that it would be a good habit for him to get used to.

After the Sith's two newest recruits finished loading their own small baggage onboard, they joined the assassin droid in offloading the supplies. "Holy dreadnought, Reed!" Schyrt exclaimed. "Look at all the ale we're bringing!"

Trychon peeked around the corner at them. "If you two wanted supplies, you should have taken the time to procure them yourselves. I can't promise there's enough for us to share."

Reed stopped in his tracks. "Of course, milords. We only wanted to make sure we did not arrive late. We'll make due with whatever you deem appropriate for us."

"Good thinking. Perhaps there will be time at our next stop for you to pick up some of your own. We don't have time now though."

The men nodded and got back to work loading the ales on board the Jet Razor, even though HK-51 had already gotten the majority of it.

After Raezyr was confident in his ship's health, the group gathered outside in preparation for their takeoff. Out of the corner of his eye, Trychon saw Haley Stargazer approaching from the entryway.

"Schyrt, Reed... I've changed my mind. Why don't you go ahead and gather yourselves some materiel for the trip." He said as he dismissed them with one hand. The two left in a hurry with a small bow and thanks, but larger grins.

Haley walked right up to the group and eyed Trychon. "Lord Trychon, can I have a minute?"

He looked to his brother, who rolled his eyes under his helmet and walked a dozen paces away to the other side of the ramp, to pretend to engage the droid in idle conversation.

"What is it, Ms. Stargazer?" Trychon asked, allowing his curiosity to show openly, though he kept his voice even.

"I was distressed to find you were gone before I could have further chance to discuss what happened the other day with you." She said in her usual monotone voice.

He stared into her eyes, which betrayed no emotion at all. "It was early, and I didn't want to disturb you. Seemed you were quite comfortable forgetting about it afterwords."

She nodded. "It is... uneasy for me. I am not used to such things occurring, let alone discussing them in front of others. I try very hard to ensure I am taken seriously within the group. Not everyone is very comfortable with my role in the organization."

Trychon nodded in understanding and the cyborg continued. "I did want to extend my thanks again for your help in the cavern. Also, I wanted to apologize for the break in etiquette when I addressed you in name only in front of the group. I was still disoriented and adjusting to my systems coming back online. It won't happen again."

Trychon was about to speak and tell her it was ok, but she continued on. "I have not forgotten what I have gone through, and yes I am aware of how distressed I was. As well as some memories I relived that I my not have properly addressed with myself. In then end, I think what I went through will be for the best. I wanted to give you my appreciation."

She extended her hand towards Trychon, who bemusedly took it and shook it politely.

Haley looked into his eyes and hesitated, as she though she considered offering him more. Then, abruptly she let go of his hand and turned on her heels. She walked back out of the docking bay as quickly as she entered. As she passed by the droid and the younger Sith, she wished them a safe trip without breaking stride.

Raezyr laughed and waved for his brother to join him aboard. They made their way to the cockpit and began pre-flight warm-up.

Raezyr stretched out as the engines came on line. "So. The computer came to say goodbye to her hacker..."

This time, it was the older brother's turn to roll his eyes. Raezyr wasn't done poking fun though. "Look, she certainly would be cute if she was normal at all. I get it. I'm just saying that Huck here has more effeminate qualities."

The droid turned his head to Raezyr. "Resentment: I do not."

Raezyr laughed. "He's more likely to kiss you, too."

"Correction: There ARE limits to my programming, masters."

Trychon shot back irritated. "Ignore him Huck. Raez... drop it. You don't get her."

"Nobody is going to be getting her. She's probably not programed to..." Raezyr began.

"[I]Shut it, Raezyr.[/I] Trychon glared.

Clear that this wasn't a good time for sibling ribbing, the matter was dropped for the moment. Raezyr looked at the chrono. "We'll give the boneheads five more minutes."

He reached out and touched the controls, bringing up the comm. After a minute of searching, it beeped for connection and the speakers were filled with the sounds of a blasters and explosions.

"Hello?" Anya's voice came over the comm.

"Anya? It's Raezyr. Is Tyr there?"

"He's... busy. Can I take a message?"

"Put him on." In a moment, Tyr's voice greeted them, albeit shortly and between heavy breaths. "Tyr, it's Raez."

"Hey guys! How's things?"

"We're fine, thank you. I'll keep this short... I've been informed you have a full schedule at the moment. You've done a great job so far keeping the Republic off our tails, but they have to be close to figuring out what's going on."

"Yeah... it's been closer scrapes lately... but nothing we're not ready for. What's up?" Tyr said with short gaps where the sound of his lightsaber slicing through armor and limbs could be heard.

"Time's up for these games. We're done with our missions and we need to regroup. Meet us within a standard week in the Corellian system."

"No problem." He laughed, right as a the loudest explosion sounded over the comm. "Oop... gotta run! Give Huck my best!" Then the signal was gone.

The sound of their new crew fastening in the back meant it was time to go. Raezyr lifted the ship off without warning to the spaceport, feeling one was unnecessary.

Trychon began fiddling on his datapad.

"What's that?" Raezyr asked.

"Sending a parting gift down for our buddy Jama. The Stalker will give them our best regards in a quick strafing. I'm sure the subtleties won't be beyond even him."

They both smiled as they left the dry atmosphere of Tatooine behind.

565. Black Phoenix - Raezyr

Trychon reached down to his belt and pulled a hand held holo-emitter, and held it out for Dreyden to see, then switched it on. He punched in a frequency, then set the emitter on the desk. Soon, an image of HK-51 appeared. Administrator Dreyden looked back and forth between the image of the droid, and the two Sith standing in front of him, afraid to look, but also afraid of what he might see.

"I'm only going to say this one time: Release our ship from impound, and do not even look twice at another ship associated with the Black Phoenix. Is this understood?" Trychon said, leaning back and crossing his arms across his chest.

The head of the Spaceport Authority suddenly became much more amenable, but he still wasn't ready to give in. "I don't know what you have planned, but it won't work. I'm the only one with the release codes to the locks on your ship, and if you kill me, you'll never get the ship, and I don't know what you have planned with that droid, but it won't work either. Jama will have me killed if I go against his wishes."

"Then you will have a choice to make, Administrator," Trychon said menacingly as he leaned back over the desk. He spoke to the droid without taking his eyes off the pudgy man behind the desk who was now sweating profusely, "HK-51, please show us what you have."

The image on the holo-emitter suddenly panned around to show a middle-aged woman and a early teen-aged boy, both on their knees, gagged and hands bound behind them. Their sobs and screams were muffled by their gags. A blaster held by a droid hand appeared in the picture, being held to their heads. "Shall I eliminate the organics now, masters?" came the droid's voice.

"Please NO!!!" Shouted Dreyden, dropping to his knees. "You can't do this! Jama will kill me!!"

"Then make your choice, Administrator," Trychon said calmly. "You must choose your life, or the lives of your family... but know this: if you choose your own life, then you will watch your family die, and then I will take you with me and you will watch everyone related to you die... parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins... you will watch each one die. Then you will die, but," Trychon paused for emphasis, "it will be the longest, most painful death you can imagine. Before you make your choice, know that anything Jama might do to you, will be child's play in comparison."

The brief moment that passed then seemed to take an eternity. Finally Dreyden spoke,"Please, I'll release your ship, just don't hurt my family."

He began typing into the computer console on his desk, glancing occasionally at the image on his desk of the droid holding a blaster on his family. Finally he switched on the comm to his assistant again. "Stephen, I've ordered the Jet Razor out of impound."

"You have, sir?" the high pitched voice on the other end said.

"Yes, and I need you to issue a memo that all vehicles registered to the Black Phoenix, or having to do with that organization are to be left strictly alone. If there is an issue, I am to be contacted before any action is taken. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Mr. Dreyden."

"Also get medical staff in here as soon as my guests leave." Dreyden didn't wait to hear what the effeminate secretary had to say, but instead switched off the comm. He looked back up to the Sith, "There... I've done what you wanted, now please..."

"Wise choice, Administrator," Trychon said and leaned back. He picked up the holo-transmitter and spoke to the droid. "Release them Aitchkay, and meet us at the ship."

The droid seemed almost disappointed. "Very well, master."

The older Sith switched the device off, and slipped it back into his cloak. "I strongly suggest you leave a note to your successor to stay out of the affairs of the Sith and the Hutts."

The two Sith warriors turned, not waiting for a response and left quickly.

Once they were safely out of the offices, Raezyr looked over at his brother. "Were we really going to hunt down all his relatives?"

Trychon laughed. "Hell no! But he didn't know that. Hell, I wasn't even going to have HK kill those people. A few punches from you would have softened that fatty up in no time."

"Why didn't we just do that? It would have been much more fun," Raezyr commented, almost pouting.

"Because, my little brother, image," Trychon said, "is everything."

February 04, 2010

564. Black Phoenix - Raezyr

Raezyr followed Trychon through the business offices of the Anchorhead Spaceport Authority, their cloaks billowing behind them as they strode purposefully toward the Administrator's office.

Trychon threw back the swinging double doors to the Administrator's reception area, and an effeminate looking man who was apparently a receptionist or secretary jumped to his feet. "Um, excuse me sirs, but may I help you?" He asked with condescending lisp.

The two Sith ignored the question and instead strode toward the door to the Administrator's office.

The man stood there with a smug grin on his face as Trychon and Raezyr noted the lock on the door, barring them from going any further. "You can't go in there without an appointment," the man said, his high-pitched haughty voice grating on the brothers nerves.

Trychon never even looked at the man, but stared straight at the door as if expecting it to open. Raezyr, on the other hand, turned and walked toward the waifish figure whose condescending glare quickly turned to one of panic-stricken horror. He tried to scramble backward, but nearly fell over his chair, just as Raezyr's hand reached out and grabbed him by the shirt front.

The big Sith then clapped his hand on the back of the secretary's neck and marched the man over to the door, forcibly bending him down so his face was inches from the door controls.

By this time, the administrative assistant was sobbing uncontrollably, but he knew exactly what was expected of him, and he punched the code into the keypad. Instantly the doors slid apart with a whoosh.

Raezyr shoved the small man back toward his desk as they strode in to the lavish Administrator's office. The last thing they heard before the doors close was the secretary calling for security.

As they strode across the plushly carpeted and nicely cooled room to stand in front of the desk, the Administrator never bothered to look up from the holo-call he was on, but instead said, "Jake, I need to put you on hold, I have a minor detail to take care of," and then pushed the hold button on his desk-top holo emitter.

He calmly looked up at the two Sith standing before him. "I don't believe you have an appointment. Stephen," the administrator called into a comm on the desk.

Instantly the sobbing voice of the secretary responded, "Yes Administrator Dreyden?"

"Please contact security and have them escort these gentlemen out of my office."

"They're already on their way, sir."

"Very good... Now, back to you two. In the short time you have before you're hauled out, why don't you explain exactly what you want," Dreyden said.

"You impounded our ship on the orders of Jama the Hutt. You will release it," Trychon said with a wave of his hand. Raezyr felt his younger brother exert the Dark Side, and for a second, he thought it might be just that easy.

Dreyden's expression changed for a brief moment, but then returned to a look that said "amused but annoyed."

[i]Told you that never works,[/i] Raezyr thought to his brother.

[i]Shut up, Raez,[/i] Trychon thought back.

"I'm sorry, but I impound ships all the time, and for many reasons. I have no idea which ship yours would be, and I'm far too busy to figure it out. Now if you would just follow the proper..."

Trychon interrupted the chubby, balding man, "Jog his memory, Darth Raezyr."

In a flash, Raezyr slammed his fist down onto the desk-top holo-emitter, sending pieces flying as the remnants sparked and fizzled on the desk. Dreyden looked down at the mess. "Oh..... [i]that[/i] ship."

He looked back up at the Sith, the amused look gone, but still clearly annoyed. "You'll not get what you want this way."

Before either Sith could reply, two men came through the office door with stun batons and strode toward Trychon and Raezyr. "Oh good. Get these men out of here," the administrator called.

Trychon put his fists down on the desk and leaned menacingly toward Dreyden. "Wrong response," the Sith whispered fiercely, staring into the pudgy man's eyes.

Raezyr spun and flung his arms out toward the two security guards. He could feel extra power that his brother was supplying through their Force bond, and he expelled it outward in two directions.

The security guards flew backward into the wall as if thrown by an explosion. The dull thuds and crackling sound as the men hit the stone walls hinted at the brutality of the collision. Neither men made a sound, or even a movement.

Raezyr turned back to Dreyden.

The horrified look on the administrator's face showed that he now understood what he was dealing with. "Adminstrator, now that we have your attention, there's something you may want to see," Trychon said.

February 03, 2010

563. Black Phoenix - Raezyr


The shuttle touched down on a public landing pad at the spaceport in Anchorhead. Once the swoops and gear were unloaded, it took off again, making it's way back to the Black Phoenix Fortress.

"You two stay with the gear while we go find out we go talk to the droid," Trychon told Schyrt and Reed, who bowed their heads silently in acknowledgment of their orders. Just minute before their departure from the Fortress, Aitchkay had sent a transmission saying he needed to speak with them. Seeing as he had been told not to do so unless it was an emergency, they felt the best course of action would be to contact him from the shuttle en route to Anchorhead. Strangely, their transmissions to the Jet Razor had gone unanswered.

The two Sith moved quickly through the crowded spaceport, their black cloaks billowing behind them as they went. As they approached the private bay where they had berthed their ship, HK-51 approached them from where he had been standing.

"Greeting: Hello, masters," the droid began in his mechanical voice. "I attempted to contact you at your location, but they told me you get back to me. Unfortunately, I did not have the luxury to stay with the ship."

"What's going on, Huck?" Trychon asked, pulling the droid off to the side to be a little less conspicuous.

"Explanation: The Spaceport Authority has impounded the ship. Their reason was that you were in violation of Tatooine Spaceport Code 36 dash 9, Section 5, paragraph bee: Importing of unauthorized organic..."

Trychon cut the droid off before he could finish, "It doesn't matter what the reason. We haven't done anything illegal, therefore the charge has to be trumped up."

"I smell a Hutt," Raezyr speculated.

"As do I, brother," Trychon concurred. The older Sith pursed his lips as a plan quickly formulated in his head.

"An impound order is usually only issued by someone in the Administration," Raezyr offered. "It only makes sense that Jama has them in his pocket."

"Very true, and with this being such a small spaceport, I imagine there's probably only one administrator for it..." Trychon lowered his tone, "I've got an idea, and if it works, not only do we get Raez's ship back, but it'll help the Black Phoenix too.

"Aitchkay, we haven't put your abilities to full use in quite some time," Trychon continued. "Listen closely, here's what I need you to do..."

February 02, 2010

562. Black Phoenix - Raezyr

"Do you understand everything we just outlined for you?" Trychon asked Falka.

"Yes my lord," the Khommite responded.

Trychon took the last sip of his chritonge juice and set the cup down next to his empty plate. He had eaten his breakfast there in the War Room while he gave detailed instructions to the Black Phoenix Captain on exactly what role they would play in the overall plan. He was careful to explain only their part and nothing more.

Having finished his own breakfast in his quarters, Raezyr sat silently nearby. Neither Falka nor anyone else in the Black Phoenix had ever seen him without his helmet on, and he didn't see any reason to change that now.

The younger Sith still wasn't sure about this plan Trychon had come up with. He still thought it was betrayal of someone who trusted them, but his older brother insisted that in the end, everyone benefited from it, and that was what really mattered. Even though he had misgivings, he couldn't argue the logic, and the fact that in the end, everyone really would benefit.

Raezyr was pulled back to the present by prompting from Trychon. "There was one last matter we wished to speak with you about, Captain. Lord Raezyr?"

"Yes," the helmed Sith began. "You currently have two men in your employ: Schyrt and Reed. What can you tell us of them, Captain?"

"Not much, my lord," the alien replied. "They hired on together under... the former leader of this group, and have been very reliable. They are competent at just about any task set before them, but they aren't original thinkers. They've always done exactly what they're told. Followed orders to the letter, but they have a hard time thinking for themselves." Falka thought for a moment then added, "They're great soldiers, but their not the type to ever give orders."

"Have you ever had reason to doubt their loyalty?" Raezyr asked.

"Not once. They've seemed perfectly happy to serve whomever was in charge."

"Excellent. Call them in here, then hand me your blaster, Captain," Raezyr ordered.

The two humans arrived within moments and stood at attention at the far end of the room. Raezyr walked across the room and handed Falka's blaster butt forward to Schyrt.

"My lord?" Schyrt asked questioningly, looking down at the weapon in his hand and then back to the big Sith standing in front of him.

"Shoot Reed," Raezyr ordered.

"As you wish," Schyrt replied and without hesitation, pointed the blaster at Reed and pulled the trigger.

Reed flinched, then relaxed when nothing happened.

Schyrt pulled the trigger several more times in rapid succession, each time with the same result. Finally he looked at the pistol. Realizing the energy pack was missing, he pulled a spare from his own belt. After loading it, he raised it to point it at Reed again.

"NO!!" Trychon yelled, leaping to his feet.

Raezyr reacted on impulse, striking Schyrt across the jaw with his gauntleted fist, knocking the man out cold and sending his shot into the ceiling.

Reed flinched again, but through it all, never moved.

Raezyr picked up the blaster from where it had fallen and tossed it back to Falka, along with the energy pack he had unloaded before the two men had arrived. He then walked back to his chair. "Why did you not move when he tried to shoot you?"

"My lord?" Reed asked as if the question made no sense.

"When Schyrt tried to kill you, why did you not try to move or defend yourself? Raezyr clarified.

"Um... my lord... didn't you order him to kill me?"

"That is correct."

"Then if I tried to stop him, or move, then wouldn't I have been disobeying your orders?"

"Thank you, Reed. Please assist Schyrt to the med bay," Raezyr said, ignoring the question.

"By your command, my lord."

Falka and the two Sith watched as Reed helped the groggy man to his feet and escort him out of the room. When they had gone, Trychon turned to the Black Phoenix Captain. "I assume my swoop was retrieved from the canyon and repaired, Captain?"

"It was."

"Good. Have both of our swoops loaded onto the shuttle. When that is done, have those two men gather their things and load up as well. We'll be taking them with us when we leave here shortly."

February 01, 2010

561. Black Phoenix - Raezyr

The engines wound down and the landing gear hissed as the shuttle settled onto the deck of the hangar bay. Falka met the ship with Haley's spare engergy packs. Almost instantly upon being loaded, the cyborg was back to her old self.

"How do you feel?" Trychon asked.

"I'm not sure why you would ask me that. I explained to you in the cave that all I needed was to get my implants powered up again," she replied.

Trychon opened his mouth to say something else, but Haley continued, "No matter, though. I feel fine, and according to my diagnostics checks, all my implants are functioning normally again."

"All the same, I'm going to have the med droids check you out," Trychon informed her.

"Really, Trych, that isn't necessary. Aside from my wound and some bumps and bruises, I'm okay," Haley assure him.

Falka stared at Haley in horror at her use of the shortened version of Trychon's name. His fear turned to bewilderment as the two Sith seemed not to care.

The looks weren't lost on Trychon and he turned to Falka as the med droids escorted the cyborg off the shuttle and to the med by despite her protests. "Don't even think about calling me anything but 'Lord Trychon,'" the Sith informed the Khommite.

"Yes, Lord Trychon."

"Alright," Raezyr interjected. "Now that the cyborg is useful again, it's been a long day, so have supper brought to our quarters and first thing in the morning, we have some instructions for you."

"Yes, my lord," Falka replied with a slight bow of his head.

"Oh, and Falka," Trychon added after they had all left the shuttle. "When they bring the meal, tell them to bring ale. Lots and lots of ale."

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

Just outside the Sith's quarters, two men approached them. "My lords, a word," the first one said as they both dropped to a knee and bowed their heads.

Raezyr looked at Trychon who only shrugged before speaking to the men. "We are tired and hungry. What do you want?"

The second man looked up at the two Sith. "My lords, my name is Reed, and this is Schyrt. We wish to serve you."

"You already serve us," Trychon replied flatly.

"My lord, we wish to serve you personally," Reed explained. "We'd do whatever you ask of us. We swear our undying loyalty to you."

Without warning, Raezyr grabbed reached down and grabbed the two men by their throats, lifted them to their feet and slammed them against the wall. "Do you have any idea what you are asking? If you ever fail us, you will most likely die, either by our hand or the hands of some slave to the Republic."

Schyrt gasped for breath, but answered anyway. "Yes, Lord Raezyr."

Raezyr released them and they crumpled to their hands and knees. "What use could you be to us?" Trychon asked as if nothing had just happened.

"My lord," Reed said, still recovering his breath, "We can both pilot many different ships. We can mechanic, between the two of us, we're fluent in many different languages, and we can fight."

"What exactly would you want in return for your service?" Trychon asked.

"Only room and board, and for you to remember our loyal service when the Galaxy trembles at your feet, my lords," Schyrt said, recovering his composure.

"Get out of my sight," Trychon said and strode past them, Raezyr at his side. Without turning, they could hear the footfalls of the two men receding into the distance.

When they were gone, Trychon answered Raezyr's unspoken question. "I don't know. I suppose they could carry our gear and run errands for us, take night watch at the helm."

"Your ship could use someone on it as well to monitor things, and they could stand guard on the ship whenever we're planetside. I mean, I'm sure Aitchkay is fine, but people don't always listen to droids, even ones with guns," Raezyr added. "But there's the question of their loyalty, as well."

"We can ask Falka about that in the morning. Right now I'm going to eat and crash," Trychon said coming to a standstill in front of his door.

Raezyr paused for a moment before continuing to his room. "Trych?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm glad you're alright."

"Me too."