Corellia- Rebuilding Old Alliances

Cold, dark and damp. That pretty much described the weather today on Corellia. It was cold, colder than Redack would've preferred, it was dark because of the cloud overhead and it was damp due to the random showers of rain that kept starting and stopping as if someone was messing with a tap in the sky. The city around him had in fact once belonged to him for a very brief moment when eh had taken it from his old master, the one that had helped start him down the path of the Dark Side. The fool had it coming, how he had expected Redack to blindly follow him was impossible to comprehend. Servitude to another was only required until you were strong enough to kill them and then take their place. Something Redack had held onto, though in most cases it was more of a 'until you are smart enough to have them removed'. Treachery, deception, illusion were but a few of the traits Redack had maintained. From being a Sith Apprentice all the way to his ascension into the position of Sith Lord granted to him by the Dark Lady Demona and then maintained by Dark Lady Palin.

Redack himself wore just a Sith robe with a black cloak over the top and, of course, his rather cliché black hood that he wore to cast shadow over his face. His prized lightsabers lay hidden under his cloak, clipped onto a black belt. his skin was perhaps the most unusual thing about him on a planet mainly populated by humans. Green, though only because he saw no need to maintain the illusion of being another species- such was the ability of Clawdites... With this clearly Sith appearance came an arsenal of force techniques he'd either been taught or had discovered along the way and yet somehow he was still incapable of being useful in a fight, perhaps it was his destiny to never fight one on one or perhaps somewhere deep down inside he chose to be lazy in fights that didn't involved armies and war fleets. Regardless, he was here to find an old ally and friend... One he had unfortunately betrayed so that he might rise up, of course it had worked at the time but now he needed this old ally back... Hopefully the bounty hunter known as 'The Slayer' was in a good mood at the moment... If he was anywhere to be found...

((Character in play: The Slayer))

"Well, well, well...so the treacherous snake rears its head again..."

Slayer chuckled as he watched the holoimage of Redack wandering throughout the city, his every movement monitored by Slayer's agents, who were spread out across the planet in case something of interest to the bounty hunter came up. It had been a slow day up until now, but this was certainly the biggest surprise.

Slayer watched leisurely from behind his desk, his chair inclined, with his two pet vornskrs laying at his feet. Two of his most competent agents, Vické the swordswoman and Blancna the sharpshooter, flanked him, their attention only partially upon the holoscreen. Both were dressed in civilian clothing and had benign expressions on their faces which belied the dangerous nature beneath; while they appeared to be harmless, almost like secretaries, both carried concealed weapons and would ruthlessly do whatever Slayer ordered them to, without regard to any qualms of conscience they may have. Slayer himself was dressed in his usual dark brown robes, with the hood sufficiently cloaking his face and a small arsenal at his side. He briefly toyed with a piece of fruit, twirling it around in his fingers, before abruptly crushing it in his hand.

Redack was supposed to be dead. Slayer had heard countless reports of his former ally's death, widely varying stories that could not be reconciled no matter which way you looked at it, but the common consensus was that the Clawdite was dead, the Wayland Empire left in the hands of Atrum and CABAL, a shadow of its former self. Slayer himself had never truly believed the reports; there were far too many discrepancies, and he suspected some of them had been put out by the wily Sith himself, to lure his manifold enemies into a false sense of security, but there had always been a chance that one of them was true. There had been times that Slayer had certainly hoped so, though many other times he had wished for Redack to still be alive so he could kill him himself.

And here he was, purposefully wandering into Slayer's territory. Some might be fooled by the shadows over the Clawdite's eyes, but Slayer recognized him instantly, having killed him over and over in his mind. Perhaps Redack thought Slayer had forgiven him or forgotten, or perhaps he was just overly confident in either his own fighting prowess or his ability to escape the planet undetected, but it didn't really matter. All that mattered was that his former comrade had walked right into Slayer's web, and Slayer intended to make him regret it.

He was not usually one who let his emotions get out of control; perhaps that was why he had never felt like a true Sith, for he much preferred cold anger to the explosive hatred exhibited by most Sith. Redack, however, had returned to the Sith time and time again, and had apparently fallen into favor; somehow, the bumbling fool had made it to the rank of Sith Lord. Whether he was still a Sith was irrelevant; the only question now, to Slayer's mind, was how to dispose of him.

Slayer arose from his sitting position and motioned for Vické and Blancna to follow him, which they did silently. His clawed feet clicked on the tile as he made his way out of the building, the entire way keeping his presence in the Force locked down, eventually coming to within three blocks of where his agents indicated Redack now was. Turning to his agents, he said, "I will deal with this alone. Move into the crowd, identify his backup agents, if any, and neutralize them." Without hesitation, the women split up, and Slayer nodded his head, satisfied. Vické and Blancna were veterans at this type of work, and he was confident they would be able to carry out this task. He wanted no outsiders interfering in his work.

Deciding not to travel out in the open, where the townspeople, well aware of his reputation, would shy away and likely give away his presence, Slayer withdrew into the alleyways, an arena he knew well. Silently, both physically and in the Force, Slayer made his way to within a hundred feet of the other Force-user. He ducked around a corner and waited; his agents had reported that Redack would be passing by the mouth of the alleyway. Keeping most of his body hidden from view, Slayer glanced around the corner and waited like the hunter he was.

As soon as Redack appeared, Slayer pounced, silently and swiftly floating around the corner, the only sound of his initial attack being the faint whistling of the two throwing knifes now speeding towards the Clawdite. If Redack were to stay in the same place, one throwing knife would puncture straight through into his heart, the other into his stomach. Slayer charged after them, red lightsaber now ignited in his hands and slashing downward at the Sith's right shoulder blade; if this were to connect, Redack would suffer a deep gash in his shoulder and might even lose the arm. Regardless, Slayer would continue in his path past the Clawdite's right side, using his momentum to get him out of range of any immediate counterattacks, and would turn to face Redack once again. ((Assuming you survive that)) Slayer smirked and said, "You got a lotta nerve comin' here, after what you pulled."

((Sorry for the length, and for the attack; I'm not really trying to kill you, but that's what Slayer would do. You've just gotta talk him out of it, somehow. Good luck! ))

((Well it'd be one boring RP if you didn't ))

Suddenly knives were flying in his direction, just another bit of proof that even force users were not immortal nor all knowing. Though the incredible reaction speed and danger sense granted by the Force allowed Redack to grab the knives with The Force and halt their movement entirely and then reversing their direction with increased speed. The attack had now been not only stopped but sent back at his attacker. Of course, he needed to ensure nothing else came flying at him and so he conjured up several Force Phantoms between him and his attacker. Force Phantoms are solidi illusions that can be conjured up in the image of any living being in existence and in rare occasions beings that do not even exist, these particular ones were appearing as Wraith Soldiers- soldiers genetically created from the DNA of five other species to serve Redack and his Empire.. Another more interesting fact about Force Phantoms is their connection to living beings, in this case random civilians Redack had connected them to. Though the most interesting fact as that the effects of energy, such as the blade of a lightsaber, seemed to be channelled with a Phantom- the most notable evidence of this was when Lumiya conjured Phantoms of Jacen, Luke, Mara Jade and Ben and then had Ben fight Mara Jade and Jacen fight Luke, although at the time all four were unaware that the other was someone they knew... These Force Phantoms would either cause Slayer to stop his assault as he realised he is outnumbered or slow him down considerably, allowing Redack to activate his two red lightsabers.

"I think you are overreacting to a situation that happened several of my lifetimes ago." Redack said, referencing both how long it had been since their little 'falling out' but also to the fact that he had died several times since then.

((sorry if it sucks, Doro and Dooku were bugging me a lot while I typed it))

((Honestly, I don't think you would have had time to send the knives back at me--though I think you could have stopped them--or summon the Phantom things before I was on you, but since I'm not trying to kill you, I'll let it go. If I really wanted to make things difficult, I would have used Force Speed. ))

Suddenly, seeing his knives reversed direction, Slayer knew they were coming back at him, and his Force-enhanced reflexes enabled him to make a quick side-step as he continued along his path, the knives flying past him and into the wall. He had nearly reached Redack when he felt the Force being accessed once more, and suddenly he was surrounded by five Force Phantoms.

It was a delaying tactic, Slayer knew. He knew about Force Phantoms; he had studied in depth most Force powers known to the sentient species of the world, and he knew all of their most basic strengths and weaknesses. In the Phantoms' case, their weakness was that they tended to mirror the actions of the living creatures they were connected to ((which they do in the book that you reference)). And if Redack had connected them to random civilians, which Slayer suspected since he had concocted them in such a short amount of time, their responses upon being confronted with a dark-sider with a lightsaber would be to run away...and even if they didn't, their fighting skills would be nonexistent.

So Slayer, upon seeing the Phantoms appear around him, would not hesitate to continue in his path, passing too quickly past the first two for them to react, and moving his saber in an arc as he moved in range of the other two, the first strike aiming to his right, at the Phantom's side, the second slashing towards the Phantom on his left's shoulder ((and since you didn't specify how many, I'm assuming four)), both aiming to wound rather than kill civilians that might be useful to him at a later date, without slowing down in the process. Another saber flew from Slayer's belt into his hand as he ran, the gold blade shooting upward as he came to a halt before the Sith.

"Really, Redack? Is it overreacting to kill the one that betrayed me? I don't think so." Slayer, mindful of the Phantoms at his back, circled around to Redack's right side, for though he didn't expect them to do anything but run away, in his experience one civilian in fifty had some courage in him, and Slayer was not one to take chances. Even as he spoke he considered the best way to attack the situation; did he want to kill Redack quickly, or did he want to let Redack suffer a little bit? The cool anger he normally had was gone; he didn't mind attempts on his life, nor on those of his "friends" or agents, but treachery to his species was one of the worst crimes an ally could commit. That was why he had stood by Dark Lord Kira way back when, back when he was still a Sith, back when she was facing challenges to her throne from within and without of the Sith. Such treachery was the way of the Sith, it was true...but Slayer's own twisted code of honor would not allow him to stomach it, so he had left, along with Androx and Redack...only to be betrayed himself, and for reasons he did not yet know. But unless it was a very, very good reason, Slayer did not even care what Redack's explanation was. All he cared about was vengeance.

((Sorry it took me so long to reply; I ended up sleeping in more than I had planned to.))

((Just to point out, not all Force Phantoms follow the actions of the beings they are connected to. Lumiya does use the ability to create some that she controls every action of... The same when Alema makes phantoms of herself, she is stated to be meditating while she controls the phantom that attacks Han & Leia on the Falcon so she can't be dancing around fighting at the same time Just thought you might find that info interesting...))

"Was it treachery to you, or an illusion to another?" Redack asked. "In reality, perhaps I attacked you simply to gain the trust of another. No harm came to you or anything you posses. had you not been so blinded by anger I would have explain this to you at the time, I did not truly attack you I merely made it appear so to gain the trust of someone else."

(yea it really does suck but I decided to rush it to get it posted before I go)

((Yeah, but I believe Alema herself did not get hurt when her Force phantom was hurt, so I believe that was a variation of the power, probably only useable while meditating. I can't say for sure, though, because I'm here in my dorm at college without the books...so I'm also not sure which of Lumiya's phantoms you are referring to.))

Slayer was not moved much by Redack's statement, but it did give him pause. His sabers still ignited, Slayer nodded his head to Redack. "Explain that." He would hear what Redack had to say, and then decide whether the scum still deserved to die. It was true that their last battle had not been conclusive--Redack had hightailed it out of there after attacking him--but Slayer had always assumed it had been because Redack realized he was taking on more than he could handle. But if what Redack was saying were correct, perhaps he had fled for another reason, as well; he didn't want to completely throw away this old alliance they had had before the attack. A wise choice, to be sure, but wiser would have been to ignore this third party and side with Slayer regardless. Because for now Slayer was still very much leaning towards killing the snake.

What interested him far more, however, was that someone had sent Redack to attack him, in order to gain Slayer's trust. Apparently he had an enemy he did not know about; a new experience for him, to be sure. Granted, he had had people who hated him more than any other, but that was mainly because he was hunting them down as a bounty at the time. This time, it appeared someone had gone after him without a reason Slayer could fathom, and he wanted to know who and why. There was always the possibility that this mystery attacker was dead or gone--it had, of course, been years since this last event...but Slayer wanted to know regardless. He allowed his Force senses to float out, carpeting Redack with his instincts; Redack was a known liar, and Slayer would know if he lied now, both because of the Force and because he knew Redack well enough to have a good idea as to when he was lying.

((Alema connected her phantom to anything nearby, such as a wookiee. Leia could sense that it was the wookiee an not Alema but the Phantom appeared to be Alema and was controlled by Alema somehow... Also as for Lumiya, she made a fake future Jacen at the end of the first book (though they never explained that and the writers said it wasn't anyone in particular) and I recall an Admiral or some military dude on the Alliance was met by his dead wife which it at some point explained was a Force Phantom (or strongly hinted it)...))

"I have said all that needs saying, the one I served at that time died and so doesn't pose a danger to you." Redack stated. "I regret what happened, and I doubt you honestly believe I would attack you. For a start we both know I don't stand a chance if we fight, so logically why would I want you as an enemy?"

Redack didn't care much if Slayer believe him or not, he was only offering an old friend a chance to maintain his criminal underworld when the galaxy eventually belongs to the Wayland Empire. Which of course, was soon to be inevitable. If Slayer killed Redack now, he would only revive in a new clone body while Atrum and CABAL continued the plan that had been so carefully concocted. A new era of Peace and Order would be established, and with an ally in control of the underworld it would be much easier to maintain the stability of the galaxy.

((That's true. I still think that controlling the phantom would require more concentration/energy than just having phantoms that mirrored the actions of their counterparts.))

Slayer laughed. "That's true...but you still haven't told me anything of value. You know how it is; many that seem to die seldom are gone for long. Death is not nearly as effective a barrier as it used to be. Besides, why should you protect your former master if they are dead and gone now? They cannot do anything to you...I, however, am alive and well."

Slayer brandished his sabers menacingly, then emitted a ghastly chuckle. The civilians had by now all fled the area, fearful of the confrontation between two darksiders. Two of them lay on the ground in pain, clutching at wounds they never knew they had received. But Slayer had no fear of the authorities showing up any time soon; he had proved time and again that the police force was completely impotent when up against Slayer, and a well-placed threat of destruction had worked wonders with the planetary government. Slayer could have effectively taken control of the planet, had he so chosen...but that was not his realm. Best to leave that sort of takeover to those like Redack, who actually cared about such things. All Slayer cared about was money and the thrill of a good hunt.

"You came here for a reason, Redack. You wanted to see me, and it was worth enough to you to take this risk. You seem certain that you can convince me not to continue my attack. Why is that?" Slayer's voice was curious now, but still had an edge to it. Redack was secretive, sly, and it was never good to trust someone implicitly when they had a history of betrayal. Slayer intended to avoid being the target of such a betrayal again.

"Can't I just visit an old friend?" Redack asked with an almost smiling expression on his face. "No, I suppose you're right. I'm here to rebuild our alliance..."

Redack began searching in the Force for any signs of rooftop snipers or anything Slayer might be moving into position before attacking. His old friend and ally felt betrayed, it was only natural that he might simply be luring Redack into a situation where he was trapped.

"Rebuild our alliance...to what end?" Slayer said, though in reality he suspected he knew. Redack wanted what he had always wanted; control over the galaxy. Though it was never something Slayer himself had aspired to, he couldn't deny that thoughts of controlling the galaxy sometimes entered his mind...though he usually dismissed those thoughts as impractical. Emotional. Redack, however, with his large army, would stand a legitimate chance at taking over the galaxy should he so choose. The fact that he was now here, seeking Slayer, was an indication that he was ready to make a move towards galactic domination.

((sorry about my replies being generally just speech, but I'm getting writers block -_-))

"I provide you with funding, weapons, anything you need, just as I did in the past. In exchange all I ask is that you keep control of the criminal underworld this galaxy has somehow built itself." Redack answered. "That and I want to know I have trustworthy allies like I once did."

((Not a problem. We're all suffering from being rusty.))

"The criminal underworld? I'm a bounty hunter, Redack. I make sure the criminals are under control...however, you are asking for a galaxy-wide project, are you not? That will take some doing." Slayer lowered his sabers, but did not disignite them. He still wasn't quite sure he could trust Redack; his species had long memories, and betrayal stood out like no other events in his mind. Why wouldn't Redack reveal who he had been working for, way back when this betrayal took place? Something didn't add up...and Redack's willingness or refusal to reveal this information could make or break this deal. "One condition, though, Redack. You need to tell me who you were working for back then, when you attacked me. As I said before...if they're dead, they can no longer harm you for telling me such information, can they? So why protect them?" Slayer knew Redack, and he knew that while he might side with one person or another at times, ultimately his loyalty was to himself and himself only. If this mystery assailant was indeed out of the picture, Redack should have no problem telling Slayer who it was. If not, well...Slayer just might have to proceed with his original plan and try to track down his mystery enemy himself...after dealing with his henchman. It wasn't the optimal situation, but he would have no other recourse if his opponent were still alive.

((The annoying part is I can't remember his name, I know it was A Sith though...))

"Perhaps one day I will tell you who it was. But not this day my friend, there are far more importan things than your ego to consider." Redack stated, he wouldn't answer the question. Perhaps to keep his old friend from hunting the dead, or perhaps because he couldn't remember. A lifetime of dying coudl quite easily cause memory loss. All that really mattered was that Redack refused to say, the reasoning behind it was for him to know, and unless he chose otherwise he would keep it that way.

((Great, Redack. -_-; Now you leave it up to me to decide whether Slayer still wants to kill you or not. Fortunately, I've got an idea.))

Frustrated, Slayer raised his sabers, preparing to charge in once more...but something gave him pause, and he shut the sabers off. Through his Force senses, he could tell that there was no malicious intent towards Slayer in Redack's decision not to tell him; though Redack's reasons remained inscrutable, he did not appear to either be protecting this hidden enemy or to be deliberately trying to provoke Slayer. Perhaps the other really was dead, and forgotten, perhaps it was someone of no consequence whatsoever, in which case Slayer would deal with him when the time came, but either way, Redack was not deliberately deceiving him. "Very well," Slayer said, snapping his sabers back onto his belt. "It's a deal, then...but I'm going to need specifics. Where would you like me to start, how tightly do you need the underworld to be controlled...and, of course, how much are you willing to pay?"

((Interesting that a Sith told you to attack Slayer...I don't recall actually doing anything to the Sith, apart from killing a pretty much worthless Sith Apprentice.))

"Coruscant, the capital of the Galaxy. I need control of any criminal organizations and groups operating on the planet, after that you may proceed how you see fit..." Redack said. "As for resources, you have whatever funds you require to get the job done plus a bonus of 100,000 credits for every planet's worth of criminals you manage to gain influence over."

"Coruscant...interesting..." Slayer murmured under his breath. So Redack was not messing around; he meant to go directly for the heart of the galaxy, and he intended that none would stand in his way. Slayer's sources had informed him that the Jedi had effectively abandoned Coruscant; the Jedi Temple was destroyed, and the rumor was that the Jedi themselves had done it. But now Slayer suspected otherwise; perhaps Redack himself had destroyed the Temple, to remove the Jedi as an obstacle to his takeover. Certainly without the Jedi the conquest would be much easier...but it had also encouraged a recent crime wave on the planet, for the planet had relied on the Jedi for so long that its police force was decidedly sub-par. This would take some doing...but it would be worth it, especially if Slayer was along for the ride when Redack finally managed a complete take-over of the galaxy, a feat that hadn't been accomplished since the time of the Galactic Empire. That, Slayer would be happy to watch...and collect a healthy bounty as he did it. "Very well. I shall require approximately 150,000 credits to take Coruscant." It was a large planet, and the recent crime wave would make things difficult. It was too bad, Slayer reflected, that the Bounty Hunters' Guild was long gone. It would have definitely made his job easier, but there just weren't enough Force-trained Hunters around any more to make it worthwhile.

"Take this card." Redack said as he pulled a card from his pocket and tossed it towards Slayer. "I thought you'd see things my way, so I had an account created. I will transfer funds into it as you need them." Redack stated. Everything was proceeding quite nicely, Slayer was on his side once more. Coruscant's criminals would soon be cotnroled by the Wayland Empire through Slayer. All that stood in the way was a line of planets between Coruscant and the Wayland Empire, but one by one they would fall and then the Capital itself would belong to Redack.

Slayer caught the card and, without another word, turned and marched off. As he headed off towards his mansion, his agents Vické and Blancna materialized out of nowhere and flanked him, with any civilians still on the street fleeing before them. Slayer ignored them until they reached his headquarters. There, he turned to them and said, "Pack your bags. We're heading to Coruscant."

As they left the room, Slayer allowed himself a sly grin. Finally, he was back in action, doing something that would be worth his time. It had been far too long since he had had a good fight, and while dealing with the underworld on Coruscant would probably not be as challenging as he would have hoped, he knew that this would lead to greater and more...entertaining things. The ironic part about the Coruscant deal was that the Jedi would not even be able to try to stop him; after all, he would only be doing the work that they abandoned doing when they left the planet. But he felt sure that at some point in his work with Redack, he would get the opportunity to take down a Jedi or two. And he relished the hunts to come.