Coruscant--The Arrival

((Character in play: The Slayer))

Ah, Coruscant. The jewel of the galaxy, the hub of galactic commerce and galactic government. It was here that the fate of the galaxy had been decided many times over; would the Dark prevail, or would the Light eke out a victory? With all of the battles that had occurred here, it was a wonder that the planet was still standing, let alone the population center of the galaxy; after all, who would want to live on a world that was constantly under attack? The planet had little to offer, really, in terms of resources (outside of living beings, of course), and yet no galactic power could claim to be an empire or claim domination without having conquered Coruscant.

Slayer knew this was why he himself was here. Not to take the planet for himself, no...he had been hired to facilitate such a conquest by an old...friend? ally? What exactly was Redack to him? Slayer had known the Clawdite for years, and while his hunger for personal power at any cost was quite obvious, the methods he chose to take this power were sometimes hard to predict. One thing was for sure, though...Redack would betray Slayer in an instant if he thought it would bring him more glory, but as long as Slayer made it more profitable to be allies rather than enemies, Redack would pay him well and provide him with tasks that should at least sate his hunger for action. And if the day ever came again when Redack decided it was expedient to betray him, well...Slayer had little patience for treachery, and he would take appropriate steps if and when that occurred.

But for now, he would be doing Redack's work, and not as his servant, but rather as his mercenary. Redack was coming to Coruscant; when, Slayer had no idea, but he knew the former Sith Lord was coming, and he wanted Coruscant to be ready. That was where Slayer came in. As a Bounty Hunter, he was intimately familiar with the devices of the criminal underworld, an underworld that might prove problematic once the warlord took over the planet. Indeed, since the Jedi had abandoned the planet some time ago, crime rates had skyrocketed, and organized crime once again ruled the streets. Slayer would be working to tame these underworld elements, destroying those that would not cooperate, and molding those that would into an extension of Redack's already-powerful military forces. Slayer would effectively be uniting the various groups into a single overreaching crime syndicate with himself at its head, a syndicate that would function as a sort of special forces group to strike against both the Jedi and the disorganized, scattered Republic.

First, however, he needed to set up a planetary headquarters, and this was what he was doing today. Painstaking research over the past week had drawn him to a skyhook he had deemed the perfect base of operations. It overlooked one of the most crime-ridden districts on the planet, but was far enough removed from the area that it would remain safe from any assaults from desperate crime lords. Indeed, if Slayer did as well as he was supposed to do--and when had he not met, and exceeded, expectations?--the criminals would not even know from where their demise had fallen. Within a week, Slayer predicted, he could have most of the criminals on the planet, including the "mighty" crimelords, under his thumb.

As Vické and Blancna piloted the Black Panther to a smooth landing within the hanger bay of the skyhook, Slayer rose from his seat and walked briskly out of the hatch as it opened, his claws clicking on the metal floor and his vornskrs close at his heels. He glanced around the skyhook, one he had purchased using Redack's funds at a bargain price due to the nearby crime ring. So. Here was where he would begin his work, work of galactic proportions. With his involvement here, the galaxy would grow that much closer to being under the dominion of a new owner...and Redack's dreams of a truly galactic Wayland Empire would finally be fulfilled.

The glittering city, the planet that truly never slept, was ripe for the taking...and Slayer would be there to witness as Redack's shroud of darkness spread out across the cityscape. The criminal underworld had no idea what was in store for it, had no idea that its doom had now arrived. Just the way Slayer liked it.

((Kinda blah, but whatever. It gets the job done. ))

The assassin had landed a few days earlier. Maybe it was instinct or just previous experience but he guessed that the best place to search for a location on the new dark lord he was searching for would be Coruscant. In the last few days he had found out a mass amount of information about the current dark end of society from a new list of information holders he was already making. Through the information he gained and experience with a former Sith lord, the assassin knew the new lord would look for an alliance with a controlling and power spread individual of the underground society of crime bosses and or mercenaries. One name came up very often in his gained information. A name or title he was not sure but it was Slayer. Today this assassin was just so lucky enough to have gotten information on the soon coming arrival of this Slayer person, and was already lying in wait for him in the hanger bay as the ship landed. Naturally the assassin kept himself hidden until he was able to observe Slayer walking out of his ship with his guards and pets close to him. Not really worrying about their reaction to his oncoming sudden appearance the assassin stepped from the shadows he had hidden himself in and walked slowly towards Slayer.

He had no publicly known face so what is the point of a name for people to call him by? His body is thin but toned mussel lies under his skin which is ash gray in color with dark silver veins visible from beneath and large patches of metallic fiber cybernetics visible all over at least half of his body, except for his face. His face is a bit bony and narrow with thin lips yet he is handsome in its own manner, his eyes solid black with red dot pupils. His hair is strait and falls just over his eyes and consists of mostly white strands with locks of silver and black. His clothes consist of a pair black tightly woven cloth pants held up with a black leather belt holding his personal effects, a black leather vest over a black skin tight long-sleeved shirt, thin black leather gloves that go past his wrists and hug his slender fingers . However, his entire appearance is fully clad under a heavy black cloth cloak with its hood up hiding most of his face in shadow.

In his right hand is a staff made of a black polished metal, and is six and a half feet long. Running up and down it are half centimeter, randomly curved ridges making it easy for him to grip in his gloved hands. Midway up the staff there is a small silver switch hidden in-between the grooves and at the top edge of the staff is a small one foot gap which is barely noticeable. Though the staff is very heavy, the metal being extremely dense, he carries it as if it were a feather in his hand as he moves.

A dark breeze came to him through the Force, then, almost as a whisper, and Slayer quickly realized that they were not alone. Slayer slowly turned to face the intruder as the other walked silently forward, and Vické and Blancna directed their gaze towards the mysterious one, as well. The vornskrs quivered in their anticipation upon sensing the intruder, and Slayer briefly glanced down at them in interest. So, then, their concentrated senses confirmed what Slayer's instincts told him; the other was a Force-user, strong enough in the Force to conceal his presence from Slayer as they approached. The vornskrs were natural hunters; they used the Force to sense their prey and were particularly interested in those who were fortunate enough to be Force-Sensitive. Indeed, only the harsh training Slayer had inflicted upon them prevented them from pouncing on the intruder right now; he suspected that were they to do so, they would meet with a nasty surprise.

His gaze returned to the intruder, his glowing yellow eyes, the only part of his face visible underneath his cloak, turning to red and narrowing. He had not expected to find anyone here at the skyhook when he arrived; he had not concealed news of his arrival, but neither had he publicized it. He had not expected anyone to care at this point. Any enemies he had were long gone; dead, some of them, or vanished into the annals of time...and his friends were few and far between and scattered across the galaxy. There was always the Sith that had persuaded Redack to betray him, but that was so many years ago, and Redack was convinced that he was dead and gone. Perhaps, however, he was mistaken, or outright lying. Or perhaps some of Slayer's enemies were not quite as dead as he had thought, though he did not recognize this individual.

"Who goes there?" Slayer's gravelly voice rang out evenly. No trace of fear resided in his voice; though he knew the other was likely here to try to kill him, the emotion of fear was one completely foreign to him: he understood it in concept, and had used it to his advantage countless times, but had never felt it himself. The thought of Death had never had any real significance to him; though he would fight to stay alive, he had always suspected that Death would not be quite so bad as it was made out to be. Besides, he was supremely confident in his fighting skills.

Nonetheless, his vibroblade was in his hand and held in a defensive position in the case of an attack. He was not afraid, but neither was he stupid. Likewise, the two women had also drawn their blasters the instant the intruder came into sight, but with a subtle hand motion Slayer commanded them to stand down, which they did without hesitation, blasters still in hand but no longer aimed at the mysterious figure. Slayer would find out what his visitor wanted before he made any rash moves; besides, in the event that the other proved to be an adversary, it was so much more satisfying to deal with an opponent oneself than with the aid of others.

Watching every movement down to the last emotional muscle twitch as he read the situation he had seemingly walked blindly into. Such was not the case; he knew exactly what he had done. The former Sith assassin did not say anything at first and simply stopped about ten feet away from Slayer and then dipped down a bit, bending his knees ever so slightly as he made a small bow to show he meant nothing but to great in a formal manor at the moment, though he kept a grip on his staff as a simple precaution. After he straitened himself up he grinned a bit and finally spoke in a voice low, cold and heartless, sounding similar to what one would expect a snake to sound like if it could speak.

“I have no name for anyone to call me by, for I have no true identity. But you may call me by what I am. So ‘assassin’ with suffice for now if you would.”

His eyes wandered to his pets and guards again and nodded ever so slightly in an impressed manor.

“Might I say that you have done well in choosing those who protect you. However I would also have to add that someone of your…stature should not make it so simple for one to find. Especially down to such a specific location as this. Even if I had not been trained as I was, I would have been able to find you here right now as I have.”

The assassin lowered his head a bit, still grinning as he continued on.

“May I ask if Slayer is your name or a title given to you by those who fear, respect, or fallow you?”

Slayer cautiously returned the bow, keeping his senses alert, though he doubted the other would try anything. So. An assassin. Slayer had suspected as much; they were kindred spirits, though of course in that business that didn’t mean that they were allies; indeed, oftentimes assassins ended up as rivals rather than friends, and one of the chief rules of the business was to not trust your fellow assassins. So, though Slayer lowered his weapon slightly, he kept his guard up and was ready for any sudden movements. Beneath the concealment of his dark hood, Slayer allowed himself a grimace. Of course, he would settle for nothing but the best in his entourage, though they were less guardians than they were agents, ready to do his bidding without hesitation.

But, deciding that correcting the misstatement (or verbal jab, as the case may be) was not worth his time, Slayer raised his head and said, “The latter, most certainly. My own name was lost in time, long ago…and you may rest assured that had I thought it necessary to keep news of my arrival quiet, it would have remained hidden.”

It was no surprise to Slayer that the other had learned of his title; it was well-known throughout the underworld both by those who might someday have need of his services and by those who feared that those services might be turned against them, and if the assassin was here, he had certainly heard of his reputation. Why else would he come, if he did not know who Slayer was? Even if his aim was to attack Slayer, a true assassin would have learned as much as possible about his adversary before carrying out the job. But Slayer wondered now if that was truly the other’s motivation for coming here; as his measuring gaze swept across the assassin, Slayer could detect no real hostility, though of course that could change in an instant. That left him with a puzzle, but he would not dwell on it, would not allow it to distract him; he knew he would find out the other’s intentions soon enough.

Oh this one knew his stuff the assassin thought to himself. Either that or he was an idiot which was highly unlikely. So fare he had found out plenty about this Slayer by simply watching him in this conversation. So far as he could tell, even if he was to assassinate this individual it would take weeks of planning and reconnaissance, not to mention the great amount one would have to pay to make it worth the wile for the former Dark Scythe of the Sith Lord. This was not the time to think such things however. It was time to get to business, and from what he saw Slayer was most likely thinking the same thing. With a heavy sigh the assassin placed some of his own weight on his staff and closed his eyes in a rather nonchalant manor as he spoke.

“So to get strait the point I will ask you the question I have for you and before you answer remember…”

The assassin lowered his head and opened his eyes and narrowed them at Slayer as he continued speaking.

“I am no fool, and lies are something I do not hold in high regard. Now, I have reasons of believing that you have some form of contact with the new Lord of the Sith. Am I wrong?”

Slayer twitched almost imperceptibly at the implied threat but said nothing of it. He had no fear of what this assassin would do should Slayer call his bluff, but the idea that the other thought he could intimidate Slayer into complying was irksome. A less rational being might have chosen to lie just to prove that point, or even to lash out at the other, but Slayer had always kept his emotions under control. Anger flared only briefly in him before giving way to cool calculation. The other was offering a deal, this much Slayer knew, though for what he had no idea. If Slayer could get him into contact with the new Dark Lord, he knew there would be some sort of reward; that was how things worked in their world.

He had, of course, heard of the new Dark Lord. Lord Belial, one who had been a Lord for quite some time--though he had come about after Slayer had been trained in the Force. Slayer had never personally met the Sith, but given his extensive contacts he knew that the new Dark Lord was in the mold of most Dark Lords: ruthless and powerful. He was also willing to bet that if he really wanted to, Redack could get this assassin an audience with Belial; though he knew Redack was not at the moment a full-fledged Sith, Redack had a network of contacts that rivaled his own and had much more in the way of finances, which would certainly be useful should Slayer seek to pursue this deal.

He considered for a moment, and then said, "Well...I do not have direct contact with him, but I may have an ally who does."

The assassin stayed quiet for a long period of time as if in thought it seemed before finally speaking.

“Now the next question would obviously be if you would be so kind as to help a banished Sith become reacquainted with this new Sith Lord?”

His grip tightened on the staff of his staff and the sound of his leather gloves creaking could be heard along with the faint hum of the fiber cybernetics cybernetic in the muscles in his hand an arm. He had not position on this Slayer, from what he old tell he was not much different then himself, most likely an assassin himself at one time in his life.

A faint chuckle emerged from Slayer's throat, almost inaudible. "Your business is similar to mine. You would obviously know my next question as well."

Anyone involved in the assassination or bounty hunting business would know instantly what Slayer was referring to; in fact, the assassin had most likely anticipated the question: What's in it for me? He had asked if Slayer would be "kind" enough to do something for him, when they both knew that the idea of "kindness" was laughable when it came to their professions. You never did something for nothing; if you did, you would not be a very successful assassin, and Slayer had been a very successful assassin.

What interested him was the fact that the other was not only a Force-using assassin, but a former Sith as well. It seemed they had much in common, though Slayer had no desire to rejoin the Sith. Also, Slayer had chosen to leave the Sith, while the other said he was banished. That was perplexing...and intriguing. It was easy to get banished from the Jedi, but the deeds that would get you banished from the Jedi would get you a Lordship among the Sith...though this didn't seem to work the other way around; he had never heard of a Sith banished for being too "nice." In Slayer's experience, Sith were only banished when they were on the losing side of a power struggle. Perhaps the assassin had backed someone else for Dark Lord or even aspired to it himself (though Slayer doubted it was the second option; he would have heard of another contender for the throne), and had been defeated. It would certainly explain why he wished to return to the Sith now, upon the crowning of a new Dark Lord...but Slayer suspected there was something more going on here than he could guess.

His eyes sharpen at the comment. Oh yes he was definitely a former assassin of some kind.

“You want to know what you get in return I suppose? Possibly an alliance between us, but you know how strong an alliance with an assassin really is. Let’s also remember that it is I we are talking about here.”

A grin slid across his lips as he tilted his head to the side a bit and chuckled lightly. He remembered why he was now looking to be a part of the Sith once again. Jedi were so much fun to kill, he loved how hard they fought to live too, but they run thin in numbers after years of hunting them. So the reason for his banishment from the Sith was because the Sith were the next best challenge after the Jedi were too hard to find. Because he killed so many they no longer wanted the assassin as a part of their…club. The assassin’s grin widened as he gazed over his memories for a brief moment before looking right back at Slayer.

"Yes...I know," Slayer murmured in response. Alliances with assassins and bounty hunters were not alliances in the usual sense, as the usual trust that characterized such an alliance was virtually nonexistent. It's hard to trust someone when you know that, for the right price, they will betray you in an instant and carry your head on a platter to your enemies. After Redack's betrayal Slayer was particularly untrusting of others' motivations. While he himself was an anomaly among Hunters, as loyalty was a virtue (or perhaps a vice, in his current profession) that had been drilled into him, just as it had been drilled into every member of his species from the moment they were born, he held no false illusions that any other hunter or assassin would return his loyalty. Alliances between hunters and assassins usually had to be swift, one-time jobs rather than extended campaigns, because the longer a campaign went, the more opportunities one's enemies would have to bribe your "closest" ally into turning against you. He was hesitant to accept such as a return on any such investment, especially since the assassin's last comment indicated he regarded himself as untrustworthy.

Still, such alliances, if carried out properly, could certainly be very effective in accomplishing one's goals in the short-term, and if the timing was right a short-term victory could turn into a long-term advantage. As Slayer mulled over the other's proposal, he caught the way the assassin's eyes glazed over, almost as if he were lost in his imagination...or his memory. Given what now stood before him, Slayer imagined the assassin's past, if that were indeed what he was looking at, was much like his own.

After a brief hesitation, Slayer said, "Well, we shall discuss payment further later. First, I should make the proper inquiries to see if I shall be able to uphold my end of the bargain." The tone of his voice left little doubt that he would find a way to get Scythe an audience with the Dark Lord; after all, he was a bounty hunter, and before that an assassin. Finding ways of getting the job done was all in the job description.

The assassin blinked and lifted his head a bit staring at Slayer with a dark grin as he replied to him with what some may consider joy but to the assassin it was merely satisfaction.

“Very well I will see you soon then.”

With that the assassin made a deep bow as he stepped backwards towards the shadows from which he came. The moment he touched the shadows his body seemed to fade and disappear as if he was never really there, as he used one of his prized techniques of the force, bending the light around himself so he was no longer visible. The last indication he was still there was the whipping sound of his cloak as he left the hanger and was finally gone as if he had just finished a job.

OOC: Gone from post.

Slayer watched him go, and then turned to his two agents. "Well...that was interesting." They nodded without a word, and the group continued on to the room Slayer was going to be using as his office. Upon getting there, he began to set up his office space, a sparse one to be sure; he did not expect to be staying there often, nor did he expect to be doing much "paperwork." Two things he did set up were the ever-important computer and a holoscreen, much like his office back on Corellia. More of his agents would be arriving over the next couple of days, but Slayer himself would get started right away. But first, there was something he had to take care of...

Leaving Vické to watch over the vornskrs, Slayer and Blancna went back to the Black Panther, and as they got in, Slayer turned to her and said, "Take me down to the planet's surface, and then...I want you to find Redack. Tell him about this meeting that we have had...and we'll see if his network of contacts is still as powerful as it used to be."

Blancna nodded. "It will be done, my lord." She dropped Slayer off on the planet's surface, and then he watched as the ship flew upward and vanished into the infinite dark of space.

He himself had work to do, and an undertaking this large would require a bit of reconnaissance. He gave a grin, and then strode down the busy streets of Coruscant.