Log:Knights of Ren: Jovi Halfex's Very Bad Day
Knights of Ren: Jovi Halfex's Very Bad Day
OOC Date: May 11th, 2020
Location: Cantina, Nevarro
Participants: Knights of Ren, Syrus as GM, Erisi Auslese, Malik Ren, Imani, Sebek
NEVARRO.
It's pretty terrible here! Black ash whips through the air as the Knights of Ren are deployed to the backwater planet. Their goal? Find and eliminate the dissenter that's been leaking information on Knight activities to their enemies.
Heavy boots tread over the packed down dirt that serves as the streets in Nevarro City, Syrus's armor looking woefully out-of-place in comparison to the populace; most of them wearing their threadbare working clothes, ill-maintained due to the abject squalor that the majority of the populace live in. "Latest information places him in this general area," Syrus says, cape whipping behind him as a hot breeze blows through the mostly-deserted streets.
[Erisi]
Erisi has elected not to wear her helmet today, which means she squints out from behind glasses as the wind whips at them, the hot air pushing uncomfortably within the folds of her robes, "What a crap hole, this place almost gives Ko Hentota a run for it's money." It's not /as/ bad as the Undercity though, "Everyone always goes to the biggest craphole they can find - it's why I think your little safehouse? Not the smartest. No one looks for you in the posh cities and towns." Said as she gives a kick to the ashy ground, head shaking a little before she strikes off towards the Cantina, "We might get more information in there - c'mon."
[Malik Ren]
You know whose natural habitat is posh cities and towns? Malik! Or it was, once. Now his natural habitat is like... briefing rooms and boring, gray, not very comfortable meditation mats. Boring. Darkside power has a price, you're worse at parties. Also helmetless today, his black hair is whipping around untidily in the wind, every which way, like he's a short angry weathervane. "I defer," he remarks simply to Syrus and Erisi regarding the Plan of Attack/Info Gathering, and he seems amenable to Erisi's suggestion. "Cantina it is, then."
[Imani]
Imani still hasn't reached the point that she's got her knight raiment, which means that she's sporting the lighter armor that they met her in. Presently the helmet is clipped to her hip so the warm breeze can ruffle her dark hair, her axe is strapped to her back, and her dagger resides on her other hip. If she grew up somewhere posh, it was long enough ago that she's become accustomed to the 'crap holes', and doesn't seem the least bit unhappy about their present location. They did find her on Jedha though.
"There's something very rustic about this place," she informs them all in her almost posh tone. It's not quite as crisp and precise as their dear leader, but there are hints of it in her speech. "It's a glimpse into the way everyone lived before we discovered that buildings can go vertical for quite a long ways." They say cantina, and she turns to trod along with them, the lone mundane in the cadre of dark wizards.
[Syrus]
Inside of the cantina, a trio of Bothans can be seeing tooting away on their kloo horns and fanfars, while the third just absolutely stays in the pocket, jamming on his ommni box. They sound great, and the people are having a great time; disconnected from the hot, sweaty lava mines outside. Or wherever these people work.
The groups target for today is a former member of the First Order Navy, Commander Jovi Halfex. The poor man's Arvis Locke, he spent the majority of his time on-duty sighing wistfully and feinting onto divans when he wasn't schmoozing his way up the totem pole in an ill-guided attempt to impress his woefully rich parents. Commander Halfex has since deserted the glorious Navy and has tried to make a name for himself as an information broker; selling First Order secrets to the highest bidder.
Syrus will take a brief look around the interior and look to Erisi. "I'll see what I can dig up on him from the Brigand's computer. Get in touch with me if you need me," he says, the tall armored figure turning and slipping out the door.
[Erisi]
Erisi eyes narrow a touch as Syrus excuses himself, an eyebrow raising up as she looks over to Malik and Imani, "I know it's crazy but ...shouldn't he have gotten that /before/ we touched down ...and ..took a walk." Said within the nice dark cool place known as the Cantina, hand lifted up in the air as she eyes the space Syrus occupied only moments before, eyebrows drawing back down, "Okay .." It seems the poshest of all the KoR are left behind, Erisi's posh Corellian accent, well, posh, "Rustic is certainly one way to put it .." She has to know Imani's name by now, right? Right. To the bar Erisi will go, moving to sidle in between two stools, her usual method of bar sidling, leaving stools open, "Whiskey on the rocks." Ordered, woman glancing over to Mal and Ima with a half-smile on her lips as she pushes up her glasses with a poke of her cybernetic index finger. She's working, honest.
[Malik Ren]
No drinks for Malik, who's a teetotaler anyway (see? Bad at parties), and who is also presently on a mission. A mission to get off this rustic rock asap... and also find the man they're looking for. He steps up to the bar without occupying a seat, briefly runs a hand through his hair to get it impatiently out of his face - should have gone helmet - and then directs his attention to the Quarren bartender.
"I'm looking for a man named Jovi Halfex, although he may use different aliases," Mal 'greets,' producing a holo-puck and setting it on the bar top. A little holo of Jovi's face appears and rotates slowly. "Perhaps you've seen him." The words are accompanied by keen attention to the bartender, a direct, unnerving stare that seems poised to pierce right through him and root around in his mind at the prompting. And of course, it is.
The poor Quarren is studied in this acute, uncomfortable way for a moment, then Malik smiles. "Ah -- how serendipitous You know where he is. Tell us, would you kindly?"
[Imani]
Imani wouldn't have hesitated to give out her name to the people who helped to free her, so they were likely regaled with that and the tale of how she wound up tied to a chair in the first place. It boils down to stuck on Jedha in search of work, saw things going down and inserted herself into the chaos. Enter the Knights of Ren.
"It makes me think of a simpler time," that she's way too young to have experienced herself, but maybe has read stories about at some point in her life. Syrus wanders off and she turns to watch him for a few moments of his wander, then pulls her eyes away to refocus on the task. Information.
Awash in the sound of music and the general ambiance of the bar, Imani does a little dance to the beat of the tunes being played as she moves further into the cantina. She too heads in the direction of the bar, giving a bright "Yeah!" delivered in the form of a cheer, then leans forward against the bar, both elbows thumping against tie counter. "Who wants to buy a girl a drink?" But all such attempts to bilk the locals out of booze are set aside as Malik beings to interrogate the bartender for information, and finds it. Somehow. Imani doesn't know how, but she knows enough by this point to not question it.
[Syrus]
Yallo Ueruna, famed kloo horn player for the Corellian philharmonic takes center stage with his instrument and just absolutely sets in on a rocking solo. Honestly, he's just tearing it up. The cantina is now more alive than ever. People are coupling up to dance, drink, and laugh. Nothing can kill their spirits today! Not these hardworking, hard-loving people!
Fan Fen'am, the Quarren behind the bar blinks his big wet eyes a few times at the presented puck, making a mighty good show of leaning forward and studying it. "I gots no clu-" he's cut off by Malik. His tentacles whip back and forth a few times as he looks the diminutive man over. "I, uh, I gots no idea what you're talking about. Javi Halpax? Never, uh...never heard of her. Er, him. All you humans looks alike to me," he says, chuckling nervously as he finishes cleaning the glass in his three-fingered hands and sets it down in front of Erisi, clinking a few cubes of ice in it before floating them in a pool of whiskey.
"Can I, uh, can I get you anything, though? On the house! Way of apology for not having what you need!" Another nervous laugh follows.
[Erisi]
"Umami Imani, it is your lucky day, girl." For both the player up on the stage making the Cantina just the most hip hoppenin' place to be, but because Erisi is sliding her glass of newly poured whiskey over to the other human, "Happy day of birth and happy .." A pause, glance down at her wristunit, "Natunda." Eyebrows raise up beneath her bangs, woman idly listening to the Quarren, "I completely agree we all look the same, however ...if my friend here says you know exactly the individual we're looking for, it means that he read the weird little twitches of those face slinkies, so ...Let me tell you how this is going to go." The very affable friendly looking woman sets one foot up on the stool step beside her to her left, then her other foot to the right to raise herself up so she's more intimidating and able to dole out her threat, "Just tell us ..where Javi is. Right now. Not where they might have been one day five years ago, or where he could be in theory dependent upon your views of relativity and all that annoying jizz, no. Where is Javi. Right. Now. Javi. Halpax." Leaning in a smidge she'll lift up her cybernetic elbow up onto the bar, crooking a finger in at the Quarren, his washcloth flashing briefly in a brilliant blue white poof of flame, the woman able to coax the atoms to vibrate quickly and so specifically that only the cloth erupts into flame, burning brightly, hotly, and oh so quickly, snuffing out with small puffs of ash floating where it was within the mans hand, little motes floating. "Now imagine what I'll do to you, and your bar, if you don't tell us now." Her tone is friendly as ever, smile bright on her lips and dimples out, right shoulder lifting and rolling back. A glance to see if Imani has taken the whiskey yet, and if not she'll give a coaxing, "//Natunda//." Like they rarely happen. Drink up!
[Malik Ren]
"You know where Jovi Halfex is. You know of him, and you know where he is hiding," Malik informs the Quarren bartender in a mild tone underlaid with steel. "It's a good party-trick my companion here demonstrates, is it not? You don't want to see more of it. You're a good man, Quarren, I can tell that about you. I can tell Nevarro is a new life for you, and that you should tell that Chadra-fan how you feel. And I can promise you that if you want to make anything of the potential your new world offers you... you will tell us where to find Halfex. Protecting him isn't worth losing a thousand beautiful unknowns in your good future." He smiles, "Start talking."
[Sebek]
Perhaps to the chagrin of He Who Learns, another was here. Sebek of the Desert, Flagbearer of Coret, Conqueror of the Sixteenth Deck, Consumer of Hounds, He Who Hunts had accompanied the Knights on this pleasant visitation. Except that he'd forgotten the 'visitation' part and failed to enter the cantina with the rest of them. You see, this was Bounty Hunter territory, and who else was kindred to He Who Hunts if not for the bounty hunters? So he'd been shooting the sithspit on the latest hunts with a few of them outside, looking fashionable as ever in his black-and-gold trim weave and curved sword and The Pelt of Arrikkata.
This raises a good question. If Sebek is in black and gold, empowered, and a generally unpleasant individual, does that make him a power tool?
But even having a chat and occasionally being called a filthy lone operative couldn't suppress the knowledge that He Who Leads would be very cross if Sebek did not join them. The gold of his ear-ridge studs (not earrings, when did he ever have earrings, he doesn't even have ears, you're all mad) glinted in the lights of the cantina as he walked through the door, regarding almost all with disdain and distaste. Filthy. The Quarren got a sizing-up look, and considering Sebek's relatively limited faculties it could be because he was a bounty target, good eating, or simply annoying.
[Syrus]
"Ahh!" barks the Quarren, his trusty dishrag immolating in front of his very eyes. The crowd, however, loves it! Cheering at Erisi's very complex and interesting illusion. The party goes on!
"L-look, I'll tell you what I know, okay? He, uh..." the Quarren offers up a few shifts of his eyes, a look stolen back through the serving window at the object of his love, a fuzzy Chadra-Fan working tirelessly in the kitchen. He swallows hard and nods, leaning in closer to the gathered wizards. "He's in the back room. S'where he operates out of. The owner of this place and him gots an understanding, see?" Not wishing for any further spontaneous combustions to occur on his watch, the Quarren pats at his chest pocket a few times before he produces a keycard and sets it down on the bar, sliding it forward with those stubby, webbed hands.
A cursory glance of the place will spy the very back room that Fan Fa'nem was talking about; guarded closely by a pair of Rodian thugs, jabbering back and forth about how the lugjack machines in the place are rigged, and what they'd do to their new, rather high-maintenance boss if they ever hit it big. The current jackpot is four thousand credits. They're a simple people.
[Erisi]
Erisi reaches out for the keycard and gives it a flick with her pinky towards Javi Malik, "Did you? That's ..I mean it makes sense .." Erisi says in response to Imami, woman leaning over on the bar into whomever is in right there, off to the two thugs the man is talking about, "Thank you ...good luck with your lady." Murmured amid a moment's worth of consideration, internal debate really, taken before she slants a rather wicked smile and flicks the same pinky used to flick the card at Mal to bonk one of the Rodians' head to the side -- the lure of the darkside is strong in this one. Does it hit the wall? His companion? His own hand? Was he gesturing with a fist at the end as they talked about what they'd do to their snooty boss and hit himself?
Who knows. Erisi doesn't have the faintest intention beyond 'bonk', pure chaos today because she's had a really annoying week so far, and it's only Natunda.
[Syrus]
"Hey!" cries Kallo, as his friend is assaulted by Erisi. Guys, you could've just given them like twenty credits and they would've left. Or just like...asked nicely.
In the back room, watching the cameras is Jovi Halfex, their quarry. Unfortunately for the Knights, he's accompanied by the men he was scheduled to meet; a trio of rough and tumble idealists from the recently-conquered Jedha. "Oh, suns above...they're here," Jovi cries, turning to the men. They scowl and stand, brandishing their weapons and throwing open the door! They open fire immediately!
[Malik Ren]
"I think there's a certain comfort in familiarity, in routine," Malik decides conversationally to Imani as things go completely south and haywire and right into violence within about two moments of arriving in this cantina. "I find it reassuring when the universe moves in expected patterns." Stepping over toward the Rodians and Friends, he easily steps aside and away from a blaster bolt as though he saw it a mile away. "Leave our target alive, please, he requires interrogation back at base," Malik requests politely. Then one black gloved hand reaches out toward Dwizzle Bombasa, reaching into the assailant's psyche with ease, and planting there the seeds of fear and doubt, of uncertainty; the notion that Dwizzle's comrades cannot be trusted, that the only path forward and out of this alive is to abandon the others and run. It's probably even true.
[Imani]
"I am senseing a pattern in these things," Imani replies to Malik in a conversational tone that doesn't convey any distress as they resort to violence. "There is a comfort in knowing what to expect." There is shooting taking place, and not being one of those imbued with mystical dodge magic, she ducks down enough to be less of a target, slinking along after Malik as he does his mind magic business.
Sebek followed the gathered party venturing forth, but paused in front of the Quarren bartender. "Be good," he warned him, his voice thick and accented like a heavy velvet cloak, "or I shall eat you." Inhumanly wide smile, wide amber eyes, VERY pointy teeth. Resuming his course, the Falleen followed his fellows towards the back room conveniently guarded by...
Rodians.
"PTUH!" That was the sound of Sebek spitting on the floor in disgust. "Poison!" he hissed. His pride, his high-and-mightyness, it drove him to express just how much he hated Rodians every single time he saw them. Pity a thought for the poor snouted individuals, having to come up against a big tall sorta-pretty-but-on-the-wrong-side-of-creepy lizardman that hated their guts. As in, literally hated their guts. Like he said, poisonous.
And then all hell broke loose. Before Sebek could start to lecture everyone on the filth of Rodians and how the galaxy would be a better place without their poison gumming up the works, one of them had punched themselves in the face. And when he started laughing (an uncomfortable sound and definitely not something you want to hear at a birthday party or a funeral) he got shot straight in the stomach. WHAT A LOVELY DAY! Stunned, reeling, his last thought had been something along the lines of 'I hate Rodians' so therefore Sebek's logic led him to believe that of course the Rodian had shot him. Three other people? Who?
Gritting through the pain, empowering his anger, and failing to notice that his skin had gone from a lovely green to a bright orange-y tone, he withdrew his sword and introduced it violently to the Rodian's stomach. How DARE he retaliate after hitting himself!? "DIE, HE WHO DIES!" erupted the melting-down Falleen.
[Syrus]
"Huh?" remarks Kallo, noting the approaching Knights. And the firing guerillas. "Oh, no!" he shouts.
Dwizzle, having had a change of heart looks to his erstwhile companions, men he'd shared brunch with. Men who he thought he could trust. Now overcome with emotion at their surprise betrayal, begins running out of the cantina, tears streaming down his scarred face.
Captain Kurre, the leader of the mercs, sad at Dwizzle's departure lifts his blaster and fires at the lizard, his remaining soldier and the surviving Rodian also joining in to dogpile on the Falleen, altogether unsuccessfully.
Jovi, still in the backroom pats nervously at his coat pockets, looking for the key to the safe on the wall. Within is his only chance to get out of this unscathed. Well, at least by someone /else's/ hands. Having witnessed first-hand the way the First Order treats traitors to the cause, Jovi only has one thing on his mind.
[Erisi]
"It's not like they appeared out of nowhere, it'd either be in there or in here and in there ...we'd probably have to kill him." Reasoned by Erisi who shrugs a little, "I figured ~why~ not out here, give the locals a show. They clearly need the entertainment. And that music, how often do we get /theme music/ to accompany us." Right? Shots go flying and Erisi feels the grave tugging at her robes and slinking up along her legs and up into her spine -- she senses that one small shift in the universe, perhaps a choice made differently last week, and she'd be dead. Color drains from her cheeks a little as she exhales out, head turning towards Captain Dot Kurre, raising up her organic hand to sweep fingers through the air and set him on fire before he claims her. "Though perhaps we should move a little faster to get Javi/Jovi --" Even as Sebek goes into his orange beast mode -- maybe she needs to stop acting out her bad days and try a little diplomacy next time.
[Malik Ren]
Well, there goes Sebek, getting shot. Malik observes this with some chagrin and ignites his saber, that familiar snap-hiss hum that promises nothing good for anyone on the wrong end of it. Kurre, on fire, escapes a swing just long enough to contemplate his imminent demise before Malik's blade summarily dismembers him; Kallo is in the wrong place at the wrong time and gets cut up on the back swing. There's blood all over the floor from wounds not quite completely cauterized and it smells like a gross barbecue, too much of an ozone tang.
Malik Ren says, "Handle it," Malik instructs to all regarding the rest of the fight, and Jovi himself. "I'm going to save the lizard." He sounds like he's been asked to do the washing up or told to go to detention after school. Ugh."
[Imani]
There is a lot of violence happening, and though Imani never seems obviously aggressive, she does pull the vibro-ax from her back to hold in a defensive stance. Truth be told she doesn't know these people she's with well, but thus far they've been sort of nice to her, and given her a place to stay, possibly a purpose. So when one of them knocked down so unkindly, she steps in, ax brought around in a swift arc that leaves a bloody, awful looking gash in Zam.
[Sebek]
The singular shot that hit Sebek cut his leg out from under him. Not off, thank the CNG Weave armour for that, but he'd need a new set because this one was dirty. He collapsed face first into the floor, the slight crunch of nasal cartilage giving way under the force of the impact. Thank goodness for cauterization because otherwise the hotheaded and obnoxiously direct Falleen would be bleeding out. He could almost hear He Who Learns laughing from here.
Unconsciousness was quick and painful, much like other punishments rendered unto him during his time as a Knight of Ren. He was dragged out, undigified. Not even his winged eyeliner could save him from that fate.
[Syrus]
With his only chance of getting out of this a free man, Jovi swipes his card frantically at the safe which *THUNKS* loudly in reponse. Swinging the heavy door open, his long, thin fingers grab at something within, a small blaster pistol. His hand shakes as he looks it over, eyes darting back to the carnage at the door as he swallows the frog in his throat. He takes a deep breath and lifts the blaster to his temple, his eyes closing as he remembers the unloving gaze of his parents. After all, he'd wanted to be an actor. They pushed him to this, didn't they?
CLICK
His eyes shoot open. "Oh, no. No, no no," he protests, shaking the gun in his hand.
Zam, having had a large chunk of himself lopped off by Imani, drops his gun and lifts his hands in surrender, shaking his head and sobbing over the loss of his two compatriots. One abandoned and one dead. It's a tough day to be Zam Weskins.
The party-goers are, unsurprisingly, hating all of this, and have scattered to the wind. Even Yallo Ueruna and that magical kloo horn of his.
[Erisi]
It's all fun and games until someone is completely knocked out. Imani's axe swing had proven her as a dangerous commodity and a welcome member of the team, but Malik leaving to drag Sebek out to safety and healing means that Erisi is having to play adult now, because it's just her and Umami.
And the music stops.
Okokok, Erisi being 'playful' ruined the day for EVERYONE. Which is kind of a win, because now they're having a bad week like her, "Imani, great job, up to you if you want to finish him off - I mean .." A squint from behind her glasses as she pauses in her path towards the office as Javi tries to shoot himself, "..I wouldn't, maybe this time ..he'll remember your ..." What the hell is the word. She looks taken aback briefly, before she erupts with a smile, pointing a finger at Imami, "Goodwill." Ahaha.
That's it. Turning back to the task at hand she will exhale out, seeing the gun in the mans hand. What would Syrus do in this situation, apart from taking off to probably look at rocks while 'researching' the guy.
"You want to return to the warmth and goodwill of the First Order, and come with us willingly." Is ..is that how it works? Erisi lifted her hand to do the wave she's seen Syrus before, really focusing on persuading him with her mind hole to come with them, "So ..let's go." A nudge of her chin as she juts her thumb back over her shoulder after waving the same hand at him.
[Imani]
The music stops. Sad. Imani was enjoying the tunes while they lasted. The appreciation for her axing is answered with a smile and nod. "I think I'll let it go this time," she says, motioning the man off while drawing back her ax, still in hand but not in an active attacking stance. Instead she steps after Erisi, eyeing the man with the gun that didn't go off, but she doesn't have mystical brain magic so she just hovers in the background observing with a respectful awe.
[Syrus]
Jovi, his mind free of anything apart from Erisi's suggestion, drops his blaster to the ground and turns to stare at her. "I want to return to the warmth and goodwill of the First Order. I'll come with you willingly," he drones, nodding to the woman and moving to stand by her side, ready to be led back to the Brigand.
Fan Fe'nam, still behind the bar, stands there with his weird little Quarren beak agasp at how bad his first week at this new job has gone. Yesterday, he spilled a cocktail on his shirt trying to do a fancy flip with the mixer, and now this! Still, he's grateful to have a job in a Galaxy that can be very uncaring. He blinks a few times and stands up straight, now more resolute than ever in the face of such wanton destruction. That's right. He's asking Shar-Zelliri out tonight.
