Log:Pitfight at a Hutt palace

A pit fight draws a crowd of contestants and spectators...

Location: Nar Shaddaa
Participants: Alana Zee, Rax Vaelus, Lofty, Stavros, Gren Delede, Siya, Sar Yavok, Ruto Lowsyk, Raim Shah, Maeve Zavir

The crowd is noisy in anticipation, occasionally a pounding of hands (or whatever appendages pass for hands) on benches heralding another demand for more blood to be spilled for the vicarious excitement of the crowd. Vendors pass through the hubbub, selling drinks of the intoxicating variety, and the foul-smelling cigars and smoke-sticks that sting the eyes. Runners for the bookmakers dart through, carrying cash and betting slips.

One of the spectators is a slight girl in a dark corner, avoiding the crowds as best she can - because slight girls in Hutt territory can often come to bad ends - but cheering on the fights as loudly as anyone else. There's a flush to her cheeks and some plastic beakers on the floor beside her that suggest she's not a stranger to those intoxicating drinks. Her name is Alana Zee. Now the first of the two-on-two teams enters the arena. She is a Zabrak female, clad in war paint and little else, strutting arrogantly around the ring, gesturing obscenities to the crowd. She's tall, lithe, eyes sparkling with the impending match. It's not listed as a death match, but anything can happen in these fights.

Word of competitive fights spread like wildfire. Eager to see some of the seedier sides of the hutt district, Siya comes from the Xanadu palace. The gauzy white tunic dress that she wears shifts with her movements. The cheering of the crowds is nearly intoxicating and the Zeltron mingles in with the crowds. Finding somewhere in the middle of the stands, she lounges languidly, watching the events unfold with a keen interest.

Ruto Lowsyk is walking along with his new friend, Stavros. The big Whiphid - 8 feet tall - is sipping from a can of Sullustan Ale, now and then puffing on a cigar that's held between his two huge tusks. "And you are certain the major wouldn't mind?" he's asking the other man, "And this is not some trick to play on the FNG?" His voice - while alien - has the obvious accent of Coruscant.

Now the first of the two-on-two teams enters the arena. She is a Zabrak female, clad in war paint and little else, strutting arrogantly around the ring, gesturing obscenities to the crowd. She's tall, lithe, eyes sparkling with the impending match. It's not listed as a death match, but anything can happen in these fights.'

Stavros Niarkos has a smile on his face and mischief in his eyes. "It's a great idea. You look intimidating as anything. That's half the fight right there! It'll be fun," he tells Ruto. "I'm sure they won't mind. I bet he'll wish he was here." He gestures on towards the arena pit. He himself makes his way into the crowd, stomping his feet, grabbing a frothy alcoholic beverage, and telling anyone who will listen, "You want to bet on the big guy's team. He's been doing this longer than you've been alive..."

The second member of the first team enters the ring, a Gran with his fists already raised in the air holding a staff up that he pretends to lift like a weight over his head. Then he shouts wordlessly at the stands as he turns, flexing his arms, all three eyes narrowing.

Rax Vaelus. He's better known in the Corellian district, where spacehounds tend to swap tales of the hyperspace lanes. But thanks to his past associations with Queen Zira--and the Bounty Hunters' Guild--Rax is not an unknown face here. He strides into the pits wearing his trademark greatcoat, flaring lazily from his legs. Cradled against his side, with part of the pole up behind him and the rest angled down and away from him, the starship raider is carrying a /big goddamn spear/ with a blunted tip.

Letting the tip hover just a foot above the ground, the human watches the naked Zabrak with lidded, lightning-colored eyes, looking incredibly unimpressed. His high folded collar framing his face, he glances aside for where his Player Two -should- have already connected now... But seeing no one there, he just shrugs. Seems he's ready to fight, regardless.

Sar Yavok steps into the palace, one hand slipping a cigarillo from his pocket as the other hand grips the blaster strap draped across his chest. A quick look around and he makes his way over to Stavros and Ruto, "This ain't the Meltdown, that's for damn sure. He places the cigarillo between his lips and lights it up, looking between the two of them, "You goin' up, Ruto?"

Entering into the lobby and then the audience chamber is a blue skinned fellow by the name of Raim Shah. Some might know him from the droid and cybernetics shop located in the Gearhead District, and others possibly from Xanadu. His expression is somewhat haughty and defiant, his chin turned upward proudly as he moves through the crowd of people entering into the Pit Fighters' Palace and makes his way for the stands.

"Roger that," says Ruto. He carefully unslings his leather pouch and unstraps the gunbelt that holds the blaster and knife, handing it over to Stavros, sliding them over his shoulder. He drains his beer, putting the empty tankard to one side. "Put two fifty on me," he calls to Stavros as he claps Sar on the back and climbs his way into the ring. "Ey," he calls to Rax, rolling his huge shoulders a touch. At eight feet and wide as heck; the Whiphid strikes a good first impression.

Stavros is already done with his first drink when Ruto hands him his gear. The Zeltron immediately hands the gear on to Sar, saying "One sec." He grabs two drinks from the next passing refreshing-beverage vendor. Rather than offering it to Sar, though, he turns to find the person who seems most out of place, and his eyes come upon Alana. He walks away from his companions to offer her a drink. "Come on, you'll see better from up here." He walks back to his company commander, seeming confident Alana will follow, passing Siya on the way. He smiles at her and just hands her his untouched drink and crooks a finger for her to follow, too. "-Now- it's a party, okay? Bet on Ruto!"

Looking over slowly as a Whiphid of all things enters the pits, Rax raises a single eyebrow...and shrugs, both eyebrows going up. Sure, why not?" Whirling the spear slowly above his head, he whips it back into the same position, but his stance has changed. Instead of just standing there casually, he's now lower to the ground, leaning forward some. An aggressive stance, waiting for the signal horns. The eyes of lightning narrow dangerously, fixed on the Zabrak woman. The Gran is given less consideration.

"Rax! Rax!" Alana's distracted by the incoming Stavros, her eyes briefly widening as she takes him in. But her primary attention is on the ring, at someone who just entered. "RAX!" she screams at the top of her voice, "Go kill them! Kill! Kill!" Then, breathless and not a little drunk, she weaves her way behind Stavros as he leads her through the crowds. But wait, there's someone there she recognizes, too. "Siya!" she squeals, "Hi!"

Sar Yavok raises an eyebrow to Stavros as the equipment is dumped on him. The commander just drops it in a pile on the ground and takes a long puff of his cigarillo. His eyes move to the ring and focus on Rax, a sour expression replacing the one prior.

But then Stavros shows up with girls and he hefts his eyebrow once again, asking, "Who the hell is this?" in reference to the newly-arrived Alana. He quirks his lips and offers a grunt, his eyes moving back to the ring.

Ruto Lowsyk wets his 'fingers' - really three thick appendages with nasty claws at the end - and douses his cigar, tossing it aside. He rolls his shoulders again, nods to Rax and steps to the man's right. With one last shoulder roll he drops into a practiced martial arts stance - Tai-jitsu, of all things, if that can be believed, facing the two opponents sideways. "The Zabrak study a specific, very physical martial art. She will attempt to come to your left and get in close to nullify your spear," says Ruto to his new fighting companion. "Ruto."

Siya gestures for one of the drink servers to bring her a drink. The drink is paid for, including a nice tip. There are SO MANY FAMILIAR FACES! She just grins at those she knows, nodding to them and then to those she don't know as well. Her gaze turns to Alana as she calls out her name. "Ah! Alana! It is good to see you! I see that you are enjoying yourself." She offers a bit of a smile to the young woman. "Are you merely spectating tonight?"

The Gran gladiator twirls his staff and advances as the announcer signals the beginning of the match. It's not clear what substances the Gran is on, but it's definitely something. He is full of aggression and absent any fear at all as he moves toward Ruto, aiming a blow at the Whiphid's head - which he couldn't reach at all, without his blunt weapon.

Rax Vaelus just smiles at the warning from the Whiphid, not looking in its direction. "Then she shall be in for a very nasty surprise..." Noticing someone in the crowd looking, yet not screaming or cheering, Rax briefly locks eyes with Sar Yavok... The man is not familiar to him, but the sour expression is blatant enough. Rax skirks up at the man in response, waggling his eyebrows just once before returning his gaze to the Zabrak ahead.

Adjusting the choke of the spear cradled under his arm and against his side, its more evenly spaced against his flank, with a long section of pole behind him. To the Whiphid, he mutters, "Be mindful of the backswing. I go left, you go right." Then, less business like and more like a combat blessing: "Go forth and fear no pain."

As soon as the announcer calls out, 'Fight!' Rax starts forward, his eyes narrowed and his steps measured...

The Zabrak does indeed start to dance around, moving fast as she tries to feint to the right and dart to the left around the end of Rax's spear. She's quick, taking advantage of Rax's distraction with the audience to try to smack the spearpoint away from her with the flat of her hand.

The Gran growls, flourishing the staff above his head in an impressive twirl before bringing it down with a resounding thud towards Ruto's head. Or, at least, towards the spot that Ruto's head is currently occupying; whether or not it's still there when the staff comes down is a matter for Ruto.

Leaning back onto the row behind him, Raim watches the combatants below with interest. As a server makes their way down the stairs of the rows of seating, he lifts a hand and orders a drink and then passes over a few credits.

"Roger," says the big Whiphid. He steps to one side, and moves in the direction Rax indicates. As the Zabrak raises up the speer the Whiphid is moving forward, by the time it's coming down it skips off one shoulder of the Whiphid instead of hitting him square in his center mass. The sliding stance shifts to 7 stars stance; the three-fingered 8 foot tall Whiphid rapid-fires four strikes aimed at the chest and right arm of the Gran, as he slips to one side to try to stay in close. There's a grunt, almost 'Hnnh' noise as the Whiphid strikes quickly.

Rax Vaelus actually allows the Zabrak to smack the spear. He seems completely unconcerned as she rounds the blunted, wooden-tip, simply watching her as she races her way around... And the reason becomes evident only at the last moment when Rax suddenly turns sharply...to the right. The long section of pole that had been in the air behind him is forced around clockwise, and /slams/ into the flank of the Zabrak's painted backside. With the recoil immediately reversing his momentum, Rax spins back around to the left and whirls the previously avoided front end of the spear back around to slam into the naked woman's shoulder.

Neither blow is especially devastating, but it does give Rax an opening to spin the staff around himself and suddenly leap away, nearly performing a no-handed cartwheel through the air as his legs kick out and arond, one after the other. Landing a few yards away from the Zabrak, his head comes up and he locks eyes on her, once more waiting...and watching.

The roar of the crowd is nearly a palpable thing with genuine weight that spills out through the many doors that lead into and away from the central audience hall in which countless scores are thronged. The seats are jammed with spectators, as many observing the fights taking place as betting on it. Into this noisy den walks one more spectator, having indulged in a bet or two just for the pure fun of throwing away good credits, the corellian doctor blends with the crowd that flows around the largest of the fighting spaces and finds a place from which to observe the current match.

Siya cranes her neck a little watching the spectators. Her gaze locks on the familiar form of Rax, a smile curling up on her face. Her bright eyes widen a bit and she claps a little with the no-handed cartwheel trick. "Oooo!" She likes that! "Kicking backside.. in style! He gets style points!" She laughs. SeemsRax has someone cheering!

Alana Zee whoops, "Go on, Rax! Kill her!" she screams, standing from her bench to pump the air with her fist at Rax's artful move. To Siya, she gasps a brief, "Me fight? Ha!" A snort of disdain. She grabs one of the bookmakers' runners, depositing a fistful of credits "on Vaelus!", and manages to snag a drink and splash some on Sar Yavok as well. Yep, she's pretty drunk.

Down in the ring, the Zabrak's gaze flashes at Rax, and she has eyes only for him. That might be a liability if the Gren doesn't keep Ruto occupied. She circles, favoring her shoulder as she clenches her fist to pump blood back into her numb arm. "Gonna snap your neck, Vaelus," she snarls angrily. The Gren is slow, but his blows will be devastating if they connect, but right now he's staggering back under Ruto's assault, gasping with each blow landing on his ribcage. He snarls, unleashing another whirling blow that threatens to take off Ruto's head.

Sar Yavok turns to regard Alana as she's splashes liquor onto his one good shirt. He sneers a bit and relocates, moving to have a seat, elsewhere. The grizzled merc takes another long drag from his cigarillo and keeps his eyes on the ring.

Ruto Lowsyk ducks down - did that Whiphid just do the splits? And throws two rapid-fire punches again, one aimed at each inner thigh of the Gren, designed to help numb those legs. As the spear whips above his head - taking off a bit of fur, Ruto pops up and tries to step in. His goal will be to try to get his right hip - really his knee, giving how tall he is - against the Gren, spin and wrap him around and over, and whip-throw him up and over his shoulder, aimed at a nearby wall. "Frag out!" he calls, the universal military call for throwing a grenade.

"You are old and weak, tits." Rax grins slowly, whirling the spear about him to suddenly bring the point to bear--forward, out from his side. Feinting a backwards hop away from the woman, he suddenly stabs out the spear...

Rax's grip on the spear is loose, however, and the shaft slides through his open hand, extending several feet longer than it should have, had he maintained a grip on it. The move is flashy; meant mostly to distract, as it has no hitting power behind it. But it does its job well, and suddenly Rax has an advantage of nearly two yards of reach on the Zabrak, and he launches into a rapid-fire assault of light, poking jabs with the spear, using his left hand to pump the strikes and his right to aim them, almost like a pool-cue.

"Come on, then," the pirate taunts, "Come and get me!" The whirling, poking strikes suddenly resolve into a single, brutal thrust forward, going for the woman's left chest.

The Gren goes head over heels, smashing into the wall with an audible thud that shakes the nearby seats - the seats that aren't already shaken with the roar of the crowd, the pounding of feet and the yelling and cheering. He comes down on his head and lays there a moment, chest heaving. He's lost his staff, and starts to struggle up onto his knees.

The Zabrak female is startled by Rax's assault, the spear jabbing repeatedly into her flesh, forcing her backwards...and then the spear, blunt as it is, smashes into her chest with a loud crack of shattering rib. She is flung onto her back, legs and arms sprawled, her mouth open very wide as she gasps for breath that will not come.

Up in the stands Alana shrieks, "YEAH!", grabbing Siya's shoulder with her free hand, lifting her glass high. "GOT HER!"

Seeming just as interested in the spectators who are cheering and jeering for either combatant, Raim's red glowing eyes gaze along the rows of seating with a bit of smug superiority. This changes, however, when he sees Doctor Zavir enter the auditorium. Taking his drink in hand, Raim stands to his feet and steps down the stairway and then slips onto the bench beside her without waiting for an invitation. "Doctor Zavir, yes? I had been meaning to make my way to your clinic, but sadly time has worked against me. I wonder... do you know who I am?" he says to her in his deep, steady voice.

The 8 foot tall Whiphid moves quickly across the arena, at a run. "Stay. Down," says his gravelly voice in Basic, even as he tries to kick the staff away and slide the Bren's head under his massive arm - the classic jiujitsu guillotine choke. The 'front naked choke', it's designed to put pressure on the throat and choke someone out. "Stay. Down," he repeats, in his bass gravelly voice. Quieter, hopefully so only they can hear, the Marine mutters, "You did well, son. Don't go gettin' stupid." The guillotine choke isn't without it's weaknesses; a trained opponent can try to break the choke, get a hand under the arm and prevent the big Whiphid from taking him to the ground and extending his hips.

The resounding smash of sound that shakes the nearby seats nets a scream of excitement from many of those in the crowd, a roar of pleasure from others, and probably a flurry of bidding from yet more. Maeve is near enough to the resounding thud and smash that she feels the tremor as much as hears it, the thud startling a breath from her that is almost a laugh. Just as she's settling again, as much as one can settle in a crowd like this, she is surprised by the sudden arrival of a dark blue hued Chiss, recognizing the Chiss as soon as he speaks. "Shah," she answers after a moment of running faces through her memory. "Raim Shah, if I'm correct? You've just opened a cybernetics and bioware shop in the gearhead district, yes?" twisting in her seat to offer him a hand extended in greeting.

When the Zabrak hits the ground, Rax Vaelus suddenly breaks into a dead sprint, racing across the arena floor. Crouching at the last moment, Rax springs into the air, wrenching himself into the air with a brutal war cry. The spear held high above him, he sails the rest of the distance, his heavy battle coat whipping behind him in two long, gray tails.

Slamming into the ground next to the Zabrak, the tip of the spear hovers inches away from her throat, and Rax is kneeling next to her grinning. His cerulean eyes wide and his toothy grin bright, Rax leans down a little further, bringing the spear tip closer as he whispers, ".../Yield/."

The Gren goes unconscious by degrees, holding itself rigid against the chokehold, slowly inching down onto his knees, all three eyes slowly rolling up as the creature eventually slumps into unconsciousness.

The Zabrak's eyes burn into Rax's, vicious hatred bared in her glistening orbs. Equally softly, she hisses, "I yield. This time, Vaelus. This time. Next time I snap your neck."

Alana's up in the bleachers, dancing a little jig of triumph, "Rax wins! Rax WINS!" she hollers. Siya shifts her gaze up to Alana as her shoulder is grabbed. A laugh comes from her. The intensity of the cheering crowd drowns her in intense flooding emotions. She can't help but to be caught up in the cheering herself! She stands, her weight on one leg, that hip jutting out slightly as she brings her hands together in applause for the winners!

Taking Zavir's offered hand in his own blue skinned one, Raim shakes firmly and then disengages. His hand slides around under his opposite leg, out of sight of Maeve before covertly wiping against his pants as if to clean it. "That I am," he rumbles in reply. "Cybernetics... a wonderful blend of medical aid and technology, wouldn't you say? It is quite the delightful prospect for a humble droid maker, such as myself. I have been meaning to come to your clinic for some time now, and I am sure one as bright as you can fathom why. I think you and I should work together."

Sar Yavok sits quietly on the bleachers over-looking the fighting pit, his cigarillo burning away between two fingers. A grunt is offered at Rax's victory, however proud he may be of Ruto's. A moment of quiet contemplation and he takes another silent drag of his smoke.

Ruto Lowsyk only holds his grip - a guillotine choke, Gren may recognize it from training - until the opponent is out. He lets go of the choke and puts the alien Gran down, elevating his legs and checking his pupuls and pulse. He makes sure that the spear is far enough away before he turns to recard the Zabrak and Rax and make sure that part is done. That done he'll turn to try to see where Stavros and Sar are; the big Whiphid bellows, "WHERE IS MY ALE AND CIGAR?!"

Rax Vaelus grins brightly, his eyes electric as he stares down at the defeated Zabrak woman, "That's the spirit..." Standing suddenly, Rax turns and holds open his arms for the crowd, spear in one hand, the other empty. Whirling the weapon about himself back into the cradled position it was in when he first walked into the arena, Rax smirks and turns away slowly, noting a few of the faces in the stands as he walks off for one of the exits from the pits.

A man in an old TIE pilot's flightsuit with armor sewn onto it, including a big Rebel Phoenix on the shoulder pauldron steps into the main chamber, and heads almost directly for Sar Yavok's position on the bleachers. He's wearing a closed combat helmet, which might be a little unusual, and when he slides into a seat next to the Corellian, he says quietly..."Don't worry. Its me." Because it couldn't be anyone else, right? He watches the crowd, and glances toward the fighting pit.

"The number of people who've come through my clinic asking after a reference to someone who can do cybernetic work or who can procure them cybernetic augmentations has actually been increasing of late," Maeve replies with a nod in return. "To be fair, I'd planned to stop into your shop in the new few days. I'm sure there are other physicians that you can work with, but I'd like to work with you as well."

Ring-tenders scurry into the ring to drag the Gran away, its feet making twin tracks in the ground out one of the doors. The Zabrak, eyes glistening with rage, stares at Rax until he is gone. Then she flips up onto her feet with a back-breaking twist and stalks arrogantly out, ignoring the catcalls and boos of the crowd who have lost money on her. Probably a fair number of the crowd have lost money on her statuesque form.

Alana Zee is fairly dancing with delight. Either that or she has to pee really, really badly. "Did you see that move? Did you see that?" she yells at Siya who really is right next to her. "Did you see that? Yeeeeeeeeeeaaahhhh!" she imitates Rax's flying leap with her hand down towards her drink that must be standing in for the Zabrak.

Sar Yavok gestures Ruto to his pile of equipment and takes another drag from his cigarillo, stamping it out on the surface of the bench next to him. "The little bitch you just helped with a fight sold us out to the Order." Sar's voice is low and intense as Gren sits down next to him. He looks over at the man, understanding his get-up, before he jerks a thumb towards Ruto, "You recognize that ugly son of a bitch?"

Ruto Lowsyk makes his way to the exit and out. He'll snag himself a new beer and when he approaches Sar he spends time throwing on his leather pouch with it's strap, his gunbelt with it's blaster. A long drink from his ale and he digs into his pouch for a cigar, using sharp teeth to bite off the end. "What?" he asks Sar, glancing over at Rax. "Lemme go talk to 'em. Be right back, corp." he says to Sar, as he turns as if to head over towards Rax.

Lofty the Talz waddles in, catching the tail end of the gladiator fight. Catching a glimpse of it, the shaggy white alien diverts through the vendor rotunda, obtaining a glittering, electric PIKA THUNDERCLOUD from one of the vendors, made famous by Nar Shaddaa's own Meltdown Cafe.

Delede watches Ruto, when Sar points him out, and blinks behind his helmet. "Is that Sergeant Major Lowsyk? Didn't think I'd ever see that old ground pounder again." A pause, and he chuckles quietly. "Then again, same went for you, too, Sar." He watches Ruto head off to wear Rax went, and the pilot sighs. "Are we going to get into a firefight in the Hutt District?? I would've shown up in Last Call, man. Still, wouldn't mind using that son of a bitch for target practice."

Emerging from one of the doors marked 'Pitfighters Only', Rax makes his way through the crowd toward Sar. An easy smirk on his face, the man walks right up--or tries to. Finding his way blocked by the Whiphid, the human nods up at the creature with a good foot and a half on him. "Good fight. Name's Rax. We'll talk in a moment." Nodding to the creature, he steps aside, addressing Sar from further away than he's intended. "Good evening... I don't believe we met." The spear is gone, but a sword in a black sheath has replaced it on his back, and a blaster pistol is tucked under his coat. The smirk becomes wry as he looks down at the man, "It's easy to pick out the still, sour-faced ones in a blood-frenzied crowd..." His smirk grows into a grin, "Something you wanted from me, friend?"

Sar Yavok grins towards the old Coruscanti and says, "That's him. He's decided that he's gonna join up with u-" He's cut off as Rax shows up and the Rebel Yell commander looks up at the man, asking, "You make it a habit of interrupting peoples conversations, bud?"

Siya laughs at Alana's zealous cheering. It is so refreshing. But then the fight is over and the contestants wander out of the pit. She settles back into her seat, lifting her drink to her lips. She watches as people move back and forth and hear clips of conversations around her.

"I gotta pee," Alana mutters to Siya, chugging down the rest of her drink - well, best not to leave it standing by her seat, this is the Hutt distrct after all. Then she's weaving her way through the crowd in search of the conveniences, grinning a stupid grin on her face.