"Birds of a Feather..." By: Templar Knight and Lucius Cypher [Gideon Xanthous and Ntaaj Thaiv]
Inner Teth, Teth, late afternoon. Spaceport Landing Pad 5
"I'm surprised you would be hesitant to take up the chance at making some easy credits. Its not like I'm asking you transport a shipment of weapons or prisoners, its just a coffin with a corpse in it."
Gideon Xanthous was getting somewhat frustrated at how much effort it was taking to convince this pilot to make a detour to Sith space to deliver semi-precious cargo. Despite the war being over on paper, the Hutts would not want to be caught pay privilege to a particular side, even on as remote and as backwater a world as Teth. That was the only reasoning which made sense in Gideon's mind as to why the pilot seemed so apprehensive to making a delivery in Sith space, unless he had a previous history with the empire which left them on bad terms for whatever reason. Either way, Gideon didn't care, he just needed to get these affairs sorted by the end of the day. Every minute he waited in this city was another for a protection racket to think he was easy meat in his rancher's wraps. He had his lightsaber hidden in his pack along with his robes and the rest of his gear in event of anything happening, but he would prefer not to be noticed. The pilot leaned back against a crate and scratched his chin in thought, biting his lip.
"Who's in the coffin anyway? It isn't somebody important is it?"
"He was important to me, and perhaps a few others whom you do not know, and probably never will. He isn't anybody anyone on this planet will miss, that is all you need to know. So don't think some Hutt or Gang boss is going to send out a hit on you, because this doesn't involve anybody here except you and me."
The pilot's eyes flickered over Gideon in suspicion. This guy is just a paranoid wreck who doesn't trust strangers asking for a loaded coffin to be transported to the Sith, makes sense on a world where your fortunes could turn in seconds, but Gideon's patience was running short. He reached into his right pocket and counted out some credits. Holding them out to the pilot.
"Look, I have 500 credits right here in my hand to give you. You deliver the coffin in one piece to the Sith, ask no more questions, and do it in good time, I can guarantee you double. Half now, half when you finish the job, it's that simple. Will you take the job or not?"
The pilot looked like he was going to ask another question, but with his eyes fixed on the easy money winking right at him he couldn't resist. He took the credits and stuffed them into his pocket, glancing around.
"Where will it be?"
"Just tell the droids at Receiving to load on package number 378-C, they'll bring it aboard your ship. Remember though, I'll want it delivered in one piece, the Sith won't want to see any tampering with it. You crack that lid open and you can consider your payment forfeit. Just deliver it and you'll get your second five hundred."
The pilot nodded and thanking Gideon curtly he shuffled off towards Receiving. The thought passed through Gideon's head briefly that despite his warning and payment strategy, the odds were still not ensured in his favor that his former master's coffin would actually reach Sith space undisturbed. But he didn't worry too much about it, for this gesture was more ceremonial than anything else, which is why he wasn't delivering the body back to the Empire himself. He had already ensured that anything of real value which his Lord had possessed was safe from prying eyes or loose fingers anyway.
Besides, he had more pressing matters to seize upon right now than to escort the corpse of his recently deceased master. If what he had heard through Intelligence was correct, Darth Nysiss and her ship, The Hask, were in orbit above this world, and he intended to take up the opportunity which she had presented to any Sith willing to serve her in her machinations. That is of course, if she would have him, and if he could complete a couple things here on the surface first. Gideon had already completed one of the loose ends he still had by dealing with the return of his master's corpse. Finding a way up to The Hask shouldn't be too much a problem for him, whether he would have to press-gang another pilot to take him up or renting, stealing, or buying his own light ship. No, the hardest part would be finding any other Sith who also supposedly wished to board The Hask.
For when Gideon had called in a favor to Sith Intelligence asking about Darth Nysiss' offer for converting Jedi and finding where The Hask was currently, they had also informed him of other Sith who could also be seeking to board her ship as well, and that he should keep his eyes open for them when he arrived in Inner Teth. Gideon so far had no luck finding another Sith, but then he hadn't really looked and was unsure of whether or not they would even try disguising themselves like he was. Not that his disguise was entirely foolproof, he had to sell a couple stories of being a scavenger to more than a few people who noticed his lightsaber and robes from his pack, but luckily not too many people asked prying questions on this planet and even if they did, most didn't care too much about scavengers.
Thus, Gideon left the main spaceport through its main entrance and into the bustling streets of Inner Teth, keeping his eyes open for any signs of suspicious activity that may tip him off that a fellow Sith may be nearby. He didn't have high hopes at all, he had been in Inner Teth for a couple days now and nothing had stood out to show him that any other Sith were here besides him, unless they were not like conventional Sith. Maybe that's the trick, he thought. Maybe they're like me and either realize that they wouldn't want to be recognized as Sith here, or they just do not want to attract attention to themselves by doing anything out of the ordinary. But then, what was ordinary on this planet?
He contemplated this question as he walked past a nearby cantina, like many cantinas, this one was nearby the spaceport but not right next to it in order to draw crowds of not just travelers but also locals by locating itself partway between the city centre and point of entry for travelers. He noticed as he was walking by that the twin Gammorrean bouncers who had stood guard over the entrance when he had passed the Cantina on the way to the spaceport were dead, bleeding out on the ground from fairly fresh wounds. Killings on a Hutt World like this were not uncommon, but it seemed unusual that just the guards were killed, Gammorreans were not known for being smart and could be replaced fairly easily by employers so its unlikely that they alone were the only targets, most of these places were owned by Hutts or Gangs anyway, but then why were people still filing in like nothing was wrong? Surely the whole cantina would have been shot up by now if the attacker was out to send a message.
Curious, Gideon walked into the Cantina. Business seemed to be going as usual inside, but as he focused his hearing he heard the distinct, albeit muffled sound of blaster shots from far in the back of the cantina. He found it odd how people here could be so used to death and the sounds of weapons going off that they gave off little if any noticeable reaction, but then every planet was different. Nar Shadda had been similar, he remembered. Walking briskly through the drinking, eating, gambling, and dancing patrons, Gideon stepped out cautiously into the back of the cantina, peeking out into the area beyond with the Force. Gideon closed his eyes, he saw the grey shapes of the background world and inanimate objects of what looked to be a smuggler's landing pad, the fading red splatters of blood on the ground next to two bodies in black robes, a ruined Droid of some form of combat configuration, and the fuzzy outline of a figure who did not appear to be completely organic but not completely droid probing through the open vessel, chewing at what looked to be the remains of one of the fallen. Gideon drew his vision back into his own body.
Gideon was nervous, he wasn't sure who the figure was or what had happened to it with whatever situation was going on with the dead droid and humanoids. Better to be safe than sorry, Gideon thought, as he slipped his pack down slightly and drew his lightsaber out. He then slipped it into his pant belt, covering it carefully with his wraps to not make it immediately apparent, and slipped his pack back on. He stepped outside carefully, keeping himself facing the vessel's landing ramp which he knew the figure was inside. he stopped about fifteen paces away from the vessel, standing among the bodies of the dead attackers.
Meanwhile, Ntaaj was a bit strapped for credits. He had plenty in some reserved accounts, but he had spent much of it just replenishing ammunition, not to mention upkeep on his carrier ship as well as fuel for his Land Speeder. Not only that, but he was hungry. He figured he could go one a few days without food, but than his thoughts lingered back towards his old friend Anema. Normally he left dead dogs die, but he wasn't one to leave perfectly serviceable scrap behind. He could provably sell everything on Anema's ship for a couple hundred thousand credits, grab a bite to eat, and clear the place out before Nyiss and her entourage arrived. Besides, if there were any other bone pickers, he'd clear them out with superior firepower. Teth was a dangerous place, but he was a dangerous man.
Returning to the scene of the crime, Ntaaj was happy to know that aside from some parasites eating away at some of the older corpses, the place was untouched. He began to use one of the assassin's droids vibro blades to cut himself dinner from a corpse that wasn't too rotten, before he began to sort out what part of the ship was worth taking to a fence. That's when something on Ntaaj's radar went off. Someone was here. Another assassin? Who kept sending these guys? Or perhaps he was a scavenger, here to pick these bones like he was. Either way, he should leave.
Ntaaj pretended he didn't notice the stranger as Ntaaj riffled through Anema's ship until he came across what he was looking for; a large bag of spice. Anema smuggled a lot of things, spices were just one of the many. Ntaaj took this out and threw it towards the stranger. But before the stranger could act, Ntaaj took out his DT-57 and shot the bag of spices, creating a cloud that masked his escape. By the time the cloud was gone, the stranger would have seen Ntaaj somehow on the roof, running off somewhere.
Gideon was surprised by the spice bag as well as the shot and had already activated his lightsaber, its solid orange blade mirroring the haze of spice which ballooned off of the blasted bag. He had raised his lightsaber in order to block whatever shot was coming at him, but found that it was merely a ruse as he saw the unidentified man fleeing over a roof. Quickly sheathing his lightsaber and cursing his own stupidity to show it so brazenly to a potential opponent, he gave chase. Whoever this was, they did not want to be found, that much was obvious. Whether or not he was a fellow Sith remained to be seen, because for all he knew the man could merely be an mercenary hitman for the Hutts. Gideon had to know though, so he lept onto the rooftop after the man. The stone slabs of the roofs made it easy to chase, though the changing heights of the various buildings made it necessary to utilize the Force to assist his leaps on several occasions.
Jumping and running after the nimble target was proving more intense than most of his previous chases though, he was certainly no ordinary gangster or mercenary. Gideon decided to take a chance, as he ran he extended a ripple through the Force, punctuated in a shout after the man: "Stop!". The ripple was not intending to harm him in any way, but to get his attention. He desired to see whether or not this guy was a Force sensitive, and how he would react if he truly was, as it would determine what he would do next.
Ntaaj kept sprinting across the roof tops, making sure to take only routes he didn't need to use his force powers to assist him with. Last thing he needed to do was show someone else he was a Sith, or worse, a Jedi. It was around than that he felt something hit him, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. It wasn't physical, so... Was it the Force? But it was very weak, so weak he wasn't sure what it was suppose to be for. Due to his own extensive cybernetics, he didn't quite pick up on the more subtle force powers so he just kept running.
Ntaaj knew he couldn't just keep running on the level expecting to outlast this guy. For all he knew he could be a cyborg like him. Ntaaj saw a large building with a dome top, and figured this would be a good chance to lose him. Ntaaj took a running start and leap towards the tall building, smashing his fists and feet into the stone wall, creating small dents he could hold onto. He continued to do so with frightening speed as he began to climb the tall tower, moving around it like a spiral in order to find his next landing spot. He saw a narrow alley way he knew he could try to jump into, though it would require him to use some of his Force powers to soften the landing. He took the jump anyways, narrowly avoiding the roof tops as he landed in the alley between them, his landing rendered harmless thanks to his last minute force push towards himself. He didn't stop to look back as Ntaaj kept running forward, near the undercity slums. Lots of vagabonds down there, and he could hide out among their kind until he'd lose this chaser.
But little did any of them know, this wasn't just a one-on-one game of cat-and-mouse. A few other players joined in, watching from afar.
Gideon was confused by the man's reaction, or lack thereof to his little test, yet his little stunt to escape him couldn't have possibly been attempted by mechanical augments or cybernetic surgery alone. The target was obviously a Force user, albeit perhaps not a very strong or experienced one. It left him with more questions than answers, he certainly didn't look or act like a Jedi lackey, but what if he was simply an exile or one of the "Grey Jedi" he had heard about, Force users who weren't necessarily tied to the Jedi Order or the Sith Empire, and often walked the line between Darkness and Light in regards to the Force. It was a possibility, but Gideon could not tell for sure. Either way, his fascination grew, if only this target would stop running so that he could confirm his suspicions.
Following his fleeing quarry, Gideon leap onto the stone dome as well, following in the dents previously made, but choosing not to follow into the narrow alleyway and keeping to the high ground, Gideon kept pace along the edge of the roofs, looking down at times to keep the man in his sights as he ran. He was no longer worried about utilizing the force to assist in his movements, if anyone was paying attention for either of them, they would have felt them already, so it was useless to deny a potentially useful tool to himself. Seeing a decent gap into the undercity alleys below him, he hopped down onto a nearby balcony ledge before leaping down onto the ground below. Even with the Force to help break his fall, Gideon rolled on the ground, bowling into a couple of Duros transients. Apologizing briskly as he stumbled up, he kept chasing after his target through the alleys.
Ntaaj sensors weren't going to be much help once he goes into the undercity slums. Too many ticks for him to try to isolate it to one person. With any luck though, this guy won't be able to spot him either. Ntaaj ran into the crowd, turning his head back only once to get a good view of his pursuer. Humanoid, dark hair, heavy robes. Certainly blended in. Ntaaj kept himself low as he moved through the waves of people. Soon enough he simply upped and vanished from the crowd, entering a drug den. He wasn't there to partake however, just to make another escape. He knew that places like these had a back entrance, so he was going to go through there and try to lose his pursuer. Ntaaj would have to stay out of Teth for a while however, because unless he can kill this man, Ntaaj won't lose him. Finding his exit, Ntaaj left the drug den and went even further down; here in this part of Teth the sun's light don't shine. It was almost always pitch black, the only lights coming from the signs of various stores in the distance. Everyone here either didn't use sight as a means of navigation or had nightvision, luckily Ntaaj had both. Letting his guard down for just a moment, Ntaaj casually strolled through the dark underground, looking for a place where he could sell that scrap back at the cantina.
Gideon kept to the main alleyways, deciding not to chase his target into the drug den, the scent of spice drifting out as he passed the doorway and stayed with the crowd. Perhaps he could fool his man into believing that he had lost him, that way he could catch him unexpectedly. Turning the nearest corner around the building he kept his eyes open for another exit or entrance out of the cramped building, which wasn't too hard to find by following the wall, though the dimming light didn't help. Gideon's eyes were not equipped for nightvision, but he was confident that he would not be required to see a great distance before his eyes adjusted naturally to the darkness. So, he leaned against a nearby wall by the door, trying to look relaxed and catch his breath from the fast pace of the chase for a moment before he saw the man he faintly recognized as the one he was chasing step out the backdoor casually. Thinking fast, Gideon would use Force Push, attempting to knock his target off his feet into a dead-end alley just off the main path, not to seriously injure or knock the man unconscious, but to give him enough time for him to grab his lightsaber again and get into a proper stance to block an easy escape, if successful. The orange light of his blade illuminated the alley around the two, several bystanders staring at the odd spectacle. He then kept silent, waiting to see what the man's next move would be.
Ntaaj certainly did not expect someone so determined. And while he did sort of suspect the next part, it still caught him off guard how he was knocked off his feet from a force push and into a alley way. His only escape now was through a door with no handles; likely a sliding door, one that only opens from one side. "Curses. Trapped." Ntaaj looked up at the figure and saw him draw a lightsaber; the blade being an orange color. "Strange. Thought Ntaaj. "Not quite red, but I don't know any jedi using a color like that." Well, Ntaaj was going to play dumb for now. If he was right, this was the same guy who saw him at the Catina. If he's a Sith, he's likely waiting for Nyiss ship to arrive. But if he's jedi... Well, Ntaaj would just have to play his cards right.
The cyborg didn't really bother to get up, simply getting himself into a more comfortable sitting position. He did, however, have his left hand resting on his knee; with a quick action he could fire another flechette round at the strange, if he proved to be an assassin. Aside from that casual action, Ntaaj looked fairly harmless. "Oi. Why have you been chasing me? That ship wasn't yours." Now that he could get a good look at this man, Ntaaj tried to see if his features matched anyone he met in the pass. A lot of familiar faces, but this one in particular didn't ring any bells. "Or are you an assassin, here to kill me for some petty grievance from the past?"
Gideon casually rolled his wrist, his lightsaber whooshing through the air smoothly as he adjusted his stance, his eyes fixed on the half-man, half-machine in front of him.
"Indeed, the Ship was not mine, as to whether or not I am here to kill you...that all depends, doesn't it?...People on this world, the galaxy in general in fact, can hide behind so many facades it is difficult at times to see who they really are and where their loyalties lie, myself not withstanding. Its also not always wise to give direct answers to such probing questions if one wants their intentions to remain hidden, so let's try something else, shall we?"
Gideon quickly flicked his eyes at the bystanders behind him in suspicion before looking back at the Cyborg, his lightsaber unwavering. Tentatively, he threw out his bait.
"Peace is a lie..."
Ntaaj looked at the stranger. Though Light Sabers were only useful in the hands of a few, it's not that unheard of for neither Jedi or Sith to posses one. Typically only after looting the bodies of the previous two, or well created imitations. Like Ntaaj, the man did not trust him, just as he did not trust the stranger. So they had to speak in code once again. Smart move, but Ntaaj seriously doubt-
Wait. "Peace is a lie... You've got to be kidding me...." Ntaaj sighed. And than he spoke.
"... There is only passion."
"Through passion, I gain strength."
"Through strength, I gain power."
"Through power, I gain victory."
"Through victory, my chains are broken."
"The Force shall free me... Pleased to see a fellow friend."
Ntaaj got to his feet, wiping the grime off the bottom of his coat. "Neh. Speak for yourself. Not one for subtly, are you? Let's just hope the gawkers don't start spreading rumors about us, or more importantly, me." Ntaaj walked pasted the stranger, avoiding his lightsaber. He looked around the pitch darkness and looked towards a neon sign of a restaurant. "Over there, the eatery. We can grab a bite to eat there and speak more in private. Better than some gank alleyway, unless that's your liking." Ntaaj didn't wait for the stranger to follow as he simply walked towards the restaurant himself.
Once inside, Ntaaj took out a credit chip and had him and the stranger a private booth. Classy stuff, given their environment. Once seated they were given menus, but Ntaaj himself wasn't hungry. He wasn't sure if the stranger was either, so he spoke first. "I suppose introductions are in order. My name is Ntaaj Thaiv. I'm sure you know who my affiliation is. So who are you?"
Gideon politely sheathed his lightsaber and plunged the alleyway in relative darkness again, following in step by Ntaaj into the eatery. He briefly glanced over the menu before setting it aside and adjusting his slim disguise. He leaned back and steepled his fingers as he looked at Ntaaj.
"One to talk for subtlety after you so efficiently executed two Gammorrean Bouncers in broad daylight with witnesses a plenty, not that I believe we have much to fear here so long as don't piss off the wrong Hutt or Gang Boss. I'm Gideon Xanthous, former apprentice to Lord Tia'mis Fa'los. Not that I'd expect you to know him, he wasn't the most visible figure in the war, or Imperial politics as they usually are. He died of a chronic illness which had been effecting him more severely these past few months, and I was en route to return his remains to the capital when I learned of the most intriguing offer along the way, I presume that is also why you are here?"
Ntaaj slide his menu over Gideon's. He doubt he was going to eat, and it's not like he was going pay. He ignored his comment about the Gammorreans; they die in droves all the time. Ntaaj just happened to help that happen. "I suspect that we both are here for the same reasons. Perhaps out meeting was not so unfortunate after all... As you know, friendship among our associates is nonexistent. But perhaps an alliance could be made instead." Ntaaj laced his fingers over each other and he leaned forward, studying the man in the dim light. The next words he spoke softly, to where only Gideon would hear. "When we arrive on that ship, they expect us to arrive on our own. No alliance, no power, no idea what we're heading into. Their veterans would attempt to corral us for their purpose, whether we want to or not. I aim to change that. I have my own plans, mainly involving obtaining power in battle. To put it plainly, I plan to use this opportunity to collect various technology around the galaxy, so that I can become stronger than any others. I'm sure you have your own goals in mind as well, which may follow a similar route, or at least come to the same result."
Ntaaj leaned back as a waitress arrived with drinks for them. When she left Ntaaj slide the drinks down the table away from them. "Don't drink the water. As I was saying, that is my goal for this little adventure. No doubt I'll meet resistance that would attempt to stop me, or at least difficulties in my pursuits. Things that I have no qualms saying that I cannot handle myself. But if you and I come to an alliance with each other, than just as I expect you to help me, I will assist you. So long as our goals do not conflict, and if they should, I will at least have the honor to tell you." Ntaaj didn't really have that honor, though he did have a certain pragmatism about it; it really would be inconvenient if both his goals and Gideon's goals went against each other, so he would make sure that he knew what Gideon is doing. If they work well, Ntaaj might even be willing to tell Gideon what his secret plans are.
Gideon scowled at the water when it reached the table anyway, and pondered Ntaaj's words for a minute, scratching his beard in thought. Ntaaj certainly wasn't your conventional Sith, but then again, what was such a thing? His desire to obtain technology to increase his power didn't conflict with Gideon personally, all Sith had various means of advancing themselves and obtaining the power necessary to achieve victory, and though he didn't exactly approve of conflict among themselves he knew it was a reality which their order had not been able to solve yet except by finding an external enemy in the Jedi and the Republic which protected them. Therefore he didn't blame Ntaaj for his methods, the question is, would they make a good match? Gideon carefully adjusted his pack, making sure it was still by his side before replying.
"My goals in this venture are much simpler than yours, at least simple in that, in theory they will not require me to face my opponents in battle, simply to best them in other ways which they have otherwise failed . . . thus far. I detest bloodshed between our fellow comrades in arms, but I am no fool. Those in power often resist the rise of further competition, therefore if I am to ascend higher in the ranks of our Order, conflict is inevitable. Odds are likely that we could be going up against opponents whom have been playing the game for centuries longer than us. Therefore I see no reason why us two cannot work together to accomplish our goals, greater strength can be found when we work as a whole rather than being divided. Understand though, that our cooperation goes both ways, if I find that your goals get in the way of my own, I shall cease our arrangement just as quickly as you would. At which point we'll go our separate ways. Should the occasions ever arise, of course."
Ntaaj nodded his head silently. Seems that the two men, while looking at their goals at different angles, ultimately knew what they wanted from each other. Ntaaj would still of course keep a healthy amount of caution when around Gideon, but for now he was to be his ally, and Ntaaj was to be his. When the waitress arrived to take their order Ntaaj stood up. "I'm not hungry. Thanks for your business." He left the eatery as the waitress looked on with a bit of confusion. By the time she looked back at the table, Gideon was gone too.
The two Sith warriors continued to walk until they reached a fairly open area, but voided of people. A large crossroad, with buildings rising to the ceiling on the side of the roads. There was a little light coming from the buildings themselves, but aside from that, still dark. Ntaaj stopped here and began flexing his hands. "Say Gideon... You know these people?"
Creeping in the shadows was at least seven of them. Two droids. Five aliens. All of them bounty hunters. The two droids stepped out from the darkness with their weapons drawn, their intentions clear. The other five remained hidden, trying to set up positions to take down the two Sith Warriors.
Gideon glanced around at the opponents before them as he stood next to Ntaaj, they had obviously cleared the street looking for a fight. Professionals, or at least not people who were completely inept. He slid his pack to the ground by his feet gently, putting his arms by his sides, his right hovering over his concealed lightsaber.
"No, I made the wise move of paying off the local Hutt to ensure I wasn't messed with. . . I assume they are acquaintances of yours?"
Sighing, Ntaaj nodded his head. "Probably... I suppose I might as well tell you that I'm on this little trip to also avoid some... Enemies back at the academy. My pursuits don't always make friends. More so when it's used against them, see. The cowards instead send these... Things after me. Disgraceful." From between the two assassin droids another man walked out. He looked human, but from the blasters he had in his hands he obviously wasn't here to greet either one of them. "Say wot you will bout our business, but we're the best at wot we do. Now than, let's keep this simply, neh? All we want is robot boy there, and we can walk off without any one hurt. What do ya say?"
A quick scan of the area allowed Ntaaj to figure out where everyone was. Three, the two droids and the human, were on the ground level. The other four were each at a corner in a building, and from their positions had their sights trained on them. "I'd say you're way in over your heads. Leave me now, or you can lie here in these slums." The human snickered, and soon it turned into laughter. Ntaaj looked towards Gideon, a sort of silent method to tell him to get ready. "Not the smartest bot, are ye? Oh well... Let's show them wot we're made of boys!" But just as the bounty hunter raised his guns up to shoot, Ntaaj was already on him, crushing his face with his cybernetic arm. In his other hand was an ECD. The Bounty Hunter screamed as Ntaaj began crushing his head. "You are made of bones that break and blood that spills." Just as she shattered his skull like a cookie, Ntaaj threw the ECD at his feet and caused it to explode, shocking the two Assassin Droids into submission. The sudden surge of electrical lights blinded the snipers in the buildings, and by the time they could see again Ntaaj was gone.
Gideon drew his lightsaber swiftly after Ntaaj made his move, the snipers refocusing their attention now on him given that Ntaaj was nowhere to be seen. They fired at him, but he stood his ground and deflected their shots, twirling his lightsaber as he utilized his Soresu form to his advantage. He had no skill with a blaster, and lacking the height advantage, he decided he may as well keep the assassins focused on him. He taunted them as he dodged out of the way or moved his lightsaber to deflect the shots.
"Foolish assassins, you think you can best me? Where did you learn to shoot blasters? You're all so pathetic that my old man could shoot better than you guys, and he's blind and crippled."
His banter obviously stung the assassins, or at the very least kept them focused on Gideon. The conflict was a standoff though, if Gideon attempted to reach one of the men at their height, he risked not being quick enough to dodge one of the others' shots, but so long as he stayed where he was, he could simply keep dodging and deflecting their shots while still being able to flee. Ntaaj aught to be able to use the situation to his advantage though, and perhaps make a break for him.
That break came in the form of a broken window. One of the bounty hunters were launched from their positions and hit the ground below, groaning in pain. An adjacent Sniper turned his rifle towards the position and saw Ntaaj standing at the window pointing his blaster at him. Three shots were fired, and the other bounty hunter was left dead on the floor. The other bounty hunter who was knocked onto the ground stood back up, and aside from some soreness, didn't seem too hurt. He noticed Gideon however, and taking out his sidearm and Vibroknife, he started shooting at the Sith Warrior.
Ntaaj allowed GIdeon to handle the one on the ground as he moved towards another building. By than the snipers in the buildings stopped firing, seeing that they were at a disadvantage. Ntaaj didn't know if they worked in a group or were simply individuals who wanted to use each other, so the other two might have fled. But better to not have any loose ends; they needed to die. Ntaaj caught one of the bounty hunters trying to flee through a darken alley, but Ntaaj stood in his way. The bounty hunter fired off bursts from his blaster rifle, but Ntaaj jumped over the blast and smashed the bounty hunter into the ground underneath his feet. He raised his fist into the air and dropped it down onto the bounty hunter repeatedly, until his head was caved in. That was two down, two more to go.
Gideon smirked as the bounty hunter arose from the fall caused by Ntaaj's blast. The fool still believed he could shoot him with a blaster, though at least he had the wisdom to draw a knife, the good that would do against a lightsaber. Casually, he stepped towards the Bounty Hunter, deflecting the increasing frantic shots with ease from having to focus on only one target. Once he got within six paces of the hunter, the man threw the blaster Gideon, panic now leading to desperation. Gideon sidestepped the thrown blaster merely twirled his lightsaber to stop the man's attempted stab with the knife. The bounty hunter had ducked his hand back to avoid losing it, but couldn't back up fast enough before Gideon cut off his right leg with a quick swipe. The Bounty hunter fell down screaming in pain at his cauterized wound, only to be swiftly silenced as Gideon plunged his lightsaber into the man's chest.
Gideon flipped his lightsaber back up, its orange light filling the small street and counted the bodies as Ntaaj bashed in the brains of one of the other attackers. Two shocked assassin droids, four dead or dying bounty hunters, meaning one was still at large. Gideon walked over to retrieve his pack, slinging it over his shoulder as he kept looking around.
"Apparently "the best" bounty hunters on this planet didn't prepare to fight one who is skilled at Soresu. . .either way, I don't want to find someone here who is. Fighting unprepared hitmen is easy, true masters at their art, not so much. You have any business left to attend to? Because either we find that last one fast, or we cut our losses and find a way off this rock before we attract any more attention to ourselves, either between ourselves or from others."
Ntaaj walked back to Gideon as he wiped his hand clean of the blood using a piece of the bounty hunter's clothing. "Second attack today... I'd like to get out of the city for now, head back to my ship. There are some things I need to prepare before we meet our mistress, and if more off these fools come after me, I won't have to chase them down." Ntaaj began to walk down the darken streets and eventually made his way back to the surface. The sun was still out, if a bit low to the skies. He wanted to head back to his ship, resupply himself, change his load out, and sit tight as their Dark Mistress arrived. He was certain that if he or Gideon got bored, there might be a bounty hunter or four to hone their skills on.
Gideon followed Ntaaj up and out of the undercity, sheathing his lightsaber and keeping his pack close as he walked. He certainly did not enjoy the prospects of dealing with more bounty hunters, simply because they were a waste of his time, and because he didn't like the idea of causing any more trouble on this planet. Darth Nyiss may not be impressed having to come up with an explanation for why so many bodies were left behind on this planet from a pair of Sith if the Hutts ever linked any of this back to the Empire, but he would cross that bridge when if it ever came. He was glad to hear that Ntaaj had a way into orbit, though.
"I have it on good authority that our target vessel will not make itself publicly known, or at the very least it won't be advertising itself any more than necessary, for obvious reasons. Thankfully you have your own ship, we'll likely have to find our own way up into high orbit anyway. If you can get us up there, I should be able to figure out where it is and get us access. That is of course, unless we wish to search for any other brethren or sisters on this world."
"Not interested."
After the two managed to find Ntaaj's land speeder, they left the city and rode out into the open desert. They arrived at the ship unharrassed as Ntaaj loaded his vehicle inside. His ship wasn't all too big, large enough to hold his Landspeeder but no luxury space craft. There was two pilot seats that Ntaaj and Gideon could used as makeshift beds, as the only private room also served as a prison cell for the renegade Sith, whom Ntaaj informed him of. "I would have simply killed her if she didn't have some tangible use to me. Since I took her lightsaber and cut off her hands though, she shouldn't be a bother."
Gideon's clothes were covered in dust from the desert, but that didn't bother him too much, he didn't need them anymore today anyway. He looked the renegade Sith up and down before placing his pack between his feet in the cockpit. He started to change out of his herder's disguise, carefully extracting his thick black robes out of his pack without disturbing the other contents.
"What use is she to anyone with no hands? Specifically, why is she of use to you in this position anyway? Its not like she'll make an effective apprentice in the normal sense anymore unless you're solely focusing on making her a master force combatant. . .but then you don't really look like you need one of those. Perhaps you are using her for another purpose?"
Once he had finished changing into his formal robes, Gideon slipped into the co-pilot's seat and threw his pack beneath his feet. "Not that i don't trust your cargo hold, simply that I prefer to keep my belongings, sparse though they may be, by me most of the time."
"What use I have for her is between me and our Mistress. Don't worry, it has nothing to do with you unless you want to get involved. This one merely... Needs to be punished. However our mistress deems appropriate. Make yourself comfortable. We may be here for some time." Ntaaj began to remove his limbs and putting them into a large metal crate strapped to the floor of the ship. He attached a new hand and than removed his legs, replacing them as well. He even took off his helmet, but kept his face away from Gideon before putting his helmet back on, replacing a few parts. Ntaaj just continued to fiddle with his limbs and other parts, his way of passing time. It was going to be a long wait.
