*Stryke laughed evilly. He could not believe what he was seeing.

"Some people are far too trusting. Do you really think that A merciless killer such as myself would betray his master over one little Jedi? I came here to kill a Sith, a former Jedi, and a one-eyed man and you believed that I was all of the sudden a friend? I intend on completing my mission and killing my target!"

Stryke shot a quick glance at Nadira and winked.

He then walked quickly towards Nalaen smiling.

*Adar appeared to smile for a moment, happy that his bodyguard and assassin was returning to help him.

"Don't worry Adar, I won't let this Sith do the dirty work of a Jedi, I won't let her throw you to your death.... I"LL do THAT myself."

*With that, Stryke unleashed a burst of energy from his hand using the Force, hurling Adar towards Nadira. A very surprised and slightly injured Adar landed right in front of her.

"There you go Nadira, he should have plenty of fight left in him. Consider yourself lucky, my entire life was taken by this man years ago and he has caused me to kill countless people since then-I have more reason to kill him than anyone else and I only give him to you because I owe you a lot after what I have done. Oh, and as for you Nalaen, perhaps you could be so kind as to take care of your one-eyed friend before he runs off. That datapad might tell us of more enemies that your master has and I for one would be glad to hurt anyone who has helped Adar."

*Stryke grinned evilly at Lalasko, who was quietly making his way toward the exit.

Lalasko pressed several buttons. The transmission was sent, and the signature out of his hands. Now his only cause was to make sure the datapad didn't reach anyone who knew what to do with it. He quietly pressed a time-release grenade to the underside of one of the tables...

((OOC: In the words of Obi-Wan: "Uh-oh, not good."))

OOC: Blah, I can wait until this is over, and then re-introduce myself.

I hate Ьber school projects that must be done at home...

"Do you really think you can defeat me?" Adar snarled, igniting a yellow lightsaber. Nadira shrugged.

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend," she said. "Three hate you, one runs away. I guess the odds are slightly in my favor."

Adar stared at Lalasko in shock as Lalasko made a move to leave. Taking advantage of his shock, Nadira attacked. Adar barely managed to block. Nadira continued pressing, driving Adar continually backward. He bumped into a wall and lashed out crazily. Nadira took a step back and Adar slipped out of his corner.

"Know this," Nadira growled as her lightsaber made contact with his left arm, you have made my life completely miserable. I plan to make your death as miserable as my life has been."

"I'm not about to die," he growled, gripping his arm momentarily. He thrust his lightsaber toward her neck and she ducked, taking a slash at his leg. He didn't see the attack coming and fell to the ground missing a leg.

"I once looked on you as a brother," Nadira snapped. Her lightsaber severed his hand from his arm, leaving him defenseless. "You killed my family, my friends. You sabotaged my ship, left me to die."

"With pride, Princess," Adar snarled. Nadira's lightsaber came down, removing Adar's other leg and she continued speaking as though she hadn't heard him.

"You took on my family name before we were royalty," she said. "When we discarded it to become the royal family, you took it upon yourself as your own. You went away to the university on that name. When you came back, you were trusted and allowed in the palace."

"I tire of history, Princess," Adar interrupted. Nadira removed his left arm.

"Let me tell you something, Adar," Nadira snapped. "You will not be remembered by my family name. I strip it from you. It is no longer yours and you will not live to dispute me. I take my family name from it and will use it myself. From now on, I am Princess Nadira DelCarr. My name will be remembered, Adar. Your false connection to it will not."

"Now you're getting interesting," Adar hissed. He had lost a great deal of blood and was no longer struggling. Nadira DelCarr removed his right arm.

"I'm finished," she said. "And so are you."

She plunged her lightsaber deep into his heart and he coughed.

"Goodbye, traitor," she whispered bitterly. His eyes lost focus and his breathing stopped. The traitor was dead. Nadira turned away, gasping for air. She'd dreamt of this moment for several years, but now that it had come, she felt terrible. She couldn't breathe.

Finally, she took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Then she said, "Burn him. I don't want him coming back to life."

*Stryke watched as Nadira struck Adar down. He ran forward in an attempt stop her from killing Adar, but he was too late. He then turned his back towards Nadira, looking at Lalasko-whom he had seen place something under the table.

"Revenge does not feel so sweet now that it has been taken does it Nadira? Be careful not to walk down that path too far, for I took it many years ago and it only leads to pain. However, if you wish to finish taking your revenge, then perhaps it is time you learned the rest of the story."

*Stryke then turned to Nadira, a single tear rolling down his cheek.

"I have something for you, Nadira. Your mother had never told you of your family's heritage as Jedi. She had left the Order to marry your father since they frown upon marriage. Even I did not realize she was a Jedi at the time...I was young, it was one of my first missions. The truth is, I could not kill you because I made a promise to your mother. In her last moments she did not beg for her life, instead she forgave me for what I did saying I was "misguided" and she only begged that I give you this.

*With a shaking hand, Jerod Stryke pulled the second lightsaber from his belt and handed it to Nadira.

"This belonged to your mother. She did not fight, she did not even try to run. She just handed me her lightsaber and said she knew it was her time. I swore to her that one day I would make up for what I did by saving your life. I now realize I have failed and I can do nothing to repay the debt I owe. If you wish to kill me, I will not fight. I do not know how I could even repent for what I have done to you. Whatever hatred you feel toward me is just and I only hope you can accept my final apology before striking me down."

*Stryke dropped his own lightsaber to the ground and dropped to his knees, awaiting death as he looked up at Nadira trying to read her thoughts. He awaited whatever judgement was given to him. The entire cantina was silent and the storm outside was the only noise to be heard.

Nalaen was immencely pleased by the turn of events. She didn't care for the politics, it wasn't her concern, but the man who had to die, did die. And that's all that mattered. As for if Nadira would strike down the dark one, well, her warrior's honour said that she shouldn't. He helped in a sticky spot, and there was nothing gained in his death. Whether he lived or died didn't affect things.

But now there was something personal at stake. She could sense something dangerous, something small, near Lalasko. Some sort of explosive, but that was all she could tell. It did not matter. Split seconds before it exploded she could either jump or protect herself. Now it was time for Lalasko to explain himself. With his blood.

"First," she said to Nadira as she walked calmly towards Lalasko, her blazing eyes a near inferno the only give away to her true emotions, "we decapitate him. Then we burn him. And to be safe, before he goes on the pyre, we should put a few blaster rounds into his heart." She grinned then at the thought of "necessary" overkill, but with her mood and her eyes, the usually mischievious grin became brutally feral. Stepping towards Lalasko, she hung her sabre on her belt; from her back, she pulled out a long, black, intracately carved bo. Twirling it, it made a sharp whooshing though the air, as she got into an attack stance. For this, she wanted blood. Copious amounts of it. Oh, and that datapad would be good too. Yeah, very important.
Blood.

At first, Nadira ignored Nalaen's words, focusing only on Stryke. Her lightsaber was still in her right hand and her mother's saber was now in her left. Both were ignited and Nadira stared at Stryke. Finally, she deactivated both sabers.

"My mother's death was avenged by the death of the traitor," she said. "No more need die. But there are stil two at least to worry about. Lalasko must be dealt with... Lachlan must also die. When the storm lets up, I will go to Oren and his ship. Anyone who wants to come will be welcome."

Then she acknowledged that Nalaen had spoken and turned.

"Anything to keep him dead," she said.

Lalasko was lost in thought, and payed no mind to Nalaen. He was looking at the bar.

A red light flashed.

That light would flash 4 more times. Then it would turn green, and this cantina would be no more. He turned and stared into Nalaen's eyes.

"Are you so sure killing me will improve your situation?" He removed the datapad and put it on the table between him and her.

"Read this. All of it. You'll find that your master's deception runs deep."

He sat at a stool that had been knocked over nearby, regarding the datapad. Out of the corner of his eye, the light flashed again.

Nadira's quick eye caught the light and her eyes narrowed. She moved to the door and calmly said, "If my eyes do not decieve me, this cantina will be destroyed in a matter of seconds. We would be better off out in the storm."

With this, she slipped to the door and went out. Sand whipped into her face and she drew her cloak tightly around her, turning her back to the wind.

*Stryke stood and walked towards Lalasko.

"Deactivate that device now. You have the chance to save all of these people. We have no reason to kill you, and now that we have the datapad I do not see why we could not all walk out of here together as friends rather than allies."

*He then watched Nadira slip out of the door. He hesitated for a moment then continued.

"Please deactivate it. I could easily run out now, but I fail to see what that could accomplish. No need to end your life and the lives of all these people."

*Stryke looked at Nalaen

"You have done well Sith Warrior, but I think it is time you left now that you have the datapad, lest you die here in this cantina. Killing this man will accomplish nothing. That explosive will destroy the entire building, so you should get out while you can."

*Now, glancing back at Lalasko, he spoke again.

"I hope you choose well my friend, for I must now leave. I do not fear death, but I cannot die here today...I have a promise to keep."

*Jerod then turned towards the door and ran out after Nadira. As he ran out the storm cleared. He looked around, but did not see Nadira. He turned his back to the street and looked back at the cantina...it did not explode. Perhaps Lalasko had shut off the bomb, or perhaps it was merely malfunctioning and would detonate any second. Jerod frowned, he was too close to the cantina and would probably still die if it exploded. He looked around again for Nadira and then waited...

Lalasko wanted to turn off the device. He liked the cantina, and he liked the people who had accumilated in it. They had nerve, and a good cause. But if he was to die, so would his killers.

He now regarded Nalaen with his remaining eye, an eye that was filled with fear. He could no longer conceal it. But it was not fear for his own life...

The light blinked again. Two more flashes, and the third would be fatal. He had a feeling he would be the only one in the cantina by then, but it didn't matter. The grenade had other purposes.

She chuckled as she took the datapad from the table, slipping her bo back onto her back.

"Deception?!" she said sardonically, "From a Sith Lord?! Never! I mean, really?" Tucking it into her robes, she eyed the blinking light. It was soon. Very soon. "I do my work for my Master and I don't question why. You should know that."

Studying him, she shook her head slowly. "You can turn that off if you like. However, I don't feel you will. So seeing as you will die anyway . . ." Gathering the Force around her, she made to run towards the door, but noticed the fear not only in Lalasko's remaining eye, but the fear eminating off him. And it wasn't for himself.

"Turn that off," she hissed, "and explain yourself. Then you can turn it back on." She wanted to live. The Jedi had mentioned others that needed to die. And she was an assassin, and seemed to be involved in this mess much beyond her neck . . . so perhaps she should extend her services to them; her business was killing and business was good. After all, they did work together and everything had worked quite well. To her way of thinking. The people who needed to die did. Or were about to. And if he didn't turn that thing off in the next second, she was going to run. She kept the Force swirling around her, just in case she needed a very quick escape.

*Stryke looked once more around the street. He did not see any of his companions. He chuckled to himself

"Alone again. Oh well, at least my mission is over."

*Stryke then examined the stolen Jedi Holocron. It brought a smile to his face. He had taken off of a Sith warrior with her lightsaber held right up to him and she had not noticed. Serves them right for stealing it in the first place. He had escaped his past, Adar was dead, and he had the holocron for his new master. Sure, he still would keep his promise to watch over Nadira-that was his duty afterall, someone as important as her could not fall into enemy hands, especially not the Sith. Sadly, the council also wanted Lachlan alive. That would not please the princess. Oh well, once she found out about her surviving family member, maybe that would cheer her up. She did pass the test afterall. As he walked along the street, Jerod felt a tremor in the Force. The Sith realized her valued possession was gone and was undoubtedly angry. Not that it mattered, he could handle her if necessary. He did hope she would survive the explosion he sensed coming. She had quite a lot of anger in her, but strangely, he did care for her. If nothing else, he hoped she too would learn the truth about herself and would be set free from the chains that held her one day.

"Such a lovely day now that the storm has passed...too bad it will end in blood..."

*Jerod chuckled as he walked away from the cantina-he did not like having to trick Nadira the way he did, nor Nalaen. He hated having to test them in such a dishonest way. And Quietstorm-hopefully he got out of the cantina alright and would be at the meeting point with the other holocron...

Lalasko sighed. He knelt, and pressed the manual detonate on the grenade. As soon as he let go, it would explode, but until then it would be neutral.

"Nalaen, some time ago I overheard two exchange pilots. They mentioned a cache in the desert. The fools even let slip the coordinates." Lalasko chuckled. "Drunks. Well, naturally I followed them, but then a storm came, and I overlooked the AD tower the had set up there. I was shot down, and I lost my eye."
Lalasko winced, remembering the pain.
"They could have killed me, but they liked my ambition. So, I was recruited as a "privateer" of sorts."

Lalasko leaned closer.

"The people here need to live in order to keep Exchange operations stable. If this charge kills them, the Exchange will have problems." Lalasko reverted to his original position. "And I don't want a bum rap."

He looked back at her.

"Go. I think you'll find that your interests lie outside this cantina."

Lalasko closed his eyes, waiting for the sound of Nalaen's footsteps. So he could end this place. Himself...

She almost pitied him. A slight frown formed on her lips as she watched him, sitting there, clutching onto the bomb. Well, she didn't quite get her answers, but hell, he had no need in lying to her now, did he? And even if he was, he would die soon . . . probably.

So out she would go. She moved quickly, but not using the Force as she knew she didn't need to. He would hold off until she left. And if he didn't, she'd feel it soon enough in the Force and be able to speed up.

As she made it out the door, something other than scorching heat hit her face. Luckily she was used to hot climes, so it didn't bother her enough for this tendril of the Force to go unnoticed. Something was wrong with the dark one. A chill went down her spine even with this heat. Without any information, without anything but a feeling, she knew immediately.

She had been betrayed.

Her Master always told her that she had half the battle won. She didn't trust people; however, with her upbrining she easily made alliances even with her enemies to further her own cause. Unfortunately, as she was still a child, that left her open for deep gashes in her back from their proverbial knives.

On the other hand, her Master usually said to appease her, those who betrayed her, no matter why and no matter how close they had been, no matter what their motives, would always end up tortured and dead. At least, he said (and how many times had she heard THIS speech?) she was efficient. Unfortunately, fools never seemed to learn this very simple lesson:

Cross a Sith and die. We don't care about your motivations. We don't care why. We don't care how. All we know is that you did it. And that is death. A long and painful death.

((Soo, are we gonna continue this with the cantina gone or what? Just wondering since I kinda changed things up a bit.))

*As Stryke walked down the street, he heard a loud noise, most likely signaling the end of the cantina-but perhaps not, he was too far away to be sure. He sensed a tremor in the Force as well, surely Nalaen had noticed something was missing and was looking for him. Jerod smiled as he mumbled to himself...

"Here we go again."

Lalasko was preparing himself mentally now. He hadn't told Nalaen everything, but he had told her enough to get her to leave. And that was already way too much. But it didn't matter. The datapad was in the hands of the Sith, where it was safe. They wouldn't care about the deal, mainly because they were part of it. Still, Lalasko had been blind not to realize what the Sith would do once they found out the third benifactor was out.

Lalasko raised his eyebrow.

Nalaen had showed up before he got the call. But how did her master know? Unless...unless it was her master who eliminated the benifactor. Lalasko sighed. Now it made sense. But it didn't matter. He needed to complete his mission...

He heard a noise. It was more of a rumble, coming from somewhere close by. It was quite loud, and Lalasko opened his eyes and turned, facing the cantina wall. The sound settled around the empty place. It sounded like a permacrete detonator.

Lalasko screamed. It was not of fear, but of rage. He had taken too long. His backup had completed his mission for him. He had forgotten the bounderies of his assignment. But he still held the detonator. He looked wildly around. Nothing mattered now. He had no cause. Nothing to fear for. The exchange didn't care, they just wanted the job done. All for the deception of a fool Sith lord.

Staggaring out the door of the cantina, he tore off his eyepatch.

"NALAEN! SITH DECEPTION!?"

He held the bomb high, and let go, cackling with all the glee of an infant. His insanity had caught up with him at last...

*The explosion ripped through the street. It had weak range, but it's destructive force made up for this. The cantina's front side was immediately obliterated, the building opposite recieveing heavy damage to it's front side. Firey bits of building smoldered in the street, feeding off the sand and the heat. Lalasko was quite dead.*

Nadira was close enough to see the explosion and she sighed, wondering who managed to get out before it happened. As she stood still, staring at the ruined cantina, she sighed.

"Back to Oren, I guess," she muttered. "He'll be waiting."

She turned and walked slowly toward the outskirts of the city.

(((Hey, what about a "Cantina II". Another place to get absolutely sotted off your @$$ on a different planet? These sorts of rps are fun n__n We need more of them)))

((If you set one up, Kira will join Nalaen and Nadira will come along not too long after... :) ))

((Sounds nice; I'd join. As a different, less self destructive char, or course. ;) )

(((Coolies! I didn't think anyone would go for it <__< I do so love random freeform rp . . . Er, someone gonna start one . . .?)))

((Alright.... I'll start it... Something for Nalaen to know coming into this one is that Kira has gotten extremely used to having a Jedi half and actually allows Teri to talk sometimes... is that going to drive Nalaen crazy... having to speak to somebody she thought she killed? :p ))

(((Oh geez. Nalaen's gonna go NUTS. :P You crazy girl! Kira's gonna end up with a sabre in her gut. Nalaen really REALLY hates Jedi . . .)))