Humboldt felt the jolt as they jumped back from hyperspace into the area around Tatooine. "Well, the clones are gone, but this guy's still on us. We'll have to move fast. There's an old merc hideout on the site of one of the old mining cities. It should be abandoned." He gave Raven planet coordinates, and then turned to Geno and Reyvan "You two seem like you would be good in a fight. I don't trust anything on this planet very far, so it is a possibility that someone else has taken over the base. We may be able to bargain with them, or they may be innately hostile. Still, better than someone we know is hostile."
"Hm, I could have repaired the ship during hyperspace, and help you in this matter with the base, except no one turned me on...so I guess you can let me stand here while you deal with your hostilities problem alone," said Geno, the slightness of irritation in his voice.
"What in the name of-!" Darek skidded to a halt and fell back into the sandy ground on his hands. There, beyond the next building, was the short, wide, sandstone complex that was the hideout for the guild of mercinaries- the far left section gone entirely, the edges blackened, the whole building ablaze...
"Oh shut up will you?" Raven said irrately, "Someone lock his jaw next time too."
She input the coordinates Humboldt had given her, and started planet-side. "In case you hadn't noticed, we were kind of interrupted by a few clone ships. If you could have taken them out without putting a scratch on my ship, then sure, I would have unlocked you. But somehow, I didn't see that happening. You can fix the ship when we land."
They touched down in the sandy ruins of the mining town. Anchorhead, Humboldt had heard it called. As he stepped out of Raven's ship, he had that cliched, unshakeable feeling that he was being watched. As he activated his cloaking system, he called to Reyvan, "Feel like scouting this place out? I hope those laser swords of yours are useful, and that you know how to use them. Lets move out. Tincan, you stay and repair the door, and, if Raven will let you, tune up the rest of the ship. I'm sure her bucket can take some repair work."
"Sure, i don't mind. Although...you got some civilian clothes? My Jedi Robes would caught too much attention by the people, and discretion would be useful in here..."
Bleeding Humboldt he tought had to go straight into Anchorhead!.
Last time Velrogh had been there he had killed a hutt that was making trouble for the Exchange. Let's just say they didn't want him near that place since. Well, if I want to keep up with that Jedi I'll have to land there he tought.
He set the coordinates to Anchorhead and, a few minutes later, he landed on the starport. As soon as he set foot out of the ship he was already surounded by 5 mercs, the bounty-hunter reached for his gun faster and killed one of them, also hitting another on the shoulder and the leg. They started firing at him but he lift off with his jetpack and landed on top of a container. He streched his arm to the merc on the right and shot him with a toxic dart.
The others started shooting at him and one lost laser hit is weapon making him drop it. "Alright, now I'm pissed!" he shouted. Velrogh got his lightsaber from his belt and jumped towards a weakway merc, with a down cut he divided the merc in two parts that fell to the ground, without loosing time he sprinted towards the last one and decapitated him with an horizontal blow.
"There, its done, good thing these walls are soundproof..." he whispered to himself. Suddenly, he heard a someone mumbling in pain, he turned back to see the merc he had injured dying in pain, Velrogh got his sniper out, aimed for the head and shot him putting a end to his life.
He picked up his heavy blaster rifle and a cape one of them had, He turned around wlaking towards the city.
Now to find the jedi and his friend...
Darek scrambled into the speeder. I hope that these cooks actually knew how to fix this thing... He ignited the engine and rocketed forward at the maximum acceleration the machine would allow. The speeder rocketed out of the workshop he had hid behind earlier.
Silence, he thought, is no longer a necessary part of the plan.
The security (at least, he assumed it was the security) had detonated the hideout and killed a fellow mercenary. No doubt that now they were on the hunt for the entire guild, and speed was much more useful than stealth at this point.
The speeder took a sharp turn rather roughly and collided on the side with one of the smaller buildings in the main plaza. Darek jolted and was slammed into the side of his speeder, but the acceleration started up again and the speeder rushed at full speed at the gate. I'll make for Anchorhead, he thought to himself, the main gate to the city drawing closer. It's a realitively short distance, and I can probably lose any followers over the trip through the dunes.
He heard an engine fire up behind him, and he blasted through the gate and made straight over the dunes as fast as the speeder could carry him, with three sillouetted crafts following him in the morning light.
"This ship is not a bucket!" Raven snapped at Humboldt from the cockpit, still rather irate as she went through the process of unlocking cyborg-boy's suit. "It's carted your ungrateful behind across the galaxy and back, getting you out of enough tight spots to last a lifetime! Be grateful."
"Tincan!" Said Geno, rather shocked, though insults never really got to him, when he was refured to as a piece of scrap metal, when he was at the least halfway organic, he got rather irritated. "Raven, please activate me quickly, so I may prove to him that I am no tincan," Geno pondered how he'd do this for a moment. "Yes, that's it, I'll make this 'bucket' into the finest ship he's set foot on, in his entire, scum filled, bounty hunting life, with your permission of course, Raven?" He asked politely to her, as he felt certain systems turning on within him.
"It's not a bucket." she repeated, flipping through the last few screens, "And sure, go ahead. All your neccisary systems are online, so be my guest."
Reyvan grinned, "It seems you all get along. Your enraged nature by small words and snappy remarks relate to each other. It's good to see that," He said. They would probably deny it though, but there simply was no denying in the Force.
"So, anyways...you got some civilian clothes or such?"
The speeder rattled fiercely as it slammed into the side of the building. But, at the very least, Darek had managed to slow up and turn to the side to avoid a head on collision with the poor residence.
Darek pulled himself up and out of the smoking speeder and stumbled to his feet, looking off over the dunes to see the shapes still following after him.
He looked toward the broken wall of the building. "Sorry buddy," he said, starting into the city, "But there's no time for reparations right now."
Velrogh walked down the overcrowded hot streets of anchorhead trying to find the hangar bay where they had landed.
Blasted Humboldt... But still, that Jedi intrigues me he tought reaching a security console in a quiet street near one of the hangars guarded by two militia.
He came up behind them when they passed on patrol front and back the street. "Excuse me, gents but..." he stuck two sleep darts in they're necks fast has a lightning "...you really shouldn't be sleeping in duty." he finished draging the bodies to a hidden spot.
He went towards the console and tried to find where that bloody ship was landed, finnaly he found them, they were just in the hangar before him. He turned to the place he had hidden the militia making a embaraced look, "Sorry 'bout that...".
He entered the hangar and saw the ship, insie, the Jedi and his companions
Finnaly.
Reyvan quickly turned to the entrance of the ship, he seemed to be looking for something.
"I sense something. Something i haven't sensed since i was frozen. I must know what this is," Reyvan muttered.
Velrogh headed torwards the ship slowly,for the Jedi had already spotted him.
This is his ship? A bucket? he mocked Well let's see if this time they won't take off.
He walked towards the loading ramp hidding his lightsaber in the cape.
"May I come in... Jedi?" he said looking at the bridge of the ship.
"It depends," Reyvan said, "If you just want to come and have a civilized talk about what the heck hapenned these 4000 years, or if you want to duel, whatever the kriffin' hell you want, i'm fine with it."
He then quickly got out his blue Lightsaber and ignited it, entering a Soresu Stance.
"A bit jumpy, hey?" he asked "Can't blame ya'. But don't worry I ain't here to fight the Last of the Jedi." he said.
"I'm here to help you, I'm interested in you." he told him "My ancestors fought you in the Jedi Civil War."
Velrogh droped his cape revealing the sith armor and the lightsaber.
"I don't need to tell you what color it is? But, sadly, I'm not trained or taught in the Sith ways." he confessed looking the Jedi straight in the eyes.
"Thats part of my interest in you. The other part... well, its the bleeding bot you keep there, but it doesn't matter..." Velrogh removed his helmet "I can fill you in, about those 4000 years..."
Bloody hell! Forget the bounty, this going to be quite a trip with these guys on board he tought, and smiled Frak with ambitions! They must think I went nuts.
"So are you gonna let me aboard?" he questioned "Or will I have to claim the bounty and leave?"
"Bounty?" Reyvan asked, surprised. He did not knew about a bounty, especially on his head, "Also, the Jedi Civil War was actually 8,000 years ago my friend. You must be talking about the Clone Wars. Also, just by curiosity...who is your ancestor?"
"The bounty is on the droid. Didn't Humboldt tell you, since you're traveling with him." Velrogh asked looking at the combat droid from the corner of the eye.
By the way... where that stuck-up bounty hunter of yours?" he asked looking around the bridge trying to spot him.
"Also, just by curiosity...who is your ancestor?"
Velrogh frooze, he turned back to the Jedi staring him with pride in his eyes
"Darth Sorta and Darth Velrogh, I get my name from him. They were the ones who were left in charge of the Sith army in known space while Revan went to the Unknown Regions. They were the only ones who remained loyal to Revan, the others started to fight amongst them. My ancestors fought to remain in power, but... Sorry got carried away... This is a story for another time..." he turned his head looking at Raven with curiosity.
I think I've seen her before...
"Ah yes, Geno i believe. Yes, i heard Humboldt say about a bounty on him. Darth Sorta and Darth Velrogh, eh? Curious, i think i heard of them with another name," Reyvan said, noticing him looking at Raven. He wondered what he was thinking.
Darek stumbled around a corner and ducked down below the metal barrels containing a greasy oily fluid that he didn't have time to care of the origin of. After a moment of silence, it seemed evident that his pursuers had given up chase.
He started to breathe again, and he rose and snuck quietly down toward the Anchorhead docking bay, hoping to commandeer a ship and track down Humboldt on Coruscant.
He stumbled a little as he stopped fast in the entry way. Two men stood there by an old rickety ship, talking, though it seemed the tension would fast lead to violence. Darek had never seen these men before, but... That's Raven's ship...
Velrogh spotted another man with the corner of the eye and left is toughts for another time. He turned around prepared to pull out is rifle if he eventually posed a threat.
"And who might you be?" he asked putting his helmet back on.
He looks more like rotten bantha fodder than a person... the bounty-hunter tought doesn't seem a threat, but still...
He stunned. Now he remembered where he had seen that woman before. It hit him like a tidal wave, years ago when he lost his arm... It had all been that girl's fault. She didn't look like a threat either, but she had managed to cut his arm off.
...appearences illude he finalized Raven, Humboldt's pet he remembered it now i'll deal with her later. he said to himself, still thinking at ways to kill her, each more painful then the last one...
"She won't get away..." he whispered to himself, his face filled with anger and his eyes... turning yellow... like they had been only once before.
"I don't like the sound of this," Reyvan thought at himself, for the eyes of Velrogh had turned yellow, and he ignored the mysterious man situation.