She looked down at her chronometer; it was just past the hour. Her attention turned back to looking over the edge of the skywalk. She amused herself by looking out over the speeder lane below; it was like a river of color, which seemed to flow off into the horizon. It was a rare occasion to get to see something that was pretty in a world that was filled with nothing but duracreate buildings.
A loud thundering sound took her attention from her musings and back to reality, she glanced to the right to see a ship taking off. The smell of engine fuel wafting her way caused her to scrunch her nose at the fumes; she should be used to such smells by now after living on Taris for 6 years. She sighed to herself, she was supposed to have the day off, not be waiting here for some underworld lowlife to come pick up their weapon or whatever it was.
Her right hand lifted the plastisteel case she had been holding. The simple white case held who knows what kind of weapon within, not that she cared what was in the case it was no of her business. The first rule her Uncle had told her about this job was never to look in the case. A rule she had taken to heart. She looked again at her chronometer; it was almost the brake point, if they didn't show soon then she was out here.
"I'm so ready to get this over with." She said in frustration. She turned away from the railing and sank to the hard duracreate ground.
"Are you alright Mistress Alexis, you seem upset?" Said a mono metallic voice.
Alexis just waved her hand dismissively at the old medical droid. "Is there some way I might help to improve your mood Mistress Alexis?" he said pressing the issue.
"I'm fine MB, I just don't want to be here today, Uncle said I could have the day off, and then he springs this on me." She tucked a loose strand of hair back behind her ear, if the buyer would just show up she might still be able to meet up with Div, but luck never seemed to be on her side.
After sitting in the same place for 15 minutes Alexis became undresses, for one she didn't want to be here, secondly the client was late, and three, something didn't seem right. The first two were understandable, but the third, a memory flashed into her mind from before her Uncle found her, from her life when she was one of them; her face contorted into a scowl as the memory surfaced.
She forcibly suppressed the images from her mind and began to focus on the present. While she learned to trust her since she didn't need to be distracted from the present with ide thoughts she would rather forget. Her temporary war with her mind ended swiftly as MB spoke in his usual tone.
"Mistress, there are five life forms approaching us." Without even acknowledging him Alexis stood, leaving the small case on the ground as she dusted herself off from sitting on the ground, then retrieved the case. MB's head turned in the direction that his sensors had detected the life forms and Alexis followed suite. A moment passed and from around the corner walked three humans followed closely behind by Transdshins, one of the humans she recognized immediately, the size of his gut gave and the ever present stains on her clothing marked him as Digrin, one of the local middle men.
She had dealt with Digrin several times and even though he was a bit rude he was not one to knock a good thing that he and her Uncle had going. Lately there had been rumors going around that he had been helping to arm more than just swoop gangs, he was starting to sell to the Syndicate. Not that it bothered Alexis who he sold too, that was his business, but seeing as it was Digrin the transaction should be pretty swift; although it was odd for him to bring so many with him. It was strange to bring someone with you just as back up, Alexis had brought MB with her ever since she had started working these side jobs for her Uncle, but for him to bring this many men, coupled with that the feeling she was getting she didn't want to draw out the exchange long than was needed.
"Digrin, I wasn't aware that you were the buyer?" Alexis said, she noticed that Digrin eyes darted around scanning the area much like an animal in a cage, it did nothing to improve her mode his actions just seem to compound her unease.
"Yeah well I wasn't informed you were the currier. Do you have the package?" he said wheezing a bit as he spoke. Alexis eyed the other men carefully, none of them were the usually sort he seemed to bring the meets. If she were to guess she would say they looked more like bounty hunters, they seemed to be too well composed and to well-armed with quality weapons and gear to be the usual gang members he brought with him.
"As always, I got the package if you got the credits, MB here will of coarse check the cred stick." She said motioning to MB, who began to walk forward. The reaction that she got was not favorable to the day getting better. The goon to Dagrin's left instantly pulled his blaster leveling it at MB, and the other goons then followed suite. MB stopped, and swiftly reached his arm back over his shoulder, taking hold and producing a Super Rancor, which he leveled at Dagrin. Before she could even utter a word blaster fire rang out from both sides, blaster bolts when flying and before Alexis could even pull out her own blaster there was a torrent of pain in her gut, and a burning sensation that seemed to be growing.
Her vision was getting blurry, and as hard as she tried it was just too hard to stand up, to get away. The world was spinning and then it stopped, but there was still something wrong, she couldn't move her vision was failing her, the sound of blaster fire was growing softer and softer, as if it was off in the distance, and then there was a swell of a blaster charging up, it had to be close.
MICRO MAFIA STUDIOS PUBLISHING
presents
- Knights of the Old Republic -
- The Unlived Lives Alexis Page -
1:1 Paint it Black
Written by Tibricel Apollyon
Star Wars created by Gorege Lucus
The Old Republic created by BioWare
© 2001 Micro Mafia Studios Publishing Ltd.
"Mistress. Mistress Alexis." The world was a blur and her mind was racing, she swallowed hard, as she blinked her eyes rapidly; finally the world began to come back into focus and her attention turned and looked up at MB from her sitting position on the ground. It was the future! Her mind told her, It's what is going to happen if you don't alter the flow of events. It had been so long since she had a vision that she didn't directly instigate, but even thin they were spotty and could not always be trusted. The feeling was still there just like in the vision; she had tried to ignore it that obviously was not the thing to do.
"Yes MB," She paused for a second. "Are there five life forms approaching?"
"Yes Mistress there are in fact five life forms approaching." He said confirming her suspicion.
"MB ready your blaster, see that guy to Dagrin's left, if you see him make any motion for the blaster on his hip you have free rein to unload on the lot of them, but don't fire on Dagrin unless he returns fire himself." She was struck to fast in the vision to see if Dagrin had returned fire with the merc's but she would give him the benefit of the doubt.
"Very well Mistress, I shall in devour to deconstruct them with extreme prejudice." MB said complying with her orders, swiftly retracting his arm and then producing the Super Rancor that her Uncle had modified for him. MB might not look like much other than a heavily modified medical droid but while it was true his original programing could come in very handy, right now Alexis needed the exact opposite.
"Then if there is time afterwards perhaps I can attempt to reconstruct them to working order to better facilitate my knowledge of humans. That way I would be more effective if some mishap were ever to befall you Mistress. Thought I hope such a thing never occurs."
If he had a face she was sure he would have been grinning at the prospect. She disregarded his statement as a quark and refocused on the present, in an attempt to calm herself she began to control her breathing, focusing on nothing but that and the world around her. It had been several years since she had tried centering herself like this, it was a part of herself she didn't want to remember or have anything to do with. It wasn't her, not anymore but maybe it was useful for now.
She thought to run but that wasn't an option, they would be here any second so she stood swiftly, noticing a pile of debre, and tossed the small case behind, if nothing else it would be a bargaining chip if they really wanted the case's contents. It wasn't the best plan but it was better than nothing. Alexis walked to the middle of the skywalk just as the five men came into view. The fat man Dagrin bringing up the middle just like in the vision.
It's now or never. She thought.
"Dagrin! Stop right there!" She said catching the men off guard, she tone firm. If she was going to change the outcome to what she wanted she had to get control of the situation. Dagrin seemed surprised for a moment, he and the men stopped just at the entrance to the sky walk.
"Oh Alexis." He stammered with a whezz. "I didn't know you were the currier."
"Yeah well I didn't know you were the buy till just a minuet ago." No getting the duel meaning of the statement but her. "I have the package, but not here." She said quickly, as to overt the actions of merc's; luckily for her it seems to disperse the situation somewhat.
"You give me the cred stick, I verify it, then I tell you where the package is." Dagrin's plump face seemed to lose all its color and Alexis knew something was up but she keep her face just as it was. Then the merc from the vision spoke up.
"Ha I got your payment right here." He chimed in a deep baritone voice, as he made the mistake of placing his hand on his blaster. Before he could even draw the weapon a loud discharge of light flashed as MB's Rancor rang out, the huge bolt of plasma slammed into the man dropping him instantly.
More bolts joined in just Alexis dove for cover behind the pile of garbage where she had tossed the case, just as she reached the relative safety of cover blaster bolts singed the ground where she has been standing seconds before. Then her eyes landed on her blaster on the ground, it must have fallen off as she dove for cover.
She could hear Dagrin trying to rain in he men but with no success, his men were not his men as much as he thought as his words went unabated. Alexis looked to the other side of the sky walk and saw MB returning fire from behind a support pillar, this was not her day she was pinned down, weaponless and helpless. Fear began to creep in all around her as she pulled her legs closer to her chest, it was happening again, for the second time in her life the world was falling down all around her.
"shhhhh" Suddenly her senses refocused and she was struck with a calm, one that she had not felt for a long time, and it was as if someone was speaking to her.
"What?" Though it was spoken allowed, it wasn't directed at anyone.
"you do not give up." The voice was familiar, so familiar and there was a small hurt that she couldn't recall who's voice it was. "my knowledge is yours, use it."
Her eyes scanned over her surroundings looking for anything that could be used as weapon, she wouldn't die here, the words of the Jedi teachings begin to rise flow through her mind, it had been so long since she had thought about that time in her life. Even though it was a time she tried to forget it was calming to focus on the teaching her master had imparted on her so long ago.
The case, it was right there in the pile of rubbish she was hiding behind. She could only hope it was some kind of weapon, maybe some Thermal Detonators'. Grabbing the smooth plastisteel case and looked to the small key pad on the side, and quickly pressed the code that her Uncle had given her. The keys turned from there usual red to green letting her know that the code was accepted, calm, peace, serenity, harmony, her mind repeated over and over again.
Then there was also a since of excitement as she finally opened the case and the calm, the peace, serenity, harmony, everything was replaced with terror, horror and fear. Even though she was only sixteen years old, she had seen and felt more pain than any child should. A life she left behind 5 years ago was now rushing back to meet her, to pull her back to that time, to the last moments of that life.
Tucked neatly in the case with a cushion foam all around it was a small clear cylinder allowing for anyone to see the inner workings of the device. Alexis recoiled her hands back from the case, it was a device she had become intimately accustomed to always having with her years ago, but now years didn't seem that long ago. It was a light saber, it was her greatest fear.
"I can't do it." The words came out of her mouth but they were lost to her, it was a automatic response, not a conscious acgnoledgment of the situation.
"your fear is misplaced, take the blade and turn that fear on them." This time the voice wasn't reassuring it was commanding. "now!" It wasn't suggesting it was a demand and she found that the fear was gone, replaced by a confidence that came from nowhere. The fear was gone, there was peace but just under that peace was a fire of rage, her hand reached out taking the smooth clear cylinder in her.
To Alexis's surprise it felt right, she could feel from the construction there was no switch just a smooth hilt the only exception being a few vertical lines to help the welder keep a tight grasp on the blade. For the first time in years she actively reached out with the force to the blade she held, feeling it through the force, it was old that was for sure. Much older than she was. Letting the force guide her actions she felt the inner workings of the blade and knew it could only be used by a force welder, the only way to activate the blade was with the Force.
Then she felt it, the moment, and she moved springing to action. Racing at the men assaulting her, a few bold whizzed past her a few large red bolts came from behind her from MB no doubt, but that did concern her. She raced lessoning the distance between her and her assailants.
Six meters, she dodged to the left, missing a blaster bolt, she let the force flow through her, guiding her. She flipped the light saber backwards in her left hand.
Four meters, with the force she commanded the Light Saber in her hands to ignite she genital hum of the blade singing louder than the blasters through the force.
Two meters, she dropped mid run taking the first thug by surprise, her lilith form sliding easily between his legs, swiftly rising up taking with the ignited light saber as it cut a stich up the mans back.
She turned to the next thug, bringing the blade to bear in front of her face deflecting a bolt back at the thug that had original shot it, glamming into his gut, dropping him instantly.
She was stopped in her tracks as and explosion rocked the sky bridge breaking her train of thought. The thugs stopped there assault, however this did not deter MB from taking advantage, and taking out another one. The explosion blew open the wall in the direction that Dagrin and his goons came from. Through the hole burst a man in heavy armor and clinging to him a large hairy humanoid.
The man in the heavy armor quickly righted him self and pulled up a blaster leveling it at Alexis, she flipped the light saber around in her hand so the blade was not pointing down to the floor preparing to deflect the assault this new comer was readying. She could feel the blade biting in to the duracrete blow her feet, but before she could raise the blade the shoot had already been fired, blazing a red streak through the air and past her head, so close that she winced her eye at the heat.
Then there was a thud and with the exception of the sounds of the space port it was again quite. Taken off guard Alexis turned to the thud she heard just behind her, the last thug was on the ground a blaster bolt burned into his head. She looked up from the body to see MB coming closer his blaster still at the ready. Then she realized what she had done, she weald around refocusing her efforts on the new comers to the fight.
"Would you like me to end there life's as well Mistress." MB Said coming up to her, leveling his blaster at the two. Alexis held up her left hand, to warded off any more destruction from MB, though he never lowered his blaster.
"Look we don't want any trouble from any more Sith." Said a muffled voice. Now that he was standing and not wrapped around the hairy figure, a wookie no doubt, she could tell hew was a Mandalorian. Great more thugs or worse. She thought, then what he said hit her. He said Sith, she did a double take, looking around right to left, then letting her senses flow through the force. There was no one else her but the three of them, alive any way.
"Look its ok there's no Sith here," she sighed, the adrenalin was wearing off she was starting to feel the effects of all the excitement. "I should be thanking you for killing that guy." she said, nodding her head back at the dead thug.
"Please forgive me Mistress. I feared that I might irreplaceable damage you. That is not something I am programed to deal with." MB said, though his tone didn't change Alexis knew that his words were meant as an apology.
"I don't want to tell people there business, dang heck," he paused, motioning with his blaster rifle at me. "but that I checked only Sith carry those in a red color."
Confused Alexis looked down at her hand, bring the blade to bear in front of her. It was only then then she paid any attention to the color, it was a darker color that she would have thought it should be. Usually the crimson red associated with a Sith's blade didn't look quite so dark, her blade how ever looked like it bright light reflecting off blood.
Her eyes only slightly widened and only a slight amount of terror filled her before she released the force she had been commanding to keep the blade active. Then blade snapped off with a hisss, and Alexis like the blade fell to the ground. Every thing had turned to black.
"- Author's Notes -"
So I hope you enjoyed this, it is just a test episode to see if I want to keep the story going
Also please don't judge to harshly, this was no proof read I just typed it here at work when I was board. I will get a beta and proof read more if I continue.
Again please let me know what you think I really would like to know what you think of what little bit of story there is here.