Chapter Two: Getting Acquainted
Vislyn Lana, clean, sprightly and refreshed, stepped out of the now open doorway, Carth following close at her side. Peering over both slender shoulders, eyes scanning the near empty hallways, save for a box or two here and there. "Where do you suggest we start?" She questioned, pitching a curious look towards Carth.
He shrugged, "Perhaps we should further our exploration of this apartment, hm?" It was obvious that Vislyn was in complete agreement with the pilot, for she gave a firm nod and began a slow paced, casual walk down the empty halls of the complex, eyeing doors to her right, though deciding against barging in. It would've been rude as well as unacceptable, she was positive if there were beings inside them sure as hell wouldn't appreciate the barging in of complete strangers, they might even think they were attempting a raid on them.
She would continue her slow paced walk, half attentive towards the sights and surroundings, as she was in deep thought. This was all quite confusing to her, it seemed like just moments ago that she was on the Endar Spire, awakened by Trask, and following closely on his heels as they were making an escape, trying to get to the bridge, and then eventually trying to proceed towards the pods. But no, she was the only one who had made it to Carth, and she was sure she didn't deserve to be here. Why, she was but a new recruit on the Spire, Trask was a seasoned soldier. He shouldn't have sacrificed himself in order to hold off that Dark Jedi, that servant to the Sith. It made her heart sink, she couldn't help but feel guilty, though she had a feeling inside that the confrontation with such a Jedi was not meant to be at the time. Perhaps another time. Perhaps.
"Alien scum," The voice, cold and cruel, caught Vislyn's attention. She brought both her and Carth to a halt, observing the scene ahead. "You shouldn't even be in Upper Taris, go back to where your slime belongs. Vermin." A gathering was ahead, a group of two Duros, two droids and one man. The man caught her attention first, he was in the garb of a Sith soldier. She expected as much, just from the tone of his voice and the way he held his stature. As if he was above everyone else. Hmph.
"Please," One of the Duros begged in his native tongue, hands cupping themselves in a pleading gesture. "I don't want to die, we have done nothing to you! Please…" He reached into his pocket, pulling out credits. He held them in trembling hands; an offering to the Sith.
The Sith eyed him, still taking no notice of the new observers. He laughed, placing a hand to his jostling stomach. "We'll take the credits." With a snap of his thick fingers, one of the droids gathered the 'coin' from the alien. "Though, we will still take your lives, scum." He grinned, and both the Duros stepped back, the only armed one reaching for a blade which sat in a silken sheath at his side.
"Hey!" Vislyn finally shouted, reaching for a holstered blaster, Carth did much the same. With nimble fingers she brought the weapon out, aiming directly towards the Sith slime ball ahead of her, eyes narrowing to slits. "I think it would be best if you left these to fellows alone, don't you think?" From the corner of her eye she noticed Carth had a pair of blasters raised, and he'd taken on a more defensive stance. It was so natural that she assumed the pilot had done this many a time before.
Both droids turned on their heels, gears and joints clicking as they raised their blasters towards the two, Vislyn nor Carth flinched. The uniformed Sith turned his head to view the pair, a smirk slithering across his thin lips. He raised a heavy blaster in both hands, and released a malicious chuckle. "Oh? Why should I?" Both of his eyes narrowed much the same as Vislyn's. "They're scum, alien lover. And so are you." He turned back to the pair of Duros, nonchalantly leaving his back open for attack. He raised his blaster towards one of the trembling aliens, and Vislyn's eyes widened. Pressing her finger down on the trigger would release a blast of energy towards the bastard, but the shot was not well enough. One of the Sith's droids jumped behind the man, blocking the shot by taking it in his own metal hide. Though, it would not be enough to bring the bucket of bolts to the ground. All blasters were raised now, and shots were being fired from both sides, Vislyn rolled to the side and Carth sidestepped himself to the wall, finding himself a bit of cover in a doorway.
A scream sounded, and Vislyn heard a thud. She could only guess this was the sound of one of the Duros dropping to the ground in death. The scout gave a shout, and lunged forth, blasting repeatedly at the Sith as he began a fight with the last Duros. Carth gave her cover fire, it seemed, seeing as how the droids could not bring her down though she was an easy target. Her arm tensed and she continued firing, watching as the Sith almost hissed in pain, tumbling to the floor with his last draw of breath. Vislyn, too, withdrew a breath, quickly pointing the blaster to both sides of her. Though, there were no more enemies. Lowering her gaze to the floor would have her notice two piles of smoking and partially melted metals. Carth handles those blasters well, she thought, absently pushing tresses away from her vision, as she did so often. She snuck a glance at the man who had saved her behind more than once as he stepped forth from the protective doorway. He holstered both his blasters, she did the same. He must've decided he'd allow her to do the talking, she guessed, because he made no move to be the first to confront the now injured, yet alive nonetheless, Duros. iAlright,/i she thought, stepping ahead at a slow and easy pace, Here I go.
She stopped directly in front of the teal, large eyed being, extending a dainty hand in an act of peace; a handshake. He eyed her hand for a moment, before taking it in his own, shaking it gently as his other sheathed his vibrablade, and finally grasped at his side. He'd been injured in battle, but it appeared he would fare well; perhaps he just needed a moment to catch his breath.
"I thank you, sentient, for your assistance in that," He took a deep breath, "dilemma."
"It was no problem at all. I couldn't let him carry through with the murder of two," Her eyes shifted towards the fallen body of his comrade, saddened that they could not save both, "innocents, such as yourselves."
He nodded his thanks, and eyed the bodies surrounding the three of them. "You should leave this scene, I will hide the bodies so no one knows what happened and those from the apartments surrounding are not accused." An expression that Vislyn could only guess was a frown, bestowed itself upon him. "I wish I could be of more help, you have spared my life from the reckless Sith."
Both Vislyn and Carth exchanged glances, "Well, you could be of some more help. We just need some information." The Duros nodded, most obviously eager to flee the scene. "Do you know of any pods? Crashings? Republicans?" He seemed to give it a moment of thought, but shook his head helplessly, causing Vislyn to release a sigh. "Thanks anyway. Goodbye then, stranger."
And they were off, Carth and Vislyn walking in an opposite direction as the Duros, trusting him to take care of the remains.
They left the apartment complex, with very little information. They'd talked to one Twi'lek, a kiosk owner, though he was mostly bent on selling shields and the like to the pair. The two put up with his constant bargaining for no more than fifteen minutes, trying to get information, any, from him, though he did not have much. The most Vislyn learned was that Taris was a prejudiced and discriminatory planet. The rich lived above, and the poor below. Aliens were also looked down upon, for the most part, which was completely disgusting in Vislyn's mind. Everyone was an equal, everyone deserved rights. Even the Sith slime.
Further wandering and soon enough Vislyn and Carth would find themselves in a respectable shop, with a quite friendly shopkeeper. She told the pair of the dangers of gang wars in the lower city, malicious fights and an upcoming swoop race. Perhaps all these things would come into play, though Vislyn was skeptical, but any information was good information, to her. You needed to know your surroundings in order to get anywhere useful on an unknown world, that's how she looked at it. After buying minor supplies; medpacs, a few grenades, Carth and Vislyn exited the shop, setting their sights on the Cantina that was not a long walk away.
In the archway, a single Sith stood, watching with sharp eyes (or so she guessed) as customers entered and exited. The uniformed soldier nodded his head, armor glinting in the sunlight. He must be burning up under all that, she snorted in the depths of her mind. She shook her head, stepping inside the dingy Cantina as the door obediently slid open. A Sith's discomfort was really not her concern, not at all.
Carth Onasi quirked a brow, deciding against questioning Vislyn about her obvious amusement, instead, he stepped behind her and followed her small frame into the Cantina. His eyes flitted from face to face, feature to feature. The cantina was really no different from any other he'd seen. There were shady characters in every shadowed corner, Pazaak players going at their game, giggly, tipsy girls and boasting drunken men left and right. Straightening the collar of his jacket, he regained his posture, following along with Vislyn until she led the both of them to the bar, seating herself on one of the stools. Carth did much the same, seating himself next to her before ordering a drink. The barkeep, a spindly droid with wires and hooks attaching itself to the device above, returned with his bubbly drink in hand. Carth paid the droid in credits, and watched as it began to attend to other customers.
His daze faded at a nudge in his ribs, and he turned himself on the stool, expecting explanation from Vislyn.
"You see him?" She moved her eyes in the direction of a young man, dressed in the usual attire of a city man, though there was something about him that labeled him different from the other patrons. He nodded, not taking his eyes off the youth. "I'm positive he's a Sith, and he looks like an easy enough target, I hope."
"Target?" He queried, raising his eyebrows at the recruit, but she didn't answer, just a smirk would appear on her devious face.
She pushed herself away from the stool with ease, and walked in a different manner now, so feminine it made Carth lean forward on the stool, only taking his eyes away for a moment to bring the drink to his lips. She was a curious sort, and he felt there was still much he had to learn about her.
"Hey handsome." She whispered, delicately rounding on the Sith as she seated herself next to him. His expression went from pure confusion to a masculine sort of pride in mere seconds. He grinned, and she batted thick lashes in his direction. "I couldn't help but come over here and talk to you. You just looked so," she thought, tapping a single fingernail against her chin for a moment, "lonesome. I thought, maybe I can give you some company, yes?"
The Sith cleared his throat, more than likely trying to rid himself of the fluster on his cheeks as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Carth took another gulp of his ale, crooking his neck and peering under the table. His brow knitted, Despicable. Her leg ran against the younger man's nonchalantly, and a giggle held itself in her silvery vocals.
"Of course, of course." He swallowed hard, leaning both elbows on the table. Vislyn leaned forward, tilting her head to the side 'daintily' as she watched him, her intentions seeming bold. "I was getting kind of lonely. I'm on break, you see, I work for the Sith." The man straightened up in his seat proudly, and Vislyn smiled in return. "It gets pretty dull, patrolling the streets of this backwater planet isn't exactly what I signed up for."
With a pouty lip, Vislyn shook her head. "No, no. Of course not. A Sith like you should be out there, teaching those Republic a lesson." Lowering her lids partially, she ran her fingers lightly over his arm. He pulled her closer, running a callused hand over her side hastily. She giggled, appearing not to mind one bit.
"That's what I think. You know what?" The soldier again pulled her in, letting his hands wander wherever they pleased. Carth grimaced, Women. "We Sith are having a party tonight, you know, something to take our minds off duty. You should come, as… as my date." Or his little playmate, Carth snorted.
"Oh, I would just love that so much." She edged away from his grasp, "Where and when?" Her large eyes were on the Sith, and a welcoming smile played along her lips.
Yun, as he later introduced himself, must've taken it as some sort of sign, because soon enough his hands were trailing up her torso, groping and pawing as he pulled her back onto his lap. "On the South side of town there's an apartment complex, go there and don't be late. It'll begin just after sun down. Be there, or I'll come searching for you." He chuckled.
Carth shone a look of pure disgust and turned in his seat, waiting for the two to part ways. He hunched himself over his drink, gulping down the strong liquid. From the corner of his eye he saw Vislyn seat herself next to him, she was silent for a moment, and he was too.
"Ahem." She finally cleared her throat, resting her cheek on a hand. He turned to her, a brow quirked, and the sneer still upon his lips. "What? Didn't you hear what the shopkeeper said? We can't get into the lower city without being a Sith or the proper authorization papers." She waved the droid over, asked for some water, and turned back to him. "I think we may find a way down there if we go to this 'party'."
His lips tightened, and he downed the last of his drink, watching as she took her own glass to her lips, sipping down the contents with little anticipation. "Well, I'm sure you didn't have to go and let him demean you." He frowned again, and now it was her turn to quirk a brow.
"You think I wanted him to grope me?"
"I didn't say that."
"But you thought it."
"No…"
"Don't lie to me, Carth." She retorted, shaking her head. "It was all an act, if that's what worries you. I'm not some space harlot; I just had to put on a show for the little boy."
Carth snorted, ruffling his hair as he pushed away from the seat. "Alright, alright." Her acting skills were still quite impressive, too convincing, even. "Well, I overheard him say 'sun down', which means we have time to burn."
Vislyn nodded, setting her gaze around the room. "We can still ask around, perhaps find a way to get credits." She pursed her lips, "Lord only knows if we'll need them or not."
"Agreed." Carth knew the chances of having to bribe a few idiots were in the cards. They always were. Credits meant everything in these times, on every planet. "I think it'd be best if we stuck to the Cantina first, though." He looked over his shoulder, the beats of outlandish music pounding into his head. "I'm positive there will be a few 'characters' in there." He nudged his head in the direction of where the music had been emerging. "You can count on it if there's a Twi'lek in the vicinity, waggling her head tails."
"I'm sure." Vislyn merely rolled her eyes, finishing off her drink before also standing. The two of them walked at a casual pace into the hazy section of the Cantina.
The room was filled with an almost purple mist. Each and every table, not to Carth's surprise, was filled to the brim with customers and patrons. At the back-center of the room, was a stage. A Bith band played the music, and a single Twi'lek female danced with extreme grace and agility.
"Typical." He heard Vislyn murmur under her breath. She had not but taken one look at the Twi'lek dancing, and already looked disgusted. Carth made no comment, not exactly wanting to get on her bad side.
"Oh, hello!" Vislyn was brought to a halt, an unfamiliar hand was brought down onto one of her slender shoulder, stopping her from carrying on with her business. "I can tell from your exotic appearance that you are most certainly not from around here, correct?"
Carth stepped up to Vislyn's side, eyes stuck on the man who had halted her. His garments were nothing special, and he looked as though he needed to earn a few more credits. Sweat covered his face, and his hands were quite fidgety once he'd released the woman. Vislyn acknowledged the odd man, nodding her head. "You would be correct, sir. I'm not from around here, just stuck here due to the blockade. A pity, really."
"I do agree with you, Madame. You see that band up on stage?" Vislyn nodded once more, not even bothering to look as the man extended a chubby finger in the Bith group's direction. "They're stuck here as well. But, no worries. Once the blockade is gone, they will be going on tour." He grinned, nodding his head anxiously, hurrying through his phrases and looking as though he could stumble over a word at any moment. Carth was meagerly amused.
Vislyn smiled, "I see. Interesting." She feigned interest, but Carth knew she was anxious to be on her way.
"You know what? You seem like such a lovely lady," He moved closer; he might as well have been pushing Carth aside. "I could get you to meet that band up there, you know." The chubby, little man rubbed his hands together, nodding to himself. "I can, I can. I have connections, you see." He flashed a toothy grin, and Vislyn eyed narrowed her eyes.
"Oh, can you? What's the catch?" Carth mused over the thought of just why she was even continuing with this man. She didn't even have an interest in the band, from what he could tell.
"Just a simple sum of twenty credits is all, Madame."
"Looks like you're just trying to take my friend for a ride." The pilot accused, forcefully pushing himself back into the conversation.
"Oh, don't be silly, Carth." She waved a dismissive hand, and tossed him a glance that said 'I know what I'm doing.' He backed off at this look, feeling more than unsettled. He mumbled under his breath, his accusations weren't welcome at this time.
"Exactly! I'm just trying to help your lady friend out. Give her a brush with fame, you know." Carth could do nothing else but roll his eyes, folding his arms against his torso as he gave a shake of his head.
"Here's your twenty credits, good sir." Vislyn idly placed collection credits in the hand of this scoundrel.
"Thank you, Madame. I will return when the guards are ready." With that, the man bounded out of the room, bumping into the occasional person as he did so.
"He's not coming back."
Vislyn turned to face him, a faint smile showing upon her lips. "He probably needed those few credits for food, or…" She shrugged, "maybe even to drown his sorrows away in a drink."
Carth's eyebrows rose; he surprised at such an act of generosity. "You knew?" Vislyn nodded, her neck craning as she sent one last look around the room. "He probably didn't deserve anything." He stated blandly.
"And what of it? It was twenty credits," Vislyn countered dryly, "I'm sure we'll survive without it." Her eyes had returned their focus on him; and she was silent until she patted a fond hand against his chest. "Without others helping each other, just what exactly is going to make the world go 'round? It will just continue becoming more and more corrupt. A worse cesspool than it already is."
It took Carth a few moments to gather his words. He felt they should be sincere. "The galaxy is already on a bad track, if you ask me." He turned, and she did the same. They walked step in step out of the room, the music eventually faded back down to the beats which pounded and drove into each of their heads. "Almost every little mistake a person makes leads to corruption, if you ask me." The statement was bitter, but true in his mind.
"But that is what they are; 'mistakes'." Vislyn regarded him with a cool presence, though they continued walking onward, towards a large room. "Mistakes can be forgiven, people can be redeemed."
"Not everyone, Vislyn. Some people are just too far gone." His brow furrowed, as he entered the room, it was full of people who looked as if they were ready for a fight. They reminded him of gladiators, there must've been a fighting pit somewhere in this Cantina.
"Not everyone wishes to be redeemed and forgiven, Carth." He winced; she obviously did not like this argument. He supposed she would just have to deal with not always being agreed with, they had very different points of view at the moment, and this could mean other possible bickering could ensue. "Only those who wish forgiveness, I'm sure, can return to the right and true purpose." She seemed quite passionate about this debate. Her expression was that of stone.
He lifted his shoulders in a lazy shrug, "I have no idea, I've not strayed too far from doing the 'right' thing, I hope. And I'm sure you have no idea, either."
"Probably not." A sigh parted her lips, her eyes seeming distant. "And I do not wish to." She snapped, rubbing at her temples with slender fingers. "I've had enough of this feuding. Let's just bring an end to it, I won. Clear?" She grinned, taking a few steps further into the room. The way her expressions and moods changed so swiftly could leave Carth lingering on the last. He shook his head, returning much the same playful expression and awkwardly moved in beside her.
"What is this?" Vislyn whispered, looking somewhat intimidated by the burly men and woman gathered in a small group ahead of them. She quickly straightened up, Carth noticed, she was 'showing no weakness'. He held back a chuckle at her stance, retrieving an answer.
"I'm assuming this is some sort of… dueling… type installment." He waved a hand towards the grouping, "They must be duelists. And," His eyes caught the Hutt directly ahead, "he must be in charge of this little fiasco." Carth noted his companion seemed intrigued; perhaps she liked the idea of a good fight?
Her eyes flitted over the sluggish being, her nose wrinkled and she pursed her lips. "A hutt? On this planet? Isn't that a tad odd?" She seemed to study the alien. "I thought they despised other life forms?"
Carth also regarded the Hutt, "Well, maybe they enjoy the business he's running. I doubt there are very many humans who have the guts to start a dueling ring. Besides, Hutts enjoy slugging around in credits, I'm sure he makes a grand total. I doubt anything could scare him away from this business."
"I see." She pulled her intent gaze away from the Hutt, and returned it to Carth. "Do you think I could do some dueling?"
"Uh…" Carth eyed her up and down, and then shifted his glance to the professional duelists. "I…"
"Oh, shut up." Vislyn smirked, "You've seen me fight, and with a blaster at that." She glanced down towards the holstered blaster pistol, and shrugged. "I don't like blasters much… I think I'd be much more effective with an edged weapon." Carth opened his mouth to protest, but the female added. "Besides, I wasn't asking for your opinion if I could win or not. I wanted to know if you thought they'd let me perform as a challenging duelist."
Narrowing his eyes, Carth gave a simple shrug. "It's worth a shot. Like you said, we could use credits, just in case." He lifted an arm and scratched at the back of his head. "But try not to get yourself hurt too badly, okay?"
Vislyn laughed, patting the soldier's cheek. "I'll try. We have work to attend to later, anyhow." She tossed a glance about the room. "You can watch, I suppose. If the Hutt allows me to fight." She shrugged, seeming not to care either way. This all seemed rather reckless on her part, but Carth figured it couldn't hurt anything. He'd heard dueling to the death was made illegal, so no matter how badly she was injured, she wouldn't be killed. He hoped so, at least.
He watched as she consulted with the Hutt, and it seemed he was agreeing to everything she said. Or perhaps she was agreeing with everything he said. No matter, it was going her way. Carth lingered in the same spot for moment more before the young woman disappeared, exiting out one of the back doors. As she did so, some sort of intercom went off, and a voice echoed through the room, announcing that a grouping of matches were to take place. Three of the burly duelists; two men and one woman, also exited through the same doors as Vislyn. Carth assumed they were to be matching up with his new comrade, and he decided he wished to watch this.
He walked himself to a vacant view screen, and watched the blue screen flicker with advertisements for all of Taris' locales. The screen buzzed, and soon enough the dueling ring was visible. Carth pressed both hands against the wall and leaned in, watching intently as the intercom went off again.
"And now, ladies and gentlemen," The announcer boasted through the intercom, his voice a talent natural enough for this line of work. "For your viewing pleasure, we will not have just one. Not two. Buy… THREE matches tonight, all three introducing a new duelist into the ranks!" The crowd, those who could afford seats just outside the dueling ring, cheered, hooted and hollered as two people emerged from opposite sides of the arena. The view screen flicked, and soon both of the duelist's faces were visible simultaneously on split screen, whilst information buzzed along the bottom. Carth's attention was more on right side, where Vislyn's face could be seen. She had a look of concentration, and utmost seriousness. I hope you know what you're doing…
"I present to you, the Mysterious stranger!" Part of the crowd cheered, while the rest stayed inattentive. Carth guessed they were unsure of this newcomer, unsure if they should cheer or boo. He shook his head, Nobles. The announcer continued, "She's looking to climb the ranks. But will she do it? Can she do it? Well, she will try!" The voice was feigning suspense, Carth was unaffected. He just watched the view screen intently. It flickered once more, and now it focused on her opponent. 'Deadeye Duncan' flashed across the bottom of the screen. What a lovely name, Carth chuckled to himself, figuring this must have been why he was at the bottom of the ranks. "You've all seen him before!" The announcer had started up again, in that same, boasting and somewhat irritating voice, "Deadeye Duncan is looking to climb the ranks as well! Perhaps this new face will be just the lift he needs to stardom!" A booing from the audience began, though the duelist mustered up as much pride as he could and lifted his arms towards the ceiling, cheering himself on, since no one else would. The screen blanked out, but cleared, and now the ring was clearly visible, as were the two opponents. Both held vibrablades now, and both seemed to be waiting for the moment to strike. Vislyn's stance, however, seemed to hold more posture and grace than the older man's, Carth hoped her nimbleness and agility would prove its worth in this little spar, and the next two.
"Without further a due…" The announcer shouted, his voice even more distinct, "let the match commence!" A bell, if one could call it that, rung throughout the room and arena alike, and the match begun, Vislyn standing her ground as Deadeye made his hasty approach, lifting his vibrablade high over his head.
"Argh!" He growled in Vislyn's direction, making his first swipe downward at her, though it would prove faulty. With extreme grace she turned on her heels, sidestepping the attack before lifting her leg in a quick movement, booting the older man in his ribs. He coughed, choking out, "Oomph!" before falling back, lifting his vibrablade in a defensive motion. Vislyn seemed to eye him, almost seeming to scan him from head to toe. He was almost down because of a simple kick, Carth mused, she could bring him down at this very second. But she didn't. Instead, she rounded on him, much as a Kath Hound would do before it found itself lunging at its prey. And this was exactly what she did. She leapt forward before Deadeye could conceive what movement she was going to display. She brought her vibrablade down against his already injured side, and landed in mid-crouch, turning her head to view her 'prey' falling down to the harsh ground.
"The match is OVER, ladies and gentlemen, OVER. Deadeye Duncan is down! The Mysterious stranger has won! But are we really impressed? Deadeye Duncan hasn't won a match in years. You'll have to do more to impress us, Stranger." With that, the screen went blank, leaving Carth to wait for the next two matches.
It was a curious thing, the way Vislyn handled that blade was almost unheard of. She had immeasurable skills, as Carth saw it, and could really put them to some use. Though, if one could delve deeply into Carth's mind, they would still see that he had a slight worry. She could still possibly slip up on the next match, or even the next. She had an uncanny ability for being agile, but agility only could get you so far. Raw strength was something Carth had depended on throughout the years, he knew she would need it at some point or another in these petty duels, he thought so, at least.
The screen once again flickered and buzzed, and the announcer went through what he'd just said, replacing the name 'Deadeye Duncan' to 'Gerlon Two-Fingers'. "Two-Fingers?" Carth scoffed, these lower rankings weren't apparently the best duelists he'd ever seen. He shouldn't have expected anything else. There, again, was Vislyn, though this time more cheers barraged themselves her way. She raised a triumphant hand before giving a regal bow, it too, not to Carth's surprise, was of pure cat-like grace. The man opposing her, looking perhaps five years Duncan's junior, stood proudly at the other side of the ring. He held a blaster pistol and had a quite sober expression upon his weathered face. The crowd did cheer for him, not a single 'boo' was flung in his direction. They must have respected him, more than likely from former performances.
Carth shifted his weight to his right leg, watching the screen as it went through much the same process as before; it flicked, buzzed and soon enough the complete ring was visible. The 'bell' rang and the audience went into a fit of wild cheering and chanting. Carth swore he could hear it through not only the view screen, but the walls as well.
On there screen he observed as Gerlon rose his blaster, knees bending just a slight bit as he grounded himself, clicking his fingers against the trigger. Vislyn, vibrablade still in hand, dodged the bolts, ducking and weaving all the while. The pilot could only watch as the onslaught of energy from the blaster was sent her way, but she continued weaving herself, edging closer and closer until she was within an arm's reach of Gerlon. She quickly brought herself to his side, slicing the edged weapon against his ribs with one smooth stroke. Gerlon's pulling of the trigger halted, and the blaster fire concluded on call. He dropped to his knees, falling over in a heap of light armor. This is almost too easy for her. Carth thought, absently scratching at his bearded chin.
Vislyn, withdrawing a deep breath, slowly approached the center of the ring just as the voice of the announcer sounded throughout the arena and view screens both. "The fight is OVER. The Mysterious Stranger has brought down Gerlon! She is climbing the ranks! Who will be next?!" The screen faded into a dim navy and again the advertisements appeared, leaving Carth to await the last match for today.
There was no doubt in his mind that Vislyn was an impressive sort, she had skills, serious skills, skills that a soldier twice her age would strive to receive over years of battles and training. Carth was impressed, though he knew once she walked out those doors he could absolutely not let it show. She struck him as the type that would gloat after all that was said and done, especially since he had so much doubt in her. The Republican was a proud man, there was no denying that. He wanted to keep it that way.
Both hands grasped the sides of the view screen now, the last fight for today was about to commence. As it did the times before, the screen went through the same process before flicking onto the dueling ring. This time Vislyn was not the only woman; there was another, much taller woman with a look of cold remorse upon her face in the arena with her. She, like the duelist before, held a single blaster with a gloved hand. Vislyn remained unfazed, continuing to hold that plain vibrablade. Was it her new weapon of choice? Carth didn't know, figuring since that first encounter on the Endar Spire that she preferred a blaster pistol, he knew he did. A pair of them, actually.
Returning his focus onto the small screen in front of him, he watched and listened as the announcer again went through the exact same process, though this time introducing the opposing female duelist as "Ice". The crowd cheered wildly for both sides, obviously impressed with both of their skills. Carth could only wonder if Vislyn had met someone who could at least compare to her skill.
Again, the bell rang, now causing Carth some annoyance. Once was enough, three times was far too many. He shook his head, dusting off the annoyance as he focused all attention on the view screen, watching as Ice raised her gun to shoulder height, tapping her finger against the trigger whilst sending and onslaught of blaster fire in Vislyn's direction. Carth shook his head, blaster fire was nothing. This woman was making the same mistake as the man before her.
Vislyn began the same agile method as before, dodging, bounding, rolling and ducking every chance she had. She did this with such ease that she would put a cat to shame. However, Ice was seeing the error in her ways, and before Vislyn could get close enough, she tossed her blaster aside and unsheathed a well placed vibrablade from her belt. She raised the weapon and a smirk flashed across his thin, painted lips, the recording droid seemed to be doing a close up, possibly for a more dramatic effect. Carth could see how the bounding around a dodging had affected Vislyn, for she withdrew a deep breath before she too lifted her weapon. The two of them began sidestepping each other, parrying and avoiding each and every swipe. The crowd released an juggernaut of screams, shouts and "Get on with it's" as the two appeared to be partaking in some odd sort of dance.
Ice had the advantage; she wasn't as worn out as Vislyn was. She had energy, and Carth guessed from her size and capacity that she had the strength. He flinched at every blow she sent Vislyn's way, hoping she would leave herself open to some sort of defensive maneuver. He really didn't wish to observe helplessly as his comrade was cut down before him.
With a final block Vislyn parried away, circling widely around Ice in a slow paced walk, regaining her breath. Ice, however, knew that she could use 'The Mysterious Stranger's fatigue to her advantage, and released a feral scream as she advanced on Vislyn. She slashed, cut, lunged, twirled and spun herself with attacks of pure strength, countering Vislyn's agility with brute force. Carth winced at every strike that made its way in his companion's direction, and for a minute he wanted to turn away, burst through the doors and rescue her from the pain she was being succumbed to. But, no. Even if he did manage to make it past the guards, patrols and crowd alike, he would probably be shot down before he got anywhere. It's not as though she's going to be killed, he convinced himself, bruised and beaten, perhaps, and maybe sliced, but not killed. He turned back, watching as Vislyn, her back to the wall, made her last attempt at winning this battle, her injuries slowing her pace and weakening her strokes.
Ice grinned, raising her vibrablade for a final blow; this being her fatal, in a way, flaw. Vislyn saw this was her chance, and with an almost just as feral "Hyah!" as Ice, she lifted her boot and made contact with Ice's chest. The opponent fell back, smacking her back to the cold metal floor. Before she could regain composure, Vislyn was already standing over her, vibrablade pointed directly between her beady eyes.
The duelist grimaced, giving a shout. "I'm not about to forfeit, Stranger." The words were almost an inaudible hiss through the view screen, Carth could just barely make them out. With a kick to Vislyn's stomach, she turned herself, twisting around as she reached for her dropped weapon. The Republican was already on her feet, grasping for her own weapon as Ice slowly rose. Vislyn appeared to be shaking her head as Ice began to advance. She twirled around the woman, tripping her with a single foot. Ice was not so easily defeated, she grasped onto Vislyn's leg, bringing her down to the floor as well. Both of their weapons clattered out of arms reach.
The crowd was going wild, screaming and acting as if they were caged animals. Carth supposed these nobles didn't get out much, though he let the thought slide as he continued watching the two battle it out.
Ice had Vislyn pinned against the floor, she'd straddled her down with her own weight and grasped towards the woman's throat with tensed hands. Vislyn had her wrists, however, and struggled endlessly. This duel would not be over until one of them was unconscious and motionless upon the cold, hardened floor.
Vislyn's grasp was faltering, and Ice's hands were making their way closer and closer towards her throat. She gasped, suddenly releasing her grip, turning her head as the woman's fists slammed against the cold floor. The duelist released a shrill scream, rolling off Vislyn whilst clutching her hands to her chest.
Swiftly lifting herself to her feet, Vislyn edged closer, pushing one of her boots against Ice's chest, pinning her down, and the other to her throat. The woman would put up a struggle, though Vislyn was sure she was more distressed about her broken knuckles more than anything else. Inevitably the woman closed her eyes and went limp, Vislyn immediately withdrew her boot and fell into a kneel beside the limp form, breathing deeply.
"Ice is defeated!" The announcer's voice could be heard above gasps, cheers and shouts of approval. "The Mysterious Stranger has defeated all but two of the duelists! Will Marl be next? Buy tickets for another show and see!" Vislyn got to her feet and at last limped out of view from the screen. Carth frowned. She would need some rest and a good injection of kolto before they were going to this 'party'. He left the view screen, ambling his way towards the doors, waiting for Vislyn to come limping in his direction.