Boss Ro-Tahn Vang Drakon vs. Ranger Revs

The darkest rooms of the Tempest Crown Cantina hide many secrets, shady dealings, and unsavory types. The Backroom Ring is one of those secrets. Known to many as top tier entertainment on Nancora, but restricted, open to only those who can pay to fight. And it is lucrative.

Fifty feet in length and width, the Backroom Ring is a square room used long ago as a water cistern, now repurposed into a bloody combat arena. The ceiling is low enough for the taller fighters to feel claustrophobic whilst the walls are layered in dented durasteel plating equipped with shock prods and deadly spikes. Humid air fills the room along with the stench of sweat and bile. Neon lights dot the ceiling in the middle of the room, splashing color and shadows in circles further out. No seating arrangements are available, only cam droids showing live feeds on the cantina screens. Speakers bolted into the walls spread the crowd's cheers in the ring, blasting fighters with their energy.

The ring is segmented into square panels, each capable of independent activation. Pressure plates hidden beneath the surface trigger traps when stepped on. Most panels do nothing, but some discharge electrical bursts strong enough to stagger even armored fighters. Others superheat, glowing dull orange before cooling, forcing constant movement. Some panels are purposefully unstable, collapsing underfoot without warning, to disrupt balance. Many and varied traps exist underneath the floor, constantly innovated on and changed from day to day. Gravity projectors under the arena can alter gravity, making combatants float or pinning them to the floor. The ceiling hides gas vents, misting combatants with stimulants or pacifying and disorientating them.

There is no place for elaborate maneuvers here, no space to breathe or rest. The Backroom Ring is made for pure close combat. No high ground, no distance, only brutality as panic and pain close in.

He knew exactly what he was doing, even though he might get roughed up a bit, maybe gain a few new scars, but he would gain the intelligence the Brotherhood needed. He also knew it would probably land him under house arrest if his older sister found out, but he knew she's been on just as, if not more dangerous of missions before him. Besides, he was the one who paid the fee and got into this, so really the only thing he needed to do was win.

At least that's what the tall Togruta told himself as he finished checking his weapons. His cockiness always got him into trouble, and his skills got him out of it. So he wasn't too worried, even when he saw who his opponent was.

A Miralukan. Probably… no, definitely uses the Force… and yep, there's a lightsaber.

Stepping into the arena, the neon lights and talking of an unseen crowd, made it feel very familiar. If it wasn't for the spikes, traps, and the visible colorful blood stains everywhere, it was almost like he was back in one of the fighting rings on Nar Shaddaa. He paused, smiling, and then pumped his arms to the cam droids.

“Who's ready for some real action, aye?” He shouted to pump up the crowd. Hearing the cheers and jeers from the audience, he turned to his opponent.

“You ready to give these folks a good showing, partner?”

“Well I wouldn’t be here, if I wasn't going to give a fine showing,” the young Miraluka smiled back, and gave a slight graceful bow. “We'll have to see how well you can keep up with me.”

“Oh, I can keep up, don't you worry,” Ro in turn bowed his head and chuckled. I hope the DJ actually plays my song, I paid extra for a bit of sound.

“Let’s get this show on the road, we don’t want to keep our audience waiting,” Ro casually spun in place and flipped open his long coat, making finger guns at the Miriluka.

“Agreed, lets get…”

The first notes of an upbeat, hard bass music started to play through certain speakers, interrupting what the Force Disciple was saying. A look of confusion spread across his face, even his black blindfold crinkled as he tilted his head.

The tall Togruta grin widened as he suddenly spun forward again and dropped into a half split. His right leg struck out, as he twisted his upper body one way and lower body the other, aiming straight for the Miralukan’s shins. The Shadow, even though his slightly taken aback by the sudden music, instinctively leapt back and away from the sudden attack. Ro gyratingly pivoted back to stand up and grinned.

“Well, that was certainly an interesting opening move,” the Miraluka smiled back. “But how did you ever get them to play music? Usually they don’t do that.”

“I paid the DJ extra, wasn’t cheap either, but I work better with music,” Ro whipped out his E-851 Blaster Pistol, twirling it in his hand. “So lets give em a good show, aye pal? By the way, I’m Ro-Tahn. I didn’t get your name.”

Revs pulled one lightsaber from his hip and ignited it. The green blade lighting up with the typical snap, hiss. He started to tap the tip of it on the ground beside him matching the beat of the music.

“Revs. Pleasure to meet you.” the Miralula said as he started tapping his foot along with the lightsaber. “Yea let's have some fun.”

Revs jumped forward his lightsaber throwing sparks across as he drug it up in a wide sweep at Ro-Tahn. The Torguta dove out of the way, rolling into a crouch as he spun and fired a shot. Revs batted the blaster bolt away with his lightsaber, as Ro fired another shot.

Revs spun out of the way of the bolt. He stepped back several steps as he batted away two more blaster bolts, sending them slamming into the walls. A faint click as his left foot set down alerted Revs to the trap. He dove forward as a pillar of flames shot out of the floor. He landed flat on his stomach, face down in front of Ro.

“Buddy you were almost flame grilled Miraluka!” The mercenary screamed over the music.

“Yea well…..thought we were turning the heat up, so I took that literally.” Revs joked back as he pushed himself up to one knee.

Ro-Tahn spun his blaster around his finger smiling down at Revs. “Come on get up. We haven't given these fine folks what they paid for yet.”

“Fair enough.” Revs pushed himself up and lifted his lightsaber in front of him. “I'd really hate to kill you though.”

“Well, I’d hate to kill you too mate,” his grin slightly dropped, before the corner of his lips twitched. “Although, I think as long as these fine folks at least see some blood from the both of us, they’ll be happy.”

“You sound confident in that statement,” Revs gracefully hopped to his feet, slowly standing straight. “You done this before?”

“Not this fight ring specifically, Revs,” Ro and the Miraluka slowly began to circle each other. “But I used to fight in some rings on Nar Shaddaa.”

The jeers from the crowd began to grow restless, almost drowning the music. The tall Togruta sighed as he twirled his pistol around in his left hand before smoothly aiming a few trick shots from his hip, making Revs dodge forward as two shots ricoqued off the wall and almost hit him in the calf, and then scrambled to bat the other blaster shots away.

“Hey now, are you really going to shoot me with double blaster?” the Miraluka huffed. “I can dance better, without you trying to control where my steps are.”

“Nah my friend, I’m fine with using one pistol,” the Mercenary grinned mischievously, flipping the right side of his coat aside, the fingers of his right hand slipping into the knuckle guard of the double blade Kyuzo Petar dagger. Pulling it free from its sheath on his belt, he punched forward into the air.

“Especially, to keep you from stepping on more traps that could very fry both of us.”

“Wow wee, I didn’t know you cared, pal,” the Miraluka’s grinned returned, almost as wide as Ro-Tahns. “But it’s no fair if you fight with two weapons and I with just one. So just to even the odds.”

Revs reached down and pulled out his boot dagger, flipping it in his hand. “There now we’re even.”

“Fair enough,” Ro nodded, impressed that the Miraluka had a good sense of humor.

Both men began the back and forth dance, Ro using his double bladed dagger to parry away Revs deadly lightsaber blade, while also pirouetting within centimeters of the boot daggers edge. Every once in a while, the Shadow was forced to dodge or deflect more blaster bolts the Scoundrel shot at him or made to ricoque off the floor or walls. The music was reaching its crescendo, as Ro spotted what looked to be a spike trap.

“Hey, so no hard feeling if you loose today, right?” as he focused on where the Miraluka was stepping. “We can always have a rematch in the future.”

Before Revs could answer, he felt his foot shift down, an alarm sounded in the back of his mind.

“Ah frack.”

A sharp piercing pain shot through his arm as a spike ran through his shoulder and another through his right arm itself. He dropped his saber, and the Togruta swiftly knocked him out.

"Better luck next time, buddy."

“And I'd hate to die.” Ro said as he pulled his blaster up, pointing it at Revs.

Revs jumped forward grabbing the Torguas wrist, pushing the blaster away as his opponent pulled the trigger. The blaster bolt shot off into the wall as revs brought his lightsaber down at Ro’s head.

Ro-Tahn caught Miraluka's wrist, stopping the strike. The two stood there locked together as each struggled to gain leverage over the other. Revs kicked at the weak point behind Ros' knee trying to take him to the ground. The Mercenary rolled with takedown, using the leverage to throw the Assassin away from him.

Revs tucked his shoulder and rolled. Coming back up to his feet and spinning just in time to bat away two more blaster bolts with his lightsaber. He reached out with the Force, Revs grab Ro’s blaster and jerked it from his hand, tossing it across the arena. The Miraluka lunged forward stabbing at the Torguas chest.

Ro-Tahn spun out of the way of the blade and chopped down on Revs wrist, knocking the saber from his hand. Revs tried to catch as his opponent kneed him in the ribs, sending him stumbling back a few steps. The Miraluka quickly recovered just in time to block an open palm aimed at his sternum. He twisted Ro’s arm out of the way and slammed the heel of his palm into the mercenaries ribs.

Ro-Tahn stepped back and laughed. “That one might actually leave a bruise. Figured you could hit harder than that. Teased

“Yea well I'd hate to make a grown man cry in front of all these people.” Revs smiled.

The two both laughed as they stepped in and started to fight again. Both dogging and sliding away from the other as they moved around each other. Revs dropped down and threw a kick at Ro’s legs that the Toruga jumped over. Revs pulled the knife from his boot as he came back up, and spun around Ro, stabbing the knife in his ribs.

“Got ya.” Revs stated as he heard the Mercenary gasp.

“We will call it a draw.” Ro choked out a laugh.

Confusion spread over Revs face as he noticed a burning in his back. He looked down to see the Toruga holding a petar that had been stabbed through Revs armor right into his kidney.

“You son of a.” Revs laughed as everything went black and the pair both fell to the ground. The music fading away to sound of the crowed over the speakers.