See attachment.

Please see my attached entry into the competition. If there are any issues, please let me know. Thank you.

-Shikyo
#6059

Quo's communicator beeped. Who was calling him at this time of night? Quo rose from his light slumber, wrapping himself in a cloak that was lying on the floor at the side of the bed. Picking it up from his night stand he keyed the unlock button. Reading the message a curious expression crossed his face.

'Quo, I need your help, Keevo.' So, thirteen years of silence, ended in six words.

Keevo Danext was a Basilisk raketeer. His business, run from his adopted homeworld of Coruscant, ran from running protection schemes and gambling dens, through to assassination. He had give Quo his first employment after his flight from Dathomir, when he had spotted the potential in the young lad, and nurtured it to his own ends. That wasn't strictly true, it was to both their benefit in the long run thought Quo. Still, what kind of trouble was he in? Was it another job? There was only one way to find out. Striding over to the communications wall in his apartment Quo brought up the message template, and replied.

'What do you need?' was the simple message in return. Quo encrypted it using their old cryptology, hoping that Keevo was still using it, and more importantly could remember the key code to decrypt it. The old scoundrel was many things, but technology was not his forte, being more likely to break it than achieve whatever he had set out to do. Never mind, Quo was sure that Keevo had someone within his organisation that would sort it out for him.

Packing his travelling gear, basically anything that he could carry without being bulky, Quo dressed. Any other equipment that he required could be purchased when he arrived on Coruscant. He booked passage on the first ship that was going to Coruscant from Aeotheran, unusually finding that he was travelling on a passenger carrier, rather than his usual transport of fate, the garbage scow, or cargo transport. It would make a nice change travelling in style.

Dressed in his usual black garb, with a hooded top, Quo left for the spaceport, boarding the passenger vessel, and making his way across the Galaxy towards the Core. Within forty eight hours his feet were on Coruscant.

Making his way down the levels into the bowels of the City Planet, he re-covered old tracks, heading towards the centre of Keevo's business empire, making his way to a little frequented bar, he ordered food and a drink, settling into one of the booths at the rear of the establishment.

Removing his hood, he sat, finished his meal and keyed his comm. A burst of data was dispatched, flying across the ether. A beep rang out behind him, from the next booth.

"Hello Keev," Quo almost whispered the words, but with enough inflection through the Force to carry it to the listener.

"Hello, my old friend," rumbled the Basilisk as he rounded the corner, sitting himself opposite Quo in the gloomy booth. "I'm glad you came." He looked genuinely happy to see they young Zabrak, "How was the food?"

"Hot and filling, just what was needed, and surprisingly tasty." Quo looked around the bar, no body peaked his interest, but Quo knew that Danext would have one of his bouncers at least close by. "What can I do for you, old man?" He was never one for small talk, cutting straight to the point, even though he used his nickname for Keev. Keeve laughed, slapping Quo on the shoulder with one of his massive lower hands.

"I have a slight problem. A little job I took on a few weeks back, and easy job at first look, went a little bit.......er....."

"Kaka?" Suggested the Sith

"...yeah, you could say that. It was a hit, on a Corporate Guild employee, low to mid ranking, not a big deal, in-out job. Unfortunately there was a slight hiccough, when the agent I assigned the job was found with a terminal case of dead the night of the operation."

"So, hire a new assassin." Quo leaned back, looking relaxed, although a little confused as to why he had been called by Keevo for such a trivial matter.

"Oh I did, and the job was done, no comeback,"

"OK. I'm now wondering why you needed me to come here for this?"

Reaching into his pocket Keevo brought out a transparent, plasteel case, about four inches square, and three deep. He pushed it across the table towards the Sith. Quo leaned forward towards the table, not reaching out to touch it, just bringing his eyes closer to it. Inside the box was a triangulated projectile, about two inches long, and half an inch in diameter. Pointed, with cut out vanes, and a strange inscriptions on the side. It looked like it had be exploded, from the inside out looking at the fracture patterns.

"What is it?"

"That was what killed my assassin, we've never seen anything like it before, and it's possible that it came from Wild Space, or the Unknown Regions, but I've had it analysed, and the alloy is like nothing that my people have come across. There was one word that both of them kept mentioning, and that word was 'Dominion'," Keevo looked serious, even a little worried "but that wasn't the clincher"

"What was?" Quo was definitely interested now

"He was cut in two....... with a lightsabre

Quo felt as if he had been forceably struck. A lightsabre. A Dominion Jedi? A Dominion Sith? A Dominion...... something? He would have to report this. Keira Viru would definately be interested in this news, but so would his Master, Tasha'Vel Versea. Who to tell first?

I had been working hard all week and finally had a chance to unwind at a local cantina, maybe unwind wasn’t quite the right word because I had no recollection of making my way back to the rooms assigned to me and my wife. My wife had already gone to the Shadow Academy to study and I was home alone and dealing with the effects of the night before. Grabbing a stim drink and sitting at the table I tried to focus on my own lessons for the day. I was really wondering if today was going to be a good day.

The call came in via holo viewer and the persistent chirping was getting on my nerves as I tried to study. Having a hangover was bad enough but the noise from some damn electronic squawker was getting to be too much! “WHAT!” I snarled at the holo viewer stabbing the activation button. The holo viewer sprang to life showing a person I had not seen in over ten or fifteen years, maybe longer. I blocked out much of my past with mind-altering drink so I was sometimes hazy on years and memories from when I was on the run. The transmission was fuzzy from numerous bounces between routing stations and the scrambler I had installed, but I could make out what was being said and started shaking my head in disbelief. “Janos, please, regardless of what happened I know you can help me. Please don’t let your anger get the better of you, I know deep in your soul you are still the kind child I played with when we were Padawans together.” My jaw dropped at that. Played with? More like got my backside tanned more times than I could count because of him! I spent more time facing a corner than at saber practice because of all the trouble he got me in. I turned my attention back to the holo, “—aster is ill, I know Lilith can heal him and you can help. I know you can gather the supplies needed for his medicines. Ple—“ What in the name of the gods is that moron thinking! He’s the bastard that sold Lilith and me out to my former master! I remember pleading with him not to say anything, to just let us be. I remember the look of fear in my dear Lilith’s face when he ran off to find our masters and tell them of our hidden love for each other. I sat down breathing hard in frustration and feeling my head pound and stared at the visage on the viewer.

I began thinking of how I would have to reroute my answer so I couldn’t be traced to my current whereabouts I started my reply. “My dear Ch’Cadick, you miserable pile of Rancor filth. I will dance on Master Thuallan’s grave when he finally dies and with any luck you will be buried with him. Because of you, Lilith and I had to flee, because of you I fought and killed the man who raised me. I hope you rot in a Sarlacc Pit. Lovingly yours, Janos”

Feeling rather good I hit send and took another sip of my drink. Yes today might just turn out to be a good day after all.

A Call from A Past Life
(Warrior DarkHawk #264)

The elevator doors opened and a figure emerged from its open space. A large muscular Shaevalian figure exited the elevator. DarkHawk was dressed in his normal battle gear minus his large cloak which adds to his already muscular body. His upper and lower tabards flowed with his movement and takes the shape of wings. He carries this ominissing aura about himself, you can see a faint red glow circling his body. DarkHawk made his way down the corridor to the first main intersection and his battle team member Vyrim turned the corner at the same time almost stopping in his tracks. “DarkHawk I see you made it back from that last mission in one piece, I heard you had a pretty good fight on your hands with a couple of Jedi”, Vyrim said enthusiastically. DarkHawk sneered at his team mate, “They were dead before their sabers were drawn.” Vyrim smiled and thought to himself typical DH, no emotion, and he planned it out that way. “Right” Vyrim said, “Still you should have grabbed me to help, would have been good mission to be on with you.” Vyrim stated. DarkHawk passed the statement like it was never spoken. “So what do you think this meeting is about?” Vyrim asked. “Not sure, but the commander wants everyone on fleet to attend.” DarkHawk growled.
The two made their way down the long maze of corridors to their ready room. As they entered their commander Aexod was standing at the front of a long conference table going over papers. “Ah Vyrim. DarkHawk, glad you’re here take a seat we have good intel to go over. The others will be here shortly.” said Aexod. The two took their assigned seats and within moments others started to enter the ready room. The room was filled with the members of Battle Team Shadow’s Bane. Aexod went over the intel briefing in detail and without wasting anytime. Everyone look very intense of the news being briefed, good intel was a chance to greatly expose the rebels. Aexod finished up his briefing and before dismissing his team he said “Everyone is to remain on fleet or in their quarters, we will be moving on this quickly.” As the team was departing the ready room, Aexod called for DarkHawk. “DarkHawk I am going to need you on this mission for sure, stay close.” Aexod said. “DarkHawk replied “I will be in my mediation chambers Sir.” Aexod knew that DarkHawk liked to “decompress” after a mission in his meditation chambers and visualize the entire mission correcting any mistakes he may have made to better himself on future missions. “I will send one of my aides for you DH”, Aexod said still looking over papers. DarkHawk bowed to his commander and existed the room.
DarkHawk made it to his personal chambers and made his way to his meditation room. He bowed before entering and almost a sigh of relief was made as he entered. He was shirtless and only wearing his Hakama robe and tabi boots. Battle scars enlaced his upper torso, each having their own story and meaning. His meditation room was adorned with masterful art and trophies from past mission expeditions. From light sabers of those who fallen before him, to different trinkets of crystals and scrolls. A large tabard hung from the wall on the main part of the room, foreign writing depicting his heritage and history. Along with his Sith bloodline and former Masters of the Sith were also depicted on the scroll. The room was strangely lit, very low light and very unnerving almost. DarkHawk sat in the middle of his room, legs crossed and began to chant in various forms of incantations and languages. Simultaneously he was inter-weaving his fingers in and out of different positions with each of his chants, a form known as Kuji-In. Representation of the various forms of elements water, fire, wind channeled his thoughts and essence to help become stronger with the force. As his chants became louder DarkHawk began to levitate from the floor, hovering close to a foot off the ground. The red glow about him was more apparent than ever and added to the luminosity of the room’s lighting.
The meditation went on for what seemed like hours but was rather moments in time. As DarkHawk began to really feel the force engulf his body and his visions of his past mission seemed to project in front of him as if he were watching a video message. His Holocron messenger started beeping, and was not going away. His trance faded, his chants muffled, his body lowered to the floor. DarkHawk at this point was very agitated that his meditation was interrupted. He exited his meditation chamber and enter his main living quarters and hit he the button on his Holocron Messenger. “A personal message from Kiev Dodsin” the holocron bleeped. “Kiev Dodsin, DarkHawk thought, “What does that gutter trash want, and how the hell did he track me down?”
A flurry of memories came rushing to DarkHawk, Kiev was once a former acquaintance of DarkHawk. He used that word very loosely regarding him. Kiev was a smuggler and a pirate, always looking for the chance to swindle someone out of their own soul type of guy. DarkHawk had used his services before to smuggle goods and people in and out of various star systems. Kiev just took it upon himself to maintain he had a Sith in his pocket to do his own bidding when needed. DarkHawk remember the last time they met, Kiev tried to swindle Talon1 out from under DarkHawk. Talon1 was DarkHawk’s custom fighter ship that his father developed for certain mercenaries some time ago. Though that the deal went awry and almost cost his father his life. One of the many times that being an engineer and scientist for the Empire developing weapons almost orphaned him.
Talon1 was superiorly more advanced than any other fighter around. Kiev took it upon himself to claim it during a card game and used it to back a high stakes bid while DarkHawk was completing a mission on Balmorra. Seems Kiev always had a special place for Talon1, as the story goes his uncle was one of the mercenary’s that originally commissioned DarkHawk’s parents to build Talon1. That deal was of course crushed once the Empire got word of it. The scar on DarkHawk’s arm from a close range blaster fire was a constant reminder of that entire incident. Kiev had tried several times to gain possession of Talon1, only to narrowly escape the clutches of DarkHawk. This has always been a very uneasy subject for DarkHawk because he was young and not as skillfully trained at the time. Only to let a low life like Kiev escape him.
The men that Kiev so blatantly bartered Talon1 with were not to be trifled with. They were well connected to the Hutt’s and almost every other crime syndicate in the galaxy. They were well armed and well trained. Up until that point they had three rogue force users amongst their midst’s, but they soon found themselves being ripped apart by DarkHawk. As DarkHawk returned from his mission he entered the Sith Hanger on Balmorra only to find Kiev, with his scuttled crew at the time underneath the boot heel of the mercenaries he just tried to double cross. Seems Kiev did not have the money to back the game and his greed took over and put a ship that was not his up as collateral. Then tried to escape with that very ship. Kiev was on his back near the front of Talon1 with the receiving end of a yellow colored light saber blade at his throat. Kiev’s crew were all standing there with their hands up, blasters pointing at them by a crew of mercenaries.
DarkHawk was on the top balcony looking down on all this, listening in to the entire conversation he quickly learned at what had transpired while he was gone. “Idiot!” DarkHawk thought. “I should just let them chop off his head first” before I take back my ship DarkHawk told himself. DarkHawk could feel the hatred churning inside him. “How dare this scumbag barter with my ship. Today Kiev, today is the day you die. But it will be by my hands.” DarkHawk assessed the situation, he could feel the three force users and was sure they could feel him. DarkHawk knew the one with the saber drawn has to die first. DarkHawk took two steps back from the balcony railing, and leaped off the balcony. In midair he performed a front flip simultaneously grabbing his own saber and as he descended his frontal attack he drove his saber through the torso of the rogue force user. Kiev’s eyes where as big as credit coins, not expecting that to just happened. In an instant, DarkHawk spun around with a spinning heel kick that caught the second force user square on the jaw and sent him sailing back into some storage crates.
The third force user came at DarkHawk with a flurry of his own saber attacks, DarkHawk encircled his assailant and blocked every one of them with ease. Kiev’s crew managed to scurry about and was attacking the other mercenaries. Kiev took a blaster from one of the fallen merc’s and was laying down his own barrage of blaster fire. DarkHawk kept encircling his own assailant wielding his saber looking for that one opening to get to. The rogue force user was surprisingly countering the attacks and managed to land a vicious elbow to the back of DarkHawk’s neck. DarkHawk skillfully rolled forward with the blow about four feet in front of his adversary and then using the force to assist him sprung into a back flip landing behind the rogue. DarkHawk drove his saber in and up through the rogue’s chest cavity. He then kicked him forward and the rogue slumped forward dead.
A few of Kiev’s troops managed to stay on their feet still engaging the other mercs. Though DarkHawk had just walked over a fallen Kiev crew member as he approached the moaning rogue he had kicked into the crates. DarkHawk leaned in on the rogue and drove his fist into his throat, as the rogue gasped for breath from what should have been a deadly blow, DarkHawk extended his talons and blood poured out of the rogue’s throat and spilt onto the hangar bay floor. Just then blaster fire hit DarkHawk in the arm. He could feel the burn of it and channeled the force to assist in the pain. As he turned he saw Kiev standing there now with a blaster rifle point at him. “Sorry DarkHawk, your ship is coming with me this time, I will get a pretty penny for her!” Kiev said breathing heavily from his squirmish. During the commotion of the battle Kiev’s crew, what was left of it somehow managed to get the upper hand on the mercenaries.
“Damn!” he thought “Rookie mistake” DarkHawk said to himself. DarkHawk peered through his battle helmet at Kiev, “You’re not taking my ship Kiev, that will not happen” DarkHawk growled. “Yeah, Yeah, keep telling yourself that Sith, but we have the upper hand at the moment, and she rightfully belongs to me.” Kiev snarled back. DarkHawk started to move, and one of Kiev’s crew fired a blaster shot at his feet. DarkHawk remained motionless as if nothing happened. Exactly what I needed to gauge he thought. Kiev ordered for DarkHawk to drop his saber and step back, DarkHawk acted reluctant to obliged but the ploy was well played out. As he placed his saber on the ground he reached behind him and grabbed five shurikens from his utility belt. As he took a step back Kiev started moving forward followed by his crew. DarkHawk took his second step backward planted his right foot and leaped onto the crates behind him. Just as he made his initial jump he threw the shurikens with deadly accuracy and the shurikens embedded into the crew member’s throats. They collapsed grasping at their wounds, the stench of blood and the gasps for air were thick and heavy. As DarkHawk landed on the crate he began to release the last Shuriken aimed at Kiev, but Kiev had let a shot go from his blaster rifle hitting DarkHawk in his throwing arm.
The shot spun DarkHawk around and he fell of the crates to the hangar floor. The blaster shot was enough to throw the shuriken off its intended course of Kiev’s throat and sunk deep into his shoulder. Kiev let out a loud moan as he fell to his knees dropping his firearm. DarkHawk pulled himself to his feet and reached for another shuriken and launched it at Kiev’s other shoulder. It landed with fierce tenacity and a loud thud, sinking deep into Kiev’s tissue. DarkHawk walked over to his saber and bent over to get pick it up. Just then, to the right of him he heard the distinct sound of a concussion grenade hitting the hangar floor. DarkHawk leaped out of it reach, only to be caught midair by its impact. DarkHawk slammed into the very crates he had thrown one of the rogues into. Falling to the floor, senses were spiked, blurred visions and muffled hearing. DarkHawk knew this feeling all too well. More than once had he felt the effects of a well-placed concussion grenade. DarkHawk could make out one of Kiev’s crew member that he had not noticed picking up his wounded captain and dragging him out of the hangar.
DarkHawk slowly pushed himself off the floor to get to his feet and just out of natural reaction attempted to throw another shuriken at his fleeing assailants. The shuriken had no course as it landed well away from its intended target. DarkHawk watched blurrily as Kiev and his crew member faded away. DarkHawk slumped back to the floor, senses going haywire. A few moments later, DarkHawk somewhat had his senses about him, picked himself off the hangar floor once again and tried to stand. He wobbled a bit and shook his head. The sound of alarms was screaming all throughout the hangar. DarkHawk thought they are only more intense due to the effects of the concussion grenade. DarkHawk picked up his saber and the sabers of the fallen rogues, he stumbled into his ship’s flight deck and told the onboard computer to take off. Talon1 roared to life and sped out of the hanger with the stench of death in its wake.
DarkHawk heard the voice of his commander’s aide behind him “Lord DarkHawk, Commander Aexod requires your presence” the aide said half-heartedly. Just then DarkHawk heard Vyrim’s voice “DH you ok? We been standing here for minutes, you seemed lost in trance.” Said Vyrim. DarkHawk’s senses came to point and turned to both of his guests, “Tell the Commander I will be there directly” DarkHawk told the aide. Aexod’s aide left rather quickly, confused at what just transpired in front of him. Vyrim looked at the holocron messenger that was playing, “Who is this filth” Vyrim asked his team mate. DarkHawk was putting on his battle suit, looked at Vyrim with almost a smile on his face. “Someone I intend to kill.” DarkHawk said. Vyrim looked back at the holocron and back at his team mate, “Seems like he has a hard on for Talon1, that’s a lot of credits he is offering for it” Vyrim said with enthusiasm. DarkHawk turned to his team mate and said “You still want to help Vyrim?’ Vyrim smiled and said “Hell yeah I do!” “After we finish this mission for Aexod, we are going to make a detour on our way back, I will split the credits with you Kiev is offering, but Talon1 will stay with me, and Kiev is mine for the killing, you can have the rest” DarkHawk told Vyrim. Vyrim’s face lit up, “This sounds like it will be a mission worth bragging about DH, I am all in” Vyrim said.