| abstract | - This is an elaborate Beach House, fancy to the point where it is almost gaudy by Alderaanian tastes, abeit perfect for a denizen of Coruscant. Its exterior is made of tinted transparisteel which can be made to change colors via a console in the Master Bedroom, depending upon the owner's mood. It has a large holoscreen in the living room that shows the latest holovideo entertainment, and is a marvel of ultra-sophisticated technology; and it shows. In contrast to the pastoral tastes of the Alderaanians, the architecture of this building is strictly ultra-modern. Amalfiel Renatalis lays out a small arsenal on the floor. There is a small timed mine, a plasma flamer, a full suit of blast armor, a detonator, a crysblade, a hunting spear, boots, and a force pike. He frowns. "I feel naked somehow ..." Rem studies the clone's weapon collection, scratching her chin. She looks cheery, clean, well rested, and ready to start trouble. "Explosives," she offers. "I saw quite a few of your little surprises, sneaking around this morning. You must be running low.." Myriad rather suddenly comes in from the back porch. The wounds along his arms and bare chest are healing rapidly, aided by his clone blood and the presence of bacta. He glances to Rem and Amalfiel for a moment, then finds his shirt and slips into it, looking down at the weapons arsenal. He has his own, a small collection of blasters, in the corner. "I need to get my rifle back from Mother." Amalfiel grins a little savagely. "Hah," he says. "Yes, I have but one left. Myriad, use those toys I gave you, they're rather splendid. What we need, little brother, is some rocketry for you. You can snipe from the rooftops. Take my rocket boots?" "The amount of weapons on this planet is most depressing." Rem sighs, poking at a scrap of cloth on the floor with her toe. "Nothing, save some toy blasters. Not even /real/ blaster! Just toys." "If we can hack our way to your ship, in Hijara Ravine," Amalfiel says placidly, "we can get crysblades. Your Vanixians are well equipped, Rem." "Crysblades? Won't do me much good." Myriad adjusts his shirt, wincing slightly as the cloth rubs against his wounds. "Rocket boots?" Rem grins wickedly. "They've got more than just crysblades. Blasters and armor, too. And, my other toys." She looks down at the rocket boots with a mischievous twinkle in her eye. Legion smiles a little smile. "Time to walk the streets, then. I'll be back once I've scouted some." Myriad watches his brother leave, then sits down slowly on the couch, sighing quietly. He is very quiet, brown eyes settled on the floor. Full of energy now, the woman paces quietly along the floor behind the couch, her makeshift slippers of skirt silks making hardly a sound. Rem stops in place, leaning in to touch the clone on the shoulder. A small, reassuring squeeze. Brown eyes lift uncertainly to Rem, watching her quietly for a few moments. "We'll get out of here soon," he murmurs, looking down at the table. "But what then? I don't know what we'll do after that." "Does it matter? Back to Paxo, maybe. Or Merr Sonn. It will be nice to get reunited with the rest of the fleet," Rem says with a shrug. "And.. then we'll fight again. Until the Galaxy is at peace. Until the Republic and its self-serving ways are no more." She looks out onto the sea with a naive expectation. "What makes you think the Galaxy will ever be at peace? Win or lose, as long as there are sentients who roam our planets, there will always be fighting." Myriad blinks slowly, hands curled into fists. "It is like there is nothing else in this universe but fighting." Rem looks down at the man (it's not a very far down, considering their relative statures), and moves around the couch, sitting down beside him. Her small, pale hand covers his. "A cruel universe, this is. Even primitive species fight for survival every day." she whispers, the realization coming to her, "It is life." Myriad's gaze is caught by her hand on his, another truly alien gesture; but in the unaccustomed contact he finds some strange comfort, relaxing slightly. "But why does life have to be this way? Why can't there be something else, besides the fighting, the dying, the violence ... I just don't know. It doesn't seem worth it." "There is." Rem offers gently. "The comaraderie between friends, the love between siblings, like you and your brother, between parent and child, between lovers. It would be very boring if there was just war and violence. And messy." She can't help but smile. "Camaraderie? Love?" Myriad frowns -- these are alien concepts, indeed, for him. "I do not know if we have such things. I know not of these ... feelings? Emotions? All I know is anger, and confusion." "Even.. around your brother?" Rem asks, frowning also, though more in concern than anything else. She seems lost, in her own way, unsure as to what to say. Her jaw works as she thinks. "Now, I've seen you crack a smile, every now and then, when you're not fighting. It's very charming." "I suppose," Myriad says, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips as she mentions it -- but he quells it. He r serious clone, this r serious business. "I don't know what to think of Legion -- Amalfiel. He's very .... detached." "See," the Wing Commander pokes the clone in the arm playfully. "When we get out of here, off this planet, I'll just have to make you bring that smile out more!" She smiles cheekily, as if demonstrating. "And maybe a laugh too. When this whole mess is over." "Whenever /that/ will be," Myriad murmurs a touch darkly, rising to his feet. He goes ot his weapons, slipping them over his shoulder. Rem remains on the couch, watching Myriad move. Appreciatively, maybe, with her sly grin. Eventually, she too rises, but having no weapons, she instead activates a comlink (stolen from a hapless civilian in the early morning hours) and speaks into it. COMSYS: (single channel) Rem says, "Legion, It's Rem. How's your position? Are you safe?" COMSYS: A calm, sweet, young male voice says, "Be still, my heart. Poor Twi'leks, poor bounty hunter!" Rem laughs softly, melodical, yet cruel. She speaks into the the comlink again, then snaps it closed and tucks it into her robes. She has no other possessions, she then realizes, and tears another long strip off the skirts. Holding an end in her teeth, she starts wrapping it around her knuckles, primitive protection for her tiny hands. COMSYS: (single channel) Rem says, " Some scouting mission. Bring me a crysblade and my jetpack from my shuttle, and I will carve him up myself, that hunter." "What happened?" Myriad asks, clicking off the safety of his pistol. "Your brother got sidetracked. By the bounty hunter who nearly killed me twice, it seems." Rem explains with a wink, having finished her gloves. "You were right about your brother. He /is/ quite detached." "Let's go?" Myriad suggests. "Let's." Rem flexes her fingers. "Stay hidden, to the shadows." Of course, she's the one wearing (almost) white. This is a series of white cobblestone paths and marble bridges leading over an endless number of small streams and waterways branching outwards from the Fairhaven River to the east; so many waterways in fact that this area is often mistaken for a series of small islands. To the west the series of waterways drain out into the ocean, where a number of public beaches and expensive properties lay. Lining the cobblestone paths are well-tended grassways, and floating down the river are some of Alderaans famous Rainbow Orchids, which change color periodically depending upon the time of day. Running in from the beach is a dark-haired woman, speaking animatedly into a com-link on her wrist. "Rem left the house," she yells in her dark alto into a comlink. "I will follow her into Aldera. You. Spread out and search the area." Karin gestures at a group of forty or so running men, who do just so. A warm beachside afternoon. How lovely, yet at the same time, strangely quiet. A faint rustle of leaves in the wind, but other than that, a tense silence. If there are eyes in the shadows, they are very sneaky. COMSYS: (single channel) Karin says, "I need you on Quo Circuit south, if possible. Rem is hiding somewhere near here, and I have not detected her yet." Not a day goes by when Rem doesn't bless her tiny frame. Hidden in the shadows, silent, unarmed, she simply watches. Whoever the Core spacers are, they are well trained. In groups, two by two, they roam the area and leave no alley unsearched, no window or door untouched. In the middle of the street stands the black-haired woman, wearing just a neutral boiler suit, flicking a wary gaze around and speaking into the comlink on her wrist. And still, no Rem can be found. But the soldiers keep searching! COMSYS: (single channel) Karin says, "Around four. Two leading back to the beach, but I have that covered with the Jedi. Fairhaven Way and Quo Circuit north." COMSYS: A calm, sweet, young male voice says, "A soul could quite comfortably perch in the wilderness." COMSYS: (all channels) A soft, calm female voice says, "S.O.S. Broadcasting S.O.S. Can anyone read me?" COMSYS: (all channels) A rough male voice says, "Yes. Who is this?" COMSYS: (all channels) Karin says, "I hear you. Who are you, and what kind of assistance do you need?" COMSYS: (all channels) From MCS Xichparul, A voice of unknown gender says, "We read your distress signal. What is your location and situation?" In her safe little perch, Rem narrows her eyes. A complicated holochess game, she's a pawn in. She muffles her comlink with her hand - must stay up to date in these times of chaos, even when hidden. The woman's head tilts up when Kerric appears, and her voice raises at the soldiers: "Core Spacers! Guard Fairhaven way! Aldera Police Unit Theta, guard Quo circuit North!" Kerrick boldly steps into the room with several squads of men following him. "Fan out and secure the area," the hunter hisses through his modulator, his anger and his pain lending strength to the man's words. His armor has been shredded and dry blood clings to the scraps of plasteel. Then he pauses and his eyes begin to scan the area... The woman in black points her guards in the right direction and runs up to the Hunter, tilting a brisk nod at the new arrival. "I got a distress call. Do you need me here? The situation seems under control, and I'll tell my men to follow your orders." COMSYS: (single channel) Karin says, "Elinor is that you? Are you alright?" The hunter ignores Karin for now... He's too focused on his work. His steel eyes scan every square meter of the street while the police look on, looking for some sign... anything at all... Finally, he shoulders his rifle. "There you are," the hunter says before shouting, "OPEN FIRE!" He paints the target with a bolt of his own. COMBAT: Kerrick fires his Merr Sonn T74 Scoped Rifle at Rem! COMBAT: Rem tries to dodge, but Kerrick's blaster bolt hits and moderately wounds her. COMBAT: Aldera Police Unit Epsilon lash out at Rem with their fists! COMBAT: Rem tries to dodge, but Aldera Police Unit Epsilon hits and seriously wounds her. COMBAT: Aldera Police Unit Eta fire their BlasTech AD2 Custom Blaster Pistols at Rem! COMBAT: Rem dodges Aldera Police Unit Eta's blaster bolt. COMSYS: (single channel) Karin says, "I am relieved. I don't know about the men, but the special one is fine." COMBAT: Aldera Police Unit Theta fire their BlasTech AD2 Custom Blaster Pistols at Rem! COMBAT: Rem tries to dodge, but Aldera Police Unit Theta's blaster bolt hits and moderately wounds her. COMSYS: (single channel) Karin says, "Exactly." A shape races down out the door of the fancy beach house, a pistol held in its grasp. Uttering not a single word, Myriad steps out of the shadows, aiming and firing at the closest army. COMBAT: Petrus Renatalis fires his Merr Sonn DSZ Shock Pistol at Aldera Police Unit Epsilon! COMBAT: Aldera Police Unit Epsilon dodges Petrus Renatalis's blaster bolt. COMBAT: Aldera Police Unit Epsilon lash out at Petrus Renatalis with their fists! COMBAT: Petrus Renatalis tries to dodge, but Aldera Police Unit Epsilon hits and seriously wounds him. COMSYS: (single channel) Karin says, "*Sounds of shooting and screaming can be heard in the background* These two twits are in the middle of a bloody war. And now there is a creature here as well. A Jedi is chasing the other." Rem wiggles and hides, going places normal bodies can't go. But, then the Hunter comes. Wearing white while trying to hide probably didn't help either. She takes fire, crying out in pain as the blasters hit her. Her hands move to her comlink in desperation. COMSYS: Rem says, "Legion, Myriad. Run. Get away from here. Anywhere. They're after me!" Karin dives for cover behind a garbage bin! COMSYS: A calm, sweet, young male voice says, "Where are you? I'll get you out of here." Suddenly Karin's voice is heard from behind the garbage bin, loudly through the noises of COMBAT: "Rem Dolor! Surrender and we will cease the shooting. You will stand trial in the Republic for your crimes!" The woman lifts a hand, and for a moment the soldiers stop firing. An eerie silence fills the street, broken only by the sounds of injured men and tinkling, broken glass. His shot missing, Myriad ducks under cover. He reaches for a missile launcher over his back, aiming it at the garbage bin from which a voice emits. The silence is broken by the shrieking sound of a missile drone. COMBAT: Petrus Renatalis fires his Heat-Seeker Missile Drone at Karin! COMBAT: Karin dodges Petrus Renatalis's rocket. "HA!" Kerrick shouts and he shakes his head. "We all know how well /that/ is working out," the hunter exclaims before firing another bolt at Rem and running for cover. The police follow suit. Two of the squads press the attack while a third desperately claws for its blasters out of their holsters to ward off the clone. COMBAT: Kerrick fires his Merr Sonn T74 Scoped Rifle at Rem! COMBAT: Rem tries to dodge, but Kerrick's blaster bolt hits and lightly wounds her. COMBAT: Aldera Police Unit Eta fire their BlasTech AD2 Custom Blaster Pistols at Rem! COMBAT: Rem dodges Aldera Police Unit Eta's blaster bolt. COMBAT: Aldera Police Unit Theta fire their BlasTech AD2 Custom Blaster Pistols at Rem! COMBAT: Rem tries to dodge, but Aldera Police Unit Theta's blaster bolt hits and moderately wounds her. The shrieking sound of a missile drone makes Karin's head whip to the right, and she runs to dive for cover behind a container. Behind her, the lost missile explodes at a wall, scattering flames and a debris of glass all over the street! "Stand down!" Comes Karin's voice, and this time it is clearly aimed at Kerrick. "She must have a chance to surrender. But only if the missile-shooting friend of hers ceases fire, too!" The lady sounds and looks really angry. Rem curses, clutching her wounds. A deep pant, a silent scream of frustration. She spots Myriad, blaster out. And she stands, out of the shadows, white silks moist with fresh blood, empty hands up in surrender. Blaster fire strikes her. Rem drops to her knees, bleeding further, fresh blaster burns on her tattered robes. "Let Myriad go... and I'm yours!" She yells out, voice strangled, breath heavy. "Please! Let him go.. unharmed. Run, get away. Please!" She coughs. Jana walks in from the east on a detached walkway. JO Strike Unit Beta walks in from the east on a detached walkway. COMSYS: (single channel) Alexiana says, "Don't react. But I'm hiding over by one of the house's waterways. I can't stand not being here should one of you need help. Let me know and I'll run to get a first aid kit." "No!" Myriad shouts, but what can he do? From one of the side streets, a short brown robed form emerges moving quickly along. A group of uniformed individuals with her. As she approaches the large police action, Jana speaks quietly and simply. "Knight Dawnrunner, get me and my men access to the beach, immediately." She says as politely, yet commandingly, as she can. COMSYS: (single channel) Alexiana says, "First smart move I've ever seen Dolor make... Let me pass through, I want to check on my house..." COMSYS: (single channel) Alexiana says, "Nevermind. I'll wait." COMSYS: (single channel) Karin says, "Don't go there. The other freak and Obi-Wan are fighting." COMSYS: (all channels) From Dac Interceptor, A smooth, sweet female voice says, "Dac Leader to MCS Rachnois: Confirmed Clones aboard Grandeur?" The hunter re-emerges from cover further down the street near Rem with his rifle in hand... Which he immediately levels at the head of the kneeling woman. The rifle is perfectly still in the man's grip but his finger literally twitches as he keeps the trigger half-depressed. "Fine," he hisses in reply to the screaming. "But we do this /my/ way." With a wary look at Myriad the black-haired woman rises from behind her cover, striding towards Rem. The soldiers follow her movements with their rifles, keeping both the clone and the woman carefully covered, but they do not shoot. "Rem Dolor, I'm placing you under arrest for your crimes against the Republic." Karin picks out a pair of durasteel handcuffs from a pocket, moving to restrain the woman that Kerrick has so amply covered. Rem bows her head, but her voice still carries. Rough, scratchy, yet firm. "An order, Myriad. Help your brother." And her face is a mask of silent fury as she looks up to glare at Karin and the Hunter. "To the Rancor pits with your Republic." "No!" Myriad calls out, rising, weapon still clenched in his hand. "Leave her alone, she hasn't done anything wrong!" He seems unable to process this, angry and confused. "We'll get you for this. You think you're safe?" "Let me handle this," Kerrick says tersely towards Karin as he waits for her to put the binders on. At Petrus' outburt, the hunter bumps the back of Rem's head with the tip of the rifle's barrel and replies, "Drop the weapons, clone, or I paint the street with her brains. Even if you shoot me, my dying twitch will end her." There is a soft whistling sound in the air above ... COMSYS: (single channel) Kerrick says, "Come to Quo Circuit South." "Fortunately we are more merciful than that," says Karin cooly, slipping a hand under Rem's arm to help the woman stand. "You will be seeing the inside of a jailcell rather than a rancor's digestive tract." She nods at Kerrick's words, and lets go of the injured woman. Then she turns towards Petrus, and raises a brow at the clone. Her level voice is heard again: "Petrus Rentalis. You, too, are placed under arrest for your crimes against the Republic. However, given your special breeding, the court may find your innocent and drop charges. Drop your weapons and surrender." Myriad drops his cannon, the pistol in his other hand raised casually to be pointed at Karin's face. "Neither of you have very long left to live. Make whatever peace you must. If you so much as touch either of us, I will kill this woman. And soon, it won't matter at all." He looks up and smiles brightly. "I've seen your mockery of justice! And I spit on it. You'll see me dead, first." And with her cuffed hands, Rem swings around, aiming to knock the Hunter's weapon from his hands. COMBAT: You lash out at Kerrick's arms with your fists! COMBAT: Kerrick tries to dodge, but Rem hits and mildly wounds his arm. Whistling...? The hunter is momentarily distracted by a sound reminiscent of an incoming artillery shell and finds his arm swatted for his trouble. He yanks the weapon away from Rem and shouts, "FIRE!" And, as blaster bolts fill the air yet again, he takes advantage of the chaos to scramble for cover. COMBAT: Aldera Police Unit Epsilon fire their BlasTech AD2 Custom Blaster Pistols at Rem! COMBAT: Rem tries to dodge, but Aldera Police Unit Epsilon's blaster bolt hits and mauls her, destroying Rem's Flowing White Robe. Rem collapses, critically injured. "RUN!" Rem screams again, momentum swinging away from Hunter.. to catch blaster fire to the stomach. No fancy cinematics or slow motion. She just faceplants into the cobblestones for the third time in three days with a sickening squish of bloody organs on rocks. COMBAT: Aldera Police Unit Eta fire their BlasTech AD2 Custom Blaster Pistols at Petrus Renatalis! COMBAT: Petrus Renatalis tries to dodge, but Aldera Police Unit Eta's blaster bolt hits and moderately wounds him. COMBAT: Aldera Police Unit Theta fire their BlasTech AD2 Custom Blaster Pistols at Petrus Renatalis! COMBAT: Petrus Renatalis tries to dodge, but Aldera Police Unit Theta's blaster bolt hits and maims him. Out of a clear sky falls a dark figure -- and then, in the sky above, there is a roar of fire. Someone has set off a massive explosive atop a building -- and that sinister someone is Amalfiel, whistling down out of the sky with an ice-blue crysblade in hand, aimed blade-first for Kerrick. COMBAT: Amalfiel Renatalis attacks Kerrick with his Ice-Blue Crysblade! COMBAT: By sheer luck, Kerrick evades Amalfiel Renatalis's Ice-Blue Crysblade. Karin gazes up, eyes narrowing at the sky. An alert expression lights her eyes, and when the squads fire at Petrus she finds her window to attempt a swift dodge to the side. She runs as fast as she can, heading for the nearby corner of Fairhaven Way and Quo Circuit. There is a bunch of signs and fences there, and she dives for cover. Meanwhile, the soldiers fire at Petrus. COMBAT: First Core Spacers fire their SoroSuub UZ-5 Heavy Repeaters at Petrus Renatalis! COMBAT: By sheer luck, First Core Spacers's blaster bolt misses Petrus Renatalis. Badly injured and coming under heavy fire, Petrus turns on his heel, diving through an open doorway. ESCAPE: Petrus Renatalis escapes from the area! As the explosion rips overhead from one of the buildings, the plummeting arrival of Amalfiel is not the only sudden one. But rather another form bursts through the door of the Beach House. The door erupts outwards with splintering just as the bomb overhead rips and through the hue of rubble steps out the robed figure of Jana. Hood is still up over her features cloaking them as the Jedi Knight moves calmly as if guided by an unseen hand. This time no words come out of her mouth, instead her hand moves with a swiftness as she strides with purpose. COMBAT: Jana tries to rip Amalfiel Renatalis's Ice-Blue Crysblade out of his hands! COMBAT: Amalfiel Renatalis firmly holds his Ice-Blue Crysblade. COMSYS: (all channels) From CCS Grandeur, A cool, calm male voice says, "This is the Grandeur. We surrender. Permission is granted to board if you wish." COMSYS: (all channels) From CCS Grandeur, A cool, calm male voice says, "I repeat. We surrender. Hold your fire." Death comes whistling towards Kerrick from overhead and the hunter suddenly throws himself left, hitting the ground and rolling to his feet before he makes a break for it down the road. The police officers stand firm at the arrival of the clone and open fire once more, providing a nice layer of cover for the hunter as he ducks low and scrambles away from Amalfiel. COMBAT: Aldera Police Unit Epsilon fire their BlasTech AD2 Custom Blaster Pistols at Amalfiel Renatalis! COMBAT: By sheer luck, Aldera Police Unit Epsilon's blaster bolt misses Amalfiel Renatalis. COMBAT: Aldera Police Unit Eta fire their BlasTech AD2 Custom Blaster Pistols at Amalfiel Renatalis! COMBAT: Amalfiel Renatalis tries to dodge, but Aldera Police Unit Eta's blaster bolt hits and seriously wounds him. COMBAT: Aldera Police Unit Theta fire their BlasTech AD2 Custom Blaster Pistols at Amalfiel Renatalis! COMBAT: Amalfiel Renatalis dodges Aldera Police Unit Theta's blaster bolt. A blaster bolt slams into Amalfiel, and then another, and another, but he holds his ice-blue crysblade above his head as though it contains the secret of ultimate revelations. Then, with a roar, he flings the sword into the cobblestone street, scoops up the fallen Rem, and -- still holding up an apparently empty hand -- clicks a small button. There is a blinding flash -- and surprisingly little heat…
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