A break from Life, -Open-

[Artorius Xeronai]

Naboo, a world as beautiful as it was now dangerous, would seem a perfect getaway for any trying to escape the woes of galactic society. True it was now occupied by those somewhat dark characters known as sith but it seemed for the most part the world was not completely tainted by the dark side and as such, allowed people to live somewhat normal lives. One such man, having grown tired of the troublesome travels within the outer rim, sought to relax not in town but in the danger-ridden jungles and other natural surroundings that truly gave this world its sparkle.

Having been living in a small make-shift shelter that he built himself, Artorius Xeronai sat in a meditative position on the ground for a moment as he took in the mid-day's bright scent; the rays of sunlight breaking through the leaves giving warmth to his face as it seemed a testament to how light and dark would always coexist. For the most part, the day seemed uneventful and the firerreo would not have it any other way. He did not seek to fight for fighting usually led to someone getting hurt and for the most part, the young man did not seek to kill after his freedom from the dreded arena. Instead, the peaceful air mixed with the sense of danger of nature which suited him just fine for in nature, life was simple and there was only one main rule.

"Survival of the fitest...that brings back memories." Artorius murmured to himself as he began to close his eyes. Today he would delve into the force and attempt to gain a better understanding for it. As the firerreo began to concentrate, allowing his senses to flow outward, the man began to meditate.

[Zakkeg]

Zakkeg moved through the wilderness pretty quickly, looking for the men he needed to talk to. He was wearing his shadowsuit, although in his pack he carried an Imperial uniform to put on when he returned to Theed. His Morellian Enforcer was drawn and held in his right hand, ready to fire silently if need be thanks to the silencer he had screwed onto the top of it. He moved silently and quickly, his blue eyes scanning the forest for any presence that would be dire to the mission. He stopped when he came to the clearing and then holstered his weapon. He then gave out a loud whistle that imitated a bird that was native to Naboo, but not to this neck of the wilderness. He received a similar whistle in response.

"Come on out." Zakkeg said aloud, and a few men moved out of the woods then, and looked at the Alliance spy. These were the men that he was looking for. "How is the subversion going? The General wants to know how long it will be until he can take the planet." The men began to give Zakkeg a report and Zakkeg nodded all the while thinking. Ever since the planet had been the site of a viral video of a Sith Lord being embarrassed by a mercenary and the General, the planet had begun brewing as a hotbed of anti-Sith sentiment. Zakkeg had infiltrated the planet to take an assessment of the situation.

[Artorius Xeronai]

Remaining ever still and calm in his own little clearing within the thick brush, Artorius seemingly had no idea that not too far from his area, spies were working their magic. For Xero, the safety of these people were no more important than the safety of the very animals that roamed the jungles; this ideology futher solidifying his belief that all life is precious, not just the sentient ones. For now however, the man simply remained in his mediative state as he tried to better understand the force.

The sudden sound of a bird chirping stirred the gentle giant from his sleep-like state. True he did not know the wildlife of the area but to Artorius, whom had spent a lot of his life in the wilderness, a singular bird call without any answer seemed a bit out of place. Bringing himself up to his feet, Artorius proceeded to stretch out his limbs to better limber up for what palawa may have in store for him. Leaping onto a nearby tree suddenly, Xero used his climbing skills, he had honed during his years living in the city trees of Cathar, and quickly brought himself up to hide within the thick brush. Almost as if he belonged there, Artorius began to move effortlessly through the canopy as he kept out of the dim rays of light that peered in clearings.

Within moments, Artorius soon found himself observing a group of individuals in what appeared to be a meeting. Intrigued, the firerreo remained silent and continued to observe to see if these people sought to bring chaos to the peace and order that remained on this world.

This post has been edited by Artorius Xeronai on Jan 7 2011, 08:46 PM

[Zakkeg]

(Sorry about that, made you wait long enough I think.)

Zakkeg talked briefly with the men before they handed over the Intelligence he was looking for in the form of a document, a paper one that could be burned if need be to destroy any evidence. It was strange, Zakkeg thought, that the more technology advanced the more he appreciated older forms of technology. With paper, he had the information he needed, and then all he would need to do to make sure it wasn't discovered was burn it. And with something like his Morellian Enforcer, a powerful slugthrower, he was able to take down men swinging lightsabers around like crazed banshees.

"Good to know you guys are prepared. Get back to Theed before someone notices your away." He said, dismissing them. They nodded and then disappeared into the woods. Zakkeg stood in the clearing a moment longer, lighting up a cigarette as he did so and inhaling deeply before he exhaled the smoke. He had a nagging feeling in the back of his mind that he was being watched, and so he leaned against a tree in the clearing and began to survey the treeline.

He looked up and thought he caught a glimpse of something, and then shook his head, because he wasn't sure if there was something up there that wasn't an animal. He was kind of tempted to shoot up there to see if an animal was up there or not, if it was then the animal would be dead, if not then the human spying on him would be dead. So, he drew his Morellian Enforcer quickly, almost faster than should have been possible without the Force and fired to where he thought he saw someone watching him.

[Artorius Xeronai]

ooc: No problem on the delay, gave me time to start thinking of different scenarios to work with .

ic: Remaining perched up in the shadows of the tree, Artorius remained watchful as he hoped to perhaps gain some means to find a potential job or at least a way to earn some extra credits. Keeping his keen eyes on the men below him, Xero spotted what seemed to be an exchange of some sort of paper; a document perhaps with information of some kind that would effect the city in some way as this would not be done in secret otherwise. Xero kept watch even as the men parted ways and as the last remained, his form leaning against the very tree the firerreo was perched in, Xero could not help but wonder what they were up to.

His piercing eyes looking on as the man lit a cigarette and began to take a smoking break, Xero did not disturb the man yet as he knew too well the euphoria of a moment or two pausing from the continual flow of the galaxy. This moment however was cut short by the most unlikely of places as a shot rang through the trees. Artorius probably would not have picked up on it had he not held his superior senses as the silencer of the man's slugthrower would probably spell instant death for the untrained. As the slug flew swiftly through the trees, piercing leaves and wood, Xero was already on the move.

Barely avoiding the shot by a few centimeters, Xero had begun to let gravity do its work as he had moved his head back allowing his body to follow. Falling off his branch high atop the canopy, Xero used his superior agility to gracefully land on the branch below yet did not remain for long. No sooner had the ball of his right foot landed on the branch did he push off lightly to fall to the next branch. This continued for the most part until Xero landed on the ground eight feet away from the man whom had fired the shot; having landed in the kneeling position as his own bluebolt blaster was drawn and pointing at the man. Sure his slugthrower had the element of surprise but a blaster was a blaster and at this distance, it would sure be tough to avoid a shot completely. Xero however did not fire, repressing his urge to kill in order to defend himself. A few moments of silence lingered before Xero began to come to a full stand, his weapon still aimed at the man.

"Apologies for lurking but firing your weapon off like that is not a nice way to meet someone." Xero said as his stoic stare seemed completely upon the man before him; his senses in the force however being a different story as they were sharper with his sense of danger heightened. Sporting a simple sleeveless tunic and trousers tucked into a pair of boots with a sleeveless trenchcoat with fur collar, one would not peg the man as dangerous yet he held an air of danger about him that came with his years of training.

This post has been edited by Artorius Xeronai on Jan 11 2011, 04:12 PM

[Zakkeg]

The Enforcer pistol wasn't just any old pistol, it was one of the most powerful slugthrowers still in the Galaxy, something unique to the Morellian Commonwealth used by the long lived Morellians to enforce the law. It was powerful, very powerful, so powerful it could blow your head clean off. It was also powerful enough to even pierce heavy armor. Sure it took an effort to pull off shots in rapid succession, however, that was the Morellian Enforcer's strength: It could kill you in one shot when other firearms took many. Zakkeg recognized the blaster that the other man held, and he was not worried too much.

"Neither is eavesdropping on a man's conversation." Zakkeg said, his voice always carrying a slight growl. He looked t the man, and then said, "Bluebolt blaster, huh? Balanced, heavy grip, light barrel, it's relatively easy to fire because of it. But, for all the bolts you can get off, they are only so strong. A good chest plate on your victim and that blaster is useless."

Zakkeg smirked, as he realized that all he would need to do to end the other man's life would be to fire once at his center of mass, punch through any armor he had and rip into his chest which would kill the man. But then he also knew that if he were to do so, the man would fire multiple times at his own center of mass and they'd both be dead. The situation also worked itself out with the same result if the other man fired at him first. "It would seem we have a Corellian standoff here. Why don't we both holster our weapons, at the same time in three seconds, slowly."

When the three seconds were up, so long as the other man was putting his gun away, so would Zakkeg. And after which he would ask, "How much did you hear?"

[Artorius Xeronai]

Artorius was silent as the man talked, his years of servitude at least having accorded him some sense of etiquette. Even as the man counted off, Xero did not talk as he merely lowered his own weapon, holstering it to his left side. It was kind of refreshing really to him to at least meet someone in this dark galaxy with the ability to ask questions before going in for the kill; even if he had fired the first shot earlier on. Then again though, Xero could not be completely sure about what this man might do as he did not hear completely the conversation that was going on but he would not let on.

"Well I guess you could say I heard enough to be intrigued, friend." Xero said, not divulging his name as was customary to his people. For the moment, Xero held no armor as he was dressed in simple civilian gear to better blend with the people and "feel" the force. It was however impressive to the firerreo how the man was quick to identify the strengths and weaknesses of his weapon yet Xero always believed that the weapon was irrelevant without a keen warrior behind it. For now however, Xero would not leave things in the air as they were for he knew that this could present an opportunity to gain some extra credits and perhaps screw with those uptight sith a bit.

"I do hope your little plan does not seek to endanger the people in anyway." Xero said, his facial expression stoic as he kept his composure to ensure that the man would perhaps believe he heard everything.

[Zakkeg]

Zakkeg stood there for a moment longer, his mind puzzling quickly how much the Firrerreo actually knew. His head worked quickly, and he noted that the man hadn't said a detail about what was actually said, so that of course would mean he was fishing for information by asking the last question he asked. If he was fishing it was better to stay unspecified in terms of details. Then again, he could actually know more than he was letting on and was trying to get Zakkeg to reveal more, after all he did know something of a plan.

He was fishing for more information, that much Zakkeg knew, but whether it was to incriminate him so that the Imperials could swoop in and arrest him or to just learn more because he was concerned for the population genuinely. He wasn't tattooed beyond all belief, so Zakkeg had to think that if he was an Imperial he was one who was not a genuine Sith and if that was the case, the two reason for him fishing for information need not be exclusive. Once again, he could only reach the conclusion to be as un-detailed as possible.

"Don't worry, the common man isn't going to be harmed by this, neither are the animals or anything that doesn't need hurting." Zakkeg said, as he folded his arms and looked at the man before him, for a moment, and then said, "Are you supposed to be some Guardian of the Forest, or something?"

[Artorius Xeronai]

Xero stood there for a moment before walking towards one of the trees lining the circular clearing that allowed the light to shine through the shadows of the forest. There he leaned as he listened to the man talk, stating how harm to the people and little creatures would not come. This was a sort of relief to the firerreo but at the same time, it did not truly help him when it came to earning some creds. However, when the man spoke of Xero perhaps being a guardian of the forest, the firerreo could not help but give a light chuckle; amused at the very notion that nature needed a guardian.

"I'm just a humble man trying to make a living in these dangerous times...sorry to disappoint ya but I don't think this forest needs a guardian." Xero said in a calm, somewhat more subdued tone than he had before; he seemed more relaxed as if talking more to a potential client than an assailant. But of course, Xero was never too good at negotiations or trying to subvert the truth for long; in all essence, he was usually a very blunt man.

"So then, to tell you the truth, I know nothing of this plan of yours...just caught the tail end of your conversation and just found it interesting especially given the intel was handed on a sheet of paper rather than the more technological datapad..." Xero began as he had a simple smirk on his face revealing his slightly elongated right canine somewhat. It was clear the man was looking for some action and if it was mercenary work that was required without much collateral damage, the firerreo was one to not disappoint. Of course, Xero could never know if this man was in fact a part of the Sith empire and merely seeking to relegate security for the planet but if that were the case, he would have already shot the firerreo by now. For now though, the ball was in the other man's court so to speak as it was clear Xero was interested and ready to offer his services if the job and pay were right.

[Zakkeg]

(OOC: Sorry about this wait again, lol)

IC: Zakkeg smirked and said, "It's on paper because it's easier to dispose of that way. Less chance for it to be found again. I put it on a datapad, a skilled hacker can recover anything I've erased." He stated rather matter of factly, because it was true. He hated modern technology in that regard. If he had something he wanted to keep secret all it took was some nerd behind a monitor on Coruscant a quick button or two and he could find his way around security measures and into a mainframe from which he could access all of the important files that Zakkeg thought needed to be secret from those very prying eyes.

With paper, if some Imperial Pencil Pusher wanted to get his hands on the document, he'd have to dress himself up in black and sneak into a secure facility physically and then deal with Zakkeg to get the paper. And Zakkeg had stopped many espionage tactics in such a manner. Paper, it was crude, but it was more than effective, just like his gun. He looked at the man before him for a moment longer before he began speaking again, this time addressing the fact that the man knew less than he let on.

"Pretty good bluff, I almost thought you did know more of it. It's better off this way though. The less you know the less likely some man in a plastic suit is going to take you away and beat the crap out of you for any information you might know. Although on this planet, who knows." Zakkeg said, before he began to scowl slightly, "You're not a typical Imperial, that's for sure. Mercenary?"

[Artorius Xeronai]

Artorius listened to the man's explanation towards the usage of the less technical sheet of paper to transmit classified documents and of course, his argument was pretty sound. To Xero, whom had grown up a slave more accustom to the older "technologies", paper was a pretty useful invention. All in all though, this was never truly the point as this man's sarcastic threat regarding the man in a plastic suit made Xero chuckle a bit more, it did bring up a point that this man was not a solo merc like the firerreo but part of an organization, perhaps even one of the galactic groups that are always causing problems with their wars. Xero of course did not let on that he was not one for such groups, instead preferring their credits when a job was done, but it was clear enough now what the firerreo's line of work was.

"An imperial...really, guess anyone can pass for their kind these days." Xero thought to himself as he tried to find the right words to answer the man. Of course, all that came was the truth and as such, Xero went right to the point once more.

"I am whatever is needed by the employer." Xero stated in an almost nonchalant tone.

"And you, I do not peg you for one of those Sith types judging from the fact you have a plan and all for them...Alliance, Jedi?" Xero asked the man in response.

[Zakkeg]

"Something like that." Zakkeg said in response to the question that was posed to him about his faction. It was apparent he wasn't an Imperial Knucklehead, so Zakkeg would leave it at that. He didn't want this guy to find out too much about him, especially if it was just going to be used against him at a later date. Ramis may have been able to trust mercenaries easily, but Zakkeg didn't. Then again, Zakkeg hadn't had his life saved by this mercenary as had Ramis been saved by the mercenary he'd hired. If a man was willing to risk his life for you, Ramis supposed he had to be a good guy.

"I'm no Jedi," Zakkeg said, and figured he'd leave that conversation where it was. "I'm not nearly prissy enough." He began to walk towards the edge of the clearing then, turning around to say, "But if you're ever on Dac, and you need a job other than cleaning up a Hutt's dirty work, look me up. The name's Zakkeg."

With that he began to walk away, back towards Theed.

[Artorius Xeronai]

"Well I might just take you up on that offer." Xero said in a calm tone as the man walked away.

"Touched a nerve there did I?" Artorius murmured sarcastically to himself as the man disappeared into the treeline. It at least answered his question somewhat as it was clear this man was no jedi thus was perhaps an Alliance man; the code for where to meet being all the more indicative. With that however, the firerreo straightened out and began the long trek back to his own base camp to gather his things; he had to meet up with the mandalorian again if he was to try to find some other contacts in the cesspool of an outer rim if he was to better establish himself.

An hour later and Xero has already found himself in the cockpit of his own light freighter in one of the outer hangars of Theed; a cheap hangar to be sure but one that was inconspicuous enough to allow one to come and go without too much hassle from the Sith. As such, the man began take-off procedures as he thought to himself about his "chance" meeting today.

"Well master, guess the force guides us to mysterious places...never thought I would meet an Alliance man out here but perhaps this is the beginning of something new." Artorius thought to himself as his light freighter began to take off and head towards orbit. Once there, it was more or less a clear shot to the outer rim and the firerreo began to plot a course.

"Dac eh...guess it's back to the outer rim for me...though I guess I may as well make a stop on that dust ball desert world to see if there are any side jobs there." Artorius said in his deep tone before giving a slight chuckle at the thought of staying in sith space any longer but he knew the desert planet would no more lose its foothold in the underworld as Nar Shaddaa and so it was a place to find good work at decent pay. The course set, Xero's ship jumped into hyperspace bound for Tatooine.