Ponderings of an Avatar...

[Skhaal]

Skhaal was alone in the room with his thoughts. He threw his mind back to the Horizon weeks before where he had left with his crew on a vessel borrowed from NovaCorp, with his ship left in their posesion study. Of course they'd paid him well for that, it was with that money he'd bought weapons and equipment of a kind he could never imagined back on Thaxaria well besides the relic weapons of course. His favourite was the Force Cascade Pistol, he liked how it didn't need ammunition but made explosions, and thought the bright blue bolts and moving explosions almost mystical. He and the thaxarians still needed much more practice before they would become effective with the weapons.

Skhaal also wondered if they were going to get that ship back because if they didn't return with it skhaal would have very difficult problems with all of thaxaria for losing the relic flagship. Skhaal and the thaxarians decided to see if this race could discipline themselves around women and such even under the influence of alchohol. Skhaal and the thaxarians entered a rather noisy bar and decided to make their way to a dark corner away from all the drunks and brawlers to watch them peacefully.

 

[Zakalwe]

A serving wrench came up to the group of Thaxarians. She looked extremely weary and worn, her clothes where in desperate need of attention and didn't apear to have had a wash in quite some time. In her eyes their was a dullness that could be attributed to a painfull life and detachedness from reality.

"Haven't seen you before. What can I get you?" She said, obviously intrested in their difference too her usual clientele.

"Forget them Babe, you know what you can get me." A tatooed and pierced man yelled with an accompanying crude gesture, from where he and a group of his similarly adorned fellow were sitting. The group began laughing.

"Ignore them please." The woman said, obviously embarrassed.

Skhaal growled slightly at the foolish looking pierced man then back at the girl "Why do you put up with such things from the foolish men around here?"

"There's no alternative," She said sadly "Now what can I get you?"

Skhaal grinned slightly then it suppressed to a frown again. "I guess me and my men would like a mug of ale?" Skhaal said unsure if hey had ale or some type of odd newer form of ale such as beer.

"Sure, eight mugs of ale coming up." She managed a small smile before moving over to the side bar to pour the drinks. On the way she passed the pierced men's table, whom made loud crude comments and hooted. She ignored them and soon returned with eight mugs balanced on a tray, which she served out to the Thaxarians.

Skhaal and the other thaxarians somehow were sharing the same plan but Skhaal told them without words what he was going to. Skhaal finished his ale as if it was the size of a shot glass and waited to see if that man wanted to make one more crude gestures or comments before he decided the nail him in the head.

He didn't have to wait long. The man who apparently was the leader of the group leapt from his seat and began circling the waitress, ducking up and down and weaving, for no apparent reason. The waitress simply stood still and waited, her weariness becoming more evident. The man tired of this, and attempted to lay a forceful kiss on the waitresses' lips. She didn't resist; knowing it would create more trouble in the long run.

Suddenly Skhaal whipped the glass mug nailing the tattooed man hard sending him to the ground "Take that perverted one..." Skhaal readied himself for a fight and his men took out Force Cascade Pistols in case the others a the table drew guns upon Skhaal.

The rest of the man's group stood up rapidly, knocking the table they where at over. They advanced with an assortment of chains and metal bars. They didn't have a single ranged weapon with them, and appeared to think that some form of etiquette meant that the Thaxarians wouldn't use their guns against them.

Skhaal smirked watching them "Looks even more fun..." Skhaal went to punch the closest man but as another man went to attack Skhaal, Skhaal ducked down and sent a painful hit into the first mans gut.

The other men began to resort to a general melee, tables and chairs began to be thrown everywhere, used as crude projectiles, and chains and bars rained down on both sides. The fight didn't seem to be going to either side since the pierced men where surprisingly good at combat and out numbered the Thaxarians by three men.

Skhaal raised his arm blocking many of the attacks but the chains wrapped around his arm. Skhaal the tried to jerk them back with his strength not sure if he was over powered or not.

The owner of the chain twisted his body, pulling the chain with great force, while swinging the other end of the chain, ended with a sharp spike, towards Skhaals side.

Skhaal quickly used his free hand grabbing the bladed end and then pulling with even greater force than the first time and then sending a powerful kick the chain wielder's head.

The man dodged out the way and put all of his strength to bear, the chain becoming the object of a massive tug of war, both of the men's massive strength being pushed to the limits as the bar collapsed around them in the continuing brawl.

The waitress had taken shelter behind the bar, and did not look entirely phased. It wasn't as if bar fights where rare here, even if this was more sever than most.

Skhaal smirked and spun towards the man lessening the distance between them and sending a powerful and quick kick to his side.

The man grunted but refused to go over. Instead he grabbed Skhaal's leg and wrenched it upwards, flipping him over.

Skhaal landed on his leg that was wrenched upward and landing. Skhaal then removed the metal gauntlet that the chain was ensnared by and it dropped with a fairly heavy thud and Skhaal leaped towards him sending his left fist still covered with a metal gauntlet to his stomach.

The man had braced himself, so the blow was lessened, but still significant. He grabbed Skhaal around the neck, and got him into a complex and extremely painful headlock. Over his head one of his men sailed through the air, straight through the wall before springing back with a dustbin which he rammed over a Thaxarian's head.

Skhaal now that his head was in a headlock he now knew how heavy the man was and could pick him without much problem. Skhaal then wrapped his arms around the man trying to tune out the pain and began to lift him off the ground.

The man drove his knee into the small of Skhaal's back, a cybernetic implant in his leg giving the blow a great amount of impact.

Skhaal grunted letting the man back down and then quickly lifted up the man and turning towards a wall "Get...off my back!" Skhaal then went as fast as he could backwards toward a wall ignoring all hits the man would deliver.

The man in return put his massively powerful legs to good use and swept Skhaal's, landing on top of him and began to pound his face with his fists.

Skhaal began to notice something was amiss and soon grabbed the man's fists and began to over power them and then realised that the mans leg was much stronger.

The man thrust his knee into Skhaals groin. As this was going on others had joined the fight and it was becoming an event with over fifty members.

"Oof...bastard..."Skhaal then slammed a fist into his cap, his gauntlets revealed the tips were spiked and thrust them into his leg dealing great pain and refusing to use dirty fighting.

The man flinched "Same to you." He drew a wicked looking knife out of his belt, and prepared to thrust it into Skhaal's solar plexus.

Skhaal grabbed the knife hand and dug the claw like finger appendages of the gauntlet under the mans skin before reaching into his cloak "It ends now..."

The man let out a low growl, clenching his eyes at the pain, and as an instinctual response ripped his hand away, tearing off a large lump of flesh, and began to rapidly ram his knee into Skhaal's groin, each blow mechanically enhanced.

Skhaal resisted the pain and shifted a metal covered leg in front absorbing the blows. As the man moved his knee back to strike Skhaal, the thaxarian struck him hard in the head, stopping the blows, and followed it through with a punch to the gut before grabbing the hilt of his blade "Come on and hit me..." with a slight grin but was still in a lot of pain.

The man roared, apparently a tech enduced rage, and leapt at Skhaal, hands aimed at his throat.

"Wrong move perverted one..." suddenly a blade had soared across and cut deeply across the mans neck and throat splashing blood on the other brawlers.

The man collapsed to the ground, clutching his throat as his life blood spurted out. Within a few second the light was gone from his eyes, he was dead. The brawl had otherwise ended, most of the pierced group had disappeared, and the Thaxarians where all conscious, but battered, except for one who was unconscious with a dustbin covering his upper body.

Skhaal stabbed the blade through the mans entire body as a ritual that the warriors usually performed of fallen warriors to strengthen their blades. Skhaal then turned to the people "This is what is in store for all who invade a woman's privacy..." Skhaal said coldly and then saw the waitress peek over the counter and the thaxarians taking the dust bin off his body and picked him off the ground.

The waitress looked around disjectibly. Her job was now gone, when the manager came back from his lunch break she'd be for the sack for sure. With one of the walls demolished and every piece of furniture broken her career opportunities didn't look great. She let out a pain filled sigh and held her face in her hands, trying to accept this new blow life had dealt her.

Skhaal then came to his senses and looked at the waitress more closely realising she looking a bit sad and frustrated so Skhaal walked up to her "What is wrong?"

"Oh nothing, it just happens that my place of work has been destroyed by you and your men, I'm about to be fired, I have no where to live, and my future is looking just a little bleak!" The sarcasm was weak, her sadness taking even this from her.

Skhaal, feeling sorry her having no where to live, he then spoke to her a bit awkwardly "Well...um...this may sound a bit odd but you could stay with us for a while..." he said, moved by her plight-

She looked at him flatly, evaluating his intentions. It was true that these men had utterly destroyed the bar, and had killed men, brutaly but not seeing anything that would suggest more than the usual amount of abuse, she gave in, her desperate situation requiring risks to be taken. "Alright then. I'm Dawn by the way, Dawn Crowley." She looked one more time around the bar, littered with debris and bodies, a second wall collapsed and the building looked to go the same way "Nothing left for me here."

JP by:
Zakalwe (waitress and pierced men)
Skhaal (Skhaal and Thaxarians)

 

[Zakalwe]

Dawn walked silently along side the hulking men. She didn't know what had possesed her to accept their leaders request; these men had just killed several other men, brutaly stabbed a corpse and preached religous sounding doctrine. By all rights she should have fled by now, there was nothing to say that they wouldn't simply keep her locked up as a ... no, it was too terrible to think of. She'd really stuck herself in it, she didn't even know what these strange men where, let alone what they where called or could be trusted. She guessed not, no men could be trusted on Neplesia.

She resolved to make a run for it. Not here or they would follow and catch her, likely brutaly, no she would bide her time, looking for an opurtunity to escape. And who knows, maybe she wouldn't have to, maybe they would be different. She shook her head. She shouldn't think like that. Optimism on Neplesia got you killed.

 

[Skhaal]

Skhaal sensed vaguly that she didn't quite trust them still and who could blame her? I mean the things she had to put up in the place she was which was mostly men. Skhaal thought and had an idea and pullout a force cascade gun and handed it to her "Here take this since your gonna live with use we atleast want you to be able to protect yourself..." skhaal said with a little more freindlier tone of voice.

 

[Zakalwe]

Dawn was surprised to say the least. Somone was giving something to her? And a weapon? This was either the kindest act anyone had done to her in her unhappy life, or some cruel trick to lull her into false comfort. She wished she could believe it was the first.

However, not to look a gift horse in the mouth, she quickly looked over the weapon, marvelling at it's simplicity of design, before stuffing it in her trousers. She would be sure to use it if needed, but now she was armed, she felt slightly more inclined to take a risk and stay with these strange men.

 

[Zakalwe]

Before long they began walking into a higher class district. This was notable due to the size of the houses, the private security forces, and floating defence drones. Dawn felt very out of place in her dirty and ripped clothes, and began to rethink her opinions of these strange men she was in. If they lived here they where either much better or much worse than she expected.

It wasn't much further before they turned a corner and Dawn was confronted with a large gothic style dark house. It was four stories tall, wide, and around the top of the roof where a ring of gargoyles. Their where ornate gardens surounding the house, and around this was a high electrified fence. The men she was with walked to wards this house, and she was confronted by the fact that this was where they lived.

Their leader walked up to the small gate house and typed a code into a small panel, which oponed up to reveal a finger print scanne, which oponed another panel at his eye level which revealed a retinal scanner. "Welcome home Mr. Skhaal" A computerised voice said and the high gates slid open. Well at least Dawn now knew his name.

Skhaal took a small device out from a pocket in his cloak and pressed a button on it. Noticing her barely concealed inquisitve glance he said

"I just deactivated the drones."

Dawn glanced around; she couldn't see any drones. However life had taught her to never ask questions unless they where completely necesary, so silently she followed Skhaal and his men up a gravel path to the great front door, which had a knocker shaped like a Demons head. Before Skhaal had even reached the door though it swang open. Dawn surmised that their must be some form of scanning device present.

Inside their was a large reception room, with dark mahogany side tables, and wood panneled walls, with a thick carpet. Connected to it where several long corridors and a pair of stairs leading up to the higher levels. Skhaal turned to her

"Welcome to your new home."

Dawn felt a shiver running down her spine, although whether it was of anticipation, fear or any other emotion she knew not.

"I can give you the tour later, for now let me show you to your room." He turned to his men "You can rest now, it's been a tiring night. I'll see you at dinner.", turning back to Dawn, "Follow me."

He lead her up the stairs and down a corridor, and Dawn's discomfort increased, she'd had never been near, let alone in, a place this fancy. The idea she would stay here hadn't sunken in yet. Her natural pesimisim kicked in and said that hareems where often very fancy. Skhaal stopped at one of the doors, and oponed it. Glancing inside Dawn saw a room of the likes she had never imagined. In contrast to the rest of the house it was white painted, but with a magnificant bouble bed, wardrobes, chests of drawers. Dawn turned to Skhaal

"This is my room?"

"Yes. Is it good enough?"

Dawn could not beleive Skhaal had just said that. She though that he was making fun of her, but ignored it, as being ungratefull in this house could be very dangerous.

"It's fine ... thank you." Skhaal nodded and said,

"Dinner is at eleven, if you don't want to come I'll send someone up with some food". Then he shut the door, leaving Dawn alone. Dawn now had time enough to think, and was not that gratefull of the chance. The signals she was getting from Skhaal and his men where mixed. They seemed to be kind and considerate, but at the same time cold, and murderous. She sat down on the bed, which was the nicest she'd ever known, and realised that she was trapped here. She couldn't get out with the mysterious 'drones' guarding the grounds, or past the electric fence. She was confused, frightened but also very tired. Without meaning to she lay down on the wonderfully comfortable bed and fell asleep instantly.

 

[Zakalwe]

Dawn woke slowly and stirred. She felt so comfortable and so ... rested. In fact she had never felt so good as far as she could remember. Then the memory of where she was came to her, and she sprang upright. Someone had tucked her into bed, and a tray with toast, tea and eggs Benedict lay on the bedside table.

She rolled out of bed and went to the window, where a stream of light was pouring through the curtains. The window was heavily reinforced; there was no way she was going to get out that way. She was intrigued though; she had been undefended that night, yet no one had done anything to her. Wouldn't they have made some move on her already? No, they where lulling her into a comfortable state first, that part of her that had kept her alive through the years responded. It chastised her for her lack of sense, and reminded her that she should have tried to secure the room.

She cautiously approached the tray with food on it, and reasonably sure it wasn't poisoned, she took a few hurried bites of the lightly toasted bread, drained the coffee cup and began to scoff down the eggs. She had almost finished when there was a knock on the door.

"May I come in?" It was a voice that she hadn't heard before, and didn't sound like that of Skhaal's men.

"Who are you?" She said falteringly, picking up the pistol that had been left next to the tray.

"Well Skhaal insists on me being called Zenelrox, but personally I prefer Pete. I'm the Synthetic Assistant for Mr. Skhaal and the other Thaxarians."

"Well I suppose you can come in." Dawn carefully concealed the pistol behind her back

"Thank you miss," The doorknob turned and the door swung open. Behind the door Dawn was Pete, a six-foot tall robot, all gleaming steel and synthetic muscles. He walked in, moving as naturally as a human did.

"What do you want?" Dawn asked, somewhat intimidated by the android.

"Well I've been sent to check on you and to help you settle in if that's what you mean. I trust you slept well?"

Dawn gave a non-committal grunt "Was it you who put me to bed?"

"Yes, I thought it might make you feel uncomfortable, but from your position you would have been even more physically uncomfortable if you stayed in that position. I also took the liberty of ordering some clothes for you. When you share a house with a group of male warriors small things like feminine clothes get over looked." Pete walked over to one of the wardrobes and opened it, revealing a line of shirts, trousers, skirts and dresses, all of them of finer quality than Dawn had ever owned.

"There for me?"

"Well yes, unless one of the Thaxarians gets a taste for cross-dressing, which I doubt. There's more though." He walked over to the chest of drawers and opened the drawers one by one, revealing neatly stacked jumpers, and underwear. "It all fits," He tapped the side of his head, "One of the advantages of being a synthoid is you can make accurate measurements just with your eyes. Was there anything else miss?"

"Why do you keep calling me miss?"

"Courtesy miss, everyone in this house is a higher rank than me, so I refer to them as sir, or in your case miss." Dawn was taken back by this. The idea she was a higher rank than anyone was a great shock to her, and no one had ever shown her courtesy.

"What can you tell me of Skhaal and these 'Thaxarians' did you call them?"

"Yes miss, Thaxarians. They come from Thaxaria, a world quite some way away, and are stranded in this part of the galaxy until the scientists at NovaCorp can fix their Wormhole drive. They came here with the money they where given for the right to study their technology, and bought this house and myself. Since then they've been wandering around bored mostly. As for them personally, which is what I suppose you're getting at, there good enough. A little brutal, but then they come from a warrior culture, but they have very strict moral codes. You have nothing to worry about miss."

Dawn felt a little reassured by this, but did not entirely trust Pete. She still kept her natural pessimism and paranoia. She sat down on the bed.

"Alright Pete. I'm going to be staying here a while I think," She hesitated "Thank you." It was hard but she said it and meant it, the first time she had done so for a long time.

"My pleasure miss." Pete walked out of the room and closed the door behind him.

"I suppose I could get use to this." Dawn thought, finishing off her eggs Benedict.

 

[Zakalwe]

A few of the thaxarians went outside to get some fresh air. They started to notice a few odd looks from people walking by. The wind began to pick up and they noticed a piece of paper blowing against the ground on the street. One of the thaxarians picked it up and was shocked to see Skhaal's name on a wanted poster. Seconds later the thaxarian burst through the door and showed Skhaal the poster "Oh why do they have to have such strict rules for mur...wait a minute...Kidnapping?!" Shaal said in a shocked voice.

Dawn heard a shouting noise from downstairs. She instantly backed into the corner with the pistol, ready for someone to burst in through the door any second. She knew it had been too good to be true.

Skhaal looked at Zenelrox "We need you to go tell Dawn we will be gone for a while and hand her this for an explanation oh and here" He handed the poster and a generous stack of bills to Zenelrox "and give this to Dawn so she can get food and such for herself...well we'll be off" Skhaal placed the Stoneturner relic weapon in his cloak just in case, Skhaal now knew he couldn't kill anyone but at least he could stun them for a bit. The thaxarians and he left without telling Zenelrox where they were going just in case.

"What the cheek. Leaving without giving me five minutes notice." Pete gave a realistic sounding sigh, "Just makes you wonder why you bother." He unhurriedly walked up the stairs to Dawn room and knocked on the door.

"Who is it? I'm warning you I'm armed!" Dawns scared yet simultaneously defiant voice rang out.

"It's just me miss, Pete. May I come it?" Pete always like to conduct conversations face to face, it seemed ... proper.

"It's just you? No-one else?" Dawn wasn't taking any chances. Experience had taught her not to trust anyone.

"Yes miss, just me."

"Well come in then." Dawns voice was a little more comfortable. She trusted Pete more than she realised, his smoothness calmed her.

Pete came in and closed the door behind him. He looked at the pistol in Dawns hands for a few second, went through an impressive imitation of a shrug and said. "I've been told to tell you that Mr. Skhaal and his fellows have gone for a while. Some sort of trouble with the police I believe. In any case, he left you this." He put the stack of bills on the bed, and the poster.

Dawn looked at it amazed. She had never seen so much money. "So it's just you and me?"

"Well yes, miss."

"So I can stay here for as long as I like?"

"I believe that was Mr. Skhaal's wish."

Dawn was shocked. She was living alone, except for a robotic servant, in the nicest house she had ever seen and with more money than she had ever seen. She couldn't take it in. "Thank you Pete. I think I need some time to take this all in."

Pete nodded and walked out, carefully closing the door behind him. Dawn walked over to the bed and picked up the poster. "Murder, destruction of private property ... figures, kidnapping? Well I suppose they would see it that way.â€