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| - The starport is a collection of landing pads all grouped together and interconnected with walkways. The thin pads extend outward from the various access entrances and are lined with focus lights spaced 1 meter apart all around the edge to help patrons keep their balance and not get too close to falling over. The walkways all converge toward the center control tower where they can gain access to the rest of Cloud City. The air's thin and there's a constant breeze with mist from the clouds that keep everything outside slightly damp. The Starport's security was tight, but a Jedi Master had means and method to slip through crowds nearly unnoticed. It would be moments, however, before it was revealed he had gone missing in the night. Noval Colton moves quickly with a beautiful and well dressed women under his arm. "Quickly, my ship should have arrived." Noval whispers taking her through a crowd of mostly traders, security, and the occasional smuggler. They weave through mountains of crates of Tibanna gas offering modest cover from probing security droids and holocameras. As promised there it was, landing lights on the /Radiant Whisper/, Noval's ancient consular ship. To a baroness, a virtual princess on this world it looked like a hunk of junk that might barely fly, but for a baroness trying to escape the clutches of a very notorious thug it might as well be an arc plated in gold. Kincaid steps quietly through the starport. A Paladin Security badge is attached to his coat, although it denotes him as a consultant. This does not keep him from walking about with what is obviously a high-powered blaster rifle strapped to his shoulder. His eyes flick to and fro, keeping an eye on anything he deems 'suspicious'. One of his hands rest on the strap keeping his rifle to his back while the other is hooked through a utility belt as he continus his patrol. Sitting cross-legged on the ramp of her ship is the purple-skinned Twi'lek known as Erah'lien. Eyes scan around the spaceport casually, hands resting in her lap as she observes the people that come and go, ships that arrive and depart. There don't appear to be any weapons on her person right now, but her datapad is sitting beside her. Negotiations for Noval's release have gone dismally. For days Ewan Dain has roamed the floating streets of Cloud City in order to find someone, anyone that might have information on Noval's whereabouts. Dain's holo-message with an offer of 50,000 credits for Noval's release was never returned and the tall Corellian has finally run out of leads. There was nothing for it now but to hope his luck would change, and it often did. His primary concern now was to see if any news from the Galactic Alliance had been delivered to his ship as requested. without a permanent office here Dain has had to resort to working out of his ship, a millionaire freight hobo. The crowd at the spaceport is nearly unmanagable for him to wade through and it is here he realizes he's been on Naboo for a long time. Culture shock was almost unheard of for Dain but the spacious setting of Theed had taken its toll on the man. It didn't help that he had a number of lovely handmaidens that were shorter and faster than he was pushing through the crowd, causing the locals and visitors to grumble as they passed. Some, out of spite made it even more difficult for the Corellian to pass. It was the start of what promised to be a long night of waiting. Danger was present. It leaked all over the starport like a black smoke in Noval's mind. Mists of danger were to be avoided, but something startling catches his eye as he focused. Quickly turning a corner at what might be help he pulls the Baroness around and the pair walk straight toward Dain and his handmaidens. The Jedi Master's eyes widen, "Senator." he states in a hushed town pushing the baronesses toward them, "This women, she needs your help." He keeps his hood over his head. His senses stay on alert as they stretch out over the crowded port as people push around and by the small group as Noval stays rooted to the spot with the Baroness, not about to let Dain walk by him, but why would he. Something was right about this, but terribly wrong as well. Noval seems to fidget being nervous for a moment before it was swallowed in serenity. Kincaid's patrol of the Starport quickens as additional Paladin Security personnel fan out to search around. The hunt for the Jedi has been fierce but it has not yet turned up any solid leads. This irked him a bit. Surely some trace of the Jedi had to have been turned up by this two-bit operation. He passes along a man who believes he is being crafty and hiding a pistol. Not from him he isn't. Kincaid's arm swung out, his baton extending as his arm moved and cracked the man in the chin. The man sputtered and spat out some teeth while spitting out blood. "No weapons." A quick communication over comm is sent and the man is hauled away by two security officers. So far the hunt was dry, but doing some unnecessary violence... ah, to enjoy the little things. How can such a lovely entourage get missed? Golden eyes shift over towards Dain and his handmaidens as they appear, eyebrows arching curiously. "Not really a good place for them to be these days," she murmurs softly to herself. One hand drops to the datapad sitting beside her and she scoops it up, placing it into her lap. The cloaked figure that then approaches the senator gets a narrow-eyed and mostly curious look from Erah before her shoulders lift in a bit of a shrug and drop back down to her datapad. As Ewan Dain makes his way towards his ship he makes a turn near a tall stack of tibanna crates and is surprised by a lovely young woman being thrust towards him. Wasting no time the handmaidens step up and eye Noval and the woman with heavy suspicion. "Who are you?" "Why does she need help?" Two of the ladies chime in unison. Briefly Dain looks the woman over and then turns his eyes towards the hooded man. There was an air about him that Dain felt made him instantly trustworthy. Long hours at the sabacc table had taught the Corellian that gut feelings should often be followed. Still, he isn't sure this man had good intentions. It quickly dawns on the Senator that the woman before him was the daughter of the recently murdered gas baron Creeg Sal. Anger flashes in the Corellians eyes as he turns on Noval. "Answer their questions. Why are you traveling with Baroness Sal?" After a few moments a ship slowly begins to make it's descent - a passenger liner, no less. From this emerges a man in a brown tunic. He doesn't seem much for looks, even appearing to be on the lower end of the pay scale. The man begins to make his way further into the crowd, his hands coming behind him as he does. He generally seems in good spirits - despite the news given. (Riley) The Jedi pulls his cloak back, "Senator, the Baroness is in terrible danger. I am Jedi Master Noval Colton." he states plainly. His eyes shift around the station, "The security will be coming for me soon, Ewan, this women is in terrible danger. She wants to be taken to Naboo where she can live in peace." he says as he starts to realize something odd about Dain; his presence was bright. The hazel eyed Jedi smiles and suddenly understands, "War is coming Ewan Dain, you have a mission. What I carry is now yours to carry. Danger is present, you must take the Baroness and take my ship and return to Naboo." he reaches into his cloak as the time begins to move more slowly in his mind, a holocamera had spotted him. "Senator, your destiny lies in hidden places on Naboo. You must go there, you must take my torch and become an Ambassador of peace." The Jedi was recalling a vision from his meditation, but then points, "Now go, and may the Force be with you." Noval spins around as the footsteps of security were approaching he rips his cloak off and throws it around the Baroness before grasping his lightsaber in his hand. Sacrifices must be made for the greater good. Kincaid has had enough of this. He hops up onto a platform used for Cloud Car transport in later hours and crouches behind a crate. Unstrapping his rifle he brings it around and readies it. He passes along a few messages by comm and two or three minutes later, a Cloud Car is hovering in a position where nothing but the gasses of Bespin are underneath. The door to the car opens and a man gripping a young man stands there, ready to push the man out of the door. Kincaid switches his commlink to another channel and then the public loudspeakers of the starport begin to speak, "Jedi. Make yourself known and you will save the lives of those who need not die needlessly. For every minute you stall, the life of a conspirator will be taken. Just as a sign of how serious this is." Kincaid raises the weapon. The man holding the youth steps back and covers while Kincaid presses the trigger. A moment later the head of the youthful man is gone and a shower of blood along with his corpse tumbles into the gasses below. "You have sixty seconds, starting now." The entire situation goes more or less ignored for a time, but there are a few things that catch her attention. Blinking rapidly a few times, Erah's head snaps up from her datapad and her eyes focus on Noval, staring intently at him. "...huh..." The Twi'lek scrambles up onto her feet and shoves her datapad into her pocket, jumping down off the ramp of her ship and closing the door behind her. Kincaid isn't terribly hard to find, and she's soon pushing people out of her way as she makes her way towards him. As Noval announces his identity Dain and the handmaidens are briefly stunned. "Noval? What are you..." But before Dain can finish the Jedi is gone in a flash and the unfamiliar sound of blaster fire rings throughout the spaceport. Dain grabs the woman by her arm and shoves her rudley into the midst of his handmaiden protectors. "Get her to that ship!" "But sir our mission to protect you not..." Dain motions to the Radiant Whisper. "Get on the damn ship!" In a flash three of the handmaidens have Baroness Sal by the arms and are tearing towards the Consular class. "I will stay by your side Senator." Dain's best and brightest handmaiden took her job of protecting Ewan seriously. Dain nods and the two dive behind the nearby crates. Ewan peers over them looking to spot Noval. What was the Jedi doing? And what did he mean his destiny lied in a hidden place on Naboo? As the headless corpse of the first Bespin innocent hits the ground Ewan feels something he's never felt before. Something Noval had awaken in him, somehow. "Are you alright Senator Dain?" the handmaiden asks. "Are you hurt?" Dain is too stunned to speak. The man continues walking, and stops for a moment. Something - didn't quite seem right. It's hard to not notice when a lightsaber is activated. It is also easier to see the man who is shot. Now the people rushing, that's a surprise.. especially when they begin going against the flow. The man looks forward to see a wookiee runing towards him, ducking he misses the behemoth who - amazingly is running from combat.. The Sullustian nails him fine though knocking the man to the ground for the minute - which may be good, plenty of space to hide. (Riley) Noval wasn't fast enough to save the first victim of tyranny but he would be fast enough to save a second. In a blur the Jedi Master had leapt up and across a few towers of stacked cargo containers to land a few dozen meters from Kincaid. The *snap-hiss* of his lightsaber illuminates the area in a cold blue light. His expression was empty, he offered no emotion toward the mercenary or contractor, whatever he was. "Murder, is a terrible crime against sentient life." he states carefully, "It is clear that the politics and the power structures on this world are being ripped apart by people like you." Noval raises his blade in a defensive posture and calls on the Force to ready his combat abilities. He reaches into the warmth that the Force offered those trained to tap it, his essence lights up in the spectrum of those who could see and his blade turns into a posture that if anyone was familiar was the Soresu. "I will ask you to surrender." he states plainly, though that was unlikely. This was a moment of transition it was written into his destiny he could feel it. This would not end well for him, but if it got the baroness to safety and Ewan Dain pointed in the right direction, then it would work out. Had he been some contractor from Paladin, one would expect Kincaid to surrender, or quiver in fear, or something. Instead the man turns in a cold, calm and calculated manner to face Noval. "People like me." He cocks his head slightly to the side and offers Noval a cold smile. "People like me live for something greater than themselves." It is obvious that he is not intimidated by the presence of the Jedi. "No, Jedi. You are not clear on what sort of man I am, and my death is not yours to ordain." His jaw tightens as he readies the rifle at his side. The shot would be tricky, and he might have it deflected, Everything came down to this single moment. His gaze met the gaze of Noval's and he brought forth memories. The memories of brothers in arms being killed by the actions of Jedi while conducting their service as members of the Imperial Royal Guard flash through his mind. He lets the rage, the pure hatred of his kind, build inside of him. His finger squeezes on the trigger as he whispers, "For the Fallen." Erah's fast, but not as fast as Noval is. Looks like Kincaid isn't going to have any more problems finding said Jedi. Her expression twists into a vague scowl as she stares at Noval, fingers flexing slowly at her sides. As he pulls the Force to himself, Noval stands out like a beacon in the crowd, not that he wasn't visible to her before with naked eyes once he made himself known. But she knows that she's just going to get in the way with this encounter, and her approach to Kincaid stops some feet away. Lekku twitch slightly behind her, an indication of agitation to those familiar with the motions. But interference doesn't come from her, and she just stands and waits, gaze shifting between Kincaid and Noval. One would fall. She just wasn't certain which one. "What?" "Are you hurt Senator?" "No. No I don't think so..." Ewan is quickly brought into the here and now as the handmaidens lovely face comes into focus. "What happened?" "Someone fired into the spaceport sir. You need to stay down." "Where's Noval?" Dain sticks his head out again but is quickly pulled back down. "Stay down!" Ewan does as he's told. Nearby, with almost supernatural speed three handmaidens and Baroness Sal flee towards the ship. Nearly everyone in the spaceport is in a panic making it difficult for the small party to reach their destination. Ewan Dain steals a glance in their direction and does his best to see through the crowd. He spots the crimson cloaks of the handmaidens and allows himself a momentary sigh of relief as they finally near the /Radiant Whisper/. "We need to get Noval. He's extremely important to the Galactic Alliance." Dain speaks in a haze, his mind awash with emotions of rage and fear and confusion. "There's nothing we can do for Noval. We need to get you aboard the ship." "No, we can not leave him!" "We must." The eruption of concentrated blaster fire is met with careful and surgical swings from Noval, he was a Jedi Master, and that made him dangerous. The young Corellian moved forward batting bolts toward the sky and down to the ground as he moved toward Kincaid with steady purpose. This wasn't the time for words as the innocent civilians, and the victims of powerful interest were all at stake on Bespin. A pair of Galactic Alliance Senators being present for the atrocities here would probably step their interest up in intervention or at the very least create some pressure for justice. With the aid of the Force the Jedi seems to leap into the air diving forward and twisting his way between a fair of blaster bolts, one meeting his lightsaber and being deflecting off safely the other singing the loose fabric of is tunic as he swings around and his foot with incredible speed upward toward Kincaid's jaw. Kincaid's anger didn't make him stupid. And one didn't survive as long as he had doing what he did by not having contingencies. As Noval's foot sped for his jaw, he hopped backward, off of the platform, only to be picked up by the cloud car from before. He provides a rude gesture to Noval in a mocking salute and turns to one of his cohorts. The man passes along some news and Kincaid turns to face Noval, giving a smile, lacking mirth but showing teeth, a wicked little grin it was. The cloud car sped towards the fleeing baronness and as it overtook the party, Kincaid leaned over and dropped a Plank Chem Grenade into the group. The cannister would, in moments, pump out Plank Gas in the surrounding area. For the moment it seemed to halt the baroness and her escort in sheer panic. With several quick motions, the driver of the cloud car moves into a more advantageous position and Kincaid speaks into the intercom again, "You have a choice now, Jedi. Who will you save?" With that he takes aim at a man cowering for cover (Riley). Erah swallows drily as the blaster fire rings out, watching as the shots are deflected away. But she isn't going to stand around in close proximity to that little bit of chaos, instead turning to head back to her ship. Eyes lift to follow Kincaid as he flies around on the car, but she seems relatively unconcerned with his location. His target, however, does cause her eyes to widen slightly. "Shit. Riley what are you doing here?" she whispers to herself, one hand lifting to run over the top of her head, the other shoving people away from her as she weaves through them to get back to her ship. Riley slowly gets up and dusts himself off, and begins to take a step back and get to higher ground - or atleast a communicator. He then finds himself with a blaster pointed at him and becomes serious,"I don't suppose you can tell me where the nearest bathroom is.." The man steps back and brings his arms up as he looks to kincaid,".. It's a numbers game.. I can be replaced.." The senator says loudly and then stops as the man puts the blaster closer, smiling faintly - He wasn't going to make a move - yet. The disturbance outside of Kell's ship, Razor's Edge, is enough to wake the man from his nap. At first, he seemed rather annoyed at the ruckus outside but as he approaches the exit ramp of his vessel and the sounds of blaster fire going off causes the man the shed his annoyance and become more alert. As Kell descends the ramp cautiously and somewhat ducking to provide a smaller profile of himself, the first thing that catches the Corellian's attention through the mass of panicking civilians is the lightsaber that Noval is waving around, batting away the blaster bolts. For now, he is staying near the ramp of his ship, assessing the situation to decide which side he will be helping, if he will even be joining the fray at all. There is the sound of an engine crying out in the distance.. Which shouldn't be something that's all -too- different from the rest of the noises that occur around the space port. What would be different is the fact that it seems to be coming from the lower levels of the city-station, the source of it being one armor-clad individual with a rocket-pack attached to his back. Cutting his way through the air, his head cast upward and his arms laid out against his side so as to streamline himself as best as possible, Racra pops over the side of the starport and lands upon his feet. A trail of smoke coils along out from the bottom vents of his 'pack and the featureless helmet concentrates upon the Jedi. His hand falls to the neuronic whip at his side and he uncoils it, letting the length of the weapon snap out into the air as his other hand quickly unsheath's the vibroblade at the small of his back. There's no rush to his gait as he starts to close the distance between himself and Noval, another sizzling snap brought into the air as he cracks the weapon in front of him. Tunnelvision begins to kick into the man's head as the half-breed continues that slow, somewhat casual trot. As Ewan Dain and his handmaiden stay pinned behind the crates Baroness Sal and her escorts meet with new danger. As the grenade lands in their midst the well trained young ladies throw their cloaks over the Baroness. The corrosive liquid coats their cloaks which are instantly thrown to the floor. Each of the maidens grimace from splatter burns but the Baroness is unscathed. The /Radiant Whisper/ is now within reach and the small troupe's leader is already punching in Noval's code. Within seconds the door lowers and the group is safely aboard, the door already closing. Aboard the ship: "Are you alright baroness?" "No, I'm anything but alright!" "Sisters?" "Wounded." "Take care of her. I'm going to the bridge." The handmaiden races into the turbolift and disappears. Back on the ground: Ewan Dain watches as the maidens and the baroness board the ship and suddenly he's started breathing again. He'd been holding his breath in the last moments before the baroness' escape. "We have to go now Senator. The ship is preparing for take off. We have to go." Dain had to make a choice himself. Noval has said this was important. It seemed, more important to him than even his own life. "Let's go." He missed, landing hard to the tarmac as Kincaid takes off on a cloud car and makes Noval make a choice. He was to far from both to make any lasting impact. The cloud car was a disadvantage to be sure. The Jedi acts quickly in his mind, Noval kicks the can off the platform with any remaining gas as it tumbles out of sight with any remaining fumes, a powerful exerting of telekinesis pushing his talents there to their limits before he quickly draws a grappling gun from his belt, it was hanging at the side and fires it toward Kincaid's blaster with intent to knock it off balance. He didn't have much time to celebrate any success if there was any as he turns to face the same Bounty Hunter that had arrested him before. He pitches the gun to the side and is forced to turn his saber toward him, "Blast." a rare curse, out manned and too many possible victims around. He couldn't save everyone. Kincaid's eyes are cold as he stares into the Riley's gaze. "Senator, you should learn to shut your mouth." His trigger finger twitches, but he doesn't pull quite yet. Another slighter motion is made with another finger, the slight motion of switching the weapon from kill to stun, and he readies the weapon to fire. Just as he is squeezing the trigger, ready to send a stun blast that would put down a rampaging Bantha, Noval's grappling hook hits his rifle. He lets out a string of profanity that would make a sailor blush as the shot that was aimed for Riley's face is more or less headed for his groin, and his rifle tumbles to the floor of the cloud car. Enraged, Kincaid motions for the car to head back towards Noval, while he yanks out his trusty blaster pistol from its concealed location. Rileya, as she was known, was in a wonderful pasture full of green grass and yellow sun flowers that gently were picked off by the wind that went through the air. They would twirl and dance as the middle aged person in the background swung from a wood swing to one tree in the field. The woman, wearing a pretty pink dress and bonnet, continued to go back and forth as the blaster fire continued to go and the sounds of screaming were all faintly in the background. This was where Riley went to.. This was his happy place as he watched in slow motion the stun bolt that was aiming for head miss and hit him squarely in the genitalia.. One step, two steps.. The man has three steps back before he falls to the ground on his back looking up.. Ahh spring was a lovely time of year in the place that Riley's mind forced him to go as to not realize what just happened. (Riley) While Kincaid is heading for Noval, Erah's closing the distance between herself and Riley. The subtle shift from 'kill' to 'stun' isn't immediately noticed, her attention more focused on the Senator than the gun-wielding-maniac. When the shot rings out and Riley goes down, something in her mind effectively 'snaps' and she releases a shriek of rage, glaring daggers at Kincaid and Noval before dropping to her knees at Riley's side, fingers moving to his neck to check for a pulse. Once assured that he isn't dead, the Twi'lek once more rises up onto her feet and turns to glower at Noval and Kincaid, anger flowing through her. Kell seems to be having a hard time discerning who are the 'good guys' and 'bad guys' in the commotion right now so he continues to linger by the ramp of his ship, watching. The newly arrived bounty hunter with the rocket pack easily catches the Corellian's attention and when the armored being closes in on the Jedi along with the man who is being driven around in the cloud car. Reflexively, his hands goes to where his holster is but when they arrive there, his blaster isn't present which causes the man to curse, remembering the weapons law restricting him from bringing his Sentinel IVs to play. Kell has to fall back on resting his hand on the hilt of his vibroblade for now as he continues to study the scene. Dain and his female companion crawl to their feet, keeping low. The handmaiden reaches into her cloak and pulls out comlink. "Sisters, we're coming aboard." There is no response for a moment until "Copy, Adalia is already on bridge. She says she's found something interesting, it may help." "Copy. What did she find?" Without warning an array of blaster fire blazes towards the cloud car. "A hidden blaster turret." As their cover fire is steadily laid down Dain and the handmaiden weave through the starport making their way to the /Radiant Whisper/. Dain's protector stashes the comlink and draws a gigantic (for her) heavy blaster pistol. "We'll have you safe aboard yet sir. Keep your head low and stay to my right." Dain nodded and wished he'd had a blaster. He'd stopped carrying one once the handmaidens were in the picture. The duo rushes towards the ship which continues it's heavy fire at the cloud car. "Give me your comlink." Dain demands. The handmaiden shoves it into his hand. "Ladies, target Noval's attackers as soon as we enter the ship do you copy?" There is no response for a moment. "Copy Senator." Raising the neuronic whip above his head and twirling his arm about in the air, building up some speed on the crackling length of his 'lash before there's another quick yanking of it downward. The sound of the weapon breaking the sound barrier is cruel with the added touch of electricity, thumb of his other hand flicking on the power of his vibrodagger now. Racra remains utterly quiet, resuming to let the whip's cord drag along the ground and spark across various points of it. There's a flexing of his muscles, hidden beneath the armor plating which he wears and a torquing of his jaw. His eyes begin to narrow once he comes to a stop, having found himself at a more appropriate distance away from Noval, starting to fall into a battle stance, holding his dagger in front of him at a horizontal angle as he twitches the whip along behind him. Dragging one foot across the ground, he sends his body into a spin, slow at first though picking up speed at the midway point, letting the cordage start to straighten out before he sends it singing in the direction of the Jedi's midsection, not at all waiting before he kicks off from the ground and charges forward, twirling the long knife about within his grasp so that he can prepare himself to send a slash to whatever extremity that comes closest to him in this rather, possibly unwise, aggressive attack. The sounds of running feet are heard echoing on the platform. Soon the sight of a dozen Paladin guards come into view led by Axel Vichten. Each is armed with an ESPO Riot Gun drawn and at the ready. "You go left, the rest of you follow me!" Axel exclaims as the sight of the battle comes into view. Immediately half of the soldiers split off to the left, moving into a flanking position while Axel and his contingent head straight for the battle, moving into range with the heavy stun weapons. A wing of Sith Barb Interceptors screams above, painted in the Paladin Security markings, moving into a cover position of the starport. The escaped jedi was not escaping Axel's clutches again, not this time. He'd faced enough embarassment already. Now, he was out for blood. Noval watches as Racra approaches with a steadied pace and the whip, the whip was going to be some trouble. The physics were different than blaster bolts, and the nature of the weapon made it difficult for the youngest of the Jedi Masters to understand its nature in combat. He saw it coming and he kicks his saber up to do something about it but the whip slips below the blade and around his arm wrapping tight, he had managed to protect his midsection. Noval lets out a howl of pain as electricity begins to course through him, as Racra approaches with the kill option he acts fast. He quickly turns the energy away absorbing and dissipating it. His hazel eyes turn toward the near-human he had pushed the pain away. Though, his lightsaber had hit the tarmac and suddenly rolled off the end.. extinguished and gone forever... deep toward the planet's gravitational center. As Racra charges the Jedi was quick his free arm slides up under his attack and his fist, charged with enough Force energy to knock out a Wookiee brawl master slams hard into the Bounty Hunter's helmet. Riley down, Dain escaping...he just need a few more minutes. He turns to Erah and then to Dain, "GET OUT OF HERE!" "Well.. Ah do declare Mr. Borgira.." The soft light-focused voice of Riley comes out,"Ah always relied on tha kindness of strangah's.. Ah just don't know how we're gonna get all this honey off mah thig.." A blink.. And then another as the man slowly tries to fight the effects. The place he choose to go beginning to fizzle and go away as his hand goes to his head. His eyes slowly do refocus as he looks up to the sky, pain through out his body. He finally see's a figure - A twi'lek. the man was awake but by no means to his faculties.. REcognition not coming to him. He lays his head abck and breathes slowly.. his hand going to his pocket - towards something. He then reaches out with his other hand goes to wrap around the woman's leg - a reflex move probably. (Riley) The unexpected burst from the ship catches the back of the cloud car and rocks it violently. Grabing a hold of his rifle he glances to the pilot who is struggling to keep it aloft. The cloud car begins to buckle and Kincaid looks below him. Safety is close by. He waits and each second that ticks by is a second closer to certain death. Picking his moment he jumps out of the cloud car, moments before it completely bursts into flame and crashes into one of the towering structures close by. His weapons rattle to the platform behind Noval as Kincaid rolls as he hits the ground, minimizing his impact. Not sure what is going on, he quickly spots the Jedi. Kincaid scrambles quickly for his blaster pistol, grabbing it tightly. Noticing that the Jedi's mind is elsewhere, with shouting orders and such, he begins to fire, multiple times at the mans backside, laughing while he does so. The Twi'lek is furious, rage running through her from the attack on her friend. Lekku writhe behind her, eyes snapping over to Racra as he too attacks Noval. Lips curve into a wicked smirk as the pain-filled howl reaches her ears, and she releases a soft chuckle which is likely lost in the sound of the surrounding chaos. The hand curling around her leg does surprise her somewhat, though and her head turns to look back towards Riley. Another glare is given to the combatants and she drops to her knees beside the Senator again, prying his fingers off of her leg and resting his hand at his side. The hand in the pocket isn't missed, and she reaches over to pull said hand out of the pocket, seeking what it is he's storing there. With the arrival of what looks like the local security force, Kell's decision to perhaps intervene on behalf of one side or another is most likely made for him. He is usually one to not go up against the local authorities unless for a very good reason, especially if he has no stakes in the 'disagreement' that is currently at hand. The sound of the Sith Barb Interceptors is also menacing, as if announcing that escaping through the air is perhaps not possible. The Corelian's attention remains on the fight at hand as it converges on where Noval is. The /Radiant Whisper/ continues to lay down cover fire as the two near its entry ramp. "We're at the door." In seconds the door is open and Ewan Dain and his loyal handmaiden are safely aboard. The ship prepares for lift off and turns its hidden turret towards the whip wielding warrior. In the hangar one of the handmaidens is unconcious while another drenches her with small tubes of bacta. They had all made it out alive. Well, not all. Noval was left to fend for himself. There was nothing Ewan Dain could do. The ship had to leave now before it was blasted by starfighters. Dain races to the turbo lift and heads straight for the bridge. On arrival he watches as the rest of the scene unfolds, and he realizes he is powerless to stop it. "May the force be with you Noval." "Where to Senator?" Dain turns to the handmaiden pilot. "Naboo. The fact that his slaver's lash has decidedly hit it's mark, if only just getting the Jedi somewhere upon his body, is a plus. The fact that it has hit the arm which carries that oh-so-deadly lightsaber? An even better plus. With no worries of having to deal with the fact he could possibly be losing his limbs or, dare say, his head in this attack is something that flares the man's zeal in his charge more now. Almost leaping from the balls of his feet, sending himself hurtling through the air, he raises his vibro-weapon above his head so that he might send a righteous stabbing upon the Jedi. At least, that is the thought which runs through his mind. What actually happens is that as he closes in on the Corellian Jedi, his head is knocked back and rattled within his helmet. He is sent to clattering to the ground with the force of the blow, though this doesn't seem to be the end of his path. The momentum which he had seems to have carried over as he rolls in the direction of the edge of the landing pads.. And soon off it. However, his hand appears to be carrying a death grip upon the neuronic whip as he goes tumbling through the air. "Erah.." Riley's mind was sharp but it's hard to just wave off a stun shot - especially one to a critical spot. He closes his eyes as he gather's his resources. He isn't strong enough to resist really anything that happens. The hand is pulled out and his thumb comes over a small hand device. A soft green light begins to grow. He slowly begins to come back to his facility trying to sit up. He takes a deep breath,"..Emergency beacon. Intelligence issue - hard to block - untraceable except to those who want it and - stylish." "...." He watches the fight with the Jedi and the arrival of Axel. The man's face darkens,"I am sorry.. I'm so sorry.." He says as he looks back to Noval. He slowly begins to try to stand,"..We have to get out of here.. It's not safe." He looks back to Erah as he slowly begins to function again. "Shoot to kill!" Axel shouts to his men, half of which sling their riot weapons and pull their carbines. Axel himself draws a Sentinel IV blaster pistol. Hatred coursed through him, the jedi had been nothing but problems for the man since before he had even helped start the New Sith Order years before. Unknowing of the Baroness being in the starport, his only attention is on the jedi and he paused in his forward momentum to raise the weapon. Anger, pure hatred, all of these coursed through the man's thought, painting his vision red as he prepared to fire, but getting a clear shot was more difficult than he had desired due to the whip-wielding man being in such close proximity. He had to wait, and each second spent waiting was more time for him to burn with anger. The jedi had escaped his holding cells, had disrupted his investigations, and generally made him look like a fool. For that, Noval would pay, and he would pay with his life. Finally, a miniscule opening formed and Axel pulled the trigger. A bolt of red energy kicked from the heavy pistol, racing towards its mark. Little triumphs such as the departing of Dain and the rescue of Riley were small success in the fleeting exercise of survival, Noval knew where his destiny was taking him the moment the neuro-whip tugged. The Jedi Master naturally struggled his arm suddenly twisted violently breaking in several places as he winces in pain, still holding it down with the Force. His second hand grasps the whip holding the bounty hunter from his own doom, "Wake up!" he shouts down to Racra sending a powerful burst of energy toward the being hopping to return him to consciousness. Then something strange happened: Three solid pelts to his back slammed into him. The smell of burnt flesh and blurred vision. Noval's strength left him he tumbled toward the edge, the final bolt from Axel Vichten, and the several from Kincaid sent the Jedi off the edge with the bounty hunter, firmly attached. Noval looked up as his body twisted toward the sky. He smiled, "May the Force be with you too, Ewan Dain. We may meet again." He says as it pours out of his essence and toward the departing /Radiant Whisper/, the ship was in good hands. A new man to take up the mission for peace, a future Jedi himself...perhaps.... One hand comes to lightly rest on Riley's forehead as he speaks, gold eyes watching his face when he speaks her name. Those eyes turn over to the small device he withdraws and Erah's other hand comes over to pluck it from his fingers. "What did you do?" she whispers back to him, dropping the beacon into her pocket. "Why do you have this, Riley? What's happening? Who's coming? Why are you sorry?" There are lots of questions coming from her, her hand falling from his forehead to wrap around his shoulders as he struggles to stand. "No, it isn't safe. For most people." The Two Barbs had orders not to let the Jedi escape, and with Noval being on the ground, or in this case, plummetting into the clouds, they ignore the escaping /Radiant Whisper/ and continue to circle the platform, one does break away and follows the falling Noval down, at least as far as he could and still maintain thrusters, if only to make sure there was not a ship waiting below to catch the man. ".. They're going to deactivate that device by the tim.." Riley becomes dizzy and heavily relies on the woman for support. Riley shakes his head,".. I couldn't help." Riley says to her as he looks the woman in the eyes. He turns his head and takes a deep breath,"We need to go - now. If they attack an ally of the Alliance - I doubt they'll think twice about a Senator and h... A Diplomat.." He goes to reach up and take her hand,"Come on.. The little device will provide us a way out of here." He then moves from her, taking a step away from the action. The Bespin battle below slowly becomes tiny blasts of colored streaks and as Dain watches his eyes remain on Noval, out numbered and and cowardly attacked. He sees the bolts drive into the Jedi's back and he watches in terror as Noval falls to his doom. A feeling of calm and understanding ripples through the body of Ewan Dain and he feels something he's never felt before and hears a calming voice. "May the Force be with you too Ewan Dain." A shiver creeps up his spine. "I will take on your legacy Noval. Rest well." Dain murmurs to himself. "Did you say something Sir?" "Just saying goodbye to a friend." "Fighters are not engaging us. We will be entering hyperspace in 3 - 2 - 1." The world around Ewan Dain has grown larger than he ever imagined and as his sight fills up with streaking white stars he makes a promise to himself, a promise he will dedicate his life to keeping... The blast of energy is something that does wake up the unconcious bounty hunter. Though he is quite groggy from the fact that he seems to have been smashed in the face by a rampaging Rancor that he had somehow insulted. Shaking his head quickly, the man's eyes begin to focus through the haze which runs through his vision. It is around now that he's noticing the fact he's no longer upon solid ground and falling to a place which he most likely does not wish to go too. Eyes widen and there's several expletives, force blades activating at his wrist and he swipes them at his lash, severing his tie with the now doomed Jedi and immediately activating his rocketpack once he brings himself to the proper angle to send himself back up in the direction of the landing pad he was so rudely knocked off of. Kincaid smiles to himself as the Jedi falls tumbling over the side. But he is not content in seeing him go over the side. Stepping to the side of the platform he peers downward, watching Noval fall. Still not quite satisfied, he takes aim and squeezes off a few more shots once he's satisfied that Racra is away from Noval. "Bastard!" He shouts at the falling man, and watches him continue to fall. "Deactivate what device? What are you talking about?" Erah asks, getting up onto her feet with a frown on her face. Her fingers curl tightly around Riley's as he takes her hand and she helps pull him up onto his own feet, preparing to steady him should he start tipping. "You weren't his target, Riley. The Jedi was. And only him. You were, unfortunately, just used to get his attention." That brings a perhaps surprisingly dark look to her face and she turns a sharply angry glare to Kincaid. Death was rapidly closing in on Noval. The fall was not something he would see the end of, if the gravity didn't gradually crush him into nothing the wounds he sustained would certainly be enough. He was holding on just by sheer will. He watches Racra cut himself loose and escape, good. There wouldn't be any more blood on his hands. Slowly the Jedi's body begins to seemingly fade.. as if his existence was being erased from the galaxy. By the time the blaster bolts reach him they pierce through empty clothing that seems to hit with the cross winds and take flight. The body of Noval was gone... Noval's essence had drifted into the next life, he had indeed became one with the Force and with that knowledge he knew why his time had come to an end in the galaxy. The results of the fight is a surprise for Kell as he watches the Jedi get shot quite a few times, soemthing he wasn't expecting. The Corellian always assume their kind usually has a trick or wildcard tucked up the sleeves of their robes but in this case, it wasn't meant to be. Seeing Noval falling over the edge causes Draygo to wince again, this time in pity for the man before his eyes sweeps the landing pad again, seeing that activity will most likely be dying down as the Radiant Whisper escapes to the skies. Axel runs to the edge, just as Kincaid does. Racra had gone over the edge, but it didn't seem to phase him too much. The man was a bounty hunter, and as such took risks. He was shocked however to find that the man was flying back up with the assistance of the jetpack. "Goobye, jedi," Axel says as he turns his attention back towards Noval. "I'll see you in hell." With the jedi dead, his men begin dispursing, securing what was left of the starport. Axel himself, turns to Kincaid. "The jedi is dead, your service to me is fulfilled. I'll tell Maelstrom you served well, but do me a favor, and don't come back to Cloud City." Axel turns to walk away from the landing platform, lighting a cigarette as he walks. Cold eyes, glare about the starport, wondering what else he might have missed before he could get here with the reinforcements. "Now, to prepare for those annoying GA bastards coming to investigate the death of their pawn." "..They've attacked a strong Ally of the Republic. Whether they mean to continue on a rampage of Alliance allys or their servants or not, they've gauranteed that they will be seeing the defense fleet right at the border of their space." Riley says with somewhat of a conviction. He watches the man go and does tend to relax with a sigh as everyone seems to just slow down. He looks to her and pauses at the glare. His hand loosening a moment and coming down to his side if allowed he watches her a moment. The man studies the woman before glancing back,"Can I have the beacon back?" He offers after the few moments of silence. "Makes sense," Erah'lien murmurs quietly as Riley explains. Her fingers uncurl from his as he pulls his hand away, her own dropping to her side. Eyes blink slowly once and the dark look passes, a more passive gaze turned to Riley. "So we need to leave before the military shows up and starts shooting? Good to know. I have things I still need to do before I get shot." At the request for the beacon, her hands lightly pat her pockets before slipping into one of them. The small device is withdrawn and handed over to him. "Do you need a ride?" Once again, the heavily armored individual known as Racra once again comes over the side of the starport and lands at the edge of the landing pad. Looking over the now ruined neuronic whip, the bounty hunter lets out several small curses, sounding slightly odd as they escape from the hidden speakers upon his armor. It all comes to an abrupt end though with a 'Damned Jedi.' as he throws the lash down to chase after the Jedi's.. Robes as the case appears to be. Looking around the immediate area, he gives a bow of his head in the direction of Axel and dusts off his armor, now beginning to walk in the direction which he had dropped his vibrodagger after receiving the knockout punch from the Jedi. Scooping the blade up and deactivating it, he resheathes the weapon and starts to walk slowly in the direction of his ship, both of his hands now grasping upon his belt as the Kama which protects his tail from burns flutters along behind him at the breeze that blows through. "I do. I can find my own if it's inconvenient. I need to leave immediately." Riley says as he looks at the small device the light now yellow. He presses the button, and then again multiple times as if in a sequence and it goes blank. He sighs and brings it to his pocket as he watches her,"Are you.." A pause, as he considers,"Alright?" The jedi was dead, yet there was still much going on in the starport as the security forces were trying to restore order from the chaos. Axel felt drained, his hatred quelled with the death of Noval not having a target to shift to. Had he known about Dain or the Baronness escaping, he'd have ordered one of the fighters overhead to land so he could take the cockpit. Instead though, he just began walking towards the concourse. He had other responsibilities these days, and he had put them off long enough. Maybe things were now over, there was a chance. Maybe he could get back to business as usual for Cloud City. Regardless, he just wanted to get away from the public eye. Glitterstim was awaiting, the master was calling to its slave, and the slave was responding. Erah gives a slight shake of her head at the suggestion that it's inconvenient, one hand rising to his arm to nudge him towards her ship. "We can leave. I just need to make sure that I don't leave anyone behind who can't leave. Climb up on board for now and I'll join you shortly." Her head tilts curiously as he starts pressing the button on the device before she just shrugs, eyebrows arching at his question. "Me? I'm fine. Why?" The question isn't immediately answered as he watches her. He glances to the ship as she nudges him and then looks back to where the Jedi was. A soft sigh, as his eyes go back to her,".. No.. Reason. Ok.. I'll go get prepped." He offers with a bow and then moving at the nudging towards the ship being pointed to. (Riley)
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