The Rebel Faction

Trazu snarled, the control he had over his temper flying away as quick as sand on a Tatoonie sand dune during a sandstorm. "First off..." He snarled darkly. "It was an assassin that killed my wife and it was the K'Satizitus that prevented me from knowing she was in danger. Get your facts straight.
"Second. I just got through talking to Asri. You are barely even a friend to her and the signs are there she's falling for me. Besides...why should she want someone that couldn't even keep his own Admiral from giving him the slip? Resulting in her current state of mind, of which you can't even get near her now can you? She thinks you're a demon, a monster...while she see's Asri and me as her parents." He flashed him a toothy grin. "Kind of...telling...don't you think?"

Close by

It was going well, very well, Vaalm saw. Already their confrontation was drawing attention and they haven't even started trading blows yet. Vaalm did a little more 'tinkering' in Maskis' mind, doubling the emotions the man felt. The Tuezo only waited just long enough to see the start of the fight before slinking off toward Lavality's room...

Lavality's Room

Asri punched in the code and entered Lavality's room, Lavality looking up at her.

"Is something wrong hun?" She asked the girl.

Trazu ducked the punch easily. “If you knew how powerful the K’Satizitus was you’d realize just how strong someone had to be just to keep in check!” He hissed as he got inside Maskis’ range and raked his claws across his opponents chest, but caught mostly cloths. Quickly he moved out of Maskis range again.

He wished he had his sword, but he only had his own claws and the Force. He could use the Force to end this fight here and now, but it wouldn’t be fair to Maskis. So instead he used the Force only to enhance his speed and strength, allowing it to alert him to Maskis’ next move.

He couldn’t get the feeling that something wasn’t quite ‘right’ about this confrontation out of his head though….

Outside Lavality’s room

Vaalm encountered no one in the hallways as he made his way to his targets room. Once he got there though he discovered that the girl wasn’t alone: that female Trandoshan was with her. Now that he was closer to the female, his senses could more accurately pick out the details on her, but what he determined brought up a rush of hate.

Automon! He thought with a barely perceptible hiss, his kinds innate hatred of all things that were programmed beings rising to the surface. With a flash of sharp claws he attacked, drawing three deep, gouges down the Trandoshan’s back. He heard her gasp with pain and watched her collapse to the floor, smiling with satisfaction. Odd, she bled like a being of flesh, but that wasn’t important now.

The girl was in obvious shock, so he quickly entered her mind and ‘fixed’ the scene before her in her minds eye. No longer did she see the Trandoshan prone and bleeding on the floor. No longer did she see a large black six-eyed monster in the doorway. Instead, she only saw a man, the image of which he had gleaned from her mind. A man she knew. A man she once called ‘father’. And her ‘father’ was greeting her with open arms, waiting for a hug…

Hallway

Trazu’s eyes suddenly went wide as a very bad feeling hit him like a krayt dragon. “Asri!” He cried as he, without thinking, slammed Maskis against the wall via the Force and bolted down the hallway.

Lavality’s room

Vaalm smiled as the girl slowly came closer: his ruse was working. Like the imaginary figure the girl only saw, Vaalm had his arms spread, claws ready to snatch the girl and hold her tightly while he fed off her. He had to balance on his hind legs, which was a bit uncomfortable as the room was not designed for a creature that stood ten feet tall bipedially meaning he had to stand in a half bent over position to do this, but Vaalm tolerated it.

Just a little closer… He thought to himself. And the deed will be done…

Hallway

Trazu raced down the hallway, his heart sick and weak. The last time he felt like this was when he was told TZosha had been poisoned and that there was no cure. Now he feared history was repeating itself. Curse him for being distracted by that fool! He knew something wasn’t right about the situation and he failed to break off the confrontation at the very start.

Asri…please be alive…. Trazu thought as he neared the room the Force was guiding him too. He had only just made her realize that it was possible for her to be loved by someone and to lose her now…he honestly wasn’t sure he would be able handle the despair this time.

The door was open, but there was a large black creature just beyond it. He saw Asri on the floor, three large gashes across her back: the only indication that she was still alive was the occasional twitch of her body. The creature’s attention was focused elsewhere though and it was then that Trazu realized this was Lavality’s room. This meant that Lavality was the target and that Asri had just been in the way: it was only a small comfort though and not enough to tame the rage inside him.

Calling upon the Force, he directed a Force blast at the creatures back, sending it flying to the opposite side of the room. Trazu realized too late that Lavality was close to the thing, but fortunately she only got knocked to one side and seemed to be alright, so he kept his focus on the creature. The creature was quick to recover and it screamed at him. Trazu felt something slam against his mental shields with such force that he took a physical step back. Odd, that didn’t ‘feel’ like the Force, but he can figure it out later what he was just assaulted with. With mental powers similar to his own, Trazu quickly decided not to risk ‘mental combat’ like he did with the dark spirit on his trip and used the Force instead to slam the creature repeatedly against the wall. He only stopped when he heard a plea for mercy from the creature itself.

“I yield!” It said, now cowering in the corner. “Don’t kill me…please!”

“Give me one good reason not to!” Trazu hissed, not satisfied with punishing the creature just yet.

“Information…I can give information.” It said. “Information on the one that wants her…” It pointed at Lavality. “Dead.”

Vaalm was still trying to figure out what had gone wrong with his plan. How did the short one know he was here? That ultimately didn't matter though, as the short one had subdued him rather effectively and Vaalm now know on a personal level just how effective this 'Force' thing really was. It had given him a new found respect and sense of humility and one he won't forget anytime soon.

He looked at 'Trazu' and the girl in turn, before complying with their demands. "It was a Trandoshan, nearly twice as tall as you." He nodded his head at Trazu. "Covered with scars. His name I know not, but I can 'show' you what he looks like more clearly...if you will allow it."

***

Before Trazu could reply a couple of Jedi entered the room, their hands on the hilts of their sabers. "We got it under control" Trazu told him. "But please...get Asri to Medical before it's to late."

The Jedi nodded and between them and some help with the Force, they carried Asri's unconscious form out of the room. With the constant physical reminder of Asri's condition no longer there, Trazu could focus more clearly on the matter at hand, though he desperately wanted to be at her side. "Let me guess...you'll show an image of him in our head." The creature nodded. "How do we know you won't put some garbage into our heads like you had to have done with Maskis?" Trazu hissed.

"You rightfully beat me..." The creature said, it's head low. "You prevented me from completing my task and captured me. A Tuezo's honor in such a situation is to sell out it's employer, for the sake of it's own life.

"We are rare." It continued. "Myself only one in galaxy I believe, so every life precious."

Trazu frowned and looked at Lavality, whom he was glad to see was back to her old self now. "Do you trust it enough to do this? Or has what it already told is enough to give us a good idea who this bastard is that keeps sending Bounty Hunter's after you?" He asked her.

(ooc: this post marks my 1k post count mark! *whoots*)

"Well I guess we won't be needing that 'image' of yours." Trazu said to the Tuezo. "What to do with you..."

"Let me go?" It said hopefully.

"Not likely." Trazu with a snarl. "You may have not succeeded in killing your target, but you still committed a crime that you will need to be punished for."

"Very well...not long sentence for destroying an automon..." It replied with a tone of resignment.

The word 'automon' threw him a bit. "I am not talking about any droids you may have smashed, I'm referring to you assulting Lady Asri." He said with a growl.

"No lady...metal servent she is."

"What are you talking about!?" Trazu pinned the Tuezo against the wall with the Force.

"You don't know? Can't tell?" It said cooly. "She is made of metal, at least partly. Can't enter her mind because of metal. Tuezo hate metal sentients."

Trazu wasn't sure how to react to that news. While he didn't trust this...Tuezo...he found himself believing it when it came to Asri. Yet at the same time it was hard to believe, as she wasn't that much older then he was, meaning their innate regeneration abilties would have made it hard for any cybernetic parts to literally 'stay in place'. "What part of her is 'metal'." He demanded.

"Not one place..." The Tuezo said. "All over in very small bits. Hard to see with own eye without help. I only know this because it makes her heat signture unusual for your species. Can you let go now?"

Realizing he still had the thing pinned against the wall, Trazu let go, satisfied yet disturbed by the exchange. Oh Asri...what had been done to you? Is this why you kept your past so tightly to yourself? He still wasn't 100% sure this creature was telling the truth though. "The medics will likely confirm what you told me." He said to the creature. "In the meantime, until we can figure out who should put you on trail for your crimes, you will be placed in a holding cell."

He led the Tuezo to the holding cell area and suggested that only Jedi that had practiced mental defences even go near the thing. Though it acted subdued now, Trazu had little doubt it would take any opportunity to escape. Once the Tuezo was secured, he made his way to the medic bay, dreading what he'll see and have confirmed...