"Ha!" smiled Daminga, "Beat ya again!"

Aphomos just frowned, still not understanding how he was losing.  Squall was looking over the back of their seats watching the game nd Darr was in and out of dreamland.  Trix had walked by a little bit ago and waved at the three of them and something like a smile appeared on her lips. 

What the.. thought Daminga.

"Hey, man, what are you blushing at?" asked Aphomos with a curious look. 

"Nothing....I think.  Another game?  Squall, you want in?"

Just then, they heard a comlink beep on.  They all looked over at their squad leader.  His comlink had awoken him from another cat nap.  With a groan of impatience he flipped it open and read the message typed out on it.  Darr suddenly stood up and started down the aisle on the other side of the compartment.  He glanced at his three Raiders and threw a finger pointing it towards the cantina area of the ship. 

"Alright boys, looks like somethings happening," said Squall as he got up and started after their squad leader with the other two in tow.

The doorway to the cantina area was strangely packed with all different types of creatures and species.  As they pushed their way through the crowd, the crowd suddenly was no more.  Daminga looked around the circle of onlookers, wondering what they were staring at. 

"What is this all about?" Darr asked Trix and Eviscare, who Daminga suddenly noticed standing in the center of the ring.  Eviscare had his foot on a guy laying on the ground on this stomach. 

This ought to be good, Daminga thought.



-----------------------
Raiders
TRP/LCP Daminga/3SQD/1PLT/1COM/1RGT/1BAT/VEA/VE/Tadath


And when he gets to Heaven,
To Saint Peter he will tell,
"One more soldier reporting sir,
I've served my time in hell."

"Come on you sons of bitches! Do you want to live forever?" Sergeant Daly, USMC, Belleau Wood 1918

(OOC: You make her sound like a prostitute, every time without fail.

P.S. Why's she look EXACTLY the same as my character? )

-----------------------
NightStalkers
XO/CPT Merrick/VEA/TADATH/VE [CotE][SoA][CoH]
SL/CPT Merrick/3SQD/2PLT/1COMP/1BAT/1RGT/Tadath/VEA/VE
Verastinian Republic - Minister of Subversion
-----------------------
To thy protection fear and sorrow flee, and those that weary are of light find rest in thee.
If you love something, set it free. If it doesn't come back, hunt it down and kill it.

Gio walked out of the ring victoriously, maybe a little too happy that he just beat the crap out of Typex. Sam and Zafo glanced at each other and entered the ring with the 'Goons cheering them on. Just as Gio was about to start it, a beeping sound went off in the hangar. Everyone fell silent and looked around. Zafo perked up when he remembered.

"Oh, that's me," he said, pulling a metal device off of his waist. "Giovanni, Garet, go to the cockpit we're nearing Euceron." Gio was more than upset when ZaFo said this, but Garet was thankful he didn't have to witness more fine soldiers beating each other, especially his Squad Leader.

As the two took their seats in the cockpit, the ship rumbled out of hyperspace. Euceron loomed in the window. "Welcome to the Galactic Games," Garet said with a smile. Gio looked over and smirked back. Fifteen minutes later and they were in the atmosphere. Traffic was starting to build up for the games, but it was nowhere near what it would be when the games start. Gio received the landing designation, and plugged it into the navigation computer.

The yacht followed many other ships that were going to landing pads. The majority of the ships were much smaller, probably freighters, and they were swerving off to what looked like an enormous landing pad used for events such as the Galactic Games. However, instead of following suite, the yacht stayed on course to a different landing area. Up ahead was a large wall full of horizontal openings. The yacht veered itself into one of these openings.

"What's up with this?" Gio asked. Garet couldn't respond because he had no idea. At this point, Zafo walked in and leaned over Garet's chair.

Without missing a beat he asked "What's up with this? Where are all the ships?"

Gio and Garet just stayed silent as the yacht bumped to the solid ground. "Let's go outside..." ZaFo stated as the three leaders left the cockpit.

The rest of the Squad was just coming up from the cargo bay. "Grab your things," Gio said as the hatch to the outside opened. Bright light flooded in and temporarily blinded the eyes that had been in the darkness of space. ZaFo, Giovanni, and Garet were greeted by a droid as they stepped out.

"Welcome to Docking Bay 2174 in our Luxury Sector. I am DBD-2174, may I be of assistance?" the droid asked in its mechanical voice.

"Luxury Sector?" Zafo asked.

"Yes," the droid responded, "Your yacht's ship signature indicated that you were traveling in a luxury ship. We on Euceron like to treat our most important guests with only the most pleasing service possible. We have placed you in private hangar to assure safety of your vessel. Is this not what you would like?"

Gio decided to take initiative here. "No no, this is exactly what we want. Thank you droid." He looked over to ZaFo and made a face that said "Oh yes."

Zafo looked back to the droid. "Where do we go from here?"

"At the end of hall, as you exit the hangar, there is a shuttle bay. A private shuttle shall take you and your belongings to your private suite. Unfortunately, if you wish to leave, you will have to take public transportation. Unless, of course, you brought a shuttle of your own."

"Just one more question," Zafo started again, "What is all this costing?"

The droid seem taken aback. "These services are free for the duration of the Galactic Games. As I stated before, we on Euceron appreciate our important guests. We believe that our patrons deserve a reward."

The three 'Goons smiled at each other. They knew they had it all now. "Thanks DBD," ZaFo said. "We'll take it from here."
 
-----------------------
DarkDragoons
+ Advance Recon Commandos {ARC} +

FTL/SGT Garet Daimun/2SQD/1PLT/1COM/1RGT/1BAT/Tadath/VEA [ES2C]

"I don't need a plan. Plans are for scientists, and builders. I've got moxie... and guns."
-Jennifer Mui, Mercenaries

Euceron was certainly one of the more beautiful desert-planets Rizzit had been to. Despite it being a desert planet, there still was grass and other shubberies growing here and there on the planet. The city of Eusebus was no exception to this. After taking a good amount of time to look around, Rizzit had finally reached Euceron Palace. The palace was similar to the Palace on Naboo in most respects. Obviously, the climate wasn't anywhere near the cool temperature on Naboo; there was however many statues and artwork throughout the hallways.

Upon entering the palace, Rizzit was immediately shown to the main chambers where he was instructed to wait. While he was waiting for the Ruling Power to arrive, his comlink began to beep. When Rizzit picked it up, a small LED was flashing red. Rizzit activated the comlink.

"Go ahead, this is Rizzit."

"Rizz, this is Kairo. I'm here on Euceron. We made it here relatively well, but one of my squad members may find himself among the dead soon..."

"Why do I get the feeling that I shouldn't ask why?" Rizzit joked.

"Prolly 'cause you shouldn't. We should meet up and hope that the others get here soon. My squad is on the main boulevard and will stay there for the time being."

"I'm here at Euceron Palace. I'm in the main chambers right now, waiting for the Ruling Power to arrive. I was hoping that I could get into our quarters until the rest of you arrived, but I'm thinking that won't happen. I'm aware that two of the squads took public transport, so they'll prolly arrive with the rest of the tourists."

"Alright Rizz, I'll see you there shortly." Kairo said as he closed the channel.

Rizzit noticed a rather large mirror in the main chambers, he took this opportunity to look himself over. At first glance, he looked like an elegant citizen of some other planet. His robes were made completely of silk and other precious materials. He definately wouldn't pass for a Euceron citizen, but no one would think he was an undercover security gaurd.

One Hour later.....

Kairo walked into the Main Chambers and met up with Rizzit. He no sooner walked into the room and began to laugh immediately. Rizzit looked around for something silly, but when he had no luck: just stared at Kairo for a bit.

"By any chance is something funny?" Rizzit asked, getting slightly irritated.

Kairo kept laughing, but managed to say "I'm....sorry....Rizz." While he laughed. "You....just....look....like....a.....t.....tourist." Once he finished, he started laughing harder.

At this point, Rizzit was quite irritated. "Well at least I don't look like a suspicious character in a black cloak."

Kairo was about to make a witty remark, but found himself interrupted. A masked character dressed in red and green entered the room with a blaster rifle armed and ready. "Nobody move! I want your weapons on the floor and hands where I can see them!"
 
-----------------------
Colonel Rizzit BlackHeart
Wildcard Platoon Commander
Phoenix Company Commander
Army of the Vast Empire
CC/PC/COL
Rizzit/1PLT/1COMP/1BAT/1RGT/VEA/VE[OPE][OTH][EW1][RCoD][CRoM][CoH][OPA][SoA][SoS][SCP]
Everything expressed truly from your heart and soul is as pure as gold in the minds of anyone who listens!"--Rizzit

Garet was the last one to enter the luxury suite. Everyone was acting like kids in a candy store, staring all googley eyed at the furnishings and actual space. It was at least four times bigger than Garet's condo back on Tadath, with two floors, ten bedrooms, a kitchen, three bathrooms, and a very large lounging area reminiscent of their place in Pau City. Bags full of discrete clothing had been thrown all over the room in the excitement of such treatment. Gio and Garet seemed to be the only ones who weren't all giddy and running around.

"Where'd ZaFo go?" Garet asked as he threw his bag on the floor.

"Rizzit got in contact. Seems like we arrived just on time, huh?" Gio responded. He seemed a little more sober.

Garet gave a little grunt to acknowledge the fact. "I'm gonna go take my Orbitblade out for a spin. Make sure it still runs. See ya round," Garet spoke nonchalantly towards Gio. He didn't want the responsibility of babysitter right now.

"What a second!" Gio said in protest. "Don't leave me here with these guys, they're crazy! Garet, wa- Garet!" He had already left.

---

Garet soared through the sky in his small airspeeder. Above, ships were coming out of space and into the atmosphere, assumingly coming to the games. Euceron was going to be a lot more crowded in a couple days. But for now, Garet had the skies mostly to himself. He pushed the throttle farther and gaining speed.

The sands of Euceron waved below Garet as he traveled away from the city. Occasionally, a speeder or swoop would pass below him on it's way to the city. After a good five minutes, he landed the Orbitblade onto the sandy surface. Hot air immediately made Garet sweat as he stepped out. Perhaps a suit was too much for a desert planet.

Garet leaned up against his speeder in thought. He was debating whether or not to fulfill his duty, or fulfill his temptation. Almost as if the desert sand answered his question, Garet decided what to do. He hopped in and flew back to the city.

---

The streets of Euceron were already set up for the games. Colorful banners hung everywhere and street vendors lined the streets in search for customers. Garet stood out like a sore thumb, unfortunately. He had expected people to dress a little nicer than they did, but Garet supposed hometown pride had taken over every species' minds. What a headache, Garet thought as he paused to stare into the spectrum of color.

Going back on task, he continued on his route. Soon enough, he had reached his destination. He was standing in a very large plaza that was covered in cement, metal, and neon signs. A shadow barely reached his feet; a large building loomed in front of him, almost erasing the skyline. At least 30 different languages were stamped on it someplace, all saying the same thing. In Galactic Basic, it read "Stadium Eight". Without much pause, Garet walked inside.

Like the city outside, the Arena was lavished with all different colors and banners, but unlike the city, it was almost completely empty. There was a counter at the back of the main hall area with an enormous banner over it. It had pictures of all the past winners of the Sparring Event, and left room for this year's winner. Garet felt intimidated, being in the "presence" of some of the Galaxy's greatest, but walked up to the counter in hopes of putting his picture up on the banner.

A droid stood behind the counter awaiting the talk with Garet.

"Hello, I am SD-08, welcome to Stadium Eight. May I be of assistance?" The droid sounded similar to the one in the private hangar.

Garet slowly took of his sunglasses and put them on the inside pocket of his shirt. "Yes, you may," he answered the droid, trying to sound suave and tough at the same time. "I'm here to participate in the Sparring Event."

"Are you certain? A human so young has never participated in such a dangerous event."

Garet ignored the "youth" comment, took a deep breath, and continued. "Yes, I'm certain."

"Right this way," the droid said as it started to trot off.

An hour and a few waivers and disclaimers later, Garet stepped outside. The sunlight had almost completely faded away. He pulled his glasses out of his pocket and slid them on. The walk back would be a long one.
 
-----------------------
DarkDragoons
+ Advance Recon Commandos {ARC} +

FTL/SGT Garet Daimun/2SQD/1PLT/1COM/1RGT/1BAT/Tadath/VEA [ES2C]

"I don't need a plan. Plans are for scientists, and builders. I've got moxie... and guns."
-Jennifer Mui, Mercenaries

Should I go after her and stop her&or should I just wait. That question kept running through Leon's head when he found out that Sena was a thief. She could get seriously hurt, and if something happened to her, Andyr would be left with nothing. On the other hand, Leon barely new them, he could just report them to the authorities and have nothing to do with either of them. But, that wasn't Leon.

What the hell did I get myself into. Leon thought as he stood up from where he was sitting. Andyr was passed out, and you couldn't blame the kid either. It was his first big meal in a long long time. The rest of the Night Stalkers were in dreamland, Swift letting out the occasional snore every once in awhile.Better hurry up before something bad happens to her.

~Twenty minutes later~

Dammit this place is huge, I'll never find her, Leon thought as he walked into the third restaurant in a row. It was a nice place, but not packed. It was smaller then the restaurant they ate at before, but different. There were private booths on either side of the restaurant, and the rest were small little tables for two. Leon guessed that this was a place where couples could go to relax, and spend some time together. A few couples could be seen eating together, and most of the booths were empty. There were no living waiters, all of them were droids. Just when Leon was about to leave he saw three nicely dressed men walk in the restaurant. The way they dressed was nice, but there facial expressions didn't look too good. They looked like they were in there late forty's.

The one in the middle had black hair with gray sideburns, and black eyes. He was a bit chubby and was around 5'9. The one on the right had black hair and brown eyes. He looked somewhat like the man in the middle, probably brothers. The man on the left was around 6'1. He was skinny with very sharp features. His hair was brown and he had black eyes. They were an odd trio, all of them wearing golden gowns with silver trims. As soon as they walked into their private booth, Sena sneaked in. Leon stood there for a second and realized what he just saw.

Leon ran quickly to the booth knowing that something bad was about to happen. The first thing he saw when the door slid open was two men lying on the floor unconscious. One of the men was the skinny one and the other was one of the heavy sets. Leon looked to the left and saw the second heavy set holding a knife to Senas throat. He hadn't noticed Leon yet and Leon took this to his advantage. "Hey asshole." As soon as the man turned around Leon gave him a good hard hit right in the nose. The man fell back words into the wall, and as soon as he was about to get up and take a slash at Leon, he kicked the man's head back into the wall knocking him out. As if it were nothing Leon looked up at Sena with an angry expression on his face.

"What the hell were you thinking? You could of gotten yourself killed! Now lets get out of here before someone shows up." Leon grabbed her by the wrist and forcefully pulled her out of the booth. A couple of minutes later, the two of them found themselves sitting in the back of a Cantina.

Leon looked up at Sena with an angry expression. "Now lets get one thing straight. As long as I'm taking care of you're brother, or better yet. As long as you're on this ship with me, you won't be steeling a thing. And I mean it. If I catch you steeling one thing, I'll report you to the authorities." Sena looked down at the table, she was mad. She took a second to answer. "And why do you care so much?" Sena said. "Because if something happens to you, then your brother will have no one to care for him. He'll be left alone with no family and friends." What Leon said was partially true, but another reason was because he liked Sena. His answer seemed to affect her, and it calmed her down. "Your right. But then how else are we supposed to make a living?"
"It's called a job." Leon said with a smirk.

"But then wher-" Sena was cut off by Leon who quickly stood up. "What do you want to drink." Leon said with a crooked crooked smile.


-----------------------
NightStalkers
TRP/LPC Leon/3SQD/2PLT/1CMP/1RGT/1BAT/Tadath/VEA
And so we go.

Zafo paced back and forth. His pace quickened as time passed. "It's been four hours, how much longer do you expect they'll keep us waiting?"

"I'd assume that would be about 10 seconds longer." A female voice said from behind Zafo.

Zafo turned around to meet the Euceron woman standing behind him. Rizzit and Kairo got up from the sofa they decided to sit on to greet their hostess.

"Not to be rude, but who are you?" Rizzit asked.

"Concetta Sarno. My ancestor was Liviani Sarno. You may have heard of her in history books. I'm ashamed to admit being related to her, even though it was so very long ago."

Rizzit looked closely at Concetta. Her voice sounded sincere, but her face said different. Having read up on Euceron History before coming, he was of course familiar with the crimes of Liviani Sarno. Although she was never officially caught, the crimes against her were quite serious. Liviani Sarno was involved in a plot to discredit several Old Republic Senators by linking them to gambling at the games. As a supporter of the Commerce Guilds, she hatched her plan to destroy the careers of those Senators who were voting against a proposal that would give the Guild control of much of the banking in the Core Worlds. She had finally been caught by a team of Jedi at the end of the illegal podrace in the Great Dordon Caves, right outside the city. The only reason she was allowed to go free, was because the one person who could corroborate the story of the Jedi refused to testify. Concetta closely resembled her ancestor, and Rizzit seriously had hoped she was noting like her ancestor. That was centuries ago, and ten generations in the Sarno family. Things were different in this day and age, but crime was not an entity that didn't exist. It was everywhere.

Regaining his state of mind, Rizzit addressed Concetta. "May I assume then Concetta that your family has been on the Ruling Power since your Ancestor's time?"

"No Colonel. I was allowed back on this past year in hopes that any bad blood ended with Liviani. She may not have been caught, or the people might not have wanted to convict her: but either way, we don't support her actions while she served on the Ruling Power."

Rizzit was taken aback at the mention of his rank. "Have we met before? How is it you know my rank?"

"Colonel Blackheart, we have not met before. The Ruling Power is aware of the commanders that have been sent to help us though. This information is not being released, but we were able to match a photo of you to your face." Concetta stepped over to Kairo then Zafo. "You must be Sergeants Kairo and Zafo?"

The two nodded, and Kairo finally butted in. "Concetta, to get to the point: What is the real problem going on here? You have nearly two platoons disguised as spectators for the games, but why are we here? We were told details would be discussed in-person once we arrived, and now's as good a time as any."

Concetta was about to say something, but she caught a glimpse at the body on the floor and went quiet. She didn't even move, it was like she was paralyzed. Something about the body had really bothered her, and they all knew it. They also knew they wouldn't get any information out of her at the present, so they didn't even bother to ask. One thing was certain though: there seemed to be a strange connection (other than blood) between Concetta and Liviani Sarno as well as the dead body on the floor. There was more here than it seemed.

"Concetta? You okay?" asked Zafo.

Concetta shook her head. "Oh, yes. I must've gotten caught in a day-dream. Sorry. Now you want to know why you're here? A reasonable question. Euceron has not played host to the games since that time shortly after the battle of Naboo. During that game we had out share of problems. With no thanks to my ancestor, we even had a timekeeper die."

Concetta paused again. "I'd like to think that we live in a different day in age than the last time that the games were held here. I've checked into the games that were held in the past century on other planets, and they've had they're share of problems. Our security system was not what it used to be, so we've requested your help. On behalf of the 10 members of the Ruling Power, I thank you from the bottom of my heart."

Rizzit stared at Concetta again. She had that look on her face. Her voice was sincere, but her face was not. She looked like she was saying one thing, and thinking another.

"You will be free to use your own methods. All that we ask of you is to ensure the safety of everyone on Euceron: visitor and local. If another incident happens on Euceron, we may just lose our ability to host the games here; even though it may be once every 10 generations or so, it still is an honor."

Rizzit nodded at Zafo and Kairo. "I assure you we will do everything in our power to keep everyone safe. Thank you for your time. Would it be asking too much for you to show us to our quarters? There will be about fifty of us."

"I see. Very well Colonel. Follow me." Concetta said as she led them out of the room. Rizzit shot Kairo a worried look that said he didn't trust her. He didn't think she was going to try and kill them on the way, but he did believe there was something not right about her. She would probably have a small part to play in the events that would unfold over the next few days.

-----------------------
Colonel Rizzit BlackHeart
Wildcard Platoon Commander
Phoenix Company Commander
Army of the Vast Empire
CC/PC/COL
Rizzit/1PLT/1COMP/1BAT/1RGT/VEA/VE[OPE][OTH][EW1][RCoD][CRoM][CoH][OPA][SoA][SoS][SCP]
Everything expressed truly from your heart and soul is as pure as gold in the minds of anyone who listens!"--Rizzit

    Phenix deactivated his comlink and turned to the rest of the squad. As if they had been prepared all along, they waited anxiously, waiting for Phenix to relay the order.

    "Okay girls, we're being relocated to our position that we'll be staying at for the duration of this mission," Phenix informed. "Gather up your things and get back on the ship." With that, the squad collected themselves and headed for the docking bay.

    After the final member had entered the freighter, Phenix took control of the pilot's position and closed the ramp. Ryan, who was idly standing in the doorway, looked a little shocked at the situation.

    "You're going to try to fly this thing? Do you know what you're..."

    Phenix cut Ryan of and simply responded without emotion, "I've been working with vehicles since before you even knew what one was." Looking back on his previous years, Phenix recognized several components of the console. "Look...not only is this model's dash identical to the 350 freighters', but this model is all Corellian design. A few modifications, of course, but nothing I can't handle."

    Ryan seemed confident enough in Phenix's abilities after hearing his little rant. He left Phenix alone in the cockpit and took a seat somewhere in the back...Phenix couldn't tell where, but it didn't matter. He got the thumbs-up from the docking security and lifted the ship out of the docking area. This ship is a beast...but a fast one, Phenix thought to himself, trying to holdin his excitement. It had been a very long time since Phenix had piloted a ship, and he craved this chance to stretch his wings so to speak.

    With a little maneuvering, Phenix managed to get the ship into a flying lane and joined the rest of the traffic. Due to the crowding, however, he couldn't go very fast at all, even with the additional lanes open. Just then, Slash came from the common room and into the cockpit.

    "Hey I found something interesting you might want to look at. Now, I'm no electronics master, but I know what this is," he said. He handed Phenix an active device, and Phenix recognized it instantly.

    "A tracking device? Who could have put this on board?" Phenix incurred, as he somehow managed to dodge a wayward pilot. "Crazy bastard! Anyway, where did you find it?"

    Recalling the last few moments, Slash told Phenix the location. "Inside one of the secret compartments that I found way in the back. I know we're not supposed to be snooping there, but good thing I did huh?"

    Phenix suddenly grew a little irritated at the squad. Very sternly, he gave Slash a direct objective. "You put that back! For all we know Kairo could have put it there to make sure his ship didn't 'run away', should someone decide they'd like to commandeer it. I want everyone to stay out of there...consider it a direct order from Kairo!"

    Embarassed at himself, Slash immediately ran to the back to replace the tracking device. Why don't these people listen?

*-----*

    Kairo saw his ship coming in from his side of the window. He smiled, reluctantly admitting Phenix's abilities inside his head. He turned to the docking area reserved for the royal palace inhabitants and joined his squad, who were coming out from the ramp.

    "I trust there were no issues," Kairo said with a half-smile. Taking a quick glace at his ship, he saw no problems whatsoever. This relieved him more than he would have expected, and he continued walking with the squad, who were bringing their stuff out of the ship now. "I'll take you guys right to your quarters. You'll be happy to know that there's more than enough room for all of us, and each squad gets their own corridor."

    The squad looked at each other, realizing that this mission was just getting better and better. After several moments of walking, the squad dispersed into their own rooms to put down their belongings. Phenix took Kairo aside and prepared himself to ask him about the tracking device...

    "Well I sure as hell didn't put it there, although it would have been a good idea. The ship was supposed to be locked down, so I don't know how anyone got inside," Kairo said inquisitively. "It must have been a secrity check crew. Whoever it is, they know where we are now. What bothers me more is that they know where my secret compartments are..."

    Phenix could hardly believe that this was the biggest concern on Kairo's mind about the whole situation. "I think we should leave it there and set up some sort of trap. We could take the ship somewhere else and wait for them to show up there," Phenix suggested. "I doubt they know what we look like, so we could stay undercover. If we take them where we want, we have control of the situation."

    Kairo considered it for a moment, a little hesitant to agree. He didn't want the tracking device anywhere NEAR his ship, but they probably knew where it was now, anyway. "Give me a while to think about it and plan it out with the other squad leaders. We're supposed to be securing the games, not hunting down spies. This could take more time than we have to spare."

    Phenix simply nodded and turned to check out his room. He dropped his bags on the ground and left them unpacked. Something tells me I might need to stay mobile...
 
-----------------------
Jester Squad

Corporal Phenix
Storm Platoon
Army of the Vast Empire
TRP/CPL Phenix/1SQD/2PLT/1COM/1BAT/1REG/VEA/VE [LoR]

"Let me help you tie the rope around your neck..."

  With the entire help of both Jester and the Dark Dragoons, the entire apartment area had been swept for any intrusive devices. With a total of forty pieces of equipment piled onto the middle table, everyone took a moment to relax. "So what do we do with them?" Garet asked.

  "Leave that to me," Kairo said with a grin. Everyone turned to look at him. Leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, Kairo seemed to be napping, but anyone that had been around him long enough knew better.

  "How so?" Rizzit asked who was sitting at one of the many chairs in the room. After the first twenty devices had been found, he, Giovanni, and Andrew had started deactivating them. Some bits and pieces of metal on the floor showed that some of them had been too temperamental and had just been smashed.

  Brining his head up from his chest, Kairo opened his eyes, blinking slightly from the sunlight coming in from the windows above, and pushed himself away from the wall. Walking through the group of people, Kairo picked up the cloak he had thrown off earlier and placed it on the floor. Pushing the pile of electronics off the table, Kairo dropped them onto his cloak. Wrapping them up inside securely, he hoisted it over his shoulder and said, "I'll be making a special delivery. Anyone care of join me?" No one really raised their hands. "Phenix, Garet, you're with me then."

  Turning around, Kairo began to leave when Garet asked, "Me? You haven't really even met me."

  Talking over his shoulder, Kairo asked, "Is it ok with you Zafo?"

  "We'll just be unpacking for a bit. Anything important going on tonight Rizzit?" Zafo asked.

  "Not tonight. We're just settling in and checking things out. Tomorrow the other two squads should arrive." Rizzit looked at Kairo's back with a ruminative expression. Kairo had been acting strange recently. Almost like a completely different person. "Everything all right Kairo?" He asked as if no one else was around.

  Turning around, Kairo smiled, face and expression changing back to the person they all knew, the facade. "Just fine. I'm just delivering a present. You two coming?" Kairo asked, opening the doors to leave. Phenix and Garet had to run to catch up with him down the hall. They walked in relative silence for a while, Garet plainly wondering why he was even there, and Phenix not caring. To him, being back in the room would have been boring. After being around Kairo long enough, he knew something interesting always tended to happen, though most times more dangerous than fun. "So, you liking the Dark Dragoons?" Kairo asked Garet, turning down a hallway. He wasn't exactly sure where he was going, but after roaming the palace for ten minutes, he knew his way around at least the west wing.

  "I enjoy as much as someone can enjoy being in the army." Garet responded.

  With a silent laugh, Kairo nodded. They walked the rest of the way in basic silence. Phenix and Garet exchanged words, also sizing each other up in a competitive but friendly manner. Rolling his eyes, Kairo pushed open a door and entered what look to be the exact replica of the dormitories they had just left, except it didn't have anyone inside it. "Alright, we made it." Dropping his cloak on a table, Kairo let it flap open. "We're going to put these little things all over this place. Shouldn't take but a few minutes. No need to make it a nice job. No one is staying here. Just put them everywhere. We're going to make whoever put these in our rooms a little confused."

  "But, aren't they shut off?" Garet asked.

  "Yes, but I think they may be able to be remotely activated, so let's hurry." Garet and Phenix were both grinning. Now that they knew Kairo's idea, they found it quite funny. It didn't take the three of them to spread the devices through out the area. Each of them just went back and grabbed a few when they ran out. Since they didn't know when the things would be turned back on, they went about their task running. Once finished, Kairo took a deep breath to catch his breath. "Alright, good job. Let's get back." Grabbing his cloak, Kairo wrapped it over his shoulders again and left the room. Once Garet and Phenix were in the halls, he shut the doors and led them back to their real rooms.

  "So, what did you do with them?" Giovanni asked, lounging on a chair in the main area with Zafo across from him. Everyone else were in their rooms.

  Dropping down into a chair of his own, Garet started to explain what happened to his two senior officers. Nodding to Zafo, as if to say, "I brought him back alive," Kairo turned to Phenix and said, "I'll be in my room down the middle hallway. Make sure everyone from Jester behaves." Phenix grinned. "See you guys later." Kairo said as he left the main room and entered the commander's hall. Taking an immediate right, Kairo pushed open his door then shut it behind him. "Great Kairo, now they all think you're insane. Let's try not to show them the real you quite yet, shall we?" Realizing he was talking with himself, Kairo shook his head and walked towards his refresher unit.

***Thirty Minutes Later***

  Rubbing his hair with a soft towel which had been provided, Kairo dropped onto his bed and let out a sigh. A nice shower always seemed to relax him, no matter what happened, and a soft bed waiting for him helped as well. Unzipping his bag that Phenix had brought from his ship, Kairo pulled out another pair of clothes and got into them. Sliding on his weapons, he left his room after he decided to check up on his ship. Entering the main chamber, he found it was empty. A minute later he was once again walking through the palace walls. Kairo wasn't so much surprised that a tracking device had found its way into one of his ship secret compartments as to the fact that it had happened so soon. Good thing I left one of compartment slightly open, otherwise whoever delivered the gift may have found some of the more important ones, like the weapons cache.

  Once to his ship, Kairo ran up the entrance ramp and closed it behind him. Over the next twenty minutes, he checked every single place on the ship for any other surprises. After finding nothing, he went back to the compartment that had had the tracking device and pushed back its cover. It was only a small area, just big enough to slide in a small bag of whatever it was you wanted to hide. It was also the most obvious one of his hiding spots. Grinning, Kairo picked up the tracking device, closed the compartment back up, and walked back towards the entrance ramp. Many other ships were docked at the palace's hanger bay. Picking one that looked particularly traveled, he checked to make sure no one was watching then ran up its entrance ramp. Feeling slightly guilty, Kairo found a nice little spot and placed the device behind a few boxes. Sneaking out of the ship, he decided it was time to call it a night. Whoever was tracking or trying to listen in on the squads wasn't going to be too happy when they found out he-or she Kairo thought-had been found out.

  The trip back to the rooms was as uneventful as the trip to the hanger bay. Upon his arrival, Rizzit appeared from the commander's hall and asked, "Where've you been?"

  "Just checking to make sure my ship was alright. Anything interesting go on here?" Kairo asked, dropping into one of the chairs.

  "Nothing. We really don't have anything to do besides get a lay of the land, wait for the other squads to arrive, and wait for the games to begin." Rizzit responded, sitting in another chair. Picking up a glass from the tray from earlier, Rizzit poured himself a drink and asked, "You want any?"

  "No thank you. I'm good. You know. I never cared for waiting. Would it be too far out of line to say, take a look around the palace later tonight?" Kairo said subtly.

  Rizzit seemed to catch on. "It depends. You plan on doing anything fun?"

  "Naw, just to see what the place looks like in the moon light. I've heard the gardens are quite pretty, along with the Northern wing." The northern wing was where the Ruling Powers' quarters were held.

  "I have no problem with it," Rizzit said. Double talking seemed as easy to him as speaking normally. "Maybe you could take a few of the troopers with you. I'm sure they'll want to see the sights as well." Rizzit took a sip of his drink.

  "I'll pick a few out. I'm thinking Garet, Andrew," Kairo counted them off on his fingers as he continued, "Giovanni, and Slash would enjoy it particularly." Garet and Gio will be quite helpful. Not sure if they have any experience, but I trust Giovanni; and Garet seems like he knows what he's doing. Andrew will be helpful if we have any slicing to do. Hopefully nothing hard, since he isn't a slicer or anything, just has experience. And Slash is always helpful in a pinch. Happens to also know a thing or two about slicing. Kairo though absently.

  "Yes, they always did have an appreciation for that type of thing. So, when are you heading out?" Rizzit asked.

  "Oh, probably not till later. I mean, we want the moon to be well risen, so we get the best affect." Kairo said.

  "Seems like a good idea. I may join you, may not." Rizzit said. "I think I'll get back to unpacking," he added, putting his empty drink on the table and standing up. As he left the room, Kairo squirmed around in his chair until he was lounging comfortably. Might as well get a little rest before I go out later.

(OOC Alright, I'm setting up for the reason why my character is leaving the story. That way, when I leave on Friday, my character will too. Garet, Gio, I'm sure you got the jist of my meaning from Rizzit and my conversation. Have fun with it. I'll either finish up this bit later tonight or tomorrow. )
 
-----------------------
Jester Squad

Gunnery Sergeant Kairo
Platoon Commander

PC/GSG Kairo/2PLT/1COMP/1BAT/1RGT/Tadath/VEA/VE [CDS][BoA][CoR][BC][CoV]

Know your enemy and know yourself, and you will be victorious in ten thousand battles.
You may forget the past, but it always has a way of haunting your future.
Men can die, but a symbol is eternal.

Merrick was glad they had finally touched down on Euceron. Public transport was fine for a short period, and when you didn't have to do it very often, but she was happy to be back on the ground. She'd seen glimpses of some of the Raiders, but had ignored them in order to avoid any suspicion. The rest of the Nightstalkers had gathered their things and casually headed in the same direction as she'd set off - toward Euceron palace. There was already a steady flow of traffic, mostly tourists, headed that way so none of them looked out of place.

Once inside the palace, the squad was assigned sleeping quarters. Most of them seemed pretty happy with where they were staying. Merrick made Leon and Jak laugh with her comment though. "Wow, you'd think they could have given us somewhere NICE to stay, wouldn't you?"

Once everyone was settled in, Merrick contaced Rizzit to let him know they were planetside. Of course, he said he already knew they were there, at which Merrick merely shrugged. Rizzit decided he would brief Merrick and she could let the rest of her squad know what was going to happen.

(OOC: It's short and crap, but I'm really tired and didn't feel like thinking too much. You'll live.)

-----------------------
NightStalkers
XO/CPT Merrick/VEA/TADATH/VE [CotE][SoA][CoH]
SL/CPT Merrick/3SQD/2PLT/1COMP/1BAT/1RGT/Tadath/VEA/VE
Verastinian Republic - Minister of Subversion
-----------------------
To thy protection fear and sorrow flee, and those that weary are of light find rest in thee.
If you love something, set it free. If it doesn't come back, hunt it down and kill it.

"Trix, brace your self, we are landing." she heard Darr-Rann's voice over her Comlink. She has been crawling through the labyrinth of shafts for nearly half an hour now with no luck of finding a lady's bathroom or some place where she could jump out.

"What?!? So soon!?!" Trix glanced at her surroundings desperately. She was still stuck in the shaft. She started crawling backwards in the direction she knew the bathrooms were, it may be a long way, but it was the only layout she knew of the shaft. These public transports were a bit rocky and bumpy sometimes when landing, and it was dangerous being anywhere in the ship not designed for life.
"Damn these transports!! she muttered out  while she crawled , she was about to nag her fists against the durasteeled walls when voices sounded not to far from her. She has passed several rooms which she listened, but all the conversations were normal, though she had a hunch about this one. She crawled closer as silently as she could. The voices were much clearer now, the forst voice that spoke up was rough, with backstreet slang.
"They couldn't get Ruyt out of the bathroom, and the girl was gone."
Surprised Trix leaned forward.
"And the guards?" asked a much more attuned voice.
"The boys couldn't get much done on public, so what about Games? Do we go ahead without Ruyt, we have to plant the other explosives since the blonde fool who followed you smeared this plan."
Shit, I need to get to Darr, they're gonna blow somethin!
Trix tried to turn around as much as space allowed her to do, as she turned she didn''t see the small dip the shaft made and with a small yell knocked her head against it.
"You hear'd that Boss?"
Trix froze.
Shit...
She was stuck right above the ventilator, and could see a shadow move underneath her through the square gaps of the board.
"Get them. Now. To me." she heard the man say. Before she had chance to attempt an escape she felt her self tumbling through the air and then land with a thud to the floor.  She jumped back on her feet but iron grips grabbed her by her arms and dragged her across the the dimly lit room.

"Well, this explains what happened to the girl. Call the guards back. We got something after all." Trix clenched her fists, a mixture of fright and anger ran through her emotions. She was scared out of her wits.

 
-----------------------
- Raider Squad -

TRP/PFC Trix/3SQD/1PLT/1COMP/1BAT/Tadath/VEA/VE
'Life is like mail. You sometimes just don't get it'

This is it, RK thought as went looking for his cousin and best friend. He was startled twice by men who thought that he was a Sith Lord, wouldn't that be nice in a time like this.Yet word was definitely getting around about the assassinations, though RK thought them nothing more than a cult to get people from coming, although if almost everyone knew then it had to be true.
"Your coming with me", a eerie voice said behind RK.
RK pulled out his DC-15 and pointed it at the guy, but to his surprise,it was Joey!
"Long time,no see."RK rambled out. This was Joey's way of having fun he was always the odd sort, but RK never minded, He always took joey as a brother.
"So how the podracing buissness doing?" RK asked.
"Oh, good. you want to see your pod?"
"Sure if I can drive it"
---------------------------------------Hour later------------------------------------------------------------------------
Joey and RK never got along much, RK was always running off with his friends and Joey always hated Ryan for that.Well, let's just hope he doesn't care anymore.
Joey led them down a hallway, It looked almost like a old temple that they where going in but then RK reaized it was just a really nice garage.Maybe a little to nice.RK made note of that for future reference.
"So which one do you want?" Joey asked waking RK up.
"Wow, your letting me pick, you have changed." RK was real surprised, Joey never was this nice.
"Yeah, so what's the matter you scared that the one you pick is going to blow up or that it's just going to be to fast?" Joey chuckled, To joey this was funny he was an icon now in the world of pod racing, but to RK this was nothing  more than a dangerous game that could get Joey killed and if Joey was killed he would blame it on himself.
"Well, go ahead and pick already before I have to pick for you." Joey walked off leaving RK to his buissness.
Alright, then might as well pick which one I want. RK walked threw the maze that all the pods made. RK must have atleast looked threw ten or twenty before he found on that fit his idea of what a pod should be, It was  black and orange with engine that when you looked at the front they made an x like shape. He sat looking at the controls while he waited for Joey to get back This looks like a real easy control, I've piloted things that go faster than this so this should be a sinch, but something told RK that it wasn't going to be that easy.
"So you finally decided?" Joey asked, walking out of a hall with somebody following him.
"Yeah, this one." RK said that keeping his eye on the stranger that kept moving from side to side, hand resting on the butt of his blaster.
"You can rest easy Ryan. This is one of MY friends. He's here to help me get you ready to be road worthy." Joey grinned then turned around and headed towards the bench right in front of him.
Well, atleast  I know he hasn't forgotten about what happened. RK knew that when he had put the emphasis on the my he knew that Joey hadn't forgotten. That also meant that Joey was a suspect in this whole assassination mess, and RK was getting into one of the pods his cousin owned. What am I getting myself into. RK walked off towards the desk that Joey was sitting in and sat down so that they could work everything out.
 
-----------------------
Jester Squad

  Looking around the garden, Kairo paused a second to let his eyes adjust to the darkness. A small pool in the middle of this area cast a glow upon the surrounding area as the moon's light reflected off its surface. Brushing off his clothes, Kairo also checked to make sure his knives were secure, along with his Kylon-3 and Vibropike. Walking across the garden, Kairo motioned for the four men to follow him. After getting in a light nap, light for him, he was wide awake. After awhile, everyone who was in the army long enough learned to thrive on the smallest amounts of rest. Turning around, Kairo looked back at the large palace, which stood impressively in front of the gardens. Balconies poked out from its side, and pillars held up arching windows. Some old fashioned gargoyles could also be seen, looking out over the city, guardians and protectors.

  "You guys all know how to climb, right?" Kairo asked quietly, though they really didn't have a choice. Since everyone was wearing some shade of black, it was almost impossible to see any of them, but he knew they were there.

  "Depends on what we're climbing," Giovanni responded. Even though he and Kairo hadn't served together for awhile, nothing had really changed. Andrew and Slash seemed a little tense, judging from their breathing rate, but Garet was impossible to judge. Why did I bring him along, again? Oh right, wanted to see if the Dragoons still had it.

  Grabbing onto a tree in the garden, Kairo quickly ascended it's trunk until he reached the top. It was a good twelve feet tall. Swaying slight in gust from the night, the three rocked beneath Kairo. Once it had calmed again, Kairo took a sharp breath then launched from its limbs, reaching out for one of the many balconies. For a split second, it almost seemed he would not make it, but then his hand latched onto its bottom rim. Pulling himself up, Kairo felt his muscles come alive with exertion. Good thing I'm not in armor, otherwise this might get difficult. Once he was safely on the balcony, Kairo looked down to see a head appear from the top of the tree. Squinting to get a better look, he was able to make out Andrew's face.

  A moment later, Andrew was sailing across the gap. Within a second, Kairo could tell he wasn't going to make it. Dropping flat against the balconies floor, Kairo pushed himself up against its railing and pushed his arm out as far as it would go. Hands connecting, Kairo immediately felt his arm spasm under the pressure and weight. Ignoring this, Kairo kept hold of Andrew until he had grabbed hold of the ledge. As Andrew pulled himself up, Kairo said, "Next time, push harder."

  The rest of the squad made the jump relatively safe, both of the Dragoons doing it with a bit more class, which was expected due to their longer time in the army. "Where to?" Giovanni asked. Kairo pointed straight up. "How?" With a flick of his wrists, two knives appeared in Kairo's hands. With a slight flourish, Kairo extended them hilt first toward Giovanni. "Won't they get mad if they find holes in their walls?"

  "Like they'll be looking for that." Kairo responded as he doled out a pair of dagger for everyone.

  "Where do you keep all of these?" Garet asked, a bit of awe in his voice.

  Shrugging the inflection out of his mind, Too many people know me., Kairo just said, "Places," as he stabbed into the wall next to the balcony. Swinging over the side, he proceeded to climb his way up the side of the palace wall. With ample foot holds in its surface, Kairo wondered if he would have been able to do it without the knives. After five minutes climbing, everyone had made it to the top, breathing heavily but Kairo. Hmm... maybe they aren't all used to climbing like that. Holding out his hands, Kairo motioned for them to give him his knives back. That was easier than some of the cliffs back on Dathomir. The voice agreed with Kairo.

  Kairo pretended he had heard it and stood up. The palace roof was a mass of domes and sharp angles as roofs slanted and arched away from each other. Sky lights dotted the roof as well, cast light out into the sky from inside the palace. It also appeared that there were a few security droids as well. "Uh Kairo, maybe we should try a different route?" Garet asked.

  "Just stick close and don't fall behind." Kairo said, pushing into the tile roof. Sprinting towards on dome, Kairo pushed up against its side as a red light of a security droid's viewing area passed over the roof where the group had stood a moment before. Sliding around the small bulge in the roof, Kairo then ran for the next dome, and then the next. Sometimes dropping flat against the roof, sometimes even stopping half way as a droid scanned the area ahead of them. By the time they reached the northern apartments, sweat was dripping down Kairo's face. By now everyone, including Kairo, was slightly out of breath, but they weren't out of the fire. More like into the frying pan.

  Since the Northern wing was where the Ruling Powers stayed, security seemed multiplied. Not only were there patrolling droids, but also a few turrets and laser alarm triggers. "How about now?" Slash asked, referring to Garet's earlier question. Grinning, Kairo stood on the edge of the obstacle course like roof, studying it for any patterns.

  "It's just like the Army course back on Tadath," Kairo whispered, jumping off the side of the roof they were resting on. Sliding down the slick tile side, Kairo didn't bother to check to see if the four soldiers were still with him when he touched down on the flat surface of another roof. Using the momentum from the slide, Kairo lurched into his fastest sprint, galloping across the roof top at an incredible speed. Hopping over a swinging laser sensor, Kairo ran right behind one of the security droids. A part of the roof jutted out from the rest of the flat surface in a square pattern. Wondering what on earth it was, Kairo pressed against the ground and leaned forward. Pushing out his hands, he continued his moment across the block and arched his body, effectively completely a hand spring across the obstacle.

  Looking straight ahead, he saw that the group was coming up the edge of the roof. Skidding to a halt, Kairo glanced over the edge. Two pillars lay right beneath his feet, apparently the key decoration for the northern wing of the palace. Pointing down, Kairo sat down on the ledge, and then twisted his body around so he was hanging from it by his hands. Wrapping his legs around the pillar, Kairo let go of the ledge then quickly put his arms as far around the pillar as he could. Squeezing, he controlled his descent. Stopping at a balcony, Kairo reached out his right leg and snagged it on the railing. With a quick movement, he was standing on the balcony, waiting for the rest of the group.

  It took a couple minutes for them all to arrive, some wide eyed at what they had just done. "Please tell me we are not going back that way." Giovanni said.

  "We aren't." Kairo assured them. "This is going to get a little more interesting from here on out. If we get caught on this side of the palace, just act like we're looking around. They'll probably wonder how we got past security and such. Just leave the talking to me." Kairo decided that was for the best, even though he was not certain what he would say either. Thinking back for a moment, Kairo tried to remember what the servant that had guided him to the army's rooms had told him about the Ruling Powers' quarters. He knew it was divided into a pentagon type formation with Concetta's rooms at the top. He just hoped he hadn't guessed wrong by putting the top of the pentagon at this end of the wing. Glancing in through one of the windows, Kairo motioned for everyone else to keep hidden and look around also. The lights were off in the room he was looking into, but the bright moonlight and glow from the city allowed him to see some details in the room. Looking to be a closet of some sort, Kairo decided it was safe to enter. "Once inside, spread out but don't wander off. Listen and look for anything useful. If it seems things aren't going well, just come back here and leap into the garden below." Garet looked over the ledge then quickly looked back. It was a twenty foot drop.

  They all nodded. "Andrew, do your thing." Pulling out a datapad and some other tools, Andrew moved to the control panel that opened the balconies door and set to work. A minute later he stepped back smiling.

  "That was easier than I thought it would be." Andrew said, pressing the access button.

  As the door slid open, Kairo quickly swept inside and got a good look around with the window distorting his view. It was a closet, with so many rows of clothes Kairo thought it might hold enough to give every woman in the palace two sets of clothes. At least now I'm certain it's a woman's quarters. And there is only one woman on the Ruling Powers right now. Stepping to the main door, Kairo pressed his ear to it, hoping not to hear anything on the other side. It only irked him a little that Giovanni was already there. They both waited a moment, but there was only silence. "Uh, Kairo?" Garet said.

  Sipping around, Kairo felt anger run through him. Why would Garet speak out loud here?! Then he saw what had made Garet speak. Fourteen shadowy creatures were standing on the balcony where the group of soldiers had come from. At first Kairo wasn't certain he was even seeing anything, because the creatures' skin and figures seemed to bend the light around them, making them shadowy and hard for the eye to see. Both groups only remained still for a second, each surprised to see the other. Damn it. Kairo thought as four of the things seemed to instantly move through the room and tackle him. Kairo reflexively brought his arms up to guard his body, but the impact of the bodies still sent him crashing through the door.

  Before he could even move to draw one of his blades, he had received three punches to his blocking arms. As if on cue, Kairo changed into his true self. Underneath his outer shell of a military commander, just an ordinary person like everyone else, Kairo was a killer. He knew how to do it. He had spent most of his life just surviving by killing things. Whether with a blaster or just his bare hands, he knew how to survive. What happiness others had from knowing their parents and receiving some love, or if they died, receiving it from adoptive parents, or even just friends, Kairo had never had that for long. Everyone died around him. It was his curse. Instinct took over, and wrath filled his veins. One of the first things he had learned to do was channel his grief into a stored pocket in the back of his mind, the area that tended to taunt him, and then use it when he needed it, and he needed it now.

  Four daggers slashed out at the figures pinning him to the door, two in each hand; one pointing up, and the other down. The figures backed off, realizing something had changed in their target, but that only enticed Kairo. Rolling forward, he stabbed one of the figures where its knee should have been and cut another's foot cleanly off with a back hand stroke. Coming out of the roll by standing up, Kairo blocked a dagger thrust from the third target, but received a kick to the stomach from the fourth. Stepping backwards to lessen the force of the impact, Kairo wrapped his left arm around the alien's leg, and stabbed viciously down with his right. Leaving the dagger in the leg, Kairo flicked his wrist and sent the second one into the first alien's head, a sickly dark fluid spurting out.

  A slice to his left arm from the alien with only on foot caused Kairo to release his grip. Jerking backwards, he dodged two dagger strokes, but this gave the aliens' room to attack, even if they had all received massive attacks, they still kept coming. Ducking and dodging, Kairo was forced to the defensive, blocking dagger strikes with his own, all the while moving backwards across the room. Realizing he was going to be pinned against a wall soon, Kairo chose to go with one of his old policies, "A best defense is a good offense." Flinging the two daggers in his left hand, Kairo also sent two from his left in quick succession, all of them aim at the aliens. Caught off guard, the aliens dove backwards or to the sides, all of them some how dodging the daggers from close quarters.

  Even though his primary goal wasn't to hit them with the daggers, it still would have been nice. The diversion had worked for its purpose though. Before one of the aliens knew it, a blur of steel and energy sliced him up the middle. Twirling his vibropike, Kairo swung it around to sweep under another of the alien's feet, tripping him. Wrapping it around his back, he caught it with his left hand and spun it around to slice off the first alien's head. Ignoring the blood that now stained him and his clothes, Kairo pushed on, still drawing from his stored up power and grief. Three. Kairo had an odd habit to sometimes count down how many targets he had while he fought, though it was completely by accident. A flourish from his pike blocked blows from the other two aliens, but this also gave the alien on the floor enough time to get up. The four of the squared off for a moment. It seemed that Kairo was at a disadvantage with three on one, but the aliens seemed to only be extremely deadly in close hand combat. If he could keep them at a distance with his pike, then he might have a chance, hopefully. The next few seconds would decide the outcome.

  Moving at once, the three shadows converged on Kairo, each one throwing a dagger at him as well as lounging out with ones in their hands. Spinning his pike in a blur, Kairo knocked two of the daggers out of the air while sidestepping the third, which had been aimed at his feet. Using the shafts momentum, he let the length of it slip almost completely through his right hand until he was only holding onto the bottom. Wheeling it around, he brought it crashing down on two of the alien's heads with a dull crunching sound. But Kairo couldn't take them all out at once. Using his two ally's deaths to his advantage, the last adversary seemed to move behind Kairo in an instant, just like they had back in the closet room. Shadows seemed to aid them somehow. Stabbing down, the alien plunged his dagger into Kairo's back. Letting out a deadly grunt of pain, Kairo threw his pike straight up which freed his hands. Pulling out two more daggers, Kairo plunged them into the alien behind him. Ignoring the pain blossoming from his back, Kairo spun around and caught the pike on its way down. With a howl, he sliced right through the center of the alien's body and twisted it around to cut downward into the alien's head.

    As a sense of reality closed back in, Kairo dropped to his knees and retracted his pike. Clipping it to his waist, he reached behind him and drew out the dagger. Throwing it to the side, it was only then that he noticed the room's fifth occupant. Sitting straight up in her bed, Concetta had a look of pure terror on her face. "That's not good." Kairo managed to say as he collapsed onto the tile floor.

***Awhile Later***

  "He's awake my lady." A voice said as Kairo opened his eyes. It was still dark outside, and the alien bodies were only now being dragged out of the room, their blood staining the carpet Kairo had killed them on.

  "Good. Now leave us." Concetta said. Uncertain if he should actually follow this order, the guard decided he didn't really have a choice and left, motioning for everyone to leave. "It's time I tell you the whole story it seems. Oh, don't worry. The rest of your men are fine. They made it back to their rooms without anyone being the wiser, though I couldn't very well send you back with them. They didn't like that much. They went back through the gardens. It seems I owe you my life. These aliens are not in my service and were probably sent to kill me. If you and your men hadn't. . . arrived," She decided to use that word, "I may be dead. Unfortunately, I can't just explain away all these dead assassins. Someone would have to have been here to take care of them, and most unfortunately, I'm using you. Of course, how you go into my quarters is still illegal and thus you will be tried for that. Actually, no trial is necessary, I can do it myself. You are sentenced to a day in the Euceron jail. Now, as Ruling Power, I remove the sentence, since you so obviously saved my life and aided Euceron. There you have it. You have now just become a hero. How's it feel?"

    Kairo's head was spinning. Nothing was making much sense. Maybe he had just died and this was his own personal form of hell. Concetta didn't pause for long. "None of this will really get out to the public. Only a few people will know, like the Ruling Powers and a few select nobles. But all of that rides on one thing, you telling me why you were in my closet." Her bright eyes stared directly into his. She was quite beautiful really.

  Kairo decided he had better tell the truth. "I was listening in to see if I could confirm something I heard earlier. First, you seemed to recognize that assassin I killed earlier. After that, I heard a few of your men talking about looking after the other Ruling Powers. Something is definitely going on here, and I think the Empire has a right to know before we are thrown into the middle of it. Though, I don't really care one way or the other." Kairo then realized two things. First, he had sealed off his curse once again in the back of his mind, though it was a delicate hold. Second, what he had just said to Concetta could land him in a Euceron prison for the rest of his life. There was no going back though.

  Standing up she said, "I admire your courage, though it was probably just stupidity. Here is what is really going on. All five of the Ruling Powers have been trying to kill each other for the past few months. A new law has come about declaring two things. First, if the games do not go off successfully, the council of the people will remove the Ruling Powers and place a ruling system into place. Second, The Ruling Powers have to decide within two weeks who is to become the Supreme Ruler. That person will still be a Ruling Power but have a bit more authority. Now, if in those two weeks one of the Powers is to die, he won't be replaced until the Supreme Power is chosen. Thus, if all of us were to die but one, the last person would receive automatic Power." Kairo felt he was lost. Politics had never interested him, but he memorized everything he heard to relay to Rizzit, who Kairo hoped would understand everything. "I will be sending you back to your quarters now with no strings attached, but I do hope that from now on, you will trust me. I am completely for the people of Euceron. The other four Ruling Powers are completely out for themselves. I know this is hard to believe due to my family's history, but you must believe me. Here, take this." She handed Kairo a comlink. "Give that to your leader. I may be contacting him."

  Everything seemed a blur after that. Kairo was back in the army quarters before he knew it. He didn't even notice that the other squads had arrived late at night, but that was expected of public transportation, you couldn't decide when you arrived really. Rizzit met him in Kairo's room and listened quite carefully as Kairo explained what had happened. Once done, Kairo wasn't sure if Rizzit was mad or not. Nothing had gone wrong, and the information they had received was most important. Rizzit finally said, "You have tomorrow off. Make sure you get some rest, Oh, you're already asleep." Sure enough, Kairo had passed out on his bed. The nights events had had caught up with him. The wound on his back had been patched up but his mind was still wrought with fatigue from his fight, the information Concetta had given him, and everything else. "Hmm, this is most distressing though about the Ruling Powers," Rizzit still continued to say. "We may eventually actually have to pick a side." With that, Rizzit left, heading out to speak with all the squad leaders. The events on Euceron were just beginning.

(OOC Well that's it from me. I go on leave tomorrow. I think I've explained everything pretty clearly. You can play with this in so many ways. I hope to find a great story once I come back. Have fun with this everyone. I hope I gave you something good to work with. If you need me to change anything Rizzit, let me know. )

 
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Jester Squad

Gunnery Sergeant Kairo
Platoon Commander

PC/GSG Kairo/2PLT/1COMP/1BAT/1RGT/Tadath/VEA/VE [CDS][BoA][CoR][BC][CoV]

Know your enemy and know yourself, and you will be victorious in ten thousand battles.
You may forget the past, but it always has a way of haunting your future.
Men can die, but a symbol is eternal.

The next morning, the squads assembled in one of the Suites. As before, everyone was sitting on beds. The officers were standing against the wall. This time however, space was tighter and Rizzit set up a projector against the wall. A mock-up map of Euceron City was being displayed on the wall behind him.

"Thanks again for coming. Welcome to those of you that have just landed. I'm gonna make this quick because we gotta get out there quickly. The games are two days away, and everyone is arriving now. I want to re-arrange the groups a little bit. Please get into groups as I name them. Leon, Knightfire, Squall, and LK: I want you to head out with Garet and keep an eye on the palace. Don't forget you're undercover, so try not to blow our cover."

The group headed out of the room and went to keep an eye on things in the palace. In the meantime, Rizzit continued on with the briefing.

"Zafo, you're going to take Typex, Knightwind, Daiminga, BV, Swift, and Freedon. I want you to go keep an eye on the stands."

As with the group before, the second group left the room and headed for the main boulevard of Eusebus. From there, they would split up and each cover a different shop or stand.

"Merrick, if you don't mind: please take Jak along with Christina, Trix and Jennabelle. I'd like you guys to try and find out the details on this 'podrace' supposedly going on during the games. If you find something out, we'll see if we can do something about it."

Merrick made some sort of grumbling remark, but Rizzit didn't hear it. Her group followed her quickly, as they knew better than to do otherwise.

"Darr, I want you to take Aphamos and Andrew. I need you to keep an eye on things at the hangar. Your group is small because we can't have too many people standing around there wether they are undercover or not. Now I'm only gonna say this once so remember: you are on duty. Please TRY not to let the sleekness of a ship take your mind off things. If for some reason you need backup, call Kairo to come meet you."

Darr-Raan's group took their time getting up, and Kairo decided to get up as well. He didn't go with the group though, he parted ways. Apparently he had something to attend to, but it was of no concern at the moment..

"The rest of you will be coming with me. Sam, Eviscares, Giovanni, RK, and Kairo when he returns. We will be patrolling the main boulevard of Eusebus with particular focus on the stadiums. With the Opening Rituals days away, things are very unlikely that everything will be going smoothly. Okay everyone let's move out!"

OOC: If I left out someone, please forgive me. There are a lot of you, but I think I got everyone. If you have been forgotten, please contact me immediately.

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Colonel Rizzit BlackHeart
Wildcard Platoon Commander
Phoenix Company Commander
Army of the Vast Empire
CC/PC/COL
Rizzit/1PLT/1COMP/1BAT/1RGT/VEA/VE[OPE][OTH][EW1][RCoD][CRoM][CoH][OPA][SoA][SoS][SCP]
Everything expressed truly from your heart and soul is as pure as gold in the minds of anyone who listens!"--Rizzit

(OOC: Sure, give me all the girls.)

OOC: Well, I thought I'd be doing you a favor.

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NightStalkers
XO/CPT Merrick/VEA/TADATH/VE [CotE][SoA][CoH]
SL/CPT Merrick/3SQD/2PLT/1COMP/1BAT/1RGT/Tadath/VEA/VE
Verastinian Republic - Minister of Subversion
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To thy protection fear and sorrow flee, and those that weary are of light find rest in thee.
If you love something, set it free. If it doesn't come back, hunt it down and kill it.