Hitting It Off Before Hitting the Ground
Locations
Freighter (Enroute to Nigita)
Eastern Starport
Hothdens
Factions
Vigil Compact (Republic)
O'Mandalorio Family
Players
Tia O'Mandalorio (Laurie)
Sabbath Rune (Jack)
T-3PO (Scott)
NPCs
Lt. Lee Meriweather
Junero O'Mandalorio (Uncle J)
Short Public Excerpt/Summary
After finishing a mission for her Uncle J (that was apparently designed to test and/or kill Sabbath for making eyes at his niece), Tia spends the freighter ride home fuming and avoiding Sabbath. She convinces Lee to spar with her, and burns off some steam by using Lee as a voluntary punching bag (when not getting schooled by the Lieutenant on how to actually throw a punch). T-3PO comms Tia to check in, since he was in a maintenance cycle when she left and missed all of the excitement. Sabbath spends the trip brooding and licking his wounds, the mission having taken its toll.
Tia stomped up the ramp into the freighter that would take the motley crew of misfits from her Uncle's latest job home to Nigita, muttering obscenities darkly under her breath. Once out of sight from the entrance, she stopped, taking a steadying breath and running a shaking hand through her disheveled hair. For a brief moment, as she stared into nothing, it looked like she might be finding her lost composure... At least until she suddenly straightened up with another curse and kicked the wall without warning. Scowling, she looked around. She was surprised when she didn't immediately see Sabbath - the man was almost always dogging her heels. After that little performance, though, she couldn't muster much in the way of surprise. The man has been set up. And here he'd been worried about putting her in the line of fire. She snorted, then scowled again, slamming her fist into the wall before wincing and gingerly shaking her hand. What was it about family that made a person feel like they were back to being just a kid again? She'd thought that she and Uncle J had reached an understanding before she had left for Nigita with T-3PO, but apparently that had been wishful thinking. Tia sullenly began walking further into the freighter. She should have known better than to think that her Uncle would actually leave her alone for a while. The man was a mother hen - any hope of him leaving her to her own devices probably left town the same moment he saw one of Sabbath's infamous vids. She pinched the bridge of her nose in aggravation. She'd been doing just fine by the Family before Uncle decided to butt in - for whatever reason, Nigita was a veritable treasure trove of information, and she had the feeling that she'd only just scratched the surface. And that was just the information she'd gathered when folks were only just beginning to trust her - she knew that if she continued to work her way into their inner circle, she'd find a whole lot more. But if she wasn't careful, this debacle could sabotage the connections she'd been building before any of that came to be. She sighed, frowning. Uncle J always put family first. Only he would compromise her cover and operation just because he decided she was spending too much time with the wrong guy. She scuffed her foot on the ground. Then again, he'd always been a perceptive bastard. He knew her well enough to spot the difference between her stringing some poor schlub around and when she actually liked a person. Apparently, he didn't approve. She frowned. Again, she had thought this had been sorted out the last time Uncle had interfered with her personal life. She was so not looking forward to having to deal with his meddling again... Or to her next conversation with Sabbath. She was pretty sure he'd have some...questions, at the very least. Questions she wasn't sure how she'd answer. Despite her best efforts, her Uncle had a bad habit of beating her to the punchline - and the last time he'd taken an interest in her...friends, it hadn't ended well for them. Oh, she'd torn him a new one after the fact, and he'd been the picture of remorse... But only after he'd gotten what he wanted. She seethed. Damn her, but she didn't want Uncle J going after some of these people. She was actually looking forward to her next night out with Lee, she couldn't help but admire Astarte's beautiful bitchery, and Sabbath... Damn it all, Sabbath was interesting. She couldn't help but roll her eyes at the memory of him breaking through her door, lightsaber in hand. She never knew what the man was going to do, or what would come out of his mouth next. Despite her aggravation, a small smile briefly pulled at the corner of her mouth. The sound of a footstep brought her out of her reverie. Looking up, she spotted Lee walking down the hall. Dropping her hint of a smile for a scowl, she called out, "Hey, Lee! You got a moment to spar? If I don't hit something, I'm going to start breaking things." She hurried down the hall to catch her. "Just... Go a little easy on me? My punches don't pack quite the wallop that yours do."
[Lee stood in the cargo bay. She doubted in the darkness of it any would notice her on the voyage home. The visor of her scanner streaming its readouts into her implant so she could keep the HUD dark. The voices in her comlink debated the merits of the deployment.] {Sister, I take it you do not approve?} One voice rose over the others to turn their debate to Lee. In Massassi, Lee replied "I do not approve or disapprove of the Lady's choices. I am merely assessing the risk of the situation." She paused. "It appears that these Vanguard are still adjusting. They are not fully versed in their limitations, nor their strengths." {And that gives you pause?} The other asked. "Sister, it should give us all pause. They were born living weapons. The Lady has given them the gift that removes their one true limit. They are left to their own devices without a mentor, nor pair-bonded to a magister, they already dance along the edge of frenzy." she took in a deep breath and pushed back the emotion. "They are what they are. They will not endanger my charge." {See to it then.} The comlink session ended. [Lee looked back through the darkness to the bulkhead door and the rest of the ship. She needed to return before she was missed. She padded forward through the darkness, and slid back through. She was not sure what species it was, but this freighter smelled like a dead animal and would be glad to get off it soon.]
"Hey there, T," Lee said distractedly. "What? Spar? In the ship???" She looked around at the very breakable conduits, junctions, and haphazardly secured panels. "Maybe you wanna head to the base when we land and an honest gym?" Tia frowns, looking a bit dejected. "Damn it, you're probably right." She kicks the wall again in frustration. "Honestly, Lee, after all that nonsense, I just want to get home and lock myself in for a few hours." Her expression darkens. "Of course, that's assuming my door even has a lock on it yet," she mutters, then sighs. "I'll just find some other way to keep myself occupied for the next seven hours until we get home." She had no idea how she was going to avoid Sabbath that long, but she was certainly going to try. No way in hell was she talking to him about any of this on a public transport. As Tia turns to kick the bulkhead, Lee puts a hand on her shoulder. "Hang on a sec, let me just grab something from my kit bag." Lee leans over the bench in the passenger compartment and grabs her white & gold Vigil knapsack. She roots around in it for a second and produces what looks like a collar-amp. She fastens it onto the back of her neck. Looking at Tia, she points to the cargo bay door. "Head in there. More space." Tia gives Lee a look of unvarnished gratitude and a thumbs up, then follows her to the bay. Lee flicks on the lights and is definitely glad that whatever died in here, at least the deck was hosed down after. She takes off her armored jacket and tosses it across the deck. She stuffs her dog tags into the guinea tee. Cracking her shoulders she says to Tia, "Okay, get comfortable and when you're ready, I need you to haul off and hit me as hard as you possibly can." Tia tosses her pack next to Lee's jacket and gives Lee a look of trepidation. "Why do I have the feeling that this is going to hurt me more than it hurts you?" She gives a hint of her usual grin and takes up a bit of a fighting stance. Lee looks Tia in the eye. Dead serious for a moment. "You hitting me first is so I don't hurt you more than you hurt me. I don't kill, Tia. I'm a protector, all my training revolves around disabling opponents and keeping my charges from harm. One of the many reasons I don't use blasters." Her smirk returns. "That and I can't hit the broad side of a bulk cruiser with one." Tia nods seriously, then snorts. "As far as I can tell, you do just fine without the blaster," she says drily. "You kicked their asses back there - and the time before that, and the time before that..." She smirks at Lee. Then, after giving her fair warning, Tia brings her fist forward in a sharp jab. Lee takes the tap in the gut. She looks at Tia. "No, I mean really hard. Bottle up everything you've got and let me have it." Tia shrugs and smiles affably, hiding some minor annoyance, then balls up her fist and lets it fly. This time, she feels the blow connect solidly with Lee. Lee staggers back from the hit. Grasping her jaw she says, "Awesome! That's the ticket!" She reaches to the control on the side of the collar device. "Let me tone down the augments so I'm in line with your strength. Ah, and disable the pulse knuckles." She takes her hand away from the control and drops down into stance out of reflex. "Let's see your blocking routine." Lee waits for Tia to get her guard back up, then swings. Tia brings her arms up defensively. From her pose, it's obvious that she's been in at least a few fist fights in her life. In a move that's likely served her well enough in bar brawls, she attempts to duck under Lee's attack, bringing her arm up to deflect the blow. Lee is fast, Tia's seen her patented opening move at least a half a dozen times, but facing it is another thing. Both fists stitching in air means she didn't have enough time to get both blocked. She knew the gut shot was about to impact, then just felt a tap. "Tag. Okay, You've got a good instinct there, but your natural tendency to shield your face opens your solar plexus. But overall your balance is good." She pops back into stance. "Watch." Lee leans back into defensive stance, the one you saw her use on the Kwi. "The shifting stance keeps my forward arm enough away to divert the attack, but doesn't exposed the closer arm. Then I have enough footwork room to shift wildly to either side to take a lunge off-line." She motions Tia to go again. Tia squints at Lee, watching carefully, then nods. She alters her stance subtly, then suddenly rushes forward with a flurry of blows. There's nothing graceful about the way she fights - just a series of quick jabs, with the goal of breaking through an opponent's defenses and bringing them down as quickly as possible. Lee counters the jabs, rocking back and forth in her stance, but doesn't return the shots. When Tia rushes forward, however, the soldier slips sideways and sweeps, in a moment the deck is upside down, but just before Tia's head hits the deck, Lee's hand is behind it, giving the other woman a soft cushion instead. Lee taps Tia on the shoulder and springs back to her feet. She extends a hand. "That's the whole taking a lunge off-line I was talking about." She leans forward to grasp Tia's arm. "When an opponent overcommits or gets frustrated, they make bad choices and give you openings." She thinks a bit. "Though in our recent outings, the situations are much more hectic, so the normal back alley one-on-one stances aren't always the best choice." Tia mock groans, then takes Lee's hand with a sheepish grin. "Damn, you're fast, girl!" As she regains her feet, she shakes her head, then smacks her fists together in front of her. "Let's try that again. I want to see if I can land even one punch when you're not just waiting for me to hit you." She brings her arms up with an expression of gleeful determination as they begin again. "Hmm." Back on her guard, Lee thinks about it. "You are connecting, so think about that for a second." She blocks a few passes. "Each time you connect is an opportunity to grab, exert leverage, or - with certain weapons - deliver other effects." "Far be it from me to recommend people carry stun batons, or sick-sticks" She winks, "But sometimes in a tough situation, all you need to do is touch." Tia didn't see where the hand slipped below her guard, but felt the slightest pressure on her ribcage, then the static spark as the knuckle charged for a split second, like touching a control panel after walking across a bearskin rug. Tia yelps - more from surprise than from any pain. "Damn, you are full of surprises, aren't you?" She smirks. "Usually, if I've ever needed anything more than my fists, I've made do with my silver tongue." Tia feints to the right, then tries to catch Lee on the left. "If nothing else, it often makes them overcommit or get frustrated." She winks as she repeats Lee's earlier words. Lee switches stances, leading with her other side and comes in at full speed. "We live in a galaxy full of monsters." She lands a touch on the ribs. "Abominations of nature with super powers." She taps on the side of Tia's knee. "A place - " Another touch to the collarbone. "- where a First Order tank droid can roll over a school and grind kids to paste without the emotion to notice." The touches come faster, joint by joint at increasing speed, yet not one with more force than a handshake. "In short," she grabs the smaller woman in a takedown, putting them both on the deck, "sometimes," her fist comes down in an overhead strike and it just kisses Tia's temple, "there's nothing words can do." She pops off the floor, lifting Tia with her. Close enough to notice the sweat streaming down her forehead and the flush in her cheeks from the attack run. Standing up straight Lee puts both hands up. "Now, how about you get this strength pattern up and I'll be the heavy bag?" Tia groans, lets out a soft curse, and takes a step back, panting a little from the exertion. She wipes a trickle of sweat from her brow, pushes her hair out of her face, and gives Lee a sour face. "I suppose I deserved that." She snorts and sticks her tongue out at Lee. "But do you really think I don't know that there's crazy bullshit out there? Maybe you missed the part where the force-wielding wizard MELTED MY DOOR." Her lips twitch. "Forgive me if bar fights don't hold up against... Well, the craziness you lot get into," She waves a hand at Lee, "but this isn't exactly my first rodeo. Usually, I manage to keep myself out of the direct line of fire, and at least so far, I'm still breathing." She pauses, then tilts her head at Lee. "You do know that y'all are crazy, right?" She grins, and there's a glint in her eye that says it's the right kind of crazy. "But if this is your way of offering me some general lessons in badassery so I have more weapons than words, I'd be a fool to not take you up on it." She shakes her head and corrects her stance, then grins again. "I'd love to be able to kick even half the ass you do. Strength pattern it is. At least this way I'll get some hits in." Lee raises an eyebrow, "Not. at. all. If there is one person who won't underestimate you, it's me." She takes a few hits, looks at Tia's hips and signals her to hang on a sec. "Here." She moves Tia's hip and pulls her fist forward. "The punch starts at the hip. Takes all the torque and slings it into the fist at the end." Tia renews her strikes. "Yeah, that's better, nice solid connection." "That was just a reinforcement. Friendly reminder. It seems the war has been brought to your doorstep. Just making sure you don't leave a single thing on the table, put it all in the fight." She backs up a step to see how the smaller woman advances. "Good, solid footwork. Guess you've seen what a wet bar floor can do to a fight." She pauses. "I've got too many duties and not enough hands. My squad has to protect the Doc now that he's gotten it into his head to help this colony. But I also have to keep an eye on these Vanguard." She gestures towards the hatch and the hint of Sabbath beyond the walls of the compartment. "Because when they go bad, things get ugly in a hurry." From Tia's pack, the gentle tones of T-3PO's non-emergency-ringtone sounds. Tia grimaces, following Lee's gesture, then quickly looks away as her communicator starts to ring. She pulls it out if her pack and gives Lee an apologetic look. "Sorry, Lee. It's T. I should take this - he's probably wondering where I'm at. Give me 5?" She strides off to a corner of the bay before accepting his call. "Hey, T. I take it you finished your update cycle?" "I did," replies T-3PO, "and it would seem much has happened. If you would like, I can come to you with brunch, and we can catch up." Tia grimaces. "I would give just about anything for some of your poached eggs right about now, T, but I'm enroute back to Nigita on a transport. Still a few hours out, I think. But when I get home..." She takes a deep breath. "Let's just say that we've got a lot to talk about. Um...I don't suppose they fixed the door yet, did they?" A note of hope enters her voice. The voice that comes over the commlink is a modulated vocoder voice but even for all that the 'hard-put-upon' frustration comes through admirably. "Ah. That is 'broken'? I thought you had, perhaps, found the ventilation in the building not to your tastes. Though I did wonder why you would have left so many splinters on the floor, given your penchant for roaming barefooted." The voice pauses. "We can speak whenever you'd like. I am certain the tale will be enlightening and, no doubt, involve someone we know who can leave plasma burns through steel-lined heavy wood." Tia groans. "He put his fucking lightsaber through the door and kicked it in, T. He didn't even bother to knock!" The frustration is palpable in her voice. She takes a quick glance towards Lee before lowering her voice. "And the next time Lee comes to call when I'm out, for heaven's sake, call ME! I found her passed out face-down in the bathroom with your oh-so-charming sign. It's a miracle she didn't suffocate to death in her own sick!" She sighs. "Do please apologize to your friend for me. I was feeling a bit...tetchy. Part of why I entered an update cycle at what was, apparently, the worst possible time." Tia scowls, not that T-3PO can see it, and mutters, "You and your update cycles. I swear, they always come at the most inconvenient times." She raises her voice, "I'll tell Lee you send your regards. In theory, she has someone coming to replace the damn door. I'm hoping that happens sooner rather than later - please keep me posted." She frowns. "And when they get there, please see to it that they put in a reinforced lock. We spent a fortune on the last one, and Sabbath cut through it like it was made of butter." She frowns. "Duly noted. Are you certain I cannot bring you anything?" Tia sighs. "By the time you made it out here, I'd be just about home, anyway. But if you wanted to be a dear, you could have something packed full of sugar waiting for me when I get there. And a strong drink. Or two. It's been one hell of a day, and I'd love to drown my sorrows in empty carbs." "That seems simple enough. I shall have a care package ready when you arrive." Tia smiles. "Thanks, T. You're the best. See you when I get home." Disconnecting her communicator, Tia quickly stashes it away in her pack and returns to Lee. "Sorry about that - T sends his regards." She takes up her previous position and picks up their practice where they had left off, taking out her frustrations on the seemingly impervious punching bag of the lieutenant. Sometime and many punches later, Tia finally holds her hands up in defeat. "All right, mercy - I'm tapped out. My arms feel like limp noodles." She gingerly rubs at them, and grimaces. "Damn, I'm going to feel that tomorrow." She gives the lieutenant a hesitant smile. "Thank you, Lee. I think I needed that." She pauses, then says in a quiet, serious voice. "I don't envy you trying to keep track of your Vanguards. They seem like quite the handful." A small smile cracks her solemn expression. "Honestly, I don't know how you manage to find time to bar hop at all - babysitting them seems like it would be a full time job, with the trouble they seem to get into." She snorts. "That said, my offer stands - you ever want to go out partying or you need somewhere to crash, you know where to find me." She smirks. "Might even give you a better vantage point for at least one of your charges." She surreptitiously nods her head in the direction Lee had pointed out earlier, where Sabbath was presumably lurking. "But for now..." She turns a pleading look at Lee and whispers, "Can I ask one more favor? Please, for the love of all that's holy, get me out of here and somewhere he can't corner me. I'll deal with him when I get home, but right now I can't decide what I want to do more - apologize for my uncle being an asshole or yell at him for haunting my alley and breaking down my door, and I've had about as much drama as I can take for one day." "Done and done." Lee looks around at the cargo hatch. "That's your bag, right?" She points to the pile. "I can force the hatch as we touch down. You can head out the back of the public landing pad. I'll comm one of my squad. They'll be there to pick me up anyway. Easy peazy." She cracks a grin. She leans over, "I think they don't like letting me drive." "Oh, thank the stars." Tia sags visibly with relief, then gives an exaggerated, gallant bow. "Oh, dearest knight, this time it is thee who has rescued me! Verily, thou art my salvation!" With a grin, she straightens and laughs. "Next time we take my bike, you can drive. Your driving can't possibly be any worse than mine!" She stops, and gives Lee a serious look. "But only before the party starts. And no candy." She smirks.
Sabbath’s mind was as chaotically clouded as it had ever been. He refused to acknowledge his thoughts or feelings on the last 24 hours. There was so much... wrong... with what had transpired that it pained him to even consider it. He did not want to think about Sith assassins or devious gangsters or ... or.... The stateroom of the freighter was little more than a cell with a bed and drawers built into the walls. But, it had a door with a lock and that was all he needed. Solitude. He slowly and gingerly removed his armor, hissing at times against the pain. Stims closed wounds well enough, but they did little to salve the stinging burns of a stun blast. Or nine of them, he counted. Not to be mistaken for the blisters left by the lightning of the Sith assassin he had pursued through the sewers... was that only twenty five hours ago? He coaxed the wash basin from its slot in the wall and used his ruined shirt to dab at the burns. The cool water was soothing, even if it had no medicinal advantage. He froze a moment when he heard someone pass the door outside, his breath held tight. Whoever it was passed without pause and Sabbath sighed. He had hoped it was not Tia, but his heart sank when it was not Tia. He was a mess and it had nothing to do with his burns. Her uncle had done a number on Sabbath and he was shaken to his bones. But the old bastard had shown Sabbath something he had not considered before in his life. Without the Force, he was nothing. No, not... nothing. Just.... less. He would have to work on that. When he was satisfied that he had done all he could to dress his hurts, he pulled another shirt on. Then, he sat on the bunk and stared at the door. He prayed that Tia would not come. He had not sorted his own feelings about the things that had happened and he was sure he would say something to make... whatever they were... were they even a ‘they’, or was that just another thing on the list of things he had been wrong about? For hours he sat and tried to still the maelstrom in his mind. All the while, he prayed that Tia would not come. And all the while, his heart broke a little more that she didn’t. He felt the freighter touch down and he also felt the Force slowly growing in him. He used to love that feeling. He hated it now. He waited for a long while before disembarking. He wanted to be sure he was alone when he left. [Upon feeling the surge of power from the Nexus on Nigita, Sabbath again hears the voice whispering in the distance] "Μέσα από το πάθος κερδίζω δύναμη" Through Passion I gain Strength. [The whisper fades.] “Leave. Me. Alone!!” Sabbath roared into the early morning sky, then stalked off toward Hothdens.
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