rhouston72

[rhouston72]

Redemption - Part 01

OOC: This story involves my Star Wars Character, Matthias Jayne. One of the few normal humans to have served in the Grand Army of the Republic during the Clone Wars, he is plagued by visions and memories from the time of Order 66. One memory in particular was so traumatizing, that his subconscious mind actually blocked it out, creating false memories in it’s place. The true memories have been leaking through, and when that dam finally bursts, it drives his further into madness than he has ever been. This story also involves other player characters from my Star Wars Roleplay Group Star Wars Odyssey. Without them, the beautiful world of Star Wars wouldn’t come alive for me. They are all my friends, and partners in crime in the Unknown Regions, four years before the Battle of Yavin.

Now, without further adieu and no more gilding the lily, I present to you, Matthias Jayne's Fall into madness, and his eventual Redemption. Enjoy. ~rhouston72 IC: It had been a good past few weeks. The group had returned from that creepy zombie filled world, and was beginning to take the fight to the Rakata. It was the first real victories the Alliance has had against the Rakata in years. Even though they were nothing more than skirmishes, they all added up - and morale was improving. The swagger of the Marines in the barracks was real. Though some had rotated out due to pregnancies, and a few had even been lost - the morale overall was still riding high. It made Matthias smile to know that his Marines were coming along nicely. The veterans were mingling with the rookie Marines, sharing their expertise with the new recruits. Matthias was proud to lead these men and women into battle. The combined arms approach would work well, once they got a chance to put into practice what they were training. The intel they had recovered proved a treasure trove of knowledge about the enemy. They’d passed it all to the Ministry of Science or whatever the Albion’s called their tech heads, and they just about pissed themselves with joy. Clearing that colony was just the first step, and it had proven a good step. The group had worked well taking down that command and control building. The way they had taken down those droids was just spectacular. But they were Jedi, so Matthias expected nothing less than miracles when it came to them. Though Raine’s ingenious use of a flamethrower to remove that...what had she called it, a techno-pasta monster? He chuckled at the thought. Wasn’t very Jedi-like, but it had worked. He found himself walking back towards his quarters, AAR’s and Training Reports in a datapad in his hand. His thoughts weren’t on the reports though. It was on Raine. She seemed different lately, more mature, less prone to fits of action. She still got shit done, but her actions were more pointed, more - shit, she almost seemed like someone else. She seemed radiant at times, a natural beauty and warrior. He found himself admiring her more and more. He quickly shut down that train of thought, or attempted to. It kept wriggling at the back of his mind. Moving into his quarters, he got out of his uniform and into some more comfortable clothes. Khakis and a plain white A-shirt, with a black zipper hoodie over it. Simple black boots completed the ensemble as he sat down, going over things on his desk. He stifled a yawn - he hadn’t been sleeping well lately - as his dreams had become more and more...graphic. It would start off like normal, war against the Seps during the Clone Wars, but he always found himself on the same world - Kashyyyk. He was deployed there, when Order 66 happened, and it was a memory he didn’t like to recall. Though, looking back on those memories, something seemed - off about them. He couldn’t remember the names of the Jedi he watched be butchered by his troopers. What were their names? Matthias struggled to remember, closing his eyes. He let his breathing slow as he tried to concentrate, as if he was setting up a long range shot against a target and didn’t want to miss. It was like his thoughts were a fog though, and he was trying to peer through them. Why does it feel like my brain is fighting me? He pushed on, deeper into his memories. He started catching glimpses of things, flashes of blaster fire, clankers going down, even a seismic charge. Again though, the fog came in. He pushed back at it, forcing it to recede. You will bend to my will. You are MY mind dammit! He pushed, and pushed, but he felt as if he was starting to lose himself in the fog. He could just picture Raine, giving him one of her smirks as he… Her face… Images of a young woman, in the forests of Kashyyyk, flashed into his mind. Images of him and her...alone. No… this can’t be true… They were watching some sort of creatures mating… And it was affecting her. He was behind her… What is this?! He was… removing her trousers, he was… He snapped his eyes open, his hands slamming down on the desk before him, “NO!!! No, this can’t be true!” His voice was a raspy whisper, distress evident. Images flooded back to him, of the time he spent with the young woman on Kashyyyk. And what came after. Images of the results of Order 66...

[rhouston72]

Redemption - Part 02

They had offered him a choice, his former squad mates. To protect the Republic he so loved from the evil Jedi that sought to usurp control for themselves. The Supreme Chancellor had foreseen this, they said. He had known that one day the Jedi would rise up against the Republic and try to assume control. Luckily the Clone Troopers were loyal to Peace and Justice, and the Republic way, and had stopped the Jedi. He stood before a Jedi Knight, his DC-15A in his hands. Do it, they told Matthias. Kill the Jedi, prove your loyalty to the Republic and the Supreme Chancellor. Matthias raised his blaster, his hands shaking. He felt the pressure build on his finger as it pressed against the trigger. Just shy of enough pressure to fire the weapon...he stopped. He couldn’t do it. The Jedi were a force for good in the Galaxy. They preserved the peace, not shattered it. They were apolitical, they didn’t want to lead, but guide. He heard an officer scoff as he lowered his DC-15A and move towards the Jedi, his pistol in his hand. The captain said something about protecting the Republic, but the words sounded hollow...and then the captain killed the Jedi, shooting the woman dead, her head slumping to her chest. He felt a part of his soul die with that Jedi Knight. He watched the cruel, wicked captain move off with the other squad, Matt’s former squadmates left to watch over him. No one took his blaster, which he found odd. They must have captured all the Jedi, Matthias thought to himself. And that’s when it hit him. If they had found them all, then they had Serena and her Master Tia. Matthias moved off, away from his squad, his pace frantic as he looked for the captives. The squad that was detailed to guard him following. He moved through the base, finding bodies of allies and enemies alike. The last assault by the Seps had barely been beaten back when Order 66 had come through. Droids, troopers - and Jedi lay throughout the base. He frantically checked all the Jedi, but none of them were Serena or her Master. He spent what seemed like hours but couldn’t be more than fifteen minutes, combing through the base, but he found nothing. They had to be outside the base. He made for the front gate, having lost his troopers who had laughed at his frantic actions. He walked a few meters down the main road, and found a path leading off to the side, fresh tracks in the wet mud. Moving through the forest along the path, Matthias made his way stealthily through - or as stealthily as his white armor would allow him to be. As he progressed along the trail, he came across a glade, removed from casual observation. There, he saw a group of clone troopers and the officer from before. In the distance, he could hear an LAAT approaching, most likely bringing reinforcements for the garrison and it’s hunt for the Jedi. As he made his way around the perimeter, his view of the officer became clear - just in time to see him take the head of a Jedi chained up between two trees. He felt his anger rising as he watched the woman’s head roll on the dirt. He could hear the officer going on about serving justice, but he tuned him out. He watched as a couple of troopers went over to another Jedi chained up between two trees, telling her how she was next. They lifted her head up by her hair, exposing her face. And the face of Raine bored into his soul. But no, it wasn’t Raine. It was the young woman that he had been with earlier, beneath the Wroshyr trees. What was her name? Serena Andyr Elysar. The young woman he had lain with back in the forests. He yelled out at them, a long defiant ‘No!’ as he stood up from his hiding place. The officer looked towards Matthias, recognizing him immediately. He ordered his men to apprehend the traitor, and chain him up to a tree as he would be next. Before Matthias could raise his weapon, all hell broke loose. The LAAT he had heard earlier was bringing reinforcements, but for the Jedi. He could see two male Jedi leaning out the open side hatch, deflecting blaster bolts with their sabers. He watched the troopers around him scatter, and he knew this was his moment to act. Rushing towards Serena, he moved through the throng of white armored troopers, as long green blasts of energy carved it’s way through the trees, cutting down the clones. He saw Serena still chained to the trees, and as he got close enough, he raised his DC-15A and fired, bolts shattering the chains holding her up. She slumped to the ground, the events of the day having overwhelmed her. He wanted to pick her up and get her to the LAAT but as he turned, the LAAT landed nearby and the two Jedi leaped clear. Matthias was about to tell them she needed medical attention when he felt himself flung away from the arriving LAAT, propelled by a force push that sent him flying into the nearby foliage. He landed with a heavy thud, rolling back to look towards Serena. The last thing he remembered, was one of the Jedi picking her up and reboarding the LAAT. One of them, looked exactly like Davin Kabak. Snapping out of his memory, Matthias looked around the room.

[rhouston72]

Redemption - Part 03

“What have I done?” You failed, is what you did. “What, no! I tried to protect the Jedi.” You let Serena’s Master die, and the other Jedi die, and you failed to serve the Republic you claimed to have loved. “No...I….” You failed. You don’t deserve to be here. And what you did with Serena? Didn’t you flee Corellia for that exact reason? “I....” You’re a failure, and a hypocrite. You don’t belong here. You don’t DESERVE to be here. “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!” Matthias slammed the desk over, scattering the reports and gear he had laying on top of it. He walked around his quarters, ransacking the room. He didn’t hear his door open, didn’t hear Raine enter it. “Matthias, what are you doing? What’s wrong?” He didn’t hear her. He was holding his head, madness in his eyes. He kept muttering over and over again. “I loved them both, and I failed them both. I loved them both, and I failed them both.” Raine moved up to him, stopping him in his tracks. Placing herself in front of his face, she took his hands in hers, placing them over his as they held his head. “Who did you love Matthias? Who did you fail?” His eyes still looked beyond whatever was in front of him. “I loved them both... the Republic, and her. And I failed them both on Kashyyyk. I don’t deserve to be here. I don’t deserve peace..” Trailing off, Raine realized she needed to calm him down. Drawing upon the Force, she tried to project an Aura of Peace over him, to try to settle his mind. She had been in his mind before, and he had welcomed her mental touch. She counted on that to get through to him. What she didn’t count on, was his heightened agitation - and his training to resist the Force. With a growl, he pulled away from her, “Nnnngh…..stay OUT. OF. MY. HEAD!!” He finally looked at her, and the anger seemed to flow out of him. A low moan escaped his lips. “Nooo, I failed you…” He staggered towards Raine, his hands reaching out and grabbing her head. It wasn’t painful, and his thumbs actually caressed her cheeks lightly. “I loved you...and I failed you, on Kashyyyk. I’m sorry…” He then dashed past her, grabbing his pouch with a few thousand Sovereigns in it. He made for the shuttle bays, finding the first shuttle that was ready to go. The pilot was someone he remembered. “Vroom, get me planetside, now please.” The crazy pilot smiled at him. “Sure thing Captain, let me get this old girl prepped and…” He put a hand up to his ear. “Hey Captain, why is Miss Raine calling over the comms to try and find you?” Matthias had to think fast. “We’re doing an exercise. She has to find me. Guess I should have told her not to use the crew. Now please, get me planetside.” As Vroom departed the shuttle bay, Matthias looked out the window, looking back. He swore, the last thing he saw was Raine watching from launch control. He turned back and sat down, waiting while Vroom got him planetside. As Matthias stepped out of the shuttle, he thanked Vroom for the ride and walked a few meters away. He turned to watch Vroom leave, the man giving him a wave. Matthias didn’t return it, instead pulling his hood up over his head, obscuring his face from view. He had gotten quite the reputation, but he hoped that most people saw the armor, and not him. Without it, he hoped to go unnoticed. He made for the seediest part of town, where one doesn’t go alone and always watches one’s purse. He need to lose himself, find solace in the one thing he remembered from his time after his discharge. He’d find solace in the bottom of a bottle - or he’d die. Let the Force decide his fate.

[rhouston72]

Redemption - Part 04

Matthias staggered out of the bar. The hours and days since he landed a blur of alcohol, smoke haze, and seedy people. He had gone from bar to bar, trying to drown out the memories he had remembered. The small part of his mind that remained sober knew now why he had blocked those memories, creating false ones to lessen the pain of what he had done - and hadn’t done. He took a pull from the bottle of cheap, clear liquid in his hand, letting the alcohol burn it’s way down his gullet, creating a dull warmth in his belly. He staggered his way into an alleyway in search of his next bar… Up in orbit, Raine was talking with Cal and Lana, discussing what had happened. They both offered to help her in tracking down their wayward captain, but she told them it was a task she felt she needed to do alone. She had let him stew in whatever juices he had poured for himself for almost a week, expecting him to have calmed down and returned. He hadn’t, and Matthias’ words still echoed in her mind. “I loved you...and I failed you, on Kashyyyk. I’m sorry…” She felt, deep down, that it wasn’t her that Matthias had loved and failed. She needed answers from the man, and she also knew that she most likely wasn’t going to like the answers. She gathered a few items, a hooded robe to hide her features, her lightsaber, and a few thousand credits. Throwing the robe over what she was already wearing, she made her way to the shuttle bays. As she made her way there, she came across Vroom leaving the bays. The man gave her a warm smile, and a smirk. Sensing there was something behind the smirk, she cornered the man. “Vroom, you know where Matthias went, don’t you.” It was not a question. The man just chuckled. “He told me he set you a task of finding him. Ol’ Vroom’s not gonna squeal. You’ll have to find him on your own.” Raine grabbed Vroom by the shoulder. “Vroom, the Captain is under duress right now, and I need to find him. Tell me where you took him.” Vroom thought about it for a moment. “He did seem a little off. Alright, I took him to the outskirts of the Capital, to the seedier part of town. He mumbled something about hoping to get lost, but I thought it was part of the training he was doing for you.” Raine gave Vroom a smile of her own. “Thank you Vroom, can you take me there as well, please?” The pilot sighed and turned around, waving for Raine to follow him. In due course - about four days after Matthias took his first pull from a bottle, Raine made planetfall on Albion Prime. Pulling her hood up over her head, she made for a bench and sat down. She didn’t have a Force Bond with Matthias, but she should be able to find him anyways. Closing her eyes, she slowed her breathing, letting the Living Force flow into her, letting it guide her thoughts and help her. She let her mind quest out on a current of the Force, feeling every single soul around her resonate in it. Some seemed to resonate more than others. Searching out, she cast her mind over the run down parts of the capital, the seedier places, where one went to get lost - or be lost in turn. It was there, that she found him. Reaching out, she gently touched his mind with her’s, and almost immediately pulled back. The pain and the anguish inside of him was almost overwhelming. She watched him through the Force, as he staggered through another dark alley, his gait meandering. Clearly he had been drinking, and quite a lot. As she was watching him, she noticed a few others, following behind him at a distance. She touched them too, and found their minds full of malevolence and darkness. Skimming their surface thoughts, she saw that they had recognized him, and that they were part of some group called the ‘Albion Liberation Front’. They recognized Matthias - and wanted to kill him. They were going to kill him and make it look like a robbery. She snapped her eyes open, and took off, letting the Force propel her towards her friend. She had to get there, and quickly.

[rhouston72]

Redemption - Part 05

It had been almost a week since he came down to get lost in the poison of alcohol, to forget what he had done. He was bruised and battered, some thugs had tried to take the pendant that Raine had given him. Thinking him an easy mark in his inebriated state, he had shown those two punks he wasn’t to be trifled with. He had left them beaten and choking on their own blood in another alleyway much like this one. They had torn the chain the pendant was on, and he clutched it in his hands, the electrum chain wrapped around his left hand. His drinking binge had not gone unnoticed. Some people saw just another drunk, wandering through the streets. Some others, inactive soldiers themselves, recognized a brother in pain, but couldn’t approach him as they had their own demons to deal with. They wished him silent encouragement, before returning to their own drinks. Still others recognized him as the hero from the arena. They wanted to approach him, to thank him for what him and his comrades were doing in their war against the Rakata. They didn’t though, the reek of alcohol keeping them away. Some that recognized him though, didn’t appreciate what he and the others had done. They hated him for having a hand in the death of a Rakata warrior, for taking the fight to the Rakata and having the gall to win. He staggered and bounced off a wall, the dirt and grit staining his hoodie. The fight from a few days ago already forgotten. He didn’t know that he was being followed, and didn’t care. If he knew what the thugs behind him wanted to do, he’d have welcomed it in his current state. As he turned the corner in the alley - and left sight of either exit, they made their move. One of them appeared ahead of Matthias, stopping his progress. “Move outta mer way,” Matthias slurred at the man. The man just laughed. “Look at the great big hero, drunk and almost falling down. I don’t know how you could possible have defeated the true Masters of Albion. I’m sure the Jedi Scum did all the work for you.” The part of Matthias’ brain that was still sober went on guard. These shitbags meant him harm. The sober part tried to get the rest of him to act, but his neurons weren’t firing right. He heard a voice behind him, “I say we cut this dog down, and let the whole world know that the Albion Liberation Front took down one of their heroes. I’m sure the Rakata will reward us once they find out about the work we’ve done here tonight.” Matthias turned, and found three more thugs behind him. Good, let them send you to oblivion. Let the pain end. Let your existence end. The thug in front came at Matthias then, the switchblade he had burying itself to the hilt in Matthias’ right kidney. He gasped, as adrenaline flooded his veins. What came next, was all autopilot. Matthias pivoted, pulling himself off the blade. As he came around, he brought the bottle up and across the thugs temple. Shattering it with a roar, he watched the first thug go down as he turned to face the other three. Thug number two wasn’t too bright - he couldn’t have been if he liked the Rakata - and tried to throw a wild haymaker at Matthias. The former trooper ducked underneath it, burying the broken bottle under the man’s left armpit. Deep enough to lacerate the man’s heart. He’d be dead in minutes. Thug three came past his buddie, pulling his own switchblade and coming at Matthias. Matt didn’t try to block the attack, he ducked under that one as well, spinning around and pulling the man’s arm over his shoulder. With a sharp, downward motion he broke the man’s elbow. He fell shrieking to the ground. The fourth thug - well this one had a pistol. With a bark, the pistol fired, the round hitting Matthias in his left shoulder. He grunted with the impact, but didn’t go down. The man stepped closer to Matt, firing again. This time the bullet entered just below his sternum. Still, Matthias didn’t go down. The man stepped closer again - this time too close. Matthias lunged forward, taking the man’s gun hand in his, clenching the wrist tightly - a round firing as the man’s finger spasmed from the pressure. His other hand, he reached up, grabbing the man’s head. Pulling it close, and roaring another wordless roar into the man’s face, he buried his thumb into the left eye socket, feeling the eyeball within squish and break under the pressure. Falling backwards, the man screamed, his hands going up to his eye, the gun clattering to the ground. Matthias reached down, grabbing the pistol. His breathing was labored at this point, and blood was trickling from the corners of his mouth and onto the ground. He walked over to the man, and put two in his chest. The fourth thug spasmed and stopped screaming. He then staggered back to each thug, and put one in each head. As he turned back towards the way he came, he saw another hooded figure. He raised the pistol, but the person stepped forward, pulling her hood back. “Matthias, it’s me, Raine.” He lowered the pistol, letting it fall to the ground with a clamor. He tried to say sorry, but all that came out was blood bubbling from his lips, and he collapsed to his knees. He felt Raine come to him, wrapping her arms around him, and he felt the cold rush of the Force flow through his battered body. He felt his wounds starting to heal - the spent bullets falling from his flesh. Once she was done, he was healed, but very weak from blood loss, and very hungry. She held his head to her shoulder, feeling something for this man that seemed familiar, but yet not. It was more of those memories peeking out, and she was frightened of them. Yet she simply sat there on her knees, holding Matthias’ head to her chest, her cheek resting on the top of his head. Finally, after several moments, he finally spoke, his voice a gravelly whisper, “I’m sorry. I failed you. I couldn’t save her. I couldn’t stop them.” She didn’t know what he was talking about, so she simply stroked his hair, trying to comfort the bloody trooper as best she could. But he wasn’t done. “I’m sorry. I loved you yet I couldn’t save your Master. I couldn’t save Tia.” Curiosity getting the better of her, she reached out with the Force, intruding on Matthias’ mind again. She wanted to see what he was seeing. To see, what he was reliving in his mind. She opened his mind to her, and she saw. And she knew the depth of his pain, and his anguish. His sense of loss, and his sense of failure. And she saw him - and Serena. In that dirty alleyway, holding the bloody yet healed trooper in her hands, Raine shed tears along with the Captain, whispering to him, “I forgive you.”

[rhouston72]

Redemption - Part 06

She had helped him that day, not only healing him in that decrepit alleyway, but also getting him the food his body so desperately needed. They had sat in a diner, Matthias shoveling food into his system, Raine watching him while sipping a glass of water. It was the first real food Matthias had eaten in days. His only fuel had been alcohol and the occasional nut or pretzel snagged from a bar counter. Nothing was said by either of them at first. She simply sat there, watching the former Sergeant. He kept his gaze on his plate, unable to look at her, unable to meet her eyes. He had gotten to his third plate of food, when she finally spoke. “We need to talk Captain Jayne.” Stifling a belch, he grunted out a response. “Why is it always ‘Captain Jayne’? I know I’m a Captain, I don’t need to be reminded of it all the time. But I guess telling a Jedi not to use a title is like telling a slicer not to hack his way into a system. It’s impossible.” He went back to his plate, and realized it was empty, and he was actually full. Pushing the plate aside, he sipped on his cup of caf, though it wasn’t really hot anymore. He held the cup in both hands, his head bowed and looking into the mug. Raine looked at him again for a moment, taking a breath and speaking, “You said some things back on the Orion, some rather unusual things. And I think I know what it’s about. You were there, when Order 66 happened, weren’t you?” She had seen as much in his mind, and wanted to hear it from him. He simply nodded to her, not wanting to talk about his memories. He looked over at Raine’s plate, which had been untouched for the most part. He pointed at it, “You ordered it, you should eat it.” She bowed to his words and started eating her burger and fries. She watched him while she ate. It was hard to believe this was the same man she had fought beside, bled beside, laughed and joked with. He had always been supportive of her, giving her an encouraging word when she needed it and guidance even when she didn’t ask for it. He was an anchor in a turbulent sea, but the chains were breaking. Could she help him? He went back to sipping his caf and staring into it. Finally, after a few minutes of staring into that cup, he began speaking. “Aye, I was there. We had just beaten back the latest Sep attack wave. Clankers and dead troopers were all over the place when the Order came through. My men, the very same Clones I struggled to keep alive through it all, took me captive. Wait, that’s not entirely true. They took me into custody, and gave me a choice. I could kill a Jedi they had captured - some Jedi Knight I didn’t recognize - and prove my loyalty to the Republic and the Supreme Chancellor, or I could stay a prisoner. I didn’t know at the time, but they were going to kill me. I found that out later, when I…” He stopped. How was he going to tell Raine about Serena? He decided to keep it vague. “Later when I came across a Jedi Master and her Padawan that I did know. I attempted to rescue them, but failed. The Padawan was rescued by other Jedi and I was pushed aside by a Force Push from one of them. I was discharged from the new Imperial Military and moved off to Nar Shaddaa.” He left out the part where he lived his life in a bottle for a year, before finally coming clean and started working as a bounty hunter on Nar Shaddaa. Raine simply sat there, having finished off her plate of food and continued sipping her water. She wasn’t prone to inaction, but Matthias’ words prompted mixed feelings in her. She knew the man was distraught over these awful events of his past, but at the same time she didn’t understand why he was letting them affect him so. They were so far in the past that they shouldn’t have any effect upon them now - but alas, here was Captain Matthias Jayne, a broken shell of a man. She was about to speak when Matthias cut her off. “I know what you’re thinking. Why is something so in the past able to affect me so? Well, I’m sure you’ve been in my mind and have seen what’s in there. I honestly have no explanation for why it’s affecting me so - other than it lies with the beliefs that I hold most dear to me. And to be honest, I don’t even know what those are anymore. So for now, until I get this sorted out, I’m no good to anyone up there. So I’ll stay down here in the mud and go on a walkabout. Maybe I’ll figure myself out and come back. Maybe I won’t. Either way, I won’t be coming back to the Orion any time soon.” He started fishing around his pouch for some Sovereigns to pay for the meal, but Raine beat him to it. “I think you’re going to need them more than I will.” He got up from the table to leave, but Raine shot up and came over to him, embracing him in a hug. “You better come back to me Captain.” He returned her hug, planting a kiss on the top of her head. “I’ll try, that’s all I can promise darlin’.” He pulled away from her, and stepped out of the diner. Raine watched him go, wondering if she’d ever see the Captain alive again. While standing there, a young girl - maybe the age of twelve approached Raine having recognized her from the holo vids - and she wanted to meet a real hero. All Raine could do was smile at the little girl as she looked back towards Matthias’ direction, but she couldn’t see him. He was gone, and she felt an unfamiliar sense of loss.

[rhouston72]

Redemption - Part 07

It had been a week since Matthias’ conversation with Raine. She had gone back to the Orion and the others, while Matthias had continued his descent into the abyss. He had gone back to the solace of blissful drunkenness as he continued his meanderings through the underbelly of Albion Prime. He had shunned all company, busying himself with the bottle and his dreams. They were becoming more vivid and detailed - he didn’t understand why. The alcohol had obliterated his thoughts before. Now they seemed to coalesce more easily. As if they were being pushed into focus. He had taken up a spot on the steps of an abandoned building, a hooded rag that was once his black hooded shirt; his pants torn in several places. He had taken up this place, hiding in the shadows of the doorway as he swilled his cheap grain alcohol - to watch the children playing across the street. Several people had tried to shoo Matthias on his way, thinking him nothing more than a deadbeat drunk - and they were right. This soldier of the Republic, this fighter for Peace and Justice was reduced to a shambling wreck by his own mind. Taking another long pull from the clear liquid he watched as the ball one group of young children was playing with went flying out of control and came rolling towards him. On instinct he stopped it with his foot and picked it up. A little girl - no more than eight years of age - had come chasing after the ball and stopped when she saw Matthias holding it. She seemed frightened of the former trooper, unable or unwilling to come closer to him. He held out the ball to her, giving her a small smile. “Here you go young lady.” She hesitantly took the ball from him, and thanked him with the good manners her parents had instilled within her. “Thank you.” With that said, she darted back to her friends, but not before looking over her shoulder at the stranger in the dark. Over the course of the next several days while sitting there, the little girl had taken an interest in the strange man sitting in the dark. Matthias thought to himself that obviously her parents hadn’t warned her enough about stranger danger, or whatever they’re calling it in schools these days. Though he had come to enjoy the few times the little girl had interrupted his drinking. The first time she had spoken to him with more than a muttered thank you, was two days after their initial meeting. Once again the ball had come flying over towards him and the same little girl came to retrieve it. Upon handing her the ball, Matthias asked her, “What’s your name, little lady?” She was hesitant - maybe her parents had warned her of stranger danger - but finally answered him, “Anabell.” Matthias gave her another smile. “That’s a beautiful name Anabell. My name is Matthias. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” And with that simple exchange of names, the little girl had become a staple in Matthias’ drunken life. She’d come over at lunch time to sit with him, talking about her day and her home, sharing her little lunch with Matthias. He’d occasionally slip some Sovereigns into her lunch pail when she wasn’t looking, hoping the girl’s family could use them. It was this little act of kindness that was to change Matthias’ life in more ways than one. Matthias had discovered that though the building was empty, the plumbing still worked. Having just come back from relieving himself of a full bladder, he found little Anabell waiting for him - along with another woman that appeared to be in her late twenties. The woman was a pretty one, with shoulder length blonde hair and blue eyes that showed she’d taken a mate. That thing with the Albion’s and their reproduction rules still weirded him out a little. He assumed the young woman was Anabell’s mother, as the child was a spitting image of the woman. She kept Anabell close to her side as Matthias walked up to them. He had emptied his latest bottle of alcohol and needed to go buy another. As he approached them, he saw that the woman had a small coin purse that seemed to be stuffed. She seemed agitated somewhat, but also nervous. “I believe these are yours.” She held out the purse towards Matthias. He simply shook his head, refusing to take the money back. “I put those coins in Anabell’s lunch pail as a show of gratitude and appreciation for brightening an otherwise dull and painful existence. I had hoped to help her family out in some way.” The woman was torn, they could definitely use the money as she was barely making ends meet between her two jobs and her dead husband’s stipend from the Royal Navy. Matthias saw the conflict in her eyes. “Believe me, they are better off in your hands. I wouldn’t use them for anything...useful.” He gestured towards the empty bottles of liquor on the ground next to the steps. As he did so, his hood slipped and his face became more visible. The woman recognized him then. “Wait, Matthias? Matthias Jayne, from the Arena? You’re one of the heroes that came from across the Galaxy to aid us in our time of need, to help us in our war against the Rakata.” She couldn’t believe this man before her was the same one that stood triumphant in the Arena, that had helped gather the militia and had taken the fight to the Rakata. He wasn’t a Highborne, and this made him all the more of a hero in the eyes of the everyday people. At least he was until she saw him like this. Turning down towards Anabell, the woman told her daughter to head to school with a kiss on the top of her head. The little girl nodded dutifully to her mother and waved goodbye to Matthias. When her daughter was gone, she turned back towards Matthias. “What happened to you?” Matt just sighed as he sat back down on the step that had become his home. He looked at her then, but he wasn’t looking at her, but THROUGH her, recalling the memories that drove him here. “Let’s just say my past is weighing heavily on my soul right now.” She recognized the look in his eyes then, and upon his face. It was the same thousand meter stare that her husband had expressed countless times in the few short weeks before he took his own life. She wondered what this man was flagellating himself over. Her husband had been a soldier just like Matthias, a Captain in the Royal Navy. He was following in the footsteps of her retired father, himself an Admiral that was injured in the war. The Rakata had claimed her father’s career and her husband’s life. She decided that it wasn’t going to claim this man, not if she could do something about it. “My name is Serena, Serena Baltar.” She was about to say something else but the way Matthias’ head snapped up and his eyes bored into her shocked her into silence. After a moment, she recovered. “This name means something to you? Well I imagine it would, I was named after a class of star fighters after all. My father was in the Royal Navy, just like my husband.” Matt was startled when he heard the woman’s name. What is this? Is it fate, or a coincidence? He didn’t believe in coincidences. Only the illusion of coincidence. When she mentioned her father and husband, he didn’t know what to say. He gave out one of his usual platitudes from his time on Corellia. “I look forward to meeting them someday.” He saw the pained expression come on her face and realized he said something wrong. “I’m sure they’d love to meet you as well, but they are both gone from my life. One taken from me by the Rakata when I was but a child about Anabell’s age, wounded so severely that he left my mother and I. He was broken in body and mind. My husband was taken from me by his own hand. He was driven to despair by the war itself." She was lost for a moment in her own grief, but quickly regained her composure and saw the concern on Matthias’ face. He obviously had his own issues to deal with, issues that seemed to be eating him alive, and yet he still showed concern on his face. Before she could stop herself, or even registered what she was saying, she asked him, “Would you like to come over for dinner tonight?” She stopped, wondering why she was asking this. She couldn’t come up with an acceptable answer, only that it felt RIGHT. She continued on before he could speak, “We don’t have much, but what little we do have we’ll share with you, if you want.” Matthias thought it over. He hadn’t eaten any real food in days - at least not that he could remember. He was hungry - and filthy. He hadn’t shaved in the entire time he was down here, and hadn’t showered either. He nodded his head to Serena. “I think I’ll take you up on that offer. And you can keep the Sovereigns. Use them to buy yourself and Anabell something nice.” Serena just smiled slightly, taking the coin purse and putting it back into her own purse. She then took out a small scrap of paper, and wrote her address down upon it. “Here is where we live. It’s not much as I said, but we eat dinner around 5pm. I’ll set a place for you. Don’t be late.” With that, she turned away from Matthias, walking back down the street. He watched her go, looking down upon the small piece of paper, smiling once again.

[rhouston72]

Redemption - Part 08

It was five minutes to five when he knocked on the door of the small, single family dwelling that was actually in the basement of this apartment complex. He had seen several rats and other unsavory signs of infestation. He was looking around, carrying the boxed bottle of wine and a small stuffed animal that looked like something resembling a Krayt Dragon. When he heard the sound of feet from the other side of the door, along with the jangling of what sounded like a hundred locks, he hid the items behind his back. The door opened, and Serena was standing there. She gave him a smile and opened the door further for him to come in. As he did so and he passed her, she wrinkled her nose. “I’m glad I told you to come an hour early. I want you to take a shower and shave before dinner, which is at six.” Matthias just turned, giving her a smirk. “That would sound lovely, but I don’t have a change of clothes, unfortunately. If I had known I was going to be ambushed with a shower, I’d have bought some new garments.” Serena paused, actually not having thought that far ahead. She simply wanted the man to be able to clean himself up and look presentable, as a hero should. She went to her room and came back out shortly with some clothing that clearly belonged to a male. “These were my husband’s, and you look to be about his size. Now go, get cleaned up.” She ushered him to the bathroom after taking the wine and the stuff animal from him. He simply nodded and acquiesced to her wishes. Besides, he really did smell. Heading into the shower, he quickly stripped down, sliding the plastic paned door open so he could reach into the shower and start the water. He quickly got it up to the heat he liked and stepped inside, letting the hot water flow across his bare and scarred skin. It was while he was washing himself and getting lost in the sensation of being clean again, that Serena entered the bathroom with the clothes for Matthias to change into. She stopped dead as she looked into the shower. The door wasn’t exactly clean, but she could make out the different colored scar tissue that seemed to cover his body. Her eyes were drawn to two large circular shaped ones on his left side. She had volunteered at a military hospital when she was younger, and knew wounds like that were normally fatal. She wondered at the strength of this man currently in her shower. Realizing that she had been standing there for too long, she called out to Matthias. “The clothes are here on the counter. Dinner should be ready in fifteen minutes.” She withdrew before he could thank him, and went back to preparing the evening meal. It was a short time later that Matthias emerged, not only having cleaned himself but having also shaved his beard off. Well, most of it. He kept the goatee. He was becoming rather attached to the facial hair. Stepping out into the small living room of the hovel Serena and Anabell lived in, he gave the two ladies a warm and genuine smile. Serena smiled, and her breath seemed to catch. With the way the shadows caught on Matthias, for the briefest of moments - he had looked like her long lost husband. Regaining her composure, she went to speak but was interrupted by Anabell. “He looks like daddy.” Serena could only nod, agreeing with her daughter. “Indeed he does. Now, let’s get dinner on the table young lady.” Anabell scampered off with a “Yes Momma” as her little frame darted into the kitchen. Matthias came over to stand next to Serena, his eyes drifting to the floor as he approached. “I can’t thank you enough for what you’re doing. Taking in a complete stranger like this for no reason. Thank you, this means a lot to me.” Serena reached up, running her hand across his now smooth cheek. “You’re not a stranger. You’re a hero to us little people. To fight like you did and to hold your own next to the Highborn, it inspired many people.” She withdrew her hand, pulling Matthias towards the kitchen. “Now, let’s get in there before she destroys the kitchen.” With a smile and a chuckle, Matthias walked into a normal life. The next couple weeks would be bliss, compared to the life of fire and death he had lead. He spoke to Serena of his time in the GAR and helping to keep the Republic together. Of his times after the Fall of the Jedi Order and the Republic, of how Emperor Palpatine had staged his coup and turned the Republic into the Galactic Empire. Of his times on Nar Shaddaa, bringing in bounties alive, while slaughtering his way through henchmen to reach said bounties. It was one night, with Anabell tucked in after Matthias had carried her to bed that he came back to the couch, sitting on one end while Serena sat on the other, her feet tucked up under her and a glass of wine in her hand. Matthias had a glass of water. He hadn’t touched a drop of alcohol in the weeks he had been here, not since that first night. Sipping her wine, Serena asked Matthias, “You haven’t spoken of your family. Why is that?” Closing his eyes and taking a sip from his glass of water, Matthias glanced towards her. “I didn’t leave home on good terms. My parents wanted to marry me off to some noble from another world. She was barely sixteen years old. I wasn’t going to have any of it, so I left the next day, and joined the Grand Army of the Republic. I wasn’t a clone so they wanted to make me an officer and give me a non-combat job. I wasn’t having none of that though. I insisted on being a regular soldier and seeing combat. So I joined the front lines with the clones after training with them on Kamino.” Shifting in her spot on the sofa, Serena sat her glass of wine down on the coffee table. “Did you ever go back to see your parents?” Matthias simply nodded. “Once, when I learned my mother was dying. I tried to get back there in time, but she died just before I arrived. And my father? He thought I was gonna try to take the family business. I had no interest in it, but that didn’t matter to him. So, he did what he thought was right. He tried to have me killed. If it wasn’t for the Jedi that was with me, the toxin would have done me in. I left the next day, and never looked back. I no longer have a family back in the Empire.” She was drawn to Matt’s story, of tragedy and loss. Moving down the couch, she sat next to him, looking him in the eyes. “So you have no family now? No one to love, to come home to?” She looked at him with a yearning, wanting him to say the right words. She felt like such a hussy, throwing herself at him like this, but it felt right. He looked into her eyes just then, getting lost in the clear blue of them. “I have my friends on the Orion, some of which are like family to me. But I’ve let them down. Who’d have me in their family? This broken down old soldier.” Their faces drew closer together, their voices barely above a whisper. She took in all the features of his face, the small scars and the wrinkles around his eyes. Even the few grey hairs in his facial hair. She looked him in the eyes with her hands on both sides of his face, whispering to him, “I would. And so would Anabell. She adores you, we both do…” She stopped herself, having spoken without thinking, their lips millimeters apart. Just short of kissing, she got up from the couch, “I have to go to bed, I have an early shift tomorrow. Will you see Ana to school in the morning? We can talk more tomorrow, but we need to go to the market after we pick her up in the afternoon.” Matthias simply nodded, as she disappeared into her bedroom. Tomorrow would see Fate deal a cruel hand once again, to Captain Matthias Jayne.

[rhouston72]

Redemption - Part 09

It had been a quiet and uneventful day, as Matthias had kept himself busy with cleaning and repairing his new home. Though it was really Serena and Anabell’s, he was starting to think of it as his own. He missed his friends on the Orion though, especially Raine. Yet there was just a sense of peace that being with Serena and Anabell gave him. Life with them was simple - and as a talented Hapan Jedi Knight once told him - the galaxy would be better off with more simplicity, or something like that. He had just finished repairing the small computer terminal in the home - it was a simple job of clearing the cache and restarting it - when he realized it was almost time to go meet up with Serena and Anabell. Quickly grabbing his zip up black hoodie sweater, he headed out the door and locked it behind him. He still didn’t entirely trust the people in this apartment block. Just because they didn’t come down to the basement, didn’t mean he could leave the door unlocked. He went top side, heading for the bus stop. He’d take public transportation to Anabell’s school, and he’d meet Serena there. Ana’s teachers had come to know Matthias, and recognized him the few times he had come to pick up Ana on his own. On this day he arrived at the school just as Serena did. A warm smile broke across his face as he walked up to Serena. She saw him then, and a nervous smile was returned. He gave her a hug, which she returned, tentatively. “What’s wrong Serena?” She looked away then, her gaze turning towards the school as she watched for Ana. He took her gently by her arm, turning her around. She looked to the ground, her eyes becoming moist. “Tell me darlin’, what’s wrong?” She sniffed and looked back up at him. “I didn’t mean for this to happen, when I took you in. I just saw a lost soul that needed healing. I thought Ana and I could do that for you.” He put his hands on her upper arms, rubbing gently. “And you did, you two have shown me that I can live my life and be at peace, in a galaxy filled with war and strife. I can never thank you enough for the hope that you two have given me.” She looked at the ground again, blinking as she fought back tears. She was mumbling to herself, “I didn’t intend for this to happen. I swore never again after I lost Theon. But here I am, in it again.” Matthias was confused, and it was visible on his face. “In what hon?” She just smiled, patting Matt’s right cheek with her left hand. “I’ll tell you when we get home.” Just then, they heard the bell ringing as a herd of little children came out of the school. Anabell saw them both, and quickly ran over. She was carrying something, some sort of drawing. She held it up as she got to them. “Look what I drew in school today!” She held up the picture, and on it they could clearly see two adult sized people and a younger one. It was a picture of the three of them. Matthias knelt down in front of Anabell, looking at the picture. “It’s beautiful Ana, we’ll hang it on the door of the cooler unit when we get home, okay?” The little girl nodded as she tucked it back into her school bag. She took Matthias’ hand as they walked, her mother holding her other hand. It wasn’t long before they made it to the market. With undisguised glee, Anabell led the two adults to the stalls with the fresh fruit. Matthias couldn’t help but smile. “I can believe the city would have a place like this.” Serena smiled, “The farmers from the outlying area bring their excess produce in to the city every harvest and make this open air farmers market. Usually lasts two days, but us city folk usually buy them out in 24 hours.” They were standing there watching Ana get excited about the prospect of fresh fruit when Serena slipped her hand around Matt’s arm. He smiled, and all was right in the world.

[rhouston72]

Redemption - Part 10

Crack. He stopped as his subconscious heard a noise. A noise he had become very familiar with over the course of his training with the Marines onboard the Orion. Crack-Crack-Zing. That was the point where people started screaming. He grabbed Serena and Anabell, and got them both behind some solid cover. “What’s going on?” The fear was evident in her voice as she clutched Anabell to her chest. Matthias stuck his head just above and out of cover, and he could see bodies on the ground in the distance - and at least four men with automatic weapons mowing the crowd down as they fled. Matthias ducked back down and turned to look at Serena and Ana. “You two stay here and stay out of sight. I’ll be back.” He went to turn away when Serena grabbed his arm. “Please don’t go. I can’t go through that again, please.” He stopped and looked at her, finally realizing what she was talking about. “I can’t let those animals get away with this, not when I can stop them.” He grabbed her by the back of the head and pulled her in for a kiss, catching her off guard. He broke the kiss, and gave her a smile. “I’ll be right back.” What she said next came so naturally she didn’t even know she was saying it. “I love you.” He just smiled again, “I know.” He ducked out of cover then, moving towards the sound of gunfire. Moving from cover to cover, he kept low and moved as quietly as he could. He came across a dozen or so bodies - Men, Women, and Children all laying in pools of their own blood. He felt his anger rising. It had to be that Albion Liberation Front that was doing this. It was the only terrorist group he knew of that was currently active on Albion Prime. He was taking shelter behind a large concrete planter when he heard what sounded like a shotgun blast nearby. Peeking around the corner of the planter, he saw one of the terrorists standing over a wounded young man, who was currently pleading for his life. Matthias couldn’t make out what the young man was saying, but he could make out the terrorist’s response. “The weak must be culled, for only a strong Albion will do for our true Masters.” The terrorist racked a new shell into the chamber and was in the process of aiming the shotgun at his next victim when Matt made his move. Coming out from behind the planter, he came in low behind the asshole with the shotgun. Coming up behind him, he kicked the man in the back of the left knee, forcing him down to the ground. Not expecting any resistance from the civilians they were targeting, he turned to face Matthias with a look of shock on his face - especially since the shotgun was now in Matt’s hands. “Fuck your Masters.” The blast took the terrorist in the chest, sending him sprawling on the ground. Matt chambered another shell and fired again - this time disintegrating the man’s face. Searching the terrorist, he found a semi-automatic pistol and several spare magazines. He took those and the few shotgun shells he could also find. It appeared that the man had already shot off most of his shotgun ammo and Matt could see the bastard’s bloody handiwork. Leaving the wounded civilian where he was, Matt moved off towards the sound of gunfire and screams. He moved tactically from cover to cover, keeping his head on a swivel as he came across more scenes of carnage. In what appeared to be an eating area, families were sprawled out, loved ones clutching one another in their final embraces. Matthias just gripped his purloined shotgun tighter, as he swore he’d make those that did this pay. Moving through the smoke and dust, he came across two more terrorists working their way through the fleeing civilians. Just as Matt got there, a Justicar attempted to engage the two. The brave woman went down in a hail of automated weapons fire. One of the terrorists stopped to reload as the second one moved forward. Matthias chose this time to strike. Sitting the shotgun down on the ground as he was just a bit too far away to use it, he took out the pistol and braced himself as he knelt. Taking aim at the back of the terrorist’s head, Matthias moved his sights down to center mass and squeezed off a shot. He then squeezed off another. The first round struck the terrorist in the middle of his back, just to the right of center, ripping a hole through the man’s lung. The man started to go down to one knee in response to the pain from being shot, and as he went down, Matt’s second shot voided the contents of his brainpan. Two down. Shifting his sights to the third terrorist, he centered his sights on the man’s chest. He had turned and was in the process of bringing his assault rifle up towards Matt when the former trooper squeezed off rounds three and four. The round took the terrorist through the heart and the second one was just above the first. Three down, one to go. Hearing gunfire back the way he came, Matthias cursed as he darted back, forgetting the shotgun on the ground. He made his way back to the area he had left Serena and Anabell in to find the fourth terrorist on his way back to whatever vehicle they took to get there. He saw Matthias coming towards him and smiled. “I shall kill one of the Heroes of the Arena! I shall make an even bigger blow to the morale of these…” He was cut off by Matt firing three rounds at the man, hitting him square in the chest and puncturing both his lungs. The man went down, the pain almost too much to bear. Matthias moved up, kicking the weapon from his grasp. Pulling the man up off his back by the scruff of his collar, he tried interrogating him. “Where’s the rest of you? How many of you are there? Where’s your base.” The terrorist just smiled, bloody foam gathering at the corners of his lips. “We are….legion. And we....are everywhere.” With one final gasp, the man died. Letting go of the man’s collar, Matthias turned back towards where Serena and Anabell were at - and he froze. Through the smoke and haze, he saw two bodies prone on the ground. One a female adult, the other a female child. Running to them, he picked up both their heads, cradling them on his lap. They both had a single bullet hole in their sternums, and it looked as if Serena had been trying to protect Anabell. She told him before he had left to be a hero, that she didn’t want to lose him. Instead, he lost both of them. He felt grief, sorrow, anguish flood into him as fate, or the universe, or the Force, or whoever decided on how things went had once again decided that Matthias Jayne didn’t deserve happiness. With tears flowing from his eyes, he held the two women close to him, rocking back and forth on his knees. He let out a howl of anguish then, giving voice to not just his grief at losing Serena and Anabell, but at his entire life. Leaving his family, losing the Jedi and the Republic, losing the first woman he ever loved, and now the second. He howled, letting decades of grief flow through him and resulting in a long howl that anyone who heard it, would feel it in their soul. The sound of a soul wounded beyond the point of no return. Then, he went quiet as he dipped his head. He gently kissed first Serena then Anabell on the top of their heads, before looking up at the horizon. Gone was the look of pain and suffering, and in its place was something far different. On his face, was hatred and anger. He let his rage build before something went click in his mind. His features then softened, and the face of a cold, calculating killer found its way to the fore. Matthias made a decision at that point. He was going to go to war, and the streets will run red with the blood of the Albion Liberation Front. Unbeknownst to Matthias, the entire scene - his killing of the final terrorist and his soul wrenching scream - was all caught on camera by a news crew that was there to cover the yearly farmer’s market. And they were broadcasting live to the entire planet, and to ships in orbit. Up on board the Orion, his friends were watching the news report when they saw Matthias take down the last terrorist, and several of the Marines in Jilly’s cheered as they saw their Captain take him down. But then came the sight of Matthias finding the bodies of Serena and Anabell, and their cheers died. Not all who were there, were cheering though. Cal watched his Commander closely. He felt the same jubilation that the Marines felt at seeing the terrorist gunned down by Matthias. Anyone who preys upon the weak in such a fashion deserved a speedy death, at least according to the Arkanian. It was the look on Matthias’ face though, that made Cal pause. The pain was clearly evident, but the look that came over the man’s face is what worried Cal the most. It was the look of a man that intended evil things. Raine had also seen the carnage unfold, the bodies fall and the terrorists be judicially dismissed by Matthias. It was what came after that worried her. She had suspected for a while now, that he had been harboring some inner pain, and she worried that this might be what pushed him past the breaking point. Seeing his face change from sorrow to something else, something...darker, then back again only confirmed her fears. Something had just happened inside the mind of her friend Matthias Jayne, and she prayed that he survived whatever it was he just decided upon. Jedi Master Davin Kabak saw the same look that Raine had seen, and knew it meant nothing good. He was on the verge of deploying the Marines on board the Orion when he saw the attack stopped by the former trooper. He then saw Matthias experience a sorrow that no person should ever experience - it was as if the man had lost a wife and child. Perhaps they had meant something to him? That much was obvious. And now it was obvious from the look on the Corellian’s face. More bad things were going to happen.

[rhouston72]

Redemption - Part 11

Matthias was still on his knees, holding onto Serena’s and Anabell’s corpses when a Justicar came over to him, “Sir? Sir, are you alright? Are you…” The woman stopped when she recognized Matthias. Coming to attention, she saluted the man. “Captain Jayne! I didn’t know it was you sir.” Matthias got up from the ground, after laying the two heads reverently onto the pavement. “Tell me what you know Justicar.” She nodded once, “Looks like the Albion Liberation Front again sir. We’ve been trying to take these punks out for weeks, but no joy. We have what we think is a safe house of theirs under surveillance, but no orders to hit it as of yet.” He started to move off towards the row of Justicar patrol vehicles but stopped, turning his head to look at the Justicar. “Take care of them Justicar. Those two saved my soul. If you need anything for a proper burial, let me know. I’ll pay for it all.” She simply nodded as Matthias moved off and got himself a ride to the local Justicar precinct. They all knew him, and didn’t say anything when he simply walked into the building, right past the security doors and into the back of the precinct. He simply sat down at a terminal and pulled up all the Justicar’s information on the suspected safe house. Once he had the information, he thought about what gear he would need. The good thing about being favored by Lady Maryell was that he could come and go from any Justicar Precinct he wanted - and take any gear he needed as well. With that in mind, he went to the equipment stores and pulled out some dark colored tactical gear. Helmet, boots, equipment webbing, the whole nine yards. Then he went to the gun cage. Inside the cage was a grizzled old sergeant long retired from active duty by injuries sustained in the line of duty. He had seen the same news broadcast the others had seen, and he nodded to Matthias as he came up. “I saw you take down that last terrorist sir, that was some good shooting. My condolences on they lady and the little girl. They both looked like angels.” Matthias just sat what he had gathered up so far on the counter. “Thanks Sarge. I need a favor. I need some gear, and I need it on the down low. Think you can help me out?” The sergeant just rubbed his chin and looked at Matthias with a gleam in his eyes. “Well, that depends on what you’re after sir.” Matthias gave him his list of needs, and watched as the sergeant’s mouth just opened further and further. It was enough gear to take on a small army. “So, can you help me out Sarge?” In his shock, the Sergeant blurted out, “What do you need all this for?” Matt just looked at the man, and in an entirely straight face, he told him. “It’s a….training exercise Sarge. Gotta teach some people the proper way to clear some rooms.” The Sergeant just gave a wary nod, “Right, a training exercise.” He then signed off on the gear and watched Matthias head out the precinct.

[rhouston72]

Redemption - Part 12

War had been declared. Not in words, but in deeds. The Albion Liberation Front had declared war against the people of Albion, and Matthias Jayne was declaring war back. He wouldn’t sit idle though, he would take the war to the ALF, and the first strike would be tonight. Making his way over to the safe house that had been identified by the Justicars prior to the horrific events of the day, Matthias prepared himself for a stealth entry. It was a multi-room apartment on the third floor of a four story building. Luckily for him, the place directly above the terrorists was empty. He’d make use of that shortly. Doing an inventory of the gear he had gathered from the Justicars, he quickly outlined his plan in his head. Recon with the fiberoptic scope through the vents, shaped charges through the floor, enter and eliminate. Seemed simple. Too bad no plan survives first contact with the enemy. Moving through darkened alleyways and then up a fire escape, Matt saw something that worried him. Down the street was a utility vehicle - obviously it was the Justicar recon team. He did remember reading something about the Justicar’s watching the safe house. He’d have to make this quick and be gone before they called for backup. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

​Down the street and inside that vehicle, Justicar Officer Hadrich thought he saw something, something moving along the roof of the target building. He dismissed it as a cat or something else of that nature. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

​Making his way over to the roof entry, Matt expertly picked the lock, and leaving a piece of scrap wood behind so the door didn’t close and lock again, he made his way slowly through the stairwell to the fourth floor. Going by blueprints he had memorized of the third and fourth floors, Matt got to apartment 421 - directly above apartment 321 - where the terrorists were holed up. Picking this lock was childs play as well, as the door opened with a click. Through the floor, he could just barely make out the sound of a news channel playing on the television. It was a recounting of the number of innocents killed in the attack earlier in the day. He could just make out voices too… “Bah, we got a bloody good tally today. Did you see that whore and her daughter go down on the tv? It was beautiful I tell you,” Said a female voice. “The boys would have gotten away too if it wasn’t for that damned off worlder. “ A man’s voice. “I’d have killed that man if I was there. Give me a gun and I’ll kill him now!” It was the woman again. Matthias just smirked in the darkness. These braggards didn’t know anything. He was about to teach them a harsh lesson in reality. Pulling the fiber optic camera from his pouch, he slid it into the vent near the outer wall, sliding it down to the vent on the floor below. He maneuvered the camera so he could see the occupants. There was two of them, sitting on some sort of couch. He heard a third one call from off to the left. He panned the camera that way, seeing a male in his mid twenties in some sort of kitchenette. The recon info the Justicars had said there were four here. Where’s the fourth? Pulling the camera up out of the vent, Matt went back to his duffle bag. Pulling the det cord and the water blister from within, he went to setting the explosives. The detcord to cut through the floor, and the water blisters to direct the blast downward, and extinguish any flames that happen to start due to the explosives. Finishing the setup, Matthias did one more listen to the floor, hearing the woman boasting how she could have taken him, and the male boasting about how all she’d do is fuck him instead of killing him. Matt smirked again, as he back up, holding the detonator. He double checked the UPR he had grabbed from the gun cage, along with the extra mags and the two pistols strapped to his legs. He was ready to go. Standing around the corner from the explosives, Matt took a deep breath, and pumped the detonator three times quickly. WHUMP! -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------​

“What the bloody hell?!” The Justicar on the surveillance equipment ripped the headphones off of his head as he was partially deafened by the blast. Looking up at their target, the second Justicar saw the windows blow out from the charge Matt used. “Bloody hell...is that gunfire? Call it in Marten, something’s happening here.” The Justicar placed his call into headquarters as his partner drew his service weapon. They had sidearms and it sounded like automatic weapons fire. With the call placed, they started making their way towards the building… -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------​

The small amount of dust crept through the room and Matt was moving, jumping down the hole and landing on the debris from the blast. He stood there, watching the terrorists through the smoke and haze. He smiled at them, his gun in his hands. “Speak of the Devil, and he shall appear.” He opened fire, shredding the male and winging the female. Turning his attention to the one in the kitchenette, he dropped and rolled as rounds flew over his head. Coming up on one knee, he brought the UPR to his shoulder and unleashed a long burst, emptying the remaining rounds in the magazine as the target folded in on itself, almost cut in half by the burst. Flicking the magazine out he slammed another one home just as the front door opened - it was the fourth terrorist. “You!” He fired his pistol at Matt, catching him in the body armor. Rolling behind the couch, Matt opened fire through the piece of furniture, dropping the guy at the door. Getting to his feet, Matt went over to each subject, checking them. The one at the door and the woman was still alive. He knelt down by the one at the door first. “I got some questions, you feel like talking?” The response Matt got didn’t thrill him any. The man spat a mouthful of blood onto Matt’s vest. Leaning down next to the man, Matt pushed the barrel of his pistol into the man’s wound, twisting it and causing him to scream out in pain. “Fuck you, you bloody offworlder!” Matt just twisted the barrel some more, adding more pressure to the wound. “You gonna answer my questions?” The man just cursed at Matthias some more, so Matt nodded at him, “Fair enough.” He pulled his pistol and shot the man in the forehead, sending him to whatever God he worshiped. Getting up, he made his way over to the woman, who was moaning from a shoulder and chest wound. Looking it over, Matt assessed she’d live, but she’d need surgery. “Well darlin, you’re gonna need surgery for that shoulder, and looks like I got a good chunk of your right breast too. Gonna need to replace that. Unless you don’t want to talk. If that’s the case, I’ll just do you right here right now. Your choice, makes no difference to me.” She looked over at her dead compatriots, then back to Matt. “What do you want to know?” -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------​

The two Justicars made it into the ground level of the apartment building and slowed down. They didn’t know what they were walking into. The younger one that was on the listening equipment, whispered to his older partner, “What do you think’s going on Hadrich?” The senior man just shook his head. “I don’t know kid, but it can’t be good.” Just then, they both heard a man’s scream of pain coming from the third floor, faint but barely noticeable. Sneaking their way up the stairs, they got to the second floor when they heard a single pistol shot. Marten whispered to Hadrich again, “Want me to go cover the other stairwell?” He just shook his head. “No, you stay with me rookie. That was automatic weapons fire and we have semi-automatic pistols. We stay together.” -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------​

So Matt spend the next five minutes getting all he could from the woman, which wasn’t much. What she did tell him though, was how the group was getting its funding - at least partially. A recent string of bank robberies was being pulled off by a sophisticated group of robbers, and they worked for the ALF. They also had an ace in the whole. Apparently they had a way to track guards when they did their heists. She didn’t know how, but it was almost foolproof. Matt started to get up, leaving the woman to her injuries. She started chuckling at him. “Your sense of morality, your sense of compassion. That is your weakness. We’ve been following you and your friends ever since you made yourselves known at the arena. You all behave so high and mighty, protectors of the innocent. We will use that against you. It will be your downfall.” He looked down at the woman, standing above her. “My sense of morality, died with them.” He put one in her head. He gathered up his gear, and made for the stairs. He could hear the Justicars coming in down below as he made his way up to the fourth floor. He gathered his stuff in apartment 421 and looked down at the hole, as he heard one of the Justicars exclaim, “What in the hell happened here?” Just then, they looked up at the hole and saw Matt. They couldn’t make out his face, just that he was wearing all black and was wearing a black mask. “Stop in the name of Justice!” They brought their sidearms up in unison. Matt slung his bag over his shoulder, “I’m not Justice. I’m Vengeance.” He then turned and dashed towards the exit and the stairwell. He made his way through the roof door and slammed it shut. He jammed the piece of scrap wood in the door like a wedge and made for the rooftops of the adjoining building. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------​

The two Justicars looked at each other, then at the hole where the man in black disappeared, then down at the bodies. All had holes neatly drilled into them, and on a hunch, the old man walked over to the one laying on it’s back by the door. He took a five Sovereign coin from his pocket, and placed it on the chest. The coin covered both holes, directly over the corpse’s heart. Pocketing the coin he stood and turned to his young partner as he could hear sirens blaring in the distance. “We’re in for a load of paperwork tonight.” -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------​

It was later that evening when Matthias returned to the Justicar precinct, turning in the gear he had borrowed. The grizzled old sergeant behind the cage just looked at Matt as he was putting the gear up on the counter. “I heard something about someone taking out an ALF safe house earlier tonight. Wouldn’t know anything about that would you son?” Matt just looked at the man, “No idea Sarge. But it sounds like they got exactly what they deserved.” The man just smirked and nodded, looking down at all the stuff was preparing to give back. “Well I don’t know Captain Jayne. This gear looks worn and unusable to me. Looks like the training exercise you used them in put them out of commission. I’ll have to sign off on them as being unsalvageable and destroyed. You’ll destroy them for me, right sir?” Matt just smiled as he stowed the gear. “Absolutely Sarge. I’ll destroy them right proper.” As he went to step away, the Sarge whispered to him, “It’s a shame about the lady and the girl. You give those bastards a what for from the Justicars.” Matt simply nodded. “You got it Sarge.”

[rhouston72]

Redemption - Part 13

It was the day after his little trip to the ALF safehouse and he was back at the Justicar office again. He was searching up the area around the abandoned warehouse the woman told him about, right before he finished her off. He could hear some chatter coming from down the hall near the break room. A couple of Justicars were talking about the attack last night, and what they were saying could only make him smile. “Did you hear? Took all four people down in minutes. Had to be at least two or three guys that did it.” “Nope, just one. Didn’t you hear? When the two surveillance officers went to stop him, he said his name was Vengeance. I think we’ll be seeing more of him.” Matthias kept up that smile. If they only knew… Making his way through the precinct, Matthias taps on the door of the Chief of Detectives, Melisandia Wynen. For a Chief of Detectives, she was pretty wild, with olive complexion and light red hair. Really it was pink, but since pink wasn’t allowed by Department regulations, she called it really light red. Whatever, it’s pink. Heading inside after she called to enter, he promptly sat down in a chair across from her desk, completely missing how her eyes lit up as he entered, then turned to sorrow as she remembered seeing him on the holo. “Matthias I’m glad to see you, though my condolences on the loss of your loved ones.” Matthias swallowed the pain he felt at her mentioning Serena and Anabell. Use it. “Thanks Mel. I’ve actually come to you about that. Do you have any leads on this ALF? Anything that’s not in the reports? I’ve gone over all of them.” And copied them. “I’d like to look into these people further.” And slaughter them all. She came around her desk then, sitting on the edge of it directly in front of Matt. She really liked the Corellian, and she sat there watching him with her striking green eyes. “Matthias, I feel for you, I really do. But let us handle the ALF. If you’re the man I think you are, you’re gonna want to do something about them. Matthias, that’s only going to get you killed.” Well shit, she saw right to what I was doing. Gotta lead her away. “Oh don’t get me wrong Mel, I want to burn the ALF to the ground. But it’s not going to be just me doing it. It’s going to be every Justicar and soldier I can get my hands on. Or if I can’t do it, I’ll pass anything I find out up the chain of command. I’ll be pissed that I’m not involved, but at the same time I’ll be happy that those bastards are all looking at a grave from the wrong side.” She looked at him, those green eyes of hers boring into him, as if looking at his soul. All Matt did was stare back at her, never blinking. Seemingly satisfied, she got up from the edge of the desk and sat back down behind it. “Well there’s not much I know that isn’t in the reports.” She stopped to think for a bit. “Well, one thing that hasn’t been confirmed is an unlikely connection. It seems that the ALF is being funded in part by a crew of thieves that hit banks and other high end establishments. Strange thing is, they slaughter all the guards but don’t hurt any civilians. It doesn’t fit with the ALF’s MO. So I’ve grouped their information over in the Robbery Division. They don’t fall under the purview of the new task force being put together.” Matthias made a mental note to head over to the Robbery Division, see if he could confirm what he had just learned. “I hadn’t heard that. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were working out of some old warehouse in the industrial district. It’s how the did things sometimes on Nar Shaddaa.” Mel raised an eyebrow just then, “Where?” Matt gave her a half hearted smirk. “Someplace far from here. It’s a nest of scum and villainy. Not someplace to take children.” She seemed to smile a bit at the mention of children - not that Matt noticed. He got up at that point. “Well, I’ll stop chewing your ear off for now, thanks for the talk Mel.” She murmured something that sounded like, “You can chew my ear all night…” But she coughed and nodded instead. “Anytime Matthias. My door is always open to you.” He smiled, nodded, and turned to head out. His next stop was the Robbery Division. He made his way through the building from the Headquarters Division over to Robbery. The building here didn’t seem as posh or as well funded as the rest of it. He went over to the Senior Detective’s desk, hoping to get somewhere. He hadn’t met the man before, but he hoped his reputation preceded him. Let my renown be of some damn use for once. He knocked on the office door and let himself in. He was met by a cluttered office and what looked like the remains of too much takeout. The man behind the desk was portly and running to waste, and had his head down doing some paperwork. He spoke to Matt without looking up. “I’m busy, this better be important.” Matt just walked up to the front of the man’s desk. “I don’t mean to bother you Detective, but I was hoping you could help me out.” The man sighed and looked up as he started speaking, “You’ll have to give a statement to one of my… Wait, I know you… Holy shit you’re one of them! The visitors from the other part of the galaxy!” He got up from behind his desk, coming around to shake Matt’s hand. He smiled broadly at Matt, lighting up the man’s blue eyes. “It’s an honor to meet you Captain Jayne, a real honor sir! Are you here by yourself, or are the others with you...the young blond woman, perhaps?” His eyes stole behind Matt, looking to see if he was alone. Fucking pig… He returned the hearty handshake and gave the detective a smile. “Sorry Detective, but I’m here alone. I’ve been following up on some information, hoping to get some more leads, and one of them lead me to you. Tell me more about this group of thieves that have been hitting the high profile targets.” The man withdrew his hand, cutting his smile short. “I can’t divulge information pertaining to any of the cases my men and women are working on. Can’t disrupt their due process and all, in case we get any suspects.” The man’s dodging… Matt sat down in the chair - after he cleared it off - in front of the Detective’s desk. He also saw buried under the refuse the man’s name plate: Thouche Meoni. “Tell me Lieutenant Meoni, how is it you guys haven’t tracked these men down? The Justicars I’ve met aren’t incompetent, and know their jobs. So what gives?” The man sighed, leaning back in his chair and rubbed his face. “What isn’t stopping us? I’ve asked for more manpower, gotten nothing. I’ve actually gotten some of my detectives taken away to other departments. I’ve asked for more money to give to CI’s, nothing. I’ve asked for more technological resources to maybe track the money these guys take. I’ve gotten nothing. And the few times we’ve actually been able to tail them, we always lose them. It’s like they’re ghosts.” Gotta love bureaucracy… “Show me where you’ve lost them at.” The Lieutenant got up and went out of his office. He headed down to a mid size conference room where another detective was doing some paperwork. “Rochefort, give the Captain and I the room please.” She gathered her things and was mumbling a yes sir when she looked up at Matthias. “Holy shit sir… you’re…” Matt cut her off with a raised finger over his lips. “Shhh, Detective. I’m here on the QT. Don’t let others know I’m here, got it?” She nodded and went to move out of the room, but stopped. “I’m sorry for your loss sir. Me and the boys all saw it. We also saw how you handled those scumbags. I hope more of them cross your path sir.” She then ducked out. You have no idea Rochefort, how soon your wish will come true. Turning his attention to the map the detective had up on a whiteboard, he looked at the pins. It showed locations across the city hit by the group. It also showed the three locations where they were lost by the Justicars. “Think I can get a copy of this data? I would like to collate it with some other data I have.” The Detective shook his head. “No way. This is all information pertinent to the case we are building. There’s no way I can let you have a copy of it.” Matthias just shrugged. “Well, that’s fine. I suppose I can just ask Lady Maryell and have it sent to me via official channels. Though she’d probably want to know why you didn’t just help me out…” Let that stew you little worm… The man looked decidedly nervous. He had no way of knowing Matthias didn’t have a pipeline to the Lady, but what he didn’t know could very well be Matthias’ gain. “Alright, alright. I’ll get a copy of it sent to you, that okay?” Matt shook his head. “I need it before I leave today.” The detective just grumbled as he muttered a, “I’ll be right back” and left the room. Matt took the opportunity to pull out his datapad and snap a shot of the map. It’s not that he didn’t trust the Detective, it’s just...yeah he didn’t trust the man. Plain and simple. About ten minutes later, the detective came back with clipboard and a manila envelope that was sealed. “I’m gonna need you to sign this, sir.” It was clear from his tone of voice that he didn’t want to do this. Matt took the clipboard from him and signed it with a flourish. “Thank you Detective, I’ll be seeing myself out now.” As Matt left, the Detective returned to his office, and made a phone call. “Hey, it’s me. This line secure? Good. That offworlder, Jayne, was in here snooping. Yeah, that one that foiled your attack. He forced me to give him information on your group. I fiddled with the info as best I could, but he’s on your trail. Right, got it.”He hung up the phone and reached into his desk, taking out small vial and an injector. He hid his arm below the desk as he injected the stims into his vein and leaned back, feeling them course through his blood. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------​

Making his way back to the basement apartment where he had so recently started a new life, just to have it torn away from him, he walked in and just stood there. He closed the door, then closed his eyes. He drew in a deep breath through his nose, smelling the scent of the home, the subtle odors of Anabell and Serena. He felt it coming again, the pain, the sorrow. He felt his eyes start to water. Use it. He forced it back down under a simmering fire of anger and rage, forging it with determination into a weapon to use against the ALF and to bring them down. He went to a table he had setup, where he worked on his weapons and what little information he had. He pulled what he had gotten from the Justicar Precinct and sat that on the table. He also pulled out the map the detective gave him, comparing it the image he had captured. He immediately saw the changes and corrected them. You fool. You’re either jealous, or dirty. Pray to whatever Gods you worship that if you are dirty, that I don’t find out. He worked long into the night, triangulating and formulating options. The escape vehicles all seemed to disappear in random locations. It took him awhile, but he eventually decided to compare it to a map of the sewers, and he hit the jackpot. Nearby to where the Justicars reported losing the suspects, were large sewer tunnels, easily big enough to fit a vehicle into. That had to be how they were eluding capture. He yawned, and finally decided to call it a night. He stretched out on the couch, and fell asleep. He’d dream of fire and death - and of large Wroshyr trees.

[rhouston72]

Redemption - Part 14

Matt woke late in the morning, rubbing the stubble on his face as he got up from the couch. Heading into the small kitchen, he started a pot of coffee before heading to the bathroom for a quick shower. He had a duty to perform this day before he continued his war against the ALF. He had to arrange for Serena and Anabell to be buried next to her husband. He had to make a trip to the morgue. Arriving at the morgue, he made his way past the usual bureaucrats to get to someone who could make the decision on where they will be buried, only to find out it was already arranged - and their burial was later that afternoon. Matt thanked the man with his usual good manners, and raced out of the building. A few hours later… Matthias was standing underneath a tree as the rain poured down upon the small gathering around the three burial plots. Two were adult sized, one was for a child. Two were freshly dug and open, awaiting the internment of the coffins within. He watched and listened to a priest intone hollow words meant to comfort the grieving. And there were few of those. Though the one that caught Matt’s eye, was the face of the retired Admiral that had to be Serena’s father. As he studied the man, he let the priest’s words wash over him… Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Cursed be the ground for our sake. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for us. For out of the ground we were taken, for the dust we are. And to the dust we shall return. It seemed the prayers were done as workmen started lowering the coffins into the ground. Matt stood there with his hood up, soaking in the rain as it poured down. He thought about the words the priest spoke, and realized he would never be comforted. Not until the ALF lay in the ash heap. The ALF, the Rakata, and Vorn. Turning from the burial, he walked off - putting the last of the good life behind him. Now, he would become Death - the Destroyer of Worlds.

[rhouston72]

Redemption - Part 15

In another part of the city, a part that hadn’t seen a Justicar on patrol in months, was a group of men and women planning themselves another job. A job that would get more money to funnel to the Albion Liberation Front. And the leader of this group was holding a briefing. “Alright, we’re hitting the storage facility for the Albion Historical Society’s museum. Our contact told me that everything in that museum is a fake, and all the real items are kept off site in a large warehouse. It’s protected by a half dozen guards and has a small caretaker staff. We’ll need that staff to get past the outer security. Idiots take a smoke break every two hours. We’ll get in with them, then use our package to track down the guards and kill’em. Lars, he’s your responsibility. Keep him quiet this time, will ya?” A rather large and burly man grunted and walked over to a stack of crates in one corner. Some chains can be heard rattling in the darkness. He reached down, pulling up a young man who was covered in dried blood and dirt. The boy’s left eye was swollen shut, and he had cuts on his face and neck. Dried blood was around his wrists from the chains. He looked up at Lars vaguely with his one good eye. “Oh don’t worry boss, this piece of shit knows to keep his mouth shut now. Spent some...quality time with him last night. Didn’t we dogmeat? Didn’t we spend some good time together?” He tossed the boy back down on the dirty floor, sending a booted kick to the boys midsection. The sound of exhaling air and whimpering could be heard from the darkness. Lars kicked the boy several more times until the whimpering stopped. Only then did he go back to the others. One of the women in the group sneered at the man, “Pig. What you do to that boy is beyond disgusting.” Lars just leered at the woman. “Give me some of you and I won’t have to take from him.” The boss just waved them both to silence. “Enough. We’ll use the gift that was given to us for as long as it’s breathing and able to direct us to wherever the guards are. Once we’re done with him, we’ll slit his throat and toss his body in the bay. Got it?” He got a chorus of nods and approvals from the dozen people there. “Good, now I got a warning from our contact at Robbery. Apparently that offworlder, Mattius, Maddeus, Matthias, whatever his name is - the same piece of shit that stopped the attack the other day - is looking into us. So we need to keep our eyes open for anyone acting suspicious. You’ve all seen him in the broadcasts, so you know what he looks like…” He was interrupted by his scout raising his hand. “Uh boss...I’ve only ever actually seen him in his armor. I don’t know what his face looks like.” The boss just looks on exasperated. “Do you mean to tell me...wait...have any of you seen his face?” The others just shook their heads as the boss facepalmed. “Alright, I’ll show it to you later. For now, we need to go over our mission tomorrow night.” As the group looked down at the table with the blueprints of the target buildings on it - the lights went out. As the group was plunged into darkness, the chattered nervously, some even going for weapons they had on their persons. The boss just snorted. “This is a shit part of town, these things happen. Someone go check the breaker box it’s probably just a blown…” He was cut short by a signal flare being struck and activated by a man wearing all black tactical gear and a helmet that obscured his vision - standing on the table they were just looking down at. They all looked up at him as the boss finished his sentence, “....fuse.” Then all hell broke loose. Matt’s first attack took the thug nearest to him in the throat, his knife blade streaking out to neatly open the terrorist’s throat, arterial spray coating Matthias and the few next to her as she went down. Time seemed to slow as they all backed away from the table and the lit flare. Lars went for Matthias next, trying to get the Trooper in some sort of bear hug. It didn’t work as Matthias grabbed the man’s arm and twisted it up behind his back, before yanking it down with enough force to dislocate it from the shoulder. As Lars went down to his knees, Matt took the other arm, and with a sick crack bent it backwards at the elbow. Lars was down screaming. Two down, ten to go. Gunfire erupted from Matt’s left as he ducked down and around a pillar, pulling the twin pistols from their thigh holsters. Quickly returning fire with both guns, Matt dispatches a third terrorist, his sights shifting left and right as he looks through the night vision scope he had over his right eye. He sees another terrorist trying to find his way through the room with a quick shot to the head. Four down, eight to go. Suddenly Matt’s world exploded in brightness as someone turned the lights back on. Ripping the NVG from his head, he looked around as the terrorists started returning fire now that they were able to see him. He smiled, as he had planned for this eventuality. He ran away from the enemy as he made for his first trap. He could hear the boss yelling behind him, telling the others to get after the offworlder. Matthias quickly armed the anti personnel mine he had braced behind a beam, the motion sensor on it blinking three times before settling on a dull red. He continued past it as the others caught up to him. They stopped when they saw they had Matt cornered in a room with no exit. “We got you now hero, no place for you to go.” Matt just brought his hands up and gave them a come get some motion with his fingers before ducking behind some cover. The boss directed the rest to move in and finish Matt off. Then they crossed the threshold. Three beeps came from the sensor as the first three entered the detection area of the mine, and with a roar, 700 small steel ball bearings shot out and turned the three unlucky terrorists to pulp, their blood and tissue splattering along the far wall. Seven down, five to go. Before the dust even cleared, Matthias was moving among them, his pistols roaring as he dispatched the first living terrorist he came across. Two in the chest and one in the head sent the woman to Hell. Another one stumbled across and managed to get two shots off, one of which stabbed into Matt’s upper left thigh, sending him to one knee. Matt’s return shot went into the man’s throat. Another terrorist charged at Matt, this time stabbing down into Matt’s shoulder, just barely missing the nerve cluster and the collarbone. Matt got back to his feet and roared angrily, as he pushed the terrorist back. Yanking the knife from his own shoulder, he slammed the man against the wall once, twice, three times to daze him. Then he took the four inch long blade and shoved it up through the bottom of the man’s mouth hard, penetrating into his skull and into the brain. He slid over sideways - dead. Nine down, three to go. A kick to the back sent Matthias and his pistol sprawling on the floor. Getting back up, Matt looked at another terrorist that seemed ready to take him on hand to hand. Before Matt could ready himself, the guy attacked. Coming in quick with swift jabs to the abdomen and chest, he battered Matt back against the wall. Grunting with the pain as a rib cracks Matt goes on the offensive. Grabbing the man by the front of his shirt, he pulls him in for a head butt. Matt’s grunting and yelling with the exertion as he hammers a couple of blows into the man. Face, chest, neck and throat, all are targets for Matt’s fury. Finally staggering the man, Matt aims a kick at the man’s left knee, causing him to stumble and go down. Matthias uses that momentum to pull the man’s face down into Matt’s right knee. The terrorist’s nose explodes in a shower of blood and the man falls unconscious. Ten down, two to go. He turned, limping slightly from his injuries and his blood loss. Moving past the terrorist he had just incapacitated, he fired a single round from his reacquired pistol into the back of the man’s head. He came back to the main chamber. A shot rang out, taking Matt in the chest. Luckily his body armor stopped it, but it still staggered him and sent him to one knee. He looked up, the boss of the group was standing there along with his final lackey. “You couldn’t just leave us be, could you? You had to play the hero. Well guess what, heroes die, it’s what they do.” He walked over to Matt, who was still down on one knee, his breathing labored from the cracked rib. He was just a few feet away from Matt, standing there with his gun pointed at the Captain. “Who do you think you are? Coming to our part of the galaxy and interfering in things you know nothing about? We are preparing this sector for a new, bright future with the Rakata. They will raise us up and we will march alongside them, conquering the galaxy in their name.” Matthias just chuckled as he listened to the deranged ravings of the lunatic before him. “You’re either crazy, or dumber than you look to think the Rakata would use you for anything more than slaves and cannon fodder. It’s what the Albionians were before, and it’s what they will be again if you fuck sticks get your way. Don’t you realize that?” The boss stepped forward, pressing the barrel of the pistol to Matt’s forehead. “I guess you’re just not intelligent enough to see the glorious future we have planned. Not that it matters. You won’t see it. Though tell me, was it worth it fighting against us? Knowing that your actions got them killed. That you left them to die to go be the hero?” Matt’s vision clouded as he felt his rage building. His breathing quickened, the blood in his lung causing froth on the corner of his mouth. Use it. And he did. Lunging forward he pulled the bosses gun up and past his head as a round went off, deafening his left ear. He buried his fist in the man’s face over and over again, turning the flesh to a bloody pulp as he gave voice to his rage, the roar coming from him echoing through the building. He kept bashing the man’s face in even as the body slumped to the floor. A good thirty or so punches later, Matt looked up from the red paste that was now the bosses face to see the last remaining member of the cell. She was sitting on the floor, her face a mask of fear as Matthias walked - limped - over to her. He reached down, and pulled her up by her throat. “Tell me everything you know, of the Albion Liberation Front.” Some time had passed before Matt had finished with her, and by the end she lay as dead as everyone else in the building. As he turned to leave, he heard chains rustling in a darkened corner. He turned, moving towards the noise. Shining a light in the corner, he found a decrepit young man chained to a wall. He was in tattered rags and laying in his own filth. Matthias came over to the boy, and went to one knee in front of him. The boy looked like he had taken a beating repeatedly, and he could even make out burns on the boy’s body that looked like someone put cigarettes out on his flesh. The boy was looking at Matt with one good eye, the other was behind a mass of swollen flesh. Reaching over to the boy, Matt expected him to flinch back. After all he did just witness Matt massacre a dozen people. But the boy gave no reaction at all as Matt removed the chain from the boy. The collar looked different though. He had seen something similar before - on slaves that were Force Sensitive. “Come on lad, let’s get you out of here and someplace safe.” With that, Matt picked the boy up in both arms, and limped up to the roof of the warehouse. He found an area that was open enough for a shuttle to land, and reached into his pocket. It was a long range communicator that he had gotten from the Justicars and had it tuned into the frequency used by the Brahma pilots on the Orion. He hoped someone was listening. “Captain Jayne to Vroom, you there?” His voice was wet and phlegmy as he called to his old friend. All he heard was static, then it cleared. “... barely hear ya Captain, you alright? Where the hell are ya?” Matt relayed his coordinates to the shuttle pilot. “I need a dust-off to my coordinates Vroom. Got two wounded for Medbay.” Matt could hear a shuttle engine revving up as Vroom called back to him. “I’m getting clearance now from Albion Control, I’ll be there in twenty. Don’t go nowhere. You got some explaining to do up here Captain. Vroom out.” Matt just sat down across from the boy and waited for the shuttle to arrive.

[rhouston72]

Redemption - Part 16

The party was in full swing - though most people wouldn’t call it a party. More like a gathering of rich people that feel they’re important. The same sort of crowd Matthias hated spending time with when he was growing up on Corellia. Though this group of people were members of the Aristocracy of the Royal Albion Confederacy - even Lady Maryell and the Queen herself were in attendance. Though a few people were meeting away from the Queen and her entourage. They didn’t trust being in the same room as her Majesty. “So, one of our safe houses and the heist team were taken out by this someone? And at the same time this offworlder Captain Jayne has been snooping around the Justicar precincts gathering information?” The woman asked her associate, who was decidedly less well dressed than she was. The mansion wasn’t hers, but belonged to a man she had wrapped around her little finger. Her eyes may have been blue, but what her husband didn’t know wouldn’t get him killed. The scruffy looking associate - who really looked like a wolf wrapped in finery - shifted in his chair. With one leg hanging over the arm of the chair, he let a lecherous eye drift across the Lady standing before him. “Aye, that he has. I’ve ordered operations to be slowed down, that way whoever is hitting us can’t track us down and take out anymore of us. Plus, no telling if he got anyone to squeal before he offed them.” The Lady turned away from the man, looking into the flames of the fireplace as they consumed the logs within. She watched the flames dance and flicker, seeing shapes and images within. Her musing was interrupted by the man coming up behind her, running a hand along her ass. “Easy there love, if you want something hot to look at, I can give it to ya.” She turned to look at the rogue standing just mere inches away from her. She smiled, and brought her gloved hand up as if she meant for him to kiss it. He smiled as he reached for it, but suddenly that smile changed to a grimace. Her hand position had changed, and instead of holding it out casually in front of her face, she was holding it in a pinching fashion. The man stepped back, his hands going to his throat as he struggled to breathe through a constricted airway. “You will never touch me like that again, do you understand me? You may have tasted what I had to offer once, but if you presume that gives you liberties with one of the Highborn, then you are sadly mistaken.” Just as he seemed to be on the verge of passing out from lack of oxygen, she released her hold upon his throat. The man coughed and immediately grovelled at her feet. “Yes...yes...M’Lady. I am but your humble servant.” She held out a slippered foot, and the man immediately began kissing it. “That’s right, you serve me. I am the one that our true Masters have chosen to lead the fight for freedom for our people. Don’t forget that.” The man just muttered his obedience as he kissed her foot. She pushed him away, looking down at him as he landed on his ass. “And I am rescinding your order. I think this Captain Jayne is the one hitting us. As such, we will not stand down. We will show the price for interference in our plans. Bathe the capital in the blood of the innocent. Let this Captain Jayne know that his actions will face repercussions.” The man just got to his feet and bowed, exiting the room as the Highborn Lady turned to face the flames again, watching her future unfold in the fires.

[rhouston72]

Redemption - Part 17

It had been a few days since Matthias had returned to the Orion with the boy he had rescued. The kid had said some disturbing things to the others, giving them a hint of the abuse he had received at the hands of animals that dared call themselves human beings. And the poor sod had been beaten down for so long, that he didn’t even remember his name. At least now the boy was in good hands. Opening the door to his quarters, he found them still ransacked - just the way he left them. He started gathering things up, cleaning the mess he had made during his breakdown. He flicked on a news channel on the monitor as his door opened up. It was Callista. She smiled at the Captain as she entered his quarters, the door closing behind her. She was happy to see her friend again, though she wasn’t happy at the circumstances that warranted his return. “It’s a pleasure to see you with us again Captain. Though I wish it was under better circumstances.” Matthias smiled only slightly at seeing Callie enter. “Thank you Callie, and please, just call me Matthias when we’re alone. Captain is fine in public, but here, I am just Matthias.” He continued his work of sorting out his quarters as he offered her a seat - after righting it of course. Smiling as she sat, she was surprised of his casual acceptance of his rank. Normally she’d expect him to go on about always being called by his rank, and not just his name. “Thank you...Matthias. Your wounds are healing?” He stopped as he picked up the last datapad. “Callie, you know well that I was healed the day I came back.” He sat the stack of pads down on his desk and casually glanced at the news as the top of the hour came on. She just looked at Matthias and shook her head ever so softly. “It was not your physical injuries I was referring to, but your psychological ones. I’m not going to ask for details on how you got your injuries, or how you got covered with blood that wasn’t your own. You’re a man of violence Matthias. I’ve come to expect this of you, the Path of Peace was never your path, no matter how much you say otherwise.” Matt cringed inwardly at her comments. He actually had tried being a better person, to rely more on words then bullets. But when it came down to it, Matthias Jayne just went back to what he was good at - killing people. Matthias was about to retort when the breaking news header came up on the news. He unmuted the monitor and the anchor started to speak. “We come now with breaking news out of the Capital. Several terrorist attacks have hit the business and residential districts in the past thirty minutes….” Images played behind the anchor of buildings and cars on fire, of people laying dead in the street and of Justicars having running gun fights with terrorists in the streets of the Capital. “A message was delivered to this station just minutes ago, claiming the attacks were the work of the Albion Liberation Front. They claimed these attacks were in retaliation of strikes conducted by authorities against the Front’s infrastructure, and that they would continue until, and I quote ‘The streets run red with the blood of the innocent, and the Confederacy agrees to obey the sector’s true Masters.’ We have no information on this Albion Liberation Front and we’ve gotten no comment from Justicar Headquarters.” Matthias tuned out the rest of the broadcast as he stormed past Callie and left his quarters, heading for the briefing room. Upon arriving he immediately goes up to the technician manning the holo display. “I want you to keep track of the attacks, and post them up here as you get information on them.” The man saluted Matthias as he went to work. Callie had followed Matthias to the briefing room, and was followed in by Cal. “What’s happening? Is it true there are massive terrorist attacks happening right now, Captain?” Cal’s question was straight to the point. Matthias just gestured to the display as attack markers popped up all over the capital. “I’m trying to correlate the attacks, see if there’s any pattern I can figure out. And if so, maybe we can track these attacks and intercept one of them.” More crew members would enter and over the next few hours they watched the attacks unfold. Davin had even come in to say he had stood the Marines to and the men and women were on standby. No one seemed to be able to come up with a pattern - except Matthias. He knew the layout of the sewer system and underground rivers that ran through the capital district. The terrorists weren’t being very original and all the attacks were within a mile of an opening to these underground tunnels. Turning from the activity, Matthias made his way back to his quarters. He gathered a few items, along with his Corellian 611 Combat armor. He hadn’t used it since coming to this part of the Galaxy, and he hoped no one would recognize him in it. He turned around to leave to find Raine standing in the doorway. “You’re leaving again, aren’t you?” The question was almost a statement. “I have to Raine. I need to track these people down and put a stop to this.” She stepped up to him, grabbing him by the shoulder and spinning him around, forcing him to look at her. “You can’t go. Look how you came back a few days ago. I’m ordering you to stay. You leave again, I don’t think you’re ever going to come back.” Matt smirked at her, “You afraid I’ll get seriously hurt, maybe even die? This some sort of premonition or do you genuinely fear for my well being?” She just looked at him, a mixture of concern and anger on her youthful features. What came next surprised him. She slapped him full on across his face. “You’re a bastard and an idiot. You can’t take them all on yourself. You’re gonna get yourself killed. You may not care if you live or die, but some of us here actually do give a shit about your old ass. So go ahead, leave. Get yourself killed. It’s what you seem to want to do.” Before he could retort or even recover from the slap, she stormed out of his quarters. He felt his anger swell up a little bit, but then die right back down. She was right, he couldn’t take them all on his own. So he started formulating a plan. And the first step of that plan involved a stop at the medbay and a little impromptu surgery, followed by a meeting with Davin… ------------------------------------------------------------------------​

He was back planetside and was already making his way back to the basement apartment. He had to make things quick - lives were on the line. The half baked plan he had schemed up with Davin had one chance in five to succeed, but he hoped he could pull it off. Making his way towards what he expected the next attack to be after his quick stop home, he waited in the darkness, a small magnetic device in his hand. Every attack had been at three different intervals, but the intervals were in a pattern. One hour, then three hours, then two hours, then back to one hour. He surmised there were multiple teams, but hoped they were at the same base of operations. He didn’t need to wait long as soon he heard gunfire and screams coming from down the street. Sure enough, the terrorists had pulled up in a van, opened the side door, and started hosing a school. They didn’t stay long, no more than a minute, and sped off straight towards Matthias. He picked this spot because it was directly between the target and the entrance to the nearby underground river. He watched the van approach with its headlights off as he darted down the poorly lit street. Matt was in a location precisely between two streetlights, and as the van got close, he activated the tracking unit and slid it out into the road. It barely missed the left front tire of the van, and as it drove over the tracker the magnet within it pulled it to the frame of the van. Matt had his beacon. Now he just had to follow it home. Heading back to the apartment he had so briefly shared with Serena and Anabell, he activated the portable tracking unit and it started tracking in on the signal from the van. He slid it into the slot of the mobile datacenter he had brought back down with him from the Orion and it brought up a map of the city, with the tracking signal clearly moving over it. The signal faded somewhat as the van entered the underground river system, but he was able to slice into the underground maintenance network and relay the data out that way. Soon, it stopped at a warehouse near the docks. He knew this information was being relayed by the Orion in orbit, so Davin and the others had it. He pressed another button on the unit, and a second tracker appeared before disappearing again. This time, the signal was coming from the apartment. He switched it back off. Good, the tracking unit I had implanted in me is working. Grabbing all of his gear and weapons, he made for the entrance to the sewers and underground river system.