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One Public One Silent
“Don’t even think about it.” The clone commander said. He was a brave man, after he witnessed all that I could do and the fact that I managed to get through both Luminara and Ventress.
“Come now, after all he has done and all the trouble you have gotten into, you can’t tell me you're not tempted to kill him yourself?”
He bobbed his head towards me. “You are correct. I am tempted every time I look at this slime, or even hear him speak, I want to put a bolt right between his eyes,” The clone commander's words made whatever happy smile Gunray had faded away as he backed against the wall of his cell in fear. “But we have our orders, and the Republic will see justice done.”
I chuckled at his words. “I can respect your dedication even if you are misguided.”
“Tobi, please don’t do this.” Ahsoka tried to reason with me, despite my mind being long made up.
My gaze remained fixed on Gunray. He didn’t fail to notice where my gaze was directed as he tried to shrink in on himself. Numerous ideas, words I could say, all of it went through my mind as I tried to think of anything to get them to turn a blind eye to me killing him.
An argument could be had about how letting him live would allow the Republic to learn of the Separatists’ plans. The issue lies with Palpatine. No way Gunray survives on Coruscant with Palpatine if he felt his pawn's time had finally come to be disposed of.
But I knew no amount of words would work. Beyond the reward, this guy had to die. “Unfortunately, the Republic's justice is not enough.”
I stared at Gunray, then noted where everyone was in the room and how close the two were, with reinforcements coming to stop me. They were nearly here.
“But why? He could give us valuable information.” Ahsoka tried to reason with me.
“Hands up and drop the saber, you're under arrest.”
“Commander Gree.” Ahsoka sounded not too thrilled with the clone commander.
"Sorry, Commander Tano, but he is a criminal who attacked General Unduli and managed to sneak onto our ship and assault several of my brothers.”
“Actually that last part could be argued as self-defense for me. They shot first.”
The now named Gree didn’t bat an eye at my comment and continued. “While I and everyone else appreciate him not killing my brothers and revealing Argyus as a traitor, he is here to kill the prisoner we are to escort. Don’t make us get rough with you, just surrender peacefully.”
Ahsoka was torn. She knew Gree had a point, but she also had enough sense to know I wasn’t necessarily a bad guy. I let out a tired sigh, still reeling from the lack of air where my mouth should be. “I had hoped you would let me deal with him while turning a blind eye, especially after I helped you.”
“You’re out of luck on that. Now drop the weapon.” Gree gave his order one last time, moving closer to apprehend me.
“You know…” My words made him pause, his blaster aimed at me, ready to shoot. Smart man, if a mysterious guy with even more mysterious powers starts talking when you're about to apprehend him, best be safe and have a weapon ready to use. “I was wondering if I had to use violence.”
The dark figure coming for them paused, letting Luminara overtake her. I knew what was coming as Ventress had been listening in on our conversation since Gree must have had his comms turned on for everyone to hear our conversation. An explosion rocked the ship, sending tremors all along it.
Everyone struggled to remain standing and failed as everyone tumbled over like stacks of dominoes. Struggling to remain standing, I managed to remain upright using the wall by the control panel as support. My hand struggled to press the button to deactivate the barrier while anyone who could have stopped me was currently trying to get back up.
The barrier fell with Gunay lying on the floor back against the wall, hand held up, eyes quivering in fear. “P-please show mercy. I’ll give you-”
“No!” Gree shouted, looking up as my hand formed a smaller shadow ball, turning on the weasel, not even bothering to look at him before the orb impacted his head, reducing it to chunks from the small explosion.
It spoke volumes about how unbothered I was by Gunray’s death that I was more concerned with the chunks of viscera stuck to the sheets on my body. Glad I couldn’t smell anymore and my sense of touch had been reduced to such a level that the blood was hardly noticed by me.
Ahsoka stared at the aftermath of what I had done, eyes wide in horror, staring at the blood on my robe and what was left of Gunray’s body. Gree reached for his blaster as everyone finally noticed what had happened when the explosion from the shadow ball had regained their attention.
Arms held out ready for the grand escape. I looked at Ahsoka, feeling a twinge of guilt at the series of complicated emotions her face had. What I could see since Haki was turned off, her emotions were somewhat negative, but none of it was anger or hate, like what Ventress had coming from her constantly when faced with Luminara.
But they were… I wouldn’t call them mild, more in between that and something much more serious. "Sorry, short stuff, but he had to die.” Her wide eyes met my photoreceptors behind the cloth covering my head. “For the greater good, and to keep you and your friends' hands free of blood this time.”
She was in shock, mouth hanging open, before it snapped closed and she got up, lightsabers in hand, igniting them. “You’re not going anywhere.” Her eyes narrowed as her face may as well have been carved from stone.
The various Senate Commandos and Clone Troopers had their blasters leveled at me. Then an unseen force grabbed them before they were slammed into walls, tumbling to the floor.
Ahsoka sensed her turning around to see Ventress leaping into the room with a deep scowl, both red lightsabers humming and bathing the room in blood red. Her eyes snapped to me and then towards what was left of Nute Gunray.
She growled and bristled like an upset cat. Which was impressive considering her lack of hair. “You will regret crossing me.” She hissed out, eyes narrowed.
“I don’t think so. You may have lost one prisoner, but you all just gained two more.” I gestured towards Argyus and Ventress.
That seemed to be the last straw for Ventress. She moved into action, cutting down the few clones still conscious, shooting their blasters at her screaming as they died. Ahsoka moved to engage her as I stood there hesitating. I could feel the pain from their last moments before the blades snuffed their lives out like a breeze extinguishing candle flames.
Remorse clenched at whatever I had for a heart, not wanting them to die when they didn’t need to. I had hoped to do this, and the only one to die from it all would be Gunray. It was childish and far too optimistic, but I can’t change how I felt when I watched them die. The problem was that I wasn’t fast enough. This body left a lot to be desired.
Ahsoka tried to evade and dodge the assassin's strikes while countering. Ahsoka wasn’t accustomed to two lightsabers, and when Ventress got too close to cutting her head off in a kill shot, my blade snapped out, stopping it dead in its tracks.
“You are the worst assassin I have ever seen.” My tone was cold and clinical. Ventress sneered before fighting both of us. I took the pressure off of Ahsoka while the commandos and clones were forced to watch, not wanting to hit Ahsoka in the crossfire.
“What would a nobody like you know?” She retorted, leaning back from an attack Ahsoka managed to sneak in.
“Enough to know you are nothing but a tool that will be cast aside when it is convenient for your master,” I said, blocking a flurry of blows that hammered at my defenses.
She was getting stronger and faster compared to our first duel, pushing me back steadily. Like last time, her strikes were diverted while I compensated for the lack of Observation Haki. It was biting me in my shiny metal ass now that it was gone. But for the power increase, it came at a cost. She wasn’t as levelheaded as she was before when we first fought.
It’s like a high-ranking player in a fighting game getting teabagged, and anger took over. They can attack with more power and speed, but it means nothing when you're so easy to predict. Ventress lost the grace and precision she had before while struggling to break through my guard.
Her blows were now more akin to hammers than scalpels; each blow made me question if it was enough to shatter my metal arms while taking the pressure off of Ahsoka. The girl was capable and a resourceful fighter, but she was out of her depth here. She could have held her own, but if it wasn’t for me being here, she would not have come out of this unscathed.
“You know nothing about my master or me. With Gunray dead, that means you won’t get any intel out of him, so it worked in my favor.” She said with a sly smile like she was going to have the last laugh. Too bad for her I wasn’t in the mood.
“More like disfavor. You failed. You didn’t deal the killing blow when you were given the task of either rescuing him or silencing him. Your master will be most displeased with your failure.” My words had the intended effect, while Ahsoka, who stood to my side further behind me, looked like she was about to ask what I was doing.
Ventress digested my words, her face scrunched up into an angry look before she yelled out. “Damn you!”
Her blades slammed into mine, and even with me diverting the force, it still sent me skidding back. Before I could get my guard back up, arms moving slower than they should, Ventress leapt off a machine and was about to slam her blades down on me.
“So much big talk for someone about to die!” She said in satisfaction, a vicious smile forming on her face.
Just when the blades would have met me without my lightsaber in position to block them, instead of dying, as I expected to, a green blade stopped hers as they hovered ominously inches from my head.
“No. As Tobi put it, you live with your failure, you bald harpy!” Ahsoka said with conviction and contempt oozing from each word.
Ventress was about to say something but stopped, backing away from a blow that would have taken her arm. She backed away while I stepped closer to her. Ahsoka glanced at me. A quick nod had her smile up at me. She still was conflicted, but she had a fondness for me winning out over the bad.
The others now had an opening and fired at her with us no longer in their way. Ventress blocked the shots and even managed to redirect a bolt into a clone, but he was still alive despite getting laid out on his back. Raising my hands when Ventress was about to escape, she realized Luminara was close to them with her men not far behind.
Another green ball of fire formed in both of them. Taking all my years of snowball wars and middle school baseball, I tossed them at her. She managed to lean out of the way and avoid the balls, or so she thought. She opened her mouth to insult me, an arrogant smile on her face, while Ahsoka tensed up when I created the cursed fire.
She was curious yet wary of me. One of the balls bounced off a wall at an odd angle and rebounded right into Ventress's right arm. Her eyes widened before she growled, pain creeping in and eventually overwhelming her other feelings.
She gritted her teeth, using her clothes to try and smother it, but the green flames continued to greedily devour her arm. Her eyes widened before she looked towards me, both in fear and hate. She turned to leave only to stop when Luminara finally arrived.
Luminara's eyes snapped to the burning green flame that hadn’t spread, simply content to eat away at the one part of Ventress’ arm it had latched onto. Her eyes for a moment looked towards me, narrowing a fraction before giving Ventress her full attention.
“You are under arrest, assassin. Surrender.” She held her lightsaber at the ready while Ventress evaluated the situation, seeing how things were no longer in her favor.
Ventress scoffed. “Never.” With her arms raised, she pushed everyone back with a great wave of force.
Everyone but me all slammed into walls as Ventress rushed to leave with what was left of the droids and turned the corner with Ventress leaping into a vent. Realizing it was time to leave as my body slid back along the floor using Glide to avoid getting knocked over or hitting a wall, I left before most of the others and spewed out bubbles everywhere with Ahsoka not far behind me.
“Hey! You’re not getting away!” She yelled out, trying to see through the bubbles, my skills in stealth kicking in as the bubbles acted as the perfect cover, and eventually gave up when the droids were the bigger threat.
“I think I am. Take care of yourself, Ahsoka!” I yelled back, rushing through the ship. It didn’t take me long to find the hangar bay as my form just slid along the ship's floor like a bar of soap on the showers floor. Ventress was not far behind me when I was about to step on the ramp into one of the few ships.
The vent grate clattered against the floor with her falling out, looking up to see me waving at her. Her scowl deepened only for it to be wiped away when, with a quick gesture, several shadow balls blew up the rest of the ships to her horror.
One last cheeky wave goodbye, the ramp closed with another shadow ball tossed at her to avoid any telekinesis grabs with the ramp closing. She dodged it before rushing towards the ship as I powered it up before taking off.
A deep chuckle escaped me knowing that I managed to leave Ventress stranded on the ship with no backup. With all of those clones, Luminara and Ahsoka, and an injured arm, Ventress was taken off the board. Even if it ended up being temporary.
The ship hummed along, and before using the newly gained knowledge on how to fly and operate it, it began the process of going into hyperspace. Almost bouncing in my seat with anticipation as the Republic ship opened fire on me.
Lazily drifting from side to side, avoiding the turbo lasers, before with one final press of a button, the ship shot forward, the blue glow of hyperspace greeting me. “And we have liftoff, hallelujah!” My arms raised from all the excitement hitting its apex for me.
Falling back into the seat to relax for a moment before noting my movements were getting even slower and less responsive. I checked myself over, and the realization that I needed to charge my battery hit me.
Another downside to this body is that it has its own fuel requirements, just like a flesh and blood one. Power is getting low, and I need a boost after all that has transpired.
But there were more important things than my impending shutdown that could wait a moment more. A man needs his feel-good juices flowing when he has gambling to do!
Managed to kill Nute Gunray against all odds. One gold ticket. Use now? Y/N
Fend off Ventress and survive. One silver ticket. Use now? Y/N
Assist in helping the Republic capture Ventress and Argyus. One gold ticket. Use now? Y/N
Zero hesitation to roll the slots and see what my rewards are.
[Mystic Eyes of Enchantment]
|Elite Ability|
Allows you to hypnotise and mind-control those who make eye contact with you. This can be broken by high willpower targets or targets stronger than the user.
[Hacker]
|Uncommon Trait|
You are great at interfacing with technology and leveraging your skills to get into networks.
[Aerokinesis]
|Elite Ability|
Allows you to sense and telekinetically control wind, granting you precise and powerful control of the air around you.
The weakest one still had its uses with hacking. Combined with my programming knowledge, given enough time, I could crack through some systems unless it was something nigh impregnable or well out of my capabilities.
Aerokinesis was something that had so many applications that even if it was limited to controlling air and wind, it was still a powerful asset. The only downside after I had learned a hard lesson about spamming my abilities, especially more powerful ones like Shadow Ball, was that it drained my body of energy far too quickly.
Something I had noticed after helping take over that planet. Even exerting the body more than something simple like lightsaber fighting came with the downside of using up more energy, like using a flashlight on its brightest setting and how it drains the battery far faster.
Showed how cheaply they made these droids. But the last reward had me giddy. It was practically a Jedi mind trick, except with my eyes. Using it could help me get into places that otherwise would be impossible. Plus, I could use it to establish a loyal army of people if I couldn’t trust them willingly. Not that I like that idea because it’s already a rather scummy thing to mind control someone and take away their autonomy and free will.
Like hell I’ll become the communist of my family and see my grandpa roll over in his grave. Freedom, baby, the American way! My fist raised into the air to the patriotic music playing in my head before my arm slowly fell back down, becoming harder to move. Another boon as a soft click reverberated deeply within not my metal body, but my soul. A third slot had been unlocked. This just got better and better.
Welp, time for the charge port. Getting up and plugging myself in and letting it run its course while I wondered how things were going for Pitou in accomplishing her mission.
…
Tatooine was a desert world, with the current night being incredibly cold. Neferpitou was far from most creatures, unfazed by the cold or heat, her body easily shrugging the elements off even without Nen. She crossed the dunes in bounds, crossing vast swaths of land in mere seconds. Sand never sprayed, air barely moved. To an outside observer, she would’ve looked like a skipped frame in reality. Nen wrapped her limbs in tight, economical spirals.
She idly thought of the ship and where she left it in the vast desert of the planet. The ship is in a safe location far from most others. If anyone was foolish enough to try to do anything with it, Nemesis had been instructed to handle them.
She smiled wider thinking about how he had taken to the Nen training. He was getting better, still not up to the standards he was expected to reach, but he would get there before long.
She was fast, but not reckless. Silent but not cautious. She had nothing to fear in this place. She was also not a fool.
Entire groups of tribal people passed below her huddled in their camps, and small, rat-like creatures the size of large dogs or giant reptiles wandered around the vast desert. Most of the wildlife instinctively retreated when Pitou was near, staying still and examining the area to change directions towards her target. They knew when a vastly superior predator was around and scurried off, knowing better than to fight Pitou.
A shame. She would have enjoyed a fight, she was a Chimera Ant after all. They were apex predators, and like any predator, they relished in the hunt. But Pitou ignored these creatures. For even if they tried to fight her, they would not be capable of giving her a satisfying hunt nor any information that would be valuable to her master. Later on, he might be interested in learning about their anatomy. That thought made her smile grow.
She landed atop a rocky outcropping. It showed her strength and her control over it, that nothing was disturbed from her landing. White tail danced to an unheard tune while her eyes and Nen senses were trained on the target. Below her, the desert slept, and above it, the stars watched and did nothing.
Jabba's palace rose from the rock and sand like a fossilized beast, with curved walls and slit windows, bristling with scanners outside and mercenaries inside. Pitou landed on the outer ridge without a sound, crouched low, tail flicking once as her eyes adjusted.
Infrared. Heartbeat mapping. Nen perception. She smiled. It didn’t take much for her to sneak her way into the palace after pulling a metal barrier over a window open enough to slip inside. The palace was filled with humid air, stale incense, and the faint copper tang of fear. Music thumped distantly, muffled by stone, and laughter soon followed. Jabba’s court was still awake.
A pair of guards came around a corner where they argued beneath her, voices echoing down the maze-like tunnels of the palace. Neither looked up as they moved on, where Pitou’s fingers and toes adhered to the stone ceiling for a heartbeat before she flowed onward again.
She padded along easily, avoiding the notice of anyone using Zetsu to hide her presence. Pitou slipped through a maintenance corridor, then another, moving with the palace's rhythms. Jabba’s private chambers were guarded by two pig-like creatures-- Gamorreans. She knew of them from her foray on the HoloNet of various species in this galaxy.
They were alert but bored. Pitou tilted her head, watching their posture, the way their grips slackened every few seconds. She waited for the exact overlap of a bass note from the throne room and the hiss of a vent cycle. Then she was past them.
Inside, the chamber was dim, lit by soft bioluminescent panels. Jabba lay coiled on his dais, his massive form half-submerged in cushions and silk, eyes half-lidded as a Twi’lek attendant murmured something soothing nearby.
Pitou crouched in the shadows, studying him. He was the target that her master's plans hinged on. She would not fail him. Her opportunity had arrived when the Twi’lek turned away to fetch a drink. One step, then two, halfway through a third, her hand flashed out, and the girl slumped silently, caught before she hit the floor.
Pitou eased her down with care, she wasn’t dead, just sleeping. Pitou herself didn’t hate or care for the woman, merely following her orders. Those orders wished for no evidence of what was about to become of Jabba to connect back to them.
Jabba stirred, eyes widening slightly. Before he could utter a single word, Pitou was already on him. Not violently, nor hurried. Her hands pressed against his thick neck and upper torso, Nen flaring. Fine, precise, and impossibly delicate. Invisible threads sank inward, slipping past fat and muscle, wrapping nerves, mapping pathways. Jabba tried to shout, but the sound died in his throat as his body refused to obey him.
Pitou leaned close, eyes glowing faintly. “Don’t struggle,” She said softly, almost kindly. “The fun will begin in a moment.” His fear was loud, pulsing through him in waves.
Minutes stretched on as Nen threads multiplied, weaving through his nervous system, anchoring to centers of impulse and habit. His system was like a map, and her Nen threads were copying it all down to the last detail. Pitou’s expression was focused and clinical, like a surgeon deep in a familiar operation. Despite what some might think, she wasn’t taking over his mind, she was learning its shape and design.
Speech rhythms, decision delays, the way he paused before committing an act of cruelty, and the way he delegated instead of acting himself. Satisfied, Pitou withdrew her hands, and Jabba gasped, some control returning to him. He wheezed, eyes wild, trying to call for guards.
But no sound ever came. “Ahh,” She murmured in delight, “You really are big.” Her tail flicked, and she began to play. Not with knives or blood, but with the control she had over him.
She tugged a thread, and Jabba’s body spasmed, limbs jerking against his will. Another pull made his voice croak nonsense. Another forced his eyes to track her movements no matter where she went. She giggled, clapping her hands once.
“So many strings! You’re like a puppet.” She giggled while her ears twitched and her smile grew bigger. “You are my master's puppet now.”
Time stretched on, none in the palace even aware that Jabba was at Pitou’s tender mercies. His terror was complete, total, and above all else, silent. Every instinct screamed, and every command to move or flee was answered with nothing. Pitou learned even more about him as she went. His habits, all of his mannerisms, and even the way his thoughts tried to form.
Her master's permission echoed in her mind.
You may do as you like with him once your task is accomplished.
She did. When she finally grew bored, Pitou pressed her palm to his massive chest and pushed her Nen inward, crushing something vital. Jabba the Hutt died without ceremony, with his battered and broken shell of a body the only sign he was attacked. If anyone were to study his corpse and do an autopsy, they would see the injuries were inflicted by none other than Jabba himself. Injuries that were soon undone by Pitou using her Nen threads across his body to return it to the natural state it should be.
For half a second, the chamber was silent. Then Jabba inhaled, his eyes blinked, and his tail shifted. His massive bulk settled back into its familiar sprawl as if nothing had happened at all. Pitou’s threads tightened, locking into place.
The Nen construct clicked, and Jabba laughed. The sound was perfect, the timing flawless. The Twi’lek woman, after a touch from Pitou, began to stir. Pitou stepped back into a dark corner, using Zetsu to conceal herself.
The Twi’lek rose wide-eyed, looking around, believing she had been attacked. Jabba bellowed out to her in basic, “Bring me another drink.” He rumbled, his voice carrying the same lazy menace it always had.
She blinked, confused about what was happening. Just when she was about to speak about where the assailant was, Jabba narrowed his eyes. “Another drink.” His voice had an edge to it that the slave knew all too well from her time serving her master.
She idly touched the back of her head, feeling no pain. Her master would have been yelling for the guards, so she accepted it as her just falling down and imagining being attacked despite how real it felt.
Pitou watched from the shadows, pupils dilated, breath quick with excitement. Jabba gestured and issued his orders as he had always done. His empire rolled on, unaware that its heart had stopped beating.
Pitou watched from atop a high beam, tail swaying as her puppet ruled below, and somewhere deep inside the talking corpse, there was nothing beyond her Nen threads directing it all.
Chaos gacha:
[Mystic Eyes of Enchantment]
|Elite Ability|
Allows you to hypnotise and mind-control those who make eye contact with you. This can be broken by high willpower targets or targets stronger than the user.
[Hacker]
|Uncommon Trait|
You are great at interfacing with technology and leveraging your skills to get into networks.
[Aerokinesis]
|Elite Ability|
Allows you to sense and telekinetically control wind, granting you precise and powerful control of the air around you.
