Shadow Hunted

Title: Shadow Hunted
By: Thomas Schiff and Tabatha Bannerman

'I hate this place... I hate this town...no in fact...I just hate this planet...' A young dark skinned Echani with rather wild silver hair thought as she stood in a darkened corner. Her cold eyes scanned her surroundings as she ran her hand through her tangled locks. Her cloak was the only thing keeping her decent in this place, it draped over her elegantly as she set her eyes on the target of interest that brought her in there. A tall, fit, and intricately tattooed man.

A zabrak? He was possibly the last of his race... She didn't really care, Echani were destined to hunt down rogue Jedi, but she had never slipped into that crowd. She would rather stalk around in the shadows and stay a nobody as she had done for some many years already. Pressing her back against the wall; her knee appeared out from underneath the cloak, covered by a fish net stalking that ran up to her mid thigh.

Maul approached the bar. The bartender was a tall gaunt Baragwin, his folds of facial dewlaps as leathery and creased as a bantha's skin. "I'm looking for a Neimoidian." She heard the man say to the bar tender, "He would have been in here within the last few hours."

"Many beings come in here. The come they drink they eat they go.... I don't recall any Neimoidian coming in here recently."

The tattoo'd man leaned forward. "Think again." He said softly. He could easily use the forst to get whatever information might be had from this weak-willed creature, but there was no need. He knew he could get what he wanted by intimidation.

"Upon further reflection I do seem to remember a representative of that species imbibing here perhaps an hour ago."

"Did he speak to you or anyone else?"

"No. That is.... he-he ordered agaric ale."

"And did he spead of anything else?"

"Yes. He inquired of me how one might contact someone fprficient in the buying and selling of sensitive information."

The man leaned back. "And you told him- what?"

"I gave him a name."

"You will now give me that name."

"Lorn Pavan. A human- Corellian, I believe. He is well known in this city sector as one who traffics in such merchandise."


She had just finished admiring a fixture on the wall next to her as she heard the Zabrak speak. Carrying a soft and calm tone. Her attention turned back to the dark clad silhouette.

"What are you up to...?" She whispered and she crossed her arms slowly underneath the cloak. It ruffled softly. She watched the dark one as he conversed with the bar tender for another minute.

"You will now give me that name."

"Lorn Pavan. A human- Corellian, I believe. He is well known in this city sector as one who traffics in such merchandise."

Her mouth opened slightly, what a pansy bar tender. Her lips closed as she looked away. The more she stared the more noticeable she made herself...and Zabrak knew when they were being watched.

The man noticed the woman staring at him as he spoke but paid her no mind. He could feel her in the force, feel how freely he could feel her thoughts and emotions. She was of not threat nor consequence.

He finished up with the bar tender and moved out the back door to find the man. Lorn Pavan.

She waited a few moments, staring at the reflections of dim lighting on the walls. b'Stay...or go?' She thought as her heel unconsciously tapped against the floor very few seconds.

Sighing she scanned the bar again, eyes lingering on the bartender. Moving up from the wall she walking slowly to the back door. Reaching her hand out from under her garment. She slipped her scarf up past her nose, hiding half of her face, then proceeded to pull her hood over her head.

Passing the corner of the bar she turned down the short hallway leading to the back door. Once out side she stood still, listening carefully to the sounds around her. Her target had gone that way she decided after finding a slight increse in the force coming from the man.

Strolling casually down the pathway she kept a close eye out for the Zabrak.

Maul turned the corner and pulled his hand out from underneath his cloak. His speeder bike hovered a good thirty feet in the air so that no one could steal it. He moved to push a few buttons on the control device on his wrist but paused when he sensed something.

'Your going to get yourself killed...' She thought as she scratched her neck, her hair fell over the other. None was in the alleyway with her, that she could see. As she passed the branch that lead into the alley that the Zabrak had turned down she caught him from the corner of her eye.

She stopped as if startled by his sudden appearance. Her head turned to him slowly. He was standing as stiff as a board, alert. Maybe because of her presence or of something else only a Zabrak would sense. She met his stare for a second then returned to her stride. Eyes turned back to in front of her.

Maul watched her.

'She's following me.' He thought. 'Why?' Deciding to ignore her for now he used the panel to bring down his speeder bike.

She cracked her neck slowly as she stopped in front of a wooden ladder leading up to the top levels of the city. She tilted her head as she contemplated her thoughts. Reaching her hand out and gripped the ladder, moving up it dexterously.

Once at the top she walked across the stone to the edge. Staring down at the Zabrak she knelt. He was busying himself. Her hand traveled to her boot, reaching under the shiny leather like material to extract a small curved knife.

Holding it by he tip of it blade she threw it towards the tattooed man. After the blade had left her finger tips she leapt down into the alley way again. Her knee's buckled slightly upon her landing.

Throwing her cloak back she unsheathed her sword, holding it by the handle with the blade set against the back of his shoulder.

Darth Maul blocked the first blade with his lightsaber and was shocked to find another blade against his back.

"Who are you?" He asked.

"No one." She replied as she stared over the top of her scarf at him. It was getting harder to breath through it as her body temperature rose. "You just be a good boy now and you won't get hurt." She added as she applied more pressure to his shoulder. "In this dirty hovel your about the only decent looking thing...so you'll have to do."

Maul laughed at her words. "I'll get hurt?" He asked. He pulled up his lightsaber spinning around and away from her going into a battle stance, watching her every move.

She lifted a brow and turned leisurely to face him, lowering the blade so the tip scraped on the stone beneath her. "I'll never understand you Jedi and your worthless spinning..." She stepped forward slowly, the blade scraping along the ground loudly.

"How dare you insult me. I'm am far superior to any Jedi!" Maul said manacingly.

"Ooh? Is this the part where I bow and beg forgiveness? Or should I just start calling you your majesty?" She counted as she picked up her pace slightly. then she jumped forward, swinging the blade vertically towards him.

Maul blocked the blade. 'Odd.' He thought. 'Why isn't my saber cutting the blade. It's only metal.'

The blade quivered slightly after it was hit. She gripped the hilt tighter to stop the vibrations through her arm as she swung at him again, adding her second hand to the bottom part of the hilt.

Maul threw her back and spun his saber at his side before grabbing it with both hands and egnighting the other end.

She tumbled backwards and flipped so she landing on her feet again. Seeing he had two blades now she sighed. 'He's going to be hard to catch...' She thought as she began blocking him from her mind. Tapping her heel on the ground for a moment then ran forward again.

Maul jumped up high in the air just before she was about to make contact and landed behind her arching his saber in an elagent ark towards her.

She blinked and looked side to side for a second then threw her sword back over her shoulder. The blunt side blocked of her blade just barely blocked his attack as she turned around. Her blade wrapped around him a few times then broke away from it. "That was close don't you think?"

"Not close enough." He said deeply as he swung at her again. They fought, almost seeming to dance as their blades clashed.

As their blades clashed once again she twisted around behind him, jabbing the back of his shoulder with the tip of her sword. "Your making this much harder then it needs to be." She said in a sultry voice as she back away from him, if he had turned she would lose her head. It seemed like it had been hours of them just taunting each other and she was started to get dehydrated.

"You're getting tired." He noted smirking. "Lack of training?" He said swinging the saber at her again.

"No it's this bloody cloak...do me a favor and cut it off for me?" She replied in a cute tone as she deflected his saber again.

"And lessen your dissadvantage?" Maul asked. "How big of a fool do you think I am?" He asked. "I'm trained to kill, not help my enemy."

She lowered her sword as she untied the blinding on the front of the cloak. "What makes you think I'm your enemy?" She asked as the garment slipped off her shoulders and flopped onto the ground. She wore a black corset with thin stapes, it was tight around her waist. As the corset ended it lead into equally as tight shorts, made of a cotton of sorts. Fishnet stalkings ran down her thighs and disappeared under high heeled leather boots held together by many belts in the front. "That's much better." She said as she stretched.

"If you wern't my enemy you wouldn't be attacking me." He said. "Enough talk I'm getting bored." he said attacking with a killing stroke.

She stepped backwards quickly and fell backwards onto her back. Cringing she stared up at him as he towered over her then rammed her foot up between his legs.

Maul cringed as her foot connected with his nuts. He fell backwards his saber shockingly falling from his hand.

She jumped up quickly and towered over him. "After all that preening and you fall from a little kick?" She kicked his saber into the wall then looked down at him. Then she knelt down and grabbed a rock. "Good night." She hit him with it.

'I made a mistake.' He thought. 'How could I do that from a kick.' He thought just before the rock connected with his head and he fell unconscious.