The Godless Matron is home to many, resembling a micro-society for those who wish to live outside the typical 'rule' of the galaxy. The Lucrehulk-class battleship's massive hangars have been converted into dwellings as a result. Chute Town is the most notable of these makeshift towns. Many shops and storefronts have been constructed to take advantage of the higher volume of foot traffic. In addition, many ships and crews arrive into Chute Town to sell their "well-earned" commodities, weapons, or artifacts. It is commonplace to find the best and the worst gear the galaxy has to offer, it is only a matter of how big your pocket book is. The 'streets' are patrolled regularly by the crew of the Matron itself, leaving would-be miscreants to be more wary, lest they find themselves on the receiving end of a pirate's sense of justice.

It is built mostly out of spare durasteel panels from derelict ships, dismantled machinery, or any other source or material the pirates could scavenge. It spans the length of the massive portside hangar of the Matron, reaching from it's heavily protected reactor — hidden behind triple-reinforced blast doors and a guard retinue — all the way to the hangar entrance where the many incoming ships unload their cargo. It is more than a mile long, over five hundred feet wide and up to three stories tall, covering most of the floor. Chute Town's streets are a miniature maze, weaving in between buildings on several levels. Verticality is key for the masses of shops and bars to operate without interfering with one another. The main street is nicknamed Murder alley, mostly because all the weapon shops are prominently opened there.

Illumination banks are staggered along the walkways and buildings to provide enough light for the society to function. Still, the 'streets' are left dim with a low hanging fog built up from the collective humidity of so many people in one space. For those calling it their home, there is no such thing as 'off hours'. A large crowd bustles along at all hours, an exotic assortment of individuals from countless planets and the warring gangs that divvy up the territory within. It's the perfect place for those looking to disappear in the crowd.

With tensions running high, Chute Town was far more volatile than it would have been otherwise. Several of the gangs had been stepping outside their territory of late. As yet there had been no outright acts of aggression, though the perceived slights had been steadily mounting for weeks. The cracks in the dam were beginning to show. The crew of the Godless Matron just needed to apply pressure to the right place at the right time to trigger an outright gang war.

To that end, a bounty was put in place. The premise was simple enough. The Herald would grant a measure of clemency to whomsoever cashed in the ID tokens that had been planted on several individuals at random. Such a prize was without measure for not just the gangs of Chute Town, but the denizens themselves.

Chute town, a fitting name for such a hive of scum and villainy. The small settlement formed inside the Lucrehulk class battleship was home to many pirates, mercenaries and fools. Sith Hunter Kylex made his way down Murder alley, browsing the wares of some of the shops. He had arrived on the Godless Matron a few days earlier in search of a Mandalorian named Teryn Bros, a dangerous bounty hunter.

After searching a few shops, Kylex sat down on a bench, grabbing a granola bar from his pocket. As he unwrapped the bar, he felt like someone was watching him, observing his every movement. The Sith bit into the bar, almost immediately spitting it back out in disgust at the flavour.

“They say the Sith are evil but whoever made this is clearly worse.” He said to himself with a sigh. He lay back in the seat, casually trying to see if anyone was watching him from the roofs.

It's just your imagination Kylex.

The Hunter gave a quick once-over to his gear, double checking his equipment before heaving a sigh.He realized someone had made off with one of his katanas.

“Great, now I have to buy another one.” He moaned, slamming his hand on the bench in frustration. “It's not bad enough I lost my helmet as well?”

The Sith laid back on the bench, taking a moment a moment to admire the atmosphere of Chute town. The air smelled like cheap alcohol and the entire town was busy. The noise of people talking, shouting, and distant blaster fire could be heard throughout the Lucrehulk, reverberating throughout and giving Chute town an identity rivaling Nar Shaddaa. The town may have been scummy place, but Kylex admired its uniqueness, a town of criminals and outcasts.

Kylex snapped out of his admiration when he felt a familiar presence approach him. He peered into the crowd, his purple eyes trying to figure out who he was sensing. A cloaked figure stepped out of the river of shoppers towards him. The Hunter slowly placed his hand on his lightsaber as the figure removed their hood, revealing a particular half-Sephi.

“Alara?” Kylex shouted with surprise. “What’s a pretty place like you doing in a lady like this?” He said with a cocky grin.

“Very funny Snowtop.” Alara retorted, eyeing the Sith's hair. “You have something I want.”

“Stunning looks?” The Shadow joked, pulling some form of token from his pocket. “Its this ID token isn’t it, Herald planted it on me when I was ‘sleeping’. Worth quite the pretty penny I hear.”

Alara frowned, staring at the measly Hunter with subtle anger, she wanted that token. The half-Sephi extended her hand, palm open.

“Ooooh I get it, you want me to just give it to you.” Kylex laughed, sliding the token back into his pocket. “Well, I’m not going to just give it up. How about this, we fight for it.”

Alara looked displeased but nodded, sliding her hand to her lightsaber. Kylex grinned, standing up and grasping his weapon.

“You’d best doll yourself up and get ready for a night on the town, because I’m about to take you to a ballroom blitz.”

A grin crept across Alara’s face like a fresh young vine inching across a cottage wall. She was rather excited to see what this newly initiated assassin could do. She had seen great things from him already and knew that this battle would be one they would never forget. The Herald told her that the young Hunter would have the ID Token, but she failed to mention if he knew of its importance to her mission for the Quaestor. Even though she held Kylex with the utmost respect, she knew she had to do whatever it took to get him to give her that token. The ID token was the pivotal key to Excidium’s plan. She could simply tell him that she was on errand for business purposes, but that wasn’t as fun. Anticipation pulsated through her veins. The Battle Team Sergeant gestured her Initiate to come forward by folding her fingertips into her palm repeatedly. She arched her back and legs in a feline-like pose, as if she were a Corellian sand panther ready to pounce on her prey. The crowds and street merchants around them suddenly fell to a hush and moved to watch from a safe distance. Mothers were grabbing their nearby children to hold them closely.

Kylex nodded towards his opponent, his violet eyes flaring with enthusiasm. He held his own ignited lightsaber parallel to his abdomen and gave himself a charging head start.

The Marauder clipped her lightsaber free from its place on her belt and sparked its yellow plasma just in front of her. The bright topaz light flickered and collided with the yellow inside her own eyes. With a mischievous grin, Alara caught his red saber against hers. She pushed against his grip as hard as she could with the Force, and when he least expected it she pushed his grip downwards to his right to give him a swift right kick to the face. The young Hunter staggered backwards a few feet with a cry of pain as the surrounding crowd giggled and laughed at the scene.

“Oh dear, Snowtop, looks like you forgot you were facing a Dark Jedi Knight.” Alara shut off her lightsaber, clipped it to her belt, and looked down at her fingertips confidently. She reached around her waist and unthreaded her belt from its clasp. As the belt gave way, she picked it up carefully with her hands and placed it onto the bench where Kylex was once sitting. She also pulled the thread on her cloak to release it from her neck, laying it on top of her belt. “I’ll make this easier for you, darling. Let’s fight with our strength alone. No sabers. Just sheer muscle.”

Kylex stared for a few breaths, unsure of what to do next. With hesitation, he unclipped his own belt, turned off his lightsaber and laid them down on the bench as well. He then faced his opponent and positioned his fists just above his chin with his elbows tucked into his sides for protection. Alara grinned menacingly once again and formed her own battle position. She faced her opponent, pivoted her hips to an angle slightly, and thrusted her left side forward. Her arms were held just in front of her breast, each hand spread widely opened with her right arm held slightly higher than the other.

“I’ll let you make the first move once again, pretty boy.” Alara spoke coyly.

The human male stared blankly forward, as if confused with what to do with himself. Alara’s left eyebrow lowered slightly at Kylex while she wondered what was going on in that white haired head of his. Before she could form a word onto her lips, Kylex suddenly pushed his whole body forward and went in for an uppercut with his cybernetic fist. Alara let out a quick yelp and with her quick reflexes focused all her strength into her hands to push the uppercut downwards. A few sparks flew from the Hunter’s cybernetic knuckles from the impact. The Knight forced her right foot onto his chest and pushed him away with all her might. The human fell back a few feet, but staggered to stay standing.

“No no, lad, you aren’t going to catch me off guard that easily.” Alara chuckled, spitting to the ground towards the right and preparing her stance once again. “Try something else, darling.”

Kylex grinned at the half-Sephi with determination, It had been a long time since he fought someone as skilled as Alara, and he wasn’t going to lose so easily. The Hunter got back into his stance, prepared for the Knight’s onslaught. Alara lept at him, sending a few strikes at his head with ferocious force. The Sith chuckled, letting the Dark Jedi get on top of him before dropping onto his back, and kicking Alara in the solar plexus. A sadistic smile formed on Kylex’s face as he heard the wind rushing from the half-Sephi’s lungs. The Hunter rolled out the way as he let gravity deal with her.

“Face down with a man beating your ass, is it Wednesday already Alara?” Kylex said as he jumped to his feet. Alara stood up, her yellow eyes starting with dangerous intent towards the Hunter. Kylex could feel the pure, unadulterated hatred spilling from Alara, as if she was a cauldron with the temperature too high. She slowly approached Kylex with a swagger, letting her weight carry her from side to side as she kept a single minded focus on the Sith.

“Whats wrong, did I upset you?” The Shadow grinned as Alara advanced towards him. “How about I write you an appolog…” Kylex was cut off mid sentence, just avoiding a punch from the half-Sephi. He skipped back a few feet, astounded at the speed of her strike.

“She is using Rage, I’d better stay clear.”

Alara rushed Kylex, a flurry of fists and kicks aimed for his head as he quickly avoided each one. The crowd cheered Alara on as she backed the Sith into a wall, one of her kicks missing his head and cracking the brick wall behind him. Kylex clumsily dodged another of her attacks, this time kicking a brick out, and flinging it into the crowd. Finally, the Sith saw his opening and dove between the half-Sephi’s legs, his arms absorbing the impact of the cold floor. Kylex quickly jumped to his feet, narrowly avoiding a kick and punch combo. The Shadow danced around Alara, avoiding another attack as he focused, drawing on the Force to vanish into thin air.

“Show yourself!” Alara yelled barbarically as she swung around wildly. Kylex giggled, jumping onto a nearby roof before uncloaking. The Shadow watched the Marauder swing wildly before slowing down, the rage subsiding.

“Ah, there you are.”

Due to not meeting the minimum word count of 450 words, this match is closed.

Kylex will receive no points for a match DQ while Alara will receive 0.66 points for one completed post. You are free to requeue.