Ask Dessert in the Desert

[Quin Leonkri]

Start a fight or blow him up. Those were the two options that Nikko had come up with? Quin’s eyebrows shot up in surprise at how such an apparently gentle Padawan had settled on those two ideas, but she wouldn’t be able to see anyway.

“Start a fight it is,” he agreed. He didn’t want to blow up the captain of this boat just yet— he was still interested in seeing who it was first.

Walking toward the middle of the base with Nikko at his side, Quin would wait until the next group of pirates passed by before purposefully elbowing one in the side. That caught their attention.

“HEY!” He heard the voice of a woman. Oops. The woman turned around, stormed over to him, and ripped off his helmet. Then, she punched the Jedi and the rest of the group were on him, tackling him to the ground.

“You know the price for causing trouble ‘round ‘ere,” a gruff voice said, hauling him up again. “The boss’ll want to see you. And your friend, too.” Quin hadn’t seen if Nikko had gotten involved in the mini fight, but given that he had been with her, it made sense for them to bring her along as well. As he was pushed ahead by the group, he could only hope that this would be worth it.

@Interdictor

 

[Nikko Ivita]

Nikko walked slightly behind and to Quin's left, so when he elbowed one of the pirates and was subsequently tackled, she was just out of the fray. Of course, that didn't stop a man from grabbing her wrist from behind. Instinctively, the Pantoran swung around and slammed her fist into the side of the man's helmet with a nasty left hook that cracked the side of the helmet. The pirate released her and slumped to the ground, unconscious. Careful, Nikko. You want to get caught. Luckily, two more pirates jumped her and tackled her to the ground. Once Nikko stopped struggling, the two pirates hauled her to her feet, ripped off her helmet, and marched her after Quin. After a few minutes of walking, they came to a large, imposing room. The walls had tapestries lining each side, and at the end opposite the entrance was a large and ornate chair. At the moment, the only people present were a few guards, all wearing pirate uniforms. "The boss will be here shortly, coward," one of the men behind her growled.
@Sicadorito (Sorry for the delay, got caught up in real life stuff and my motivation tanked)

 

[Quin Leonkri]

The pirate boss’s room was pretty impressive, Quin noticed. As they were brought in, he noticed the tapestries on the walls and the seat that was practically a throne for the captain. Extravagances founded on wealth stolen from the villagers, he assumed, yet another reason why they would have to take him down.

Quin looked forward as everyone suddenly stood to attention. The man behind them, though he’d insulted them, hadn’t been lying when he said that the boss wouldn’t be long.

The man emerged from behind the curtains, his ornate gold and red robes trailing behind him. His red nose stuck out of his face as much as his sides did from his clothes, and the bulging belly in front of him only added to his smug expression as he made his way toward his seat. Quin had to bite himself on the cheek to stop himself from laughing when the man nearly tripped on his robes going up the step. He should be more polite— the pirate looked like he was triple Quin’s age and one fall might break his neck.

He sat down, staring down at the two Jedi in a way that he thought was probably imposing.

“So…” he drawled, “why are you two rascals in my presence?”

@Interdictor

 

[Nikko Ivita]

Nikko was unimpressed by the pirate leader. She wasn't sure how they had selected their boss, but this man obviously hadn't won a test of strength or anything. He was overweight, old, and smug-looking. How easy it would be to chop that smile right off of his face... she thought, but she knew that any attempt to kill the man would end badly for her and Quin. "They started a fight, sir," the thug behind her growled. "Did they now?" the plump man in the chair stroked his chin. "And why, pray tell, did you do that?" this question was directed at Nikko and Quin. The Pantoran frowned and glanced over at her companion. How are we supposed to answer this? her gaze asked. "Uh..." was all she managed.
@Sicadorito

 

[Quin Leonkri]

At the pirate leader’s question, Nikko glanced at Quin and Quin glanced at Nikko.

“Well, we wanted to see you, sir,” Quin answered frankly. A few men behind him snickered. The fat man slowly arched a brow, wringing his hands as he looked down at the two Jedi.

“Don’t you wag your tongue at me, young man. You know that fighting is prohibited,” the pirate said as he reached over to a tray of sweets next to his seat. “Therefore, you understand the consequences. Send them to—”

Just then, the doors to the room burst open.

“Captain! The Jedi have infiltrated our base!” Quin glanced at Nikko before turning his head just a little to see who it was. The man’s face was vaguely familiar— it was one of their opponents on that initial ambush. The knight quickly turned back around to look at the pirate king.

“Oh?” That made the old man sit up a little straighter before he turned to the two Jedi. “You are lucky, then. Track and kill the Jedi, and I will consider your punishment complete.”

It was only after they both stood up again that the man behind them shouted.

“WAIT! That’s them!”

@Interdictor

 

[Nikko Ivita]

Nikko sighed internally when Quin spoke. Wow. He couldn't have come up with anything better than that? 'We wanted to see you, sir.' Really, it was sad. Fortunately, before Quin could botch the whole thing, someone rushed in amd said that Jedi were in the base. At first, she panicked. But when the leader decided to make her and Quin hunt down the Jedi, she calmed herself and stood. And that was when the man panicked and the whole situation plummeted. Nikko ducked a clumsy punch from one of the pirates and, reaching up, grabbed the thug's wrist and yanked him over her shoulder and onto the floor. The man lamded with an oomph and before he could recover, the Padawan kicked the man in the head as hard as she could. His helmet cracked and the pirate went limp. Nikko, however, was given no time to celebrate as blaster bolts whizzed past. She grabbed her saber from her pocket and ignited it, deflecting shots. "Quin!" she called. "Don't let the leader escape!" Indeed, the portly individual was waddling hurriedly toward the exit, constantly tripping over his robes as he attempted to escape.
@Sicadorito

 

[Quin Leonkri]

Quin spun around as soon as Nikko did, taking down his guard with a solid knee into the stomach and a hard punch in the face. He almost felt sorry for him before blaster fire began to break out around them.

“Already on it!” he yelled back to Nikko as he took out and ignited his lightsaber. He looked around for the head pirate, which wasn’t difficult given how bright his clothes were and the way he walked. More like stumbled. Either way, it didn’t take Quin long before he had reached the man, grabbed him by the back of his collar, and raised his lightsaber.

“Cease fire!” the Jedi shouted. “I have your leader!” Quin could hear the man whimpering as the Jedi held onto him, and one by one, the pirates stopped shooting to stare at him. Um. He didn’t really have a plan from here, and he glanced at Nikko.

“We… would like to have a discussion about your raids on the village,” he said. “And we would prefer to do this peacefully.” He looked at the quivering man. “Tell your men to stand down and to give us a few minutes to talk. You have our word that we won’t hurt you.” He didn’t know if this would work, but it was worth a try.

@Interdictor

 

[Nikko Ivita]

It took Nikko a few moments to register why the pirates had ceased their fire, but when she turned to where all their eyes were focused, she figured it out: Quin was holding the leader hostage. Breathing hard, Nikko relaxed a little as the leader spoke. "Okay, okay! Stand down." the man's voice was much less intimidating than before. Which was to be expected, Nikko supposed. The pirates looked at each other, then the leader, and slowly stepped away, lowering their weapons. Almost makes you wonder why there was a pirate problem in the first place, the Pantoran thought with a smirk. "All of you leave, now," she ordered, glaring at the thugs. Most of them began to slowly back toward the door, but a few stayed put. She waved her lightsaber dramatically, and the remaining men left in a hurry. "How loyal," Nikko muttered, turning back toward Quin and the leader.
@Sicadorito

 

[Quin Leonkri]

Quite surprisingly, the pirates all left the building when Nikko told them to without much of a fight. Even the man who had reported the Jedi. It made sense when Quin thought about it, though— it wasn’t like this man commanded loyalty. And that lightsaber that Nikko waved around was certainly not a weapon that anyone would want to trifle with.

Now that the Jedi were alone with the captain, Quin let go of his collar and let him drop down to the floor, wheezing.

“We’d like you to reconsider your attacks on the village,” the knight said bluntly despite the pirate clearly struggling to breathe. “If you leave them alone, we’ll leave you alone. Simple.” The old man angled his head upwards to meet Quin’s gaze.

“You make it sound simple, Jedi,” he spluttered. “How else am I— are we supposed to get our credits and food?” He sucked in a breath. “I brought prosperity to this place, and I intend to keep it.” Quin blinked down at him. Did this man really think that he was doing good? He glanced at Nikko.

@Interdictor

 

[Nikko Ivita]

Nikko listened with crossed arms as Quin spoke to the pirate boss. The man seemed much less imperious now. Now, he just looked overweight. However, she didn't expect what the man said next. He thought he was bringing prosperity to the planet. Uh, no. He was certainly not doing that. "Let me get this straight," she said curtly. "You think that, by stealing other people's stuff, you are creating prosperity? Pretty sure the only person stealing benefits is the thief. Or his boss." Nikko said the last line with extra emphasis to make her point. This guy was really bad at excuses.
@Sicadorito

 

[Quin Leonkri]

The more this man spoke, the more of a fool he seemed. The pirate was an idiot if he thought that prosperity was achieved through stealing. Nikko voiced it out loud perfectly, and the pirate scowled when he turned to look at her.

“You know nothing, Jedi,” he spat at her feet before Quin pulled him away. This man clearly had no respect for anyone, and it didn’t seem like he was going to change anytime soon.

“She knows more than you do. We’re not leaving until you tell your men to stop the attacks.” The Jedi crossed his arms.

“Guards!” The door opened, and a few men from before peeked in. Once they saw the Jedi, however, they exchanged glances. “Kill them!” No one moved. Quin could see the pirate captain’s face getting bright red. “Did you hear me?!”

Then, one pirate toward the back of the group spoke up, albeit quietly.

“You know, he keeps everything for himself anyway. Why should we fight for him?” Murmurs of assent went through the group.

“I am your captain! Your leader! These Jedi want to take everything we have away.”

“We? Away from you, maybe.” A second pirate spoke out. Quin could see the others nodding, and he glanced at Nikko in slight surprise. Then a third one stepped to the front of the group, looking between Nikko and Quin before speaking to them.

“We’ll make you a deal. If you let us take care of him, then we’ll stop the attacks. All of us here have some land— we just haven’t much of it left for ourselves ‘cause he’s been makin’ us give everything we produce to him. We’ve been stealin’ for survival.”

The man fumed at Quin’s feet.

“You too, Alan?” Quin glanced at Nikko. He didn’t trust these men entirely, but they didn’t seem to be lying. It was clear that they disliked their leader, and if turning him over would mean a stop to the stealing…

“What do you say, Nikko?”

@Interdictor

 

[Nikko Ivita]

Nikko stepped back when the pirate spat at her, and her brow furrowed. Suddenly, though, the man called for his guards, and the door hissed open. In an instant, Nikko was facing the doorway, saber ignited. But when she saw that the men were talking among themselves and not fighting, she shut off the weapon and slowly lowered it. Whatever she was expecting, what happened next wasn't it. She turned back to Quin and the boss, smirking a little. "Serves you right," she said. When the Jedi Knight asked her opinion, the Pantoran met his eyes. "Sounds like a plan."
@Sicadorito

 

[Quin Leonkri]

At Nikko’s agreement and seeing Quin’s nod thereafter, the group of pirates would come in and take their former captain. As they dragged him away, the pirate named Alan decided to hang back for a little longer, standing in front of both Jedi. It was then that Quin realized he recognized his face. But before he could voice it out loud, the pirate spoke first.

“I’d like to apologize… for attackin’ you when you first got here,” he said, his eyes cast down at the ground for a moment before his gaze flicked over to Nikko. “After I saw you get shot… and your friends came to help, I realized that no one here’d do it for me. Least of all him.” Alan nodded in the direction of the doorway where the old man had been dragged. “I want to change that. Among other things.” Quin tilted his head.

“Does that mean you’ll be stopping the raids?” Alan nodded.

“Like I said, we’re capable of supporting ourselves. Without him takin’ our supplies for himself and his friends, we have more than enough for us. Maybe even some extra to do some business with the townsfolk.”

Quin pressed his lips together. This man sounded like he was being honest, and he did want to believe him.

“Is there any way we can be sure you’ll live up to your promise?” Alan paused.

“You have my word. I’ll tell the men to give the supplies back and then some— it won’t be easy but they’ll listen— and we’ll turn over the mayor. He’s been working with the cap’n for a while now.” Quin exchanged a glance with Nikko and Alan hastily added some more. “You can also tell ‘em to give you a call if there’s any more trouble from us. I can tell you there won’t be, though.”

That was enough for Quin, and it was likely the best they would get given the circumstances.

“You have a deal, then.” The pirate smiled, then accepted Quin’s handshake before offering one to Nikko as well. Whatever had happened, Quin was glad that they were ultimately able to resolve this peacefully.

@Interdictor

 

[Nikko Ivita]

Nikko couldn't help but grin a little as the boss was escorted out. Taking out the pirates had been easier than expected, and she felt a bit of pride welling in her chest. She sensed nervousness in the room and looked up to see one of the pirates talking with Quin. She frowned when the man mentioned attacking them, remembering the pain in her shoulder from getting shot. Still, though, the deal he was offering seemed pretty good. No more raids, stuff would be returned... It was probably the best they would get. So, when the man turned to her and extended his hand, she gazed at it for a moment before shaking it. "Deal," she said firmly. The pi-former pirate nodded, then turned and left, no doubt going to brief the others on the situation. Now she and Quin were the only ones in the room. "Well," she said cheerily, grinning, "That went better than expected."
@Sicadorito

 

[Quin Leonkri]

After they shook hands and the (former?) pirates left the two Jedi alone in the room, Quin grinned right back at Nikko. He was just relieved that they didn’t have to fight their way out of the base, because that would have been a lot harder than getting to this old man. He nodded in agreement at her statement.

“Sometimes things just work out,” he remarked with a smile. “Looks like they just needed a little push in the right direction.” Moving over to the door, he could see that the men were already celebrating the removal of their captain. Some had pulled out drinks, others were shouting obscenities as the man was dragged through the crowd, and a few had even started reloading the stolen supplies onto speeders.

At that, Quin turned to Nikko.

“Let’s head back to town, then?” Maybe there they could see if the mayor had been found.

@Interdictor

 

[Nikko Ivita]

"Yeah, they sure do," Nikko replied, her own smile only widened when Quin met her gaze. She turned slightly to observe the pirates taking away their former leader, her arms still crossed over her chest. She wasn't paying attention, so when Quin spoke again she started. "Hm? Oh, yeah. I amlost forgot about him." once the Knight started walking, Nikko would follow. "So, how do you think the townspeople are going to take this? I'm not sure they'll just forgive and forget." I wouldn't, she silently added. Because, while some of the pirates probably were just doing this to stay fed, a fair chunk of them were most likely in it for profit. The new setup felt like more of a temporary fix.
@Sicadorito (Oh my goodness I am so sorry for forgetting this!)

 

[Quin Leonkri]

As the Jedi headed back to get a ride, this time unopposed, Quin looked at Nikko when she voiced her concerns. It was definitely something to consider and a good thing to bring up.

“Not well, I would imagine,” he admitted, running a hand through his hair as they approached the parked speeders. Nikko was right that forgive and forget was typically not how most beings lived. As Quin found a speeder, he caught the pirate who had whacked him on the head earlier glaring at him still, and if he hadn’t flashed the lightsaber on his hip he wouldn’t have been surprised if the man came over and whacked him again.

Once Nikko got on the speeder, the Jedi would head back to the village, this time much more active than when they’d first arrived. The townspeople had gathered and were arresting the mayor in a scene that mirrored the one in the pirate base.

As for the pirates themselves, it seemed that some of them had already arrived and were giving back the supplies. Quin couldn’t see the faces of the townsfolk, though, and he glanced at Nikko.

“Let’s check that out. Just to make sure things are going smoothly,” he suggested before getting off the speeder and starting to walk over.

@Interdictor

 

[Nikko Ivita]

Nikko clambered into the speeder besides Quin, sitting in silent contemplation for the entirety of the trip. When they finally arrived, she exited alongside Quin and surveyed the town. It seemed like some of the pirates had returned and told the townspeople about the fight and the fact that their mayor was a turncoat. She was about to comment on how well everything was going when she heard arguing. Looking around, the Pantoran spotted a few villagers angrily shouting at a group of pirates unloading supplies. From what she could see, some of the pirates looked like they wanted to leave, but a few seemed to be itching for a fight. "Um, Quin," she hissed, pointing at the arguing group."We might wantto do something about that. Like an announcement or…something."
@Sicadorito

 

[Quin Leonkri]

As the two Jedi got closer, from the looks of it, the villagers were arguing with the pirates. A few members of both groups were starting to raise their voices, and it was clear that if no one intervened, they would start raising their fists instead.

“...Yeah. Let’s go.” Picking up his pace and knowing that Nikko would be at his side, Quin made his way over just as one of the villagers towards the back of the group had picked up some kind of metal bar from the ground.

“HEY!” he yelled, and luckily, he got their attention. Both pirates and villagers turned to look at the two Jedi… but both sides gave them accusing looks. With many pairs of eyes now boring into him, Quin paused for a moment.

“What’s the problem here?” He spoke in a lower voice now that there wasn’t any more arguing, but then the commotion began again. Everyone, pirate and villager, started talking all at once, each trying to be heard over the other until they ended up forming an incoherent chorus of complaints.

@Interdictor

 

[Nikko Ivita]

(Sorry, the notification for this got buried)
Nikko was right behind Quin as the Knight strode toward the arguing group. She watched, wondering if Quin would use some Jedi negotiation skills. She was not impressed.

Really, Quin? That's the best you can do? The Padawan sighed and stepped forward. "Alright, alright, shut up!" It took everyone a moment, but the two groups eventually quieted down. She glared at each in turn. "Now, what is going on? One at a time," she said, her voice dripping with annoyance. A human woman, one of the original arguers, stepped forward. "Those pirates raided us, and you're just letting them go?" The woman was up in Nikko's face now, seething. "Their leader is captured, they're giving you back your stuff, and they aren't going to attack you anymore. What else do you want?" The woman frowned. "Justice. We want justice. You Jedi are always touting how you support peace and justice, but I'm not-" Despite the defiant tone in the lady's voice, Nikko didn't let her finish. "Please. Shut. Up," she growled. "I'm sick of all your arguing. We also believe in second chances. If they're not going to do it again and are giving your stuff back, who kriffing cares?"
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