Ask A New Verse of an Old Song

[Lakay'la]

Ord Mantell, Spaceport​

The galaxy was in turmoil... and she was standing on her head.


It seemed that her training had only just begun when everything had erupted into chaos in frankly typical fashion for Lakay'la's life. Yavin had been a nightmare of blurred panic, dying friends, and blazing fires. She still saw the battle behind her closed eyelids. Besides being generally horrible, it was making the meditation annoyingly difficult.

More than a few thoughts of fleeing with her lekku trailing behind her until she was safe with her family on Corulag once again had entered the padawan's mind during the attempt to be otherwise centered. It was like the mental equivalent of having incurable hiccups while trying to practice a big speech; it was ruthlessly distracting and the longer Lakay'la tried to focus on clearing her mind, the more cluttered it became. Lakay'la had been in fights, studied the history of battles Jedi had fought in, and even watched a few holovids but nothing could have possibly prepared her for the chaos that had threatened to consume her that day. Ever since she had been trained to open herself up to the Force, it had been difficult blocking out the latent emotions of those around her and in the maelstrom of pain, fear, and hatred that had resulted in the loss of her new home, Lakay'la had nearly let herself succumb to despair.


Yet somehow, she had found calm in the center of it all. The Twi'leki Hybrid had put her faith in the Force to guide her to where she had needed to be. She had been rescued, even when all her new friends were now gone.


"...Miss? Uhh- Miss? Did you hear me? I said we've arrived."

Lakay'la's sapphire eyes blinked open with a slight look of embarrassment within them and let gravity bring her legs back to where they were supposed to be. She gave the shuttle pilot a sheepish grin and thanked him profusely before leaving the vessel and stepping upon the surface of Ord Mantell.

Almost immediately she was hit with an intense nostalgia. This was no Jedi Temple that was going to be her only surroundings for years to come. This was a thriving, bustling, living port. All at once Lakay'la felt as though she had returned home but in a heavy disguise, for while all the familiar aspects of a spaceport were around her, she was not the same person that she had been the last time she had been in one. The realization was as striking as it was isolating.


Shaking off the rapidly-branching thoughts, the Twi'leki-Human Padawan reminded herself that she was here for a reason. She adjusted the small bag slung over her back and straightened the synthleather vest on her torso, once again wondering if she was breaching some sort of protocol by tying the top half of her temple robes into a lazy knot around her waist.

He's not going to be impressed by your wardrobe, you know. She thought to herself as her eyes scanned the crowds.

At least one of these people was supposed to be able to recognize her, so her only problem was making sure that she was visible enough so he could easily find her. Well... that and trying to persuade her heart to stop slamming against her rib cage.

@SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Zerath Eblon]

Zerath inhaled slowly as he scanned the crowded spaceport for his new Padawan, trying to release the nerves he was feeling along with his breath.

The Miralukan wasn't as successful as he'd hoped he might be.

After his mission with Hailee Lightwood on this very planet Zerath had expected to be called away to another part of the galaxy, but it appeared that the Council had other ideas. They'd instructed him to remain on Ord Mantell, recover from his injuries sustained on his recent mission, and to await a Padawan learner named Lakay'la. Zerath had mentored Padawans before, but this was potentially his first long-term assignment.

Sometimes it was the will of the Force, as it had been with Zana, that he spend only a few days with a Padawan, but Zerath couldn't tell if he was excited or nervous by the prospect of a longer assignment. He'd always believed the role of a mentor to be among the most important in the Jedi Order, but as far as he knew there was no handbook written on how to train a Padawan. Just like there's no handbook on how to be a Knight he reminded himself, shaking off his insecurities for the moment. The life of a Jedi was full of learning, and the wisest Jedi he knew were also the ones who had made the most mistakes.

Finding Lakay'la wasn't as difficult as he'd anticipated; despite his inability to see color well through his reliance on the Force to see, the Padawan was on time on her scheduled transit and the physical description he'd been given matched the Twi'lek/human currently fidgeting with a small satchel. Not certain how much Lakay'la knew about him, Zerath waved as he approached, his face breaking out into an easy smile. His lightsaber, usually concealed beneath his outer robe, would be plainly visible; a way of identifying himself as a fellow Jedi.

"Hello, Lakay'la" he said, extending his hand in greeting. "I am Zerath Eblon. Welcome to Ord Mantell!"

@Roobi

 

[Lakay'la]

About a minute or so before Zerath's approach, the young Padawan had embarrassed herself by bowing to a man whom she thought was approaching her and possessed a Jedi's aesthetic. However, when he had come close she quickly realized her mistake, but not before the man had shoved a grease-stained palm into her face and asked for spare creds. Mortified, Lakay'la dug into her belt pouch for what she could afford to lose and handed them over. Even though no one at all was looking, the poor girl could not stop shifting from foot to foot from then on as if she were center-stage to a galactic-sized audience.

This was the state she was in when another oddly dressed man neared and this time she preemptively got ahead of the situation by immediately declaring:

"Sorry, friend. I don't have any more spare credits."

The last couple of words were already leaving her lips by the time she noticed the oddities surrounding his appearance. First, he wasn't nearly as disheveled or scruffy as the previous man now that he was closing in enough to get a good look at. Second, he appeared to be wearing a blindfold, which startled her slightly. Her initial thoughts were like many who had encountered a Miralukan for the first time in their lives. How is he walking around so confidently like that?

Finally, she noticed the lightsaber and immediately felt a tidal wave of blood come rushing to the forefront of her face. The Padawan turned a unique shade of bright pink as she fumbled to enact the greeting she had just given some transient instead of her new Master.


"I...mean- that's not...I mean. Ohhh." Finally Lakay'la seemed to remember how bowing worked. She clasped her hands tightly in front of her while dipping her head forward and lifting the tips of both lekku slightly. "What I mean to say is, it's a pleasure to meet you, Master."


She wondered if it were possible to fade into the Force entirely out of embarrassment alone.

"...can I ask? Um. Why here? They...did not tell me much, Master."

@SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Zerath Eblon]

Thank the Force, Zerath wasn't the only nervous one here. Smiling away the fact that she'd assumed he was peddling for credits- not actually a bad guess, given the humble attire he wore- Zerath belatedly remembered that bowing was something that Jedi liked to do and returned the gesture. "Please, call me Zerath" he said, unsure how he liked the term 'Master'. Lakay'la was every bit as much of a Jedi as he was, and Zerath had never been one to stand on protocol. "How would you like me to address you?" Perhaps she had a nickname.

As much as he'd have liked to, though, Zerath couldn't easily answer Lakay'la's question. The Council hadn't given him any specifics other than to begin Lakay'la's training. So Zerath simply shook his head and shrugged. "I've not been told much yet, either" he replied, absentmindedly running his finger across one of the holes in his outer robe where he'd been hit with shrapnel from a slugthrower. "So no mission at the moment." At least Ord Mantell was the kind of planet that offered a variety of learning experiences.

Having spent more time off of Yavin than on it in recent years, Zerath wasn't surprised that he didn't recognize Lakay'la. In all likelihood she was either a newer recruit, or else had spent time at one of the dozens of temples scattered across the galaxy. Either way, they would have to start getting to know each other. "Are you hungry?" he asked, remembering that she'd just landed. Food on the Jedi transports left a lot to be desired. "There's a place that sells scones a couple of blocks away." A short walk would give Lakay'la the opportunity to stretch her legs, and along the way Zerath could fill her in about the planet they were currently on.

@Roobi

 

[Lakay'la]

"I..." The word left her lips and held there for a while until speech reasserted itself in the Padawan's skull and she finally managed to realize that she was being asked a question. "Oh! Alright, then! Um. Just call me Lakay'la. That's my name." She accompanied the admission with a slight shrug of the shoulders as though unsure of the fact itself. Nothing at all seemed to be going the way Lakay'la had anticipated, but a true Jedi is adaptable to any situation. Maybe I left my brain on the shuttle, she thought with an internal sigh.

The news that he had no prepared assignment for her was somewhat startling to the young half-human. Lakay'la had expected some sort of justice to be done or some government to be aided or even an elaborate lesson. Had they really sent her all the way out to Ord Mantell to simply meet her new master? Briefly the Padawan thought back to how she had been informed that she was leaving. The last words spoken to her in the Temple had been simply: "Trust in the Force."

Either they had no idea what to do with her...or she was here for a reason even the Jedi above her were not yet aware of. It stood to reason that if the Force told them that she was supposed to be here instead of meeting Zerath among peers then they would have invariably listened to it. Perhaps she should do the same and stop trying to anticipate every little thing.


Master and Padawan began walking side-by-side in order to escape the loud bustle of the busy spaceports and reach their destination. "I..." Lakay'la trailed off once again before her stomach answered the question posed for her. Though it was barely audible in the din, she put a light red hand upon her belly and smiled sheepishly. "I guess I am, Ma- ...uhh, I mean Zerath."

Just the thought of a hot scone in hand set her mouth to watering and she found herself finally settling in with the heartbeat of the planet. Life was all around them as they made their ponderous way to sustenance. Lakay'la could feel the Force surging around her, filling and flowing from every being and swirling together like some great storm. It was electric. Alive. The Padawan pressed two fingers to her temple and made a small noise.

"Oh, wow!" Lakay'la exclaimed in wonder. "It feels so...I mean, this is the first I've been away from other Jedi for a while. Uhm. Do...do all planets feel like this?" The sensation was beginning to grow rapidly overwhelming and painted a growing frown across her face.

@SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Zerath Eblon]

"Lakay'la it is" Zerath said, hoping that he wasn't being too informal right off the bat. Would more structure to start off have helped calm his new Padawan's nerves? Only time would tell, but Zerath tried not to second-guess himself; this would be a learning experience for him, too.

Although the day was overcast, the temperature was comfortable and a slight breeze made the walk towards the scone shop a pleasant one. The two Jedi were hardly the only ones out and about, and more than one time Zerath had to take the lead through a particularly crowded throng of tourists, citizens, and merchants that had congregated in the blocks immediately surrounding the spaceport. Zerath, who had spent enough time on Ord Mantell recently to be comfortable on the planet, found himself appreciating Lakay'la's honesty and openness as she voiced a question. Such was one of the many benefits of having a Padawan, he realized; a question when he least expected one, and about a topic he'd not even considered himself.

The Miralukan shook his head, smiling as he thought back to other planets he'd been on. "The Force manifests itself differently here than on Coruscant or on Yavin, for example" he said, unable to suppress a twinge of pain as the thought of the planet's fall to the Sith. "It's been my experience that each planet feels different" he continued, pleased that Lakay'la was clearly in touch with her connection to the Living Force. "And one's immediate surroundings can make quite the difference as well." Of course this kind of environment would be overwhelming for someone experiencing it for the first time, Force, or no Force.

An idea popped into Zerath's head; a means of stimulating Lakay'la's natural curiosity in the busy locale without burning her out. Focus was one of the most important skills that a Jedi could develop, so Zerath explained one of the techniques he still used to practice. "Let the Force guide your perception, and then sharpen your focus on one thing at a time in the space around you" he advised. "I'll be your 'home base' to return to whenever you wish" he said, opening himself up to the Force as they walked; Lakay'la would be able to sense his presence as a calm island amidst the whirling sights and sounds around them; a result of years of practicing this very skill. The exercise would have the added benefit of helping Lakay'la adjust to her new surroundings.

"What sticks out to you?"


@Roobi

 

[Lakay'la]

The Padawan found herself watching her Master's face far more than her own feet during their walk, listening to everything he said with the utmost attention. Her thoughts strayed to the blindfold across his face and she wondered as many have wondered exactly what it was like to perceive the galaxy as Zerath perceived it. His steps were confident. Assured. Lakay'la swore that even non-Force Users could tell there was something significant about the man despite his otherwise humble appearance. Just standing near him was like being in the midst of a sea and finally finding land. She wondered if she would ever possess such stalwart calm and conviction.... but it was difficult to picture herself like that.


"Hmm?" Lakay'la realized that the Jedi Knight had spoken to her and her brain took a few moments to pull away from her introspection and process the words into understanding. "Yes, M-" The girl frowned and quickly ammended her words. "I mean, Zerath." It was surprisingly tough to break the habit she had formed during her time in the temple. Most every Padawan she knew that had a mentor called them 'master'.

Without further delay, she endeavored to do what she was bid and focused upon opening up her senses. A sharp clarity to the cacophony of life that was the planet around them quickly rose and threatened to overtake the inexperienced Force-user until she stopped fighting the flow and just allowed the subtle energies sweep her away. Time briefly lost meaning and Lakay'la's steps slowed until they had stopped near an alley.

The currents she rode soon brought her back to the calm and composed presence that could only be the man at her side and she anchored herself within that peace. From there, Lakay'la discovered that she could allow pieces of herself to extend outwards like reaching tendrils and when those tendrils touched anything it was like understanding the very core of it.

A beat like a live heart attracted her to approach and soon she felt a strange sensation as she realized what it was; this Heart was Ord Mantell. It was vast and undulating and distinctly alive in the Force. It was her. It was Zerath. It was all those around them. Life swirled and surged together, creating something bigger than any one aspect of it that was just as different as it was recognizable. The Padawan could barely comprehend what she was experiencing, so clung was she to the physical laws that bound the perceptions of most lifeforms.

"I...can see it." Lakay'la spoke so softly that Zerath would be able to just barely hear her. The girl's eyes were closed. Her delicate brows knit together. "...Holos? Huh! The man across the street collects them. Of...ships? Yeah." A smile spread across Lakay'la's face and she giggled softly. "He loves them a lot. I can...feel how proud he is of them."

The smile slowly fled her face as she separated from the pleased collector to once again search around them. This time, the Padawan felt a ripple of something far less pleasant than a man's passion for a hobby.

"...Zerath? Do...do you feel that? It's...down this alley. Someone is afraid. And hurt."


Her eyes shot open and she cast a worried expression at the blindfolded man next to her. "I think someone is getting attacked or something down there!"

@SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Zerath Eblon]

A smile broke out on Zerath's face- his default setting, but no less genuine- as Lakay'la began exploring their busy surroundings through the Force. Her sense of perception was strong, and her joy was infectious. Not only that, but she was a fast learner; quickly adapting to the exercise that he'd set out for her. These qualities would serve her well throughout her career as a Jedi.

Those qualities also keyed Layay'la into a nearby disturbance in the Force; distress originating from a adjacent alley. The Knight's smile faded, even as he acknowledged Lakay'la's success. "Well done. Let's investigate." Zerath would draw his lightsaber but not ignite it, feeling the comforting weight of the metal cylinder in his hand. Like Lakay'la, he sensed danger, and it never hurt to be prepared for a fight.

The Jedi hadn't gotten far when the source of the disturbance became apparent; a male zabrak, no older than 14 or 15, cried out in pain as another blow landed, and Zerath wasted no time in igniting his lightsaber. His green blade sprung into existence by way of introduction, followed shortly thereafter by a quiet yet firm command.

"Enough."

Zerath didn't need to know the specifics of what had led to this altercation in order to speak out against such a lopsided beatdown. Usually the mere sight of a lightsaber was enough to deescalate situations like these, but the four humanoids- two humans, a Rodian, and a Gungan- didn't give in so easily.

Aiming a final kick at the zabrak, the Rodian whirled around and pulled out a vibroknife. "Sez who?" spat the green-skinned alien, apparently the ringleader. "Can't you see we're busy? Oh, yer wearin' a blindfold!" A hoarse cough at his own attempt at a joke. Encouraged by the Rodian's confidence, the others pulled out similar weapons and began fanning out to flank the Jedi. A sickly sweet smell wrinkled Zerath's nose; the unmistakable scent of spice that hinted that the men were under the influence as well. The Miralukan grimaced, careful not to let his focus waver for Lakay'la's sake. He'd hardly had a Padawan for ten minutes and he'd put her in danger already; outnumbered two to one, they couldn't afford to underestimate their opponents.

"Back to back" he murmured to Lakay'la. "Trust in the Force."

@Roobi

 

[Lakay'la]

In the wake of Zerath's smile, Lakay'la felt her own lips twist upwards and curl at the edges. The man's grin was positively infectious and with their connection still going strong, the expression was like feeling the warmth of a hearth fire on her skin after a lengthy blizzard.

The island of energy around her rippled, bringing her back to her immediate senses and she found her Master's weapon in his hand. Lakay'la hesitated a moment before taking up her own smaller lightsabers and cradling them uncertainly in her grip. Their familiar presences gave her reassurance, but doubt filled the young Padawan's mind. It obscured the connection she had just opened herself up to. It opened the door to distracting emotions, leading Lakay'la to gasp softly in shock and surprise at the sight of the thoughtless cruelty suddenly before her.


A green glow filled the alleyway and the Padawan quickly realized that her Master had no intention upon letting this continue. She followed suit and her thumbs found the familiar indents that ignited two blue blades. Her smaller shoto lightsaber was held in front of her horizontally while the one in her right hand was pointed at a sharp angle towards the ground. Her knees were slightly bent, her feet shoulder width apart. It was a stance that reflected fresh training without any as-of-yet practical application, one that held little regard for their actual surroundings. Lakay'la gulped and hoped it wasn't audible.

The doubt that still lingered in her mind abruptly flared into hot anger at such a brazen display of bullying. Despite the past few years of almost isolated training, Lakay'la was suddenly a child facing off against the man who had crippled her father once again. Fear fed the anger and it quickly threatened to consume her. Her knuckles turned a pinkish-white as she tightened them on her weapons. She wanted them to attack her, she realized. She wanted the excuse to unleash everything she had and make these fools regret they had ever-


Zerath's calm voice was like a ray of sunshine in the eye of a storm. It was a ship that brought her back to that serenity and out of the roiling sea. Lakay'la realized that her emotions had been stoked by not just the personal aspects of this situation, but by the distorted perceptions accompanied by a familiar scent. Spice, she thought. I'd know that stink anywhere.


Lakay'la's back pressed against the taller man's and she exhaled slowly.

Passion, yet serenity. Chaos, yet harmony.

The Jedi Code echoed gently in her head and in the next moment it was as though the hostile intent were being broadcasted over a holo, allowing her to be ready as the gungan swung a pipe aimed at her head. The second that it missed the half-Twi'lek, the rest of the alley erupted into a flurry of Spice-fueled frenzy.

@SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Zerath Eblon]

The unmistakable hiss of a lightsaber and then a shoto igniting told Zerath that Lakay'la was traditionally armed, by Jedi standards. He'd worked with Jedi who wielded blasters or other weapons, but it appeared that his Padawan was most comfortable wielding two blades. Through his Force Sight, Zerath quickly assessed her ready stance; it was sound and slightly rigid, without any of the personal nuances that came with time away from the Order's instructors. Those would come with time and experience; Zerath's own lightsaber instructor would probably have a fit if she'd seen the modified Form VI stance he had settled into.

What worried him instead was the sudden spike of anger and fear that he sensed originating from Lakay'la; emotions that threatened to be carried away by the volatile mix of spice and violence already present in the alleyway. The Knight was searching for something to say- struggling with the choice between trying to calm his Padawan or trying to deescalate the situation- when the half-Twi'lek triumphed momentarily over her emotions in an impressive display of self-control. Lakay'la's success was well-timed in that the Gungan chose that very moment to attack, and the alley descended into chaos.

Zerath took a single step forward, to give both himself and Layak'la room to maneuver without getting in each other's way. The Rodian and human facing Zerath- both armed with a vibroknife- attacked without strategy or coordination, but with plenty of enthusiasm. Zerath's lightsaber wove in a defensive arc, parrying first one blade and then the other with a flash of sparks that told Zerath that these vibroblades were resistant to lightsabers.

A quick Force Push sent the human stumbling backwards, allowing Zerath to guard against another stab by the Rodian. The alien's spice-fueled movements were sloppy and predictable, and a moment later Zerath had scored a hit on the Rodian's dueling arm; a superficial wound with the tip of his lightsaber that would do no lasting damage but would effectively disarm the man. The vibrobalde clattered to the pavement as he grasped his arm and howled in pain, and Zerath hoped that the leaders' defeat might mean the end of the fight. Just as quickly, he cast his senses back towards where Lakay'la was engaged with her two opponents- the Gungan and the other human- preparing himself to aid her if necessary.

@Roobi

 

[Lakay'la]

The look on the gungan's amphibian face was intensely satisfying to the new Padawan who briefly reveled in the victory of dodging an attack no regular person had any business of avoiding. She saw surprise mixed with fury; a bully thwarted and humiliated in one easy movement. The pride swelled in her and cost her pain for its momentary lapse in concentration.

A heavy oof! resounded from Lakay'la as she was tackled nearly off her feet and violently pulled into an inescapable choke hold by the human she'd forgotten. The half-human growled and struggled, but it was clear that the grappling spice-head was far stronger than her and had no trouble keeping his filthy arm tight around her neck.

She caught a brief glimpse of her master holding his own as only a true Jedi could; despite Lakay'la's desperate situation she could not help but wish she were able to observe his Form and learn from it in the same way as she had done for years now from other Knights. Rapidly returning to the situation at hand, Lakay'la fixed her gaze once more upon the Gungan who was winding up for a knock-out blow upon the restrained Padawan.

No more distractions. Focus. Her thoughts rang clear and she felt the Force tint her calm with power. She put her trust, her entire self into it.


Lakay'la closed her eyes and reached out for the presence of the person holding her. It was easy to find...all she really had to do was touch the wildly-fluctuating storm of emotions that was closest to her and the rest of the human's presence easily followed. A surge of pity welled up within her heart.

This person, this boy was barely older than she was and wasn't hurting her because he wanted to but because he was positively terrified of the Rodian. Lakay'la wasn't a person to him. This was just another difficult thing he had to do to get his fix and not feel pain himself.


The digits of her left hand opened up just enough to barely keep the training saber gripped as she reached out and Force-pulled her attacker's left foot abruptly forward. At the same time, she twisted herself with all the strength she could muster and the two suddenly changed places as the human tried to instinctively compensate to remain standing. The result was the Gungan's pipe smashing hard into his spine.

The thug cried out and released Lakay'la who immediately twisted and slammed the hilt of her main lightsaber into the side of his head, knocking him out cold. His comrade seemed only to grow more angry and launched into a series of wild attacks that the Padawan had to focus all of her efforts upon dodging. She ducked, swayed, and danced backwards away from the raging swings but knew that if she did not go on the offense soon then one of the heavy blows would put her out of commission.


Lakay'la knew had to change tactics and the Gungan was obviously as high as a soaring mynock, so she figured the unexpected would serve her best. Rather than leap into a strike that might have been otherwise avoided, the Padawan abruptly turned headtails and ran. Confused but caught in the thrall of violent rage, Lakay'la's assailant gave chase. Just as she'd hoped.

At the turn of a corner, rather than exiting the alleyway as she seemed to intend, the Padawan instead lifted one foot and then another against the flat, vertical surface of the far wall. She let the Force fill and lift her like a balloon, then pushed off into a high jump that just barely cleared the Gungan's head. Unfortunately he did not crash fully into the wall but the surprise was just enough to get him to stumble while her Kathracite crystal blades created an X pattern into his back and knocked him down to his hands and knees. Lakay'la winced, knowing the discomfort of being full-on struck with two training lightsabers. It wasn't lethal, but he certainly wouldn't be getting up again soon.


Lakay'la swung herself around and looked for how Zerath was doing now.

@SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Zerath Eblon]

Worry welled up in Zerath as he clocked Lakay'la running away from him with a Gungan hot on her head-tails Had he made a mistake in putting his new Padawan into such a dangerous situation? Zerath gathered the Force within him, preparing to reach out with the Force to impede the Gungan's pursuit, when Lakay'la ran up the wall and backflipped over her pursuer. A split second later her training lightsabers sent the Gungan crashing to the ground, no doubt stunned and regretting the poor decisions that had led up to this point. Zerath jaw dropped, and he quickly slammed it shut as the Force reminded him that there was still one more combatant. There would be time to compliment Lakay'la later.

The field of vision granted by his Force Sight saved him from being stabbed in the back; instead, Zerath pivoted to avoid the remaining human's knife, feeling it pass by his side instead of stabbing into his kidney. The Miralukan's left hand grabbed onto the man's forearm, restraining his weapon arm long enough for Zerath to deliver a love tap with the hilt of his lightsaber that sent the human slumping to the ground; dazed.

Three thugs lay unconscious or stunned, and distant footsteps growing fainter sounded the retreat of the Rodian. Zerath momentarily considered chasing down the ringleader, but vengeance was not the Jedi way. Besides, there was already enough to deal with here between the three thugs and the young Zabrak.

Zerath took the liberty of disarming the two humans near him, before turning his attention to the youth. "Do you need medical attention?" the Jedi Knight asked the Zabrak, feeling torn between his duty as a Jedi and as a Master. He had no idea how Lakay'la would be feeling in the wake of what was likely her first actual combat, so he focused on projecting calm and security for both her and the Zabrak's sake. "You have nothing to fear from us" he said, noting the wariness in the Zabrak's eyes; the eyes of someone who had learned the hard way that trust was not to be given lightly. "My name is Zerath, and that is Lakay'la."

@Roobi

 

[Lakay'la]

A flash of irritation at the scum who didn't even stick around to help the fellows he put into this situation nearly had Lakay'la pursuing the Rodian in anger, but (somewhat) luckily for the Padawan the moment she took her next step a shockwave of pain shot up her ankle. She winced and hissed and realized that she hadn't quite landed right on her fancy down-slash. That technique was gonna need some refinement if she was ever going to do it without twisting her foot again.


Limping next to her master and smiling at him for reassurance that it was just a minor injury, Lakay'la attempted to slow her heart that still pounded rapidly with adrenaline.

Training, instruction, sparring...those were all aspects of a larger picture that she'd not managed to put together until this moment when she stared into the young Zabrak's eyes and found herself humbled by the gratitude within their golden depths. She had saved someone- or helped to save someone, anyway. It was difficult to resist the pride that welled up quickly in the Padawan's heart.


"N-no...I'm okay. I think." The kid replied to her Master's query. He possessed that unmistakable quality of youth in his hesitant words; the consequences of naiveté that would more than likely be repeated until this misguided young thug finally grew up. "Uh. Thanks? I guess? Sorry- I don't mean to be mean or nothin' but now I'm just gonna get beat harder when Skeeb comes back. Are you jedis? My mom used to tell me stories about jedis when I was going to sleep."


Lakay'la frowned, knowing that exact feeling of dread that the youth must surely be experiencing about a scorned bully who would inevitably return once the weak were alone again. This 'Skeeb' was nothing new to her, but her status as a peacekeeping warrior certainly was.

The Padawan looked to her master for his guidance in this scenario, her slightly sharpened teeth chewing on a tiny portion of her bottom lip.

@SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Zerath Eblon]

Zerath favored Lakay'la with a quick smile as she approached, grateful that she didn't seem to be seriously injured. A slight limp and a grimace here and there betrayed her pain, but nothing that couldn't be healed through the Force, which Zerath resolved to do as soon as possible. The young Zabrak didn't appear to be gravely injured, either; thankfully, the Jedi had arrived before any serious harm could come to the youth. But like so many things in the galaxy, the situation was more complicated than at first glance. Skeeb had escaped, and while the Jedi didn't pursue revenge the Rodian likely would.

"Yes, we are Jedi" Zerath said, answering the Zabrak's question. There was no sense in denying it, now that lightsabers had been ignited, and despite what the media like to portray Jedi were still viewed favorably by many common folk. "What's your name?"

"Tepro" came the reply.

"Tepro, why were Skeeb and these men attacking you?" Zerath asked the Zabrak. As soon as the question was out of his mouth, the Jedi Knight could see the defenses go up again in Tepro's eyes; more than likely, the youth had something to hide as well. "The more we understand what we're dealing with, the better we'll be able help you" Zerath reminded him, gently.

@Roobi

 

[Lakay'la]

The short look that the Padawan gave her Master was nonetheless one filled with pride. He had called them both Jedi. It was the first time it truly occurred to Lakay'la that she was included in that ancient legend; she was a protector now. The pride immediately weighed heavily down on her as she realized the full ramifications of what exactly she was supposed to live up to.


"...not supposed to say anything. You think this was bad? This'll be nothing if they find out I snitched. Even to jedis!"

The young Zabrak's eyes darted left and right as though seeking the quickest way to escape the two peacekeepers and a wave of panic soared off him like a peel of thunder. Lakay'la winced, but her anchor to Zerath's serenity held strong.

"Tepro..." The Padawan's soft voice sliced through the alley upon a calm wind. Her hand laid gently upon the young man's shoulder. "I give you my word that we'll keep you safe. I don't know who these others are to you, but they seem like the sort of folk a person ought to stand up to. If someone doesn't, things will get worse. That's something I know for sure."

"I dunno about that." The Zabrak bit his lip, but recognized that he'd already said too much so he continued on. "I mean...Skeebs always been bad news. But before, we had Rojilo leading the gang...he's gone. Skeeb took over and he wanted us to...wanted us to start moving spice. I said no...that's why they were all hurting me. That's when you came."


Tepro's explanation came haltingly, with little confidence behind the words. As he fell silent, Lakay'la looked towards Zerath with concern creasing her brow.

@SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Zerath Eblon]

The Jedi Knight couldn't help but feel a surge of admiration as Lakay'la spoke to Tepro. Rather than grow impatient with his reluctance, like some Padawans would, the half-Twi'lek showed great compassion, empathy, and wisdom.

Zerath kept his face carefully neutral as he listened to Tepro speak; the Zabrak was truly afraid of the consequences for talking with them, despite Lakay'la's reassurances. With that in mind, Zerath wasn't surprised when Tepro continued to hide something from the Jedi, but he also decided not to press the boy further. There were others to question who weren't terrified youths. "Thank you, Tepro. And Lakay'la is correct; you are safe. Skeeb will not hurt you again."

A short walk down to the end of the alleyway, and Zerath came back with a disoriented Gungan in tow. A neat "X" across the back of his tunic, where Lakay'la had scored a solid hit with both of her training sabers, explained why the alien was even more clumsy than usual; the shock delivered to the spine was enough to temporarily impede one's physical coordination. Zerath had seen- and had experienced it- more than his fair share of times while training; enough to know that the effect was temporary. Helping the Gungan into a seated position near the two humans, Zerath looked over the three thugs. Their earlier bravado and confidence had vanished as quickly as Skeeb had; now, they looked everywhere but at the Jedi or at Tepro as they slowly came down from their spice highs.

Zerath decided to play the long game, trusting time and silence to work in his favor. Interrogation was sometimes a difficult line to walk as a Jedi; some lacked patience and resorted to threats, or else put pressure on those they were questioning through the Force. Zerath did neither of these; determined to model an ethical interrogation for Lakay'la, he simply stood with arms crossed, a look of mild disapproval on his face, and stared at each of the thugs in turn; akin to a parent about to discipline their children.

Even with a blindfold, the Knight's focus would be obvious. Zerath was betting that in the absence of their leader, a sense of self-preservation might compel one of the thugs to talk; they couldn't deny their participation in the earlier violence so their best bet was to try and cut some sort of deal. The benefit of not asking a question to begin with was that it often led to suspects divulging information that they thought was important- sometimes above and beyond the questions that Zerath had in mind.

Zerath's voice sounded quietly inside Lakay'la's head, via telepathy; another way that Force-sensitives could communicate, and especially helpful in this context. [Which one do you think is going to speak first? My money is on the Gungan.]

@Roobi

 

[Lakay'la]

As her Master left to retrieve the bloodied Gungan that had tried to knife her not even a half-hour past, Lakay'la propped a pink hand on her hip and stared hard down at Tepro. She tried to imagine what the young Zabrak's life had been like; tried to picture the struggle that had driven the young man to now be seated at the Jedis' feet with waves of shame seeping off him like a harsh tide.

Something in his eyes reminded her of a younger sibling she had had a lifetime ago and her heartstrings strained with the efforts of keeping stern.

It was clear that more than just the short rumble disoriented the two youths as they were sat down next to their fellow that they'd just been beating. The Gungan seemed particularly out of it; his head seemed to rotate on a slow swivel and his yellow eyes were muddied with bloodshot veins.

Lakay'la knew what he was feeling right now. It would be like a chasm within himself and parts of him were strewn on either side. His thoughts would be sluggish and disjointed, his attentions shifting and sliding. There were as many varieties of Spice-made intoxicants as there were planets in the Core, yet not a one held a gentle coming down for its users. Lakay'la's pity swelled over for the poor young alien.


[Your money, hmm? Now what would the Order think of you pitting bets against your Padawan, Zerath?] She projected the image of her joking grin with the telepathic reply despite her face remaining stoic to match her Master's intimidation tactic. [Which is to say, ten credits on Tepro. He's already given us almost everything, now we just- ]

"Wesa make the big times..." Lakay'la's thoughts were cut off mid-stream as the Gungan stagnantly voiced quiet sentences. "Boss Skeeb says. Wesa meet with a biiig bossa, get muchsa more Spice. Gonna keep some and sell most. Wesa make the big times..."


Lakay'la shot her Master a look of concern. [That's not good. Someone else smuggling it in, you think? This kid might be too burnt out to even remember where they were supposed to meet. What should we do?]

@SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Zerath Eblon]

Too late, Zerath realized that his "wager" was being treated as literal and not the guess that it was. Whoops. The Miralukan quickly reminded himself that he'd have to be more careful with his words while he and Lakay'la build a rapport together, lest something he said offhand be taken at face value, even as he fought to keep a smile from spreading across his face. Lakay'la's willingness to joke along with him spoke to a level of comfort that hadn't been there when they'd first met.

Her observation that Tepro might spill the beans was an smart one, too; Zerath had considered his questioning of the young Zabrak to be over, but the more the silence stretched on, the less confident Zerath was that the three assailants were capable of coherent speech. As it was, the Miralukan had to carefully replay the Gungan's quietly slurred his way through something approaching a confession. Privately, Zerath shared Lakay'la's concerns; although it was a start, the Gungan had shared no solid details, and had hinted at an operation much bigger than the five people that the Jedi had come across thus far.

The Miralukan's thoughts were interrupted as one of the humans started convulsing violently, and struggling to draw breath. Zerath's eyes widened in alarm; he'd seen some rocky spice crashes during his time working in the Coruscanti underworld, but this strain must be particularly hard on its users. Zerath was already reaching for the neutralizer that he carried when the second human began having similar dangerous side effects. Spice was typically highly addictive- if Ord Mantell was being flooded with a new strain that made crashes as unpelasant as this, then it wouldn't be difficult for the cartell in charge to quickly hook its users and force them to use at a much more consistent rate.

Pushing that unwelcome thought out of his head, Zerath handed one of the antidote capsules to Lakay'la and knelt next to one of the convulsing humans. "Here; watch carefully." He did his best to block out the fear and disgust emanating from Tepro, to say nothing of the panic and pain coming from the two thugs-turned-patients. "Unscrew the cap and jab it into their thigh" he instructed, demonstrating on his thug. A quiet hum as the tiny servomotors inside the capsule injected the antidote into the man's bloodstream.

It wasn't hard to do the math; he only had two doses of the potentially life-saving drug, and there were three thugs. It was unlikely that Lakay'la carried any of the antidote, either, since it wasn't part of the standard Jedi packing list. If the Gungan started reacting in a similar way...

@Roobi

 

[Lakay'la]

In the wake of dire circumstances, Lakay'la immediately abandoned the jest and surged forward to aid where she could. Anxiety flared within her, stoked on by the tinder of inexperience, and made the Padawan doubt even where she planted her own feet. She was watching two kids choke on their own fluids slowly as though the Spice had turned their bodies into hostile entities and the visceral terror of it paralyzed her limbs. Her feet would not budge. Her torso sweat while her legs shivered. Her throat was a clenched fist.


Then, like a deep space buoy transmitting coordinates to safety for those that lost their way, Zerath's voice saved her once again. There was calm and connectivity in that gentle tone by her side; a rock which kept her from being swept away in the worst of the fluctuating emotions. Today seemed to be a day of firsts for the poor Padawan who then took hold of the injectable more upon instinct than anything else and Lakay'la stared uncomprehending at the contraption in her hand for seconds that seemed to stretch on forever. Somewhere in the back of her panicking mind a more conscious thought pattern screamed bloody murder, urging the hands to move before it was too late.

It was a single look into the face of the young man that finally shattered the locking-up her body seemed to wish to do instead. His eyes had rolled up and back into his head while saliva worked into a foam that seeped from his lips intermittently. Veins and tendons stood grotesquely out in his neck. His entire body began to convulse violently as it fought against the siege for which there was no natural defense. It had almost been too late by the time Lakay'la finally slammed the vial against the kid's skin and the concoction of life-saving chems rushed into his veins. Slowly, as the Padawan hushed him and whispered assurances, the young man drifted into a stable state of unconsciousness.


Lakay'la sighed with relief but dared not release the youth as though her very presence were keeping him alive and looked up into the alarmed eyes of both Tepro and the Gungan. She didn't yet possess the serene confidence of a Jedi Knight, but what the half-human did have was an excess of empathy and a Padawan's passion for helping. Her words were a direct plea to whatever innocence the two young thugs might still retain.

"Quickly- where is the nearest clinic? These two need medics now, before it's too late. Please. Help us!"

@SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Zerath Eblon]

Zerath let out a sigh of relief that he hadn't realized he'd been holding as the chems helped stabilize the two humans, at least for the moment. He carried a mix that was generally effective, but given the staggering number of individual spice strains in the galaxy, its success was no guarantee. Lakay'la was right, though; the concoction was a temporary fix until professional medical help could arrive.

The Gungan was too high to string together a coherent sentence in the moment, but the gravity in Lakay'la's tone was enough to convince Tepro to comply with the request. The closest clinic was far enough away to make carrying the humans there impossible, but what the Zabrak did have was the local emergency number. In short order, Zerath had called in the address and the necessary details, and received assurances that help was on the way.

Although he still faced the gang members- both to keep an eye on their health and to keep them in line- Zerath's thoughts flicked to his Padawan. Lakay'la had shown remarkable bravery, insight, and resiliency in their first hour together, and her ability to adapt to a rapidly-changing situation with little to no preparation spoke volumes. Once again, the Miralukan's voice sounded in Lakay'la's head, in order to keep their conversation private.

"You have done very well, Lakay'la. How do you feel, and how is your ankle?" He didn't want to let her emotional or physical state be neglected amidst all the excitement.

@Roobi