Ask Bad Day...

[Maxims Tionson]

Bonadan's primary spaceport was a shite-hole at the best of times but when it was playing host to some slaver scum then it was even worse - made the stench of the place feel even more invasive. The PMC, The Untold Sums, had sent along someone to shadow himself and Fiach in taking down the crew of a small slaver vessel but they had seen fit to only send one man. To be fair, he was one of the officers in charge of training the other soldiers so it made sense on that level but it still annoyed him that they had sent so little force when they had been adamant about being part of this ongoing mission.

He released the annoyance into the Force, letting it go before it could fester within him. It was irritating but that was no reason to let it get to him and potentially affect his performance on the mission itself.

Fully kitted out, Max and his little team were out of sight of the ship, hidden in an alleyway just off from where the ship had not-long since docked. They knew from intelligence and informants in the area that the ship was definitely carrying human cargo so they didn't need to do the investigation part since it was already done for them. No all they had to do was go over there, kick down their doors, send every slaver to prison and free every single slave that had had the misfortune to find themselves in this depressing situation.

"Equipment check." he requested of Fiach, knowing that their watcher was only there as just that; a watcher, "I've got my lightsaber, my stun prod and two concussion grenades. Also got a set of lockpicks for some of the older lock types we might encounter. I have half a dozen bindings."

Hopefully Fiach was as prepared as he was because he wanted to hammer home to their watcher how utterly necessary it was to be as ready as possible for any kind of situation.

Spoiler: Dice

Initial Numbers

@Corbeau

 

[Fiach Dubh]

From space, From space, Bonadan was a yellow sphere covered with rust-red strips. Up close, it was a yellow, parched surface that was heavily eroded, and it showed the sort of scarring you’d expect from so much drilling and construction. Fiach surmised the planet was – like so many others – beautiful once but reflected it was now scorched and barren from years of strip-mining, pollution, and mismanagement. As they landed, all she could see were factories, refineries, docks, and shipbuilding facilities.

She had volunteered in part because of who she was going to partner – or was that support? She’d worked with him briefly before and found his approach unconventional – at least to her – and effective. Fiach was all for the latter and was still making her mind up how far she’d progress on the former. The end, in her naïve opinion, rarely justified the means.

But she was dutiful and had scoured every fact she could about the mission and the planet, as well as recent history. And she would follow Max’s lead without question – at least not her questions. The Force, on the other hand, was a different matter. She trusted it implicitly, and if that caused her anxiety, then she would most definitely speak up.

So, they’d left their ship and were now hiding out in a somewhat pungent alleyway – readying themselves.

She nodded at the request to check equipment. She’d tested everything she carried back on the ship. Three times. “Standard Jedi Order issue utility belt, my saber and a further dozen bindings. I have my own mini tool-kit too, with pretty much anything we need, short of assembling a Death Star.” If it was an attempt at humour, it would have been hard to read. Fiach’s smile was ever-present, but her tone dead-pan.

@Nefieslab

 

[Maxims Tionson]

Well they were both about as kitted out as they really needed to be.

To make a Jedi into a walking armory was sometimes spoken about but he never really saw the point. Jedi were keepers of the peace and righters of wrongs - they were not supposed to be soldiers. Warrior, yes, but not soldiers. There was a key difference between the two of them that he felt deeply about.

Still wasn't going to stop him from bringing some non-lethal grenades to assist in their work however.

"Alright then, let's move in closer as stealthily as we can and then we can spring the bust on them when we're in effective range."

He paused for acknowledgement and turned to their watcher... who was no longer there. In a feat of skilled stupidity, the man had gotten past both Jedi without making a sound and marched half the distance to the ship. Max felt a sinking feeling settling into his stomach and he couldn't ignore it.

"... I have a bad feeling about this."

And he was proven right.

"YOU'RE ALL UNDER ARREST FOR SLAVE TRAFFICKING! SURRENDER!"

He closed his eyes for just a second and toyed with the idea of letting the man get shot up by the now fully alert Zygerrians but his feet had already made up their mind. Rushing forward with Force Speed, he damned near tackled the man out of the way into cover. He cursed slightly more as the blaster bolts started flying.

Of course stealth wasn't an option.

Spoiler: Dice

Stealth to get closer? NOPE!

@Corbeau

 

[Fiach Dubh]

Fiach nodded at the Jedi Knight’s words and kept close by but a fraction behind him. In part due to deference that he was a Knight and the remainder because it was his mission and she would follow his lead.

She rolled her eyes at the third member of their party, who clearly hadn’t read the script, or thought he was a master of the impromptu. Given it was usually Fiach that acted without a plan, it was a little rich for her to judge, but her lack of preparation did not stretch to ignoring tactics that were laid out for her.

Her eyes closed when the man spoke and she shook her head involuntarily before re-opening them and moved simultaneously.

Of course the Knight had the drop on her, but no other non-Force sensitive would have noticed he had left, let alone kept pace with him.

By the time she stopped, her saber was in her right hand and activated with a snap-hiss. The lilac blade was now in perpetual motion as she stood in front of Max and the man she would now refer to internally as ‘The Idiot’ and deflected the incoming bolts.

“I can keep this up for so long,” she said as she actually relaxed into the act, “but there are a lot of them and sooner or later one will get through. A Plan B would be helpful right now.”

@Nefieslab

 

[Maxims Tionson]

Max wanted to smack their assistant upside the head but he decided that the energy the action required would be better served in actual combat. With his saberstaff in hand, both ends ignited as he stood to one side of Fiach, joining her in batting away the blaster bolts of the enemy.

"I get the feeling I should start with 'plan B' more often since it always ends up as the one I have to go with..." he muttered so that only she could hear, "Alright I'm going to draw their attention and their fire. Hopefully I can get them to doubt themselves as well - move in hard on the right flank. Get to the entrance of the ship and we can pressure them between us."

With that he stepped forward, taking on the burden of the blaster fire onto himself. Reaching out with the Force, he exerted his will as a form of pressure on the shoulders, heads and upper backs of the Zygerrians. He wanted them to feel the weight of their actions upon them.

The closest one on the right faltered slightly and staggered a little but it was otherwise disappointingly not very effective. It would do in a pinch he supposed.

@Corbeau

 

[Fiach Dubh]

Fiach was becoming more and more versed in the third Form, but multi-tasking was still beyond her. She could possibly stand here all day and bat away the blaster bolts, but she would be hard-pushed to do much else. And she was not advanced enough to re-direct the energy back where it came. It took all her effort to ensure she didn’t send it in the direction of Max.

She nodded at his words, then realised he wasn’t looking at her. “OK,” she said softly as he moved away and she continued to maintain her defence as she moved slowly but surely forward, hoping that Max’s more visual advance would draw much of their fire. Thankfully it did and she was able to make good progress to the entrance to the ship as the Zygerrians began to fall back.

Momentarily closing her eyes, Fiach dropped the defence she only recently became aware of that filtered out emotions (which was part of the reason she was seen as a cold-fish). She only risked it for a few moments but immediately sensed fear. It was clear their adversaries were not used to anyone standing up to them and living.

To this point, she was attempting nothing out of the ordinary – but steeled herself for the next phase. It was one thing to stand and deflect shots – but quite another to take the fight to the Zygerrians. So, she waited for Max’s direction before acting.

@Nefieslab

 

[Maxims Tionson]

Fiach was moving around the enemy, circling them so as to be the second half of the pincer that he was setting up. The two of them together were likely more resistance than the Zygerrians had ever actually encountered before. They were slavers but they didn't seem to be fighters.

Indeed they seemed to be more like smugglers than actual warriors.

This would make sense however since slavery was technically illegal even on this planet so they would, technically, be smuggling their sentient 'cargo'. It left a sour taste in Max's mouth that he longed to be rid of and he was entertaining the idea that the way to do that would be to cut them down.

With practiced ease he ignored his own mental suggestion and instead pushed forward into the fray. Reaching out with the Force he clutched one of the Zygerrians and pulled them bodily toward himself. Even as cowardly and as scummy as they were, the remaining Zygerrians found themselves hesitant to fire, which allowed him to take out another of the Zygerrians by using the body of the first one as a projectile.

They were downed and in pain but not out.

"Surrender is still a valid option."

Of course the three left just started firing again.

@Corbeau

 

[Fiach Dubh]

Even cowards can be dangerous with a blaster in their hands. It was one thing to be a marksman – but a random shot could go anywhere, even towards its intended target. So, Fiach took nothing for granted despite the lack of courage and competence presented by the slavers to date.

She had done as she was asked and flanked their foes. Of course, being Fiach, her mind was not considering a lethal outcome – but wondering how to end the conflict peacefully and with the Zygerrian’s in custody. But right now, her mind was coming up blank in terms of a solution – and so trusted Max would come up trumps, as he had before when they’d worked together.

Initially, she thought his simple plan had worked – but instead of lowering their weapons, they decided to continue to fire.

Options flashed before her eyes but she discounted each one as too risky or too aggressive.

Sighing audibly, Fiach simply entered into her zone and utilised the third Form the way it was intended. Right now, she was not at any great risk of harm. Did this put all of the pressure on Max to resolve the situation? Probably, but he was the more experienced and she hoped to learn from him.

@Nefieslab

 

[Maxims Tionson]

Two of the slavers lay in a sprawled out heap and what did Zygerrian slavers have on their person? Whips. These whips were dangerous, painful and potentially lethal but for them to be leathal their output had to be cranked up high and they needed to be used for a long-ish period of time.

Reaching out with the Force, he grasped one of the whips from a fallen slaver and lashed at the back of one of those shooting at him. The crack sound was accompanied by a shout of shocked pain and the man stopped firing for a second, the others distracted as well.

This gave him the chance to grab the head of the injured Zygerrian with the Force and Pull him rapidly across the distance between them. As the Zygerrian flew through the air, Max grabbed up his stun baton and pressed it to the slaver's chest. Letting the weapon stun the Zygerrian, he eyed the slavers once more.

Only two cats left in the cradle.

"I asked once before now I am going to order you."

His voice deepened with the Force, adding a layer to his tone that spoke of authority.

"Stand. Down."

They wisely lowered their weapons to the ground.

He was very relieved because his arms were beginning to get tired - he was likely not too far off making a mistake.

@Corbeau

 

[Fiach Dubh]

Fiach was aware of Max – but it was taking all of her concentration to avoid being shot. Which wasn’t strictly true. She had given herself to the Force, trusting it to guide her actions in defence. But to take conscious control and focus on her Knight compatriot was more multi-skilling than she was currently capable of. So, as always, she relied on the self-same Force to keep her up to speed on his actions right now.

But her ears operated fine without any spiritual intervention and she heard the whip crack and the sound of a stun baton and then Max’s voice.

In front of her, the two remaining slavers thankfully lowered their weapons. She did not trust them completely, but deactivated her saber with a hiss-snap – and kept the hilt cradled in her right palm.

Now, and only now, she afforded a glance across at Max. He’d done the lion’s share of the work to date and although she did not feel guilty at that, she was fully aware that her Master had been prompting her to take the initiative more. If she wished to become a Knight in her own right, it was a given after all.

Clipping her saber to her belt, she stepped slowly forward and removed her cuffs. It was all going so well. The two remaining slavers were meek enough and she managed to get them to put their hands behind their back and she secured their wrists.

Feeling pleased that she’d managed this without a hitch, she sensed the warning from the Force almost too late.

Spinning, she managed to avoid the blaster bolt hitting the centre of her back, as the hidden slaver had no doubt planned. But it skimmed her left arm and she felt the pain bloom as she followed through with her move and faced her assailant, whose blaster was pointed straight at her chest.

“Let us go, or the girl dies.”

@Nefieslab

 

[Maxims Tionson]

Max had been ready to relax so when the time came to relax he probably did it far too well. Being too relaxed was a problem when you were still, technically, in enemy territory and he was almost immediately paying for it. He stood up straight again and readied his saberstaff but by the time he did so it was too late and Fiach was in the firing line.

Fiach who would suffer the consequences if he made a mistake in trying to take the Zygerrian down.

Which left diplomacy.

He shut his saberstaff off and dropped it to the ground, showing both of his empty hands.

"You know I can't do that." he reached out to the slaver, "You have been exposed as slavers on a planet that punishes slavers who are caught - you're known. If you're not caught today you'll be caught tomorrow and you know it."

There was a flicker of doubt in the Zygerrian before he took a step closer to Fiach, now holding her at blaster point from barely five meters away. Worse still, the slaver was now further out of Max's line of sight.

"I said let us go!"

@Corbeau

 

[Fiach Dubh]

Fiach remained calm. She was centred in the Force and – as ever – trusted in it. In front of her, Max was clearly looking to resolve the matter peacefully. She was aware she was in a direct line between the Jedi Knight and the man with a blaster pointed directly at her.

And she understood Max’s line of reasoning. No Jedi was going to turn their back on the law – or on what was right – to save a fellow Jedi. It wasn’t a heartless approach – but one tied to their Code. And the good thing was, most low-life scum understood that. So maybe this one was off on the day that Jedi 101 was taught, or he was hoping they weren’t typical Jedi.

The fact he stepped in even closer to Fiach, suggested he was either stupid or misinformed. Neither suggested he was going to change him mind any time soon – at least not faced with nothing but reason.

She looked the slaver in the eyes. They alternated between her and Max. At the very moment they flicked to the Jedi Knight, Fiach dropped to a crouch and simultaneously threw up a Force Barrier to protect herself.

It was one half of a simple plan – but not entirely fool-proof. It relied on Max being alert to the other half, the bit where he performed more heroics to save both their lives.

@Nefieslab

 

[Maxims Tionson]

Max didn't want to kill the slaver or even maim him.

He disliked, on a very real level, the damage that a lightsaber could do to a sentient body. Disliked that so many of the Order seemed to be so very interested in using their lightsabers before they used their words. That they immediately responded to any given situation with violence rather than a more measured approach.

So it was with a heavy heart that he started acting the second he saw Fiach moving to crouch.

Reaching into the Force, he coiled it around himself like a spring and drew it into his being until he felt like he was vibrating with the barely restrained energy. His saberstaff in his right hand, and his stun baton let go with his left. With Fiach in motion he threw himself forward both physically and with the Force.

He rocketed forward across the gap between himself and the slaver, spinning wildly through the air. Controlling it took more skill than merely launching the corkscrew attack but it was flashy and it grabbed the slaver's attention when it was caught between both Jedi. His lightsaber blades were severely lacking in mercy.

Landing in a crouch past both the slaver and Fiach, Max closed his eyes as he heard the slaver screaming. His agony rolled through the Force and Max felt a slither of self-hatred trying to worm it's way into himself as he felt it. Looking over his shoulder, he saw the slaver on the ground, both of his arms cut from his body and a deep slash across his back as well.

It was likely a miracle that Max had missed the spine.

He had tried to pull the attack back but the main focus had been in ensuring he didn't accidentally cut up Fiach as well - which he had succeeded in doing. So... his enemy was definitely no longer a threat and his ally was safe.

"Fiach - stun him please."

Anything to stop the screaming.

@Corbeau

 

[Fiach Dubh]

Fiach’s crouch meant she didn’t see what Max was doing. But the benefit of being a Jedi, is that you didn’t always need your eyes to understand what was going on. In fact, they were regularly taught at the Academy that your eyes can deceive you. So, she sensed his gathering of the Force, of his motion over her head and she heard the snap-hiss of the twin blades followed by the hum of their motion as he dealt with the slaver.

Her nose took over at this point. The aroma of a cauterised flesh wound was distinctive and slightly nauseating. Knowing innately it was safe to stand, she looked up and saw what Max had been obliged to do. The slaver was not going to present a threat any more and his screams would clearly deter any others from considering the fool-hardy possibility of following his lead.

Fiach heard and moved at the same time. Her stun baton was in her hand and she tagged the writing body that immediately fell still. At least there would be no pain, at least not immediately.

She fished into a pouch on her belt and pulled out a small phial. Plunging the small needle into the thigh of the prone slaver, she knew the contents would ensure a restful sleep, free from pain. He’d be under medical supervision by the time he retained consciousness – albeit in a custodial medical facility.

“Thank you,” she said to Max. The unspoken element was not thanks for the act itself, but for being prepared to do it to save her life. Unlike some Jedi she had met, who would carry out such acts (and worse) without blinking, she suspected the Knight was not cut from that cloth, and his actions would weigh on his thoughts.

“Right, back to dealing with the rest of the gang.”

@Nefieslab

 

[Maxims Tionson]

The screaming stopped and the pain rolling through the Force was dimmed.

He sighed a little bit in relief at the sudden lack of noise - both real and imagined through the Force itself - and readied himself with a few more deep breaths. They needed to move on and to move on there needed to be acceptance of actions that had been taken. He could accept his actions and that helped him.

Max just gave her a little smile when she thanked him for helping her because it didn't need a reply. Just the same as she didn't actually need to thank him either. He had done what a Jedi would do for anyone in the Galaxy, but especially one of their own. It felt nice to have such a comrade though.

"The cargo hold will be next."

Their watcher had handcuffed the Zygerrians outside and there appeared to be a lot of fear and anger inside the ship. Walking into the ship calmly, he could see the sole remaining Zygerrian was giving off both of those emotions like a sea. He tilted his head to the side slightly as the Zygerrian held a slave in front of him as a human shield, their blaster pistol right up against the slave's temple.

"You come any closer and I waste her!"

He blinked once.

He glanced to Fiach.

"It's like they only know one trick..."

@Corbeau

 

[Fiach Dubh]

Fiach held the cuffs in her hand and after a moment’s hesitation, put them on the slaver’s ankles. Turning her attention back to Max, she nodded. Who knew how many they would find – and in what conditions.

As they moved forward, it was definitely a case of déjà vu. ‘Slaver with human shield’ was becoming a cliché. What was slightly more troubling for Fiach, were Max’s words. So far, she had demonstrated to the Jedi Knight that she was something of a one-trick pony. He led, she followed. He acted, she reacted. This was in part due to a lack of confidence and to a lesser extent, respect of authority. In a nano-second, she dismissed the latter as a lame excuse. If Max were not here, what would she do?

Options abounded, but all carried risks. The question she had to ask herself quickly – and answer even swifter – was about balance. Better to act and take a risk, or be passive and let Max do all of the work and mitigate risk that way? This was not a test, after all – but a mission. Lives were at stake and there was no merit in acting just to prove herself to the Order.

But Max was a known quantity to the slaver – whereas Fiach would be considered the weak link. This, surely, was to her advantage. Multiple options weren’t. She needed to stick to what she was good at.

Fiach held up her left hand, her fingers outstretched, and channelled the Force through them. In an instant, the slaver’s blaster was ripped from his hands and ended up in Fiach’s outstretched palm. She gave a small sigh of relief and as she did so, she attempted to pocket the pistil, but forgot to put the safety on. The sound of it discharging echoed through the ship and Fiach looked down at the hole she’d made in her boots, thankfully missing her toes.

If she were the blushing type, she’d be the colour of a Sith’s saber by now – and just as luminous.

 

[Maxims Tionson]

The Force trick from Fiach?

Brilliant.

The aftermath?

He tilted his head to the side slightly as he looked at her. At the same time he raised his left hand, using the motion to pin the slaver to the wall with the Force. It probably looked rather strange to see him so casually manhandling someone while just looking at the Knight with a look of slight bemusement.

"Do I need to schedule some time on the ranges for you, Fiach?" he teased her gently with a small smile, showing it was in good fun, "Your trigger discipline needs work."

And there was the punchline - he couldn't resist. But there was another part of himself that he couldn't resist either and it was the part of him that wanted to help.

"Good job with the Force pull." he told her honestly, "Taking advantage of a person's perception of their current situation and their views on you is something that'll take you a long way."

The slaver struggled against the wall so he gestured with his head.

"Cuff him and we can begin unloading the people."

Not slaves. Using that term right now might do more harm than good to the fragile state of mind of these poor people.

@Corbeau

 

[Fiach Dubh]

Fiach found the hole on her boot particularly interesting as the Jedi Knight spoke to her. “Agreed. The thing is, I’ve never fired a blaster. Not once. Not that that’s an excuse,” she added hastily. “And it was fortunate nobody got hurt…unless you count my boot of course. That’s definitely a goner!”

She looked up as his admonishment turned to praise. She accepted both in equal measure. “My Master always told me to keep it simple and in pressure situations, rely on what’s most likely to succeed. It’s been sound advice. It’s logical really.”

She decided to ignore her boot for now. She was sure her sock had been signed and a couple of toes were warmer than they were, but she’d sustained no real physical damage.

Removing some more cuffs from her belt, she walked over to the slaver and restrained him as requested. Then she handed him over to the local contact outside – who she’d now forgiven – and headed straight back in to help free the slaves.

@Nefieslab

 

[Maxims Tionson]

She'd never fired a blaster huh?

"Well then now I definitely have to take you onto the range." he told her with a little grin, "I'll make sure you can pass any licensing test anyone cares to give you kiddo. Gotta make sure you're safe with firearms."

... that might be the cop talking more than the Jedi but it wasn't like he could just turn that part of himself off. He'd been a cop almost longer than Fiach had been alive after all. That thought made him feel old he would admit.

He gestured for her to follow him to the cargo hold.

"Alright Fiach, I want you to be mindful of your feelings going into this." he told her quietly, "This is going to be a LOT of emotion coming at you all at once. It's alright to feel overwhelmed but do you best not to let them see that alright? They're going to need us to be rocks for them."

Giving her a few seconds to compose herself, he opened the entrance to the cargo hold. At once the raw stench of FEAR rammed into the two of them as three dozen young women of various species cowered as far away from them as they possibly could. Still, Max simply raised his hands open and empty and smiled at them.

"It's over - it's time for you to come out and then? It's time for you to go home."

There was a moment where none of them dared hope until one of them spotted his lightsaber hanging on his waist.

"Jedi..."

The relief was another wave and all of a sudden they surged forward, some to rush past them and some to cling to them gratefully. Max himself held three people in his arms and he was approximately 80% sure someone had latched onto his right leg.

@Corbeau

 

[Fiach Dubh]

Fiach had never considered it odd that she’d never fired a blaster. But Max mentioning it made it sound at least a little strange. But her upbringing was devoid of any weapons and since she’d been at the Order, she’d focused on using a saber and its variants. In fact, she was planning to craft a shoto as soon as she could get the opportunity to seek a new crystal. But, upon reflection, knowing how to use a blaster – and safely – was hardly a bad idea. There might be missions where the use of a saber was not permitted and she frowned unconsciously as she reflected on her lack of training in this area.

“Thanks,” she responded, “I’d appreciate some tuition…as would my next pair of boots.”

But they were quickly back to business and although she was – if anything – closed to emotions, there was something about slavery that brought them to the fore. Yes, it was due to her past and prior experiences, but that didn’t make the onrush of fear, sadness and desperation any easier to handle. Logic was great, but in circumstances like these, she found it impotent. Instead, she centred herself within the Force and allowed her mind to focus on the positivity of the situation – the freeing of so many slaves and the breaking up of at least one ring.

Her smile was ever present and never fake, and she was glad they’d delivered these people from a life of captivity. As the fear morphed into hope and a tentative step here became a more confident stride there, soon there was a tidal wave of people pushing past them. Some wanted little more than to give thanks, others couldn’t wait to press on and escape the ship. Fiach allowed the flow of people to pass her by and then looked around. There were some here who remained sitting, or even lying – clearly too weak or ill to move.

One by one she checked them over, offering comfort, meds and stims in equal measure. One was not responsive to her simple first aid and so she used the Force to boost her strength and carry the frail woman out of the cargo bay and outside. “Medic,” she called, looking around for someone qualified to hand the woman over to. The liaison shook his head at her. “Then get one,” she ordered and lay the woman down on the ground. Then she removed her cloak and used it as a pillow before kneeling beside the former slave and holding her hand. “Don’t worry, I won’t leave you until we’ve got you medical assistance.”

@Nefieslab