Open Bargain Shopping

[Brienna Lanaamer]

"Hold on, wait a minute, I thought you said this was reputable?" Jedi Knight, Brienna Lanaamer looked down at her droid, an NM-series astromech, which simply stared back at her with an un-moving eye. The Knights skeptical face was clear enough to show her displeasure about the current situation that the two had found themselves in. Due to a lengthy series of events, the coolant capacitor on Bri's 3-Z freighter had become damaged beyond repair and a new part was required. A quick fix back on Ajan Kloss had solved the immediate problem, but in order to ensure the ship kept flying, a higher quality part was required. Thus, the Jedi and her droid stood staring at each other on the landing pad of a merchant level of the Kafrene Trading Post.

Bri had never been to the Kafrene system before. Based on her first impressions, she imagined that it would not be one of her frequent destinations. Grimy storefronts were cramped together selling all manner of goods and services. Crowds of beings jostled and bustled through crowded pathways. Bright neon lights advertised and flashed, immediately beginning to test the Jedi's patience. Above her head, tall superstructures stretched to the other side of the planetoid. Or was it an asteroid? Bri hadn't taken the time to check before exiting the ship.

NL-142 , the aforementioned astromech, had been put in charge of finding the part they needed for the ship; a decent cost-value being a requirement. Bri was content to cede this responsibility to her droid, considering her own faulty flying skills had caused the capacitor to become damaged in the first place. A fact that NL was more than pleased to remind its human partner about at every opportunity. When the droid had alerted her that it had found a good deal on some ship parts in the Expansion region, Bri had assumed that NL knew she preferred something more clean than the Kafrene Trading Post. The Jedi rubbed her brow in frustration. Perhaps there were nicer areas than where they had docked and Bri was judging this particular book by its rather ratty, tattered cover.

NL finally offered a series of beeps, combined with a short roll, in reply to the Jedi. It was reminding her to keep an open mind about whatever was going to occur in the (hopefully) short amount of time spent on Kafrene. With a sigh and a nod, Bri acquiesced. "Fine, fine. I'll do my best," she held her hands up defensively. A quick comment followed, "but if this goes wrong, you're on the hook!" with a finger point of accusation. A quick chirp came as reply, the droid accepting this newly formed deal.

As per usual when travelling in an unknown system, Bri had changed clothes on her ship. She had shed the more identifiable Jedi robes for a grey tank-top accompanied with a similar colored jacket, a tight pair of black pants, completed with dark colored boots. Her lightsaber was tucked on the inside of the jacket, out of public view. Bri imagined this is what more 'edgy' denizens of the galaxy dressed like, but failed to realize that her sunny, golden hair rather tarnished the picture she was aiming for. She straightened a non existent wrinkle in the jacket and looked down at NL, "Alright, this is your deal, you lead the way." NL responded with an eager sounding beep, seemingly pleased to be in charge.

Spoiler: OOC

Open to anyone who may find themselves on Kafrene

 

[Kanan Marek]

]

Kafrene. Where good dreams go bad. An apt description, the Sector Ranger thought to himself as his eyes wandered from one end of the street to the other. Both a mining colony and a deep-space trading post, Kafrene did not attract the galaxy’s most reputable to its winding and erratic system of streets.

Kanan was not in the habit of frequenting Kafrene. He was here for one reason and one reason only: a spice dealer by the name of Uta Mang. The Duros had quite the reputation in The Skids of Tyrena, a riverside city on Corellia. More importantly, Mang had the names of every major spice dealer in Tyrena. Information the Sector Rangers were extremely interested in obtaining. Kanan had been tracking Mang for some time but only recently had picked up a lead as to the spice dealer’s whereabouts. That lead had led him here, to Kafrene.

Specifically to a used parts store, probably a front for illegal activity in the area. From the alleyway across the street, Kanan had the perfect view of the store front’s window. Uta Mang had entered the shop only a moment ago and was now sharing heated words with the shop owner, a burly looking man.

By all appearances, whatever business deal the two were in the midst of discussing was rapidly going south. The shop owner’s face was red with fury, and in one clear expression of outrage, Uta Mang was thrown through the store front window, shattering it into a thousand pieces, and narrowly missing collision with a nearby bystander. An unsurprising turn of events considering Uta Mang’s character. Or lack thereof. Unpaid debts and what was considered underhanded practices even in the criminal underworld of Tyrena had forced the spice dealer to skip town. Refuge was not to be found in Kafrene.


Rolling to a stop in the middle of the street, with shattered glass all around him, the Duros managed to rise to his feet. Blaster pistol in hand, the shop owner stepped through the broken window. Tempting as it was to let the two criminals battle it out amongst themselves, Kanan needed to take Uta Mang in alive. To make a bad situation worse, the bystander standing nearby, a light haired girl who didn’t look like she belonged in this part of town, was likely to get caught in the crossfire. Kanan knew he had to intervene, unaware that this bystander happened to be a Jedi. Drawing his blaster from its holster, he abandoned his hiding spot in the alleyway.

@ModernMarvel

 

[Dread Virus Trill]

Kafrene was ripe for the Dread Virus' machination. Such despair littering the fluorescent waves of buildings and rummage. More civilized than Mek-Sha but with the corruption of democracy creeping on the paint of governance. As such, it should not be surprising that a Dread Virus entity found itself on Kafrene. However, what was strange was its purpose on the celestial body. Rather than orchestrate the next masterpiece built on a foundation of fear, the entity known as Trill was here for the HoloNet relays.

Just days earlier, a hacker known as Buzzkill had orchestrate a prolific electronic heist of one of Corellia's biggest banks. Her connection was spoofed against several planets' relay stations; one that was pinged more than one, leading to suspicion there may be an actual connection, was Kafrene. As such, the Dread Virus entity known as Trill ventured to the planet. It was on high alert, knowing that Buzzkill could be covering her tracks and monitoring any attempts of pursuit.

As such, Trill became suspicious when a Jedi landed on Kafrene just hours after the Dread Virus came to the port. In an investigation courtesy of some hacking and contacting some other Dread Virus entities, a report was discovered about repairs that were performed on Ajan Kloss. As such, the reason the Jedi claimed for coming to Kafrene as given to the port authority - ship repairs - was very suspect.

Trill - inhabiting a decloaked TC-SC droid - tailed from a distance the Jedi. The benefit the droid had over its Sith Eternal brethren when tailing a Jedi was that droids weren't as perceptible to Jedi as tails than droids; not impossible, a datum the entity was fully aware of, but not as easily. With no ill-will, as much as a droid can permeate, Trill calculated it would not be identified; after all, it simply sought to verify its hypothesis.

The droid and its inferior droid companion trekked to a used parts store. However, distractingly came a rain of glass shards as a Duros was flung out of the shop. Trill's memory banks identified the Duros as Uta Mang, who had recently traveled from Corellia to Kafrene. The coincidence had put Mang on Trill's radar, but a low priority, since the drug dealer didn't seem to have any overt connections to Buzzkill and in fact was in severe debt (ripe for manipulation by a bank-stealing hacker, but no signs of wealth having been gifted to him after the heist).

Trill, from its vantage point, coming closer into view of the Jedi, noticed a human male approach the debacle; unknown if a bystander - with a gun drawn - seeking to help the situation, or an ally of either Uta Mang or the Jedi. Still, Trill could capitalize on this. The Dread Virus entity's main goal was to investigate any leads on the whereabouts of Buzzkill, but it could still comply with its main directive of sowing chaos.

The droid pickpocketed a blaster from a nearby civilian and shot it into the air. It immediately disposed of the evidence while a wall of pedestrians was still formed between Trill and the unlucky duo (Lanaamer, Malek, and Mang) by throwing it off the ledge and down the abyss of the underlevels. As people began to scatter, it spoke. Pretending to be startled and scared, Trill declared with a heightened volume, "By the maker, it's a gang war! Run! Contact the police!"

 

[Brienna Lanaamer]

Bri and NL slowly traversed the cramp streets of Kefrene. To say that others were violating their personal space would be an understatement. On countless occasions both the Jedi and her droid were jostled, bumped into, and generally pushed around. Bri’s first impression of Kafrene had so far not changed. The shops still looked rather grimy, neon lights still flashed in her face, and for a fleeting moment, the Jedi felt a nebulous presence of being followed. She tried to wave the idea away from her mind, chalking it up to her negative attitude about the trading post.

NL, on the other hand, still seemed quite pleased to be leading, using its small size to more easily maneuver through the crowded streets than its human partner. The two followed down bigger and smaller streets, seemingly taking turns at random. Bri assumed them to be lost and was eagerly looking forward to chastising her droid about its faulty navigational skills. It was a surprise, therefore, when NL came to an abrupt stop outside one of the uninspiring storefronts that matched the others. “This is it?” Bri asked, arms crossed, the contempt in her voice quite evident. A cheerful sounding beep ignored Bri’s mood and replied in confirmation.

Frustration was beginning to build within the Jedi, entirely disapproving of the choice of the particular used parts shop. “NL,” Bri started, looking down at the droid, “this is the opposite of reputable. This looks more like a gangsters den than a shop.” The Jedi was about to continue her exposition, but before she spoke any further, looked up to see another argument occurring within the store. A brief gesture to the window, illustrating her point, was cut short as the glass in front of her face shattered loudly. A Duros manifested as the window-breaking projectile, slowly returning to his feet.

Bri groaned internally, even more upset at the turn of events. She and NL both tried to back away from the developing scene, but were halted by the growing crowd, eager to see the newly formed commotion. The shop owner stepped out of the broken window, blaster in hand, obviously eager to continue the altercation with the Duros. “Get behind me,” Bri looked down at her droid, her voice quickly steeled with a determined sound. Both the Jedi and her astromech not-so-secretly enjoyed the playful arguments they engaged in, yet were both fiercely protective of each other. NL, therefore, quickly followed its partners command, hearing the solid seriousness of her tone.

Bri was still eager to maintain her cover, preparing herself to use the force to redirect any potential harmful blaster shots. ‘Hopefully it won‘t come to that.’ Just as the Jedi began to hold up her hands in a defensive position, she noticed another person holding a blaster, emerge from a nearby alleyway. “Great....” she muttered to herself. Attempting to take charge of diffusing the situation, Bri addressed the three, “Wait a minute, let’s everyone stay calm...” Right as she finished speaking, she heard a blaster fire behind her, and some idiot droid announce the beginning of a ‘gang war.’ So much for staying calm.

All hell broke loose after that, people running and scattering, yelling and screaming. Bri was pushed and shoved, NL managing to make it to the relative safety of the interior of the spare parts store. The Jedi shuffled a few more people in the crowd around her, trying to get a better look at the shop owner and his Duros target. Her attitude had shifted to Jedi peace keeper, ensuring that no one get hurt in the commotion.

@llamallove @Dmitri

 

[Kanan Marek]

The sound of breaking glass had garnered the attention of passerby's, and a group of interested civilians were forming around the used parts shop. Pushing his way to the front of the crowd, blaster still in hand, Kanan was ready to disarm the large shop owner. This situation needed to be defused before it got out of hand.

Surprisingly, the Duros Uta Mang and the shop owner had yet to exchange fisticuffs. Their focus had shifted to the light haired woman standing nearby with her astromech. Perhaps there would be no need to defuse this situation after all. “Wait a minute, let’s everyone stay calm...” she was saying, surprisingly calm and in charge.

Blaster fire interrupted her words, destroying any chance at settling this matter quickly and without confrontation. The shot came from somewhere behind the crowd, but Kanan was unable to see who had fired, and there was no time to investigate as absolute chaos erupted.

The crowd that had gathered began to disperse, screaming and running for safety. Against his will and effort, Kanan was dragged away from the shop as crowds began to push against him, eager to make their escape. Over the sound of absolute chaos he could hear a droid yelling about a gang war and that the authorities needed to be called. This only caused more panic.

Kanan growled to himself, fighting against the crowd and eventually making it back to his target. If there was one thing Uta Mang was good at, it was taking advantage of a situation, and this time was no different. While his attacker was distracted, first by the light haired woman and then by the panicking crowd and droid, Mang made a grab for his blaster.

The two struggled over the blaster, but the shop owner had the advantage of size and strength, and it was only a matter of time before he overpowered the Duros.

“Drop the blaster,” Kanan ordered the two of themhis blaster at the shop owner, unsure his voice could be heard over the crowd but sure that either way his words would be ignored by the two criminals.

@ModernMarvel @Dmitri

 

[Brienna Lanaamer]

Despite her best efforts, Bri was carried and pushed by the masses, somewhat like flotsam in a frenzied sea. Everyone who had been attempting to watch the struggle between the shop owner and his Duros attacker was now trying to escape, the threat of violence becoming too great. Once stray blaster bolts were fired, it was only a matter of time before someone got hit.

Luckily, Bri’s slightly above average height for a human female played to her advantage. The Jedi finally found her footing, and pushed back through the herd of people, re-emerging to find the Duros and his attacker once more engaged in hand to hand combat. The more diminutive Duros was shortly out matched by the larger shop owner, who, after claiming victory, now pointed the blaster in his enemy’s direction.

Just as the scene appeared to be reaching its climax, the same man who had appeared from the alleyway leveled his blaster at the two fighters, followed by an instruction to drop the firearm. Bri had no idea who this third man was, and didn’t have the time to weigh various options in her head. He could easily be another criminal trying to collect some sort of debt. Before offering any comment, Bri turned her head with a quick glance, relieved to see that the crowd had pretty well dispersed, drastically minimizing the risk of innocents being harmed. She briefly spotted NL’s rounded head inside the shop bobbing from side to side, trying to see what was happening.

“Maybe we can talk about the problem without shooting?” she offered to the three men in front of her, holding her hands out in a defensive position. Bri still had no desire to use her lightsaber and blow her cover, yet began to mentally prepare herself for such action, sensing that her attempts to diffuse may not go over very well.

Spoiler: OOC

@llamallove , skipping @Dmitri ’s post order per his request

 

[Kanan Marek]

As expected, the shop owner’s strength prevailed. He now held the blaster firmly in hand, aimed directly at the Duros’ blue head. There was no chance of missing at such a close rang. Wether or not he had heard Kanan’s command to drop the blaster or not, it did not matter. He did not drop the blaster, and it was clear he had no intention of doing any such thing.

While the rest of the crowd had scattered, the light-haired woman remained. A few people continued to watch from varied distances, including a droid, but she remained in the center of the drama unfolding. Attempting to dissuade the three of them from violence. A noble sentiment, and a bold attempt, but Kanan had little faith in its success. There was no reasoning with the likes of Uta Mang or this shopkeeper.



“Stay out of this!” the shop keeper spat, his voice low and gruff as his focus shifted back and forth between the woman and Kanan. “This is none of your business. Why don’t you just—“

He didn’t have the chance to finish that sentence. While the shop keeper was preoccupied with the other two, Uta Mang’s golden eyes searched greedily for an opportunity. And he found one. Pulling a small, concealed vibroblade from the sleeve of his jacket, he plunged the blade into the gut of the shopkeeper.

The wound was unlikely to be life-threatening to a man of his size, but it gave Uta Mang the advantage. Prying the blaster from the hands of the shop keeper, Mang fired shots at the others at random. He merely wanted to cover his escape as he ran up the street and into an alley.

Seething with anger and ready to take it out on the first person he laid eyes on, the shop keeper pulled the bloody blade from his stomach and charged toward Kanan. The Sector Ranger did not have time for this. He needed to catch Mang, but neither could he leave this man free to roam the streets.

Sidestepping the shop keeper’s charge, Kanan pulled stun cuffs from his side and managed to bind the hand that held the vibroblade. Perhaps this could be settled quickly after all. “I’m placing you under arrest for —“ The other man’s hand, still free, swung around and delivered a blow that connected with Kanan’s jaw. The force of the blow caused him to stumble backwards. Or maybe this wouldn’t be settled quickly.

Still seething with anger, and a vibroblade still in hand, the shop owner directed his attention toward the light-haired woman.

@ModernMarvel @Dmitri ((Okay. Additionally, as NPCs, please feel more than free to control Uta Mang or the shop owner of you would like))

 

[Dread Virus Trill]

Dread Virus Trill watched the debacle unfold, consuming every visual and verbal stimuli, placing them into its memory banks for potential future use. When it had sought out the potentially-hunting Jedi, this scenario had not been one it had entertained. Not that it would have been disappointed by this fact, where it a flesh-and-blood organism. Chaos was the Dread Virus' prime directive, and the unexpected was desired. It let the violence ensue, though disappointingly the chaos the droid attempted to spark failed to ignite the kindling.

Thus, it watched. And it waited. Waiting for the opportune time to insert itself into the situation. A nearby Chandra Fan had indeed contacted the local militia, but the deadened spectacle was unlikely to lead to misidentification of the individuals involved as hostile, leading to arrests or a shoot-out. The droid began to make its approach, cautiously and nervously so (or so it gave the impression of); after all, most protocol droids, or what it would appear as, weren't know for bravery subroutine in the personality matrix.

The Jedi had requested there be no shots fired. Unfortunately, Uta Mang was a browser of HoloNet and subscribed to channels relating to malicious compliance. Rather than taking up arms with a blaster, the desperate criminal pulled out a bladed weapon and stabbed the shopkeep. Sadly, the man would likely to surv-Crap! Trill determined that the situation was escalating nicely, but too unfocused for its taste; specifically, the criminal was a threat to Trill's preservation. The protocol began a retreat, making a direct path towards the closest alley. Some of the other pedestrians had taken similar maneuvers, though not to the alleyway.

A body bumped into Trill. The droid reassessed its earlier assumption; apparently a pedestrian had elected to go to the same alley. Except the droid learned it was wrong in that assessment too. Instead of a scared civilian, which it could revel in recording its fear, the rude individual was none other than Uta Mang. In panic, Mang shoved Trill aside. Deciding to intervene more directly, and insert itself into the graces of the Jedi, Trill acquired its primary blaster and fired a couple stun bolts at the fleeing man.

 

[Brienna Lanaamer]

Unfortunately and unsurprisingly the two attackers did not pay any attention to Bri’s request of not shooting. Even worse, in the time the shop keeper was using to respond to the Jedi’s request, the criminal, Uta Meng, was able to seize an open opportunity, lunging into the shop keepers mid-section with a vibrio-blade. His attack connected with a rather grisly sounding slice. The shop keeper collapsed on to one knee, quickly feeling the affects from the wound. It didn’t appear life threatening, but if medical attention did not arrive soon, it very well could be. Meng, meanwhile, volleyed off a few blaster shots at random before darting down another street.

Bri was just about to charge after him, but the shop keeper managed to get up and violently charged at the other man. Luckily, it appeared he was much quicker than his burly attacker, dodging the first strike. A counter immediately followed, with the man reaching into his pack and placing a stun cuff on one of the shop keepers wrist. A declaration of “I’m placing you under arrest...” caused Bri’s eyes to widen and then narrow in understanding. “Sector Ranger. Of course.” She muttered to herself.

As the Ranger was trying to detain the larger man, his un-cuffed hand swung around at pace, connecting rather sharply with his chin. Bri winced in pain, sensing how hard that must have hurt even from a distance. Her thoughts were quickly interrupted, as the shop keeper had seemingly placed his sights in her, already starting to charge. Luckily, the Knights Jedi training was more than a match for the lumbering man, as she quickly side stepped into a dodge, before delivering a sharp kick to his side. The blow knocked him off balance, with Bri able to use the momentum to complete the cuffing, locking the second wrist into the stun-cuffs.

Pleased with her efforts, Bri quickly realized the missing criminal and knew that she had to pursue. Meng has carried off a blaster with him, and would not doubt not hesitate to use it on civilians if it helped him escape. “I’m going to go get the other one!” Bri called out to the Ranger, already starting to run off. “NL, you stay here!” she added, her voice trailing off. The droid re-emerged from the store, rolling over to take an inquisitive look at the shop keeper.

Bri’s optimism for finding the criminal quickly evaporated as she turned the first street corner and emerged on to another packed avenue, beings of all shapes and sizes bustling around. She ran forward a few feet, attempted to use the force to sense any disturbances, but came up empty. Turning back around, she spotted a slumped body leaning against an alleyway. Bri approached slowly, unsure of what might be awaiting her.

The Knight peered around the corner to see Meng stunned and unconscious on the ground, with a protocol looking droid standing above the incapacitated criminal. Odd. Protocol droids weren’t known for their violent tendencies. “Did you do this?” Bri asked, looking quizzically at the droid and then down at Meng. Realizing that time might be of the essence, the Jedi added, “wait, you should come with me, the Sector Ranger who was after this criminal will probably want to talk to you too.” Bri reached down and managed to drag Meng by the leg, back towards the scene of the action from a few moments previously. She gestured for the droid to follow.

@llamallove @Dmitri

 

[Kanan Marek]

Kanan felt like he had been slapped in the face with a thermal wrench. His jaw throbbed, a pain that was discontent to remain stationary and had begun to spread to the back of his head. He could taste blood in his mouth.

He really should have seen the punch coming, but he hadn’t. He certainly regretted that mistake now. Looking up, he saw the shop keeper had shifted his attention to the light-haired woman and was charging toward her. She easily and adeptly side stepped the charge and landed a kick to the man’a side. No doubt a painful reminder to him of the vibroblade wound he had suffered.

“I’m going to go get the other one!” she then announced before disappearing around the next street corner.

Approaching the shop keeper, debilitated on the ground and bound by stun cuffs thanks to that woman, Kanan sighed. Begrudgingly, he pulled some bandages from his belt and began to bandage the man’s knife wound. He only seemed somewhat aware of Kanan’s presence as he groaned and kept his eyes pressed firmly shut.

It wasn’t long before Kanan looked up to see the light-haired woman returning, dragging Uta Mang by his leg down the street behind her. Kanan allowed a small smile to pass his lips. That took care of that. Behind Uta Mang there was a droid. Within the droid’s hand was a stun gun, which caught Kanan’s attention.

@ModernMarvel @Dmitri

 

[Dread Virus Trill]

Anticlimatically, Uta Mang was neutralized by the first bolt, the next flying over his head as his body collapsed to the ground before it reached him. The droid stood silently, pondering the self-amusement of finding a stick to poke the body to see if it was dead; that's what HoloNet suggested one do in such a situation, right?

Audio stimuli lured Trill's attention over to a newcomer. Expecting a civilian this time, it did not raise its blaster. In quick reconsideration, it lamented this decision because once again the intruder was not a civilian. This time it was the bloody Jedi. In hindsight, its likelihood of this possibility occurring was not as low as initially calculated, since Uta Mang had been involved in the mess.

The Jedi's inquiry puzzled the droid until it calculated that the Jedi must not realize its true identity or purpose, and viewed the seemingly protocol droid as a good samaritan. The Dread Virus entity nodded, saying "Affirmation: Correct." The odds were recalibrated when the Jedi requested it join her in converging with the gunslinger, who apparently was Sector Ranger member. The droid silently followed the Jedi out of the alley and back over to the used parts shop. Deciding to backpedal earlier attempts, especially if either of the dynamic duo identified its voice as the instigator of panic, Trill vocalized, "Inquiry: Is this not a gang war?"

 

[Brienna Lanaamer]

Pulling the unconscious criminal back to the storefront was harder work than Bri had first imagined. When chasing after the escaping criminal, the distance had not seemed to be too far, however, when dragging the unconscious body of a reasonably large Duros male, the exercise was made much more challenging. The rather odd protocol droid, unsurprisingly, chose not to help, and followed along beside.

By the time Bri returned to the store front, she was already feeling slightly out of breath, with a small amount of perspiration forming on her brow. She dropped the leg of criminal, rather unceremoniously, the still unconscious body crumpled rather ungracefully. Bri placed her hands on her hips and approached the presumed Sector Ranger, who was nursing a sore jaw.

“Sector Ranger? I’m guessing this is some kind of wanted criminal?” Bri asked, attempting to confirm her suspicions. Following on, she added, “this droid here,” pointing with her left thumb to the party in question, “was the one who stunned him unconscious.” The droid then took the opportunity to ask a question about the ‘gang war.’ Bri thought the voice sounded very similar to the one that had announced the commotion previously, if not the exact same. Not sure of how to reply, she looked to the Ranger to reply.

@llamallove @Dmitri

 

[Kanan Marek]

Rising to his feet, Kanan met the droid and light haired woman returning with the unconscious Uta Mang. He certainly was out of it, not even awaking when his leg was none too gently dropped to the street with the rest of him.

“His name is Uta Mang. He’s a spice dealer from Corellia,” Kanan answered the light haired woman, confirming her suspicions. “He had to skip town when a few of his deals went south, but he has the names of every major spice dealer in Tyrena.”

Pulling a second pair of stun cuffs from his belt, Kanan cuffed the unconscious Mang’s hands behind his back.

“Hardly,” Kanan then replied, answering the droid’s question and almost chuckling at the idea of a gang war. “Mang is not a gang member. As you can see, he doesn’t play well with others.

“I’m supposed to bring him back to Corellia for questioning, but I wouldn’t have been able to do that without your help,” he added, looking between the droid and woman. He extended a hand to each of them in turn. “Thank you.”

Now looking directly at the droid, he questioned, “So what were you doing in that alleyway?”

@ModernMarvel @Dmitri

 

[Dread Virus Trill]

Jedi were the gullible protectors of peace. With multiple suspects, the Sector Ranger would have difficult transporting more than one body, that of the shopkeeper and Uta Mang. With luck, the Jedi would accompany the man to transport the two men. The Sector Ranger claimed Uta Mang fled Corellia due to a drug bust, but seemed unlikely; there was still a possibility of a connection between Uta Mang and Buzzkill.

The droid was not surprised to be questioned by the Sector Ranger but the specific question threw him off. His head tilted slightly to the side, mimicking organics' version of are-you-stupid? "Answer: Fleeing the gang war. Gang war is frequent here. Master commanded I defend myself; too costly to replace. Alley appeared to be good hiding spot until not-really-a-gangster gangster arrived too."

 

[Brienna Lanaamer]

Bri listened intently as the Ranger described the brief history of Uta Meng and his criminal tendencies. To be honest, she had never heard of him or the larger issue of spice trading on Corellia, but it must have been fairly serious if the Ranger had tracked him as far as the Kafrene Trading Post. The Jedi looked down at the unconscious Meng before back up to the Ranger, “Well, he seems like quite the charmer,” came a sarcastic reply.

The Jedi was not entirely surprised that the altercation didn’t represent the start of some dramatic gang war. Bri looked at the droid and then back to the Ranger, offering a wry smile at the expression of thanks. “Just happy to help in any way I can,” came the reply, taking the Rangers hand and shaking it. “I’m Brienna by the way,” she said, “Bri” followed, indicating her preferred nickname. Sector Rangers and Jedi seemed to have a complicated relationship, and Bri hoped that should her new colleague discover her ‘secret identity,’ he wouldn’t react negatively.

“If you need help bringing them in, just let me know. It would seem my purpose for visiting Kafrene has gotten . . . sidetracked anyways,” Bri spoke, looking at the used parts store and it’s busted window. At the following point, NL came rolling back out from its hiding spot, offering a few beeps and chirps to its partner, “yeah, yeah, I’m alright,” Bri looked down at her droid with a reassuring smile.

The protocol droid offered some kind of excuse for its actions, which Bri supposed made enough sense. If there was further interrogation to be done, the Jedi figured the Ranger was more likely to ask useful and pertinent questions.

@llamallove @Dmitri

 

[Kanan Marek]

The droid’s explanation for his presence in the alleyway made sense. Kanan supposed he was being overly suspicious for no reason, frustrated that the situation had so quickly escalated into chaos. But thanks to the droid and light haired woman, who introduced herself as Bri, the situation had deescalated just as quickly as it had escalated. He could leave any further investigation into this incident up to the local authorities after he had filed his report.

Since introductions were going around, Kanan made his own and introduced himself.


The offer to help bring in the two criminals was unexpected, but appreciated. It wasn’t often that Kanan ran into people who tried to make his job easier. Typically it was just the opposite.

It wasn’t standard procedure to involve civilians in the incarceration process, but Bri had already proven she was up to the task. As was the droid. The shop keeper would be taken to the local authorities, Mang on the other hand would be taken back to Corellia for questioning. Until it was just Mang and Kanan, the ranger, admittedly, could use help dealing with the two of them. And the sooner he got the shop keeper turned in, the sooner he could get the proper medical attention he needed. Kanan had done his best to bandage the wound, but it was only a temporary fix.

“I would appreciate the help” Kanan replied to the offer as an astromech appeared from inside the shop. “If you wouldn’t mind giving me your information, that will enable the local authorities to contact you later if they feel the need,” he then spoke to the droid.

@ModernMarvel @Dmitri

 

[Dread Virus Trill]

The Jedi appeared to buy its story. Jedi weren't know for their acting skills (Sith were another story; it was like all of them took drama in university and always acting like in a tragic comedy, campy at times). Still, there was a shot she was a thesbian, so it knew to be cautious.

The Sector Ranger appeared competent, making sure the criminal was secure. He requested contact information. "Statement: I am C4-D1, human-cyborg relation. My master is bartender at the Drunken Hutt cantina." All fabricated, and while such a cantina did exist on Kafrene, the bartender had no connection to Trill. By leaving out the bartender's name, it would sow confusion, pondering if they got the wrong bartender, wasting time trying to talk to other staff at the cantina. This would give Trill hopefully enough time to finish its mission and escape the planet - assuming the Jedi or Sector Ranger even try to seek it out later.

 

[Brienna Lanaamer]

Bri listened as the protocol droid gave its introduction, detailing a cantina on Kafrene and its bartender owner. “The Drunken Hutt. Sounds just like my kind of place,” Bri joked aloud, sarcastically. NL responded with an unmoving, unapproving stare back at its owner. “Oh quiet, you never like my jokes anyways.” If the droid could sigh and shake its head, it would have.

Her brief interlude with NL over, Bri turned back to Kanan and nodded with a smile, happy to continue to help. She then asked, “so you’ve got to take this one,” she pointed to Meng, “back to Corellia, but what about his buddy here?” gesturing to the shop keeper. “I’m guessing he’ll stay here on Kafrene?”

NL took the opportunity to roll around each criminal, stopping a various intervals to do some kind of scanning. It then approached the protocol droid, stopping near its feet and tilting its ‘head’ curiously.

@llamallove @Dmitri

 

[Kanan Marek]

C4-D1. A human-cyborg relations droid that was owned by the bartender at the Drunken Hutt Cantina. Kanan made a mental note of the droid’s answers to include them in his report to the local Kafrene authorities.

“Thank you,” he told the droid. “I appreciate your cooperation.”

Turning his attention to Bri, he answered he question. “Yes, you are correct. As far as I know there is no warrant for his arrest on Corellia. Any charges brought against him will have to be made by the Kafrene Authorities.”

Glancing at the large man lying unconscious on the street, Kanan sighed. “Hauling him in should be fun.” There was no use in putting it off any longer. He leaned down to pick him up.

@ModernMarvel @Dmitri

 

[Brienna Lanaamer]

Bri looked back up at Kanan, as he described the situation involving the two ne’er-do-wells. His final comment was an estimation of the effort required to lift the unconscious criminal back to wherever the local precinct was. Truthfully, Bri had thought that the Ranger was going to call in some kind of emergency vehicle and other people to ‘bring in’ the assailants. It appeared she was incorrect.

The Jedi looked over to the protocol droid, and then down to her astromech, who then tilted its head, saying, ‘why are you looking at me?’ Bri rolled her eyes somewhat, looking down at her hands. She groaned internally at the general dirt and unclean nature of the unconscious criminal. Bending down at the same time as Kanan, Bri hoisted the criminal up. He was heavy. Bri gently supported her arms with the use of the Force, making her task slightly easier.

“How...” she groaned somewhat, adjusting her position, “how far are we taking him?”

@llamallove @Dmitri