Dancing Through Life

[Aurora Blackwood]

The Force hummed a familiar tune. Thrumming in harmony with crowds ebbing and flowing through the market. Crowds did strange things in the Force. A thousand different emotions, thoughts, and feelings jammed together. Aurora never felt truly comfortable in these large groups. Even with her Force signature suppressed to a pinprick she still felt suffocated. So much life hammering the walls of her mind. Her entire life had been spent largely in isolation. She only ventured into towns or cities when needing to travel. Master Orady had stressed the importance of remaining out of sight. Aurora had followed that tenant religiously.

That was all over. She had reluctantly agreed to return to the galaxy, to remove herself from the fringes of life. She had agreed to help build the next generation of Jedi. Aurora dedicated her life to preserving the Jedi teachings. She lived to study the Force. None of this mattered if the Order died out. Her life, her Master’s life, only mattered if the Order survived. Now was the time for the next generation to take root. Now was the time to strike back at the Empire. First, she had to get off this Force-forsaken planet.

Vestar had served her purposes well when she was a hermit. That part of her life was apparently over. Getting off Vestar was proving to be a challenge. The small Outer Rim world had only one port of consequence, and even that was stretching the definition of the word. Aurora needed someone that didn’t ask a lot of questions and could get her kriffing closer to the Core. There was work to be done and she could wait no longer. Seventy years on the outskirts had prepared her to pass on her knowledge but she needed students. She would find none of Vestar. Aurora contained to wander the market, searching for a sign and a way off this rock. @Wit

 

[Fynn Draygo]

This wasn't Fynn's first time in this part of the Galaxy, though as he has been aboard the bridge of a small Imperial Corvette the last time he was anywhere near the Vestar system, this was the first time he was actually able to see what things were like down on the surface, among the people the Empire seemed to have forgotten about. Laying there on the dusty road, staring up at the unfamiliar sky, he wondered if he could any more familiar with how things were at ground level.

A small argument had broken out in the cantina when he had offered to pay with Imperial credits, the barkeep had wanted something in the local currency, and for once Fynn's attempts at talking his way out of a messy situation hadn't worked. So he had ended up getting himself tossed out of the establishment, and he had ended up on his back on, laying on the ground in the middle of the dirt path running through the market. He wasn't hurt, he had started to get pretty good at getting tossed out of cantinas without much bodily harm, he just didn't feel like getting up.

Part of him was glad that they hadn't taken his coin, he didn't really have much left to spare in the first place. But the rest of him felt himself plunge into the well of guilt that threatened to overcome him every time he was too drunk to ignore the shitty hand that the Empire had dealt to most of its citizens. He had helped do that, in some insignificant way he was partly to blame for all this.

So he just lay there, ignoring the insults and weird glances he got from people who had to walk around him. He would have probably laid there all day if his co-pilot wasn't waiting for him back at the ship and the fear of her wrath finally managed to force him to begin dragging himself back to his feet. But something told him to wait, some drunken slothfulness telling him to wait a moment.

But maybe it wasn't just the drinks, as when he opened his eyes after a moment he noticed a blond woman walking by, or standing over him, he wasn't really sure, the drinks weren't really helping. But he did manage to catch her eyes for a brief moment, and something about the look on her face sent shivers running down his spine.

Almost on instinct he spoke up, "Help me, please." He had no idea what had driven him to say that, whatever it was was gone the moment the words escaped his lips, and he was left even more aware that he was lying in the dirt, and might have just begged a complete stranger to...to what actually?

@Valen Pelora

 

[Aurora Blackwood]

Well, this was going nowhere. Shockingly Vestar was not a hub of activity. The small spaceport at the best times only had a few ships coming in and out. It mostly served as a refueling station or a brief hideout. That was about all that attracted folks. Aurora had liked that just fine while she was playing hide and seek with the Empire. Now, it was deeply frustrating. There were barely any ships and even less she would consider trying to hire. Her goal was to get off Vestar and not die immediately, or be sold into slavery. The pickings were depressingly slim.

Aurora was deep in her own thoughts. She nearly ran into the drunk in the streets. He was positioned weirdly on the ground. Her nose wrinkled. He smelled. With her luck, she made eye contact with the buffoon. Her eyes widened as he asked her for help. By the Force. Aurora tried not to roll her eyes as she reached down and grabbed the man’s hand. “Grab on.”. As they clasped hands her mind exploded with color. The Force ripped through her memories. She saw a thousand, a million, possibilities. Aurora forced herself back to the present as she yanked the man to his feet. The Force bubbled within the drunkard. There was a future where he stayed drinking on Vestar and ended up dead in the alley, and one where he realized what he could be. Interesting.

“You look awful.” A clatter began to rise from inside the bar. “Smell worse.” The noise was getting louder. “You shouldn’t stick around.” The door to the bar busted open as several credit seeking employees burst from the door. She raised her hands, showing her palms. “Not me fellas.. @Wit

 

[Fynn Draygo]

Fynn's head was buzzing, he had never been much of a drinker, having only picked up the habit after leaving the Navy to drown his guilt, and had on more than one occasion found himself wasting entire days in the haze of a drinking binge. Today had seemed to be headed the same way, till he asked a random stranger for help. When she grabbed his hand to pull him up he experienced...something. Probably just an effect of the alcohol, but in that moment he saw his life stretched out in front of him. Like the soldiers who used to tell him about their entire life flashing in front of their eyes when they were close to death's gates, just that he was seeing the future instead of the past. It sobered him up, sobered him right up. And with that came a wave of panic as everything he had seen scared the living shit out of him. Almost on cue he doubled over and threw up on the ground.

"Probably do." He mumbled in response to the woman's statements about how he looked and smelled as he straightened up and wiped his mouth on a sleeve, just as the bar door opened and the barkeep finally showed up with more friends in tow. He knew he shouldn't have used those credits, always attracted trouble in these backwater worlds. "Too late for that," he said, all signs of inebriation gone as the words emerged with perfect clarity, "you're with me now."

Not waiting to explain more, he caught one of the hands the woman had raised and pulled her along as he moving just the the first of the cantina employees began pulling out weapons. Thankfully nothing happened when he touched her this time, it had just been the alcohol after all. But in the here and now, things here a lot worse than he could have ever imagined, and..and it was all his fault. He resisted the urge to shake his head to push away those guilty thoughts, not now, not here. Instead he focused on running.

Pulling them into a slightly more meandering part of the market, he started looking around to try and find his bearings as the cantina staff followed. "Can you get us to the spaceport? I have a ship, I'd like to see them chasing us once in the air. Don't worry, I'll bring you back in a couple of hours once they've given up on chasing us."

@Valen Pelora

 

[Aurora Blackwood]

The drunk almost found his backside back on the ground. Almost. Aurora did not enjoy being roughly grabbed. Even less so by idiots she found lying in the street. Miraculously the man didn’t seem as hammered. She allowed herself to be roughly yanked away from the bar patrons. Her eyes ran over the very angry men. Weapons were quickly being pulled even as she was whisked away. Aurora quickly dipped into the Force, her free hand reached out. The smallest river of the Force pushed the weapons back into their holsters. It could only be senesed if someone was truly looking for her. The fool leading her away had no idea what she’d done.

Aurora finally scowled. “I am most certainly not with you.” She yanked her hand free as they wandered through the market. “You smell awful.” If she hadn’t experienced that moment of searing clarity she would have dumped the man by now. Oddly, he was handsome in a street bum sort of way. The mention of the ship got her attention though. That was just what Aurora needed to get the Kriff off this planet. She didn’t exactly believe the man. “You have a ship? Seriously? Pretending you have one to impress women when you’re drunk doesn’t count, fly boy.”

The Force knew she needed a pilot, and a ship. By the Force, this was really the path? She was preparing more pithy comments when shouting picked up behind them. Ah, the angery bar patrons. Just on time. Aurora quickly made up her mind. “New deal. I help you get out of this mess and you get me off this planet.” A lot of shouting and pointing started to happen. She waved at the bar patrons. She didn’t exactly have an idea on how to lose the rapidly approaching men. Running seemed like a good idea. Aurora took off down the nearest alley. She slapped a com at the man, if the they split up it would probably be easier. Probably. @Wit

 

[Fynn Draygo]

Adrenaline was pumping through him now, acting as a shock to his system that was slowly pushing away the inebriation that had clouded his mind for most of the day. But just enough of a buzz remained so that his head was still throbbing with pain and he wasn't really experiencing things right. He didn't notice anything the woman did, but when she yanked her hand away something weird happened, again. There was a sense of loss within him, and he had no idea why. And as he ran and sobered up with each passing step, whatever was driving that sense of loss began receding, till he almost forgot about it like some drunken fancy.

"Heh!" He barked out a short laugh in response, "Good luck convincing those buffoons of that. Heck, given how they smell, they probably think you're with me because I smell good." He started laughing then, partly at the absurdity of the situation, partly at how much his life had changed in the past few years that had made situations like this a fairly common occurrence. "Yeah, I do." He replied in response to her incredulity dripping question about him having a ship, "She ain't something that would impress the ladies unfortunately, probably stinks worse than me. But she gets me where I need to be."

Fynn noticed the shouts behind them as well, and let out a few choice curses as he looked over his shoulder and spotted the buffoons not far behind them. He had to concede, that was one of the best ways in which his life had changed since leaving the Navy, he had discovered so many new words that did a really good job of expressing how he felt at times like these. "Uh, sure.." He replied half distractedly, part of his attention on their pursuers, "provided we get out of this mess."

But then she suddenly ran off down an alley and he found a com in his hands, and almost came to a stop as he thought of shouting after her, but by then she was gone and the fools were getting closer. A few did ran off after her, and realizing that her plan was working he pocketed the com and turned to run once more, till he noticed the large large pumpkin like fruit on sale in one of the stalls near him. His eyes going from the fruit to his pursuers, he tossed a few coins to the old woman behind the stall and picked up the fruit, tossing it straight back at the men who had almost reached him.

It slammed into the tiny one at the front, and exploded to splatter the rest with meat and juices. A grin on his face, Fynn turned around and began running, ignoring the protests of the fruit vendor and the shouts of the fruit covered patrons demanding he stop. The lot of them splitting up had done the trick, allowing him to pull off something like this to buy himself enough time to slip away, and slip away he did. It didn't take long for him to find his bearings within the market and soon he was on his way to the spaceport. Having reached his ship free of pursuers, he left a quick message on the woman's com telling her which berth to find him in, and waited.

@Valen Pelora

 

[Aurora Blackwood]

Aurora’s long strides carried her through the market. Her robes rippled behind as she ran. It felt freeing to let go. Kriff, she honestly couldn’t remember the last time she had simply let go. The last time she had just run. It was strange to think it had been so long. Of course, she was running from something. The angry bar patrons were still chasing her. A few had taken the bait to go after fly boy. A few still chased her. Apparently, her new drunken friend was right. They were in this together.

As she ran, her com began to beep. A short message indicating where this ship was docked. Aurora still wasn’t sure there really was a ship, certainly not a ship that would get off the ground. The Morellian Jedi was out of options and out of time. She needed to get off Vestar and this was her only chance. She couldn’t afford to waste it. That meant she needed to stop screwing around and ditch the chasers. She hazarded a peak behind her. The drunks weren’t exactly gaining on her. She could probably out from them if needed, but where was the fun in that? Aurora was feeling a little dangerous. Might as well take a small chance.

She burst back into one of the main streets.. The men were still behind her, she let them gain a little ground. She spotted a construction ladder leaned up against the side of building. Aurora reached out in the Force and gave the ladder a little tug. It was a small working in the Force, something even an untrained user could likely managed, but it felt good. The ladder scooted out in front of the men. They couldn’t stop in time and went sprawling in the street. Aurora picked up the pace again. She easily left the bar patrons behind, eventually finding her way to the right docking bay and spotting her new buddy. Her eyes widened as she saw the ship. “Well, it’s certainly a ship.” She gestured for a grand tour. @Wit

 

[Fynn Draygo]

Fynn looked up on hearing Aurora speak, smiling as he glanced over at his ships, replying with a "Yeah, yeah she is." His words though were just as sincere as Aurora's were sarcastic, for to the young pilot the ship represented the one thing that he considered the single most important thing in his life. The potential to become better. Sure, there was a lot wrong with the ship, but with each passing day he fixed something, improving the ship just a little, and given enough time he was sure that she would be able to hold her own against anything in the Galaxy.

Leading the way into the ship, he quickly gave Aurora a tour of what lay within. Beginning form the cargo hold where they had entered, they meandered through the engine bay, the galley, the quarters, and finally ended up in the cockpit. Gesturing for her to take one of the vacant seats, he himself slipped into the pilot's seat and began flipping switches to prepare for their launch. "Isn't really much to see, she's a small one as far as ships go." At the same time he pulled up the navigation charts, which also activated the hologram protector on the main console, an image of the Galaxy floating near eye level. "So," He began as he swiveled his chair around to look at her, "Where do you need to go Miss...." With that he came to an awkward stop as he realized he didn't even know her name, they hadn't really done introductions, had they?

@Valen Pelora

 

[Aurora Blackwood]

It was difficult to understand the relationship between a pilot and his ship. Aurora would probably never understand. She’d always had an affinity for the creatures of the galaxy, but couldn’t wrap her mind around love for a ship. Fynn was like most pilots she had met. He was deeply proud in the vessel that he called his own. Aurora did the polite thing and followed Fynn throughout the tour. She appropriately appreciated each thing she was shown. The ship was not a thing of beauty but Fynn clearly was attached and it looked like it would get the job done. Aurora needed to get off Vestar. Quickly.

She had to make a choice, if she could trust Fynn. In that one brief moment when their hands met she had been flooded with the Force. She had felt no trace of darkness. No hint of the Empire. She could not go the rest of her life believing everyone was an agent of the Empire. “I have friends to meet on Savareen.” If Fynn had any sense he might know what that means. “I’ve made them wait far too long, and that needs to change.”

But, there was one other stop she needed to make. One stop she had always made. Life Day was approaching and Aurora never missed the celebration on Kashyyyk. The Wookies had been friends of the Jedi for centuries. She had never forgotten that friendship. “But, they can wait a little while longer. If you are willing I need to get to Kashyyyk first, but only for a short while.” Aurora flashed one brilliant smile, running a hand through her blonde hair. “I don’t expect you to do this for free. I can pay better than my clothes suggest.” This was the start of her journey, one she had been walking towards for seven decades. @Wit

 

[Fynn Draygo]

"Savareen?" He had heard of the world, but didn't really know much beyond the name. But it wouldn't be hard to pull up its coordinates and see how easy it would be for him to get her there. Besides, it wasn't like he really had anything much to holding him down anywhere else, one part of the Galaxy was just as good as any other. "Sure, I can get you to your friends. As long as this Savareen is on the charts I can get you there."

Her other request though was one he was very much familiar with. And given the time of the year he could almost guess why she wanted to go there? "Wanna attend the Life Day celebrations, do you?" He had heard about the celebrations, which if he wasn't mistaken were now outlawed by the Empire, during his time in the academy. He couldn't deny that it intrigued him to see what the festival was all about, not a small part being played by the fact that the Empire was so against it. Knowing what he now did about the Empire, he would like to know what the Wookiees were up to that pissed the Empire off so.

"Strap in!" He said as he began plotting a course for Kashyyyk, there were enough reasons for him to make the trip now, some money to keep his wanderings going just an added bonus. "Next stop, Kashyyyk!"
@Valen Pelora

 

[Aurora Blackwood]

Aurora smiled at Fynn. Not many knew of the Life Day celebrations, it was encouraging that he did. “Yes, but only if you take a steam first. You still smell like five day old booze.” She winked as they made their way to the cockpit. It didn’t take her long to buckle up, and it was a good thing too. In short order Fynn had the ship in the air and they were rocketing forward. Kriff, she was thrown back in her seat. Here we go.

OO: End Thread