Escaping our Roles

[Prazutis]

Life among the Sith was just as complicated as some might speculate it to be. Tough training, brutal teachers, strenuous lectures... and everyone looking to stab you in the back. The young thief, turned Acolyte, was used to this, never being able to trust anyone, keeping to himself... That being said, it was when he finally let someone in that he had suffered a big betrayal. Anyone would need space after that. He just needed to get away for a little bit.

Like Prazutis normally did from time to time, he snuck from his dorm at the academy, usually at times when he didn't have any training scheduled, and made his way to the docking bay. There, he would stow away on one of the supply ships, and sneak off world for a little while. On his first day at the academy, he stole the supply run schedule and commited the schedule to memory. The boy may have had a childhood of disadvantages, but he was reasonably intelligent. Usually he liked to plan out his trips off world, but today, he just wanted to get out. Like usual, he snuck out, walked down the halls like he was on his way to a class or a lesson, then continued to sneak on down to the docking bay. With minimal effort, he snuck past the troopers standing guard, and made it into the cargo hold. As he made his way there, he overheard the trooper talking about the destination.

Cato Neimoidia.

___________________

After a few hours, they landed on the planet. Praz estimated he'd have about a standard day's worth of time on the planet. That's usually how long one of these jobs took. He would need to be back by then, or else he would have to find his own way off the planet and back home... In a way, he felt like he was going on a spacial cruse every time he did one of these. Docking at a port and then having a set amount of time. It was nice. Made Praz feel like he was sort of rich.

Praz secured his gear before he snuck out of the cargo hold. He was wearing some spacer's gear that he had kept from a mission for the Imperium a few weeks back. Concealed in the uniform was a lightsaber. Disasembled into two pieces for easy concealment. He also had some credits with him. The last bit of stolen credits he had from Tatooine. About four hundred and fifty. While he was here, he decided to go scan along the shops, and see if there was any evidence of a black market. It was nice, to escape his Sith identity and look completely inconspicuous. Right now Praz had a mission.

Get himself a brand new blaster.

 

[Noire]

Cato Neimoidia. The Colonies Region.

Caden Ansgar stood, still and silent, watching the transport ship that had brought him to the planet become a meaningless speck in the distance. Perhaps it wasn't meaningless, he thought to himself. Perhaps it meant that his last easy chance at escape had just flown away. He shrugged. As much as he would've liked to remain in that spot at the docking station simply thinking to himself, there was an objective waiting. So without a further thought devoted to an already fading opportunity, Caden stepped into the crowd of ever shifting sentient beings; moving along aimlessly. But the young Jedi moved amongst the crowd with a definite purpose. He had traveled to the planet to search for Nakoma, his Master, and he was not alone in his quest. He had traveled with Kai, another aspect of this already reckless mission he was unsure about. But that decision was not his own as Kai was her apprentice too. He had every right to embark on the same mission as Caden did. So the both of them had left Galtea together. But once they were in orbit, Caden had grown uneasy about the fact that the planet was on the very brink of Imperial Space, and though no fear existed in his heart, they had purposely docked separately. It was simply a precaution, he had said.

At this point in his life as a Jedi, Caden had endured much more terrifying and perilous situations than docking on Cato Neimoidia. It was fairly tame in comparison. But each experience, no matter how life threatening, was priceless. Turning his thoughts outward, Caden weighed the possibility of Nakoma truly being here. Honestly, he was almost certain that she wasn't. But he would never voice his doubts to Kai. If the other Padawan still had hope that Nakoma was within reach then so be it. But Caden's hope had long since evaporated. But Caden had come for an entirely different reason, if he was being candid with himself. He presumed that there was likely to be somewhat of an Imperial presence on the planet, though how much of a presence was anyone's guess. But what bothered him was that he secretly was hoping there would be. And yet he was not sure why. Caden stepped to the side and out of the general crowd, next to a terminal that led into one of the many Bridge Cities, and decided to wait for Kai there. They had not set a meeting point, but he was confident that the other Padawan would be able to sense where he was - though he would not be recognizable by sight alone.

Caden was dressed in a gear more commonly worn by the common smugglers of the galaxy - a look completed by the blaster holstered on his hip. His true weapon of choice, the infamous lightsaber, was safely tucked within his jacket and away from any prying eyes. The weary stares he received as a result of his attire hardly bothered him at all. He grinned slightly to himself knowing that had he worn the robes of Jedi instead he would have been a pariah here; avoided by each and everyone at the docking station as if had the plague. Either that or staring down the barrel of an Imperial's blaster, thought Caden. He pressed down on his wrist commlink and spoke down into it lowly, "Kai. Where are you located?"

 

[TwoSidedHeart]

As Kai stepped off the transport, the first thing he noticed was how beautiful even the docks were. Cato Nemoidia was known for its artistically pleasing architecture and clearly that was a reputation they had more than earned. It wasn't a simple, mellow look in the least. EVERYTHING was exaggerated and clearly made with care. The walls were designed with intricate patterns, the rooftops were high and sculpted even the lights looked more elegant than even what they had on his homeworld of Naboo, which was something of a compliment in itself. However, the male couldn't hope to spend his time admiring the beauty around him, instead forcing himself to focus on the mission at hand. Find Nakoma.

Though he highly doubted she would be on this planet of all the planets in the Galaxy, he had agreed with Caden with the logic that the search had to be thorough if they were to have any chance of finding a Jedi Knight on a largely imperial sector of the Galaxy. The whole idea of leaving Galtea behind was more than a little reckless for the two padawans, however Kai had left Rhoda back on the lush forest world to contact them with frequent updates in case Nakoma arrived back there, meaning they could give up the search and return back to the relative safety of their masters homeworld. But as of that moment, as he stepped out into the bright sunlight, theyt had yet to find any real trace of their wayward master which was more than a little troubling for the padawan, who concealed a past wrought with abandonment of those he held close. He concealed his feelings now more than ever, not wanting his rival padawan to catch wind of them. He had agreed to start this search because he wanted to find his master, not help her favored padawan rise even further through the ratings so to speak.

Like his counterpart, Kai had discarded his Jedi robes in favor of something less... religious. He wore a fitted white tank top to cover his pale torso, with a tight beige leather jacket over that, the sleeves torn off to give off a rougher edge to the teen. Beige leather pants, black travelling boots, black fingerless gloves and no less than four dark brown belts around his waist/abdomain completed the look. Hidden in a recently created pocket within his jacket were his two lightsabers and for good measure he had two blasters, one holstered on either thigh to pull off the 'Im not a Jedi' disguise he hoped was working. As he was going through what most people would call the 'awkward stage of puberty' though it seemed to be working out awfully well in this case, Kai was taller than he was used to and his figure gaining more muscle due to his bodies response to incoming maturity and he even had a light dusting of black stubble on his lower face, although this was a minimal amount and nothing to get excited over. A keen purple gaze did not miss the glances he was getting from the surprisingly numerous human population there, both males and females of his age. One in particular caught his gaze and winked at him, causing the naive padawan to blush profusely and move out further into the area, sweeping his gaze over faces no in search of Caden.

The boy almost cried out in surprise when a voice spoke into his ear and he remembered the earpiece there, the voice of Caden inquiring to his whereabouts. Reaching out to the Force, he used it to scan the 'signatures' of the people around him, surprised to discover Caden wasn't actually that far from him. Within 30 seconds, he had found the other male and stepped up to him with an overly friendly smile on his face, again part of the act to anyone who might be watching. They had to appear like friends or old colleagues, not fellow padawans, especially if any imperials were nearby. For good measure, he even put on a slight accent, sounding far more high class (british) than he had been going for.

"Right here. Im getting a lot of looks yeah? Those two over there have been following me and whispering about my... 'cute butt.'"

Again the male blushed, inwardly cursing Nakoma for teaching him how to block out the unnecessary clutter. Sure, it had seemed useful when he learned it and he had honestly thought that noticing two people were following him would end in a good reason for him to use what he had learned in the field. But no, instead he got two people whispering rude things about him! Perhaps wearing leather hadn't been the best idea. It wasn't comfortable and far to tight to be practical, but Rhoda had assured him that he would look nothing like a Jedi if he wore it. This was the last time he took advice from a droid. With blush still on his face, he spoke again, keeping with the accent that was sounding more and more like the voice of someone you would find in an alleyway looking to be paid for 'services rendered'.

"Any sign of the target yet? I feel less badass that I thought I would, and more like eyecandy."

 

[Prazutis]

"2000 credits, or kriff off, kid"

"2000 credits?! That's such a rip!" Praz said in a very annoyed tone. It had taken him minutes to find the black market on the planet. It was almost like a natural instinct to find the criminal underbelly of the planet. On Tatooine, he'd circulate the black market a lot. Because those guys didn't care where your credits came from, as long as they were good for what you were buying. There were some decent people there, other complete sacks of ossik.

As Praz spoke, he reverted back to his more... Ruffian tone of voice. His time with the Imperium had allowed him to become a better speaker. No longer resort to expletives to describe something and use complete words instead of shortening them. Sometimes it came out when Praz was annoyed. And as he discovered, especially when among the more criminal side of a planet. Hearing their tone of voice made him revert back to that manner of speaking.

"Can't ya cut me a break?" Praz inquired. It was a nice blaster, looked a lot like his old one. Heavy Pistol, but it looked modified. Enhanced scope, and a few other good looking modifications. Most importantly, it reminded him of his old blaster. The one that had been destroyed by that lunatic a few weeks back. "No deal kid. I gotta eat. Now Run back to your mommy before I kick your teeth in. You get me?"

Praz was about to start mouthing off again. Probably angrier and with more and more expletives, but he decided it would be better to remain calm. He remembered Viole's lessons on exerting your will over someone else. Even though he was still kinda mad at him... the lesson was good. Praz raised his hand, and tried to preform what Viole had called "Force Persuasion", or "Mind Trick".

"You want to give me the blaster"
"I... wanna give you'se the blaster"
"You're having a free giveaway"
"I'm havin' a free giveaway"

Praz thanked him, took the blaster and walked away. He needed to put some space between that shop and himself, in case the guy came to his senses. But Praz didn't care. He got what he came for. Then came the true test. He slid the blaster into the holster on his leg... a near perfect fit! He'd have to adjust for the scope, but it fit well enough for today...

Good. Now he had a few hours to kill... What to do what to do... Praz walked through the black market and onto the main streets of... whatever city they were in. Praz didn't know nor did he care. He walked around, taking a look at some of the denizens. They seemed mixed when it came to status and position. Some poor, some rich, many who looked to be in the middle. As he walked, he noticed some girls give him a wink or two. He smiled. Felt nice to be recognized like that. He even got a look from a guy or two... Again, very nice. Maybe he'd pursue some of these people...

"Get moving, Shutta!" A voice cried

Praz heard out of the corner of his eye. Looking back towards the black market, he noticed two burly men pushing a Twi'lek girl, who looked to be wearing shock cuffs. Praz had seen this before... but couldn't make any assumptions. He turned quickly and violently, bumping into two men. It knocked them down, along with Praz himself. They seemed like two smugglers; lots of those types on this planet.

He thought he felt something else... but ignored it for now.

"Sorry guys, didn't mean to bump into you". Praz said as he got up, helping the two to their feet. "Just in a... are those leather pants?" He said to the younger of the two. He was wearing an entire leather outfit. It was pretty funny. But Praz didn't mind. He had a nice butt. Praz's apology was interupted by another cry. This time, one of pain. He looked up, and the three were rounding a corner... Was no one here doing anything?

"Sorry, I gotta go. Happy travels and all that ossik". He said as he clapped the older one on the back. Then he ran off, towards the group. If they were what he thought they were...

Things would get ugly.

 

[Noire]

Caden quirked an eyebrow as Kai began to speak. Though he had just seen Kai less than an hour ago, somehow the other Padawan had managed to gain a brand new accent. Caden shrugged. Kai's outfit was embarrassing enough so he wouldn't further ridicule the boy on how he'd begun to speak nor how he was dressed. Instead, he simply nodded to acknowledge Kai's presence as he peered out past the terminal. His eyes narrowed as he looked out; examining an apparent market not too far away and promptly decided that was as good a place as any to begin the search for Nakoma. Or find Imperials, Caden thought. He turned his head toward Kai and pointed towards the market up ahead, "No sign of the target yet, but we're headed towards the market there. And oh...try to stay focused alright?" Caden said as he eyed a few of the onlookers still staring curiously at Kai's odd get-up. With that done, Caden finally turned and began to walk in the direction of the market. Though he had not the slightest idea of what to do once they actually reached the market, he continued to walk at a quick and steady pace, with Kai following close behind, hoping that the Force would lead him to his destination.

But instead the Force lead him straight into trouble.

"Get moving, Shutta!" A voice nearby cried out and Caden snapped his head toward the sound of the commotion immediately. But with his attention elsewhere, he failed to sense the more impending danger, and he fell to the ground hard as a boy suddenly slammed into both of the disguised Jedi. The momentum caused Caden to lose his footing completely, but he swiftly rolled to absorb most of the impact and then jumped to his feet without any help from the boy who had caused him to fall. Caden dusted off his trousers almost immediately, his face darkening as he did so, and he shot the kid a dirty look as the young boy clapped him on the back and ran off in the direction of the shout. It was only as Caden patted his jacket pocket to ensure he hadn't been slyly pick-pocketed - another kid, Ace, had managed to do it just as smoothly - that he realized to a bystander it would appear that he had recovered from his fall a little too perfectly. Hopefully no one noticed, he thought as he took off chasing after the boy and the shouting voice he'd heard earlier without a second thought. Nakoma would just have to wait for now.

And hopefully Kai could keep up.

 

[TwoSidedHeart]

Apparently, Caden wasn't in the mood to mince words, which didnt really matter to Kai. The two of them had a relatively rocky past in the first place, so the simple fact they were even attempting to work together in the first place was a pretty foreign concept to them both. He could understand the other male not wanting to talk to him that much, but did Caden HAVE to move so quickly through the streets? He didn't even give Kai a warning. Nope, the elder male simply sped off at a brisk pace down the street as someone shouted nearby. Without warning, both Kai and Caden were thrown to the ground, Caden managing to pull off a graceful counter while Kai fell flat on his ass with some stranger on top of him. Despite the fact the stranger immediately helped him up, Kai scowled as the male mentioned his pants after obviously having a look. As the stranger ran off, Kai spoke up, rolling his eyes.

"If one more person stares at my butt, I swear I'm going t-"

Caden suddenly dashed off after the stranger midway through Kais speech, making the younger male scowl once more. Despite mentally cursing the other boy, Kai begrudgingly followed after Caden, scanning the area to see what the fuss was about. Apparently they were going after two men who were forcing a twi'lek girl to walk down the street. The point of interest however, was the shock cuffs on the girls wrists. The girl stumbled and fell to her knees. Apparently the two big guys didn't like this because one of them raised a fist, obviously meaning to strike the slight girl.

Kai didn't even think about it. Despite the tight outfit, he found he could still move easily enough and focused his attention on the Force, drawing on it to increase his speed as he had done so many times in the past. The briefly enhanced male was a momentary blur, reaching the trio within moments, having surpassed Cadens own pace due to drawing on the Force and then the stranger, something that he would no doubt regret should anyone pick up on it. But he wasn't thinking of anything but saving the girl. Skidding to a halt between the girl and the burly male, Kai caught the big guys fist almost too casually, although he admittedly had to draw on the Force to even do that as it was clear this guy was a bit beyond his weight class.

Before Kai could even think up a witty taunt, the second of the two brutes had drawn a blaster, leveling it at the lean teen, fingering the trigger almost immediately. Kai had one of two choices. Considering he was a Jedi, it wasn't exactly beyond his skill level to dive out of the way of a blaster bolt without getting hurt, but given the fact if he moved, the girl would get shot instead which would make the whole thing a bit pointless at the end of the day. So he decided to stay put, staring down the two brutes in that split second as the second brutes blaster made ready to shoot down the annoyance of a young man, having faith that either Caden or the stranger would interfere, lest he get a burning hole in his chest. Or face. Or something.

 

[Prazutis]

PEW

That was the sound that Praz's newest blaster made, as it sailed over over the heads of a few passersby, who promptly ducked out of the way. Praz didn't really know what to say about the kid dressed in leather. What the hell was he thinking?! Rushing up to an armed thug like that. These types of things required a more tactful approach. One could never hope to succeed close range against gun-wielding nerf-herders without some type of advantage. The pistol the armed man pulled out on him could have easily ripped a hole through his chest at close range... but Praz noticed something. Theres no way that kid could move that fast if he... wasn't force-sensitive. So what he had sensed was correct. His force sense was getting better and better.

The bolt flew right into the hand of the blaster-toting man. With a shout of his own, the man's blaster fell to the ground. Praz couldn't tell if there was a hole in the man's hand, but he definitely had some burns. The other man could barely comprehend what was happening. Praz was angry though. Not only had he tried to attack some kid who didn't know any better, but he had tried to capture this Twi'lek girl. He knew the next steps: the girl would be brought to the black market, auctioned off to some greasy client, and forced into her a horrible life of pain, suffering and un-fulfilment. In their moment of panic, Praz looked to the girl; red puffy eyes, accentuated by her blue skin. Tear stains on her face. What looked to be whip marks. Praz knew now that these guys were good-for-nothing slavers. And they would suffer for it.

Praz took his blaster and put a bolt in the shoulder of the man he had previously shot. He fell sprawled out on the ground. Before the oer man could do anything, Praz pointed his blaster straight at the other mans head. At this moment, he was oblivious to the presence of the boy in leather clothing. The Twi'lek, he had noticed, had stopped crying. She had spat on the sprawled out man on the ground.

"You know, the galaxy would be so much better without trash like you". Praz said, his blaster pointed straight at the the man's face. "Now free her, before I blow your brains out." Praz gestured towards the girl, with the blaster. He watched closely as the man bent down to free the girl... he then tried to kick Praz's feet out from under him. It nearly worked, but Praz had senses the imminent danger seconds before. He jumped the leg, and made his way over to the man who had already been shot.

"Okay, here's your options. Take her cuffs off, or I kill your buddy." He put the blaster to his head. "Wouldn't that be just terrible? Free... Her... Now..."

 

[Noire]

Caden had but a moment to think. He'd reached the alleyway last, as Kai had managed to surpass him, yet had sensed the mounting danger unfolding there before his eyes had even glimpsed the slave girl and the two men around her. The second he skidded to a stop he saw the threat to Kai's life; the younger Jedi had taken a stance in front of the slave girl - brave - but foolish considering he could not brandish his own weapon and one of the brutish men already had. But before Caden could take another step there was blaster-fire. Caden's eyes darted toward where the shots had came from and his breathing quickened as he did so. The entire ordeal had just deteriorated from an already bad state to a much, much worse one. He glanced at the man who had been shot, laying sprawled out on the ground, with several wisps of smoke rising from the blaster wounds in his shoulder and his right hand, before returning his stare to the boy who was currently gripping the blaster pistol. The much younger kid had reacted fairly fast in the entire situation - nearly too fast - but Caden couldn't waste much thought beyond what was going on at this very moment.

The boy seemed to have already amassed a deep seated anger towards the scum he was aiming his weapon at; Caden feel the hate radiating off of him as he gripped the blaster. It felt...familiar. It was as though what the boy felt for the slavers was the same as what Caden felt for the Hutt Cartel. And that was unsettling. It became shockingly clear that the boy was not at all afraid to finish off both of the men, and Caden didn't find himself at odds with what the demands the boy had made. But regardless of Caden's own feelings towards what were probably no more than just typical slavers, he could not allow for the rampage to simply continue. It was against the code of the Jedi. And as he looked around once more at each face that seemed to stick around, he realized that such blatant violence was sure to attract any enforcers of the law on the planet. So Caden decided he wouldn't allow it. He couldn't. He considered moving past Kai as fast as he could, to jerk the blaster pistol away maybe, but there was simply no time.

The mysterious kid seemed to have already been trigger-happy enough, and there was no definite time he had given before he would shoot. So instead, in a deliberately subtle and sly manner, Caden motioned with his hands a "yanking" motion so that the boy, if unable to resist, would feel the pistol snatched from his grip and thrown onto the ground.

 

[TwoSidedHeart]

"Oh for kriffs sake."

The whole ordeal was starting to annoy Kai. Not only was the guy who had clearly 'looked' at him before holding a couple of slavers at blasterpoint in a relatively public place AFTER shooting one of them a couple of times. This whole thing was attracting way too much attention! He was really starting to regret rushing the slavers, but then what happened happened. Its not like he could just wish away the flow of events because they were suddenly inconvenient. And since apparently Caden wasn't going to do anything except subtly signal him or whatever it was his fellow padawan was doing and the other guy was having some kind of breakdown in front of them, the fifteen year old decided it was up to him to fix the situation. Taking a few steps forward, he took it upon himself to wave at the man who hadn't been shot, pointedly making eye contact with him and holding out his open hand expectantly. The brute looked utterly flabbergasted and spoke up.

"What the hell are you waiting for brat?"

Keeping his purple eyes locked with the thugs gaze, Kai spoke. He had done his research on the Jedi Mind trick, or at least Rhoda had done the research and shared the knowledge. Apparently unbroken eye contact while prodding the mind with the Force subtly was as effective as waving your hand around like the most obvious Jedi in the Galaxy. His tone was casual, holding a slighty unearthly undertone to it, the effect of using the Mind Trick. Though, since he hadn't really used this many times, it was probably more like the 'Mildly confuse and hopefully get them to do what you want' trick.

"Come on, you want to give that here so I can free the girl, dont you?"

Smooth... although it seemed to be working. For a second or two the thug indeed looked mildly confused then reached into his pocket and pulled out an awfully ordinary looking key, slowly holding it out and dropping it in Kais waiting palm. Inside Kai was having a celebration that it actually worked but on the surface he just smirked and made a shoo motion with his free hand. The thug moved to his counterpart, unblinking and helped the injured male up before the two shuffled out of the alleyway. Turning to the slave girl, Kai's smile became friendlier and he moved to the girl, unlocking the cuffs and letting them fall to the ground with a 'clang' noise. As the girl rubbed her wrists, Kai pocketed the key after deciding it would be a cool souvenir in a morbid kind of way. He then pulled off his leather jacket and held it out to the girl. After a few tense moments, the girl took it and wrapped it around herself which made Kai feel much better about the situation. Which reminded him about the trigger happy male that he knew nothing about and had no doubt just robbed the pleasure of killing two slavers. He turned his gaze on the male, rubbing his hands up and down his now bare arms as a sudden chill overtook him as he locked eyes with the stranger as an uneasy feeling settled over him though he wasn't sure why. Glancing at Caden, he spoke up in an overly cheerful tone, keeping up with the strangely everchanging accent he had been trying to perfect since landing, wishing he had kept his jacket instead of giving it to the twi'lek girl.

"Well, that was fun right??"

 

[Prazutis]

"I'm counting to three... one... two... thr-"

Before he could finish that last sentence, Praz felt his blaster get ripped out of his hand. He was lost in his own world of bloodlust and veangance towards the slavers, and didn't even register the two men he bumped into. The stupid kid who ran in front of a blaster, and the sullen older teenager. Praz had basically fallen on top of the wounded slaver, in an attempt to sieze his blaster. Those two were force-sensitive, and they were being a pain in his ass. The wounded slaver laughed silently as Praz lost his blaster. Praz punched his square in the jaw. "You don't get to laugh... Kriffing slavers, all the same... Hey, you look at me when I talk to you!"

He yelled at the man, just as he looked over to the Leather Kid. What he was doing... He's done it just a few minutes ago. A mind trick. So these guys were really well trained... But Praz didn't care. He was pissed. He wanted to force the slaver to give up his precious commodity. Instead he did... this. The two were in a trance. The man came and helped his injured counterpart up, barely paying attention to Praz. Praz immediately looked for where the blaster was; to put a bolt in the back of their brains. Unfortunately for him, the older of the two... force users, had his foot on the blaster.

Praz tried to take deep breaths, and remain calm. He felt his chance for vengeance had been swiped away. Sure, he wanted to free the girl, but... it was mainly a selfish thing. He wanted all slavers to die for everything that one horrible slaver had done to him. Praz walked over to the girl. The boy had draped his leather jacket over her. Thank goodness. Not only would it keep her warm... but it looked much less rediculous.

"Do you speak Basic?" Praz asked calmly to the girl. "Of course I do..." The girl said. Her tone was distant. Despondent. "Did they hurt you in any way? How did this happen?" "I was grabbed on Naboo while walking down a back ally. They shackled me... whipped me..." She turned to face Kai "you should have let... what's-his-name over there kill em". "You can call me Praz. And you are...?" "I'm Aigatrigo". "Can I call you 'Trigo'?" She nodded "Well Trigo, Relax for a second, alright? You're safe. I'll help you as much as I can... So will leather-boy over here"

Praz shot a slight smile over to the kid. He seemed like a decent person. Generous to a slave. The type of people he depended on when he was on Tatooine. Plus, he wasn't bad to look at. So that was a positive. As Praz stood, he swiftly pickpocketed the key to the shackles that the kid had lifted off the slaver. He wanted her saved more then anything, and the key helped him to believe he had done the actual rescuing.

That, and he was still a kleptomaniac. Once a thief, always a thief.

He stood tall, and faced the sullen teenager. Looking him right in the eye. He was taller then Praz by at least a few imperial units, but that didn't matter to him. He was the runt his whole life. He was used to holding his own. Now that he was working with the Sith and was becoming more muscled and nourished, he felt more and more confident.

"I had that under control, man... Nice trick, stealing the blaster. Who taught ya? Oh, and-" He bent down to pick up the blaster, he would not reveal he was force-sensitive yet. He'd keep it as a resource. "-I believe this is mine." He said as he stood once more and holstered it.

"Not cool stealing another man's blaster... And another man's kill... Those slavers didn't deserve to keep living. Trigo agrees... Still, you're both pretty talented, and you helped out. The thing your buddy did was very well done. Shouldn't look a gift taun-taun in the Oral Cavity... Well, like I said to Trigo, you can call me Praz."

 

[Noire]

Caden might have been much older than the other two males near him, but he was still young and rather impatient himself. He muttered to himself all the while casting nervous glances toward those shuffling about just beyond the alleyway. In Caden's honest opinion, at this point at least, it was useless bothering to learn either of them, the other boy or the slave girl, by name. He was convinced that the confrontation had already attracted enough attention as it was and the longer they stuck around the more he and Kai were putting themselves at risk. If they were captured the chance of the Empire showing them any mercy were slim to none. So Caden wouldn't give them that chance. He continued to glance warily over his shoulder as the seconds continued to tick by and cleared his throat as the younger boy approached. His gaze was intense upon "Praz" as he slowly removed his foot from the kid's blaster so that he could pick it up.

"Killing them would have been a stupid mistake." Caden said firmly and suddenly, though the Jedi kept his voice intentionally low as he spoke. "And," Caden began, caution being the operative word in his head as he approached and slowly knelt down beside the Twi'lek girl, "I taught myself the trick." He said; attempting to make light of his blatant use of the Force. Turning his undivided attention toward the girl, he realized that he could easily sense just how deathly afraid she still was. Even more, he could spot it in the slight tremble of her arms, the shakiness of her voice, and the sweat running down her face. It sickened him to the very core; Caden hated the feeling. As the waves of it reverberated within the Force he clenched his fists tightly in response. The first time he'd experienced the powerful emotion for himself had been scarring enough that it marred every memory of his life before the Jedi Order. And that in itself caused a great fear that refused to leave him. It was the fear of Nar Shaddaa. And something Caden refused to think about; banishing any trace of the Smuggler's Moon in his mind immediately.

He fished around in his jacket, his fingers briefly brushing over the cold hit of his Jedi weapon, before retrieving what was looking for - credits. He grabbed a handful and then spread them out on the ground in front of the girl. "You are free to go now. I advise you run far from here and never stop to look back." With that said, Caden slowly rose back to his feet and turned towards Kai. "We need to go." He insisted. "Before he gets us killed."

 

[TwoSidedHeart]

"I will shoot you in the face."

Kais tone was amused and he followed the half hearted threat up with a chuckle but he was honestly done with all the quips about his leather outfit. He'd given up half of it to Trigo after all and the fact she was from Naboo raised his interest in the now former slave, being in that it was his home world after all. He couldn't help but notice this 'Praz' eyeing him for a split second, similarly to how the teenagers of this world had been since he arrived and couldn't help but blush a little once more. Next time he left Galtea he was going to do it in the baggiest, most unflattering outfit he could find. Kriff whatever Rhodas opinion was.

He raised an eyebrow as Praz not so sneakily took the key back and let it go with a sigh. However, when Praz not so sublty started blabbing on about the Force and Caden out and out confirmed it, he decided it was time to talk to Trigo, since the other two seemed to be having a lightsaber measuring contest. When he spoke, his tone was friendly and the accent was still there, becoming more and more natural with every word.

"That jacket looks far better on you than it did on me. People kept looking at me like I was a piece of meat or something. Kind of unnerving."

"I can see why. For a human you are somewhat desireable, however I wouldn't want to go 'there' with you."

"Wh-what!?"

Kai was suddenly flustered and Trigo even managed a slight smile, although her body language practically screamed that she was still very shaken. Although, the fact Kai had managed to make her seem even a little better was a pretty great feeling. However, Caden being the stick in the mud that he was, ruined the moment and sent Trigo on her way the opposite way out of the alley and as she disappeared, his fellow Jedi spoke to him in a hushed tone, making Kai scoff at the words.

"Please. What do you think this guy is going to do to us exactly? Except be like every other person on this planet. I swear I caught him 'looking' before by the way. Can anyone keep their desires to themselves around here?"

Turning his gaze from Caden to Praz, Kai suddenly remembered he'd let Trigo leave with his jacket and his shoulders slumped as it dawned on him that he would no longer be able to return it for the refund. Opening his mouth, his eyes suddenly widened as he spotted two Imperial soldiers rounding the corner into the alleyway, followed by the brute he had mind tricked. The big bastard pointed that them and yelled, making Kai regret his decision to just send them on their way.

"Those ones. Thems stole our property!"

"Uh... getting out of here. Right. Sounds great."

Without a second thought, Kai did the opposite to what he had just said, running towards the two soldiers. It for some reason came as a shock to them as they fumbled to bring their weapons up to gun him down but they were too slow. The boy left the ground, jumping towards one of the walls of the alleyway and springboarding off it, sailing over the heads of the three men with complete ease and enjoying the brief looks of shock on their faces. He landed several feet behind them with grace, dashing out of the alleyway and onto the street, yelling out to the other two behind him.

"Move it you two!"

Without waiting to see if they had heard him or were even following him, he danced through the amassing crowd of random citizens, as he heard yells behind him. He wasn't exactly sure where he was going so he slowed his pace a little, just enough to make sure he could keep track of Caden to see what his elder would do. After all, that guy always seemed to have some idea of what to do in most situations.

 

[Prazutis]

"Keep sharp, and stay strong. If any other slaver comes and tries to kidnap you, send them crying to their mommies". Praz said, which resulted in a small laugh from Trigo. Praz knew better though. He felt this exact way after he had liberated himself. It would be tough to adjust at first, depending on how long she'd been under the shadow of slavery, but she'd adjust. He had tried not to coddle her at all, because former slaves did not need that, he spoke from experience.

After he had made sure she safely made it out of the alley and had intermixed herself with the giant crowd in the market, Praz turned back to the two boys. They were talking amongst themselves. Just who were they? Thieves? Smugglers? No simple ones, anyways. The Force granted an edge, and a powerful one at that. They could make it well if they came to the Sith, but Praz wasn't about to try and 'convert' anybody.

"We need to go. Before he gets us killed" Praz heard the older one say. ""Please. What do you think this guy is going to do to us exactly? Except be like every other person on this planet. I swear I caught him 'looking' before by the way. Can anyone keep their desires to themselves around here?" he heard the younger say.

"Standing right here, guys" Praz interjected. "First off, get over yourself" he said to the smaller "You got a good ass, get over it. Second-" He said this to both "I'm of no danger to either of you. Just to those slaving scum. However, she's free, so everything is fine. We can part ways here if you wanna-"

Praz stopped mid-sentence as he looked over the shoulders of the two males. Rounding a corner stood two imperial soldiers. Both human in appearance. Walking beside them, was the slaver that Praz did not have the pleasure of wounding. Praz would normally just go at him, however he found lately he was more and more confined by the Imperials rules and legislations. However, here, they were a good thing. Praz knew some things about Imperial Law, at least when it came to slavery, and he knew he was in the right.

"Don't panic. Two Imps are behind you. Do not run. Do not surrender. I'll take care of them."

No sooner then that was Praz thinking "Stupid Kid"

The kid dressed in leather had sailed over the officers heads, and into the crowd. Was he trying to die? That was probably the stupidest thing he could do. Escaping is fine, but the point of escaping was to avoid someone's eyesight. As the officers turned to find Kai, Praz put a hand on Caden's chest, to prevent him from running too. "Don't. He dug his own bed. Now we gotta... grab some shovels." Praz swiftly set his blaster to stun, lowering the energy output. He then attempted to grab the officers attention.

"I know you ain't got a reason, but trust me on this". Praz whispered to the older boy, before shouting loudly. "What seems to be the problem officers?" "That's the stinkin kid that blasted my partner." The slaver shouted to the officers "We speak Basic, sir." said the lead officer. He wore a uniform and medles that conveyed superiority over the other officer. "Is this true, young man". "Yep". Praz said. No more, no less. The officer looked surprised, and he imagined The boy did as well. Praz would continue. Give the young boy some space.

"Go after the runner... I'll deal with these two." The officer said to the other. Oh well, that gave the young boy a solid minute head start. That's a long time for a force user with speed abilities.

"I was doing a public service. Defending the Empire's laws!" Praz spoke loudly in a sense of patriotic spirit. "This man and his partner were engaging in the slave trade. An act that is flat out illegal." Praz had popped back into a more formal tone of voice, as opposed to the more brutish tone he had prior. "Or am I wrong?"

"The kid's a damn liar! We was trading... some blasters. Yeah. That's it!" The slaver said. In a rather pathetic tone of voice. "Yeah, that's convincing... We're just loyal citizens defending the Empire's laws. Right bud?" He elbowed Caden in a "play-along" sense. Now if you'll excuse us, we gotta go check on our... little brother. Scares easily. Well, be seeing you officer." Praz said this all quite systematically, not giving the officer time to interject. He grabbed the boy's arm and tried to drag him away, towards the side where The other boy ran out.

"Pardon me, young man. A word please." Praz turned immediately. A slow turn would look suspicious. "It is natural for citizens to do services for the Empire, however... that boy has the looks of a rogue force-user and by Imperial Order, we are to bring him to Korriban. All Imperials are obligated to do that. Isn't that right, acoly-"

Praz cut him off by sending a blaster bolt into the officer. Then shooting the other slaver for good measure. Before the boy could say anything, Praz turned to him. "Relax, I set it to stun them. They'll be out for a while. Now let's go save your friend before the whole city is put on 'Force-Watch'". Praz said quickly. Trying to brush over the fact that the officer had nearly revealed he was Sith. That didn't always make you the most approachable.

 

[Noire]

As Kai sprang forward into motion, literally soaring over the heads of the Imperial Soldiers, Caden cursed. He didn't swear often, but the other, reckless, Jedi certainly knew just how to bring it out of him. Kai quite masterfully vanished into the crowd of people just outside the alleyway just as the troopers raised their weapons to fire upon him. The boy was gone. Completely. Though Caden could still sense his presence, Kai's force signature was continually growing weaker and weaker the further he ran. That meant Caden did not have the time he so desperately needed to stand around and deal with the Imps in a more tactful manner than his comrade had. His right hand slowly moved toward the pocket within his jacket, he himself about to do something as equally reckless, but Praz stopped him with a hand to his chest and gave voice to a string of words that would mean leaving Kai alone to fend for himself. Caden didn't like Kai anymore than the next man, but he was still a Jedi after all. He still felt an obligation to protect the younger male and he instinctively swatted away Praz's hand as he convinced himself of this simple fact. But as one of the two Imperial Troopers ran off in search of Kai, Caden realized that, though his window of time to locate the other Jedi was increasingly shortening, he didn't quite have an opening to act yet.

He needed to wait, if only for a few moments more, and come up with something that would work. He found himself barely listening as Praz spun an unconvincing tale - hardly incorporating even half-truths as he spoke - and Caden instead began incessantly tapping his foot. The constant tapping of his boot was not a sign of nervousness, that much was clear, but it was instead a byproduct of him racking his brain continuously for a feasible plan of some sort that would get himself and Kai off-world before any alarms were rung and any space ports locked down. That would almost certainly mean death for the both of them. "Pardon me, young man. A word please." Caden's ears perked up. That had been the trooper speaking to Praz who had then turned around to face him immediately. The boy's about-face-turn seemed almost...drilled in itself. "It is natural for citizens to do services for the Empire, however... that boy has the looks of a rogue force-user and by Imperial Order, we are to bring him to Korriban. All Imperials are obligated to do that. Isn't that right, acoly-" Before the trooper could finish speaking Praz fired on him with his blaster in a blur of motion. Caden jerked in response, completely caught off guard by the unexpected action, but Praz quickly assured him that the weapon had been on stun.

But it wasn't so much that Caden cared about the trooper's fate, but rather how suddenly he had been shot before he could finish his sentence. The word that the Imperial had been about to say was on the tip of his tongue, but Caden couldn't quite figure out just what that word was. And Praz even appeared to be visibly trying to cover it up. But regardless the damage had been done, the word lost, and Caden needed to leave as quickly as possible to find Kai. Without another word to Praz he began to chase after the other Jedi, knocking aside the slaver as he went, and using the force to bolster his mad dash. Caden didn't bother to check whether or not Praz was following him; he didn't all too much trust the younger boy and he had no reason to. Praz was questionable. Caden's eyes darted from face to face as he sprinted through the crowds of people searching for his Jedi brother. He spotted several other pockets of Imperial troopers walking about, though a few were at posts, yet all were armed and dangerous. We need to get out of here, Caden thought.

Just as the thought of escape crossed his mind the young Jedi skidded to a very sudden halt. His eyes locked onto the trooper who'd ran off earlier corner Kai and raise his blaster at the boy. He raised his wrist to his mouth briefly, obviously speaking into a comm, and then his finger slowly began to inch toward the trigger. Caden had no choice. He thrust his arm forward and the trooper was violently yanked backward and then slammed onto the ground and knocked unconscious. "Kai!" Caden shouted. "Come on!"

 

[TwoSidedHeart]

Kai had been so ready to run run run and get right on out of that place. He was more than aware that people around him were taking notice of the fact that he was dashing through the streets away from an Imperial soldier. He was also aware that there were a few soldiers on that particular street and he was really quite lucky to have not attracted more attention than he already had from the Imps. This whole thing was rather exhilarating and as the kind of person who enjoyed living more dangerously than others, he was starting to enjoy racing through the streets, although he was also starting to think that he was missing something...

Suddenly, as he rounded a corner his eyes widened. Not because the soldier that had been chasing him was now holding his blaster towards the young Jedi with the intent to kill. No, it was because he had realized his lightsabers were gone. With Trigo. He KNEW it had been a bad idea to just let the girl go off with his jacket, but to his credit there had been some minor distractions in place. When the soldier was sent flying off his feet and slammed into a wall, Kai's mind started racing. He had to get them back. Not just because they were practically extensions of his own limbs, but because if anyone found a slave with Lightsabers, her life could end up even worse than it already was. Or if they fell into the wrong hands...

"Caden, we need to find Trigo. My jacket had some... important things in it that I really don't want to part with."

Hopefully, the other male would get what he was trying to say without actually saying it. Sure, he'd already done a few showy things that could be attributed to the Force, but he was already a dedicated acrobat in the first place, as much as a fifteen year old, fit human male could be. Anyone who jumped to the conclusion he was a Force user, may need to rethink their stance on life. Sure, he WAS but he was also fairly certain he could talk his way out of someone thinkinghe was a Jedi too. At least while his lightsabers were with a slaver girl who was probably trying to find her way off the planet as they stood there. MAYBE he could use the Force to sense out her position if they were back on Galtea, but this city had far more of a population than the forest they lived in and it was just beyond his skill. Turning his purple gaze on Caden, he spoke, his voice almost worried.

"Can you find her?"

 

[Prazutis]

Praz didn't know what he was going to do. He had many options, but had to work within his imposed restrictions. He had instigated this situation by loosing his temper and shooting a slaver, and saving the stupid kid's life. The two of them obviously didn't like Imps, and Praz didn't blame them. Authority figures still gave him a bad feeling. Even though he was technically one of those Imps, he still froze nearly every single time he saw one.

Something else he had to contend with... he was known.

This wasn't supposed to happen. He usually made careful steps to make sure he wouldn't get discovered off world. Viole was gone offworld, he hadn't been scheduled for any classes. Unless some fluke like some droid inspecting his room were to happen, there was almost no way he would be discovered. He needed to come up with a reason why he was on this world, but that would come later.

He could easily shove off. Lay low for a while, and wait for the imps to leave. But that wasn't in him. Praz was complicated. He may be a thief, but he had some sense of personal honour. He had got these two into a situation they obviously wanted no part of. He had to do his best to help them out. He didn't like having unpaid debts.

He followed the tall teen out into the market, watching as he ran towards the younger teen. It didn't look good, the trooper from earlier had a blaster raised to his forehead. Still, it was natural. For it to end up that way. He ran in a spectacular way, and now was paying the price. Praz tried to think of some way to save him that didn't involve the force.

Not that it would matter in the end. The tall boy must have done something, because the trooper was blasted into a nearby wall like it was nothing. That was pretty powerful. When Praz was self-taught, he couldn't get nearly that amount of power and potency into his pushes... Either he was extraordinary about his abilities, or he was lying about his learning.

"You okay, kid?" Praz said quickly. He himself hated being called kid, but he didn't have any other names to say at this point. The kid pretty much ignored Praz, and focused on the older one. "Kai, come on!" He yelled. Kai...? "Caden, we need to find Trigo. My jacket had some... important things in it that I really don't want to part with."

Well, at least he had some names now.

"You're crazy to want a jacket that badly kid. Unless you got some credits in there or something. That trooper wanted your head on a platter... Look, go find your jacket. I got you guys into this mess, so I'll distract the Imps. Just go." With that, Praz took off. Running into the crowd, intermingling with the large group.

He walked for a few minutes, before hearing a loud voice shouting nearby: "Fifth battalion, take the eastern side of the city. Third, you take the north. Rendezvous here at 17 hundred hours imperial standard. Understood?" Common orders given to strike forces. This wasn't good. Praz broke out of the crowd, and boldly moved up to the Imperials... Boldly or stupidly, he didn't really know.

Before Praz could say anything, he was spotted by the groups commanding officer. "You, boy, over here, now". The officer yelled. Praz walked over, standing tall. "Acolyte Prazutis, we were sent to locate you." "My teacher sent me here on a mission of... cultural exposure. Crusader Viole sent me. Check with him". Viole had done nothing of the sort, but there was no real way to contact him now. "Regardless of cause, you are not to leave the academy without notice of express permission." "I can't be the only reason why you are all on high alert." "...You're correct. We've recieved reports on a rogue force user in this village. Causing disruption and damage." "That must be what I was sensing earlier... Towards the western end of town." "Get moving men!" The officer said without another word. Hopefully that would work. Give them some time to escape.

As the troops moved out, seemingly forgetting about Praz, he decided to try and get off world before he got caught by the Imperials... Only to loose himself once again to a sea of curiousity and rage. "Where are those damn deliver boys with that Twi'lek?" He overheard. His eyes shot over in the direction. They were wearing colours that resembled... a group he hated...

The Hutt Cartel... Praz moved in to investigate.

 

[Noire]

Caden's narrowed eyes responded to Kai with an outrage that his mouth could never hope to convey as effectively. He already wasn't fond of Kai, but the younger Padawan seemed to be taking it upon himself to continuously remind him of that simple truth. Clenching his teeth as he did so, Caden took a few measured steps away from both Praz and Kai; the anger that was growing within him was testing his temper. As Jedi they were beyond such careless and stupid mistakes. Or should be, thought Caden. The next step was obvious. The smartest thing to do would have been to, at this very moment, leave, but Caden's conscience wouldn't allow him to do such a thing. Lightsaber's were dangerous weapons and in the hands of an untrained and already terrified girl they would mean almost certain death - especially if discovered. Can you find her? Can you find her? Caden had an answer to Kai's question almost immediately. But he hesitated to admit it. As his eyes averted and his mouth opened - yet remained agape without any words to voice - it became very clear that he didn't want to. The older Jedi merely blinked a few times and then cleared his throat.

Caden could find her if he truly tried. He knew that. But it would mean facing that same fear he'd sensed earlier in the slave girl, it would mean embracing it, it would mean focusing his entire being on fear itself and bringing that emotion out from the depths of the abyss in which he'd worked so hard to bury it forever. That was where she would be. Before another thought could cross his brain he watched, almost absentmindedly, as Praz took off running, pledging to distract the Imperial troops, and then disappeared into the crowd. Praz was an odd little varmint, no doubt fairly untrustworthy, but Caden couldn't deny that the kid might've just bought him the time he needed to find Kai's lightsabers and hopefully get off-world as soon as possible. "Yes." Caden finally said, though it was more of a whisper than a resolute affirmation of his abilities. He took a few steps toward the wall, further out of the general visibility of the mass of beings, and slowly lowered himself onto the ground. He reached into his jacket, taking out his own lightsaber, and then set it on the ground before him. "If there's trouble...," He said. He left it at that.

Caden closed his eyes slowly, purging all outside noises and inner thoughts from the forefront of his mind, and focusing instead on his breathing and only his breathing. And then it came; an overwhelming flood of calmness that swept his senses. He could once more feel the strength and utter powerfulness of the Force in its purest form. But Caden shuddered suddenly, his eyes clenched shut even tighter, and he became visibly tense as the muscles in his shoulders jerked. A growing cloud of impenetrable darkness invaded the sereneness of the Force, swirling at its borders and arching from its center, and growing in intensity as Caden focused upon it. It that one moment he saw everything he feared ever facing again; he saw his father's corpse lying on the ground, he heard his mother's cries as she abandoned him, and he saw the welling hate that loomed within himself. He let grief take him for a moment; grief not for the duel against his innermost demons, but for realization that he'd lost.

And then Caden opened his eyes. He'd found her. He slowly rose to his feet, his eyes now cold and unforgiving, but his demeanor casual. As though nothing had happened. As though nothing had changed inside. He reached out into Kai's mind and with the bond they shared through it shared that sense of knowing the girl's location with him. Now he would know. Now he could seek her out. Alone. "You know where she is now. Find her." Caden said.

 

[TwoSidedHeart]

"I probably should ask what's wrong with you, but you wouldn't share. Thanks for the info."

Kais tone seemed almost regretful as he spoke, as if he wanted to actually have a closer bond with his fellow padawan, rather than the animalistic relationship that currently stood. He took off immediately, in a direction similar to the way Praz had gone. As he pushed through the crowd, his eyes widened somewhat as he spotted Praz walking right up the troopers and addressing them almost... forcefully. Despite feeling instantly suspicious, he decided to leave that be for the moment and instead focus on the location Caden had shared with him, hoping that the girl hadn't happened upon the weapons herself.

He moved through several streets, quickly navigating the crowds of travellers and natives while trying not to attract too much attention. It seemed to be working as aside from one or two people who seemed more than interested in parts of him, nobody seemed to care about some human boy running down the street like he'd just lost all his credits. Essentially, he assumed the feeling was the same. At the same time, he felt a familiar rush welling up inside of him. The kind that came with being in danger. One of his many faults at least by the orders standards was that he enjoyed conflict and danger. Rhoda even commented on his apparent blood lust during some of their more serious training sessions. Despite himself, he smirked as he danced around the pedestrians, the thought that he could be noticed by an Imperial at any moment fuelling him to run just that much faster.

Rounding a corner, he instantly regretted that increase as he ran straight into the girl he was looking for, knocking Trigo to the ground with him falling on top. He pushed himself off the ground quickly, helping the somewhat flustered Twilek to her feet as well. As far as he could tell, she was fine and was hugging the jacket to her like there was nothing else in the world. Kai felt a sudden twang of sympathy as he realized that for her, it probably was the only thing in her world.

"Trigo, hi. Uh, can I get you to come out of the public eye for a sec? Theres some stuff in the jacket I kinda need."

Trigo looked at him silently for a moment, before her face dropped into a saddened expression.

"Im sorry, but they promised me my freedom for helping find one of you... Jedi are worth more on the market. I wish you hadn't come back for your weapons."

Kais eyes widened in shock and he took a step back away from the girl who looked to be on the verge of tears. Behind her two men suddenly approached and as Kai spun to flee he noticed two more. NOW people were stopping to watch as the four armed men approached the human boy and his mind was going a mile a minute. Somehow, he was calm enough to study the four men who were almost upon him, noting that his lightsabers were on the mans belt. Without even considering the consequences, he reached out both hands towards the man, tearing the lightsabers from the belt and drawing them into Kais waiting hands. A purple blade sprang to life, followed swiftly by its orange counterpart and Kai fell into a loose stance, opening himself to the force to keep track of the two men not in his vision. His eyes narrowed as he watched Trigo retreat, a sudden anger entering his being as it fully dawned on him that he'd been abandoned yet again, this time by a person he'd risked his ass to save!

Something snapped.

With a cry of anger, he dashed forward, separating one of the goons hands from his body before he could even draw them. The male let out a cry of shock and pain, silenced by a blaster bolt to the chest that had been originally intended for Kai. But the padawan was a blur to the men, the force flowing through and around him, enhanced by his negative feelings. It didn't take long for him to dispatch the other three men. One had his head separated from his shoulders while the other two found themselves simultaneously impaled on each of Kais lightsaber blades. Even then, as the four corpses littered the ground and the pedestrians screamed for help and tales of murder, he still didn't deactivate his blades and flee, his one focus to find Trigo.

However, for whatever reason his rage suddenly subsided and he blinked, looking around at the scene before him with shock. It had happened in the past quite a few times, losing himself to his anger or grief so he wasn't particularly surprised by the scene but a pit appeared in his stomach as he understood that he may have doomed both himself and Caden. Deactivating his weapons, he held both hilts in a single hand as he turned to run back to where Caden had been, his other hand on his comlink as he spoke into it, his tone fearful for the first time in a while.

"Caden! We have to get out of here now! Trigo set me up and no- AHH!"

The sudden cry of pain came as someone shot a blaster bolt into his shoulder, sending him tumbling to the ground, though he managed to keep ahold of his weapons. Composing himself, he looked up to find a squad of 5 Imp Troopers approaching, all with their blasters levelled at him.

"You're under arrest Jedi. Make a move and it will be your last."

 

[Prazutis]

Praz wanted to hear what the thugs were saying, but it wasn't like he could just stand out in the open. He'd get told to beat it or even more forcibly told to leave. He knew he could handle them, but no need to make a sarlaac pit out of a cavern. He didn't really know why he felt the need to investigate the Cartel. He could just as easily leave the planet. Hell, Imps were looking for him and he only got off because of Kai and Caden, or rather the IDEA of Kai and Caden. But the Cartel had caused (albeit indirectly) so much pain and suffering in Praz's life that he felt an almost obsessive need to stop their activities.

So he needed a way to listen in.

True to how he lived on Tatooine, Praz snuck down an unoccupied side alley nearby. He examined his surroundings. A few windows with big enough protrusions to grab onto, and a few loading crates. The Cartel might have been moving boxes from here... He had to move. With the same agility he had on Tatooine, he jumped onto the top of a crate, and onto the window ledge. Urban Climbing was even easier now, thanks to the Sith. Strengths training, lessons on altering the world around him with the force, everything was so much easier. Say what you want about the Sith, but Praz owed them a hell of a lot.

Praz leapt onto the roof. While he was up there, he took a minute to gauge his surroundings. All he could see were seas of sentient beings. Dozens of species he knew, and dozens more species he had never seen before in his life. From a distance, he could see the port where he had landed on the planet. No real way to make a quick escape off the planet... Great.

"Those scruffy nerfherders report back to you yet?" Praz heard a voice from down below. "I didn't hear back from them". "Those blasterbrains! How do you loose a stupid little Twi'lek girl." "Well, we got the rest of our shipments, so whatever"

Shipments?!

Praz ran to the edge of the roof, looking down on two cartel thugs walking towards a huge crate. Large enough to easily fit a few people inside. Praz took out his blaster, and was about to take a shot, when they struck up another topic of conversation. "You remember that Imp radio I bought on the black market the other day?" "Yeah, that piece of junk?" "The channel is going crazy, talks of Jedi around."

Jedi...? Wait... Kai and Caden seemed trained in the force... Caden could easily have lied...

"Jedi are worth so much more then these guys. Radio our backup. We can get that bounty and be kriffing ri-". That was the last word he said before Praz put a bolt through his brain. The mysterious assassin strikes again. Before Praz had the opportunity, the other guy ran. Most likely to call for his backup. He needed to move quickly.

Using the force to cushion his fall, he jumped back down to ground level and ran up to the crate. He decided he needed to be quick. Efficient. He pulled out the lightsaber he had concealed earlier. A red blade shot to life as he stabbed it into the crate, and cut a giant circle. He disengaged the saber as soon as he finished. Dozens of young girls poured out and even a few young men... One man was totally naked for some reason. "I don't want to know. Just get to safety, you're all free to go. Run!"

As the slaves ran free, he decided to go and find Kai and Caden. See if they were the Jedi in question. He had a few questions.

"HOLD IT KID" shouted a voice from the opposing alley. It was the Cartel man. With a few friends. "Imperials pay a lot for Jedi you know... You'll make us a fortune kid." "Jedi? What the hell are you-". He looked down at the saber in his hands... Why now?! Of all times?

Then it occurred to him... Strategically, this could work out perfectly.

He ran, pulling out his blaster again and firing over his shoulder. The Cartel no doubt pursuing him. He needed to find Kai and Caden. They could help him out maybe. And he still wanted to ask the two some questions.

 

[Noire]

There were moments Caden forgot he was a Jedi; times where he felt as free as he was back on Corellia and times where he felt as helpless and weak as he was on Nar Shaddaa. But he wasn't that boy any longer, he was a Jedi now. Caden let out a weary sigh as he very swiftly moved along the roofs of the much smaller buildings, silent, and barely noticeable. It didn't take long; despite the bad blood that existed between them, Caden could sense the fellow Padawan's force signature like a Rancor could sniff out its prey. He could see Kai now, nearly twenty feet or more below him, lying crumpled on the ground surrounded by five Imperial troopers. He unhooked his lightsaber from his belt - slowly beginning to turn it over in his right hand absentmindedly - and leaned forward as his eyes narrowed. Though he savored the short window of precious time he had to attempt to plot out his next course of action, Caden knew he couldn't wait much longer if Kai was to survive. Each of the troopers that surrounded him were armored and tightly gripped onto the blasters they were now training directly at the downed Jedi.

He would have to act now.

So Caden jumped. In total free-fall, he had but mere seconds to decide on his landing spot. Behind the troops provided a tactical advantage, but directly in front of Kai would ensure the other Padawan's safety beyond a doubt. That was where he would land. The moment his boots collided with the ground, he ignited his lightsaber and turned his fall into a roll; that roll carried his lightsaber through a hasty arc that severed both of the legs of one of the troopers. He jumped back to his feet, twisting the humming green blade in a swirl of motion, before outstretching his hand and using the Force to slam the nearest trooper backward and into the ground. It didn't take long for the other three remaining Imperials to spring into action and press the attack; they began to fire their blasters all at once at the live target with no care given to the limited ammunition they possessed. It was moments like these that Caden lived for; moments in which the living Force surged in his veins and the thrill of the coming battle energized his spirit.

It reminded him of Tatooine.

Letting the Force guide his hands, Caden deflected and knocked much of the blaster-fire aside as he moved in closer. He didn't have much time; the longer he spent toying around with the soldiers the greater the risk he subjected Kai and himself to if the clash was discovered. A swift and single slash of his lightsaber removed another one of the faceless trooper's from their arms and Caden immediately ducked low and took a single step back as the last two responded with a series of several more shots. There was no hesitation. He leaped into the air, over both of their helmeted heads, and landed behind the Imperial troopers. He stabbed forward, his blade cleanly entering the back of the trooper nearest to him, and moving straight through. As the blaster in his hand fell from his stilled fingers Caden caught it and immediately fired off two rounds at the last soldier.

He finally exhaled.

Staring at the five bodies now lying absolutely still on the ground, he shuddered - hands shaking uncontrollably - as hurriedly deactivated his green blade and clenched his teeth firmly together in growing and unbridled remorse. It didn't matter that they were Imperials; guilt gutted him like a steel fist. He'd just ended five lives, without even much thought to it, and now he was rushing to leave without a moment of reflection. I am a Jedi, he thought, if not only to remind himself of this simple truth as he stepped over yet another severed arm. There were no other words in him for this. He couldn't let himself think about it any further, or he wouldn't be ready to do it again if it was necessary. Caden hung the deactivated lightsaber from his belt and knelt down to check Kai's blaster wound.

It's not too bad, he thought to himself, he's going to make it.

The force brought Kai's two lightsabers to his hands and he stashed them within his jacket. And then, using the force to help augment his strength, Caden hoisted Kai up on his feet and draped the other padawan's left arm over his shoulder. It would be a significant extra weight to carry around but his mind was already set. No one would perish on his watch. "How good can you walk?" Caden asked. Before Kai could respond, Praz appeared, sprinting around the corner as fast as his legs would carry him, firing behind him with his blaster as he went, and being chased by a group of thugs.

This had been a bad mistake.