Ask Chandrila Happenstance

[Leon Baudelaire]

Without hesitation Leon fell into step with Hera. He glanced back at Koemi and watched her disappear in the cloud of dust. He opened his mind to the force. Fear crashed against his mind as the masses began to give in to their panic. The emotion was staggering, it was like trying to run while a snake squeezed the air out of you.

Hera was done playing and announced her arrival. Leon on the other hand decided to maintain the element of surprise. Flames erupted on the other side fo the wall and the padawawn had to stifle a curse as he waited for the torrent to end. Enhancing his body with the force, Leon whipped around the corner and behind an X-Wing exhibit. He peeked around the corner of the starship and spotted… KOEMI?!?!?!

He watched with an equal mix of general horror and curiosity as she clocked one of the goons in the back of the head with a fist-sized rock. Leon winced as the rock connected with a fleshy thud, but he didn’t have time to feel bad for the guy because, well, he was about to melt Komie to the ground. At that moment the force rushed to him carrying him into the back of the goon with a force speed-enhanced shoulder check. Before the goon could get up, Leon ignited his training shoto, and swung down stunning the terrorist where he was.

“Nice hit,” he said with a chuckle, “You good?”

Leon felt murderous intent and spun around just in time to reflect a blaster bolt back at a Togruta with an eyepatch, who yelped and jumped to the side as the superheated plasma slammed into the ground at his feet.

“We should get behind cover!” he gestured toward a TIE fighter display and would cover Koemi if she followed. Meanwhile, Hera would be handling the other two flamethrowers.

@Black Noise @Tulos

 

[Hera "The Joyful" Albion]

It would be most unfortunate for all involved that they caught Hera at such a time as this, and it would be even more unfortunate that the goons decided to introduce themselves to the Jedi Knight with threats and flame. Leaping to the side as the first gout of flame came her way, she was lucky enough that the flamethrowing goon took a rock to the back of the head. The flamethrower man would not be so lucky, Leon was upon him now.

But she supposed she shouldn't feel too bad for him, after all, he would likely survive this encounter. As for the other two men, they would not be so lucky. They followed orders at first, burning everything standing to the ground, then their flames would abruptly stop at the pair of men who were bisected by a flying, spinning, dual-bladed lightsaber. Hera was a dealer of death in combat, and this situation would be a display of her pure destructive power when she needed to utilize it.

The Togruta that yelped would turn in his dodging of the blaster bolt just in time to see his compatriots meet their end. Hera, calling her blade back to her, spoke, "Anyone who threatens the safety of innocent lives will be dealt with accordingly! Surrender now to the proper authorities or meet your end at my hand!" At that, he would panic and start firing in her direction.

Flicking her wrist, she released her lightsaber temporarily and flung a shattered durasteel panel into the path of the blaster bolts. As her blade, turning off when Hera released it with the Force, clattered to the ground and slide away from the Jedi Knight. Hera groaned and called out to Leon, "Leon! Take Koemi and get the police! I will attempt to leave some in a condition to be arrested!"

@Tulos @Zay

 

[Koemi]

”What the hell have I gotten myself into?!” Koemi whimpered as she watched in horror as the disgruntled veteran turned his attention on her, blood seeping from the wound she had given him. For a man such as this, it was hardly something to worry about. He had experienced far worse on the field of battle, evident from his cybernetic replacements, and executing a small girl would be easy work for him. A Jedi, Padawan or no, would prove to be a much more complicated endeavor however as Leon slammed into the man’s back in the blink of an eye. As he stood over the man’s unconscious body, his Jedi weapon drawn and glowing, Koemi finally found her ability to breathe once again.

”Yea well, I’ve watched enough Huttball to know how to throw,” she responded doing everything she could to feign confidence, failing terribly all the while. Taking a deep breath to try and settle her shot nerves, the girl nodded to Leon’s second question and followed in suit to the TIE display.

Everything about this was so far beyond Koemi’s comfort zone that she was shocked she was still on her feet. Terrorist attacks on a Military Museum was something she had certainly not planned for when she rolled out of her sleeping bag this morning and yet here she was, being ushered around by a pair of Jedi as they… DID THOSE GUYS JUST GET CUT IN HALF?!

The street taco, which had shockingly stayed down to begin with, made its way back to fresh air as Koemi witnessed Hera’s blade spin through the air, cleaving two men into four portions. Even after throwing up everything in her stomach behind the TIE display, the girl’s stomach remained uneasy, as though a durasteel ball weighed down her insides while simultaneously trying to escape. ”That is so fucked up!” she groaned between fits of vomit, shaking as she braced herself against the wing.

As Hera shot her orders to Leon about finding the authorities, Koemi looked to him for what to do, where to go next. Only then did she see from the corner of her eye that Hera had been disarmed, her lightsaber skipping away from her as the remaining veteran laid fire.

@Zay @Black Noise​

 

[Leon Baudelaire]

Leon chuckled as Komie mentioned learning how to throw from Huttball. He’d always wanted to play Huttball, but never seemed to be in the same place long enough to drum up a game. “Oh nice, you’ll have to teach me some time.”

He could feel the panic radiating from her as they landed behind the TIE display. He watched as Hera handled the remaining two terrorists. Any feigned confidence in Komie leaked away when body parts began to fall. It was tough to see no matter who you were. He rose from his crouched position, ready to launch after the Togruta when Hera told him to find the cops.

She was pinned down, but with how easily she’d just handled the guys with flame throwers, he was confident she would be fine. To Komie he’d put his hands on both her shoulders and look her in the eye. “Listen, I know you’re– Oh, you got a little something–” he reached up and brushed at his face where some vomit still clung to her chin, “I know you’re freaked out, but we’re almost out of here, okay? Stick close to me!”

Leon spotted Hera’s lightsaber, he reached out with the force and slid it back to her before taking Komie’s slimy hand and running for the flashing lights reflecting off the massive glass walls. He would aim to protect Komie as they moved.

As they came out of the main entrance, Leon waved his hands, getting the attention of a Security Officer, “I’m Jedi Padawan Leon Baeudelaire, my master is engaged with the remaining terrorists inside.” The Officer started off skeptical, but one look at the lightsaber on his belt and Leon could tell the guy was coming around. The officer’s voice cracked as he cleared it before wailing , “Chi-EEEEEEEFF!”

@Black Noise @Tulos

 

[Hera "The Joyful" Albion]

Koemi's reaction to Hera's violence caught the Jedi off guard for a moment, then she felt intense shame at herself. The young woman may have never seen someone die before, and this quick and violent extinguishing of life may have been her first experience with death. Flinging the piece of durasteel at the remaining terrorist as Leon darted off, she smiled as he thought to slide her lightsaber in her direction before continuing.

Using the Force, she pressed the piece of Durasteel on top of the Togruta, preventing him from getting up. Walking over in his direction as he struggled against the metal, Hera kicked him in the head to stun him before tossing the metal aside. "Stay down, please-" She said, watching the terrorist lose consciousness. At that, she headed out after Leon and Koemi.

Police began to move into the building as Hera exited it, coming in from the front door and making their way toward where the fight had just gone down. Making her way toward the Padawan and Koemi, Hera placed her hands on their shoulders and announced loudly, "We'll let the police handle it from here, they won't mind if we move on-" As Hera spoke her second statement, she locked eyes with the young policeman whom Leon had spoken to moments before.

His eyes seemed to glaze over, and he just nodded. Smiling, Hera began to walk off and away from the danger. As they moved, she would turn to Koemi and apologize, "I'm terribly sorry that happened. I understand if you may be a little off put from coming with us now, but please do still consider. I believe you have the potential to be a Jedi."

@Tulos @Zay

 

[Koemi]

Perhaps if things hadn’t descended so quickly into madness, Koemi would have found herself flustered at how much of a gentleman Leon had proven to be. Or more likely, she would be dying from the embarrassment that comes with violently throwing up all over a duracrete podium. Yet she was none of these things. She was devoid of emotion as Leon began leading her further towards safety, a husk of her usual self. Unexpectedly seeing people executed for the first time can certainly have odd effects on one’s psyche.

As the officer’s swarmed the scene, Koemi slumped down on the sidewalk curb as she mulled over what had transpired. How quickly it had begun and how quickly it had ended. The image of eyes of flesh and steel burning into her just as the building around them too burned in flames. The eyes of an evil man, pushed to madness from his injuries and ptsd of war. She tried to rationalize these deaths, knowing full well they had intended to cause far more pain and suffering than they had experienced themselves. Perhaps it was justice. Perhaps. With Hera’s return, the three were soon departing though the younger girl felt as though she was on autopilot.

”What?” Koemi replied, hearing the words but not immediately soaking them in. A moment would pass as they echoed in her head, bringing back some semblance of her mental acuity. ”Wait, what? A jedi? Me?” Ah. There was the fluster. What the fuck was happening today? This was all so much to take in, so much happening with no chance to breath before the next chaotic moment eclipsed the last. A robbery gone wrong, brainwashing a cab driver, a terrorist attack and watching two men bisected at the waist? She had certainly found excitement but perhaps this was not exactly what she had hoped. It then begged the question, if this was what the life of a Jedi was then was she cut out for it?

”I… I don’t know,” Koemi replied sheepishly. ”I’d have to think about it. Running into burning buildings isn’t something I try to do on the reg,” It was true. Her whole life had been built upon self preservation, not that of strangers. Still, if the Jedi were like these two (apart from the whole slicing people up like they’re making a banana split) then maybe they weren’t the worst people to know. Regardless, one thing was certain. ”-but I do want to put Chandrila behind. I’ll come with you, if for nothing else than to get the hell away from all this madness,”

@Zay @Black Noise​

 

[Leon Baudelaire]

Leon was exhausted. Once he’d gotten Komie into a safe place, he set to helping the security officers organize the chaos. Baudelaire wasn’t the type to sit around. He needed to be in motion, or else the images of the dismembered bodies would overtake his psyche. In the infinite wisdom of adolescence he couldn’t help but think this was all his fault. He heard the cry of a kid and stooped down to help them up.

“Hey buddy, where’s your parents?”
The little boy’s watery eyes looked up and melted into tears as he admitted, “I-i-i-i don’t know!”
Leon reached out and tousled the little dude's hair, “C’mon, let’s go find them.”

He picked the little dude up and helped calm him down. Through the force, Leon was able to pick out the panic of the boy’s parents. He handed the little dude over to his mother. They tried thanking him, but that was silly. “Just happy to help, you guys be safe, huh?”

Leon threw them a two finger salute and totted off. He spotted Hera coming out of the building and sidled up beside her. “We make a good team,” he said with a mischievous smile hiding the guilt he harbored.

As Hera and Komie spoke, Leon kept to himself. This wasn’t his choice. As much as he’d liked spending the day with Komie, he wasn’t going to try and sweeten the pot with promise’s of fun times. In reality, the young woman had just gotten to experience first hand what the day to day was like. As a Jedi you were hated until you were needed, and then blamed for the damage after you’d saved people’s lives. When Komie said she'd go with them, Leon decided to try and jump before she changed her mind. He could still be a little selfish; he was a Jedi, not a saint.

“Sounds good to me! I’ll fly the ship,” he said casually. Hoping Hera would be too distracted with Komie to notice what he’d said. Even as they made their way toward the ship, the inky undulating monolith of smoke behind them reached for the sky like a hand lifted in worship. Leaving the skyline marred by the streak. Leon’s emerald eyes lingered a moment longer before he stepped into the spaceport and off to another life or death adventure.

End.​

@Black Noise @Tulos