Ask Coruscant History Not Forgotten

Zaia Krodas

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“I’ve already offered you all the credits I have, plus security for this place for a year. What more do you want?” Zaia nearly shouted the last few words, slamming a fist down on the wooden desk. The contents of the table rattled at the force, but the shopkeeper didn’t flinch.

“Not enough,” said the Rodian, shaking his head. “I’ll trade it for…” He stroked a finger along his chin. “Your helmet. Beskar, isn’t it?”

At this point, Zaia was about to explode. She hadn’t been scouring the lower levels of Coruscant for days without sleep just for this ignorant shopkeeper to refuse to sell her the artifact. The silver pendant around the Rodian’s neck had been spoken about in her clan for as long as she could remember. It had been passed down for generations in her clan until it ended up in the hands of one of her ancestors, who had fought in the war with the Jedi. It was said that in one battle toward the end of the war, the pendant was lost and that the Jedi had taken it to one of their temples. For what reason, Zaia had no idea, but the only thing she had on her mind right now was getting it back. The vornskr skull on the pendant seemed to be taunting her, centuries worth of her family’s history dangling just a meter away from her. It was so close, yet out of reach. Zaia clenched her fist and stared directly into the eyes of the Rodian, her other hand reaching for her blaster.

“Listen, di'kut. You’ve said no to every offer I made in the past hour, and you expect me to give you my helmet? You must be out of your mind.” Zaia stood up abruptly, knocking over the chair she had just been sitting in. She didn’t bother to put it upright again. The Rodian merely crossed his arms.

“Your loss,” he said simply. In less than a second, Zaia had grabbed him by the front of his shirt and pulled him over the table, leaving him looking up at her in terror.

“You’ll give it to me. Now.”

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Brienna Lanaamer

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"Are you sure about this?"

Bri looked over herself in the mirror, checking her appearance. A droid voice chirped in reply.

"Yeah, you know I do. Just want to be sure."

The Jedi's astromech droid rolled into view and despite not having any moveable facial features, made its best sarcastic expression in response. The reaction elicited a laugh from the Knight.

"Alright, alright,"

Part of Jedi Knight, Brienna Lanaamer's duties in the Order had recently been extended to research and cataloguing of both recent and more long term Jedi artifacts. For the vast majority of instances, this meant travelling around the Galaxy, usually to libraries or museums, and determining if any part of the collections were at all related to Jedi history, and were therefore of use. Occasionally - as was the case on the current particular evening - Bri's droid, NL-142, found the mention of an artifact at a shop on one of the lower levels of Coruscant. The tips were usually fruitless, but when the Knight found herself in the Core, she'd usually check them out.

"Alright, how do I look?" Bri turned and faced her droid. Going to seedy Coruscanti lower level shops in her standard Jedi robes and attire was obviously out, so Bri had picked the best outfit she thought represented the occasion. The Knight always exercised extreme caution when out travelling the Galaxy, and specifically stocked her wardrobe with clothes to fit a variety of needs. It was more of a guess in this instance.

Tight black pants were matched with a grey shirt. A black leather jacket completed was worn on top. She had pulled her honey-golden hair into a tight ponytail which she thought made her look more serious, and applied more darker toned makeup. Her saber was concealed in an interior jacket pocket. NL had no idea how to respond to the question and admitted as such. "I appreciate the confidence," the Jedi replied sarcastically.

//

The appropriate warnings and cautions of being safe and not doing anything stupid from NL out of the way, Bri departed her ship at a top-side spaceport and boarded an elevator down to the lower levels. She braced herself slightly against the metal railing towards her side as the car suddenly lurched downward.

A few moments later - and making sure her stomach was still with her - Bri stepped off, and pulled out the datapad from her pocket. She looked up and plotted the course to the shop. The details were relatively scant about the artifact and how it may have ended up in such an undesirable location. Reasonably old, from the mid to outer rim, connection to a certain world. Forget relatively scant, the its practically nothing. A blurry photo of what looked to be a silver pendant on a necklace was the strongest lead.

The shop was situated between a foodstall selling a type of grilled meat that Bri could not identify and another store or shop that looked to have been closed for a few years. A blinking orange neon sign flickered above the open door. Aldo's. Bri looked up and sighed. Well, fingers crossed.

The store was as uninspiring on the inside as the outside. Shelves of junk lined the cramped and crowded floor plan, most of which Bri didn't even recognize. If there was a Jedi artifact here, it was going to be a needle in a haystack type situation. There were two figures conversing near the front of the store, but Bri couldn't get a good look at who they were through the merchandise.

A loud thump drew her attention.

“Listen, di'kut. You’ve said no to every offer I made in the past hour, and you expect me to give you my helmet? You must be out of your mind.”

A Rodian and a Mandalorian were bartering over a table. The discussion did not seem to be going in favor of the Mandalorian woman. Her blue and silver beskar armor was impressive. And if the Rodian thinks he can trade something for it, then he's sorely mistaken. The train of thought slowly began to move in Bri's mind. Wait a minute......

The pendant - around his neck!
It was hard to tell up close, but it appeared to be what the Jedi was searching for. Bri stayed within medium distance of the two, close enough to hear, but still pretending like she was looking for something else on a shelf. She cursed silently to herself. Blast. Of course NL didn't tell me there was a Mandalorian connection to this. Mandalorians and Jedi did not have the best history and the tall Mandalorian woman didn't exactly exude calmness and composure.

“Your loss,” the Rodian replied, to which in alarming speed, the woman grabbed him by his shirt collar and hauled him over the table.

“You’ll give it to me. Now.”

Bri cursed again and realized the moment was nigh for her intervention. She put on her best smile and friendly demeanor.

"Woah, woah, woah. Hey there. Let's stay civil here. I'm sure we can all come to an agreement," the Jedi held her hands out in an approachable manner, exchanging a grinning glance from the scared face of the Rodian, to the expressionless Mandalorian helmet.

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Zaia Krodas

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Zaia waited for the shopkeeper to respond, her fist clenched tightly in the fabric of his shirt. He sputtered a few words that she couldn’t make out, but then fell silent as he seemed to catch sight of something behind her. Probably another one of his antics.

“Oh, you’re not getting away with it this ti-”

The sound of the voice of another person calling for civility of all things caused Zaia to drop him. She pulled out her blasters and whirled around, pointing them in the direction where the voice had come from. It was a woman, dressed in a pretty typical outfit for what one might find on the lower levels of Coruscant. Still, this type of shop usually didn’t get many visitors, and the woman was not exactly someone who looked like a collector. There was another reason why she was here. Unfinished business, perhaps? Zaia would have been eager to believe that.

“An agreement?” Zaia cocked her head, keeping her blasters level. Somehow, the woman had a smile on her face, and for some reason it infuriated her. “You think after this, there’s going to be an agreement?” She scoffed. After a few moments of silence where Zaia deliberated whether or not she should just shoot and have all this be over and done with, she let out a frustrated sigh and put her blasters back in their holsters. As much as she hated to admit it, the woman was right. If she killed an unarmed man to get that pendant, it would haunt her for the rest of her life. Honor and dignity, respect for an opponent, her clan had taught, were part of what made someone Mandalorian. Those were what separated them from common mercenaries or pirates. And as much as she wanted to put a blaster bolt through that Rodian’s brain, Zaia knew that she wouldn’t be able to forgive herself if she did.

Her anger flared up again when she heard the Rodian behind her move, knocking over a metal cup on his desk and sending it clattering to the floor. Even though she’d decided to spare him, it didn’t mean that she was going to let him walk away with the pendant after all this effort.

“Fine. You do your business first, then we’ll continue with mine. After you.” Zaia stepped aside, crossing her arms as she scowled and leaned against the wall. Hopefully the blondie would do whatever she had to do quickly so that Zaia could go back and try to figure out a way to get that pendant.

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Brienna Lanaamer

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Bri received the reaction that she had about expected from the Mandalorian woman. Two blasters were quickly trained in the Jedi’s direction, as she responded by raising her hands up, and displaying an innocent look on her face. Weighing the variables in her mind, it didn’t seem likely that the woman would just straight up shoot her for a minor interjection. But, then again, she had proven herself to have a short temper.

“An agreement? You think after this, there’s going to be an agreement?”

The Knight opened up her mouth to speak, but it seemed that the Mandalorian herself had a change in tactic herself. It was tough to read facial expressions through the visor of a helmet, so the Jedi was left a little unsure by the developments. She couldn’t hold her tongue however, and offered an additional follow up.

“That’s right,” an encouraging nod, “no reason why we can’t all find an amicable solution and smooth over any,” she paused, “misunderstandings.”

Bri caught sight of the Rodian, who nodded along with what she was saying, no doubt also eager to avoid being roughed up by a Mandalorian. However, as he backed away from the scene, he bumped into a metallic cup, sending it clanging to the floor. The abrupt sound appeared to displease the Mandalorian woman.

“Fine. You do your business first, then we’ll continue with mine. After you.”

The spirit of patience had returned, but Bri also figured that the Mandalorian was just eager for the Jedi to get out of her hair. Much easier to try and intimidate the shopkeeper when I’m not here.

Bri nodded in thanks, but followed up with an almost amused sounding laugh. By pure circumstance, the two woman had arrived in pursuit of the same object. The Force does work in mysterious ways. The Jedi judged it best to try and humor her way into the topic. Well, this should be fun.

“Soooo,” an exaggerated introduction, “by happy circumstance, I’m also interested in learning a little more about the pendant around your neck,” she pointed with her left pointer finger to the item in question. “Any chance you could share a little bit more about the history behind it? Where it’s from, how you came by it?”

Bri looked over at the Mandalorian, an amused expression in her face, hoping that her counterpart could also see the humor in the situation.

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Zaia Krodas

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Zaia clenched her teeth when the woman let out an amused laugh. She didn’t see what was particularly funny about this situation other than the fact that both blondie and the Rodian were about to get their heads bashed in if they didn’t get on with whatever they were planning to discuss. It couldn’t get any worse than this.

Turns out, the situation was worse. Somehow.

When the woman asked about the pendant around the Rodian’s neck, Zaia had just about had it. She ignored the fact that the Rodian’s eyes flew wide open upon seeing her step forward again and motioned for blondie to stop talking, which was a pretty sure sign that this hadn’t been planned. Still, her frustration spilled over.

“Is this some kind of trick? What are the odds that we both end up in the same place looking for the same thing?” She stomped over to the side of the desk, and the shopkeeper scooched his chair back just a little bit. Glaring at the woman, Zaia pulled off her helmet and slammed it on the table.

“Let me explain the history of this pendant, as I explained it to this di’kut over here.” She fixed her glare on the Rodian before turning back to face the woman. “It belonged to my family since the beginning— it was crafted after the ones who founded my clan killed a vornskr. That’s what the skull is there.” She pointed at the pendant. “It became the signet of my clan. If you want proof, it’s right here.” She turned to the side so that the woman could see the same symbol on her right pauldron. Then, she sighed.

“The Jedi took it from us during the Mandalorian-Jedi War, after whoever was wearing it fell. We lost track of where it was, and we assumed that it ended up in a Jedi temple or something. As for how he got it, I have no idea.” Zaia crossed her arms. “That’s why I’m saying it belongs to me and my clan. It was stolen from us and now I’m taking it back.”

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Brienna Lanaamer

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The Mandalorian woman did not react with the same kind of humor that Bri had tried to encourage, instead, she motioned for the her to stop her blabber mouth. The Jedi did so, ceasing the start of another sentence to oblige the other woman’s request. I agree it’s not ideal, but maybe we can find a way to soothe the tensions here.

“Is this some kind of trick? What are the odds that we both end up in the same place looking for the same thing?”

“I agree that it also seems unlikely, but isn’t how these things tend to work out?” Bri replied with another friendly sounding laugh.

For the briefest of moments, Bri thought to prepare herself for a more physical version of their altercation, and judging by the Rodian’s expression, so did he. Instead, the Mandalorian walked over to the side of the table and pulled her helmet off, slamming it down on the desk. The Jedi was more than a little curious about who was underneath - and was a little surprised at the reveal.

It’s just a kid! Not exactly, but with the voice coming from the helmet, and the woman’s height, Bri had expected someone a little older. Not that I’m some senior myself. The Mandalorian had close cropped brown hair, and a certain determination to her face that the Jedi recognized would not be wise to cross, even if she was a teenager.

“Let me explain the history of this pendant, as I explained it to this di’kut over here.” The Rodian seemed to wince a little at the mention of the other-language-word. Bri had no idea what it meant but assumed it wasn’t something you called your friends.

“It belonged to my family since the beginning— it was crafted after the ones who founded my clan killed a vornskr. That’s what the skull is there.” A point to the pendant. The Jedi held an inquisitive glance as the woman explained her family’s story - and it’s connection to the pendant.

“It became the signet of my clan. If you want proof, it’s right here.”

Bri peered down and glanced back and forth from the pendant on the Rodian’s neck to the carved symbol on the Mandalorian’s armor. It was the exact same. Well, that checks out then.

“The Jedi took it from us during the Mandalorian-Jedi War, after whoever was wearing it fell. We lost track of where it was, and we assumed that it ended up in a Jedi temple or something. As for how he got it, I have no idea. That’s why I’m saying it belongs to me and my clan. It was stolen from us and now I’m taking it back.”

Ah. This has just gotten a little more complicated. If that pendant is actually part of her family history, who am I, or the Jedi, to tell her that she can’t have it? That’s why she’s so determined to get it back. I’d probably be doing the same if some Courscanti underworlder was giving me the run around too. Still, it does contain some historical significance for the Order as well. Bri devised an idea. Perhaps if we’re on friendlier terms, she’ll let me borrow and study it before I give it back to its rightful owner.

Following the seriousness of the Mandalorian’s tale, Bri figured to build trust, it would probably be best to drop any good natured deception.

“I understand, thank you for sharing that,” the Jedi nodded, holding a more serious tone than before. “To be honest with you, I’m interested in it from its time with the Jedi.” Bri placed her hands on her hips, and in doing so revealed the copper saber hilt within her jacket. The Mandalorian woman would likely form the right conclusions. The Rodian shop owner spotted it as well and fidgeted, likely wondering how his day had gotten so far off track.

Bri then held her hands up defensively, hoping to pre-empt any potential anger. “Hearing your story, I don’t want to be the one to separate you from something that obviously means a lot to your family and it’s history.” She paused with a sigh. “But, there is something,” she emphasized the last word and raised her left hand, as the pendant floated a few inches above the Rodians neck. It fell back down as Jedi lowered her hand. “That I’d like to study a little bit more.”

The Jedi was being as genuine as she could. There was a force connection with the object. Bri had felt the surface of it when she gently reached out. In order to dig deeper she’d need more time - and a quiet space. Before offering a potential solution, she’d let the Mandalorain try to digest her side of the story.

“I’m Brienna Lanaamer by the way, nice to meet you,” she held out a hand in greeting, before adding “Bri,” indicating her preferred nickname with a return to her more standard upbeat tone of voice.

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Zaia Krodas

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Zaia’s eyes widened slightly when she saw the hilt of a lightsaber inside the woman’s jacket, but she quickly wiped her expression of surprise. This was not going the way she’d planned at all. She’d never met a Jedi before, and this woman was not the first image she had in her mind when she thought of one. Maybe she was just faking, and the lightsaber was just an accessory. She was about to say something when the woman raised her hands defensively and said that she didn’t intend to separate her from the necklace. Only wanted to study it. One good thing out of all this, at least. Zaia’s gaze flitted over to the Rodian as the woman spoke, watching as the necklace floated in the air. She couldn’t deny it any longer— the woman really was a Jedi.

When she introduced herself as Bri and held out her hand in greeting, Zaia hesitated on whether or not she should accept it, or give out her own name. She wasn’t in the mood for making friends, but then… this hadn’t been the friendliest introduction, and she didn’t want the Jedi to get the wrong idea. Might as well give it a go.

“Zaia. Clan Krodas,” she said with her arms still crossed. “Nice to meet you too.” She put her tongue against the side of her cheek, eyeing the Rodian and deliberating what she was going to do with him.

“Since you’ve already refused everything I’ve offered…”

“No! Wait!” he stammered, getting up to his feet. Zaia raised an eyebrow. “There is something. A job for you and the Jedi. If you do it, I- I’ll give this to you to work out between yourselves.” Tilting her head, she exchanged a glance with the woman.

“Alright. What is it?”

“I’m in trouble with a local gang. They kidnapped my two children, and they’re asking for a ransom I can’t afford. But I only have two more rotations to pay it off. If you can free them, I’ll gladly give this to you,” the Rodian said, his eyes wide and pleading. He looked back and forth between Bri and Zaia. “They’re on level 53 in some kind of warehouse. That’s all the information they would give me.” He slumped back in his chair, and Zaia couldn’t help but feel sorry for how she’d treated him earlier.

“I’ll do it. I don’t know if Bri will, but I can. It seems this means a lot to both of us,” she said, letting out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding. She looked back at the Rodian. “I’m sorry about before, by the way. I had no idea.”

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Brienna Lanaamer

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“Zaia. Clan Krodas. Nice to meet you too,” the Mandalorian woman responded with her arms crossed. Bri nodded with a smile and retracted her hand. Her knowledge of different Mandalorian clans was not great, but if the woman’s armor was anything to go off of, then the Krodas’ were probably pretty impressive.

Based on Zaia's initial handling of the shop owner, a pleasant, if a little reserved greeting was probably the most ideal that Bri could have hoped for. It wasn't like she was going to jump and give me a hug or anything. The humorous thought made the Jedi snicker internally.

Introductions out of the way, Zaia turned her attention back to the Rodian, and the predicament of getting her pendant back. It appeared she was going to lean towards another threat, before the shopowner held his hands out and stood back up.

“No! Wait! There is something. A job for you and the Jedi. If you do it, I- I’ll give this to you to work out between yourselves.”

Bri caught a glance from Zaia in her direction. She offered a quick shrug and returned the glance to indicate her willingness to hear more.

“Alright. What is it?”

“I’m in trouble with a local gang. They kidnapped my two children, and they’re asking for a ransom I can’t afford. But I only have two more rotations to pay it off. If you can free them, I’ll gladly give this to you. They’re on level 53 in some kind of warehouse. That’s all the information they would give me.”

The Jedi subconsciously brought a finger to her chin in thought. That sounds troubling. Bri's thoughts drifted towards the wider issue of crime in the lower levels of Coruscant. Aldo - if the name on the outside of the shop was right - seemed like a normal business owner, though not that NL had provided Bri with practically any information about the shop or its proprietor. There could be more to the story if someone has kidnapped his family. The Jedi's determination and willingness to help were more than enough of a driver to volunteer her services. Getting the pendant back would be the bonus.

Unfortunately, a lingering thought nagged at Bri's typically sunny conscious. A cynical one. Could be a trap of some sorts. The Jedi would raise her potential concerns with the Mandalorian once they were on their way.

“I’ll do it. I don’t know if Bri will, but I can. It seems this means a lot to both of us,”

Bri interjected quickly after Zaia had finished speaking.

"Of course I'll help too. We'll get your kids back," she shared a determined glance to both Zaia and Aldo the Rodian. The Mandalorian also offered an apology for her more - aggressive - tactics in the handling before.

Bri turned to face Zaia, "Let's go?" tiliting her head towards the exit.

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Zaia Krodas

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Zaia had to admit, she was a little surprised that Bri had decided that she would come along. She’d looked so determined too. Then again, she was a Jedi, and didn’t they pride themselves on being peacekeepers or guardians of the innocent or something along that line? Except when it comes to Mandalorians.

“Right. Let’s head out,” she affirmed at Bri’s tilt of her head. She put on her helmet and headed out into the street without looking back at either the Rodian or the Jedi. When she felt Bri’s presence beside her, she glanced over in the direction of the nearby tram station. It wasn’t visible from where they were now, but it would soon be once they turned the corner.

“We can take the tram at the station over there, and then the elevator to get to level… what was it? Fifty three?” Zaia asked with a frown. How could she have forgotten such important information already? Must be the sleep. Or the lack of it. She paused for a moment, then continued on. “Then we can find that warehouse, knock a couple gangsters out, get the kids, and come back. That sound like a plan?” She looked over at Bri, wondering if she was being a little colder with the woman than she would have with almost anyone else. Nah. She’s a Jedi. They don’t deserve the respect of my people after all they’ve done. She couldn’t help but feel a small worm of doubt, though. Were Jedi really as bad as she was told? Zaia probably would have liked Bri if she hadn’t known about her affiliation with the Order. Well, she was going to find out soon.

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Brienna Lanaamer

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“Right. Let’s head out."

Zaia placed her helmet back on her head as the two women exited the store. They walked in relative silence until the tram station came into view after a few blocks.

“We can take the tram at the station over there, and then the elevator to get to level… what was it? Fifty three?”

"Fifty-three" Bri replied in confirmation.

“Then we can find that warehouse, knock a couple gangsters out, get the kids, and come back. That sound like a plan?” Another nod in return. Zaia made it sound simple enough.

Unless you had the proper directions, navigating Coruscant was like traversing a maze, inside a puzzle. The various interlocking layers connected in strange ways, and it was extraordinarily easy to get lost in the ecumenopolis-like labyrinth. The Rodian hadn't given them too much information to go off of, but the Jedi guessed that the warehouse was probably fairly close to where the store was. I hope.

The tram station presented itself, and Bri and Zaia boarded, along with a variety of other creatures and beings. Despite Bri's best efforts to blend in at the beginning of the day, a tall woman in full Mandalorian beskar-armor was more than a little conspicuous. Standing in a corner of the car, Bri expressed a few more thoughts in a quieter tone of voice.

"I hate to be the cynical one, but does any part of you think this could be a trap?" Bri raised an eyebrow in thought. "As in the shop owner stumbled upon a Mandalorian with real nice beskar armor," she gestured to Zaia, "and a woman who doesn't look like she quite belongs in the Coruscanti underworld," a pause, "with a fancy laser sword," the last part of the sentence uttered through practically gritted teeth.

"And he then thought to send them to his buddies to have their stuff stolen?" another thought raised as a question.

The Jedi sighed and looked out the window. It was clear she didn't want to be cynical, but her analytical mind always tended towards preparing for every eventuality. "Or," she tilted her head in a non-comittal fashion. "I'm over thinking this, and his kids were actually taken." The Jedi didn't admit as much to her new acquaintance, but overthinking was one of her weaknesses. It happened a lot. Like every day.

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Zaia Krodas

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Zaia went with Bri to the station, following the Jedi into a quiet-ish corner of the car. As she held onto one of the handles dangling from the roof, she pursed her lips at the Jedi’s words. She’d brought up a few good points there, she admitted grudgingly. She hadn’t even thought of it possibly being a trap, and after dealing with him for so long, she even sort of wanted to believe it. I really do need some sleep.

“It’s always a possibility,” Zaia responded, giving Bri a nod of acknowledgement. “It’s not cynical at all. You never know when someone’ll double-cross you.” She paused for a moment, then smiled briefly. “Even if it is a trap, we’ll be able to break out. You Jedi aren’t known for giving up, especially not when things are hard.” And things were hard indeed. In a way, the Jedi had faced the same persecution that the Mandalorians had, following the rise of the Empire. In one way, they were on the same side. Then Zaia realized what she was thinking. Get a hold of yourself. The Jedi are not your friends.

“Either way, we’ll be going back to that shop in one piece, with all our gear. That I can promise you,” Zaia said, determination in her tone. “Whatever happens, he’s going to be giving u- I mean me, the pendant.”

Soon enough, the Mandalorian and the Jedi had reached their stop, and Zaia got off along with Bri. Looking up, the elevator was right in front of them. When the door opened, she stepped in, and typed in their floor number.

“We’re almost there,” Zaia murmured half to herself as the elevator began to descend. As it moved, she turned to Bri for a moment. “Hey. Um… I was wondering. Can you really tell what people are thinking with, uh, the Force? You know, hypothetically, if someone was planning on betraying you, would you know that?” It was kind of a stupid question, but she was genuinely curious. If it was true, then Bri’s worries about the Rodian were probably justified. If not, well, it couldn’t hurt to be a little more careful.

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Brienna Lanaamer

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“It’s always a possibility. It’s not cynical at all. You never know when someone’ll double-cross you.”

Bri nodded along as Zaia spoke, but wasn't sure how to feel. Either way, the situation wasn't great. The Rodian did actually have his kids taken by some gangsters, or he was lying about it to lure the two women into a trap. It was the general ick feeling of dealing with the criminal underworld. It seemed that no matter how much Bri or other Jedi did, on any world, criminals would always reappear, like incessant weeds. It would be easy for someone to get discouraged.

“Even if it is a trap, we’ll be able to break out. You Jedi aren’t known for giving up, especially not when things are hard.”

A small smile formed on Bri's lips. She couldn't decipher if Zaia had meant the comment as a compliment or not. "Indeed we don't," the Jedi replied, with a knowing nod of her head.

“Either way, we’ll be going back to that shop in one piece, with all our gear. That I can promise you. Whatever happens, he’s going to be giving u- I mean me, the pendant.”

"Well, I'm with you on that one,"

I'll give her one thing, she's determined. It was a trait that the Jedi admired, and one that she prided herself in possessing. There was more to the mystery and it appeared that both Bri and Zaia had the same resolution to bring it to its conclusion. Still some steps to climb for our partnership, though. Bri caught the quick switch from 'us' to 'me'.

The tram came to a slow halt as it arrived at the station. The beskar armored Mandalorian made a much better path through the crowds than the Jedi, and Bri followed in closely behind. The elevator down to additional lower levels was directly next to the station and only after a few short moments, the two women had boarded and punched in their destination. Bri felt the familiar lurch in her stomach as the metal car began to descend. The busy bright lights of the various levels of Coruscant rushed past. Bri looked up as Zaia posed a question that broke the silence.

“Hey. Um… I was wondering. Can you really tell what people are thinking with, uh, the Force? You know, hypothetically, if someone was planning on betraying you, would you know that?”

Well, that's an oddly specific question. Is she referring to me? The Jedi was unsure how to respond, and instead defaulted to humor. "Afraid I'm going to read your mind?" she replied with a sideways grin, and wave of her fingers in a comical manner. Letting a pause for any response from the Mandalorian, Bri added, "I'm just kidding - but, in all seriousness - kind of," she tilted her head, sounding a little unsure. "Some Jedi train in that field - telepathy - and have much greater control over what they can or cannot read," a slight shrug, "it's not something I've studied a lot myself. We can mainly read feelings and emotions, but nothing so specific as direct thoughts."

"Though," she raised a finger, "you can also train to yourself to shield your mind from such readings. It's hard, but doable with a good amount of practice and studying." Bri looked back over towards Zaia, but it was pretty much impossible to get a read on her facial expressions through the visor of the helmet. "Why do you ask?"

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Zaia stared at Bri as she made the joke about reading her mind and waved her fingers. At least she thought it was a joke. Or was the Jedi being serious? The thought made her head hurt.

“Hmm. Telepathy. Must be helpful in a fight,” Zaia commented. She’d keep that in mind next time she decided to fight a Sith. Or Jedi, if it came to that. She looked over curiously at Bri when she raised a finger. Apparently it was possible to stop Jedi from reading those feelings. I should learn to do that someday.

“It was the Rodian,” Zaia confessed as the elevator door slid open. She stepped outside along with Bri, noting how empty the area seemed. There was no one around, and the streets were poorly lit. What little light there was came from flickering street lamps and a small fire burning on some old cardboard.

“What you said made sense. About the trap, I mean. And looking at this…” Zaia gestured at the street, “I can’t say that the possibility of there being an ambush or something has gone down.” She paused, allowing for a response before she continued. “I was hoping that if you knew how to read the Rodian’s thoughts, we could plan on that. If not, well, no biggie.” She shrugged. “We’ll just have to be more careful.”

As she looked around for anything that resembled a warehouse, Zaia couldn’t shake off the feeling that something wasn’t right here. That was when she heard footsteps coming from behind, and it wasn’t Bri.

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Brienna Lanaamer

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Bri was unsure if her attempt at humor was successful or not. There was no audible laughter, and again, no traceable smiles through the visor of the beskar helmet. I'm just going to assume she laughed - on the inside.

“Hmm. Telepathy. Must be helpful in a fight,”

"One of its more useful practical applications, yes," Bri nodded. It was the truth. By trusting the Force, a Jedi could let it guide themselves, facilitating motions and movements. It was a great ally. But, like many things, it could also be a hindrance. Without the right mindset, it was like swimming upstream. Fighting the current.

“It was the Rodian,”

"Ah," Bri replied with a nod. That makes a little more sense then her thinking about double crossing me. A little. She paused for a slight moment of reflection. "I didn't sense anything immediately off, but he could have been trying to suppress it."

The elevator doors slid open with a metal-on-metal screech. There was no one else on the elevator and the street that they had been deposited on was equally as empty. Bri stepped out and looked around. A few street lights flickered on and off and to the Jedi's left a small fire was consuming some leftover packaging. The buildings all looked closed or boarded up. A distinct lack of any presence over a lengthy period of time. Bri's attention turned as Zaia provided an update.

“What you said made sense. About the trap, I mean. And looking at this…” Zaia gestured at the street, “I can’t say that the possibility of there being an ambush or something has gone down.”

"I don't disagree," she replied, before walking to the edge of the street, and peering down to the lower levels of the city beneath fifty-three. The Jedi got down on her haunches and picked up a scrap of paper on the ground. After a quick scan with her blue eyes, Bri determined there was nothing remarkable about it, crumpled it up and stuffed it into her pocket.

“I was hoping that if you knew how to read the Rodian’s thoughts, we could plan on that. If not, well, no biggie. We’ll just have to be more careful.”

"Right," another nod of the Jedi's head. "I could feel his fear, which is usually hard to fake. But I couldn't tell if it was the fear of his children being missing, or the fear of his plan not working and us returning for a follow up chat," Bri explained. "Also his nerves. Never hurts to air on the side of caution, right?" The Jedi tilted her head and raised an eyebrow with a slight smile.

A small buzz in the back of her mind. "Speaking of....," she said slowly, turning around.

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“Extra caution can’t hurt,” Zaia agreed. Then, Bri’s voice trailed off and she knew that something was wrong. She turned back along with the Jedi and saw a group of six men. Two were wielding blasters, and as they cocked their weapons, the others wielding vibroswords charged straight at them.

“Looks like you were right,” she muttered to Bri as she flexed her hands, pulling out her blasters.

Two of the four men broke off for Bri, and the others came for Zaia. She aimed to shoot when a blaster bolt seemingly came out of nowhere and missed her head by just a few centimeters, forcing her to duck out of the way. She probably would have been fine because of her helmet, but she wasn’t willing to take that chance. Unfortunately, that had given the two thugs who’d decided to charge at her more time, and by the time she looked up again they were right in front of her.

One swung his sword, and Zaia was able to block with her gauntlet, the screech of metal on metal piercing the street. Meanwhile, the other had taken to sliding in an attempt to knock her feet from underneath her, but she was able to step aside just in time. The first man let go, backed away a few steps, and regrouped a little away from where she was, readying their swords. Perfect.

Zaia pressed the button on her gauntlet that activated her flamethrower, and watched as the fire blasted into them. The men and their swords dropped down to the ground as they rolled around, trying to put the flames out. Those men being taken care of, Zaia turned to where Bri was, hoping that her companion was okay.

Color change
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Brienna Lanaamer

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“Looks like you were right,”

"And here I was thinking this was going to be easy," Bri muttered back through the side of her mouth.

A total of six assailants had targeted Zaia and Bri. Two stood in the back with blasters, while the other four stepped forward with vibroswords. Those four split in half between the two women. The Jedi locked her mind into the Force, breathing deeply to prepare for combat. A few blaster bolts dissected the silence, one just narrowly missing the Mandalorian's helmet, and the other off target from Bri's torso after a quick maneuver sideways. Let's put a stop to that. The Jedi held her left hand out, fingers outstretched and wrapped her Force grasp around the blasters. She yanked her arm towards her chest and the two weapons flew out of the hands of the grunts. Exchanging confused looks with each other, they scrambled to get their weapons back.

The time spent protecting from a ranged attack allowed the two with swords to close the distance on Bri. The one on her right, a Mirialan, moved to slice downward on the Jedi's head. She rushed forward to her right, dodging the attack and connecting a sharp Force assisted punch into the man's midsection. Bri dodged a horizontal retaliatory slice by shifting backwards, before sweeping the Mirailans legs out with a kick from her left foot. Another well-timed punch to the side of the head on his way down knocked the grunt out.

The Force buzzed behind Bri's right shoulder and she quickly somersaulted to the left to dodge the attack from the secondary attacker, this one a human male. The duracrete floor crackled and sparked as the thrust of the sword into the ground just narrowly missed Bri. Rolling to dodge, the Jedi - now on her back - performed a kip-up and immediately launched into a jumping kick with her right leg, knocking the criminal, before connecting with a sharp punch with her left fist into the side of the man's face. A satisfactory crunching sound knocked him unconscious.

"Oww....," Bri muttered, shaking her hand, and looking over to see how Zaia had fared. Her two attackers were in the process of being singed by flames. Seems about right for a Mandalorian. The two grunts in the back had managed to reacquire their blasters, but before they could fire a shot, Bri reached out with the Force and send the one on the right - a Gran - flying into the abandoned building on the street. A series of crashes and bangs, followed by a rather comical puff of dust, indicated he was likely down for the count. The other - another human male - raised his blaster preparing to shoot, but Bri held her left hand out in a threatening manner, calling out, "Don't!"

The man looked around at his fallen comrades - two knocked out, two on fire - and to the Gran shaped hole in the building to his left and slowly lowered his blaster. "Well at least he's seen reason. Let's see if he knows anything?" Bri suggested to Zaia through a few heavy breaths, walking towards the one remaining criminal.

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If the fallen Mirialan and human on the ground and the Gran who’d been thrown through a wall weren’t enough to prove that Bri was more than alright, Zaia didn’t know what was.

“Wow. You’re good,” she commented with an impressed tone, giving the Jedi a nod of respect. She had to admit, with Bri’s sunny demeanor, she was surprised that she was quick in a fight. Quick thinking too, she thought at Bri’s suggestion. Following that, Zaia turned to the last remaining man, the one who’d shot at her earlier. “And you have some explaining to do.”

The man fell back on his hands as the two approached him, and Zaia raised a hand. “Relax. We’re not going to hurt you. Not yet, at least.” She shrugged. “Who hired you? Why are you here?”

The man noticeably gulped, and his eyes shifted back and forth between Bri and Zaia. “Dash. A Rodian named Dash. He sent us to stop you.” Zaia exchanged a glance with Bri, then turned back to the man.

“Why is that?”

“He din’ say.” He threw up his hands and dropped his blaster, backing away further. Zaia didn’t move. “Please, this ain’t worth the pay, let me go, please.”

“One more question. Where can we find this… Dash?”

“Down the street. Make a right, there’s a warehouse. He’s in there with the kids.” Zaia glanced over at Bri, then nodded at the man.

“Thank you.” After looking back and forth between the Jedi and the Mandalorian, the man backed away until he was out of the street and then took off. He hadn’t even brought his weapon, and Zaia wondered if he really was even part of a gang. Thugs normally didn’t give up this easily.

“What did you think of that? Zaia asked her companion as she picked up the blaster the man had dropped. She wanted to see if Bri felt the same way about this. As she examined the blaster, she saw that it was civilian class, and noticed that it was so shiny that it looked hardly used. That was strange for a criminal, and she couldn’t help but feel like there was something more to what had just happened.

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Brienna Lanaamer

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“Wow. You’re good,”

Bri smiled through a sigh. She nodded her head in acknowledgement and replied, "Not so bad yourself." The two women's attention turned to the man who had fallen back on his hands. He faced a couple of direct questions from Zaia, and gulped in fear. After what the Jedi and the Mandalorian had done to the other criminals, his panic was probably warranted. Bri had no intention of hurting him further, and it appeared that Zaia was of the same mind. Unless something went off the rails over the course of the conversation, which seemed unlikely.

“Relax. We’re not going to hurt you. Not yet, at least. Who hired you? Why are you here?”

“Dash. A Rodian named Dash. He sent us to stop you.” Zaia exchanged a glance with Bri, then turned back to the man.

“Why is that?”

“He din’ say. Please, this ain’t worth the pay, let me go, please.”

“One more question. Where can we find this… Dash?”

“Down the street. Make a right, there’s a warehouse. He’s in there with the kids.”

The Jedi crossed her arms as she listened to the exchange. The man seemed to give up the information pretty easily, which didn't suggest some sort of mastermind criminal enterprise, and a distinct lack of allegiance to whoever was paying him. Bri's Force sensitivity was raised as he mentioned 'the kids.' The fear was genuine, and unless this seemingly garden-variety criminal was some sort of exceptional actor, he was likely telling the truth as well. "Get out of here," the blonde Jedi spoke commandingly to the man, waving her left hand to shoo him away. He readily took the opportunity and scampered off into the darkness.

"Guess we're on the right track," Bri turned and added to Zaia as she watched the the criminal disappear down the road.

“What did you think of that?

"Not sure," Bri replied, tilting her head to the side. "His willingness to rat on his delinquent buddies would suggest to me that we're not dealing with some sort of well-run criminal organization. He was genuinely fearful."

The Jedi walked over to Zaia as she looked over the abandoned blaster. Bri took it from her hands after she had finished looking at it. How strange. "This is," she paused, "almost brand new?" raising her head to look at the Mandalorian. "It's also civilian class." The blonde Jedi wouldn't describe herself as an expert when it came to criminals and their chosen weapons, but they typically went after more military type equipment. Whatever could cause the most damage.

"Let's see if we can scope out this warehouse before getting ourselves into trouble. There's something off here...." Bri trailed off, looking off into the Coruscant darkness.

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Zaia nodded after hearing Bri’s thoughts. “Agreed. Those men weren’t well trained either. It was almost too easy.” Their movements had been clumsy, and other than the ambushing part, it didn’t look like they had a strategy either. As Bri walked over and looked over the weapon, Zaia nodded her head in confirmation as the Jedi looked at her.

“Alright, let’s see where this takes us. The guy said it was close,” she agreed to Bri’s final statement. Heading down the street alongside the Jedi and turning right at the end of the block, Zaia did indeed see a large warehouse ahead. It was unlabeled and unmarked, but the building was unmistakable.

“There it is,” she said, then paused to look at Bri, tempted to voice her misgivings about this whole thing. But then she decided that this was probably not the best place to do that, and so she kept her mouth shut.

A pair of lightly armed guards stood outside the warehouse door. They were conversing with each other, one letting out a laugh as the other said something. Clearly they weren’t focused on whatever they were supposed to be doing. Zaia briefly flipped on her scout HUD, and saw that their weapons, too, were not military grade. She turned it off, then glanced at Bri.

“Doesn’t look like these guys are any better than the ones who ambushed us. Any ideas for how you want to approach them? I can’t believe I’m saying this, but… I’d prefer to avoid a fight this time.”

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Brienna Lanaamer

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“Alright, let’s see where this takes us. The guy said it was close,”

The Jedi nodded in confirmation of the plan. As they walked, the scenery did not change in the slightest. More decrepit abandoned buildings, flickering street lights, and a distinct lack of anyone else to be found. Maybe this is one of those deserted levels? Bri did not know a lot about Coruscant, but the one thing the planet never seemed to lack - at least from her experience - was people.

True to the criminal's word, a warehouse came into view after a few turns, looking equally as run down. It was large, taking up a few blocks, and covered in a varying amount of graffiti. A few of the duracrete wall panels had patches on them, no doubt displaying the older age of the building. There did not appear to be windows or doors, which posed another problem for entry. The two women slowed their approach, spotting a couple of men standing guard outside what appeared to be the front entrance.

Bri and Zaia paused behind a few metallic crates, keeping out of view of the two guards who stood watch. "What do you see?" the Jedi turned her head and asked.

The Mandalorian used some of the technology in her helmet and provided a brief scouting update.

“Doesn’t look like these guys are any better than the ones who ambushed us. Any ideas for how you want to approach them? I can’t believe I’m saying this, but… I’d prefer to avoid a fight this time.”

"I agree," Bri replied. A noisy fight outside the front doors would likely alert to everyone inside. At this stage of the investigation - if that's what we're calling it now - the Jedi did not confident that they had enough information to go barging in. Everything still pointed to Aldo's kids being held hostage inside, and Bri would do everything in her power to ensure no harm came to them.

"I could try to use a mind trick on them," Bri started brainstorming ideas, "but if it doesn't work, then they'll immediately know that something is off, and likely alert whoever is inside." The Jedi chewed her bottom lip. "We might be able to incapacitate them if we get close enough. Then we'd be able to scout what's happening inside" The blonde woman remained quiet for another moment in thought. "I....I could be the distraction to get us closer."

The Jedi pulled the elastic band keeping her hair in a ponytail, and ran her hands through the blonde locks, tussling it up. She traced her fingers across some of the grime on the metallic container and proceeded to smudge her face. "Who wouldn't want to help the poor lost woman in the Coruscant underworld?" Bri looked over towards the helmeted face of Zaia, laughing at the relative absurdity of her plan.

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