Ask Nar Shaddaa Lost In Space

[Ori Ardell]

Not many friendly faces on Nar Shadda, Ori thought. He had only been on the planet for a few hours and that was already evident to him. The transport ship he'd taken from Baraan-Fa had dumped him here because according to them, this was as far as his credits would take him. It was raining and Ori's clothes were soaked through. Thankfully he found what looked like to be the entrance to a bar, although there was a bouncer standing in the entrance.

"Identification card," the bouncer demanded as he saw Ori approaching.

"Haven't got one," Ori replied, carrying on before the bounce could reply, "Look, I just want to get out of the rain for an hour. I won't cause any trouble." The bounce nodded his head and waved Ori inside.

"I hear you causing any trouble, I'll drag you out by your hair," Ori heard the bounce say as he descended down a small staircase into the bar. Taking a seat at the counter, he got the attention of the bartender and handed over a handful of credits, "Water please, and some food, I'll take anything you got, I'm starving."

"Sure thing," the bartender said. He returned several minutes later with a glass of water and a plate, on top of which was what looked like mouldy bread. Ori eat it anyway. After he finished, Ori went to thank the bartender, but he had already walked away, his attention taken by other customers. At the same time, two burly, rough-looking men sat down either side of Ori, sandwiching him in his chair.

"What are you doing here?" The man to Ori's right asked sternly.

"Don't look like you belong here kid," The one to the left added, with an unnerving chuckle afterwards.

"Just passing through," Ori said, "I'm on my way to find the Jedi Order." The two men fell silent, exchanging a glance.

The man on the right spoke up, "Jedi Order? We don't like those types around here, do we Kaz?" He said, addressing the man on Ori's left. "They're nosy, and they bring trouble."

"No, Riga, we don't," Kaz answered, "I think we should teach this kid a thing or two, see if he's got what it takes to be a Jedi." Kaz and Riga stood up at the same time.

"Look guys," Ori said, "I really don't want any trou-" He barely had time to finish before Kaz and Riga yanked him from his barstool and pushed him down onto the floor. They both laughed.

"What ya gonna do now, Jedi boy?" Riga said mockingly.

@Nefieslab

 

[Maxims Tionson]

Max had been trying to leave Nar Shaddaa for what felt like years and yet every time he prepared himself to pay his docking charges and fly away from the planet, everything seemed to conspire to keep him there. The first time it had been the murder of a dancer and now it seemed as though the Force had decided he was not yet done. Once again the cosmic, mystic, force that bound everything and everyone in the Galaxy together decided that he needed to do something else.

Something more.

Had he not dedicated a large part of his life in serving things greater than himself, Max might have gotten frustrated that he seemed to be at the beck and call of the Force, that he lacked some crucial form of agency in his own life. But Max was the kind of person who accepted the call to arms when it was called.

When he spotted the kid he hadn't thought much of it but something told him to keep an eye on him. It was probably more to do with how young and afraid the kid looked rather than anything else. No it wasn't the Force that encouraged him to stick close to the kid so much as it was his instincts and his training as a cop. The kid had 'victim' written all over him; all shivering, wet and wide eyed on a planet that chewed up and spat out people far tougher on a daily basis.

When the kid openly said that he was looking for the Jedi Order, Max had to stop himself from cursing and then had to stop himself from engaging in his second thought; merely palming his face and screaming into his hands. The Jedi Order wasn't a secret but they had enough people on bad terms with them in the 'nicer' parts of the Galaxy. In Hutt Space calling someone a Jedi was almost bordering on a slur.

It was why he had yet to ignite his lightsaber on the damned smugglers moon.

"Hey!"

He called out, catching the attention of the two bullying the boy. Rather than going with his instincts, to check to make sure the kid was alright, Max knew that he needed to get some heat off of the kid and, now that he had stuck his oar in, himself as well.

"Kaz - the hell are you doing drinking here?" he called one of the two out, "Don't you still owe the Syndicate those credits?"

Both men looked uncertain but Kaz looked positively sick as the rest of the bar turned to look at him with interest. The Syndicate liked debtors who paid on time but they hated people who used their credits on themselves rather than paying their debts. Enough that it was well known if the debts being ignored were high enough, you could get yourself a favor from the Syndicates if you brought them the late payer.

"It ain't like that - I'm up to date." Kaz protested but it suddenly didn't look like many people at the bar believed him, "You know that, right Riga?"

Riga held up his hands and stepped away.

Max grabbed the kid by the shoulder and began quickly dragging him away from the bar, almost throwing him into a booth near the back. Looming over the sat kid for a second, Max sighed a little bit before sitting across the table to him.

"Who's your master, Padawan?" he asked gently but loud enough so only the two of them could hear, "Have they not told you to keep a low profile in Hutt space? We're not exactly welcomed here."

@Roentgenium

 

[Ori Ardell]

"You'll see what I'm going to do," Ori said under his breath as he pulled himself up to his feet. He didn't have a chance to do anything before the stranger came in to defend him. Looking at the man, Ori noted to himself that he didn't look like the other residents, or patrons he'd seen around the area. There was something different about him, the way he carried himself. There was an air of authority. Ori wasn't sure whether or not that was a good thing yet, the last thing he needed was the attention of the local police.

Before he could collect himself, Ori was grabbed again. This time by the stranger who pulled him to a booth. Ori didn't protest much and allowed himself to sink back into the cushioned seat.

"Who's your master, Padawan?" The man questioned, "Have they not told you to keep a low profile in Hutt space? We're not exactly welcomed here."

"My master, what are you talking about?" Ori asked with a confused tone. Then the penny dropped. The man said we're not welcome. "You're a Jedi!" Ori said in a hushed, yet excited voice. It was funny, he'd only recently left Baraan-Fa with the intention of finding the Jedi and the first planet he lands on, he finds one. A strange coincidence.

"I'm trying to find the Jedi Temple, I can.." Ori leaned into the table, talking quieter, "I can use the Force."

@Nefieslab

 

[Maxims Tionson]

Ah.

This explained a lot actually.

He had thought he was dealing with a Padawan fresh into his training, happy for the chance to rush out into the Galaxy and do some good but it seemed as though he had actually caught this one even earlier in his journey than that. Right now it seemed that the journey had only just begun and that was both a good thing and a bad thing.

A good thing because it was always a good thing to see young men and women opening themselves up to the Light and accepting that the Force had called to them and they had to answer. A bad, or at least not good, thing about it was that at this stage people tended to be very excited about it.

And not very subtle.

"Yes I am a Jedi Knight." he responded equally as quietly with a small smile even as he added, "But I'm not advertising that fact on this moon. As I've said - not welcome."

It was intriguing that the young man could already use the Force though.

"What have you managed to do so far? How did you discover your connection to the Force?"

@Roentgenium

 

[Ori Ardell]

Ori focused on the man as he confirmed his suspicions. The man made it abundantly clear that the Jedi were not welcome on Nar Shaddaa. Ori felt slightly embarrassed, realising that the man potentially risked his safety to protect him.

"What have you managed to do so far? How did you discover your connection to the Force?"

A complicated question. Although Ori was thankful for the man's intervention, he wasn't sure how truthful he wanted to be about the reasons surrounding his departure from Baaran-Fa. The last thing he wanted to tell the first Jedi he met was that he had been caught stealing and had used the Force to launch an officer across the room into a wall. Somehow, that didn't seem like a good first impression to make.

"Someone threw a rock at me and I stopped it," he lied, "After that, I told my parents I wanted to find the Jedi and they let me, said I was an adult and if I wanted to waste my time travelling across the galaxy for nothing, I was free to. So here I am." Ori said, lying again.

A wave of nervousness washed over Ori. Suddenly, he was questioning all his decisions up until now. He'd left the only place he'd ever known, landed on some backwater moon, was almost attacked and now he was lying to the first person he'd met who'd tried to help him, and that person was a Jedi. For all he knew Jedi's could detect your lies and all this was pointless.

"I appreciate your help but, I just need to be pointed in the right direction. I can make my own way."

@Nefieslab

 

[Maxims Tionson]

Does being a Jedi mean you can read people so well that you can tell when they're lying? No. No, it absolutely did not. There was a perception that it did but that was more of an urban legend than anything else. Strong Jedi could feel a person's connection to their emotions and try and extrapolate from that but they had to develop instincts for it.

Did being a cop for several years give him the instincts to tell when a teenager was lying to him? Yep.

Fortunately for Ori, Max didn't much care about the lying. The kid barely knew who Max was and only had his word to go on the idea that he was even a Jedi. He didn't hold it against him at all. Max looked at the kid for a long moment before sighing a little bit.

"Kid, how old are you?" he asked, a touch bluntly, "You came here by yourself and you almost got attacked by yourself as well. One of the things they'll teach you when you meet up with the rest of the Order? Jedi aren't solitary creatures. We grow better and we help more people by working together."

Max had never thought of himself the kind of person, the kind of Jedi, to do this next part but hey, what was he supposed to do? Just let the kid flounder on his own?

"How about this kid... my name's Max. You come with me to square away my docking fees here and I'll take you to Ajan Kloss to meet the Order, see about getting you a Master, alright?"

@Roentgenium

 

[Ori Ardell]

It would probably be fair to say that Ori was naive, but even he could tell that Max wasn't buying what he was telling him. He was expecting a rebuttal, to be told he'd failed a secret Jedi test about lying or something, and he was to be packed off back to Baraan-Fa on the next ship off Nar Shaddar. But Max didn't.

"I'm eighteen, and I get your point," Ori said in response to Max's salient words. Whether he had actually understood Max's words in a meaningful way is another matter.. Perhaps after living his life as an orphan and only having himself to rely on, he was a little reluctant to put his faith in other people.

But maybe he could start with Max. Baby steps.

"Okay, I'll come with you. And my name's Ori." He was trying to present a calm exterior, but his mind was racing with a million questions. Where was Ajan Kloss? What was it like? What did having a Master entail? These were just a few of the things on Ori's mind as they left the bar, but he decided to save his questions for later. There would be plenty of time.

@Nefieslab

 

[Maxims Tionson]

By the Force... Eighteen.

No wonder the kid was making kid-mistakes - he was barely out of primary school. Or, at least, that's how it felt to someone of Max's age who honestly would have preferred Ori to have stayed in school for a while longer before entering this half of the Galaxy. The side of the Galaxy that no one ever really saw, even when they were in it.

The side of the Galaxy that had a tangible smell and taste to it that informed you long before you actually saw it, that it was a place of sin and disgust.

Leaving the bar was a lot less eventful than Ori's arrival. Reaching into the Force, Max touched Ori's mind in a gentle and welcoming manner as he opened up a line of telepathic communication.

Alright Ori, just think your replies and I'll hear them. I've linked our minds for communication using the Force. He projected to his, potentially temporary, student.

So what do you think of Nar Shaddaa so far?

They passed a bar-fight that had spilled out into the street and Max didn't even bat an eye at having to duck under a wild swing that went wife. Thankfully the fight just continued and Max and Ori could continue.

@Roentgenium

 

[Ori Ardell]

As Ori followed Max out of the bar, he thought over the events of the day. He felt on the verge of something, the beginnings of a journey which few made. He was nervous, but in a good way. Thinking about the future was not something he usually did. On Baraan-Fa he had spent most of his time just surviving day-to-day. But it felt good to think that things could get better.

Although Max did so gently, the sensation of hearing Max's voice inside his head, startled Ori initially. However, he adjusted to the new experience quickly, feeling more impressed and in awe than anything, that a Jedi was capable of this.

Okay, I can hear you, Ori thought in reply, This is weird. Oh, wait, you can hear that can't you? I mean, I'm not saying you're weird. Just the whole 'mind-talking' thing.

"It's not great. Seems pretty dangerous and the locals aren't very welcoming. Not that I blame them. I doubt I'd take too kindly to any strange newcomers if I lived here. Ori thought back to his encounter in the bar, "I guess hindsight is twenty-twenty."

Manoeuvring past the bar-fight, Ori shadowed Max's steps and managed to avoid any trouble.

@Nefieslab

 

[Maxims Tionson]

Seemed like the kid had some ways to go before he picked up telepathy but that was alright. It usually took people a little bit of time to realize that they could moderate what they actually sent through the mental connection. Most people just kind of learned it through experience rather than instruction so Max wasn't going to tell him.

The kid would likely pick it up soon anyway.

Alright kid, just try and stay quiet.

As they approached their destination of the landing pad, Max turned sharply to the right and made his way towards a small building just off from the landing pad itself. Outside it's door were a hulking pair of alien guards who let Max and Ori through the door without a moment's hesitation. And why would two obvious guards let two strangers through to speak to their boss?

Easy really.

They didn't think they stood a chance of being a threat.

Within the small room was an alien, a Trandoshan, sat behind a desk with another four of the guards in the corners of the rooms. The Trandoshan smiled his species' version of a smile.

"Maxims my friend!"

Max tried for a smile and was semi-successful.

"Gyano." he greeted him politely before adding, "I'm here to pay my... ah... fee and leave the landing pad."

Gyano sighed and shook his head.

"No can do friend - you owe half a million credits for release."

Max just stared at him for a moment before sighing.

"Alright I'll get back to you then. I'll work and get the credits."

Gyano shook his head.

"No. We'll just take what you have and the slave boy."

Max barred his teeth.

... you know how to fight, kid?

@Roentgenium

 

[Ori Ardell]

Ori did as he was told and kept quiet. He was surprised as Max led him away from the landing pad and towards the two giant guards. He didn't say a word as he passed between them, although he was sure he heard the aliens share a quiet laugh. Obviously they knew something he didn't.

As they entered the room, Ori took note of the four guards in the corners, finally focusing on the Trandoshan behind the desk. He wasn't paying much attention, assuming that this was all part of the normal process for leaving a planet.

The talk of 'half a million credits' however, quickly brought his attention back to the present.

Half a million?! Ori thought, How long have you been parked here?! The Trandoshan then said something which sent a chill down his spine.

"No. We'll just take what you have and the slave boy."

Ori looked between Max and Gyano. He had no idea what was going on, but if he knew one thing, it was that he wasn't going to be anybodies slave. He clenched his fists instinctively and he felt the familiar feeling of the anger rising inside him.

Ori was sick of this, sick of people treating him like he was nothing. Sick of being a passenger in the world, things happening to him that was beyond his control. If the Trandoshans wanted a fight, they were going to get one.

Just give the word...

@Nefieslab

@Nefieslab

 

[Maxims Tionson]

How long had he been parked there?

Sometimes it felt like it had been a decade or more but, in reality, he knew it had only been a few weeks. There was just something about Nar Shaddaa that made a few weeks seemingly stretch forever until they were an eternity all to themselves. He too had been surprised by the figure so he didn't hold it against Ori.

Nowhere near that long.

Not even close to be honest but he had expected to be completely gouged when it came to prices. But there was a difference between a bit of a price hike and half a million credits. It was a bloody courier ship for Force's sake!

"I'm leaving with my ship and the boy, Gyano." Max declared bluntly, "You don't want to try and stop us."

Of course a Jedi mind trick was hardly going to work on a guy like this. Especially not when he had back up that Max wouldn't be able to apply the damn technique too. As much as he didn't like fighting, here Max was rapidly beginning to see no alternative. Gyano and his men were forcing him into a confrontation and he resented that.

"I really do."

One of the guards placed a hand on Max's shoulder and that was enough. Grabbing the wrist, Max pulled the guard forwards and off-balance using the Force to enhance his physical strength enough to use the grip to slam the guard's head into the desk in front of him. As he was going that he jabbed his stun rod under the man's armpit, shocking him into unconsciousness.

He trusted that the kid didn't need any bigger a clue than that.

@Roentgenium

 

[Ori Ardell]

When Max attempted the mind trick on Gyano, Ori felt like he could sense something happening, but he wasn't quite sure what. For a fraction of a second, Gyano looked confused, like his mind had suddenly become a blank slate. But he quickly snapped out of it and delivered his chilling response to Max's words,

"I really do."

On those words Ori felt his muscles tighten up as his body prepared for a fight. The flood of adrenaline left Ori feeling a little weak in the knees but he kept himself steady. He watched with eyes wide as Max took out the guard. The sound of the guard head cracking off the desk caused Ori to involuntarily wince but he was still in awe.

"Holy--.. that was so co-," Max was cut off as he was grabbed by the guard that was in the corner behind him. Before he could react further, the guard had picked him up and slammed him against the wall. The guard began to choke Ori, squeezing his throat. Ori responded quicker this time, jamming his fingers into the guards eyes.

The guard yelped and dropped him to the ground. Ori rubbed his throat and then heavily thrust his boot into the side of the guards knee, which buckled him to the floor. One of the two remaining guards came towards Ori with a metallic baton in his hand. Ori threw up his fists ready to fight the guard, but slowly backed away at the same time.

"Max... a little help here!"

@Nefieslab

 

[Maxims Tionson]

Brawls were so chaotic that sometimes Max pitied people who were not Force sensitive. How did people keep track of four to five different people trying to attack them from multiple directions without the Force giving them insight? He honestly had no idea and it was a little bit bemusing to him that some people tried that kind of thing when they were drunk.

As Ori was dealing with the first guard to come his way, Max himself was dealing with Gyano. The criminal lunged across the desk at Max, intent on clawing his throat out it seemed. Once again using the Force to enhance his strength, Max grunted and kicked the desk. Not only did the desk flip over but it also moved solidly against Gyano, catching the criminal off-guard and sending him crashing to the ground.

Another guard came at him with a bat, swinging horizontally for his head. Max ducked under it and pushed the man backwards while he was over-extended, to give himself some breathing room. He was about to use his stun baton when he heard Ori yell and saw through the Force that the young man needed help.

But he was the other side of the room to him with a thug between them.

Max dodged out of the way of another bat swing as he threw his stun baton, banking it off the ceiling to have it fly through the air towards Ori's waiting hands.

"Light em up kid!"

@Roentgenium

 

[Ori Ardell]

Ori caught the stun baton and thrust his hand forwards, attempting to strike the guard that was coming at him in the neck. However, the guard anticipated this and swatted away the attack. The parry knocked Ori off-balance but he was still able to dodge under the guards metal bat, which came swinging towards Ori's head, missing him by inches. Trying to act quickly, Ori tried to strike the guard again, this time in the chest.

But he was too slow. The guard caught Ori's wrist and struck him across the nose with the metallic baton. There was a bone-breaking crunch as Ori's nose gave away, with his nose beginning to bleed. Ori stumbled backwards, dazed and confused. Trying to deliver a knock-out blow, the guard then kicked Ori in the chest, sending him tumbling backwards into the wall and the stun baton out of his hand.

Slumped against the wall, Ori looked up as the guard was bearing down on him. He could see the stun baton, but it was out of his reach. In that moment time seemed to slow down. It was probably the adrenaline but for a moment, he felt like he could think clearly. Closing his eyes, Ori reached his hand out and hoped. A memory came to mind, one of the few he had of his father. Ori sat on his fathers knee as he read a story. He thought that he would have given anything to be there right now, instead of here. He was shocked as moments later, although it felt like a lifetime to him, the stun baton flew across the room into his hand.

Opening his eyes in shock, he saw the guard was about to strike him again. Quickly he jabbed the end of the stun baton with the prongs into the guard thigh. The guard stopped in his tracks and shook violent for several seconds as the electric current coursed through his body, before collapsing in front of Ori. As he staggered back to his feet, Ori suddenly felt an intense pain which caused him to feel unsteady. Touching his face, Ori saw the blood on his hand and had to lean against the wall for balance.

"I don't feel so good..."

@Nefieslab

 

[Maxims Tionson]

There were sounds of violence from behind him and judging by the fact that Ori was still fighting and exerting himself, Max could guess that it wasn't going all that well for the young man. He needed to get this out of the way before he could do anything else though; 'this' being the bat-wielding thug and the big boss man himself.

Grunting in pain, Max took a swing to the stomach from the bat, doubling over in pain. Rather than letting that be the end of it however, he used his hunched position to grab onto the bat so that when the thug tried to pull it back he was unable to do so and slightly off balance. Max stomped the thug's left knee from the side, causing him to fall to one knee and, more importantly, let go of the metal bat. With a sense of vindication, Max straightened and back-handed the thug across the face with the metal bat.

The thug slid boneless to the ground.

He pointed the metal bat at Gyano, who had tried to sneak up on him before freezing at being caught in the act. Staring down the length of the weapon at the gang boss, Max narrowed his eyes a little bit as he tried desperately to not show just how much pain he was in right now. Taking a full-power shot to the gut was not an easy decision to make since he was likely going to be passing blood for some time after this.

"The release key for my ship."

For a second Max thought Gyano was going to fight him - and for a second, Gyano thought the same before he looked at the fresh blood on the metal bat and thought better of it. He reached shakily into his pocket before throwing a cardkey at Max. The Jedi was ninety percent sure the only reason he caught it with his free hand was the will of the Force.

"Thanks - off you go now."

Gyano turned tail and ran. Max waited a couple of seconds before dropping the metal bat to the ground and turning to the kid. Moving closer, he knelt beside the kid and reached up to gingerly touch around his face, noting the damage.

"You're alright kid... you're alright." he assured the kid with a grimace that could charitably look like a smile, "Don't worry. Broken nose? Adds character to a face - you'll be a popular one at the bar. Can you stand kid?"

@Roentgenium

 

[Ori Ardell]

Ori watched as Max tangled with the remaining guard. When Max took the blow to the stomach, Ori wanted to help, but with the searing pain from his broken nose, he had to sit down to stop himself from fainting. Fortunately, Max was able to hold his own and he dispatched the final thug with prejuidice.

"Yeah, you better run.." Ori said weakly as Gyano ran from the room. He was sat against the wall, holding his nose. The adrenaline had all but wore off now and Ori's head had began to ache.

"I'm good, I'm good," He replied as he pulled himself up to his feet. Ori took a glance around, there were several unconscious bodies lying on the floor. When he had left Baraan-Fa not too long ago, he had not foreseen that he would have been in this situation. Fighting side-by-side with a Jedi. Things had a funny way of working out.

"Ajan Kloss then, that's what you said, right?" Ori asked. As much as he had enjoyed being harassed by bar thugs, thrown around and strangled by security guards, he was looking forward to continuing his journey.

@Nefieslab

 

[Maxims Tionson]

Heh.

"Yeah, Ajan Kloss, that's what I said kid."

The kid had some stones on him and Max liked that in someone who was going to have his back one day soon as a Jedi of the Order. Grinning a little bit, he stood back up with barely a wince before patting Ori on the shoulder.

"Well we've got my ship now so let me just ask you one thing Ori..." he laughed a little bit, ignoring how much it hurt his stomach as he led the boy away from the pained thugs they left behind, "You don't mind humidity right?"

Jungles were never much fun but Max was beginning to think Ori might fit right in.

/End Thread

@Roentgenium