Ask Scrub Squad Adventures

[Ezra Thorne]

Some time had passed since he joined the Jedi, and he wasn’t as worthless when it came to the Force. He was slightly behind in his breadth of knowledge than other Padawans, but it became quickly apparent that he made up for it by innate skills. As a result, he was picked to go on a mission into Berchest to help escort a local diplomat out of a sticky situation. Word had it that the man was stuck in one of the lower districts of the magnificent city Calius saj Leeloo. Local authorities conveniently failed to bring the diplomat back and it was suspected that there were bribes involved. Some of the Rangers outright went missing.

The Jedi were called in to investigate and a Jedi Knight by the name of Alton Vari was joined by four Padawans. Alton had asked the Padawans to meet near an alley that would lead into the district in question. However, an hour before arrival time, Alton stopped responding to comms.

Ezra arrived at the designated location, checking his chrono. He was normally the type to show up late, so the fact that he beat the Knight on time was concerning. In fact, somehow he was the first to arrive. He began to wonder if this was an elaborate prank from his fellow Padawans, but he didn’t think Dash would at least do this to him.

He was dressed in an expensive, fur-lined coat and brand name clothing beneath it. Just because he was a Jedi, it didn’t mean he had to wear rags like them. Ezra’s kyber crystal necklace hung around his upper chest, as he still hadn’t constructed a saber yet, carrying an electrosword provided by his master. He had remained dedicated to the Emryc Thorne routine, so he was noticeably slightly bulkier than before, and he began to sport a bit of stubble to get rid of the baby face.

Losing his patience, he began to look around for a caf shop. There was a nagging feeling at the back of his mind that something more was at play - that Alton wasn’t simply just late. He ignored that feeling for now, sending a text to the group, 'Where tf are you guys?'

@Altaris @Zay @Alhon

 

[Dash Pavan]

"Would you like it gift wrapped Sir?"

"Erm, no I'm fine thanks" Dash said, looking anxiously over his shoulder and out into the street. "It'll be great just like that". He paid the cashier and hurried out of the store, tucking the fancy little bag in his inside pocket.

He had opted for a stylish denim jacket with a cosy liner and skinny black jeans and tee that left little to the imagination. Dressing like a Jedi was a dangerous game on so many worlds now and he increasingly eschewed robes unless he was doing formal stuff with Master Albion. He'd even had a hair cut and a cute up-style for a change.

Dash was glad to get out the shop without seeing anyone he knew. The little gift was for later and he didn't want the surprise ruined. He stode down the street, blue eyes glancing inside the eateries and emporiums in wonder. Of all the worlds Dash had visited so far, Berchest had to be up there. It was a nifty hive of tourism and trade that almost seemed unaffected by the chaos going off in the galaxy. The young Padawan guessed that its position in the Inner Rim maybe kept it out of a lot, but what did he know. He wouldn't be here if it was a totally quiet idyll.

He wove through the busy lanes to the meeting point. His Nalphone chimed, but he had already spotted the back of a familiar black head. Dash's detour had actually meant his tardy boyfriend was here first, an occasion in itself.

"Hey baby" he said, trying to make Ezra jump as he whispered over his shoulder. He stepped round and gave the other teen a peck, spotting the stubble too late as it tickled. "Well now" he said, leaning back and taking it in. Looking Ezra up and down, he noticed he was bulkier again too. "Two weeks away and you're nearly all grown up. Is your Pops having them put Spro-Gain in your temple porridge?". Dash didn't mind one jot, in fact he had to take a second look. It was like Ezra had read a book on his turn-ons.

A dog barked off to his left and he simmered down, remembering their surroundings. His smile stayed though; an official mission together was going to be fun, though he had to wonder where the Knight and other Padawans were.

@Sreeya

 

[Leon Baudelaire]

Baudelaire was perched atop the roof of a crystalline building overlooking the city of Calius saj Leeloo. It was beautiful, buildings as far as the eye could see shaped from the stone they stood upon. The city’s name, when loosely translated to basic, was, “The City of Glowing Crystal. And honestly… it was kind of an overstatement. Sure, it was really cool that the buildings were built from crystals, but after you got over that fact, everything just kinda looked the same.

Leon took a deep breath, missing the robust presence of the force as it was on Ellora, then began climbing down the side of the building. The buildings were sheer, but their architecture seemed to encourage climbing there was an eave or ledge to snatch at every landing. The Padawan hit the ground in decent time, taking a moment to gather himself before jogging off to the rendezvous point.

He couldn’t believe how much stronger he’d gotten since he and Ezra had become roommates. The dude was relentless. His level of discipline when it came to his physical regime was insane and that had come off as some kind of challenge, so Leon joined in on it whenever he could. He’d always been lean, but now he was ripped, and honestly, it had done wonders for his ego.

Baudelaire was dressed in what Dash called, Jedi Spacer chic, Leon had no idea what that meant, but he wasn't mad at his current look. The black duster he'd worn at Ezra's move-in party was back. Underneath he wore a black blastvest over a plain white tunic. He wore a pair of grey trousers he'd gotten from Ezra, even after having them hemmed and still had to roll them twice. On his right hip rested his blastsword, Lionheart, and on his left was a reverse holster was his K-16.

Leon rounded the corner and spotted a caf shop. He glanced at his datapad and shrugged he was a few minutes early, might as well grab a latte. As soon as he entered he was stoked. He could tell this was a solid shop just by the espresso machine they used. There were supposed to be four padawans and a knight, he hadn’t heard from the knight in a couple of hours, but that wasn’t unusual.

He decided to get everyone a coffee so he wasn’t that asshole showing up late with a drink for himself and no one else.

“I’ll have a cortado, two lattes,” then he sighed taking a deep breath, “, and finally, a trinta latte extra hot with 6 shots, I need it with ½ blue and ½ coconut milk, ½ pump of vanilla and caramel, cover one half with whip cream and the other with cinnamon— Yes, I know this is ridiculous, you should see the guy who’s gonna drink it— rainbow sprinkles— Yes, I know you’re gonna put a lid on it, I assure you he still wants them— Then Flambé that mo fo, please.”

The barista blinked twice, rattled off the order like a protocol droid, and charged him 40 credits. A few minutes later stepped out of the shop, and spotted Jabba and Dash being all cute. He trotted over lighting the coffee and proclaiming the obvious, “I got us caf!”

Leon took the Cortado and handed Ezra his concoction, then offered one of the lattes to Dash. “You guys hear from the Knight, yet?”

 

[Ferrin Sipal]

Truth be told, Ferrin was genuinely looking forward to the change-of-pace offered by the mission. He didn’t have too much memory of Pantoran, and his years with the Jedi were dominated by rural environments and nature retreats. Whenever there was a training mission or adventure, they usually occurred on planets right out of their stone age - with no HoloNet signal or civilization nearby.

Berchest offered quite the opposite.

Ferrin couldn’t help but gawk at the urban setting all around them - watching how the sunlight seemed to refract and glow off the carved, crystalline structures. Everything from skyscrapers to cafe’s were built from the same gemstone, unlike anything that the Pantoran had ever seen in his life before. It was almost a shame that he was here for Jedi business, or else Ferrin would’ve already begun exploring the nearby shops and local attractions.

He glanced through the mission brief, but was more concerned with who would be joining the Pantoran and designated Jedi Knight. His expression immediately lit up the moment he read Ezra’s name, and promptly dropped when he noticed Dash was on there as well. While there wasn’t much history between the two of them, the Pantoran still didn’t particularly like the blonde Padawan either - no mystery why. Leon was a friendly face - albeit one he didn’t really know.

It didn’t take long for Ferrin to arrive at the designated meeting place - rounding a corner to where the other three Jedi were standing. He couldn’t help but narrow his eyes at the lack of accompanying Knight, and immediately thought back to the lack of messages that had come from the man in hours. Usually, Ferrin was the one trying to ditch his Knight escort - but the idea that the man hadn’t arrived was.. Somewhat unsettling.

“Sup,” He said, offering a peace sign as he joined the group. His gaze lingered on Dash for a moment before glancing over to Ezra, offering a grin. “Adjusted to temple life yet?”

Due to his Pantoran physiology, Ferrin didn’t even feel the cold in the air - and it was reflected in his clothing. He wore pair of tight, white dress pants and a short-sleeve shirt - leaving the top two buttons undone to reveal the upper portion of his chest. He accessorized with his usual gold bracelet and necklace, contrasting against his light blue skin. Upon hearing Leon’s question, he shrugged. “Nope.”

“..Aren’t we the ones who usually try to ditch the chaperone, though?” Ferrin asked as he rounded the corner, glancing between the trio. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes at Dash and Ezra being cute, instead offering Leon a smile upon spotting the caf. “Thanks. I’m Ferrin,”

@Sreeya @Alhon @Zay

 

[Ezra Thorne]

Ezra checked his chrono again when he heard footsteps heading his way. He began to turn right in time for Dash so greet him. It was difficult to sneak up on a guy with highly sensitive hearing, but the reaction was impactful nonetheless. His normally broody expression softened as he pulled Dash into a hug and a quick kiss, his mood always improved when he saw his boyfriend. He could tell the teen was admiring his new looks, and surprisingly his face grew hot.

“Yeah, I dragged Leon into doing the routine with me,” He said, taking in sight of Dash and his outfit, “You look great, babe. Dig the hair,” Ezra said. He was about to sneak in a playful grope in those tight pants, but withdrew as others made their appearance. He looked at Leon and his eyes immediately flicked down to the pants that looked very familiar. Ezra grinned as he reached over to do their very elaborate secret hand shake that took unnecessarily long. He grabbed the specialty caf and looked at the long list of modifications, “You got every one!” He said, genuinely pleased.

Ferrin was the last to arrive, clearly not bothered by the cold. Now, Ezra was on a diet, but he could still look at the menu, “I’m still trying to get offworld catering. Can’t deal with the cafeteria shit,”He took a sip from his caf as his silver eyes peered over the rim at the very flattering clothing choice the Pantoran wore. However, he eventually looked away before Dash could freeze him where he stood.

“I think something is off with this Knight,” Ezra said as he checked his comms again, “We can report it back or just… keep going anyway,” He looked around at the group. He had his answer already - he already knew Dash and Leon seldom stuck to routines. And Ferrin literally broke into a restricted area before.

Without a word, he began to walk towards the district where the diplomat was supposedly held. The mission brief didn’t say much except their target was a male Togruta that was stuck. The contact they were supposed to meet was called Garbo Vontis. Ezra kept walking - this part of the city becoming a ghost town. The streets were littered and there was filth everywhere. It was a complete 180 from the pristine conditions of the upper levels.

He saw the door to the shop that was to be the meeting place. The door was already slightly ajar and he stepped inside. He froze at once, spotting a man lying face down on the ground. There was a pool of blood around his head. He could tell right away that was Garbo.

“Fuck,” Ezra started to backpedal at once, almost toppling over all three of his fellow teens like dominoes.

@Alhon @Altaris @Zay

 

[Dash Pavan]

Ez seemed chipper, which only added to his fresh look. Part of Dash just wanted to scrap the mission and make it a date, but no sooner had Ezra mentioned Leon than the Adumarian appeared.

Leon brought his usual cheery smile and an arm full of hot drinks. His clothes though were a little off. "Hey man" Dash said, taking the latte gratefully "what's with the rogue outfit, I mean-" he trailed off, realising he had seen pants just like those on Ezra's bedroom floor. Dash rolled his eyes, unable to decide what was worse, the sharing clothes or the lame hour-long handshake.

The "Sup," that came from behind beat both though, as Dash turned to see Ferrin. Great, of all the Jedi on the roster.

The athletic Pantoran was a bit of a niggle for Dash, one he couldn't decide how to handle. He was pretty sure Ferrin wanted Ezra, or had at one time. Basic instinct told him to keep them well apart. But his good nature reminded him he had the prize now and no concrete reason to think Ferrin meant to take it.

In the end, he just sipped his latte and looked back at the Ferrin. The guy didn't even have to wear a coat here, a broad toned chest peeking out the elements. Come on! If there were gods on Berchest they were working against him.

Dash was glad of the reason to press on, following Ezra without complaint. With any luck, they could meet the contact, sort this all out and get out of here. Then he could show Ez what he'd bought. Instead, they seemed to leave the bright lights and prosperity behind, winding their way into a lower district that proved Berchest did indeed have its problems.

Dash would never have stepped through the foreboding door if Ezra hadn't raced in already, but he knew his boyfriend's track record all too well. Hurrying in after, he just had time to take in the dead body before Ezra tried to run back out.

"Hang on, hang on" Dash hissed, stopping Ez with an arm. They were all bunching up in the doorway "we can't just run off. We're Jedi" he said it with more confidence than he felt. "We have to investigate, don't we?" He looked around the group. "Ferrin, why don't you check that guy over?" nodding towards the corpse.

@Zay @Altaris @Sreeya

 

[Ferrin Sipal]

Ferrin happily sipped from his latte, smirking when Ezra mentioned the cafeteria food. “No one ever does,” He said in response. It didn’t matter if you were a Padawan or Jedi Master - the food in Brighthome’s mess halls and the dorms never, never got better. It was said that some Jedi Masters were able to go days at a time without eating, purely relying on the Force for sustenance. Progressively, Ferrin was beginning to believe there was a good reason for it. “We came here to do a job,” He shrugged a bit. “Might as well see it through.” Regardless of whether the Knight turned up or not, there was still a Knight that they needed to escort to safety - and the Pantoran.. Really wasn’t a stranger to bending the rules, as a general rule of thumb.

Ferrin quietly followed towards the front of the group, chewing a piece of gum as they walked. He didn’t miss how the pristine cityscape began to deteriorate. It was abundantly clear these were the slums of the city, and likely neglected by the upper authority. It was no mystery why criminal elements were able to take root and nab a Diplomat for ransom. “Dude couldn’t meet us back at that nice little cafe?” The Pantoran grumbled to himself.

He followed close behind Ezra - just barely having an opportunity to glance past the quarter-Sephi’s shoulder and spot the dead body waiting inside the shop. His blood immediately ran cold, and he barely kept on his feet when Ezra stumbled backwards - bumping into Leon in the process and likely causing the Padawan to fall on his ass.

“Sorry man,” He extended a hand back to Leon, offering him a smile before looking back to Dash.

Was he in the twilight zone or was blondie making sense? For once, Ferrin actually agreed that they couldn’t just ditch the scene - and was prepared to investigate as a team. Of course, the Pantoran couldn’t help the blank expression that appeared on his face - golden eyes narrowing onto Dash. “Force, just say you’re Porgshit,” He muttered, rolling his eyes aggressively.

Exhaling a breath, Ferrin began to walk slowly into the shop - purposefully putting a bit more into his saunter while passing in front of Ezra. He slowed as he approached the body, grimacing a bit - proceeding to nudge the dude a bit with his foot. “He’s.. Definitely dead.” The Pantoran said back to the group. Reaching down, Ferrin rolled the man over - revealing the hole that had been effectively blown through his face by a slug round. Before Ferrin could even recoil, a blaster bolt whizzed right past his ear - missing him by only a hair, and proceeding to strike the door near to where Ezra and Dash were standing.

“WHAT THE FUCK,” Ferrin immediately dove to the ground, crawling for cover as a multitude of blasters began to tear through the walls and doors of the shop, leaving the other three only a few moments to find cover. It was clear that whoever killed their contact hadn’t left, and were keen on cleaning up any other witnesses to the murder.

As he ducked for cover, Ferrin attempted out his saberhilt - naturally obstructed by his ridiculously tight pants.

@Sreeya @Alhon @Zay

Roll: 5/20 for bullshit in the shop. We're off to a great start, folks.

 

[Leon Baudelaire]

Leon didn’t hesitate to jump in on his and Ezra’s signature handshake. As they went through the motions, he replied to Dash, “It’s a mission, where’s your weapon?” But Dash did that thing where he zones out so Leon counted that as a win. Ezra tasted his drink affirming Leon nailed it and they finished the handshake with their patented double-finger blasters.

Pew. Pew.

Leon turned toward the new voice and he spotted one of the padawan’s that knew Ezra on Ithor. “Anytime, nice to meet you, I’m Leon.”

He couldn’t believe what Ferrin was wearing. Sure he looked great, but what the fuck was he going to do in a fight, seduce the enemy? Suddenly, it dawned on him that Dash wasn’t exactly battle ready and he couldn’t help but start feeling a little nervous.

They didn’t have any Knights to bail them out when things got bad. A shock of exhilaration went through him. He hadn’t felt this hyped since the Sycamore tree warriors showed up on Kashyyyk.

“I'm down.” This was a chance to prove himself. To prove to Kaisa he was worthy of being trained. He was ready. Leon downed the rest of his tiny coffee and threw away the cup before jogging after Ezra’s tall ass. The ornate sidewalks and ornate entryways gave way to the uniformity of poverty. He’d seen it his whole life growing up in the Downbelow on Adumar. He could feel desperation bleeding from the walls around them. It broke his heart for these people, and it made him miss his home.

Leon was lost in his own angst when the crew came to a stop. Suddenly, he was shoved. Leon fell back on his ass snapping out of his daze, “Ow!”

Ferrin apologized offering his hand and Leon accepted.”No worries, thanks for the help up, dude.”

He peeked around to see for himself what caused the crash. His stomach knotted up at the sight of the body. Leon slipped back out as Ferrin stepped in. Leon steadied himself with a mantra, “I’m one with the forc—PEW—Ah fuck ME!”

The smell of burnt fabric and flesh ignited his instinct and Leon pulled his blaster. A blaster bolt had just skimmed his left arm, and now there were more. He didn’t panic, instead relying on his connection to the force to guide him through the storm of blaster fire, he survived, but he didn’t come out clean. Two more blaster bolts nicked him. One across his right shoulder the other the outside of his left thigh.

He dove through the window of the shop Ferrin was in and scrambled across the floor heading deeper into the store. He rounded a corner on hands and knees, blaster fire still ripping through the storefront. He placed himself behind a solid-feeling wall and turtled up. They were fucked.

Roll 9/20 -_-

@Alhon @Altaris @Sreeya

 

[Ezra Thorne]

Ezra looked at Dash with a scandalized look on his face, “Are you trying to get implicated in a crime right now?” He practically hissed, and was even further shocked when Ferrin actually went along with it. He could see the headlines now - Ezra Thorne and group of Jedi accused of murder. Jedi were always in the news for bullshit and doing everything wrong, especially padawans, no doubt this would get into the tabloids. He moodily stood by with his arms crossed as the Pantoran walked over to confirm that the guy that had liters of blood pooling around him was, in fact, dead. Riveting.

Things got suddenly more interesting when the blaster bolts began to pepper them. To his own surprise, Ezra dove down, and actually tackled Dash as well. He even had time to give his boyfriend a searing ‘I told you so’ glare before he rolled off under a desk, curling his legs up. His electrosword was already in his hand since his pants weren’t practically painted on him.

“Did we get them all?”

“It was supposed to be five of them. I only saw four!”

“Let’s move in to finish them off.”

A series of rushed footsteps were heard rapidly approaching the shop the teens were in.

Roll: 10/20

@Alhon @Zay @Altaris

 

[Dash Pavan]

Dash felt a pang of regret at rousing that familiar hostility, but it faded pretty quickly as he watched Ferrin walk towards the body. Rather him than me. The Pantoran turned the man over and sure enough his face was shot to hell. Anything he might have told them was well and lost now.

The young Padawan had been in enough ropey situations to keep his head, despite the blood and the danger. Ezra had a point about how this would look if anyone came along, but he was only thinking short term. "I'd rather not be implicated in letting the diplomat die" he said, raising his eyebrows "the big whigs in the Order already seem to have it in for us. We need to work out where to go from here".

Then everything happened very fast. Leon yelled outside the door, followed immediately by Ferrin as blaster bolts ricocheted around the room. Dash jumped, head snapping around to try and see where the attack was coming from. He leapt back as Leon came crashing through the glass door panel, racing inside, before Ezra grabbed his legs and pulled them down into cover.

The other teen rolled aside, but Dash lay there on his back for a second, dazed. A hail of shots lanced across his vision above, streaming in through the broken window and raking the walls. Hopefully Leon and Ferrin were not hit.

The blaster fire ceased almost before he realised and voices announced booted feet kicking through the door. Dash tried to react as a huge Orcolan loomed over him, kicking out at the man's knee. But the mercenary grabbed his angle in a flash, lifting him up by it. Dash clawed at the floor, managing an anxious glance at Ezra hidden under the desk as he was hoisted and held upside down. Somewhere, he thought he felt his pants rip.

"Look here" the green-skinned thug sneered to his cronies "this must be the runt of the litter. Where's the rest boy, and the fifth? Spill or I'll cut you up until you really are pocket size".

Roll 3/20

@Zay @Altaris @Sreeya

 

[Ferrin Sipal]

[

justify]Ferrin barely had an opportunity to hit the deck - watching as blaster bolts whizzed just above his head. The Pantoran didn’t waste time fussing over his attire - crawling across the dirty floor and beneath the nearest table, knees tucking against his chest. The Padawan hadn’t anticipated that the killers would still be lurking nearby, let alone ready to put blaster bolts into the first thing that moved inside the shop. Due to his tight pants, it took Ferrin an almost ridiculous amount of time to fish the Lightsaber out of his pocket.

It wasn’t until the door busted open and Dash was grabbed that the Pantoran finally pulled the silvery hilt free - fingers hovering over the activation button. Under normal circumstances, Ferrin wasn’t in any rush to help Dash. All the same, he wasn’t about to let some random-ass criminal to put hands on a fellow Jedi. With no time to lose, Ferrin rolled out from under the table, springing to his feet in clear view of the criminal.

“Over here!” He shouted. Without another word, Ferrin thrust his palm forth - sending a concussive blast of the Force directly into the chest of the Orcolan. Hoping to catch the man off-guard, the Pantoran aimed to send him hurtling into the wall - and hopefully drop Dash in the process.

Ferrin immediately ignited the plasma blade of his lightsaber - allowing its golden hue to fill the dimly-lit shop. He didn’t lash out offensively yet, but instead brought the weapon up in defense - watching as the rest of the gang raised their blasters against him.

Now would definitely be a good time for the others to do something.

@Sreeya @Zay @Alhon

 

[Leon Baudelaire]

The blaster fire slowed and then stopped. He could hear voices muttering from around the corner. He reached out with the force identifying the other padawans. A wave of deadly intent snapped his eyes open. He felt fear and panic bubble up from Dash, and suddenly he knew exactly what he needed to do. Ultimate Jedi Tactic #47: The Screaming Bantha. The foolproof crowd control combo he and Ezra had perfected but never attempted in real combat. It was time. Leon hopped up to his feet drawing his blastsword and careening around the corner screaming wildly, “Scre—ming! Ban—THAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!”

He threw himself into a display of over-the-top acrobatics as Ferrin fired his blast of force power. The thug holding Dash was knocked back on his heel stumbling backward and losing his grip on Dash. That’s when Leon’s force-empowered kick, connected with his chest. The fingers gripped to Dash’s collar released as the Orculan went flying backward out the door he’d led his buddies through. At the same time, Ezra would know exactly what to do to complete the maneuver. In reality, this shouldn’t have been effective in the slightest, but the force moves in mysterious ways.

“Where in the hell did you slide that lightsaber out of?!” asked Leon landing in a defensive stance by Dash. Being sure to cover him until he was able to regroup. “We gotcha, buddy.”

Leon would give Ezra the cool guy nod which roughly translated to, “HolyshitIcan’tbelievethatworked” in Ezleonian. Then returned his attention to the remaining goons. Now, they had a chance and it was all thanks to The Screaming Bantha. Hera and Zathria were gonna lose it when they heard about this.

@Alhon @Altaris @Sreeya

 

[Ezra Thorne]

Why the hell was Dash just taking a nap over there? Ezra barely processed what was happening when his boyfriend was suddenly snatched up by a burly orcolan. He reacted at once, trying to abruptly stand and immediately hitting his head on the bottom of the desk he was crouching under. That was when Ferrin sprang into action, sending a blast of the Force towards the burly man. It was powerful, and it caused him to skid back a bit, but not enough.

That was when Leon screamed out their super special foolproof Jedi tactics. Renewed energy surged through Ezra as he rolled out from the desk. Right as Leon’s dramatic kick collided with the orcolan’s chest, Ezra’s foot came sweeping in as a blur to knock the orcolan’s legs out from underneath him. The combination of moves sent the giant flying out and landing with heavy thud on the ground, right on top of one of the other men.

Ezra didn’t stop there, springing up to his feet to complete the screaming bantha, “HIYAAAA!” He yelled as he thrust his palm out. While normally this was an open palm strike directly into someone’s chest for a solid hit, he had practiced this with the Force. As a result, a powerful concussive blast erupted to send the remaining attackers flying back and hitting the ground, “BANTHA FINISH!” He did some dramatized combat moves with his arms. Ferrin and Dash would realize these two dudes wasted far too much time converting holomovie action scenes into real attacks.

There was a moment of silence before Ezra looked over at Leon, also with a ‘Icantbelievethatworked!’ look. However, he followed up with a celebratory chest bump with Leon, feeling quite pleased with himself. He glanced over to make sure Dash and Ferrin were okay before looking back at Leon, “Dude you got shot?” Ezra asked.

The orcolan was out cold, but Ezra could hear the others groaning on the ground. One of them could be heard mumbling, “Ughhhh these aren’t Sith…they’re just a couple of Jedi kids..”

“Fuuuuuck…”

Ezra blinked in confusion, stepping out to look at the people on the ground. Two of them looked like regular civilians.

“What do you mean Sith?” He asked one of the men lying dazed on the ground. The one stuck under the orcolan was gasping for air.

“We set an ambush….for the Sith that murdered Garbo.. We were told five of them were lurking in the area and thought we hit the jackpot..”

@Zay @Altaris @Alhon

 

[Dash Pavan]

Dash was still deciding exactly what lie to tell the greenskin when Ferrin leapt up on the far side of the room, creating a distraction. At least, the young Padawan thought it was Ferrin; it was hard to tell anything upside down.

He thought he saw the Pantoran thrust out a blue hand and suddenly his world tipped as the Orcolan went stumbling backwards, hit by Ferrin's Force blast. Dash's head bashed against the wall, meaning he heard rather than saw Leon's follow up. A chaotic cry sounded, streaking past him and ending with the big oaf going flying, releasing Dash's ankle and dropping him to the floor.

He managed to spring on his hands this time, rolling away. Leon was already at his side with words of reassurance and Ferrin had his saber out, ready. But now it seemed to be Ezra's turn, springing from beneath the desk to knock the other goons down. Dash was amazed how quickly Ez was starting to throw the Force around without a thought. He seemed to be a natural.

Of course, the silly combat moves were unbearable and the level of testosterone bouncing between Ezra and Leon was off the charts. But the mercs were down and Dash found he felt nothing but thankful towards his three companions. Even Ferrin. The Pantoran could have stayed hidden, but instead had been the first to jump to his aid, quicker than Ezra as it happened. He was as brave as he was bold.

"Thanks guys" Dash said, giving all three of them a genuine look as he got to his feet, rubbing his head. The merc's words were foreboding though and soon brought his anxiety right back. "Five sith?!" he repeated, incredulous. "There can't be five Sith here and five Jedi - well four - surely?" he looked around the group. "Do you reckon their group is after the diplomat too?".

He casually leaned against the wall, hands in his back pockets already having found the slight tear along the seem between his legs. The crotch of the tight black pants was not meant for taking his full weight; now if he sat down or bent over they were going to get a flash of his undies. Why did he choose white.

This was not his day.

@Zay @Altaris @Sreeya

 

[Ferrin Sipal]

Ferrin could feel the blood pumping in his ears, adrenaline flowing wildly through every vein in his body. For all of the training and survival exercises he’d gone through at the Temple, not much had prepared the Pantoran to be center stage of a ghetto shootout and active murder scene. Go figure - trekked through the jungles of Yavin didn’t exactly cover the latter two topics. “Fuckin magic!” Ferrin called back to Zay with a hiss, resisting the urge to roll his eyes when the fellow Padawan questioned where he managed to pull his lightsaber out of. A lifetime of wearing tight pants and clothes meant that the Pantoran was an expert about carrying everything he needed without much extra room.

Fortunately, instinct was enough to drive the Pantoran into action - sending the Orcolan sailing backwards, while his gold-bladed lightsaber swung into a defensive position. Even more fortunately, that was effectively as far as his blade had to move - as both Leon and Ezra combined forces to do.. Whatever it was they just did. Ferrin couldn’t help but blink a few times, immediately noticing the surprised look they gave each other - just as shocked their maneuver shocked as the victims of it.

By the time the fighting was over, Ferrin was right back to his normal self - and proceeded to wave off Dash’s gratitude with a wave of his hand. “Yeah.. Don’t mention it,” He said with a grumble. The Pantoran would sooner be caught dead than admit he’d jumped to his fellow Padawan’s defense without an ounce of hesitation, and was prepared to fight the gang on his behalf.

Of course, he couldn’t help but narrow his eyes at what was being said by the fallen members of the gang. Ferrin’s first instinct was to mistrust everything they were saying by default, but it quickly dawned on him that they were being truthful. Ferrin’s expression shifted a bit, anxiety creeping up within him. “Five of them?” He muttered quietly.

“Sith don’t turn up for no reason..” Ferrin said, tucking his saberhilt back into his pants after entirely too long trying. “If they are here, and the Diplomat is missing.. And the Knight is missing.” He grimaces. “I don’t think any of it is a coincidence. Maybe they’re here to intimidate the planet using the Diplomat?” He glanced between the group.

“What do you guys know about who Garbo was working with before he died? Anything to do with a Togruta diplomat? Apparently he’s been missing for a while.” With multiple rangers having gone missing, the Pantoran doubted that they hadn’t heard anything. He said this all entirely seriously and taking charge, not noticing the own tear that went up the crotch of his own very tight dress pants.

@Sreeya @Alhon @Zay

 

[Leon Baudelaire]

Ezra perfectly executed Ultimate Jedi Tactic #47: The Screaming Batha flawlessly. As the quarter-selphi completed his mandatory badass echani moves Leon struck his victory pose then sheathing Lionheart while jumping into the air and chest bumping his roommate. Leon wished they had time to finish the ceremony with the sacred handshake, but it wasn’t polite to flex that hard on the homies. He turned to Dash and snorted, “Bold of you to wear white on this adventure, bud. At the rate we’re going brown would have been the safest choice.”

Ezra pointed out his wounds and as if they’d been waiting to be acknowledged the three blaster burns began to live up to their name, “Yeah, I think I might be allergic I’m having a pretty severe reaction to the superheated plasma. They’ll be cool scars though.”

Luckily, he’d been working on his force healing following their trek through Kashyyyk, and when they got a second to relax he’d tend to his wounds. The healing wouldn’t be perfect, but at least the burning would ease.

He stepped outside following Ezra and heard one of the goons start talking. His brow furrowed, but his mouth was still quirked in a smile. The Sith! Here! This was it! This was the chance he’d been waiting for. He could feel his pace quicken at the opportunity to finally put his hard work to the test. He needed this. Then he took a breath. Facing the Sith here wouldn’t free his family on Adumar. His smirk slipped as his fingers tightened around the pommel of his father’s sword. He took a deep breath in and then released the past. He would go back one day, but right now he needed to focus on the task at hand.

Five Sith was a solid amount of Sith. It was a real Sith load if you will. “Standard protocol mandates we contact the nearest temple.” Leon wasn’t even sure where that was. “Might be smart to get some backup on the way, while we keep hunting.”

While the others decided where they should head next Leon took a step back in to check the body one more time. That’s when saw the wound. Why would a Sith use a slug thrower? Suddenly, Leon had a question. He stuck his head through the window he’d busted through, and asked, “Who told you Sith killed Garbo?”

The goon looked over perplexed, “Garbo’s right hand, a Duro named, Shaw.”
Leon asked, “Any reason Shaw would’ve betrayed Garbo?”
“I- I don’t think so. Shaw and Garbo were tight. They’d been working together for years.”

Leon shrugged looking back to the group. “I think we should consider tracking Shaw.”

He’d let the others voice their thoughts, maybe he was wrong, what the hell did he know? He knelt down by the Talker and asked, “Where can—” The sound of sirens closing in on their location cut him off.
Hurried he asked again, “Where can we find Shaw?”
“Try The Crystal Dragon, it’s his favorite hookah lounge.”
Leon nodded his thanks then jerked his head down the road and more importantly in the opposite direction of those sirens, “We gotta split, fellas.”

Leon jogged off in the opposite direction of the sirens, when he hit the end of the block he slipped right and sidled up to another alley entry. He pulled out his Personav and pulled up the Hookah lounge.

 

[Ezra Thorne]

Ezra caught the awkward way Dash was standing and noticed the wardrobe malfunction. As Leon loudly began to draw attention to it, Ezra ‘accidentally’ happened to step on his foot on his way towards Dash, interrupting him. The quarter Sephi took off his expensive coat, “You look cold, babe,” He said simply as he draped the coat over Dash’s shoulders, his face impassive. It was long enough to cover any malfunctions and no one would be the wiser. Ezra wore a simple form fitting t-shirt underneath and would probably freeze his nips off, but oh well. At least he could show off his biceps.

He calmly listened to the others discuss the Sith and he was silent through it all. Ezra thought over the details, “What if it was an attempt to frame us as the Sith?” He asked, “Five Sith are conveniently expected right when five Jedi are sent on a mission? If I were a Sith or working with them to throw Jedi off the trail, I’d try to frame us and hire people to take us out,” Ezra glanced down at the group still rolling around on the ground.

In any case, looking for Shaw was the best course of action. As the sirens began to resound, Ezra quickly bolted after Leon. He followed the others towards the hookah lounge. The sign had ‘EXOTIC ALIEN DANCERS’ written right below the hookah lounge symbol. Ezra stared vacantly at it, glancing over at the others and then shrugging as he walked over to try and mindtrick (note: Ezra absolutely doesn't have a grasp of this) the guy standing out front. To his surprise, the man simply gave a bored look and allowed them to pass through. Must have been the stubble.

@Zay @Alhon @Altaris

 

[Dash Pavan]

Leon had seen his wardrobe mishap, Dash could tell, even though Ezra did his best to shut him up. Dash could take a jibe from Leon much easier than the other two, but the Adumarian had probably alerted them anyway now. "If you own brown underwear Leon" Dash said quietly, fixing the guy with a stare "I don't think we can be friends anymore". The faintest smile crossed his lips.

He gratefully accepted the coat from Ezra. The white undies were fortunately not one of the more eclectic pieces he had in his drawer, but he still didn't want to be flashing them around Berchest. He gave Ez an affectionate look of thanks. The big black coat was a bit long for him and ruined his outfit somewhat, but it solved the problem. It also left more Ezra Thorne on show, which Dash always approved of.

He tried to focus and follow the other Padawans' thinking, but his head still hurt and his own grasp of the situation on this world was not great. Luckily, Ferrin and Leon managed to prize some useful information out of the merc, though a hookah lounge sounded only a small improvement on their current locale.

When they got there, sirens chasing their steps, the frontage barely lived up to Dash's low expectations. He slipped inside, following Ezra and still wondering what kind of place let a group of young guys into a club without at least checking IDs.

The smell hit him straight away; the place stank of substances that were not even familiar. Smoke hung in the air, swirling over booths of relaxed punters lounging, chatting and smoking incessantly. There were indeed one or two exotic dancers grinding to low, sultry music - all men as far as Dash could see - perhaps they knew something about this Shaw already.

"You the evening troupe?"

"Huh?" Dash turned to find himself staring at the bulk of an enormous portly man. He wore an apron bearing the faded logo of the Crystal Dragon.

"The cover from the agency" the manager said gruffly "not like lads your ages would be in here for anything else. Got at least two podiums I need filling in ten. You're not what I expected but you'll do".

He pointed towards a shoddy backroom that appeared to be some form of dressing room. Dash glanced at his companions nervously, also trying to look around the big lump for any sign of the Duro.

@Zay @Altaris @Sreeya

 

[Ferrin Sipal]

Ferrin resisted the urge to grimace when Leon suggested contacting the nearest temple. Without even asking, the Pantoran could already guess that the elders would immediately order them to abandon the hunt - sheltering in place until a Knight or senior Jedi could come to escort them. It was the last thing they needed, especially when the murder was fresh and they actually had an opportunity to solve the case if they were quick about it. Though he didn’t say anything verbally, it wasn’t difficult to decipher Ferrin’s internal thoughts based purely by the expression on his face.

While they discussed the Sith and who truly might be responsible, Ferrin couldn’t help but catch the exchange between Ezra and Dash. The Pantoran had already caught a glimpse of blondie’s wardrobe malfunction, and didn’t miss the rather slick way that the quarter-Sephi covered for Dash with his own, larger coat. He fought back a huff at the affectionate use of ‘babe’ and the overall sweetness of the gesture, and clearly noted the way that Dash glanced down at his own outfit being thrown off by the larger coat.

His brows furrowed together, but he once again said nothing.

He didn’t waste time upon hearing the sirens blare - quickly sprinting down the street and towards the hookah lounge where the man was known to hang out. The Bouncer was their first obstacle, but Ferrin was immediately impressed by Ezra’s slick use of mindtrick (He definitely thought Ezra knew what he was doing), nodding along quietly at the Force maneuver. The moment they stepped inside, Ferrin picked up on the myriad of scents that filled the air. While Dash might not have been familiar, the Pantoran immediately recognized the smell of spice being smoked nearby.. And opted to keep that informational to himself, for now. He didn’t miss sight of some of the men dancing nearby, his cheeks immediately turning a deeper shade of indigo as his gaze lingered.

Before they left the door, however, Ferrin snagged a coat right off the nearby coat rack - tossing it to Ezra casually. “It’ll help you blend in,” He said with a small nod before looking back ahead, not even buying his own bullshit reason for snagging the coat. He wasn’t about to admit that he’d seen Ezra freezing his ass off the entire run over, but it also wasn’t difficult to guess that is what was going on. The Pantoran flashed a grin before focusing back on the weird-ass dude in an apron.

His eyes immediately narrowed at the mention of them not being what he expected. “Your wide ass ain’t exactly dancer material either,” Ferrin hissed right back at him, earning their entire group a glare from the man.

“Do you want the job or not?” He said flatly.

Ferrin gritted his teeth. “Yeah yeah,” With a huff, the Pantoran began to walk back towards the dressing room - opening the door to reveal a wide array of ridiculous and ‘exotic’ costumes to choose from. His gaze immediately landed on a dancing outfit from G’weene, entirety too small covered in multicolored feathers. Without a word, Ferrin tossed it over to Leon with a grin. “Looks like you’re up,” There was an assortment of other costumes to choose from, all of them just as horrible as the last.

A quick glance past the curtains of the dressing room would reveal the hookah lounge outside - multitudes of dancers and patrons maneuvering about. It was likely that Shaw was enjoying himself somewhere amongst the crowd, and they’d likely need to split up to locate him.

@Sreeya @Zay @Alhon

 

[Leon Baudelaire]

To his surprise, they weren’t far from the lounge, to his chagrin the establishment specialized in two vices. This was going to be so awkward…Ezra took the lead vaguely gesturing at the bouncer. Leon frowned, what in the hell was he doing? Then he felt Jabba dip into the force and his eyes lit up. When in the hell had he learned mind trick? Leon made a mental note to double down on his force training and then made a side mental note, an afterthought if you will, to come up with a new Ultimate Jedi Tactic utilizing Ezra’s new skill.

Things got a lot weirder when they entered the lounge. His lips were curled in a frown as he followed along behind the homies. It smelled weird in here and there was way more skin than he was comfortable with. were a lot of swinging sabers. For all his bluster and bravado, Leon was most likely the least confident of the group, especially when it came to showing off the goods.

Suddenly dancing was brought up and Leon attempted to hide behind Ezra, but it was too late. Firren cast his wicked gaze over Leon and nominated him for the role. “You've gotta be kidding me.”

Leon glanced down at the gaudy, revealing plumage and tossed it to the side, changing it out for a black leather piece and thigh-high fishnet stockings. “I can promise you guys five minutes. And I want to be very clear. Not a fucking word about what you’re going to see out there. What happens on Berchest, STAYS on Berchest,” he sighed. This was it. This was the lowest point in his career as a Jedi. God, he hoped his father didn’t find out about what he was about to use Lionheart for…

The stage manager was waving him over hurridly. Leon somehow managed to jog over without breaking his ankle in his new black high heel boots. His blastsword hung from his hips. His ass was out. Giddy. Up.

He stumbled going up the last step and came out under the blinding spotlight to an entirely silent stage. The Music started. He froze. His eyes were wide with fear and a few of the onlookers started to boo, the apron dude was getting pissed. Leon took a breath and let the music take over. He threw his hand out wide flexing, letting his new muscles take a little walk. As the first breakdown began, he whipped Lionheart from it’s sheath with a flourish, a gasp went up as he planted the tip into the stage and dropped his thang low. By now the crowd was captivated. Leon’s body was poetry in motion as he displayed a level of flexibility that was surprising even to himself. If his friends were going to look for something it would need to be now. Leon just hoped he could keep making this shit up long enough to get them a lead.

@Alhon @Altaris @Sreeya