The Jade Rabbit

[Valen Pelora]

Valen carefully considered their options. They still had painfully little information, putting the two Jedi at a stark disadvantage. It was impossible to know who the Jade Rabbit was expecting or what awaited them inside the warehouse. He worried splitting up would put them at greater risk but it might disrupt the Jade Rabbit’s best laid plans. Ikora had her telepathy, Valen could send a warning through the Force. Even if they were physically separated they were still connected. A distinct advantage. He truly could see no other choice. Splitting up would give them the best chance of surprising their targets. He prayed it wouldn’t be a mistake.

“I’ll go high. When I hear you knocking on their front door I’ll drop in and give them a little surprise.”

He looked at the lone sentry. Ikora would make short work on the man, Valen would have to get in position quickly. Clipping his Lightsaber to his belt, he nodded to Ikora, gathered the Force within himself and jumped. He landed on a windowsill a short distance up the warehouse. He jumped again, and again, and again, until he was crouched on top of the building. His legs ached as the Force saturated his body. He took a few breaths to calm his racing heart.

He moved slowly over the roof of the warehouse, looking for a place to wait. He picked a spot near an air vent and waited for Ikora’s signal. He unclipped his Lightsaber and placed the hilt against the warehouse roof. The moment Ikora reached out he would active the blade, slice into the warehouse and spring their trap. He closed his eyes and let the Lightside race through him. A few more calming breaths filled his lungs. He tried to center himself. To calm his nerves. He didn’t know what awaited them. He hoped he was not in over his head.

@saam

 

[saam]

Ikora was glad Valen agreed with her, it was a much better strategy to start out with. "I'll let you know when." Valen nod to her and then he leaped up and clambered up the side of the building, eventually disappearing from view. Her eyes coming back to settle upon the sentry. She waited a few minutes for Valen to get into position, before she lightly asked, "Are you ready?"
She stared at the sentry like a predator watching their prey, eyes fixed forward, body hunched low. The man reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a packet of cigarettes, took one out and lit it. He puffed back hard on his cigarette, his head leaning back in the process.
The force surged beneath her, and then she lunged forward into a full sprint. The gap was covered in seconds, the mans face barely registered her before it was too late. Her blade swung through the air and cut him down. Her mind yelled, 'Now Valen!'
She literally knocked on the warehouse door, before slicing away at the hinges of the door and blasting it backwards, sending it hurling through the warehouse. Ikora thought that all this commotion would certainly gain everyone's attention, allowing Valen to catch them completely unawares. She stepped through the door.

 

[Valen Pelora]

Ikora’s voice rang inside his mind. Without hesitation, Valen flicked his Lightsaber to life and cut through the roof of the warehouse. He quickly dragged the blade in a large circle, the circular cut out feel inward. Valen followed. He deactivated his Lightsaber as he fell through the hole. The Force filled his body as he prepared to land. He felt the Lightside swell near the front of the building. He knew Ikora was launching her attack, hopefully it would distract whoever was inside the warehouse.

He landed with a soft thud on the floor, the Force cushioning his fall. He had landed near the back of the building. He scanned the area, the warehouse was dark, except for the light pouring in around Ikora. He could see where his fellow Jedi had ‘opened’ the doors. Ikora cut an imposing figure at the front of the warehouse. Valen guessed she was close to a hundred meters away. The room was eerily silent, he had expected they would be attacked as soon as Ikora blew open the doors. He cautiously reached out in the Force. The lights turned on.

Iridescent light filled the warehouse, revealing the warehouses defenders. Valen’s Lightsaber sprang to life casting an emerald green glow on the floor. He looked around but lost count of the number of blasters pointed at the two Jedi. The upper level of the warehouse was filled with hollow eyes staring down blaster sights. He took two quick steps to get closer to the back of the warehouse. At least they wouldn’t shoot him in the back. His eyes were immediately drawn to the center of the upper level as a voice boomed through the building. A cloaked figure stood among the rag tag ‘thugs.’

“I had expected the Jedi would send more accomplished Jedi, what a shame.” An eerie laugh filled the air. “Oh, well. Perhaps your deaths will convince them the Jade Rabbit is worth their attention. Put an end to this boys.”

Blaster fire began to rain down. Valen filled his limbs with the Force, frantically batting away blaster bolts. His eyes scanned for some escape, some maneuver. He saw none. His back pressed against the wall as he looked towards Ikora, praying she could out maneuver the thugs. He was trapped. His only hope was if Ikora could draw some of the fire and give him a chance to leap into the upper level. He continued to fight off blaster fire.

@saam

 

[Valen Pelora]

Valen’s arms ached as the Force burned through his body. He could feel the exhaustion setting in as he desperately fought off blaster fire. He couldn’t see Ikora, he was trapped. Frantically he searched for a way out. He saw nothing. He hoped, he prayed, he asked the Lightside for guidance. Blaster bolts were grazing his body now. Pain shot through him as the shots came closer and closer to striking home. He was falling. His body couldn’t keep up and he was going to die. He tried to put his mind at peace, he tried to accept his time had come. He couldn’t. He felt the Lightside roar through him. His time in this life was not over, the Force still had plans for him.

He had one small opening and he took it. The Lightside poured into his body and he jumped. He landed inches from the Jade Rabbit and swung. His Lightsaber cleaved through the man, cutting him clean in half. He felt a pulse in the Force as the man died. He closed his mind to the suffering. As the shocked face of the Jade Rabbit fell to the floor, another shake in the Force filled the warehouse. The ‘thugs’ looked around confused. Valen sensed uncertainty and fear. Suddenly, he understood. The Jade Rabbit had been Force sensitive. The criminal lord had used a crude Force domination to amass his army of thralls. When the Jade Rabbit had died, his hold had been broken.

He scanned the warehouse but could not find Ikora. He hoped his fellow Jedi was safe, but he was finished with Chandrilla. Valen spent a few moments in the warehouse explaining what had happened to the former thralls. He told them to find their families and rebuild their lives, their suffering was ended. He left the Jade Rabbit where he had fallen. Valen was not a killer but had been left with no choice. The Jade Rabbit had been little more than an untrained Force user with a mean streak. He prayed the man found some peace in death. He had clearly found none in life.

Valen’s body was bruised, battered and beaten. His mind ached and his soul was exhausted. He had pushed past even what he had managed on Argazda. He needed to rest, preferably for weeks. Slowly the Jedi made his way through the city and back towards his ship. He would return to the Peacekeeper and take the opportunity to center himself. Valen could count on one hand the number of times he had been forced to take a life. He had nearly doubled that number in a few weeks. He firmly believed the Lightside had a plan for all of them, he firmly believed in faith in the Force. He would not question his faith but he could not see what the plan was. He could not see why the Force had thrown him into conflict. He had never been a fighter, he had always been healer. Now he was faced with a different bath and he did not know why.

OOC: This concludes the thread.