Open Undoubtedly Unlucky

[Pidge Batana]

Brentaal was a wonderful planet. No rival syndicate members chasing Pidge, no excessive amounts of city smog. It was rare for a core planet not to be entirely covered in a sprawling cityscape, and the Twi’lek found it refreshing. Sure, dark alleyways and crowded streets were exciting, but only if she knew her way around, had an advantage. The advantage she had on Brentaal, or at least at this cantina, was slightly different, more simple. Just a set of subtly weighted chance cubes, one that had an 60% chance of landing on numbers 1,2, or 3, and the second with the same chance for 4,5, and 6. The real skill was doing the math and strategizing to win, so she had more than just luck going for her. The finishing touch to the performance, because the woman was doing nothing if not putting on a show, was a smug smile and a confident air. Her chances of winning against others who didn’t have the same ‘advantages’ were roughly 70%, a number she would bet on, but that didn’t draw too much attention. To shake off suspicion even more, Pidge shared her dice. The real key was to know they were weighted and use the fact wisely.

The clatter of dice sounded for what must’ve been the hundredth time as the Twi’lek swept twelve dozen more credits into her bag from the last round. This time, however, a collective gasp issued from the other three players at the greasy table. Expecting to see a rare roll, she looked up. The sight was much worse. A crack ran through two faces of the vermillion die, revealing a small chromium bead. Kark. A teal hand deftly scooped up dice, but the damage was already. A wave of angry protest erupted from onlookers and gamblers alike. She was womp rat meat. Already ducking hurled drinks and a few punches, she attempted to evade hands grabbing at her lekku, clothes, bag, and arms.

“There must be some mistake. I’m so sorry! Let me go.” She really should’ve just danced, Pidge thought resignedly. That would’ve made more credits anyway.

“This hussy just cheated. Get her! Call the constabulary!”

“Filthy alien!”

“What a bitch. Somebody kriffing get the Twi’lek.”

“Nice playing with you, too!” The light voice was growing more desperate as crowds blocked the way to the door. A devaronian yanked the woman backwards, his rancid breath stinking up the air by her face.

“Wait a second. This scoundrel is Lorritt. She stole my speeder bike the other day and they say she kills people when she fancies.” Someone spat, but otherwise the crowd was once again dead silent.

“I- I’m not. I just got here. I don’t know who that person is.” The bloodthirsty cheers that resounded from patrons que any hope she had. They were going to eat her up whole.

@Tom

 

[Laeonas Tannaras]

So. This was where all the taxes his mother had paid went. Rather than to something as simple as pollution controls, schools, or anything that made a planet worth living in, it seemed to go here. Here, to these bars, from the pockets of the wealthy nobles and traders, into their drinks, and right down their throats.

"Bloody par'sites. I'oughta rob all of ya blind, like 'ow ya did to me, me mum, 'en everyone else on this world." The boy thought to himself, sipping from a glass quietly.

He had arrived little over a week ago for the singular purpose of meeting his mother. He'd made some credits while off in the galaxy, and he knew that without him at home as a second source of income, she'd be struggling... well, she would have, had he not returned with enough credits to cover most of her expenses for the next four months. Now he was out and about with a little over 600 credits to his entire name-- not bad considering the only things he ever needed to spend them on was food, drink, and a bed.

But it wasn't enough.

He reached into his pocket, pulling out a few credit chips and placing them down on the bar counter. "A'nother! Ai'm still nowher nare as drunk as Ai should be." Laeonas exclaimed, expecting a quick response from the bartender. Only there wasn't much of a response at all. The Rodian was paying more attention to some commotion halfway across the bar. He was half tempted to get up and demand a drink, but the yelling was actually starting to annoy him.

Slowly, the boy clad in black made his way around the bar, boots clicking on the durasteel floor. He pushed past the crowd of angry onlookers, before finally stopping when he got to see what was going on.

In front of him were a diverse set of characters. They were all mostly humans, but they all seemed relatively different. A few looked like traders, one looked like a noble, and the others dressed relatively normally. The aliens, unsurprisingly, didn't seem as well dressed-- though the exception to the rule seemed to be the cause of the commotion. He glanced around, putting the pieces as to what was going on together, before smirking.

Leaning forward and over the shoulder of the Devaronian, he commented, "Ai can only 'magine a single reason why Ai'd get so handsy with a Twi'lek girl, but from yer cheery disposition, Ai'm guessin' somethin' a lot less fun is runnin' through yer mind." The horned alien turned, giving him a confused look, as did a few other distracted onlookers. "Judgin' from the purse at 'er side and the shattered pair 'ah chance cubes, Ai'm guessin the lot of ye feel a bit cheated. But where Ai'm from, we usually just punch someone in tha stomach 'en take their winnings. I'm guessin' the lot of ya are either from off planet, or from tha best parts of it-- same thing, really." Laeonas said, an icy tinge at the end of his sentence.

"Who the kriff are you, kid?" one of the men spat. Laeonas turned his aquamarine gaze in his direction, before sighing. "Just as shitey a person as you. Now, are ya finished with her yet? Ai'd like to go and grab a drink, 'an I can't do that when the lot of ya are a'bout to start a lynch mob over a couple'a lost credits."

@Kestrel

 

[Nykoria Tallis]

I should do it more often. I've almost forgotten how it feels. The cantina is teeming with life. But not the kind of primordial life you'd find in the lush jungle of Ajan Kloss. No, the place is full of those who called themselves sentients. And sense they do; it's as if the air in the cantina is dripping with emotions. And Zeltron can feel it all at once. That goes even more so for a Zeltron Jedi.

Serenity to the music at the end of a working day. The joy of meeting a friend over a drink. Idle lust while staring at the dancers. Not-so-idle thrill of gambling. Frustration over a loss. Desire to punish the victor. Anger. Hate. All concentrated in one place. Focused on one person. Familiar feeling. Kriff it!​

I close my eyes and shake my head, as if chasing off an unruly indecent thought. Then my hearing picks up what it's all about. Well, time to be a Jedi, eh? They say that Zeltrons are good at defusing a potentially volatile situation. Pheromones or some kark. Hopefully, there won't even be a need to show the lightsaber. I toss a few credit chits on the counter to pay for my drinks. Then I head into the crowd.

...​

"Hey there," a Zeltron stepped into the opening. Purple skin, indigo hair, and a dark-brown leather jacket over a flight suit made her look like a spacer. Correction: a classy spacer! Yeah, right. So, the purple-skinned classy spacer addressed the crowd around her, but primarily the Devaronian holding the Twi'lek cheat.

"Sorry to interfere, but I kinda heard what it's all about," the spacer continued with a confident, yet warm smirk that could melt Brentaal's ice caps. "What a cheating schutta, eh?" she tilted her head, examining the Twi'lek. The way she said it was more joking than hateful—hopefully, the swindler wouldn't hold it against her later.

"Lorritt, huh? Strange, my employers told your name was Shiri. You're kriffed either way," the Zeltron winked to the quarry, before turning her face to the Devaronian again. "Look, I've crossed half of the Outer Rim to bring this schutta to justice," the Zeltron patted a heavy blaster holstered on her hip. "So you'd be doing me a big favor if you don't damage the goods." A typical bounty hunter slang, some charms, and pheromones had to do the job. But something had to be added good measure...

"Let the law give her what she deserves." the Zeltron spread her arms with a grin. As she did it, she also flicked her wrist, to try and instill the same thought in the Devaronian, as well as a couple of people surrounding them. Hopefully, it aligned enough with their own desires, so the manipulation was subtle enough. After saying that, the spacer cast a sideways glance at a kid who seems to have stepped in for the Twi'lek... in his own way.

There's something off about him. Can't say whether it's in a good or a bad way yet. Either way, worry about it later, purps. Focus on defusing this situation first.​

@Kestrel, @Tom

 

[Pidge Batana]

The night at the cantina could’ve been better. In fact, if she would’ve come scantly dressed and gotten up on stage, people would‘ve been cheering rather than jeering. Although the crowd would have been equally as ‘handsy’, as the drunk man had said. It could get rather... unpleasant. Not that being mistaken for a crime lord was any better. Unlike the majority of the patrons, he seemed strangely bored with the whole debacle. He looked young, disheveled, like a feral Loth cat left to fend for itself in the streets. At the mention of her purse and a fight, Pidge gripped the canvas tightly and planted her feet, ready to dodge and pull the devaronian with her. Still, the man’s words seemed to have stalled the crowd, just in time for another woman to walk up. She, a stark contrast to the twi’leks previous “rescuer”, was fashionably dressed and her skin was a gorgeous purple.

Something was odd about the Zeltron. Her words were threatening, insulting, but her smile wasn’t twisted of smug. It was genuine, warm even. The swindler felt irrationally calmed by her presence, and only her years on the streets kept her from lowering her guard. Why did pretty women always have to be so confusing? Mind wandering to Ilana, she smirked. The snowy haired woman was still an enigma, but the Twi’lek had cracked her, or at least gotten her to spend the night. Maybe sweet talking would work in this situation as well.

“As sure as Coruscant is a city, I can assure you I am neither Lorritt or Shiri, whoever they are, although I am flattered by the fact that I was mistaken for a dangerous enough thug to have someone cross half the Outer Rim to find me. The game was fair. We all used the same dice. Now, let’s all settle down so I can buy my heroes here a drink.”

The ruddy alien gripping her arm and waist didn’t seem to agree with her points and squeezed her harder. Just when Pidge was about to aim a kick backwards at his shins and make a run for it, credits in hand, The purple alien said something, gesturing oddly with her hands. A sudden, inexplicable, eerie desire to turn herself in washed over the slicer. The man let her go, but she couldn’t run, couldn’t will her body to move. Her brain felt muddled, like she’d just had some bad spice.

“I... errr... need to go.” The former dancer took a step towards the door and swayed dizzily, almost falling over. Her head throbbed. What the Kriff was the bounty hunter chick doing?

@Tom
@Catbert

 

[Eisa Wex]

Now where in the emperors crusty balls had she ran off to now! The young female thought as she paced along the main drag along the city's entertainment district, her eyes passing over the various shop frontages and neon signs advertising pretty much the core essentials, booze, gambling, dancers and xxx -whatever the blazes that was, slot machines?

Though whilst she was slightly perturbed at the sudden disappearance of her crew mate, she couldn't exactly blame the droid. After what must of been well over a week running the Perlemian Trade Route, cooped up with the confines of the freighter with little much to do beyond stare out into the swirling blue void of hyperspace, or try and find something to keep yourself occupied. And going by the more lethargic and resigned chirps and general clatter originating from the droid's quarters towards the end of the journey, rather than the enthusiastic crashing and sounds of wielding and cutting that wouldn't be amiss from a mad scientist scene in a trashy holovid - might need to top up the scrap before we go, the figure mused to herself as she approached the doors of the cantina. Might as well continue asking if anyone had seen where @Curse had scampered off to.

Poking her head around the door initially, before stepping in the fiery haired human looked towards the approaching twi'lek a wide grin crossing her features as she observed her uneasy and unbalanced steps Reaching her arm out to grab and prop Pidge up against the wall. "woah there! Looks like someone's drank a little too much eh?" Eisa chucked as she helped the twi'lek find a stable wall to lean against. "you take it easy there for a bit, kay" she added as she patted the twilek on her shoulders before turning her attention towards the cantina.

"Has any one seen a little droid come scampering through here?" the fiery haired spacer called out, her arms waving to grab the attention of those present, her emerald gaze narrowing slightly at the sight that most if not all of the patrons seemed as if they were in a daze - must be one hell of a party going on here! "she's shaped like a BB unit but without the head, got little legs that stick out, three red photo receptors.... oh and likes to take things apart" the human continued as she turned her attention from the crowd and their collective state of stupor, and shifted it towards the interior fixings and equipment that looked for the best part intact and operational.

Figuring that perhaps the buzz droid hadn't come this way, the fiery haired spacer simply shrugged off the thought, before reaching her cybernetic hand up to tease away the brow of her mohawk towards the side of her face - making a mental note to get some more holding product before she returns to her ship. "Well if you do see her, or if anything suddenly falls apart give me a shout OK?" Eisa called back out, as no response came to her earlier question, causing her eyebrow to arch up. Usually she would have expected a get lost or scram, but not some stunned silence. Panning her gaze from the crowd back to the 'drunk' Twi'lek she had propped up against the wall and back over the patrons, her emerald eyes widening as they fell upon the sight of the Zeltron Jedi Knight. Ahhh, That would explain it, Eisa thought to herself.

 

[Laeonas Tannaras]

It looked like the tw'lek had almost made a convincing argument. It sounded like something any cheater would say, but the crowd's instincts were the same as any normal person's when they heard a response like that. It didn't really help Laeonas much. Her clutching of the purse, however, had drawn the boy's attention to something he hadn't even really considered before.

From the sound of it, and the effort she looked like she was exerting when she hoisted it up, the bag of winnings sounded full. It could be that they had been betting in single-credit chips, but even so, there was some heft in the twi'lek's winnings. Where Laeonas had previously been apathetic, he suddenly found himself having a vested interest in getting the girl-- and more importantly, her bag-- out of the bar and away from the crowd as quickly as possible.

That was becoming an increasingly difficult prospect, however. Realizing that he had let his hair down, the boy reached into his back pocket, pulling out a tie, and quickly pulling it back.

The situation was still... tense. So, Laeonas started assessing a bit.

The merchants and most of the crowd looked like easy pickings. The most recent arrival, however, a Zeltron girl in mercenary garbs who had an odd disposition about her, looked like trouble. There was also... was she leaking something? He had met a few Zeltrons, and they all seemed to have some weird scent... or... something. Everyone else had always started acting completely different than their previous behavior, but Laeonas would always stay the exact same, wondering what was going on.

Still, Laeonas said nothing, only leaning back and glancing over at the Zeltron with a pair of narrowed, aquamarine eyes. Just as he did, he felt it-- and those narrow slits widened almost immediately.

"YOU." Laeonas thought, though he physically stepped back. It was the force-- the Zeltron had used the force. It was clear as day, but for whatever reason the entire lot of them were behaving like even more boozed up idiots all of a sudden. He realized, suddenly, that he had heard of techniques like this: mostly from the Sith he'd met. Even in the childhood stories that almost everyone knew, the techniques were present. The old Kenobi had used it on a legion of storm troopers while they escaped with a fleet of rebel ships out of Mos Eisley... in retrospect it probably wasn't an accurate retelling, but this had signs of mental manipulations-- mind tricks-- all over it.

But the caveat to a mind trick was that the weak minded-- and those touched by the force-- couldn't be affected.

The Twi'lek and the Zeltron started making their way towards the door, with the crowd remaining behind, slowly starting to disperse. As he made his way past them, forcefully shoving past the devaronian who had initially given the twi'lek so much trouble, another girl entered the scene-- and he felt a presence from her as well. It seemed that force users had a way of finding their way to wherever it was he headed. But even still, she wasn't nearly as much of a concern as the other two.

Laeonas' lips curled into a frown. With a firm hand, he seized the Zeltron's shoulder, before his frown turned into a smirk. The mob seemed to pay attention, and the calm that had previously been instilled was interrupted. "Careful now. May'be the author'ties should know a'bout yer arrest, don'tcha think? Maybe we should coordinate-- or better yet, leave tha girl alone, b'cus there's no way a girl who barely looks any older than Ai am could be a galaxy wide renowned criminal maestermind." The boy spat.

If looks could kill, Laeonas would've incinerated the woman by now. There was more to his accusations than just her lying about the twi'lek's identity, ofcourse. He had felt the Zeltron's use of the force-- and now his presence in it was plain to the Zeltron, and the other girl. It was untrained, but there was a raw power to it. Power enough to give the Zeltron a run for her money, if she tried doing whatever it was she planned with the girl that didn't involve her bag coming with him.

@Kestrel @Catbert @Topher

 

[Curse]

Curse had been on core worlds before but could remember none of it. That was all many years and many memory wipes ago. Her last owner had kept mainly to the outer rim pod racing circuits. So when Eisa brought the Rim Hopper into port on Brentaal the little Pistoeka completely lost her mind. There was so much stuff to break! How could she ever find the time to do enough damage? Privately she realized her new master likely wouldn't care too much for her running off like she did, but there really was nothing for it. She simply had too much work to do.

After leaving the spaceport where the Rim Hopper was docked the devious little buzz droid wasted no time in cutting a swath of destruction through the nearest populated district, careful of course to make sure she wasn't leaving any kind of clear trail. She didn't want Eisa spoiling her fun after all. She had already cut the fuel lines on six speeders, overloaded four power generators and unattached a leg from a hapless GNK droid before finding herself in front of a cantina. Taking notice of her human friend entering the establishment she immediately turned and scuttled off in the opposite direction, not quite finished with her sabotaging yet.

Just across the street something else caught her photoreceptors. A speeder bike parked outside of a neighboring establishment. It was a highly advanced model, one she wasn't familiar with, likely brand new and very expensive. If the buzz droid had a mouth it would have been watering at the sight. As things were, she took a quick glance around her to make sure no organics were paying her any mind, then made her way over to the speeder bike.

Climbing aboard she wasted no time in tearing off the console cover and going to work on hotwiring the vehicle. Unfortunately her unfamiliarity with the bike led her to make some... mistakes. As the engine roared to life the speeder bike suddenly shot forward, the Pistoeka clinging on for dear life as it barreled spinning across the street. People screamed and dove for cover, and the bike made it's way directly for the doorway where Eisa and several other sentients were beginning to congregate. Regrettable... // Heads up! // The buzz droid squealed in droidspeak. Even if no one other than her master was able to comprehend her warning, hopefully the roaring engine of the speeder would be enough to get the message across.

@Kestrel @Tom @Catbert @Topher

 

[Nykoria Tallis]

Nykoria watched with relief as the horned alien let go of the Twi'lek. The Zeltron felt great about herself and her actions, immensely satisfied with a mind trick gone right. "Thanks," she gave the crowd another warm smile and waved them goodbye. "You did good tonight, people. Keep it cool and enjoy the rest of the evening." With a smug smirk, the "bounty hunter" turned to her "quarry"... Only to find the Twi'lek stumbling towards the exit while babbling something. Apparently, the mind trick hit the swindler too. Perhaps it was too strong, or the blue-skinned alien was susceptible to mind tricks, or to that particular suggestion, or from that particular individual... Yeah, way to go, Kori! Hey, that wasn't part of the plan!

Concerned for the consequences of her own actions, the Zeltron hurried to catch up with the Twi'lek... But then she saw a familiar red mohawk and a metallic hand in the crowd. Firehair?! Where the... Before Kori could make sense of it, she felt a hand on her shoulder... and an unkind intent. The Zeltron turned to face the distraction, and her shoulder flinched to throw off the "touchy" patron. Most hints of friendliness gone from her face, and replaced with "all business" attitude. The mismatch between the boy's expression and intent didn't make it easier on her.

"I'll let the author'ties know, dontcha worry," the boy's spit was the last drop, and for a moment the Zeltron gave in to her opponent's confrontational attitude. The bounty hunter's hand reached for her belt... then landed on the grip of heavy pistol in the holster on her right hip. Come what might, leaving the Twi'lek in that den of scum and villainy was not an option. Kori was sure that her mind trick would last... especially on the Devaronian. But it was better not to draw unwanted attention. Besides, the Jedi had finally figured out what was off about the boy.

He's Force-sensitive! As that revelation hit the Jedi, she tilted her head and gave the kid a long studying look. "We'll talk outside," she added seriously and without animosity, yet with tone so cold and authoritative that it didn't match her visage. If the stranger wanted to make an issue out of it, he'd have to pick a fight inside the cantina.

Determined, the Zeltron headed towards the Twi'lek and her new fiery-haired friend. "Hey," Kori could only muster a token smile after the cold emotional shower of slag that she had just received from the boy. "Help me get her out of here," Kori pointed to the Twi'lek. Having no time to waste, she approached the swindler and and took her left arm over her shoulders. Just get her a couple of blocks away from danger, and there's that.

Unfortunately, nothing was as simple that evening. Next thing she knew, Kori heard a speeder bike roaring at full speed... right towards her and the Twi'lek, as well as anyone accompanying them. The kriff is this kark?! Of all the people, Nykoria was probably the best equipped to handle the situation. Maybe change the course of the bike with the Force. But with a mind-tricked Twi'lek on her shoulder, her options were limited. "WATCH OUT!" Kori yelled to everyone in the vicinity. Her right hand let go of the blaster and aimed at the vehicle, in an attempt to slow it down or divert its course into a nearby wall... away from the doorway at least.

On her own, and with one hand, she wouldn't succeed. So, moments before the vehicle would hit them, the Zeltron went for plan B. That is, jumping aside and pulling the unlucky Twi'lek with her. She landed on the ground with a loud wham! and a groan, inches away from certain death or trauma ward. After taking a deep breath and a moment to recover, she'd ask the Twi'lek "Are you ok?" before turning her head to the doorway to look at the outcome of all that mess.

@Kestrel, @Tom, @Topher, @Reyn

 

[Pidge Batana]

Just when the chaos seemed to have simmered down from a rolling boil to a gentle bubbling, a red-haired girl entered the cantina with the energy of a small explosion. The Twi’lek could practically feel the energy she exuded reverberating off the walls as the woman helped steady her. It was getting much to late for this. She needed a drink. Contrary to the rambunctious stranger’s assumptions, she had only had a few sips of champagne, not nearly enough to cause inebriation, unfortunately.

Then the firey lady said something that made her ear cones perk up. A droid? She knew all about droids. By the description it sounded like a buzz droid. Were those even legal? No wonder it liked taking things apart. The introduction of a new, familiar topic helped clear Pidge’s mind. Unlike whatever the Zeltron had done, tech made sense. She could deal with tech... maybe even make some money. Why was everyone after her money? She could barely survive in her small apartment, buy groceries at the market. Did neither humanity nor fate have pity for a young alien on her own?

The crowd stirred anxiously once more and Pidge lifted her head to see who their prey was this time. The scruffy looking boy, who had been so indifferent earlier had a firm grip on the lady who had called her Shiri, and was staring so intensely at her that she was surprised the alien didn’t melt. In fact, she remained cool, suggesting a talk outside with a level voice. There was no way in a thousand suns the purple woman was a bounty hunter. Those of that occupation never calmly responded to threats by offering a peaceful discussion. What a Jedi, Pidge mused. Then it struck her. The fake bounty hunter had used the force. The scoundrel had worked with Jedi before, but never been on the receiving end of their power. Frankly, it was a bit rude.

“Hey. I get that all of you are anxious to take such a beauty as me home,” but most likely just her credits. “I, however, have an appointment planned and need to head out. I do hope to avoid seeing you all in the future.” She considered dropping the Crymorah Syndicate name for intimidation purposes, but decided against it. The less the motley crowd knew about her, the better.

Because apparently the crowd hadn’t been touchy-feels enough earlier, the Zeltron caught up to Pidge and supported her against a shoulder, stylishly clad in a new jacket. The gesture was kind, and the teal skinned woman was having a hard time reconciling it with the aggressive ‘bounty hunter’ persona. She was no stranger to playing parts- there was her seductive dancer act, her bubbly clueless innocent act, her hardened spacer act, and half a dozen more. Each one was convincing because it was a genuine part of her. The force user’s talents appeared not to lie in the same arena.

“Who are you? What do you want?” Were the only few questions that she verbalize, despite having two dozen others whirling around in her head. Inquisitiveness was both a curse and a blessing.

Out of nowhere came the hum of a speeder bike, growing to a roar as it closed in. Right on top of them. What the Kriff? Who was driving that thing? Pidge had spent enough time as a trauma nurse to know the end wasn’t going to be good, especially for her. Miraculously, the woman propping Pidge up managed to pull them both out of harm‘s way. The Twi’lek hit the ground with an very ungraceful thud and groaned, checking mentally for injuries: a few minor abrasions and a sprained wrist. It could have been much worse. Grimacing, she got up and answered the other woman’s question. “I’m fine, but who the kriff is trying to kill me? I can’t possibly have this much rotten luck.”

As soon as the adrenaline faded and reality set in, Pidge bolted over to the wreck, joining her now-two-time rescuer. Oddly and mercifully, there were no mangled bodies she would have to triage. Something did stir among the wreckage, however, and a glowing red eye peeped out from twisted metal.
“Hey there little buddy! You okay?” She extended a cautious hand.

@Topher
@Reyn
@Tom
@Catbert

 

[Eisa Wex]

Turning her head round, upon hearing the all to familiar but panic ridden squeal of the errant buzz droid, accompanied by sound of speeder bike engine roaring at full throttle. Without any second thought for the still dumbfounded patrons, the fiery haired spacer disappeared into brightly coloured blur of motion - springing off from her spot and making a swift rush towards the door, vaulting past the Zeltron and the Twi'lek, whilst calling out "don't worry, found her" seemingly to everyone and no one at the same time as she continued to rush beyond what would be expected for someone subject to so many cybernetic augmentations embedded into her legs.

Springing up onto the side of the run away speeder bike. The fiery haired human griped onto the handlebars and the seat, before pulling her weight over onto the speeders side, her bright emerald hued eyes locking with the little buzz droids Receptors, for a moment before a wide grin crossed her features "There you are you little scamp" she spoke out over the din of the engines as the speeder started to list and tip over onto its side. A wave of repulsor currents washed over those in front the bike as it lost it's balance, the repulsor coils quickly stalling from the collapsed field- sending the bike crashing onto the ground, gradually scraping it way along the duracrete before coming to rest against the wall beside the cantina entrance. The sound of excitable laughter ringing over cringe inducing sound.

Stepping up from the downed bike, the fiery haired human dusted herself off, and visually inspected her cybernetics. Baring the sensation of a few light scrapes throbbing on her person there wasn't much in the way to tell that her augmentations have been damaged other than looking them over. Satisfied that she was for the best part intact and functional, Eisas attention shifted down to Curse and the speeder bike, her eyes looking towards the Twi'lek who came rushing over to check on the buzz droid, offering a cautious hand. Stepping forwards, Eisa looked over the shaken twilek and the buzz droid. "Mind your hand, Her little feet can pinch" she spoke as she knelt down beside the wreckage to look over her crew mate.

"Why'd you run off so quickly, Missy?" she questioned as she offered her cybernetic limb for Curse to scramble up, her tone of voice not carrying any hint of irritation, but more a slight air of relief over the fact that the proverbial wild goose chase was over with. "Was gonna let you know i had managed to get that hot oil bath booked at the droid depot whilst I'm there, getting my arm cleaned and lubed but you just buggered off. " she continued, before reaching over with her right hand to playfully tussle the droids outer shell as it it were hair before standing upright, a wide cheerful grin lingering over her features as she looked around the street, before returning her attention to her former Jedi kin, the Twi'lek and some teenage looking male whom she was pretty sure she's definately not seen before so far during the day's antics, yet he seemed to be keeping a close distance to Kori or the Twi'Lek, maybe both - Who knows! Looking over to her droid companion for a moment before looking off and around the street, before her gaze settled on one of the large advertising screens, a grin and a sigh forming on her lips as she clocked the time being displayed on the chronometer. "Our appointment isn't for another two hours though" Eisa added as she turned her attention back towards Curse, her lip curling up in a slight questioning look. "Fancy trying to catch some of the swoop races?"

 

[Laeonas Tannaras]

The boy had been given quite a bit of information in a short period of time. He had initially smirked at the Zeltron's response, mostly out of the shrewdness in her words... he was still pretty hostile towards her, all things considered. The only force wielders he had met had been a wide range of characters-- all of which were Sith. She clearly didn't fit that bill, despite the covertness and lack of transparency. He could feel the presence of the Sith-- they all shared an inherent wrongness about their presence within the force. It was something that the violet skinned woman lacked. She had even used a power that he had only heard of the Jedi using, but she didn't look like an old wizard.

However, instead of continuing on her previous course of action, the Zeltron had made a change in approach. She had clearly registered his presence in the force-- if she hadn't, she would have probably attempted a mind trick.

But out of all responses he could have anticipated-- either direct violence, some choice words, or a simple kowtow in handing over the girl, the Zeltron had gone down a completely different path --non aggression. He knew how to deal with situations like these most of the time, but him being partially boozed up, and in a bar setting rather than, say, a talk over dinner or a tense spice deal, Laeonas was caught off guard.

Of course, it became much more difficult for him to return to his element in the following moments.

Laeonas obviously didn't plan on giving up just yet. He was ready for any challenge the Zeltron-- or the Twi'lek, for that matter-- could throw at him. His vibrosword and A280 were concealed within his coat, but he could draw either of them out within seconds if push came to shove. Following both outside, he started pulling off his jacket, cracking his neck. "Yer not shakin' me off so easy. We can 'ave our discussion, sure, but again, I'd rather ya just let tha girl g-"

Laeonas paused. "Is'that a speeder engin'?"

As the words escaped his mouth, his eyes went wide as the sight of a speeder barreling down in their entire group's general direction made it's way into view. He had stood for a few seconds, robbing him of the time necessary to jump out of the way, or to duck. There was no way to go down, or around-- forward was suicide and backward was pointless.

There was only one direction available-- up.

With only a split second to react, Laeonas squatted down, and with a force aided boost, leaped into the air. It was the same principle of a force push-- only instead of knocking over a person, or a crate, he was using it to push his own body off the ground.

He wasn't really sure how to slow his descent, however.

Screaming, the boy hit the ground after a 12 foot drop. Groaning, he tried pulling himself back up-- before vomiting on the ground beneath him. The wreck of the speeder burned only a few feet away.

"Bloody... WHAT IN THE ABSOLUTE KRIFF JUST--aack, wai- HUUURRRGGHHHKKK--" Laeonas tried to shout, but he immediately started vomiting again. The night's booze violently exited his body, and he could do little about it.

It took him a minute to regain composure. His hair had come undone and now sat shoulder length. Laeonas' coat had come off in the jump, and was now burning with the wreckage-- leaving his very clearly armed person available for all to see. Turning around and wiping his lips on his sleeve, the boy glared at the surrounding onlookers, as well as the red headed girl, her droid, the Zeltron, and the Twi'lek, who was still carrying exactly what he wanted.

He wasn't to thrilled right about now.

@Reyn @Topher @Catbert @Kestrel

 

[Nykoria Tallis]

The way the Twi'lek talked right before the speeder mishap made it clear as day that the effect of unintended mental manipulation had worn off. Let alone the fact that she didn't seem to be buying the whole "bounty hunter" act. But you just had to forget about private space, didn't you, Nykoria? Hey, I just wanted to help! She could still be high from the mind trick. And it's not her I wanted to deceive, but the angry and drunk patrons. Sithspit, why am I even arguing with myself about this?!

...​

Once it was all over, Kori stood up from the ground, massaging her left arm. The Twi'lek was already asking more questions, before the Zeltron could've answered the first batch. Admittedly, the first batch had come before the accident. "Kriff me if I know," the fake bounty hunter shrugged to Pidge's question about who wanted to kill her, while walking towards the crash site.

"As for what I am and what I want... I'm just a spacer who'd hate to see a fellow near-human lynched over a handful of credits." There was truth in that statement; more than Kori would admit. If anyone were to go "But you're a Jedi!" on her reply, the Zeltron would simply ask with a shrewd smirk: "Does one exclude the other?"

It looks like the Twi'lek got her answer to who was trying to kill her when the droid showed up. Somehow, the model seemed antique, but vaguely familiar. Where could Kori have seen one? But more importantly, why the kriff would Firehair keep that sociopathic destructive thing around?! Regardless, all of that would have to wait. She'd let the ex-Padawan deal with the droid for now, and turned the attention to the drunken boy (whose spectacular leap she had missed due to saving her own purple rear).

The stranger had gotten up by then, towering over a puddle of vomit, and clearly hurt. "Hey, are you alright? Need a hand?..." the Zeltron almost approached the boy, but was interrupted by the sight of the weapons he was carrying. Now the purple-haired indigo-skinned fake hunter stood between the boy and everyone else. Not intending to block his path, but rather trying to figure out the stranger's intentions. Especially now that most of the cards were on the table.

@Kestrel, @Tom, @Topher, @Reyn

 

[Curse]

Curse tried desperately to divert the course of the speeder, but couldn't do much when it was taking all she had just to hold on. Thankfully Eisa appeared in a flash, jumping on the bike and veering it away from the cluster of organics. // Oh, hello! // The little buzz droid responded with a slight tinge of embarrassment as the fiery haired human addressed her, still flapping in the wind like a flag as she clung desperately to the speeder's controls.

Seeing the cantina wall quickly rushing forward to meet them the Pistoeka cheeped in fear and pulled the halves of her casing together, adopting the shape of a yellow and grey ball. As the speeder snapped to a halt she bounced harmlessly against the wall before falling back to the ground. Slowly getting up and revealing herself again she chittered out a sort of confused laugh to match Eisa's, stumbling back and forth before finally righting herself. Noticing the unfamiliar Twi'lek rushing towards her Curse immediately went into defense mode. No sooner had Eisa offered her warning then the buzz droid reached out and gave one of the alien's fingers a hearty pinch before releasing a mechanical hiss and backing away, raising her plasma torch defensively. // Stay back! // She offered her own less friendly warning before having her attention drawn to her master.

She crawled up Eisa's arm as it was offered to her, taking a moment to inspect the cybernetic appendage. The damage from the crash seemed superficial, just some scuffed paint. That was good. If anyone was going to break that thing it was going to be her. // Sorry, // She promptly apologized to her human companion. // Acquiring so many targets at once overloaded my sensors. Needed to break some things. Feeling better now. //

She looked towards the others as well. The Twi'lek who seemed not to be as intimidating as she initially thought, a Zeltron and a male human, malfunctioning apparently. // Friends of yours? // She asked Eisa. Personally the buzz droid thought they didn't look eccentric enough to be the red haired human's associates, but looks weren't everything. The mention of swoop races had her shell casings perking up in interest though. // Are we going to sabotage the swoops? // She asked enthusiastically.

@Kestrel @Tom @Catbert @Topher

 

[Pidge Batana]

The little droid was not thrilled with the Twi’lek’s approach, and just as the spunky redhead had cautioned her, a small pronged foot delivered a strong pinch to her teal finger. Still not satisfied, the droid hissed and drew out a second, more dangerous weapon. Backing away, shocked by the small ball-shaped thing’s reaction, Pidge tried to placate her attacker. Why did the droid want to kill her? “Ow! Easy there. I won’t hurt you. Why did you try to hit me with the speeder? Actually, where did you even get that thing?” The buzz droid communicated in some older form of binary that was harder for her to understand, so she looked to the apparent accomplice of the piece of engineering. Rather adorably, the droid, scampered up Eisa’s metallic arm and perched on her shoulder. The scoundrel was instantly reminded of her previous rolo droid, L4D. They had been inseparable, always getting in trouble together, always getting out of it by blaming each other. Missing him, she subconsciously stroked her bracelet made from some of his wiring.

A wretching sound and a foul smell made the Twi’lek spin, only to find the man from the cantina releasing the contents of his stomach onto the pavement. He was slightly scraped up and looked to be possibly hurt. Vomiting was never a promising sign of good health. The kind force user, likely a Jedi, if her actions were anything to go by, was already by his side. It was not out of mistrust in the woman that Pidge ran over to him as well. She had saved both of their skins, and Pidge’s twice. She was genuine. Also foul mouthed. The techie had always thought of Jedi as sage monks. Rather than immediately give her thanks, the former medic crouched by one of her apparently many saviours. Having worked in a trauma bay, she knew classes of injuries. These appeared to be from... a fall?

“You saved me from being assaulted by an angry crowd, so I hope you won’t mind if I return the favor by treating you. What did you do, exactly?” Pidge’s voice was kind and light, hoping to take her patient’s mind off his injuries. Deftly dodging more vomit, she gently took his arm and injected a dose of bacta for pain relief. “Sorry, small pinch there. Good thing I had my emergency kit on me. Life’s all fun and games until somebody gets hurt.” The phrase was frequently used, but it meant something different to Pidge. She’s been a dancer, a nurse, a slicer, a scoundrel- just whatever she needed to get by. To her, life was a game. Thrilling, unpredictable, fun. Sure, there was evil, but that was distant. It couldn’t touch her, or at least, so she hoped. There was nothing sultry humor and wits couldn’t rescue her from. Except there had been. She had almost been eaten alive. Best not to think of that. That way, the thought wouldn’t consume her. It was just bad luck, and bad luck couldn’t kill a person.

@Topher
@Tom
@Reyn
@Catbert

 

[Eisa Wex]

Looking over to her shoulder as the droid questioned her about whether the gathered ensemble were friends of her, as a light grin crossed her features. "Well that's purp's there, you know that reclusive person i mentioned" Eisa responded as she nodded in the direction of the Jedi knight who was evidently masquerading as someone else, that or it was a casual workday within the Order! "The others, ain't got a kriffing clue" she added with a shrug, before pursing her lips in thought, her eyebrow arching up as Curse questioned whether they were going to sabotage the swoop bikes at the races.

A light devilish grin crossing her features as she entertained the thought. "Possibly" Eisa commented with a light shrug, before her gaze shifted up towards the droid perched on her metallic shoulder. "But only the teams linked to the underhive gangs this time" she continued, setting down a loose form of ground rules on which swoop the buzz droid go could go to work on. "That way a team that isn't funded by drugs and slaves can stand a chance of winning" the red haired spacer added with a bright grin, figuring that in their own little messed up way they were helping shift the planet's dynamic for the better by knocking the swoop gangs down a few pegs.

Her eyes narrowed slightly as a light chuckle escaped her lips, before tilting her head to try and better position it to speak directly to the droid. "That and it gives us better odds for our bets, going for the least likely to win" Eisa spoke out, this time in a very hushed tone directly to Curse, a wide grin lingering on her features as she drew her head back away from the droid. Though it wasn't long until a questioning expression crossed the fiery haired spacer's features as the the thought crossed her mind as her gaze returned back to the trio that were at the forefront of the recent hullabaloo. "Oi, Purp's what'cha doing so far from home?"

 

[Laeonas Tannaras]

Laeonas cracked his neck, rotating each shoulder in tandem-- though he stopped as pain overwhelmed his left side. He had landed hard, and it was obvious in his stance. What had initially appeared to be a solid, combat ready, armed man was actually far less prepared to inflict any damage on anyone. If his left arm was hurt, he couldn't aim with his rifle properly-- nor would any strikes from his vibrosword carry nearly as much weight, or be precise enough to land any damaging blows.

He stood, half slouched over, eyeing up the Twi'lek and her Zeltron protector. He probably didn't appear nearly as hostile as most anticipated-- and it only made sense. Laeonas had, in his own way, helped all of them escape without much difficulty. Had it not been for the speeder crash, the mob would've probably descended on them again-- which would've led to Laeonas trying to cut a few down in order for them to escape.

But instead, here he was, half injured, and without much leverage. The threat of force was what he had planned to use-- but his ability to exert it had been curbed by something even the force couldn't have helped him predict. Just then, his side gave out, and without warning he started vomiting again, this time a bit of blood mixed in with the booze. Things were getting bad.

What had been even more unexpected, however, was when the twi'lek made her way across from behind the Zeltron... to help him. The Zeltron herself had approached after he had finally stood up, but had stopped when she had seen him carrying weapons galore and with a demeanor that looked ready to kill. But as it collapsed, the Twi'lek had started giving him bacta. He tried to speak, but only a wheezing escaped him after his air had been thrown out of his lungs, and the contents of his stomach had been thrown out onto the pavement.

As the bacta made it's way through his arm, and started coursing through his system, he felt a bit better. Still nauseous, but he could rotate his shoulder.

He could rotate his shoulder.

The boy looked at the Zeltron girl, than at the twi'lek. Back and forth he looked, the aquamarine eyes giving them both an almost predatory look. Slowly, he righted himself, grunting, punching himself in the side a few times. His stomach's nausea was pushed away by the throbbing pain he had inflicted on his ribs, and it allowed him to focus.

"If ya must know, Ai jumped-- well high e'nough inta tha'air that Ai didn't get turned inta 'a stain on tha pavement by that speeder." Laeonas said, pointing in the direction of the bike, it's droid pilot, and her apparent, fiery haired friend. "Course, Ai overestimated 'ow well mai legs can kick mae inta'tha air." The boy mused, smirking as he stepped back.

"But Ai want somethin'n turn." Laeonas declared, before outstretching a scraped hand, and pointing directly at the Twi'lek's bag, still fat with the credit's she'd cheated out of a room full of some of the wealthiest merchants in the sector. He held a resolute look on his face-- and his hand fell on the hilt of his vibrosword.

"Yer Zeltron friend-- Ai don't know what she is-- 'as probably got a saber stored somewhere on 'er person. Ai've only met one group'a people that can use tha force, and they're not very kind. She prob'ly wants the same as me... or maybe she's one of those knightly heroes in tha stories. Tha ones laike the Kenobi, and that Skywalker, and the little short one whose name Ai can't 'member. Either way if she wanted to, she could prob'ly kill us both in tha span of 16 seconds." He said, shooting out another glare that could melt durasteel.

"...Well, Ai could prob'ly 'old 'er off fer two minutes. Maybe."

@Kestrel @Catbert @Topher @Reyn

 

[Nykoria Tallis]

Seeing the boy's sorry state and the Twi'lek's desire to help him, something clicked in Kori's mind. She was supposed to be the one to try and help. Yet the Jedi had allowed herself to become consumed by the prejudice from the stranger's apparent hostility towards her. While the teal alien was treating the boy, Kori heard parts of Firehair's exchange with the droid. However, she was too preoccupied and illiterate in binary to fully understand it. There was some unfinished business with the stranger. So when Firehair addressed her with a question, Kori could only offer an apologetic smile: "Sorry, gonna be a long story." Then she'd gesture and turn towards the boy again; now concerned for his well-being rather than attitude.

And there he was, hand on the hilt of the sword, and hostility in his tone and actions again. Boy, you sure are a shifting enigma! Still, the Zeltron remained resolute at being her better Jedi self. After all, it sounded like the stranger had experienced the worse that the Force-wielders had to offer. "That's shrewd of you to notice," she commented the boy's correct observation about a saber (actually a couple of sabers) hidden on her person, while approaching him and the Twi'lek. Her tone was neutral now, with slight appreciation of the boy's perception and knowledge. "Though ability to kill isn't how I'd judge a person," the fake bounty hunter shrugged with a smirk. Kori tried to put the boy's glare behind her. Prejudice could be a hard obstacle to overcome.

"Two minutes is a pretty long time though," the Zeltron nodded in agreement, even though she wouldn't have given him longer that 50 seconds. However, she didn't argue. All she wanted was to defuse the situation. Be in through the Force, her non-aggression, or the soothing pheromones that Nykoria's species could exude uncounciously. "Give me a moment, and we'll get you to 3 minutes." With that, her right hand would reach out for the stranger's chest—slowly, so as not to scare him and provoke a hostile or defensive response.

If allowed to continue, Nykoria would close her eyes, take a deep breath, and try to pour some of her own life essence into the boy. Hopefully, that would complement the bacta treatment and make the stranger feel almost as good as new. However, that would put some strain on Kori's powers and require quite a bit of concentration. Although the lightsabers were out of reach, the boy could now easily draw and shoot Kori's own stun pistol, if he wanted to.

@Kestrel, @Tom, @Topher, @Reyn

 

[Curse]

Curse's shell casings drooped a bit in embarrassment at the twi'lek's words. She seemed to have gotten the impression that the Pistoeka was some kind of assassin droid. // Hitting you was not my intention, // She admitted with an apologetic whir. // The speeder... malfunctioned... // She refrained from explaining to the twi'lek where she had gotten the speeder. The blue alien seemed more interested in helping the malfunctioning human anyway. The buzz droid took a moment to focus her photoreceptors on the twi'lek with mild interest. It seemed she was able to perform repairs as well.

Turning her attention back to her master she remembered that Eisa had mentioned something about a Zeltron Jedi she had encountered before. As she was introduced the buzz droid waved one of her metallic legs to the purple alien in greeting. // Hello! // She beeped, adopting a more pleasant demeanor now that her companion had identified her as a friend. She listened enthusiastically as Eisa agreed that she could potentially sabotage some swoop bikes, although she laid down some rules on who was to be a target and who wasn't. This wasn't a new concept to Curse. In fact it was the exact function she carried out while in the service of her previous master.

// Reasonable. // Curse responded to Eisa's set of rules, showing only the slightest hint of dissatisfaction. She watched the strange exchange between the other three sentients before speaking again to her master in a more hushed tone. // I suggest we separate ourselves from the male though. He seems defective, violently so... // Her photoreceptors focused in on the sick human as he put a hand on his weapon and talked of murder and Jedi myths. Again she leaned in close to Eisa's ear. // Also I think his vocabulator is broken... //

@Kestrel @Tom @Catbert @Topher

 

[Pidge Batana]

The crowd the Twi’lek had gathered was most certainly an interesting one. The buzz droid behind Pidge seemed to be in a much better mood and was happily chirping about some sort of swoop race. Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, Pidge chuckled slightly. She felt bad for any of the potential racers if the pinchy, red-eyed ball was involved. She might have to go check it out later to ensure destruction was minimal. The Zeltron had gotten sucked into a conversation with the zany cyborg girl, and it was unlikely she could escape anytime soon. The injured man was heavily armed, but fairly injured. What the kriff had she gotten herself into?

Unfortunately, her patient decided he was well enough to get up. As evidenced by more vomit, this time mixed with blood, he was not. His voice was low and gravelly, not to mention the poor kid was wheezing. Attempting to begin again, he began to strike himself in the ribs. Instinctively, Pidge reached forward in an attempt to grab his arm. She managed to redirect his blow, but the man was strong. “Hey! Hey. Stop that. I’ll give you some anti-nausea meds and more bacta if you want. Punching yourself will help nothing.” Technically, she wasn’t supposed to administer the anti-nausea meds without clearance from a doctor as they were highly addictive, but he seemed pretty desperate, not to mention dehydrated. Hopefully one dose would be fine.

If he would let her, she would take his arm, wipe it off, and administer another injection containing a deep purple liquid directly into a vein. It happened to be more painful, but also more effective. Gently and firmly, she massaged the area to encourage blood flow. He was saying something about jumping to avoid getting hit and landing roughly. Nodding in acknowledgment, she did a double take when he mentioned payment. She was the one treating him. Dirty fingers brushed the leather satchel weighed heavily down with credits, then went to the vibrosword. Was he threatening her? Nervously, hands up, she stepped back. “Look. I’ll give you fifty. I need the rest. I appreciate the backup, but we’re even.” The first part was true, atleast. She needed the credits. Crymorah was struggling and Zentripoli had disappeared. The young, battered man seemed to disagree. “We can work something out man. Just not now. I gotta move.”

"Yer Zeltron friend-- Ai don't know what she is-- 'as probably got a saber stored somewhere on 'er person. Ai've only met one group'a people that can use tha force, and they're not very kind. She prob'ly wants the same as me... or maybe she's one of those knightly heroes in tha stories. Ai could prob'ly 'old 'er off fer two minutes. Maybe."

“Two minutes? I like my men to last longer than that. Let’s go.” She winked, but despite her jests, Pidge was suddenly wary of the purple woman. Perhaps she was there to arrest her after all. Cheating at dice was most definitely not her worst offense, and the authorities were well aware. Not turning her back on the woman, she moved out of reach. The twi’lek had worked with the jedi before, and it hadn’t ended terribly well. She’d heard the Sith were ruthless. The meeting with the force user couldn’t be by chance, and it looked as if she was kriffed either way. Much to her surprise, the Zeltron made no move towards her, but did casually confirm she was carrying lightsabers. Rather than take out a pair of binders, she placed her hand on the man’s chest, closing her eyes and concentrating. Once the force user was done, Pidge would grab one of her violet arms and look her straight in the eye. “Who are you? You seem like a good woman, but I can’t have you arresting me or torturing me or whatever you plan to do. If you don’t tell anyone, I can make it worth your while.”

@Catbert
@Topher
@Reyn
@Tom

 

[Eisa Wex]

Tilting her head off to the side so that the spacer could position her audial implant better to hear her companion's hushed tones, the female narrowed her eyes as she she listened to Curse's concerns over the male, who appeared to be a Force user or at the very least a Force sensitive that was untrained and wresting with the control of his abilities. An inquisitive eyebrow arching at the droid's comment over him being violently defective, her head slightly nodding in agreement with Curse's summation of the situation - her gaze panning over the abundance of weapons that were strapped and fastened to his person.

Eisa's lips pursed in thought as her attention shifted back over towards the Zeltron Knight as she approached the young male, she could sense Kori start to channel the energies of the light side within her and reaching out towards the male stranger. The sensation alone was one that she was all to familiar with in feeling, she had been around enough of the Jedi healers to recognise when a Jedi was channelling the Force to heal a broken body - a somewhat commendable action from Purps, keeping to the Jedi ideal of showing compassion.

But in the eyes of the fiery haired spacer it was a reckless one, leaving the Zeltron open and exposed. "Maybe in a few minutes" Eisa commented back to Curse, her eyes flicking to the side briefly to regard her droid's photo receptors. "Kinda thinking Lotho Minor at the moment" she added whilst her hand slipped down towards her right hip, figuring that Curse would understand the reference.

Fingers wrapping around the stock of her blaster pistol, her thumb sliding the power control wheel of her Bryar pistol over onto heavy blast setting. Whilst she had every ounce of confidence that Kori could hold her own, after all she was trained by the same Jedi masters as the fiery haired woman had been brought up and raised by - but given the young lad's talk of the former Jedi of legend, the collection of weapons strapped to him and the declaration that he could hold off the trained Jedi Knight for two minutes. All of it contributed to make the atmospherics something that she was not comfortable in leaving her former fellow Jedi alone and unsupported.