Open Where the Force Leads

[Arla]

Per my OP template, thread is death enabled​

Deep in the Outer Rim was the planet of Sesid. A planet made up of jungle-covered islands, the planet was strong in the Force, and that was what had brought Arla here.

It wasn't for work or even anything regarding Apex that she had come here, but for herself. She had finally made it to the top of the galaxy, and she had realized that if she didn't take the time to just exist then what was the point? All the power in the galaxy was useless if you didn't enjoy it.

And what did she enjoy more than freedom? The ability to do what she wanted, when she wanted, how she wanted.

The planet itself - although somewhat "backwater" by the standards of the Core - was a beautiful world. The cities and populace lived in cities carved of stone, almost living in harmony with nature in a way.

A cool breeze blew over the small, open market where Arla now walked, her eyes carrying up to the massive stone temple in the distance. She didn't know what exactly she would find here, but had decided to simply follow the Force's guidance, seeking out whatever it might show her or - barring that - to simply enjoy the tropical world.

 

[Essla Ta'dek]

Essla's black ARC-170 roared low over the markets of the small world, kicking up twin trails of dust behind it. The Twi'lek navigated the old fighter towards the landing pad…well, 'landing pad' was a generous term. It was more like a mostly round block of concrete, with an old cargo speeder that had been turned into a fuel vehicle. Sighing, she extended the fighter's landing gear and descended gently onto the platform. This place, no matter how questionable, was the closest with fuel and supplies. Inside the cockpit, Essla strapped on her underarm holster with her D.7 pistol, then pulled on her leather jacket, took off her helmet, and popped the canopy. She clambered down, tossed a few credits to a Rodian manning the speeder, and called, "Fill it up." She walked into the market, her clean appearance drawing attention from the crowd. She supposed that most people didn't arrive here wearing combat armor, especially black armorweave (OOC: it's Old Republic Trooper Armor, repainted and minus the helmet). Sighing, Essla fiddled with her leather headpiece, then started looking up and down the stalls.
@Phoenix

 

[Victor-Ryder]

The young red-haired padawan was standing in front of a tent. He held a beautiful jogan in his hand, while with the other he deposited the credits into the seller's hands.
Victor didn't know what he was really doing there, but something called to him. The Force guided him as always. What would it be this time? It didn't matter, really. What he liked was traveling.

He straightened his robe, broke the fruit into two pieces, bit one and began to walk through the market.

 

[Arla]

Arla poked her way through the market, looking at various handmade items from the locals. It was a whole different day to day life out here in the Outer Rim, and in a lot of ways everything seemed much simpler. Maybe not better, mind you, but simpler.

Her eyes were drawn momentarily to the armored figure who had made her way into the market. It wasn't a particularly uncommon sight out here in the Outer Rim: many drifters felt the need to wear armor and carry weapons. Heck, Arla had her own weapons on her person, though she had never been much for wearing armor.

Arla found herself wondering who she was. Bounty hunter? Mercenary? Pirate? The answers were almost limitless, but either way, Arla wasn't one to just wander around picking fights... usually.

Down the way, she spotted another red-headed man who seemed to be shopping for fruit, and Arla decided that the stall owner in front of her was as good as any to get information from. She wasn't a particularly "chatty" woman, but bounty hunting had made it clear to her that often times the best way to get what you needed or wanted was just to start talking to people... sometimes with the assistance of a cheeky mind trick.

What can you tell me about the temple up the way? she asked, not exactly keeping her question "quiet." Nothing she was doing or asking was illegal, and she had no reason to hide her intentions here.

Oh it belongs to the Church of the Bendu. They provide assistance and remediate issues here on world. They're very valued members of the planet, the woman said as she tried to shove something toward Arla for the Nightsister to purchase.

Arla looked at it for a moment and then handled it noncommittally as if she was considering buying this scarf that she had absolutely no intention of buying.

@Victor Ryder @Interdictor

 

[Essla Ta'dek]

Essla glanced in the direction of a voice. Asking something about the temple. She located the source: an elfish female was looking at a scarf. Essla had that gut feeling that she was not exactly interested in that piece of attire. The next thing her eyes went to was a tool shop to the immediate left of the unknown woman. Walking up to it, Essla waited for a moment before a short Bothan waddled out from behind it, placing his glasses on his snout and looking up at her from behind the messy table. "Yes?" he asked in a creaky voice. "Do you have any hydrospanners?" she asked briskly. The stout Bothan shuffled through the many tools and obscure scrap on his counter. Finally, he passed her a hydrospanner. Essla studied it. The tool was scratched up here and there, but it seemed useable. Then, as she passed him the money, she lowered her voice. "Where can I get some ammunition?" The old furball blinked. "I have some blaster cart-" Essla held up her hand. "No," she hissed. "I meant bigger stuff. Proton torpedoes, specifically." The Bothan opened his mouth to question her, but before he could speak, the Twi'lek was holding out a small clump of credits. "One hundred credits." The old codger looked like he was thinking it over. "Make it two hundred, and we have a deal." Essla sighed, nodded, and pulled out the additional money. After receiving his payment, the furry creature leaned over the counter and pointed down the road. "The last stall. Man there claims he's a small arms merchant, but I've seen rocket launchers and even a few proton warheads. Not a great stretch to assume he's got the torpedoes as well." Essla nodded, then turned and headed in the direction the little animal had directed her, hands in her jacket pockets and nonchalantly glancing around, making sure nobody was paying her any special attention.

(OOC: Essla and the Bothan did whisper the whole time, but anyone within about four feet, including Arla, should be able to hear her or at least get the gist of the conversation.)

 

[Victor-Ryder]

Ryder was standing there observing the temple in the background, but his attention was drawn to the armored figure that had just arrived at the market. A bounty hunter probably. Victor sighed. It was an impressive sight, but these guys aren't usually problems if you're not on their list.

-Ah, it belongs to the Church of Bendu... The young padawan's attention was drawn back to the merchant. Victor stopped at the next stall and asked for a random item. While the excited merchant took the item and exaggeratedly explained about the “various uses and benefits of having one of those”, the young man listened to the conversation and analyzed the woman next to him. She was an impressive woman, but she seemed like someone you should be very careful with.

 

[Arla]

Arla was part Sephi and that meant that even if she weren't so close, her sensitive ears would have picked up the other woman's question.

Of course, if she was looking for proton torpedoes that wasn't really any of Arla's business, but Arla also wasn't sure what she was looking for here. The Force had led her here, and she didn't know why. She couldn't exclude the idea that it might be something to do with the strange woman looking for special weapons.

The mood in the stalls quickly began to change to one of fear, and it had nothing to do with Arla or even the bounty hunter.

Arla followed the gaze of the various stall owners down the path to a group of three approaching beings who looked like they were trouble. Arla could sense the overconfidence in them and their own pride and malicious intent.

She frowned slightly as she watched them draw closer, approaching one of the stalls first as customers began to walk away. She could just barely make out the words "pay up" and it didn't take a genius to figure out this was some sort of protection racket run by... well, whoever these people were.

@Victor Ryder @Interdictor

 

[Essla Ta'dek]

Essla stopped as the men approached, her lekku twitching. Something was wrong here. She could feel it. It was one of those premonitions she had. Not that she needed it this time. The mood in the market had changed swiftly as people noticed the group. Quietly, Essla turned to follow the creatures. As she listened, she got angrier. Her gloved hand reached under her jacket and gripped the blaster pistol, quietly withdrawing it from her underarm holster. Withdrawing it from her coat, she advanced on the beings slowly, stopping about twelve feet away, D.7 heavy blaster pistol raised. "What's going on here?" she asked threateningly. By now she was the only one near the men (excluding the other two), the rest of the customers standing at a distance and watching her and the criminals.
@Phoenix
@Victor Ryder

 

[Victor-Ryder]

That morning had started out so well, but now Ryder was faced with a sudden change in scenery. The place that until then seemed calm and even a little welcoming was starting to become less and less pleasant. A suspicious mercenary, the woman asking about the temple and now those three.

Ryder felt the people's fear, followed by the malicious air of the newcomers. The hand automatically slid to the saber hidden in his veins, but he pushed it away. “Control your impulses. Watch and learn. Analyze the situation before acting.” Words he heard constantly from his instructors at the Jedi temple. Ryder knew there was wisdom in them, wisdom that would help him stay alive. Any blind action could bring more problems for him and especially for the people in that place, after he leaves.

A heavy sigh. -"You'd better stay in bed today". Victor looked up as if speaking to himself or to the Force itself. Then he turned to the merchant, who had lost all his enthusiasm from seconds ago when he was trying to push the merchandise to the young man, and was now almost cowering. -"Who are our new friends?!" He spoke with a calm and almost imperceptible gesture, indicating the bad-looking subjects.

The question remained in the air, overlapped by the question from the woman who now faced the three strangers. Victor shook his head no. -"Here we go!" The hand rested on the belt next to the saber.

He took a few steps forward and got himself into a safe, alert position. -"Let's take it easy, my friends. I think we can solve this without blasters, don't you?"

@Phoenix & @Interdictor

 

[Arla]

Arla turned to almost lazily face the approaching men, her eyes sweeping over them with a predator's gaze. They had the air of thugs about them. She was used to dealing with highly trained, professional soldiers. People who were just dangerous because of who they were. These men... were very different. They carried guns and weapons, but they were used to pushing around those who couldn't fight back. They lacked discipline.

The Twi'lek woman made her way over to them, facing them down with a blaster already out. Vigilante? she wondered to herself.

Without even really thinking about it, Arla reflexively listened to that itch in the back of her mind that told her that her positioning was garbage. She took several steps to the side, heading so that there weren't people at her back and she was no longer standing directly behind the blaster wielding woman.

And then the redhead began to step up in an attempt to talk the situation down. Arla's eyes narrowed at him, although she supposed most reasonable people would also be inclined toward something other than "kill some fools" as a first line.

Unfortunately, the fact that the Twi'lek already had a blaster out rapidly escalated the situation, and their pistols came out as well, all three of them pointing quickly at the armored woman.

Put your gun down! You wanna get smoked! We'll put you the kriff down!

At her side, Arla's hand clenched up into a claw as she prepared to cast down on whoever started shooting... she wasn't about to let herself get gunned down amidst this... tension.

@Interdictor @Victor Ryder

 

[Essla Ta'dek]

Essla frowned. Who was the other woman talking to? Essla, or the thugs? If she was talking to Essla, she could forget it. The three blasters pointed at her were not very constructive to the action of disarming herself. "What. Is. Going. On." she repeated. Her brain was analyzing the situation at lightning speed. The redhead was in the line of fire. The elfish woman was a possible threat. The three thugs were the greatest threat and were putting her in immediate danger. Essla's gloved finger tightened on the trigger, but not enough to fire. Without looking back, she spoke to the other female. "I'm not dropping my blaster. Not in this situation." As she spoke, Essla shifted slightly so her body was parallel with the criminal's line of fire, making her a smaller target.
@Phoenix @Victor Ryder

 

[Victor-Ryder]

Victor took a deep breath. “I don’t know why I still try. They never listen.” The thought quickly crossed the young Jedi's mind as he analyzed the situation. The two women were clearly dangerous, but the three thugs didn't look like much. The boy quickly reanalyzed his options and a peaceful solution did not seem to be one of them at that moment. “May it end quickly, then. Before some innocent person gets hurt.”

Several courses of action crossed the young man's mind, most ended the confusion quickly, the problem was the reaction of the two women. If they saw him as an enemy, things could get very complicated.

His eyes scanned the market, going from the women to the bandits. Victor adjusted his body, putting himself in a defensive position, closed his eyes and concentrated on the Force. -It seems that you gentlemen leave us no other options. In a split second the purple lightsaber blades expanded. The initial intention was to cause some impact on the bandits and, if necessary, divert any possible shots towards the young boy. Practically at the same time as the saber blade in his right hand expanded, the padawan's left hand advanced towards the three bandits. A Force Push thrown with the intention of pushing at least one of the three against the tent behind him and hopefully knocking the other two off balance. If it worked and the Twi'lek were quick on the trigger, as they seemed to be, the three bandits wouldn't last long. Victor only hoped for three things. First, the mercenary acted quickly; Secondly, that she wouldn't shoot him and thirdly, that at least one of the three would stay alive to speak.

@Phoenix & @Interdictor

 

[Arla]

Tensions were rising, that was for sure. And then... a lightsaber came out. Arla's mind immediately classified the redhead as the new biggest threat here, but his attention was solidly on the thugs and not on attacking her.

Oh well, if he wanted to fight, she could always accommodate.

The Jedi lashed out at the thugs, cutting one down and knocking the other two back. Blasters cracked through the air, one shot heading toward the armored woman (@Interdictor) although it would ultimately go a bit wide as the man stumbled back from the impact of the Force from the redhead (@Victor Ryder).

Arla saw no reason to hold back any longer, and reached out to the Shadow. The faint, green wisps of smoke began to rise off of her fingers, and she tapped into that connection to the rest of the galaxy. The thing that anchored her to everything from the other two "allies" here to the trio of thugs across the way.

She tapped into her pride and the feelings of dominance that allowed her to tap into the Shadow and across the distance wisps of green smoke seemed to surround one thugs head before his head twisted around so hard he was - without his body moving - now facing completely behind him and very much dead.

The whole exchange happened in a fraction of a second and one of the thugs dropped dead to the ground. Well... as it turned out, today may not end up being quite so boring.

OOC Note: Realized I didn't make it very clear in my last post, that dialogue was the thugs, not Arla

 

[Essla Ta'dek]

Essla lept over the blaster rounds, sailing through the air to land right in the midst of the three goons. She crouched as her boots met the ground, then kicked out at the first crook's legs, then followed that up with a shot from her heavy blaster pistol at point blank range. She turned to attack the second, but to her suprise the man was already falling, neck very much broken and thus very much dead. She shied away from Jedi's lightsaber just in time to avoid being turned into a Twi'lek kebob, then rolled away to prevent her being an easy target.
@Victor Ryder
@Phoenix

 

[Victor-Ryder]

Everything happened very quickly as expected. The bandits were just henchmen used to scaring common people and traders, but they were in no condition to face someone even minimally trained. Victor managed to push one of them and the other two soon fell dead by the women.

Something disturbed him when the first man fell. He felt the force, but it was a strange, corrupted form. “Witch” was the word that came to mind as he quickly glanced at the woman. Could she be the reason he was there? What is her role in all of this? Would she be an enemy or an unlikely ally? It wasn't possible to know that now, but for now she hadn't done anything to threaten him, so he focused on the bandits. Two of them were dead, but the first one (the one he pushed) was still alive and disorientating on the ground after crashing into the tent.

The young boy looked again at the two women, intending to make sure that they did not pose any threat and found that at least at first there was no danger, then with a click of a button the saber's light went out. Activating it was a tactic to scare and distract the bandits, something that was taught in the temple and that was already ingrained in the young man's mind to the point of being an almost automatic action, but which Ryder was beginning to learn was not something very safe. This really worked most of the time, especially with common bandits who were impressed by the presence of a Jedi, but it wasn't as effective against more experienced fighters and in these cases it only ended up revealing who he was. He made a mental note to try to be more careful in the future.

The young Jedi opened his arms and made a friendly and pacifying gesture towards the woman with the blaster, indicating that he was not a threat to her, while attaching the characteristic Jedi weapon to his belt. His voice rose. -The bad guys are on the floor. I think we can calm down now. He went towards the man on the ground. -Let's see what our friend can tell us. Victor supported himself with his knee on the man's chest, immobilizing him. -Start singing friend. Who does it work for and what operation is this here?


@Phoenix & @Interdictor

 

[Arla]

What a bizarre turn of events, Arla thought to herself as everyone seemed to launch right into a dance of murder. What were the odds that everyone in this market was a skilled fighter? It was the Outer Rim, so the odds were better, but even so the odds were very low.

But Arla didn't really believe in "luck." She was here because it was where the Fanged Spirit led, and that meant it wasn't an accident.

The whole thing happened in a bout five seconds and the fighting was over. That was what you got for a Jedi, a trained merc, and a Nightsister. It wasn't just a couple of street thugs.

Even as the Jedi began to put his saber away, Arla's muscles were still tensed, the Shadow flowing freely through her to call upon if she needed it. The golden flecks in her silvery eyes seemed just a bit more prominent now.

Her eyes seemed to focus in on the Jedi, a part of the back of her mind telling her in dark whispers that he was a threat, but she had fought alongside Jedi before.

I don't really care what he has to say. Just kill him and be done with it, Arla said. A part of Arla's mind told her she should just snap the man's neck and be done with it rather than risking him going back to tell his buddies and then Arla getting dragged into a random street war. She was already far too involved. She had come here to investigate the Force-studies of the local religious sect not get bogged down in a thug war.

Now... she might not have a choice.

@Interdictor @Victor Ryder

 

[Victor-Ryder]

-I don't really care what he has to say. Just kill him and be done with it. The Jedi's eyes rolled back and he grimaced in disgust. Killing a unarmed, helpless man was not an option for him. -He's not a threat now. Victor looked over his shoulder. -There's no reason to kill him. He looked back at the man. -I'm saving your miserable life, friend... The Jedi put his hands on the man's head. -Think about it and make something better of it when you wake up. Victor carefully calculated the force of the blow and seconds later the man's head was hit against the ground. A hard blow was just enough to knock him out for a few hours and leave him with a headache when he woke up.

-He won't be a problem for the next few hours. The red-haired boy stood up. -I believe we should follow our paths. He looked at one of the women and then at the other. -I don't intend to be here when their friends arrive.

Victor thought about interrogating the people in the market, but he probably wouldn't get much information from them and it could also put them in danger if the bandits decided to blame someone for what happened. He then turned to his best clue; the Benthu temple. Perhaps he would get some refuge and response there.


@Phoenix & @Interdictor

 

[Essla Ta'dek]

Essla had not expected the fight to go so well-or so quickly, for that matter. The largest threat being neutralized, she turned her attention too her two accidental comrades in arms. The redhead was clearly a Jedi, but the female…Essla wasn't sure. The woman had used the Force in some form, but it had felt twisted, wrong. Not a Sith, but…hmmm. The first suprise was that the elfish lady said to kill the criminal. The second suprise was that Essla actually contemplated for a moment. The thug was hardly threatening anymore, and killing him wouldn't be very impressive. More like murder. Plus, if Essla was to have even the slimmest chance of becoming involved in the Jedi Order, murder in front of a Jedi was not the right way to do it. So, she holstered her weapon. "Nah, what good will it do us?" Then she glared at te crook.

OOC EDIT: Whoops, we both replied at the same time. I deleted the last sentence.
@Victor Ryder
@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

Arla looked unimpressed and unamused.

For the next few hours, she repeated the words he had just said. So we're in agreement that when he wakes up he's going to be a problem, she said, becoming more and more set on the idea of just killing the man.

Her eyes flicked from the Jedi back to the now-unconscious man.

They both seemed to be in agreement about not killing the man, and Arla... relented for now.

We're not leaving him here to wake up and shoot us in the back. Do something with him or I will, she said. It was a middle ground of sorts given the situation. Arla paused a few moments to see if they were going to figure something out before she started heading off toward the temple.

Outside of the market, things were still fairly serene, and there didn't appear to be any evidence of people here having heard about what had just happened below.

The people gathered outside were clad in ornate robes, eyeing the trio of unlikely companions as they drew closer with... slight suspicion that Arla could sense in the Force although external politeness.

@Interdictor @Victor Ryder

 

[Victor-Ryder]

The woman's words fueled the Jedi's contempt for the Sisters of the Night. Killing a defenseless person in cold blood was a vile and unnecessary act. Leaving him alive might be a risk, but killing him was not an option. Victor would let the Force decide, whether it was the will of the Force that they had problems, it was going to happen, regardless of whether he left the man alive or not.

Fortunately, it was precisely from the Force that the solution came. -We can take care of him, sir. The young man turned around and saw a man coming out from behind the tent. It was the same merchant who had been trying to sell some junk to the Jedi. -Explain! The Jedi had a serious countenance. -They threaten us and rob us, sir. Usually we just pay and get out of their way, but we also do what it takes to survive. He seemed sincere. -It's common for people to disappear around here... It's going to take time to miss these three.

Victor looked at the bodies and the unconscious guy, then at the merchant. -This can cause problems for you.

-We'll have bigger problems if they find out they've been killed. Killed by foreigners and very suspicious foreigners. The man made a pleading face. -Just go away and leave it to us, sir... Please.

The Jedi sighed and pondered. I didn't have many options, really. -Promise you won't kill him. His eyes were fixed on the man's eyes. -I promise, sir. Victor thought about trying a mind trick to be on the safe side, but saw no lies in the merchant's words. So he again opted to let the fate of the bandit be decided by the Force. -Very well, take care of them. In the blink of an eye, a group of people were already beginning to carry the bodies and the unconscious man. Shortly after, the market began to return to normal, as if nothing had happened.These people were strangely used to it.

Victor looked at the two women and thought they would each go their own way. They had helped each other during a pseudo fight, but other than that they had no connection. He also had no desire to be close to the "witch." So at first he thought of going alone to Benthu's temple.

But there was something else, something that said he should stay close to them, at least for now. He took a deep breath trying to conform and looked back at the man. -Before we go, tell me what's going on in this place. He had a serious look and an imperative expression on his face. Having to "get stuck with the witch" was drastically changing his mood.

It was the merchant's turn to sigh. He clearly wanted the outsiders to leave as soon as possible, but he realized that he would need to give them something before he could get rid of them. The movement in the market had almost returned to normal, outside it was as if no one had noticed anything. Things seemed to be going well in their favor for now. Victor stopped and listened to the man's answer, before heading out of the market.

@Phoenix & @Interdictor