Fandom Star Wars: Twilight of the Force (Open)

[XxJadePhoenixX]

OOC: Please inquire here if you wish to join.

IC: During the day the city of Canto Bight was a sight to behold, but at night it was truly spectacular. A beacon of opulence on an otherwise barren world. Ringed by an imposing mountain range the city was located on the shore of the galaxy's largest artificial ocean. Canto Bight was a popular destination for society's elite across the galaxy. Wealthy tourists, gamblers and war profiteers gathered in equal measure to visit Cantonica's luxurious casinos and bet on the fathier races. Elena hated this planet. Nowhere else in the galaxy was the decadence of high society so blatantly on display as it was here. The rich and powerful gambled and drank themselves into a stupor while the less fortunate worked the casinos and the race tracks. Nestled among the foothills a scant five hundred meters from the wall of Old Town to the west lay the Tangle. An encampment of shanties, tents and shelter halves thrown together into a makeshift settlement. Out of sight, out of mind, the Tangle represented a loose band of homeless beings who long ago came together to form a semi-autonomous community on the far outskirts of the city. It's where a fair number of the denizens working the casinos and the racetracks lived. In squalor like animals while society's elite trampled over them.

If Elena had her way she'd do some trampling of her own, but that's not what Master Skywalker had taught. A young street urchin from the gutters of Vorzyd V, Elena knew full well what it was like to live ignored and forgotten. It wasn't until a chance encounter with one of the galaxy's most legendary beings that her life changed for the better... At least for a time. Elena was ten when Skywalker caught her trying to steal his lightsaber. He brought her to his temple and taught her about the Force and what it meant to be a Jedi. Then four years later he disappeared, the temple was destroyed and she barely survived the carnage. On her own again once more Elena fought to survive in a galaxy that once again cared nothing for her. Pursued by the First Order and a shadowy enemy she'd never seen she'd learned that she had to make compromises, that some rules had to be broken in order to survive, to stay one step ahead. She didn't know why the First Order wanted her and she didn't care to find out. Four years she'd been running, four years of hell. She'd made friends along the way, acquaintances mostly. Many of whom were either dead or captured now. She blamed herself for it, this was never their fight.

With a sigh she came to a stop in front of the Coruscant, one Canto Bight's largest casinos. She looked up at the neon sign and brushed a lock of her auburn hair from her eyes. She wasn't dressed in anything fancy, not like the other denizens around her. She wore typical spacer garb, a muddy gray poncho over a dark shirt and trousers. It served to hide her weapons from prying eyes. Several beings descended the stairs from the casino, Elena had to step around them to get out of their way. As they passed she overheard one of them comment on her appearance, mocking her in front of the others. Elena made a face at her but let it pass. The woman wasn't worth her attention anyway. She checked her chrono one last time then ascended the stairs to the casino. At the top of the stairs a large, burly bouncer stood outside of the massive entrance into the casino.

"Gotta check ya for weapons," the Nikto told her as she approached.

"You don't have to check me for weapons," she answered. Elena's step did not falter, she walked confidently past him and into the casino.

The Nikto, meanwhile, shook his head to clear it. "I guess I don't need to check ya."

Inside the casino the noise was ear-shattering. Between the music, the slots, the crowds and the constant sound of poker chips and dice rolls it was a wonder anyone could hold a conversation in here. The inside of the casino was more hectic and crowded than the street had been. People passed by almost shoulder to shoulder as servers carrying drinks carefully made their way through the crowd. There was a large uproar at a nearby craps table, apparently someone was on a roll. She wasn't here to partake in the games, though, she was here to meet a client. He had a private booth in the back of the casino where he conducted all of his business, the two men standing in front of it were paid enforcers. She stopped in front of the craps table a moment to watch them carefully. Both of them were strapped, carrying some kind of heavy blaster pistol under their jackets. Clearly they were paid up with the bouncer out front. As she watched them a man sidled up alongside her at the table.

"Well, well, what do we have here," he asked, eyeing her from head to toe. "A bit dirty for my liking, but that's alright. I bet you clean up well."

"Shut up and go stick your head in the fountain," Elena told him as she pushed past him towards the booth in the back.

The man blinked twice. "I'm going to shut up and stick my head in the fountain," he repeated, then he wandered off.

A moment later there were cries of alarm as security ran past her towards the fountain. They pulled a man from the water and carted him out of the casino as onlookers stared on in bewilderment. Elena, meanwhile, strode right up to the two enforcers standing in front of her client's booth. They both saw her coming and immediately moved to cut her off. "I'm here to see Diggs," she told them.

The two enforcers straightened up, then one stuck a finger against his ear and nodded for the other to step aside. Elena pushed past them into the shrouded booth. The Devaronian, Diggs, sat at a large table with a Twi'lek on one arm and a Zeltron on the other looking rather smug. Two more enforcers flanked the rather spacious booth behind her on either side. Elena crossed from the entrance over to the table as a large panel slid shut behind her, sealing her off from the casino. As she stepped into the light around the table Diggs looked up at her with what seemed like a mixture of disdain and surprise.

"Fanty has an odd way of showing me respect, sending me a child."

"Well, he doesn't trust you. He trusts me," she told him as she sat down across from him. "You got the money?"

The Devaronian's face hardened. "Lemme see the gem."

"Money first," Elena insisted.

Diggs stared at her for a moment then nodded to one of his goons standing off to the side of the booth. The man opened a small panel in the wall behind him then pulled out a briefcase. He carried it over to the table and set it down, opening the case before turning it to face Elena. Then he backed away to resume his post at the wall. Elena stood and counted the credits in the case before reaching into her pocket to retrieve a large black opal. She set it down on the table and gave it a spin before pushing it across to Diggs. The Devaronian quickly snatched it up before retrieving a small macro device from his jacket pocket. He looked at the gem through the magnification lense to ensure the rock was genuine. When he was satisfied he stood.

"Good," he told her.

Elena slammed the briefcase closed then reached for the handle. As she was about to slide it off the table Diggs reached a hand across and stopped her. "You wanna know the beauty of this booth," he asked her, "It's soundproof."

The young Jedi ground her teeth together and reached one hand back towards the small of her back. "Diggs, don't do this," she urged him.

He shrugged. "I never let go of money I don't have to."

He nodded once then the two Nikto behind her drew their blasters and fired. A snap-hiss filled the air as Elena quickly spun around, the golden blade of her lightsaber springing to life from seemingly nowhere. She reflected both blasts back at the two that had fired them, catching them both in the chest. As their bodies slumped to the floor she turned back to look at Diggs, shoving the tip of her lightsaber directly into the Devaronian's face. "As I said," she told him in a firm tone, "Fanty doesn't trust you, he trusts me." Then she grabbed the briefcase and pulled it off the table. "Tell your goons outside to put their weapons on the ground and kick them away."

Diggs said nothing but just stared at the tip of the deadly weapon just inches from his nose. "Now, Diggs, before I put a fresh hole through that fancy suit of yours."

The Devaronian quickly reached up to his ear and stammered something in his native tongue. Elena disengaged her lightsaber and slid it back under her poncho. "Pleasure doing business with you," she said sweetly before turning to leave.

The two enforcers outside glared at her but neither made a move. Elena glanced down at the floor several feet away from where they stood. Two SoroSuub heavy Renegades lay discarded on the floor near a potted plant. Threaten him enough and he'll do what I say, she thought. Of course, it would have been easier if she could mind control him. Unfortunately, such techniques only worked on weak-willed individuals. Still, she managed to get what she came for, now it was time to go. All she had to do now was get off this planet before Diggs figures out he can make a quick buck by calling the First Order. Her hand tightened nervously around the handle of the briefcase as she set off across the casino floor heading towards the exit...

 

[BabyBundt]

Charlotte had been on a roll inside the casino, which was odd because if you were to bet on her to win, then you'd more than often come up broke. When the cloaked figure enter the casino she didn't pay much attention to her, after all she was on a winning streak and nothing was going to stop her from winning big. She needed the credits, and the table she'd been standing at had gained attention and drew a large crowd that cheered her on. It was the best she'd felt in quite a while. She wore a sleeveless top that showed off her lean muscles as well as the tattoo's that ran down the length of both of her arms all the way down to the red bracers that she wore on both her wrists. That figure she'd seen earlier was the furthest thing from her mind, nothing but the credits that she was going to cash out as soon as possible and making her way from the casino after she'd done so were the only things on her mind. Somehow, the large crowd and the fact that she was winning hadn't drawn the attention of Diggs, she'd owed him lots of money, more that what she was winning currently and if she wanted to keep all of it, she'd have to make a quick break for the exit before she was noticed.

Then there was a loud alarm that went off, louder than the crowd that was cheering her on. Cocking her head slightly Charlotte noticed that a man, probably security, was forcefully being pulled out of a fountain and was carted off. "Now what in the Kriffing stars happened there?!" she exclaimed as she watch the man be whisked away from the area. If there was a better time than now to make her escape with all her monies in hand now, while all the bantha fodder distracted, then call her a Nerf herder. So while all the patrons and the goons were distracted, Charlotte quickly and quiet gathered her winnings and made her way towards the exit. She didn't know what was going on with all of Diggs' goons, and why they weren't guarding the exit, but at the same time she was glad that what ever had caused them to be distracted worked out in her favor.

"Now, where do you think you're going, Charlotte?" Said a deep voice from behind her, it was one of Diggs' guards that had not allowed himself to get distracted by all the commotion.

Charlotte froze in place as she turned to face the man who, now, was grabbing her shoulder. "Oh gosh, I.. eh.. Well, I was leaving since I paid Diggs what I owed him. This is what I have left after, you know, paying him off." She chuckled nervously, hoping the man would believe what she had just said, although she seriously doubted it.

The tall man eyed her for a moment, as if that would cause her to tell the truth, and then let go of her shoulder. "Alright, but if I find out from Diggs that you've lied to me, Charlotte.. May spice salt you wounds if you ever show up here again! Ya understand me? Cuz, I'll make sure you suffer slowly once Diggs gets his hands on you!" She gave a large, obviously fake smile and quickly made her way to the door. She turned and walked from the casino, thanking the stars that Diggs' goons were dumber than a pile of Bantha poo. Cheering silently to herself, she glanced down at her hands and the credits held in them. She'd have to make her way to the star port and get off this planet as quickly as possible, but she was happy with what she'd earned, and hoped that her luck would continue. Although somehow, she had a bad feeling that it wouldn't and she wasn't quite sure why...

 

[Jackson123]

Hecate

Resurgent-class Star Destroyer
First Order Navy

The moment second lieutenant stepped onto the bridge, he was paused in awe as the cosmic abyss of countless dots of starlights outside the trapezium bridge viewports encased him in an overwhelming sense of infiniteness.

The bridge of Hecate, a Resurgent class Star Destroyer, was huge, with a clear view of the interstellar space outside. In the radiant starlights and varicoloured distant nebulas, the dark patches are the dense dust clouds in an inner spiral arm of the local galaxy; such clouds can block view of stars toward the centre.

After the sense of emotion had settled in his mind, the second lieutenant looked around again. The lighting in the bridge keeps the interior in a dimly somber, it’s a necessity for the bridge crew, not only to gain a better view outside, but also for them to better retain their valuable night sight in their service among the vast darkness of outer space.

A myriad of screens, consoles, computers and communication devices, varies in size, are arranged in a geometric pattern in the crew pits situated on either side of an elevated platform that bissected the bridge, in which bridge officers would move around in a way that reminds him a school of fish swimming in a current.

The electronic stench emanating from the machinery mixed with the recycled oxygen created the smell most familiar to starship operators.


Like many of his peers in the First Order officer corps, the second lieutenant had graduated from the New Republic Naval Academy. Being disillusioned by the corrupted, incompetent nature of the governing body, he began to see the First Order as a preferable alternative in the form of a benevolent dictatorship, before eventually deserted to the hexagonal banner.

The second lieutenant straightened his body with all the exalt manner he gained from the naval academy and approached the commander of this vessel, who is standing in front of the bridge viewport with his hands relaxed behind his back.

“Sir, we have received report from an informant, with the whereabouts of Elena Connor.” At the end of his brisk walk, the second lieutenant uttered the name of a wanted Jedi.

“Is that so?” Captain Matthias turned around, intrigued. The passage of time had left marks on his face in the form of wrinkles, some grey hair had grew amongst his blond, a scar across his left forehead down to his cheek signifying his tough facial figure. The “old man”, as the crew referred as, had been serving in the Navy since the time of the first Empire.



“Yes sir, Intel had confirmed the photos are authentic, Connor was sighted in Canto Bight 15 minutes ago, in Coruscant Casino.”

“Canto Bight? What’s she up to there?” The captain furrowed his brow by hearing the name Canto Bight. He could never finds himself comfortable in those social occasions, but the formation of First Order would sometimes requires him to attend those meeting to gain support from the wealthy and elites for the organisation. Underneath all the honour, glory, horror and sacrifice, war is essentially a business, a very profitable one at that.

“Scramble a squadron of TIE-sr (scout) ahead of us to Canto Bight, try to identify her with the plane sensor.”


(tie/sr for long range reconnaissance with the most advanced hyperdrive)

“Aye aye sir!”

“Nav, our ETA to Corporate Sector?”

“ETA 15 minutes, sir”

“Very well. All hands prepare ship for light-speed, navigator, plot course for CorpSec.”

 

[XxJadePhoenixX]

Elena was barely halfway to the door when everything started going wrong. Out of the corner of her eye she caught one of Diggs goons holding onto the earpiece he wore in his ear while watching her. A little further beyond him she caught two more moving in parallel with her towards the door. Looks like Diggs was serious about not letting go of his money and foolish too. The first goon took his hand off his ear and started moving directly at her. Elena picked up her pace, walking more briskly now towards the exit. When a hand reached out and grasped her by the shoulder she grabbed him by the wrist then twisted about and threw him to the floor. The man flipped head over heels and landed on his back, knocking over a server's tray on his way down startling the nearby patrons. A second enforcer tried to take a swing at her, but she dodged to the left then smashed the briefcase she held against the side of his face. The force of the blow sent him sprawling into a nearby card table, sending chips and cards everywhere. Elena used her momentum to continue her spin then drew her blaster and pointed it at the third goon.

The man held his hands up in the air and immediately stopped moving. Instead, he eyed the weapon in her hand. "Westar 35," he said, "Old Mandalorian make. You don't look Mandalorian."

"Congratulations, you get a gold star," Elena told him. "Your boss and I had a deal and now he's renegging. You should ask him about what happens when he crosses me."

"Deal's been renegotiated," he answered, "I'm just supposed to slow you down."

A cold shiver ran down her spine as realization dawned on her. She suspected Diggs had contacts within the First Order, she hadn't expected he'd be able to call them this fast. Or was it even Diggs in the first place? Her eyes flitted up to a nearby camera then out over the crowd. I should never have agreed to this job, she grumbled to herself. As far as the First Order was concerned she was a wanted fugitive and Canto Bight was the go-to destination for many businessmen and women selling weapons to the First Order. Anyone of the sleemos around her could have clocked her and sent her photo to the First Order. That meant they were likely on their way, if they weren't here already.

While she was distracted the goon in front of her used the opportunity to slowly reach for the stun baton on his hip. When Elena caught the motion she didn't give him any time to respond before shooting him in the leg. The man immediately cried out in pain and collapsed onto one knee. Startled cries of alarm followed the sound of a blaster bolt being fired as the crowd around her started to scatter in all directions. Patrons pushed other patrons out of the way or simply trampled over them. It was the perfect metaphor for a place like Canto Bight. A place where selfish people propped themselves up on the backs of hard-working individuals. Elena wasted little time darting for the door. The two uninjured goons behind her tried to give chase but she cut them off by blasting a chandelier above her as she ran past. The chandelier came crashing down onto the casino floor, sending shards of broken glass skittering everywhere. The two goons nearly fell over backward as they narrowly avoided being crushed by it.

All that was left now was the bouncer at the front entrance. He was already moving to block her path as she pushed her way through the crowd, running at full speed. The Nikto had a stun baton in one hand and had braced himself to meet her charge head-on. Elena had barely crossed the threshold into the exit when she shouted at him. "Get out of the way!"

The man straightened up then immediately moved to the side as she passed, racing down the stairs in front of the casino. She hit the streets then turned and started sprinting towards the spaceport. In her panic she barely made it a block before she ran full steam into another woman, scattering her credits all over the ground. Elena lost her balance then stumbled and fell. The briefcase she carried popped open upon impact, mixing her credits with the woman's. "Bantha poodoo," she cursed as she immediately started grabbing credits and tossing them back into the case, not really caring which ones were hers and which ones belonged to the tattooed lady beside her...


[Location: Canto Bight / Mentioned: Charlotte ( BabyBundt )]

 

[BabyBundt]

Charlotte was nearly to the star port, counting her winnings again in her hands. She couldn't believe it! Some how, her luck from the table was real, and it continued with her even with her blatant and obvious lie, and had managed to not be followed by anyone. It came a shock to her, and she was glad that her bad feeling she'd had was wrong. She never believed in trusting what her fate or premonitions in the first place, so she didn't know what she'd start to trust them now! That was until something slammed into her, the credits she was holding scattering onto the ground. She spun around, expecting Diggs to be behind her or maybe even some kinda Trooper, except their wasn't. Arching her brow, she looked down to her feet and noticed there was a cloaked person at near her feet, frantically grabbing credits. "Didn't anyone teach ya' to watch where you're going? Look'it whatcha made me do, droppin--"

She stopped mid-sentence as Charlotte noticed that the person at her feet was just shoving everything into a nearby briefcase. Shaking her head, she knelt down so she could get a closer look at what was happening and hopfully a closer look at the person at her feet. "No, no, no. Stop it you silly little gungan brain! If you shove them in their like that, you'll never get that case closed and y'll just waist time having to put them back in again.." She shook her head at the person before her.

"Listen, I get you're in a hurry n' all. But if ya' just slam them in their like that.. Well whatever yer' running from will just catch up to ya' in no time! So, if ya' wanna get away in a flash, well, ya' gotta take yer time!" She said with a humor in her voice. Charlotte could only assume, after seeing the case, that they'd recently come from the casino or somewhere just as seedy, but her own credits where getting mixed into the others and were getting stuffed into the briefcase. Rolling her eyes, seeing as she too was in a hurry, she'd just have to let it happen but stick with this person til she could get her credits back. Thankfully she'd counted how much she had so wherever they were going, she'd have to stick with them until she'd gotten every single one back.

"Listen here! I'm gonna stick with ya' like snow on a TaunTaun til I get my credits back! Every single one, ya' follow?" She said quietly, not wanting to draw more attention that they'd already gathered with credits that had spread on the ground. "And loose the cloak.. Ya' stick out like a sore thumb wearing that. People'll think yer' some kinda Jedi or somethin' wearin' Kriffin clothes like that. Besides, they're all dead 'nd gone. The frakin' dead beats." She stood up, checking the area, making sure that no familiar faces were in the crowd around them. When she was certain that no one was following them from Diggs, she turned her attention back to the cloaked figure at her feet. "Now hurry up, gotta get movin'. I need to dash outta here too."

((Location: Canto Bight//With Elena || XxJadePhoenixX ||))

 

[Jackson123]

Desert Planet Cantonica
Corporate Sector

One by one, a whole squadron of 12 TIE/Sr emerged from hyperspace near the high orbit of the planet Cantonica, where the costal casino city of Canto Bight is located.

“There it is, Canto Bight. What happens in Canto, stays in Canto, as they said.” The co-pilot of the flight lead said in a cheerful tone.

“Can you take this more seriously? That’s a Jedi, they’re all emotionless, mind controlling, lightsaber wielding mass murderer. If we let our guards down we’ll be dead.” The flight engineer said.

“This is Kentra 1, to all Kentra squadron. Spread out and standby for com-scan.” The pilot ignored the commotion in the crew compartment and simply gave the order to his squadron of TIE scout. He used to be a TIE/LN pilot, the old fashioned TIE with no hyperdrive and no shield, the titanium hull of the tiny eyeball is the only thing between alive and death, and reflexes and ingenuity is the only thing that could be relied upon, that achieve victory.

Those days are long gone now. Nowadays every TIE fighters in the Order are equipped with shields and hyperdrive. With his ageing ability, he was transferred to pilot these TIE scouts, size of two schoolbuses with crew of 3. His friends from way back then sometimes would jokes the other two are there as nurses in his “personal flying care house”. He knew they had good intention, how can he not realise, almost half of the pilots from the training crew of his year are now either dead or permanently grounded.

The TIE Scouts squadron quickly formed an echelon on the planet orbit, before they commence scanning with their sensor. Wave packets as thin as only a couple of atom with an extra dimension within it’s beam landed on the planet surface near Canto Bight, and started scanning the area within several kilometres.

If it were daytime, it would be possible to perceive the beam with the naked eye, for when it arrives, all inanimate objects within its reach will become transparent. The loess mountains will appear to the observer as mountains of crystal, and the sunlight refracting through them will be a strange and spectacular sight, and the observer will also see the earth beneath them turn into an unfathomable abyss; while organic objects will remain in their original state, with people, trees and grass etc appearing in this crystal world. But this effect lasts only a fraction of a second, during which the sensor beam would completes its task before everything returns normal. The observer would have thought that he or she had hallucinated for a moment. And now, it is late at night, so it is naturally difficult to perceive anything.

The console makes a “ping” sound as the surface scanning is now complete.

(not sure if that’s how sensor ping works so I got imaginative lol)

“Looks like there she is, the physical description matches. Seems like she collided with someone and now all the cash are flying around her. Hmph, perhaps we’ve interrupted a shady deal between the Jedi and Canto Bight big shots.” The co-pilot said.

“How long until the Hecate would arrive?” The pilot asked the F/E

“Around 7 minutes.”

“Tell them they would want to send medic down there to help, people are panicking and trampling each other. What a mess.”

“No doubt would make a perfect propaganda opportunity for the Order. ‘Look what a mess the Jedi left behind, no worry we’re here to help!’ I can already imagine that.” The F/E sneered

“I actually never thought of that....but sure that might as well happen.” The pilot said.

“Looks like the Jedi have teamed up with the woman she collided with...and moving to the port.” The co-pilot said “Shall we hail on all frequencies to stop flights from leaving Canto Bight?”

“Affirmative, they might not listen but it’s worth trying.”

On board the Hecate, stormtroopers are starting to mount the troop transports ready for landing once the Star Destroyer jump out of lightspeed.

 

[XxJadePhoenixX]

Elena ignored the woman as she frantically threw as many credits into the case as she could and slammed it close. It took a bit of effort, though, since the woman had been correct. She wasn't very organized in the way she was tossing them in, but after a couple of attempts she somehow managed to get it to close. The woman was still talking to her as she stood, going on about how she was planning to accompany Elena until she got her credits back. Elena didn't have time for this, nor could she afford to drag another innocent into her life.

"Look, um... Whatever your name is, I'm sorry but you can't come with me. It's too dan--," before she could even finish muttering the words two hovercycles appeared above them shining spotlights down on top of them.

"Hand's in the air," one of the officers shouted, leveling a stun blaster at them.

"Frakkin great," Elena muttered, then she half turned and in a split second raised her blaster up and fired at one of the officers. She purposefully aimed her shots wide to the left just close enough to cause him to veer out of the way. Then she grabbed the woman beside her by the wrist and took off running.

The second cycle flew around in a half-circle to follow them down a tight alley. The officer tried to lean over and aim his weapon down at them but the gap between the rooftops of the buildings flanking the alley was too thin. Instead he just tried to keep eyes on them as his partner flew up beside him, flying in parallel with the fleeing fugitives.

Elena hit the end of the alley then turned down another alley away from the starport. "You're going the wrong way," the woman called from behind her.

"I know," the Jedi answered, "They'll have checkpoints at all the major thoroughfares to the starport, we'll never make it through."

She had other ideas, though. A while back she'd made some contacts with the people living in the Tangle. These were the lifeblood of Cantonica, they worked the casinos, the racetracks, the resorts, anywhere cheap labor was needed. Many of them had been or still were personal servants of the rich elite. If there was a way to get into the starport, or another way off this planet someone there was bound to know about it...


[Location: Canto Bight / With: Charlotte ( BabyBundt )]

 

[BabyBundt]

Rolling her eyes as as she watched them try over and over to close the case, it was apparent that whoever this person was didn't care to listen to reason. Shaking her head she started to kneel down again when she was told that she couldn't stick with them. She was about to shout a long line of vulgar curses at the cloaked figure when her attention was drawn to the sound of hovercycles followed by the demand for them to put their hands into the air. Who was this person? She was more than certain that they wouldn't be after her, she wasn't a wanted criminal after all... But, here they were, local security, aiming a stun blaster at them. What had she gotten herself into?

Her thoughts were broken as the girl grabbed her by the wrists and ran away from the security, with her in tow. She was pulled down the alleyway and shouted at her "You're going the wrong way!" Annoyed that she was so close to getting off this rock, and the only thing that had stopped her was this damned kid. She should've just gathered what credits she could at the time, minded her business, and got on a starship. Charlotte had no idea where she was being lead, but at the same time knew that it wouldn't matter much. The kid had shot a blaster at the locals and now they would call in reinforcements, and eventually the Empire would be notified by the by the ruckus they were causing... All Charlotte could hope that they hadn't already!

Charlotte hope that Diggs hadn't called them to track her down, because if he did.. Well, things wouldn't end well for her. She didn't know if he had a section of the local forces, but it wouldn't be surprising in the least if he had paid off a large section of them at all to her. She prayed that wasn't the case, but she seriously doubted that he hadn't. After all, he owed one the seediest casino on the planet and if he wanted to do as he wanted, he was sure to have paid of security. Well, all she could do was follow the girl as she led Charlotte to a better, safer location. It was petty, but she was sad to have lost all those credits, having plans on what to do with them all. Buying tools and repair kits, then she could get herself a job on some cruiser and lead the life she really wanted. However, all she could do currently was stick with this cloaked kid and hope for the best.



((Where: The alleyways on Canto Bight//With: Elena || XxJadePhoenixX ||))

 

[Jackson123]

Hecate
Resurgent-class Star Destroyer


When the enormous starship exits from hyperspace, the starlights outside the viewport were, for a brief moment, stretched into slender lines by the moving observer’s redshift and blueshift effects, before finally returned to the way they were. The Hecate is once again steadily patrolling in the normal space time continuum.

Immediately all channels could receive hailing frequency transmission from the recon squadron the Hecate had sent out earlier.

“......Attention all spacecraft in this channel. This is the First Order, hereby demands all spacecraft in the territory of Canto Bight to remain on ground......in the state of affairs that exist upon the Jedi attack in the city, in order to protect the territory and it’s inhabitants, ......”

Well, apparently the civvies are not having any of it. Public transport ships have remained on ground, but all sorts of private spaceships and yachts are rushing for outer space like there’s no tomorrow. Of course, considering the average income of this place, why wouldn’t everyone fly private. The comms are not exactly civil either.

“What are you all doing kriffing Bantha spew!”

“My dad is the CEO of TransGalMeg Industries! He invested billions of credits to you First Order guys! I demand to be protected!”

“How dare you stands in my way! Do you have any idea who I am!!??”

“By all of Alderaan’s ghosts! Protect me you brainbolted Impies!”

“Go crink yourself!”

Captain Matthias felt like he’s having severe headache listening to these idiotic comms. He place his hand on his forehead before letting out a long sigh.

“Chaos take me...second lieutenant, send a squadron of TIE to protect those evacuation, they are still civilians.” Matthias said “Tell the recon squad to stop the broadcast too. Are they still tracking that Jedi?”

“We’ve lost her on screen, last update was 4 minutes ago when she headed to the Tangle region of the city.”

“I see. Deploy stormtroopers to that location, search.”

In the hanger bay of Hecate, the troop transports are being readied for takeoff. Stormtroopers clad in their iconic white armour armed to teeth. Some of them look more nervous than others, one of the troopers attempt to drink water from his canteen with his shivering hand but spilled most of it out in the process.

“There’s no need to be nervous” the Sergeant leading the troopers said “Now is the time to show what your training was for, so perform what you’ve learned. Follow orders, and you’ll make it out alive. Don’t try to be hero, remember your weapons and armours are made by the lowest bidder! Good luck!”

The sergeant said as he puts on his helmet, the transport ships began their descent towards the atmosphere above Canto Bight. From planet surface, this scene would looks like a group of meteorites came crashing down, as the hull of the transports are heated up by friction of the atmosphere, causing them to appear to be engulf by flames when they came down.

 

[XxJadePhoenixX]

Elena led the woman to the west wall of Old Town where they found a narrow and claustrophobic crevasse leading out of the city into The Tangle. Elena squeezed through first followed by the other woman. Once they were on the other side Elena paused long enough to lean in closer to Charlotte. "Just--be cool around here, alright," she said quietly, "These people tend to watch out for their own. That don't include you unless they conjure it does."

She didn't wait for the woman's answer before leading her down the path towards the large makeshift encampment. There were no artificial lights this far from the city, only a spattering of campfires and stoves to light the barren streets of The Tangle, if you could call them streets. The outer region of the Tangle was mostly fabric tents and shelter halves, the denizens referred to this area as the expansion region. The closer one got to the center the more intricate and quasi-permanent the structures became. The amorphous way the encampment formed over the years made it seem to an outsider's perspective that it was merely a hodgepodge of old pre-fab buildings, storage containers, and raggedy tents.

They passed people huddled around metal barrels, the contents of which they were burning for warmth. Other denizens passed them on the narrow footpaths, some of them casting suspicious glances at the two outsiders, mostly in Charlotte's direction. Elena led the woman to a large structure in the center of the encampment where an older woman was quietly conversing with several members of the community. When the older woman looked up and saw Elena she gave the Jedi a broad smile.

"Stay here," Elena told Charlotte as she stepped away to go greet the woman.

"Little Elena," the older woman said, coming closer and wrapping her arms around the young Jedi. "It has been too long."

"Kaia," Elena greeted her as she reciprocated the hug. When the two of them separated Kaia placed a hand on the back of Elena's head then gently pressed her forehead and nose together with the young Jedi. It was a form of greeting that Kaia rarely used with people outside of The Tangle.

"So what brings you here," Kaia asked, stepping apart from the girl and gently guiding her away from the other community members so they could speak privately.

Elena frowned. "I'm afraid I really stepped in it now," she said, "Fanty had me down here on a job, I should've turned it down but I needed the money."

Kaia frowned. "I've not known you to do anything for money."

"It doesn't happen often," Elena admitted, "but I need an income. Staying ahead of the First Order isn't cheap."

At the mention of the First Order the woman made a face. There's not many beyond the rich and powerful that cared for the First Order out here. Their reputation for stealing resources and shelling settlements to test their weapons was very reminiscent of the Empire of old. "What's happened now," the woman asked.

"Diggs renegged on our deal," Elena explained, "He's a little... Well, a lot upset that I got away with his money. He's got the local authorities looking for me."

Kaia frowned. Diggs had a reputation for being a slimy businessman, no doubt because of Elena's youth he thought he could take advantage of the girl. "Who's your friend," she asked, nodding at Charlotte who was still standing alone a short distance away looking rather lost.

"She's, um...," Elena started to say when she stopped suddenly. She finally realized she never actually got the woman's name. "Someone who was in the wrong place at the wrong time," she finished. "Look, Kaia, I don't have a whole lot of time. Diggs contacted the First Order, they're on their way here. I need a way to get into the starport without being detected."

Kaia's expression grew more serious. "The starport is a bad idea, Little One."

"So is staying here. Luxury resort or not the First Order will level this place looking for me."

The older woman considered that then waved over a young Kessurian girl and a Mirialan man. "These two occasionally work the summer home of a Tapani noble. Some duke or something," she said with a dismissive wave. "He's got a space yacht on the grounds of his estate. Security will be lighter there than at the starport. Maru and Jor here can get you access to it."

A sudden roar filled the air as several transports broke atmo far above them, falling from the sky like a meteor shower heading straight for The Tangle. The glow of their heat shields lighting them up enough to contrast them against the night sky. Elena turned her gaze upward where she saw the triangular shape of a First Order star destroyer high up in orbit around the planet. "They're here," she whispered quietly, her face becoming pale.

"Go now," Kaia told her, "Hurry!"

Elena hesitated. "You can't fight them, Kaia, they'll kill you."

The older woman pulled the girl in for another hug, possibly her last. "The light of the Jedi must be preserved," she whispered into the girl's ear. Then she pushed off, shoving Elena in the direction where Charlotte waited. "Now go," she said before turning to the Mirialan and Kessurian standing beside her, "Show them the way."

The two nodded and hurried off back towards the distant lights of the city. Elena tried her best to bite back the tears. "Follow them," she said to Charlotte, turning to run after the pair herself but pausing just long enough to cast a glance over her shoulder back at Kaia. The woman gave her a smile then waved one final goodbye. Elena returned the wave then turned and sprinted after her two guides...

 

[BabyBundt]

Charlotte followed impatiently behind the girl, wondering where they were headed. Her eyes turned upward to the sky as she heard the 'wump' of a large star craft entering the atmosphere. "Oh, great. Here come's trouble..." She said under her breath. Now watching all the campsites they passed, and her heart dropped. She never knew that there were people, hiding in makeshift shacks and semi-perminant shelters that looked as if a strong gust of wind might blow the whole thing down on top of their heads. At the same time however, it was clear that they'd all been living here for quite some time, so she really doubted that thought. So she continue to follow until she was told to stop as the girl approached an older woman.

'Elena, huh? Well, at least I know her name. I've got that over her.' She thought as she tried to not listen to any more of their conversation, returning her attention to the sky, keeping an eye on the cruiser in the dark skies above them all. Charlotte shook her head, knowing with out a doubt that if they stuck around any longer that they'd be in way more trouble than what had happened with the local security and Diggs. In all truth, she hoped that they were here for Diggs and not her and Elena.

Returning her attention to Elena, it seemed the two's conversation had finished, and that it appeared to be a sorrowful conversation as Elena didn't agree with what the older woman wanted. Reluctantly, the girl left her side and came back to Charlotte's. Quickly she followed after the trio that seemed to be leading them someplace safe, pausing for a moment to offer the older woman a kind smile as she put her hands together to offer her a prayer as well, then continue to follow after the small group.

"Who was that woman to you Elena? She seemed very important to ya'. If it means anything, I'm sorry that yeh had to leave 'er behind." She said, as she attempted to place her right hand one her shoulder in a comforting way. Charlotte noticed the drop ships entering the atmosphere, but paid them no mind. She didn't really know the girl in front of her, but she could tell that the whole situation that had happened back behind them had affected Elena. Charlotte didn't know why that woman was, but even a frakin gungan could see that. "So, ya' mind telling me where we're going? I understand tha' we might be goin' somewhere safer, but is anywhere safe now?" She said, motioning toward the sky at the toward the giant cruiser that hung in the sky above them.

 

[Jackson123]

Hecate
Resurgent class Star Destroyer
Corporate Sector


If one were to use one word to describe the air in the CIC, combat information centre, that would be cold. The room had the temperature maintained at 18 degrees celsius, which is the ideal temperature and humidity for operations of the fire control system, the ballistic computer, all other sorts of electronics in this compartment. The dimly lit room is surrounded by large maps, numerous computer consoles and radar and sonar repeater displays, and of course, the iconic grease-pencil annotated polar plot on an edge-lighted transparent plotting board.

There is no viewport to be seen anywhere. The CIC, separated from the bridge, is located in the middle of the star destroyer, protected by layers after layers of compartments and armour, serve as the tactical centre and provides processed information for command and control of the near battlespace or area of operations.

The yachts and private spaceships that are escaping from Cantonica looks like a belt of asteroid by the blips on the radar screen. The gunnery officer, third-in-command of the Hecate, had kept her eyes on the screen tracking every movement, her icy blue eyes twinkled in the dim light.



"Whiskey leader, this is Hecate CIC, radar picked up a yacht leaving planet surface approaching your 10 o’clock, intercept and scan."

“Aye copy.”

One board the Hecate there are two starfighter wings of TIEs, each wing amounted to six squadrons or seventy-two starfighters and bombers. Each squadron was typically divided into three flights of four fighters, but each flight could separate into two elements of two fighters. By now, a full wing of TIE had been sent out to patrol above the atmosphere of Cantonica, all ships that take off after Elena disappeared from the First Order’s surveillance are subjected to scan and sometimes even boarding inspections by stormtroopers.

Alas, a lot of First Order’s investor, financier and benefactor either live or constantly visits here, pissing off the money man is unacceptable. Thus, the First Order would have their hands tied around this fiefdom.

While the airspace is being patrolled by the starfighter wing, the transport carrying stormtroopers had approached outside The Tangle. The rapid descend was broken by a sudden lift, before the craft gradually landed with it’s bow slightly tilted upwards. The ramp was dropped as stormtroopers rush out to position the way they’ve been drilled thousands of times before. The officer leading the stormtroopers was met with the wariness in the denizens’ eyes, he took out the wanted poster of Elena Connor, and raised his voice “Anyone who could provide information of this person’s whereabouts, would be substantially rewarded by the First Order!”

At the same time, a squad of stormtroopers had arrived at the scene of Coruscant Casino, all the patrons had left, some blood stains could still be seen, tables flipped, chandelier fallen. “Oh, the insurance claim is going to have a field day with this.” The officer leading this squad of stormtroopers said with a nonchalant cheerful altitude. He is the executive officer of Hecate, second-in-command of the Star Destroyer.




XO strolls towards the innermost booth at the back of the Casino. Diggs is still there, guarded by two of his goons.

“Diggs! My old chap, how’s it going?” The XO said with a conceited smile and extended hand.

“Why, I’m doing fine, a Jedi threatens me, and then wreck half my shits, my day couldn’t be any better!” Diggs remarks in sarcastic tone.

“Yes, yes of course, she threatens you.” XO seems like he’s trying his best not to laugh as he approached the thug, behind him are the faceless soldiers clad in white plastoid armour. His smirks became more apparent. “You were trying to have a deal with her, are you not? Rather then informing us of her arrival.”

“This is an independent fiefdom, I have no obligation to inform...”

“Yes, yes of course, you don’t, now see where this gets you?” XO gestures around the ruined casino. “But this is not the reason you came for us. You’re not the one paying for this, the insurance company got you covered, you’re not the one to cleanup and repair, no doubt the workers making minimum income would do it for you......but, before we talk business, know that the First Order will deliver what we promised. For confirmed information provided, here’s your reward.” The XO gesture one of the stormtrooper to come forth with a metal briefcase, lying within it are a dozen bars of Vonium, a precious metal used in the electronic brains of several expensive droid models. Hard to find, hard to mine/process, highly prized for, even more valuable than golds.

“I want her suffer.” Diggs simply glanced at the expensive metal bars, before looking back at the XO of Hecate.

“If you had come to us first, that Jedi would be suffering before she kills your men and wrecks your property.” The XO replied with a polite smile, he then looked around and saw the chair next to the table.

“Say, wouldn’t this be the seat that Jedi had sat on?”

“Yes, that is”

“And no one else had sat upon it after she left?”

“If my memories serves, no.”

“Splendid, if you don’t mind, I’ll get this scent sample for our Anoobas.” The XO said as the stormtroopers had already take out a knife and cut out the piece of fabric from the chair that contains the smell of Elena Connor for their hound.

 

[XxJadePhoenixX]

"No, nowhere's safe," Elena answered, mostly to herself. "Maru and Jor are taking us to find a ship. One that isn't at the starport."

They reached the wall back into the city and as their two guides squeezed through the tiny crevasse Elena turned back to Charlotte. "You know, youdon't have to come. Sticking with me isn't a smart idea."

The woman looked like she was about to object, but before she could Elena interrupted her. "I know, I know, you want your credits."

Shavvit, I really screwed up this time, she thought. If there'd been time she'd have popped open the case, let her count out her credits and go. Problem was she didn't exactly trust her not to take more than was hers. Fanty's price for that jewel was specific and her cut of it was ten percent. She would need that money to bribe officials and pay informants and she didn't have the luxury of time to watch her. Not to mention the fact that the local authorities saw them together. Even if Elena could give Charlotte back her money she couldn't stay here. The First Order would find her and torture her for information about the Jedi. The best thing for everyone right now was to leave the planet as fast as possible.

"Fine, come on," Elena said finally as she squeezed her way through the crevasse.

Maru and Jor waited for them on the other side. The young Kessurian had a worried look on her face. "What's going to happen with Kaia and the others?"

"They'll be fine," Elena assured her, though it didn't sound like she quite believed it herself. "As soon as I leave the planet the First Order will follow. The faster we do that the safer they'll be. Now please, show me the way."

The girl nodded then gestured toward a side street heading back towards the center of town. "Duke Mecetti's estate is on the shore of the Sea of Cantonica. This way," she said. She and Jor led the way as the four companions hurried down the street as quickly and quietly as they could. By now with all the commotion everywhere the crowds had thinned quite substantially. People were quick to get off the streets when the First Order showed up in force, but even then the local police force had been telling everyone to return to their homes.

Their path to the shore of the Sea of Cantonica took them very close to the center of town before veering off to the east. They passed shops, cantinas and smaller casinos on their way. All around them people were scrambling to get off the streets. No one seemed to pay them any attention. Elena felt for these people, as hard as it was. Sure most of them were despicable by any decent standard, but they didn't have to get swept up in this fight. That part was on her. Jor called back to let them know they were nearly there, that was when somewhere off in the distance they could hear the snarling howls of some kind of beast. Elena and the others paused in their tracks to look over their shoulders. Behind them they caught a glimpse of a squad of First Order stormtroopers being led by an anooba.

"Fething hell," Elena cursed, then she drew her blaster and fired at the stormtroopers. "Run," she shouted at the others, still firing her weapon behind her as she sprinted down the street.

The Mecetti estate was not far ahead of them. The Duke only visited during the summer so the estate was only lightly manned. Maru and Jor lead them to a service entrance in the side of the estate's outer wall. As Jor tried to input his security codes Elena and the others took cover. Elena continued to fire at the stormtroopers pursuing them, catching one in the shoulder and forcing the others to keep their heads down. The anooba was off its leash now and charging straight at her. Elena took a moment to steady her aim then rapidly fired several blasts into the beast's broad shoulders and head. As the animal slumped forward and skidded across the ground the stormtroopers commanding it took the opportunity to pop out of cover and return fire. Maru somehow managed to pull Elena back behind a low wall as a stun blast just narrowly missed her.

"Thanks," Elena said, then she turned over to look at Charlotte, "I don't suppose you have a weapon?"

 

[Jackson123]

"Positive ID, that's Elena Connor." The stormtrooper who took the chance to take a shot said in the comm.

"Request reinforcement, the Jedi is hiding near Duke Mecetti's estate at shore district. Suspect is armed with blaster and lightsaber, there are 3 accomplices."

"Copy, backup is on the way."

The stormtrooper put his hand away from the helmet's transceiver button and glanced at the direction of the Jedi. He saw a man pulled her back behind cover as one of his comrades took a shot of stun blast towards Elena Connor. He watched a flight of four TIE/fo space superiority fighters thunder toward the estate, but they did not make the strafe that the trooper was hoping for. The order was to capture the Jedi alive, which makes strafing with laser canon out of question. They are here to ensure the First Order could immediately give chase if the Jedi tried to make an escape with any spacecraft she could find here.

The tension eased a little, and some of the stormtroopers attempted a chuckle, but it was forced. The squad machine gunner laid down suppressing fire from his Z-6 rotary blaster cannon, the bursts of automatic blast bolts would deter any sane person from running out from cover. The squad marksman did not make a shot, yet, as he had just found himself a high ground as sniping spot and carefully taking aim at the cover that the Jedi is behind, with his DLT-19x targeting blaster being set to stun, his scope zoomed in ready for the shot.

(Z-6 blaster canon)

As they are doing this, the stomps of the war machines are approaching from distances. There are one unit of First Order AT-HS (Heavy Scout), accompanying another two UA-TT (Urban Assault Triped Transport). The noise of laser was astonishing, as salvo after salvo thundered out from the big canons. The massive laser beam struck the ground around the Jedi and her companions, erupted into flame and smoke, showering the area around them with debris.


(AT-HS)


(UA-TT)

"What in the blazes," someone screamed, "Oh Kriff, the poor bastards. They didn't pound them to dust did they?"

"Walker, walker! We need the Jedi alive!" The sergeant said in the comm audibly infuriated.

"Don't worry those were just warning shots!"

In the Tangle, the First Order stormtroopers had rounded up the residents to an open space in the ghetto, they are put under the watchful eyes of two AT-STs while other troopers are commencing search in the encampments.

"Sir!" One of the stormtrooper reported back to the officer, who acknowledged the salute "Several eyewitnesses had told us the woman in the poster had talked to an old lady in this slum, goes by the name of Kaia."

"What were they talking about?"

"Two of them confessed something about finding space ship, the rest heard nothing." the trooper said.

The officer nodded. "Give those informer some credits as reward. Take that Kaia with us, perhaps we can use her to have the Jedi surrender."

"But we can't identify who is Kaia...they refuse to cooperate in this matter" The stormtrooper said.

"Well then, take all the old ladies that fits the description." The First Order officer looked around the slum residents that he gathered and simply shrugged.

 

[BabyBundt]

"It's not even 'bout th' credits anymore. I'm just as involved in this now as anyone else 'ere. I would've thought yeh'd figured that out by know. Guess ya' really are just a child after all. If I wanted to get credits I could've just stopped following yeh long time back ago and told who'er it was tha' were huntin' fer ya' a long time ago. I ain't that kinda person, but I see yer haven't been payin' all tha' much attention, eh?" Charlotte shook her head at Elena, as they seemed to reach where they were planning on going. Although it seemed that the First Order had beat them there. She eyed the area quickly before hearing a blaster shot come from near her. ' This kid, taking action before thinking! They might've had a chance to sneak around, or send someone forward to distract the first Order.' She thought before ducking behind cover as the rest of them did.

She saw as more and more troopers and large ground units began to fire on the group, air hissing out from her mouth as a walker fire near them, sending debris flying everywhere. "I gots a blaster, bu' what difference does it make?! With all them Bucket-brain's o're there, Were sitting mynock's out 'ere!" She shouted at them from where she hid, trying to keep calm. She banged her head against the wall she was tucked behind trying to think of what they could do now. There wasn't much currently that she could see that could be done, as she poked her head from behind the wall. There were so many reinforcements laying fire down on them, it was impossible to think! She glanced at the group behind the low wall that, and she knew they couldn't hide behind that wall for much longer. The turret fire would eat through that soon enough and then what?

Charlotte wasn't great at planning for things like this, but give her a blaster or something of the sort and she would return in to you with more power and other things than you'd asked for! But this, finding a way out of a stick situation was no her forte. She looked down the alley way, and then back at the group that was hiding behind the short wall. Sure, if she was a coward, she could take off and leave them all behind. Charlotte wouldn't get far with the first order surrounding the place, but a few words and she could set herself apart from them. But Charlotte wasn't going to do that, no even though she didn't want to be in this situation, well, she couldn't leave them behind.

It was then, she noticed, that they weren't firing kill shots at Elena. No, she could see that every time someone came close to getting a kill shot, they were shouted at by the handsome man that was only giving out orders and not firing at them, whom she figured was the captain. Returning her head so that it was behind the wall, she furrowed her brows and looked over at Elena. "Hey, kid!" She said, having to shout over the laser fire. "Can ya' think of any reason why they wouldn't wanna kill ya'?" Charlotte shouted again over the laser fire. It didn't make any sense to her, but then again, she didn't know all that much about who Elena was. Was she someone important? Did she know secrets the the first order didn't want getting out? Or worse, was she a J-

Charlotte shook the thought from her head, there was no way that she was one of them. They were supposed to be calm, cool, and collected. Right? Elena did not possess any of those traits. So she was back at square one. None of the things that she'd thought up made any sense, as she returned her eyes to look over at the girl that hid behind the waist high cover, that was now riddled with laser fire and then returned her glance to the handsome man. This whole thing was just so confusing. "Dank Farrik!" She shouted, hitting her head against the wall a little harder than she'd meant to. This whole ordeal was making less and less sense as time went on.

 

[XxJadePhoenixX]

"Hey, kid! Can ya think of any reason why they wouldn't wanna kill ya," the woman asked.

Elena blindly fired off a few shots from behind cover. "No," she said, "and I don't care to find out."

Then she glanced back over her shoulder at Jor who was still trying to enter his codes. "Jor, it's getting a little hot out here! Why isn't the door open?"

The Mirialan was typing furiously at the keypad over and over but the door remained stubbornly closed. "I don't know! I... I think they changed the codes."

"Frak," Elena cursed to herself. Then she holstered her blaster and drew the hilt of her lightsaber. "Jor! Move!"

Jor didn't waste any time, ducking to the side as Elena took his place. Her golden blade sprang to life and with one cut she slashed through the lock then kicked the door open. From behind her the First Order sniper finally had a clear shot. He took aim at the center point of her back, tracing a small infrared dot down the length of her spine. Maru saw the dot and moved quickly. "Look out," she shouted, getting between the sniper and the Jedi just as the stormtrooper pulled the trigger. The stun bolt struck the Kessurian instead and the girl slumped over into Elena's arms, pushing both of them back and out of sight.

"Maru," Elena cried, checking to see if the girl was wounded.

Almost immediately Jor was at her side. "It's alright, I'll take her," he said, "You and your friend need to leave now. Follow that path along the side of the house, you'll find the ship in the back."

Elena shook her head. "No, I can't leave you."

"You can and you will now go," he shouted, grasping her by the shoulder then shoving her backward.

Elena lost her grip on Maru, but the girl was now being held by Jor. Finally, she looked at Charlotte. "Come on, let's go!"

The Jedi disengaged her lightsaber as she led the way around the house. Jor, meanwhile, carried Maru in the opposite direction. There were some maintenance tunnels underneath the house that led to the beach. The two of them could escape the First Order through there. As Elena and Charlotte rounded the corner of the house they found the landing tarmac on the other side of a lush green garden with a self irrigating fountain. Elena would have thought the garden pretty if not for the fact that they were running for their lives. On the tarmac, they could see a Courier-class yacht. a Nubia Star Drives staple. The pair hurried across the tarmac to the boarding ramp only to find it locked with a keypad. Elena ignored the keypad and placed her hand on the hull of the ship. She closed her eyes and concentrated then shortly after the locking mechanism popped open and the ramp lowered. They climbed the ramp into the luxurious vessel, closing it behind them. Elena turned to look at the interior of the ship then pointed towards a ladder leading to the belly of the vessel.

"See if there's a gun down there," she told Charlotte as she ran to the cockpit.

Once inside she sat down in the pilot's seat and looked at all the controls. This is impossible. Why did I think I could do this? She started pushing and flipping switches, not entirely sure what she was doing. Eventually she managed to get the drives to start and a hum filled the vessel as its engine sprang to life. Almost immediately after the engines powered up the first stormtroopers rounded the corner and began firing at the ship. Elena let out a startled yelp as blaster bolts pinged harmlessly off the transparisteel viewport of the cockpit. Grabbing the controls she tried to ease the vessel into the air, managing to only do so somewhat. The ship rose up slightly then tilted to the side heading straight for the house. The nose of the vessel crashed straight through the structure, sending shards of glass, splinters of wood and brick crumbling down on top of the stormtroopers.

Elena winced after she saw the damage. "Sorry," she mouthed quietly to herself.

She tried to turn the ship around towards the ocean, causing more damage to the house and the wall surrounding the structure. When she got the nose pointed the right way she pushed the throttle all the way forward. Blasting the stormtrooper behind the vessel with a powerful blast of exhaust from the engines. The entire squad was sent flying backward into the rubble as the ship rocketed forward at an alarming speed. "Fething hell this thing is faster than I thought," she said, trying like hell to fight the g-forces bearing down on her.

The standard Courier-class vessels bore twin engines on the wings, granting the craft an excellent amount of speed for its size. Unbeknownst to her, however, Duke Mecetti had the ship customized to give it even greater speed. He also added a ventral cannon to the bottom of the ship and two forward-firing laser cannons on the bow. An alarm went off as the scanners screamed at her, alerting her to the fact that a ship had a lock on them. She looked at the scanners and saw the blips of four TIE fighters following them. Laser fire raked the side of the ship, doing a moderate amount of damage to the hull.

Shields, she thought to herself, where are they? She looked around for the control only to find it on the console next to the copilot's seat. Stretching her arm as far as she could she tried to reach it to power on the shields, but the control was just too far. Out of frustration she grabbed an empty mug sitting next to her and threw it at the control. The mug pinged off the switch, flipping it into the on position before hitting the floor and skittering off beneath a console. The shields were up now, absorbing shots from the TIE fighters as Elena banked the ship back towards the city and the mountains beyond. She pulled a headset down from above her and slipped it onto her head.

"Please tell me you found something to shoot down there," she yelled into the mic. "I'll try to get us some cover!"

Within seconds the ship rocketed past the city into the mountain range beyond. Elena kept her altitude low, weaving in and around mountains and canyons while praying that she wouldn't make a mistake. She was flying mostly on instinct now, trust her fate entirely to the Force. All they had to do was put some distance between them and that star destroyer and they were home free...

 

[BabyBundt]

It was when she whipped out the saber, the crackling humming sound of it, that she realized why they didn't want to kill her. Hell, she'd found herself in a kriffing wonderful spot, now she'd be sought out as a criminal too for helping a Jedi. Sighing and rolling her eyes, she was already to far in to go back now. She watched the scene unfold before her, watching the two that led them to this spot, and had helped them as much as they could. She felt bad for the situation that they'd but them into, but they seemed incredibly loyal to Elena so they knew what they were getting into, but all the same the new order wouldn't let them get away so easily. She continue to watch as Elena cut open the door and shut off the saber in her hand, not really sure why she hadn't done that in the fraggin to beginning with, but it didn't matter at this point.

Charlotte followed Elena through the door, pausing for a moment to thank the two before continuing after Elena. She clamored onto the ship, nodding her head and climb down the ladder to the weapons bay. It was nothing special and the defense grid was ancient but she could at the very least she could defend the ship from incoming Tie-fighters and what ever else. She was getting into the seat to ready the weapons grid when she was thrown to the side, smashing into the consoles behind her, cutting her head on something badly. Blood ran down her head and into her left eye, but she didn't have time to worry about it at right then.

"Son of a mudscuffer!" She shouted as she sat down in the seat, activating the systems with the flick of a few switches. "Keep the ship steady, ya' damned little Harpy and I will have the guns up and going!!!" She shouted back into the mic in response to Elena. Blood continue to cover her left eye and drip off her chin and wiping it away would be a waste of time, it would just continue to flow down her face. Wherever they were going, she hoped their'd be a medic or something of the sort, but thankfully she wasn't feeling lightheaded so it wasn't all that bad of a cut, it was just annoying. Charlotte Shook her head, at the Tie-fighters. The system were far superior to what she was used to, and she was thankful for that. She lined up her shot and blasted away! "Got one!!" She shouted into the comms, but she was sure that was the only one she would be hitting. This was not your average Tie-fighter squad and they wouldn't let the fact she'd shot one of their crew down go without serious repercussions.

This was bad situation, and now she wanted to talk to Elena. She wanted to make sure that what she was telling her, about not knowing anything, was true. "Hey kid... What exactly did ya do to piss the New Order off? They sent some serious squads after us... 'nd stop with the scuttlebutt stories. I'm not a moof-milker. I know ya' know why their so insistent on getting their hands on yo.." She said calmly into the comms.

 

[Jackson123]

"Gosh darn!" The stormtrooper squad leader finds his bearing as he saw the courier yacht blasted off into the sky, the TIE fighters promptly gave chase to the ship.

"What the hell were those flyboys doing all this time, they should've destroyed that ship long ago while it was on the tarmac!" Squad leader growled in frustration as he threw his helmet to the ground.

"C'mon sarge, that's out of our control now." The deputy squad leader said as he started calling the troop transport to collect them.

Up in the sky, the TIE/fo flight lead, callsign Kitori, leader of the TIE Shamrock squadron, is almost died of boredom from the "non-eventful" flight above Canto Bight. When the Courier yacht took off from the tarmac, she is almost glad that the ground troops didn't took all the credits this time and left some fun for her. This is the first combat mission for her after so long a period of politics and negotiations, so even this simple Courier class yacht could easily get her adrenaline running.



"Shamrock leader, this is Hecate, radar contact courier class is confirmed hostile, all weapons free." from the helmet transceiver, the voice of the Tactical Action Officer on board Hecate's CIC had granted the weapon release authority to her. "Try to shoot at her engine after you worn down her shield."

"Roger that Hecate, Shamrock leader. Incoming fire! break! break!" Kitori tightens her grip on her control stick while she flips the TIE/fo around to avoid getting hit by the laser canons from the Courier, the TIE responded to her command flawlessly. She can feel the Jedi controlling the Courier yacht is giving her all to have the ship do sharp and difficult turns, while trying to bear the laser canons towards her.

"Split into two elements, Shamrock 3, you two cover me!" Kitori said over the comm.

The four TIE then split into two duo, as two TIE dive down in their distinguished attack formation, two other remain in altitude to cover their six, the armoured hull of the TIE fighters glitter in the night sky.

Try to secure advantages before attacking. If possible, keep the sun behind you. Kitori thought of the teaching her instructor had given her while she initiate her attack run. She brought the TIE to gain momentum before come down on them, the iconic thunderous sound of the TIE fighter charge seems to fill the world. She got the Courier firmly in her sight, the on board T-sj1a targeting computer quickly measured all the firing parameter before she pulled the trigger, the laser canon blasted upon the shield of the Courier as it faltered. It was a civilian vessel afterall, the shields were prepared for pirates, not military grade attack. Kitori reckon after maybe two or three strafe, the shield would be down.

Kitori and her wingman Shamrock 2 passed through from top of the Courier yacht in high speed not allowing enemy the window to shoot at her aircraft. She then tilted the TIE sideways to return on top of the enemy Courier yacht from above and behind and access the damage, the other element of TIE had initiated their attack run, dive down on top of the Courier, gun blazing, before pull up and disengage. In the process, Shamrock 4 was being hit by his solar panel and started rolling towards the ground with fire and smoke trails behind him.

"I'm hit! Eject! Eject!" The cockpit of Shamrock 4's TIE/fo blast open with the pilot seat being propelled out by it's powerful rocket, before long Kitori saw the parachute open.

Kitori let out a small sigh of relief. The enemy is armed with self defence weapon, remaining on their six to fire at close range is foolish. Foolish acts of bravery only bring death, hope he learned his lesson. The squadron must fight as a unit with close teamwork between all pilots. While inside atmosphere, it is basic understanding to take advantage of a high energy state in order to attack an enemy target and avoids any prolonged fighting by immediately returning to a higher altitude in order to conserve speed and altitude.

Kitori saw the Courier and it's flickering shields, "Brilliant work, team." Kitori said over the squad comm "Show no mercy!"

She said as she pressed the nose down for an attack, once again acquired the target in her sight and began shelling the enemy with laser canons. She kept an eye on the movement of the Courier's gun turret, and carefully moved out of most of the line of fire. The deflector shields on her TIE/fo could be best describe as "better than having none", and she'd rather not to test its limit here. These rich folks sometimes would get dangerous toys to install on their ships.

She aimed at the engine exhaust behind the tottering shields, if her laser canons could pack the punch enough to collapse their shields, they will hit the engine and hopefully force them to crash land.

On board the Hecate, in the CIC, the assigned Tactical Action Officer is directing more squadrons of TIEs to intercept the courier that Elena is flying. The Search Radar Operator (SRO) is having his eyes to focus on the big radar screen, tracking every movement of the low flying spacecraft they are chasing, determines and reports contact's closest point of approach (CPA) and changes in relative movement, and reports to weapon stations concerned.

As the situation unfolds, the Gunnery Officer, also serve as the on duty CIC Watch Officer (CICWO), walks over to the station of the Weapons Control Officer (WCO). "Rig the tractor beam. If the hostile managed to escape the pursuit, the Hecate will be the last line here."

"Aye aye, ma'am"

The hanger bay is getting busy, from his perch in the control tower, the Air Officer is directing all the spacecraft around the Star Destroyer to coming in for landing one by one, while also oversees the hangar deck and flight deck operations. The spacecraft handlers arranging the returned craft into different position to avoid a locked deck, spacecraft directors directing all movement on the hangar and flight decks, while the Landing Signal Officer ensure that approaching spacecraft are properly configured, and they monitor glidepath angle, altitude, and lineup of each returning vehicles.

"Sir, the landing force had returned" the second lieutenant, Captain Matthias' aide-de-camp walked into the bridge with his briskly footstep making a clear knocking sound with the deck. "They cannot capture the Jedi, but, em, arrested numerous suspects, that have allegedly assisted the Jedi fugitive."

"Numerous?" the captain said in a curious tone.

"Yes, well, two dozens of old ladies, all claiming to be this woman goes by the name of Kaia. Reported to have help the Jedi finding her escape spacecraft." The second lieutenant said in a tone that sounds like he is himself unconvinced.

"Well..." Capt Matthias pondered for a bit, before he continues "They are, or at least one of them is involved with the Jedi, that one is for sure. Perhaps they could provide the leverage we need in dealing with that Jedi Padawan..."

 

[XxJadePhoenixX]

"Frak," Elena cursed as another volley shook the ship. So far the shields were still holding but they were losing strength fast. Charlotte had given up trying to fend off the TIEs, they kept avoiding her laser cannon by approaching the courier from above. "I have no fething idea what they want," she shouted in response to Charlotte's question. "They've been following me and shooting at me for four years, I didn't stop to ask them questions!"

Another volley of laser fire raked the shields from above jarring the ship and nearly knocking Elena out of her seat. The young Jedi had just about had enough of that. "I'm going to flip the ship," she continued, "Next time they come down on top of us you light them up!"

She didn't wait for a response, she simply turned the ship over while still skimming above the landscape at extremely low altitudes. The TIEs above them had just finished preparing for another attack run, diving down on top of the Courier directly into the line of fire from Charlotte's cannon. A successful volley wasted one of the incoming TIEs, sending its remains careening into the side of a mountain. From down below Elena could hear the woman's celebratory shout. The remaining TIEs broke off and tried to change the angle of their attack with little success. Charlotte had a clear 360 degree view of everything above them and because they were flying so close to the ground there wasn't much space for the TIE fighters to attack them from below. It also made maneuvering more disorienting. Elena was not used to seeing the ground above her.

One down, three to go, she thought, banking the ship through a rather tight turn. There was a canyon not far ahead of them. It would be a tight fit but Elena was almost pretty positive the ship would make it. She pushed the throttle to maximum and headed straight for it, diving down into the deep crevasse. Only one of the TIEs followed her in, the other two followed from above. All they could do was keep an eye on the craft, the lip of the canyon was too narrow to risk a strafing run. The third TIE that followed them in seemed to have some kind of vendetta, probably for the TIE Charlotte just shot down. Elena banked and weaved in between large stone formations and dove down underneath land bridges awhile the while trying to avoid incoming laser fire. The enemy TIE managed to score a few grazing shots against their shields but nothing solid. Elena tried her best to shake him but the pilot was surprisingly good.

She looked up at the fork in the canyon that was rapidly approaching then down at the throttle. No, Elena, don't you dare, she told herself before she pulled the throttle all the way back, flying the ship straight at the rocky divide splitting the canyon. The First Order TIE fighter caught up to them quick and before he knew it the Courier completely filled his viewport. At the last possible second Elena pushed the throttle forward then banked hard to the left. As the Courier tilted left and away the TIE pilot suddenly had a clear view of the rocky embankment directly ahead of him and zero time to react to it. The TIE careened straight into the side of the canyon and exploded. As the Courier emerged from the canyon the two remaining TIEs fell in behind it, firing as they went. A stray bolt managed to pierce through the shield and blast the ventral cannon, sheering it completely off. The control panel sparked and smoked from the blast but Charlotte was otherwise okay.

Elena felt the shockwave from the attack and noticed that Charlotte was no longer firing at the remaining TIEs. Thinking she might have been injured or worse she started looking around at the console in front of her trying to figure out what to do. I could try to plot a hyperspace jump. It was their only option. She pulled up the navigation computer and cycled through a number of destinations finally selecting one at random. The moment she tried to activate the hyperdrive, though, an alarm blared throughout the cockpit warning her that her actions violated the ship's safety protocols. Frak, she cursed again. Another volley of laser fire rocked the ship, this time burning through the shields into the hull. Frak, frak, frak, frak! She kept hitting buttons and trying to engage the hyperdrive with little luck, then finally on a whim she smashed her fist into the console. A message appeared on the screen displaying that the safety protocols had been disabled. She angled the ship up and away from the surface then engaged the hyperdrive again. This time the ground, the air, the clouds all seemed to stretch out to infinity around her just before the ship finally jumped to hyperspace.

As the swirling blue tunnel enveloped her viewport the console in front of her suddenly sparked and caught on fire. She screamed and nearly fell out of her chair before scrambling to find a fire extinguisher to put it out. As she sprayed the flames a cacophony of alarms filled her ears as systems were being strained or overheated. The ship rocked then lilted to the side before suddenly it was thrown violently back into normal space again. The force of the exit had thrown Elena into a console, she rebounded hard then crumpled onto the floor in a heap, dazed from the blow. After a while she painfully clawed her way back to her feet and looked out of the viewport. Nothing but stars was all she could see, no planets, no TIE fighters, no Star Destroyer, just stars. She sat down in the pilot's seat again and tried to reprogram the hypderdrive. When she tried to engage it a second time the engine stuttered then stopped. She checked the displays on the console in front of her. There was a screen displaying a report of the damaged systems, it was almost completely red. They still had impulse power, but they wouldn't be jumping to hyperspace any time soon. They were going to have to find the nearest system and set down to repair the ship.

Elena leaned back in her chair and looked over at the briefcase she wedged between the copilot's seat and the dash. Fanty's going to kill me for being late. She picked up the headset again and keyed the com open. "Hey, you alive down there," she asked, "Please tell me my flying hasn't killed you..."

 

[BabyBundt]

Charlotte gripped the controls as hard as she could, so much so that her hands started to hurt, and knew what Elena was attempting to do. Give her a better opportunity to blast away at the Eyeball's that were biting at their heels. However, the way the Tie's were flying, no matter what Elena or Charlotte did getting another target was impossible. She'd been lucky landing the first hit, and that was only because the pilot was trying to be some kinda hero and flew into the targeting range. After that, the squad behind them had become smarter and swarmed around them like some kinda bug, moving in such a way that landing a hit was close to impossible.

When she heard the whirring of a ship making the jump to hyperspace, she got up from her controls and began to climb the ladder and make her way to the cockpit. Then hearing all the alarms going off coming from where Elena was, she doubled her speed to get to the cockpit, which ended up to be a mistake on her part. The ship rocked violently and she lost her grip on the ladder and fell back into the room she'd just left. Groaning, her head spinning, she laid there until her eyes stopped spinning around in her head. Once that happened, Charlotte pushed herself to her feet and went back to climbing the ladder again.

"Good as can be, little bumps and a few cuts... But nothing life threatening." She said as she approached the cockpit, from behind Elena. She took a seat in the co-pilots seat next to her and lean back into the chair, sighing loudly. "Don't worry about me. I've been thrown around worse.." She said, looking over at Elena cracking a grin. She held out a hand "Name's Charlotte, Charlotte Whitesun. Seems like were gonna be spendin' a lotta time t'gether." Blood still running down the left side of her face, she still managed to stay in a good mood, and didn't even blame Elena for what had happened to her. No, it was just happenstance really. Now that the ship was all messed up, controls in the cockpit coated with anti-inflammatory stuff.. There was no reason for her to be worried about the defense of the ship they were on. They were eventually going to be caught, considering it was the First Order. If they were after them, they wouldn't stop til they found them..

 

[Jackson123]

Kitori saw the whole fiasco from her cockpit. The canyon flying, that flyboy somehow followed suit despite her order to remain altitude, and then the explosion and the Courier was the only one that came out alive. There's no way that idiot could survive that.

But it's over now, no more canyon up ahead, she just had to line up the shot and the yacht would be down. As she once again prepare to attack, she saw the yacht had it's nose pulled upwards, and then....jumped into lightspeed, while still being damn near the planet surface.

"Oh my skies, did I see what I just saw?" Shamrock 2 said over the comm "They can do that? jumping to hyperspace in atmosphere?"

"It did happen before, during the Clone Wars." Kitori said in a cold tone "Hecate, this is Shamrock Leader, hostile had jumped into hyperspace, I repeat, hostile had jumped into hyperspace, did you catch that on radar? over."

"This is Hecate, eh, the situation had yet to be ascertained." The voice from the ship sounds to be as confused as Shamrock 2. "We'll give you the follow up once we have confirmation."

"Roger that. Shamrock 4 had parachuted in....this coordinate, requesting evac."

"Aye copy, a shuttle is on the way to get him out of there."

On board the Hecate, everyone in the CIC had saw what just happened with their own eyes.

"SRO, are you picking up any unusual curvature of spacetime from the gravitational wave radar?" the TAO went over to the station and asked. "Something that looks like, say, disintegration? collision with gravity well?"

"Ehh, no sir, seems like they've made through a very tiny window in the atypical hyperspace near that planet. That's a....I would call that one in a million chance, sir." the Search Radar Operator said in bewilderment.

"I see." the TAO patted the SRO on his shoulder before he turn and look at the Gunnery Officer, and the two nodded.

"Did our hyperspace tracker pick up anything?" The Gunnery Officer asked.

"Analysing, ma'am. With all due respect, this thing is just a prototype...we don't even know if it works!" the officer that wore a labcoat around his olive green uniform wiped some sweat from his forehead, as he was calibrating the active tracker device.

"Well, that's what this testing is supposed to find out, is it not?"

"I...I suppose so..."

 

[XxJadePhoenixX]

"Elena Connor," the girl introduced herself properly. She gave Charlotte's hand one quick shake then turned back to the console. "The hyperdrive's shot," she continued, "and I've got no idea where we are."

She keyed on the navigation computer, fortunately it was still one of the few systems still operational. It took a while for the ship's computer to match up constellations but eventually she was able to pull up a list of nearby systems. "Most of these will take years to get to except--," she stopped suddenly. "Zygerria, it's an old slaver's world. It's also a hotspot for podracing. Someone there owes me a favor and it's only a few hours away."

She reached over and turned on the holocom, keying in the frequency of her contact. The device sparked a bit eliciting a surprised yelp but after a moment it sprung to life. A blue, shimmering image of a bald-headed Duros appeared floating above the terminal. "Duke Mecetti, what a wonderful surprise," he began, bowing his head. "You'll forgive me if I'm...," his words were cut short when he looked up and saw Elena staring at him. "You know, you have a knack for giving a guy a heart attack."

"Rev, I need your help," Elena told him.

The Duros rolled his eyes. "What else is new?"

"Hey, you still owe me for that Guavian Death Gang thing, remember?" She shot back.

Rev sighed. "Fine, what is it?"

"The hyperdrive malfunctioned after I jumped us from Cantonica. I think it's because I disabled the safety protocols."

"Disabled the... Why the frell would you do that?"

Elena was a bit taken aback by his tone. "Because the ship wouldn't let us jump otherwise."

Rev's expression went completely pale. "Elena, tell me you didn't jump that thing in atmosphere."

The girl looked confused. "I did, why?"

"Because it's dangerous! Psychotically, so! The gravitational forces on your ship could have torn you apart!"

Elena glanced over at Charlotte who just nodded in response. A cold shiver ran down her spine as the reality of what she'd done finally began to dawn on her. "I guess I should have spent more time at the casino," she muttered mostly to herself. She could have easily killed them both with that crazy stunt. She was lucky to have pulled it off... Or maybe luck didn't have anything to do with it? The Force had a knack for making impossible things possible, though that wasn't really something she planned to rely on. For now, though, they were still pretty close to Cantonica and still in danger.

"Look, I don't have the tools to repair a starship," Rev continued, "but I may be able to jury rig something on your hyperdrive. You might get at least one jump out of it... Maybe. How far out are you?"

"Two and a half hours."

He nodded. "Alright, you get that thing here and I'll get you going. And, Elena, we're square after this, right?"

"I save your life you save mine, that's how it works. See you in a few," she said, then she powered off the holocom.

She stretched a bit before slipping her poncho off over her head, revealing her blaster, lightsaber and a small shoulder satchel she wore underneath. Then she folded the fabric and draped it over the back of her chair. "Might as well get comfortable," she said to Charlotte. "Oh, and for what it's worth, I'm sorry."

 

[BabyBundt]

Charlotte knew where they were at, even before the comms snapped to life. While she hated the place, she had dealings with the Duros called Rev. She'd helped him out back in the day, with many a thing, and it seemed so did Elena. Although the Duros owed Charlotte far more, she was sure of it. She'd done many repairs on his things, upgraded his defenses, and made sure that if an invader were to attack him it would be sorry... And not once did she ask for payment, just if she needed some kind of help, he'd help without questions. "Shoulda let me talk to him, prolly woulda got him to help out in half the time!" She laughed lightly, rubbing the back of her bracer across her left eye. "Haven't seen that face in a hutt's age!" She said with a laugh, opening her left eye.

Looking over at Elena once more, she shook her head. "Said not ta' worry 'bout it. I coulda taken off at any time, but I chose to stick around. Not for my credits, not because I felt bad that you had to leave behind people who were important... But because I was actually interested in learning 'bout 'cha. Wanted to know why you were running around with that case full of credits, how ya' knew them people in tha' camp. Though--" She couldn't help but laugh a little louder before she continued "If I'd known wha' I know now.. I might've considered leavin' yeh behind!" Charlotte said grinning wolfishly, slapping her knee and laughing a bit harder hoping that Elena didn't take what she'd said seriously.

"Sorry, got a bit of dark humor! Nah, I'm no coward. Once yeh bumped inta' me.. Well, my fate was sealed!" Charlotte said with a warm smile, shrugging. She slowly lay back, every muscle in her body suddenly deciding to hurt. She made a soft groaning sound as she attempted to get comfortable in her seat, putting her booted feet up onto the console, attempting to make herself comfortable.. While her eyes were closed she said loudly "You sure led those Vac Heads on a wild bantha chase though! That was some pretty wild flying kid!"

 

[Skyrte]

Janah Jorvedd - Location: A Seedy Alleyway in Zygerria
​

There he sat, on the ground unceremoniously, back slumped against the wall, in a shady, seedy, abandoned alleyway on Zygerria. The man was armored, clearly a warrior, a Mandalorian, judging by the iconic T shaped visor on his helmet. His body was clad in gunmetal grey plating, highlighted in in a dull orange. His near black suit was stained with liquid, patted in dust, and he sat unmoving, in a puddle of red.

And then a Zygerrian youngling poked him in the head with a stick. The Mando jerked awake.
"Are you okay mister?"
"Uhhghh... yeah..." The warrior groaned. A warrior without any weapons it seemed. His pistol holster held no blaster, his knife sheath on his bandolier was empty, and he had no visible rifles slung on his back, even the knife sheath on his boot was empty. He patted where his weapons would be, finding none.
"Drafan and his friends took your weapons." The child explained.
The Mandalorian groaned again, more tiredness in his voice than before. He reached over his leg and pulled his kama armored skirt aside, revealing thigh plates, strapped to the brim with pouches and pockets. And another holster and knife sheath, this time, carrying their intended weapons. The Mando patted his knife and breathed a sigh of relief, then unholstered his blaster- no, not a blaster. As he took it out, to examine the weapon, the barrel was far to wide to be a blaster. The grip was made of fine Wroshyr wood, a gift from Kashyyyk, and the rest of the weapon was painted black over its metal. The Mando split the weapon in two, it was break action, and a large fist sized projectile shot out, which the warrior caught. The Mando examined the barrel and breach, satisfied, he put the shell back in and clicked the weapon back together, putting it back in it's holster. He spoke finally.
"Tell Drafan and his friends to be careful. Blasters and vibroknives aren't toys. Respect them, and train, train, train, no matter how good your equipment is, it's only as good as the person behind them." He said with a sigh, chasing down Zygerrian teenagers across town wouldn't be fun, or fast. And it wasn't like they had anything particularly important. They hadn't gotten to his personally made grenade launcher, his ancestral knife, or his credit pouch. Besides, he knew of Drafan. Drafan was the son of the chief of security here in this town, a man that the Mando had personally trained, and drank with, not too long ago.
"Okay Mando." The youngling smiled, watching as the Mandalorian pulled his hands back to lift himself up from the dirt. His hands bumped against a bottle, and he grabbed it, lifting it up. It was a bottle of Spice Runner Hard Cider. The warrior sighed, then got up, doing his best to pat away the dirt from his kama and pants.

"Can you tell Kesi to prep me some water and hen noodle soup? I'll be by the river, trying to get myself cleaned up."
"Okay Mando!" The youngling happily said, running off.
The Mandalorian rubbed his head and stretched, cracking his neck. "Last time I drink with a bunch of rowdy Zygerrians." He muttered, before walking out of the dark alleyway into the brightly lit street. It was nice and busy, street vendors selling clothes, fruits, food. The small town was overlooked by a small castle, and the place was... different than most Zygerrian towns. The fact that it was different was why the Mandalorian was there in the first place. His Clan, and Zygerria, had a troubled past, concerning slavery, and Mandalorian people. But this small clan here denounced slavery, and they asked for help, to train their people to defend themselves. Janah Jorvedd was sent by his Clan to do so. Almost immediately, the Zygerrians in the street greeted the Mando with smiles on their faces, which he returned. It wasn't long until he found Kesi's Cantina, and the river it was by. He walked into the clear water river and sat down, scrubbing the dirt and cider out of his kama and pants.
A moment later, he looked up by the grassy riverbank, finding a Zygerrian woman holding a tray with a bowl, and a cup. She smiled at the Mandalorian.
"If I told anyone outside of the clan that I found a Mandalorian warrior, sitting in a river like a youngling cleaning his robes, they would never believe me." She said.
The Mando chuckled, "Kesi, if you told anyone that you drank me under the table too, they wouldn't believe you either." He replied, getting up. His armor was soaked now, but clean, it wouldn't take too long to dry, here in the sun. Kesi put the tray down on the ground, and Janah sat down by it, looking at the steaming hot bowl of soup and glass of water. "Thanks Kesi."
"No problem, Mister big strong Mandalorian man." She smiled, but it quickly went away. "So you're leaving today?"
"That's the plan. I have to go into the city to catch a ship out, but it's still hours away. I can make the trip easily, on a speeder. In the meantime, I can stay, and enjoy the place a little more." The Mandalorian looked down, then back at Kesi, "Hey. You know, if anythings wrong, if your clan needs help-"
"I know." Kesi smiled again.
"I wish I could stay longer, but I really should report back... and hey, if I ever catch a vacation, I know exactly where to go." He looked out to the orchards surrounding the town, fruits dotting the green trees with color, "This town is too nice, and so is that cider you served. Too good, I have to stay away from that drink." He joked.
"I'll keep a bottle for your next visit." Kesi replied back, "I'll get back to the cantina, to nurse a dozen more people with hangovers."
The Mandalorian nodded, "Thanks again."
"You're welcome, Janah." She said, and turned around to walk back to the cantina, leaving the warrior to sit on the grassy river bank, sun bathing him in warmth. He took off his helmet, and had a long sip of his delicious soup.

 

[XxJadePhoenixX]

"Beginner's luck," Elena quietly muttered to herself, but loud enough for Charlotte to hear. She didn't need to tell her the truth, of course, when it came to the Force there was no such thing as luck. Or at least, that's what her mentor would tell her. She didn't know if that was true or not. After making an impossible jump out of Cantonica she felt pretty lucky. Up until now she'd never flown a starship before. Whenever she needed to travel she would just charter a seat on a flight heading her way. That meant rooming with a lot of strangers, sometimes on public transportation, sometimes not. This was the first time she sat behind the controls of her own ship and plotted her own hyperspace jump. Of course, trying to flee the planet with the First Order in hot pursuit was a terrible time to start learning the rules of hyperspace travel.

"Those people back there," she continued, "Kaia and the others... They were friends. I came to them looking for help after--," her words faltered and trailed off into nothing. Then she waved a hand and shook her head. "It doesn't matter. Kaia believes I hold the key to our future, but she's wrong. I'm just a kid and the responsibility's too big for me. All I'm doing is just trying to survive."

An alarm started blaring as another system aboard the ship began to fail. Elena reached over and flipped a switch to turn it off. There was nothing she could do about it now, anyway. "Look, I know you have questions, but right now I need some time to think." If this ship could fly itself to Zygerria I'd go find a room somewhere to be alone. "You don't have to leave, but for the moment if we could just sit in silence?"

The woman looked at her then nodded. It was painfully obvious the girl had been through a lot, though exactly how much Charlotte couldn't say for sure. Elena wasn't very forthcoming with the details and she preferred not to talk about it either way. The First Order was relentless in their pursuit of her and lately they always seemed to be one step behind. They almost caught her today, she had let her guard down. If Diggs hadn't forced her hand at the casino... The trip to Zygerria wasn't long, a few hours of travel, and the pair flew for most of it in silence. As they approached the planet port authorities contacted their ship then guided her in for a landing. She followed their directions to a large berth on the far side of the starport. As carefully as she could manage she tried to lower the ship into the berth, hovering just a few meters off the ground. With the landing gear down she figured they were close enough and cut the engines. The ship plummeted the last few meters hitting the ground with a loud thud that echoed off the walls. The force of the landing jarred the ship's occupants and Charlotte cast a glance at Elena.

The girl winced. "Sorry," she said. Then she stood and picked up her poncho, throwing it over her head and shoulders again to cover up her weapons. As Charlotte turned to leave Elena quickly grabbed her by the elbow. "Hey, what you saw back on Cantonica, don't mention it here. These people will be a lot safer if they don't know who I am."


[Location: Zygerria / Interacting: Charlotte ( BabyBundt )]