Star Wars: A Fragile Peace (Closed for Madcat & animefangirl)

[Madcat]

Star Wars: A Fragile Peace
It is 150 years after the Battle of Yavin that
destroyed the first of the Empire's Death Star
superweapons. In that time, the galaxy has faced
fractious infighting, the return of Emperor Palpatine, a
massive invasion from beyond the rim of the galaxy, the
Yuuzan Vong, and a resurgent Sith Empire under Darth Krayt,
defeated at last just a few years past.

The Jedi Order, once outcast and hunted, now enjoys a golden
age of peace and prosperity, their temples on Coruscant, Ossus
and elsewhere taking in all manner of Force-sensitive students
in the New Jedi Order founded over a century past by the hero
Luke Skywalker. A more flexible and fluid Order has never before
existed in the history of the Jedi. Following Grand Master Skywalker's
teachings, the Jedi are no longer content to sit and meditate on
the Force, but instead take an active hand in the affairs of the galaxy,
maintaining peace and quelling threats to the Galactic Alliance.
Do or do not, there is no try, as the Grand Master taught, is the
guiding principle of the Order these days

Following the Third Jedi Purge and the Second Galactic
Civil War, much of the Outer Rim remained in turmoil, fragmented
into various petty confederacies and petty kingdoms amidst a
myriad various factions. Through this political quagmire, the Jedi
continue to hunt for the remnants of the One Sith, while also
combatting pirates, slavers, and other threats while seeking
ancient holocrons and artifacts of Jedi lore, hoping to recover
the millennia of teachings and lore the Jedi once took for
granted.

To the Hutt world of Nar Shadda has come Jedi Master Seyan Carterius
and his young Padawan, Kyri Dancellus, searching for rumors of
Force-Sensitiveenclaves to extend an invitation to train with the New Jedi Order. They also pursue rumors that the crime-lord Jaggan Fol
is in possession of a several Jedi relics from bygone centuries.

Yet, remnants of the One Sith, alone or in small cells, have infiltrated
nearly every government in the galaxy, and seek to destabilize
the current stability and prosperity enjoyed by the Galactic
Alliance, and usher in a new age of Sith domination...

**********

"Vessel identified as Transport Personal XJ-228-BV9, identified Star of Yagarta, you are hereby authorized to land at docking bay 88J-GB-775. Message repeats..." the comlink squaked as the Star of Yagarta came down through the smog-choked atmosphere of Nar Shadda. Kyri Dancellus, a young Twi'lek girl with pale blue skin, striped with purple-grey markings along her lekku, reached over and switched off the comlink.

"We've arrived, Master," she called over her shoulder as she assisted the auto-pilot systems of their ship, a battered Corellian model freighter, angle towards the designated landing pad, highlighted in green in the heads-up display of the ship's navsystems.

Jedi Master Seyan Carterius, a yellow-skinned Mirialan with an intricate geometric pattern inked onto the skin of his brow, chin and cheekbones, rose from his meditations and joined his Padawan in the cockpit, peering out of the forward window at the world-city spreading out below them. "Sure looks like the Hutts have recovered since the Vong attack," he remarked, "Make sure we're paid up on the docking fees, we could be here awhile, if this enclave of Force-users is trying to lay low." He wouldn't blame them if they were, either. Out here in the Outer Rim, several factions paid high bounties for Jedi, living or dead, and to most bounty hunters, any Force-user was a Jedi, whether or not they had any formal ties to the New Order.

"Already done, Master," Kyri replied, tapping a few keys on the control panel to engage the auto-landing protocols as the vessel slid into the landing bay through the atmospheric sheild. With a slight bump and the whine of the engines powering down, the freighter touched down on the plated hangar deck.

He nodded, sensing a chaotic roil in the Force as the energy of the world washed over him. This would be like finding the proverbial needle in a haystack. "Good job," he said at last, "Dress casually, no robes... and keep a blaster handy, too. If we get to swinging lightsabers around, someone is bound to catch on that there's some Jedi wandering about." He was already dressed in a battered suit of ballistic plastic armor, the sort favored by common soldiers and mid-priced bounty hunters across the galaxy. It was a bit restrictive, though far less so than the heavy bondan plate favored by Mandalorians, and those who wished they were Mandalorians, but a bit of armor went a long way towards saving you from a blaster in the back, still a ranking cause of death on Nar Shaddaa. His lightsaber was concealed in a tube-case on his belt, a common enough appearance for mercenaries and soldiers-of-fortune, while a heavy blaster hung low at his hip.

Kyri, having slid out of her seat and gone to her quarters, returned, dressed in a worn and stained jumpsuit that may have once been red, but had now faded into a shade that was not easily named. A light, long-barreled pistol hung from a utility belt around her hips, while a toolkit satchel was slung over her shoulder. Her saber, a smaller, shoto-pattern weapon, was strapped to her forearm, under her sleeve. For all intents and purposes, they appeared to be a merc-for-hire and his pilot, come to the Trade World of Nar Shaddaa in search of employment.

Seyan nodded. "Alright, good enough. Sooner begun, sooner done. Let's get this show on the road, shall we." Together, Master and Padawan made their way to the airlock and stepped down the gangplank, following the blinking lights towards the station service deck.

[animefangirl]

Skylar Averis, a young human girl of thirteen, was slowly making her way through the crowded space station. At first glance there was nothing remarkable about her except for the sword hilt that could be seen at her hip. She was the daughter of a mercenary, and she'd been trained in fighting since she was old enough to handle a weapon without hurting herself so she did actually know how to use that sword if she had to. Her father had come here trying to hunt down Jedi to sell to those men that were paying high prices for such people, but he had been gone for over a week now and Skylar had been evicted from their hotel since she had no money to pay the tab anymore. Some small part of her was still clinging to the hope that her father was alive, but her more practical side was telling her that he was dead and that she needed to figure out how to fend for herself.

It wasn't like anyone would hire a thirteen year old mercenary, so her only sellable skill was worthless to her. Today she'd been plying her other skill, the one that was not so marketable, her slight of hand. She had already picked quite a few pockets of fat wealthy looking business people and she was pretty sure she'd gotten enough credits to last her a while. She brushed past an odd looking pair consisting of a Mirialan man and a Twi'lek girl and casually picked the pocket of the guy in front of them. This man seemed to realize what she'd done though and her wrist was seized as he announced she was under arrest for theft. Her eyes narrowed slightly and she subtly waved her hand in his direction, "You dont' want to arrest me." She said to him, and the man got a puzzled look on his face before agreeing and letting her go. The second she was released she ran. She had no idea that what she'd done was a jedi trick, it was just something she'd been able to do from a young age and she used it when she had to.

[Madcat]

Seyan could not believe his luck. They'd come here, to this planet of billions, in search of Force-Sensitives, thinking he might spend years searching for them, and one practically appears in front of him and displays her power.

"Hey!" he said, the small figure already vanishing into the crowd, "Gah... after her!" He and Kyri broke into a run, trying to keep an eye on the disturbance in the crowds to follow her, but Seyan, being the bigger of the pair, and the obvious adult, was having more trouble with it than Kyri, who was both smaller and more agile. People were more likely to get into Seyan's face and make an issue of it, Kyri got away with shouted threats and curses.

[animefangirl]

Skylar heard the male voice yelling behind her and she freaked out, thinking that someone else was after her now, and put on a burst of force-enhanced speed. She wasn't aware of what she was doing, the force was strong in her and tended to just do things like this when she needed it to. She weaved her way through the people, being none to gentle about shoving those out of her way that would not move. Soon enough she was outside the crowds of the space station and she ran for the exit, not bothering to look behind her to see if she were still being followed since she knew that she would inadvertently slow down if she did that. She got to the back door and saw it was locked. "Shit!" She cursed, glancing behind herself for a second before looking back at the in desperation. She felt...something...stir inside her in response to that desperation and the door suddenly flew open. She was startled by it, but not too startled not to run through even though the delay had probably cost her valuable ground for her pursuers to catch up to her.

[Madcat]

"She's potent, Master," Kyri said over the comlink, having outpaced him by dozens of meters, "But instinctive. Not trained." She nearly crashed into a Gonk-droid shuffling towards a battered speeder-car, squeaking in surprise as she vaulted over it, turning a somersault in the air, landing in a crouch before she sprinted onward. The droid, basically a big, boxy battery on stunty legs, shuffled onward, completely oblivious to her.

She reached the door, seeing its frame bent where something has forced it open. She didn't know if that had been done with the Force or with raw physical power, but the lack of smoke and scarring, at least, told her it hadn't been done with a grenade. That was a plus. Still... this was Nar Shaddaa, and her Master had, in the course of their voyage, drilled into her the wisdom of caution, for the Hutt Clans that ruled this world were in no way adverse to anything that might turn a profit, and Twi'lek girls were a very popular commodity as slaves. She came up to the doorway, placing her back against the wall and drawing her blaster. She closed her eyes, reaching out with the Force to see what lie on the other side of the door. She found people milling about in confusion, though far fewer than the crowds she'd just come through, but nothing indicating that an ambush was waiting on the other side.

Opening her eyes, she took a deep breath and rolled through the doorway.

[animefangirl]

Skylar was not the type to run like a coward, so as soon as she went through the doors she put her back against the wall and drew her sword, deciding that if she were being chased then she may as well go down on her own terms than running like a mouse. She concentrated on slowing her breathing, and ended up decreasing her force-signature so that when Kyri reached out to see who was on the other side she would not feel any different then any other person. Skylar was tense and ready, so when Kyri rolled through the doorway she quickly pointed her blade at the other girl, not seeing the blaster in Kyri's hand, her eyes narrowed and her sword unwavering. She had killed before, and she was not afraid to do it again if she had to, though she had no idea the type of fighter she was facing right now. However, she did not want to hurt or kill the other girl unless she was forced to, so she pointed the sword at her and spoke "Why are you chasing me?" She demanded, unaware that the girl's master was on the way and she really should have kept running if she'd wanted to get away.

[Madcat]

Kyri yelped in surprise, utterly shocked to find someone obviously waiting for her on the other side of the door, and just a few paces away. She swung the blaster up, at least remembering to flick the safety from "on" to "stun", as she was pretty sure Master Seyan would be awfully cross if she blasted this other Force-User.

"We're from Coruscant," she explained quickly, "Here on a diplomatic mission. We're looking for people who can use the Force."

[animefangirl]

Skylar tensed when Kyri pointed the blaster at her, not at all comfortable being on the other end of that thing but not entirely afraid either since they were at a sort of stand off. Skylar could probably stab the other girl in the same amount of time that Kyri could pull the trigger, though it'd be a close contest. Her glare faltered to show some obvious confusion when Kyri spoke, before the glare came back full force. "That doesnt explain why you were chasing me." She snapped, not making the connection because she honestly never thought that what she'd been doing was using the force, she'd just thought it was some strange trick that she could do. "How many of you are there?" She demanded, not liking that Kyri had said 'we' since she was afraid that meant she'd be dodging people for a while since they'd mistakenly set their sights on her.

[Madcat]

"Two," Seyan said, stepping out of the doorway, his blaster out but pointed down and away, "We're not here to hurt you. We just want to ask you some questions."

He stepped out of the doorway and closed the door, as best as it was able, behind him. People running about with blasters drawn was a common enough occurance on Nar Shaddaa that it was unlikely that the security force would take much of an interest. As long as whatever it was did not disrupt the business of the Hutt Clans, they really couldn't care less.

[animefangirl]

She jumped when he suddenly spoke, not having noticed him approaching though she would be ashamed to admit that since she had been trained to be aware of her surroundings. She immediatly pulled out her short sword, pointing it his direction without moving the one she had pointed at Kyri though there was some desperation in her expression as she eyed the two since they both had blasters and she had swords, it didn't take a genius to figure out that she was at the disadvantage here. Still, she refused to show fear and her eyes narrowed somewhat when he told her they were not here to hurt her but to talk. "Liar! People that don't intend harm don't run around with blasters." She said accusingly, her eyes darting around for an escape route as she spoke since she felt her best bet would be to flee if she could since she was out numbered and out weaponed.