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Nar Shaddaa


BLCKCLONE

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((Note: These actions were approved beforehand by affected parties.))

 

Fifty feet back. That was about the optimal distance for following someone, at least that was the distance Ban preferred. He could trail back further and track them via the Force, but he didn't like to lean on the Force unless it was necessary. If it were a more crowded area, he might have risked getting closer, but for now it was simple to follow the man on the bustling streets relatively unnoticed.

 

It was kind of a long shot, but one the Kosai tracker was willing to take. He'd taken other shots in the dark before, and the Force always managed to send him on the correct path. His instincts told him the child was already long gone, but something in the back of his head told him he needed to follow this man.

 

In his investigating, Ban had uncovered evidence that the girl was already taken offworld, having found a fake identification for a girl with similar description in the outbound manifests at the local spaceport. Before then, she was last seen at a seedy bar, the same one Ban departed minutes ago to follow his new target on a hunch. He wasn't sure why he'd taken this particular job, every last bit of experience told him it wouldn't be worth it. The girl was a known to be rebellious against her guardians, having run away from home more than once now and involving herself with the local gangs. If anything, she was likely already sold into slavery, and there was a chance that was what she wanted. A female slave in the right criminal circles could work her way up to a very cushy and rules-free life in this galaxy. Or, she could have joined up with any of half a dozen other groups nearby, from smugglers to pirates to drug distributors. 

 

But this man from the bar...he was important. His senses told him so. This was the path he was meant to be on, and he would pursue it to the end. Thankfully, he still hadn't noticed the Kosai, but Ban was particularly skilled at remaining unseen. The black robes helped, but it was more in how he moved, casually, like he belonged. Like he suspected, the man eventually wound up at the spaceport, boarding a private but larger transport. Imperial troops of varying uniforms bustled about, along with some other mercenary-types Ban didn't recognize.

 

Very strange. This moon had been taken by the Imperials, that much was common knowledge, but it wasn't like them to work with mercenaries. Not to mention, none of this was adding up as far as the girl was concerned. But if he didn't get on that transport, he would never find out. If he was lucky, it was bound for another spaceport and he would be able to slip on and off without trouble. If it was bound for one of the military ships in orbit, however...

 

Rubbing the bridge of his nose, he decided to go for it. He'd cross that bridge when he got there. Force willing, he wasn't about to charge to his death. A nearby dock worker still loading crates onto the transport provided him with all the camouflage he needed, using a quick application of the Force as he approached to make himself as nonthreatening to the man as possible. 

 

"Hey, whoa, let me help you with that!" Another small telekinetic tap of the Force destabilized the crates on the man's over packed hoversled, allowing Ban to jump in at the right time and save them from crashing everywhere. Halting the sled, the worker rushed around the front, scrambling to help Ban ensure the boxes remained in place. "Thank you ever so much, Master Jedi! I must say, it truly is an honor to be working with you lot." Ban flashed a smile and quickly replied, "Not a problem at all. Let me help you load these on in, you look like you could use a hand and I'm not particularly busy." The worker was incredibly appreciative of the offer, letting Ban carry on up and into the transport. 

 

It was all he could do to mask his absolute confusion, however. The Jedi working with the Imperials? Since when did that happen? These were truly strange times, indeed. After a few minutes, Ban had finished helping the dock worker in the cargo hold, and he went to go sit down in the crew transport, checking to ensure his target was still aboard. He caught the stray glance here and there, but from what Ban could tell most just assumed he was a Jedi from the style of his robes and how he carried himself. If it worked, it worked, and Ban made every effort to look serene and peaceful.

 

Moments later, the transport was airborne, then finally it cleared the atmosphere. Ban's stomach dropped as he saw the transport approach one of the larger capital ships in orbit, the large MC90a looming in front of them. The transport landed without incident, and the Kosai found himself in the spacious hangar, with various engineers and technicians milling about mixed with troops tending to their equipment. From the looks of it, they had just come from a major engagement, as most were tending to some kind of repair on whatever it was they were working on.

 

"You! Stop right there!"

Ban froze, his senses tingling. Slowly, he turned, not making a move. It was a Jedi Apprentice clad in traditional brown robes flanked by four Stormtroopers. The Jedi already had their hilt in hand and the troopers had their weapons trained on him. 

"Your facial scan on the shuttle wasn't recognized. Place your hands behind your head, get on your knees, and identify yourself!"

The Apprentice had clearly seen the lightsaber hilts hanging from Ban's belt. Super. This was turning out to be a super day. Still...nothing felt wrong about this. Was this the path he was destined for? What kind of twisted balance did the Force need to restore here? Slowly, Ban complied, getting on his knees. At least one thing was for sure, the day wasn't over yet.

Edited by Ban Ulfson
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"Uhh...yeah. Ban. Ban Ulfson. Thanks, Master Koi, I didn't think there would, ah...be an issue." Ban was partially dumbfounded realizing there were Galactic Alliance personnel here as well. What the hell had he stumbled into this time? He slowly stood from where he knelt, realizing his former trail had gone cold. He'd never find the man in all of these soldiers unless he was lucky, and his senses told him nothing of his whereabouts. But this lieutenant...she felt right. Like he was supposed to be here. That was likely why he was so relaxed, nothing had actually prickled his senses that this would turn out to be a hostile encounter. Very strange indeed that the Force would will him into such a situation. He'd often wondered if it had a sense of humor, but Kosai doctrine clearly spoke otherwise, likely the Jedi influence on the original order of nomads.

 

After the situation was mostly resolved and the troops retreated back to their duties, Ban turned to the lieutenant, still rather dumbstruck. "So...what now? I suppose you had a reason for pulling my hide out of the fire? Look, I didn't mean any trouble, I was just following a lead on a missing girl I'm trying to track down. I'm just a...well, a Kosai, if you've heard of them."

Edited by Ban Ulfson
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"I'm not really surprised you haven't heard of the Kosai. They're a small group of nomads. Derivative culture and teachings from both the Jedi and Sith, though most of us lean towards the light. All of us, however, serve the Living Force, as the Jedi know it. We are drawn to places, people, and act to restore balance."

 

Ban took one final look around the hangar before continuing. 

 

"I was following a man that was on the transport here. Seemed to be an Imperial mechanic or engineer by the look of him. He was in the same bar that the girl I was tracking was last seen in, and I had a strong feeling that I needed to follow him. Now I understand why. As for the girl...well, she will find her own balance in the Force one way or another. For now, it seems I am meant for greater tasks. If the Force led me to an organization, or rather, organizations as large as this gathering, then the tides in the Force are shifting on a far greater scale than they should."

Edited by Ban Ulfson
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Ban stroked his stubbly beard slowly at what she said. He'd seen the Sith expand in recent times, understood that the rest of the galaxy saw them as a threat.

 

"Something to keep in mind: the Force will balance itself, in time. The Sith might represent a massive tidal wave in the ocean of the galaxy, but even a tidal wave crests, falls, and breaks. While there is chaos in that moment, there is an order to the turbulence, and eventually balance is found again. It might not be in the same shape that we remember or are comfortable with, but the Force is unconcerned with such things."

 

Ban stopped himself, suddenly looking away and chuckling. 

 

"But I didn't come here to spout philosophy. My old master would have been proud of me, but I prefer to be a little more straightforward. I assume there is something here for me, a task I can perform, something I can do. However, whether it's you or someone above your rank who needs to authorize this, be warned my services typically don't come free of charge. I need to eat and find myself a place to sleep, and I have operational costs. Cover those for me, as I'm sure someone here can, and I'll follow you for as long as the Force wills."

Edited by Ban Ulfson
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  • 2 weeks later...

Ban took a long moment to pause, stroking the gruff on his face. 

 

"It's not my usual pay, nor what I'm used to, but I do believe the Force brought us here for a reason. Just keep in mind, I'm my own man, don't expect me to follow orders from your superiors indefinitely. I go where the will of the Force takes me, and for now it has brought me here. Though...I think this change of pace will be refreshing. At least for a while, anyways."

He took a look around the hangar, waiting for whatever would come next.

Edited by Ban Ulfson
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Ban grinned. Pressing to the point, was she? 

"Yes, it's a deal."

 

Kari seemed to be distracted from his answer however, and moved to inspect an older astromech droid that came rolling up. Knowingly, he kept silent and decided to merely listen and follow. He'd learned long ago that it was often the best way to glean information.

Edited by Ban Ulfson
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Ban slowly nodded. This made a bit more sense than the offer she'd made to him earlier, something that would require an outside source such as himself to help maintain her integrity. Perhaps she didn't even know why he was here, which did happen every now and then.

 

"This is acceptable. As for the artifacts, however...I probably don't need them. I'd likely just sell them to the Jedi anyways, and since I'm basically working for them anyways it might raise the wrong eyebrows. So don't worry about that. I'm, uh...I'm already ready to go. I keep everything I need on my person, lead on."

 

Even after he'd agreed, however, what she said still didn't sit well with him. There were just too many questions that went unanswered. That was the virtue of being able to listen: to uncover all the right questions that needed asking. But he would ask later. They would have time, and here was still a very public location.

Edited by Ban Ulfson
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The Kosai's senses prickled, and he stiffened visibly. 

 

"You must excuse me for a moment. Or, if you wish to follow, you are more than welcome. I need to...investigate something."

 

Ban had been used to answering the subtle pulls of the Force for some time now, a skill he'd found few other Force practitioners to have developed. This time...this time however the pull was more urgent. The balance here was being threatened.

 

A moment later the Kosai found himself at a nearby bay, currently occupied by two Imperial Knights and a Jedi ((Tobias Vos)). Tensions whispered silently to him, though he could not feel anything specific nor tell what was about to happen. 

 

So he waited.

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Ban stood where he was for a moment longer, hearing some things, seeing others. He didn't catch all of Master Vos's illusion, but enough that he felt like he had a decent enough understanding for what was going on. The scene where the fight broke out sent a shiver up Ban's spine. A premonition perhaps? It didn't matter, as it never came to fruition. It did prove the man wasn't as serene as perhaps a typical Jedi Master liked everyone to believe they were, or at the least not to the satisfactions of the Imperial Knights.

 

But who could blame him? The situation didn't exactly seem like a calm one, for those who purport to serve the light, anyways. The Knights took up a provocative encounter, should they expect anything else? Jedi were never as emotionally balanced as they let on, an unfortunate discovery brought on as a side effect of sometimes having to fix their mistakes. Still, Ban expected that by now they might have learned to be more understanding of that turbulence, as it was a defining trait of what made them all mortal and fallible, even the Sith. The Imperial Knights, however, would likely never come to understand this. Anyone willing to work so closely to the dogmatic ideals of any incarnation of the Empire was ignorant to the nature of the Force. They would continue to walk the razor's edge they had sharpened for themselves, walking in light but dangerously close to the darkness. They would see far more tragedy than success as a result. Still, Ban appreciated their dedication and loyalty...those were rare virtues anymore.

 

Slowly, he nodded to the Jedi as they briefly made eye contact, unaware of what the future would hold. Ban didn't completely understand what was going on, but he knew enough to realize how alienated the Jedi might feel in a world that rejected perspective. It was a simple thought, more of an emotion, but Ban knew it would likely mean more than the simple gesture it was: You are not alone.

 

With that, he retreated, once again meeting back up with Kari, where he needed to be. She was still in the hangar, tending to the astromech. "So your sister, huh? What's the story there?"

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