Mon Calamari/Dac

[Nia Doarr]

Nia meditated through the chaos that was taking place in the warehouse. They'd been stranded here for a while now, and she was honestly grateful. With a pandemic in effect, they were stuck here. It was either a massive coincidence, or the Force was trying to guide them to something, though she was too inexperienced to properly discern which. At the very least though, she worried. Historically, when planets locked down in the manner that Mon Cal did, it only made people want to leave more. And if this disease, whatever it was, got off planet, how many more would follow?

 

It was a little frustrating, to be stuck here with nothing. But losing her temper as Rose did would do no good, for anyone. Most frustrating is to be so close to the water and yet unable to submerge herself. Part of it was homesickness, but another part was just familiarity. She'd always been a little better with people under the water, thanks to her specie's adaptations. It was smothering, to be above the water though.

 

She glanced at her master, concerned about his glare. It seemed they were all getting a little cabin fever.

 

"Master, maybe we can't prove who we are, but should that stop us from helping here? Even if it's not exactly..." she hesitated, before continuing. "Legal? These people are suffering."

[Nia Doarr]

Nia shook he head at Rose's words, an emotion playing on her face and in her mind she couldn't place. How could they sit here, able to help, and not? Nobody knew where they'd came from- not unless Rose had started sharing those details with strangers. And now they were letting people suffer en mass on the slight chance that their objective would be compromised? It bothered her in ways she didn't know she could be bothered. She stood, and was about to protest, to go and help anyone she could, when an explosion rocked the warehouse. The glow of fire reflected off of her black pupils, dancing in the dim light of the warehouse. She froze, watching in horror. How many dead from that explosion? How many more to follow in the aftermath.

 

Her heart fell. All she wanted to do, with every fiber of her being, was to help them, and she couldn't. The mission demanded it. When Mjan grabbed her, she gasped, her discomfort pulling her out of her mind as she was pushed behind him. At the very least, she was relieved to see her master prepare to go aid them. at least until Rose ordered him to stand down.

 

That relief was quickly quashed by what happened next.

 

Rose called out the incoming refugees, and she was thrown like a ragdoll higher into the scaffolding. And then, before she could say anything, he'd drawn his weapons, threatening the frightened people. She jumped down- her own safety was barely considered. She reached out, grabbing his closest wrist.

 

"Mjan, they're refugees. They need our help, not more threats. Put your weapons away. Please. Whatever our mission was, this is what we need to do now. Do not start down a path we'll all regret in the name of more war."

 

She stepped back, moving between her master and the crowd.

"This isn't right. You know that."

[Nia Doarr]

Nia couldn't believe this. Three Jedi, and the war droid and the stranger seemed to have a better grasp on the situation. She looked at all the drawn weapons, the tempers flared, the threats issued. 

 

"Enough! All of you!" she shouted. In all her years, she'd never once shouted. She'd always been quiet. Always timid. But here, in the middle of chaos, she found her voice.

 

"Mjan, Rose. For all your talks about fighting this war to defend the innocent, to defeat the menace of the Sith, you jumped so quickly to threaten them for your own protection. That is not what a Jedi is."

 

She wheeled around to the second lightsaber-wielding Jedi (@Leena Kil), no more impressed.

 

"You jump so quickly to your weapon, and though you do so to protect the innocents, you threaten an ally in the same manner that you are trying to dissuade him from doing it. You are a hypocrite."

 

Next was the Cathar shouting of conspiracy and betrayal, oblivious to the countless innocent lives that had also been taken. (@Durose Roshan)

 

"You are no better! You think this is a trap, and yet you draw your weapon and try to goad us to a fight! What good would that accomplish? We'd simply have even more dead Jedi. Not to mention the scores that still need our help, trap or no!"

 

She spun around, addressing them all.

 

"You're disappointments to the Order that my father gave his life to serve, bickering and spreading fear like the Sith of old, and if you insist on following this path to its end then I will have no part of it. You can find me out there, with the sick and the injured, doing what a Jedi should be doing, rather than spend your time acting like criminals and terrorists. You should all be ashamed."

 

She spun towards the crowd, and subsequently, the exit. There were injured people out there, and sick ones too. She would help them, even if the others wouldn't. She pushed through the crowd, and towards the exit. She had a sinking realization she may have just left the Jedi Order, but right then, she didn't care. All she cared about was helping those that needed it.

Edited April 11, 2020 by Nia Doarr
Grammar/Spelling

[Nia Doarr]

Nia knew how she appeared- that she seemed naive and childish. She could tell that Mjan thought of her that way- likely that the rest of the people in the warehouse thought that way too. But she wasn't necessarily going to beat herself up over their negative opinions. If it was naive to aim for such a simple goal, to help people directly, then she didn't mind it. Still, it hurt that they were so clouded by fear that only one offered to help.

 

She didn't know the others, but from what she'd seen of Mjan, she was disappointed in him. Not as a Sith turned Jedi, she didn't think he was in danger of falling or anything like that. But he seemed so caught up in his crusade against the Sith that he didn't know how else to help the galaxy. And the more she saw of the other Jedi, the more she thought that it was a problem with the Order, not just the individuals. She grew up with tales of Jedi helping the weak, and protecting them against the tyrants and the Sith of the galaxy, but all she'd seen so far were Jedi more concerned with the Sith's destruction and the citizens' preservation.

 

When she was approached by Ro, she stopped for a moment, listening.

 

"What is there to trust people with? The only ones I'll be endangered by are those seeking to cause more chaos. You may help if you wish- Force knows this planet needs all the help it can get right now." She glanced at Mjan, his temper seemingly controlled now. "I find no comfort in holding weapons, Master Mjan."

 

She left the rest of the shouting behind- she registered the words. Accusations of murder, offered deals and shaky suggestions. But she'd spoken her peice.

 

When she exited the warehouse, there was still chaos. Dozens of injured and sick still fled the hospital. She was nearly overwhelmed with the flood of fear, both in the air and in the force. Still, she steadied herself. These people needed help. It would do her no good to give into the fear that had gripped all the others. She fought through the crowd, wincing with every brushed arm and bumped shoulder, looking for anyone who needed immediate aid. She was barely experienced with using the Force to heal, but something was better than nothing, she thought.

[Nia Doarr]

Nia was lost. The sheer number of people who needed help here both proved her earlier points and overwhelmed her. She didn't know what to do. She didn't have the skill or the knowledge to help anything more than minor wounds right now. Nor did she have the presence or the authority to calm the masses or organize the first responders. When the Cathar caught up to her, she turned to face him. He was massive, but she wasn't afraid. If he was truly a Jedi she was in no danger, and if not, she'd be dead regardless. Still, the accusations gnawed at the back of her head and she watched him as he spoke.

 

"You let your fear control you, master Jedi. I fear catching this disease, I fear death. I fear being truly alone for the first time. But I brave them all in the name of what's right. This may be a trap. Or it may be that everyone is on edge and making extremely poor calls, like in that warehouse. Regardless, we have a duty to help them. Now, if you wish to join me I will not turn you away, but you must promise not to harm or to threaten anyone else."

 

Before he could respond, Rose arrived. She and Rose had gotten off on the wrong foot from the start, as regrettable as it had been. And it seemed to be a streak that wouldn't end here- she winced as Rose slapped the Cathar, and took a step back when the twi'lek wheeled around to face her. She took in the other woman's words- getting into an argument would do them no good. Nia had said what she needed to, and this was a consequence. Still, it stung that the pilot had seemed to miss her point.

 

And then things got chaotic again. At once, most of the manhole covers in the streets blew off with extreme force, and she spun around to see the Cathar dive in front of one to protect her. Blaster shots rang out from the buildings around her and civilians dropped to the floor, dead or injured, the screams mounting once again. Fear hit her in a nearly palpable wave as her tendrils picked up scents and pheromones, and she took a step back to steady herself.

 

Find peace. Find something to focus on.

 

She moved to the large cat's side, moving the metal plate off of him. Instinct drove her now. She held a hand over his chest- He was in pain. She could feel it, too. He was covered in injuries- She didn't know how he was still alive, much less how he was still diving in front of manholes.

 

The shoulder she could help with- she knew how to close wounds and how to heal them. The bones would be trickier- the fracture, maybe. But it would take time.

 

She looked at Rose, then at the buildings around her. She looked back at Rose.

 

She knew what she had to ask.

 

She hated it.

 

"Cover me?"