Naboo

[ObliviousKnight]

Armiena smiled at her apprentice's use of the Force before beginning the negotiation.

 

The client, a thoroughly average-looking man with pale green eyes, accepted Shawn's hand with his sweaty hand. The bounty hunter, however, only gave Shawn an unsettling glance, as though he was scanning each and every centimeter of his body with sensors in his armor. The client gulped hastily, then began his introduction. "Name's Aeron Halmis. I work for the Naboo government. I, ah... is it really necessary..." His eyes darted towards the nearest exit.

 

Armiena smiled reassuringly. "Sit down and settle down. This shouldn't be too painful." Aeron looked completely unconvinced, but decided that staying put in between two Jedi and an extremely frustrated, well-armed bounty hunter was safer than trying to escape.

 

After a short pause, the Ubese bounty hunter began speaking, with the Naboo woman translating. "My name is Savax. I come from a long line of bounty hunters. I specialize in hunting wild game, rare..." the translator paused, and tried to remember the correct translation. "Specimens, for independent clients. Clients who generally pay for my services." The Savax added with a pointed look at the man opposite him.

 

Aeron, still not quite over how close he had come to meeting his maker, was too unsettled to protest Savax's statement--probably a good thing, Armiena thought, because it allowed Shawn to keep control over the tense situation.

[Shawn Kenobi]

Shawn was glad to have a smooth start, and a better picture was beginning to form of these two. He was not at all suprised to see that Savax had rejected the hand shake, it was understandable considering the anger he was holding in at the moment.

 

Shawn sat down in the chair he had recently pulled to the table. He looked to the Naboo official Aeron, and then to Savax and did another overview with his eyes. He motioned for one of the waitresses to come over to the booth, and asked her to refill the drinks that had sat on the table between the two parties. He speculated that Savax had had some sort of alcoholic beverage and that perhaps more would calm him down a little...he hoped.

 

"Second item of business gentlemen, tell me exactly what business transaction was going to take place here today. We need to start at the root to find ourselves a solution that will hopefully get us out of here before the day is done."

 

The waitress returned with the refills and placed them on the table, now would begin the crunch time. Shawn was trying to be formal as possible, he knew if he made Savax angry he might kill him and Aeron. Aeron was becoming calmer, but he was still scared and Shawn could feel it in the Force, a tremor from Aeron's body.

 

Shawn eagerly awaited a response, from the job description Savax gave him it was clear this would be interesting, if not illegal.

[ObliviousKnight]

Armiena listened with half of her attention. Overwhelmed by curiosity, she withdrew a datapad from her robes, and began typing a few commands into it. Her eyes scanned up and down the screen, and she was clearly reading something. And judging from how her expression suddenly turned stern, she did not like what she was reading.

 

That datapad was stuffed to the brink with information from the Jedi Archives--history, specifically. It contained perhaps 10 percent of all of the Archives' history files... and that was a generous estimation.

 

Meanwhile, Aeron was summarizing the business deal with the Ubese mercenary. "Well," he shrugged, clearly uncomfortable. "Occasionally governments are forced to bargain with mercenaries when their local forces are unable to handle certain tasks... it's a common practice, entirely legal." He added quickly, apparently aware of Shawn's suspicions.

 

"Unlike theft, you mean." Savax pionted out angrily.

 

"Peace, Hunter. You'll get your chance to speak." Armiena's soothing tone managed to calm even the recalcitrant Ubese.

 

"Well, anyway... we hired Savax here to... dispose of a Tatooine Acid Lizard that was somehow smuggled onto Naboo."

 

"So they exist? I thought those were just an urban legend." Armiena's green eyes focused on Aeron.

 

"They exist--and they can cause tremendous damage: soil erosion, turn the soil acidic, foundation problems... not to mention the diseases that could be smuggled along with the specimen. It's serious ecological hardball, and we were fairly desperate to get rid of the thing before it could cause too much damage."

 

"That's right. I hunted down the beast, and..." A faint note of pride was evident in the Ubese's metallic voice as he slid the satchel over to Shawn. "I destroyed the corpse, but brought the head as proof of termination."

 

Armiena undid the straps holding the satchel closed, and an enormous, crocodile-like head stared up at her. If the head was any indication, the actual beast must have been huge. She felt a twinge of grudging respect for the bounty hunter. If he had managed to hunt down this kind of animal and kill it without sustaining any visible injuries... he must be very skilled in his field.

 

"I came here to present the head and receive my payment..." Savax's helmeted head rose, and fixed directly on his client's nervous face. "But I have not been paid."

 

Aeron shook his head adamantly. "You're mistaken. The contract--" His voice was cut off by an untranslatable snarl from Savax--probably a vulgar threat or curse.

[Shawn Kenobi]

Shawn paid attention to the story of the Naboo official and the following account of the Ubese hunter. It was unfolding to be quite an interesting event, it was quickly becoming clear that, as usual, the problem was not with the mission, but the payment.

 

Shawn looked into the satchel himself after his master was done with it. The head was impressive, he had never seen such a beast, and to think only one person was responsible for the damage. It was now quite clear how strong the Ubese was, and why Aeron had almost lost control of his... bodily functions, when he upset Saxon. He strapped the satchel back closed and passed it back to Saxon.

 

"Nice, I respect your skills."

 

He then turned to Aeron, who was once again on the brink of flying out of the booth like a rocket towards the door if he didn't calm him down or keep his attention.

 

 

"So, Aeron, I think I have the details on the actual mission, but I need some more information from you. What exactly were the payment details."

 

Aeron had sweat beading on his forehead, Shawn knew he had to do something and quick before things got a little out of control. He decided to send a message to him through the Force. Aeron, calm down please, if you just calm down and work with me through this we both get out alive. Trust me.

 

"Well come on, payment details please."

[Sabian]

- During the time of their transpiring conversation, the young man came into about something. Perhaps it was the large gathering of energies that met between his Master and that of his elder but, it was different, neither light or dark. It was so small, it could be considered one of the small emotional tugs he was used to describe inuition, a heart strung with light wires pulling back. -

 

- As the their discussion drew towards a crossroad, the mentally projected pebble clutched inside his right hand's hard grip slowly began to slip through his fingers and glided gently down to the ground below him. It was a release that only by sensing and being apart of the Force could one understand to it's full extent. Feelings came and went, but the will of the Force was greater and would come at crucial times that would project upon him in the moment at hand, perhaps changing fate in a small or large way. -

 

- The familiar feeling of home overcame him, something that was incorporated with both old and recent feelings. -

 

There must be a higher meaning to all this.. Why would I feel this way all the sudden?

 

- The more he hesitated, the more the strings around his heart coiled. Abrutly, he tugged lightly on the side of Onderin's long flowing robes, light enough not to ruffle the material but hard enough to be noticeable. -

 

"Excuse me, sir. There is something that calls my attention.. I can't fully describe what but, it feels like the a higher intuition, a hard feeling..

 

I will return as quick as possible for you. This is something that I must deal with right now."

 

- The dialogue displayed was set to be polite and well-mannered, which the boy was completly but inside the conversation was extended on a far more personal and confidential level. Sabian took extra care to direct the flow of Force with the solid connection he felt with his Master, and focused hard on the connection to eliminate any foreign disturbances.. -

 

..As much as I hate to leave your side, I respect your wishes before to try and get me to let go of you so much.. This will one of those steps outwards..

 

~ This part in the mental voice projection was kept extra careful, physically lowering his eyes and drawing onto a single steady stream of thought that directly linked between the boy and his Master.. ~

 

And.. Well.. You take care of yourself.. I'll miss you.

 

- Drawing his sleeves forward, he took his final bows, recognizing either Keiran and Mael before turning his forward heel around behind him, the other foot following behind the leading motion. First impressions only came once and he wanted to show the full extent of his respect for all the members around him. -

 

- Retracing his own steps, guided partially by the Force, the young thirteen year-old boy climbed aboard the lone shuttle craft that landed earlier. Couple of minutes would pass, where the thrusters came online again, and propelled in a climbing upwards spiral before safely reaching orbit into space, soon jumping into hyperspace afterwards. -

[Onderin Starlisk]

Onderin found it curious about the length of the time it took his old Master to respond. It was possible that Keiran was giving some thought into his response, but such a long time was almost obsessive. However, the Jedi Knight knew that he could not rush an answer that could decide the course of the relationship of the two Jedi talking.

 

He nodded to Sabian when the boy said that he needed to leave. The Admiral found that as odd as Keiran's response time. Sabian had constantly strived towards loyalty to his Master and dedication to the study of the Force, but now he was leaving temporarily.

 

Then again, Onderin thought, Perhaps it's that same dedication to the Force that is driving him to leave my side for the moment. The Force must be calling him for such an abrupt departure. And indeed that was by all probabilities the truth, if Onderin knew his apprentice as well as he should.

 

This was a delicate time for him, but the Force would have its way. Its will would be accomplished this day, and Onderin was more sure of that than he was of anything else at the moment.

[ObliviousKnight]

((Uhm... life happens. So do my OOC "Jedi Archivist" duties. And writer's block.))

 

"Fifty thousand credits or equivalent in trade goods, equipment, in terms of market price." Aeron answered Shawn without hesitation. Armiena's eyebrows rose, imressed by how much the Naboo government was willing to pay to get rid of the Acid Lizard. "I have not violated the contract in any way." He mopped at his sweaty forehead with his sleeve, not looking forward to the response he knew was coming.

 

Savax seemed to swell up like a pufferfish. "Are you accusing me of lying?"

 

"I didn't say that. I said that you were mistaken. In fact, the supply of bacta that I gave you ownership of," he gestured towards a holographic key lying just in front of him. "Is worth a bit more than 50,000c."

 

"I'm a bounty hunter, not a," he croaked something that the Naboo woman could not translate. "Merchant! You think I have a way to get that much cargo off-planet? That "payment" is useless to me!" His gloved hand twitched, as though he longed for a chance to reach for his blaster pistol, but the quiet rasp of Armiena's lightsabers innocently brushing against her robes was more than enough to warn the Ubese against violence.

[Shawn Kenobi]

This deal was becoming more complicated by the minute, and the tention of the Ubese was staggering. It was becoming clear now, Shawn was going to have to find a way to get this Ubese some credits or something smalled than a supply of bacta.

 

"Well, I see we have a problem. Savax, as a bounty hunter I wouldn't expect you to have a large enough cargo area for all that bacta. So Aeron, we have to resolve this on your end."

 

He pondered for a moment, how could he possibly find a way to exchange fifty thousand credits worth of bacta into something small enough for this Ubese to accept as payment. He decided to inquire the populace in the bar, someone around here had to have the capability of transporting all if not part of the bacta.

 

"Excuse me Savax and Aeron, I will be right back. Please don't kill eachother."

 

Shawn got up from his chair and it made a screech as it slid back across the floor. He looked around the bar, searching for any mercantile-type person. They tended to boast about their ability so it wouldn't be too hard to locate one. He noticed a pair of men sitting at a booth discussing something, and walked to within hearing distance.

 

He suspected the Human was the merchant who was doing well, he didn't have some barely working blaster and he was obviously able to pay a good tailor. His client was a Rodian who looked like he was under the weather, his clothes were mere rags and his color was distorted. The Rodian made a long monlogue to the merchant, but he finally got a word in, "My ship can carry anything you want to any place you want, but I already told you I won't trade you for passage, get out of here." The Rodian smashed his hand on the table and stormed out of the bar, and Shawn moved into the seat.

 

"Hello sir, you can call me Shawn for the moment. I understand you are some sort of merchant with a ship that can hold a..large amount of cargo."

 

"You dang right, I stripped my YT-1300 to the core and it can hold a ton, makes a lot of money that way. So, how can I help you, Shawn."

 

The merchant so far had a pleasant attitude, it was obvious this person wasn't your normal merchant from the outer rim flying a busted up ship. He may have found the key.

 

"I have a large shipment of bacta, I need to trade it for credits or something of equal value. It's about fifty thousand credits worth, can we make a deal?"

 

The merchant's eyes bulged, either he was thinking Shawn was crazy, or was excited. "Fifty thousand?! Well, that's quite a load of bacta young man. You may be in luck my new friend. A client out at a hospital on Tatooine, if you can believe that, just lost a shipment delivered by my competition. They had some unfortunate luck getting to close to a black hole. He's looking for a new shipment about the size of yours."

 

Shawn was at last a little happier at this point and bordering on excited, he still had to work out the payment details though. He hoped the merchant would be equally as helpful int hat area.

 

"So, can you get me payment now, and if so, what am I looking at....uhm.. excuse me sir for being rude I didn't catch your name."

 

"Oh, sorry, the names Jonas Megh-Tok. Well, I don't have fifty thousand credits, but I do have twenty thousand credits, a refused shipment of ten crates of standard blaster ammunition; and I think I can get you a few pallets of a nice Nubian drink I have heard is quite popular. All that should come to fifty thousand credits on the secondary market, give or take."

 

"Thank you very much Jonas, I will relay this too my clients and I should be able to get back to you shortly."

 

Shawn shook the mans hand and ran back to the table with the Ubese and the Nubian official, he noticed that both seemed to be calm and the look in his masters eyes seemed to show they had been behaving. He took his seat and placed his hands on the table.

 

"Alright Aeron and Savax, I think I found a deal for you two. Aeron, I found a merchant who is willing to take the bacta off your hands. In exchange Savax I have arranged for him to give you twenty thousand credits, ten crates of blaster ammunition and a yet disclosed number of barrels of an exotic Nubian drink quite popular right now. He assures me this is a fair trade, what say you?"

[Kirana Sunrider]

A comm is sent from the main Alliance base to the Admiral...

 

--- encrypted and untraceable comm for Admiral Onderin Starlisk ---

 

A report has been received of an attack on Kashyyyk. Sources indicate that it was an attack by the Black Sun organisation. Awaiting your orders Admiral. Out.

 

Lt Warner

Selvaris.

 

--- end comm ---

[Onderin Starlisk]

Onderin breathed a sigh as the communication came in. "Sorry, Master, but my duties require that I leave at once. Get back to me on your answer, if you intend to give one," he said regretfully. However, at the same time, it would be nice to get back into the military duties of the Alliance--all he had dealt with recently was the concerns of a Jedi Knight.

 

He turned and left. There was one problem--Sabian had taken the shuttle. Onderin wondered briefly if the apprentice had thought about the possibility that Onderin would need to leave before he returned. Being in the middle of the forest, there was nothing the Admiral could do but send a communication.

 

It would take a little time, but an Alliance ship would be by to pick him up as soon as possible, using his comm signal for a homing beacon. It was a good thing to be able to do--especially if one was trying to locate stranded or extra-vehicular pilots.

[Kirana Sunrider]

Having received the comm from the Admiral, a shuttle craft arrives to pick him up. The pilot informed the Admiral of the current happenings within the galaxy and that Kirana Sunrider was currently at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant where there had been an attack.

[ObliviousKnight]

Whether by luck, the presence her two lightsabers, common decency, or intervention by the Force, Armiena had managed to keep the two parties from killing each other (or, the Ubese from killing poor Aeron) while Shawn spoke to the merchant. Instead, she maintained an tense silence. It was possibly the third most awkward moment in Armiena's life.

 

The second most awkward was probably when her long-dead father gave her "The Talk." The most awkward moment... Armiena had a tough time deciding what that was; there were plenty of candidates.

 

When Shawn summarized his proposal, Savax stared off into the distance, probably calculating the net worth of the exchange. Finally, he croaked a single word.

 

"Zeebus." For once, no translation was necessary at all. His metallic tone carried a sense of finality that he deemed it to be a fair exchange... or at least that he knew he wasn't going to get anything better without committing murder and probably having a death mark on his head in most civilized systems.

 

The rest of the procedings were relatively simple, consisting only of an exchange of cargo and the locations of Savax's and Jonas's ship so they could arrange the cargo transfer. Once Armiena paid for the Naboo woman's translation services, the tense business was over.

 

The Jedi Knight relaxed at the bar, sipping at a glass of the local wine that was the only payment she had accepted for their intervention. She had vehemently protested the special treament, but the bartender pointed out that if the two Jedi hadn't intervened, his establishment would have gotten the worst kind of advertisement possible: the infamy of having been a murder scene. In his eyes, some sort of gratitude was in order, even if it was only offering the two Jedi free drinks.

 

"You did well, Shawn." She swirled the wine around her glass, watching the burgundy liquid slowly settle . "The second I heard him say 'merchant,' I saw a way to end the dispute, and so did you. Fine work."

[Shawn Kenobi]

Shawn was glad that the whole situation was over, and without any big incident. He was also very happy that Armiena was proud, he still felt he had to make up for what he had done earlier. After the trading was done and the goodbyes were said, Aeron the Nubian official pulled him aside.

 

"Thank you so very much Shawn, you saved my life, I really have nothing material to show my thanks, but if you ever stop by later look me up, I am in your debt."

 

Shawn accepted Aeron's offer and went back to the bar to sit with his master, he decided he would keep Aeron's word in the back of his mind, he might need a favor on a rainy day in the distant future. He sat down on the leather seat next to Armiena, and he let her deal with the barkeep as he seemed to be willing to offer almost anything in thanks for their doing.

 

When Armiena had finally got the barkeep to agree to just two drinks, it finally settled back to normal in the place. Shawn listened the the praise of his master, it really made his spirits lift.

 

"Thank you master, ever since earlier I have doubted myself a little, but now I see it was just a fluke. I have dealt with a few of these situations before, but never under such pressure."

 

Shawn eyed the counter as the barkeep put a glass full of a brown liquid. He decided he couldn't refuse, it was a gift and he should accept it as such, besides, atleast it wasn't green. He tasted the liquid, which he surmised was wine, he wasn't exactly a drink expert.

[Onderin Starlisk]

With only a few words, Onderin orders the pilot to take him to the Jedi Temple that was mentioned. He needed to talk to Kirana...and about more than one thing. The Jedi Knight was also and Admiral, and that was something it was wise to not forget.

 

The sleek white craft lifted into the ground with little noise and headed for space. As soon as it cleared the planet's gravity well, it reached into the alternate dimension called hyperspace and pulled itself through with a shudder. Stars stretched into lines and the ship was gone without a trace.

[ObliviousKnight]

Armiena was surprised; she hadn't expected Shawn to have had experience in negotiations. But then again, he said that he had been confused for a Jedi a few times in the past--and the Jedi were typically called upon to resolve tense situations like these.

 

She sipped at her glass of wine until it was nearly empty.

 

"So, Shawn, what would you like to learn next?"

[Shawn Kenobi]

Shawn thought about the question his master presented him, he hadn't exactly memorized what force techniques existed. So far he had learned to speak through the Force, use it to move objects and even increase his physical abilities. He had only even heard of a few of these techniques but he realized he didn't know one or two he had seen used by Jedi in the past.

 

"I saw a Jedi once, on Coruscant in one of the scum-ridden bars on the lower levels. A man was getting very violent with him, he waved his hand a little and spoke 'you don't want to fight me, you need another drink' and the man spoke almost exactly what the Jedi said and walked to the bar."

 

Shawn took a big gulp of his drink to finish it off, he placed it towards the barekeep and nodded his satisfaction of the drink to him.

 

"I always wondered what that was, it fascinated me to see a Jedi able to do such a thing. Can I learn that next?"

[ObliviousKnight]

"Ah, yes..." Armiena drained the rest of her glass, and refused another helping of the wine--between the lomin-ale and the wine, she had already drunk a tad too much. "Alter Mind, or the Jedi Mind Trick, as many like to call it." Her eyes scanned the bar, and saw that a man who had clearly imbibed far too much of what he considered a pleasant beverage was intensely focused on her.

 

"I'm afraid, Shawn, that you're about to witness a demonstration of that power..." The drunk, apparently having put away enough liquid courage, clumsily rose to his feet and staggered over to her side. Armiena actually snorted when he stumbled onto the bar for balance.

 

"Hey... phretty laaady..." the man's mouth was a furnace spewing foul odors. The Jedi Knight shifted her weight as far back as she could without falling over on her bar stool. "You wannna, fffind a place..."

 

Armiena glanced at the barkeep, who returned an apologetic glance. It was only obvious what the drunk was proposing, and that he had clearly drunk himself out of his mind. Not only did he fail to notice that the raven haired woman was a Jedi Knight, but that she was clearly armed with two lightsabers, and a heavy blaster.

 

Fortunately, the fact that Armiena was a Jedi Knight proved to work out to the man's benefit. If she was an ordinary woman, she probably would have tried to talk him out of the proposition to no avail, and then would have been forced to send him into blissful unconsciousness. But a Jedi could simply "persuade" him out of the attempt.

 

her hand rose earnestly, still cupped around her empty glass. "You do not want to 'get intimate' with me." She said matter-of-factly, with an odd inflection with her voice. A brief tremor in the Force followed as she reached into his mind and gave him the impression that he clearly did not want to become any more familiar with the woman.

 

"I... uh... whaaaa?" Armiena sighed inwardly. Drunk out of his mind, indeed. He was so far gone that he couldn't even understand the euphemism.

 

"I said..." the odd inflection returned. "You do not want to have sexual relations with me." Another tremor followed, a bit stronger and more forceful.

 

"I..." the man lost his feeble grip on the counter, and his head met the wooden surface with a decisive crack that rendered him unconscious, and the Jedi Knight with one less annoyance in the galaxy. She glanced at the bartender, who rolled his eyes as he hauled the unconscious man off to the side.

 

Armiena's expression was inscrutable as her attention returned to Shawn. She was torn between amusement, annoyance, and horrified embarrassment. "You do not want to mention this incident to anyone, especially not Darex Trevelian." The odd lilt in her voice was back, but there was no hint of her contacting the Force. Her expression was completely deadpan, but she finally broke down into silent laughter.

 

"Whew..." she finally regained control. "It depends on how strong-willed the target is, but most people can be easily persuaded by the Mind Trick. It involves using the Force to sense another sentient's thought processes, and implanting an thought in their mind, like a desire to do something.

 

"Whatever you do, just,.. keep it simple and harmless."

[Shawn Kenobi]

Shawn couldn't help laughing at his master's attempt, it may not have been greatly successful, but it did cause quite a few bursts of laughter around the tavern. He noticed even Armiena finally gave into the humor of the situation. Shawn wondered who this Darex person was but that was a discussion for anothr time he supposed.

 

Keep it simple and harmless, eh? Shawn though to himself, as he looked around for possible targets. Just then a human sat down near him, he looked like he could be a bounty hunter, he sure had enough empty weapon holsters on him. Shawn thought he might be able to get away with doing it to him, something simple, something he probaly wouldn't get angry at.

 

The man ordered a drink, and the barkeep went to get it, Shawn prepared to pull off his test. He spoke towards the man.

 

"You don't want that drink, you want the most expensive thing they have."

 

He was already focusing on the mind of the man, and called up the Force to enter it. It took a few attempts for him to finally feel like he was able to accomplish his task, and thankfully the barkeep was taking his time getting the drink. He quickly impressioned the message into the man's mind with a tremor in the Force and waited to see the results, if any. The barkeep walked up, he made a funny look at what Shawn had spoke but put the glass in front of the man anyway, who quickly replied.

 

"Hey, I don't want this cheap stuff, get me the most expensive thing you got!"

 

The barkeep let out a small laugh, apparently knowing what just took place, and took the drink back and began mixing the most expensive one. Shawn was pleased, he was getting better at this even though it still takes him a bit to figure it out. He turned to his master.

 

"So, how was that for simple and harmless?"

[ObliviousKnight]

Armiena couldn't help but grin as the bartender obeyed the unfortunate victim's Mind Trick-induced command, and mix up a truly unique--and uniquely expensive beverage. As she watched the man mix together various liquors, her estimation of the drink's cost gradually climbed. Her eyebrows rose, clearly impressed at the bartender's knowledge of expensive and obscure drinks.

 

And when she thought that the drink could not have gotten any more pricey, he added a dash of a l'lahsh mix and set the whole pitcher on fire. Armiena's jaw dropped; with the addition of a rare Alderaanian liquor, the price of the drink skyrocketed.

 

"Simple and harmless... though I doubt he'd agree." The man was starting to come out of his Mind Trick-induced haze, and was blinking in a confused manner at his exorbitantly expensive drink. As the flames blazing along the rim of the pitcher began to die down, the bounty hunter began to look around suspiciously. Before he could spot the two Jedi, Armiena got up rather quickly.

 

"You know, I think that we've accomplished everything we can here. Hope you enjoyed Naboo, Shawn, because the Temple on Coruscant is a much better environment for your next lesson." As the two Jedi left the bar, a small item splashed into the bounty hunter's drink.

 

Closer examination would reveal that it was a credit chit of sufficient value to pay for most of the cost of his drink.

[Shawn Kenobi]

As Shawn was rushed from the bar by his master he noticed the credit chit fly, so far that was twice she was forced to shovel out credits for his training. He couldn't worry for the moment however, as they seemed to be heading out of the city.

 

"Well...I guess that wasn't so harmless after all huh? I didn't figure a tavern like this would carry that expensive of a drink! So... back to Coruscant?"

 

Going back home would be of course good, but he would miss Naboo, it's landscape was great and the scenery unforgetable. Also unforgetable would be the training he had here, he had gone from a person not really knowing what the Force was to being able to do many of the basic things at ease. His mind changed to wondering about how frantic it was on Coruscant, which it usually was, as they walked to his ship.

[ObliviousKnight]

"You go ahead and pilot us to the Temple, Shawn. I have a little bit of work to catch up on." As the two Jedi entered the Jolian Tru, Shawn's YT-2400, Armiena headed for the freighter's common room, where R5-D9 was standing near a bulkhead in standby mode.

 

"Hey, Dine. Power on, sleepyhead." She nudged the droid's leg with her boot. Almost instantly, all of the R5 unit's operational lights switched on, and the droid hooted sleepily. Soon after, the pitch of the droid's mechanical speech increased as he ranted about how little attention and needed maintenance he was getting lately.

 

Armiena resisted rolling her eyes; this droid was getting far too needy for his own good, but she would never have his memory wiped. "Dine, we're heading back to Coruscant for a while. More than enough time for you to go down to maintenance and have an oil bath."

 

The droid hummed in a "I'll believe it when I see it" manner.

 

"My, haven't you become a complainer?" Dine immediately shut up, his pride apparently wounded. "Hey, remember the 'Light Trooper' armor that we were having so much trouble with before? Well, I think I just solved our problem about finding a material that would work." The droid, intrigued by her statement, leaned forward on its legs. "I was hunting through the Archives a bit, and I found something. It's called Phrik."

 

R5-D9 whistled a brief query.

 

"I don't know all that information--incomplete file. While we're on Coruscant, I need you to get that file from the Archives and see if it's tough enough to work.

 

For most of the journey, Armiena would sit with Dine, working on some projects that she had left on the proverbial workbench for far too long.

 

((Thank you, HandofThrawn.))

[Bad karma]

The Ht-2200 freighter dropped out of hyperspace above Naboo. Trowa sat up and flipped a few switches getting the ship ready to land. He brought the ship into the atmosphere quickly”¦piloting the ship through the sky expertly as if he had flown over Naboo a thousand times.

 

It only took a few brief minutes before he found the area he was looking for. A extravagant house hundreds of miles from the nearest town. A beautiful pond lay just too the left of the house”¦mountains all around. Someone would have to have a transport of ship to get to the house.

 

It was getting old and falling apart in its age”¦with no one too take care of it that was expected. Seeing the house brought back many memories. Trowa tried to push them away”¦he had other concerns and duties at hand.

 

He landed the ship a few hundred meters from the shore and moved out of the ship. He walked up the path way to his old home slowly. Taking in every thing”¦the things that had changed and the things that had never been altered. He didn't bother inviting the two off the ship”¦it wouldn't matter. If they wanted to make their way too the house they could do it without his assistance.

 

He opened up the door slowly”¦the musky old smell hitting him in the face. He looked slowly around the house. Three years since he had last been here. It had been so long, his last memories here were the worst he had. He heard their screams in his head still. The sounds of blasters going off and the smell of burning flesh.

 

Only a few rooms on the up stairs had been affected by the actions of that night”¦the rest of the house still looked normal. He idly drifted from room too room looking at all of the little knick knacks and what not. He moved up stairs, his hands running up the smooth wood that was the banister”¦”

[Bad karma]

((sorry it isn't the greatest post, but I'm not the greatest teacher ))

 

After a while Trowa got up from the bed. He pulled his two Lightsabers to him and walked towards the door. His chest was covered in scars, at least ten of which from slug throwers. He clipped the two sabers onto his belt as he walked outside. He found his two apprentices out there still.

 

Quickly he approached them, taking in a breath of the fresh air before he spoke. ”œWell, let's begin then.”

[Ikanya Calthye]

"You expect me to do it when you don't even say how to," Ikanya grumbled, having recovered from the incredibly fast (it had seemed) trip through space. Why these trips always somehow managed to just pass as if they weren't even there... "And just so you know, I don't desire power, per se..."

 

She closed her eyes to tune out the beauty around her, to turn off the sense of what existed, and to dive inside of herself...

 

To turn off the whispering voice that clearly said, it's impossible...

 

The Force... it's there...

 

And suddenly she was overwhelmed by the openness of her mind, the flare up of existance that poured into the depths of her mind and soul, that attacked her with light.

 

Speaking to Shy-Ree when the Jedi girl had offered to die to save her soul had hardly been a challenge to ward off. This was worse. This was overwhelming, battering, trying to yank her off of her rope and out of her comfort zone... this was...

 

Ikanya clenched her fists, and strove to focus on the emotion of distrust instead. Strove to take that battering ram and twist it. It didn't have to just bother her. It wanted her to be overwhelmed, and she didn't blasted well want it to take over her. She was her own person! She was, she was...

 

And the coin snapped off of the ledge below where it had lodged, flying into the air with a sudden outlash of powers and the opening of a mind, flying right towards the Sith Lord's face.

[Bad karma]

Trowa watched the coin lift up and fly at him, he waved his hand slowly. The coin changed course and hit Shy dead in between the eyes. The rest of his force was directed at Ikanya.

 

She flew over the edge of the house and outwards towards the shore. Landing fifty meters short of it on the concrete sidewalk. Trowa walked to the edge of the building and jumped down, taking his time walking up to his apprentice.

 

"If you send something to hurt me, I will repay the favor. Come to think of it...if either of you do something wrong, both of you will suffer. Now, get up."

 

He motioned for Shy to join them down stairs near the beach. He looked up towards the sky; it was twilight so the sun didn't bother him to much now. He watched the sky for a bit before clicking his tongue in disgust.

 

”œNext time, I won't be so nice.”

[Ikanya Calthye]

Ikanya stood up, nearly fell over, managed to catch her balance again, and nearly fell over. Again. An unfortunate molocule died, but she managed to catch herself, standing up dully.

 

The girl dropped her hand to her lightsaber, drew it, and ignited the blade. It sent a red flare over the area, and the distant taint of ozone to the air. The nature seemed to quiver with antisipation of the possible bloodshed, intensified by the Force flowing around them... nearly tangible in the oceanic vapor.

 

It was too beautiful to lust like this for blood. Yet it did.

 

And the girl seemed to almost catch his thought. "I'm not going to end up killing myself, or cutting my own arm off," she snapped, "since I know you're thinking it." I suppose I'm more worried about cutting Shy-Ree's arm off...

 

"And I'm not going to make some quip about your death," she added. "I'm not that overconfident. But I'd rather like to think I'm not going to die."

 

She swirled to attack the Sith Lord with a blur of red blade, sinking herself back into the momentary connection she had had with the Force, and reopening herself into that wholeness.

[Bad karma]

He chuckled at shy's response. ”œNo, I didn't go find these crystals”¦I took them. Two sabers, two Jedi dead. I killed them”¦so easily.”

[Ikanya Calthye]

"Don't let him toy with us like this," Ikanya urged of her fellow apprentice, snapping her lightsaber down and off as their master vanished and the sun went down, leaving them in starlit darkness.

 

She wondered if perhaps he was using the Force to darken the area somehow, as evening wasn't generally this dark, even with the sun having set.

 

She reached out. During the brief fight, she had opened herself to feel his darkness as if it were her own... Ikanya felt certain she could trace it now... and hurt it. I don't care what he does to me!

 

And her touch snaked out towards the water to see just what she could do to his hair with a bit of salt water...

[Bad karma]

Spider slinked all around in the dark watching them; his eyes could see perfectly in the darkness that he helped bring about. He felt as Ikanya acted first”¦finding him and using the water against him. He caught water in a ball with the force”¦gathering it and the force into a power full ball in the palm of his hand.

 

He blasted it in the direction of Ikanya, before he got the chance to see if it had hit he felt Shy approach. He could feel her anger growing”¦gathering into one spot. He prepared himself for her to lash out at him to charge at him or to push him back”¦but as he prepared himself the vary ground beneath him sifted and churned as shy's energy was released.

 

He was lifted into the air as sand twirled and swirled all about his head. He shifted around a bit bringing the sand under his control. As he brought the swirling mass of sand under his control he glanced up to see shy moving towards him with her blade ignited. Shy had finally succeeded at pissing him off. She had gotten the better of him”¦but it would only happen for once.

 

He flipped backwards as her blade skimmed over his back, barely missing his spine. He was on the ground with his sabers out and ignited seconds later. He opened his mouth, quickly popping it before snapping it shut.

 

”œVery good, but you made one”¦”

[Bad karma]

He smirked at her response. It was what he expected; she did after all harbor a deep hatred for him. He pondered her question a bit before taking in a breath to speak.

 

”œIt”¦actually feels quite”¦pleasurable, you've done something that Aero couldn't”¦wound me in such a manner as to where I didn't have to let you”¦”