Along the Rimma Route

[Wolf231]

Arisa looked back and forth between the boys - and fought the urge to put her face into her palm. A little bit of pressure and they quickly made it clear they were lieing. At least the younger one was better at it, but Tali's hesitation made it clear that it wasn't the truth. A smirk played at her lips; they were just boys. She shouldn't be so hard on them. But then again - the smirk disappeared. She had not been lieing, there were people who would kill them for mentioning the Jedi; perhaps even do worse than simply killing. She listened to the boys chatter in - okay, she had no idea what either of those languages were. Or if they were languages, but since they were taking turns muttering seemingly random things she had to assume it was some form of communication or another.

"As long as I'm with you I can protect you both." She let out softly, feeling the approach of someone through the Force - she felt his presence, just as he felt hers. "But if we are parted, you must be very careful about mentioning the Jedi." She paused as she thought she heard - screeching? Probably those rats they had mentioned, telling their own kind to get out of here since there were people about. She focused on the approaching Force signature, coming to a stop and motioning for everyone else to do the same. Her right hand drew her lightsaber, but did not ignite it yet as she spoke. "If I tell you to run, both of you do so immediately. Take the others to the city. And don't look back." Her voice had grown serious again - emphasized by her igniting her lightsaber as she finished. The pearly white blade shined in the muted shadows of the forest as she strode out into a clearing to await the Force signature coming towards them.

 

[01010101101]

"Yes, Ma'am," Tali murmured softly, both ashamed at his lie and relieved that the Jedi didn't question it.

"Understood," Shalge whispered simply, not sure whether or not he should be proud of his lying, even if it did keep the woman from saying anything further.

Tali stiffened as the Jedi drew her lightsaber. He he felt whispers of the Force around him, but he didn't know where they were originating from. He hoped that they were bugs or something; they were pretty small. On the other hand, Shalge was concentrating on where the woman was facing. There was something in that direction, he was sure of it. But it felt different from the other creatures he had focused on during his training sessions. More powerful, more complex. But not necessarily dangerous, though Shalge felt that it could soon become so. A quiet squeak from a few yards away interrupted his thoughts. "Tali," he hissed lowly, nodding at a small rodent on the side of the path.

The older boy immediately turned his attention to the rat. It was only one rat...for now. Tali expanded his senses, slowing his walk as he did. He wasn't incredible at it, by any means, but he was able to pick up traces of base emotions. Anger, fear...hunger. He looked up, considering whether to alert the Jedi of the possible danger. He shook his head, deciding that whatever had caused the woman to draw her weapon was more serious than a few rats. Nonetheless, Tali thought that he might as well ready his rifle, just in case. He took a quick look behind him to make sure the half-dozen civilians were still following them. They were, and seemed to be calmed by the apparently tranquil environment.

Shalge put his hand on the hilt of his vibroblade, preparing for an attack that could come from any direction. He watched the Jedi, hoping that their escort wasn't about to walk straight into her death.

 

[Maxx]

Ben watched as the group continued to walk along the path without noticing him. He quickly noticed the sensation of being touched through the Force by another being. At the same time, the woman motioned for the group to come to a stop and she put he hand at her side, revealing a metal cylinder that Ben immediately recognized as a lightsaber. Not knowing if she was Jedi or Sith, he made sure his lightsabers were where they should be. As soon as he touched the metal of the two weapons, one sent a flow of calm through him and the other one of anger. The one attempting to seduce him with anger was a dual-blade saber, something he had picked up off of the murderer of his parents.

The woman's blade sprung to life revealing a pearly white blade. The two kids at her side prepared themselves as well, looking straight at Ben but not seeing him because of the foliage. This woman wasn't a Sith, but he couldn't let his guard down. He pulled his lightsaber of his belt, the one with a Krayt Dragon's horn at the end, and emerged from the foliage. "Need any help?"

 

[Wolf231]

Arisa watched the man appear fully from the foliage with a slight amount of apprehension, but she soon relaxed. While he seemed to be emanating a small amount of anger or hatred, she got the feeling that it wasn't coming directly from him. Coupling that with the fact that he had come out and asked if they needed help, she didn't think this man to be a Sith. While deciding not to let her guard down entirely, she nevertheless flicked her lightsaber off so as not to seem entirely aggressive before responding to him. She opened her senses at the same time, getting a feeling of their surroundings - and not liking what she felt very much.

"Our ship crashed back there. We have some civilians in need of a trip to the city and medical care. Who are you?" She hoped that by offering some information of her own, he would be more inclined to tell them just who he was. From what he was wearing, she didn't think he was affiliated with that city she had seen on their way down. Her eyes remained focused on Ben while her senses roamed, trying to find the source of the feelings - anger, fear, and mostly hunger - but it didn't seem to be coming from any one place. It also seemed to be moving their way, from a dozen different directions, even spreading out as it approached. She had heard - a squeek? "Rats." She mumbled to herself, barely even audibly. It was the only thing that made sense to her right now, though she had never known days to react this way. Then again, she had never been to this planet before, so that didn't mean anything.

Without taking her eyes off Ben, she spoke loud enough for him to hear but made it clear she meant the boys as well. "Everyone be careful. Something bad is coming." And even if it was rats, the toxic bite that had been mentioned made it a big problem. Big enough that they would have to trust this newcomer if they planned to get out of it alive.

 

[01010101101]

"Miss, if I may, I think we should get the heck out of here," Tali whispered. Granted, he wasn't sure how fast these rats were, but they had a half-dozen unarmed civilians in tow, and it seemed that it would be extremely difficult to protect them.

Shalge drew his vibroblade and crouched a bit, ready to break into a sprint or a lunge. "How many do you think they are?" he murmured.

Tali focused around him. There were a lot of life traces, to be sure. He counted about...anywhere from two dozen to seventy rats. It was hard to focus with fear affecting his scenes. "A lot," he replied. "Enough to be dangerous." He noticed that the civilians were starting to get antsy, looking around at a few rats that had ventured out. Tali gripped his rifle, trying to remember what the Force user back home had taught him. He took a few breaths to calm his rapidly beating heart, and raised his blaster in preparation. "Hello there," he said offhandedly to the man. "I hope you brought a weapon with you."

The younger boy cautiously crept closer to Tali and the Jedi. He wasn't used to fighting such small enemies; he usually could only scare off a mouse with a loud sound. He made a short nod to the strange man. He noticed that the man seemed to have something in his pockets, or at least at his belt. For some reason, he felt a strange feeling in the back of his mind, though he couldn't place it. "<The man>," Shalge whispered to his brother, remembering to change his language just in case he was wrong. "<He collect object close-by side container. Unknowable sense surrounding he.>"

It took Tali a few seconds to realize what Shalge was saying. Upon closer inspection, the man did seem to have something on his person, but it might have been simply a crease or a simple object. However, his brother confirmed what Tali was feeling: there was definately something Force-related about the man. Tali gripped his weapon even harder. Was the man a Sith? Had he come for the Jedi? If he was a Sith, and they were attacked by rats, Tali doubted that they would get out of the forest alive.

Shalge almost asked the man if he was a Jedi or a Sith, but stopped himself at the last moment. Tali probably wouldn't be too happy with him if he did. Instead, he simply said, "I hope it's not too much to hope that the city sent help towards our direction, is it?"