{Ask} Discovery of Destiny

[CJ Solo]

Tatooine was a hot place, boasting heat that would dry out the skin and pull the moisture from the body if someone was not prepared for it. Which for her was better than the heavily rain forested planets where heat and moisture was everywhere, opressive, sticky and wet clinging to your skin and everything else like a wet blanket. It was places like that and places like Tatooine that made her miss the temperate savanahs and forests of her homeworld of Shili. The worst part about Tatooine, however, was not the heat; it was the sand. No matter how many layers of clothing she wore or how well she wrapped herself, the stuff got everywhere. Even now as she sat and watched Tatooine's second sun rise over the horizon, she could feel the grit against her skin.

Three days ago, Saana Tai had arrived on the sandy planet on board a small freighter called 'Intrigue'.'. After having spent four days on the ship, she was not sure how it came to get its name. It was old, as though someone had fished it out of a centuries old junk heap, patched it up and gave it a pilot. It shuddered from time to time and made noises that had made her feel more than just a little concerned. It had come to a point when she was worried the ship might just fall apart before they landed. But, somehow, ship and passengers all made it in one piece. It had been a stressful ride, but not the worst she had been on. She was much more cautious about what ships she got on board with than she had been when she had first left Shili. Saana had had her first real encounter with slavery in those days; it was something she would never forget. This often meant she would be on a planet for days, even weeks, before she would leave one planet to go to another.


Saana never really knew where she was going until she boarded a ship. She had two primary requirements for a ship; it was staying away from Empire space and the ship's objective did not involve activities like slavery. It was not as though she walked up and simply asked about the latter, since she had learned that such questions could quickly get you into trouble. Instead, she used observation and intuition to guide those determinations. Her travel in this manner seemed random and aimless, even to her at times. When asked where she was trying to go or why, her response was little more than a light shrug and a statement like "Wherever the winds of space take me." In truth, the statement did not do justice for what she was doing; searching for something that she could not begin to put into words.

Still, wherever she ended up, it was as if she was meant to be there. Along the way, she had happened to be in the right place at just the right time to help someone. Sometimes it was little things like paying for a meal for a woman and her child and sometimes it was more dangerous like the freeing of slaves. No matter what it was, , or where, it felt right as if that moment had been waiting for her to come along the entire time. No such moment had come for her on Tatooine so far, that she was aware of anyway. In fact, the stay on Tatooine so far had been fairly boring.

Both suns were up over the horizon now and the heat of the day began to rise. Saana had left her perch from where she had watched the rising of both suns, pulling up the deep hood of her cloak that covered her three lekku headtails and the two montrals that crowned her head. The heat was, for the most part, bareable as she walked down the lanes that were already crowding with people and speeders that would take her to the spaceport. She could feel it even through the thin coverings on her feet from the ground; the foot coverings making her feel almost as uncomfortable as the gritty sand she could feel against her skin. It was her goal to find someone with a ship that was going somewhere cooler and a lot less sandy that would be willing to take her on as either a healer, aspiring mechanic or both. What she did not know was just how quickly things were going to change for her this day.

***

It had been a couple of hours now since Saana had stepped into the outer reaches of the spaceport and moved more towards its heart. Her pace was no faster or slower than the rest of the foot traffic in the spaceport as she moved from bay to bay. Some bays were closed off while others were unoccupied, though that was not likely to last long. Those that did have ships berthed in them were a mix of those that had a buzz of activity around them and those that were closed up and quiet; the crews likely taking time to enjoy the local cantinas. One of these ships stops her cold, however, a worn and battered light freighter called 'Midnight Cry'.

The 'Midnight Cry' had been one of the first ships she had gotten on board with in exchange for her skills as a healer. At the time of the agreement, she had not known that the so called passengers she was to attend to if needed were slaves. It had been the worst week of her life, that she could remember. Once she had discovered the reality of the situation, threats had kept her from taking any action other than doing as she was told. How those people had been treated had disgusted her to the point of feeling sick. Saana had not looked the other way completely, however. When they had landed for refueling and for the ship's captain to go meet a contact, she had been left alone onboard with one other crew member, the co-pilot of the 'Midnight Cry'. The rest had gone to stretch their legs, so to speak, and it had been then that she made her choice. She had turned on the co-pilot, fought him and ultimately beat him into unconciousness. It had not been without injury to herself, though, she still had a visible scar along her side from a long bladed dagger he had pulled on her. With the co-pilot unconcious, she had released the near dozen slaves and fled the ship herself.

Saana's yellow eyes narrowed as she scrutinized the freighter. Where there slaves being ferried to who knew where on there again? She had thought to slip in and investigate, but a noise from the ship stopped her. Someone, or someones, were still there. The thought of slaves being onboard, being misused and mistreated, angered her. Her contemplations on the matter were broken, however, by a voice from behind her.

"Hey! That be my ship your gawking at." The male voice was gruff and gravelly from a throat that had clearly suffered through far too much smoking and potent alcohol.

Saana turned her head to see where it had come from; if it came from the face that her memory automatically connected it with. Her eyes widen momentarily as she sees the three, very familiar, humans hastily approaching. The one in the lead was a human male who showed obvious signs of age in his leathery skin and the dark mass of hair on his head that was splashed with more than a little grey named Kholya. the one behind him and to the left was a thin, wirey human male whose dirty blonde hair looked as wirey as he was; Lothar, the ship's mechanic. The human next to him was Broc, who was shorter than the other two but was a barrel chested mass of muscle. She had been there when Kholya had brought Broc onboard as security; nothing more than a thug really to keep his so called passengers in line. She whispered the captain's name and for a brief moment she was just frozen there. "Kholya..."

"Is that our little hero? I think it is." The tone from Kholya was clearly mocking and it earned him a bit of chuckling from his companions. "You and me have a little business to finish at long last."

A hundred thoughts zipped through Saana's mind; the tips of her headtails twitching momentarily beneath the hood she wore. She showed her teeth to Kholya, not a friendly gesture, as she witnessed him place a hand on his blaster and release the securing strap. She thought for a brief second to attack, to take all three of them then and there, but then she thought better of it. Three to one were not odds that were in her favor. Instead, she turned and ran.

"Get back here!" Kholya barked out after her. "Get her alive." The command was given to his two companions.

Saana had heard them start after her; the quickening of their footsteps, the distance of their shouts and the shouts of protest and curses from those in the lanes that Kholya and his companions chose to rudely overrun. She darted gracefully around people, speeders and other obstacles as she tried to put what obstacles she could between her and her pursuers. It was not difficult for her to imagine that all three of them and drawn their blasters by now. She was not disappointed as she heard the bolts and saw them fly harmlessly past her, the shots missing by a sizeable margin. She did not like getting shot at, though, regardless of how bad the shooter's aim was. Finally, she came to an intersection of lanes. Saana did not stop as she quickly skirted around to the right and down a narrower lane...

 

[Ral]

The young Jedi Master had lost count of the number of times he had come to Tatooine. If he had to guess the answer would be simple: too many. Kai Sera did not enjoy the hot planet with all of its sand. Of course, coming from a very temperate planet like Naboo, one could hardly blame the young dark-haired man for his poor opinion of the hot, dry world with its twin suns. Having just landed his own ship, Tarja's Hope, in a nearby spaceport, the Jedi had begun his walk around the sandy town, keeping his eyes open for trouble and anything out of the ordinary he could help intervene in. Even though Kai was there for a purpose, a mission, that didn't mean he was blind to the needs or grievances of others, and if he saw one he could help change for the better, he would. It was rather simple for him, it required so little, and it would mean the world to those he helped. To Kai, that's part of what being a Jedi meant.

Today, Kai's purpose for visiting a world that he despised so much was rather simple; he was looking for a group of slavers rumored to be on this planet for the time being. Whether they were just refueling, or taking on slaves Kai was unsure of, but he was determined to find out and stop them. To do this, of course, he would need to be incredibly attentive, and possibly even make a friend or two. For now, though, Kai would have to do his best by trusting on the Force to lead him and guide him where he needed to go. By now, this was some something fairly easy for young Kai, as he had been doing it for many years and had learned to trust in the power and the Will of the Force. And so, Kai started walking, his black leather boots sifting through the coarse sand of Tatooine as he took each step, a small puff of dust and sand getting kicked up into the air as he did so. Wrapping his sandy-colored cloak around him, Kai pulled his hood up to block his face from the heat of the suns. Meanwhile, stretching out with the Force to feel his way forward.

Oddly, the young Master found that there was something calling to him, something in the Force that desired his attention. Odd, he thought to himself as he stepped forward, his eyes scanning the crowd of locals and passersby. Kai saw nothing initially, nothing that stood out to him or screamed for his attention. Frowning, he kept moving, stretching out with that extra-perceptory sensation that the Force brought to a Jedi, feeling the world around him through that mystical energy field. There definitely was something peculiar on Tatooine today, in the same town even, so Kai knew that something special was likely to occur, he just didn't know what. Thoughts ran through his head as he wondered what it was likely to be, his mind was curious and he couldn't wait to find out what it was.

As he passed a stall selling some kind of freshly caught and killed desert lizard, most likely a delicacy here on Tatooine, (though Kai was unsure of what kind of species would enjoy that off the top of his head) he saw a side street and felt the very distinct urge to go down it. The kind of urge one only gets from the Force. Sighing, he spoke. "I really hope this doesn't turn into another duel like the first time I was on Tatooine. I don't want to have to destroy another cantina because some Sith was a coward."

Tapping his shatter gun on his hip to make sure it was still locked into place, Kai started down the side street. Once he had confirmed he still had his pistol, Kai grabbed one of his lightsabers, the one that he had built after losing his first hilt in a fight with a cult of dark Jedi. He wasn't sure if he'd need it, but the Jedi Master got the distinct hairs-on-the-back sensation that danger was coming, which was somewhat worrisome, especially since he had just hoped to not get into a fight. Apparently, the Force has a sense of humor.

Turning down into an adjacent alleyway, Kai found himself face-to-face with a Togruta who almost ran into him. With almost lightning-like reflexes, Kai jumped as far to the side as he could in the narrow alleyway, unfortunately it wasn't enough and he still ended up bumping into the young female. Reaching his left arm out to grab her so she didn't fall, he grunted. "Oh geez, sorry 'bout that, didn't see ya there!" He apologized as he looked to see that she was being followed by a couple of men. The danger warning flared in the back of his mind and he felt a slight chill run through his body as he looked upon her pursuers. Holding his lightsaber in his hand he looked between the Togruta and the human men, his eyebrows raised. "Are you alright, miss?" As the men neared he wondered what was going on, "Is there a problem here gentlemen?"

 

[CJ Solo]

Saana was a swift runner, but the obstacles that the city lanes and alleys put before her path did not help her in distancing herself from Kholya and his two friends. If the area were open and less crowded, it was likely she would have little to no problem distancing herself from them. She could still hear them and then there was another red bolt of light and the sound of a blaster being fired just before Kholya and his two companions came around the corner. Then suddenly, out of nowhere was Kai.

Her eyes widened in surprise as the dark haired human was suddenly in front of her. As he was attempting to move out of the way, she was attempting to stop her momentum, with no success. The sand beneath her feet gave no such purchase for her to use. An audible gasp escaped from her, sounding a bit like a short yelp. Saana fully expected to be sent sprawling to the ground, but the man's left arm reached out for her and reflexively she reached for it to slide herself around behind him even if it meant a fall to the ground. That fall did not come, though.

In the moment after she grabbed, Kai, panic briefly rose inside her as a horrible thought ocurred to her. What if he was part of Kholya's crew? It had been more than a year and a half since she first ran into Kholya and the 'Midnight Cry', anyone could be working for him now. That thought process was disrupted when she heard Kai speak. "Fine." Came the quick and softly accented response from her. Her yellow eyed gaze looked past Kai to the approaching Kholya and gang as Kai questioned them.

"Get out of the way, lad, if you know what's good for you." Kholya waves his blaster in the air threateningly. "I have no fight with you, but that little thing," Kholya pointed a knobby finger in Saana's direction. "is my business."

Saana saw no way that this was going to end well. Even as that thought crossed her mind, Kholya's two companions stepped around him spreading themselves apart. The two approached slolwy, prepared, with their blasters still in hand. Saana gave a small tug on Kai. "You do not want to fight them. Run." In the shock of the collision and her scattered thoughts over who Kai was, she had not seen the weapon he was prepared to use.

Kholya laughed hartily over hearing Saana's words. "Yes, boy, listen to her. I'll let you walk away unharmed if you go now, alone." The last word in his statement said pointedly.

 

[Ral]

Nodding as the Togruta told him she was fine, Kai looked from the young female who had taken up a position behind him so that he was placed between her and the now three thugs. Frowning, Kai made a note to pay more attention as he had somehow missed the third man. His eyes glancing from man to man, Kai listened rather impassively as the apparent leader of the group of humans told him to get out of the way. Despite being a Jedi, Kai despised being talked down to by some thug with a blaster pistol; not that he would act on his displeasure, but that didn't mean he had to enjoy being treated like some whelp.

As the leader pointed his finger at the Togruta, Kai raised an eyebrow, his face rather annoyed at the scene he had just happened into, "This thing?" Kai asked pointing a thumb over his shoulder at the female. "She has a name, just like you do. Maybe you should treat her with a little respect, after all, you never know when you might run into somebody dangerous." The Jedi's voice was calm, but the vague form of a threat was present to anyone with half a brain.

Feeling the red-skinned alien tug on his cloak and hearing her tell him to run, Kai glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. His typical jovial smile springing to his face almost instantly. "I can handle myself, dear, thanks for worrying though." Kai gave the Togruta a casual wink as he turned his gaze back on the leader. The Jedi Master let out a chortle to the man's offer, the idea of him leaving was hilarious to him, though the others probably didn't know or understand why. "Thanks, but I'll have to pass. Why don't you tell me what your beef is with this lovely lady here? Maybe this is something we can work out peacefully?" His voice was now thick with the power of the Force as he waved a hand through the air casually, trying to convince these thugs to stand down. Not that he expected it to work, but it was worth a shot. In the event that it didn't Kai was already preparing to rip the blasters out of their hands with the Force, assault them with a sudden burst of telekinetic energy, or activating his lightsaber and letting the fear of the weapon do his job for him. "So, what do you say? Wanna talk it out?"

 

[CJ Solo]

Saana's facial features twitched with an expression of confusion at Kai's's responses to her. He was clearly defending her, at least to some point. It was an act that he was by no means obligated to do. Then he had flashed that smile at her. Was he enjoying the exchange with these men? Saana could run now while they were distracted by Kai; it would take them a few seconds at least to realize she was gone. But something kept her there. Perhaps it was that Kai was standing at her defense; she surely would not want someone to get harmed on her account. Perhaps there was something more. Her puzzlement deepend as he waved his hand at them as he spoke. "Go away. I want nothing to do with you Kholya." The soft accent still rode along her words as she spoke from around Kai.

Lothar and Broc both hesitated in their approach, each glancing back at their boss Kholya. They seemed to be considering Kai's suggestion even though Kholya appeared unimpressed. Their fear of Kholya likely out weighing Kai's words. "Well get going! Bring her over here." The words were growled out by Kholya directed at the two hesitating men.

Not as certain as they had been before, Lothar and Broc continued their approach towards Kai and Saana. "Ye heard zee man. Move out zee way." The words came from the burly short one, Broc as Lothar moved forward to position himself, preparing to work his way around Kai.

As if to enforce the point, Kholya fires off a shot at the ground before Kai's feet. "No talking. That thing's cost me too much already." Kholya moved forward now, taking a couple of steps closer. "If you don't get lost, then we'll just have to make you a smudge in the sand." The aim of Kholya's blaster lifted to no longer be pointed at the ground, but at Kai himself.

Saana shifted nervously with anxiety. Her yellow eyes watching the two closer men carefully. "Watch out!" She gave Kai a shove as the wirey blonde haired male, Lothar, lunged at Kai with a vibrodagger in one hand, blaster in the other.

 

[Ral]

Hearing the Togruta tell the leader, Kholya, that she wanted nothing to do with him, Kai places a hand on her to let her know he could handle this; it wasn't necessary to have her pipe in and possibly antagonize these goons any more than they probably already were. He could sense the woman's slight confusion and uncertainty through the Force, so he sent a wave of Force energy to her to try and calm her down a little. Looking at the two henchmen, Kai almost thought that he had manged to pull it off, but it seems like Kholya was not phased, and so he prepared to defend himself as the other two men continued to approach after their leader barked at them. Sighing, Kai shook his head. So, it's going to be a fight then, is it?

Looking at the men as the short burly one decided to demand him to move aside, Kai simply shook his head. "No, and I wouldn't try and get past me." He said, his voice cold and defiant, full of confidence. It would be clear Kai had no intention of stepping aside for them. His dark grey eyes shooting back and forth, ready to call on the Force at a moments notice. He could see that they were trying to get around him, or at least preparing to. Neither would be able to make it past the Jedi Master however.

Kholya, in a display of machismo, fired a blaster bolt at his feet, telling him to keep quiet. This brought an angry scowl to the Jedi's face. While Kai himself wasn't angry, he wasn't above letting his face display his disapproval of the man's actions. Shaking his head, he exhaled as he looked at the man with the gun aimed at him. "Sorry, I don't take orders from you!" Kai exclaimed right as the Togruta warned him to watch out, giving him a little shove so he would get out of the way.

Kai's danger sensation flared right as that happened, and with a single motion Kai's left hand extended outwards calling on the Force to push the two men backwards with incredible Force against the walls of the narrow alleyway. As he pushed them back with a powerful wave of telekinetic energy, Kai's thumb pressed the activation button on his lightsaber calling to life its silver blade just as Kholya fired at him. The lightsaber deflected the energy bolts away from Kai harmlessly as he glared at the leader while picking up the other two with the Force once again and throwing them back against the walls of the alley a second time just to prove his point. "That was an incredibly poor choice, my friend."

 

[CJ Solo]

There was a short laugh from Kholya as he heard Saana warn Kai just as Lothar lept at him, only to fail. Broc had been prepared to move in to out flank Kai, but it had ended quickly as before either of them could register what was going on that both were lifted from their feet and slammed into the walls that made up the alley. Lothar managed to keep on his feet, staggering away from the wall while Broc lost his footing and fell to one knee.

Saana's eyes widened a little as she heard the snap-hiss of the lightsaber and the silver blade came to life. "Oh..." Saana had heard about the Jedi, many of her own people had been a part of that order throughout history, but she had never thought she would meet one. At least, she assumed Kai was a Jedi.

Kholya snarled at the sight of the lightsaber and the blaster fire's delfection. "Stinking Jedi! You've crossed the wrong man. I know more than a few that would pay for your head." He barked another command at his recovering companions. "Get the rodent, the Jedi is mine." The words are spoken as he turns a dial on his weapon, changing its setting to that of stun.

Lothar and Broc, meanwhile, do not get the chance to act on their boss' command as they are once more slammed into the alley walls by Kai's telekinetic attack. Both men are left scrambling not only for their footing, but for their weapons as well. Lothar scowled as he realizes his blaster is too close to Kai to retrieve, leaving him only with the vibrodagger. The man was clearly not eager to see which would win in a fight; his dagger or the lightsaber.

"His blaster can stun." Saana spoke up once more so that only Kai could hear to warn him.

 

[Ral]

"Ha!" Kai nearly snarled as he laughed, reaching out into the Force and grabbing the short burly one and throwing him into Kholya, blocking the man's shot of the Jedi. As he did so, the Master side stepped towards the remaining thug. Holding his silver blade in an offensive position, the Jedi Master glared at the man while gathering up his Force energy. What he was about to do would require a great amount of both energy and focus; Kai could only hope that he was up for the expenditure of Force energy that he was about to unleash on these poor goons. Hearing the Togruta whisper that the leader's blaster can stun, Kai nodded looking towards the cluster of thugs. "Got it," he replied while facing the lone man before him. With his silver lightsaber extended towards the man he spoke. "Don't even think about trying it."

"I hope this doesn't scare you too much," Kai whispered back to the female. Raising his offhand towards the pair of thugs, Kai unleashed a storm of Force energy manifested as emerald green lightning. It extended forth in torrents of brilliant green energy, contrasting brilliantly with the sand, crackling as it arced forward. The emerald-hued lightning struck the pair of men dead-center as Kai strained to maintain his focus on the incredible amount of Force energy flowing through him. Turning his head a little to speak to the Togruta he said, "I hope you can deal with this one here, I'm going to have to deal with the other two real quick."

Ending his barrage of lightning, Kai leapt up into the air coming down on top of the pair of the men, his silver lightsaber flashing in the bright sunlight. Right before his feet touched the ground, Kai used up what little power he still had managed to focus within him to send a telekinetic blast outwards in a Repulse like maneuver which would send both of them flying into the nearby walls as he landed, giving the Jedi a quick advantage in case either of the goons were still lucid enough after the painful barrage of electric judgment.

 

[CJ Solo]

Kholya finished adjusting the setting on his blaster, aimed and fired. The blue rings expanded out from the blaster only to impact with the moving body of Broc. Kholay howled with rage as the burly thug collapsed at his feet, twitching as though some part of him were trying to get up. Whether he was or not hardly mattered as the green energy lanced out from Kai, crackling over the ground in brilliant strands of green lightning. Kholya howled again, this time not only from rage but also pain. He was not prepared for Kai's finaly move as the Jedi lept in a single bound to be nearly in arms reach, silver blade held high. It was the last thing he saw before he found himself flung into a wall. Kholay and the burly Broc remain unmoving where they land on the ground.

Scared? Fear was not on the list of things Saana felt in that moment; awe, admiration, these were the sorts of things she was feeling in that moment. There had been so many stories about Jedi and the things that they could do, much of which she was not sure was true. Great feats were said to be performed by Jedi in the name of defense and peace. Here she was now witnessing it herself. To a galactically well travelled individual, her manner of sheer wonder would seem almost silly, even childlike. She gave no answer, however, as she watched the green lightning spring from his hand.

Kai's words registered to her fully in time to see the wirey Lothar lunge at her, his blade out away from his body and its point aimed at her. Saana dropped into a squat to place herself beneath the plane of his strike and then in the same movement rolled forward to bowl into the human's legs. A grunt came from the man and a little swearing as he hit the ground. With practiced ease, Saana rolled up onto her feet and turned to face Lothar as the blonde haired human was scrambling to his feet. Saana watched as Lothar paused, seeing his blaster there on the ground that Kai had previously been standing over. Lothar went for it and she lept.

A small grunt escaped from Saana as she lands squarely on the human male's back. She had a blaster that she could have easily used, but she never had unless she had had no choice. When she made contact, one arm wraps around Lothar's neck and she squeezed as tight as she could while her other hand grabbed for Lothar's knife arm.

Lothar released a startled cry as the shorter Togruta female latched onto him. His free hand went to the arm that was choking him. The blaster was no longer on his mind as he tried to dislodge the woman from himself, making attempts to swipe or stab at her with his dagger. Her interference, however, made it difficult.

 

[Ral]

Seeing both the humans unconscious, Kai sighed as he grabbed Kholya's blaster, securing it so that the man couldn't regain consciousness and try to shoot him in the back with it. Hearing the scuffle behind him, the Jedi Master turned about and saw that the Togruta was engaged with the wirey figure. Naturally, the thug hadn't taken Kai's advice and had tried to nab the girl, who, to her credit, currently had him in a bit of a headlock which was forcing him to try and get her off, even taking while swings with his dagger. Seeing the scene unfold caused the Jedi to frown a little as he refocused himself, gathering the Force back to him.

Kai couldn't let the woman be injured on his account, so with a deep breath inward, Kai reached out with the Force and locked the blonde man's knife arm to the nearby wall. Then, reaching into the man's mind, Kai over-exerted himself as he channeled the Force into an attack on the man's nervous system. Overloading his nerves and his brain, causing him to lock up stunned, almost comatose like. It would make it exceptionally easy for the Togruta to subdue the man now. Of course, for poor Kai, the highly intensive use of Force powers left him feeling drained and weak causing him to collapse to his knees for a few moments as he did his best to gather his wits about him and focus his mind.

Breathing heavily, Kai's grey eyes looked up and locked on to the Togruta's yellow ones. Forcing a smile, the Jedi Master struggled to his feet. "I'm sorry for doing all that, if I hadn't ran into you, they might not have caught you." The young man took in a deep breath as he tried to recover a little more. "Are you alright? Is there anything I can do for you?" Then it hit him, he had not yet introduced himself. Running a hand through his short black hair he scratched his head nervously, deactivating his lightsaber. "I'm-uh, I'm Kai, Kai Sera. If it wasn't obvious I'm a Jedi. Do you mind telling me why these men were after you?"

 

[CJ Solo]

The scene was almost comical, really. Saana was smaller than the wirey Lothar and more agile as she shifted here and there using her own weight to keep him off balance. Meanwhile Lothar continued to flail. At one point, he even slammed her into a wall in an attempt to dislodge her. Air was forced out of her lungs as he did so, but it was at that point the fight quickly came to an end.

Lothar had just slammed the Torgruta woman that had him grappled into a wall. He was having a difficult time in getting her off of him. Abruptly, his hand and forearm seemed stuck against the wall and he grunted as he tried to regain use of the arm. The struggle was short, however, as his body siezed and then he fell to the ground to not get up.

Saana was not prepared for the sudden end of the struggle, stumbling over and away from Lothar who now seemed to be unconcious. Her gaze trails down the alley only to see the other two were down as well and the Jedi on his knees. For a couple of seconds, that felt like an eternity, Saana just stood there. How did one address a Jedi? She blinked once and then approached him carefully.

"I am not hurt." She watched him as he seemed to struggle to his feet, appearing to be a man that was now rather fatigued. "I do not regret your appearance. I am honored to meet a Jedi." Momentarily her gaze left him to look past Kai to the fallen Kholya a and Broc only to return shortly. "Are they dead?" Though her words are softly accented, she speaks fluidly even as she carefully chooses her words and their pronounciation.



Saana glanced away thoughtfully when Kai introduces himself. "Kai Sara Master Jedi. I am called Saana Tai." Every now and then her attention turned away from him to the fallen men, checking to see if they were still there or not perhaps. "That.. is a long story. To be short, they transport slaves."

 

[Ral]

Smiling a bit as she said she was fine, Kai nodded. "That is good, that is good." He repeated thoughtfully as she said that she was glad that he had arrived and that it was an honor to meet him. That caused him to laugh a little, he wasn't used to that reaction, at least not yet, and to hear this young lady say such a thing had taken him by surprise. As she looked to the other two bodies asking if they were dead, the Jedi master shook his head. "No, no. They're just unconscious. I don't like to take a life unless I absolutely have to. If there was some form of law on this backwater world I would have delivered them to that, but since this is Tatooine, I'm not entirely sure what to do with them."

Inhaling a bit through his nose, Kai bowed as she introduced herself. "It's a pleasure to meet you Saana Tai. It seems that it was the will of the Force that the two of us bumped into each other today," he smirked as he sat down on a nearby crate to rest his body. His eyes watching the unconscious bodies carefully, making sure they didn't get back up. Hearing that it was a long story, Kai beckoned her over to him as he looked into her yellow eyes. "Well, tell me about it then. You say they transported slaves? It just so happens I was looking to break up a slaving ring. Maybe these are a part of it. Tell me, Saana, what would you do with these slavers then? What do you think Justice would be for them?"

It was a question meant to see if Saana was Jedi material. As soon as the fighting had ended, and Kai had managed to gather his senses back about him, he quickly recognized that this young Togrutan female was Force sensitive. He could see it in the Force; the way the Force moved around her, so untamed and natural like, but definitely in the way that indicated that she had some unconscious control over the energy. It was very likely Saana, like so many others didn't even realize that she was Force Sensitive. Sitting back, Kai studied her face as he waited for her to answer the question he had asked.

 

[CJ Solo]

The Jedi had apparently been made embarrassed by her words, or at least had become nervous in response to them. Saana attempted to smooth out the awkwardness by offering a smile of her own in return for his. "Did I offend? I did not intend to do so..."

When Kai's gaze drifted to the unconcious bodies, hers followed. The last thing she wanted was for them to get back up right now. When he invited her over to sit with him, to tell him about these men, she hesitated as she wondered again on what was an appropriate response to give a Jedi. Ultimately, she decided to accept the invitation.

Saana moved over to the crates and settled onto one next to Kai as she pushes back her hood. Her red skin was a vivid dark red, almost rusty looking, which only seemed to serve to make her white striped markings stand out more. "I met them during my last year. I did not know or understood what they were then. Not until it was too late to leave." Saana looked to Kai every now and then as she spoke, but her gaze was often on the unconcious men. "I had bought my way onboard by offering my healing knowledge. They treated them so poorly. When I had realized what their passengers really were, they had threatened me. I did nothing at first, not until we had landed. I was left alone with another and I fought him. I was wounded but the victory was mine and I released their slaves. I fled after that. I did not think that I would see them again."

Saana had suddenly stopped telling her tale then, though all the important parts had been told, and her eyes widened in realization. "The ship. The same ship of theirs. It is here. What if they have more?" Then Kai posed his question and Saana fell silent. She looked away once more. There was an easy answer to his question; kill them. If they were dead then they would never do it again. But it was not the right answer. She would have no sooner killed Lothar than she had Kholya's co-pilot before. "I do not know. There need be a punishment, a way to stop them from ever doing it again. It is as you said, though, there are no real authorities." Another silence fell over her as she thought more about it. "Take thier things, their ship. If there is no ship, then they cannot leave or take slaves."

 

[Ral]

Shaking his head, Kai waved a hand dismissively through the air towards the Togruta, "No, no, you did not offend, dear Saana," he remarked placing a hand on her shoulder to show that what she had said was quite alright. With a smile on his face he replied, "Just call me Kai from now on, I'm not big on titles and stuff, never have been. I'd prefer a much more casual relationship with those I meet and call friends."

As she sat down, Kai gave her an up and down look over, examining her dark red skin and the striping on her headtails. There was something about Togruta the Jedi always found somewhat fascinating. They were both attractive, and yet so alien, it was very odd to the Jedi to see someone capable of both aspects. Kai kept an eye on her and watched her carefully as she spoke. Listening to her words, examining her expression, and feeling her emotions through the Force. As Saana spoke of her story, her experience with these slavers, Kai could tell she was being sincere about it, and that made him slightly irritated at the men. It was good to hear that she had chosen to do the right thing by attacking the guard and freeing the slaves, light side points for her, perhaps she could become a Jedi yet. When she finished he nodded, looking between her and the unconscious bodies on the ground across from him. "Well, that is certainly a tale Saana. I'm surprised you took that action quite honestly, most people wouldn't have, but I'm glad you did."

As she continued on about their ship being on the planet and possibly containing slaves, Kai frowned. It was definitely something that they would have to address sooner rather than later. Saana fell silent as she contemplated the question he asked of her. He could see in her eyes the cogs turning, her trying to work things out to be just, so that these men would get what they deserved. When she finally spoke, Kai's face remained impassive, betraying nothing of what he thought of her proposition. Once she had finished, he gave a slight nod, an amused but satisfied nod. Looking to her he said, "I believe that is a fair idea. It's definitely a good place to start. It is the times that we live in that we don't have a government to deal with such criminals. Now, your idea has merit, but there is the problem that they can eventually steal and take things by force, eventually getting a new ship and starting the cycle all over again. Were this a world with no space travel, I'd have definitely agreed with it as it would have been a life prison sentence, unfortunately here on Tatooine we'll need to do more."

Standing up, Kai pulled some binders out of his belt, tossing a pair to Saana he motioned for her to place them on the blonde man while Kai would bind the other two. "I have friends in the rebellion who will deal with these men. As for you, I have two questions for you Saana. My first question is simple; would you take me to where their ship is so we may see about any other slaves they might have? And my second question, and I'm sorry if this comes as a surprise, but I'm curious if you'd like to join me afterwards and learn about the Force."

 

[CJ Solo]

There was an ease about Kai that made it a simple thing to relax. Saana settled down where she had chosen to sit and returned his smile with one of her own. "Alright, Kai." The words were spoken as she glanced at the hand on her shoulder, then back to his face.

"I did not understand at the time why people would do that." Saana was quiet for a second. Then, it had confused her what drove people to mistreat others in such a way or what a person would have done to deserve to be mistrated. She understood the need for punishment, for concequences. After all, her own people would leave their own behind if they could not keep up with the rest of the clan. "Since that time, I have seen enough to know that people are sometimes cruel for the sake of being so. If there is a reason or not." Those feelings of confusion she had then were now only disappointment and sadness that there were such dark things in the galaxy. "I did not see any other choice but to do it."

Saana frowned slightly at the problem with her idea. It was true. If they were willing to put sentients into slavery, then it was safe to say that they would have no qualm with bullying and stealing. The fact that there were so few here, or anywhere else, that could or were willing to stand up to people like that was distressing. "I would not know what to do, then, if there are no real authorities."

Her head tilted slightly, causing the shifting of her headtails, when Kai handed her the binders. Saana handled them carefully, looking them over to be sure she understood how they worked. She glanced over as Kai stood to go take care of the other two, then she moved to squat down next to the blonde human, locking his wrists into the binders.

"I will show you where, yes." Saana straightened once she was satisfied the binders were not going to come off. "It is close by..." Kai's last question was perhaps the last question she expected to be asked in her life. She was shocked by it, astonished and even a little disbelieving. "You want me to be a Jedi?" It was the only thing she could think to say at that moment. Of course she would like to know more about the Force, but was he implying she could use it?

 

[Ral]

"I am glad you see the Galaxy that way, Saana. It gives me some hope to know that there are people who still have a functioning moral compass, who know right from wrong and are willing to act on that compass even if it is dangerous. The Galaxy needs more people like you in it." The Jedi Master stated in response to what the woman said. It was a sincere response, and the expression on his face made it quite obvious to the Togruta that we was being truthful.

Giving Saana a light pat on the shoulder when she admitted that she didn't know, Kai smiled a little as he shook his head, "It's quite alright, you don't have to know anything. Admitting ignorance takes a lot for some people to do. That's why it helps to have friends, because they might be the ones who know what to do, or know of someway to help you through your situation. Just remember, you're only alone if you choose to be."

After locking the binders on the two men, Kai made sure to go through their pockets and remove any weapons, comlinks, or anything else of note or value; he didn't want these men bribing their way out or somehow escaping when they awoke. The Jedi didn't plan on taking the three with him, but he knew that he would to keep them isolated and contained so that they couldn't get away. When Saana replied to his question, he laughed lightly at her, giving her a slight nod of the head. "I do. I want you to come with me once we're done here so I can show you how to use the Force and be proper Jedi. If you want, of course. I won't force you to do it."

The Jedi master moved the bodies into a corner of the alley way, then focusing his mind he blasted each one with the Force, stunning them once again and putting them out for a little bit longer. Hopefully, the power would last until they finished what they were about to do. Looking to the red-skinned Togruta, Kai motioned for her to take the lead. "I will follow you, my dear Saana, to wherever this hanger is. And if you'd like we can talk more about you coming with me to join the Jedi Order."

 

[CJ Solo]

Saana walked up to Kai, studying him as she offered him the blonde human's loose gear. She could see it in his eyes that he meant what he said; she was flattered. When he touched her shoulder again, she looked at the hand and then back to him. A smile crept onto her features. That she could understand, to be alone or to be with others. "I would not want to be alone, Kai."

If she wanted? There were few things she wanted more than to be counted among the Jedi heroes she has heard so many stories of. The excitement she felt though only seemed to suddenly make her shy. Saana glanced away from him as she tried to keep things contained. At last, she would look to him and nod. "I would very much like that, Kai, if I am truely able to do so."

As Kai did his final things with the slavers, she stood patiently observing him as she waited. "This way." Saana pointed in the direction she had originally came from, then began to lead the way. At first, she was quiet as her mind went over question after question; there were so many. "What is it like? Learning to be a Jedi." She could not imagine that it was easy, even if Kai had made it look that way. "My clan has many legends and tales about those who left Shili to be Jedi. My Mother has told me that generations ago a member of our family was a Jedi Knight."

As she talked and then would listen to his response, she turned the corner and moved down the much wider lane. It took longer to walk there than it had taken for her to run from it, but a couple minutes later they had arrived at the bay. Saana pointed at the battered looking freighter. "It is called Midnight Cry." Her yellow gaze turned to Kai to see how he wanted to handle things from here.

 

[Ral]

"I am glad to hear that, Saana. If only more people in the Galaxy were like you in that regard. Alas, too many wish to be alone, shunning companionship," Kai sighed a little, but still he smiled at the female Togruta not wanting to put her off. In truth he found her soft, slightly accented words reassuring, as was the smile she returned to him. Even though he might be more grown up now, a Jedi Master, he could still be excited when he met someone who wanted to be his friend, who wanted to give him companionship and have him be theirs. Perhaps that was just plain old human pride, Kai didn't know, perhaps he didn't care if it stroked his ego a little; it's not like he allowed it to go to his head, he was just sincerely glad the woman wanted to have him around.

As she spoke of wishing to join the him, to join the Jedi Order and how to use the Force a grin blossomed on the older (though still quite young) man's face as the Jedi looked to Saana happily. Nodding his head he would reply. "I am very glad to hear that, Saana. Very glad. And I suppose I should tell you that I believe you can. The Force moves strongly with you; I believe you have the ability to control or influence it. Perhaps you don't realize it, yet? Has there ever been a time when you did something remarkable, or when you had unbelievably good luck? That's often how the Force manifests itself to those who are sensitive to it. If you'd like I can do my best to show you a few of the basics sometime... when you're ready, of course... I mean, if that's something you'd be interested in, of course." Kai scratched the back of his head as his cheeks turned a slight shade of pink. He was embarrassing himself and he felt like a fool, he only hoped Saana didn't think so.

Following the Togruta female through the city streets to the hanger where the ship sat, an old battered thing that looked like it had barely escaped one too many dogfights. "The Midnight Cry, huh?" Kai repeated as he met Saana's yellow gaze. Frowning for a moment, Kai thought over his options. There wasn't really too much else to do. Shrugging he looked at her and smiled as he pulled his lightsaber off of his belt. "Let's go see if this ship has any more slaves on it, shall we?"

 

[CJ Solo]

Saana's brow furrowed thoughtfully as she considered his words. Why would anyone want to be alone to the point of shunning companionship? Even though the extent of her companionships, going from crew to crew, had been limited and short lived, she had still been a part of that group. There had been positive times in the otherwise dark galaxy and friends had been made. "It is difficult for me to understand that kind of desire. I cannot imagine wanting to be alone, ever." In fact, Saana continued to attempt to wrap her mind around the concept for a few seconds longer before Kai spoke again.

Saana smiled a bit at his approval of her decision and a bit more so as color comes to Kai's cheeks. She had come to recognize that change in color with humans when they were feeling something particularly strong like anger, awkwardness or embarrassment. She had seen it in her human friends when a romantic interest with another came up in conversation. Anger was not something that she sensed from him and so she assumed that she had somehow made him feel nervous or awkward somehow. But as he gave her something else to think about, those thoughts quickly left. "I.." Saana considered it deeply. "Sometimes I think I knew something was going to happen before it did or how someone feels. Sometimes, I feel drawn to places and I do not know why."

Kai's words had then stopped her in her tracks. They had only just met, yet he was offering to apprentice her? "You would apprentice me Mast--Kai?" Saana stumbled over the last of her words, remembering abruptly that Kai had said he preferred to be called by his name. Still, it surprised her. She understood apprenticeship. Not only had she been her Mother's daughter, but she had also been her Mother's apprentice in healing along with her older sister. "I would be very pleased to enter your apprenticeship." Saana smiled once more and then it had faded as she suddenly remembered that she was guiding him to the 'Midnight Cry'. As she continued forward, she reconsidered as she did not know if Jedi training worked in that same fashion. "I was apprenticed to my mother to be a healer. Is that how Jedi training works?"

After they had arrived at the hangar and Kai confirmed with her the ship's name, she nodded. "Yes. I am not sure why it is called that." It had seemed like a strange name for a ship to her, but many names seemed strange. She had come to learn though that often the name of a ship has the most meaning to the person who named it. As Kai stepped forward to take the lead, Saana reached into the layers of her clothes and produced a small hold out pistol. Before she had not had a lot of opprotunity to retrieve it and she had been distracted from it with the displays that Kai had shown. "Yes, let us."

The loading ramp of the freighter was open, extending down from under the vessel. As the pair drew cautiously closer in order to investigate, a strange sound came from the open hatch. It sounded like a large snarling beast whose nose was exuding mucus. Whatever it was could very well jump out at them at any moment. However, as the top of the loading ramp came into view, and the entrance of the vessel itself, the source became obvious. At the top of the ramp, just inside the 'Midnight Cry', was a chunky red headed male sitting in a chair. The chair was leaned back, resting against the wall. The man's head was lulled back and to one side with his mouth gaping open and eyes closed. The man was asleep.

Saana stepped up closer to Kai and whispered. "That is Nenth, the pilot of the ship." At least when the captain was not doing it himself. "He is the one I fought before."

 

[Ral]

"I... uh, well..." Kai stuttered out in response to Saana's surprised question. "I suppose. If that's what you want. I'm always willing to teach Padawans and to take them under my wing. The Order is short up on teaching knights and masters, so if you'd like I can take you on." Kai was stammering again, he blinked as he looked away embarrassed again. Why was it so hard for him to talk to Saana and offer her training without garbling his speech? Was it because he was afraid she would say no? He wasn't sure, but he soon found that whatever his reason was disappeared once she said she would be pleased to be his apprentice. With a bright grin on his face, Kai nodded. "Great!" He exclaimed. "Just great! As far as how training works... kind of... we'll have classes and private training sessions. If you see someone offering to teach something you want to learn, by all means feel free to take them up on it. It's not like you'd be cheating. Otherwise, I'll teach you what I know... show you how to become a Jedi, how to act like one, the philosophy of being a Jedi, what it means to be one. All that kind of stuff. I'll take you on missions with me to dangerous areas or to diplomatic meetings."

Leading Saana into the ship, Kai didn't activate his lightsaber, but held the hilt out and ready nonetheless, just in case they got surprised by a smuggler or slaver that was still on board the ship. As they made their way inside they quickly saw a chubby ginger sitting in a chair, resting against a nearby bulkhead. Frowning, Kai turned to look at Saana for a moment as she whispered his name and who he was. Nodding, Kai mouthed, "ahh" to her before approaching as quietly as he good. Taking his lightsaber hilt into his left hand, he tapped the metal cylinder onto the man's shoulder as he said, "Hey, hey buddy," whilst simultaneous gathering the Force into the fist that had formed in his right hand.

Just as the man's eyes opened and went wide, the Jedi master slammed his Force enhanced fist down onto the man's open jaw. Nenth flew to the side with a loud grunt. Kai followed closely behind and before the man could roll around, the Jedi had placed an open palm onto his head, almost grabbing a hold of it. Then with an intense focus of Force energy, the Jedi Councilor stunned the pilot with the Force. Turning to face the Togruta, he spoke. "Well, that wasn't so bad. I'll check the rest of the ship for any one else they might have hired on, you see if you can find any slaves and free them. If you need a hand, just give a shout. Ship's not that big after all."