A Night of Ale and Past Memories

[Malon]

Taris. A city world not all that different than Coruscant, the capital of the Republic. A lone Harold-class diplomatic barge suddenly exited hyperspace just outside the city-world. It was a Jedi vessel, containing the search-and-rescue team sent to recover a kidnapped Jedi Knight. Aboard it, the mission's leader, Siri Firestorm piloted the ship through Taris' atmosphere and into the traffic lanes of the Upper City.

She was stone faced, and let very little of her emotions show; though it was apparent to everyone on board that she was troubled. Next to her was the tiny Jedi Knight, Avix Draav, who sat in his chair (which was comically bigger than him) meditating on the mission. Siri navigated the ship past the traffic lanes once she located a suitable landing pad. As she guided the ship to its place, she reflected on the mission at hand.

Several days ago, newly promoted Jedi Knight Nataya Helkosh, whom Siri had become close friends with since her own knighthood, had vanished without a trace. An encrypted message, presumably by the kidnapper, had been sent to the Order and Siri, along with Avix, and her former Padawan, Alma, had been chosen to go and rescue Nataya.

With a loud, metallic clank, the ship landed and Siri lowered the exit ramp.

"Let's go meet with Tarisian authorities. I need as much information on this as I can get." she said, draping her Jedi cloak over her body.

Avix awoke from his meditation and hopped down onto the metal floor, his wooden cane now in hand.

"Leave your personal feelings out of this, you must." he said with his usual wisdom. "Let the Force guide you. Clear your mind. These things, must a Jedi do if a mission is to be successful."

 

[Takeshi]

Alma yawned as she got herself up and pocketed the datapad that she was often found reading from. It had been 4 years since her training had been completed; that same amount of time since she had gone on a mission with her former master. Their paths had only crossed in passing in the years that followed, and Alma had wondered how Siri had changed. To her it seemed very little. Of course, she mused, she hadn't changed too much either.

She hummed softly to herself as she rose; her lightsaber hitting her hip as it hung at her side. The studying she had commited herself to in her padawan days had payed off; quickly her knowledge had surpassed a large number of the other knights, and her wisdom had increased in the journeys she had made.

She decided not to voice her opinion on what her former master should do; Avix had that well in hand. She hadn't seen much of him, but she knew that he had more experience that herself and Siri combined, and his aura in the force was strong. Yes, she trusted him to handle things.

 

[Malon]

Siri nodded and apologized to Avix. Even though they were of the same rank, Avix was over a century old and far more wise than Siri. Not only that, but as a Padawan he excelled at every test that was put in front of him and he had a very strong connection to the Force, so not taking his advice would be foolish for any Knight who met him. She the guided the group down the ramp and into the star port where she was to meet with the Tarisian authorities. The group moved slow, as Avix wasn't a very nimble walker, though for some odd reason, he was a blur when in lightsaber combat. Finally, the group made it to the meeting place and awaited the officials they were suppose to speak to.

((OOC: Garuga will do any NPCs we meet along the way, so don't post until after he does.))

 

[Garuga]

A single official awaited the trio in the office. He looked like he would much rather prefer taking a nap or the sort than dealing with the Jedi standing in front of him. Rather grim-faced, the official sighed as the trio entered. Standing up from his seat, with a huge pile of relevant to semi-relevant datapads and papers stashed on his desk.

"You are here." He said simply, his accent not one of Tarisian roots. "My name is Alphonso, though meeting in such a situation..." Kidnappings were hardly rare on Taris, but kidnapping a Jedi knight? Such things were out of the local jurisdiction's league. "As far as we know, we have nearly no leads to this. in fact, really, we learned about this from your order, though my men have definitely reacted immediately."

That much was true. Also, there was another piece of information that they had discovered since they knew of the Jedi's dissapearance. "There's something else you might want to know. Taris has an, well, abundance of teenagers and children who are orphans. These generally provide the gangs here with fresh blood, or an income through slave dealing with off-world contacts."

Alphonso paused for a moment, studying the faces of the three Jedi carefully. "i don't know who has done this deed, but to find your lost comrade... The undercity will be the only choice of action. My men will not accompany you, for there are far too many examples of such cases for this one to be given even more attention than we already have."

 

[Malon]

Siri put her hand to her chin in a thoughtful manner. That wasn't much information to go by. She assumed that they'd end up in the Under City from the start, but not dealing with slavers and the swoop gangs that were so common.

"Slavers...? I cannot believe that a Jedi Knight, newly promoted or not, could be kidnapped by a gang." she thought, scratching her chin in frustration.

The tiny, green Jedi Knight, Avix was also deep in thought, though his were far less troubled, for his mind was cleared and focused by the Force. Like Siri, he stroked his chin as he thought until an answer came to him.

"Dwell not on the way things seem, we must, Siri. The dark side I sense in this." he then turned to the officer, "For your help, I thank you. Take your advice, we will."

He hobbled a few steps in front of the group, "To the Under City, we must go."

Siri nodded in agreement, but took a moment to turn to Alma.

"What do you feel about all of this, my old Padawan?" she asked.

 

[Takeshi]

Alma had herself open to the eddies and currents of the Force. Still, she wasn't lost in it, and answered swiftly, "I can feel the dark side in this place... I think force users must be involved somehow. And Siri... you're thinking too much. Your worrying is making you think without the Force. Avix is right, focus or you're not going to be as capable in finding Nataya."

 

[Malon]

Siri couldn't help but smile. Even though she was being scolded, by her old Padawan no less, she couldn't help but notice the growth Alma had displayed over the past few years.

"You're right. Let's go." she said simply.

Avix led the group out of the star port and into the Upper City. The Jedi Order had payed for the group to have access to three speeders for quick transport around the planet. They found their mounts waiting for them not far from the terminal and both Siri and Avix climbed on to one respectively.

As they waited on Alma to do so, both Jedi checked their supplies, credits, and lightsabers to make sure they were prepared for the darkness the lay ahead...

 

[Takeshi]

Alma nimbly mounted her speeder as she found herself zoning into the mission that lay before her as she always did. Her hand found her lightsaber and grasped it for a moment; drawing focus and peace from the crystals that lay within. She then let herself rest as she awaited the others.

 

[Malon]

Without waiting any longer, the three Jedi hit the ignition switch and launched themselves into the traffic of Taris. Siri took the lead of the group, as the mission leader, and navigated them down through the nearly endless traffic into the lower parts of the city. Soon, the Tarisian sun started to vanish from sight and the darkness of the Lower City began to consume the three Jedi and the entire city.

While they moved, Avix kept his mind on the Force; questioning it and searching it for answers. He found the answer, but even though he'd expected it, he wasn't happy about it. There was a shadow in the Force. A shadow darker than the darkness of the Lower City. A shadow that seemed to send a cold chill up his small spine.

"Siri!" he shouted over the roar of speeders. "Down there, we must go. Our search, there, will begin."

Siri only nodded and then pushed her controls downward towards a nearby landing pad. The other two Jedi followed her and within minutes, they were on the ground in the Under City. She and Avix leaped off their speeders and tapped into the Force to increase their awareness; this is the last place one wanted to be caught off guard.

"What exactly did you sense?" she finally said, talking to Avix.

"Down here, a cold darkness exists. Find its exact location, I could not. Know it is down here, however, I do." he replied.

Siri opened her mind to the endless currents of the Force. It took her a moment, but before long she could see the shadow in the Force. Like it had Avix, it sent a cold chill up her spine, and yet, it also felt familiar. Oddly familiar. She opened her eyes and turned to Alma as Avix came up from the side, the three Jedi forming a triangle.

"Make a plan, we must." Avix spoke up. "Knight Alma, what say you?"

 

[Takeshi]

Alma's eyes were closed; her face making it appear as if she were resting. She had been open to the Force since she had first sensed the darkness; her feeling had been right. Alma considered her answer as the question was asked. Her eyes opened slowly before she at last said, "We could wander until the shadow becomes clearer, but that could take time we don't have. Maybe we should set a trap and see what springs it; if one of us makes our presense in the Force known; in a manner that makes it seem they just cannot hide their force presense, and a darksider senses it, they might try and swipe them off the streets. If we're lucky, they'll try and we'll be able to ambush them and take them prisoner. And then we just have to get the location out of them."

She shrugged, a motion that made the long part of her bang that ran over her eye and down to her collarbone bob a bit, "It has its risks, but it might make finding them easier; especially because even if we do wander trying to pinpoint the shadow, nothing's to say we'll be able to do so. And we can still do that while baiting them."

 

[Malon]

Siri liked the suggestion. After all, the signature in the Force was starting to become more clear to her. She knew this "Dark Sider" or whatever it was causing the shadow in the Force. She just couldn't recall a name....or a face, but she was certain that signature was familiar. Without thinking any further, she spoke.

"Allow me to do it. Let me be the bait." she said sternly; almost demanding it.

Avix inclined his head quizzically, "Telling us everything, are you?"

"No." Siri said flatly, but gave Avix an understanding nod, ", but I'm only doing so to protect the mission."

"Very well. Agree with your position, I do." he replied, satisfied.

Siri opened her being completely to the Force. She gathered it to her, as one would to a lover and allowed it to bring her to the center of the universe in her mind. She felt it's soothing power flow into every muscle in her body and, even with her eyes shut, she could feel everything withing several feet of her as if she was holding it in the palms of her hands. And with that, her presence in the Force became known to anyone with any sort of Force training that was on the planet.

 

[Garuga]

((Sorry for the delay guys, but will make a good post to compensate XD))

== inside one of the deserted factories of the under city ==

Nataya tried to open her eyes to no avail. There was only darkness in front of her, blindfolded as she was. Trying to move, Nataya found that her arms and legs were bound, and that she was essentially leashed to a chair. Understandably panicking, she tried to recall the last thing that she remembered. it was of no avail, whoever had brought her here in these circumstances had done a more than thorough job. Trying to stay calm, she attempted to gather her bearings, but was then interrupted by the presence previously hidden from Nataya.

"it's not time to wake up yet." The voice said, in a tone remniscent to an over-fussy mother. Though Nataya would not be able to detect where the sound came from, she would be able to work out that the words originated from a female. Nataya heard light footsteps approach, but was otherwise too shocked to react. Then, she felt a hand lightly brushing through her hair. The voice she previously heard made it's presence once again. The woman began to sing softly, right next to Nataya's ear.

The voice was pleasant, the woman being a capable singer. The song was one her mother used to sing, a childhood lullaby, but her interpretation spelled only melancholy. Slowly, Nataya drifted into a force-induced sleep, the lullaby having acted as a distraction to act through whatever resistance Nataya's mind might have yielded. The woman placed her hand on Nataya's forehead, brushing strands of hair away from her face. "Your Order has come for you..." She chuckled quietly.

Sighing, she closed her eyes. it was time. Turning towards no where in particular, reflected off broken shards on the ground, only a ghastly metallic grin could be seen.

== Undercity, inside ruined buildings ==

The Ultima. One of the currently dominant gangs of the Taris criminal heirachy. The amount of time it had taken them to reach the apex of the crime circle had been horrifically short. it seemed as though as if their every move and decision had been co-ordinated with a greater being. Their losses were few, and their gains were astonishing. Well stocked, and posessing capable if not ruthless henchmen, The Ultima had removed nearly all traces of competition in this region of the Under City.

To all but one, they would have seemed like a gang that had held luck on it's side, as well as having had excellent leadership. To all but one woman. To her, this gang had been a neccesary investment.

The moment the woman's mind had directed itself upon the matter at hand, Marcel, the young and charismatic leader of the Ultima, stood up and held a somewhat puzzled look about him. His eyes, which showed uncertainty and confusion for a moment then turned into one which was blank. Marcel no longer held control over himself, his normally sparkling blue eyes was rendered dull, with not a single trace of emotion being able to be located within them.

She had invested correctly, and now was the time to collect the reward. Marcel walked towards his second-in-command, exchanging a few nods absent-mindedly with members who walked past him. His lieutenant was surprised by the sudden change of actions. They had been planning to conduct another raid, one that would have taken them past all previous boundaries. Rather puzzling, but Marcel had suddenly ordered all available members to conduct a sweep around one specific area of the Under city.

The orders were to shoot to kill, none for capturing or looting. Dozens of jetbike engines gunned, just moments before they began their ride of death. Blasters were readied, heavier scale weapons were re-fitted on heavier land speeders. Marcel himself had no clue what was happening. All he could see was the benevolent grin, the one that had promised him wonders and had delivered...

 

[Malon]

Avix sensed the coming danger in the Force. He knew the Jedi had to act quick if they were to surprise their fast approaching attackers.

"Siri, find a hiding place you must. You too, Alma. My size they will underestimate. When engage me they do, ambush them you two must." the tiny Jedi Knight shouted.

Siri nodded and found a place in the shadows to hide. Once everyone was in their places, Avix prepared for battle. He could now hear, with his large ears, the roar of oncoming speeders. Quietly, he gathered the Force to him. He felt its power fill him up and bring him to the center of the universe. So immersed was he in the Force, that he literally became apart of his surroundings. Without even a gesture of his three-clawed hand, his shoto lightsaber leaped from his belt and into his hand. Tossing aside his cloak and cane, he prepared himself for combat by sinking into an Ataru opening stance.

 

[Garuga]

The Ultima was unlike the rest of the squabble that made up the Taris gangs. Grouped in loose formation, the first of the speeder bikes reached the piece of the Underworld their leader had suddenly ordered them to sweep. With a wide assortment of armour and helmets on the respective riders, one sole feature linked them all together. The emblem of the Ultima, the blue and white theme that would bring any local denizen shaking with fear and begging for their lives. A group of 6 bikers, speeding ahead of the others, found a... curious to say the least target in their sights. Nevertheless, no doubt or hesistation could be found, the gang members having learned long ago about what happens to those that disobey orders.

The bikers split into two groups immediately, co-ordinating themselves with the use of com-links. The first three headed directly towards the target, their powerful engines causing them to seemingly fly over a small hill as their repeater blasters spat strafing fire upon the figure. Regardless of whether they struck home or not, the bikes would continue to speed towards the target, hoping to run them into the dirt, or to maim their body parts with the bulk of the bike.

The other group of bikes, armed with heavy stubbers, capable of launching slugs of heavier calibre at an impressive rate. These three bikes looked to assault the target from his right, moving behind a ruined building to wait as the first three bikes initiated the assault. Once the initial assault ended, these three bikes would look to flank Avix, their guns roaring as bullets filled the air.

All bikes would then weave in and out of the battle scene, looking to fire their weapons each time they were in the clear to do so. The rest of the Ultima force would reach in a short while, with Marcel himself leading them in his specialised land-speeder, a symbol of his dominance over the other gangs in the area.

 

[Malon]

Avix could barely contain his smile upon seeing the speeders come into sight. Through the Force, he could feel each individual bike and their riders. With the flick of his claw, an amethyst blade snapped into existence from his shoto's hilt. As the speeder's neared, he summoned the Force to his free palm and launched a wide Force wave at the oncoming enemies. Without waiting to see results, he signaled his comrades and again summoned the Force; leaping into the air with a battle cry that would've been comical in any other situation and slashing wildly at the heads of the riders as they passed him by.

Avix's signal had been all Siri needed. With a simply wave of her palm, two bars of blue plasma shot from the ends of her double-bladed lightsaber as she leaped from her hiding spot to ambush an oncoming rider.

 

[Takeshi]

Alma decided to be a little more subtle. From her hiding place she grasped two sections of a wall and willed them to break free and rush directly into two of the speeder bikes.