Ask Nar Shaddaa Cutting the loose end

Jaina Terris

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Nar Shaddaa
-Refugee Sector-

Jaina's light dynamic freighter landed on the landing pad of the Refugee Sector on Nar Shaddaa. She was yet to name her vessel as many in the galaxy had the custom of and the only customization she personally did on the ship being the paint job which changed it from it's naturally metallic grey and brown scheme into a pure black outside with a tinge of crimson stripes here and there. The ramp of the vessel lowered and the Sith woman made her way down it slowly, cloaked in a black robe and with half of face concealed by the hood of it making the two longer golden hanging earrings visible as they swayed lightly to Jaina's steps. She had grew up on Nar Shaddaa and hadn't visited the place since her joining the Sith. Though she didn't miss the planet nor the way of life she was forced into on it Jaina did feel a tinge of nostalgia as she stepped out onto the planet's surface. Though the Refugee Sector was one of the places she had never visited while growing up on the planet the layout of Nar Shadda was fairly similar enough everywhere to spring the memories and nostalgia back to life.

Her reasoning for being on the planet however not being a mere walk down the memory lane but instead a direct mission on behalf of the Sith Order. The Order for some time had been working with numerous cartels and criminal groups to various degrees, sometimes the Council was involved directly with these decisions on behalf of the entire organisation and other times some individuals within the Order allied with them in more non-formal ways. One of the groups associated with The Black Sun (and possibly a sub branch of the organisation) had recently discovered a mole within the ranks - an informant. Apparently the man was leaking information to an unknown group that was believed to be the Sector Rangers and was discovered and confronted by some of the members. The man miraculously fought the small group off killing some of them and fleeing. He most likely contacted some of the people he was working with and asked for immediate evacuation knowing that staying on Nar Shaddaa would get him killed quickly as The Black Sun would mercilessly search for him and most likely issue a bounty. The man disguised himself as best as he could and took to hiding in the Refugee Sector where he would await the arrival of someone sent by the group he had worked for to help him off the planet. However somehow, whether someone had seen him or perhaps a word got out from the sector itself of a strange new face inside it, the criminal organisation got the lead on his potential whereabouts.

Sending any of their available members from the sub branch to the sector risked the possibility of the informant recognizing them and fleeing further and it's not like searching through the entirety of the Refugee Sector would be easy. The area was enormous and housed thousands of individuals, someone as careful and on alert as the informant would surely be able to evade their search through the sector and would most likely escape with the team sent for him before the criminals got to him. Yet they still had to act quickly... time was of the essence. With not many other options they contacted their 'partners' , for the lack of a better term, in the Sith Order and informed them of the crisis. Though unsatisfied with what they viewed as incompetence on behalf of the criminal branch of such an important organisation the Sith agreed to send one of their own to end the crisis and cut the loose end.

Jaina made her way across the ramp that led from the landing pad to the reception outpost in one of the entrances to the Refugee Sector. ''You gotta pay for using that pad.'' the man at the reception gate said as if he was bothered. ''Why certainly.'' Jaina replied with a sly smirk as she handed a credit chip to the man. ''I am also willing to pay some more for certain... information.'' she continued flashing the man three more credit chips. The man's eye's widened and his tone suddenly changed to one of eagerness and servitude ''Uum-- I-- Yes maa'm! What is it you wish to know ?'' Jaina's smirk turned into a satisfying closed mouth smile as she reached through the Force and touched the man's mind. With the notion of credits offered making him more compliant it would make it all the easier for The Force to dominate his mind and impose Jaina's will as his own. She got a holopad out of her pocket and switched it on. A small rotating image of the informant came to life as a hologram from the device.
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Darren Veega
Smuggler turned informant for the Sector Rangers and various other groups
''I am looking for this man, he had arrived here a couple of standard days ago and his appearance might have been different from the one you see here. Think good on it.'' she emphasized. ''He went by the name of Darren Veega though he most likely had given out a different one when arriving here. I want you to tell me everything you might know of this and if you happen to know nothing you will go over every file in that terminal behind you and find something.'' Jaina commanded as she let The Force interconnect her words and the man's mind making sure it imprinted them onto his will. Now with a distant look in his eyes as if he was hypnotized the man spoke ''Y-yes I remember him. Only because he asked to be provided a solitary room or a crate and was way more generous with credits than any of the refugee's could really afford.'' Her expression turned into a smirk of satisfaction yet again ''Good. Where ?'' The man took a holopad from his side that when activated showed a holographic map of the refugee sector. He clicked a finger to an area of the map and said ''Here.'' compliantly. Jaina took the holopad with the map and took one credit chip and not the three she promised to the dazzled man. ''You will forget the entire conversation from the point after I paid you for the landing pad, and you found this...'' she said as she slid the one credit chip to the man ''on the ground somewhere 'cause you were just that lucky.''

She made her way further into the Refugee Sector after the receptionist's compliant nod of confirmation and looked over at the holomap in her hand. She looked out into the square area she had just entered and it seemed to stretch out wide with many tents and what seemed like holding cells turned into makeshift living places. As it was the custom with Nar Shaddaa many neon signs littered the area around her lighting it in unusual way and many people, refguees, all dressed in plain cheap garments were all over the area.
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The sector was huge and it spread out both horizontally and vertically, the area she was in now was simply just one of the many vast ones that belonged to the sector by denomination. There were ramps akin to bridges that connected the current area with the next couple of zones ahead.

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Brienna Lanaamer

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Jedi Knight Brienna Lanaamer was never fond of visiting Nar Shadaa. Ever. The more times she frequented the ecumenopolis planet, the more confident she became that it lacked any redeeming qualities which warranted future visits. It permeated an altogether unpleasant odor, had flashing neon lights that could give even the most stable person a headache, and was packed to the brim with criminal activity. However, not just judging the book by its cover, there was also a sadness to the planet. Those born on Nar Shadaa were often living in or near poverty, struggling to put food on the table and make ends meet. The Jedi Knight was reminded of her own privileged, affluent upbringing on Chandrila. Her warm family home was a stark, cold difference from the sad impoverished refugee camp she found herself walking through.

The Sector Rangers had enlisted the help of the Jedi in extracting an informant from Nar Shadaa after various criminal enterprises had clued into his actions. In turn, Bri had been assigned the mission by the Jedi Council, and had arrived on the planet earlier in the day after receiving the approximate location of the man as well as a photograph for identification. Extraction wasn't really the type of mission that the more cerebral Jedi typically undertook, but if it meant saving at least one more person from the Black Sun, or any other groups clutches, then it was worth it.

It didn't take long for Bri to travel from the closest space port to the refugee sector, with the Jedi resolving to complete her mission as fast as possible. In order to help fit in better, Bri had ditched her standard Jedi robes for something much more plain, matching the same drab colors of the local populace. Dark pants fit into dark books, with a gray-ish jacket sitting over a dark shirt. Her saber was hidden in an interior pocket of the jacket. The directions provided at not been entirely clear as to where exactly the informant would be located, and once Bri entered the largest section of the refugee sector, she let out a slightly exasperated sounding sigh, overwhelmed by the sheer size of the area. Small tents and crates were used as makeshift homes, with the bustle of beings all rushing to go about their day. Large neon lights blanketed the open spaces with an odd fluorescent-colored glow, the slate grey haze of the sky providing an interesting juxtaposition of colors.

Bri pulled out a datapad from her pocket and verified the correct 'street' that the informant could be found on. She weaved her way through crowds, crossed tight alleyways, and tried her hardest at remaining inconspicuous, with varying levels of success. In one of the wider open plazas, a short alleyway burrowed between two larger buildings, holding room for only a few tents and enclosed crate-like enclosures. The names of the buildings on either side matched Bri's datapad, and she quickly approached the fourth tent on the right. Offering a narrowed eyed glance up and down the way, she slowly bent down and entered.

The size of the tent from the outside was not deceiving to its interior. Bri was once more struck with a pang of emotion, knowing just how many people lived in such conditions, far away from what could remotely be considered comfort. A tatty rug covered the floor, with small cushions pushed to one side forming a cot. In the other corner, a man was huddled next to what looked like a space heater, furiously typing away on a datapad. The blue light from the device cast quick shadows on his face. As he heard Bri enter, his head darted up to the entrance of the tent, a brief flash of emotion visible. Neither said anything for a brief moment. The Jedi spoke clearly, asking the man the pre-approved coded question, which was answered correctly in turn. Visible relief flooded the man's face, as he hurriedly grabbed his necessary travel items in preparation of departure. His nerves were apparent, which only served to affect Bri. "We need to go," she added quietly. She felt something, though was unsure if it was reflective of the general situation, or something else. The Jedi tried to reach out further with the Force, but couldn't place her proverbial finger on what felt wrong. Darren looked up and nodded quickly, as both soon emerged from the tent, ready to re-enter the crowds.

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Jaina Terris

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Jaina hastely made her way through the various areas choosing what she had deemed a quickest way to the marked point on the map. Some were more crowded others less but no one seemed to pay her much attention as her robed appearance almost made her blend in with the minimalist clothes of the inhabitants. Except the occasional beggar which she'd pass without even a glance most of the people were going about their own business. Almost all of these areas had some sort of security but it bottled down to two or three guards usually killing their boredom by playing pazaak at their outposts or just watching some holotapes as they yawned. Finally getting to the area where the informant was supposedly housed Jaina it seemed similar to most of the others the assassin had passed. Though the layout was essentially an empty street square, surrounded by small building structures around it it had a makeshift 'second floor' consisting of what looked like many wide balconies from the surrounding buildings being merged into a wide enough surface for people to move about and a stairwell at the other end of the area descending to the square.

Jaina entered from the previous area through a small tunnel passage that spread through some of the buildings and walked out on the said makeshift floor. She glanced down to the square bellow and made her way across the walkway to get to the stairwell on the other side. It was said that Daren had taken housing inside of this area but was not specified where exactly so she'd have to rummage around until she met the man face to face. However as luck would have it casting another look at the square bellow she indeed noticed that the man she was looking for was down there. Appearing from an alleyway in between two buildings, clad in plain rags was indeed Daren Veega. He seemed on edge, looking around himself but what was even more interesting was that he was in the company of someone.

Someone was escorting him out. This surely meant that his business partners have already gotten the extraction team, or in this case a person, to him already. Gazing into the woman accompanying Daren Jaina was taken back for a moment. She was a Jedi. Or at least a trained Froce user, without a doubt. She wasn't able to sense her previously both due to the plethora of activity surrounding her on Nar Shaddaa and the fact that she wasn't actively searching for a signal within the Force but now gazing at the woman directly and with intent she was sure of it. Jaina had the tendency to conceal her Force presence almost at all times when she was out in public and this time was no different, even so it would serve it's purpose since this supposed Jedi wouldn't be aware of her arrival and to make matters even better the nature of the lively planet ripe with activity made it all so easier for Jaina to conceal her presence.

Making her way around the second floor above the square she tried to get herself closer to where the pair was heading. Thinking about the nature of the mission and her position she saw no need to engage the Jedi unless she had to. All she needed was to kill Daren and the fact that the Jedi was unaware of her presence just played into that. Feeling that she was close enough Jaina stomped her left leg onto the railing of the balcony positioning herself and reached for something within her robes. Her hand came back and held to her side was a slick vibroknife with a slightly curved blade. Her eyes narrowed as she concentrated on her target. Daren was behind the Jedi with his back turned towards Jaina but she would need to use only her own physical skills for this kill, no Force. If she were to rely on the help of the Force right now there was a huge risk of the Jedi sensing her as she attempted her attack and reacting before it was successful.

Pulling the blade up over her head Jaina threw it decisively. The vibroknife cut the air with a sharp hum that was muted due to the abundance of the noise in the area and flew straight towards it's intended target. Just at that moment Brienna and Daren were passing by one tent layed out on the street and a poor soul, a middle aged male, decided to get up from the tent for whatever reason.
As the man did so the blade stabbed into his neck before he could even rise to full height and a groan that was more akin to a loud gasp he leaned to the side for a second from the impact before crashing with the ground. ''Crap!'' Jaina thought as Daren instantly turned to see what was happening. To make things even worse she was positioned up on that balcony and looked distinct enough with nothing to hide the fact that she was most likely the attacker in case the attempt failed.

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Brienna Lanaamer

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The buzz that was bothering the Jedi's senses increased as they both exited the tent. Something definitely felt off, and it wasn't entirely related to the unpleasant surroundings of Nar Shadaa. Bri walked in front of Darren, keeping an ever present eye on him, even grabbing the sleeve of his shirt to ensure he stayed up with her at some points through dense crowds. They exited the small alleyway and proceeded into the larger square, once more passing through the masses of beings cramped together. The Jedi could feel the nervous energy coming from Darren, and did her best to try and block it, so as not to make her feel even more on edge than she already was.

Exiting the larger square into another alleyway type street, Bri once more felt the hum of a feeling vibrate around her. This time the Jedi did feel a sense of danger. She stopped moving abruptly, and put a hand on Darren's arm, shifting him to her side in a rough physical motion. As Bri turned around, nearly instantaneously a man behind them dropped to the ground with a crumpled sounding thud and an audible gasp. The source of his injury was obvious, a vibroblade stuck out of his neck. Bri's eyes went wide, and immediately looked up at the direction that the knife had struck the man from. It took only a few short moments for the Jedi to spot a dark cloaked figure up on one of the higher balconies, directly in their line of sight.

A wave of dread was doing its best to wash over the Jedi, but she pressed back her emotions, trying to remain as calm and as level headed as possible. Now was not the time for emotional, fear based reactions. Bri quickly grabbed Darren's arm once more and pulled him close. "Ok, not good. Stick as close as possible to me," she spoke quickly. The informant's face obviously wanted to register some kind of fearful response, but Bri didn't give him the opportunity as they both rushed off, pushing through the growing crowd that had begun to form around the body. The Jedi Knight felt a pang of emotion about leaving the stabbed man behind, knowing that she may have been able to help the situation. However, she had a mission to do, and sometimes, as tough as it was to accept, not everyone could be saved. Hopefully the medical personnel arrive quickly.

Bri did not need to utilize any manifestation of the Force to know that the vibroblade that was thrown was intended for Darren. Similarly, it did not take a genius to figure out that whoever had thrown it was not in pursuit of the Jedi and the information. Bri wanted to let her mind race on the possibilities of who and why, but kept her focus on the one task in front of her: getting Darren back to her ship safe and unharmed. Still holding on to the informants arm, Bri raced through crowds, ducking and weaving to escape from the scene as quick as possible.

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Jaina Terris

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As expected as soon as her location was revealed after her shot failed at the hands of fate both the presumed Jedi and Daren had started to flee, rapidly making their way through the now gathering crowd that came to see what happened to the unfortunate man struck by Jaina's vibroknife. Displeased by the predicament she was in Jaina gritted her teeth for a moment and then propelled herself with her left leg that was resting on the railing up into the air and down in the square bellow. There was still time to finish this. Perhaps Brienna alone would probably be able to get away or at least maintain an escape against the assassin but Daren wasn't of such luck, he hadn't been gifted the power of The Force and she had to stay by his side... meaning that Jaina would have no trouble catching up to the pair.

Bending her knees slightly forward and gathering The Force around her the woman sprung up for a big leap over the square. Landing firmly on her feet she almost instantly started running forward before propelling herself up again, this time she launched herself diagonally and upwards which landed her to the railings of the balconies to her side. Jaina sprinted over the thin railing as if it were a meter wide and once again pushed herself off of it back to the square down bellow. This leap was by far the largest one made so far with Jaina even flipping in mid air before landing just 5 meters away in front of Brienna and Daren. Just before she landed while still mid air she ignited her double bladed lightsaber alerting the crowd bellow to her presence as the panicked people moved away with a mutual echoing gasp of fear.

Jaina landed with her knees and back bent over forward, her left leg in the front and her saber held horizontally behind her back with her stretched out right hand. Both Brienna and Daren were in clear sight the stunned man even commenting out loud ''Careful now..'' though it was unsure was it directed towards the assassin or his helper. Instead of saying anything Jaina let out an animalistic snarl through her teeth, her usually beautiful features twisting, or what was visible of them from underneath her hood. She sliced the air a few times bringing her weapon from one side to the other as she started to step forward towards the pair. Though she wasn't a stranger to using The Force in combative ways Jaina still leaned more heavily on it's more subtle usages and as a defensive supplement, opting to rather focus it into passive and active barriers of protection against incoming telekinetic attacks rather than outright going on the full on Force offensive. As per custom, since she didn't know anything of her opponent, she wasn't gonna risk it and did indeed gather up the Force around her to defend against any possible attempts of invisible attacks.

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Brienna Lanaamer

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Bri and Darren rushed through the crowds, as bystanders quickly moved out the way shooting angry expressions at the two disruptors. Unfortunately for Bri, she was a lot slower in traversing the refugee sector with the informant in tow. Every few meters she would turn her head to try and spot the attacker chasing them, but the distracting stimuli of Nar Shadaa; bright lights, noisy sounds, beings serving as obstacles, proved too great a challenge. Compounding the problem was Bri's less than expert knowledge of the city plan. She had a general idea of how to get back to her ship at the space port, but being pursued didn't make the task any easier.

As the two entered a smaller square, Bri spotted a familiar looking street to her right, leading back towards a few more taller buildings, one of which was the port. She grabbed Darren's sleeve once more, preparing to keep dragging him, but turned to see him already huffing out of breath. The Jedi tried to offer a reassuring message of support, "Don't worry, we're nearly there." Unfortunately, right as she turned back around, the same cloaked figure from before jumped down from a balcony to her right, landing about five meters in front.

The crowd around them seemed to sense the same amount of danger that Bri did, and slowly began to back away. Their retreat was hastened as the woman ignited a red double bladed lightsaber. The Jedi cursed silently to herself. Fighting a Sith was already a challenge, yet it would be even more of a problem while trying to look after the informant. behind her. Quickly, Bri turned and looked at Darren offfering a warning, "stay behind me," holding her arm out. The man didn't need to hear the Jedi to follow her orders, he was already backing up away, fear evident on his face.

The Sith woman offered some kind of growl to the Jedi, followed up with an aerial slice of her saber. Bri would've replied with some kind of witty response about the almost comical, over-dramatic actions, but was too focused on defending her partner. Instead, she narrowed her eyes, and summoned as much power as she could with the Force, flinging her left palm out in the direction of the Sith, hoping to by a little more time for her and Darren to get closer to the targeted space port.

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Her suspicion proving correct the Jedi indeed went for a telekinetic assault, making Jaina's precaution with raising a telekinetic barrier quite validated. As she felt the Force gather around Brienna there was but a moment before the attack was released, and had she had not been on the lookout for such an attack Brienna's quick execution might have caught her off guard. Reacting immediately as she sensed the power gather around her opponent Jaina focused her own gathered might and tightened the Force barrier around her, reinforcing it to brace for impact. The wave sent a number of nearby rags, rugs and other small items in the vicinity flying and the telekinetic strike connected with Jaina's own defense.

The might of the attack was able to make the assassins both legs slide backwards a couple of inches even as she actively blocked the attack, further proving the might behind Brienna's application of The Force. Realizing her opponent's strength within The Force she made a mental note not to leave her self open for more of Brienna's assaults in the upcoming battle. Several thoughts glanced her head, one of them being if the girl was this developed with the Force perhaps her lightsaber skills suffered for it as she'd have to divide the time of her training unevenly. The other possibility was that she was just exceptionally strong in The Force and getting to this level didn't take that much time.

In any case her course of action was clear. As the wave subsided Jaina stared to gather the Force around her yet again, the purpose for this was plentiful. First and most obvious was to be able to guard from another possible Force based attack, secondly she knew that Brienna would feel her do so and figured that the girl couldn't possibly know her intent. Was Jaina just calling up on The Force to defend or was she calling upon it for a telekinetic strike of her own which seemed like the more likely option. However her actual goal was to somewhat trick her opponent into thinking so, and as she did Jaina swiftly hurled her lightsaber straight towards the pair. The double bladed weapon spinning and cutting the air with a humming noise as it almost instantly covered the short distance between the two.

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The Jedi recoiled as the power of the Force push launched toward the Sith, picking up a few stray items laying on the ground. Unfortunately, the woman had braced herself, no doubt also utilizing Force abilities, to minimize the impact of attack. The resulting action meant she had only been pushed back a few inches on the ground. Bri groaned at the unsuccessful attack, trying instead to get a read on her opponent, and formulate the best strategy for victory.

Reaching out with the Force, the Jedi could tell the Sith assassin was building up her own energy for something, but the purpose was unclear. Instead, the woman swiftly launched her double bladed saber, forcing a reaction in order to prevent injury. Bri quickly grabbed the cold metallic hilt in her jacket pocket, and ignited it instantaneously, the soft blue light casting shadows on her face. In a rapid motion, she angled a block from her lower left, deflecting back the double bladed saber just as it approached.

Bri quickly turned around, making sure that Darren was indeed still behind her. He was, yet also had a look of obvious fear on his face. The Jedi adjusted her stance, knowing that her positioning in the ensuing fight would be paramount to prevent the Sith from bypassing her and heading straight for the informant.

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At the exact moment that her thrown weapon had been deflected Jaina made her way towards her enemy, now completely sure the girl was a Jedi. As the deflected saberstaff flew back Jaina caught it in her right hand now already being only a step away from striking range. As the weapon landed in her hand she made the fateful step bringing her to striking range and made a stabbing motion towards Brienna's torso. She made sure though to stay at a relatively safe distance for the first strike, using the heightened reach of her weapon to her advantage. If the piercing strike was to be deflected Jaina would instantly, step one step forward, closing in on the Jedi even more and bring her other blade as forward in a downward diagonal strike from her right.

Opting for a sweeping attack from the height of her opponents torso down to her knee height Jaina effectively opted to minimize the dodging methods of her opponent. Trying to duck the attack would be suicide, trying to jump over the blade would require immense speed and leg strength due to the height of the descending blade and the short distance between the two. This way she was somewhat forcing Brienna to meet her blades head on. Though definitely not Jaina's preferred method of fighting she still decided it was important to try and probe out her opponent's general skill level even if the probing sequences themselves would have to be cut short considering the nature of her mission.

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Bri never liked dueling with someone who used a double-bladed saber. In her opinion, it offered too many variables of attack, and was often unpredictable in its nature. Even worse, the Jedi had no idea who her attacker was, though the clues were definitely pointing to a Sith. After all, who else would wield a red saber? Stolen? Unlikely. General creepy-ness? Definitely. The dark robes and red hair were also solid indicators. Bri had a difficult time getting a full look at the woman's face under her hood, but for the briefest of moments, she thought she spotted a pair of red eyes as well. As the train of thought progressed through her mind, Bri shifted her footwork once more. It was a classic opening to throw a saber and dash in, rather than remaining immobile.

The Sith rushed towards the Jedi after Bri blocked the throw, quickly making up the short ground. Her opening attack seemed to be targeted towards the mid-section, forcing a deflected block from the Jedi. Bri shifted her hands upward to the left and angled the saber, held tight in her two palms, the stop the attack. Being in such close proximity, the Jedi got a better look at the attacker's face. She looked around the same age, though perhaps a few years younger, and indeed, did possess unusual red hued eyes. They locked glances for a moment; the Jedi returned light blue eyes angled with steely determination.

Being hesitant to commit to far to a set strategy, Bri was content to remain on the defense, trying to get a better read on the Sith's skills. Once she knew more about her fighting style, a plan of attack could be generated. Instead, she blocked and parried, only offering a few testing blows, mainly on the left side of the Sith.

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Her initial attack being blocked and deflected by the what she was now certain was a Jedi didn't stop Jaina from continuing the assault. The Jedi seemed to be committing to defense and trying to probably get a better grip on her skills and fighting methods. As soon as her last strike was countered the Sith swiftly brought her second blade with blinding speed towards Brienna again aiming at her torso thhis time from Jaina's left. Believing that the Jedi's committed defense would most certainly allow her to block the incoming attack Jaina immediately decided to follow with a flurry of strikes from different angles. Utilizing both of her weapon's blades the second one came just as the first one was deflected and was aimed higher and towards Brienna's head. If deflected or blocked she'd strike right away with her second blade and towards her opponents legs in a sweeping motion, making Brienna have to exert and stretch herself to defend from attacks coming from such vastly separate directions. Jaina decided not to overextend with her high attack so If the Jedi would instead decide to evade the strike to her head she would just bring the blade backwards forcing her to defend from that too before being able to counter attack.

Though her attack was fierce and swift, and look outright terrifying to a third party observer, Jaina knew that this wouldn't pierce through her opponent's defenses. Even as she advanced on Brienna she could feel the woman's connection to the Force and her sheer determination. She heard tales of Jedi who were strong with the Force being able to fall into a sort of trance, letting their motions be fully determined by the Force and effectively fight of elaborate attacks and threats without having to commit to overthinking their defenses. Jaina wasn't sure was this Jedi capable of such things but she was sure that she herself was not an offensive fighter that could break through such 'barriers' if Brienna indeed could achieve this state.

Their red and blue blades collided with flashing lights and sparks and what little of the refugee's were left were scattered around and watching from safe distances. Two Gamorreans came rushing towards the two women engaged in combat coming from their left side. The sector had it's security guards and it usually varied from humans to Gamorreans, the latter being more often due to their brute strength and size and relatively low intelligence. Jaina noticed the guards approaching and disengaged from her attacks on Brienna. She stepped back swiftly and leaped backwards in the air while still facing her opponent. The robed Stih figure landed on one of the living space crates behind her, now about 6-7 meters away from Brienna and Darren which was standing behind the Jedi. She raised a hand into the air, fingers extended, and reached out with the Force touching the minds of the two guards. Even though Gamorreans were considered to be one of the less intelligent species in the galaxy and dominating their minds would be easy Jaina believed that it would still require some more time than she had, even if it was a fraction of a second. Instead she simply grazed their minds, blurring herself out of the dumb being's head's and focusing all the attention to the only remaining threat - The blue saber wielding Jedi.

Two guards squealed and screamed as they closed in on Brienna both wielding their giant vibro-axes. One came directly towards her and the other was coming from her side.

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The Sith's blade attacks were swift and relentless. Made even more so by the implementation of a double sided saber. Bri had never liked fighting against one. She found a challenge in bending her arms and wrists to match the variety of angles a double blade could easily strike with. The Jedi had trained with one in her time as a Padawan, but had never been able to quite get a sold grasp on it. The cold bronze of the saber hilt slowly began to warm in her palms as her hands shifted quickly, keeping all angles of her body covered. On a few certain instances a jump or a duck were implemented where necessary to dodge a swinging red blade. The heat from the blades evident, nearly scorching any loose parts of the Jedi's clothes. Bri was able to sneak in a few strikes of her own on the Sith, trying to at least keep her earnest in her own defense.

It was clear, however, that the Sith's attacks were not going to breach the Jedi's defenses, and surely both duelists knew it. Their skills, for the moment, appeared evenly matched. Testing each other, eager to find any weaknesses. Complicating the matter for the Jedi was the duel requirement of keeping herself alive, but also protecting the informant. A brief glance behind her saw that the man at least was still standing there, though fear ever present on his face. She couldn't blame him. Turning informant for a criminal enterprise and then having a Sith sent to terminate your life probably wasn't how he expected the past few months to have gone. Bri quickly tried to brush these thoughts out of her mind, knowing that even the smallest of distractions in a saber duel could be deadly.

It was clear to see, however, that the spectacle of a saber fight had begun to draw a crowd around the Jedi and the Sith. Bri wanted to try and shoo them away, if possible. Their safety was in question, as well as the potential for more danger from the Jedi if someone else tried to do something stupid. Indeed, shortly after the Jedi and Sith had engaged in their combat, two gammoreans lumbered up, probably serving as a kind of security for this particular sector of the city. The Sith woman was quick to seize upon their presence. She disengaged her attacks, jumping backwards to land on a living crate. Taking advantage of their general stupidity, she influenced their minds with the Force, setting them upon the Jedi.

"Great," Bri muttered aloud, obviously sarcastically. She took a quick glance at her surroundings and formulated an idea. The Jedi flung her hand out to gammorean approaching from her side, dispatching him with a blast into the building wall. She looked up and spotted a low hanging awning located just above where the Sith had landed. She reached out, once more with the Force and pulled it downwards. Immediately she disengaged her saber and dashed backwards, grabbing Darren's arm once more. "Quick, that won't hold her for long," The two took off in a sprint, knowing they could probably outrun the other gammorean.

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Jaina Terris

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Watching her mind manipulation prove successful Jaina intended to get the Jedi occupied with the two guards and dash past her and towards her intended target to quickly end the man's life and her mission. However the Jedi girl seemed to be far more perceptive and capable for such a plan to work. She dispatched one of the gamorreans with a swift yet strong Force push, further proving Jaina's suspicions about her enemies strong connection to the Force, and instead of engaging the other one she targeted the environment opting to use it in her favor to slow down the Sith assassin.

Seeing Brienna's hand gesture towards her position she braced for a fraction of a second, thinking that she was the target of the woman's assault. If that would have been the case perhaps Jaina's plan would work, at such distance and watchful of Brienna's telekinetic assaults Jaina would be stopped from advancing but could still hold off on the Jedi's attack with her own barriers which would give the time for the other gamorrean to close in on the Jedi forcing her to defend herself and release her Force attack. However that would not be the case as Brienna's intended target was an awning above Jaina which she was able to yank out of it's joints and pull down on the Sith assassin. Not being able to leap up and cross the distance between her and the Jedi and Darren Jaina was forced to jump down from the crate,rolling over and springing up to her feet as she landed on the ground. Brienna had already started to flee with the informant and the clunky and slow gamorean tried to follow but had no chance of catching up to the pair.

Advancing after them with her saber retracted but hilt held in one hand Jaina motioned with her fingers and at the same time extended her free hand and threw it sideways. This caused the gamorrean to shoot off to the left dragged and thrown by an invisible force while his axe remained floating in mid air. The guard's fat body flew over the railing and into the pit in the middle of the square that led to lower levels and even had a traffic lane, speeders and such zipping through. Before the guard's weapon hit the floor Jaina motioned again with the same free hand she used to throw him off the railings, gaining control of the weapon and gathering momentum with it as she circled it around it's axis widely once before flinging it towards the pair. The weapon's trajectory was a an arch that didn't come directly at Brienna and Darren but instead went sideways and around them before boomeranging into their front, no doubt it's target the human male. The assassin continued her advance all the while she maneuvered the weapon, running towards the pair.

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Brienna Lanaamer

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Bri made sure to hold a death grip on Darren's sleeve as they ran. If we get separated in this crowd, there's no way I can protect him from her. The Jedi hoped that the distraction of the falling awning would give her enough time to build a fair distance between them and their pursuer, but knew that was probably only wishful thinking. The way the Sith woman had already manifested her skills of the Force and with a saber, it seemed pretty unlikely that a little bit of falling debris would delay her for only mere moments. The throngs of beings certainly were not helping. Just as soon as the two runners could build momentum into a top speed, they would be stopped by rushing into another group, halting, and restarting their progress. All the while, the Jedi knew the Sith would be closing in.

Just as they turned another corner, making more progress towards the spaceport, Bri felt an inflection in the Force. She turned her head just in time to see one of the gamorrean's weapons, an axe, flying towards them at high speed. The Jedi made a sound somewhat between a cry of surprise and grunt of effort. She halted and pushed Darren to the ground, their momentum sending them both tumbling on the hard duracrete. The axe had flown by, just barely missing the informant from what would have been a killing blow. He seemed to know as much too, his face white with fear of seeing how close a miss they just had. Bri puffed out her cheeks in relief for the briefest of moments, and caught her breath. She quickly rushed back over to Darren and helped him up off the ground. He was already winded from the run, but obediently stood back up.

Immediately preparing to turn and run once more, Bri caught sight of the Sith, closing the gap. Running would not do any good with too short a distance between us. Instead the Jedi grabbed the saber from her hilt and reignited the bright blue light. "Stay behind me!" she ordered back to Darren, who at this point was slowly starting to understand how he could best stay alive in the situation. Bri adjusted her footwork, and stepped forward, ready to engage in the next phase of their saber duel, looking to strike fast and first this time.

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Jaina Terris

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The Sith's distraction seemed to bare fruit as the intent of the attack was more geared towards stopping the pair's escape rather than outright killing any of them. She was aware that the Jedi at hand was far too perceptive and capable enough to be dealt with by such an attack. It seemed that Brienna too realized that trying to outrun the Sith at this distance wouldn't prove a success and the Jedi once again reignited her lightsaber this time looking to strike first rather than defend.

Moving towards the two with a running step Jaina too reignited both blades of her saberstaff, twirling it around her body once as she closed the distance between herself and the Jedi. The two struck at the same time, Jaina using the momentum of her previous flourish to deflect the attack with less exertion that she'd usually need and as she did so instantly struck at the Jedi's exposed side with the opposite blade of her saberstaff. However this second phase of their duel apparently would flow differently as this time the Jedi wasn't purely defending herself but instead seemingly fully dedicated herself to an offense. If the strike at her opponent's side would be deflected, which Jaina somewhat expected given the opponent's assessed skill level, she'd swiftly turn on the defensive of her own - trying to dodge the next strike of the Jedi while pulling slightly back and giving herself needed time and distance to once again start twirling her blade around her body and gaining momentum with it.

Jaina was an avid practitioner of the Soresu form of lightsaber combat and her extensive training of the art combined with the specification of her weapon made it almost effortless for the woman to create an 'impenetrable wall of defense' around her. Using minimal movements and exertion to defend against the strikes, opting to rather redirect than deflect them thus further saving her own stamina and extending her fight longevity. She also made a point of almost continuously spin her weapon with her wrists making sure the momentum of the blade made up for any lack brute strength behind her strikes or parries.

As she fell into her defensive cocoon a small part of Jaina's consciousness was directed outward. She tried to graze the thought of her two targets subtly, picking up on them rather than actively digging through. The Jedi's mind was fortified and Jaina doubted that she could penetrate the veil of her thoughts even with an active effort. With Brienna she was only able to pick up on stern determination and an abundant maintained calmness of the mind. The Jedi's companion however was a different story. Darren's mind was engulfed with fear and panic, thoughts rushing erratically from one side to another so much so that she's pick up on them even if she wasn't trying to. Doubt also plagued the informant's mind though whether it was doubt in his choices or in his Jedi escort Jaina couldn't tell.

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Brienna Lanaamer

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Bri steadied herself both physically and mentally as the Sith rushed forward and their sabers locked once more. With the added momentum of a running jump, the woman's assault carried more weight than Bri's block, and she shifted backwards slightly as the red saber was able to push back the blue. It became immediately clear that the Sith woman was now prepared to defend Bri's attacks, utilizing the range of her double bladed saber staff to expertly create a shield of defense. The Jedi narrowed her eyes, attempting to use the Force to find an opening, trying to read a few moves ahead, but was always held at bay by the spinning red saber.

A change of tactics was obviously required, and Bri quickly switched up her method of attack, implementing the Ataru form to try and put her opponent off balance, striking high and then low, from the right and then the left. Ataru consisted of swift acrobatic movements, and the Jedi knew that's what was going to be needed to try and best the Sith's defense.

As her assault began, Bri mixed in a few slices and thrusts not at the woman's body, but at the lengthy hilt of her red saber staff. If I can cut this thing down, I might stand a better chance. By doing so, the Jedi hoped to not only keep the woman preoccupied about defending her person, but also her own weapon.

Once again, another crowd had slowly started to form to witness the growing commotion, and Bri's concentration on the duel prevented her from keeping a close eye or thought on Darren. She hoped that he had the good awareness to listen to her commands, and not do anything stupid that could endanger his own life. They would need all of her skill, and most likely a healthy amount of luck, to both escape unharmed.

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Jaina Terris

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It was now obvious that her opponent had completely dedicated herself to attack, probably realizing the situation she was in where escaping, while dragging around a non Force sensitive human with you, wasn't really an option. Though her specific method of attack forced Jaina to stop the constant rotation of her blade in order to defend it seemed the woman's preferred offensive form was the same as Jainas - Form IV Ataru. Knowing full well the intricacies of the combat style and having the added benefit of dual blades Jaina steadily defended herself from the combination of Brienna's high and low attacks as well as those coming from either side. It was only when the Jedi changed up her approach a bit that Jaina was feeling pushed back for the first time in their brief exchanges. Among her Ataru sequence she had started implementing stabs and thursts aimed at the hilt of the Sith's weapon.

A firm strategy that was only mitigated due to Jaina's experience with her own weapon and always knowing the size of her hilt and keeping an attack on it an option in mind. She had to readjust her stance swiftly to defend from the initial few attacks before finally starting to back away slowly as she defended from the onslaught. Jaina waited for an eventual sweep or a slashing strike directed at her hilt and when the moment came the Sith detached her weapon into two, the Jedi's strike hitting no target as the hilts separated and going sideways. In that brief moment Jaina leaped backwards performing a back flip through the air and simoultaneusly reattaching her separated saber hilts mid air before landing several feet away from Brienna.

The assassin raised an arm pointed at the Jedi - what would most likely be interpreted as signaling for some attack with the Force. But instead of a telekinetic push or a stream of lightning coming out the Sith yelled out. ''Darren!'' - her voice imbued with the Force seemingly amplified to a deafening shriek with a low trembling undertone that spread throughout the general area, outmatching all the other noise for a moment. The informant that was now significantly away from Brienna and among the bickering crowd that tried to get to safety slowly turned towards the Sith, his face a mixture of fear and interest. Her left hand went from being extended towards Brienna to being raised up high as she called out his name previously.

- ''Go jump off that railing.''

The Sith said though significantly more silent than her initial screaming out of his name, planting the words and more importantly - their intent in his head through the Force. The fact that Jaina previously somewhat probed the mind of the informant and got a firm grasp on the situation in the man's head obviously helped, knowing full well that he did not have the necessary willpower to defend against her mental domination, at least not at the moment. Without saying a word Darren turned towards the railing with a blank look in his eyes. ''Run.'' was the word that was never uttered aloud but only within the informants mind, planted as a command more than a suggestion. The other little thing Jaina added to her mental trick was sort of a fail safe. The feelings of fear, anxiety and most importantly doubt were redirected in a way almost as if stacked one on another with her initial command to the man being at the very bottom. She had done so in order to make it harder for the Jedi to try and overwrite her mind trick especially given the little time she had as Darren was already sprinting. Pushing away the crowd that was now between him and the Jedi he quickly covered the short distance between him and the said railing and leaped over it...

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Brienna Lanaamer

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Bri grit her teeth in effort, feeling her body warm as she engaged in the fast paced Ataru form of attacked. Unfortunately, the Sith woman appeared more than a match in her defense. She was just as quick to block and deflect the slices and jabs, her own double bladed pike saber staff providing her a wider area of protection. There were a few occasions where the Jedi would strike right where she previously went left, or down, where she previously went upward, that managed to push back the Sith slightly. However, slightly was not good enough. It was tough to get an accurate judgement, but the spaceport was still a fair distance away. Too far to just tire out the Sith and hope to run away.

Even Bri's efforts to target the hilt of the Sith's saber were largely ineffective. Evidently, she had studied the weaknesses of her choice of weapon and had formulated the right movements and stances to ensure that the Jedi's saber strikes were always met with a resounding block. For the briefest of moments, Bri thought she was going to make a connection in the buildup of her moves, only for the Sith to disconnect the center of her pike, artfully jumping backwards. The Jedi frowned in frustration, stepping backwards.

It was clear the Sith had a plan in mind as she raised an arm. What's she up to? The Jedi didn't have to wait long for an answer. Instead of an expected Force attack, the Sith had targeted Darren, calling out his name loudly. Most of the people in the gathered crowd had quieted slightly, turning to look at the woman. Bri instead shifted to see the look of fear even more apparent on the informant's face.

A thought slowly dawned in Bri's mind as to what the Sith was planning, but she was too slow to react. Darren had already taken off, rather quickly, to follow the singular command that had been planted into his mind. "Blast..." Bri muttered, quickly breaking into a sprint to catch up to him, frustrated that she had missed what was happening and that it had affected Darren so easily. She was too slow to stop him from jumping over, but arrived just as he had made the leap. "Oh no you don't," the Jedi grunted, holding her hand out, almost as if offering an invisible rope to Darren. Her own manifestation of the Force arrested his momentum a few feet below the railing.

The Jedi focused with concentration to pull him back up, his own flailing movements not making things any easier. "Come on man, help me out here" she muttered again, trying to get him to stop. Bri had no idea what the Sith was planning after she had pulled up Darren. The space between them allotted her a little bit of time, but it wasn't a lot. One problem at a time. The informant reemerged over the railing, Bri finally pulling him over. The effects of the Force trick in his mind still obvious, Bri knew it would take too much time to try and dig it out. Instead, she poked a finger at his forehead, using her own abilities to knock him unconscious. Once more the crowd had gathered around, and the Jedi tried to shoo them away with her hand. Any way to get closer to the spaceport is my best bet.

With another grunt of effort (and an assist of the Force), Bri managed to get the unconscious man on her back. Her progress might be slow, but it was still progress nonetheless. The Sith was not a problem that had gone away, however, and the Jedi knew she wouldn't get far before being caught. This is not how this was supposed to go.

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