Ask Grace in Smog

[Laeonas Tannaras]

The Planet Nal Hutta
The Broader Comp
Y141//M4//D7,
0911 Galactic Standard Time


All the rumors about Nal Hutta that the boy had heard were true. The surface of the planet looked like shit. The air smelled like fermenting shit. The atmosphere looked like shit factories pumped vaporized fecal matter into the air. A giant ball of shit-- and a perfect place to stow ill gotten gains.

There were plenty of abandoned settlements and stretches of industrial hell abandoned on the planet for millennia. Laeonas wasn't familiar with the hutts, beyond the fact that he had been marooned on Dantooine the singular time he'd gotten involved in a dispute between them. They clearly weren't to be crossed, and while crimes of all kinds flourished on this world, they were under their thumb-- which meant no prying competition, or attempts at stealing.

The hutts would be to busy with each other to notice that a boy and a couple of partners in a spice deal had decided to haul off metric tons of stolen goods, and many of their credits, to a smaller stretch of industrial wasteland South of one of the smallest little pit-towns on the world's surface.

In truth, this arrangement was something Laeonas had only dived into a week prior, only because he'd been offered the job while half drunk at a Cantina. He'd taken it for the credits... and nothing else, really.

"<You sure this is a good idea?>" A weequay asked, straining from the weight of a crate of spice. "Pos'tively," Laeonas replied, managing the weight on his side just enough to keep the both of them moving.

"Maight not be the best place, but Ai doubt any of us are gonna come 'ere without the others say so or know'bout. You and Ai'r just muscle; Gibb'lakto's the dealer, and Lo'shak is the negotiator." Laeo replied, still not attempting to speak huttese. Across from the two of them was a Twi'lek male-- Gibb'lakto, and a Rodian female-- Lo'shak, who were carrying a crate of there own.

"There's no WAY anyone's bustin' this operation!"

"<...why did you say it like that?>"

​

@ModernMarvel

 

[Brienna Lanaamer]

Jedi Knight, Brienna Lanaamer, had sworn that after her first visit to Nal Hutta, she would never return. It was hot, humid, and had a general unpleasant smell that seemed to permeate wherever it went. It also had the irksome tendency of raining swamp water pretty much constantly from the acrid green sky. To say that the atmosphere was vexatious would be an understatement. Nevertheless, Bri had duty on Nal Hutta, and was prepared to see it out, no matter how distressing she found her time on the Hutt homeworld.

Her goals were twofold. The first was her primary reason for visiting. She was in pursuit of a few Jedi relics that had gotten thrown in with a number of other stolen goods, bounced around the Galaxy, and somehow ended up on Nal Hutta. Though that last point maybe wasn't too much of a surprise. Nal Hutta and its moon, Nar Shaddaa often ended up like a stormdrain for the Galaxy's criminal filth. One of these criminal enterprises seemed promising enough for Bri to make the trip out to the planet, and poke around a few leads. The second of the goals directly involved the first. It was crucially important that she would not be noticed by any of the Hutts or major criminal groups. The last thing she wanted was for it to be widely known that a Jedi was snooping around on the planet. Putting her nose in places it didn't belong tended to be an express ticket to a Nal Hutta grave. A stinky, muddy, probably shallow, grave.

Thus, her expedition had led to a small town, more of an outpost really, in the industrial wastelands of the southern part of the planet. It was not easy to follow information trails on Nal Hutta. Informants were nearly everywhere, had wide variety of prices for information, and as Bri had discovered, more likely to be lying than telling the truth. Still, she had honed in on one promising lead. The Jedi sat quietly on a rooftop, over looking a loading area. Presently, a group of four were moving a few crates. Bri had a set of macrobinoculars to aid in the observation. There was no way to tell if this shipment was what she was looking for, but the woman had a good feeling in her stomach. That, or it was some of the slop that passed as food in the last town she had visited.

The small nature of the outpost, was probably a more ideal location for appropriating another persons items then a larger spaceport or city. After a few moments, Bri judged that it didn't look like any sort of professional operation. The four were rather....bumbling. Still, there was always the potential that they belonged to a larger organized crime group, and if Bri made enemies of them, could by extension, be making enemies of much more dangerous people.

Bri's outfit was strictly undercover. The standard attire for a Jedi was definitely out for visiting Nal Hutta. Instead, she wore drab colored clothing. A pair of tight grey pants and similar colored tank top and jacket. Her light colored hair did not blend in well with the earth tones of the planet, and she tried to get around that by placing it in a ponytail. The result was still not great. Keeping her advantageous position, she decided to wait a few more minutes in observation before making any decisions on how to proceed.

@Tom

 

[Laeonas Tannaras]

"Say it laike what?" He asked, turning back to face the weequay as they dropped the box. "<I mean, you phrased it almost like you were setting up a joke.>" The alien replied, to which Laeonas raised an eyebrow.

"<What the hell are you two on about?>" They both heard, as the rodian made her way to the both of them as they walked back for more crates. "<The human sounded like we were all about to be caught.>"

"<So he thinks we'll be caught?>"

"<No, no, it just sounded like it from what h->"

"Holy Kriff will ya both shut yer mouths?" Laeonas groaned, prompting the both to swing back to look at him in confusion. "Well, you've got more a... prob...proboscis?" He replied, to which Lo'shak gave a mortified glare. "<What, am I a kriffing fly now?>" She asked, a bit aggravated.

"What are you idiots on about?" Asked Gibb, who had finally made his way over as well. A bit overweight, he was slower than any of the others, and was the last to help with the crates as they arrived.

"<This genius talks like a bad guy in a comedy holo. 'Yeah guys, we're not gonna get caught, no way!>" Joldan, the weequay, replied. The twi'lek looked over at Laeonas with a bit of confusion, but by now he was just exasperated and confused. "Ai don't know what he's talkin' about. Ai mean, Ai feel... a bit uneasy, if Ai'm bein' honest, but Ai still don't think we're gonna be found," He began, trying to appeal to their sense.

"What would anyone find if they did, anyhow? A couple of guys en' gals, hauling spice, on Nal Hutta? What a discov'ry! Perhaps they'll tell everyone that tha sky is green to, or that the hutts are fat slobs, or that this pusball is terrible!" He exclaimed. It prompted a bit of laughter from the other three, and they all seemed to calm.

They rambled about a variety of topics for a few minutes, the four of them mostly preoccupied with their own work. Laeonas had been telling the truth; he didn't think they would be caught at all... but he was still cautious. Anyone watching might catch the boy glancing over his shoulder every few minutes, or if they were force sensitive, they might notice his movements a bit more keenly, as he'd almost reach out in the force, searching for any threats-- although, he couldn't find any.

It was partly because he'd only just recently started training his senses again, but Laeonas couldn't just... sense anything or anyone immediately, ofcourse. So the boy was left standing there, uneasy-- waiting to see if his suspicions would be confirmed.

In the meantime, he hauled crates.

​

@ModernMarvel

 

[Brienna Lanaamer]

The idle chatter that spread amongst the quartet gave Bri the further impression that they wouldn't be a challenge to overcome in any sort of physical altercation. Small spatters of infighting occasionally broke out, though it was nothing serious. As the Jedi watched, her attention focused on the young human male of the group. He looked to be still a teenager, and also the most wary of the four. He'd look over his shoulder or behind a large object, almost expectantly. Bri extended her feelings with the Force around the general vicinity, and felt something within the young man. He himself seemed to be searching, with more than just his eyes and ears. It suggested a connection to the Force, though weak, or potentially untrained. Bri chewed her bottom lip in thought.

It added a further wrinkle into her plans. Yet a plan slowly began to form in the woman's mind. Jedi had no jurisdiction to arrest criminals or anything, and while she never condoned stealing, she was pretty sure that it was the primary source of income on Nal Hutta. Theft from one was stealing from someone who had already been stolen from? Or something like that. The trail of theft got too confusing in her mind. Regardless, she wondered if a more friendly approach might yield more positive results. A simple inquiry of letting her check for the Jedi artifacts that she was looking for, and then she'd be on her way. No need to make enemies if it wasn't necessary.

However, there was no way to verify how they might respond to her new interjection. I hope its not blaster bolts. But the pros and cons tilted in the Jedi's favor - or so she thought. Having learned all she could from her vantage point on the roof of the the building, she jumped down - making a noticeable amount of noise to draw attention.

She walked up to a crate and placed a hand on it. "Hey guys, what are we doing?" she commented, offering a friendly smile.

@Tom

 

[Laeonas Tannaras]

The friendly smile the girl wore wasn't one the four of them returned. Laeonas had turned on his heels when he heard the audible thud, and his eyes trailed over the girl parallel to his own position.

Before he could reply to the question, or make any meaningful interaction, Joldan-- acting surprisingly quick-- pulled out a blaster, which had been on a holster around his waste. "<Easy, girl. Take your hands off the spice, and I won't have to put a hole in you.>" He demanded in huttese, the already wrinkled skin around his eyes crushing together as they narrowed.

Laeonas stood, a bit stunned that the sense of foreboding he had was apparently answered by the appearance of some random woman out of nowhere. She wasn't with any law enforcement-- that didn't exist on this world. She might belong to one of the hutts, and might report back so they would demand a percentage.

The boy weighed his options. Joldan had his blaster pointed at her, and both the twi'lek and rodian had pulled out weapons of their own-- Gibb held a shock baton, while Lo'shak had a smaller vibrodagger in one hand.

Laeonas wasn't in the position to negotiate-- his function in their collective business arrangement was as little more than muscle. The only thing he should do right now was pull out his vibrosword and drive it into her chest... but hiding a body was always harder than hiding spice crates.

So, in spite of his position, Laeonas raised his hands, and urged the others to point their weapons down. "Ya've stumbled across a... rather illicit bit of business." Laeo asserted, which prompted the others to give shocked looks. "<What the hell are you doing?! You can't just reveal-->" the rodian began, but the boy cut her off-- "Lo'shak, in what world were we gonna hide this from anyone who found it? Ya can lit'rally smell tha spice in the kriffin' air."

"...I can't." The twi'lek muttered, though the raven haired boy refused to dignify a response. "Ai'd humbly request ya turn your arse around, walk as far as ya can without hittin' somethin, and ferget ya saw any of this. Ai'll pay ya whatever ya want within 3 figures."

At that, Joldan, the most shocked and aggravated out of any of them, stepped forward. "<THREE figures?! That's a quarter of our revenue you're willing to give up! It'd be easier if we just bodied the girl right now!>" He shouted, glaring daggers at the boy. "That might not even buy her silence," Gibb added reluctantly. "She could still go to the hutts, no matter how much you pay her. If we get on their radar, we'll never be able to do business on this world again without paying them a percentage."

Laeo groaned again, staring up at the ceiling with an aggravated look. "And what do ya suggest we do? Put a plasma bolt 'tween'er eyes?! Whaddya think the hutts would do if they ever found a corpse out 'ere? Even if it's near impossible, it'd kick up plenty more dust than a couple crates of spice!" He shouted, so confident in his position that he was shocked at how quick they were to confrontation.

"<We don't have to kill her, slimeball! All we need to do is keep her restrained until we contact a buyer, than we dump her on the nearest planet.>" Lo'shak spat, the hostility in her words only making her obviously dangerous demeanor look all the worse. "We don't even know if this girl works for the hutts, or if the hutts would bother listenin'ta some random girl claimin' to know about one little operation! Seriously, Ai've got a ba-"

"Why are you even defending her?!" Gibb suddenly asked, stepping forward. "Wha-" "You don't look concerned at all! She KNOWS, Laeo! Even if she isn't working for anyone she's a threat! I've seen what the hutts do to people who don't pay their price... I'm not getting fed to some pit beast because you want to get in some human girl's pa-"

The suggestion, out of anything else, finally set Leao off. With a sudden snarl, the boy brought his fist into the Twi'lek's stomach. What followed was a brutally efficient takedown of the twi'lek's defenses. He countered punches by slamming forward with his side, or threw barrages that connected with his upper chest or lower jaw. The sheer speed with which the boy moved was something that had clearly taken years of practice.

When the twi'lek was brought to the ground, the human refused to stop. Lo'shak and Joldan only pulled him off the twi'lek when his face looked less like a face, and more closely like a caved in mess. The twi'lek still breathed-- though it was ragged, and he gurgled blood and bile in his throat.

Laeonas' hair was left in an even greater mess than it had already been in, and his hands were stained with blood. The other two gangsters were busy tending to their fallen ally, but Laeo had other plans. "Lo, Ai think yer idea was the best. There's some wire on tha ship. Go and grab it." He commanded, his voice near monotone. The rodian was, at first, far to busy with the twi'lek-- but as the human started concentrating a bit, she fell backwards onto the metal floor.

"Did ya kriffin' 'ear me? Grab some coil ya-" He began, before stopping himself. Laeo looked over at the twi'lek, battered and bruised. He felt a bit of a pang in his chest; he'd known him for barely a week, but he was pleasant enough... and he'd probably broken his nose, and several other bones.

"Ai'll... help Gibb. Just do as I asked." He said quietly, taking her place at the twi'lek's side. Joldan didn't say anything, but there was a look on his face that could only be viewed as fear.

After a brief few minutes, Laeonas turned to the human girl, still breathing heavily. "We're gonna 'ave ta keep ya here fer... a bit."

​

@ModernMarvel

 

[Brienna Lanaamer]

The Jedi couldn't quite believe the ensuing actions after her appearance. It was far, far more of a catalyzing factor than she expected. A blaster was first pointed at her - that wasn't too much of a surprise - along with what sounded like a threat from the weequay. Bri's huttese? was not the best. Regardless, she understood the message. Two more weapons appeared in short order from the other goons. What looked like a shock baton and vibroknife - more close combat tools than blasters. The Jedi still liked her chances. The only wildcard was the young man - who was doing most of the talking, and seemed to have some sort of connection to the Force. Bri took her hand off the crate and held them up, rather innocently.

She had just opened her mouth to offer her side of the story, but the young man interjected. He quickly offered a brief explanation of their business, which did not go down well with his compatriots. An argument quickly started. Well, more of a squabble. Bri was genuinely surprised at the way in which it spiraled downward and the fact that she was able to just stand there as the four criminals - rather comically - deliberated amongst themselves. Attention on her lapsed for more than enough time to allow any sort of quick reaction on her end. The Jedi remained stoic. At the end of the day, all she wanted was to ask a few questions, and then let them go about their business.

"Ai'll pay ya whatever ya want within 3 figures."

It was a reasonable offer, all things considered. Probably more than reasonable. But, the others did not like it. Again the Jedi tried to interject her own side of the story, using one of her hands to raise a finger and once more open her mouth, but stopped short again as the weequay and twi'lek dissented. The twi'lek man seemed to be the most upset by the proposition, suggesting, though not stating outright, that the best course of action would be to kill her. Fortunately for Bri, a few others disagreed, especially the Rodian. Though, she obviously also didn't want to be 'dumped' on a nearby planet.

By this point, the twi'lek man seemed to have had enough of their argument. He quite vehemently disagreed, and seemed to draw the ire of the young man, offering an implication that he was defending Bri because he wanted to "get in her pants." The Jedi was smart enough to figure out the sentence even though it got cut off. She scrunched her face together in apprehensive confusion.

The young man obviously did not appreciate the implication either. He launched into a sudden and comprehensive assault of the twi'lek. Punches were not pulled, and it was only a few moments later that the man lay bleeding on the ground. Viscously, the young man would have kept going, if not for the two others to pull him away. Like Bri, they seemed a little surprised by the sudden violence, and were commanded to tie Bri up. After some hesitation, they relented, and the young man finally addressed Bri for the first time after the whole incident.

"We're gonna 'ave ta keep ya here fer... a bit."

"Hold on," Bri held her hands up once more. Again she had the opportunity to react physically to escape the situation, but chose not to. "I'm only here with a few questions, looking for a few items. Not going to arrest you, or report on you or anything." The Jedi tried to sound authentic and convincing. "If you can help me, great, if not, no worries and I'll be on my way. Ok?"

@Tom

 

[Laeonas Tannaras]

"Wha?" Laeonas immediately replied, a baffled look covering his face. "Did'ya'ear what Ai just told ya? In what world am Ai supposed ta believe that ya just stumbled over here..." The boy began, but he stopped himself.

If she was a hunter, she'd picked a remarkably terrible way to approach them-- so she was either incompetent, or a moron. In either case she was barely a threat... but what if she was here to report on their location?

No, that didn't work either. Someone with hostile intentions of any kind would have no reason to reveal themselves like this. Still, the boy was cautious; criminality was dishonest, and there were constant attempts at pretending to be weaker, or want to strike a deal, when the only intent was either theft or murder.

If she worked for the hutts, no matter the smallest possibility, he couldn't trust her.

"Quite a coincidence that ya wound up in the exact, shitey ole' warehouse we did than, eh?" Laeo replied, cocking his head with a frown. He might have planned on letting her go prior to the fight (beating, more like) but the sour mood he was put in disagreed.

"Ai can't letcha leave-- not until Ai'm sure yer not workin' with tha hutts. If yer looking fer somethin', fine-- but Ai'll'ave ta keep mae'eye on ya." He explained, glancing over at the rest of the group. They seemed far to occupied with helping Gibb to say anything-- and even if they weren't... well, he didn't need the force to know that they wouldn't challenge him.


​

@ModernMarvel

 

[Brienna Lanaamer]

Bri maintained her defensive posture, and held up her hands again in a nonthreatening position. "You're right, I didn't just stumble over here and I didn't find my way here by coincidence. I've been tracking a few missing artifacts, and these shipments," she looked down at them briefly, "are my latest clue." The Jedi could feel that the young man was still skeptical of her explanations. As was probably smart to be. Still, she could tell he had sense and some connection to the Force. That was unexpected. And surely not a coincidence.

"What sort of Hutt enforcer, or other gangster," she used the only term that really made sense in her mind, "would just walk up like this and start talking to you? It doesn't make any sense." The Jedi was still hesitant to reveal her connection to the Force, however. That could prove to be a variable beyond her control. I'll have to find a more creative way to bring that up. "Plus," she looked down at her outfit, and sunny colored hair, "do I really look like I belong here on Nal Hutta?" She hoped the answer to the last question was an obvious no.

"That's fine, you can keep as close an eye on me as you want," Bri nodded with a smile, as friendly as she could muster. "Then I'll be out of your hair, and on my way." The young man's compatriots seemed more concerned with helping the bloodied twi'lek, than her interactions. That was probably for the best. Bri was much more convinced of her skills in convincing one person, let alone three.

@Tom

 

[Laeonas Tannaras]

"And ya happened ta'a'rrive on tha day we did, Miss treasure hunter." Laeonas replied, idly walking-- and expecting her to follow. "What're ya even plannin' ta do with whatever artifacts yer hopin' for? Everything on this rock worth a shite, ya'either inhale up a nostril, smoke, or drink."

He continued on, leaving the rest of the crew behind. He started opening some of the old crates around either of them, glancing for a few seconds. "Yer right about that kind of approach bein' kriffin' stupid, but ya'd be surprised by how very, very silly some bounty 'unters can be." Laeonas explained, finally turning around and stopping.

Glancing over some crates, he noticed that line of site was broken with the rest of the crew. "AI SHOULD HOPE THAT YER GONNA COMPLY!" He shouted, waiting. He sensed that his words had become unintelligible based on the lack of recognition from either the rodian or weequay's thoughts. Wincing, he hopped on one of the crates, sitting back idly.

"Okay, cut tha shite. There's no type of person that winds up on Nal Hutta; just because yer a humie with good 'air don't mean ya can't be a gangster-- Ai'm a humie with good 'air, fer kriffs sake." He flatly stated, self aggrandizement notwithstanding.

"Tell me whatcher lookin' fer. If Ai catch ya lying, and Ai will be able ta catch ya lyin', ya won't leave this hangar with whatcha want, or on yer own terms." He demanded, this being his final ultimatum.

The boy was visibly preparing to concentrate, gathering his abilities to sense for anything; a sudden bit of perspiration, the flushing red of any part of her face. Perhaps she'd get queezy. There were always signs of dishonesty, and he'd find them-- if they were present.


​

@ModernMarvel

 

[Brienna Lanaamer]

"That may actually be a coincidence," Bri offered a friendly sounding laugh, at the young man's first comment. He began to walk, and the Jedi followed. He posed a question, and Bri hesitated on how to answer. Again, she wasn't sure how best to answer, or how best to tell the truth. What would his reaction be if Bri regaled him with a story of missing Jedi artifacts? Would he call her crazy? Stupid? Some sort of fanatic? She decided on a close version of the story.

"Uh, I've been hired by some higher-ups to find a few lost items. You know, the standard trinkets lost to history kind of thing? Odds and ends. Took me a while, but I've tracked them down here."

Bri didn't have the most lengthy of histories with bounty hunters, but she had no reason to doubt the man's characterization of how 'silly' they could be. The Jedi offered an approving nod in response, along with a shrug. The implication was that, if she was a bounty hunter, or a gangster, she was not very intelligent. If I've got that right. She stopped walking when he did. The scene seemed to have calmed somewhat, as the man loudly chastised his two compatriots. Bri lifted her head up, but they didn't seem to pay any attention.

As she turned back around, the young man was now seated on one of the crates. Bri placed her hands on her hips and listened to his further comments. It appeared he was on to her, but, the Jedi had done her best to remain honest with the young man. Well, partial truths. "Well, now hold on, that's not exactly what I claimed," the Jedi held her hands back out defensively, once more.

For just wanting to 'keep an eye' on her, the young man sure did a lot of talking. And distracting. It was becoming more of a challenge for Bri to keep his chattering from affecting her focus. She stopped looking in one crate and turned as he offered an 'ultimatum' or something of the like. This should be interesting. The Jedi sighed.

Hands on hips again, Bri looked straight on at the young man. She could feel his connection to the Force, sensing how he planned to 'test' if she was lying or not. It was a smart idea. Though, perhaps, not ideal when attempting it on a Jedi who had trained in the exact same thing. Blue eyes locked on him, Bri also reached out with the Force, endeavoring to determine just how strong his connection to the Force was, and how trained he was with it. Her first evaluation felt the talent, but relatively raw. Probably untrained.

@Tom

 

[Laeonas Tannaras]

Studying the girl's features, the boy searched both for physical and psychological indications that the girl was lying. The force could sometimes be used to look for intent, or search for the true feelings behind a person's words. Despite his probes, Laeonas couldn't initially find... anything. Apparently, she had told the truth-- whoever her boss was, they had sent her here to collect lost, old items.

But that didn't mean it were the whole truth. Laeo remembered back to when an old boss of his had promised that the job he did involved collecting debts-- and when he sensed for the truth, it had been accurate. What Laeo hadn't been able to discern was that in addition to collecting debts, he'd be doing it in the territory of another gang-- which caused the boy to gain another scar just underneath one of his left ribs.

It might have been because he was untrained, or because he simply wasn't strong enough in the force, or that the person in question was putting up mental barriers to stop his attempts at gazing into their minds-- consciously or otherwise.

He was about to check for such before realizing that it would be pointless; he was able to discern intent, which had to mean that, to an extent, the girl's mind was open. Laeo was almost confident-- almost. Looking deeper, he searched for anything-- feelings, thoughts, active intent.

Active intent.

That was when he noticed her reaching out.

Eyes widening, the boy sprang up, stumbling before he suddenly fell. "ACK" He cried, the audible thud he made once hitting the duracrete floor causing a visible wince. That didn't stop him from scrambling to his feet, backing away from the girl, and gripping his vibrosword's hilt.

Stopping himself any further, the boy drew in a deep breathe, trying to even out the accelerated rate of his breathing. Glancing at her, he frowned, slowly drawing the vibrosword.

"You... yer a kriffin'..." He began, pointing a finger that waggled ever so slightly. "Yer either a Sith, which means we wouldn't be 'avin this conversation, or..." Laeo began, stopping himself short. "...yer like me. Or, yer a Jedi."

He frowned, shaking his head and muttering a few curses at himself. "Ai... what tha'hell? Ai mean, Did Ri--" He began, stopping himself short. He didn't want to reveal his interactions with the other Jedi he'd met on Ossus... yet.

"You... ya need ta leave, now. Ai'v got nothin' against yer kind beyond all the shite yer wars with tha sith are causin', but tha'o'thers maight think sellin' yer'ead and bringin' it ta Korriban will fetch us a fair price. Only thing stoppin' me from tryin' is that Ai know Ai'd wind up dead if Ai tried-- and sellin' yer corpse to those lightnin' shootin' nutcases won't make me friends with yer friends." Laeonas warned, lowering his vibrosword a bit.

He almost wanted to demand her to leave-- recommend she get out, go back to wherever it was the rest of the Jedi were stationed besides Ossus, and come back here another day. But he'd talked to Jedi before, even this one, right now. They could be stubborn... even the most accommodating one he'd met so far still maintained a goal she wasn't willing to break from.

Thinking back to what the girl-- no, the Jedi, had said earlier, a smirk came to his lips. "If this were a coincidence, it'd fit. Ai'v jumped from one random accident ta'tha next fer mae entire laife. 'Ell, even me happenin' was an accident." He joked, standing relatively still, guard weakening a bit. "But it ain't. Ai've wandered int'a some convenient situations with people who use tha force b'fore, and in a galaxy of... whatever goes past trillions, that's to many ta'be some coincidence."

"Yer bosses-- the rest of the Jedi... what were they lookin' fer, exactly? Gettin' ya out of 'ere is important if Ai'm gonna keep up mae dealin's with yer kind." Laeo suggested, offering a bit of help. "Maybe a bit of trainin' know how before ya go'me, eh?"


​

@ModernMarvel

 

[Brienna Lanaamer]

Bri watched as the young man evaluated her. Eyes shifted as they attempted to perceive what could often be imperceptible. Subtle movements in body language, shifting of posture or position. As anticipated, Bri judged that he wouldn't find anything off about her. That would at least buy her a little time. Hopefully. It appeared he was trying to analyze the information he had gotten from her, attempting to decipher if what she had told him was the real truth or not.

The surface level was passed, but the Jedi then felt the young man attempt to reach deeper within her feelings. It was one thing to try and read the micro-physical movements to tell if someone was lying. It was a whole other set of skills to utilize abilities with the Force to do the same thing, but searching from within. Even having been trained in such skills, Bri still found her own abilities to require refinement.

"ACK"

The young man reacted sharply and fell off the crate, landing with a comical thud. Bri laughed with a smile. Less humorous was the fact that his first reaction was to grip the weapon hilt in response. The accusations followed quite quickly afterwards, which Bri had expected. More curious was how he wanted to frame his questions. Sith, Jedi, or...something like him? Interesting. In his chattering, the Jedi also thought she caught a hint of something else - the commencement of a question, before stopping it.

A quick conclusion was reached that it was time for Bri to depart, along with an additional, slightly more ominous mentioning of selling the Jedi's 'corpse' onto the Sith. Well that wouldn't be good. Bri replied with a few knowing looks of her own. One point they did appear to be in agreement on was the nature of coincidences. Was it really a play of fate that Bri had stumbled upon this Force sensitive young man while on her search? It seemed unlikely. At least in the Jedi's opinion.

Somehow, the young man had talked his way into helping her, despite the threat of violence earlier. Maybe I should keep my mouth shut more often. The Jedi found an opportunity to respond. "I didn't lie to you. I am actually looking for a few lost trinkets and artifacts. They just happen to be associated with the history of the Jedi. It could be unlikely their in some of these crates, but I'd still like to have a look, just to be sure."

Bri was interested in what he meant by his final comment. The 'dealin's with yer kind,' "Do you mean you've dealt with the Jedi before?" she asked, inquisitively. Lastly, it seemed as if he wanted to trade his assistance in her search, with her help in training him further in the Force. Bri was very skeptical of the final point. The young man, as proven by their brief interactions, seemed quite happy to resort to the threat of violence in his dealings. The Jedi did not feel comfortable helping out someone like that. Any resulting injury would lay on her hands as well. Still, it was better he had come across her, than some Sith. A complex moral dilemma began to play out, back and forth, in her mind.

She asked a clarifying question. "You want me to train you?"

@Tom

 

[Laeonas Tannaras]

The Jedi’s initial amusement at his misfortune had stung, if only a bit. Laeonas was still massaging his side by the time she was speaking, about how she… hadn’t lied.

There... wasn't much more to glean from the Jedi. She was telling the truth, that much had become clear. Nobody ever confessed to a sum total of different truths but maintain a dozen lies as well. At least, Laeonas didn't-- he either told the truth, or he just lied. Though it seemed Jedi had an interesting habit of mixing truth and lie in such a way that, technically,

One way he’d noticed was in that they had a tendency to leave out key details. She herself had done it previously-- she had come for artifacts, but she hadn’t mentioned that they were Jedi artifacts, and that she, herself, was a Jedi. Omitting information technically wasn’t lying… but it was pretty close.

Of course, the dishonesty was probably something that was necessary-- as the boy had mentioned, were his partners to find out her true identity, they’d want her dead or captured so they could sell her for a Sith bounty. The boy wouldn’t have allowed it, ofcourse, but stopping them would’ve meant jeopardizing his shares of their profits.

He finally came to realize that the situation the both of them were in was more than a little tense. It could swing in a fairly negative direction for either if Laeonas and the Jedi were clumsy. Sinking into thought, the boy ignored her question, grunting rather rudely.

If she were exposed, a variety of situations might develop.

If he helped fight off his partners, they’d probably wind up incapacitated or dead, meaning his haul would become much more difficult to transport and sell. He’d lose credits.

If he helped fight for his partners, and the Jedi wound up winning, she’d probably wind up incapacitating or killing all of them, including the boy. It’d mean that not only would he lose credits, but he’d risk getting killed as well.

If he helped fight for his partners, and the Jedi wound up losing, she’d probably wind up incapacitated or dead. Laeonas and the others could complete their spice run, and than turn her over to the Sith and become rich beyond their wildest dreams. Ofcourse, the final caveat would be that, if the Jedi ever found out he’d killed or sold one of their own, he’d be their enemy until his last day.

The boy weighed his options; in almost every one of them, he lost credits. Even in the ones where he did win, he’d make an enemy far stronger than even the hutts. An army of trained force wielders would constantly be hounding Laeo, and that would probably end similarly to what would happen if he lost to the Jedi-- incapacitation, or death.

There was, of course, another option. If the Jedi kept her identity secret, and she escaped, not only would Laeonas be able to complete his spice run, but he would’ve actually endeared himself to the order. He’d been looking for someone to train him, since his attempted mentor on Coruscant had either died, gone missing, or decided to lose him forever.

The single best outcome he could hope for was the reality where she managed to stay hidden, and where both of them completed their tasks. He finally slipped out of thought with a sigh, turning back to her.

The final question she asked prompted Laeonas to chuckle a bit, shaking his head. “Ya’v got better shite ta’do than take on an a’pprentice, th’at much is clear. Just tell me a bit of shite about tha… force once Ai help ya find yer shite, and you’ll pay me fer mae e’fferts with some of tha vast knowledge ya’v got in that blond noggin’ of yers.” The boy explained, a coy smirk on his lips.

Studying her looks, the boy realized that she had some… apprehension about his proposal. “What? Ya’want’cher artifacts, right? What’arm could Ai do besides what Ai’m already capable of?” The boy suggested, stepping forward and raising his hands to his sides. “Is mae character so corrosive, Jedi? What, ya think Ai’ll join those nutcase Sith? That Ai’m just gonna become one of those pricks who wanna bring back that evil empire that blew up planets and started wars?” He mockingly suggested, as if the idea of falling to the dark side was comical to him.

Laeonas might be taking things a bit… to lightly, but if his dismissal of the Sith was any indication, it was clear that he had a distaste for them. It would take quite a bit of effort on the part of both himself, and prospective dark-side recruiters, to convince him to join a group he viewed as psychopathic conquerors who bathed themself in aspects of the force that he found physically repulsive.

He looked around, frowning a bit. They had been gone for… several minutes. As time passed, he grew more pensive; the rest of the crew might have gotten annoyed or scared by his behavior, and might even try marooning the boy on the horrible moon. “Kriff, we’re spendin’ to much taime on this shite. Do ya want mae’elp or not?” He finally asked, crossing his arms. Laeonas was growing more and more impatient, and the Jedi’s apprehension was actually a bit insulting.

“... look, if ya don’t want ta train me, ya can’elp me out some way else.” Laeo said, grammar only slightly confusing. “Ai’m plannin’ on headin’ ta... well, any world ya schmucks own in a few weeks. Ai know there's gotta be a place where there's plenty'f Jedi, and Ai know Ai can’t meet'em without some… assurances, and recommendations, from a couple of yer kind.” The boy slowly explained.

“All ya’v gotta do is turn up; ya don’t even’ave ta be there live. All I need is a comment or two or ten from ya sayin’ that Ai won’t immediately try and join tha Sith once Ai’v got some trainin’in.” He explained, his request rather… simple, all things considered. “Do that, or train me, or do both-- and you’ll ‘ave me as an ally, and as someone who can help ya with shite ya need. Deal?”


​

@ModernMarvel

 

[Brienna Lanaamer]

Surprisingly, the young man stopped talking and instead began a few moments of introspection. It was clear he was weighing something heavy in his mind, and it didn't take Bri using her abilities with the Force to figure out what it was. Well, it doesn't seem like he's going to kill me, so that's a positive. The Jedi responded with a slight frown and a sigh, as the young man audibly ignored her question on his past dealings with the Jedi. Truthfully, it would have been helpful information to have. Though perhaps, the lack of detail was something to note in and of itself? If he had encountered Jedi and had a positive interaction, would he have told her? It did not seem likely that if his experience was negative, he would freely admit it to her. Something else to consider.

Finally, the young man broke from his thought, and chuckled at Bri's question. The Knight had her own previous hesitations about taking a Padawan, and while she full-heartedly believed in the Force guiding her journey through the Galaxy, it surely would have been some kind of strange, cruel prank for her first padawan to be....him. Luckily, it appeared he shared the same mindset as Bri on that particular point. Or I think? His accent is weird.

Bri understood the point the young man was trying to make, but there were a number of variables to it that she wanted to weigh under consideration, that he seemed to not be doing. One - he spoke as if he knew exactly where her missing artifacts were, or at least strongly suspected. Unlikely. Two - Just because he was not going to run off and join the Sith did not mean that he wouldn't use any of his abilities in the Force to do harm to others. Three - though he sounded steadfast in his opposition to the dark side of the Force. They had the annoying habit of convincing others to join them, and Bri knew little to nothing about this young man and his priorities.

As the Jedi was about to respond, the young man added another potential option, which provided some further clues to her first question. Why would he be heading to a Jedi controlled world? And on what business? He essentially want Bri to vouch for him, which she was equally hesitant to do. She decided to voice these concerns aloud. "Why are you going to a Jedi world?"

Something she did agree with him on was that they were taking too long in their discussion, and the two other goons had likely gotten tired of handling the beat-up Twi-lek. "Ok, ok fine. I'll give you a few pointers." Bri said, holding her hands up. Of all the options, this was the one she had weighed in her mind of having the least potential for harm. She could directly control what was taught, and could have a first-hand look at the extent of his abilities with the Force. "If you'll help me look around for my missing artifacts," she made sure to confirm.

@Tom

 

[Laeonas Tannaras]

Her first question touched on the one thing Laeonas wanted to avoid speaking of. A bit annoyed, he’d openly frown at her perceived attempts at prying, although he himself had to admit that her questioning made sense. Why would this random force sensitive boy go to a Jedi controlled world?

The first and most obvious possible answer seemed blindingly clear; to join the Jedi. But would it make sense? For someone like him? To become a Jedi was to forsake countless opportunities for wealth, power, or even glory; but that would only be apparent if you had a completely accurate understanding of what the Jedi were.

And what did he know?

To him, these Jedi were far, far more non-committal than the stereotypes and stories associated with them. These weren't warrior monks living in giant palaces on Coruscant. They didn't exist in the singular pursuit of truth and justice and enlightenment. The Jedi he’d all seen, even this one, lined up closer to his own self than that idea; a person going across the galaxy, doing as they pleased.

Ofcourse, that wasn’t true-- they all had responsibilities, all jobs, separate missions and goals, but all in the pursuit of some idea of balance. Since when did Laeonas know that-- and when Rishe of all people had mentioned it to him, he didn't see it as an overarching orthodoxy that they all followed, but the personal decisions of individuals.

What Jedi had he met? This one was a treasure hunter, others dressed up like bounty hunters, some helped cure alcohol poisoning. It was only one person that he'd met that fit the old stereotypes. Even she explicitly said that she was trying to fit that old role, while the rest went off and did as they pleased.

He wanted titles; words he could use to describe himself that would make others jealous, or fill them with respect and reverence. He wanted to be... someone.

But again, he found himself spending time allowing thoughts to wander, and he viewed it as an abject waste of his time. Laeo paused, before answering her assertion, "Than why tha'ell are we still standin' ere? Start openin' these crates."

The boy immediately got to pulling the rather ill-secured bins open. They were mostly filled with old, discarded cargo, and he made an effort at appearing engaged in the task at hand.

Realizing that they had been gone for... awhile, Laeo reached into one of the front pockets of his coat and pulled out a comm. "You two; tha girl's cooperatin'. Don't worry a'bout me, just get everythin' ready." He bluntly stated, turning it off before there could be a response.

The boy simply wanted to continue, but the Jedi wasn't going to give up on seeking answers. She'd pursue; so, he started speaking, all the while focused on accomplishing their current task.

"Ai wound up on Ossus because fer all tha year's till Ai was 19, Ai thought Ai was tha only one in tha whole universe who could do what Ai did." He began, emptying one particularly large box of it's contents in a hasty fashion.

"Than Ai wound up on Coruscant, and what was one of tha'first things Ai saw? Some psycho in a mask, with a red lightsaber in one hand and lightnin' shootin' out of tha'other." The boy continued, visibly grimacing at his recounting. "Fer tha first taime in mae life Ai knew Ai wasn't unique-- and more, that there were nutcases out there, usin' that wrong Ai'd always felt whenever Ai was tempted ta do some kriffed up shite laike it was tha source of 'is power."

He suddenly turned, giving her a concerned look. "What was Ai supposed ta do, knowin' freaks laike that were out there? They need ta be put in the kriffin' ground; and Ai was gonna learn all Ai needed ta learn ta not only get strong enough ta'beat'em, but also ta go home and make me and mae ma the richest sons of bitches on our 'omeworld."

He stood there, quietly. "Ai've worked with some Sith, Ai've talked ta some Jedi. Yer... conflict? It's been goin' on as long as people 'ave been goin' on. Ya either need ta kill each other, or you guys need ta win; because if tha'others conquer the whole galaxy, they're gonna mess it up fer a real long time."

It... wasn't the whole truth. The Jedi were far from his first priority... but they might be useful, useful enough to help him. It wasn't entirely a lie...

...so maybe he wasn't unlike the jedi after all?



​

@ModernMarvel

 

[Brienna Lanaamer]

Bri sensed another period of thought from the young man. He was carefully deliberating the questions that she asked. The silence left the Jedi an opportunity to reflect as well. If he was considering how best to respond, then it figured that there was much more to his story than Bri had first presumed. Most of it was largely conjecture. How did this Force sensitive young man end up out here? There was definitely a story, and the inclusion of the Force added an additional layer of complication. Or at least an intriguing mystery. The young man's own interjection interrupted Bri's train of thought.

"Than why tha'ell are we still standin' ere? Start openin' these crates."

The Knight nodded in reply, "On it." She hopped over to another box, turning her head as she heard the young man open a crate. Bri did the same, peering down into the dark box. It didn't appear it was what she was looking for. Various weapons and blasters were arranged carefully, packed tight to fit the space. "Nope," Bri shook her head to herself, though shuddered to think of what the weapons might be used for in the future. Her search was interrupted again as the young man spoke through his communicator to the two other hench-people.

Surprisingly, as Bri moved on to the next crate, her new partner started to open up about himself, having notably dodged the first question. A narrative was told touching on time spent on Ossus and Coruscant. The Knight had not been to Ossus, but was aware of its existence. I think there's some old Jedi history on Ossus? She had, obviously, been to Coruscant. It sounded like his visit to the Core was recent, also recounting an encounter with a Sith, or as he put it, a "psycho in a mask," and a "nutcase." Not completely off.

It was clear he held a negative view of the Sith. Also that he wanted to stop them. Bri opened up another crate and looked inside, also not finding what she was looking for. From the Knight's Jedi perspective, it was a little worrying to hear him so eager to want to put 'people into the ground,' even if they were the Sith, and also using his abilities with the Force to get rich. His final comment was a little more profound than the preceding. Bri moved on to the next box, looking over with a nod.

"I've heard of Ossus, never been there though. And sounds like you've had a few up close and personal interactions with the Sith," she left the reply sit for a moment, sounding almost sad that he'd had run-ins with them. "While they are the enemies of the Jedi, I'd say they are much more interested in killing us than we are them. Also, it's not really the prerogative of the Jedi to use Force abilities to 'get rich,'" she added with a slight laugh at the end of her last statement. What would that even look like?

The Jedi looked into her next crate, but was met with additional disappointment. After bending over its lip to get a better view of the bottom, she leaned back upwards and sighed, placing her hands on her hips. "It doesn't look like we're having much luck," not trying to sound too defeatist.

@Tom

 

[Laeonas Tannaras]

The lack of immediate progress didn't trouble the boy very much, and the various contents he found inside any and every one of the crates didn't bother him... well, at all. He couldn't really expect anything better; the Hutts ran a criminal empire based around extortion, murder, slavery, and drug running. It would make perfect sense that the contents of one of their old warehouses would consist of weapons and heavily expired illicit substances.

Ignoring the scent of old spice and blaster oil, Laeonas and the knight continued on with their search. Her obvious disappointment caused him to pause for a bit. He hadn't sensed her reaching out to look with the force, but if she had, and if she'd failed to turn something up, it was likely that she'd simply gone to the wrong place.

"Kriff, that'd be somethin', meatin' a Jedi 'cause she made a mistake." He thought, though Laeonas furrowed his brow. He'd met to many Jedi by coincidence over the time he'd spent traveling across the galaxy; the only pause had been during his involuntary stay on Dantooine, and that had take much out of the boy.

Standing and unsure of himself, the raven haired boy briefly reached out with the force. He couldn't sense... anything of note. Ofcourse, that could mean that he was being deliberately or indirectly blocked; by the artifacts in question, his own subconscious, or even the force itself; either because it didn't want them finding the artifacts at all.

That was if it had a reason at all; maybe the force had just influenced their meeting? Who could know; Laeonas was a bit uncomfortable at the thought that weeks of work and set up for a spice deal might have simply been manipulated by the force, but even he doubted it's influence extended that far. The idea of a fate, or destiny, or whatever, that he himself hadn't decided on, was foreign-- and not nearly as welcoming.

It still didn't change the fact that a Jedi was in front of him, and that both of their goals weren't being met.

"Only thing worth a shite is tha temple; didn't even see anyone when Ai first arrived." Laeo stated, addressing her lack of travel.

Listening to her assessment of her order's sworn enemies, the boy shrugged, parting a bit of hair that fell in front of his face. "From tha stories Ai 'eard," He would reply idly, "Tha two of yer groups argued over whether or not ya should serve tha galaxy, or if tha galaxy should serve ya. Tha Sith built empires and enslaved 'owever many billions, or killed billions more, ta keep their rule goin'. Yer people sat in castles and temples and monasteries."

It was a synthesis of history, stereotypes, and outright fiction. "Ai learned a... bit about 'em on Ossus? Some Empress named Drast conquered tha're'public a few thousand years ago, and apparently tha Pal'patine was actually one'of'em to-- but 'e got voted in." He would say, laughing a bit. "What, some pale prick who shoots lightnin' out of 'is fingers gets put in charge'f tha whole galaxy? Ai mean, holy kriffin' shite."

His... obvious misunderstanding of events notwithstanding, the boy was amused, and he had a knowledge about the Sith and the Jedi that was at least slightly above average. It came from the less than half a dozen holos he'd actually bothered to read during his stay; though, read was less of an accurate descriptor than idly listened to a holo recording.

"As fer wantin' ta kill ya? First ones Ai saw swingin' sabers and slaughterin' people was a... Sith, Ai guess. Used that wrong Ai always noticed laike a wellspring; tha kind that came out when Ai wanted ta choke pricks or lift em or drop em from high up." He explained frowning a bit.

Glancing at the dozen or so crates they'd already gone through, the boy scratched around the back of his head, clearly stumped. A frown would slip onto his lips, and the boy crossed his arms. "We 'ad a deal, Jedi-- just 'cause yer impatient doesn't mean we can't keep lookin'." He went on, a bit suspicious of her motivations. Perhaps she wanted to avoid giving him his end of the bargain, so she could return later to take what she thought? Perhaps she was the one behind his inability to reach out and find their quarry.

Still, Laeonas knew that he couldn't exactly force the Jedi to do as he asked. If she was getting reluctant, he was in no position to drag her to continue her own quest.

Letting out a sigh of disappointment, he flopped backwards, sitting on a bin with a groan. Waiting a few seconds before speaking, the boy looked up to meet her gaze.

"If ya want ta'ead back, we can. Ai'll... come up with a cover that'll convince 'em that we don't need ta put a bolt 'tween yer eyes." Laeonas reassured the Jedi. There was no point in trying to betray her or move against her... and honestly, it would've been to much work anyway.


​

@ModernMarvel

 

[Brienna Lanaamer]

"Only thing worth a shite is tha temple; didn't even see anyone when Ai first arrived."

Bri looked up from her search upon hearing the young man's words and offered a wordless nod. Interesting. And something definitely worth me following up on. The Jedi was intrigued, but then lost concentration as he started to recount his own narrative and understanding of the Jedi and Sith, wading into a fair amount of history as well. The summarization was, well, not very accurate. Rather than spend her time correcting, or at least describing a few thousand years of history into a few minutes, Bri focused her time on trying to find what she was looking for. "Uh-huh," came a distant reply from inside a box.

The Jedi exited her most recent searching spot, and sighed, looking around, for another crate that had yet to have been opened. There were a few more, but the options were quickly running out. Bri's attention was piqued a little bit more than the history lesson when he started to talk about his own experiences with the Force. "Choking pricks" isn't how I'd describe using the Force. The woman replied with a more philosophical return, "everyone has their own connection to the Force, and while there are some similarities and training you can receive, at the end of the day - it's how you feel. Your personal motivations."

Moving on to the next box, Bri tried to feel a little more optimistic. She lifted the lid off, and peered inside, removing a few upper layers of weapons.

"If ya want ta'ead back, we can. Ai'll... come up with a cover that'll convince 'em that we don't need ta put a bolt 'tween yer eyes." L

"That....that might not be necessary," came a muffled reply, as Bri reach her arms in towards the bottom of the box. Her light blue eyes spotted...something. The information in the buildup had not technically identified what the objects were, but what they could be. Returning her upper half from inside the box she stood up, holding a small-ish metallic item in her hand. It was strangely shaped, and looked to be made of a series of intersecting pieces of metal. "This might be something," she mused aloud, twisting it around in her hands. Whatever it was, it had a connection to the Force. Not strong, and almost faded through time. But there was something there, nonetheless.

Satisfied with her search, and her reward, she turned her full attention to the young man. "So, I'm a woman of my word," she nodded. "You helped me with my search, so my turn to help you,"

@Tom

 

[Laeonas Tannaras]

At first, Laeonas wasn't sure of what to make of the Jedi's reluctance. What was her plan? To just... waltz out of there? There was no way he could just beat Lo'shak and Joldan into unconsciousness as he had Gibb. They'd both be ready for another outburst like how he had done earlier, and if he started attacking one, the other would probably shoot him dead.

It wasn't like the Jedi-- at least, the ideas he had about the Jedi-- to kill two people who really weren't much of a threat either. He didn't have to wonder about her solution much longer, however, as he was distracted by her find.

Laeonas watched intently as Bri pulled out the box, and immediately afterwards, it's contents. A puzzled look slipped across his face initially-- but it dissipated as the power of the fore began to radiate from it... though admittedly, it wasn't very impressive. He had to seriously concentrate to even notice the presence, and even than it seemed rather miniscule.

This was what they'd torn open what had to be two-dozen different munitions and spice crates for? A piece of junk in a box, probably belonging to some long dead Jedi from millennia before?

Though it wasn't much to look at, it did have a connection to the force-- and while the Jedi might have been impressed, Laeonas was decidedly disappointed. He didn't exactly have a stake in what she had found-- it wouldn't have been him who'd have to return to her masters empty handed, after all. But was this thing really important enough to not just... wait for his people to have left? Come back a few hours later, and avoid the conflict entirely.

"Nah," he thought, suddenly feeling foolish for even considering the idea. This meeting had been decided by the force-- it wouldn't have allowed the two of them to avoid crossing paths anyhow. He would've probably wound up drawn back here when the Jedi had arrived, and who knows how that might have gone.

Still, the time to think about different possibilities and outcomes had failed. So far, Laeonas and the Jedi had succeeded in finding her lost artifact... which meant that she owed him.

Her near immediate turn to him after finishing her initial study of the artifact was... surprising, to say the least. The boy hadn't expected her to go back on her word; she'd proven to be mostly honest so far, apart from her decision to withhold information initially, which was completely justified. There was an artifact, they had found it, and now, she was ready to fulfill her end of the agreement.

Still, Laeonas had rarely dealt with anyone who was so willing to surrender their time and effort to anything he'd ask of them. Usually a bit more haggling was involved; insults, threats, all the works. He honestly wouldn't have been surprised if the following words would devolve into the same screaming matches he'd have with food vendors as a child, with words in both basic and old brentaali mixed in a patchwork of insults, threats, slurs... and price negotiation.

"Yer... forth'raight-ness," Laeonas began, struggling to even sound out the long and unfamiliar word he'd heard to many a trader use, "is app'reci'ated, Jedi."

With his opening statement concluded, it began to dawn on the boy about just what he was being offered. He hadn't much considered the request earlier, but the Jedi was willing to impart some genuine knowledge onto him. What he'd gotten from Rishe on Ossus had already helped him a number of times; the meditation exercises he performed helped him to refocus the force, stronger than he had been used to in the past few years. What knowledge could the Jedi impart that, after a few months of training, he couldn't use to even further expand his abilities?

The thought excited him beyond the prospect of credits, or even the initial hype of the spice deal he was going to be a part of in a few hours-- which he might actually suffer a cut in his shares of due to his actions towards the other human.

Thinking hard, Laeonas thought back to all the incredible feats he'd heard of in legends. He could already feel the power of the force coursing through him, and while he still doubted if even half of the stories he heard were even remotely true, or even just heavily exaggerated, he started to wonder if he could truly command such power.

Could the Jedi teach him such abilities?

"Nah," He thought again, immediately dismissing the notion. Even if she could, it wasn't like they had all day-- their time was still limited. He had to decide what would be the most effective way to use it.

Thinking back to what he'd learned from the Padawan on Ossus, he looked the blonde haired human in the eyes. "Ai was... taught... 'ow Ai could focus mae emotions. Ai learned that if Ai could understand 'em, Ai could control 'em-- and apparently, tha force would become easier ta command." Laeonas explained, recounting the brief lesson he'd learned. "Ai've used tha force laike that before-- Ai was fightin' off some security guards on tatooine, and Ai al'most felt separated from... everythin'. Ai was tha force, and tha force was me-- mae feelin's were gone."

Speaking softly, almost at a whisper, he asked, "Can ya teach me ta do that, Jedi? Ta focus mae emotions, so Ai can move past em'-- unlock tha force's real potential?"

He remained quiet, before adding, "...beyond just chokin' pricks, ofcourse."


​

@ModernMarvel

 

[Brienna Lanaamer]

"Yer... forth'raight-ness is app'reci'ated, Jedi."

Bri nodded with a shrug. She wasn't one to readily accept compliments, and true to form, offered a noncommittal response. A short interlude of silence occupied the space between them. The woman looked on intently at the young man, as he appeared deep in thought. It wasn't necessarily conflict she felt within him, but more interested confusion. From his own statements, he had an inconsistent history, at best, with learning in the Force. Not that Bri was an expert tutor, but that still made for a challenging student. Spending a brief afternoon learning was not the best way to practice and understand the Force.

The young man offered a short story as a primer, before getting to his question on on controlling emotions. The Jedi chewed her bottom lip. She hoped he asked for something simpler, like pushing something with the Force, lifting rocks, or jumping high. The ability to focus one's emotions was undoubtedly a useful skill to have when practicing with the Force. What he said was true, it did make commanding the Force easier. However, it required practice. Usually lots of practice, dedication, and discipline.

The Jedi remained quiet for a moment, deep in her own thoughts. To start, she offered just a brief note of clarification. "Well, I can impart some knowledge, help you to understand, but," she raised a finger to note the point, "this isn't like learning to do a flip or something. At the end of the day, this comes down to you, and your emotions."

She continued. "What you were taught is correct," she nodded. "If you have control of your emotions, use them to your benefit, it can make your abilities with the Force more refined or focused." The woman hopped up and took a seat on one of the crates. "Think about it like swimming in a river. If you're trying to go upstream, swimming against the current, you're not going to get very far," she shook her head. "But, if you use the river to your advantage, let the current guide you, you're obviously going to have more luck. When you use the Force, think of your emotions like that river. Let them push you in the right direction."

"Its a calmness, what you describe. Not anger," she was quick to point out. "Take a few deep breaths; close your eyes if you find it helps," she did so, to illustrate, breathing in deeply, before exhaling. "Feel what's around you. Both living and not. Cast out any distractions and just focus on your breathing." Again another inhale and exhale. She opened her eyes and look on the young man. "Like I said, everyone has their own connection to the Force. Some progress in areas where others struggle, and vice versa. To really excel, you need to understand who you are," she pointed in the middle of her chest for effect. "Not superficial wants and desires, like a fancy spaceship or power," again shaking her head. "Internal struggle will only hold you back. Make sense?"

What Bri described didn't seem overly complicated on the surface, but like much with the Force, the adage "easier said than done," applied.

@Tom