Ask Coruscant In the Dim Light

[Emilia Vuth]

Ajar the night breeze crept through a window, causing the light blue curtains to be lifted up. Emilia felt the breeze swirl around her. Despite her toes becoming nearly numb from it, her mind was far away. Her gaze was planted firmly on the console screen in front of her. A message lit up her cheeks and caused a blue hue to tint her purple eyes.

I have a job for you. Meet me tonight at the Jor Fountain.

Emilia noted quickly that the message did not have a signature. From her observations slicers usually left signatures, especially when sending messages in a clandestine way. Emilia's signature was simple, she went by "Vex". Though she was still a novice and new to the slicing world, so maybe she was wrong about it. Whoever had contacted her could be dangerous, or they could actually have something to say to her.

Either way, it was a risk she was willing to take. She needed a job. She needed something to do now that she was all on her own, without guidance from her master or contact with the Jedi Order. Part of her didn't even feel Jedi. Most of her life she had only known one Jedi: her master, and he alone had taught her.

Finally deciding to go, the small sephi stood up and put on her shoes. She gave one last glance at her console screen then walked out of her apartment. The streets were just as chilly so she wasn't bothered. Her stoic look remained as it usually did. Even when her purple eyes wandered to a group of men, all taking turns kicking a single man who was curled up on the ground yelling in pain.

Long ago her master taught her to choose her battles and not to stick out, and it was likely whoever this man being beat up was would survive. Emilia's gaze moved away from the group of men and back towards the street as she walked past them. Whoever wanted to meet her might already be there, waiting.

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Gatz wasn't exactly partial to Coruscant. For one, being within the Core Worlds usually meant that there was a far greater chance of him getting caught, and most of the time, the cargo on his ship was illicit in nature. Secondly, being within Republic space only left him dealing with memories that were better off forgotten: his time with the Jedi Order. Lastly, and probably most importantly, Gatz just didn't know the planet. He didn't know people who knew the planet. That left him without any substantial contacts for work.

Benji, a drug dealing Weequay with a penchant for murder, had offered Gatz a job. He had to smuggle Republic weapons from Balmorra to the Imperials on Serenno. The alien had offered him a form of payment he couldn't afford to pass up: that of bankrolling a complete overhaul of The Long March, Gatz's freighter.

Naturally, Gatz had accepted. Before he made for Balmorra though, Gatz was hoping to find some transport work that would take him from Coruscant to somewhere near his new destination. After all, fuel wasn't free. He'd tried various cantinas, and was met with either glares of distrust, or job offers that wouldn't even put bread on the table. Frustrated with his lack of luck, Gatz took to the streets to cool off, simply meandering about.

That was when he heard the shouts of pain. His eyes wandered, and found the source: three men kicking the snot out of a fourth man on the side of the street. Not his problem. Gatz had better things to do than play hero.

He found himself approaching the men, anyhow, "gentleman, clearly this guy has had enough, wouldn't you say? You've beaten him so hard that he's soiled his pants! What say you three wind down at the cantina, with a round of drinks on me?"

Gatz reached inside his jacket for a credit chit, but made sure the movement revealed the blaster pistol he kept on his hip. If any of these men had been about to argue, they didn't. He held out the offered credits, which were swiftly taken from his finger. One of the men spat on the poor soul on the ground, but then the group of three were off to trouble some poor barkeep.

Gatz looked down at the victim, who couldn't have been older than eighteen, "a piece of advice kid: if you make a habit of pissing people off, either learn to run, or learn to fight."

With that, he strode away from the young man, and almost collided with a violet eyed woman.

 

[Emilia Vuth]

The rhythmic sound of Jor fountain wasn't far in the distance. The sound had most of Emilia's focus when a much taller figure—a man—nearly bumped into her. The young sephi stepped back, barely avoiding bumping right into the man. "Watch where-" she started to speak until her gaze caught the sight of something right above the mans shoulder.

A man or women or some sort of humanoid on the deck of an apartment. In his hands there appeared to be a sniper rifle or some sort of gun shining in the many neon lights around Coruscant. And it was pointed towards her and this strangers direction.

Emilia didn't take any time to think of why or who was being targeted by the gunman, or even if he was going to fire. Instead she acted on instinct. She didn't care what the moral compass or history of the man was in front of her, or if the sniper was trying to kill him or her. None of that really mattered in the moment to her. Emilia reached out and attempted to grab the hand of the man who nearly bumped into her, while plainly stating, "Behind you. Watch out."

If she was able to latch onto the strangers (@Vicc125) hand, she'd boost her strength with the Force to drag him to the side, into a smaller alleyway into safety. The familiar ping of a sniper bolt rang in her ears. The sniper had fired and the guns bolt hit the ground very closely to where the sephi and human had just been standing.

Emilia's expression did not change, even after hearing the sniper shot. Once she was safely in the alleyway, she spoke to the stanger again, "Are there people after you?" Her voice matched her expression. The tone was dull, monotone yet the question was a serious one. She wasn't sure this stranger would answer considering they'd just met two seconds ago, but she hoped he would. She didn't know if that shot was for her or him, and the question was meant to answer that. If the shot had been for her than that message had been bait for a trap and she'd fallen right into it.

@Vicc125

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

The girl in question was young, maybe even younger than the man Gatz had left laying in his own piss. She was a small thing, short and thin, and downright delicate looking. Not exactly the kind of person he expected to run into down in the seedier streets of Coruscant. She seemed indignant, for a moment, and Gatz couldn't blame her: he had bumped into her. Maybe he should-

He... felt something. A tingle in the back of his head. A tremor that he could never quite explain in words-

But then this girl was grabbing his hand, and whirling him down an alley with a warning. He might have questioned just how quickly she (again quite small compared to him) managed to drag them away, but he had other concerns. A moment later, he heard a blaster fire, and the fizzle of plasma as it burnt away uselessly into the metal street below their feet.

In a flash, Gatz had his blaster in his free hand, aimed down the alley in the direction they just came from. The girl, who seemed to still be holding his hand, spoke very... impassively. Almost like she was detached from the world around her. Gatz couldn't quite place why that bothered him so much, but again, he had bigger fish to fry. Like the person who'd just tried to assassinate him.

"Well, I'm bound to have rubbed someone the wrong way. Haven't heard about a bounty on my head, though."

Especially not in the Core Worlds. He rarely ventured this far inward.

@Lilith

 

[Emilia Vuth]

Having successfully dragged the stranger to safety, Emilia looked back towards where they had come from. The area became quieter than usual right in that moment, likely because others had fled after hearing a blaster shot. There were lots of thugs on the street, but most people that lived here were poorer and didn't have the credits for weapons to defend themselves.

She pulled away her hand from the strangers, wondering for a second why he had held on while drawing his gun, but it was an unimportant details. What was important was he drew a blaster. That meant he could defend himself at least, which meant less responsibility on her shoulders. His answer however brought less relief. It didn't confirm nor rule out that he might've been the target, leaving her unsure if she was the target.

"Mmm," she answered at first, her cold and calculating purple gaze moving from his blaster and the colourful reflections of light that danced on it. Her eyes settled at the end of the alley again instead, though no one showed up. Where had the gunman gone? Did he leave after the missed shot?

After the moments pause, Emilia's stoic voice broke the eerie silence that had settled in the area, "You should go. If that shot was meant for me my presence will only put you in danger."

She did not know if he'd take the advice or try to shoot her for possibly putting him in danger or what. She was not an old grizzled Jedi that protruded an air of authority like her master, though she'd heard her master say the exact same line before. Still, a small hint of worry bubbled in the pit of her stomach about everything, but she ignored it. Even though she was alone now, she had her masters training to fall back on.

"This alleyway connects to a few more and eventually leads to a busier part of the city where you can get lost in the crowd," she said plainly, taking a few steps forward towards where they come from. She would only draw a weapon if she was forced and simply stood there, waiting. Once the stranger left she could investigate without putting him in danger and hopefully get some answers.

@Vicc125

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Gatz kept his eyes peeled for any sign of their would-be assassin. With the woman finally letting go of his dominant hand, Gatz was free to shift his blaster into it. He wasn't the fastest man on the draw, or on the trigger, by any means. But if their assailant tried to turn down their alley, he'd have Gatz' gun pointed right at him. Considering that, the young smuggler felt confident that he could drop the man before the man dropped one of them.

That did, however, require that their gunman actually follow them down the alley. At the moment, Gatz didn't think that was going to happen. If the shot came from an elevated position, as he thought it had, then whomever had shot at them was most likely inside of a building. If they were smart, they'd have high tailed it out of the area. If they weren't smart, then they were still hanging out by the window, waiting for the two of them to step out of the alley.

The way the white haired woman spoke to him reminded Gatz of his instructors back at the academy: cold and detached, and lacking any sort of quality that made one human. He didn't like it. The Jedi Code permitted emotions, yet all his experiences with Jedi made him think of the days of the High Republic. If the history books were right, back then the Order had shuttered themselves away and denied all the things that made people, well, people. It was... inhumane.

Regardless, the girl was right: the best thing he could do was walk away, and try to blend in with the crowd on the main street. This killer (probably) wasn't after him. There was no reason for Gatz to hang around. And yet...

"If that shot was meant for you, then leaving you alone is the same thing as leaving you to die."

Gatz was a sucker for a pretty face. He'd have made a terrible Jedi.

"And if it was meant for me, well, I'd rather kill him before he gets another chance to kill me."

With his piece spoken, Gatz moved forward with the violet eyed girl, as they slowly inched their way back to where they came from. He kept his blaster drawn, held just above his waist, just incase he needed to fire off a quick shot.

@Lilith

 

[Emilia Vuth]

Emilia looked back at the man when he made his first remark about her dying without him. If her stare wasn't stoic her expression might've been more judgmental looking. She was about to reply that she didn't need his help, then his following remark made her pause before speaking. His reasoning for wanting to also pursue the assassin made sense. He wanted to protect himself which meant it wasn't likely she could convince him not to follow her.

And his willingness to put himself in danger instead of simply taking the easy out and fleeing was something she rarely saw in her travels around the galaxy. That alone told her something about him. Now, whether they'd need to kill this assassin or not was another story. That could be decided later.

"I understand," Emilia replied shortly after a pause. Pushing aside any lingering hesitation, Emilia walked out of the alleyway back into the street they had nearly been shot on. She kept her hands near her lightsabers just in case. Yet of course, as (somewhat) expected, no blaster bolts suddenly came flying at her. It seemed the gunman had fled, at least for the moment.

With that out of the way, raising up her right arm, Emilia pointed towards one of the apartment decks on the building near them. "Third floor, fourth deck if you count from the left side is where I saw him. I'm going there," she said plainly, not exactly leaving room for input. Maybe the assassin had left something behind there, or there were cameras or something. It was a start.

Emilia began walking towards the towering building. As she did she looked back over to the man. Her gaze seemed to became sterner, clearly fixated on his face and expressions. That gaze lingered for a handful of seconds before she asked a direct question, "Who are you?"

@Vicc125

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Gatz didn't really want to step back out into the street, potentially in the line of sight of a sniper. He really didn't want to face this sniper at all. In all honesty, even if they did find the man, he didn't want to kill him. That was naïve, he knew. The person in question had nearly taken his head off. Some things, however, simply had to be done.

Plus, if he walked away from this girl, and she got hurt or worse... well, Gatz didn't think he'd be able live with himself. Dammit. The only person who was supposed to matter to him, was him. Why was it that this always happened to him? Why couldn't he learn to leave well enough alone? Decisions like this, where Gatz chose to intervene in things that had nothing to do with him, were going to get him killed someday.

The girl walked back onto the street before Gatz could stop her. He grit his teeth, waiting for her to take a blaster bolt to the chest, but it never came. He let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding. Gatz stepped out onto the street as well, scanning the buildings around them. The smuggler saw the deck the girl pointed out, and nodded. It seemed as good a vantage point as any.

When she declared that she was going up there, Gatz wasn't surprised, "well, I've done dumber things. Let's go."

She hadn't asked him to tag along, but he was coming anyways. He was probably largely irrelevant in this whole situation: he'd noticed the lightsabers hanging from the girl's belt. She didn't need him for back up. Not to mention, Jedi probably fetched a high bounty than some no-one smuggler. The more he put this puzzle together, the more obvious it became that he had nothing to do with it.

Even so... well, "in for a penny, in for a pound." Whatever that meant.

"Gatz Derrevar," he answered simply, tucking his gun back in its holster, "Captain of The Long March. What's your name, Jedi?"

@Lilith

 

[Emilia Vuth]

"Gatz Derrevar," Emilia echoed with her flat tone which was a stark contrast to the mans. She looked back in front of her towards the building as she momentarily tried to recall if she knew the name. She didn't.

Then again, her master knew a lot more names than she did and she'd relied on him somewhat heavily in that way. It was time for her to start learning names herself. "Never heard of-" she started but stopped her sentence when he asked his question.

"That's a bold assumption," she said instead. "What if I'm someone dangerous and not a Jedi? I could've taken offence to your assumption or exploited you with it. You should be more careful," she added without looking at him as if it was second nature to correct him, despite only just meeting.

"Emilia is my name," she said after the more important information. "So what do you do that ruffles enough feathers to potentially get shot at?"

It took a very short time to reach the buildings entrance. The door was locked, obviously. While giving Gatz time to answer she raised her hand and placed it on the console beside the door. The one that was used to read keycards to unlock the door. She placed her hand on it, closing her eyes for a handful of heartbeats to focus on the mechanism with the Force. The door unlocked and slid open a moment later.

@Vicc125

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Of course the Jedi hadn't heard of him. Why would she have? He rarely ventured this far Coreward, and for good reason: smuggling in Republic space was far riskier than in the rims. It was part of the reason why he didn't think this assassin was after him. No one here should ever have heard of him. They could have tracked him from Nar Shaddaa, but if that were the case, why not just shoot him down before he'd left the Outer Rim?

"I should be more careful? Lady, you just walked out in the middle of the street, after a sniper just tried to take both of our heads off! I'd say my assumption isn't anywhere near as rash as that."

She had lightsabers and she was on Coruscant. So, he felt justified in guessing that she was a Jedi. Gatz understood how easy it was to get past customs, but even if a Sith were planet side, he really didn't think one would risk their own life for his. But honestly? That wasn't what sold him on the idea of this Emilia being a Jedi: no, what made him certain in his assumption was the lecture he'd just received.

Gatz might have ranted more to himself, but Emilia interrupted him with a question. Well, he only had one answer to that:

"Nothing particularly legal. But you mentioned earlier that this guy might have been shooting at you, not me. I have to imagine there's a reason you'd think that."

He watched the girl press her hand against the console on the door. For a moment, Gatz thought that she might have a key. Then, the door hissed open without prompting. Maybe most people in the galaxy might have been in awe at that, but Gatz had experienced the Force before. This seemed par for the course.

"Neat trick," Gatz nodded, as he scanned the entrance of the building for their shooter, "you learn that on Yavin?"

He was still trying to sus out if this girl was a Jedi. He was almost certain she was, but he'd been wrong before. Yavin was a guess: it was the temple he'd trained at, during his days as a youngling. Gatz hoped that Emilia would be be willing to spill the beans, if he made it seem like he knew what he was talking about.

@Lilith

 

[Emilia Vuth]

"I was relatively certain I could block the bolt if he was still there," she stated plainly and calmly, once again in contrast to Gatz annoyed tone. Taking steps forward into the building her eyes scanned for cameras. One camera came into her sight and then a sign with an arrow that pointed towards the security room. It probably had recordings from the cameras there.

The small Jedi stared at the sign for a second then began walking the way the arrow pointed while listening to Gatz. She didn't pause or even blink an eye at his answer to what he did. Emilia herself played outside of the law, though she did it to help people. She doubted this man did it for the same reason, but life was hard in this galaxy. People did what they had to to survive. That was why she hesitated before she went after anyone, no matter their history. The galaxy was a tough place and everyone deserved sympathy.

She answered his last question while spotting the door labelled "security". "Almost everything I know I learned from my former mentor," she answered, forgoing his Jedi title. Emilia gave a glance at Gatz when she turned towards the security door to open it like she did the other. "If you're looking to contact the Jedi Order, I do not know how. You're wasting your time with me."

A hiss of the door sliding up prompted her to enter the security room, thankfully empty for the time being but she wouldn't be shocked if they were caught in here. Her lithe frame took seat in one of the chairs and she pulled out her datapad, connecting it to one of the consoles to slice into the controls without a passcode. She finished what she was saying then, "I work alone."

@Vicc125

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

So she was arrogant, Gatz found out. Though considering the aura of superiority that hung around her, and the way it made itself apparent in her speech, he supposed he shouldn't have been surprised. If he'd still been questioning whether or not the small girl was a Jedi, he wasn't now. She just... held herself in a way that reminded him of every instructor he'd ever had. Funny enough, he hadn't liked most of them.

"You're overconfident. Lucky for you, so am I. I think we'll get along just fine."

Annoying as her "holier-than-thou" attitude was, she'd already impressed him more than once in the few minutes he'd known her. He followed her as she led them to the security room, but hung outside the door, leaning against the frame. He was about to offer to slice the terminal, but was surprised to see that she could do it herself. Maybe there was more to this girl than just a dogmatic religion.

"I'm not looking to contact the Order," Gatz rolled his eyes, "I'm just trying to make conversation. Something you Jedi have always been bad at."

If Emilia was going to make herself busy looking at the security footage, then he need to make himself useful as well. What room had that blaster bolt come from? Third floor, fourth deck? If ever there was a place to start their investigation, Gatz figured it was there.

"You look at the footage. I'm gonna go take a look upstairs."

With that, Gatz pushed himself off the wall, and walked in the direction of the elevator.

@Lilith

 

[Emilia Vuth]

Emilia didn't even look at Gatz when he called her overconfident, nor did she give it much thought at that moment. She tried to focus on her slicing, however after his second comment she looked at him and replied extremely dryly, "Thank you for your feedback. I'll endeavor to be even less friendly so conversations don't happen in the first place."

Alright maybe the reply was a little grumpy, but Emilia was Emilia.

She went back to her datapad then paused when he announced his plan. "Give me your comm number so we can stay in contact," she said, more of a demand then a suggest. But, again, Emilia was Emilia and he'd chosen to come along. His mistake. If he gave her his number she'd open a com line to him.

"Keep me updated," her voice crackled over the com to Gatz once he left. The small Jedi started watching video footage of the third floor: it's hallway, it's elevator, all nearby indoor cameras. She noticed something that she probably should tell Gatz. "You might want to know that I cannot find anyone leaving the room on the inside cameras. I'll check the outdoor cameras now."

She wasn't sure if the shooter tampered with the cameras, left some other way or if he was still in the room, waiting. She assumed Gatz would find out if the man was still there soon. "You're slow," Emilia's voice crackled over the com again while she waited for his answer.

@Vicc125

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

"You know, you ought to try smiling. All the frowning is bound to put permanent creases on your face."

Jedi. Always so solemn and serious. He'd almost forgotten why he found them so exasperating. This girl was a good reminder of how dull they were. Even so, Gatz gave Emilia his commlink info, before waltz off on his one man quest to confront his would-be assassin.

"So there's a good chance he's still in the room? Dandy."

With that in mind, Gatz set out to be extra careful. As the elevator doors slid open, revealing the third floor, he took care to step slowly. His eyes scanned his surroundings, picking apart the shadows in the corners. His ears strained for any sound, but the hallway was quiet. It was eerie. He felt like prey, waiting to be ambushed by his predator. Gatz drew his blaster, but it brought him little comfort.

Then Emilia had the audacity to chide him for being slow.

"Don't get your panties in a twist!" Gatz hissed quietly, "I'm trying to listen for any movement."

But there was none, even as Gatz reached the door in question. It was slid shut, as he would have expected. The console on the wall told him it was locked. He pressed an ear to the wall, but still heard nothing. Even so... Gatz felt off. Like the hairs on the back of his neck were standing up, like ice water was running down his spine, like there were sirens going off in his head. His attunement to that sixth sense he wished he could be rid of told him that he was still in danger.

The man was still in the room. Of that, Gatz Derrevar was certain.

"He's still here," Gatz whispered quietly over his commlink, "it'd be nice to have a few lightsabers on my six."

As silently as he could, Gatz produced a small knife from his boot, and began to pry the console from the wall.

@Lilith

 

[Emilia Vuth]

Emilia ignored his suggestion to smile. He didn't understand her, and that was perfectly fine. She didn't need to be understood in that way, as long as she got to continue her work that was all that really mattered to her.

Gatz snapped back over the com. He was certainly emotional, albeit brave. There was something about him that almost came off as Jedi. That, however, she pushed aside as she remained quiet for Gatz's next reply.

The small Jedi felt herself frowning slightly when Gatz did update her. "Do not go in the room without me," she said, again as a command instead of a suggestion, yet one she hoped he'd respect. She hadn't wanted to put him at risk in the first place, despite her respect for his bravery, so she couldn't let him go in alone if he was certain the assassin was still here. Besides, she didn't trust he could get the job done.

If he did not go in, Emilia's pace would bring her up the stairwell and to the third floor quickly to his side. "Move," she hissed softly once she got to his side, raising her left hand towards Gatz to give him a small push with the Force. She wanted to force him to move further away from the door. She'd go first. She had the Force to protect her. Something stirred in the air and it made her wary, which made her unclip a lightsaber from her belt.

A snap-hiss from one of her lightsabers igniting filled the eerie silence and the purple blades glow tinted the walls around the poorly lit apartment hall. Everything sounded quiet outside the lightsabers humm. With the door unlocked, from what she assumed was Gatz's efforts, Emilia raised her free hand up again and stepped forward towards the door -- right after she pushed Gatz.

The door hissed open and Emilia wrapped a bubble of force around herself and Gatz to ward off any blaster fire that might come their way.

But no blaster fire came.

Suddenly all Emilia could see was brightness, and all she could feel in the first moment was the floor and walls around her shaking. She did her best to hold the bubble shield around them for as long as she could, but it could only hold up so long against fire. Within seconds her whole hand and arm was engulfed in pain and heat lick dangerously close to the rest of her body, threatening her before she was flung back from the impact and saved from being completely burnt. It was an explosion from a bomb, which quickly ate up Emilia's bubble.

As confident as she was in her skills, she had still fallen right into a trap again.

Right after hitting the hallway wall, Emilia fell limply to the floor. All she could feel was pain from the impact and burns on her left hand and arm. The world around her became dark and started to fade away into darkness. In the last moments of being consciousness, she wanted to run but couldn't. She did not know if Gatz would kill her or what her fate would end up being but the world went black quickly.

@Vicc125

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Emilia barked a command at him over his comlink. He wanted to be indignant; he was not some Padawan learner, and she was not his master. Hell, he was certain he was older than her! Jedi or not, she had no business telling him what to do. But... he swallowed those feelings. He himself had asked for her to come up. So, even if he didn't like the way she phrased her words, he abided by them.

Between the two of them, she was likely the most experienced combatant. Yeah, he'd gotten into a shootout or two in his day, but he wasn't a fully trained Jedi. He was barely a smuggler. So he stuck with what he knew, and pulled the casing of the console off of the wall. He disconnected wires from the back of it, and set it aside, before sticking his hands into the innards of the mechanism.

He didn't have the Force- well, he wasn't adept with using the Force to crack locks, like the violet eyed girl was. But there was something classic about the manual approach anyhow.

Emilia appeared at his side, and hissed more commands at him. He ignored them, focusing on the door. Of course, then she pushed him. Not physically of course, no, it was more like the air itself forced him a few inches away.

"Hey! I'm working here-" he went silent as the girl finally ignited a lightsaber.

A purple light illuminated the otherwise dark hallway. For a moment, Gatz was awed. It had been a long time since he'd seen a lightsaber. A long time since he'd held one, though that had been a training saber, and not a true Jedi weapon like this. In a way, he saw in Emilia what he could have been, had he not left the order.

This was not some girl barely out of childhood. At least, not right now. This was a fully fledged Jedi Knight, ready for action.

The door hissed open as Gatz finished his work. Then... then there was a flash of light that blinded him. Sound that deafened him. He felt heat kiss his skin, even through his jacket. The walls, the floor, the very building shook violently. A few moments passed where Gatz was completely and entirely helpless.

Then his ears began to ring. He coughed smoke up from his lungs, and his eyes made out Emilia's crumpled form on the ground.

His reaction was instant: though still dazed, he turned the corner of the apartment, blaster held out. All he saw was fire and smoke. Gatz's instincts had been wrong: the danger he'd sensed hadn't been that of the assassin waiting for them. It had been the bomb waiting for them in the room. His instincts failing him might have left him shaken, were it not for Emilia being limp and burnt on the ground. He holstered his gun, and ran to her side. She seemed to be fine, besides the burns on her arm. He guessed that she might have a concussion, considering that she'd been blown back from the explosion.

With trembling arms, Gatz picked her up.

"R4," Gatz coughed into his comlink, "R4 I need a pick up. Immediately. I don't care how many laws we break, I need you to meet me at my coordinates now! Someone's hurt."

Flying a freighter over an apartment complex would probably make the top five of Gatz's "Stupidest Things I've Ever Done" list. But he could worry about the consequences of his actions later. Right now, he needed to make for the roof. So, with Emilia's petite form in his arms, and smoke in his lungs, he half jogged in the direction of the elevator.

@Lilith

 

[Emilia Vuth]

~~~~~~~~~~~~Sometime Later~~~~~~~~~~~~​

There was a long time where Emilia woke up and fell back asleep as she slipped in and out of consciousness. Her dreams within these times varied, though most revolved around her master. She dreamed of him being out of reach. She dreamed of him being lost or simply not being able to hear her. '

Why wasn't her master here? Had he abandoned her?

Suddenly she felt somewhat sick and sat up on the bed. Then she realized she had actually sat up and looked around the room she was in. She was in a medical bay on a ship but she didn't recognize where she was exactly. It made her somewhat nervous.

Raising her left hand, Emilia immediately noticed the bandage wrapped around it. That meant that she'd gotten medical help, and noticeably there were no chains around the bandage or her wrist, so Gatz hadn't attempted to take her prisoner...

Because she had been in an accident, hadn't she? Back at that building. Her mind began to race so she choose to stand up. She wasn't in perfect shape, so once she go to the door of the medical bay room she leaned on its frame using her dominate hand to prop her up.


The hallway seemed empty. "Hello?" Emilia said into the empty hallway, hoping to get some attention. Most of all, hoping that Gatz had also survived too and she hadn't allowed a death on her watch. "Gatz? Gatz are you here? Gatz are you okay?" A beeping down the hall caught her attention. A droid. Emilia let out a small grunt in reply. "I don't like droids."

@Vicc125

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

The minutes that had followed the explosion had blurred together in Gatz's mind. He'd hauled her up to the top of the building, and watched as R4 scraped the loading ramp against the roof (that wasn't buffing out, damn droid). He'd carried her into the cargo bay, ordered his idiot droid to take them into an orbit around the planet, and had turned his personal quarters into a makeshift medical bay for the young Jedi.

He'd had to tear her sleeve up past the shoulder in order to assess the burns, but other than that, her modesty had been left intact (well, he'd removed her shoes to avoid dirtying his sheets). Gatz had administered a bacta spray to the singed flesh, and then wrapped her arm in bacta patches. The smuggler hadn't feared for her life, but he had noticed that she'd shown signs of a fever early on.

There was nothing else he could have done for her, aside from taking her to a hospital. But he didn't want to risk their assassin cornering them where they might be helpless. So here they were in space: Emilia in his bed, R4 (supposedly) watching her, and him lounging in the cockpit. He didn't know where to go from here, and he had to figure out what to-

Was that Emilia's voice? Damn droid was supposed to let him know when she was up.

Gatz spun in his seat, and watched as Emilia appeared in the hallway. Well, in the doorway of his quarters, which opened right next to the end of the hall where the cockpit was.

"Well, good morning Princess," Gatz leaned back, relieved that Emilia was up and about, "how was your beauty sleep?"

An R4 astromech, yellowed with only a few hints of his green trim remaining, rolled down from the other end of the hallway. He beeped at Gatz, letting the smuggler know that Emilia was up.

"Thanks Arfour. I couldn't tell," he said, clearly exasperated.

@Lilith

 

[Emilia Vuth]

Emilia smiled when Gatz turned around. He was alive. She hadn't failed him. Though the smile didn't last once she caught herself, doubly so when he made his princess comment. She was no princess and did not appreciate the comment. But, that didn't change the reality of her situation so she decided not to protest this time.

Without comment she found a seat near Gatz, first looking out the window. They were in space. It'd been a few months since she'd been in space, since both her master and his ship had gone missing. She'd been stranded on the planet. Perhaps staying so long was the reason she'd drawn attention, if the assassin was after her.

Allowing her body to relax her gaze settled on him. It was stoic while she spoke, "Thank you for everything," she said plainly. "Not many in this galaxy have the ability to help others, let alone decide to do so. You're a good man."

Whatever his past or future might be, she felt the need to recognize his kindness. He could've chosen a much different future or lack thereof for her. It didn't matter what she had done for him. Helping someone did not mean that person would do the same. The future was never certain, but instead of cruelty he'd chosen to show her kindness.

"Despite the fact I fell for it, I've seen that bomb tactic before. It's possible the Drek Kor is after me, or you. They're assassins for hire, among many other things. That is my best guess, but leaving this planet might be a smarter move rather than continuing to pursue this." She wasn't even sure he wanted to discuss the subject right away or at all. Emilia, however, revolved her life around her work and had little social skills outside of focusing on it.

@Vicc125

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

So the prim and proper princess could smile. Gatz filed that little bit of information away for later. Right now, they needed to talk strategy. They still had no idea whether their assassin had been after him or her. They didn't have a name. Didn't know what he looked like. They didn't know the first thing about their situation, other than that they were in one.

"Arfour, get on scanners. Let us know if you see anything."

The quirky droid beeped an affirmative at Gatz, and rolled to the console between his and Emilia's seats.

"I owed you one," Gatz shrugged at his new Jedi companion, "and... I don't think I'd call myself a good man, but I can't walk away when people need me."

The Jedi had ruined him in that aspect, he thought, by making him care for the downtrodden. For a long time, he'd thought that was a bad thing. Afterall, it was hard to bat for the wrong side of the law, when every instinct screamed for you to play hero. But, well, maybe that had been shortsighted. Gatz had spent so long holding a grudge against a group of people for their views, that he had forgotten how to see the forest for the trees. Emilia was a good person, of that he was certain. Most Jedi were.

Maybe some of their convictions were worth believing in.

"Yeah. Staying on Coruscant seems like a bad idea. That's why I brought you here, to my ship, and not a hospital," Gatz spun around in his chair, staring out the cockpit's window, "I hope you don't mind, but I'd like to stick around until this thing is settled, one way or another. Regardless of who they're after, we stand a better chance together than apart."
@Lilith