Ask Yavin IV It Goes Without Saying...

[Elidan]

With the trap prepared, the two Padawans went to their hiding place at the cargo hold. Elidan was grateful that most of the ships that the Order used to lend to Padawans were old cargo ones. Different from the newest models, this had several places where someone could hide. Perhaps it was the reason why so many smugglers had preference for them.

In the end, the trap worked perfectly. The invaders entered the ship and immediately were affected by the gas, which had knocked all of them out before they could even understand what was happening. The sound of bodies falling on the floor made Elidan smile behind his mask. “Good work!” he said telepathically, while placing his left hand over Ruzaan’s shoulder.

Once they were sure that the intruders were all incapacitated, the Padawans left their hiding place. While the Togruta fixed the system to stop the gas, Elidan approached one of the bodies on the floor. “This one is a Weequay.” then the half-Annfyn turned to another, seeing that this was a Zabrak. Both seemed to be wearing some type of uniform.

“I have no idea who that people are, but their clothes remind me of pirates.” he pointed at the outfit of the Weequays. “I think that I heard something about piracy increasing around this side of the Galaxy, but I’m not sure if it is the case.” the half-Annfyn walked back to his friend. “What do you think that we should do now?”

@SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Ruzaan Kai]

[Do pirates usually wear uniforms?] Ruzaan wondered briefly, before considering their next move. There were far more questions than answers, and he despite the rousing success of his plan, he was a little incensed at whomever had decided to try boarding their ship. He and Elidan had found a lead after several months of this being a cold case, so for new and dangerous complications to pop up now- on what was supposed to be a simple visit, no less- was frustrating to him.

[Next, we head to the other ship and figure out if there's any other people or clues there!] Ruzaan replied, having finished tying up the last of the would-be pirates. Aside from the strange uniforms, which the Togruta didn't recognize, there seemed to be no other similarities amongst the intruders. [If I was a pirate captain, I wouldn't send my whole force onto the other ship. There's got to be someone still there] he said, gripping his lightsaber and beginning his way towards the airlock connecting the two ships.

@LouJoVi

 

[Elidan]

Before Elidan could say anything to Ruzaan, there was a loud explosion. The door of the ship was sent flying, hitting the wall in front it. The half-Annfyn immediately grabbed his lightsaber in preparation for the fight that was going to start soon. Whoever was invading wasn’t going to be happy with the fact that the two boys had knocked out half of their personnel.

Soon, a group of people with the same uniforms came through the entrance. They were carrying blasters and formed a circle around the Padawans. Suddenly, they moved to allow another person to stay in front of them. This individual was dressed in elaborate armor that matched the uniforms. With a helmet in their face, Elidan could identify their gender or species.

“Who dares to attack the crew of Meridyan? You shall pay the ultimate price for this outrage!” the person said, their voice modified by the helmet. When they saw that Elidan was holding a lightsaber, they lowered the blaster that was holding. “Wait, you're not Zygerrians. You are Jedi!”

However, Meridyan soon raised his blaster again. “Are you two really Jedi? Or are you Zygerrian agents?” Elidan could feel that the person already knew the answer, but was asking it in an attempt to be careful. “Don’t you know that slavers are plaguing this side of the Outer Rim?”

@SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Ruzaan Kai]

Boom! The explosion, and subsequent forceful removal of the airlock door from its hinges, disoriented Ruzaan enough that he and Elidan were quickly surrounded. The Togruta licked his dry lips; their luck had finally run out. Standing back-to-back with Elidan, Ruzaan prepared to ignite his lightsaber and fight to the bitter end; until the leader of their would-be attackers lowered her blaster.

A frown crossed the Togruta's face as he listened to the mysterious helmeted person speak. He hadn't heard of the Meridyan before, but some things weren't adding up. "Hey, we didn't attack you. Your ship pulled our terrifying pirating shuttle out of hyperspace, and then you boarded us!" He was probably being a little too sarcastic given the position he and Elidan were in, but he hadn't been expecting to confront the leader of the other ship so soon. Ignoring those surrounding them, Ruzaan turned to his friend.

"I think they've got us" he said, heaving a dramatic sigh as he did so. "The ruse is up! We are, in fact, working for the Zygerrians by threatening helpless ships several times the size of our shuttle." He couldn't believe that the people who had appeared to be trying to kill or capture them were, in fact, questioning if he and Elidan were pirates.

Ruzaan then turned back to the helmeted person. "Since you already know who we are, who are you?"

@LouJoVi

 

[Elidan]

Elidan stared at Ruzaan, surprised with how annoyed his friend seemed with everything that was happening. Of all that time that they knew each other, it was the first that he saw the Togruta acting this way. Until now, he had doubted that the other Padawan was capable of being sarcastic. Hopefully it would not leave that Meridyan person furious.

Since they were using a helmet, Elidan couldn’t see Meridyan’s reaction. However, he was able to see a grimace appear in the face of some of their crew when Ruzaan asked who they were. “Who am I? I’ll show you who I’m!” the armored person said, before snapping their fingers. In answer to this command, some of the people that was surrounding the two Padawans positioned themselves behind their boss.

What happened next was probably the most bizarre and impressive thing that Elidan saw. They started to dance in very elaborate choreography that made the half-Annfyn wonder if they were pirates or part of a dance academy. There was even a song that explained that Meridyan and their crew were former slaves and abused individuals that were now fighting against oppression.

Elidan could only blink to the entire thing. He was so surprised by it that even forgot about the crew members still pointing blasters at him and Ruzaan.

Once the “presentation” ended, Meridyan turned back to the two Padawans. “We have information that a small cargo ship like this one was going to move through this sector carrying several slaves. We thought that it was you.” they said, before crossing their arms. “Now tell me, what two Jedi are doing out here?”

@SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Ruzaan Kai]

Stunned, Ruzaan watched as the "pirates" launched into what could only be described as a painstakingly choreographed musical number. Throughout it all, the Togruta couldn't shake the mental image of the Merydian's crew practicing their performance for hours, and he quickly closed his mouth after he realized that his jaw had dropped. When it ended, Ruzaan clapped politely. [How... how often do you think they get to do that for other people?] he asked Elidan when the song had finished.

"That was... informative" he managed, remembering his manners; his mother had taught him to always compliment any kind of performance, since they required vulnerability from the performer. By now, he was comfortable speaking for both him and Elidan, so he began answering the question while trusting that his friend would interject telepathically if he missed something.

"Jedi business" Ruzaan said solemnly, beginning to wonder if there was a hidden camera somewhere in the shuttle. Although all he saw were blasters pointed their way, the threat from the crew of the Merydian had completely evaporated the moment they had started gyrating in coordination with one another. That didn't mean that he trusted them, or was interested in sharing any information with them. "Uh... good luck with catching those slavers."

@LouJoVi

 

[Elidan]

”No idea, but I bet that isn’t much.” Elidan said telepathically, while he watched the members of the cre to return to their positions around Meridyan. If they always danced that there was an introduction, these people would have been killed during their first mission. The half-Annfyn was sure of that.

“That was bizarre.” he said, knowing that only Ruzaan would be able to hear him. Elidan didn’t notice, but telepathy had become sort of a secret bond that they shared. Not even with his Master he used that much, preferring to talk or use sign language. It felt so natural with the Togruta that sometimes he didn’t even notice that he was doing it.

The half-Annfyn nodded when Ruzaan answered Meridyan. “Jedi business, right? Then I believe that we should leave you two.” they turned to the door that his crew had exploded. “I’m sorry for that. My men will fix it.” with a gesture, a male Trandoshan and a female Mirialan appeared and started to work on it. “We respect the Jedi, our problem is with the oppressors of the Galaxy.”

When this bizarre meeting seemed to be coming to an end, a male Quarren appeared through the airlock. “Boss, we received information that the Zygerrians are coming! Their ship will be here soon.” Meridyan stared at him for some seconds, before turning to the two Padawans. “Would you two want to help? Since they are slavers, the Jedi Order would also want to stop them.”

@SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Ruzaan Kai]

Ruzaan didn't know exactly how the Merydians were going to reattach the door they'd blasted off- it had been an enormous risk, in his opinion, using explosives in space where the slightest breach in atmosphere could spell doom- but apparently they were determined to give it the good ol' college try.

Leaving the Mirilan and the Trandoshan to their work, Ruzaan turned his attention to the leader of the Merydians, his face settling into grim determination as the approach of the Zygerrians was announced. His own people were frequently targeted by the slavers, and he'd helped fend off a Zygerrian attack on his homeworld of Shili a few years ago. Ruzaan didn't need to be a Jedi in order to be willing to help against the Zygerrians, and he immediately agreed. "I'm in" he said, resolutely, mind beginning to work on a plan. The gas trick wouldn't work again; they couldn't risk depleting the system any more than they already had.

Instead, he pulled on what he knew about the feline species while brainstorming mentally with Elidan. [Zygerrians are bullies, but don't underestimate them; they're strong and fast, and their whips hurt.] A painful experience he hoped he never relived. [They'll back off if we show enough fight, but it won't be easy.] At this point, Ruzaan realized that he'd assumed Elidan was also interested in this, instead of asking. [But I'm getting ahead of myself. Is this something you want to do, too?]


@LouJoVi

 

[Elidan]

Elidan nodded in agreement while Ruzaan said that he wanted to help Meridyan and their crew fight the Zygerrians. As Jedi, it was their duty to fight individuals like these slavers. The simple thought that still existed people that enslaved other sentients disgusted the half-Annfyn. It would be a pleasure for him to destroy their business and release the slaves.

When his friend started to talk about the Zygerrians through their bond, Elidan could feel his negative feelings about it. They had made something against Ruzaan and the other boy could still remember it. The way that he saw how the whips hurt made the half-Annfyn’s heart ache.

“They’ll not hurt you again. I’ll not allow it.” he said, while placing his hand over that of his friend. Elidan would do everything to fulfill that promise. “I want to help fight these slavers. The people that they captured deserved to be free. No one should be a slave in the Galaxy.”

“However, I believe that we should ask if Meridyan and his crew have a plan. I don’t want to go face to face with the Zygerrians without any preparation.” since Jakku, the half-Annfyn came to believe that things made through improvisation never worked. His mechanical hand was proof of that.

@SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Ruzaan Kai]

As much as Ruzaan appreciated Elidan's support, the Togruta was stoic as he prepared for the conflict ahead. [Don't let your concern for me cloud your judgement] he reminded the half-Annfyn, thinking back to an earlier experience on this mission. [Besides; the Zygerrians aren't here to kill us, they're here to try and capture us. I'll be fine.] he continued, with trying to project a confident tone.

It wasn't long before Merydian approached the Jedi with the beginnings of a plan. "We'll wait behind a nearby asteroid until the Zygerrians board your shuttle; then, when they're busy, we'll approach and board them" the helmeted figure said, as if savoring the idea.

Ruzaan licked his suddenly-dry lips as he considered the idea; it was better than anything he could come up with at the moment, and given the impending arrival of the Zygerrians, perhaps the only one that could be discussed in any detail. [Guess we're the bait again?] Ruzaan said through his bond with Elidan, waiting for the half-Annfyn's approval before giving a response one way or another.

@LouJoVi

 

[Elidan]

Elidan released his grip from Ruzaan’s hand as soon as he heard the other boy reply. “I understand.” the Togruta was right, he shouldn’t be concerned only with his friend. There would be innocent people that needed to be protected. In the end the half-Annfyn was being selfish. He felt disappointed.

After Merydian gave their instructions, the Padawans were left alone in their ship. The door had been repaired faster than Elidan had expected that it would be possible. Now they could fulfill their part in the plan. “Yeah, it seems that it’s our fate to always be the bait.” the half-Annfyn only hoped that he wouldn’t lose another hand.

The Jedi would need to wait some time until the Zygerrian shuttle left hyperspace. As soon as they noticed the other ship floating alone in the middle of space, they sent a message to the Padawans. Elidan immediately pressed a button, allowing the two to hear what was going to be said.

“Hello, is everything fine? We are merchants and saw your ship stuck here. Do you need help?” the half-Annfyn turned to Ruzaan, waiting to see what his friend was going to answer. While the Zygerrians seemed to be well intentioned, it could be only a plot to enter their ship and capture them.

@SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Ruzaan Kai]

In short order, the dancing pirates had left the Jedi's shuttle, making way for the actual pirates to happen upon Elidan and Ruzaan. The Togruta turned to his friend as the Merydian's ship grew gradually smaller in their viewport. [Do you think they'll actually stick around?] he asked, uncertain what to make of the most unique group of beings since the Emryc Thorne Fan Club. Given the fact that they'd performed a small musical for the Jedi, it wouldn't surprise him if he and Elidan had just been left to the wolves that were currently hailing them over the comms.

"Uh, yep. Everything is fine here!" Ruzaan responded, figuring that it was best he speak rather than Elidan, but a slight press of the control stick confirmed what the Togruta suspected; the larger Zygerrian vessel had them in a tractor beam.

"You are being rescued! Please do not resist" said the voice, helpfully. "How many humanoids are aboard your ship? For, uh, medical reasons."

[Standard procedure] Ruzaan informed his friend, [so they know how much trouble to expect]. "Just me" he replied, knowing that embellishing numbers meant bringing more Zygerrians aboard; he was also hoping to conceal Elidan's presence to use to the Jedi's advantage. "But really, there is no need to--"

Static suddenly flooded the comm channel, and a warning shot flashed bright- and close- over the bow of their ship. Ruzaan locked eyes with his friend, a grim smile crossing his face as he prepared again for the prospect of combat. The shuttle was small, but the Jedi would have a slight advantage in both their knowledge of the ship, and their communication through the Force. [Time to set up an ambush.]

@LouJoVi

 

[Elidan]

Elidan shurugged. “I have no idea. While they didn’t seem to be evil, Meridyan seemed to have a screw loose.” the half-Annfyn only hoped that it wasn’t a reason for them to abandon the Padawans to face a group of slavers alone. He wasn’t sure if they could do it at the moment. Not so soon after they had left the Medical Bay.

He heard the Zygerrian speak again, even after Ruzaan informed them that everything was fine. The half-Annfyn wondered if someone would really believe that they were being rescued by these people, when the answer sounded so creepy and fake. They really needed to take some theater classes, to learn how to act better.

While the tractor beam dragged them toward the slavers’ ship, Elidan turned to plot with Ruzaan how they were going to prepare the ambush. At least they have the advantage, since the Togruta had hidden the fact that the half-Annfyn was also there. This gave them more opportunities.

“Perhaps I could hide inside the cargo hold, behind one of these old crates.” he said, while watching the lights of the other ship becoming closer every second. "You could find a way to attract them here and I will attack. What do you think?”

@SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Ruzaan Kai]

Ruzaan nodded immediately in acceptance of Elidan's plan; it was simple, which was exactly what was needed given the short amount of time they had to implement it. It was also easy to execute, which made the chances of things going wrong that much slimmer. [May the Force be with you, Elidan] he said to his friend.

The Togruta double-checked his lightsaber on his way to where he was going to make his stand; a small room just off the main corridor, adjacent to the cargo hold. With a couple of hallways to retreat into, including the cargo hold situated to his right, he could lure the Zygerrians into the ambush he and Elidan were setting while still having room to wield his double-bladed lightsaber. The narrow halls of the shuttle would also make using the Zygerrian's whips that much more difficult. Things might get a little hairy once the trap was sprung, especially if the Zygerrians tried flanking him through the hallway to his left, but that was a problem for later.

Spoiler: Jedi Shuttle Map

Steeling himself for the fight ahead, Ruzaan took a defensive stance inside the room, facing the hallway where he knew the slavers would enter and hoping that Elidan had found suitable cover. The airlock hissed open, revealing no less than five Zygerrian slavers ready to board, clearly ready to take a single, helpless Togruta into captivity. Ruzaan allowed himself a small smirk as his lightsaber ignited with a snap-hiss, wreathing his face in a soft blue glow; even with his injuries, he was a Jedi.

"Hello there."

@LouJoVi

 

[Elidan]

”With you too.” Elidan said to Ruzaan, before he walked toward the cargo hold. He felt concerned for the Togruta, due to his propensity to get hurt. However, the half-Annfyn knew that his friend was also a good fighter.

They fought against so many things together before and these times ended more in victories than defeats. With that in mind, Elidan relaxed. The other Padawan would be fine. Ruzaan was close to being Knighted and he was capable of facing off against a bunch of slavers. Besides that, the Togruta only needed to attract them to him and the two would fight together.

Once he was in the cargo hold, Elidan found a particularly big crate to hide behind and still have a good sight of the entrance. He would stay here in silence, waiting for the Togruta to bring the Zygerrians toward him.

@SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Ruzaan Kai]

Ruzaan was grateful that he wasn't alone; Elidan's presence, both in his mind and in the Force, helped calm the Padawan as he faced down a fear that was very personal; Zygerrian slavers. For some reason the Zygerrians had taken a specific liking to capturing Togrutas, making Ruzaan's presence in front of them akin to dangling a nerf steak in front of a Nexu.

The gleam of triumph in the slavers' eyes, though, was tempered by caution. Perhaps the understanding that Ruzaan was a Jedi, or out of an abundance of caution, the slavers showed more restraint than Ruzaan had hoped. He'd expected them to fire stun bolts in his direction, which sent tingles running up and down his forearms whenever they were absorbed by his lightsaber, but the Zygerrians made good use of both cover and covering fire to mask a coordinated approach.

[They're very coordinated] Ruzaan said, grimacing as he assessed the situation and the proximity of the Zygerrians. [I'm falling back, they'll be in the room in a few seconds]. The Togruta hoped that Elidan's ambush might throw the Zygerrians into disarray, but he never got the chance to see how it worked.

As Ruzaan backed out of the small room and into the hallway leading to the crew quarters, the lead Zygerrian shifted fire. A single blaster bolt hit the console on the wall inside the small room, frying it; triggering the door's safety measures and trapping Ruzaan inside the hallway.

"There were two life forms detected onboard" he heard one say, voice muffled by the metal door. "Find the other one!" Ruzaan stifled a curse. Why hadn't he thought about life-detecting scans before?

Concern for his friend flooded through Ruzaan as he considered his limited options; he began cutting through the door, but that would take time that Elidan might not have. [I'm coming, Elidan!] he said, hoping that his friend could evade capture until he was free...


@LouJoVi

 

[Elidan]

”Understood.” he said to Ruzaan through his bond. Elidan was certain that something had gone wrong, due to the delay for his friend to arrive at the cargo hold with the Zygerrians. By this point, the half-Annfyn wasn’t even surprised. Nothing that they planned seemed to work these days.

The sound of the door of the cargo hold being open alerted the Padawan that they had arrived. Elidan watched the slavers entering the place, all of them carrying blasters and whips. With Ruzaan’s warning, the half-Annfyn was aware that they were well coordinated and could be difficult for him to fight alone.

After taking a deep breath, Elidan jumped out of his hiding place and landed in front of the Zygerrians, his lightsaber already activated in his hand. While it surprised the slavers, it only lasted for some moments and soon they were already firing at him.

Using his lightsaber, the half-Annfyn blocked the blaster bolts. However, he was forced to retreat until his back hit the wall behind him. Without Ruzaan to help, the Zygerrians would soon overcome him.

Then, one of the slavers stopped firing and picked a communicator. “What is it? We are in the middle of a fight!” he remained in silence, his face becoming full of confusion. “What do you mean that you are being attacked by dancing pirates?” after he said it, an explosion shook the ship. It seems that Meridyan has arrived.

@SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Ruzaan Kai]

Ruzaan was lucky that he hadn't skewered his friend, whose back softly bumped up against the same door that the Togruta had just begun to cut through. A blue lightsaber blade suddenly protruded above and to the right of Elidan's head and slowly began cutting down through the door to the right of the half-Annfyn.

Fortunately for Elidan, the explosion was enough to knock Ruzaan off balance; with as much pressure as was needed to cut through the door, the vibrations from the explosion caused him to slip and the lightsaber would quickly extinguish as he lost hold of it. Cursing to himself, Ruzaan set about finding his lightsaber and picking himself up off of the floor.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Elidan would find himself hard pressed against the five Zygerrians, but the arrival of the Merydian's crew split the Zygerrian's attention. Two of the five would begin making their way back towards their ship, leaving the half-Annfyn in a better, but still disadvantageous, 3v1. The three advanced cautiously, switching from their blasters to whips or stun batons. Two entered the small room that Elidan was in, while the third stayed put in the hallway leading to the Zygerrian's ship; all three wore nasty grins as they plotted Elidan's injury and imprisonment.

Behind the door, Ruzaan found that there was still a slight glow in the room even after his lightsaber extinguished; a control panel on his side of the door blinked a soft orange color, and as the Togruta mentally kicked himself and pushed the button, the door against Elidan's back would once again hiss open...


@LouJoVi

 

[Elidan]

The sound of a lightsaber cutting through metal so close to him made Elidan stare briefly at it. He felt relieved that Ruzaan was coming to help because he wasn’t sure if he would be able to fight these Zygerrians alone. Even after some left to deal with the ‘dancing pirates’, the half-Annfyn still was with a numerical disadvantage.

Without some of their men, the remaining slavers became more careful with their attacks. They would shoot in coordination, trying to pick the Padawan off guard. If it wasn’t for the Force, Elidan was sure that he would already have been captured.

After he deflected another shot, Elidan felt the door behind him disappear. The half-Annfyn nearly fell, but he was able to recover in time to deflect another attempt of the Zygerrians to hit him. However, now things changed and he was aware that his friend was behind him. “Let’s show to these idiots what slavers deserve!”

@SlagathorTheUnknown

 

[Ruzaan Kai]

[Sorry} Ruzaan apologized for his clumsiness and for nearly skewering his friend. There were moments where he felt ready to be a Jedi Knight... and then there were moments like that one that he'd really rather forget happened. Now that he and Elidan were together, though, the three remaining Zygerrians appeared to be having second thoughts. They were used to their victims running away, begging for mercy, and generally not fighting back. Perhaps they sometimes had to make an example of the boldest one in a group to intimidate the others into line, but there was no group here- just a pair of Jedi firmly standing their ground.

The two Zygerrians in the room, not noticing that the third member of their group had begun a strategic retreat, glanced at each other for courage before attacking together; swinging their stun batons in overhead strikes towards Elidan. A Force Push from Ruzaan caught one square on the chest before his blow even landed, leaving Elidan with just one strike to deflect.

The two Jedi would also be dimly aware of a lessening firefight coming from the Zygerrian's vessel; whatever the outcome there would soon become evident...

@LouJoVi