Meeting The Family

[Sreeya]

Qailan smiled as he walked away, shaking her head. She couldn't help but admire him for being such a good sport about all this. She half expected him to bitch and moan the entire way, but he had done well to keep quiet so far. However, it was only the beginning of the night, and there was still a lot to come. As if on cue, she felt herself be violently turned around. Qailan's eyes widened in shock, staring into the face of a repulsive man that towered over her. She had to grimace as he spoke, hit with an almost tangible wave of his hot, rancid breath. Qailan looked down.

"I..I don't want any trouble."

The man simply looked down, blinked and then burst out laughing, turning to his men that joined in. They twirled their knives in their hands, circling around Qailan. She knew if she had called upon the Force, she could down the entire group in one fluid motion. However, she did not have the will to break that promise to never use it again. Qailan's jaw tightened and she felt herself be thrown towards another man who grabbed her, leaning in to press his face against her hair. He appeared to inhale her scent, making her cringe and attempt to shrink away.

"Ohhh man this is way too easy."

He laughed and tossed her towards yet another man who held his knife up. He grabbed her and attempted to slash at her clothes. In the meantime, all the homeless men and women didn't look up once, all too used to things like these. Qailan struggled for release, but she was vastly overwhelmed, surrounded from all sides. She was all but paralyzed, stuck in an inner battle where the desire to apply the Force and embrace her past crippled her, combating her new identity.

 

[Ahdam]

Ahdam had rounded a corner to try to find another place to sleep for the night when the commotion started, but he could start to hear it as he moved closer. He ran back, fearing what was happening and whether it was something having to do with the fact that a Galactic Senator was wandering the streets, but as he rounded back around the corner he realized it was entirely about Qailan.

A scream from an onlooker. A feeling of confusion, of helplessness. Ahdam's head snapped towards the sound of a knife opening. The blinding thought of absolute panic. For a moment, he couldn't move. He was frozen in place with terror, not just at what was happening around him but at the thought of his past re-emerging. Like Qailan, he had fought his past—and, at least in terms of his days as an assassin, he thought he had won.

But he kicked into high gear, losing the battle again. He ran and lunged at the man with the knife, knocking it out of his hand before it could actually touch Qailan. Ahdam got him onto the ground, landing the thug on his face, and he thrust his fist into the man's lower spine, temporarily paralyzing the thug.

Now the group, except for the lead thug who had first grabbed Qailan, turned their attention to Ahdam. The first one lunged at him with a knife, but Ahdam grabbed and twisted his arm, breaking it, and turned with him to throw him into the wall, knocking the thug out.

The second came at him from behind, and Ahdam thrust his leg out as the man tried to strike from on high. Ahdam kicked him in the crotch, sending him down to his knees, where Ahdam, after turning around, kicked him in the face and onto the ground, out cold.

The third thug, this one even more intoxicated than the others likely were and clearly not paying attention to what was happening, also lunged, but Ahdam sidestepped the attack and the thug jumped headfirst into a dumpster, hitting his head so hard that it knocked him out and forced the lid closed on top of him.

Only one was left. This one circled him for a few seconds, and Ahdam followed suit. Neither of them were going to go at the other directly after what had happened to the idiot's three friends.

Combat mode kicked in again. The enemy's knife clicked open. Their eyes locked. Ahdam stood on the ready.

In a flash, the man threw his arm backward and then forward, lazily throwing his knife, which Ahdam easily caught mid-flight. He went to throw it back, laughably wondering whether or not the thug could do the same as he had, but before he could the moron ran off, not wanting to end up like his friends.

Ahdam turned back towards Qailan, still with the lead thug—who conveniently had his back toward Ahdam, probably assuming he was already dead. With precision aim, Ahdam threw the knife at the man's back, aiming for an area where it would stun him but not kill him.

 

[Sreeya]

Everything happened in a flash. One second, she was thrown between the group of men, and the next, they all appeared to disperse away from her. She glanced up in time to catch a blur of motion, and it took her a second to realize it was Ahdam. Qailan's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, as she simply watched him easily incapacitate all the men. Her distraction cost her, as Vard, the thug leader grabbed her arm and attempted to yank her away. Qailan struggled against him, but it was to no avail. Ahdam taking care of all the other men gave her the motivation she needed to fight. As Vard was temporarily distracted by his men getting beat up, she curled her fingers into a fist and promptly punched the side of his face. His head snapped to the side, before he looked back at her, snarling. He raised his hand to hit her, but his face abruptly bore an expression of shock. He weakly released Qailan and stumbled away for a distance before falling face first.

Qailan jumped away from the man, the area now cleared up. It was then that she realized that her heart was pounding against her chest. Was it fear? She hadn't felt true fear in quite a while. It was an odd feeling that accompanied this new sense of being more vulnerable, without being armed with the Force. Qailan took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. She then glanced up at Ahdam, her savior in all of this. However instead of thanking him, she walked towards him. Her face was deadly serious, completely lacking the light and sarcastic nature she usually carried.

"Who are you?"

Her voice was low and stern. Qailan kept her eyes locked with his.

"You've been lying to me. To my face. You're lying to everyone. Who the hell are you?"

 

[Ahdam]

"You're welcome," he wryly told her as he brushed the dirt and dusted that had collected onto his clothes during the brief brawl.

Accusations like hers were something that he had become accustomed to ever since entering into office. It was amazing to him that every time something didn't fit into the perfect little box of so-called understanding people had about politicians, it always led to a lie. A deception.

With Ahdam it was often true that he had to lie, given his past, but in this case it wasn't. The way he managed to beat those thugs was child's play. He learned that after a few months of basic training. If she wanted to accuse him of lying to people, she'd have to see him do a whole lot more than fend off a group of drunken street thugs.

"About twenty kilometers from here is the Galactic Republic Hall of Records," Ahdam told her. "Go into the political section and look up my file. You'll notice that I was once Captain Ahdam Bac, Galactic Republic Marine Corps. It's public record."

He turned and began to walk away. Just then the lid of the dumpster with one of the thugs shot back open, holding a sharp object he'd likely found in the garbage. Before he could do anything, though, the lid fell back down, smacking him over the head and knocking him out yet again as he fell back into the trash where he belonged.

"Anymore accusations?" Ahdam asked Qailan as he kept walking.

 

[Sreeya]

Qailan whipped around as the man from the dumpster attempted to prepare an attack, but Ahdam quickly took care of him as well. She remained silent for a long time, looking down at the ground. She was once again caught in a mental debate. Qailan did not move as he walked away, remaining rooted in her spot. She sighed and looked away, beginning to walk in the opposite direction. This was a bad idea. It was stupid of her to bring him out here. She cursed herself inwardly, but stopped in her tracks. Qailan knew she was being childish. She turned back around and walked towards Ahdam, finding him on the opposite side of the fire. Qailan's features softened this time, and she cleared her throat, obviously not used to this.

"I..um..."

Why was this so damn hard? People did it all the time, but it was almost impossible for her. After rehearsing it a few times, she finally gave it another go.

"I'm..sorry.."

Damn that was painful. She meant it, that was true, but apologizing took way more guts than she had ever had to have when facing enemies in battle. However, with the actual word out of the way, she could breathe easier.

"I'm just used to being incredibly suspicious of people. I've found that trusting anyone usually leads to.."

Her features darkened then. She immediately thought of Adrian, someone she had thought she could trust with the secret of her origin. Qailan sat down next to him, staring into the fire.

"Thanks..for helping me back there. I would've been in a lot of shit if you hadn't stepped in."

That was when a smile graced her features.

"I suppose we're even from when I saved you from that prostitute earlier."

 

[Ahdam]

He shut his eyes for a moment, not to go to sleep or to rest but for deeper thought. He blocked out where he was, blocked out the cold night, trying to envision him elsewhere as he thought. These situations, more personal ones, weren't his forte. He was out of his element and he knew it.

Ahdam stood up from where he sat and walked to the other side of the fire, the only thing he could think to do. He leaned against the wall and slowly slid down next to her, with only a few mere inches separating them. He looked in her eyes and smiled, not with any sort of ulterior motive or some vain attempt at anything she would think the caricature of Ahdam Bac might do, but reassuringly. Sincere, pure. Simple.

"We're all faced with betrayal at some point," Ahdam told her. "The trick is getting through it in one piece."

He turned away again, feeling the awkwardness of the situation, but kept talking, "I'd like to think I'm a pretty good judge of character, and I think you're stronger than you know or stronger than you care to admit. Maybe you couldn't have taken down those goons, not many people could have, but don't sell yourself short."

Ahdam looked around the area, seeing the people sitting around a campfire. They were poor, shivering, hungry, probably disease ridden, and they were trying to deal with their situation as best as they could, at least that's what he hoped. The ones who weren't moronic like those thugs were just trying to survive.

"If there's one thing I'm starting to understand here more than I did before…," Ahdam said, trailing off, trying to find the words. "My father once told me that there are two kinds of courage. The courage to die and the courage to live. It takes an awful lot of courage to live here and not put a blaster in your mouth. I guess it's a little easier for someone like you when you have a son," he looked back at her, "something to live for, a rock to keep you grounded. Something like that is the greatest strength of all, I'd imagine."

 

[Sreeya]

Qailan gazed into the fire, the flames matching her yellow eyes. She quietly prodded it with a stick, deep in thought. There was a light breeze, almost refreshing amidst the thick atmosphere. She looked down, sighing.

"It gives me something to fight for, but it's also a constant reminder that I can't provide him with the lifestyle he deserves. I put him first. I've gone days without eating to ensure he was okay, but it's still simply not enough.. he deserves so much better. I feel like he's being forced to grow up much quicker than he should."

The thoughts of Aiden lingered within her mind. At the very least, she was out of the shithole on Corellia. Qailan felt that familiar tug of concern when she thought about where she would go after moving out of the Bac penthouse. She thought over his words once again.

"I never used to sell myself short. It's just..some things are bad enough to really destroy a person and almost erase evidence of their former personality. I feel like I've gone through that..which has left me as a mere shadow of who I once was.."

Qailan caught herself there, realizing she was revealing entirely too much about herself. She also leaned her back against the wall, glancing up at the sky. She smiled then.

"You know what's strange? It's so horrible out here, away from the metropolis, from the cities and the hot spots. But..the stars are so beautiful here. You can really see them.."

 

[Ahdam]

"Yeah…," he whispered, barely audible at all. "They are."

But Ahdam wasn't looking at the stars. He was looking at her. He listened as she spoke and couldn't help but be in awe of her. He'd gotten to know so few people outside of his own social and economic circle during his life that he'd never really heard a story like that. He knew they were there, but putting a face to it, hearing that face speak the words, that was something else entirely.

Yet he had a different view of the stars. Looking at them, as he now did, was something of wonder to most people, as if to reach into the heavens and pull out a greater future. To him it was nothing more than a broken highway, a means to get from one hole in the wall planet to the next. It was an interconnected cosmos of greed and despair that would ensure anyone foolish enough to stare into it too long. His time in space had jaded him. Only Alderaan felt like a safe haven to him.

"You could see them more often, you know, from an even better view" Ahdam said, deciding to be bold, hoping there was something he could do to alleviate bad times for her and, most importantly, her son. "I wouldn't insult you by waving money in front of you and pretending that would make your life better, but I could help. I could help you forge a new life for you and your son on Alderaan."

He turned back towards her, "You wouldn't have to worry about being a shadow of your former self. Your son could go to school, make friends. He could be a boy and wouldn't have to grow up so fast. And you wouldn't have to worry about whether he was going to eat every night."

 

[Sreeya]

Qailan had been too mesmerized by the shimmering stars above, something that always fascinated her. She did not, as a result, notice that Ahdam had been glancing at her instead. Qailan looked over just in time to catch him looking up at the sky as well. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion when he mentioned being able to see the stars from a better view. As he continued to speak, Qailan decided not to try and find any ulterior motives or hidden meaning behind his words. She had been wrong about him every single time so far, and she had no desire to feel that stinging guilt she felt earlier once again.

"Alderaan..that's a Jedi planet, right?"

However, that wasn't her concern. Her mind exploded with thoughts of her son being able to go to school and being able to live a carefree life. With any luck, Qailan would be able to spend time with him and watch him grow up, instead of always leaving him with a neighbor as she slaved away at a dead end job. She considered the option carefully, and he made it clear that he was not doing this out of pity. However..

"Why do you want to help me?"

She was looking at him now, as if for the first time. Her preconceived notions of him made it so she only saw the man she had seen on the holonet. However, down here in the slums, he looked human, alive and real. He wasn't above her, looking down upon her as a commoner. It made her ease up around him, and she found his company to be pleasant, as he never paused to judge her.

 

[Ahdam]

He chuckled, a sly grin spreading across his face. "Well it beats staying in a penthouse with someone who dresses up like a cat."

He smiled again, but he let it fade away eventually, becoming more serious. He hadn't really thought through why he wanted to help her after knowing her for only a few hours. He had no ulterior motive, only a genuine desire to help her and her son.

"Seriously, though," he told her, "I'm not really sure other than just telling you I want to help. I could make up an answer but that...that just doesn't feel right."

He thought for a few moments again, his mind going through the events of the last few hours. "I guess it's because in the short time I've known you, you've already helped me. Everything I told you about wanting to make things better for people is true, but you've given me more of a first hand experience. You've put faces onto suffering and I think it'll make be a better Senator…maybe even a better person. It's the least I can do to help you start a new future."

 

[Sreeya]

Qailan nodded, smiling.

"It's so much more difficult to build something than it is to destroy it. My past.."

She inhaled deeply, sighing at the end and closing her eyes as she rested her head against the wall.

"..My past had nothing but destruction in it. After my son was born..that's when I realized the beauty of creation and life. Sounds corny, I know, but it completely changed my perspectives on things. That was when I knew that unless you yourself go through the ordeals, you can never understand what's going on. That's why I brought you here, and I'm glad it's opening your eyes to exactly how bad things are. And this represents not just Coruscant, but the slums of all planets, squashed and ignored underneath the weight of industry."

Qailan silently stared at the fire, almost mesmerized by the flames. They were hypnotic, dancing before her and making her eyelids heavy. Being out all day had been taxing, and she was becoming aware of it now in the silence. The gentle crackle of the fire and the breeze in the open land quickly made her relax, as she hugged her knees to her chest and rest her chin atop them. For a long moment, there was nothing but silence. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence, but it was one filled with thoughts. Qailan had a lot on her mind, especially about her son. But also about Ahdam, and how odd he was. She was still slightly suspicious of him, but by now she had concluded that he was not the conniving, sneaky type she had initially branded him as.

 

[Ahdam]

Ahdam smiled as she talked about the beauty and creation of life. It was corny, but it was powerful. He couldn't actually fathom it, though. He'd never been in the position to know the creation of life, or to even contemplate it. It was never really on his mind. He cared about his family, but Analia was always the one with stronger attachments to family. He could see her with her own, but it's never something Ahdam actually considered.

He had gone through his own ordeals, most of them self-inflicted. He was never really able to move on from them, never able to find closure despite always trying to run towards it, only to find that it was just out of reach. It wasn't something he ever dwelled on before his father's death and his own rise to the Senate, which made him start to realize how undeserving he was of so many things—the Senate seat was just a cruel twist of fate. Since then, he buried himself in the mistakes of his past and could never move past them, and his worry over the responsibilities of the future kept a wall always right in front of him, one he was never able to make his way over.

Qailan kept talking as Ahdam thought about all that. He could spend forever thinking about his past, regretting the choices he had made, as he suspected she sometimes did, despite her best efforts. He stared into the fire, not noticing that she had stopped speaking and nodded off. He didn't feel it, but her head slowly tilted to the side, probably unconsciously, and gently rested on his shoulder, all as he starred into the fire.

He sat there for a few moments, his own eyelids becoming heavy, the sleep beginning to overtake him. He had no idea what the streets would be like at night, or if he should even fall asleep and risk something happening. Would the fire stay all night? Would it get bitterly cold? Who wandered the streets as the night went on?

Slowly, as if by instinct, Ahdam quietly and gently pulled off his jacket, being delicate with his movement as he tried not to stir Qailan. He leaned her forward ever so lightly and wrapped the jacket around her shoulders, which would give her some extra warmth if the fire died or it wasn't able to keep back the night's cool weather.

And in doing so, he leaned his own head back against the wall, quietly falling into sleep.

--------------------​

Morning came and Ahdam woke up as soon as his nose got the first whiff of food being cooked over the fire. He stirred, noticing that Qailan's head still rested against him, and gently leaned her back upright, her head nodding back against the wall.

He got up, rubbing his arms, realizing just now that it had gotten somewhat colder during the night, and walked over to the other street dwellers. He doubted he would eat here, it would do little to actually further the experience, but he knew he needed to see what the others were doing, and to at least take a taste of what they cooked.

 

[Sreeya]

Qailan woke up as soon as she was gently nudged upright. It took her a second to realize that she had fallen asleep at some point in the night. She rubbed her eyes and looked down, surprised to find a jacket around her. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion before she realized Ahdam had put his jacket around her. Qailan didn't know what to make of the situation, as she was usually not exposed to acts of kindness. She rose from the ground, spotting Ahdam rubbing his arms. Qailan smiled and handed his jacket back.

"Chivalry's still alive, I see."

She chuckled shortly afterwards, looking down at a group of people cooking. For being out in a place like this, the food smelled shockingly good. Qailan walked over to sit next to the group, one of the women looking up at her curiously. They all appeared to be roasting some kind of meat over the fire. The woman silently handed her a very small portion, roasting on a stick. Qailan didn't know what to make of it and simply shrugged, taking a small bite. To her surprise, it was utterly delicious. She excitedly handed it to Ahdam.

"Try it! It's amazing!"

A few seconds later, she turned back to the woman, smiling widely.

"What is this?"

The woman spoke without looking up.

"Week old rat. If you feel movements, the maggots might not have been cooked to death yet."

 

[Ahdam]

Ahdam spit every last bit of the 'food' out of his mouth. He dropped the stick onto the ground, running his fingers over his tongue to get as much of it out as possible. He choked back a breath of air, practically hyperventilating. He leaned forward, his hands on his knees, and starting to audibly wheeze and gag, nearly throwing up on the ground right on top of the meal, but he realized how ridiculous he must have looked and stood back upright.

His eyes darted in every direction. He took slow gulps, afraid that a maggot was hiding in his mouth somewhere. Ahdam picked the stick back up off the ground, with rat still on it, and placed it back down in front of the woman.

"Thanks for the lovely meal," he half-mockingly told her as he regained his composure somewhat, "but eating rat is, um, against my religion."

Ahdam locked his arm around Qailan's, falling back into the same escape routine as last night, and started to walk away. "Come on Dear, we really must be going."

 

[Sreeya]

Qailan had already swallowed her portion, so when the woman declared what her meal was, she simply remained frozen. Thankfully, Ahdam's ridiculous outburst worked to take her thoughts away from the horrible revelation. As he gagged and choked, the group of homeless people glared at him in fury. To them, it was wasting perfectly good food. Qailan held her hands up, talking above the embarrassing wheezing and coughing.

"Please don't be offended! From where he comes, this is how they sample new foods!"

After he set the rat back down, it was quickly snatched up by a child that began to devour it immediately. Qailan cleared her throat, unsure what to do. They were both under the heated glares of the entire group. Thankfully, Adham got a hold of himself and grabbed her arm, leading them out of the situation. After they were out of the alley, Qailan turned and scowled at Ahdam while they were walking.

"Really? Did you have to be so tactless?"

She began a bit of a rant about how he was doing a poor job at blending into the slums. However, she was reminded of how he looked after he realized he had eaten a rat. Qailan's scowl disappeared and a smiled appeared on her face. Within seconds, it turned into a small chuckle. And a moment after that, she was laughing her head off, right there in the middle of the dingy, empty streets. After she was done, Qailan had to catch her breath, shaking her head. She playfully shoved him.

"You...are such a drama queen."

 

[Ahdam]

"Hey now," he said, taken aback by her first insult and her second more comical statement. "Believe me when I say I've eaten far worse than week old rat in my time. But the maggots…"

He trailed off, recalling a childhood experience. He was playing at the foot of the Opuchi Mounatins on Alderaan, in a section where a stream coming down the slopes intersected with one of the biggest rivers in the greater capital area. He, Adrian, and Analia were all running in the area, and Ahdam fell through a sinkhole a few feet down, landing in a pile of the worst bugs he never wanted to imagine again. And he had to stay there for an hour until someone came to help.

"Bugs," he said with a shudder. "I hate bugs. Take my arm but don't make me eat a bug!"

He laughed at the last comment. It wasn't totally serious, but he wanted nothing at all to do with anything remotely resembling the creepy and crawling.

"In all seriousness, though," he said as they kept walking, eventually heading back towards the penthouse, "what I said last night, about a new life on Alderaan, I still mean it. We kinda left it up in the air."

He kept his gaze out in front of him as he walked, scanning the area militaristically, hoping they didn't run into anymore thugs or strange women, but he meant every word of what he said both last night and now. Whether or not she would accept his offer, though, he still had no idea of.

 

[Sreeya]

Qailan couldn't help but laugh at his comment about bugs. Though he attempted to play it off as a joke, it was obvious he was deathly afraid of them. She made a mental note to play a prank on him some time in the near future. His almost childish antics, this whole new side of him, made him appear..what was the word they called it...cute? Qailan had to roll her eyes and mentally berate herself for even thinking like that. She was distracted out of her thoughts when he mentioned Alderaan again, her face a bit more serious again.

"I've never been to Alderaan. I guess before I make a decision like that, I should probably go check it out."

She stopped walking then, groaning.

"Wait never mind, I don't even have a ship anymore. Great.."

Qailan looked over at him, grinning.

"Got time to be a tour guide?"

She was about to say something when she spotted the toothless woman from the previous night. She was standing next to a massive man who looked more like an ogre than a human. The woman pointed at Ahdam.

"There. That's the one that didn't pay!"

Qailan caught the evil grin the woman flashed her way. She turned to Ahdam, grimacing.

"I know you're a secret ninja and all that, but let's just get the hell out this time."

With that, she grabbed his wrist and bolted from the alley. It took the pimp, who was a bit slow, to realize what happened. He began to give chase instantly, though his hulking size made him a snail next to his much slimmer targets.

 

[Ahdam]

Ahdam wasn't going to argue that one. Acting like a 'secret ninja' in public once, so soon after being made chairman of the committee investigating Sector 13, was quite enough. He didn't need a second to risk being identified in public.

As he ran, he looked back at the woman, shouting, "You would've wanted to pay me!"

They ran through the streets, trying to avoid being caught by the slow but massive pimp that was after them. Ahdam didn't try to look back, knowing it would only slow him down, and instead let Qailan lead him through the streets.

After at least half a mile, though, he finally stopped them, looking back behind them. The pimp rounded the corner, and now Ahdam was in no mood to keep running; the pimp was faster than he looked, and he had no idea how long he could keep chasing them.

"Wait here," he told Qailan and walked towards the thug.

The pimp brought his cane off the ground and tried to swing it at Ahdam's head, but he quickly ducked and jabbed upward, hitting the would-be assailant in the neck. The thug grabbed his throat and dropped unconscious; Ahdam half-expected the ground to shake by the force of the man's massive impact.

Smiling to himself, Ahdam looked back to Qailan, a hint of pride in his expression, and said, "That's what happens to liars."

Thud!

Ahdam stood there for a moment before swaying from side to side. His eyesight became blurry, and suddenly he felt like he could see the stars from the night before again. Finally he fell to the ground, and behind him stood a thug, someone who joined in on the case, holding a long metal rod which he used to knock Ahdam unconscious.

He began to stalk towards Qailan, a large grin crossing over his face, sensing a new 'friend' to terrorize.

 

[Sreeya]

Qailan smiled back at Ahdam after he took care of the pimp.

"Looks like there's a new sheriff in town!"

Her laughter from mocking him melted away as he abruptly began to sway from side to side, before falling face flat on the ground. Qailan was frozen, the man approaching him now. She looked small and frail, pathetic compared to him. As he approached her, she kept taking steps back. Part of her told her to run, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Qailan turned around and realized, to her horror, that there were four men behind her. They all circled her now. She began to back away.

"Just..just stay away from me.."

The men simply laughed. Qailan knew she was completely alone now. Ahdam was knocked out and there was no one else to help her. As before, she was shoved from one man to the other, the four of them toying with her as she pathetically told them to stop. One of the men pinned her against the wall, his breath reeking of alcohol. Qailan struggled to get away, but she looked up to spot the thug with the metal rod rudely prodding at Ahdam with his foot. He rolled him over, realizing who he was. With a grin on his face, he began to bind Ahdam's wrists, intending to drag him off. Meanwhile, Qailan had four men on her, blocking her path. She continued to feebly struggle. She couldn't help but look up one last time to spot the man preparing to drag Ahdam away by his foot. Qailan stopped struggling.

She snapped.

With a cry, a powerful wave of energy burst out from her core, sending the four men toppling backwards. Qailan did not stop there, she ran forward, jumping onto the shoulder of one of the men blocking her path. Using that as a stepping stool, she launched high past him and landed a powerful drop kick right on the thug's back. He fell face forward on the ground, the metal rod falling to the ground beside him. Qailan used the Force to summon it into her hand, using it once more to guide Ahdam away from the fray. As the thug she had kicked struggled on the ground, she turned to the four men that ran towards her. Her eyes were bright yellow now, giving her an almost demonic look. Qailan ran towards the group and planted the rod into the ground. Using the momentum, she launched herself into the air, horizontally angling her body to harshly slam her foot into the side of a man's face. Qailan hooked the foot and yanked the rod back up to collide with another's man face, while the first man was still falling.

Once both men were dropped, Qailan backflipped away from them, narrowly missing a blaster bolt. There was a knife thrown, and it grazed the side of her arm. Qailan winced in pain, but it did not slow her down. She slammed an open palm against the face of the man with the blaster, breaking his nose instantly. As she did so, the fourth man rushed towards her from the side. Without looking, she raised a hand commanded the Force to tightly grip around his neck. He clutched his throat and stumbled back while Qailan knocked out the man with the broken nose. She finally turned to the man she had choked, but noticed that the thug she had dropkicked was now rising to stand. Qailan tightened her hold on the fourth man and bodily launched him at the thug, making them both drop to the ground. They both groaned as they rose, preparing to come at her again. This time, she simply glared at them from a distance, raising both her hands. Electricity jumped between her elegant fingers. Spotting this, both men turned and stumbled away, leaving the others knocked out.

And there was silence.

Qailan breathed heavily, rooted where she stood. She had used the Force..she had..broken the promise to herself. She felt like a monster once again. She then dropped to her knees, looking down at her hands, the hands that had electricity in them only moments ago. Qailan took a few deep breaths, lost in thought. She then looked up at Ahdam. Now was not the time to think about her own issues. She had to get him to safety. Qailan walked towards him and lifted him off the ground, allowing him to rest on her. With the aid of the Force, she was able to jump onto an elevated ledge. Using that, she got onto a roof, running till she could hop onto yet another one. Qailan did this all using the more obscure paths, where she wouldn't be spotted. At long last, they had returned to the penthouse. She set him down on the couch, using a pillow to support his head.

Qailan began to pace back and forth, right there in the living room. She couldn't let anyone know she used the Force. It would only result in more problems. She kept pacing till she noticed Ahdam beginning to stir. Qailan glanced over at the mirror. Good, her eyes were back to their normal shade of amber. She looked over at Ahdam, grinning.

"Man..you took quite a hit there. Thankfully the RSF showed up and brought us back here."

 

[Ahdam]

Everything from the time he was knocked out to now was nothing but darkness. He could remember nothing from that point. As he started to come around, his eyes foggy and reality completely out of sync, he could start to barely make out Qailan pacing throughout the living room. His vision started to return and he could tell she looked concerned. How bad was it? he wondered.

At least her expression turned back to something that at least looked somewhat happy as he started to sit up. He smiled when he heard the Republic Security Forces showed up just in time, thankful that—Hold on a second, he thought to himself, his smile quickly turning into a stoic expression. What she was saying didn't make any sense. The RSF wouldn't have brought a Galactic Senator back to his penthouse, they would have brought him to the hospital. There's no way they would just assume he was alright after being knocked unconscious by a criminal in the slums. They didn't care at all whether the tabloids picked up on what happened so long as they could cover their own asses.

Even if the RSF had brought him back to the penthouse, for whatever reason, they still would have had someone stick around to make sure he was fine. The RSF protected people but they also did their damnedest to protect themselves from anything that would make them look bad, so the thought of them leaving a Galactic Senator, the son of a former Supreme Chancellor no less, in a penthouse alone after being attacked by thugs did not make any sense to him.

But he wouldn't say anything. Maybe she was telling the truth, or maybe she really was hiding something from him. What would that be? What happened in those minutes between then and now? He didn't want to call her a liar, but something just didn't sit right with him. His gut instinct told him that she wasn't telling the truth, but, even then, why? After everything they said to one another the night before, why the sudden lack of trust?

Ahdam looked down at his wrists, noticing they were still bound together, and finally found a way to divert attention from his suspicions. "You know if you wanted to handcuff me, sweetheart," he said with a sly grin, "you could've just asked."