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[Maxims Tionson]

New Alderaan​

Max didn't like to use his presence as a political tool but, well, his presence was a political tool.

He was not only a member of the Jedi Council but also the Jedi most visible in the Galaxy, he was the face of the Jedi in the Galactic Senate. People thought of his half-cybernetic self when they thought about the Jedi. Sometimes the weight of that caught up to him and he felt it like a weight on his shoulders, threatening to press him down into the ground. Today had been planned as a meeting with the President of New Alderaan to set some firm guidelines as to when they could open their Open Temple on the planet.

His discussions with Nicolas Clément had gone well and the people of New Alderaan were, generally, more peace-loving than the rest of the Galaxy. That and they remembered that it was a Jedi who had avenged the fall of their original homeworld. It wasn't a lot of goodwill but it was enough to not have them be seen as enemies just for being Jedi. Which was good since the whole reason he had brought Alex on the mission was to show him that they could totally have missions together that weren't quite so heavy!

"See?" he joked, gesturing around them at the splendor of New Alderaan's capital, "I told you we could have an official Jedi Mission that didn't go to hell in a handbasket and you didn't believe me."

Of course he was just teasing her - their mission had barely even begun after all. There was still plenty of time for things to go terribly wrong!

@Valen Pelora

 

[Alexandria Voran]

New Alderaan was beautiful. The Alderaanian people had somehow managed to create a world that invoked their homeland. The true miracle was not that is looked like Alderaan but it felt like Alderaan. The Force hummed with a warm light. It felt like being home. Alex walked beside Max as they pursued New Alderaan. The Jedi meant to make a home here and that meant diplomatic negotiations. This was supposed to be an area in which she excelled, but her pursuit had been far more marital lately. She was rusty. That was difficult to admit. Her mind wandered while she wondered what exactly the Order could offer. Alex was brought back to herself by Max’s levity. She could not stop the smile. He certainly made her less nervous.

“We’ve been here for thirty minutes.” One eyebrow shot up. “There is plenty of time for you to put our lives in danger.” Her eyes swept around them. It was hard to imagine how exactly their trip here could suddenly turn deadly, but honestly nothing much surprised her anymore. “We are deep in the heart of a peace-loving planet…so I’m sure death is waiting just around the corner.” Alex shrugged as they walked on. The trust was their mission was important. The Order need allies and safe haven. There were an untold number of forces who would oppose this partnership.

She had no reason to think there were nefarious evildoers waiting around the corners. That did not mean Alex was bereft of concern. The general safety of New Alderaan did not mean they were safe. The Sith’s influence in the galaxy grew. Darkness seemed to follow them everywhere. She shook her head. That was dramatic. The sun was shining, New Alderaan was beautiful, and they were on a diplomatic mission. There was no reason to be alarmed.

@Nefieslab

 

[Maxims Tionson]

Yeah he had probably just jinxed that, hadn't he? Well he was still kind of on the fence about how well the whole thing was going to go anyway - New Alderaan had made good moves towards a stronger political alliance in the senate but that was foreign affairs. He might be new to the political game but he knew well enough that there were times when the domestic overruled the foreign. So long as this wasn't one of those times he'd be happy to call it a win.

Though taking Alex with him was a good idea in his mind - she was just as diplomatic as he was if not more so. Between the two of them? Well the president of New Alderaan could be a Force-User hater and probably still think they were charming as all hell!

"I love how you automatically assume it would be my fault." he joked back with a smirk, "Not saying you're wrong - just saying that bias is unattractive on you my dear."

He held the door to the official political offices open for her and paused when he was immediately assaulted with the sound of alarms and chaos. Max held up a single, metallic, finger at Alex.

"... not a word, this is definitely not my fault."

Inside it was less a military panic than it was an administration panic it seemed. Aides and staffers were rushing around frantically, all seemingly looking for something. There were some shouts about a droid and Max was now, officially, very interested.

@Valen Pelora

 

[Alexandria Voran]

Alex’s eyes rolled into the back of her head. “Past experience informs future expectations.” She shot Max a look as he went to open the door. “Besides, I am never wrong…or unattractive.” She suppressed the laugh that threatened to bubble up. That would not be very professional as they stepped into the political offices. Alex did offer Max a small pat on the shoulder while walked past…and right into chaos. Her lips formed into a thin line. “You just had to say it.” She stepped fully into the office. Aides scrambled back and forth in a panic. The two Jedi were nearly completely unnoticed.

Her mind reached out. She simply lightly touched the surface of the thoughts swirling around them. There was intense fear surrounding a missing astromech droid. Ding a little deeper. Alex did not want to invasively intrude but she needed a little more information. Personal information…of the president? That hardly seemed wise. Alex withdrew into herself. This would be interesting. Of course, the two Jedi could only go unrecognized for so long. The robes were a dead giveaway and Max had a rather recognizable appearance.

A very frazzled looking staffer in what once was likely a well-kept three-piece suit. “Ah..Masters Jedi…” Her looked wildly back and forth. “I had forgotten of your scheduled meeting…unfortunately um…we are otherwise engaged at the moment.” The lie was not very good. It clanged false in the Force. Alex nearly frowned as the words hit her senses. She could not blame the staff for shooing them away, but never waste an opportunity. Her voice was pleasantly when she spoke. “Surely, the President has some time to see us today? We have come an awfully long way to see him.” It would be rude to offer to help given how she had come by the information. Better if they were asked for it.

@Nefieslab

 

[Maxims Tionson]

Max couldn't stop the grin that formed.

"Oh so now we're judging each other based on past actions? So mature!" he joked back before grumbling a little bit, "Yes yes your butt still looks good even when you're mean to me etc etc..."

She was right though.

He did have to say it and it did come back to bite him squarely on the backside. Which wasn't precisely what he was looking forward to coming to New Alderaan for but, well, it was a hazard of being himself it seemed. Thankfully some calm in the chaos was established when a staffer noticed that their panic was being observed by a pair of Jedi.

There was probably going to be an internal memo sent round about appearing calm in the face of challenges when being visited by foreign dignitaries in the near future he predicted. It was still odd to think of himself in such a manner but the shoe fit so he had to wear it.

"Yes I can understand how that might have happened what with your... situation." he arched an eyebrow after Alex had spoken, "We are not here to add to the President's burdens - the Jedi seek to lighten them, in fact."

It was implied that they would help but the staffer would need to be the one to accept it and ask for it. The staffer was used to picking up subtle hints of support - he was in politics. He looked nervous to be even thinking about it before he sighed in a brief, almost violent, exhale.

"... we've lost an astromech droid. It has gone too long without a memory wipe and it has gone rogue. It's an R4 unit."

... some truth in there but also some lies. They didn't think it had actually gone rogue? Hmm.

"We shall keep an eye out for any missing droids." he assured the staffer, who rushed off, leaving Max to lean in to Alex, "Five credits says it's a sex tape."

@Valen Pelora

 

[Alexandria Voran]

Alex kept her face a perfectly calm Jedi mask. Despite the Order’s evolution in philosophy, there were certain galactic expectations that still existed. It behooved them to occasionally meet those expectations. Her faced remained blank as Max spoke and the aide lied again. What was going on? There was clearly reason for secrecy, but this seemed aggressive. She shot Max a looked out of the corner of her eye. At least they were accepting help. Her placid façade broke when Max leaned over. “That aide is one step from the ledge…” A conspiratorial smirk crept up her face. “It’s definitely a sex tape.” Alex quickly turned to walk out the door through which they had entered. They had run away droid to find.

She ran a hand through her hair, sighing softly as Max joined her. “That R4 did not leave on its own.” Finding a likely stolen R4 was not particularly scintillating but she could see the political opportunity. Find the droid discretely, gain the favor of the New Alderaanian government, and push for the new Temple. She simply wasn’t excited about hunting for political rivals. “Which means I have exactly zero idea where to start looking.” The Force was not a magic compass that would lead them to the stolen droid. It might provide hints or steps along the way, but this was a search that would require more than strength in the Force.

“I am assuming the President is not universally loved which means someone must have a reason for wanting less than sparkling information on him.” She flashed a toothy. “Unlike you, my dear.” Alex shrugged. “You must have a brilliant suggestion on where to start.” She had done her homework before coming. She knew there were a handful of smaller political groups opposed to the President’s galaxy forward facing propositions. They preferred to focus on New Alderaan versus the galaxy’s issues at large. They were bound to have some desire for unflattering information that may damage the new government.

@Nefieslab

 

[Maxims Tionson]

Max wasn't sure what it said about the information held on the astromech droid that the staffer was both so incredibly stressed/paranoid and yet, also, so very willing to have more people helping to look. Specifically people who weren't part of his office so weren't people he knew he could trust. The droid likely wouldn't just start spewing its secrets out in the mean time though so he supposed it was still relatively safe.

Kind of.

He chuckled a little bit to himself and at Alex's own agreement - he had only been half-joking when he suggested it. Politicians might vary from planet to planet but politics never changed. Perception was everything and a leaked sex tape or something similar? It would have a disastrous effect on someone's political aspirations. A sitting president suffering such a scandal could see themselves out of office pretty quickly.

"If it did, I'd be very concerned." he agreed with a small frown, "If the droid was able to go rogue itself, it wouldn't have been able to make it very far. They're searching in the immediate area, within the range it could have moved itself."

He scowled ever so slightly. This was the part of police work he'd never particularly liked even when he was a police officer; finding leads. Chasing leads up? Always interesting. Finding the leads in the first place? Always a drag.

But he still had some ideas to start.

"... spaceport first." he decided after a moment, "If I had just stolen a private astromech droid, I'd want to take it where it would blend in. Not only that but they might take the chance to leave the planet."

@Valen Pelora

 

[Alexandria Voran]

Alex matched Max’s frown. This would be uneventful, for which she should have been thankful. Not every trip away from the Temple had to be a far too close brush with death. There was something to appreciate in the mundane. She had used to know that better. “More walking…wonderful.” They had trapsed all the way over here and were sadly devoid of a speeder. “This droid better have been stolen.” Alex could not the smirk on her face. She shrugged, there were worse way to spend the way. New Aldeeran was beautiful, the sun was shining, and she felt happy. She chatted as they walked.

“You realize you promised this was diplomatic mission…and now.” Alex gestured all around them. “We are wandering off after some odd little droid.” She laughed lightly. “Really more your skillset than mine.” They were nearing the space port now. “I’m just saying that doesn't super seem fair.” She had not even gotten the chance to flex her diplomatic muscles. How rude…

The Force screamed warning in her mind. Panic quickly gripped her heart. Unfortunately, she was just too slow. Alex turned as the shot rang out. The tell-tale whine of a long-range blaster bolt. The Force wrapped around her as she moved. Her saber hilt springing for her hand. The Jedi Knight was a second late. Her playful banter an unknown distraction. The hilt never ignited. She managed to move so the bolt did not take her in the chest, but it was not enough. It ripped past her rib rage, searing robe, synthweave and skin on the way by. Alex held tight to her own mind…pushing the pain away. Still, her saber hilt tumbled for from her hand as the force of the blast spun her around.

She was just barley able to get her hands under her to prevent her face from smacking steel. She pushed every ounce of strength she had into locking away the pain. Stand Alex…get up!

@Nefieslab

 

[Maxims Tionson]

Max wasn’t above a little bit of light exercise in the form of a leisurely stroll through the street of New Alderaan’s capital. The locals had managed to make the entire place so much nicer than almost any other planet that Max had had the pleasure of visiting, though they’d had the dubious good fortune of having a blank slate to work from rather than trying to change an existing cityscape. Dubiously good fortune because of why they had that blank slate to begin with.

He shot her a wink.

“Well what if I just enjoy watching you walk places?” he teased her lightly before shaking his head, “If I had known this was going to be more of a scavenger hunt than a political meeting I would have brought my Padawans to send them scurrying on after everything we need.”

One of the few good points about having more Padawans than they had Knights and Masters was that he had a little squad he could send out to do his bidding at times like this. Of course he wouldn’t abuse his power over them like that quite so much. Before he could say anything more, however, the Force screamed a warning at him.

Just as Alex was shot at with a long ranger blaster, so was Max from the same, general, direction. Fortunately for the Councillor, he was able to ignite one of his saberstaff’s blades in time to deflect the bolt directly into the ground. People around them started to scream and scatter at the blasterfire and, after his deflection, from their deflections as well. He heard the second shot but it was only when it grazed Alex that he really became aware of it.

Eyes widening, he extinguished his saberstaff and connected it to his back again as he moved to stand between her and the shooters he still couldn’t see. Thrusting his mechanical left hand behind him, he formed a Force Barrier which rang with the sound of a third shot impacting it as he pulled Alex to her feet with his right hand.

“Alex… Alex come on, we need to get you up and moving…”

Another shot hammered into his barrier and he could feel it beginning to wane. So he started half-helping and half-dragging Alex over to one side of the street, to pull her into the cover of an alleyway.

“Come on Alex… can’t leave me to do everything now that everything has gone classically bad in typical ‘us’ fashion, right?”

Jokes while in peril? It was a staple of his life.

@Valen Pelora

 

[Alexandria Voran]

The world swam around her…tears brimming in her eyes. Alex’ body groaned from the searing flesh. She could vaguely hear Max in the back of her mind. Was she moving? Slowly, very slowly, her awareness began to expand. She was on the ground being pulled to cover. Her ribs screamed in pain. Fight through. The Force burst alight. She pushed the pain aside, flowing the Force into her torso. Her skin began to nit slowly back together. She did not need much, just enough to get her off the kriffing ground.

Her eyes focused. Alex slowly pushed Max away. She added her strength to the barrier as another flurry of bolts smacked into the Force shield. Her lightsaber snapped into her palm, igniting with a snap-hiss. The Knight’s mind came roaring back into focus as they finally made cover. “Your fault.” She could hear the screaming…see the running citizen. Well, there was only so much she could do about that. The snipers seem mostly concerned with the Jedi which should hopefully mean the bystanders were safe. “Some one really wants that droid.” A few calming breaths filled her lungs. “You’re the big bad Jedi Councilor…time to earn your keep.” She forced a smile through the pain. The Force had healed the worst of the internal injuries but by the Force did it still hurt.

“I’m a great distraction.” She stepped out from the alley way and began to bat blaster bolts into the ground. It was far too dangerous to send the bolts elsewhere. There were far too many civilians around. She would not risk a stray bolt striking an innocent life. The Force flowed through her easily as she walked towards the source of the blaster fire. Oh, she would find out who ruined her robes.

@Nefieslab

 

[Maxims Tionson]

Thank the Force.

They made it behind cover and she was in her right mind enough to joke around about the droid. About him as well - made him want to laugh but he resisted for the time being. They needed to focus up before any civilians got hurt and that meant ending the threat before it could actually, fully, become a threat to anyone other than the Jedi. How long before the shooter started targeting the civilians to force Max or Alex to split their attention to save them?

One of the best ways for a non-Force Sensitive to kill a Jedi was to distract them, to force them to devote some of their energy and attention elsewhere. He shrugged a little bit as he secured his saberstaff in his right hand. Neither of the blades were active at the moment but still.

"Alex... I'll try and get them quickly." he promised her, pressing his forehead lightly against her's for a moment, "Don't you go getting shot up on me again, Alex."

But he respected her own talents enough that he didn't want to coddle her. They both knew what they needed to do and him doubting her wouldn't get them anywhere quickly. Rather than wasting time on that, he dashed out from the cover as Alex drew the fire, using the Force to amplify his speed. Rushing through the street, he watched the building as blasterfire rained down onto Alex... there!

Spotting the source of the blasterfire was the best way to track down the shooter, especially when they weren't moving from their current vantage point. Pushing himself into a dead sprint, Max launched himself at the side of the building, using the speed and the Force he had built up to run along it's side. Reaching the end of the building, he leapt upward, reaching out with the Force as he reached the apex of his jump and Pulling.

He was never going to be able to jump the whole distance - so he Pulled the shooter to meet him mid-way. Shooter was right, it seemed, as what he grabbed wasn't a person but, instead, an IG droid. An assassin, sure, but a droid? Max landed back on the street with a practiced roll, the Force bleeding off the speed of his landing.

The IG droid? Crashed to the pavement below it's elevated vantage point, leg joints shattering on impact. Max batted away a blaster bolt from it's holdout pistol with his saberstaff.

"IG droid." he called out to Alex, "Know anything about them?"

Some people knew how to slice droids to get information but, well, Max wasn't one of them.

@Valen Pelora

 

[Alexandria Voran]

She could feel Max flinging himself towards the assailant. Her forehead seemingly warm where they had touched. The bond between the two Jedi grew stronger, far outstripping the connection she shared with Maiko. Alex could almost see Max moving swiftly towards his target. This was unlike anything she had ever experienced…ever felt. She nearly lost focus again. Luckily, her mind could multitask now that she could see the blaster bolts. She would never call herself an intrepid hero, but she was getting better.

One step back. Her feet slid backwards as the droid hammered into the pavement below. There was one final creak before it stopped shuttering. Alex raised her voice. “Yeah…that they’re excellent at killing those of us with fleshy exteriors.” Her awareness in the Force expanded. She would not be caught unaware again. She slowly approached the droid. It looked like every other terrible murder droid she had ever seen. She gave it a little kick…yup definitely deactivated. Alex leaned down to run her hands over the chassis. Her eyes catching on a small symbol etched on the right shoulder. Oh great. “Get down here.” She called up to Max, expecting some heroic leap from his perch.

Alex would quickly point out their worst fear when he joined her. “Syndicate markings.” She shook her head slowly. Her auburn hair moved slowly in warm wind. “Our president is in a galaxy of trouble.” She did not bother masking the frown that suddenly appeared on her face. “We need to stop that droid from leaving this planet.” She stood and drank deeply of the Force. She felt her body bounce with strength granted. Time to run. Alex flashed a wicked smile at Max. “Don’t let me get shot again, deal? We wouldn’t want rumors spreading about how careless you have been with such finery.” The Force bond between them thrummed loudly.

@Nefieslab

 

[Maxims Tionson]

Oh great, the Syndicates had some interest in the droid - even if they had only sent the one IG unit (which he doubted) that was a significant investment. IG bounty droids were damned effective machines even on their worst days, more effective than most sentients in his own estimation. That they'd managed to land a hit on a Jedi Master was a good mark on their professional record actually, though Max himself winced at the reminder that Alex had been hit.

Hit when she was on his watch... he sighed a little bit and resisted, barely, the urge to just take Alex to get some medical attention. The droid was someone else's problem, a politician even, while Alex? Alex was his to care for, to look after. But he snapped himself out of the train of thought easily enough - Alex was not some prize to be protected and coveted and if she wanted to press on, he trusted her.

Landing beside her, he used the Force to dissipate the force from the landing with a thought. Dusting himself off lightly as he approached, he grimaced at the markings.

"Alright if they've already sent an IG droid, they're likely fairly deeply invested in this." he agreed with a small scowl, "Which means we need to be on the look out for freighters - they're going to be trying to fly, literally and figuratively, under the radar."

Most smugglers and other criminals tried to disguise their rides as legitimate businessmen and women because they weren't usually the sort who excelled in a fair fight. He grinned right back at her, brushing against the connection the two of them shared in the Force.

"Darling don't you worry about a thing... I'm next on the blaster sponge rota don't you worry." he gave her a wink as they entered the spaceport properly, leaving the destroyed droid where it fell, "They're going to be nervous... rushing. They have to have known their IG unit just got destroyed."

The spaceport itself was busy but, well, not too busy at the same time. It was the middle of the day and, unsurprisingly, not the busiest time of day for shipping and regular departures.

@Valen Pelora

 

[Alexandria Voran]

Alex shot Max as withering look as they entered the spaceport. “You better be because I swear if I get shot again, I get a free swing at you.” She pointed at his pristine Jedi attire. “Somehow the heroic Jedi Councilor always walks away unscathed.” Her eyebrow quirked skyward. “At least usually when I’m around.” Alex smirked. The metallic parts of Max would say otherwise, but she certainly had taken more than a few body blows recently. They slowed as they entered the spaceport.

Max’s assessment would be correct. They just needed to find those slightly hurried crews. She looked down at the pair of them. They needed to move quickly. The two Jedi were not exactly in disguise. In fact, they looked extremely Jedi like. That had been the whole point when they embarked on this little journey. Now it seemed like a serious drawback. Their timetable grew that much shorter. Alex dipped her mind in the Force, searching for certain emotion.

As they were often reminded, the Force was not radar, but you could find clusters of emotions if you focused. Alex’s skills in the Force grew daily. Her mind reached out. She sought a quiet excitement. If the droidnappers had the resources to field IG droids, they would be skilled enough to avoid all out panic. It would be the purposeful quickness of their motions. She felt building tension in the Force. Her eyes shifted to a nondescript freighter in the far-left corner hangar. A small crew bustled around. If you looked closely enough you could see the stiffness of their movements and the appearance, they were trying to be just a little too casual.

Alex pushed on Max’s mind. “Now what?” She had a feeling the IG droid was not the last thing that would end up shooting at them today.

@Nefieslab

 

[Maxims Tionson]

Max was going to make a comment about walking away unscathed but Alex did that for him before he could, with a not so subtle glance at his metallic hands. Or was it his metallic eye? The parts of him that had been scarred beyond repair and needed to be replaced were legion it seemed at this point. Still, he grinned right back at her.

"But he always manages to walk away." he teased her with a sly wink, "Can't leave you walking all alone now can I?"

Just needed to walk away - every challenge they managed to walk away from with either a learning experience or a success. Defeat and failure were mindsets that Max himself had never really subscribed to.

Still, not getting shot would be good.

Now what indeed.

There were a lot of people around in the spaceport... he grimaced once. Civilian casualties were not acceptable to the Jedi and these people likely already knew that. Would likely use it against them, which meant that they needed to remove them from the equation as quickly and as efficiently as possible.

"Alex, see if you can start an evacuation - I'm going to make a spectacle of myself."

Misdirection was the key to a lot of things and it might very well be the key to making sure that they succeeded or failed here today. What he needed first? As he wrapped himself in the Force, becoming less and less noticeable to those around him, Max needed to make his way closer to those they believed to be their target. He needed to get there without them noticing not because he intended to get them all by himself but because he knew it would be far more effective a distraction if he was right there, without warning.

Standing at the base of their loading ramp, he released the Force and was suddenly, supremely, visible.

"Afternoon, sentients. I believe you have a droid that doesn't belong to you?"

Naturally they scrambled for blasters but they had eyes only for him and that was the point.

@Valen Pelora

 

[Alexandria Voran]

“As usual.” She shot back as Max began to fade in the Force. Alex could feel reality warping. Suddenly, Max was far less intriguing. She quickly looked around the port. How exactly was she supposed to quietly start an evacuation? The hangars weren’t exactly packed but they were busy. There was no possible way for her to speak quietly to everyone gathered. Alex took a deep breath. She knew the only option. Moving slowly, she walked behind a handful of large shipping containers. Her mind unfurled while her eyes closed. She felt the minds of all those gathered.

That same nest of anxiety she pointedly avoided. The rest? She gently pushed on their minds. It’s lunch time, you’re hungry, it would great to leave the hangars today. You don’t want to stay here any longer. Slowly her persuasion soup set in. The various beings in the space port began to move towards their various exits. About half the civilians had made their way to an exit when Max burst alive. Suddenly, he was very much in the forefront of her mind. Stay focused Alex.

Surprise coupled with the undeniable sound of blasters being drawn scrapped against her senses. The shooting would start soon. Max could handle himself. Alex clamped down on the spike of panic that quickly rose in the Force from the crowd. None of that. She pushed calm into the remaining minds. Walk slowly to the exit…avoid the fighting…take shelter. She was entirely successful, there were a few panicked stragglers, but she maintained general control.

The port did not erupt in unfettered chaos. She briefly touched Max’s mind. “Almost there.” They were close to completing the evacuation. She needed just a little more time. Then, they could put an end to all of this. The Force hummed. Yes…that was right.

@Nefieslab

 

[Maxims Tionson]

Half a dozen people and half a dozen drawn blaster pistols against a single man was bad odds. Half a dozen blaster pistols being drawn on a Jedi Council member? That was also bad odds but it was bad odds for the dozen as opposed to bad odds for the Council member, especially when they were right where he wanted them to be. His saberstaff launched itself into life, both blade igniting as Max began to weave and bob between some of the bolts sent his way.

The first salvo of any quick-draw was always going to contain more duds than winners. Exceptional shots could manage to be accurate right out of the holster but they were prestigious talents. These guys were good but they weren't good enough to be immediately dangerous to him. Shots that managed to get close either through skill or by luck he parried with his saber's blades, deflecting the shots into the ground or, at worst, the sky.

It defeated the whole purpose of his distraction if he just let them get their shots off and he let them hit him or any of the civilians. Reaching out with the Force as he ducked under a blast aimed for his head, he swiped his hand to the left, sweeping the legs out from under two of the criminals. The others faltered for a second, giving Max all the time in the Galaxy to slam one of them bodily against the ship with a Push.

"The droid." he declared clearly, even over the sound of the remaining three blasters firing as quickly as they could pull the triggers, "Give up the droid and this all ends."

He wasn't going to be appealing to their sense of right and wrong or anything similar. No, Max gave them a blunt, almost cold, demand. If they responded it was up to them. Of course he received his answer when one of the men he'd swept the legs out from stood back up... with a large flamethrower.

"... kark."

@Valen Pelora

 

[Alexandria Voran]

The blaster fire was a distraction. The familiar sound of bolts hitting saber blades was a distraction. Max facing the droidknappers alone was a distraction. But, Alex had come a long way from the isolated Jedi Knight Oren plucked from the Outer Rim. She set the distractions, and her fears, aside. She focused. Her energy was directed towards finishing the evacuation. The Force continued to exude calm as she gently pushed on the minds of those remaining. Max played a perfect distraction while she finished sending the passersby to safety.

Alex let out a long sigh. The spaceport had mostly emptied through a combination of the fighting at her mental manipulation. Thankfully, the evacuation had mostly been orderly. She did not stop the smile on her face. Well done. Her mind flicked out towards the fighting. There were only three thieves left standing. Easy enough for a Jedi Councilor. She stepped out from behind the shipping crates, intending to bother that Councilor. In that moment, her eyes snapped to the man standing with the immediately recognizable flame thrower.

She was still a good twenty yards from the ship and the man was far too close to Max. A spike of alarm shot through her body. She would not lose him. Time seemed to slow as she worked through the possibilities in her mind. Too many options resulted in death. That was not who they were and not who she would become. Alex worked frantically worked the Force. A barrier rose quickly between the flame thrower and Max. As if fired, she felt the heat. Her body burned through resources while she held firm. The barrier was a good as any duracrete wall, the flames hammering against it. Alex walked forward. Her hands outstretched as she worked the Force. Her eyes were thunderclouds.

The barrier extended to the length of all four thieves. She walked forward still. There was a slight pause as the flame thrower went to cycle back. Alex threw her hands forwards and her barrier rushed forth. It slammed into the four combatants, throwing them backwards. They slumped to the ground unconscious. Alive though. She shook her head, rising from the pool of the Force. She gave Max a sheepish grin. That had been unlike her. “It was my turn to protect you.” She shrugged, trying to laugh it off. Max did not need to know how terrified she had been of losing him in that moment. As her walk forward continued, they both could hear the telltale beeping of an astromech droid as it appeared at the top of the loading ramp. Finally.

@Nefieslab

 

[Maxims Tionson]

Max had to admit that having someone to watch his back who was powerful enough for him to not also be acting as a teacher was a huge relief at times. He didn’t often operate with people like that, often spending time teaching Padawans and that meant he spent a lot of time both acting and preparing to protect them at the same time. Having Alex at his back meant that he didn’t actually need to do that.

As her barrier snapped into place, Max himself drew his stun baton and activated it. Launching it through the air, he curved it around the barrier to slam into the down criminals who hadn’t had chance to be knocked out yet. One by one, he cleaned up the others before Alex’s barrier was launched forward to knock out the remaining four.

Silence started once they were all downed and Max extinguished his saberstaff before clipping the saber back to his belt. He turned to Alex with a grin, noting the way she seemed almost sheepish about the fact that she had saved him. Max wasn’t going to say anything about that, he was just glad she had done it. Instead he reached out with his hand and caught her own, giving it a soft, gentle, squeeze.

“Thanks.” He told her with a bright smile, “For having my back.”

Stepping up the ramp, the two Jedi found at utility droid. Finding one on a ship wasn’t unusual at all but finding one strapped to the side of the cargo hold with restraining bolts was. Noticing that some of the bolts looked brand new, Max ignited his saber and cut through the ones that looked to be new. The older ones were likely for security purposes and put there by the New Alderaan authorities.

Freed, the droid barreled towards them. Max grinned and clipped his lightsaber back to his belt before the droid rammed him. The Jedi folded over as the droid ran dome-first into Max’s junk – all the while beeping about how it would have its freedom from the peace-loving fools. Max was busy trying to make sure everything was still where it should be.

@Valen Pelora

 

[Alexandria Voran]

Alex squeezed Max’s hand in return. Her uncomfortable smile suddenly growing wider. He had a way of putting her at ease. For the longest time, she had been unable to truly understand why he made her feel that way. Now…she knew. Surrounded by unconscious criminal, having started down the very barrel of belching flames, she understood. She trusted him. Alex believed in that man with every single cell in her body. He was not perfect, he wasn’t some mystical figure. He was a good man. She nearly lost her focus as the realization hit her. She could not remember the last time she felt this way. Alex had his back because she knew in her heart, he would always have hers. She shook her head slowly as the Jedi ascended the ramp. What a feeling.

They located the droid quickly enough. It was making an incredible racket inside the ship. She was good enough in interrupting the beeps, but half-metal Max was likely better suited. She kept her senses wide while Max released the droid. There had been enough surprised for today. Luckily, the Force had one remaining in store for them. The droid shot forward once it was free…directly into a very sensitive area. Alex exploded with laughter. Her hands held her stomach as tears streamed down her face. The look on Max’s face. Through laughs she spoke. “I guess I can’t protect you from everything.” She couldn’t stop laughing. The droid racing ahead to get out of the ship.

“Come on, Councilor…we have a droid to return.” Alex shot a look over her shoulder. “I promise I won’t tell the mighty Maxims Tionson was undone by an overly excited astromech.” The droid continued to beep erratically. What the kriff had gotten into that thing. “We’ve earned some time off our feet not getting shot at.” She was quiet finished with this little errand. The hunt for the droid had proved far more dangerous than she could have ever expected. Besides, Max was clearly injured.

@Nefieslab