Not a Jedi

[Bubák]

Avreet stepped out of the transport, followed by his apprentice and several dozens of other people. Public transportation was a wonderful thing, as it raised no suspicion, especially when going to a Hutt controlled world. Secutiry guards on checkpoints paid little attention to the masses passing through, not bothering to take closer look and discover that both identichips were forged, one identifying it's owner as Rix Ackbar, the other naming the Zabrak as Tyzen Kos. Both Sith wore clothes of the poor, very similiar to Jedi apparel, which was meant to symbolize their connection to ordinary people after all. The Mon Calamari posessed two silver lightsaber hilts that once belonged to true Jedi Knights, while Vyrzen had a long handle of a double bladed lightsaber, also taken from a real Jedi. Their weapons were hidden under their cloaks, as both Rix and Tyzen were hiding from preying eyes, having no intention of drawing too much attention. Avreet even used waterproof color to slightly change the markings on his head, becoming a completely different Mon Calamari.

Glancing at his apprentice when no one else was around, Avreet decided to go over the fake story one more time, "Tyzen Kos from Iridonia, poor orphan found to be Force sensitive. Do you remember how I found you? I was a Jedi hiding from the evil Empire, and you tried to steal my credits. When I grabbed your hand, I felt you were a Force sensitive, so I took you with me. Unfortunately, we don't know where the Jedi are, so I had to train you myself. We are currently looking for one of our brothers or sisters to tell us where the Temples are so we could give you a proper Jedi education," the Crusader chuckled, "Either hide your signature, or make it lighter. Whatever is more comfortable with you, apprentice."

The Mon Cal's own Force signature appeared as one of a Jedi. No emotions, peace, Light side. Wonderful. Finding a Jedi would be the hardest thing to do, but knowing their Order, they were still looking for their lost kindred, hoping to bring the Jedi to their former glory. The Jedi Order was scattered all over the galaxy, so anyone with Force sensitivity could hop on the ship and claim to be a Jedi... As long as the Sith duo didn't run into a Councillor, they should be fine. And Avreet sincerely doubted any of those prideful fools leading the Jedi remnants would ever visit such a planet like Nar Shaddaa.

While it reminded him of Coruscant before the witch destroyed it, Nar Shaddaa was more like Coruscant's smaller, evil brother. Full of criminality and corruption, where sentient life was worth less than a glass of blue milk. Everything about this place disgusted the Crusader, but it also presented a perfect opportunity to present himself and his apprentice as Jedi heroes and draw some Jedi's attention. That posed great risk though, as every single greedy thug would want to collect their lightsabers and bounty on their heads.

The 'Jedi' duo slowly started pacing forwards, carefully examining their surroundings. Everything was dark and dirty, everyone carried a blaster and poverty could be seen everywhere. In the corner of his right eye, he noticed a man stopping a woman that arrived in their transport. Judging by his aggressive gestures, Avreet guessed it was time to act before someone got hurt. What would a Jedi do? Try to help the woman, or ignore the situation, selfishly choosing to hide their alignment? The Jedi were selfish bastards, but Avreet saw a chance to show off.

Quickly closing the distance between himself and the man, the Mon Cal prepared a lightsaber into his right hand. "Excuse me," he said, speaking to the woman, "Is this man bothering you, madam?" "He's robbing me!" cried out the fragile human woman. The guy turned to face Avreet, angrily staring at the hooded Mon Cal. "This is none of your business, fish! Get out of here before you get shot," he grinned, taking out a blaster pistol. "I see," Avreet nodded, "Do not worry, friend, I understand everything. It looks like your mother hasn't taught you any manners, so we have to give you a lesson." Avreet's lightsaber turned on, the emerald blade rising next to the man's face and illuminating it in sickly green. "It is said a Jedi has extremely fast reflexes. Unless you want to test your blaster against my lightsaber, you drop your weapon and run."

After a slight moment of hesitation, the guy let go of his pistol and disappeared somewhere in the streets. Avreet turned off the lightsaber and clipped it to his belt, allowing the brown cloak to hide it again, then telekinetically called the gun into his webbed hand and added it to the belt. "You're a Jedi...," whispered the woman in disbelief. "No," the Crusader shook his head, "I am just a guy with a lightsaber."

 

[Negative Blessing]

Vyrzen stepped off the public transport and shifted his rags that were suppose to be his clothes. He hated the clothes, they were itchy, smelly, and just a size to big for him. He knew they were suppose to be poor Jedi but he wondered if he could have had a say in picking out his own wardrobe.

"Yes Maser I understand our back story. I was a orphan who tried to steal from you but since you are a generous and understanding Jedi, you chose to train me after finding out I was touched by the Force rather than punishing me by cutting off my hand or something like that," Vyrzen said letting a smile play out on his face letting his Master know he was enjoying this already.

Vyrzen decided he would hide his signature in the Force since he did not know how to alter it to make it less dark. The two walked through the litter strewn streets until they came upon a woman who was in the process of being mugged. They walked over there and Master Ackbar intervened on behalf of the woman. The mugger tried to get all tough with Master Ackbar but once he produced his lightsaber, everything changed.

The man took off and ran down the street and Padawan Kos could only shake his head. The woman asked if they were Jedi and after Master Ackbar lied to her, the woman looked at the young Zabrak who only shrugged his shoulders and said, "Don't look at me ma'am, I'm just along for the ride."

 

[Insoulent]

"Bantha Poodoo!" an Aqualish shouted in anger, as he slammed his fist into the table over an armored Bounty Hunter who's legs were crossed over the same table, leaning back on the seat. "Watch your tone and choose your next words wisely Racker..." the man said calmly, as he slid his arm very obviously to the blaster hung across his hip. "You might not like the outcome, y'know." he said behind the pitch-black visor of his helmet. The Aqualish was furious, his anger was apparent, but the other patrons of the cantina around them simply watched as the Aqualish was silenced. "I want my credits back, and I want them now." the male Aqualish said, as the Bounty Hunter dropped from his leaning chair to balance it completely. "And you will, you just have to be patient. I told you I'll get them back, you'll even get your interest, you just have to be patient. Things like this take time." the Bounty Hunter explained, as the Aqualish stood still. "And how will you get them back when you're sitting in this damned cantina?!" the man once again shouted. The Bounty Hunter simply placed his hand against the holster, feeling the Mandalorian Ripper up and down, it was a feeling he hated, but was necessary in the underworld: fear.

The Hutts were simple, they sought money above all else, their greed was their motivator, but... strength, intimidation, was one way to keep them in line. The Empire knew this well, and it was something Arkantos had learned in his many years with the criminals. They were just like many others in the Galaxy, and it taught Arkantos a valuable lesson that many Jedi in the Order did not fully understand, criminals were smarter than most individuals, but they were selfish. "Now, relax, sit down, and order yourself a drink, enjoy yourself. In a few hours, you'll get your money and this will all be behind us. You'll be happy, I'll be happy, we'll all be happy. Alright?" the Bounty Hunter said as he waved for the waitress. "Anything he wants, get it for him, put it on my tab. Bring one of those nice dancers, the new one with the pretty lekku. Keep him busy." the Bounty Hunter spoke to the rather cute waitress, then again it was low lit, so maybe his mind covered up the less attractive qualities in the woman. He stood up from the table and looked once more at the Aqualish employer, "Well then, the next time I see you, I'll have a nice stack of credits and a new shipment of spice for you to sell to count for the theft, sound good?" the Bounty Hunter said, as the Aqualish simply nodded in delight. "Good." the Bounty Hunter stated simply, as he walked away from the Cantina.

As he made his way outside, a panicked man began running in his direction, causing quite the commotion as he made it closer to the hub of criminals that surrounded the cantina. Arkantos was curious, as he made his way over to the crowd that now surrounded the panicked man. "Jedi. Here." he said inbetween pants, he was trying to catch his breath. "Jedi? Tell me where they are." the Bounty Hunter said quickly, the group of men quickly turning to notice the Bounty Hunter. Arkantos was well known around these parts as a familiar to the Cartel, though he was making it up the way to the big times rather recently under another name: Elohim Aeon. "Elohim! Thank the Gods. They were near the spaceport. A Mon Cal... and a little runt Zabrak, showing off them blades as if the Alliance still exists." the man said, now fully caught up with his breathing. Arkantos stayed quiet for a moment, hearing that a Mon Calamari had arrived. He was... curious. "The rest of you go back to the Cantina." the Bounty Hunter said suddenly, as the men simply agreed, not wanting to anger the well-known Bounty Hunter. "You, here' 50 credits for the information, how about you don't tell anyone else? I don't feel like sharing the profits with another Hunter." the Bounty Hunter said as he dropped 50 credits on the ground, quite a lot around the slums of Nar Shaddaa. The frightened man quickly turned to delighted at the sight of credits, as he quickly picked them up and nodded to the Bounty Hunter, making his way off back into the Cantina, he was sure to spend them on a night of drinks.

Arkantos was surprised that Jedi had arrived on Nar Shaddaa, more so that a Mon Calamari was here. His first and only Padawan was an old friend, they had even trained together as Initiates before Arkantos was Knighted, eventually taking the Mon Calamari in the last stages of his own Knighthood, still the two were rather close, Arkantos seeing him as a younger brother, despite their quite different approaches to the role of Jedi. He quickly rushed through the streets and back alleys, making his way back to the direction of the spaceport, he was hoping to find the Jedi, but as he arrived, there was no sign of the two. "Damnit.." the Jedi Knight-turned-Bounty Hunter said aloud, as he tried to scan around the busy entrence of the spaceport. "You seen a Mon Calamari, and a small Zabrak here?" the Bounty Hunter said turning to a passing Gungan, who only shrugged, not knowing what the Bounty Hunter was saying. Arkantos pushed him away, as he made his way down the street to another section of the area. "Wow... those were Jedi! I can't believe.." a young Rodian was speaking in disbelief. Arkantos quickly pounced on the opportunity, "Jedi. Where are they, where'd they go?" he said as he grabbed the Rodian by his shirt, lifting him up infront of his young thug friends. "Woah... they went that way! By Vicki's shop in the alien merchant district." the Rodian said in a panic, as the Bounty Hunter threw him to the ground, taking off into that direction.

He finally arrived to the area where the Rodian had seen them walking to, as he finally saw them, this area much less busy than other parts of the city, as it was for some of the poorest places on the planet. He quickly crept up on the two Jedi, his footsteps dangerously silent as he placed his armored hands on their shoulder, diverting their direction to a dark alley off the side of the street. "What the Hell are you doing showing off your blades in a planet like Nar Shaddaa." the Bounty Hunter said in an elevated whispering voice that wasn't quite a whisper. "You'll have half the Cartel after you trying stuff up like that." the man said, as he looked at the older Jedi, the Mon Calamari. It was off, but he seemed like Deenar, though his presence wasn't familiar, "Deenar?" he questioned, as he looked into his eyes.

 

[Bubák]

The 'Jedi' duo started walking away from the scene, leaving the confused woman behind, along with a crowd that started forming. Everyone knew what being a Jedi meant on a Hutt controlled planet, so innocents (were there even any on Nar Shaddaa?) did not want to get involved, while thugs and various bounty hunters definitely wanted to claim their prize to get quick money. They were not prepared though, so it gave the two Sith more time to find a Jedi and disappear, like Sith assassins usually did. Avreet did not doubt some mercenary group wanting his head and his lightsaber would show up later, which did not bother him at all, as his would be assassins might be prepared to face a Jedi, but not a Sith. Then there was Vyrzen, a kid, and those were always underestimated. Attacking the young boy, thinking he was just a child, could be seen as a suicidal act.

As they paced through the streets, looking like another two poor beings struck by misfortune, Avreet felt someone approaching. Not only he felt the person walked straight to them, he also felt a hint of Force sensitivity in the person. His left hand reached for a lightsaber, being ready to unclip it and ignite the ancient symbol of 'hope' to eliminate the threat if necessary. "Attack only if I give you a signal." sent Avreet to Vyrzen's mind by the power of telepathy, then continued pacing as if he did not know the man was getting closer with a surprisingly good sneaking skill. Was he a Jedi they wanted to meet, or a Force sensitive bounty hunter? The latter option would ruin everyone's day, but Avreet dared to bet he would be able to defeat the man. A thug against a Sith had to be a one sided battle, right?

Feeling a hand on his shoulder, Avreet prepared to react, then realized the man led them somewhere. Upon seeing it was a dark alley, he smirked to himself, such place was great to dispose of the man without drawing any attention. The man's words sounded as if he wanted to warn them though, which suggested he did not intend to attack them. Turning around and staring into the man's eyes, Avreet's first impression was that he really was a bounty hunter. His armour definitely looked like that, though his warning and Force sensitivity suggested otherwise. The Crusader's eyes widely opened in confusion when the man called him by a name, he definitely was not prepared for that. "Excuse me, sir, you must have mistaken me for someone else. I am just a poor sentient offering spiritual guidance to lost souls, such as Tyzen here," he motioned his hand towards the Acolyte, his voice not showing any noticable emotions, "The kid had lost both of his parents in the terrible war, and I have been taking care of him ever since."

Taking his webbed hand off the lightsaber, Avreet drew his brown cloak aside, showing his hands did not have weapons, though also offering Arkantos a look at one of the lightsabers, "I am not looking for trouble, I merely want to deliver this unfortunate child to where he belongs. He is special, you see," Avreet stepped closer to the man, "As are you."

 

[Negative Blessing]

We left the woman with her jawed slightly dropped and in confusion and Vyrzen fought hard to suppress a round of laughter. He was skeptical at first with this plan of deception but now he was fully committed and found himself enjoying it. He walked along side his Master when he felt something in the Force. It was not danger but another person gifted by the Force. He saw his Master reach down for his lightsaber and he did the same. He would not make a move until either his Master did so first or if he was attacked.

"Yes Master," Vyrzen responded back to his Master through their mental link. They continued to walk at a slow pace but Vyrzen kept his eyes open scanning through the crowds of people. Master Zatarus spun around and i did as well when a man dressed like a bounty hunter first touched my Master's shoulder then led him, followed by me, until a dark alley. Vyrzen was ready to pounce on the man when Master Zatarus spoke first. The young Zabrak listened closely but stared at the armoured man trying to figure out if he was a real Jedi.

Master Zatarus spoke to the man explaining who he was and who Vyrzen was. "This Mon Calamari is helping me sir. As he said, I lost both my parents in the war and I have no direction in life. He is helping me out of the goodness of his kind heart," Vyrzen said adding sorrow in his voice.

Through their mental link, Vyrzen asked his Master, "Who is Deenar?"

 

[Insoulent]

As the Mon Cal was confused by the name Deenar, he had concluded he wasn't the close friend he once had, but another. Still, the man seemed sincere. He turned to the younger Zabrak. While he could admire the Jedi's task, he quickly rebuttled, "It's good and all, but the Jedi are no longer welcome in the Galaxy. It's a different time." he explained, looking back to see if anyone was around, there wasn't. "The idealism of the Jedi is long gone. Damned Empire on a blood hunt for Jedi. The Hutts see the potential profit in them. Besides, Nar Shaddaa is the last place the Jedi are welcome." he continued to explain.

Luckily for Arkantos, the two didn't stick out much, especially in a place like Nar Shaddaa. A Jedi Knight wouldn't be as dumb as to travel to one of the Hubs of Hutt territory and flash his saber without fear of repercussion. No. Was he searching for something, no, someone. Another Jedi? If so, Arkantos had bit his bait. He was special? What could he mean by that? His Force Sensitivity wasn't as concealed as he'd hope, but in places like Nar Shaddaa, there were very few Force Sensitives, which made it easy for Arkantos to live in peace, without the hunt of other Force Sensitives. He had chosen the Hutts for this, he could live in relative peace without the pursuit of Sith or the Empire which backed them.

For now, he'd have to put his assessment of the two aside, and choose to help them. "Look, I can find you guys a new home, somewhere safe. But it'll take time. The remnant Order is hard to contact. You're going to have to give me all your information though. Temple of Origin, Master, and birthworld. Simple stuff. It'll have to be reviewed by my contacts." He had long decided he wouldn't reveal himself as a Jedi, but a sympathizer of the old order. Very few Jedi rarely trusted a Bounty Hunter with that kind of information, he had done it long enough to know most reactions, and so therefore he paused before letting out another word slip out. "...that, or I can sell you to the Hutts. Either way, your choice." he said coldly. While he didn't mean it, he often did this to test the abilities and personality of the Jedi. He learned these tricks of deception and intimidation with his time in the Cartel, abilities that helped him a lot in dealing with various criminals and other weak-willed sentients. To see if they'd fit in and allowed with the current Jedi. While it was certainly dangerous, as he himself was unarmed with a Lightsaber, he had various experience in fighting, especially urban terrain. Besides, here in the alley, the Bounty Hunter had the advantage, they had very little room to move and freely use their Lightsaber talents, and Arkantos knew the city well, should the battle turn sour. But, he didn't expect them to battle, of course, as most Jedi would easily just give up their information. In battle, Arkantos would be able to read their intentions much more clearly. Arkantos had given them a choice after all.

 

[Bubák]

"No idea. I'll remember that name though, it might be of use later," answered the Mon Cal telepathically to his young apprentice, then listened to the stranger. Aside from being Force sensitive, the man automatically assumed the two were Jedi, although the Mon Calamari never claimed such a thing. That meant their disguise worked very well, and also that the man had some sort of knowledge of the Jedi Order. The Crusader's suspicions were soon confirmed by the bounty hunter himself, claiming he might be able to contact the Jedi remnants. Excellent! Avreet did not want to look too trusting though, the man had not even introduced himself yet. While the Mon Cal posessed some knowledge that might help him out, he decided to be careful with what information he'd give away.

After hearing what the bounty hunter said, Avreet smiled at him. "I never said I was a Jedi. It is you who assumed that. I merely said I wanted to deliver this special kid to where he belongs. Of course, back at the spaceport, I couldn't let the woman get robbed, I had to intervene. It is my duty to protect all citizens of this galaxy. I may be a Jedi, I may be a member of any other Force sensitive order, or I may be just a Force sensitive guy with a stolen lightsaber. It doesn't matter. What matters is this young one's future," Avreet motioned his hand towards Vyrzen,

"The government of this galaxy would love to claim another young Force sensitive and turn him into a Sith though, and I cannot let that happen. The boy is under my protection, and I will guard him with my life. You are a Force sensitive yourself, yet you say you will sell us to the Hutts if we don't give you the information you want. Who are you? Why should I believe you can contact the remnants if you'd sell a pure kid to the gangsters? Do you even realize the boy will go straight to the Sith if the Hutts find out he is a Force sensitive?"

The big orange eyes stared at the man with a visible frown, judging a person who dared to even speak of the possibility of selling an innocent boy to the most vile criminals in the galaxy. How dared he! Despite Avreet's obvious displeasure, he remained calm, making no agressive gestures or anything that could provoke the strange man. He was a Jedi, after all. Crossing his arms, the young Mon Calamari continued to bore holes into the man's soul with his piercing gaze only Mon Cals could do.

 

[Negative Blessing]

Vyrzen stood there choosing silence over integrating himself in the conversation. This man was right, Jedi or not they needed to be aware of the Hutts and their cronies on this planet. He had learned that in the galaxy many citizens could not decipher between Jedi and Sith so even if they had to produce their lightsabers, they would indeed attract unwanted attention. But Vyrzen did not trust the man his Master was speaking with so he decided to keep an eye on him as he moved around the area to let the two adults talk.

He began to scan the merchandise in a kiosk ran by a tall blue-skinned female Twi'lek. The woman tried to shoo him away after spying his clothes but he assured her that he was not as poor as his clothes dictated but in fact he had credits to spend. The Twi'lek frowned but let him stay rather than chasing off a potential customer. He saw several melee weapons made from various metals across the galaxy but he had no use for them since he branded a lightsaber.

After deciding there was nothing of real interest at this kiosk, he turned to leave but shot a quick glance toward his Master and the mysterious man. They seemed to be still locked in their conversation so he moved to another kiosk ran by a male Bith. The Bith gave a fake smile at the young boy but ignore him. Vyrzen looked through the items, mainly healing packs and such, when he felt a tremor in the Force.

Looking up he saw nothing out of the ordinary but something was tugging at him but he could not put his finger on it. He bid the Bith farewell and began to move back to his Master when out of the corner of his eye he saw two rough looking male humans moving toward his Master and the man he was speaking with.

"Potential trouble heading your way Master," Vyrzen said through Force.

 

[Insoulent]

"What a quick tongue." the Bounty Hunter muttered, as he crossed his arms. "The only ones afraid of Sith, are Jedi, bud." he continued, looking as the young Zabrak walked away for a moment, placing his eyes back on the Mon Cal as the boy walked away. "Well then, either way, don't go flashing your saber, maybe you won't bring attention to yourself. There's other ways to go about saving people." he said, placing his hands on his blaster, "Faster ways."

"We're gangsters. We sell to the highest bidder, whether it be Jedi or Sith. We keep our options open. Some of us, don't hate the Empire, we just don't want them getting too big for their britches, so we make the contacts we need." the Bounty Hunter said, standing rather nonchalant. "As for information about me, you won't get that till I get yours. I asked first." he said with a bit of a smirk. All he was saying was a lie, the Hutts had no connections to the Jedi, but it was a good cover-up for the Jedi Knight, one that could place the suspicion on the Cartel. All it would take would be a bit of gossip. He stared at the Mon Cal for a second, "I don't know that whole Force Sensitive crap, I'm just trying to get paid. As for this kid, I can help you take him where he needs to go" he said, using his fingers as quotation marks, a bit of a sarcastic and unenthusiastic way of saying he'd help them.

The child himself, the Zabrak, had the odd look to him. He had no real connection to the Force, and it was rather peculiar to the Jedi, ever since meeting the two. The Jedi had claimed him to be Force Sensitive, but he himself could not sense his potential. Though he determined, maybe the Jedi had helped him hide his presence, such a technique would take quite a while to learn. His only other deduction was that the boy was well-trained, but he wanted to learn more. But he wouldn't get it out of the Mon Calamari as easily, not yet at least.

 

[Bubák]

The Mon Calamari closed his large fishy eyes and gave the man a knowing smile, radiating the Light Side for a while. "Blasters are so uncivilized." Avreet eyed Vyrzen, hoping the Padawan wouldn’t get too far. Such a young kid might come to harm very easily on such a planet. This gave Avreet an idea to take some poor child to the Empire if possible. He knew many would disagree with doing so, basically kidnapping a young sentient being, but Avreet thought of it as an option to give the selected few a better future. Certain parents might even give him their child voluntarily if he revealed his identity. Better have their son or daughter join the Empire and get educated instead of letting them sink to the bottom and become criminals, right?

His gaze shifted back to the man. "I find it hard to believe the Order has fallen to the level when they’re dealing with the Hutts. Tell me, gangster, how much do you want? I don’t have your beloved credits, but the lightsaber might fetch you a nice price. That is what you want, right? Money? But what if I give you a slightly different offer. You show me and Tyzen how to get to the Jedi, and I’ll try to make them take you in. Imagine what you could become. A hero, someone who will change the galaxy for the better. You cannot take credits to your grave, they won’t buy you immortality either. You can, however, become eternal through your deeds people will remember you for. You could be the guy who helped a poor kid escape the clutches of the Sith. You have never met him before, you don’t know him, but think of him as your younger brother. Is there something more beautiful than a happy smile on a child’s face? You can make his life better, save him from all hardship that may have met you. Even if,…" Avreet paused, hearing his apprentice’s message.

Two rough looking men stopped in front of Avreet eyeing him head to toe. "Where’s the Zabrak, fishface?" Avreet gave the one asking the question an annoyed look, "My name is not fishface. Which Zabrak do you mean? I know many Zabraks." This clearly irritated the larger of the two thugs. "The one who came with you, idiot! Where is he?!" Stepping closer to the Mon Cal, the man looked like he was preparing to beat the fishy alien.

Avreet shrugged and swiftly placed his webbed hand on the man’s shoulder. "My friend, that kid has done nothing to you," he started manipulating his mind through the Force, "Let him be. It a fault of this whole society such a young being as him has to steal to have something to eat. Don’t blame him, blame the ones ruling this planet. They are the ones you should direct your anger at." Avreet finished with a smile, completely confusing the man, making him turn around and walk away, the other thug following him. Avreet turned back to Arkantos, no longer smiling.

"As I said, I just want to help Tyzen reach the Jedi. Will you help me or not?"

 

[Insoulent]

Arkantos had been cautious of Sith impersonating Jedi. They were something of a hazard to Jedi like Arkantos. It caused a weariness within the Order, especially to Jedi who were on their own, like Arkantos. While this Mon Calamari had done nothing to tell him otherwise, Arkantos still had to keep his guard up, and his identity of being a Jedi a secret. Still, the man's words had a bit of weirdness to them. A Jedi didn't usually try to persuade others to join with promises of heroism and good deeds, these were things that had to be instinctive to the individual, a willingness almost, but he figured the fish was only trying to save himself and the boy from being turned into the Empire. Still using the child's innocence... it was off somehow. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but it felt as if the Mon Calamari was trying to push the Bounty Hunter into helping them now. Their fear was quite real, but why exactly he'd come to Nar Shaddaa was something he had to figure out.

"Like I said, I'll need your information, simple background stuff my contact will verify, and then we'll move forward. Shouldn't take more than a day or two. Your lightsaber should be payment enough. I don't transport, I just set up the ride." the Bounty Hunter said, smirking a bit, a thing of habit. Though he was lying, if he found out the Mon Calamari was indeed a Jedi, Arkantos would personally travel with them to the Order, though he was still skeptical of the Mon Calamari. "Nar Shaddaa isn't the best place to bring a kid, you know. Especially trying to hide from the Empire. Why not somewhere more quiet, like Kinooine, or Dagobah?" the Bounty Hunter spoke, he'd have to hear a bit more on the story of the two, before he made his final judgement.

 

[Bubák]

The Mon Calamari shook his head, his eye darting to the right to see if Tyzen didn't get too far from him. "Tyzen, my boy, better come back here." Once the kid did so, Avreet turned to the man again, "Why not somewhere more quiet? Because the Sith won't dare to come to Hutt space, it might be seen as a provocation. Even if they send an agent or two, they will hardly be able to check a large number of people. The only certain way of revealing Force sensitivity is through blood test. On more quiet planets, a group of Sith could dress themselves as doctors and check a large number of people. That definitely won't happen here. Everyone on this planet does whatever they can to survive, nothing more, nothing less. Like animals. Worse than the Empire, really. While the Sith don't care about their subjects, at least they are not letting them starve on the streets. The Hutts focus only on their personal riches, trying to squeeze the peasants even more. Scum." He said, his eyes glittering with anger directed at the society on Nar Shaddaa.

"There is not much I can do if I want to stay away from the Sith though. At least Tyzen sees how miserable life can get when criminals get too much power... And I suppose I could right a few wrongs while I am here. Tyzen needs experience, too." Avreet crossed his arms, staring at the man. "You said you work for gangsters, therefore you could seek me out with a whole army of thugs if I give you the info and let you go, and use the information to find more Force sensitives. That puts us in an awkward position. I am sure you understand...," grinned the amphibious Jedi, "I cannot give you the information AND let you go. The risk is too high. Why should I believe you can get me to the Jedi?"

 

[Insoulent]

The Bounty Hunter smirked as the Mon Calamari spoke down upon the Hutts and their seemingly lack of care for their "subjects". It was clear this man had a very black and white view of the world, but if only it were that simple. Letting him continue his condescending tone of the Jedi's new home, he simply smiled. "You might be surprised on what you find here, bud. The Hutts aren't a government bud, we're an organization. They pay us to do jobs that most don't want to do. That simple. They provide opportunity, all they will need is ambition. Plus, we don't boss any citizen around here, they know not to mess with us, we don't mess with them. We got respect too, you know.". While he didn't truly believe in everyone of his own words, one would never notice otherwise, plus there were parts that were true, they were a pool of opportunity, and should the right person access to them, they could do great things. And not all criminals were bad. Crime did pay, of course. The Hutts were varied, some were good but stuck in bad situations, some were evil bent on controlling every aspect of crime, while others were conflicted and not so dynamic, like Arkantos. Not so simple But that's how he'd always been, even when the Jedi were a dominant force, Arkantos believed in doing what must be done, and held no real consent for things such as the forces of "good" or "evil" but understood there would always be divisions in people which would conflict.

The Sith's view conflicted his own. While he sought to elevate all beings to his level or the same, to bring balance, the Sith sought to impose their own strength on others to limit their potential. Arkantos was against this, and felt that every sentient being had the potential to be great, though the Sith isolated themselves above the others. This would prove to be their downfall. Maybe not now, but soon. Until then, he had to help the Jedi build up their forces. "Look, the information I need is simple. Your Master, your birthworld, and your name." the Bounty Hunter said. "It's quite basic. My contact will then arrive to confirm this. You can either choose to believe me, or wait until one of the Captains of the Cartel hears about a Jedi being here, then I'd be powerless to help you. I only got a short amount of time to help you before others come looking for you, and my contacts are low-level ranked members." the Bounty Hunter said quite bluntly. The aquatic sentient was now in quite a pickle.

As he finished his words, a gang of around seven thugs appeared behind the Bounty Hunter, trapping not only the Jedi, but himself as well into the alley. "This is the Jedi that tried to kill us! Get his saber!" one said, as the other thugs suddenly pulled up their blasters. With that, Arkantos quickly jumped from his location, tumbling behind the Jedi, deeper into the dark alley, his armor now completely hidden within the shadows, as he took cover behind a metallic crate used for trash, and sent out several shots from his blaster, as the thugs did the same, almost in an instant unison. The Jedi would be caught within the middle, while the ones with blasters would rain down their hellfire, luckily for Arkantos he had the added coverage, while he was certain the Jedi had his saber for protection. Three shots escaped from his mandalorian ripper, as two men dropped to the ground, the other being simply fell on one knee, before letting out more rounds. He wasn't sure if he had killed any, as he lowered behind the cover for now.

 

[Bubák]

Before Avreet could either protest or give the man the information he desired, a group of thugs solved it for everyne. Avreet watched in horror as seven of them appeared out of nowhere, recognizing one of them as the man he had scared earlier. This was bad, as he was not entirely certain what would a Jedi do. Normally, Avreet would have shocked them all with Force lightning, but that was obviously not an option if he wanted to keep his disguise. And then there was Vyrzen, a Sith apprentice who might not be able to hide his Dark Side presence during combat. "Tyzen, hide!" Avreet called out and ignited his lightsabers, green and blue plasma blades shining like beacons of hope xD.

One weaker Force push knocked the little group off balance, giving Avreet time to close the gap between them and start working. He wasn't used to straight lightsaber handles, so he chose to disarm his opponents rather than killing them in unclean way. Both blades swung down and liberated the nearest gangster of his arms. The Mon Calamari crouched used the Force again to push the armless man into another guy, then rolled to the left and cut another man's legs from under him. The Jedi's agility did not give the gangsters much time to strike back, especially since they stood close to each other and couldn't risk shooting their allies. This resulted in them switching to melee, at least three of them, while the rest of the unwounded group took several steps back and tried to aim.

Avreet gladly changed the style of combat, turning the lightsabers off and clipping them to his belt, his cybernetically enhanced strength giving him a big advantage. Catching the butt of a rifle aimed to hit him into head and another going for his stomach, he effortlessly jerked the man towards himself, letting their weapons go. His webbed hands opened up and the palms hit both of them man into their faces, strongly enough to knock them out. Another thug stepped in, while the others finally had a clear sight on the Mon Calamari Jedi. Blocking another attack, he kicked out his letf leg and hit the standing thug's right knee, breaking it. Grabbing the falling man, Avreet used the body to shield himself from incoming blaster fire, then let the thug limply fall to the dirty ground. Quickly ducking and rolling behing the nearest dustbin, he touched it with his hands and shielded it with the Force.

 

[Insoulent]

As he saw the Jedi move, he was surprised, if not aggravated to see the Jedi show two weapons. It was unusual for a Jedi to be so dishonest, though given the state in which the Order was in, it was understandable that a Jedi had to keep himself alive, but one thing struck him even more odd. Enough to make his paranoia cement quickly. As he rolled, he noticed a glimmer. The polish of a well-kept blaster, strung upon the side of the Mon Calamari. While he would of thought nothing of it before, he realized the Mon Calamari had noted to have hated such methods, blaster weaponry. Arkantos' didn't really enjoy lying Jedi, especially lying Jedi he didn't know anything about. As the Mon Calamari went to clip his sabers again, the Bounty Hunter once again saw the blaster, making sure he saw it correctly. With its confirmation, he tightened the grip on his blaster, though he almost thrust it through it's holster, as he turned around to the end of the alley.

Whoever this "Jedi" was a little bit too deceptive. While he didn't assume the Mon Calamari was a Sith, the thought crossed his mind. The odd non-signature the Zabrak held, was a technique that only well-learned students would be capable of, one he doubt a new-found child would be capable of doing so easily. Either way, Jedi Hunter or not, Arkantos didn't enjoy liars, and wouldn't risk blowing his connection to the Jedi. Even his hesitation to reveal any real evidence to help his case made a bit more sense to him now. Either way, he was risking too much by staying around.

As he jumped to the side of one building, which aided by his exoskeleton suit allowed him to jump quite higher than a normal human being would be capable of, he quickly touched the face of the wall and once again propelled his body to the opposite side with the help of his suit. He landed on the top of the small shop, and quickly made his escape. He'd be able to cover quite a bit of ground while they fought. He'd have to create distance away from the "Jedi". If they were indeed Jedi, the Mon Calamari's blatant display of his abilities would make it hard for Arkantos to truly help hide, and the Mon Calamari was manipulative personality wasn't to his liking.

 

[Bubák]

Avreet’s hiding spot trembled under the shower of blaster fire. His cybernetic eye took a glance at the rest of the group to see what they were doing, only to see the man who claimed to have means of contacting the Jedi escaping the scene. Obviously, such a valuable informer couldn’t be allowed to leave, so the Mon Cal shot Vyrzen a telepathic message, "After him!" The Crusader himself did not hesitate, after throwing the dustbin into the group of thugs, followed by Force push to stagger them, he used the Force again to jump high above the ground, landing on a roof of the building to his right. The gangster had quite a head start, but the Force was on Avreet’s side, enhancing his speed. The cybernetically improved muscles also did their work, making the Sith even faster, while the right eye locked on the running man. Sprinting on the roof several meters above him, Avreet massed the Force in his legs, preparing for a fall. When the Force told him the time was right, the Sith ran to the edge and jumped down, landing a few meters in front of the gangster.

"Please gangster, stop running." said the Jedi and ignited both of his lightsabers, holding them in defensive stance, ready to deflect blaster bolts. Hopefully Vyrzen was around somewhere, ready to prevent this man from escaping. Three of Avreet's fingers let go of the lightsaber in his left hand, aiming at the man and telekinetically pulling his legs from under him in an attempt to make him fall.