Rival Serenity

[Lamper]

[ Druckenwell, Mid Rim. Elysian Heights Business District. 20:00 PM. ]

__Eidolon, drenched in a listless march between the hundreds of black umbrellas bobbing along the walkway beside a full and rushing aqueduct. Ghost of the gutter. Cappi's long hair recklessly roped into a knot, matted under the rain's steady beating. Drops gathered off the tip of his down-turned nose and sad eyelashes. His black sweatshirt's hood rested uselessly down his back. Grayed white sneakers patted through pavement puddles in jeans, lampooned by urban suits all around. Brandishing two newly forged silver cylinders inside each hip sitting brazenly beneath both front belt loops, the Jedi Padawan provocatively broadcasted his allegiance in anti-Imperium sentiment; cutting through the crowd towards his calling here today. He might not be alone.

The recording of the bounty notice he'd watched on Nar Shaddaa replayed in his head as electronica drummed in his white earbuds. A trusted tip from an anonymous server, voiced by altered data; the sender a trusted board and bounty office. A long time informant and partner to the annexed Jedi had burnt both bridges in one fell swoop, exposing his bedfellows and party-wives at one botched bloody wedding. Whatever had happened, Cappi didn't care. Three Jedi in hiding had died because of this scum. The other dealers or their smugglers, or even their profiteers from the Imperium, didn't even blip on Cappi's radar at this point. It was the bastard who'd hurt his family. Anyone who marked the Jedi their enemy would now find a shadow on their heels. This was his raw covenant.

The vid had shown a ton of recipients in the header, some Jedi honeypots and intelligence traps used by the Jedi that Cappi couldn't have recognized. But he figured the Jedi knew if he'd found out about it. Whether they'd be into taking heads for profit, however, was something else entirely. But there were always smoking guns, even amongst monks. Himself now a prime example, righteous indignation burning his palms tight and guilt weighing his head low. This was his outlet. His freedom.

Contact Thestle Whicken was waiting a few yards away in a long coat, smoking a thinned out bud in two fingers under the bridge and reading a publisher's choice insider holo skinemax.

 

[The Captain]

Something was wrong. This was supposed to be a simple in and out operation. Gand had made contact with a low level BlasTech employee, a spice junkie looking to trade surplus weapons for a quick fix. Of course, Gand did not have access to any real spice, taking weapons form an unarmed addict, however, would be child's play. But now he found himself alone in dingy shipyard warehouse, echoing with the sounds of heavy rain and his own respirator. This guy had used up a great deal of Gand's patience and he was starting to get jumpy. He reached under his tattered brown robes and clutched the cut down blaster carbine underneath. The feel of the weapon's grip always eased his nerves on jobs like this. He'd give him a little more time, then he'd leave.

 

[EmilyHuene]

Aeryun Toph never liked the rain. Rain made it difficult to hear. Difficult to smell. Difficult to see. Well, not for this blind Padawan. Just like everyone else who seemed to have forgotten an umbrella, Aeryun could not see the world around her. Thankfully, she had the Force to guide her. Using the intuition and instincts she relied on so heavily, Aeryun was able to keep up with the tall Jedi next to her.

She had been sent on a mission to Nar Shadaa by her master Taruna. Originally, the plan was to have Taruna meet up with Cappi and together they'd investigate the death of one of their fellow Jedi. However, with so little resources at their disposal, Taruna had little choice but to send her Padawan alone instead. Aeryun wished that her master could have accompanied her on this mission, especially since she hated meeting new people. But sadly, it was just her today.

When the two first met aboard the Jedi Starship, Aeryun was nervous as a jitterbug. She mainly kept to herself, but was respectful enough to introduce herself and give a bow to the Jedi. She couldn't remember what rank he was, but there was talk that it was just another Padawan as well. She felt it rude to ask, so she humbly assumed everyone was above her. It didn't bother Aeryun, playing the learner and younger role, it fit her personality more. She was about as far from a leader as one could get.

When they got to the planet, the mood didn't really change. Aeryun stayed quiet and kept to herself. She had little to say to Cappi. It was nothing against him personally, but she was shy. She asked the main questions and, in her mind, was just there to back him up. Cappi would take the lead, she would follow. If they ran into a fight, she would be prepared. Positioned on the back of her utility belt was a magnetic strip that held tightly a double-bladed lightsaber. Aeryun had recently crafted this blade not but a month earlier. She was still rusty with it, but was confident enough she could handle herself in a real fight.

To keep out of the rain, Aeryun was wearing a long dark brown robe that covered her clothing. It was a clear and obvious sign that they were Jedi, but that was fine with them...they were looking for trouble anyway. Under the clothes, Aeryun was wearing a loose green tunic that covers her forearms down to her shins. Over the tunic is a formal kimono-style white dress that slits down the side after her waist. Her hair was tied back with a thin green sash that she used to use as a blindfold during her training with Taruna.

When they reached their contact, Aeryun reached her hands behind her back and rested them gently on the hilt of her lightsaber. She doubted she would bring the blade out here, but the death of three Jedi was nothing to joke about. Someone would pay. Someone would know they had made a mistake. Aeryun knew the Jedi code. She knew that killing was wrong and life was sacred. But, right now, right at this moment, Aeryun wanted to show these criminals she didn't care.

 

[Lamper]

Cappi tiredly rolled his eyes to the presence he felt clinging to his heels, peeling off a wired earbud as music blasted out of its holed speaker, and turned his chin to his shoulder; slitted eyes slanting disapproval back at the little tag-along. He could feel the way she watched him through her handicap, relying on his multifaceted essence to guide her through the rain between all these people. He still didn't much feel like talking to Aeryun, but this wanting silence between them begged him to break the polite reservations of this amenable youth. Previously, before the devastation of his own 'innocence', Cappi might have found it enjoyable to toy with her; jovially glib. But now it was a chore, despite feeling closer to the Jedi than ever before.

"You ever done something like this before? You know how to follow my lead?" Condescending, true, yet voiced with a color of concern. He felt a little responsible for her now.

He, conversely, felt a comfort in the dreary downpour. It touched him like he imagined his loved ones used to, a sort of nostalgia that could no longer be reproduced; as though he'd lost something that allowed him to recognize the warmth of physical touch. But the pitter patter of raindrops did that somehow. It distanced his discomfort of so many possible encounters passing them by, even as their sheer numbers buried him and his companion beneath notice.

Cappi let the single earbud dangle upon his chest, swaying with his steps, and paused the audio file. He sniffed, wiping a drop of water from the tip of his nose as he looked back front. He could see the man they were supposed to meet ahead, 'under the bridge with a green clover upon his umbrella'. This wasn't the first time he'd met a discreet contact under shadow to work an angle for profit. He grew up on Nar Shaddaa. That was everyday air for breathing.

"You've got information so inform," Cappi passive-aggressively told Thestle Whicken upon reaching him.

Pause.

​

"Please," Thestle artfully hushed Cappi with a power of ease without even so much as looking at him, the light of his holo-tablet contorting his features into the devil himself. "I'll give you what I want when I want to or you'll get nothing whatsoever... ...Don't you wonder what women look like these days what with all their furnished primming and digital rendering? It's a wonder these are considered women at all and not cybernetic fantasies."

Cappi sighed an aggravated breath of fog into the air. Just listening to these types had always popped a vein in his forehead and spawned a terrible headache. But Thestle had at least preempted an assault lead by Cappi's impatience with the threat to withhold information. And so Cappi just looked away at Aeryun's blind eyes, sharing a sensation of annoyance between the two. And a moment when Aeryun could interject came and passed according to her will.

"Oh fine. You know it's true. But we're not here to chum our cheeks. Payment?" He flicked the dead bud back over the rail into the gutter and held out his hand until Cappi's passed a red and black styled cred chit. "A birdie told me about an addict that made off with some serious firepower the other day. He doesn't know what hell he's heralded on his little heinie. It's a miracle he's still alive. And making a trade with weapons that aren't his no less. At this very moment south of here in a shipyard warehouse. Imperium's the word on the street, 'says that three heavy hitter operatives are on his tail and whoever's looking to buy. Rest his soul. Or hers. Won't matter for long. Soon both will be dead and you'll have an opportunity on your hands, the both of you. See those three operatives are just the fellows you want to meet if you're looking to find who's responsible for those Jedi's unfortunate passing. Truly sad. Whoopsie. Time's a'wasting."

Cappi looked down the sightline of Thistle's pointing finger, aiming south, then snapped his head back to Aeryun; realizing haste might be called for now.

 

[The Captain]

Finally, the addict had arrived with the shipment. The twitchy young Quarren shambled the repulsorlift case across the warehouse, muttering incessantly about something. "I have what you want, bug," he snapped "Now where is the stuff?"

Without hesitation, Gand reached into his robe and whipped out his blaster. He fired two shots into the squid's torso, before popping open the case. Everything was there. He rifled the Quarren's pockets for anything of value, and, finding nothing, began to push the crate toward the exit.

 

[EmilyHuene]

"You ever done something like this before? You know how to follow my lead?"

Aeryun wasn't sure how exactly to take the tone of voice he suddenly used when he broke the silence, so her response came out a little harsher than she would have liked, "I've been on plenty of missions, yes. Thank you." Then, she tried to dial it back a little. So when she added, "You don't have to worry about me," she said it with a more cheery attitude like a child who was staying out late for the first time who was talking to their parents.

"You've got information so inform,"

Aeryun shifted herself up and next to Cappi as they approached the man. She felt around for the person's emotional state and let herself be absorbed by it. She could feel his heart beating. She could smell the stink that was coming off his coat from the smoke. Aeryun could tell this guy had a story, and wasn't one to be too trusting. This made it easier for him to defend himself, but also easier for Aeryun to realize he knew how to lie. Well, his lies would not pass this Jedi.

"Please...I'll give you what I want when I want to or you'll get nothing whatsoever... ...Don't you wonder what women look like these days what with all their furnished primming and digital rendering? It's a wonder these are considered women at all and not cybernetic fantasies."

Aeryun turned her head slightly to Cappi as he sighed with annoyance. She could feel it too. A sense of unease toward the man. Did they have some history? Or was it just some biased hatred of informant types he disliked. Either way, she didn't have much patience for it either.

"Oh fine. You know it's true. But we're not here to chum our cheeks. Payment?...A birdie told me about an addict that made off with some serious firepower the other day. He doesn't know what hell he's heralded on his little heinie. It's a miracle he's still alive. And making a trade with weapons that aren't his no less. At this very moment south of here in a shipyard warehouse. Imperium's the word on the street, 'says that three heavy hitter operatives are on his tail and whoever's looking to buy. Rest his soul. Or hers. Won't matter for long. Soon both will be dead and you'll have an opportunity on your hands, the both of you. See those three operatives are just the fellows you want to meet if you're looking to find who's responsible for those Jedi's unfortunate passing. Truly sad. Whoopsie. Time's a'wasting."

The payment done, the information given, Aeryun sensed their business was done. She sensed the sudden shift in desires as Cappi wanted to race off to go explore this new lead, and she wouldn't stop him. Sure they weren't going to run in lightsabers active and burning, but they weren't going to take their merry time walking either. She would give a slight nod, coincidentally as he looked at her. She was ready.

"Thanks for your time," she said to the man. And then she started to rush off. South didn't mean a whole lot to her, but her instincts never let her down before. Plus, she figured Cappi would end up taking the lead anyway and she could just follow him from there. As they bolted away from the bridge she said one last thing to the man and called out, "Don't spend it all in one place!"

 

[Lamper]

"Slimesucker," Cappi tacked onto the end of Aeryun's sarcastically interpreted farewell, muttering under his breath; simply allergic to those types of men, a bunch of know-it-alls and power-hungry poets. And he bounded into a complimentary sprint alongside Aeryun, perhaps mistakingly leading her more out of an underestimation of her ability due in part to her disability.

Cappi'd become sharper, more emotionally angular, these past few weeks; and thus had dramatically dropped back into the shadows socially, no longer the life of any given party but instead wielding a palpable aversion to them. Where once everyday was a party in his eyes, now never again was his mentality. All at once he had caused the deaths of nearly three hundred people, tarnishing the character of the Rebel's cause, and awoke alone in some hospital only to return home to the news of more death; the murder of Mancer, brother by sentiment, breaking his back beneath a new calling ruled by guilt and vengeance. His soul genuinely good by nature, with the foundation of family mentalities and quasi-virtuous morals instilled by Pops, Cappi still stuck to the Light and its tenets; though aggressive impulses and darker thoughts constantly challenged his serenity. He was unmistakably gray in certain areas now, even turning black in deeper corners. There was no escaping that. But his goals, his desires, were still for good and the good of others; certain sects of humanity no longer designated as such, Sith Imperium and Rebels among them.

So Cappi rudely and unapologetically knocked through some shoulders when permitted space was lacking, and darted through the crowd, bystanders cursing, to hurriedly reach that warehouse for advantageous positioning; hoping to circumvent and surpass those three Imperium operatives and scope out the place. He swept through the fall of raindrops, cascading off of his malnourished cheeks, until skidding to a halt before a line of yellow-colored cylinders blocking vehicles from entering the pedestrian walkway crossing. Cappi's hand held out to considerately, though again condescendingly, halt Aeryun beside him. Across the aqueduct was a row of warehouses unique to their proximate landscape, his nose angled in their direction. That was undoubtedly the right area, though dauntingly riddled with alleys and stacked steel tubes or other cargo crates creating more divides and pathways beneath sparsely lit overhead bulbs.

Cappi looked back to Aeryun, at first expecting an accord between two seeing individuals but then disappointedly remembering she couldn't and recoiled his gaze embarrassingly as though his eyes were offensive in pressuring her to act tough for a young blind girl. He was accidentally overdoing it, as this situation was as uncomfortable for him as an over-conscientious anti-xenophobic activist with a puss-faced squidie.

"There," he said and pointed with a finger and a head nod, as though all those things combined would get his message across better than just trusting in her connection to the Force; even as he had just earlier witnessed her ability to comprehend visual layouts and expressions without physical sight. He was getting one thing across quite bluntly, that her blindness was a new and awkward experience for him.

"Let's cross here. See if you can find those three operatives. I'll keep my focus on finding the right warehouse," he coordinated with a circling of his finger to conceptualize her role as a more general perimeter scout via the macro while his role was more specifically micro oriented to lead them where they needed to go based off of vague and possibly untrue information.

And so they'd cross into potentially dangerous territory devoid of the transient populace, and vie for position. Meanwhile, other parties were on the move. Cappi would sense the now lone Rodian, life-force shimmering lonesomely in a darkness without pedestrians muddying the waters in this basically abandoned area, and work with Aeryun's findings to maneuver wisely.

@TheHook1

 

[The Captain]

Why did flarg like this always happen to him, Gand wondered, pressing himself tighter against the BlasTech crate. Three imperial agents had tracked his contact to the warehouse, and now had him pinned down behind his own merchandise. On top of that, they remotely disabled the repulsorlifts on the box, it wasn't going anywhere. This deal was a complete and total bust, it was time to cut his loses. Gand popped open the crate and activated one of the thermal detonators before bolting for the exit.

"Move in!" the lead agent shouted "Secure the cargo!" The agents moved around to the crate and began to fire on Gand as he fled. He caught one bolt in the side as he ran, but thankfully his exoskeleton protected him from most of the damage. The weapons cache exploding, however, was a bit more powerful than a holdout blaster. Gand was thrown out a nearby window, slamming into an outside wall, rendering himself unconscious. The three agents were, less lucky. The lead operative had been far enough away to survive the blast, but his two associates were essentially incinerated by the blast.

 

[EmilyHuene]

As they ran, Aeryun did her best to avoid the people. Being that she was smaller than him, it would be a little more difficult for her to make her way through the crowd. She tried to ease her way by, but her shoulder bumps usually left her being the one shoved aside. She hated doing it, but she quickly learned her lesson and let the Force add a little umpf to her shove. These people needed to get out of her way. Lives were at stake.

"There."

While Cappi tried to point to a location, Aeryun couldn't help but sigh loudly at his gesture. She hated doing this, but it was more of an annoyance than anything. She wasn't trying to be mean to the man, but too often in her life did people look down on her for her blindness. For now, she'd let it pass. He'd figure out the pointlessness of his action eventually.

"Let's cross here. See if you can find those three operatives. I'll keep my focus on finding the right warehouse,"

Ok. Was he serious? Was he pointing again? Didn't he realize she couldn't actually see what he was gesturing toward? "Can you....not?" was all she said to him. But he was already moving away from her. "Oh...great." She sighed and kicked at the ground. "Sure. Let the girl who can't see be the lookout......Great plan."

She began to move through the buildings moving around the warehouses. She tried to keep her senses expanded, hoping to feel for any signs of life. Her powers would lead her to the right place, or so she thought. That's when she heard lasers. Through all the rain and sound she could hear the faint echo of gun blasts. Aeryun stopped and stood up, turning her ear to where the sound was coming from. That's when she heard the explosion. It made her jump a little, since she was trying to hear the gunfire better; she hadn't expected a bomb to basically go off.

"There!" she said to herself.

With swiftness she'd only used when in danger, she dashed as fast as her Jedi feet could carry her. Her right hand pulled her saber from the mag strip and she readied herself to activate the saber. Right now she had the element of surprise, but she wasn't sure who her enemies were. Guess it depended on who shot first....

 

[Lamper]

He'd heard her sighs, but Cappi was now too focused on finding those operatives with ties to the Imperium and their Jedi-killer-target to pay her any mind as she started to express her jaded and mild annoyance of him. It didn't appear that he was interested in teamwork this night, or even being liked. Merely accomplishing his covenant and punishing the enemies of the Jedi. He yearned to feel the satisfaction of vengeance, only under a different name. A righteous correcting of wrongs he'd call it.

But suddenly both Aeryun's and his targets converged in one spot, Cappi scrunching a pensive frown as he sensed those souls ahead and considered the ramifications. However, before he could come to any conclusions a huge explosion erupted from one warehouse, hearing glass shatter.

Cappi's hand instinctively and thoughtlessly caught Aeryun's shoulder when she shuddered, surprising himself with the compassionate gesture; almost feeling ashamed or unworthy of the privilege after what he'd recently been through and the change he'd undergone.

"Right," he added after her with a reclaiming of his deeper register, clearing his throat.

She apparently wasn't shaken by it though as she bolted off towards the previous sounds of blaster fire and that explosion, Cappi embarrassingly shook off that moment and jetted into a sprint after her. He wondered if she was even more eager than himself to join the fight when he witnessed her retrieval of her saber, when he followed suit and did the same; unclipping one of his sabers and igniting the yellow beam. But when she went on ahead, nearing the front opening, Cappi slid to a stop; noticing a body on the ground to his right after seeing shards of glass that had spilt out into his path. Aeryun already having gained some distance ahead of Cappi, she might not even notice that he stopped to check out the unconscious man behind the warehouse. And he slowly now approached the body, ready for some sudden awakening or trickery. Kneeling down and inspecting the body, Cappi recognized the alien as a Gand; having seen plenty of them back home on Nar Shaddaa. Deciding to feel if he was still breathing and alive, Cappi cautiously touched his hand to the side of the Gand's head and neck; also sensing his life-force to gauge his injuries. He was alive, just out of it for the moment.

Aeryun would be the one to first encounter the other operatives in their various conditions, discovering for herself whom had survived and whom hadn't.

Cappi worried about her in that instant of realization that he'd left her alone, out of her sight-line. Looking back to the divide where broken glass littered the ground under a dim light, as though that'd help him see through walls to see Aeryun on the other side of the entire warehouse, he winced to a figurative head bop; remembering again that it didn't matter if he was in her sight-line or not. She couldn't see. He was starting to realize the foolishness of his thinking. Though he was below a broken window that would allow him to see inside should she venture there. Then he returned his attention to the Gand.

"Hey." Cappi shook him with one hand distrustingly. "You're alright," he tried to convince the seemingly unresponsive Gand.

Without an immediate response, Cappi would endeavor to apply some inexperienced healing he'd barely learned years ago when first joining the Jedi. And though it didn't seem to work very well or mesh with his new internally wounded Force rhythm, a feint warmth exuded from his hand and into the Gand's spinal system, neck, and head.

 

[The Captain]

A low, hissing wheeze was the only reply that Cappi received from the Gand, who sat up and brushed his hand away.

"Gand are built strong, Jedi," the insect finally said "It would take more than that to kill me." As the insect sat up, he let out an audible hiss and collapsed to the ground. He rolled over to see that several small pieces of shrapnel had embedded themselves in his back. Not far enough to cause serious damage, but enough to cause serious pain.

 

[EmilyHuene]

As the two Jedi searched through the warehouse, she was becoming increasingly aware of Cappi's annoyance. She wished it wasn't at her expense, but she knew that she was the cause of it. It angered her, and she wasn't sure why this Jedi was taking it out on her. He was probably the most frustrating Jedi she'd ever met. There was only one other people who got her so riled up like this, but he was no longer with the Order.

What she really didn't understand was why it felt like he was against her. Didn't he understand they were on the same side? Was it because she was blind? Because she was younger and weaker than him; her thoughts assumed he felt that way. She wanted to show him that she could be just as strong as any other Jedi. Maybe that's why she went bolting off and into the warehouse after the explosion.

Passing by the flames and making sure not to inhale any of the fumes from the remaining fires, she made her way over to where the cargo had blown. She could feel three life forces, but they all felt so weak. She wasn't even sure what she'd find when she got to them. Who knew which would live? With her saber ready in her hands, she stepped around one of the standing boxes and approached the first life form. He felt the strongest, which was likely what drew her to him.

"Hello?" she called out, hoping to get some response. "Is anyone hurt?"

 

[Lamper]

Cappi's neck shrank away from the Gand, sitting up into his personal space before collapsing back down with pain; Cappi unsure how to interpret the Gand's words to categorize him as an Imperial or otherwise. Cappi analytically watched where the Gand focused his spasming movements, rolling over to see shrapnel embedded in his back. Cappi's gaze slanted then, eyes fixating on a thought, on the verge of seizing an opportunity.

Suddenly Cappi planted his right fist, still holding the hilt of his ignited lightsaber, into the back of the Gand's neck and grabbed hold of a piece of shrapnel in the Gand's back; pinning his shin over the back of the Gand's one leg. And he pushed on the sharp piece to cause the Gand a moment of pain, surprising the possible criminal with an image shattering development unlike that of any other Jedi.

"What are you doing here? Who are you? Do you work for the Imperium? Talk!" Cappi spouted off a slew of questions in the opportune moment to use pain to force honesty out of the Gand. If this Gand was one of the three operatives they were looking for, then Cappi's actions would be justified. If not, then the Gand would be absolved of any mistrust regarding the Sith and their evil government.

Meanwhile, inside, feint groaning and coughing signaled a single survivor's location. Without that, Cappi and Aeryun's cause would have been lost; might still be lost. The other two charred to a crisp, still smoked as much as any flicker of flame surrounding them. But the warehouse's integrity had been weakened by the blast, support beams and scaffolding aching from above Aeryun; soon to give out and fall over the lone survivor and her position. The entire structure as a whole would survive, but certain beams and links had been disturbed by the blast. And if they let this surviving operative die, they'd lose their only lead to the Jedi killer. Again, time was of the essence.

 

[The Captain]

Gand let out a shrill cry and writhed in agony in the human's iron grip. This sudden display of hostility had caught him completely off guard. It was then Gand came to a revelation. The human squating over him was too angry to be a Jedi, too soft to be a Sith, and not knowledgable enough to be that powerful. Gand let out a long, high putched drone before turning his head to look at the Force user. Gand used the Piercing Touch, a Gand martial arts technique, to drive his free hand deep into the human's thigh. From here, he rolled them both over and pulled the carbine from his cloak. Now squating above the 'Jedi', pressing a blaster to his face, Gand spoke; "Gand is not Imperial, and you are not Jedi."

 

[Lamper]

Cappi saw the sudden movement, the Gand's hand reaching for his thigh after the Gand looked over his shoulder and telegraphed his intended aggression, as a threat and had but to angle his lightsaber with lightning fast Jedi reflexes, a subtle and minute adjustment that would be quicker than the Gand reaching behind himself on his belly, a yellow beam that was already centimeters from the back of the Gand's neck and back to sear a burn into the Gand's back shoulder blade and neck and solidify Cappi's currently superior positioning; also squeezing and pushing into the shrapnel in the Gand's back again to keep him pinned on his stomach and interrupt his attempt at a reversal.

Now Cappi really didn't trust him, and forced more of his weight onto the Gand. And if Cappi's reaction to the Gand's attempt at a reversal had succeeded, Cappi would bark his orders out louder than before.

"I said talk! Sith scum. Answer! Move again and I'll cut off something you'll miss! I know you can understand me!"

He really didn't know if the Gand could understand him, but what kind of person could operate in the galaxy without understanding Basic?

@TheHook1

 

[The Captain]

This kid was bettter than he thought. He'd completely countered Gand's attack and now had him pinned even harder. He needed a distraction to escape, and he got one. The room of the warehouse began to creak and groan as the support beams quickly started cracking.

 

[EmilyHuene]

As Aeryun made her way into the building, she could sense the sudden disturbance coming from the structure. Beams had already fallen down and her heart was beating so loudly she could practically hear it. Careful to step slowly, she felt like the wrong foot would trip something up and the whole place would come caving down on her.

Hesitantly, she found the body on the ground of the man who'd survived. She checked for a pulse and sure enough he was alive. The others, as she tried to sense for them, were fading so fast it now occurred to her she was merely sensing their last moments. They;d died so rapidly it felt like time was trying to catch up with the echo that was their final screams. Maybe that's what she felt. She didn't want to acknowledge the fact she could smell the other bodies not but a few feet away.

Now that she was sure he was alive, she picked him up with some aid from the Force. Normally, a girl of her stature would not be able to carry a man such as him. But Aeryun was clearly not a normal girl. She got underneathe him and carried him on her back, his arms slung around over her front. Using her arms, she picked up with weight by swinging her arms under his legs. Confident she could run unhindered, she stood up as tall as she could while being hunched over from the weight, then started to walk toward the exit.

But like any feat of danger, the threat was never over. Before she got a few feet away, she heard a loud rumbling sound. Something above her had started to shift. One of the beams was growling as it was bending at the weight. Aeryun gulped. She sensed it. It was falling.

The beam snapped and the pillar began to fall. It wasn't directly atop of her, and she could have side stepped it, but what then? The whole place would fall next and she'd be done for anyway. Dropping to one knee she let go of the military man and raised her arms above her head. His weight pulled her down some, but she wouldn't worry about that now. Aeryun grabbed onto the beam as it started to drop and suspended it with the Force. The rest of the ceiling started to save with it, but rested atop the falling pillar.

Aeryun groaned at the weight now being put atop her. Using such a stessful amount of the Force was something the girl had never tried all at once before. Aeryun was sensing just how far she'd come as a Jedi at this particular moment. A few months ago she never would have been able to pull off such an accomplishment. That being said, although she was alive, she was not free yet.

"I could use some help here!" she screamed as loud as she could, hoping Cappi would come to her rescue.

Even if he didn't hear her words, he'd easily be able to sense her using the Force. Basically anyone within a few mile radius that was Force sensitive would be able to feel her. She was already beginning to sweat, though that might have been from how hot it was from the blast inside. Her arms were shaking from the weight and Aeryun doubted she could hold this for much longer.

 

[Lamper]

Cappi, just under the broken window, heard the rumble, felt the shudder in the Force, and heard her voice faintly amongst the burning inside and his head snapped back over his shoulder away from the Gand; head turning immediately back to the Gand, then back again indecisively to Aeryun's position inside. And he growled, already giving in to the fact that he'd have to leave the Gand behind. There was no time to waste. He had to save Aeryun.

"Grrr-I'm coming!" he yelled into the warehouse through the window where Aeryun would've hopefully been able to hear him.

Cappi shoved the Gand down to push off safely and bolt back through a blur in the direction he'd come from and around the warehouse to the front where Aeryun had entered. Leaving the Gand with shrapnel still embedded in his back and the thinly seared burn in his neck and back was not an ideal way to leave things unfinished, both of them likely less trusting of the other and less likely to learn anything from each other; but that was probably Cappi's fault for being so aggressive.

Cappi reached the open entrance of the warehouse, lightsaber retracted and reattached to his belt, fires and smoke streaming through fallen beams and charred rubble before him. He worried he'd be too late, eyes frantically searching for a path to reach her. He ran inside to get a better view and saw her under a suspended beam, sheltering a man, and Cappi was taken aback by her situation; feeling a mixture of respect in her accomplishment and guilt from leaving her alone. Both of his arms suddenly reached out and he joined in supporting the weight she alone was burdened with. The Force embracing the beam into its care, Cappi took on the whole of its weight and levitated it higher to give Aeryun the sensation of freedom.

"I've got it! Come on!"

This was definitely among one of the heavier objects he'd lifted in his career, but not the heaviest. He could manage, he told himself even as stray pebbles and dust trickled down and rained onto the side of his face distractingly; a thin strip of charred and hardened black paper landing next to him and propping against his leg. With all this smoke and debris inside the warehouse, no one on the outside would be able to see what was happening on the inside. Cappi focused solely on that beam now, waiting for Aeryun to pass him before releasing it.

 

[The Captain]

As soon as the Jedi hoped off his back, Gand began to crawl down the alley between the two warehouses, desperate to escape. This human was completely mental, any longer and he would have pushed that shrapnel out the other end of his body. As Gand dragged his bleeding frame across the street, he began plucking shrapnel from his back, leaving a trail of blood and debris behind him. The roar of a repulsorlift engine drew his attention down the street to an on coming speeder. Rolling on to his side, Gand grabbed onto the underside of the vehicle as it sped overhead, racing him down the city streets.

 

[EmilyHuene]

Aeryun could feel Cappi coming for her, and that reassurance kept her going to stay strong and not try to figure it out herself. She hoped it would be enough time because she could already feel herself slipping. The weight was harder to hold than she previous thought. She hadn't realized how quickly it was draining her. When he moved into the warehouse and molded his Force aura around hers, she immediately felt the relief.

"I've got it! Come on!"

She slowly let herself let go of the Force so as not to drop all the weight on him, in a matter of speaking, and then picked up the man once more. "Come on!" she told herself, trying to get her to move faster. Using more of her strength and speed, she forced herself to run past Cappi and out of the warehouse.

The moment she was outside she set the man down and turned back to see if Cappi had followed. She was exhausted, and she could feel herself drained. She really didn't want to go back in, but she needed to make sure her.....friend?....ally....yeah, ally, was ok.