Ask Standing Still

[Dash Pavan]

LORRD, OUTER RIM
7.00am local time​

Dash Pavan could not stand still.

It was not a strength of his at the best of times, but the young Padawan was finding it impossible this morning.

"Are you quite sure I can't help you young man?" the droid chimed. The stupid thing had been bothering him for the last ten minutes.

"Yes!" Dash replied, shooing the droid away. He didn't need a babysitter and the last thing he wanted to look today was unsure of himself. "I've told you, I'm not lost, I don't need directions, I don't need anything. I just need to be on my own please!".

"Very well Sir..." the protocol unit said, somehow managing to look unconvinced. It teetered off to resume its friendly patrol of the promenade, looking back at the young Jedi more than once.

Dash breathed a sigh of relief and tried to stop pacing, leaning on the rail and looking out over the valley. It was a clear, cold day but he wore no cloak over his close-fitting navy robes, rarely feeling the chill even in a place like Lorrd.

He knew he should relax, but today was a big day. A real assignment, with a real Jedi, and one he'd not met before. A Knight at least, that's what the message had said.

This could be his chance to start things properly. Listen, learn, impress. That was what his mother used to say. Dash felt he could do it, he knew he could.

He watched the ships transitting back and forth, ignoring the wind messing up his hair. How did you impress a real Jedi?. Would this one be tough and no nonsense like Hera Albion, or maybe dark and mysterious like Faen Akatosh. Or something else entirely?

He had no idea, and he knew even less about their mission on Lorrd.

Dash smiled in spite of himself. It was scary, but it was also fracking exciting.

@Altaris

 

[Andros Sahin]

[size=65%]Andros’ mind had been in chaos since the fall of Yavin. Like many of his peers, the half-Orcolan had been present during the attack - and had spent his time aiding with the evacuation of Younglings and Padawans to Sernpidal. While his efforts had undoubtedly saved many, the weight of their loss hung heavy on the Jedi’s heart. For the second time in his life, Andros had seen his home - the home of the Jedi Order - attacked and seized by the Sith. For the second time, they were forced to pick up the pieces.

It was a loss that Andros would grapple with for weeks to come - and it only drove the half-Orcolan deeper into his duties. The Order would survive the loss - and the Knight was committed to advancing their standing within the Galaxy. More than anything else, they needed allies - and his mission to Lorrd promised to provide exactly that.

For months, the denizens of Lorrd had bitterly fought against a group of pirates from Hutt Space. Rather than attempting to seize territory, the invaders most frequently engaged in hit-and-run tactics - kidnapping citizens during the night to sell into slavery. While the local authorities had done a well-enough drop of securing major cities and government facilities, rural settlements and popular highways were still under considerable threat.

With any luck, their presence would help to permanently put a stop to the raids.

It didn’t take much longer for Andros to arrive on Lorrd - his own shuttle touching down in the landing pad close to where Dash was already waiting. The half-Orcolan swiftly made his way down the extending ramp - ducking his head beneath the doorframe before stepping into view. The exceptionally tall Knight was garbed in his usual dark-blue Jedi tunic, hair combed messily into place. His saberhilt was clipped discreetly to his waist, swaying ever-so-slightly as he walked.

The moment Andros spotted Dash, his lips curled into a tusk-filled smile. “Hey,” He greeted with a wave, jutting his chin towards the Padawan. “I’m Andros,” He gestured to himself. “You must be the Padawan for this mission, right?”

 

[Dash Pavan]

“Hey”

Dash's head was in the clouds and he was caught off guard, turning to greet the other Jedi.

"Hi" he managed, mouth half open.

It turned out Andros wasn't anything like Hera, or Faen, or anyone Dash had ever seen. He had to be a whole head taller than the Padawan, more maybe, broad and muscled, with exotic green skin and dark silver-flecked hair.

"Nice to meet you" Dash replied, rocking awkwardly on the spot. The guy had gold eyes. Gold! Torn between a handshake and a bow, he ended up doing nothing at all. "I'm the Padawan, yes, Dash - Dash Pavan" he finally made a decision, sticking out his hand to greet Andros.

"I'm really looking forward to helping here - if that's what we're doing? Oh and learning from you of course" He smiled and prayed the Jedi Knight couldn't read his mind - it was a racing chaotic mess right now.

@Altaris

 

[Andros Sahin]

Andros cracked a small grin, watching as Dash stepped forward to greet him. His own hand extended toward the Padawan, giving it a firm shake. “Good to meet you, Dash.” He said casually. If the kid was expecting some old and wizened Jedi for his partner on the mission, Andros was bound to be something of a shock.

“That’s the plan, anyway.” Andros said, tucking his hands into his pockets. The half-Orcolan had a general idea of what they’d be doing, but knew better than to expect things to go exactly according to plan.

“I’m no Master Oola,” He commented with a chuckle, shrugging his shoulders a bit. He hardly saw himself as a natural teacher.

“Some of the rural towns and villages have been under harassment by a band of Hutt-aligned pirates. Slavers,” The words were spoke with some clear disdain. “Our job will be to infiltrate their operation and hit them from the inside. Free as many as we can, and drive them off Lorrd for good. We have Intel that the Governor’s daughter was taken during a recent raid.”

As they walked, Andros glanced back at Dash. “Been away from the Temple often?”

 

[Dash Pavan]

The green Jedi shook his hand, smiling. Dash noticed the two little tusks that peeked out when he did. He sensed he was going to keep noticing things with this guy.

He fell into step beside Andros, who seemed both friendly and modest. Dash didn't know who or what a Master Oola was, but he thought he got the other Jedi's meaning, even if he remained convinced he could learn loads from Andros.

"I can't believe people actually buy slaves" Dash said, when the Knight explained their mission. He knew it went on of course, in the outer Rim and particularly those places where the Hutts ruled. Disgusting, fat slobs. "We can't just show up and scare them off?" He still found it hard to get his head around the fact many people were not afraid of Jedi. Despite everything they could do. Dash was afraid of himself sometimes.

"Mostly Ansion and Tython" he said, in answer to Andros' question "but I've been out to Kashyyyk and I try to get to theatre district on Coruscant when I can, but I know it's not that safe". He left out that Lorrd was the furthest out he'd been. He preferred not to think about that. "Have you travelled a lot? Have you been here before?"

@Altaris

 

[Andros Sahin]

Andros let out a small sigh, nodding towards Dash. “You’d be surprised how common it is - especially here in the Outer Rim.” Even if the official stance of nearly every government was in staunch opposition to slavery, the practice persisted across the Galaxy all the same. The half-Orcolan glanced down to his chrono, checking the time before answering the follow-up question. “They have enough firepower that, with just us? They won’t be too spooked.” Regardless of what they were capable of, Andros knew that the slavers were persistent.

Too much money was on the line for them not to be.

He nodded, listening as Dash mentioned all the places he’d been. When the question was turned back on him, Andros paused for a moment. “All over, really.” He wasn’t one to remain at the temple for very long. The half-Orcolan had always followed the path of a protector, and that often took him into the Outer Rim on solo operations. “Never here, though.” Lorrd, for all intents and purposes, wasn’t a particularly important planet. Nor one rife with problems that needed solving.

“Our contact will be here any minute to pick us up, so I should probably fill you in on the entire plan.” Andros hesitated for a long moment, pondering his options. “The best way to infiltrate their operation - to get inside - is to pose as one of their captured slaves.” He said, staring Dash down. “Our contact will get us inside under the guise of captives, and we’ll be placed with other slaves in their holding pens.”

“From there, we can sabotage them from the inside. Free as many slaves as we can, rally them and take down the facility.” He crossed his arms. “If we destroy their operation and free the bulk of their profits, they’ll have no choice but to move on.” If Lorrd was no longer profitable, then the group wasn’t likely to stick out.

“This’ll be a dangerous mission, and I can’t guarantee the outcome.” He said towards the Padawan. “You can choose right now if you want to be a part of it.” If the Padawan opted to tap out, Andros wouldn’t fault him for it. But a decision would need to be made quickly, as their contact approached the pair on a speeder bike in the distance.

 

[Dash Pavan]

Andros was cool and calm and spoke like someone who had seen his fair share of trouble and injustice. He seemed pretty relaxed about it, but also not overly thrilled about the realities of the galaxy. Dash was still pondering what Knighthood might look like when the green Jedi started his mission rundown.

"Pretend to be slave..." some vestige of Dash's privileged upbringing rebelled at the idea. He thought being a Jedi was about being strong and forthright, not hunching in a crate pretending to be nobody. "I guess I could do that" he said, keeping his doubts to himself "temporarily yes?".

He supposed he could lean on his acting skills, having actually done a fair few stage productions back home. He suddenly glanced from his own robe, to Andros's and back again "are we going to need to change into something more....rundown?" He struggled for the right word - it was hard to imagine a slave's life.

The distant sound of a speeder began to whir some way off, as the Knight posed his question. "Of course I want to" Dash answered hurriedly. Pretend slave or not he felt ready to give the mission a good stab, besides he'd be with Andros. The guy looked pretty damn tough. Well pretty and tough.

"I'll be the best fake slave you've ever seen, you watch".

@Altaris

 

[Andros Sahin]

Andros considered Dash and his commitment to the mission - slowly but surely offering the Padawan a nod in response. “Alright,” Clearly the younger Jedi knew what the mission entailed, and the risk they were putting themselves in. The half-Orcolan wasn’t the type to dissuade and coddle any Padawan that he was supervising, but did the due diligence to ensure they went into the mission with both eyes wide open.

“Then I am glad to have you on with me,” He reached over, giving Dash a firm squeeze on the shoulder. He only grinned at the question about their clothing. “Nah,” Andros shrugged. “We’re Jedi. We aren’t rockin’ designer tunics anyway.” The half-Orcolan gestured down to his admittedly worn attire, far from expensive or high quality by any stretch of the imagination.

It didn’t take long for their contact to arrive - pulling against the curb where the two Jedi stood. He drove a rather rundown speeder, equipped with a sealed container that was pulled behind it. Neither of the would have to guess what the cargo would be during the duration of their drive with the man.

The Rodian slung a leg over the side of the speeder, walking up to Andros and Dash - a hand extended to shake both of them. Despite the pleasantries, the look of anxiety was clear in the man’s expression. “Alright listen up,” He began, crossing his arms. “I can sneak you inside and into the slave pens, but that is all I’ll do.” The Rodian stated flatly. “I sell you to Horro and his gang, take my cut, and get the hell out of dodge.”

“You try to cross me, I’ll out you and run.”

“No complaints from us,” Andros said with a small shrug, not seeming to be perturbed by the information. He knew that they were ultimately getting themselves into. Without missing a beat, the half-Orcolan stepped towards the container in the back.

The Rodian waited until they were inside to pull out a pair of handcuffs, along with his blaster. “Put these on,” He commanded, switching his blaster off from the kill feature. “The best way to sell this, is if you’re both stunned on arrival.” He said without missing a beat.

@Alhon

 

[Dash Pavan]

Dash shook the Rodian's hand, a mixture of emotions going through his head. Excitement, anxiety, uncertainty about the Rodian's reptilian feel. But Andros was a reassuring presence which partly put the young Padawan at ease.

He actually thought his own outfit was pretty nice, but he wasn't going to argue about that. He was just glad they didn't have to change into rags or anything and hoped staying as they were would give them more chance to conceal their sabers and any tools they would need.

Travelling in crate was an obvious necessity, as were the handcuffs. Dash was less sure about being stunned; they were putting a lot of trust in the Rodian and he could just hand the unconscious Jedi over for credits. Then he remembered that was exactly what was going to happen, indeed it was the plan. The cretin had everything to gain from sticking to it.

He supposed Andros had thought about all that already. "At least if we're knocked out, you might not find the journey so uncomfortable" he said, looking up at the Knight. The half-Orcolan was well over six foot and would be a much tighter fit in the container than Dash. "Just in case we get separated on the other side - it's breakout, free others, and bring down their operation yeah?".

@Altaris

 

[Andros Sahin]

“At least there is that,” Andros said with a grin, nodding when Dash mentioned the journey would be more comfortable. It only took a single glance within the cage to access that the half-Orcolan.. Really wasn’t going to fit. While being unconscious was going to help, Andros couldn’t help but wonder how badly his neck was going to be kinked by the time he woke up.

“That’s the jist of it.” Andros said with a nod. He brought a hand up to grip Dash’s shoulder, giving it a squeeze. “And if things go wrong - are unsalvageable? You get out of dodge and contact the temple.” He said with a hint of sternness. He wasn’t about to see the Padawan dead on his watch, and was fully prepared to cover Dash’s escape if he needed to.

With a sigh, Andros placed his own cuffs on and sat down in the corner of the crate, glancing up at the Rodian. He waited for Dash to do the exact same, and it wasn’t until he did that their contact raised his blaster pistol. “Happy doin’ business with you poor bastards. I don’t envy you,” He waved a hand. “Good luck with your operation. Doin’ the Force’s work and all that bull–”

“Just stun us,” Andros grumbled.

“Roger,” Without another word, four stun bolts loosed from the pistol - two for each of the Jedi. It was more than enough to knock them out cold, slumping over in the cage, attached to the speeder for the Rodian to cart them away. “Never thought I’d get paid by the slaves, to be delivered as slaves.” He shook his head a bit, jumped onto his speeder, and proceeded to drive off into the horizon.

By the time Andros and Dash woke up, it was to the sound of an overseer looming over the top of them - a boot to the ribs rousing the half-Orcolan from his slumber, while Dash was treated to similar beatings by a nearby guard. “Get the fuck up, skug!” The man hissed, ordering the pair to their feet. A simple glance of their surroundings would reveal a multitude of slaves in manacles. It seemed that they had been transported to some kind of illegal refinery on the planet, operated by the pirates and using slave labor.

@Alhon

 

[Dash Pavan]

It turned out being stunned was like a particularly deep sleep and it took Dash a few seconds to come around despite the pummelling from the guard. He rallied himself and climbed out of the cart, gazing around at their surroundings.

They seemed to be in an encampment at the foot of a ravine. A large tower of some kind, a drill maybe, dominated the compound, surrounded by a few buildings, some stouter than others. As the guards began to drive the two Jedi along, Dash noticed manacled slaves all around, both filing into the drill house and lining the ravine sides, hacking at the rock with crude tools. There must be something to mine in both the walls and the ground.

Dash spied a couple of large barred cages up ahead, one full and one empty. Were they different shifts? He walked along without protest, hoping they were going to be put in the full cage. Then they could get to work setting others free.

Then the butt of the guards rifle hit him in the left shoulder and he was steered away from the crates, towards the nearest ravine wall. Andros was still trudging off ahead, chaperoned by his own handler. Dash threw him reassuring look, as if to say 'I'll be ok, see you a minute' but he could be confident of neither.

The thug driving him a long brought him before the rock wall and shackled him to the end of a long line of slaves. They all had just enough chain to be able to swing a pickaxe and now the guard handed him his.

"Dig, little bird" he said through grizzled teeth, pointing at a thin yellow seam traversing the dark rock. "Dig out what we want, make a nice little pile and the runners will take it in their barrow. And when you've done that...." he paused, as if readying himself for a killer line "do it again".

He stomped off laughing, leaving Dash looking at the pickaxe in his hands and thinking fast.

@Altaris