Swooping Fantastic!

[Harkam Gant]

2. [ASK/DICE] — Swooping Fantastic! — Taris sports one of the best swoop tracks in its part of the galaxy and the notoriously powerful gangs that control the races employ only the best. Well, no more. A group of rebels is going to liberate the engineers and free them from their slave collars, right there, on a saturday, at the planet's most popular swoop track.— @Eisa Swan & @Harkam Gant

On Taris the swoop track was on the lowest levels and thus there was no great stadium built around it where thousands of onlookers could cheer on their favorite swoop. Millions instead watched from the betting screens in the various cantina's, which were in turn tightly controlled by the gangs and a Hutt 'peace-keeper' that naturally skimmed off the top. That doesn't mean there wasn't a place for the live-action and betting fanatics to smell the oil and watch the immensely popular racer dance their way to their swoops. The start was traditionally held in a former warehouse where there was room for the competition to see if your swoop wasn't made with illegal tech and for profit's sake they built in some stands for the curious fans.

It was among these fans that Harkam and Eisa (@Plebometer) stood to watch the scene. The Swoops were as usual prime examples of engineering and that wasn't strange at all, because they were made and maintained by expert engineers who were kidnapped when the Empire left Taris, brought to the lower levels and then forced to live their lives with a slave collar around their necks. Today, Harkam and Eisa were going to change their fate and hopefully recruit them into the Galactic Alliance.

Harkam wore tan-colored pants, accessorized with the holster for his blaster pistol on the upper right leg as that wasn't an odd sight on the Taris lower levels, and a blue shirt underneath a black leather jacket that he wore closed as light armor. In his jacket's pocket were two extra powerpacks for his R-5 blaster pistol and his vibro-blade was hidden from sight and strapped underneath his belt.

Standing next to Eisa he didn't feel like he was her padawan at all. Today they were both alliance operatives on a mission, but Harkam felt a confidence in his master that he couldn't find in himself. His initial training had gotten him to recognizing the Force and cheap parlor tricks, but he knew there was a lot more he needed to learn.

 

[Eisa Swan]

The smell was intoxicating! Perched up withing the viewing stands, the Fiery haired Jedi Knight closed her eyes and took a deep breath through her nose, the scent of burnt oil and fuel lingered over the air of the warehouse. Among it was the distinct burnt smell, the one that happens when an engine had been driven to its limit. Standing with her arms folded whilst leaning against the railing at the edge of the stands, Eisa was dressed in her old maintenence work suit, having figured that if she and her Padawan were to infiltrate their way into the maintenace pits of the Taris swoop track, she might as well look the part.

Tentatively her hand slid down to the holster that hung from the belt of her worksuit, her slender fingers passing over the metallic contours of her lightsaber. Concealed in the form of an innocuous looking blaster pistol, that wouldn't look too out of place amongst the throng of race viewers and criminals that dwelled with the under city.

They were here to rescue and hopefully win the favour of the enslaved engineers, whom were working tirelessly to repair, improve and enhance the Swoop bikes for their respective 'owners' . It seemed pretty simple enough, but the young Jedi knew better than to jinx things otherwise the mission could go blue milk run very quickly. Being confident was one thing, but for a situation such as this it called for an air of awareness to the environment around them.

Taking another deep breath as a smile crossed her features, the young jedi Knight closed her eyes and reached out in the Force. Extending her senses into the surroundings, being sure to assess those around her as she started to passively channel the Force through her body, redying the energies for use at a moments notice. Slowly she opened her eyes and turned her attention to Harkam beside her, bright emerald hued eyes focusing on the taller male. "ya See anything interesting Harkam?" Eisa inquired, looking to see if her pupil had sensed anything or was listening to the whispers of the Force. She was keen to get his take on the situation, though she had an idea and a sense of where they should go. Eisa knew from her own experiences learning as a Jedi padawan, she was often nudged away from following her masters lead. "I fancy getting a closer look at the Swoops in the pits, wanna come have a nose about?" she spoke out after a moments contemplation and reading through the currents of the Force. A coy smile curling on the youths lips as she gestured towards one of the crew access doors to the racing pits below.

 

[Harkam Gant]

When Eisa asked him what he'd been seeing, by which she meant what he'd been seeing through the Force, Harkam cursed himself. Using the Force hadn't really come up yet, neither the neutral thought of 'hey this is a thing' nor the idea of using it in this particular setting. Feeling a bit foolish suddenly, Harkam only managed to shake his head. "Nothing-" not through the Force anyway, but he had eyes, too. "-but there's a lot of Vulkars down there." He hadn't said it or Eisa had revealed she rather took a closer look at the pits, which on itself was fine, weren't it for the watchful eyes of the gangs.

Still, Harkam nodded and made his way down unaccosted, but with the watchful eyes of seven Vulkars burning into him at every moment. "Looks like I won't be doing anything suspicious anytime soon-" he told Eisa just as he pretended to admire one of the Swoops from a moderate distance. "-what about you?"

He was a mere stone's throw away from several brilliant engineers, now reduced to worn-out slaves, and for a moment fancied just rushing up to them and shooting whoever babysat them. Unfortunately, though, he didn't have an exit plan, yet, and was forced, at least for the moment, to just wait and see. Perhaps there was a familiar pattern in guard duties, or they could instigate a brawl between the Vulkars and the Hidden Beks, just something that would distract everyone long enough for them to get out with the slave-collar wearing engineers.

@Plebometer

 

[Eisa Swan]

A soft smile crossed the youth's features as her Padawan spoke about not being able to see any thing through the Force, before nodding in acknowledgement to the indication that several gang members were close by. "Don't Worry Harkam, you'll get the knack of it soon, be second nature before you know it" Eisa offered as she gave the man's arm a playful pat, shortly before nonchalantly making her way through the crew access door and down the gantry stairs that lead the pair into the racing pits. Her gaze passing over the seven Vulkar gang members, noting that their eyes were fixed firm on her and Harkam who was following close by. A light smile crossed the fiery haired Jedi's lips as she let a soft chuckle escaped her lips, the thought of her Padawan, a former member of a Guerrilla cell trying not to look suspicious. Eisa figured it would be second nature for rebels of that skill set to make an effort not to be seen, however in her case it was somewhat the opposite approach. She stood out like a sore thumb at the best of times often owing to her choice of brightly coloured hair dyes, but despite her wild and colourful appearance drawing an initial spot of attention, it was her short and slight build that often had would be foes dismiss her as a threat.

Lingering towards the rear of the swoop, the young Jedi Knight observed the movements of the various racers, technicians and gang members. Her bright emerald hued eyes falling upon a pair of figures clad in differing coloured jump suits to that of the Vulkars, stopping and taking a close look towards one of the swoop bikes. Her attention was pulled away from the pair back towards Harkam as he questioned her about her intentions. "Me?, I'm just gonna have a nosey" Eisa spoke out with a light chuckle, whilst she nodded towards the swoop the the two figures had since moved away from. "Reckon there may be a chance for you to meet some of the race crews" She added somewhat casually before she stepped forward and made her way over towards the swoop bike.

Stepping up towards the swoop bike, the fiery haired Jedi pulled up her sleeves and closely examined the exposed engine of the bike, being sure not to make any contact with the ship. It seemed her uninvited approach was enough to draw the attention of the Vulkars, four of the gang members had taken note of Eisa paying close attention towards what must of been their prize speeder. She could feel the sudden whack of a blunt object strike the side of her chest, before a firm hand wrapped around her shoulder before suddenly jerking her upwards and away from the speeder bike and casting her back a few steps. "What are you doing with our swoop" the taller of the gang members barked at the fiery haired youth. "Nothing, just having a looksie at the engine, its a MD-0C6 Right? Never seen one modded with a AX-9 thrust drive before" Eisa spoke out as she passively raised her arms upwards to show no ill intent, her cheerful smile still present over her features as she watched the gang members be taken aback by her knowledge.

"What do you know about engines" one of the other gang members questioned as he folded his arms across his chest, his eyes like the others staring intently at the young female. "Bits and bobs really, I'm training to be a star fighter mechanic" Eisa explained, as her gaze noted that her response had peaked the interest of the gang members. "Not really that good just yet, only doing oil changes and fuel line replacements, but you know" She continued before trailing off a little bit as a coy smile crossed her lips. "Some girls appreciate some machines with a bit of oomph to em" she added before giving a playful wink towards the surrounding Vulkars, eliciting a light chuckle from some.

Seeking to make the most of the diffused tension, the Fiery haired Jedi looked over her shoulder towards where the earlier spotted pair had wandered off towards. "Didn't realise that couldn't get a closer look, My bad. Just saw them two guys lingering around this bike" Eisa spoke out, before turning and gesturing towards the two figures from earlier. "Thought so long as I didn't touch any thing it'd be ok" she added, as she watched the collective gaze of the Vulkars look off towards the two individuals she had pointed out. A feigned inquisitive look crossed the fiery haired Jedi's features as she watched the expressions of the gang members sour a little. "I don't think they touched anything but I couldn't see from where I was standing" Eisa continued before stepping away from the Swoop bike and retreating a little away from the group, showing that for now she had learnt her lesson to keep a clear distance from the Gang's prize racer.

 

[Harkam Gant]

Harkam was acutely aware of the seven pairs of Vulkar eyes shifting away from him and towards Eisa when she decided to play the lightning rod for this particular kind of storm. She became an immediate center of intention, dropping Harkam in the blackest shadow he'd ever known. Well done

Thanks to his personal lightning rod, Harkam managed to approach two of the slave-collared engineers without being seen, but they didn't quite as happy to see a potential rescuer than he had figured. "Alright-" the enthusiastic rebel said in a hushed tone of voice, "-how do we get these collars off of you."

The pair of engineers looked at him with mild disappointment, "You'll get us all killed if you haven't thought of that already." Great, so much for the vote of confidence. There were a good dozen high-class engineers at the pits and getting them offworld unseen was a seemingly insurmountable task, Harkam suddenly realized. Still, the Galactic Alliance was built on Hope and so he would be hopeful that a solution to that problem would present itself after he dealt with the collars. "There must be an off-switch somewhere, right?" he asked in a hurried voice and a bit anxious that the Vulkars would soon tire of accosting Eisa and try to find him again, but the engineers just shook their heads. "Our switches are with the Vulkar gang boss, just like theirs-" he nodded in the direction of the Hidden Beks engineers and then towards those collared by the Stinging Bees Gang, "-are carried by their respective gang bosses."

Getting a sudden idea, Harkam raised his hand towards the talkative engineer's shock collar and closed his eyes. It took him a few seconds to find the Force and trying to use it tired him out mentally, but despite his novice skills he managed to disable to shock-collar, much to the intense surprise and joy of the engineer in question. "You're a jedi?" he asked excitedly. Even the slaves on Taris had heard about the events on Onderon and the big Jedi reveal giving hope to everyone in oppression. Having discovered the trick in the Force, Harkam needed less focus to disable the second engineer's shock-collar and he did so faster as well. He smiled, "pretend like they're still working and when we give the signal-" he paused, still having no clue about what signal or what they were going to do afterwards as an escape, "-we go."

@Plebometer

 

[Eisa Swan]

A slight twinging frown crossed the youth's eyebrows as she felt the Force around her start to swirl, her connection to the Force giving indication that there was someone near by actively using the Force. After a few moments of reaching out with her feelings she had pin pointed the source of the force use, a light grin crossing her features at the realisation that it was her Padawan using the Force in and around the enslaved Engineers. //Good thinking Harkam, Keep it up, i'll see about creating a diversion// Eisa spoke out, whispering through the Force into the back of her pupil's mind. Her attention returned back to the Vulkar gang members as they flicked their attention between the earlier indicated rivals and the young fiery haired female, her bright emerald hued gaze raising up to regard the taller men. "Where are you going?" the gang member spoke out, in part to the youth's cautious retreat. "Stepping back from your swoop, like i said my bad lesson learnt" Eisa responded initially keeping a calm air around her, not wanting to escalate matters just yet, she wanted to buy her Padawan some more time to continue his act of subterfuge.

"You're not going any where just yet missey! Not till the boss decides on what to do with you just yet" the Vulkar spoke out, as a slight smirk crossed his scarred features. A light sigh escaped the youth's lips before shrugging her shoulders in resignation. "Fine take me to him" Eisa spoke out as she folded her arms around her chest, figuring that it was best to remain as passive as possible for the time being. It was afteral a little bit premature to reach for her weapon and resist the 'request' of the Gang members, well at least for the time being, she had every faith in the Force's will, knowing that as soon as an opportunity would present itself she would be ready to seize it.

Following the lead of the escort, the fiery haired Jedi Knight moved towards the Vulkar gang boss. A tall Nikto male, his brown hued face decorated with a series of chains and rings that were implanted into the various spikes and horns that protruded from his reptilian skin. The darkened scowl from the leader being directed towards Eisa, however was met with the ever present cheerful expression plastered over her features. "What were you doing near our Swoop" the Nikto spoke, though a hissing tone, his words carrying as a demand rather than an simple inquiry. Turning her gaze back over towards the swoop bike she had been inspecting and somewhat drooling over, the fiery haired Jedi pointed at it for a moment before returning her gaze towards the Gang leader. "Nothing, just having a look was all" Eisa responded initially, before looking towards the other gang members who had earlier approached her. "Was saying to these guys, I'm a trainee mechanic, I like looking at big and powerful machines" she added as she gestured towards the other gang members who nodded in response to confirm her earlier 'story'

"Any ways, I wasn't aware, Just nipped down here for my break, and saw two guys in green overalls take a look so thought it was an open pit" Eisa continued, being sure to leave little time for the Nikto to rebuke or attempt to chastise her. The gang leader's eyes narrowed slightly at the mention of the green overalls, it seemed for the time being that her attempt to shift the focus onto the rival gang had paid off. "Who were they, what did they do?" the gang leader barked, as his reptilian eyes scoured the shifting crowds around them. "Dunno who they were, but they wandered off towards that swoop bike over there" Eisa explained as she pointed towards the neighbouring racing team's pit. "Don't know who they were, but they seemed pretty interested in the exhaust ports manifolds" she added with a slight shrug.

It seemed that it was enough to get the attention of the Nikto gang leader drawn away from the young Jedi's interest in the Swoop bike, to be directed towards what appeared to be a Rival gang. "Right you're coming with us" The gang leader barked, before snapping his fingers and pointing towards the neighbouring gang's race area. Before she knew it, Eisa was being dragged along through the crowd and into the rival gang's pit. The Vulkar's approach was almost met in equal force, six members of the Hidden Beks making their way out to meet the advance.

 

[Harkam Gant]

Just as Harkam had spotted another couple of enslaved engineers he heard a familiar voice in his head with Eisa's voice; Good thinking Harkam, Keep it up, i'll see about creating a diversion. He was surprised he could mimic her voice so vividly in his mind, clearly convinced that it was just his mind thinking Eisa would approve. When he tried to look for her he got a scare, though, since she was being lead away by Vulkars and for a moment Harkam moved in her direction with the intention of abandoning the mission and rescuing her. It wasn't until his third step that he realized that despite her young age, Eisa was a fully fledged Jedi knight and could probably fight her way though the combined force of all the Taris' gangs with her abilities. The thought did chip away at his own confidence, seeing as his battle prowess was measured in how many blaster shots hit their respective targets.

Shaking away the doubt, Harkam made his way to the other engineers he had spotted and managed to do so largely inconspicuous until he was about ten meters away and he quite literally bumped into a Hidden Bek guard who had just awoken from a nap. "Oi-" the weequay said rather drowsely, followed by a frown and a rather late realization that whoever he bumped into wasn't a fellow Hidden Bek "-eh, who are you?"

Harkam moved fast and landed a powerful punch in the weequay's stomach, forcing the air out of him in a soundless sigh, before elbowing him on the jaw. It knocked him out cold, but the engineers had seen it all go down and seemed convinced Harkam was someone from another gang aiming to cripple the competition by..taking them out.

One of them got up and was about to signal to other Hidden Beks, forcing Harkam to draw vibro-blade and stepping closer. "Don't force me to take you out-" he hissed anxiously, too afraid that the Hidden Beks would start to notice if he spoke any louder. Luckily the engineers seemed to respond well to threats of violence and sat back down, allowing Harkam to make the pitch he needed to make.

@Plebometer

 

[Eisa Swan]

"What Kiffing Business do you have sending your boys into my pit" A loud reptilian voice hissed out over the crowd, drawing the attention of the mingling crowds as the Nikto Gang leader arched himself up to his full height, pointing a scaled finger at the shorter human clad in a green hued boiler suit. Among the crowd was the Fiery haired Jedi, standing a few steps behind the Vulkar gang leader and flanked either side by his subordinates. Her bright emerald hued eyes flitting between the two standing to her sides before she tried to peak over the taller reptilian male's shoulder by standing on tip toes, trying in vain to get a look and gauge the reaction of the rival gang. Pursing her lips in thought the young Jedi shrugged slightly before allowing her senses to reach out into the Force to read the atmospherics within the confrontation, the air was rife with tension. It was almost as if tensions between the two gangs had been on a steady simmer over the recent months, potentially at the risk of boiling over.

Perhaps it was those tensions that would play off to the two Jedi's favour, make the most of the escalation and use it to free the enslaved engineers. Though if that were to be the path forward, Eisa secretly hoped that she wouldn't get caught up within the glorified pissing contest between the rival gangs, rather than leave it to chance it would make sense to try and take the reigns on matters. "As much right as you do sending your chumps over to strong arm my racer" an equally agitated and enraged voice snapped back over the murmuring crowd, tilting her head at a slight angle the fiery haired youth managed to catch a brief glimpse of a Hamadryas man, clad in an array of leather attire much like what the Nikto was wearing. It was fairly amusing to Eisa, the fact that despite the respective gang allegiances and bearing the colours of their 'brothers' there wasn't all that much that set them apart, they still ultimately looked the same as the other.

"That's bantha krak, why would we need to strong arm your racer? He's no use, hes a kriffing tweaker!" the Nikto snapped back before breaking out into a bout of laughter, his fellow gang members either smirking or laughing at the comment. Eisa could feel the anger radiate from the Hidden Beks, her lips pursing in thought for a moment as she contemplated just how far things were going to progress between the two squabbling gangs. Her attention moved around the surrounding area as she surveyed the pits, there were various different colours that she could spot. More than likely they were either indipendant racers and their crew, but there was the potential that they were other gangs. What did catch her attention was the sight of more heavily armoured figures dotted about the outskirts of the cavernous warehouse where the Swoop races were conducted from. Without a doubt these were the 'peace keepers' on the Hutt's payroll, and their presence here was enough to ensure that things would not escalate beyond a heated exchange.

That would need changing! Closing her eyes, the fiery haired Youth reached out through the Force, and directed the flows of the energies around one of the closest members of the Hidden Beks, tendrils of the Force gently wrapping around him. With a slight twitch of her fingers, Eisa pulled the unsuspecting gang member forwards towards his opposing gang member. The sudden and unexpected lurching moment seemed to be enough to finally light the fuse on the situation, as the unsuspecting man's advance was met with a swift retaliatory punch. Soon after it seemed that the ruck had kicked off, as the tensions between the two gangs had finally started to fray, resulting in a brawl breaking out. Keeping her wits about her, the young Jedi watched at the two gang members either side of her shove their way forwards into the fray. Her bright emerald hued eyes observing the sight of the brawl as it increased in mass, pulling the attention of the other gang members within the area into the vicinity.

Taking this as her moment, Eisa slipped out of the way, using the combination of her slight stature and the Force to make short work of getting through the crowd and retreating back towards the rear of the Pits where she could sense that her Padawan was located. As swiftly and Silently as she had made her exit she soon appeared within the pit, her brow furrowing as she regarded the unconscious guard. A light smile crossing her features as she turned her attention to Harkam. "Looks like something might of happened over there..." the Jedi Knight spoke out with a coy innocent tone before gesturing towards the brawl behind her, then shaking her head knowing that Harkam wouldn't for one second believe that it was not her doing "Yes i know i've got a terrible Sabac face" Eisa continued with a sigh before turning her gaze towards the enslaved engineers. "Right lets get these guys out their collars and to safety" the fiery haired Jedi added with a cheerful grin.

 

[Harkam Gant]

Upon hearing the commotion of the brawl, both the engineers and Harkam turned to see what it was all about, only to watch Eisa's approach. Quickly, as if he hadn't taken it to hand in the first place, Harkam put the vibro-blade back and tried desperately to calm himself. "Who's that?" one of the engineers asked, enchanted as he was by Eisa's fiery hair. "Eisa Swan, my-" he swallowed back the next words. He hadn't behaved like a padawan at all as he threatened them. "-a Jedi Knight."

Eisa hadn't joined them or more people seemed to be coming their way, with each of them wearing shock collars and worked up in enthusiasm by the first two engineers Harkam had freed. "We saw the brawl and-" one of them said, "-figured this was the best chance we got for freedom." They all nodded fiercely and looked at both Harkam and Eisa eagerly, expecting them to wave their hands and disable their shock collars with their magical abilities. Harkam complied with a fuzzy feeling in his stomach. So this is how liberating people from oppression really feels like?

Unfortunately the mass exodus of intellectual slaves hadn't gone completely unnoticed due to the brawl and four enraged gangsters quickly began to make their way over with vibro-swords in hand. "Kriff-" Harkam looked at Eisa and then nodded his head towards the new threat. He knew that no matter how fast they took those four out their time in the pits had to come to an end yesterday. Drawing his blaster pistol, Harkam aimed at the attacked and fired twice, killing two with well-aimed hits to the chest. "We have to run straight to our ship." he said rather angrily, "now!"

@Plebometer

 

[Eisa Swan]

Looking over to the approaching engineer, the young fiery haired Jedi smiled cheerfully and nodded as Harkam introduced her to them by name. Her brow furrowing slightly at the hesitation and the later change in tact, she was sure that her padawan was about to introduce her as his mentor or master. But the sudden change in referral to her as a Jedi Knight and the sudden swallowing of words, there was something amiss within her ward. Though she would be best discussing Harkam's concerns when they have time to themselves to discuss his concerns in their own time, all to aware that what ever distraction that she had bought the rescue attempt, the time that would be available to them would soon be running out. It would only be a matter of time until the enforcers regained control of the situation, bludgeoning their way to restore order.

Her gaze turned to the approaching Engineers that had made their way from their respective pits, it seemed that words of freedom spread quickly, undoubtedly made easier by the fact that their 'masters' were pre-occupied knocking seven shades of kriff out of each other. Taking a deep breath Eisa summoned the Force into her will, slowly outstretching her hand and setting forth countless unseen tendrils of Force energy into the shock collars that were wrapped around the various engineer's necks. With a light controlled surge of focused energy, the fiery haired Jedi Knight overloaded the micro circuitry that controlled the locking mechanisms of the Shock collars. A series of thuds and relieved sighs passing from the engineer's lips providing confirmation that they were finally free from their bindings. Many of them reaching for their necks to feel for themselves that the shock collars were in fact off and the sight of the devices laying on the floor wasn't just an wishful illusion, a broad grin crossed the youth's features as she took in the brief moment of satisfaction from using her honed abilities.

Her eyes widened as she felt through the Force the sudden rush towards them, her bright emerald hued eyes looking towards her Padawan as he cussed aloud. Her eyes narrowing not at the the swearing, after all she had heard worse, kriff she's even said worse herself. But it was the advance of the closing gang members towards them, her face twisting slightly in concentration as she reached out with the Force, extending her reach out towards the fallen shock collars, whilst her right hand withdrew her holstered weapon. With a swift movement the fiery haired Jedi knight spun on her heal, turning round to face the swiftly approaching gang members before lurching her left hand forwards. The disengaged shock collars being cast into the air and towards the necks of the oncoming thugs, the intent to return the favour as it were however failed. The projected shock collars did little more than bounce harmlessly off the approaching attackers, doing little more than to make them angrier than before, the fact that two of their numbers had been cut down by the well placed shots of her Padawan. All resulted in them lunging forward projecting their vibroswords towards the young Jedi Knight.

A surge of pain rushed through her left arm as she withdrew it back to it's prone position, she could feel the warm sensation of tricking blood seep out from her skin and soak into the sleeve of her overalls. "Mother Kriffer" Eisa cussed aloud through gritted teeth, her brow furrowing into a look of concentrated focus, blocking out the searing pain of arm and focusing purely on the guiding currents of the Force to direct her hand. There was not enough space between her and the assaulting attackers now to use the pistol function of her weapon, leaving her little option but to engage in blade to blade combat. A sudden snap hiss erupted from the dual function saber pistol, the immediate area around the young Jedi being flooded with a light Peridot green glow as the blade of her lightsaber flashed into life.

Allowing the Force to freely flow through her, the young Jedi knight moved like a conduit of the Force, the fluidic movements of her ignited lightsaber making light work parrying the undisciplined and brutish swings of the attacking gang members. Although they were lacking the practised and honed finesse that the young Jedi possessed, the combined attacks of the attacking thugs meant that for the initial stretch of the bout she was on the defensive. As much as she tried to bring her wounded arm forward to grip her lightsaber with both hands she could only feel a sluggish numbness to the movements of her hand and digits, the blade strike had cut deeper than she had anticipated, leaving Eisa suspecting that perhaps some of her tendons had been severed as a result. "Harkam" Eisa spoke out as she swung her glowing blade round to intercept another swing of the thug's vibroblade. "You lead them to the Ship" she continued before cutting herself short as she twirled the blade around to meet the other vibrobrade. "I'll cover the escape"

 

[Harkam Gant]

Before Eisa ordered him to lead the freed engineers to the ship, Harkam had already shot twice more, one of those shots went seriously wide, but the other hit one of Eisa's attackers in the side of the neck, killing him instantly. With only one attacker still seeking Eisa's blood, Harkam was confident she could dispatch him comfortably and turned around to focus on the engineers.

The noise of the brawl between gangs was ever so present, drowning out the scuffle they were involved in themselves, which Harkam guess would give them their best shot at getting away. "Alright," he motioned for all the engineers to gather up. There was clear fear in their eyes, but with every second of Eisa's exposed lightsaber there was also a growing sense of hope. "Follow me!" he immediately dashed for a side-exit to the pits. The engineers all followed Harkam through the side-exit and escaped the pits.

Taris wasn't the city-world it would become, but it was nevertheless a maze of different levels, lifts going over a hundred floor and public transport subways. Harkam did his best to nagivate the levels, aided by the engineers that were natives of the planet, and they finally reach the ship without drawing attention.

Confident that Eisa was only a few second behind them, Harkam lead the engineers onto the ship, some having to find somewhat comfort in the cargo bay, and fired up the engines. "It's only a few days-" he said to ship from the cockpit, "-then its maintenance time, I promise."

@Plebometer

 

[Eisa Swan]

Perhaps calling out that she would cover the escape would have been an a case of being a little too confident, the thugs although lacking in the Force had been unrelenting in their attacks. Forcing the fiery haired Jedi knight to be on the defensive, it wasn't helped by the fact that for the time being the wound she had sustained to her opposing arm was hindering her abilities to press the offensive. What she had not expected was another salvo of blaster fire to tear past her from her side, the first round seemed to careen through the space between the two attacking thugs, the second however landed hard against the neck of one of the thugs. The two opponents in that instant being reduced down to one, taking a deep breath the fiery haired Jedi poured all her focus into the Force and her combat form.

Taking advantage of the brief distraction of the felled thug, Eisa swept herself off to the side, moving to attempt to flank the remaining gang member. A sweeping downward strike of her blade moving to swat and drive the thug's downwards swing of his vibroblade further towards the ground, creating an opening to allow the Jedi knight to quickly flick the blade of her lightsaber upwards in a diagonal slash, towards the now exposed and unguarded chest of the thug. The scent of burning flesh filled Eisa's nostrils in the wake of the blade cutting through the torso of the thug, confirming the killing blow the blade was extinguished. Although she had managed to strike a mortal wound upon the remainder of the four gang members who had attempted to put a stop to the rescue attempt of the Engineers, the thug was able to emit a final pained scream as the blade burned through his inner organs, drawing the attention of the outer fringes of the main brawl.

Her bright emerald hued eyes connecting with the gazes of those who had heard the scream and looked in the direction of the origin, quickly her eyes looked down to the fallen thugs standing at her feet, then down to the hilt of her deactivated weapon and back to the gang members. Leaving little time for anyone to react, Eisa spun on her heel and bolted towards the door Harkam had lead the engineers to freedom through. Her mind focusing on the Force and reaching out towards the leafs of the doors, no sooner had she crossed the threshold of the door, the fiery haired Jedi spun round and used the Force to bring the sliding doors to a close. For good measure the lightsaber was once again ignited and the tip of the blade plunged into the access panel, destroying the contained control boards and circuitry. Although the doors could be forced open, it would take time to do so, buying the Jedi and the liberated engineers much needed space to get up in the air and out of dodge.

Keeping her mind opened to the Force, Eisa reached out for her padawan. Using the faint ripples in the currents of the Force that had fallen in her student's wake, allowing her to navigate the path Harkam had earlier taken. As she navigated her way through the winding streets, corridors and access routes through the levels that made up Taris's underbelly. Eisa holstered her weapon, only to bring her now freed hand over and placed it on her wounded arm. Applying pressure to the wound and allowing a slight flow of the Force's healing properties to flow through her and into her wound, only doing enough to clot over the wound for the time being, knowing that as soon as the two Jedi and the liberated engineer's had regrouped with the Rebel flotilla, she could seek more appropriate medical attention.

Turning on the final corner, the young Jedi knight sped out onto the landing pad where the ship had docked, she could tell by the sound of engines firing up that Harkam and the rescued engineers wasted no time in getting the ship ready to depart. Something that she was not going delay any further herself, with a final burst of speed Eisa sprinted her way up the boarding ramp, and held a bloody hand against the control panel, first pressing the door closure control before pressing down on the ship's intercomm. "Thats me on board, doors closing, ready when you are" Eisa spoke out over the internal speaker up to the ships helm. Slowly she directed her gaze up towards the ceiling bulkhead, and let out a sigh before stepping away from the closed boarding ramp airlock door. her bright emerald hued eyes falling upon an emergency med pack, stepping forward Eisa retrieved a field dressing bandage from the assortment of first aid equipment.

Whilst pacing her way through the inner bowls of the ship, the Jedi youth held the bandage packet in her mouth whist she pulled the maintenace work suit down over her shoulders and eased her wounded arm out of the sleeve. Pausing in her movement, Eisa placed the dressing over the would before tightly wrapping the attached bandage around it, securing the dressing in place, cheating a little by using the Force to make up for the lack of a second hand. Having dressed her wound, she resumed her path through the ship, casting a tired but cheerful smile towards the Engineers that she had passed. Their hushed discussions falling silent as the collective looks fell upon her, she knew that look all too well, having seen it before the disbelief that the Jedi were still among them. As soon as she stepped into the flight deck, Eisa slumped down into the spare seat beside her Padawan. Her bright emerald hued gaze falling upon Harkam, as she leant fully back into the seat. "You're quite the crack shot with your blaster Harkam" The jedi knight spoke out as she ran a hand through her hair, neglecting the fact that her fingers were still stained with blood, leaving a few trails of crimson on her forehead. "Thank you" Eisa added shortly afterwards as a sincere smile crossed her features "For having my back, I'm proud that you are my Padawan"

 

[Harkam Gant]

Once he had confirmation that Eisa was on board and the doors were closed, Harkam initiated the take-off procedure and made contact with the Taris Orbital Traffic Control. By the time Eisa had joined him in the cockpit the skyscrapers were quickly descending in their view as they shot up into the skies. There was no reason for the government to stop them and Harkam got the permission he needed to plot the course to Mimban.

Meanwhile, Eisa's remarks had Harkam a bit blushing, for he didn't feel like such a good padawan today. He had threatened the slaves with his knife and was fully capable of murdering them to ensure the safety of the others. He did learn a new trick in the Force, though, he guess that was something, at least. "Thanks, master-" he finally replied, a bit absentminded due to punching in various controls to safely engage the hyperdrive. "-that pistol has never let me down."

Finally he finished his calculations and the second they left Taris' orbit, the ship engaged in hyperspeed. Next stop: Mimban.

/end thread