There's a First Time for Everything: Coruscant

[WhiteSheWolf]

((Please, no reckless fights. It's open because I enjoy spontaneity.))

~Ena stared wide-eyed out of the windows of the transport ship as it entered the fluorescent atmosphere of the city planet, Coruscant. The sixteen-year-old girl’s face was a tad bit paler than it usually was as the ship skimmed over an endless sea of skyscrapers and billboards, milling over complicated lines of traffic where speeders and cruisers littered the skies like ants on a chocolate cake. The closer the ship grew to the spaceport, the more Ena’s face paled, and the more she began to think that this was not a good idea. Maybe she should have stood up to her parents for once, and told them that she did not want to go to Coruscant. They had said she needed to see more of the universe…and right about now Ena had seen more than she ever wanted to. Ena’s insides turned to lead as the ship docked in the spaceport. The passengers began to eagerly crowd the door, waiting for the landing ramp to descend so they could attend to whatever business they had on the city. Ena waited until every passenger had left before she stood, and made her hesitant way down the ramp. ~


~She crept anxiously through the port, her eyes nearly bulging out of her skull with fear. She had thought her house was too much to bear when all nine of her siblings were home…but now that seemed like a walk in the park. On Coruscant, everything was too much. It was too loud, too crowded, too dirty, too industrial, just too much. She drew inside herself like turtle and scuttled her way along, eyes stuck to the floor and hands in her pockets. No one noticed her. Ena passed like a shadow through the sardine-like crowds, slipping into non-existent spaces between people and slipping away before they even recognized her presence. At long last she made it to the front doors of the Starport. They whooshed open and Ena leapt back with a cry of surprise. The doors at home weren’t that loud. Ena stepped onto the street like a man walking to the gallows. ~


~All at once the sound and lights of the city hit her. It was more than that, however, it had always been more than that. Sound and lights didn’t bother her, she only thought they did. The reason for her stress anxiety, the reason she glued herself to the wall of the spaceport and refused to move, was the force. Ena had the gift, and curse, of empathy via the force. She could feel the life force of everyone in her vicinity. All of the currents of emotion and thought from beings around her constantly flowed through Ena like a tide, and amplified everything around her to torturous levels. Ena didn’t know anything of the force, spare the stories her mother had told, so she couldn’t do anything to control the currents flowing through her. The girl’s extreme self-consciousness made it hard for anyone to actually take notice of her, and had hidden her gift so far for her life. Even now no one noticed the small, frail sixteen year old girl, petrified, practically crawling to a corner where she could hide from the overwhelming sense of life.~

 

[FallenKeeper]

Sh'Asur stood outside the very same spaceport Ena had arrived at. He wore a simple brown shirt with a pair of olive drab slacks and black boots. His hair was tied back into a short ponytail and a thick beard gave him a more grizzled look. The vet's eyes had a soft intensity to them. He was a serious man but a caring father and it showed in his actions.

This was the last day of his four day leave and he had just sent his family off back to Corellia. Margeth and Salma always brightened his spirits. And though he was sad to see them go, he was glad to have had time with them even if it was only three days. Like usual he bid them farewell at the spaceport's front doors. Watching their ship take off always hardened the reality that they were going away and he may not see them again. It was better for him if it simply seemed like a dream he woke up from.

Unlike the other travelers, he noticed the small, frail, petrified teen quietly crawling to a corner. Somehow she reminded him of his daughter and he couldn't help but approach. "Are you all right," he asked softly with his deep voice as he neared her. He kept to the side, giving her room to move if she felt like it. He didn't want to scare her.

 

[WhiteSheWolf]

~Only a few minutes on the planet, and already Ena wished herself back at home among the quiet, rolling plains of her parent's large estate. She closed her eyes and shrank against the wall behind her. Maybe everyone would just go away...a voice! Ena squeaked. It was all she could do. Her dark eyes flashed upwards once to the man's face without ever meeting his eyes, and as soon as her quick observation was done, she hid her face behind her long, straight black hair, gaze fixed pointedly on the ground below her feet.~

"I'm..fine...sir.."

~She mumbled, though clearly she was very much not fine. She shivered visibly as a large crowd of rowdy people exited the Spaceport nearby, the stream of emotion overwhelming the poor girl. It would be hard to believe she was even 16 years old, the way her baggy clothing hung, the way she shrank into herself every time another person passed.~

 

[Natise]

From across the space port a young and cocky force user was staring down this sixteen year old girl. Desmond Trin, a human male at the age of 17 had just began training with the Luminous mercinaries. He was given his first break, so he decided to hit the city. It had been a while since he walked on the streets of Courasant, and he wasn't exactly welcomed, but now with a saber at his belt, and the force, somewhat, at his command, he was walking tall and proud, and was looking for trouble. He walked up to this young girl and said

" Hey there, you look scared, come with me, let me show you around the city. "

Desmonds face was covered in what appeared to be a skull tattoo, he had pitch black spiking hair, and he wore clothing that made him look like he just broke out of a prison. The worst thing about his appearance though, was the glowing red eyes that he had.

 

[FallenKeeper]

"Sir?" answer Sh'Asur with a chuckle as he crouched in front of the girl and looked up at her, "Aren't you so very polite." He smiled at her like he would smile at his daughter, Salma. Though the teenager did remind him of his own child, it was clear they were very disimilar. Salma was rather forward and outgoing, the girl before him seemed timid and shy. "My name is Sh'Asur, tell me are you here with family or is someone supposed to pick you up?" He felt odd asking such a question to a teenager, it wasn't as if she were a baby. But in the end she was someone's baby. He felt it was a parental obligation to help kids.

Then a young man with a tattooed face walked up to the girl as well. He had a bad feeling that the girl would become less comfortable so Sh'Asur backed off a few steps to give her space, while at the same time positioning himself to step in if the man became a problem.

 

[WhiteSheWolf]

~Even though the man – Sh’Asur – was looking up at Ena, she avoided his gaze, glancing to the side and away. Regardless, Sh’Asur’s patience flowed through the force into Ena, and did take a slight edge off of her nerves. “I…I’m Ena. I…am here by myself…a, er, vacation.”

~How else to explain that her parents had literally booted her from Naboo because they decided she need some ‘life experience’? The very slight relief Ena had been feeling shattered at the newcomer’s presence. The skill tattoo, wild hair and red eyes probably would have frightened the girl if she wasn’t force sensitive to the very extreme; but that, combined with his inevitable force presence and forward words sent her shrinking back into herself even more so than before. Her skin – already pale as snow – seemed to pale further and her eyes found the ground once more. She refused to even attempt to look up at the newcomer. ~

“I’m f…fine, thank you.” ~She said, in reply to Desmond’s offer. ~

 

[Natise]

At her reply, Desmond's mouth turns into a sick smile. He glances at the man for a second, but after not sensing any force sensitivity, he turns his gaze back onto the girl. He holds her chin with one of his hands, and calmly whispers to her:


"Its ok, you can trust me"

His words seem to be drilling into Ena's head, as if they are convincing her without her permisssion. (mind trick is beign used) Desmond stares at Ena, waiting tentatively for a reply.

 

[FallenKeeper]

At that point Sh'Asur's expression hardened. His jaw tightened as he watched the man put his hand to Ena's chin. The defensive impulse of a father took hold and he found himself speaking firmly. "Ena, come with me. I'm on my way to a Republic base, from there you can take a cab to any destination you want, just name it."

He didn't trust the man with the tattoo, not one bit. He had the look to him as if he were accustomed to trouble, and the vet saw that look in the eyes of many kids who had lived like he had or become thugs of some sort.

 

[Natise]

Desmond suddenly begins to scowl. He reaches to his belt and holds the hilt of his lightsaber in his hand. He turns towards the republic vet and begins to speak, as he does the area seems to darken...

" Maybe you shouldn't get inbetween us right now, republic scum "

Desmond tightens his grip on his lightsaber, but does not activate it.

 

[WhiteSheWolf]

~Ena whimpered as the frightening man grabbed hold of her chin. She tried to move backwards to evade his grasp – but she had already been curled against the wall by her own choosing. Ena’s eyes darted, refusing to meet his even as he held her. She squeezed her eyes tight, lips in a pale, drawn thin line. Maybe he would go away. Maybe this was all a bad dream. Please, let it be a bad dream…she thought. His words. They seemed amplified in her ears, too loud. Ena’s force sensitivity made her mind like a funnel; channeling everything around her in, and through – so even if she had the will to resist the mind trick, it was amplified along with everything else.~

“I guess…” ~She mumbled,~ “I could go with-”

~The slight darkening of Desmond’s aura smothered Ena like a candle drenched in water. She scooted away from the frightening man, inching towards Sh’Asur. Her eyes were drawn inevitably to what Desmond gripped in one hand. A lightsaber. She knew of those; had seen them when her mother’s old friends would visit her on Naboo.~

“Please just…go away!”

 

[Natise]

Desmond sees the fear in Ena's eyes, and he loves it. He realises though, that while she fears him, she will be able to resist him. Desmond clips the lightsaber back onto his belt and looks towards Ena. As he speaks, an echo of a framiliar voice fills Ena's head, the voice of her mothers.


" Don't be scared, I just want to talk. "

 

[Dmitri]

Captain Bianca Lockhart of the Contessa had returned from a debriefing from her latest assignment. She had taken a taxi to the harbor, where one of her superior officers requested she tell Sh'Asur, a Republic officer, that they were wanting to speak with him about his next mission, but the man was late.
Men, pouted Bianca.
Bianca entered the hangar to see the trio. She recognized one as Sh'Asur. Sh'Asur was placing himself between the other man and an unknown woman. Walking behind Desmond's line of vision, Bianca secretly took out her blaster, holding it visibly to show Sh'Asur that she was armed. Bianca nodded to Sh'Asur, confirmind that he would have backup if needed. Bianca's driver, a Lamia named Barrel, was right behind her, also drawing a blaster.

OOC: Barrel's a NPC so it's fine if he gets killed if this turns into a fight.

 

[FallenKeeper]

Sh'Asur reached towards Ena to pull her behind him while at the same time flagging down a group of Port security that knew him well. Since rejoining the military he had spent much time coming and going from the spaceport that he eventually became casually aquantied with the security detail. With the recent terrorist activities and the assassination of the Supreme Chancellor, security had been beefed up significantly. Especially at transit facilities.

"Son, your better off just moving along. If you stir up trouble here then you are bound to be sent to a prison. Take the opportunity to walk away." The Colonel kept a firm voice, speaking loudly to alert commuters nearby so that they would move to avoid danger. Though he was without armor or weapon he was a trained war vet, in Republic and Jedi patrolled public space.

((If you're looking for random violence or trouble, pick a different thread or make one of your own. Do not de-rail someone else's plot that they spent time on with a goal in mind.))

 

[WhiteSheWolf]

~Ena was hopelessly confused, as was the norm. Her mother’s voice was in her ears, her mind, as if she was standing next to the teenager, talking to her. Conflicting auras – the thousands of people in the city, the remembered fear of the man with the lightsaber, the slight calm of Sh’Asur all mixed together in a whirl. Desmond was winning in persuading Ena’s mind – she was weak-willed to begin with – but the overall combination and myriad of signals – both from her physical senses and the force – radiated only one reaction: anxiety. In her confusion Ena let Sh’Ashur pull her behind him, and clung to him, unmoving. She closed her eyes again – the only action she seemed capable of. What did this man want from her anyways? She was nothing; a recluse teenager on a planet not her own, and not her choice. She was nothing at all.~

“Go away,” ~Ena mumbled again; though there wasn’t much of a chance Desmond would hear.~ “My mother never wants to talk with me anyways.” ~Which, was true.~

 

[Natise]

Desmond sees the relief in Sh'Asur's eyes, he realises how many people are here, and its not the place for this. He takes one last look at Ena.

" Don't be foolish, there is power far greater than what they have to offer. "

Desmond pulls out a small necklace that has an obsidian ball at the end of it. He hands it to Ena.

" When your ready to see how much potiental you have, concact me through this "

Desmond gives a slight nod to the republic verteran and then begins to walk away from the group.

 

[FallenKeeper]

Sh'Asur kept his eyes locked on the young man as he began to depart. The security team marched past him until they reached the Republic Officer, who now acknowledged Bianca Lockhart(heart) with a nod. "Every thing all right, Colonel?" asked the oldest of the four men, addressing Sh'Asur by his rank. "It's all find," he replied with an appreciative smile before dismissing them with a brief salute. As they turned tp leave he faced Ena, kneeled and placed two warm, weathered hands on her shoulders as he looked up at her.

"C'mon sweetheart, let's go see what my friend has to say and then we'll bugger off. I have one more day of leave and I don't plan to spend it using my breath to warm some beurocrats tea!" he kept his voice warm and light, hoping to counter the confused and sad look on the young woman's face.

 

[WhiteSheWolf]

~Peering out from behind Sh’Asur, Ena focused only on the necklace the man had extended to her. It looked harmless enough, and Ena intuited that the man would go away if she took it. So she did, and slipped it into a pocket in her pants. As he walked away, some part of her – whoever Ena was when the force wasn’t tossing her around like a paper boat in a stormy sea – was relieved. Most of her was just confused. Her growing weariness wasn’t helping the situation, either. Space lag. Not fun. ~

~Some of the stormy tides subsided as Sh’Asur’s warm words took effect. His emotion rolled onto Ena, and she breathed for what felt like the first time in a few minutes, and nodded. Decisions! She could make them. Somewhere inside her was a rational, intelligent – timid – but creative girl. That Ena just hadn’t seen the light of day for years, since the force bloomed – unknown to Ena, of course. At the present time, she couldn’t think of any reason she wouldn’t want to follow Sh’Asur.~

“Okay,” ~Ena said, eyes still hiding behind her mass of black hair, “I guess…I guess I need a hotel room or something…I have credits.”

 

[FallenKeeper]

"Just one thing, I think you should just toss that thing over the balcony. You will be better off without any reminders of what happened or that boy." Sh'Asur spoke with a calm seriousness. He wasn't sure why but every fiber of his being told him something was off about that man. He carried a lightsaber but didn't look like a Jedi. He didn't even project that energy of certainty most Jedi seemed to do.

All the grizzled man knew for certain was that Ena would be better off without this. It was strange why he felt so endeared to the woman. He couldn't help but see Salma every time he looked at her. That was why he'd remained firm, because of Ena. When he was in battle it was the thought of keeping his men alive that pushed him to achieve. Keeping this child safe seemed to have the same effect.

With a grunt he rose to his full height and turned to face Bianca. Whether Ena followed his suggestion was up to the girl herself. Keeping that in mind he walked tall and kept his shoulders straight, maintaining an air of superiority that was befitting his ranking. "Captain," he said with a salute.

 

[Dmitri]

"Ease, Colonel," said Bianca. "Well, you've gotten yourself into a mess, all right. You know the guy? He didn't seem like a Jedi to me."
Bianca turned her attention to Ena. "Well, if you want, I still have my hotel room rented out. I had to leave a day early, though I had already paid for two more nights. You're free to them." She told her the hotel's name and the room number.

 

[Moriarty]

Off in the distance, but just close enough to see what had happened, Karasym sat upon a balcony. He had used force conealment and illusion to hide his pressence both physically and through the force. It made no sense to scare them because of his dark nature, but he meant them no harm. He cared not for the republic, but he felt a desire to right his wrongs. He would've saved them if he had the oppertunity to, if anything broke out, but nothing did. He wasn't looking for violence anyways.

Seeing as how they were busy and walking away, he no longer hid his pressence and allowed himself to come in full view of everyone around. He didn't move, but continued to watch the three. He felt as though he were a gaurdian to them. Even though he wanted to right wrongs, he didn't want to go that far. he found the young girl interesting, though. She was a beacon of the force. It shone so brightly through her, it was like a flight beacon in the dead of night, shinning and guiding any ships passing by. It was a good thing, but a bad thing as well. There were those all over the galaxy who fed on the force and killed their victims. He decided he would keep a close eye on them.