The New Jedi Order: Legacy

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Centurio
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Re: The New Jedi Order: Legacy

Post by Archangel »

When Felicity had gone, Feldar turned to the young boy. He saw youth, tempered by fear, but inspired by hope. This boy worried for his family, but he trusted in the Jedi - in Feldar. The young Chadra-Fan felt his innards clench at the thought that more lives depended on his actions. He wanted so desperately to help, but he was not sure that he was able. He needed more training; silently, he reprimanded himself for his earlier exuberance. He had wished to leave the Academy, to journey abroad and help people wherever he found them in need, and here was just such a child of the Galaxy, asking for his help, and he doubted any ability to provide it.

He made a mental note to keep his wishful thinking in check in the future.

He said to the boy, "Calmly, child, tell us everything you know about these men, and where they're holding your sister."
Pryngles
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Re: The New Jedi Order: Legacy

Post by Pryde »

"I--I don't know where they're holding my sister, they wouldn't tell us. All they said was that if we called the authorities they would kill her," the boy admitted, he felt ashamed of himself for being so helpless. "My father used to own a shop before he passed, now my mother is in charge of it. Occasionally these men would come to the shop and demand money from us, they say it's for 'protection' but really we're just paying them not to destroy our shop."

"We know how it works and you've yet to tell us anything useful," Cyrilla growled.

The boy shied away from her in embarrassment. "I--I'm sorry, I wish I could tell you more, but if you come to our shop, see these men for yourselves I'm sure they can take you to where they're holding my sister."
Pryngles
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Re: The New Jedi Order: Legacy

Post by Pryde »

Two more cantinas and still nothing, no one seemed to recognize either of the two soldiers Felicity was asking about. Maybe they just didn't drink, she thought, stepping back out onto the street. Another possibility was that no one wanted to talk to a Jedi but Felicity wasn't about to admit that. She was about to give up and head towards the base when something caught her eye. An old building peeking out just over the tops of the shops lining the streets. She must have seen it three times and every time something nagged at her. With a shrug she decided it wouldn't hurt to check it out.

It was a short walk to the building and now that she was standing underneath it she could tell why no one seemed to come near it. The place was old, old enough to be condemned, something about poor construction though Felicity didn't pay much attention to the notice. Instead she climbed the stairs to the front door and forced the lock open with a little assistance from the Force. Rats scurried about inside as soon as light filtered into the long, dark hallway beyond. Felicity was almost tempted to just turn around and leave but her duty would not let her.

Steeling herself she took one step into the build, then another and another until she was deep inside. She didn't really know where she was going, she simply followed the nagging feeling she felt at the back of her mind. The turbolifts in the building were out so she had to take the stairs. She must have gone up at least three floors before coming out into the hallway again. She walked along the wall, one hand brushing its surface to help keep her going in the right direction while the other held up her lightsaber, its blade ignited so she could see.

Halfway down the hallway she stopped, turned to her left and stared at the door she had come to. Was it this one? Only one way to find out, again calling on the Force she opened the lock and threw the door wide open. Beyond she could hear the muffled sounds of someone trying to speak. She hurried into the room and smiled, there were the missing Rangers and they were all alive.

"Hang on, I'm going to get you out of here," she said, rushing over to the first one to undo his bindings. The man was trying to say something to her but Felicity couldn't make out what it was because of the gag covering his mouth. Then a second later something hit her in the back of the head and all the lights went dark...
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Re: The New Jedi Order: Legacy

Post by Balsa »

“We’ll go see these thugs,” Cyrilla agreed with a nod. “Lead on.” The boy kept his distance from the Cathar as he led the two Jedi to his family’s shop. Cyrilla watched him warily, smelling the fear and embarrassment flowing from his body, and regretted her earlier outburst. Yes she was irritated by this fool’s errand, but the boy was innocent and seemed to be in genuine need for their help. He was undeserving of her wrath. She decided she’d need to apologize to him after this mess was sorted out.

It didn’t take the trio long to reach the shop; it wasn’t far from the cantinas. It was like the other buildings around it, slightly run down in a mild state of disrepair. But that was to be expected given the district they were in. The shop windows were bright and Cyrilla saw movement inside, probably just regular shoppers. But she also spotted two men standing at the store entrance, men who were dressed plainly but rough looking.

The Cathar stopped the boy some ten meters from the shop. She sniffed the air and caught the pungent smell of cordite and other explosives used in the manufacture and operation of firearms. “Those men,” she said pointing at the two, “do you recognize them?”

The boy nodded. “They’re from the gang that’s black mailing us.”

“And those inside?”

He squinted. “My mother and people I don’t know. Looks like customers? I can’t tell.”

He was probably right, Cyrilla decided after watching one of the customers leave the shop with some purchases. “Wait here,” she instructed the boy (She’d have to ask his name later, she realized.) and gestured towards Feldar. “Let’s go, we’ll handle this.”

Feldar looked at her questionably. “How?” he squeaked.

“With ‘diplomacy’,” Cyrilla replied with a wink.

The two Jedi crossed the street and approached the two men. “Good afternoon,” Cyrilla said. “We’re looking for someone.”

“Yeah?” the first grunted as he and his partner turned warily towards the Jedi.

“The daughter of the store owner,” the Cathar growled.

“Don’t know who you mean. Best if you’d get the heck out of here,” the second answered as he crossed his arms across his chest and brushing aside his overcoat to reveal blasters tucked into waistbands.

“I think you do,” Cyrilla said with a smile full of pointed teeth. “It’d be in your best interest to tell me where she is.”

By now, several more thugs had surrounded the two Jedi. They produced blasters and knives. “Or you’ll do what?” the first gangbanger smirked. Feldar squeaked as he looked around.

“I’ve got this,” the Cathar said, her smirk matching his, as she shifted her robes to reveal the lightsabers hanging from her belt.

That got the thug’s attention, and the leader seemed to falter, but after a moment, confidence bloomed on his features. “Jedi? We know you Jedi aren’t going to start trouble, peace loving idiots that you are. Jedi code isn’t to kill anyone.”

This time Cyrilla’s smirked blossomed into a smile of amusement, and her laughter rumbled from her muzzle. “Jedi? Who said anything about Jedi?” Her words were tempered with steel. “Try Sith,” and with that one of her lightsabers was in her hand and ignited, the ruby blade growling with anger.

Feldar stared at the Cathar in shock while the thugs all took several steps back. The leader, visibly shaken, glanced left and right before reaching for his blaster, but stopped when Cyrilla brought her blade to his neck. “Don’t,” she whispered, her voice silky. “I’m giving you one last chance. I don’t usually give freebies but I’m feeling generous today. Tell me where she is and I won’t gut you and your friends.”

The thug leader swallowed hard and held his hands well away from his blasters and in plain sight. “I, uh, we’ll take you to her.”

Cyrilla grinned, lightsaber in the man’s face, before lowering her weapon. “Lead on,” she said. As the gangbangers shuffled down the street and they followed them, Feldar tugged at Cyrilla’s sleeve. “…Sith?”

“Of course not,” she whispered with a smirk.

Feldar didn’t seem convinced. “And the red lightsaber?”

“I’ve got two sabers, and I figured gold and red make a good combination,” the Cathar said with a shrug. “I guess the red blade also helps when you have to be ‘diplomatic’. C'mon, let's go get this kid's sister back so we can go find Felicity."
Pryngles
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Re: The New Jedi Order: Legacy

Post by Pryde »

Felicity groaned softly as her eyelids fluttered open. She was still in the room where she found the rangers but now there was something different. For starters the rangers were gone, her hands and feet were bound to the chair upon which she sat and standing before her was a man she didn't recognize. He looked at her with an odd sort of fascination and Felicity noticed in his left hand he clutched the hilt of her double bladed lightsaber.

"We knew the Jedi would eventually send someone but we hadn't expected you to appear so early," the man said after giving her a moment to become fully aware. He stood up and took two steps away from her, idly examining her weapon as he did so. "I did not think the Jedi would send one so young as you. Has your Order fallen so far that they now depend on children to fight their battles?"

"Where are the Rangers," Felicity demanded, ignoring his barbed comment.

"Gone," he said, turning back to look at her, "but don't worry, they are quite safe. We had never intended to kill them we merely wanted to hold them until our team arrived. Of course, once that happened we had to make sure they wouldn't remember their stay with us."

Felicity felt some measure of relief upon learning the Rangers were okay, although a part of her was still hesitant to trust anything he said. "How do I know that's true?"

"You don't, but I have no reason to lie to you," he answered, taking a few steps towards the door and setting her lightsaber down onto a table. "I'm sure you have questions, but your inquiries can wait. I need to make a very important call that simply cannot be delayed. Do be a dear and sit quietly for a moment until I return."

And with that he was gone, the door to the small apartment sliding shut behind him. Felicity's eyes wandered to the table up which sat her lightsaber. It was well out of reach and with her hands bound behind her back it would be difficult to wield it anyway. With a sigh she gave her surroundings another once over before beginning the long arduous process of moving her chair over to the table. Unfortunately, after several hops and a few rocks her chair suddenly tipped over and as she fell she elicited a startled yelp that she immediately didn't feel proud of. Lying on her side she wriggled around on the floor trying to right herself but after a few failed attempts she sighed and gave up. This is not better, she quietly grumbled to herself...
Pryngles
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Re: The New Jedi Order: Legacy

Post by Pryde »

Vash Jansen entered the darkened room with a sort of trepidation. The chair in which he had bound his prisoner was empty and now lay on its side on the floor. The lightsaber he had placed on the table was missing and he was sure he left the lights on before leaving. As soon as his eyes recognized these details and his brain pieced them together he took a step back, narrowly avoiding a downward strike from Felicity's lightsaber. Felicity followed up her attack with another, bringing the other end of her saberstaff into play and aiming for Jansen's waist but the man had managed to draw his own lightsaber and blocked the attack just in time. His green blade crackled against her violet one and he looked at her with a smile.

"Good," he said, "you are exceeding expectations."

Felicity took a step back then struck at him with a series mixed jabs and feints. "What the hell is that supposed to mean," she asked.

Jansen dodged to the side and parried each attack, leading her in a circle around the room. "You are Felicity Sage of the Jedi Order, are you not?"

"So what if I am?" Felicity said, swiping at him with a horizontal strike but hitting only air as he somersaulted over her head.

"My Master is very interested in meeting you," he explained as he landed behind her.

Felicity spun around and struck at him again and for a moment their blades joined together. "Good, tell him to come down here. I'll arrest him too."

Jansen smiled, "You're adorable, but you're no match for the Master." Then he struck his palm out towards her, hitting her with a telekinetic blast that sent her flying through the window and down to the street below.

Felicity just managed to get her feet under her before slowing her descent with a wave of telekinetic energy directed at the ground. As she landed horns screeched all around her as hovercars swerved out of the way to avoid hitting her. A moment later her opponent leapt down to the street in front of her and he tossed her a datacube. "Keep digging," he said as she reached out and caught it. Then he reached his arm up and grabbed onto an outstretched hand as a speeder flew over head, carrying him up and away. Felicity watched him go for a moment then stared down at the cube in her hand. Just what exactly was going on?

A blaring horn drew her attention back to the street and she glanced around, noting the crowd of people all staring at her from the sidewalk. With a note of embarrassment creeping onto her cheeks she deactivated her lightsaber and hurried out of the street. Fishing around in her robes she took out her communicator and dialed in the frequency Cyrilla had given her...
Centurio
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Re: The New Jedi Order: Legacy

Post by Archangel »

Feldar didn't like the Cathar's tactics, but he couldn't argue with the results. The men seemed pliable enough, and their fear made them honest. They led the two Jedi on a long walk through a neighborhood, twisting and turning, wending their way to the child. Feldar reached out with his feelings, trying to sense where she was, but he couldn't localize her feelings. Everyone in this neighborhood feared for their lives, especially the children, so pinning down which one happened to be the child they were looking for would be almost impossible. Maybe if he already knew her, he could find her by familiarity, but without that, there was no identifying her through the Force.

At least, he realized, not by looking for her. But as the old saying went: where there's smoke, there's a band of armed ruffians holding a small child hostage to coerce a family into coughing up all of their money. Reaching out again with the Force, he looked not for anyone who was afraid, but for anyone who wasn't. Before long, he had figured out where the girl was being held. He leaned toward Cyrilla, then caught one of the thugs looking at him and thought better of speaking aloud. Touching the Force, he tried something he had not tried in a stressful situation: he spoke with his mind. Two blocks up, he said, trying to be succinct, in case that mattered to how well he would be heard, Probably four guards there.

As if to invalidate all of Feldar's effort, the lead thug stopped and pointed. "That house there," he said, gesturing to an average-looking house on the corner of the next block. "That's where they're holding her. Can we go now?"

That was when Feldar realized that the house he had pinpointed and the one the thug had indicated were not the same house. Reaching out with the Force, Feldar sensed the inhabitants of that house; they were a family, and there were no thugs. These brutes were trying to trick them. He stepped past Cyrilla and tried to make his voice as menacing as possible. The result was a sharp squeak and a scowl. "No!" he said, "You're lying. Take us two blocks up, to the house in the middle of the block, on the right. Then you're going to knock on the door for us."

Caught in his lie, the thug swallowed visibly. He nodded slowly, then continued forward. Feldar tried to keep the scowl on his face, but he wanted to jump up and down, giddy that he had been right. Cyrilla made sure that the other thugs were up front with the leader, so that no one could slip behind the two Jedi. A couple of minutes later, the six of them were in front of the house Feldar had described.

Feldar glanced at Cyrilla and thought at her, What do we do now?
Balsa is not a lie!
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Re: The New Jedi Order: Legacy

Post by Balsa »

The Cathar returned Feldar’s glance. She didn’t say anything because she had never been good with telepathy. Instead, Cyrilla turned to the lead thug and growled. “Open the door.”

The thug winced but shook his head. “I can’t open the door. I can tell them we’re here, though, and then they’ll open the door.”

“So tell them.”

The thug nodded and rapped his knuckles against the metal door. The visor slit slid open with a screech, and the thug leaned in close. Cyrilla couldn’t hear what he was whispering, but the way the thug pointed and glanced at Feldar and her, gave her an idea of what they were talking about. After a bit of flurried discussion, the thug turned back to the two Jedi.

“The boss said the girl’s inside,” he said. “Go on in and get her, then get out of here.”

Shaking her head, the Cathar twirled her lightsaber. “No, we’re not stupid. Send the girl out, unharmed, and we’ll be done here.”

The thug turned back to the door, licking his lips nervously. After a moment, he turned around again and glanced at his fellow gang members. Weapons were immediately drawn. Lightsabers igited. “The boss says that you’re going to drop your lightsabers and get out of here, if you know what’s good for you.”

“You really want to do this?” Cyrilla smiled a smile of teeth. Her eyes flicked to Feldar. He had his blade out, but nervousness exuded from him. “Do you really think you’ll get out of here alive?” she growled at the thug.

“We’ve got six of us against two of you!”

“Six blasters against two Sith,” replied Cyrilla. She chuckled. “Haven’t you seen the holovids? Do you really think you’ll walk out of here alive?”

The thug looked around him, catching each of his compatriots in the eye. They were more nervous than Feldar.

“Do you really want to die for the girl? Is she worth it?” the Cathar continued. She was applying a little bit of the Force Persuasion on them. She had never been good with mental domination, but she had learned just a little to be persuasive. The thugs started to falter. “Drop your weapons, run, and we’ll forget about you.”

“How do we know you won’t just kill us after we surrender?”

“You don’t,” Cyrilla grinned. “But I assure you that if you don’t surrender now, we will kill you.” She shrugged. “It’s your choice.”

It took a moment of glaring hard at them, but the thugs one by one lowered their blasters and laid them on the street. Then they ran.

Laughing, Cyrilla gathered up the weapons into a neat pile. “See?” she said to Feldar. “Easy.”

They stepped to the door. “Four people inside,” Feldar reminded Cyrilla. She nodded, kicked open the door, and stepped inside.

The warehouse was gloomy, some of the glow panels having long since ceased to function, but it was clear of freight. Three guards stood in the center of the room, blasters leveled at the Jedi. Behind them stood a big human male, one arm clutching a squirming girl, and the other holding a blaster pistol to her head.

“Drop the gun!” Cyrilla spat. The big human, the one that was in charge, smelled gross, diseased. She read his illness from the way the fat rolled off his body and the odor of a failing liver seeped from his pores. He was disgusting. “Drop your guns, give us the girl, and no one dies.”

“How un-Sith-like,” the leader rumbled. He gestured with his blaster. “You’re not Sith, are you? I know you’re Jedi. Sith would have killed my thugs outside, and Sith wouldn’t even try to negotiate. If you were Sith, we’d be dead already.” He waved his blaster at the door. “So, why don’t you Jedi just turn around and leave? I know the Jedi code. You can’t kill us.”

“You got us,” Cyrilla said, defeat on her features. But, under her breath, she muttered to Feldar, “Get ready.” She looked up again. “Fine, we’ll go. But where’s the door again?”

The gang leader smirked. “Are you stupid? It’s right there,” he sneered as he pointed with the blaster at the door. “Now get going!” he shouted as he pointed his blaster at them.

Or rather, he tried to point at them with the blaster. The blaster was no longer in his hand.

“Looking for this?” Cyrilla snickered as she tossed the stolen blaster to the ground. The gang leader blanched, and there was a moment of hesitant calm before all hell broke loose. “Kill him!” he shouted.

Cyrilla deflected the flurry of blaster bolts with her lightsabers, and as she charged forward she saw out of the corner of her eye that Feldar was handling himself well against the barrage of blaster fire. Her goal was the gang leader, who had now thrown the girl to the ground and was dashing to the rear exit.

As she rolled past one of the guards, she slashed with one lightsaber, the golden blade searing cleanly through a guard’s blaster. The other dropped from a reflected blaster bolt by Feldar, the energy beam vaporizing a clean hole through his head.

“Get the girl!” Cyrilla shouted, leaving the final guard and girl to Feldar.

It didn’t take long for her to catch the gang leader. He was fat, obese, and she was a physically fit, young adult Cathar in peek physical condition. She tackled him, somersaulted off his bulk, and planted a foot against his chest.

“I give up!” he gurgled.

“I know you do,” Cyrilla said, her lightsaber hovering threateningly under one of his many chins. “We’ve got the girl. Your guards are dead or gone. What do I do with you?”

“Let me go! Please?”

“And why would I do that?” Cyrilla smiled at him, this time a genuine smile. She was enjoying this, and she didn’t know why, but that wasn’t what bothered her. What bothered her was that she wasn’t bothered by this.

“Because you’re a Jedi!” the man pleaded. “Jedi don’t kill people!”

“That’s true,” Cyrilla replied. It was true. Jedi didn’t senselessly kill people. But, she had always hated bullies, hated those who preyed on the weak. “But if I let you go, you’ll just go back to blackmailing the people in this town. You’ll take out your anger and humiliation on that poor family.”

The gang leader shook his head emphatically, sending beads of sweat flying from his face. “No! I promise! Let me go, and I’ll give up my life of crime forever!”

The Cathar looked into the man’s eyes as he pleaded for his life. She saw genuine fear, genuine desperation in the blue depths. She saw truth. She knew that he would repent, that he would run away and maybe do some good. And then she saw her reflection, saw the horror that was she, with her mane hanging messily and her fangs exposed by her snarl. She almost stepped away, almost let the man go.

Almost.

“No,” Cyrilla said, “I can’t take that risk.” Ignoring the clawing at her foot, she flicked her wrist, and the ruby blade slashed once. The man stopped thrashing. She kicked his head away.

“Feldar!” the Cathar called as she headed back into the warehouse. “You done in there?”
Centurio
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Re: The New Jedi Order: Legacy

Post by Archangel »

Feldar followed Cyrilla's lead as she threatened the six thugs outside the warehouse and unhitched his lightsaber, but he did not turn it on for fear that its blue blade would give away the ruse. He did not like this Cathar's method, and he was beginning to wish fervently that he had left well enough alone in the spaceport back on Ossus. It was bad enough to be chasing the teenager, Felicity, all over the Galaxy with her wild notions, but upon reflection, the Cathar was a much more dangerous companion. She was strong, and darkness walked with her. Feldar, in his studies, had noted that darkness often followed the strong - Revan, Exar Kun, the Sunriders, and the Skywalkers. He wondered whether the darkness was wrought by their power, or they wrought their power to fight the darkness already in them. There was an old saying: that power corrupted, and absolute power corrupted absolutely... But there were rare exceptions to the rule - Jedi who, in spite of their power, had held to the light. Master Leidias was one Feldar could think of that was even around recently. Revan, too, once reincarnated. But all the same, wherever there was power, there was darkness - in one way or another.

And so he wished that he had turned around and gone back to the academy on Ossus. Then he would not be here, rolled into Cyrilla's outlandish lie that they were Sith. He had never heard of any Chadra-Fan Sith, but he imagined that they would have been the most comical enemies of the Jedi before their demise. His people simply didn't act that way. Destruction was unbecoming to a being who relied on companionship and community for their very life.

After the thugs ran off, he hesitantly reminded Cyrilla how many opponents they faced inside - enemies who would not, more than likely, be as easy to trick. Criminals and thugs might have been brutes and imbeciles, but you didn't get to be a gang ruler if you were weak-minded. If she caught that undertone, she didn't respond to it. Feldar frowned. He supposed she was one of the Order's less subtle members.

Cyrilla exchanged words with the gang leader. Feldar did not like where the conversation was headed.

And then the blaster fire started. Feldar activated his lightsaber out of reflex, but he lacked the training to do anything with it. As adrenaline pumped through his system, he stopped thinking and threw himself to the winds of the Force. He let it fill him, flow through him, guide his movements. It was a matter of life or death for him; unlike Cyrilla or even Felicity, he wasn't capable of fighting one person, much less three angry thugs. Without quite knowing how, he fell into the Force.

Everything seemed to slow as he watched. He felt as though he were far away, watching the battle through a pair of electrobinoculars. The blaster bolts flew across the room, but as though they were being thrown by children, not fired by deadly weapons. He saw himself deflect those bolts left and right. Cyrilla disarmed one of the guards. Feldar saw a blaster bolt come for him, and he reflected it directly back at the shooter. It struck the man in his head. Feldar hadn't meant to do that. But he knew he wasn't in control anymore. And maybe the Force had intended it.

Feldar watched as he turned on the last armed thug, who dropped his blaster and fell to his knees. The other was next to him, already cowering for his life. They seemed to be begging, but Feldar couldn't hear them. All the same, the young Jedi was not menacing them, either.

And then, suddenly, he felt a stabbing pain in his mind. The swirling images of the Force came crashing down as though all the light were sucked from the room. Feldar fell to one knee and his large eyes went out of focus from the agony. As spots sparkled across his vision, he turned to the source of the blackness. It was out behind the warehouse.

Cyrilla.

She had killed the man. Cold.

How un-Jedi-like, his memory imagined the leader had said.

Shaking his head roughly, the young Jedi cast about for the girl they had come to save. She was cowering in the corner. "It's okay," he told her. He tried to keep his tone soothing in spite of his worry. "We-- we-- I'm a Jedi," he said, "We've come to rescue you." He smiled, and he hoped the sentiment would translate as he tried to exude it through the Force. "Don't worry, little one," he said, "They can't hurt you anymore."

She seemed to accept that. She embraced him, and he turned her away from the corpse of the guard he had killed.

"Feldar!" he heard, "You done in there?"

The Chadra-Fan turned to look at the mendicants, but they had fled during his lapse. That was okay. At least they would live. It was difficult to tell how far Cyrilla might go. He covered the girl's ear next to his mouth and called back, "Yes." His gaze turned back to the dead thug. The thug he had killed. He swallowed hard and added softly, "All done."

When Cyrilla came back into the warehouse to survey the damage, he took a deep breath and wiped the worry from his face. He stood, holding the little girl next to him. Not quite consciously, he positioned himself between her and the Cathar. Cyrilla might have noticed if not for the sudden beeping of her comm unit.

It was Felicity. She had found something. She wanted to meet back up with them and compare notes. While Cyrilla was still on the horn, Feldar took the girl outside and began taking her back toward the shop where they had left her brother. He imagined Cyrilla would catch up momentarily.

When they were out of the warehouse and about a block away from its grue, Feldar finally felt a little lighter. Feldar looked down at the girl and joy overcame him. She was Mirialan. For some reason, he hadn't noticed the ethnicity of the boy or his family before. But now he saw it, clear as day. And for a moment, he saw Ayol Thanat, the man who had lost his daughter in the attack on Onderon. The man Feldar had let down. Make the best of this, he had said. Feldar smiled as he watched the girl, troubled and pained and wounded in her soul, but alive with another chance. In that moment, all his regrets faded away and Feldar knew that he was doing the right thing. He felt redeemed, as though the Force had led him here to make up for his cowardice, and now he had saved a life. A beautiful young life, full of potential.

As they reached the store, Cyrilla still had not caught up to him. He suspected she was working out details with Felicity. He knelt down next to the girl and smiled at her. She smiled back. "Everything's going to be alright," he said. She nodded. "Live well, little one," he added, "and always oppose the darkness." She nodded again, though she seemed a little less sure. He doubted she knew exactly what he meant. But he hoped, when the time came, she would remember, and she would know. Standing, he led her into the shop.

The family saw her and came rushing out from behind the counters. The girl's mother swept her up in her arms, embracing her and sobbing her love. They were overjoyed. It did Feldar's heart good to see such happiness. And they would definitely be out from under the gang's thumb now. He had seen Cyrilla's action as one of darkness, but it was never quite that simple. She had rescued the entire area from his evil, in a way that official channels could not. On the other hand, she had created a power vacuum that could be filled by anyone - and the blackguard's replacement could be more genial... or not.

Whatever happened, there was a moment of peace and joy in this family. That had to count for something. As he turned, he saw Cyrilla entering the shop; the family left off thanking him to thank her.

It had to count for something.
Pryngles
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Re: The New Jedi Order: Legacy

Post by Pryde »

Felicity arrived at the shop shortly after Cyrilla did. The family was still in the midst of thanking the two Jedi when the bell at the front door rang to announce Felicity's entrance. Everyone stopped and looked up at her and for a moment Felicity thought she caught a strange look from Feldar but she let it pass. "I think I have our next destination," she announced as she came closer, "We should be going soon. If it's alright with you," she added, looking up at the family standing behind Cyrilla.

"Of course it is," the mother replied, "and thank you both once again for bringing my daughter back to me."

Felicity nodded towards the door and waited for Cyrilla and Feldar to walk past her. "I'll be just a moment," she told them.

Once Feldar and Cyrilla stepped outside Felicity approached the boy's mother. "I heard a rumor on my way over here that the gang leader who took your daughter is dead," she told them, "You won't have to worry about him hurting your family again."

"But you're worried about something," the mother replied, catching the odd note in Felicity's tone.

Felicity nodded. "Gangs are like roaches," she explained, "Cut off the head and it can survive for weeks. If you're lucky eventually it dies, if you're not..."

"Someone worse can take its place," the mother finished for her.

"Here take this," Felicity said, handing the woman a small datachit, "That's my personal com frequency. If anything happens, anything at all, call me."

"Thank you," the woman whispered and Felicity flashed her a smile before she turned and hurried after her friends.

"So what happens next," Cyrilla asked in her typically gruff manner.

Felicity was starting to get used to her though so she let it pass. "We need a computer," she replied, "There's one we can borrow at the starport."

**********

"Nar Shaddaa," Jade Kitana repeated, giving Felicity an incredulous look, "Why there?"

"I don't know," Felicity said, "The man just handed this to me and told me to keep digging. Maybe whatever it is they're looking for has to do with that holocron they stole from us."

The blue holographic image of the Jedi Historian thought about that for a moment. Currently, Felicity, Feldar and Cyrilla were all standing in a personal com booth in the middle of the Elysium spaceport and with no idea what to look for at their next destination Felicity decided it was time to call a friend. "The holocron they took it's part of a set, all of which belonging to the Dark Lord Revan. That could explain why we were never able to access it before, there have been reports of holocrons working in tandem in the past," she rubbed her chin thoughtfully for a moment, "Perhaps that's what they're looking for on Nar Shaddaa, another holocron that's part of the set."

"That's it," Felicity exclaimed, "Maybe they're looking for Revan's warehouse! From the reports three thousand years ago during the ten years of peace!"

Jade Kitana looked at her wide eyed in surprise. "What?" Felicity said with a shrug, "It was in those history books you made me read."

"I don't suppose those history books mention where this warehouse is," Cyrilla asked, she was leaning up against the wall with her arms crossed impatiently over her chest.

Felicity shook her head, "Only that it was in a place they once called Shadow Town. I don't even know if it still has the same name anymore. Supposedly, after the war with the Sith Empire the Sith used to lock up prisoners of war there and even some of their own, men they believed were too dangerous to set free."

It was clear from her tone that Felicity didn't quite share the same sentiment. The men the Sith tended to look at as dangerous were the free thinkers who believed in democracy and free will.

"I have to say I'm surprised, Kat, I didn't think any of those lessons took."

Felicity made a face at Jade. "I'm not stupid Jade and I do have a pretty good memory."

Jade smiled, "Alright, alright. I'm glad you worked so hard to get this far but now it's time for you to come home. I'll relay this information to the Jedi Council and they'll have someone look into it."

"By then it'll be too late," Felicity objected, "If we're going to stop them we have to leave now."

"You're in over your head, Kat. You keep walking down this path you're going to get you and your friends killed."

Felicity stopped then and cast a glance at Cyrilla and Feldar. Cyrilla was impossible to read, her expression a mask of stone, but Feldar had a look on his face that seemed to mirror Jade's sentiment. "Look, I don't want anyone to get hurt but I have to keep going," she said quietly, turning back to look at Jade.

"Why, Kat? Why must you put yourself in so much danger?"

"Because I'm involved in this somehow," Felicity blurted out and then she thought about what she said, "I mean, when my captor handed me that datacube he told me that his boss wanted to meet me. I can't really explain why but I feel like this is what I'm supposed to be doing."

"Kat, I'm tracing this call right now. Just stay where you are and I'll have the Rangers pick you up."

"I'm sorry, Jade, but I can't."

"Felic--," Jade started to say but Felicity cut her off when she cut the signal.

"There's a flight leaving for Nar Shaddaa in fifteen minutes," Felicity said, looking over her shoulder at Feldar and Cyrilla, "We're getting on it, come on."

Then she turned and hurried out of the booth, heading towards bay B7 and what she believed was her destiny...
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Re: The New Jedi Order: Legacy

Post by Balsa »

They were sitting on a flight again, and Cyrilla thought to herself how similar it was to the flight less than twenty-four hours ago. Like the previous, they were sitting in the economy section of some bulk transport, something very utilitarian and so vastly dissimilar from the luxury transports servicing the galactic capitals. But, unlike the previous freighter, this one was not nearly as crowded, they were afforded some privacy from the typical chaos of wild children and disgruntled passengers, which left a lot of time for group bonding.

Except that they weren’t really bonding. Cyrilla noticed that Feldar seemed to try to give her a wide berth, and at times seemed to eye her suspiciously. It didn’t take long for the Cathar to guess that the Chadra-Fan might have realized that she had killed the gang leader in cold blood, which went against so many Jedi Codes.

Probably. Cyrilla wasn’t sure. Yes, it was against the Jedi Code to murder, but was it really so bad to remove such a blight from society? The Jedi Order taught peace and justice, but the reality of the galaxy meant that mercy and due process sometimes weren’t appropriate. For as long as Cyrilla had been in the Jedi Order, and as much effort as she had put into accepting the Jedi Code, she still wasn’t convinced about the validity of all the Jedi teachings. She knew the galaxy, and she chaffed at the restrictions placed upon her. Sometimes you had to act quickly and decisively, and summary punishment (or execution) was needed.

Not that this was the first time she had done something so drastic. On some of her missions, she’d killed when she had had the chance to take a prisoner. It was odd, she thought, that when she first joined the Jedi Order, she felt no compunctions against killing and maiming. But, as she learned more about the Code, she began to feel guiltier about her actions. But then, after studying even more, she had realized just how unrealistic the Code was, and so her shame had left her.

She was far more aggressive than her other Jedi allies, but many simply chalked that up to her Cathar nature. Cyrilla liked it that way. She felt freer, more able to act to bring justice to the galaxy. Pretending she and Feldar were Sith, while duplicitous and dishonest, was justified in her eyes. Killing (murdering?) that gang leader was likewise an acceptable decision. The ends justified the means, after all.

She glanced at Feldar, who was turned the other way. Yes, her actions were justified in her mind, but it wouldn’t look that way to other Jedi. She wondered if the Chadra-Fan might report her for what she did, but she doubted it. Feldar didn’t strike her as the type who rocked the boat and seemed to want to maintain the status quo.

Cyrilla looked at Felicity, who also seemed lost in thought. Which was a first, given the girl’s tendency towards spontaneity. “How did you get that holocron?” the Cathar asked after a moment. “I imagine whoever captured you didn’t just hand over the thing? How’d you end up with it?”
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Re: The New Jedi Order: Legacy

Post by Pryde »

"That's just it, though, he did hand it over," Felicity replied and if she felt any compulsion to lie she didn't show it. "He had me bound to a chair and when I escaped we fought. Then he threw me out a window and when he jumped down after me he threw me that datacube and told me to keep digging."

Cyrilla cocked her head to the side and raised an eyebrow. "You realize then that it's a trap, right?"

Felicity shook her head. "I feel like it's more than that. I can't really explain it but meeting him... I think it was fate."

Cyrilla made a face and looked away, it was obvious the Cathar didn't share the same sentiment. Whatever Feldar was feeling, though, was a mystery as the Chadra-Fan seemed to be avoiding making eye contact. "Is everything alright," Felicity asked all of a sudden, "You two have been acting kind of strange since I got back."
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Re: The New Jedi Order: Legacy

Post by Archangel »

Feldar glanced at Cyrilla ever-so-briefly, then looked at Felicity with an expression of innocent confusion. "I don't know what you're talking about," he squeaked, "Acting strange? I don't think either of us has been acting strange. Everything's fine. Nothing's the matter." His voice twittered with the anxiety he was trying to suppress. As a Jedi, he was growing accustomed to suppressing his emotional reactions in favor of reasoned objectivity, but what he had felt Cyrilla do had shocked him. He did not intend or desire to get her in trouble, especially not before he figured out just how moral her actions had been. All he wanted was for this to blow over, so they could finish their mission and he could return to Ossus, where he could figure out what the Force had in store for him next.

But upon reflection, he realized that he might have over-sold his position.
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Re: The New Jedi Order: Legacy

Post by Pryde »

Felicity just stared at them and for a moment Feldar feared he had overplayed his part, but then her expression changed entirely and she flashed them both a smile. "Okay," she said, unbuckling herself from her seat, "I'm going to go use the facilities and look around a bit. This was the only flight I could find with a direct route to Nar Shaddaa. It's possible the men we're pursuing chartered this flight too."

Cyrilla gave her an incredulous look. "You really think they'd take public transportation?"

Felicity's cheeks flushed. "Alright, so it's a bit of a long shot, but it wouldn't hurt to look around a bit. Besides, I don't think I've ever been on this model before."

And there it was, her true purpose for getting out of her seat. She just wanted to explore. Cyrilla rolled her eyes when she put it together and Feldar seemed a bit surprised. For someone who at times seemed so sharp and observant she was remarkably naive and childish.
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Re: The New Jedi Order: Legacy

Post by Balsa »

Cyrilla sighed and waved Felicity away. “Fine, go have fun. Try to stay out of trouble.” The girl gave her a petulant look before wandering off. Cyrilla watched her go before looking at Feldar. She had sensed his unease. “So, what’s up with you? Is something the matter?”
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Re: The New Jedi Order: Legacy

Post by Archangel »

Feldar frowned. How could he respond? Would she take his honesty as refreshing, or as a betrayal? Did she know the line she walked - perhaps even crossed - already? He fidgeted uncomfortably in his seat, and he knew she would notice. There was nothing else for it at this point: he was clearly bothered by something, and being the terrible liar that he was, he couldn't fabricate a cause in only a moment.

"I," he began, faltering as he tried to gather his words, "I felt you kill that criminal. In cold blood."

Once the words were out of his mouth, he had hoped the weight would be lifted from his shoulders. But in those moments before Cyrilla responded in her own right, what had been a few pounds of pressure bore down upon him with the weight of a herd of banthas. His throat tightened and he almost grimaced in anticipation of her anger or retribution, like a small child confessing about a broken vase.
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Re: The New Jedi Order: Legacy

Post by Balsa »

The Cathar bit back her first response. Feldar’s nervousness was palpable, and he was no enemy, so she did not want to alienate him. But his response was such a typical Jedi response, and that irritated her. “Is that all?” Cyrilla asked with a hint of a sneer. “Yes, I killed him, maybe even in cold blood. But what does it matter? He was a criminal and likely deserved to die. I bet he’s gotten away with tons of stuff, so now justice finally catches up to him.”

She looked Feldar in the eye. “Is that so bad? I delivered justice. We are Jedi, we bring justice, and justice comes in many forms.”
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Re: The New Jedi Order: Legacy

Post by Archangel »

Feldar's face softened into a sad frown. "I don't," he said, "disagree." Turning to look at her, he tried to put into words what he felt: that no matter their crimes, cold-blooded killing is still wrong; that it makes you a murderer, taking away the primary difference between the judge and the criminal; that she was above that, as a Jedi, and she could solve problems instead of just killing them; that the very reason the Force had endowed them with power was to find a better way than what came before, to find some means of saving lives instead of taking them.

But he could not find the words. He could not say those things. But he was able to find a question, one that had gnawed at him for some time. "When he killed others, he believed it was justified. Now that you have killed him, you believe it was justified. What convinces you so... fervently... that your justifications are both correct and sufficient?"
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Re: The New Jedi Order: Legacy

Post by Balsa »

Feldar’s question took Cyrilla by surprise. “I’d never considered that,” she said rather defensively, “but I did not kill him for self-gain. I killed him because he was a blight on the planet and he had preyed on others. I gained nothing, but by killing him I prevented further crime. I stopped a criminal that would have likely just returned to his ways after we had left.”

She glared at him. “He was a criminal, and he paid for his deeds with his life. That’s all the justification I should need.”
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Re: The New Jedi Order: Legacy

Post by Archangel »

"And now that he's gone," Feldar persisted, "what's to stop someone else from taking his place? You did not tear down the organization, only the man. Someone will come to put the pieces back together. There isn't enough law enforcement for criminals to let a reliable organization go to waste. What happens then? Will you go back and kill him, too?"

He shook his head. "I realize that we don't have time to stay and fix the system. We also can't save everyone everywhere. But I'm not sure your actions saved anyone for very long. It's only a matter of time before someone picks up where he left off."
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Re: The New Jedi Order: Legacy

Post by Balsa »

Irritation crept into her voice. “That may be true, but at least we know for sure that he won’t be preying on them anymore. That’s guaranteed. It’s not guaranteed that someone will pick up after him. Or there’s no guarantee that whoever takes over will be as bad as that fat guy. Just because we don’t know what might happen doesn’t mean we shouldn’t act.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Besides, have you ever been a victim of people like him? Of those who feed off the vulnerability of others? I have. And you know what? I’ve learned that people like the fat man I killed have no place in this universe and deserve no mercy. They made their choice in life, and they’ll have to live with the consequences. It just so happens that when I’m involved, that consequence may be death.”
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Re: The New Jedi Order: Legacy

Post by Archangel »

Feldar looked at her for a few long moments. He did not have any answers. He just knew, in his gut somewhere, that what she had done was wrong. Maybe her reasons were good, maybe she had the best of intentions, and maybe she was even justified... but she was still wrong. He did not think he could prove it to her. It was something he felt more than knew. He was surprised, to be honest, that she did not feel it, twisting up her insides with guilt and shame at her murder. But she said it herself: she had years of psychological background that made that an execution of justice for her, not simply retributive bloodshed. She believed in herself, and she believed in the supremacy of justice... but not much else.

Looking away, he answered softly, "I guess... it sounds like..." He struggled to find the words, frowning at his inept attempts. How could he tell her? That he, less than a Padawan, believed that her priorities were disordered; that he thought she was wrong; that she wanted revenge on her tormentors more than she wanted to rescue herself? And what would she say? She would call him naïve, immature, unlearned, unaware of the darkness in the world and how to deal with it. In a way, she would be right. But she would still be wrong, and she would never see it. And he would push her away - from him, from the Jedi... from the Light. That was unacceptable. But he couldn't say nothing.

And so he asked, "Which is more important: hurting the dark, or saving the light?"
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Re: The New Jedi Order: Legacy

Post by Balsa »

“Saving the light…” Cyrilla responded immediately, but her answer trailed off. Weren’t they the same questions? Hurting the dark or saving the light, both actions could end up saving the light. Or without hurting the dark, one wouldn’t necessarily save the light, right? And, she had been trained as a healer, so saving lives was a central part of her training. But even so…

“Saving the light,” the Cathar said more firmly, but she qualified her answer. “But sometimes you have to take life to continue life.” She shook her head. “They are criminals, the dregs of humanity. Their deaths are not a great loss. I don’t see why you – or any Jedi – should be saddened at their deaths.”
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Re: The New Jedi Order: Legacy

Post by Archangel »

Feldar drew his lips tight, his snout flattening over his protruding teeth as he attempted to force a smile. Try as he might, though, he could not get the corners of his mouth to curl upward. "I understand," he said, not being entirely dishonest, "I am simply concerned. But my worries have been sated. Think no more of it, if you wish."

He turned away and looked out the window of the transport in time to see the stars stretch into beams of light. The beams grew and fused into the side wall of the Hyperspace tunnel. It was not much to look at - not after the first few times you saw it, anyway - but Feldar was not going to look anywhere else.
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Re: The New Jedi Order: Legacy

Post by Pryde »

Nar Shaddaa was a far different place than most planets Felicity has visited. For starters, this moon was owned by the Hutts and as such lacked much of what other worlds in the Republic share in terms of law and order. All that really meant was that sooner or later the trio were going to run into trouble and in Felicity's case it was bound to be sooner rather than later. Being the ever vigilant Jedi that she is it didn't take long for her to find an opportunity to be a hero. Not far outside the starport the trio found a man being beset upon but two large Gamorreans. A third man, a Twi'lek, stood nearby and watched as the two Gammorreans beat their victim within an inch of his life.

"Stop that! Let him go," Felicity shouted, running forward while activating her lightsaber at the same time.

The two Gamorreans stopped, stared at the girl then looked questioningly at their boss. "Stay out of this, girly, it doesn't concern you," the Twi'lek said.

"It does when an innocent man is being beaten," Felicity answered, her grip tightened on her saber and she showed no signs of backing down.

The Twi'lek sighed, they didn't come equipped to handle a Jedi, let alone three of them. "Fine, I believe we've come to an understanding, anyway."

He nodded to the two Gamorreans and the three of them walked away, heading towards a speeder they had parked nearby. Felicity stooped next to the beaten man and carefully helped him to his feet. "Are you alright," she asked him, "Do you need a doctor?"

The man shook his head then leaned heavily against a rail. "A doctor would be nice but I couldn't afford it. That's why those men were attacking me, I owe a debt to some lousy Hutt and they want me to pay, but I haven't got any money! I gambled it all away at the casino."

"A Hutt," Felicity asked, "Which Hutt?"

The old man thought about that a moment, one hand rubbing his bald head. "I dunno, I think his name was Dorval, or something. I owe him thirty thousand credits."

Felicity gave him a look.

"I have a bit of a gambling problem," he said with a shrug.

"Fine, we'll go and speak with this 'Dorval' on your behalf. Where can I find him?"

The old man's eyes brightened up at that. "You would do that? For me?"

"On the condition you quit gambling and live an honest life," Felicity said, holding up a finger for emphasis.

"Of course! Of course! Here's where you can go to get into contact with some people who can get you in touch with Dorval," the man said, passing her a small datacube, "If this works out I promise I won't ever gamble again!"

Felicity accepted the cube and plugged it into her datapad. As luck would have it the location was a casino about halfway between the starport and their destination, the Industrial Sector. "Alright, you just find someone to look at your injuries. My friends and I will handle this," she said then she turned to her two companions. "Come on, let's go hail a taxi."
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Re: The New Jedi Order: Legacy

Post by Balsa »

Resisting the urge to comment about the sensibility of embarking on another side quest, Cyrilla stopped Felicity. “Wait,” she said gently.

The Cathar knelt beside the old man and gave him a reassuring smile. “Relax,” she said, and placed a clawed hand on the man’s forehead. “Close your eyes and relax.” She watched the man do as he was told, and then she herself shut her jade eyes before reaching out with the Force.

She saw the man clearly and glowing trails of red and violet flashed around the areas where he had been beaten. Cyrilla felt the Force drawing her attention to several injuries, mostly bruised muscle and flesh. These she ignored, as they were not serious, but the violets turned to red around his belly and head. From experience, the Cathar understood the importance of these visions, knowing that they spoke of something more serious than hurt flesh.

Her mind itched, and she saw the pools of blood gathering in the man’s abdomen, results of the nasty kicks and punches. The beatings had ruptured a blood vessel, and Cyrilla instinctively knew that without medical help, the man would die fairly soon. She nibbled at her lip as she focused her mind and gathered the Force energies from the surroundings, utilizing that mystic ability to mend the torn flesh. She watched as the Force stitched the vessel closed, repairing the damage and stopping the bleeding.

Ruby throbbing around the man’s head drew Cyrilla’s attention, and she focused on the swelling in the man’s cranium. The membranes and the blood vessels surrounding the man’s brain were threatening to crush the sensitive organ, probably results of the thugs slamming the man’s head against the ground. On set of concussion and then traumatic brain injury… Cyrilla thought.

Again, the Force guided her as she set to reduce the swelling and heal the injured areas. The man would still have a mild headache, and his skull would be tender, but his life would be saved. His body would still have to heal the comparatively mild damage to the surrounding tissue, but he wouldn’t suffer long-term consequences.

The Cathar took a step back and released the man. He opened his eyes. “Thank you,” he whispered.

“Go, and stop gambling. Find a new meaning in life,” Cyrilla replied with a nod. She smiled, and the man hobbled away.

The Cathar turned to Felicity. Irritation crept into her voice. “A man is soundly beaten to an inch of his life, all you do is tell him to seek medical help before walking away? Do they not teach Padawans anything about first aid? Or common sense? Any Jedi would have sensed his injuries. Any non-Jedi would have seen his injuries. Had I not done anything, he would have died within a day.” She shook her head, and some contempt mixed with the irritation. “Don’t be so eager and foolish to embark on another errand without actually solving the immediate situation. I’m surprised you’ve made it this far with your naivety.”
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Re: The New Jedi Order: Legacy

Post by Pryde »

"Don't be ridiculous, he wasn't going to die," Felicity said and Cyrilla crossed her arms over her chest irritably.

"And how do you know that?"

"Because dead men don't pay, Cyrilla, and Dorval wants his money. Besides, I don't know any Jedi healing techniques and I only know a few basic things about first aid. Not everyone has a knack for it like you do," she added, albeit with a bit of frustration creeping into her tone. Felicity has always been good at taking things apart, but when it came to putting them back together she was a dunce. She had no feel for Jedi healing, an act which required far more precision control with the Force then what was necessary to simply cut something apart. Control she simply did not have.

"Now if you're done pointing out all the things I can't do then let's go get a taxi."
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Re: The New Jedi Order: Legacy

Post by Archangel »

Feldar watched with some interest as Cyrilla healed the wounded man. He knew that he wanted to be a healer. He hoped that, given his lack of abilities with a lightsaber, he would be able to access those powers in the Force, to help people in one of the few ways a Jedi of his caliber really could. But how could he ask Cyrilla for training in that way, after the conversation they had just had on the trip to Nar Shaddaa?

The moon, as Feldar examined it, was filth. Its buildings were constructed of filth, and filth lived inside them. The rare gem among all the wretches and scoundrels and villains that plagued the surface of that horrid place could almost not be found. Mostly, the only good souls Feldar could see were children, and he doubted they would stay that way forever - especially if they were forced to stay in a place like this. The Smuggler's Moon had a way of wearing down morality, Feldar suspected. He did not want to stay here any longer than they had to... which was why he found himself again frustrated with Felicity's eagerness to dive into every fight, whether it was hers or not.

Even so, when she hailed down a taxi - not an easy task in the busy skyways of the cityscape - he and Cyrilla followed her into it. Settling in, he asked, "Do either of you really believe that man will change his ways?"
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Re: The New Jedi Order: Legacy

Post by Pryde »

Felicity seemed thrown off by the question, almost as if she didn't understand why he would ask it. "Why not?" She said, "He's learned his lesson, hasn't he?"
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Re: The New Jedi Order: Legacy

Post by Archangel »

Feldar frowned. "He had scars," he pointed out. When she seemed not to understand, he explained, "He's been beaten before. No bacta treatment means they leave scars when he finishes healing. If he didn't learn his lesson before, why would he now?"

"Because we rescued him. We gave him a real second chance," she answered.

Feldar resisted the urge to laugh. As naive as he was, he was a Chadra-Fan, and he knew people. He had been around others all his life, and he would be until it ended, one way or another. That gave him an insight that more individualistic species lacked. "Do you know what a second chance is to a gambler? It's when they've won a bet and get to bet again before hitting rock bottom. He might change someday, but not today, and not because of you. I think it will take a great deal more than a shortened beating for him to realize what he has to lose... if indeed he has anything at all."
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Re: The New Jedi Order: Legacy

Post by Pryde »

"We're still helping him," Felicity declared and her tone made it sound final.

"Why?" Cyrilla demanded, "Even Feldar knows it's a waste of time."

"Because a Jedi doesn't turn their back on someone in need," she said, "Even if he throws this chance away I still have to help him and if you don't want to come then I will go alone."
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Re: The New Jedi Order: Legacy

Post by Balsa »

Cyrilla looked at Feldar and sighed. This girl was hopeless. "What about the Rangers?" she asked Felicity. "You can't keep getting side tracked or else your leads may dry up and disappear. We're losing valuable time right now."
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Re: The New Jedi Order: Legacy

Post by Pryde »

"I have a feeling we'll be alright," Felicity replied and Cyrilla was not happy with her response.

"And how can you be sure?"

Felicity held up the datacube for emphasis. "They gave this to me, remember? They want me to find them. I'm sure they'll leave another clue for me to follow at the warehouse so just relax."

"Relax," Cyrilla answered incredulously, "our enemy is baiting us into a trap and you want me to relax?"

"I think I've got it mostly handled," Felicity said with a shrug, "At the very least they won't take us by surprise."

Cyrilla just stared at her, the expression on her face a mixture of shock and wonder. How could someone be so ignorant and confident at the same time? "Besides," Felicity added, "We're just going to talk to Dorval, it shouldn't take too long."
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Re: The New Jedi Order: Legacy

Post by Balsa »

“’It shouldn’t take long’,” Cyrilla muttered. Yeah, right, she thought. The Cathar hailed a cab and before long the trio was sitting in silence within the hovercar. Felicity had given the driver directions, and after some hesitation, he took them on their journey.

As the sights of Nar Shadda whizzed by, the Cathar’s thoughts drifted back to the Jedi Temple. She had been honing her combat skills, an area that to her chagrin she was not as proficient in as she would have liked. Despite her natural athletic ability, she was a healer first and a fighter second. She would never be the martial champion that her sister had been.

Cyrilla glanced over at Feldar and Felicity. That being said, she was still more skilled than Feldar, and had more natural instinct than Felicity, probably. Plus, with them heading towards a Hutt to negotiate a debt, the Cathar guessed there would be a high probability of conflict. And that excited her.
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Re: The New Jedi Order: Legacy

Post by Pryde »

Felicity really should have thought about how best to approach her objective. Normally she just acted without even thinking which in some cases was one of her greatest strengths, in others it just caused more problems than it was worth. This might have been one of those cases. After the taxi had dropped them off in front of Dorval's casino Felicity paid the driver to wait around then boldly led her party right up to the front door. A security guard spotted her immediately and moved to intercept.

"Hey, this is no place for children--," he started to say but the familiar snap hiss of a lightsaber cut him off.

Felicity held her saber just inches from the man's throat, a look on her face that said she was in no mood to play around. "I'd like to see your boss," she told him. "Right now would be good," she added with a sweet, childlike smile.
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Re: The New Jedi Order: Legacy

Post by Halomek »

Unexpectedly, the guard smiled back. “This is Nar Shaddaa, kids, not some schoolyard on Chandrila. You’re going to have to do a lot better than that if you want to intimidate me. Besides, everybody knows that Jedi don’t kill unless provoked. You’ve got nothing to-”

The guard stopped as he listened to his earpiece before answering it. “As you wish, Lorda.” He looked back at the Jedi, Felicity’s lightsaber at his throat apparently all but forgotten. “Dorval the Hutt has agreed to receive you, but you’ll need to surrender your weapons before you’re allowed in his presence. The alternative is that you don’t get inside.”
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Re: The New Jedi Order: Legacy

Post by Pryde »

"Fine," Felicity said, disengaging her lightsaber and handing it to him.

Cyrilla and Feldar exchanged glances, surprised by how easy it was. What they didn't know was that even without a lightsaber Felicity was still a deadly opponent. The same couldn't be said for most Jedi, however. Hand to hand techniques weren't generally taught to Jedi though they did have the option. Ideally, though, a Jedi would never be without her lightsaber so most saw no point to it. On the other hand, the Sage family had a different outlook on the matter. All Jedi trained at Sage Manor were taught the Sage family form of martial arts and Felicity had been studying this form since she was little, far longer than she's held a lightsaber.

The guard seemed a bit surprised by Felicity's response but accepted her lightsaber anyway. Then Felicity turned to her companions, looking at them expectantly.
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Re: The New Jedi Order: Legacy

Post by Archangel »

Feldar frowned. Even though he was not particularly skilled with his lightsaber, he still did not want to hand it over so Felicity could carry on with her wild plans. He looked between the girl and the guard, trying to figure out the situation. Why would Dorval agree to see them? What did it profit him to invite three Jedi into his compound, disarmed or not? Did he know about their encounter with the debtor? Or was he simply an opportunist, taking advantage of Felicity's high-minded naïveté? Perhaps he only wanted to talk - or perhaps he had other plans.

If Dorval wished to capture the Jedi and sell them to the Sith or anyone else, they would be better off if they had friends on the outside. On the other hand, if he only wanted to talk, then Felicity seemed more than happy to go around all on her own, talking to everyone who would listen. But Feldar was too uncomfortable handing over the lightsaber he had painstakingly constructed at the risk of never seeing it again. He glanced at Felicity again, whose expression of impatience demanded he acquiesce along with her. She was so proud, so dedicated to her ideals. In a way, that was praiseworthy - but so far, it had only gotten them into trouble. It was true that they had helped some people, but sooner or later, Felicity's brazen self-indulgence was going to get one or all of them killed. Feldar was not about to walk into a potential trap, unarmed, because she wanted to convince a Hutt not to collect on his debts. Even he knew how foolish that was.

The Chadra-Fan turned to the guard and shook his head. "If you and your master don't mind," he answered calmly, "I'll wait out here."
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Re: The New Jedi Order: Legacy

Post by Halomek »

The guard shrugged indifferently. “The fewer of you who come inside, the less I have to worry about, but I wouldn’t expect Dorval to always be so accommodating if you decide you want to talk to him later.”

He looked over at Cyrilla. “What about you, pretty kitty? You going in with your friend, or are you staying out here with the rodent?”
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Re: The New Jedi Order: Legacy

Post by Balsa »

With a snap-hiss, the ruby blade of Cyrilla's lightsaber separated the guard's head from his body. The decapitated body slumped to the ground, and the head rolled across the duracrete pavement. The Cathar spat on the deadman's corpse.

At least, that was what she wanted to do. Instead, Cyrilla wrinkled her nose and took a step back. The guard's body odor greatly offended her sense of smell. She crossed her arms and glared at the man. "I'll wait out here as well." She glanced at Felicity. "Don't take too long. I don't want to have to carve my way into that shavvit-smelling house Dorval calls a palace."
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