An Offer He Can't Refuse

[Val - Warning:Contains Sarcasm]

Val nodded to Xierra. They would need some way of coaxing their fellow Jedi out of the closet and outside with them so they could head to meet Forge's contact as soon as possible. Val rather didn't like the prospect of having anything go wrong at the moment, especially now they were on the trail of their target and heading towards Bey and his padawan. She considered shouting, very briefly. In fact it was so brief it hardly entered her mind before being removed. She could sneak inside, she could manipulate something to draw attention to herself. None of these would be very useful though, and could cause more trouble than they were worth really. Though Rein was inside, wasn't he? And he was particularly Force sensitive... he was Miralukan after all. He'd be able to detect the Force easier. She could try sending him a mental message. Using the Force might make her more visibile if nothing else.

Focusing on where she expected her padawan to be, she felt for his life force, looking for the emination of the Force he would be giving off. She closed her eyes, pressing her hands against the wall next to the door for support. She probably looked like she was going to be sick to anyone passing by. Hopefully they'd give her a wide berth, which she wouldn't say no to. She had found Rein by now, and focused on sending him her thoughts.
Rein, don't worry, it's me. We're outside the restaurant. We're not sure what happened but we must make haste.
It was an exhaustive process, not something she had much practice of, but she was certain that he at least detected something. If not there was really little else she could think of doing that would work whilst being subtle. She removed her hands from the wall, returning to her legs for support, feeling a little shaky. She smiled at Xierra, letting the Falleen know that she'd finished and it was up to the pair inside to meet them now.

[Anackis]

Rein watched as Elsei pulled out the comlink. He swallowed hard as the voice came over the line. If no answer came they would certainly come looking to see what the problem was. Rein hoped that the static coming over the link meant the connection wasn't up to par and that perhaps they could fool whoever was on the other side. Rein waited a moment for the Jedi to respond, but it seemed she too did not know what to say. It only took a moments thought, Rein pulled the scarf from off his face revieling his eyeless face for the first time, his face reddend a bit from embarrassment. He folded the scarf into a small bundle and took the comlink from Master Therin.

Holding the folded scarf over his mouth to muffle his voice, and lowering his tone, Rein answered the call, "Yeah, we're here. Some stupid blind kid stumbled back here looking for the bathroom." He knew his voice didn't match that of either of the men, but he hoped, betwixed the static and muffling with his scarf, it would be enough to fool them.

He didn't turn his head but, with the force, he glanced at Elsie for approval, hoping she was not staring at his lack of eyes. He waited a moment longer for a response from the comlink before pulling the scarf back over his face. Nothing but static eminated from the device.

Rein suddenly turned his head towards the door, he felt a presance with the force, not to distant, and familiar. Then words slipped into his mind, almost like a silent whisper, yet strong enough for him to hear with his ears plugged. "Rein, don't worry, it's me. We're outside the restaurant. We're not sure what happened but we must make haste."

It was Master Adeera, Rein could feel her force presance. She felt Xierras as well, though not as strong. Rein turned to Elsie, "We have to go, Master Adeera is calling us. It seems urgent." He turned to leave the room but paused a second looking back at Master Therin. Her placed a hand to the scarf over his face and timidly asked, "Master Therin? Please don't mention this to Master Adeera." He assumed she knew what he meant and turned back to the door.

[Mara]

Xierra could see Val was considering her opinion as well as other possibilities as she remained silent awhile. The Falleen hoped that the other woman would see that barging in was a bad move in this particular situation. Trying to lure them out quietly would be the best... if the others were free to still act on their own. Xierra quietly hoped that they were not captured or bound and could leave on their own. While she waited for some sign of her decision, she kept a light focus on Rein and Elsie in the Force, making sure they were still okay. She was satisfied that they were for now, but hoped Val would decide quickly.

As Val eventually nodded and then pressed up against the wall of the restaurant, she sighed a subtle breath of relief. The Falleen could feel Val focusing in with the Force--feeling a surge around the being of Rein--and briefly considered grabbing onto the presence of Elsie but dropped it. She knew her skills in telepathy weren't the greatest, though she had a natural aptitude for them. If they were doing a mind trick, however, she was much better at those. But just a simple communication... she would probably end up sending the wrong message and getting Elsie captured instead. It would be best for Val to do the calling and for Xierra to keep a look out in case of reinforcements to the restaurant.

She took a few steps away from the other Jedi to let her concentrate much easier. Xierra turned around to glance up and down the street, hoping to keep curious onlookers at a distance. Fortunately it was not a very busy time of day and the number of beings in the streets was limited. Expanding her awareness, she grew a perimeter of Force tendrils around the block the restaurant was sitting in, disbarring innocent beings and on the lookout for those of ill intent. So far, so good. If Val couldn't get in touch with her new padawan, they may have to go for plan B, the potentially more dangerous plan.

Xierra felt something in the Force, not quite a disturbance but something around the presence of Rein, and she turned around to glance at Val. The woman had stepped from the wall and smiled at the Fallen woman. She nodded, acknowledging that Val had done her best to communicate to the others and get them to leave. Now they just had to wait and trust in the Force.

[sparrow]

"Good job, Rein. And no, I won't tell Master Adeera if that's what you want." Their search of the bodies had yielded little else save for the comlink. She hoped that Val and Xierra had had better luck locating the elusive crimelord. "Alright, let's go," she said, and turned to leave the room.

"Wait..." That strange feeling was back. Something about this place bothered her. "Rein, when you tried to sense beyond the door, what did you feel? Did you feel anything... beyond this room?" Elsie closed her eyes, felt the Force follow through her. She wasn't the best at this sort of thing, until still, it was worth a try.

The Force flowed through all life. She could feel it in herself, in Rein, the three unconscious thugs. Yet when she tried to probe into the next room, she felt... nothing. Except somehow this nothing felt different. It didn't just feel like empty space. No, it was more as if she had suddenly run into a sturdy brick wall. No matter what how hard she concentrated, it was barrier that she could not get past.

Slowly she slowly turned around and entered the next room, and gasped as if dunked into a tank of ice cold water. It was just an ordinary empty room, floor and walls made of the same dusty concrete, a side door, and a pile of wooden crates in one corner. But the Force... was gone. The warmth and life that she had felt before was now replaced with emptiness. Complete and utter emptiness. Elsie shivered, and not just from the sudden cold feeling. She had lived her entire life with the Force. It had always been there for her. Except now, it wasn't.

Cautiously, she approached the wooden crates with soft footsteps, and with no small amount of effort, managed to pry one open. Inside was a nutrient frame, designed to house a living organism and supply it with sustenance. And inside the frame was a creature, about a third of a meter long, furry yet reptilian. Elsie had never seen such an animal herself, though she had heard of them. Suddenly things seemed to get a lot clearer. The place they were in now, it wasn't just some generic drop-off point in Forge's operation for drugs or narcotics. This location that they had stumbled into was something bigger.

She had wondered how Tas Bey, a near legendary saberist and known for his skill in investigating and infiltrating criminal organizations, could have suddenly fallen off the map. How could a crimelord like Forge, powerful as he was, could have been capable of taking down such a powerful knight, she had wondered. The answer was the creature in the wooden crate in front of her now. Ysalamir.

She could hear the sound of fast approaching footsteps coming the side door. "Rein, this place isn't safe." She tried to keep her voice calm, but there was a definite edge of fear and unease. "Run. Get out back the way we came. Now."

[Val - Warning:Contains Sarcasm]

Minutes? Seconds? She wasn't sure what had passed, but she knew she had to occupy herself, if only for the illusion that she wasn't waiting for someone. She moved to the store next to the cafe. It was mainly nick-nacks being sold, but it was better than standing around staring at nothing. A few dolls, some holobooks, datapads, clothes, toys, not much though, probably a struggling business. Probably like most of the people on this planet. She sighed, running her finger up and down the glass, the glove making it silent as she did so. The dolls reminded her of children, and they reminded her of when she was younger. Back when she was with Master Garrow. The missions, the teachings, the supernova. No! She snapped herself out of it, not wanting to have a distraction in her mind when she was waiting for Elsie and Rein.

She paused, feeling around again to check they were alright. She could sense Rein was safe, or at least she felt it, but Elsie was moving. She seemed afraid... and then she was gone. Val stood up rigid, as if she'd been shot in the back, moving quickly back to the cafe entrance and staring through the glass, as though trying to see with her eyes what the Force had claimed, knowing she wouldn't see anything. And she had been told many times her eyes could deceive her. But Elsie couldn't have died? Not so quickly. She reached for her saber, only to feel its lack of presence by her side, and was about to reach to get it as Elsie's presence filled her mind once again.
"What in the world?" She murmured her words and looked at Xierra, wondering if she felt it too.

She slowly dropped her hands to her side, trying to remain as inconspicuous as possible, acting as though she were suddenly intrigued by the menu on the window, instead trying to figure out what had happened in there. Maybe if she worked through it logically. Had Elsie died? No, she was still alive. Had she been knocked out? No, her body would still have Force presence. Had she left the area? No, she would have had to move too quickly. Had she lost contact with the Force? No, her signature felt the exact same as when she had went in. She sighed, not knowing what other avenue to pursue, knowing Elsie would be the only one to answer this. If they ever left the place.

Surely the Force couldn't deceive her instead?

[Anackis]

Rein nodded a thank you to Master Therin, it was embarrassing enough to have uncovered his eyeless face to the Jedi, but to have his Master hear of it would be horrific. He checked again to make sure the scarf was secure before turning to the door.

"Wait..." Master Therin said stopping Rein in his tracks, her slight hesitation made him more concerned then he should have been. "Rein, when you tried to sense beyond the door, what did you feel? Did you feel anything... beyond this room?"

"No..." he replied but paused a moment in thought. It hadn't occured to him before, or at least he had just let it slide. The void, the emptyness that he felt and saw. He didn't want to believe it, everything was connected to the force somehow, yet, there it was. Even now he could see it, it was as if the building just stopped and nothing, not even space, continued past that point.

Rein reached out as Master Therin stepped through the door and dissapeared. He couldn't believe what he saw, she had vanished completely. He consentrated hard on the door, but even with it open he could see nothing. Slowly he stepped towards the door, fear creeping up his spine like a spider. Master Therin was in trouble, he knew it. Carefully he put his hand through the doorway but pulled it back as it dissapeared from his sight. He gazed at his hand in disbelief, it was fine, no mark of any kind. Rein came to the conclution that it had to be some form of barrier and once he passed through he would find Elsie alright and everything normal again. Taking a deep breath he stepped through the darkness.

Panic hit Rein like a thermo detinator. He was surrounded by nothing, for the first time in his life he could see nothing, he was blind. He reached for the force but felt as if he were trying to pull a tooth from a rancor. Darkness engulfed him and he fell to his knees.

A sound broke the emptyness that blanketed him, a voice. It was familiar bu still took Rein a moment to recognize. Master Therin was calling, warning him, "Rein, this place isn't safe. Run. Get out back the way we came. Now." But he did not know which way he had entered. He threw his hands out and began to crawl around the floor, searching, feeling for a way out. Suddenly he began to cough, heaving spasms enhanced by his paniced state. Rein fell to the floor and curled up into himself. Tears streamed down his face as he painfully exhaled the air. He could hear Master Therin, but in the darkness, the emptiness, he felt discarded. He was alone.

[Mara]

Though her grasp through the Force on the others hadn't been strong, Xierra had been keeping a light tab on them to make sure they were okay. So that she would know when they were coming back to the entrance, or whether she and Val would need to rush in to save them. So she didn't realize right away when Elsie's Force presence completely disappeared from her view. Gone.

Confused, the Falleen furrowed her brows in concentration and extended her Force awareness, focusing on Rein and Elsie. The boy was easy to find. He seemed afraid but otherwise intact. The problem was she couldn't find the other woman anywhere. It was if she disappeared or traveled to the other side of the galaxy where no one but the strongest Jedi in the Force would be able to feel each other through the great distance. But she knew that was impossible in such a short time. Xierra immediately wondered if something had happened to Elsie. And she knew Val was feeling it, too, as the other Jedi jumped to the restaurant window, moments later her eyes connecting with her own dark ones.

Xierra closed her eyes, enveloping herself even more with the Force, trying to find any side of Elsie, but it was to no avail. It was like she had completely disappeared. Not died--she would have felt it--but just was no longer there within reach of the Force. She was about to turn to Val to ask her thoughts, when something strange about Rein's presence beckoned her. He felt... odd to her. And then he also disappeared.

No longer thinking of the possibilities of what happened to her companions, only one thought entered Xierra's mind--they had to go inside and find them. Find any clues to where they had went, if they had gone. There was no longer time to wait for them to exit. It was time for Plan B.... no, way past that, most like Plan C or D. Quickly she reached behind her under the jacket she was wearing and plucked one of her lightsaber hilts from where she had it hidden.

She kept the lightsaber unlit as she burst through the door, yelling at the few occupants still in the restaurant to leave, mentioned something about a bomb and getting to safety, subtly influencing them with the Force. Within moments it was just the Falleen within the main room, and she started slowly towards the back of the deli towards the place she had remembered sensing Elsie and Rein last. Xierra held the hilt easily in her hand, still keeping it unfired; she wouldn't ignite it until necessary. They still had a mission to complete, and she wouldn't endanger it unless she had absolutely no choice.

Slowly, she walked towards the back room. That's when she felt it--a gap in the Force. Like a black hole had swallowed every living being. She couldn't see the opening yet as it was at an angle that she couldn't see much farther than an inch or two in the room. As she got closer, she could hear some sounds, like a hacking cough. Rein?

[sparrow]

Her foot kicked the door hard as it began to open, and there was a yelp of pain from the other side as fingers were crushed between door and frame. But the victory was only temporary, as more hands pushed back with increased force, and she stumbled backwards. The door swung open, and the thugs and mercenaries poured in.

"They say that the Echani can predict the course of a battle before it unfolds," a large heavyset Devaronian male, who appeared be the leader of the group, said as he cracked his knuckles. "So tell me, how is this one going to turn out?"

There were nearly a dozen of them, each armed with both vibroblade and blaster. Most of them had those blasters raised, aimed at her and Rein. Even with the Force, she would have been hard pressed to block so many blaster bolts coming from so many sources at such close range. And without the Force, there was no chance at all. Rein, from his prone position, coughed again. Elsie bit her lip, and said nothing.

The Devaronian smiled, baring his teeth. "Put your hands up in the air and nobody gets hurt."

Elsie remained silent. Her heart was racing. There was no way she could possibly come out on top in this fight, but surrender was unthinkable. Rein had said that that others were close by. Would they move in to investigate if they could no longer sense her? She could only hope that they would. The thoughts raced through her head. Stall for time. Stall...

The Devaronian's smile disappeared from his face. "Need some help analyzing the situation? How about I help you? On three, my men open fire on the boy. One... Two... "

"Stop!" she yelled, with panic in her voice. The smile returned to the Devaronian's face as she slowly raised her hands into the air.

[Val - Warning:Contains Sarcasm]

Val waited for Xierra to remove everyone else from the room, knowing full well it would be a little odd for her to enter as the bomb threat was announced. Watching the occupants move out, many of them confused and a little shaken. She continued to coolly look into the windows, seeing the last few leave out of the corner of her eye, before quietly slipping in after Xierra. The Falleen had already started heading for Rein and Elsie's last position, and Val followed behind her quickly, though not wanting to be too quick in case she caused a problem. She arrived at their position, feeling a great hole in the Force just ahead of her, and Xierra was apparently paused round the corner from where she believed the back door was. Approaching slowly she could hear the deep voices of several men around the corner, and Elsie's panicked shout. They were alive. Or at least she was.

Val glancd at Xierra, not sure whether it would be worth compromising their position at the moment. Then again, she thought, peeking around the corner, these men were armed. If they attacked there was the chance they could be overpowered in the thin corridors. If they didn't, well. Elsie and Rein didn't appear to be in particularly safe positions. Not with an armed group in front of them. If they didn't do anything there's the chance that the men would kill Elsie and Rein just for being there, adn then turn and come into contact with Xierra and herself anyway. If they did, well... There may just be a way though.

She felt within the group to see what they were dealing with. Mainly humans, and a few other races. She wasn't sure which, but she was fairly sure at least most of the group could be influenced. Moving her fingers softly through the air, she stroked the Force to influence their weak minds.
You don't want to be here. You don't want to fight. You want to go home. She wasn't sure how many it had affected, but hopefully the confusion could give them the edge they needed. Slipping her hand into her dress, she carefully removed her lightsaber with a little effort and held it tightly in her hands, keeping it disengaged just in case. She wasn't liking the situation at all.

[Anackis]

Rein reached out with his hands searching for somethig anything to guide him, to keep him safe. The cold floor seemed to span forever in every direction. Darkness encompassed him, its weight almost unbearable. Every time he reached out with the force it felt like slamming into a wall. His small hands suddenly rested on something different, it almost felt like a boot.

Then he heard their voices. He could not tell who or what was speaking, only that it was not Master Therin. He demanded they put their hands in the air, Rein instantly complied. Elsie, if she were in the room, must not have thought that the better idea. Rein soon felt the barrel of a blaster against the side of his head as the same voice mentioned fireing at him if they did not cooperate. Elsie yelled for them to stop and Rein took the oppertunity. He pushed hard with the force at whoever it was that stood before him.

Nothing happened.

Rein felt a chill run down his spine. This must have been how the Jedi and his padawan were captured. And now they were in the same perdicament. He was sure if he could see, the men in the room would have satisfied grins on their faces. Though he did not realize how worried they still were about Jedi. He began to cough again startling one of the men who abruptly acted with the butt of his blaster pistol. Rein almost felt happy for just a moment, despite the pain. He was sure he was starting to see again as a strange flash of white passed through his mind as the pistol made contact with his head. But the light faded as he crumpled to the floor unconsious.

[Mara]

((Blah... I hope this post makes sense.))


She felt Val approach behind her, joining her around the corner from the door where she felt the hole in the Force. Xierra had no idea what could have caused it, and it bothered her that she could no longer feel Elsie or Rein beyond the opening. Her mind ran through endless possibilities, coming up with the same empty conclusions as before when she first felt Elsie disappear. Which, basically, was nothing. The Falleen had no idea what had happened to their companions, only that they had to be alive yet. That, she would have felt in the Force.

Her suspicions were confirmed when she heard a shout coming from the room. It sounded like Elsie! Xierra's presence in the Force briefly swelled with a happiness before she quelled it to become more serious again. Just because she was alive--and Rein, for she had heard him coughing--didn't mean they were not in harm's way. Obviously, something had happened to them to take away their presence in the Force.

Xierra felt Val's eyes on her; she could feel the other Jedi's indecision. But the Falleen wasn't willing to wait. She had come charging into this restaurant for a reason--to save the other Jedi. For her, there was no other choice. She couldn't just leave Elsie and Rein to whatever beings were holding them there in that back room. Couldn't just go on with the mission with only Val. They needed to complete it, all four of them. And there was the possibility of a bonus that the beings in the room that she heard talking were part of Forge's group. And that, she thought, could very well help them.

But enough for thinking pleasant thoughts. It was time to rescue the other Jedi, get them back on the side of the Force so they could meet their contact in the marketplace. If they still needed to, depending on who these beings were. Xierra couldn't feel Val's contact in the Force, trying to persuade the possible captors. But she did glance back at Val in time to see her slip her lightsaber into sight. The Falleen nodded at the other Jedi, hoping Val would take Xierra's lead. It was now or never.

With a snap-hiss! she ignited her lightsaber, the light green blade coming to life and almost imitating the greenish tint of her skin. Xierra moved closer to the door, careful not to step past the frame of it, not yet, keeping her lightsaber at her side, pointed towards the ground. Hopefully with all the commotion inside, they wouldn't hear or see her coming until it was too late. She paused there, taking a moment to touch Val's mind with the Force, trying to send images of what she planned.

With a deep breath, and careful not to aim at Val, Xierra unleashed her pheromones towards the room, trying to focus it on the presences in the room; easy enough, since she could not feel Elsie or Rein. Her skin rippled with various colors, going from green to red to green to red again. The rush of pheromones rushed over the beings; the Fallen's plan was not for them to fall in love with her. No, despite the power that she pressed her pheromones at them, she just meant to distract them. But, if they did fall for it, so much for the better. They would make easier targets.

She counted back the seconds, giving the pheromones time to work. Then she sprung, jumping to stand in the doorway, not stepping over the threshold yet, her lightsaber going up in a defensive stance. Xierra came into view of all of them, finally seeing Rein and Elsie at the mercy of a dozen various beings with a Devoronian pointing his blaster at the female Jedi. Her eyes narrowed. "Let them go, if you know what's good for you." She emphasized her statement with a small wave of her deadly green blade.

Xierra was about to step into the room, when her foot felt strange as she held it through the doorway in mid-step. It felt exactly how it had felt when she had touched Rein's presence. That odd feeling she had had before he completely disappeared. She moved her foot back and took a deep breath. This would be a lot more difficult, if she and Val couldn't enter the room. They wouldn't be much help without having use of the Force.

[sparrow]

Templar Forge... the man had certainly done his homework. Ysalamir to neutralize the Force, nearly half his force of thugs equipped with either slugthrower or sonic blaster to make deflection more difficult, and mercenary leaders who were... surprisingly strong-willed.

They had just finished tying Elsie's wrists when the pheromones filled the air. Several of the thugs seemed confused. One even dropped his gun on the ground. But the Devaronian leader appeared unfazed.

Pressing the tip of his vibroblade to Elsie's neck, he smiled that toothy grin of his again. "I know very well what's good for, thank you very much. You can't come close, can you? So if you know what's good for your friends, then put down the laser sword and back away." He emphasized that statement by pressing down slightly with his knife. A small prick, and a drop of blood rolled down Elsie's neck.

Like Rein, Elsie never the handle of the pistol that hit her in the back of the head. "We'll hold these two here. Take the prisoners to the boss," were the last words that she heard before passing out.

[Val - Warning:Contains Sarcasm]

If they ran out now, they'd be greeted with a hail of blaster bolts. Val was already aware of this, she could tell by the sound of the blasters clicking around the place. She needed to think, fast, or there'd be no one left to save. But what do they do with some sort of Force anomaly? As far as she could gather there was a chance that any Force attack she used would disperse itself after hitting the radius of the Force void. It was a strange feeling. She knew Elsie and Rein were around the corner, but she couldn't sense them. She'd never felt this as long as she could remember and it scared her a little. But she pressed that fear aside as much as she could for the moment. If she couldn't use a Force ability then it was likely that she'd not be able to use her lightsaber as soon as she walked past the threshold of the void, meaning she'd never block the blaster bolts.

She looked to Xierra, hoping to gain some sort of inspiration, but gained little that would help her at the moment. She had the feeling that between her Mind trick and the pheramones the guards would be weakened in their resolve, but to what extent she had her doubts. A thump and a murmur gave her the dreaded feeling one of their comrades had just taken a viscious hit from one of them, and her grip tightened around her saber. She preferred to attribute this to her steeling her resolve, rather than growing frustrated and angry, and considered any more options available to them. There was the option of waiting for them to move, which would be worth considering at the moment if they couldn't get close to the group, or she could try and find a way of flanking the group. She sent both of these ideas telepathically to Xierra, hoping to coordinate their efforts to try and get on the move as quickly as possible.

[Anackis]

Remained unconsiouse as a man hefted his fragile body over his shoulder. The man simply noded in reply to the Devaronian's orders, "You heard 'im boys." The man grunted as he stepped back into the passage they had entered from, "Lets get them to the boss."

[Mara]

Xierra gripped the hilt of her lightsaber tighter, her knuckles showing in stark white contrast to her greenish skin, and her dark eyes glared at the Devaronian who was holding on snugly to Elsie with a blade at her neck. The Falleen Jedi could feel the anger at this being swelling and immediately grasped on the Force to dilute her feelings. She wouldn't be any help if she gave in to her rage right now. Though, she really, really wanted to. But the situation was delicate, and rushing in would only make matters worse, particularly for Elsie and her neck.

So she relinquished to half of the Devaronian's request, wanting to buy some time that never came. Xierra did not back away but stayed standing there in the doorway, seeing her comrades and not able to help them, feeling a pulse of anger as the leader knocked Elsie out with the butt of his blaster. However, she did lower her blade and shut it off, the light green blade diminishing with a whoosh!

For a moment the Falleen felt her energy disappear in the same way her blade did. She and Val were presented with a dilemma. Go after the thugs and save their friends and try to avoid fighting against this leader who was thinking to pick them off? Or fight now and hope to catch up with Elsie and Rein, now unconscious but with the Force, before they were brought into Forge's presence? They had to decide soon, before their comrades were carried too far away, though they should be able to find them with the Force once they were a significant distance from this room. Xierra hoped to the Force they didn't have one of those Force-smothering lizards on their person.

She felt Val touch her mind and had a flicker of the other woman's ideas. Xierra's mind flooded with conflicts. Her peaceful Jedi side was warring with her revengeful side. The side that wanted to fight. That wanted blood. Master Revisc had managed through ten years of training to stifle that energy and project it into other areas of her life. But the Falleen knew that it was still down there, hidden away.

Xierra glanced over behind her at Val and closed her eyes, asking the Force for guidance. What was their best option? As she focused, she felt the presences of Elsie and Rein suddenly pop back into existence. The thugs must have gotten them outside already. She pained at how slowly the Force was sometimes to reveal its intentions. The other Jedi did not have that time.

She made a decision. She would do her best to not give in to her anger. But that did not mean she wouldn't do her best to defeat this Devaronian and his friend with their slugthrowers. The Force may not exist in that storeroom, but it existed everywhere else for her. And the Falleen could use that and a few other things to her advantage.

Opening her eyes and turning her gaze to the remaining two of Forge's team, she spoke to Val, using the Force to emphasize her words. "Go. Save Elsie and Rein. I'll catch up to you." Her dark eyes hardened again. "These two should not take long." With those words, she shucked off her jacket and backed up a couple feet, setting her feet in a defensive stance, bringing up her lightsaber and igniting it once again, the green blade's reflection almost blending into the green of her skin.

[sparrow]

(( I'm hoping that we'll get to see Forge soon. It's been five pages already! Hope you don't mind if I skip a bit in time... ))

Ohhh... my head... What had happened? Slowly Elsie began to open her eyes, groaning slightly as she rubbed her forehead. As she slumped forward... Zzzzt! Her eyes snapped open wide and her body snapped back upright, pain streaking through her hands in head.

Gradually she began to remember what had happened. The room with the ysalamir,... their capture... She had been knocked unconscious. And here she was now, in a Force cage. She tried to reach the Force, and once again felt nothing. After getting over the initial shock, she supposed that that made some sense. If a man like Forge could afford smuggling ysalamir, then it made sense for him to spare one to contain his Force-wielding prisoners.

The thought hit her suddenly. Rein! Where was he? He wasn't in the same room with her, and of course she would not be able to sense him through the Force. Her heart sank. Val had entrusted her to look after her padawan, and she had failed in that task horribly. Not only had she set a bad example for the boy, she had gotten him capture. He could be hurt, wounded, or perhaps worse.

Okay Elsie, calm down, she thought. Keep a clear head. You can get out of this. She sat down cross-legged, attempting to meditate. She had barely begun with the door to the small room slid open with a hissing sound.

(( Forge, is that you? ))

[Val - Warning:Contains Sarcasm]

So they hadn't attacked. That was, upon reflection, the evaluation she came up with. The henchmen had mentioned Forge. Whether they were lucky or not, she wasn't sure, but Val had barely kept herself from jumping out from her hiding position as the guards walked past with Rein. The limp, unconscious, dangling form of the padawan... her padawan. It made her almost angry and upset to see it like this, but the mission would come first. Find Forge, save the other Jedi, get out. A glance from her position on the rooftops of the buildings of Metellos as they stalked the guards made her wonder whether Forge was intentionally generating a group of Force-using prisoners. The void in the Force could suggest so. She leapt now from another building to one much higher up, grasping for the ledge with an arm, fingers curling around. Then falling, the ledge made of a brittle rock, and she fell a foot before her hand grasped some sturdier architecture just a little lower. She paused, she breathed, and then she hoisted herself up, bringing the second hand to assist, and arrived standing on the new rooftop.

She had placed her lightsaber back into the hiding place under her dress. She had came to the decision, after they had rejected their rescue mission of their immediate comrades, that it would be worth it if they could save two birds with one stone. Or... four, five if they apprehended Forge. And with two stones, if each Jedi was classed as being individual and such. A strand of hair dropped down into her face, breaking her concentration and causing her to huff a little as she maintained the steady rhythmic jogging to keep pace with the guards moving like serpents and rodents through the side streets. Elsie and Rein hanging over the shoulders like bags of meat freshly drawn from the corpse of a beast. A left, and she darted across another rooftop to keep following, making sure to keep a distance somewhat to remain close but far, and out of sight. The new building had her running a narrow ledge along the side, and she slowed her pace considerably as she matched pursuit with balance.

It was the end of the next street when they stopped, and so did she, watching them enter a small side door with no external guard. Slums, lots of them, with the homeless wandering to and fro with little more interest than survival. Stay alive and live out their lives in poverty, hoping for a reprieve as each day continued with little hope as the time passed. The guards were filing inside the building, and Val could tell by the distance between them that they'd be inside before she reached them. Xierra... she looked around for the Falleen. Things had been going so smoothly. Too smoothly maybe, but it was working for what she could tell. Now though they were in a chase to save more and more. The guards were inside, and the door slammed shut. Val exhaled, allowing herself to drop from the narrow ledge to the one just below, planting her heels down after taking the impact mainly on the balls of her feet. These heels... she glanced down disapprovingly at them. They hadn't broken. Yet. A wonder to be sure, but now there was a lot for the two Knights to consider.

"Any plans other than attacking head on?" She addressed the other Jedi, already adjusting her clothing a little as though preparing for the inevitable assault.

[Anackis]

His head hurt, the throbbing pain beating along with the rythem of his heart. It took him a moment to realize he was no longer in the restless sleep of unconsiouseness. When the realization finally sunk in his breathing quickened and the same fear that so gingerly mocked him before loomed ominously around him. Darkness seemed to continually fold its unwelcoming arms around the child as he lay trembling on the ground. He could feel the weight of its lonelyness pressing on his back. It took yet another moment before he realized the pressure he felt held a tangable form. He thought he felt it shift a little and held his breath.

Carefully he reached a hand behind him his fingers brushed against a small metallic object. slowly he let his fingers move trying to decifer what the object could be. It was cold and almost reminded him of a container of sorts. Then his fingers rested upon something else, something living. The creature was scaley and almost as cold as the container it rested upon. Rein wanted to grab the thing and throw it away from him, a sound caught his ear and he froze.

A quiet shuffling not far from him, filled the air. He knew it was not as loud as his mind was telling him, but the slight stir from across the room seemed to reverberate in his skull. He knew he wasn't alone, and hoped that the sound wasn't more of these scaley creatures coming to devour his weak and helpless form. He bit his lip as the all too familiar feeling swelled in his through. But his body wouldn't let him hold it for too long and soon he the coughing slipped past his lips.

He silently cursed himself for being so weak as the quiet noise he heard before seemed to grow louder and louder. He was certain it was another creature for the shuffling it made did not sound humanoid as it approached him. He almost passed out from fright as the thing touched him.

"You're finally awake." Came a calm whispered voice.

Rein sat confused for a long moment, unsure if these creatures could speak or if what he was hearing were actually human. It sounded like a young boy, but Rein could not be sure.

Again the quiet voice spoke comforting him, "You're alright now, though..." the boy paused as if completing his sentance might prove to be a mistake.

Cautiousely Rein pushed himself to his knees. He hadn't noticed how hard the floor was until now or how heavy this thing on his back was. His knees already hurt but he maintained his possition. He turned his head towards the sound of the boy, "Where am I?" Rein asked, still a bit hesitant.

"We're in a cell" the boy began, "Forge has these lizard things in the corners of the room." The boy pauses as he noticed Rein move his hand to his back again. "Yes those same ones. I Don't know how, but they somehow block the force."

If he would have had eyes they would have opened wider then humanly possible. The realization of his situation finally hitting home. It was a relief at the same time it caused fear to run down his spine. It at least explained his sudden loss of vision and inability to accomplish anything by means of the force. Rein sat there in thought almost forgetting the boy infront of him until he suddenly felt a hand gently touch his face. He pulled back sudden;y realizing he no longer had the scarf as a blindfold. His hand quickly raised up over his face.

"What did they do to your eyes?" the boy asked curiousely, a hint of fear gliding on his words. Rein realized he had never seen a Miraluka before. The fear of having your eyes removed would be something to worry about, though he had no eyes he knew the fear of not being able to see. He was living it. But this had to stop, a Jedi did not let his feelings cloud his judgement.

Rein lowered his hand, dispite the embarrassment and slowly rose to his feet, teetering just a bit against the weight of the thing on his back. He swallowed hard drowing his fears and he began to think again. But this time a little more clearly.

"Is there anyone else in the room?" He demanded suddenly, ignoring the boys question.

[Mara]

She didn't even notice Val leave to follow the other cronies who were carrying off their partners, Elsie and Rein. Xierra's complete focus was on the Devaronian leader in front of her and the human standing next to them, both carrying slugthrowers. Both thinking they could "hold" her there. Both heavily mistaken.

The Falleen stared them down as they slowly came towards her from the storeroom into the greater area of the restaurant. She held her ground, partly for defense and partly because she didn't want to get too close to the Force void that was inside the storeroom. Xierra gripped her weapon with one hand, the other held with a horizontal arm, the palm facing her two opponents.

Xierra could see the Devaronian was cocky about his odds. He was smirking, probably about to say something vainglorious. But the Jedi wanted to slash that grin right off his horned face. However, she remained steady, waiting for them to make the first move. A Jedi always acts defensively, never striking out in anger. Only moving to action when there is no other option. Xierra was hoping they would strike soon; she needed to end this quickly and go after Val.

"Foolish Jedi..." she heard the leader spit out. Her eyes hardened, drawing on the Force, trying to feel for what he was planning. And then momentarily, she knew it, a nanosecond before he did. She easily batted away the slug from his weapon, the one from his partner as well, with a flick of her wrist. If they had needed these two taken alive as prisoners, she would have deflected the projectiles into the floor. Instead, she flung them back at the two beings. They both soon had slugs embedded in their legs.

The human clutched at himself, but the Devaronian merely got angrier and fired more shots at Xierra. She got a two-handed grip on her weapon and deflected those away as well, most of them missing her opponent. Now she was focused on saving herself, not whether she harmed this other. There was plenty of time for that later.

Soon after the human regained his composure as well, and both of them began firing at the Falleen Jedi simulataneously. It was all she could do to reflect the bolts away from her body. She grit her teeth, regretting that she had only bothered to learn Ataru, instead of spending some time in another form better suited to multiple opponents.

But she held her own, barely. Xierra hadn't realized how quickly weapons such as they were wielding could fire. It took all of her focus to move her lightsaber around, deflecting slugs from two directions at once. An idea occurred to her, and she set her jaw, removing a hand from her hilt. To give herself a few seconds, she held out her hand, pushing it with the Force; the slugs that were in the air flew to the side. In the brief moment it took the Devaronian and human to realize what had happened, Xierra had her second lightsaber in hand; the one from her late Master she had hidden in the small of her back.

Immediately the dark blue blade came to life, contrasting with the pale green of her other saber. She had no prior training in two-saber combat, but she had had some hand-to-hand combat training with her master, plus was skilled with her modified nunchuks that she used as fighting rods. Xierra hoped that she could use the two sabers just as she did those rods.

But using them proved to be harder than she thought. Even with her focus entirely on the task ahead of her, she had to draw on the Force even more to keep from accidentally dismembering herself, and to keep deflecting the slugs. Xierra managed to do okay, though, keeping the two thugs at bay, not letting them closer for a better shot at her.

When one of the slugs slipped past her sloppy double-saber defense, she really felt it. But she kept on fighting, deflecting slugs. Xierra shifted her weight slightly as she flipped the lightsabers around at a break-neck pace, assuming that it was nothing major. When she left the restaurant, she would check it much more thoroughly. But for now, she had other business to attend to.

She knew that she had to end this soon; sooner or later more of the projectiles would get through her defenses, and those might not be as harmless as the one that already hit her. But she also knew she could not outright kill these beings, no matter how much she wished or wanted to. She was a Jedi and must act like one. Words from Master Revisc floated to her: "Always fight to disable, never to kill."

Taking a deep breath, she grabbed ahold of the Force, shoving her hilt-full hands forward, slamming the two beings against the wall of the restaurant. For good measure, she picked up a couple of the discharged slugs laying against the floor and threw them Force-aided into their shooting arms. Hopefully that would keep them off her back for a while.

She shut down her two weapons, seeing that the knock to the wall had sent them to unconsciousness. Xierra double-checked that they were still breathing, then gathered her jacket, slipping it on. She took that moment to glance at her leg, which was throbbing. A small trickle of blood was soaking the black legging a few inches above her ankle.

With no time to waste doing anything fancy, she yanked the slug from the wound with the Force, wincing as she did so. Xierra eased the pain a little with the Force as well, and ripped the bottom off her black tank to use as bandage on the wound now that the blood had more room to flow freer. It had been the better of two options. She knew leaving in the slug would help stop the bleeding, but without knowing when she would have time for medical attention, she would rather that then gain an infection.

Satisfied that she could run on the leg okay, she left the restaurant in a hurry, not bothering to fix her hair, of which was blowing all around her, having come out of its tight ponytail. She had to get to Val. Soon.

Using the Force to assist her speed and put less pressure on her leg, she grabbed a hold of the tendril that pointed in the other Jedi's direction and sped towards it. A few minutes later she spotted Val and come to a stop next to her a moment later. Xierra wasn't very winded from the run, thankfully due to the Force. But she was getting tired of this whole mission.

Hearing Val's words, she smiled wryly, knowing she must look a sight with her green midrift showing behind her leather jacket, a black cloth tied around her lower leg. She nodded. "I would prefer a less violent encounter, yes." Xierra thought back to how useless her lightsaber skills had been against the Devaronian and the human. Inside there were apt to be much, much more. "Is there any way you can see to sneak in?"

[Jace]

(Alright im just a little confused, cause I assumed Rein and Elsie were in the same room but apparently not, so this is gonna be a little tricky since you both have set up Forge to enter, I will have Forge in one room and his lieutenant in the other)


Today must be my lucky day

First the boy and now a Jedi, well maybe a apprentice, but still a Jedi. He truly appreciated the boss's experience in light of his new guests. Without the ysalamir and Force cages, it would've been a damn sight harder to catch them. The boss was the boss though, always amazed the man how smart his employer could be.

Learned a thing or two from the boss too, now didn't I?

He nodded to the two Trandoshans who stood guard outside the prisoner's room. Apparently the boss wasn't taking any chances with these two.

Better safe than sorry, I suppose

The door slid open, revealing two Force cages, which illuminated the dimly lit room. A wicked smile crossed the man's face as he slowly approached the cages. He could see the fear in the eyes of his two captives, his smile only widened. Stalking back and forth between the cages, silent. He continued the routine for another five minutes before finally stopping before the Miraluka. It suddenly occurred to him that the Miraluka couldn't even see him.

"Well isn't that just a shame" He suddenly said out loud to no one in particular. "Evening boys, my name is Marshal Hage, ill be your host for tonight. The boss couldn't make it, but he sends his regards, hes currently busy with one of yer friends right now"

Hage drew a long, wicked looking knife. Slowly so that he was sure that they could both hear the sound. So he could watch the fear grow in them with every centimeter of exposed metal. Walking over to the controls on the wall, he quickly deactivated the cage with the Miraluka. Stepping forward, he grabbed the boy by his collar and threw him out of the cage.

"So how does it feel boy? to be truly blind in the face of death...but don't worry, I won't kill you....yet"

He ran the flat of the blade against the boy's face, slowly, methodically. Making sure that he understood that this cold steel would be his death. He suddenly flicked the knife causing a shallow cut along the boy's cheek.

"Jedi are supposed to be able to resist pain right? so you should be fine" He stated accompanied by a maniacal laugh.

-----

I wonder if Hage is having fun?

Forge believed without a doubt that his lieutenant was thoroughly enjoying himself. There were those who didn't mind causing pain, and there were those that truly reveled in it. Forge was the former while Hage the latter. He could understand his lieutenant's feelings though, they had caught some interesting characters.

Jedi he mused

They were nothing without their precious Force. He had taken it away so easily, and now they were helpless. The ysalamir were expensive but it was a small price to pay for peace of mind. Forge finally reached the room where the older Jedi was being held. He stepped into the room as the door slid open. Just as the other room, the only illumination seemed to come from the Force cage.

"I see you have awoken, Jedi"

He studied in the young Echani female, and wondered what type of Jedi she was. Forge had encountered his share and knew that they came in different variety. The crime lord now had four Jedi in his possession. He wondered how many people could have stated the same. His reputation could only strengthen once word got out of his exploits. Forge needed to be careful, one or two Jedi he could deal with, but not an army.

"You obviously came here searching for your Jedi comrade" Forge stated as he deactivated the Force cage.

No lightsaber, no Force, and a woman...Forge was confident that he would be in no danger whatsoever. Just as Hage had done with Rein, did Forge do with Echani. Dragging her out of the cell roughly. He suddenly sent the back of his hand into her face.

"Now that is just a reminder. Don't lie to me, and don't play any games. Answer my questions, and you will recieve a swift death. Refuse, and I will have to open you up and make you watch while I remove your organs. So now that we are clear, lets begin. Are there anymore Jedi with you?Have you contacted the Jedi back on Coruscant? Do they know that I hold your Jedi comrade?"

Part of Forge hoped that she would lie, the thought of beating a Jedi senseless tickled him somewhat. The idea of being able to beat these supposedly powerful warriors with his bare hands appealed to him greatly. Either way, he was going to kill a Jedi, he was sure that his bosses would be proud. Forge still had a few rungs to go until he was on the top of the food chain.


(err hope you don't mind me roughing your characters up a bit)