Crashing the Party

[Dire Wolf]

((Blarg. Ryn doesn't feel like lobbing a baddies head off. For once. Unless you its Vex. Ryn </3 Vex. Aun: before you say something, yes, he is a baddy. Just not to you.))

The final echoes of the lingering pain that Vex put him though finally seemed to ebb away into nothing. Though not all of the damage to his person was healed, it did seem that the Dark Jedi had the courtesy to mending his grievous wounds. The slight limp in to his step showed that much, but fortunately the Jedi Knight had one thing on his side that the Dark one did not: The Light Side. Even as he limped alongside the “turncoat,” a title that he was beginning to believe was misplaced, the Force slowly mended his minor wounds.

The Dark Jedi may have withdrawn his dark and ominous presence in the Force, but that did not make it any harder for the Jedi Knight to see him. Only Sense. But then,he didn't necessarily need to sense the evil man as he pulled away from the group after all. Being able to see walls as translucent entities was a wondrous thing. Ryn slowly tracked the Dark Jedi's aura as Aunna answered his little query, shifting his gaze down to her and smirking in amusement slightly. He noted her whisper, and surmised that she kept her voice at such a low tone to keep away any predators that may be skulking in the dark. He nearly suppressed a chuckle at the notion. Between Vex and himself there was really no predator short of a Jedi Master that had fangs long enough or claws sharp enough to touch Aunna, or any of their other little troupe for that matter.

“So you saved him in hopes that he can be redeemed? Noble. People like you are few and far between. If you tell no lie, I do believe that you were convicted wrongly. I would consider helping you with your current... position... but I am afraid that my accepting help from a Dark Jedi may brand me a traitor to the Order myself. If that doesn't... then not attempting to arrest the both of you most certainly will be. I do have a feeling that a new grey Jedi was born of this event.”

He sighed, the Jedi Temple that he called home ever since before his first memory was now just that: A memory. To him at least. A slight tear would have rolled down his eyes if it was possible, his tear ducts were fused shut by the same lightsaber that blinded him, knowing that he could never return to the Order. He began to ponder his next move after seeing Queen Hyria safely to Onderon. The man would most certainly report to the Council... but only to tell them that he was not returning to the Order. Ryn would, of course, keep his lightsaber at all costs. Grawn was still out there, lurking in the shadows, imply waiting for an opportunity to strike the young Knight down.

Ryn Sundar would not be without a tooth when that damned Dark Jedi pounced. That much he was sure of.

[Squee]

Amusement nestled into its place on the queen’s face as she watched the prince’s reaction to her comment. From a brief moment of confusion to a somewhat shocked fear flashed in Rook’s face. Abruptly, he paused, inspecting his trousers. Sali couldn’t restrain the slight giggle. His head lifted back up, himself chuckling, and replying to her in a rather formal manner. Sali’s cheeks flushed a little at the return statement, his grin as mischievous as her inspective comment had been.

“You learn to notice little things when your life is in perilous times, being hunted down by assassins that I would be. I am, however, glad to hear you are indeed okay.”

Sali, for a moment, glanced at the arm he offered to her. Should she take it? Should she not? These weren’t exactly the greatest surroundings to be acting noble in. There were some places there were and some places there weren’t. Sali couldn’t help but feel this was one of those places they shouldn’t. Her hand came up and elegant fingers rested on his forearm. Her eyes flicked upward to meet his, and she gently shook her head while slightly turning her head and moving her eyes to take in the derelict buildings and dilapidated walkways and streets they had passed by. And then her eyes met his again, and she continued to walk.

Really, she hoped the prince wouldn’t be hurt by her choice. It was bad enough they were grouped together, especially with the attire he still wore, and one couldn’t even begin to describe what her silken, dark emerald dress (though lightly tattered) had her appearing as. Already they stood out like white against black in their seemingly neglected environment. Sali was simply glad she was not wearing jewels of anything. And if she head, she would’ve peeled them off back at the crashed transport. Her gown was slightly more casual (as casual as a queen's dress could get), but Rook’s clothing was still that of what he wore at the Gala.

If there were any devilish creatures down here with foul and distasteful dealings in mind, Sali didn’t want to give the impression she and Rook were together, as it might’ve seen with linked arms. Especially with her would-be killers on the loose. Better to keep him away from as much trouble as possible.

Aunna turned to them and told them to keep their voices low. Sali was a little puzzled over that. They weren’t keeping their voices low? Sali thought she had been doing a rather good job at taming her voice. Not that she spoke loudly to begin with. Straying away from attracting attention down here was perfectly logical, especially with a prince and queen in tow. Sali resisted a snort. They probably believed that just because she was a member of the royal house, she thought that she was under the utmost protection at all times just like she was used to. Or something of a like. Again, the thought of some beings didn’t care who one was entered her mind. She was a little irritated that Aunna assume all nobles and royalty might think a certain way all the time. Oh, well, that was people of the current time and galaxy. It was all about over generalizations and misunderstandings, as it probably would continue to gradually worsen over the next hundreds of thousands of years.

Where’d did that malevolent void of a man disappear off to? Sali was just now realizing she couldn’t see Vex. Aunna was there, just ahead of her, hissing whispers with Ryn, but the Dark Jedi couldn’t be seen. Ryn didn’t appear very alarmed to the fact that the man was missing, and neither did Aunna. Sali blinked, trying to stretch and strain her vision to attempt at finding Vex, who was to be leading this group. A flicker here against a very dim lit alerted her to movement in the shadow. Constantly and every so often Sali could notice these flickers of an obvious body up ahead. Vex? She hoped so. And again, Ryn and Aunna were taking no notice.

Having been paying attention to trying to spot Vex, Sali had been focusing less on her path. A stray piece of circular garbage had been set directly in her path. Looking as she was for something she couldn’t find, Sali stepped on rounded object. Suddenly her balance was upset, her foot rolling forward far too quickly for her reflexes to keep up. Sali threw an arm out for something to catch on and her fingers grasped Rook’s clothing while half falling. Her weight settled onto a foot and her grip readjusted, holding onto his arm moreover than his clothing. Proper balance was reestablished and Sali was careful not to make the same mistake again by lifting her back foot over the object.

“So, Rook, would you like to tell me how and why you ended up down here next to crash landed me?”

((If you guys would like, I can complicate things in the next post. But only if you would like me to. Lemme know.))

[Meira]

When Sali refused his offered arm, Rook wasn't dismayed. He had caught her meaning when she looked around at the dilapidated buildings they were now weaving their way through. He understood her, but seeing the vast difference between their dress, and the clothing of the rest, he didn't really see how his helping her through was going to make any difference to the lowlifes they hoped to avoid. If they were captured, it would be plain as day that Rook and Sali might fetch a good ransom. In fact, all of their company might bring in a high price. Didn't really matter who was holding on to who's arm. But he didn't press the issue, opting instead to simply stay close in case she needed any help.

Aunna's rebuke warranted a quizzical gaze from the prince. His mind was brought back to the thoughts of what Aunna's life must have been like to lead her from the young woman he knew, to the outlaw that was leading them through the undercity. He was sure there was a story in there, but now didn't seem to be the time for that. He was sure she'd rather keep her focus on the task at hand. So Rook merely gave a quick nod to show that her orders had been received before turing back to Sali and speaking in a more hushed tone.

I used to know her. He said, tilting his head toward Aunna. Well, I mean I met her once, long ago. Her family attended my eldest brother's wedding. It must have been... ten years ago. You can imagine I was quite surprised when I heard the news rep...

Sali had stumbled and grasped at his arm. Rook was quick to stop and hold her arm at the elbow until she righted herself. He didn't say anything, but a self satisfied smile was plastered across his face. Such a misstep might have been avoided if she had accepted his arm earlier.

The how is quite simple. He said, in response to her question. I followed your breadcrumbs. Rook pointed up and back over his shoulder, where the higher points of some buildings still glowed in the scars Sali's ship had left.

As to why... well. Rook wasn't sure if he wanted to explain the terrible feeling he had had when he saw her ship explode. It had been terrible at the time, and thinking back on it now, though it was not quite so potent, it did make his head dizzy. But the fact was that he had known that it was Sali's ship. He had known it more surely then he had known his name... at least at the time. Now he felt it was all rather silly. How could he have known?

Well, I guess it just seemed like the right thing to do. His voice had lost it's confidence slightly. She might press him further about it, and he might elaborate, but he didn't like the way he felt now, as compared to how he had felt when he saw the explosion. To go from being so sure, to feeling like it was more like dumb luck was strange indeed. What if it hadn't been her ship? What if he had gotten himself killed over nothing. Then Rook gulped down a lump that had suddenly formed in his throat. What if Sali hadn't survived? Rook pushed the thought away, not enjoying the sinking feeling in his stomach that had accompanied it.

Instead, he put his focus back on their surroundings, watching both his own path, and Sali's, prepared to help her again should the need arise.


---------------------------------------------------------------


The undercity was teeming with just as much life as the upper reaches. Things just moved... a little differently. People didn't tend to walk right up to something, they circled around, making sure it was safe. One learned quickly to move at angles in the undercity. They learned quickly, or they died. So when a big ball of light and heat suddenly landed in the darkness, the inhabitants weren't so dumb as to rush right in. No, they circled, and they waited, and they watched.

Figures moved, fought, spoke, moved, and then left. And still, the denizens waited. They were gone from sight before the scavengers picked at the bones of the fallen bird, braving the threat of explosion. And still others waited, and circled, and watched. Who were those ones that survived? Who was that one with the light sword? Who was the dumb one that tried to fight him? Where were they going? Those were some fancy clothes two of 'em wore...

They followed. Greedy eyes watched as they stalked near silent a safe distance behind the group. Maybe they could snatch that girly one. Have a little fun, and then see what they could get for her. Maybe she was important. Maybe she'd fetch a fair ransom. Maybe they'd get to eat tonight.

[Vex]

"You wanted to be a hero, Prince. Inevitable...given that noble blood." The voice came from behind them. Vex was taxed and fatigued from the effort of healing the Jedi, but he was not so weak as to be unable to guise himself and his movements from a noblewoman unused to the the gloom and the dereliction of the landscape around them. He'd allowed the group to move past him...there hadn't been anything that way that he'd been able to sense as far as a discernable threat was concerned. If there was something there to rear its ugly head and confront them, it's skill at deception was formidable. He would have to trust that Aunna and the Jedi would be able to at least hold their own until he could assist.

He'd taken up movement again behind the two royals without notice. It wasn't difficult when they were both so focused on what was in front of them. His unease felt stronger here...an itch in the back of his mind that would not be unattended, the Force whispering wordlessly in his ear.

"Do you know the definition of a 'hero', Prince? Someone who gets other people killed. You can look it up later. For now, let us try to limit it to yourself or no one. Do not tarry so far behind Aunna and the Jedi, you risk allowing yourselves to be cut off from them."

Vex turned away. He was well aware they were being watched. He'd spent more than his share of time down here...understood the way of things...in many ways his life and personality paralleled the hungered thoughts of those that followed. He couldn't see them. You didn't survive down here by being blatant. But you could send a message that way.

Dark eyes stared defiantly around behind them. Drawing out that crimson saber, he flipped it around, pointing the emitter down. Thumbing it to life, he etched a furrow in the worn duracrete at his feet. It was a warning: cross this line at your peril. I know you are there.

Extinguishing the blade, he turned on his heel and followed the others, keeping his connection to the Force open, probing around them for any intent that would be hostile towards them.

(Up to you all if anything happens. I'm feeling hakuna matata about either outcome)

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

(I'm with vex. I don't really care, but i'm not startin any of it ....not this time anyway >_> and I guess I'll just say that Aun has Ayer in her arms *shrug*)

“So you saved him in hopes that he can be redeemed? Noble. People like you are few and far between. If you tell no lie, I do believe that you were convicted wrongly. I would consider helping you with your current... position... but I am afraid that my accepting help from a Dark Jedi may brand me a traitor to the Order myself. If that doesn't... then not attempting to arrest the both of you most certainly will be. I do have a feeling that a new grey Jedi was born of this event.”

Aunna gave a light huff to Ryn's words before letting out a near silent sigh. Yes, she supposed that was one reason that she'd saved Vex, but she hardly thought of herself as anything special because of it. There were times she wondered if she'd done the right thing, there were still doubts, fears, but over all she didn't regret it. The fact that he'd come for her, to help her, and tried to protect her, that alone made her actions justified in her mind.

"Yes...I suppose that's one reason why. Besides, what reason would I have for lying to you? You could easily read the truth of the matter through the force if you so chose. No, I have no reason to lie. I was questioned by a jedi and even she found no lie in my story...he came to try to protect me from my kidnapper just as the republic squad did, and had he not been in mortal danger I might not have acted the way I did, but one good deed deserves another, and so it was my turn to protect him. As for the trial...there were a great many things to that trial that were...unjust...many things that were added that were false, and many truths that were left out. I would not so easily turn my back on an ideal that I've worked my whole life to uphold."

She left it at that as she shifted the little droid around in her arms again. There was, of course, much more to it than that...but there was little point in dredging up the past for someone who would likely skew the truth of matters. If he asked, she would answer, but that was about it.

As she'd told the others to be more quiet, she thought she'd caught a look from Sali, but she mentally shrugged it off. Stupid nobility...she'd met very few that she'd ever been able to tolerate very well, much less like. That was the drawback of knowing the ins and outs of noble life from a primarily military family's perspective. You got shunned...a lot. Shunned, and caged, and generally tended to see the majority of nobles for what they were...vain and self centered. Aunna had tried for years to not think that way, her entire childhood she'd been schooled and trained and bred up as any other noble...she'd gone to the balls and the galas and the weddings and the funerals, and so on...but unlike the good little noble she was supposed to have been, she'd adapted to the military lives of her father and grandfather and cousins. Never had she been one for fancy anything, she despised dresses and fashion after having to have it force fed down her throat for so many years just to appear to fit in, if anything the girl had only wanted to rough house with the boys...not play dolls or tea party with the girls. Perhaps it was just the nobles of Corellia, but the lifestyle was bad enough to sour her to nobles of most any kind.

Rook had been an exception...so was his father for the most part.

He hadn't wanted one of those vapid shells that called themselves women, he'd wanted someone with some personality. She supposed that said something for the queen. Untrained as she was in the force, Aunna was far from untrained in reading people. You had to be good at reading people to survive in the noble community, had to be able to see the little character quirks, the subtle changes in body language, you had to try and read between the lines to get to the heart of things...very few nobles were blunt about their more fragile emotions such as sadness or caring...and the same went for motives or desires. From the moment she'd found out that it was Rook Vex had pinned against the bulkhead, Aunna had been reading...the subtle looks, the shifts in mannerisms, and hell the tone behind his mental shouting all but spelled out the fact that he cared a good deal for this young queen....that he was interested in her. Her hypothesis was only further supported by a subtle "correct" feeling that settled over her when she pondered it.

Vex, now HE was an exception to her ability to read people. For some reason she found it extremely difficult to read the man's looks and body language. His personality, such as it was, he kept mainly to himself and even that seemed fairly emotionless...and his body language, well, when it wasn't shouting "anger," or "disdain," or "annoyance" (all of which were the majority of the time), he again showed little to no emotion. Sometimes he showed his curiosity, once she'd seen him laugh, a few times she'd caught the hint of a smile, rarely she'd seen any form of surprise...yet...more than once she'd caught something else. She wasn't entirely sure WHAT it was she saw, but Aunna knew she was seeing something genuine, something...she almost wanted to call it gentle, but Vex was FAR from gentle. Well...sometimes...sometimes he was, at least with her. She blinked at the new revelation.

...Why?

Ears perked again as she heard more whispers behind her, but she wasn't solely concerned about them. That dratted prickling was back and it was making her jittery. She stepped carefully over a circular metal bit of trash, Ayer carefully tucked under one arm, the pack she'd procured slung over the opposite shoulder. Only moments later a soft clinking followed by the abrupt rustle of cloth made her stop short, hand on the blaster still tucked into the holster on the belt, and turn slightly to see Sali gripping onto Rook's arm and looking like she'd just fallen over...oh...the bit of trash she'd just stepped over.

Oh for the love of all, really?

She let go of the blaster and sighed rubbing the bridge of her nose slightly to help ease the building tension in her head. Blue eyes caught the form of Vex hovering in the background and so she simply shrugged off the mishap and kept walking, paying closer attention to what was before them now rather than keep an ear out for behind them. If Vex was behind then it was in front and beside them she needed to pay attention to. The light brown of her hair glinted slightly as it caught the stray light from a window above as she turned her head to gaze down one of the dark alleys. That cold prickling feeling that she associated with danger was getting stronger.

Again she turned her head to gaze over her shoulder as the familiar snap-hiss of a lightsaber being ignited reached her ears. A small, catlike, smile curled along her face for a moment as she eyed Vex's silent warning, but she kept moving. There was no point in waiting for him to leave his challenge and then return to them, he was well enough off to keep up with them and to pause for anyone would only put them all in more danger. The ghost of a smile she'd been wearing vanished as she watched a shadow slink by in one of the alleys. Even as she kept walking she glared at it angrily and it halted for a moment. It now knew she had seen it...hopefully that would be enough of a deterrent for the time being.

It skulked away, melting back into the shadows again.

[Squee]

“Ah, doing the right thing. Sometimes I wonder about that. Doing the right thing seems hard to come by. There’s a decision and point of view on what is the right thing.” Sali fell silent for a few seconds, breathing out a sigh. “But, every right thing seems to warrant to other issues, pressing for yet more decisions of the right thing, and the decisions fall down like dominos. They all impact each other in a chain reaction. However, that set of dominoes never ends.”

Aunna had reacted swiftly to the noises of Sali falling. The Onderon queen had caught the slightly annoyed glance and the rubbing of the woman’s thumb against her nose. Sali had to bite her lip against it. “No, Sali, it isn’t worth it. Should cause nothing but a rivalry of trifling feelings against one another.” Anger simmered in the pit of her stomach and flared briefly in her eyes. She was sorry for wearing a gown when the transport crashed! “And sorry for wondering where a member of our party went, therefore not watching my footing.” Sali was just irked, testy even, and was tired even before the crash. To say she was a little cranky and irritable would be something of an understatement then and there. But Sali put a clamp on it, averting her gaze back on the ground to withdraw her smoldering eyes from the public.

“So, you knew…”

And then Vex interrupted, his voice coming from behind her and making the queen admit a small squeak of surprise, tamed down for their situation. Her hand flew to her mouth, stifling any other noises, turning wide eyes to glance across her shoulder. “Gundarks in a space shuttle, Vex!” she hissed at him, her heart rate descending. “Please, for the love of whatever you love and if you can help it, please don’t sneak up behind me.” She was asking nicely. Sali just didn’t know how much adrenaline she could take tonight. It had all been rather fun and enjoyable, such as dancing with Rook earlier that night, up until the crash. Then it had been bad adrenaline. And sneaking up on her wasn’t going to do anything for her, not when she was worried.

Maybe she couldn’t keep up her façade for as long as she hoped. Sali wanted to appear as calm as possible, but she was finding that a little harder than she had originally thought. Between watching her surroundings with a sort of fear, images of the crash still fresh in her mind, worrying over whether the assassins were still coming, saddened by the loss of some good men, Sali was feeling a heavy burden on her shoulders, trying to nudge away the strained neutral and calm act. And she felt it strongly now. It was probably what spurred her to semi-consciously reach over to Rook and clasp his arm just below his elbow, palm pressed to his inner arm. Another large sigh from her as she struggled slightly to keep herself composed. But, even after that, she didn’t let her hand come off Rook’s arm. Now she didn’t really care what her reasons were for not accepting his arm, but now viewing it as a small comfort. She looked up, a small apology in her face and a soft sort of asking for permission, since his offering period had passed. She had also picked up the pace to come up closer behind Aunna and Ryn.

“So… you knew Aunna a while back, you were telling me.”

---

“That would be the crashed transport, all right.” His eyes flickered over the dying fire of the transport, the threat of an explosion was quickly dying, as fast as those flames. After all, they had set the charges to explode next to the engines. There was but a couple of other things those flames could destroy.

“But is she dead?”

“We don’t know yet. We can see what we can see from afar so far. We’ll examine the wreckage here soon, Ticoru. You’ll have your satisfaction of your father’s jailer here soon enough. If I were to place money, I doubt she survived.”

“But didn’t she have that last minute Jedi with her?”

“She did, but, with a Jedi it’d be pretty hard to survive that. Let’s hover around for a few more minutes. The ship’s still burning, and these underworld dwellers will certainly be interested from something from above. Heck, let’s see if one or two are curious enough they’ll come tell use anything they saw. It could be worth a shot.”

“Dangerous thinking, Cavlar.”

“Setting up those bombs was just as,” he said, gaze resting on one of his companions. “But, we’re still alive. Besides, if anyone or anything gives us trouble, shoot it.”

“Shoot it?”

“Politely,” he added, traces of a smile on his face. His eyes turned back out to the viewport, watching the ship and her dimmed surroundings as the fire became less and less apparent. Then did Cavlar signal to land and a couple of men inspect the crashed vessel. It was a few minutes in and out of the smashed cockpit they had seen, before the searching men came back and delivered the negative news. No body. And if there had been a crash, that queen would’ve been in the cockpit, strapped in safely. The handmaiden was there, dead, which meant the queen had had to be in there too. But there was simply no body!

“Stars and planets, Cavlar, doesn’t she ever die?”

“… Apparently not, Ticoru, apparently not. Someone go find one of the vultures that’s more than likely still stalking around here to see what they can gleam from this ship. See if they saw anyone take off in any direction. We’ll find her. She can’t have gotten too far down here, not without someone catching up with her.”

[Dire Wolf]

((OOC: mmkay, I am most certainly feeling this post more than the last, but yeah… s’the best I can do with my poor lil muse on her respirator. T_T))

Ryn instinctively looked down as an amused smirk pursed his lips at Aunna’s words. What reason did she have for lying to him? She was branded a traitor to the Republic after all, and quiet honestly it was ordered of him (and of every other member of the Jedi Order) to bring Vex Praetor and Aunna Borgonia into custody by the High Council themselves. Wouldn’t that be reason enough to tell a lie? But then… if they truly were guilty why heal him? One that was truly guilty would have most certainly let him bleed out on that ship… or worse: burn to death in the inferno that the vessel had oh so recently turned into. That is why he believed that Aunna was innocent… of being a traitor to the Republic that is.

But then, she was at the same time. Aun not only protected, but saved a Dark Jedi Knight (every single one of which was considered a traitor to the Republic). Yet, it wasn’t for the cause of “doing harm to the Republic” or “aiding her enemies” now, was it? No. It was to repay a debt… a life debt. But if that life debt was repaid why then did the Dark Jedi choose to save her? And why did he chose to continue aiding her? The image of that intimate scene between the two flooded his memories.

That was why.

“The reasons for you lying to me are almost to many to mention, Aunna. Yet, for what its worth, I believe you… though I cannot help but think that there is more to this than you are telling me.”

It has been preached by the Jedi Order for ages that a Dark Jedi does not have the capacity to “love.” Yet, from what he’s seen… that was not the case. While he wasn’t entirely sure that “love” was the emotion that he felt… that he saw… between these two, it was most certainly well on its way. The rustle of cloth followed by a quick step interrupted the young knight’s musings as he spun around to see what this disturbance was, hand on his lightsaber. The man could only give a little smirk and the shake of his head at what he gazed upon… the queen stepped over some trash.

Ryn was about to say something to the effect of “watch your step next time, please” when he noticed Vex pulling out his lightsaber and pointing it at the ground. Unlike the rest of the people around him, Ryn’s eyes could cut through the darkness… it actually made the being’s aura’s more visible. Yet another wondrous thing about Force Sight… auras. Each person had their own, unique, ethereal cloud that clung to their corporeal body. As said before, this aura could be seen through walls, floors, ceilings, and doors.

That is how he saw the beings that circled their little troupe.

He slowly shifted his gaze foreward to where they were headed. It looked like a few of everyone’s favorite scavengers had congregated and may have actually hoped to catch the group off guard. How idiotic. Ryn looked over at Aunna, a grim look plagued his face, then looked back at the two nobles.

“Aunna. Get behind me. Sali, Rook, make yourselves scarce.”

The man would use his body as a shield if need be, not that it would come to that. His prowess with a lightsaber was more than unmatched by just about all of the Jedi his age. While, yes, he flourished in the aspect of dueling (against other Dark Jedi, and those with cortosis weapons) and didn’t shine quite as brightly in the field of blaster deflection… it was still more than enough to hold out against a few untrained beggars.

Ryn let out a sigh as he slowly pulled out the metallic haft that was his lightsaber hilt and held it loosely in his hand. The man’s mind was abuzz with activity as he planned out his moves… normally he would push his limits to the max (even with the Force amplifying his functions), but he was wounded. So instead he would rely on his mastery of Soresu, while he was far from mastered in the form it would surely prove to be more than enough to deal with the ruffians.

[A®heim]

The problem with asking questions is that it's often very unfruitful when you can't hear the answer, or anything by that matter. Ayer saw the queen's mouth moving with her response but that was first time it occurred to him that he was deaf. The little droid lowered it's head for a moment. There was a crackle of static and a whir of his processors. Slowly, the sounds of twilight Coruscant twittered to life....as its sights dimmed a little. Not wanting to lose his visual again, Ayer rediverted his remaining power from other systems. The constant hum of his stabilizer repulsors quieted and he suddenly felt several ounces heavier, which is a lot when you're only 16 inches tall.

When he finally felt nicely reconfigured and free of system failure he looked back up at the queen and let out a weak mechanical laugh. Or rather tried to. Kriff. If the droid could have, he would've rolled his eyes. Ayer did another quick system diagnostic to see if anything else could be diverted safely. Nothing except for a few sensory and targeting systems could afford to lose any more power. Ayer resigned himself to just looking at the queen apologetically. A working vocabulator was less important than a targeting system that could save all their lives anyways.

He got his bearings. Everyone was out of the crash it would seem. That much was a relief on its own: Ayer had seen more death than even some battle droids ever see over the last few weeks, the new awareness that had wormed its way into his processors may not be able to take much more. There was still one thing he cursed above all at the moment, however, and that was these sun forsaken underlevels of Coruscant. It was rather an awful rut he now found himself in. Under “normal" circumstances, he would have simply waited until his systems were nearly depleted before taking a quick flight above the smog and refuse of civilization for some solar goodness, but he hadn’t relied on the chaos ensuing from the crash.

Rather like the body of an organic being, sleep still required energy to run the minor security systems and diagnostic evaluations. Sure it was an insignificant ammount of energy in comparison to operational status, but down here energy was worth its weight in credit chips to the little droid. As he was not awaken on his regular schedule by Aunna due to the latest drama, he had paid for it in energy reserves. He overslept, in a sense. And if you’ve ever overslept, you’d know that groggy, tired feeling you get when you drag youself out of bed. Unfortunately for Ayer, he couldn’t just eat a cookie to feel better. He had run low, too low to attempt a flight to the clouds he so longed for.

Time had passed. How much he couldn’t recall. His processors had begun to fog over, emergency power-down trying to assert itself to override Ayer’s logic center. He had been picked up again by Aunna it would seem, but the surroundings wheren’t familiar...well they were, everything down here was dark, angular, and overall hideous, but it was a DIFFERENT dark, angular, overall hideous section of the under levels than he could have sworn he was staggering around 10 seconds ago. There were many people; the Queen followed Aunna, stumbling at one point on a stray piece of detritus (a fact he may have found troubling or even humourous if he could’ve spared much processing to such emotions), Vex was with them, seeming tense...er...than usual, the Jedi (guard? he assumed) was keeping a wary eye on said tall, dark, and tenser, several others farther away, out of sight, and finally someone he hadn’t noticed before.

Rook was handsome, sure, as any royalty should be, but that’s not what perked Ayer’s remaining curiosity. Something was up between him and Aunna....had they met? Ayer was cut off of his contemplation by a sudden realization: who were the other people in hiding? Even in its weakened state, Ayer’s targeting system was not something to laugh at, it was the Spyglass afterall; the most advanced personal targeting system ever developed by the Republic Military. What was an AER without its signiture modification? The other signatures troubled Ayer. They were too far to be direct aquaitences, too close to be a coincidental group of street urchins or thieves, and moving too swiftly to be survivors of the wreck. This was bad. Very bad.

Vex’s quick warning proved just how wrong the little bird was. It was worse. If the extra presence had even Vex a little antsy, there was no doubt it wasn’t friendly. Ayer looked up at Aunna and started to open his beak in alarm before he remembered his imposed silence. Helplessness. He had faced it before and he was facing it again. He was helpless to give his warning, helpless to assist in the immenant attack, helpless even to flee from said attack! He felt uselss, and he felt afraid. Fear. That was a new one...

Resigning himself to his muted fate, Ayer did what he could to relay the message. Tapping Aunna’s arm lightly with his metal beak, he gestured his head weakly in the direction he was fairly sure the signitures came from. Perhaps he could afford to transfer power to the vocabulator, just long enough to get the warning out. But then, what if he truly couldn’t spare it? The power alone to run the vocabulator was fairly insignificant, but every shunt gave off residual energy that ran off like spilled water in the deserts of Korriban. It was out of the question. If he were to shutdown completely, he would be COMPLETELY helpless. Forced to wait in darkness through whatever horrors may follow! Then again...maybe he was just being a bit paranoid.

But it’s only paranoid if you’re wrong...

[Meira]

Rook nodded his head as Sali gave her views on the subject of "the right thing to do". Of course, her logic could be used on any decision "right" or "wrong". Decisions had a way of bringing on more decisions, but that was life. He didn't regret his decision to come after Sali's ship. He didn't even fully regret his decision to charge Vex. Regret was something he tried not to feel. He had floundered in it for years recently and had grown tired of the feeling. Maybe he just didn't have any left. In any case, he wasn't about to waste his time on it now.

When he opened his mouth to reply to the queen, another voice spoke first, just behind them. Rook turned quickly, and since Sali was on his arm, the movement brought her slightly behind him, so that he stood between her and the voice. Of course, when Rook realized it was Vex, he relaxed slightly, and continued to walk. He almost laughed at the thought. Not long ago, this same man was threatening Rook's manhood, yet now Rook relaxed when he saw the man. Interesting. But Rook had little time to think on the psychology behind it. Vex was talking. Rook shook his head at the dark man's words.

I never said anything about being a hero. Rook's features hardened as he spoke. Perhaps the dark Jedi would be able to sense some of the memories that word dredged up. But Rook was doing his best to keep them at bay. Rook had never, and likely would never, think of himself as a hero. Don't force users say to follow your instincts? That's all I did. I apologize for the inconvenience. Rook turned away from Vex, slightly annoyed at the man, but heeding his warning nonetheless. Rook and Sali had fallen behind Aunna and Ryn. So he quickened their pace slightly until they were closer.

“So… you knew Aunna a while back, you were telling me.”

Well, like I said, I didn't really know her. I met her. She sang at my brother's wedding. Didn't you Au...

The two had come up behind Aunna and Ryn in time for Rook to hear Ryn's words of warning. He looked around, but in the darkness, he couldn't see very far. His arm moved around Sali's back, holding her far shoulder gently, protectively.

Aunna, if you have a blaster to spare... I'm a fair shot. He whispered. The last thing Rook wanted to do was cower while the others protected them. There had been a reason why he and his brothers had learned to handle weapons. It may seem like just ritual after so many years of the Corellian monarchy, but there had always been a practical reason behind it all.

[Vex]

Vex heard the Jedi's warning...his attempt to put Aunna behind him and try and have the noble's hide to be safe. While he appreciated well enough that the man was trying to protect Aunna (the only person that mattered here in his opinion), he knew that, tactically, stopping here and digging in would be a mistake.

-Keep moving, Jedi. You stop here for a heroic last stand and it truly will be. We aren't equipped or in any condition to try and hold our own. We stop, we'll be overwhelmed. Only deal with those that represent a detriment to our forward progress. Everyone keep moving.- Vex broadcast this loudly through the Force so that their group could hear, using his telepathic prowes to keep the orders and the warning within their group alone so that those following and those circling did not have fair warning or the ability to react.

Grabbing the back of the neck of both Queen and Prince, he'd push them forward, keeping them close to Aunna and the Jedi. As much as he hated it, he'd have to rely on the man's ability to protect the front and trust that Aunna would do well enough with her pistol. It wasn't his preferred method by far, but his choices were limited. He had to watch the back, where the looters and the lurkers seemed emboldened, despite his warning.

Of course, those lurkers knew that there were others that would be coming. Men with weapons, searching for one of them. It was easy to be bold when the true wolves were about to show.

Turning his back, he kept close behind the two royals, watching the streets behind them...streets that were less empty than they had been before. Both of his blades flared to life...one crimson and one violet. Even here in the depths, one would have to be able to recognize the weapon of a Jedi, dark or no.

He truly cursed expending what he had used in saving the Jedi. Things would be far simpler for him by himself, unfatigued by the act that he'd done. Now they had two Force-Users, but neither was at optimal condition...and he had a bad feeling things were not going to be getting better anytime soon. In fact, he felt certain that somethe else had yet to pass, that another danger was on its way to threaten them...following in the wake of their little party and the very important people there within.

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

(( first off.....OMG PUPPIES!!!! *dies of cuteness overload*))

Aunna snorted derisively at the jedi. Obviously he’d either not heard or not cared that she practically offered for him to read her thoughts to tell if she was lying of nor, or perhaps he was not able to read her thoughts as Vex could. Whichever the case, she’d not deigned to answer him. The woman didn’t need force sight, telepathy, or radar to know there was danger about. She heard the near silent shifts of debris in the allies, saw the minute changes in shadows, felt the growing tension in the air around them as they walked…she’d been trained after all, and she’d hunted down and scattered the more minor threats of dark jedi and criminals across the galaxy. If she didn’t know enough to pay attention to her surrounding to be aware of a growing threat, Aunna would have been dead already.

“…She sang at my brother's wedding. Didn't you Au...”

That was when the jedi, Ryn, spoke, instructing her to get behind him and for Rook and Sali to leave. Another, more frustrated, huff of air.

No offence to the jedi here, but Vex had saved her skin more than once and so she had a good handle on his ability to stay alive and keep her protected…she didn’t know HIS ability to do so. Aunna kept walking, loosening the blaster in her belt as she did, and keeping an ear out for Vex. She was jabbed in the side, rather suddenly, by Ayer, making her tense and jump slightly as she stopped. Watching the bird’s motions, she huffed and rolled her eyes. YES, she KNEW already…thank you VERY much.

“Aunna, if you have a blaster to spare... I'm a fair shot.”

Rook….do I look like I have a spare anything? Aunna suppressed another huff of air, and instead turned her head and motioned with one hand to the whole of her. Yes, what he saw was what she had. One blaster, one pack, one bird, the clothes on her back and that was about it, okay? Thanks. She hoped he got the idea. Shortly after, her stern look became almost apologetic as she turned her head once more and started walking again. It was best not to stay in one place…there were other, far more defensible, places to stand than in the middle of the street surrounded by dark alleys.

--Keep moving, Jedi. You stop here for a heroic last stand and it truly will be. We aren't equipped or in any condition to try and hold our own. We stop, we'll be overwhelmed. Only deal with those that represent a detriment to our forward progress. Everyone keep moving.---

Ah yes, and there was the topper. A sour sounding Vex resounded through her mind and she nearly chuckled, a morbid sense of humor creeping up at his words. It easily vanished as she kept walking, not even bothering to look behind her. The others weren’t far back, and if she felt she was getting ahead, she’d pause and wait until they were with her once more. Blue eyes scanned the streets ahead, the alleys to the sides, and let Vex defend the rear. The sound of Vex’s sabers burning to life was what put her the most on edge. THAT was not a good sign. THAT meant Vex was on edge, and Vex being on edge signified trouble. Even so, the tawny haired woman willed her heart to still and her emotions to calm to a subtle fluttering in her stomach and tingling against her mind that was easily ignored.

Trust him and we’ll live through this night…if you don’t trust him, trust me…come on.

Her voice was barely even a whisper, yet in the tense silence of the group…and perhaps with a bit of help from the force…her own words reached the ears of the others, a seemingly calm confidence hanging about her, and the words she spoke. Finally, she narrowed down her mind, focusing her thoughts only on Vex and keeping a keen eye out.

--These thugs aren’t our only problem, are they…?--

It wasn’t really a question.

[Dire Wolf]

((OOC: forgiveness please for the tardiness, the trip to and from Wisconsin has left me up to my eyeballs in backlogged work))

-Keep moving, Jedi. You stop here for a heroic last stand and it truly will be. We aren't equipped or in any condition to try and hold our own. We stop, we'll be overwhelmed. Only deal with those that represent a detriment to our forward progress. Everyone keep moving.-

A thought crept into Ryn's mind from afar, it was quite obvious to him who the source was: Vex Praetor. The Jedi Knight was no idiot... he knew that stopping right then and there was probably one of the worse things that he could do, and so he did not. Why that man pointed out the obvious was beyond him. Sundar would not, however, send back a snarky retort... such things were immature and counter productive.

So he kept moving, only giving a grunt at Aunna's response to Vex's thought. The Jedi shook his head slightly... now was not the time to be annoyed, nor was it the time for snappy ripostes (no matter how badly he wanted to give a quick verbal jab or two). Blind eyes scanned for more of those malicious auras that tried to hide from them in the shadows. The shadows could not hide them from the blind man's gaze... nothing could. Then his unseeing eyes caught sight of a shift in the group of auras that now were not so far away... they were preparing to strike, apparently unperturbed by the crimson edge of Vex Praetor.

The screeching report of a blaster discharging ripped at Ryn's ears... these men were either very stupid, very desperate, or both. The Jedi brought up his lightsaber, igniting both ends, and batted the bolt away in a single fluid motion, sending it back to man that took the shot. The auras seemed to care about a second set of shining blades: they began to flee the very second that a second set of hues bit at the darkness. This didn't stop a few of them from sending a few parting blaster bolts his way, or Sali's way rather... and Ryn couldn't move fast enough in his wounded state to intercept them.

He didn't think twice before thumbing a little button on the hilt of his gleaming blue sword, the blade of which leapt out to its full length of three meters. Now he could move fast enough. The young Knight batted the few blaster bolts away with the slightest flick of his hand, and not a single one managed to lurch past him.

That was it. He just gave the Dark Jedi his last surprise should they ever meet in a battle. Normally, he tried to hide the fact that he had a double bladed lightsaber from just about everyone, even some Jedi, and generally the only ones that knew that his blade had dual phase technology were the ones that he had a major conflict in interests with. Few Jedi had a dual phase lightsaber and even fewer still wielded a saber staff, but a combination of the two, it was practically unheard of.

A slight sigh escaped his lips as his eyes saw the little scavengers flee, apparently very perturbed by the crimson, amethyst, and dual sapphire hues that now dominated the blackness of the rotting underbelly of Coruscant. It took guts to attack a group that was protected by a Jedi, but it was just suicidal to try and assault a group that was protected by two Jedi. Or maybe it was the Jedi Knight and the Dark Jedi working in concert that scared them so? A slight chuckle emanated from his throat at the thought.

Two pale blue blades slowly retreated back into their sheath as a set of milky white eyes shifted back to the group. A warm smile curved the corners of the Jedi's lips upwards as he spoke, and an equally warm tone came across in his voice. It was probably unsettling: A Jedi Knight who just killed a man by deflecting his own bolt right inbetween his eyes speaking as if nothing happened.

“Is everyone okay?”

[Squee]

Scarce? Scarce! What, was her Jedi guardian being stupid or something? Where was there to hide where the vile creatures of the eternal darkness thrived, every eye, every ear peeled for all kinds of movement? Sali came from Onderon. She understood how creatures of the night worked, their strategies. Forever wary. If she and Rook would try to hide, the beings that dwelled down here in this garbage pit would come like rats on a tasty morsel of food. That’s when her royal attitude came in to kick her in the butt. Quite simply, Sali wouldn’t hide, for she did not want to fall to the filthy hands of the criminals down here.

Well, not all would be…

NO! She squelched the little voice. These people lived in the grime and poverty, they would become desperate. Little of it she may of seen and little of it experienced, she’d seen it before. How… well, that was a secret. No one was to know that. What she had seen was nothing compared to the dismal and rotting settings she saw now, no. But there was the same feeling down here.

“Ryn, it…” she began, but cut herself short when she heard Vex’s voice inside her head. Now that was just darn right creepy. A voice in her head that didn’t belong to her. It was unnatural, freaky even. These Jedi people were freaky, she was quickly discovering. She’d keep this in consideration next time she had the choice of having a Jedi escort her anywhere. A source of protection they may be, but… But, then again (there went her thoughts again, stumbling and interrupting one another) it could be just the dark force behind her. And so far, he’d proved himself of all things sneaky and freaky. Especially when he took hold of her neck, not noticing her had Rook’s as well, and shoved them forward, hugging space just behind Aunna and Ryn. They can keep up, sure.

And Rook’s arm was around her…

And then the hiss of a lightersaber turned on, and Sali could see with her eyes, without turning around, the lights of red and lights of purple bathing some of the shadows. Something moved. Well, wasn’t that… unnerving? She hadn’t seen anything. Which only went to prove a point earlier: Where would have she and Rook hidden? They wouldn’t have, they couldn’t have. And Rook, despite what he might have said if given the chance, would not have been enough to stop them. That was even more unnerving. Sali knew she wasn’t a fighter, never been put on the spot, never really been taught except maybe on how to shoot a pistol. That was it. Sad as they was then, but that was all she knew.

Well, lovely. She really was just a helpless royal Queen, wasn’t she?

And that woman, Aunna Borgonia, was definitely testy. Sali didn’t know what it was, but she was huffy and puffy and rather rude. Being as bitter as she currently was, she wondered if those were side effects of being a labeled traitor and hanging out with a smudgy, swirly, unpredictable man such as Vex. Probably. The woman was starting to wear on her nerves… But Sali kept up her best façade, almost perfectly neutral, and it was taking most of what the queen had. She had half a mind about addressing Aunna, but she bit her tongue and held her words to herself, boiling just beneath the surface.

And then sapphire surprised her eyes and she winced at the sudden light before her, snapping eyes shut. They throbbed for a moment and then calmed down and she opened them back up, watching as Ryn, before her, had ignited his own lightsaber, the light from it much stronger than the colored hues behind her cast by Vex. It moved, painting a color arch or line in the thickly coated darkness, deflecting bolts. Sali was unconsciously, after practice of this sort of thing, allowing herself to be maneuvered wherever she did not disrupt the concentration of her protectors. She stayed directly beside Rook, pressing to him.

Though the Jedi made her safe and Aunna had saved them all from being killed by Vex, and Vex was keeping them safe, Rook was providing the greatest comfort to her. Talking to her, giving her a small tease earlier, and staying by her side now. It was helping her, even if no one else was going to believe that. It was indirect help, some sort of… mental comfort for her. Why this was so, Sali did not understand completely. She hadn’t really placed much comfort into almost total strangers before, save the newcomers on her security detail and this Jedi. But there were reasons behind that, and Sali was sure that somewhere she could come up with a reason. But, for now, that would remain anonymous.

“Just fine, Ryn,” Sali answered the Jedi, “Thank you.” And any doubts about a blind Jedi carrying a lightsaber were now purged from Sali’s mind. “Now, let’s continue on before they decide it’ll be fun to come back.”

[Meira]

Aunna's look that she had given in response was a little surprising to Rook. Every movement this Aunna made, every word she spoke... or didn't speak, pushed her further away from the Aunna Rook held in his memory. Had he, over time, come to exaggerate her kindness, her mannerisms? Did he remember her so poorly? Or had she really changed so much? Rook had to remind himself that what he knew about Aunna was based on one day ten years ago. He might not have gotten the whole picture then. He shook his head, not so much troubled by her condescending look as by the whole situation in general.

Then the dark jedi grabbed Rook by the collar, and Rook's immediate response was to force the man back off of him. Rook didn't care if the man could break every bone in his body, cut off certain appendages, or kill him in all manner of nasty ways. Such actions weren't necessary. Rook turned his head and glared at the dark man with steel eyes.

We can manage just fine, thank you. He said, in a harsh low voice. They had already come up close behind Ryn and Aunna, it wasn't like they were straggling.

But the dark man was focused on other things, and Rook turned away, his arm still protectively around Sali. Both Vex, and now Ryn had ignited their sabers and within a few short moments, Ryn had deflected fire from out in the darkness. It was all over before Rook had really registered what had happened. But they had started moving again and Rook led Sali along, even as she clung to his side.

Rook's nod accompanied Sali's response to Ryn's question and as they walked he rubbed the Queen's shoulder to reassure her. He was feeling particularly helpless at the moment, unable to contribute in any way. So he resorted himself to helping to keep Sali calm.

[Vex]

Vex refrained from comment. Black eyes had flickered towards the front as the impending violence reverberated through the Force and he saw the Jedi responding to it, that vibrant blue blade scintillating around and deflecting away those bolts. The gaze widened slightly, seeing the man reveal his ace in the hole...the dual phase of his weapon. Beneath his mask, Vex smirked slightly. His appraisal of the man raised a bit...though it really only served to cement his opinion that he should have killed the Jedi. Fortunately, it was over quickly and even Vex could see that the Jedi's concern about everyone else's well-being was unnecessary. He could already feel the press of those vagrants in front of them filtering away. Scavengers at heart, most of the skulking rabble realized when potential prey had far too many teeth to be worth the effort. Vex knew...having once been one of them.

As they passed where the would-be ambushers had been, Vex extinguished his weapons for a moment. He still couldn't shake that ominous foreboding. He had the feeling that even a gaudy, pompous noble with a weapon was goingto be more advisable than having to deal with just a gaudy, pompous noble. Vex found the fallen man and his weapon. In their sudden haste to retreat from the Force-Users, one of the man's compatriots had left his weapon as well. The weapons were hardly in the best of repair, but they were obviously functional enough.

Picking them up, he'd move back to the two nobles. Unceremoniously, he shoved the two blaster pistols into the hands of the Prince and the Queen. He would have to trust that the Prince could live up to his claims and that the Queen knew at least which direction to point it in. Having paused, he stared hard into Rook's eyes, making sure there was an understanding. Vex was there to protect them by Aunna's whim...but if the Prince decided to get cute and try and use that blaster on Vex, it would be the last thing the man would ever get to regret.

He moved back to his rear guard position, weapons out once more and burning to life. Distantly, he heard the sound of repulsors reverberating against the towering, decrepit buildings around them. Narrowing his eyes, he could just barely make out some kind of craft hovering towards them from the sky...coming from the direction of the wreck.

His disquiet only grew more profound.

"We may have more than scavengers to worry about, Jedi. You may want to pick up the pace."

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

Aunna's eyes had been elsewhere. She was still untrained in the force and she could only look in one direction at a time. It didn't help things that, as wary and jumpy as she was feeling right now, the woman was analyzing herself. Again. There had to be something wrong, something about all of this had gotten to her, made her act...different...from her typical self. She supposed that at some point it had been Vex and the way he acted that she started to absorb, then there was the ordeal of her arrest, trial, and branding. That certainly hadn't helped, no. Lastly, was Andrew and having to deal with the undercity itself. Facing Andrew again had gotten her to doubting herself, second guessing everything, and both him and dealing with the undercity had her eying everyone and everything like it might bite her. Too much paranoia isn't good, Aun.

No sooner had she reminded herself of this than the first blaster bolt burnt through the air toward them, she tensed to move, but Ryn was already ahead of her, that blue saber flaming to life before her and batting the bolt away before it extended just as it extended and sent another bolt flying back in the direction of its origins. Yes, now the scavengers knew that they weren't as good a meal as they had thought at first. She felt Vex move away, rather than saw him do so, and she dropped back to the royals, sighing as she did so. Sapphire eyes flickered in the direction of the pair and she blinked once at them.

Queen, I'm truly sorry for this whole ordeal...and my attitude as well.

She shook her head slightly as Vex returned, shoving the pistols into their hands. He was going to be a pain to deal with for a while after this. No doubt he'd never let her forget the incident, and he'd already told her that she'd have to repay the debt to him. The thought didn't please her.

Please try to understand, both of you, that this....ordeal...I'm trapped in has already put a strain on not only myself but him. He's not an....affable....person either way the chips fall and for some reason he feels the need to protect me come hell or high water. Helping you, to him, means putting me into danger. Though I'm willing to take that risk, he does so grudgingly, and...

Her voice was barely a whisper, but even so she felt it was too loud. As Vex spoke she paused and tilted her head in the direction they were headed, picking up her pace. She too heard the threatening whirring of those engines coming from behind, and she pulled out the blaster from where it was tucked, Ayer still nestled against her side. She glanced down at him. Nothing she could see, and she didn't have the time to power him up with an energy pack. Huffing lightly, she glanced over her shoulder before looking back at the two and offering what, she hoped, was a reassuring smile.

...They're going to catch us, stick to Ryn or myself when they do...it wouldn't be wise to get into Vex's way.

[Dire Wolf]

Ryn nodded slowly at the queen as she spoke, yes, now would be a prudent time to get the hell out of dodge... erm... the undercity. He gazed at the area where the now fleeing auras once were, apparently his defense against the tramps produced only one casualty: the fool that got his own bolt right between the eyes. “Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy,” he thought, “best not hook up the saber yet though, Ryn, you're still getting used to Force sight... don't trust completely just yet.” He heeded this thought. The metallic silver hilt of his lightsaber wouldn't leave his grasp as long as it was his choice, it was best to be able to react as quickly as possible, yet he refused to allow the scintillating blue blade to be constantly unsheathed, unlike his counterpart who had his crimson sabers out and burning. The lightsaber was a tool, used only to defend oneself or others... not a means of intimidation that one used solely to instill fear of death.

The man hardly noticed when the Dark Jedi practically shoved the old and outdated blasters into the two blue-bloods' hands, he was far too busy scanning for those malicious auras that up until a few moments ago seemed to plague the undercity. “Why,” he pondered, “why would nearly all of the people seem to scatter now?” The Jedi took a small break from these thoughts as he heard the woman speak to the two royals, taking in yet another small insight on the relationship between the two. It was the final piece that he needed for this little puzzle.

Love. That was why Aunna saved Vex, and that is why Vex saved Aunna in return. It was no life debt... Dark Jedi don't tend to stick around after any “life debt” is repayed. If they even can feel the need to repay a life debt that is... and he seriously doubted that. Then the intimate scene between the two flashed across his mind's eye, the one where the two aura's entwined with each other slightly, the darker of the two thumbing the lighter's neck. Then, that combined with Vex's apparent need to defend the woman... it could only point to one thing. Love.

He honestly cursed himself for not seeing it sooner, it was so blatantly obvious... but then, so were most clues after one sees the picture as a whole rather than the individual bits and pieces. But the tall Jedi's little revelation was cut off by the whirring of repulsor vehicles in the distance, he whipped around to see the thing lurching towards them. Vex's mind crept into Ryn's not five seconds after he turned about, Ryn reminded himself to tell the Dark Jedi just to kriffing speak with his voice... telepathic speech with a Dark Jedi was just downright unsettling.

--We may have more than scavengers to worry about, Jedi. You may want to pick up the pace.--

“I believe you may be right, Vex,”a tendril of thought slithered out to the Dark Jedi, “ grab Aunna. We don't know what kind of armaments (if any) they have aboard.” With that thought he clipped his double bladed lightsaber to his belt and continued walking as if nothing was wrong. Or so it looked. In reality, he was wounded, and was about to ask his body to do something that, well, he just didn't think could naturally do with his wounds.

The man let the Force flow around his body like a whirlpool, it gave strength to his weakened muscles, power to his step, and speed to his actions. He let out a deep breath as the cool wind fluttered his dirty robes about, a cool wind that only he could feel. It may look creepy to some... well... it probably would look creepy. A serene tone pushed itself out of Ryn's lips as he spoke, not turning back to the two royals that he was about to save.

“Do not panic. Do not tense. Do not flail. And above all... Do. Not. Resist. It will only produce a fairly large skid mark and a few broken bones. Then we will be in serious trouble.”

After allowing his orders to process in their minds for a few short moments the man whipped around and wrapped his arms around them, one in each. He smirked, if only those knights at the temple could see him now. A “blind” man picking up a pair of regents and preparing to dart across alleyways and tight spaces in an attempt to lose some aerial pursuers. There was no way that they (the Queen and Rook) could keep up with the Jedi, even in his wounded state, once he got going... even if he had them of them over his broad shoulders. With a slight huff the young, but strong, knight threw the two over each shoulder. He quickly spun his feet around, pointed them in a direction, and darted off at his best pace (taking the Force, his current state, and his burden into account). Those muscles were there for a reason, after all. All of that happened within the space of about a half a second.

By the Force it hurt like hell, to put it lightly, but it was a pain that he could... no... would have to endure for the long-term-survivability of the two royals he clutched onto. Every single time that his right leg pumped into and off the ground a sharp lance of pain shot up his spine. He ignored it... he had to. If he gave into something so ephemeral and fleeting as pain then what good was he? So he ran. It hurt, but he gave it all he had... and more. Ryn was never one for giving one hundred and ten percent... he was one for giving one hundred and twenty... or thirty. Ryn was giving one hundred and thirty one.

It didn't take long the man looked for a suitable place to make a sudden turn, one that he took sharply and suddenly. There were only two reasons he made the turn into the alley, rather than crashing straight into the duracrete wall like some kind of force-powered bug on a windshield. First, he leapt towards the opposite wall at just the right time, giving his body enough time to twist and contort rather than just smacking into it like some kind of bug against the windshield. The second reason flowed from the first, having twisted his body in the correct fashion, he was now in the position to kick off the wall and dart down the alley, and he did.

He silently thanked Remiel for helping him with the art of movement course... without him the Jedi doubted that he would have completed such a maneuver. Ryn sprinted down another alley, taking yet another odd and force-powered-leap-glance off wall-turns before slowing down to a stop. If he wasn't hurt the little jog (which was what it was to him) probably wouldn't have been a problem. He may have been able to continue that way for a great deal longer but his body (even with the Force augmenting it) just couldn't take the strain of another step. So he stopped, placed the royals on their feet, and leaned against the wall. The man sounded like he just sprinted a few miles, his pant had that special sound that just screamed “exasperation.” He would be better in a few minutes, though... the Force and his own physical conditioning would make sure of that.

“N--no... not too jostled I h--ho... hope...”

[Squee]

That man Vex had taken off somewhere as they moved again. Sali was starting to notice this just a little more. His brightly lit weapons had extinguished and he was simply gone. There was an art to it. An art to disappearing without much warning. The goal to it was to make sure no one knew you had disappeared, to make sure no one knew you were hiding. If one wanted to be unseen, no one must know you were there. But had Sali NOT known Vex was there somewhere, and somewhere close, that art would be probably proven deadly for her. She was playing a few “what if” games with her mind, rolling dice and chance around a little bit and coming up with little scenarios that would have landed her in far worst cases. As much as the Queen was dreading every moment she had to walk, and the strength of that dread rising, she could have been dead countless times over by now. Then again, she was thinking of worse scenarios. Of course this scene played greater far above the others.

She believed for just a second her brain was growing numb. The gods of the universe knew she just wanted to be sleeping right now. She was bitter and her mood was swinging and she was growing slightly frustrated at how her senses were powering down some. She had almost tripped again, and it was taking her quite forever to recognize and process some of the shadows and objects she was seeing. Vex was a fine example for earlier. Had she actually been as alert as she normally was, she would have realized when he had disappeared from in front of them.

At least she was seeing now he was gone and now he had returned. He came up to her and Rook, placing blasters rather roughly in their hands. Well, Sali wasn’t sure how much she’d actually need to use it. She could, and she looked like she had half a clue about it as she flipped it over in her hands, found a safety and flicked it. Now she wouldn’t shoot anything by accident in case she did trip again. The queen nodded to herself and slid it into her sash, just by her hip where the tension would keep it in place.

“Miss Borgonia,” Sali began, ready to speak that Vex wasn’t much of a brooding trouble to her. Well, maybe, but Sali couldn’t quite be sure. She was already very disturbed about several things, and they were adding up on her as she walked these intimidating alleyways. Her voice died away when Aunna continued to speak, and she only motioned for Aunna to continue speaking in case she had decided to pause for the queen’s sake. Sali’s chin remained dropped low and eyes on the ground. Not because she wanted to disregard Aunna but rather simply try and watch where she stepped a bit more than she had. As she had been doing since she had almost fallen the first time.

"We may have more than scavengers to worry about, Jedi. You may want to pick up the pace."

She almost wanted to give the Dark Jedi a sharp retort as she turned backwards to comprehend the new trouble with her own eyes. Aircraft. Coming from the wreck. Well, that was either a really good thing or a really bad thing. And at the moment, they couldn’t tell. Oh, wait, it was only a really bad thing for Vex and Aunna, who didn’t want to be caught by anything. If it was a good aircraft, why would they to run? Well, the scale was leaning to be a bad aircraft, given there was a high doubt they understood the Onderonian Queen’s vessel had been the one to crash. Okay, they could assume it was a bad vehicle carrying bad people probably bearing weapons far greater than what they had. Such negativity. She’d have to make sure it didn’t affect her much in the future.

Oh gods, what if that hovering vehicle was carrying her attempting assassins? She swallowed and turned eyes away. That was a frightening thought. More frightening that Vex popping up behind them. Unlike Vex, Sali understood just what the assassins were capable of. The fathers had been successful, and so far the sons had proven such potential at being successful. There was just too many forces interfering with Sali, too many people and things that were proving a nuisance to the assassins, the queen was very sure. Those interferences were the only reasons Sali probably wasn’t dead now.

She was trembling slightly at her own thoughts. Her hands clenched slightly and she let out a breath, whispering, “I swear, much more happens, any children I may have will think I made up this story.” Still trying to remain ultimately calm on her own, still pulling her own puppet strings and holding the mask firm. Her hands unclenched and she rose her chin again as Ryn spoke to Vex and then to her and Rook.

Whatever did he mean? Not panicking, not resisting, not flailing… And Sali wasn’t welcoming the mental image of turning into a skid mark. What did…

And the Jedi picked her up and held against a shoulder. “Wait, Ryn, whatever are you doing? Jedi Ryn?” Sali’s eyes had grown wide. She didn’t understand, did he think he could outrun that ship with her, plus Rook’s, weight on his shoulders? Were Jedi really going to play that stupid.

It took the memories of being a pile of broken bones and the strands of strained fear to keep Sali from writhing. She had been about to speak more and the rush of speed had choked her into silence. Okay, maybe he could try to out run the vehicle approaching him. Her heart was going to burst, she was sure of it. Her mind was blurring just as the surroundings are. Too much, this was all starting to be too much. Sali didn’t want to crack, but if she didn’t then she would later. Her eyes began to half close, the air stinging them as the Jedi thrust himself forward with his power. She was just beginning to believe this couldn’t be too bad…

Until Ryn ran somewhat up a wall, bent his knees and sprang into another direction. Sali let out a small scream, nothing too loud, shut her eyes and was confused on what to do with her hands. She didn’t want to grab the Jedi’s robes, but her hands found grip as Ryn sprang around another corner… and another corner, and several others. She gnashed her teeth, hating it, hating the jerking feeling that reminded her all too clearly of the crash again. It was far too long before Ryn stopped and set her back on the ground. Her legs didn’t hold her up and she instead fell against the alley wall, her breath gasping as it sounded like her heart was beating too fast. She placed her hands over her face, struggling to gain composure.

“R-Ryn, p-p-please let’s n-n-not do that agai… again. P-please.”

[Meira]

The group continued their march forward, a new surge of urgency in their steps. Vex had disappeared again for a few moments, but returned with two blasters, shoving one into his hand and the other into Sali's. Rook looked over the pistol. It was not an ideal model, nor was it a very recent one. The thing had seen a lot of wear and tear, and it seemed some unskilled hands had tried to modify it, to little success. His eyes had connected with those of the dark man, who's message was clear. Rook was past the intimidation by now, it had simply become taxing. He gave the dark Jedi a nod of understanding before turning away to continue their trek.

Aunna spoke to them soon after, offering apology and explanation. Rook could understand, somewhat, and he simply nodded his head to the woman. If they all got through this, he would owe Aunna, and even Vex, much as he disliked the idea of owing the latter anything. Perhaps he would be able to help them in the future. He would try at least, that much he could promise himself.

Suddenly, from behind them, the sound of a ship caught the group's attention. Vex warned they should move faster, Aunna warned that all should stay out of the dark man's way. Rook had been too wrapped up in listening to them and to the sounds of the nearing ship to hear Ryn's words. And then all of the sudden, Rook was lifted up and thrown over the Jedi's shoulder. Mere confusion caused the compliance that the Jedi had asked for, but that Rook had not heard. He had almost dropped the blaster as they were whisked away. They were moving so fast, Rook simply didn't have time to process what he felt, or saw. When they stopped, it was as if the whole world lurched around them. He had to steady himself against the wall as his vision cleared.

“R-Ryn, p-p-please let’s n-n-not do that agai… again. P-please.”

Rook nodded his head, taking in a deep breath. I second that.

[Vex]

Well, the Jedi made things simpler for him. Vex watched that man move suddenly, his weapon extinguished as the other Force User called upon it to make his body move faster, warning the royals as he picked them up like so much dead weight and took off at speed. Vex smirked slightly under his mask. It was an impressive enough feat, but he wondered how long the man would be able to keep it up. Pushing himself that fast, that hard, and that soon would not bode well for his ability to take care of the two blue-blooded humans.

That wasn't going to be his concern, however. He extinguished his own blades, drawing upon the Force as well. Speed was not his goal, however, as he moved to Aunna, his hand closing over her mouth as he pushed her into a side alley. He let his mind enter hers, creeping within and curling about hers, to calm her and entice her cooperation and silence and urge her to be more acquiescent to his ideas. He also drew that shroud of non-presence about them both so that attention was diverted away, around, and over them without ever settling or registering upon them both at their location.

He kept them there as the ship flew past, the occupants unaware of their presence. The Jedi had made his own choice to run off with the nobles. That left him free an clear to do what he preferred:

Ensure Aunna's safety.

Once he was certain that the disquiet from the ship's presence had left him, he took her hand, leading her away from the Gala and the direction of the trio's flight.

It was time to leave...