A Quick Stop

[Serin]

OOC: Will fix up later.

IC:
Serin descended the shuttle’s ramp with a steady stride, her movement causing the back of her her coat to whip up excitedly behind her. The air around her was electric and when her boot finally made contact with the landing pad, her knuckles grew white as her grip tightened on her sheath and a dark smile played across her lips. She’d made it, made it to the so called “Jewel of Corellia”.

Pausing, she was greeted by a chilly breeze as she looked over the bustling city of Coronet. It was here that she was hoping to find the answers to so many questions, from the most unlikely of sources, a group of mercs. With one last look out at the city, she proceeded forward.

At first she’d been hesitant in striking a deal with such… scum, even if they were considered quite reputable in their trade. However, due to uncontrollable circumstances she was forced into the contract. It seemed simple enough, even for a bunch of mercs. All they had to do was search some ruins, that Serin had come across, for anything that may be of use to her and “if” they were able to find something, she had agreed to pay them a small fortune.

After some time she’d finally found her way to the agreed upon rendezvous, an empty and downtrodden looking warehouse, with the rickety walls providing a questionable support. “It’s practically a pearl,” she thought in amusement as she compared it to the rest of the dilapidated buildings lining the path. Frowning, she stepped through the dark, gaping, entrance.

Stopping just inside the entrance, she squinted as she struggled to see into the darkness. Just as she was about to call out though, she suddenly heard the sound of approaching footsteps, echoing within the bare building and slowly began to see three rather large figures step into the light.

The one in front was carrying a strange triangular object which Serin observed curiously but before she could ask, the man holding it spoke gruffly, “Took your time, didn’t you?” She frowned before looking around, trying to spot the artifact and replied impatiently, “Right, right, whatever, where’s the holocron?”

In response, he held up the object he was carrying for her to see. Serin couldn’t help but smirk as she examined the obvious fake and replied, “Mmhmm, that’s nice, now where is the ‘real’ holocron?” The merc quirked an eyebrow at this and asked in feigned surprise, “You don’t believe us?” However, his expression quickly became stern as he realized he wasn’t fooling anyone and he growled, “Well, that’s too bad. Listen, we came here with this expecting credits and I really don’t care if it does look like a fake to you. We went through a lot of trouble and if we don’t get compensation soon, well, this is going to turn ugly real fast.”

“They’re kidding…” Serin thought in disbelief, almost taking a step back in shock as the reality of the situation hit her. It wasn't long after this had sunk in however, that she could slowly feel her surprise twisting into something else, something meaner. “You… You’re really going to threaten me to buy this piece of junk?” she asked, her voice quivering as she felt the slow build up of adrenaline within her. She was looking down at the ground as she felt the rush of emotions, asking herself why she hadn’t seen it coming; she had been careless and now precious time had been wasted.

Mistaking her shaky tone as a sign of fear the mercs grew a little bolder, shoving the rubbish into her gaze and asking, “Well, pay up?” Hate fueling her now, she let out a cry of rage as she suddenly cut the air with her hand in a swift motion; sending all the pent up anger into a violent force push. The merc holding the fake had little time to react as he was sent hurtling across the room before slamming into a back wall and crumpling lifelessly onto the floor.

His one partner was quick to react, pulling his sidearm from its holster. It was a practice in futility however as his view was suddenly blocked by a spray of blood and a thump rang through his ears as he heard his now useless limb hit the floor. He couldn’t even gather the strength to scream as the realization hit him and he felt the loss of blood taking its toll. As he fell, his last sight was Serin with blade in hand and breathing heavily; a wild look in her eyes.

The final merc was stunned and felt frozen in place, forced to watch his comrades quickly falling around him. He soon found his ability to move though and reeled back when Serin suddenly whipped her head around to face him. Still at a loss, he continued to stumble his way backwards while fumbling for his pistol as he noticed Serin straightening up, before making her way towards him.

All the guy could think of was that it wasn’t supposed to be like this, they had made sure the replica was perfect! It was all their leader’s idea as he pointed out earlier that the chances of being paid by a Dark Jedi was something ranging from slim to none, so instead of wasting their time, he had them try something else which he figured would be safer. As Serin drew closer, he was quick to give up trying to take out his weapon and instead flung his arms up in an attempt to shield himself as he shouted out in desperation, “You didn’t intend to pay us anyway, did you!” He knew why he had said it, he wanted to stall the inevitable but it all seemed so hopeless…

Lowering her weapon, she paused for a moment as she chuckled in embarrassment before replying somewhat sheepishly, “Hehe, I guess you caught me there...” The man was a little shocked after hearing her reply but had little chance to respond as Serin gave a sigh and with a shrug said, “Oh well.” Without another word and with one last look into the wide eyes of the terrified merc, she struck.

Once she had cleaned off her blade, Serin was quick to depart the scene; kicking the fake they had offered her out of anger as she left. She could later be found in the Coronet museum, browsing through some of the old ship designs with interest as if nothing had happened.

[Ashi]

Miran sat staring out the window of her home in Coronet, and the rainy weather perfectly matched her dreary mood. Darren had left last week, closing some deals he'd made in an effort to settle down. That made her happy, but left her alone again. It had taken her a while to come to this realization, but it fully explained her pain. She slowly faded into her troubled memories.

A few hours later, she woke with a start. Miran slowly surveyed the room, her darting eyes spotting nearly everything. Three day old takeout was still sitting on the table, various food wrappers and dishes were scattered wherever they'd fallen. Worst of all she thought to herself, I don't even care about the mess. She continues looking and spots a remote. Picking it up she turns on a slow musical piece, and lets her emotions follow the sound. Through agony, grief, sorrow, and pain she followed the music only to be surprised when it ended on a nearly joyous note. It's gotta get done anyway she thought, and dragged herself from her perch. Stretching after having sat still for so long, she begins cleaning up. Not noticing when the music changed to a more technoish beat, she adapts her movements to the beat. To an outsider, it looked almost as if she were dancing. She stops after a while and looks around the room. Panting heavily she heads over to the kitchenette and gets a glass of water. Flipping through her library, she grabs a holodrama and skims the case. Classic boy meets girl holovid, what the hell. she plugs it into her holoreader and ignores the outside world for a few hours. When it ends, she just sits there, completely lost in thought. That's how they walked in on her.



Darren had closed his business ventures early, and stopped at an exotic animals shop. Picking up a covallon, whom he was assured quite unintelligent, he headed to Miran's house. On the three day hyperspace trip, he discussed much with the sentient quadruped. Not the least of which his concerns for Miran. The male 'pet' always appeared raptly attentive, but non-vocal, which was part of the reason that Darren had given voice to some of his greatest fears. It was quite a surprise then, when the covallon spoke in a quiet, though clear voice, "You really care about her don't you? Miran, I mean." Darren literally jumped. Looking towards that mid sized creature, he stared at it for a moment, "Yes, yes I do. She means the stars to me. I spent five long years traveling the space lanes, but for some reason my thoughts always returned to her." Turning back to the controls for a moment, he turned on the autopilot and adjusted the chair so he could better talk. Over the next several hours they had conversed, stopping only when they were brought out of hyperspace overlooking Corellia.

They landed and headed over to Miran's. When the two fast friends knocked on the door though, no one greeted them. After about twenty minutes of waiting, Darren pulled out his datapad and hacked the lock, as it was faster then trying to find her spare key. Nearly frenzied he ran into the living area, dripping wet from the still pouring rain. He stopped. Miran sat, facing the holoprojecter. She didn't move, not when spoken to, nor by any other means of waking someone. Now panicked, Darren rushed out of the house and onto the nearby street. A few doors down he spotted the Museum. Knowing they had medical personell, from personal expirence, he rushed over to ask for help. Not looking when he rushed through the doors, he nearly ran into Serin, but stopped a few inches short.

"Please…" he said in a panicked and rushed voice, still out of breath from running, "You've got to… help me, my… friend is in trouble."

[Serin]

It would be an understatement to say Serin wasn’t just a little taken aback as she was suddenly approached by a complete stranger, begging her for help. She’d heard the footsteps but had figured they’d simply pass her by and yet here he was, right in front of her, huffing as if he’d just run a marathon. Her shock was promptly replaced by amusement however and she couldn’t help but smirk at the breathless merc. Of course, this was nothing compared to the fit of laughter she was experiencing currently on the inside as she pondered the luck of the stranger, picking out probably the only Dark Jedi in an entire city to ask for help.

Her initial thought was to brush the guy off as most people probably would have, but curiosity stayed her. This was no ordinary civilian off the street but a heavily armed individual with some pretty impressive armour, someone whom Serin couldn’t see panicking easily. Granted, appearances could be deceiving. Besides, she figured it was time for her good deed of the day, umm week, or was it month… year?

With a shrug she finally replied, a little half-heartedly, “Sure, why not?”

Having agreed to help, she looked at Darren expectantly, waiting for him to either show her the way or explain the situation to her. She may have agreed to help but she did have a shuttle to catch and so didn’t have all the time in the world.

[Ashi]

Watching her look him over with interest, he realizes that this is a person like none he'd ever seen, he'd be wise to keep his eye on her, though he'd take her at her word.

"Thank you," Darren said with obvious signs of relief, "Please hurry, it's this way." He jogs towards Miran's house, confident that the person he met will hold true to her word and follow him.

[Serin]

With a brief nod of acknowledgment, Serin took off in step with Darren, following closely behind. That is, until Darren suddenly burst out of the museum door and into the heavy downpour; unsurprisingly, this caused Serin to stop dead in her tracks.

“He can’t be serious!” she thought, looking out into the rain incredulously as Darren sped down the street. She found that she really didn’t have the luxury of time to debate her decision however as she noticed she was quickly losing sight of him; so without further hesitation, she dashed out the doors and into the rain, after him. If she had taken the moment to ponder her choice though, she would have probably opted to stay in the museum, leaving the merc to sort out his own problems.

Thankfully, it wasn’t long before he led her into a nearby building, although she was practically drenched by the time they’d arrived. And if Darren didn’t know of her displeasure, he might have gotten the idea after she basically pushed past him as if distancing herself from the rain outside would make her any dryer. On top of that, she was muttering angrily to herself as she brushed some wet strands of hair out of her eyes. A little upset by the fact that she’d now have to go through the trouble of fixing her do -which was now matted down- just because she had felt compelled to do the right thing for an instant.

If Darren had said anything, it had probably gone right over her head as she berated herself, luckily however it wasn’t long before she spotted Miran. With that she’d almost instantly forgotten her own troubles as she looked upon the woman with a sort of wonder.

“Is that what I think it is…” she mumbled more to herself than anyone else, stepping closer to Miran with a look of curiosity.

She silently examined Miran’s still body, recognizing what she believed to be a force trance, although a little skeptical due to the lack of a strong force presence. From what Serin knew, the woman before her should never have been able to fall into a trance and yet there she was.

“Perhaps some tests are in order…” she contemplated quietly to herself, stopping to shake her head slowly as she remembered Dantooine and her tight schedule. “I really won’t have the time until after that little backwater farmland has been dealt with. Better get this over with then, I guess…”

Reaching out with the force, she attempted to touch Miran’s mind and like a gentle nudge, whispered softly to Miran, “Wakey, wakey, it’s time to get up.” There was a chance it wouldn’t work and Serin found these doubts reinforced as she felt a chilling emptiness; it was as if she didn’t care to be woken. Serin stood back and waited to see what would happen, still a little intrigued by the situation.

[Ashi]

Darren watched silently as Serin pushed past him and into the house. Realizing that he should have paid better attention to his instincts, he follows her into the living room and watches intently as she examines Miran's limp form.

Serin moves back slightly and Darren got a creepy feeling which he couldn't explain. He slowly moved his hand to the needler's familiar grip, disguising it by crossing his arms in front of him.


Miran felt peaceful for the first time since her father died. Somehow she was looking at her life and everything that had gone on in if from a perspective she'd never seen before. She ran through every memory watching as it happened and seeing for the first time the consequences her actions had on others.

Just before she'd finished with this self-reflection, a cold, unfamiliar presence wandered into her mind. "Wakey, Wakey, it's time to get up." The contact nearly shook her from the reverie, though she finished the thought she'd been following before the intrusion. As she slowly woke, her right hand twitched, and as she came fully awake the repulsors fired, slamming into Serin in such a short time that Miran had barely begun to open her eyes. Darren had drawn the needler and had moved to Miran's side. As Miran rose from her lounging position on the couch, she asked politely, "Who are you, and why do you intrude on my mind?"

[Serin]

It had almost caught Serin completely off-guard and even as she saw the arm strike out, she knew she was helpless to dodge it. On impulse, she had bent her knees and body, prepping for the inevitable blow and as it struck, she felt… almost nothing. The force behind the blow was there, which was evident as Serin’s clothes billowed around her and her boots were dragged backwards across the floor a couple of inches.

Frankly, she should have been on the floor in a crumpled heap and yet she appeared to be unharmed. Her expression grew dark as a small smile of triumph formed on her lips and she corrected her posture, dusting herself off with a single hand in a display of vain. It was basically all a bluff however as behind her actions, she was extremely wary of the situation now, especially now that she knew of the power and speed the woman seemed to have - and that was when she wasn’t even fully awake…

Upon closer inspection, it could be seen that Serin’s hand was in a meditative symbol of a sort, with all her fingers curled except the two closest to her thumb, which were vertical and held closely to her chest; her point of focus for the force she had used to defend herself from the blow. Her other hand however had slowly shifted to rest on her blade, her fingers curling around the grip as she noted Darren’s new stance and his drawn weapon. “Was the whole thing a setup?” she had to wonder as she examined the two before her.

Her mind was put at ease thankfully though as Miran spoke out and basically threw off her suspicions, somewhat. While still holding her weapon, she replied curtly, “Ask him,” before turning on her heel and walking out into the rain, this time more concerned about reaching her shuttle in time, than getting a little wet.

[Ashi]

"So, did you place it on her?", Miran asked after Serin was out of earshot. "But of course." Darren replied. "Good, then we shall see her soon." Turning to face Darren, Miran continued "So what's this I she said I should ask you about, You asking her to enter my mind or something like that?"

"It wasn't like that, I landed about an hour and a half ago..." He retold the tale of what had happened up to this point. Avoiding all mention of the covallon. He finished with, "And thats what happened, Though I did forget to mention the friend I brought you..." he trailed of as the covallon raised its head, yawned, and stretched, at which point he slowly moved over to Miran and greeted her. Miran, at first a little startled, pet the being affectionately. "I've never seen it's like, where did you find such a pet?" The covallon growled slightly and interrupted Darren's reply. "I'm the pet of no one, though I'm the friend of many. In accordance with the current laws, I'm your slave, not your pet." Miran, taken aback by the short speech, turned to Darren, "Is this true?" "In a a manner of speaking, yes. I bought him thinking he was another unintelligent quadruped species, and the owner of the shop I bought him at assured me it was so. I found out otherwise on our trip here though, and that's why I call him friend. But as far as I'm concerned, he's free. I have no wish for a slave." "And you, my dear? What say you? The choice must be mutual between you." Pausing for a second to think, Miran replies, "I have no wish for a slave either, though I do have need of a friend. If we care for you, give you food, shelter, and the like, would you stay?" "I would. Though I'd like some company of my own from time to time."

"Then it's settled. Let's go back to the store where I found you and buy out the rest of his stock, he didn't have many. We can buy them all and give them the same offer. We'd of course have to tell the manager of the store that he is slaving though." "I guess we're leaving then. Unless our new friend has an objection." "I have no objections. Let's see if we can free some of my people."