A Jedi And A Street Rat

[Nyx]

Narr Shaddaa. A planet of corruption, greed, and violence. Nyx loved it.

As the dark-haired delinquent loitered in the spaceport, she people-watched. Among the usual hustle-and-bustle of the crowds, she could spot a few Red Ravens. The criminal organization controlled the planet, and the underground had grown ever more powerful under their rule. She'd done a few jobs for them, and knew that they paid well, but her primary business was with the Hutts, and she preferred to keep it that way.

She sighed as she crossed her arms. If someone interesting didn't show up, she was gonna start a fight with the Wookie sitting at the table nearby.

[member="Akartin"]

 

[Vakarian]

The trip from Alpheridies to Nar Shaddaa had been relatively peaceful and simple. His mother and father had detested his plan to leave his home world in search of the Jedi Order, but he had been determined to do so. Life was too simple as a member of the Luka Sene and he wanted more for his life.

So, it was here he found himself stepping through the Customs Scanners, that would identify his entrance to Nar Shaddaa. He could easily sense the things around him, though it did make him a little uneasy as every living being around him was lit up with various hues of color depending on their moral alignment in tune with the Force. There were so many different personalities and moralities that his senses were becoming slightly overwhelmed. It was made evident by his abrupt running into a Wookie who glowed with a blue aura of sorts, but had specks of red intermingled within. He was aligned with the Light side, but he was not unaccustomed to the occasional need for violence and death.

"Forgive me." he spoke before stepping back and looking around him. His sense of direction lost in the confusion of so many living beings in one area.
[member="Nyx"]

 

[Nyx]

Just as she was about to walk up and say some choice words about the Wookie's female relatives, someone beat her to him.
A Miraluka bumped into the furry giant, and mumbled an apology as he looked around, seemingly bewildered. She had heard about their reliance on the Force to see, and realized that being around so many different people must be overwhelming. She was relatively new to the whole 'Force' thing, and had spent a month in her apartment before she could go outside. Her heart went out to him.

As the Wookie straightened up to his towering full height, Nyx quickly stepped in.
She grabbed the Miraluka's arm, smiling.

"Oh, there you are!" She greeted cheerfully, enveloping him in a quick embrace. "Shut up and go with it." She hissed in his ear before pulling back, the smile back on her face. She turned to the Wookie.
"Sorry about that, my friend is new here, and he's kind of a klutz!"
She began to pull the Miraluka away.
"Sorry!" She called over her shoulder, pulling his arm. "I just saved you from a world of hurt." She said in her regular voice.
"Welcome to Narr Shaddaa."

[member="Akartin"]

 

[Vakarian]

Akartin was startled when the Wookie stood to full height and even more so when another person ran up to him and physically grasped him. It took everything within him not to grasp his training blade and to turn it on the newcomer. That was the reaction of a startled rabbit in a field of prey. But, he didn't have time before he was being pulled away from the Wookie and along with the girl who had saved him from a violent confrontation.

"I... Thank you for saving me from violence, miss." His world seemed to quiet as he was drawn into the woman's voice and aura. It wasn't necessarily a peaceful one, but it wasn't all bad either. After all, she had just saved him from what likely would have been a harsh and violent confrontation between a wookie bounty hunter and a force-user, "I am Akartin of Alpheridies; member of the Luka Sene and seeker of the Jedi." He ended with a hint of pride in his tone at the naming of the Jedi.

"What is a fellow Force-user doing on Nar Shaddaa? Are there Jedi Masters here?" , he questioned the girl once more.
[member="Nyx"]

 

[Nyx]

Nyx looked at [member="Akartin"] strangely.
"Jedi? On Narr Shaddaa?" She gave a small laugh. "If there are any, they're keeping low. Jedi fetch a high price on the slave market."

She looked him over, a small smirk on her face. "The name's Nyx. Mercenary, thug, and all around delinquent, at your service."
She gave a bow, revealing the sword sheathed on her back.

When she came up from the bow, Nyx crossed her arms.
"From the way you handled yourself, I'm guessing that you can't afford to get off-world."
She thought for a moment.
"Then it looks like you'll have to come sheltet-seeking with me."

 

[Vakarian]

"The Jedi do not fear the darkness." He stated simply, and powerfully, his form seeming to heighten in response to her words about the Slave Market. His unseeing eyes fell upon the girl that called herself Nyx as she bowed before him, and he eyed the blank spot on her back, which could only mean that she carried a weapon of sorts. It would seem as though he had not been in touch with the events of the galaxy since his birth 19 years ago today.

"Well met, [member="Nyx"] the Mercenary." He bowed before her revealing his training blade, that when activated would hold a fraction of a lightsaber power, but would not be nearly as powerful. When he stood back up, he placed his hands in a prayer-like fashion and remained silent for a few moments and when he dropped his hands again he would find that it was easier to concentrate on the woman before him, and block out all other noise and life.

"I do not have the credits to get off this world, no. I did not realize that the Jedi no longer held an influence on this planet. I must've misread the records in the libraries of the Luka Sene.", he paused before continuing again, "I shall join you in your hunt and offer my services where they are needed."

He looked around him and saw several dark aligned figures entering the space port, their auras pulsing violently. They were ready for a fight.

"It seems that we have company, Nyx the Mercenary.", his full form turned away from her and towards the group coming their way. He couldn't make out who they worked for, but he knew that they were looking for trouble.

 

[Nyx]

Of karking course bounty hunters would know when a Jedi showed up on the planet. Now that a group of them were headed their way, Nyx had to think fast. Glancing around, she saw a small alcove where the two of them would fit.

"Go with it." She muttered as she pulled [member="Akartin"] into the alcove, drew him to her, and enveloped him in a kiss.
People were repulsed by public displays of affection, and hopefully these hunters would be no different.

As she sensed them draw near, she continued the kiss with the Miraluka, simultaneously hoping that the hunters would be too repulsed to focus on them, and that Akartin would forgive her for this.

 

[Vakarian]

Despite his brief shock at the feeling of her lips on his, he found himself feeling a fire course through his veins and feelings of want rising dangerously high. He even found himself enjoying the kiss, participating as equally wholly as she did. Of course, [member="Nyx"] hadn't given him time to respond to her words before she acted, but he didn't seem to mind this particular action too much. It was oddly satisfying, though he had never felt anything like it for the girls, or women, of his home world.

The kiss continued as the bounty hunters passed by them, and soon after they had gone, a faint smile broke across his features as he sensed their discomfort as they passed by the human kissing the miraluka male. He gently stepped away from the woman and stepped out of the alcove, fairly certain that the hunters had gone. He hadn't noticed it before, but now that his senses were clear and open to all things, he could feel the watchful gaze of cameras on him and the other denizens of the Space Port.

"I think it best that we find a private place to chat further on the matter of gaining credits. It is not safe for me to remain on this planet.", he spoke softly almost as if he wanted to say something else, but no words left his lips as his magenta cloth mask faced the mercenary woman. There were many thoughts flowing through his mind, but none more prominent than the memory of her own lips on his. This wasn't the path of a Jedi, and as much as he tried he couldn't shake the memory, that had occurred just moments ago, from his mind.

 

[Nyx]

As [member="Akartin"] drew back from her, Nyx didn't need the Force to sense the waves of desire rolling off of him. It radiated from his being, from his body language to the slight tremor in his voice. Nyx was many things, and observant was one of them. The street rat had a small smirk on her face as she crossed her arms, leaning against the alcove.

"Well," She said, thinking. "I have a few credits on me, might be enough to get a small apartment for the night. I hope you ate before you came, because that would clean me out of everything."
Of course, she could always just pickpocket some poor sap of his earnings. . .But she had the distinct feeling that her new companion wouldn't like that at all.

"Come on, I'll take you there."
She began walking, her eyes peeled for trouble.
"So," She said after a moment. "Tell me about yourself, since we already got acquainted a bit."

 

[Vakarian]

A small smirk snaked across his lips and he followed her towards their destination, his senses open to any and all threats that could present themselves to the duo traveling through the greed infested planet. She spoke of food, and despite the mute growling of his stomach in hunger, he shook his head and answered ", I am not hungry, you may yet survive the night with a few credits to spare. Luckily for you, I have a few hundred to spare as well," he reached into the folds of his robe and removed a fair sized pouch of credits and handed them to the mercenary.

"I just don't have enough to leave the planet. It seems that they charge highly to leave. It is much cheaper to get here." it was clear that he held a distaste for the scam that the ship captains ran on the people of Nar Shaddaa. It was wrong to extort people the way that they were doing, but he was powerless to do anything at the moment. He was only a novice force-user untrained in anything except his ability to sense moral alignments and his skill with the training blade.

If he had remained with the Luka Sene, they likely would have given him the necessary knowledge to perform feats equal to that of the Jedi, but he did not remain with them. He left in search of the order.

It was then that his attention was turned back towards his companion as she asked him to tell more about himself.

"Well, I come from Alpheridies. I was born to a mother and father who were Masters of the Luka Sene and I was expected to follow in their footsteps. I was in training since the age of seven, but was never at home. So, I decided to leave a few days ago as soon as I turned nineteen in search of the Jedi Order, in hopes that they would train me in the ways of the Force. I want to make a difference in the Galaxy, to rid it of some of the corruption that pollutes it." He was passionate with his words, making it evident that nothing would deter him from his objective, but there was also a slight sadness towards the end of his words - almost as if the idea of corruption made him sad.

"Tell me of your life, [member="Nyx"] the mercenary?," he asked simply.

 

[Nyx]

Nyx gave a small laugh.

"What is there to tell? I was born somewhere on Coruscant, the capital of riches and poverty both. Never knew my parents, don't really care to.
I spent my first seven years of life in an orphanage, where I was beaten, reprimanded for the littlest thing, and otherwise abused. When I hit eight, I got out of there before they killed me. After that, the streets raised me. I stole and begged to survive, taking up pickpocketing to get a bit extra.

"When I turned thirteen, I found good old Money Maker here." She patted the sword on her back, the sound of her fist hitting metal filling the air. "With this, I started robbing people, shaking down storeowners, that sort of thing."
She went quiet for a moment.
"I was sixteen the first time I took someone's life. Since then, I've killed a lot of people, some of whom didn't deserve it. But, I needed the money."
She sighed as they came to the apartment building.
"Here we are. . .You ready? They'll probably only have a one-bed available."

[member="Akartin"]

 

[Vakarian]

He found himself gazing upon her once again as she spoke about her life. If he eyes could hold sympathy they likely would, but as it was now, he could only stare at her blankly.

"Despite all the violence in your life, you still have not abandoned the Light side of the Force entirely. You show a resilience not common in other force users, [member="Nyx"]." His voice held a slight tone of surprise and an even less noticeable trace of reverence. Despite her aura of violence, she still held specks of good within her, and this gave him hope in the fact that she could be changed back to the side of Light. It would take time, but he felt that he could help her to find her way back if she chose to do so. It would all depend on where she wanted to be and what she wanted to do.

His eyes faced ahead as they stopped in front of the apartment area and he answered her when she spoke, "You will take the bed and I will take the floor. Upon the coming of tomorrow we can discuss the matter of gaining credits."

He awaited her to continue on, and as he did so he looked around watching the various moral alignments pass them by, none the wiser that they had a aspiring Jedi among them now that they had gotten away from the space port. With the silence and relative peacefulness of the current area, he visibly relaxed and allowed the events of the day to play back in his mind, reflecting on them and hoping to learn from them.

 

[Nyx]

Nyx managed to work out an agreeable amount for the apartment with the owner of the building, and she was right; one bed.

She led [member="Akartin"] to the apartment, her eyes drooping with exhaustion.
She laid in the bed, not even bothering to cover herself with the blankets before muttering a half-hearted 'goodnight' to her Miraluka roommate before closing her eyes in sleep.

When she awoke, sunlight streamed into the apartment, and she yawned as she rose, stretching her arms. She trudged into the refresher, shedding her clothes along the way and stepping into the shower, humming to herself as she got a little cleaner. She had honestly forgotten about her guest at that point.

 

[Vakarian]

Akartin had fallen into a deep slumber soon after he found a relatively comfortable position on the floor. He had managed to sleep throughout the night and awoke with warm sunlight filling the room with an enveloping warmth. He had almost forgotten that he was on Nar Shaddaa when he heard the soft hums of [member="Nyx"] as she stepped into the shower.

He was careful to avoid that section of the apartment entirely, focusing his senses instead on what was around him. He didn't like the feeling of emptiness that the apartment held, but thankfully there was a small tank of various fish that lit up his vision. He could see the force flowing through them, and it brought a slight smile to his face before he stood and found his way to the front door, stepping outside and into the new day. He was careful to shut the door behind him, before he allowed himself to step away from the apartment.

Without thought, his steps had brought him to the edge of the apartment balcony, and he could see hundreds if not thousands, of life forms lit up by the Force that flowed through them. It was beautiful in its own way, almost as if reinforcing the fact that all things were connected through the force.

"I need to find the Jedi," he said to himself as he looked out across the open space, watching the life continue on, oblivious to the one watching them from above.

 

[Nyx]

Nyx sighed as she finished her shower, leaning against the wall while her tattooed skin dried.
She leaned her head back and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. The last few days left her drained, and her body still ached from the fights she'd gotten into, and lost most of them. This one moment of quiet was more relaxing than any drink she'd had in the past week.

But she had things to do, and her moment had to end eventually. She sighed as she stepped out of the refreshed, pulling her clothes back on.
Looking around the apartment, she saw that [member="Akartin"] was gone, and worried for a moment that he had left without saying goodbye. Not that she cared, or anything, but she was a little disappointed to see him go.
The Miraluka had to be the most confusing person she had ever met. He was the only person who seemed motivated by other's interest instead of his own. During her life, she had learned that people were selfish. They cared only about their own interests, and how others could help them.
But he was different.

Then she heard him speak, and whirled around to find him standing on the balcony.
She smiled and walked over, opening the door and leaning against the frame.

"Sleep well?" She asked with a chuckle.

 

[Vakarian]

His senses had been so enveloped on those passing by below that he had not heard her approach from inside the apartment until her voice reached his ears, "I slept well enough. It was surprisingly easy to fall asleep in an apartment that blocked my senses. It was like all the lights went out and I had found true peace...." his words trailed off as though he was deep in thought before he would turn to face her again, her familiar colors warming his insides as he gazed upon them.

"How did you sleep?" he asked her in return, his magenta mask shifting slightly in the small breeze that blew on the balcony. His form turned from her though, back to the life below and he watched in silent thought. It was truly something to be able to see the force so visibly as his people were able to do, and the fact that many of them took the gift for granted only served to amaze him.

"Do you ever wonder what it is like to see without truly seeing, [member="Nyx"]? he asked her again, almost rhetorically, but it was evident that he would require an answer.

 

[Nyx]

Nyx frowned a bit, thinking about the question.
She had met only a handful of Miraluka in her life, and while they had fascinated her, surely, she had never truly considered what it would be like to see like they did.
When she had discovered her Force sensitivity, she had naturally allowed it to enhance her senses; and she had been overwhelmed. All the different Force signatures, feelings, thoughts, emotions; it was too much for her.
She had locked herself in whatever shelter she was staying in at the time, and had to work up to even being in a crowd again.
She couldn't imagine what it must be like for someone like [member="Akartin"], who had no choice but to live like that.

". . . No." She admitted after a minute's silence. "No, I hadn't. But I can't imagine it's easy."
She hesitated for a moment. "What is it like? To see only with the Force?"

 

[Vakarian]

He had expected such a question to come from her, so with a deep breath in and a soft one out, he cleared his throat quietly and began to speak,

"Imagine staring into an infinite wasteland of grey, barren of all life. As you begin to traverse this massive wasteland you begin to see tiny little lights flickering in the distance, some tranquil and others erratic. As you draw closer to these lights you begin to see varying colors of all kinds- each one being a key to understanding the characteristics and moral compass of the person behind the light. Doors hold no sway over my vision, they are non-existent, I can see.... feel the life around me. I can see your alignment and your characteristics. It is both a gift and a curse, because with too much life in one area and my being untrained, it overwhelms my senses and feels like shards of metal passing through my mind." He wasn't sure if he would get the full experience of what it was like for him to see, but he felt as though he had explained it properly. If she wanted to experience it, he would have to train her in its use. But, that would take far longer than they had together.

After another minute of silence, he turned towards her again. "Do you have a better grasp of what it is like to see the way that I do, [member="Nyx"]?"

 

[Nyx]

Nyx was silent for a minute, the full impact of what her companion was saying hitting her.
From what he described, his vision was both a thing of beauty, and one of pain.
She couldn't decide whether that appealed to her or not.

But she cleared her throat, and walked over to [member="Akartin"], leaning on the balcony with her back facing the street below.
"So, you're going to join the Jedi, huh?" She chuckled. "Why not go Sith, or Rogue? More chance you get something out of it."
The Jedi had always weirded her out, with their self-righteous preaching and selflessness. She hadn't exactly met many, of course; but the few she had rubbed her the wrong way; she at least understood the Sith, and the Rogues to an extent.
So, she posed the question to someone that was going to join the Order in question; why?

 

[Vakarian]

He shook his head as she began to speak of going rogue, or worse following the Sith. He did not, would not, judge her for her choices and her way that she chose to affect the galaxy; but he couldn't bring himself to do so. So, with this in mind he began to form an answer, and after several minutes he began to speak.

"I join the Jedi out of the want to serve the masses. Corruption has reached a paramount in the galaxy in the years following the Jedi Purge under Lord Sidious so many years ago. There were too few Jedi left to maintain the peace and good that was in the galaxy, and as such greed and evil were allowed to manifest in greater amounts. The Jedi are more than impartial peace-keepers, they stand for more than just the Light Side of the Force. They are a symbol of Hope and a promise of a better future for those who are so deep within the turbulence of corruption that they cannot see a better way. The Jedi have made their foolish mistakes in the past, and are likely not done making them, but they should not be dismissed so easily, [member="Nyx"]." He paused a few moments to let his words sink in before he began to speak again.

"I do not seek to join them to get something out of it. I do not seek glory or riches. I want to join to help the people that cannot help themselves.", he paused again and turned to face the platform below. As he did gangsters approached a sickly family hovering in a corner, and began threatening them. After a few short minutes, and the exchange of credits, the gangsters left again. It was then that he chose to speak again, "If we do not try to stem the tide of corruption and greed, history will only repeat itself again and again. The Sith are right, too, in their own way, but they have a harsher way of going about getting their objectives done; through war and forceful order. I have no desire to kill, or to harm if there is any other way, so the Jedi Order is one of the few places that I can make the difference that I wish to make in the galaxy." After he had felt that he got his point across, he retreated into the apartment and into the refresher, carefully slipping his cloak and shirt off to reveal a stony and muscled back. He also removed his mask, and placed it with his clothing before stepping into the shower and allowing the warmth of the water to flood over him and wash away the sleep that remained in him.

After about ten minutes, he reemerged from the shower with his lower robe on, but left his shirt off to reveal several scars that had long since healed. Evidence that his life before Nar Shaddaa wasn't the easiest.