Private Errand Blondes | Coruscant

[Jasper Kai'el]

Errand Blondes
Coruscant Underbelly
Tags: Corazona von Ascania , Lysander von Ascania

Lightsaber
​

Jedi were good at many things. Famously, they were most known for completing menial tasks. Because what good was the police force of Coruscant, who were far too preoccupied ensuring that the damaged upper city was not looted following the battle of Coruscant? Alas, the priorities below the feet of the top-siders would fall to the wayside to be picked up by the Jedi. Which was great.

Because the lower-levelers hated the Jedi.

Jasper could be frustrated to no end about this, but that didn't get results. He, along with two other Jedi, were on an elevator heading to level 1301, bringing with them a large storage container, itself having a smaller storage container atop it. Cora he knew, of course, but this would be his first time interacting with one of her younger siblings. He knew she had many, but it was a welcome surprise to see one arrive to pursue a future with the Jedi Order. A relief, even, given his... unfortunately greater understanding of the sort of home dynamic Cora had been forced to endure. Hopefully being away opened up some opportunities for the lad.

"Alright," Jasper began, "Here's the situation. The large box here is full of Bacta, loads of it. Needs to get to a small community held up in a warehouse two levels down. Problem is that the area is on lockdown, not by legal means mind you. A suspiciously organized swoop-bike gang has claimed the territory, won't let emergency personnel in. Travelers are getting their pockets ran for entry, and supplies are being confiscated. Sector law enforcement doesn't seem to care much, so we're it. Of course, that paints a whole other host of issues. This gang- which I'm assuming is more organized than what they're letting on- isn't too keen on Jedi nosing around their territory. That means entry is going to be... slightly unconventional."

The Jedi Master cracked open the smaller container that sat utop the large one, revealing the contents within...

Three helmets.

"The larger container I stole a few days ago," he explained. "It was intended to be for running spice, scheduled shipment for the sector. I think the rest is pretty self explanatory."

It was certainly one way to get past all of the security. Once they were past the guards they could ditch them and make contact with the settlement, see if they couldn't get a better idea of the swoop gang's operation whilst making their delivery of medical supplies. One thing at a time, of course. They could only tackle the larger threat once they had a better idea of what was occurring.

"Any questions?"

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

"You stole it?"

Cora tested the weight of the helmet in her hand. It looked fairly battered - the outer casing had a slew of scratches and some of the red paint had begun to flake off - which was a good thing. She did not venture into the lower levels often, but she'd since learned that wearing anything too new and pristine would immediately blow one's cover.

She glanced to the larger crate, now filled with bacta instead of illegal substances. A brow lofted.

"What happened to the spice?"

The lower you went through Coruscant's tiered surface, the more lawless things became. They did what they could, when they could, but untangling a complex web of crime required resources that the Jedi did not have, and the Alliance at large had only so much energy to spare.

Her focus shifted to her brother where it lingered for a few long moments. None of them were dressed as Jedi, accordingly. Cora didn't find her jumpsuit to be the most flattering, but she did not complain (yet).

"You haven't been below the surface before, have you?"

None of the mission rapports she'd filed through has taken her brother to the lower levels, and Padawans were not permitted there without at least a Jedi Knight escort.

Lysander was not malicious, but he did have a mischievous streak and unbridled curiosity that kept her up at night.

She lifted her other brow, awaiting his response.

Jasper Kai'el Lysander von Ascania

 

[Lysander von Ascania]

Jasper Kai'el Corazona von Ascania

The way the Jedi stole the helmets, it was almost.. cool. Lysander was a boy of action, rarely concerned with obeying rules or regulations since arriving on Coruscant. An aura of freedom surrounded him; perhaps that was why many younglings were drawn to his influence.

As he listened carefully to the Jedi's words, they seemed to offer the promise of adventure. He felt drawn to the helmet with green, and with a rather curious touch, his finger traced along the scratches. But then a flicker of unease crossed the Padawan's features. He had always been skeptical of secondhand items.

Turning it over, he peeked inside. It was cautiously brought to his nose, inhaling deeply; the stench instantly made him recoil.

Shaking his head in disapproval, Lysander let out a sigh. Then he heard Cora's question, paired with an all too familiar gaze. If her raised brow was a question itself, then his chuckle was the beginning of an answer. "No, dear sister, not once," he drawled, already knowing she wouldn't believe him. Emerald orbs dropped to his outfit. A white tunic, paired with trousers of the finest quality adorned his lean frame. Tall brown leather boots held not a single scratch. It was almost as if he had dressed in anticipation of meeting one of her lady Knight friends, rather than a trip to the lower levels of Coruscant

His head turned towards the other blonde. A smirk appeared. "Come on, do I look like someone who makes stuff up?”

When asked if there were any questions, his mind began to swirl. “What happens if we get caught? Do we have a backup plan?”

 

[Jasper Kai'el]

Coruscant
Tags: Corazona von Ascania , Lysander von Ascania

Lightsaber
​

"What happened to the spice?"

"Spice has medicinal value," Jasper stated. "It's being converted to be used for reconstruction efforts."

It was the best case scenario, really, as opposed to simply dumping the stuff or letting it get back into circulation. If some value could come from an evil, they were certainly better off getting that value out of such a thing. It could, at the very least, save lives.

“What happens if we get caught? Do we have a backup plan?”

"Right, if we get caught," he remarked with a frown. "Well firstly, not getting caught implies looking the part. That means not looking too proper." He paused, pulling a foldable poncho out of his flight-suit pocket and tossing it to the young padawan. "You'll want that, by the way. It's a little more worn down than what you're wearing. Now, best case scenario I talk to the guards, convince them we're the spice dealers they wanna meet with, and get us through to level 1301. Of course, there is a very real chance that such a thing does not occur. Fortunately I have a plan B."

The Jedi Master turned back to the two siblings, handing them both orbs sporting a red duraplast shell.

"Smoke grenades," the man explained. "Our priority is ensuring that the medical supplies are safe so that we can deliver them to people stuck behind the swoop gang's lines. That means if we are found out, you will be tasked with escorting the supplies to cover after we set up a smokescreen. Engaging hostile targets will be left to me."

And it was better that way. Jasper knew how the criminals of the underbelly fought. From his days sneaking off as a padawan to pursue black market dealers to his deployment as a knight seeking to keep civilians from being caught up in the crossfire of gang wars, the young Master was very familiar with these sorts of interactions. He was the most equipped to handle a combat scenario with these individuals, and he always had a preference that he be injured rather than those working under him.

A leader should always be the one to take the first blaster bolt.

"We'll be arriving soon," Jasper added, throwing on his helmet. "If you have any other concerns, I suggest you get them out of your system."

Before long the elevator would slow to a halt, screeching as it did so. The metal doors would slide open, revealing the dingy depths of 1302. They would go no further by lift with the elevator cut off by the swoop gang. The rest of this journey was going to be on foot, directly through the heart of their operation.

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Jasper's answer to her inquiry about the spice earned a hum of approval. For as long as she'd known him, the elder blonde had always tried to extract what good he could from an unsavory situation. It was a positive trait to have, and one she tried to emulate.

Lysander's answer, by contrast, was less satisfactory. It earned him a sidelong glare of disapproval, but there was nothing that she could do about what had already come to pass. Even she had her share of adventures in the lower levels as a Padawan – though they were often spent trailing after her more daring classmates.

Not that she'd regale him with those tales, lest she look like a hypocrite.

"Come on, do I look like someone who makes stuff up?”

"You do, as it happens."

Her brother's question was a valid concern. Missions did not always go to plan, and Jasper had thought ahead, handing the siblings one smoke grenade each. Cora nodded in understanding as she slipped the grenade into her utility pouch.

There was always a trickle of frustration in tasks like these, but untangling the power structure of a gang required time, energy, and dedication. The bacta they had was needed now.

"Hold your nose," she suggested to Lysander. "I do hope that these can filter out some of the stench." The lower levels were not known for their pleasant aroma.

One hand gathered blonde locks and pulled her hair into a quick twist, while the other hand fitted the helmet over her head. She spent a few moments adjusting it to sit correctly before placing a hand on her brother's shoulder.

"Stay close to me," she murmured, voice muffled and slightly modulated through the headgear.

The doors to the lift opened, and the trio of masked Jedi stepped into the Coruscant underworld.

Jasper Kai'el Lysander von Ascania

 

[Lysander von Ascania]

Jasper Kai'el Corazona von Ascania

His hands caught the poncho as it was tossed to him, and in a matter of seconds, he believed himself to be transformed from a Padawan into a gang member. After a small adjustment, it gave him a new surge of confidence. Hopefully it would be enough to get them past the guards. He wanted to prove that he was capable of handling this task, and also leave a good impression on the new blonde Knight as well.

When the boy received the smoke grenade, he cradled it gently, turning it like some kind of ancient artifact. While studying the device with curiosity, he felt a sudden sense of trust from the Jedi. Cora would never have been so relaxed about giving something like that to him. And he could practically feel her glare without even looking, but he simply responded with a smirk to the comment.

There was a jolt of energy after the grenade was tucked away. Lysander was bouncing on the balls of his feet as the helmet was pulled onto his head; it snagged his hair, but he brushed it aside. The past few days had been an adventure. He hadn't come down from the high since an encounter at the South Systems Syndicate bazaar. It was as if he had met a star from a Holodrama. The wisdom shared from Ms. Danger Arceneau was still fresh on his mind, and some of it even felt relevant in this current situation.

The helmet rotated towards the man and tilted up to meet his gaze. Surprisingly, he didn’t have any other questions. “Knowin’ tha lay of tha land is half tha battle. Now we ain't gonna be caught with our pants down 'round these parts,” he drawled. A hand on his shoulder caused him to turn and face Cora. “Don’t worry sis. I'm not a little kid anymore.. I know what I'm doing.”

Then the lift doors opened, grabbing his attention. “If anything crazy happens down here, I'll make sure the nerf flies don't hurt you,” he added, trailing slightly behind the other two.

 

[Jasper Kai'el]

Coruscant
Tags: Corazona von Ascania , Lysander von Ascania

Lightsaber
​

"Right. Let's get to it."

Jasper would step out ahead of the group as they made their way off the elevator, changing his posture to be less militant and more slouched. They would be skeptical of posture in a place like this. It wasn't long before they began to garner attention. Every crack in the walls seemed to reveal a new pair of eyes, each looking on at the trio as they made their way down the dingy streets of 1302. Before long they had arrived at the checkpoint, a makeshift toll gate made from an old crane-style speeder, flanked by two men in thrashed Galactic Alliance Shock Trooper armor, one human and one Devaronian. The larger of the two, the Devaronian, sneered as they approached, leaning down into Jasper's face, or more rather his helmet.

"Where the feth were you?" the man hissed. "Dango wanted the shipment yesterday. Thinks your womp rat of a boss is tryin' to sellout to the Pikes. I'd very much like to split your skull myself..."

The Jedi scoffed below his helmet, not backing away. Instead Jasper pushed closer, squaring up to match the hostility of the taller man.

"Don't get your briefs in a twist, dent head," Jasper snapped back. "We wouldn't be havin' no issues if your sorry asses weren't out there makin' noise, yeah? The hell we s'posed to do when Alliance troopers out here takin' pot-shots at anyone even takin' a whiff of Dango. Spice ain't cheep, and boss ain't lookin' to get played like a chump, dig? Dango wants spice, he better get some shooters to cover our asses."

Jasper leaned in closer, the dome of his helmet nearly grazing the reflective forehead of the Devaronian.

"Capiche?"

The taller man scoffed before backing off.

"Shut your yap and get movin'," the man groaned. "Just get the blasted spice to Dango. I ain't paid enough for this chit. You wanna negotiate, chat it out with the big man."

And they were in. Jasper didn't even acknowledge the man with a nod. He simply turned to his companions and gave a simple gesture of his head, the signal to keep moving. The 'spice' was moving again in no time at all, passing through the makeshift checkpoint...

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

"With our pants…what?"

It took her a solid moment to realize that Lysander was not being vulgar, but relaying an expression. Behind the visor, Cora's eyes rolled. A brow lofted at his accent.

"You've been watching too many 'Rim holos."

Perhaps they'd talk more about that later, provided they all made it out of the underlevels in one piece. Following Jasper, Cora noted the quick shift in posture. She slipped her hands into her pockets in an attempt to look more casual, but realized quickly that it may look as though she was reaching for a weapon. On second thought, she elected to remove her hands and drop her shoulders.

Her gaze tilted down to the cold durasteel implant affixed to her right wrist. If anything, the cybernetic hand made her look a little more the part of a street ruffian and less of an aristocrat.

It wasn't long before they made it to the checkpoint, and a rather rude looking brute got in Jasper's face. Cora grimaced, angling her posture to better cover Lysander, already regretful that he'd come along. Fear crept up her throat and slid down into her stomach.

This was new for her, too. Coruscanti Jedi often tangled with underworld criminals, but this was the first time that she'd been made to pose as one. This was also the first time she'd heard Jasper speak like one. The air here held a sort of electric tension, the kind that could erupt into chaos at the drop of a pin.

Cora let out a silent sigh as they were waved through. Once they were out of earshot, she leaned forward.

"Those were some…rough words," she mumbled.

Jasper Kai'el Lysander von Ascania

 

[Lysander von Ascania]

Jasper Kai'el Corazona von Ascania

​

Lysander furrowed his brow. He couldn’t grasp how she didn’t understand what he was talking about. Afterall, she was supposed to be the older and wiser one, right?

"Seriously?" he muttered, shaking his head disapprovingly. "Whatever, Cora. I know you watch them too. And I wouldn’t be surprised if you even read similar Holotexts.”

Still, Lysander trailed behind them with an air of intrigue, constantly maintaining a close distance of one to two paces behind per the sister's direct orders. His eyes darted left and right, filled with wonder at all the new sights and sounds– like a tourist from another planet, he was simply attempting to catch every detail of this place. The architecture here was a stark contrast to the environment of the Jedi Temple.

It wasn’t long before they came to a halt. The little verbal spar was interesting. And though he didn’t know the other blonde Knight that well, he still didn’t like the way he was being addressed. A flicker of irritation kindled, but fortunately for him, the Davorian wasn’t attuned to the Force to detect it.

Feth. Sorry asses. Played like a chump. Chit. The slang was new to him, yet he absorbed it like a sponge just as anything else. At first, it didn’t even strike him as being Galactic Basic.

Instinctively, a hand began drifting towards the smoke bomb under his poncho. Just as it reached his belt, they finally received clearing, causing him to relax.

The Padawan began to wonder if it was also part of training, curious as to whether he would ever need to use these kinds of words while navigating the galaxy. Still following closely, he gave a sudden tap on the man’s arm to catch his attention. Then he gazed up at him. Lysander decided to have his own go at some street talk. “I totally had you covered back there if that fething dent head started anything.”

 

[Jasper Kai'el]

Coruscant
Tags: Corazona von Ascania , Lysander von Ascania

Lightsaber
​

"Those were some…rough words," she mumbled.

"Necessary for getting from point A to point B," Jasper stated. "It's easier to sound unintelligent that way."

“I totally had you covered back there if that fething dent head started anything.”

"And I do mean unintelligent," he added, though his voice didn't indicate harsh judgement. "Speaking in a manner like that has it's consequences. A Jedi should prioritize speaking in a way that's most effective, not just to emulate 'cool' behavior. You certainly wouldn't want to say that around a senator."

Jasper sighed, keeping the box of 'spice' moving. They didn't have to go much further, he reasoned.

"...So, you had me covered?" Jasper echoed, crossing his arms. A curious statement. "Let's present a hypothetical. The man at the gate had a sonic blaster on his person. The blast bypasses the defense of my lightsaber and liquefies my insides in an instant. You now have to defend yourself against the very same weapon. What's the first thing you do?"

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Unintelligent indeed. All Jedi had their strengths and weaknesses. Cora was far more comfortable posing as a debutante, or even a debutante's handmaiden. Or, once, a debutante's maid. This world would never be overly familiar to her, no matter how many times she'd descend into the depths of Coruscant.

“I totally had you covered back there if that fething dent head started anything.”

"Lysander!" A hushed, yet still very admonishing gasp sounded from beneath her helmet. "You are not to use that type of language unless it is for the good of this mission!" A sound reminder that their roles, when in the presence of underworld scum, were supposed to be relatively silent ones.

Jasper posed a question to her brother about sonic blasters. Cora, too, thought about what could be done in that scenario. A hand pressed curiously against the crate of 'spice', wondering if it was thick enough to absorb highly concentrated waves of sound.

"What else can we expect, in terms of firepower?"

A question she'd forgotten to ask while they were in the lift.

Jasper Kai'el

 

[Lysander von Ascania]

Jasper Kai'el Corazona von Ascania​

The boy’s brows furrowed slightly as the words began to sink in. There was a flicker of embarrassment as he realized his attempt to impress; the other Jedi's voice felt steady, not unkind, but firm. The all too familiar heat instantly crept onto his cheeks; it felt like the typical youth bravado often displayed, crashed right into their current circumstances. Inhaling a deep breath, he made sure his posture was straight; it was also a symbol of status. “If I ever bump into a senator, don’t worry. I’ll be sure to tone it down,” he mumbled.

The truth did sting, but perhaps it was a necessary lesson.

“And first, I wouldn’t just stand there like some kind of frozen target. I’d totally use the environment to my advantage.” He gestured with a hand as he spoke. “They certainly ain’t gon' to catch me,” he continued, as a smirk twitched on his lips. “Then I would assess the situation. I’d find a way to outsmart all threats, relying on more than just my lightsaber.”

Lysander turned his head slowly, his eyes gliding from the left side of the helmet’s visor to the right. He sighed heavily; it was a long drawn out echo from his rebreather. “Shut up, Cora,” he said, his voice low but firm. He raised an index finger towards his lips, pretty much the sign used across the galaxy for silence. “Your big mouth is putting us in danger!"

The Padawan’s gaze returned to darting back and forth, scanning their surroundings once more.

 

[Jasper Kai'el]

Coruscant
Tags: Corazona von Ascania , Lysander von Ascania

Lightsaber
​

“Shut up, Cora,” he said, his voice low but firm. He raised an index finger towards his lips, pretty much the sign used across the galaxy for silence. “Your big mouth is putting us in danger!"

"Enough of that," Jasper snapped, his voice quiet but just as authoritative. "Did I bring you out here to fight with your allies? This is a mission, not a field trip. Micromanaging is only going to create more problems, and that goes for both of you. The only thing putting anyone in danger is this. Continue and I'll send you home, no further questions. Understood?"

Of course he'd wind up being the mediator of this sort of thing. It was just his luck. Jasper was mission oriented. It wasn't easy to keep people in line when he wanted to focus on the task at hand.

But he wasn't going to let everything fall apart either.

"Gear on their end is minimal," he finally stated. "They're running on shoe-strings and electrical tape. But a gun will still kill you if it hits just right. No reason to get sloppy... Let's keep moving, we aren't far from the settlement."

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

“Shut up, Cora,” he said, his voice low but firm. He raised an index finger towards his lips, pretty much the sign used across the galaxy for silence. “Your big mouth is putting us in danger!"

From beneath the visor, Cora radiated disbelief. Had he just- he'd never-

She remained quiet. The sort of silence that held deadly promise. Lysander might feel the slight pinch of an unseen dagger at the back of his neck. Perhaps one of the nerf flies had bitten him.

"Understood," she echoed simply.

Lysander von Ascania Jasper Kai'el