Private It was great running into you.

[Jaa Ardan]

“‘Nother cup? It’s on the house!” A voice cheerily asked from behind.

Jaa Ardan took his eyes away from the (tiny) market square and the handful of beings spending their morning there to turn over his shoulder.

Standing behind him with a million credit smile and a pot of hot caf was the young woman who owned the cafe Jaa was currently patronizing. She had dark smooth skin and her braided hair snaked down her back past her shoulders.

“I'd love that. Thank you.” Jaa said, brushing a lock of brown hair from his eyes.

“If I didn’t know better I’d think you had a thing for me.” The shop owner teased as she poured.

“Who says I don’t?” Jaa asked. The woman was cute enough that was for certain and if Jaa hadn’t come back to Naboo for a reason, well the shop owner would be reason enough to stay.

She finished pouring, set her pot on the table and gave Jaa a playful swat on the shoulder.

“If you were here for me you wouldn’t have spent the last four mornings sitting outside my shop and staring across the street.”

Seven Hells Ardan, clocked by a civilian; what would Baros say?

“So what’s her name? Is she local? Maybe I know her and can tell you all sorts of nasty stories so you start spending more than just the time it takes to order inside with me.”

Jaa grinned unabashedly. This woman was the exact kind of trouble Jaa would love to be in.

“Briana Sal-Soren, actually. We're old friends and I heard she was staying out this way.” Jaa told the shop owner. A solemnness fell over the shop owners face.

Jaa had been staking out this particular market square in a town near the Gallo mountains for nearly the last week. Word was there was a Jedi enclave nearby. A Jedi enclave that sometimes procured some of their supplies right here in town. A Jedi enclave led by Jedi Knight Briana Sal-Soren.

“I’m sorry,” the shop owner said.

“It’s no trouble if you don’t know her.” Jaa told the woman.

“No, I do know her. Well, know of her.” The woman corrected. “She’s a Jedi you know. Spends a lot of her time at the temple or church or base or whatever they call it.”

“A Jedi? You don’t say.” Jaa said.

Jaa was well aware that Bri was Jedi but feigned his ignorance all the same.

“Yep. Strange to think how many might be up there. Don’t see much of them around, a few of the younger students will come by every so often but I haven’t seen Briana in a long time, not since before the funeral.”

She may have expected Jaa to react in some way. Ask which funeral she referred to but Jaa already knew. He was all too painfully aware that Briana and her siblings were forced to lay their parents to rest.

“It’s been a while then?” He asked.

“Mhm. Maybe a year since I’ve seen her, maybe more.”

His sources may have gone nearly all the way dry since his last kark up but Jaa had enough reason to trust the information he had to risk coming back to Naboo and confronting Briana.

If she is even here.

And it would be risky and a confrontation both. Jaa hadn’t seen Bri since the funeral either. Hadn’t really spoken to her even then.

“You’re an old friend?” The shop owner asked.

“I’m sorry?” Jaa asked.

“You said you were her friend. What’s your name?”

“Magnus.” Jaa answered. It was not at the moment entirely smart to be Jaa Ardan. “Thanks for the caf.” He told the woman slightly abruptly, laying a fist full of credits on the table.

Jaa didn’t wait for her to respond before getting up from his seat and crossing through the open air market.

He went pretty much unnoticed or at the least unremarked upon. There wasn’t a soul that payed him any mind and that was good. His rushed leaving and hurried crowd weaving led him to a stall of…something, he didn’t know what, it wasn’t important. What was important was the young woman who had stopped to take her time in front of the stall.

“Briana.” Jaa said quietly from behind her. It was Jo easy trick to sneak up on a Jedi especially for someone with no touch of The Force at all but Jaa had learned ways to make it easier. Crowds helped to hide a person’s presence, so did showing up when not expected, and Jaa had even learned some meditative techniques that were supposed to help hide one’s presence to Force users, he’d used every technique he knew to get this far.

It was often a dumb thing to be Jaa Ardan but it was hardly ever this dumb. Today, being Jaa Ardan on Naboo about to confront, a Jedi, a Sal-Soren Jedi at that, and Briana beyond all that was down right stupid.

Months ago it had be revealed that Jaa Ardan was a agent for The New Way, a group of terrorists, responsible for a bombing on Coruscant and an attack on Naboo that had left several dead, including Briana’s parents. Jaa had been named as chief suspect in both those things and had been accused of trying to kill Brandyn, Bri’s brother while the man was serving time in prison.

Jaa was of course a member of The New Way but they and he were no terrorists, agents of change, soldiers fighting for a better way, a new way, yes but not a terrorist no.

Jaa did break into prison and come face to face with Brandyn, to break him out but not to kill him. Brandyn, Jaa was certain did not rush to issue a correction, the gutless coward.

Jaa had no hand in the Coruscant bombing. He’d hunted down and gotten rid of the people that were responsible. Jaa had no hand in the attack on Naboo, he almost got caught in it himself. Jaa had no hand in the death of Briana’s parents. Not directly but he may as well’ve. He should have been there to protect them or him at least but he wasn’t.

“Try to relax.” Jaa told the Jedi as he shoved a hard metallic object into the small of her back. “We need to talk.”

Briana Sal-Soren

 

[Briana Sal-Soren]

Outfit: XoXo | Equipment: Lightsaber, Echo Stone | Tag: Jaa Ardan
​

Briana had been in the market square to oversee the delivery of supplies for the Enclave—basic rations, some medical equipment, and new tools for the younger Jedi in training. Though most of the arrangements could have been handled by others, she'd come herself, eager for a moment to escape the everyday hustle and bustle for something more mundane and simple.

The market always pulsed with verdant energy in the early mornings—vendors shouting their wares, the scent of fresh fruits and Naboo spices thick in the air. It was a far cry from the quiet serenity of the Jedi Temples and Enclaves that she spent the majority of her time at now, but there was a part of her that enjoyed the subtle disorder of it all. The ebb and flow of people around her, the hurried exchanges, the unpredictability—it reminded her of the rare childhood days when her parents would bring her and her siblings into the city to explore, where structure dissolved into a kind of barely controlled chaos. Back then, that chaos had been exhilarating. Now, it was less about the thrill and more about the quiet comfort of anonymity, of blending into a current far larger than herself, even if only temporarily.

Lingering at one of the many stalls, Briana's eyes moved over the assortment of training tools laid out before her. They were functional, durable—perfect for the new batch of initiates that'd be coming to the Enclave. The vendor, a young Gungan gentleman, was animated and enthusiastic, detailing the benefits of each item in a steady stream of information. Briana nodded along in what she hoped were the right places, though she couldn't be entirely sure from some of the faces she saw the man pull. The Gungan's thick accent, paired with his excitement, made following the specifics difficult; and just when she was about to try and thank him for his time, she noticed the pressure of something cold against her back—a threat disguised as a conversation starter.

Briana's senses flared, although it was too little, too late, instinct kicking in as confusion quickly followed.

She should have felt his presence sooner—should have caught the familiar undercurrent in the Force, the subtle shift that always came when typical, reckless, thoughtless, Jaa Ardan was near. But, she hadn't... how had he gotten this close without her noticing?

Was she really that exhausted, or had he become that skilled?

Her posture stiffened slightly, though outwardly she did the best that she could to try and remain composed. There was no reason to draw attention to the situation, not here, not with so many bystanders.

Catching the eye of her Gungan vendor, Briana cut him off mid-sentence with a polite nod. "If you'll excuse me, I have some other urgent business that needs my attention." she said, tipping her head to indicate to Jaa standing behind her, her voice betraying nothing of the tension coiling in her stomach.

The Gungan looked disappointed but made no attempt to stop her as she went along with wherever Jaa was leading her, mind racing, calculating possible escape routes, subtle maneuvers, anything that could turn the situation in her favor.

"Try to relax," Jaa's voice came from behind her, low and controlled. "We need to talk."

Briana's jaw tightened, the sharpness of her retort rising unbidden. "Funny. Is this how you typically start conversations? With a blaster pointed at someone's back? We have nothing to talk about, Jaa."

 

[Jaa Ardan]

Things were, surprisingly, for the moment going Jaa's way. He'd more than half expected to lose an arm as soon as he jabbed Bri in the back. She'd always been quick to act and slow to think. A Sal-Soren trait if there ever was one. To what could reasonably be called disappointment, Jaa found himself still having all his limbs as Briana allowed herself to be led to no more private a place than a vacant storefront.

They stood under an awning and talked.

Briana's jaw tightened, the sharpness of her retort rising unbidden. "Funny. Is this how you typically start conversations? With a blaster pointed at someone's back? We have nothing to talk about, Jaa."

"No, ma'am." Jaa answered, ever the servant. Old habits and all that. "They do seem to often end that way. What do you think that says about me?" He asked.

"Well that's the thing Briana, we have more than a few things to talk about but it's only one of 'em that's got me standing here talking to you. You can turn around." Jaa said.

When Briana turned around she would be faced not with a blaster in Jaa's hand but his empty mug of caf from the shop across the way and half a smile on his face. The same look he'd always had when he got caught in some sort of mischief. The same look she had probably seen a hundred times.

They'd grown up together. Well, that was putting it a bit strongly. Jaa's father had worked for Briana's family, Jaa was only a few years older than Bri and her siblings and so they grew up in quite close proximity to one another but by no stretch was it together.

The Sal-Soren children had a mother who was alive. More than Jaa could've claimed. They had a father that loved them immensely. Jaa's father loved him too it must be said but not more than he'd loved Jaa's mother.

For a long time Jaa had resented his father for that. He hadn't understood how mourning a dead wife came before raising a son. Now that he was a man, Jaa understood.

"Listen, I need your help." Jaa Ardan made no attempt at coyness. No feigned nonchalance. He was desperate. He prayed to Shiraya that he reeked of it.

"Use your power, read my…"

Not mind. She would expect deception there.

"…my heart. My soul. Search my feelings."

His being here should illustrate just how out of options Jaa was. Even if he wasn't a wanted murderer slash terrorist. Coming to Briana for the help he needed was as desperate an act as Jaa could think. Seven hells, a handful of months ago Jaa had risked breaking into an alliance prison to get Brandyn's help rather than just come to the Sal-Soren Jedi knight that walked around freely.

He had done that for her and he would do anything for her.

"It's Blaire…”

Briana Sal-Soren

 

[Briana Sal-Soren]

Outfit: XoXo | Equipment: Lightsaber, Echo Stone | Tag: Jaa Ardan
​

"That you have lousy conversational skills, for starters." Briana murmured, turning slowly as she was bidden, half expecting the sharp blast of a bolt to pass through her gut the moment she did so.

Instead, her eyes narrowed in on the sight of Jaa with an empty caf mug he held aloft. That familiar smirk, the ‘gotcha’ one she'd seen a thousand times in their youth that tugged the corners of his lips sky-high, was plastered across his face. It was a smile that once made her laugh. Now, all it did was churn something cold and dark inside her gut. Painful, buried memories regurgitated. Memories of her parents, of betrayal and loss, and of Jaa's part in it all.

While she’d never believed the rumors that he was the one who’d been responsible for the death of her parents, it also didn’t matter. Jaa was still tied to it, bound to the same hate-driven group her father built to destroy what she, her brother, and her mother were. That connection was enough. Enough that Briana didn’t smile back. Enough that her eyes, usually warm and open, hardened into a sharp, unyielding stare. Enough that the corners of her mouth pulled tight into a thin line, arms folding across her chest like a shield.

“You want me to ‘search your feelings?’" she repeated incredulously, a flame rising inside her, burning her throat. The urge to punch him—just one good swing—reared its ugly head. A vestige of the old Briana, the one who, like Brandyn, often acted first and thought later. “Why?” She continued, tasting blood on the back of her tongue. “So you can try to make me feel sorry for you, so I’ll help? You, Jaa Ardan—the man who is part of the same organization that got my parents killed—that nearly destroyed my family and has hurt them time and time again. I should arrest you now. Take you to the authorities. I—”

"It's Blaire…”

At that, Briana’s lips snapped shut. “...What?” In truth, Briana had long begun to accept the possibility that Blaire might be dead. There’d been one fleeting moment where the two of them connected through the Force months ago— which in itself was a sudden and unexpected shock—followed by a complete, utter void.

No whispers on the wind, no flicker of a presence. Nothing but silence.

But, despite efforts to ignore it, Briana could feel his honesty in this, the thrum of his desperation in the Force, the cracks in what appeared like an otherwise calm facade.

He was serious, for certain. But that didn’t mean she trusted him, at least not fully.

“I tried to find Blaire months ago.” Briana started, “I infiltrated a New Way base, interrogated several of the members... and there was nothing. Not a single sign of her anywhere. Are you saying you know where she's at?"

​

 

[Jaa Ardan]

You, Jaa Ardan—the man who is part of the same organization that got my parents killed—that nearly destroyed my family and has hurt them time and time again. I should arrest you now. Take you to the authorities. I—”

"An organization founded by your father." He said pointedly.

Briana had always been righteous but sanctimony had always been more Brandyn's style. It made her ugly. Very close to the top of the ever decreasing list of things Jaa thought impossible was Briana being ugly.

"Maybe if your brother hadn't been so hell bent on betraying Baros…"

He would still be alive.

He left the words unsaid. A kindness for Briana, someone who had been his friend in the past. If she were Brandyn he would've said it. Seven hells if she were Blaire he probably would've said it. The first because digging at Bran was one of the few things that could always, always, bring a smile to his face and the other because he knew Blaire could handle hearing it, would likely need to hear it.

Briana, however, required other tactics. Forcing Bri to be defensive was a sure fire way to have her dig in and if Briana Sal-Soren was anything other than reckless, it was stubborn.

“I tried to find Blaire months ago.” Briana started, “I infiltrated a New Way base, interrogated several of the members... and there was nothing. Not a single sign of her anywhere. Are you saying you know where she's at?"

"No. I'm saying I don't." He emphasized the last word.

It wasn't unusual for Blaire to be just gone and Jaa wasn't her husband or boyfriend or her minder and was often just as clueless as everyone else about where she was. The difference was that until now if he went to look he would find her. He'd spent a long long time looking and come up with nothing.

"I know all about your adventure on Onderon." He snorted derisively "of course interrogation got you nowhere. Just let me see anything you do have from there. Files, disks, maps, karking blueprints, what uniforms they were wearing, anything, you have to have something, and it would probably help to have a look at that droid too. The old imperial one. So back to your place then?"

Briana Sal-Soren