The bigger the galaxy, the sweeter the homecoming.

[Corvus Raaf]

At last a routine mission that didn’t end up with vomit, blood and a crashed ship to contend with.

Corvus had accepted the opportunity to return to her home planet to pay respects to her former Master. She’d left the Green Jedi immediately after his death and in her only return since; she hadn’t had time to do the right thing. So, once she was able to finish this business, she could go and say a proper good-bye.

She had been brought in as an outsider on purpose. The Green Jedi were used to dealing with local swoop gangs but the authorities wanted an independent to help out and she’d volunteered under the circumstances.

She’d seen the rap sheet on her way here. Corellian. A member of the Ticon family. Hardly an auspicious start for someone claiming innocence. Some misdemeanours on Taris, he’d recently returned to his – their – home planet. The assessment of him was no better. Anti-authoritarian. Emotional. Arrogant. Self-confessed ladies man. He was some specimen.

Yet he protested his innocence in the face of all of this and refused to give up anyone up the food-chain even though the authorities were willing to waive charges.

So she’d asked for him to be brought to the Jedi Enclave where she’d get a chance to talk to him herself.As she approached the sterile meeting room, she bowed to the Jedi at the door, opened it and stepped in.

In front of her was a simple room. The pale shade of green on the walls brought back memories. This was a training room in her day. In the room was a desk, two chairs and a suspect. Diego Ticon to be precise.

[member="Diego Ticon"]

 

[Dessh Ekwesh]

Diego Ticon, swoop gang thug and disowned relative of the Ticon crime family, miserably sat hunched over a Jedi interrogation table, his chin resting on his forearms. It was a cold comfort but at least he wasn't chained up. Diego had unluckily been at the wrong place during the wrong time, and got stuck in the middle of a fracas between some Jedi and another swoop gang, a gang he himself only had incidental dealings with. It was a textbook case of mistaken identity, but due to the fact that Diego never went down swinging, his violent protests hadn't convinced the Jedi of his innocence. Plus the man was covered in gang tattoos, and although his were the designs of the Lower City Renegades on Taris, it was possible that those not intimately involved in gang activity wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

A team of Jedi had disarmed him of a multitude of lethal accouterments such as a carbine blaster, two different models of vibroknives, one equipped with a capacitor, and lastly an electrowhip. A couple of ounces of Ryll was also confiscated from his person. Diego was empty handed, clad only in his street clothes, and not at all happy about it.

As a figure entered the room, Diego slowly raised his head, inspecting the young woman with his icy blue eyes. She looked to be quite a few years younger than him, and although simply dressed, was a definite looker. He grinned despite of himself. If he was going to plead his innocence again, at least he didn't have to deal with some grizzled old geezer.

He jacked his smile up a couple of notches, figuring that if anything, he might be able to use some of that raw charisma that served him well in past dangerous liasons with the opposite sex.

"If you're here to torture me for information, you might be disappointed at how much I actually enjoy it." He said with a smirk.

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus looked at the man and heard his opening line. She resisted the urge to pronounce him guilty then and there and leave the room and instead chose to give him the benefit of the doubt.

“Is that what passes for bravado in your gang?” There was virtually no emotion in her voice. Although she’d recently learned to access her emotions – and those of others – under controlled circumstances (it seemed she was a natural Empath and were it not for the barrier she put up in her mind, she’d be overwhelmed with the feelings of every living creature in the vicinity).

This was no act by Corvus to impress him. Those that knew her would probably think she was being quite friendly. To her, this was Jedi business and games were for amateurs.

“I hadn’t considered torture but now you mention it...” Was that the hint of a smile on her lips? “Ever seen a Sith invade someone’s mind, looking for emotions. They do it just to feed their Force powers. And they shred what’s left. You’re lucky I’m no Sith or you’d be alive but with insufficient mental capacity to wish you weren’t.”

She looked around the room. “Whose idea was this?” She spoke to no-one in particular and then she looked at Diego. “Did they say I was the good cop or the bad cop?” Sometimes even Jedi get it wrong. This was all so…clichéd.

She saw he wasn’t wearing any restrainers – so that meant he could move freely enough. “OK, on your feet and follow me; we’re going for a walk.”

She glanced at the tattoos. “Not local. Where did you get them done?” People seemed to forget she was raised in this city and knew stuff that was useful – not just Jedi knowledge.

[member="Diego Ticon"]

 

[Dessh Ekwesh]

Diego grinned. She was trying to intimidate him and it was cute. The young woman definitely had some moxie to her, and if there was one thing Diego loved more than almost anything in the galaxy it was a difficult woman. They were the most fun. He surmised that she wasn't aware of exactly how dangerous he or cold-blooded he was, or maybe she was and didn't care. He'd dropped his fair share of rival gangers with not so much as a shrug. And perhaps it was foolhardy bravado, but her talk of the Sith didn't phase him in the slightest.

Diego raised himself out of his seat with a shrug. So she was going to take him somewhere else. That was interesting. "Aren't all the Jedi supposed to be the good cops?" He asked with a smirk.

The thug quickly glanced down at his tattoos, and then raised his head, looking at her squarely with an edge of menance in his eyes. "Like, I told your bosses. This is Lower City Renegades ink. I got nothin' to do with that other gang. This is a waste of my time and yours." He jabbed a finger at her. "And you and I both know it."

He very slowly inched closer to her as he spoke. Close enough for her to see his muscles tensing as if he were about to spring.

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

This situation reminded Corvus of a recent encounter. She couldn’t place it just now – but the similarity was uncanny. Sometimes the will to win overrode the will to live.

It seemed as if Diego’s machismo would win out over a more logical realisation that she alone would determine if he was held or released.

Not that she entirely blamed him. The system did this to people. They played games with people’s lives. As good as the local law enforcement were – they either played it by the book (the right way in Corvus’ mind) and saw too many criminals walk free or tried to intimidate young men like Diego into confessing to something (even if they didn’t do anything).

So he’d probably figured this was some mind game – designed to get him to cry like a baby and beg forgiveness. In fact, all she wanted to know was the truth. There were drastic measures they could use, but that wasn’t her style. She would determine the level of his guilt and let the authorities know. Pure and simple.

Now his quip about the Jedi was actually rather good. It wasn’t just bravado then, he had a brain. But his body-language said he was still acting the thug. The cold-blooded killer. She’d met cold-blooded killers before and they’d have him for breakfast. No. She’d be breakfast and he’d be a side dish. But she didn’t underestimate him – in his circles he was probably at least a prince – if not a king.

“Which Lower City? There are quite a few around the galaxy you know.” It would take five minutes to check if his story stacked up. Sloppy work by someone. Although that didn’t make him innocent of course.

And now he was posturing. The Force told her she was still safe enough but a small alarm bell had definitely sounded. “And didn’t anyone ever tell you it was rude to point.”

Perhaps she was enjoying the banter – or maybe she just wanted it to be over, so she could visit her Master’s memorial – but she should have put the situation under control then and there rather than throw a healthy measure of fuel onto the fire. The alarm bell wasn’t warning her about him. It was warning her about herself. Master Vosra’s words were temporarily forgotten. ‘Even you will fail you.’

[member="Diego Ticon"]

 

[Dessh Ekwesh]

Diego Ticon inched closer, his blue eyes searching hers. That's right, keep her occupied with chatter. The thug rolled his eyes and sighed. "The Lower City on Taris. Look, if you call 'em up they aren't gonna admit it, but I've been with the Renegades since I was a punk-ass kid." He shook his head. Those double-crossing bastards would deny his involvement if there was a whiff of trouble with Jedi. He knew that for sure.

"You gotta believe me, kiddo. I didn't have anything to do with that other gang. I came to this planet for a networking opportunity with their leaders. They were looking for some spice distributors on Taris. I don't even know what the hell happened back there." He continued animatedly. "Like I said to your boss, you're not gonna get anything out of me. There's nothing to get."

Now that Diego's body was only a few inches away, he suddenly cut himself off and quick as a cat, moved behind her. He attemped a standing rear choke hold on the woman, looping one muscular arm around her neck and grabbing her head with his other hand. In the back of his mind, he knew tangling with a Force user could have been a fool's errand, but feeling trapped made a man do some irrational things sometimes.

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

They hadn't left the room yet and instead of just walking with her and talking, he was protesting his innocence, answering questions she hadn't even asked.

Perhaps the Force was teaching her a lesson, or her conscience told into keep quiet - but one moment she was trying to get this guy out of her face and the next he had his arm around her throat and his other in a position to snap her neck if she chose to. That he didn't do so instantly was a plus - but only just.

Her Jedi training kicked in and rather than reacting, she relaxed, pulling the Force to her and then allowing it to flow through her. She sought his strongest emotion - desparation - and followed it back to his mind gently but with as much haste as she could without risking hurting him. And then she connected to his mind. It put up a small amount of resistance, as any untrained mind would but she was skilled and careful enough to enter it without too much difficulty.

'That may not have been the smartest move. And yes, I'm talking to you from inside your mind. You know I am. I can access your thoughts, your memories, your guilt or innocence. I can encourage you to do things you wouldn't ordinarily choose to do. If you try to send a message to your muscles to kill me, I can block it. Now...let's say you kill me. You're in the middle of a Jedi Enclave. Where are you going to go? But I'm talking too much. Tell me what you think. No, just think, I'll know it the moment you think it.'

[member="Diego Ticon"]

 

[Dessh Ekwesh]

Diego might have been a callous thug, but he wasn't about to squeeze the life out of a young woman who had done nothing to deserve it. The plan was merely to put enough pressure on her windpipe to knock her unconscious. Then he could haul jets out of there. He held the young woman tightly in the hold, firmly enough to restrain her against him, but not enough to actually hurt her. He began to apply pressure to her throat, noting with surprise that she didn't even try to fight it.

Then she snaked into his mind. It was a disconcerting feeling that distracted him so much he loosened his grip, but not enough to release her. He still had one arm around her neck with another hand on her head. He grabbed a fistfull of her hair and softly, but firmly pulled her head back.

"Get out of my head, girl." he growled in her ear. Then he carefully listened to her words, weaving through his mind like psychic tendrils. She was right, of course. If he roughed her up too much, he'd have more Jedi on him than he knew what to do with. Plus, with a few thoughts, she could probably have a pack of them running in here at any moment. He loosened his grip, and begrudgingly let her go.

He took a couple of steps back and put his hands up in a conciliatory gesture. "Ok, easy there. I'll play nice." He gave her a crooked smile, as if it were the most natural thing for a guy who just put you in a choke hold. "I'll keep my hands to myself, I promise. Just stay out of my mind, ok?"

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus stared him down. "I think I've demonstrated what I could have done at the outset had I chosen to. So think on that before you try anything else. I wanted to hear what you had to say - not invade your mind. So, are you up for that walk?"

[member="Diego Ticon"]

 

[Dessh Ekwesh]

Diego matched her stare, unblinking as she lectured him. He'd underestimated her a bit. Ok, alot. She was obviously alot tougher than her young years would suggest. Besides, she seemed somewhat reasonable. Not uptight and sanctimonious like some of her Jedi friends who had nabbed him in this first place.

He ran his fingers through his long, dirty blonde hair and smirked. "Sure, whatever, let's walk." The young biker strode towards the door and then stopped suddenly. "Ladies first." he said sweeping his arm out in mocking gesture. He gave her a roguish grin, knowing that wherever they were going, he'd find a way to keep her on her toes. But for now, he would simply let her lead the way.

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus knew the Enclave like the back of her hand. She’d spent over ten years of her life here – more than half. She avoided speaking as they walked – she needed to keep herself under control and reflect on how she’d made such a simple error of judgement.

So she led them past various Jedi – dressed in similar robes, only green in hue – and apart from stopping to bow every few seconds, made good progress. Those Jedi she knew didn’t stop her to talk – no doubt appreciating she was here on business.

And he was still quite obviously trying to charm her with the bad-boy angle. It would no doubt be effective on most women. He wasn’t unattractive and he had a good sense of humour – but in trying it on with the ‘cold fish’ he’d miscalculated. But she didn’t hold it against him. When she was in his mind, she didn’t go looking for memories or thoughts but she couldn’t avoid feeling the emotions. He was innocent – or at least of the crimes he was under investigation for. But to let him off now didn’t feel right. It was not a matter of revenge – that was never the Jedi way. But she needed him to understand how he projected himself and – in truth – being held for something he didn’t do was entirely his own fault.

But she didn’t expect it would be a two-minute chat. Which is why it was a good thing she had patience.

Finally they exited the building and entered the gardens. Used primarily for meditation, it was a good place to talk and not be interrupted.

“So, tell me about Diego.”

[member="Diego Ticon"]

 

[Dessh Ekwesh]

The gardens of the Jedi enclave were beautiful, tranquil and eerily quiet. Too quiet for Diego's liking. In the swoop gang rider's world, stillness usually meant an imminent ambush, so when he entered the sanctuary, his unease was ratcheted up a few notches.

So far Diego's Jedi interrogator had been poker-faced. She showed little reaction to his charm, and no fear when he'd attacked her back in that little green room. The only emotion he'd noticed was the sliver of a smile when she talked of torturing him. The younger woman obviously liked to be in control. Unfortunately for both of them, so did he.

Whatever her end game was, she was hiding it well, and when she asked him to talk about himself, he shrugged his shoulders. He was surprised she didn't ask him about his family name, but even if she did, he'd deny that he had a notorious crime boss for a father. It would only give her the impression that he was a spoiled rich kid. It didn't matter anyway, both of his parents were dead, and any claim Diego had on any of his father's assets had disappeared once he ran away from home.

Raising an eyebrow, Diego smirked. "Not much to tell. What you see is what you get. Just another dirty swoop gang member who grew up on the streets." He said with a mocking tone. "Same old story as every other thug. Drinking, fighting, and women." He paused and gave her a smile. "Especially brunettes." He shrugged. "Got a thing for weapons, the deadlier the better. Speaking of which, are you gonna give me my weapons back or am I going to have to take matters into my own hands?"

At the last part of his sentence he moved in with the speed of a predatory animal just released from captivity and made a grab at her lightsaber hilt. Garden or no, he was going to bust out this cage once and for all.

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus could sense Diego’s unease as they went outside. To her this was the best kind of place to be. To be alone and meditate – to be able to feel the living Force in every creature and plant that was there.

She didn’t know why he felt uneasy – and this wasn’t the time to pry. She almost felt guilty that she could sense his discomfort – he’d asked her to stay out of his head after all. But when strong feelings or emotions were present, it was almost impossible not to pick up on them. Such was the life of a Jedi.

And then the story started. She knew his first recounting would be the rehearsed one. The one he’d trotted out to anyone who asked. Toning it down for the authorities and adding salacious embellishments for the criminal underworld – or girls he wanted to pick up.

When he ran out of steam she could start again. And again. And again. She had endless patience and sooner or later he’d start to share the real Diego. The only question was when, not if...

It was all Corvus could do not to actually kick herself. She had let him do it again. So busy thinking it through, she’d lost sight of the here and now and allowed him to get the jump on her again. She had to admit, he was quick for a non-Jedi.

But the saber would do him little good. All sabers worked best for the person that made them. That was because when built, it was the maker that imbued the crystal with the Force. But most sabers actually worked for most people. But a non-Force user would have difficulty controlling one without appropriate training – and without the Force to assist, few have ever been proficient enough to duel a Jedi or Sith.

But hers was subtly different. It contained a relatively rare Solari crystal – only available on two planets and neither was hospitable. She’d been warned when she chose it. It only worked for Jedi who were pure in spirit and an ardent follower of the Light side of the Force. And hers produced a beautiful violet blade that – for no apparent reasons she yet knew – matched the colour of her eyes.

He may be innocent of the local charges, but Diego was clearly not a secret Jedi. Keeping her emotions in check, Corvus was determined not to enjoy the next few moments. Well, perhaps a little wouldn’t be so bad?

“OK, what are you going to do now? The on switch is on the top. You can’t miss it.”

[member="Diego Ticon"]

 

[Dessh Ekwesh]

Diego stared the Jedi down with a smirk as he gripped her lightsaber hilt, using the same form he'd use with a katana. He'd never actually held a lightsaber before and it felt heavier than he had expected. And although it wasn't ignited, it seemed to respond to him somehow. Some sort of weird energy wreathed through his veins all the way to his fingertips, and the odd feeling almost made him drop it. Almost. As he bounced on the balls of his feet, his eyes never leaving the young woman's, Diego was struck with the strangest feeling, like he had a tenuous connection to the weapon. It was as if it wanted him to wield it.

He moved his thumb to the stud, flicking it. Unexpectedly, the weapon hummed to life with a deep metallic sound, a purple blade of pure plasma emanating from the hilt. He had a bit of trouble controlling it at first, and had to keep his forearms tauter than usual. The karking thing took every iota of his concentration for him to keep it from careening out of control and slicing through his own leg. He blinked and inspected the long blade of light, and taking his eyes off the Jedi for a moment, he was enraptured by it.

Then he looked back at the woman and smiled like the cat who had caught the canary. He didn't know how to use the weapon. At all. But fake it 'til you make it, he supposed.

"Give me my weapons, and I'll give you yours."

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus could sense his desperation but also an unexpected confidence. She clearly expected this to dissipate once he failed to activate the saber. On the plus side, he held it the right way up and his stance was solid. More sword than lightsaber, but not too shabby.

Wen she heard the familiar thrum and crackle as the lightsaber – her lightsaber – kicked into life. It felt odd to see it in someone else’s hands. Nobody else had ever used it – or even held it. She felt violated in an odd way. He’d grabbed her, threatened to throttle her and break her neck and she had been fine with that. But this?

It took a few seconds for the more important fact to permeate into her consciousness. He could use her saber. Which meant…

She closed her eyes and drew the Force to her. Using Force Sight she could see the world in her mind – a 360-degree view of the world. No colours and non-organics looked transparent. In front of her was Diego with a bright and definitely Light Force aura. Why had nobody checked? Why hadn’t she checked?

Her eyes snapped open. Her thoughts were not of flight or even fight, but to make sure he put that thing down before he hurt himself. Swords cut you. Lightsabers went straight for amputation – and they cauterised the wound for good measure.

“I don’t have your weapons.” It was the truth and it was a good way to stall for time.

[member="Diego Ticon"]

 

[Dessh Ekwesh]

That was not the answer Diego wanted, and he rolled his eyes in exasperation. Inside though, he was anything but irked. In spite of desperately wanting his freedom, he was actually starting to enjoy their games. He stood bouncing on the balls of his feet in front of her, deliberating on his next move. Go in for a more hands on approach again? Sweep her leg out from under her and make a run for it?

However, the lightsaber in his grip had a mind of its own. The Force weapon was getting harder to control, and the more he grappled with it, the less solid his plan became. Diego's concentration began to ebb and convinced that he was about to maim himself with it, he abruptly shut it off.

A bit embarrassed, he stood before her with the hilt still gripped tightly in one hand. Time to play it off.

"Look, girl" he said with a grin. "I really don't wanna hurt you, but I don't have time for twenty questions. What is it that you're after? You want my life story? I'll tell you my frelling life story. But just tell me what's it to you?"

Although he'd prefer to go the route that got his adrenaline pumping, Diego had to admit that talking to the woman wasn't his worst move at this point. Ever since he found out about the death of his parents, the young man been feeling things he'd never felt. Thoughts that weren't his own would creep into his head sometimes, along with other sensations he couldn't even begin to explain. Here in the Jedi garden, Diego was still in a trapped animal mindset, but maybe if he could bring himself to simmer down a bit, he could even ask her about it.

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus could sense conflict in him – but without risking aggravating the situation by reaching into his mind, she couldn’t be sure what the trigger was. He was Force Sensitive, which meant she had to be doubly careful. He had abilities he wasn’t aware of and who knew which ones were latent?

His posture suggested he was still considering taking her on and with that saber waving around, she couldn’t risk much without the danger of him losing a limb.

Fortunately he decided to shut it down. She wasn’t entirely surprised.

She spoke calmly and slowly. No Jedi trick – just a sensible approach. “I know you don’t want to hurt me. I can sense it.” Oops, possibly not the best choice of words. “I mean, your aura. We all give one off. Those not sensitive to the Force have one but it’s very weak. And it tells me if they’re broadly Light-sided or Dark-sided. Force Sensitives, like you and me – we have much brighter auras. And yours is definitely light-sided. My saber was my first inkling.”

“You can tel me your life story if you want. Or we can talk about what you’re going to do with your powers. You’re holding the saber, not me. Oh, and believe me – you won’t want to touch your old weapons again. So uncivilised.”

She kept the flow going – giving him lots to think about – hopefully tempting him to ask questions. Because once he did, she would be more confident in the outcome of this particular scenario.

[member="Diego Ticon"]

 

[Dessh Ekwesh]

So he was Force-sensitive. That wasn't a big surprise since he had already suspected it. But light-sided? Diego was floored.

He shook his head with disbelief. "So I'd suspected that I was Force sensitive. That part checks out. But I think you're karking with me about the rest. Dark-sided I could believe. But light-sided?" There was no logical reason for him to lie to her about it though.

Diego looked down at the lightsaber hilt, turning it over in his hand slowly, then tossed it back to her. A tenuous gesture of trust.

She then asked him what he was going to do with his powers. He had no frelling clue. But the sensations that flowed through him when he wielded the saber felt, well, amazing. And right somehow. It was obvious his curiosity was piqued.

He sighed. "Ok, let's say you're not just yanking my chain. Let's talk about my powers then. But first, as much as I'm sure you're enjoying my little nicknames, I'd really like to know your name."

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus listened to him. She stood still so as not to spook him and was pleasantly surprised he was taking this so well. "My name is Corvus. Jedi Knight Corvus Raaf is my full title. I'm not a local Jedi. Well actually I am - I was born and raised in Coronet - but moved away a few years ago and joined the Jedi Order. But now you're getting my life story.". She smiled.

"Let me prove something to you." She glanced down at her belt and a small pouch opened. An innocuous looking crystal floated out and was suspended, waist height, in front of her. "It's a Thaissen crystal. Used for meditation or for testing Force sensitivity. If it remains clear like it is now. No powers. Red means dark side and blue means light."

The crystal floated slowly towards him. "Just grab it. You'll soon see if I'm lying.."


[member="Diego Ticon"]

 

[Dessh Ekwesh]

As he listened carefully to the Jedi, Diego was looking less like a live wire and more like someone who might be reasoned with. The man's intelligence was usually underrated due to his biker machismo. It was a part he played with relish. Especially since the dumber people thought he was, the easier it was to make them regret underestimating him.

Her eyes told him that she didn't underestimate him. And maybe that was why she didn't fear him.

His blue eyes followed the strange crystal as it hung suspended in front of them. He gently put his hands around it as instructed. The crystal turned blue. Light-sided.

He smirked. What did light-sided Jedis even do? Were they monks? Celibacy was definitely not happening.

"Ok, Corvus." He emphasized her name with a smirk. "What the hell do I do with this anyway?" He scoffed. "Like they're gonna let someone like me in a place like this."

[member="Corvus Raaf"]