Private The World Is Ours [Maran]

[Lukan Rath]

"To waste such an opportunity would be criminal"

Partner in Crime: Maran
​

---

The Lower Levels of Coruscant.

Now, this was more like it!

Tonight was a night of opportunities the likes that Lukan had not seen since being forced to leave home on Nar Shaddaa, and to add to the surprise and pleasure of being free of the restrictions of the Jedi for Gods knows how many hours, he had actually managed to find someone among the students with a similar penchant for a real adventure. The chance to make some real credits and experience the Galaxy as it was made to be. Dark, wild and breathtaking. The most honest and genuine impression that the real Coruscant (That which wasn't hidden away by Temple Walls) could provide.

After a few weeks of getting the gist of the Temple layout, biding his time and doing as he'd promised to Amanda braska, Lukan had given the place a chance while also keeping a sharp eye on his surroundings. Thus far he had learned the fastest way from the student dorms to one of the exits leading out of the Temple. He had counted the Temple Guard and even managed to guess a few of their patrols correctly after a few little trials by fire. He had been careful, he had been quiet and he had used every skill the streets of Nar Shaddaa had taught him to prepare for tonight.

They were sneaking out.

Many of the other students were either in bed or quietly studying from what he could tell, by the time Lukan stepped out of his quarters and gave Maran a quick comm's click thrice to let her know that the time had come. So long as they kept an eye on the chronometer, they could be back by early morning just in time to catch breakfast. A couple of fingers down the throat in the corner of the cafeteria and suddenly they had come down with something, clearing the days' schedule for some well-earned rest.

...And in the meantime, Luke could offload some of the things he had managed to 'find' around the Jedi Temple. Hell, it wasn't like the Jedi were scarce for a few creds judging by the look of the place. The time was nigh and the plan was underway. They would meet at the foyer to the rear of the training wing. Most people there would be too busy to notice two padawan sneaking out anyway.

 

[Maran]

Sneak out of the temple, huh?

Maran couldn't say that was something she'd ever done before. Sneaking out of the Temple. But since arriving to this one, well. It was b o r i n g. The occasional lesson, the occasional spar. Mostly just study and library time. It was so damn boring. Approached with the idea to not only sneak out but make some credits and maybe even have some fun, there was no way she was going to turn it down. The com clicked, and she was already running.

Or walking. Run walking? She wasn't sure how to actually sneak out, but she hurried along to the meeting location like a secret agent. That's what this was, right? Being secret agents?

Once there she clicked twice. Waited. Then clicked a third. She turned her gaze around the foyer, practically bouncing on her heels until he came into sight. Then she grinned. Waved.

"Okay. You ready? I'm ready. I'm not nervous or scared. But I'm ready, for sure."

Lukan Rath

 

[Lukan Rath]

She grinned. Waved.

"Okay. You ready? I'm ready. I'm not nervous or scared. But I'm ready, for sure".

"You kidding? I was born for this" Lukan boasted with no small amount of confidence. In good time he would once again be back in his element; And for this particular occasion, the pajama party the Jedi so often seemed to parade about in just wasn't gonna cut it. It was a little sad, but the best outfit he could manage to get his hands on was a Jedi Jumpsuit.

"First thing's first, we need to find the public transport dock...-We need to take a civilian shuttle so we leave no traces of us behind" He smirked as he laid out their plan of action; "And then we offload some gear I found laying around so that we have some good creds to spend on ourselves! There's bound to be plenty of folk in the lower levels biting at the teeth for some of this stuff!" he let the backpack slide down from his right shoulder and gave it a good rattle.

He didn't bother to open it in case it gave Maran cold feet, but within were a couple of training lightsabers that he could pawn off as the real deal. There were apparently gangs down in the lower levels and what better attraction for some scuttle brain than a real Jedi weapon? Coupled with these he had also snagged a Holocron from one of his tutors. The guy had been boring with his endless talking anyway. It was basically just asking to be taken.

With a mischievous yet adventurous glint in his eyes, he smirked at his new found partner in crime. Not that she quite understood it yet. "Let's get a move on then, shall we?".

 

[Maran]

Born, huh?

Maran wasn't too sure what he meant by it, but she was too hyped up on the adrenaline of doing something probably bad to think about it. Public transport, sell some stuff. Make some money. She hadn't had actual money before. Oh the things she could buy! Like uh.. She'd figure that out later. Right now she just nodded and grinned and did her absolute best not to look as nervous as she felt.

She absolutely wasn't nervous.

Right?

"Wha- huh? Ah! Right. Yeah! Let's g-! Er.." Realizing she might be a little too loud she cleared her throat. Then spoke in a whisper. "Let's go. You know how to fly?"

Lukan Rath

 

[Lukan Rath]

"Fly? Nah...Public Transport, we'll take the City Bus. Jedi get a free pass from what I heard" Lukan smirked back at Maran as they left the Temple interior and started to make their way towards one of the nearest ports on the outskirts of the Temple Grounds.

Coruscant was massive, much like Nar Shaddaa only cleaner from the topside. Endless spires of buildings, businesses and housing for the wealthy. Really, those were the ideal targets to swindle but with credits also came a greater security risk. Luke may have been a thief and a street rat but he wasn't an idiot; the boy was rather skilled at what he did and had put a great deal of thought into this night.

Hopefully, his new partner in crime would have such a great time that she'd want to keep hanging out with him. Truth be told, he hadn't made any more friends or really even spoken to anyone aside from Aiden Porte and Amanda braska.

The transport bay wasn't far. It only took five minutes or so to find one of the public busses that went down into the lower levels. "This is us" Lukan smiled as he led Maran on board and flashed the driver a glimpse of his Jedi identification. It wasn't risking so much as it was just a dumb chance that Lukan would be taking a bus at the same time that things might have 'mysteriously disappeared. All circumstantial. There was nothing to be proven from his disappearance, just an innocent joyride, right?

The pair of them would soon be welcomed on and Lukan would head towards the back of the transport where the best seats were. Your back to no one and eyes forward on the others who might board. Potential targets with fuller pockets if he wasn't bringing new blood along with him. Frankly, it wasn't much of a sacrifice, however. So far he was enjoying the Mirialan's company. She seemed fun-loving and enthusiastic which was by far less boring than many of the others he'd seen in his classes day by day.

"You ever been to the lower levels before?" He asked Maran with an eager grin, looking forward to getting back to a place of familiarity. There really was nothing like it. Rough, dirty and exciting around every corner. Far fewer pencil pushers and far more places to have fun.

 

[Maran]

"Oh. Right, yeah, totally."

They literally were just talking about using public transportation. She followed after him, glancing far too long at strangers they went by with a 'do you think they know!?' panic written all over her face. She wasn't a thief, if that much wasn't obvious before. Deeper down, she blinked in surprise. Glanced through the window at the city around them rather curiously. She actually hadn't been outside of the temple, short of arriving here last month.

Oh wait he asked a question. She blinked again, glancing to him. Then shook her head. No point in lying about this.

"I uh, no. There's a small temple back home I lived in until I was able to come here. I uh, haven't really been off temple grounds. .. Coruscant is huge."

Lukan Rath

 

[Lukan Rath]

"If it's anything like Nar Shaddaa, it'll be awesome" Lukan grinned, the enthusiasm basically melting off of him; "My homeworld was basically like the lower levels of Coruscant, but everywhere and run by the Hutts. We didn't get many Jedi there" He shrugged as he spoke of his homeworld rather nonchalantly.

"We'll probably see all kinds of people down there though. Gangs and dealers, Gods knows how many cantina's and bars. Nothing like the upper levels, this will be the real world we're seeing. Nothing fancy like the Jedi Temple or expensive condos here. Just people, raw and honest as the Galaxy can provide" he smirked. They were his kind of people.

As the Transport began to descend, the brilliance of Coruscant began to fade in exchange for the smog and darkness of the Capital's underworld. Neon lights began to shine from below the transport, heading down towards the party center of Coruscant's finest, or infamous, depending on how you looked at it.

"Once I've gotten rid of this stuff, we can check out a Cantina and maybe get a drink before we go exploring. They'll let us in for sure given we're Jedi. No one gets in the way of 'Jedi Business'" he said with exaggeration to the last two words, turning to smirk at Maran .

"You ever tried synthahol?" he asked, curious to know just how much of a lightweight she might be.

 

[Maran]

"Nar Shadda? Ain't that like, the slimiest place?"

Gangland, as far as Maran was familiar with. And familiar was a stretch. More like places not to go if she wanted to be an upstanding civilian. And Jedi. Wait, he was from there? She bit back saying anything else on it. Didn't want to insult probably the coolest person she'd met so far in the Temple. I mean, they were here! Heading into the underworld to make some credits and- Wait drink?

"I uh- No. No I haven't drank anything before. I'm uh, aren't we too young to be drinking..?"

Lukan Rath

 

[Lukan Rath]

"Slimy in some places, just downright dirty in others..." Lukan shrugged a shoulder carelessly while laughing softly under his breath as he thought back to his homeworld; Truth be told, most people dreamed of getting away from it all. His adoptive parents had been among them, without the credits to build a life elsewhere. Whatever they were doing now, Luke tried to push to the back of his mind.

"The lower levels sound like they're the same, but the Nightclubs and Bars are where you meet all kinds of people. Some of them get so drunk that you can take from their pockets without them ever noticing" He continued, smirking broadly as he made it all sound like some grand adventure, excitement and thrill-seeking at the forefront of his mind.

Some might have guessed that acting out, rebelling against the rules and challenging danger, could have been a result of his being uplifted to Coruscant or some previous trauma, but really Lukan just wanted to have fun and feel like he belonged again.

"Well...-We're not old enough, but we're also Jedi so...-We'll be fine!" he exclaimed as the Transport seemed to even out and the lower level streets came closer in line with the trajectory of the public craft. The pilot would soon announce their imminent arrival and Lukan was already leaving his seat before the vessel stopped moving.

"Time to have some real fun" Lukan turned to look back at Maran cockily, "Let's go!".

 

[Maran]

They'd be fine because they were Jedi?

She had a couple hang ups about that, but thus far he seemed pretty cool. And, well. The desire to be cool always won out. She forced a smile and nodded as he looked back to her. "Yeah, let's go." This wasn't a bad idea. They weren't going to get in trouble. They were going to have fun, celebrate, make money. All things Jedi should be doing! With that renewed lie in her head she got up after him, following practically on his heels.

"So like, what are we doing, anyway?"

Lukan Rath

 

[Lukan Rath]

As the two of them stepped off the transport bus and into the dense underworld air of the lower levels of Coruscant, Maran asked what they were going to be getting up to down there. "First I need to find someone willing to buy this stuff off of me. We'll head to a Cantina and see if we can spot anyone along the way that stands out I guess. Otherwise, Cantina's and Nightclubs are filled with all kinds of people, so that's where I'd put my credits on us getting lucky" Lukan explained as they moved along the high-rise platform, the skyline clouded in polluted air and overshadowed by the looping spires that seemed to endlessly tower above them.

On the way, however, it'd give them a chance to get to know more about each other; It was a little out of the ordinary to be trusting someone with such a plan given they were basically strangers. Lukan felt fortunate that this girl seemed to like excitement and a thrill as much as he did. "So how long have you been with the Jedi anyway?" he asked, turning to glance to Maran while they passed crowds of people.

The local populace down on their level didn't fashion the same beautiful garments as those above. They passed all types, many of which looked downtrodden and wearing dirtier or worn-out clothing resembling the reality of life for those financially disadvantaged such as they were.

"It's pretty cool of you to come along. I didn't think I'd find anyone else brave enough to have some real fun" he smirked, complimenting her and voicing his approval for having shared company for the evening.

 

[Maran]

"Right, right. What are we selling again?" Come to think of it, she hadn't thought much on.. Any of that. Just the whole getting out to have fun. Not the actual fun, not what would be sold. Nothing on what they were actually going to be doing. This was a bad thing, wasn't it?

Probably why it felt so fun, honestly.

Her gaze shifted around the people they passed by, blinking in some mild surprise. Live up on the Temple level as long as she did, and all she saw was the pristine city. Clean, happy people. To think there were people just below who lived like this. Kinda messed up.

"Honestly, I'm still tryin' to figure out how to have fun here. Temple life is soooo boring, y'know?"

Lukan Rath

 

[Lukan Rath]

"Just a few things I've picked up laying around here and there, some Jedi tech and a couple of training lightsabers as well as a pretty sweet Holocron thing. They're all bound to sell for quite a bit down here, given how difficult it would be for anyone down here to come across Jedi tech", Lukan answered as they walked, speaking without any sound of concern in his voice as he clearly seemed confident that what they were doing would be traced back to either of them.

Come to think of it, she probably deserved the chance to back out now before things went any further...

Slowing in his pace, Lukan raised a hand in a gesture to Maran to pause as well before speaking with a little more apprehension coming through in his words. "Listen....-What we're doing isn't exactly something the Masters would like. I'm pretty sure I've covered my tracks well enough but it's probably best if you know the trouble we could get into for being down here. If you want to back out, now would be the time".

It was true that Temple life was boring from what Lukan had experienced so far. He hadn't yet gotten into physical training nor learned how to use the Force in any form of Jedi Abilities often told in stories. Hell, he barely knew anything about the Force and wouldn't have believed in it if he hadn't seen what some of his classmates could do.

"Otherwise, we need to keep tonight just between us. No one else can know what we're getting up to or we could get into serious trouble..." He cautioned her, wanting to ensure she understood; "So...You in or out?".

 

[Maran]

That.. Sounded like a lot of stuff the Master's wouldn't like being sold. She was going to bring it up herself, actually. Say something, anything, to talk about the doubts that were forming in her mind. And he spoke up instead. Mentioned how much trouble they could be in. And.. It being a secret. The last part she seemed to latch on. Secrets weren't something she was ever trusted with growing up. Too young to be trusted.

She nodded once, giving an honestly nervous smile.

"I'm in. It's our secret."

Lukan Rath

 

[Lukan Rath]

"Excellent!" Lukan grinned, clearly pleased with Maran 's agreement to continue; "It'll be cool to have someone else with me. I didn't think I'd find anyone with the stomach for it" Luke added. Most of the students of the New Jedi Order seemed too afraid of getting caught and displeasing their Masters to do something like this and Maran had been the first and likely only one who was willing to put herself out there.

Knowing that his Mirialan friend was still in the game, Lukan turned to continue towards one of the nearby nightclubs. The building entrance was lit up with vibrant neon lighting, the name of the establishment 'The Clarion Flare' gleaming high above the open doors for all to see. Standing in front of those doors however were two significantly larger adults, a man and a woman of human origin who looked like they meant business and seemed to be responsible for admitting those queued up in a long line, into the premises.

"Follow my lead" Luke muttered under his breath to Maran before walking passed those queued with feigned confidence in his stride. This was sure to test some of that courage he had seen in the girl, yet he didn't falter as he moved to stand before the bouncers, one hand moving to dig a thumb under his belt where his training saber hung, loosely bouncing off of his thigh before he and the hilt both came to a stand-still.

"Excuse me for the interruption but we have Jedi Business within your establishment. There's been a report of a suspicious person inside and we're here to assess the possible threat" Lukan spoke with an air of authority, lying through his teeth and doing so with a flawless mask. He had done it before. "Do not be alarmed, and do not make it public. We don't want to scare anyone into drawing a weapon".

 

[Maran]

Stomach it? Did this mean she was brave? This had to mean she was brave. That was good, right? Yeah! That made her more of a Jedi for sure! With that logic she let herself smile wider. Keep her shoulders straighter, head higher. Pride before the fall, as it were. She quickly nodded, following behind him as he approached some tough looking fellow. Big, tough looking fellow.

It was immediately frightening to her. She was tempted to take a step behind Lukan, but as he spoke and.. Lied, with seeming ease at that, even she felt like she actually belonged here. Puffing up and nodding, she patted her own lightsaber.

"Jedi business, and all that. We'll try to keep it brief."

Lukan Rath

 

[Lukan Rath]

The two bouncers stood there looking undecided. They both glanced at each other, one of them shrugging before the other turned back and responded; "You can go in, but we need to inform our boss and he'll decide what to do from there".

"I assure you, Sir, any hint of a tip-off will spook our suspect" Lukan replied quickly and confidently; "You don't want to risk the lives of those inside. Let us go in and handle things quietly, and business can go on without interruption" he elaborated with as mature a voice as he could manage.

"Hey! What's the hold-up!?" someone impatiently called from the front of the queue behind Lukan and Maran .

One of the Bouncers raised a hand to gesture for patience before looking to the two Jedi, "Alright fine. You two go in but don't make a mess...-If someone gets killed, your leaders will be hearing about it".

"Understood. Not to worry, SIr. We'll be discrete" Lukan responded before looking to Maran, taking her by the wrist and walking on into the Nightclub.

Inside the music was loud and the bass made the whole building feel like it was thumping. People were dancing on the floor in the centre of the massive open room while others were seated at tables or one of the bars lining the sides of the club. All Lukan could do was smirk to himself as the entrance closed shut behind them, leaving the two to enjoy themselves now that his little ploy had gotten them this far.

"What'd I tell you! Nothing to worry about" He spoke loudly so that she could hear him over the music that played loudly.

 

[Maran]

Wait he needed to tell his boss? Wasn't that going to defeat the whole purpose of sneaking in? Were they going to be able to sneak in at all? Panic struck the Padawan as she glanced between the Bouncer and Lukan, as if trying to find some reason not to just freak out and run away. Shouldn't she just run away? No, no, he was still calm. He had a plan! Or just that good of a smooth talker.

Looked like the later. Before she knew it they were inside. She was still somewhat panicking. The music didn't help at all, but she forced another smile as she nodded.

"R.. Right! Um. Where now?"

Lukan Rath

 

[Lukan Rath]

"R.. Right! Um. Where now?"

Maran sounded nervous, or maybe it was more that she was scared. Those inhabiting the Nightclub weren't the types of people that most Jedi were accustomed to meeting. There were booths all around, some filled with rough types wearing patched-up clothing, gang paraphernalia. There were women dancing, dressed all....-Well, wearing far less than most of the other people there to enjoy the night. If you looked hard enough, you could spot the odd drug dealer slipping someone their fix under the table or disguised as a handshake, really discrete as it was still considered illegal but the chances of anyone doing anything about it down in the lower levels were pretty close to nil.

"Now comes the tricky part..." Lukan replied, turning back to face Maran and placing a reassuring hand to her shoulder, a half-cocked smile to try and lighten her up a bit; "We gotta choose the right people to try to sell this stuff to" he gestured to his backpack. "They need to be less likely to report us, but also someone who won't straight up try and take it from us without paying for it" he explained. Life was tough in the lower levels and there were some with far fewer morals than topside on Coruscant. Drugs, drinking and no small discard of the law were all commonplace where they stood.

Moving to stand beside Maran, he turned to guide her attention to the crowded club floor; "We don't want to choose someone who's drunk. Drinks make people aggro. It makes them brave. We're better to find someone who's using drugs. Certain kind of drugs can relax people, makes them less likely to want to fight us, and slows the mind. I think that's going to be our best bet down here".

 

[Maran]

Wait what. Drunks? Drugs? The wonderment of doing something bad was now getting replaced by just general panic and fear. Messing with people who did drugs, the people who did drugs were brutal people, right? From what she learned, at least. This was a bad idea, wasn't it? This whole thing was a terrible idea. She didn't want to go talk to people on drugs, that seemed like an absolutely terrible idea.

Drunks are aggro and brave. Did that mean violent? Is that what he was avoiding saying? She walked beside him, practically shrinking in on herself. She wanted to be cool, though. Would this make her cool? It had to make her cool.

Cool. Be cool.

"H.. How-" She cleared her throat to try and keep her voice level. "How do we know who's on what?"

Lukan Rath