Transition in Transit [TJO Recruitment]

[Rosario Perlyn]

The air was cold, the bench was hard, and the metal collar was chafing against her neck. Sitting with a hunched back, elbows on her knees and head in her hands, Rosario was trying in vain to ignore these facts by paying the utmost attention to her left big toe. Worse than this was the palpable anxiety and suppressed anger that filled the cargo hold. The dozen slaves being transported from Trigalis to Orvax IV, where they would be sold further, were mostly muscular males of various species, except for the Twi'lek girls sitting next to her. Rosario had pointed out that the two of them were at least better off than all the men, since nobody would ever force them to do back-breaking physical work and die early in a mine or some such, but the girl had found little comfort in this thought, pointing out that they, too, had a best-before date. Rosario was trying to find it absurd to worry about that now, but found it impossible to keep up her spirits in such company.

She was yanked out of her dejected reverie as a jolt went through the ship. Alarm sirens began to sound and the light dimmed. People jumped up instinctively and some moved towards the door, rather pointlessly as it was solid without a window and locked from the outside.

***​

"Kriff", stated Dario Toha matter-of-factly as the blue twirls of hyperspace unexpectedly dissolved into shortening white lines and the ship came to an abrupt halt. He fell back into his seat and began to scratch the beard stubbles on his chin as he looked over the arrays of blinking lights around him in the cockpit trying to decide what needed attention most urgently. He pressed a few buttons and got up from his seat, headed for the back of the ship that was filled with the sound of sirens.

A whole lot of thick smoke and steam were coming from the engine room. Coughing, his partner Frago stumbled out of it and almost stumbled over him. "We're finished. Hyperdrive's gone." - "Kriff." Dario looked into the smoke for a moment, as if he were ready to go in, but then turned around. "Gotta hope someone finds us. Hide the cargo", he said, then added as an afterthought: "You alright?" Not that slavery was illegal out here; but that didn't mean that nobody would free or steal his wares, which as far as he was concerned was the same thing.

Back in the cockpit, he hesitated for a moment before grudgingly activating the ship's distress beacon. Then he dropped back into his leather chair. This could be a long wait. He decided to start by at least finding out where they even were.

***​

"No! Get away from there!" Rosario cried out in a panicked voice, jumping up and whirling around. It was a perplexing moment. She had only half a second to appreciate who she had just yelled at before a panel, followed by a stream of hot steam, smashed into the Chagrian standing in front of it by the wall. She rushed over, but was held back as others pulled the unconscious away. Confused and disoriented, she looked at the man who was holding her arm and he let go.

Moments later, the door opened to reveal two figures with blaster rifles. They waited for the slaves to retreat from the door to step forward. One pointed his rifle to a spot on the floor and ordered the slaves to clear it. The other approached and unlocked what turned out to be a hatch. "Get down there."

Huddled together on the floor, Rosario and her Twi'lek companion sat in the constricted space, the other slaves standing around and above them. It was dark and the narrow compartment warmed up quickly from the bodies inside it. The smells from various sweating and non-sweating species mixed into a stench that was difficult to ignore and a cable running along the wall was pressing into her back. Her toe was still insufficiently intriguing.

[member="Zylah Dvale"]

 

[Elijah Black]

It felt like an age since Zylah had set foot on a Jedi vessel such as this. Practically since the birth of her knighthood she had been on her own, finding her purpose in the galaxy and doing what she could to stem the tide of the Dark Side and protect those who could not protect themselves. Some might have viewed her as a Jedi without an order, but she had remained true to the tenants she had been brought up with. The Republic had betrayed democracy and those it had sworn to protect, the Jedi Order had split from it, and her master had vanished. In the aftermath the Jedi seemed to have scattered to the winds and failed to rebuild an equally robust order.

Today the Jedi were split into several orders with little sense of unity. The Galactic Alliance and their New Jedi Order, with a militant approach and a zero-tolerance for dark siders, the Silver Jedi Order, a similarly militant order although one which was more open to cooperate with those who drew upon the Dark Side, provided it was done under strict supervision. There had been several smaller groups as well, such as the Order of the Sacred Lotus, although in recent times that too seemed to have vanished. Only recently had she made contact with the Jedi Order, as it sought to reconstruct itself and become a coalition with a place for all Jedi, across factions. Zylah had been in contact with many Jedi splinter groups, but never quite found one she could call her own. Yet now, for the first time in a long while, she felt hope. She had never stopped being a Jedi, and as word had spread of the rise of this new order she had found herself drawn to it. And so it was that she found herself on one of their ships, under the command of a Miralan Jedi Master.

After what must have seemed like a small eternity, another ship dropped out of hyperspace in close vicinity to stranded ship. Their distress signal had been picked up and now responded too. However, the Kidem-class Jedi Patrol Frigate was probably the last vessel the slavers hoped would answer to their distress signal. The patrol frigate had come about as a response to an increasing threat of piracy within the space of which the Jedi Order had taken up its new residence. While far from a war ship, it could hold its own.

"How long do you think they've been out here?" Zylah asked, walking up to the edge of the bridge to glance at the vessel ahead of them. "Hard to say." the Miralan replied, deep in thought. "But there are definitely life forms aboard. We are not too late" Zylah nodded in appreciation of that fact. What had gone wrong she did not know, but little did it matter. "I'll head on over with the transports, see what I can do to help." the snow-white Arkanian-Offshoot reported. Technically she was only here as some sort of observer, but to sit back and do nothing wasn't her style. Master Kale nodded in appreciation. "I'll be along shortly after making contact." Simple bows concluded their interaction, and the two Jedi parted ways.

"This is Jedi Master Kale, of the Jedi Order. We have received your distress signal. We are here to help. What is your situation? Do you read?" The frigate hailed the slavers, while of course unaware that this was the nature of their business, while preparing to send a group over to investigate.

| [member="Rosario Perlyn"] |​

 

[Rosario Perlyn]

It had been more than six hours since the accident and Dario was growing impatient. At maximum sublight speed, it would taken them several days to reach the nearest habitable planet, and their emergency rations had turned out to be rotten so they wouldn't be able to afford feeding the slaves. He felt like he would lose his mind until then anyway. His feet on the console and a glass of Corellian whisky in hand, he was thus reflecting on his fate, irritated on top of everything by the snoring Frago who had fallen asleep in the co-pilot's chair besides him.

Suddenly the monotony was broken by a transmission. Dario exhaled in relief, only to tense up as he apprehended who had found him. He straightened up and put his glass down to look at his instruments. Somehow a frigate-sized vessel commanded by a Jedi out here. They hadn't identified themselves as such, but it could hardly be anything but a ship of the Galactic Alliance. If they found out what was in the compartment below his cargo bay, he would be toast, because he was quite sure they weren't going to be shy about enforcing their laws even out here.

He reached over to his co-pilot and shook him. "Wake up and listen, man." Then, finally, he turned on the com. "Affirmative, loud and clear. Our hyperdrive's suffered a fatal failure and we've been stranded here." He hesitated for a moment. "We're three people, can you pick us up?" Kriff the slaves, if he could get away with his health and without giving the Alliance a close look at the freighter, that was worth the loss. If he was lucky, they wouldn't pull the whole freighter into a hangar bay.

Frago looked at him with wide eyes. "Better to lose your money than your freedom", Dario remarked with a shrug. "Go back and tell Rhodie to feed the slaves so they'll shut up. We can't have anyone bang against the walls and draw attention."

***​

Sleep-deprived and dehydrated, Rosario was only dimly conscious of what was going on around her. Someone had panicked and been knocked unconscious. Now a fist was banging against the hatch above. Surprisingly enough, it opened. "One after the other, but quick", said an impatient voice, and a disembodied arm reached down to distribute packages of food rations and water. Things proceeded in surprising orderliness, and Rosario managed to scramble to her feet and reach up when it was her turn, but the Twi'lek girl seemed to have fallen unconscious. She reached for a second package, but the hand withdrew. "That's for the other girl!" - "Next!" Without thinking, the Zeltron jumped up and snatched the food out of the surprised and thoroughly unprepared hand, then fell back to the floor. Those standing around looked first at her in surprise and then upward, worried, half expecting the arm to be replaced by a gun. But all they heard was a muttered "Aw, kriff it", followed by a shower consisting of a few remaining rations. Most of them reached the floor, and people scurried around to find them in the dim light as the hatch closed again. Rosario crawled out of the way and nudged the other girl. "Wake up", she said in Ryl. "There's food and water, you'll feel better."

[member="Zylah Dvale"]​

 

[Elijah Black]

"Understood" The Miralan replied "Were you attacked?" it could have been another pirate attack. If so they were lucky that the worst they suffered was a faulty hyperdrive. "We are on an urgent mission with business elsewhere" They weren't. "But perhaps we can take a look and fix it. We have some spare parts, we'd be happy to lend you. Our engineers can take a look. Docking with your ship now. Prepare to be boarded." he replied, before he muted the channel on his end and gave the orders to have the ship move into position. "I leave the bridge to you, captain." The Jedi, dressed like Zylah in the unmistakable and traditional brown robes of the Jedi left the scene to link up with his colleague. The officer would be the one to handle any further communications with the other ship, if necessary.

"Didn't expect to see you this soon." Zylah remarked with a raised eyebrow when she was joined by the other Jedi. "No, neither did I." he sounded troubled. Before Zylah had the chance to ask him what was on his mind, he added: "Something doesn't feel right. I can't explain it, but... Be mindful of your surroundings. Trust your instincts." Zylah resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the older man. It had been long since she had received a lecture from a Jedi Master, and she was no longer accustomed to it. You don't have to tell me that, she thought, but setting her pride aside she did make a note of not letting her guard down.

Providing the docking process went according to plan and the slavers did not take action against them, doors would slide open to reveal the Jedi duo, who would make their entrance along with a few technicians who had recently joined up with them. If there was something they could do for these stranded people, they would hopefully be able to help. And if Kale's hunch indeed proved to be correct then it was the presence of Jedi which was required.

[member="Rosario Perlyn"]

 

[Rosario Perlyn]

Dario grinned in delight. This was getting even better. "Much obliged. We weren't attacked and haven't seen anybody around these parts. Perfect wastespace. Our flux capacitor connector broke, and I don't know what collateral damage we have. Last time I looked, the damn thing was still burning hot." To be fair, that had been several hours ago, but he couldn't be bothered to check again.

Dario and Frago were waiting behind the docking port to receive their rescuers. "Bless our fortune!" he exclaimed affably, extending his arms. "You can't believe how relieved we are. Thought we were going to die out here, of boredom or worse."

***​

A dozen slaves all looked up simultaneously from the food they had been vigorously attacking as another, much weaker jolt went through the ship, accompanied by some sort of impact noise. They looked at each other, unsure what to do. It was clear that this could only mean that the freighter had landed somewhere or made contact with another ship.

It never occurred to Rosario that what she was about to do was not without risk. If they had landed in some Outer Rim space port, or been found by unsympathetic scum the likes of which were no rarity here, it would get them at least hurt and at worst shot. None of this entered her mind, however, as she jumped up from the floor. "Hey! Get us out of here!" she yelled, hitting a wall panel with her fist whose metallic sound reverberated through the compartment. Other slaves were yanked out of their indecision and joined hopefully in the making of noise.

[member="Zylah Dvale"]​

 

[Elijah Black]

The response from the ship was relayed to the Jedi Master. Hopefully they could salvage their ship. If not, the least they could do was give these people a ride. He hoped his bad gut feeling would be disproved. The Miralan Jedi moved forward and extended an arm of his own to greet the other, attempting to match his smile and positive tone. "You were fortunate it was we who picked up your signal and not some pirates. Or worse, slavers"

The small entourage moved aboard the ship. The green one seemed to take the role of leader and main spokesperson to the stranded group. Zylah was a touch more reserved. The warning she had been given had given her something to think about, although she didn't know what could be wrong. They didn't look like pirates. Then again, suppose that was not exactly a requirement. Maybe smugglers? Thieves? Was there a bounty on them? There were too many options for her to know at a glance. She needed to investigate further.

A brief look was exchanged between the two Jedi. Master Kale picked up on the subtle signal and continued "My associate here will take our technicians in to see if they can fix your problem. Meanwhile, where did you come from? How are your provisions? We have plenty of food, in case you've run out" he maintained the small-talk, feigning concern to distract from Zylah who accompanied by two of their technicians began moving further into the ship. A third stayed back with Kale to check if there was anything that could be done from here. Zylah didn't really wait for any answer or sign of permission from their hosts.

When out of earshot of the other men, Zylah spoke to the people with her. "You know where to go, right?" The man to her left responded with a semi-indignant laugh. "Of course! I've been working on ships all my-" "Fantastic" she cut him off. "You go do that. I'll go have a look meanwhile." Probably used to Kale's own shenanigans they nodded with a sigh and they parted ways.

It did not take long before Zylah froze in her tracks. What... Was that clanking sound? She focused on the sound, identifying without a doubt that it was indeed not a trick of the mind. Clanking noise, of varying intensity at an irregular pace. Curious. Her pace increased and she hurried down the hall towards the source of the sound. At this rate she was bound to either come upon the source of the sound, or the third man who both Jedi seemed to have forgotten about; Rhodie.

[member="Rosario Perlyn"]​

 

[Rosario Perlyn]

When a noise was rising from the compartment below him, Rhodie jumped up and began to fumble awkwardly for the remote control in his trouser pockets. It slipped out of his hands once, and when finally after what seemed like an eternity, but couldn't possibly have been more than twenty or thirty seconds, he got hold of it, he frantically pressed its central red button repeatedly. There were brief cries of pain, then the noise died down. They really should just have gone ahead and shot those kriffing slaves after all. Putting them in danger like that.

Putting the remote away again, he left the cargo hold and locked the door behind him. As he turned around again, away from the door, he saw a woman coming down the hallway. "Ah, there's our rescue! Coming, coming, don't leave me!", he said, grinning and approaching her.

***​

Rosario gasped as a burning pain erupted in her neck. It let off for half a second, then returned, a couple of times, while she fell to her knees. Tears began to stream from her eyes. "Look where you've got us", a harsh voice said behind her. The man struck out with his leg, about to kick her, but was pulled back by two others. "Hey! Calm down!" Rosario wrapped her hands around her legs and buried her face, sobbing softly. The burnt skin against the collar was still hurting, but it was the broken hopes and the anger directed at her that were crushing her.

[member="Zylah Dvale"]​

 

[Elijah Black]

The last man revealed himself in Zylah's path. She was taken a little off-guard, before she remembered that they had mention there being three people on the ship. Before she could restrict herself she blurted out "You caught me by surprise. What are you doing down here?" Who was she to ask him that, this was their ship after all. She was but the guest. Yet she did not feel at ease, like the air was tainted by something that had no scent or form. That meant it was all in her head, in a sense, but over time the young Jedi had learned to trust her instincts. The Force communicated through her body and senses as much as her surroundings.

"Of course, we wouldn't dream of leaving anyone behind." she said in what she hoped was a reassuring tone. "The others are in the cockpit" she said with a smile. However, she did not leave this spot. She was in no hurry to get back, clearly then she had not come looking for him. Would he budge? Would he leave her, or was there something more going on? If he did remain, reluctant to leave the Jedi alone she would follow up with the inquiry: "What's back there?" She tried her best to sound casual and not suspicious, yet the very nature of her question made that a challenge.

While waiting for an answer she examined him. Not just with her eyes, but with the guidance of the Force. She sought to properly investigate him and her surroundings, but in a non-invasive manner. She was not a Sith who would force entry into the man's mind, she merely drifted along the surface. Most likely he would not notice, unless of course he was naturally suspicious of Jedi. To the extent of her abilities she sought to reach out further, beyond these halls and walls to see if she could sense something going on in the other room.

| [member="Rosario Perlyn"] |​

 

[Rosario Perlyn]

"Well, what are we waiting for, then", said Rhodie, extending his arm in a casual gesture to guide her along with him away from the door, at the same time subtly blocking her way in the not-too-wide hallway.

"Cargo hold", he said. "Was checking for damage, but everything's alright." No need to mention the panel that had come off. It was suspicious her snooping around like that, she clearly hadn't been looking for him. The damage really wasn't a big deal, but it would have given the stranger a pretext to continue snooping by insisting on being extra helpful and having a look herself. Except that wouldn't have been helpful at all. "Empty, too. We were just on our way to pick up a load. Couldn't get business for the journey there. And now this. Bloody unlucky, I say."

***​

The stench of burnt skin, the result of the electric shocks from their collars, was adding itself to the atmosphere of the compartment, a new aroma that her nose hadn't yet adapted to, making it very noticeable. The burnt Chagrian who'd been unlucky to be hit by hot steam had regained consciousness and periodically gave off quiet moans. She felt a hand on her shoulder and without looking reached up to lay hers on top. Only then did she turn around a smiled weakly at the Twi'lek girl. "Maybe it's better if we die out here anyway", mumbled the girl. "Ey!" Rosario protested. "Speak for yourself." It was satisfying to see a flicker of brighter mood in the girl. There was something in Rosario that told her it wasn't yet time to give up hope.

[member="Zylah Dvale"]​

 

[Elijah Black]

He seemed dodgy to her, and Rhodie was doing little to alleviate that voice in her mind that told her something was not right. Perhaps Master Kale was onto something after all. The little test had revealed, whatever the motives, he did not want to remain here and was eager to rejoin the others. Perhaps more accurately, he did not want her to remain here.

"I would like to take a look if you don't mind. We have time" she said with a polite smile. She hold up a hand to push gently against his with her forearm while moving out of his path, clearly resisting his attempt to guide her back where she came from. Why was he here? He said he was checking for damage, but perhaps it could have been something else. Perhaps he was guarding something. Contraband, possibly.

He had distracted her before she could get a full read of the room next to her. That being said, she had been on the verge of a big revelation. The longer she remained here, the more clear it became to her. There was something in there, something she needed to see. Unsure exactly what, it was calling to her, subtly, a whisper within the Force she could no longer ignore. Zylah was starting to feel a little tense. This felt like a moment of truth. If he continued to play this game and distract her, she would have to change up her strategy. Something was definitely off.

"Unless you've got something to hide, of course" she laughed at her own joke, pretending it was a ridiculous notion yet at the same time she curious to see how he would respond. It served a function.

| [member="Rosario Perlyn"] |​

 

[Rosario Perlyn]

Rhodie stood still as the woman resisted his movement, but didn't withdraw his arm blocking her way. "Oh, come on, this isn't a sightseeing tour."

If she forced her way past his arm, he would give up in a sigh and follow to overtake her and open the door. Again, his arm, holding the door, would prevent her from entering. "See? Empty. Bloody waste, too." If she continued to force her way in, he would this time resist with a stern look and attempt to pull the door shut.

***​

For a moment it seemed to Rosario that she heard steps on the metal floor. Faintly, in the distance, not in the cargo room directly above. She listened again and they were gone. Had it been her imagination? "Did you hear anything?" she asked around nervously, only to receive universal denial. "Well, you're deaf", she stated with sudden confidence. She stepped on the ladder that lead to the hatch above and reached out to hit the ceiling, but was pulled back by a strong arm. "Hey! Don't you do that again!" "No!" she cried out in sudden panic, overcome by a sense of urgency that she couldn't explain. "Let me go!" she screamed as loudly as she could.

***​

As the screams became audible, Rhodie looked as the woman for a moment. There was recognition in her eyes, no doubt that she'd heard it. "Dammit." He exhaled. "Well, okay, we've got a bit of a confession to make... There's actually not just the three of us. We're ferrying guests who... were afraid to be seen. You never know just who picks you up out here, you see. And also we kind of promised them to get them to their destination undetected. No offence. They insisted on hiding in a cargo compartment. Something must have gone wrong. It's probably quite hot in there by now. Truth be told, we're kind of new to this whole transporting people thing, normally our cargo's inanimate, makes everything so much easier."

Spoiler

Sorry for the awkward hypothetical, but I wanted to move the story along instead of dropping a two-sentence post. I wrote it based on what I thought Zylah was most likely to do, but if she mind-tricks him or does something else, don't hesitate to overwrite it. Also he's just an NPC, so feel free to control him if you want.

[member="Zylah Dvale"]​

 

[Elijah Black]

Tension was slowly rising. It seemed clear to her he did not want her to see whatever was in this room, similarly as it would become very clear to him that she was not about to back down from her request. Stubborn Jedi was being stubborn. She would indeed make her way past him, and thankfully instead of reaching for some blaster pistol she had not noticed he instead allowed the door to open.

Even now he fought her. Something was definitely not as it should, and her demeanour got distinctly less friendly. "Let me through" she uttered it what sounded much closer to a demand than a polite request.

Almost simultaneous with the sudden eruption of the screams, as she was hit with a wave of panic and fear stemming from [member="Rosario Perlyn"], Zylah had reached within her robe. With no hesitation in her eyes her weapon was revealed, and the blue hum of her ignited lightsaber hit the room. Her determination was showing with her hands gripping tightly around that elongated hilt. The Jedi Knight would move into the room slowly, while forcing Rhodie to step backwards into it, blade pointed at his chest.

She listened to his story but at this point she did not really buy it. His story seemed to keep changing and he had not been helpful before this moment. Perhaps it was true what he said, and if it was she would find out soon enough. "I think I'd like to hear that from them." Zylah kept pressing into the room, forcing Rhodie into a corner while she took the centre. "Up against the wall. Back facing me." Never taking her eyes off the man in front of her, keeping her blade pointed his way, she crouched down for the hatch to pull it open, with the Force if necessary.

"I'm a Jedi Knight, with the Jedi Order. You're safe now, you can come out. I won't harm you." she said with a raised voice to make sure whoever was down there heard, while decreasing the risk of them coming out in a panic. That could cause trouble. "What happened here?"

Spoiler

No worries at all! Made sense and progressed the story nicely. Good call.

 

[Rosario Perlyn]

Everyone froze as the hatch above opened with a creak, eyes were lifted anxiously. Rosario couldn't see anything from her position, and there was an unfamiliar buzzing sound to be heard from above. Finally, she could hear [member="Zylah Dvale"] announcing herself. "I knew it!" she exclaimed, a bright grin appearing on her face as she pushed aside the muscular arm that was holding her. The slaves erupted in cheers.

Rosario lost no time and jumped on the ladder to climb up. Not yet fully emerged from the hatch, she caught sight of the Jedi and couldn't believe her eyes. A beautiful white woman stood there, dressed in simple peasant's clothes, holding a beam of blue light in her hand. There was a calm determination in her eyes, no hint of hesitation, obviously she was in full control of the situation. After the roller coaster ride of emotions she had gone through in the last hours, Rosario was unspeakably relieved to surrender her fate to this person, and at the same time, to be in her presence gave her back some strength of her own.

"You just rescued a bunch of slaves!" Rosario informed the Jedi with a beaming smile as she climbed out of the hole. Back in the cold air of the cargo hold, the rag of a blue dress that she'd been given to wear was very much insufficient, but her attention was occupied by much else at the moment. Just as she stepped aside, the next head was already emerging. Nonetheless, Rosario leaned forward and shouted down. "Don't you dare leave the Chagrian down there!" She turned to the Jedi to explain, happily and lightly as if it were no grave matter. "One got badly burnt. Don't think he'll be able to climb out by himself."

 

[Elijah Black]

It was a precarious moment, but she could not allow herself to lose focus. Thankfully it seemed like the man in front of her wasn't very keen on impaling himself on her lightsaber, so he remained put, muttering words and curses she paid little mind to. The cheers made it hard not to smile though. It was for moments like these she lived for. To be a Jedi, to save those who had had fate deal them a bad hand, that was what it was all about.

The first to jump up was [member="Rosario Perlyn"]. Zylah tried her best to meet her with a warm smile and reassuring posture, yet she remained on guard. For all she knew, these people were just as likely to jump the man who had held them captive as he was to jump them. Neither were events she would permit.

You just rescued a bunch of slaves!

Kark it. While as a Jedi she tried to keep her heart free of hatred, there was no hiding the fact that slavers were people she did not hold in any high esteem. How many of them were there? Focus. Ground yourself in the present, she thought to herself. This situation was not over until they were back on the Jedi patrol ship. Her free hand lifted in direction of the man now confirmed slaver. She drew upon the Force, and within a few moments the man collapsed onto the floor. Zylah breathed a sigh of relief, deactivated her lightsaber and turned to Rosario and the others.

"Don't worry, he's not dead. I just put him to sleep. Can't risk him grabbing one of you and turning this into a hostage situation while we make our escape" The pink one stood out to her, and she wasn't entirely sure why. Perhaps it was the beaming smile despite what she had just been through. And she could only imagine... A Zeltron, with a kind and caring heart it would seem, judging by the way she shouted to leave no one behind. Slavery would have been hard on her. "He will stand trial and be convicted. Meanwhile" Zylah removed her dark brown robe, revealing the combination of white and beige tunics and undertunics underneath, an outfit typically associated with Jedi. She put the robe on Rosario, the poor girl must've been freezing with the way she was dressed. It was cold enough as is. "It's a little itchy, but it'll do the trick."

Zylah pulled out a small commlink, and opened a connection back to the ship but made sure it was on a channel that would not reach the Miralan Jedi. Wouldn't want to let the others know they were onto them. "Captain, the ship was carrying slaves. Gonna need the med-bay ready. We got one injured, but I want them all looked at. Master Kale doesn't know. We'll move out at once." and with that she cut communications. "You, help me" she pointed at a random male who looked moderately healthy. Whether out of the kindness of his heart, or simply not wishing to refuse a Jedi, he stood by as Zylah leapt down the hatch and together they got the injured Chagrian back up.

"Time to go. Me and my friend will handle the other slavers. You guys just stay back until we have the situation under control. Then we'll get you all sorted and out of this place." With the hilt of her lightsaber once more in her hand, she began moving back the way she had come from. She would have to send someone back to go get the slaver she had knocked out. Telepathically she relayed the situation as briefly as she could to the other Jedi. Then after sneaking up on them as best as she could, she came running out, lightsaber igniting hopefully simultaneously as Kale would do the same.

Spoiler

Feel free to jump ahead at any point btw, if you feel a minor time-skip is necessary. I'm flexible.

 

[Rosario Perlyn]

A buzzing sound emerged behind him and Dario Toha whirled around, his hand reaching for his blaster. But when he saw a Jedi holding a lightsaber, he was quick to hold up the palms of his hands in a conciliatory gesture of innocent surrender. "Hey, hey. No need for that. What's going on?"

***​

"Well, now, that's rich. We're not slavers", Dario protested. He sounded almost indignant at the accusation as he was led with his hands cuffed behind his back. "We don't actually own them. We're merely transport contractors. It's perfectly legal, we're in neutral space here, and you can check our ship's logs: it's legal where we came from and it's legal where we're going... Were going. You're actually abducting people here, you know?" This had all gone so terribly wrong.

***
​

Huddled into the dark robe that she had gratefully received, Rosario was walking behind the Jedi as the slaves were being led from the freighter. They were excitedly discussing their situation among themselves. "How the kark did she know we'd be so lucky?" - "She didn't. She's crazy. We were just lucky. That's what it means, lucky - you can't know it." Rosario smiled to herself. He had no idea. "What's going to become of us now?" the Twi'lek girl asked in Ryl. "I don't know", Rosario answered cheerfully. "First of all, we're going to get to see a Jedi space ship from the inside. Not something you ever expected, did you?"

As they were walking through the bright and clean corridors, she did, however, turn to [member="Zylah Dvale"], switching back to the more widely understood Galactic Basic. "Excuse me, Mistress Jedi. Where will you be taking us? I mean, where is your ship going?"

 

[Elijah Black]

Tell it to the court, she had thought as the slavers were taken away. She wasn't persuaded, but it was also not her place to pass judgement. The former slaves could offer their testimony, ship records would be examined. All would be taken into account. But that was out of her jurisdiction. She took pleasure in the fact that these people were now free, and no longer cranked up under a hatch. The whole operation had gone by smoothly. No loss of life and the slavers both apprehended and placed in arrest for the duration of the trip.

"We'll take you back to Commenor Systems Alliance. You'll be well treated. People there will help you get you back to your homes. Where is that exactly?" she offered the girl a warm smile. Quickly, she added "Oh, and you can call me Zylah." If she didn't say so herself, Zylah would also ask what her name was. She imagined the way they would be treated from this point onward would be quite an adjustment, but a most welcome one.

There was something she couldn't just shake off however. The pink one stood out to her. Not simply because the bright and colourful tone of her skin, but there was something about her. She had overheard the others speaking, and that became the bit that tipped over the cup that was her curiosity. Now she had to know.

The group moved through the halls of the frigate until they reached the med-bay. As promised, it had been prepared and medical droids and a few members of staff were ready to receive them. The injured one had received special attention and was being taken care of already. The others would go through simple and quick check-ups, but there was no hurry, and they could not all go at once. While others were being taken care of, Zylah walked back out into the hall while gesturing for the Zeltron to follow her. Zylah was staring out into space through the transparisteel window for a moment before she turned to the girl. "What did they mean before? That you knew you would be lucky?"

[member="Rosario Perlyn"]​

 

[Rosario Perlyn]

"Zeltros, I suppose..." Rosario said pensively. It had only been five years since she had been taken away from there, but it felt like more than half of her life. She wondered what it would be like to come back, and what had become of her mother and siblings. It would be jumping straight back into her old life, which wasn't so bad. But she was not about to pick up cards again, which left rather open the question of what she was supposed to do. The only skill she had ever learnt was to dance. That she could do, and it would be like the last years, only without the expectation of further unpleasantness as she grew older. The other girls had warned her, but it had been much worse than they'd made it seem. That was why she was now here, at the end of this curious chain of events, or rather right in the middle of a very curious chain of events, that led she didn't know where. "I'm Rosario", she introduced herself simply.

***​

​

"Yes, Mistress Zylah?" She raised her eyes as the Jedi gestured for her to follow, but was then quite happy to obey quietly. It was clear to her that she had nothing to fear from this woman, despite the cold colours of her angelic appearance, there was an unmistakeable warmth about her. That warmth made the air of power that the woman had about her appear unthreatening, it was an unusual combination, one that Rosario did not remember having met. She wondered what it must be like for her to be so different from the regular mortals of the galaxy. Does she see things very differently? What does she care for, what does she want? Rosario wondered as she looked out into the vast blackness of space.

"Oh, I suppose they thought I was being stubborn not giving up hope. I just had a feeling that things were going to turn out alright today", she said with a shrug. "I also win at cards a lot, but they don't know that", she added, turning to [member="Zylah Dvale"] with a mischievous grin.

 

[Elijah Black]

Zeltros... All things considered that wasn't a giant shock. Zylah could sense the hesitation, and that underneath it all there was a story difficult to tell. Now did not seem like the time to prod, so the pale Jedi let it rest at that and instead gave her a smile and a nod. Perhaps a topic for another day. Rosario. Now she had a name to the face, and no longer had to mentally refer to her as the pink one. "That's a beautiful name"

It pleased her how at ease Rosario seemed. A Jedi ship ought to be at least that, a sanctuary against the cold darkness outside. At the mention of winning at cards, Zylah couldn't help but laugh. "Maybe I need to find you some cards so that they will" but jokes aside... She had wondered what it had implied. Could the Force have worked through her? Predicted the future in its subtle ways? "Do you often get those feelings?" Zylah paused. "Do sometimes weird things... Happen around you? I mean, things you can't explain, things that possibly couldn't have been caused by you but deep down you know that they were? Inexplicable things." It was perhaps a leading line of questioning. But she was starting to sense that there was more to this girl than simply a positive and uplifting mood.

The Jedi's words were examining, but now she called upon another tool at her service, namely the Force. This time around there would be no slaver to keep her mind from seeing the truth. Zylah opened her mind, allowing her awareness to heighten. She listened. And shaped her focus and trained it on Rosario. There were limitations to what she could discover, and if what she suspected was true there would be tests. But she couldn't shake the sense that the Force was trying to communicate to her, through what most people would refer to as a hunch, that Rosario might be Force Sensitive.

[member="Rosario Perlyn"]​

 

[Rosario Perlyn]

Rosario was pleased to have made the Jedi laugh and smiled happily. Then a more thoughtful expression briefly took hold of her. "Do you often get those feelings?" "Uh, I guess so?", Rosario replied with a shrug. "I just do what seems right at the time. I'm not one to overthink things."

"Weird things? No, not really." She looked out through the window and drew the roomy robe closer around her. "Well, except... You know how feelings are sometimes contagious? That one time, when I was very frightened, that was a bit extreme. I didn't know that could happen, although mother had told me not to be frightened."

She put her hands behind her back and turned to the Jedi, smiling again. "Mistress Zylah, can I ask you a question? What is it like to be a Jedi, do you do things like this all the time?"

[member="Zylah Dvale"]​

 

[Elijah Black]

Zylah nodded thoughtfully. Perhaps not then? She had suspected an innate form of precognition. The Force, in those who were blessed with it, developed and manifested in different ways. Even so, the more she looked, the more she felt sure of it.

“What happened, when you were afraid?” she asked, suddenly aware after the fact that she was prodding too much. It wasn’t her business. Yet it wasn’t uncommon for the Force to reveal itself in the young under extreme duress. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.” she was quick to add, but continued with “But did others seem to catch your fear?” She was a Zeltron. Perhaps this wasn’t unheard of. But if it manifested in a strong way, then maybe that was her first hint of solid proof.

It was hard not to smile herself, faced with Rosario’s own beaming up at her. “Of course! Hmm” What was it like to be a Jedi. Now that was a question that could have her talking for hours, but Rosie would probably benefit more from something brief. “Sometimes. I go where the Force tells me, do what good I can with what I see. Some might call it luck that I found myself on a ship that picked up your distress signal. I see it as the will of the Force. Have you heard of the Force?” she smiled, then turned once more to gaze at the stars. “The life of a Jedi is different to be sure, and not an easy one. It involves a lot of training, self-restraint, mastering one's own emotions. But I like to think we make an impact for good.”

“What do you think you’ll do after this?” Zylah prodded with another question. Did she have any deep passions or long established plans? She didn’t wish to rip her away from what she wanted, but… If Zylah’s suspicions were right, there could be another destiny meant for her.

[member="Rosario Perlyn"]​