Private Trouble on Lothal

[Kara Jade]

It was long overdue for Kara to resume her Jedi training.

She had put them aside to focus on raising her son, Cassius. Although it wasn’t like Kara hadn’t tried to continue her training during the pregnancy. But both Valery and Amani had put their foot down towards most forms of training. Meditation was the only one she could practise, which was far and few inbetween after Cass was born.

When she wasn’t raising a newborn, she was trying to catch up on missed sleep.

And while she had an incredible support system of friends, they couldn’t be there constantly. It was during those times Kara wished she had been successful in finding Aiden. That was if he even wanted to be in his son’s life, but just having someone else there would’ve been a godsend.

But she had weathered the storm as it were, and Cass was now old enough to be cared for by others. It gave Kara the opportunity to return to her studies, to leave Coruscant if need be. Though it took a long while for her to be comfortable leaving her son at home.

Her primary focus right now was to obtain a crystal, one that she found herself. After the destruction of crystal caves on Ilum, it had become more difficult for Padawans to go on that part of their training. Sure, Kara could just be given a crystal, but that wasn’t how she wanted to go about it.

So, she asked some of her fellow Jedi for potential locations. Lothal was one of them, suggested to her by Valery Noble . While there may potentially be no crystals, meditating within the remains of the temple there might provide some enlightenment.

The journey there had been uneventful, the arrival on the other hand was not. As she descended towards the capitol’s spaceport, she could see smoke rising into the sky. Kara couldn’t get a good look from the cockpit, but she could feel the tension the moment she set foot off her ship.

Fynch​

 

[Fynch]

Lothal, Capital City
Tags: Kara Jade

Lothal Protectorate​

"Not on my damn planet. Not today."

An open siege had broken out in the streets of Lothal's capital city, a band of Pirates attempting to sweep in and claim it as an outpost for their criminal empire. That was bullsith, and Fynch would much rather die than give them an inch. In fact, he was out commanding his Footmen himself, much to the distress of his cabinet. As a wave of pirates made a charge, peeling out of the alleyway they had taken cover in, the Commander in Chief was quick to draw his blaster, leaning his head out of the way of an incoming blaster bolt before dropping eight consecutively. Before long, the wave had been broken by the arrival of reinforcements, many civilians who had taken up arms. It wasn't surprising. The people of Lothal were tired of being invaded. Pretty soon, Fynch had been ushered back to cover.

"Blast it all," he hissed, "Status update?"

"Stalemate, sir," one of the officers reported. "We've locked them down at the capital entrance, but we're not gaining any more ground."

"Chit..." Fynch muttered. "Close down the spaceports. Nobody leaves Lothal until these pirates are dealt with. From there we move behind them. Take back the bridge, move in, and wait them out in a siege. They can only hold out for so long."

That was all they could really do now. Grill them until they broke. If they wanted to be through this mess quickly, what they needed was a stroke of luck.

 

[Kara Jade]

Kara focused on the Force, feeling the underlying confusion and panic that was lingering throughout the spaceport. The place wasn’t too packed, but it was clear a crowd was forming somewhere towards the entrance. Whatever was happening, it was big enough to be stirring panic amongst the public.

The blonde Padawan walked through the hangar doors only to be bombarded by unintelligible chatter not too far away. Kara blended in with the other civilians, looking none too different than anyone else. She hadn’t come dressed in Jedi robes, or anything that would really indicate it.

Nor was there a lightsaber at her hip. And right now Kara wished she had at least asked if she could borrow one.

She walked up to the start of the crowd, trying to peer over to see what was happening.

“What’s going on? I just arrived.” Kara asked, eyes looking over to a nearby local.

“You've picked an awful time to do that miss. They’re locking down the spaceport.”

“Why are they doing that?” Something like that felt like an escalation, whatever was happening in the capital city was not good.

“Not sure, I was about to head offworld myself. But it sure sounds like a skirmish out there.”

Kara didn’t say anything more, instead she fell into thought as she looked at the crowd that was gathered towards the entrance. If the spaceport was locked down, then she wasn’t even going to be able to turn around and leave.

Not like she was going to in the first place, she wasn’t one to turn her back to people in need. A sinking feeling was settling in her gut, knowing this wasn’t going to be a peaceful trip as she had hoped.

The Padawan sighed as she pushed her way through the crowd, until she reached the entrance where a couple guards were standing.

“Can I pass?” She asked, despite already knowing the answer.

“No can do ma’am, we’re locking down the spaceport, no one is allowed to leave until the situation has resolved.”

“And what is the situation, exactly?” She could tell the guard was about to give her a non-answer, so she decided to cut him off and cut to the chase. “Look, just send a message to whomever is in charge. My name is Kara Jade, I’m from the New Jedi Order, and I would like to assist.”

Fynch​

 

[Fynch]

Lothal, Capital City
Tags: Kara Jade

Lothal Protectorate​

"What's the current situation?"

Fynch was now in a mobile command center, set up inside of a local business. A bakery, to be specific, who's owner was nervously overseeing the discussion in the corner. He had graciously allowed them access to his facility, but the man was clearly scared. It was admirable though. Most people would have turned and run in the face of that fear. Maybe the baker didn't see it, but he had more courage than most.

"Our troops have moved on the bridge," one of his Footmen stated. "We have a squad of Y-TIEs making bombing runs, but we don't have many more warheads to spare. We're eating away at our resources, sir."

The Commander sighed ever so slightly. Lothal was not a rich world. They had a navy of DIY starfighters and an army that wore any light armor they could get their hands on. Organized as they were, they didn't have the resources to engage in criminal-style warfare for long stretches. Just as he was anticipating their next move, a messenger entered, a frantic look on his face.

"Sir!" the soldier addressed with a salute. "We have a woman at the spaceport offering aid. Shall I let her though?"

"Are you dense?" Fynch asked bluntly. "Why would I send a civilian into a combat zone?"

"But sir, she claims to be with the New Jedi Order."

Solarus's eyes lit up. The big man took a moment to palm his face before continuing.

"Why didn't you start with that! Let her through. Promote her to Captain if you need to," he ordered in an exasperated voice. "Just bring her out here, pronto."

"Yes sir!"

This was what he needed. An ace in the hole. A Jedi was a different kind of threat on the battlefield. This could be their ticket.

 

[Kara Jade]

She had waited as another soldier ran off to deliver the message. And sure enough he was soon seen rushing back towards them, clearly out of breath. He informed them that the Commander had agreed, and that Kara was to be immediately escorted to his location.

“Fair enough, godspeed to you Master Jedi.” The soldier that had stopped her gave a little salute, for stepping aside to let her through.

Kara was about to refute that, she was certainly no Master. But the messenger was quick to start ushering her on into the capitol proper. The areas closest to the spaceport were untouched, but the further she got, the more carnage began appearing.

The Padawan’s frown deepened, wondering what the hell had happened to make it look like a small war had broken out.

I just hope there weren't too many casualties…

Buildings could be replaced, peoples’ lives could not.

The soldier eventually led Kara to what appeared to be a bakery, but with the assortment of equipment and people, it was clearly set up as a mobile/forward base. She followed him inside until he told her to wait a moment.

“Sir!” The soldier entered the room, saluting to the Commander as before. “I’ve brought the Jedi.”

Kara could hear a voice within reply, before the soldier stepped out from the doorway to let her in. She walked in, immediately noting all eyes were on her now.

“Hello,” she said with a small wave. Her eyes lingered across the room wondering what they were thinking at that moment. She did not look like a Jedi in the slightest right now. But it was a question she would address if need be. Instead, she settled her gaze on the tallest person in the room.

The blonde Jedi blinked, taking in the towering mass of muscle she presumed was the Commander.

Damn. What do they eat on this planet?

Kara offered Fynch a small smile and a bow, before approaching him. “My name’s Kara Jade, I’m guessing you’re the Commander?”

Fynch​

 

[Fynch]

Lothal, Capital City
Tags: Kara Jade

Lothal Protectorate​

“My name’s Kara Jade, I’m guessing you’re the Commander?”

"You'd be correct," Fynch nodded. "I... apologize for the current state of our capital. A sore sight at the moment, I'm afraid. It seems an invasive pirate gang has gotten rather bold and decided to move in. So, you're with the New Jedi Order..."

He turned, facing the boarded up window and crossing his arms behind his back. It was a start. One Jedi alone may have been just as human as the rest of them, but there was no understating the value they brought to the battlefield. He held a great respect for them, especially after the good showing Valery Noble had put forward as the Galactic Alliance's first representative to his people.

"We've been forced to lay siege, you see," the commander explained. "Our forces have managed to incircle the pirates and begin chipping away at their defenses, but the process will be long and costly. We're running out of resources, and more and more braze civilians are beginning to take up arms and fight themselves. We're a strongly independent people, but sometimes it's to our own determent... I don't want any more of my people getting gunned down trying to play hero."

That was his job. Civilians shouldn't be dying in his place, no matter how much they wanted to fight. Fynch was the first person here who should be taking a blaster bolt to the chest.

"I think it's possible to slip behind their lines and capture their leadership," Fynch continued. "Without a chain of command, the pirates will turn on each other and fight for the right to rule. From there we thin them out."

Fynch turned back to the Jedi, a stern look still heavy on his face. He didn't like to be so stoic. A smile was far more befitting of him, but this wasn't a time for such things.

"If you join us, it could very well change the tide of this fight," he told her. "It could save thousands of lives, and the people of Lothal would forever be in your debt. I cannot offer much in return, but I have a good deal of trust placed in what the storied of Jedi say."

He trusted that she would aid them. It was just better to put his best foot forward.

 

[Kara Jade]

There was no hiding the surprise on Kara’s face upon hearing that pirates were behind this. More so that they were besieging the city. The sheer amount of numbers that would require…Kara almost didn’t believe it. But the immediate impression she got from the Commander, is that he wasn’t the type to joke in situations like these.

She frowned, crossing her arms in thought as she listened to Solarus explain the situation. Kara admired the kind of spirit that led people to defend their homes. But the honest truth was they were rarely ever prepared for those kinds of horrors.

The blonde Jedi sympathised with the Commander, trying to keep the reins of a situation that was growing increasingly chaotic and messy. It was a battle of attrition, and the people of Lothal were not exactly on the winning side.

Kara hummed to herself as Solarus mentioned a potential plan. From her experiences with pirates, groups this large just simply didn’t work, not forever at least.

“They can’t be standing on solid ground, not in a force this size. Pirates function off greed, and far too much infighting to ever form a lasting union between different groups. If we can identify and remove the head, their already fickle supports will topple.”

In the back of Kara’s mind, there was a spot that found this whole thing ironic. Travelled a planet for Jedi business, but was using her smuggler knowledge instead.

“Question is how should we go about it? We could launch an assault to provide a distraction, while another smaller group infiltrates the pirates’ base. Just gotta decide who goes with whom.”

Fynch​