Why Must We Fight?

[Jamie Pyne]

As soon as the three made it inside the pantry Jamie shot a glance around the room. "Where!?" She asked, specifically to Joran, though she didn't actually say his name. There wasn't time. She simply needed an answer to get them out of there. "There!" He replied, pointing to a massive keg to the right of shelving units. It was just as heavy as it looked as well. While Aela fiddled with securing the door for them Jamie did about the only thing she was moderately proficient with. With a bit of nervous concentration the girl took a moment and scraped together enough Force energy within herself to tear the keg from its' resting place, knocking it right over onto the ground, splitting it open to let out the contents of what was most certainly incredibly expensive alcohol. This was hardly the time to complain however, as the hidden hatchway was then revealed.

"Aela, come on!" She shouted, yanking up on the small brass handle, the creak of the age old door giving way to the darkened tunnel below. Without hesitation she gripped the ladder and quickly descended into the darkness. Joran would follow in the middle. It wasn't a great distance, maybe twelve feet or so underground. There was no light however, so wherever this led was beyond Jamie. Unless Aela had some kind of way to produce light, they'd be making their way to the courtyard in total darkness.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Aela waited a moment, watching as Joran and Jamie descended the ladder.

She lingered for a moment, closing the pantry door and once again searching for some kind of lock. She found a chair, quickly wedging it beneath the handle of the door. That wouldn't hold it for long of course, but at that point she didn't particularly care about such things. She just wanted to buy time, even if it was only for a few seconds. "Move out of the way!"

The Jedi Marshall yelled down the tunnel as she hopped into the small opening.

She landed with a slight puff of dust raised up around her, the force evening out her weight as she landed. The trap door that had been concealed just moments before was pulled shut by a quick yank of her arm, her hand closing into a fist to crush and crumble the metal against it's frame. Again it wouldn't slow them down for long, they likely had some sort of cutter with them, but it didn't matter. All that they needed was a few seconds more.

"Which way?" She asked Joran. "Left or right?"

"L-left."

He answered quietly, clearly fearing for his life. "Follow me closely, we have to move quickly."

The darkness was almost oppressive, the hallway tiny and nearly falling apart, but Aela could see where she was going. The force lit her path, both directly and indirectly. It wasn't exactly as good as seeing in the daylight, but she would be able to forge a path well enough that they wouldn't walk into anything.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie pushed Joran forward to follow between Aela and herself, so that he wasn't left behind, and also so that she could watch him. Despite all of this she was still not entirely trusting of him, and that was putting things lightly. None of this felt right. She would feel a whole lot better once they got aboard their ship and were out of the planet's orbit on their way to Sullust. This whole planet was backwards and absolutely insane. As the three ran through the tunnel towards the exit Jamie could hear the sound of grinding metal coming from behind them. It sounded as though the guards had managed to get into the pantry after all, and were now breaking through the hatch that Aela had damaged to chase after them. "They're coming." She mentioned to Aela, though undoubtedly she could hear the noise as well.

"How much further?" The words came between frequent head turns back behind them as they ran. "I'm not sure, I haven't been down here since I was a child."

Great.

"Aela what do we do about the soldiers? The ship?" If they went back to the estate they would likely die. "Do you have any way to reach them?"

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

”We have contingencies.” It wasn’t like they had one day decided to loop around and jump to Bastion, they had been planning this for months. This planet wasn’t really an unknown quantity either, most buildings, streets, and even sewers had been in place for thousands of years, blue-prints and layouts were available nearly publically. ”There’s a building not far from here with an underground basement, once they realize something went wrong at the party they’ll head there.”

She stopped for a second, holding out her hand to stop Joran from moving forward. For a moment the Jedi Marshall frowned, eyes trying to adjust to the darkness for a moment. Her ears perked up slightly, trying to find any source of sound around her. ”We’ll meet them.”

Aela said finally.

”Don’t worry.” She said turning around. ”We’re not completely doomed yet.”

The Jedi Marshall sounded like she believed her own words. Without another delay she began to move forward again, shifting slightly to the left and heading towards the left. A soft light could be seen at the end of the tunnel, along with ambient noise of the outside.

They were coming to the end of the tunnel.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"Okay." Not another word was spoken. There was little more Jamie could do but follow Aela's lead. The others would have to make it to their meeting spot on their own. She hoped for their sake they were able to make it out before it was too late. The soldiers would have been less than notable targets during the event, so perhaps their presence was glossed over when it came time for the sisters to make their move.

Rounding the bend Jamie saw the small piercing rays of light at the end of the tunnel ahead of the group. A cold shiver ran down her neck as they drew closer to the exit, a small feeling of dread that she wasn't quite used to. Whether it meant something or not was irrelevant. This was their only way out, their only way to get to the meeting location that Aela had prearranged.

The three emerged from the darkness in unison, eyes blinded momentarily from the sudden burst of orange rays of light by the setting Bastion sun. Once her vision adjusted to the drastic change Jamie could count thirteen palace guards, all with blasters aimed toward the three with deadly intent. In that moment her mind shifted to Kurt, a wave of panic washing over her consciousness like being caught in a rip current, pulling her away. Dying here was not part of the plan, not what she had in mind when she agreed to stick around on Sullust. A voice called out, sharp in tongue, "Stop! Drop the weapon!" One of the guards perhaps? Jamie didn't know, the sound was barely a whisper in her mind's inner conundrum. The voice in her head was far louder, far more powerful, and far more important right then to worry about this man's order to freeze.

I'm not dying today!

That same feeling she'd had when that boy sat atop her chest delivering blow after blow began to well within her core again, aching to be released. That feeling would not be denied. Unlike before she embraced it, harnessed it even, allowing it to overwhelm her entire being. It made her feel stronger. She dropped the sword and heels to the ground left of her body, her eyes surging with a fiery determination to avoid death. A snarl pulled at her lips, that fire in her soul began to burn like a raging wildfire before she finally let go of it, a scream piercing the relative silence before she threw forward her hands. It started not more than a few inches in front of her, but the dirt lifted and shifted violently in all directions. A massive wave of Force tore at the earth beneath her, sending debris and stone traveling behind the energy that impacted those positioned a few feet in front of Aela, Jamie, and Joran. Guards were torn from their position, sent violently through the air a distance hardly believable by even Jamie, with the addition of the impact from the rock revoking the consciousness from a number of the men as well.

The blonde lowered her hands as the dust scattered, the path in front of them now entirely clear, the sounds of pained groaning echoing throughout the courtyard. Her face was covered in sweat, as if she'd just finished running a rather grueling marathon. Her eyes shifted to Aela, heart beating like a drum, chest rising and falling with each heavy breath.

Joran looked petrified beyond compare.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Aela froze out of reaction. She hadn’t expected Jamie to lash out at like, certainly not with such power.

The Jedi Marshall remained still for half a moment, her lips thinning, and then her senses finally returning to her. She hadn’t thought Jamie was capable of such things, at least not yet, but it happened, and luckily it happened in such a way that they would at least be able to make use of it. ”Run!”

She pointed towards the far wall.

There wasn’t much else that could be said in that moment, and before either of them could object Aela grabbed Joran and practically threw him forward. She did the same thing with Jamie just a second later, except as she pushed the girl forward she broke out into a spring beside her.

”It’s alright.” She told her. ”We’ll talk about it later.”

They would too, that had been...something, but for now they needed to run. The three of them struck against the far wall, Joran clattering against the duracrete first followed quickly by Jamie and Aela. The Jedi Marshall pointed to Joran, then lifted him with the force. The old man let out a half startled yell, but quickly gained his bearing. He grasped onto the top of the wall and then quickly climbed over, the sound of a quiet thump ringing out as he landed on the other side.

”You next, jump. Take a running start, concentrate, let the force do the work.” Now was hardly the time for a lesson, but she couldn’t float everyone over.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

We'll talk about it later? That sounded cryptic. Quite frankly she was astounded by what she'd just done, but more so still confused as to why such things only ever manifested itself within her when she was in dire straits, life or death situations. It was like her primal reaction that this sort of ability would rear its' head. Panic, fear, dread, necessity. If it weren't for those feelings she would fumble around with the most menial tasks half the time. It was so very odd to her. She was, however, incredibly thankful that it did manage to come out when she truly needed it. It was hard to complain in that regard.

She gave Aela a nod and sprinted forward, leaping up and forward to grasp onto the edges of the wall with the tips of her fingers, pulling frantically to pull herself up and over. To her surprise the man grabbed her by the wrist and helped her up when she was within reach. Kicking with her feet she managed to finally get over the ledge and roll over onto her stomach, using her hands to push herself up to her feet before looking down to see Aela follow in a far more graceful manner.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

She bounded up the wall in two steps, jumping from the bottom and then using the duracrete structure as a ballast to jump twice more. Eventually she landed on top of the wall with a gentle patter of her still bare feet.

”That way.” Aela said as she pointed to a nearby high rise.

The trio dropped from the wall and fell onto the ground below, quickly breaking out into a sprint as they headed towards the buildings.

”They won’t stop.”

Joran said, his voice breathy and nearly sounding like he was about to collapse.

”They’ll scour the streets, by nightfall you’re both going to be branded as criminals.”

Aela knew that of course, but right now she couldn’t afford having it on her mind. They had to make it to the meeting point at the very least, and then from there they could make their way off world. She rushed forward, dashing into a nearby alleyway and heading towards a stark metal door that stood at its end.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Criminals. How ironic. Aela and Jamie were the criminals? They weren't exactly the ones funneling credits to terrorists. The most crime Jamie had ever intentionally committed was stealing a sugar bar from a vendor back home on Naboo when she was hungry on her way to class and had forgotten her credit chips at home. And even then, she went back the very next day and paid the man for the bar.

The blonde rolled her eyes at his words but chose to keep silent, focusing on the structure Aela had pointed to as they drew closer.

Aela reached the door first, pushing it open with vigor. The man stumbled once, nearly falling on to his hands but Jamie caught him in time beneath the crook of his arm and pulled him forward and inside, slamming the door rather forcefully behind her before letting him go to catch his breath on the floor. She was rather winded as well, though hardly from the sprint. Her exhaustion was from that rather violent display of Force energy the minute or two earlier.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

The door fell open and Aela immediately headed inside.

A set of worn concrete stairs lead them to a basement like alcove with a single window and three more doors. Aela looked around for a moment, then went for the furthest door. She pulled it open, then signalled for Jamie and Joran to step inside. Both of them quickly followed her directive, Aela slipping in behind them and pulling the door shut.

They waited there for a moment, then Aela headed to the left, pulling open another door after walking a few dozen meters down another hall.

It was an odd, almost winding sort of maze that they traveled through, but eventually they came upon a final metal door. This one Aela knocked on. There was a pause, then a brief question about someones age. Aela answered without even a second of hesitation, and a moment later the heavy door creaked open.

“Aela, we thought they’d gotten you.”

It was Zven, the other four soldiers standing in a brightly lit room behind him. ”Not me, but they did get my shoes.”

Aela wiggled her toes and stepped into the room.9

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie would have laughed if she wasn't out of energy by that point. The sweat that glistened in the dim light from her forehead and neck gave away her fatigue. With the sleeve of the dress she wicked away the moisture from the corners of her eyes and cheeks before taking up a seat on the edge of the room. She could feel her heart beating so heavily she thought for a moment it might burst from her chest. Jamie knew there wasn't a whole lot of time to sit around and rest, but in the moment, the brief respite was welcome.

Picking up her feet she set them on the chair, hands wrapping around her knees so that she could rest her head on her legs in the chair.

"This place is beyond insane." Her words were mumbled from between her legs. "Beyond insane."

All she wanted now was to get off of Bastion. To go back to Sullust would be fantastic. To see Kurt, or even just the brilliant flash of hyperspace travel would be welcome at that point. Never seeing Bastion again would be just fine with Jamie. Nothing had gone to plan. Not a damn thing. And now, instead of capturing their target, they had to actually help him in exchange for what information they were after. Sure, it worked somewhat in their favor, but that didn't make the pill any easier for her to swallow.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

As she moved into the room Aela already began. ”What’s out status? How’s the estate? Ship? Equipment?”

Joran walked into the room as she spoke, Zven closing the door behind him and giving him a quick once over before turning towards Aela and addressing her.

”Estate is gone, Ship is gone, both seized by House Guards. We managed to rescue some of the equipment, including your lightsabers, but most of it was also taken.”

The old soldier gestured towards one of the tables where half a dozen crates were stacked. Aela quickly jogged over towards it and opened one of them, inspecting what was inside and letting out a sigh of relief as she found lightsaber hilts nestled on top of a stack of clothes. She shifted slightly and pulled out some pants, slipping them on under her dress and pulling off the tattered remains a few seconds later.

”Do we have any alternatives?” Aela asked as she pulled on a shirt, not showing much modesty but letting out a sigh of relief as she began to feel somewhat more comfortable. ”A new ship?”

Zven shook his head. ”Alright. We have a little time before this place is compromised. Let’s make a plan.”

 

[Jamie Pyne]

The young woman listened to Zven and Aela converse for a minute or so, her head popping up to see Aela open up a few of the crates, removing clothes and weapons from inside. While Aela changed Jamie felt fine enough in the dress. After all, she'd made it this far already, and she was hardly uncomfortable so there was little point in her awkwardly asking everyone to turn away while she changed. She was happy to see that they had managed to salvage their lightsabers. She had only just recently made that, it would have been a terrible loss to already have it taken.

"What about the families? Surely not all of them are in on this." She shifted her eyes to Joran. "Is there anyone on Bastion that is half decent enough to get us off world without turning us over to your sisters?" Trusting his word was something she was not too comfortable with, though thus far he'd been true enough. Perhaps he knew of someone, anyone, who might be willing to help them get out of there.

After all, their options were pretty limited given the circumstances.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

”Unlikely...there are families that hate us of course, but the moment they see me...they would assume it’s a trap.

So the very thing that would normally give them an advantage would hurt them if they had been on their own. Aela frowned for a moment, taking her lightsabers from the crate and sliding them into the leather holsters on her thigh. She frowned for a moment, looking at Jamie as she considered it. But they don’t have to know you’re with us.”

She liked Jamie’s idea.

We Just need them to give us a ship.” That was the nice part of this. ”So if we contact one of the families...told them we did kill you...would they help us?

Joran paused for a moment.

”Maybe…”

It was something, and if they could cause more infighting here on Bastion? Well then she would be more than for it. A small smirk danced on her lips, her eyes flicking to Jamie for a moment, pride hanging in her chest.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Sliding her butt off the chair she stepped over towards the crate and picked up her own weapon, turning herself to the side to partially conceal what she was doing from Joran. The saber was then tucked safely into the bust of the dress. She shivered as the cold metal brushed against bare skin beneath the fabric. Perhaps in retrospect it would have been easier to change back into simple pants and shirt, at least then she wouldn't have to carry a weapon in such a manner, but she would make due for now.

Adjusting the dress she turned back to the group assembled in the room. "Well we don't have many other options and I don't want to spend the night here."

That was assuming the building wouldn't be compromised sooner than later. There would certainly be people on the hunt for them by now.

"If nobody has any other ideas I'd say that is our best option."

The silence that lingered was answer enough for her. Joran just looked at Aela and Jamie in a nervous haze.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Aela looked around at the others.

”That settles it.” Any other idea likely would end up being just as dangerous anyway, and she was sick and tired of...well doing the expected. At least this way they wouldn’t be the only ones in danger. ”Which house would be best to approach?”

Joran leaned back against one of the tables, frowning for a moment.

The Old Man was likely putting on an act of course. Aela had no doubt that he knew exactly which houses would be best to head towards, and he likely knew how each one would react. He was still trying to play the desperate old man on the run however, but Aela hadn’t forgotten exactly who they were dealing with.

”House Mieral. They despise me, and have always leaned towards...an independant Bastion. They do not dislike the Alliance.”

That was two bonuses, but Aela knew from her studies that House Mieral was...in comparison, tiny. They still had money and power of course, but they were one of the smaller houses here on Bastion.

Still, it was something. ”Jamie and I will go. The rest of you stay here. We have to be seen as acting alone.”

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Lovely. Stepping back out into the exposed streets of Bastion with who knew how many palace guards, spies, and assassins on the look out for them while they tried to make it to another house with questionable intentions was sounding less and less like a plan she wanted to get behind, even if it were the only one they had. Indecision then would be just as bad as the wrong decision, so Jamie had to hope she had put forward at least something that would work in their benefit for once that day.

"Okay." She said, blowing a breath of air in the form of a sigh from puffed cheeks.

Let's hope this goes better than the ball.

"Let's go then. The sooner we get this over with the better. How far away is it?"

Her bright blue eyes shifted to Joran. "About two kilometers from here. Maybe three."

It wasn't far, but it was far enough to be dangerous. Jamie wasn't excited for this at all.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Aela was pulling on a new pair of shoes when Jamie began to move.

She looked her apprentice up and down.

”You don’t want to change?” It was a good point. The dress probably wouldn’t be the most comfortable thing in the world to run around in, though it was still very pretty. ”I’m sure we have something that fits you?”

It was half a question.

Aela wasn’t exactly sure whether or not they had managed to grab Jamie’s clothes along with some of her own. The ones that she was wearing now were combat clothes, or close enough to them. Simple garments with leather holsters and a belt that would allow her to carry some extra equipment.

The Jedi Marshall had no intention of getting caught in a fight without what she needed once again. If they came upon another set of guards Aela intended to be more than ready to fight them.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"Will changing turn me into a Jedi Master?" She said rather sarcastically. Jamie was aware of her lack of skill when it came to serious fighting. That stuff with the Force she had just done minutes ago? Yeah that wasn't something she could call upon on a whim. She could handle a lightsaber without killing herself, and she could maybe deflect a few shots from a blaster, assuming multiple people weren't trying to kill her at once. None of those things required a skin tight pair of pants to accomplish.

"No, I'm fine as is. Let's just go do this." Dress on and bare feet she was ready to get this over with.

Sure, the look she would very likely receive from those she encountered would be skeptical at best, but she could manage that on her own.

"The sooner we leave the sooner we get off this planet. I'll worry about clothes when we get on board a ship."

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

”It might.” Aela said without even thinking. It was something that Micah would have said, or...well her sibling likely would have said something a bit more clever, but either way it was unlike her to make a joke in a situation like this.

Perhaps it was because everything else was so serious.

”Alright.” Aela said composing herself. ”Let’s get going then. Zven, you know what to do if anyone comes looking.”

She headed towards the door, pulling it open before stopping for a second. The Jedi Marshall peered at Joran, the man who was the cause of all this. Her lips thinned for a second, and then she came to a decision. ”Put him in cuffs.

There was a cry of protest from the old man, but Aela wouldn’t hear it. The man was a criminal above everything else, and even if he offered to testify against his former compatriots, that didn’t erase what he had done so far. There was no way Aela would think of him as an innocent, and his treatment would reflect that.

A few moments later Aela and Jamie were on the street again, heading directly towards house Mierel.