Wrong Place, Right Time

[Kellyn Muir]

​

MOS EISLEY, TATOOINE

​

The blistering heat was unavoidable, as was the sand. If your face wasn't marred with soot and sand, it was obvious you didn't belong. In this hive of scum and villainy, imposing the rule of law seemed to be an impossible task. Impossible, however, was not a word in the Galactic Empire's dictionary. In addition to the garrison of stormtroopers, Tatooine maintained a considerable presence of a more effective style of law enforcement: the Imperial Sector Rangers. With a wide jurisdiction, loose ROE, and their own knack for combating crime, they've earned a reputation as Tatooine's most feared gang all the while without being a gang.

Kellyn leaned against his speeder, tucked away in an opening between buildings to watch for anything suspect. The average time was an hour and four minutes. He'd always had luck in this spot. Though he enjoyed walking the beat, he hadn't always been there. He'd previously served as the Deputy Director of Naval Intelligence with the Imperial Security Bureau before taking a demotion to take a more hands-on posting. As a lieutenant of rangers, he maintained a certain degree of authority, all the while taking on an entirely new form of it. It was busier, but at least he got away from the bureaucracy of a larger government. As Kellyn waited for his prey, a cackling sound came over the radio in the speeder.

"Dispatch, this is Mojave 4-3, call for supervisor."

With a sigh, Kellyn pushed himself off the hood of his speeder and jumped into the driver's seat. He grabbed the radio and spoke.

"Belay last. Show Maverick 9 en route."

[member="Jyn Sol"]​

 

[Lief]

Some Backwater Cantina
Mos Eisley, Tatooine

The sound of glass shattering ricocheted across the cantina.

All at once the glitz band who had been happily playing away all afternoon cut their music in an unceremonious, nails-on-chalkboard kind of fashion which plummeted the rest of the room into momentary silence. At least, enough that the sudden roar of a brutish Cathar could prove to be enough to shake the very foundations of the already rocky establishment.

From her vantage point in a corner booth, facing the door and main bar area, Jyn tore her attention away from the Duros antiquarian she had just moments before been speaking with and frowned.

Already a tension lay heavy in the air, and she could feel her skin begin to prickle with the tell tale signs of distress. Inhaling in through her nose she focused on banishing all of the negative emotions before they could dig their claws in to her, and raised one hand to pause their conversation... As though it hadn't already been put on hold.

She shuffled out of the booth. Tatooine was not a planet she was innately familiar with, she couldn't recall the last time she had been here, if there had ever been a time at all, but she had gathered enough information in her time here to realize it was as backwater and rough as they came. Not even the more recently assigned Imperials had proven enough to deter the more lawless behaviour found here. Or so she had heard.

Her gaze drifted now to the Cathar, who held a Kushiban, of all things, by the throat - pressed against one of the booth walls. The poor, pathetic creature was kicking its legs which were several feet from the floor, yet surprisingly enough in one hand it still clutched at the remnants of a glass bottle.

Apparently appearances were deceiving.

The feline had a large gash down the cheek which was facing Jyn, an ugly wound that left the sandy fur matted and red. All of this seemed to have happened over an eternity, as though time had stood still, and yet the moment she was standing to her full height - a motion which had in truth taken just a few seconds since the Cathar's initial roar - the Cantina erupted once again.

And this time it wasn't the band which caused the clamour.

All across the establishment violent clashes could be heard. Chairs were thrown, tables flipped, glasses smashed, and even the stray blaster was shot though in such tight quarters that was hardly the best of notions. For Jyn's part, it proved enough of a time sink to simply focus on pushing away all of the emotion that was coming her way to really act in a way that protected her own self-interest in the physical realm.

Thankfully the Duros wasn't quite ready to lose his client. Grasping her by the upper arm he dragged her back into their booth and upturned the table to block them off from the fray.

"Damn Rangers gonna poke their nose in, now, bloody idjits..." He sneered in the general direction of the bar, which neither of them could see any longer, clearly irked by the idiocy of the Cantina's patrons, before waving his hand at Jyn. "Finish your drink, Sweetheart, we might be here for quite some time."

[member="Kellyn Muir"]

 

[Kellyn Muir]

As Kellyn's speeder pulled up, red and blue lights flashing, there was already a troop transport present. A squad of stormtroopers piled out and prepared for a forcible entry. Kellyn looked for the black pauldron, which indicated the sergeant in charge of the stormtroopers. As he approached, he had his hands resting on his belt, carrying his blaster pistol. He had an eerie feeling he'd be using it today.

"Sergeant.", he greeted quickly. There was no time to adhere to traditional formality. As he neared the building, the ruckus inside became more audible. About to issue his instruction, it was interrupted by the sound of shattering glass. He looked irritably at the entrance before returning his attention to the sergeant.

"Take half the squad, enter through the back. I'll take the other half and go in through the front.", he ordered. With a nod of acknowledgement, the sergeant rallied half his troopers. Kellyn took this time to look behind him at the amassing crowd though. If they weren't here out of curiosity, they were here for the show. If they weren't here for the show, they were here to cause trouble. Judging from the hostile gaze of some of the creatures in the crowd, trouble didn't seem at all unlikely.

"Sergeant, call for a platoon. With luck, we won't need it."

The sergeant complied forthwith, as Kellyn could hear the muffled radio calls through the helmet systems of the troopers now with him. It was time. Lifting his hand above his shoulder, he signaled to stack on the entryway. A blaster shot came from inside. Drawing his own weapon, Kellyn nodded. The lead trooper radioed the sergeant on the other side of the building, and together they poured into the cantina. The stormtroopers blasters were set to stun. It didn't take long for the stormtroopers to wreck havoc of their own. Anyone who didn't immediately comply that may have posed a threat was put down. A large, furred creature turned to face the back as the stormtroopers breached, and Kellyn shot. With a cry of anguish, the Cathar dropped it's hostage and fell to the floor, a burn steaming from it's lifeless corpse.

At least half a dozen bodies lay on the ground unmoving. As half the stormtroopers began apprehending them, the other half continued to secure the scene. Though blasters were now at the low ready, they were still on high alert. Kellyn holstered his blaster. Sector rangers didn't play by the same rules, and were vigilantes in their own regard. A quick survey of the scene showed a fair amount of people unfazed by the incidents that unfolded. Any music the band had been playing remained silent; one of their members lay slouched against the wall with a bloodied forehead. He continued to look around, and he saw a Duros slouched over a table. He couldn't have been that drunk, his glass was still practically full. He must have been hit by a stray stunner. Across the table from him though was a human female, no more than a decade his junior. She still had a certain souffle de vie that the other scum apparents didn't have.

He nudged one of the troopers out of his way as he walked over to the table, his hands on his hips, though the right seemed to rest against the top of his pistol. When he got to the table, he pushed the Duros to lean against the wall as he sat across from the woman. He interlocked his fingers as he placed his hands on the table.

"Kellyn Muir, Sector Rangers.", he introduced. He didn't bother producing a badge or other identifying credentials. If his part in the raid didn't give it away, the way he carried himself, his almost inflated ego did that for him. "...and you?"

[member="Jyn Sol"]​

 

[Lief]

Just as quickly as the table was upturned to blockade them into the booth, the sound of more precise gunshot rang through the air.

Jyn stiffened, though the Duros only rolled his eyes and muttered something under his breath about Rangers. She held her drink in her hand, focused on anything other than drinking, to which the blue-skinned antiquarian scoffed.

"Love, time's too valuable to waste, and so is a good drink, finish up now before you die with regrets."

Death wasn't something she particularly enjoyed the thought of, she had come close to it before, so many times that it was unbearable, and while that ought to have made her more adjusted to it, less fearful, that was far from the case. All it had done was made her realize how much she had left to life.

A heavy thud resounded, before the table was knocked back down into place by the heavy body of some creature Jyn could not identified. The individual was out cold, though she could see he was breathing so there was that at least. Only now... Now they were open to the rest of the Cantina again.

She cringed, and shuffled further into the booth. Tatooine had been a mistake. Why here, of all damn places, had he insisted on coming?

One stray shot was loosed in their direction, despite the fact that they were obviously not apart of the fight, and before she could do anything about it the damn thing hit the Duros straight in the chest. He fell like a sack of bricks, against the table, forcing a very understandable outcry from Jyn.

Her skin was beginning to prickle, taking on a subtly ashen hue, and she squeezed her eyes tightly shut.

This isn't happening. Breathe, Jyn, you're fine, you're fine, just sit still and nothing will happen.

But when that didn't work she genuinely took to a form of waking meditation. Her eyes opened once again, and she breathed in, slowly drowning out the sound of the conflict until she regained control. Her skin returned to its usual colour, though with some difficulty, and the burning sensation began to lessen though she still felt warmer than was usual.

No doubt hot to the touch.

A voice broke her from her focused state, and she saw a stranger now sat across from her where the Duros had previously been. Just a moment of looking and she noticed him a little further along the booth, leaning on the wall. Thankfully still breathing.

The stranger had given his name and profession, and for a moment Jyn could only stare at him dumbfounded. Then she realized that most of the clamour had died down.

"Jyn..." she muttered, tearing her attention from the rest of the Cantina to settle upon him. "Jyn Sol." She didn't really have anything more to identify herself of, short of openly admitting to being a Force User in a place such as this. That wasn't going to end well for her, nosiree. So she kept quiet, settling the untouched drink back to the table and pushing it away from herself.

After a few more moments the realization hit her that he was probably here for a reason.

"Can... Can I help you with something?" she asked, as though the Cantina hadn't just died down from an epic fight. Truth be told Jyn was still more than a little dazed, it had taken most of her strength to focus on not igniting.

[member="Kellyn Muir"]

 

[Kellyn Muir]

"Can...can I help you with something?", the girl nervously asked.

Kellyn chuckled. She was good, convincing almost. In this part of town, innocence was nonexistent. He took a sip of the knocked out Duros' drink before wincing and continuing his interview.

"Can you help me with something...", he started sarcastically. Looking to the main area of the bar, stormtroopers were scattered bit gradually exiting the building. Only a few bodies lay stunned on the ground, even less lay lifeless from Kellyn's weapon. Pointing to the area feigning ignorance, he continued. "Oh, did you not see the altercation over there? The whole 'beast taking a hostage' thing?"

Before she could muster an answer, a stormtrooper approached. Kellyn would have shooed him away, but this one was wearing a sergeant's pauldron, so it must have been of some importance, otherwise it never would have reached him. Looking at him with the appearance of impatience, he didn't verbally tell him to proceed, but his expression spoke for him.

"The crowd is growing and becoming increasingly hostile. Crowds are cutting off backup. If they storm the building, we won't be able to hold them off for long."

Sighing, Kellyn nodded and waved the sergeant away.

"We'll need to pick this up at the station. Come on.", he said with a tone that almost sounded of empathy. He slid himself out from the table seating and stood at the edge, raising his left arm for Sol to walk into. If not to guide, to maintain positive control, and whatever the circumstances were, they were better than cuffs.

Approaching the door, the sergeant stood ready with his men. They had a few suspects of their own, these one bound by thick metal restraints. With a nod, a pair of stormtroopers exited and threw tear gas into the crowd to help disperse it. It take a few moments for it to take effect and would likely escalate things, but it should provide them with the opening they needed.

"Go!", the stormtrooper sergeant called out. The groups began bolting out of the doors, beelining to their transports. Kellyn in all his wisdom parked near the stormtrooper troop transport, which in hindsight probably wasn't the wisest decision. Crowds were already amassing near there, and as the troopers began boarding, blasters started firing. He didn't know who shot first, and he didn't care. As Kellyn bolted to the speeder, Jyn in tow, he saw a pair of Jawas meddling with his transport. Using the momentum of his sprint, he kicked the one on the driver's side hard, rolling several feet away. With a concerned 'utini', the other Jawa abandoned the speeder to run to his now-injured comrade.

"Get in!", Kellyn said loudly, firing up the engines and drawing his blaster pistol. Accelerating slowly, he fired his blaster once. A Rodian fell to the ground, and another Jawa quickly acquired the now abandoned weapon. It didn't matter though, because as the speeder began to move faster, people got out of the way. Though they valued lawlessness and chaos here, they valued their lives more. No one wanted to die getting hit by a speeder, not when there were much more creative ways to go out. Only a couple minutes later, the chaos was behind them.

"Whenever you're ready."

[member="Jyn Sol"]​

 

[Lief]

Ah, she understood what this was. An interrogation, see what she knew about the altercation, if she had any part to play in it. It was odd to be on the other side of the table, discomforting in fact, and as the man made his snarky remark she realized that this probably wasn't the best place in the Galaxy to get caught up with law enforcement. They were used to the scum and villainy that Tatooine was renown for, and she took part in neither of those aspects.

A fish out of water, so to speak.

"Actually, the K--" her response was cut short when a Stormtrooper stepped up to the table, and out of instinct Jyn turned her gaze away from him. They left a bad taste in her mouth, she couldn't quite shake the memories she had of them from her youth, during the height of the Sith Empire - the one which predated the One Sith, of course - the times that they had chased her down at the Sith's command, dragged her back to Korriban kicking and screaming.

Or the time on Coruscant, when they had kicked down doors and killed anyone who had even looked in the direction of the former Jedi Temple there.

A slight shiver left her, and she hid her hand under the table when she noticed it was turning ashen oncemore. She was grateful that the curse started small like it did, she couldn't hide her face and wait for it to pass after all.

Breathe... she reminded herself, for the umpteenth time that day, waiting for the man to be done with the Stormtrooper.

She could tell that the man before her was as unhappy with this arrangement as she was, though he was more well practiced than most in the establishment when it came to keeping his emotions under wraps. She could still taste them on the air, interpret them as she did everyone she passed, but they were less intense. That was one of the few blessings to be seen in this situation.

With one last glance at the Duros she had come here to see, and knowing that he had her frequency for when he awoke - if he even wanted to resume their trade - Jyn reluctantly rose at the Ranger's instruction and took her satchel from the booth, looping it over her shoulder and holding it close, clutching it against her side. Wouldn't do to lose its contents, then her trip out here would have been truly fruitless.

I am so glad I left Kipo on the ship she mused internally, this was no place for a monkey such as he.

Stepping into his arm, allowing him to lead her on through the Cantina - and in her mind provide a blockade which could keep out any further assaults - she followed him through the establishment, toward the door where yet more Stormtroopers awaited. It took every ounce of resolve she had to fight back the rising fear, and keep the curse at bay. With a soft intake of breath through her nose, the moment passed and she seemed to relax in relief.

It was of course shortlived, for moments later they were braving the effective nomansland which had formed outside of the Cantina, where masses had formed in angry dispute, and all signs of a riot screamed at them. She didn't want anything to do with this, it had been safer in the booth with the knocked out Duros than here, but resistance would likely have ended poorly.

So run she did, guided by the Ranger, and when he balked an order to get in the speeder she did not hesitate, not even for a second.

She did not know how long it took for them to escape the madness, nor how long the silence lingered between them, but eventually his voice broke through her thoughts again, and she leaned her head back against the seat with a long long sigh.

"The Kushiban attacked first," she stated, not looking at the Ranger as she did so and instead watching the dusty world fly by, "That's why the Cathar grabbed him. The rest seemed to use it as an excuse to brawl." She set her jaw for a moment, obviously discomforted by the whole thing, her hands fidgeting in her lap. "I had nothing to do with it, I stayed in my booth and waited for it to be over. I should never have come to this place."

The last statement was muttered under her breath, accompanied by the shake of her head.

"I don't know what else you expect me to know."

[member="Kellyn Muir"]

 

[Kellyn Muir]

Confusion. That was the sentiment that engulfed not just the investigation, but also the girl's emotions it seemed. Why would she, of all people, end up on the Sector Rangers' radar? Was it coincidence, or something more deliberate? Did it have to do with the pretty face, or maybe the innocence it exuded?

Kellyn listened intently at what the girl had to say, which wasn't much beyond her vague recollection of events and confusion as to why she was a person of interest. Truthfully, she gave him everything he needed to wrap up the report for that conundrum. In the panic of escaping the tavern, he felt something more though, something he hadn't sensed in the chaos of reimposing the rule of law. He was far from an expert on the subject, but he knew enough to get by. Like him, she had more to her than meets the eye. She wasn't just some frightened and defenseless girl. She had the Force. While 'having it' was probably not an accurate way of conveying it, its how Kellyn came to see it. He had it too. That was perhaps why he was able to detect it.

Perhaps their meeting was more than just coincidence. Perhaps it was fate. As ridiculous as the notion seemed to Kellyn, someone who'd gone by using the Force as little as possible, it didn't seem so far fetched now.

Slowing the speeder to a halt, Kellyn turned around to ensure no one followed. Between the good kilometer or two between them and the outskirts of the city was nothing but sand. He couldn't draw his pistol without drawing attention, unless this Jyn was totally aloof. She was on edge. She'd catch it. Instead, he took a chance. An unpredictable and possibly unsafe one to be sure, but if it yielded results, he was game.

"You're one of them.", he accused confidently, if only to conceal his own doubts. "A Jedi."

[member="Jyn Sol"]​

 

[Lief]

Nothing was said in response to her moderate frustrations, and the more she sat there in the lingering silence the more she could feel his eyes on her, even if he looked to be watching the road she could sense that he was in some way sizing her up. It took every ounce of will she had remaining to keep herself and the curse under control, and after a few more moments she let out a slow breath through her nose and turned her head to watch the dunes drift by.

"Where are we going?" she mumbled, yet instead of finding a response the speeder began to slow to first a crawl before shutting off entirely. Out in the middle of nowhere, a dangerous place to be with someone you did not know, someone who had already made it clear they had a blaster they were more than happy to utilize.

Swallowing her fears the Epicanthix began to open herself to the Force, trusting in it to lead her the right way. She honestly sensed no ill from this man, just a morbid curiosity. But over what she could not tell, emotions did not come with a footnote on their reasonings.

Thankfully he spoke up about what was on his mind, and Jyn could only sit and frown for a solid few moments. A Jedi, her? Once that had been all she wanted, but life had not gone quite so swimmingly for her. She was better for it, though, the Je'daii was something else entirely, a cause she could truly stand behind, a decision she had made rather than one someone else had made for her.

"I'm not a Jedi," she said, at first trying to avoid his gaze and yet as the seconds ticked by she found her eyes drawn to him, "But I do have the Force... And you do, too."

She could sense it on him, bright of day, now that her fears and paranoia were beginning to recess. It was surprising that she hadn't realized sooner...

Where that would lead, however, she could not say.

[member="Kellyn Muir"]