It was good to hear someone else’s attempt at speaking out against mindless force. Senator Ordo appreciated a degree of precision, something that the majority in the room sorely lacked. They could not adopt the old tactics of the fallen Empire and simply brute force their way through problems, not with the manpower and resources they possessed on the surface and in orbit. This operation could not sustain the kind of war that Commander Gallowin wanted to wage, and that went double for Match and the community he claimed to represent. While Senator Ordo could see the bigger picture, Anari held doubts about the diplomatic angle she insisted on working, to fight the war ‘her way’. She kept her concerns to herself regarding the smaller crime families, allowing the discussions to continue.

Match’s interest in her name was reasonable, and she was more than happy to give it, but Commander Gallowin leaped at the chance to reply first, adding his disapproval for her lack of respect for his numerous medals. The hand she kept raised towards him fell, and she only offered a glance over her shoulder at him as he came around to the front of the desk. Her rebuttal towards him would serve nothing and no one, and so her thoughts on his rank were kept within. Should he wish to bring up the point that he was in charge again soon, she’d have something to say about it. Until then, her dark eyes returned to Match just as he made mention of the slave markets. 

A stronger point could be made by freeing those taken captive, she knew, and it served the people better than merely crippling a single drug processing facility. Saying such wouldn’t change the past, and so Anari kept this to herself, too. 

[color=fff79a][b]“Neon Glow…”[/b][/color] Anari repeated quietly. [color=fff79a][b]“I’ll leave immediately—”[/b][/color]

A booming crash in the distance followed by the blaring of sirens cut both her sentence and her plans short. Her eyes remained on Match while her Jedi senses reached out to feel the commotion outside. Lives were lost each passing second, both from some members of the New Republic as well as the invaders. As she felt each connection go silent, her eyes shifted to Gallowin. The Commander was inactive; he said nothing, he did nothing, while his men and women worked to repel the opposition. 

[color=fff79a][b]“Take command, Commander, quickly!”[/b][/color] She insisted, nodding towards the door. Negotiating an effective partnership between their forces and Match could wait. At a time like this, the medals on his chest couldn’t be just for dramatic effect.

The Senator reached out to contact those outside the base, mentioning their location being tipped off. Anari found it difficult to imagine a military base being hard to locate, especially when there was no attempt to hide it. 

[color=fff79a][b]“Not likely,”[/b][/color] she muttered under her breath, just before Kale’s hand patted her shoulder. She was reminded of their time on Yavin; while she looked to expand her knowledge of the Force, it was Kale who found his time better spent dismantling training droids in the courtyards and training grounds. He wasn’t the maintenance crew’s favorite young Jedi in the temple, but he did have a way with a lightsaber that she couldn’t take away from him. 

Hustling to keep pace with him and assist the soldiers outside, Anari paused in the doorway to look at Match who seemed to be doing his best Commander Gallowin impression—accomplishing nothing. [color=fff79a][b]“You said you would no longer wish for order and take action. Prove it. Fight with us.”[/b][/color] Giving Match one more moment to consider his value to the New Republic and remember his earlier words, Anari left the office behind and hustled after Kale.

Joining him just as the reinforced doors parted, she only had seconds to process the lines of blaster fire and explosions that shook the base. She reached for the hilt of her lightsaber and grasped it firmly in her right hand, drawing it in front of herself and igniting it to produce a radiant yellow blade. The presence of a lightsaber changed everything. Now, attention came fervently to the pair of Jedi now on the scene, and not only because of a thermal detonator Kale casually returned to sender.

She took her place beside him and reflected bolts to the ground beneath her feet, which either served to irritate the gang members or have their attention turn elsewhere. The cover they took was rearranged one at a time; durasteel crates were parted to expose the hiding enemies behind them, forcing the aliens and humans alike to scramble for new cover, most of which were shot in the attempt. With careful weaving of her fingers, she toyed with the enemy’s sense of safety; some who dared peek out were simply grasped with an invisible hand before being levitated out of place, left to drop their weapons and flail about in the air before the New Republic soldiers saw to their deaths.

Reflecting another daring bolt aimed for her chest into the ground, Anari spared a brief glance at Kale. [color=fff79a][b]“Try to keep a few alive. We need to know more!”[/b][/color] she shouted over the commotion, hoping his clever little thermal detonator trick would not be repeated until there was nothing left. In the meantime, until their numbers dwindled, she would continue to not only defend herself, but also drag the cover the thugs made use of, and if not that then the thugs themselves.

A Rodian was fluttering around in the air while a Duro took hold of his ankles and desperately tried returning him to the ground, ending up sliding by the heels of his own boots. 

Anari’s senses picked up on the approach of familiar Jedi before her ears did, the screaming of an incoming ship as unfamiliar to her as it was obnoxious. Her eyes briefly looked to the skies, seeing a dark ship pass overhead after making a questionable strafing run. That was not the highlight of the battle. The dark figure that chose to descend from the ship as it sped by was, and they began a dangerous descent towards the base. 

[color=fff79a][b]“Did you teach Lahana to do that!?”[/b][/color] Anari asked Kale, noting that the Duro holding onto the Rodian was now leaving the ground as well.