SoleAccord

Star Wars: A Veiled Threat

With her hood overhead and robe bound together, Anari looked more like one of countless poor humanoids walking through Gamorria’s streets than the Jedi Knight she truly was. Two hours passed since she departed the military base in search of the Neon Glow. Commander Gallowin saw fit to let her handle this investigation alone, leaving her with no trigger-happy soldiers or bloodthirsty allies to keep under control. Now in her preferred element, the only thing keeping her from entry into the club was not the twin armed bouncers just ahead, but the word of an ally working nearby.

“No one’s on the rear door. Not the outside anyway,” came a hushed voice beneath her.

Anari looked from the club entrance to her vambrace equipped on her left wrist. Communication during battle would now no longer be too risky to perform. “Good, that leaves the trouble outside the front and within. Match’s man should be here shortly with our transport.”

“If he’s someone you can trust.”

“He hasn’t given me a reason not to. Not yet.”

“You know what you’re doing. That’s the only reason I’m here. But if anything goes wrong—”

“You’ll come for me,” Anari finished, a hum of laughter leaving her. “I know, Kyrin. Thank you.”

“No, thank you. Nar Shaddaa was getting boring anyway. I’ll wait for Match’s man. Kyrin out.”

The channel closed, leaving Anari to return her focus to the entryway of Neon Glow. The men posted outside looked relaxed despite the duty they had. Commoners walking the busy streets gave the building a wide berth. Only those wearing finer suits and dresses were permitted entry. People with credits to blow on the ‘merchandise’. Anyone not looking the part were kicked back into the street and left humiliated. She looked to be on the lower echelon, another would-be buyer ready to be kicked away from the door.

Hiding her vambrace beneath the sleeve of her robes, she maneuvered through the busy streets and made her final approach towards the building. The twin bouncers eyed her instantly and straightened their bodies, sizing her up with their tired eyes. She drew her hood back revealing her face to the pair. Their eyes lit up instantly.

“Well now, what’s a beautiful woman like you—” started the rightmost guard.

Anari’s right hand rose to silence the sexually-charged comments to come. “A beautiful woman like me should be allowed inside.”

“A beautiful woman like her?” The rightmost guard looked to his partner. “We oughta just let her inside.”

“Take me in and show me around.”

“I’ll take her in and show her around,” the leftmost guard muttered, earning a nod of approval from his partner. “Right this way, beautiful.”

Beckoned by the filth-covered hand of her impromptu guide, Anari followed the charmed guard inside. Cold air greeted her face opposed to the humidity of the crowded streets. A narrow hallway led her to the main floor room, where finely-dressed guests of all races gambled freely on large tables and machines scattered about. Several armed guards were dressed as well as could be, betraying the more rugged and filthy look of the men outside. It appeared more a casino than a slave auction, however the empty stage at the rear of the building implied that the true festivities were to be presented as a spectacle.

“Show me your true product ahead of time, before other guests.”

The charmed guard nodded and proceeded to lead her around the room. Few guards and guests eyed her, as the joy of winning and the horror of defeat at the hands of gambling took precedence in their mundane lives. To them, she was nobody, and she preferred it remain that way.

Led through a door beside the stage, a few turned corners led her to a makeshift prison. Her eyes found the terrified stares of two dozen people meeting her; Twi’lek in majority, but a small handful of humans as well, watched her through the blue glow of a ray shield. Opposite the men and women gambling outside, they were dressed in musty rags, their bodies covered in dirt. Famished were their bodies and desperate were their expressions. She didn’t have the stomach to ask how long they were kept here.

“Gather every guard on the floor room and bring them here. Tell them it’s an emergency,” Anari demanded.

Nodding, the charmed guard turned and hustled back out to the main floor without a second thought.

Anari turned back to the prisoners, some of which approached the ray shield as closely as they could to examine her. “Don’t worry,” she said. “I’m here to get you out.”

Star Wars: A Veiled Threat

Matt, just in case you're wondering about the delay, we got some collabs in the works. Stay tuned.

Star Wars: A Veiled Threat

The discussion among her fellow Jedi and the Senator weighed heavily on Anari’s mind even after she left. The tactics they wished to employ were dangerous, and it pained her to admit that it did hurt her to see that Kale did not show a little more outrage at the idea put forward. Gloopra carried the title of Jedi and wielded their power, but his tactics were the exact opposite of what their Order should represent. It was disgusting to even imagine a full-scale battalion sent here. The situation on Gamorria was worrisome, but not untenable. They, as well as those hired and enlisted here, still had a chance to establish something here.

Despite the burden of her own thoughts and the disgust of previous ideas, Lahana would see no sign of distress once the doors parted. Anari did however need to tilt her head up another couple inches, as she was still unused to just how tall Lahana was. Her attire was built for rest, not progress. It wasn’t the best time for a discussion, but her input was sorely needed.

“I was, yes,” Anari replied. “Your Master and I did talk, though not about what I was concerned about that the time. It was regarding you and your methods,” she admitted, “but rest assured, praise also had a place. Would it be alright if I came in and spoke to you, if only for a little while? It’s concerning the raid you took part in. I would like to hear the series of events from your perspective.”

Star Wars: A Veiled Threat

You said I outright accused her of wanting to orbital bombard. I can't find a direct quote of Anari doing that. Again, I'm tired, so I might've missed it. About to sleep.

If how Anari said something bothered you, then sorry.

Star Wars: A Veiled Threat

I'm a little tired at the moment, but I don't see where Anari accused Vreer of wanting to bombard the planet. Can you quote it?

As to reasonable, from a certain point of view, yes.

Star Wars: A Veiled Threat

No, I didn't.

Star Wars: A Veiled Threat

We're open. Go ahead.

Star Wars: A Veiled Threat

She did not know where to begin with this.

Gloopra’s paranoia only grew while his evidence remained stagnant. The Force would exist whether a Jedi or Sith was behind its use, and this “Blank” likely didn’t fit with either side, only his own. It was beginning to grow painful listening to this prattle, but out of respect she did not intervene in the middle of his thoughts. In time, she wished that she did, before the ugliness of ignorance continued to rear its ugly head. By the end she was almost speechless, and could only be thankful that he was not the sole representative of the Order.

“That is your solution? To mobilize military assets, all on a hunch—a very weak one, might I add—that there is a Sith here, with Jedi already present?” Anari asked, eyes darting from Gloopra to Vreer. “And what if you’re wrong about your plan, Senator? What if they simply let it stay in orbit and continue their operation regardless, knowing full well that the New Republic is not barbaric enough to do anything drastic? You’d ask us to intimidate the populace for nothing. We don’t need power, we need intelligence. We need to know the enemy. So far, we know nothing except that at least one of them can wield the Force, and they are able to mobilize attacks with impunity.”

The heat in her blood rose at the thought of the New Republic ever considering either of these plans. Gallowin was a difficult man but there was nothing he’d done to suggest he was insane enough to go with this. It was the type of strategy she expected from the mercenaries recruited to aid them; not from one of the oldest Jedi in the Order, and not from a diplomat who should be looking at methods that prevented more casualties. Their mindsets leaned towards the Imperial, and Gloopra’s idea of peace was stretching close to the Sith themselves. Order through overwhelming force; throw your biggest ships and all the soldiers you could at the problem to make it go away.

Shaking her head at the solutions presented thus far, Anari’s eyes met Kale beside her. “I disagree, and I hope you do the same. I will not be a part of a military occupation founded on fear, not facts.”

She turned and opened the door with a subtle flick of her fingers at her side. “I’m going to see Lahana. Maybe she still has some sanity,” she added, turning the corner and focusing on the presence of the Padawan within the base. Not only would she provide another perspective of the events at the drug den, but she could also provide details about Blank that Gloopra neglected to mention on his own.

Star Wars: A Veiled Threat

Drawn from aiding the wounded by her fellow Jedi, Anari saw to it that the last man she tended to would be left in good hands before following Gloopra and Kale. Returning with them inside the base’s interior, the office she left with Kale would be the meeting ground. Senator Ordo’s presence was acknowledged with a nod, and she left the purpose of this gathering in Gloopra’s hands, making certain to close the door behind them with a wave of her hand. Despite the matter being related to the Jedi specifically, Anari wondered why Gloopra allowed the Senator to remain, but said nothing on the subject.

Instead, she chose to do what she did the most of, and that was listen carefully.

From the moment the term ‘Sith’ left Gloopra’s mouth, Anari’s attention wandered nowhere else. That claim was large, dangerous even. The last known Sith the galaxy ever knew were defeated on the same day, one redeemed, another vanquished. Gloopra was old enough to remember their names and the horror they wrought. To hear how easily he made this claim unbalanced her, but she offered no visible sign to take notice of. All the turmoil that explanation brought was kept within, where she could dissect everything he said, and try to make sense of it. As his version of the events ended and Senator Ordo brought up ancient history, Anari glanced at Kale who quickly nodded, giving her the floor first.

Anari’s dark eyes returned to Gloopra. “I believe you’re paranoid. Firstly, the last sighting of Sith was made a hundred years ago, and since then there’s been little suggestion that they have returned. If what the records of Grandmaster Skywalker left were true, then the Emperor placed his hopes on Skywalker joining him. As we know, that did not take place. The culmination of Sith knowledge and power died on Endor. All that should remain are ancient artifacts and myth.” She paused before quickly adding, “But anything is possible.”

She paused once again to allow that information to process in the minds of each person in the room. Once a handful of seconds passed, Anari then gestured to Kale with a short jerk of her head.

“Secondly, you claim that the dark side of the Force surrounds this “Blank”, and that his boss wanted a report of the New Republic’s might. If that were true, then why does another Jedi Master not sense a disturbance in the Force on the level you do? What makes you so certain that Blank is not simply adept at wielding a power he has yet to fully grasp, much like anyone the Jedi do not find first?” Anari asked. “Master Gloopra, we are not without flaw. We cannot locate every single man, woman, and child in the galaxy gifted with potential to use the Force for good. Sometimes others get to them first and turn that gift into a weapon for their own purposes. What you are describing sounds more like a trump card in a crime lord's pocket. What use do the Sith have for drug production?”

None, at least as far as Anari was concerned. She struggled to come to terms with the sad truth—that Jedi could not be everywhere at once, that they could not save every slave or potential student from manipulation or pain. Despite not holding the rank of Jedi Master, she believed in her ability to pierce the noisy veil that surrounded Gamorria and its society. Were the presence of the Sith here, she was confident she’d have felt something even before Kale did. He had his strengths, and she hers.

“Lastly, Commander Gallowin’s first order was a raid you took part in. Our very being here challenges those who rule Gamorria. It makes perfect sense that they are watching us,” she said, looking to Vreer. “As Match said, the people who truly run Gamorria have a network so large that the sun and moon are compared to it. Prominent. Even if your eyes aren’t on them, they still shine.”

Crossing her arms over her chest, her final word was directed at Gloopra. “Give me his description. I don’t believe he is Sith, but that does not mean he won’t be a threat to our cause. If he can walk away from two Jedi and a handful of trigger-happy mercenaries, then he’s stronger than you’re letting on.”

Star Wars: A Veiled Threat

I, too, have a question now.

@mattmanganon I did not give you permission to relocate Anari from assisting the injured to hearing out Gloopra's theory. Had Gloopra asked that she accompany him and make the talk between the Jedi occur sooner rather than later, that would be fine. Anari stepped away before Gloopra managed to land, but she wasn't far from where she left Lahana and Kale. I have no issue interacting with you. However, I don't like being forced into it. I was not allowed the choice to refuse, both OOC or IC, and the power of choice is one of the gifts we should have as players.

I'm going to let it go without forcing you to edit, because I genuinely believe Anari would join this discussion if Gloopra felt it important enough that every Jedi in the operation--minus Lahana--be involved in it. But in the future, please ask first, whether it be OOC or IC.