A Rainy Day

Crawl

In the time of the HIGH REPUBLIC, the Jedi Order has turned its attention

to more scholarly affairs and the peaceful expansion of the Republic. The

Sith are a distant memory, and large swathes of the galaxy know an

unprecedented peace.

Jedi diplomat LAM NKAI has traveled to the Mid-Rim space station known

to most as THE WHEEL to secure an ancient Jedi HOLOCRON discovered as

part of a shipment of smuggled goods passing through the station. He is

accompanied by his padawan VU LUMI, a talented young Jedi beset by a

distrusting disposition and an uncomfortable heritage.

On the way to their destination, they chanced upon a local community

suffering under strict rule by a local criminal gang. While facilitating

an agreement between the two parties, Lam and Vu were called away by

urgent news: The cargo they were interested in was on the move. Having

exited the negotiations rather abruptly, they proceed ahead to their

intended destination...

Part 1

Lam Nkai walked through the dimly lit hallway connecting the Wheel’s residential districts. His arms were folded behind his back, his eyes fixed on the transit hatch at the end of the hall. His posture exuded an easy confidence and contrasted sharply with the smaller form trailing just a few steps behind him. Vu Lumi followed her mentor with her hands tucked into opposing sleeves of her Jedi robes, linked in front her midsection. Her posture could not be more different: Her shoulders were just slightly hunched, her gaze skeptical and vigilant. Unusually for Vu, she had not raised the hood of her robes. As an Umbaran, Vu generally found direct sunlight uncomfortable, but was less bothered by dimmer artificial lighting inside the space station. However, she remained no less allergic to Lam’s radiating aura of self-importance and kept a bit of distance.

“Those people still needed our help. Without us there, they’ve got no real leverage, and whatever progress we made is going to evaporate,” Vu remarked.

Lam, without looking back, replied, “Diplomacy is a civic duty, Vu, not a spiritual one. We serve a higher purpose, and when it calls, we are bidden to listen.”

Vu shook her head. “We were helping a community establish a meaningful footing to sue for peace from their oppressors. How is that not a higher purpose? Do actions not bring us into better alignment with the Force?” she asked.

Lam continued, “Of course they do. But you will never understand the Force in its entirety by existing solely in the mundane. Anyone, regardless of their Force sensitivity, can feed the hungry, build houses, or even mediate disputes, provided they have the determination and temperament. Only a select few can study the Force as we do. That is our true purpose - to be stewards of the Jedi code.”

Skeptically, Vu remarked, “How self-serving.”

Lam walked silently for a few moments, but eventually replied with a question.

“Let me ask you something, Vu. If the galaxy attained everlasting peace and prosperity, would you disband the Jedi Order?”

Vu furrowed her brow. She cared little for Lam’s hypothetical questions, although they were occasionally instructive. They usually felt more like trick questions designed to make Lam feel smart. Still, Vu obliged her master.

“I suppose not,” she replied, still walking at a slight distance behind the Arcona.

“Why not?” Lam asked.

“The Force,” Vu replied. “The galaxy still needs a framework for understanding the Force. Without a disciplined approach, it’s easy to get it wrong.”

Lam nodded, pleased with his padawan’s response.

“I agree. The Jedi facilitate peace and equality because it serves our primary mission - balance in the Force. A chaotic galaxy is more easily swayed by the dark side. Oppressed people are more likely to resort to desperate measures.”

Vu challenged his abstract response. “Compassionate, deliberate actions define our path to the light. By acting selflessly, we deepen our connection to the Force.”

Lam replied, “Indeed, but being connected to the Force is not the same as understanding it. A prerequisite, perhaps.”

Before Vu had a chance to reply, the pair reached the end of the service tunnel connecting them to the residential district. Pneumatics hissed as the blast door opened in response to their presence, revealing a bustling courtyard enclosed on six sides by a hexagonal arrangement of apartments, the entire scene a durasteel reproduction of what one might find in a busy planetside city. Vu and Lam stepped through, their conversation delayed while they assessed their surroundings.

The courtyard was crowded enough that the other side of it wasn’t directly visible. The scene was chaotic, with most denizens seemingly en route to somewhere else - the lack of stationary people in the crowd verged on disorienting. Folks of all sorts pushed past one another, their only unifying thread a pressing need to be elsewhere. Vu and Lam inched forward cautiously, trying to spot the cargo they’d been told to look for. Evidently, a nondescript hover-chest roughly the size of a small human was being escorted by a bald man with a long vibroblade sheathed at his waist. Penetrating deeper into the courtyard only obscured their view as the pair became increasingly enveloped by the crowd. After a moment, Lam looked at Vu.

“We’d best pursue higher ground, I think,” he said.

Vu nodded and the two of them pushed eastward toward the nearest apartment building. Both Lam and Vu drew a few suspicious glances, albeit for different reasons. Jedi had visited the Wheel before, but Vu nevertheless stood out in her robes. Lam, who frequently forwent Jedi robes in favor of high-end civilian clothing, had chosen an outfit entirely too aristocratic for his present surroundings. The Arconan Jedi looked more like a visiting dignitary. While their mission was ostensibly peaceful, and they were not undercover, Vu still disliked the attention they drew. Eventually they reached the outdoor stairway adorning the front of the durasteel building and ascended it. After climbing a few stories, they attempted to enter a stretch of connected balconies to the side of the stairs, encountering a locked gate. Without missing a beat, Lam glanced in either direction before waving his hand slightly in front of the door’s simple locking mechanism. After listening for a click, Lam eased the door open. Opening a locked door with the Force was no mean feat - it required not only precise Force control but also enough lockpicking practice to work without tactile feedback.

“Wouldn’t have pegged you as the sort,” Vu said, smirking.

Lam opened the door just enough to step through it, and bid Vu do the same. As she turned sideways to slip through the opening, Lam responded, “You’ll find I’m full of surprises. Besides, I’m sure they won’t mind if we have a look.”

The two moved to the balcony and scanned the courtyard below for their mark. Moments passed without any obvious sign of their mark, but Vu eventually spotted him. She nodded slightly in the direction of a bald man pushing a hover chest in front of him. Lam acknowledged her find with an equally slight head gesture.

“Good,” he said. “Go and make contact with him - ideally we can peacefully secure the holocron and send him back about his business. I’ll keep my eyes on the big picture in case anything unexpected should occur.”

Vu looked at Lam, a little doubtful, although she didn’t say anything. She didn’t have to.

“Don’t worry,” he said. “I’m sure you can handle it. You had the best teacher in the Order, after all.”

Vu descended the tower as quietly as she could. Although well out of earshot for their person of interest, she nevertheless wished to avoid drawing attention from the crowd. The journey back to ground level was mercifully uneventful. Vu set about piercing the crowded square in pursuit of her target, trying to balance haste and inconspicuousness. Her mark drew ever closer to the square's edge and the exit tunnels just beyond it. Vu assessed her mark as she drew closer to him. He did not paint a welcoming picture: A muscular, bald humanoid replete with armored clothing and a matching scowl. His vibroblade spoke volumes as well. It was neither easily concealed nor practical as a tool, and neither was it particularly defensive. Rather, it signaled someone who like welcomed - enjoyed, even - melee combat. Vu had every intention of keeping the interaction peaceful, but the man's visage left her on edge.

The plan was simple: Buy the holocron. A galactic power in its own right, the Jedi Order had deep coffers, and Lam conjectured they could make these backwater smugglers an offer worth more to them than the esoteric contents of an ancient holocron. The considerable sum of credit chits felt heavy in her robe pocket, their occasional clanging seeming much louder to Vu than it actually was. While shoving her way through the crowd, she would repeatedly steady the chits by placing her hand on the outside of her pocket. Finally, she was within earshot of the bald man pulling the hover chest. They were close to the square's exit, at which point following him would seem significantly more threatening. So, the time to make contact was now. Vu tried her best to sound non-threatening without seeming timid.

"Excuse me. Forgive my intrusion, but I'm given to understand your shipment contains something of considerable interest to my order. We'd like to buy it from you before this shipment leaves the station, and I think you'll be pleased with our offer."

The man, startled at first, turned around slowly to face Vu, meeting her gaze. Vu locked eyes with him - Although she did not deliberately channel the Force to make her suggestion more persuasive, the gaze of an Umbaran was famously hypnotic and led many to speculate the species possessed latent telepathic abilities. Vu had no qualms about plying this advantage in the name of a peaceful resolution. On this day, her heritage seemed to favor her. The man smirked, and finally grumbled from behind yellowed teeth, "We'd best talk somewhere more private, then. If your offer is good enough to change my plans, it's going to attract the wrong sort of attention if we discuss out in the open."

Vu had assumed that most roads would lead to this outcome: Well-meaning traders and murderous pirates alike would have defensible reasons for wishing to retreat to a private location to do business. She nodded her assent and gestured to him with an upturned palm, inviting him to lead the way. The man shook his head and said, "If what I've got is so valuable, you'll forgive me for preferring to keep my back behind you. You first. Left tunnel."

In that moment, Vu worried she tipped her hand a bit too much, but saw little recourse if she wanted the interaction to continue peacefully. She resisted the urge to look back at Lam, not wishing to reveal his presence. After just a moment's hesitation, she set off into the left tunnel, instinctively raising her hood out of nervous habit. The sound of the hover chest's buzzing repulsor lifts confirmed that the bald man followed at a modest distance.

Part 2

Coming (hopefully) soon...