A New Beginning

[Ben Kenobi]

She made to depart and he did not stop her, simply nodding with respect to her answer. In that moment he had taken in everything he needed to know about this young one. She was indeed set apart from the masses and destiny surrounded her future. Whether it be good or evil, she would be a part to great and terrible things. Though for now, it was kindness in her heart and a will to do that which was good. While it was yet too soon to reveal himself to her and offer her his guidance, he didn’t need to directly pursue to initiate the point.

Instead he set off and permitted the Force to guide his steps. As he moved through the crowd he opened himself to the Living Force and its energy poured into his being, filling him with a rejuvenating coolness that belied his otherwise humble appearance. As he opened his mind to those around him, he began to weave expertly through the press of the crowd, yet his pace remained calm and easy. This was key; patience. The Force would open him to a more grand opportunity in which he could approach the youth, or it would not. But the key here was to observe a modicum of patience and let this play out for a time.

He strode through the crowd further, sensing her vibrant life force though losing it in the press. It was now her riled emotions which he continued to trace. A panic and urgency to flee. Ben would remain wary of the Imperials, but for now he had no cause to confront them in this situation for this neutral zone would not be a place becoming to initiate such a confrontation aside from that it was cram packed with bystanders.

A cargo lifter was nearby, loading crates by the pallet, there was a large angry looking Devaronian barking orders at his staff of droids. By the looks of things they were buttoning up the open-topped craft for a hasty departure. Perhaps they were late for delivery, whatever the case the pilot was shaking one fist at the loading officer and pointing with his other hand upwards.

How the Force delivered opportunities to those who were willing to take the time to see them open up. Ben calmly approached the rear of the loader and stepped one foot up onto the extended portion of the rear grill beside the now raised ramp. There was only enough room for one foot and one hand hold. It would be enough. He secured himself onto the craft the very moment that the pilot shifted it into gear and it lifted up into the air. While Ben did not know of its proper destination, ‘up’ was just as good for the last moment in which he could sense the fleeting emotions of the girl, she had been urgently desirous to ascend.

If the Force willed it… perhaps they would be meeting again… soon…

[Evelyn Swann]

Her chest moved up and down due to her heavy and rapid breathing as she sprinted down through the corridor. Her cloak and hood fluttering behind her, she tried to think of a plan. It was supposed to have been a good day, a fresh start. And here she was running from the Empire again. Though as if that wasn't enough, as soon as she turned around the corner her hazel orbs caught the sight of an Imperial Droid and Swann stopped abruptly. To be more exact it was a KX-series security droid standing near the lift speaking over its intercomm system with its side to her. Shaking her head, Evy held her breath as she slowly moved backwards and hid around the corner with her back up against the cold durasteel wall. Exhaling as quietly as possible to catch her breath, Evelyn looked in the direction from where she came. It would seem like she was still alone and her persuers were still having trouble moving through the pack of busy sentient beings.

It was then Miss Swann knew she had to act quickly. She wasn't sure if she would be able to handle the droid on her own. The last time she'd encountered one, she barely got away alive. So the young lady would have to come up with another plan and quick as well. She didn't have much time before the droid would catch sense of her and her persuers would get in the clear of the crowd. Whatever options the brunette had, she didn't want to encounter the droid knowing from experience that it would outrun her because of how it was designed. She might be in good shape, but not that good.

Trying to calm herself like her mother had taught her, Evelyn swallowed a lump stuck in her throat and closed her eyes. What could she do? Her mind was confused as to why the weird tingling sensation had rushed through her body once more as she did this exercise. Evelyn had felt it every time she used to meditate like this with her mother. This feeling gave her goosebumps all over and it was as if she heard a soothing sound almost like someone singing in a choir far away in the distance. It made her more focused on her surroundings but also extremely emotional.

She opened her eyes once more as she allowed her senses to guide her through this. She needed not to think but to feel as her mother used to say. The hazel coloured eyes quickly took in all her surroundings. Every single detail. It was then she caught sight of the ventilation shaft. That's it! She thought as she equipped her blaster pistol and aimed for the ventilation grille placed at the top of the durasteel wall across from her. I have to be quick since they'll hear the fired shots.

Four shots were emitting throughout the corridor followed by a metallic collision on one another. Once there one could find the ventilation grille lying flat on the durasteel floor, its four sides still sizzling and releasing fumes from the previous impact.

Evelyn crawled as fast as she could through the slightly narrow ventilation shaft trying her utmost not to get stuck or move to a dead end. Her goal was to find the area where it moved upwards so she could use the ventilation shaft as a way to reach the upper levels. Her leveled locks of brown hair surrounded her face as she moved through, hoping to find the right turn very soon. When the vent began to change from straight ahead to up, she started climbing. Her palms pressed against the cold metal and her thick leather boots used as support against the walls, Evelyn steadily climbed up and up. As she reached the top, Miss Swann grabbed hold of the edge and used the friction between her boots and the metal walls to push herself up. Having no idea how long she had been in the ventilation shaft, Evelyn had a feeling that her persuers wouldn't be far behind.

She continued on and crawled further through the vent taking a deep breath as the air had changed. It was a fresh but cold breeze caressing her face. The young lady had to be close to the upper level now. Finding another ventilation grille to her left, she peeked outside to get a better understanding of where she was. It would seem that she had made it and Evelyn couldn't help but sigh relieved and bring up a satisfied smile. I made it... Now I just need to find a place to hide for some time and I should be alright. She switched position in the cranked up space so her boots faced the grille and she kicked it as hard as she could. It wouldn't bust an inch. Damnit! If I use the blaster pistol it will attract unnecessary attention to my location... but at the same time I can't stay here forever... Evelyn closed her eyes and sighed slightly frustrated at the situation. Seems like I have to go for another run then. The strap to her blaster pistol was unbuckled and she took her aim to fire at the ventilation grille as she had done previously. The same noise rang through the vent and she grimaced.

Placing her pistol back in its holster strapped to her thigh young Evelyn moved. People close by stared surprised at the brunette climbing out of the ventilation shaft, but she didn't care all too much. It seemed no Imperials were nearby luckily enough, so she swiftly put on her hood once more and walked slowly down the peaceful big hall searching for a place to lay low.

[Professor Mors]

K-6 had reached the main corridors with little resistance, as the area surrounding the Imperial Embassy was seldom occupied: a byproduct of the establishment's reputation, the droid assumed. Upon melding into the wider crowd, the security model quickly activated its thermal optics, and began to scan about the hurried civilians situated by the main lifts. Whilst the droid's main processor unit was dedicated to its current task, its auxiliary memory banks were presently indulging one of several holobooks the Captain had loaned his assistant between tasks. This time around, the subject was xenobiology. Ever since the duo's mission Kashyyyk, Doren had noted his companion's mounting interest in more exotic species, and considered that even artificial life could benefit from a hobby.

At present, K-6's secondary cpu was delighting in the phenotypic divergence of Simian species, whilst his primary brain was quickly alerted to a sudden spike in vitals off to the droid's right. Then came the deafening crack of a blaster bolt. The KX unit's photoreceptors flew upwards to inspect the now-scorched ventilation panel, only to dart back to the previous lifeform it had been inspecting before. Another handful of shots were fired, and the droid soon discovered its person of interest had vacated their previous position. Putting two and two together, Vassyl's chromium compatriot returned his gaze to the now-ajar ventilation duct, and witnessed a pair of legs wriggling their way through. Comming the Captain to avail him of the development, K-6 continued to watch in mild amuseement, and wondered if the individual in question possessed a tail akin to those he had observed in his studies

***
Doren did not dignify his automated assistant with a response, for he too had heard the shriek of laser-fire long before any communication was sent. Likewise, the Captain had not reached a decision on whether to pursue the other cloaked culprit, and soon forgot the matter entirely as he elbowed his way towards the incident. Unlike his metallic decoy, Vassyl got a much better view of the perpetrator, and made sure to take note of their more obvious features. Simultaneously, he observed the runaway's means of escape, and wagered they were more likely to seek refuge on the higher-levels than slinking about in the lower chambers. "Quickly Lieutenant! The lift!", Doren bellowed, only to receive gargled screams in response. Having reached the back of one of the larger elevators, the Captain turned about just in time to observe his folly.

Vassyl, in the heat of the moment, had overlooked the panic of the servile masses, and soon found himself cut-off from Rhoden by a maddened column of traders, thugs, and other intermittent souls who were keen to avoid an unannounced firefight. A veritable hover-train of bodies careened into Doren, knocking the wind from his lungs and pinning him against the beveled lift-wall. Gasping for breath, the Captain wheezed a feeble warning in regards to the weight-capacity of a single shaft, only to have his ears flooded by the magnetic scream of overburdened electro-clamps. Clearly, the owner's investment had lacked in foresight, as the entire transport tube began plummeting down to the basement level.

Screams of every voice and dialect echoed throughout the cramped cylinder, and Vassyl had no delusions as to their fate were that something was not done to rectify their free-fall. Having no desire to become a Klatooinian pancake, the Captain painfully struggled free of the limbs and torsos holding him down, and clamored atop the writhing sea of flesh. He then set about crawling past many an oblong and unfamiliar head and shoulder, hell-bent on activating the emergency backup-clamps that ought be found on the door control panel. To Doren's momentary relief, he soon spotted exactly what he was looking for- awkwardly situated behind the sloping skull of a Chistori. Stretching his arm practically out of its socket, Vassyl reached out at his means of continued survival, only to accidently brush against what he assumed was some exterior gland on the side of the reptilian's face. The result was a karmic, reflexive bite to the wrist.

Now it was Doren's turn to holler in anguish, and his resolve faltered briefly, until a font of frustration drove his gloved fingers home at last. Soon after, the ear-piercing hum of the safety breaks erupted from outside, and the lift came to a shuddering stop. Sadly, the last 'kick' of magnetic track freed Vassyl from the Chistori's back molars, only to propel the Captain face first into the unforgiving ceiling with an unsavory crunch. Crumpling back down onto the other bystanders, the whole lot collapsed like dominoes, groaning and moaning, but alive nonetheless. Dazed and hurting, Vassyl forwent updating the Lieutenant, certain that he would give chase on his own prerogative. Instead, the Captain wearily informed K-6 of his impending need of a rescue, and lay back amongst the defeated pile of travelers. Now presented with moment's reprieve Doren noticed that some unseen denizen had relieved themselves amidst the excitement, and a putrid odor soon began to clog up the already-congested lift: this was turning out to be some kind of day.

[Rhoden Carbine]

Rhoden didn't wait on the Captain, but he did curse under his breath as he took off in the direction the shots had came from. He found the blasted ventilation cover. While Rhoden was indeed strong and tall he was not, actually, particularly wide around the chest or midsection--he leaped into the shaft. Of course he had to hope that the running woman was either too nice to shoot him or that he could fire his wrist-mounted blaster first--or of course that she had continued running, and not stopped. It would have been nice to have Jorvan here, or literally anyone else from Inferno, but he didn't have the influence or weight to expend and threatening annoying superiors was out of the question no matter how tempting it was.

Rhoden was in the vents for a while, thankfully able to track his prey by the trail of disturbed dust she'd left behind--unfortunately that trail of disturbed dust assaulted his face in retaliation for being freed from its resting place. Growling to himself he continued on, there was another loud crack as another blaster shot rang--not too far away he hoped, she didn't have that big a lead. He kept moving.

Finally, finally he flopped out of the shaft and onto the floor. He straightened, "Where?" he asked, simply. Several people pointed off in a direction and he resumed pursuit, scanning the crowds of people. At least, he thought, these ones didn't scatter. Stupid, but helpful. He activated his comm, continuing to search, "What's your status, Captain?" he asked, moving discreetly past a hoded figure to see who hid beneath.

[Ben Kenobi]

The cargo lifter rose higher into the air and it would have been a lie to state that it was a simple thing to hang on by the strength of one arm and the balance of a single foot. Despite the gravitic forces set against him he managed to keep his hold. It was also unfortunate that he couldn’t overhear the pilot’s chatter with the captain of the vessel, perhaps he could have been made privy to the general destination of the lifter. Instead Ben was forced to anticipate and by the thrust of the engines along with its pitch and whine, the pilot held no intention of slowing down any time soon. This in itself complicated things and so the consequences of this ‘short cut’ had revealed themselves.

Leaping from the craft was foolish and could get himself hurt not to mention a cloaked figure soaring from the skies to the decking of a general level would send up some pretty unavoidable red flags to the local authorities and Ben knew full well the tenacious temperaments of the Imperials. They often went overboard in reactionary measures. Such a response was not desirable in any stretch of the imagination.

And so Ben closed his eyes and leaned upon the Force once more. Not to affect anything around him nor to move mountains; but rather to seek its simple guidance. The measure of the Lightside of the Force he held sway upon responded to his calm touch and in turn it calmed his mind and collected his thoughts. In time the rumble of the engines and the passing, whipping winds, died down into silence. The bustling activity of the Embassy and the nearby Star Port vanished in a wash of calm. His hand that gripped the transport he flew upon was at once pinched with effort, the muscles straining to combat the lift of the vehicle; the feeling ceased and he knew nothing of the strenuous pressure any longer. Even the lashing of his cloak in the wind disappeared from his conscience thought, he no longer felt its tug. The breath he drew was no longer labored from the rush of the wind. Now, it was simply Ben Kenobi and the Light.

Peace reigned for but a moment, long enough for the Force to divine him the way. A series of thumps in the distance, the first nearly inaudible, they grew in measure until the final instance. It was a loud crack, distinct, a blaster discharge. Ben snapped his eyes open and stepped from the cargo lifter at the precise time in which it ascended over a particular level of the Star Port and where there would have been momentum, the pilot had just as soon altered the course of the craft. As patience would grant him, Ben just as easily stepped off the transport as he’d boarded it, this time onto the ledge of a nearby rooftop with but the slightest bend of his knees to compensate.

His staff tapped the rooftop’s surface as he calmly moved to the edge of the entry wall and so he dropped down onto the actual gravel of the roof, his boots crunching down and displacing a portion of the coarse surface. Taking the time to ruffle his cloak out a bit to settle it back onto his shoulders after the obvious displacement that his speedy trip had caused, he arrived at the ledge of the three tiered building. Not bothering to hide, he did though take a crouch as he scanned over the press of this new crowd.

Many of the beings here were going about their business in a far more settled pace than the company below this one. These people knew where they were going and didn’t feel the need to rush to their connecting flights or to simply escape the chaos of the terminal lanes. Casually they shopped and joked while they ordered fast food meals to go. Nothing out of the ordinary was here. Ben refused to notion to stop his survey and instead redoubled his efforts, to recall the brunette he’d spied. Her features were easily remembered as he paired her face with that of the crowd. Nothing. A few people wore the same colored cloaks she did, some hooded some not. Others wore the same styled cloak which made him second guess himself as to the proper color of her outer wears. Were they grey? Brown perhaps? Blast it all he couldn’t remember suddenly. Regardless he continued to watch and suddenly he was rewarded as he witnessed a darkened body covered in a layer of dust tumble from a ventilation shaft on the far side of the terrace.

Roughly a hundred paces away, Ben eyed the distant character and caught the reaction of the citizenry around him; they pointed in a direction and so the man set off. Just like that Ben’s search narrowed into the direction the citizens had pointed which by no coincidence, was right in Ben’s own direction. The old Jedi knew when the Force was guiding him, this situation was no different. It had brought him to exactly where he needed to be at the time he needed to be there.

Calmly, though with purpose, he turned aside from the towering view, spying a fire escape on the alley side of the building. Ben began to descend to the ground level below where he’d take his place and hopefully find the girl before the Empire did. Patience was the key. While time was of the essence in her rescue and flight to safety, rushing the situation would only serve to compound things and draw more unwanted attention.

[Evelyn Swann]

Evelyn was too busy strolling down the hall to notice, that in her little detour in the ventilation shaft, her light grey clothes and her dark brown cloak had caught quite a bit of dust, revealing that she might have been somewhere she shouldn't have. Her hazel coloured eyes were preoccupied with finding a place for her to stay low for now. Though she did have a bad feeling. A feeling telling her that she would need to remain calm from now on and not attract too much attention towards herself or she'd be in big trouble.

Then she heard someone very close behind her asking about a Captain's status, she turned her head slowly to take a quick look. It was that guy again from before. The one that was with the Imperial. She quickly turned her head forwards once more, feeling her heart beating faster now. She might be hidden under her hood, but he was right behind her now looking closely at every single person with a hood on. What could she do? The one he'd just passed wasn't his target... She was... And she was next.

If I start running now, he will catch me... There's not enough people to hide between anymore... What in the galaxy do I do now? She thought to herself in a bit of a panic. If they find my family name in the Imperial records once they see my papers... No.. I... I have to continue on... Trying to think of a plan to escape, Miss Swann took a slow but deep breath trying to calm herself. Her left hand moved to her backpack on her left side, to fumble through it. Evelyn was searching for something to distract this man with if he came too close. Her fingers touched the slight cold surface of a small spray bottle. She usually only used this for her hair or those nasty bugs needing to be flamed with fire and not a flame. But in a situation such as this, young Miss Swann knew she could use this in self defense just without the fire. She had nothing to lit it with, so this would have to do for now, and hopefully she would be able to get away, but only time would tell.

[Professor Mors]

Assisted by K-6, Doren had only just staggered out of the lift shaft when his comm lit up: as expected, the Lieutenant had hardly been sitting on his hands. [I'm a little rattled Mister Carbine], Vassyl started, [Though it's not something a cup of caf won't fix]. The Captain winced between sentences, careful to mask his volume with a gloved hand. He might have unexaggerated his injuries, but that would not stop him from giving chase by another means. [Continue your pursuit Lieutenant], Doren reaffirmed, enlisting the KX model to aid in moving over to the next functioning lift, [Support will be sent your way forthwith]. Clamoring into a much-less volatile tube, Vassyl resigned himself to a few seconds rest. The boots-on-the-ground approach had failed thus far, and a new strategy was in order.

Arriving back at the embassy some minutes later, Doren quickly threw the offices into a hectic storm of spilled documents and holocalls. The diplomatic branch would set to work bartering for "borrowed" security rights from the facility at large, mainly camera access and audio recordings. Meanwhile, the Captain would oversee the capture operation from the main control room, and made ready to mobilize one of his fonder tools. Reconnaissance Unit A1 was, for all intents and purposes, a standard viper probebot. Vassyl had taken great care to augment his personal unit with more modern targeting software, and a direct interface feed that allowed for manual piloting from the appropriate service terminal.

Now, as it had done many times before, the droid's eyes would serve as Doren's own. Furthermore, its repulsorlift functionality guaranteed the meter-and-a-half unit valuable wiggle room that infantry sorely lacked. With a low hiss, A1 soon lifted up and out of its storage pod, and drifted into the open hallway surrounding the embassy. Though not the swiftest agent, it would not take it long to reach the wayward Lieutenant, and, by proximity, their shared prey. Armed with a light blaster and a launchable stun-net, the synthetic spy was as brutal a hunter as any. Even now, the droid began to cycle through a myriad of infrared and hi-fi lenses, intent on locating the best modality for the task at hand. As it effortlessly hovered back the disaffected masses, the droid's lone announcement was a quiet, unsettling metallic gurgle.

[Rhoden Carbine]

Rhoden swiped dust out of his eyes and cursed under his breath as he moved forward. He didn't know why the person he and Doren were chasing had decided to run; but it had better be damn well worth the trouble. If she just didn't like military personnel in general that implied something was up, and he'd quite happily dump her into the local governments hands if that was the case. But for now the assumption was she had some fear of the Empire--not altogether a bad thing, or unlikely all things considered. Rhoden had been quite forcibly lectured on the Empire by his brother recently, and while it wasn't a process he liked he was finally letting loose the hatred he'd held for his family's murderers.

Was that her? It certainly looked like her, anyways. He took a few quick steps and reached out, brushing past another figure--too large to be her--in a hood. "Excuse me," he said, his voice smooth and controlled as his hand fell onto her shoulder, "But would you care to explain why running was your first response to seeing a uniformed man?" he asked.

[Ben Kenobi]

Squeaky rusted hinges accompanied Ben’s descent from the rooftop, the poorly maintained method of deliverance from the high ground to the surface was certainly fraught with uncertainty as in if the structure would come tumbling down if the wrong move was made or not. Where there was nothing ventured, there was nothing gained; the Jedi Master fluidly maneuvered through the obstacle without as much as a scrape though once his boots touched down upon the gravel covered ground he would have been lying if he’d said he didn’t breathe a sigh of relief. He’d not been interested in any sort of acrobatic display and so he was thankful to have been spared.

Orientating himself to the open avenue he set off at a brisk walking pace, his staff crunching down alongside his boots against the grained surfaces. Ahead was a lighter crowd, it had seemed that from the time it had taken him to move from the rooftop to the ground floor a handful of the denizens surrounding the avenue had dispersed and now it was far more open, though a large amount still occupied the walkways.

He found his way to the edge of the sidewalk and from there he looked out amongst the people. They were largely busy about their day and had little interest in anything most pressing. A good sign, the youth was likely still at large just yet. With eyes used to scanning over things and picking out details, he stood and observed the issue for a moment. There he recalled the course of the trooper and he sent his gaze into that prominent direction. Slowly his feet began to carry him forth through the lesser crowd around him though this time he didn’t receive the harsh looks and curses.

Up ahead he finally heard the commotion and it took his eyes a moment to lock onto the source. Too distant to actively intervene, the Imperial Soldier had encroached upon the young miss and reached out to her shoulder, delivering no doubt that which was a vice grip. His words were stifled in the crowd though Ben could hear the low bass tones, the Imperial was none too pleased about being led on this merry little chase. Likely she would be arrested even if there was no cause and sent to be processed where there was no telling where she’d end up afterwards. The Imperials were callous in their behavior and their boot seemed to enjoy stepping on people along the way. While Ben held no true hatred towards the Empire, he surely didn’t like them and their presence here put him in direct conflict with them.

Tact was needed here. A careful hand and an opportune moment.

However, as Ben approached, he was still too far away to even deliver a firm shout into the situation. He had no choice but to sit tight and observe for another moment. He only hoped that it wouldn’t be too late by then.

[Evelyn Swann]

Evelyn made sure to not be too obvious with her hand in the backpack to her left. Her gut feeling told her that she would have to be on the run again very soon, and that she this time had to do better and actually get the heck out of there. Something told her to be on her toes any moment. And rightfully so a few moments after that feeling almost punched Evy in her stomach, the young lady heard a rather controlled yet smooth voice speak to her as she felt a hand upon her right shoulder. Oh damn she was in trouble now.

Miss Swann bit her lower lip as her eyes closed shut. She regretted instantly that she hadn't continued to run when she had the chance to. But that would have brought too much attention to herself. She had frozen in her steps, trying to figure out what to do from here and the seconds were ticking. The brunette opened her hazel coloured eyes while taking a deep and calm breath. I can do this... I have to be able to do this please... Her thoughts were going insane and Evelyn knew that she had to confront the man. If she didn't, well then Evy would most likely not be able to have another chance at escaping this. So she twirled on her heels, still hiding her left hand from the man in front of her. Blinking a few times as she now had a better look at him, young Evy almost felt intimidated by his height and those blue eyes almost piercing right through her. By the Force Evy, you are being really stupid right now... She opened her mouth to speak, but she had a feeling that no matter what she would say to this person, he would arrest her and take her away to the galaxy knows where.

His hand still on her right shoulder, Evy took the liberty to try and take a step aback to create some more space between them. He was fairly close to her comfort zone and she didn't like the vibes coming from this situation. "I'm sorry Sir, but I am not entirely sure what you mean? I should have what now? Run away from a uniformed man?" Evy's brows furrowed as her features showed confusion as she tilted her head to the left. If she could pull it off, then she would be able to get out of there without more trouble from the Empire, if not... Well then Evelyn knew she had to defend herself and get the heck out of there.

Still wearing the hood to cover her head, she moved her right arm up, her hand removing it and at the same time making sure that this stranger in front of her no longer had a grip on her shoulder. She removed it, revealing her brown locks of loose hair and to seem less likely to be the one he was after. "I'm sorry Sir, but I think you have the wrong person... I did however see one small little figure move hastily that way though." Smiling softly and making a kind but subtle gesture with her right hand in the direction the stranger had come from, Evelyn's eyes caught sight of another droid not too far away from them. Maybe about two hundred meters from their current position. Hoping the guy would buy her little acting of innocence, her left hand was ready with the small spray bottle if he didn't buy it and wanted to see her papers or arrest her for acting suspiciously. She had to be ready.