Wonderful Minds

[Annan Rainwalker]

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“Truly wonderful, the mind of a child is.”
— Grand Master Yoda

#
Level 82, Lower levels
Galactic City, Coruscant
Coruscant system, Corusca sector

The virescent-eyed Apprentice looked at his chrono, resisting the urge to yell out at the Master for the situation that the elder Jedi had landed the Padawan in.

While the upper levels of Coruscant had been a rather enchanting sight, these lower levels had to be the worst place someone could have thrown him in. In fact, Ani thought, as he stood there with his hand placed over his mouth in a feeble attempt minimise inhaling toxic fumes that polluted the poorly filtered artificial atmosphere, even if someone brutally murdered him by impaling him with his own lightsaber, Ani would make sure to pull a Jedi mind trick on the killer to make him dump Ani's dead carcass anywhere but here.

The farm-boy had never thought there was this much smog in the whole galaxy.

“Mastel Jedi?” Ani heard a squeaky, girlish voice, coming from a most unexpected direction.

Beneath him.

The 5'11" tall Padawan looked down to see a tiny Togruta girl, barely tall enough to reach his knees, standing in front him.

“Well, hello there!” The Padawan exclaimed, as he crouched down on one knee to inspect the youngling. The girl had orange-pink skin, a slightly unusual shade due to dark orange being common among Togrutas; two small head tails that ended just a little below her shoulder line, white marks on her forehead, supraorbital ridges and cheeks; and a lemon green kimono-esque robe that ran all the way down to her feet, with black shoes. She was carrying a backpack, strapped to her shoulders. Like all younglings, her disproportionately large head and eyes made Annan Anakin Marmaduke, for once, thank his Master for all that training on controlling one's emotions, for otherwise he would have probably yelled 'cute!' right then and there.

“Hi.”

'TOO CUTE!', he yelled to himself in his mind. “Are you one of those who I'll be escorting today? What's your name?”

“I think so, sil,” the little girl nodded. “My name is Falia Menuk.”

“Yep, you're the first one,” Annan looked at his chrono again. “Where is that bloke, Terceron? He was supposed to be joining me...” he mumbled to himself. The ex-Imperial should show up soon; they had to collect three more younglings all at different levels and then get them to their school - also at the same level. Then they had to wait for school to end, and take them back home. It was going to be a long ten hours. But hey, at least the youngling was cute.

“Is Telselon your fliend?” Falia asked innocently, unable to pronounce the 'r'.

“I wouldn't say that,” the Padawan smiled, as he stood up straight, towering over the younger girl but his soft, smiling expression making him look unintimidating.

“Then why ale we waiting fol him?”

“I really have no clue...” Ani trailed off, scratching the back of his head. Falia looked at him strangely. After a long pause, she stated the most obvious fact in the world to her.

“You'le weild, Mastel Jedi. Who would wait fol someone not a fliend?”

Had this been one of those holanime that were so popular these days, Ani would have sweat-dropped. He coughed, both as a result of the pollution and embarassment.

“And you diddun even tell me youl name.”

Ani smacked his head with his hand. “My bad, where are my manners? My name is Annan Anakin Marmaduke, I'm from Naboo,” he introduced himself, smiling at the little one. “I'll be escorting you and three more like you to school today, but I guess you already knew that. How did you know I was a Jedi?”

Falia grinned broadly, her sharp Togruta canines glinting despite the relative darkness of the lower levels. “That ponytail. It's leally nice!”

Annan smacked himself again.

[Vek Terceron]

Vek sighed as he navigated the nearly toxic area. He had already known the route he would take, of course... he had a reasonable familiarity with Coruscants underworld... but it had been blocked off by construction. Still, it wasn't too long before he arrived where he was supposed to meet the others. As he approached, he held up a hand and called out. "Sorry I'm late! You wouldn't believe the mess back there." Now where they were, he started to say more before something caught his eye, "Anyways, let's get this show on the r.... awww! Well aren't you just the most adorable little one on this side of the planet! What's your name sweetie?" He said emphatically, his face lit up with a smile as he addressed the child.

[Annan Rainwalker]

“Finally!”

The green-eyed Apprentice commented as he saw Vek approaching in the distance. Steeling his expression behind one of Jedi serenity, Annan pushed aside all negative emotions he had concerning the ex-Imperial, for he was now a member of the Alliance and he had to be trusted as an ally.

Besides, if one looked past the whole pointing your blasters thing, he didn't seem like such a bad guy. He did volunteer to do community service with him, despite not having the need to do so, after all.

Annan was still inwardly sour, but as all decent Jedi would, he calmly let it go.

“Hi,” Falia waved at the new arrival, as he addressed her.

“Let's get going then, we're--” the Padawan coughed violently. “... I seriously hate this bloody smog. Anyways, we're running late.”

“Are you a Jedi, too? You sure don't look like one. Where's your ponytail?” the youngling started interrogating Terceron - oh, the irony of an ex-Imperial getting interrogated by a youngling.

Soon enough, the trio enlarged to include three more younglings not dissimilar to Falia; a Rodian, a Verpine, and a Human. They now stood on level 45 - much lower down than where they had started and admittedly much creepier as well, for the sky felt even further than before - not that they could see it even from level 82 - and the smog was thicker, not to mention the characters that surrounded them looked less and less like pedestrians; they were shady at best.

“Who the darth put a school for kids in a place like this?” the Padawan exclaimed, mostly to himself. “This is worse than that Diagon Alley in Gary Shotter and the Chamber of Secrets.”

“You're a fan of Gary Shotter?!” the Rodian youngling, about eight and elder than the rest, asked excitedly.

Anakin smirked down at him. “Not exactly a fan, but I did watch the first six holomovies.” The Padawan, now fully cloaked, then turned around to look at all of them. He then pulled out a datapad from his black cloak. “Alright, roll call!”

The younglings all stood at rapt attention.

“Falia.”

“Present!”

“Bodi.”

“Present!”

“Mandy.”

The Verpine child made some strange Verpine noise using his insectoid mandibles.

“... I'll take that as 'present',” Annan grimaced. “And lastly, we should have, Jek.”

"Sir, mister Jedi, sir!" the 7-year-old Human child saluted him.

Annan gave him a smirk, “Okay, little soldier, let's get going.” The green-eyed Padawan looked over at Terceron and nodded at him. “School's at least half an hour's walk from here, but enough time for us to get there in time for their classes to begin. Since this place is...” Ani spared a glance at the dark, foreboding, polluted, ghostly alleyways of Level 45, otherwise known as sub-level 5082 of the Coruscant underworld, “... kriffing creepy,” he paused. “You lead the kids from the front, and I'll guard you guys from the rear, sound good?”

Silently, Annan couldn't help but feel overwhelming pity and sadness at the conditions these poor younglings had to grow up and survive in. Most of them may never even get the chance to see the upper levels. He couldn't help but feel a dangerous rage inside him - one that he was quick to put out with the Force this time, before he had another darkside urge to murder something. Yet, it did leave within him a lasting impression of the hypocrisy of the world. Perhaps Master Xin had intended him all to see this, and to ponder and reflect on the nature of the galaxy?

He kept these thoughts at a side of his mind for now, the security of the kids his primary concern. But he did realise that he needed to do more than swinging his lightsaber around the next time two groups of started down each other's throats before him. As a Jedi, he needed to do more to help the Galaxy. Yet, he felt himself held back by the thought that he, as one person, couldn't possibly bring peace and decency to a Universe that didn't want it. He could hear that strange, soothing, masculine voice again - that seemed so far and yet so near, but the Marmaduke still thought was just another one of his own random thoughts.

'Sow the seed, water the land, and worry not for the tree.'

[Vek Terceron]

"Are you a jedi too? You sure don't look like one. Where's your ponytail?" Vek chuckled at the little girls question, "Actually, I'm not. But I guess you could say I'm an acquaintance of his."
After Annan took took rolecall, he spoke to Vek.
“School's at least half an hour's walk from here, but enough time for us to get there in time for their classes to begin. Since this place is...... kriffing creepy,... you lead the kids from the front, and I'll guard you guys from the rear, sound good?” Vek grinned, "What's the matter, tough jedi scared of a dark alley?" He laughed, "Don't worry about it, I can lead. If we encounter any lowlife degenerates, I can even show you my one-four trickshot." He moved to the lead position, and started towards their goal.

[Annan Rainwalker]

Anakin scoffed at the former Imperial's audacity to suggest that he was scared of the low-lives. Okay, maybe a little... but this place was a kriffing creephole. They were nearest to the surface of Coruscant than most people dared to venture. This place was a breeding ground for sleemos, crime, grit and smog. Any Jedi would feel uncomfortable being here.

At least Ani hoped so.

Filtering his annoyance and irritation using his training, Anakin clasped his hands together and pulled the hood of his black cloak over his head. “Let's go,” he announced, and soon enough they were on their way.

Navigating between alleyways and darker alleyways - which were, ironically, a lot safer than the designated main paths - the two adults and four children managed to last the first fifteen minutes without anyone trying to rob, maim, extort or otherwise injure them in any way.

Only the first fifteen minutes.

As the group crossed by what appeared to be some kind of a cantina or club in the middle of an alley, outside of which were several people populating the streets, the Padawan stopped suddenly at the sound of speeders. Not a moment later, the people of various species that were outside the cantina screamed and scrambled, as blaster fire rained down from all directions and a speeder gang of two Weequay, a human, a modified chrome black R2-unit with a taser and a Rodian, cackling and shouting like madmen, began to encircle the few who had not managed escape - Annan, Terceron and the kids among them - on their 74-Z speeder bikes, weapons pointed at them.

The reaction of the kids, like some of the other pedestrians who were now stuck with the group, naturally ranged from screaming to trembling to angry glares.

“Evenin' gentle beings! Who's up for some fun?!?!” the Weequay gangster who appeared to be the leader yelled, cackling, as he pointed his blaster at the group, his companions mimicking his actions.

“All of you are coming with us!” the Human in the group shouted. In total, beside Ani, Vek and the younglings, there were now seven more unarmed people of various alien races surrounded by the gang. “Ya'll fetch a heavy price with the Hutts! Anyone here who have any weapons, drop `em now or we'll put a bolt through yer eyes!!!”

A heavy price? That meant these guys intended to sell them into slavery - a forbidden trade in the Alliance controlled territories, and on Coruscant even when it was Imperial Center. But the criminal mind, superstitious and cowardly as it was, was still conniving, and ironically, appeared ever-capable of find a way to darkness in the brightest of places - this time, most likely, through a corrupt politician and the negligence which all governments seemed to show to the lower levels. It was beyond the Padawans how they could connect a place like the Coruscant underworld all the way to Huttspace, but smugglers and traffickers always had their routes.

Anakin weighed his options. His Master had taught him that it was always wise to conceal one's Jedi status unless absolutely necessary. Thus, the lightsaber was out of the question - though, honestly, he couldn't properly use one at this point either. That left the Marmaduke with his DH-17 blaster pistol, but he was afraid for the kids' safety, not to mention all the pedestrians. Calming himself down in the Force, Ani clapsed his hands together and spared a sideways glance at Vek - Terceron was proper soldier, so let's see how he would handle this situation.

[Vek Terceron]

This wasn't Veks first rodeo.... he's dealt with scum like gangsters that currently surrounded them on several occasions. Still, there were civilians in the mix, worst of all kids, so he had to be careful. Putting his hands up slowly, he stepped out a bit from the group. "I have weapons. You want to collect them yourself, tough guys?" The four gangsters looked at each with amused expressions... no doubt wondering how they'll pay him back for his big mouth. The rodian stepped forward to search him, the human adjacent to him, gun trained on Vek. Right when the rodian reached out his arm, Vek acted. Gripping the rodian by the wrist suddenly, he pulled the startled alien towards him into a tight grapple, placing him into the humans line of fire right when he discharged his blaster. The rodian took two shots to back as Vek, who already by this point had his gun in hand, quickly swung out his arm and put a blaster bolt straight into the humans forehead, dropping the rodian and following the motion through while drawing his other weapon, he simultaneously fired both on the two remaining aliens, putting two into each of their chests before they had time to react. He stared at the taser armed R2 unit, which gave an irritated sounding whistle and rolled away as fast as it was able. Turning around, Vek said, "Is everyone alright?"