First Reply Easy In, Not-So-Easy Out

[Eaton Waters]

Speed. That was what he did.

And it was why he was here. The way a Witch worked, the way his Sister worked, was not what Eaton was looking for in the Force. The Force was more than what the Jedi and the Sith saw it as. It was a tool. It required some attunement, but not much in the spiritual aspect. He was part of the Force, and it was part of him.

And it laid out the Force for him in a way that truly worked for him. Disguising himself, listening to all around him, and most importantly, moving in a way that was supernatural.

Eaton had taken some time to listen to his sister, and learn the Force. Some abilities came natural, but others? He had to work for. Without a school, that was tricky, but he was equal parts spy, and thief now.

A katana that he stole seemed to have a mind of its own, the blade seemed to call to him. A product of wind and ice. He may not be working on a sanctioned Black Sun job, but the man was now in one compound on Nar Shaddaa he shouldn’t be.

A keeper of relics.

Moving quickly, the man made it, dressed in his navy and black outfit, into the study, full of Force relics, books, and an alarm system.

 

[Eloise Dinn]

Elsewhere in the compound, there was a scream followed by a dull thud as a security guard was unceremoniously flung aside. The door he had been guarding began to glow orange, then red as the metal turned molten, burned through by a green lightsaber's blade. More guards rushed to the scene, drawn by all the ruckus. They were dispatched just as swiftly as their comrade, and the intruder continued to make her way inside.

Her name was Eloise Dinn, and she was a Jedi of uncertain rank. She wasn't famous or well-known, not even amongst her fellow Jedi. With the collapse of the Galactic Alliance, she had joined a smaller affiliate Order, the Vonnuvi Enclave. They had sent her on a mission to Nar Shaddaa to reclaim Force relics stolen by an up-and-coming crime lord. The same "keeper of relics" Eaton Waters also happened to be trying to rob.

Needless to say, she was not known for her stealth. Or subtlety.

After crushing a surveillance camera, she paused in the middle of the hallway. Three different routes presented themselves, with no clear signage or indication of what lay at the end of each. Unsure of which way to go, she closed her eyes and tried to sense what she was looking for.

Which way, which way... Ah, left.

She headed down the left passage, combat boots thundering down the corridor. It was easy to detect her presence as she approached the study and reached out to open the door...

Eaton Waters​

 

[Eaton Waters]

The Force was something, it wasn’t what he wanted to go towards, but his sister had pointed out that he had a gift in it, it ran in their bloodline. It wasn’t all that strong, in Eaton, something that almost atrophied if Brooke hadn’t acted when she did. But now? It was more like he made a deal with some being that granted him power. He could see the Force in people and relics, the Force allowed him to sneak, and hide in plain sight.

He was a criminal, a thief, a trickster of sorts. But with the blade he had, the power it seemed to grant, or, more appropriately, awaken, he moved like the elements. Somewhere between water and smoke.

As he stood, the outfit a Kro-Var inspired version of his sister’s Witch clan’s robes, he placed the katana in its sheath and looked around. What was he seeking… he’d know it…

He didn’t hear the alarm, and was so focused on finding something he could sell, a lightsaber, a holocron, any form of ancient text, that he didn’t hear the door open behind him.

Eloise Dinn

 

[Eloise Dinn]

Though she knew it was unlikely to be unlocked, Eloise had a habit of trying every door she came across before trying to break it open. To her surprise, the door to the study opened easily. She glanced at the lock for a moment. It showed no outward signs of damage or force, but that didn't mean it hadn't been picked.

She stepped into the room, green eyes scanning the interior. Shelves and display cases lined the walls, while at the center of the room there was a large computer desk. Standing in front of the desk was a cloaked figure.

"Never turn your back on a door," Eloise said. "Especially one you left unlocked."

She had her lightsaber in hand, ready to fight. But for the time being, she was more curious than wary of the stranger. "Who are you, and what are you doing here?" she demanded.

Eaton Waters​

 

[Eaton Waters]

Definitely not a cat burglar. Eaton preferred white collar crimes, forgeries, grand theft, falsified IDs… But in order to make a forgery? He needed to see the actual item. That was why he was here. His sight was giving him more guidance into what was out there…

A holocron, green… A green holocron? Weren’t they typically blue? He approached slowly, one step, then another when he heard the voice speak up. He turned, reaching for his katana. The man had the Force but barely knew how to use it effectively. Without turning, he smirked. Female voice.

“Need an escape route, but it seems you’re making yourself a door?” He had his hands on the holocron, slipping it into a bag before turning.

“I’m not too sure I want to tell you…” He saw the lightsaber.

Eloise Dinn

 

[Eloise Dinn]

“Need an escape route, but it seems you’re making yourself a door?”

Eloise scowled at the remark, which she took as a crack at her size. Six foot two and rippling with muscle, her body almost completely blocked the exit. But before she could spit a fiery comeback, the stranger turned around. He was young, fit, blond. Cute.

“I’m not too sure I want to tell you…”

"Yeah, well, until I know whether to consider you friend or foe, we're at a bit of an impasse, aren't we?" Eloise wasn't well-versed in the alternative Force traditions of the galaxy. His style of robes and the weirdly fluid way he moved meant nothing to her, apart from being mildly intriguing. She didn't sense the Dark Side in him, but he didn't seem all that Light-oriented either.

"You don't look like you work for Grizla the Hutt," she said, Grizla being the crime lord who owned the compound. Though she didn't see the holocron before he tucked it away, she spotted the bag the figure was holding as he turned around. "Are you a thief? What are you here for?"

Eaton Waters​

 

[Eaton Waters]

Hoping to move faster than he was, the woman, while attractive, was making herself an obstacle. Sure, he could maybe try to sweet talk his way out but there was a definite strength she had that could easily go badly if he said the wrong thing. Or incredibly right.

Still, he had a job. He has credits he needed to make. His hand moved from the hilt of the sword he carried as he stepped around. Not towards the door but along the outside of the room. Taking a second to form his thoughts, blue eyes wide when she mentioned Grizla. "The Hutts? No. Not me.

"You could say I'm more a liberator of stolen goods. Eaton Waters. At your service." Sure he may be mostly Pamarthean. But his mother was from Chandrilla and he could code switch into that person relatively easily.

Eloise Dinn

 

[Eloise Dinn]

The hunk took his hand off the hilt of his katana - what the hell was he doing carrying a katana around? - and began moving away from her, following the layout of the room. An almost sure sign that he planned to make a break for it at a moment's notice.

"The Hutts? No. Not me. You could say I'm more a liberator of stolen goods..."

"That would put us in the same boat, then." Eloise gestured to herself with her free hand. "Padawan Eloise Dinn. I'm here to take back some relics Grizla stole from the Jedi Order." She left the doorway and casually walked around the desk, her pace almost lackadaisical. Like she didn't care if he tried to run. "I don't know who you're working for, but if whatever you've got in that bag is one of ours, then I'm going to have to liberate it from you."

Once she was behind the desk, she reached down underneath it, feeling for a button or switch. When she found it, a secret panel in the wall behind her slid open, revealing a hidden vault.

Eaton Waters​

 

[Eaton Waters]

The weapon was a mere focus and tool. Not that Eaton was skilled in the gifts he had to recognize that. Much like his sister the Force came in an elemental fashion. But unlike his sister it needed to be opened by an outside force. He realized his approach to things changed.

It even helped his racing.

But as he found the path of least resistance he couldn't help but keep an eye on the Jedi. He had no true qualms with the Jedi. Typically they left people alone. Unless, well, one was stealing from them.

Did he know enough about holocrons to recognize a Jedi one when he had it? Yes. Could he fake that? Also yes. Could be their counter sides holocron. Or just a crystal matrix for all he knew.

A simple skiff racer from Pamarthe, heir to a small shipping company who also inherited some credits from his mother’s Chandrillan estate.

"A padawan. Sent to a place like…" watching the door, Eaton then heard the sound of the vault opening. He turned to see the room and his eyes went wide. The prize he found here was nothing compared to this.

"And what did he steal from all you?"

Eloise Dinn

 

[Eloise Dinn]

Despite not appearing to be a Jedi, he evidently knew what a Padawan was. Enough to sound judgmental of the fact that she had been sent to Narsh on a mission alone. She gave him a little smirk. "What can I say? I'm a very capable Padawan."

"And what did he steal from all you?"

Pretty as he was, this back-and-forth was getting tiresome. She didn't have all day to stand here and listen to him play coy.

"A whole shipment of Force relics," she replied, deciding to be completely, bluntly honest. "Stolen from a freighter fleeing Coruscant after the Sith attacked. Armor, lightsabers, ancient scrolls, you name it. But the big one's a holocron. Like the one in your bag, Eaton."

She never got tired of freaking people out with her ability to sense things in the Force. It had taken some time and concentration, but she was able to see the unique aura emanating from the device.

As she spoke, she half-circled back around the desk, removing it as an obstacle and closing some of the distance between them. She had given Eaton every opportunity to come clean. If he hadn't taken a hint yet, he probably wasn't going to now. Still, she gave him one last chance to avoid conflict.

"I don't want things to get ugly, and I don't think you do either. So..." She jerked a thumb at the newly revealed vault behind her. "If it's just credits you're after, there's a lot more back there that you could grab. Stuff with a lot less heat."

Eaton Waters​

 

[Eaton Waters]

Eaton was a criminal. Well, not if you ask him. He was more that other world’s Robin Hood. Take and make some money, use what he needed, mostly for his racer, and try to make some lives easier. It wasn’t the most solarpunk thing he could do, but it was worth the effort. That being said, he knew a little about a lot.

And that meant the big players in the galaxy, the Jedi being such a party.

As she explained what was taken, and that she called him out for the holocron in his bag, the blond man couldn’t help but smirk. “Fine fine. Yeah.” He palmed the holocron and pulled it from his bag. “Shame about Coruscant. At least when an Alliance type is in power, there is an easier way for me to move around.” And get to thieving.

“Ugly is the last thing I like being.” Clearly vain. “But you’re right. Probably a lot in there that needs liberating. I help you get this out, you help me get some out, and we get moving before the henchmen arrive?” A simple proposal.

But an honest one.

He held out the holocron for her.

Eloise Dinn

 

[Eloise Dinn]

Eloise never took her eyes off him, and not just because he was good looking. His words indicated that he was inclined to work together rather than against her, which was good for them both. She wouldn't go so far as to trust that he wouldn't stab her in the back if it benefited him, provided he thought he could get away with it. Which, judging by the look in his eyes, he knew that he couldn't.

Man, I love being a Jedi.

"Good choice." She reached out and took the holocron from him. A quick once-over to make sure it was intact, then she tucked it away in her pack. "I accept your terms." With a smirk, she added, "Might even take you out to dinner after this."

She wasn't some pansy archaeologist type who would cry over a few lost pieces of pottery with no value or purpose beyond the historical. He could have that crap, she didn't care. It was the relics she was after. As soon as the vault door opened, she went after them like a dog tracking a scent. They called to her in the Force, almost like they wanted to be found...

Minutes later, a team of guards stormed the room. Being the type of security a crime boss hires to protect his assets, they shot first, asked questions never. Eloise's lightsaber ignited with a snap-hiss, deflecting the blaster bolts headed her way with experienced finesse. "You almost done?" she called over her shoulder to Eaton, her pack heavy with loot.

Eaton Waters​

 

[Eaton Waters]

A holocron would definitely earn him some good credits, but he had his racer, and his shuttle was in great shape. Honestly, he was doing this for his own research of the Force. He had doubted he’d be able to access the holocron’s data anyhow. And if he could earn some trust through her? That would be much more useful in the long run. Information and a friendly face in the galaxy was just as, if not more, important than a handful of credits. Besides, what’d he spend it on?

A day trip to Glee Anselm for some company? Maybe. Probably a boat ride too. That wouldn’t be so bad.

But here? Here he had a chance to get to work with a Jedi, to understand their process. Because he sure as all Hells didn’t even understand his, nor his sister’s. A smirk on his face with the offer of dinner and he shrugged. There would be the slight glean of his semi-scaled skin from his mixed heritage in the lighting. “And I’d not turn that option down.”

As the vault opened, he went into a different direction than she did. A few small pieces of jewelry were enough for him to make a profit, and if he could find a text that she didn’t go for? It’d be going home with him. He knew enough of what he was looking for. Honestly, he’d rather an art heist. That was easier.

Not flinching with the blaster bolts, only a little flinch with the lightsaber, he grabbed the hilt of the sword he had acquired previously. A deep focused breath and he turned. A torrent of unseen Force energy erupted towards the guards, as if a wave was running across the room to knock them back.

“Just one more thing.”

Eloise Dinn

 

[Eloise Dinn]

To Eloise's surprise, a blast of telekinetic energy emanated from Eaton, knocking the guards backward. It seemed he did have some skill with the Force after all. "Nice," she said. "Who taught you that trick?"

More guards were coming. Eloise continued to deflect their blaster bolts back at them. Anyone who wasn't killed or incapacitated by their own shots, she finished off with her blade. But despite all her skill, Eloise was growing tired. For every man she cut down, two more arrived to take his place. If they didn't overwhelm her with numbers, they would wear her down over time.

"How much longer?" she asked, her tone urgent. She couldn't keep this up forever.

Eaton Waters​

 

[Eaton Waters]

Who taught him that? He wasn’t sure. Since the Force Awakened (™) for him, it all seemed to come in a weird flow. His sister had given him ideas, but more than that, she had passed an artifact from an ancient sect of witches that seemed to operate similar to Jedi Shadows. In secret, with odd powers, but also with powers the replicated storms and the forces of nature. In the case of a Blue Coral Diver family, the sea.

“Just… its complicated.” He muttered as he moved back into the vault. What he hadn’t expected was a barrage of this guys PMC. Still, he grabbed what he saw, an old scroll, torn but still mostly readable.

“Ready. Window?” He asked, as he grabbed the sword again, pointing the blade to one of the windows, before focusing and using the Force to push it out and nearly fully off its place in the window.

How high up were they?

Eloise Dinn

 

[Eloise Dinn]

Eh, about three stories up, give or take a few feet.

Eloise backed up toward the window, still defending against blaster fire. She wasn't deflecting the shots anymore, just blocking them. It was easier on her taxed muscles.

At the last moment, before it became too much for her, she turned and dove through the open window. If Eaton was in the way, she'd take him down with her, plunging toward the ground below. She used the Force to slow their fall, letting them land gently on their feet on the pavement. As soon as she had her bearings, she took off at a sprint away from the compound. Forget losing the relics; she was not going to risk ending up as some Hutt's slave.

Eaton Waters​

 

[Eaton Waters]

Three stories. He didn’t realize just how high up this window was. City architecture was a pain to his soul. Where he was raised? Low bridges, archipelagos, and sailing vessels. He missed Pamarthe most days. Still, the fact that he learned to sail early meant that he was used to falling. Climbing a mast and not knowing quite what you were doing, or ‘learning while doing’? Meant he had practice falling.

Into water. Not the street.

But his Jedi protector was slowing down. The shots were just going wild, and he didn’t really blame her. Not something he was looking to do. But Eaton was trying to follow his sister’s approach, more use of the Force, and subtly. Unfortunately, there was no way to subtly be tackled out of a window. Reaching into the Force, while Eloise was working on slowing their fall, Eaton was ensuring there was a welcoming cushion of energy to take them to the ground.

When they hit the ground, he looked up. In his pouch were a few stones, one that he knew would cover the area in darkness, and he threw it at the window, watching it explode into an engulfing darkness.

His Blubreen hybrid background gave him some sight in darkness and he’d grab Eloise’s hand, leading her to a main street and out of sight.

"Did you get what you needed?"

Eloise Dinn

 

[Eloise Dinn]

Eaton used the Force to cushion their landing. Before Eloise had a chance to remark upon that, something even more exciting and strange happened. Eaton threw a pebble up at the window they had just leaped from. It exploded on impact, releasing a dark cloud which obscured the view of any pursuers.

"What was that?" she asked as he grabbed her hand and ran. It reminded her of her father's pocket sand. Arcturus Dinn always carried a pouch full of the imbued dust on his belt, ready to be thrown into the face of his foe. Sometimes it burned; sometimes it merely blinded them. Once she had seen him use it to put a giant to sleep...

As the adrenaline rush of their escape faded, Eloise's attention shifted. She was more aware of the heavy load of the precious relics in her pack, the lateness of the hour, and the ordinary goals of the man at her side. For all his talents and good looks, he was seemingly just a thief. And that... was kind of boring, to be honest.

"Did you get what you needed?"

"Yes," she replied, slowing to a stop. Her hand slipped out of his. "Are you really just going to sell all that stuff you stole?"

Eaton Waters​

 

[Eaton Waters]

The way the Force moved for him was more like the elements themselves. He fully doubted that he’d be able to pull off a mind trick on anyone who was looking his way. But if he could physically obscure himself? That could get him somewhere that even the best lie couldn’t. But if he could bend air and fire and water? That would do best.

“That? Something I picked up along the way.” Really the one thing he could do without any pressure, make sure that he and those around him disappeared and could disperse. It’d probably not stop any droids, but it would mess with someone’s tracking and aim.

“Sell? Maybe. I was going to sell Jedi wares, probably back to the Jedi.” He was a thief but not entirely a bad guy. “But these items are a bit more interesting to me, at least for now.” Make a counterfeit and sell that?

That would work.

Eloise Dinn

 

[Eloise Dinn]

“Sell? Maybe. I was going to sell Jedi wares, probably back to the Jedi. But these items are a bit more interesting to me, at least for now.”

Eloise snorted. It wasn't hard to guess why the scrolls were of interest to him. "If you really want to learn how to use the Force - beyond those parlor tricks you used back there - you'd be better off finding someone to teach you."

But it sure as hell wasn't gonna be her. She'd had her fill of roguish charm, and she didn't want to stick around long enough to be disappointed. With a flick of her wrist and bend of her knees, she leaped up into the air and onto the rooftop of a nearby building, disappearing into the night.

Eaton Waters​