It Happened on the Way

[Judah Lesan Jr.]

Judah carried only a small duffel bag as he walked through the busy space port. He was convinced that it didn't matter how nice a planet was, space ports would always be full of the rough and vagrant of the galaxy. They were always busy and full of prime targets to rob, kidnap, and for the most vile even murder. JJ wouldn't be made an easy target, not when the only other thing on him was the lightsaber which proudly hung from his waist. In a galaxy where people had strong feelings about force users, Judah didn't mind wearing his lightsaber.

Naboo was in Galactic Alliance controlled space so lightsabers were not an uncommon sight. Still, there were those in the GA which had strong feelings against the Jedi for some reason or another. JJ wasn't one to judge much, though being a Corellian by birth, and by heart, he had strong opinions that would be hard to shake.

The crowds were suddenly making JJ feel a bit closed in. He wasn't claustrophobic, but he was leaving home, moving away from his parents entirely. This was a major step for him, and because of it his nerves were on high alert. His eyes were looking for something to go wrong. He kept looking to the little old ladies hoping no one would try taking advantage of them. That was his first mistake.

While JJ was paying attention to others who could be victims, he should have been minding the grip on his duffel. A blur ran past him as he felt the strong tug pull the bag from him and bolt off ahead. He started running as he needed what was in that bag. Judah did not want to explain to his new master how he had gotten ripped off on his way to meet her. She was close enough with his parents she might tell them too.

Judah ran through crowds looking for help. Finally he spotted someone, a girl about his age from the looks of things. He shouted out to her...

"Hey... help! That guy stole my bag!"

[member="Nyamn Tess"]​

 

[Nyamn Tess]

As a pilot, she could say she was accustomed to the life of spaceports and hangar bays. She was sitting on top of some cargo boxes, chatting with a Trandoshan man who had been a frequent client at her father's repearing bay. He was a mercenary, one of the good ones. Nyamn was always around the landing bay and she had made a point of always chatting with the clients, to the dislike of some and the amusement of others.

The Trandoshan asked about her father, he was doing okay, Nyamn always kept in contact with him. Of course, he also asked why she had left home but the answer came on its own as soon as he noticed the saber hilts resting on the belt of her light brown robes. "Knew you were up for something special, little one" he commented, making Nyamn chuckle a bit.

After some time, it was time for him to leave and bidding him goodbye, the Trandoshan made his way to his spaceship. She herself decided it was time to leave and was about to jump back to the ground when she felt a familiar sensation in her core and then heard a man around her age shouting, and pointing out another one that was running away with his duffle bag.

Nyamn sprung into action and started speeding behind the man, slightly to his left so as to not be noticed. She jumped over cargo and dodged people as was needed. She was gaining in on the thief quite quickly. As soon as she got the chance, she made a jump propelling her self with the aid of the Force and landed right in front of the thief, extending her hand making her stop in front of her. He looked at her slightly dumb-founded by her sudden appearance. "Give that back, please" she said, with a tone one would use to scowl a child.

[member="Judah Lesan Jr."]

 

[Judah Lesan Jr.]

JJ was glad that the girl had heard him and started to take off as soon as she saw what was going on. Some people would not have done that, but he had seen the lightsabers when she was running. The fact she was helping must have meant she was good. Judah reached out through the force, something he should have been doing from the start, and checked his assumption. There was a familiarity to her aura, a light that he sensed in his father. She was a Jedi. That fact made JJ feel relieved.

The vantage point she had put her at a significant advantage to cut the thief off. JJ kept getting caught by the displaced crowd and people the man was running through to escape capture. There was going to be a pride issue if JJ didn't get to the guy at all, but he would have to deal with that. The goal was still avoiding the explanation of not having the bag to begin with. To that end JJ continued to press through the crowd until he finally caught up to the thief who had been cut off by the girl.

He smiled at her and nodded some thanks as the thief reached for a blaster and pointed it at the girl.

"How about you get out of the way before I blast a hole through ya," the thief answered then quickly drew a second blaster and pointed it at JJ.

"Dammit," JJ cursed out of frustration.

Mind skills were not his strong suit. He was a guardian in training and while Judah Sr. had taught Jr. how to do a mind trick he was not confident at all in his ability to make it happen. The concept relied on making the person believe they wanted to do what was suggested. Still, he had to try. Reaching into the man's mind JJ drudged up some kind of picture of the man giving the bag back before passing his hand in front of the man.

"You want to give the bag back to me," JJ said as the man gave him an odd look.

"You trying to play Jedi... how cute..."

JJ cursed again before looking at the girl.

"Any better at it than I am or should I just pull out my lightsaber?"

[member="Nyamn Tess"]​

 

[Nyamn Tess]

"This sort of people, most of them don't understand much about peaceful rationality. You appeal to that first, if it doesn't work -and it most certainly won't- you'll have a blaster pointing in the general direction of your face. Still, one must never lose hope in the good-nature of people, little one. There still are some out there." The words of her very first teacher resonated inside her mind. There was no way she was forgetting his teachings not now, not when she is resting on her death bed.

Managing to keep that calm, collected disposition the Force helped her to attain she simply nodded at the man, as though she was giving up even if she did not move from her place. Then she waited, patiently and as soon as the guy that had asked for her help caught up with them, the attention of the thief was momentarily centered on him. He tried a mind-trick and failed. She did not judge it for it, Nyamn would have had as many chance at success as he did, probably less.

However, taking advantage of that momentary ignorance the man had given her in favor of Judah, she pulled on the Force to bring the man's arm that was holding a blaster against Judah down, making him drop it. One of her hands lightly grabbed on the wrist pointing another blaster at her before quickly maneuvering out of his aim and using her momentum to twist his wrist a little more than enough to make him drop the remaining blaster before he hurt anyone. Nyamn was expecting for the boy to take the blasters away from his reach as she gained a little bit of distance again. She wasn't that strong and didn't want to be in the man's proximity if he decided to through a fist.

[member="Judah Lesan Jr."]

 

[Judah Lesan Jr.]

The girl didn't answer, though she acted. Why hadn't he thought of using the force to deal with the blasters themselves. Judah knew how to fight and disarm a person, but with the crowds he had thought someone could get hurt. For once he actually thought about the consequences first. The Jedi did act quickly as the blasters came loose. He picked them up, and when the girl backed away, Judah landed a roundhouse kick to the back of the man's head, knocking him out cold. He was surprisingly flexible for a male thanks to the katas his father had made him perform every day.

Judah reached down to grab his bag and took a few steps to the girl.

"Thanks," he said... "I'm JJ, and we should scram before he wakes up."

JJ nodded with his head back toward the thicker parts of the crowd and closer to the terminal where his transport was meant to take off. He hoped she would follow because he wanted to know her name, and a simple thank you wasn't enough. They both had stories, and Judah wanted to know hers and that was best done over tea or a sandwich or something. JJ also simply didn't want either of them to be around that part of the station when the man woke up, and JJ couldn't miss this ship. Leaving the spaceport was not an option for him.

"So you with the Galactic Alliance or..." Judah led with another question hoping to get her talking. His parents had always told him it was better to ask questions than to tell all his secrets. He was really trying hard to be who they raised him to be. After all being on his own for the first time was a test as to whether they had done a good job or not, right?

[member="Nyamn Tess"]

 

[Nyamn Tess]

Nyamn looked at him quite surprised with that high-quick he had just managed and nodded slightly as if in approval. Usually she would try to avoid any sort of direct violence but the thief had made in pretty clear he was adamant about persisting with his unacceptable behavior. Her light eyes met the ones of the young man for the very first time, and she smiled friendly at him.

"Nyamn Tess," she introduced herself after he did. "Yes, you are probably right about that." she added, answering his remark that they had better leave before a very angry thief woke up, intent on getting revenge for his failed robbery and hurt pride. Following the instincts that were guiding her at the moment, always alert for any sign the Force might give against them, she did follow the guy who she had just crossed paths with in a very...unconventional way.

"Yes, a recent addition but with them nonetheless," she had no qualms about answering most sort of questions, truth was she didn't have much to hide or at least so she thought. Now, one might doubt about the practicality of her otherwise trusting nature, but she believed she had nothing to fear from people, everything was the will of the Force and what should ensue would do so regardless of the precautions she might take. "And what about you, JJ?" she inquired in her trademark, relaxed and carefree tone, directing the focus of the conversation to him.

[member="Judah Lesan Jr."]

 

[Judah Lesan Jr.]

JJ nodded at her answer. It made sense that she would be with the Galactic Alliance seeing as she was on a world which was controlled by them. He didn't want to assume that she was if she wasn't. JJ was an example of that, he had been living in Galactic Alliance space but was not a part of their Jedi Order. He was leaving due to an in invitation to train with his godmother. She was a traditional Jedi, kept to the code, and had remained unmarried and unattached. It was going to be interesting to train with her. JJ was anything but traditional, although his mother had made sure there was little chance to act on whatever Corellian was in his blood unless it came to piloting.

"I'm heading to Denabe actually to finish my training with a long time family friend," he answered as the pair walked toward one of the small cafes near his gate.

JJ was not naturally trusting of just anyone, but he could feel the sincerity coming from the girl, and JJ appreciated it. There was a fluidity about her something that JJ thought was familiar. His father was that way, and JJ wanted to be, but he found that moving with the flow was difficult for him. While JJ acted first, it was rare he could form a plan as he went along. This was something Cambria was going to help with.

He smiled as he looked up, though caught a glimpse of the man he had just kicked looking for them. Grabbing Nyamn by the wrist he pulled them into a booth and out of sight. "He's looking for us," he said as he let go hoping she wouldn't be too upset with him. "I'm sorry I made a mess here, but this bag is all I'm taking with me, and I don't want to go without clothes." JJ shrugged as he looked up to her.

"This is typical me, act first ask later... My dad says I'm a lot like my Corellian mother sometimes..."

[member="Nyamn Tess"]