Private Jedi, Hunter, Spider!

[Ran Serys]

Kirtania | Kinkosa City | Late Afternoon - Several Galactic Standard Weeks Ago

Ran had come to the Unknown Regions in search of other Jedi. What she found was a hunter, and an expert one at that. The hunter had concealed themself well, leaving Ran only with an inkling of their intention felt through the force. Ran assumed the hunter was watching and waiting. No doubt waiting for the moment Ran would drop her guard, but the Jedi Master was a resilient and careful sort, one who would not be dropping her guard until she was ready. So Ran continued on with her self-appointed mission, searching for clues of any Jedi exiles, outcasts, or survivors living on the fringes of space, despite her mysterious stalker.

The Mirialan Jedi Master walked the crowded streets of Kinkosa City, asking around if anyone was aware of any Jedi who had passed through. Suspicion and negative sentiment of the Jedi was low on Kirtania, so she felt safe in doing so. Ran couldn't tell if it was the planet's distance from the core or their nearly non-existent history of Jedi on Kirtania that did it, but it was a welcome change from the parts of the galaxy where Jedi were being hunted on behalf of several different galactic powers. On Kirtania she only had to worry about the one hunter, and not the entirety of a planet.

She worked her way from the inside of the city out. It wasn't until she entered a bar on the outskirts of the city, where the city met the jungles of Kirtania, that she began to make any headway.

"So you've seen a Jedi come through here in the last week?" Ran asked the bartender somewhat surprised. After questioning almost an entire city, she was beginning to lose faith that she would find any trace of another Jedi.

"Seen him? No," The grizzled older human man explained as he polished a tankard. "I served him. Polite enough fella, but kept a hood on while he was here. I never saw his face." He paused to think. "I did hear him talking to one of the regulars. They were talking about recruitment strategies. Recruitment for what, I don't know, but he did say he'd be in system for a little while longer. Maybe he'll be by again, him or the regular, if you wait around long enough. Can I interest you in a drink or did you just want some info?"

It sounded like a long shot to Ran. She decided she wouldn't waste too much time waiting around in the small-ish dive bar, but she was already there and would have a drink. "I don't think I'll be here too much longer but let me have your finest."

The man put a fine tea spiked with alcohol in an ornate clay cup in front of Ran. She pulled up a stool, crossed her legs under skirt, and sipped at the drink. It was rich, warm, and potent. Still she did not drop her guard. Still she felt the eyes of the hunter on her. Were they in the bar or somewhere else?

Tags: Jasper Kai'el
​

 

[Jasper Kai'el]

Kirtania
Tags: Ran Serys

Lightsaber, Refuge, Respite, Jedi Outcasts, Grafted into Stone
​

Jasper had been in the recruitment phase of the Outcasts for some time now. After Dromund Kaas he realized that they would need more folks so they could split up their forces between the Grafted and HQ back on Refuge. Not have all of their eggs in one basket. When rumors of a wayward Jedi Master reached his ears he stopped what he was doing to go investigate out in the Unknown Regions. Kirtania was where he found himself, Kinkosa City.

He had some vested interest in finding this individual. Amani Serys had been a close colleague of his, and he had hoped to bring her into the Outcasts. After the disaster on Alderaan, however, he was left with one less peer he knew he could place his trust in. It wasn't clear where she had gone. So to find out that she had a relative, one who also ascended to the Jedi Council following his departure from the Galactic Alliance, he knew that he had to take the long shot. Unfortunately he didn't really find anything. This place was a maze. Even a hardened former resident of Coruscant, he wasn't always the best tracker. His Force senses were not as powerful as most Jedi, even as a Master. He had always found other ways to get around his weaknesses.

So, with no leads, he was back to the random dive bar he had started at. Jasper shuffled in with a heaviness about him and slumped down into a stool at the bar, not even remotely paying attention to his surroundings.

"Hey, it's me again," he mumbled as he slid some credits to the bartender. "Got any more of that Corellian in the back?"

He, in fact, did not at all realize who he had sat down next to.

 

[Ran Serys]

“More Corellian, eh?” The bartender whispered to himself with a happy look of recognition. “Coming right up!” The graying man answered loudly, trying to make eye contact with Ran as he fixed the man’s drink. The old timer knew this was the Jedi he’d served, the jedi the mirialan was looking for, and it wasn’t everyday he got to serve two Jedi. He wanted to make sure they connected.

Ran, who was not expecting the Jedi the bartender had previously spoken about to materialize, had her focus on the hunter’s presence and also on the enjoyment of her spiked tea. She didn’t catch the Bartender’s stare until he had placed the Corellian spirit in front of the man that had pulled up a seat beside her. <It’s him!> Ran had watched the older man mouth, so she turned and then she smiled. It was him. Not someone she could’ve expected, but him all the same.

“Master Kai’el,” Ran said softly, and unintentionally. She was surprised as she took in his appearance. She had never personally met the Jedi Master but recognized him from his time on the Council, before she herself had become a master and was able to serve the Council. “I’ve been looking for you, for any Jedi.” She said just as soft but directly to the man. That was when her guard dropped, but only in the slightest. That was when the hunter let loose a shot.

Red blaster fire shot from a rifle arced overhead as the Hunter knew the key to disarming a Jedi was not in attacking them but in disrupting the systems in and around them. The shot had been aimed straight for the bartender’s head. Ran reached up to intercept the blaster bolt with her hand. It was a dangerous, foolish, and split second decision. If she succeeded, the bartender would be safe but her hand would be burned beyond the means of traditional medicine, if she didn’t the bartender would be no more.

Before the shot could hit, the Mandalorian Hunter had revealed himself from his hiding place, outside of the Tavern with a vantage point into the open windows of the establishment. He ditched the rifle and pulled a blaster and vibro-knife and sprinted toward the bar. “Engage the Jedi now. We can take her.” He said over a comm in his helmet to his two companions.

Tags: Jasper Kai'el
​

 

[Jasper Kai'el]

Kirtania
Tags: Ran Serys

Lightsaber, Refuge, Respite, Jedi Outcasts, Grafted into Stone
​

“Master Kai’el,”

Jasper's eyes perked up, and he turned to catch the gaze of a Mirialan woman that knew his name. That had to he her. A smile came to his face.

"Master Serys! That makes my job a whole lot-"

When the blaster bolt was fired off he reacted quickly, standing up and turning his mechanical prosthetic to block the incoming bolt. Ran wouldn't need to injure herself defending the barender, as the durasteel plating absorbed the hit with little more than a bit of scortching.

"Chat later, hostiles," he stated, flipping into an entirely different mode on a dime.

The Jedi Master had grown up in war. He had fought Sith, Mandalorians, monsters, and everything in-between. He had very little hesitation jumping into battle, which he did right now. The man made himself large in the entryway of the bar as the hunter and his two companions rushed for the door. He quickly withdrew one of his two EMP grenades that he always kept on him and charged it in his hand. He didn't throw it, however. Instead he seemed to be letting it detonate in his hand.

"I'll pay for the damages!" He called back.

And then the EMP would engulf the area and fry all unprotected electronics.