Private Jogging Memories

[Loomi]

Jogging Memories
Coruscant, Underbelly
Tags: Jand Talo

Loomi's combat experience wound up proving sufficient enough for field work pretty fast. The Jedi Council was quick to deem her fit for active duty and assign her a first mission. Pirates were making a mess in the underbelly, remnants of the now fractured Hutt Space Consortium. She had been sent along with a senior padawan to take care of one such band of ruffians. Jand Talo was his name, a rather strange fellow, though that seemed to simply be due to a lack of understanding on her own end. Or maybe his end as well? Her own problems didn't help, whatever the case.

The mission was pretty simple. Move in, capture their leader, clear out the rest. There was a side objective to reclaim any force artifacts that may have wound up on the black market, but the priority was public safety. The young Godoan was quite driven to see this objective through. She greatly disliked pirates. Loomi was uncertain why, but it felt almost ingrained into her. A lost memory. A fragment of another life adrift in her unconscious mind. It probably meant nothing. She really needed to stop convincing herself that every strange feeling she had was of some great astronomical significance. They were probably just quirks, plain and simple. No overthinking necessary.

She was rather nervous though. An amnesiac with mechanical legs and grizzly scars was sure to generate some chatter. Nonetheless, the two Jedi had made their way to their destination, an old apartment complex that had long since been abandoned. The architecture seemed to indicate that it had once been an establishment of luxury, even housing it's own landing pad. Now it was a shell of itself, just like the rest of the underbelly. Loomi looked on at the entrance from the rooftop of a nearby building.

"Guess this is the place," she frowned. "Real sad sight... Well, you're the senior. Got a plan?"

 

[Jand Talo]

The mission was fairly typical for what Jand did within the Jedi Order.

An increase in lawless pirate activity, in the wake of the Hutt Space Consortium falling that had turned out to be a cover for criminal activity, warranted reaction to make a local area safer for the population once again. It was important that the Alliance - and by extension the Jedi - provided that security as it was expected and needed, so the mission likely had differing layers of importance and roll-on effect in the region. But, for Jand, it was as simple as clearing out some pirates.

The Jedi Council could handle the technicalities.

When it came to one of the newer Padawans, a young Godoan named Loomi, the Nagai had no real thoughts on it all. She had joined the Jedi, she had proven herself, and they both shared the same rank within the Order. And while Jand understood he had been a Padawan longer, he didn't immediately assume his experience or knowledge superseded Loomi's own - everyone brought something to a situation.

"My plan would be simple: we do exactly as instructed, capture the leader, and deal with the remaining pirates."

Jand glanced over the apartment building, as he spied into some windows.

"I have no concerns with killing criminals, who do not request to surrender for apprehension. Do you?"

Loomi​

 

[Loomi]

Coruscant, Underbelly
Tags: Jand Talo

"I have no concerns with killing criminals, who do not request to surrender for apprehension. Do you?"

"Not really," she shrugged. "I... feel like I should though..."

The Godoan lingered on the thought for a moment. Should she care about killing criminals? The Jedi answer was yes, but she couldn't really find anything in her subconscious that swayed her thoughts on the matter.

"Yeah, I got nothing," Loomi decided. "Whatever gets the job done, right?"

And besides, these were terrible people who had probably killed themselves. If they didn't resign themselves to capture, that was just on them. There was no real way around it. It wasn't the first time she had killed someone up until now, and she struggled to think that it would be the last.

"Uh, the no plan is a little concerning," the Godoan did add. "I mean, nothing about... like, routes of entry or something?"

 

[Jand Talo]

Jand wasn't particularly knowledgeable of Loomi's situation, beyond a brief explanation, so he wasn't too surprised.

"The pirates that fight will try to kill you," the Padawan said, as he looked to the Godoan with the one eye. "Morality can go out the window when survival is on the line. That is why I, as a Nagai, have none when it comes to killing... if you feel inclined to change your opinion during the mission, inform me and we can adapt.

"We will give the pirates a chance to surrender. If they do not, well."

There would be opportunity soon enough for Loomi to realize how she felt, one way or the other.

"I tend to avoid planning too strictly, because they always change or fall apart," Jand grunted, as he looked to the top-most entryway. "That said, I feel sealing the landing pad doorway and then entering from the ground floor, and pushing upward should yield the best results. Those that fight will engage us in the lower levels, those that surrender will rush and pen themselves in at the top... and once we reach them, Alliance Security can come and take them away for processing."

It was simple.

Not too dissimilar to flooding a boat and forcing all the vermin upward.

"I am unfamiliar with your physical capabilities," Jand looked to Loomi's mechanical legs. "Can you make the leap to the landing pad?"

Loomi​

 

[Loomi]

Coruscant, Underbelly
Tags: Jand Talo

Right. A Nagai. Of course. Loomi nodded her head as he spoke, but it was really more so to avoid the fact that she had no idea what it was he was talking about. His species, obviously, but she didn't recall hearing the name before now. It was nice that he was being flexible at least, and the plan he gave was generally easy to follow.

Seal the landing pad, sweep up through the building. Simple.

"Can you make the leap to the landing pad?"

"Well, shucks, I'd reckon I can," Loomi responded after taking a moment to calculate the distance. Her antennae fluttered about as she felt the surrounding area through the force. "Doesn't seem too far. We'll wanna be fast. There's a guy behind that corner guarding the entrance. We could probably get him by surprise, knock him over the noggin."

The man was tapping his foot, sending small ripples out in the force around him. Tiny shockwaves that Loomi picked up on, aided by her natural tracking abilities. It certainly wasn't x-ray vision, but it always helped to know generally where a hostile was.

"Right then," she nodded. "I'll follow your lead."

 

[Jand Talo]

Loomi was full of surprises.

"Very well, you handle the guard," Jand said as he grunted, a nod followed after, and looked back to the building. "I will handle the door."

For a moment, the Padawan inhaled and prepared, as he focused the Force through his body. His boots crunched on the roof pebbles, as he bent his knees, and then Jand rushed forward and jumped--

Good.

--and touched down lightly on the landing pad, as he curled and rolled, to help absorb some of the impact.

Once sorted, Jand waited for Loomi - specifically for the Godoan to reach the guard and knock him out - before he approached the doorway; but in preparation, he reached to his belt and pulled his lightsaber free, though didn't activate it just yet. It was far better to give Loomi the silence she needed to attend to the guard first...

Loomi​

 

[Loomi]

Coruscant, Underbelly
Tags: Jand Talo

Loomi was quick to leap across after Jand. Her movements were far different. She was lighter, with more of a nimbleness in her step. Rather than roll, the Godoan used her momentum to slide around the corner, quickly drawing her blade.

Well, it certainly looked like a sword, but it was far from it. Contained within the gourd at her waist was a creature she had come to form a force bond with, one which had strange shape-shifting abilities. The organism shifted into a solid form, assuming a clubbed figure before Loomi brought it down on the head of the unsuspecting guard in an overhead strike. He was out like a light.

"Nice work, little fella," Loomi silently praised.

The Lushi didn't respond, but it was the thought that mattered, right?

More importantly, her job was done. Loomi quickly turned to Jand to assess his side of the situation. He had surely already moved up to seal the door behind them, but she had to be sure. At least give a glance of confirmation so they could proceed.

 

[Jand Talo]

Jand saw the guard was out.

He activated his lightsaber with a snap-hiss, and began to press the plasma edge to the door seal. The metal began to burn, then bubble, before it started to fuse together and create something of a makeshift wield. It didn't take long, then the weapon was deactivated, before Jand moved away and toward his fellow Padawan.

"Good, I believe we are set," he said simply, as he peered down from the landing pad. "We should descend the building and make for the entry."

Without hesitating, Jand stepped off the landing pad and dropped down into the space between buildings, his robes and cloak billowing. The fall didn't last long, before the Force was used to assist with a landing, and Jand landed with a thud of his boots. He peered around where he touched down, alert for nearby pirates who might have been wandering, but seemed to be alone - at least until Loomi rejoined him.

Jand waited.

Loomi​

 

[Loomi]

Coruscant, Underbelly
Tags: Jand Talo

Loomi followed quickly, her mechanical legs absorbing what little energy she had picked up in the brief drop down. Jand moved quickly, which was a little difficult to keep up with, but that more spoke to how unfamiliar she was with working with other people. They were some growing pains she'd have to ease out, surely. For now though, what mattered was getting the job done.

As Jand assessed their surroundings by eye, Loomi crouched down, placing a hand on the ground to feel the vibrations in the force. Echoes of movement. Very quickly, she got a sense of what they were working with.

"Two at the door," she stated quietly, "Three inside. One of them is really large. A Wookie maybe?"

That kind of muscle would have to be their priority. Loomi didn't want to end up a pancake.

 

[Jand Talo]

Jand listened as Loomi spoke about the potential danger without and within, as he poised himself around the corner from the entry, his lightsaber hilt in hand. He spoke in a low voice:

"A Wookiee is resistant to energy, yes," Jand said as he glanced to the other. "But not immune. If there is a Wookiee, I will handle the opponent, and you focus on other immediate threats."

If there was, indeed, one of the furry warriors inside, Jand would handle the problem. He didn't want Loomi facing something she wasn't ready for... and there would definitely be enough pirates to contend with, as it was. When it seemed both were ready, or as ready as they could be, Jand stepped out and approached the two guards.

"I am Jand Talo, a Jedi, and we are here to arrest - or dispatch - your pirate group. You must make a decision."

One guard blinked, stammered--

"I... what? Dispatch us?"

--but the other shook her head and snarled, as she grabbed a commlink.

"Damn, Jedi outside, we've been made! Alert!"

Jand grunted... so much for that.

"Do you refuse to surrender?"

"Fethin' right we do!"

Both guards pulled blasters...

Loomi​

 

[Loomi]

Coruscant, Underbelly
Tags: Jand Talo

"But not immune. If there is a Wookiee, I will handle the opponent, and you focus on other immediate threats."

"Yes, sir," Loomi responded, giving a half salute.

Now Jand was by no means her superior, but he was older and more experienced. That was reason enough to address the warrior with respect. From there, the Nagai would walk up calmly and speak to the two guards at the front of the entrance. The request for surrender was quickly denied, with the pair opting to draw their blasters.

With little hesitation, Loomi drew her familiar in a clubbed form again, leaping out from behind her cover. If things were already getting hostile, the Godoan didn't want to wait to be shot at. She moved quickly, greatly enhanced by her prosthetic legs. Gripping the hilt the creature was bound to with two hands, one swing to the back of the first guard's head was enough to send him to the ground. The man was by no means dead, but there was noticeably an open wound where the impact was made that was now bleeding.

From there, Loomi shifted the Lushi into a more sword-like form, waiting to intercept any incoming blaster bolt that may be sent her way.

 

[Jand Talo]

Jand angled his blade, there was a zip as a blaster bolt deflected, then a gurgle as the second guard stumbled with a sizzling hole to the chest.

It seemed Loomi had also dealt with a guard, though more directly with a solid strike, with the assistance of the odd weapon she possessed. There would be questions over the transforming item, certainly, but the noise and shouts from inside the building were of more concern. It seemed the other guards were rushing the front doorway, which would place them directly at odds with the Jedi outside.

"We go in," Jand said as he rushed forward. "Now."

A solid kick with his boot and the door swung inward, crashing against the wall, and the immediate guards were revealed. As Loomi had stated, the numbers matched, and included a larger sentient - one that was very hairy, angry and wielded a large axe.

A Wookiee.

Great.

With the use of his natural speed and dexterity, Jand rolled forward, dodged between the first pair of guards, and then angled for the Wookiee behind them. The ferocious alien roared and swung the axe, which Jand sidestepped - barely - in the corridor of the apartment complex, before he sliced several times with his blue lightsaber blade.

The strikes weren't as effective as Jand might have hoped.

"This will take me a mome--!"

Jand was grabbed by the Wookiee's large hand by the robes on his chest. Then, with another roar, the Wookiee slammed the Padawan into - and through - the plaster wall of the apartment to the right. Both combatants disappeared inside the opening, as the Wookiee followed, leaving Loomi in the hallway with her opponents.

Crashes and roars sounded from the next room over...

Loomi​

 

[Loomi]

Coruscant, Underbelly
Tags: Jand Talo

The Nagai padawan kicked through the door to reveal the guards within that she had felt through the force. Amongst them was, of course, the larger combatant. A Wookiee. Loomi watched in a bit of a daze as the more experienced padawan sidestepped the axe and swing to kill with his lightsaber, only for the large criminal to take the blows in stride. That alone was enough to send a whirlwind of thoughts through her head, but what followed certainly didn't help.

"This will take me a mome--!"

The Wookiee ceased Jand by the scruff of his robe, hurling him through a plaster wall and following in after him, a few criminals quick to tail behind the large combatant. Nasty snarling on the other side soon followed. Two of the guards remained, brandishing blasters in her direction. In that moment, the Godoan spared her familiar a glance. In seconds, the blade had shifted into a form that was far sharper. Now that the pressure was on, there was no holding back.

Her mechanical legs flared to life as the teen sprang into action, bolting at the closest guard with blade outstretched to parry the incoming blaster bolts. Then, once at an adequate range, she gripped both of her hands on the hilt of her living weapon, driving it up to sever the first guards arm. After a faint blood spatter and a yelp of agony, the first combatant was down. The second, upon seeing this display, was petrified, giving Loomi time to close in on him. He fired off his blaster randomly, which the Godoan easily weaved around, before the bizarre weapon slashed through his chest.

"Golly," Loomi exhaled, taking a moment to recompose herself and conserve a bit of energy before turning to the opening. "Hold on, Guy! I'm coming!"

Without a moment more of delay, Loomi leapt blade first through the opening they had vanished through.

 

[Jand Talo]

The growls, crashing and hum of the lightsaber continued, as Loomi fought her own fight, amid blaster shots, shouts, pieces of drywall and debris. Then Loomi jumped through the hole to join the fray... and Jand crashed through the hallway wall again, further down, as he flailed across the space to the other opposing wall, and created another Jand-sized hole.

The Wookiee, with a roar and snarl, smashed after the Padawan, hair singed and wounds across his body.

Wookiee rage was evident.

However, inside the space Loomi entered, more guards had been brought into the fight, forcefully by the numerous holes in the walls that opened the space. It looked like the Godoan might have stumbled into another host of guards, who had - for the moment - been occupied with looking in the direction of the Nagai and Wookiee battle, distracted by the rough and tumble display...

Loomi​