Private Justice or Revenge?

[Kyell Laysel]

Location: Temple
Tag: Miri Nimdok

<I'm doing my best,> he assured her with a smirk. It would have gone a lot faster if she had done it herself, but there was something calming about being together for something simple and silly like this. Dangerous missions tended to make even the best Jedi a little tense, which could lead to mistakes early on. They had to remain focused, both on the mission and each other. There was no point in any of this if they were to get hurt or worse.

As he finished brushing her hair, he noticed that Miri's tension spiked a little. He had felt it earlier, right before their fun time that made it fade completely But now, it was coming back gradually, until she leaned over and grabbed a small box that explained everything. The lid opened and his eyes went wide for a long moment when he saw the engagement ring inside. His breath hitched, his heart began to pound and his mind turned completely chaotic.

For just a few seconds, he wanted to slam his face against a table for not having proposed to her. He felt it had been his task to do so, and he had even given it serious thought lately. Especially when he was starting to prepare for this mission and knew what it could mean for them. But as quick as those thoughts entered his mind, they also faded again. It had not happened much to him during his time with Miri, but his eyes grew teary from joy, and he closed the distance to pull her into a tight hug.

<I will...> he squeaked as the hug tightened. <I love you so much, Miri.> He pulled back to look her in the eyes and as they locked, Kyell completely forgot about the mission; about being a Jedi. All he could think about was his time with her, and it wasn't difficult for him to realize how much it had changed his life.

She had brought true happiness into it.

<When we get back, we'll plan it all out... my fiancée,> he sniffed to compose himself, and brought a hand up to the side of her cheek for a gentle touch. Slowly, he leaned in, and for a long moment, he kissed his future wife.

 

[Miri Nimdok]

Part of why she was so nervous was because she didn’t know what to expect. Well, she didn’t think he would reject her proposal, but the fact that it was still a possibility was enough to get her hands shaking as she lifted the lid of the box.

She didn’t expect him to cry. She could not recall ever having seen him cry before, and for a moment she was frightened upon seeing the tears in his blue eyes. But as he pulled her into his arms and gave his answer, she understood.

<I love you, too,> she said, feeling her own eyes beginning to sting. She didn't want to get all weepy too, but she couldn't help it.

She lingered even after their lips parted, kissing the saltwater from his face before looking down at the box in her hand. The ring itself was modest and practical. She slid it onto his finger.

“It fits!” she exclaimed. <Now… I have got to take a shower.> She laughed at the mundanity of her words in the wake of such a momentous occasion, before she remembered why they were on a time limit, and her joyous expression faltered.

No. They would live to see the promise of the ring fulfilled. She would make sure of it.

Kyell Laysel​

 

[Kyell Laysel]

Location: Temple
Tag: Miri Nimdok

Kyell held up his hand and watched with teary eyes, as Miri slid the ring onto his finger. She seemed really happy that it fit so perfectly, and all he could do was smile like a complete idiot. How could he not? This was by far the best day of his life, even if they were about to embark on an incredibly dangerous mission. They were getting married, and while he had never doubted that they'd spend the rest of their lives together, this confirmation was empowering.

Still, Kyell briefly noticed her fire dimming when she also considered why they were all the way out here, and he was quick to take her hand because of it. He beamed her a confident smile and rubbed the sides of her shoulders, <You chose the best time for this, love. No matter what, we're going to make it back now. We have to.>

He could already imagine her in a wedding dress, walking down the aisle to say those few words that meant so much. There was a lot of preparation they needed to do, from finding a location to making all the arrangements and inviting some friends. He didn't have very many but even if just one or two showed up to see this special moment, he'd be more than satisfied.

With Miri, he felt like the happiest man alive.

<You want to head back to the cockpit? We'll be arriving pretty soon, and the sooner we get this done, the sooner we get to do some wedding planning.>

 

[Miri Nimdok]

<Oh goodness, we do have to plan it, don’t we?> She hadn’t thought about that part. It sounded like an even more daunting task than taking Sahar out. Who would they even invite? Miri’s family? Master Yenna ? The entire New Jedi Order? Probably not Ara Sheridan, at least...

Still unable to contain her excitement, she drew Kyell into another tender kiss. Alas, she had said she would take a shower, and they did have work to do, so she reluctantly pried herself away from her beloved and headed for the refresher. <You go on ahead, I’ll join you in a bit. Don’t forget to put your clothes back on!> she called playfully over her shoulder.

Miri emerged a few minutes later, clean, suited up, armed and ready to fight. Her long black hair was braided around her head, and her face was radiant. She was happy.

<Reporting for duty, sir,> she said.

Kyell Laysel​

 

[Kyell Laysel]

Location: Shili
Tag: Miri Nimdok

<We do have to plan it, but we'll manage,> he assured her. The planning was probably the part he was least looking forward to, but it was easy to get through, knowing where it would get them in the end. He was getting married, which he could still barely believe was actually happening. But secretly, he was also considering what would come next in their lives together. Starting a family, perhaps? He was looking forward to it all.

After another loving kiss, they both did finally agree it was time to focus on the mission again. It was definitely a difficult thing for him, but the last thing he wanted was to lose his focus and never get to see her in her wedding dress.

<What? Don't want Sahar to see me like this?> he called back with a smirk but before she could kill him for it, he reached for his clothes, got ready, and headed for the cockpit again. There, he waited and ran through the final checks for landing until Miri returned, dressed for battle and, of course, Kyell found himself staring a little.

<Love the outfit and hair. Very... sexy,> he said before he gestured with his head to her seat. Once she was down and safely strapped in, Kyell pulled them out of hyperspace and watched as Shili appeared on the other side of their viewscreen. From this distance, it looked like any other world you'd be able to find even in Alliance space, but it wasn't at all.

A star destroyer was positioned in orbit and likely served as HQ for the Knights and soldiers sent down to break the small rebel cells that were lashing out. While it was terrible, it was also a sign that they had come to the right place. <I have Imperial credentials for this mission, so we should be fine to land in the spaceport and draw minimal attention.> He looked up at her with a don't ask how I got those look.

<I uh... just need you to transmit them.> The struggle of a mute.

 

[Miri Nimdok]

<What? Don't you want Sahar to see me like this?>

<Not unless you intend to blind her with your beauty,> Miri replied.

Of course, the first thing out of his mouth (er, mind) when she entered the cockpit was to call her sexy. <Hm,> she hummed appreciatively. <You look pretty hot yourself. I love a man who can work a leather jacket.>

Sitting down, she tried to stay calm as they plunged back into realspace. <You know, I was just wondering,> she said, trying to keep the mood from becoming too dour. <How are you going to do your wedding vows? I can't say them for you. Will you type them out and use a text-to-speech program?>

“We have you on our screen now, please identify,” a voice suddenly crackled over their comms.

“Freighter Surrey, requesting deactivation of the deflector shield,” she replied, using an alternate name for the ship. Her voice thankfully sounded much more confident than she felt.

“Freighter Surrey, transmit the clearance code for shield passage,” a voice crackled over their comms.

“Transmission commencing.”

Kyell Laysel​

 

[Kyell Laysel]

Location: Shili
Tag: Miri Nimdok

Kyell adjusted his jacket with a slightly smug grin when she complimented him in return. The proposal had boosted his confidence perhaps a little too much, and while he'd be back to normal soon enough, right now he felt like he could take on the whole Empire on his own. Not that he wanted that, of course. He much preferred to have Miri by his side all the way through.

Miri then sat down in the co-pilot seat and watched as the ship dropped out of hyperspace and prepared its path down to the surface. But while they waited, she had a question that he hadn't even considered yet at all. <Uh... text-to-speech and I'll set it to Huttese?> he joked before shrugging his shoulders. <I'm not actually sure, though. I guess using a datapad like that is my only option.>

This was likely the only time he'd ever wish he could speak, and his frown showed it.

But it couldn't linger for long, as they were contacted by ground control and requested to transmit clearance codes. Miri did, and for just a few seconds, Kyell held his breath. He had put a lot of effort into preparing for this mission, and this moment would be the first time all that hard work was going to be put to the test

...

"Clearance permitted, please proceed to Docking port 4A at the Southern wing," the voice said, and Kyell immediately made a small fist pump out of sheer joy. He then shot Miri a wink and brought them down to the surface, into the spaceport, and touched down smoothly.

<Alright, my idea was to visit some of the demonstrations here in the city. The crowd is dense and they are all very heated. If Imperial Knights will be sent to put something down, I'm sure it'll start here. Sound good?>

 

[Miri Nimdok]

<Uh... text-to-speech and I'll set it to Huttese?>

For the sake of the mission, Miri fought to maintain her composure. <That would certainly make things interesting,> she remarked, letting an amused smile peek through her facade.

Kyell seemed a bit disappointed upon realizing how his lack of a voice would affect their wedding. This she could not abide. <I’d rather say my vows telepathically anyway,> she said. <In which case, I suppose we had better only invite other Force Users who can “hear” telepathy.> Which would conveniently exclude her mother...

The code clearance was a success. Kyell brought them down to the surface of Shili, where he laid out his plans.

<Clever man,> she purred. Standing up, she holstered her weapons and awaited Kyell. <After you.>

Minutes later, they found themselves in the midst of a packed crowd, supercharged with righteous fury and indignation. The protests were loud, angry, and already getting violent…

Kyell Laysel​

 

[Kyell Laysel]

Location: Shili
Tag: Miri Nimdok

<That works, or we make sure that those attending know we're doing that telepathically beforehand.> Miri's mother would likely be confused otherwise, and she'd surely be there despite the family tension, right? Either way, Kyell shifted his focus away from wedding plans for now and, once they had clearance, made their landing in the spaceport.

Another smug look briefly crossed his features when she called him clever, but the sound of protest caught his attention. Even here, people were walking around with statements painted onto large sheets of paper or cardboard. Slogans were being yelled in unison at guards and law enforcement, and smaller groups were already fighting against the authorities here and there as well.

It was exactly what he had hoped to find here, as weird as that sounded.

<Let's ignore the spaceport and go into the actual city. Fighting here could make our escape very difficult.> The last thing he wanted was to block off the route to their ship by summoning Imperial Knights and stormtroopers here. There was no point in drawing Sahar's attention if they first had to go fight their way through an army.

But luckily, the city itself was just as crowded. A huge stream of people marched along the street leading up to the spaceport, and all around them in adjacent streets, they could hear glass shattering, metal deforming and people fighting. The Imperials were not afraid to use equal force in return, or even lethal force, so the situation was escalating rapidly. <Once we find an Imperial knight confronting people, we take them out and uh... make a bit of a show out of it,> he smiled sheepishly.

Ideally, he needed people to record it or talk about it. If the Empire heard about Jedi taking down a Knight in their own territory, Sahar would surely hear about it.

 

[Miri Nimdok]

Miri followed Kyell through the crowded spaceport and out onto the streets. The pair of them blended in well enough with the throngs of people, many of them around their age, who had come out in droves to protest Imperial rule. The authorities were quick to resort to violent or even lethal measures to put down the uprising.

<I see,> she said, spying three Imperial Knights corralling a group of protesters with their weapons. <Let’s give them a show then, shall we?>

Retrieving her lightsaber from her belt, she activated the violet blade, lunging forward and impaling one of the Knights through the back. The other two turned around and began to attack her.

Kyell Laysel​

 

[Kyell Laysel]

Location: Shili
Tag: Miri Nimdok

<Let's give them a show then, shall we?>

Kyell blinked and was about to argue a slower, more careful approach when he watched her ignite her lightsaber and lunge towards the three Imperial Knights. Sure, these were still in training and not the most dangerous of their kind, but it was a risky move that would give them a lot of trouble if it failed. Luckily, Miri managed to even the odds by stabbing one through the back, which got the others to immediately respond and the crowd around them to scatter.

The two Imperial Knights, a human man and a Zabrak woman, drew lightsabers of their own and pressured Miri together with a barrage of attacks. It didn't last very long, however, as Kyell's violet blade caught the Zabrak's mid-attack and shoved her back with more strength than she could muster in response.

<Let's take them together,> Kyell quickly told his fiancée before he charged ahead and slammed his blade down into the smaller Zabrak's guard. She recoiled back another step, and he immediately hammered away again, hoping to break down her guard and take her out swiftly. Her ally noticed this and tried to jump away from Miri in an attempt to flank Kyell and strike him down or pressure him away from the other Imperial Knight.

The battle had begun.

 

[Miri Nimdok]

While Kyell took on the Zabrak woman, Miri was left to deal with the human male. He was taller and broader and presumably stronger than her, but he was also overly concerned with his ally's wellbeing, ignoring Miri in favor of trying to defend his partner from Kyell. Miri took advantage of the distraction, slashing at the Imperial's back, but he managed to move out of the way in time.

Now he couldn't ignore her. As he reluctantly turned away from Kyell to take on Miri, he quickly realized that her earlier kill of their other teammate had been due purely to the element of surprise and a stroke of luck. She was, in reality, an awful duelist. The Imperial Knight rapidly gained the upper hand, knocking her backwards and harrying her defenses.

Against such a relentless assault, she had no chance of unholstering any of her pistols in the middle of battle. <I can't keep this up for much longer!> she admitted to Kyell. She had hoped to take the extra pressure off of him, but now her shortcomings with a lightsaber were proving a problem.

Kyell Laysel​

 

[Kyell Laysel]

Location: Shili
Tag: Miri Nimdok

Kyell could feel that he was getting close to bursting the Zabrak's defenses wide open for a finishing blow, but the duel between his fiancée and the human Knight was turning against her. Without even having to consider it for a second, Kyell shoved the Zabrak away, thereby giving her distance and time to recover, but also giving himself the separation he needed to turn around. Without fear for his own life, he jumped across the distance and thrust his blade forward with both hands.

The tip of the violet blade pierced through the human's back, and exploded out of his chest a second later, killing him instantly. With the big guy down and Kyell's back turned towards the Zabrak, however, he found himself in a troublesome position and the fast and nimble Zabrak sought to exploit it.

With an immense burst of speed, she charged toward Kyell, hoping to get revenge for her fallen friend by ending his life as well. There would be no way Kyell could turn around to stop her, but he hoped Miri had been given enough time to draw her preferred weapons.

 

[Miri Nimdok]

The goal of all this, Miri reminded herself, was for it to look like two Jedi were on Shili. Jedi didn’t use guns, they used lightsabers…

Kyell abandoned his opponent in order to help her, dispatching the human with one skilled thrust through the chest. Before the Zabrak could lunge toward his unprotected back, Miri dropped her lightsaber and whipped one of her pistols out of its holster. Gunshots rang like thunderclaps as she emptied an entire magazine into the Imperial. If she wasn’t dead the moment she hit the ground, she probably didn’t live for much longer after that.

The gun clicked empty. Miri was breathing hard, wide eyes finding Kyell’s. “Are you okay?” she gasped out.

For a few moments, the Force had been with her. All her guilt and fear of losing her beloved provided ample fuel for her fire. But now the blaze had dwindled to embers, and all she could think about was how close the Zabrak had gotten to killing or maiming Kyell.

Her hands shook as she replaced the empty magazine with a fresh one. Provided Kyell had no injuries to tend to, she stooped to pick up her discarded lightsaber, as well as looting the weapons from the three Imperial Knights’ corpses. The protests and violence continued around them, but for a few minutes, their little area was a quiet island in the midst of a raging sea.

Kyell Laysel​

 

[Kyell Laysel]

Location: Shili
Tag: Miri Nimdok

Bang Bang Bang...

Kyell briefly closed his eyes and winced from the sound of gunfire, even though it was the sound of his survival as well. The Zabrak who had attempted to end his life by stabbing him in the back was now dead on the ground herself, and he stood still almost without a scratch. Their surprise attack had helped overwhelm the Imperial Knights, but he knew their time here wasn't going to get much easier.

They still had to make it off-world.

<I'm alright, thanks for having my back.> He smiled softly and placed his hand on her shoulder for just a moment. The fight had drawn a lot of attention and with Imperial Knights not checking back in, it would only be a matter of time until the area was swarmed with enemy soldiers. But for just a couple of seconds, he wanted to enjoy the relief he felt that all of this had worked out. They had made their statement, and now they were going to get out, get married, and deal with Sahar.

<Alright, now we get out of here and the rest should sort itself out. We're not going to engage Sahar here if she even comes. Too many Imperials,> he explained before glancing around at cameras in the area. <They will find out who did this, and Sahar will recognize me. That should be enough.>

He looked back at his fiancée with a slight grin, <Got enough ammo for the way back, love?>

 

[Miri Nimdok]

Sighing with relief, Miri removed her helmet, intending to kiss him hard—but then remembered that they were being watched by the enemy. Given Sahar’s sadistic streak, maybe it was best to leave that aspect of their relationship a secret. (Never mind that she likely already knew, since she had seen the photo of them together.) Instead, she turned toward one of the surveillance cameras and made a silly face, sticking out her tongue.

<There,> she said, putting her helmet back on. <Now she knows who she’s dealing with.>

<Got enough ammo for the way back, love?>

<Plenty. Let’s get out of here.>

But no sooner had they started on the way back, they found the route back to the spaceport blocked off by barriers patrolled by Imperial troops. Meanwhile the streets had erupted into outright warfare as the protesters battled the Imperials. Blaster bolts flew, vibroblades gleamed, and makeshift explosives shattered shop windows, flinging broken glass and shrapnel through the air.

Miri pulled Kyell into an alley. <Looks like we’ll have to leave my ship here for now,> she said, reluctance clear in her voice. She had practically grown up aboard the Conestoga; losing it was an unbearable thought, but leaving it here at the mercy of a planet gone mad didn’t feel much better. <I’ll call for evac…>

She pulled out her datapad and sent out a distress signal to any NJO operatives in the area. Her eyebrows shot up when she saw who answered. “Starlin?”

Kyell Laysel​

 

[Kyell Laysel]

Location: Shili
Tag: Miri Nimdok

Kyell had been extremely serious in all of his plotting and the execution of their plan, but when he watched Miri turn to a camera to make a silly face, he just lost it for a moment. His nervousness and all the tension from having to commit to this mission were gone, and he could finally laugh about something silly like this again.

It was something he really needed.

<Alright, I'll take lead so you can cover me,> he said before they started heading back towards the spaceport. Kyell was already going with a long, alternative route to hopefully avoid problems along the way, but it seemed impossible to escape. In every street and at every corner, people were fighting against the Empire, and while that was an amazing thing to see, it also meant they could never reach the ship.

Even if they did, he doubted that the spaceport would allow them to depart in all of this chaos.

Luckily, Miri had an idea and pulled him along into an alleyway, where she explained her plan. It was difficult for ships to leave a controlled environment like a spaceport, but a daring Jedi could definitely land somewhere more remote and pick them up. The emergency call was quickly made for it, and while an answer should have meant a spark of joy, he noticed surprise in Miri's eyes.

<Starlin? I don't think I've met him but if you know him, we can trust him, right?> He asked as he began to look around to make sure nobody was following them.

<We'll need to put the evac point just outside the city, so we've got a little more running to do.> Unless Starlin was crazy enough to pick them up in the middle of all of this, of course.

 

[Miri Nimdok]

<He’s an old friend of my family,> Miri explained. <My father was his mentor. He’s like a big brother to me.> Or was. She hadn’t seen him since her father’s funeral, before she had even met Kyell. Their lives simply got too busy.

A short time later, Miri’s comlink crackled to life. “Miri? Can you hear me?”

“Starlin? Is it really you?” she asked.

“Yeah, it’s me.” He sounded happy to hear from her, at least. “So, how bad is it down there?”

“It’s not good.” Miri ducked as someone threw something at her. The object went over her head and shattered against a parked speeder. It burst into flames on impact, engulfing the vehicle in fire. “We’re headed for the city limits—”

“Nah, screw that! I’ll come to you. Besides, I wanna shoot some Imps.”

Eyebrows raised in surprise, Miri glanced at Kyell, shrugging her shoulders. <I guess he’s picking us up here.>

Within minutes, a small, sleek freighter roared into view. It maneuvered smoothly between buildings, peppering the Imperial ranks below with blaster fire, before pausing above them, ramp extended. Miri handed Kyell her grappling hook and hung on tightly to him as they were reeled into the Defender of Ossus.

Loud, funky music was blaring inside the ship. “'Come along and ride on a fantastic voyage!'” Starlin’s voice could be heard singing along. He wasn’t a great singer, but he could at least carry a tune.

As soon as the hatch closed, Miri tore off her helmet, tossed it aside, and kissed Kyell passionately, able to contain her feelings no longer.

“Hey, are you guys alright back there? Anybody hurt?” Starlin’s voice on the intercom interrupted them. “Get up here and strap in—it’s gonna be a bumpy ride!”

Kyell Laysel​

 

[Kyell Laysel]

Location: Shili
Tag: Miri Nimdok

<Good, I'm sure we'll be out of there soon.> Kyell knew enough about Miri's father to know that anybody trained or mentored by him would be pretty capable. This was not going to be an easy extraction, considering the Imperials had fighters patrolling the skies, and the streets were also filled with them. They were going to need someone skilled.

Not long after, as the two were running, Starlin called back in and while Kyell listened, he also remained focused on what happened around them. Enough to see who threw the incendiary object at his fiancée, and the response came swiftly. With a quick pull of his hand, Kyell pulled the man's legs from underneath him so hard that he smashed into the ground. Nothing too serious in terms of damage, but he would be out for a while.

That'll teach him.

Then, to Kyell's surprise, Starlin didn't want to have them get to a safer pick-up point... he was coming to the middle of this city. For a minute or so, Kyell believed him to be foolish for it, but when he saw the freighter expertly maneuvring between buildings while also opening fire on Imperials down below, he was reminded of what he had thought earlier again. Starlin knew what he was doing, and soon lowered a ramp that allowed the Jedi couple to grapple their way on board.

<Damn, that was close and Starlin reall-> he stopped as Miri took off her helmet and pulled him into a kiss. It got him to freeze up for just a second, but he was quick to cup both of her cheeks and return the fiery kiss in kind. Sadly, it was not going to be as long as they both would have liked — Starlin interrupted them, and Kyell pulled back to smile reassuringly at her. They'd have their time alone again soon, but right now they still had to get out.

Together, they rushed into the cockpit, where he got seated and looked at their savior for the first time. <I can't speak but thanks, we owe you one,> He told the man before he looked at instruments to see if there was anything he could do to help. But having seen his earlier flying, Kyell had a feeling that they were going to be just fine.

 

[Miri Nimdok]

A pale, lanky man pushing thirty with a head of dark curly hair, Starlin didn’t look like much at first. His attention was wholly focused on piloting, but when Miri and Starlin entered the cockpit, he grinned broadly. His fondness for Miri and happiness at seeing her again were poured out into the Force, making the whole atmosphere of the ship suddenly seem bathed in warmth and light.

“You’re welcome, man,” he replied, dialing down the volume of his music so that they could talk. “Name’s Starlin Rand. Mind if I ask what you guys are doing here on Chilli—I mean, Shili?” Even as he spoke, he was flying down airspeeder lanes and weaving between starscrapers, trying to lose any pursuers.

Miri began to explain their mission, talking of Imperial Knights, protests, and Sahar, while also briefly announcing their engagement. “Congratulations!” Starlin said cheerfully as the ship bucked suddenly, the nose jerking upwards as they rocketed off toward outer space, bursting free of the planet’s atmosphere.

“Thanks,” Miri ground out, gripping the arms of her chair as the gravity compensators struggled to, well, compensate.

“Unidentified vessel, you are not cleared for takeoff,” the comms system crackled. “Transmit your codes immediately, or you will be destroyed!”

Starlin just laughed. The Force hummed noticeably within the confines of the Defender as he drew upon it for guidance. Imperial ships pursued them, firing at the little freighter, but Starlin deftly dodged their shots. “So, where are we going?” he asked, gesturing toward the navicomputer.

Miri opened her mouth to respond, then realized that they had no place to go. Or at least, she didn’t. She quite literally lived aboard the Conestoga; with it stranded on Shili, she was more or less homeless. “Coruscant, I guess,” she finally mumbled, rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly.

“Any objections?” Starlin asked, waiting for an answer from Kyell. They didn't have a lot of time to debate their destination, what with being chased by Imps and all, but if Kyell could come up with a better alternative fast...

Kyell Laysel​