Private Keeping a Promise

[Dhalinar Greystar]

Sōla Taan

​

Dhalinar tapped a booted foot, arms folded across his chest as he waited on the Saber's balcony waiting for his delivery. It was an auspicious day for the old Jedi. It had been well over a decade since he had taken on a padawan. Maybe even two if memory served him. Though he had promised Jedi Master and council member Valery Noble that he would begin to take on Padawans it was not such a simple thing, at least to his old-fashioned way of thinking. A Master chose their padawan about as much as a Jedi chose their kyber crystal. He had taken many younglings on for a few days, a month at most and none had fit. Luckily as their numbers swelled so did the number of available knights to take on such padawans but it had jaded him a bit to the idea. As the Marshal of the Corellian Enclave, his day-to-day was filled mostly with visits to the Corellian Council, signing documents for the Saber, and managing the few interactions he had with their resident Jedi Watchman and Shadow Allyson Locke . Most padawans did not thrive in that sort of environment. Maybe this one would be different though. Maybe this one would show enough promise that he could want to start being more active in the Galaxy.

The blade-like silhouette of his Dagger-class corvette blotted out the sun as it made its descent into the hangar above, the roar of its repulsors fighting off the sound of the skycar traffic below. Finally, the Emerald Sunspire had arrived. When the lift doors finally hissed open he saw his new padawan. She was shorter than he expected, her black hair cut at an angle making one side longer than the other with one side being cut just above her ear. He sensed great loss in her. Not uncommon for young Jedi but still heartbreaking for one so young. A pair of KJSO droids were unloading boxes emblazoned with the seal of the New Jedi Order and stacking them off to the side. Supplies he'd asked for the Saber, mostly copies of holobooks, training sabers, and robes. Simple things. Taking a deep breath he stepped forward.

"Padawan Taan, it is good to see you made it to Corellia in one piece!" His voice was jovial, his posture inviting, his eyes twinkling with the promise of adventure.

 

[Sōla Taan]

As the Emerald Sunspire dipped into the hangar, Sōla hoped, desperately, that this master would at least live long enough to train her before he died. She silently chastised herself a moment later for the ignoble thought- it was selfish and unbecoming of a Jedi.

She hoped that this Master would live. That alone would be enough.

The lift-doors opened with a soft hiss as the boarding ramp touched gently against the landing pad. Sōla stepped out into the brisk Coronet City air, the wind snapping at the sleeves of her kimono and fluttering her hair. Her master was there on the pad awaiting her.

“Padawan Taan, it is good to see you made it in one piece!” Master Dhalinar Greystar said, eyes twinkling.

He was tall and broad shouldered, with a furry gray beard and a thick shock of gray hair. Clad in a crisp white uniform, cape fluttering behind him, faceplate on his brow, he looked more like a noble admiral than a Jedi Master. There stands the Marshal of the Saber.

He cut an impressive figure. And in the Force…

In the Force he was a shining gem whose faults were few. He was strong, she surmised, in all the ways that truly mattered. For the first time in what felt like ages, she felt a kindle of hope spark in her heart.

“I imagine it might’ve been rather traumatic if you had found me in two pieces,” she said as she ambled down the ramp, jet heels clicking, lips twisted in a small smile. When she stood before him, she had to crane her neck all the way up to see. “And please, Master, call me Sōla.”

The hangar doors shut with a resounding thud.

 

[Dhalinar Greystar]

Sōla Taan

Dhalinar grinned and ran a gloved hand through his white hair.

"Well, I've seen my share of bisected sentients. I'm sure it wouldn't have been too traumatic." For now, he let slide the familiarity. If only because as soon as his quip left his lips a light on the left earcup of his forehead plate began blinking, an incessant chirp chirp chirp invading his thoughts. He pressed two fingers to the cup and nodded a few times listening to the message and sucked in air.

"I apologize for the briefness of our meeting Padawan, but it looks as if we will have to put the tour on hold." He grimaced. They had just shut the hangar doors and now he needed them open again. "Follow me, I guess you'll get a bit of a tour after all." Without another word he turned on his heels and headed back towards the lift. He didn't wait to see if the padawan was following. If she came he would have to explain on the way.

 

[Sōla Taan]

​

“Well I’ve seen my fair share of bisected sentients," said Master Dhalinar Greystar I’m sure it wouldn’t have been too traumatic.” His left earcup started to flash.

Sōla watched with him with curious indigo eyes, head tilted just so.

Master Greystar breathed in sharply. “I apologize for the briefness of our meeting, Padawan, but it looks as if we will have to put the tour on hold.” His eyes flicked up to the hangar doors and he grimaced. “Follow me, I guess you’ll get a bit of a tour after all.”

Are we leaving out so soon?

He turned abruptly and marched towards the lift, his stride long and powerful. Sola hurried to follow the much taller Jedi, scurrying along behind him. She was immediately curious as to the nature of the message he’d received, and silently debated if she should practice patience or simply ask out right.

She was certain she would find out in time- the message had obviously changed his plans, and he was bringing her along- and yet she was curious. She was a deeply inquisitive young lady, and she had been raised to ask questions.

“What’s going on, Master? Is it an emergency?” Could it be a mission? Already? On her first day?

She couldn’t tell if she was excited or anxious.

​

 

[Dhalinar Greystar]

Sōla Taan

He nodded, a severe look etched into his face.

"There has been a rally sponsored by the Children of the Belt going on for a few days on one of the nearby mining stations. I just got a call from CorSec. A known leader in the Forgotten Sons has been spotted among the group. They think there might be an attack soon." The doors hissed open to the ground level of the enclave, a wide expanse of polished tile. The Hall of Sabers. It wasn't bustling with visitors but there were a small handful of adherents to the Church of the Force bowed in meditation in front of one of the statues and what looked to be a school trope and their teacher gawking at the massive statues. Waiting for them at the hall's open entrance was a CorSec officer.

"Master Greystar," the man said in greeting.

"Officer Clover." Dhalinar nodded and then gestured to his padawan. "This is my Padawan, Sola Taan." The officer's brow quirked.

"Another new Padawan?" Dhalinar's jaw tightened but the officer shrugged.

 

[Sōla Taan]

The lift descended so smoothly and quietly that Sōla could scarcely tell it was moving.

Master Greystar explained the situation: the Children of the Belt were having a rally, and a documented leader of the Forgotten Sons had been spotted with the group.

Curious, she was quick access the data pad built into her vambrace and scan the holonet for news and info on the Forgotten Sons. Her eyes flashed across the screen, taking in articles as well as old holonews reports. Hmph. So they’re terrorists.

Face lit by the soft blue glow of her datapad's holoscreen, she followed her master from the lift.

The Hall of Sabers was a vast, vaulted corridor with smooth tile floors and arcades running the length of the walls to separate the center aisle from the side rooms. The walls were lined with towering statues of legendary Jedi heroes, some distinguishable only by name.

The Hall was only sparsely populated- there was a group of robes figures bowing before one of the statues, a group of children and their teacher, a few random stragglers, and one uniformed CorSec officer.

The officer was waiting at the threshold of the Hall. He greeted Master Greystar amicably enough, but expressed some measure of surprise when presented with Sōla.

"Another new Padawan?" the man asked, eyebrows quirked.

Another? Did he mean that Master Greystar had had another padawan recently, or that he had another Padawan currently? There was a story there, and she hoped it wasn't as sad as her own.

Sōla frowned. Officer Clover didn't care much for tact, it seemed. His offhand remark just filled her with more questions.

She curled her lips in disapproval, an expression stolen directly from her old crèche master. Granted, it had a much greater effect on a less cherubic face, but Sōla managed as best as she could.

"I believe the proper response is, 'A pleasure to meet you, Padawan, I'm Officer Clover,' to which I would've replied, 'The pleasure is all mine, officer. My name is Sōla'."

Dhalinar Greystar ​

 

[Dhalinar Greystar]

Sōla Taan

Both the officer and Greystar turned and looked at the young Padawan, surprise etched on the officer's face and mirth hidden in the lines of Greystar's frown. The officer cleared his throat, trying to fill the air with something besides a shocked and awkward silence.

"Yeah, of course. My apologies errrr," he stammered searching for the right title, the one that wouldn't anger the little girl with sunspears for eyes. "Padawan Taan. Uhh Sola," The officer worked his jaw a few times searching for an expression before settling on a grimace, though he quickly realized that was the wrong expression and tried a trademark Corellian smirk. On a round face like Clover's the smirk, meant to imitate the legendary Han Solo's lopsided grin came off as cheesy and more comical than dashing. "Goot to meet ya."

There was a pause as he looked to the Jedi Marshal for support. Dhalinar simply shrugged. Officer Clover worked with a lot of Jedi as one of CorSec's Jedi Liaisons but he also didn't quite know how to deal with them, especially the young ones, without offending them so he had deigned not to try. Still, something in the way the girl spoke put him on pins and needles.

"Let's get to the rally," Clover muttered before turning away from the pair of Jedi and walking down the steps.

When he was sufficiently far away Dhalinar gave his new padawan a sidelong look.

"You have a sharper tongue than I would have guessed," he mused, taking one step and then another. He didn't walk slowly but it was clear he was not in as much of a rush as he was before. "Officer Clover is a good man and CorSec works well with the Green Jedi and the Jedi Order. It would be good if we didn't spoil any relationships with them." He looked up to the air traffic flying above. It was a clear day with only a thin haze of smog from the Industrial District polluting the air and giving the horizon a slightly off yellow tint despite it being the early afternoon. A breeze lifted the smell of the harbor up onto the steps of the enclave bringing a smile to Dhalinar's lips.

"It was a bit rude though. You get used to it here."

 

[Sōla Taan]

Officer Clover was seemingly struck speechless, stumbling and stuttering over his words as he searched fruitlessly for the proper form of address. He looked to Master Greystar for help and received only a shrug in return. After a stop and a start, he decided that 'Padawan Taan Uhhhhh-Sōla' would suffice as her title. Had she been the sort of person to laugh out loud, she would’ve then. When his face split into a goofy grin, as if the expression might somehow assuage his rudeness, she decided to cut him some slack.

"Good to meet you as well, Officer," she said, lips twisted in a wry smile.

Officer Clover looked from her to her master then back again, as if questioning that he'd heard her correctly. "Let's get to the rally," the man muttered, turning away to escort them. It seemed he'd had enough.

When she chanced a glance at Master Greystar, her smiled turned sheepish.

"You have a sharper tongue than I would've guessed," he began, setting a more leisurely pace to his stride.

She didn't have to scurry so much to keep up, but she still felt like a Pogling scrambling after it's mother.

"Officer Clover is a good man and CorSec works well with the Green Jedi and the Jedi Order," he continued. "It would be good if we didn't spoil any relationships with them."

Spoil relationships? She hadn't been that mean, had she?

“Of course, Master.”

They left the relative quiet of the Saber for the open air of Coronet City. Airspeeders whizzed through the sky lanes above with a sound like rushing wind. The early afternoon sun warmed her face, the clear sky tinted a strange yellow by the smog wafting from the Industrial District. A breeze tickled her skin, carrying with it the sharp salt twang of the sea.

"It was a bit rude though," Master Greystar said after letting her stew in silence. "You get used to it here."

Leave it to a Jedi Master to lecture her even as he agreed with her! She just kept from rolling her eyes. "I'd rather they got used to me. But I'll be more polite in the future."

Dhalinar Greystar​

 

[Dhalinar Greystar]

Sōla Taan

​

Dhalinar chewed the words of his padawan over for a moment, pausing in thought before shaking his head and moving on. Even in Jedi this age was a challenge, but his job as a Master was not to hold their hand through every interaction. Every battle.

Clover was waiting for them at the base of the steps, a medium-sized patrol sled that looked to be a modified version of the ones used by the Galactic Alliance marines. This one had obviously seen some battles, despite the white, green, and gold paint. Its hull was pockmarked by blaster scoring, likely not received from some battle on some far-off world in the Tingle Arm but rather a deadly skirmish between CorSec and one of the local gangs.

During and after the Sith-Imperial Civil War several new bills had passed giving member worlds and sectors like Corellia a surplus in credits to spend on defense. Most worlds bought cheap GADF surplus gear from the earliest days of the Alliance. Some richer worlds, like Corellia it seemed, were using the credits to buy Republic Engineering's finest. He didn't know how he felt about beat cops running around with battlefield-tested tanks, but he entered the troop compartment without complaint.

Inside the lights were dim. A squad of solemn troopers clad in black armor and black visored half helms sat in two rows of 3 facing one another in their jumper seets.

"NetherOps?" he asked in confusion, stepping all the way into the transport.

"That's right Master Jedi," A woman's voice, unfamiliar. She stepped from the shadowed back end of the transport, an air of mischief and danger about her like a curious nexu. She looked every bit the Corellian scoundrel with a long brown trench coat, a pair of definitely illegally modified heavy blaster pistols on her hip, and black leather pants lines of red and gold running down the sides. Corellian Bloodtripes.

"Jaina, Corellian Tactical Respons," she said by way of greeting. She put out a hand to shake and Dhalinar took it confused but gave it a solid shake.

 

[Sōla Taan]

Sōla eyed the transport that hovered at the base of the steps, its scorch-marked hull painted in swaths of white, green, and gold. Sleek and sturdy, it looked less like a patrol craft and more like a vehicle of war. Is that a REC-CT? “CorSec has access to Carracks?”

Sōla was no shipwright, but she had a keen interest in technology and instincts for tinkering- she’d modified her bracers and her jet boots on her own, and had started constructing a special rebreather from similar materials.

She peaked around Master Greystar as he inspected the Carrack’s interior. There was little light inside the transport, the dark glasteel viewports blocking out the sun, but even in the wan light she could see the six black-clad troopers sitting quietly in their jumper seats, arranged in neat rows.

Master Greystar identified them as ‘NetherOps’. She tried not to stare- it was impolite- but she found the operatives were fascinating in their dark armor. Was this some sort of secret, clandestine operation? Would there be combat?

As a Jedi, she had been taught to let go of her attachments, and while she had not yet bonded with Master Greystar, she certainly didn't want to lose him. She had been similarly unbound to her first two Masters, for both had perished early on her apprenticeship, and while she lamented the loss of what could have been, she had felt them in the Force and knew them to be at peace.

She didn't want to lament her potential futures with Master Greystar- she wanted to experience them. I'll have to keep an eye out. Corellians are reckless by nature.

“That’s right, Master Jedi,” came a woman’s voice. She stepped out of the shadows and into the dim light.

Sōla couldn’t look away. The woman looked like some gunslinger out of a holofilm, with her trenchcoat and Corellian bloodstripes, modified blasters hanging from each hip. She cut a dashing figure, Sōla thought. Almost as dashing as Master Greystar.

The coat was nice, but it had nothing on her Master’s shimmersilk cape.

The woman introduced herself as Jaina, and clasped Master Greystar’s hand in a firm shake.

Sōla waited a beat, but when no more words were forthcoming, she spoke into the silence, indigo eyes alight with mischief, “Aren’t you going to introduce us, Master?”

Doubtlessly the woman already knew his name; he was the Marshal of the Order, after all.

Dhalinar Greystar​

 

[Dhalinar Greystar]

Sōla Taan

​

Dhalinar had been staring at the woman, his gaze fixed on her eyes for a long moment before his Padawan spoke up. Introductions?

"Yes, of course," he stammered. Why was TR here? Yes a leader was spotted but CorSec had never actually gotten him for anything, there were only strings connected to him, no actual crimes.

"This is my padawan, Sola Taan. I am Jedi Master Dhali-"

"Oh I know exactly who you are," she said, interrupting. "Good to meet you Padawan Taan. Though I suppose I wish we were meeting over a nice mug of gadje, well hot chocolate for you I suppose." Dhalinar grunted but Jaina just smiled and gestured for the pair to sit before taking a seat herself and strapping in. Dhalinar went silent again, deep in thought as the carrack began to move, the sound of its repulsors filling the silent void.

 

[Sōla Taan]

"Yes of course," said Master Dhalinar. "This is my padawan, Sola Taan. I am Jedi Master Dhali-"

"Oh I know exactly who you are," Jaina said, very rudely interrupting Master Greystar.

Sola almost huffed, brow furrowed in a mix of displeasure and disbelief before she smoothed her features into a more pleasant and placid expression. This was not the praxeum. This was Coronet City. Her Master had said- in a roundabout way- that Corellians were rude, but she hadn't expected everyone to be so... so... uncouth!

She hoped their rudeness wouldn't rub off on her.

"Good to meet you, Padawan Taan," Jaina continued. "Though I suppose I wish we were meeting over a nice mug of gadje, well hot chocolate for you, I suppose."

Hot chocolate sounded nice, she thought, though she preferred tea. A nice Gatelentan blend, with a touch of tigmary leaves. "Good to meet you as well, Miss Jaina." She half curtsied, dipping her head in a modest bow of greeting.

Sola sat herself next to Master Dhalinar, methodically strapping herself in to her seat. The transport was silent as it took off, leaving the padawan to her thoughts. Jaina wasn't volunteering information, and Master Dhalinar wasn't asking questions, so she did what any young Jedi might do when faced with the imminent boredom of a quiet transport ride; she closed her eyes, settled back into her seat, and reached out into the Force.

Some Padawans tried to still their minds through static meditation, to better understand the whispers of the Force, and others employed moving meditations to clear their thoughts- Sola practiced a blend of the two, using the Force to sense the components of the transport, narrowing her focus to follow the flow of power from the engine to the power capacitors to the repulsorlifts that kept the transport afloat. And in this way, her mind seemingly clearing on its own, lulled into emptiness by the almost hypnotic pattern of energy that coursed through the transport.

Dhalinar Greystar​

 

[Dhalinar Greystar]

Allies: Sōla Taan

Jaina's eyes glanced over the two, her discerning eyes picking them apart slowly and carefully. The old man, Dhalinar, was a known quality. Dependeble, if not a bit prudish. Loyal to the Corellian sector to a fault, though she had heard the near hermit had begun taking calls outside of the Sector, though he had only fought in a single battle during the Hyperspace War thus far. All told, the padawan had seen more of the war than he had. Though to say he was a coward would be foolish. He'd seen his fair share of war over the years, that she knew. But still, his sensibilities were nonetheless problematic.

The Padawan? Well she wasn't entirely an unknown. The Jedi kept their records tight and far away on their ever-moving fortress Temple the Prosperity. All she could gather was that the young girl had fought in the Hyperspace War and now she was here. With him. She sighed and activated a small viewport-like window, truly a screen that was connected to advanced cameras to give the illusion of a viewport. The Coronet skyline passed them by as quickly as her thoughts raced and a plan formulated itself in her mind. She was getting paid today regardless, but she needed a way to keep the Jedi off the scent of the reality of today.

The presence of the strange woman disturbed Dhalinar, that much was clear. He knew of the Forgotten Sons, who hadn't in the Corellian Sector? Their attacks had begun minor but ever since their attack on Marlon Sularen and his holdings on Kolene they had grown in their ferocity and confidence. Many of their asteroid hideouts had been discovered shortly after that attack but they had spread throughout the sector, taking refuge on mining systems and trade stations. They used the vastness of the Corellian Sector to their advantage, hitting a ship here and then shutting down a plant here.

But an attack on Corellia itself? Foolishness.

He turned to look at his Padawan, noticing that she was meditating. He could feel her in the Force now that he was focused on her. She had potential, great potential. His face took on a grandfatherly look of worry but stamped it down quickly.

"Padawan," he asked softly, the rumble of the transport nearly drowning out his words.

 

[Sōla Taan]

​

The emptiness in her mind was filled, like water being poured into a bucket, by the Force. She bloomed towards its light as if a flower unfurling beneath the sun, and was swept away into a sea of possibilities. She swam in visions of the future, just glimpses and impressions, most of them vague and clouded, vignettes of what might be all cloaked in fog. She didn't press, didn't demand, but simply followed the currents as they ferried her, the waves pulsing like the steady thrum of the repulsorlifts, nor did she let herself get swept to far away, lest she be lost beneath the tides. It was a precarious thing to reach so deeply into the Force for one so young as her, but she managed, sheer stubbornness anchoring her mind. The Force came naturally to her- as naturally as hope, bright and light and pure.

"Padawan."

Her Master's voice seemed to come from far away, less a voice and more an echo- the echo of an echo, distant and faint. She hadn't heard him so much as felt his desire for her attention, laced with a the lingering touch of worry. She reeled herself back in, let the currents of the Force fade from her mind, and opened her eyes.

"Yes, Master?" she returned, voice just as soft.

Dhalinar Greystar

 

[Dhalinar Greystar]

Allies: Sōla Taan

Jaina didn't look their way but subtly moved closer as if to hear what the two Jedi were saying. The movement wasn't lost on Dhalinar but he went on anyway. Making sure his Padawan came out of this alive was his highest priority. He needed her to understand.

"Something isn't right. Keep your wits about you, we're approaching the protest now. Can you feel it in the Force? The desperation? The frustration?"

 

[Sōla Taan]

​

"Something isn't right," said Master Greystar. "Keep your wits about you, we're approaching the protest now. Can you feel it in the Force? The desperation? The frustration?"

Her eyes flitted to Jaina, whose attention felt, to Sola's tuned senses, like a poking finger. "Frustration, desperation, and more, Master. " Something was definitely wrong, she thought. Her dreamlike glimpses into the future had shown as much.

The transport slowed to a stop, the gentle whine of the engines fading to silence, replaced by the raucous rumble of the protesters. All of a sudden, the troopers seemed rather ominous in their half helms and sleek black armor, and Jaina's carefully cultivated aura of clever and competent took on a somewhat sinister air.

Her eyes found her Master's. May the Force be with us.

Dhalinar Greystar

 

[Dhalinar Greystar]

Allies: Sōla Taan

Dhalinar nodded.

"And more," he agreed. He locked eyes with the Padawan before turning away to unclip his harness to find Jaina standing over him, her eyes amused and knowing.

"The protest is getting rowdy Master Jedi," she said, her words sounding far more relaxed than they had any right to be. "I got a call while we were traveling. CorSec says a few of them have blasters, could get ugly." Dhalinar shrugged.

"Corellia and Coronet support open carry," he said matter of factly. Sure, it wasn't common for citizens to openly carry their blasters in this part of town. The Industrial Sector was well patrolled due to its proximity to important CEC factories and shipyards. It was right on the edge of Mourner's Wail territory but they behaved for the most part and at least pretended to be more mercenary group than gang.

Jaina shrugged in return, her blaster already in hand somehow.

"Just wanted to let you know." The doors hissed open and the black-clad commandoes filled out, blaster rifles drawn. He could hear the crowd now and as he stepped into the polluted air of the Industrial Sector his breath caught. There were hundreds of protestors surrounding the orbital elevator. No, at least two thousand protestors. And there are more on the platform itself?

The protestors here had holosigns with messages like "No to the Federation!" and "Keep Corellia Safe! Say no to the Elevator!" alongside campaign slogans for the Children of the Belt. At least one of their party was here giving a speech through a megaphone.

"When the Alliance built their elevator over Coronet we bowed our heads! Starseeker had seen to it that we would be treated fairly and that it would be built as far away from the people as possible. Now not a government, not a protector, seeks to build another, and another, and another in our city and in our Wilds! For what?"

"PROFIT!"

"For Profit! The Trade Federation has played the eager arms dealer for the Alliance, for the Empire, and for whoever had the credits to buy. Now they seek to sink their claws into Corellia! What do we say?"

"NO!!"

Dhalinar shook his head and followed the soldiers towards the platform entrance.

 

[Sōla Taan]

​

Sola followed her Master from the transport and into the acrid, smoggy air of the Industrial Sector. The massive orbital elevator thrust up beyond the clouds, like a lance up to the heavens. The murmur of the gathered crowds- some two thousand sentients- was much louder out in the open, especially when they all yelled in unison. There was a speaker stoking flames of indignation and righteous fury, seemingly leading the protest. The Force roiled with the collective emotions of the crowd; to her senses it felt like nothing so much as a crash just before impact, or an impending explosion, mere moments before a violent eruption of flame and plasma.

​

Had she not grounded herself so deeply in the Force on the ride over, the swelling tide of discontent might've overwhelmed her, but she weathered the storm, not as a mountain, but a river, always flowing forwards, never still, never stagnant.

She hurried along in her Master's wake, sense peeled. Would the speaker notice them? Would he say something?

Sola walked faster.

Dhalinar Greystar

 

[Dhalinar Greystar]

Allies: Sōla Taan

Luckily the protestors only sneered and spat at the feet of the Jedi and NetherOps commandoes as they made their way towards the elevator. Dhalinar glanced at Jaina, his gaze seeming as if he was attempting to pierce the woman's very soul.

"Why is NetherOps here for a simple protest?" he asked as the lift doors closed behind them. The lift was made to carry huge amounts of cargo and so the space above them and around them seemed almost large enough to fit a rancor.

"Hmm?" It was as if the question hadn't even crossed her mind. "Oh, you should know by now that this isn't a simple protest," Dhalinar stiffened. "You saw the feed earlier. You know he's here. How many others are at the platform, waiting to bring down this elevator?"

"Destruction on that scale isn't the Son's MO. They would never risk the lives of that many Corellians. They're anti-corporation, not anarchist murderers."

"We will see," Jaina said knowingly. What were they being led into? What was CorSec doing? The lift stopped and the doors hissed open. A cacophony of voices flooded the lift. All around them on the observation and ticketing deck of the elevator were protestors. It seemed the opening ceremony was well on its way with holo-droids floating around taking photo and video, the Father of Finance holding massive gilded scissors, and a Trade Federation official holding the red ribbon. A few of the protestors noticed them and started acting suspicious, tapping one another and reaching deep into their jackets or cloaks or bags.

"And with this," said the official. Jaina smiled. The Force flared, a sense of impending danger flooding him and driving him to act. All of the drones stopped moving and reporters began looking befuddled as their iris cams went dead and sound teams lost audio. "We open the Coronet-Trade Federation Orbital Elevator!" The Father of Finance closed the blades, slicing the ribbon. An explosion rocked the elevator platform, a minor one, but one that shattered the transparisteel to their right and filled the room with smoke and chaos.

"The protestors! They're all terrorists!" Jaina shouted. "Capture them! Do not hesitate to shoot if they resist!" There were screams and blaster fire. A bolt landed right at Dhalinar's feet. His green lightsaber was already lit and he had been running towards the crowd when the explosion went off.

"Sola, keep the people safe!" As he got closer to the crowd he realized how many of the protestors had blasters. And not just pistols, but rifles and carbines. They were using Alliance-grade weapons, REC's best particle blasters. Dhalinar cursed. Those were deadly, even to a Jedi. The energy fields around the bolt was so unstable that even deflecting it would cause the bolt to explode and splash its energized plasma.

"Karabast, Emperor's Iron Bones! Sithspit!" The stream of curses flowed like a raging river from the Jedi Master's lips.

 

[Sōla Taan]

Dhalinar Greystar
​

The elevator ride was a tense affair. Sola listened to her Master question Jaina with one ear while she listened to the Force with the other. The looming danger she'd sensed was growing closer and more defined, like a nearing mountain rising up out of fog.

The elevator opened to a sea of roaring protesters. The crowd was dense, angry, and dangerous.

There was a lull, like the deep quiet before a storm, where everything and everyone seemed to slow to a crawl. In this still, slow place, in the space between moments, her Master was already moving, lightsaber flaring to life. Sola wasn't far behind, dashing in his wake, moving without thought or consideration, only instinct.

There was a thundering boom. An explosion rocked the platform, scattering dust and debris. The world sped back up. And then, pandemonium.

The air was aflame with screams and the sharp growl of blaster bolts. "Keep the people safe," Master Greystar yelled, faced with a bristling wall of heavily armed protestors.

"On it!" Sola yelled back. There wasn't time to think. Only act.

First step, soothe the fear. People were panicking in the chaos, strangling any sort of evacuation efforts in the cradle. She was no Master to immediately soothe the minds of hundreds, but she could coax the fear from the room, step by step and inch by inch, like slowly peeling back a veil. Second step, get the civilians out of the line of fire. First day as a Padawan and I'm already knee-deep in it. She called the Force to her legs, activated her jet-boots, and leaped across the platform, unstable particle beams whizzing by, to land among the holonews crews.

They all startled badly, but otherwise stood there, lingering almost dumbly. Had the situation been less severe, Sola might've rolled her eyes. "Let's get moving people!"