Private Lightsaber Lost: A Coruscant Caper

['Trick']

Shan Pavond

In the dim-lit underworld of Coruscant, Trick moved stealthily through the neon-lit chaos. He eyed a young Mirialan Padawan, Shan, whose lightsaber hung from his belt like a glinting treasure. In a swift, near-silent move, Trick's vibro-knife sliced through the leather strap, and tethered rope. The lightsaber fell into his hand, and he spun around, dashing away into the crowded maze.

 

[Shan Pavond]

Shan raised an eyebrow as something felt wrong at the sudden absence of a weight against his hip. Frowning ever so slightly as he turned his head around to spot someone running off into the distance and he sighed to himself. This was going to be annoying, but it was going to be better than nothing he supposed. Just focusing on the familiar presence of his crystal, and heading off into the maze to get after the little thief.

'Trick'

 

['Trick']

Shan Pavond

Trick maneuvered with the grace of a seasoned outlaw, ducking under rusty pipes and weaving through mazes of dangling electrical cables. His boots splashed in shallow puddles of unidentified liquid as he darted through the grimy underbelly of Coruscant. With a final lunge, he slid beneath a corroded metal grate, his coat leaving a streak on its rusted surface as he entered a dimly lit lower section.

He found himself in a clandestine alcove, a refuge cradled by walls of decaying durasteel and graffiti-riddled panels. Overhead, creaky fans turned lazily, and luminescent fungi emitted a soft glow, casting eerie shadows on his face. Muffled sounds of the bustling cityscape above—a mixture of distant speeder horns, vendor cries, and the ever-present hum of urban life—trickled down to him. This was one of his nifty hideaways, known only to a few and appearing unassuming to the undiscerning eye.

Catching his breath, Trick pulled out his ill-gotten prize from a concealed pocket in his jacket. He held up the stolen lightsaber, its hilt ornate and unlike anything he had ever seen, with unfamiliar symbols etched into the metal. It was heavier than it looked, and he could sense a pulsating energy within, begging to be unleashed.

He turned the object over in his hands, his fingers tracing its contours and exploring its switches and hidden crevices. His eyes were drawn to a small lever guarded by a thin panel, and for a moment, he pondered the nature of the incredible power that he was about to unlock. With a cautious flick, he found what he presumed to be the 'on' switch and waited, breath held, for something—anything—to happen.

 

[Shan Pavond]

Shan was making no effort to run off after the child. After all, he might have been bad at sensing things through the Force, but that was only if he was unfamiliar with the object. He was completely familiar with the aura that his lightsaber gave up. A small warming pulse of healing energy. It was quite easy for him to follow it through the crowds, frowning to himself as the Padawan carefully strolled through the streets, making his way through the crowd. There was always a chance that this could have gone wrong for the young Thief, but Shan wasn't in too much of an angry mood right now.

The Mirialan stopped for a moment, glancing around the streets as he looked to try and figure out where the lad had headed next. Frowning to himself as he rubbed his chin. If he had a better connection to his senses, he might have relied on those, but instead, he was going to rely on his eyes. Scanning along the streets, he noticed a strange scuff next to a grate, tilting his head at the sight of it as he made his way over, running his fingers along the rust carefully. Recently disturbed. Well then.

Time to crawl through a metal grate. It was a good thing Shan had his space tetanus shot. Though to be fair, he'd probably be able to heal something like that through the Force. He just had to focus on his breathing and make sure that he wasn't going to get any claustrophobia while going through it all. He wasn't going to enjoy crawling through this at all when he got older...Well, he was already older if he thought about it.

Meanwhile, Trick was easily able to turn on the lightsaber, as a green blade erupted out of it. Any injuries the lad might have also felt slightly dulled, as if he was under the effects of a painkiller, thanks to the effect of the thontiin crystal dulling his pain. Shan froze for a moment, sensing the blade being ignited...and started to rush hous way forward. He didn't want to risk this kid getting themselves hurt.

'Trick'

 

['Trick']

The sudden activation of the green blade startled Trick for a moment, but the surprise quickly morphed into elation. The narrow alcove was transformed, bathed in an otherworldly green glow that made the peeling paint and rusty pipes seem almost beautiful. As the blade hummed in his hand, Trick felt a mysterious warmth spread through him, soothing his senses and easing the persistent sting of countless cuts, scrapes, and bruises that mapped his body.

It was like nothing he had ever felt—a natural high that eclipsed even the adrenaline rushes he was so addicted to. Trick couldn't suppress a grin; not only had he nabbed an exotic weapon, but a healing one at that. His thoughts flitted to his boss, who'd appreciate the value of such a unique artifact. The currency this could fetch, or the power it could wield—both were equally enticing.

However, the thrill-seeker in him sensed a disturbance. The air thickened, as if charged by an unseen force. Trick instinctively knew he was no longer alone; his heightened awareness, fine-tuned by years of ducking authority and rival gang members in Coruscant's underworld, tingled like an early warning system. The lightsaber was swiftly extinguished and slipped back into his jacket as he heard the distinct sound of metal scraping against metal—a sound approaching from the tunnel he'd just come through.

Shan, he assumed, must be drawing near, probably guided by whatever mystical connection he had with the stolen lightsaber. This wasn't just a chase; it was a hunt, and the thought thrilled him to his core. Yet he also knew he had to move, and fast.

Time was of the essence. Trick tore his eyes away from his coveted hideout and slunk further into the shadows. A ventilation duct nearby caught his eye; the kind of exit only someone who'd spent years navigating these dingy back-alleys would notice. With nimble fingers, he pried open the rusty metal grate and slipped inside, pulling it shut behind him just as the echoing clatter of an opening tunnel reverberated from the direction he'd come.

Adrenaline surging through his veins, Trick couldn't help but revel in the intoxicating blend of danger and discovery. He had something precious, something powerful, and for now, he was one step ahead. As he crawled through the cramped passage, an exhilarating sensation overwhelmed him. For Trick, this was living—every moment saturated with risk, every heartbeat a ne adventure.

Yet questions loomed in his mind. What was the true significance of this stolen object? Why did a Padawan risk tracking him in such a perilous environment? And most importantly, how long could he stay ahead in this high-stakes game of cat and mouse?

Just as Trick thought he was home free, slithering through the dark, damp ventilation ducts, a sharp growl reverberated through the metal around him. A low, throaty snarl that even the most foolhardy of Coruscant's underworld residents knew to fear--Gundarks, the aggressive and notoriously territorial creatures often found lurking in the less frequented corners of the city's labyrinthine lower levels.

Meanwhile, Shan emerged from the grate, his senses pulsed with the presence of his lightsaber, somewhere ahead. That’s when he heard it--a growl, followed by the unmistakable clash of metal on metal.

Shan Pavond

 

[Shan Pavond]

Shan was crawling as much as he could through the grate, grumbling to himself. Why did it always have to be bloody grates? Why couldn't a Thief run off into a nice little woodland area, or onto a beach? No! It had to be the damp and dingy sewers or underbelly of Coruscant. He had it with this place already. He had never thought that he would actually prefer being in a battlefield than Coruscant, but he was just getting sick of all the grease, and the grime, and the Force damn smells. He thought Nar Shaddaa reeked, but at least it was a smell you got used to. It always seemed like Coruscant had a more rancid smell the deeper and deeper you went into the lower levels.

He could feel his lightsaber starting to move away from him once again as the Padawan just let out a long groan that just seemed to echo through the grates. Why couldn't that brat just stay where he was and let Shan get his damned lightsaber back? It wasn't going to be too useful for the brat, or at least that's what SHan had thought. Perhaps in the past, when lightsabers were a rarity, but with how many Jedi there were nowadays, lightsabers were probably a dime a dozen. Eventually he managed to climb his way out of the grate, throwing himself down onto the ground of the little cubby hole that Trick had for himself and almost straight away the Padawan got to work trying to figure out where the little brat had ran off to.

Though that's when he heard the clanging against metal, alongside the growling of something through one of the vents. Any frustration he had towards the little brat seemed to evaporate in almost an instant as Shan reached his hand out towards the vent duct, ripping the cover off using the Force before the Padawan started to crawl his way through the duct, making sure to take his blaster off his hip, making sure that the blaster was on stun. He didn't want to potentially shoot the kid with a lethal round. Even if the kid might deserve it.

"Turn the damned thing on! I need to see you! I don't plan on shooting you."

With that, Shan just raised his blaster up ahead of him, trusting in the Force to guide his hand. He wasn't going to be using a blaster's sight to actually get a shot off. Just let the Force guide everything as his hand moved through the darkness, firing off a couple of shots straight through the vent with the intention to try and get the growling creature. That I'm totally not too lazy to type.

'Trick'

 

[Braze]

....

 

['Trick']

Shan Pavond
Trick, a few paces ahead in the ventilation duct, heard Shan's groans echoing through the metal. "Dime a dozen, huh? You Jedi really don't know the first thing about the black market. This thing's worth a small moon!"

Then came the blaster shots and Shan's voice shouting about needing to see him. A mix of annoyance and incredulity washed over Trick. "Oh, sure, let me light up like a Hoth Winter Solstice tree so you can have a clear shot, Jedi," he muttered sarcastically to himself, rolling his eyes.

The blaster shots whizzed past, thankfully missing him but hitting the growling Gundark square in its flank. With an agonized squeal that pierced through the ducts, the creature recoiled and slithered deeper into the maze, possibly pondering whether or not its territory was worth defending anymore. A loud thud followed there after.

"What the Sith-spit was that?!" Trick couldn't help but yell back, the intensity of the situation making him forget his caution for a moment. "You tryin' to kill us all?"

He paused, reflecting on the surreal nature of his situation. Here he was, a street-savvy thief trapped in a ventilation shaft with a green Jedi Padawan and a now-angry Gundark—all while holding onto a stolen, healing lightsaber.

"Kriffing force-damned, bantha-poodoo circus," Trick continued to mutter, the adrenaline junkie in him laughing inwardly at the absurdity of it all. But for all the chaos and danger, this was a story he couldn't wait to tell—if he survived it, of course.

He used the saber to cut down the next vent cover and rolled right out. He quickly stashed the lightsaber back into his jacket. Maybe its healing powers would come in handy again, especially if Jedi McCranky Pants back there decided to get more trigger-happy.

With a renewed burst of adrenaline-fueled energy, Trick crawled faster through the duct reaching the outside world once more, figuring his chances were better facing whatever lay ahead than dealing with the Jedi and his questionable marksmanship. "If I make it out of this, the drinks are on you, Jedi!" he shouted back, punctuating his sentence with irreverent laughter as he scampered ahead sliding through a wet puddle of something before turning a corner.

 

[Shan Pavond]

"That thing is worth nothing! Even on the black market, you bantha brain!" It wasn't like it had any advanced components in it. Anyone who knew how to make a lightsaber could have made a copy of Shan's. Shan could always make a copy if he wanted to. It was just the situation of it all. He wasn't going to let the little brat away without a lesson. Now it was just important for him to try and figure out what kind of lesson he wanted to teach the little brat, as he kept crawling after the thief, after having blasted away at the creature. Making sure to fire off a couple more shots down the vent to make sure it didn't have any smart ideas. Just laying down a sustained line of fire to give him enough cover to get out of the vent.

He had to cut off 'Trick' before he got away, so instead of following the lad through the vent, Shan instead popped out of the vent onto the lower levels of Coruscant, glancing around to get his bearings. Ah. Brilliant, this was on his route. He knew this place from when he was handing out food and drink to the less fortunate. Now he knew where to run off to, running through the puddles of oil, grease, and other less...desirable liquids, making sure to try and focus on the Vents around him. Left...Right?...No! Straight on!

As Trick turned the corner, the little thief would find himself bumping straight into Shan, who just had an eyebrow raised as he looked down towards the kid who had stolen his lightsaber. "Shame I don't drink now, is it? Now get up and give me my lightsaber. Don't even think about running away." Even if he didn't plan on actually going ahead with shooting the kid, the threat of having a blaster pointed at you should be suitable enough...At least that's what he thought.

'Trick'

 

['Trick']

Shan Pavond
Trick, winded from the unexpected collision, managed to prop himself up on one elbow, grinning cheekily at Shan. "You think this glowstick's common? Maybe in the Jedi toy store," he quipped, using his free hand to push some stray hair from his face. "But with a crystal that makes bruises feel like love taps? That's a one in a million, mate."

He cocked his head, giving the lightsaber a brief swing to emphasize his point. The blade illuminated the dim alley, making his fresh cuts and scrapes look even more prominent. "See, it ain't about how common these are, it's about the story. 'Stolen from a Jedi.' That's a headline. And folks pay top credits for a good story."

Despite his bravado, Trick could feel the weight of Shan's gaze and the undeniable threat of the blaster pointed at him. The adrenaline junkie in him was laughing—here he was, standing off against a Jedi! But the realist in him recognized the immediate danger.

He gave a dramatic sigh and deactivated the lightsaber, twirling it deftly between his fingers. "Alright, alright, no need to get trigger-happy. But, if you ever get tired of the Jedi gig," he said, holding the lightsaber out towards Shan, "I've got a job for someone with your... aim."

Trick couldn't resist a wink, a teasing sparkle in his eyes flashing him a debonair smirk. For all the danger and trouble he found himself in, it was just another day in the life of Coruscant's 'most daring' thief.

 

[Shan Pavond]

"Considering the Crystal only works for Force sensitives, yeah! It's pretty pointless." The Mirialan cried out back towards the little thief. It was taking every fibre of his being not to punch that little brat. What had happened to the Shan who wouldn't even believe of hurting anyone, let alone a child? Well. He was on vacation right now, whilst there was far too much stress for him to deal with.

Though he couldn't help but roll his eyes at how happy Trick seemed to sound about stealing the lightsaber. "Yes. Stolen from a Padawan Jedi, who barely knows how to make lightsabers. That is sure to get you plenty of credits. You are such a genius. Wow." He just kept the blaster pointed at Trick, watching as the thief deactivated the weapon and held it out towards Shan.

With that, he used the Force to pull it back towards him. He didn't trust this kid enough to grab it by hand. Just keeping the blaster raised, aiming it right between Trick's eyes, frowning at the wink. What? Did this kid think that Shan would actually work for a thief like this? He shook his head a little bit, preparing to pull the trigger and then...

"BANG!"

The frown faded from Shan's face as he raised the blaster up into the air, pretending to fire it, before holstering it back on his belt, shaking his head in the direction of Trick. "I won't get tired of this "Jedi gig". I don't do it for rewards. So there's no reason for me to change career paths." Even though he had said that, once Shan had became a Jedi Knight? He was going to go and study medicine and try to learn how to be a Doctor.

'Trick'

 

['Trick']

Shan Pavond

Trick's smirk faded, replaced by an uncharacteristic seriousness that made the shadows of Coruscant's underbelly seem even darker. He took a shaky step backward, his heel dangerously close to the ledge that opened to an abyss. The weight of desperation bore heavily in his eyes, making them glassy with emotions held back for too long.

"You think this is about credits for me? About the thrill of stealing from a Jedi?" He scoffed, clutching his chest as if shielding a wound. "It's about survival, not for me, but for someone else. You and your high and mighty Jedi, always preaching about the Force, balance, and peace. Where are you when the 'little people' of the galaxy are suffering, huh? Where's the Force for them?"

The roar of the city traffic below seemed to echo his anguish, a dissonant backdrop to the raw emotions on display. Trick's lips trembled, a tear cutting through the grime on his cheek. "I thought, maybe, just maybe, stealing from one of the 'chosen' ones would be my ticket out. But maybe I was wrong. So tell me, Jedi, what good is this? What good are you?"

 

[Shan Pavond]

"Considering you said, and I quote "folks pay top credits for a good story.", yes, I do think it's about the credits for you." Shan folded his arms along his front as the kid stepped backwards towards the ledge of the abyss. If the kid cared that much about survival, then he wasn't going to be dumb enough to jump off the edge. He just shook his head at the kid, pinching the bridge of his nose ever so slightly.

"I'm down here when the "little people of the Galaxy" are suffering, if you paid enough attention to the other people around here. Giving them free food. Water. Medical care. There's been plenty of times already where I've been attacked by stray bounty hunters or something, just trying to help people out. In fact, I was on my way to do that when you decided to steal from me." The tear cutting through Trick's grime didn't seem to affect the Padawan whatsoever, as he kept his arms folded along his front.

"I use my lightstaber to help heal others. To act as a painkiller, whilst I use the Force to heal their wounds. That's what good I am. Meanwhile you were willing to steal a valuable tool just to earn a few credits. You're a Force sensitive kid. You could be doing a lot better things than just stealing off the streets. Or at least picking better people to steal from."

'Trick'

 

['Trick']

Shan Pavond
Trick smirked, the gleam in his eyes mocking as he took a step backward, teetering precariously on the edge of the abyss. "Maybe if Jedi were more observant, they wouldn't get robbed by street rats like me."
Trick smirked, holding up Shan's utility belt with a triumphant flourish. "You're so busy preaching, you didn't notice a second theft. Maybe Jedi should stick to meditation and leave the real world to us."

And with that, he activated a hidden grappling device, shooting a line towards a nearby outcropping. In a blur, he zipped away, disappearing once again into the depths of Coruscant's underbelly.