Running out of options

[Sorel Crieff]

Sorel was quite literally running out of Enclaves to visit. And she still had no answers to what the Force had in store for her. She accepted that Tython and Coruscant were no-go options. She was brave but not foolhardy. So she’d picked Genarius – or Tolea Biqua to be more precise. Little was known of the Enclave – not least its location – but she was sure the Force would guide her as it had in the past.

So she headed for the gas giant in the Cularin system. It was a lot like Bespin, where she’d come from – plenty of floating cities – except these ones were essentially lawless. Tolea Biqua had been built by the Hutts and unlike Bespin, this city promised to be dishevelled and disorganised. As she approached it, she saw it lived up to its reputation. It was a clash of building styles and seemingly without any consideration of town planning. It was certainly colourful and the neon reminded her of Nar Shaddaa. From a distance it had appeared beautiful, but the closer she got, the less attractive it appeared.

She was given landing clearance and headed to the hangar. Air traffic was about all the infrastructure the city had it seemed. There were no customs, no law enforcement to answer to as she planned to land. It occurred to her that she had neither the means to bribe any locals to protect her ship and so relied on the fact it was, by far, the oldest one in the hangar bay. It would take a desperate criminal to want to steal it, but regardless, she removed a few key components before she disembarked to increase the likelihood of it still being there when she got back.

As she stepped from the ship, she was immediately accosted by beggars. “I am sorry,” she said, “I am a Jedi. I carry no credits.” The beggars immediately dispersed, all bar one who sneered at her. “A lone Jedi? Here? You won’t last a rotation.”

She headed for the exit, slightly disheartened and keen to find the Enclave, see what it had to offer, and then leave.

[member="Vikas"]

 

[Avo]

Deep within the darkest corners of the galaxy was where the Ghosts made their home. The shadiest places where even the most foolish of beings wouldn't dare venturing into. However, being stupid and ignorant were two entirely different things. Vikas wasn't rather fond of either trait and being here on Tolea Biqua, they ran rampant. Every single creature that hobbled through the markets, snooped in places they shouldn't be, and dealt with the undermarket was writhing with stupidity. It was almost enough to make the Anzat demand placement elsewhere, but you had to deal with the hand you were dealt.

"When are we kriffing heading out? I can't stand being around so many worthless things."

"Soon, man. Soon. As soon as we get a new lead on that Garr Nian and we silence him. Last Elyas heard, he was somewhere around Ipsus. If we move fast we might even be able to just kill the sucker and leave. Simple as that."

"Well let's make it snappy, Varlo."

And with that, the pair of Ghosts set out into the streets. Skull masks adorned their visages, but even that wasn't so out of place here on TB. Dark fatigues and tactical gear were the only items that remotely labeled them as soldiers of fortune, but every Trandoshan and his mother was one of those all the way out here.

[member="Sorel Crieff"]

 

[Sorel Crieff]

She made her way out of the hangar. Lawless didn’t do the inhumanity justice. And she realised what the beggar meant. His warning wasn’t just about how a single Padawan might perish – but rather that her natural instincts would get her killed. For everywhere she looked, someone was being robbed, mugged or conned out of something. This was of course an exaggeration, but the truth was closer to the amplification than not. This was a dog eat dog city and she’d survive best by keeping herself to herself. It went against her teaching and instinct, but self-preservation was also a Jedi trait. And one she needed to heed.

So she kept her eyes averted from the trivial crimes, aware that should someone defenceless need help, she would be honour bound to help out – but also reckoned that this place weeded out the weak. She was dipping her toe into a pool where only those at the top of the food chain swam.

She noted that being armed was the rule as opposed to the exception but she deliberately held her robe tight, so as to hide the hilt of her Master’s saber.

She found out quickly that averting her eyes caused her to bump into too many people. Perhaps they took the downward gaze as a sign of weakness? Regardless, she knew that using Mind Trick too often would draw unwarranted attention, so she held her chin high and used her senses – the quicker she found the Enclave, the quicker she could see if it held any answers.

[member="Vikas"]