Private Stop Hutting Around!

[Judah Lesan Jr.]

Gangsters, criminals, slavers, there were many words to describe what the Hutts were. JJ loathed the idea that they managed to keep such a massive and expansive operation alive for so long. There was little one person could do about it. JJ knew there was not much change he could effect. He could for a handful of people though, which was why he found himself on Ulmatra. The Hutts seemed to be harboring refugees at an exorbitant rate, and that did not sit well with the impulsive Knight. While many of them found passage off the planet into more friendly space, they were doing so without some of the wealth they would need. JJ was going to fix that.

It was muti person operation which JJ decided to do alone. Which was why it failed.

Impulse control had been something both Cambria and Judah had tried to drill into the younger Lesan, and while most days he did good in the area of self-control, there were times JJ simply lost it. This had been one of them. As usual he made mistakes because of it. He knew the Hutts would not take kindly to someone trying to steal credits out from under them, but he had tried anway. Hutt prisons were not nice either. Of course, JJ also knew he was there because it was more likely than not he was about to get executed, and likely publicly.

He was not wrong. The Hutts wanted to make an example of him. It was a good thing JJ never admitted to being a Jedi or force sensitive. He was going to need every advantage he could get. At least he was going to get a fighting chance. The fighting pits may not be fair, and opponents would certainly be stacked against him in a effort to kill him. All JJ had to do was survive and find a way out of the pits. He hated the fact he was going to have to kill, but he could also hope the early rounds would be creatures and not other people.

"Another fine mess you got yourself into Lesan," he said under his breath as the announcer was saying something about fighting a gauntlet to the death.

JJ scanned the crowds hoping to find a familiar face, anyone that might actually want to help him get free. Yeah, what he had done was stupid and rash, but the young Jedi was just that young. He was not ready to die.

Amilthi Camlenn

 

[Amilthi Camlenn]

It was an odd procession that was entering Bussa the Hutt’s manor on Ulmatra. A human woman and man, she blonde and straight-haired, rather plain, he brunette and curly-haired, rather bigger than her, and with a bandage on his arm where he had been injured by a reflected blaster bolt. The bounty hunter couple looked defiant, and yet they were not even handcuffed as they walked before an unassuming-looking woman who was dressed in a simple, blue-grey skirt, a washed-out rosé shirt, and a roomy, shapeless grey coat with a large hood drawn over her head.

It was lucky that they weren’t Mandalorians. Amilthi would likely not have been able to subdue them so easily without killing them. Though this was little consolation, as it was unlikely that she was delivering them to anything but their deaths. It was not without some misgivings that Amilthi had put her plan into action. She didn’t know what the pair had done other than anger Bussa the Hutt, they had not taken any action against the refugees except to use them as cover to hide among them. But they were undiscriminating bounty hunters, elements of an ecosystem of villainy and complicit in its perpetuation. It was not an easy thing to condemn them for, but it also wasn’t nothing, and they were endangering others. They could have disappeared to a different system and revealed that they were there, rather than keep the spotlight on the blameless refugees, but that wasn’t a thing that had occurred to them, wasn’t something that would ever have occurred to them, because it wasn’t the sort of thing they, and their kind, regarded as their problem. For them, these refugees were just pawns - and now they themselves were pawns in a game that Amilthi was playing on behalf of the innocent.

They were led to an antechamber and then to a gloomy salon that exhibited what rich gangsters took for taste. Bussa the Hutt's massive form was lounging on a couch in the middle, surrounded by his servants and employees. The Duros who had been leading in the guests scurried up to him and whispered, then had to repeat in a louder voice because his employer’s hearing had been damaged by an explosion in one of the many assassination attempts he had sustained in his life.

“<Greetings, illustrious Bussa>” said Amilthi politely in fluent Huttese, stepping forward between the two prisoners. “<I believe you recognise these faces.>”

“<Ooooh!>” crooned the Hutt, and looked to an advisor by his side with a raised eyebrow in a way that somehow managed to appear indecent. “<I do! But who are you?>” said Bussa, now regarding Amilthi with some skepticism.

“<I am Jedi Master Amilthi Camlenn.>” said Amilthi simply. There was no pride, no aggression, no grab for status in her bearing - and yet neither did she look meek or intimidated. She seemed to be securely resting in herself in a most peculiar way.

“<Ohoho!>” The laughter broke abruptly and turned to skepticism. “<A Jedi. A Jedi bounty hunter. A bounter hunter bounty hunter.>” Bussa seemed to be turning these concepts in his head, unsure yet whether to mistrust Amilthi, make fun of her, or take her seriously.

The woman in Amilthi’s captivity began to speak, but one of Bussa’s guard stepped forward and put his hand over her mouth from behind before she could finish a word. She struggled, sustained a fist to the lower back, and stopped. Her partner glanced over at the scene, enraged, but visibly aware of his own powerlessness. Both of them were now getting a piece of cloth tied over their mouths to gag them.

“<Well, I have promised - and I shall pay you, whoever you are.>” decreed Bussa.

“<I don’t want your money. These two were hiding among the refugees on Randa, now they are no longer. You have what you want. Keep your bounty and instead the refugees in peace.>” suggested Amilthi calmly.

“<A bargainer, are you? I like your kind. And I hate you. Haha… ha! Weeell. Let us talk about this later. After some entertainment. It is… scheduled!>”

It was obvious that he would rather have paid the bounty, probably he thought it would cost him less money than he would lose out on by ceasing to exploit the refugee situation. Amilthi had a hunch that whatever this scheduled entertainment was, it would not be enjoyable.

***​

Amilthi felt a pit in her stomach when, looking from Bussa the Hutt’s loge to which he had insisted on taking her, she recognised the familiar figure down in the arena. What was he doing here and how had he got himself into this position? She noted this as a strange circumstance, and noted also her own surprise at it, but then immediately turned her attention away and towards a solution. Few who died in these fighting pits deserved it, but they were usually beyond saving. Here, all that was needed was a lightsaber.

She had handed hers to one of Bussa’s goons, more as a courtesy than anything else. The Hutt probably knew quite well that she could have got hold of it any moment she wanted, but was justifiably unconcerned because he knew that his death would be of little use to Amilthi. It would only serve to cause chaos - she wouldn’t get paid, and orders to leave the refugees alone wouldn’t be given, either.

The guard who has Amilthi’s lightsaber was walking forward towards the balustrade and leaning over it slightly get a good look. It was not Amilthi’s doing. Was it the Force’s doing? The Force didn’t do things. Things just happened. They just had a way of happening in a particular manner. Amilthi felt her heart jump.

She sought through the space of her attention, sought and concentrated until she could focus on the railing and perceive it clearly - not with her eyes, but in a spatial kind of way, the way one felt one’s body parts - except it was not a part of her body. But that didn’t matter. Once she had her attention fixed on it, she could move it with concentrated intention the way one could move one’s own body, even if it required much effort such as with muscles one didn’t normally steer consciously. Her hand half-consciously formed into a fist, mirroring vaguely the form of movement she wished the metal to perform - and eventually, the balustrade crumpled, gave in, and broke. The guard toppled over and with a scream of surprise and horror fell into the pit, taking Amilthi’s lightsaber with it.

Everyone in the loge started to shuffle around, some jumped back from the hole in the railing, others towards it. Bussa gave a grunt of dismay.

Judah Lesan Jr.

 

[Judah Lesan Jr.]

JJ looked away from the rails as the cage doors began to open. As he thought it was going to be creatures first, and as far as he hoped only creatures. What JJ did not know was that a newly familiar face had turned in two bounty hunters which were going to get tossed into the guntlet as a last minute surprise. Of course, JJ's first look did not give him a view of the red haired Jedi, and with the cage gates opening, JJ was a bit distracted to take another look. Fortunately the sound of the metal railing buckling grabbed his attention along with the Nexu close to the one who fell in making an immediate pounce.

Judah saw the lightsaber. That was a curious sight. Why would the guard who fell through have a lightsaber unless...

JJ looked up to the railing again, he looked passed them and caught a glimpse of the woman. He smirked.

"Thanks for present," he pressed into her mind through the force before a hand reached for the cylindrical hilt.

That was all the time he had before the knight had to leap and roll out of the way. The Nexu had locked onto him, and Judah had to stay out of the reach of its claws. They would be sharp, and they would be deadly. Even with the force as an ally Judah was very much in danger. At least he was a student of Ataru, and the acrobatic lightsaber form allowed him the agility and speed he needed to face off against the beast.

Igniting the turquoise blade, Judah chuckled. It was a fitting color for the woman. A hand extended toward the beast, slowing it enough that Judah was able to leap over it as he charged. Flipping himself around the Knight brought the blade down and through the skull of the beast with ease. THe gauntlet was only going to get harder, especially with the jeers the Jedi gained in response to such an easy kill.

"Please tell me you're also working on a way to get me out of this?"

Amilthi Camlenn

 

[Amilthi Camlenn]

"<Why does he have a lightsaber?!>" Bussa the Hutt demanded to know. He looked around questioningly and his gaze settled on Amilthi. "<That's your lightsaber, isn't it?>" he asked suspiciously.

"<It is. And I want it back. I'll hold you liable if it gets damaged>", retorted Amilthi pertly.

"<Ohohoho, you're a feisty one, aren't you?>" Bussa threw a glance down into the arena, where the Nexu was just falling to the ground. "<Ooooh!>" he exclaimed, screwing up his face in a mockery of empathy with the beast.

Please tell me you're also working on a way to get me out of this? To communicate telepathically with such ease even in the present situation was no mean feat. It seemed Judah was very skilled in this domain. She noted this observation, and moved on.

The thought arose that that was a bit much to ask for. She noted that, too, and moved on again, because she really did need to think of a resolution for this that did not end with her entire plan being annihilated and her efforts for the benefit of the refugees rendered futile.

People all around them drew blasters and other weapons. They weren't exactly pointing them into the arena, and nobody seemed to have an intention to shoot, not least because one couldn't know who would have been offended by it. They were just watching for now, but clearly didn't feel quite safe.

"<How about you get him and we're even?>" asked Bussa gleefully.

"<No>", said Amilthi. Her answer came after ever so small a moment of hesitation. It had taken her a moment to gather the strength to utter it, and the full force of its implication hit her only when she had already spoken. The impact of it was quite unexpectedly strong and it took all her discipline to steady herself and not let it show. She observed in detail the anticipation of pain she felt that was triggered by the idea that something should happen to Judah, the aversion she felt towards that anticipation, and the concern she felt at that aversion.

But she couldn't let so many other people down just to relieve herself of these feelings.

"<Have you entertainment. It's quite the spectacle to watch a Jedi wield a lightsaber. Let him fight - but do it fairly. If he survives what's in store for him there, he goes free - no gratuitous execution. I will in turn make sure he won't bother you again, and that he leaves without hurting anyone who doesn't need to be hurt for him to survive. As for my reward, as you said - we shall speak of that afterwards. After you've enjoyed your entertainment.>"

The Hutt growled, considering. "<Those monsters are expensive...>" he pointed out.

"<Lightsabers are, too. I'll take the risk on it>", replied Amilthi unfazed.

Judah Lesan Jr.

 

[Judah Lesan Jr.]

No answer. There really was no way out except for finishing the gauntlet itself. Judah knew the answer before he even asked the question, but in case there was a chance she could get him out of the event without having to expend all the effort... he would have owed her for more than just the lightsaber. There was a pause, as if the Hutt had been upset about something. JJ smirked knowing it was likely the weapon in his hand. It made for an unfair advantage, but so did taking his weapon away from him.

"I appreciate the lightsaber, any chance I am getting mine back when this is all over?"

In other other words she needed to find out what they did with his weapon.

The gate opened once more, and this time there were two Nexu. One was enough, but two. This was not going to be a fun event, but he knew it was only going to get harder and harder. The Knight had seen how things like this worked before. It was going to be a difficult thing to survive to the end even with a lightsaber. If he could just line Nexu up, after all, what was in front of him needed to be his primary focus.

He sighed and tried to do just that. One came from the right and the other was at the left. Running toward them, JJ cut through the middle and took a hard turn to the left and started to run toward the wall. His legs pushed off the ground as he lunged toward it. Running up the wall and turning he pivoted in the air and came slashing down on the first Nexu as it leaped to pounce him. Running through the attack JJ took out the other beast and looked up toward the Hutt as the crowed cheered for his display.

The gate opened once more.

It was a Rancor.

Of course they had a Rancor.

Amilthi Camlenn

 

[Amilthi Camlenn]

Those Ataru practitioners and their obsession with the future. Just as soon as the Force handed Judah a straw in the form of Amilthi's presence and intervention, he wanted to map out the possibilities and make a plan to resolve the entire situation at once. Amilthi sympathised, she had been prone to this kind of thinking once, but she had since let go of it and found that she was no less effective in the world and, if anything, more so.

"Stay in the moment", he would hear her voice softly admonishing him in his head. "Don't worry. Don't get attached."

"<Deal>", the Hutt eventually agreed, almost laughing.

"<I knew you would appreciate a fair game>", said Amilthi with a fine smile.

Judah Lesan Jr.