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Scout had never had a ton of patience for politics. In fact, she'd rarely met anyone with enough patience for it. Sonya didn't seem to mind, or if she did mind, she hid it well. Either way, as the various chieftains and tribal leaders arrived from the woods surrounding the village, Scout was a little surprised to find herself fascinated with their customs.

Scout's nickname came from her keen observations and skill at seeing things others didn't, and as she watched, she put these skills to use. The various tribes all seemed to possess the same characteristics; that organic armor and the weapons that covered them. Even as Scout watched, the tribal members seemed to split into gangs, each playing games and sports that showed off their skill. This went on for several days without end, and, according to I-C, was traditionally done until the various other tribes got here.

One day, Scout went out to watch the skilled warriors practice. It was amazing. Their multicolored bodies were only blurs as they almost flew at each other, making passes with their deadly belt knives. Unarmed, their style was fluid and graceful. They used everything to their advantage, like wire to trip and trap their opponents. I-C said it was spun from a native arachnid and was tougher than steel. They used it to help them swing through the trees and perform amazing acrobatic stunts.

On this particular day, as Scout watched, the short chieftain of the village approached her, squawking loudly in his language. Scout, looking dumbfounded, just stared in bewilderment as the birdlike creature pointed at himself, and then to the circle where the various Kilmaulsi were sparring with each other.

"No, no," she said, shaking her head firmly. "I can't-" A sudden buzzing caught her ear, and I-C suddenly appeared besides her, bobbing in the air erratically.

"No, don't refuse." He said urgently. "It would be considered an insult to refuse him. Just go a few rounds. All right?"

"Easy for you to say." Scout mumbled as I-C nudged her towards the circle. "You don't have to go toe to toe with an alien that can fight wookies."

"They're not even that strong." I-C assured her. "Just very, very fast."

Scout nervously stepped into the ring, watching the shorter chieftain Kilmaulsi step in with a smooth and graceful gait. He removed his armor, wearing only a simple, but elegant cloth that allowed him greater movement.

"He's making it even." I-C explained. "You don't have armor on, so neither will he. Also, hand to hand only. No lightsabers or knives. You go at it till one of you surrenders." Scout nodded to herself, taking a deep breath, and dropping into the Broken Gate Stance of combat. Her style relied on a more defensive stance, where the enemy came to her and she could counter him with grapples and carefully placed strikes at their pressure points.

"I'll have to get a hold of one of his limbs." Scout thought grimly. "Once I get in close, I can force a quick end." Scout took a step to the right, her arms raised in a fighting stance, trying to observe his movement. The Kilmaulsi stood there, not moving an inch. He watched her intently with its sharp black eyes. Then, the warrior raised both his hands, holding one arm extended towards Scout, palm open, and the other back towards his face, ready to strike.

Then, he moved, and Scout was left looking at empty space. Only a sudden warning from the Force saved her from a blow to her head that could have stunned a rancor. Ducking swiftly, she leapt to the side as a foot talon followed, nearly connecting with her stomach. Scout rolled, landing in a crouched position. Gathering herself, she leapt, powering herself forward with as much strength as her legs could muster.

"Got him now." She thought, cocking her arm back for a punch. However, the Kilmaulsi turned his body, twisting, and with just his open palm, turned Scout's hammer blow to the side. Scout, still sailing through the air, was unable to turn in time before one of his feathered palms lashed out, hitting her in the side. She flew several feet, landing hard with a grunt just inside the circle.

"He's fast." She thought, struggling to one knee. "And strong. But if he's so powerful, why am I still standing. The way he's countered my attacks up till now…This fight shouldn't have lasted two minutes. Unless…"

Scout grinned to herself, and leapt to her feet, despite the stabbing pain in her side. Judging by the intent looks she was getting from spectators, this was more than a friendly sparring match. This was a way for them to decide whether their allies will hold their own in battle. It was, for lack of a better word, a test, one on which the fate of their alliance could depend on.

"I've at least got to impress them." She thought, holding her side with one hand. "But something is wrong with my ribs. Broken I think. I'll have to use speed to catch him off guard, and get in close enough to grapple." With a sudden burst of energy, Scout threw herself forward and launched a flurry of strikes and hammer blows at her opponent. But everything she did was countered, guided to the side by the Kilmaulsi's almost gentle palms. Scout, turning and falling past her opponent from the force of her own right hook, seemed to trip and fall head first to the floor.

Instead of hitting the floor, Scout reached out with both hands, firmly planting them on the ground, and used her arms to turn herself in a twisting fashion. As she did so, she used the force of her turn to aim a powerful kick at the Kilmaulsi. The crowd made a noise Scout assumed was gasping, as the warrior raised both his hands to catch her strike, barely stopping it inches from his face. Scout grinned.

Twisting again, she brought her other leg up, this time aiming at his exposed stomach. With a squawk of irritation, he dropped her other leg and leapt backwards, barely avoiding her counter attack. Scout, now lying on the ground, rolled to her feet and spun just in time to see the Kilmaulsi streaking towards her, arms launching a complicated series of strikes at her. Giving ground slowly, Scout brought her arms in close, and dropped into the most complicated series of strikes, blocks, and counterstrikes she'd ever done. Only her sharp eyes and the subtle nudging she received through the Force kept his arms at bay.

After deflecting a series of particularly fierce strikes with her arms, Scout lunged, trying to grab hold of her opponents arm. She succeeded, and began applying careful pressure to the joint of the warriors elbow. Then, a blur, and Scout felt herself flying backwards. She barely got to her feet before the Kilmaulsi was on her, launching into a series of palm strikes that forced her back, again testing the limits of her reflexes and Force Precognition.

Finally, he feinted a strike at her wounded side, causing her to desperately throw up defenses one her left to protect. Of course, this left her right open, which is just where a feathered palm shot forward to knock her over the head. Scout staggered and tried to raise her defenses, but the Kilmaulsi was unloading now. His arms were blurs, hitting every soft point on her body until Scout felt a powerful strike at her chest throw her backwards. She hit the dirt, barely conscious and promising to dismantle that little floating menace, I-C.

Jenna awoke to the sound of a distant humming that she guessed was a hyperdrive powering through space. Her first thought was that she was dead, but she soon dismissed that thought. She felt stun cuffs holding her hands behind her back, and she could think of no reason for them to cuff a dead person. Beyond that though, she could see nothing in her dark surroundings. Then, a rustling in the dark. Wiggling to her feet, Jenna squinted trying to see through the dark.

"Yes?" She asked, more curious then scared.

"Jenna?" A voice called weakly, pleadingly. "Is that you?"

"Jasper!" She exclaimed, trying to move on her knees towards her young charge. "Are you all right?" The young boy snorted and Jenna heard him grunt as he tried to push himself to his feet.

"Not great, but these men are so nice, they make up for the poor sleeping conditions."

Jenna sighed. At least his talent for sarcasm was still with him.

"Where are we?" She asked, looking around. As far as she could see, they were trapped in a dark room. "Where are the rest of the kids?"

"In the hold of the mercenaries' ship." Jasper answered. "They brought you in here a little before we took off. They said they left me in here to keep you calm when you woke up." Jenna's heart sank.

"So the rest of them aren't in here?"

"No, but they're all right." Jasper said. "Don't worry. I've kept the mercs hands off them."

"Then why are you in this state." Jenna said, trying to see through the darkness at what would make poor Jasper sound so weak.

"The twins got bored." He said. "Evidently, they enjoy taking out frustration through some old fashion beatings."

"My god!" Jenna said as she finally managed to glimpse his face in the dark. It was dark and his head seemed to swell well past its normal size. "Jasper…I'm so sorry."

"Don't worry." He said consolingly. "It's not as bad as it looks. Besides, now that you're here, I'm sure we'll come up with a way out of here in no time."

Jenna was quiet. She hadn't actually given a lot of thought as to how to escape. At the moment, the men with the guns held all the card. There was nothing she could do without risking the children.

"You do have a plan, don't you?"

Jenna sighed. Jasper's voce was so hopeful, a hope born of years living with her. The hope of a son to one's mother.

"Sure." She lied cheerfully. "Don't worry. I'll do whatever it takes to get us out of this."

"Whatever it takes." She thought grimly.

Please review. I want to know whether people like where this is going. Oh, also, I changed jenna's hair color. Just FYI