[Canderous]
The Undercity. A festering pit filled with garbage and toxic sludge that no sane sentient would ever want to visit if they could help it. Even before the doors of the old elevator opened you could smell it. The warm ripe tang thick on your tongue. He'd been down there enough now that it didn't bother him nearly as much as it did the others but he was surprised that the only reaction from the verd'ika was a slight crinkling of her nose. Either her senses were non-standard, she was doing some sort of force shit, or she had seen enough of this kind of thing that it didn't bother her as much.
The doors opened and a pair of locals backed away the moment they saw him. By now they knew not to try and pull their bullshit cons on him or Davik's crew. Ignoring them he turned toward the nearest exit of the shanty town. He turned back when he heard a low hiss of warning and saw one of his men rolling his eyes and shaking his head as the verd'ika handed a couple of squatters a handful of ration bars. The dingy residents seemed to notice his attention and quickly scattered. Stella jogged to catch up to them and gave him an amused smirk when he raised a brow at her.
"They're just going to mob you on the way out now." One of the young thugs said. "Waste of time." The verd'ika's smirk widened.
"Oh? So you don't want to know that the Vulkars already scavenged everything on the Northwestern side, then?" Canderous chuckled in amusement at the gobsmacked look on the thug's face. Stella continued to smirk. "You can learn a lot if you get your head out of your shebs and pay attention to the people who actually live here." The thug looked at him in confusion but he just waved them onward.
"Was that actually what they said or is this some force shit?" He asked in Mando'a. The thugs looked between the two of them nervously but didn't say anything.
"A bit of both. They did tell me that the Vulkars came down here and hauled some scrap away, but I can also sense something." He nodded and turned his attention to the squatter manning the gate. The man frowned but let them through, closing the gate behind them quickly.
"Alright, weapons at the ready. These bastards can and will come out of nowhere. You see something crawling toward you, you shoot it without hesitation." He said the same thing every time he came down to the Undercity with a new group. Too many of them thought they were quick enough on the draw and left their blasters in their holsters. That same number ended up dead.
He saw a look of grim determination cross the verd'ika's face as she pulled the two pistols and held them at the ready. She nodded at him before her purple gaze snapped toward a disturbance in the distance. "I'll try to steer us away from the worst of them." He nodded.
Having a former jedi around was going to make things a lot more interesting.
[Stella]
They'd been down in the place known as the Undercity for force knew how long. There were no natural lights here and there was little in the way of sentient life. Oh there was certainly life down here. But it wasn't sapient. The rakghouls themselves were driven by pain, rage, and hunger in a manner that made her shiver in disgust and pity. There was just something so dark about them in the force that she loathed letting them get too close.
It didn't seem like the thugs thought her ability to notice the rakghouls before anyone else was suspicious, which was one less thing to worry about she supposed. To be fair she had given them the excuse that her eyesight was better in low-light and her hearing was stronger than the average near-human. They didn't question it after that.
"Buir, I sense someone close by." Canderous didn't look back at her, eyes scanning for another threat.
"Which direction verd'ika?"
"East, not far from here." He gave the thugs their orders and turned to head them toward where she could feel a pulse of panic. Whoever it was, was not having a good day.
As they rounded a corner Canderous held out his arm and stopped her dead in her tracks. His eyes narrowed at the ground for a moment. "Mines, watch your footing." She paled slightly and stepped back. "I thought your force let you sense things." He said to her quietly.
"Every force user has their strengths and weaknesses. I'm good with living things, not so good at inanimate objects." Speaking of… she sensed a life-force nearby and looked up to see someone coming out from behind a half destroyed escape pod. He was holding a blaster and shaking like a leaf in a storm.
"Wh-who are you!? Don't come any closer!" She glanced up at Canderous as he frowned. She placed a hand on his arm to get his attention.
"Let me?" He eyed her for a moment before stepping back. She turned toward the man who was colored with panic and fear.
"Please, you need to calm down. My name is Stella and I'm a medic." She smiled at him and tried to project a feeling of safety and reassurance. "Are you injured? Do you need assistance?" She could hear one of the thugs behind her scoff and wanted to glare at them. If they wanted to try and get through the mine field she wasn't about to stop them. But she'd really rather not have to deal with the aftermath.
"You- you're a medic? Please, I've been bitten! I need h-help!" The group behind her stiffened, guns trained on him warily. She could feel Canderous' eyes on the back of her head.
"If you shut down the mines I'll come to you." The man looked at the rest of the group behind her.
"Alone!"
"Alone is fine." His emotions fluctuated between relief and uncertainty before she heard a series of small beeps.
"They're off, but I can turn them on with the touch of a button if your friends get any closer!" Turning to Canderous she signed at him to stand down and keep watch. He watched her for a moment before nodding.
"It's your show, verd'ika. I just hope you know what you're doing." Without another word she crossed over the ground between Davik's thugs and where the frightened man was waiting. When she got to a certain point she heard the series of beeps again and froze.
"I turned them on behind you. Now you can't betray me." She slowly walked toward him until she was only a few feet away.
"I promise I won't betray you. Like I said, my name is Stella. What's yours?" The man lowered his weapon, his tongue darting out to nervously wet his lips.
"Tarn, Tarn Bevik. I'm a soldier for the Republic." Nodding she made sure he could see her hands as she reached for her medical kit.
"Alright then Tarn. Have a seat and let me take a look at that bite. I think I have something that can help." Relieved he sat on a piece of half-sunken metal and with a grimace peeled back his sleeve.
The bite was worse than she'd thought. It looked almost gangrenous and the skin was inflamed. Placing her hand on his arm she reached up and pressed a hand to his forehead. "I'm just looking to see if you have a fever." She lied.
Using the force she dove deep into the soldier's body, finding all the tainted places and tattered threads of sickness. Already the infection had set in and was clawing it's way through his system, slowly corrupting him from the inside out. It was an insidious and disgusting thing that made her recoil in horror as the oily feeling of the darkside prodded at her mind. She threw off its clinging tendrils and with a mental push began to burn out every bit of it she could find.
By the time she was done she was shaking, though barely any time had passed in the outside world. She smiled at him shakily and reached into her pouch for a bacta injection. There was no need to waste any antibiotics when she'd already cleared him of infection. "This should clear it up no problem. It's an antibiotic." The man watched her and there was a flicker of recognition in his eyes as she pressed the hypo to his arm and began to wrap the bleeding wound.
"…you're a Jedi." He whispered.
Her hands jerked slightly and she bit the inside of her cheek. "…how do you figure?"
"I've been healed by Jedi before, I know what it feels like… like someone poured liquid sunshine into your chest." Well she couldn't deny that he'd felt the touch of the force before. "Don't worry, I won't say anything." He whispered, glancing toward the distant group of thugs.
Oh. He thought she was infiltrating Davik's group as a jedi shadow. Well it was as good an excuse as any, and he wasn't exactly wrong.
"Don't blow my cover." She said lowly as she wrapped up the excess bandage and slipped it back into her med kit. "I can't be seen being kind to you." She said with an apologetic frown. The soldier nodded in understanding. "They're going to salvage the pod for parts and we're going to take you prisoner. Better to be in a group than alone out here." There was a flicker of fear in his presence but it was quickly being over-run by duty, understanding, and relief.
"Turn off the mines and let them through." She instructed. The soldier reluctantly disarmed his trap and she quickly snatched the controls from him. "Stick close to me. I'll do what I can for you." It wasn't even a lie. If she could find a way to let him go without suspicion she would do it.
"Thank you." He said quietly. She nodded before tossing the control over to Canderous, who caught it out of the air.
"Good work verd'ika." She grinned at him. "Keep an eye out with Taz and Wymer." Nodding she took a guard position as the others started in on the escape pod.
Once the team had been laden down with enough useful scrap, including most of the mines, they were ordered to head out. Stella offered to watch the soldier on the way back. Being a medic meant she could sedate him if he tried anything. Canderous gave her a long look then agreed to let her guard the man. She felt Tarn's mood improve slightly as she stood next to him. He knew his only real chance for escape was to cooperate with her, although his expression gave nothing away.
On their way back to the elevator Stella feels a strong force presence and stiffens. "Buir, I sense another force user nearby." She hissed. The thugs looked at her in confusion but readied their weapons. Every time she'd noticed something they'd been attacked by rakghouls and had begun trusting in her 'superior senses.'
"A force user? You sure about that?" She nodded.
"Whoever they are, they're strong." She shivered. "And touched with the dark."
"Dar'jetii?" He rumbled quietly so only the two of them could hear her.
"I don't know. It's like they're suppressing themselves, trying to hide." It didn't fill her with confidence, that was for sure. Anyone who could hide like that was dangerous and Stella had felt Fallen Jedi before.
"There's someone up ahead, could be nothing, could be an enemy. Get ready." The men relaxed a little, learning it was just other people and not more rakghouls. As if other people weren't as dangerous or more so.
Rounding some pillars they come upon the group she had sensed before. There were three of them. Two human men and a twi'lek child. The first man had fair skin, light brown hair, and brown eyes, while the second had almost black hair, fair skin, and green eyes. The twi'lek was blue with brown eyes and clearly young, although they were almost the same height already. Much to Stella's frustration.
"D-don't move! I-I'm not afraid to use this!" She heard Canderous let out a small sigh as Taz stuttered and raised his blaster toward the new group.
"Settle down, kid, we have enough trouble with the rakghouls, we don't need any unnecessary casualties." Crossing his arms he looked over the new group carefully. "From the looks of you I'd say you're here for the same reason we are- to salvage something from those downed Republic escape pods." As Canderous was speaking she shifted her focus from the man that screamed 'dangerous force user' and looked back at the Republic soldier. It was obvious that he knew this group of people with how he was giving off relief and eagerness. "Forget about it, they've already been stripped of anything useful. Take my advice and get out of here as quickly as you can."
"We already know about the rakghouls, and we're not here for scrap." The man next to the force user says evenly. She can see the Republic soldier take a step forward but she stops him with a nudge from the force, warning him not to move. He looks at her, eyes wide, and she shakes her head, motioning for him to wait with her hand. He frowns but listens, still believing her to be an undercover Jedi.
"Canderous! I think I saw something over there in the shadows!" Turning away from the soldier she expanded her focus and felt the life-forms coming toward them. The thread of darkness within each of them seemed to be resonating with the darkness within the force user and attracting the rakghouls.
"Buir!" The brown haired man twitched and let off a feeling of anger and distrust that almost made her shudder. "A large group of them is coming this way! We'll be surrounded!" Canderous grabbed his repeating blaster and planted his feet.
"Here they come! Don't let them get too close!" He barked at his men.
The rakghouls came spilling into the small clearing from every direction. Almost as one the group stood back to back as they defended their small patch of ground. The Republic soldier, who hadn't been given a gun, hovered near her. She could sense his panic and fear but also his unwavering belief that she would protect him. It was like an echo from her past, knowing someone was relying on her because she was a Jedi.
During the fight she took out a group of rakghouls between her and the force user's group. She turned and 'bumped' into the soldier, handing him her second blaster and shoving him toward the other group. "Go!" She hissed lowly. The man gripped the blaster tight and looked down at her with gratitude before he bolted over to the second group.
By the time all of the rakghouls were dead the soldier was safely standing behind what had to be his superior officer. The brunette with the brown eyes.
"I've had enough of this shit. We're heading back. You'll get out of here too if you know what's good for you." Canderous snapped at the force user and his group.
"What about the pris-" Canderous rounded on the thug.
"Leave him, all that matters is that we get this scrap back to base. If he wants to die with that lot then good riddance." The thug swallowed his response and backed down. No one wanted to mess with a pissed off Mandalorian. "You alright verd'ika?" She nodded.
"I'm fine. Looks like that one doesn't like Mando'ade though." She didn't think she had to elaborate who, considering the closed fists, clenched jaw, and heavy glare being aimed their way.
"Ignore him, verd'ika, plenty of reasons to not like us." Letting out a small huff she looked over at the soldier and gave him a small smile. The man ducked his head but she could feel the waves of gratefulness coming off of him.
"Move out!" Canderous ordered. The thugs grumbled but no one complained about the idea. No one wanted to stay in the rakghoul infested undercity any longer than necessary after all.
As they're walking one of the thugs scowls at her. "You were supposed to be watching the prisoner!"
"Well I'm sorry that I was too busy making sure the rakghouls didn't crawl up your shebs, you ungrateful prick." She snapped back at him. The group fell silent, the thugs eying her with a sense of confusion. Canderous burst into laughter.
"I thought you would have been raised to speak more politely, all things considered." She lets out an amused snort.
"I speak many languages, thankfully idiot is one of them." Canderous chuckles. "I don't like to be crude," she explains, "but I will use whatever tools I have at my disposal. And surprise is an excellent tool." She feels a spark of pride in the midst of wariness and amusement.
"I couldn't agree more."
[Bran]
"Bevik, are you alright?" Turning to look at the new addition to their merry little band he noticed the bandage on his arm and frowned.
"I'm fine, Sir. That girl… the pink haired one?" Carth nodded in understanding, expression complicated. The girl was hard to miss considering how she almost seemed to glow in the dim light of the undercity. "She was a jedi." Carth's eyebrows rose toward his hairline and he shook his head.
"She couldn't have been a jedi, she was wearing Mandalorian armor and speaking Mandalorian." The soldier shook his head.
"She cured me with the Force and let me escape. I've felt that kind of thing before." Carth looked skeptical but Bran knew the soldier was right. There was something about her that seemed… familiar.
"Hey! Can we get a move-on? We have to save Big Z!" Turning to the young twi'lek in their midst Bran nodded.
"Good thing we now have an extra gun to help us save your friend." The girl smiled and relaxed, turning to the soldier.
"Alright new guy, hope your aim is good!" The soldier chuckled and checked over the weapon he had been given.
"It's Corporal, Corporal Tarn Bevik. But you can call me Tarn."
Mando'a;
Buir- Parent, in this case Father.
Shebs- Ass
Verd'ika- Little Warrior/Young Warrior, also the rank of Private.