A Matter of Trust
In fifteen standard minutes, they were back in the alley. Joshua seemed rather interested in the whole affair, though Raven was more cautious. Something was jumpy within her, her senses screaming that something was amiss. This wouldn't be a standard run.
"I'm going to check out the street," she informed him. "Wait here." Raven crept out to where the alley met the street, glancing around the corner. Two men were standing on the street, carrying on a lively conversation. Both wore the lavender diplomatic armbands. Raven didn't recognize the insignia on one of the men's arms, probably the embassy to the west, but the other was all too familiar. He was Corellian, one of Boeta's men.
"Of all the Sithy developments…" she said quietly, breaking off into a string of vibrant curses as she moved away from the street. Joshua tossed her a questioning look. "There are only two, but one of them will recognize me. It'll be the end of my days if he catches me making a pick-up. S'rmen's going to be furious." Suddenly, an idea occurred to her. "Can I trust you?" she asked, studying his face closely. Raven reached out into the Force as much as she dared without revealing her secret. She had to know the truth of his reply.
He looked confused, glancing out beyond the alley and then to her. "I don't follow," he replied.
"If I distract them, will you make the lift for me? We can then rendezvous somewhere. You said you want to come. Do you want to make half a run? Can I trust you?"
Joshua nodded, his face dissolving into some kind of unreadable resolve. "You can trust me," he replied. Then a grin broke his mask for a moment. "Consider it repaying the favor you granted me earlier today." Raven smiled back, feeling his sincerity.
"Here's the plan. I'm going to go out and distract them. I'm sure the Corellian will draw me into conversation. Once you see that I'm talking to them, go to this door," she took out a blank data pad and a light pen and sketched a simplistic map, "and open it. Then, go here," she indicated the map, "and you'll find the data pad on a table. Leave through this door and meet me here in 45 standard minutes. We'll have to hurry to make 1700, but it should work out. Here." Raven took out a lock pick. "Pretend to use this to open the door while you manipulate it with the Force. It will look like a key. Just pretend you're supposed to be there."
Raven walked to the end of the alley then turned back to him. "May the Force be with you," she said quietly, then the rogue disappeared out onto the street.
***
Joshua waited in the alley, alone with his thoughts. He hadn't missed her surprise when he'd asked to accompany her, however, he suspected that the reasons she assigned to the question were actually quite different. Something about her bothered him, the way she moved, the way she dealt with other people. For some reason, she was staying close to the ground, and his instincts told him it wasn't just because of her occupation. He was wary of her, even though he yet really had no reason to be, and he preferred to stay close so he could keep an eye on her. The Force whispered that she was important, somehow.
When he estimated that she had had enough time, he moved to check out the street. When he peered around the corner, Raven – Ash? – was standing there, talking quietly with the guards, looking none too happy. Taking a deep breath, he found his center in the Force, and then he walked out onto the street, trying his best not to attract attention.
He felt the gaze of the two guards flicker to him, as well as Raven's, all cursory glances. Joshua couldn't hear what they were saying, but he assumed that that was superficial as well. He mused on his mission, to find if there was body to rumors that a senator was attempting to assassinate a speaker against the corruption in the Senate, when their discussion caught his attention.
"…Rogue Jedi, then levitate yourself or something else!" the Corellian laughed at Raven. Her cheeks bloomed a bright red, but she remained there. "If your precious Temple didn't respect you, then why should we?" he added. The two guards laughed over something else, and Raven made what must have been a quiet retort, because the last thing Joshua heard before he moved out of range was, "No wonder the Jedi kicked you out."
Joshua felt betrayed. Suddenly it all made sense, her secrecy and mannerisms. Had she really been kicked out of the Order, or was it some kind of cruel joke? Perhaps that was why she ran drops and pick-ups. She seemed nice enough, and he instinctively felt he could trust her, even though she had distorted the truth of her name. Somehow, he knew that at some point she must have been a Jedi. That was the only reason she could have placed him so easily. It made a disturbing amount of sense; she had the resourcefulness of a Jedi, the instincts, the carriage. She looked the part of a Jedi warrior and in fact carried her lightsaber still. That made sense of his earlier observation. Raven had saved him from the wrath of the Coruscant Security, although he didn't know why. But she was still a rogue.
The word tasted bitter within his mind as he unlocked the door and went inside. The staircase led up to the hallway, and he successfully navigated his way to the room with the data pad. It surprised him how easy it was to pick it up and leave. Somehow, he had expected more of a challenge from this line of work. However, he was glad for the ease of the task. He had given his word, she could trust him, in this at least. Still, he needed to think of some way to confront her on this. She was a rogue! She'd left the Temple! Joshua mused that the answer to her question, could she trust him, now all hinged on her answer to his: Why did she leave the Temple?
In fifteen standard minutes, they were back in the alley. Joshua seemed rather interested in the whole affair, though Raven was more cautious. Something was jumpy within her, her senses screaming that something was amiss. This wouldn't be a standard run.
"I'm going to check out the street," she informed him. "Wait here." Raven crept out to where the alley met the street, glancing around the corner. Two men were standing on the street, carrying on a lively conversation. Both wore the lavender diplomatic armbands. Raven didn't recognize the insignia on one of the men's arms, probably the embassy to the west, but the other was all too familiar. He was Corellian, one of Boeta's men.
"Of all the Sithy developments…" she said quietly, breaking off into a string of vibrant curses as she moved away from the street. Joshua tossed her a questioning look. "There are only two, but one of them will recognize me. It'll be the end of my days if he catches me making a pick-up. S'rmen's going to be furious." Suddenly, an idea occurred to her. "Can I trust you?" she asked, studying his face closely. Raven reached out into the Force as much as she dared without revealing her secret. She had to know the truth of his reply.
He looked confused, glancing out beyond the alley and then to her. "I don't follow," he replied.
"If I distract them, will you make the lift for me? We can then rendezvous somewhere. You said you want to come. Do you want to make half a run? Can I trust you?"
Joshua nodded, his face dissolving into some kind of unreadable resolve. "You can trust me," he replied. Then a grin broke his mask for a moment. "Consider it repaying the favor you granted me earlier today." Raven smiled back, feeling his sincerity.
"Here's the plan. I'm going to go out and distract them. I'm sure the Corellian will draw me into conversation. Once you see that I'm talking to them, go to this door," she took out a blank data pad and a light pen and sketched a simplistic map, "and open it. Then, go here," she indicated the map, "and you'll find the data pad on a table. Leave through this door and meet me here in 45 standard minutes. We'll have to hurry to make 1700, but it should work out. Here." Raven took out a lock pick. "Pretend to use this to open the door while you manipulate it with the Force. It will look like a key. Just pretend you're supposed to be there."
Raven walked to the end of the alley then turned back to him. "May the Force be with you," she said quietly, then the rogue disappeared out onto the street.
***
Joshua waited in the alley, alone with his thoughts. He hadn't missed her surprise when he'd asked to accompany her, however, he suspected that the reasons she assigned to the question were actually quite different. Something about her bothered him, the way she moved, the way she dealt with other people. For some reason, she was staying close to the ground, and his instincts told him it wasn't just because of her occupation. He was wary of her, even though he yet really had no reason to be, and he preferred to stay close so he could keep an eye on her. The Force whispered that she was important, somehow.
When he estimated that she had had enough time, he moved to check out the street. When he peered around the corner, Raven – Ash? – was standing there, talking quietly with the guards, looking none too happy. Taking a deep breath, he found his center in the Force, and then he walked out onto the street, trying his best not to attract attention.
He felt the gaze of the two guards flicker to him, as well as Raven's, all cursory glances. Joshua couldn't hear what they were saying, but he assumed that that was superficial as well. He mused on his mission, to find if there was body to rumors that a senator was attempting to assassinate a speaker against the corruption in the Senate, when their discussion caught his attention.
"…Rogue Jedi, then levitate yourself or something else!" the Corellian laughed at Raven. Her cheeks bloomed a bright red, but she remained there. "If your precious Temple didn't respect you, then why should we?" he added. The two guards laughed over something else, and Raven made what must have been a quiet retort, because the last thing Joshua heard before he moved out of range was, "No wonder the Jedi kicked you out."
Joshua felt betrayed. Suddenly it all made sense, her secrecy and mannerisms. Had she really been kicked out of the Order, or was it some kind of cruel joke? Perhaps that was why she ran drops and pick-ups. She seemed nice enough, and he instinctively felt he could trust her, even though she had distorted the truth of her name. Somehow, he knew that at some point she must have been a Jedi. That was the only reason she could have placed him so easily. It made a disturbing amount of sense; she had the resourcefulness of a Jedi, the instincts, the carriage. She looked the part of a Jedi warrior and in fact carried her lightsaber still. That made sense of his earlier observation. Raven had saved him from the wrath of the Coruscant Security, although he didn't know why. But she was still a rogue.
The word tasted bitter within his mind as he unlocked the door and went inside. The staircase led up to the hallway, and he successfully navigated his way to the room with the data pad. It surprised him how easy it was to pick it up and leave. Somehow, he had expected more of a challenge from this line of work. However, he was glad for the ease of the task. He had given his word, she could trust him, in this at least. Still, he needed to think of some way to confront her on this. She was a rogue! She'd left the Temple! Joshua mused that the answer to her question, could she trust him, now all hinged on her answer to his: Why did she leave the Temple?
