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| - Once the battle started, it erupted like dry brush. The blockade paired with the warfare on the Smuggler's Moon had fostered a tense situation that threatened to break at any moment. When it finally broke, it broke hard. The interdiction field drew the battle into a much wider fray, causing ships to scatter amidst a sphere of uncivilized war so dangerous to fly through that only a heavily armored ship could get through without getting obliterated. Or a skilled pilot. Back on board the Refrain of Anshalar, Luke had given Enb'Zik a glimpse into what he'd come to call 'Jedi Harmony'. While he surely didn't expect the Sullustan to fully understand the technique now, especially without a lightsaber with which to hone his focus, he knew that he could at least help guide his student into understanding the cyclical flow of it. As such, for long hours before the battle erupted, their two vessels were hiding inside the asteroid field, as Luke used the Force to help draw Ikihsa into a harmony with his mind and soul. Now, with the battle raging, Jedi One and the Vigilance go racing into the fray, their wingspans nearly touching as they soar in perfect synchronization. Force Harmony had given Enb'Zik his greatest view yet into how powerful the Force really is. He'd been told it was limitless, but as a user of the Force, Ikihsa's biggest limit had been himself. Drawn into this practice with Skywalker, Ikihsa has been granted a glimpse at how overwhelming the Force is when not limited so greatly by the vessel through which it flows. With Luke's assistance, the two ships fly far closer than even the Republic's most seasoned and famous exhibition squadrons would dare. Used to being able to sense and direct the Force if he /tries/, Enb'Zik now understands what Johanna had meant when she said the Force would someday seem like a song around him that he couldn't forget. As the twin vessels speed toward the deadly conflagration, Ikihsa is aware of his copilot sitting beside him. The man is nervous, but typically so for what they're about to do. The Sullustan takes a breath, then keys a tight-beam communication between his own ship and Jedi One. "Alright, Luke, we're coming up fast on the furball. I'm seeing two potential openings. Have you got a preference for one or the other?" There's a momentary pause before Luke responds. "We're going to make our own." Before Ikihsa even has a chance to wonder what that means, the connection forged between them allows the Sullustan a very vivid picture of exactly what it is Luke's talking about. They can both see it in an instant before it happens, as a bulk freighter making a run from the moon begins dumping its cargo in an attempt to throw off missiles coming toward her. Luke dips his X-Wing forward, then begins to roll to the right. His command to Enb'Zik is understood in as much swiftness as a thought travels from one end of the brain to the other - roll left and mirror my flight path. Taking the lead, Luke continues to roll his fighter wing over wing, headed straight toward the bulk freighter's nose. At the last possible moment, he breaks one way, the Force triggering Enb'Zik to break the other way, forcing the bulk freighter to 'thread the needle' between X-Wing and Blastboat. R2-D2 screams with this close-quartered maneuver. Zik will need to trust in their Force-drawn connection to be able to follow Luke's lead on this one! "Zik..." "Trust me, Lalo. You'd better just take the turret for this. I'll handle the flying for now." Enb'Zik's voice becomes tense with concentration as his co-pilot sees him making adjustments and starts to question the wisdom of rushing into the part of the battle that Luke and the Force have indicated to him. The Sullustan's attention is mildly divided, yet Luke's mastery of the Force keeps Ikihsa melded in. "Just see if you can help that freighter with some of those missiles as we pass through!" As Vigilance begins the first heavy maneuvering, the ship rumbles as the bulk freighter slips by at such close quarters between the ships. Just flying like this takes every bit of Zik's skill, tempered with the knowledge that he can't think too much but must simply FLY. By instinct. The ship is exactly twice the length of Luke's X-wing, its batteries of laser cannons opening up in advance of the blue-trailed heavy projectiles heading for the civilian ship. Having given the co-pilot something to take his mind of this insane flight pattern, Enb'Zik guides the Skipray back toward a formation with Skywalker, "Well, that was fun!" Truth be told, without some heavy modifications the blastboat wouldn't possibly be able to keep up the way it is. What Zik may not yet realize is that it isn't over. He gets no more prompting from Luke - instead, the Jedi Master peels away from the aft end of the freighter, using his kinetic energy to slingshot about and open up on the rest of the debris dumped out by the freighter. The explosions caused by both Jedi One and the Vigilance blow outward and strike the incoming missiles, eliminating the lot of them. Both of the ships soar beneath the fire of plasma and explosives, essentially using the explosion as a way to throw off their entry into the fray. Now, it will be down to the two pilots to simply outmaneuver any threats. "Good job, Lalo, with those missiles," calls Luke. Had it not been for the co-pilot's additional firepower, they might not have been able to take care of them all. There's no way Enb'Zik couldn't know that it's not over. This special definition of fun is just beginning, and he's too aware of it. The Sullustan tips his ship sharply to starboard to miss a massive cargo container floating derelict above the moon, grateful for good inertial generators as he does so. The blastboat continues the roll until the ship is upright again. Enb'Zik echoes Luke's gratitude to his gunner. For a moment, things are as relatively quiet in a battle this size as they can be. Zik glances at his console to check his ship's tracking toward the beacon that marks where they're heading on the moon. He follows Luke's X-wing through a portward banking maneuver, before a niggling feeling of something not quite right draws his eyes to the sensor display. "Easy, Artoo," says Luke as the droid compensates for some shield strain on that last run. "What is that?" he asks over the tightbeam, relying on Enb'Zik to relay sensor information. He inches his X-wing ahead, breaking formation, though it wouldn't come as a surprise to the Sullustan as their cyclical link remains strong. "Half-dozen uglies," Zik answers, "But I think they're at too far of a range to be a threat yet." He looks at his console, "It's close, though. We're approaching atmosphere now, but if we don't get down quick they're going to be on is in the not too distant future. I give them thirty-five seconds." Enb'Zik reaches for his throttle to speed up, attempting to match Luke's thrust increase. "Artoo," says Luke. "If those things get within firing range, jam their transmissions." He flips a few switches and checks his throttle. "Zik, set for vector two-seven-krill". He banks his X-wing ever so slightly to the right. Something on the Force suggests that it's the right way to go, and it's strengthened between the two Jedi pilots. Vigilance was modified long before Zik ever got her so that she could outspeed a stock A-wing fighter. As Jedi One increases speed, the Skipray has little difficulty keeping up. "Confirmed," Zik calls, "Setting two-seven-krill. ... Done." Ikihsa blinks at the suggestion to move to starboard -- something in the moment, as he'd been learning. His intrigue is plainly shared through the link with Luke, though it's almost incidental as there are so many other things demanding their attention. "Down we go." "Boost your speed on my mark," replies Luke. He dips the X-wing forward and into the atmosphere, waiting patiently as the Force prompts him. Then, he closes his s-foils, allowing for full power to go to his engines. "Mark!" Jedi One boosts in tandem with Vigilance, just as a trio of small ships go soaring past and move in to engage the six uglies who had just gotten the idea to chase down the Jedi. Instincts, indeed. Luke takes the lead as they dip into the atmosphere and the urban sprawl of the moon comes into a more clear view. He banks the X-wing back to port. "Okay, Zik, I think we're out of threat's way for now. Senator Marx provided me with a comm frequency for someone friendly to her... let's see if this pays off." "Lalo, keep that turret ready just in case," Zik murmurs as he watches the X-wing's foils close down, disabling the fighter's weapons. His hand increase's Vigilance's speed at the precise second the word "mark" comes from Luke's mouth. Through the Force, he anticipates it as Luke thinks it and draws the breath to say it. This exercise alone has taught the Sullustan more than months of talk could have done by allowing him to experience what is possible with mastery of the same Force he touches. He watches the stark, slate gray of the urbanized moon come into better focus and nods. "Here's to hope, Luke. Standing by." "Artoo?" The droid understands Luke's inquiry well enough, and recalibrates the tightbeam so that it's piggybacked onto the encrypted frequency provided by Senator Marx. It's ten seconds, tops, before Kaitlin picks up. The encrypted holo channel tends to get her attention quickly. She's a redhead with messy hair, green eyes, spacer's jacket, and a recent scar on one side of her face. The scar is over the eye, but whatever gave it to her didn't hurt the eye itself. Luke gets treated with a slight frown, but not a hostile one, before Kaitlin just starts in, crisp and businesslike. "We'll have to keep this quick. Secure isn't untraceable. To what do I owe the honor?" 'honor' is not quite sarcastic, but it's close. Luke tips his head toward the holographic representation of Kaitlin that appears before him in the cockpit of his X-Wing. "I'm here with another ship, the Vigilance. There are some friendlies we need to extract, quietly. Mutual friend tells me you might provide us with a safe place to land?" At this point in the conversation, Ikihsa doesn't have anything to add. Rather, most of his concentration is on piloting his ship and keeping an eye out for more unfriendlies. As the two ships streak through the atmosphere -- possibly the only two trying to get INTO Nar Shaddaa -- he listens to the tone of the woman as much as her words. She's stressed, it seems to him, as one would expect. Zik waits, ears open for landing coordinates. Over the holo, Kaitlin clicks her tongue, clearly calculating whatever factors matter most in her decision. After a few seconds, she nods. "Del wouldn't have sent you here unless it was important," she muses, taking an intelligent stab at the 'friend'. "I hope you're both good pilots. I'm sending you the beacon and entry vectors. It'll be a low-ceiling flight so you don't stand out too much on approach. We'll open the blast doors enough to get through, but I hope the Vigilance lives up to her name, or she's gonna lose some paint. It'll be a little tight. I'll meet you in the hangar and look forward to hearing about this one." A pause. "And don't mind the turbolasers, we'll set you friendly for the landing." "Copy that," is Luke's response. "We'll be there in a jiffy." He cuts the communication then, and looks toward Enb'Zik as R2-D2 patches the beacon and vectors through the moment they arrive. "Padawans first," he says, injecting some humor into the situation... even if Enb'Zik could sense it coming. The Side Deck Repair Pad: Nar Shaddaa The Side Deck's repair pad isn't really so much a "pad", per-se... actually, it's more a very large landing pad enclosed by a cavernous hangar sunk into the ground, with little expense apparently spared in making it a facility worth of even the most modernized shipyards. The spacious floor is kept remarkably pristine, thanks to a small team of scrubber droids that periodically sweep the massive durasteel floor plates to keep them clear of foreign objects and fluids, and the bay is flooded with light from ceiling flood lamps. The hangar layout is unusual, the usual collection of painted guides arrayed into a strange, oddly artistic geometric pattern, and labeled with flowing Sluissi script work dominant over Aurebesh translations. Overhead holoprojectors allow the repair bay's crew to not only guide ships into the bay for those unfamiliar with the unusual layout, but also to call up displays of whatever they might need anywhere in the hangar. There are multiple tractor beam emitters spaced around the bay, in addition to the large central installation used to assist damaged craft in landing safely. These tractors, with the able assistance of a system of tracked cranes criss-crossing the rafters, provide heavy lift capability for repair and modifications taking place in the bay. Sets of catwalks are set into the steel rafters, suspended on cables that allow them to be lowered down into the bay around ships if required, and also provide access to all of the overhead equipment. Unlike many planet-side hangars, this one smells distinctly like those found on capital ships and space stations. In addition to the scents of grease and chemicals common to all starship servicing facilities the galaxy over, this particular bay appears to make use of a closed air recycling system, and in addition to the heavy blast doors that usually bracket planetary hangar openings, whoever designed this bay went tot he trouble to add a space-style atmosphere lock, the quiet hum and crackle of generators subtle amid the noises of the facility, and providing the light scent of ozone most dirtside hangars lack as the shield covering the opening slowly ionizes air molecules. Outside the hangar, the bay is flanked by the long, sleek muzzles of twin turbolaser turrets, a silent suggestion to unwelcome guests that good behavior is strictly enforced by the residents of Nar Shaddaa. In addition to the information in the desc, it's worth noting a few things, as the ships settle into the hangar. First, the only apparent indication that the Smuggler's Moon is at war, at least from inside the facility, is that the heavy armored doors closing off the open end of the hangar, which opened just far enough to let the vessels enter through the shield slams ponderously shut soon after they touch down. Other than that, things couldn't look more normal, if a hangar that looks like it was pulled right out of Sluis Van could be called normal on Nar Shaddaa. Technician teams, apparently almost totally comprised of Sluissi, appear to be hard at work on several craft as if nothing out of the ordinary is going on, and only black-armored, grim-looking men with heavy blaster rifles at key points around the walls hint that at least half the moon is a disaster area. Holographic projections guide the new arrivals neatly onto a pair of clearly-marked landing stalls, the X-wing sandwiched between the Vigilance and a light cruiser that artfully blocks the fighter from view from the bar. By the time the pair power down, a tall human with flamingly red hair, wearing one of those nondescript spacer jackets and a whole lot of starship tech tools is waiting not too far away while a ground crew goes to work, with an air of slightly exaggerated patience. "Well, that just sounds thrilling already," Enb'Zik remarks upon hearing the description of the landing maneuver that's going to be necessary. As the vectors and landing coordinates are transferred to his ship, the Sullustan blinks. She's got to be kidding. Sure, he could probably do it. On a good weather day under good conditions without being fired on. This is going to require a steep entry vector followed by a sharp pull-up. The Skipray's vertical profile will make it easier for Zik to skim between buildings than it will be for Luke's X-wing, but even at that he'll have to rotate his primary stabilizers to horizontal positioning at just the right time before he'll be able to land through that slot they're opening. This ought to be just about as much fun as breaking free of a tractor beam with two squadrons of TIE Interceptors bearing down on you. But he has performed that last feat. And things have changed since then. A brush of calming influence passes through Enb'Zik, and he settles to the task. This is something he can do. He glances past his ship's canopy toward Jedi One and returns a thank you to Skywalker for the calm passed through their link in the Force as the already fast-moving Vigilance accelerates with gravity on her descent toward the specified floor. Vigilance streaks through the atmosphere and shudders as the heavy ship begins to pull up, Jedi One not far off the port side of the larger blastboat. Enb'Zik makes his final approach toward the specified coordinates, flipping the switch at three kilometers out to start the landing cycle. The ship is moving so fast that when the rockets fire to slow her down, she's still a good kilometer away. "Hang on, Lalo," Zik warns his human co-pilot. Even with the gravitational compensators on full, both sentients have to work not to lean forward as the ship brakes hard... then finally comes to a halt and switches full power to its repulsors. Minutes later, both ships are on the ground and going through shutdown procedures. Zik leaves his co-pilot to handle the details and heads for the boarding ramp. At the last possible moment, Skywalker throws his X-wing into a spin, flipping up and over the Vigilance in order to break speed and put her behind the larger ship. The trained eye just might think that both ships are being operated by some type of hive mind, given the nature of their movements being almost synchronized to music. Jedi One's canopy opens, and Luke steps out, turning to look toward Kaitlin with a curious eye as he removes the flight helmet. Though the cloak over his shoulders may identify him as Jedi, the armored plating he wears signifies that he's ready to take a beating if one is necessary. "Kaitlin Mainwaring?" he calls out with a quiet voice. Kaitlin Kaitlin is a human female, in the early years of young adulthood, judging by her appearance. She is tall and pale-skinned, perhaps six feet, and slender of build in the sort of way that suggests she may still have some filling out to do over the next couple of years. Her usually-unruly mass of burgundy-red hair is tightly and neatly arrayed into a braid, starting up at the base of her neck with a silver clasp, and reaching down to between her shoulder blades, where it is held in place with a silver ring. Her eyes are a sharp green contrast against the hair, and she appears to do without cosmetic touches, save for a light application of red gloss to her lips that matches her hair. Kaitlin is currently wearing an unremarkable sort of outfit typical of nearly anyone that deals with starships for a living. A simple white shirt adorns her torso, tucked into a pair of tan-colored, slightly baggy pants that in turn tuck into heavy work boots. The pants have a variety of pockets and loops on them, some of those loops hung with tools or other such accoutrements. The Pants are held up loosely by a belt slung slightly diagonal across her hips, and similarly weighted down with a few pieces of common equipment-- a hydrospanner here, a powerdriver there, hanging from clips. Over her shirt, she's wearing a dark gray jacket with black leather across the shoulders, also liberally decorated with pockets and convenient loops of fabric on the arms and chest panels. The wrists and high collar of the jacket have unfastened straps around them, presumably to provide a quick and dirty seal for use with a helmet and gloves. However, the fingerless black gloves she's favoring right now probably aren't the sort intended for that kind of use. Kaitlin waits for the pair to disembark, thumbs hooked in her belt, eyes roaming the pair of ships with a trained eye. At least, until Skywalker addresses her at which point her gaze flicks back to him. She bobs her head once in reply before speaking, in a bit of a drawl. Now that she's not on the com, trying to keep things short and sweet, her speech carries a distinctly Sluissi accent. "Master Skywalker. So, to what do I owe the... unanticipated pleasure? Besides the obvious?" Joining Luke near Jedi One, Enb'Zik remains out of the way, positioned to his right and slightly behind. Luke had negotiated their way down and it's his turn to continue talking now. So Zik just listens for now, as he's found himself doing quite frequently throughout this blockade. While he does, he glances about the hangar, taking note of the relative calm with which most of the mechanics are working in spite of the war zone outside. There's still a fair bit of distance between he and Kaitlin when Luke stops walking toward her. He looks her over for a moment, his motions smooth and delivered calmly. "There are two people on the moon who need a safe lift off planet." He tilts his head over his shoulder and toward the ceiling in a gesture indicating space above. "The skies are unorganized and dangerous, we've come to help them." He looks toward the cruiser, which has so artfully been placed to conceal the new arrivals, and a small grin touches his features. "In secrecy." The wry, lopsided smirk Kaitlin treats Luke to at that last says volumes-- mostly translating to 'No, *really*?' Be fore she nods slightly, indulging her technician's urge by letting the bared fingers of a gloved hand trail along the metal surface under Jedi One's wing, and she gives Zik an acknowledging nod, but she recognizes subordinate behavior when she sees it. "There are a number of people that fit that description," she replies in a slightly disapproving tone. She's been saddled with far too many people that don't belong anywhere near Nar Shaddaa during this conflict. It makes her worry she's going soft. But she nods, anyway. "We can help with this, though you should know that secrecy may not be a simple thing. But I believe your biggest risk to discovery here is... occupied in orbit, at the moment, so it should be relatively straightforward." She pauses, to issue what is plainly an order the ground crews milling about, and they withdraw to other parts of the hangar shortly, leaving only the most pressing of tasks performed on the landed ships. "I can at least tell you that I will do what I can, but your timing?" She shakes her head. "Bantha in a vase shop. But don't worry about that. Who are you looking for?" The Sullustan tips his head respectfully in silent response to the woman's nod. He watches as most of the mechanics make their way from the hangar area and looks intrigued. Still in contact with Luke, he contemplates whether they're leaving because this discussion is something they shouldn't hear, or if it's for some other reason. While thinking about it, the Sullustan is aware of a quiet but deep rumble that lasts the course of several long seconds before fading away, perhaps some stricken vessel plummeting to the moon's vertical-walled surface well beyond the confines of the thickly fortified hangar. The rumble comes at a time where Luke, decidedly, releases the observational tasks to Enb'Zik. With the Jedi working in tandem through harmony in the Force, there's an odd tone to their intonation, movements, and actions. It's almost as if the two are linked together, and though a woman like Kaitlin couldn't sense it without Jedi abilities, the subtleties may eventually make themselves known. Instead of utilizing his senses to watch for intruding eyes, Luke instead begins to cast the Force around them into something of a veil. Indeed, the Force itself begins to knit a web of shadow around them, causing unwarranted eyes to look away. Their very presences slowly become masked, even inside the Force itself, though it remains all but invisible to Kaitlin as Luke listens. There are only a few moments of silence before Luke replies. His voice is calmer now, at peace, though oddly distant as if shared between two daunting tasks. "We can handle secrecy well enough, but if there's any way we can help you in return for offering us this place to land, do not hesitate to tell." He proceeds to give a brief description of both Lon and Siren. Lon being the harder one to describe, Luke focuses more so on Siren's description, also leaving the actual details of Lon's 'duties' silent for now. There's no sense exposing an NRI agent unless absolutely necessary. Whatever the muffled rumble is, Kaitlin seems to have heard enough like it lately that she couldn't possibly care less. It's entirely possible she might discern what Luke is doing in cloaking them, though more from noticing any changes to the behavior of her staff than anything else, and she's disinclined to make any note of it even if she does notice. She shakes her head. "Nothing now, at least. Just make sure Malign doesn't trace you here, and I'll call it acceptable. It seems that we here shall have to live with the man in some fashion." She practically sneers at the thought, before adding a somewhat predatory grin onto the end. "For a time, anyway." When Luke gives her the description of the pair, her expressions go through a number of probably amusing phases, before settling on something like an exasperated, weary scowl. "Right, *those* two. You'll be pleased to know, that I saw them alive not too long ago, but I sincerely can't imagine how they managed it. I don't know what they were doing here in the first place to get caught up in this mess, but I couldn't pick a more out-of-place pair. I suspect they'll be overjoyed to have an exit." "Regrettably." That's Luke's response regarding the people of Nar Shaddaa having to 'live with Malign in some fashion'. "We're taking every precaution to keep him from noticing. Just in case he does..." Up comes Luke's left hand, and he makes a gentle motion through the air. With it comes a sudden and strong impression upon Kaitlin that she should thoroughly believe every word he's about to say. "Tell him I used a Jedi mind trick." An ironic way to cover one's tracks! R2-D2 pops himself out of Jedi One, landing smoothly with some help from his booster rockets. He rolls up alongside Luke and comes to a halt, pivoting his dome to Kaitlin, and then back to Skywalker. A scanning dish emerges from his dome then, and begins rotating from side to side. Luke looks to R2-D2, then back to Kaitlin. "He's scanning for a tracking beacon Lon's carrying with him." Kaitlin winces visibly, the expression of a MUCH more violent reaction to Luke's action that she strangled down. She understands the man's reasoning and can even appreciate the crafty nature. It's clear under more normal circumstances, she'd be irritated, though. "Right. I think I can be convincing on that score if I have to." Fortunately, R2's arrival completely wipes the event from her immediate notice. "I know what a scanner dish does," she asides without the venom she'd probably usually use, dropping to a squat next to the droid. Kaitlin's sense has lightened considerably-- clearly she's much happier about the situation now that an astromech droid is involved. "Keep an eye on them," she murmurs to Artoo, shiftily and with a slight air of levity. "I'm not sure your master's entirely right in the head. But keep that under your dome; he doesn't need to know he's cracked." Straightening, she nods to the pair. "I'll take you up to the roof-- the front door is a little obvious. Noble Jedi such as yourselves should manage to make the leap across the alleyway. Your ships will be safe here, and I'll take a personal look over them while your gone to make sure they're ready to fly. It's going to be a bumpy ride out." While Luke goes back and forth with this human woman, Zik continues to listen and just keep an eye on things. His link with the Jedi Master has stretched his own abilities far beyond their normal limits. Through the Force Harmony, he was able to sense that the crashing ship outside had no life forms on it -- at least none that were still alive. He was able to tell that it wasn't a danger to them inside, though there was a feeling of anguish that rippled darkly from near victims too close to the crash site. Enb'Zik watches Luke's attempt to persuade the woman, as well as his apparent failure, which surprises the Sullustan; her willpower must be phenomenal, and he makes note of that. When she suggests they jump the alley, Ikihsa looks aside at Luke. That's a power he hasn't learned yet. R2-D2 lets out a series of rapid beeps in response to Kaitlin's comment. Suffice it to say he agrees with her, in the most polite way manageable for a droid. Luke casts a look toward Enb'Zik and nods his head, reminding the Sullustan through their harmonic link that they will manage if they remain in harmony. "Thank you," he says, turning to look back toward Kaitlin. "These are desperate times for us all." He's not merely stating the obvious, either; there are intonations to those words that tell of a greater appreciation, and a greater empathy, not to mention his will to keep their tracks hidden from the Sith Lord. Without further ado, he turns and makes as if to follow her. Kaitlin reaches up to pat Luke's X-Wing as she leads the trio towards one of the catwalks that is now lowering from the ceiling, following her tapping a few commands into a wristband under the jacket sleeve. "I haven't had my hands on a T-65 in a long time," she shrugs, as if that's entirely enough and sole reason for her assistance. "So you're welcome. You know," she adds, with a mischievous grin over her shoulder at the Jedi, "The Skipray looks pretty well-loved already, but I could do a *real* job on that 65 of yours sometime if you could con the credits out of the Republic. She'd still look like a C-variant, but I guarantee you I could get her clear up to .5 over lightspeed and purring like a nexu cub if I tried, and a fair sight better in realspace, too." Which is a surprisingly open admission that she does slightly more than legal mods, but it's not like they're illegal *here*... and the Republic has this honorable notion of jurisdictional boundaries and the like anyway. She steps onto the railed catwalk-section, waiting for the others to catch up before she starts it rising into the rafters high overhead. Somehow, Enb'Zik suspected Luke would have a response similar to the one he gave. Taking a breath, Zik nods. Always learning. Without a word he turns to follow the other two, glancing at the indicated ships with mild amusement. Vigilance had been well-loved for a long time before she'd been handed over to him, and as a former fighter pilot, it's something he's greatly appreciative of. It's nice to have the best of both worlds -- capital and fighter -- wrapped into a single vessel. He steps onto the catwalk with the other two before it starts to rise. Luke is still maintaining the veil of the Force, believing that with his and Enb'Zik's combined abilities, they'll be able to mask their presence from here and everywhere else. Hopefully, to Malign, it will appear as if they simply disappeared when they hit the surface. He slows at the base of the lowered catwalk, however, and shoots Kaitlin a peculiar smirk. "I haven't modified her for a reason," he disclaims. "I'd have to have Artoo here oversee anything done to her... I don't need Jedi One or Artoo blowing a circuit when it really counts." He casts a look toward Zik and adds, "Though maybe then I could give you a run for your money." He steps onto the catwalk, and waits for R2-D2 to join them. Kaitlin pats the droid when he catches up, and sets the catwalk rising, patting the droid on the top of the dome. "Jedi One," she repeats quietly, making the comment towards Artoo. "Clever and inventive master you've got there. Don't worry, I'd love to collaborate with someone that actually knows what they're doing," she assures the astromech. Because to her, it is a collaboration. Starship building and repair is a high art. The Sluissi influence is strong with this one. "No doubt," she muses absently in response to the comment towards 'Zik, eyeing Skywalker out of the corner of her eye. "We've got some after market engines that are Incom-compatible in stock... push you up to around 120 in space on a T-65. We keep them around for the Z-95 crowd, but they're better than a Headhunter deserves." "That's a joke, right?" Enb'Zik asks Luke, near deadpan. As good a pilot as Ikihsa is, the Jedi Master would fly circles around him even without the recommended upgrades. "Though 120 MGLT would only catch you up with Vigilance. Ranger would still be able to outrun you, at least." The Sullustan allows a very slight smile to touch his face beneath his dewflaps before turning his eyes toward their destination atop the catwalk's main structure. Luke shoots Kaitlin a slightly sour look. The two of them aren't exactly getting off on the right foot, so to speak, but then again, there's no sense in letting it become a distraction. "You're the racer, not me," he notes to Enb'Zik, his scowl turning into more of a smirk. Perhaps between the three of them, this might not turn out all that bad after all? Of course, coming to Nar Shaddaa again and again would prove to be... difficult. He looks up as well, oddly enough in exact tandem with Enb'Zik, and his smile begins to fade. Soon enough they will be back 'at work'. Ikihsa grunts quietly and smiles a bit more, "Fighters and swoops are two different things." Indeed, here on Nar Shaddaa swoop racing is probably what would get him recognized faster than anything. No doubt he's been bet on and bet against many, many times. But the fighting won't likely leave most denizens of the Smuggler's Moon much time to recognize him. Sensing Luke's returning gravity, the Sullustan looks aside at him. And nods. He takes a moment and quietly makes a point of recentering himself in the Force. Though, by Kaitlin's standoffish standards, Luke is actually getting along beautifully. Everything is relative. In any case, as the rafters and the rest of the catwalk network approach, and the Jedi return themselves to the task at hand, professionalism slides back over Kaitlin as well, and when she speaks, it's clipped and no-nonsense, with no Sluissi in her accent and an aristocratic-sounding crispness in its place as she leads them through the catwalks towards the roof access. "Nar Shaddaa is arranged in levels," she begins, sounding not unlike someone giving a military briefing. "Numbers rise as you move upward, with the richer neighborhoods on top. In short, the 'Little Coruscant' nickname is well-earned. There are turbolifts spanning the levels. Things are relatively safe in this immediate area due to the Deck's presence, but a couple blocks in any direction, be ready for anything. We took out the Palace a couple of nights ago, so it's pure chaos, and Malign has soldiers of some sort securing the moon for Thanos, so watch for black armor that doesn't look like the stuff my boys wear." She pauses, to make sure all that sinks in. "Avoid going any further down, level-wise, unless you really have to. The Slums area starts a few levels down from here, and do not under any circumstances head down there without a dire, dire need. If you think people are desperate up here... well. Jedi can take care of themselves, but without someone that knows the area, the Slums are nothing but a death trap, whether slow or fast." Skywalker listens with a thick attentiveness, though his eyebrow perks at mention of a person named 'Thanos'. He'd ask, but he doesn't want to get Kaitlin into any more trouble. After all, if Lon has done his job well, he'll be able to tell Luke everything he truly needs to know, at least for now. "Black armor." Luke nods his head, and looks toward his Sullustan companion. The mention of black armor strikes something familiar in him, to where he recalls the rescue of Brandis from the HIMS Malevolence, and the black-armored droids Malign had employed to make the Jedi escape difficult. "We can discuss the recent events more later, if you need to," Kaitlin finishes, as she climbs the short ladder to pop the roof hatch and climb out onto the surface. "Once the dust settles, it becomes much easier to entertain special guests or get away." She waves to a pair of her black-armored enforcers that appear to be staking out the roof with a shoulder-fired rocket launcher. "Boys, say hello to the gentlemen you never saw. They'll be coming back in a while, at which point you won't let them back through the hatchway, and won't call me because there was nothing to inform me of. And you definitely won't avoid shooting them, as they were never here to be not-shot at." It's a wry set of instructions, but the men seem to take it completely in stride. It seems they're very used to such, and paid well enough to not-see many things around here. She points across the broad roof towards the next building over. "It's a fair gap, but we make it over there all the time. Should be easy for you three." She doesn't explain exactly how she and her people accomplish the leap, but that's likely unimportant. She offers Skywalker and Zik another lopsided grin, and a vague sort of salute with a pair of fingers. "Try to get back in one piece, and good luck finding those two. If you see Malign, feel free to divest him of his head-- we sure won't miss him." It's probably as close to a warm sendoff as one could hope from the young woman. The mention of black armor catches Enb'Zik's attention, too, as he opens his eyes. They either aren't Stormtroopers, or they're a specialized type of them. He's read about some of the latter, usually specially trained. Having just started to gather a level of concentration around himself, he accepts that knowledge and files it away rather than letting it concern him any. It will be useful later, should he need it. He takes another slow breath and lets it out quietly after glancing to meet Luke's look. A minute later, Zik follows the other two out onto the roof, leaving the hatch open behind him for Artoo to power himself up the way the Sullustan expects he will. He's mildly amused by the instructions given to the guards, but he seems to understand them the same way they do. People are likely to be shooting at them soon enough, anyway, and it occurs to Zik that at some point, perhaps he ought to ask about the one part of his training that's never yet come up -- a lightsaber. A musing smile comes to Luke's face at hearing Kaitlin's instructions, then turns toward her and tips his head. "The Force is with us. May it also be with you." Then he turns back toward Enb'Zik, as R2-D2 uses his thrusters to hop out onto the roof. "Clear your mind of fear and doubt, and you will do exactly what we are meant to do. Do not your abilities, Padawan, for in harmony our strengths are combined." He waits for a patient moment, making sure both that he and Enb'Zik remain synchronized through the Force, and that the veil he's cast to cover their tracks has remained strong. Satisfied, he turns and waits for a patient few moments, closing his eyes as he gathers the strength of the Force into him. It flows strong, coursing into his flesh and bones with the same power that it brings into that of his Apprentice. After a few moments, he takes off running for the roof's edge, eyes opened and carrying a raw awareness of the supernatural strength that is being manifest inside of him. For a wonder, Kaitlin doesn't fire back with some snide comment about the Force being with her, and instead just fixes a tolerant expression and something that sounds like a thanks. She pauses as the Jedi prepare for departure, to murmur a few additional pieces of advice specifically for Artoo-- technical notes about the city from Slicer/Technician to astromech, which may come in handy. She caps it off with an informal Sluissi farewell to the droid as Luke takes off, and heads back to the guards to see how their shift has been going. After thanking Kaitlin for her assistance, Ikihsa turns to Luke when the Jedi addresses him, and the Sullustan nods. But it's a little easier said than done -- he's used to having a bridge under him when he crosses spaces as wide as this one. Still, Enb'Zik knows what he's supposed to do, and he continues the exercise to control the negative thoughts of falling and splattering somewhere down in that death trap their host had spoken of just moments before. It's the strength of the Force Harmony directed through Luke that bolsters him and makes him able to drive the concerns truly away. Zik finally nods again to Luke when he's ready, and he watches plainly as the Jedi Master makes the leap toward the building across the way. The Sullustan would usually shake his head or mutter something disparaging, but now in a state of concentration, he knows there's nothing for this. Disbelief grasps for him, but he acknowledges it, then pushes it gently away. And runs after Luke. Luke is in the air when he senses the moment of disbelief in Enb'Zik, but he pays it no mind. He lands a moment later after being carried on the wings of the Force, grime splattering from his footfalls as he lands on the dirty roof, his cloak settling as he turns about to provide the boost through the Force that Enb'Zik will need to get across safely. As for R2-D2, there's nothing more to be said safe a happy series of beeps toward Kaitlin, and an impressed whistle at her use of the Sluissi language. He then turns and rolls beeping toward the edge of the building, and vaults into the air with his newly repaired thrusters. It's so much easier for a droid. Another moment of disbelief threatens Enb'Zik as his booted feet push solidly -- a trick in itself in this polluted environment -- off the grody ferrocrete of the building's exterior. For Maker's sake, he just jumped off the side of a perfectly good building. Again, Luke's mastery of the Force strengthens his resolve, and Zik clears the gulf safely and with plenty of room to spare. His landing, though, isn't so graceful. Briefly doubting, his booted soles hit the thin layer of sludge atop his landing zone and slide straight out from under him. The Sullustan goes legs up and lands hard on his butt before catching himself. With a grunt, he sits there a moment, then pushes himself slowly onto his feet again, wincing. R2-D2 blats at Enb'Zik when he comes to his own landing, but it gets a stern look from Luke. "Watch it, Artoo, or I'll deactivate those thrusters." (Continued in next log.)
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