[right][color=00aeef][right]Week 6, Day 6, Dusk[/right][/color][/right]


With the arrival of the two Jedi that morning, Sar had found the time to venture out into the tunnels with patrols and see the damage with his own eyes. They were trying to prevent the tunnels from collapsing in, thus cutting off any route in or out of the caverns. The underground tunnels were both a blessing and a curse; they had protected the majority of Twi’leks during the mortar bombing, yet should the colony become trapped due to tunnel collapse, there was very little in the way of food and water underground.

The Twi’lek man sent patrols in every direction, scouting outside for the enemy, and gathering more food despite the numerous rations the two new Jedi had brought with them. You could never have too much supplies, especially when fighting an enemy that seemed to always be one step ahead. The slavers had never been ones to use heavy weapons against his people, much less mortars that could be fired at from a long distance. Someone had to be backing them; Sar didn’t want to think about it. 

His feet led him through one of the most secure and safest tunnels, one of three that remained after the collapse. With a squad of five men behind him, Sar led the way to the surface to scout for anything suspicious above. The last thing they needed was another surprise attack on their colony.

The sounds of Jer’s roaring speeder bike echoed through the hallowed out caverns as he zoomed down the tunnel. He’d ventured into the cave systems before, though never that deep. He’d heard what sounded like explosions earlier but he wasn’t sure if it was simple boulders falling from the canyons or something natural. Now after his encounter with the five slavers he realized it was likely a bombardment of some sort. The retired mercenary’s choice of dwelling had saved him and his family from that danger. He planned to return to them after surveying the scene on the rest of the planet, if it was rift with Zygerrians then he’d venture back to his ship and leave the planet. Though he did not want to have to do that.

The heavily armed twi’lek pushed harder on the throttle. He was making a racket as he rocketed through the tunnel, not even sure which way he was going. He only knew that one of the largest cities was in that direction that he was headed. His foot began to depress the break as he took in the sight of several figures in the distance. They were headed in his direction, towards the surface as he drew closer to the group. They were his own people, other Twi’leks and armed with blasters. A far more welcome sight than slaver scum, though he doubted that they even knew of the intricate tunnel systems of his homeworld. Not wanting to appear as a threat he brought his ride to a total stop, then spoke out as they drew even closer.

“Greetings, I’m relieved that you’re not more of those Zygerrian sleazebags.” 

Sar and the group stopped momentarily as the sounds of the speeder grew exponentially closer all of a sudden. 

As the speeder stopped in front of them, Sar and his men stepped closer to see exactly who it was. A Twi’lek no doubt, but where had he come from? 

“No, we are not… I’m Sar Tarkona,” Sar began, walking closer to the new Twi’lek while the rest of his men stayed back and ready, just in case. “These Zygerrians… did you see them near the tunnels?” he then asked, figuring the first order of business would be if there was to be another impending attack, and if there were Zygerrians scouting out their position within the tunnels. 

“No, I did not encounter any outside or in the tunnels. Five of them approached my home earlier and I had to kill them.  My name is Jer Vusid, I was hoping that I would find more of our people in the tunnels.” He replied, leaving out any mention of his family for now. He hoped that he’d be able to communicate with them once he got to wherever these other twi’leks had been holding up. 

“I thought I heard explosions before, I’ve encountered slavers before but I can’t recall any using heavy bombardment.” He added. 

“Their attack hit us hard-” Sar said, taking in Jer’s words of the five slavers he had encountered before. The other Twi’leks name hit him after a few moments as his mind caught up with their conversation. Jer Vusid, a Twi’lek mercenary who was known to fight alongside the Empire; the Sith. The exact reason his people were in this situation today. 

The grip on the blaster in his hands tightened ever so slightly as he looked Jer up and down, a slight frown on his face. He couldn’t simply let this man come back to the colony, back to Lo and Dominik who was in no position to defend himself. This man fought with the Empire, thus siding with the Sith; that meant fighting and maybe even killing Jedi. 

“Tell me Jer, who’s side are you on now?” he muttered, eyes watching the man closely after Sar asked his question.

“I see you recognize my name, it appears my exploits made it back to my homeworld even if I haven’t stepped foot on Ryloth in decades,” Jer replied, a slight smirk slipping onto his face. He could notice the other twi’lek who was speaking to him tense up. His long years as a mercenary had that effect on people who knew of him, particularly his work for the Sith. “I’m retired. I put down my blaster a few years ago, came back here with my family to spend my retirement in peace.”

“The blasted slavers interrupted that and forced me to fight again. I take it you’re part of the resistance movement, I can help, Sar. I’m still a sharp shot with my blaster, I’d wager the most accurate on the world and I have offworld connections who could bring in resources, weaponry and medical supplies.” He stated, as he laid out his case. Jer did not intend to be pulled fully into the conflict but he needed to protect his family. The Zygerrians would only leave if they were met with a firm, overwhelming resistance. 

“There are Jedi here, working with us, Jer. They’re the reason our people have survived this war, they’re the reason we weren’t all killed during the bombing. If you are willing to come back and work for the betterment of our people and your family, you must also be willing to work with the Jedi.” Sar explained, standing his ground as he explained the situation.

He knew some of his people, very few in fact, still didn’t believe in the efforts of the Jedi. They think the village is being used, that all of them were a means to an end until the Jedi saw it fit to flee. But Ser believed differently. 

“If you can agree with that, then you’re welcome to come with us, and your family is welcome as well.”

“I have no issue with Jedi. I faced down a few on the battlefield during my days in the war, they’re a fierce opponent. I hold no grudge against them.” He stated calmly, as he assured Sar there would be no issue. 

“I will have to see how things are at your settlement before moving my family there. I do not want anything to happen to them if there is another bombardment or attack.” The former mercenary added as his thoughts shifted back to his wife and son. They were safe taking refuge inside of his ship.

"We can escort you back to the village then." Sar offered, though cautiously. The Twi'lek leader was wary in bringing others into the camp that weren't Lo and Dominik's fellow Jedi, but he could not turn away one of his own. Dominik was still in no shape to fight, luckily though they now had the second Jedi, Aren Bec, and her padawan. 

“Please lead the way then.” Jer replied with a nod, still noticing the caution in his fellow twi’lek. Sar didn’t trust him, which was to be expected. Mercenaries often received lots of suspicion wherever they went, especially one like him who had fought under the Sith banner. He looked forward to getting a look at the village, his old connections would come in hand to aiding the resistance.