[IC] Star Wars: Coruscant Undercity

[TheUnknowable]

On level 113 Mex walked down an ancient alleyway, dodging piles of various decayed lifeforms, corroded piles of scrap, and bits of concrete. He had left the base with T6 and an empty backpack and headed for the lower levels. Now he was less than a kilometer from the base with a backpack full of random components he had managed to salvage.

The base was once a warehouse, but about four hundred years ago a minor gang had tried to turn it into a chem production facility. They were defeated by a much larger Hutt-run gang and the facility continued to run on automatic, becoming overgrown with various narcotic, medicinal, herbal, and food plants forming a sort of forest grove in the back of the room. T6 was the only droid left when he arrived, having left been deactivated and placed in the maintenance bay after a mynock attack fifty years earlier.

Soon he neared the door and passed one of the turrets outside only to see a Jawa pop his head out of the hatch on the back of the turret and start chittering. "Hey Izzy." Mex said, and the Jawa continued to chatter. "Hey, slow down, I didn't catch all of that. Something about needing parts?" The Jawa chattered a bit more slowly. "No, if you need parts, you'll have to buy them. That's part of our agreement. That's why you're getting T6 afterwords, not a few hundred credits." The Jawa spoke again. "An advance? How can you advance part of a droid?" The Jawa spoke again, and Mex thought for a few seconds. "Fine. One hundred credits, but you're paying me back before you get the droid." Izzy agreed and held out his hands. Mex handed him the credits and the backpack. "See if you can use anything in here. I know what's in there, though, and what it takes to build a turret, so don't cheat me." Izzy protested a bit, acting insulted at the idea, but Mex ignored him.

After he put in the door code, Mex walked inside. "I'm back." he called, and walked over to an old locker to unload his leftover supplies.

[Renny]

Arcas fell into the semi-daily routine of his intense and radical workout. It was easy to give in to the mindless calling that distracted him from his inner doubt. He could still hear them; the voices of two very different people, speaking on two very different views. Firion was soft spoken and calm, gentle almost, but his voice was like echoing in his head. Centa’s was more savage but was just static noise in comparison to Master Colossus.

The vivid hum and red shine of his lightsaber arced, turned, and slashed the stale air in the large room. He twirled in aggressive sequences that his old master had instilled in him. Brutal downwards hacks and horizontal decapitations that cleaved any droid, beast, or human clean in two. It made him feel empowered and immortal. Too strong to be held back or even remotely hindered.

He continued his unique sequences until his body was more at work than his mind and he ached from the burn. The heat from his blade created sticky sweat on his body and a grim smile on his lips. It wasn't until he heard Mex’s return that he snap out of his Rancor-like rampage. His thumb automatically deactivated the lightsaber and with its descending plasma the world returned .

The large room was aged, dusty, and now held the peculiar smell of sweat and plasma in the air. Arcas swept aside the bangs of his blonde hair and grabbed his shirt from off the floor. He held it in his hand as he went to greet his senior in the Gray Order.

“How’d it go? Any luck out there?”

[Arcarius]

The last lift ride down seemed to be the slowest, the Kel Dr stood patiently with he hand folded before him. His mind seemed to be elsewhere before being brought back to reality with the chattering he his R2 astromech droid, glancing over at it he shrugged "I'm not sure, I guess we'll have to see for ourselves, but if anything should happened go back to the ship and wait for me" he said before looked back at the doors as the lift came to a hult.

The doors slowly slid open with a eerie squeak, and upon stepping out the Kel Dor was met with a long corridor which split off in two directions. Cyrix seemed to stand there for a moment before turning to go down the left path "This way Rooth" he called to the droid which in turn quickly followed close behind.

Turn after turn he seemed to be pulled along his way, he wasn't sure where he was or where he was going he just walked and followed his instincts. He had never been to Coruscant before, but the few things that he had seen when landing here seemed to peak his interest. Even now in the undercity he seemed to spot things here and there that caught his curiosity.

But it wasn't until he came to see a large factory-like building a little ways away where he came to a stop and just looked at it quietly before slowly continuing towards it before glancing back at his Droid "I think this may be it, stay close" he muttered before looking back at the building.

[TheUnknowable]

@Renny"There's no such thing as luck, but I don't think the Force lead me out there to find this." Mex pulled a small bag out of his jacket and layed it on the work bench beside him. He reached inside and pulled out a small ial with black capped ends and a piece of metal foil wrapped around it. "Do you recognize this?" He handed it to the other man and pulled a corroded cheap blaster out of his belt and a vibro knife out of his pocket and placed them on the bench too. "Found a speeder crashed in an air shaft on level 136. The skeleton of a Rodian was about ten meters away. I assume he was the pilot. I repealed down and found it covered in vines. I managed to pull a few power cells and some bits of circuitry from it, though. Even found a repulsor coil I think I can get working again. Izzy's got the parts."

---

Both Izzy got and the base got a perimeter alert as the few functional cameras they had picked up a person approaching the base. Izzy ran around a corner and, when he got to the Kel Dor standing their he started to chatter. "Are you here to trade?" he asked in the rapid-fire trade language his people used to communicate with other races. "Iziz could use mech droid."

[SorcererMaster8]

Drokan had only been in the Grey Jedi order for a couple of weeks and it already felt more homely than the blasted jedi temple full of no good Jedi. Here people were kind to him and accepted him despite not being everything his father was. Today he was in the training room practicing the rare force ability he contained. Electric judgement was a force power believed to be only used by the oldest of Jedi. Rarely can a young Knight such as himself have the slightest control of it or master such a power. He sat crossed legged on the ground concentrating trying to invoke the power he used on the sith that had been beating that boy long ago. He channeled his emotions and pushed them away making sure his mind was blank. HE tried for hours on hours but nothing seemed to happen. When he tired he got up and walked to the front of the base just as Mex the leader of their small order walked in.Drokan smiled and walked over to him,"How was the hunt out there today? did you find anything worth keeping?"He asked. Drokan was big on lost artifacts and anything that held knowledge of powers long lost. The great thing about being a grey Jedi was that there was no restrictions on what is the limit of your studies. Once in awhile the leader would come back with a book or some sort of knowledgeable item to give to Drokan.

[Renny]

Arcas let the vial rest in his palm for a moment, looking at curiously before grasping the information he was supplied with. The idea of it was that the foil was suppose to prevent the substance from activating. It was a kind of synthetic environment he believed. Master Centa once had a run in with the drug; he acquired it to help him understand a peculiar bounty hunter that was on their trail.

Arcas shook his head before pocketing the vial, Mex seemed occupied with other matters. He’d find a way to return the drug to him later without being rude.

He thought on how he attempted to disconnect himself from his former Master and Dark Lord. It was a kind of disgrace he realized in his new environment. He was a traitor to both the Dark Side and Light, and now he hoped to find balance straddling the knife’s edge in between. He gambled it was possible but wondered--often openly--if it was possible for him.

“Oh, Drokan,” he spoke, pulling the vial out his pocket and passing it on to him discreetly. “Mex found this on his hunt. Be careful though, its not for the light of heart.” The warning was sincere as he walked beyond the two.

A few steps past them and the perimeter alarm had started ringing. Arcas grinned a fierce, hearty smile as he started off for the door. “I like the thrill of a battle.” He ran towards the door and with hopes of being first to meet the danger, sped himself up using the Force.

[Arcarius]

As the Kel Dor continued towards the building unaware he had tripped any alarms he stopped in his tracks as the Jawa rounded the corner before him, a Jawa was the last thing he'd expect down here as he took a slight step back and looked at it up and down before his own hands folded in front of him, "Koh-toh-yah." The Kel Dor greeted politely before bowing slightly, Cyrix was fluent in both his native language as well as basic, but he was mainly content on speaking in his native tongue.

As fast as the Jawa's language was Cyrix was able to keep up, "I'm afraid not, but I do have some things with me if you wish to take a look, and I'm afraid the droid is not for sell but I'm sure I could let you barrow him if you require his assistance" he said then knelled down to the Jawa level then looked back as his Astromech protested against the idea of letting a Jawa of all things near him alone "Relax Rooth, If anything happens to you" he said before looking back at the Jawa "then the appropriate measures will be taken"

"Now I have a few things in my bag, but I have more in my ship if you wish to see that as well" Cyrix reached back and removed his backpack then began to dig through it, he pulled out a parts for droids he had, a small compressor, a few rifle optics and a few of his personal things that he had to move such as his large tomb, his box filled with crystals and his masters double bladed lightsaber, he was careful to sort of separate what he was offering and what he wasn't "See anything you like?" he asked.

[TheUnknowable]

Mex made sure that his weapons belt was secure and headed outside to meet the new person. The first thing he noticed was Iziz's chattering. He caught enough of the conversation to realize that they were trading. That was a good sign. Iziz was a coward, so the person had to be friendly, and they might be able to use a trader's wares.
When he rounded the corner, though, he noticed the the person was wearing a robe. Mex slipped his lightsaber into his vest and walked over. "So," he said, looking over the man's personal affects that he could still see. "Two lightsabers an crystals to make more, plus you wear robes. Are you a Jedi?" He didn't remember seeing the man at the temple before, but that didn't mean he wasn't a Jedi.

[The Elvenqueen]

Aria was jolted out of her meditation by Mex's presence suddenly returning to the compound where the Grey Order made their home. Getting to her feet, she made her way down the hall to meet the Grey Jedi, wondering what he had managed to come across on his search today. But she stopped short upon realising that there was another Force sensitive here that she did not recognise. Stopping before she rounded the corner, Aria waited a while as Mex approached the Kel Dor and spoke with him.

He seemed amicable enough, but that didn't mean he could be trusted. There was, after all, a war going on. There was no telling the kind of people that might happen upon the Grey Order's temple. Arcas already made her jittery, the boy had been trained in the ways of the Dark side just as she had, but there was just something about him that made her nervous. Or perhaps it was just her trust issues in general. That's what Aria kept telling herself. She'd get used to it, all these people around her. They were supposed to work together now.

The young woman took in another deep breath and bravely approached where Mex now stood accompanied by the Kel Dor and Iziz the Jawa.
"Master Mex, it's good to see you back as always." she bowed respectfully to the newcomer, but did not introduce herself by name. Mex could do that for her if he thought it was necessary, and if not then it could wait until she'd made a judgement on the Kel Dor for herself.
Instead, she asked him a question. "Have you come to join us, then?" though once she'd asked the question, another thought occured to Aria and she looked over the Kel Dor with an amused smirk painted on her face. "Or were you just passing through the Undercity and got lost down here?"

[Renny]

He held his hand at the door only to stop upon looking at his bare, sticky arms and realizing he was shirtless. He twisted his hands upward to inspect them; his arms and chest before rolling his eyes at the mindlessness motivation. While he fixed his dark, woven robes around his body; he hissed and cursed inwardly while watching Mex and Aria pass him out the door.

It took him just a few seconds longer to fix the loose sleeves. While doing so he felt through the Force but could feel little in it. His peers were strong in Force Concealment and the Gray Order only attracted those of like-wise strength. It made his palm sweaty and fingers twitch in anticipation.

He found a place to oversee the action far behind Aria and Mex. The alien species in front of him was one he had encountered only sparingly. He had no impressions to push onto the stranger, so he decided he make one from this small encounter. The whole time he stroked the smooth handle of his only lightsaber. The folds of his dark robes hid the motion but he was somewhat afraid his excess of excitement would flow out the infinite energy of life.

[SorcererMaster8]

Drokan nodded at Arcas and slid the vial into his robes. He instantly felt the dark pull that the thing inside contained. Drokan noticed everyone follow Mex out the main gates and followed as well walking past Arcas who held the door, walking silently behind them and sticking to the shadows to not reveal his presence to the man at the gates. He appeared to be wanting to trade with Iziz their Jawa friend. The man had a few trinkets and things but what caught his eye was the crystals and the lightsaber. Drokan took a step back. Could this be a Jedi sent from the temple to take him back to the council for punishment for deserting them. He couldn't risk being discovered so he threw on his hood and focused his emotions so he couldn't be sensed between all the other force users. He then inched forward to listen to what Mex was saying.

"Two lightsabers and crystals to make more, plus you wear robes. Are you a Jedi?"

This would tell Drokan whether or not he needed to stay hidden. He sensed a small disturbance in the force but he felt the familiarity and chuckled inwardly. Arcas was excited about something and could barely keep it in. He shook off the thought and focused on the people in front of him to see what it would play out to be.

[Arcarius]

Upon hearing someine else approach, Cyrix stood and looked to where the footsteps came from only to see a man being followed by two individuals one female the other male. Placing his arms behind his back as he heard the astrodroids nervous binary behind him but ignored it "Koh-toh-yah" he greeted and bowed politely before remaining silent as the lead men spoke.

"You seem quite interested in my items, a Jedi... Never. The Universe known not of my existence unlike the Jedi." He spoke before turning his attention to the female "One cannot join something that one does not know about, as for passing though maybe and I am never lost I follow where the true force guides me" he said calmly before reaching down and placing the staff saber and box of crystals back into the backpack. Looking back to the Java he nodded "Keep what you'd like it's your now" he said before looked back at the lead man then looking between him and the other two individuals.

Folding his arms before him Cyrix looked back at his astromech and motioned it closer "It's ok, I won't let anything happen to you" he said and the droid slowly inched closer till it stood beside him "So what is this place if I may ask" he questioned as he looked back to the lead man.

[TheUnknowable]

@ArcariusIziz immediately grabbed all of the goods that were offered and ran off, afraid that the generous stranger might change his mind about giving him free stuff.

Mex stares at the Kel Dor for a few seconds, trying to sense his connection to the force. "I can tell the Force is strong with you. I think it might have lead you here for a reason." He pointed behind him at the warehouse. "This is a sanctuary for people who study the Force. I came here to see if I could learn about the shadow of the dark side that is forming on Coruscant and is spreading across the galaxy, study that the Jedi restricted me from looking into. I thought they might have sent someone to find me, but if they have, it's not you. Tell me, how do you see the Force? What is it to you?"

[The Elvenqueen]

@Arcarius@Renny
Aria didn't understand the greeting the Kel Dor used, but she dipped into a polite bow in return nonetheless, thankful that there were still ways to communicate inter-species when some had different greeting rituals. It had seemed pleasant enough and she hoped that returning the bow in the usual manner of a Jedi greeting would be sufficient to show him that they meant no ill will. The young woman let Mex do most of the explaining, not only had he founded the Grey Order but he had always been better with words than she had.

While Mex questioned the newcomer about his connection to the Force, Aria's attention was diverted to the astromech that was glued to his side. The little droid whirred and beeped as if it were uncomfortable with the whole situation. Crouching down to its height in an attempt to appear less threatening, Aria balanced on her haunches and smiled.
"Hey there, little guy. I know we look scary but I promise, we won't hurt you or your master." perhaps it was silly of her to talk to a droid, but she was always keen to treat them as much like a person as was possible. They were intelligent enough to understand everything and they could feel nervousness and fear just the same as any other sentient being. She was aware that Arcas and Drokan had joined them behind her and grimaced, she could almost feel the other Sith-trained man laughing at her for approaching the little droid.

Raising her voice so it would carry across the gap between them, she added. "Or at least, we aren't supposed to. But some of us forget that we should try to be friendly, I think. Don't worry about Arcas, he's all bark and no bite." she promised the astromech, patting the top of its outer casing to reassure it and giving a chuckle of her own. She and Arcas had a similar background, both had been trained by Force sensitives who had been more in tune with the Dark Side and the Sith's way of teaching, and as such they had developed a rivalry of sorts. One was always trying to out-do the other and they were constantly taking verbal jabs at each others' expense, Mex frequently had to berate them and monitor their sparring sessions to ensure that they didn't get carried away and go too far.