The crew of the Twilight Dreams had only been on the New Republic capital of Chandrila for several hours, but those hours had been productive. In that time, they had taken in in some of the sights in Hanna City. They had traveled through the city circle and visited the art display that had been installed shortly after the battle of Endor, which was made up of Imperial stormtrooper helmets which had been painted in vibrant colors, star bursts and Rebel Alliance sigils.
They walked along the bustling streets which led into the Senate Plaza taking in the sights as the plotted their next move. It was while they were in the Plaza that they found their first lead on an apartment, which was located on the city's famed Embassy Row. Though Joren and the others had been skeptical that they could afford an apartment at that address, Kelsa assured them that they could, at least for a couple of months, however, they would have to find work somewhere, and fast.
The quartet soon decided to split up in order to get more accomplished. Nyna and Kelsa went to Embassy Row to follow up on the apartment, while Joren and Dono went off to look to see if they could find work of some kind, which eventually led them to the Hannatown Cantina, which was located just a few streets over from the Old Hannatown Market.
When they entered the cantina they were genuinely impressed by the establishment, which was much more like a nightclub than a cantina, with patrons enjoying their drinks and dancing under the bright lights that flashed throughout the building like a laser show. Indeed, the cantina was a far cry from the dingy dives that the pair had grown accustomed to on the Smuggler's Moon, and Dono was even more impressed when he found that they served Ne'tra gal, or black ale, which was a favorite drink among the Mandalorians.
They had taken a seat at the back of the cantina and almost out of habit, Joren began scanning the establishment for potential threats. Fortunately, for what seemed like the first time in a lifetime, there was no sign of trouble. Nobody was hunting them, there were no Kath Hounds after them. There were no Imperials hunting them, and nobody was trying to kill them, at least not yet.
***
Bekk Ranik made his way through the busy streets of Hanna City with his ID9 Seeker droid hovering just over his left shoulder. At one time, as a member of the Inquisitorius, Ranik had hunted down fugitive Jedi and other Force Sensitives, and either recruited them into the ranks of the Inquisitors, or eliminated them. However, times had changed. Having left the service of the Empire as soon as the Empire had decided that the service of the Inquisitors was no longer required, Ranik had lived in relative anonymity as a smuggler and a pirate.
However, that is all in the past. Bekk Ranik had found a new purpose. After a slight “misunderstanding” with the man who was trying to rebuild the Jedi Order in the wake of the Emperor and Vader's deaths, Ranik had found himself working side by side with the young Jedi, first as a student, then as a friend and fellow Jedi Master.
Now, Ranik had is own mission for Skywalker's Jedi Order, and it was one that he was all too familiar with. Although the purpose of the mission had changed, the mission itself was very much the same-
After all these years, Bekk Ranik was still hunting Jedi.
Suddenly, Ranik's droid began rattling off a series of excited chirps and whistles as its glowing red photoreceptor rotated around, looking in every direction.
“Easy Scrapper, easy. I feel it too.” Bekk told his droid, who rattled off another series of chirps and beeps.
“Oh, I don't know.-” Ranik said with a grin as he pulled his hood up over his long gray hair and looked his droid directly in the photoreceptor. “-But I think it's time we went for a drink.”
As Bekk approached the Hannatown Cantina, he saw many of the same patrons going in and out that he had seen each day in the weeks that he had been in Hanna City. However, as the doors slid open and he and Scrapper made their way inside, he noticed some new faces as well. A pair of men specifically drew his attention, a young man who looked to be in his early to mid twenties, and his Mandalorian companion. As he studied the pair from across the cantina, there was something about the young man, something that seemed familiar, although he had never laid eyes on the man before this moment. He made eye contact with the bartender, who having served Bekk a number of times in the preceeding weeks, already knew his drink of choice.
It was a feeling. The same feeling that Bekk Ranik had felt the first time he had crossed paths with Luke Skywalker.
This young man radiated the Force. Though it was not as overwhelmingly powerful as the Jedi Master's presence, it was still surprisingly strong.
The bartender had finished filling his mug with Corellian Ale and handed it to Bekk, who accepted the mug and took a drink from the beverage as he decided on what would be the best course of action to take. However, Scrapper let off a long series of beeps and whistles before taking off in a direct line toward the young man and his Mandalorian friend.
“Blast it Scrapper!” Bekk cursed aloud as he left the stool at the bar and went after the droid. Bekk watched as the droid hovered over the floor as it made its way to the pair's table, then lowered itself to the height of the table, before slamming into it, jarring the table and knocking over their drinks.
Ranik picked up his pace and made his way to the table. He first noticed the Mandalorian, who looked more than displeased as he wiped the liquor from his armor.
“I'm sorry about that. Hes been a little...off today. Please, let me get you another round.” Bekk said to the men as he smacked Scrapper on the back of the head, who responded with another long string of beeps, which almost sounded as if the droid was cursing.
“Thanks. And don't worry about it, droids can be a bit...quirky at times.” Joren said as Dono continued cleaning the Black Ale from his armor.
“Yeah, they say the best way to deal with that is a memory wipe.” Dono said evenly without looking up. Knowing that Dono was at least half kidding, Joren chuckled at the comment. However, the droid beeped at him, which gave Joren the distinct impression that it wasn't thrilled with the suggestion.
“I'm Bekk Ranik, and this-” He said, motioning to the droid, “-is Scrapper.”
“Joren Kel, and my friend here is Dono Kil'ar.” Joren said as he motioned for the man to join them at the table.
Bekk was surprised by the cordial nature of the pair. Typically, such an incident could lead to hard feelings and more times than not, a bar fight which would more than likely clear the cantina and draw the attention of the local authorities.
Moments later, the serving droid made its way to the table and began to finish cleaning up the mess, before standing back upright to await another order.
“Corellian Ale and a Black Ale.” Bekk said to the droid as it hurried off to get their order.
Several minutes after the serving droid returned to the table with Joren and Dono's new drinks, Bekk finished his Ale and not wanting to wait for the serving droid to return, went back to the bar to order another drink. As Bekk made his way back to the bar, he was still surprised to find this kid who was so strong in the Force, and he knew those he answered to would be very interesting with meeting the young man. As he reached the bar, he reached into one of the compartments on his belt and pulled out a comlink.
“It's Ranik. I think I found one you'll want to meet.” He said, then cut the communication before there could be a reply. He then took his drink and returned to the table where he engaged the two men in conversation. He had asked them about where they came from ad where they were going, and he could tell that while they weren't lying to him, there were things that they were not being completely honest, which he respected in a way.
Eventually, the cantina doors slid open and another figure entered the establishment. Joren immediately took notice of this person, though at first he didn't see the man, but much to his surprise, he felt him. In fact, it took a few moments for him to hone in on the person in the crowded cantina. The person was a relatively unassuming individual in a dark hooded cloak, who, much to Joren's surprise was making his way toward them. The man came to a stop at their table and nodded to the older man.
“Bekk.” He said as he lowered the hood on his cloak, revealing himself to be a young blond man who looked to be just a few years older than Joren himself.
“Hello, my name is Luke Skywalker. I think we have much to discuss.” The man said as he pulled up a chair and joined them at the table.
Member
LeeRoy
Izurich
