New Vertica

The red-skinned girl nodded and looked around her, “Ran Nasser had several contacts of note, two that I know personally...”

She closed her eyes and drew back into her own memories of her time here. She had no difficulty finding her own mental images of the contacts that Ran Nasser associated with, since it was still recent enough for her. But in addition to seeing a visage of her quarry, Red saw far more this time. Visions of past, present and future, and what she saw shook the girl enough that when she opened her eyes, she was seated, propping herself up by her hands behind her, and her face locked in abject horror, “He...he...” Red had trouble forming the words, “...monster...”

It took a little while more, before she could speak coherrently, and she addressed the Ewok, “Forgive me, Master Rawkill, I couldn't stop the onslaught. I tried to find the one contact Ran Nasser frequently spoke to here. A Devaronian named Vrindar Flass; he likes girls...I...I can find him.”

She slowly stood up and turned in a circle twice, then pointed into the distance northwards, “There's a cantina he frequents...I think he's there now, with a new victim.”

Visibly shaken, Red had closed herself off from the Force for the time being, but doing so was more dangerous especially since she relied on it to warn her of danger; so, reluctantly, she opened herself up a sliver, but just to sense danger aimed immediately at her in the present. It seemed odd trying to focus her learning on the ways of the Force in such a pinpoint manner, since danger was obviously ever-present on this planet. But it helped identify any incoming threats...of which she sensed none for the moment.

She trailed after the Ewok Jedi Master, staying close. Bean's head raised slightly to look around, taking records of the surroundings, and even picking up audio chatter. It was like having another warning system. “I must say, master,” said Bean, “the living conditions here makes me glad to be a non-organic bag of meat.”

Red blinked a moment, and a ghost of a smile played on her lips, before she turned her head slightly to speak to her jetpack droid translator, “I can understand, Bean. I actually lived here for quite a few years. Try not to move your head too much. Better if less people know about you here.”

“Yes mistress.”

When she saw the cantina, the crimson-skinned girl shivered, barely suppressing the wash of the Dark Side of the Force that nearly sent her running away screaming. She was likely going to have terrifying nightmares about this later. The residual sense of pain, dark desires and vileness made everything around and within her feel sick, corrupted. But she nodded in answer to the Ewok, and also accepting his instructions. Her training was only marginal, so it took everything she had to focus herself, to not open up to the Force to the point that she was overwhelmed. But she picked up on a sense of something within, “Master...the victim. Vrindar...we can stop him, and save her.”

She followed Rawkill inside, close on his heels.

With a nod, Red followed the Ewok master's lead, and stared wide-eyed at the surroundings. Even now, a cantina wasn't exactly a place she ever visited nor was she allowed to. What shocked her more was how Rawkill used the Force. She supposed her own sense of reservations on using her talents stemmed from how little of it she actually possessed. Other Jedi Younglings and Padawans would easily and quickly surpass her in ability and capacity, but this was all right to her. Still, it was interesting to watch the ebb and flow of the Force around the Ewok and all the other lifeforms around her. The bouncer was easily warded off, with Red scampering after him.

The tiny Apprentice didn't dare open herself up again like she did earlier, not this close, and this fully surrounded by such folk as the kind that frequented a cantina like this on Nar Shaddaa. But the Ewok Jedi knew where to go, and when they were before a door, she wondered if they were going for a stealthy approach, when she watched, mouth agape, as Rawkill just blasted the door right off the hinges. There was the Devaronian, and his intended victim, bound against a bed. Red repressed a shudder at the thought of how easily this could have been her so many times over during her time on the planet.

She nodded at the Ewok and darted over to the girl's side, while Rawkill interrogated the Devaronian. “Are you all right? It's okay, we're Jedi, we'll get you out of there in a minute.”

Setting her cutter to a small charge, she cut through the girl's bonds easily. She was a young human, with shoulder-length golden hair and blue eyes. But most of her looks were marred with bruises and dirt, and she looked rather poorly fed. As soon as she was freed, the girl sat up, still looking terrified, and she pointed at the Devaronian, and said, “He...he...”

Whatever else she wanted to say was drowned by sobs and sniffling. Red patted the girl's arm gently, taking out some bacta patches from the small medipack she carried, and applied them around the girl's wrists and ankles once she did a bioscan to ensure she wasn't allergic to the medicine, “I know,” said Red, “I know, but he won't hurt you anymore. We'll make sure of it.”

She glanced towards Rawkill. Considering what the Jedi Master has demonstrated thus far, the tiny red-skinned girl was confident Vrindar Flass would never touch any girl ever again after today.

“I'm Red. What's your name?” she asked the girl as she turned back to her.

“G-Galina.” the blonde managed.

“All right, Galina, listen to me,” Red leaned forward and whispered in the girl's ear, and she pulled back, looking at her intently, “Can you remember that?”

Galina nodded.

“Good, go there, and tell the woman that runs the place that Serenity Sage, known as Red, sent you. She should still be running it. It's only been a few months since I last saw her. You'll be safe there, and you will have a better chance than you would on your own. Okay?”

Galina nodded again and said, “Th-thank you...for everything.”

Red gave a small smile, “You're welcome. Now wait a moment, please.”

While Red had been attending to Galina, Rawkill was working Vrindar over with a simple demonstration of his power, and the versatile capacity of his lightsaber. The Devaronian was stammering and visibly trying to think of a way out of this. As hateful as what he was capable of doing, and had done to countless young women on Nar Shaddaa, Red found it almost amusing at how he was this close to wetting his pants. There was something particularly emasculating about being overpowered by a teddy bear while a tiny red-skinned girl and his intended victim watched.

As Red walked up behind her master, Vrindar's eyes wandered over to her. She felt the terrible need to take a bath just from having him look at her. “Y-you!” said Vrindar, “You Jedi now, yes? Hahaha! How funny it be!”

It was like seeing the orphan eradicated his fear, and now he felt confident. This made Red worry.

“So you be looking for Slav Kippur. Teddy bear and little red girl never find. Never find!”

Idly, Red took out her own lightsaber and ignited the bright blue blade. Behind her, Galina jumped, and Vrindar brought his hands up in surrender, but he was still grinning. “Be calm, little little Jedi, be calm. No use cutting Vrindar Flass, yes? See if Vrindar lies, but Slav Kippur is not easy to be finding. Not even by close friends like Vrindar. Yes. Oh, see,” he gestured at Rawkill and then Red, “Slav knows, Jedi will come eventually, yes, yes, so Slav make sure, all precaution taken. Jedi will not find Slav.”

He grinned devillishly at them, “Slav will find you.”

He cackled loudly, and Red could see the logic, if not the truth in the Devaronian's words. She deactivated her lightsaber and kept it back it's hiding place.

“So who do you contact when you want to meet Slav Kippur?” said Red.

“Vrindar not call Slav or his boss. Slav calls Vrindar. And Vrindar goes to designated meeting place. Always different place. Always. Once Vrindar go all the way to other side of planet.”

This gave Red an idea, “Master, we could still find them.”

They could use Vrindar's ship to see all the meeting places, and study the patterns to make a trajectory and a central location.

Vrindar cackled again, “Silly little Jedi not find Slav! Slav finds you! Haha!”

Red raised her eyebrows when Rawkill said they ought to smoke Slav Kippur out. She wondered what he meant exactly by that, but she sensed something from the master, and wasn't sure what to make of it. She didn't have to wait long to find out, though. She watched with great interest when the Ewok Jedi knocked Vrindar unconscious, bound him in blankets, and then had him in a cart. The girl, Galina, had risen from her place at the bed, and not a moment too soon, seeing as Rawkill just set it on fire.

“What's he d-doing?!?” said Galina, looking shocked.

“Making bait. Hurry.” said Red, calm and faithful. Taking the girl by the hand, she trailed the Ewok Jedi closely, heedless of jostling the crowds.

Once outside, Red watched with horrified fascination at the damage done. While she wasn't a fan of the establishment, the tiny Apprentice hoped they'd get to the bottom of this soon before too long.

Looking at Galina, she tugged the girl's hand gently to get her attention, “You're free now. Go. Remember what I told you, and may the Force be with you.”

Thanking her and Rawkill once more, Galina slowly slipped through the crowds and was soon swallowed from sight. With her attention now fully on the Ewok, she nodded, taking the other side of the cart, “Yes master.”

Finding the ship wasn't quite so hard, with a few credits slipped here and there, they eventually found the Devaronian's ship, and Red even had the access, having used her old skillset as a slicer. What was more, it seemed Vrindar Flass wasn't in the habit of updating his security systems. “I sense something, Master,” the girl looked around, and touched her fingers to her right temple, “a...frantic echo...like someone shouting, but some time ago...”