3rd Person

Coruscant was a location like no other. A planetwide city. Only there would you find such diversity of species, technology, and culture. If Coruscant itself was a melting pot, then the planet's underworld was the amalgamation of impurities that collected at the bottom.

Anything illegal one desired could be found there, from the usual drugs to the most dangerous weaponry in the known universe. It was ironic that the planet known as the galaxy's governing epicenter housed such a diseased, rotten hub of scum and villainy. Deep within this subterranean cesspool, there were three individuals who stood out from their surroundings.

Ahsoka

"Clack."

"Clack."

I was making more noise than I should have been. When walking through Coruscant's underbelly, it wasn't wise to attract unwanted attention. But I was just... so... frustrated! Zevon shouldn't be here. I tried to convince him otherwise, but it wouldn't have gone anywhere. He's almost as stubborn as I am. As if on cue, Zevon appeared next to me.

"Ahsoka, did I do something wrong?" Zevon pleaded, matching my blistering pace.

"No, you're fine, I just want to find my lightsaber as soon as possible. If anyone is hurt by my weapon, that's on me." I assured him. I couldn't tell him the real reason.

"Ok, that's good at least." Zevon sighed, though he didn't sound fully convinced. "Can you at least slow down a bit? Look, Master Sinube is having trouble catching up." Zevon pointed. Oh, that's a good point. After that realization, I begrudgingly relaxed my pace.

After some time, we arrived at the site of the deal: a small bar in the slum district. Unbeknownst to the typical onlooker, this "bar" was a black-market weapons market. I wasted no time before sitting down and striking up a conversation with the bartender: a quarren with a cybernetic eye implant.

"Can I help you?" the squid-humanoid inquired . He was trying to look intimidating. Typical.

"We're looking to buy a lightsaber, any ideas where we could do that?" I probed, matching his confidence.

"Come with me." he whispered slyly, motioning to the back. Zevon, Master Sinube, and I followed the aquatic alien until he met up with a male Twi'lek. Darkness surrounded the five of us, the only light source being the bright glimmer of the bartender's optical enhancement. It made me uneasy to say the least.

"So, you wanna buy a lightsaber? How much are you willing to pay?" the Quarren demanded, breaking the silence.

"If you have it, you'll give it to me." I declared with a hint of hubris. I then held out my hand and opened my palm, glaring at the two dealers. Before the Quarren dealer could react, Master Sinube interjected.

"What my little friend is saying... is how much?" the Jedi Master communicated expertly, easing the tension I had just created.

"Twenty thousand." the Quarren answered matter-of-factly, as if it was obvious.

"Twenty thousand?!" both I and Zevon blurted out, flabbergasted.

"It's a rare weapon. A Jedi weapon." he countered.

"Do you have the item with you?" Master Sinube interrogated while stroking his beard.

"No... but I can get it." the Quarren admitted in a nasally voice, crossing his arms.

"From him?" I asked, displaying the one called 'Bannamu' on my miniature hologram. Now all the cards were on the table.

"Hey!" the dealer yelped. "Who are these guys?" He demanded, startled.

"They're Jedi!" stated the previously quiet Twi'lek, pointing.

"Maybe we are." Zevon entertained with an edge of combativeness.

"I... I don't wanna get mixed up with Jedi. We were just doing our old friend Bannamu a favor." the quarren admitted, dropping the tough-guy act.

"Well, I think it's time you forget about him and do me a favor. That's my lightsaber he stole." I asserted, getting up in his face.

"Well, uhh, that makes a difference. What do you want me to do?" the dealer sputtered.

"I want you to tell me where he is." I commanded. At this order, the azure Twi'lek cleared his throat and spoke up in a hushed voice.

"I hope you remember this and someday... do me a favor. He's not that far away. He's at the spider arms hostel."

Zevon

Thus far, the investigation had gone well. I didn't have much of a role in the progress made, but what was I to do when Ahsoka was already so capable? She'd already been on so many assignments, and it showed. The demeanor she presented herself with wasn't that of a novice trainee, but a seasoned professional. Well... she could stand to work on her brashness. That's why Master Sinube was here; to balance her out. With such a perfect duality, why was I here? I was starting to think Ahsoka had been right. I was just dead weight.

The scenery around me was so... rough. It was a gangster's paradise after all. Shady businesses and grimy housing units everywhere. Still, it felt familiar. It'd been so long since Master Sinube had lifted me from these very streets.

"Feeling nostalgic, Zevon?" the elder pried. He must have sensed my feelings.

"Sort of? I mean, I barely remember. It was so long ago." I responded.

"What are you two on about?" Ahsoka asked, curious. Now that I thought about it, I'd never told Ahsoka about my life before the order.

"I used to live down here. I must have been, what, three years old? Then one day, Master Sinube found me." I answered simply.

"Really?! Here?" Ahsoka cried out, dumbfounded. "I knew you were from Coruscant, but I never would have thought you meant the underworld."

"It doesn't really matter, I am where I am now. It's not like I think about it too much." I admitted. The Jedi temple was my home now. I'd long since left this revolting, putrid hellhole behind me. Ahsoka looked like she wanted to ask something else, but then Master Sinube chimed in from behind us.

"Sorry to interrupt you two, but we've arrived." Sure enough, I looked up to see a cozy-looking building decorated with neon lighting. It contrasted heavily with the rest of the filth, but I wasn't foolish enough to believe it was an honest establishment. A multitude of criminals were based within these walls. Storming into the hostel, Ahsoka made a beeline for the front desk.

"May I help you?" the rodian receptionist asked politely. Ahsoka opened her mouth to answer, but the Jedi elder accompanying us had other plans.

"We know where we're going." he stated, waving his hand elegantly. A Jedi mind trick. If rodians had pupils, I'm sure the receptionist's would have been glazed over.

"You know where you are going." the hostel worker echoed, entranced. Master Sinube then began walking down the corridor of rooms, much to Ahsoka's dismay.

"We must be careful not to warn him." the old-timer assured her.

"But Master, we don't know where we're going." Ahsoka protested.

"Ahsoka, he knows what he's doing." I said. She was beginning to frustrate me.

"Ugh, he could be in any one of these rooms." she muttered, rolling her eyes at me.

"You need to be more quiet, young one." Master Sinube pronounced, turning towards her.

"Okay, okay." she whispered, exasperated. I don't think she knew exactly what Master Sinube meant.

"Not quiet with your mouth, quiet with your mind. You're so anxious to find this pickpocket that your worry is equal to his." he clarified. Realization spread across Ahsoka's face.

"You mean if I relax I can sense Bannamu's anxiety?" she guessed. Now she was getting it. Despite my inability to perform such a feat, I had studied the ideas and concepts that related to it in the library.

"Yes... if you relax, you would realize he's in this room." the elder proclaimed, pointing to a room to our left. Without a moment's notice Ahsoka used the force to blast the door clean off its hinges. As the rectangular slab of metal clattered on the floor, the tenant inside gaped at the unexpected intruders.

"Well well, Bannamu I assume." Ahsoka growled.

"Who are you huh, whaddaya want hey!" he shrieked as Ahsoka pushed him to the ground.

"My lightsaber you slimy thief, I want it back! Now!" she yelled in his face. He gulped before replying.

"Hey hey hey, I no have it I swear! I got rid of it, I almost kill myself with that thing."

"What did you do with it?" Ahsoka demanded, applying more pressure to his chest.

"No no no, I don't recall." he muttered, unconvincingly.

"You little-" Ahsoka snarled before I and Master Sinube cried out in unison.

"Ahsoka!" At this, she sighed and released the thief.

"It's not smart to steal from a Jedi." she added with a glare.

"Uh, you're looking a little too young to be a Jedi." Bannamu laughed nervously. It's like he was asking for it. Ahsoka snapped again, force pushing him into the wall.

"Ow! ow! Okay okay, his name is Movers. Uh, Nack Movers." Bannamu let out with a whimper.

"Nack Movers?" Ahsoka asked quizzically, turning to Master Sinube and I for input.

"He's got quite a reputation in the underworld, and not the good kind." I explained, earning a nod from the Jedi Master.

"Yeeess! Exactly, yes. I sell it to him yeah, yeah. You should be afraid, I got a good price huh! He was very very motivating. You can find him with his girlfriend. She has a place on the upper east side of happyland. I bet he's there now, he's always there-" the pickpocket rambled as he was released from his stasis.

"You can stop talking now." Ahsoka stated, gritting her teeth.

"Okay I shut up." he said.

"Well at least you know where your lightsaber is." Master Sinube commented , trying to find a silver lining. Ahsoka's anxiety had peaked, however.

"Yeah, it's in the hands of a killer. This is exactly what I was afraid of." she lamented, kicking the door on the floor.

We rushed to the next destination as quickly as possible. Happyland. Though some of its buildings broke the surface of the planet, it was still considered an extension of the underworld. The only thing that differentiated it from the latter was sunlight. Aside from that, they were one in the same, breeding grounds for lawlessness and degeneracy. Entering the complex that Bannamu had directed us towards, Ahsoka and I lead the way.

"Master, we've got to hurry." Ahsoka called out urgently.

"Patience young one. You worry that if people die at the hands of your lightsaber, that you will be as guilty for their death as the one that strikes the blow." the elder asserted. Ahsoka's dejected expression confirmed his suspicions. "A valid concern young one, and one for you to puzzle out." Master Sinube then stopped in his tracks, displaying a look of concentration.

"What, what is it?" I inquired.

"I believe we've reached our destination." he responded. This time I beat Ahsoka to the door, opting to knock it down with the force of a well-aimed kick.

"A little crude, don't you think?" Ahsoka taunted.

"Hey, not all of us can be fancy with our break-ins." I groaned. No need to remind me. Any chance of a further quip was shot down by the sight we were now witness to. A body lay sprawled on the elegant carpet within the room. A member of the trandoshan race, evidently.

"Oh no... let me guess, Nack Movers?" Ahsoka murmured.

"A reasonable assumption." Master Sinube uttered. I began searching for a pulse on the fallen trandoshan to no avail.

"He's dead." I confirmed softly. As quiet settled between the three of us, we collectively noticed a faint whimpering coming from further inside the dwelling.

"Are they gone?" a female voice whispered before she poked her head out from the side of a wall.

"Who's gone?" I questioned.

"The men who killed Nack." she replied, burying her head in her hands.

"Who are you?" Ahsoka interrogated, pointing at the individual with a puzzle expression.

"Ione Marcy. I came home and found him here like this." she explained.

"Ione, did you call for help? Why were you hiding?" Ahsoka pressed further.

"I was afraid..." she started, but then her sobs drowned out whatever else she was trying to say.

"She seems terrified." Master Sinube observed. "And yet, I sense something else... is troubling her." he added with a hint of suspicion.

"I'll search the other rooms." Ahsoka barked, leaping to her feet and shuffling toward a large ornate door.

"I'll come with." I chimed in. Ahsoka groaned at my insistence. What was up with her? I still had no idea.

We searched the apartment extensively until only one level remained: the lowest one. The visibility was atrocious, so we tried to pinpoint the light switch. I happened to come across it first. As I flicked it on, I heard a thump that was accompanied by a yelp of pain from Ahsoka. Standing over her was a Terrelian Jango Jumper. A female.

"Time... to die." the assailant declared, struggling with a shiny metal device in her hand. It may or may not have been the iconic weapon all Jedi carry. "How does this work?"

"My lightsaber!" Ahsoka shouted, both with relief and surprise. That didn't bode well with the jumper. If Ahsoka said the lightsaber was her own... well, it didn't take a genius to connect the dots.

"You're a Jedi?!" the attacker sputtered, her eyes darting back and forth between both of us. Her fight or flight instincts kicked in, and she chose the latter after only a second of deliberation. She broke a nearby window with a powerful blow. Shards of glass fell toward the surface like raindrops as she dove through the opening. Ahsoka attempted to pursue her, but I grabbed her shoulder before she could. Knowing she would be annoyed, I spoke.

"Ahsoka, I'll go after her." I affirmed with confidence, much to her dismay.

"What?! Zevon, she has a lightsaber, she could kill you if you're not careful. Plus, I've got way more experience!" she protested, crossing her arms.

"Not with those." I said simply, pointing at the rooftops the Jango Jumper was now hopping between. Ahsoka raised an eyebrow.

"Let's say you do go after her. Why should I stay here? I'm assuming you have a plan." she guessed correctly.

"I'm glad you asked." I grinned before explaining my scheme in detail. Admittedly, I elucidated in as simple terms as possible in the interest of urgency. Ahsoka nodded as I finished my monologue, wishing me luck as I made the leap of faith into the depths below.

Ahsoka

I couldn't believe my eyes. Zevon wasn't just keeping up with the Terrelian Jango Jumper, he was gaining on her. It wasn't that he could perform the same jumps as her, or that he possessed greater speed. No, there wasn't a human in the galaxy who could outperform a Jango Jumper in acrobatics. It was something else entirely. Every action he performed was deliberate, with the sole intent being to traverse the urban terrain as efficiently as possible.

The jumper leapt at least three vertical meters to reach a rooftop, but he was right on her tail after dancing between several windowsills to surmount the altitude. She performed a running long jump, seven meters minimum. He did the same. When she snuck a quick peek behind her, astonishment spread across her face. Well, actually, she was too far away at that point for me to see. Still, I'm sure her look of shock was the same as mine. Reaching the edge of their current rooftop, they both jumped out of view to the terrace below. I took a moment to inform Master Sinube of our current situation.

"Master Sinube, you were right. We found the intruder and she has my lightsaber. She's a Terrelian Jango Jumper, and hard to keep up with. Zevon is chasing her right now."

"So the assailant is a female?" the elder questioned with a confused expression.

"Yes." I answered plainly, making my way towards the exit. "I have to go, I'll explain later!"

'Stick to the plan, Ahsoka.' I assured myself while leaving the complex.

Zevon

Honestly, I thought she'd be faster. With each quick glance behind her she grew more frantic in her movements. Now we were surrounded by walls of structural stone. Cleverly, she used both sides to ascend to the next level by springing back and forth between them. Flashy, but there was a more efficient path. By continuing my momentum, I came across a ramp that also lead me to the next level where I again found myself at her rear. Next up was a long roof that slanted downward. We both slid rapidly down the smooth surface before diving to the level below. Rolling to mitigate the impact was standard for both of us.

Every sloppy mistake she made caused the distance between us to shrink a little bit.

Ten meters. Another quick glance behind her. She stumbled slightly.

Eight meters. Her pace was slowing.

Six meters. Now she was again fumbling with Ahsoka's lightsaber. This time, she got it to work. The familiar sound of a laser sword's ignition caused a wave of dread to wash over me.

'Don't think about that now, keep running!' I commanded myself.

The jumper vaulted to a higher level again, but this time she used the lightsaber to send a large chunk of machinery cascading downward straight for me. The plane of the cut was marked with red hot metal. Evading the hazard with a dive roll, I began the ascent myself. She desperately sent fragment after fragment of metal hurtling toward me, but I dodged each without fail.

Giving up the offensive, she started to flee again.

Four meters. My pace was steady, consistent. Hers fluctuated too much. Despite my run earlier in the day, I had never felt more energized. The thrill of the chase was something else.

Two meters. I was nearly within lightsaber range. She swung the deadly weapon wildly behind her, but I kept my distance enough to cleanly avoid all of her strikes. A commlink Ahsoka had gifted me now began sputtering with static.

"Ready." Ahsoka spoke into my ear. It was time.

"Aren't Jango Jumpers famous for their acrobatic skills? What a disappointment you are. What's the point of all that agility and speed if you don't have the stamina to back it up?" I shouted, thinking up a taunt on the spot. This caused the assailant to look behind her, her eyes filled with rage at the insult.

Checkmate. As she turned back to face her front, she was promptly introduced to a roundhouse kick to the face; courtesy of Ahsoka.

"I guess patience isn't so bad." Ahsoka laughed, picking up her weapon that had fallen out of the Jango Jumper's grip.