Collision Course

Collision Course
Date of Scene:	02 December 2024
Location:
Synopsis:	Navi and the Jedi manage to save Baella and stop two magnarails from colliding.
Cast of Characters:	159, Heydan Seegil, Pike Windu, Navi, Cayde Alexis, Annelia Belask

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Athena (159) has posed:
As the group ventures deeper into the complex below the industrial complex, they may be vaguely aware of the passing of time and that evening is quickly approaching.

Above and around them, they'll be able to hear the distant voices of other Marksmen in adjoining tunnels, changing guard. For the time being, they don't seem to be aware of them.

Ahead, unseen but heard, Binny continues to scout ahead, his glow rod bouncing, disembodied in the darkness.

"Hurry," he whisper yells to them. "The changing of guard in sector C-16 is gonna be in fifteen..."

Heydan Seegil has posed:
Heydan Seegil having an aversion to fire fights left Pike and Binny the moment he had the chance for cover. Now standing from his hiding spot he looks at the others and then in the direction they need to head. "As I said after you.", he says with a cheesy smirk.

Pike Windu has posed:
    Master Windu, lightsaber in one hand, the boy's hand in the other, scurries down the tunnel after Binny. Now and then he throws a glance over his shoulder.

Navi has posed:
Navi rolls her eyes at Heydan's cheesy smirk and jogs after Binny and Master Windu, her extinguished lightsaber still in her right hand. "Please tell me it's not much farther," she murmurs.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde follows behind the rest of them, also holding his lightsaber up to help light the way through the dark tunnels. He continues his attempts to reach out to the girl through the Force, hoping this will become easier as they draw nearer to her.

    Although Navi's now mostly uncovered legs prove to be somewhat of a distraction...

Athena (159) has posed:
Tommy clutches Windu's hand, his short legs struggling to keep his body traveling at the same pace as the others. "Do you think we'll really be able to rescue Baella?" he whispers doubtfully.

"It's not much farther," Binny's voice calls back to them from somewhere in the darkness up ahead. "In fact..." His running footsteps suddenly slow.

Cayde will suddenly be able to sense that the young force sensitive is aware of him... and afraid. She doesn't know who he is, or what he wants. She's alone... and trapped.

Heydan Seegil has posed:
Heydan Seegil chases after Binny only to slowly come to a trot in the darkness as Binny also slows their pace. Something was up ahead.

Pike Windu has posed:
    "Trust in the Force," is all Master Windu says in reply. He squeezes Tommy's hand reassuringly.

Navi has posed:
Navi slows her own pace as Binny's footsteps slow down. They must be close if he's slowing down; she wouldn't put it past him to set a pace like his butt was on fire just to taunt them. If it's one thing the galaxy will never run out of it's mean little kids.

She takes a leaf from Cayde's playbook and reaches out through the Force via her telepathy... and is astonished when she not only senses the girl close by, but realizes that she is aware of them, too. Aware, alone, trapped, and frightened.

<<Don't be afraid, Baella,>> she replies gently through the Force. <<We are Jedi, and we have come to take you home.>> As she speaks, she channels all her memories of her late Master's gentle words, and her occasional warm and soothing hugs. <<We are close to you even now. We will be with you soon.>>

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde tries to focus more, latching onto the connection once he is able to detect her emotions. He attempts to let her know that he and his companions are not there to harm her, but to rescue her from her captors, and that soon, she would be safe and comfortable. At the same time, he tries to learn more about her...what would she desire most, should someone get her out of her imprisonment?

Athena (159) has posed:
"But /how/?" Tommy whispers. He gasps slightly when he sees that Heydan and the others have slowed down. "Are we there yet...?"

Binny motions Heydan over to where he's crouching behind a massive piece of piping that looks like it had fallen down from the ceiling above and had never been cleared from the tunnel. He points up ahead at the end of the tunnel they're traveling in - it intersects with another dimly lit hallway with red LEDs lining the ceiling. "There," he says quietly. "That's where Sector C16 is." Heydan will be able to see that the area is heavily patrolled by the gangsters, who look about ready to take their fifteen minute smoke break.

The girl doesn't seem to know how to form words through telepathy yet, but Navi and Cayde will sense that she doesn't know what Jedi are, and is confused by the telepathic connection they've established with her. She doesn't seem to have much in the way of dreams and wishes, the poor girl doesn't know how to want something good because she hasn't really experienced anything good in her short lifespan...

Heydan Seegil has posed:
Heydan Seegil nodding to Binny knows exactly what he needs to do. Running with his hands in the air and a baggy of Glitterstem clutch in one of his fist he yells at the patrol, "Yo, there are some crazy Jedi back that way. Brother sold me some Glitterstem and then this Nexu and bounty hunter burst in with these Jedi.", as he points down the intersection away from where they were coming from. "I would have bolted by that Weequay told me you needed extra bodies and I figured this was a good way to show I'll the cut.", he says trying to charm his way past their hair trigger. After getting their attention he adds, "I don't have a gun or I would have tried to fight them myself.", as he looks down towards his hip where a gun would typically be dangling.

Pike Windu has posed:
    "Quiet," Windu hisses as they catch up with Binny. The Jedi holds his saber up en garde.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Even if she's confused, at least she doesn't seem to be frightened of them any more. Cayde just keeps trying to make sure she will be expecting them, and is aware that they aren't there to hurt her or make things worse. Hopefully, they'll be able to make good on that promise...

Navi has posed:
<<We're not going to let these people hurt you any more. We came here to find you, and we want you to be safe and happy. Stay still and keep quiet, now... we should reach you very soon,>> Navi adds gently, still focusing on good feelings she'd shared with her Master. Anything to keep the poor child calm, and to comfort her.

At Binny's warning, she hefts her lightsaber and crouches in the shadows, mentally preparing herself to attack the thugs if Heydan's chatting them up doesn't get rid of them...

Athena (159) has posed:
One of them, a hulkin Dowutin, leers at Heydan. "Do you even know where you are, ya scruffy nerfherder?" he growls, sniffing. "Heh. You smell high as hell," he says with a smirk, and hefts his assault rifle into the palm of his left hand. He leans closer to the bespectacled human and sneers, "I've got two words for you. Get. Lost." The other Marksmen on patrol jeer.

Tommy covers his mouth when Windu draws his saber and holds it up.

She seems to doubt that they can help her, though Navi and Cayde seem to have succeeded in calming her and letting her know that they're coming.

Binny watches Heydan warily and waves for the others to stay back for now, while Heydan attempts to distract the guards.

Heydan Seegil has posed:
Heydan Seegil lets out a loud, "Awww man! Why you gotta be like that. I ain't grifting you I just need a few creds every now and again.", as he shrugs and slumps. "I suppose I get no respect for telling you about those Jedi to?", he asks them as he looks back down the hall in the direction he pointed. "Well, alright then. No harm done but remember me if you're on this level and need an extra man. Suppose I should leave this way?", he asks pointing the opposite way of the way he told them the Jedi were coming from.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    It didn't come as a surprise that Baella doesn't believe they can help her. She probably thinks no one can help her. But at least she's aware they're her to help and not to hurt. He tries to maintain a low level awareness of her, so that she knows they're still coming, but as they approach and Heydan starts distracting the guards, he also starts preparing his saber for a potential fight, especially since it seems the guards aren't exactly warming up to Heydan...

Pike Windu has posed:
    Windu nods at Binny and holds back. Looking down at Tommy, he smiles when he sees the boy covering his mouth.

Navi has posed:
"Let's hope he hasn't worn out his welcome /too/ badly," Navi observes, keeping her voice very low, watching the Dowutin and his friends talking to Heydan. "'Cause I have a feeling they're unhappy to see him."

Athena (159) has posed:
The Dowutin narrows his eyes at Heydan, frowning. "You said somethin' bout a bounty hunter earlier, too, didn't you?" He reaches out to grab Heydan by the wrist. "Normally I wouldn't believe a word you say but with that Gen'dai around, the Jedi may very well be lurking around here somewhere and I ain't taking chances. But you better not be lyin' bout where they are... because if you are..." he growls menacing. "Now, -git-. You're coming with me, to show me exactly where you saw the Jedi."

Tommy looks hopefully up at Pike, smiling through his fear and trying his best to believe that things would turn out.

Meanwhile, as Heydan is talking to the guards, Binny begins to crawl on his stomach towards a small maintenance shaft on the other side of the dimly lit hallway...

Heydan Seegil has posed:
Heydan Seegil gets grabbed and dragged towards the direction he was pointing towards. "Yeah, yeah, null sweat baby. I saw them down here and I doubt that Gen'dai is done with them. I mean they didn't look like they were doing to well, but bounty hunters always got a trick or two.", he blurts out as they pull him along and for a brief moment as they pass by the way he actually came from he winks into the darkness praying his accomplices might sneak up behind them and knock this guy out.

Pike Windu has posed:
    The cheap welding holding a grill over a shaft lets go as Windu puts his weight on it. Just as the Jedi begins to fall into the gloom below, he pushes Tommy away. And then he is gone.

Navi has posed:
Navi waits until Heydan and his unwanted escort are at least ten feet past her position before she creeps out of hiding, quietly shifting her lightsaber to her left hand and drawing her retractable staff with her right. Unwilling to risk the noise of opening the 24-inch weapon to its full two meters of length, she creeps up behind the thug, slowed by his burden of Heydan...

*KLONK!* The staff comes down on the alien's head in a swift arc!

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    When Cayde notices Heydan getting dragged away, his attention is momentarily taken away from Baella. Seeing that an ally is in immediate danger, he tries to force the Dowutin grabbing Heydan to let him go...

    Suddenly, Heydan is made of the guard's worst nightmares!

Athena (159) has posed:
"Shut up, ya lousy piece of shit," The guard growls. "They better be where you say they are or--" But then he's knocked over the head by Navi's staff. He grunts, and then his eyes roll to the back of his head. Unfortunately, this alerts the other guards, and they come running guns blazing!

When Pike slips away when the grate below him falls away, Tommy is thrust aside. Moments later, he scrambles over to where the elder Jedi had fallen in and peers over the edge. "Master Windu..!" he cries. But it's too late.

Navi and Cayde have at least successfully distracted the guards away from Binny, who has slipped into the maintenance shaft without the other Marksmen noticing.

Heydan Seegil has posed:
Heydan Seegil feels the hands holding him go slack as a thud resounds out from behind him. Turning around to see his Jedi friends he response with, "Wow, took you long enough.", obviously as a jest. "I'll get that girl out of here. While you two deal with the rest.", he says looking over at the girl they came to grab. Darting between the thugs who now have multiple Jedi using the ambush as cover. It doesn't appear to work as he can seen the thugs watching him also and so he squeezes himself out of sight as best he can behind the Jedi. "Uhhhh, maybe not.", he chuckles nervously.

Navi has posed:
"Just find a place to hide! We'll take care of this bunch!" Navi calls after Heydan, ducking as the first blaster bolt whizzes past her head! Thrusting her staff through her cloth belt and igniting her lightsaber, she sweeps the bluish-white energy blade into a guard stance and turns aside several of the bolts, redirecting them back toward the shooters. "See how YOU like dodging blaster fire, you creeps!"

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Good, they're occupied. That was the point. Cayde quickly brings his lightsaber up to defend against the onslaught of blaster bolts just as Navi is doing...except he doesn't have snarky quips for them.

Athena (159) has posed:
The guards yelp pitifully as Navi and Cayde deflect their shots right back at them. Several of them are knocked off their feet, while the others begin to flee.

Down the hall, the door with the designation Sector C16 swings open, and Binny leans out of the doorway. "C'mon!" he yells, "quick!"

Tommy hurries forward first, and hopefully Cayde and Navi will quickly follow in his footsteps.

Navi has posed:
"Remind me to get lightsaber training tips from you," Navi observes to Cayde, noticing his effective returning of the blaster bolts to their shooters. "That's Binny... c'mon!" she adds more urgently, pelting after the scrappy Nikto kid.

"I hope Master Windu is all right. That looked scary. And potentially painful," she observes, loudly enough for Cayde to hear.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Perhaps surprising even himself, the padawan ends up managing to deflect several bolts with one fluid motion, and send them right back along the path they came with a high level of accuracy. Ann's lessons were paying off, it seems. He nods briefly at Navi's comments but there isn't much time...

    As soon as the guards start to flee and Binny gets the door open, Cayde hurries toward it, once again trying to re-connect with Baella to let her know that they've almost arrived.

Athena (159) has posed:
Binny shuts the door behind them, then darts ahead of them, hurrying up a long flight of steps.

"I think she's... up there! At the train depot..."

Cayde will be able to sense that Baella is near... Binny is right. She's above them -- but there's no lift and at least seven flights of stairs ahead of them...

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde frowns at all those stairs, and looks for any shortcut he can possibly find even as he starts climbing. That ledge just below the station platform looks promising...

    Summoning the strength of the Force, he attempts to jump all the way up there and grab onto the ledge.

Navi has posed:
Navi once more stretches out with her feelings, making telepathic contact with Baella once more. <<We're still here, sweetie. We'll be with you soon, and then we'll take you someplace safe, away from here,>> she tells the little girl, once more sending along soothing feelings she recalls from her late Master, and her presence.

And then she gets an idea of just how far they have to climb to get to her. "Force? Feet? Don't fail me now..."

Unfortunately, they /do/ fail her now... she's winded and feeling woozy when she reaches the sixth flight and has to pause. "Go on... I'll... catch up..." she wheezes after Cayde.

Athena (159) has posed:
Cayde will just barely make it up to the ledge -- however, the others lag behind, having to climb all the steps.

Somehow, Tommy and Binny manage to keep up with Navi, but tire out at the same time she does.

Navi will be able to suddenly sense that the girl is afraid again, and her fear is growing. She tries to project to Navi where she is, but it's unclear -- there's a magna rail in the train depot, and she's in one of the cars. There's someone controlling the magna rail, and it's about to leave...

When Cayde arrives at the depot, he'll see that the magna rail is over thirty cars in length...

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde frowns as he pulls himself up onto the platform. It would seem the girl is somewhere on the train. He climbs into one of the cars, and starts trying to search for her presence to see if he can pinpoint her now that she's much nearer...

Navi has posed:
<<Cayde, we have a problem! Someone somewhere has control of that magna rail train, and it's about to leave with our girl aboard! She's hidden in one of the cars!>> Navi cries to Cayde telepathically. She tries to force herself onto the seventh flight of stairs, but the dizziness overtakes her, nearly causing her to fall onto the stairs. She grabs the railing, keeping herself on her feet, or at least upright. <<I can't get to you in time... try to find her as quick as you can!>>

Athena (159) has posed:
Suddenly, the magna rail starts moving. With Cayde atop it... He'll be able to sense that she's in first car -- but that's all the way at the front of the magna rail...

Somehow, Binny and Tommy have regained their strength already. "Come -on-!" Binny cries, grabbing Navi's hand and trying to drag her along towards the magna rail. "It's going to leave!"

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde had been thinking about severing the car that Baella was in, but his hopes are dashed when he realizes she is actually in the first car. Of -course-.

    He acknowledges Navi's words with <I'm on it> and then starts running toward the front of the train as fast as he can, with a Force leap or two to hopefully help him along.

Navi has posed:
Somehow Navi manages to get her second wind, even as the boys are pulling on her. "/You/ try running this long after a Gen'dai throws /you/ through a wall..." she grumbles, forcing aside the aches in every joint to charge up the stairs. Giving Binny and Tommy boosts as necessary to get them aboard the magna rail train, she jumps on herself only after they are aboard.

"I'm going to have to follow Cayde on top of the cars... you two find a place to hide back here. I don't want you falling off of this thing," she directs Tommy and Binny. "Someone is running this train, and I'm betting it's that Gen'dai bounty hunter. You definitely don't want anything to do with /that/ guy. Good luck!"

With that, she starts clambering up the ladder to the top of the train car and mentally preparing herself for a dead sprint for the front of the train...

Athena (159) has posed:
"No way!" Binny yells, following Navi. He turns to Tommy. "Get inside," he says, gesturing at the car they've climbed onto - its side door is open. Tommy nods, but looks scared. "Are you guys sure that's... safe...?"

He gets no response, Binny just climbs onto the top of the car after Navi. Soon, he's running after Cayde.

But the magna rail is picking up speed, making it more difficult to run towards the first car.

If Cayde and Navi reach out into the Force, they'll be able to sense the girl's growing fear. She can't see them, and she's starting to panic. That couldn't mean anything good...

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde keeps running and jumping toward the front car as fast as he can, all the while trying to keep Baella calm by projecting a sense of security that help is on the way and they have almost reached her. Soon, she'd be safe, and comfortable. Far away from these gangsters who want to use her as a bargaining chip.

Navi has posed:
Navi rolls her eyes as Binny insists on coming along. "It's a lot safer than what I'm doing, Tommy. Get in and find a good place to hide!" she calls to the younger boy as she reaches the roof of the car. Taking a deep breath, she begins to run along the roofs of the cars.

The increasing speed of the train, however, slows her down considerably as she tries to keep up with Binny. Sensing Baella's growing fear, she sends the sensation of being wrapped in a warm blanket and being hugged by someone who loves her. <<We're coming to help you, sweetie, I promise. We'll be with you very soon. What you're feeling is a moving magna rail train. Don't be frightened of the motion, darling... it might feel a little funny, but it won't hurt you.>>

Pike Windu has posed:
    The Jedi Master has commandeered a jet-equipped astrodroid. Lost in this underworld, he stretches out with his his feelings. "Cayde, hear me!"

Athena (159) has posed:
The young force sensitive is only slightly comforted. She wants to believe Navi and Cayde, but she can't see them, and the magna rail is starting to go faster and faster...

"Shit!" Binny yells. "We're... we're going up!" Navi and Cayde will then start to feel as the magna rail starts to ascend, and gravity begins to tug them downward. Binny clings for his life to the top of the car they're on, grunting with effort.

And then, the two Jedi will spot something familiar and foreboding curling around the second train car. Purple tendrils... branching out...

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    As the train starts to curve sharply upward, Cayde finally pulls himself onto the first car. Then he draws his lightsaber and starts carving a hole in the roof just large enough for him to jump through. All the while, he keeps trying to remain connected to the girl's mind, continuing to soothe her as best he can. He sends peaceful images of the Temple arboretum and other beautiful places in the Upper City. Soon, she'd be able to go there herself...

    Pike will be able to sense the padawan's presence nearby and even catch a glimpse of his surroundings, although he doesn't respond to the elder master directly.

    It seems he's so focused on getting to Baella though, he doesn't notice the purple tentacles snaking onto the car behind him. But hopefully Navi does...

Navi has posed:
"Yeah. I recall mentioning running around on top of moving magna rail trains was /dangerous/. Next time listen to me," Navi retorts softly. She wasn't expecting the track to slope upward, either, but she was in a better position to deal with it. "Just stay put and hang on! It's too risky for you to try to get back to your brother right now! I've got to get to the front of this train!"

The blonde Sephi picks up her pace, running as fast as she can without chancing falling off of the train. Fortunately, she's gotten the feel for the train, and is able to make much better time than before, even with the overwhelming distraction of soothing poor Baella's emotions.

And then she spots something she'd hoped never to see again... purple tendrils whipping around on the second car! "Nightmares again? I'm getting really tired of your purple posterior, you know!" she grumbles, igniting her lightsaber and slicing at the tentacles, mostly missing them. They may not miss her, however...

Pike Windu has posed:
    The Force is with him! Exiting a side passage, Windu see's the train that matches the image in his mind's eye. The Jedi Master urges his little friend on and the droid fires its jets at max thrust. And Windu leaps with every ounce of strength he has towards the passing train.

Athena (159) has posed:
When Cayde cuts a hole open in the car containing the young force sensitive, both of them will sense a surge of fear from her when a giant piece of the ceiling falls down. Cayde's projection of the Temple Arborteum seems to calm her a little, but she's still feeling very uncertain and confused...

Unfortunately, the young padawan won't see as Sunn rises from the second car and begins to approach him from behind, dragging a large metal girder along the top of the car behind him. He, like Navi, is only half clothed -- he'd shed most of his armor and weaponry the first time around when he'd tangled with Anne. Navi will try to swipe at him... but she'll only manage to barely singe him. He continues walking towards Cayde, and eventually, leaps onto the first car, rushing him and swinging the girder heftily!

Tommy leans out of his car and spots Master Windu. "Look! it's Master Windu!" he cries.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Fortunately, Cayde had just finished cutting through the roof when the girder comes down. If Navi hadn't momentarily slowed the bounty hunter though, the padawan may have been squished. Still, the tip of it clips him across the back of his shoulder, tearing his robe and bruising him.

    He winces, but does his best to stay focused on keeping his mind connected to Baella's. It's the only way he can effectively communicate with her.

    The young Jedi doesn't try to grab her, but approaches carefully and reaches a hand out toward her as he tries projecting his own vision into her mind. Suddenly, it's as if she weren't blind any more, but could see everything just as clearly as he can...

Navi has posed:
Navi refocuses her thoughts and pushes closer against the backdraft of the rushing magna rail, lightsaber raised. She is vaguely aware of Master Windu's arrival, but her focus is on keeping her thoughts calm, soothing, and gentle toward Baella, while at the same time fighting for not less than five lives against the horrible Gen'dai bounty hunter.

Fortunately for her, Sunn forgets to guard his back as he's swinging at Cayde, and she's able to catch him with her second swing, scoring purple flesh instead of air.

Yet even as she does, she focuses on Baella's fear, and tries to soothe it away. <<Don't worry, darling... one of us is very close to you right now. You don't have to be afraid anymore. Just trust us. We'll make sure you are kept safe from now on.>>

She almost dies with relief when Cayde is finally able to reach the girl. Now all she has to do is make sure that bounty hunter doesn't kill anyone else!

Pike Windu has posed:
    Windu lands on the train! Fighting to keep his balance, he ignites his lightsaber and charges forward to help Navi.

Athena (159) has posed:
This seems to overwhelm the young force sensitive, though, and she blinks, covering her face, afraid of the sudden colors and imagery that's bombarding her. Navi's project seems to soothe her some, though, and she slowly uncovers her face...

Navi's blow slices the Gen'dai's backside, and he grunts in pain as the smell of burnt flesh wafts through the air. But he still refuses to fight her. Instead, he continues to go after Cayde, jumping through the gigantic hole the young padawan had sliced open in order to get to Baella.

Just then, Binny shouts to Navi, "Look out!" The young Sephi girl may turn just in time to find that the bounty hunter's nexu is rapidly approaching, its hind legs crouched and ready to spring upon her. Pike may have intervened at just the right time, as the nexu suddenly charges, swiping at Navi!

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    As Baella slowly uncovers her face, Cayde crouches down and smiles warmly at her, continuing to project a sense of safety and security to her in spite of the circumstances. As the Gen'dai enters the car, he quickly moves between her and the bounty hunter, his lightsaber drawn, and it's clear he has no intention of running away.

    Although he doesn't attack first, the determined stare on his face says it all: 'You want her, you'll have to go through me.'

Navi has posed:
Binny's yell very nearly saves Navi's life. She pivots just in time to sidestep and slash as the Nexu makes a return appearance with a twenty-foot lunge! Her lightsaber grazes its shoulder and lops off two of the toes on its left forepaw before shearing off the beast's broken tail in passing, severely impairing its balance ever after. Although its claws rip open the left side of her severely-shortened robe in passing, they do her no actual harm. Unless one counts embarrassment.

All this and she still manages to help keep poor Baella more or less calm. <<Good girl... just stay with my friend Cayde. He will protect you. You don't have to be afraid anymore.>>

Pike Windu has posed:
    Windu closes the gap with the wounded Nexu. Raising his saber over his head, he goes for a killing blow!

Athena (159) has posed:
The little girl screams when the Gen'dai lands in the car. She can't see him, but she can sense his presence in the Force, and the malice he radiates is frightening her...

Sunn chuckles. "This'll be fun," he says. Suddenly, the purple tendrils growing out of his back dart forward like terrible snakes, attempting to wrap Cayde in a vice like grip and slam him against the walls of the magna railcar.

The nexu howls in pain when Navi lops off two of its toes and shears its tail off. Somehow, it manages to dodge Pike's attack and cling desperately to the side of the car. It hisses, and then renews its attack on Navi!

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    As Torkle tries to grab him, Cayde manages to slice off some of his tentacles, the purple flesh sizzling as the blade burns its way through. However, there are too many of them, and he is grabbed and slammed against the walls of the car.

    Strangely, he doesn't seem to resist it--instead, he takes advantage of the contact and uses it to force his way into the bounty hunter's mind and twist his perception of reality into something akin to his worst nightmares realized....surely, the Gen'dai had a past just like everyone did. Fears, desires...What made him into such a cruel hunter? One who would hunt down disabled -children- for money...did he have family? Friends? Anyone he cared about? Surely, he believed in -something-...even if it was just credits.

Navi has posed:
Navi finds herself staring right at the Nexu. And it's staring right at her! Once more it leaps at her, and she has nowhere to go...

Except down! The Sephi falls onto her back almost involuntarily, causing the beast to hurtle over her, clearing her body by inches. Her lightsaber, not quite so quick to hit the roof of the car as her body, scores a long graze across the creature's belly near its right hind leg.

The beast reflexively turns to snap at the sudden pain on its belly, causing it to fall onto its side and reflexively roll to its feet... except that the roll carries it right over the side of the train car! Forepaws flail at air as it vanishes from sight.

Through it all, Navi continues to wrap poor Baella in a soft blanket of soothing and comforting warm feelings, keeping her as sheltered from the malice radiated by the bounty hunter as possible. <<He can't hurt you, sweetie. We won't let him hurt you.>>

Pike Windu has posed:
    Windu watches as the Nexu disappears over the side of the car. The Jedi leans forward and offers Navi a hand.

Athena (159) has posed:
Cayde will find himself immersed in a swirling mass of dark memories that are difficult to sort, though he'll see some snippets of ones that have to do with Sunn owing Baella's father his life for numerous reasons. Sunn, however, seems aware of Cayde's presence in his mind and howls angrily. "Get out of my -head-!" Suddenly, his body explodes, transforming into a mass of purple tendrils that blanket any and everything inside the car.

Baella screams, even as Navi tries to calm her, as the first car suddenly begins to entirely fill up with writhing purple tendrils. Pike and Navi will even be able to see them oozing out of every nook and cranny, entirely enveloping the first magnarail car...

"N-no!" Binny cries. "You can't scare her...!"

And then suddenly, something strange happens. Up ahead, there's a rusty looking turnout. Without warning, it clicks into place, diverting the magna rail onto a different track - one that's intended for a magna rail going in the opposite direction. The safety mechanism on the track designed to keep a magna rail from running on the wrong track then kicks in, and the magna rail will shudder violently as it is abruptly forced to a stop on a overpass that hangs over the abyss of the Coruscanti Lower Levels...

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    No...no Cayde will not get out of his head, in fact, even as the tendrils erupt out of him and fill the car, the padawan just pushes even harder against Sunn's will.

    Ah, he owed her father his life, did he? Was this about a blood debt? Or at least something more than just money...after all, a runaway train out of control? Most bounty hunters would have turned tail and run for their lives by now. Whatever the payout was, it wouldn't have been worth dying for, now would it? What was it? What did he want...?

    As he's digging into Sunn's mind, he also slowly starts trying to push the tentacle mass out of the car through the rear door...

Navi has posed:
Navi accepts Master Windu's hand up. "Thanks, Master. I-..." Her voice trails off as she feels and hears Baella's scream, and suddenly things take a very scary turn... literally! The magna rail is suddenly routed onto a different track, and almost as suddenly it is forced to a stop on a high trestle over the Lower City.

Navi barely manages to keep her balance, and hastily reaches out to try to comfort the frightened little girl with her mind once more.

<<Don't be afraid, dear! The bounty hunter won't hurt you. We won't let him, even if he wanted to. Dry your eyes, darling... you will be safe very soon.>>

Pike Windu has posed:
    Pike does lose his balance. Fortunately, he is thrown forward and not off the train.

Athena (159) has posed:
"ARRRGGHHHH!!!" the Gen'dai bounty howls in anger, his cry beast like and loud enough to be heard for kilometers here in the undercity. "Get...OUT!" Cayde will find himself suddenly flooded with hundreds of years of memories as he tries to dig for the reason why Sunn is here, and so dogged in his pursuit of the young girl. But it's like trying to find a three second clip in on a cinematic reel that's years long and playing in fast forward...

And then the young padawan will realize that the Gen'dai is... hemorrhaging memories. Thoughts. Feelings. They're being poured out like water into a drain, and he'll find himself hard pressed to stop it all. Sunn had been resisting too much, and now, in his attempt to drive Cayde out of his mind, he's losing it. Being driven insane. Forgetting who he is, what he is, where he is. The Gen'dai is being winnowed into a simple being with whose capacity to feel is limited to one emotion. Hatred. Pure hatred of Cayde, and his perceived threat to Torkle's very survival. His body suddenly loses all shape as Cayde pushes him out of the car and explodes into a hydra-like mass of purple tentacles that are flailing uncontrollably.

The girl is somewhere in that mass of tentacles, ensnared, and unconscious...

Pike Windu has posed:
    Pike's eyes widen at the sight of tentacles erupting from the car ahead. The Jedi Master looks at Navi before raising his lightsaber.

Athena (159) has posed:
Unbeknownst to Navi and the Jedi, there is another passenger magna rail approaching, currently hidden from view by a tunnel just around a bend in the track. It's on the same track, and if it goes unimpeded, it will collide head on with the one stalled on the overpass.

However, a passerby on a speeder close enough to the tunnel may be able to hear the train inside, and see the predicament that's likely to occur... within minutes.

Luckily, the CSF agent Heydan, who had peeled off earlier, by chance, might be situated ideally to see this series of possibly preventable unfortunate events, and act accordingly...

Navi has posed:
Navi offers Pike a hand up, since he'd fallen when the train came to a stop. She had somehow maintained her footing at the time, and is even now raising her lightsaber in the wake of Pike's look.

The sight of the car filled with tentacles to the point that they are spilling out of every opening doesn't improve her spirits. "Let's just hope Cayde and Baella are alive in there. I think I would've felt it if they'd been killed," she says, starting to make her way forward again. It's much easier with the train stopped. "What do we do when we get down there? Just start carving anything purple?"

Heydan Seegil has posed:
Heydan Seegil keen hearing allows him to detect something is off with the tracks as the second car muffles to acoustics of the rails. Tracing the sound down he sees it and then right next to him he sees a delivery speeder the thugs were using to smuggle their drugs down to this level in. Smirking to himself he bends down, picks up a loose bit of broken permacete and smashed the driver's side window in with it then hops inside. He reaches up and flips down the solar visor to guard the pilot's eyes from bright lights while driving. With a thud the keys land in his open palm and he shakes his head as he starts the speeder. "They always hid them in the same place. Psh, these chumps would die day on on the Rim.", he jests with an eye roll and a cocky smirk as he jets off to the rescue.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    If he could get the bounty hunter to think about why he's here...it shouldn't be hard, right?

    Maybe, but it becomes infinitely harder when the Gen'dai starts going mad, and he is powerless to stop it, try as he might. Well, he may have tried harder, but Baella was in danger, and her life had to take priority right now. Especially since it was likely his own fault for accidentally driving Sunn insane.

    Upon seeing the girl being dragged out along with the mass of tentcles, he jumps from the car and again reaches out with the Force, attempting to pull her from his grasp. And if he has to shred every tentacle to get to her, he will.

Annelia Belask has posed:
    Wherever Ann's been, this might be a good place to have her arm on hand...

    Which is convenient, given she just arrived.

    Following the sounds of screaming gen'dai and the like, she appears from below the edge of the stalled train, kicking herself off the lip to propel herself for the raging bounty hunter- there's no talking or hesitation this time, just business as her saber ignites mid-flight.

Navi has posed:
"Master Windu? Can you have that droid you arrived on go to the control cabin and try to get this train off of this bridge? Maybe back on the track we left? I have a bad feeling about us being on this bridge and sitting still," Navi says to Pike as they approach the car filled with purple tentacles (possible purple people-eating tentacles). "I've seen way too many holofilms about accidents set up just like this."

Clambering down the service ladder on the side of the car, she all but wades in closer to the mass of purple tentacles and goes to work with her lightsaber.

"Nice timing, Ann!" she calls to the arriving Jedi Knight.

Athena (159) has posed:
Cayde will find moving the flailing tentacles with the Force to be a feat -- the Gen'dai is -strong-. It may occur to him that using his saber might be more effective, but then he'll see Baella tangled among some of purple tentacles. She's alive, but unconscious, and with a bit of extra effort on Cayde's side, the young padawan will soon have her freed.

However, the fight is far from over. Torkle still seems to think Cayde is a direct threat to his survival, and suddenly, Cayde will find himself once again assaulted by indigo tentacles.

Flesh will sizzle and burn as Navi starts to help Cayde get to Baella. Sunn bellows like a beast, possibly disorienting anyone too near...

Heydan will find that fortunately enough for him, there's enough space in the tunnel above the magnarail for him to pilot the speeder he's stolen towards magna rail without colliding with it.

But now Heydan will have to exercise a bit of agility and hop onto the magna rail (which is still moving quite fast) and then find a way inside, and then activate the emergency brakes. All within the next ten minutes or so...

Pike Windu has posed:
    Pike shakes his head. I think the droid spent all its propellant getting me here. But I will do what I can.

    The Jedi deftly drops down to the catwalk running along the side od the tressel and starts forward, dodging tentacles as he goes.

Heydan Seegil has posed:
Heydan Seegil sores up into the sky around the manarail as he shouts, "YEEEEEE-HAAAWWWWW!", out the broken window of the speeder truck. Once he spots an entry near the conductor's car he gets matches the speed of the mangatrail and forces himself to take a leap of fail into the moving car of the railway. Thankfully he makes it and although no one in near he smirks to himself knowingly. 'I got this.', he thinks to himself as he makes his way towards the controls. All of a sudden it hits him like cold water. He has no idea how these old mangarails work. His lips break with an audible, "Fek.", that pulls his shoulders towards the floor with it. "Hmmm...", he mumbles and pulls out the glitterstem joint he purchased earlier. Following the contemplation he chuckles, "I picked a heck of a day to quit smoking glitterstem.", out and puts the unlit joint between the lips of his loony grin. Then he does the only thing any intelligent person would do in this situation. He starts pressing every button and pulling every level at the controls.

Navi has posed:
"That's a shame. And I doube either of us knows how to drive one of these trains, either. Let's just hope nothing comes along, then. The longer this thing sits here, the more nervous I get," Navi replies to Pike, almost dying of relief when Cayde frees Baella from the crazed Gen'dai. Her relief dies almost instantly, however, as the Gen'dai starts attacking Cayde directly!

"Leave him alone!" she cries, trying to cut the tentacles grabbing at Cayde, risking the Gen'dai's wrath turning on her as she works.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Tentacles flail at him, but the uncontrolled nature of the attacks end up working against the crazed Gen'dai. Ann's timely arrival too, helped with a bit of a confidence boost. Cayde draws his lightsaber at the last second and slices them off, barely managing to avoid getting seized and pulled in. He then continues to pull at the girl, hopefully wrenching her free from the monster before him without hurting her too much...

Annelia Belask has posed:
    Awkwardly enough, being behind the Genn'dai seems to be a disadvantage for Ann- as she can't see where his eyes and focus are to read for his attacks- instead just dealing with random tentacles flying towards her in his rage- still, she begins slowly and methodically working her way in closer to press the attack.

Athena (159) has posed:
Thankfully, Pike is able to avoid the flailing tentacles and climb into the front of the magnarail. The controls are on all sorts of settings that don't look right to Pike, Sunn must have tampered with them earlier. Tommy and Binny make their way inside shortly after, joining Pike at the dashboard. Binny glances over at the elder Jedi. "Any idea how to make the train reverse...."

A few seconds after Heydan starts fiddling with the controls, the droid driver returns from having stepped away for a little bit. It yelps upon finding Heydan there, messing with the controls. "What are you doing!!" it screeches, reaching to try to grab Heydan and pull him away from the controls. But alas, it would seem that Heydan's button mashing had actually... worked. The emergency brakes have been applied, and there's a terrible screeching sound accompanied by a shower of sparks flying into tunnel wall.

Now, it will be evidently clear that they're running out of time. Navi and the Jedi will be able to hear the screeching sound of the violently braking magnarail -- but it doesn't look like the emergency brakes had been applied in enough time to stop the other magnarail from colliding with the stalled one on the overpass...

When Anne bears down with her lightsaber, more of the purple tentacles are shorn off and fall into the abyss below the overpass, but just as those are cleaved away, more grow back to replace the burned stumps. Navi is able to once again reduce the number of flailing arms by hewing at them. Finally they're able to extract Baella fully from the Gen'dai's grasp. She looks okay - just bruised and unconscious.

Pike Windu has posed:
    The Force is with Pike as he nimbly dodges flailing tentacles! In moments he reaches the control car. The door is no match for his green blade. Inside, the Jedi accesses the controls but finds them sabotaged! Just then Pike hears the screeching from the oncoming train.

    "I think we're in trouble."

Navi has posed:
"Cayde, get her away from him! It! /Whatever/!!! We just got her away from him, we don't want him grabbing her again!" Navi cries, continuing to hack at the insane Gen'dai, to keep him (it?) away from Cayde. "Run for the control car! We've got this!"

Just then the screeching of brakes from an oncoming magna rail train reaches her ears, and she shrieks like an angry debutante in frustration. "I /knew/ it!!! Ann, you make sure to hit me next time I'm right!"

Beat. "Okay, I just realized there might not BE a next time... so you're off the hook!"

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Relieved that the girl looks mostly okay, Cayde immediately picks her up once she's free from the tentacles and starts hurrying away from the monster. At least, if Sunn thought the padawan was trying to kill him, that would no longer be the case.

    He can't help feeling bad about this though...he'd only been trying to find a way to maybe reason with Sunn (or manipulate him) by finding out why he was after Baella with such intensity in the first place, and avoid further conflict or potential bloodshed. But now he'd possibly replaced a potentially reasonable, if ruthless, bounty hunter with a complete savage. A monstrosity...

    But now wasn't the time to brood about this. He needed to get Baella to safety, even as he hears the screeching of the emergency brakes. Good thing he'd already gotten out of the car, so he makes a desperate dash and tries to get off of the overpass.

Annelia Belask has posed:
    There's a pivot from Ann as Baella comes free from the tentacles- she had just been about to attack there. The veer off-course... doesn't land much, mostly keeping herself protected for the time being.

Athena (159) has posed:
Tommy glances anxious in the direction of the oncoming magnarail, and turns to Pike, his expression fearful. "Master Pike! What do we do?" he cries. The other magnarail rounds the bend, and now they'll be able to see it, and see that it's a passenger train. There are -people- on it. If they don't stop it, or move the other train off the tracks, at least a hundred innocents or more may die...

Cayde is right about one thing, at least. Sunn has completely lost his ability to think rationally, or even reason, at all. He seems to not even notice Navi hacking off more of his indigo limbs. He still seems convinced that the only thing that matters right now is killing Cayde and his companions. So even as they start to retreat, Sunn attacks. Again. The purple tentacles snake outward again, then whip sideways, this time attempting to thrash Anne.

Pike Windu has posed:
    Softly, "the Force is with me and I am one with the Force. And I fear nothing because all is as the Force wills it." The magnarail shudders as the Jedi Master attempts to get it moving backwards.

Navi has posed:
"Geez! This guy just doesn't know when to quit!" Navi cries, refocusing her attack on the Gen'dai tentacle monster as the tentacles abandon their attack on Cayde and go after Ann instead. "Just keep carving! Maybe we'll at least kill this thing before the train kills us!" Apparently she's willing to take the good with the bad.

And right now, the bad looks VERY bad! It's only when she feels a surge in the Force that she begins to feel like they may make it out of this alive. <<Master Windu! I'll try to help you as much as I can. But I was never trained in moving things, so...>> she sends to Pike via telepathy.

And then she reaches out with the Force, focusing on the flow of the Force between the two trains. Just maybe they can move the train to prevent the collision, or force the other train to a stop... at this point, she'll take anything she can get!

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Unfortunately, Baella seems to be heavier than he thought. Or maybe he hasn't been training hard enough. But it's clear he isn't going to make it off of the overpass before the passenger-full train hits the stranded one. So he sets Baella down behind some construction equipment and turns, focusing his energy toward halting the oncoming train before it strikes, and joining his mind with Master Pike and Navi to better unite their efforts.

Annelia Belask has posed:
    As the bounty hunter whirls upon her, Ann almost seems to... smile, a little bit. Eyes locking onto his face, she rather deftly swipes through tentacles as they strike for her.

    In a moment of the genn'dai reeling, she leaps forward, whirling forward once through the air to strike at his core in turn.

Athena (159) has posed:
Indeed, the magnarail begins to shudder as the Navi and Jedi call upon the Force to will it to stop. It's slowing... but are their efforts enough to stop it from colliding into the other stalled magnarail...?

Tommy stares up at Pike in awe, watching as he and the others attempt to halt the oncoming vehicle.

Navi slices off two more of the Gen'dai's tentacles, and then he's struck by Anne's saber, right through the center of the mass of indigo strands. He once again bellows, and the stench of burned flesh fills the air. The tentacles, shockingly, start to withdraw some, and reshape themselves into a figure that's slightly more recognizably humanoid. It would seem that Sunn has stumbled across a moment of clarity.

"... have...mercy," he babbles mindlessly, stumbling along the magnarail track feebly. He turns slowly to face Cayde and Navi, his face half a wriggling mass of worm like purple strands. "... help... help me... p-please..."

Cayde won't even need to reach out into the Force to sense a sudden wave of utter fear, hopelessness, pain and disorientation coming off of the Gen'dai. But if he breaks his concentration, the chances that they'll stop the magnarail in time will significantly decrease... The strain as of now will make the three Force sensitives sweat and assault them with a terrible headache.

Pike Windu has posed:
    Pike recites the mantra again and again as he fights to stay focused. Beads of sweat run down his face and his body trembles from the strain.

    "The Force..."

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde doesn't even notice Torkle...as his mind is completely focused on stopping the train. Sweat falls down his brow as he pushes as hard as he can against the magnarail, until he is almost ready to pass out.

Navi has posed:
Raising her lightsaber for another blow, sweat beading on her brow from exerting herself at two tasks at once, Navi squeaks softly as her mind briefly makes contact with the Gen'dai's, and that contact leaves her shivering with psychic shock.

"Ann, /stop/! He's had enough!" she cries, hastily extinguishing her lightsaber to refocus her mental efforts on the Force. The next few seconds will either save them all or kill them all...

"Get on the train!" she directs what used to be Torkle Sunn, pointing at the car where the bounty hunter's mind had snapped mere moments before. "You might be safe there! If we live through the next few minutes, we'll try to help you!"

She brings her mind to bear on the oncoming magna rail. "Come on... slow down... you can do it..."

Annelia Belask has posed:
    Ann's a fairly dogged fighter one the offensive- her powerful Form V swings are fairly adept at using her own momentum to continue the attack... which is perhaps not ideal here.

    So perhaps it's a blessing that when a strike she lined up is already in-progress and Navi shouts out, the withdrawing Gen'dai can hardly even be said to be grazed by the swing that would have likely bisected most species if they hadn't been on the backstep.

    Ann pauses in the aftermath, eyes flicking over to Navi- she's contemplative for a moment, waiting a moment with saber still forward on guard in case of a ploy... before finally swinging it out to the side as it switches off and stowing it on her belt.

Athena (159) has posed:
The magna rail keeps coming -- it's slowing, but it's still not slowing fast enough, despite their best efforts. They were going to die. Tommy, Binny, Baella... all the passengers on the train. This was it...

Navi commands Torkle to get on the train, but he doesn't move. "No," he says softly, even as Anne's saber grazes him lightly, and the young Sephi will suddenly sense resolution in him. He couldn't remember exactly how his mind had ended up in this state, but somehow he knew that Cayde had been responsible. Perhaps it had been on accident, perhaps on purpose. Either way, Torkle seems to know that the damage is likely irreversible, even on the off chance that Cayde would even want to help him.

So instead, he turns to the oncoming magna rail, and starts running towards it, letting loose a final battle cry. His body unfurls into multiple thick purple strands that latch onto the railing of the overpass just as his center collides with the magnarail.

The impact is horribly, horribly gruesome. The purple tendrils snap and fray, and dark colored blood sprays everywhere. Four large tears open up in the mass of tentacles, and the Gen'dai's innards spill out...

Binny covers Tommy's eyes, but the three Force sensitives will suddenly feel their headaches abate somewhat, and the effort of slowing the magna rail gets suddenly much, much easier. They'll be able to palpably sense in the Force that the magna rail is stopping. If they redouble their efforts, perhaps the magna rail will stop and they won't all die after all...

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Suddenly, a significant weight is lifted, as if someone had come to their aid. He isn't sure who, but he'd better keep pushing until the immediate danger is averted, and then worry about who it was.

Pike Windu has posed:
    Pike shouts as he he gives it everything he has. And then there is relief as he senses the other train slowing to a stop. He reaches out and puts an arm around Tommy.

Navi has posed:
"But we want to /help/ you! Please, just get on..." Navi tries to say, through gritted teeth as she tries to help her friends with the stopping of the oncoming magna rail train. It's not going well. The train is just too massive... it's stopping, but not nearly quickly enough to save everyone, and she's fully aware that a derailing of the trains just might kill a lot more people than everyone on the trains and the trestle; she hasn't forgotten Agent Black's words on this part of the Lower City being built on very dangerous ground!

"Wait!" she cries, horrified, as the Gen'dai charges at the oncoming train. "You'll die! Don't!" She stares in abject horror as the alien rushes the train, seemingly intent on committing suicide by magna rail...

And then she sees him turn himself into something like a massive four-banded slingshot, with the cup directly facing the oncoming train, and she understands. She redoubles her efforts on the Force, even as the shockwave of the Gen'dai's death tears at her mind like a snapped anchor cable. The blonde Sephi falls to her knees in helpless tears, even as she thrusts her hand forward in a desperate last-ditch push to help stop the train.

Annelia Belask has posed:
    Ann doesn't move much in the wake of the fight ending. Her mouth is set in a thin line, watching the bounty hunter's actions with an air that almost qualifies as dispassionate. Almost.

    The one major movement is her arm going up, her modest abilities providing a level of assistance that seems to even surprise herself for a moment as the train is slowed by the group's collective invisible hand.

Athena (159) has posed:
There's a terrible grinding sound as the magnarail finally comes to a halt, right in front of the other stalled vehicle. The nose of the conductor car just barely taps the front of the other magnarail with a resounding -TINK-.

And then it's all over. The passengers on the other train tumble out in a flurry, shouting in confusion. "What happened!"

Tommy and Binny hug Pike in relief. "You saved us..." Tommy whispers gratefully. "Thank you..."

As for the Gen'dai bounty hunter, he's in pieces. Navi might have fleetingly sensed that in his last moments he had been happy to die with honor, at least, living with the kind of mind Cayde had left him with was not, in his opinion, a life worth living...

Pike Windu has posed:
    The Jedi Master shakes his head. "No. It was the Force." And then his knees buckle.

Navi has posed:
Navi wilts as the train finally, mercifully, comes to a full stop, barely jarring the stalled train. If she weren't bawling her eyes out from repeated psychic shocks, not to mention the tragedy of the Gen'dai's sacrifice, she'd let out a massive sigh of relief. As it is, she just sinks to all fours beside the stalled train, the sound of her weeping drowned out in the commotion surrounding the two trains.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Finally, finally...the train comes to a stop, only barely escaping a total catastrophe. Cayde heaves a long sigh of relief, sinking to his knees out of exhaustion. That's when he notices the mangled purple mess on the ground in front of the train. Wait...but why--? Had he unintentionally forced the bounty hunter to sacrifice his life to help them stop the train?

Annelia Belask has posed:
    "Well. Some mess this turned out to be," Ann comments absently, mind quite obviously elsewhere. Perhaps it's physical conditioning, or her acclimatization to pain, or some other factor of how she processes things, but rather than sink to her knees she pulls out a comm and datapad and begins working up reporting on the events of the moment and calling in additional support to fix up the rails and trains, et cetera.

Athena (159) has posed:
Binny and Tommy catch the elder Jedi as his knees buckle, and with some effort move him into the driver's chair in front of the magnarail controls. Relieved but still shaking slightly, the two boys sit down on the floor next to him, taking a moment to process everything.

The droid driver from the other train comes inside the magna rail, and peers around at the Jedi and Navi. "Thank goodness everyone's -mostly- alright," it says, bending over to help a sobbing Navi to her feet. "The paramedics are going to be here any moment, now. Thus far it doesn't like anyone's suffered any major injuries." After a brief pause and one last look around, the droid exits.

While Anne is looking at her comm, she'll notice there's a message for her from Poof.

|Anne! Hope you and Cayde had a field day in the Lower Levels. Yes, yes. I heard you two went out today. Anyway, the Council would like to speak to you whenever you're ready about a personal and important request coming from the Chancellor himself. Cheers, Yarael Poof|

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    There isn't really space for Cayde to continue speculating about why the bounty hunter was dead now. He quickly remembers Baella and hurries back to the spot where he left her to make sure she's all right.

Pike Windu has posed:
    Pike opens himself to the Force. Feeling a bit better, he glances down at the boys and smiles. Then he notices Navi.

    "Are you alright?"

Navi has posed:
Navi lets the droid assist her aboard the train, sinking to a seat in a corner of the control cabin. "I'm not hurt, Master," she replies softly to Pike. "But I think we all need to talk... once we get back to the Temple. And we have to... to take Baella with us. The only place she will be safe, and everyone will be safe from her, is at the Temple. Otherwise this... this will all happen again."

She's still too drained to keep more than cursory control over her emotions, and too emotional to safely call on the Force, or she'd follow Master Windu's example and refresh herself via the Force. "Was anyone hurt? I know we cut it... awfully close. If it wasn't for that bounty hunter..." She lets the question trail off, feeling more tears burning her eyes. Saying any more is likely to trigger another flood of emotions. She doesn't want that right now.

Annelia Belask has posed:
    "If it wasn't for that bounty hunter, this would have been a lot smoother. At the same time, if not for him, this would have been a lot worse in the last moment. Not going to unpack it all standing here on this train track. You'll just drive yourself crazy trying," pipes up Annelia, head shaking a little.

    She stows her things again, putting a pin in the note from Yarael for the time being. One thing at a time. And for now it's rejoining the others, placing a hand on Cayde's shoulder with a light squeeze.

Athena (159) has posed:
But Cayde won't even have to leave the magnarail to find Baella. She's awake now, and had somehow found her way over to them. She looks shaken, and her face is tear streaked. She's gripping the side of the door to the magnarail uncertainly, her gaze on the bloody, purple strands that are all that's left of Torkle Sunn. She can't see his remains, but she can sense his death and smell the tang of his blood.

Her unseeing eyes pass a brief look at Ann and Pike, before she goes over to Navi and takes her hand gently. "You are Jedi," she says simply. "so, we go Temple now."

Navi has posed:
Navi smiles the faintest of smiles. "We go Temple now. Everything will be okay now," she whispers. She could correct Baella in that she's not a Jedi, but right now that doesn't feel so important. She hugs the little girl, very gently, touching her mind lightly to reassure her that she's only trying to comfort her. "You'll be happy there. I promise."

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde is relieved to see that Baella is already on her feet. And the reassuring squeeze from Ann helps....he suddenly leans into her. Even though they not only survived but accomplished the rescue, he doesn't seem to be in very high spirits for some reason.