First Steps into a Larger World

[Master Bentarr]

Bentarr veered the shuttle towards the designated docking platform and eased the ship to the ground with a gentle lurch. He opened the shuttle doors, and unbuckling his seat fastener, waved for Tuatara to follow him. Race could practically taste the heat on his tongue as the planet's twin suns were practically baking the desert planet. He chuckled to himself as he saw his apprentice react to the planet's climate and thought to himself, Was I ever that young?

The Jedi Master scanned the duracrete landing bay, his eyes passing over many passengers either trying to get used to the planet's heat or clearly looking forward to being soon rid of it, and coming to rest on a female Twi'lek in conservative tan business attire. He raised a hand and waved to get her attention, and when she saw them she curtly strode across the platform over to the two of them.

When she had reached speaking distance she reached out her hand, and after shaking Bentarr's hand she said in a tone befitting her attire, "Master Jedi. Young one. I am Aaylana Tor'Hala, the mayor's assistant. He would like me to welcome you both to Mos Eisley, and to extend our most sincere gratitude that you have taken the time to aid us in this matter."

Bentarr smiled and said, "The Council is always ready and willing to help whenever there is need for our assistance."

Tor'Hala returned his smile, a goofy looking toothy grin that suggested that this Twi'lek had perhaps once had a fun-loving nature to her. She extended a hand in the direction of the city and said, "Shall we? The mayor is eager to meet you both."

Bentarr extended both his hands and said, "Well let us not keep him waiting then." And the group headed into the main area of Mos Eisley.

[Tuatara]

"Wow....it's so.....sandy. And it's really hot," Tuatara said. A Twi'lek lady walked up and introduced herself and then began taking them to the mayor. This place is really big, he thought. I've seen pictures, but nothing prepares you for this.

When they got to the street, Tuatara almost exploded with excitement. But he kept his emotion in check as he expressed his amazement. "Master Race, look at all those people! I've never seen so many different races. Twi'leks, Er'kits, Rodians, Saurins...." He listed several more, babbling as they walked. Several people gave him strange looks as they passed.

[Mikau]

OoC: Hope this is open.

Naturally, there were many people giving the two - clearly attired - Jedi strange looks; one of which was ex-Jedi (technically speaking) Mikau Sidara, or formally Mikau.

Being in such heat, added to being an aquatic being, Mikau needed shade. Thus, he was dressed fully in his dark brown and tan Jedi robe, with a hood up concealing all but his sparky navy eyes. He turned his head slowly and watched them walk with a Twi'lek, clearly one of high authority.

Hopefully, Mikau thought, the two Jedi had not noticed another being dressed almost the same. Flicking his lightsaber hilt to make sure it was still in place, Mikau slowly rose. He quickly but quietly fell in line with the Jedi, keeping a few good meters behind them.

What could two Jedi be doing here? I'm so curious... Mikau smiled under his hood, with a little malice, but more intrigue.

[Master Bentarr]

Bentarr chuckled softly at the exuberance that his apprentice was poorly trying to keep below the surface, it warmed his heart to see someone so excited and full of life. "It's quite different from the sheltered halls of the Temple isn't it?" Race said to his apprentice, the warmth in his voice rivaling the Tatoo twins themselves. "Be sure to drink in all the details, be aware of everything around you, the way everything feels."

As Master Bentarr said this, he reached out with his own feelings and felt something strange. It was a pulse of curiosity and intrigue, and it felt like the pulse of a hunter stalking its prey. Race concentrated, stretching his mind out to feel the ripples in the force, and he felt the pulse of a Force Sensitive. And it was following them. Unsure of what to do, he casually rested his hand on the hilt of his lightsaber, and continued to reach out and read this new arrival and he sensed no ill will, just curiosity, so he decided that he would "watch" the new one and see what he planned to do. In the meantime, he felt this was the perfect opportunity to test his padawan's awareness.

Turning his head to face his eager pupil he said quietly, "Reach out with you feelings, not your senses. Feel the tide and ripples of the living Force all around you. Do you feel it?" he asked, curious if his Padawan would sense the presence of their follower.

[Tuatara]

Tuatara concentrated and reached out with the Force. He came across many minds, most not blocked. But he didn't know how to reach into them and knew it wasn't courteous to do so. And then he came across a blocked mind. But he could tell it was connected to the Force.

Who's that? Tuatara quizzed. Why is he following us? "Master," he said in a whisper, a look of puzzlement on his face, "who is he? I can't tell, but I know whoever it is is following us. Who would be doing that?"

[Mikau]

Mikau's mind was pierced, and he stopped quietly in his tracks. He smiled brightly, and then tried to conceal a loud bellow. However, he could not, and began to laugh loudly.

"Ah, the Jedi these days. Always sharp and on their toes." He flicked his cape, from behind them, physically alerting them of his presence. As they turned, he lowered his hood, revealing his pale blue skin and nautolanian tentacles.

Mikau bowed slightly, waving out his dark brown Jedi cloak. "Pleasure to make your... acquaintance." Mikau smiled at them. "The garb is deceptive; do not mistake me as a Jedi."

He titled his head slightly, and gave them a glance of his lightsaber hilt loosely on his belt, and it glinted in the intense light and heat of Tatooine. "And you are?"

[Master Bentarr]

Bentarr smiled and addressed his Padawan, "Good my Padawan, it is good that you can clear your mind and be mindful of all that is around you."

Then their follower belted out a laugh and flicked his cape, and Master Bentarr turned to look at the man, who turned out to be a Nautolan he noticed as the stranger lowered his hood. The man bowed respectfully (or sarcastically, Race wasn't quite sure which yet) and said "Pleasure to make your...acquaintance. The garb is deceptive; do not mistake me as a Jedi. And you are?" As he finished he slid aside part of his outer cloak to reveal the lightsaber on his belt. It was a passive reminder as much as a warning to be cautious.

Race smiled politely and returned the man's bow. "I am Master Bentarr, and this is my Padawan learner Tuatara. We have been summoned to Mos Eisley to help negotiate with a Tusken clan that has caused them quite a deal of trouble lately. If I may ask, who are you, and what business brings you to Tatooine? Or more importantly, what is your interest in us?"

[Mikau]

Mikau's face grew slightly more solemn, and he pulled his cloak back around his arms and walked towards the two Jedi.

"Tuskens? You won't negotiate with them well. Even if in a full-fledged disguise, those guys are nuts, and don't respond well to reason. Then again, you are an all-powerful, mystical, wonderous, perfect Jedi master, are you not?" Mikau smiled at the man who went by Master Bentarr, and turned to the padawan.

"My name is Mikau, that is all you'll need to call me by. No title is necessary. I'm here to escape, really, from an incident that just occurred on Mustafar... Hot planet to hot planet, eh?" He laughed a bit.

"Moreover, I'm running away. I fear as though my shuttle has been tracked. I have no personal business here, and I'm interested in following you." Mikau bit his lip.

"Protection, essentially. I have no idea what's to come; simply that my ship was found with a tracking device. Also, I'd be plenty willing to help you two out with your suicide run out in the desert." He nodded to the two men.

[Tuatara]

As Master Race talked to the man, Tuatara was off in his own world. A Nautolan? he thought excitedly. Wow, that means he can breathe under water and I bet his lightsaber works underwater too. If only he was a little smaller, it would be cool to breathe under water without a rebreather. Though, it's hot here, so he must not feel very comfortable.

And then he talked to him. "Tusken's aren't that strong, from what I read. You need protection?" Tuatara turned to his master. "What do we do Master Race?"

OoC: I think I'm RPing him a bit young, but I'm afraid if I make him a bit oldish I'll go to far.

[Master Bentarr]

Race ran his fingers through his goatee while he contemplated the young man's predicament. Master Bentarr admired Tuatara's desire to help this young man, he could sense his concern bubbling under the surface emotions. He supposed that it would be un-Jedi like to turn someone in need of help away. But they had busuness here to complete first. "I would like to help you young man, but our mission here takes first precedence. If you can help us complete our mission then I will be more than happy to protect you from whatever is pursuing you. Is this acceptable to you?"

[Mikau]

Mikau turned to the boy, whom had the easiest thoughts to read. "Yes, it's most uncomfortable here. The eat is beyond exhausting." He smiled at him, at how clever he could be, and turned back to the master. "Well sure, I can lend a hand." He smiled at the Master, then looked around at all the bystanders.

"Actually..." He started, "We should probably go now." He turned back to the Twi'lek, who was eying them closely, and he nodded to her. "I'll take your lead. However, the Tuskens may not be the strongest bunch, but keep in mind that they are great in number." He tilted his head and scratched his chin, awaiting response.

[Master Bentarr]

Bentarr was glad the Nautolan was willing to help; the extra mind could help provide a perspective that the two of them alone would not have seen. He raised his hands at the Twi'lek woman, who had stopped in her tracks and turned to wait for the conversation between the three force-sensitives to conclude, and he said, "Very well then, Ms. Tor'Hala please excuse the interruption. Shall we continue to the mayor's office?" The Twi'lek woman nodded in approval and turned on her heels and continued leading the way towards the mayor's office.

Along the way, Master Bentarr kept his feelings on Mikau, trying to get a sense of what drove their new ally. The boy seemed to have an impressive grasp of the force for one so young, and Master Bentarr's attempts to read the boy brought only fuzzy details. He could tell there was some sort of scar that ran deep in the boy's heart, and Race felt hints of a longing for home stemming from the boy. It piqued Race's interest, but he felt that out of respect for the boy he wouldn't probe any deeper; if the boy wanted them to know what was bothering him he would tell them. For now, Master Bentarr was satisfied enough that Mikau would not attack them and that was enough for him.

After a few minutes of weaving through the hot and crowded streets of Tatooine the group arrived at the mayor's office, and Ms. Tor'Hala stopped at the door to wave them all in. After the group had entered the small duracrete building she turned and followed them in.

They had entered a very small and plain office, which was not unlike any other government building, it was conservative and made efficient use of its space. On a couple of the walls there were campaign posters for the mayor's re-election campaign. In the back of the room was a door to the mayor's office, and the assistant led the party through her office and knocked on the mayor's door.

From inside his office the mayor called out in Rodese, "Yes...yes what is it?"

"The Jedi from the Temple have arrived sir."

The tone in the mayor's voice went from mildly annoyed to mildly excited as he replied, "Very good, show them in Ms. Tor'Hala."

Aaylana opened the door for them and waved her hand towards the interior, then returned to her desk.

[Mikau]

Mikau followed closely behind the two Jedi, wary of who he was with as well as his surroundings. His glance shifted to the master, walking forward and supposedly paying Mikau no mind.

However, the ex-Jedi knew better, even from his short time in the academy. He smiled slightly.

"Peering into my mind, Master Bentarr?" Mikau quietly asked as the men entered the Mayor's office. He chuckled softly. "Yes, I suppose it IS interesting enough. Tell you what, Jedi, once this is over, I'll tell you my story." His smile dropped, and he pulled his cloak more over him and lowered his hood as they entered the room. Then, the Twi'lek escort retreated.

[Master Bentarr]

The three of them entered the small office, papers messily strewn about the office which seemed to be kept in a state of perpetual organized chaos. Behind a simple duracrete desk in the center of the room sat the Rodian mayor, whose beady eyes were darting back and forth between several stacks of papers and notes on his desk and when he heard the group shuffle into his office he pressed a button on his desk and with a hiss the door shut behind them.

The Rodian looked up at the group, and addressed Master Bentarr, "Ah, Master Jedi. Good to meet you. I am Wai Donne, mayor of Mos Eisley. So good to have you here. We are great need of someone of your skills."

Master Race couldn't help but inwardly chuckle at the rapid-fire nature in which Wai Donne had said all of this. The high velocity lifestyle of the Rodians never ceased to amaze him, and he imagined that such a upbeat attitude must have really been an advantage when trying to run a city. Bentarr let the Rodian catch his breath and then replied, "It is always a pleasure to assist those in need Wai Donne. I am Master Bentarr, and this is my Padawan learner Tuatara, and this is Mikau. He will be assisting us in this matter."

The Rodian nodded exuberantly while Bentarr was speaking, and the second he stopped he interjected immediately, "Yes. Good. More men, easier to solve this problem. The Tuskens have been raiding our moisture farmers and houses on the outskirts for weeks now. We can't allow them to bully us. Need you to wipe them all out."

Bentarr cocked an eyebrow in confusion, "Are you quite certain that's necessary sir? If a peaceful solution could be found it would avoid a lot of bloodshed."

Wai Donne ferociously shook his head, "No. No. NO. Must be wiped out. Those savages won't listen to reason. Don't want them near my town. Get rid of them."

Race sighed in frustration, "You do realize Mayor that if you wipe out an entire clan of Tusken Raiders that it will only incite the other clans and all you will accomplish is to start a blood feud. The other clans will retaliate."

"You have your task Master Jedi. I won't discuss this further. Have much work to do. Off you go." As he said this he shooed them out with his hands and then returned his focus to the papers on his desk, pressing the button his desk to open the exit for them.

Master Bentarr shook his head and motioned for the rest of the group to follow him out of his office. When they had made it back to the street he addressed his Padawan, the frustration in his voice evident. "Blasted bigot! Take note Tuatara, when you block your mind from other perspectives you tie your hand behind your back. It is important to consider every side of a situation before you act. Now come, we must see if we can't reach a diplomatic solution. Perhaps if we reach an agreement with the Tuskens it will convince the Mayor to coexist with them."

[Tuatara]

Tuatara stood silently as the Rodian gave them their order's, and followed his Master when they were booted out. A Rodian. Talk fast and all business, he thought. But why kill them if it would start a Blood feud? Isn't he interested in keeping his town safe?

"And how will we do that Master?" Tuatara asked. "What could we do to get them to quit? The only thing Tusken's care about is family, land, and food." I can't wait to meet a Tusken! he thought with enthusiasm. I wonder if my dialect is right. Maybe hearing a real live Tusken will help. I practiced with sound files on my holo-desk, but I hear that isn't as good as hearing the real thing.

[Mikau]

Mikau, disregarding the ways of the Jedi, stayed quietly behind in the office as the two men exited. He was only there a moment, and the Rodian looked quizzically at him.

Mikau half-smiled wryly, flipping his cloak open slightly to reveal a hilt, then shut it around himself again. "You're a fool. You are an absolute fool that's disregarded all logic and reason. I can't believe these two Jedi are working for you. You better believe, 'sir', that I am not one of them. You underestimate us, I assure you. Never short-cut an Exile." With that, he turned and walked out to follow the two Jedi.

"You're right. Regardless of what he said, peace should be the first choice, followed by a swift saber to the throat..." Mikau started, addressing the master. "But peace first." He smiled at him, and turned to the boy. "Shall we?"

[Master Bentarr]

Master Bentarr eyed Mikau with a look of mild disapproval as he stumbled over his words, but shook it off before it was noticed. The boy is just trying to help, he reminded himself, and not everyone holds the same ideals as the Jedi. "It will not be easy to convince the Tuskens to leave the city alone. We will have to convince them that it will be in their best interests. Perhaps we could resort to trickery. Tuatara, I know your people can skinshift to take the form of other beings. Do you think that you could possibly take the form of a Tusken Raider if it came down to that?" he asked, curious as to what the parameters of a Shi'ido's shapeshifting powers were.

[Tuatara]

"Well, maybe," Tuatara answered. "Or more accurately a Tusken the same size as me. I've tried it a few times but it's not an easy one. And I can't get bigger. But I use the Force to help me sometimes. That's why it's easier for me to change than others my age." Plus I'm not that elaborate with clothes, he thought to himself. "So where are we going now?"

Tuatara turned to Mikau. "So, is it handy being able to breath underwater? Not to be rude or anything, this is pretty much my first time out of the Temple." Hope he's not offended, he thought. Just wondering. One day I'll make a lightsaber form like form four except with the addition of my shape shifting abilities. That would be so cool to watch. Plus it'd bugger out people and surprise them.

[Mikau]

The nautolan turned his head, intrigued with the question. He glanced at Bentarr, smiling a bit, then fixed his big gaze on the boy. "It's handy, yes, although... It happens to be a ability I haven't needed since..." He lowered his head for a second, as if thinking, then looked to the boy again.

"Not an ability I've used in a long while. Since I've been home, I'd guess." He shifted uncomfortably around in his robes. "Home, it was a handy ability, because I love swimming very much. Indeed, it is one of my favorite things to do in my down time, which I have a lot of."
Mikau stopped for a moment, as the boy was staring at him, and peered into his mind...

"Yes, my lightsaber was constructed for use on land and underwater. It works quite well, maybe I can show you sometime." He smiled at Tuatara, then turned to his Master.

"Well, the boy can shift. Off through the desert, then?"

[Tuatara]

"So whats your homeworld like?" Tuatara asked. And how does he keep knowing what I'm thinking? I better block my mind better. I've read that some of my race have telepathy. Maybe I should talk to Master Tien about it. "I've studied your language a little bit, but we had to come here. Right now I'm studding aquatic people and animals. I hope to be as knowledgeable as Mr. Hoole one day."