STAR WARS: RETROSPECTION- Family

Coruscant

It is not common for a Jedi Knight to remain in touch with his parents. Few exceptions are made by the Council; each one is very situational, and very cautiously handled. Especially since Jedi are a rare breed. They do not number in the millions, but the thousands. The Order can not afford to put time and effort into training a Knight, only for them to go astray for family.

There are all sorts of factors there- a Jedi might wish to return to the family dynamic, or inherit their wealth or titles, or avenge a fallen relative, or embrace their grief at a passing. Hence, the Order limits their contact.

But some families manage to maintain their connection to their talented, supernatural offspring. This warrants the close attention of the Jedi Council, and often the assignment of a talented Jedi Master who can teach the young student discipline when it comes to his emotions.

And yet still, there are dangers...

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Welcome to "Family," a game from the Retrospection series. These mini-games are designed to give players the opportunity to examine their characters, their backgrounds, and their abilities. In this case, Retrospection examines Aurel Sing, a large athletic man who has embraced the martial aspects of the Jedi Order.

Aurel Sing was raised in the lower levels of Coruscant, learning even at a young age that he needed to avoid conflict, or defend himself when he could not. He was then found to be connected to the Force by a Jedi Master.

Now, it is not uncommon for Aurel Sing to patrol the lower levels himself, trying to make the streets safe for those that live there. It is here that we visit him...

Coruscant, Lower Levels

The lower levels of Coruscant are not as glittering and beautiful as the upper levels. The towering spires of metal and glass are high above, blocking out the rays of light that manage to get through the smog of the ecumenopolis. The lower levels are dark and sooty, particularly in the Industrial District.

You are in the industrial district now, Aurel Sing. While the Jedi Order is concerned for the security of the entirety of the Galactic Republic, every so often they send their Knights out on patrol. This is normally done in conjunction with Coruscant law enforcement.

Officer Jung, one such member of the Coruscant police, is your partner for today. He has not briefed you yet, only picked you up from the Temple in an unarmed light airspeeder. He appears to be a man of little words, only giving gruff answers and playing with the tips of his mustache, which are dyed a dark blue in typical Coruscanti fashion.

"We're here," Jung says when you arrive at the Industrial District. He opted to take the darker paths through the lower levels to reach the Industrial area, and instead of glittering towers above, you have gargantuan smoke stacks as a planet's worth of waste is burned away. The sights are horrible and the smells are worse.

Aurel takes a moment to take in the scene as they arrive in the gray of the industrial sector, his body already reacting to ever present stench that accompanied the great machines. He raises a robed arm to his face as he steps off the speeder, lowering it as he forces himself to adjust to the rough air. As part of the Order, it had been some time since he'd inhaled the smog daily, but part of him remembered. The journey downwards had been silent, the young Jedi respecting officer Jung's silence and giving his mind a rare opportunity to reminisce. Now that they had arrived, however, it was time for the business at hand.

"This is a dangerous place, officer," says calmly, turning his head to look at the man, "some say even for law enforcement. I am certain we do not tread here lightly."

"We do not," Jung says curtly. The Coruscanti officer is guiding his airspeeder across a wide crevasse between buildings, making for a tunnel. "Fortunately for you, I am not an officer that takes my job lightly."

The airspeeder dips into the tunnel. Being an open-topped speeder, it is all you can do to not breath in the heavy fumes that wash over the vehicle as you descend.

"The fumes will be less the lower we go," Jung insists. "Then it will just be the urban decay."

😆 Man, good thing you're not the type of GM to take glaring mistakes at face value. Note to self: Do not send Aurel off the side of still moving speeders. This is bad.

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Aurel nods once, deciding to close his eyes to protect them for the time being. "Is there something in particular we will be investigating this day?" he asks, now desiring to learn more of his reason for being brought back to this place beyond his own insistence. He knew that Lor-An Relm, his master, would not be pleased with his involvement in the slums. He could hear his stern tone even now in his head, You must cease these "patrols." That is your old life, and to continue to court it will only hinder your progress in training...

There are two sides of that argument- while the Order is always wary about you heading back to where you came from, you childhood knowledge of Coruscant is useful. You were brought into the Order at an older age than most, if you were still living with your parents.

"We are investigating some break-ins," Jung says, "here in an older part of the Industrial sector. Namely the Old Factories."

That is a good point. Which brings up something else. I'm not as avid a star wars fan as some other players around here, so I might need a bit of extra explaining on some stuff. Hope that's not going to be too troublesome for you. ermm

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"Is there any possibility they may be connected to Junipero?" Aurel asked. The Jedi was sure that the officer knew the name, or had at least heard of it. He did not expect to get confirmation, but he did try to keep tabs on the man, particularly anything that might seem as if he were gaining greater power than his hold on Aurel's old neighborhood.

Not at all! The Jedi Order tries to catch their trainees at birth, if they can. Anakin Skywalker was a freak accident for being allowed into the Order at 10.

-

Officer Jung shrugs.

"Junipero dabbles in a lot of things," Jung says, "but he isn't the only criminal on Coruscant, unfortunately. You would think with the Jedi Order based here that would not be the case."

The airspeeder weaves through a set of narrow pathways. The smog-choked sky the color of burning paper has grown farther away; Officer Jung flips on the speeder's headlights to compensate for the increasing dimness.

"Have you ever been to the Old Factories?" Jung asks.

"The audacity of it is something one might be able to admire, if their actions were not so vile," Aurel admits grudgingly. He is less than thrilled at the fact himself, and muses idly on a desire for the Order to focus their attention on Coruscant itself, to rid it of such individuals. Greater needs lie within Republic space, however, and he trusts that the Council takes great care in deciding what matters take priority to the Jedi. The officer's question turns his attention to the past, and he answers slowly as the memories come to him, "Not often, no. I was often reminded that it was it no place for children, and few of my patrols have led directly to them."

Lacking Savoir-Faire, you do not know much about the place. Thankfully, Jung knows a bit.

The Old Factories is a series of factories (go figure) that the Coruscant government used thousands of years ago to produce... whatever they were designed for. They were only re-discovered recently, and due to their heavily decayed state they have not been thoroughly explored. They are also in a dangerous area of the Industrial district, and far down in the depths.

"We've heard there have been some break-ins," Jung says. "We're investigating that."

"I understand," Aurel says with a nod. With a clear understanding of the mission, he'll spend the rest of the trip pondering who might want to risk entering the factories and why, opening his mind to the Force to see if it can give him any insight.

"Just be on your guard," says Jung. "I'm counting on you to watch my back. I figure if anyone can do it best, a Jedi can. Plus, most street thugs are going to flee at the sight of a lightsaber."

"I will remain vigilant, officer," Aurel replies, the familiar weight of his lightsaber at his side. Personally, the Jedi hoped he would not have to take it in hand at all, but the officer's point was firm: no sensible individual would challenge someone holding a lightsaber with confidence, ignited or not.

Jung guides the speeder down a few more levels, the light dying quickly as the vehicle dives into Coruscant's depths.

Your Intuition tells you that you feel uneasy down here. You could not say exactly why.

Aurel opens his eyes but keeps them squinted as they descend into the dark of Coruscant. His gut instinct, which he now knew to be his connection to the Force, was reacting. It rarely meant good for him.

"Something doesn't feel right," he said to Jung, "Keep your eyes open." As he says this, Aurel turns his head, eyes watching for anything that might catch his attention. At the same time, he reached out with the Force, expanding his senses to aid his observation.

______________

So if it isn't obvious, using Sense and making an active Observation now that my Intuition's been triggered.

Your feeling of things being off remains. You do not see anything out of the ordinary.

Jung just curtly nods.

Eventually you arrive at what must be the Old Factories. They are immediately distinguishable by the fact nothing is built above them. Most other structures this far down serve now as the base for the absurdly tall towers that Coruscant is known for. The Old Factories are the top of their own tower, a series of five massive quonset-shaped buildings in a tow. They are teeming with old ventilation piping and covered in wreckage and refuse from the world above.

Time has not been kind to this place, muses the young Jedi. It also made him all the more curious as to what business anyone might possibly want with the urban ruins. Mercenaries, rival gangs fighting over perceived turf. Regardless, it was his duty to put a stop to it, and that is what he would do.

The Old Factories do not have anything you could consider a landing platform. Officer Jung brings the airspeeder in close, to perform some quick surveillance of the outside.

"We don't want to miss anything," Jung says.

Hmm...I think I'll go with this set up. Player commentary above, in-game narrative below. That decided, not sure if I have to re-state Sense and Observation for this portion, but I'll do it to be on the safe side.
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Aurel nods, looking out once again both with his eyes and the Force for any sign of something waiting for them before they find a way to touch down.

It is usually best to declare what you are doing, even if it is a repetetive action. Otherwise it may be forgotten!

As it is, you see that many entrances to the Old Factories are sealed tight with heavy shipping doors. A few are open.

You still feel instinctively uneasy.