The District 8 gang treated them like royalty and gave them every accomodation and need they could ask for. Which, given it was the poorest district in Anaxe, amounted to very little. They gave them a safe house, which was little more than a derelict and partially burnt out penthouse suite in a high rise, and they offered the Nexus what little food they had, which was, Luna freely admitted, was very tasty, but upon seeing how little Jorin and his family had, she refused any further meals, insisting that they eat their own rations.
'That wouldn't really be in keeping with what a crime lord would do,' Ro'vena gently chided her as they surveyed the skyline from their suite, each holding a pair of electrobinoculars. 'Besides, they were probably going to sell us into slavery. You'd be vindictive at that point.'
'Oh trust me, I'm feeling very vindictive,' Luna replied tartly. 'He's an ass, but his family seemed nice. And I couldn't take food from their mouths. You saw the grand-daughter.'
'Mmm,' Ro'vena said noncommittaly, which caused Luna to turn her attention to the Twi'lek. Before all this, before the war, before Hosnian Prime, before the formation of Nexu squadron, Ro'vena had been studying to become a sapient rights and equities lawyer. For her to see Jorin's starving grand-daughter, who was so skinny her bones were jutting out of her own skin, and to tell Luna that she should have taken food from her? For Ro'vena to look at the destitution on the homeplanet of the Muun and the Banking Clan and not rage must have been taking all of her will. Certainly, she had changed, though that seemed to be an act. Gone was the meek, defeated street urchin, now there was a hard edged assassin who would probably kill you as soon as look at you. Who, Luna now realised, stood exactly like Mara, radiated the same energy as Mara, who looked at you and calculated all the ways to kill you, like Mara.
Behind her, Luna heard the purposefully loud steps of Hoshi coming up the stairwell, and a moment later she appeared. 'They're on their way,' she said, by way of greeting.
Luna nodded, then handed Hoshi the electrobinoculars as she settled beside her at the window. The one thing that the District 8 gang had offered and been taken up on was the use of their speeder, and Amoya had taken it to the predetermined pick up point, where Mara or another Nexu would scout and pick them up during their 17 minute windows. Luna imagined the looks on Face's face as Amoya recounted the recent change in plans, wondered what kind of story he had about That Time Wraith Squadron Went Up Against This Crime Syndicate, just itching to tell them all. She'd hear about it, soon enough, as he and the other Nexus would join them to bolster their numbers, help sell the lie of being deadly gangsters.
'Jorin's on his way up,' Hoshi said, looking into the distance with unseeing eyes. She stood and went to the door, opening it before the old Muun could knock. Luna didn't bother to turn around as he and Hoshi entered the room.
'What do you want, old man?' Luna growled.
'How did you...?' Jorin asked, surprised.
'Our master sensed your presence,' Hoshi lied to him, and Luna was glad to be facing away, for she struggled to surpress her smirk. It was a brilliant idea to make him and the others believe that Luna was the one with Force powers, both to hide the true source of the power, and to make Luna seem more imposing.
'Of course,' he said quickly. 'Please forgive my foolishness, madame,' Luna heard cloth rustling on the floor behind her, and she imagined him kneeling in deference.
'Stand up and get on with it,' she said harshly. 'I have more important matters to tend to.'
'Yes, yes, of course. I just came here because, well, I-'
'Out with it.'
'Before I knew who you were, when you were - that is, when I, uh-'
'Held us in captivity,' Luna offered.
'Yes, that. Before that. I had contacted another gang, hoping to, ah, sell you on.'
Luna turned and shot to her feet, her right arm outstretched, her hand open, and Hoshi's lightsaber shot into her hand, igniting with a snap-hisss. She swung it about her threateningly, pointing it at him. While she could see the blade, could recognise where it was in relation to her and the other objects around her, the reality is that the blade was weightless and something as simple as twirling it about menacingly had the capacity to either carve him up, or even herself, and without practice her movements looked dangerous only in their clumsiness. Not that Jorin seemed to notice. He was terrified by the sight of the blade alone. 'You dare.'
'Please,' he quivered. 'I only wish to inform you of some, ah, unfortunate turn of events where this other gang is concerned. Please don't hurt me!'
'Speak.'
'This gang - Marauders. They're called the Marauders. They're somewhat unhappy that they're losing out on,' he looked wildly about himself. 'Slaves,' he whispered, then continuing, 'and they're insisting on a slice of the wealth to come.'
'And how did they learn about this wealth, I wonder?' Luna felt herself getting into a funk, and she wasn't sure why, but it made her words more harsh than she had intended.
'I'm afraid I couldn't say,' Jorin lied. It was so obvious that even Luna could tell that, but she let it slide, sensing an opportunity.
She turned off the lightsaber, its purple hewed light leaving them in a temporary darkness. 'Tell these Marauders that I wish to speak to them. This is the only reason you're still alive.'
'Thank you, madame, thank you.'
'Get out of my sight,' she snarled, stalking back to the window, looking through the electrobinoculars once again. The suite was poorly situated in the city, surrounded by grander skyscrapers, but from their position they could just about see Hastaati base on the mountain across the valley, and she turned her attention back to studying the base. Or tried to. The funk settled on her in full force, and she couldn't put a finger on why. Hoshi, having seen the old Muun out, settled beside her, and the ache in her chest gave way to a warm feeling. She put the binocs down and rested her head atop Hoshi's. 'Is that what it feels like?' Luna asked suddenly, the words coming from somewhere inside her.
'What what feels like?' Hoshi asked, confused.
'Using the Force,' Luna hadn't thought about it before, but pretending to be able to use the Force, seeing the lightsaber fly into her hand as if she herself had called for it, felt like a special torture now. 'Feeling so powerful. You just think a thing, and it happens.'
'I'm sorry,' Hoshi said softly. 'I didn't think, it must be awful for you.'
Luna nodded, and was about to say something else when Ro'vena tensed besides them and said, 'eyes up!'
Luna picked up the electrobinoculars to her eyes, struggled for a moment to find the base in her vision. She couldn't see what caught Ro'vena's attention until she zoomed out, so that she could see more of the base, including the road leading from it to the city, where, she saw, a speeder flying down it, heading to the city.
'Time to go,' Luna dropped the binocs and rushed for the exit.
