Rain pulled her hood further down over her eyes, her gaze scanning the sleazy bar repeatedly. It was mostly occupied by Trandoshans, with only one or two other species present. She sat at a table by herself, a drink in her hand. She hadn't touched it of course, but it occurred to her that it might be strange to be seen sitting in a bar by herself if she wasn't even going to drink. Then again, if she was unfortunate enough for someone to pay sufficient attention to her to realize that she hadn't once raised her glass to her lips...

You're getting paranoid again, Rain, she silently chided herself, No one in this scummy bar is going to care about just another weirdo sitting in a corner by herself.

It had taken her days to come this far, to find the right place, the right crowd to set her on the path to finding Mira. She half wondered if the Jedi Council were missing them at all.

They've probably already shrugged us off as necessary losses, Rain thought bitterly. Always be ready to throw your companion under the bus if it comes down to it. That's what they taught me. Screw them.

After Rain had arrived back at the Temple from Felucia, she had learned that the battle there had been lost, forcing Master Kenobi and his forces to retreat. She had inevitably been summoned to the Jedi Council Chamber, where she had listened to Kenobi recount the tale in a manner that had cast a most unfavourable light on her. She had subsequently been confined to the Temple...again. Of course, she hadn't let that get in her way. At the first opportunity, she had gathered up everything necessary for the trip, snagged a ride, and headed on her way.

Upon her arrival at the forest planet of Trandosha, she had spent the first few days flying from village to village before finally tackling the major cities. What ensued was a venture much like the one she'd experienced on the lower levels of Coruscant; it seemed no matter what planet one was on, there would always be 'lower levels,' the kind of places where the most disreputable of characters could be found. Rain had wandered into the darkest alleys in the deepest pits of the capitol in search of that dubious crowd, until she had found it. She had moseyed from bar to bar, parading around in her lingerie in an attempt to loosen some tongues. She figured she would better blend into the crowd wearing almost nothing rather than wearing her Jedi garb. The outfits had certainly come in handy so far, warming the throng to her and enabling her to ask the questions that needed to be asked. She had picked up little tidbits of information here and there, but piecing it together was a headache. From one drunken idiot she would hear mentions of a shady movement to aid the Separatists, from another she would hear hints of ongoing slave trafficking. If anything, she seemed to be learning more about Trandosha's political divide. While all these subjects were equally alarming, it was the mention of slave trafficking that had grabbed her attention. Unfortunately she hadn't been able to learn anymore on the subject at the time, but she did bump into someone later on who seemed to know more about it. And as a bonus, he was actually sober. Rain had hinted to him that she might be interested in buying, and though he looked surprised, he was quite cooperative. He answered most of her questions, such as when the most recent incoming shipments had occurred as well as a vague description of how the process worked. He pointed her in the right direction in finding someone to conduct 'business' with, and now here she was, sitting in the corner of a bar, waiting.

"Expecting someone?" a voice hissed.

Rain looked up, revealing her face to the speaker. She recognized him in an instant, as he did her. It was one the Trandoshans from Felucia, one of Mira's kidnappers.

His eyes widened at the sight of her, and a startled hiss escaped him, "You! How?"

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Rain didn't answer. For a split second, all she could do was silently picture in her mind's eye the image of her sister being dragged away in a net like a trapped animal. Rain felt a renewed anger spilling through her, bringing her to her feet in the blink of an eye. She tapped into the force, picking up her table and slamming it into the reptilian being before her. He was thrown backward, the table splintering and cracking from the force of the impact. A few screams erupted nearby as all eyes turned on the source of the ruckus.

"Hey, no brawling in here!" the barkeep protested, "Take it outside!"

He may as well have not spoken at all for all the good it did. Rain advanced on the stunned Trandoshan sprawled on the floor. He scrambled to his feet and swung a clawed hand at her, only for her to duck and send him flying back with another force push.

A hushed whisper immediately spread over the bar, "Jedi!"

Several customers got up and quietly made for the door, determined to have no part in the squabble, while others got up from their seats and closed in around Rain with menacing purpose.

Not good.

Rain thought fast, trying to come up with a way out of her predicament. It was too late to walk out, and she wouldn't even if she wanted to. She wasn't going to let Mira's kidnapper slip through her fingers after all she'd come through to finally find him, but there was little chance she'd be able to hold her own against the crowd. Most of them were Trandoshans, and she'd lost to just one in the past.

Come on, Rain, you don't have forever.

She stayed where she was, not moving a muscle, her eyes trained on the Trandoshan picking himself up off the floor for a second time. He met her gaze, realizing with evident satisfaction that the tide had been turned in his favour. He charged at her and she dodged, only to be swiped at from behind as the mob boxed her in. Rain cursed under her breath.

Things aren't going to be pretty.

As Rain drew on the force again, all the tables in the room started to rise. For a moment, they hovered there, producing several alarmed mutters and stares from the throng. Then, with a flick of her wrist, Rain sent the tables raining down on the surrounding hostiles. There were roars and hisses of anger, and multiple Trandoshans directly attacked some of the airborne tables. It was taking Rain an immense amount of concentration to keep all the tables off the floor, and she could feel the drain on her energy. She took a few deep breaths before sending a second wave hurtling toward her enemies. She forced the Trandoshans back, trying to create an exit for herself.

Chucking furniture at them isn't going to be enough, Rain thought as a heavy weariness began creeping over her, I need to take them out of the picture completely without killing them.

An idea hit her and she dropped the tables in a heap on the heads of the Trandoshans, watching as they fell comically in a tangled pile of limbs and bodies on the floor. Rain reached her hands for the ceiling, shaking away her tired feeling and forcing herself to focus. Cracks started running through the roof of the building as it sagged lower and lower. With a tremendous crash, it fell, pinning the mob down and covering the bar in debris. Rain waved away a cloud of dust, coughing and searching the room for any stragglers. The only Trandoshan in sight was the open-mouthed barkeep poking his head over his counter. At the sight of Rain gazing directly at him, he ducked behind the bar again.

"Sorry about that," Rain muttered, striding over to the heap of rubble partially covering the mob of mostly unconscious Trandoshans.

She felt claws digging into her leg and she leapt back, startled. Looking down, Rain spotted her intended target trapped under several fellow Trandoshans, trying desperately to drag himself out from under them. Feeling a sudden spark of anger, Rain gave him a fierce kick that made him hiss in pain.

"Wait!" he exclaimed, "Don't kill me!"

"Then tell me what you've done with Mira!" Rain snapped, digging the heel of her boot into his neck.

He choked, struggling to speak, "Mira? Oh, your look-alike! She was sold to some Zygerrian slavers here on Trandosha."

Rain's heart skipped a beat, her eyes widening in dismay, "Sold? Where exactly?"

"I can give you the coordinates. Just promise you'll leave me alone after this. Tangling with a Jedi is bad for business."

The Trandoshan gave her a crooked grin and Rain narrowed her eyes coldly.

"Deal," she said unsmilingly, "Now those coordinates, please?"