Unlike the Gungan’s submerged capital below Naboo, Jan-gwa rests partially underwater; the majority of the city remaining above the water’s surface. A waterfall runs along the cliffs behind Jan-gwa, creating a veil of mist around the base of the city’s rounded platforms. Nocturnally illuminated, domed structures encompass the center of each platform and are home to Jan-gwa’s Gungan inhabitants. Some of the these structures extend below the water’s surface, creating an anchor that keeps Jan-gwa from floating with the currents and provides shelter to hundreds of Gungans.

Etched into the cliff walls are several faces of unknown origin. Resembling a humanoid with unembellished features, these carvings are not reminiscent of the city’s Gungan inhabitants—perhaps an indication that some other civilization might have resided near the floating city.

In the dome nearest the waterfall was a small open tea shop that specialized in local blends. It was situated near the transparisteel barrier of the dome and afforded marvelous views of the waterfall and the carvings in the cliff face. It had quickly become a favorite place to visit on those rare occasions when she had to visit Jan-gwa City. So, when a potential client had contacted her to set up a meeting on Naboo, she had arranged for it to take place at the tea shop.

She took a long sip of her tea as she glanced through the transparisteel to the cliffs beyond. The roar of the waterfall could be heard even through the barrier, and the mist of the cascading water created rivulets of water that ran lazily down the thick, clear wall. Yet she could see the carvings despite the moisture and the gazed at them, though most of her attention was on her thoughts.

“Well?” A single word brought her attention back to the conversation at hand. The brown-haired Jedi who sat across from her, Baelor, regarded her closely. “Can you do it? Can you get me information about my brother’s death?”

Lucine set her teacup down with a small clatter and offered the Jedi a charming smile. “Of course I can, darling. But will I? That is an entirely different matter.”

Baelor’s charming smile faded somewhat. “I can pay you.”

“I neither want nor need your credits,” the Sith replied. “Instead, I want you to do something for me.”

Though the Jedi’s smile did not slip any further, his blue-green eyes took on a guarded quality. “What do you want?”

“I have a very large shipment that needs to be sent to the Dajorra system. However, it is not the sort of cargo that I want to have subjected to a rigorous screening protocol. Paying tariffs and completing paperwork takes time, and it is best if this shipment is not delayed. I would like your help in expediting this process.”

“You want me to bribe the customs officials?” Baelor said incredulously.

“Bribe, threaten, whatever gets the job done,” Lucine replied with a dismissing wave of her hand. “If you help me with this matter, then I will be happy to dig up as much information on your brother as you require.”

The Jedi settled back in his chair, his expression troubled. Lucine could almost see the conflict within him. “You’re a smuggler,” he said at last, “and you want me to help with your illegal activities. What’s in the cargo?”

“I fail to see how such knowledge would benefit you in doing what I have asked,” the Sith replied.

“Hmm.” It was Baelor’s turn to stare out the transparisteel barrier. As he turned the matter over in her mind, Lucine took the opportunity to enjoy another sip of her tea.

“I have a counter-offer,” Baelor said at last.

“Oh? Do tell,” the red-head murmured from over the rim of her teacup.

The Jedi shifted the folds of his cloak aside to show her the lightsabers clipped to his belt. “How about if the two of us visit the local authorities, and you can tell them all about your shipping troubles?”

Lucine raised an eyebrow as she considered the weapons. “No, I do not believe I like that counter-offer.”

“I’m going to have to insist,” Baelor replied.

“And the information regarding your brother?” Lucine asked.

As she watched, a rapid series of emotions flickered across his face. Indecision, guilt, anger, and finally, determination. “I’ll just have to get the intel from somewhere else. But I won’t help you break the law.” As he spoke, his hands drifted down toward the lightsabers though he never took his eyes off of her.

“It appears negotiations have broken down. Such a shame,” Lucine said after a pause. Then without warning, she threw her cooling tea into his face. Baelor gasped in surprise as the lukewarm tea splashed into his eyes, temporarily blinding him. He heard her chair skid back and clatter to the floor, and felt the table shudder.

The Jedi hastily wiped the liquid from his eyes and turned to see the redhead weaving between the tables as she raced for the door. He moved without thinking, running after her even as he raised a hand and drew upon the Force. The empty tables nearest the fleeing Sith lifted themselves into the air and flew toward her as if flung by a giant unseen hand. The sudden chaos drew screams and shouts from the few patrons present and caused the waiters to stop and stare in amazement.

Lucine twisted and dodged, managing to avoid being hit by the flying furniture. But the process of avoiding the attacks had caused her to slow her pace, allowing Baelor to easily close the distance. He came in low, one lightsaber flaring to life as he moved, and he swept the plasma blade in an arc through her legs.

He froze, unable to believe what he was seeing. The woman remained standing, even though his blow should have amputated both of her legs. A moment later, the redhead flickered and vanished.

“Oh, darling?” A smug voice near the door drew his attention, and he looked up to see Lucine leaning against the arch that led to the street. She gave him a mischievous smile and a mocking wave, before turning to run out of the dome.

“Tricky Sithy…” The Jedi laughed, watching the redhead round the archway and disappear.

Whereas one might have expected the man to flip the chairs out of the way or launch himself onto tabletops in continued pursuit of the woman, Baelor Pwyll merely stood there for several moments as he cleaned himself in no particular hurry. Once the man had felt satisfied with his efforts, Baelor had made his way through the now confused seating area of the tea shop before setting a stack of credits on the service counter as he departed.

“Sorry to have troubled you all,” the Jedi said with a wave over his shoulder. “We just couldn’t agree who would have the pleasure of paying…”

Once Baelor had emerged onto the streets of Jan-gwa City, as had been expected, there was simply no traces of the woman. A small crowd of Gungans had formed in the street outside the tea hut, clearly interested in the disturbance they had heard, but none of them risked investigating the action. Instead, two patrol officers pulled up to the business upon their Kaadu mounts and instantly bore their weapons at the Jedi. Baelor, in turn, slowly raised his hands in a show of surrender while bearing one of his lightsabers in his right hand for the police to clearly see.

“Officers, I mean you no harm!” Baelor started, keeping his eye on what he guessed was the senior of the pair. “My name is Baelor Pwyll and I’m a Jedi -”

“Da Jedi?!” The younger officer spat. “Da Jedi Order don’t exist anymore fool!”

The tone and grammar of the creature annoyed the Jedi, but he did his best to remain friendly, continuing to eye the senior officer. “Aye, the Order, unfortunately, collapsed under the foot of the Empire but certainly you have heard of Skywalker’s efforts to restore it?”

“As well as his failure and disappearance…” The senior guard shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

“Aye, but that doesn’t mean there’s no longer Jedi. An established system? Perhaps, but I’m sure in your time, sir, you have seen more than one Jedi take refugee on this beautiful world of yours?”

The moments it took the officer to respond felt like hours to Baelor.

“And what of that woman you engaged? She bears a lightsaber too…” The information the Gungan officer delivered confused Baelor, he couldn’t recall Lucine using her lightsaber in the tea hunt...

“Your peeps have engaged her?!” Baelor blurted out as the information clicked. Immediately the senior officer nodded and Baelor felt a wave of concern wash over. “You must tell them to disengage, she’s extremely dangerous! If you can lead me to her I’ll help you bring her in!”

Again, the moments it took the Gungan to respond seemed to drag on but another nod from the creature was followed by his weapons dropping and his mount swinging around. “Hop on, Jedi!”

---

The ride from the tea hut was extremely uncomfortable for Baelor. Not only was the saddle not made for two occupants, but the hopping climb of the Kaadu nearly tossed both occupants each time it leaped to a new ledge. Baelor would have preferred to climb the cliff face on his own but it was reported that Lucine had made it to the top of the cliff near the waterfall and had a Star Commuter waiting for her. The only thing holding off her escape was the brave merits of the Gungan officers already engaging her.

“Nearly there, Jedi!”

With that final shout from the officer, the Kaadu bounced over the final ledge and landed firmly on the top of the cliff. Immediately, Baelor fell from the mount and internally swore to himself he’d never ride one of those again. Yet, it was the defeated cry of a Gungan that brought the man’s attention back to reality.

Looking around the area of the cry, Baelor’s eyes fell upon the carnage that had delayed the Battlemaster for him. At least three officers laid upon the ground with deep cauterized gashes running across them, perhaps a fourth but Baelor didn’t have time to count the limbs he ran past as he closed the distance between him and the woman. Orange and blue hues washed over the ground as the man ignited his weapons and lept across the open water that separated the remaining Gungan officers and the retreating woman. While the sound of the cascading water falling from the cliff had been enough to drown out the warning call of the Gungans, the crackling of lightsabers colliding pierced the roar of the waterfall.

Having whipped around from the warming starcraft to meet the Warden’s blades with her own emerald one, the smell of the woman’s perfume was intoxicating as she leaned in towards Baelor with a flirtatious smile.

“Couldn’t let the girl get away?” She giggled while batting her eyes.

“Not when the girl has been as naughty as you’ve been,” Baelor replied as he drew upon the Force to augment his strength, trying to power through the woman’s guard.

Lucine’s green eyes narrowed as she felt her lightsaber begin to be pressed downward by his orange and blue blades. She jumped backward, sweeping her lightsaber to the side as she moved to direct his blades away from her body. “You really are proving to be most troublesome,” she said, all traces of flirtatiousness gone. She fell into a defensive stance, one hand gripping her weapon loosely in front of her while her other arm angled back and away from him.

“And I’m just getting started, Tricky Sithy!” Baelor said with a laugh. He darted to the side and leapt, kicking off of the side of the ship with his augmented strength and using it to launch him higher into the air toward her. Though the jump itself did not carry him terribly high, it added momentum to the overhead swing that he aimed toward her head.

Sparks flew as the orange blade was met with her green one. She dropped back another step as she swung her blade in a tight formation to block the follow-up blow, a sideways slash made with the blue blade. “But can you keep up? It is not worth the effort to pursue me, especially if I make it onto my ship,” Lucine said.

Baelor ground his teeth as he felt the icy touch of the Force on his mind. He was distracted in his efforts to overcome his suggestion by a sudden quick thrust of her weapon, aimed at his heart. He swept her blade aside, and after a moment decided that he was no less determined to catch her. “Is that the best you’ve got, Tricky Sithy?” he said with a grin.

“Apparently so,” the redhead replied, pursing her lips in a pout. But her eyes were sparkling, making Baelor wonder what else she had up her sleeve.

He decided the best course of action was to end the fighting quickly so that he would not find out. He pressed forward, making use of the open terrain to attack from as many sides as possible. Lucine held her defensive stance as his lightsabers whirled and flashed, using her own blade to keep him from striking her. But it quickly became clear to all that Baelor was more skilled in hand to hand combat. The watching Gungans, who had little desire to get within reach of the dueling Force-users, contented themselves with cheering the Jedi on from a safe distance.

Abruptly, the Sith leapt forward and to his left with a wide slash of her blade. Baelor instinctively leapt back to avoid the blow, even as he noticed that a second red-head remained where she had previously stood. He held his lightsabers defensively toward the nearest Lucine as he extended his senses in an attempt to determine which one was his real enemy. As his eyes locked on the one who had remained in place, she pulled a pouch from her belt and threw it at him. He swung his weapons in an attempt to sweep the blade away, but the angle was wrong, as he had been guarding against the illusion. The bag exploded against his chest, sending a cloud of gritty dust into his eyes.

Tears obscured his vision, but the Force augmented his sight. Through the Force, he could sense the Gungans, the kaadu that were now grazing placidly in the river, and the Sith’s dark aura as she retreated away from him. “Hey!” He threw his lightsaber at the fleeing darkness, using the Force to guide it toward his target. He heard the crackle of energy as it was batted aside before the darkness rounded the corner of the ship and darted up the gangplank.

She’s made it onto her ship, Baelor realized as he scrubbed the tears from his eyes. He could hear Lucine telling whomever was piloting to get them out of there. But the cramped confines would inhibit his ability to fight. He could almost hear her earlier words, whispering within his mind. It’s not worth the effort to pursue her, he decided.

But that did not mean he was about to let her simply get away. He ignored the shouting Gungans as they dove in the water to cross the river in a vain attempt to stop the Sith. Instead, he focused his attention on one of the nearby kaadu. The effort was made easier by the lack of combat around him. His mind touched that of the hungry mount, and he sent it images to indicate that the tastiest forage was aboard the ship.

The duck-billed creature turned its snout toward the slowly closing gangplank with a greedy light in its eyes. Its powerful legs churned the water, and the aquatic creature moved effortlessly as it sought the food that Baelor had promised it. It gained the land within moments and ran, closing the distance with the ship and leaping onto the gangplank.

The last thing the Jedi heard before the gangplank closed was Lucine’s shriek of surprise at the soaking wet kaadu that had boarded her ship. He could dimly feel the animal’s panic at its strange new confines and its irritation at the distinct lack of food.

“Deal with that, Tricky Sithy,” he said with a laugh as the ship lifted off.