In her dazed state, Joan and 32 had already run out. It wasn't until the very end that she realized the masked man in the trench coat was actually Amir.
The roof began to shake the instant Amir raised his hand. He hadn't noticed her, and the shockwaves from his use of the Force had destabilized the rooftop!
Milisen scrambled to her feet. As she tried to flee the unstable structure, someone grabbed her from behind and lifted her up.
"Huh? Varela!" Milisen thought a member of the "Dead Hand" gang had grabbed her, but when she looked back, it was Joan's droid assistant, Varela.
"Hehe, little Milisen, it's dangerous here, you know." Varela smiled. She then leapt into the air, clearing five or six meters to land on an adjacent rooftop that was much more stable.
"Joan and 32 were down there just a moment ago. They've escaped now, so let's go help them," Milisen said concisely. She wasn't worried about Amir.
"Does Dr. Joan have the item?" Varela asked.
"Yes!"
"Follow me!"
Varela stood up straight and swiveled her head left and right a few times, as if confirming something, before sprinting off in a specific direction. Although she was fast, Milisen managed to keep up.
"Do you know where she is?" Milisen asked as she ran.
Speaking didn't seem to slow Varela down at all, so she chatted as they moved. "We both have tracking devices installed. I just need to scan briefly to locate her."
"Are you and Amir's group all Jedi Knights? I heard people at the port say the Jedi were extinct. And when they talk about Jedi, they seem a bit resentful. I figured it might be the aftermath of the Imperial Inquisitors coming here to hunt Jedi years ago."
Milisen didn't know how to respond to that.
"Sorry, I'm talking too much. It's just that there's never anyone to talk to in the laboratory," Varela continued. "Dr. Joan speaks very little; she's always focused on researching machinery and experimental samples alone. I'm not a creation she's satisfied with, so she keeps researching. But I'm happy just being her assistant."
Milisen couldn't help but feel sympathy for Varela. If she didn't have Mona to talk to, she wouldn't be able to stand being alone in a laboratory either.
"I think you're great. You don't look or sound like a robot at all. Dr. Joan must like you if she kept you around," Milisen said comfortingly.
"Thank you, Milisen." Varela sounded delighted. "I hope the item we get this time can help the Doctor achieve her goal."
At this, Milisen grew curious. When she heard Amir and Kahalman talking before, she assumed Dr. Joan's goal was simply to build a robot that looked human. But after seeing Varela, she wasn't so sure. This big sister was already just like a real person; what else was there to research?
So she asked, "What exactly is Dr. Joan's goal?"
"I'm not sure myself. The Doctor rarely talks to me about it," Varela replied. "But based on her research, I suspect she wants to create a mechanical lifeform capable of growth."
"Growth? A body made of machinery can't grow up!" Milisen asked in confusion.
"Haha, not physically, but mentally. Just like normal life, it could think and grow independently through time and experience—maturing from a child into an adult, and eventually into a wise sage. Aside from that, the Doctor seems to be researching something about 'souls,' though I can't quite comprehend that concept yet."
"Oh." Milisen looked thoughtful. She seemed to recall Amir saying that a bad guy's soul was sealed aboard the Traveler. Tsk, tsk, how scary.
As the two leaped and ran across the rooftops, they suddenly heard the sound of blaster fire ahead.
"Over there!"
Upon getting closer, they saw Joan firing back over her shoulder. Chasing her were two figures wielding red lightsabers.
"It's the Imperial Inquisitors!" Milisen shouted.
Varela evidently recognized them as well; she immediately drew the blaster pistol from her waist and opened fire. Her aim was incredibly precise. It was clear that Joan had put a lot of effort into combat capabilities during the design process—both for herself and Varela.
The Imperial Inquisitors had keen senses. Hearing the shot, the Fifth Brother twisted his arm, bringing his lightsaber behind his back to deflect the blaster bolt. He then turned around, glaring coldly at the two interlopers.
Suddenly, the Seventh Sister shouted from the side. The Fifth Brother turned to look and saw that Joan had ducked into a nearby "rat run."
The Fifth Brother had no idea what a rat run was.
Seeing the thief disappear into the gloomy alleyway, he instantly grew anxious. If she really escaped, finding her again would be a hassle. This was Nar Shaddaa, not Imperial territory; he couldn't just mobilize an army to cordon off the area.
With that in mind, he ignored the two meddlesome children behind him and charged straight into the rat run.
"Joan went into the rat run. What should we do?" Milisen asked.
"Follow me, I know the rat runs! I always use them when I'm out selling things for the Doctor." Varela jumped down from the roof, and Milisen followed close behind.
. . .
Elsewhere, Amir ran out of the plaza and looked at the myriad of streets, unsure which direction to take. A teenager standing at a street corner suddenly spoke up. "Are you a Jedi? I saw you outside..."
Amir didn't answer him. He intended to use the Force to confirm 32's location.
Seeing that the helmeted man wasn't responding, the boy pointed in a specific direction. "If you're looking for the people with red lightsabers, they ran that way."
Amir looked at him. This boy was likely a pickpocket for the Dead Hand gang; he didn't know why the kid wanted to help him. Amir nodded in thanks and ran down the indicated path.
But he had only taken a few steps when he spotted something near a corner ahead. The assassin droid that was supposed to be guarding Nurul was sneaking away, clutching a box in its hands.
The moment he laid eyes on the box, Amir sensed a fluctuation in the Force coming from it. It felt similar to a Jedi or Sith holocron, but the nature of the Force within was chaotic and difficult to determine.
Come to think of it, after the battle had started—aside from the shot that interrupted Lindsey's spellcasting—he hadn't seen that droid at all.
Amir suddenly felt that the item inside this box was the relic they had been struggling to find. Joan and the Imperial Inquisitors probably hadn't realized they were running themselves ragged for a fake. Now that he had left the hall, Amir finally had a chance to contact Joan.
Amir didn't hesitate. He followed immediately while sending a communication request to Joan.
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