Star Wars: Interregnum

IC: (Stray Tach)

Kyra looked over her glass toward the two men just a few seats down. She didn't recognize either of them, though one of them seemed to be troubled. Probably another veteran. There seemed to be a lot of them around the Outer Rim. That much made sense, though she couldn't tell yet which side he was on. Was he a rebel like her? Or perhaps a Stormtrooper no different from the kind she would have happily gunned down only a few years ago. One of the other patrons was starting to talk to him. She stood, moving a few seats down towards the two men.

"Hey," she muttered. "You two look like you've had a bad day."

Meanwhile, the Togruta remained at her position. Tashka watched as the others began talking, but felt reluctant to engage herself. She wasn't exactly in the mood for talking anyway.

IC:

"Nope, I'm a man working on getting something off his mind." Liare commented, holding up his drink (as if in toast) before taking a long sip. It actually was pretty good, and he could tell from the very taste that it was just strong enough for what he wanted. He glanced sidelong at the man to his left, giving a wry grin. "Easy mistake, though. The similarities are astounding. Until I'm drunk texting my boss, then it's pretty clear which is which. Appreciate the thought, though."

Aaaaaand that was when a woman closed in from his right, causing the human to lean back so he could look at them both.

"Man, I haven't been this popular since I was in school."

OOC: Okay, so I guess this next part will be lighter in tone than my usual writing, and incorporate some humor. 

IC: (Layna, Lifeday Inn)

Viseria wasn't kidding about Nadia. Only a few minutes and already the Twi'lek's snoring made it hard for Layna to her herself. 

"So how exactly do you plan on-" Viseria cut herself off. "Maybe we should go talk outside."

Layna nodded, the two women stepped out of the room, shutting the door behind them. It was at least somewhat quieter, even though Nadia's snoring was somewhat muffled through the door.

"Your friend seems to be loud. I wouldn't want to go to a slumber party with her."

Viseria smiled. "She's kept a lot of Vulkars awake," she said. "Anyway, she really could use some sleep. It's been a rough day. You really should get some yourself. You've only been on Taris for a few hours and already you're tracking down a rogue novatrooper."

"I know," Layna said. "I'll get around to it eventually."

"So what exactly is your plan for meeting this Rebekkah?"

"Well, there aren't many floors in this building. That increases our chances of being put on the same floor as her. I could bribe the receptionist to give us her room number, but that's probably not going to do much good. She's obviously going to be prepared for unwelcome visitors and I'd be lucky if she doesn't shoot me the moment the door opens. We'd stand a better chance if she came to us?"

"And how exactly do you propose to do that?" The Miraluka asked.

Layna paused and thought. "Do you think she'd come over if some of her neighbours were particularly... loud?" She motioned toward the shut door. Viseria paused, thought, and then turned toward the bounty hunter.

"You've got to be kidding," she said.

"Well, if we seem like a couple frustrating guests it could work, or a frustrating guest."

"You aren't seriously suggesting we use Nadia's snoring to make her come over here to complain about the noise?"

"Can you think of a better way?"

Viseria sighed. "This has got to be the dumbest bounty hunting strategy I have ever seen. Do you seriously think this will get her attention. We'd be lucky if the receptionist doesn't get overwhelmed with noise complaints and kicks us out."

"Do you know anything better?"

"Other than don't waste time trying to find this person who obviously doesn't want to be found?"

"Yes?"

"Then no,"

"Exactly,"

"What if Nadia wakes up before Rebekkah arrives?"

"Than we'll need to get her drunk?"

"You haven't seen her drink, have you?"

"No, I haven't?"

"Some kind of drugs, then?"

"Okay, are you seriously talking about drugging my best friend so that you can use her snoring to lure in a rogue novatrooper who you think may be able to do something for you? How do you know she won't just ignore it?"

"I don't," Layna said. "But it's the best idea I have, even if it's a really stupid one."

"I just hope this works," Viseria muttered. Layna placed her key card into the slot and the door opened. 

"So now what?" Viseria asked.**

"We leave the door open so the noise gets around." Layna stepped into the room, "Then we just have to wait."

Viseria groaned as she sat down on one of the beds. Layna stepped into the washroom, grabbing a bowl and filling it with warm water. She stepped back into the room, placing it on the nightstand next to Nadia's bed. She gently reached for one of the sleeping Twi'lek's hands, carefully lifting it in order to avoid waking her, before moving it towards the bowl.

"Seriously?" Viseria asked. "You're doing that trick?"

"Oh, it's a classic. We used to do this on our instructors back at the Imperial Academy."

OOC: So yes, I have officially come up with the worst bounty hunting technique in the universe. Now on a more serious note...

IC: (Stray Tach)

The Togruta stood and made her way towards the three other patrons at the bar, pulling a seat next to the strange man. She did just offer to buy drinks for them so it didn't seem too much trouble to sit near them as well. They didn't look like Beks, so she probably didn't have to worry about any of them attacking her, not that she wouldn't be able to deal with it if they did. 

IC (Tallik Vao, Lower City streets)

 

"Of course. Arguably, though, the best sight you can get of Taris is from space...moving away from it, if you catch my drift. Are you looking to see that particular view?"

IC:

It was a relief, to say the least, to find some like-minded beings occupying at least some corner of the galaxy. Even if that corner turned out to be a rusting swamp of a planet that most glossed over without even realizing it. "I like how you think, Vao."

"Not quite yet," Rav added after a moment. The Twi'lek was correct, though. Transport was going to be an issue, to put it lightly. The Inquisitorious had probably already attempted to go through his crashed B-Wing's flight computer. Not that they would find very much, but if the planet wasn't already on lockdown it soon would be. A planet like Taris might have unregulated traffic flowing freely both to and from the system on a daily basis, but the Imperials were startlingly good at picking out what they wanted from the mess.

He'd deal with that eventually, priorities first.

"What are the bars around here like? A friend said they'd meet me groundside."

IC: Jenth

"Sounds good to me," Jenth agreed, nodding enthusiastically. She stood up from the bar stool, which admittedly didn't really improve her stature at all, before extracting some credit chips for the mountain of a bartender.

"Thanks Sue!" the mechanic chirped, placing the chips on the counter.

IC:

Near the back of the Stray Tach, partially obscured by the bulk of a Herglic spacer seated at the table before him, sat a nondescript being. His species was impossible to determine, as he was clad in a full set of navy-blue armor that looked as though it originated from a Planetary Security Force four decades ago, complete with blast visor and helmet, his proportions were mostly human however. An untouched drink, a rather bland Neimoidian liquor, was perched at the table, though his attention was fully on the holozine he held in a gloved hand.

He was, for all intents and purposes, just another mercenary passing through the systems. Of course, there was the fact that he was strategically placed to watch the entrance through the transparent news medium he was holding, and the drink was coming up on a few hours old at this point.

OOC: Okay then, it sounds like we've got a mystery person to deal with.

IC: (Tashka, Stray Tach)

The Togruta did her best to wait patiently for her order. It didn't really matter to her what she received at this point, or the others for that matter. She just preferred something strong. From the looks of things, it didn't appear the others were having a particularly great day either.

The Togruta's attention was momentarily drawn toward the back of the cantina. There was a strange man present there. At least it looked like a man, it was hard to tell under that uniform. He seemed to be focused purely on a holozine, and ignored the drink in front of him. That was strange, but there didn't seem to be any reason to suspect anything. He didn't look like he was associated with the Beks or any other major street gang on Taris. Something was odd about him, but there didn't seem to be an immediate need to engage. After staring at him for a moment, Tashka turned her attention back toward the bar. 

IC (Vanndred, The Stray Tach):

Watching Jenth leave, Vanndred slurped the last of his drink. Was this what he wanted to do, truly? Maybe he had lost his touch. Maybe he had gotten slower. Such a thing would get you killed fast if Vanndred was going to return to his normal life. Before, he had the resolve of a man fighting for his people behind him. Now? His body was corrupted, and he was going to fight to stave it off a little longer. He threw one of the pieces of ice from his empty drink into his mouth. He didn't have much of a choice; on Taris, unskilled labor was probably going to get him killed in a nasty way, and he wasn't going to stoop to doing anything blatantly illegal like taking out hits. No, if he was going to go out, he would do it while scrubbing out a little more scum from the galaxy.

The Chistori's jaw crushed the ice cube, and he stood up from his booth, making his way through the crowded bar. He put a credit stick on the counter, performing a last survey of the cantina. "Thanks for the service, Sue. I know it's not a big tip, but I'm going to start taking some... lucrative business ventures, so you can expect some bigger ones in the future. I'm going back to what I'm good at."

OOC: Okay, something weird has been going on. Layna's plot has somehow gone from dealing with her sister's murder to pulling pranks on Nadia while she's asleep. I guess a little comedic tension never hurt, especially as things should get back to being more serious soon enough. Hopefully, I'll hear from Peele soon and then people will be able to take Layna seriously again.

IC: (Layna, Life Day Inn)

Nothing yet, though then again what could one have expected? They were dealing with a rogue novatrooper, she probably wasn't going to come over immediately. It would probably take some time for her to get frustrated enough to come over to their room to complain about a neighbor's snoring. That was assuming of course she could hear it, which they didn't have a definitive way of identifying. So far Layna's trick of putting the sleeping Twi'lek's hand in warm water had yielded some minor results, which she found somewhat amusing. Even Viseria smiled upon seeing the embarrassing prank. 

"So do you really think that we can attract Rebekkah's attention with her snoring?" Viseria asked.

"I'm not sure," Layna replied. "Assuming she can hear it, than my hope is that she will eventually get angry about the noise, come over here to complain, and then I can introduce myself."

"I still think this idea is extremely stupid. The other bounty hunters will probably laugh at you if word gets out.

"Well," Layna said. "I'm not like other bounty hunters."

"Okay, well if you're going to play a joke on Nadia while she's asleep, at least give it some class."

The Miraluka stood and walked into the bathroom. She stepped out with a bottle of cream. "I'm not sure what this stuff is, but a lot of hotels like to use it."

Layna chuckled.

"Okay, I'm going to need you to gently grab her hand."

Layna reached for the snoring Twi'lek's hand, pulling it out of the water bowl and placing it back on the bed. Viseria approached, taking a large amount of cream and placing it onto her palm.

"That should do it," The Miraluka whispered. 

IC: (Tashka, Stray Tach)

The Wookie Bartender seemed to be busy. No doubt he... or was it a she? For most other races it seemed impossible to tell. Anyway, the wookie had heard her, but at the same time there seemed to be a lot of orders. Aside from the small group of individuals forming further down the counter, there was a number of people of all different races seated in different areas. Some occupying booths and others at tables. That made it all the more strange that one patron could stand out. Then again, whoever that person was, they were obviously hiding something. The Wookie would probably need a few minutes to prepare her order anyway- once they got to it. 

Tashka stood, walking away from the counter, and she moved toward the small booth where the stranger was seated. She looked around at some of the other patrons. There were a few Beks sitting at one table, but they seemed too drunk to pay any attention to a Vulkar like Tashka. She also saw what appeared to be a tough-looking Chistori walking out of the bar after making a deal with a young human female. 

Finally, she walked up to the booth where the strange man was sitting and staring at the Holozine. It was strange; he looked like he may have been watching the door, but his order seemed untouched.

"Excuse me," Tashka said as she approached. "You do realize that Nemoidian Brandy you're drinking probably went stale three hours ago, right?"

OOC: I figured someone had to do something with this new visitor.

IC:

There was silence over Rebekah's earpiece.

"Perhaps," came the voice, as though it had finished attempting calculations in its head...or wherever Dana did all her/its main computing. "You have to understand, the technology in that IFF has its roots in starship technology. How it was scaled down to work for stormtrooper squads is beyond my purview. I do not create or destroy, NT-081...Rebekah. I merely direct. I can direct you on a speeder chase halfway through the planet in my sleep, were I capable of sleep. I cannot tell you how to fix your speeder bike if it breaks down, though."

A note of hesitation hung off the end of the statement.

"...I could still try."

-Tyler

OOC: Okay, this has been going way too long. When I joined a Star Wars RPG I did not expect to be spending three consecutive posts describing someone's snoring.

IC: Nadia's snoring was getting hard to manage, and Layna was getting all the more impatient.

"Okay, this isn't working," she said. 

"Told you," Viseria replied. The bounty hunter walked over to the sleeping Twi'lek and nudged her slightly.

Nadia groaned as Layna nudged her. "I don't want to feed the rancor..."

A few seconds later, Nadia was starting to wake up. She sleepily began to roll over, moving her outstretched arm towards Layna and hitting her. Layna paused as she realized that was the hand that Viseria put cream onto, and now it was all over her face. The Miraluka burst into laughter.

"I never said the prank was for her," Viseria said as she looked at Layna.

The sleepy Twi'lek sat up, somewhat surprised. Her pants seemed somewhat damp. It only took a moment of looking at the bowl on the nightstand to figure out what happened. "Seriously?" She asked. "Did you at least find your rogue novatrooper?"

"We did not," Layna said. "It was worth trying, though."

"What was?" Nadia paused. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me."

"That's what I said," Viseria replied.

"I'll have to figure something else out," Layna said. "I could talk to the receptionist, see if there's another way of reaching her. I can take it from here, anyway. If something goes wrong, you two probably don't want to get caught in the crossfire."

"Okay," Nadia said with a smile as she stood. "I think I need to get some coffee."

The Miraluka opened the door and stepped outside, followed by her friend. As soon as the door was shut, Layna approached the small holoprojector and contacted the desk. In a moment, the image of the receptionist appeared before her.

"Hey," she said. "That woman I was asking you about earlier, is there any way I can leave her a message."

"She seemed a very private customer," the receptionist's voice replied.

"I know. How about two hundred credits for the call?"

There was a pause. "I'll give you the number to send a recording."

"That'll do."

A moment later, Layna had received the number for one of the other rooms. She hit the record button and began her message.

"Hey, Rebekkah Fell. Yes, I know who you are. In my line of work it's hard not to hear about the high prices offered to the rogue Novatrooper. The Empire itself has offered a lot of money. On Nar Shadaa one of the Hutts offered a reward of three thousand credits and a free pen in exchange for your capture. Fortunately for you, I seem to be the only bounty hunter who knows you're on Taris. Now before you panic, I'm not here to kill you. I just want to talk. I believe we may have a common enemy, and we're both interested in finding answers. If you are willing to hear my offer, come to my room after you hear this message and we can discuss it further."

With that, Layna stopped the recording and sent it to the given number. Now all she had to do was wait to see if Rebekkah would accept her terms.

IC:

"It would be safer to hold off I think, then." The Novatrooper said, after a few moments of careful deliberation. It was a simple decision; if the attempt went awry, the armor would be in a less operable state than it started in. The benefit would be significant, but so were the risks. The reward did not outweigh the risk for the moment. "If you find yourself with the time and resources to obtain schematics, then perhaps it will be worth it. Until then-"

The normally inoffensive beep of a received message cut her off, and Rebekah fell silent. The beep itself, while irritating, was a nonissue. The issue was that she should not have received a message. Only one person knew where she was, and the service desk would have no need to send a message in this fashion. She practically sprang from her seated position, crossing the the device in a few long strides, and triggering the recording. Her somewhat neutral expression fell into a deep scowl at the second word.

"We have a problem." She said simply, slipping the DT-57 she had just finished cleaning into its holster and pulling her jacket back on. "I have been made. A bounty hunter. Claims to want to talk. Almost certainly a trap, but one I can handle. Leaving this Inn so soon after she was asking about me will only look suspicious. Nor can we afford to leave a trail of clues. Better if we can resolve this without abandoning the Inn, or the alias."

"So," A few more long strides brought her to the door, which she slipped out of quickly and easily. The bounty hunter was adjacent, so she paused only a moment before continuing. "I'm going to spring her little trap. In the event that we have to abandon both, I think we both know how you can delay the hunter. I will speak with you again shortly."

She left the earpiece in so Dana could hear, but she resolved not to acknowledge it; no need to let slip the ace hidden up her sleeve to a bounty hunter. She rapped on the door three times in succession after taking a moment to make sure the pistol was hidden under her jacket.

IC:

A faint beep could be heard over the line. Whether the sound of a droid or something more utilitarian was unclear, as no one in the galaxy currently had eyes on Dana.

-Tyler

IC: (Layna, LifeDay Inn)

It worked. Three knocks at the door. Layna may have been somewhat reckless but she wasn't stupid. Obviously this person would be prepared. It was probably best if she was unarmed. She quickly removed her trenchcoat, as that would be the easiest place to keep a weapon hidden (as well as the only place she did have a weapon hidden). Carefully, she walked over toward the door and opened it. 

Obviously, Rebekkah had changed her appearance, though Layna could see a faint trace of resemblance to the image that had appeared on her warrants.

"Rebekkah," Layna said. "You made it. Come in. Don't worry, I'm unarmed. You can search me if you want. The only weapon I have is a blaster, and it's in my coat." She motioned toward the trenchcoat on the bed. "Now you should probably come in before you're seen by anyone who wants to collect. Don't worry, I'll explain everything."

IC: (Nadia, Taris Lower City)

Viseria took a seat outside a small coffee shop. Her Twi'lek friend still didn't seem to be fully awake. Nadia's eyes did almost start to grow heavy once, before she snapped out of it. The Miraluka placed an order for two coffees, which were delivered a few minutes later. Nadia quickly took a sip of her coffee. It did seem to be just what she needed at the moment. She had after all been drinking a lot the past few days. Slowly, she was starting to become more alert.

"I guess we didn't find Rebekkah," Nadia said. She was still trying to understand what had happened. It hardly took Viseria long to recount what happened between when the Twi'lek had fallen asleep and now.

"So now what to we do?" 

The Miraluka smiled. "We need to relax," she said. "What do you say after coffee we go get the swoop bikes out? The big race is starting in a few days."

Nadia smiled. Doing something normal for once would have been a nice change of pace. At least, something that didn't involve getting mixed up in Imperial affairs. At least Mia had done her best to avoid dragging them into Imperial politics.

That was when Viseria looked up. She cursed.

"What's wrong?" Nadia asked.

"Dorq Joben's here," Viseria said.

Nadia quickly swore in Twi'leki. Of course, at the worst possible time one of the Beks had to show up. Joben was a nasty young woman, and unfortunately she was also one of the Beks' most prominent riders. It was people like her that gave the street gangs a bad name.

"Well, well, well," Joben said as she approached the two Vulkars. Behind her were three Beks; an Aqualish, wookie, and a Mon Calamari  "If it isn't our favorite crybaby from the Vulkars."

Nadia began to grow tense. Viseria had to grab her arm.

"What's the matter? Don't have your Imperial friend to protect you anymore?"

Nadia was growing even angrier. Viseria was clutching her arm. "She's trying to provoke you."

"Oh, you're going to cry," Joben said. "If not here, than you will when I whip you at the swoop races. I hear some of your Vulkars got hurt after you faced our last champion..."

Nadia almost stood, but Viseria grabbed her hand. "Don't do it."

"Oh yes," Joben said as she turned toward Viseria, a chuckle in her voice. "What are you going to do? Use your magic eyes to keep your friend in her seat?"

"You think just because your dad won a landspeeder race you can get away with anything?"

Joben laughed. "See you around, losers," she said before turning and walking away.

Viseria turned toward Nadia. No doubting that their rival was good at finding words to hurt them. Nadia was obviously tense. Viseria gently released her grip on her hand.

"It's okay," she said, trying to stay calm. "You know she's just trying to upset you."

"Yeah," Nadia replied.

"Let's finish our coffee, then we'll head back to the base and get our bikes. A few runs around the track would do us both some good."

OOC: Bonus points to anyone who can recognize the inside joke I slipped in there. Also, Nadia is open to interaction.

IC:

 

It was a relief, to say the least, to find some like-minded beings occupying at least some corner of the galaxy. Even if that corner turned out to be a rusting swamp of a planet that most glossed over without even realizing it. "I like how you think, Vao."

 

"Not quite yet," Rav added after a moment. The Twi'lek was correct, though. Transport was going to be an issue, to put it lightly. The Inquisitorious had probably already attempted to go through his crashed B-Wing's flight computer. Not that they would find very much, but if the planet wasn't already on lockdown it soon would be. A planet like Taris might have unregulated traffic flowing freely both to and from the system on a daily basis, but the Imperials were startlingly good at picking out what they wanted from the mess.

 

He'd deal with that eventually, priorities first.

 

"What are the bars around here like? A friend said they'd meet me groundside."

IC (Tallik Vao, Lower City streets)

"Seedy planet, seedy bars," Tallik replied. "There's a few good ones, though. The Hive'd be one of them, but I doubt they're open for business right now."

He shot Cylund a glare.

"Besides that, the best place around here is the Stray Tach."

IC (Raia Veyura, junkyard outskirts)

Veyura winced.

"I'm amazed you'd let that man near a shaken can of Turbofizz, let alone military-grade munitions."

IC: 

"Hey, Kaz is fun," Costa said defensively. "You're a psycho that spikes the coffee makers with fear gas. I still like you."

-Tyler

IC: (Nadia, Taris Lower City)

As the Twi'lek finished her coffee, she reached for her credit chit. That business with Dorq was annoying, but at least she'd run off now. In the meantime, it was a good moment to go do something mundane.

"So what do we do now?" Nadia asked.

"I'm not sure," Viseria said. "It may be a good idea just to go back to the Vulkar Base."

"Yeah," Nadia said. "We go to the track later and practice."

"Maybe later," Viseria muttered. "I don't think I have the energy for swoop riding at the moment."

"We could go get a drink," Nadia said.

"Yeah, I suppose a drink wouldn't be too bad now," Viseria muttered. "Of course, do try to restrain yourself this time."

IC: (Tashka, Stray Tach)

So far, the stranger seemed to ignore her. Either he wasn't in the mood to talk with strangers, he was committed to watching the door, or that was a really good holozine he was reading. In any case, there was no real need to draw his attention any further. True, his drink would be disgusting if he left it out any longer, but that was hardly her concern. She turned back toward the counter where the wookie bartender was serving and took a seat.

"Hey," the Togruta muttered. "What's with that guy in the back? That Nemoidian Brandy has been sitting for several hours and he hasn't touched it."

OOC: Tashka, Nadia, and Dak are open for interaction.

IC:

"I do not need you to explain anything." Rebekah said curtly, triggering the mechanism to close the door while she stepped inside. The room wasn't dissimilar to her own. Bed, upon which the aforementioned trench coat was resting. Bulge in one of the pockets indicated where the pistol was likely concealed. Scale of bulge indicated that it was not likely to reach the classification of heavy pistol. No easy places to conceal backup, and no chance that the hunter was concealing any armor of significance under her clothes. The window on the far side of the room was the only point of suspicion. Dana had booked her room on the side without easy viewing, but it was still possible for a sniper to set up shop on an opposite building. Difficult. But possible.

So after her analysis, and once she had set foot in the room proper, she took up a position on the wall opposite the bathroom. No possibility for anyone to get the drop on her from the restroom, and no suitable firing angle from the window. She had control of any potential avenues for attack.

"What I need is for you to cease the use of my name immediately, I can guarantee you have tripped half a dozen Imperial Intelligence surveillance watchlists in the past thirty seconds. Then you need to offer up an excellent reason not to kill you very, very quickly. You have made the questionable choice of making it known that you have compromised my cover. I am not in the business of permitting liabilities to live." The rogue soldier crossed her arms across her chest, coincidentally bringing one of the explosives tucked up her sleeve into easy reach. If the situation called for it. "I am not an unreasonable woman, but you have created a situation where some very extreme measures are very justifiable."

"Bragging about one's capabilities is unprofessional. Suffice to say that if you do not have an excellent reason, you will be dead very shortly. If you are exceptionally lucky and survive, I will be gone and you will never find me again. So I would get to talking."

IC: Layna took a deep breath. This was a moment she had been prepared for, but to actually see a woman she had heard so much about in person, it was a whole other matter.

"Yes, of course," she finally said. "Zam, wasn't it? That's the name they gave me at the desk."

No doubting the Rogue Novatrooper was prepared for just about anything, the way she was keeping away from the windows to avoid a non-existant sniper. Gaining her trust was not going to be an easy task, and with good reason. The fact that Rebekah seemed to have one or two weapons hidden up her sleeves didn't offer much comfort. It was definitely a good thing she wasn't trying to collect the bounty because otherwise she probably wouldn't have even made it this far. She was struggling to stay calm, also with good reason. She took a seat on one of the beds and tried to work up the nerve to speak.

"I guess I should introduce myself" she started. "My name is Layna Arkada. You've never seen me before, and there's a good reason for that. While I've heard a lot about you; it's hard not to hear talk about the high price of the rogue novatrooper; I also knew trying to collect on you was out of my league. You've eluded the Entire Imperial Force. What chance does a small-time bounty hunter like me have of taking you down? If I tried to kill you, I'd already be dead. If I tried to get you alive, I can't see any way I'd be able to keep you long enough to deliver. I am a bounty hunter, but I mostly deal with small-time jobs; petty crooks in large part, and the occasional assassin. While I'm sure others would find the reward tempting, I'm not prepared to take the risk. The only reason I've taken the time to meet you now is because things got personal. I'm not here to kill you. I'd like to help you."

Layna paused, taking a moment to compose her thoughts. "I believe we have a common enemy within the Empire. Of course, so far I've only heard the official version of what you did. They say that you tried to plant a bomb at a meeting of the council of Moffs only to fail due to a technical error. I imagine your account is probably different. At any rate, I'd like to propose a partnership. You've got the Imperials chasing you, and you're going to need all the allies you can get. I haven't been on Taris long, but I've got contacts, and I'm not so likely to draw unwanted attention in public. I am ready to do whatever I can to help you disappear, get off Taris, or anything that can get you ahead of the Empire. However, in return, I'm going to need you to do something for me."

Layna paused. What she was about to tell Rebekah wasn't exactly an easy thing to say, especially to someone she knew she had no chance of besting if she was attacked.

"Yesterday evening, there was an Imperial expedition to one of the planet's scrapyards. I wasn't able to find out much other than it had something to do with recovering information from a downed B-wing. They were attacked by a group of scavengers, and so far as I'm aware, only one of them managed to escape. She's currently in hiding, and believes she may be a wanted fugitive. Among that expedition was my sister, Mia. She was overseeing the restoration of a small Imperial Outpost when she was drafted into the mission. At the outpost, I was informed that-"

A few tears emerged. Layna paused for a moment.

"I was told she was killed in action against the scavengers. I was then told by a patrol that she was killed by some fugitive. However, I've got a witness whose testimony contradicts both accounts. She didn't see what actually happened to Mia, but reported that she was still alive after the scavengers were defeated, so she couldn't have been killed in action. She also said that the fugitive was long gone by the time they arrived at the scrapyard. I don't know what's going on down there, but my sister is dead​, and someone is trying to cover it up. You know what I think? I think she was murdered. I don't know who did it but someone who didn't want it to become public knowledge."

Layna paused again. She was visibly crying at this point, and struggling to calm down enough to speak. She finally stood. "So here are my terms: you help me find who really killed my sister, and I'll do whatever I can to keep you out of the Empire's hands. Do we have a deal?"

[Sue, The Stray Tach, Lower Reaches]

Sue was admittedly impressed with the man’s tolerance and ambition.  Maybe he wasn’t as baseline as he appeared.  Or maybe, his tolerance had something to do with that strange chill.  Maybe she should have given him the full Cassandra.

Taking his credit chit, she started making up a Corellian whiskey sour for the Togrutan at the bar, leaving the liquor for another sunrise out.  (To tell the truth, she was getting a little tired of orders amounting to “something strong,” but nothing for it.)  Before she could finish, however, the customer was gone.  Sue set the glass on the counter and waited.

The Togrutan returned in short order, looking agitated.  Well, she had the look of a street gang regular, and they always seemed agitated these days.  Sue was surprised when instead of simply taking her drink, the Togrutan proceeded to ask her about the nature of a certain customer in the back of the bar.

Her mind flickered briefly to a Nemodian brandy she had handed to one of the teenage durese servers earlier that night.

She looked at the young women sideways, her growl coming out with as slight edge.

“First,” said TK, hovering beside Sue.  “I would like to know how you know how old that drink is, considering you came in her a minute ago.  Nemodian brandy isn’t the most flavorful thing in the galaxy, but it’s 90 proof.  It’s not gonna really mind being left out.”

Sue briefly shifted her attention to Vanndred as she took a credit stick from him, raising her hairy brow a bit at his last sentence.

Then she turned back to her customer.

“Second, if you cared to look behind that Herligian spacer for someone strange, that means you were looking for someone strange.  I don’t advise such behavior in the future, especially if it involves directly interrogating said strange person.  That’s the kind of curiosity that will get you on the wrong side of blaster pistol.  What other people do is their business.  You can’t know everything.  Drink your whiskey.”

Sue went back to making another Sunrise for the man, who at least now looked like the alcohol was getting to him.

IC: Tashka remained silent. Sue had a fair point. As strange as the man was, there wasn't much need to press any inquiries. She was probably getting paranoid, street life can do that do a person, especially one who grew up in a warrior clan and moved to a planet like Taris. She quickly picked up her drink and took a sip. For her purposes, it was good and strong. Enough that she could momentarily forget about her problems in the streets. As she placed the drink on the counter, she looked at the wookie bartender. That man further down had already ordered a second drink, and he may have had a point in doing so. She kept her credit chit ready for a second order.

For now, the Togruta tried to enjoy the drink she had. She was halfway through her current drink when she finally decided to speak. "Those Beks are getting worse every day," she muttered, not really paying attention to whether anyone heard her.

IC:

"I did try to kill the Moffs." The dark-haired woman stated bluntly, regarding the bounty hunter quietly. At this point, it was rather clear she didn't intend to collect the bounty; there are certain displays that are difficult to fake, and genuine grief was one of them. More importantly the story lined up with what Dana had reported to her, and explained the sudden diversion of Imperial forces. This, however, was a mess she was not sure she wanted to get tangled up in. "The report does not state why, but its report on my actions is completely correct."

"If I help you, in any way, I will need certain pieces of information. The details of her mission. There would be a mission report filed that can be accessed. What I would need from you is not help in evading the Empire, I have that from other sources. What I would need is a ship off world, and a captain that won't ask too many questions."

A pause.

"And at any sign of trouble, I will make you regret double-crossing me."

IC:  "All I can say is what I've been told, though I do have a witness who can offer a more detailed account of what happened. According to her, there was a fugitive who crashed a b-wing into a junkyard. The mission was apparently supposed to be a matter of retrieving data from its computer, though why such as fuss was being made about this ship is beyond me. She didn't know exactly why either. She did, however, give me a name; Sgt. Raltz. According to her, he is a dark trooper who was at odds with Mia throughout the mission. They spent a lot of the mission arguing and the last thing she saw was Raltz jumppacking in Mia's direction. At that point, she received orders over her comm to get out of the scrapyard and find a place to hide. Raltz already has a possible motive, and from what my witness described, it sounded like he wasn't above murdering an officer he hated. I don't know if he killed her, but he had something to do with it."

Layna paused. "As for a ship, I'll have to see what I can do. Based on those stormtroopers at your apartment I'd say it's safe to assume the Empire at the very least suspects your presence here. Fortunately, word doesn't seem to have gotten to the public yet, otherwise I probably would have had some competition finding you. No doubt the Empire will be watching the space ports..."

A few vague ideas were starting to form, though Layna didn't fully understand them yet.  "On the other hand, I wouldn't be as likely to draw suspicion. If they even knew who I am, most of the Imperials on Taris respected Mia, and would probably be willing to do things for to show their condolences. Failing that, a few credits should be able to persuade most of them..."

She wasn't sure exactly what she was getting at yet, though it seemed like an advantage they could put to good use.

"I could start by talking to some of my contacts. There's a lot of criminals on Taris, probably a few who have figured out ways around Imperial Protocol."

IC:

"Your sister was not murdered. She was executed." The Novatrooper stated bluntly. She had started putting together the pieces at the mention of this Arkada's death, but the additional details confirmed it. Dana had mentioned that an Imperial officer had been killed by a spacer in a junkyard, a spacer the Insight was performing a manhunt for. Anyone within the Empire knew the ISD Insight was the Inquisitorius', and anyone in the know knew their reputation. Arkada was apparently killed in a junkyard by a fugitive. The pieces fit together easily. If Arkada had done something to earn their ire, they would have had no problems executing her. Or pinning it on the spacer. "That was an Inquisitorius mission. Whoever they are hunting, they are not just a spacer. That would not earn the Inquisitorius' attention."

"Your sister may have been killed by their fugitive, it would not be hard to believe at all. Your eyewitness saw nothing of value whatsoever. Troopers do not mutiny, Dark troopers in particular. If this Raltz killed Mia, it was not for personal reasons. Therefore the eyewitness testimony is worth next to nothing. Your conflicting accounts can easily be explained by the unreliability of rumor, the most likely explanation being that she was indeed killed by this fugitive." A pause. "Or the Inquisitors killed her for getting in their way. Given their modus operandi, also possible. In which case there is absolutely nothing you can do. Their actions will be backed by the Empire, if they're even acknowledged."

"No, I will not tell you how I know any details of your sister's mission. What you do with your vendetta is up to you. But I am not going against Inquisitors. End of story."

IC:

"See? This is better."

The comment, from the mouth of a mercenary very happy to be back in her real clothes and not that ridiculous uniform, certainly showcased a unique point of view. Namely the view that the more chaotic, unclean, and unsafe habitat of the Lower City was more comfortable than that of the Upper. Skri Menerre walked down the street, stretching her back idly, and muttering under her breath as she considered each bar that she passed. Most did not meet her apparent standards.

"This is where all the good bars are. Not the arrogant Upper City ."

IC:

The roguish-looking Core Worlder at Skri's side managed to keep his eyes dead ahead, eschewing their typical rolling at his captain's brusque declarations of love for Lower City squalor. He took another guarded look through the streets and slung one arm around the mutt's shoulder to give off a more casual impression. It tightened - along with the dry smile that spread along Reo's face.

"You've spent too much time slumming it. I remember the bars my dad used to take me to on Alderaan. Spacers back then still knew how to keep things clean." Reo's arm tightened around Skri, either protectively or agitatedly. This was the basis for their relationship. "I know it may not make a lot of sense to you, love, but some people in the galaxy go to bars for drinks, not vibroknife fights."

-Tyler

IC: Layna struggled to stay calm, though it was hard not to cry at the moment. She had not exactly expected to hear good news, but learning these possible details of her sister's death weren't much comfort. She didn't entirely see how Mia being executed was any different from her being murdered, but she was also not entirely thinking clearly.

"So what then?" Layna yelled out as she stood. "We just walk away? We stay out of this now and let the nerferder who was willing to look my sister in the eye and shoot her get away with it?" 

Layna was acting somewhat on impulse at this point, and didn't totally understand what she was saying. It was true that Rebekah had offered some valid points. Even if she was willing to do anything more than she had, how would they find the real killer? Of course, that didn't do much to ease the overwhelming grief.

"Whoever it is, I want to make them pay for what they did to her. I want to find them and kill them, just like they did to her!"

As she started to come back to her senses, Layna fell back onto the bed. She was still crying. How could she not be? Her sister was dead and there was almost no chance of finding the killer, at least not at the moment. 

IC (Nokon Raine The Stray Tach): The large Inquisitor grumbled to himself angrily as he took one of the few active turbolifts upwards, towards the top of the city where they had arrived. He'd gone down after splitting off from the group, assuming that their prey would have gone into hiding among the rats the littered the darkness below. Instead, he'd found nothing but scattered gang members, fighting over meaningless bits of turf and outdated and broken tech. Some had been foolish enough to try and take his coat, and he had taught those whelps the meaning of fear. Unfortunately, though he had enjoyed the distraction, he hadn't found the pilot.

As the doors to the lift slid open, Nokon squinted at the sunlight, raising a gloved hand to block out the offending beams as he stepped onto the walkway. He needed a drink. A quick interrogation of one passerby pointed him to a nearby bar, They Stray Tach. Looked like a dive. Nokon wasn't going to complain. He stepped across the street and shoved at the door with one hand, striding inside and looking around. He let out a small sigh as his gaze settled on Liare, apparently also back from his assignment. He was the only one here that he knew, however, and he needed information on what had been going on. Striding up to the bar, Nokon nodded to the Wookiee barkeep, butting into her conversation just a bit. "Excuse me. A Coruscant Cooler, please?" He said, sliding a credit chit across to bar to her. Taking his drink a moment later, he turned and walked to where Liare was sitting and sat across from him.

"Fancy seeing you here. You'll be pleased to know that I had no luck whatsoever with the hunt. I wonder if you fared any better?"

IC (Roka Zale The Stray Tach): Zale cursed loudly to himself as he stumbled up a couple flights of stairs, looking at his communicator to check the time. He had long since passed the time he was supposed to meet his contact, his stupid drive had taken him the wrong way and gotten him lost, so now he couldn't even trust his own head! Finally reaching the top and standing in the sun, Zale sighed and looked around. By some force of sheer luck, he found himself near the very bar he was supposed to meet his contact at. Three hours ago. Maybe he was still there...?

Zale walked up to the door and slipped inside, ducking behind a huge man and looking around the bar. Nobody matching his contact's description stood out to him... He sighed and counted out a few small credit chits, deciding he at least had enough for a drink to calm his nerves. What he found was a bottle of Corellian Whiskey still on the bar nearby the Wookiee bartender. She seemed to be kind of busy... He counted out a handful of chits and set them on the bar next to the bottle before taking the booze and walking away, hoping that the money he'd left would be enough. He turned to walk away before nearly tripping over... What appeared to be his contact. A small Bothan with an eyepatch and greasy fur, glaring up at him. "You're late."

Roka blinked in surprise at this turn of events, trying to process this strange turn of luck. "Um... Yeah, sorry about that. I kind of... Got lost--"

"Don't care. Follow me." The Bothan said, turning on his heel and making for a dark corner of the bar. No wonder Roka hadn't seen him, the corner, it was practically as dark as deep space and twice as oppressive. The pair sat across from each other and the Bothan began to speak in low tones. "You're %@&$ lucky I need this cargo moved, boy. Else you'd be out of luck and on your way with no payout. But as it happens, this cargo needs moved, and I mean yesterday. So here's the deal. For making me wait, you take a hit on your cut. You take what I tell you, where I tell you. And then you don't do business with me again. I don't need this kind of lazy unprofessionalism."

Zale stopped mid-drink, thinking over the terms. This sounded shady, even for him. But on the other hand, he had made the Bothan wait, for what amounted to no reason. And was drinking during their business meeting. And had nearly tripped over him. So really... "What am I hauling and where?"

"Good man." The Bothan said, sliding a holopad across the table. "You're taking... 'Stimulants.'" Roka slumped in his seat more, the Bothan meant drugs. The one thing Zale had promised to never run again. And now he needed money. "I have contacts in the Corellian system, they'll distribute it. I'm just the supplier. They'll give you your payout too, what little of it you'll get after this."

"Of course..." Roka said, already suspecting who the dealers might be. "Sounds standard. And I assume you'll take care of the permits and everything else?"

"Like a professional." The Bothan jabbed snidely. "Since it's so late though, the soonest I can deliver will be tomorrow at some point. Same customs officer as the one you met on the way in. Roka agreed to the terms reluctantly and after going through a few more details he shook on the agreement, gave his ship detils, and was left alone at the bar to drink his bottle of whiskey.

IC: (Stray Tach)

Finishing her drink, Kyra left a credit chit on the counter of the bar before she stood and began to make her way toward the door. There wasn't much to do here beyond making her way back to her apartment.

IC: (Stray Tach)

It had undoubtedly been a rough few days for both. Nadia was quickly approaching the Stray Tach, Viseria not far behind. It was true they had been drinking a lot recently. In fact, amidst everything that happened, there were a lot of things that hadn't happened. For one thing, they hadn't eaten. The Twi'lek had managed to take a short nap at the Lifeday Inn, but otherwise they hadn't slept much either. Those were both things that probably needed to be rectified as soon as possible.

Nadia was definitely feeling a strong emptiness in all of her stomachs. While Viseria had proven not to require as much rest as some of the other Vulkars, she hadn't gotten much sleep at all, and she also hadn't exactly eaten anything. "I'm hungry," she muttered. "You hungry?"

Nadia smiled. "Of course. I feel like I could eat a sarlacc. We should see what there is to eat while we're here."

"Good idea," the Miraluka said. "Let me do the talking this time."

The Twi'lek stepped in quickly, followed by her friend, who stopped upon entering the cantina. She was looking stressed, and overwhelmed by something.

"Are you okay?" Nadia asked as she approached the Miraluka.

"I... think so," Viseria replied. "He's here."

Nadia turned toward the bar. Sure enough, she noticed her old buddy Liare sitting there. He was talking to someone as well, a tall and very imposing human. His presence didn't seem to be doing much good for Viseria's feelings. The Miraluka seemed reluctant to go in. Nadia approached her, wrapping her arms around her shoulders and trying to comfort her.

"Okay," she said. "Why don't we get somewhere in the back?" She noticed a Bothan stepping out of the cantina, apparently coming from a darker spot in the corner, in which the only occupant was a young man drinking a bottle of some kind of whiskey. "That should work," she said. "Let's get a seat over-"

Nadia performed a double take as she looked toward the counter. There was a Togruta seated at the counter. It only took a moment to recognize the distinct appearance of fellow Vulkar Tashka. The Togruta had noticed them as well. She quickly turned toward them, taking her drink and standing as she approached. 

"Nadia," she said. "How's the swoop race going?"

"Fine," Nadia said. It was probably best not to get into everything that had happened while other people could hear. The three women sat down at a table in the dark corner, a few feet away from the stranger who was drinking by himself.

"This is unusual, normally you're at the front."

"Well," Nadia said. "I'm not sure we trust those two." She motioned towards the two men at the counter who were talking.

"I've got a bad feeling about them," Viseria muttered.

"That's okay," Tashka said. "I'll order you two something."

"Something strong," Nadia said. "And I wouldn't mind something to eat."

The Togruta stood and approached the bar. "Hey," she said to the wookie bartender. "A few friends of mine just arrived. They're kinda shy and didn't like the crowded space here so they've taken a seat in the back. Do you think you could bring us a starshine surprise and some Arkanian sweet milk? Maybe a couple of appetizers as well. Thanks."

The Togruta turned back toward the table.

"It's been a strange few days," the Togruta said as she sat down.

"Where were you when the Wookie attacked?" Viseria asked. "You probably could have saved a few of us from getting hospitalized."

The Togruta dodged the question quickly. "These Beks seem to be getting worse all the time. Earlier today three of them tried to gang up on me in the street. I managed to easily take them down, of course."

"What is up with that gang, anyway?" Nadia muttered. "I ran into one of their riders earlier, and she was nasty. Almost provoked me into beating her up myself."

"I don't know," Tashka muttered. "It looks like they may be attacking Vulkars on sight now. Or at least some of them are."

IC: (Layna, LifeDay Inn)

Layna was slowly starting to come to her senses. Obviously she'd been under a lot of emotional stress. It probably didn't do much good that she had only been on Taris for a day and hadn't slept at all, nor had she managed to eat anything. Still, she didn't feel tired, and she didn't feel hungry. She wiped a few tears before speaking again.

"Obviously," she stammered out. "I'm making a terrible first impression. I don't know what I was thinking coming here so I'm sorry I wasted your time."

OOC: Tashka, Kyra, and Nadia are open for interaction. I do have a new PC on the way who I hope will be able to develop Kyra's story more, and it will give the RPG a droid (something we don't seem to have much of). Hopefully I'll be able to introduce her in my next post, but first I got to wait for the approval from M31.

Sen Fahl-The Stray Tach

IC: "You guys still looking for that spacer who robbed you?"

It seemed that this crew was filled with vaguely scary people of all sorts of types. At least Sen assumed the man with the fill and this newcomer were part other same crew.

IC: (Stray Tach)

The Miraluka was getting noticeably tense. She was trying to stay calm but that didn't seem to be easy.

"Are you okay?" Nadia asked. Viseria nodded. "I'm fine," she muttered.

Nadia looked back towards Liare. He seemed to be talking to someone, a much larger and very intimidating man. 

"You know that man?" Tashka asked.

"Yeah," Nadia said. "Yesterday, I ran into him. Then he showed up at the Vulkar base."

Tashka paused, quickly remembering that incident. She hadn't actually seen the man who arrived herself but had definitely heard of his arrival.

"Yesterday I found him here as well. Something about him seemed to be bothering Viseria, and I can't say his companion is making him seem any more trustworthy."

"Who are they, anyway?" Tashka asked.

"He said he was a trader who was looking for someone who robbed him. I didn't think much at the time, but he did mention something about a downed b-wing. He also came looking for Dak just before we learned of Mia's death."

Viseria was becoming more tense. There was something about those two that was hard to explain, but she could feel it. She had been maintaining that she was okay, but she seemed nervous. "We need to go," she said, quickly standing up and walking towards the exit. 

Nadia stood as she followed her fellow Vulkar out the door, Tashka behind them. The Miraluka had bolted out quickly enough. The Twi'lek followed almost immediately, putting an arm on Viseria's shoulder. "What's the matter?" She asked.

"I don't know," Viseria said, somewhat panicked. "There's something about those two men. I can feel it." There were a few tears from under her hood. Nadia approached her friend and wrapped her arms around the young Miraluka, who let her head rest on the Twi'lek's shoulder. It wasn't too surprising. Something about this place hadn't worked with Viseria. She had been experiencing these feelings the last few times they had visited, only now they seemed to be stronger. It made Nadia feel like such a fool for not realizing sooner.

Tashka approached the two as Viseria started to calm down. "Look," she said. "I know you're upset about that officer, but the two of you haven't been in great shape lately. Have you done anything other than try to drink yourselves to death?"

Nadia paused.

"The Beks are causing enough trouble as it is. You both look like you haven't got enough sleep, and have you eaten anything? The last thing we need is you two getting sick and being unable to ride, or to take care of yourself if any of the Beks try to attack you."

She had a fair point. Nadia was feeling hungry, and Viseria probably could have used some rest.

"Let's get back to the Vulkar base," Tashka said. "There should be some food there. How much sleep have you gotten?"

"I took a nap earlier," the Twi'lek said. "I don't know, probably an hour or two. I don't know that Viseria has slept much at all."

"Then you two should get some rest. Come on."

The Togruta walked down the street away from the Stray Tach, leading her fellow gang members in the direction of their base. "These streets are getting dangerous. I know we never were exactly on great terms with the Beks, but they seem to be actively hunting us now."

OOC: Nadia and Tashka are both open to interaction. Kyra as well, and Dak. Actually, I think I've only got two who aren't open for interaction, mainly because one of them is already in the middle of something and the other is still waiting for approval. Anyway, I'm trying to leave room open for interaction if anyone is looking for some.

IC (Vanndred):

Vanndred tried his best to give Sue a smirk before leaving the bar. He made his way through the crowd of aliens to the exit. They were all aliens to him; he hadn't seen another chistori in years. Not since he had been dropped off on Taris. He ached to see his home colony again, but he wouldn't survive two months... not with the virus pulsing through his veins. There were a few chemicals that set it off; most alcohols, for one. But without special bacta treatments, it slowly reacted to his body's physiology. His body temperature dropped, and methods to stabilize his body temperature became less and less effective. Now, Taris was a far cry from the jungles he had evolved in, and this urban jungle was lacking in proper sunlight... or places to bask in. Instead, a few industrial-grade heat lamps did the trick.

While he mused on his fate, Vanndred had already left the Stray Tach and had made his way to his apartment. It was a shabby place, certainly; trouble with a local streetgang, but they left Vanndred alone, usually. They bothered him a lot less after he had broken the arm of someone they sent to collect protection money. "I am not the one that needs protection here," Vanndred remembered himself saying as he threw the youth out of the building. Tapping in his keycode was muscle memory at this point, and he stepped into his apartment. Muggy, certainly, but he liked it this way. He didn't bother unholstering his blaster, since he was only home for a moment. Decoration was non-existant; mattress on the floor, scavenged terminal connected to the holonet, a few heat lamps, a pile of unread holozines (though the most recent issue of Gundark's was in... he'd have to read up, if only to see if there were any locals posting reviews. Some acquisition was always stupid enough to post a review on illegal equipment), and a few crates that held clothes and the like. He pulled out one of these; his armor.

Normally, when he wasn't wearing it, he'd have it mounted or stored on a stand; with his dwindling funds, he had just thrown the entire suit in a box. He pulled out the helmet; a flood of memories came over him. First holding it, donning the complete armor for the first time, taking it off to wretch after his first hunt. Taking it off for what he thought was the last time. Unlike most humanoid helmets, his suit helmet was in two pieces, connected only by the covering that made up the base of the suit. Constricted the jaw when shut, but provided excellent protection... and could be unfastened for the Chistori's hinged jaw to move freely. To talk, to eat... to bite. Layered plasteel and durasteel, over a polymer heat-retaining bodysuit, with heatcoils that could regulate the body temperature of its wearer. Those didn't work, currently, but the suit itself was still fully functional as a suit of protection. Vanndred's mouth twiched, and he tossed the helmet back in the box and sealed it. He could reminisce later; right now, he had an appointment. Hoisting the box, Vanndred backed out of his apartment. The door sealed behind him as he shifted it to his shoulder, easily hefting the weight.

The public transit from his apartment to Jenth's workshop wasn't ideal, but nobody bothered him. The few questions he had received had been silenced with a snarl. After finally finding it, he rapped on the door with his free hand.

"Jenth? Vanndred here, with the stuff I need fixed."

OOC: I keep trying to find interactions, but I'm not having much success. I've tried messaging a few people about possible options but I never seem to get any responses. I guess it's possible that a lot of people are really busy at the moment (not an unreasonable assumption this time of year) and haven't had time to reply, or there aren't really any venues for interaction open at the moment.  I know there isn't really anything I can add to the b-wing plot at the moment, seeing as that is largely confined to the Taris scrapyard and none of my characters have any shot of getting there at the moment.

IC: (Nadia/Tashka, Tarisian lower streets)

They were walking in the general direction of the Vulkar base. The streets were crowded, but that didn't matter. Tashka seemed to be appropriately paranoid, constantly scanning every corner and alley they passed to make sure there were no Beks. Viseria had started to calm down, though she still wasn't exactly in the best of moods. 

The walk to the base was largely uneventful. It did not take long before they could see its door. That was when Nadia's attention was drawn towards a group of men who were approaching. One of them was also a Twi'lek, although he was blue. The other was a human with a distinct beard and long hair. Nadia paused, staring for a moment. No, it couldn't be...

She easily recognized the two of them almost immediately. Though she had not had the chance to meet either of them, she had definitely seen them before. After all, she of all people would be able to recognize a fellow swoop champion in Cylund Calrissian. She may not have talked with him before but she had seen him at the track and heard about his reputation. The Twi'lek on the other hand, was someone she had also seen doing repairs at the racetrack, though he had proven himself to be better known as a duelist. No, that couldn't be...

"Is that who I think it is?" Nadia asked, motioning towards the new arrivals.

Viseria turned toward them. "Is that... No, it couldn't be."

Nadia smiled. She approached the two enthusiastically. "Hey," she said as she approached. "Are you Talik Vao?"

OOC: I hope I'm getting these two correct. I went over the profiles you wrote and it sounded like Cylund and Talik were both people who would be fairly well-known around Taris. The former's profile also mentioned that he's made a fairly successful swoop racing career, so I figure if anyone's going to recognize him it would be a fellow swoop champion. The latter also sounds like the kind of person someone who has spent their life on the streets of Taris would have heard a few things about.

IC:

"Calm." Rebekah commanded, forcefully but not without sympathy. It was easy to understand where the bounty hunter's reaction was coming from, given the strong emotions associated with this matter, but dealing with them was another matter entirely. She felt for the younger woman, but there was no connection there. Both of these Arkadas were strangers, the living one simply wished to seek her out in order to avenger her sister. A matter that, while Rebekah was perfectly willing to give as much information as she could, she had no intention of getting involved. Staying alive was easier when your head was not up in the air for a sniper's bullet. "Under these extenuating circumstances, your first impression is understandable."

"By all means, stick to your vendetta. Your sister should be avenged, though she would have been an enemy of mine. Play, however, the long game. Rushing in blindly will get you killed, and killed quickly. You do not seem an awful sort, so do not throw that away."

IC:

"Hey, big guy. No, no luck here either." Internally, Liare cursed. Very loudly. And profanely. He had to hope that Raine could pick up on some nonverbal cues, or his cover story was blown. He turned to Sen, shrugging just a little. "Yeah, no luck so far. Spacer probably went to ground, sold our cargo already. But we're still looking around. The boss went with the hired help to check some things out, Raine here and I have been checking around the Lower City."

"Well, when I haven't been drinking."

IC: Layna nodded, before quickly sniffing. It was hard not to cry, but Rebekkah did have a point. She stood, and staggered into the bathroom. Grabbing a cup, she filled it with water and took a long swig of it. She took a few deep breaths before stepping outside. 

"I'm sorry," she said. "I've only been on Taris for a few hours and already I'm getting mixed up in Imperial politics. Mia always seemed to be the responsible one. I haven't even slept in that time..."

She paused, sitting down on the bed. "I guess now we've got to figure out how to get you off-world." She stopped to think. So far, she didn't have a clear plan. Mostly it was a bunch of ideas that seemed useful but she wasn't sure how to fit together.

"The Empire's probably got patrols at all the spaceports, and they'll have security checkpoints. The planet's not under quarantine, but there will be stormtroopers waiting at every possible venue for leaving. Now, I'm not as likely to draw attention. Most of the Imperial officers on Taris would have known Mia, and there doesn't seem to be any effort to diminish her reputation. A lot of the Imperials on the planet would have respected her, and probably wouldn't object to doing a few favors for one of her next of kin as a means of offering their condolences. They also wouldn't be as likely to expect the sister of a decorated officer to be aiding a fugitive. We can probably use that to our advantage."

Layna paused again, thinking. "The hard part is going to be figuring out how to get you on a ship undetected. The easiest way I could think of would be if you were hidden in the cargo, though we'd have to learn exactly what security measures have been taken. I do have at least one ally who may be willing to work with us. That eyewitness I told you about was Dak Ulgo, designation TK-4601, a Stormtrooper who served under my sister's command and so far the last known person to see her alive. When I saw her, she seemed to believe her life was in danger. She probably wouldn't object to a ride off-world either. I've also made a few friends among the Black Vulkars, who could probably get us access to anything we need."

Layna paused. She was rambling somewhat at this point, and not entirely sure how useful this information would be. "Of course, we'd also have to find a ship, which is a whole other mess. We could try and hire a smuggler at one of the local cantinas. Public transportation could work; there'd be a lot more people and it would be harder for everyone leaving to be screened. There'd be the average stormtrooper or officer but a bribe or two could probably get us past, though we'd have to make sure nobody recognizes you. Some sort of diversion would likely be needed in that case..."

IC:

"I can get through any checkpoint. I went through the spaceport to arrive, doing the same to depart will be easier." The rogue Novatrooper said, regarding the bounty hunter inscrutably. "If you know where to find a ship, you can point me in that direction. This 'Dak' can do what she wishes. I have no intention of spreading any knowledge of my presence further than that, so similarly, if your Vulkars know of a ship you can ask them. My name will not cross your lips at any point. Not to anyone."

"I have a benefactor who can aid in my departure, regarding detection. All I need is a ship and a captain who will not ask too many questions. If you can help me with that, excellent. Otherwise we part ways and you forget you ever saw me."

IC: (Layna, LifeDay Inn)

"Some of my Vulkar friends do have contacts. That's probably a good place to start. The one to speak to would probably be Gonzai; he has plenty of contacts and probably would be able to arrange something. My sister was good friends with several of its members and gave them a lot of business, so they'd be willing to do a favor out of respect."

It seemed Rebekkah had most of her escape figured out already. Layna wouldn't be as much use as she had initially thought. She didn't really care, though. There wasn't anything worthwhile for her on Taris as it was. Her sister was gone and there was no work to be done. Besides, if the Inquisitors were involved in her sister's death, there was no guarantee that they wouldn't come after immediate family. It would probably be best to leave Taris now before anyone found out she even existed than to stick around and become a target. Rebekkah had made her own terms clear enough.

"Okay then," Layna said. "So I could try to contact Gonzai now, or I can to back to the base and speak to him in person. Either way, it sounds like I'd be making the same basic request; I need a ship off-world prepared as quickly as possible and a captain who won't ask any questions."

IC: (Tashka,  Vulkar Base)

Viseria smiled as she watched Nadia approaching the two. It wasn't every day that they were able to run into someone of notoriety on Taris. Obviously, the two men were giving a third some kind of tour of the streets. Still, there was something about that blue Twi'lek... what was it?

Viseria was starting to become nervous again, though she wasn't likely to admit to it. Tashka placed her arms on her shoulders, turning towards Nadia. "I'm going to take Viseria back to the base. Okay?"

"Yeah," Nadia said. "I'll catch up in a moment."

The Togruta quickly led the nervous young Miraluka towards the base. The two women stepped inside. 

Entering, Viseria sat down on a small couch near the door. She took a moment to calm down.

"Is everything okay?" Tashka asked. 

Viseria nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Why don't you go get some rest now," Tashka said. "You could definitely use it."

The Miraluka smiled. 

"I'll see if there's anything to eat," Tashka continued as her friend made her way toward the sleeping quarters. Viseria quickly fell onto one of the beds.  As she tried to relax, the Miraluka found herself thinking about what she had felt earlier. What was it that kept bothering her? Something about those two men at the bar, and the Twi'lek in the street... and the Wookie bartender, now that she thought about it. It was moments like these which made her wish she had normal vision, instead of... how she was actually able to perceive things. So many questions, and no answers. For now, there was not much to be done. All she could do was try to rest.

When Tashka arrived at the bedroom, she quickly heard the soft snoring that served as the only cue that Viseria had fallen asleep; under that hood it was otherwise hard to tell. She stepped outside, shutting the door behind her to give the Miraluka some privacy. Now the Togruta needed to figure out what to do with herself. The Dueling ring seemed like a good idea at the moment. If she could get there fast enough she could probably catch the next round...

IC: (Kyra, Lower City Apartments)

The ex-rebel stepped into the small run-down apartment complex. It was hardly anything glamorous. The place had been neglected for some time. Some of the apartments in the upper city had been run-down and abandoned. In the lower city, nobody even seemed to notice them. There weren't many other residents, and generally Kyra had never bothered to talk to any of them. Most of them were either squatters or people hiding out after a wrong move resulted in someone placing a bounty on them. The small apartment suited her needs okay, though it wasn't the most cozy of places. On the other hand, it was a place she could still afford.

Kyra stepped inside. It wasn't much. There was one room with a bed, behind which was a window. On the side, there was a footlocker, not that she ever needed it. There was, fortunately, one form of comfort in this place. It came in the form of a cheerful whistle from behind. Kyra turned. In front of her was R9-G6, her loyal astromech droid. 

It didn't take much to see that R9 was an older model, but she was still in good order and functioning. Kyra smiled as she gently stroked her dome. "Hey," she said. "How have you been?"

The droid let out a few more beeps. Kyra laughed as she sat down on the bed, something she didn't do very often these days. "I see," she said. R9 seemed to be the only one who really knew what she was feeling; not surprising, seeing as they had spent years flying together.

"I guess I should see if there's any work to be done around here," Kyra. Something to keep her mind occupied would be useful. She stood and began to walk toward the door. "Come on."

The ex-Rebel stepped outside, her droid companion following with a whistle.

OOC: Tashka, Kyra, R9 and Dak are open to interaction.

IC:

"You go ahead and do that." The Novatrooper said calmly, turning towards the door and starting to leave. "If you have any luck, you know where to find me. I have some preparations, and conversations, to see to. I will speak with you at a later time."

Rebekah triggered the door, stepped out, and took the few strides down the hall necessary to reach her own door and enter. A few quick movements engaged the lock, and she was free to approach her bed. She took a seat in silence, waiting a few moments, before adjusting her earpiece a little. "I take it you caught all of that, Ms. Dana."

IC (Nokon Raine, The Stray Tach): Nokon raised an eyebrow is surprise at the man who spoke up beyond Liare. He hadn't expected the leader of this group to have struck up a friendly conversation, though thinking back it fit with the man's personality. Some kind of cover story it looked like, with talk of a spacer and cargo... He could work with it. "Ah, so that's where you disappeared to." Raine said to Liare, taking another sip out of his drink. "You'd have just held me up anyway, even if there were information to hide. The gangs I ran into knew nothing, I'm confident of that. Waste of time down there." He reached across the bar and offered his hand to the other person in what he hoped was a friendly gesture. "Raine. Seems my crewmate here has already told you a bit about what we're up to."

IC (Roka Zale, The Stray Tach): Zale sat in silence for a few moments, taking shots of the whiskey and mulling over what had just happened. Running drugs, something he'd tried to stay away from since his first trip out here... But he needed the credits bad, and he wasn't sure he could afford to make it to another planet with better contacts. This had been a risk anyway. And besides, he was pretty sure he knew where the drugs were going, and if he was right then he'd have a long talk with the people he was dropping them off to...

Eventually the smuggler kicked back from the table and turned his chair around, scanning the rest of the bar. He felt somehow uneasy about this place, but his eyes told him that it was no different than some of the other bars he'd been to, it even looked a lot better in some cases. It was mostly clean, for one thing.But he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong, and his gaze kept going back to a trio of people at the bar. Fairly unlikely, other than the fact that one of them was apparently a giant or something. Zale shook his head and sighed, it had been a very strange day regardless. he kicked back in the chair and continued scanning the bar, looking for any interesting characters.

IC:

"Yeahhh, the gangs around here really don't seem to know much about the guy. Kinda surprising. But hey, what are you going to do." Liare knocked back the last of his drink, setting the glass back down and reclining in his chair. "He'll turn up. Somewhere."

"If Veyura gets the credit, though, I'm throwing myself down an elevator shaft. Hold me to it, Raine."

IC Odiina:

Life at the outpost was uneventful.

She could go out, being off duty, but taking off her armor was more effort than it was worth right now.

So Odiina kinda just laid in her cot, helmet resting on the floor beside her.

IC: (Layna)

Layna stopped to think after Rebekkah left. She knew what to do, but that didn't make her any less nervous. She was still feeling tense, and with good reason, emotional. She did have some answers, which was a start, but finding the killer was a whole other matter, and she really needed sleep. That seemed like a solid next move: go back to the Vulkar base, talk to Gonzai, and then try to rest. She stood, grabbing her trench coat, and approached the door, opening it and stepping outside. She wouldn't be needing the hotel room anymore, although it may be good not to check out yet, in case it was needed for some reason. She made her way downstairs, and approached the receptionist.

"Here are the two hundred credits I promised," she said. The receptionist quickly took the credits. "Did you find her okay?"

"Yes," Layna said, reaching into her pocket for another chit. "We needed to clear up a few things and now we're fine."

She placed the chit on the counter. "If anyone other than me arrives asking about her, she checked out this morning."

"Got it."

Layna nodded and stepped out of the hotel. So far, things seemed to have gone okay. At least she was able to survive her encounter with Rebekkah. Now she needed to get back to the Vulkar base. Fortunately, around her transportation was easy to find. Spotting an air taxi near the hotel, she approached, handing the driver a credit chit. "Get me to the bounty office," she said. The driver nodded. Layna climbed into the taxi and tried to relax as it was lifted off the ground. 

The ride wasn't very long, though it did offer a clear view of the Tarisian streets; not that there was much to see other than the streets below, passing speeders, and towering buildings. There was no sign of the upper city at the moment. The undercity remained far below. In a few minutes, the taxi came to a stop near the bounty office she visited earlier. After paying the driver, she stepped outside. From here, it would be a short walk to the Vulkar base.

IC: (Kyra)

The ex-rebel stepped out of the apartment quickly enough, R9 following close behind. One thing Kyra didn't think of when arriving on this backwater planet was the money. She'd never received much of a pension for her service, and now there was the matter of finding whatever work was available. It was never anything huge, mostly whatever odd things she could find that allowed her to make enough money to get some food. Of course, as she had thought numerous times, she probably could make some good money selling R9... no, no she couldn't do that. There was no way she was getting rid of that droid so easily. Scavenging wasn't going to work at the moment, some incident resulted in the scrapyard being locked down, and the Empire was patrolling that area. Already there were rumors that a group of scavengers had faced massive casualties after taking on the Empire.

She could go by the local droid shop, although she was worried they'd try to buy R9 again. At any rate, the exercise was good for her, and she didn't feel like she deserved anything particularly great. 

Turning a corner, Kyra found herself standing outside a few different locations. There was a small Imperial Outpost close by. In the old days, that would have been worrisome. Now, she didn't even know if anyone remembered her, letalone recognized her as a known Rebel. Further down the street, she saw a green twi'lek, probably a gang member, talking to some other people.

IC: (Tashka)

The Togruta stepped outside the base. Her attention was quickly drawn towards the two men Nadia was speaking with, and she slowly walked toward them.

"Hey Tashka," Nadia said. "How's Viseria?"

"She's sleeping," Tashka replied. "I tried to give her some privacy."

"Good," Nadia said.

Tashka turned toward the male Twi'lek in front of her. "Are you... Talik Vao?" She asked.

OOC: Kyra, Tashka, Nadia and R9 are open to interaction. 

Lynn, if you're still looking for interaction, this may be a good opportunity. I've got five different PCs outside the outpost, You could either join Nadia and Tashka, who are meeting with some of Mel and Ghosthands' PCs, or you could join Kyra and R9, who have both arrived by chance while trying to find some form of work. There's also Layna, who is passing through on her way to the Vulkar Base. Dak's also nearby, but I'm not sure how easily you'll be able to interact with her. Basically, if you step outside the Outpost almost all my PCs will become possible options for interaction.

IC (Tallik Vao, Lower City streets)

Tallik cocked an eyebrow at Cylund.

"Are we famous now, Cy?"