morally_cryptic | [fic/rp] across the galaxy

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[fic/rp] across the galaxy

[ooc: Just prompted by a little mental image of Anakin "stargazing" that popped to mind earlier.]

On Coruscant, it was impossible to see the stars, even if one was looking out from the Council room at the top of the Jedi Temple. An unfortunate side effect of so much light from so many buildings and various forms of transport speeding around the airways. Not to mention that there was simply so much starship traffic, one likely wouldn't be able to tell the lights of ships from the field of stars behind them anyway.

Anakin had discovered this unfortunate fact not long after he came to live at the Jedi temple. He'd thought that, surely, so close to the center of the galaxy, the sky would be full of stars to see that he'd never been able to see before on Tatooine. Instead it turned out that perhaps the only thing that was better about Tatooine than Coruscant was that the desert planet was so sparsely inhabited and that the skies were so clear. Even out on the Rim, the sky was full of stars and the spiral arm of the galaxy could be clearly seen arcing across it.

He didn't try to watch the night sky on Coruscant anymore, but he still kept up the habit of at least looking for a moment whenever he found himself on a new planet. At the center of the Republic, however, he has to content himself with substitutes.

Which is why he can be found in an empty classroom surrounded by a holographic rendering of the galaxy. He's been spending all afternoon, so far, carefully marking off different star systems in various designated colors. Technically the entire exercise could be done by a computer but that wasn't Anakin's purpose in doing it. It requires concentration, but it doesn't require him to spend much effort in actually thinking so the whole activity is almost meditative.

The first batch of colored systems is simple: yellow for those that Anakin has already been to. Naboo might possibly be a subtly brighter yellow than all the rest, as if he'd lingered on that one for a moment longer than the others. He'd once told Qui-Gon he was going to see them all and certainly he had a better start on most other inhabitants of the galaxy, but it was still extraordinarily minute compared to the sheer number of systems represented on the map.

The second batch are green, signifying systems where battles of the Clone War have been fought and the Republic retained (or gained) control. Another group are blue, for the Separatist-won battles.

And finally, there's a sprinkling of red dots across the galaxy, mostly concentrated Rimward, and these are for those systems where battles are currently raging. Places he should be where he could be doing some good and making a difference. Staring at those flashes of red, it was almost enough to have him just commandeering a starfighter and heading out somewhere...anywhere. After making sure orders somehow just happened to make it through the system so that Rex and the 501st would be meeting him, of course.

But it wasn't, quite, enough. Contrary to some people's beliefs, he did have enough self-awareness to recognize that any action along those lines would likely not end well. That didn't mean he didn't still feel the temptation and it's that thought that has him swiping a hand through the starfield and systematically clearing everything out again until only dots of yellow remain on the map. He stares at those longest before they're wiped clean as well.

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"Master?" Anakin echoes, almost genuine puzzlement in his voice. Except for maybe Jedi, most people didn't refer to women as master. So did that mean she wasn't the boss after all?

The guards start directing them in the direction of the closest building, though it's still something of a walk. One gets the impression all this open space is for ships to land since there appears to be no other simple way in and out.

Some of the people give them curious glances, but none pay overmuch attention which suggests that this is both a common enough occurrence as to occasion little notice and also that the people here weren't overly concerned about these stranger who show up out of nowhere.

Anakin didn't get the feeling they were all a bunch of stone-cold sociopaths so that seemed to suggest that they weren't getting herded to their deaths, at least.

But then, where were all the others that had disappeared?

Obi-Wan is just as puzzled as Anakin, though it did make a sort of sense; the woman may have held a high ranking position in the colony, which translated to a captaincy aboard whatever ship she was assigned to, but it didn't necessarily make her the one in charge over the entire operation.

And as for the people here....perhaps they were the ones who'd been taken?

"Apparently," he replies to Anakin.

"You merchants are all alike," one of the guards growled softly. "Don't think you'd stop talkin' iffin I cut yer head off."

Obi-Wan can't help the tiny smile that tugs at his lips. If the situation wasn't serious, this would actually be kind of funny.

"If we were like all merchants," Anakin quips as he looks over his shoulder at the guard, "we'd be trying to sell you something."

Though in a way they were. Or at least they wanted these people to buy that they were who they claimed to be.

Anakin can sense the latest shove coming and so he sidesteps as if he'd turned his foot on a rock just enough that the guard's hand misses coming into contact.

"Ow," he mumbles in a rueful tone, stepping lightly on that foot as if he had actually twinged something.

"Serves you right," smirks the guard.

Good thing they're behind him or they'd be seeing Anakin's rather expressive eyeroll.

Anakin isn't the only one rolling his eyes; it's Obi-Wan's reaction to his former Padawan's theatrics. He knew Anakin wouldn't stand for being mistreated for long, but too many accidentally-on-purpose dodges like that would begin to raise questions.

They finally reach the building and are ushered inside. The room is round, with stone walls and wooden beams. The wood is an oddity simply because it's a rare building material on planets that aren't heavily forested. And from what they've seen so far, trees are scarce.

On the opposite side of the door is a large table, with a high-backed chair behind it, facing the door. To the left and right are a couple of braziers, the flames crackling heartily as their light bounces shadows upon the walls. There are a few storage containers against the walls to the left and right, as well, between the braziers, but not close enough to the fire to be in danger of anything.

There aren't any real adornments or furnishings, and the entire effect is that this is a foreman's office, or the office of a high ranking dock official.

Two people are in the room: one is woman, half-perched on the edge of the desk directly opposite the high-back chair. Her dress is reminiscent of the woman who took them captive, but her pants are brown, and her shirt is a pale blue. She has long, blond hair, that's pulled back in a high ponytail, and her skin has the deep tan of someone who's spent a lot of time in the sun. Her attention is on a data pad, which is held in one hand, while she holds a stylus to her lips in contemplation. To the right of her from Obi-Wan's point of view, standing next to the chair, is a man standing at parade rest, eyes firmly fixed forward.

The guards halt the prisoners several feet away from this new woman before taking a step or two back themselves. After several moments of silence, she finally looks up at them, a slight surprise to her expression as if she wasn't really expecting them. It doesn't take long for her mouth to quirk up into a quick grin.

"Welcome!" She greets them warmly as the datapad gets put on the desk. She stands and gives them a once-over. "I'm Jade Kylini. Welcome to my little paradise!"

Edited 2015-04-26 01:26 (UTC)

Anakin hadn't really intended for too many dodges, but he just couldn't resist at least one. Just like he apparently couldn't resist mouthing off, of course. Then again, considering how their "relationship" had begun back on the ship, it would've been strange for him to suddenly just go quietly without commentary.

The room he finds strange. They've obviously got technology, the braziers seem a little pointless. Why not just install a few lights?

Still, the woman and her...guard? Lieutenant? Husband? Who even knew? Anyway, they were more interesting than the lack of ambient lighting and he looks them both over without bothering to disguise his attention.

At her greeting, he inhales as if he's about to say something smart about her little paradise but, wonder of wonders, he bites his tongue and lets Obi-Wan handle the pleasantries.

Obi-Wan's impressed that Anakin doesn't say anything. He knows how much the silence is probably killing him, and he'll definitely ask how much blood was drawn from biting his tongue. That doesn't mean he can't channel his long-time friend, just a little:

Obi-Wan raises a brow at the greeting. "Is that what you're calling this? I must have missed out on learning one of the definitions of paradise during my youth."

The comment draws a bigger smile out of Jade. "Kista warned me about you two."

"Is that so?" Obi-Wan replies, filing away the name and tagging it to the face for later. "And what, pray tell, did she warn you about?"

"That you two leaned more to the defiant side of things; said you gave her quite a chase before she shot you down."

Anakin will certainly appreciate Obi-Wan's concern for his health and well-being when the question comes. More to the point, he can certainly appreciate Obi-Wan saying what he himself had wanted to express.

So of course he can't help the smirk that curls on his lips.

"A lucky shot," Anakin interjects. "We were almost to hyperspace." Which, any self-respecting--and they're all self-respecting-- pilot would have had to interject there. Anakin's just sorry it couldn't have been him doing the shooting down.

That comment prompts a somewhat skeptical raise of the eyebrows from the man standing behind Jade. To all intents and purposes they had had the 'merchants' between their ship and the planet's gravity well. Or more to the point, nowhere near where they should have been able to make the jump into hyperspace.

Jade also looks a little skeptical at Anakin's comment but it's an amused version of the emotion, as the smile on her face is positively radiant.

"Whatever you say, Ace," she says, a hint of laughter pulling at her words. "Point is, she caught you, and now you're here."

"For how long?" Obi-Wan asks.

Jade's only answer is her smile. "Boys, take these two to their quarters. Let them get settled before we give'em the tour."

So what was that, an audience? Did they just want to give a once-over to everyone they picked up?

There were no theatrics this time as he mentally gnawed on the problem. Their status as not-exactly-prisoners was oddly unsettling. Sure, they had guards but there were no chains, no cuffs. He wouldn't have had to be a Jedi to get away from their escort a dozen times over by now. All of the people they'd seen so far appeared to have the run of the place. Then again, there didn't appear to be any way anyone was walking out of here either, so maybe they just felt they didn't have to do anything more to keep people in. Then on the other hand, there'd been no real guard set on the ship when they'd landed that he'd seen and if one was keeping prisoners, one would certainly want to ensure said prisoners had no chance of getting to transport out of there.

It was a puzzle, for sure.

His guard, at least, it happy he's cooperating.

As they are herded to their new quarters, he looks about again outside but still it just doesn't feel like a prison. At this point, he's broken enough people out of them to feel like he's an authority on the sensation.

They walk several hundred feet before they get to an opening in the wall and are directed into a passageway inside. The hall feels like there is a gradual curve and slope upward, as if they are following the wall still just..inside. Periodically, there are doors, most the old-fashioned kind that must be opened by hand. At least, Anakin thinks, it's not lit by torches.

Inside, they pass no one else, not even a droid--come to think of it, had they seen any droids since landing? One wonders if there just aren't that many people or they were being actively kept away from any other inhabitants. At least until the tour, presumably.

Before the curiosity and urge to start asking questions completely overwhelms Anakin, they finally stop before a door that looks just like all the others they've passed. "In here," grunts one of the guards before other pushes it open.

Inside is...a room. Nothing fancy, two low cots and a small lamp. The walls are made of the same stone as the rest of the wall and there are no windows but Anakin is fairly certain they aren't right on the exterior at this point anyway, windows would be useless. One wall, at least, looks to have an arched opening that Anakin assumes leads to a 'fresher. But otherwise, that's it.

"What?" he finally asks, "no HoloNet?"

The guard grunts, which could very well be a snort of you must be new here and something passing for derision. The only other reply is the door being closed, leaving the two Jedi in relative privacy.

Obi-Wan looks around at their set-up and he points at a cot. "I call that one," he declares, and promptly sits down with a heavy sigh. He tries to sense if a guard has been left for them, but he can't find any nearby presence except for Anakin.

"Why do I get the feeling that we're missing something here?" he says finally. He's not entirely sure they aren't being spied upon, but everything he's seen so far doesn't lend itself to surveillance of the population.

Edited 2015-04-26 17:48 (UTC)

Anakin ignores the cot-declaring and pokes around the room. The lack of furnishings also leave very few places to secrete any sort of listening device. Experimentally, before he goes back to settle on his own cot, he tries the doorknob. It turns under his hand, unlocked, and he frowns slightly but doesn't pull it open.

Instead, he just flops down across from Obi-Wan. "Because we are?"

He'd complain about intel never giving all the important details, but they've both had plenty of experience with that phenomenon throughout the war.

Obi-Wan would agree, except maybe this time Intel didn't anything else to tell them outside of the basics?

"Which means we go over the facts. What we know by first-hand observation. Then we can see what theories we can come up with."

Anakin leans back against the wall, sitting up on the cot, and casting his eyes up to the ceiling before he starts ticking things they know off on his fingers.

"They've either got help from someone on the inside or they're already inside the checkpoints themselves in order to stop traders the way they've been doing. Or both, probably." Since, according to reports, their victims didn't always go missing from the same place. That would've made them easier to track, of course.

"While they were shooting at us, they weren't shooting to kill. While they obviously wanted our cargo, they could've boarded the ship with lethal force but...they didn't." It would have been cleaner on their parts, he thinks, if they just killed their victims and then sent their bodies on a collision course to the nearest star. But instead they captured the whole package and brought their captives...here? Where they weren't exactly prisoners. "Or is that special just for us?"

It might take him a moment realize Obi-Wan hadn't been privy to the line of thought between those two comments, but he probably gets the gist anyway.

"Right. Now, they didn't stop to pick anyone else up, so maybe one cargo ship per crew? Or maybe we were the only ones inbound at the time? Or you're right; it was special, just or us, which means we were expected. But how could they know which transport would be ours?"

Obi-Wan glances around the room again.

"And then this place looks like a staging area; not quite a spaceport, not quite a major military operation, if any. There's very little technology, in spite of the capabilities of our captors to use it."

They couldn't know which transport was theirs. Unless they had sources on Coruscant too, which made this an even bigger headache than it already was. But it just didn't seem to fit, did it? "I promise I didn't paint please capture us on the underside of our ship," he says jokingly.

He stares at the door a moment. "You know, there's nothing actually keeping us from taking a look around, right?"

Obi-Wan grants him the smile he was obviously fishing for. "They might take everyone that they capture, and if they've been expecting us, then they may not have known if or when we'd come. So we're still back at the possibility of them taking the crews of the ships they commandeer. And it would make sense, since a closed community would rely on such a practice to prevent inbreeding."

He glances at the door. "I know," he says. "But where would we go? We have no idea how far the passage goes in the direction we were traveling, and going back to the spaceport," for lack of a better word, "would have us running back into the guards."

Another glance at the door, "Not to mention they may not trust us."

His tone as he speaks about Anakin's veiled suggestion that they go explore is one that is merely presenting facts; in fact, Anakin may have heard it a few times when Obi-Wan is actually agreeing with the plan but choosing to play Devil's Advocate for the sake of argument.

Anakin wrinkles his nose at the inbreeding comment. "Says something about a place if they have to kidnap people to get them to come live there."

Oh, Anakin's heard it a few times and he recognizes it well enough. And of course they're good points either way. "I'd be surprised if they did trust us, locks on the door or no." He wouldn't trust them if he were in these people's shoes. "The passage did feel like it was heading up though, I was wondering if we'd find ourselves a roof view, eventually."

The problem with a stone fortress or whatever it was they were in is that it didn't come with convenient air ducts or turbolifts to just skip the hallway-wandering and go straight to the climbing up to some place with better visibility.

"Yes, but wandering around on our own before we've been given permission to won't begin to build trust, either," he clarifies. "But still, it would be nice to have more data."

He falls silent, for a moment, and seems about to make up his mind on something when there's a knock at the door.

Anakin looks over at the door, then back at Obi-Wan with a wry expression. How polite of them to knock. "It sounds like our dilemma just got solved."

He hops off the bed with something almost like a spring in his step. Finally something's happening. Hopefully. As he opens the door, "I hope this is for the tour we were promised..."

"You'd think so, but no," comes Kista's reply. And there she is, the woman who marched them unceremoniously off their ship. She's changed into less severe clothing, opting for something closer to what Jade was wearing rather than the black ensemble she had on previously.

Obi-Wan doesn't bother to get up, really. There's no real need to at this point. "Come to gloat over our capture, then?" he replies, more curious than anything at this point.

Oh Anakin's expression says as clearly as if he spoke the words. It's you again. Great. He'll just be taking a cue from Obi-Wan and dropping back down on the edge of his cot then.

"I would," replies Kista, "if there were anything to gloat about. But we do," she smiles cooly, "thank you for your contribution. Trust me when I say your bacta will be in good hands."

Anakin raises his eyebrows, "after you sell it off to the highest bidder, you mean." He doesn't actually entirely believe that's what they're going to do with it, he's more just curious to see if it will draw something out of her.

"Whether we do or not is none of your business," she replies sweetly. "That being said, I'm here to let you know what is your business."

Obi-Wan manages not to twitch a muscle at the comment, though Anakin will surely sense a more keen alertness from him.

"We're listening," he says, prompting her to continue.

"The basics are these: we're Taris citizens that oppose the government's neutrality in this war. We've seen what a schism like this can do to a world, and as much as we disagree with the government, we love our world too much to put it through that. Shortly after Taris declared neutrality, we came to the decision to defect, for lack of a better term."

"And where would you go?"

"We were all unanimous on seeking sanctuary on a Republic world," Kista explained. "So we've been staging a slow exodus from Taris to where we are now. Of course, to preserve our safety, only those who are proven to be with us are told how to join us, and supplies...well, you've seen what we do."

"And the crews?"

"Are offered a contract. We've already taken their supplies, but we need transportation once we're ready to leave. They have ships that have room for passengers and cargo."

That explained why the Jedi were contacted; as representatives of the Republic they would have a vested interest in helping these people.

"You've hit some trouble, haven't you?" Obi-Wan guesses. "And in order for this exodus to work, and for you to make a clean break, the Republic can't be seen to offer you aid. It would look like we enticed you to leave."

"Very perceptive." Kist sounds a little impressed.

We enticed? Anakin has to consider for a moment whether that was accidental on Obi-Wan's part or not. Everyone knows Thyferran merchants aren't about taking sides when the bacta cartels can profit from selling to both the Separatists and the Republic.

Though he can't quite hide the smirk that appears in the corner of his mouth at the thought that they were their own kind of Separatists...just defecting to the Republic instead of from it. "He has his moments," Anakin finally chimes in, a bit dry. "So basically you want us to say we'll work for you and you'll give us back our ship so we can shuttle your people around?" He leans forward a little, looking skeptical. "What if we don't agree?"

He's not saying they won't. He's just wondering what they do about those who don't want to play along.

Kista stares at him steadily for a moment. "You know, I get the feeling that that won't be a problem with you two."

Ah. Whether it was accidental on Obi-Wan's part or not, and Anakin is leaning toward the other Jedi slipping that in there intentionally, apparently she picked up on it too. "Come again?"

Kista went back to smiling sweetly, "I get the feeling you got our invitation."

[ooc: and I just started wondering...what did they do with their lightsabers? I doubt they'd have wanted to leave them on the ship. I really doubt they left them on Coruscant. While the idea of Anakin's being incorporated into his arm right now is a little hilarious, that seems unlikely too. Then again, it really isn't like anyone searched them.]

Edited 2015-04-28 02:56 (UTC)

Obi-Wan's almost grinning now. She'd taken the bait and confirmed what he'd figured: Kista was their contact on the inside. If she hadn't been, she'd have questioned the same slip of the tongue that Anakin would've. They didn't call him The Negotiator for nothing.

"Of course we did," he confirms. "I'm just not sure how you managed to keep your operation a secret while getting the message to the correct people. But it's not relevant right now. What is relevant, is what's troubling you."

"As I said, no one's told how to find us unless we can verify they're firmly with us. I suspect one of those people is a Separatist sympathizer."

This just got complicated again.

[ooc: Obi-Wan says he has his. He won't tell me where, but I suspect it's hidden very well.]

Edited 2015-04-28 16:04 (UTC)

Of course she does. Of course.

This couldn't be easy after all.

"So how do you verify they're with you? Obviously it appears not to be as foolproof as you thought." And if they can figure out the hole in the plan, maybe it will point them to the mole.

That has her eyes narrowing, perhaps a little in thought and a little in offense at Anakin's phrasing, even if it's a sensible question. "Maybe I should start by confirming you're with us."

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wall o' texting you right back

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The Percentile Die I just rolled says that behind Door Number One is...

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Wall o'text, ahoy!

/boggles

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