Private Rebel Actual (Loreena Arenais)

[Caedyn Arenais]

Location: Lotho Minor, Adrift in Orbit.
Starship: "The Vagabond" Heavy Patrol Cruiser
Present Company: "Vagabond" Senior Officers
Tags: Loreena Arenais-Valhoun

​

Lotho Minor, it wasn't a world that Caedyn was at all familiar with, yet it was the location given to him by Sarisa Varos ( Ingrid L'lerim ), in that it was the last known location his Sister Loreena Arenais had been seen; Thus naturally it made the most sense for Caedyn to travel there along with the Crew of the Vagabond, the Assault Cruiser a capable and independent vessel should they run into any problems given Lori's rebel lifestyle nowadays.

Upon the bridge, Gene Whayeson looked to her Senior Staff as they all went about their duties, the star-lines of hyperspace fading back into place as they shot out of their FTL channel and reverting back into real space with the great orange orb laying out ahead of them. Together, the Senior Officers had started out aboard the Vagabond under the official command of their Captain Whayeson, however she herself was under the employ of Caedyn Arenais, the Jedi Knight who had backed the vessels construction through House Arenais and several of the families significantly wealthy contacts, backing the move and being repaid for their generosity within the first year of the vessels service. While all things went as planned upon the bridge, Caedyn however would be found elsewhere upon the vessel...

Situated upon the same level as the bridge yet positioned further back within the vessel, Caedyn stood alone within the Command Deck overlooking the holo-table within the center of the room; the circular station consisted of holo-emitters across the base, projecting a large image of the Galactic Map out before him. "Ablajeck Sector. Annaj, Abbaji, or Bakura in the Moddell sector" Caedyn repeated to himself, the words from the friend of Lori's that had found him on Commenor. Locating each of the locations upon the hologrid, Caedyn turned his attention to the communications station there-after and input the Comm-frequency that was most well known to their family, the last that he'd managed to catch her using.

"This is Caedyn Arenais calling for the Jasters Sparrow. Lori are you out there?" Caedyn paused to give a moment in the case that his Sister would respond. The chances that she'd pick up on the signal so quickly were few, yet he'd continue to keep trying least they need to set course for one of the other locales apparently known to the Rebels combating the Eternal Empire's reign over the region.

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori had been going through a lot lately. She figured that she could handle it in her usual spunky way, but then Kessia Miran entered her life. The warnings, the blackmail; coupled with the fact that she could transform into a copy of herself; it was all something that she hadn't figured out a solution for yet. Her family, her friends, all were in danger. All of it was decided by her actions.

Sitting on her bed in her ship, Lori had her arms wrapped around her knees as they were drawn up to her chest, with her forehead resting on them. She wasn't crying, it was just how she liked to shut the Galaxy out and almost mediate. The solutions for her problems in regards to the Eternal Empire were out there. She just needed to find them.

That was when her comms came to life. The voice of Caedyn Arenais came through loud and clear, causing her to lift her head. She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, shoving all of her worries and fears aside.

Plastering on a smile, even though he couldn't see her, Lori reached over and grabbed her commlink, pressing the button to allow her voice to carry through to him. ~Snotface! Good to hear from you. How you've been?~ Until her dying day, she was never going to cease using that nickname. Especially when she assumed they were in private.

 

[Caedyn Arenais]

~ Snotface! Good to hear from you. How you've been? ~

There was no denying the validity of his Sisters being on the other end of the Comm's as she called him by that annoying old nickname that she'd given him back when they were younglings together on Commenor. Caedyn groaned under his breath as he heard it, although still pleased to hear her voice and see that she wasn't in any immediate danger, it was a strange mix of bemusement and relief.

"Things have been...-Busy" he answered somewhat indifferently, carrying the weight of the battle of Yurb in his most recent exploits, however the subject wasn't something he necessarily wished to revisit with Lori; "I actually ran into a friend of yours back home. Does a Sarisa Varos ring any bells? She said she was with your people getting mixed up in a rebellion against the Eternal Empire...".

Caedyn's gaze lowered a moment, smiling to himself as he wondered the expression on his Sisters face having learned that the Rebellion had somehow reached him all the way out on Commenor.

"As it happens, I'm actually situated in orbit over Lotho Minor...-I've come looking to pay you a visit. Where are you calling home these days?".

Loreena Arenais-Valhoun

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

~Sarisa who? And how did you know about...~ The name didn't ring any bells at all. And when Caedyn Arenais mentioned 'your people', Lori only assumed that he meant her crew. Afterall, what other people did she have to join along with her? She didn't call any world home. But still, the fact that someone was claiming to be her friend was....

A cold chill ran down her spine. It was happening already. The Eternal Empire was visiting her brother and possibly her Mom as well. Kessia Miran was probably one of many agents set forth to reign her inand defeat the Eclipse Rebellion. It caused the Galaxy to feel a lot smaller. She was going to have to be very careful.

~Jaster's Sparrow is my home. I don't have my own house anywhere or anything. I'll head out to you. What ship are you in?~ It was probably safer that way. The odds of an agent on Caedyn's ship was a lot lower than them meeting anywhere else.

 

[Caedyn Arenais]

"Sarisa Varos?" Caedyn repeated the name, quickly catching the sound of doubt in his Sisters voice and immediately followed by a sudden sinking feeling within the pit of his gut; "I'm forwarding you my coordinates now, I'm about the Vagabond. It's a heavy assault cruiser and you'll likely know it when you see it..." Caedyn explained, thus far having detected no other vessel for quite some distance in all directions on sensors.

"From the story I got, it sounded like there were a lot more Rebels involved in this fight of yours...-You're about to tell me otherwise, by the sounds of it" he added, speaking his concern aloud across the comm's to Loreena Arenais-Valhoun ; "This channel's secure for the record, just while we're on the subject...".

Honestly, he didn't want to believe that he'd been played by this Sarisa who-ever she was; the young woman had seemed quite lovely, and he had enjoyed the walk and the discussion they had shared. It had sadly been a high point in his week and now it seemed that might likely be a farce...

"I'll inform the Captain you're to be expected. If you run into any issues on the way, call for us...-We've got the fire-power here to back you up if the worse comes to it. Caedyn Out." he concluded the call, cutting the mic on his end and awaiting her response. Afterwards he'd be needing to head for the bridge and informing the senior officers to keep a weather eye on the long-range scanners for sign of the Jaster's Sparrow and any potentially unwanted company to follow.

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

~You'll have to tell me what she looks like when I see you. Could be that I just know her by a nickname or something...~ That was the best case scenario, anyways. Yet she had the feeling that that wouldn't be the case.

She wondered just what it was that he had been told about the Eclipse Rebellion. And more importantly she wanted to know how or why thks person sought him out. Was it just a coincidence? Or something planned? ~We'll talk when I get there. Secured channel or not...it's just better in person. See you soon, Cae. Goofball out.~

Lori ended the call and slipped off of her bed, hurrying out of her quarters, down the steps and then up to the cockpit, shouting along the way. "Arla! We're going to see my brother! You should be getting co-ordinates s--"

"Got them, Lori. Inputting them into the nav-com now. Are you going to tell him about your recent guest?"

"Yes...I have to." Lori made her way to her co-pilot's seat and buckled herself in.

"Good. Because if you didn't, I would." And Arla would too. She was programmed to keep Lori safe, even if that meant her own destruction. With the co-ordinates set, Arla pushed the lever to jump the Jaster's Sparrow into hyperspace.

Lori sat in her seat going through multiple scenarios in her mind. Hopefully she wouldn't be putting her brother into danger. Hopefully the Eternal Empire wouldn't find out about this either.

 

[Caedyn Arenais]

By the time of her arrival, Loreena Arenais-Valhoun and the crew of the Jaster's Sparrow would find there to be plenty enough room to bring the ship in to land within the main hangar of the Vagabond. Originally constructed to patrol the Outer Rim Territories, Caedyn had designed the vessel with an emphasis on firepower and the ability to defend itself in heavy combat while expecting most of it's service to be on lone assignments.

As strange as it might be for a Jedi to be overseeing the service of such a heavily armed vessel, back at the time there were few in the Outer Rim that were willing to police the region, and today Caedyn's travels took him all over the Galactic Map. In a way, it was a means to an end, and justified by the political state across the map these days.

As the Vessels Hangar bay was reserved for all transport vessels, consisting of no actual combat squadrons or smaller craft of that nature, the area was pretty silent and void of others as the Jedi Knight stood near the entrance leading deeper into the Starship. He hadn't brought any officers with him or official escort of any means, this was his Sister who was coming to see him and so he was more than pleased to be able to greet her on his own time so that they can catch up without deterring the rest of the personnel on board.

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Dropping out of hyperspace, the Vagabond came into view. Arla checked the sensors, making sure that they had no tails, however it was easy to guess that the battlecruiser's long range scanners would detect enemy vessels far better than the Jaster's Sparrow could.

She brought the Mantis-class ship into the designated hanger, while Lori was already getting out of her seat. "I'll see you soon, Arla."

"I know. Just don't forget to t--"

"I will! I will! Geesh! I hardly think that I'd be able to avoid the subject." Stubborn or not, Caedyn Arenais was always able to tell when she was hiding something. It was the curse of being twins.

She bounded down the steps to the cargobay and slammed her hand down on the button that activated the ramp. With a few clicks and hydraulic hiss, the ramp lowered itself down. Lori grinned as she saw her brother standing there waiting for her. She hurried down and approached him quickly, wrapping her armd around him in a tight hug. "Good to see you, Snotface! Have you gotten taller? Certainly hairier." She indicated his facial hair that he didn't have on their last reunion.

 

[Caedyn Arenais]

"You're never going to stop calling me that are you" Caedyn replied as he wrapped his arms around his Sister in a welcome embrace, Loreena Arenais-Valhoun soon stepping back to make fun of his beard and general appearance; "It was funny when we were kids but you've no idea how embarrassing it is. Force forbid you call me that around my Padawan..." He said in horror at the thought. Kyra Perl would never stop referring to him by it.

"I've gotta be honest, I'm still not entirely clear on the nature of our catching up way out here..." He admitted while turning to gesture with one hand, that she might accompany him on a walk further into the Heavy Cruiser. Thanks to the company and service of the crew, he had arranged a nice living room setting for the two of them to catch up in private nearby the barracks.

"Then again, I can't say I'm entirely surprised to hear you're fighting against some form of oppressive government, given our families knack for winding up in these kinds of situations..." He mused in spoken thought, thinking back to how often they'd heard stories from their Mother and Father regarding their own experiences against Imperials and Piracy, anything in the likeness of 'fighting the good fight' so to speak.

"You didn't sound overly pleased when I mentioned Sarisa Varos" Caedyn added, his brows furrowing as he turned to glance back to his Sister gauging her response having asked the gnawing question on his mind, "You gave me the distinct impression that she wasn't one of yours...".

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

"The fact that it embarrasses you so much is what makes it so much fun. You do remember fun, don't you? Or have all of your studies and saving the Galaxy sucked it outta ya?" Lori elbowed Caedyn Arenais teasingly in the side. The truth was that she liked to use it as almost like a codeword. It was her way to identify him either in communications or when they were together. His reactions to it would give her all the answers that she needed to verify him.

She walked along with him, chewing the inside of her cheek a little as he questioned just where they met up. "It' safer this way. I've nearly got a bounty on my head by the Eternal Empire. At least in their territories. Their citizens are supposed to turn us in or give them any intelligence thatthey can on us that would lead to our capture. And given that I put nyself out there as the public face of the Rebellion..." Lori sighed a little as she lightly shrugged her shoulders, "..that makes me a primary target."

She furrowed her eyebrows as he mentioned Sarisa, looking ahead instead of meeting his gaze. She tensed her jaw slightly, as he jumped right into it. Arla would certainly be pleased with him. "I don't know anyone with that name. And Arla would hate me if I didn't tell you, but...I was met by an agent of the Empire. And she can change her face, her voice, everything. She turned into me during that meeting and threatened to kill me and hurt you all if I didn't do what she wanted." Lori looked to Caedyn now, obviously a little worried. "She wants intel on the Rebellion, including fleet sizes and whatnot. They want it all destroyed of course. But don't worry. I'm handling it. I'll figure out a way out of her blackmail."

 

[Caedyn Arenais]

"A Changeling?" Caedyn glanced back at Loreena Arenais-Valhoun in shock, "And you're guessing that's the case here where I was concerned?" he added, not so much out of question but a rhetorical sense of voicing his thoughts as it seemed to fit the bill in his perspective. Lori didn't know the name and while Sarisa had a little information regarding their family, she didn't seem to be aware of the history that someone likely would had they earned his Sisters trust and friendship.

In his experience, Changeling's were incredibly rare. In fact Caedyn himself had never dealt with one until now, providing that this was indeed the case. What a nuisance, there were few ways of telling a person's motives without their ability to change their features, and if this woman that Caedyn had met back on Commenor was indeed out to bring harm to his family, then her acting skills had been truly gifted. He had sensed no immediate danger when walking and talking with Sarisa....-In fact, Caedyn had been quite fond and felt he could quite easily converse with the woman.

"Thankfully I don't know anything of value about your rebellious feats save for back when we were younglings..." Caedyn remarked after taking a moment to wrap his head around the revelation of it all. "We did talk about our family a little, though nothing relevant, it was all mostly about our past and our friends...-If you could call them that nowadays".

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori lightly shrugged her shoulders as Caedyn Arenais asked his rhetorical question. "Could be. I don't know for sure. But it's best to be cautious just in case. That's why I continue to greet you the way that I do. I need to gage your reaction. If she's running into you and asking questions....it's going to be difficult in knowing who to trust." Even when it came to her family.

As he remarked on what was spoken about, Lori chewed the inside of her cheek while she listened. And what she had heard wasn't good. Instead it just filled her with dread. At least Arla wasn't there to hear about it.

"It sounds like they are gathering intel on me. I mean, I knew that I'd be a target when I signed up for this position, esoecially after Bakura and Orellon II. But I just couldn't imagine the lengths that they'd go....You'll have to watch yourself. And mom will too. I don't know what I'd do if the Empire got a hold of either of you." Or even Curtis Learchin . She hadn't heard from him for a while and now she was starting to get worried.

 

[Caedyn Arenais]

"As far as Mom's concerned, she's been staying with me now and then back home on Commenor" Caedyn informed his Sister, glad to be able to shed some light on their families predicament; "I've built a new estate for us, with protective shielding and security located within Munto Valley. It's off the grid and completely isolated from the Capital and surrounding provinces", and he had designed it while knowing that their Mother had been hiding out for years trying to avoid calling attention to herself.

He had wanted to make sure the location was going to be able to provide NPC Treasury with enough security and secrecy that she needed to feel as comfortable as possible being back on Commenor of all places.

"Commenor's the capital of the Silver Jedi Concord now, not just Jedi but a working Government State as well. It's the safest place she could be if there are Imperials trying to extort any of us at your expense" he added, soon to fall quite for a moment in thought.

"If they are targeting us then I don't see any way to avoid it then" Caedyn spoke aloud, though more so talking for his own sake and state of mind before elaborating to Lori; "Looks like I'm part of this rebellion of yours now as well" he gave a small and wary smile to his Sister. He had no intention of being an asset to be used against his own family, and the level of personal betrayal in the possible spy method employed on him back within Chasin City was too much...

"You're going to have to fill me in on whatever I need to know to catch up on the state of things today".

Loreena Arenais-Valhoun

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori's eyebrows rose. "Mom's been staying with you?? On COMMENOR???" Such an idea seemed almost laughable given how adamant their Mom was about being isolated and especially about staying away from Commenor. "However did you manage to do it? Promise her all the tea in the Galaxy or something?" Everyone that knew their Mom knew of her addiction to tea.

But Lori wasn't as confident in it being the safest place that either Caedyn Arenais or their Mom could be. Already he had an encounter with an Imperial agent on Commenor. So there was little doubt in her mind that that any place that her family were known to frequent would be safe.

And now he was joining the Rebels? Of course that could be a good thing. Yet the sibling rivalry part of her hoped that he wouldn't surpass her here too. He did have Jedi work to do afterall.

"Well, not every world is exactly eager to fall under the Eternal Empire's banner. Yet the people aren't allowed to escape from it either. So we help. Ever since the slaughter on Bakura, I've been doing what I can to help. I'm not a terrorist like they say. I don't just go out and kill people. But it's all a part of their tactics to make the Galaxy hate me...And unfortunately some people believe it...." Lori knew it to be fact. She had seen it on the holonet.

 

[Caedyn Arenais]

Caedyn wasn't all that surprised to see the Lori's reaction to the news that their Mom had agreed to stay on Commenor, or even visit it for that matter. Every since the collapse of the Monarchy and her being forced into captivity for the crimes that Darth Prazutis had decieved her into making, NPC Treasury had felt to ashamed and ostracized by the rest of the Galaxy to want to be seen anywhere near the world or any kind of affairs that might put her name out there once more.

"It's a bit of a long story, really" Caedyn spoke with a chuckle, "I've been trying to get her to come back for the passed couple years now, on and off with every visit or chat we have. Started off with just mentioning home and what's been going on and much more recently she finally caved and visited the new Estate that I had built for us all. You've got to see it, it's really something else" Caedyn exclaimed, rather proud of their new household.

The subject of the Eternal Empire's propaganda tactics used against his Sister brought the conversation back to a more serious tone and left Caedyn to frown in disappointment. He didn't need Lori to explain to him that she didn't go out and kill people, to have already known that about her, she just wasn't the violent sort. "I suppose it's not that difficult to believe that the Empire would try to make you look bad. A group of terrorists is much easier to deny than a group of freedom fighters who base their values on justice and equality, you know?".

"Still, if there's not that many of you, what hope do you really have to change things. You need more numbers on your side" he pointed out; "Maybe use their propaganda approach against them and broadcast a holovid speaking out against their treatment of the people. You might convince others to join you".

Loreena Arenais-Valhoun

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

[color=teal"Well at least she's got someone looking out for her..."][/color] It was more than what Lori could do. She didn't have the resources or plot of land like Caedyn Arenais did. Jaster's Sparrow was her home and the Mantis-class vessel wasn't exactly spaceous.

To his advice on what she should do in regards to the Rebels and the Eternal Empire, Lori nodded her head. "I've already been doing that, Cae. I've got footage of what happened on Bakura out there already. That helped to increase our numbers, yet some were killed when the Eternal Empire set a trap for us on one of the Sith Empire' worlds. We were decoys in the end of it. I nearly died..." It was a painful memory to be sure and she gently rubbed the spot on her stomach where the Dark Spear had impaled her. She wondered if maybe he had felt it too when it had happened. Would either of them know when the other was killed? Or did they have to be in the same sector of the Galaxy? She just wasn't sure.

"I'm not the leader of the Rebels. I'm just the face of it. Our funding comes from....I don't know where. I put in some, but not as much as others do. There is rumour that we're funded by Tacitus' own members of government. But....it's just a rumour. At least for now."

 

[Caedyn Arenais]

"How did you become the 'face' of the Rebels?" Caedyn asked, curious as to why the Leader of the rebellion wouldn't want to be seen by the public. Perhaps Loreena Arenais-Valhoun was a decoy like she said, a means for the true leader to go unnoticed and continue to operate in the shadows, but then even some of the lieutenants or superior ranking members of the Rebellion would know who they were, word would eventually get around. It always did...

"You've put yourself at the front of the firing line, but you don't know how it operates and where the funding comes from?" He asked out of concern for his Sister, now wondering how far she'd thought this through. "I hope they offered you a lot of credits to do something so reckless..." He added skeptically. Sure he was a Jedi Knight and he cared about those in suffrage a great deal, yet here with his Sister standing before him, Lori came first before all others. She was family.

"Do your Rebels have any bases or outposts they're currently working out of at the moment?" he asked further, turning to refer to his Datapad and placing it flat down against the table, drawing up a holo-map of the galaxy between them; "You should've reached out to me, you know our family has a significant amount of bank behind us...".

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

"It happened because of Bakura and what transpired there. I was the most vocal and up front about it. We all do our own part. I don't have to wait for someone to tell me what to do."

Lori frowned some for Caedyn Arenais putting on his 'big brother shoes' and making it seem as though her efforts and work was just stupid. "Reckless?? Cae, I wanted to do this. I don't need a lecture from you because it's not the same kind of operation that you're used to. Your way isn't the only way that things get done, you know..." And she wasn't being paid either. Yet that was something that she just couldn't tell him. He didn't need to know, anyways.

As Caedyn brought up the map, Lori was still grumbling to herself, pointing to a planet outside of the eastern border of EE space. "I have a base there. Nest Holdings. It's disguised as a food processing plant. I don't go there all the time though. I don't need to draw their suspicions to it. Nor their spies." She shook her head at the notion of using the family funds. "I didn't feel like calling you to beg for credits, Cae. You'd only try to talk me out of it. Those credits are for....well for you and your work. You followed in Dad's footsteps, I didn't. It's under your care as you're the responsible one. I'm just reckless, remember?" Nevermind all of the people that she had helped and/or tried to help. Everyone treated her as a little child. Even her own brother. Lori just didn't know what she could do to shake them all of that.

 

[Caedyn Arenais]

Caedyn's eyes lifted away from the datapad's hologram as the tone in his sisters voice called for his attention, Loreena Arenais-Valhoun seemingly feeling insulted by his choice of words and opinion towards what struck him as a loose operation with a focused leadership to direct them. "Ease off Lori" He met her eye to eye, although he'd appear to be more concerned as opposed to the frustration that he'd unintentionally incited; "Anyone that cares about you would be just as concerned as I am, and you know that" he sought to advise her, pointing out where his insight was coming from. She was his Sister, and there were too many uncertainties surrounding her situation.

"How do you know who to trust when there's no structure within the rebellion, and how do you know you're not being manipulated by the Eternal Empire in some way if you're not familiar with whoever it is that runs the operation. It just seems like there's more questions than answers...Meanwhile you're having to contend against an Imperial Government and military power without knowing who actually has your back?" he frowned, looking back across the table to his Sister expectantly, "Can you see why I'm worried for you?".

"Not just that, but if they've tracked me down and they know of our family then they may also learn of my affiliations to the Silver Jedi Concord or the Outer Planets Alliance. Hopefully they don't go delving that far" Caedyn added, turning back to look to the Galactic Map and considering the possibility of things growing into a diplomatic affair. The last thing they wanted was to go starting a war.

"So....-What were your plans, before I reached out to you?".

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

"Yeah well I have Curtis, Arla and Reyn with me on this. They care too...." Nor do they ask so many questions either. She folded her arms across her chest, showing every bit of stubborness that she could. It just wasn't fair that Caedyn Arenais was treating her like she knew nothing about what she was doing.

"I know a bunch of them, okay? And there are certain to not just let themselves be discovered by the Empire. That'd be too dangerous." Lori sighed unsure of how far to go in her explanation. The less people that knew, the better. "There are people within the Empire's higher circle that WANT the Empire to crumble. Why else do you think that I'm not dead right now? They won't let it happen."

She wondered if the Empire was struggling with trying to find some kind of a structure within the Rebels, much like Caedyn was. If that was the case, than the Rebels were doing a great job at keeping them all guessing. Yet Caedyn only took it for faults in their organization and that was all.

"What do you mean? They found you, so they probably already know of your work history. But what does it matter? It's not like I've been asking for any aid from major fleets or anything." As far as her plans, Lori shrugged her shoulders a little. "Nothing that you'd approve of, I'm sure...." At this point she wasn't so sure that she could do anything right in his eyes.