Star Wars Roleplay: Chaos

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Sad Beautiful Tragic

H8czKhS.jpg
City of Yinn La Hi
The heat was near unbearable. The slick moisture from beneath the hair covering her neck ran in small streams down her shoulders. Her face had already reddened, the start of an onset sunburn that would no doubt be agonizing in the days to come. How long had she been meandering the streets? It felt like days, but in reality it may have been a mere forty minutes standard time. Her figure was largely obscured by the attire she wore due to the xenophobic nature of the locals. Of course, it did little to help her sweating problem, even light as it were. Here she was no queen, nor nobility. She was simply a foreigner in a distant land, unwelcome as it were. That was the most disconcerting fact. The reason for being on Sorrus however was worth the ostracizing nature of the local citizens. A rumor as it were, but one from reliable sources within her circle of advisors back on Naboo had informed her of two potential merits of Sorrus. The first, an ancient ruin dedicated as a shrine in secret to the Sith predating both the Galactic Civil War and even the Clone Wars. The second was the potential for this temple of sorts to have hidden within mysteries still yet undiscovered by the galaxy, long since forgotten by the sands of time. Unfortunately, on the reverse side of fortune, the informant that had reported this information to Jamie's advisor had suddenly vanished without trace almost immediately after reporting that information.

Whatever happened to him, happened on Sorrus.​
Her hand wiped away the beads of sweat that littered her forehead, and a heavy breath escaped her dusty, dirt smeared face. The sand kicked up from the occasional gusts of air countered the comfort that the breeze brought with it, thus Jamie worked to pull the hood further over herself for protection. It was no use though, the sand always found a way. It was coarse, and rough, and got everywhere. The portable terminal at which she sat cross-legged atop one of the tiny duracrete buildings had poor reception, though she fiddled with the device as best she could. After all, the blonde was hardly a slicer or technological genius. She needed a more reliable map of Yinn La Hi if she had any hope of finding clues as to where Tafnar had gone missing. Hopefully someplace with a bit of air conditioning!

"Oh come now!" She nearly shouted, slapping the side of the screen with her hand. "Connect!" Jamie groaned and shook her head in frustration.

All she wanted was a place to start her search.

Several minutes would pass in agonizing silent frustration before she heard the three sweet sounding beeps that indicated she had finally received a signal. Quickly as her fingers would tap she scoured the local archives database, nothing that wasn't openly available, but nonetheless simply strolling into the building would raise more than a few eyes of suspicion from the Sorrusians. Near-human as they were, Jamie didn't want to risk outing herself as an alien to the planet. Her accent was thick, clearly of the Naboo, and her mannerisms likely would speak to that of nobility, both unlike that of Sorrus.

Once the girl had what she needed, a quick review of likely locations brought her attention to one area of interest: the entertainment district. It was littered with cantinas, clubs, and gambling houses. It was a prime location for the less moral folk. Crime was typical in those areas. Abductions, robberies, vandalism. It was the same any place in the galaxy, and Sorrus was no different. If someone had taken the man, it was there she would find clues. Perhaps once this matter was settled she would be able to locate what she was really there for: to explore this Sith shrine. Quietly Jamie packed away the mobile terminal, sliding the device into her pack and quickly closing the clasps with two clicks. Down she went over the side of the building with a soft thud into the sand covered street and began to make her way towards the district several blocks to the east.

[member="Spark Finn"]
 

Spark Finn

Encrypt Code: 1989//
[member="Jamie Pyne"]

The air con unit was nice and chilly at her back. Hood of her grey cloak left her freckled-face in partial shadows. Thin-digits tapped away at the datapad on her table. A cup of free-trade iced caf sat on her table with just the right amount of cream and sugar in it. #organic #duh

Small satchel sat at her booted feet.

#Imissmyconverse #yuckydesert #yuckysand

The technopath was sent on a covert assignment to watch out for someone named Jamie Pyne. Why did Spark take the mission? Curiosity. Coudln't help but have some after she saw the girl's picture. The resemblance was uncanny. Sure, Spark was a bit more odd-angled and...thinner. #glasses #hipster But still.

Sitting within the comfort of an aircon cantina, she sipped her iced caf and watched the tracker she'd placed on the woman's mobile terminal a few hours earlier. Unfortunately, it looked like the locator dot on the screen was moving right toward where Spark was huddled up.
 
If she didn't find some means of cooling down she was liable to pass out from exhaustion soon. Left hand wicked away the moisture along her brow once more as she found her way to the entertainment district of Yinn La Hi. While nothing compared to that of a city world like Coruscant or Nar Shaddaa, it was still expansive enough to be considered a district. The woman looked around, taking in the few signs directing to a number of establishments and their offerings before deciding on a cantina that sported the term aircon. Even if there was nothing to find, at the very least she could put a temporary stop to the sweat going on in just about every corner of her body.

Ew.

The Jedi pushed through the doorway of the cantina. It was quiet, all things considered, not the boisterous scene one might typically expect. Several tables were arranged in haphazard manner, likely to make the most use of the space provided. It wasn't abundantly large, but it was spacious and adequate. The patrons were as she suspected at first glance, typical locals. Jamie decided it was likely best to keep the hood up, and made an effort to clear her throat in an attempt to practice disguising her overly heavy accent to the proprietor as she took up a seat by one of the windows. The man promptly arrived where she sat, just a few tables away from one Spark Finn.

"Something for you?" He asked. "Bloss--" She paused, Blossom Wine would be suspicious, being a staple of Naboo export and culture. "Caf, please. Two sugar cubes." She strained to remove the accent, but it was difficult and likely rather obvious to the man from Sorrus. Still, if he wasn't fooled by it, he seemed unphased by her, perhaps even amused by her attempts to sound less foreign. Silently she cursed herself for having never taught herself how to properly sound less Nabooian.

[member="Spark Finn"]
 

Spark Finn

Encrypt Code: 1989//
[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Chitchitchit

Bony butt sunk lower in her seat. Glass lenses peered cautiously from the shadow of her hoodie. OMGEE. Jamie was RIGHT there. And ordering a caf.

#judgingbutnotjudging

The slicer froze, fingers hovering over her datapad. She'd have to wait the other girl out. She'd probably leave soon and everything would be fine, then she could continue to act as Jamie's shadow. Still. Spark's mind couldn't help but nudge forward invisibly through the force, in an attempt to use mechu deru to 'peek' into the contents of Jamie's portable terminal.

Nosy slicers were nosy.

#duh
 
The blonde tapped her fingers along the tabletop for a few seconds, azure eyes glancing about the establishment. The atmosphere gave off the appearance of being old, but well kept. The patrons all seemed regulars save for her. A few short moments later and the waiter returned to Jamie's table, setting down a small cup with several perfectly cubed sugars along the outer rim of the plate the cup sat atop. The aroma was strong, clearly a local recipe as the scent was unfamiliar to her. Small plumes of steam rose from the cup, meaning it would be several minutes before it would actually be consumable without feeling like she just put the wrong end of a lightsaber in her mouth.

"Thank you." She said, looking up at the man with a polite smile. He nodded, though by this point Jamie was rather certain he knew she was not a local. Likely the only reason he tolerated her presence was because credits were still credits regardless of who they came from. Fortunately for her he turned and left as quietly as he came, leaving her to herself for the time being. Exhaling a sigh of relief she turned her attention back to her work at hand -- finding out what happened to her contact.

The information she had obtained thus far was scarce. The data on the terminal included the city layout, a few names, last reported location, and the information regarding the Sith shrine that she would later visit. Other than that, she was fishing in the dark with a shoelace and bobby pin with no bait. Not great odds really. Still, the blonde felt something strange here -- A presence more elevated within the natural Force than would be of any typical Sorrusian. The HoloPad on her wrist, a device linked to the more capable portable terminal in her pack then flickered, and carefully the Nabooian noble scanned her eyes about her surroundings, searching for the source of what she felt.

[member="Spark Finn"]
 

Spark Finn

Encrypt Code: 1989//
[member="Jamie Pyne"]

The slicer was in her happy place, mind partially immersed in Jamie's tech. Hand gently gripping the caf cup. Blue eyes beneath glass lenses flittered half-closed.

Missing assistant. Sith shrine? This girl was...ambitious.

#exhausting

Well, Spark thought because she preferred nerding out on equipment. Exploring was scary and required physical exertion. #bleck She remembered when Munin made her do it that one time. In the desert. #horrible. Meant she really liked that guy. #criminal

As if coming free from a dream, Finn withdrew from the girl's tech via the force. Blue eyes widened as she realized Jamie was staring right at her. Then they widened further. With a sharp slide of the chair, she popped to her feet and scrambled to get out of there.

#runaway
 
The clattering of the table, utensils, and caf spilling over as Spark scrambled up and bolted from her seat gave Jamie all the reason she needed to pursue after her. The source of that feeling she felt, it was coming from that woman. At first she didn't get a good look, the distance was sufficient enough that she could only make out a brief glimpse of her features but something struck her as odd. Still, there was no time for that. In a heartbeat to follow Jamie shifted from her seat, nearly tripping herself as she chased after the would-be runner through the small cantina and out into the streets.

"Hey!" She shouted as her legs carried her after Spark. "Stop!" Since when did that ever work?

Who was she?

The only answer she could think of running through her mind was that she shared some sort of connection with her missing advisor. Perhaps this person was the one who had abducted or killed the man? There was only one way to know for sure. She had to catch this person quickly! The blonde threw out her hands, a gentle but firm grasp of the Force whirling around a small overhead canvas that sheltered the entryway of a business from the harsh sun was torn abruptly from its hinge in an effort to catch and trip up the fleeing woman in an almost cartoonish style netting attempt.

[member="Spark Finn"]
 

Spark Finn

Encrypt Code: 1989//
[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Cartoon or no, the attempt worked. Spark was many things but coordinated wasn't one of them. She was a master at technometry and mechincal manipulation but running? Physical fighting? Walking? No. She'd tripped way too many times on even ground let alone when an awning snapped down around her ankles.

#clutz

"Eeeeep," she yelped and her hands flew out, catching herself on the ground. Tangles of blonde-hair splashed over her face and her glasses fell down the tip of her freckled nose. Scrambling up, she turned, seated on the ground and worked frantically as Jamie approached.

Great, not gonna get outta this.

"Owowow," hands rubbed at her lower back as she looked up at the woman that seemed to be her doppelganger. "I'm on your side," the slicer mumbled, blues flashing up at Jamie as her hands continued to try and undo the canvas looped around her skinny ankles. "Spark Finn. Alliance."

#somuchforsecrets #sekrets
 
Fortunately for Jamie the pursuit was rather short. Additionally the girl fleeing from her was not the most graceful. Stopping just short of the squealing woman beneath tangled fabric Jamie was able to get a look at the person who had been staring at her awkwardly back in the cafè moments ago. She looked relatively similar in age, and very strangely, appearance. So much so that they could be twins, nearly identical in most aspects, save for a few minor details. Still, it was enough for Jamie to stare a little longer than she would have otherwise.

For someone unsuspecting, they would certainly pass as sisters without question. Even her own half-sister looked nothing like her. Truly odd.

Even after Spark had identified herself Jamie continued to stare curiously until she had the self-awareness to realize she was doing so for far too long to be comfortable. "Oh." She said quietly. "Alliance?" The blonde knelt down beside Spark, slowly helping to undo the mess she had made and free the other from her confines. "Terribly sorry about that. I wasn't expecting anyone way out here." She offered a hand out to help her up. "I also wasn't quite expecting, well, a twin. How did you find me?"

She looks exactly like me! What are the odds in that!?

[member="Spark Finn"]
 

Spark Finn

Encrypt Code: 1989//
[member="Jamie Pyne"]

The gangly-limbed slicer flinched as Jamie's hands came to help with the net. Spark Finn just wasn't a toucher. Munin could vouch for it too. It had taken her months to get comfortable around her own boyfriend.

#duh #donttouchme

Hand came up to adjust the black-rimmed glasses back up the bridge of her freckled-nose. She stared at Jamie for a second. Then a second past awkward and ignored the hand, scrambling on her own to her feet.

"I know. It's weird," she blurted. The whole looks thing. #twinsies?!

"Command gave me where you were. To pinpoint you exactly," she blushed and scuffed the toe of her boots along the hot, dry ground. "I'm a technopath and kind of have a way with machines. Wasn't hard to find your unique signal through you comm and....other devices."

This was a lot of talking for an introvert.

"I was supposed to be your undercover backup but since the undercover didn't last long....," voice trailed off as she fiddled with her glasses. "You want help or what?"
 
She was socially awkward, that much was obvious. Jamie knew a few folks like that back on Naboo. She dropped her hand to her side and offered a gentle smile, nodding in affirmation. "Very weird, indeed." Jamie rubbed the back of her neck, how had the SIS learned of her plans? It seemed they had eyes and ears just about everywhere. Internally she wondered whether that was disheartening or comforting. It was certainly a violation of her private affairs, but that was sort of the business secretive protection agencies were in. And since her friend Aela had been a member of their ranks, she set aside her indignity of being watched.

"Since you're here and all, I would be awful silly to turn away help from someone who could pass as me, right?"

A brief, honest laugh followed.

"Pleasure to meet you, Spark. And not that you don't already know my name, and likely half a dozen other things about me, I'm Jamie." Her lighthearted tone and beaming smile would hopefully give off the impression that she wasn't angry or otherwise upset by the sudden intrusion or company. "Curious, how long have you been following me?"

Noticing Spark's datapad had fallen in the tumble Jamie knelt down and scooped it up, observing the hairline crack and small dent along the upper left corner from where it impacted. With a grimace she passed it off to the girl opposite her. "Sorry, I think it's a little damaged."

[member="Spark Finn"]
 

Spark Finn

Encrypt Code: 1989//
[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"Pass as you?" Sandy-brows shot up as a snort left the tip of her nose. "Yeah right." There was another snort and a squeaking chuckle. #wouldneedamakeover #andcontacts And coordination lessons.

Fingers brushed the dirt and sand off her clothes, eyes traveling downward as she tried to get clean. "Can see you think fast though," she muttered. "And have good aim."
Glasses were straightened again as she looked up, squinting at her non-nerdy twin in the sunlight. A few natives muttered as they walked by, staring at the duo.

Taking her datapad she frowned. #somuchfortheprotectivecase "no internal damage. Just cosmetic. Should be okay. I can cash in on the warranty." A thin smile wove its way on her thin lips. "But we should get out of the open. I've been here a week before you arrived. Scouting the place out."

#business

"And it's hot," she stated the obvious flatly, reminded of her time with Munin on Jakku.
 
"Sure. Take away the glasses and have one of my handmaidens do up your hair and makeup and nobody would second guess you in public. Not that I would advise that. For your own sanity, that is." A small smile parted her lips, accompanied by a nod. "Have to think fast when surrounded by politicians and nobles for most of ones life." They were often times more dangerous than staring down the barrel of a blaster in a dark alleyway. "But the aim comes with practice, and a bit of wishful hoping and faith in the Force."

One thing was for certain however, and that the heat was in fact merciless. It was why she had enjoyed stepping into the small cafè, the chilled air was remarkable.

"Right, lets get going. I haven't got a whole lot to go on, but a person I'm looking for was last seen around this area before mysteriously falling out of contact with the palace back on Naboo."

She wondered if Spark knew about her secondary plans to explore the Sith shrine, but that could wait until later.

[member="Spark Finn"]
 

Spark Finn

Encrypt Code: 1989//
[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Eyes widened in horror. Hard to say whether it was horror at the whole makeup and hair thing or being surrounded by people. #introvert

Definitely more so for the hair and makeup.

Gawking blues looked at the princess or queen of Naboo in shock. Head shook. Fingertips went to the glasses on her face as if reassuring herself this Jamie wasn't about to pluck them away. "Met a rodian contact at the local market. Runs a juju fruit stand. Might be a good place to start. And it's covered. And they have iced caf."

#needcaf

Shoving the datapad in her fannypack #hipster, she lead the way through the busy streets toward a large, stone archway. Tents and stalls lined the narrow street with large drapes of favric blocking out the sun from above.
 
If it wouldn't have made the girl any more uncomfortable Jamie likely would have laughed at the sight of fear setting in on Spark's face. Instead she bit her lip and gave a quick nod with respect to the twin's suggestion. Caf might help, even if she wasn't much of a drinker of the stuff herself. A tea and water person, caf would typically wind her up like a child on a sugar high and leave her unable to sleep at night. It had an incredibly strong effect on her mental state, but perhaps now was the time for some extra energy.

"Cover and caf?" She waived her hand, "Say no more."

Jamie wandered alongside Spark for several minutes, catching sight of the green skinned alien, complete with antennae and large, dark eyes beneath the canopy of a fruit stand.

"That your guy?" There didn't appear to be any other rodians around, but it was better to ask than to be made a fool.

[member="Spark Finn"]
 

Spark Finn

Encrypt Code: 1989//
[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"Yeah," the slicer gave a quick, quiet nod and slid onto one of three, bright red stools that were free beneath a tented awning. Bony elbows perched on the slightly dusty, warm stone bartop. Five different flavors of juju fruit smoothies were marked on the 'today's menu' board along with several selections of iced caf. Spark didn't usually make many friends #introvert, but she never made an enemy of a caf stand owner.

#duh

Like minded people tended to gravitate toward one another - even the awkward blonde nerds.

"Benjyhan, I'll take the usual." She'd just been there a few days but she already had a usual. Meant she had a caf problem but that was another story for a different time. "We're looking for someone. My uh - friend here, can explain a bit more."

"Friend?!" Benjyhan blinked at them. "Looks more like a twin. You want anything?" His gaze was directed at Jamie.
 
Jamie set herself beside Spark, one foot resting on the small bar near the base of the stool, the other on the ground.

"The usual?" She passed a curious eye towards the other blonde. "Have you replaced sleep with caf?" She had actually heard of folks doing that, whether or not it was actually true, or just folk lore passed on by traders that visited Naboo, she wasn't entirely certain. Perhaps it was cybernetics that aided them, and they simply used caf as a metaphor for their enhancements. Regardless, Jamie hadn't thought Spark to be on-world for more than a few days, so to have a usual meant she certainly must have drank a lot of caf recently.

Her azure irises shifted to Benjyhan, "Just water for me, please. Thank you."

[member="Spark Finn"]
 

Spark Finn

Encrypt Code: 1989//
[member="Jamie Pyne"]

#PFFFT

"Sleep isn't that important," thin lips twitched slightly at the corners. Benjyhan nodded at Jamie and turned around, getting Spark's iced caf and some blue-tinted water for Jamie. Bony-butt shifted on the creaking metal stool, blue-eyes beneath glasses lenses panning behind them before settling back on Benjyhan as he turned around, setting their respective drinks down on the bar top.

Spark pulled out a credchit and passed it over.

Most of the funding on that account had been siphoned out of sith accounts.

#hehe #payback

Benjyhan, took a towel and cleaned his hands, attention going to Jamie. "So you've got a missing friend?"
 
If ever there was a conflicting statement, sleep being unimportant was it. Jamie quite valued slumber, so much so that she was frequently late to notably anything and everything, regardless of its perceived importance. It was in fact why many of her staffers saw fit to alert her to events hours before they were actually to begin, if only so that she would arrive close to on time. It was quite genius of them, much to Jamie's discontent.

The blonde sat a bit more forward in the chair, sapphire eyes quickly passing to the left and right to ensure no unwelcome ears were lingering.

"More than a friend, really. An informant. A member of my staff, handles delicate matters related to certain sects of Force users. Last transmission I got from him had indicated he had uncovered information, yet disappeared before that information reached either myself, or the other Naboo defense ministers." Taking a sip of the water she again passed eyes to her surroundings. Sorrus wasn't quite the safest place for her to be, given the circumstances surrounding the disappearance. "I need to find out what happened to him, and that data."

[member="Spark Finn"]
 

Spark Finn

Encrypt Code: 1989//
[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Benjyhan rubbed at his chin. "Hmm," he rumbled and leaned forward. "Heard something about some activity at the sith shrine just on the outskirts of the city. Might be you find your friend there." Spark leaned forward and slid him another credchit.

"For your trouble," he nodded and snatched it up, slipping it into the folds of his clothing as if it had never been on the bartop at all. He quickly turned toward some other customers, attention shifting away from the blondes.

Spark took a sip of her iced caf and eyes Jamie carefully. "Certain sects of force users, hmm?" A sandy-brow rose at the Queen.

#cautiousgaze #semijudgement
 

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