Spam in a Can

[Damian Starchaser]

Damian wasn’t sure about working with people he didn’t know. When you didn’t have a relationship with team members you couldn’t predict their actions. Not being able to predict the actions of your team could lead to miscommunication and all sorts of other problems. Of course that was the point of exercises like this.

It was a cake run, or at least should be. Supplies had been going missing, and so Damian and those with here were to find out why. They were on the dock now waiting at the ship. All the shipments that went missing were being transported by transgalactic shipping. Entire crates of various items. To Damian it stunk of organized crime or just plain thieving on behalf of the dockworkers. The authorities agreed with that assessment and so sent Damian and a few others.

The party was supposed to meet in the shipyard where Damian could brief them. To Damian, being on time meant you were two hours late. Whenever he had a meeting he prefered to arrive early and scout out the area and see what was going on. The local union, The United Brotherhood of Stevedores, seemed to run a pretty effective operation. They loaded and unloaded cargo. If this was indeed theft off the docs there had to be someone within that organization involved. That made things difficult. Unions could be a pain, and generally speaking if you tried to squeeze one for information or accused a member the whole horde would close ranks.

Damian tapped his foot a little as he waited for the others. There was at least one Padawan that would be joining him. He’d never thought about teaching, nor had he ever considered taking on one of his own and so felt a strange twinge of anxiety at having one on the mission. Then again in recent days he had trained a small group in the art of survival on an island. That was different though. This mattered. Well maybe not that much, the last shipment stolen was full of fruit that had gone bad and was set to be destroyed. Clearly whatever was happening to these shipments weren’t being caused by a criminal mastermind.

 

[Joza Perl]

Ever since arriving at the Jedi Temple on Sullust, Joza had thrown herself into her studies. At first it was because she was having difficulty getting settled, what with the crippling homesickness and all—so it helped for her to try and occupy herself with whatever she could get her hands on. Then she figured, if she was going to be a Jedi, she was going to do this right. And so, the Zeltron would spend hours in the Jedi Archives, or practicing her saber forms over and over until everything blended together. Which wasn’t exactly a good thing, because she was still trying to distract herself from feeling upset.

When she had heard that [member="Damian Starchaser"] was organizing a small group to investigate missing shipments, she jumped at the chance to volunteer. Her secondary thought was Wow, this is going to be boring. But the Padawan reminded herself that it was still important, and that she shouldn’t just take the situation at face value. Every experience counts, right?

She thought she was early, but apparently not. The mission leader was already there and waiting, Joza realized as she spied him from a distance as she wove her way through the shipyard. She approached him, gaze wandering around to take in her surroundings, something that just occurred to her that she should probably do. When she reached him, the Zeltron introduced herself. “I don’t think we’ve met before. Joza Perl, Padawan. Nice to meet you.”

 

[Damian Starchaser]

For Damian being on time meant he was two hours late. When you arranged for a meeting you wanted to make sure there was no one setting up on you and so he had made it a habit to always arrive early. Today had been no exception. Then he saw her, the padawan that has been apparently assigned to this task. Pink women meant trouble. It wasn't that they were naturally mean or evil or anything like that but Damian had poor experience with woman who specialized in mind control and emotional manipulation. Emotional manipulation was what Zeltrons did. The red and pink species had pheromones and empathetic control in spades and were by enlarge very pretty people regardless of sex. The most recent example has been during a simple business meeting when a Zeltros woman did her thing.

"[member="Joza Perl"]," Damian said with a nod. No it wasn't right to pre judge. He'd known plenty of Zeltrons who were okay. "My name is Damian Starchaser. It is pleasure to meet you."

Damian looked at one of the gantries lifting up a large container and placing it in the bulk cruiser. When people thought smuggling they often thought about fast little ships, but the truth was an inside man was just as valuable. "I'm assuming you've been briefed?" Eyes glanced for a moment at the woman before returning the task at hand. "So tell me, how did you get roped into this duty?" He assumed she has. No one wanted to sit and watch containers, which is what people assumed this job would be, although Damian had other plans.

 

[Joza Perl]

Joza ran a hand through her loose red waves, pausing for a few moments while she wondered how to answer the question. She’d been so overzealous in taking any opportunity she could to further her skills to the point where even she was beginning to recognize herself as a try-hard. Even if the job was to sit around and watch shipping containers all day, there still could be something valuable to learn. Or maybe she was just reaching too far, trying to find a lesson in everything.

“I volunteered.” She admitted, trying to keep the sheepish look off of her face and embarrassment out of her voice. “I’m trying to work with as many people as possible. So if the opportunity to work with a Jedi Knight comes up, I’m going to take it.” She figured that it would be better to be honest with him rather than try and play it cool. She took a moment to glance him up and down, realizing that he was probably around the same age as her. She felt a little awkward and self-conscious being around those of similar age who far outclassed her in power and ability, but it was something she’d just have to get over.

Shaking it off, she turned her focus back to [member="Damian Starchaser"]. “So, any leads yet?”

 

[Damian Starchaser]

"Unions," Damian said with a sigh. "They are tight lipped. It's like a mafia gang but mostly legitimate. Unions tend to stick to their own so there isn't really a lot of people we could ask." Damian was tempted to ask the Zeltros to use her force given assets and shake her ass and pheromone some poor schmuck into giving them information. It's what Emerald would do, but in the end Damian thought better of it. Besides he didn't know this young woman good enough to ask something like that, as effective as it might be it was also degrading. Some agents could handle that sort of job and others... well they just couldn't. Okay kid gloves on.

"The biggest problem is that containers go missing all the time." Thousands lost to space, more in port. "Some of them are theft, and some are just incompetence. Think about it, you're out there on the dock and its hot your window is all steamed up and you're transporting a container from a ship to a staging zone out there in the stacks," Damian waved his hand over at the huge stacks of containers and and smiled, "Or they could just be incompetent."

"Regardless," Damian pointed over to a little noteputer set up next to a set of visual enhancing scanners. "the best bet is to sit and wait for a bit. The computer is tied into the computers in the port. If a shipment disappears we'll see it and follow it. If its legit it will get entered later. If it isn't, presumably it will be reentered into the system. If not then maybe these are the stolen shipments." Then Damian turned to the woman. "But we don't want simple low level thieves, or smugglers." Having started himself as a smuggler he was loathe to hurt his own kind. "If the can is stolen we follow, check it out, look for patterns. In crimes like this there is sprawl. Are they stealing? Smuggling? What are they smuggling? Drugs? Weapons? Who is buying? Who is selling? These are all important questions." And who is the boss. There was almost always a boss and Damian was already sure the mysterious "Boss" he'd been chasing was behind these events. Either that or the Hutts. The Hutts did a lot of business. "I'm not saying this is going to be the most exciting assignment, but hey at least we'll get to know eachother a bit better."

And with that Damian leaned back in his seat and kept an eye on the computer. "So how did you become a Jedi?"

 

[Joza Perl]

The pink woman arched a brow at the thorough briefing. “You certainly know your fair share about shipping.” Some of it was common sense now that she thought about it, but it almost seemed like he had done this before. Maybe he had? People came from all walks of life here, so it could be possible. She began to wonder how long they’d be waiting here until something happened—if something happened—when he prompted her with a question.

Joza paused for a few moments, wondering why she couldn’t come up with a quick answer to such a simple question. “Uhm…” She ran a hand absently through her hair as she gathered her thoughts. “Short version is that I found out after running to a Jedi as a kid on Zeltros. I’ve always wanted to leave but, uh…my mom wouldn’t let me. So I just sort of…left. Yeah.” She shrugged, not wanting to get into all the emotional stuff surrounding it. She still felt guilty for leaving her mother. Deciding to throw the question back, she cleared her throat. “How about you?”

[member="Damian Starchaser"]

 

[Damian Starchaser]

[member="Joza Perl"] spoke and Damian listened to every word. It wasn't that he was interested, although truth be told he was, but rather it was important to know people. Any little piece of information could be important in a life or death situation. And then it happened, Joza asked him about his past. It didn't take a Zeltros, or even a Jedi Zeltros, to sense the unease in the young man at that moment. "Oh boy." He chuckled trying to play the comment off. Truth was she had the right to know. Normally he wouldn't have bothered, would have lied or else told a half truth. Normally though he'd have been Chuck Finley and not Damian Starchaser. Chuck Finley was often a name he took in the field. Normally he used the name when going undercover.

"Well," he started nonchalantly, "I am a clone. My parents, if you want to call them that, I never really knew. One was a rather unhinged woman, and the other.... my father who I favor the most, is something of a darkside casino owner...." And let the awkwardness begin. "I was sort of robbing one of his cruise ship Casinos when a Jedi master fell into my lap." Literally. A few goons has tried to hit [member="Kana Truden"] with Elixer of Infatuation drugging her drink and Damian had swooped in to the rescue. Still as sweet as the story was he doubted Kana wanted him to tell the whole Galaxy about it. "And then I sort of fell into becoming a Jedi."

In that moment Damian wanted to ask her about her family. Families interested him. What was it like and things like that. He just had his grandfather who was somewhat a negligent figure in his life. In the end though, he held his tongue, knowing that Joza would most likely have questions. Most people did.

 

[Joza Perl]

“Uh…wow.” Joza reached up with one hand to scratch at the back of her head, a habit she had when confronted with a situation where she didn’t immediately know what to do or say. She’d heard some interesting pasts from other members of the New Jedi Order, but this one topped them all.

“So you fell into becoming a Jedi after a Jedi fell into your lap?” She arched a brow, a small smirk of amusement coming to her face as she crossed her arms over her chest. “I guess that explains how you know so much about missing shipments.” She shook her head, trying to take it all in. If he was an ex-criminal, then certainly he knew how criminals think. Which would hopefully make this job easier.

“My life up until this point was way less interesting. I worked in the entertainment district on Zeltros with my mother as a waitress and a dancer. I’ve met some pretty interesting people there, but never a clone. Well, not one that I knew was a clone.”

[member="Damian Starchaser"]

 

[Damian Starchaser]

"People are people Miss Perl," Damian said with a little nod. "It doesn't matter if you're a Zeltron, a Cragmoloid, or a Kushiban, everyone is just trying to be." Damian shrugged as he kept his eyes peeled on the space dock below. "Clones are like anyone else. I may look like Marek Starchaser but let me assure you I am not him. I'm my own person, with my own set of ideals and moral code." A moral code which said it was okay to lie and steal for a greater good... okay probably better not mention that part. "I remember on Zeltros, when I was young my grandfather took me to this beach resort. I didn't appreciate it much at the time but there was a water park with slides and rides."

smile crawled over his face as he remembered it. "I go back from time to time. To the resort." Most recently he'd taught a fellow Jedi how to swim there. It was a nice little place hidden away from the largest hubs on the planet to give a more private feel. Of course it was also perfect for clandestine meetings which had been his purpose on the last trip. A chance encounter on the beach saw him handed codes for the prison on sullust. Better not to mention that, or the time he tried to break his master out of a galactic alliance prison.

"So the entertainment district, what did you do there? I'm imagining something fun. Juggler?"

[member="Joza Perl"]

 

[Joza Perl]

Joza nodded slowly, taking in his words. She’d never given clones much thought before, but would probably have figured that they acted similarly to those who they were made from. But apparently that wasn’t the case. When he mentioned Zeltros, she fixed her emerald gaze on him once again, noting the smile that came to his face.

“Zeltros is a beautiful planet. Outside of the cities, there are gorgeous landscapes. Mountains, beaches…It’s the ideal place for a vacation, or so many people seem to think. My own father was actually a tourist, but I never met him. I don’t think he knew that he’d gotten my mother pregnant, anyway.” She shrugged, remembering the times when she had probed her mother about her father. Her mother never revealed much information, likely because she didn’t know much about him. It always bothered Joza a little, but she tried not to think too hard on it.

She had to crack a small smile at the thought of her being a juggler. “Hardly.” She chuckled softly. “I waitressed for a while, but I also danced too. My mother was a prostitute. But she was a good mother.” Sex work wasn’t looked down on in Zeltros as it was on other worlds, but she felt it would be best for her to be honest.

[member="Damian Starchaser"]

 

[Damian Starchaser]

"A waitress is a juggle of sorts though isn't it?" Damian said with a reassuring smile. "I worked with a Vahla carnival once, traveling from place to place for a few months out on the rim." And stealing things. That wasn't important. It wasn't that he was afraid to admit that he stole things, or that who he stole them from but rather didn't want to tarnish the Vahla's reputation. Many people saw the nomadic Vahla as a blight on the galaxy and even as a degenerate race of darksiders. They had been kind to Damian and took him in during a troubled time. "Dancing though. That is something. I enjoy a nice dance, a waltz or something like that. Get into a fine suit and dart around a ball room."

The smile remained on his face the entire time he talked. On Zeltros there was a completely different set of morals from the rest of the galaxy and Damian couldn't tell how [member="Joza Perl"] aligned with them. "There is nothing to be ashamed of in being a simple waitress or a dancer. Hell I'm sure all eyes were on you when you dance." She was pretty, and there was no doubt in his mind that people would come to see her regardless of what type of dance she performed. "I never really knew my mother. I was raised by my grandfather. Smuggler, and a bit of a thief. But he raised me right. Every cripple has their own way of walking he used to say. And job descriptions, they don't define who a person is. I've known thieves with more ethics than planetary security officers."

Wow rambling. Good job Damian.

 

[Joza Perl]

Joza gave a soft laugh, shaking her head gently. “I’m afraid the dances I know are less…refined. Meant to play on the senses. You know, to get customers to stay longer and spend more money, buy some drinks.” She shrugged. “I did enjoy it though. The clothing was pretty and dancing in front of a crowd had this kind of exhilaration to it.” A calm smile crossed her face as if she was recalling a fond memory, a faraway look in her eyes. As much as she always longed to get off of Zeltros, she couldn’t forget the sultry feeling of the nightlife that just couldn’t be recreated on other planets.

She refocused on [member="Damian Starchaser"] after a few moments, reminding herself to stay in the present. He had a pretty interesting story himself, being a clone, part of a circus, robbing a cruise ship…and yet he ended up here. Before joining the Galactic Alliance, she didn’t really know anything about the Jedi Code. Whenever she had thought of the Jedi, she pictured them as more…singular. Acting similarly, adhering to a strict, ancient code. She was quickly proven wrong upon her arrival on Sullust.

She nodded slowly at Damian’s last lines. He was a good example of something she didn’t expect, as she realized that he somehow made her comfortable enough to talk about herself, Normally she was a bit more uptight…maybe it was how open and accepting he seemed to be? “Was it hard for you to become a Jedi?” She asked, pausing for a moment as she re-ran the words through her head. “I mean, not because of your past. Well, kind of…uh, what I meant was…” She hesitated again, gathering her thoughts. Was she ever this awkward on Zeltros? She couldn’t remember. She didn’t want to make it seem like she thought he was a criminal who couldn’t play nice with others. “Was it hard for you to adapt to living by the Jedi Code? I mean, it's probably different than the life you've lead before...right?”

 

[Damian Starchaser]

Damian almost laughed. Really it was great. How did he live by the Jedi Code? The line from that holovid about Xim's pirates came to mind, it's more a guideline really... at least that is how Damian saw it. "Honestly," Damian started thinking about it for a moment. "I don 't know." It was a fair assessment of his feelings. "A lot has changed, but a lot has also stayed the same for me. Before I joined the Jedi I was a thief, and a smuggler. Now I use those same skills but as a..." Spy. No that was a bad word. "an operative." Operator as feth. "I get into places, plant bugs, get information on bad people. " A spy, when you got right down to it was just a criminal on a government paycheck. Most of the same skills he used as a thief and smuggler were used in his new profession. "And when the job goes right I know I've helped people."

Looking away from the young woman and onto the dock Damian considered the situation. "What about you? I image the Jedi are a bit more," he stopped to consider the word, "prudish, than you're used to." There was other matters being discussed that had his more immediate attention however. "You said you liked dressing up and being on stage." An eyebrow quirked at that. "I run a little fashion company. If you ever want to make a few credits, or get anything feel free to stop by our headquarters. Also if you ever need a cover story on a planet... Regional Manager [member="Joza Perl"] could be a thing. I can back it up with proper credentials if you need them as well."

 

[Joza Perl]

Joza deflated slightly, the nervous tension dropping from his shoulders. He didn’t seem to take offense to her awkwardness, so at least that was good. She knew that some of the Jedi had…different pasts, after all. Hell, he could look down on her for being a half-naked dancer but he didn’t. She nodded slowly as he answered, realizing that she had never met someone with his background before. Well, she’d met plenty of presumed criminals and thieves while working in clubs and bars, but none who were Jedi. “That’s…admirable. Using your skillset to help the Galactic Alliance.” She admitted, a small smile dusting her lips.

When he turned the question at her, Joza almost laughed as well. He wasn’t wrong, she was used to living life in a more…hedonistic manner, but she wasn’t necessarily comfortable with it. “To be honest, I actually like it. Zeltros is nice and all, but life there is too…content? People typically care about gratifying their desires as quick as possible. The Jedi offer more structure, and focus on the bigger picture. I’m trying to better myself, so…I hope that this is the right place to do it.” She shrugged, not bothering to mention how she actually missed life on Zeltros. Maybe if she didn’t think about it, her homesickness would go away, right?

At the mention of his company, Joza’s face reflected her surprise. Well, that was unexpected…this guy was full of surprises. “You mean like…being a model?” She ventured, caught off guard.

[member="Damian Starchaser"]

 

[Damian Starchaser]

Damian quirked an eyebrow in response. "If you'd like." was his plain spoken reply. "I use the money to fund various projects. We have lines of armored clothing and things of that nature." Pausing he looked over the woman. "You could work out well as a model I think, although any position would be open to you on paper. Taxable income that shows up on paper, and a stipend for operations. That's what I'm offering." [member="Joza Perl"] was attractive, there was no doubt about that. Still Damian didn't want to earn a Marek like reputation. There was more to women than looks!

Pausing he looked at the screen before continuing. "Call yourself a transport consultant for instance and suddenly anytime you're caught on docks such as these and what are they going to do? Nothing. You're here doing your job. Doesn't matter that you're job is just being a Jedi. Call yourself a model. Great pictures are taken of you and you have a salary. Now suddenly its easier for you to get into those fancy rich people parties where so many nasty things happen. Whatever job you want, when you want it I can put on paper for you."

 

[Joza Perl]

Joza paused, a contemplative look appearing on her face as she thought the offer over. The only jobs she’d been able to get on Zeltros revolved around her looks and body—which made sense, appearance was important when working in the entertainment district. It was also pretty much the only trait she had that was employable, she realized. Would she really be capable of doing other things like consulting? And modeling could potentially get boring after a while; she much preferred dancing as it allowed her to put more of herself into her performance.

After all, she did leave Zeltros to become something more than a waitress. If he saw potential in her, then why not. Idly cracking a knuckle, Joza arched a brow at [member="Damian Starchaser"]. “Armored clothing? That’s something I haven’t heard of before.” She wondered how durable the clothing could be, or what sort of styles would be suited for it. “Alright now…what’s the catch?” She was curious as to why he was offering her a job, after all.

 

[Damian Starchaser]

Damian kept his eyes on the stakeout while pulling out a datapad and dropping it onto the table in front of [member="Joza Perl"]. "We have a luxury suit, and a basic armored fabric so far." Damian furrowed his brow as he stared at the data on the screen. He could feel tension in the air and knew it would be time for them to move soon. "We are looking at getting more finished products like this into the field including other accessories."

Of course then she asked for the catch. "As for the catch as you call it." Damian shrugged. "The purpose of this corporation was to be a resource for agents. I may call upon you for an operation at some point." Shrugging he smiled over at the young woman. "It is what it is."

 

[Joza Perl]

“Hmm…” The young Zeltron would scroll through the datapad with a curious eye. There were companies that produced armor, and companies that produced luxury clothing, but so far this was the first time she’d heard of both properties being blended. Idly she wondered how effective the fabric were as she glanced up at [member="Damian Starchaser"]. It seemed that Jedi didn’t just stick to being the Galaxy’s protectors as she had learned in the stories of old.

In truth she didn’t really wear nice clothes anymore, preferring to wear her Padawan robes instead. That didn’t stop her from admiring them though, wishing she could don a short, tight dress and go dancing some nights. It was hard to completely break her out of the Zeltron mentality. Maybe once she was more comfortable with the Jedi lifestyle, she would find a nice balance for herself.

The talk of agents and operations played on her interest. She was, after all, a teenager. Like…a spy organization? That’s kinda cool, actually.

“Alright.” A slow smile spread across her face. “You’ve got my interest. I feel like this could be fun.”

OOC: Sorry for posting like, two weeks late >.>