Private The Good Tip, The Bad R5 and The Ugly Truth

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Milla Kryst Ra'a'mah Dagon Kaze Marina DeVoe


Another investigation had landed on Lori's lap, so to speak. The details and facts were so spread out and obscure, that it was difficult to make out whether or not the connections were just circumstancial at best, or something that needed a further look. It would probably take a crazy person to figure it all out.

Good thing Lori was a Goofball and at times, considered crazy due to her impulsive and wreckless decisions!

And it was for those personality traits that she needed someone a lot more....grounded to balance it out. That was where Marina came in. During their first meeting, it was made clear that the woman was devout to the law and seeing to it that there was no illegal activity or vigilantism going on. She was the perfect counter and could impart valuable insight and ideas.

Taking the first and second files with her on her datapad, she met up with Marina at a café and sat down at the little table was waiting for her at. "Hey. Glad you decided to help on this. Care to take a look?" She slipped her the datapad, getting straight down to business.

 

[Marina DeVoe]

So she weren't a fighter, nor were she ever armed weapon wise.
But wise she were, for someone who's only means of getting around among this chaotic galaxy was to use her wits.

The message displayed after it were decoded to meet Cessy's daughter at a given location...a cafe'.

Cafe' del Sole it happened to be, on the west of the Riviera. She had looked it up, scoping it two hours before the meeting. Only that she didn't sit down at the Cafe' del Sole, but another open restaurant just across the boulevard ...watching... waiting...drinking coffee.

Just a few minutes before the scheduled time, she spotted Loreena Arenais-Valhoun approach the cafe. taking a moment to peer inside before she entered.
Marina looked about from across the way for any suspicious characters that may have followed the young women.
Nothing were out of place.
Marina motioned for her check and settled her account before exiting the restaurant and casually heading over to Cafe' del Sole.

"Loorie..." Marina acknowledged the young woman as she slipped into her seat across from her.

Cessy's girl was appreciative that Marina had agreed to meet with her.
What could the blonde say?... there had been an unspoken understanding between this young woman's mother and Marina. Sometimes words were never necessary between friends as to their devotion for one another.
Marina just gave Loreena a small smile. " No problem at all... I will see what I can help you with." She replied, eyes motioning the young woman to take a look at what she had.

Files..
A file on a Mandolorean...a Milla Kryst
"Hmm... interesting..." It were more a data log ... an account of one of the woman's caper...of a bounty hunter. Well really, what Mandolorean, male, female wasn't a gun for hire these days?
Well, what choice did these proud people have out here in the chaotic galaxy.
marina had on several occasion had the privilege's of helping them...even during the sith sieges of Mandalore and Concord Dawn, where she came to their aid. But sadly the sith had come in greater numbers and ...and... Marina could not go back to those memories of what she witnessed during her campaign there. "..she's...she's quite something." More impressive than something. This woman were quite resourceful. Then again, had she expected less from a Mandolorean? Their women were just as badass as their mates.
But this of course were Marina's impression of the Mandalorians.

2nd file... Milla again. only this time, there was a name that popped.
"Wait-
I... I know her...
I know this Riamah..." she then said, looking over the account between this Milla and the other woman she once knew.

"Well, that is, when she went by Ra'a'mah" Marina looked back from the data to Loreena.

"What do these two have to do with..." her eyes scanned left..then right... "... our objectives?"

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Spoiler

Again, sorry for the delay. The universe has been throwing a lot at me these past few weeks. Just taking a breather right now

Lori wasn't really one for caf, but she was starting to be. Maybe that was part of growing up, although like everyone else, she still didn't feel like anything more than a teenager. That was how pretty much everyone treated her, including the Rebels these days. So that didn't really allow for anyone to give her credit for something or even to listen to her.

But Marina DeVoe was here, thankfully, and she chose to listen and to help. That was enough to give the woman some brownie points right there.

Lori perked up as she mentioned that she knew Ra'a'mah . "You know her? That's perfect!" To answer her follow up question, she added; "We're just investigating right now. So we'll need to ask her some questions. Do know where she could be?"

Milla Kryst Dagon Kaze

 

[Marina DeVoe]

"Hmm..." Marina leaned back a little thinking where last she had met her former ally.

Ra'a'mah had once been an asset and dependable ally to both Alderaan and what had once been the Free World Coalition. That is until The Sith Empire swarmed upon them with zealous rage. They had managed to break up the coalition and scatter it's allies throughout the galaxy.
Last Marina saw her fiery red hair friend was just before the sith attacks. But word throughout the collapsing coalition had Riamah engaging the sith fleets...with reported heavy losses to it.

"Riamah...yes..." Marina's eyes lowered a moment contemplating what losses Riamah incurred trying to protect Alderaan and hold the coalition together. But the sith were like vermin infestations...they had greater numbers and no empathy whatsoever.
Still, word eventually reached Marina's ear, many months after that Riamah had managed to survive and repel the sith hordes long enough to escape with many refugees...

"I wish I knew." She then replied to Loreena, meeting her eyes.
"After the sith broke up FWC...they ...they lay their hammer down on Commenor..." It were hard to speak of it, as the suffering of so many still echoed in Marina's memory.
And Loreena knew of all the suffering those vermin sith had caused, for her own people had died in the thousands...tens of thousands under the sith's iron boots.

"I...I'm sorry.
I didn't mean to bring up all that which we suffered through. Your mother did all she could to save her people...your people. Just that the storm were a tempest and devastated everyone in it's path.
Lorry... I loved your mother.
She were a sister to me." Marina's hand reached over to cover Loreena's hand.

"It's why I am here with you. We won't be able to bring TSE down, but we can do much to bring those who are lawless like them to justice.
I will try to contact some people who may have some clue as to where Riamah may be. I will then seek her out. "


Loreena Arenais-Valhoun

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori watched Marina DeVoe as she dove through her memories. At first she was hopeful, but then that sank a little as Marina didn't seem to sure.

And then came the mention of the Sith attack on Commenor. Her jaw tightened a little before she took a swallow of her drink to help to ease it. Tears threatened to flow, but Lori did her best to hold them back. Those tragic events led to a lot of loss. Millions died, most in seconds as an entire city was obliterated. Both of her parents were captured, one of Lori's school classmates turned out to be working for the Sith and tried to get her to surrender, yet both her and her brother escaped capture themselves. And it signalled the end of the CSA, and of her Mom's confidence in herself.

She set down her cup and placed her hand on top of Marina's. "I miss her. The last time that I saw her was when she told me about my Dad dying in battle...They are a tough act to follow and I will never be half as good as them. Not even close." By the time that her Mom was her age, she was already a Senator and well on her way to leading Commenor. Lori on the other hand, was living on her ship, travelling the western side of the map and making herself a thorn in an Empire's side. That of course had it's drawbacks.

Lori cleared her throat a little. "Please see if you can find her. Then let me know and we'll question her together."

 

[Marina DeVoe]

Marina withdrew her hand. But not without feeling a sudden rush of familiarity from Loreena's hand. It could be described like something along the lines of pleasant sweet memories of another time... another... place. Like one recalling pleasant memories from the smell of crayons...like that.

Perhaps sometimes it would be better to revel in good memories lived rather than sink into sorrow for the bad experienced. All of Marina's vivid memories of Cessy were colorful...full of life, joy...accomplishments. Perhaps it were better to keep them closer to heart than the bad ones.

"Loorie...you are not your mother. Cessy were unique.
You are unique. You don't have to follow an act, but only to follow your own heart.
Cessy didn't wish for a clone you know, but for a daughter she could never be disappointed in, no matter the hard lessons you will learn along your own path." Marina then said, before looking back over to the file on Loreena's data pad.

"I'll get on it. " She then nodded.
Ra'a'mah wasn't someone you just opened up a channel and shared a pleasant holo-gram conversation with. She wouldn't leave herself vulnerable like that. Not when she defied the sith and other like minions. Riamah were as wanted as Marina. Only that Marina had done her very best to stay low keyed. besides, Marina had no fleets, like Riamah. She never fully engaged the sith head on, with guns blazing like Riamah. Her involvement in defying the sith and FO were in keeping supply lines open in providing aid, medical supplies, food/shelter for those suffering under the sith. She were a humanitarian and pacifist...marina didn't believe, nor condoned violence.
Her internship under Queen Faith as a diplomatic aid enabled her to go places and move about with little scrutiny.

"I'll see about locating her, then I'll relay you as to where Riamah would wish to meet you."


Loreena Arenais-Valhoun

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori stared at her cup as Marina DeVoe spoke of her Mom and what was an unusual nickname for her. Cessy. Must have been some kind of code word between them, given how her Mom couldn't get out of the spotlight at times. At least Lori didn't have that problem. She wasn't some bigtime political figure. Most hadn't even heard of her at all. It was just the reputation of everyone else in her family that was known.

"Meet us, you mean," Lori interjected. She couldn't help it. But the plan was for Marina to be there with her for thus investigation and that was exactly what was going to happen. Lori didn't think that she'd lose her cool at all, especially on this case. But who knows? It was better to have someone that was more grounded and could be sure that she wasn't going overboard.

"Thank you. Take all the time that you need. Just keep in touch." She picked up her cup again and had a sip. This was all going well so far. Hopefully they could solve the case.

 

[Marina DeVoe]

She looked over to Lori, giving her a good moment before nodding.
Marina had not expected the young woman to wish her present during an investigation. After all, Marina had studied Galactic Law in theory but had never served in any judicial matters or investigations.
So the fact that Cessy's daughter had enough faith in her to be a viable member of her team, it took a moment to have it all sink in.
Marina had been under the impression that she were more or less an associate...someone Lori's group would occasionally use to test out leads...maybe someone who would provide them with some preliminary unofficial legal advice. But what Lori were meaning were for her to take up a role of counselor...a legal adviser.

"Of course, Loreena.
The moment I get a good lead on Ra'a'mah-
....er Riahma rather, I'll connect with you." She replied.

"Uhm...only thing though, is I don't know how to reach you. Not directly, I mean.
But keeping it as it currently exists, I am fine with it. Just that the time factor in not having the ability to reach you directly makes it impossible to give you a moment's head up." Marina explained.
Lori hadn't given Marina her privi codes in reaching her directly. No doubt it were for security reasons as there were many spies about and certainly each one of them, including Marina had some make, or contract out on them. So just getting messaged one way were one means of cutting the risks in half, especially if Marina wasn't officially one of the group members. Or so she had first thought.

But Lori no doubt seemed to trust her enough, as it were evident by their first private meeting.



Loreena Arenais-Valhoun / Ra'a'mah

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori nodded as Marina DeVoe agreed to work with her on this. It was tough to do things on her own sometimes and even tougher when people refused to help. But her mom's friend didn't seem that type of a person.

"Thank you. And you can reach me through Arla. She's my co-pilot and is always at my ship, which is pretty much where I tend to be." Lori didn't have a home to call her own except for her ships. It was safer to always be on the move. The attack on her private wedding had proved that.

She jotted the digits down on one of the files and showed it to Marina. "Hope it all goes well."

 

[Marina DeVoe]

Marina nodded, taking what Lori displayed to memory.
"That'll work, yes..." She then said tapping an index to her temple, before reaching over to the scripted code on the data pad and initiating delete.

Marina had never met Lori's father, but had knowledge of him. The obscurity again were kept so that there would be little if nothing at all to tie Cessy's family and Marina's.
The two friends had been very careful in keeping their relations from public knowledge. It had worked.

But as the two readied to part, marina couldn't help but wonder as to Lori's father's influence on the young Arenais. Marina knew the man were as exemplary as her beloved Cessy. the two must have made some pair. no doubt both lori and her brother must have inherited their parent's best traits.
She took another sip and placed her cup down. Without another word, marina got up and casually exited the cafe', not looking back...leaving Lori to leave on her own when she would feel the time was right....



Days later...

Marina were awakened by the proximity alarm she had set. She had another hour before her ship would emerge out of hyperspace.
Showered, refreshed and dressed, she stepped out of her cabin and-
"OH!.." She stopped short on bumping into her droid.

"I told you, don't do that!...why do you park yourself right outside the door like that?"

be de beep... her droid replied he were waiting for her to man the cockpit, acting sentry.

"Security?...you're blocking my door because you're acting security.
TK...it's just us two. besides, where did you get the idea of being a security droid?..."

de beep... it replied, moving out of the way.

"Oh, Dad huh?... He told you to take up security?...
Oi...unbelievable."

be beep... it was true.

"Yea, I figure it to be. But NO. You do what-
...well, you do what you normally do around the ship."

De dee beep... and act as security, the droid repeated.

"Sheesh...fine.
I ain't arguing with a machine.
You're first security officer...and first officer...and co-pilot...cook...maintenance..."

Be be...and companion the droid added.

"Lol... and companion, yes." she laughed, readying to take the helm.
The nav comp were near emergence and their destination.
"Ok..now lets get to where we need to be.."



A short time later... planet side.

"I don't know exactly, but my sources had pinned her down here a few days ago...almost a week ago really.
You stay behind and secure the ship... " She instructed, disembarking the Mariner IV. "...and keep the engines on stand-by. We may have to bolt off this rock.
I'll go see if I can find Ra'a'mah "

Her droid complied and retracted the ramp once Marina stepped off.



Loreena Arenais-Valhoun / Ra'a'mah