Tip: Don't Talk To The Men In White

[Connor Harrison]

Cloud City
Bespin, Anoat Sector​

Why did Connor always opt to take on the First Order? Maybe it was due to the fact he had nearly lost his life at their hands along with Padawan Daivik. Maybe he wanted to put a spanner in their works and unhook their hold over the steadily growing number of planets under their white armoured grip.

He had been sent to Cloud City, the capital Tibanna Gas mining facility of Bespin. It was far away from Sanctum space, but with news reaching them that the First Order were starting to manipulate the gas and establish slave pens around the facility for their own gain, it bugged him. Not on a Jedi level, but a personal level. It just irked him enough to warrant him taking an un-marked shuttle through the space lanes to simply get a feel for the city and the state of things.

The city was thriving, that much was sure. Leaving his crimson cowl behind, he instead walked with his navy tunic, sleeves rolled up and three brown belts to give the impression of an alchemist or researcher out to mind his own business. He had also opted to forgo the lightsaber hilt. Losing the Skywalker hilt to the faction that wanted to be just what Darth Vader had helped form was too ironic even for him.

The landing pad on the city outskirt provided a stunning view out into the clouds and planet below as a warm breeze greeted him. There was no immediate agenda, but if worse came to the worse, he would fight back. Even here, on the pad, he noted a white armoured Stormtrooper standing outside to enforce that iron grip over a once peaceful world.

Get in, get what he needed, don’t talk to anyone or ruffle any feathers, get out. Simple.

But this was Connor Harrison – nothing was ever “simple” when he was around.

[member="Lady Kay"] | [member="Asemir Lor'kora"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

A new slave ring, or at least new to her, drew Kay's attention to Cloud City. Best of all it was just starting out, so she had a pretty good chance of making sure that it didn't get a strong foothold here. As far as she was aware, this was neutral space. However the First Order were very close to taking it as their own. It was still a gambling planet with their floating casinos, but who knew how long that would last?

Kay had decided to dress a bit differently so that she wouldn't be so well recognized. She wore slacks, loose shirt, long leather coat, and her hair was drawn up in a ponytail. Instead of her satchel, she carried a backpack and wore a belt containing two holsters for her blasters. Given that she hadn't been here before, it could be enough.

She leaned against a large crate near the landing pads with her arms folded across her chest, almost looking like a gun or pilot for hire. Of course she was neither, but as long as she looked like one, that was a good enough cover for her.

Kay raised a brow slightly when she saw [member="Connor Harrison"] arrive. Or at least it looked like it might be him. The last time and only time that she had seen him was outside of a slave camp on Sriluur. It was a complicated encounter that felt more like an interrogation. Was he here to disrupt the slavery too? That remained to be seen. In any case, she shrunk her Force signature down to that of a small tree nut.

[member="Asemir Lor'kora"]

 

[Asemir]

He had never been to the Cloud City before. He had heard of it of course. Who hadn't? A floating city, a marvel of engineering and technology. Casinos and entertainment. The awe-inspiring and breath taking view. It was a wonder that Asemir Lor'kora had never decided to set foot on the floating city.

But now he had. He set foot on the durasteel deck plating, nodded a thanks to a droid attendant and glanced at the customs official. He handed the man his documentation, along with a quick suggestion, planted in the man's cerebral cortex. That had him smiling and muttering that all the forms were complete to his satisfaction, which suited Asemir just fine. He had filled out the paperwork fully, perhaps not accurately, and didn't want questions or the official to examine the documentation too closely.

The Forgotten threaded his way through the stalls on the landing pad, noting the various vendors and other patrons. It was pretty much a luxury city, catering to the tourists and vacationers who wanted to be lost in its splendor. But underneath it all, Asemir knew that something more sinister lurked.

He had been given a tip by an acquaintance, that lady he had met in a cantina, and it had him intrigued. Return to the slaver-killing business, it had asked him, and then given the coordinates of Bespin. Evidently, there was a slave ring that needed breaking up, and with Asemir's vast experience and personal interest in that area, the mission seemed like a no-brainer.

As he stepped towards the exit of the landing zone, his eyes caught a figure sulking near some crates. A woman in a leather coat. She looked vaguely familiar from this distance, just enough that Asemir had a guess of who she might be. It took a moment before he realized why she looked familiar and decided against approaching her. If that person was who he thought she was, then she would appreciate not being singled out. After all, that would compromise her disguise. And if she wasn't, then continuing on his path would save both of them an awkward experience.

He left the landing zone and into the city interior, and started his mission: scout out Cloud City, create a plan and decide on a course of action. It would be fun, he thought, so long as there wasn't much collateral damage. He'd hate to see the city plummet into the planet's core, of course.

[member="Lady Kay"]
[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Walking at a gentle pace, Connor walked along the pad with others and towards the external walkways around the gigantic city. He had no clear place to go, so it didn’t matter where he was in relation to anything. The Stormtroopers looked ridiculous; totally out of place and sticking out like a sore thumb amongst a city that was trying to thrive on being a peaceful, welcoming and economical hub.

Connor rubbed his chin and walked along casually, and decided to get a little information amongst the passers-by; the tourists and the officials going about their daily lives. As he walked past a trooper, he made sure to elbow the E11 blaster in his hands.

”Hey!”

Connor turned, and held out his hand.

”Excuse me, forgive me.”

Then, he gently twisted it and pulled into a fist.

”You will tell me where your station is in Cloud City.”

The trooper stood a little stiffer and raised his arm to point.

”The Concourse. Up above. Soon moving to take out Port Town.”

”Thank you.”

Connor kept his eye on the trooper as he backed away and sidled into the passers-by again, with a direction now to head; the upper area of the magnificent city. Behind him, the Stromtrooper shook his head a little, and tapped his helmet before returning back to his post.

[member="Lady Kay"] | [member="Asemir Lor'kora"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Ahhhh, there he was. She wasn't sure if [member="Asemir Lor'kora"] had gotten her message. It wasn't one that warranted a reply anyways. But here he was, seeming to notice her but then walking away. Smart. Very smart. He had asked about her slave liberation missions and why she did them. It was good to see that he took what she had said to heart.

Her eyes drifted back towards [member="Connor Harrison"] . The man was tall, so it wasn't very hard to pinpoint him, especially as he neared one of the Stormtroopers. Kay tilted her head to the side a bit as she saw the trooper point, followed by Connor backing away in that direction, and then again the strange reaction from the trooper afterwards. Hmmm.

She pushed herself from the crate and followed him. With her hands in her pockets, she weaved in and out of the crowd.

 

[Asemir]

Maybe it was the Force that alerted him, or perhaps just the sixth-sense that he'd developed over decades of life, but something bugged him. The air wasn't quite right. Asemir stopped and acted as if he were browsing a vendor's goods, but in reality he stretched out his senses. There was someone here, someone who was strong in the Force. Aside from Kay, that is. Someone else.

The Forgotten glanced from the corner of his eye and saw a taller man dressed in a navy tunic and some other garb. The man walked with purpose, with a destination in mind, and his life aura sang brightly. Asemir didn't know this man, but he could feel the strength pulsing from him. Quite interesting.

Even more interesting, though, was Kay. She weaved her way through the crowd but she was still tailing this stranger. As they passed, Asemir gave Kay a discreet nod, letting her know that he was watching.

If Tay was following this man, Asemir decided, then he had some significance. The Forgotten mentally shrugged, counted to fifteen, and took after the former Senator and the Force Master. He stayed several meters behind, but followed them nonetheless.

[member="Lady Kay"]
[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Connor walked and looked out of the thick windows along the walkway which could be the stuff of nightmare for those afraid of heights; but then being on Cloud City wasn’t going to be full of people who were, considering. He looked at the clouds, and the planet just teasing them hundreds of miles below.

He stopped, looked for something, and then turned right to walk at a fork. Smiling as he passed a couple of Stormtroopers passing by, Connor glanced back and sidestepped around into a doorway, which was locked and hugged the wall.

Waiting a few seconds, feeling it build, the person passed and he quickly darted out in front of them to block them from walking. A woman. He nodded at her, knowing the face.

”Well well well.”

He nodded at her, knowing the face.

”Bad at freeing slaves, bad at tailing Jedi.”

It was the Republic Senator [member="Lady Kay"]. He glanced up, a lot of people were around, nobody sticking out as an obvious tail for her.

”Here to cause another uprising, or just sight-seeing?”

[member="Asemir Lor'kora"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

There was [member="Asemir Lor'kora"] again. She caught his nod and gave him a wink in return. Good. She had someone to watch her back, just in case. She kept her pace as she followed [member="Connor Harrison"] as he stopped before entering into the fork in the road. Then she lost sight of him as she turned the corner. That is until he jumped out at her and blocked her path. Kay pulled her hands out of her pockets and held one of them out towards his chest. He had a habit of getting too close into her personal space and she wanted to try to prevent that.

At his remarks, she narrowed her eyes slightly. The one time that he came across her was the one time that her slave rescue didn't go so well. It wasn't fair.

"Things just tend to go sour only when you are around. And I wasn't exactly trying to remain hidden. I figured that you'd spot me sooner or later. But what brings you here? Some Jedi business against the First Order? Or were you just here for the scenery as well?" With both of their encounters it was hard to tell if she was regarded as friend or foe.

 

[Asemir]

OOC:
Again, apologies for the long wait between posts. Work and RL have been very busy and aggravating. Last minute business trips, toddler, etc.

IC:
He was right! Kay had been tailing the man. Trust your instincts, his teachers had said, and for once, they had been right. Of course, that didn't mean he could do anything. He had no idea if this man was friend or foe, and jumping in immediately could put Kay's life in danger, or perhaps even his. While unknown situations were a simple fact of life, Asemir preferred not to venture into a situation without some intel.

The Forgotten continued his path forward, past Kay and past the man she was now talking with. He didn't stop because that would have been a bit too obvious, but he did pause at an information kiosk. Good, a restroom was just around the corner. He nodded, apparently satisfied and stepped briskly for those few meters, and pushed open the door.

Asemir stood facing the sink, not really seeing his reflection. He wasn't that far from Kay, and the washroom was definitely out of line of sight, so it gave him a good opportunity to regroup. And to watch, or rather sense, their presence. It was a neat little advantage to being Force sensitive. He could duck into cover and still be aware of his surroundings.

He decided he'd wait a few minutes, just to make sure that Kay wasn't in any danger. Then, maybe, he'd pop in and introduce himself. Maybe.

[member="Lady Kay"]
[member="Connor Harrison"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

As soon as her arm came up, Connor did the same and grabbed her wrist and twisted it slightly. There was nothing but distrust about this one; he was unsure where her loyalties lay, and what she was doing. Active as a Senator, but trying to free slaves? Was she a broken merc? A vigilante? A spy?

”Let’s just say I’ve a few scores to settle with the First Order so putting a spanner in their works suits me just fine.”

He pushed her hand away.

”What’s your story? Working for your own goals or her to cause some distracting explosions? ”

Maybe she would be the one to watch over the Stormtroopers or anyone else.

[member="Lady Kay"] | [member="Asemir Lor'kora"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay's gaze moved to [member="Asemir Lor'kora"] as he walked past them, but then her attention was drawn right back to [member="Connor Harrison"] as he grabbed her wrist and twisted it a little. That was entirely uncalled for. She narrowed her eyes slightly. It seemed as though they were on the same side, yet with both the last encounter and this one, he liked to make her uncomfortable and intimidate her. That made her want to stand her ground against him even more.

She rubbed her wrist after he pushed her hand aside. She had no intention of hurting him back just yet. And of course he just had to mention the explosions. But it wasn't as though he knew a lot about her anyways.

"No explosions. Just other means of liberating the enslaved. I haven't worked out the details yet as I need to see what I'm up against. I don't do this for me. It's not as though I get anything out of it or get paid for it."

Kay tilted her head to the side a bit. "Did you want to help?"

 

[Asemir]

"Yes, I'd like to help," Asemir said, interrupting the two. After sensing the little bit of aggression displayed by both parties, the Ingr'Nysk had decided that waiting and watching wasn't going to net him any advantage. Plus, he couldn't hear their conversation, so that didn't help. It was better to just step in and announce his presence.

"It's nice to meet you again, Kay," Asemir continued. He turned towards the man, and giving him a quick look, he offered his hand. "We've not met. I am Asemir."

[member="Lady Kay"]
[member="Connor Harrison"]