(SW:SE The Biomancer) Ch. 1: An Office On Coruscant

[Tenshi]

Chapter 1: An Office on Coruscant

“Thank you for coming,” the teenage twi’lek said with a dimpling smile and a welcoming ripple of her lekku. “My name is Nae’Paula. Senator Soleta’Anan will see you soon. Please have a seat and take your ease. Is there anything I can get you?”

 

[Hisako-K]

Chloe’s hands rested loosely from her pockets, her thumbs hinging the rest of her hands as she stayed close to the door. Her slouched posture became more rigid and straight as she forced a nervous grin in response to the eager, young Twi’lek’s greeting. The Strawberry Blonde nodded towards the woman as her eyes quickly scanned, returning to make eye contact as she finished her short sentence. “No, thank you.” Her left hand left her pocket and pointed towards one of the smaller chairs, possibly a stool. “I’m quite alright, but I’ll go ahead and snag that little fella.” She said, raising her eyebrows as she awkwardly crossed in front of the woman.

The somewhat tall woman looked around the room briefly in the short trek to the ottoman-like perch she had spotted. She took in the nice decorations and other nice things Chloe had guessed the Senator left around to impress others. She turned slowly to face the Twi’lek, and relaxed as she sat down on the soft cushion. Chloe let out a relieved sigh, and leaned forward on her knees, her elbows resting her weight on her thighs. Chloe raised her eyebrows when she first addressed the teen, “Will the Senator be long? I’m not in a rush, just…” Chloe paused, holding her tongue. She shook her head, waving a dismissive hand as she finished, “Nothing, nevermind.”Chloe’s hand came back to its twin, her fingers interlocking as she settled on finally shutting up.

 

[WynterWulf]

Miz'thrata stayed leaning against the wall where she had positioned herself to watch over the room, though she did look up to the young twi'lek as she spoke to them. Raising an eyebrow, she thought about making a wiseass comment before chuckling to herself and meeting the other woman's eyes with a friendly smile. Soon after she went back to fiddling with the fiber bundles in her suit's musculature. Bothan fur was so hard to get out of the tiny places.

"Are we going to be waiting long?" She asked her, before shifting her bulk into a more comfortable position and leaning forwards with a barely audible hum of mechanics. "Time is money after all."

 

[freeko]

Jesilaur would find herself arriving fashionably late to the gathering. Already there were two other women present as well as the senator's assistant. A twi'lek female who was seemingly responsible for marshalling everyone together. Jess would simply bow her head as she could likely figure they were all waiting for her to arrive before getting started.

"My apologies, I hope I did not keep anyone waiting too long?" Jess had on a robe which mostly covered her body though her face was in no way hidden from sight.

 

[Tenshi]

There were more than a few nice things around the waiting room. Perhaps they said something about the senator. The table had a few local periodicals, but also a book of poetry and two others of flash fiction from the world she represented, and also a blow glass vase. There was a vid screen on one wall--equally able to display coruscant's news and holo net articles. It was off. There were several handicrafts on the bookshelves and the bar, and a few other books, but nothing that showed a political slogan or propaganda. There was a window, and a few potted plants. There was also a holo-sculpture that depicted a mix of fit and comely twi'lek, human, and durose girls dancing. The dancers were comely, with revealing clothing and sensual personalities, but the dances they performed were a mixture of artistically choreographed performances and folk dances--not harem dances.

Nae'paula herself wore attractive clothing that balanced professionalism with youthful fashion--including a few pieces that hinted at the more alluring aspects of bondage. Her mannerisms clearly marked her as a free born twi'lek.

"You're just in time, Master Jesilaur," she gave the young blond a smile and bow. "And it shouldn't be much longer. Would you like a drink, Master Jesilaur? We have a variety of juices, punches, sodas, wines, and spirits."

 

[freeko]

"That will not be necessary.. Miss?" Jess would reply as she was offered a bit of hospitality. Grateful as she was, Jess was hoping to get right down to business. Unfortunately, it would seem the senator had other matters to attend to. Jess would take a moment or two after declining the offer of refreshment to look over toward the others in the room. Given the nature of why Jess was summoned in the first place, she presumed that she would be working with these other two women on some manner of a mission.

"For now, I will wait for the senator to be free to see me." Trying to make the best usage of the words she spoke, Jess would see if the other's reacted in any meaningful manner toward her statement. Jess was simply trying to get some manner of feel for the room at this point, and was rather content to wait for the senator without much more fuss over the matter.

 

[Tenshi]

The twi'lek cocked her head, before realize Jess had missed her introduction. "I'm Nae'Paula. I'm an intern here. Please have a seat."

The teen bounced a little as she made her way through the office, sending a text to make sure the senator new that they were here, and then sorting some digital paper work. "It's really very exciting. First a hero of the Rebellion, now a jedi, a bounty hunter, and an ace pilot. I get to meet the most amazing people at this job. Thank you all for the opportunity."

 

[Tenshi]

A protocol droid entered and spoke quietly to Nae’Paula. The twi’lek girl thanked the droid by his numbers, then turned to their guests. “Senator Soleta’Anan will see you now.

Leading them into the office, the senator and her two other guests rose to greet them. “Thank you, Nae’Paula.” She gestured to chairs. “Please have a seat. My name is Soleta’anan. I trust my sister has seen to your needs?”

The senator was more mature than Nae’Paula, elegant shapely, and attractive, wearing a lovely black dress with an alluringly low neckline.

Nae’Paula backed out blushing a little, and casting admiring glances at one of the other guests.

“This is another sister of mine, Diona’anan.” The third rutian twi’lek was between the two in age and elegance, welcomed them. She was not quite as buxom as her elder, but tall and lithe, with long, delicate lekku and an ornate sword on her hip.

The last guest gave a small, amused rumble, and Soleta smiled up at him. Way, way up. “I don’t believe Colonel Chewbacca needs any introduction.

The towering wookie gave a purr that--to those who knew Shiriwook--understood as a humble, “I’m retired.”

 

[Hisako-K]

Chloe had remained quiet the entire interaction. While she had nothing to contribute she had a penchant for speaking when nervous. The senator’s office wasn’t that unnerved her so much as a combination of it all. Chloe took after her mother, and had more than just a tone of pink in her hair to prove it. She looked from the Jedi to the Twi’lek and tried to suppress her groans. While not necessarily concerned or worried, she was always uncomfortable around Jedis both times she had been near one. The teen mentioned a hero from the Rebellion, and Chloe’s head perked you. Chloe could count, and she assumed that neither of the three in the room were the one hero listed out of the four total titles. Chloe looked over to the tall, strong bounty huntress leaning against the wall, and her gaze softened. Maybe she would stick around and listen to the proposition after all.

A protocol droid entered the room which the hissing of doors, Chloe’s head snapped and she bodily watched, eager when she saw it speaking quietly to the Twi’lek. She thanked it, and started leading them. Chloe let out a sigh, pushing down on her knees as she stood up and followed the parade out the office.
To Chloe’s surprise they seemed to be led into yet another office. Her head looked around only long enough, it didn’t take long for her to catch the Wookie in the room. There was something awfully familiar in the room, but she couldn’t put her finger on it, but she had the impression she maybe met the Wookie before. The senator rounded off introductions, helping Chloe remember Chewbacca, and getting her introduced to the other two. Chloe’s expression went from somewhat amused to serious, her eyebrows lowering and her eyes beginning to squint suspiciously as she tried to piece together why they had all been summoned.

Chloe took a seat as she was offered, looking over her shoulders and about the room before finally picking yet another chair to sit in. She opted for something nearby rather than comfort, taking seat in one of the few single-occupant armchairs that were scattered throughout the room. Chloe settled in, wiggling around and fidgeting before she settled in and got comfortable. Her cloth fabric clothing made very little discomforting sounds when rubbing against the chair, and saved her from having to say any more. She didn’t want to introduce herself, and figured if a colonel and a senator were shoulder-to-shoulder, a business proposition was right around the corner.

 

[WynterWulf]

Miz had remained quiet during everything up until the Droid entered the room. She knew she was not the most diplomatic of people so she preferred to stay silent, wait and watch. Though when she felt the eyes of the strawberry blonde upon her she did incline her head down, a wolfish grin on her muzzle, and nodded briefly in greeting. This meeting might be worth it after all.

Booted feet rang out against the floor as she followed the others into the inner office, only raising an eyebrow at the crowd gathered inside. Though a grin crept onto her face at the sight of the war hero, and a chuckle came to her lips. "Well ain't this a surprise." She moved to one of the chairs and spun it around sitting down on it with her arms draped over the back of it.

 

[Tenshi]

The senator punched up a holo display over her desk, showing first star maps, and then news footage. “Thaelos 4,” Soleta explained, “is a world rich in both mineral and agricultural resources. It's a volcanically active world orbiting a fourth generation star and one of the galaxy's premier producers of Durasteel. It was originally a Zabrack colony that attracted an array of species over the millennia.
“During the Imperial era, Thaelos—not unlike my home world—was forced into full production without regards for the environment—either agricultural or wildlife preserves. 90% of the population was enslaved, most of them put to work at mines and smelters, producing Durasteel that was then transported to a nearby shipyard for the construction of star destroyers.
“New Republic reconstruction efforts were quite clever. They recognized the abundance of mineral resources on the planet. Universal emancipation was declared and engineering crews were organized. Clone wars era B1 battle droids were restored and repurposed. A network of remote processors was used to activate them. The result was a planet wide network of industrial droids to take over mine production for a whole planet of shareholders. This freed up much of the planets population for agricultural work, ecological restoration, and even leisure. Many universities were established. Ithorian experts were hired to teach terraforming.
“It should be a model reconstruction and a new step towards a theoretical model of a post-scarcity economy.
“Something is going very wrong. Hundreds of popular pundits have risen up, raising anti droid sentiment to an almost unheard of high. Droid laborers are being assaulted. At first it seemed like random acts of violence, but now the local government believes organized covert strikes are being made against the remote processor network.
“My office is liaising with the local government about sending aid. They're not prepared to accept military intercession, but an outside investigation carried out by independent third parties—with a reasonable mandate to defend themselves and perform policing actions in keeping with local law—has been approved.
“We would like you to be that aid.”

 

[Hisako-K]

It didn’t take long for Chloe to piece together where this narrative was going. There was clearly a Jedi there, and the next best thing that wasn’t as obvious as a Mandalorean. Chloe wondered how she fit into the whole picture given her largely unimpressive piloting history, and as she tried to think about it more while staring at the holographic images of the planet it finally hit her. Chloe had nearly forgotten that the planet wasn’t Coruscant, so in this rare instance being a pilot was actually useful. When the senator finished speaking Chloe smirked, and looked over towards the Shistavanen briefly with a cocky look on her face before looking back to the Senator. She was half proud that she figured it out, and half proud she was just as useful as a Jedi as tank, but she didn’t want anyone to know the former half.

Chloe raised a hand before speaking, not waiting to be called upon, “Quick question,” Chloe began, her hand lowering, “What is our cover story?” She said, looking back to the holographic projection and nodding towards it before looking back to the Senator. “If they’re not looking for large-scale aid, then they want this to be under-wraps.” Chloe shrugged, “I’m not saying we’ll attract a lot of attention,” She said, a thumb wagging between herself and the sitting wolfess, “But people will start asking questions if they see a Jedi.” Chloe said with a shrug. "Questions like, 'Why is a Jedi here?'"

 

[Tenshi]

The senator smiled, but shook her head. "not undercover. Just not large scale military aid. You will be there in an official capacity, and there will be a police liaison working with you.

 

[Tenshi]

Then she quirked a grin. "Jess, I trust you have a place in that charming robe to hide your light saber?"

She turned back to the blonde. "See, Chloe, no flashing neon sign that identifies her as a jedi. Just a fit and lovely girl in an attractive robe any one of us could buy at the mall. Nae'Paula and I both have one that looks like that."

 

[freeko]

Jess would listen intently to the situation that the Senator laid out. As a Jedi, one of her primary ideals was to assist those who were in need. Almost as if on cue, Jess would hold her right hand out toward her side. Soon after doing so, a slightly noticeable shift in her robe would occur as Jess started to use the force to reveal where she held her lightsaber. After a few moments of rattling the hilt of her saber, Jess would then summon her lightsaber forth. Jess felt it quite improper to ignite her blade in the Senator's quarters without a good reason to do so.

At this point the cat was out of the bag, as the expression goes, with Jess identifying herself as the Jedi in the room. "I hope this does not cause too much concern?" Jess would state. With her weapon at the ready, Jess would then take a few moments to see the reaction of those in the room with her. After the display was done, Jess would casually reach back into her robe and attach the lightsaber to her belt once more. With that display done, Jess would move on to what she felt was the more important matters at hand. If no one objected, Jess would try to move this conversation forward.

 

[Hisako-K]

Chloe tolled her eyes as she stayed silent. This was exactly what she was taking about. While the Jedi may not be brandishing their lightsaber anywhere they were obvious to anyone who knew the local populace. On top of that it seemed no one realized that Jedi were all socially stunted, having all grown up together and completely secluded from society until they train under masters as Padawans. While a simple yes would have sufficed, or any combination of words, the Jedi predictably chose theatrics. As for clothing, it was a poor example to choose. The threads were popular and available here, on this planet, where the Jedi temple likely issued it, but how many robed monks frequented their next destination? Chloe still preferred not to argue, the sooner she was off planet the sooner she was in a better mood, the joys of privateering calling to her from afar.
“It doesn’t cause concern.” The blonde said, knowing that the rest of the sentence ended silently and keeping it that way. “Just keep the magic tricks under your robes until other things are flying.” She said, unable to keep her qualms completely quiet.

 

[WynterWulf]

Miz couldn't help but chuckle at the biplay. "Eh let her be obvious, it'll keep the attention on her until I can give em a good Carbonite bath." She'd been on both sides of the law, basically following the scent of the money for years now. "You do realise subcontracting a Jedi, a Bounty Hunter, and whoever this fine specimen here is.", she nodded at Chloe, "That we will undoubtedly draw the attention of whatever or whomever is causing the conflict." Raising one eyebrow at the senator, she let her face settle down into the face of a hardened pazaak player. "Right then, let's talk creds, and supplies. It's going to take a lot to keep an interdiction force on standby for when they inevitably scarper."

 

[freeko]

"If you would like me to draw their attention to give the both of you a clear path to solving this problem, then I am more than willing to do so." Jess would state, maybe it came off as being self righteous, though it was more intended to show that Jess was going to work with her counterparts as best as possible to help achieve their goals. "If they believe it is just me, I would more expect a few assassination attempts than a full on force being sent to stop me." Thinking a bit more on the fly, Jess would come to a compromise.

"Do you think it is best for me to all but announce my presence when we arrive, or should I try to lay low? Do you want to sneak around a bit first or should we go expecting a straight fight?" Leaving the others to answer as Jess was likely getting a little ahead of herself with trying to formulate a plan before truly knowing anything about what is going on. Taking a moment to let things settle in a bit, Jess would then start to see the merits of what Miz was stating. They did need to make sure there was a ready supply chain available. "Not a bad subject to bring up, we will certainly need supplies. Though I believe this is meant to be a small scale operation, I do not think we will have the benefit of any additional forces being appropriated with us."

 

[WynterWulf]

"Going circumspect is not a bad idea." Miz said mulling the idea over. "And even nowadays there is still mistrust for Jedi, even to the extent of ignoring their existence after the past couple of decades and recent history." She leaned forward against her chair back, eyes roving between the two other women, the senator and Chewbacca.

"An interdiction force doesn't have to be big, just one ship outfitted with ion cannons and either a tracker of sorts or a tractor beam, can do the trick." Her eyes glazed as she thought about it. "Provided she had a good pilot and a team ready to board someone they capture."

 

[Hisako-K]

Chloe appreciated the attitudes of her future companions, but it seemed like the real reason why she voiced this identifying characteristic in the first place. “It’s not just the announcement or attention it garners.” She said, squinting and raising up a hand. Her fingers were all together with her thumb in the middle, her fingers surrounding it like a spire. Three fingers remained up while her thumb tucked her pinky downward into her palm. “Three Jedi is a peacekeeping inquiry, that’s not my opinion that’s everyone’s assumption when they see Jedi.” She said, lowering a finger, “Two Jedi is either a group scouting for younglings or a Master and Padawan,” she said, leaving now her index finger, “So you can imagine the attention one Jedi, a merc, and their blonde pilot will be comparable to a signal flare.” She chuckled, “I’m just curious what we’re going to tell people when they start asking why there is ONE Jedi sent by the Senate.” She shrugged as she looked to everyone, “There will be no other expectation people will have, if there is any element of surprise or stealth we need to get new clothes with that cover story.” She said, relaxing her shoulders as she looked out the window at a passing craft.

She had ignored the earlier compliment by the Shistavanen, having been so deeply nestled into the point she was trying to make as the least-combative person in the group. While there was an air of finesse surrounding both of them, Chloe was best in action when sitting down and with a steering column, not with a blaster. She was capable, maybe, but she had a bad feeling the Jedi was only going to make her get more acquainted with incoming blaster fire, and the way the Shistavanen spoke she made it seem like it was also inevitable, too.

 

[Tenshi]

Diona'Anan cocked her head curiously, Lekku rippling. "Do you really not own a few sets of robes, Chloe? I usually dress a bit more expensively, but I keep a few cute sets in my closet. They're a lot more comfortable than a lot of what I wear, certainly."

"I've done something like this before," she continued. "They won't be making a big deal about our presence, but if someone is really paying attention, they're sure to notice that a police liaison is showing off-world detectives around the crime scenes. When I did this on Amarathel VI, the organized crime syndicate we were investigating had a major government official in their pockets. He was steering the syndicate around us. We were starting to put together his complicity, but the actual syndicate eluded us 'til they panicked enough to send an assassin team. They didn't realize four young women with civilian blasters, dueling swords, and a concealed lightsaber would do so well against three times our number, or that we had instructed the police liaison that--should this come to pass--he should get into position to track fleeing assassins instead of helping us."

"Oh, and if you're going to start trying to guess what kind of attention we'll garner, don't forget the rich girl with the long turquoise lekku and the vibroblade."

 

[Tenshi]

Chewbacca gave a soft rumble and the senator chuckled. "I suppose you would know about scoundrels, wouldn't you Colonel?"

She handed around a data crystal. "Full contract in there. The offer is full operating expenses for Captain Chloe's ship, a down payment is 1,000 credits and a speeder bike for each of you. 5,000 more credits and priority for future contracts if you're interested upon completion."

Nae’Paula pushed a stud on the desk and one more set of holograms popped up. “Aratech 74-Z Speeder Bikes, refitted on my home world for a smoother ride and with a new blue and gold chassis. All the speed, power, agility, and firepower they had when serving the Empire--as this is the license model that still has the blaster cannon--but modified to allow two to ride at once if they don’t mind getting cozy."

Speeder Bikes

Aratech 74-Z Speeder Bike
Large ground vehicle (speeder)
Init (Pilot +6); Senses: Perception (Pilot +2)
Defense Ref (Pilot +6 or 16), Fort 14; + 1 armor
hp 40; DR 5; Threshold 19
Speed 12 squares (max. velocity 500 km/h)
Ranged laser cannon (Pilot's Base Attack +2) (4dlO, Autofire Optional, pilot)
Fighting Space 2x2; Cover none
Base Atk (Pilot); Grp (Base Attack + 9)
Atk Options autofire (laser cannon)
Abilities Str 18, Dex 24, Con -, Int 14
Skills Initiative (Pilot +6), Mechanics (Pilot +2), Perception (Pilot +2), Pilot (Pilot +6)
Crew 1 (expert); Passengers 1
Cargo 3 kg; Consumables 1 day; Carried Craft none
Availability Restricted; Cost 6,750 (1,200 used)

 

[Hisako-K]

There was some nerve that Chloe touched, and she wasn’t sure which it was, however it had become obvious that her knowledge was either outdated or unfounded. Chloe cocked her head in return and gave back a coy smile as she folly responded,
“There’s a strict dress code I follow on my ship for smoking and bathing.” She said, raising a brow and nodding with her chin as she began to speak “Otherwise I see no occasion for wearing a robe unless I’m re-enacting a play.” She leaned back, “An old play.” Chloe said, making a sleight at her own miscalculation.

She remained silent after being asked about her wardrobe, giving attention to the Wookie and then the other Twi’Lek. Chloe wasn’t used to being called “captain” as a prefix, and the reservation made her blush. Chloe attempted to get more comfortable when the swoop bike hologram appeared. Her brows raised and she craned her neck to get a better look from where she was seated. Her attention had been in a bind trying to set its mind on who to pay, however the fancy bikes had gotten to her. Chloe had taken on worse for less, so she was on-board.

A smile cracked her face as she looked from one of the other two companions, then back to the Twi’Lek,
“Well I don’t know about you ladies,” she said broadly, swaggering as she stood from her perch. “But I’m not known for turning down generous offers.” She nodded, “Plus I’ve never been a senator’s escort, sounds exciting.” She snorted quietly at her own joke.

 

[Tenshi]

Diona'Anan fluttered her non-existent eyelashes at Chloe--it was really more done with a flirty flitting of the lekku tips. "Why Captain Chloe, are you going to be my escort? I've never been taken on an investigation into terrorist activities for a first date. This is simply charming!"

She giggled softly. "Just a senator's little sister, in this case. Half sister, at that."

Solata chided the younger girl with her head tails.

"Now don't give away my secret, sis. In here, I'm your favorite little sister, but when I'm a hostage handcuffed oh so alluringly to a chair, I'm just the daughter of father's concubine. Little more than a slave myself. The Senator would never reveal state secrets to keep me safe. Just ransom me for a few hundred credits and call it a day."

 

[freeko]

"Oh, shall we go shopping for a new uniform, then?" Jess would state as Chloe mentioned the idea of a uniform. "I could go on about how mundane escorts usually are, but I doubt that I need to use any of my insight as a Jedi to say that this is likely going to be anything but mundane. I was summoned here for this purpose after all, so I accept." Jess would state. Slightly hesitant for the time being to refer to Chloe as the "captain" for the time being. Jess herself a capable enough pilot, she did not want to alienate her comrades. Jess understood that they all were likely to have a part to play in this mission. She needed to make sure that her personal emotions were not part of the equation, as she needed to focus on the greater mission at hand.