A Common Game of Hide and Seek (CSA Dominion of Dressel Hex)

[Avner Obasi]

The doors slid open, and Avner stepped out first, doing a full sweep with his blaster before nodding to Viktor for him to come out of the elevator. The smaller man did so, wincing as he still clutched his shoulder. Apparently the hit had been worse than Avner thought. They didn’t have time to perform EMS on him right now – the security forces were everywhere, and Avner didn’t doubt that the building would be locked down soon.

Luckily, he’d picked the right floor, as it was directly adjacent to the roof of another building. There just seemed to be empty office suites up here – no one to bother them. Still not taking any chances, Avner moved down the hallway, the blaster pointed up the entire time. There was a large window at the end of the hall – he planned on shooting it out in order to escape.

“We’re gonna have to find another way off-planet,” Avner breathed out as they reached the window. “Do you know anyone else?”

“I know you, Avner,” Viktor grimaced. “That’s why I came to you.”

Avner cursed under his breath. If they couldn’t get to his ship… he had no idea what they would do. He’d have to come up with some sort of distraction. First thing was first, though, they had to get these security officers off of their backs.

Three quick blaster shots to the glass shattered it, shards falling a short distance onto the adjacent roof. Avner had Viktor go first while he covered him, then hopped through the new opening himself. Grabbing Viktor by the arm, Avner began to run across the rooftop and to another building, one that hopefully wouldn’t be surrounded by security officers.

[member="Einon"]

 

[Caedyn Arenais]

"Did you want to team up?"

Caedyn turned to look back to his Mother of whom too seemed a little perplexed by her guest, soon turning the conversation back towards the whole point of their being here, some sort of game of hide 'n' seek surrounded by politics. It was a public event meant to inspire friendship with the neighboring worlds of the Commenor Systems Alliance and for Caedyn, it was probably more entertaining than it might have been for some of the older grownups but even then, he was fifteen now and these sort of things stopped being so much fun about three years prior to the day.

"Hm? Oh, yeah sure..."

Caedyn responded, forcing a smile up to his Mom. It took effort but in the end looking to meet those eyes whom adored him so much caused Caedyn to actually commit to the show of happiness. Even when things felt like they were all messy and stuff, his Mom had always been so loving of he and his sister [member="Loreena Arenais"]. He didn't want to disappoint her or to ever hurt her feelings, especially if she was feeling as bad as Caedyn thought she might be about his Dad.

"Are we hiding or are we seeking?" he asked the [member="Lady Kay"], more or less to keep the conversation going. It was difficult to feel in the mood for a game as silly as hide 'n' seek but again, if it was going to make Mom happy then what the heck, he might as well try to enjoy himself. After-all, it'd only be a night before he was having to head back to Tython or Svivren...-Wherever [member="Asha Hex"] might want him.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay furrowed her brows. [member="Caedyn Arenais"] was very much distracted. There was something that he needed to get off his chest. Whether he wanted to do so in front of his mother or others was a different story. "We're hiding. Come on."

He put on a good front for her, but she could see through it. A mother's intuition. She hooked her arm in his as she led him to the starting point.

A booming voice was heard over the loudspeakers. "Competitors, you have twenty minutes to find yourselves a good spot to hunker down. I'll not announce when that time is up. It'll be up to you to keep track. May the best competitor win!"

Kay led the way, moving quickly alongside Caedyn through the tall grass. The fog made it difficult to see, making it easy to lose track of where one was. Shadows of trees could be seen in the distance, so she started in that direction. When she spoke it was quiet. "Would you mind telling me what's on your mind, Caedyn? Is it about your Dad?" He was always at the forefront of her mind.

 

[Ravenfire]

Rex was sitting and meeting some of the diplomats. "Pleasure to meet you sir" and the like were said. He heard the hide and seek go off and so he went to speak with the three men hiding. Finding out they were some of the best trackers he'd ever heard of. "Your even better than some of the trackers in the chiss military, I must say I am surprised." They were quite pleased with this complement. So he left them to wait of [member="Lady Kay"] and [member="Caedyn Arenais"] to come back so he could speak with Kay about why Darben was currently on holidays.

 

[Klesta]

Objective: Peddle ergonomic assessments

"What do you mean, both groups are working separately? We are at the mercy of the equipment suppliers"

"It's not an excuse to work separately: determining the layout of the new equipment needs to take into account the modifications required to the equipment that does not require replacement"

"Bring me the team responsible for the equipment changes" the leader of the layout team ordered.

By my estimate, 3 weeks to do both operations is a bit much. It can be done in as little as a day or two if there are proper communications and procedures between the two, probably two because of the increase in team size introducing more social loafing, and other productivity losses, but there is no real increase in groupthink risks, he thought, while the leader of the layout team is calling in the equipment modifications team, via Tiffany, summoning that team in that room. With the grand team being made up of a total of 14 members (excluding Klesta and Tiffany) the room was now filled to capacity, once both teams are together and being seated. Only then will they realize whether or not they will be on the same page. They realize that the sense of urgency is there, they want to get the work done to the extent that is possible, and so Klesta was to stand next to Tiffany, by the projector screen, as they were trying to determine what was done. Sure, it was the beginning of the first day, so better make that decision now than later in the project, so it would actually finish on time.

"Could you please tell the layout team exactly what was done?" Tiffany asked.

"We did very little before this decision was made: we just barely got the ground rules in place" the leader of the equipment changes team reported. "If you agree to it, perhaps making decisions with a majority vote would be a good idea"

"Definitely!" the members of both teams shouted in unison. "Time to choose a new team leader among the old team leaders"

 

[Caedyn Arenais]

"Would you mind telling me what's on your mind, Caedyn? Is it about your Dad?"

Caedyn suddenly stopped to turn and look back up at his Mother wondering how she seemed to know exactly what the issue was on his mind. She always seemed to know when something was up with him, it was so frustrating...-And somewhat humbling to know that she loved him so, but still !...

Surrounded in the fog, he reluctantly moved to catch back up with her as the pair of them walked on closer towards the tree-line, he too seeing the darker area of the land beneath their shelter and figuring that was where they were headed, at the least he supposed he could climb up one of them, he was pretty good at it after all, having lived in the open woodlands of Commenor's forest mountain range.

"I saw he was on a magazine...", admittedly one that painted a vastly dark picture of his father through the use of words and the images it had portrayed taken over the years through some of Veiere's and Kay's outings within the political limelight, "What'd he do?" Caedyn asked somewhat bluntly, not wanting to hide his curiousity if this conversation was really going to happen. His Mom hadn't said anything till now, so he figured she might as well tell him everything.

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Oh yes. That was it. The moment that she had mentioned Veiere, [member="Caedyn Arenais"] had stopped in his tracks. So that was exactly what was on his mind. No doubt he was trying to figure out the best way to go about the subject, and she had helped him by asking him outright. Was this the right time and place? Maybe not. But she was going to do it anyways.

She continued towards the trees, but instead of stopping to find a place for them to hide within the branches of the trees, Kay just kept going. "You saw that, did you?" She sighed a little. More than likely Caedyn had read the whole thing, but had wanted to hear it from her, as her own interpretation might be different than the others.

"Your Dad has...gone to a Dark place within himself right now. He feels betrayed by the Jedi that he had devoted his life to. And in light of that, he attacked them on Deneba in the temple that he had helped to rebuild. Now before that he had stepped down as King. I guess that he already had the attack on his mind and didn't want us to be linked to it and suffer any fallout for it. But it happened anyways." Her brows furrowed as she peered through the fog once they were leaving the treeline. "I blame myself for it. I just work too much, so I couldn't be there for him." She looked to her son, searching his eyes. "He's secured though, having allowed us to take him into custody. There will be a trial. I have no control over presiding it however. I'm not impartial. Your Dad made a mistake and it'll be rectified. But he's not a bad person. He's still a good man."

 

[Doyle]

"Elevator's stopped. Second to the top."

"Almost...there..." Again the huffing was heard over the comms.

"Little less time at the desk and more time on patrol for you, Rhys." Einon hit the appropriate floor's button on the lift, his jaw clenching in anticipation. As soon as the doors opened he was out of there in a flash, his blaster drawn. The sound of glass shattering caught his attention, so he started to run as it was on the opposite side of the building where he was. "Sounds like they're jumping! Get out there and find them!!"

It wasn't hard to find the broken window. Einon stopped before it and looked outside in time to see [member="Avner Obasi"] and Viktor run across the roof. However it appeared that Viktor was slowing him down. Not bothing to shout, Einon raised his blaster and fired a few warning shots just past them. Rhys was soon by his side. "Cover me!" Einon lept out of the window and landed on the roof. Then the chase was on. Killing these two was the last thing on his mind. But he'd do it if he had to.

 

[Caedyn Arenais]

His Mom responded to Caedyn in a manner that both explored the truth yet didn't tell it outright and to this end the boy couldn't tell if she was blaming his Dad or if she were trying to excuse his actions. What had the Jedi done to him that had made him so angry? Caedyn had never once seen nor heard his father talk about the Jedi Order during the years for which he and his Sister shared the same roof with their parents upon the eldritch mountains.

"I think the whole Galaxy saw it, Mom..."

His response was spoken under his breath, a teenage hint of sarcasm coming out in his attitude regarding the whole charade. His Father was now in prison on a world that they had all lived on, his Mom who ruled over it, had come here to play games with other peoples while in Caedyn's mind his father was chained up somewhere probably starving or some such notion of criminal torture and justice.

But he's not a bad person. He's still a good man.

The young Arenais frowned to himself and turned to look back to his mother in confusion. She said that he was still a good man but good men didn't kill or hurt other men, atleast not that he had been brought up to learn from; from his parents, his schooling and later his time under [member="Asha Hex"].

"Can you go out and kill people and still be thought of as good?" He asked warily, not certain that he even wished to know the answer. Violence was wrong, most kids were taught that and he had been taught the same, at most times from Veiere himself.

[member="Lady Kay"]​

 

[Kay-Larr]

The whole Galaxy saw it. That phrase not only caused Kay to lower her head, but it also gave her goosebumps. Like a pebble thrown into a pond, what [member="Veiere Arenais"] had done had cause a ripple effect. Just how far that ripple would go, she didn't know. All that she knew was that she had to stop it before it could cause a lot of damage. Such a thing was enough to bring the Jedi to Commenor on the offensive. But so far they hadn't heard a whisper from them.

[member="Caedyn Arenais"] spoke quietly. It was almost as though he was nervous. His eyes said as much too. It was pretty clear that he had found this all a little hard to believe. But then again, so did she.

Kay placed her hand over his heart, stopping in their walk as her eyes held his gaze. For the moment, the whole game of hide and seek was forgotten. "He has a good heart, Cae. He will always protect us, will always look out for us. Your Dad loves us." She removed her hand from his chest and placed it on his shoulder near the base of his neck. "Something has...narrowed his views on the Jedi. I don't know who or why, but I believe that something or someone influenced him to do it. He won't tell me much about it. But he has done more to help people than others have." That was something that she had to remind not only herself, but the people of the CSA as well. "There will be a trial soon. Once that is over, then we can all move on. And trust me when I tell you that I won't allow anyone to hurt him." What would happen after the trial, she didn't know. Yet she had a feeling that she'd have to let him go back to his new Order. At least no one was pressuring her for a divorce. Everyone steered clear from that topic.

 

[Avner Obasi]

They didn’t have to go far before they reached the adjacent building. Causing even more property damage, Avner switched his blaster to normal mode and shot out the window, spending glowing hot shards of glass all inside. Pushing Viktor in first, Avner looked behind him to see the man pursuing them. He was in civilian clothes, unlike the uniforms of the security forces. There was a determination in his eyes, one that Avner knew all too well.

Using his thumb to flick the switch on his blaster back to stun, he fired a few shots down range, the warbling blue circles flying towards their pursuer. Hoping that would cause enough suppressive fire for him to take cover, Avner hopped inside of the building after Viktor, who was already heading for another turbolift. They managed to get inside and hit the down button, the lift shooting them downwards.

“I don’t know if we’re going to make it, man,” Viktor muttered, the hole in his shoulder no longer smoldering, but still obviously caused the man a great deal of pain. Adrenaline might wear off soon, and then they were in trouble. Avner really didn’t feel like carrying Viktor, but he was a man of his word. He said he’d get the man off-planet, and that’s what he was going to do. “Look, if we just hand over the data tape, then they can just let us go, right?”

“It’s not gonna be that easy,” Avner said. “I know what’s on that tape – you know what’s on that tape. If what you said is true, they’re not going to let us see the light of day again, even if we give the tape back. We’re too much of a liability at this point. If we get off-planet, we’re not that far away from the CSA border. They wouldn’t be able to chase us too far.”

What he didn’t want to talk about were how limited their options where. The Galactic Empire was right next door, and they were friendly with the CSA. They could try for Silver Jedi or Republic Remnant territory… but that would involve going through Hutt Space, and Avner already had a few bounties on his head from there. Their best option might be to hang out in free territory and try to dodge any type of planetary authorities from there.

Avner held his blaster up at the door, ready for it to open, hoping no one else was on the other side.

[member="Einon"]

 

[Klesta]

Objective: Peddle ergonomic assessments

That was quick: the combined team let the old layout team leader lead the whole team going forward. Now the discussions appeared to be productive and there was a few more details to finalize before the final layout of the plant would be finalized. Yes, they had 35 weeks to get the work done, and yes, they would be saving time by trying to compress both tasks in one group, and saving as many as four weeks, but anybody familiar with CPM/PERT would know it: if an activity could finish early, they could get the critical path changed and hence the focus of the project manager could change. Just that they were able to reconcile their differences and compiling a final kit of changes that they resolve to change, based on the inspectors' report, and also a final layout so that the changes can begin the following day or two. And make updates to the CPM/PERT network available in the final report. Why would they plan for weeks of planning while they are about to be placing orders for the equipment? he thought, while pleased that they were making good progress on that count, crossing his fingers about the receipt of equipment: that one could make or break the entire enterprise.

"Well, it beat even their most optimistic forecasts"

"Utinni!"

 

[Doyle]

Rhys did as he was ordered, laying out some blaster bolts towards [member="Avner Obasi"] and Viktor while Einon ran towards them. He was still out of breath and not confident that he could make the leap. Already he imagined himself falling to his death. It wasn't a pretty thought.

Einon however was on the move. He saw Avner hold his gaze for a moment. There was no fear in his eyes like Viktor. Instead they held the look of calculation and experience. Avner was no rookie at this.

The stun bolts caused him to duck behind a ventilation shaft. Einon waited, his finger on the trigger of his blaster while he waited for them to pass. Then he popped out of hiding, ready to open fire on the two.

But they weren't there.

~Rhys, where are they?~

~They went inside~

~More than likely they're going to try to escape out the back. Get some of our men there, now!~

~Understood, sir.~

Einon clenched his jaw as he ran along the roof towards the next window that the two went through. A shopping centre, one that was filled with people at this time of day. Oh this was going to be like looking for a needle in a haystack. Hopefully the injured Viktor would slow them down.

 

[Caedyn Arenais]

The thought of a Trial seemed all so far-fetched when considering that it would be his Father put on the stand before the people of the Systems Alliance, Caedyn not to young to understand the irony in that the one that once protected them so many times were soon to face the guilt of having turned his hand against them on the world of Deneba. "All of this because he doesn't like the Jedi anymore?..." He spoke up in reluctant question, not really caring for their game of hide 'n' seek by this point, standing there looking back at his Mom in both disbelief and a sense of wonder. "Jedi are supposed to be good people aren't they?" he soon added in further uncertainty, soon dropping down against the back of one of the tree's for which sheltered the pair looking as though he were in no rush to move from their little spot.

[member=Asha Hex] had told him some about his father's history and his upbringing upon his home-world, the Enclave of Svivren where he had been inducted at the age of five, ten years younger than the age Caedyn himself had been brought into the Je'daii Order and taught the ways of the Force by Master's of the Lightside. He hadn't known anything else, no life nor love of parents; no friends or hobbies outside of what they were trained to do. In a way it sounded like he had already been given a prison sentence to Caedyn's mind. At-least he had chosen to remain with the Je'daii, his Master having given him the choice to return to Commenor if he preferred. He had missed his family but in the end, the Je'daii themselves had proven to be a second family for which had strengthened him so much in mind, body and the Force itself...

"I don't think I'll be there for that...I'll talk to Dad myself one day...-But I don't wanna see him like that" Caedyn spoke dryly, anger and resentment towards his father hidden beneath his tone, his eyes crossing the grass floor around them in withdrawn and collective thought, trying to figure out how and why he felt the way he did. Perhaps it had been the time away from home, or the influence of his Master and her Order. Caedyn's training was progressing quickly and he was taking on new and more advanced classes by the day. There had been a proud feeling that come with all of his accomplishments and in everything he had overcome, he had fought and trained hard for to conquer himself. He no longer needed his hand to be held from his parents, especially that of his father whom sounded to have turned his back on everything that he once cared and stood for.

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Avner Obasi]

The door swished open, and there was no one there. Avner could, however, hear the sounds of casual conversation echoing their way, so the former solider slipped his blaster behind his back as he practically dragged Viktor out of the turbolift. Two Dressellians gave them strange looks as they passed by, but didn’t pay them much mind.

Rounding a corner, Avner was faced with a large crowd of people – they had gotten into a shopping center. Since it was so close to the space port, there were droves of species of all kinds milling about, chattering amongst themselves and to the merchants selling their wares. Luckily, the floor that they entered on had been empty, so their entry hadn’t been noted by alarms just yet. Then again, maybe an alarm was exactly what they needed.

Quickly holstering his blaster before anyone could see him, he harshly whispered to Viktor, “Look alive.” He began to move as casually as he could through the crowd, spotting a few clothing stalls up ahead, ones with scarves and hats. Those would be useful. Making his way to the opposite wall from where he started, he found it – the fire alarm. Moving past it, he made a motion with his arm so casual and natural that no one would have known that he had just pulled the lever.

Loud, blaring sirens filled the large room, and people began to look around before getting panicked. As for Avner, he was making a beeline for the exit. As he glided past it, he snagged a couple of scarves and hooded tunics from a stall in all of the confusion. Disguising himself and Viktor as they walked, they moved with the rest of the people as they began to hurriedly file out of the shopping center.

[member="Einon"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

"I don't fully understand it myself, Caedyn. Yes the Jedi are supposed to be the good guys, yet they can mistakes too. We all are capable of it. The Force knows that I've made them as well." She removed her hand from her son's shoulder and studied him. Did [member="Caedyn Arenais"] feel as shattered as she did? Did he feel as betrayed? Did he feel as though Kay was betraying his Father? So many questions. She wasn't sure if she wanted to know all of the answers.

"I wish that it didn't have to come down to this. Yet if I just...let him go, then others would rebel and crime could become rampant if people thought that they could get away with it. And that's not something that we should allow to happen." She sat down in the grass then, not really in a bid to hide, yet just as a means of staying put so that she could talk to her son more. "What would you do if you were in my position? What advice could you give me?" She wanted to see if he had any leadership qualities, and see what kind of wisdom that he had gained with the Je'daii. He looked older than his years at that moment. It made her wonder if Loreena was aging just as much.

 

[Caedyn Arenais]

Caedyn hadn't expected his Mother to turn to him for advice on the situation, not in the slightest; he barely even knew what to make of it all himself let alone the sudden revelation that his Mother whom always seemed to be in control of things and knew how best to take care of people, was actually as lost as he felt within his family.

"Uh..." He started to speak though needed a moment to consider what it was he was trying to say, if he even knew the appropriate words to select for the complexity of the situation that was his Mom's marriage and his and his Sister's relationship with their father, now an accused mass murderer; "I guess you guys aren't going to be living together anymore huh...-Getting a divorce and stuff?" He glanced back sideways to [member="Lady Kay"] of whom had taken a seat beside him now.

It seemed only reasonable that his Mom would want to take them away from a dangerous person, even if it was as crazy to think of someone like his Dad as a dangerous person in that way.

"I haven't told Lori yet..." He added after a moment, in case his Mom might be wondering and worried about what his Sister might be going through still somewhere in Mandalorian Space about now; "I don't even know how she'd take it. She always thought Dad and I were closer I think..." Or at-least it sounded that way the last time they had gone exploring together so long ago now on Commenor.

"The Je'daii don't really see things like the Force as good and evil...-They look at people and how they behave, what they're like inside and what choices they make..." He continued though more or less thinking aloud and sharing his thoughts with his Mom at this point; "Some people are saying the Force has made Dad evil but anyone can hurt someone, even if they don't use the force. I don't know what the Jedi did to Dad to make him so angry but...-They're people too, just like other normal non-force using people. No one should be treated like that...".

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay quickly shook her head. "No. We're not getting a divorce. I wouldn't agree to that." She didn't even want to think of such a possibility. "Our duties have seperated us before. We haven't always lived together. And our bond...it's stronger than any marriage contract. Only death can keep us apart." And Force barriers. But she didn't really want to get picky. She only wanted to have [member="Caedyn Arenais"] believe that their family isn't going to be torn apart.

Lori didn't know yet. At least not from her brother. Yet for how long such a thing could be kept from her, she didn't know. "You did seem to be closer to your Dad than Lori was. I'm sure that he taught you things that he hadn't taught her." They did used to go out on camping trips together. Kay had assumed that it was Force training that they were doing. Why rlse did he decide to send Cae off with the Je'daii? He knew of their son's potential.

"You're right, Cae. Evil doesn't come from the Force. That is an argument that I had tried to use in a bid to lessen the fear that some people have of Force Users. But that fear just hasn't gone away. Years ago I was arrested by the Jedi and nearly executed. What was my crime? Serving as a Senator. Your Dad went after people that did nothing to him, when it was what they stood for that he had wanted to harm. One day we'll learn of why that is...In the meantime we have to try to help him. Or at least I will. We can't let him spiral further downward." She hoped to give Caedyn some confidence, as well as herself. There had to be a way to fix this.

 

[Klesta]

Objective: Peddle ergonomic assessments

It might have taken the whole day, but at least it was well worth the cost to the Stone River Mill Factory, with Tiffany taking notes on how they plan to proceed going forward, with bringing the plant up to code. The factory seemed to be more of the specialty variety if they think they could do so within 300,000 credits. But why some factory producing specialty textiles would need to plan for several weeks of planning is beyond me, he thought. Now, the budget for implementing all of those changes was about 300,000 credits, rather shoestring, perhaps, but they may be able to make some headway into paying it back thanks to the time saved in the initial planning. The problem was, of course, estimating how much of a headway they actually made, and the time savings, but Klesta made sure that whatever time savings they actually achieve will be well worth the money they are paying. Now, the Jawa just couldn't screech Utinni while attempting to negotiate the cost of their services, just that he was aware of their budget and that he couldn't do so for free.

"Let's see: you're grateful for our services, and possibly even moved the project forward a few weeks. 7,500 credits, 2/15, n/60, FOB destination"

"I get that, in the world of ergonomic assessments, there is just no FOB shipping point possible, but 15 days may not be enough to cover even a 2% discount"

 

[Doyle]

Einon jumped through the window to the empty floor. It looked to be the offices and staff rooms for the mall. He checked a few of the doors, all of which were locked. More than likely the others were too.

He continued down the hallway and stopped as the alarms began to sound."Oh for the love of..." Einon broke into a run to the nearest stairwell and headed straight down. When he reached the bottom he had heard the noises of the panicked crowd before he saw them. Great! Just great! He shoved one the men aside as he tried to push through the people to get to the sxit, all the while keeping an eye out for any sight of [member="Avner Obasi"] and Viktor. A few times he had thought that he had glimpsed them, only to discover that they were someone else.

Einon scowled and brought up his radio; "Check the ID's of those leaving! Don't let them get through!!" Of course a few minutes was ample time for Avner to escape from between the moment that the alarm had gone off to now when officers were getting pushed to gain control of the situation.

Hopefully luck would be on their side soon. If not, then there's going to be a lot of paperwork to be done.