If I Were Wrong, I'd Know It

[Enyo Typhos]

[member="Elanil Saedaris"]


Very soon, Elanil would be neither weak nor helpless. No, she would be strong and freed from the mortal coil. Nothing would scare her ever again. "I understand completely. I felt the same way. Unfortunately there's no ready-made recipe for recovery," Callisto said. Those deep blue eyes that had seen so much seemed full of compassion.


"But you'll get there. Don't drive yourself insane with what you might've done differently or think yourself weak. Try to eat up." She reached out with her hand to gently stroke Elanil's firemane in what was intended to be a reassuring gesture. The upgrade would be the cure to Elanil's anxieties and fears.

 

[Eyrecae Alzari]

[member="Kaida Taldir"] [member="Mirien Valdier"]

Eyrecae gave a disdainful snort.
“Then call me when you need something smashed. That is why you brought me along. I don’t blend in and creep around.”
With that she leaned against the hull of the ship.

“Or how about I go and draw their attention whilst you do your secret-squirrel stuff in the shadows? I’m sure there’s a bar somewhere on this rock.”

 

[Elanil Saedaris]

"No, I would suppose there isn't." Elanil said rather sadly. She was quite disappointed that this wasn't easier and she was filled with far too many emotions for her liking. "Do you think I'll be able to go home soon?" That's what she was starting to truly want. Home and to see her family again. Which was a bit out of character for Elanil. Usually she hardly cared, but after this it made sense to want her family to comfort her.

The redhead sighed softly and started to pick at her food again, nibbling here and there at it. "I just, I never thought anyone would have any interest in me for anything like this. Never imagined I'd be taken like this. I thought it could never happen to me and yet here we are. It's not easy thoughts to deal with." Elanil then leaned into Callisto's stroking of her hair, that simple action at least drew her attention elsewhere for a moment or two.

[member="Callisto Scarlett"]

 

[Enyo Typhos]

[member="Elanil Saedaris"]


"Ideally soon, dear. I can only imagine how much you'd like to be back with your sister," Callisto said feelingly, then paused. She looked conflicted, as if she was trying to figure out how to convey a message that was bound to be unpleasant for Elanil and cause her discomfort.


"I hate to say this, but we may have found evidence that shows the First Order did not act alone. One of the prisoners we interrogated claims they were paid by a wealthy Eldorai aristocrat, who tipped them off. A Lady Aeneth. Prisoners confess all sorts of insane things to shift blame, but our slicers managed to decode communications between them."

 

[Mirien Valdier]

Mirien gave a nod to Kaida, glad the woman had agreed with her. It made things simpler. She gave a glance to the redhead, sensing the distress. One couldn't blame the girl for feeling that way. Still, she didn't have time to stop to deal with the nasty business of the girl's emotions.

Moving right along, Mirien did sense the slightest hint of Sumiko. A tiny impression of her in the force. The woman was undoubtedly nearby. Turning a slight upturn of her lips, the only sign she was glad to see the Atrisian.

Mirien nodded curtly, "They are." A shake of her head soon followed. "Not surprised. After all this is former Omega land where idiocy often rules the day. One can't expect them to actually bother to lift a finger for such matters. A small wonder crime isn't worse here." The brunette then shrugged. Fondor after all, hardly mattered to her.

As for Eyrecae, the woman was about to make Mirien rather cranky. The former Grand Inquisitor's eyes narrowed as she turned to the woman. Sumiko might have detected the change within Mirien from her ordinary baseline to a raging storm that threatened to erupt. It was never a good sign, and always dangerous.

"If it wasn't a waste of time, kid.... We'd have a lovely conversation on your attitude here and now. But fine, go find a bar. Stay out of trouble, and be ready to leave at a moment's notice. Which means no sex." Mirien snarled, clearly ticked off. Undoubtedly Mirien would just save that little conversation for later when she could properly chew Eyrecae out. This, though seemed the simplest solution. At least this way she wouldn't have to worry about her and they could get on with the stealthy work this mission required.

"And put this somewhere on your person." Reaching out she handed the woman what appeared to be a tiny silver coin. "It's a tracker and will make finding you, when we need you easier."

She turned back to the others. "Let's head to the cafe first and see what we can find there." Her anger and irritation seemed shortlived as it quickly faded. After all she needed a clear head for this mission. Being irritated and angry would only get in her way.

[member="Eyrecae Alzari"] | [member="Kaida Taldir"] | [member="Sumiko Tanaka"]

 

[Kaida Taldir]

[member="Mirien Valdier"], [member="Eyrecae Alzari"]


To say that Kaida looked frosty was like saying Hoth might be a wee bit chilly. Like dealing with a spoilt teenager with superpowers and an absurdly inflated sense of relevance, she thought to herself. Mirien had already said most of what she really felt like saying, so, as much as she felt like giving Eyrecae a piece of her mind, she resisted the urge.


"Try not to get caught in a honey trap," she said acidly, then she turned away and followed Mirien, gesturing to Elayne to come with them.

 

[Darth Libertas]

[member="Mirien Valdier"], [member="Eyrecae Alzari"]


More words did not need to be said. At this juncture Sumiko was a bystander. For all the remarkable technology her body possessed her, Eyrecae seemed extremely childish. This was unfortunate, but it would have been a delight to resculpt her, strip away the layers piece by piece.


Her eyes met Mirien's and Sumiko saw the signs clearly. How her ordinary baseline coldness shifted into the wrath of a raging tempest. Once upon a time, Sumiko had been on the receiving end of her anger. Back in the early days in the Inquisition. She had never dared to arouse her ire after that. Back then she had been scared of her. Eventually she had come to respect her.


And so the team walked out of the hangar into the massive spaceport, which as usual was a hive of activity. Even at this late hour, it was teeming with all sorts of people. Security measures had been tightened significantly at the 'port, which was no surprise given Fondor's proximity to the Sith and the flow of refugees that came its way.


Fortunately, our heroines had been provided with IDs that got them through. "Right, we need access to spaceport surveillance. The ship Archangel used must've been registered somewhere. If Skaldi planned to abduct your girl, I wouldn't be surprised if she had people in place here to arrange a quick getaway," Sumiko said quietly.


((Changing the team's direction after discussion with Krissy))

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

Far, far away, actually half a Galaxy away, Siobhan felt a palpable shift through the Force as a surge of emotion bled into her. It felt like...her Mirien was incredibly pissed off. Siobhan hit the punching bag with renewed vigour. Poor punching bag.


[member="Mirien Valdier"]

 

[Eyrecae Alzari]

[member="Mirien Valdier"] [member="Kaida Taldir"]

Eyrecae did not take the suggestions to heart. She did however slip the tracker inside her armour, but not especially well. If she happened to take off her armour it would likely be visible.

And so off she went like hubris to her nemesis. Such confidence, such arrogance. Even her own writer is despising her at this moment.

Still, the extremely noticeable silver armoured Eldorai with a large hammer found her way to a bar. It was quite a nice watering hole, and certainly no one was going to pick on her without good reason.

Sitting at the bar she loudly ordered a drink and dumped some cash on the scarred surface. All thoughts of honey traps were forgotten as someone came in to sit beside her….

 

[Mirien Valdier]

Mirien gave a shrug as Eyrecae headed off. "She causes a mess, it's on her head." The brunette muttered beneath her breath, not in anyway interested in rescuing Eyrecae out of any trouble she might fall into. Dutifully she'd do it, as her job required of her. However, it certainly did not mean she wanted to do it.

Her eyes flicked about the port as the slowly crossed it. Her attention drawn to the crowd, looking for the slightest sign that anything was amiss anywhere. And there were plenty of things that were. There was a spice deal going down, in one of the side hangars. She could smell it in the air, but not only that the nervousness of the guards around the door, told her what she needed to know. Cheap blasters and clothing, a bit worn with time, definitely not even a good spice operation. That thought she shrugged aside and continued the search.

"Need to find someone with the proper access for the surveillance center." Mirien said quietly, making sure just those around her would hear her. "Just need the security badge." Quieter still on that part. The rest could be faked on the spot if she knew what it looked like. "I suppose there's a getting into their network and finding the information that way as well..." Her voice trailing off as she thought aloud.

[member="Kaida Taldir"] | [member="Eyrecae Alzari"] | [member="Sumiko Tanaka"]

(Posting Elayne next)

 

[Elayne Saedaris]

Elayne had been quiet, and uneasy. She still didn't feel the greatest, and being as worried and frightened as she was for her sister, wasn't helping matters inside her mind. Right now, she felt a bit useless. This kind of deal had never been her job and she certainly lacked training for it. Still, she listened and kept an eye out for anything off or odd. Surely there was something to be spotted or seen that the two humans had not.

It was then that a young man approached her of all people in the group. "My dear girl, I do hope you are feeling better. Last time I saw you, you seemed so unwell. A bit out of it." He commented. Elayne had stiffened, and glanced over to the others. Being mistaken for her sister did happen from time to time. Most folks never saw the small differences that set the two of them apart. Then again that required both of them to be standing in the room at the same time, which was a rare event.

In truth, she wasn't that sure of what to ask. How to ask it. Clearly he'd seen Elanil. With a shake of her head, she pushed the urge to correct him on who she was and let that slide. Smiling only slightly, much in the way her sister did, "Well, I am ... still a bit hungover.... A little too much to drink, you know ..." She gave a shrug, trying to play it off casually. "Trying to piece together what exactly happened, by chance do you recall where you saw me last? Where I was heading?"

"Ah, yes, yes ... Who hasn't had a night like that in their lives?" Me, actually ... She thought to herself as he spoke, having never allowed herself to get that drunk. "But, I saw you heading down corridor G-6. Must have been heading into the business section of the port I'd reckon, private yachts and things of that nature down that way.. Didn't pay much mind after that. Must have been a hell of a party."

She smiled, sweetly more like Elayne, less Elanil in that moment. "It was. Oh, and thank you. You've been ever so helpful." The information wasn't much but it gave them a direction to work in. And of course there was a moment or two for anyone else to chime in, should they have something to add.

[member="Sumiko Tanaka"] | [member="Eyrecae Alzari"]

 

[Darth Libertas]

[member="Mirien Valdier"], [member="Elayne Saedaris"], [member="Valiens Nantaris"], [member="Eyrecae Alzari"]


While Elayne ran into a man who mistook her for her sister - and surprisingly ended up being useful by telling which corridor Elanil had been dragged down to - Sumiko gently pulled Mirien aside. "Control room should be on this floor. We can trick a guard into giving us access," she said quietly.


Speak of the devil, and he shall appear. Through the mass of the pedestrians, burly security officers showed up on the scene. "Citizens, we apologise, but the spaceport is temporarily closed. Please submit to security checks. This is for your own safety," one of them spoke dramatically through a loudspeaker. Two of the guards with him were wearing imposing power armour and carried bolters.


I don't think this is a coincidence, she broadcast telepathically to Mirien. Several of the visitors looked annoyed or suddenly fearful when they heard the words. One by one, they were frisked, searched for weapons and had to provide IDs. Some of them were called aside and escorted into an office room. Boldly, Sumiko stepped forward towards one of the officers, taking Mirien along with her.


"Do you think there are Sith at the port, sir? Are we in danger?" one woman who was apparently here with her two sons asked a bit fearfully, holding on to them tightly. As everyone knew, Sith infiltrators were everywhere.


"There's no need to panic, ma'am. Everything will be cleared up soon," the tough looking security officer assured her, then turned his attention to the two lovely darksiders. "ID please? We're on a strict security regime till we receive the all-clear."


"We're with Omega Security. This is Agent Masters, I'm Agent Lee." Having said that Sumiko suddenly fished out an ID...which to all intents and purposes looked like what you'd expect an Omega agent to have. What the guard, who was as Force-sensitive as a plank, would not know was that it was an illusion fooling his mind. The ID she held under his nose was real, but all the details on it were not. His mind would tell him that they worked for the security service of the corporation that ran Fondor like a fiefdom. Doubts would be stripped away from his mind as it soothed him into a state of compliance. "We're here because of the security leak. It's important that you cooperate with us."

 

[Kaida Taldir]

[member="Elayne Saedaris"], [member="Mirien Valdier"], [member="Eyrecae Alzari"], [member="Valiens Nantaris"]


Eyrecae ran off and Kaida did not spare her a look. If the self-proclaimed 'battle goddess' got into trouble, that was her problem. Well, Kaida would probably be obliged to help, but she'd be bitchy about it. Alas, she had to take timeout from her ice queen sismance with the lovely Ms. Valdier since they had work to do!


Anyhow, off they walked into the crowd. Drug deals in shadows, seemingly omnipresent security droids, inspirational posters extolling the manifold job opportunities on Fondor with Omega Pyre, whilst reminding citizens to be wary of Sith infiltrators, a mass of fancy shops and cafés. Once again Kaida was reminded of why she didn't like the planet. The irony was that many years ago it had seemed like the hub of progress. Everything had been new and innovative, compared to the stultifying, archaic culture of Kaeshana.


And then Elayne ran into a young man who confused her with Elanil! Kaida was taken aback and immediately tensed. However, she relaxed a bit when it seemed the man had no hostile intent. "My friend is doing a lot better, thank you," Kaida finally said a bit stiffly, whereupon the man looked at her. "She said a blonde woman helped her."


The man rubbed his chin a bit in contemplation. "Yes, exactly. She seemed a bit out of it too! Too much to drink, I guess, but she was helping your friend here. Pretty thing. Two other women were with you them, but I didn't get a good look." Out of the corner of her eye Kaida saw Sumiko talk with a security officer along with Mirien. She gave the ice queen a very curt nod, indicating she seemed to understand what the plan was and was fine with it.

 

[Eyrecae Alzari]

[member="Kaida Taldir"] [member="Mirien Valdier"]

Eyrecae was enjoying the attention she was getting. So far a man had come over to buy her a drink, then gotten upset when she’d ignored him. After lifting him up by his collar he’d quickly departed.

“Hi there! That’s some crazy moves there!” a soft voice said.
Turning, Eyrecae found herself facing a very cute blonde human with blue eyes and an innocent looking expression.
“Stick around, I’ve got plenty more to show,” Eyrecae said with a grin.
“Sounds fun. Can I get you a drink…or are you still having that one?”
Eyrecae downed the man’s drink and nodded. “You certainly can. What’s your name, sweetie?”
“Alura. Yours?”
“Eyrecae. So what brings you here?”
“Oh, you know, looking for something fun. How about you?”
“Same.”
“Well, when you’ve had enough of this place I know somewhere fun we can go.”
Eyrecae paused. “Well, I’m waiting for an important call….”
“Don’t you worry, if you need to go I won’t hold it against you…so long as I get your number.”
By now it would be blindingly obvious to anyone that either Alura – which was a stunningly unlikely real name – was either a ‘companion’ or had some other motive in mind. However, if Eyrecae noticed she didn’t seem to care.

 

[Elanil Saedaris]

Elanil sighed sleepily. "Don't usually care to be around her much, she's a bit of a pest. I just would really like to be with her now. My other sister, Eileithya, I like her a little more. Still, I just miss them. Just want to have them to comfort me right now."

The next words, weren't what Elanil wanted to hear. "I ..." She seemed stunned. "I don't understand. Why did these people want anything to do with me? I'm not that special. Just a scientist." Her brow knitted together, and she felt tears well up in her eyes. "I just want to go home. Need to go home. I want my family." She cried softly, and the tears started to fall. A rare expression of genuine emotion from Elanil. "So, I'm not safe going home? And my family couldn't somehow come here, to me?"

[member="Callisto Scarlett"]

 

[Enyo Typhos]

[member="Elanil Saedaris"]


Seeing the tears welling up inside Elanil's ears, Callisto passed her a pair of tissues. "You are very special. Few minds are as brilliant as yours. We can arrange for you to get contact with your family and for them to visit you. Once we're certain it's safe. Lady Aeneth is very well-connected, even with the royal family. If we act hastily, your family may be at risk, too."


Her finger went to her ear when she received a transmission. "We just reached our base. Docking now. We can take better care of you here." Since this writer just realised that technically they were still on a ship.

 

[Elanil Saedaris]

Elanil took the tissues dabbing gently at her eyes. "I just ..." She sighed heavily, not exactly liking where this was going. It didn't make sense to her. She was just a commoner, brilliant, sure but still a commoner. She hardly felt worthy of the attention of any noble. "I just want my family." The redhead finished quietly. "I understand. Not that it makes a lot of sense to me but I understand. I still, just want them."

The Eldorai, slowly shifted to sit up, swinging her feet over the edge of the bed. She hadn't tried to stand just yet. But now seemed as good a time as any. Her neck still ached and so did her body for that matter. The woman wasn't sure what was going on with her and assumed it had to do with the surgery that had been performed and the drugs making her quite sick. Slowly and carefully, clinging to the bed Elanil stood up, a little shaky. This laying in bed thing, she'd have enough of already. "It'll be safer here, yes?"

[member="Callisto Scarlett"]

 

[Enyo Typhos]

[member="Elanil Saedaris"]


Time skips were a convenient plot device to move things along. Bit like NPC Dark Lords, just less annoying. Anyhow, they'd landed in what was presumably Archangel's version of Area 51.


"Yes, you will, dear. I promise. This facility is very heavily guarded," Callisto said reassuringly. The place had turrets, ray shields, ysalamiri, and a massive number of murderous battle droids. So, yes, totally safe. Especially from evil individuals who wanted to prevent Elanil's transformation into a higher being.


She saw how Elanil was struggling to stand and quickly moved to help stabilise her, offering her arm. She would have carried her, but didn't want to offend the organic. "I can carry you if you like," she offered gently. Either way they had a bit of a walk and a long lift ride ahead of them. Obviously Elanil's quarters were located deep inside the base in its most secure section.

 

[Mirien Valdier]

Hearing the security guards over the loudspeaker made Mirien cringe internally. It's not. Timed too perfectly. We're being watched by Archangel folks. They are here somewhere. That bothered her, being watched and yet not knowing. Her eyes flicked this way and that, looking for new threats.

Mirien moved with Sumiko, letting her do the talking, for she was more than capable to play this out. She too fished out an ID in a similar manner, using her illusions to mask it for what it really was. Blind to the force seemed to be an understatement.

"Now, we'll need access to your security center. We need to go through logs, footage to determine where the leak came from. Heads will roll." She said coldly. "So, I suggest you cooperate and it won't be yours." A faint smile forming on her lips.

"Of course Ma'am, right this way." He turned on his heels and started to lead them off to the security center. But something felt off. Mirien wasn't quiet sure what it was. Be on the look out. I think trouble may soon be arriving at our doorstep shortly. I suspect Archangel still has eyes and ears in the Spaceport. She whispered telepathically to Sumiko.

[member="Eyrecae Alzari"] | [member="Sumiko Tanaka"] | [member="Kaida Taldir"]

 

[Darth Libertas]

[member="Mirien Valdier"], [member="Eyrecae Alzari"]

And so our two ladies were led into the security room. Whatever suspicion the guards felt had been banished from their minds. At least temporarily. Illusions were powerful tools against the uninitiated, but they only lasted so long. Conveniently they had not been up against droids so far. Nonetheless, Sumiko was on her guard. The durasteel blast doors opened with a hiss, and the guardsman beckoned them inside. Unsurprisingly, the security room was crammed full with projectors, computer monitors and so on, since it monitored the entire spaceport.


Some of the technicians and guards rose to their feet when the newcomers entered, but the mask of authority seemed to do its trick. "Omega Security. You're in charge here? We need immediate access to all your logs."


"Yes, ma'am, but that's a lot of data. We monitor the entire spaceport. It will take..."


Sumiko waved his words aside as if they were buzzing insects. "If you're not capable of cooperating, the authorities will learn of this and take the appropriate measures." Suitably cowed, the officer on duty obliged like a good minion was expected to.


"Yes, of course, ma'am."


Sumiko did not waste any time, but sat down behind one of the desks. Her fingers danced over the keyboard as she accessed surveillance once the officer provided the necessary passwords. She could have used mechu-deru for the same, but that would have aroused attention. "Highlighting corridor G-6," she said quietly, speaking to Mirien. Soon footage of a woman who looked suspiciously like Elanil being 'helpfully led' down the corridor appeared on the screen. Their path took them to a rather nondescript freighter. Not a tramp, but nothing that stood out either.


"Registered as the Silver Hawk. CEC-built freighter." Unsurprisingly, the person under whose name the ship was registered was not called Nalia Alderana or Moira Skaldi. It was probably also not the ship she'd used to travel to Fondor in the first place.