Not a Moment Too Soon

[VanceCaydence]

Location: Carratos/City of Chofin/Caydence Naval Yards
Objective: Use any means necessary to locate and free Joanna Caydence.
Post Count: 1/20

Spoiler

[member="Zark"] [member="Lily Kuhn"] [member="Choli Vyn"] [member="Irajah Ven"][member="Aerion Ivelisse"]

Not a Moment Too Soon​

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City of Chofin​

Two weeks prior to the events of Omega​

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*Vance stood on the escarpment, looking over the edge of the docking tower wall to the sprawling street level below. In the shadow of the afternoon light, it was difficult to tell where the streets began and the buildings ended. His mind kept reeling over the possibilities.* How did they do it? Where could they have gone? I swear by everything that I am, if they even touch her... *He couldn't let go of the utter disdain that he had for the organization that called themselves the "One Sith". Why they would stoop so low as to start abducting people to finish whatever project they had in the works, he couldn't even begin to fathom. He had exhausted every lead that he had come across: information brokers, associates within the Brethren Court, and [member="Arrya Volan"] - even with all of her contacts - couldn't shine any light on where they had taken her. Well, when Vance thought of her, he really meant them. Several of the best engineers under Caydence Naval Yards' employ, along with Joanna - Vance's younger sister and twin sibling of Analise - had been taken against their will.*

*At first, it was voluntary. There were several contractors who came out and offered monetary incentives to draw workers in. A week or two would go by, and then another recruiting drive would take place. The Naval Yards were having to grant some extended leave to some of their workers, doing so much as to shut down entire hangars just so their teams could go and take part in the project. Due to Vance's position in the company, he couldn't take part in any project that would last longer than a week at best. And Athen, Vance's father, refused to let his youngest daughter take part in such an undertaking. There simply wasn't enough information to go on. Nigel Caydence even tried to look up the company that was contracting them out - Seledyne Industries - and found next to nothing regarding their most-recent projects. By the time the moment finally came where the One Sith reared their ugly head and completed their abductions, Nigel had just broken the surface on - what would become - a much deeper conspiracy.*

*The company? A shell. The "project"? Classified. Unknown. Barely anything could be gleaned off of the investigative reports. The trail had all but gone cold now. They had managed one lucky break through the use of their local info broker, Tydus. The shell company had apparently been commissioned by the One Sith. At least this allowed Vance to know which direction to point his gun at. Whatever good that would do. They still had no idea where to begin their search. The One Sith's Empire was vast. Carratos had managed to stay just beyond its reach for so long mainly because it was a system in which pirates operated. This often times made trouble for just about any "noble government" -- even those of galactic importance. And with recent events playing out as they had been, Carratos had become even less of a nuisance in the One Sith's eyes. Instead, it became a source of labor. This "classified project" - whatever it was - apparently needed good engineers and skilled hands. And now? No one knew where those "hands" were operating.*

*Thus, Vance was at a tipping point in his own investigation. With the trail now gone cold, he had been kicking every rock he could turn over. His family had even entreated the Galactic Alliance for assistance. It was for that reason that Vance was where he was, standing atop the high docking tower of CNY's main offices. Apparently, his father and other uncle, Caide, had received word back from the G.A. There was a campaign taking place. The Galactic Alliance had already struck through the heart of One Sith territory. Which, as Vance had come to guess, was making the faction more and more desperate by the day. This "project" - whatever it had become - must have been a last-ditch effort to reclaim that which had been lost to them. With the G.A. moving forward, they were now looking to continue their campaign. Thus, Athen Caydence pledged the support of Caydence Naval Yards to repair and outfit whatever ships the Alliance would need in return for their agreement to assist in finding out what had happened to the multitude of people that had been abducted by the Sith. They had apparently seen fit to send representatives from their ace fighter squadron - the Rogues. With what Vance had heard of their exploits from his grandfather, who was once a lead engineer within the Alliance, that name carried a great deal of weight and respect.*

*Vance watched through the haze of Carratos' afternoon sky as a personal shuttle darted across the horizon toward the tower. It bore the markings of CNY, which led Vance to believe that his father had chosen to meet with the Alliance reps aboard their carrier, the Rebel's Hope. He saw the ship from the tower, looming overhead, seeming like a bastion of power and authority if Vance had ever witnessed one. Even as the shuttle docked with the tower, Vance kept his gaze affixed to the ship. He heard the docking bay door open, and turned to see his father exiting the vessel, dressed in one of his finer suits. He was followed by a taller gentleman and two females, who looked about as different from each other as could be. Walking beside the red-headed female was Analise, who wore her Carratos Defense Force uniform and held a solemn, determined look in her eyes. Vance wished that he could see her smile again. He couldn't recall the last time he'd witnessed that. And there was another with them as well, a youth with dark-colored skin, wearing a black jacket and standing even taller than the man in military dress. Vance lent himself a quick glance, noting that he wasn't exactly wearing his most elegant finery. Instead, he wore a dark, nuna-hide jacket with a casual shirt and jeans. As his father approached, he spoke a bit louder than usual, attempting to be heard above the din of the busy city along with the winds that tore through the high-elevation areas.*

"Vance, there's someone you should meet." *He stated with his most-professional grin.* "This is Captain [member="Zark"] Pulsar of the Galactic Alliance, in charge of Rogue Squadron." *He pulled his gestured hand away from the Captain, moving on to the other female who was dressed in the same type of clothing as the Captain.* "This is his associate, Lieutenant [member="Choli Vyn"], the young man with them is Jedi Padawan [member="Aerion Ivelisse"]; and the other young lady with your sister is...my dear, what did you say your name was again?"

"It's Empress Lily Kuhn, father." *Analise stepped in to reply.* "Of Empress Teta? You should know that by now."

*The Elder Caydence brought his hand to the bridge of his nose, squeezing gently in a gesture of exhaustion.*

"Ah...of-of course. M'lady, my apologies." *Stated the elder man. He looked back to Vance.* "We should...probably head inside. Vance, could you lead the way?"

*The gathering of individuals spoke volumes of the elder Caydence. That he was able to draw this collective of individuals together was the mark of a great man. Vance didn't quite know what to think of the group; but he certainly kept his opinions to himself, for the moment. The Son of Athen responded courteously, as was to be expected.* "Yes, of course, father." *He greeted each of them with a light bow or a shake of the hand, turning toward the stairwell that would lead them into the offices.* "Please, follow me below."

~*~*~*~​

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Caydence Naval Yards, Level 45, Conference Room​

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*The group entered the room, which held an elongated table made of modernly-stylized wood and iron surrounded by several chairs. Situated in the center of the table was a small holoprojector, with an access port at either end of the table along with the controls. The room's lighting activated as they entered, coming up from a low setting to something a bit more comfortable. One of Athen's many assistants was hastily taking notes that the senior Caydence was issuing him as Vance and Analise showed the lot of them to their seats. As soon as they were all shown in, Athen spoke aloud to the group.*

"If anyone is in need of refreshment, my assistant would be glad to provide you with some?" *He gestured to the small, older Lorrdian woman; and then to the side table, where several different decanters, pitchers, flasks and flagons rested along with a gathering of matching crystalline glasses.* "Or, feel free to partake in any of the beverages you see there. There's also water, if you feel so inclined."

*Athen placed his hand on the back of the chair at the one end of the table, putting on the best professional smile that he could manage, given the circumstances. As if by the very nature of it, the two Caydence children did their best to mirror their father's expression. There was an obvious tension in the room that was more noticeable by the moment, even though it was completely out of anyone's control. Much had happened, and much would happen still. It made conversations such as these difficult, to say the least. Athen looked to the room's occupants, and then to the table itself, still harboring that weighted smile as he spoke.*

"I'd like to begin when everyone is comfortably-situated, if that's all right?"

*Vance moved to the side table, pouring himself a glass of water, along with a couple of extras, should any of them have wanted one. Analise seemed to move towards the chair nearest her father, but remained standing at the table's corner. Much of the next few moments would be dictated by their guests within the Galactic Alliance, depending on what their needs were.*

 

[Ellie Mors]

In all honesty, life had been comfortable - precarious, but comfortable - when the One Sith had been the dominant force in the galaxy. For people of her ilk, at any rate. The rich just kept getting richer, herself included, and the poor just kept growing in numbers. In reality, the empire of the One Sith had been doomed to failure precisely the moment that it had turned on itself and killed its founder and former leader. That didn't necessarily mean that the youngest Kuhn daughter was entirely ecstatic with the way life had been at the time, but she had begun to take everything for granted when the Galactic Alliance started its crusade through the heart of the One Sith. They'd forced her to turn over Teta to the Alliance the same day that they won Coruscant and toppled the regime, signifying what she assumed was the end of an era. And with every transition period, rebellion and strife always grew in quantity even in the places - such as Empress Teta - that had it "easy".

That was somewhat how she saw the problem the Caydence family faced - a victim to the gears of history and circumstance. She could understand the feeling of losing a loved one - there had been a time when she and her twin sister, Rose, had been left at home at the ripe age of seventeen and their parents had faked their deaths in order to protect them from the conflict between the One Sith and Titan Industries and, eventually, her mother had actually been killed on a planet resting in the Sith worlds - and being that she had connections that ran deep, from those that knew and dealt with her mother, a Sith Lord that had once been the Dark Lord of the One Sith's handful of "voices", and a father that ran and operated through Titan Industries as the One Sith's arms dealer and starship producer. Neither parent, deceased or not, were affiliated with the faltering government, but she knew people that either knew bits and pieces or knew others that did.

-

Lily, like the others, had arrived on Carratos to help the Caydence family recover their missing family members. She wasn't suitable for close combat, and she still hadn't completed her degree on Anaxes when she'd been forced to cut ties with the One Sith (whom still controlled the planet and the university within), so helping fight back in such a manner was, really, the best she could do. Her introduction, as clarified by Analise Caydence, was a little more over the top than she would have done herself - she wasn't exactly adamant that she be recognized as royalty, she'd only came into the role a few months prior - but she didn't make any visible effort to make that known, either. Led down the stairwell by [member="Vance Caydence"], several memories of visiting the office building for Titan with her father played through her mind. If she could turn back the clock, go back to when she was fifteen, Lily would have done it in a heartbeat. She only hoped she could help this family so that they would never have the horrifying experiences that befell hers.

While Athen voiced his desire for everyone to be sat before beginning their conference-of-sorts, Lily made neither a look of interest nor an attempt of having any water as she made her way to her seat. Once she found her seat, towards the center of one of the longer sides of the table, Lily spent the brief moment before they'd begin to study the others in the room. It wasn't exactly normal for her to go this long without saying something, but it wasn't entirely unusual for her to be a bit more reserved in the company of strangers, either. While [member="Zark"], [member="Choli Vyn"], and [member="Aerion Ivelisse"] might be members of some portion of a military group belonging to the Galactic Alliance, Lily was, more or less, just a citizen, royalty or not. She'd never met either of the three, and it was really the first time meeting the Caydence family, beyond the initial contact that had strung their fates together to begin with.

'I probably should have asked Nadja to come.' The Tetan noble thought to herself, wondering if Nadja Keto was at all enjoying her day doing most of Lily's job for her. Nadja, unlike Lily, had a bit of a better time handling these kinds of situations, or at least the words she chose to use when speaking. It might've been from being the youngest daughter of the Keto family, a member of Tetan nobility that had at one time had a member sitting on the throne, or maybe it was in spite of that, either way she envied the woman's gift for being so polite and empathetic.

 

[Aerion Ivelisse]

Some girl, Analise, was it? Escorted the group to meet with the other Caydences. There was a... Determined look on her face, Aerion had realized, the type of face that he usually had, but with nowhere near as much attitude as he sported. He was undisciplined in that aspect, but not because he thought he was better, rather, it was because he didn't care. Not too much about anyone, or anything. Or, at the least, he was very good at appearing that he didn't. It wasn't like anyone had asked him that question before.

As of recently, with his position on Captain Jax Hastings ship, he had decided to actually embrace his role as their Jedi Liaison. He had even started wearing his lightsabre on his belt, but it still remained conceal - out of habit, - just behind his jacket. Occasionally, his lightsabre hilt would catch the glint of the light when he pushed open his jacket to scratch his side, but other than that, when someone looked at him it was as if there was nothing there.

Save for clothes.

And then, someone started speaking, a person he had spoken to briefly. More like, just a name, really. And that man, he introduced the Galactic Alliance's representatives to [member="Vance Caydence"]. The flow of the introduction came to a stop when it came to the subject of who the red head was. Something Kun. Light blue eyes peered to the side to look at the redheaded, [member="Lily Kuhn"], and his eyebrows dipped slightly before he turned his head and looked away. So he was in the presence of royalty? Doesn't look special to me. He rolled his shoulders back in the hopes of masking his shrug in the form of badly timed stretching and then they were on their way again.

Eventually, they found themselves in a room that held an elongated table of fresh design, and wooded chairs all around. Old fashioned, huh? He admired that, but his features never changed beyond the random flickers of his gaze as he took in the new environment. Closeby, there was a humanoid assistant that was indicated. He wasn't thirsty, so he said nothing.

The rest of this Caydence family stood at one end of the table, opposite of those from the Galactic Alliance. Their appearances were heavy, even if they had those faux smiles on their faces. His empty face, mirrored there's for a moment as he weighed the situation. He was introduced as a Jedi right? He almost took a seat with that everyday Empress, but instead, the Jedi Padawan got the idea of venturing past her and then seating himself in the middle of the table. Even if he didn't enjoy other people's company most of the time, he did like to be noticed. Turning his head to their hosts, he offered a small, surprisingly genuine, and hopefully comforting smile.

"At your convenience," he said with a nod of his head.

[member="Zark"], [member="Choli Vyn"]

 

[Zark San Tekka]

Bridge, Unyielding-class Command Cruiser Rebel’s Hope
Above Caydence Naval Yards, City of Chofin
Carratos, Inner Rim

“Which one of them drew the short straw this time?”

“That’d be Lieutenant Vyn, Captain,” his third officer, Arix, stood behind him. Arix had known him longer than anyone on the Hope, but while on duty it was all titles and respect with the cyborg.

“Poor girl,” Zark muttered to himself, too quiet for any but Arix’s enhanced hearing to pick up, “Who did I piss off in high command to get this assignment?”

“You know why they asked for you,” Arix chided him, “Rogue Squadron specializes in...sensitive subject matter of this nature. And rumor throughout the 5th is that before you took your commission you had a reputation as something of a fixer.”

Zark chuckled in spite of himself. Arix knew perfectly well the ex-privateer’s reputation. When his former Padawan had found him, he’d been deep in the Kathol Outback, hunting pirates and taking escort jobs from just about anyone whose credits were good. A far cry from the life of a Jedi Knight, and the Captain owed his third officer much for the cyborg’s dogged attempts to drag him back into the light.

“How many sons and daughters, brothers and sisters go missing every day across the galaxy?” he wondered aloud, “And the verse moves on, doesn’t blink an eye, but this Caydence family moves heaven and earth and suddenly there’s a Galactic Alliance cruiser in orbit.”

According to the report, many had been taken from Carratos, but Zark held no illusions as to whose disappearance had motivated the dispatch of his ship.

“Would your father the Viscount have done any less to secure your safe return?” Arix asked, and Zark winced at the reminder.

“No, he would not. Moral outrage often begins as guilt in disguise,” he admitted, “To the common galactic citizen, it’s just the way things have always been.”

There was a preternatural hush behind them, and Pulsar didn’t have to turn to visualize the smoldering eyes of his duros executive officer as the old man stepped off the turbolift and stalked towards them at the fore of the bridge.

“He still complaining?” Commander Mazik Stazi grunted, the question directed at Arix. Apparently the commander had decided lately he liked the third officer more, but Zark had a feeling it was more an attempt to annoy him than any capacity the duros had for personal affection.

“The Captain? Never,” Arix’s delivery was perfectly deadpan, although his modulated voice tended to have that effect all the time. Either way, Stazi knew better.

“I don’t have to remind you, Captain, the strategic importance of the Caydence Naval Yards to the sector,” the Commander growled as the three moved towards the turbolifts, “Our orders are to make every effort to see this situation resolved swiftly and to each party’s satisfaction.”

“Understood, commander,” Zark bit back, struggling to maintain his calm in spite of Mazik’s constant antagonism, “You have the con until my return.”

“Captain,” Arix called out as he stepped onto the lift, “Forget the politics, forget the orders. Save the girl.”

As the turbolift doors closed, he nodded, mild annoyance evaporating into grim resolve.


Conference Room, Level 45
Caydence Naval Yards

The meeting aboard Rebel’s Hope with the familial patriarch, an older man by the name of Athen Caydence, had not been as painful as he had been expecting. When it came to nobility and families of means, it was a potential Idiot’s Array across the galaxy. For every benign, relatively stable household there were also those who embodied every negative stereotype that had ever existed about the upper class. Zark was glad to know that at least these Caydences didn’t appear to fall into that latter category.

They had been joined at the shuttle by Lieutenant Choli Vyn and one of their passengers, a Jedi Padawan Zark wasn’t familiar with and whose name he couldn’t remember from the manifest. As a general rule Pulsar avoided associating with any Jedi he transported, not out of dislike but because his life as a Jedi was for the moment at least not common knowledge among the fleet. Through exchanged pleasantries he had discovered the Padawan’s name was Aerion.

The fourth member of their entourage, however, did take Zark by surprise. He was not so far removed from that world as to not recognize Tetan nobility on sight. When she was introduced as the Empress herself, the Captain managed an only slightly awkward genuflection appropriate to Tetan culture, drawing on what he could remember from his early days in the Dubrillion courts a lifetime ago.

As they were at last ushered into the conference room where Zark assumed they would move past the pleasantries and protocols at least and into the real subject matter. Declining any of the amenities offered by their hosts, he remained standing in a relaxed posture of attention before the conference table.


[member="Vance Caydence"] [member="Choli Vyn"] [member="Lily Kuhn"] [member="Aerion Ivelisse"]

 

[Choli Vyn]

[member="Vance Caydence"] @Zark @Aerion Ivelisse [member="Darth Vitium"]

Well.. this is going to be interesting.

That was the sole thought that went through Lieutenant Vyn's mine as her hazel green eyes went panning across every face that surrounded this little gathering. A few she knew - thankfully she came with the Captain and Choli wasn't in the position to embarrass herself again - along with Ivelisse. Being on the low end of the peon scale, all Choli knew is that she was here to work with the Captain in whatever capacity that left her.

The pains of nabbing the short end of the stick.

The brunette took to a chair soon enough as did the others, and when the offer for refreshments came she wasn't one to pass it up. Water was fine, save for that moment when the notice that the Empress of Teta was the girl sitting on the corner kinda made her choke.

A lot.

Water went spilling from her lips, and Choli barely caught them with her hand, slapping her palm against her mouth. Her olive skin turned a ruddy shade that would not hide her embarassment, along with the wince and scrunching of shoulders as she mentally wanted to disappear into the floor underneath her.

Great... just... great.

 

[VanceCaydence]

*Noting that the Alliance group all had their particular differences as far as how they chose to take their places, Athen gave a light nod of his head and took a moment to survey them all before he would begin. The look he garnered from the Captain was one that he'd seen several times over. The soldier was a man of duty, and perhaps didn't view their plight with as much concern as possible contempt. The elder Caydence couldn't truly blame him. Despite having included the authorities on Carratos a dozen times over in their efforts to investigate the disappearances of their staff, as well as Joanna, they were truly out of options. The possibility that this [member="Zark"] character didn't see this as much more than a search for the "governor's daughter" was not lost to Athen. He wondered to himself if that was how his subordinates felt. As though they were being dragged across the galaxy for the sake of one single person. The truth was so much more involved, though.*

"I suppose..." *Athen lowered his hand from the back of the chair, choosing instead to fold his arms in front of him.* "...I suppose I should begin this by stating that we are truly grateful for your arrival. We had all but exhausted our means by which we could extol or glean any useful intelligence that could aid in this investigation. The...'One Sith', as you call them, had sent in covert teams to abduct several members of our staff - as well as my daughter - before they managed to vanish from our system without leaving so much as a trace."

*He motioned to his daughter, Analise, to hand him a certain item. Reaching down beside her, she produced a datapad, which she in turn handed to Athen. It was then, as Vance stood next to the refreshment table, that he witnessed the Lieutenant - [member="Choli Vyn"] - nearly-spewing the contents of her water glass down her face. Being overtly-courteous, Vance reached out to her, steadying her with his left hand.*

"Are you going to be all right, miss?" *The son of Athen quietly spoke, trying not to disrupt his father's address.*

*The elder Caydence had paused for a moment, trying not to ignore the small incident which seemed to have occurred on the other side of the room. However, he soon held the datapad in his own hand, and offered it to the Captain.*

"On here are the list of the members of my staff who have been abducted by these 'Sith'. There are exactly four hundred and thirty-nine of them that have gone missing or are presumed dead. Three of those families have lost loved ones as a result of their resistance against the abductions. The Ti'lihn family left behind an orphan daughter, Berdik Fehv'sra lost his wife and son as he was taken, and Gehdren Wen's husband was murdered in the process. I've given you all the pertinent details of the others who were taken, demographic information provided by our employee files. It is my hope that you will find this information useful. And, if you find that they have been...well, certainly these 'Sith' were willing to kill in order to take them, so it is only natural to assume that they would..."

*There was a moment of silence as Athen couldn't find the words. Analise stepped in at that time to pick up where he'd left off.*

"I believe my father means to say that, should you find evidence that they've been killed, we're certain that the families - ours included - would appreciate the return of whatever remains you may find."

*As though his words had found him again, Athen took a deep breath and continued.*

"Y-Yes...thank you, Analise." *Athen looked back to Captain Zark, gesturing with his free hand.* "And, to that end, I am willing to dedicate whatever resources you or your crew might need in order to make your investigation a success. You will have the full run of Caydence Naval Yards; everything from repair facilities to armaments, even our engineers are yours, should you have need of them."

Spoiler

[member="Zark"] | [member="Choli Vyn"] | [member="Lily Kuhn"] | [member="Aerion Ivelisse"] | [member="Irajah Ven"]

 

[Choli Vyn]

[member="Vance Caydence"]

Choli immediately waved her hand in front of her, shaking her head as if to suggest she was perfectly alright. Olive skin was now a bright dark ruddy hue in embarrassment, her fingers moving to wipe the spare drops of water from her mouth and chin. At least it was only water, she mused ruefully, giving a half smile in an attempt to assure. Or at the very least try to not be the center of attention again.

Patting her shirt dry, she sank back in her chair and tried her best to simply blend in. This was great. Just great. What a terrible and silly first impression I've already made...

 

[Ellie Mors]

Lily's attention had, of course, been turned to the direction of Athen Caydence. While she wasn't certain what the others that had accompanied them were used to, Lily had both learned the proper way to display body language and act while attending the Naval Academy of Anaxes - for the brief period she was there before the war had consumed the Core - as well as her various lessons-of-sorts on how to behave as royalty. Nadja still put her to shame when it came to both politeness and body language, which shouldn't have came to much of a surprise considering their differences in upbringing, but the fact of the matter remained that she was actually trying to look the part she played as best she could. She nodded her head silently at the man's thanks, only to find her attention averted and her gaze turned towards [member="Choli Vyn"]. A slight look of confusion was apparent on her face, she'd changed her posture from sitting up to a slight - very slight - slouch at the cross of her legs.

She wasn't familiar with the Rogue Squadron, not beyond the name and association with X-wings, so she wasn't certain if perhaps the girl had some kind of allergy that caused her to cough - but whatever the case, it wasn't a big deal for her, so long as she wasn't dying or something, Lily turned her attention back to Athen whilst [member="Vance Caydence"] appeared to be checking up on the pilot. 'Four hundred and thirty-nine? Kark, that's a lot of people.' Lily thought to herself, her posture shifting again so that she was leaning forward in her seat, her attention now completely drawn to the issue. She was aware of the family issue, but she hadn't really put thought into considering that so many of their people had been abducted - and right out of their home, too. At the mention that so many of them - perhaps even all of them - might have simply been killed set her on edge, her face paling. This was why she'd always tried to stay with business, politics, and fashion - being hurt over some boy was so much better than worrying about a family member disappearing and perhaps dying on her. It was why she'd been neutral in Lis's gallivanting across the galaxy as a hired .. saber? It was also probably the reason that Rose had gone from being a Sith to being an explorer of sorts - though she more or less chalked it up to a change of ideals and loss of force potential. She'd already lost her mother, she wasn't keen on losing anyone else.

"I feel for you and all of the families affected, Mister Caydence, we will devote every resource I have available to locate your loved ones and everyone missing." Lily said, once the man had finished saying his piece and had offered his own resources. "I will not rest until no stone is left unturned." She added. In all truth, she wasn't sure if her words carried more weight as being some empress or if being the daughter of Alric Kuhn made more of an impact when she made mention of resources.

[member="Zark"] [member="Aerion Ivelisse"] [member="Irajah Ven"]

 

[Zark San Tekka]

It had been some time since Zark had considered himself a Knight of the Order, but in many ways too subtle and difficult to unravel the Jedi philosophy still dominated much of who he was. Provided they could trust this Caydence family, which as an Alliance officer he had to take seriously the remote possibility that this was all some elaborate One Sith trap, the cruel nature of the evidence the Caydence patriarch presented those assembled struck at the core of him. Outrage, once as alien a notion to him as all extreme emotion, threatened to break through his carefully curated veneer of stoic confidence. It would do this family no good to emphasize the dire circumstances, the best the Captain could hope for was to provide some comfort by seeming capable and certain something could be done to help. While he still held misgivings that the Alliance had only become involved when someone of the Caydence family's status had been counted among the abducted, he pushed that to the back of his mind for now, as the injustices of the galaxy certainly weren't the fault of these people, scared of losing a loved one and desperate to do everything possible to bring her home safely.

Of all of them, Captain Pulsar reacted the least at the sudden disturbance coming from Lieutenant Choli Vyn. Though he hadn't gotten to know his pilots extremely well, he had at least spent enough time around them to know that this wasn't exactly aberrant behavior for the young epicanthix. He didn't even spare her a glance as he took the offered datapad from Athen Caydence, not wishing to add to her embarrassment. The Lieutenant hadn't been brought along because of her diplomatic acumen, but because she was a phenom behind the stick of an X-Wing at so young an age. Looking over the names and data on the display, he struggled not to allow any of them to become a statistic. Despite all his teachings, he wanted to keep that emotion near the surface, near at hand. He needed it to keep him sharp.

"Treacherous though they may be, the Sith seldom act without purpose," Captain Pulsar said when Athen had finished as he continued to skim the datapad for particularly relevant details, "And they seldom take prisoners. Your initial message to us mentioned something about the perpetrators posing as contractors, and most of these names have similar technical skillsets. All this suggests the One Sith took your people because they needed them for something, which gives us good reason to believe they are still alive."

Tactfully, he elected not to add that it also meant a clock was ticking until the people of Carratos had outlived their usefulness, nor that sometimes the purposes of the Sith were awful in and of themselves. There was still hope yet for these people, including their daughter, which was more than Zark had been willing to say when he had first heard that the One Sith might be involved. The young Empress of Teta pledged their aid to the Caydence family and Carratos, which reminded the Captain that it was also his duty to manage Athen's expectations.

"Nor will the crew of the Rebel's Hope, of course," he added when Empress Kuhn had finished, "However, I must remind you, sir, that we are a military unit, not an investigative body. The Alliance will share all the intelligence we have on the area, and should we find a location my Rogues will be the long arm of justice for Carratos, but some of what is required falls outside our area of expertise. I thank you for your pledge, for we will need to lean on your insight into the situation, as well as whatever assistance the Empress and the Jedi Order can provide. If we are going to find your people, we need to get to the bottom of why they were taken in the first place, and what for."


[member="Vance Caydence"] [member="Choli Vyn"] [member="Lily Kuhn"] [member="Aerion Ivelisse"]

 

[VanceCaydence]

*Athen listened as pledges were made alongside his own. For all the good that these words would do, they still didn't seem to bring him any true source of comfort. Joanna was missing. Luckily, she was one of the most-recent to be abducted, but it had already been two solid weeks. The elder Caydence couldn't help but feel the weight of that time pressing down on what little remained of his hope. When the Captain had made mention of how they needed to "get to the bottom of why they were taken," he rapped at the table. He had considered the question already, and had his own thoughts on the matter. However, before he could respond, his son interjected.*

"It should have been me..."

*Vance's hands left the side of the coping pilot that he sought to help earlier. He stood there, looking on at his father, the placid smile now fully-gone from his features.*

"Vance, you've beaten yourself up enough over this." *Analise's weary voice chimed in.* "There was no way you could've known that--"

"If I'd only been here, Joanna would still be--"

"You don't know that!" *The twin sibling rocked forward in her seat, now on the edge.* "Vance! There is every chance that she would have still been taken, and you could've been killed like the others!"

*Vance had been away at the time of the abductions, working with Meran Mechanics in the Kathol Outback as a contractor on a development project that never left the designer's block. When he'd received the call that Joanna had been taken, he decidedly had to leave the planning session, even before he'd gotten to mention the work he'd done on his own projects as a result. By the time he had made it back to Carratos, every bit of the trail had vanished. From that moment, he had been digging as deeply as he could, cashing in every favor he had on reserve. When only one of those seemed to pan out in the measure of him discovering that the One Sith were the ones responsible for his sister's disappearance, it became the spark that would soon ignite the fervor in his soul. He had to find her now. He felt like he was the only one that could.*

*Analise, however, had a well-placed point. And it seemed like she wasn't quite finished driving it home.*

"Those bastards made it through Customs on my watch, brother. They had all but torn our friends from their homes before we even knew they had!"

"And none of that matters now, Ana." *The familial patriarch felt the need to step in, if only to ease the tensions expressed by his progeny.* "There was nothing that either of you could have done--"

"But there is now." *Vance retorted. He looked directly at the Captain, standing not three feet from him.* "I'm willing to volunteer, Captain Pulsar."

"Vance--"

"--I realize this is an unorthodox request, sir; but I feel compelled to make it. Give me an opportunity to prove myself, and I can assure you, your ship and your crew will reap those benefits."

"Vance, I will not lose you to those--"

*The eldest son of Athen would not refrain. He pressed on.*

"We are not the only ones to have lost!" *He looked to his father, and spoke apologetically.* "I am sorry father, but you said it yourself. If there's anything I might be able to do, then you know I've got to do it. Kark, it's the Caydence's creed, for crying out loud!"

*The room suddenly fell silent as there was a call coming through on the Captain's comlink. All eyes turned to him as it rang out again, cutting through the quiet like a knife.*

Spoiler

[member="Lucius Varad"] | [member="Lily Kuhn"] | [member="Zark"] | [member="Choli Vyn"] | [member="Aerion Ivelisse"] | [member="Irajah Ven"]

 

[Zark San Tekka]

Captain Pulsar had remained silent through the familial exchange, in part out of deference to what was rapidly turning into a very personal conversation but also because he was paying attention. The dialogue between Caydences, almost completely natural as they had momentarily forgotten their guests in the conference room, gave him greater insight into their family structure. When it came to such dynasties one was never truly sure what to expect, and one of Zark's fears had been that the Caydence family would show no concern whatsoever for the girl, Joanna, and that her abduction would be treated as a stolen acquisition to be reacquired lest the family business lose face, and the Jedi was glad to see that this was most certainly not the case. They all showed genuine concern and grief, not just for their lost relative, but for everyone who had been taken from Carratos, Athen's son especially.

Although it may have been the byproduct of perceived guilt for possibly being the One Sith's intended target, it was the spark of a quality familiar to him. That of service, and so it didn't catch Zark completely by surprise when the young man volunteered to help, although he did need to ponder the merits of the idea to come to a conclusion of just how ridiculous it was, and so he was grateful when his personal comm link began to loudly chirp. The Captain had set it to silent for the duration of this meeting, and the fact that it was audible must mean that the message was truly urgent.

"Excuse me, but it would appear this cannot wait," he said apologetically, giving a polite military bow to Athen and then turning to the young man, "I will return shortly, and in the meantime I would ask you to think very carefully on your request, discuss it further with your family perhaps. I take such a pledge seriously, and so should you, for it is not without its risks, or commitments, foreseen and otherwise."

With that, he paid appropriate courtly homage to the Empress before taking his leave of the room and activating the comm.

"Pulsar here, report."

"Apologies, sir," the cybernetic voice of his third officer, Arix, echoed clearly in the hall given his close proximity to the transmission's source on the Hope, "But you're needed back on board as...as soon as is convenient. I'm afraid if you delay I'll only be able to hold the Commander back for so long."

"The Commander? What the hell is going on over there?!" Zark hissed, trying to keep his voice muted in close proximity to the conference room doors.

"Its...its Cain sir," there was a crashing sound on the other line, and Zark could overhear Mazik saying something particularly foul to his third officer, "The XO found him with contraband, sir. A lot of contraband...really sir, truly a terrifyingly impressive amount."

Dren, Isaac... the Captain thought to himself.

"There was also a large amount of credits. The Commander...yes, sir, we believe them to be illegal gambling winnings."

"Dren, Isaac!" the Captain moaned, this time out loud. Sighing, he glanced around as the gears in his brain started clanking away, "Alright, keep a lid on the situation until I get back to you. I'm not sure when, hopefully not much longer. And if you can keep me from having to bring up my executive officer on manslaughter charges in the meantime, it'd be appreciated."

With that, Pulsar severed the connection on the comm link and kept thinking a little while longer in the otherwise abandoned corridor. The timing nor his present whereabouts were not lost on him, and whereas before he had only seen the tactical value in the young Vance Caydence having been meant for the One Sith's abduction lists, he now wondered if he couldn't nudge things into a more long term direction, depending on how the next few weeks played out. It would certainly give him an excuse not to make a big deal about the mess of a situation had gotten himself into back on the Rebel's Hope through official channels. Out of all the crew, Cain had been with them the longest. Had even been with him since...

"Dren, Isaac," he mumbled one more time, to no one in particular, and stepped back into the conference room.

"My apologies," Zark said as the attention of the room shifted towards his return, "Minor logistical difficulties, it shouldn't have interrupted. Now Mr. Caydence, you've offered me your service and, at the moment, I'm inclined to accept it. Have you come to a final decision on the matter?"


[member="Vance Caydence"] [member="Choli Vyn"] [member="Lily Kuhn"] [member="Aerion Ivelisse"]