Now you see me

[Coren Starchaser]

Ship transponders were a dime a dozen. The trick was finding a few transponders through a variety of places. It wasn’t really hard, when you were the Underground. The Network that Jorus Built had people all around the galaxy. And others were doing missions all on their own. What he had done was make sure to grab one from the Republic and one from the Techno Union. With the cell that was placed on Coruscant? That was how they got an example of the One Sith coding. A Levantine, aged Fringe and one of the Silver Jedi ones were also given.

This was to show just how the various transponders worked. And really, to show people how simple they were.

What he wanted to do was start splicing a few together, crash them into one another and make a piece of equipment that could be used installed on a vessel, and let someone change IFFs on the fly. Jump hyperspace, change your IFF, and come out in a new system as a new ship. Would be good for starting wars, or avoiding conflict. He had a few ideas for it.

Sure, maybe the former Imperial Captain was a bit more war driven than Merrill, but it worked out.

Unlike Merrill, who had them meet, where, Ord Mantell? Nah, Coren had them set up in one of the shadowports, the former Saelari Medical Center station. A room set aside, some IFFs, and the proper equipment to wire them for testing, and to receive the data. He, as always, had some music playing in the background, and it was a pretty relaxed atmosphere.

“So, what we’re going to do, is try to marry a few of these together. Not unlike when Merrill put a lot of hyperdrives in front of us. So, break into teams, we’ll work together, its avionics, so its more software. But there are a few flaws in rotating IFFs, now that we’ve got ones that are recently stolen, we can replicate the codes. See what we can come up with.” He had a water bottle, some kind of energy drink. Coren rarely did caf. Tasted like burnt.


[member="Alaina Merrill"]
[member="Eliza Steele"]
[member="Rekha Kaarde"]
[member="Noah Corek"]
[member="Karen Roberts"]
[member="Kelly Perris"]
[member="Anastasia Rade"]
[member="Orick T'ane"]
[member="Spark Finn"]
@Underground Members

 

[Eliza Steele]

Eliza sipped on her fully-leaded caf as she leaned up casually against the wall of the room listening to the Warden speak about what might be possible with this new IFF technology if the Underground could perfect it for their use. [member="Coren Starchaser"] had the petite smuggler's complete attention as this would definitely improve the Corellisi's bottom line and relieve some stress. With the One Sith's increasing territory rimward and continuing hold over the Core worlds and major hyperspace lanes servicing them, Steele had had to give up on some of her more lucrative supply runs because of the risk/benefit ratio.

When it was time to get to work, the brunette pushed off from the wall and walked over to one of the nearby stations, setting her travel mug down and cracking her neck before pulling up the first sequence of codes to slice and dice into a new IFF. This was going to be fun, and rewarding if it worked.

@Any Underground peep

 

[Jsc]

[member="Eliza Steele"]

The heavy click of armored boots announced Robert's approach to Steele's side. A trooper in every presentation. Even amongst the gun runner's and slippery talents of the Underground.

"Pardon me Master Steele. I'm afraid I'm not that familiar with AV code. You wouldn't happen to mind letting an old soldier watch, would you? I might be able to get the hang of it if I watch an expert do their thing. Hehe."

Robert's had pulled the name from an associate of Coren's. It never hurt to know a fellow Corellian, after all.

"I usual have my astromech handle the more tedious affairs of slicing. A data spike is about all I'm good for. Not this kind of relay work, I'm afraid."

Oh. She forgot introductions.

"Karen Roberts. Of Corellia. I'm not sure if we've met before? If you don't mind the company. That is."

 

[Rekha Kaarde]

[SIZE=12pt]Rekha wasn’t sure why she was here really, this wasn’t her cup of tea she didn’t slice things together and for someone to have to teach her to do it would surely take more time.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]So.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]What should she do. She looked over at [member="Eliza Steele"] and [member="Karen Roberts"] she knew Karen, and had passed Eliza in several halls. Rekha leaned against the wall, maybe she would volunteer to make the candy, ale, and chips run for everyone who knew what to do here.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Right now she just kept to herself. She had to think, her last conversation with Zarek on her mind. Feth mon loup.[/SIZE]

[member="Karen Roberts"] [member="Eliza Steele"] [member="Coren Starchaser"]

 

[Kaia Starchaser]

So, you see the problem here? Kaia Starchaser hadn’t spoken to her father. In a long time. She was off… doing her own thing. Working with the Covenant and [member="Khaleel Malvern"], as well as Mara and doing… a lot of traveling, the youngest Starchaser was… confused. She wasn’t sure if she was doing things right. She wasn’t sure why she was back here, why she was here when HE was here.

Well, part of it was that she saw what was going on. She could hear it through the spacer grapevine what the Starchaser Patriarch was doing. He was fighting the Sith, he was helping the Silver Jedi, he was being… good. Sure, his methods were still lackluster, but he was on the same side as she was. And with the Sith taking the galaxy by storm, she had people she needed to help protect, those Covenant members, and she had people she didn’t want to alienate.

Her brother told her that she needed to do this. Sure, that was easy. He and their father could talk Starfighters and military tactics all day. But Kaia and Coren? They were similar. They were wander lusts with a need to get in the thick of everything.

Sure, the writer was going to play with himself for a moment, but the muse was screaming this meeting needed to happen.

Kaia, dressed in her olive drab jacket over a black tanktop and denim pants, boots, and her dark hair up in a messy pontail, she stepped into the room. She had helped drop crews off on this station. She looked around and offered smiles at the ones that looked over. But for her father? She just walked up.

“Hello, Father."

Yeah, she was doing this here.

 

[Judah Lesan]

Remy walked in, life of the party as usual. He was puffing on a "Sweet Theed" and looked over the place. Right away he spotted the owner of a competing bar leaning against the wall content to watch. Was he? Well if she'd ever get off the wall he might be content to watch the sway of her hips. The old dog was certainly not low on libido, but it also meant he was not low on trouble.

He walked up to the devices [member="Coren Starchaser"] had managed to score. This was just like being on Kessel, just without the freedom to do what he wanted. Dropping into the first device, he already walked through the first layer of code. Yeah, he taught Lizzy everything he knew.

"Gonna get these rigged right, better have both Steele's working for ya," his thick Corellian accent came through. "We got the booze for later too..."

Remy was talking to whoever would listen.

[member="Kaia Starchaser"] | [member="Rekha Kaarde"] | [member="Karen Roberts"] [member="Eliza Steele"]

 

[Eliza Steele]

Chocolate drop eyes looked up from the datascreen as [member="Karen Roberts"] came up beside the petite smuggler. Wow that was some blue hair! The spirited Corellisi flashed her fellow Corellian a friendly smile, then kicked out the chair next to her with her booted foot for the soldier of fortune to sit down.

"Oh I'm not a master of any kind, Miss Roberts, a captain yes… Eliza Steele, Captain of the Corellian Dawn. It's very nice to meet you," the brunette replied, offering her hand for a shake. "Have a seat. I'm not a professional slicer by any means, but I do know my way around coding to an extent… It tends to be helpful when wanting to get things okay'd by starport inspectors," came a wink and a hush finger to her lips, then she went back to working on the IFF codes in front of her.

Though Eliza didn't get too much farther along when [member="Remy Steele"] walked into the room commanding attention with his usual flare. Ugh…

"I left you sleeping on the ship… Nice that you could join us, Dad," Lizzy quipped with a small amount of irritation in her voice. She loved her old man, but sometimes he was a pain especially when showing off to the ladies.

[member="Coren Starchaser"] [member="Rekha Kaarde"] [member="Kaia Starchaser"]

 

[Jsc]

w [member="Eliza Steele"]

Karen smiled as the Steele family made it's presence known. She could sense the legacy for adventure in their every word. Even the sarcastic ones. However, it was when Coren was addressed as Father that really made her head spin. Oh my. Maybe she herself should have brought a family relation to this party? Karen was beginning to feel rather outnumbered. She made a mental note to call Grant and immediately beginning have babies. Maybe... 400 babies?

Nah. Bad idea. But boy, was she could really go for a Powerthirst right now.

"Thank you Captain Steele." She spoke to Eliza, "I wouldn't mind shadowing you and seeing how it's done."

Roberts kept one foot on the chair and one eye on the Starchaser girl. This could really go either way.

 

[Coren Starchaser]

Yeah, you weren’t hiding over there, [member="Karen Roberts"]. Coren had been making sure people were getting to work, and even was slicing through an IFF to help get things started. He was…. Well, he was learning to be an instructor at the Astro Academy, but here? It was a lab, it was easier, it was how things were supposed to be taught. Practical.

The nice thing was that people were getting to work. It’d be good to get some rotating IFFs for the Underground, personal ships, maybe a few for the retrieval boats as well. Get in and out and on with life. Wasn’t that a slogan? Anyway, he had given the Steele Father-Daughter Combo a nod and a wink and smile at his partner in crime, [member="Rekha Kaarde"].

A room of Corellians, wasn’t it? And well, the Kelada born Kaarde. Still, a good team so far.

And that was when Kaia showed up. Right. Yeah, time-lines, everyone. Cryo hibernation let Coren Starchaser still remain young while having a daughter who was clearly not young enough to be his daughter. “Keep up the work everyone, back in a second.”

Great.

He thumbed out the door at Kaia and lead the dark haired Starchaser out.

"This isn't really the time to do this." He wasn't sure what the hell to do, hug the daughter who was wayward, or ... be angry?

[member="Remy Steele"]
[member="Eliza Steele"]

 

[Kaia Starchaser]

So that was happening. Right. Couldn’t she just… she didn’t know. Get past this and help with the development of these units? When she stepped out into the hallways she nodded to her father. Running a hand through her black hair she shrugged. “Then let’s not. Let’s get to work on these transponders and then we’ll talk, ok?”

She was trying to be good here, she wanted to help the Underground in more ways that just being a transport pilot. And she knew a fair bit about how the mechanical side of everything worked. Her uncle was good at that bit. He was the one who was the lead engineer back on the Dawn Treader after all.

“I promise I’m not going to start anything, I just want to help.” She needed to prove to him that she could do this, and with her Odyssey coming down to the last six months (Corellian time, she was not a plebian) and she wanted to see if she’d even be welcomed back by her father.

When her father nodded, she stepped into the room. A whole royal flush of Corellians, wasn’t it? As she walked back in, she noticed [member="Karen Roberts"] looking over. For once, Kaia was burning a bit hot. Unlike her father, who was always proclaiming something about the wild side of the Force, Kaia was a bit more cold, detached and calculating.

Like a Jedi.

But right now, the drive, or embarrassment of being called out by her father? It had her a bit heated. She made her way over to one of the empty work stations. Right, time to see what she could do.

 

[Judah Lesan]

[member="Eliza Steele"] | [member="Karen Roberts"]

Remy had worked his way into the first level of the transponder he was working on. Despite his flashy entrances, loud boasting, and womanizing ways, the former smuggler was a hard worker, and got right down to business. He was Corellian after all. As much as he enjoyed teasing his daughter, and driving her batty, he also knew his limit. She was a good girl, except for the bad habits Remy had taught her, and he really was proud.

Remy raised a thick brow when Coren announced his exit. He knew the scenario all too well, as he and Lizzy had a few of those moments themselves. They were always best done in private. For the Steele's it usually happened over a bottle of Corellian Whiskey and a couple of Sweet Theeds. Remy said nothing, but just shot a look to his own daughter, and got back to work. She seemed well occupied teaching Ms. Roberts the basics of slicing into a transponder's main coding platform.

"Dad's can be meanies sometimes, huh," he said to [member="Kaia Starchaser"] when she sat down at one of the work stations which happened to be close to him. "We like to think its because we have your best interests at heart, and because it's hard to let go and admit you don't need us the way you used to."

Was that more for her or Lizzy? Remy shrugged. It was likely for both, even himself if he were honest.

 

[Jsc]

Lot of third wheels spinning around right now. At least, that's how it looked to Roberts. Armor and Force Shield can't protect you from family, after all. Hopefully this wouldn't get too weird. Karen sorta figured Underground business was life-or-death sorta stuff anyway. That at any moment some evil authority was going to come busting down their door and rustle them up some rebels. Luckily the galaxy was a big place. The most threatened Roberts had ever felt as an Underground courier was more akin to an awkward dinner party than an Imperial Inquisition. Or maybe just right now. Surrounded by all these karking Corellians. Sheesh.

"Pardon me for a moment Pilot Steele. I've got a friend to talk to just yet."

Karen smiled and waltzed over to [member="Rekha Kaarde"] ,

"So. I suppose at this point Rekha it would appropriate to say that I don't have any children. Nor will they be joining us for Computer Hour today. Hehe."

She scratched the back of her neck with a playful smirk. Aiming to look sheepish.

 

[Eliza Steele]

So after a few minutes of explaining to [member="Karen Roberts"] the in's and out's of coding, the blue haired Corellian seemed completely bored; the eyes rolling into the back of the head kind. Who could blame the woman really? But for Eliza and the petite smuggler's bottom line, if the rotating transponders really worked, it would open up places that had been closed off since the big event changed the map into a heaping chaotic mess with people and places obliterated. Well that was her opinion anyways. So that is why this was important to the younger Steele to get right the first time.

"Mhm sure… No problem. I'll just be here plugging along," Lizzy replied when the female soldier got up.

Eliza just smirked at the father-daughter thing that was going on between [member="Coren Starchaser"] and [member="Kaia Starchaser"] as her fingers danced across the keyboard. It hit pretty close to home with her own father. And of course [member="Remy Steele"] had to add his two cents in giving words of wisdom to the young girl, or was it more for her ears. Their parent-child-business partner relationship was solid yet rocky, but she felt very lucky to have her old man in her corner.

"[member="Rekha Kaarde"]… You didn't happened to bring any of that really good caf with you from the Underground did you? I could sure use some right about now," Lizzy smiled over her shoulder at the other brunette smuggler leaning on the wall who had a tapcafe on Bespin if she recalled right. A daughterly wink was given to her father before going back work on the IFF codes.

 

[Coren Starchaser]

Coren made his way into the room. He was clearly a bit exhausted. Burning the proverbial candle at both ends, with the exploration trips and the Underground missions. Then throw Kaia into the mix? He was proud of the kid. She was doing what she felt was right, she was getting out there and doing her thing. She was passing with decent grades for her flight certs, and she was helping the Underground.

Plus, could anyone feel that aura? Light side. Good side. Supposedly.

Beyond that, Coren needed to focus here. He was going to be putting one of these IFFs into his new ship. The one with the experimental engines from MaraX and a few other thigns. He had a need for a might powerful stealth strike ship.

“How are we all doing?” He said, pouring himself a drink, before heading over to check on work from an NPC’s shoulder, unless one of the hero characters had a question.

[member="Eliza Steele"]
[member="Karen Roberts"]
[member="Remy Steele"]
[member="Rekha Kaarde"]

 

[Rekha Kaarde]

[SIZE=12pt]Hearing her name Rekha perked up slightly she smiled as [member="Eliza Steele"] wanted to know what she brought.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]“I actually might have some of it here” Rekha looked over to the table where they had decided to keep a few things for everyone who came and helped, this slicing thing was a bit…well it took a while for certain.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Course Rekha had engaged in the same thing most in the room, they had looked at who came in calling Coren Dad. Now…what do you think of that Captain Kaarde hhmmmm.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Course now…she had never pushed him for information but, how did he get to have a kid that was or appeared to be…almost his age. Hmmm…[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]Rekha not wanting to keep Eliza waiting went to find the caf and bring her a cup. She poured still watching, still listening.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Until he said, so how is everyone, “I’m curious as feth” She smiled. As she came up to Eliza’s elbow. “Here Bugaboo have a cup” She held it out, and looked at the group. Oh yeah, [member="Remy Steele"] every time she was around him he seemed to be looking at her assets.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]And [member="Karen Roberts"] well they still had a bottle of wine to drink[/SIZE]

[member="Coren Starchaser"]

 

[Jsc]

And drink it they would. Roberts turned to Coren and shrugged,

"Pretty useless here boss. I fly a lightsaber and little else. Got anything else I could be helping with? I'm great at heavy lifting. Hehe. Otherwise I think I'll hit the showers and call it a day."

Karen's bio had a lot of strengths listed on it. Coding wasn't one of them. Especially without R2 here to do the heavy lifting. Her astromech could slice just as well as any little robot. Open doors, make her coffee, even fly her X-Wing for her. Alas. He was keeping the ship company today. Not here to turn one of these little gizmos or trinket's towards her favor. She'd also feel pretty stupid if she broke one of them too. Which... Was pretty likely at this point.

Also. Coren was not her boss. She still just struggled with what to call him actually. Crazy raider sounded more to the point. Or maybe youthful father. Nah. Daddy doner? That matched the age better. Ooo, or maybe she was adopted. No. That didn't work either. ...Mm. Cloned maybe. A female Coren? Whoa. That was something. Now there was two crazy raiders in the room. Bah! Enough thinking.

Roberts grabbed a spare bucket of parts and looked to the door. She could carry these on her way out.

[member="Coren Starchaser"]

 

[Kaia Starchaser]

Was it really that she stormed in? She was at a work station, she was doing her work. Wandering Star was a ship that worked with a few different groups, all hunting the same objective: Save the galaxy. So it wasn’t that big of a deal if her differing lives found out, hell, she let people know what she was doing when she was out running supplies, and a lot of times, she was multitasking. She was going to ignore her father until people got out of here. Then they’d talk.

But apparently she wasn’t going to be working on this alone. She looked over at the man with the stache who was talking to her. What was his name? [member="Remy Steele"], or something. Pilot? Maybe. She knew he did something with smuggling. And meanies? Did she really look like that much of a kid? She was an adult, or well, on most planets she was, and aboard her ship she would be soon, if she returned.

The dark haired girl shrugged. “Just been a long few months.” Or what…a year now? Time was fluid. Welcome to Mid-World. “He doesn’t even know me.” She shook her head. No need to go into the story, was there? But it’d probably come out.

 

[Coren Starchaser]

Why couldn’t his daughter work like the rest of the group? Coren shook his head as he stepped back in. Assisting one of the other Undergrounders with splicing in some Republic IFF code into the transponder, that way it could be changed during a hyperspace jump, leave a system as a Sith ship, arrive as a Republic? That was good enough to throw a tail for a moment or two. Launch crybabies and you were perfectly lost to them. Aside from that whole Force business. “Curious?” He looked up, over his shoulder, right at [member="Rekha Kaarde"].

Yeah, he wasn’t going to go into it, and he’d be leaving [member="Remy Steele"] and Kaia to their own devices for now. But with one of the other Underground members, [member="Karen Roberts"], one he trusted with his life on a few occasions now, he looked over. “If you’ve got somethin’ to get done, Roberts, you go for it. I’ll send one of these your way, your astro can set it up in your fight fighter, if you need one.

“Also, I think the station could use a bit of a double check, if you’re on your way out, check with the quartermaster, see if he has anything that you can provide us.” You know, off screen, but to get the Underground doing things, right? Right. “Nice to see you again, as always.” There wasn’t any tone in his voice, no sarcasm, no flirting, just a fact. And a small smile.

Rough, Coren smiling.

“And how’re you looking over here, Steele?” When did he get to be in charge? Did people actually listen to him? Huh.

[member="Eliza Steele"]

 

[Judah Lesan]

"Oh... well... then forget everything I said. Except he's still gonna think he can tell you what to do your whole life."

Okay so Coren didn't know her. There was an intertesting story there, and he'd have to sniff it out later. The elder Steele knew how to read women well enough to know when they wanted to keep something out, and now was one of those times. Clearly this was a [member="Coren Starchaser"] and [member="Kaia Starchaser"] thing, and Remy knew when to butt out.

Rheka finally had moved off the wall to get some caf. Okay so her bar had better caf than his did. Remy needed to work on that. Instead he was slicing IFF's for the undergound. Sure there was a selfis reason, Lizzy needed some, and if Remy ever got himself another ship to tool around in, he'd need one too. For now, he was down to the second level when Coren asked Steele how she was doing. Of course he was talking to Lizzy, but he answered.

"I'm into the second level of coding already. Oh and Rheka, can I get some of that caf too, pretty please?"

[member="Karen Roberts"] | [member="Rekha Kaarde"] | [member="Eliza Steele"]

 

[Jsc]

Nice. She could appreciate that. It was about time she got rid of her Omega Protectorate IFF anyway. At least this way she had more options in the future.

"Sounds good Coren. Catch you fella's on the flip side."

Roberts gave a mock salute and hefted her parts bin. Time to go refuel the old bird and call it a night.

/exit