Private The Truth is Out There...

[Kay-Larr]

Alek Morozov



Damascus Station; home to billions of people that gave up on living on planets that so often were conquered by either this faction or that, choosing the sanctity of space. The residents even had a name for themselves; the Nomadic People's Coalition or NPC for short. The station was moveable although sluggish in the process, and could readily take them all to safety should any region that they are in pose to be too much of a threat. It was a back up plan that they hoped that they didn't have to use, but it was there when needed.

After the invasion of Alteria/Annaris by the Maw, Kay had found herself on the station. That planet had been her home for years, allowing her to remain hidden. There she developed a tea company to provide herself an income instead of relying upon the Arenais foundation of which her children Caedyn Arenais and Loreena Arenais-Valhoun now led. To most she lived under the alias of Cessy. But only to those that she was closest to knew that she wasn't dead like it was previously reported.

It had been years since she was in the spotlight. Her kids had been teenagers then and now they were twice that. And with the news cycle ever changing quickly, Kay figured that she wouldn't be rembered. Afterall who would care about a former Queen anyways? Her assets were her shop, but even that had dwiddled down to what supplies she could gather to escape with her.

Grand Shepherd Burtch , Daro Roz’yrn and her son had helped her and others escape the war and get to safety. And all through that journey to Damascus she pondered on where she'd go to next. Burtch was addicted to her coffee so she knew that it'd have to be somewhere accessible to him for shipments. Maybe she'd even set up shop on his ship? She didn't know. But for now she hid her supplies on the station, and set up a small little cafe in one of the shopping districts. From there she continued her contracts with other clients as though no war had ever displaced her. She had too.

There were whispers of prophets on board the station, ones that could maybe find her a new place, but she didn't dare try to see them yet. Ksy didn't need to be told by yet another to get out there and fight to make a difference in the Galaxy. Her quiet existence was just too comfortable to give up.

Ned-V kept guard inside of the cafe. After the Maw invasion, he didn't take any chances. He only left her side when she slept and even then he didn't stray too far, counting their supplies and keeping tabs that nothing was stolen.

Kay wiped the counter down with a towel after one of the customers had left, removing the liquid ring from the surface after taking the empty cup to the sink. It was quite an adjustment, being on a station as opposed to a planet. But it wasn't the worst situation for her to be in. Thankfully.

 

[Alek Morozov]

Alek passed the threshold of the civilian transport shuttle’s door, and was greeted with a sight so alarming it resisted the classification of description by words itself. People. Hundreds. Thousands. More than Alek had ever seen in his life. So this was Damascus station. A veritable planet condensed within Durasteel and Quadanium. The mere thought was unnerving to the man, so used to the relative spaciousness of Bastion and the halls of the Imperial Security Bureau.

Yet why was he here? For it was most certainly not by choice.

For a wild bantha chase. That was all Alek could think of when the details for this assignment were read, verification sought, and ensured that this was no joke. In no uncertain terms the handler at the Imperial Security Bureau confirmed that everything from the itinerary to the intelligence involved were all correct.

Alek truthfully suspected this was nothing more than a ploy to see him whisked off beyond the borders of Imperial space for an indefinite period of time in the aftermath of an unfortunate incident. That incident being one of the most heinous that could be carried out in the service of the Empire. Questions. Too many asked. Too many feathers ruffled with inquiries here and there about certain things that must have been deemed too sensitive to be known, or even potentially known, by the likes of a mere agent of the bureau.

That was, until Alek saw the footage. A previously thought slain monarch, alive and well? Such evidence would make a believer out of the staunchest of critics.

In the fact that this was no longer a wild bantha chase. As well as a firm believer it was a convenient excuse for Bastion to be rid of the overeagerness of a fresh faced agent with a penchant for sticking his nose in business where it most certainly didn’t belong.

The station did have one thing going for it, Alek thought. The horde of people made the task of blending in as nothing more than the common spacer traveling through a breeze. He even wore the simple clothes of an everyday traveler for such an undertaking. Discretion was paramount afterall. For how could the security forces of the station, even if suspicion fell upon him for whatever means, hope to track him among the millions? Especially when the most congested of thoroughfares were chosen to reach his destination. Any tail put on him would find trailing him to be uncomfortable at best, impossible at worst.

Upon arriving at the cafe, Alek didn’t even need to feign a look of exhaustion when passing through the doors after what felt like swimming upstream a raging current of beings. A swift glance about the interior brought a wry smile to the lips at the sight of, besides a droid that was assumed to be but a laborer of sorts, the cafe was empty.

Empty. Except for her.

As bold as he pleased, Alek hopped up onto the middle stool at the counter and gave the briefest of glances up at the menu board. Not enough time to make a genuine choice, surely. “Say, what’s good here?” These words, and a smile, were directed at the barista herself.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Another customer.

Kay set the towel aside and wiped her hands on her apron as Alek Morozov aaproached. Oh he was a spacer, alright. She could tell by the way that he dressed and how he handled himself. A lot of spacers were cocky and he appeared to be no different.

From what she could tell though, he wasn't really interested in what wares she had. The man barely looked over the menu before inquiring about 'what was good here'. Oh yes, she had ran into his type before; the kind that just looks for a hook up more than anything else. But Kay knew how to handle those types and they usually left her shoppe with their tails between their legs, so to speak.

So now she had to see if her assumptions were correct.

Kay gave the man a polite smile, one that was well practiced during her previous occupations. "Well that all depends on what you're looking for. If you like cofee then Empire coffee is sure to wake you up. However we specialize in teas. Stim tea is a good one to help take the tiredness from your eyes."

She gave him a moment to think it over if he needed the time. As far as she knew, he didn't really look like the tea drinking type. "So what'll it be?"

 

[Alek Morozov]

“Only a fool would pass on the chance to try your specialty. Because I trust you on it, for one reason alone.” Alek gestured back over his shoulder with a thumb, back towards the entrance and the illuminated sign that hung out of sight above the door. “You don’t have a sign hanging out there claiming to have ‘The Best Tea In the Galaxy!’.” Did Alek grin at his own joke? Absolutely. From ear to ear.

Alek consulted the menu board once more as a hand went to a pouch on his belt and fished out four credit chips, and let them tumble from his grasp onto the counter below into a haphazard pile. Far be it from him to shirk out of the bill.

“Stim Tea. Y’know, that sounds like something a friend of mine would go for. Though I haven't been out that way in some time. A man in my trade doesn’t make it back to the Core as often as you would think.” Alek paused, only now seeming to realize he’d neglected to touch upon exactly what his ‘trade’ was. As if it had been a genuine mistake at all. “I work in the banking industry. Well, one aspect of it. You ever wonder how valuable items, documents, data sticks, and the like get from point A to point B?”

A thumb was gestured once more, but this time smack dab into Alek’s own chest. “Now you know.”

Alek’s words came out with practiced genuinely, as forthcoming as any amiable traveler who had not enjoyed the opportunity to strike up conversation in far too long.

Kay-Larr

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay gave off a small smile and chuckle as Alek Morozov seemed to trust her business moreso due to it's signage. Well perhaps there was something in not becoming a franchise. However a good customer base was never a problem with her. Yet now that she lost the security in being on a planet for years that fell under everyone's radar, it posed it's own new set of problems.

At least this was probably temporary.

She raised a brow at the small pile of credits but for the moment ignored it, preferring to listen to his story while she prepared the stim tea. Kay opened the lid of the appropriate box and removed the tea bag, placing it in a porcelain cup after taking a guess that he wasn't taking the drink to go. She poured the boiled water and then fished for the cream and sugars. Normally she'd be a lot quicker, but it was a new shop and she hadn't gotten used to it yet. "The banking industry? As a documents guy? Shouldn't you be under guard?"

Kay was pretty certain that the man was trying to make an impression. Or maybe see if she could use his services.

After finding what she needed, she brought over the items and placed them gently in front of him. "I know that if I had a job of high importance like that, I'd want to be guarded." Needless to say she had hoped that Ned-V came across as just a loader droid. Kay picked up the credit chips one by one before sliding them into a pocket of her apron. "Are you just passing through? Or are you stationed here?"

 

[Alek Morozov]

“On the contrary,” Alek began, snatching up the cream to pour into the cup until the mixture was a beautiful tan. “People see what they expect to see. Even when the truth is dangling before their eyes.” Another pause, this time in pursuit of sprinkling in the sugar which was offered in conjunction with the tea and cream.

“Imagine you were a robber, and before you were two men. One is adorned from head to heel in armor, armed to the teeth and flanked by two of the fiercest bodyguards one could find on this side of the Mid-rim.”

The cup was raised to the lips, and what was intended to be but a shallow sip turned into something far more. The tea was GOOD. far better than he’d expected. “The other…is me.” Alek held no false beliefs about his clothing, appearance or any of it. Before the eyes of anyone else he looked no more remarkable than the other thousand laser brains making their way through Damascus Station at this very moment.

“Now which of the two would you guess was carrying the valuables actually worth pilfering?”

Alek waited for an answer, and in the process accomplished something truly startling. For what awaited Alek on what would have been another prolonged, savoring sip of the tea was for naught. All that greeted him was the white of the porcelain bottom of the cup.

“What’s in this? It is wonderful! You truly are no liar. Tea is your specialty.”

Kay-Larr

 

[Kay-Larr]

Well Alek Morozov sure had a penchant for telling stories. And he was actually quite good at it. Or at the very least, that was what she could tell at any rate.

Kay kept back on her side of the counter, listening with her hands in the pockets of her apron. She took in what he had said, nodding to the truth of it. Although she had another take on it. "There are some heavily guarded people that are nothing but cowards. And if they are armoured to the teeth like you described, then they probably have a huge ego to match and aren't really worth more than a grain of salt." She shrugged her shoulders a bit in indifference. "In my experience I've run into a lot of types of people. And it's usually those that try to blend in which are really the ones to look out for."

She brought her hands out of her pockets and held out one of them for him to return the cup. "It's stim tea. Nothing but herbs and water. Would you care for a refill? I've got to warn you though, too much of it and you'll be bouncing off the walls." Too much of a good thing was never really good. But she had something to counter the effects, just in case his heart beat a little too quickly for his body to take.

Kay noted that he didn't answer all of her questions, so she repeated them. "So what brings you here? Are you stationed here or just passing through for work?"

 

[Alek Morozov]

“All things in moderation, sadly.” Came Alek’s words with the act of returning the cup into the outstretched, awaiting hand. The tea was delightful. Yet even now he could feel the subtle uptick in the pulse. A synthetic alertness genuinely boosted his mood, and as such, made the repeated question that much more palatable to answer.

“Only passing through unfortunately. Here on what you could call a lull between assignments. Which gives so little time to see all there is to see here on Damascus.” Another gesture, this time vaguely all around them to indicate the station in entirety.

“One could spend a lifetime in such a place and still not see everything there was to see. You’re a native of here, right? Have you seen all there is to see?”

Kay-Larr

 

[Kay-Larr]

She took the cup in hand and brought it back with her as she followed her previous steps of preparing the stim tea.

Alek Morozov asked her a question, assuming that she was from this station and it gave her pause. Her daughter had built this station, so it wasn't very old at all. But maybe not everyone knew of that. Maybe if you've seen one station, you've seen them all.

"No I'm not native to this station. I just arrived a couple of weeks ago along with some others." With the tra prepared, Kay turned and carried it back with her, sliding it down in front of him. "I think that most here are refugees of some sort. Invasions don't exactly take place on stations, so there's some semblence of safety to be had here. The superpowers are far too busy squabbling over planets and their resources to pay space stations any mind. And that lifts a bit of weight off one's shoulders, doesn't it?"

Such a thing also allowed those that wanted to remain hidden; hidden. People just like her. And with over a billion people living and working on Damascus Station, it was a fairly easy thing to do.