Why Must We Fight?

[Jamie Pyne]

"I'm okay I think." She hadn't exactly done much yet. Thus far she'd read quite bit of information regarding a particular planet and family, sat on board a ship and held her breath as they slipped passed the orbital defenses surrounding Bastion. Save for a few stressful moments of anticipation in hoping that their ship ID would pass inspection and not be shot out of the sky she hadn't had a whole lot to worry about as of yet. They had made it to the manor, nothing was bugged, and the only person watching them was outside, being watched by their own SIS agents. It likely wouldn't begin to stress Jamie out until it was time to actually go to the ball.

That was when the cards were on the table. Screwing up there was quite literally a life or death matter. For now though she hadn't much to worry about except nailing the rest of the information that Aela wanted her to learn. Other than that? She was content to simply wait, talk, read, and cook.

"I wasn't expecting being shipped off to Bastion, that's true. And if I was here alone I'd probably be panicking right now. But you seem to be pretty calm yourself, and you know what you're doing. And..."

Jamie pointed towards the soldiers. "We have them too. So I'm okay right now."

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"Good." The situation was by no means perfect for teaching a padawan, but then again Jamie was hardly an ordinary padawan. Perhaps this was a little odd for a first meeting, but...well it would work out in the end. As long as they worked together they would easily make it through this, or so Aela thought. "You've met me at an odd time in my life."

She admitted, if Jamie was going to work with her, then she may as well know the truth.

"I usually don't do things like this." She gestured towards everything around them.

"For most of my life I've worked in one way or another to take down the Sith. I've fought dozens of battles, was on the front line line of three invasions." She smiled slightly, as if she were recalling a memory. "It got to the point where most people would refer to me as a sledgehammer for the Alliance. I wasn't exactly known as a subtle person, and then...then we took Coruscant."

She shrugged. "It changed things, the One Sith aren't beaten of course, but they're broken. They can't mount an offensive anymore, and right around the time we took Coruscant I came to the realization that...well I haven't had much of a life."

Honesty was harder then she thought.

"I didn't want to stop doing good, I didn't want to stop helping those that needed help...but." She looked at Jamie. "I also wanted to experience more of life. So I started working with the SIS. I can do good here, but also see and do things I wouldn't as the Alliance's 'sledgehammer'."

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"I suppose fate has a funny way of doing whatever it pleases." She smiled. "If this had been several months ago I would be sitting in public debate class right now, discussing the intricacies of foreign policy and drawing up mock proposals for trade agreements, laws, or diplomatic settlements." Jamie didn't quite miss those days. She was intrigued by politics, but the monotony of them put her half to sleep. Maybe it was just that the professor of said classes was dreadfully boring.

"After I'd walk through Theed to get home, look at some of the vendors' wares, maybe buy something if it caught my eye, and then get ready for either fencing or one of a dozen other scheduled activities. My whole life was pretty well set for me ever since I can remember. I'd never been off Naboo for instance, so the galaxy is still a really, really big place for me. Everything is always new in its' own right. It's odd sometimes."

It seemed they were both having their own versions of weird points in their lives.

"And then I get a boyfriend. That changed more about my life than just about anything I think."

Or maybe he changed her.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"Well?" Aela said with a small smile. "Perhaps we'll both change a little more."

She wondered for a brief moment just what else could change. Life for her had already taken a drastic turn when she'd decided to stop leading troops into battle. There had been her vacation with Adder, her decision to join SIS, the missions she would now be going on...it all seemed somewhat surreal still. Even being here on Bastion was still a bit odd, especially considering that just a few months ago she'd been fighting on the front lines of Lujo with Malfegor.

Her head shook. "I suppose we'll find out."

There wasn't a lot of mystery to what they had to do now. Eat, go buy dresses, and prepare themselves.

The unexpected could always happen of course, but Aela didn't really know how she could factor that in. Jamie had been unexpected, and so she figured that just maybe The Force would take it easy on them with surprises this time.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"I don't know how much more I can handle all at once." She started to laugh. "I think turning everything on its' head all at once was quite a bit already."

Learning she was Force sensitive, meeting Kurt, training, wild adventures in space, then traveling to Sullust and meeting Aela. And now this...An undercover mission to a world controlled by former Imperial sympathizers with suspicion of terrorism against the Galactic Alliance.

She was certainly batting a thousand home runs when it came to changes!

"Thus far they've all been pretty fortunate changes. I'd like to keep things that way."

Though some were pretty close calls, like Spira, and Bespin, and that derelict craft near Demonsgate.

"What do your siblings do now? Do you lot see each other often?"

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"We see each other often enough." That was certainly true. Though not as true as it had been once. "I see my brother most often, my youngest sister next...my other sister...well I haven't seen her in a while."

Aela smiled slightly. "She's a wanderer though. moving from place to place."

There was a slight hint of envy in the way she spoke about that, as if Aela desperately wanted to do the same. Wandering across the galaxy always had a slightly romantic notion to it, a hint of something that she couldn't really explain. It was another one of those naive things that she allowed herself to think about, the idea that she could just take off and travel around the galaxy. She mused silently to herself for a moment, deciding in the back of her mind that she would visit with Maleah soon.

"We're pretty scattered honestly, but it works out in its own way." They were still family after all.

She smiled at Jamie.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"I see." Her mouth opened to say something, though the moment she did it was as if on cue the timer went off, meaning that it was time to add the meat! "Sorry. I'll be right back."

Jamie quickly hopped out of the seat and pattered over to the kitchen once more, leaving Aela to her datapad.

Using a small fork she pushed the potatoes to the outside of the pan, then set each piece of BBQ Nerf meat into the center. The immediate sizzling sent a waft of flavor into the air, making Jamie's stomach rumble in response. Mmm! Taking the other ingredients she added the peppers and dashed everything with a variety of spices on hand. By cutting the pieces into smaller strips they would cook much faster, meaning Jamie could set out a couple of plates, place the greens as the bed for the meat, and split the corn along the side of the dish.

Searing each side of the meat would only take about three minutes before it was flipped to cook the rest of the way through. Pleased with the way it looked after several minutes she separated the pieces evenly between the two dishes, making them look all fancy, setting the potatoes off to the other side of each plate and garnishing each dish with a handful of Tekka nuts.

The blonde collected a few utensils for she and Aela, before setting them and the plates down at the high top wooden table. "All done!" She shouted, before turning to take a pair of glasses to fill with water from the cupboards.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Family was an odd thing for her. Not odd in a bad sense, but more of a collective sense. Aela had a sprawling family line that reached so far she didn't even know half the people that she was related to. Her paternal lineage also reached back to a now dead Sith Emperor. It wasn't a fact that she shared often, though most who met her now knew. The oddity of that alone was enough for most people, but then of course there was the pairing of her father and mother.

Jedi Master and mysterious sometime-senator of Borleias. Her siblings were oddities as well of course, noteworthy in their own way. She supposed that her family was strange in a way that couldn't really be explained, and that in all honesty it was best not to think about it too much anyway. She shifted slightly, shaking her head and standing so that she could follow Jamie to the dining room.

"Thank you." She said as she sat herself down.

Food wasn't a big deal for her, but this meal looked nice.

Of course the soldiers of the 5th Legion had likely already eaten half the rations they'd brought on board The Freighter, having a tendency to snack throughout most of their time doing anything. Aela had experienced that on the first missions they'd gone on together, Zven especially being notorious for it.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"My pleasure!"

Jamie enjoyed cooking. It was one of the few things forced upon her that she actually didn't mind doing for people.

Setting the glasses down she sat across from Aela. "I think there is more things to drink, but I haven't found the wine yet." She was only partially joking about that. While she would never get drunk, let alone during something as important as this, she did really enjoy trying new varieties whenever she could. If there was wine to be found, it was likely in the basement, where the temperature was much easier to control and maintain.

"So." She began as she picked up her fork and knife, cutting the strips of Nerf meet into smaller portions for herself. "Anything else you learn while you were in there reading the datapad?"

Now would be a fine time to gather anymore information she may have missed while she was prepping the food, and so that Aela wouldn't think Jamie was simply trying to get away, disinterested. She was entirely fine with reading all evening, but an empty stomach wouldn't allow that at all.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"Probably the cellar." She suggested in regards to the wine.

Her parents had never been big drinkers, but there was a wine cellar in their kitchen, hidden in the floor. She'd often suspected that it was a path to something...more, that her father kept hidden, but she'd never quite tested that path out. Of course Soliael had laughed uproariously at the idea when she'd brought it up one time, but he father was a sly one, hiding something in his back pocket at all times just in case he needed it. Perhaps she'd find out one day.

"Exits, for the venue." Aela said as she took a small bite. "In case something happens we'll need to know how to get out."

She looked up as if remembering something. "We'll also need to make sure our dresses can be...modified easily. Torn away in case we have to fight."

Aela doubted it would come up, but it was better to be prepared.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

She made a few passes with her fork, collecting a bit of everything in a bite before considering what Aela had said. "How many are there? Exits, that is."

If they needed to make a quick getaway it would be important for both of them to know exactly where the exits were.

"Modified how, exactly?" Dresses were hardly intended for fighting, and even less so for simply ripping away. They were meant even less so to conceal any kind of armor beneath them. As far as clothing was concerned, a dress was at the far opposite end of the spectrum from armor or anything remotely protective.

Jamie would sooner die wearing clothing than take off a dress to fight.

"I can sew, but I can't make miracles happen."

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"There are fourteen." Aela said in between bites. "We have to memorize all of them and the quickest routes to them."

That was simple really, just a matter of studying the maps.

"As for the dresses, we can get a tailor to do the work. The Alliance gives us a stipend so we can live up to the means of our characters, getting two dresses modified shouldn't be too difficult. We don't need them to actually protect us, just tear away into short skirts and something a bit less...confining. Softer fabrics and certain modifications will allow that just fine, I've done it before." During her time in the underworld with the Shadow Syndicate.

All they needed was to find a discreet Tailor, which on Bastion wouldn't be all that difficult. She imagined that if you paid someone enough money they would keep their trap shut, plus one of the soldiers could watch whomever they got to do the job, just in case. They weren't staying here for a prolonged period after all, just until the end of the week and then they were gone again. "I doubt we'll need it, but its best to lay down precautions."

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"Very well."

Fourteen exits were certainly more than enough. Jamie assumed Aela was factoring in exits that weren't exactly meant to be exits. Windows, for instance, could become exits if need be.

"I don't know. This whole idea of tearing away clothing is just...I don't know." She didn't like how it sounded. It made her feel like a stripper or something.

Maybe it was just the choice of words, but Jamie couldn't quite picture herself in the heat of the moment ripping her clothes off, even if it were for something more fight appropriate. It just didn't seem feasible.

Especially if it was into short skirts.

"Learn anything else?"

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"It's not like we're tearing them off." Aela said with a smile. "Just removing the bulkier parts so we can actually move."

Removing all of their clothing would be a pretty good distraction though.

"No, but Zven went out to check the venue himself." That was actually a natural thing to do, send a servant ahead of time to check on everything. Zven was of course far more observant then any ordinary servant, and he would report on the position of any security systems that he found while there. With that information, and the public records they already had, she and Jamie should have pretty much everything they would need in order to move freely around the ball.

"We'll check around the city tomorrow as well." Aela continued. "What paths lead where, how to best get around."

It was always better to do it in person then just to stare at a map.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"Oh." She said, laughing. "That is more reasonable." Stripping in front of 300 people would have been worse than death. no lie.

Stabbing her fork into one of the cubes of potato she lifted it, though before biting into it she held it up for a moment to speak.

"I see. You think our guest is going to follow us around on foot while we walk about the city too?"

Jamie wasn't sure whether or not this person was even attempting to be low key, or if they were okay with being known that they were following the two girls about everywhere they went. Whether or not this person was working for the family they were after or not was hard to tell, given Aela's description of the people of this world and their tendencies.

Everything about this planet were all of the things Jamie disliked about Naboo, the secrecy, the watching, the shadowy dealings. It was all simply abhorrent to her. The blonde pulled the bit of potato from the fork and chewed it slowly. She decided Bastion was a place she would remember not to ever willingly visit again.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Aela shrugged. “There’s really no way to tell.”

That was the unfortunate part of spycraft, an unknown enemy was always unpredictable. If they were good they would keep following them up until and even after the party. Yet for all they knew the man watching them at the moment was nothing but an amateur.

Things were unpredictable now, but they had to plan for the worst.

“Either way, we play it like they are following us.” Better to be safe than sorry in the end. “We don’t drop the act until we’re back in this house.”

She noded to herself as if confirming that fact. It would be best if they knew, of course, and one of the soldiers would be tagging along trying to spot any watchers, but Aela knew even that wouldn’t necessarily catch everything.

So they had to be careful and assume the worst.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"Fair." She gave a nod, crunching down on a bit of the Tekka nuts that sat atop the Nerf meat. "Understood."

She set the fork down with a small clank into the plate, dabbing the napkin against her lips before setting it back down.

"How are we getting to the ball? Do we have a transport or someone to bring us?"

Not only was Jamie the galaxy's worst pilot, but it would also look strange if they didn't have someone chauffeur their noble arses about to and from the event.

"How long do we have once the ball starts? And do we know where the patriarch is going to be, if not at the ball?"

If they were going to kidnap the man, knowing where he was as soon as possible would be important.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

It was good that Jamie was asking questions. She knew that they were in for a dangerous time, and she knew that the more she knew now the better it would be. Aela felt a certain hint of pride, even though it was rather misplaced since she'd only had the girl as a padawan for a few days.

"We have a limousine of course." That was already being requisitioned by one of the 'servants'. "We'll have a driver and each of us will have a personal steward, that will be expected here. The Ball's here generally tend to go on for some time, about eight to ten hours. Some leave before it's officially come to an end of course."

They certainly wouldn't.

Not if everything went according to plan anyway.

"He will be there, the venue is their winter manor." That probably should have been revealed earlier.

"Whether or not he makes an appearance is a different manner." Aela continued. "I've learned that he likes to stay within the manors archives."

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"Ooooh!" She sounded awful excited. "A personal steward!" Her hands raised slightly, shaking with glee. "It's like I'm home again!" She was being mostly sarcastic. The idea of someone doing every menial task for her was rather boring and embarrassing. That being said, she certainly didn't mind the occasional helping hand with certain things, or when she was simply too unmotivated to do whatever it was that was required of her. Jamie however never treated those under her family's employ with anything less than total respect. They didn't need to be there after all, they weren't slaves. They were hired workers and she treated them as an extension of her family.

8 to 10 hours!? What in holy feth are these people doing for 10 hours!?

Jamie was baffled by the length of time this gala was being put on for. Back home on Naboo four to five hours was generally the norm, with six being a stretch. Anything more than that and the nobility would start to get cranky, or on the other end of the spectrum blackout drunk. This planet was either full of very sober nobility, or very adept at handling their liquor consumption.

"That's...Gonna be a long day." She set down the fork, nearly finished with her meal. "Do you have a plan to get to him? If he doesn't show to the ball?"

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"We won't grab him at the ball either way." That would be far too dangerous. There were too many people and far too many guards to actually move then. No, The plan had always been to grab him after, preferably the day after when everyone was tired and resting.

"There is usually a lull after a big event." Aela began to explain. "All of the families take a back seat, there's no assassinations, no vies for power, nothing. You see, these events aren't really for dancing or entertainment, they're all about gathering information. Every family tries to gauge every other family, they find out as much as they can, they scrutinize, look, and whomever is hosting has the upper hand. So right after everyone kind of takes a back seat and assess what they learned."

Not too complex really. "We grab him during that lull."

She stopped herself.

"If." Aela began. "If we find out he's actually involved with the terrorists striking at the Alliance, if not, we do nothing and leave."