MC: AOTE: Brothers in Arms

[Writer]

Jana had been silent, sitting with a little smile playing around her lips as she listened to Nic, Beryl, and Sam bantering back and forth. It was quite different to have Nic and Beryl back, and though everyone had changed in one way or another, it still brought a sense of normalcy back to Jana. Of course, then there was Sam. That jarred the normalcy enough to keep well in mind that things were far from what they had been.

 

The addition of Conn to the mix was another shift from 'normal', which led Jana to wondering if there ever had been such a thing as normalcy aboard the Echo. No, she decided, there had not. It was on the tail end of this train of thought that Nic's voice broke in, proudly proclaiming to Conn, who had just entered, "I'm worth more than you."

 

Jana laughed out loud. "Only you, Nic White," she giggled. "Only you would be proud of having a higher bounty on your head... well," she amended, "only you and psychotic freaks and their ilk." A pause. "Out of curiosity, who is number one now?"

[starmark2k]

"Ry's other-half." Nic stated. "A square one mil’, the Empire still wants to kill or control every force sensitive in the galaxy." Nic leant back in his chair. "But as Psycho said, he can pass himself off as a clone so he should be fine providing he doesn't start throwing things around the room using his mind."

 

Nic took a last bite from the food he got and looked at Beryl then Conn, Although they weren’t doing anything to make him feel uncomfortable he still felt awkward being so close to both of them. The captain stood up and forced a smile. “I’m going to look around the ship before we reach Chandrillia.” He stated as he took a couple steps back and walked away from the table and out of the room.

 

He wasn’t really going to look around the ship, he knew precisely where he was going to go, a fore cargo hold with a large observation window. Nic needed to think and he found that the best place to do that was to watch streaking stars pass over and around you as you flew through hyperspace. He had been doing this since he worked for the Republic, it was his way of meditating and always let him think.

 

((OCC- K guys if you want to talk to Nic before we reach the planet here’s your chance.))

[Writer]

((Joint post with SM))

 

Jana watched Nic go and then stood. "Scuse me," she murmured to the others, and then she left. It wasn't difficult for Jana to find Nic with her newfound Force-sensitivity, and she watched him from the doorway for a moment before entering.

 

"We hadn't really got the chance to talk," she said softly.

 

Nic leaned on a small rail in front of the window just looking out in front of the ship. He hadn’t heard Jana enter behind him as he was lost in his own thoughts, but as she spoke he turned his head to and smiled. “No, It’s been a strange day. Well six weeks really, actually if you want to be specific, weird 7 or 8 months.” He chuckled.

 

"Start to wish most of it had never happened?" Jana wondered. She crossed the room and stood beside him.

 

"Yea, but it probably wouldn't have been as much fun." Nic said still smiling and trying to be the same old Nic White Jana had always known. Jana wasn't fooled, but she didn't want Nic to be uneasy around her.

 

"No, I can't imagine it would have been," she answered with a faint smile. "But back then, even taking on passengers like we did, I wouldn't have pictured it turning out this different..."

 

"No, then again back then you weren't a Jedi." Nic replied still smiling. "and we didn't have your new friend either."

 

Jana blushed. "I-I..." She stopped, trying to figure out how to respond to Nic's blunt approach to her Force sensitivity. "I had no idea," she finally managed. "I mean, I sorta noticed certain things made me feel happier and more secure, but..."

 

"Seems to happen a lot... You, Cloud, and Beryl had no idea what you were." Nic stated. "Then Reibe shows up and everything goes to Hell."

 

Jana winced. "Nic, don't blame her for everything. Now, I'm not gonna say she's the galaxy's greatest person, but she's helped a lot more than she's hurt."

 

"Sure." Nic agreed. "but I'll still keep an eye on her."

 

"So will I," Jana said. They fell into silence for a long moment. Then, she said, "I'm glad you're back, Nic..." With a faint smile, she added, "... I'm rubbish as captain."

 

"I don't know, You're alive, so's the crew and the ship's still flying." Nic replied with a smile. "That's all a captain has to do."

 

Jana hugged him. "Thanks." And with that, she left him alone with his thoughts once more.

[JasraLantill]

((OOC: Oh the joint postiness continues... with me and Niner. ))

 

Conn was slightly taken aback by the news that he was now on the Empire's Most Wanted List. He knew that Beryl's brother was out to get him following their breakout from the Imperial prison facility, but he didn't know that Berasmus was capable of going to this length to get back at him and the rest of the Echo crew. He rubbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger. "Nearly half a million credits, eh? I could take that and retire somewhere nice and not have to worry about anything anymore..." He chuckled ruefully.

 

As Nic got up and departed and was soon followed by Jana, Conn eased over into one of the now-vacant seats, facing Sam and Beryl. "Well, we're all just burstin' with good news, aren't we?"

 

Beryl gave him an impish sort of grin. “Oh? So, what’s your good news?”

 

"Well, it's news, but in light of the captain's, not all of it is good." Conn took a swig of nerfmilk to soothe his throat. "I was able to get in contact with ChandraMed Pharmaceutical R&D and it seems some people do remember me there and are willing to help out. Unfortunately, I told them I was going to be on Chandrila soon to meet up." He clasped his hands in front of his face. "I don't know if that was the smartest thing to do as Number Six on the Empire's Most Wanted list, even if Chandrila isn't exactly bursting with Imperial cheer."

 

Beryl wrinkled her nose. “Yeah, it might be a problem getting you inside the facility now.”

 

“Why don’t we invite the people to come and see us?” Sam suggested.

 

Beryl raised her brow at the brunette.

 

“You said we’d be staying in a company apartment, right?” Sam continued. “So, invite them over for a drink or something. The Imps are looking for him, not them.”

 

Beryl nodded. “That might work.” She thought a moment. “In fact, that’s actually a good idea.”

 

“I do have my moments,” Sam conceded.

 

“What do you think, Conn?” Beryl asked him. “Would your contacts be willing to come and meet you instead of the other way around?”

 

"Sure, that'd work for starters," Conn agreed. "But what about when we need to do some more in-depth research? Or testing? We're going to need ChandraMed facilities for that."

 

“Well… we’ll just have to get you some fake ID,” Beryl said.

 

Conn rubbed his chin. "Yeah, that's fine. But I've already told someone that I, Conn, would be coming to Chandrila looking for help. What do I do about that?"

 

Beryl shrugged, puzzled, but Sam spoke up again. “Maybe Beryl can do one of her Jedi Whammy’s on them.”

 

Beryl and Conn both gave her a deadpan look. “No,” they said in unison.

 

“Ok, then let Jeez do one. Or Reibe. Point is, we’ll just have to convince them to come and visit us, and then when they do, convince them to help us.”

 

Conn sighed and leaned back in his chair. "I wish it was that cut and dried, Sam. But we all know it isn't going to be that easy. Nothing ever is."

 

“We’ll work out the details when we get there,” Beryl said. “It’ll work out.” She took a sip of her drink, then looked at Conn. She still felt guilty for what she had done to him, but didn’t know what else to say to break the ice on the subject. But now that Sam had brought it up…. “So, is your head feeling better?” she asked tentatively.

 

Conn returned the look Beryl gave him. "Yeah, I'm feeling better." It was the truth; his head no longer felt like it was being assaulted by an interrogation droid. He was also glad that she seemed to be a bit more chipper; it was a good sign that she was very slowly but surely regaining herself. "Though, I'd rather we be visiting Chandrila to go to a seaside resort than trying to thwart the Empire yet again. I'd take a bad sunburn over possible death anyday."

 

“Maybe we can do that after we’re finished,” Beryl suggested. “Think we could all do with a vacation after this, don’t you?”

 

“A vacation?” It was Sam’s turn to look flabbergasted.

 

“Yeah, you know. When you take time to go someplace out of the ordinary to relax and do fun things.”

 

Sam’s puzzled look remained.

 

“Don’t tell me you’ve never had a vacation?” Beryl asked her.

 

Sam thought a moment. “I took part in an assassination mission once. That was fun and out of the ordinary.”

 

Beryl raised a single brow. “Erm… yeah.” She exchanged a quick glance with Conn, then gave him a false, but bright smile. “So, did I tell you that Jeez made Sam my minder?”

[stingerhs]

"Did I now?" Jeez commented as he entered the mess hall with Cloud just behind him. Catching the confused look on both Beryl and Sam's faces, Jeez then said, "Hmm, ahh, that's right. How's that working out for you?"

[JasraLantill]

"Did I now?" Jeez commented as he entered the mess hall with Cloud just behind him. Catching the confused look on both Beryl and Sam's faces, Jeez then said, "Hmm, ahh, that's right. How's that working out for you?"

 

“Oh, just great,” Beryl said, flashing the Jedi a disingenuous smile. “Especially when she’s watching me sleep. I feel oh-so-well-looked-after.”

 

Sam snorted. “You didn’t sleep, remember?”

 

“That’s because you were watching me.”

 

"Wait a minute," Conn interjected. "Your brother said that you told him you slept. Is that right?"

 

Beryl took pause, while Sam gave her a haughty look. “I didn’t tell Teser I slept. He asked if I got shut-eye. And I had my eyes shut….”

 

“She just didn’t sleep,” Sam said. She flashed a grin. “Busted.”

 

Beryl rolled her eyes. “Look,” she said to Conn and Jeez. “I’d rather not sleep than have the nightmares.” She frowned slightly as she bit her lower lip and took a deep breath. “Can we change the subject, please?”

 

“No,” Sam said flatly. Then she looked at Jeez. “I’m sorry, but I sort of let you down, Jeez. I gave her some stims because she wouldn’t sleep.”

 

Conn sighed, a little exasperated. He glanced at Jeez, then Sam, then finally at Beryl. "I don't know why I bother," he said quietly. "You can't run on stims and adrenaline forever. Don't blame me when we're in the middle of something huge and important and you fall over from outright exhaustion."

 

“See? I told you the same thing,” Sam said to her. “So I must be right.”

 

“Okay, okay!” Beryl looked at Conn. “Then give me something so I can sleep, but not dream.”

 

“Dreams are how we work things out in our minds,” Cloud interrupted. “You have to dream, B. Even if you don’t like the outcome, you have to deal with it eventually. Might as well deal with it now instead of later.”

 

“I’d prefer later.”

 

"I don't care when you deal with it, I just want you to get some sleep." Conn rubbed his temple. "I know it isn't easy for you to do that, especially with what you're going through, but you have to do it, otherwise your body is going to rebel on you." He sighed again. "I just wish there was a way to find out exactly what it is that's happening to you when you dream..."

 

“Put her to sleep and then have Jeez do one of those mind whammy things on her,” Sam suggested.

 

“Oh, no. It’s bad enough having someone watch me sleep without having someone else in my head at the same time,” said Beryl.

 

“Don’t be such a fraidy cat. We could do it when we get to Chandrila.”

 

"That's not a bad idea, Sam," Conn said, rubbing his chin. "And don't worry, Beryl. If you have problems going to sleep, which I don't think you will, I can induce it with a mild sedative." He turned to Jeez. "So what do you think?"

[stingerhs]

"I honestly think that medication isn't entirely necessary," Jeez replied. With his curiosity aroused at the mention of Beryl's nightmares, Jeez then asked, "Beryl, if you don't mind, I'd like to have a discussion in private concerning these nightmares you mentioned."

[Rogue Nine]

"I don't think medication is needed either," Conn agreed, turning to Beryl. "I'm loathe to pump you up with any more drugs; your poor immune system has been through enough over the past few months." He glanced back over at Jeez. "That's fine if you want to talk to her about her dreams in private, but will you help me in identifying them so I can analyze them from a medical perspective? I'd do it myself, but I'm no Jedi."

[JasraLantill]

"Ooh, I know," Beryl said sarcastically. "Why don't we all have a slumber party when we get to the apartment? We can watch a holonet film, and play charades, and tell ghost stories, do each other's hair.... Oh! And later, when I fall asleep, you can all discuss my nightmares. It'll be great fun."

 

"I got first dibs on doing your hair," Sam piped. "It's short, but I think I can work with it."

 

Beryl rolled her eyes. "I was kidding, Sam."

 

"Oh." Sam shrugged. She looked at Conn. "I could do your hair then, doc. You could do with a trim."

 

Conn ran a hand through his messy blonde hair. "No, that's quite all right Sam, thank you. For some reason, the thought of you hovering around the back of my head with sharp and pointy objects worries me just a little bit."

 

Beryl looked at the two of them. "Just a bit?" she asked Conn.

 

The Alderaanian doctor couldn't help smiling. "A bit," he confirmed. "Good to see your sense of humor is still intact. I can't hand out prescriptions for laughter, but it really is the best medicine around."

 

Beryl felt herself grin--a genuine, heartfelt grin. She hadn't felt like smiling for a long while, and it felt good. "Yeah. It is," she agreed. She cleared her throat. "So you guys know, I'm not opposed to this 'let's analyze Beryl's dreams' thing, but... I really don't want to do it. I'll try though. Once we get down to the planet.

 

"Speaking of which...." She guzzled down the rest of her drink. "I'm off to the gym for a bit of exercise before we land."

 

"I'm coming with," Sam said. "Media room first though."

 

Beryl raised an eyebrow.

 

"Twenty minute rule," Sam said. "Remember?"

 

Beryl grinned again, and this time it came easier. "Yeah. I remember."

 

***************

 

A few hours later, the crew of the Echo entered the corporate apartment complex that Beryl's brother Rayne leased for his crews.

 

"Well, here we are," Beryl said as she unlocked the door. "Home, sweet, home. Well, at least for the next couple of days."

 

She opened the door and the crew entered into a place of decadent splendor. "Hey, look," Beryl said, as she plopped herself down on the plush couch, and put her feet up on the table. "Rayne sent us a fruit basket." She picked up a kavasa fruit and took a bite.

 

"Yeah, he did that the last time I stayed here, too," Telk said as he unshouldered a couple of duffel bags and set them down on the floor.

 

Teser frowned. "He didn't do that for me."

 

"That because you never do what he tells you to."

 

Teser pointed at Beryl. "She never does what she's told."

 

"She's a girl," Telk said matter-of-factly. Ignoring his brother, he asked his sister, "You guys gonna be okay here?"

 

Beryl looked around. The place was huge and well-supplied. "Erm, yeah, I think we can manage."

[starmark2k]

"Well ain't this a lovely place." Nic said deadpan walking in behind Beryl, the odd thing was it reminded him of his home back when he was Simon Raikellii. It was a lot smaller than the home he grew up in, but there was still a sense of nostalgia about the place.

 

“Hey Cap remember the last place we stayed in when we were on Chandrillia.” Cloud rhetorically asked as he walked over to the fruit basket and took out a berry of some kind. “The only thing left for us there were vermin droppings.”

 

“Yeah, I remember Jana shooting the creature and missing, five times.” Nic remembered looking at his first mate. “You still haven’t paid me back the money we lost on the security deposit.”

 

“So what’s the game plan?” Cloud asked sitting next to Beryl.

[Writer]

“Yeah, I remember Jana shooting the creature and missing, five times.” Nic remembered looking at his first mate. “You still haven’t paid me back the money we lost on the security deposit.”

 

"Hey!" Jana exclaimed. "You didn't pay up on our bet about whether or not that... what's his face would hire us or not. We're even on the money..." As an afterthought she complained, "And that rodent-thing was fast! I challenge anyone to do better."

[Rogue Nine]

“So what’s the game plan?” Cloud asked sitting next to Beryl.

 

"Yes, what do you need us to do?" Conn asked, taking the seat directly across from the Corellian pilot. "If we're quick, we can have the preliminary stuff for the operation done before you wake up." At this, Beryl arched an eyebrow at him. "You will get sleep, B. One way or another."

[JasraLantill]

“Yeah, well, not right now, okay?” She shook her head at Conn. “We’ve got stuff to do first. So… game plan.” She thought a moment, taking another bite of fruit in the process. “Well….” She swallowed. “The first thing we need to do is get some fake IDs for you and Nic,” she said to Conn. “Oh, and Jeez,” she added, looking over at the Jedi. “Just in case you don’t want to pass yourself off as a clone.”

 

“I can take care of that,” Telk said, as he headed for the door.

 

“No weird names, though,” Beryl said, giving an accusatory look at Nic. She remembered the unusual ID names he had procured for the crew a while back. “Normal names. Innocuous, normal sounding names.”

 

Telk grinned. “I’ll see what I can do.”

 

As Telk left, Beryl casually crossed one leg over the other, leaned back on the couch even more, and took another bite of the kasava fruit. After swallowing, she said to Conn, “Second thing we need to do, is some surveillance. You know, find out what type of security ChandaMed has.” She looked at Teser. “Think you and Jana, and Jack could handle that? You know, just find out like what kind of security patrol patterns and when/how deliveries are made? Stuff like that. After all, you’ve got those blueprints Riebe procured. Shouldn’t be that hard. And when you guys get back, we’ll take a look what’s the best way to get inside so we can figure out what the Imps are planning.”

 

“I think we can handle it,” Teser said, giving a knowing look at Riebe and then Jana.

 

“Next,” Beryl said, looking again at Conn, “since you can’t go to ChandraMed being on the Empire’s most wanted list, we need to invite your contact from ChandraMed over here for a chat. Maybe dinner. Or drinks. Or… something social,” she said, with an indiscriminate shrug.

 

“Sabacc,” Sam said, grinning. She pointed over to a state-of-art gaming table at the other end of the living area. “That’s social.”

 

“Yeah, but what if Conn’s contact doesn’t play Sabacc?” Beryl said. “He’s one of those scientist types, remember.” She thought a moment. “Maybe Conn can play him at Dejarik though.” She looked at Conn, and grinned. “You’re not a bad player. You always seem to beat me every time.”

[Rogue Nine]

"It's not my fault that you're the only Corellian in the galaxy who's bad at that game," Conn chided Beryl lightly. "That plan sounds good, though we'll have to move fast. The more we wait, the more likely the chance that she will have seen the Imperial 'Most Wanted' notices. And we can't have that."

[JasraLantill]

((joint post w/Niner.))

 

"That plan sounds good, though we'll have to move fast. The more we wait, the more likely the chance that she will have seen the Imperial 'Most Wanted' notices. And we can't have that."

 

“She?” Beryl frowned a bit, confused. “Erm… she who?”

 

"My contact at ChandraMed," Conn explained. "She's one of my old assistants from my time at Sienar. Bright girl, and very helpful."

 

“Oh.” Beryl was quiet for a moment. “And does this helpful, bright girl have a name?”

 

"Noelle. Noelle M'si," Conn replied. "I'm thinking we're going to have to recruit her to our cause, seeing as she knows I'm here now and to try and fool her with a fake ID would be silly."

 

Beryl didn’t reply, but merely cocked an eyebrow and then nodded her head over to the comm terminal on the wall behind Conn. “Well? Go on then. Call her.”

 

“Yeah, invite her over for a candlelight dinner,” Sam suggested. “Beryl and I can cook.”

 

Beryl gave Sam a dirty look. “Ye-ah.”

 

"Wait, we're doing it now?" Conn asked, a little taken aback. "We just got here. I'd like to do it soon yes, but shouldn't we prepare a bit more?"

 

Beryl shrugged. “We don’t have to have her over tonight, but you should at least call her and ask her. Otherwise, we’ll have to figure something else out. And I’d have to figure out what to ‘cook’.” She flashed a superficial grin. “Do you know what she likes or doesn’t like to eat?”

 

Conn could sense something was amiss with the way Beryl was speaking, but he couldn't get a read on what exactly it was. "Is there something wrong?" he asked carefully.

 

Beryl shrugged. “No.”

 

Sam, on the other hand, stared at Beryl and then grinned broadly. “Aw… she’s jealous.”

 

“I am not!”

 

“Ooh, and defensive.” Sam tutted.

 

Beryl let out resigned sigh. “Ok, maybe I’m a little jealous,” she admitted. She looked at Conn. She was still unsure about her relationship with Conn after trying to forcibly extract thoughts from his head. “But I suppose you’ll tell me I shouldn’t be. Right?”

 

Conn arched an eyebrow at Beryl. Her being jealous was the last thing he'd expected out her in her current state, but she was still finding new ways to surprise him. "I don't see any reason you should be," he told her with a slight grin. "Besides, she's a little young for an old fogey like me."

 

“Young?” Beryl rolled her tongue against the inside of her cheek.

 

Teser grinned mischievously at his sister. “Probably pretty, too,” he said, patting Conn on the back as he walked past him and toward the wet bar. “So, anyone want something to drink?” he asked, changing the subject. “Bar’s fully stocked.”

 

“Yeah.” Beryl rose to follow him, but not without first giving a long stare at Conn.

 

Conn could feel an odd feeling rolling off of Beryl as she moved off towards the bar. Their relationship had certainly been strained ever since rescuing her, so he really wasn't sure where they stood. This latest development wasn't helping him any, either. "I'll go make the call now and see what she'll be up for," he told them, making his way to the comm station.

[starmark2k]

"Well while he's making the call I'm going to head out, reconnect with some old contacts that may be able to help us out." Nic informed as he turned around to leave.

 

“Nic your face is plastered all over the Imperial database.” Cloud reminded.

 

“I doubt the Chandrillia citizens would care much, and I’m going to the bad part of town, no one’ll want imperial trouble there so it should be fine.” Nic stated.

 

“Yeah, well I’ll come to, you may need my help.”

 

“Fine.” Nic reluctantly agreed. “But if we get into trouble do what I say.”

 

“That’s cool.” Cloud stated. “You coming too Jeez?”

[Rogue Nine]

Conn slid into the seat at the comm station in the far corner of the room and powered it on. He pulled out his datapad and set it on the desk in front of him. As it was later on in the day, he thought he'd try and contact Noelle at her home. He was pretty apprehensive about the whole thing now; finding that he was on the Empire's Most Wanted List had a lot to do with that. He trusted and liked Noelle, as she had been one of his best and brightest assistants as well as a generally likeable and honest person, but time had a way of changing people. He just hoped that the years had been kind to her in that regard. And that she hadn't seen recent Holonet reports.

 

He keyed the data transmission for audio only and settled a headset on. No sense in giving away more than he had to. After a few moments, the other end of the line clicked and Noelle's lilting voice filtered into his ears. "Hello?"

 

"Hi Noelle, this is Dr. Harlowe," Conn said.

 

"Oh hello, doctor!" She sounded pleased. "Have you arrived on Chandrila?"

 

He paused. "Yes, I have," he answered, deciding the truth was best. "The trip in was blessedly uneventful and quick."

 

"That's good," Noelle responded cheerfully. "What can I help you with?"

 

Another pause. "Ah, I was just wondering if you were free," he said. No sense in beating around the bush. They needed Noelle on board as soon as possible. "My companions and I are tired, so we're just going to eat in tonight, but I thought you might like to join us. That is, if you don't have any plans already."

 

"Umm, I don't think I do," she replied. "So yes, I'd love to join you."

 

That was the easy part. "Great," Conn said, genuinely pleased. "I'll send you our information and give you some time to get ready and travel."

 

"Sounds good. See you soon."

 

"See you." Conn took the headset off and placed it on the comm terminal, then stretched back into his seat and rubbed his eyes. Now comes the hard part. Standing up, he crossed the room over to the bar and took a seat next to Beryl. "Well, she's on her way."

[JasraLantill]

"Well, then," Beryl said to Conn after taking a sip of the drink her brother Teser had poured her, "then I suppose I'd better come up with something for her, and us, to eat."

 

"Why?" Teser said, just as Beryl was moving toward the kitchen area. "Just call the caterers. Save yourself the hassle."

 

Beryl blinked. "Caterers?"

 

Teser nodded as he pointed to a small terminal on the adjacent wall. "'Hungry?'" he read the words on the screen. "Call 334." He gave an indiscriminate shrug. "I mean, after all, Rayne's paying for it."

 

Beryl took a moment to consider. "Yeah, I suppose it'll be alright." She turned to Conn and smiled. "I'll cook for you tomorrow night. We can have dinner on the balcony before we go and wreck havoc on your friend's company."

 

She turned around to face Jana and Nic and the others. "Ok, so, dinner in an hour or so, but that still gives you plenty of time to do whatever you want to beforehand. If I remember correctly," she added, looking at Jana, "there's be a exercise room at the end of the hallway, if you and Reibe need to 'practice' anything."

 

She flicked her gaze to Jeez, then Sam, and then back to Conn before letting out a long reluctant-sounding sigh. "And I suppose we can do this 'sleep and memory' thing after our guest leaves. Might as well get it over and done with, right?"

 

"Right," Sam agreed as she sidled up beside her. "Otherwise, we'd just have to keep hassling you about it and that might ruin an otherwise pleasant meal." She smiled at Teser who was now standing near the terminal. "Think we can order duck? I love duck."

 

Beryl just shook her head at Sam. "So," she said to Conn, "this friend of yours... is she pretty?"

[Rogue Nine]

The question was easy enough to read into, especially considering Beryl's current state of mind. "She's quite pretty," Conn answered truthfully, reaching over the bar and grabbing a bottle of water. He sat back down, twisted the cap off and took a swig, all while keeping an eye on Beryl to gauge her reaction. "But like I said," he continued, "she's also quite young."

[JasraLantill]

Beryl nodded slowly. "Young and pretty," she said succinctly. "Ok." She was quiet for a moment as she sipped her drink. Then she downed the rest of what was in the glass in one gulp.

 

"Hey! Go easy on that stuff," Teser chastised her.

 

Beryl merely shrugged and gave her brother a sideways glance. "So, Conn, do you think that, being young and all, that she'd be receptive to helping us?" She pensively rolled her tongue against the inside of her cheek. "Or would she need some... 'gentle' persuasion?"

[Rogue Nine]

"She was always helpful as my assistant," Conn replied, taking another swig of water. "Always did whatever I asked, always willing to stay the extra hour to help me carry out a difficult experiment." He cast a sideways glance at Beryl. "Then again, I've never asked her to help me and risk her life and career by infiltrating the company she works for and taking down the master plan of an Imperial Admiral."

 

He polished off the last of his water, then crushed the bottle and threw it into the waste receptacle. "So, she either comes on board with us tonight and helps us accomplish our mission... or we do what we have to and find a different approach."

[JasraLantill]

((Ok, I'm going to try to get things moving again. :s ))

 

To Beryl, what Conn had just said to her sounded as if he was giving his approval for Beryl to use the Force to persuade Noelle if she seemed reluctant to help them. This puzzled her a bit.

 

"Ri--ght," she said to Conn. She thought about clarifying with him what he meant by 'we do what we have to', but then decided that maybe she should wait and see how things went with Noelle first. "Well, if we're going to eat, I guess I'd better give this 'caterer' a call." She looked around the room, counting heads, and then she went over to the terminal and ordered up a dinner for twelve.

 

When Teser gave her an odd look, she turned to him and, while she counted along on her fingers, said, "Me, you, Conn, Sam, Jack, Cloud, Jeez, Jana, Reibe, Nick, and Noelle. And Telk, if he comes back with our I.D.s before dinner's over."

 

Teser nodded over at Nic. "But Nic just said he's going out. And Jana and Reibe and I were going to pay a quick visit to ChandraMed. Checking out the security patrols and all, remember?"

 

"I remember. But that doesn't mean that you guys might not want to eat something later if none of you are back in time to have dinner with us." She looked at Nic, who was standing by the door waiting to see if Jeez was going with him. "So, take your time, Nic. No rush. I'm sure dinner with young and pretty Noelle will be very... 'entertaining' for us all, whatever happens."

 

"Entertaining?" A sardonic sort of grin started to appear on Sam's face. "Oh, I get it. You're jealous, so you're planning to use the Force to mess with Conn's friend's mind, aren't you, sweetie?" she said to Beryl, more of a statement than a question.

 

Beryl cocked an eyebrow. "No!" Beryl was adamant. "I am not jealous, and I am not 'planning' anything." She glanced nonchalantly up to the ceiling. "Like Conn said, we'll just have to 'do what we have to' when the time comes."

 

"Uh-huh," Sam uttered, unconvinced. "You're jealous. So, to be on the safe side, sweetie, I think I'll make a point to sit next to you."

 

"Oh, joy," Beryl said deadpan. She turned to Conn. "So, while we wait for your friend Noelle and dinner to arrive, how about a game of Sabacc to pass the time?"

 

"Sounds great!" Sam said enthusiastically, rising and heading for the table. "I'll be the dealer."

 

"Why, yes, Sam, you can play, too," Beryl commented dryly. Then her eyes narrowed. "Hey, Jack?! You want to play Sabacc?!" she hollered down the corridor, earning her a rude hand gesture from Sam for the invite. Then Beryl looked at Jeez and Cloud. "And you guys are welcome to play as well, if you you're not going out with Nic. Unless," she added, "you have important 'Jedi' things to do."

 

Just then, for some unknown reason, a memory of playing cards with Ryshana came to mind--specifically the game with Cloud, Oliver and Ryshana during which Ryshana first got Beryl to realise that she used the Force all the time. That had also been the moment where Ryshana had offered to take Beryl on as her Padawan, and Beryl had accepted. It was a fond memory, a strong memory, and one that reminded Beryl of happier times.

 

Even though she had been trying not to, Beryl had been thinking about Ryshana a lot lately. Ry's death was still fresh in her mind, and recalling the event usually made Beryl feel angry, saddened, and resentful of her Imperial Admiral brother, Berasmus. But thinking about Ryshana this time, Beryl felt different, calmer, not angry or upset. It was a strange feeling, but not an unfamiliar one. It was if Ryshana had not died at all, but rather was standing right beside her. And suddenly, another thought floated into her mind.

 

"Or," Beryl added, her eyes challenging Jeez, "unless you're afraid of getting beat by a wayward Padawan? Your choice."

 

Beryl moved to behind the bar to make herself another drink. "Sabacc can be a thirsty game, so who's drinking what?" She looked askance at Conn. "And please don't say water. Despite recent events and opinions, I really do hate drinking alone."

 

((OOC: Noelle can appear at the door anytime now. ))

[stingerhs]

"Well, I'm not really one for card games," Jeez replied to Beryl. "That is unless there's money involved, but even then, I think I'll be sitting this one out."

 

Looking over at Nic, Jeez then said, "If you're still wanting to head out for a while, I'll go with you."

 

Frowning, Cloud mulled his options for a moment, but Jeez spoke up as he patted him on his shoulder. "Stay here and clean house for me. I'm sure you won't have much of a problem," he said as he shot a sneaky grin in Beryl's direction.

[starmark2k]

“Don’t worry we won’t be too long and I’m sure you can handle this Noelle without me.” He informed the Corellian women.

 

“Sure.” Nic replied to the new Jedi, as he opened the door and held it open for him. “It’ll give us fugitives a chance to get to know each other better.” Nic took out his blaster and checked to see if it was powered up. “Make sure you’re armed, as I said we’re going to the bad part of town.”

[stingerhs]

Moving over part of his cloak, Jeez revealed the hilt of his lightsaber. "Think that'll be enough? Or do you think I should stick with a blaster for anonymity?"