Difference between revisions of "2303/Safe Harbour"

Latest revision as of 20:00, 26 May 2015

Juno Eclipse (428) has posed:
Hyperspace is an incredible way to travel unbelievable distances at unfathomable speeds. Galactic trade and travel would simply not be possible without the hyperdrive engine, the main means by which many ships travel, including those of the Galactic Empire.

The Galactic Empire, however, has one ship that puts all of the others to shame. The Rogue Shadow, modified transport built under top-secret specifications, commissioned by none other than Darth Vader himself.

It doesn't look very impressive now as it comes limping into Flotilla space. The starboard sublight engine's been caved in, and the housing looks like it's been clawed at from T-elos' gatling rounds. Its engines themselves don't sound very good; a high whine as it drops out of hyperspace and back into realspace not far from the fleet.

Electricity snaps and arcs in the damaged engine block, and the ship is obviously straining as it limps towards the Flotilla. It's been twenty-four hours since they fled, and Juno hadn't been heard from since – taking a roundabout route through hyperspace to shed any potential pursuers in her return to Flotilla space.

[Blackout to Core Fleet. Requesting clearance to dock.]

The woman sounds well beyond exhausted.

Starbound Flotilla has posed:
The AMATERASU lunar mining facility and shipyard has cleared away the FUJIN-Starbound Technology Expo's theatrical elements, leaving it entirely practical. A massive, circular facility built on the surface of the moon. It is sleek, industrial, powerful. The mining and shipyard areas in the center are ergonomic and small without being cramped, while the crew facilities and residential areas on the outer rim of the facility are wide open spaces, full of huge windows and broad well-lit hallways. Everything is safe and secure; sturdy airlocks will isolate any breaches, heavy duty oxygen atmosphere generators keep the surrounding acres of bare, dusty moon surface breathable.

The Flotilla's Core Fleet, considerably-sized Kestrel-Class ships, remains high in orbit, though the Mendacity specifically is missing, currently in dock for repairs. Speaking of the dock, the circular, donut-like shipyard has five free docks currently available on its interior rim. The Vehemence and the Abdication both move in to assist Juno's craft, tethering on their tractor beams at close-range to do an orbital assisted landing procedure. Moonfin's voice can be heard over the radio. "Core Fleet to Blackout. Our facility offers the warmth of its protections; shed the burdens of your fears for a time while we do what we can to repair."

But after the orbital assisted landing maneuvers are complete, the remaining ships will have brief flashes of red in their interior. The Flotilla will be teleporting down to the mining and shipyard facility themselves, all six assembling there where Juno will likely exit the craft.

Galen Marek (731) has posed:
Galen drags himself out of bed right about now, rubbing his eyes blearily. Yesterday's activities took their toll on him, but a good night's sleep without the stress of Imperial orders looming over them did him a world of good. He stands up and shuts the door to the sleeping quarters. It takes him a few minutes, but when he opens the door again, he's changed. His robes are pure gray today, trying to shed any tie to his Imperial standing. He keeps the hood down, and his face is... much more youthful than most people would probably have ever guessed it could look. He approaches the pilot's seat, taking the co-pilot's chair for himself (even if it means displacing PROXY).

"Morning, Juno," he says, looking out of the viewport. "So, I'm guessing we're closing in on..." And then he spots the Flotilla. "I guess that answers that, doesn't it?" He offers a small smirk, then reclines. "So, what's the full extent of the damage?"

Juno Eclipse (428) has posed:
Although it takes some fighting, the Rogue Shadow gradually limps its way in towards the shadowed form of the AMATERASU lunar mining facility. In spite of the unsettling nature of Erchius, right now it looks like a paradise to the ship's exhausted pilot.

Electricity still snaps and sparks, dancing over the damaged engine housing and illuminating the ship as it passes into the shipyard, lurching as Juno does her level best to maintain control over the ship's flight. Even so, in spite of all her care and attention to detail, the ship still manages to scrape a docking structure on the way back in.

She lets out a breath as the tractor beams take over, compensating for half-destroyed engines. She hadn't even been aware she was holding it.

Juno Eclipse stands, straightens, and smooths down her uniform. She checks to make sure her cap is straight, and she turns at the sound of a sudden voice.

Looking hard at her companion for a moment, she studies his attire with a flick of her eyes.

And then, feeling a little foolish, she tosses her cap aside, shrugs out of her uniform jacket and tosses it aside, and rakes fingers through slightly disheveled hair, taking a deep breath to steady herself. Although she had gone to lie down for a bit, she had taken no rest, and eventually rose to monitor the ship's progress, staying in the dim cockpit even when PROXY had ambled off to instigate self-repairs.

"The AMATERASU lunar mining facility. For right now, it's our sanctuary. Come on," she adds, kicking at his ankle. "We're going to go down and meet them. I want you there, too. They've saved both our lives, so the least we can do is thank them for it. I'll brief you as we go."

The hatch opens with a hiss of hydraulics, and down the ramp comes Juno, waiting for Galen to follow. "It's not good. The starboard sublight is almost entirely useless, and at this point it's unstbale. I wouldn't fly the ship anywhere else until I've had a chance to fully assess the damage." She folds her arms as she walks, rubbing absently at her bare arm; a white halter top her only real attire aside from her Imperial uniform jacket, left behind in the cockpit.

Juno has no interest in clinging to any vestige of the Empire that betrayed her.

She stops when she finds herself facing all six of the Fleet, and the brave, professional front she'd put up crumbles like snow in the sun.

Juno bows her head and lets out a long, unsteady breath, shoulders slumping, posture one of complete and total exhaustion – or perhaps complete and total gratitude; most likely, something between the two.

"Thank you." Her voice quavers, and for once, she doesn't care. "You–you saved our lives. Thank you. I... I don't know how to repay you for that."

Starbound Flotilla has posed:
Seft is actually almost absurdly kind and supportive in her immediate reaction. The slumping forward doesn't really look like Juno will be collapsing, but regardless, the robotic princess recognizes the exhaustion and unstable feelings, and so she immediately goes to Juno's side, and grabs her hand, supporting her entire arm. Juno doesn't need it physically, but she might emotionally. "Assuring. The Flotilla takes care of its own. You repay us in your own time and in your own way. For now, do you want to rest and collect yourself? I understand you were losing pursuit for some time." The round blue eyes on her eye-visor screen take on a bit of concern, tapering up to a point between them, giving Seft a look that seems like a real life representation of "<:("

Albert grunts, giving Juno a salute and leaving her exhaustion to be handled by Seft. "When it is time to repay us, you will know how. You can rest as you like, the canteen remains available. We require a debriefing for the old situation and a briefing for the new one." He says. "Collect any companions you have and follow me." And he's already marching off. It looks like he's at least aware that Juno and her companion may need some damn coffee, because seriously! He's headed right for the facility's canteen.

George is here, smoking. He's just about done with it, so when Juno arrives, he tosses it on the ground and stomps on it. There's a grim sort of mood to him; he looks a lot like he's been thinking for a long time, on heavy subjects, but as soon as Juno's properly greeting, he grins wide and calls out, "Pffft, not like I wasn't lookin' for a solid excuse to give the space middle finger to whoever the fuck it was, captain what's-his-face. Shit, I don't mind. I mean, close call on getting spaced there, but no harm, right?" He laughs at that, his usual false goofiness.

Moonfin bows in return to Juno. "Our honor and grace in such matters is impeccable, Ms. Blackout. Or as I should perhaps now call you, Ms. Eclipse. You need not worry about the unbalanced scales for now, in this safe haven you need only think of what needs doing next, in your own time. For now, you need only decide. Will you accept a drink? Tea, or perhaps coffee suits you for the time being?" He's going to be getting into the canteen ahead, to make something fresh.

Pavo is looking a little moody. Always that way when a payout doesn't go through, but she doesn't look like she resents Juno for it or anything. Preening casually and looking like she's a little stormcloud over there, the avian Starbounder appears to be dropping the heavier bits of her accent, for reasons unknown. "Welcome back aboard, Blackout. Take whatever rest you can, you're going to need it in the new kind of life." She says, arms crossed and eyes closed, leaning against a handrailing at the docks. She'll trail along later...

Biteblade is here! The leafy little plant person is grinning, showing all those teeth. "Floran isss friend with blackout friend, not friend with Empire. Ssso, decisssion, very easssy! Floran help friend, more important than Floran get money for job, or Floran get sssafe from fight. Sssimple!" Then there's a few sniffs. "Have friend on ship? Can bring with, help give briefingsss? Briefingsss, debriefingsss, lot of brief. Not brief! Isss actually long, hehehe!" She bounds on ahead to the canteen herself too.

Galen Marek (731) has posed:
Galen follows Juno's lead, watching as she shrugs off her Imperial attachments. So, with that, he's sure that everything had actually happened. They had been betrayed by the Empire. They had discovered their secret somehow, and now they were going to pay the price. Whether it was the Rogue Shadow crew or the Empire that would end up paying the most was up in the air. Galen... well, he was sure it would be the latter.

He would slaughter the Empire. Still kind of a Sith mentality.

"We can repair it later," he says, "You didn't sleep at all." He doesn't ask, but states. He can tell just by her state that if she HAD slept, it wasn't much. He had been dead to the world after the shielding strain.

He falls to the opposite side of where Seft takes Juno's arm, crossing his own arms. As the Flotilla's core members all move toward Juno, he stands back and listens. He had no connection to the Flotilla personally, and so it stands to reason that he would be overlooked. "Sure, I'll help with what I can," he says, before half the crew breaks away toward the canteen. Their alien appearances in some regards doesn't bother him at all, and as Seft is currently holding Juno, he shrugs and moves after the others. "Name's Galen, by the way. Galen Marek."

Juno Eclipse (428) has posed:
Although calm and professional under most circumstances, these are not ordinary circumstances. In spite of the day-long journey and the opportunities to rest, Juno had taken none, and it show. She looks haggard, and she's shaking like a leaf if she stops moving long enough to take note of it.

Needless to say, Seft's kindly offer of emotional support is taken. Juno grasps the mechanical arm offered to her, and noticing that Seft still only has one of them is almost enough to break the dam.

Juno makes a strangled sound, but she refuses to let it become a sob. These people... they don't even know her, and they risked their lives for her sake; hers and Galen's.

She tries to respond to them, but her throat closes on the words.

"I–yes." It takes her a moment, but she finds some shred of composure left to salvage. She can break down later, behind closed doors; cry on Galen's shoulder, perhaps, because she knows with certainty beyond exhaustion that that's certainly what she feels like doing.

No rest for the weary or the wicked.

"Thank you, Seft." She gives the metal arm a pat and a wan smile. "I'm going to help you replace that arm."

Albert is given a nod. She'll be along shortly with Galen in tow for debriefing; his gruff, military nature seems to be a small shred of familiarity to latch onto, for the moment. "Of course."

"I was surprised to see that you'd accepted a job from them. I... wish I could have warned you. While under most circumstances they treat their bounty hunters and mercenaries decently, you've seen what they're capable of. Credits, ships, resources, lives... they're all meaningless to the Empire." She looks troubled. "I only wish I could've acted on that certainty sooner."

Moonfin earns a long look, but it's not by any means hostile; rather, she seems thoughtful as she studies the Hylotl. "You can call me whichever you prefer." She laughs. It sounds just a little wild, but the sound dies away before it can sound as unhinged as she feels. "I'm tempted to say 'cheap Corellian whisky,' but I'm in no shape to have something that harsh. Tea, thanks. I'm not sure I should have something as strong as coffee, either."

Well, at least Biteblade's priorities are simple enough to understand. Juno can't help a faint half-smile and an unsteady chuckle. "Thanks, Biteblade. I do. He's on his way."

In point of fact, she hangs back, waiting for him.

"No." She smiles, a little ruefully, when Galen chides her for her lack of sleep. "I didn't. Sorry. I thought it might be a good idea to make sure we weren't being followed. The Rogue Shadow can't outrun much right now... preventive maintenance."

Gently, she disengages Seft's arm, with a final pat to the robot princess, and moves back to stay at Galen's side. She hesitates for a moment – old habits die hard – before reaching out and taking his arm, stepping closer and finally leaning on him. Her exhaustion is almost a tangible thing.

"You should have something, too, Galen," she adds, dipping her head briefly. "I saw what you were doing with those shields. It can't have gone any better for you than it did for me, that kind of strain..." Worry, worry, nag, nag.

She'll follow them into the canteen, leaning on Galen for support; although likely emotional as much as physical. She looks like she's been through the wringer.

"I'm sorry for my duplicity. I couldn't give you my name, and... well, it doesn't quite excuse things, but I suppose last night's display illustrates why." Her smile is weak. "I'm sorry you had to be dragged into that. You lost a ship, and you almost lost one of your captains..."

Starbound Flotilla has posed:
The canteen is furnished simply and sparsely. Basic rounded chairs and glass-topped tables nanofabricated from pixels, a simple pseudo-kitchen area, and a lot of storage lockers where practical, nonperishable sorts of foods are stored. Very self-serve, you know, the sort of thing where you don't need people in charge. It's empty at the moment, today's a day off for most. Moonfin is the first one here, and he's already brewing up some tea. Looks like he already had water boiling, and is pouring it. "Mr. Marek. A pleasure to make your acquaintance. We've worked with your friend for some time. I am Moonfin of the Hylotl, voice of the Starbound Flotilla." He gives a bow, and resumes his work on the tea.

Seft gives a cheerful, encouraging sort of look to Galen, displaying a "^_^" kind of face with her eye-lights. "Grateful. You provided us some warning of the Jedi presence. Your assistance was invaluable. Thank you." And then she focuses back on Juno. "Assuring. My arm can be replaced, your life cannot. Some things are more important than others." She can recognize a bit of that stress, and she remains supporting. She doesn't want Juno letting everything out if she doesn't want to, but she's going to be there as emotional support, 'till they get to the chairs anyway, and then she'll sit right next to her. Albert, of course, will take the other side. He knows her very well too, and understands a need for feelings of security right now.

Pavo has trailed along moodily. She makes a spitting sort of avian "brawk" noise with her mouth when Juno talks about the surprise. "I don't discriminate on jobs. They paid well and we had the skills to help. Only reason I don't kill civs is 'cause there's no profit in it. That's why I had the Core Fleet take it. Would'a just kept going, 'till we found out you were the one they were after."
"Hey Pavo." George says as he takes a seat at a seperate table.
"Aye?"
"Shut the fuck up for a while." He says, casually. George seems very keenly aware of the Avian's nature as essentially currently representing everything Juno's threatened by and frustrated by.

Biteblade is the one who sits down next to Albert, and pokes at the table. Looks like there's some holoprojectors nearby, letting Juno, Galen, and the rest of the Starbounders interact wirelessly with it, so it can display data. "Right! Ssso, we are in galaxy, isss far, far away. From Empire, Floran mean. Probably not ssspy around here, but we need to keep Rogue Shadow move around, make sssure Empire can't hunt. Friend Blackout, new friend ssspace wizard, can help explain sssituation now? You know more about Empire, can tell Floran how to help!"

Albert grunts. "This galaxy is seperate from the Imperial territories. If we are to assist, we need to know why the Imperial forces turned on you, to improve our strategies in evading them." He accepts a small cup of tea that Moonfin's brewed; the Hylotl is currently serving them around the table. After taking a deep sip, he focuses on Galen and Juno. "I require a debriefing for your previous situation. Take your time and keep whatever secrets you need, but I need to know enough to keep you safe." Very military about this, efficient. Straight to the point.

Galen Marek (731) has posed:
Galen nods his head toward Moonfin, smiling a little bit at the Hylotl. "Nice to meet of all of you. I had no idea that Juno had racked up such interesting and important friends," he says, hugging his arm around Juno's shoulder as she leans into him. It's nice, not having to hide what they are from people anymore. The secrecy had been hard, and this... it would take some time to get used to, but it was pleasant. However, he helps her into a chair, and then she is flanked by Albert and Seft, leaving him to stand behind her instead. He wasn't about to leave her vicinity for any reason, after all. Not right now.

Biteblade gets straight to the point, and Albert follows up, and immediately Galen is back in a position he recognizes. "Alright then," he starts, "The reason they're after us is because of me, first and foremost. I was an Imperial Inquisitor. Internal Affairs stuff for the most part, keeping the ranks clean of 'corruption' and things of that nature. My job had me visiting worlds in hunt for Rebels, Jedi, and Imperial dissenters for the most part, though my particular focus was Jedi. I was trained by Darth Vader personally, and was given the highest possible security clearance in order to do my job effectively."

He pauses, looking down at Juno. "I did my job well, and it was hoped by my master that I would be completely steeped in the Dark Side of the Force, and would become a true Sith Master." He shakes his head. "Didn't happen. Juno, my eighth pilot aboard the Rogue Shadow, came along. What little of my emotion I had left grew to latch onto her, and we formed a bond that prevented me from becoming truly Dark." He takes another breath here. It was odd, talking about this in such a militaristic way, but here he was.

"We kept this bond a secret. No one in the Empire could find out, or it would mean dire things for us. They could use Juno as a tool to get me to succumb to my Darkness, or they could use me as a tool to lure her into a trap. It's a thing we thought we had hidden well, but Vader... he must've figured it out somehow. His orders usually come to me directly, but he issued them through others, luring us into the trap you witnessed."

He stops, resting a hand on Juno's shoulder. "The Empire is ruthless. They have others like me, but none quite so skilled due to my connection to the Force. Only the Emperor or Vader would likely be a challenge for me, but it's not me I'm worried about. I can fight the Empire if it comes to it, but I need to ensure Juno's safety." He looks down at her again. "They will likely send assassins for us. Confederate or Imperial, or perhaps outside sources if they think they can get one of us. Given our knowledge of Imperial operations, they may even send fleets. We need to rid ourselves of the Imperial IFF on the Rogue Shadow, and I've had my droid purge all connections in his database. Beyond that, it's a matter of keeping on the move until we can get the Shadow repaired."

Juno Eclipse (428) has posed:
Juno slides into one of the empty chairs, all but radiating weariness as she does. While it's true that she'd had plenty of opportunities while the ship was in hyperspace, even though she'd tried, her own nerves kept her from doing more than shivering and staring at the flickering lights of the cabin's ceiling. Unwiling to wake up Galen, who'd needed the rest more anyway, she'd gone back to the cockpit to ensure they had shaken any potential pursuers.

She'd been up since that point, sustained by a heady brew of adrenaline, anxiety, and apprehension.

The pilot folds her arms over the table and lets her forehead sink down over crossed arms, heaving a sigh. When she speaks, she doesn't bother to pick her head up, and the more perceptive Starbounders, and Galen, might notice she's still trembling. It's not until a cup of tea is set before her that she pulls herself upright, reaching for it.

As soon as she picks it up, her hands tremble so badly she almost drops the cup, bleating a curse and fumbling with it; to her credit, she catches it, and she pulls it close to clutch it with both hands.

It's entirely possible that she's pointedly ignoring Pavo for pretty much the exact reasons George is telling her to can the chatter.

"Of course. I'll need to make repairs before I can move the ship, though. The starboard sublight is more or less destroyed, the hyperdrive is strained, and I have various structural damages throughout the ship thanks to T-elos. Whatever she was doing, it ate through the shields like a mynock on a cheap shuttle." She shakes her head. That's the worst of all, insult to injury; that the ship she has cared for so meticulously should have been torn apart so badly. "If I take it anywhere, or push it back into hyperspace, it's liable to come apart at the seams."

She only nods mutely to Biteblade. Of course she'll provide details.

"I can't tell you any certainties, only conjecture. I can't presume to know why Vader did what he did, but I can tell you it was on his authority: Darth Vader, the functional second-in-command of the Empire, and right-hand man of Emperor Palpatine. He's known for his brutality; the Empire's own chief thug."

Juno very carefully turns the teacup slightly, wrapping her hands around it and letting the warmth seep into her fingers. The warmth is soothing, even though she doesn't particularly feel like tea, and maybe it can serve to calm her nerves. Even though she's started looking at it more rationally, detaching for the sake of a proper debriefing, her hands are still remarkably unsteady. It's a little frustrating to her – she's always been steady, stable; unshakable in her cool and professional demeanour.

She's been through a lot, though, and she knows it. One doesn't go through having their life and everything they've ever known turned upside-down and emerge unscathed.

"Galen's more or less hit the riven on the head." Her voice turns a little more subdued. "He's right. I... knew it was dangerous for both of us, but I suppose neither of us had anyone else to turn to, so..."

She shakes her head, silent for a moment. Drawing in a deep breath, she lets it out in a sigh, forcing herself to continue on. "I want to point out something important. There were seven pilots before me, aboard the Rogue Shadow. Seven. I would like to add that one of them was executed merely for being slightly tardy after being summoned to Vader's chamber. I know a few of those pilots died in the course of their duties – but not all of them did."

At the sensation of a hand on her shoulder, she turns her head aside, pressing the side of her face against Galen's hand for a moment; as though she were drawing strength from it. "I know they will. I also know that they're offering a handsome bounty for the return of either of us, dead or alive, and the Rogue Shadow as well. I have no doubt that they have Confederate forces after us, as well. It isn't so much that we represent a threat to them, but this is the kind of mindset you're dealing with – it's the principle of the thing, and we defied them. That, to the Empire, is worse than any honest failure in the line of duty."

"It's possible they will send fleets, if they believe they can entrap us a second time. I intend to strip the Rogue Shadow of any and all connections to the Empire; even if it means replacing everything under its hull plating. I'm afraid I may need to borrow your facilities here to do that – I'm not certain how long it's going to take me, but what I am certain of is that I won't be so much as powering up the engines until I'm certain that all traces of Imperial hardware and software have been scrubbed."

She lets a sigh through her teeth, breath whistling slightly as she leans forward, pulling away from Galen – obviously reluctantly – to take a sip of tea, holding the cup with both hands. Her hands shake like leaves; she doesn't trust herself not to spill it.

"I'm sorry for my duplicity. I really am. But I had reason to do so, because giving away my name would have been my life if some minor detail had gone wrong, somewhere." She bows her head. "What I can tell you is that I'll do my level best to ensure that the Flotilla doesn't become a target because of mine or Galen's presence. You've already sacrificed so much for us..."

Starbound Flotilla has posed:
"The Flotilla will be a target." Albert says, grunting heavily. "Because we choose to be. And it will last until you are safe enough to deal with them on your own. This requires that you get your ship functional. It also requires that you use what information and knowedge was gathered by Marek to achieve reliable safety." He taps at the table, bringing up the Flotilla's own repair facility specs in an elaborate display on-screen. Lots of raw material, lots of assembly, but no enough refinement to get certain rare parts. "What repairs and modifications do you need done that are not within our power at AMATERASU base."

Seft remains gentle in her synthetic tones. While she can only reliably speak in a robotic monotone, it seems soft. "Sympathetic. I understand why you had to keep secrets, and I don't believe any of us hold it against you, Blackout. You were honest about the fact that you needed to keep them. That was the best you could do." She takes on a "u_u" face. "Somber. We can ask no more than that, especially in times when people important to you are at risk."

Moonfin sits down with his own tea, sipping it with a particular air of elegance. "The guardian and the guarded. One is an unbreakable bastion. What we seek is not safety in itself; you, Marek, are safety for her. What we need is to restore your ability to keep her safe. You were an Inquisitor, you understand the ways they deal with traitors such as yourself. What would set them at such a disadvantage that they might be forced to contend with you on your terms?" He gestures back towards the dock area. "At my first guess, I would imagine it would be the stealth systems of your craft."

"Why Darth thug man doesss what Darth thug man doesss, not matter. Only matter isss, sssurvive. Know enough to make it not worth chassse, not worth hunt. If hunter isss hungry, make it not worth hunt by drop meat behind. If hunter wantsss trophy, you let go of arm in fight, essscape. Only figure out what hunter want to figure out how make hunter go away. Isss how hunt work." That's Biteblade, nodding firmly, then downing all her tea in a single swig, clearly unfamiliar with the concept. "Can think of reassson like that?" She says, grinning wide after that.

George whistles at the damage report. "Christ, and I thought I got off bad from that fight. Alright, you two, I'm gonna need full diagnostic reports on basically everything. Blackout, you're gonna gimmie some rundowns on the full deal right after you get some goddamn R&R, we're talking full eight hours because you look like I could push you over and you'd shatter like a vase. Got sleep meds if you need 'em, but seriously. You wanna do good work here, you need to be steady. Can't do it on edge. We gotcher back here." He leans back with reassuring confidence in his chair.

Galen Marek (731) has posed:
Galen nods over at Moonfin. "You're quite practical. Yes, our stealth system would allow us to put the Empire on the back foot. If we could light enough fires that they can't focus solely on us, then we might be able to break them enough to leave us alone for good. The stealth of the Rogue Shadow is pretty unique. It would give away that we were around if they can't find a ship when things go down, but it gives us a solid edge." He shakes his head. "I had been thinking about that, but we need the Shadow up and running, and they're not just gonna give us time to do that. I... I may need another ship to perform operations in."

He turns to Biteblade next, shaking his head. "The only thing Vader will settle for is the two of us dead and the Shadow scrapped. He will not stop pursuing us until that happens, unless we can break up the Empire's focus enough to slip completely away. And the Empire is HUGE. It would take a lot to do that, but it's not impossible." He smirks. "If he had rebellions to deal with, headed by Jedi, then he would be forced to address those instead." Rebellion. Vader hates rebellion above almost anything else. Lighting fires means starting rebellions, and unifying them into a common threat.

"And yes, you need to rest, Juno," he says, his voice softening. "We're safe now, and like Moonfin says, I'm your guardian. It would take the entire Empire to bring me down if they so much as lay a finger on you, and even then, I don't think it's enough." It's big talk, but Galen is a powerful man. And she's seen all he's capable of. "So rest. When you're fully rested, we can form more plans." He turns back to the Core of the Flotilla, inclining his head. "My powers are at your disposal as well," he adds, "I'm a warrior with very few rivals. If that's something you can use, say the word and I'm in."

Juno Eclipse (428) has posed:
"It just doesn't sit right with me." Juno lets out a shaky sigh, looking down at her teacup. "I don't want you sacrificing yourselves for my sake, or Galen's; I never wanted to endanger you... but... thank you, Albert. All of you. I... I can't thank you enough."

But they have, and they are, and there's not much she can do about that but bow her head and radiate silent gratitude.

Looking up to the holographic display, she narrows her eyes at the data flicking past, although it's less from a lack of comprehension and more because she's so tired that her eyes burn. It takes her several seconds to focus on the materials and options they present. There's enough to restore the most basic of functionality, and she could even jury-rig almost all of the structural integrity, but the Rogue Shadow's ion drives are custom work. The resources here aren't up to the task of restoring those.

Not if she wants to be able to outrun the Imperial Navy.

"Most of this will do for basic ship functions. I can even pull components from the Slice Hound if I need to. The Rogue Shadow's engines are custom work, through and through, and I can't restore that sublight or the hyperdrive with those alone." She bows her head, but she looks sidelong to Seft.

"Juno," she says, very softly. Then, louder, as though she were warming up to the notion of giving her name freely, she looks up to sweep a glance across all of the Core Fleet – eyes red-rimmed in her exhaustion, hands shaking uncontrollably, but undeniably lucid and decisive in the action. "My name is Juno. Juno Eclipse."

She manages a faint and unsteady smile. "It's nice to give that formally." The expression fades, though, as Moonfin underscores the obvious – that she is the obvious weak link in the chain, that Galen is necessary to protect her from the Empire.

Galen Marek is a former Sith, a would-be Jedi; a man who can wield the very forces of the universe itself and bend them to his will. Darth Vader is a Sith lord of hideous, unspeakable power. The Emperor is even more powerful than Vader, able to keep the Empire's prize thug in check through willpower alone.

Juno Eclipse... Juno Eclipse is just a pilot.

Before she can follow that to its depressing conclusion, George cuts in, and she lifts her eyes to the only human of the Flotilla.

"The Rogue Shadow's in pretty bad shape." She manages a weak smile. "I'm sorry to say it's the worst I've ever seen it, at least on my watch. I'll definitely be sure to file a thorough diagnostic report, and whoever wants to help me with the work is welcome. I'll forward the schematics to you; I'm under no further obligation to keep it a secret, and I trust you."

She remains silent when George admonishes her to rest, trembling in silence. They're right. She needs sleep. Her nerves are in tatters, and that's the generous estimate; she can't even stop her hands from shaking, both from lack of sleep and from sheer emotion.

Honestly, all she really wants to do is lock herself into a room and either laugh or cry, maybe both at the same time. She doesn't even know any more.

So she takes a deep breath, instead, although it doesn't do anything settle her nerves.

Galen's taking their side, though, the damned dirty traitor, as she knew he would. She's outnumbered several to one on this, no matter how much she might want to inject stimulants and power on through her apprehension and anxiety.

Juno bows her head, defeated. They're right. She can't stay up forever.

"I will. I... I'd like to borrow quarters, if you have any, and... I think it would be better if you administered a sleep aid." Her voice softens, almost inaudible. "I'm exhausted. I'm beyond exhausted." She leans her head back, sighing and closing her eyes, although she doesn't seem to relax in the least. Her soft chuckle still carries a hint of that desperate, wild quality to it; not half as unrestrained as that hysterical, wild laugh she'd given once she'd given the Empire's fleet the slip, but still not entirely controlled, either. "I–I don't think I can sleep."

Starbound Flotilla has posed:
"Practical nothing," Moonfin says, with a smug sort of smile. "I know the way these tales are meant to work, I understand the nuance of their structure. We need only put the tools in your hands, Mr. Marek. You will do the rest, as your kind are meant to." A few knowing chuckles. His smugness could rub a lot of people the wrong way, but he does sort of mean well. "My friend Albert knows more than a little about rebellion. I expect he'll assist you quite readily. Within him lies a fire of unrest could well leave every empire before him in ashes, if it wasn't so busy burning him. You will have capable partners. And if you wish to assist us, well." He taps the table a few times, sending Galen Marek's communication device a network authentication key. "You will need only listen."

Seft looks over at Juno, and her eyes flicker as they take on that "^_^" expression again. "Cheerful. It's good to know you properly, Juno Eclipse." A redundant introduction, obviously, but Juno seems to need the positive feelings. She also seems very aware of Juno's feelings when she speaks up, her eyes flickering back to blue dots. "Polite. There are worker's quarters here. They are somewhat spartan but they are clean, warm, secure, and private. If you need anything, I can help provide it. We have a pixel printer with a reasonable catalogue of home furnishings." A long pause, and she leans a bit closer. "Reassuring. Everything will be okay."

Biteblade puts one gnarled hand to her chin. "Huhhhhh. Well, then light too many firesss isss only good way. Floran will help that. Can't make ssstop chassse you, then do bessst you can, make chasse too hard. You know how to light firesss, you hunt firesss before. You make Empire have bigger problemsss that don't die if you die, you be sssafe. But, need invisssible ship. Need to fix, make ssstealth. Floran help! Juno sssay, need cussstom part. Easssy way to fix, isss go find other people who make cussstom part, for their ship ssstuff. Floran, good at sssalvage! You take Floran to place where people need the modsss you have, Floran sssalvage. Get you fly around in invisssible ship again fassst!" Cheerfully, at the end of that enthusiasm, "For now, can ussse Core Fleet ship, or Ssslice Hound, or whatever can work. Flotilla, not really have shortage of ssspaceship!"

Yeah, I'm thinking I get that." George says, laughing a bit. "Too tired to sleep, am I right? I'll get you something from the ol' Nanomed, put you right out and leave you feeling great in the morning." He never seems to be taking anything seriously, but in a way, he is trying to help Juno out. Nobody currently living would be able to identify this as an experienced traitor trying to help out a first-time newbie to the betrayal business, but that is, in essence, what it is. "Look, I think that's enough debriefs and we don't wanna push too much further, right Al?" He makes meaningful gestures at Albert.

Albert grunts and nods. "Marek. I have experience in rebellion. I will assist you in your tactics. You will assist me in mine when the time comes. We have additional craft that you can use. You will have options. Eclipse will be the one to make the decision. You will be the one to enact the plan as a whole." He seems to ponder, and makes an apelike huffing noise. "This debriefing was sufficient. We can form a plan. You need rest. Go and get it. I will ensure our orbit is patrolled. You will sleep the full eight hours and then George will help you determine the extent of your damage in detail. Afterwards, we will reconvene and determine what to do next." Another heavy grunt. Very uptight and military.

Galen Marek (731) has posed:
Galen smiles softly. It's a genuine thing, something that until recently only Juno had ever known him capable of. As the key comes across his radio, he taps his ear and allows it to sync into the Flotilla's network. "Thank you," he says, "It's nice to feel like part of something not hellbent on turning against me for a change." He's always had his misgivings about the Empire, but only now can he actually make them known. He would have to make amends for his actions under their command, in time, but for now he is ready to get Juno put to rest, and the rest of the Flotilla Core members seem to be with him in that regard.

"I'd use the Slice Hound, but that's Juno's piece. And mine, the Shadow, is down. If you could provide me with something small and fast, I can have PROXY pilot it when I need to go and do things." He smiles down at Juno. "She has her own life, after all. She'll always be able to take the Shadow if she needs it, but I'd rather not leave her shipless in case we need to go in separate directions for a mission."

His hand brushes his lightsaber, and he realizes he has one other thing he needs to take care of. "Of course, Albert," he says to the Apex, "Anything, like I said. You've all already helped us out a tremendous amount. If I can give a bit back, then I'm all for it." He grabs his lightsaber, pulling it from his belt. "One last thing..."

Juno's going to give him no end of hassle for this.

"Do you have any strange or unique crystals you could part with?"

Juno Eclipse (428) has posed:
Although the rational part of her mind suggests that she had best take care of business, there's something to be said about moral support. Seft's attempts to reassure the pilot are more than welcome, and even though Juno doesn't say anything to that effect, it's still obvious that Seft's efforts are relieving. Her unrelenting cheer is encouraging despite the bleakness of the situation; perhaps because of the bleakness of the situation.

Part of her still wants to protest this welcoming and supportive treatment she's getting from nearly all of the Core Fleet members, but she's far too tired to argue with them over their hospitality, and the Rogue Shadow is far too mangled not to accept it. She's had no choice in the matter; the ship's critical damage has seen to that.

"Thanks, Seft," she says instead, very softly. She tries for a smile, but the expression is a little bleak. "I'm sure it should be fine. I'm used to military quarters, so a little sparseness won't bother me. As long as it has somewhere to shower, it doesn't have any drafts, and there's a bed I can sleep on, it should be fine."

Biteblade gets her attention next. She studies the Floran for a long moment, although her eyes seem to be just shy of the point of involuntarily slipping out of focus. "There's only one place that's going to have what I need, and that's Sienar Fleet Systems, the organisation that originally built the Rogue Shadow. They have an advanced research division on Corulag." The expression she pulls suggests the idea of going back to Corulag is not a pleasant one; although the Flotilla wouldn't know it, Galen would know it's the planet she was born on, and a place she didn't have any interest in revisiting.

She sighs. There's not much choice, though. "They'll have the components I need to repair the sublights and the hyperdrive both. The cloaking system is alright, so far, but I don't want to overtax the ship. It functions using an array of stygium crystals, which are extremely expensive, dangerous, and volatile; even if I could theoretically lay hands on them, they're very difficult to install into such a system without compromising them. I can't afford that to fail, so I won't be able to fly the Rogue Shadow until I've made complete repairs to the engines."

Resting her elbows on the table, she reaches up to rub at her face, slowly and wearily. "Something like that," she mumbles, in response to George. "Nerves," she adds, almost apologetically. "I can't stop thinking. I'm sure everybody's experienced that. I'd be appreciative. I'm... I'm sorry. I'm exhausted."

"Thank you, Albert." She inclines her head, too tired for a proper salute, and too disgusted with her own Imperial connections to make the effort.

In point of fact, she's moving to climb out of her chair, although she's still shaky and unsteady enough that she has to use the back of the chair to prop herself up.

And then she just turns, fixing Galen with a look that could freeze liquid nitrogen. Strange crystals on the Erchius mining facility, which he has every intention of plugging into his lightsaber.

"Galen..." It sounds like she's ramping up to verbally smack him for being stupid, but instead, she just shakes her head. "You should rest, too. You've still got to be exhausted after holding off their fire."

"We'll both get our eight hours, though I'm going to ask you not to wake either of us if we should go over that – we've been living looking over our shoulders for years, and I can't say it's very good for morale or for the ability to get meaningful sleep – and then we'll do everything in our power to get the Rogue Shadow up and running, and help the Flotilla." Her eyes sweep the Core Fleet members again. "We owe you our lives. It's the least we can do."

She takes a half-step closer to Galen, although it's more of a stumble; her smile is somewhat apologetic, and she has to lean on him to stay upright. "I'll take that Nanomed; thanks, George. I think it's the only way I'm going to be able to... shut down."

Starbound Flotilla has posed:
"Loyalty above all else. It is how the Flotilla survives. We will keep to that or we will die." Albert says, saluting again. "Welcome aboard, Marek. I am commander of the Core Fleet squad during combat operations. I look forward to working together." There's a firm, professional sort of straight-backed posture when he says that.

This is where George leans in. "Hey! I got something great if you're looking for weird crystals!" His grin is wide, but he doesn't press the issue when Juno very subtly shuts it down. He is, after all, only ever really pretending to be goofy, and as such, he's not doing it where it would cause a real problem. Best to not tease Juno much right now. He looks up to Juno and does a quick little casual salute, almost making fun of Albert, who is already scowling at him. "You got it. We'll keep a patrol runnin' 'till you two wake up on your own. Here!" He reaches into his Matter Manipulator, and tosses out an over-the-counter looking pill bottle. At Galen, because really he's the only one who's likely to still be able to catch it. "Biteblade made 'em. Two of these each, out like a light, wake up energized. Does wonders for me! Science is great. You two look like you need it." He doesn't seem to think much on the subject of returning it.

"Floran, good at hunt. Good at break in, sssteal, break out. Not quiet, maybe, but, Floran done before. Good for sssalvage sssteal. Can help! Flotilla will help, raid Seinar place. Maybe get more while raid! Sssteal data for resssearch." Biteblade seems to not particularly care about that last part. And then she hops up. "Floran, not really good at underssstand meat feelingsss. You, very ssstresss right? Feeling tired, ssscared?" She seems... completely oblivious to human feelings, only picking up the most blatant hints. "Floran sssay, welcome to Flotilla!" First an attempt at a hug for Galen. "And alssso, welcome back to Flotilla!" And then a hug for Juno. Hugs deal with unease! That's as far as Biteblade's logic can go when guessing at meat people. "Floran keep Blackout friend sssafe. Ssstab anyone try to hurt Flotilla friend. Ssspace wizard can sleep, Blackout friend isss safe." At the very least, Biteblade's keenly aware that Galen's probably much more worried about Juno's safety than his own.

Seft stands when Juno stands, then does a little bow-like nod, beeping a few times pleasantly. "Polite. It looks like it's time for some rest. Juno, would you like me to take you to the worker's quarters? I will locate individual rooms in a less used area away from the main working force, and designate them as private for you." She looks like she'd be politely clasping her hands in front of her if she had both hands at the moment. "You two deserve some rest."

Pavo has been being surly at a seperate table, sipping on her own tea. As Moonfin comes around, collecting the cups, she grumbles, in a low squawking sort of tone, "Blackout." She looks up, back at the pilot properly. "If you think this is worth it, I'm behind you. Money's what I care about. Loyalty before cash, though. Ain't a bit of profit in people thinking you're the kind who goes back on promises for coin. You need me, you have me. I don't believe in sentiment but I know you do. Just don't you start lookin' back. If you believe in the morality shit, you'd best stick to it." She goes back to hanging her head over the table, brooding.

Galen Marek (731) has posed:
Galen smirks. "Loyalty above all... I like it. I'm going to keep that in mind. After all, Juno and I's loyalty was betrayed, and yet our loyalty to each other has never been—" She stumbles into him, and he smiles in earnest, holding the pilot up and embracing her a bit in the process. "Stronger," he finishes, "I said once I would fight the Empire before letting them take her from me. And I mean it." Only now the Confederacy is involved too. Not that it changes the man's resolve at all.

He gives George a significant look. It's one that clearly means 'Find me later so we can discuss crystals for my space magic sword.'

However, he catches the bottle of pills, nodding. "Thanks George. These'll help for sure." To Biteblade he nods. "Yeah, those skills will help us a ton," he manages, before the Floran hugs him. He blinks, not used to the gesture outside of the occasional ones he and Juno had shared, but it's over before he can respond. "Th... thanks," he says, offering a shy smile. That caught the Sith off guard for sure.

He nods to Seft, smiling again. "Lead the way. Any longer and I might have to carry Juno over there," he teases. Either he'd be proven right, or she'd walk just to spite him. He wasn't honestly sure which at this point. He glances over to Pavo, who he honestly was on the fence about, and nods. "You want cash? The Empire has a ton of it. Help us, and you can rip it from their hands. They won't like that, but not only do you get to be loyal, but you get one hell of a payday." He shrugs his shoulders. "Your call though."

"Let's get to the quarters, Juno."

Juno Eclipse (428) has posed:
Although she watches Albert as he makes his statement, Juno doesn't answer him. She seems to mull over his curt words, hardly offended by his naturally laconic nature, thoughtful more about the message than the delivery.

Loyalty...

She had once thought herself loyal. When her father had turned his back on her, she had turned to the Black Eight Squadron, perceiving it as a kind of close-knit family. Looking back, though, it was a dysfunctional family, and it was more of a delusion than an actuality. There were one or two good pilots, good people. The rest of them were psychopathic; insane.

Ultimately, what she had been loyal to was a dysfunctional system that could not manifest the word as she might have thought of it. She was loyal to the Imperial war machine.

The knowledge brings with it a fresh upwelling of guilt, but also a steel-hard resolve. She will never be part of a system like that again. She will give her loyalty to the Starbound Flotilla – while she might night always agree with them, there's some level of good in most of them. They saved her life. How could she do any differently? While they certainly don't need her, she can nonetheless help them – because she certainly does need them.

Juno flinches away from the vial that George tosses, shrinking back into Galen. Her nerves are frayed to the breaking point. The only thing she really registers is the panic instinct of sudden movement near her face.

"Thank you, George. I'll... I'll repay it, if I'm ever in a position to do so."

Before she has a chance to really answer Biteblade, suddenly she's being hugged by some kind of tribal hunter plant thing, oh god help. To her credit, though, after her initial tension, Juno awkwardly pats the Floran's back. Or whatever serves for a back. She's not sure. Plants are weird, but this one is kind of sweet, in spite of her more murderous tendencies; she's seen the terrible things the Floran is capable of in battle, but...

She's loyal. Just like every other member of the Core Fleet is loyal. And right now, she has to respect that; to admire it. "Thanks, Biteblade." Juno smiles, a little unsteadily. "We... we appreciate that. Very much so."

"And thank you too, Seft." Juno manages a lurch towards the Glitch, and before the Glitch has the opportunity to flail, she's being given a hug from a very tired, very emotionally distraught pilot. "Thank you. I'll help you fix your arm. I swear. It's the least I can do..."

Pavo, however, brings her to pause, turning and looking toward the mercenary Avian. Juno looks at her for a long moment, and it almost seems like she might not say anything at all. She's seen some of the things Pavo will do for money; how callous she can be if she thinks she might stand to gain profit from it.

Loyalty.

"If I go back, I'll die," she says, with more calm than she actually feels. "And even if the Empire doesn't execute me as an example, or to get to Galen, which I strongly suspect would be my fate... I wouldn't want to live with myself if I willingly went back. No. I won't look back, Pavo. I can't. There's nothing to look back to."

Her eyes sweep the rest of the Flotilla. "I'm a member of the Flotilla. You risked everything to help me escape. I'll risk everything to defend all of you." She manages a faint smile, and even though it looks a little miserable, it's an effort. "If you need me, Flotilla, you have me." The smile fades a little. "I just... need a bit of rest, first..."

She sags against Galen, almost too exhausted to even keep herself upright. "Mm." She bows her head a little, as much in a gesture of accord as weairness. "He's right. We'd suspected the Empire long before they turned on us, so we turned to the only other people we had. Each other." She laces an arm around one of his arms around her; as much in affectionate gesture as literally holding herself upright.

The look she casts Galen, though, suggests she'd walk just to spite him. Very specifically to spite him.

"Mm." It's mostly an agreement when Galen suggests heading to quarters. "Let's go," the pilot murmurs, stumbling along beside him, following Seft's lead.

A real bed, and the ability to sleep until she's actually rested, is going to be a novel experience. Combined with all that, the knowledge that if she jerks awake from nightmares of fire and twisted durasteel, she'll have Galen there for her – it feels like a ridiculous luxury.

"Thank you," she mumbles over her shoulder, as Seft leads them off. Though deliriously tired, it's still no less heartfelt for it.