2316/On the Run

On the Run
Date of Scene:	25 May 2015
Location:	Bar and Grill at the Edge of the Multiverse
Synopsis:	Although branded a traitor by both the Confederacy and the Galactic Empire, Juno risks a meeting with Lute to set the record straight.
Cast of Characters:	188, 428
Tinyplot:	Resolution

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Juno Eclipse (428) has posed:
It's been a little over forty-eight hours since the incident at the Vergesso Asteroid Field. Since then, the former Imperial pilot, Juno Eclipse, has all but vanished. Against all odds she'd managed to drum up allies and escape from the Empire's terrible wrath, limping to someplace hidden from Imperial and Confederate eyes.

The first order of business had been to rest; she had already been exhausted from years of looking over her shoulder, and the emotional strain of renouncing the Empire mid-battle had left Juno Eclipse's nerves in tatters. By the time she'd arrived at her sanctuary, she was shaking so hard she could hardly hold the teacup offered to her; accepting an offer of sleep aids was the only way she could take any rest of her own volition.

Even then, nightmares of fire and twisted durasteel, and terrible pursuit, had woken her up every few hours. At least Galen had seemed to sleep soundly, his reserves totally exhausted after he had begun wielding the Force as a stand-in shield for the Rogue Shadow. Even that hadn't been enough to save it from the terrible damage, but it had been enough to save their lives. She'd left him sleeping on, throwing a grey second-hand jacket over her shoulders and heading out.

Now, the pilot is in the very back corner of the Bar and Grill, wearing her borrowed jacket and leaned against the wall, arms wrapped around herself. Her head is partly bowed, which only makes the shadows under her eyes even deeper; notably, there are two blasters holstered around her waist, one at each hip. She has a cup of what looks like coffee, but it's untouched, and the lack of steam suggests it's long gone cold.

Every so often her eyes flick up to regard the doorway, but otherwise, she waits in silence; comfortable in the concealing shadows.

Lute (188) has posed:
Lute arrives very soon after Juno invited him. He has, quite literally, been waiting for this chance all day. And the fact it is at the Bar and Grill? Lute is able to get there very instantly. He isn't bothering to disguise himself. Hell, he's even alone right now. As in, completely alone. Not a single Pokeball is on himself. A fact made more obvious due to his current choice of outfit. While he generally does not wear a shirt anyways, he's skipping out on wearing his labcoat as well. He means the best by this. So many times he has hidden his Unown under his labcoat. Lute's also talked publically about how he can use them to plant on people or objects to observe from afar. While he assumes Juno would notice him planting something on her, he wants to make it clear he isn't even planning to try planting an Unown on her.

It takes him a moment to spot Juno. It's honestly pretty easy to spot her, in a way. She is basically the only one watching the doorway, and she is the only one who seems like she has something to hide. As such, he casually starts making his way over to her, sitting down across from her.

"Hey, beautiful. You know that you don't have to hide yourself. I've already told you, my girlfriends don't mind me dating lots of people. I mean I guess if you wanna hide yourself it's fine, but none of them are likely to hurt you."

He says this at a more normal tone level. Just in case someone here might recognize him. Give himself a bit of a cover for whats going on. And he is assuming that Juno will be able to tell that he isn't actually flirting with her right now. Because of course he knows much better than that.

Juno Eclipse (428) has posed:
The pilot knows the instant Lute walks through the doorway, mostly because her eyes haven't left it. While it's true that Juno's behaviour sets her apart from most of the other patrons, her positioning into the darkest, most remote corner of the room she can find helps mitigate that. No one really thinks to check that place, because she's neither under any lights, nor particularly visible.

"I know you're not serious," Juno says quietly by way of acknowledgement, "but the temptation to shoot you is still there, and you should probably be thanking the security system in this place that I can't."

At least she still has some kind of fire and spark left. It seems to be a wan attempt at humour, but the good-natured ribbing fades from her tone.

"Now sit down and stop drawing attention to my table."

Once he does, she'll nod, faintly, letting her hair fall partway across her face. It does well to hide her features if she doesn't keep it managed; she's worn it loose, today, rather than the severe French twist she usually favours. Aside from the usual locks that frame the sides of her face, it falls to just past her shoulders; longer, perhaps, than most might think of it.

"Thank you." Her tone gentles, if only slightly. "And not even any Pokemon... Piri's safe, by the way. She's still aboard the Slice Hound. Have a drink. It's on me."

Lute (188) has posed:
Lute casually sits in his chair, leaning back. He shakes his head a bit, before starting to whisper, "You're the one who is more likely to draw attention. Odd person sitting in the corner? Don't blend into the crowd at all. Guy with no shirt? People are going to try to avoid looking at him for fear of being perverted. Though maybe you should maybe dye your hair, hide a bit better. And thanks for letting me know. I was worried about Piri. ...I'll pass on the drink, though."

He leans forward, trying to remain casual. Both of his arms rest on the table. He whispers still, his tone fairly serious, "So what the hell happened? The story I heard is that you and Galen refused to kill civilians. Which I expected from you, but not him. T-elos is questioning if there were even civilians, but the rest of the Confederates don't care either way, and are mostly all just supporting the Empire. But I wouldn't be surprised if the entire Confederate viewpoint might be biased due to the Empire."

Juno Eclipse (428) has posed:
"I should've gone to a place like Cloud City. Someone being paranoid would stand out less." Juno smiles, sourly. There are industrial cantinas in the seedy underbelly of that place that the mere thought of them would make her want to shower. "Well, it is what it is. It's the furthest corner; no one's going to notice or care." she looks aside to the crowd, and then up to Lute, lucid despite the deep shadows under her eyes. "A few moments is all I need. Sorry, but I don't intend to be here for very long. It's not safe."

To his questions, she shakes her head.

"The simple answer? Galen and I were set up." She looks to Lute again, blue eyes all but boring into him; even now bristling in anger and disbelief. "I can't be certain, but I can only guess that the Empire suspected both of us; I know my own file's likely been flagged since the Bombing of Callos."

She slumps back in her chair, glaring at the surface of the table and very carefully toying with her coffee cup. "There were civilians. I checked the data no less than three times to be certain. I thought I was mistaken, but the Rogue Shadow has some of the finest long-range sensor arrays in the fleet. There were definitely civilians present; there were also supplies that would not have been accounted for a the purely paramilitary presence of Rebel soldiers."

"I don't know how they found out." Her eyes narrow. "The Sith are required to give themselves over to the Dark Side. A Sith working as an Inquisitor... even more so. He couldn't do that, and they must have known, somehow. I can only expect it was Vader. Vader must have sensed it, somehow..." As though remembering herself, she looks up to Lute. "Galen... Galen isn't like that. He's not a monster," she adds, with surprising vehemence. "Not the monster that Vader wants him to be, and he never will be. There's goodness in him, too, despite the atrocities we've both committed..."

She gives a quiet laugh, bitter and sardonic more than anything else. "A Sith has no place for feelings like attachment or love. They're antithetical to their entire philosophy and reason for being." Setting aside her coffee cup, Juno rests her hands on the table, though her eyes are never quite resting; skimming the room, and passing over Lute every so often. So, it seems Galen is the mystery presence Lute had suspected was in her life. "Even he wouldn't slaughter innocent civilians, Rebels or no. And I will not be responsible for another atrocity like Callos. I will not."

She shrugs, in response to the Confederacy. "If that's the case, there isn't much I can do about it. I had no idea that Lowri was a Union member. As far as I was aware, she was an unaffiliated Jedi searching for something, although I don't know what; she's damnably elusive, most of the time, but I had a gut feeling she might help me. At the time, my options were somewhat limited. If it were just the Starbound Flotilla helping me, I don't think we would have survived to escape. I needed Lowri's help." She sighs through her teeth. "I had no interest in betraying the Confederacy, but at the same time, with the standing the Empire has with them, I'm not sure it would have been avoidable."

Lute (188) has posed:
Lute leans forward, listening closely. Taking it all in. Really, almost none of this is a surprise. He's guessed bits and pieces of what happened based on context. So. Definitely civilians, almost certainly a setup. He doesn't know much about the Sith, but this all... makes sense to him, at least mostly. But one thing? One thing catches his attention more than anything.

"...Wait, so Starkiller is the one you're in love with? Really? ...Man, he is really good at hiding the fact that he isn't a murderous psycho. At the least, if he is truly on your side, you should at least be... somewhat safe. But... Do you have any idea of what to do? I mean, I really do not want you guys joining the Union. They almost might take you. Syndicate, sure, they'd probably welcome you but not sure how safe it'd be. The rebels might be a good choice, though? I dunno."

He looks around the room to make sure no one is watching. Really, they don't stick out that much compared to some of the clientel here, so he isn't too worried. But, he leans forward again, whispering still, "You have plenty of allies in the Confederacy still. I'm not sure who all, though. Gaius I'm almost certain on. He's offering to help me pay for the bounty I put in the Syndicate, to hire bounty hunters to take out the bounty hunters after you. Sanary seem displeased too. So at the least, it won't be the whole Confederacy after you. And I have a feeling that some will just be putting forward lip service and pretending to go along with it, people I wouldn't be able to guess at even."

He looks around one last time, and then speaks again, "...And, worst case. If shit really hits the fan, I'm going to help you. In disguise, but. I'll find a way. And if that doesn't even help, well.... Fuck, they were just used for a wish, but I'll prepare to find the Dragon Balls next year to wish you back. Alright? So there will be some way out of this."

Juno Eclipse (428) has posed:
The Pokemon researcher sounds almost incredulous. Juno can't help a faint chuckle at it, little more than a faint exhalation through her nose and a faint, fond smile.

"His name is Galen," she corrects, gently. "Galen Marek. Starkiller is just his callsign. We needed to put forth the impression of neutrality. Even enmity, at times, if it meant convincing everyone around us; and I spared no expense in trying to convince my fellow Confederates that our relationship was merely professional." She looks directly at Lute for a brief instant, eyes serious. "That kind of leverage is the sort that we never would have escaped from. I would have become a means to ensure Galen's loyalty. Or perhaps Vader would have had me executed immediately, to push Galen into the Dark Side once and for all. But yes. You were right, actually, in that I do have someone in my life. And he's the one."

She smiles again, unable to help a fond expression. "He really is sweet once you've got to know him, you know, and he's not the monster Vader would have had him become. It was necessary to put forth a certain image, though. Did you know?" The smile fades. "He was taken from his family when he was a child. Vader raised him. That he managed to turn out alright at all is nothing short of a miracle, to me, but... the Dark Side won't have him. And I won't give up, as long as I have him." The smile turns slightly crooked. "We support each other. He's the only thing that kept me going, for many years, and I'm what keeps him from plunging fully into the Dark Side, and becoming the monster Vader would have had him become."

Juno's eyes flick over the room as well, never quite settling on any one person or thing whenever she isn't glancing at Lute. She doesn't trust anybody here, no matter how ordinary they might look, and she knows that paranoia is the thing that will keep her alive in the coming weeks, months, and years.

If she makes it that long.

"Allies? Do I, now?" She cants her head slightly to one side, studying him for a brief instant. "I'd be a fool to trust that, and we both know it. If they really consider me to have 'betrayed' them, then there's very little I can do to convince them otherwise. I'd have an easier go of it domesticating rancors. And that's without your unique talents," she adds, cocking a blue eye toward him. "I'm also a part of the Syndicate and have been for some time, now, although I hardly trust them at the moment. In fact I've deactivated their frequencies from my equipment, at least for a little while. I'm certain I'm not the only Confederate in their number. I'd sooner not give myself away."

She blinks, somewhat owlishly, when he gives his solemn vow.

And then Juno Eclipse laughs; quietly enough not to be heard, but loudly enough to show her mirth to Lute.

"Do you think I'm that helpless? It isn't as though I'm going into this blind, Lute. Galen and I have suspected something like this would happen for years, now; ever since we first grew close. We knew it would only be a matter of when the Empire's suspicions would outweigh Galen's use to Vader as a blunt-force instrument to the Empire's political problems. You know, I'm not entirely convinced my mother wasn't actually executed. That's the kind of thing we're dealing with."

She smiles, though. "I appreciate the sentiment, though."

Lute (188) has posed:
Lute just listens. There really isn't much more he can do at this point. It's incredibly frustrating to him. His hands clasp together tightly. He's squeezing them tightly together, in anger.

"...I don't think you're helpless. But. I want to help anyways. We're friends, right? I won't do anything to put my own neck on the line too much. And I know you can't trust anyone else. Hell, I'm surprised you're even trusting me as much as you have. It's... Well. Seeing how short of a time we've known eachother? It's surprising."

He rubs his face with his hands a bit, trying to relieve tension a bit. He speaks, through his hands, "...Just... keep in touch, okay? The heat will go down eventually. If I hear anything on the Confederate side, I'll try and tip you into it. But I can only do it so much. Otherwise they'll realize someone is leaking information. Alright?"

He tries to force a smile. "...Just. Find some way to keep on going and stay alive, okay?"

Juno Eclipse (428) has posed:
"Yeah." Juno licks dry lips and casts an eye out toward the main room, scanning the faces. Not finding anything familiar is only a minor reassurance at best. Her eyes are slow to turn back to Lute, too distracted with trying to watch everything. "Try to look at it from my side, too. It's not just my life that's in danger; it's Galen's, and also Piri's, now, too. If not for my sake, then I have to be careful for theirs, too."

"Even if we didn't mean so much to one another, Galen would still be an incredible ally to have in my corner. For me, he would tear apart the Empire with his bare hands. Words are cheap; I would do the same for him, but the difference between us is that he actually could. Or he'd make a bloody good showing in the attempt, anyway." She rubs at her face, a gesture of exhaustion rather than tension, and shrugs more securely into her jacket. "I have to protect him, even if it's not the same way the average person might think..."

She laughs, quiet and breathless. "I don't even know what I'm trying to say any more. I've slept for two days, but I haven't gotten very much rest from it. I still feel like I'm running on adrenaline. It boils down to this: Don't worry about me. I'll pull through, no matter how despairing and exhausting this mess is." She smiles a wolfish, humourless smile. "If nothing else, I'm not going to give the Empire the satisfaction of taking me down. While I can't prove that's how it happened... I'm not going to let them silence me like they silenced my mother. I won't give them that satisfaction. I would have served them for the rest of my life, but I wouldn't become a monster for them. And I wouldn't let Galen become a monster, either."

"I'll keep in touch. Ask for me on the broadband if you need me. I may not necessarily answer you there, but I can contact you privately if I'm needed. Tell the Legatus the same; and Sanary, but quietly, if you feel they can be trusted. Speaking with them won't do any harm, as I don't intend to give anything away that isn't already known." She smiles, even more broadly, that same predatory expression. "After all, you don't know that it isn't Felucia I'm taking refuge on. You said it yourself. Who would think to look for me there...?"

Standing, she tugs her coat straight, and glances again toward the door. "I should be leaving soon, though. It's not safe to stay in any one place for too long." Her eyes turn back to Lute, smiling faintly. "Anything else? Galen was still sleeping when I left, and I'd really rather be by his side when he wakes up again. I don't want to worry him; our escape laid him out as much as me. T-elos ruined the Rogue Shadow's engines, and it was only Galen's use of the Force that kept the ship from being sheared in half." Her gaze softens, briefly; she's obviously concerned about him. "It took a lot out of him."

Lute (188) has posed:
Lute shrugs a bit. Honestly, at this point, he doesn't have much more to ask or say. Juno has been fairly thorough about all of this, leaving him little to ask. What's more, some of the few remaining questions, such as where she is really, he can't ask. He considered it. But it's too much risk to her. She wouldn't say.

And so he leans back, smiling as she starts to stand, "I think that's enough. Just remember: We need to make the conversation happen. Contact me on my private radio. Something like, say... You contacting me, telling me a bit about you're safe, not to come looking for you. I finally talk you into telling me where you're hiding if I promise not to come, under the guise of pushing the Confederate search away from there, and then you tell me Felucia. That work?"

And he leans back, just waiting for comfirmation, hands resting behind his head. He's come to a decision. He'll try to remain calm and cool, despite how terrible this situation is. Best not to act without thinking on this one.

Juno Eclipse (428) has posed:
"Mm." Hitching her borrowed jacket more securely over her shoulders, Juno casts a look around the room before glancing back to Lute. Her voice lowers. "Do you really think it would fool them? I suppose I have nothing to lose by it, but you'll have to forgive me if I take my leave as we do. I should be getting back to Galen, and I've spent too much time here as it is."

Heaven only knows who or what's spotted her by this point. The Bar and Grill may be neutral territory, with combat forbidden, but that doesn't stop anyone from simply dragging her out of the place through main force.

"Expect a call momentarily... and Lute?" She pauses, glancing back at him with a faint faint and crooked smile, ducking her head in a sort of half-bow. "Thanks. For everything. I appreciate it. Maybe someday, I can repay you for it."

"As for why..." She gives his shoulder a brief pat as she passes by, letting her hand drop into the jacket's too-long sleeves. "Everyone needs friends. And not trusting anyone... I wouldn't be better than the Imperials if I shut out those opportunities, would I?"

Provided he doesn't stop her, she'll slip out, rather better at blending into the crowd than her tired, paranoid vigil of the room might have suggested.

Lute (188) has posed:
Lute pauses, shrugging, "I have no idea if they'll buy it. They know you wanted to talk to me, though, but. We'll see. I'll sit on this idea for a bit. Worst case, hey, wasting some time on a recorded private conversation won't really be a huge issue."

Lute smiles a bit, leaning back still. He sighs, "Well. I'll try and be your friend as long as possible. But... I will tell you my limit. If you get too much help from the Union, or join them? ...Even I can't turn a blind eye to that. Alright? My conscience wouldn't be clean not letting you know this. But... Seems like you'd rather not, so. Yeah. Good luck."

And he'll let her pop into the crowd.