1653/Ambassadorial Tour

Ambassadorial Tour
Date of Scene:	24 February 2015
Location:	The Citadel - Hangars
Synopsis:	At the request of Gaius van Baelsar, Juno Eclipse gives a brief tour of the Rogue Shadow for a Confederate ally.
Cast of Characters:	428, 522

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Juno Eclipse (428) has posed:
There are a great many ships that find berth in the Citadel's hangars. Confederate starships, aerocraft, automobiles, war machines, and other vehicles of all sorts can be found here in this place, with sectors and bays subdivided by logistics – things appear to be sorted by size out of simple necessity.

Smaller craft, like shuttles and transports, as well as starfighters, can be found in one particular bay. Tucked at the end of a row of Galactic Imperial starfighters, all by itself in relative darkness and seclusion is a sleek, unmarked transport ship. It's unique in that it bears no registry numbers, no roundels, and no identifying features of any kind.

It also has its running lights on, although the cockpit appears to be empty. There doesn't seem to be any activity around it, where many of the others have crews of engineers and maintenance workers. This one has... nobody.

Wait, no. Movement beneath the curiously asymmetrical ship – an access hatch, and a polished black boot sticking out of it, moving slightly; a flash of light, and the grinding buzz of a tool struggling against some manner of resistance. A selection of starship guts are strewn about the hatch's opening, and a welded metal plate lies discarded on the deck. More lights – it's probably a welder inside, chewing through the hull for better access to... well, something.

Looks like that's the Rogue Shadow, although there's no identifying marker, plaque, or anything else – and that must be Juno Eclipse, working her magic on its innards.

Nobody else seems to be around, and anybody else asked about it seems to shrug. Confidental, indeed.

Gaius Van Baelsar (522) has posed:
Gaius has come here for one reason and one reason alone. To view the Rogue Shadow. He was interested in many ships alike and had respect for their pilots and those who also did the maintenance on such vessels.

Juno sounded like a woman who was many tools of the trade rolled into one. He can respect that indeed.

As the woman welded away inside her ship, the Legatus moved across the surface with ease. His hand behind his back and each step calm, collective. The metal of the boots barely echoed across the floor. His gaze drifted over the lines of the Rogue Shadow, though where his eyes may be looking was impossible to tell with those void lens within his helm.

Yet as he moved ever closer he at last spoke up to break up his silence, "Juno Eclipse, I presume? Or have I stumbled upon another?"

Juno Eclipse (428) has posed:
Boots on the metal deck. Those are not the boots that belong to Galen Marek, known also as Inquisitor Starkiller. If he were approaching, she wouldn't hear it; he seems to have a special knack for moving around without being perceived. He isn't quite silent, but he can be silent enough that she doesn't hear him. She's not trained as some kind of elite commando, after all.

So the pilot hauls herself out of her small access hatch, and it's clear then that she's on some kind of wheeled rig – rolling right out and stopping herself with a boot, peering at Gaius upside-down.

There's a smudge of grease or oil on her cheek, and some of her hair is a little disheveled under her Imperial uniform cap, and she reaches up to smooth it back from her face with one gloved hand.

Electricity arcs behind her; snapping and sparking briefly. The Imperial woman holds up a forefinger and kicks herself back into the access hatch. The sound of her tool can be heard again before the platform comes rolling back out, stopped by a boot.

Juno sits up, tosses her hydrospanner aside, whisks off her cap and gloves, and rakes her fingers through her hair.

And then she stands and snaps off a razor-precise salute. "Lieutenant. That's right; Special Captain Juno Eclipse, Confederate Ally."

Gaius Van Baelsar (522) has posed:
The Legatus watches as Juno comes down the first time, then watches what she does again, before she seems to free herself from her work. He stands calmly as she collects herself ad when she salutes with introduction, he bows his head to her in equal respect.

"It is a pleasure to meet you in person and for the moment, Van Baelsar is fine." He says with a sound of mild humor in his voice, though it takes a more serious tone as he looks to the ship. "Is this the Rogue Shadow? A marvelous creation."

Juno Eclipse (428) has posed:
"This is the Rogue Shadow. Heavily modified Imperial transport, commissioned by Lord Vader, and constructed by Sienar Fleet Systems." Juno rakes her fingers through her hair one more time, replaces her cap, and folds her hands behind her at attention, turning to regard the ship. "Length from fore to aft is sixty-five meters, equipped with shielding, an advanced long-range sensor suite, ion port and starboard sublight engines, and a hyperdrive rating of zero-point-five."

"It possesses a sophisticated cloaking device, a single forward laser cannon, and may be operated by a minimum crew of one pilot. I can carry up to eight passengers, although it is possible to carry a maximum of fourteen if they don't mind minimal accomodations." She shifts her weight, thinning her lips. "It has a cargo potential of fifteen tonnes, and though it is possible to carry more, anything above that weight limit must be carefully factored into hyperspace jump calculations."

Dusting her hands, she turns to face Gaius again. "Its maximum sublight speed is thirteen hundred fifty kilometers per hour. Any other questions, Legatus, or shall I show you the interior? There are of course portions of the ship that I am not authorised to allow you entry to, of course."

Hmm. It seems she's wearing a blaster, actually. Precaution, or simple habit? It may well be the latter, given how composed and precise this woman is; the sort of woman to be prepared for anything and everything.

Gaius Van Baelsar (522) has posed:
The blaster does not bother Gaius actually, given he is a military commander. Seeing men and women armed is a common thing. After all, though he appears to have no weapons, he has one built into his gauntlet of his left arm.

He does take in what Juno explains about the ship, nodding at a few parts he follows and tilts his head to the parts he does not understand. As such things do not exist for the Garlean Empire– such as a space travel. While they are kings of the air in their own world.. space is only something the Allagan Empire could pull off– and they have yet to successfully backward engineer that.

"You must forgive my lack of knowledge in some technical terms, but Sub-light and hyper-drive?" The Black Wolf asks her with his head still titled slightly. "My best guess is you speak of speeds, though they are speeds I am not familiar with." He then motions with his hand. "Though feel free to explain as we head inside."

Gaius then adds. "Also an interesting side arm you carry. It has a similar look to the schematics that Garen sent us of his sniper rifle, but.. different being its a pistol.. and perhaps a touch more– hightech."

Juno Eclipse (428) has posed:
Sadly, reverse engineering is a tricky prospect in many worlds. There are several alien races that have cannibalised one anothers' technologies, though, and so it's not a particularly daunting prospect to the engineer. She might well relish the chance to rip into something completely unknown and figure out how it works.

"Oh." Juno blinks, somewhat owlishly. "I suppose your people aren't familiar with space travel, then, Legatus."

Juno seems to think for a moment, gaze darting away as she tries to figure out how best to explain this quandary. Her gaze lingers on a pile of junk across the hangar, belonging to some poor unfortunate soul's TIE Fighter. Or at least something that probably should be inside that unfortunate TIE fighter.

"Think of it like this," she says, looking back to Gaius and gesturing with both hands. "I don't know how much you know of astronomy, but it's possible in my world to travel across the stars, to distant planets. To do this, we use a hyperdrive. It allows a ship to travel faster than light. I won't bore you with the explanation of how, as that would take several days that I'm afraid I don't have to spare, and I'm not certain whether you'd understand it anyway."

She lets her hands drop, folding her arms. "Sufficed to say, hyperdrives are used to go extremely, mind-bogglingly fast. Sublight engines are used to travel at speeds lower than light-speed. They're used for basic manoeuvring. Say, if I wanted to take this ship out of the Citadel hangars, I would be using the sublight ion engines. They're at the aft, immediately forward of those two tall exhaust ports."

She blinks, then, looking down at her sidearm. "This? It's a BlasTech Industries blaster. It's a particle beam weapon, which means it's firing energy instead of projectiles, through the use of a power pack." She pulls it from its holster, slowly, tilting it to show Gaius the barrel. "Here, and here." The blaster is replaced into its leather holster.

"Most of them are pistols, but BlasTech also creates heavy rifles, and the kinds of blaster cannons you'd see on the starship. The Rogue Shadow's own cannon is a modified BlasTech design, in fact," she says, gesturing vaguely as she leads the way up the forward ramp, directly beneath the cockpit. "It's different from a laser, though. Instead of a focused beam, most blasters use a compressed, focused, high-energy particle beam. It's more destructive than a focused beam, for one, and it varies by the individual blaster. They can be engineered to use more or less energy to alter its characteristics."

She stops just inside the rear entryway, heading right into the commons and lounge. "This is the commons. It's your average living quarters, albeit on an extremely miniaturised scale." Indeed, there are two cordoned-off sleeping quarters, although tiny. "It's not much, but I can't be in the cockpit at all times."

The interior is, all told, pretty plain. Unfinished durasteel and plastisteel form its surfaces. They gleam even in the dim low-grade running lights, the regular lamps dark and unpowered. Juno makes her way to a wall panel, keying in a few practised commands, and those interior lights flare to life.

"Welcome to what I normally live out of when there's Inquisitorial business to be done. This is also where my Confederate passengers stay, during flight."

Gaius Van Baelsar (522) has posed:
As Juno explains the speeds involved, the Legatus gives a nod of is head, once she finishes he crosses his arms over his chest as his weight shifts. "You are correct, we do not have space travel.. not yet.. though when the Garlean Empire does claim such technology, it will probably be after I am in my grave." he admits with a heavy sigh. "Shame that, cause while we know of the stars and know space travel is possible, we do not have the means yet to escape beyond the higher, thinner atmosphere."

Gaius then listens to her explanation about her blaster and nods his head gently. "I see. Fascinating. Much like my Gauntlet in some ways." he says tapping his left wrist. Brought to the attention of it, she may notice the hidden barrel stored away in the armor. Though they don't call them lasers or such things, details he doesn't get into– but he does know people have dubbed it plasma.

Given that knowledge, he knows they are rather close.

Once they head inside he takes in the small area, lowering his head to avoid hitting anything and mindful of his helms 'horns'. He seems very use to moving around tight spaces. His hand traces along some of the metal and plastic-steel areas. Taking everything in, before he looks to Juno. "Understandable. I tend to spend most of my living moments upon my own ship.."

Juno Eclipse (428) has posed:
"Hmm. Well, don't feel too bad. There are plenty of Confederate ally worlds that aren't quite there, yet." Shrugging one shoulder, Juno turns to file further into the ship, glancing over her shoulder to make sure that he follows. And, perhaps, to keep an eye on him. It's not her ship, but she treats it like it is.

Also because she doesn't want to give Galen the satisfaction of something happening to the ship on her watch. Theirs is a relationship of mutual bickering and harassing one another over trivial matters, for the most part.

"That's the trick, more than engines to break through the planet's gravity well. You need good shielding, too. It won't do much good to achieve escape velocity, only for your crew to asphyxiate. Not a pleasant way to go." She reaches up to rub at the smudge of grease at her temple, but all she manages to do is smudge it around a little. "You should talk to one of the Imperial officials. I'm sure something can be worked out to share basic technology, at some point, but as it stands I don't have the authority."

"Actually," she adds, folding her arms again, "I'm not even on record. Technically, I don't exist."

Those blue eyes, clear as a summer sky, flick to the indicated gauntlet. Indeed, she seems to be dissecting the thing with her eyes, attempting to work out its mechanics in her mind. No doubt she'd love to get her hands on one of those for personal study.

Juno is to engineering projects like a Hutt is to profits.

"I spend most of my time here, although there are a few ports that the Rogue Shadow is welcome in." Imperial berths, that is, which are strictly off the records. "Sometimes it's necessary to set down in neutral spaceports, though I prefer not to be in open areas with the Rogue Shadow. Outside of Confederate ranks, there aren't many in the Imperial Navy who know of its existence. Or, at least, its specifics."

She leans on the door for a moment, letting him study the composition of the walls (mostly durasteel) and the finishings (mostly plastisteel, so it's not all bare metal).

"Come on. I'll show you more of the ship."

It's through a dimly-lit corridor and straight into the cockpit, which is a sparse and small area. There's a pilot's seat, a copilot's seat, and a jumpseat behind the copilot's seat; the front is dominated by controls and a very large bank of consoles for the pilot. To the sides are also additional controls, as well as the bare edge of durasteel reinforcements over the transparisteel viewport.

She folds her arms. "This, though, is where I spend most of my time." Pause. "Try not to touch anything here."

Gaius Van Baelsar (522) has posed:
Gaius listens to Juno's explanations, but keeps thoughts to himself. The material of the ship reminds him in some parts of his own armor– Cermet. A Ceramic and metal mixture, though he knows they are not exactly the same.

Once they arrived into the cockpit, he does place his hands behind his back and looks about the instrumentation, noting some of it he recognizes to his own ship's.. others he does not. In this he will remain quiet to observe and listen to what Juno has to say further.

Juno Eclipse (428) has posed:
Some parts do seem like they might be ceramic, but there's no doubting that it isn't. Ceramic isn't strong enough to hold up to the stresses of an operational (and extremely experimental) starship designed for such hard use.

Only the best for one of the Empire's better Inquisitors, and one that Lord Vader has taken under the shadow of his proverbial wing.

She rests a hand over the back of the copilot seat, and something of the familiarity of the gesture seems oddly warm. Is she that attached to the ship, or is she thinking of who normally claims that seat? Most of the heavy instrumentation seems to be on the left seat, so the right one, the one which her hand rests over, must be the copilot's.

"As I said, the Rogue Shadow is capable of a top speed of thirteen hundred fifty kilometers per hour. That's the absolute top speed, though, and it isn't sustainable in long bursts, or the sublight engines begin to overheat." She pats the chair. "You also have to account for manoeuvring, of course. Although it's equipped with a basic shielding system, the shields only protect from dust and small debris out beyond orbit. The rest is on the pilot."

Her unspoken statement is, 'That would be me.'

And the other unspoken statement is, 'Most of them can't maintain that speed and pilot worth a damn, but I can.'

Confident, this one.

"Any questions?" She folds her hand, leaning her hip against the copilot's chair. "I know this is probably a lot to take in, considering it's unfamiliar tech."

Gaius Van Baelsar (522) has posed:
"It is not to unfamiliar." Gaius says calmly, as he looks to the console, then to her. "While the Garlean aerial fleet is unable to travel into space. We do have shield generators, along with thruster-less flight.. including something akin to your plastic metal material I have noted about the ship."

The Legatus however keeps his voice calm, trying to make sure it doesn't like he is bragging or being petty. For her ship is marvelous and he knows there are things this vessel can do that they can only dream of, such as space flight. He peers at the co-pilot seat, then to her. A curious question in his mind, but something he keeps to himself still.

"She is a marvelous ship, one to be very proud of. You have done her well in keeping her maintained and your pride for her shows." He nods his head faintly. "It is always good to see one whom cherishes what they do and what they have."

The Garlean then shakes his head. "I also have no further questions really, beyond maybe one day I hope to see her in flight or be on her when she touches the stars. Yet, I shalt be patient for such a day, as I have no desire to wear out my welcome here."

Juno Eclipse (428) has posed:
Juno brings one hand up to rub at her jaw, the gesture thoughtful. She's already considering chemical formulae in her mind. Plastisteel and sublight drives. Hyperdrives not yet a possibility. Cermet? Something stronger? More metallic? More ceramic? Perhaps it's–

The sound of Gaius' voice brings her back out of her engineering reverie.

"Oh. Oh, no. Technically, this ship isn't mine." Juno shakes her head, letting go of the copilot's chair to wave both her hands in a gesture of denial. "It belongs to Inquisitor Starkiller. I'm his maintenance engineer and pilot, but I don't own the ship. I could be reassigned to another ship, or even a TIE Fighter squadron, at any time."

It's her specialty, combat piloting, but she's also come to make of herself a very good stealth pilot, and it's unlikely she would be reassigned. Working for Lord Vader is generally a permanent affair, and a short one. Her luck will run out some day, she hypothesises, but not yet; she's done her job well, and that clearly counts for something.

"Still." Manners, manners. This is technically a Confederate delegate, and it wouldn't do for a poor report to find its way back to her Imperial supervisors. Or, even worse, Lord Vader himself. "Thank you, Legatus."

A quick gesture indicates for Gaius to follow, and she makes her way back through the ship, out to the hangar's deck and into brighter lights. It takes her a moment of squinting afterward to readjust.

"If you have need of transportation, then I would be happy to give you that opportunity aboard the Rogue Shadow. I have full authorisation to make available its capabilities for official Confederate operations. This includes extractions, retrievals, and transport of both troops and materials." She considers for a moment. "Though, if you had need of moving troops, I imagine you would use your own ship. Or, if you were to contract Imperial forces, I would be requisitioning a TIE Lander, which is designed explicitly to move large numbers of troops."

Gaius Van Baelsar (522) has posed:
Gaius follows Juno, each step he takes is an easy one. She may notice of the weight of his armor and even for the metal boots– he moves with simple ease as if he was wearing no armor at all. Including the steps are a bit muffled, as if not full weight is coming down. "'Tis your ship, until you are transported to another and no matter the vessel.. a captain is a captain, until reassigned." That is the Legatus feelings on the matter it seems.

"I also shall keep such in mind, Eclipse. For your ship has something ours are incapable of. Stealth." The Legatus says with a nod of his head. "Such ability of stealth may come in useful for quick transport of me in and out of an area."

Juno Eclipse (428) has posed:
No doubt the Legatus has some manner of military training. He moves like a soldier, and he carries weight like a soldier, and so Juno has come to the highly probable answer that he is some manner of soldier. Or was. She has no idea of the command structure in the Garlean Empire, other than the fact that Gaius is obviously of noteworthy rank. Perhaps he occupies a place not unlike Lord Vader.

She is a soldier, or was, but she is no commando. She doesn't have the same kind of predatory, liquid grace as the Inquisitor whom she ferries about the galaxy. It's more the precise and measured stride of somebody who is by their very nature efficient and goal-oriented. An engineer's mind; a sharp and scientific eye.

"Not particularly. Officially, this ship belongs to Inquisitor Starkiller, and mine is simply a position to be filled." She folds her arms again, looking up to the silent, looming profile of the Rogue Shadow. "My training is actually in TIE Fighters and combat piloting."

Of course, the only difference is that most TIE Fighter pilots wash out early. It's a suicide career, and the Empire goes through TIE Fighters like most conventional militaries go through cannon fodder or sword fodder. They're the basic equivalent. The agile little fighter craft are not designed for the survival of their pilots in mind.

Her records in the Confederate databases reveal that she is indeed a brilliant pilot among the rabble, to those with the clearance to see them, although the details are murky. One would imagine so, anyway, for Lord Vader to have hand-picked her as an Inquisitorial pilot.

"That's right. The Rogue Shadow is fully equipped with a cloaking device. It isn't something that can be run for too long at a time, not while the sublight engines are engaged, but I can safely idle in orbit and the ambient temperature will keep the ship from frying its passengers like an oven." Her smile is thin. "Maybe you'll have the opportunity to see it, some time. As I said, I have clearance to transport Confederate personnel on official Confederate business. I imagine our paths, in that regard, will cross soon enough."

Gaius Van Baelsar (522) has posed:
The Legatus nods his head to Juno's firm explanation that she will take no credit and gives a nod to her bit about the stealth. Including taking in some of the facts that the ship may run out while the cloak is on. Which is an interesting tid bit to know.

"Well. If you ever require a place to dock and do not desire to dock in Neutral grounds no on the ground itself, but close enough too. Let me know." The Legatus places his hands behind his back. "The Dreadnought has a large capacity for holding of several drop ships along with other type of drone units. The Rogue Shadow can easily fit in one of her hangers. If you should need it."

The Legatus then lowers his arms. "Perhaps in time, you may be able to even visit my own and the Garlean's pride and joy. However, I should get back. 'Tis a pleasure to meet you Eclipse and thank you for the tour of the fine vessel."

Juno Eclipse (428) has posed:
Stooping to pick up her discarded welder and hydrospanner, the pilot glances back to regard the Legatus over her shoulder.

"I'll be certain to inform you, Legatus, although the cloaking device can usually account for hostile territory." Juno pauses, with a wry half-smile. "And when it comes to flying through a hot zone, I was trained as a combat pilot."

That was at the controls of starfighters far more fragile than the Rogue Shadow, at that. TIE Fighters are ordinarily more like mobile coffins, but she not only survived her sorties, but thrived.

"Maybe I'll do that, someday. I've got maintenance to get back to, myself, if I'm to have this ship fully functional for the Inquisitor." Both her tools are transferred to one hand when it seems like he's gearing up to leave. She offers a one-handed salute, and in spite of the burden in her other hand, it's still graceful and precise. The consummate professional, this one; and an exemplary officer besides. "Very well, then, Legatus."

Useful survival skills for a woman to have in the Galactic Empire. She's gotten to be where she is through pure merit, and through knowing when to keep her mouth shut. Also a useful skill to have.

Only after Gaius takes his leave and he's gone well out of visual range does she seem to relax, some of the tension bleeding out of her shoulders. "Right, then," she says crisply to herself. "Back to work."

And with that, the pilot slides herself back into the access hatch she'd been working on – the snapping crackle of electricity, and the occasional blue light from deep within the recesses, can be heard and seen not long after.

Some minor improvement she'll probably get into an argument with the ship's owner over, no doubt.