2587/Plan B

Plan B
Date of Scene:	06 July 2015
Location:	Faraway Galaxy <FG>
Synopsis:	Juno Eclipse discusses a few potential contingency plans with Kyra Hyral.
Cast of Characters:	428, 626

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Juno Eclipse (428) has posed:
A signal was sent to the MSV Rafflesia, heavily encrypted and routed through a dizzying amount of communications networks, with coordinates to an isolated region of her home galaxy. There isn't much going on out here, and it may take some creativity to spot the Rogue Shadow looming in the void -- with stars sparse on this region of the Outer Rim, there isn't anything to reflect off the ship's matte charcoal hull, and therefore no need to lean too hard on the cloaking system.

Upon beaming aboard, Kyra will find Juno in the cockpit of the ship, hunched over the pilot's console, the ship's engines a low hum underlying the rest. It's mostly repaired by this point, although the surface damage is still visible; plates carbon-scored and charred.

Juno herself seems to be absorbed in flicking through data displayed on her console, eyes narrowed. It seems to be Imperial records of some kind; HoloNet news, perhaps, of the nearest inhabited sector. A cup of cooling coffee sits near at hand, and she has a data padd on her lap, taking notes of what appears to be rebel activity... or /possible/ rebel activity.

Kyra Hyral (626) has posed:
    Kyra seems pretty prompt to arrived, perhaps primed for space travel recently. She moves very, very carefully since she isn't how sure just how high the Rafflesia was on the Empire's radar. Sure, it was docked at the Flotilla's mining facility during the attack but it received no undue attention from anyone (fortunate, really, or she'd have a hard time getting out of AMERATSU). Due to the natural camoflage that Juno is currently taking advantage of at the moment, it takes quite a bit of time for Kyra to find the ship.

    Once aboard, she heads right to the cockpit, expecting to find the pilot there. As she steps inside, she quickly calls out with a "Hi!" before scooting over to stand slightly behind Juno's chair. She takes a quick look at the console, only really recognizing a news feed for what it is. "So how have you been?" Right away, Kyra is peering at Juno, trying to judge how much sleep she's been getting.

Juno Eclipse (428) has posed:
The pilot looks better rested than usual, for a change, proof perhaps of having Revan run regular escort duty. She still looks drawn and tired, but no longer in danger of falling over.

Juno glances aside as Kyra calls out her arrival, tossing a hand in lazy mock-salute. "Kyra. I've been alright," she adds, shrugging. "Keeping a low profile, for the most part, resting where I can, and trying to keep the ship in one piece. Sooner or later I'm going to have to do something about parts... but right now I suppose I can continue improvising. Nothing's critical, at least not yet."

"I've also been tracking rebel activity." She gestures toward the pilot's console. "I can't sit here in obscurity forever. I've got to plan our next move."

Kyra Hyral (626) has posed:
    Kyra grins a little wider, pleased to see her friend in much better condition than she was a month ago after narrowly escaping the Empire's clutches twice (plus a small bounty hunting effort on the side). Of course Juno could use more sleep but now she doesn't look like she might drop dead from exhaustion.

    "Parts? Oh, you mean you've gotta raid something or pick over a junkyard. Like that, right?" Kyra leans on the back of Juno's chair, peeking over her shoulder at the pilot's console. "I gotta agree. I mean with all that happening. I've...also been wondering. How do you feel about this Flotilla business now? Do you think you can go to them for help?"

    Blunt and direct, Kyra actually looks pretty worried. Why shouldn't she be, given the last exchange between Juno and the Flotilla.

Juno Eclipse (428) has posed:
"Something like that." Juno folds her arms, watching the console somewhat absently. "Junkyards aren't going to have what I need, though. Not in the kind of condition I need it in. 'Gently used' doesn't really work; not in that case, and what I can find isn't going to be specialised enough."

She looks back up, focusing as she eyes Kyra. Go to the Flotilla for help? The pilot blinks once or twice, as though mulling the issue over.

"I'm beginning to wonder, myself." Her eyes seem troubled. "They're more concerned with their own survival than anything else. I mean... I'd /like/ to trust them, but... can I really trust anyone, right now? As it is, I haven't dared show my ship around Flotilla space. I can't trust that Murasame won't be waiting for me, again; not with their being part of the Flotilla."

She sighs through her teeth. "I don't know," she answers, honestly. "I don't know who to trust, any more. I haven't for a long time."

Kyra Hyral (626) has posed:
    "So you would need to do some straight up piracy, then." More bluntness from Kyra. She doesn't sound at all bothered about it since Juno's likely to target Imperial vessels anyway-and those were not friends at all. "Or just theft right from the factory. That's going to be tricky."

    She quiets down and listens to Juno's thoughts on the Flotilla, nodding along in comprehension, waiting and considering before saying something about that herself.

    "I'm not sure if I can entirely trust them either. They work for whoever gets them the most resources to further their colony. I can respect a very survival-minded mindset but...where does that put people like us that don't have gobs of money or starships or other big resources to back the Flotilla with." Her shoulders sink, "Juno...the other day I saw the Core Fleet /helping/ the Empire capture a guy that I and my friends were after. Darth Vader was there personally. Darth fucking Vader!" She sinks even further, resting her chin on Juno's chair. "I'm scared, Juno. I'm scared that when it comes down to it, they're going to pick the Zaibatsu or the Empire over you or I."

Juno Eclipse (428) has posed:
"Something like that. For the obvious reasons we can't go after Sienar Fleet Systems again, because they'll be expecting us. Targetting Imperial facilities that are closely affiliated with them should be sufficient, though." She rubs her jaw, eyeing the display. "We might be able to get what we need that way."

Silent, she listens to Kyra's reasoning with some concern, and also sympathy. She can't argue those points too much; now that she no longer has the support of the Empire, Juno herself is in much the same position -- life's been markedly harder since she turned her back on the Imperial Navy she'd served for nearly half her life.

Her eyes snap to Kyra's, and one can practically see her blood pressure spike at hearing the Flotilla had helped the Empire. "/What/?"

Then again, when she'd needed help, they'd been helping her as Imperial contractors, only to turn on the Empire, but... could she trust someone with such seemingly inconstant loyalties?

"My question is this," she says, softly. "They say it's loyalty above all else, but what happens when it's a choice between two Flotilla members -- you and I, say, against someone like Zaibatsu backing? I'm afraid it would go to the one with the greater resources."

Her fingers drum on the arm of her chair, and she frowns. "Then we join the Rebel Alliance, however we have to. they're not the Confederacy, they're not the Union, and they're not the Flotilla... maybe they're a bit cash-poor, too, but their hearts are in the right place. And from all that I can see--" She jabs a thumb toward the console, "--they /do/ support loyalty to one another. Fiercely," she adds, glancing up to Kyra. "It would be dangerous, as they've plenty of enemies in Imperial ranks, and certainly the Confederacy would be interested in them on behalf of the Empire, too. And I haven't ruled out supporting the Union, either. But I feel like it's the right thing to do, the thing I /need/ to do, to help break the Empire's grip."

"What do you think...?"

Kyra Hyral (626) has posed:
    "Yeah. They were fighting with them to retrieve and kill this guy that my friends and I were trying to to capture. It's...it's a long story but the weird thing is Darth Vader has been messing with a bunch of stuff in my world and we have no idea why. We think he was at a big battle recently whipping the enemy side into...coordination? It's hard to explain, my friend Mirielle would be able to explain it better. Then these last two times we have been trying to do things in Denver to investigate something /he was there/! And this last time he did some kind of brain-pokey thing to all of us!"

    When Kyra gets going, it's really hard to stop her. In her babbling, she pulls out her mPhone and pulls up a picture. It's of a Low Altitude Assault Transport landed on the ground somewhere in Njorun. One of the side bay doors is open and a number of the Light Warriors (plus Lyria and Dorotea) are gathered around in a group shot in the open door. "We also stole this though. But his constant interference in this is making me /so mad/."

    She calms down a little, looking worried. "It's true. And I do remember them saying that when the Zaibatsu and Empire attacked AMERATSU. We...we should at least ask them first. To confirm this. I..." she wavers, "I like them. I like Seft and Biteblade and Albert. It makes it kind of hurt to be in this position."

    She looks thoughtful. "The Rebel Alliance, eh. I only know a little bit about it but I really like the sound of it. Especially loyalty. I know /I'd/ definitely join it even if it's dangerous! Er..."

    She trails off a little for a moment, looking contemplative. "I would have to give the rest of the Light Warriors a heads up at least. I've...put them through a lot lately."

Juno Eclipse (428) has posed:
Folding her arms, Juno leans back in her chair, listening to Kyra's story with a troubled expression. To hear that Vader takes an interest in any world beyond their own own is disturbing. Not knowing the motivation is fairly normal, as she can barely work out what he wants half the time when he takes a hand in affairs of their own world... but the fact that he's showing so /much/ interest is troubling.

In the end, all she can do is shrug. "I don't know. Nobody knows why Vader does what he does but Vader himself. Most of the Sith are fairly predictable, but he isn't; he's clever, and bloody hard to predict. /That's/ what makes him so dangerous, aside from the usual."

"I like them, too," Juno adds, subdued. "But I also have to consider my own future... while I understand their struggle, it isn't my own. And that dichotomy is something that might get me killed if I /do/ trust them. Seft and Biteblade and Albert are good people, maybe, but they're not the whole of the Flotilla. The Flotilla takes no action except by vote -- and if they vote that the Empire will award them more in the way of material goods, then that's the way the solar wind's going to blow, for them."

She shakes her head. "It's why I haven't been anywhere near Flotilla space, or piloting the Slice Hound. Not until I've had a chance to stirp that ship down, too."

"As for the rebels... it's a thought. I don't know if we can trust them any more than the Flotilla, to be honest. I don't know them. Nor do they know us. They're highly supsicious of outsiders, with good reason." Her expression sobers. "And I have a list of war crimes long enough to give even the most bleeding-heart idealist among them pause. If we do take up with them... it's going to be a long and uphill battle to win their trust." She shrugs again, blowing out a sigh and leaning back in her chair. "The question I have to ask is whether that's a battle any of us should be choosing, right now; whether it will benefit us, or them, to have them to turn to."

Kyra Hyral (626) has posed:
    "He's been doing a pretty good job at thwarting our main missions." Kyra grumbles and stands up fully. "You don't happen to know how to stop his telekinesis, do you. In particular when he-" Kyra makes squeezing motions around her own throat. "-does that kind of thing. My magic doesn't seem to have any effect and my friends fighting him weren't enough to disrupt his concentration. His multitasking is terrifying. He's...all terrifying."

    Juno brings up her very important point about her own survival. "Your situation is far worse than mine is right now. I have wiggle room but I worry it's only a matter of time. You..." she makes a face, "If they vote to come after you I certainly won't help them. Nope. No I won't. It just doesn't feel right to have to go at each other in the fleet. Sure, I might get cool stuff out of it but reliable people are more valuable."

    She looks sad. It's not a surprise to know that Juno was avoiding the Flotilla space and the Slice Hound but it still hurts to hear this confirmation.

    "How would we gain their trust? With your background and me being from a whole other world entirely, it sounds like something that might take a lot of time." Kyra looks thoughtful, "Long and uphill battle, like you said. I think it might be worth starting the process now."

Juno Eclipse (428) has posed:
"Force-choking? No, sorry. Otherwise there wouldn't be quite so many demotions in the Imperial Navy," Juno shakes her head. "He's using the Force, but he's using the Dark Side. He's fuelling his abilities with negative emotion, and I'm certain he's got a bloody /lot/ of it."

She smiles a little at the notion that Kyra will back her up, but it's a slightly sad expression. "Thanks, Kyra," she says, very softly. "It means a lot."

"Maybe." Leaning back, she arches her head back, considering. "Mmmm. Striking at something that would earn their trust, maybe... a symbolic target, but something that would also send a message to the Empire, too." She sighs and closes her eyes. "I'll have to think about it. And quickly."

Kyra Hyral (626) has posed:
    Kyra makes a worried nose. "There has to be a way or the next time he grabs me..." The white mage looks upset, knowing that unlike Juno, she is not a target that would be captured. It was evident during the attack on AMARATSU: she'd just be killed.

    A smile follows, though, trying to look reassuring in spite of that. She places one hand on Juno's shoulder briefly before withdrawing.

    "Keep me in mind when you pick somewhere to hit, Juno. I will help out in any way I can." she trusts Juno knows her skillset well enough now that she'd be able to place Kyra where she'd be most advantageous against whatever target Juno picks.

Juno Eclipse (428) has posed:
"Maybe. Actually, my best recommendation is to talk to Lowri. She's a Jedi Knight, and she should be able to teach you some sort of technique to help your chances against Vader." Juno leans an elbow against her chair's arm, cupping her chin in her hand. "I'm not sure she can teach you anything specifically against being Force-choked, as that's simply brute force, so to speak... but maybe she knows something I don't. I'm afraid I'm not very well-versed in those sorts of things. They're the specialty of the Sith and the Jedi, and I'm neither. All of my knowledge is just hearsay, or what Galen or Lowri have told me."

Reaching up, Juno laces her fingers overhead, stretching until her arms manage a satisfying pop. She sighs as she lets them fall, glancing briefly to the side at the weight of Kyra's hand on her shoulder. Her head tilts faintly. Unlike some, she has no instinctive reaction to being touched; it was merely unexpected enough to cause her to look at it.

"Hm? I will." She gestures toward the display screen. "Chances are it's going to have to be something a little more out of the way and off the beaten track. While it would be nice to strike something important and win a symbolic victory, that may have to wait, for the time being."

Her gaze slides to the console, considering. "I need to bide my time, and I need to build up support and sympathy within the Rebel Alliance. Both of us. Galen's done his fair share to devastate their numbers, too, and so have I... we've got a lot of making up to do, if it's even possible. For right now, thanks to the situation we're in, we're going to have to start small."

"I'm sure I can come up with something," Juno adds, with a faint smile. "Something that plays to all of our talents. I'll just need a bit of time to give it due consideration. I've got to be careful, and play my cards correctly. There are just too many questionable variables, like the rebels themselves; and factors that are outright against us... like the Confederacy, the Empire... and possibly even the Flotilla." Her good cheer fades as she sobers. "I'm going to have to watch them, and carefully."

"For all the loyalty that they make such a fuss of, they were complacent enough to defend Murasame when I expressed my displeasure over their targetting me. In response to that, Moonfin suggested I choose my battles." She smiles, a bit bitterly. "I suppose I should have known then which way the wind might blow. They'll stand their ground against the Empire, I think, but I can't trust them to stand their ground against another Flotilla member; particularly one as well-equipped as the Murasame Zaibatsu."

Kicking back, she rests her boots against the pilot's console, leaning forward to flick the display off with a casual and practised gesture. "In any case, the best I can do is to keep doing what I have been doing, Galen and I. Hide, and plan our next move. I don't know what else to do, or where to go. If I have to, I'll seek out the Union for asylum, although I can hardly expect them to grant that, either. That's an emergency option I can keep in mind, if it's necessary..."

Kyra Hyral (626) has posed:
    "I'll go to Lowri about that, then." Kyra says quickly. Juno can easily hear the fear and frustration in her voice. That of someone who clearly realizes that they've encountered an insurmountable force. "I hope you never have to deal with it personally, Juno."

    Kyra is quick to nod in agreement at Juno's first suggestion. "It sounds reasonable. Though uh. I've never really had a hand in a super huge rebellion or operation like this before. So uh...take my advice, agreements, and recommendations with a grain of salt." She bows her head. "In fact, I defer to you since you've been in the position to study a rebellion before, right? I mean, you'd fight against one. But I do think it's possible to make up for it. Just it'll take a long time to do it."

    For Juno and Galen alike, really.

    She bristles a little as Juno brings up the Moonfin comment from a week or so ago. "It was that comment that really started making me take a hard look at this whole arrangement. Murasame is a very /generous/ supporter because he's got the backing of a while business behind him. The solar winds are always going to blow their direction and if Murasame ever wants to start contracting with the Empire, that would have put them in a good place to open the door. I'm not okay with that. I'm not okay with working for the Flotilla if they're just going to be Murasame's handpuppets."

    Juno concludes she'll continue running and hiding. Kyra again nods in agreement, "That seems like the best thing you can do right now. Stay alive. Keep your boyfriend alive and sane too."

Juno Eclipse (428) has posed:
"That's good. Lowri's a good person to talk with about things like that." Juno nods, her voice kept calm and low. She doesn't need any Force-sensitivity to know how on edge her friend is, and maybe an anchoring presence would help her. "She's also a Union ally, so I'm sure that you can trust her. I know I can, and have; it's because of her that I'm even alive right now."

She folds her arms, one hand reaching up to rub at her jaw, speculatively. "Actually, I have. That creepy little Confederate droid, HK-47, wanted to do a little torture for torture's sake. Vader threw me across the room with the Force to separate us. It wasn't pleasant. At least he didn't try to throttle me, anyway, but you feel just as helpless when you're plucked off your feet and flung through the air with enough force to knock the air out of you."

Juno's hand falls, and she leans back in her chair, comfortably. In the face of Kyra's indignation, she seems neutral; if anything, no more than very tired, and somewhat disheartened.

"I don't really begrudge them that. If anything, I was too naive. Knowing their situation, I should have known that they would be desperate, and that they might do anything to further their own survival. After all, I'm in the same position right now." She shrugs, sighing. "All I can do is keep an eye on them, and be very careful about getting close to them again. If it means maintaining physical distance, so be it. I'm not certain that I'm ready to burn that bridge yet, though. I think it's still worth waiting to see what happens."

She shrugs. "If there's blowback from that particular arrangement, between the Flotilla and Murasame, I don't intend to be close enough to feel it. I can observe, though. That's something the Rogue Shadow is very, very good at doing; that's what it was designed to be able to do. And I can be a very patient person. My job as an Inquisitorial pilot, and even a TIE pilot, required it; and it still does. I just have to be patient in different ways, now."

"Yeah." As for running and hiding, Juno lets out a tired sigh. "That's the only thing I can do, right now. Keep running, keep hiding. If I need to I can go to the Union for asylum, and I think I might even be able to convince them to accept my story, with yours and Lowri's testimonial. It'll attract far too much attention, though; attention I ultimately won't be able to rid myself of, so I'm considering it a final option in the event of a disaster or emergency."

As for keeping Galen sane, she rolls one narrow shoulder again, looking worried. "I'm doing the best I can. Time will tell, as it always does. I worry about him, but I'm doing what I should be doing, and that's being here to support him. I guess I should worry about myself, too, but fortunately, I haven't really got the time to, most days."

Kyra Hyral (626) has posed:
    "I've heard her talk to the Union before, including vouching for you along with Toph. She seems like a pretty tough lady." Kyra comments on Lowri. "Hopefully she can help us out. All of us." She fields a nervous smile that fades when Juno describes the telekinetic shenanigans that Vader subjected her to not too long ago. Though she seems more concerned when she mentions that HK-47 droid was torturing her. "That thing enjoys /torturing/ people?" she asks with dismay. "I'm glad I haven't seen that rotten little thing in a while."

    HK-47's sass is suddenly a lot less amusing in light of /this/, it turns out.

    Her bitterness fades just a little. "...you're right, Juno. They don't have the resources to say no to an offer like Murasame's. Or maybe even the Empire if they really wanted to cooperate with each other. Maybe the other day was just an alliance of convenience. Though it was still to my detriment so I'm gonna continue being mad at them for that. As for Murasame..."

    She looks uncomfortable. "...well...my objections to him are more on a personal level. I can't really tell the other Flotilla members about that because...well, my reasons don't really make good 'don't work for Murasame' reasons." She looks bitter and dejected about that.

    "The Union might make a mess of things or slow you down. I'd only go to them at last resort. As for you and Galen, I worry about both of you. You especially, Juno. So if you don't have time to worry about yourself, just remember that I'm worrying about you, alright?"

Juno Eclipse (428) has posed:
"She's a tough lady." Juno can't help a half-smile at that. Putting aside her gifts with the Force, Lowri Revan-Shan is cut from a similar cloth to Juno herself. They'll fight ferociously for what they believe in and what they think is right, even if it means their own death. "Yeah. I'm counting on that. She's one of the few allies I can trust, besides you, that I've got in my corner right now."

The smile fades at mention of the hunter-killer droid. Now is probably not the best time to mention that Lowri was the one who built it, in her past life...

"Actually, it enjoys killing organics, since that's what it was programmed to do. It's... a little complicated, but the long and short of it is that its role is not unlike what Galen's used to be. Except, being a droid, he dosn't exactly suffer a crisis of conscience about it. Indeed, actually killing his targets and causing pain and suffering gives him pleasure, or satisfaction, or whatever it is a droid gets out of fulfilling their primary programming." Juno gestures, somewhat nebulously, with one hand. "I don't know. Whatever the case, I'm going to go out of my way to either avoid that thing, or put it square in the sights of the Rogue Shadow's cannon."

She wouldn't really mourn that thing being wiped off the face of the multiverse. Nope, not at all.

"Maybe. I'm still unhappy. The impression I've gotten is not to rock the boat, because Murasame holds more sway with them. Although he hasn't said it outright, the last time I snapped at Murasame, Moonfin's cautionary statement to me to avoid that battle... I don't know. It seemed like he was trying to warn me that if they had to choose between us, Murasame would be the winner."

She snorts, looking out to the viewport and its lonely, bleak void; devoid of all but the dimmestl, most distant stars. "It's one thing to make noises about loyalty, but... that's some loyalty they've got, don't you think? I understand their struggle, but I still can't help but feel somewhat bitter about it. I turned to them because I /trusted/ them, and it wasn't as though I was going to hide there forever. I only needed to repair the damage to my ship so I wouldn't have a /hull breach/ or something."

Sighing, she leans back in her chair and shuts her eyes. "Yeah. I know. And I'm grateful for it. I have to keep both this ship and Galen maintained and running, and it's wearying sometimes. It was easy when I was still an Imperial -- I had any parts or components I needed at my fingertips. Now I have to improvise, and it's harder than it looks."