Scene #4029: A Soggy Meeting

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Juno Eclipse	A short, encrypted message had been left for the Ebon Hawk, and the Jedi Knight would have recognised the haggard features of her friend and partner in rebellious crime, Juno Eclipse. The former Imperial had instructed her Jedi friend to meet her 'where they had first met.' That means a rainy, miserable slushball of a world located in the Outer Rim Territories, in the Sanbra Sector; the deceptively pretty-from-space jewel of the Aquilaris System... but this time, the pilot comes prepared, with rain gear to get her into the cantina they'd met in. For once she doesn't look like a drowned rat, today, and she's ordered a cup of something hot for two -- one's set in the place she's waiting for Revan at, and she has her hands cupped around her own drink, inhaling the fragrant steam from the stimtea. Half her attention is fixed on one of the viewscreens in the corner, transmitting a local podracing track. There are explosions, rain, mud, cursing, cheering, and other assorted reactions from the people in the cantina. A pretty normal day on Aquilaris, all told. There's really not much to do here. Podracing is pretty big. ...is that a pack of Pazaak cards next to Juno's drink?
Revan	Lowri Revan-Shan couldn't help but smile sardonically when she gave T3 the co-ordinates for their next destination. In truth, it was probably one of the safer placed to meet where it was unlikely they'd be overheard; even the Multiverse Bar and Grill wasn't as secure against eavesdroppers of the Confederate Elite kind. But there was still some amount of irony to it when the both of them had met outside their respective ships for the first time and had mutually agreed to avoid Aquilaris if they could help it. Still at least this time they would be better prepared. Even Jedi could get wet, and rain gear would stand out far less than her usual robes. Those robes were currently stored in her quarters on the Ebon Hawk, and today she was dressed in the nondescript uniform of a Republic commando from her era. The freighter touched down without incident, her droid entourage assigned to their usual task of looking after the ship. Someone would be in for a very unpleasant surprise should he or she attempt to make off with it like so many other previous owners had. There were few better security systems than a giant insectoid-like robot with a fierce loyalty to his master or a deceptively diminutive robot girl with state-of-the-art weaponry. Even with her deep love of all things sarcastic, the Guardian was not so insensitive that she would comment on the haggard appearance of the Imperial-turned-Revel pilot. All in all, things could have been a lot worse when it came to their mutual enemies. Still, she hid her concern behind her familiar half-smile. Her expression might have taken an almost ironic turn when she spotted the mutual bane of their existences, though. Shrugging off her waterproof overcoat, Lowri draped it over her arm before taking the seat opposite Juno, ordering a strong stimcaf. "Glad to see you're still alive and giving hell," she quipped quietly.
Juno Eclipse	When in Rome, do as the Romans do; or so the adage goes for a lot of other worlds. That doesn't work here. There was never a Roman Empire. There is, however, a Galactic Empire, and it behooves most people to do as Imperials do if they want to live a reasonably happy and productive life. Or live any sort of life at all. Not everyone buys into that status quo, though... and the ones that don't manage find places like this to do their communication and planning. The pilot is wearing her usual 'rebel' clothing, today; the kind of nondescript but functional outfit well-suited to a smuggler or rebel guerrila fighter. Her hair is down in an effort to obfuscate her identity; it's not a style she wears very often. Rain gear completes the picture. When in Aquilaris, do as Aquilarians do, and that's shield themselves from the perennial rain in any way possible. Leaning back in her chair, the blonde lifts her steaming cup in sarcastic salute before risking a sip. "I'm not sure about the last part, but I'm alive, and I think that might count for giving them hell. Someone that doesn't fit into their nice and tidy order is a thorn in their side, whether the person does anything or not." Juno flashes a grin, which almost makes one forget the shadows under her eyes. "My kind of revenge."
Revan	"Can't argue with that," the Jedi agrees, taking a careful sip of her scalding beverage. Even with the adequate protection from the incessant rains, it was still cold. "It's more than just a thorn in their side. Word gets around." Revan's hair is in its customary heavy braid, her heavy bangs brushed to one side to conceal her odd grey eye. When it hangs down over her shoulder she flips it behind her with an almost annoyed gesture. "The more people know that there are those willing to stand up to them is a weak link in their chain. Enough pressure, and it's only a matter of time before it breaks." Lowri shrugged slightly. "But anyway. I gather there's a bit more specific trouble you're looking to cause."
Juno Eclipse	"Exactly." Juno settles into her chair more comfortably, reaching into her jacket and rummaging around in one of the interior pockets for a few seconds. She finally produces a data cylinder, which she slides across the table towards Revan. "Speaking of word getting around, here's word on a little operation I've got planned a few days from now." She lowers her voice, tone deadly serious as she eyes Revan with her blue eyes. Her left is just slightly different, a little too grey; but the difference would escape all but the keenest study -- one of those eyes has been repaired. "The Empire's assembling a fleet to patrol multiversal boundaries, probably with the intent of expanding their territories even more. A few choice Imperial outposts have information on which capital ships and squadrons will be supporting them. More importatnly, hidden somewhere in all that detritus, there's going to be a schedule of where pieces of that fleet's going to be, and when." "I want to know where that fleet's going to be while it's at its weakest. If I can gather up enough allies, we can hit them, and hit them hard enough to make even Palpatine sit up and take notice." Leaning forward, Juno jerks a thumb behind her. "I'm sure Vader will respond once we're after the fleet itself, too, but I'm hoping I can engineer a strike to go off fast enough that we won't have to deal with him." She taps on the table to indicate the data cylinder. "There's specs for current Imperial ships on that, too. You can brush up on the few thousand years' worth of starship engineering you've missed; this is stuff commonly used in the Imperial Navy. I served on a few of those ships and I flew the TIE/LN fighter listed in there." Her eyes flick up to Revan again. "I'd like to earn a few points with the Rebel Alliance, too, and this might go some way towards that."
Revan	Picking up the cylinder with gloved fingers, the pale-haired Guardian stored it inside a small breast pocket without so much as a wasted movement. Even if they weren't being watched, she clearly didn't want to take unnecessary chances. Revan had noted the slight change in Juno's eye, but it wasn't something of immediate concern. Instead, she listened intently to the operation the Rebel pilot was planning, while forming some ideas of her own. "So," she mused. "A hit-and-run. Vader will probably see through it, eventually...but that doesn't mean multiple feints can't have his forces chasing their tails long enough to deal them some serious damage. If the Rebels had larger forces, a series of misdirection raids would be even better, but I doubt they could spare the forces." She frowned slightly, contemplating. "On the other hand, small guerilla strikes are devastating under the right circumstances. And most of the Empire's higher-ups probably won't be expecting one." After she stowed away the data cylinder, Revan took a sip of stimcaf before resting her elbows on the table, folding her hands and resting her chin on them. "It certainly can't hurt," she replied. "I'll look over the data once I'm back on board. I'm more than game."
Juno Eclipse	It's a subtle detail, that slight discolouration, and a story that Juno has never volunteered before. It's been there for as long as the pilot and the Jedi Knight had known each other, but it's not the kind of mismatch explained by genetics, like Revan's heterochromia. It's too subtle, too close to the original colour, for it to be a matter of genetics. Green and blue might have made sense, but it's a strange set of blue and blue, as though someone had tried to match the colour with something not quite there. Juno doesn't even notice she's rubbing at the eye as Revan takes the data cylinder; when she does notice what she's doing, she puts her hand down in conscious effort. Blinking away the urge to sleep, she yawns, nodding to respond to Revan's observations until she can actually talk. "I'm sure Vader will. That's why it's a hit-and-run job." Juno claps a fist into an open hand for emphasis. "We're going to get in, get what we want, and get out of there so fast that Vader won't have the opportunity to show up and express his displeasure. And if he has someone occupying him, I can slice that information out of the mainframe. Even if I can't find fleet plans, if I can get some kind of duty roster detailing who and what's going to be in it, I can make a surgical strike and disable those ships. The Empire has plenty of credits, but I can make them bleed for those repair costs." Literally and figuratively, of course. Juno takes a sip of her stimtea, wrapping her hands around it and absorbing its warmth. "That's the idea. They'll be expecting some idiot manoeuvre like rushing a base, or running right into an Imperial patrol. I don't have the resources to do that, though, and I'll choose fighting smart over fighting stupid any day of the week." She grins. "Good. I've got a few tentative leads out there." "Look up what you can on some person called 'the Lotus,'" she adds. "Uses these bizarre things called 'Warframes.' Her agent is some kind of thing called the 'Tenno.' It's all very mysterious, you know, but from what I understand, that Tenno thing knows how to fight. I've seen it in action, so I'm going to try and call in the Tenno cavalry, too. I've also got a merc by the name of Alexis Maaka. Some kind of cyborg. I met with her yesterday in Cloud City and filled her in on the job. She's definitely interested."
Revan	That seemingly small detail had been something Revan had not noticed up until that point, though in all fairness she had never had a prior opportunity to get a good long look at the other woman. The Jedi's similar condition was much more obvious and shrouded in the same mystery as most of her past was, enough for a need to conceal when she wanted to be inconspicuous...and sufficiently unsettling when she needed to be properly intimidating. But this was likely a side-effect of some form of reconstruction; not enough to leech the colour entirely -- as perhaps her own might have been following some unknown injury thousands of years ago before medical technology had progressed to the level it had in Juno's time -- but just enough that her current position would permit. Yet, that line of thought was one for another time and place, once Juno and Galen had a proper place to rest and heal. If the pilot's haggard appearance was anything to go by, she was forced to get by on only a few hours of sleep and the infrequent micronapping. The Jedi frowned thoughtfully. "You're definitely going to need a distraction, then. A simultaneous strike might..." She shook her head. Juno was quite obviously too worn out for a strategy meeting. But that fact brought up another. "Hey, she said softly. "How much sleep have you been able to get? I'm more than willing to make an escort run at least long enough for you to get some decent rest in the meanwhile." Still, she nodded on the intelligence-gathering. "I'll see what I can dig up," she replied. "There has to be at least some kind of trail, even for new arrivals."
Juno Eclipse	There are some aspects of her training Juno is thankful for, and one of those is the ability to function on a biological minimum of sleep. Adrenaline, stimulants, and willpower can see her through those long hours otherwise. Keeping their pilots in a constant state of hunter's anxiety was supposed to increase their combat performance, but all that did was sort the wheat from the chaff. Juno had seen a lot of them eventual suffer psychotic breakdowns between the physical and mental stresses placed on them. Not so long ago, she had figured that would eventually be her fate when she couldn't cope any more. Like every other fighter pilot in the racks, she was kept on the same irregular schedule and bound to the same mental stresses as her fellow pilots. Once she couldn't mitigate those stresses any more, she would wind up just as dysfunctional as them, if she wasn't shot down first. Fortunately her transferral to the Black Eight Squadron, and later the Rogue Shadow, had put an end to all that. In reality that had just been trading one sort of stress for another, but that's splitting hairs. "A simultaneous strike might be just the thing." Juno snaps her fingers, eyes darting from one side of the room to the other. She's not really watching anything, but it's a fair bet she might be running scenarios through her head even as she plans out loud. "Something that gets the security concentrated on one side of the base, and away from where the data vaults are kept. That would be best, although I wasn't counting on having enough manpower to plan more than one distraction." She rambles to a halt, blinking and raising a brow when she's questioned. "Uhm?" Sleep? It's a fair bet she hasn't gotten very much. Actually stopping and thinking about it only seems to confuse her. "Honestly? I haven't been counting. Catnapping in the pilot's seat, mostly. Maybe a nap in quarters if I have PROXY take over in relatively safe areas. I suppose Galen's not looking much better than I am, but at least he has his meditation to occupy him. It's up to you. I won't ask you to tie down your ship." "I wouldn't really consider it required reading. I just can't find out anything on these things, and that's a little weird." Juno rolls one shoulder in a faint shrug. "I suppose they're just that good at covering their tracks."
Revan	It wasn't as if the Guardian hadn't done the same thing herself when she and her ragtag entourage of misfits were running around the entire galaxy hunting down Star Maps on a mad race against Malak's forces. Added to that her nightmares of her past and Force visions, she was still uncertain she had gotten any proper rest in all of that time. She knew full-well what it could do even in the short run. But just as she had then, Juno had no other choice to stay alive. Which was where, in Lowri's opinion, it was her job to step in. Which she fully intended to do in a moment. Revan nodded, reverting back to tactics. "If we've got the forces for it, that would be what I'd recommend. It would be even better if we could divide them up into separate groups and hit them from multiple angles. When one group retreats, another takes its place from the opposite end. Keep the pressure constantly on and keep them guessing." She smiled sardonically. Even with an entire empire of Sith behind her, Darth Revan had apparently been fond of employing guerilla tactics. "It's...what little I can remember of my sordid past, anyway." Lowri waved her hand in a casual gesture, an affectation even as she inwardly worried over her friend's health and state of mind. "Nah. I've got more than enough time on my hands...don't worry about it. And I'd rather have you be at your best when we're taking on an entire Empire than hunting down elusive leads. Trust me, we'll be better off with you decently rested."
Juno Eclipse	Juno narrows her eyes, considering. "If I had my choice of manpower, I'd be using separate squads." Most of the structures on Tatooine are built from adobe, with technological perks here and there for those who can afford them. There's no improving on nature in that regard. Walls are baked into a substance practically as hard as durasteel under Tatooine's twin suns. Even the Imperial base uses these adobe buildings; they'd never had very much of a foothold on a world more or less owned by the Hutt Cartel. "I don't actually know where the data vaults are located," Juno admits. "This isn't like most Imperial bases. In most places, they come in, raze a patch of ground where they want to build an outpost, and then they make sure that everyone knows it's there. Things are durasteel, sterile, and sporting Imperial colours. This is different, probably because if they knocked down a chunk of Tatooine, there would be rioting in the streets, and some of it might come from the Hutt Cartel." Leaning back in her seat, she shrugs. "Makes sense. If you don't have the numbers to mow over things like the Empire does, you fight smart. You hit the enemy where it counts, and you hit as hard as you can with the opportunity you've got, because you may not have another chance." Juno grins. "Thanks. I'm sure Galen'll thank you too. One of these days, I'll pry him out of his meditation chamber so he can thank you in person."
Revan	Lowri considered a few things. "We might not have to rely on pure strength of numbers," she mused. "We've got a few Elites coming, right? Hell, from what I've seen, Elites are almost literal one-man armies. For the ones who don't have ships, if we can get them close inside they might be able to make the Empire's day even more miserable." After a moment of quiet consideration, she continued. "And I'm sure you're just as eager to minimise the cost to the Rebellion's forces. If we position the Elites right, the Rebel forces can be divided enough to cut down on losses." That was one particular line of reasoning that had earned more than a few raised eyebrows among true Sith believers. But it got results, and her forces maintained the necessary high morale from her unwillingness to treat even the ground troops as mere cannon fodder. Revan frowned again. "As much as I enjoy dealing with the Hutts as the next person, it might be worth looking into...ah, making it worth their while to indirectly support the Rebellion under the table. Or at least withhold resources from the Empire. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that they're playing both sides right now, since that's just what Hutts do. But the right person might be able to nudge those scales a little bit in our favour. Or at least help find those vaults." That was something Lowri would certainly be looking into when she had a moment. "Well...even if you do have the numbers, fighting smart gets you what you want faster. When you're as big as en empire, the actual enemy isn't a rebellion, it's complacency. They're big enough that they believe nothing can challenge them, and at that point the glaring mistakes start to happen. I have no moral issues with exploiting that weakness." Revan smiled, a slight but genuine one. "I can understand that...meditation is one of the only defences we have against fatigue and illness. But it has limits...and I'm pretty sure he's approaching his. You guys need some well-earned rest."
Juno Eclipse	"Maybe. I'm a little reluctant to count too much on the relative power of an Elite soldier. If we run into anything that might prove an equal to our people, it's not going to go well for us." Juno rubs her jaw, considering. "Never mind that exfiltration might be impossible if anybody raises the alarm. Not without more of a bloodbath, and that's exactly what I'm trying to avoid." She shrugs. "I don't intend there to be ships. If we bring ships, every TIE fighter in the system's going to be trained on us, and they might even call in a Star Destroyer or two to 'even the odds.' I'd rather avoid that. The Rogue Shadow can't take one of those things in direct combat. The best I can do is pilot my way around the ordinance, but I couldn't take one out unless I had something smaller and more armed to the teeth." "Maybe. It won't take a genius quartermaster to figure out they're being shorted, either. We'd have to tread carefully with that route. If the Empire pays them enough, they'll rat us out, too." She grimaces. "And the Imperial coffers are deep enough that they might as well be limitless. Mine aren't. I'll think about it, though. I hate bribery as a general rule... it's too risky; if you want a job done right, you do it yourself." The pilot sighs. "Sometimes it's the best option, though." Resting her arms on the table, she props her head up with a hand at her jaw, eyes drooping as she runs over the numbers. "I don't think so. They're not complacent. They do everything in their power to ruthlessly stamp out the faintest whiff of dissent. That tells me they're aware of the potential for that dissention to spread... too bad. It'd be easier to sit back and let their own entropy eat them alive, but I guess things can't really be /that/ easy, can they? Some vital underpinning of the galaxy might implode or something." She must not be feeling too bad. She can still drum up some sarcasm. "Yeah. I'm a little worried about him, too. A good eight hours' sleep would do wonders for me. I can't imagine what it'd do for him." Juno considers. "I'm leaning pretty hard toward some kind of sleep aid, too, just to make sure I get that sleep..."
Revan	Lowri couldn't help but grin in spite of herself and the situation. "Directing Elites is like herding kath hounds," she quipped. "They can be relied upon to be completely unpredictable. But that's their strength. An unpredictable element that the Empire is forced to face might be just the sort of obfuscation we need." Revan did so love her wild cards. They worked better in combat than they did in Pazaak, certainly. "It might not even be necessary to fight in some situations," Lowri reassured. "A battle and even a war is won when the opposing side is sufficiently despirited. If we can intimidate enough Empire forces into making a run for it, we might not need to fight at all in some areas. Vader is terrifying, but faced with the options of death or the equal potential death at the hands of some Elite as scary as an angry wookie, they'll run. And if we present them with a convincing escape route via the Rebellion, we'll have either fresh troops or at least fewer Imperial ones." She was perhaps getting ahead of herself playing the long game, but that was simply how the Jedi was. "Regardless, that's just if Vader does decide to show up. He might not just yet with a small-scale operation, so a quick smash-and-grab is likely all we're looking at for the moment. Grab what we need, baffle the guards, and get the hells out of Anchorhead before they figure it out. Minimal ships involved." Revan smirks. "Oh, you don't need deep pockets. It helps, but it's all in finding the right leverage, and sometimes bribery isn't it, and threatening innocent family is right out. But even some decent intelligence should do the trick. It's worth enough to look into, anyway." Or, more likely it was something she was going to talk to the Rebels about when she had the opportunity. The Jedi shook her head. "Nothing's ever easy, but the kind of vigilance they maintain can't last forever. It might mean playing a longer game, but there are ways to undercut their efforts that might pay off for future generations. And if we play our hands right, they might even pay off in the here and now. You can't really know until the hand is right in front of you, at which point you have to adapt your plans to fit the situation. No plan ever survives contact with the enemy, as you know so well." Whatever Juno has learned of the mysterious and sarcastic Knight's past, it might become more evident that she was not simply one of the Jedi's ground troops, but was someone who directed those troops. Her answer to the sarcastic comment was a grin filled with the proper appreciation. "Well....it might explode /again/. How many times would that be? I lost count." Revan shook her head. "I doubt you'll need it. Just some peace and lack of blaster fire, and reliable backup."'
Juno Eclipse	"Either that, or it might blow the operation all to bloody hell," Juno observes, propping her chin in a hand. "Unpredictable troops can work both ways. They might be a great asset the first time you field them, but then the second time they're too stubborn to listen enough to do something a certain way, and then your cover's been blasted wide open. Oh, look at that, your Elite friend decided to kill the stormtrooper instead of sneak by him, and now someone's found the body. Bother." The pilot flashes a quick half-grin. "I prefer not to fight at all if I can get around it. Fighting's a good last resort when your back's against the wall, although sometimes I don't mind. I've got half a mind to fight a few Imperial officers that come to mind, like the bastard I was flying under when I was in the starfighter racks' rank and file. He was a special piece of work." "In fact, that's also the bastard that sent a rack of TIEs after the Rogue Shadow when Galen and I refused to attack that rebel base... yeah, I wouldn't mind punching Riaul's teeth in." Juno lays her hands on the table again. "Maybe. The Empire's more afraid of their own bosses than anything we can level agains them, though. If you can figure out how to be more scary to them than Vader on a bad day, congratulations, you've figured out how to forge your own brand new Empire." Leaning back in her chair, she takes up her cup, wrapping her hands around it and savouring the warmth. Aquilaris is one of those places a traveller just never seems to warm up, no matter where they are, or how thick the walls between them and the rain may be. "Mos Eisley, actually." Juno pauses for a sip of stimtea. "The base I've managed to isolate is on the city outskirts." "In fact, they never bothered to build their own Imperial structure. They just repurposed existing buildings. I guess you can't really improve on nature, huh? Those adobe walls are pretty strong." Finishing her cup, she sets it aside, pushing herself back to her feet. "I'd better get going, though. I've already been here too long. Thanks for the stimtea." She flashes one of those irreverent grins. Sticking Revan with the tab isn't too much of an issue; it's really more the principle of the thing. "Take care of yourself... and thanks. Contact the Rogue Shadow when you're ready to stand sentry." "Be seeing you, Lowri." Without turning around, Juno manages an irreverent wave before tossing her rain gear over her shoulder, ducking under it before braving the door, or the maelstrom outside.
Revan	"true," the Jedi conceded. "But if you think of them as an unpredictable rogue element, they can be put to use in that capacity. It's not entirely unlike keeping in mind the weather patterns of a particular battlefield. You don't always know it's going to be foggy on a particular day, but it it usually is, that can work to your advantage so long as you plan for other outcomes." "Or," Lowri drawled with a catlike grin, "A periodic firestorm which can scorch anything. Only, in this case you can at least tell that firestorm that his pay is getting seriously cut for going off-script too much. That can get even a raging Mandalorian to hit the brakes." A plane eyebrow lifts. "So...a covert op? That changes a lot of things, but it's actually more of my style and preference. And there /are/ Elites suited to that task, as well...I'm guessing those are your recruits?" As to Juno's quip about a new Empire, Revan sighed. "I'd rather not, thanks. One was plenty enough." Wait, so she had actually led an Empire? How much was the Jedi really hiding...or perhaps deliberately distancing herself from. "But anyway, dead is dead whether from a Force Choke courtesy of a Dark Lord or being shoved out an airlock. It's a question of showing them that we're the airlock in question and that unlike the alternative, there's a way out with us." She shrugged. "But that's just something to consider, not an actual strategy or anything." The corner of her mouth turned upward slightly. "Well, I do have to give them credit for picking Tatooine," she admitted. "It's unforgiving on multiple levels. No one really goes there if they have a choice except to hunt Krayt dragons or something equally insane." A beat as she remembered bribing Sand People with a pearl from said beast to persuade their lorekeeper to tell them of their history. And sat listening eagerly through the entire four hours of it. "Not that...I've ever done anything like that." Revan coughed softly before continuing. "Anyway..." She snorted lightly at being stuck with the tab. Juno was right, she didn't particularly mind, even if she was already plotting her 'revenge' for later. "Yeah, well. Offer still stands on getting some decent sleep. Force knows you'll need it." Her hand lifted in an almost languid gesture as she waved to the former Imperial before returning to her stimcaf. She wasn't about to brave the cold and wet again until she'd hit the bottom of the cup....and form her plans in the meantime.