Scene #3244: Rain, Rain, Go Away

Owner	Pose
Juno Eclipse	The Outer Rim is a place roughly akin to the Wild West of American history. Lawless and generally left to its own devices, the only Imperial presence out here is for those places that the Emipre feel are somehow critical to its own interests. Generally, this rules out most places that smugglers use with any regularity; the few things that do interest Imperial leadership in these wild reaches are potential resources, and potential pockets of rebellion to be stamped out. Aquilaris has neither of these. What it does have is a lot of water and inclement weather. Neither of these things lend itself to visitors, too much, so it was a simple matter to descend from the upper atmosphere and find a convenient place to bring down the Rogue Shadow. Between the cloaking systems, the cool ambient temperature, and the low visibility from storms, hiding the ship was easy enough. Today, Juno Eclipse came not for a trip to a dingy cantina in Aquilaris' capital, the Floating City, but for supplies. Even a ship as advanced as the Rogue Shadow requires certain types of fuel cells, and its human crew need to have food, water, and medical supplies. So it is that the former Imperial has managed to acquire her supplies without any disasters, and now finds herself waiting in the same dingy cantina she'd been in a year or two prior; waiting for the rain to stop falling quite so torrentially. The ship isn't close, and she'd rather not catch pneumonia over a simple supply run. She's got a cheap blanket wrapped around her shoulders, huddled up against the wall, wearing dingy clothing that fits in with the cantina's dingy atmosphere. Her hair is worn down, lending her a slightly different look, and she looks like she's spent a fair bit tromping around in the rain. A bowl of what looks and smells like pashi noodles sits close at hand, the sharp tang of its spices carrying even across the cantina's cold, damp air and cutting across the familiar smells (and stenches) of the place. Parcels are piled against the wall behind her, mostly shipping crates with manifests or clearances stamped on them as necessary; all quite ordinary-looking, with another old threadbare blanket haphazardly tossed over the top of the pile, as though to obfuscate the contents. Every so often she lifts blue eyes to the door to gauge the rain, but it doesn't look like it's letting up any time soon. Juno Ecilpse mutters a curse under her breath. Aquilaris wasn't her first choice, but the terrible weather /does/ mean it tends to avoid undue attention.
Kyle Katarn	Here again.../wonderful./ Aquilaris has a way of being a recurring nightmare for travelers who patrol that sector. It's cold and rainy on the surface, and some of the privately owned and supplied undersea settlements were comparable to living on a massive submarine plagued by the risk of pipes bursting, or leaks in the hull, or the possibility of oil and waste materials making their way into the oceans and leaving a massive haze of pollution. It also SUCKS royally to live there, unless you're that dedicated to the pursuit of seeing podraces that are held there in person. In fact, one such race can be seen on the Holonet projector right now, in all its brassy, loud glory while sponsored pods streak across the many undersea tracks set up via massive tunnels linked from one hub to another. Kyle Katarn arrives, looking no more conspicuous than usual as a galactic traveler and freelancer. He was never one for robes, they're itchy and too likely to draw attention anyways. He makes his way towards Juno, sporting a jacket that's downright soaked. His hair's not much better either, but that's to be expected on this planet. It's not what it sounds like, Kyle's a committed man...this is a bit more serious than a date on an overgrown, leaking boat. The incognito Jedi removes a leather jacket, hanging it on the booth before he grabs a seat. It's been a good long while since he's seen Juno after her and Galen's little defection, probably for the best in order to keep suspicion off their tail, but the message indicated it was time for some face-to-face discussion, not short messages sent over Multiversal channels at the risk of the lines being monitored. "Sorry about the wait. It took me some time to get the files together." Kyle says, ordering up a Corellian ale. He can't help but feel more than a little awkward here without Lowri...she was always closer to Juno anyways. Without Lowri here to help with breaking the ice, Kyle can't help but feel more than a bit on edge. Then again given the circumstances, he's right to not be too relaxed with what's about to be discussed. "You look like you've had better days." He says at last, trying to figure out what's under the blanket. He's not entirely wrong about that either.
Juno Eclipse	The pilot glances up to the door, but she keeps her head bowed; either to let her hair hide her face, or because she's just that tired. Likely it's a combination of the two. She's been running on adrenaline and caffeine for so long that she's beginning to forget what a full night's sleep is -- plagued by nightmares, and often cut short when she snaps awake during ship's night, heart thundering, certain they've finally been found. At least there's food here, even if it's not the best bowl of pashi noodles she's ever tasted. It's hot, both in spice and temperature, and the little bit of warmth she can glean from that is more than she can say for her surroundings. Even with the warm bowl, her hands are still cold, and she'd given up the sensation of feeling in her fingertips a few hours ago. Momentarily distracted by the issue of where to go next, Kyle's appearance takes her by surprise -- and with the click and soft clatter of something pulled from its holster, there's a blaster pointed at the centre of his torso in the time it takes him to approach. Once she sees the scruffy Jedi Knight, though, the weapon is lowered, by degrees. "The next time you're going to leave me waiting, at least make sure it's someplace nice," Juno grumbles, but she sounds too tired to have any real sting or venom in her words. "Understandable." She gestures to the seat opposite her with the blaster. "Sit. And keep your voice down. There's not much of an Imperial presence on Aquilaris, but I'm not about to take any risks; the Imperials aren't the only thing I need to worry about." The blaster clatters again when she replaces it into its holster at her hip. Well, she's probably not going to shoot him. That's an improvement, right? Not that it would do much good against a Jedi Knight, but her nerves seem to be considerably more frayed than they were the first time they'd met. "And you look just as scruffy as you did before," she comments, eyeing Kyle. Partly in the shadow, her blue eyes almost seem to glow when she tilts her head up just high enough for the light to catch them; a product, most likely, of how light-coloured they are. Or maybe that's just the shadows under them accentuating them. "Thanks for coming. I'll take care of whatever you order here." Her eyes follow his, to the blanket covering the supplies; as though uncomfortable, she yanks the threadbare blanket over herself tighter around her shoulders. "Supplies. My ship can hide, but that doesn't mean it doesn't need fuel. Food and medical supplies are also somewhat necessary, considering only one of my crew's three is inorganic." She pauses, scanning the doorway again, and looking somewhat dour about the state of the weather. Sighing in resignation, she looks back to Kyle. "So. What have you got for me, Mister Katarn?"
Kyle Katarn	Kyle is sharp enough to sense Juno is carrying still. It's prudent she be armed, and Kyle has had his hand hovering over his hip the entire time he's been here just in case snitches are nearby. He senses out with the Force briefly in order to confirm that suspicion, and then he sits. He offers a shrug before taking a swig from his drink. "You're right. We should've picked a different system, but that's just me. At least you have to be crazy to follow someone here." Kyle says, keeping his voice down before he smirks, running a gloved hand across his scruffy chin with a chuckle. "Well, when water and shaving gel's at a premium it becomes fashionable." He allows a wry smile before he meets Juno eye-to-eye. He hasn't had anything to eat besides ration bars in a while, going from planet to planet on operations tends to drain on you. He probably looks as haggard as Juno does, even with the Force keeping him alert and mobile. "Thanks, anyway. I'll take whatever they're serving here long as I'm here." Supplies for a fugitive can't be easy to acquire, especially fugitives from the Empire's highest tier of operators short of Palpatine's court itself. "Funny thing, I actually know some people who can provide whatever you might need. From my world, mind, but it's better than risking getting the Empire's notice where it's still at its strongest." Admittedly, even back home the Empire's defiantly fighting still, Emperor or no, with many of the highest ranking officers left becoming warlords in charge of their own little fiefdoms. The New Republic's given a strong showing, but it's still going to be a tough fight to wipe out the Empire's infrastructure entirely. He hands Juno a datapad under the table, something for her to go over in detail. "Coordinates, access codes, traveling routes, it's taken me a month or so to get this together, and longer than that for the slicers back in Intel to acquire it all." He leans in closer, voice quiet. "Even if the Imps aren't anything quite like they are back home, this should still help for hiding spots. Mention me with a few of the names on this list, they oughta help you out. I've been pulling more than a couple favors with a smuggling outfit in the Anoat sector as of recent." That's not it, but Kyle will let that lie until another day...Galen would want to hear it himself anyways.
Juno Eclipse	At least the Jedi Knight has the benefit of the Force to keep him sharp; all Juno has at her disposal is caffeine and stimulant, and lately she's been relying on more of the latter than the former. It shows. Her nerves are almost certainly shot, or getting very close to it. With great dignity, she signals for waitstaff, leaving them with an order of pashi noodles. "I take no responsibility for what happens when you eat this." Juno flicks a hand in loose-fingered gesture at her bowl of hot noodles. "On the bright side, it's not as hot as I usually like it." That is to say, it's not enough to make her eyes water... but she has a pretty high tolerance for spices. Leaning back and huddling into her thin blanket, she cants her head very slightly, regarding Kyle almost warily. "Thanks. I'd appreciate that. You have no idea what I have to go through even to get basic supplies." A slight shift lets her catch the datapad passed to her, where she slips it onto her lap under the blanket, although not without a hiss. It's /cold/. "I'll keep that in mind," she murmurs, flicking a sidelong glance at the room. There's nobody watching, and nobody seems to be listening. Good. "While we've got a few minutes, tell me about the state of your galaxy. If I'm going to be making my supply runs there, I'd best know about it." His pashi noodles are also dropped off. The bowl is practically radiating heat, as though fresh out of an oven. Also, one can practically see heat waves rising from the dusting of seasoning and spices over the top of it. Bon appetit. As though to show it's not all /that/ bad, Juno takes a bite of her own noodles, and her face doesn't turn... well, /too/ red, anyway. "I'll see what I can forward you about what I know of rebel operations in my own galaxy, in the meantime, but it's going to take me a long time to uncover anything. I don't have anyone's trust, and with good reason. It's doubtful I ever really will, honestly, and I wouldn't blame them a whit for that."
Kyle Katarn	The good thing about being a seasoned mercenary and soldier is a fortitude to eat things that an Endorian goat would vomit back up and ask for seconds. Hot sauce and spices tend to help with that, especially when nothing else more favorable is around to eat instead. Pashi Noodles are something Kyle hasn't had since his days at the Academy on long nights, when nothing else was available and he was tudying furiously with his fellow students, so he doesn't even flinch at the idea of them being ordered up for him right now. "Beats rebel ration cubes." He grins, sticking a fork into the bowl and stirring the concoction idly. It is however steaming hot and spicy, as Kyle finds out for himself. His Sabbac face holds but not without his eyes watering under the steam and ground up seasoning. Shows of machismo under intense circumstances while goofing off with friends and comrades in Kyle's youth have fortified him, but he takes a gasp of air to cool down his mouth after that morsel. He coughs, "Holy-Wow...okay I don't remember them being /that/ hot." says Kyle at last, sucking in more cool air before another sip of his ale. He allows a sigh before shifting in his seat a little, before going back to business. "Well, guess it's a good thing I waited until now for the whole deal then. This is gonna be a doozy to explain..." And then spoilers happen. "Well, obviously the Emperor's gone, Vader. In my galaxy I mean. To make this quick, it turns out Vader had a son, who was taught by a Jedi who managed to evade the Purges during the end of the Clone Wars if I remember it right. At the time I'd gotten plans for this station called the Death Star, something the Imps used to anihilate whole worlds. I got it to a member of the rebellion, Senator Organa's daughter was to bring them to Alderaan when her ship was captured by Lord Vader himself. She smuggled it off the vessel just in time though, and got it to Tattooine where the droids carrying them made it to some kid." Siiiiip. He's not finished though. "So the kid takes it to some crazy old wizard, who turns out to be said Jedi. They wind up having to bring it to Alderaan, but they get there aboard a smuggler's cruiser in time to find it's gone." Kyle looks...very disturbed himself to bring it up. "Alderaan, with billions of inhabitants and part of the galaxy for over a hundred thousand years just disappears before they get outta hyperspace. Except it didn't, it was destroyed. This Death Star project was a battlestation intended to destroy whole systems if they didn't fall in line with the Empire, though they left a tiny little design flaw: A thermal exhaust port that led right to the core. Kid wound up joining the rebellion alongside Organa's kid, and the smugglers they were riding with at the time. See, the plan we had was to send a flight squadron to blitz through the Death Star's defenses, going low and tight to make sure they couldn't shoot our fighters down. We lost a lotta guys in the process, but one of the surivivors, that same hick from Tattooine..." A sigh. "He did it. He managed what guys with ten or more years of experience couldn't and blew the damn thing up. As it turns out, he wasn't Vader's kid for nothing. This kid, Luke, he was the last of the Jedi for a while, and ended up helping defeat Vader and the Emperor during the assault on Endor's moon years later. Afterwards, Luke tracked down others like him, people who spent their whole lives not realizing they were Jedi in the making, and then he went to work. It was pretty diverse, even then, guys like me, others kids, even a senator turned out to be one of us." He grows a bit more wistful, but even then he's not entirely unaware of the reality of things. "Even now we're only a few dozen at most, but Luke's done his best to train us all." He takes another swig, "But yeah, other than that the Empire's been reduced to holdouts and warlords of their own little sectors to rule. That said, the Alliance is doing its best to provide weapons, training, and intel to rebel cells there when we can't
Kyle Katarn	He takes another swig, "But yeah, other than that the Empire's been reduced to holdouts and warlords of their own little sectors to rule. That said, the Alliance is doing its best to provide weapons, training, and intel to rebel cells there when we can't be there personally for one reason or another, or hiring sympathetic mercs." Kyle adds, "It's getting harder and harder for the Empire to call on bounty hunters and thugs when their crimes are all out in the open. They're getting desperate, some of them even resorting to working with Dark Jedi...which is pretty much exactly what ended up screwing them in the first place." Setting the drink down, Kyle seems to be bracing for the worst to come...which is to say, how the Rebels are doing on JUno's end. The Death Star being active still is a massive possibility as it is, and that being the tip of the iceberg of bad.
Juno Eclipse	"I've had better," Juno comments somewhat morosely, prodding at the noodles in her own bowl. "In Malastare, there's a stand I know of that probably inflicts third-degree burns. That's the stuff." And she willingly eats that? Weirdo. "The spices help me focus," she adds, after a bite of her own noodles. "Hard to be distracted when your mouth feels like it's on fire." The pilot blinks somewhat owlishly as Kyle explains the situation, particularly at the idea of-- "Wait a minute, /he/ has a /child/?" --Vader having a son. Frankly, the notion's just absurd; and look how well that turned out the first time -- Galen found his streak of inherent goodness, in the end, but not without a considerable total of fatalities to get to that point. Even then, seeing him struggle, she wonders sometimes how well he's managed to shake that dark calling off. Frowning, she stirs her noodles as she mulls over his story. So, the future isn't completely bleak for people like the Jedi or the Force-sensitive. That's encouraging to hear, although that isn't very helpful to her current situation. It might be worth looking into any battlestation projects the Empire is funding, though -- if they could find something like the Death Star, that would be a blow against Imperial morale, and maybe buy them some time... or save worlds like Alderaan. "You showed me yours; I suppose it's my turn to show you mine." Pushing her bowl aside, she reaches up and runs her fingers through her hair; worn down, it gives her quite a different look, although it doesn't alleviate the circles under her eyes or the haggard, somewhat gaunt cast to her features. "The Empire is, as you might have guessed, alive and well in my version. The Emperor still very much holds the reins, and Vader is his right-hand man and prized thug. They've got a chokehold on most of the rest of the galaxy, excepting places like this, which generally have no strategic value to the Imperial war machine. Any whiff of dissent or differing opinion is sought out and viciously squelched." She drums her fingers on the table, mouth thinning into a hard line. "Is there a planet called Callos in your version? It's part of the Outer Rim, in the Brema Sector."
Kyle Katarn	If Luke were here, he'd be trying desperately not to let it be known Leia was his sister, but given how sensitive a topic it is to be son to the right-hand of the Empire...he's already got enough of a PR Nightmare with some people who know about it. "I think that's how Luke turned out so well, given how he was kept away from the bastard." Kyle says, before he takes another forkful of noodles, shoveling them into his mouth as he endures the heat and flavor once more. "I imagine Galen's what Luke would've been had Vader knew in the first place, huh?" He muses, shuddering at the mental image of Luke as a Dark Side acolyte. That's one to keep people up nights. It's best to keep it to himself, Kyle thinks. "So basically like how things would turn out if they were unopposed. Goody, just like the core worlds before we took back Coruscant." The Jedi grumbles, before he raises an eyebrow. "Callos? Can't say I ever heard of it myself, what about it?" Already he's beginning to think this is another Imperial 'liberation' to detail...with no records left to say otherwise.
Juno Eclipse	"I suppose." Juno stirs at her noodles, but it seems more an excuse to fidget than an actual need to shuffle things around the bowl. Her eyes drop to the food as she mulls over his question and her own response to that. "Maybe. I can't really speak to that, as I haven't exactly known Galen all my life, and I don't know this 'Luke.'" She leaves her fork, folding her hands over the table. Although her fingers are slim, faint scars crisscross them, possibly from minor engineering mishaps. They drum restlessly on the tabletop, as though she just can't remain wholly still. "More or less," the pilot agrees, shrugging. "There are pockets of resistance, but I don't know that there's a formal rebel organisation. If there is, it's a well-guarded secret, and one that I'm not privy to. I'd prefer to insinuate myself into the rebel movement, since that's my best chance of gaining any traction against the Empire, but I'm afraid that's going to take time. It may also involve taking risks; acting alone against the Empire, to prove to the rebels that we're on the same side at this point." She sighs, resting her elbows on the table, lacing her fingers, and dropping her chin over her laced fingers. Those blue eyes hood. "If you happen to hear about Callos in your world, I'd appreciate hearing what you've found out, but it's ultimately not that important." "So, then." Juno blows out a slow sigh through her teeth. "Here's what I have available to me. At the moment, my best efforts are spent avoiding Imperial attention and keeping both Galen and myself safe. He's a rogue operative, one who has a great deal of technique and training in using the Force, and I doubt that they'll make the attempt to convince him to abandon his rebellious path. If they catch him, I have no doubt that Vader may personally attempt to wrest him back into Imperial service, via whatever it is he does to inflict severe psychological trauma, because that sounds like something Vader would do." She glances to the holoscreen, half-heartedly watching the podracers careening around the track. "I won't be so lucky, of course. Pilots aren't exactly cheap or easy to train, but there are more pilots than there are Force-users. My service record will mean exactly nothing, and at this point, I've gone too far for them to even consider accepting me back into their ranks. Not," she adds, "that I would accept. They won't bother with imprisonment, a trial, or even a public execution. I'll be shot for disobeying orders, pure and simple, and there will be no fanfare about it." "So, then, seems as I have no desire to be shot and I'll be damned before I see Galen dragged back down to the Dark Side, I don't have much choice but to stay low and keep out of sight for a little while longer." Licking dry lips, she glances back up to Kyle. "I hate to impose on you any further, Mister Katarn, but I think I need to ask a favour or two of you."
Kyle Katarn	Kyle frowns slowly. If it's a world he's never heard of, then knowing Juno was former Imperial military can only mean a few things, and none of them good with how the Empire works. They did their best to scrub records of Alderaan's destruction, claming it was a catastrophe naturally occured, while some rumors were spread about the Rebels causing it. Though of course, the truth in Kyle's world spread like wildfire, but it can't be told for certain if that was the case in this one as well. "I'll look into it if I can, probably just out of the way from most star routes." He shrugs, before Juno speaks again. He knows /exactly/ how she feels. Back in the days before he even knew about the Force, Kyle was an exemplary soldier, but he was hardly someone worth convincing back into the fold when he went rogue. He was just another grunt gone traitor, someone to execute if found but otherwise nothing worth pursuit by the Empire's deadliest of spies and agents. That all changed when he became a Jedi, hounded by Imperial remnants seeking vengenace, or Dark Jedi wanting to send the New Republic a message through killing him, and now a bounty put on him for the Confederacy and other mercs from worlds across the Multiverse. That mechanical knight Mordred was only the first, there's a chance Kyle will have other warriors and killers out for his head. "I can attest to that." He says at last, frowning still. "Believe it or not, I used to be a loyal Stormtrooper myself. Then I found out they were the ones who attacked my homestead, killed my father for housing spies, and burned most of the land we owned to the ground. I did my best to hide my tracks, but for the first few years I was a traitor to hunt down and kill. It was a hell of a decision on my part, and not one I made lightly. A lot of the Rebellion has the same story to tell, either people the Empire had pushed too hard, or Imperials themselves that got sick of following a black robed goblin and his overgrown toady of a Sith Lord, abusing good people and blowing countless settlements to ash." Giving a shake of his head, Kyle then cocks an eyebrow and glances up to Juno. "Favor? I've helped you this far, what's up?"
Juno Eclipse	"I can forward you the precise coordinates," Juno offers. Something about her voice is off, but she seems to be guarding those surface emotions carefully. She's very carefully thinking of certain, nightmarishly complex equations used in the plotting of hyperspace jumps. Actually, that's pretty impressive; it's the kind of stuff most pilots need a navcomputer to crunch. She's /doing it in her head/. And accurately, too... but it's still a deliberate distraction from whatever she's really feeling. "You'll know exactly where to look. I'm just curious if it's there or not. Maybe your version of the galaxy never had a Callos. I had a few things happen to me there, so I'm curious if it's there, too." Technically, it /does/ exist in her galaxy. Just... not exactly in an ideal form. "Stormtrooper, hmm?" Juno lifts her head, eyeing the Jedi Knight speculatively, reaching up to clear her hair from her face. It's still a little limp from the sheer water content in the air. "I suppose I can believe that. You look like you wouldn't have a difficult time looking after yourself even without a lightsaber..." It's back to business when he acknowledges her request. "I need you to feel out the rebel presence in your own version of the galaxy. See how they might feel about an Imperial Inquisitor's pilot and ex-TIE fighter pilot defecting to their side. It might help me gauge a few reactions about my side of the galaxy before I actually begin to do some legwork of my own. I'd also like to speak to somebody in the Union about joining. Quietly," she adds. "Unofficially, if possible." "The less obvious it is to the Confederacy, the better, but I think the Union can help give me the support I need right now, and I'm willing to use the Rogue Shadow to help them however I can. I've got Galen's full support in this, too. I'd like to speak to someone who has the authority to make that decision, if possible; or have it brought to their attention. I can't exactly call out for them in public, not if I don't want to have every bounty hunter and Confederate this side of the Citadel on my head." She cants her head slightly to one side, quirking a slender blonde brow. "Do you think you can help me with that?"
Kyle Katarn	As innoculous as this sounds to Kyle, he does seem forthcoming to this request. "Alright, can't hurt to take a look. I'll see what I can find soon, don't worry." Kyle nods, managing a smile before he shrugs in a predictably cocky manner. "I can't say I'm too proud to admit in hindsight how valued the training was, but it does give me an edge other mercs might not get when up against the Empire." He says, shrugging as he takes another spoonful of noodles. Hot and spicy, but it beats anything to aggravate the cold on this world. "I had a bit of a reputation before the whole Jedi thing, just doing my job the best I could." But back to business, he listens. Juno has given off a good impression thanks to Lowri's reports, and her close relationship vouching for Juno operating in the Union, though it might be a bit difficult convincing the Rebels to accept her. The Inquisitors even after Endor had a reputation as boogeymen, deadly even to Jedi with Kyle's level of experience. "It's gonna take some work, but I'll see what I can do about that. Given how Lowri trusted you even back before you defected, I can't say General Hall will refuse on the spot." He smiles. Maybe Zelgius can make something of Juno and Galen, ideally. "At the least, that pad I gave you should give you some good hiding spots until the Alliance and I figure out what to do with you. Galen might be a bit more difficult to decide on, that's more Luke's domain I suppose." Shrug. "If it's any assurance, Galen could be worse. He's a good kid, if a bit...twitchy. We're lucky he's got scruples of his own, but we'd better take care of that before he gets any ideas about payback."
Juno Eclipse	"Oh, the training is absolutely useful." Juno finishes the last of her noodles, pushing aside the bowl, somewhat red-faced for the spices. "I doubt I could have survived as long as I have without the Imperial training every TIE fighter pilot receives. As it turns out, making their pilots into a psychological wreck actually does have its perks." She smiles, thinly. "It's not paranoia if they really are out to get you, you know." The smile fades. "I have no reason to doubt Lowri's vouching for me, but it's ultimately up to the Union. There won't be any hard feelings on my end if they decide they haven't got a place for me. Their support would be useful right now, though. Galen and I are both running on fumes. I'm not sure how much longer we can reasonably expect to go on like this." "Thanks. That will definitely be useful; while my ship can certainly hide in plain sight, it can't do so indefinitely. The cloaking system has delicate components that were never designed to remain functional for long periods of time." In other words, it'll burn out. Perhaps spectacularly, and at the worst possible time. "In the meantime, we can make use of that list." She merely raises a brow at him, expression somewhat bland. 'He's a good kid?' "Mister Katarn, if I didn't see something worthwhile in Galen, I would not be here talking to you, because he probably would have either turned me in or silenced me for resisting orders." There's a short pause. "Also, he isn't any more of a 'kid' than I am." He's been through things that would probably break an actual kid, and his sanity is still more or less intact. That's enough to earn a few maturity and respect points in her eyes. Although he does have some dumb tendencies. Like hats... but that's beside the point. And something she still needs to smack him over. Clearing her throat quietly, she turns her attention back to the matter at hand. "Actually, the retaliation is my idea. Not because I'm particularly inclined to fight back," she explains, "but because of all the worlds like--" She pauses, "--like your Alderaan, who don't have the chance to speak up or fight for themselves." Gathering up her blanket, she stands with a scrape of metal chair frame on concrete floor, leaving a pile of credits on the table and offering a tight smile to Kyle. "Anyway, I'd better be moving on. I can't afford to stay in any one place for too long, and I can't afford to leave my ship in any place for too long, either. Thanks. If you need to contact me, talk to Lowri. She'll know how to get in touch." With that, she turns, gathering up her parcels and staggering out into the torrential rain. Unless he moves to stop her, she'll vanish into the rain soon after.