The end of a long journey?

[Vulpes]

(Any Imperial Knights are welcomed to join in.)

Half a dozen systems, even more individual planets, and an uncountable amount of data sifted through, all to find a group that may not even exist anymore. Vasily was determined to find them if it did, using every resource he could find within the holonet, as well as his personal contacts. The most solid evidence he could produce were still only rumors, most would consider this a wild vonnuvi chase, but still he was determined, he had a feeling in his gut that there was a hope of finding what he search for. After all, his gut instinct has done him more good than bad thus far in his life.

The latest 'evidence' he found was by an anonymous source hidden deep within the holonet, but once again, Vasily's gut told him to trust him. The source has brought him to Bastion, a planet he has been to many times, both for pleasure and business. Today, it was a little bit of both. In the deep holonet, Vasily has been searching for any information about the group, the Imperial Knights. He was careful to cover his tracks as well as he could in the event that someone were to take interest in his personal mission.

Vasily donned a simple outfit, something travelers often wear. He kept with him a small blaster pistol on his belt, in the event trouble arised, and it always seemed to at some point or another. He began to contemplate what he was even doing on Bastion, the homeworld of the Empire. Surely they haven't the balls to stay in such an Imperial dominated area. His ship touched down in a part of the world not as densely populated, an area filled with more travelers than citizens at the moment. With no idea of where to begin, he decided to start with a drink, there was a small cantina he remembered visiting once during the time he spent stationed on Bastion.

The Human that was native to Kalee sat down at the bar, and looked to the bartender he remembered, but the memory was not mutual. No special treatment or formalities in the exchange, he spoke, Ale, anything but Corellian.

 

[Solaris]

"Corellian alcohol is swill," Katarina remarked in an Imperial accent as she walked up to the bar beside the tall, bearded man. She was dressed in a white collared shirt and black pants tucked into knee-high black leather-and-armorweave boots, her collar-length honey-brown hair pulled back into a club ponytail at the base of her neck. She had used cosmetics to alter her appearance, darkening her skin tone a shade or two, giving her eyes epicanthic folds, and dark contact lenses to darken her hazel irises almost to black.

The Imperial Knight was also disguising her presence in the Force, donning a mask so deep it was all but impossible to tell she had anything more sensitivity to the Force than was ordinary. She could tell, however, that the bearded man was not. "I'll have what he's having," she said to the bartender before smiling up at the bearded man. "You look like you got a story, spacer."

::And eef you don't want to wind up een a Seez preeson - or worse - you'll want to come weedz me,:: she said telepathically, the emotional gestalt carrying urgency and a sense of being hunted.

 

[Vulpes]

An eyebrow raised on Vasily's face as he noticed the woman walk up to the bar next to him. He rested his elbow on the counter as he inspected the woman fully, not for personal joy, but rather to analyze if she was a threat, she did not appear so. She had a charming sense to her character, something that typically did not effect the man's actions. He then responded, with a faint Imperial accent, leaning more towards a bastardized Kaleesh accent, "If the Corellians never exported another overpriced drink or cloth, I wouldn't mind."

The man then looked away from Katarina when he heard the noise of liquid pouring, the drinks were done. Vasily continued to listen to what the woman said as he lifted up his drink to take a sip. However, the sip was halted as he moved the glass away from his lips, hearing what she asked. He contemplated for a second of what to say before responding, "I'm just finishing up some paperwork with the Corp."

Vasily went to shrug after answering but was quickly stopped by a voice that took refuge in his mind. His head quickly turned to look towards Katarina again, his eyebrow once again raised. His face did not change much in terms of expression, but those who are more capable of reading expressions, he gave the look of accomplishment. This was possibly what he was looking for, or at the very least a new lead for it.

The traveler gulped down half of the drink and then stood up, gesturing for the fellow human to lead the way. Despite sensing the urgency in her tone, Vasily continued to move at a sluggish pace. He was uncertain of how to commune back to the girl, as all of his studies in the Force were isolated, being unable to practice such a skill with another being.

 

[Solaris]

"Hey, where are you going?" Kat protested, then downed about a quarter of the drink. She made an appreciative noise as she set it down on the bartop. That wasn't half-bad, actually. Nicely bitter, but not unpleasantly so. "I just got here, y'know. Been in the black for ages."

::Star's end! Don't just jump when you meet a contact! Dzat's 'ow operateeons get blown! The woman's telepathic voice carried not just the sense of irritation, but the very feeling of it.

Katarina smiled up at him, brushing her hand against his fingertips as if to pull him back to the bar. "I'm sure whatever you have to do can wait a few minutes, can't it? I'm not that bad of company, am I?" She looked at the bartender, who shrugged and went back to his business. "See? You look like you could use a drink to relax a little, and I know I could use a drink to relax a little. We're both new to town, right?" She stuck out her hand to shake his. "I'm Kitty. You got a name, or should I just keep calling you Spacer?"

Something about her, more than just her bubbly demeanor or obvious physical charms, was alluring. She seemed so compelling, something deeper than a mind trick or other such mental manipulations. Everything she said just seemed like a good idea.

 

[Vulpes]

Vasily looked to Kat, not realizing what he had done right away. He then moved back to his drink and took a sip before speaking. "Heh, sorry 'bout that. I meant no offense, but some of the looser women had a thing for the military fellas last time I was in these parts." He let out a brief chuckle and looked over to the bartender for a moment before speaking to him, "Toss her drinks onto my tab." Vasily gestured to the girl for a moment before putting his hand down and turning back to Katarina, feigning an apologetic tone, "Sometimes I've gotta remember I'm not part of that anymore."

The man gritted his teeth and shrugged, hoping she wouldn't take too much offense to the false prostitute remark. His fingers wrapped around the glass as he gulped down the last bit of the ale. He listened to the woman speak, before giving his own response, "Hm.." Vasily rubbed his bearded chin for a moment, contemplating remarking on the name and the profession he falsely accredited to her. "Names Theo, and aye. I'm only staying for a couple hours, or days. Imperial paperwork can be a pain at times." While he was not actually visiting to do paperwork, it was the truth when he spoke of being former military.

His eyes then focused back down to the drink, spotting little left in his glass. "Barkeep," The bartender looked over to Vasily, he had just previously left the two, "I'll take another drink, and one for Kitty here too, if she wishes." Vasily then looked over to his new acquaintance, to see if she was up for another one.

 

[Solaris]

"Oh, thanks," Kat said, blushing and blinking in surprise as she realized just what he thought she looked like. How? She wasn't even- That's it. Next time she was wearing her battle armor with her full kit. Let someone confuse her for a street-walker in that.

"I'm good, thanks, still working on this one," Kat said to the barkeep as he offered her another ale. She was going to nurse it the rest of the way; no sense getting drunk on an enemy world. "Well Theo, I think you owe me an apology," she said indignantly. The nerve of it! She could understand, being more than a little familiar with women in the service, but that only made it worse. He should've been able to tell she wasn't. . . that type."I'm not 'loose', and there're plenty of reasons a woman would talk to a man besides finding him irresistibly attractive and being desperate to get in and- do that with him. I don't, I'm not, and you're half my age anyhow."

 

[Vulpes]

Vasily's grip tightened on the glass as soon as the bartender finished pouring the drink. He rubbed the back of his head with his left hand, contemplating once again what to say. He spoke as he moved the drink to his mouth, "Ehh, covering your tab isn't enough of an apology already?" he said this jokingly, before moving the drink he had yet to take a sip of back onto the counter. Vasily then gave another light shrug before apologizing, "Alright, Alright, Miss Kitty. Missus Kitty? Either way, I'm sorry. Is there any way a wandering veteran could make it up to you?"

He then rested his elbows back onto the counter as he lifted his drink, smirking. "I really doubt you're fifty-eight, or even over thirty for that matter." Vasily gave a brief laugh and then finally took a sip of his drink.

 

[Solaris]

"Miss," Katarina said primly. She was much more used to 'Mademoiselle', but not everyone came up speaking the language she did and it wouldn't have fit with her feigned Imperial accent.

Katarina smiled enigmatically at the comment about her age. It was a bit of an exaggeration; she was only about thirty-eight, give or take, while she had placed him at a rough mid-twenties to maybe his early thirties. "I'll take that as a compliment. Apology accepted, but don't do it again. It's really quite rude, you know, to make assumptions about a lady's business." She took another sip of her ale, her eyes never leaving his. "Especially if they're true." From her deadpan delivery, it was difficult to tell if she were joking or not.

::Play along,:: her telepathic voice commanded. ::There weell be a fight breakeeng out shortly. We weell leave dzen.

::And emphateecally no. I'm not eenterested een you een the slightest. Not in dzat way.::

 

[Vulpes]

Vasily nodded his head once he was corrected on the 'miss' statement. His sip of ale was halted as he looked back over to her, "Eh?" He was a little confused by the last remark, as well as to her telepathic message in regards to a fight. Vasily was curious of how she knew this, unless she had it planned all along.

The bearded man feigned a grin towards her as he rested on the counter once again. "I'll be sure to bare that in mind from now on, Miss." He rubbed his chin and then gulped down the rest of his drink, not wanting his credits to go to waste if they were going to have to leave so abruptly. Of course, his quick drinking of it was not suspicious, as he drank his previous drink fairly fast as well.

 

[Solaris]

"Be sure that you do," Katarina replied, taking another pull at her ale. She was starting to feel buzzed, and she set her drink down with the thought that she really ought not pick it back up. She knew how much of a lightweight she was, and yet she still kept doing these meetings in cantinas and bars . . .

Behind them, the distinctive thud of meat-on-meat impact sounded as one man clobbered another.

"Oh thank the stars," Katarina said, smiling in relief as an all-out brawl opened up between a group of off-duty Stormtroopers and some Imperial regulars. "I do believe I am getting drunk. Take me home?"

 

[Vulpes]

Vasily looked down and took notice of the leftover drink that Katarina left. To him, that was not much, but then again he was a borderline alcoholic. His body naturally detoxified and was able to resist the effects of alcohol fairly easily. After all, around him were plenty of stormtroopers who drank away during their off-shift, a hobby that Vasily also developed.

From behind, the man heard the sounds of what seemed like a bar fight. Vasily turned and the image matched the sound. He stood upright as he tossed the imperial credits onto the counter, an amount that easily covered both their tabs, and a hefty tip. Staying around any longer than he had to was not part of his plan. Figuring out who 'Kitty' was, was part of it though. He offered her a hand in order to escort her home, or wherever it might've been.

"C'mon, let's get you home, Miss." Vasily was uncertain if she was really such a lightweight or feigning. Either way, it was another excuse to get to a secluded area so they could speak more freely. He wrapped his hand around what was left of her drink and just about finished it off, leaving very little left. Following his best instincts, he escorted her around the cantina, avoiding going into the middle where the fighting had broken out. It seemed more had joined into the fight, but he had no time to watch.

Once arriving outside of the cantina, Vasily squinted slightly at the sunlight. He had not realized how dimly lit the building was. He then looked down to Katarina before speaking, "Where might your residence be? Or will you need a ride to it."

 

[Solaris]

"Dzat stuff was stronger dzan I tzought," Katarina remarked ruefully when they were safely out of the vicinity of the cantina. "Eizer dzat, or I've turned eento a real lightweight." She giggled and smiled up at him, though she wasn't quite intoxicated enough to start losing motor function she was experiencing a decided loss of inhibitions and good judgment. "'Ardly dze feerst eempression I was goeeng for. Oh dear, I am drunk. I 'ave a place not too far from 'ere, do you mind walkeeng me dzere and seetteeng weedz me for a beet? I 'ave some dzeengs I want to talk to you about. Eemportant dzeengs."

---

"Make yourself comfortable," Katarina said as they entered her apartment and she headed straight for the 'fresher. She grabbed a bottle of stims and popped a couple of the pills to counteract the alcohol's effects, then headed for the kitchenette to prepare some instant caffa.

The place Katarina rented was a small studio apartment on the third floor, a rather dingy place that catered to short-term residents who preferred as few questions as possible. The only effects were an armor coffin, a portable wardrobe, and a hygiene kit currently disseminated onto the sink in the 'fresher. The furniture was in fairly decent condition, and showed signs of having been recently scrubbed clean - Kat had spent a night doing just that when she first moved in.

"So." Katarina walked up with a pair of steaming mugs in her hands and handed one to Vasily. "Just 'oo do you dzeenk I am?"

 

[Vulpes]

After walking alongside Katarina for a few minutes, he looked at the building she entered. Not exactly the definition of luxury, he thought. Vasily knew that whomever this girl was, she didn't take up a permanent residence there. He followed behind her, paying much more attention to his surroundings this time. They stopped on the third floor and he looked as she made her way into the room.

---

Vasily nodded his head upon hearing Katarina's offer of comfort. He looked around for a moment, but saw there was little comfort in the apartment. It did not seem to really have many colors or cushions. He walked around slowly in the room, inspecting the area. Vasily scratched the hair on his chin and then looked as he heard Katarina come back. The smell of Caf cut through the dingy smell, providing some comfort to it.

The Kalee native took one of the mugs and inspected it for a second, no visible residue if she did spike it with something. He took a sip of the drink before deciding to answer, "Can't say for certain, but if you were a petty criminal, there'd have been others here..." He took a few more steps, glancing over towards the kitchenette area and taking another sip of Caf. "And ISB aren't as bright as they put on." He then turns his attention back to Katarina, "I can't say I know who you are, but 'Kitty' doesn't seem to match the face here. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong yet."

 

[Solaris]

"Well, eef eet does, eet's because dzees eesn't quite my face," Katarina said, gesturing towards her face. A faint electrical tingle swept through the room as she handed off the mug; Katarina was ensuring their conversation remained private. She had, of course, spiked his caffa with an odorless, tasteless drug that would render him all but incapable of lying for the next few minutes. Kat had to be absolutely sure she could trust him. "Cosmeteecs, you know? My name ees Katarina Forge. I was a member of dze Eempeerial Knights in dze days before dze Purge. I suppose you could say I am now a member of dze Eempeerial Reseestance. I fight to leeberate dze Empire from dze yoke of dze Seez and to restore dze rightful leeneage to dze zrone."

Her dark eyes studied him carefully as she spoke, looking for any hint of betrayal. Her expression was deadly-serious, even if her tone was conversational, even friendly. Far from the playful lush she'd acted at being, Katarina was now acting the part of a dangerous, cold-blooded woman. It was an act she was a natural for.

 

[Vulpes]

The vibe of electricity made Vasily uncomfortable, he was uncertain of what it was, but had some ideas. She was likely attempting to remove any bugs or spy-like equipment he may have been carrying. If this was the case, he completely understood, however he did not even carry a comlink with him, just a blaster, which he was uncertain if it would still work. He shifted the mug into his left hand as he reached calmly towards his belt. A click noise was made as it was removed from the holster, however he did not intend to use it in malicious manner. He tossed it down onto table in the center of the room and then looked back to Katarina.

"Well, Katarina, that was my third guess. Vasily gave a brief chuckle and then sipped the drink once more, "And mine is Vasily Tasuv, but this is my actual face, though." He gestured towards his for a moment before walking around the dingy apartment more, little did he notice that the drug was beginning to kick in already. He began to speak, giving away more information already than he had of liked to, "I've been looking for you folks for some time, not in a aggressive or war-like manner though. When outside of the Sith's ear, it seems you guys have more sympathizers than I thought."

 

[Solaris]

"I know 'oo you are, Vaseely." Katarina smiled at him and sat down in the armchair, crossing her legs and leaning back. She gave a momentary start when he drew his blaster, but said nothing. She eyed the piece until he placed it on the table, then telekinetically drew it into her hand as casually as she might have reached over and picked up a newsprint. She checked the weapon and cleared it with the easy familiarity of a professional shoulder. "You don't get so far as you deed weedzout our approveeng of you. So. Congratulations, dzen. You've made eet so far. Now you 'ave to eempress me to get any fardzer.

"What do you 'ave against dze Seez?"

 

[Vulpes]

Vasily rubbed his chin again, he seemed to do this a lot when he was thinking. He watched Katarina clear the weapon of any rounds it contained. "You seem to know your way around a blaster well enough.." He set his drink down and rested against the wall by the kitchenette, "I was hoping my snooping would've caught your attention, after all, I imagine being the group that you are, most communication is through the dark holonet, assuming you use electronic comms at all."

He cleared his throat and focused his eyes back at the girl's, "And for the Sith? The same reason everyone else does, just I'm a little more willing to speak my mind. Their methods are counterproductive, such as some of their greatest leaders being killed for the sake of 'proving a point of strength'. The death of our Emperor, I feel was another occurance of such." He pushed himself off the wall as his fist clenched slightly, "They are flawed and do the Empire no good." The undertone of Vasily was clearly the opinion of one who was once patriotic.

 

[Solaris]

"I should 'ope so, I've been playeeng weedz dzem seence odzer geerls were playeeng weedz dolls." Katarina smiled coldly as she leaned over and placed the blaster pistol back on the table. "Eets blaster gas 'as gone stale."

She held his gaze a moment, searching deep into his eyes as if to look into his very soul. She could tell by his pupil dilation the drug was in full effect. "I am an Eempeerial Knight. My goal is dze overzrow of dze Seez and dze return of dze rightful, just rule of law in dze Empire radzer dzan dze fasceest, arbeetrary rule of dze Seez. Can I trust you, Vaseely? Would you geeve your life for dze cause? Weell you fight dze Seez 'teel dze beetter end?"

 

[Vulpes]

Vasily gave off a light chuckle as he heard Katarina's remark, however it was quickly stopped as his vision began to feel more blurry. It was not his knowledge that his eyes had become dilated from the undetectable drug. He ran his hand through his hair, assuming it was the delayed effects of the alcohol. Perhaps she was right about the drink, and was only affected by it sooner.

He rested himself against the wall again as he gripped the mug with two hands now. The lack of furniture in the apartment did not make the situation any easier. Vasily looked up to Katarina as she spoke again. "Oh? Sounds like our goals are not so un-similar. And of course, Miss Forge." He glanced around the room, identifying the blurs of color as the objects he previously took note of. "If," he cleared his throat, "If you don't mind me asking, was this you or the bartender?" he gestures towards his eyes with his finger.

 

[Solaris]

"Answer dze questions," Katarina said sharply, lacing the command with a bit of Force-induced compulsion. "Eef you refuse, you weell not leave dzees room alive." She pointedly unholstered her superheavy Annihilator, but didn't quite point it at him yet.

"Can I trust you?"