Open [Manaan] Taking Matters Into Our Own Hands

[Darth Tempest]

Vahliri resisted the immense urge to scowl - watching as the group of Jedi continued to follow them like over-aggressive panhandlers. While she wasn’t particularly surprised by their behavior, everything about the half-Annfyn’s body language projected that it wasn’t welcome. It was a genuine sentiment, though on the surface, it would merely come across as a woman unhappy with her honeymoon and tour being interrupted by men and women.. Effectively harassing her for money.

By virtue of her sensitive hearing, the half-Annfyn was easily able to pick up on the conversation between the Jedi and a Selkath official, eliciting a slightly arched brow. The Selkath were a particularly suspicious and untrusting culture - especially when it came to outsiders. Importantly, it was a well known fact that the Selkath often found it rude to approach those who showed no signs of wishing to speak. Despite the little interaction she overheard, Vahliri highly doubted that the rest of the authorities or the city would be so forgiving to the Jedi and their antics.

“Fortunately, I have an assistant to point us in the right direction. But I am sure there is someone else who would benefit from your kind gestures,” Vahliri said with a forced smile, tugging her ‘wife’ a bit closer, almost protectively - her voice a bit more forceful than before. She didn’t enjoy being openly stalked and harassed, and made that fact easy to decipher for anyone watching nearby.

Her gaze flicked to Erik when a question was asked - though Celeste did her the courtesy of answering first. Vahliri pursed her lips a bit, patience running exceptionally thin for their tag-alongs. “Indeed. Eco-friendly solutions I would hope to replicate elsewhere.” It was no secret that Induparan culture valued conservation and environmentalism, evident by the pristine nature of their homeworld. Nothing about Vahliri’s background would seem out of the ordinary for the pair of Jedi listening.

“Lovely idea, dear.” Vahliri said, giving the woman’s hand a squeeze. “A bit of time just to ourselves would be rather nice,” She said with a warm smile - at this point ignoring the Jedi she seemed to want to follow them the entire damn way. The customs desk wasn’t much of a concern - especially given she wasn’t carrying any physical weapon.

“Do have a wonderful day,” Vahliri said back to the Jedi, proceeding right along with Val and Celeste. They would move through customs quickly, and be on the other side of the city if things went well. And the half-Annfyn didn’t expect it would go any other way.

 

[Hera "The Joyful" Albion]

They simply didn't stop talking, for every word out of Hera's mouth there'd be three out of theirs. A word for the Jedi, a word for each other, and a word once more to the Jedi. Everything about the honeymooning pair, especially the older woman(@Malon) screamed 'Get away from us, we hate you.' They could smile all they wanted, but Hera was the master of wearing joy on her face even if she wasn't feeling it.

These people weren't feeling it.

They continued to try and push them away, giving fake 'thanks' for 'helping them along.' What was that? Hera admitted to herself that she was a little pushy, but she had also stated they were headed the same way. Normal people didn't talk this much if they didn't want Hera around. Normal people didn't call attention to the Jedi when they wanted them to go away. These people didn't feel normal to Hera.

But that wasn't enough to do anything, so Hera simply bit her tongue and smiled as the three women chatted away. Instead, she took a mental note of the location they were headed. Ahto Wildlife EcoTour-Adventures, they were the last place still allowed to host tours underwater. Local security, in the face of recent events, had cracked down on anyone else hosting underwater tours. Ahto Wildlife EcoTour-Adventures had only been allowed to remain open due to extensive lobbying from their rich patrons.

But their provisions for staying open were strict, they could do no more than two tours a day, and security at the event had been greatly increased. Hera decided there was a better course of action for approaching all this. As the group reached the customs office, Hera checked herself out of the spaceport and gave the trio a curt bow- "Enjoy your honeymoon!" She said, all sunshine and rainbows.

At worse, she'd ruin a honeymoon. And she wasn't sure she cared about that anymore, these people weren't nice.

@Malon @LadyRen @Altaris @Wit @Painus

 

[Eirik Sunwielder]

Eirik knew when he wasn’t welcome, and this was one of those times. Like a chapel choir, the three women responded similarly, and with only thinly veiled displeasure, to the Jedi’s conversation attempts. Normally, he would be understanding of their irritation – they were, essentially, proselytizing to strangers – but there was something about the repetitive way all three echoed their sentiments that rubbed him the wrong way. They were deliberately being rude to the Jedi, and for what? He was a patient man, but that did not mean he was not a petty one.

Ahto Wildlife EcoTour-Adventures.

Of course, it would be Ahto Wildlife EcoTour-Adventures. With the changing political situation of the galaxy, they had been the only organization still allowed to host subsurface tours beyond a certain depth with heavy restrictions in place. The Selkath were very particular about not disrupting marine life or the delicate balance of aquatic biomes, and so very particular requirements had been established to maintain that eco-centric focus. No free diving, no scuba diving, no exiting the submersible that the tour center had been allocated. At the depths the trio wished to tour, the pressure would crush any living creature unsuited to them, and so the singular submersible they maintained was the only authorized method of travel. Too many vehicles moving around and it’d disrupt the wildlife from the natural cycle. Aggressive sharks caused all manner of issues.

Eirik checked himself through customs and offered a silent, polite bow to the three as they headed to their hotel, his expression as placid as could be expected of a Jedi. When they were out of earshot, Eirik turned and tilted his head in the direction of the tour offices.

”I’ve wanted to see under the surface since we arrived. How’s about a tour?” he offered, a mischievous twinkle to his expression contrasting with his dour demeanor.

He would lead the other two Jedi to the Ahto Wildlife EcoTour-Adventures offices without the detour or delay the other group fancied and checked in at the desk. They’d been fortunate – the only tour of the day, and the diplomatic status of the Jedi, coupled with the gratuitous offer of credits from the chit they’d been given for their mission, meant that a spot on the tour was secured without much fuss. There was still quite a wait until the tour left; it needed the rest of its passengers, after all, and so the Jedi would be obliged to linger in the staging lounge until everyone had shown up.

It was a quaint place. Cushioned couches arranged around large, non-native plants. Viewing screens for ongoing podraces and other local entertainment lined the room. A soft, soothing song played as ambience. Eirik stood around with his arms crossed over his chest, eyes playing over the various informational signs, warnings, requirements, and certifications of the tour center. In an adjoining room, beyond the center’s internal security screening point, he caught a glimpse of the submersible idling at the surface of the ocean. It was sleek, spacious, and seemed inviting.

He was almost a little excited to see the sharks now.

@Wit @Malon @Black Noise @LadyRen @Altaris

 

[Sylphrena]

Syl observed the trio as they walked through the customs checkpoint and towards their resort, and under normal conditions it might have been the last they ever saw of them, if not for Eirik's intervention. She got a feeling of his intent, and didn't object. But when they reached the tour location, she spotted some signs that did make her pause.

Loose Clothes, Shiny/Metallic Objects, and Jewelry Prohibited..

Flash photography prohibited beyond this point.

No live animals on the tour.

The list went on, banning that and more, weapons, drugs, food and drinks. The Selkath were dedicated to preserving their oceans, and as such were paranoid about their tours. It was an eco-tour after all, such measures were to be expected. But, it did mean that the Jedi would have to leave their weapons behind.

"Why don't you two enjoy this one," she said after reading the signs, "leave your bling with me, and I'll wait for you up here. I can use the time to create a country playlist for you to explore."

@Black Noise @Painus @Altaris @Malon @LadyRen

 

[Celeste Stythani]

While the red-headed Jedi politely said her goodbyes, Celeste waved back with a friendly smile while internally gagging. Would they finally take the hint? For now, it looked like it, but maybe this wasn't over. One way or another, the trio would make their way through the checkpoint as planned and meet the tour guide at the said location.

She obviously didn't miss the signs over there, but while she nodded understandingly, she knew exactly what this meant. They'd go on the tour as tourists if they would lay their belongings down. No more no less. She waited for the other women to finalize their decision, but with Jedi presence and the strict law enforcement, it seemed like their mission had gotten nearly impossible and it annoyed her greatly.

When the other two did the same, she started removing all the items they were asking for. She was then also realizing that they hadn't manange to get rid of the Jedi as they were literally still following and had apparently just bought some tickets to the tour as well. What a fortunate coincidence...She was fuming from the inside. The Jedi were literally harassing a group of tourists without having any legitimate authority here. But what other chance then playing along did they have? And also, Val had done their booking, how did they even manange to get in if this was a private honeymoon tour?! As the tour guide approached them with a friendly smile, she adressed him politely, yet with a hint of confusion in her voice. "Excuse me, but wasn't this supposed to be the honeymoon special and just a private tour?". Obviously, the lovebirds wanted to enjoy their vacation without any disturbances and the word 'private' had been highlighted on the schedule after all.

@Malon @Altaris @Black Noise @Wit @Painus

 

[Val Varthra]

"That's a little later on, Haleth (@LadyRen), dear," Val said, intervening. Her invention was casual, not panicked. It was hardly a mistake worth panicking about. Though she did wish Celeste had listened to her a little closer. "The first part of the tour is completely open to newcomers." She now looked to the burly-looking Jedi who had spoke of the underwater a moment earlier (@Painus). "Though, if they want to take the underwater tours, they'll need to book one of their own. Took me forever to secure those tickets."

That part, at least, was true. Manaan was very strict about who was allowed near the Rift, and the Selkath were particularly careful about how many people they allowed down there at a time. The health and resuscitation of the firaxan sharks was too important.

Upon reaching the tour signs beyond customs, Val saw the fatal flaw in her plans. No jewelry allowed underwater, which meant she had a choice to make. Give up the mission and hand over her necklace to an attendant, or remove the stone and continue her attempt when they reached the private portion of the tour. An easy enough choice.

"I'm going to pop into the bathroom real quick, love," she said to Vahliri (@Altaris). "I need to freshen up before the tour leaves. You might consider it too." She pointed to the signs. "Appears there's no jewelry once we go down under. We should make sure we have everything."

She didn't wait for Vahliri to join her, leaving it up to the Sith woman whether or not she would. The bathroom was just off to the side of the tour meeting area, and, once inside, she locked herself into one of the stalls and began to remove her jewelry. She started with her earrings, then her rings. When at last she reached the necklace that was the cause of so much consternation, she quickly plucked the central gemstone from its housing and slipped it into her clothing. Then she pooled the necklace with the rest of her jewelry.

Then, from her stall, she would call out to Vahliri, should she follow, "Dear, do you have a bag with you? I don't seem to have brought one. Something we can slip the jewelry in to give the attendant?"

It was important to remain in-character, in case any of those nosey Jedi sought to chase them even into the damn lavatories.

@Wit @Altaris @LadyRen

 

[Darth Tempest]

Vahliri had carefully weighed the risks and dangers associated with attacking Manaan prior to arrival, and believed that she had accounted for most glaring threats. Of course, the half-Annfyn couldn’t have predicted the additional security applied to the tour - a consequence of the ongoing war between the ISC and Empire. It was a near fatal complication, and required the three of them to adapt accordingly.

She glanced over to Val when the woman spoke - nodding ever-so-slightly towards the Imperial agent. “I think I will,” Vahliri said with a smile, following close behind the woman that was - on Manaan - her wife. The half-Annfyn had no qualms leaving Celeste to fend for herself, figuring the woman would distract the Jedi during that small period.

Once inside the stalls, Vahliri followed much the same routine as Val - slipping off the various pieces of jewelry she wore. Earrings, necklace and rings - followed by the large gemstone that was set just above her left ring finger. A simple click of a button released the large amethyst that was nestled into the gold band - which was promptly tucked into her outfit for later.

“Your in luck, love.” Vahliri pulled a large ziplock bag from her purse - presenting it to Val for both of their jewelry. She made no attempt to hide what she was doing or try to pocket any piece of her ensemble.

Within just a few minutes, both women would make their way out of the bathrooms - giving the Jedi and Celeste enough time to continue along. Meanwhile Vahliri carried the bag filled with glittering jewels and expensive accessories. Anyone staring intently at the bag might notice the two missing gemstones from the bunch. Vahliri didnt hesitate to hand the bag off to a Selkath attendant, eyes narrowing momentarily. “I know everything that is in that bag,” The woman said sternly, clearly attached to each and every piece.

Assuming they weren’t further stopped at customs, Vahliri was prepared to continue right along to continue their tour.

 

[Hera "The Joyful" Albion]

The report came in over her comlink clear as day when the three women arrived at the tour, a quiet Selkath voice asking the Jedi to make sure the three women did not board the tour nor did they leave the Jedi's sight. Facial recognition software, although delayed by a slight change in eye and hair color, was able to match one of the women to a missing FWA senator. The high profile and public figure of the Senator of Ratattak, Celeste Stythani.

Of course, it was also known that the planet of Ratattak had defected to the Sith Empire. Perhaps it was speculation on Hera’s part, but the Senator still led the planet. So the Senator was still related to the Sith somehow. Rather than turn over her lightsabers, Hera held onto them. She would not be joining this tour, and neither would Celeste. Additionally, if Celeste was here, why, and why was she pretending to be someone else's secretary? Stepping away from the group as the two women moved off to remove their jewelry, Hera sent a texted message to the authorities to run a more detailed background check on the IDs of the two women accompanying the Senator.

While she did that, she kept a close eye on Celeste standing beside the Selkath tour guide she had just attempted to get to run off the Jedi. It explained why she wanted them gone so damn badly. Of course, all the while, Hera kept up her smiles. They didn't want the Jedi talking to them anyway, so no need to keep talking in order to give them any hints of their exposure. Local police forces would be arriving soon, in great numbers, to remove the imposter.

Any attempt at premature violence was likely to end in death, especially with the turrets Ahto City was famous for. It wasn't just that the Selkath prioritized harsh punishments for violence, they had the base violence necessary to back up their enforcement. Auto-turrets were on every corner, posted from every ceiling. Open violence was a death sentence. Hera only needed now to wait, and keep an eye on them.

 

[Eirik Sunwielder]

Eirik had been idly watching some local swoop re-runs on one of the holo displays around the area to pass the time. It was nothing special, some amateur league preliminary qualifiers. In another life, he might have cared, but as it stood, he just found it simple watching as he waited for the others on the tour to arrive.

And arrive they did, having taken a detour to their lodging before making the sojourn over to the eco-tour center where the Jedi waited. Certain their presence would be the cause of some consternation, he merely offered the trio of women a polite smile and bow of his head, all the while as a report chirped quietly in his ear. One of the women, identified as the Senator of Rattatak who had been reported as missing some time ago, seemed to catch notice on the facial recognition scanners in the customs area.

Not wishing to show any outward signs of suspicion or hostility, Eirik merely played the part of congenial Jedi diplomat. Uncrossing his arms from his chest, he sauntered over by Hera and the tour guide with whom Celeste chatted, a gentle grin on his face. ”I’ve always wanted to see a firaxan shark up close,” he said warmly to his fellow Jedi following Val’s timely intervention, offering the white-haired noble the same cursory glance she might pass onto him. He feigned casual excitement, his surface thoughts disguising his suspicions with idle fancies of marine life.

He kept Celeste in his periphery while the other two women headed to the bathroom for the next several minutes. The tour guide, having received a quiet chirp in his ear as well from customs officials ordering the sub to not leave the city, seemed to now regard Celeste with a sense of that classic Selkath wariness of off-worlders. He elected not to respond, having allowed Val to instead answer for him when she had cut into the conversation. With security forces en route to the tour center to investigate the sudden appearance of a once-missing high-profile Senator, the Jedi needed to keep them placated and present. Ahto City’s security measures were strict, and, in many cases, highly lethal; their adherence to law and order bordered on obsession. He’d rather this not be bloody.

At worst, Eirik was now positioned to protect the unarmed tour guide, given that he had not yet surrendered the sunfire sword hidden beneath the folds of his coat. With Rattatak’s alignment to their ancestral foe, he would not take any chances with the Senator growing squirrely or aggressive – and that was without considering what the other two women had been here for. Why was the Senator disguising as a mere secretary, and why were the three so set on dismissing the Jedi? That feeling of unseen dread had surfaced once again, and he recognized it as serendipity by the Force.

Regardless, he was all smiles and courtesy to those around him while security forces closed in on their location.

@Wit @Black Noise @Malon @Altaris @LadyRen

 

[Sylphrena]

She wasn't into politics, but she wasn't a complete imbecile either, so she did keep up with major development. And the reports of a Senator vanishing was major news, even she wasn't unaware of that fact. So when the local authority gave them the courtesy of updating them on the situation, probably after having received the go ahead from the Sector Rangers who were likely heading to investigate, things started clicking.

Scenarios were playing through her head, a way to explain what was happening. Had she been kidnapped? Were these two the ones responsible, were she here under duress even now? Why else would a former Senator, one of the most powerful women on her planet, be acting like a glorified servant to two honeymooners?

There were questions on her mind, but they were not hers to ask. Not yet. They were guests here, and she had no intention of causing a a diplomatic incident by overstepping her authority, acting where they had no jurisdiction. So she waited for the Rangers and the local authorities to arrive, keeping an eye on the two women as they emerged from the restroom. Keeping a very sharp eye on them.

And so it was that she did notice the missing pieces on some of the jewelry in the bag that the shorter woman tried to hand over to one of the attendants. But for now she kept it to herself, not really seeing it as something worth making a fuss over just yet.

"Hold on a moment ma'am," the attendant said without accepting the bag, having received a different message over her comms, "we should be ready to board soon, looks like there's a slight delay. We should begin shortly, I can process your personal effects and log them once boarding begins."

@Black Noise @Painus @Altaris @Malon @LadyRen

 

[Val Varthra]

Three things caught Val's attention in the moments after she emerged from the lavatory:

The attendant was first. She refused to accept the bag, then seconds later asked to process their personal effects. The delay was also unusual. They had already been pushing against the time limit when they had left the spaceport. Now there was a delay and they wouldn't say for. Both of these things could have been coincidences. Attendants messed up, delays happened, but the thing that alerted her the most?

The Jedi finally shut up.

From the moment the three women touched down on Manaan, the Jedi had treated them like converts to some cult, chasing them through the spaceport and past customs to regale them on the kindness and generosity of the Jedi Order. Now, suddenly, despite the women's attempts to get the Jedi to leave them alone all failing, the three monks were uncharacteristically quiet.

Val was only a lieutenant in the ISB, and was without the Force to warn her, so she had been trained to rely on her instincts. And her instincts were telling her that something was possibly amiss. But she gave nothing away, her face the impeccable mask it had been since they landed. As it happened, the attendant not taking their bag was a blessing.

"Dear," she said to Vahl (@Altaris), frowning and looking confused and almost concerned. "Look." She took the bag from Vahl's hand. "The diamond in my necklace... it's gone." She looked back at the bathroom, placing her hand on her neck where her necklace had been previously. "Do you think it might have fallen out in the bathroom?"

She summoned her training, attempt to draw up pinpricks of tears. "I hope it didn't fall out on the way from the spaceport. You know how much I adored my mother's necklace. Could you come back and help me look?" She was already in motion, pushing back open the bathroom door and beginning to appear to scour the stalls for the gemstone while silently taking stock of any potential exits.

There was a window on the far side of the bathroom. Closed, but the latch would come undone easily. There was also a vent directly above their head, but it was screwed in and too small anyways for her to fit through. It would have to be the window if her intuition was right; but she made no move for it just yet. Not without Vahl, at the very least.

@LadyRen @Wit @Black Noise @Painus

 

[Darth Tempest]

Though she didn’t vocalize much, that didn’t mean Vahliri wasn’t keenly paying attention to her surroundings. Her amber eyes flicked between the Selkath attendant and - for the first time since arriving on the planet - noticed the trio of Jedi being eerily quiet. Her gaze momentarily fell upon Sylphrena, able to tell that the Jedi Master was observing them very closely. The woman would’ve had to been, especially if he noted the missing gemstones.

The faintest pin-prints of concern began to bubble within the half-Annfyn, alerting her that something was amiss. Perhaps it was nothing at all. But the stakes were entirely too high for them to dismiss anything out of hand.

Fortunately, Val seemed to get the same impression - presenting them an opportunity to slip away from.. Whatever was happening near the customs desk. Her eyes widened a bit in surprise when Val took the bag from her hand, allowing dread to creep onto her expression when she saw the necklace with a missing gemstone. “What?” She muttered, grasping at the bag almost in disbelief.

Her gaze promptly flicked back to the bathrooms, dark brows furrowing together. “It might have - I just saw it.” She shook her head. “You don’t think anyone would have..” Vahliri trailed off, biting her lip. The concern was evident on her expression even as she avoided rattling off the worst. “I am sure it just fell out.” A hand reached out to grasp that of her beloved, giving a squeeze as they made for the bathrooms. The half-Annfyn didn’t bother to look back at her apprentice, acknowledging that they didn’t have a good reason to come with them.. And because the Champion seemed to keep the attention of Jedi thus far, which was useful.

Once inside the bathroom, Vahliri began to glance around the stalls - though her true focus was on the window that led outside of the building. The capital of Manaan was heavily defended and armed, but it was a bustling metropolis nonetheless. Vahliri had no doubt they could slip into the masses if necessary, and was prepared to make for the exit if anything seemed further amiss.

Her keen hearing was trained all around her - listening for anything approaching the bathroom doors or audible from outside the building.

 

[Celeste Stythani]

It wasn't hard to notice that both, the overall mood as well as the behavior of the Jedi changed from one second to the next. There was a sudden commotion and it seemed like they wouldn't necessarily start their tour right now, but Celeste wasn't too worried for now as keeping her appearance up was the top priority.

As the other two women emerged, her gaze flicked over to them, throwing them a soft smile as they walked up to her again, however internally she was running through different scenarios in her head. While the ISB had set up a good cover, Vahliri had never made a secret out of her affiliation.

The Master's face was known, not super public, but a few Jedi had fought her, and especially now that the Jedi who coincidentally showed up wherever they went on this planet or rather obsessively seemed to follow them like stalkers, seemed suspicious, and so Celeste assumed this could pose an issue. Where they after them? While the ISC planet had strict laws and regulations on violence, that didn't mean they weren't investigating and so she stayed even more attentive than before.

Vahliri and Val than both started to direct their attention to the conveniently missing diamond and searched for the easiest solution to slip away, but the question was, why were they assuming that turning into the bathroom was clever? Surely Vahliri picked this weird feeling that something might be off up as well, and Val wasn't a complete imbecile either, but how could the two woman assume that slipping back in the bathroom wouldn't be one of the most suspicious moves in such a situation? Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly as she glanced after them, whispering "Oh that's...odd" actually loud enough for the Jedi to hear and with a definite trace of worry in her voice as she started moving after them.

Missions like such required a lot of preparation, but obviously she hadn't just relied on the ISB. She didn't just have a plan B, but a few other options regardless of what was about to happen and was ready to improvise if necessary, but for now the assistant obviously had to help when her ladies were searching for the valuable heirloom. The ISB had sent them on this mission, but self-preservation was obviously the Sith's nature and hopefully they all knew that as well. She would ensure that the others wouldn't just vanish and leave her to talk, regardless of how the course of this mission would change. "What if someone really stole it?" she worriedly asked as she entered the bathroom, leaving the door open for now.

@Wit @Black Noise @Painus @Malon @Altaris

 

[Hera "The Joyful" Albion]

Hera did not hesitate as the pair of women, almost simultaneously, turned around and headed into the women's restroom. Something about a missing gem? Truthfully, Hera didn't believe that for a second. However, she didn't really have a reason to pursue them outside of pure speculation and gut feelings. Until their lying target, Senator Celeste, also moved toward the bathroom.

All three of them trying to exit the Jedi's view at the same time was a red flag. Stepping after the Senator as she held the bathroom door open, Hera smiled and asked kindly, "Are you missing something? Something I might be able to help you find?" As she spoke, the Justicar stepped into the bathroom and held the door open, making sure that anyone who glanced in their direction would be able to see directly into the room and see the four women.

The bathroom hadn't been occupied anyway, so it wasn't as if Hera's transparency was rude or uncalled for. Especially as the women announced they were missing something, it was only right that the Jedi help them find it. If, in the process of searching, it kept them there until the authorities arrived, then even better. The authorities were on their way, they couldn't be far now. Looking around the floor, Hera asked, "What do your gems look like?"

 

[Eirik Sunwielder]

Eirik had been poised to protect the selkath attendant if the target of their suspicion had gotten squirrely and erratic, putting him both nearby Celeste and able to observe the two other women as they returned from the bathroom. His gaze passed idly over the bag of jewelry once attention was drawn towards the missing gems, prompting the two noblewomen to immediately turn and head for the bathroom once more.

His gut instincts warned him of duplicity; someone so focused on wearing expensive finery would surely not have purchased jewelry cheap enough for the gems to simply fall out of its socket from gentle wear, and there was only a brief period of time where the trio were out of the Jedi’s sight before reuniting at the tour center and he was sure they would have noticed the missing gems before then.

That they had such a sudden shift in mood made him tense. The authorities were on the way and closing in soon – very soon – but they still needed to keep the three suspects corralled in the tour center. Hera dutifully moved to assist them in searching the bathroom, so Eirik turned and moved towards the entrance of the tour center. Interposing himself between everyone and the main entrance, he began looking about the floor around the doorway. ”They are diamonds, no?” he asked aloud, brows furrowing as he searched, ”They should shine in the light and be easy to find.”

With Hera near the women at the restroom and with Eirik by the entrance, they began to corral the group inside the lobby. ”Are thieves common on this world?” he asked the attendant, looking up and in its direction, keeping the three suspects in his periphery. The selkath merely shook its head and answered in the negative, folding its arms across its chest.

@Malon @Wit @Black Noise @Altaris @LadyRen

 

[Sylphrena]

The fact that the women noticed the missing jewels would not have been worth much thought in isolation, but this was not an isolated event. Coming on the heel of the delayed tour, and the information that the Jedi had received, it became much more suspicious. Still, on its own Syl would have stayed where she was to keep an eye on Celeste.

But the fact that Celeste followed after them into the bathroom left only one course of action for the Jedi, keeping an eye on the lot of them. Eirik could not follow them into the bathroom, but that was not something that would restrict the remaining Jedi. And as Hera went to the bathroom door, Syl followed. Celeste's two accomplices were so far persons of interest, but the missing Senator's decision to follow them into the bathroom meant that the Jedi did not have to worry about splitting their focus between the big fish and the accompaniments. The bathroom was now a small pond with all their fish.

So she stopped at the bathroom entrance, leaving some gap in the doorway so that Eirik or anyone else trying to look in would not be completely impeded by her presence. And she waited, senses on alert, ready for any surprises, she kept an eye on the trio, well aware that with the authorities on the way they simply needed to wait things out.

@Black Noise @Painus @Altaris @Malon @LadyRen

 

[Darth Tempest]

One of the many advantages in Vahliri’s Arsenal was her advanced sense of hearing. In combination with her force-trained perception, it meant that the half-Annfyn was easily able to pick up on the sound of footsteps and conversation behind her, even if herself and Val moved several paces ahead. She couldn’t help but internally roil, listening as Celeste followed after and effectively allowed the Jedi to corner them in the bathrooms. Caught in a net of their own choosing.

She had detected the general unease and red flags from both Jedi and Selkath - and knew that both of her companions had as well. Rather than fanning out, Celeste only drew more attention to their group by rapidly following them out of sight. It was an idiotic mistake, and the second one her apprentice had made after the flirting incident earlier that afternoon. It was the second and final error that the half-Annfyn would tolerate. She was driven entirely by self-preservation at this point, and it guided her next actions accordingly.

As they all stepped into the bathroom and the others began to search around, Vahliri drew the Force into herself - the full strength of a Sith Master beckoned to her command without much concentration. All of the Jedi present would be able to feel the Dark Side ablaze across their senses, to know it was coming from the bathroom, but otherwise wouldn’t be able to pinpoint from whom it originated.

While Hera searched the floor - and while deliberately positioning herself in front of Celeste by a few feet - Vahliri let forth a telekinetic burst from the tips of her fingers - striking into the floor just beneath her and Val’s feet. It carried enough power to knock Val harshly into the wall directly to their flank - effectively ragdolling the extremely tall woman. It would leave serious bruises and a concussion if the woman wasn’t careful, but it mattered little. Val would likely catch onto what Vahliri was doing and would play along.

Naturally, Vahliri allowed the force of her own telekinetic burst to carry her as well - sending the half-Annfyn hurtling into the wall. A cry of pain escaped from her lips, shoulder and forearm being first to slam into the hard surface. There was a faint crack of glass-like nature beneath her sleeve. Despite her own pain, Vahliri immediately turned towards Val - scrambling over to the other woman. “SELENE!” She cried out, worry lacing her words.

Her gaze flicked over to Celeste - a mixture of confusion and horror flashing across her features. Clearly visible by the Jedi. “What are you doing?!”

 

[Val Varthra]

Val didn't see it coming. Couldn't have conceived being used in this way. The Force had never touched her before, and so when she found herself lifted off the ground, unable to control herself, to fight back, her scream was genuine. A scream cut short as she was slammed against the nearby wall, the blow hard enough to smash the crystal that — when combined with kolto, would have become a deadly poison. Now, mere dust inside her clothing.

But the blow did much more than that. She saw stars as she crumbled back to the ground. The room seemed to spin. She had no idea who the attack had come from, being unable to sense the Force herself, so when Vahl whirled on Celeste and began to snarl at her, she crawled backwards and away until her back hit the wall. Her fear was genuine. Why had the Sith attacked her?

Of course, she shouldn't have been surprised. Sith were known to lash out at their subordinates for the perception of failure. But it had not been Val who had failed. She had done her part. Every bit of it to the letter. So, why would Celeste attack her? Fear radiated out from her. The powerful emotion would shield her thoughts from Jedi probing like a rancid odor overpowering any cologne. But there would be one thing they would be able to detect immediately:

Her fear — quickly turning to outrage — of Celeste.

Yet seeing Vahl scrambled to her, ask her if she was okay, use her false name, reminded her that this was still a mission. And they were still far from safe. She could not let her fear and anger jeopardize then, and so she remained staunchly in character, though her eyes darted warily should Celeste attack again.

"I'm okay, love," she stuttered, genuine emotion flooding her voice. "I'm okay, I think... I—" She touched her head, where she had smashed into the wall. A shallow gashed had opened and was weeping blood. "What—? Why?"

They look of betrayal she flashed at Celeste then, curled as she was in her 'wife's' arms, was as forced as it was genuine. Val didn't need to look to the Jedi for help then. They were close enough to see that she was hurt. Who had attacked her. They would do the rest on their own.

@Painus @Wit @Black Noise @Altaris @LadyRen

 

[Celeste Stythani]

As she followed the other two in, she immediately wanted to head towards the wash basin that was in plain sight from the door as it was a common place for tiny things to get lost in. She still quickly glanced around though. There were windows and vents, but nothing feasible, especially because it seemed like a quick escape was no option anyway. The Jedi followed to make sure there was no shady business going on in the bathroom, but obviously only the two women followed while the male knight stayed outside. The idea of getting rid of the diamonds still seemed foolish to Celeste, just like the cheap 'help-my-precious-gem-stone-was-stolen-maneuver', but it was too late to turn back now so she had to play along.

While she had a hint of worry about the missing item on her face, she still turned to the Knight with a kind smile for a second as she said, "Oh thank you! Maybe it has fallen into-". She hadn't come far yet, as she suddenly picked up a dark, strong presence within the Force layering the room and obviously she knew the exact source as the other two women were suddenly hurled across the room. Her gaze was still directed towards the Jedi and the back half turned towards the happy couple. She then raised a brow and turned towards Vahliri as she moved over to Selene, a 'seriously' flashing over her face for a split second as by outing either of them as Force sensitive, she was throwing each of them under the bus, which was why this desperate act seemed hasty and not very considerate.

What a cheap trick to pull, especially when considering that the master's powers Vahliri commanded were more than Celeste could ever conjure in such a short period of time. She questioned the move as Vahliri knew that either of them could out the rest, so why would she think she'd save her own ass by revealing that at least one person in this room was a practitioner of the dark side? From the sheer positioning with the red-haired Jedi so close by and since Celeste hadn't used the Force once by now, she assumed that the Jedi would be able to tell who had actually done it, because while she partly shielded Vahl from sight with her own body, her own hands hadn't moved and were in plain side and open, as she stayed in character.

While she stood there for just a second, a few options raced through her mind. Literally two could play this game and she could fuck the master harder...but she wasn't doing such a thing out of pettiness and wasn't crumbling beneath despair like Vahliri. Breaking cover obviously was an option, but she chose not to. Not yet, even if Vahl had just shattered their credibility. The thing still was that chances were they had already recognized the Sith Master who had never made a secret of her successes, so why was she risking bursting what remained of her cover like that? Celeste stayed alerted as she took a step back, her voice afraid and her facial expressions horrified as she breathlessly voiced, "What are you doing, my lady?". This was both, Haleth talking to her Lady and the apprentice adressing the master, although the latter actually was in a different state of mind. Whether Vahliri planned on continuing her twisted game or the Jedi making her move, she stayed aware of her surroundings while this confusing yet risqué situation was enfolding.

@Altaris @Malon @Black Noise @Wit @Painus

 

[Hera "The Joyful" Albion]

Hera's world became as a whirlwind as the dark side flowed into the room. No sooner had she begun to take a look around the ground than had someone in the room unleashed a wave of dark side energy. She fought every instinct in her body to reach for her lightsaber as she snapped to her feet and took a step back toward the door. At first, she looked to the Senator even before one of the noblewomen cried out asking what she was doing. Her innate bias seeped through as the younger woman spoke, "SELENE! What are you doing?"

Then, Hera froze. Why was the noblewoman asking what their secretary had done? How did the noblewoman instantly know that her own secretary struck out at her? Still looking at the Senator, Hera watched as she breathlessly voiced, "What are you doing, my lady?" And that was the final straw, there were Sith among these women. Perhaps it was only the senator, perhaps it was all three, either way, Hera's suspicions had been verified.

Stepping back out of the bathroom, Hera withheld herself from drawing her blades. She would make sure to not be a target as right after the senator responded to whoever 'her Lady' was, Hera could hear the boots of the authorities arrive. Durasteel droids, Selkath enforcers, and, most dangerous, ISC Enforcers (@Nefieslab @Sreeya) filed into the tourist agency. Hera cried out to them as they began to enter, "Be careful! One of them just attacked with The Force! They might be Sith!"

At that, Hera stepped out of the way. As she did so, she made sure to watch all three women extremely carefully. The last thing she needed was any of them attempting to destroy evidence at the last minute. If they reached for anything, Hera would be ready to use the Force to assist in restraining them. This charade had gone on long enough.