Open Observing That Imperial Backside

[Kane Seros]

Cantares. Imperial world with some heavy duty mining operations happening on the temperate surface. It was odd to see a planet with sustainable, even calm water on the surface without a moon, but Kane wasn't here in the cockpit of an Eta-class Shuttle to study the planet itself. He and his Jedi companion were here on a mission to scout the Imperial back-line. A daunting task for the boy that had only just come to grips with his own inability to be a proper Jedi when facing down the abominations. He still had nightmares about Coruscant every time he closed his eyes.

It would be some time before they made it into the planet's sensor range. They were coasting, the engines set on air thrusters only. Kane looked down at himself, doing a mental check of his gear. He wore a simple black shirt, grey runners, and some simple shoes. He didn't have any weapons on him, everything was stored in a secret compartment when they had exited hyperspace. He looked like a normal twenty-one year old dude, save for the fact that he could put a man through a wall without touching him.

With a contented sigh, he leaned back in the chair. "So," he started. "This is it." He turned to his companion on this perilous mission, giving a We-Might-Be-Dumb-For-Doing-This look. A Jedi's life was sacrifice, of course. So regardless of how Kane felt about putting his life on the line in the Imperial worlds, an enemy that outright hated Jedi, it was his duty. The fact that he wouldn't have a lightsaber or any weapons on him to start was a bit of a bust in his eyes, but they had to make it through port security before they could hide their lightsabers on them.

@LouJoVi

 

[Aranmir]

The usually talkative Tiefling had remained in silence since their shuttle had entered Imperial space. It was going to be the first time that Aranmir went on a mission behind enemy lines and he had no idea of what to expect. It was a well known fact that the Jedi Order and the Empire were at war, he wasn’t dumb to ignore it. However, he had spent most of his time happily and peacefully in Starlight.

He was starting to regret having accepted this mission, believing that he could screw things up.

“Yeah, we arrived.” Aranmir answered his partner for this mission, Jedi Knight Kane Seros. He never knew the other Jedi until recently, but the man seemed to know what he was doing. Hiding the weapons and wearing casual clothes, in the Padawan case a plain shirt, jeans and a pair of shoes, was a good idea. Hopefully this would be perfect to pass through Imperial vigilance without being noticed.

At least he still had the Force. It meant that he wasn’t defenseless. Aranmir also knew how to fight with his fists and legs, so it would also help. “How long until we land?” he asked, hoping to arrive at the surface soon and finish this mission fast. He didn’t want to stay in Centares longer than necessary.

@TheDudeMike

 

[The Storyteller]

Despite its distance from the expansionist efforts in the Western Dominion, the Mid Rim world of Centares remained a valued prize in the eyes of the Empire. Even from an orbital view, the luminescent whorls of its mining operations were plainly visible across the planet’s face. Countless systems such as this provided the fuel that stoked the incandescent flames of the Imperial war machine. This fact, coupled with reports of recent unrest, had proven sufficient convince the Empire to establish a permanent garrison on the planet’s surface.

There was, of course, no way of telling just how much personnel or equipment the Empire had brought to bear on the mining world, at least not from such a distance. The Jedi would need to get a bit closer to determine such specifics. Bridging that gap however, would require some measure of tact, as the planet was closely monitored by Imperial Customs and Enforcement. The agency was tasked with ensuring all goods and crafts either entering or leaving Centares were in good, legal standing and complied with Imperial regulations.

To this end, an Orbital Space Dock III Space Station had been permanently assigned to the planet’s orbit to monitor traffic. Its routinely performed sensor sweeps were far-reaching and comprehensive, but were run sporadically. In the interim between sweeps, a pair of TIE flights, comprised of mostly older model fighters, performed periodic patrols. The Jedi had wisely chosen to arrive on the mining planet’s far side and as of yet remained out of range of both sensors and patrols. How they proceeded would be up to them.

@TheDudeMike @LouJoVi

ooc: Pick any method of approach, trickery or craftiness you wish and roll for whether or not you're forced to deal with Imperial Customs.

 

[Kane Seros]

(OOC: Rolled 84 For Passing Scans)

Kane glanced at his fellow Jedi with a smirk. Hopefully the tiefling couldn't read that Kane was just as nervous as he was. Turning his attention back to the planet, Kane shrugged. "That depends. If we can get passed the space station there," he said, pointing to the dark speck that was now passing over the lit planet. "We'll be on the ground in fifteen, maybe twenty minutes."

Grabbing hold of the flight sticks, Kane put some power into the engines, bringing them to a moderate speed that would close the distance relatively quickly. Sure enough, as the dark speck of a space station grew into a towering behemoth of metal, the shuttle's comlink blinked. Kane opened the channel.

"Stand by for scans." It was an electronic voice, probably some Imperial that hated their job who's voice was modulated two or three times before reaching him. Kane didn't respond, waiting the few seconds it would take for the station to scan their ship. "You're clean." Kane silently sighed in relief, turning to his fellow Jedi with a finger over his lips. Comlinks were a two way street of communication, and they didn't want to alert anyone on the other side.

Kane ran a scan of the planet, not just looking for star ports to land at, but the mining facilities as well. He chose to angle the ship toward the third closest star port from the mines.

@LouJoVi @Tic

 

[Aranmir]

”I’ll pray for that.” Aranmir said, his eyes glued in the small spot that was the space station. It floated on the space so peacefully that it was difficult to believe that at any time it could explode the Jedi’s ship if they did something wrong. The Padawan held his hands tightly in his lap.

While the ship moved forward, they started to get closer to the station. The once small dark point became a behemoth of metal, making Aranmir think that it wasn’t so innocent anymore. It had an oppressive atmosphere, at least it was what the Padawan thought. Now he could really believe that it would turn cannons to them and blast the small ship to smithereens.

The voice of the Imperial officer announcing that the ship was going to be scanned made Aranmir bite his lips, as if any movement that he did would jeopardize the entire mission. He would remain frozen at his place until the scanning ended and the same Imperial officer announced that they could proceed.

He would have sighed in relief, but Kane’s gesture for him to remain in silent made Aranmir refrain from doing it. However, he internally celebrated the fact that they were able to pass through the first obstacle without any problem. Now their mission could start.

@TheDudeMike @Tic

 

[The Storyteller]

The initial results of the planetary scans were much as either Jedi might have expected. Navigational beacons identified a number of starports scattered across Centares’ lush and vibrant surface. The strongest signal of course, originated from the planet’s capital city of Muracie, a sprawling collection of gilded domes and shimmering towers sat beside a curiously scarlet-colored body of water. Weaker signals pinged from lesser settlements situated further out from the capital. The shuttle had set a course for Beekman’s Landing, the furthest of these dim signals.

More surprising perhaps, were the scanner’s spectroscopic returns. A great mining complex scarred the landscape below. It was from here, if the readout was to be believed, that the inhabitants of Centares were engaged in a number of mining efforts for an assortment of valuable resources. Electromagnetic spectral signals indicated the presence of durasteel, quadranium steel and even trace deposits of tibanna gas.

The ominous chatter of Imperial transmissions overlaid everything. As the shuttle slipped through the atmosphere, their comlink abruptly sputtered to life.

“Attention unidentified craft, this Beekman’s Landing Ground Control, please maintain course while we verify your identity.” A breadth of silence that stretched too long. How many of the distant glitters below were anti-aircraft batteries? Difficult to tell. Another crackle of comms. “Attention Shuttle Tydirium, you are cleared for landing on Pad-4 in the southern quadrant. Please follow the designated approach vector. Ground crews are on standby.”

@TheDudeMike @LouJoVi

 

[Kane Seros]

The scan was good. Real good. Kane waved at his fellow Jedi, mimmicking with one hand writing something down in a datapad, then pointing at the data readout, telling him to copy the data over for them. We still wanted them in relative silence; at least no voices. There was no telling what kind of sensors the Empire had these days.

He was so focused on getting to the surface he was actually startled when the comslink buzzed to life again, Ground Control giving him an approach vector. "Roger," was all he said into the mic before releasing the transmitter. In a low voice, barely a whisper, he turned to his fellow Jedi. "Here we go."

Despite the ship doing most of the controls itself once Kane put the autopilot to follow the approach vector, Kane's brow still began to sweat. He watched intently, breaths coming in shallow, quiet gasps their shuttle approached Pad-4 and descended to the tarmac. The sudden jolt of the shuttle putting it's weight on the landing struts instead of repulsor lifts was the best jolt of his life, and he let out a sigh.

"Alright, remember our cover?" He asked, turning to Aranmir as everything shut down.

@LouJoVi @Tic

 

[Aranmir]

Aranmir saw Kane's gesture and nodded. The Padawan immediately went to record the information that was coming through the scan. The Tiefling pressed some buttons in the ship and soon all the data would be stored safely with the shuttle’s archives. Well, it would only be really safe when they left Centares and entered non-Imperial space.

The Padawan ended up needing to bite his lips to not yelp when he heard the comlink being activated. Aranmir smiled with relief when the Ground Control informed them that the ship was allowed to land. At least now they weren’t going to be blasted out of the sky by the ground cannons.

Because without any doubt there would be cannons surrounding all these mines. The Padawan was sure of it.

The descending of the ship in the landing pad was uneventful, being made mostly by autopilot. Like the Knight, Aranmir also sighed when the shuttle touched the ground. However, he was thrown out of balance by Kane’s question. The Tiefling’s face became pale.

“I-I forgot!” he said, putting both his hands at the side of his head. He couldn’t remember their cover! The Padawan tried to calm down, thinking about what they had talked about before leaving for the mission. “I think that we were going to pass off as possible employees in the administration?” he said, slowly remembering what they had discussed. “We came to participate in an interview and visit the installations.”

If it was the real cover or not, the two Jedi wouldn’t have much time to make another. The ground crew was already waiting for them as soon as the door of the ship opened.

@Tic @TheDudeMike

(OOC: Rolled a 40 for the cover.)

 

[The Storyteller]

From the air, Beekman’s Landing appeared as a modest outpost with all the standard trappings one might find in any number of mining settlements across the galaxy. The spaceport itself was similarly free of frills. A collection of ruddy hangars, storage silos and maintenance facilities all situated around a centrally-located flight control tower. Traffic seemed largely contained to standard civilian and commercial craft, though the Empire’s sigil was visible on a few starships.

The ground crew appeared utterly uninterested in the pair of travelers, busying themselves hauling fuel lines, stabilizer cables and performing the customary inspection checks all such craft were subjected to. Several of them, adorned in Imperial Customs uniforms, circled the ships with handheld scanners. A short distance away, a squat administrative building sat huddled in the control tower’s shadow and from it emerged a uniformed figure toting a datapad under one arm. He wore the dull, beige tunic of an Imperial officer along with an expression of marked boredom. On one hip, a blaster sat holstered.

He stood at the base of the shuttle’s debarkation ramp, idly tapping his datapad.

“Welcome to Beekman’s Landing.” he muttered, not bothering to look up at their approach. “I am Administrator Voldin. Orbital Customs sent along your clearance codes ahead of you. Once Customs Officials have completed their scans, your passenger manifest will be extracted from your ship’s computer.”

Their cover story seemed at last to rouse him from his dispassionate stupor. He peered between the pair of them, brows furrowing in mounting agitation.

“An interview and a tour of the installations?” he repeated incredulously. “I wasn’t notified of this! Who did this request originate with? Supervisor Tarne? I’ll need to verify this…”

A slate gray protocol droid toddled up from behind the man.

“My apologies, Administrator Voldin.” it said. “We’ve just received word from Site 7 that due to a logistical oversight, they’ll require several additional exports to avoid overloading their secondary storage facilities.”

“What?” he demanded. “We don’t have the manpower to meet such an absurd, last minute request! Get the Overseer on the comm!”

As the droid waddled off to comply, Voldin’s attention returned to the Jedi.

“You’ll have to forgive me, I’ve rather pressing matters that now require my attention.” he said. “If you’ll let me know precisely who you were here to interview and what installations you were meant to tour, I’ll have my adjunct make the necessary arrangements.”

@TheDudeMike @LouJoVi

 

[Kane Seros]

Kane watched his fellow Jedi with amazement. He wasn't even angry. He should be angry right? No time to worry about it. Kane moved to the locker and opened it with the change of plans that not having an actual plan would cause. With all the skill and speed of a pickpocket his lightsaber was stuffed into the back of his pants. He also grabbed a crimson poncho and threw that on, allowing the hilt to be concealed.

When Kane closed the locker, the inspection crew had just entered, giving him looks of suspicion. "Oh uh, hey guys!" he greeted, raising a an empty hand in a wave. He turned to his fellow Jedi. "C'mon."

At the end of the ramp was where the administrator was. Kane had to suppress a wince at their cover story being so... flimsy. A Jedi's life is sacrifice, right? "I believe we were supposed to interview the head of operations at the mines. The details they sent were quite vague, I'm afraid."

(OOC: Rolled 30 on getting lightsaber)
@LouJoVi @Tic

 

[Aranmir]

Even before Kane thought about picking his lightsaber, Aranmir had already rushed toward where he had stored his weapon. The Padawan opened his locker and pulled it from there, immediately stuffing the saber in his pants. He also pulled a pale gray poncho, nothing that would attract undesired attention, and used it to cover the weapon.

When he returned, the door of the ship was already being open and Imperial security officers were starting to enter. Meanwhile, Kane was still busy closing a locker. The Padawan was forced to smile and greet them. “Hello, Administrator Voldin.” he said, while waving at the man. The Knight joined him at this moment.

He followed the Knight down the ramp of the ship, while the Administrator talked. Their cover was really weak. Deciding to forget about his panic for now, the Padawan went to try to strengthen their story. “Yeah, we didn’t receive many details. See, this interview is for the first issue of a holo magazine called Small Companies, Big Business that hopes to pay homage to great business, their entrepreneurs and works, while also supporting small business.” he always liked to tell stories, so he would use his talent for this mission.

“We are still small, so few people heard about it.” the Padawan said, justifying why the Administrator never heard about it. “We are also staying away from the Holonet for now, because the magazine is sort of a surprise for the public. Only our interviewers will know until it is published.”

“Also, my boss is really disorganized and penny-pincher.” the Padawan whispered, while discreetly pointing at Kane, leaving the Administrator to understand that the Knight was the boss in question. “So we need to talk with the head of operations, so he can show us the history of this place and what you do here.”

@Tic @TheDudeMike

 

[The Storyteller]

Several of the inspection team members pinned the Jedi with an odd expression of curiosity, but ultimately the banality of their daily tasking won out and they returned to their cursory once-over.

When the pair emerged from the shuttle, Voldin appeared preoccupied in conversation with a group of technicians. Motioning for the Jedi to join him, he waved away the subordinates and broke into a brisk stride towards the administration offices.

“Head of Operations, eh?” he echoed. “That’d be Olm Raskin. You’d be hard pressed to secure much of her time. Home office has her stretched in every direction. Supply chain problems, manpower shortages, ordinance issues…you name it, she’s run up against it.”

At the tiefling’s mention of a publication, Voldin’s eyebrows pricked up with interest.

“A magazine you say? Well, well.” he said, straightening his tunic. “Any press is good press, isn’t that what they say? I’d be more than happy to provide a quote for your article. If you think it’d be helpful, that is. Local flavor and all that? Perhaps I should accompany you personally over to Site 1. Wouldn’t want you lost in the shuffle.”

–

Several minutes later found them comfortably seated in the back of a speeder, pulling away from the spaceport and into the dusty streets of Beecher’s Landing. The mining town was industrious, if unspectacular. They wound their way through the streets until they reached the main thoroughfare. They proceeded through a security checkpoint attended by a multitude of Imperial Army soldiers. Administrator Voldin flashed them severe looks and they waved him by. The speeder eased onto the main highway stretched towards the distant mining facilities.

“Blasted checkpoints.” he muttered to himself. “First that business with the fanatical Sith and now these ecoterrorists. It’s a marvel we get anything done at all.”

He returned his attention to his fellow passengers.

“So tell me more about your publication!” he said enthusiastically. “Criss-crossing the galaxy to interview captains of industry sounds like a fascinating business, Mr…Mr…oh my goodness, I just realized in all the excitement I didn’t even catch your names.”

@TheDudeMike @LouJoVi