The Great Pandemonium

[Rugs]

On a silent shore I confronted fear;

I spoke to God, but he wasn't there.

The sun is down and the war begun

Assemble the great pandemonium.

---

”You are clear on your objectives for this operation, yes?” The shadowed man's voice was steady. It was smooth, as it always had been, but something about it commanded obedience. Something about the steady pressure that bored with the constant, unstoppable weight of a glacier into the mind made disagreeing seem impossible.

“Of course,” Neph said, nodding once in agreement. Or was it subservience? Submission? The blasted fogginess in her head made it hard to tell—made it hard to be sure of certain thigns.

What she was certain of was that the shadowed man with the polished silver cane was a friend. And a potential benefactor. 

A very, very wealthy benefactor.

“Raaun will be partying with his friends and floozies at the new year celebration,” she said. Her big eyes closed, the first blink she'd taken in several minutes. “Deena Flaus, the shipwright, will be there. Raun invited her specifically, to work out a deal for his Kuati friends. And to secure kickbacks for himself.” She snorted. Anger looked strange on her face, her mouth pulled to a frown under her saucer-like eyes. “She's supposed to present the new cruiser plans to Raun and his friends. While we deal with Raun, we get the plans and get them to you.”

Simple. So why did the shadowed man insist on being so sure of everything? How long had she been planning this with him? It was hard to remember.

“Exactly,” he said. Neph thought she felt the pressure increase, felt the tightening of a screw in her head. But it was there one moment, gone the next. Perhaps she had imagined it.

“What about our own plans?” That was Feir, her partner and lieutenant. “This operation will be messy. We have a message to send; not just to Raun. To everyone in that corrupt government.”

The shadowed man lifted a hand and waved it, dismissing the worry. “I don't care how you carry out your own designs,” he said. “Just be sure that you do not fail in mine.” 

He tapped his cane on the ground. It felt like the air around Neph thickened; a weight pressed on her shoulders.

“If you succeed in what I've set before you, I will see that you are rewarded, and your cause furthered,” he carried on. “If you fail,” the pressure grew stronger; it burned inside her mind, “then you will be punished accordingly.”

Suddenly it was all gone. The shadowed man turned around, taking his hands and cane — the only visible parts of him — out of the light.

“Wait,” Feir called after the retreating footsteps. “What do we call you by? You will not even leave us a name?”

The steps footsteps paused. And then, from the darkness, a word.

“Phaestus.”

---

“Where should we go now, Tsubasa?”

Ifriti's metallic claws dug into Tsu's skin as the Matukai walked along the shore, shirt in one hand, a bag with some of his gear in the other. Beads of ocean water still clung to his skin. The late-night breeze blowing in from the ocean was just a touch chilly, but pleasantly so. Everything had been pleasant tonight, from food to drink, to the clean white sand between his toes as he trekked on to... wherever his next stop in the night of revelry was.

“I dunno, Ifirit,” Tsu said honestly in answer to the little dragon droid's question. He weaved this way and that, working through some of the throngs of people that crowded the beach. It was more people that Tsubasa was used to seeing, but it was expected; the party was the entire reason he'd come to Woostri. It was a new year; why not celebrate?

A few women cast glances at him, the shirtless Matukai, as he walked back up the beach to a shower area. The looks amused him, and some were tempting, but Tsubasa resisted temptation. “First thing I need to do is get dried off. We'll... figure something out from there.”

He thought about going further back up the beach to explore the strip some more. There was no shortage of places to see and things to do, with Woostri being the resort world that it was. And he'd have to get to a good place to see fireworks before the new year officially began. But there was time yet for all of that.

Eventually he found an area to change and dried off, put on a fresh pair of loose, comfortable grey pants and and a dark blue sleeveless shirt. He considered taking his wan-shen out as he left, bag slung over he shoulder, but decided against it. It was the only weapon he had on him. He doubted he'd even need it tonight, but he never abandoned it.

All around, amidst the lights and glamour, people from all across the Galaxy danced, sang, drank and just celebrated. The last year had been hard, without a doubt. For some of the people there, tonight was the first they'd had to celebrate anything in a long while. 

“Did you see the man that could breath fire?!” He overheard a child say, running by after her brother. “It was so cool! Can we see him again?”

“Fire?” Ifrit asked, tilting his head. His dragon wings, holographic and red for the moment, flitted over his back. 

Tsu chuckled. “You should already know, Ifrit. But yeah, I guess we can check it out.”

So he wandered along the shore as he had all night, blowing as a leaf on winds of whim...

[Jazen]

"Can we go see the fire-breathing man next Shine? "

Drawing his eyes from the spectacle around him, Shine tilted his head to the small droid resting upon his shoulder. The sight of his small companion, trying his best not to bounce up and down upon his awkward perch, made Shine smile wide. He'd debated before coming here whether or not to bring his little friend with him; a party like this was like to have plenty of people that Shine wouldn't mind taking off for a more private conversation or others that might take too much an interest in such a droid and its owner. In the end, however, Shine had determined that Vistal had earned this night just as much as he had. They both deserved a solid night of simple fun.

"Of course we can Vis. Just try not to stare too close. Wouldn't want you to get burned after all."

"Would that really happen? How does he even breathe the fire? Does it hurt him? Is it some kind of trick or can he do it naturally?" Chuckling to himself, Shine patted his little friend as the questions seemed to roll off his mechanical tongue before glancing back out into the night around him.

The nightly breeze that was making its presence known did wonders to take the edge of the heat of the day of before. Shine was dressed more or less the same way as always, although he'd made the effort to clean up his attire before stopping here. A light black jacket and a white t-shirt beneath covered his upper body while a pair of black pants covered his legs. A pair of riding goggles rested nicely against a red scarf that was wrapped around his neck. And of course, his blaster was there too, hidden within the folds of his coat rather than at his hip for once.

It was a good set of clothes for the party happening all around him. The party that was his reason for being here. After long days and some harder than average jobs, Shine had decided it was time for a period of R&R before getting back onto the job. Enter Woostri. Shine had heard from a contact of his that a New Year's party was set to take place on the planet. There would be big wigs there, that much was expected. But it was also open to many more and thus Shine had charted a course to the planet without a second thought.

Now here they were. And it had been a wonderful night so far. Shine had even managed to charm a few ladies into giving names and numbers for later, should he wish to chat with them in a nicer venue. Not that it would be easy to top the sights and sounds of everything he'd seen tonight. And the night was still young at that; Shine couldn't wait to see what other surprises this trip might bring.

"...And why would anyone...hmmm...that's curious."

"Hmmm? What's curious Vis? That you finally ran out of questions?"

"No no...I have plenty more. I detect another of my siblings nearby. On planet...quite close."

Now that made Shine raise an eyebrow. It wasn't unheard of to run into the other owners of Familiars like Vistal, but Shine hadn't encountered one in a while. It was hard to suddenly discover one in a galaxy as large as theirs."Really? Can you tell where? And which one it is?"

"Affirmative. Each of us has a unique signature, so we can tell each other apart. The one I'm detecting is #10, Ifrit. His partner is known as Tsubasa. I have their location and am tracking it. Shall I direct you to them?"

Shine pondered that for a moment, then shrugged and smiled. "Sure, why not? I've not met that one yet and its always nice to see what kind of people aside from me were gifted you guys. Besides...at least it gives us some common ground. Point the way Vistal." With a brief nod, Vistal begun directing him back towards the party, seeking for this Tsubasa. Smiling, Shine wondered if there might be any other familiar faces to run into this night. The good ones, of course.

[Susan]

The shuttle ride from Coruscant had been quite pleasant, but Samuel was fairly confident that this would be the most pleasant part of this trip. He was not comfortable being this far out of the core systems, but he was so cordially invited to such a lavish event, how could he possibly refuse. It was not the only such New Years extravaganza that requested his attendance, and he would have much preferred to be present at the Corellia or Coruscant events, but here he was on Woostri. There would be a lot of influence attending this gathering, and it was influence he could use, so he was advised to swim in new waters rather than lazily float around in a stale pond.

There was one upside to all of this though, and possibly the deciding factor on why he came after all, despite his reservations. He knew that his very good friend and closest ally would be present here. Cassius Liviana had been very good to the senator over the years, and that was more than reciprocated. Although the Corellian was aware that his friend cared a lot less than him when it came to leaving the core, the Liviana patriarch not afraid to get his hands dirty. Or sticky for that matter, but that was a different kettle of fish. Senator Cromwell had arrived several hours before the main celebrations were due to kick off, although with moments of setting foot planetside, it was clear that the rest of the planet was not afraid to wait. There were street people almost everywhere, tricks and performances on every corner, all meant to keep the visitors interested and entertained no doubt. It merely served to make Samuel all the more repulsed.

The Senator travelled from the starport to his hotel without deviating from his path, he knew that there were others that would take in the local sights, perhaps even try some of the native delicacies – but none of that was for him. He had agreed to come here and make an appearance at the gala, but that was all. He did not even want to talk to any of the indigenous if he could avoid it, and he had every intention of doing that. Samuel had his accommodations booked in advance, and such with the journey he made sure that only the best was arranged. At the very least he could rest easy in the knowledge that he could retreat to his hotel until the main events started and he was forced to show his face. Or until Cassius decided to join him, whichever came first.

[Faeruy]

Shanti was so sick of working. Which is why, when she happened upon a party happening on the resort world of Woostri to celebrate the New Year, Shanti was on it; with a bag full of her best party outfits and swimming clothes, ready to spend the next couple of days partying. And who knew; maybe she would get lucky and there would be a couple of people she could earn money off of with little effort. Drunk and drugged people made for easy prey, and there was certain to be plenty ddof both at this party.

Not that Shanti intended to abstain from either.

The hard part was getting to Woostri - anybody who was going there tended to have very tight security on their ships. But those bringing in food didn't, and that was where the little Nar Shaddaa girl lucked out. She didn't even have to hide in the cargo bay; she just had to pretend she was one of the crew, and with the crew so busy cooking and dealing with things, no one had time to check if a wild redhead was actually supposed to be traveling. As soon as they hit planetside, however, Shanti disappeared, only to reemerge as one of the partygoers.

She looked ready for it. A short, figure-clinging strapless dress in black with wide slashes of glittery heliotrope purple made it difficult for her to move easily, or it would if she wasn't used to moving around easily. Her curly red hair was loose, and it framed Shanti's thin pale face like a mane. She wasn't the most exotic thing here, after all, she was only human, but she hoped to make a few heads turn anyway.

Though it was evening, the amount of lights made it seem nearly as bright as day, and there was festival atmosphere in the air; men, women, children all running around excited about everything. Something about a fire-breathing man seemed to be the main talk, but Shanti wasn't particularly interested in that yet. No, for the moment, she was interested in drink and dancing, and maybe a moonlight swim on the beach. And maybe...

Her green eyes slid over to the a shadowy alley. Even with as many lights as there were here, there were plenty of dark nooks and crannies where a person, or several persons, could find some privacy. Things to consider for later. Shanti had no doubt that's where the more... suspect of goings-on were happening. She looked back down the strip, and saw something very familiar.

"Chuba!" She swore, louder than she intended. Out of all of the people she wanted to see on this planet...

Shanti went immediately to one of the booths selling overpriced trinkets, for once hoping against hope that she wasn't spotted.

[Poludnica]

Mellifluous sounds of gentle music carried through the beach, near the spot all the VIP guests could celebrate the New Year. Away from unsavory filth of the common peasantry. Though the farther away Cassius stepped from the Senator's crowd the music morphed into more crude but vivid, frantic rhythm of wild, unruly sounds the pleb liked. To his surprise, he seemed to like this one better probably because the Senator's company was unbearable. The older man didn't belong to this crowd – the alien lovers and their alien supporters all around. The sheer choice of the planet spoke it all – some backwater place with barely breathable atmosphere was hardly a Human settlement. As usually Cassius only grinned and bore it, knowing even a man like him shouldn't turn down such invitation, leaving the Senator offended. Politics was a game, a web of intrigues, subterfuges and false smiles. Hopefully he would know by the end of this night what the Senator really wanted from him.

For now though, the Livco owner decided to enjoy the time outside. Melting into the crowd of anonymous Galaxy dwellers fate brought together for a brief hours before they would part ways to never see each other again. The place reminded Cassius of Nar Shaddaa, where various species dwelt together in a small space. Where even someone like him could stay an anonymous mercenary. Tired of constant chatter, people expecting a polite conversation Cassius took a stroll down the beach, content with just observing. Force tightly draped around him, hushed until nothing but a smoldering flicker lost in a raging fire remained. He was only a tall man in an expensive beige suit now with a dark gray vest and flawlessly polished shoes. His saber as usually was tucked away in an inner pocket, just in case. Years spent on Nar Shaddaa had taught the aged CEO cautiousness. Even here, in the Republic space there were those who wanted him dead.

Idly playing with a cigarette freshly dug out from a pack, Cassius looked around the mass of people. It wasn't what he saw alerted him though but the fleeting feeling in the Force. Another Force user...And this one didn't want to hide. There was no taint in it, however, nothing to be bothered with but Cassius liked to make sure everything was in order. Beneath his feet white sand clung to his shoes, slowing the walk considerably but soon Cassius was able to spot the disturbance he felt. A human looking man with a nasty looking droid on his shoulder. After closer inspection though the CEO noticed few traits that put him apart from the Humanity.

That's some midget Epicanthix. Cassius mused when decided to tail the young male. Next to him a small redhead recklessly dived into the booth with cheap memoirs. The dark haired man snorted derisively at this display. He had no mood to deal with foolishness. Recently everything he had built was slowly going to the pits of inferno, putting the grey master in a foul mood. He didn't expect Danica to get under his skin so much with the childish treachery but the girl proved resourcefulness Cassius didn't expect. ”Watch your language young lady.” The Coruscanti aristocrat called after the young woman before moving on. Another young man with a droid appeared, what was it? Some kind of new trend among youthful commoners? This one didn't belong to the gifted and Cassius would immediately lose interest if not noticing the young man was rather handsome and pleasantly human. Between the mysterious Force user and this nicely looking man, maybe the place wouldn't be so boring after all.

[Apillis]

Travelling the void of space is something that Averia had been doing for the vast majority of her lifespan. The awareness of the varying nuances of the highways and byways of the space traffic and skylanes and hyperspace routes eventually just becomes innate like anything experienced enough. In spite of that though, seemingly one can never find a pathway through space to evade the mind-numbing bombardment of media advertising spread across the galaxy for some new product or vacation area or whatever irritating line they had to sell some poor schmuck trying to make their way through the vastness of space to get by in their day to day.

The biggest blaring advertisements splattered across every holovid and holographic billboards lately was the upcoming New Years celebration and gala event at Woostri beach resorts seeking to reel in the average joe dumbass to the hoity-toity silver-spoon fed elitists. It seemed like she could not step into a spaceport without some sad sack suckered into passing out brochures to snag more folks for the corporate money making machine they are likely set to get in abundance from the sheepish masses flocking to the event.

Yet, the utter bombardment of the media advertising managed to reel in another dolt to suck dry of her credits... Averia herself. Caving to the absolute media blitz of corporate advertising, she became another statistical victim of the corporate machine turning its gears to erode the freewill of the masses they are looking to sell. But what the hell, she figured--she may have a good time.

If she was being honest, in truth she did, she arrived during the daytime on the very day of the party event itself. Drawn to the lovely beaches of Woostri, it had been years since the last time she swam in an ocean, and upon giving into the media blitz, she decided she may as well take advantage of it while at lovely place such as Woostri itself. Although she was a little annoyed when an event surveyor approached her while she was taking a peaceful moment for herself to sunbath a little, questioning her how she learned of the event. She answered with a dry tone and narrowed eyed gaze, "My elite contacts.", and by the tone of her answer and the clear irritation in her cerulean eyed gaze the young man knew it would be best if he just pressed on to survey a more amicable individual.

Averia herself was dressed in a simple yet nice black bikini, ideal for casually relaxing on the beach or going for a swim at leisure, which as mentioned, she did for the entire day. When the evening came about she snugly tied around her slim waist a lovely diaphanous violet sarong that went well with the pink hues of her hair, and a white silken long-sleeved half-shirt unbuttoned. She kept the attire quite light in case she wanted to go for an evening swim. Yet wanted to be able to wander around in just a bikini alone despite being close to the beach. With the black white contrast between her bikini and the half-shirt button-up combined with her pallor complexion, and the coordinated coloring of her violet sarong with the pink hues of her asymmetrical styled hair, let it not be said the woman did not have some fashion sense. Besides it was a public gala event for the coming of the New Year, either coming looking good or get the hell out.

Wandering amid the strip, she idly paused at a booth taking a gander at some baubles, more trinkets for suckers to buy promoting the event. Still she chose to take a look regardless of knowing the stuff was cheap made crap overpriced for the New Year celebration. But then--

"Chuba!"

She heard a young woman's voice curse, which Averia glanced to see suddenly standing beside her.

”Watch your language young lady.”

A dark figure of a man scolded, but Averia turning her eyes to the young woman, "Yeah... it's all garbage...", she remarked thinking it was in agreement to the sentiment that the merchandise was all crap, though completely oblivious as to the reality of what the young woman was really cursing in her predicament. With a heavy sigh, Averia idly commented, "At least the beaches are nice..."

[Meira]

Woostri was having a New Years celebration. Yonn was currently on Woostri. These two things, occurring at the same time, was a happy coincidence. Yonn had been working as a body guard for a man named Holt. They'd come to Woostri about a week prior to the festivities. It just so happened that Yonn had learned Holt was part of a crime syndicate, and so when a rival came to put him down, Yonn was conveniently not around. At least, not until most of the fighting was over. He managed to make an appearance toward the end and subdue the rival and a few of his goons until the authorities could arrive.

So for the past week, Yonn had been living off of the reward money that had been offered for the capture of the criminals he'd been unwittingly working for. This was a good thing, considering he was no longer employed. So Yonn decided to stick around for the party.

The day had finally arrived. Yonn spent a vast majority of it underwater. For much of the day, Yonn simply swam along the many reefs that existed out where the water was too deep for the non-amphibious revelers. He chased fish and explored underwater caverns. Most creatures avoided him, though some began to follow in his wake as if he'd lead them to a meal.

As he returned to the beach areas, Yonn happened across a group of fellow Nautolans engaged in an underwater game. Yonn approached, eager to interact with others of his own species, but from the onset, it was obvious there was something wrong with him. For one, he'd not conversed in his own language in quite a long time, much less underwater. More importantly, however, was the apparent defect in his speech. The others were squinting at him, trying to decipher what seemed to be gibberish. They awkwardly tried to let him down easy. Even Yonn could see he was not welcome.

So he returned to the beach, emerging from the water like some sea monster, and startling a few human children who'd perhaps swum out just a bit too deep for their skill. Watching them flee back toward their mothers put Yonn back into his usual content mood. Back on land, Yonn shook his head and his tentacles sent water flying in every direction. He was clad only in a pair of quick drying wet-suit like shorts, but he soon found his way to one of the many locker bays that dotted the edge of where city met beach. His belongings that he'd brought with him for the day were contained inside.

Yonn patted himself dry with a towel before pulling on a pair of white pants over his swim shorts. A white tank top shirt followed, and the ensemble was completed with a pair of matching boots. The white was an interesting contrast to his teal skin and yellow-green spots on his tentacles, but Yonn didn't have a mind for fashion. These clothes fit him, that was about the extent of his consideration. One thing that he had considered, however, was the collapsible baton. It was tucked away in a pocket on his pant leg, always there and ready. The blaster he usually carried was left in the room he'd rented for himself. It was doubtful he'd need it.

Now clothed, he moved his way through the throngs of people, darting between them as his eyes were caught by the many shiny displays. He'd thrilled at the man breathing fire, but had been chased off when he attempted to get a closer look. Apparently the man wasn't fond of being grabbed by the arm in the middle of his routine. So Yonn moved on, his eyes darting around as much as his thoughts. He was not entirely aware of it, little training that he had, but part of his mind had honed in on something. There was a sensation, a ripple in the force. Two, in fact, and Yonn was being drawn toward it, aware or not.

[Rugs]

It didn’t take long to find the fire-breathing man. Further down the beach, a bit nearer to the always-busy strip than the water, the general spread of people grew thicker and thicker, until the mass became a knot, all pressing to see something.

Flames licked the air above the crowd’s heads. Tsu didn’t need to hear the reactions of the crowd to know they found their goal. He could barely make out the sound of a voice coming from the center of the crowd. It sounded alluring. Grandiose, even.

“Ooooooooh,” Ifrit said, sitting up taller on Tsubasa’s shoulder, thoughtless of the his claws poking the Epicanthix’s skin. His holographic wings glowed the oversaturated red children’s candy, and Tsu wasn’t entirely certain he liked the way smoke curled from his metallic mouth.

“Yeah, we did…” He muttered, voice trailing as he tried to find a way to see through the crowd. He sighed, annoyed, and shifted his weight on the sand. “But I don’t know how close we’ll be able to get, Ifrit. Tons of people over there. Must be a popular act tonight.”

“Hmmm,” the droid said, in a fair approximation of a thinking sentient. “Perhaps we could find a way if we looked around? Surely the entire area around him cannot be blocked off?”

Tsu looked at the throngs of people — not just around the entertainer, or at the strip, but everywhere. But what else were they going to do? Came to see the sights and the sounds anyway. “Sure. Why not try?”

So, adjusting his grip on his bag’s straps, he moved, arcing around toward the strip.

Curiously, as he approached some tourist trap shops, he felt the Force call above all the other echoes of presence of life that echoed from all people. With all the people come ot the world for the celebration, it shouldn’t have been a surprise, but it was a powerful, presence. And there was another not far away.

And… His brow wrinkled as he stopped by a stall, glancing down the street. A third? I can’t tell.

He wanted to brush it off as coincidenc.e But Baarsavi always said there was no such thing…

“Tsubasa,” Ifrit said suddenly, drawing the Matukai’s attention. “I neglected to tell you sooner, due to the number of people converging on this world for the celebration. But another Famliar is here.”

Tsu lifted a brow. “That so?”

“Yes,” Ifrit said, turning on his shoulder to look down the street, “one of my younger brothers. He is approaching now.”

---

Deena Flaus hated nights like these. Presentations to Naval heads—that she could do. Project pitches and updates to her employers were no problem.

But this, working out a deal with senators… Always made her feel uncomfortable. Better to be at home in her studio, or at a shipyard overseeing her creations’ production. Yet, if her creations were going to actually reach that point, they had to be approved, and Senators were an essential step in reaching that point.

She pulled a small, metal case from her purse for what felt like the hundredth time as she stepped onto the turbolift. The latch flipped open, and she saw the small data chip sitting inside. This was her prize, the entire reason she’d come here. It contained new plans for a battleship, a mainstay ship of the line for the Republic — one designed for war, during war instead of peacetime. She did not know what the senators would think of it, but she would fight to see things moved to the next stage. For her own pride.

For the Republic.

The lift’s signal pinged and she hurriedly closed he case and stuffed it back into her purse. She was dressed professionally today, though she’d much rather be out at the parties. But business oft preceded pleasure.

Maybe, if the presentation didn't last too long, she could come back to the hotel to change and find something fun to do outside…

[Jazen]

Finding the location of the other Familiar wasn't hard; navigating a whole party full of people to locate him, on the other hand, was. Having been to plenty of planets where clusters of people tended to gather, this was nothing new to Shine. However, they rarely were as tightly packed around main thoroughfares as this celebration seemed. It seemed that no matter what direction Shine tried to take to get towards their goal, a tightly packed cluster of people obscured his way.

Getting through them was a beautiful combination of good vision and polite manners. Any opening he saw, Shine exploited, slipping through the gap with the finesse of a feline. When that tactic proved unfruitful, a solid smile and a polite "Excuse me" got him through the rest. It took him a lot more time then he expected it should, but soon enough he was making his way cleanly towards the source that Vis was pointing him in. Along the way, Shine was sure to continue checking out the party around him while Vis did his best to update him on their objective...among other things.

"According to the signal, the Familar on planet is #10, known as Ifrit. His handler is Tsubasa Arus, an Epicanthix. Hmm...his chosen profession is...oooh, look at all those shiny trinkets....his chosen profession is...."

"Now Vis...if you give me the detailed version of his story, what will I ever have to talk to him about? You've given me his name and who his Familiar is. I think that's good enough for now. Well...his profession won't put me in a bind will it?"

"I do not believe so. Nothing about it seems to come into conflict with your line of work. In fact, he would..."

"Good enough. Anything else I'll learn the good old fashioned way. How close are we?"

Shuffling his way past a rather stubborn couple dressed like small explosions of color, Shine found himself on a long strip lined with various merchant stands. Like any big gathering, merchants flocked to the area to peddle their wares. Things ranging from handmade trinkets to specialized food to rigged games lined the strip on either side, where the occupants of the celebration wandered by, inspecting the various wares along the way. Making his way along the strip, Shine gazed half-heatedly at the items; most of them weren't worth the time of day to even glance at. Besides, there were much more interesting things to look at along the strip...and far more exotic in some cases.

"Hmmm...from what I can deduce, he's up ahead. We should reach him in due time...oooh, it seems that he might be in the area of that fire-breathing man. What is the human saying for it...killing two birds with one stone?"

But Shine had tuned out Vis, as his eyes had caught something that he hadn't expected to see. Or make that someone. Someones. Plural. While the one he couldn't be sure of, the one there was no mistaking. And whether by luck or some cruel trick, the two people in question were standing side by side at the same stall. He might have missed them entirely, save for the fact that one of them had cursed just loud enough for him to catch it, drawing his attention. From there, his eyes had managed to catch her moving to said stall, where the other being resided.

"Well well....seems like a Familiar won't be the only familiar face we see today."

"What was that Shine?"

"Oh nothing Vis. Just that his party just got a lot more interesting." Moving towards the stall, Shine non-nonchalantly reached into his jacket and made sure his blaster was at the ready. He didn't expect trouble in a place this crowded but hey...stranger things had happened. Coming up besides a pink-haired woman, Shine gazed at the trinkets for a moment before taking a quick glance sideways to confirm his suspicions. Damn, his eyes were good.

"The beaches are indeed quite nice. As are the kind of people they seem to attract." Smiling, Shine waited a moment before turning his head to the pair. "Though I will admit, the last person I expected to see here was one I knew. Let alone two. Good evening to you Averia. And...if I'm not mistaken, evening to you as well Shanti. Come to enjoy the festivities I see?" On his shoulder, Vis blinked in confusion until he the situation dawned on him.

"Oooh...this might be even better then the fire-breathing man..."

[Susan]

Samuel was quite enjoying himself, which was somewhat of a surprise. Although what was unsurprising was the fact that the enjoyment was mostly down to the fact he was in the presence of only his own company. He had finished a rather fine meal, apparently catering staff had been shipped from off world in anticipation of this event. Judging by the quality of the meal provided, the personnel must have come from the core, likely from the capital herself – it was where all the better things came from, after all.

After his meal the Senator relaxed in the luxuriousness of his overpriced hotel room, reading a variety of work related datapads, idly wondering if he would even bother leaving the hotel room at all on this trip. He was quite enjoying himself. The thought had barely come into existence as his private communicator began to mimic the sounds of Kellia Bitall’s latest work. The young woman from Corulag had hit the scene a few years ago, and Samuel very much enjoyed her work, to the extent that he allowed his communicator to chirp for several moments before checking the message, still humming the melody to himself. His mood was uplifted to dangerous levels of excitement as he read the message, although after the initial euphoria a tinge of disappointment worked its way in. He had expected Cassius to join him in his hotel room, but alas his companion had other things in mind. He was a little apprehensive about braving the street people to find his friend, but Cassius was one of the few bright sparks of this entire trip. Plus, as it was pointed out, it did not hurt to make an appearance with the common folk. Even if it was all a facade, it made them feel more important.

He took extra special care to make sure his appearance was better than presentable before heading out of the hotel and taking a speeder down towards the overly populated beachfront. He made the request for his driver to stay close by, just in case this expedition proved too much and he needed to flee post haste. Within seconds of stepping out of the speeder Samuel was starting to regret it, his nose wrinkling in slight disgust at the miasmas that bombarded him. Fiddling somewhat with his collar, the Senator did his best to ignore it, and pressed on searching for his paramour. As he pressed deeper into the crowds of all shapes and colours, he wondered if it was a good idea to forgo a security detail. Probably not, although he had not expected to be putting himself in potential harm’s way as he was here, instead he planned to rely on the event’s security – which he assumed would be better than top notch.

Fortunately, he managed to manoeuvre the less desirables unmolested, and soon his searching eyes managed to locate the prize they were seeking. The Coruscanti male was shouting after an unseen young woman, and Samuel was pleased that his friend still maintained some standards. The Corellian walked towards his companion, knowing that even though his back was turned, Cassius would have noted his approach several moments before it began. He really was an overly interesting specimen.

”I see that you are familiarising yourself with the locals. You always did like to make things more difficult for me.” He grinned with a familiarity seldom seen from Senator Cromwell, greeting his closest friend warmly. ”I trust that you arrived here safely?” A quite pointless question, but often one that was asked in such situations. And at the moment there was little more that Samuel had to say that wouldn’t insult the vast majority of unwashed that meandered around him.

[Faeruy]

Shanti had no words for the old man who chastised her for her language. She did have a gesture, however, which she employed in his direction. "Mind your own business, old man." The redhead spat at him, then quickly tried to push past him, trying to disappear back into the crowd. It didn't work. The place was too full of people for her to get anywhere quickly. She quickly turned to the other girl who started talking to her; a pink-haired girl definitely dressed for the beach. Shanti was grateful for the distraction, and wondered briefly how she could use this to her advantage.

"Yeah, this stuff is totally junk." She said, her voice probably a little louder than it should be."I haven't seen the beach yet though. Would you show me?" She grabbed for the girl's hand and started to pull her away from the booth. She dropped her voice down to as low as could be audible in the crowd and spoke urgently to her new 'friend'. "Listen... there's a guy here that I'd REALLY rather avoid. I could use a shield. Please?" Shanti's green eyes stared pleadingly at the other girl. But movement next to the new girl caught her eye, making her let go of the hand and straighten up.

"Chuba." She muttered again, this time under her breath. "Hello Shine." Her mind raced as she tried to remember where she stashed her knife, trying to figure out if it would be necessary. It was Shine, so probably. Unfortunately, it was in her boot, and bending down to get it wasn't particularly convenient.

Suddenly she realized something. Shine didn't address her first. He was talking to the pink-haired girl. He seemed to be much more interested in Averia than Shanti. The Nar Shaddaa brat grinned wildly. "Well, don't let me interrupt a reunion like this. I was just heading to the beach." Shanti waved and turned, running smack into the old man she flipped off earlier. "Ow."

[Poludnica]

The odd gathering happened all suddenly. Cassius narrowed his eyes briefly when felt another power coming closer. It bore no taint though and the grey master relaxed, still careful to veil his own presence under a thick blanket. Finally he found the source of the disturbance – a surprisingly young looking purple haired female. The Coruscanti noble's nose wrinkled in the open disgust at the sight, even more when the small red head spew a poorly concocted insult at him.

Commoners. Aliens. Another one appeared, one of those hideous head-tentacled creatures. And a Force user, also stepping between light and dark. That seemed like an odd coincidence: four gifted beings at one place at the same time. Cassius long time ago stopped believing in them; something was afoot. Apparently the women knew the young human man which made things even more interesting. A bit bored festive were about to turn into much less tedious brewery of the peasantry drama. The whirlwind of negative feelings that enveloped the red head spoke as much.

Something familiar came to his attention. A shift in the Force he knew too well and a pleased grin crossed his lips. ”Samuel.” The man started before his friend had any chance of revealing himself. ”I am glad you decided to join me among the simple folk.” A tall human crossed arms on his chest and stepped a bit further from the vendor's stall that became a little party of convenient meetings. ”I arrived safely my friend, albeit bored.” Cassius replied, making room for Samuel to stand. His eyes intently watched the drama unfolding before him. Curiously, the grey master poked a bit around, trying to get a grasp of moods around them.

”You walked on the most curious situation regarding those few philistines before us.” The grey master noted in emotionless voice that often showed when he didn't bother to carry around a mask of the fake politeness. Only few moments later the same redhead darted toward them but before she could barrage into him, Cassius took a graceful step back, pushing his friend after him. With amusement watched the girl stumbling. A mirthful chuckle escaped him at the young woman's plight.

[Apillis]

"Yeah, this stuff is totally junk."

Averia let out a heavy sigh in wordless agreement with the young woman. Nothing but cheaply made knick-knacks to sucker tourists into buying useless crap under the guise of having a 'momento'... as if every year is not celebrated like clockwork.

"I haven't seen the beach yet though. Would you show me?"

That use stoic mask of Averia's cracked a little in response, and even offered a soft smile. It is seldom that Averia ever spends time with someone she had just met, largely do to her isolationist nature. But sometimes there is the whim of needing that 'human' contact so to speak, and she indulges the opportunity when it comes.

"Alright--", she answered with flippant shrug but was suddenly cut off by the young redhead when she was pulled away by the hand. Her cerulean eyes narrowed a little in response to the abruptness of the situation.

"Listen... there's a guy here that I'd REALLY rather avoid. I could use a shield. Please?"

"I--", while uncertain Averia was about to agree to the request, and that is when she head it...

"The beaches are indeed quite nice. As are the kind of people they seem to attract."

"Oh for the love of--...", Averia grumbled recognizing the voice of the amateur Casanova-wannabe young smuggler still trying to be smooth, and only proving to be about as smooth and slick as granite sandpaper.

"Though I will admit, the last person I expected to see here was one I knew. Let alone two. Good evening to you Averia. And...if I'm not mistaken, evening to you as well Shanti. Come to enjoy the festivities I see?"

It had almost become second nature to Averia, for her response was a swift, harsh smack upside Shine's head as she uttered a rhetorical question with a frosty tone, "How many times do I have to tell you to quit with the clumsy comeons?"

"Well, don't let me interrupt a reunion like this. I was just heading to the beach."

Averia's cerulean eyes flashed wide as they snapped to look in Shanti's direction, "W-Wait--err, I was just heading back there myself. There's nothing of interest amongst the merchandise.", after all, as it turns out--Averia needed Shanti for the same reasoning Shanti initially sought to use her it seemed.

The reality is regardless of Shine's hapless boyish passes, even if he were more silvertongued and less boyish steeped in naivete, it still would not matter. For as much as men like to fantasize about a species of women they could indulge themselves with, the reality is much different. Averia comes from a monogendered species, thus while she is not a very sexual individual as she tends to be more guarded and reserved personally, outside of that she has no interest in anything in regards to the male persuasion. And why would she? Her kind have no male counterparts, there is no male biological influence, it had all been bred out and deemed genetically redundant over the course of their amphibian evolution hundreds upon hundreds of thousands of years ago. While there maybe the unique of her kind that may possess the curious inclination outside of the their own kind (her own mother being one for example), still where her 'interests' would lie would be with those of her own kind or those similar to them. Thus on the whole, Shine would have a better chance of 'wooing' a brick wall than someone like Averia or her ilk.

Though she caught the uncouth words of older man watching the scene to which she had little reaction. Nevertheless, casually turning and setting in her paces to head to the beaches with Shanti, which was actually where Averia initially was before she had decided to go to the beach strip where merchants sold their cheap wares to sucker tourists for the celebrated new year. But in the next tice Shanti found herself running straight into an old gentleman who seemed to be of the more high-born social class... and he seemed to think quite highly of himself. Given the place and environment and culture that Averia was born and raised in, she always tended to find human pomposity so... quaint... and somewhat ironically... plebeian. One thing she learned among her kind with their millennia worth of webs of socio-political intrigue, let the loud and uncultured speak, let them give voice to their obtuse views and ignorant ideals.

So all that was in reaction to the man was Averia's stoic dismissal with an unamused cerulean gaze like suffering the tedium of bratty adolescent, and much like one does with such individuals, she dismissed and ignored his words by simply turning to Shanti, "Let's keep moving.", and whether Shanti chose to continue onward or not after bumping into that same individual Averia did not really pause to look as she begun to move on with her certain air of dignity. In this regard, it was less like her initial dismissal as though her were an noisy adolescent, but more akin with the grace and refinement of a highborn stepping over a churlish vagabond rolling around in the gutter at her feet for the purpose to head to the beaches to wash away the filth she had just stood near in case any had gotten on her.

[Meira]

Aimless as he was, it seemed Yonn was walking in circles. The movements of the crowd shifted him toward vendor stalls and then back to the main thoroughfare where the man eating fire had been. This time, however, Yonn did not weasel his way to the front, but rather moved with others along the perimeter, his face a blank smile. That is, until he saw the dragon.

The star like swirls in Yonn's pitch black eyes seemed to dance when he laid eyes on the creature. With the mass of people around him, he could not get close, but he watched as it's wings lit up and changed colors. I want one. He thought, and turned to move back toward the vendors. He would have to find the stall where he could buy a dragon of his own. Or maybe a monkey!

Unsurprisingly, Yonn found himself distracted many times in his search for a pet. One time in particular involved a stall full of shiny little baubles that had the Nautolan practically squealing with joy. As he moved toward the stall, two women moved out of it, one stumbling and almost colliding with an old man. Yonn stepped close and caught the woman's hand, though he said nothing as she righted herself and moved on. With a quick spin, tentacles sent flying out behind him, Yonn faced the old man. Stepping far too close for decency, Yonn's eyes looked the man over.

"He's alright." Yonn said, as if to some invisible companion. And speaking of companions...

"HEY!" Yonn yelled, his body turning swiftly and once again sending the tentacles flying in an arc behind him as he moved toward the man with the creature perched on his shoulder. The man was in a vendor stall. Maybe that's where they sold them. Yonn practically skipped over to the man, placing his hand flat on a table in his path and hopping over it with hardly any effort at all.

"Do they have monkeys?" he asked as he stepped uncomfortably close to the man and reaching his hand out to touch the mechanical creature.

[Rugs]

Tsubasa turned, looking down the street in the direction Ifrit indicated. It seemed the other Project Familiar member was a bit further back, but not too far. Tsu caught a glimpse of him, walking toward a stall. He was very-obviously intent on something, drawn toward it like a Kath to a carcass. Tsu briefly wondered what.

“Seems like a focused fellow,” he said, though something more was catching his attention. The Force was heavy near that stall—it had to be, to stand out over the life from the partygoers that swarmed along the shore like fireflies through a field on a quiet Cerean summer evening.

“His name is Shine Albartos,” Ifrit, who had apparently been accessing PF files while Tsu mulled, said. Quietly, so as to relay the information to Tsu’s ears only. “Smuggler and general drifter, from what the files say. But generally good. Trustworthy.”

Tsu snorted a laugh while the readjusting droid’s metal claws gently poked his shoulder. “Don’t you have to be to get in this whole thing.”

Ifrit paused for a long moment, routines working to construct a joke. “You’d be surprised…” he settled on.

Tsu shook his head. “Well, I’d hate to miss the fire-breather, but he should be around for a while yet. Night’s still young. Guess we should go introduce ourselves…”

---

The speeder stopped in front of a tall, blade-straight skyscraper. Deena stepped out, straightening her skirt and subconsciously touching the side of her purse. She knew the plans were there; she’d checked and double-checked endlessly on the way over. All she had to do was relax. Presentations were simple: explain the concept, explain its use, explain its worthiness.

All of those should be simple, given the Republic’s dire straits.

No need to be nervous. Just go.

She smiled as a Woostoid in hotel greeter attire approached her to escort her to the dinner party where the Senators awaited. The Woostoid introduced herself as Neph. Deena tipped her haid politely, checking to be sure her auburn hair was still neatly arranged in a tight bun.

“Right this way, Ms. Flaun,” Neph said, leading Deena and her click-clacking heels along. “Senator Raaun extends his finest welcome to you. He has made every effort to make arrangements befitting a shipwright of your caliber.” The Woostoid turned to look at Deena with those big, strangely-empty eyes the species had. Deena couldn’t read the emotion in them, and smiled politely.

“I’m eager to see Senator Raaun,” she said as they stepped through doors that parted before them with little more sound than a whisper of moving gas. “He was instrumental in solidifying my chance to make my presentation.”

Neph nodded, making some sound that Deena couldn’t place. “I am sure you will be more than impressed, Ms. Flaun.”

---

Tsu moved gracefully through the press of people, blading his body to slip through a narrow gap here, deftly turning on his toes to avoid a collision there. Moving through crowds wasn’t so hard, when movement was a way of life.

Still, he wasn’t immune to near-collisions. He very nearly happened into one when — as he turned around a rather rotund man who felt the need to grace the Galaxy with his shirtless presence — he nearly ran into a much more slender woman with incredibly pink pair.

But he didn’t.

“Whoops,” he said, dodging around her. “Apologies, Miss.”That likely would have been that—he’d reached the stall, or near enough to see this Shine person, but he felt the Force in the pink-haired woman and wondered at it, looking back at her over his shoulder, before he realized what he was doing.

“Sorry,” he said, hoping he didn’t look too churlish with his staring. “I just noticed the F-“

”HEY!” said a Nautolan that was suddenly extremely close to Tsubasa.

“…Huh?”

“Do they have monkeys?”

Tsu, stunned to silence by the question, didn’t realize that the Nautalan was… enraptured by Ifrit—so much so that he reached out to touch him. The droid, apparently feeling skittish, hopped away to refuge on Tsu’s opposite shoulder.

“Um… I don’t know…” Tsubasa said slowly. The Nautolan also had the Force. And so did another person who was not too far away—though Tsu’s vision was currently full of curious Nautolan. He extended a hand to the Nautolan’s chest and gently pushed him back to regain some of his personal space.

“I… why? Do you want a monkey?”

[Jazen]

Shine should have seen it coming. After all, his last encounter with the pink haired woman known as Averia had been rift with it. He'd almost gotten to the point that, during their last encounter, Shine had been ready for them. Shine had thought, however, that they'd parted on good terms after it all.

The smack to the back of his head reminded him just how easily Averia was set to violence. Like all hits to the head, the smack rang his bell just a little bit, but after the number of times she'd done it to him before, Shine found that it didn't hurt nearly as bad. Still hurt like a kick to the shin, but not nearly as bad as the original ones. In fact, Shine found himself chuckling just a little once the surprise faded.

"It wasn't a comeon this time, I swear! It was a compliment! A compliment!"

On some level, it hurt Shine to see that neither of them were happy to see him. At the same time, he could understand it on another level. Shanti was understandable; she'd come to claim a bounty upon his head and he'd been so kind not to make it easy. In the end, Shine had managed to get rid of the bounty and Shanti had managed to get away still breathing. Averia...well, Shine could understand her too. Shine had a sort of weakness for beautiful women, sometimes being his best around them, sometimes his worse. Averia was one of the ones who brought his worst...if only because she clearly did not care for his attempts to charm.

Which was fine, really. He could get along with her as just an ally, an acquaintance...heck, hopefully someone he could call a friend later. Which meant he had to start using his brain above the waist and not the one below it. And Shanti? Well, he'd deal with that bridge when he came to it. Speaking of the redhead, she'd just plowed, or almost plowed, into a pair that were standing nearby. Shine didn't catch the fact that the man seemed to dodge him and his companion at the perfect moment; he was too busy figuring out a way to keep Averia from bailing on him.

Moving to catch up with her, Shine managed it long enough to play his offer. "Alright, alright, bad call on my part. How about a deal? I'll keep the terrible sweet-talking to myself. But we all came here for the same reason right, to take a load off and have some fun? So let's call a truce and have a good night of fun together. Scout's honor that I'll be a proper guy for at least one night. To both of you." he added, looking to Shanti as well.

Vis tensing on his shoulder made Shine wince, causing him to glance at the Familar. Vis had his eyes in one direction; following his line of sight, Shine quickly realized what the droid was looking at. Or rather, who and whom it was looking at. Coming close now was a man that Shine didn't recognize...but it was clear who he was from the droid resting upon his shoulder. That must be Tsubasa. He's got some pretty impressive timing. And by that thought, he meant that he'd almost run into Averia, which kept her within reach.

And from there, everything went a bit wild. Tsubasa was staring at Averia, had looked like he was about to say something...and then a Nautolan came up asking if Tsubasa had any monkeys. Oh, how things could go from calm to hectic in this oh so lovely universe. "This is starting to become strange..." Vis muttered on his shoulder before waving to his counter-part upon Tsubasa's.

"Don't most our days." Shine agreed, his eyes watching everyone around him now that had started to become involved in this random meeting. Especially Shanti, Averia and Tsubasa; those were the important ones to him, after all.

[Susan]

Whilst Samuel was glad to meet his friend, he was not best pleased on the situation that Cassius had forced him into. It was not for the first time either, over the years they had known one another, the younger male had often lead Samuel off of the more civilised path into situations the Senator found incredibly uncomfortable. The first few times Samuel just assumed it a coincidence, but it had since got to the point where he was all but certain that the Liviana heir was doing it to intentionally rile him up. Not in an overly aggressive manner, but a teasing form of camaraderie that clearly gave the Coruscanti noble endless amounts of pleasure. For his part, Samuel did his best to pretend that all these little games of Cassius’ did not faze him in the slightest, and whilst he would prefer not to be dropped in one alien slum after another, he was a big boy and he could cope. Although he couldn’t really keep anything hidden from Cassius, the man’s abilities were far too powerful for all that – something that the Corellian Senator often envied from the outside looking in.

”A situation that immediately made you think of me, no doubt.” Samuel’s accompanying smile was devoid of all mirth, he was a Galactic Senator, he should not have to be demeaned in this manner. Although he would often allow it to be so as far as Cassius was concerned, the two elder statesmen had the most peculiar of relationships. ”I really think that we should head back to more civilised company, the big events shall be starting soon. And the hotel here really isn’t all that ba-“ Samuel spoke with a tone of annoyance, one that would continue on if his little rant was not interrupted by his friend deciding to push him at an oncoming young woman. At least she was human, but on further inspection Samuel decided that even that was not good enough here, and made a ‘hurumpf’ of discontent as she headed onwards. Without even an apology. It seemed that his original judgement of the scantily clad woman was not inaccurate, even though he had no doubts about at any rate. Just another lower class little cretin showing far too much flesh and making an embarrassment of their species.

The Corellian was ready to round upon his friend after this little incident when another undesirable appeared in front of his vision. He knew that the stranger was a Nautolan, but the word did not surface in his mind until the alien had disappeared as quickly as he arrived. Samuel did not even speak to the horrid little creature, all he saw was tentacles – far too close for his liking at that. The high born core noble felt himself shudder involuntarily at the close contact with a such a wretched being, his anger subsiding for the moment to be replaced with even more discomfort. ”That is more than enough contact with the unwashed for one lifetime, Cassius. Now, can we please leave this horrible little gathering behind?” He was not begging, he was a senator, from a line of great distinction and royal ties, there were very few in the galaxy level to him, let alone above his station. He did not beg, not to anyone. Yet Cassius had earned the right to patience, and often in his company Samuel found himself playing second fiddle to a man he had come to known as his greatest ally.

[Krowbar]

Woostri... In mistakable, especially on such an occasion. Its dense initial marketing surprised Blitz. His new clothing was as foreign as the ground underneath him, having rarely been seen outside his signature beskar'gam. The combination of his shirt collar and hat cast a small shadow over his face, not that it would matter. After all, it wasn't as if he was to be recognized. The large pack he wore bore much of his load out, smaller arms concealed underneath. Among the throngs of bodies lining the white sands, he appeared just as any other common tourist checking in for a break of the monotony in life. The temptation to do just that was strong.


But there was plenty of time, why not spend it accordingly? After merely minutes, he knew why. He was mentally clostrophobic after being immersed in dense crowds that didn't give you room enough to think. Aside from the crowd's deafening hum, it was also a haven for pickpockets. Thankfully the mass exodus thinned towards the white beach line. It proved a rather impressive sight, given the ones he had been confined to previously. All in all Blitz never managed to lose his sense of pleasure, and he wasn't always a soulless stingy bastard, contrary to popular belief.


The voyage that brought him here entailed of escorting a small cargo cruiser, in this case a one way trip. These small runs were what kept him afloat, but something would need to pick up the slack if he was going to make it back with a profit. Who knew, with a gathering this large, there must've been someone somewhere pissed of at somebody for someone else to take advantage of sometime, if he was lucky. At least that's how it usually worked out.


But what the hell was he worrying about anything for? Blitz caught himself staring out over the vast oceans that covered the flooded planet. Breaking from his trance, he noticed the man next to him speaking in a foreign tongue as he appeared to gesture at his attire. Any of his own speech simply returned more energetic jibberish before both parties quickly decided the other had one too many shots.


It was a new year, as was to be expected of such a diverse culture. Either way, who knew, who gave a damn, but it did inspire Blitz to find himself a drink. It didn't surprise that was quite an easy task. Typically when four unknown individuals offered him one in his line of work, they most likely wanted to slit his throat in the dead of night. That again, of course, was a bit of a change of pace. Stranger yet, it was actually pretty damn good considering the mass amount being cranked out for the celebration.


An hour later he was unloading his gear into a cramped apartment room that overlooked the large crowds. He couldn't help but ponder how many people one could kill by dumping a bag of rocks out the window. Most often when he was involved in large mass of congregation, something went wrong. Usually for him. Thankfully this one didn't look to be going into any more of a frenzy, if that was possible. What was safe to say was the night would be interesting to say the least.

[Poludnica]

The interaction grew even more interesting when another source of the Force joined them, one that was steadily approaching the group. Cassius' eyes darted toward the midget Epicanthix then back to the pink haired female, tentacle head Nautolan and the human man. Sensing Samuel's agitation, the man graced his friend with a knowing look. The Corellian Senator behaved like the blind critic in an art gallery. He couldn't feel the tension brewing, a very important part of the conversation was lost on him. ”You know me, Samuel. I often think how to make your life interesting.” Cassius said with a smile, seemingly oblivious at the mirthless tone and rigid behavior. The scantily clad redhead vanished from sight, one human less which could make the Corellian nervous. The aged master couldn't really blame him – he only tolerated the common plebe because of deals on Nar Shaddaa.

His companion grew angry which stopped being amusing. Cassius gently placed a hand on Samuel's shoulder. He wondered if any of the others heard the Corellian's less than polite name for their little gathering. ”It's alright, go back to the hotel, I will join you soon.” The grey master tapped his comm device and called two guards to his position. There is many Force touched people around you now, I want to know what's going on. Cassius explained in High Galactic. The language they both knew and most likely no one else in the company. Something is going on, I can feel it brewing. The man let go of his friend, worry crossing his face. ”My two guards wait near by, they can escort you back to the hotel.” Cassius returned to basic galactic, before looking around the gathering. Definitely there was uneasy heaviness in the Force, coating this whole event. A quiet threat carried in a faint whisper.

After a brief moment of pondering, Cassius decided to do what he had rarely done: to let go of any limitations that restrained his Force. The tight cocoon that enveloped him unveiled, exposing the Force he commanded to everyone around. Prodding and pegging to see who would react and how. Casually, the man patted the inner side of the pocket where the saber rest, an almost unconscious gesture when expecting troubles. The Force around him was indistinguishably grey, leaning toward lighter hue so if any Jedi was near, they wouldn't give him any troubles. None of the people in the small group carried the taint and yet it felt wrong, very wrong.

[Susan]

”Sometimes not for the better, Cassius.” The smile upon his gaunt face was completely devoid of mirth, the Corellian senator was really not feeling all that comfortable in this situation. Despite all the strange and terrifying things he knew about his companion, Samuel was still surprised that the Coruscanti noble took things as grotesque as this multi-species meeting in his stride. It was abhorrent that men such as they were to be demeaned in such a manner.

For the first time in a while though, Cassius said something that truly did comfort the older male somewhat. He was disappointed that his friend was choosing to stay behind here for whatever reason, but that did not mean he was not going to take the opportunity presented to him. ”Very well. I shall retire back to the accommodations, we shall speak soon.” There was no show of affection between the two close friends, simply a brief exchange of farewells before Samuel headed away from the procession occurring around them.

As he was leaving he caught a little of what Cassius was saying to the faceless voice on the other side of his communicator, and it all started to make a little more sense. It was clear why he was remaining here now with all these things. Samuel had a brief moment of worry for his friend, but knew that it was moot – Cassius was more than capable of handling himself, even without the army of bodyguards normally employed by men in the upper echelons of galactic society. Even so, Samuel must admit he did not quite agree with the Liviana patriarch’s lacksidasical manner of doing things at times.

((poodoo post is poodoo. Samuel it out, at least for the time being. Feel free to skip.))