Correlian Connection (Alaska!)

[CaptainBonkers]

Coronet City was nice this time of the year, especially for someone who, like Alec, had recently spent far too much time in a cesspit like Nar Shaddaa. The air was clearer, buildings had less neon colored holosings attached to them and no one was trying to sell him something. The only real downside was that Alec had to spend time around Correlians who seemed to come only in three different personality types: charming rogues, obnoxious egomaniacs and maverick pilots. Fine, that was a harsh and unfair oversimplification that only really fit the local criminal element but seeing how Alec was currently infiltrated to said criminal element and thus only saw local crooks it was a relatively accurate assessment. At least he didn't have to deal with any of his 'mates' right now. 

Alec was sitting in a table outside of a local cantina, Hal's, and slowly draining his cup of coffee. It was a fairly popular place, even if it looked little rundown, close to the star-port, next to a local market square and completely unaware of the term 'quiet day'. Alec had come here almost daily during his stay and was yet to see the place emptier than half full. Even today most of the tables inside and outside of the place were taken by spacer types fresh off the star-port or on their way to there. To a casual observer Alec didn't appear that much different from the next man. Maybe slightly less grease stained and slightly better groomed, perhaps a captain of starship or the first mate of a freighter. Generally anything else than a Jedi, which was kind of the whole point. Smugglers usually didn't talk freely around Jedi.

The main reason Alec had adopted this place as his favorite haunt was because it had come recommended by his current 'boss' but the view from the terrace was nice too. Alec liked watching the bustle in the market square. You could nearly always see something interesting going on there and it reminded Alec of the Market district on Coruscant which was among his favorite places in the Galaxy. Both were places that were alive in a way few others were. He took another sip from his cup and enjoyed this moment of peace: he didn't get those too much on the job, not in his line of work at least.
 

[Alaska!]

In all the years traveling with her parents, Maura had not once made it to Correlia. The promotional pictures of Correlia's more rural areas were lovely but in Maura's humble opinion she preferred Alderaan. Though, to be fair Correlia wasn't well known for its natural beauty. And having come from two other cities, Coronet City wasn't entirely impressive either. Jumping from planet to planet had left Maura feeling exhausted. The thrill of adventure had worn off and the fatigue of bouncing from planet to planet had hit her hard. The gravity of Corellia wasn't differnt from that of Alderaan but she still felt heavier. With the bounce in her step gone, she descended down the ramp of her transport and began her search for nourishment.

Not far from the starport was a cantina named Hal's. The outside advertised a variety of beverages one of which was coffee. Maura's time on Prazhi had taught her to stay clear of Correlian alcoholic beverages so coffee was the best option. That and the caffeine might give her enough energy to make it through the rest of the day. The place seemed empty enough, which was probably a good thing. Maura dragged herself to the front and ordered the strongest cup of coffee they had to offer. In her mind she could see her mother's look of disapproval. She could even see the former Jedi signing her lecture about stimulants. Even at twenty five years of age, her mother's lectures was able to give Maura a moment of pause before completely going against Nora's advice. She spotted a seat near the window of the terrace for outside sitting. With a heavy sigh, Maura sniffed her dark drink and took a sip. The moment was not to be hers, though.

Slight movement to her right startled her, almost causing the coffee to drop from her hand. A man stood beside her, smiling dashingly at her.
"Hello there, did I scare ya?" Maura saw him say. Please no. Not now.
"A little," she answered, her lisp catching him off guard. Before he could ask Maura gestured to her ear. "Can't hear you coming." I should have sensed him, though. I need to pay more attention.
"I see," he looked around awkwardly, as if not sure what to make of the information. And judging by the annoyed looks from other patrons the man said the next part louder, "Can you hear me now?"
"Nope. Totally deaf, no matter how loud you are I can't hear you...but I can read your lips," her tone was gentle. Though, at hearing she could read lips the man began to talk...and talk... and talk. It was mostly about himself or his piloting adventures, Maura wasn't completely sure which seeing as how she'd stopped watching his lips after the first sentence or two. She tuned back in in time to see him finally ask for her name.
"Maura," she answered, finger spelling it for him with her free hand.
"You seem like a fun girl, Maura. And I'd be willing to bet money that you're not from around here."
"A safe bet, go on."
He chuckled. "How'd you like me to show you around?"
"No thanks," she answered quickly, taking a sip of her coffee. The man's face dropped a little and he looked confused. Was he used to women saying yes to him all the time? Arrogance wasn't attractive.
"Why not? Got plans or something?"
"No, I just don't want to," she answered more curtly this time. Her eyes moved to the door, planning out an escape route.
"That's not a good reason."
"It should be good enough," Maura snapped, though seeing that this argument wouldn't get her far defaulted to another excuse. "I'm meeting my boyfriend here." Perhaps it wasn't the best excuse but it was all Maura had at the moment. Apparently the man was skeptical of her excuse judging by how deep the lines in his forehead had become. Desperately, Maura's eyes scanned the other tables for someone she could pass off as her partner. Everyone was either too old or not drinking alone. That is until her eyes landed on a man with dark hair. Perfect. Instantly, she got to her feet, taking her cup with her. "There he is! I told him I was sitting inside," she huffed, waved to the still confused pilot and rushed out.

Maura silently slid into the seat across from the man, smiling sweetly at him. He was definitely older than her by about ten years if she had to guess. The age difference might have been a little strange but it was better than the gray haired geezers. It would seem that just taking a seat there would deter the other man. He was still staring at them, though it was hard to read his expression now. It was probably time for Maura to explain the situation to her rather unwilling partner.
"Hi, my name's Maura and you don't know me but that guy in there, was bothering me. Mind if I sit here until he leaves?" Of course she hadn't bothered waiting for his answer. The seat was hers now and hopefully he wouldn't make her leave. Hopefully there wasn't a need for her to explain exactly what she'd told the man inside. She took another big sip of her coffee and smiled. "The coffee is good here, don't you think?"

[CaptainBonkers]

Alec's train of thought skipped a station when the girl slipped into his table but quickly got back on track. Being dragged into a scheme to doge the unwanted attention of a regular of Hal's was somewhat surprising but fortunately Alec possessed the necessary training, experience and mental acumen to play along with only minimal amount of time spent being confused. Only couple of surprised blinks gave away that he had to think on what was happening. Then, when the obnoxious local gave him a suspicious look, clearly not buying whatever story the girl was selling to him, Alec responded with his best 'don't' look.

It was a glare he had learned from his master years ago, back when Alec had been just a kid with a braid, ponytail and far too many questions. Master Qiis was able to stare down a hardened swoop gang with it but Alec was still fine tuning his own version of it. His glare wasn't on par with his master's, not yet at least, but it was quite formidable enough to deter off unhardened crooks and scoundrels and potent enough to keep a class full of padawans quiet for long enough for him to finish a lecture. Slowly Mr. Charming skulked away and sat into an empty table some ways off from Alec's table but kept staring. 

As soon as the fellow was out of earshot Alec turned back to the girl who had introduced herself as Maura, taking a quick but thorough look at her. She was somewhere in her mid twenties with wavy dark hair and blue eyes. Most likely unarmed. Offworlder, probably from Alderaan judging from the accent, although there was something off there... speech impediment? No, that didn't quite fit she didn't have any trouble producing speech...deaf, maybe? Only one way to find out without asking.

"The coffee is good here, don't you think?" 

"Probably the best in the town if you like it black and strong." Alec replied, keeping a close eye on her eyes to see whether she was reading lips or looking him in the eye while he talked. Sure enough he could see her eyes fixed primarily on his mouth as he spoke.

"I'm Alec, by the way. Alec D'Arval." he added, extending his hand for a shake. After ten years as a Jedi Sentinel lying about his name, or rather about his surname in this case, was  a second nature to Alec. 

There was also something else about the girl that Alec had to stop and think about to fully put his finger on what it was. He could sense the Force within her. It was fuzzy and somewhat unfocused which suggested that she had had some training but not much. Most importantly Alec couldn't sense any sing of the Dark Side in her which either meant that she was a skilled at hiding her true colors through the use of the Force or that she was just a normal young woman who just happened to be Force Sensitive. Alec decided to go with the more likely option but just in case concentrated on hiding his own alignment into a veil of indefinite greyness, just to be careful. 

[Alaska!]

To Maura's relief, the man played along. It would have been a much stickier situation had he told her to leave. It would seem that no everyone on Correlia were smugglers or pilots some it would seem were very helpful. Though, on second thought this might not be from the planet at all. Maura's mind focused on the man as she tried to figure out where he might be from. There wasn't a whole lot to go on. If he had an accent she'd never know it and his clothing was fairly nondescript. However, something about hiw was...off and she couldn't figure out what it might be. With a shrug she gave up the study and focused on his face. Luckily, she hadn't appeared to have missed anything while she had been in her own head.

"Probably the best in the town if you like it black and strong."
"I usually don't but I could use the energy," Maura answered and took another large sip. The exhaustion she'd felt earlier had died away some. The caffeine and the rush from her little maneuver earlier had woken her up. When the man got up and left she let out a heavy sigh. Compared to the men she'd met on Prazhi the Correlian pilot was a gentleman but it was still nice to side step another confrontation like that.
"I'm Alec, by the way. Alec D'Arval."
"Nice to meet you," Maura shook his extended hand. "My name is Maura Holst...but I guess I already said that, didn't I?" She shot him the most charming crooked smile she could muster. "Thanks again for helping me out there, you really didn't have to."

The back of her mind must have been working on the issue of Alec because the realization hit her like a brick wall. Reaching out through the Force she realized the man across from her was Force sensitive. For a moment she was worried, worried that maybe she'd run into more trouble than which she'd come. However, once she calmed down she didn't sense danger from him. Alec didn't feel like her mother, a former Jedi, either. Nora had been warm and soothing and he was just...different. Maura attempted to seem like she hadn't picked up on anything.
"So...are you from around here?" she asked. For conversation starters it wasn't the most intriguing question but it was the first thing that came to mind. "Or just a frequent visitor?"

[CaptainBonkers]

"Semi-frequent visitor, though I'm temporarily stuck here. The freighter I work on is undergoing repairs so I've got some time off." Alec replied and took another sip from his coffee. He had spent already couple of months infiltrated in a smuggler ring operating from somewhere in Correlia and already had plenty of evidence to cripple the ring. However just crippling it wasn't enough at least not for him. Alec wanted the whole operation dismantled for good, which meant that he needed to witness its leaders doing something illegal enough to send them to prison for life. 

"I'm originally from Kuat, though I haven't been to home in a while." He added with a slight smile with a hint of sadness in it. Alec had always felt slightly guilty for never visiting his 'homeplanet'.

Part of the problem was that his biological family there was influential and while his parents understood the 'please-don't-try-to-contact-your-child' request made by the Jedi Order upon taking Alec in, his siblings didn't. If they found out he was visiting Kuat, they would bend over backwards to see him and Alec wasn't sure he was prepared to have any contact with his family. He was also unsure whether or not his siblings desire to meet with him was due to genuine interest towards their estranged brother or because they were looking to accumulate win political points by being able to claim they were close with their brother in the Jedi Order.

"So how about you? What brings you to this land of barbarians obsessed with engine power?" Alec inquired with a playful smirk on his face. I he had to guess, he would have gone with backpacker. She certainly did have that look but then again looks could be deceiving. There was only so much one could tell about a person by a brief look.

[Alaska!]

((I would like to start this reply off with a huge apology. I bookmarked the thread, read it, and forgot to mark it as unread. My bad))

It would seem that this Alec person was also stuck on the planet. Though, perhaps more stuck than Maura was. But even as a frequent visitor to the planet, he ought to know more about it that Maura did. Perhaps he'd be kindly enough to offer some more advice about the place. Inhaling the scent of he coffee deeply, Maura took another larger sip of the warm liquid. It really was good, and she could feel her energy bubbling up more. With this new energy she focused on the man across the table from her. Being wary on this trip would serve her well, and noticing him as a Force user of some kind made her wary.

"I'm originally from Kuat, though I haven't been to home in a while." Maura couldn't hear the sadness but she could see it and feel it. Despite all her caution, she sympathized with him. She'd only been away from Alderaan for a short time but it still was enough to make her miss the beautiful planet and the family that was supposed to be there safe and sound. Of course she loved the adventure of travel, but Maura was starting to miss her bed at the very least. She offered the man a sympathetic look.
"I've been to Kuat before... briefly," she added quickly. "I was just a kid but I remember thinking that the Tekshar Falls were impressive." Maura sat back and recalled the memory of riding on her father's shoulders with her neck twisted back to look all the way up at the feat of being engineering. She'd still had her hearing then, and the roar of the falls had been almost deafening. With a deep breath Maura shook the memory away.

"So how about you? What brings you to this land of barbarians obsessed with engine power?"
"Me?" Maura blinked at him. "Well, I was dropped off here... looking for my next ride I guess." That was the short version, the version Maura was used to telling. Normally, the story would end there but then she got an idea. Perhaps this would be a way to figure out the man. Casually she continued. "I'm actually trying to find my mother and father. They're professors at the University of Alderaan and they seem to have disappeared, which isn't like either of them. I'm not entirely where to turn next so I'm trying to make my way to where they were supposed to be and figure it out from there." Maura chewed on her bottom lip, eyeing him, though it could go over as her watching his lips. "My mother used to be a Jedi, so I know if they got in any real trouble she could handle it... it's them not contacting anyone that has me worried."

[CaptainBonkers]

That was certainly unexpected. It wasn't every day you run into a child on a quest to find their lost parents, though sadly it was likely far more common these days than it had been few years ago, what with the war with the Empire raging on. A little less unexpected, but not by much, was hearing about Maura's parentage though in retrospect Alec might have guessed that given time. What was a little odd was the fact that she was so open about it: probably meant her mother had left the order under good terms. The ones that left under less amiable terms usually taught their kids to be careful to whom they told about their parents.

"Damn, girl. You certainly picked a challenge of a quest for yourself." She really had a colossal task ahead of her. Finding two individuals that had dropped off the grid was nothing short of impossible without good leads and the right resources. Whether or not Maura had any leads, Alec couldn't tell by a glance but he was relatively sure she didn't have all the resources she realistically needed to complete the task she had taken upon her. But maybe Alec could help her in that regard by putting her into contact with people who made it their business to know others'.

The only problem was that most of those contacts needed to be introduced as 'a guy in the SIS who owes me a favor' or something similar and Alec couldn't exactly be sure no one in the cafe wouldn't overhear him telling Maura he knew people in Republic law enforcement agencies well enough to call in favors. Rumors like that traveled fast around here and people had been branded snitches for less. A few weeks back Alec's current 'boss', a ruthless bastard by the name Bel Viirs, had a member of his crew, who'd made the mistake of sitting next to a CorSec agent in a public transport, gutted. The poor man never so much as said good morning to the CorSec agent but Bel Viirs decided not to take any chances.

Although Alec wasn't completely sure how to help Maura without jeopardizing his cover but whether it was his investigators gut or the Force telling him, Alec was 95% sure Maura wasn't a threat. Thus it was no longer prudent to maintain the shroud of Force disguising his presence when the focus spent maintaining it could be spent better. So Alec let it drop and once again his sense of the Force became brighter, more focused. Keeping up the shroud up always dulled his senses a little bit.

"So, do you have any leads or are you tracing their movements in hopes of finding some?" he inquired and leaned in a little that his words would be harder to hear for anyone whom might be listening in (it wasn't paranoid when you were undercover and working for a paranoid lunatic) and spoke in a much lower tone for good measure. "Or, are you perhaps trusting the Force to lead you to where they are."

To emphasize his previous words, Alec levitated his mug half an inch off the table's surface, lowering it back as soon as Maura had seen it floating in the air. Maybe it was a bit of an overkill but if Alec was to suggest they take this conversation on the road, he needed her to trust him on some level and this was fastest way Alec could thing of short off whipping out his lightsaber. Otherwise such a suggestion might have come off as inappropriate or suspicious.

[Alaska!]

It was a gamble to mention her mother's former allegiance to be sure but it sure seemed to pay off. Alec's words about the colossal task in front of her was n unwanted reminder. She'd set off on this journey without much to go on but forgetting how big the galaxy was made her feel just a little better about the whole thing. Maura's heart sunk just a little thinking about it but she couldn't allow herself to get discouraged. To lose faith now would be a disaster. If her parents were in danger then giving up could cost them their life. In that moment she drew upon her mother's lectures and tried to let go of those feelings. It wasn't going so well until Alec spoke again.

"So, do you have any leads or are you tracing their movements in hopes of finding some? Or, are you perhaps trusting the Force to lead you to where they are." Maura's eyes went wide for a moment. She opened her mouth to speak but then her eyes were drawn to Alec's hand. He held the mug in his hand for a moment before releasing it. The mug hovered for a moment before he set it back down. She'd trusted him with information about her mother and now he trusted her with his little secret. It was a struggle to keep her face stoic and hide her excitement at meeting a Jedi, or at least she assumed he was a Jedi. The only Jedi she'd ever really met was her mother and all sorts of things about the Order and the Force had been a point of interest for her. Despite all her attempts at control, Maura's lips turned upward in a suppressed smile.

"The later," she admitted with a slight smile. "Probably not my best plan but... I don't know what else to do. This is all I got." Maura leaned against the table staring intently at Alec's face. He was being discrete for a reason and she needed to respect that. "But maybe you can help me."

[CaptainBonkers]

"Probably not my best plan but... I don't know what else to do. This is all I got. But maybe you can help me." 

Trust the Force to lead you but for goodness sake ask some directions every now and then. Alec couldn't help but to hear his master's voice echoing inside his head upon hearing Maura's answer. The quote seemed to apply to this situation.

"At the very least I should be able to refer you to an inexpensive and reliable pilot to take you where ever you wish to go next." he replied giving a reassuring smile. He knew a number of people whom could be trusted to deliver their passengers safely to their chosen destination without haggling the price up too much. "But, I'm quite certain that that isn't the only assistance I can provide."

He could sense that Maura's excitement and hoped he wasn't giving the young woman false hope. After all, there was no guarantee that any of his contacts might help her in the end. The Galaxy was a very big place after all. However, that wasn't a reason not to try at least. After all, that was why Alec had chosen to follow the path of a Jedi sentinel and investigator after passing his Trials. To change the Galaxy for the better one small thing at a time.

"I know some people whom might be of assistance to you. However, many of them are rather particular about their privacy so discussing about them is a conversation I would rather have in private. Somewhere we won't be interrupted or overheard."

There were couple of options Alec could have suggested but the safest was the hotel he was staying at. Sure, Bel Viirs might ask few question about Maura (provided he was informed of her, of course) but considering his cover id's reputation Alec was convinced he could talk his way through any questions the crime boss might ask.

"If you're interested in having that conversation, the hotel I'm staying at isn't far away."

[Alaska!]

Hope was a wonderful feeling to have. Maura's hands squeezed one another as feeling the discomfort of the pressure kept her thoughts on the ground. If the Jedi-- or whatever he was-- thought her current plan was stupid he didn't let on. This was something Maura appreciated greatly. It was all she could do to concentrate on what the man was saying and not get lost in her own feelings. How did the Jedi contain themselves so well? That was another question for another time. Her eyes narrowed in focus as she stared at the man's lips.

Inexpensive pilots were good to be sure, though she was far more interested in his other contacts. She wondered if they were Jedi as well, though knew better than to ask about it currently. She might have been raised by academics but at the very least she understood how important it was to keep study participants identities private and she imagined the concept here as similar. Regardless of who they were or how Alec knew them, the whole lot of them were in luck. Maura smiled and held her hands up.
"They're in luck then!" she told him excitedly. She placed her hands over her eyes as if she were initiating a game of 'peek-a-boo'. "If they don't want me to hear something all I have to do is this." In order to not miss anything Alec said, she removed her hands again and placed them on he lap.

"If you're interested in having that conversation, the hotel I'm staying at isn't far away."
"I am interested," she answered. "Very interested." Maura began to adjust the pack on her back so she could be ready to go to the man's hotel room. Perhaps running off to the hotel room of a man she'd only just met was not the best idea in the world but Maura's feelings didn't tell her anything was wrong. With a smile on her face, Maura leapt up to her feet, stepping around to stand by Alec's chair.

[CaptainBonkers]

There was something slightly infectious about Maura's positive mood and Alec found a slight smile creeping on his face as he stood up from his chair after downing the remnants of his coffee. Truth be told, meeting someone like her was a nice change of pace to the people he usually met while working. Most people he seemed to meet out in the field were usually career criminals or underpaid and overworked law-enforcement agents. They weren't all the same, naturally, but did share certain traits among themselves. Enthusiastic, excited and cheery sadly weren't usually among said traits.


He truly hoped that he could help the girl to find her parents. Maura's mother might have left the order, but she was still one of their own, so to speak. And during these dark times with the resurgence of Sith it was more important than ever before that the Jedi did whatever they could to help anyone with a connection to the Force. Otherwise they risked driving them to the arms of their enemies, to be consumed by the Dark Side.

“It’s this way.” He said and gestured Maura to follow.

The place Alec was staying at was an okay hotel specialized in housing spacers whom might be forced to stick around for longer than your average customer. It was situated maybe ten minute walk away from the café, just around the corner and down the block. Not exactly a lap of luxury as far as accommodations went but filled the basic needs. The rooms even had cooking facilities, which was very much appreciated.

Alec led them down the walkways, towards the hotel. The traffic was picking up around this time of the day. Everyone working regular hours was heading home and the streets reserved for speeder traffic were getting jammed. Higher up it seemed like the lanes weren’t as packed but down on the ground level it had to be horrible for anyone without some sort of training at meditation.

“Oh, by the way, I could use your parents’ names and Republic citizen id numbers, if you happen to know them.” Alec said, as they stopped to wait for a chance to cross the busy street. “The id numbers would go a long way of narrowing down the search parameters couple of my friends will be using.”

His friend in the Republic Department of Travel could use that information to quickly go through all the flight lists on cooperating planets inside the right timeframe. At best it would establish a definite route, if Maura’s parents had passed through any customs and at the very least it would reveal if they had tried to avoid paper trail by using unregulated travel routes.