An Offer He Can't Refuse

[Mara]

(( Sparrow, you forgetting Midnight, your/our tagalong? ))


Xierra listened quietly to Elsie's reasoning. Yes, they were indeed a strange bunch, three adult females and two boys. Traveling in a Jedi quintet anywhere on the city-planet of Metellos would be dangerous for them. If this Forge was worth at least part of his salt, he would have spies everywhere, his fingers in every pot. Someone would eventually get word to him that Jedi were onplanet and looking for him and for Tas Bey.

She also know the complications of her own particular race. The fact that many did not like to leave their homeworld of Falleen, preferring to stay with others of their kind, the only ones good enough for them to be associated with. Though she had left when she was three, she was well aware of their egotistical nature and of how the rest of the galaxy saw the Falleen as well when they encountered them.

Val's idea caused her to nod her head. Yes, slavery would make the most sense for their motley crew. And it would help explain why none of them were related, unless they pretended so. They would have to abandon their Jedi robes aboard ship and gather up what rags and secondhand attire they could find to complete their story. "I think slavery would be our best bet. And we would be more likely to run into beings whose minds are weaker and more easily persuaded with the Force. Plus, the link to the underground and Forge are unmistakable."

The Falleen quieted a moment as the padawan Rein spoke and she smiled at him. Even with their rags, other disguises would help out a lot. "You are very brace to suggest such a thing," Xierra said looking at the young boy before turning to the others as a whole. "I think we all will need to come up with something. Even a story of slavery can't cover all of our bases."

She paused a moment, thinking. "I know that my people rarely leave Falleen. This is proven fact. However, if I don't have to do it for long, I could always change my skin to appropriate another species, change my hair." Xierra grimaced inwardly; though she was a Jedi, she was proud of her dark flowing locks, locks she would never put in the topknot of her species. "That with the Force and my pheromones should be sufficient enough disguise."

[Val - Warning:Contains Sarcasm]

Val considered Xierra and Rein's ideas. They seemed to have a good idea of how each of them should be behaving on the mission to prevent the arousal of suspicion. Xierra suggested changing skin tone and hair style, which Val believed could end up making things a lot easier than they could otherwise be. She didn't want to sound like she was making all the plans up herself, but at the same time she realised that she would need to organise everyone together or there would be holes in their logic.

"OK, Xierra could you maybe try to get as human as possible. Depending on how it goes we can attribute Rein and... uh..." She hadn't really noticed the lack of the other member of the team. Quickly recovering she changed her sentence. "...attribute the padawans to 'parents' who look more alike. Elsie..." She grinned, having recalled the name in meditation and being able to use it in conversation at last, "Do you have any idea of what you'll be doing with us all?"

[sparrow]

"Posing as slaves may be good for avoid attention, but at the same time will make it difficult to travel about freely and gather information. You may be able to change your skin color to a certain extent, Xierra, but how similar to a human can you get? Even then, your bone structure and clawed hands can give you away."

She was starting to think out loud at this point. "Perhaps if Val masquerades as a noblewoman, with Rein as her blind son, and the two of us, perhaps servants or bodyguards.... We need to hide the fact that we are Jedi, yet at the same time it may be beneficial to capture Forge's attention. It will be difficult to find him, so what if we got him to find us?" A risky idea, to say the least, but it would be good to see what the others thought.

[Val - Warning:Contains Sarcasm]

Val nodded. If they could get the clothing that would be the least hassle for their operation. She considered the options. It would save the mental exertion for Xierra for sure, and it would give them all a reason to be together consistently.
"OK, it may be best for us to widen our options here. Noble ladies don't travel without servants, nor do they go without protection. I don't mean to offend in any way Xierra, but you could be more of a deterrant as my bodyguard than Elsie. That is, if you're comfortable with it."

Of course if there was trouble, they'd handle things as a team. It would be nicer if things didn't have to turn out that way. The less violence they'd need to be involed in the better. She pulled back a few strands of amber hair falling across her face, realising she'd need make up and hair styling before she'd be realistic. This would take a lot of unfamiliar work for her, and a lot of time. She doubted they had half of the cosmetics she'd need to look the part on the ship. That was if they were going to go along with this plan anyway. They still needed to decide.

[Mara]

Xierra glanced down at her hands, flexing her obviously reptilian her fingers, something she couldn't change, no matter how hard she tried. And even though she was female, she still had minor forehead protrusions as well, mostly hidden by her bangs of hair. She looked up. Yes, she could change her skin and use pheromones to her advantage, but at the end of the day, she would just be a Falleen in disguise and not a true human. Nodding her assent to Elsie, "You're right."

About to also agree that while the slavery act could allow them to travel into areas where most wouldn't, they still would not have as much freedom, she kept quiet as Val spoke again. She and Elsie had the same idea: some of them could still portray themselves as slaves as their original idea, but with one important change. One or two of them would act the part of employer or owner. That way they could travel anyway, both upper class and lower class.

She grinned a little ferally at Val. "None taken." Xierra knew that she was an obvious choice for bodyguard detail and didn't mind it at all. Hand-to-hand combat had been the one thing she excelled at during her youngling days and something Master Revisc had refined in her during his training sessions with her. She could well hold her own without a lightsaber or the Force. Though both could be helpful. Cracking her knuckles she added, "It would be good to bang some heads together again."

[Anackis]

Rein tried to hold back the cough that slipped from his lungs, doing so only made it hurt worse. He covered his mouth with his arm as they retched their way painfully out. He took a few slow breaths before dropping his arm again as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

He glanced up at the Jedi and considered what they said. This was more then just a simple disguise, they needed a means to travel freely and get the information they needed to help Master Bey and his padawan. He wondered what they could do to fing this crime lord or what this crime lord specialized in. He opened his mouth to ask if they knew, but thought it would be rude to speak up while the Jedi were discussing a plan.

[sparrow]

Elsie smiled as Xierra cracked her knuckles. "Hand-to-hand combat is one thing, but if you're going to be a bodyguard for our lady, you'll need weapons." The Echani vibrosword that she had brought on the mission, sheathed and propped against the wall across the room, flew into her hand. She gave the weapon a quick twirl before offering it to Xierra. "Ever used one of these before?"

Although Elsie herself had no experience in the art, when it came to swordmaking the Echani were considered among the best in the galaxy. Elsie had obtained this particular blade as a gift on the mission during her padawan days a number of years ago when she had her master had fought alongside a group of Echani mercenaries. It was a sword designed for one-handed use. The blade was about the length of her arm, straight and double-edged. Of course it did not have the cutting ability of a lightsaber, but on a mission where they would have to conceal their identities as Jedi, it was probably the next best thing.

The beeping sound came from the ship cockpit, indicating that they had exited from hyperspace. Planning was all well and good, but soon it would be time for action.

(( Everyone okay with landing soon? ))

[Mara]

(( It's fine with me. ))

Xierra glanced at the sword proffered to her. The only weapon she had ever used besides her own body was a lightsaber. And this vibrosword would be a whole lot different than that. Weight and heft would definitely be different. And the young Falleen, though she appreciated the offer from Elsie, didn't think it would be very practical in her unpracticed hands.

She held up one such hand and smiled reluctantly at Elsie. "I have not. And I don't think it would be wise for me to start now." In one quick movement, Xierra shrugged off her brown Jedi robe, leaving herself wearing her tunic, trousers and boots and making her appearance less identifiable as a Jedi. Though, she still did not look like a bodyguard, not quite. They would need to find new clothing and quickly.

Turning to the Echani's earlier statement, Xierra said, "I could carry something, but weapons would only hamper my movements." She grinned. "My entire body is a weapon. It's been a focus of my training for almost 15 years."

[Val - Warning:Contains Sarcasm]

Val nodded, considering the options. The beeping in the cockpit drew her attention away. She motioned, requesting a few minutes away to attend to the navigation matters. She returned to the cockpit just as she'd left it. Well, except for being an exceptionally long distance from where they started, of course. She disengaged the hyperdrive, ensuring they were at the correct coordinates and not halfway there or something. The power died down and the meserising image before her reverted to a familiar scene of black and silver. Metellos was before her, but there was something orbiting the planet. She pulled over a screen, intending to take a look at the object orbiting the planet.

Look at the size of that thing... She stared at the Republic Command ship, over 2 kilometers long orbiting the planet like some form of bird of prey. Deciding they'd find it easier to land on the planet, she pulled away from the Republic ship, closing her eyes slightly to feel the Force more. The Force guided her motions, as though she were riding a leaf on the wind. They headed towards the southern hemisphere. Well, southern from the way she was looking at it.
"Almost there guys." She called back into the ship.

[Anackis]

Rein quickly sat down and pulled his seat belt on, he hated landings, they had always scared him. He was sure Master Adeera was a good pilot, but something could always happen; they could lose power and spiral out of control, they could be attacked by an enemy ship, Master Adeera could sneeze just at the wrong time and accidentally force them to crash into a building. He did not want to risk it. He hoped the other Jedi did not take offense of his quick reaction to sit down upon hearing they would land soon.

[sparrow]

Following the others, Elsie found a seat and strapped herself in to prepare for landing. "The Order has given us a small credit line for this mission," she said. "Hopefully it will enough to purchase the necessary disguises and supplies."

She glanced out the ship window, at the surface of the planet below. Much of the surface of the planet was covered in low-rise city buildings, but in a number of areas tall skyscrapers rose far above the surrounding land, piercing the clouds. One of these areas was Stratablock 7, their destination.

[Mara]

Xierra strapped herself in for the landing, her mind on how she would need to disguise herself for the role of bodyguard. She had decided that she would carry a small weapon, not to appease Elsie, but because of all people, as a Jedi she knew that sometimes you had to plan for all possible endings. Plus, it would make her more believable. If no one found any visible weapons on her, they would think her a poor bodyguard.

She thought she had a small holdout blaster in her pack; she could use that. Plus, she always carried a couple of fighting rods that were retractable. Fully extended, they were about a meter long each, but they were a third that while packed together. Those should be enough for her character to be realistic. Her clothes were the problem, though, and she would need to purchase something quickly after they landed. The boots were okay, but the rest of her apparel sans cloak was still distinctly Jedi. If only she had thought to pack her slim bodysuit...

[Val - Warning:Contains Sarcasm]

Their ship came shooting through the atmosphere with an amber glow from the heat. Val reduced speed, bringing them out of the angular fall they were in as they approached the landing pad they had been designated. The pad came into sight and she levelled out the ship to almost perfectly horizontal, reducing engine power as they neared it. She engaged reverse thrusts as they were about to pass over it, and resulted in pausing the ship above the pad. She lowered it slowly, checking she wasn't overhanging on some part of the pad, but it was all fine. The landing gear was down and they touched down as softly as a chunk of metal could. She checked all systems read out before disengaging the engines. She let out a sigh of relief and returned from the cockpit.

"Well, we've landed. Do we have a group consensus on the plan at hand?"

There would probably be some stalls not far from the ship. They could easily go there and return without standing out too much from the other pedestrians. The main concern would be getting the clothing in the right sizes, for a decent price. No, they'd manage. Jedi were resourceful, after all.

[Anackis]

The ship had come to a full and complete stop, but Rein still sat in his seat with his supports securely fastend. Master Adeera had returned from the cockpit, hoping everyone understood the plan. Rein didn't understand the plan at all. They would go into town disguised and hope they stumbled onto this crime lord or information on the Jedi and his padawan. It seemed to Rein that they had no plan, just the idea of desguises. But he was sure he had missed something, the other Jedi would know what was going on, and he would follow Master Adeera's lead. They would be o.k. Rein slowly got out of his seat and glanced towards the docking door. He was not sure what to think, he didn't feel scared anymore, but he didn't feel any excitement. He only hoped he did not have to go out there first. He was sure he would mess something up if they sent him to get the desguises.

[sparrow]

As they landed, Elsie unbuckled and stood up from her seat. As Val suggested, it would be good to go over the plan just one more time. There was a slightly confused expression on the padawan's face, so a recap was definitely in order.

"The information from our briefing suggests two possible ways to get to Forge. The man is a known womanizer. It's a fact that everyone who has any information on the man seems to agree on. As a young, pretty noblewomen Val can attempt to get herself in the high class circles and hopefully attract his attention. Play your cards right and he'll be dying to meet you." She had heard that Val was quite well versed in the areas of negotiation and diplomacy. Hopefully those skills would serve her well for this slightly less savory task. "Get him talking and just might let slip his knowledge of Bey and his whereabouts."

Elsie then shifted her glance to Xierra. "As servants and bodyguards, we should be better poised to listen for any rumors in the lower parts of society, try to get news of any operations Forge might be planning or if his organization is hiring, whether for his deli stores or his more... questionable operations. If we can figure out how to gain employment with his organization then we might be able to find out where his operations are located, and hopefully locate Bey."

"Did I miss anything important? If not, let's go out there and get dressed for our parts."

[Mara]

When the ship settled down on the landing pad, Xierra quickly unstrapped herself and immediately went to her small pack to check if she had anything else inside that would help them besides what she already had thought of. She removed the small blaster and retractable fighting rods, setting to the side to be used later. Tucking her commlink in a pocket, she rummaged through a bit more, removed a few credits and finally stuffed her brown Jedi cloak inside. Her lightsabers were still clipped to her belt; she removed them and set them off to the side with her other weapons, unsure of what to do with them for the moment. She could not be seen with the Jedi weapons, but she knew she would need them, so they had to be taken along. The young Falleen made a note to find a good outfit with lots of pockets once they debarked.

She stood as Val entered the room and joined the rest of them, pocketing the credchips where she had deposited her commlink. Her pack lay on the seat she had vacated, with her weapons laid on top of it. Xierra would grab them after they had gotten their disguises. For a simple shopping trip, her hand-to-hand skills would be enough.

Xierra nodded as Elsie spoke of their part in the mission ahead after she summarized what Val would need to accomplish. She really hoped both teams could gather enough information to find out quickly where he was keeping Tas Bey, if the Jedi was still alive. The only problem was Forge letting Val into his court without her bodyguards. If he was a paranoid man, that should be no trouble for them, for they could only gather information from the lower levels if separated from Val. Though Xierra did not like the idea of leaving the Knight alone, there was no other conceivable way to get close to the man.

Glancing down at herself, Xierra surveyed that she was ready to go out in public. If no one looked close enough, it would just appear that she was wearing trousers and a tunic and vest in shades of brown with darker brown boots. She should blend in; most people could not recognize Jedi without the telltale signs of the hooded cloak and lightsaber hanging at the waist. Without those, she should pass. And if anyone took an interest in her, a subtle mind trick would do. She looked up again, her dark eyes surveying the rest of the mission team. "Let's go."

[sparrow]

Elsie Therin tried to remember how long it had been since she had last worn a dress. When was the last time? Five years? Six? More? Ten, she finally remembered. She had been fourteen at the time, on a mission with Master Saren where they had to keep an low profile while attending a party hosted by a wealthy Tibanna gas tycoon. Saren had dressed as a young nobleman, and she had to pose as a younger adopted sister. She had not donned such a garment since.

Elsie was a young woman who had always believed in dressing practically, function over form. That meant well-fitted Jedi robes, comfortable and affording a full range of movement and flexibility, and occasionally some light armor for a bit of protection in combat situation. The cream-colored garments she now wore felt quite restrictive in comparison. Yet at the same time, it made her feel rather... pretty.

She frowned and shook her head, took a few deep breaths. She was a Jedi on a mission. Her role right now was to play the servant girl to Val's high-born lady, and she needed to dress the part, which meant simple and modest, well-cut but not too fancy. Being a Jedi meant doing things that weren't always comfortable, whatever was necessary of the mission's success. She had fought pirates, slavers, even dark jedi before. So what if an outfit made her feel slightly vulnerable?

Then again, Xierra's got the nice pants with the pockets, she thought to herself. Quickly she made herself abandon that line of thought. Xierra had her part, and she had hers.

After tying her silver hair back with a strand of ribbon, she poked her head into the other room where Val was, to see if she needed any help with her outfit.


(( Changing room at a store on or on the ship? Your choice ))

[Val - Warning:Contains Sarcasm]

The shopping trip had went easily enough, and they'd returned to the ship without any major hassle. It was going to be safer here at least - less chance of someone noticing them and identifying them as being out of the ordinary. At least here there was some privacy of sorts. The main trouble now was getting into the dress, which was made increasingly irritating by the fact that she'd never had to wear one before. Her missions had rarely called for any kind of stealth approach - they were usually diplomatic and Jedi robes were all the 'diplomacy' she needed. Her hair, too, was being stubborn and refused to apply itself into any formation she'd have liked.

The dress was rather nice, a magical green tone. Emerald green, maybe. They'd gotten it for quite a bargain considering its quality, amongst the other items. She leant forward to get the dress from the side, only to have the hair she'd half-arranged fall down into her face. Breathing slowly, trying not to give in to her emotions at this point, she used the Force briefly to hold the hair apart from her face while she slipped into the dress. It proved to be as difficult as anything else she was attempting to do, and if it hadn't been for Elsie's appearance round the corner, she might have simply given up by this point.

"I'm not a dress person." Val admitted, moving her arms discretely behind her back. She'd insisted on long gloves for a reason. She'd argued it identified class, but there were other reasons the green gloves needed to travel until close to the elbows.

[Mara]

The trip into the city had been pretty uneventful for Xierra. Since the others had to find dresses, the young Falleen found herself in a different store with more... utilitarian clothing for her own use and bodyguard disguise. She had quickly found some brown pants covered with both visible and invisible pockets that she could store various things in. After paying for them plus a couple other pieces of clothing, Xierra had made her way back to the ship without checking on the progress of the others. The less she was seen with them before they disguised themselves, the better. No one could know that they were any less than traveling nobles with servants.

Back on the ship, Xierra quickly stripped down in one of the cabins and dumped her purchases on the small bed. The pants went on easily enough. Though they looked bulky, they were also quite form-fitting and would allow her a lot of movement if need be. She pulled on a black tank top and finished with a cheap leather knockoff of a jacket, what she could afford with her limited credits. Xierra switched out her commlink to her new pair of pants. After stuffing her Jedi clothes inside the store bag, she sat down to strap her boots back on. Her Jedi-issue boots were generic enough that she could reuse them. Plus, a new pair of them, even used, would have set her back too far, credit-wise.

Finished, she quickly surveyed herself in the room's small mirror and headed back to the common room where she had left the rest of her things. Xierra tucked away the clothing bag and her own personal bag with her Jedi things into a hiding place under one of the crash couches. Time to outfit herself with weapons, she slide the small holdout blaster under the left sleeve of her jacket for easy reach. The retractable nunchuks went into one of her pockets.

The only things left where her two lightsabers: her own personal one, and the one from her late master that she still carried with. Though she wasn't very versed in double-saber combat, she figured it was better to have two than one. But she would have to be careful; she wouldn't want either of them taken from her. However, she didn't know how to carry them. If she was searched upon entering Forge's lair, they might be discovered. Xierra decided to leave them for now and ask the others their opinion. They might have been on missions before like this; she hadn't. All her missions had been in the accompany of other Jedi, acting as Jedi.

With the two hilts resting on her seat, she reached back and pulled her hair into a tight ponytail. Xierra almost always let her hair flow freely, a statement of the fact that she didn't abide by the native Falleen topknot, but for this mission, she needed the hair out of her way. And if resembled a topknot, it might be to her advantage. One last thing; she focused on her skin and darkened it, changing it from its usual greenish gray hue to a darker green, hoping it would make her look more formidable. She kept a hold on her pheromones; they could be used later.

Picking up the hilts, she went to see if the others were on the ship yet and what there ideas were for carrying the Jedi weapons. And how they would be inserting themselves into the bustling city planet of Metellos to start their search. Leaving the common area, Xierra found them in the living quarters. "Ideas for carrying these?" She hefted the lightsabers in each hand. "I don't like the idea of leaving them behind. But I also don't want to blow our cover."

[sparrow]

Elsie managed to smile awkwardly. "Never been much of a dress girl myself either." She had to admit, the emerald green was definitely Val's color, and the stylish cut, accentuating her figure but not too revealing, made her look quite stunning. At least it would once she managed to completely put it on. "Do you need any help with that, mi'lady?"

Xierra had entered the room, and Elsie pondered how best to respond to her question. Perhaps if there was a way to disguise their lightsabers, or place them in a place that would not be searched. A pouch of feminine products, maybe? Or medicines for the sick son?