Cardissa nodded once to the Imperial fighter. "Cardissa Mitra," she said, introducing herself, then extending a hand, palm upward, towards the Golden Galaxy.

"One of the finer dining establishments of this otherwise harsh planet. We can find a nice quiet room to discuss my information..."

She trailed, eyeing Rico, "And for you to clean up. I hope what I have to reveal to you will be something of interest to your superiors as well," she then stated smoothly, now tilting her head towards the Golden Galaxy. "Shall we?"

--------------------

Now, that was another matter.

Toggling a switch with his chin, he opened up a private, scrambled line to his men, and informed them of the immediate intentions of Cardissa and those who were with her. Closing the communication then, he merely stood quietly, waiting for someone to move out ahead of him.

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"Table for five please, in a private dining area," she told him. The host then turned to a waitress, who in turn glanced at availabilities before motioning them to follow her as she took them to a room enclosed by a large greelwood door. Opening that door, she revealed a small room with decorated in a similar fashion to the reception area, only it contained a large greelwood table in its center. She motioned for everyone to take a seat, took drink orders, and then departed, leaving all to wait.

"I've been to this establishment on Kati'shyn frequently, during my studies while I grew up. My father felt by visiting many worlds, I would be educated in knowing the great varieties of civilization in this galaxy."

She paused at that, looking to the Imperial fighter. "I am still finding out about new worlds nevertheless," she continued with. "As an educated individual with a wealthy background, I've taken it upon myself to fund research in various locations, near and far, especially since my home planet of Fierre was destroyed. It is some of the findings which my team has brought to my attention which bring me to this planet now...

...and lead me to have this discussion with you now as well."

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But the lady insisted he sit; to oblige her, and to thus learn as much as he could, he forced himself to remain where he was.

But he drew the line at small talk, which was what he considered the one-sided conversation to be thus far.

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...but through some various intelligences have discovered that there is a blockade surrounding the world. I was hoping that we might come to some sort of arrangement, so that I and my team can get into those worlds...

...perhaps with the compromise that we would let the Empire know what we have found once we go there, if anything at all."

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About one hundred and eighty degrees away from it, in fact.

Leaning forward just a bit to indicate his interest, he merely nodded toward Cardissa, indicating that she continue. Hidden beneath his helmet though, he once more toggled a switch, opening a scrambled link with the trooper he had ordered to remain aboard his fighter.

"Monitor and send whatever follows to Sormontato," he ordered tersely. Then he reached out with his tongue and flipped another switch, thus opening up his receiver that the trooper would be able to clearly hear and record anything further Cardissa might have to say.

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...but I'm curious as to whether or not there are any of these ships there, and if there is any civilization there. The researcher I refer to provided no such information, and I feel this data must be acquired. If someone there had the ability to create the ships I speak of," she continued, looking towards Bon Foyagee, "Perhaps they had other wonderfully powerful technologies as well. My travelling companion has the drawing of the ship I refer to."

She paused, her gaze falling on the little blue furball. "Mr. Foyagee?"

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What the heck was this lady doing?

Well, whatever it was, it was all about to go out the window because blueface here was about to go ballistic. I did the only thing I could.

“Hey, Bon, it’s all right,” I said, reaching my hand onto his shoulder. He jumped at my touch, and as I quickly felt for that certain spot in the back I turned my head to Cass.

“He’s having another episode. Call for some water and I’ll bring him out of it.”

I almost had it. I looked over at the helmeted pilot – how was he going to drink or eat in that thing? – and gave him an apologetic look.

“He has a weird little kind of blue fuzzball seizure thing, this tends to calm him.”

I had the nerve and twisted hard. Bon froze up like a Popsicle and settled down. I reached across with my other hand and slid the notebook over to me. I released Bon’s back and he slumped a little. Knowing he’d be more or less immobile for a few minutes, I opened the book and took out the picture he had traced earlier, and handed it to Cass.

“You know how he can get,” I said to her.

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"Any chance I could have some conversation with your superiors?" she queried then, having nothing further to say.

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General Ahem's conversation with Josiah was interrupted yet again as his desktop began bleeping quietly at him. This time he raised both a hand to the man in front of him as well as a brow to the words which were now scrolling across his screen.

Words, according to their subject header, that were coming to his ears from the surface of Kati'Shyyn, from an establishment there known as the Golden Galaxy.

He had never been to either the establishment or the world it was planted upon, but that didn't make him a whit less interested in the strange garble of words being reported to him. Frowning just the slightest, he opened a private communication with the squadron leader, and was soon privy to how and where the pilot had come to be where he was, as well as all that had gone on before he had decided to broadcast the one-sided conversation on to Sormontato.

A grim smile curled across his rugged face and he nodded absently toward the screen.

That one's on a short track to fast promotion, he couldn't help but think idly as he continued to watch the words scrolling along, Josiah Darksaber all but forgotten before him.

I took one of the chair in front of the generals desk and took a seat.

"Like I said before I was bored when I blasted off the planet, ever since I've retired from active service I have been without the means to futher my goals. So I have resorted to selling customized weapons. All done leagaly with the proper documentation I assure you, I take great pride in my work."

"However with the conficts as of late orders in the private sector have been lacking as of late, many people perfer weapons now with the view of quantity over quality."

I gave a brief pause to let my words take effect and to catch my breath.

Or was it?

I mean, here we were, sittin’ down and showin’ hospitality to a guy that was working for the brute squad of the galaxy. I mean, I had nothin’ against the Empire personally, even did some work running stuff for them sometimes, but this was gettin’ a bit, well, stifling.

Several seconds ticked by, and I just that goon was talking into his helmet to someone else. That was so damn rude! Before I burst I had to say something, anything.

“So,” I said. “Whatcha think, there, buddy? Pretty wacky design, wouldn’t you say?”

--------------------

Holding up a hand to put on hold anything else Darksaber might have to say, he directed his full attention to the continuing transmissions from Kati'shyyn. After reading for awhile, he pulled out a keyboard, typed in a reply:

Ascertain why my presence is being requested, he sent off, then turned to the impatiently waiting Josiah.

"Forgive me, but something has arisen which has momentarily taken command of my full attention. But now, sir, it is yours."

Blanking his monitor, he folded his hands atop his desk and leaned toward Darksaber.

...and the minaturized digital cameral took what might prove to be the most damning photo it ever had.

Once he was certain the image had uploaded to Sormontato, he held the tracing back to Cardissa.

"Miss," he said, stiffly but politely; conversation after all was not his forte. But he had his orders; stiffening to attention in the seat, he continued.

"The General is a most busy man, ma'am; he does not have the time to speak with each individual who asks, no matter how--"

He paused, searching for words.

"Pretty," he ended.

An uncomfortable pause ensued, one in which the silent blueberry began to fill with a series of awakening squalls. The trooper cocked his head fractionally toward him.

"Silence him," he ordered, before turning at length to Rico.

"What I think of the image is irrelevant," he said simply before turning back at last to Cardissa.

"As I was saying, ma'am, the General is a most busy man. He sends others to ascertain whether those who wish to speak with him and what they have to speak about have merit to do so."

He twitched, smiling coldly behind the enigma of his visor.

"Call it a weeding out process."

--------------------

All right, maybe that was a bit too sudden. I tried to smooth it over.

“Look,” I said, pressing the nerve on Bluebell again. “We’ve just been waiting a long time to get where we are now, and I’m not fond of being in port. A spacer like you should know what I mean, right? We don’t mean to impose on his majesty the General or anything, but you can see that this is pretty cool stuff here, right? All we’re asking is permission to go research it. We’ll share the results!”

Well, duh, they’d expect that.

I really started to get a bad feeling about this.

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"This is the design for an enhanced human-replica droid. It is undetectable by even the most sophisticated medical scanners and even will fool most jedi dure to its presence in the force."

Sticking a few keys on my data pad the image shifted to a more technical readout.

"It accomplishes this feat through its design. Current designs use a sythaflesh layer to simulate life signs to fool scanners. Although there are ways to detect this, current models have a body tempture about 10 degress cooler then the average human and the useing cell aging it can tell if a 27 year old looking human replica droid has 3 old sythaflesh."

"I have found a way to fool all these sensors. Using Sparti cloning chambers we can selectively grow what flesh we need and atrificialy age it to appear the correct age. This also makes a body tempture consistant with most humans."

"The finishing touch was how to fool a jedi, they would obiously be fooled by a human with no presence in the force. Using the method of entrenching a human mind can be uploaded into one of these droid bodies and will have a faint presence in the force, not like a jedi's but more like you or I."

I tapped a button on the holo pad and the image vanished.

But Cardissa had had quite enough.

"Very well then,” Cardissa said evenly enough. “I trust that the information I have given you will be quite enough to prompt your superiors to speak with me in time,” she continued, much to the chagrin of her companions. “But you will understand, of course, that my team and I in the meantime will continue our research...

…one way or another.”

Pausing at that, if for effect or not, Cardissa took a long sip of the drink now before her, her dark black eyes all the while staring through the lenses of the trooper’s helmet.

--------------------

Therefore, he reasoned further, he was given leave to continue dealing with the situation in an autonomous manner.

"I believe in order for you to capture the General's full attention, it's going to take more than a mere caricature sketch and speculation," he finally said. He shifted a bit in his seat, giving forth the impression that at any moment he would rise and take his leave from them.

[ 01-14-2007 09:43 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by The Empire ]

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...while remaining in contact with you of course...

...then maybe we can verify these claims."

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"And now, dear lady, if you would be so kind as to reveal to me exactly why we should let you through our blockade, when we now have all the information necessary to research this ourselves?" he asked simply, then falling silent once again.

Unseen by the others, his lip curled into a tight little smile.

[ 01-14-2007 10:10 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by The Empire ]

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I looked at the pilot, wanting to say something but thinking better of it.

Ah hell, let’s say it anyway.

“I don’t get why you are so suspicious and all,” I said. “I mean, what’s the deal? All we’re asking is permission to do some research in an area you seem to have control over. If it’s an off-limits place then just say so and we’ll leave it alone. Hell, I wouldn’t want to piss you guys off, I’m just trying to do the job I get paid for. So, hey, sorry. No chance of talking to anyone else at all?”

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"There are reasons for what we do; if a world is blockaded, it would be wise for one to be as far from it as possible."

Now he did rise to his feet, wavering with the idea of bringing them up to Sormontato anyway; all this interest in a world the Empire was keeping tabs upon certainly could bode no good.

But-- there was the other side of the coin to consider, and that was the simple fact that Admiral Actar wished nothing more than to bring order to chaos, and well being to all. Acting in a manner that shadowed the Empire of Palpatine's day would not go very far in erasing old suspicions and fears.

"I suggest you remain distant from this world, Ma'am. If it bears no name, one can only deduce that it is one unknown to us, and quite possibly dangerous. Trust me when I say the New Empire wishes only the best for its citizens; I can only believe this blockade is placed where it is to prevent injury or death to anyone, and if any threat should arise from it, that threat would impact upon soldiers trained to deal with such."

He bowed stiffly from the waist, marveling to himself for his sudden burst of fluency.

"In leaving, may I suggest further that it would behoove you to remain in contact with us. And now--

"Lady, gentlemen..."

With that he whirled in a crisp military about-face and began walking to the door of the establishment, typing in an order that every identifiable marking of Cardissa's ship they could ascertain be logged in the memory banks of their computers, that if they ever came across it again it would be easily recognized.

A standard protocol, after all...

[ 01-14-2007 10:37 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by The Empire ]

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...and great knowledge. If there is the possibility of such a dangerous threat to the galaxy that it would require blockading an entire system with ships, then perhaps I have more to offer you than merely a team who would like to go and research on that world."

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"We shall keep that information in mind, and thank you for it, Lady," he said then continued toward the door, his smile growing broader and more satisfied with every step he took.

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“Sorry, boss, but don’t say another word,” I said so very quietly. “This ain’t no stupid grunt we’re dealing with here, cut our losses and let him get out of here.”

[ 01-14-2007 10:56 PM: Message edited 1 time, lastly by Rico Riven ]

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