Star Nomad Cast (starnomadnpc) wrote in starnomad, @ 2015-04-08 21:52:00 |
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There was no guarantee that what they had would turn out to be anything at all. Anakin had clipped his lightsaber to his belt - easy to get to, but hidden out of the way under the edge of the jacket that covered the tan tunic and slacks combination. The underneath outfit might have screamed Jedi if not for the jacket thrown over it. He knew there was the possibility that they would find nothing at all. In fact the possibility that they could find Elix at all was so very slim, but they had found something - a small piece of something and it was enough to check out. Perhaps it would lead to something -- Anakin hoped so. He slid into step beside Rikki as they departed the train from the upper city onto the darker and more dreary streets of the Undercity. If it was possible Anakin couldn't help but think that the Undercity had grown darker in the months he'd been working with Rikki, and more dangerous. Perhaps he was projecting what he saw happening elsewhere in the galaxy onto this planet, but he didn't think so. People were grimmer and less trusting, and violence seemed more common, and there was the feeling of heaviness - of something about to break from weight. Perhaps it was nothing, but Anakin could say that and not truly believe it. He rather believed that it was something and that eventually it was going to catch up with them probably. It may have already caught up with Elix. They were quiet as they made their way to where Lyric was to meet them. They didn't need to talk right then. They spoke enough late at night with worries haunting both of them. They had spoken through the information they had, and what it might mean for Elix - or for that matter Lyric. In the weeks that had passed since Centerpoint Station, the two of them had spoken about things that Anakin hadn't shared with anyone else - not his Uncle, not his parents, not his siblings. It had not been precisely intentional, but somehow Rikki had become his confidant. She had become the person who knew his hardest questions, deepest fears, and the most persistent worries, and none of them seemed to push her away. Despite this, and despite the fact that there were moments when he glanced at her and she took his breath away with a smile or a laugh or a curve of her body, Anakin knew how to focus and tonight he was focused in on the problem at hand. Elix. They had to find her. As they rounded a corner he glanced over to Rikki and with a low voice he asked: "Here? He said across from the Green Leaf tapcaf." Before Rikki could answer Lyric seemed to melt into view. To survive down in the Undercity on ones own a person had to develop a certain set of skills. Some could make it through on brawn like Nomad had. But most of Lyrics life he had been a weedy runt of a kid, only shooting up in the last few years. Hiding was what he did best, being what no one saw. They were the same skills that he passed down to Elix for all the good it had done the stubborn Rodian. He had been waiting almost since he had sent word. This newest piece of information dug up out Lyric the closest to Elix that he had been in weeks. And when he had passed the information on to Nomad he knew it was only a matter of time before her and her shadow made their way down to the grimy underbelly of Coruscant. Honestly Lyric had to admit the Jedi had surprised him. He had fully expected the kid to lose interest in coming down here. Nomad was one of them, wherever she had originally been from. It hadn't mattered, there was still that stubbornness that only the streets taught running through her. And of all people she had brought down some spoiled little Jedi. But her shadow seemed just as determined as Nomad to find their friend. Add in that the kid was easy enough on the eyes and Lyric didn't mind too much having the back up. That didn't mean that Anakin wasn't trouble. In fact Lyric was completely certain that the Jedi was going to be more trouble than he was worth in the end. But for now he was someone they could use and if he helped get Elix back that was all that mattered. "Glad you didn't keep me waiting, Shadow. A boy might think you didn't want to see him." His shoulders slumped forward as he shoved his hands in his pockets and looked down at the other boy in a puppeting of amusement. Rikki crossed her arms, as serious as always when she put on that as outfit, whatever it was. "How much did it cost?" Lyric shrugged. "A favor and the credits you handed off. But Orzu has always been straight before. No reason to think the idiot's gone and changed now." Anakin turned towards Lyric at the voice and he realized that he needed to get a better sense of the other boy so that he couldn't sneak up on them. The fact that Lyric could sneak up on most people in the Undercity didn't mean he should be able to sneak up on Anakin. After all, Anakin had the Force as a tool and Lyric wasn't a Yuuzhan Vong - thankfully. He didn't act as if he was surprised however, instead he simply stepped back with a look at Lyric that said he was completely unimpressed by the other boy's smart ass comments. And he wasn't there for Lyric, he was there for Rikki - and Elix. And so far Lyric hadn't particularly surprised Anakin. "So what do you have?" He asked the other boy. "All in good time." Lyric's smile curled up, mocking before Rikki shot him a quick look and he relaxed back. Bravado made this all easier to handle, to not get so tied up in the faint bit of hope that had him nearly breathless when he had contacted Nomad about this the first time. Hope as dangerous down here. He cast a quick look over at the topcaf, his frown settling back into place. "Rumor has it Peace Brigade's started setting up shop there. Nothing visible, money under the table, a room in back for swaps. The usual kind of deal." Since they had started looking they had investigated what felt like dozens of these places with the same kind of word about them. Some were some weren't but even though Rikki's expression didn't change Lyric knew what she was thinking. This sounded just like another dead end, a piece to get fear and hope up and leave with nothing. But this wasn't nothing, he knew it wasn't. "But rumor also says that they've an errand runner. A Rodian. A small one." His voice wavered slightly. Rikki reached out, her hand resting lightly on Lyrics elbow. They had gone through so many leads but this one was the first one that actually had a Rodian attached. It was almost too much to hope for but they had to hold it close. "You've set up watch here." She asked gently, answered by a quick nod from Lyric. Anakin turned his attention to the tapcaf reaching out in the Force to see what he could sense. There were several living beings within the building. A general atmosphere of distrust and paranoia but nothing that felt like the Young Rodian. Then again Anakin had only met her a handful of times and not enough to get a sense of her. He frowned and considered options. If Lyric had been watching he might have some information, so they could share that, but the easiest way to get more was going to be to go in. And they would have to be careful if they did that. And it probably shouldn't be Lyric. Maybe it shouldn't be Rikki either, but there would need two of them because even as inexperienced as Anakin was, he was aware it was a little stupid to go in with no backup. He turned to Rikki for a moment, giving her a look over for her reaction before turning to Lyric. "So, you've been watching, what have you seen?" The small bit of a connection to someone was enough to keep Lyric focused on more than the burning need to find Elix. Nomad's hand rested for just a moment and then fell away but it was a reminder that they did need to be smart about this, that there was a small but of hope that this could all end up all right. That small bright feeling had been why Elix and him had decided to let the girl stay all those months ago. It wasn't much but it was enough. "One of the humans we tagged a few weeks back as Brigade went in about an hour ago. Other than that it's been mostly normal traffic. But once he showed up three more trickled in that looked more the type." Reading people in the Undercity helped keep him alive. Lyric might not have the force but he could reasonably tell if someone was going to be trouble just as easily. You only got kicked so many times without dying before you noticed patterns. Rikki crossed her arms as she looked up. "You've been asking around too long, they might take note." She gave Lyric a sympathetic look as his shoulders tensed at the suggestion. But what could they do? Even if Lyric wasn't recognized, he was too close and they all knew it. "I've got a good feeling, Nomad." He offered, his voice tense as he looked back. A small, humorless smile escaped her. "Well that's something, you never have a good feeling." The smile dropped away as she looked over at Anakin. "You're the least known of us here. Im not known but muscle talks to each other, and I'm not exactly the usual hire." There was a small noise of discontent that Lyric couldn't help. Leaving this in the hands of a Jedi? Elix and Nomad believed but from what Lyric had seen their faith was vastly overrated. Anakin glanced over at the other boy, trying but not entirely succeeding at masking the irritation on his face at the lack of trust. He could make a big stink about it but it would only draw attention to them and they couldn't afford that right now. "I can do this," he said simply to Lyric and then he turned to Rikki. "I'd had the same thought. I'll go in and order something. I should be able to pick up a sense of who's who in the place." He looked over his shoulder at the restaurant and considered before turning back to Lyric evenly. "What does this confirmed Peace Brigade guy look like?" Folding his arms, Lyric watched Anakin carefully for a moment. Jedi or not the kid didn't know how the world down here worked. Now they just had to trust that he wouldn't mess this up too badly. If it was just his life than fine but this was Elix, one of the only souls this place hadn't completely chewed up. But Rikki trusted him so with a tense sigh he shook his head lightly. "Tall, broad human with black hair. Got a massive scar under his right eye. Looks like something ugly took offense to him." Which probably wasn't all that wrong. This whole mess wasn't anything that Lyric wanted to be involved in. This wasn't their war but like with anything it got dragged into the Undercity anyway. Anakin nodded at Lyric's description noting each of those things. If Lyric thought he was tall, Anakin knew he would be tall. He glanced over at Rikki, she'd suggested this which must mean she believed that he could do it on his own, and he would do it on his own. "All right, I'll be back as soon as I can be." His lightsaber was there if he needed it, but it would be problematic to use it. So before he sat off, he pulled his jacket down, making certain the lightsaber was well hidden. The last thing that he needed was for a Peace Brigade to realize that they had a Jedi in the caf and then try something to catch him. He didn't think they would be able to, but he would prefer to not be forced to find out for certain one way or another. For half a moment he wanted to reach out and grab Rikki's hand to reassure himself that she believed he could do this, but Lyric was standing right there, and he didn't need another reason to dislike Anakin, and it wasn't as if Anakin needed the reassurance, not really. He gave her a nod instead and stepped out from the group, using a rough crowd of non-humans to slip away from Rikki and Lyric, thus easily separating himself from them visually before he even crossed the way to the tapcaf. Anakin hoped that he could do this. Subtlety had not always been his strength, and although his Aunt Mara had worked at teaching him a thing or two, it wasn't as if he'd spent time undercover or remaining unseen. Not like Rikki or Lyric had, and despite his irritation at Lyric's lack of faith in him, Anakin knew that of the three of them experientially he was the least qualified. But it wasn't just experience that mattered here. In this particular case experience would have given him an edge, but what they needed to know was who was here, if Elix had been, and they needed someone who could walk in, and walk out - potentially - with information and no one the wiser for him having been there and Anakin, as someone who was not from the Undercity, was the best candidate for that. And it wasn't as if - despite his privileged upbringing - Anakin had no experiences in places like this. He was Han Solo's son after all, but most of his experience had not been in the Undercity. Unconsciously mirroring his father's posture, he stepped up to the door and entered the establishment. Leaving Anakin on his own wasn't exactly Rikki's ideal scenario. But there wasn't much they could do other than keep an eye on him from afar. Still Anakin had that confidence about him and as she watched him adopt a walk that she knew all too well she couldn't help but watch with a little more appreciation than she really should. After all Elix's life, if she was still alive, could very easily be in danger. And if the Peace Brigade caught wind of a Jedi among them, well, at least Rikki was as decent a shot with a blaster as she was with a revolver. "He's cute, I'll give you that." Lyric mentioned breezily as he leaned against the wall behind them. Rikkis cheeks went bright red for a moment before she pulled her reaction in tight, looking up at him with momentarily wide eyes. Her arms crossed over her chest sullenly as she mimicked him. "I don't know what you're talking about." She huffed as she tried to stay focused. Rolling his eyes, Lyric reached out and rested a hand on her shoulder for a moment before crossing his own. They made quite the pair there. "I'm just saying. He's cute for an idiot." It was utterly unusual to not be greeted by a droid upon entering a place like this. Instead Anakin found himself face to face with a live being who offered him a menu and told him to sit wherever he liked. He swept the room quickly, finally taking a booth in the corner where he could easily survey the entire place. It was almost instinct, but not quite, the sort of instinct that came by asking what his Dad would do if he were walking into this place, and the answer to that was easy enough. And as luck would have it, it was two booths over from a man that nearly matched Lyric's description. Anakin kept his walk confident as he walked in, not certain if he should meet the man's eyes, or if by doing so he'd just arouse suspicion so he ended up keeping his eyes on the floor, his Force sense extended. This was one place where he decided that using the Force was not an over-use, it was absolutely necessary. Because there were things he wasn't going to be able to pick up on his own. Maybe if he'd been his Dad, or his Aunt, or even Lyric or Rikki, he might have been able to take a look around and read people, but he wasn't any of those people. He was just Anakin Solo and so he had to use what he had. He pulled a datapad out of his pocket, apparently engrossed in the messages in front of him. And he could pull a pretty decent being engrossed in the messages in front of him, even as his senses were extended to the other beings. The server approached him, and Anakin was startled to find himself not reading the Duro in the Force - at all. Kriff. He kept his cool, ordering a simple drink and acting disinterested in the being completely, his focus on the very important information on the datapad itself. But his mind was in actuality spinning. A guy who was known peace brigade. A server who couldn't be felt in the Force - they knew the Yuuzhan Vong had the ability to disguise themselves at humans. Maybe they had the ability to disguise themselves as others as well, but this wasn't good. If this was a Yuuzhan Vong, in a Peace Brigade hot spot, and the possibility of Elix having been through here. It really was very not good. The drink returned, he sipped it and kept his eyes on the datapad, his senses extended. By the time the drink had been completed, it was actually a challenge for Anakin to walk out as if he'd simply been there for the drink and the place to sit down. The Force had filled in details he wouldn't have gotten in person, and those details were all he had - and hopefully it would be enough. He slid a credit chip out onto the table and used the datapad as an excuse to be pocketing it as he walked out of the building, thus keeping his face, and his self away from the Peace Brigaders whose conversation he'd been listening in on for most of the past thirty minutes. He slid out into the night air of the Undercity and deliberately walked away from Rikki and Lyric, instead meandering into a datacafe a couple of doors down. After having plugged into a terminal and having pulled down the weather, he slid back out -and doing his best to not garner attention walked back across to where he'd left both of them. Reaching out in the Force he could feel Rikki and he sent a half-warning even though there wasn't any real reason to do so. It wasn't as if she'd pick up on him doing so. He stepped up and leaned back against a wall as casually as he could. He knew they'd come to him, and he didn't think that he'd been followed. Even people like them could only loiter so long. That meant changing spots, popping into a shop and keeping attention off them so no one shooed them away. Add in keeping an eye on the topcaf for signs of distress and rikkis mind was going a mile a minute at just what could go wrong and what they would have to do if it did. But the topcaf stayed peaceful as time ticked by. That was until the sudden feeling of dread filled her stomach. Her face paled for a moment and Lyric looked at her with a baffled frown. "You see a ghost, nomad?" He asked easily, his voice dropping down. Shaking her head quickly to regain her senses, Rikki looped her arm around Lyrics and steered him out and back onto the streets. The cold feeling began to subside slowly despite how intense it had started. She let go of Lyrics arm as soon as she saw Anakin, relaxing just slightly as they walked past the Jedi and just expected him to follow. "I had a bad feeling, what happened?" Rikki mentioned under her breath as Anakin fell into step next to her. Anakin glanced at her wondering if somehow more of what he sent had stuck. It wasn't an entirely rational thought considering that bad feelings were not strictly the territory of Jedi or Force sensitive people. But sometimes Anakin couldn't help but wonder if there were times even non-Force sensitive people caught something. Like not being able to speak a language, but still catching the drift of a group or a conversation by other cues - things you could speak or pick up on. It was sort of a philosophical question though, and it wasn't a very practical one - at least not in the moment. "We found her," he said softly. But the what they'd found left them with not a lot of information to go on and not a lot of time to deal with it. He touched Rikki's arm gently, a slight inclination of his head suggesting that they find somewhere off the streets - somewhere they could talk. Because there was enough information that he'd been able to get that he didn't want to share in public. He glanced over at Lyric as they stepped out of the main thoroughfare. "Your guy was in there, meeting with two others. Also, that's not just Peace Brigade, there's a Yuuzhan Vong working undercover in there - I'm sure of it." Anakin's voice was low and urgent, and his face told what he thought of that new piece of information. "Which begs a lot of questions, but right now, I know where they're sending her - and I don't think she'll come back if we can't get to her first. I've got less information than I'd like, but maybe enough impressions that we can pull it together before tomorrow," he said with determination. He wasn't losing Elix. They weren't going to lose Elix. He half suspected if they did Lyric would blame him and Rikki for the rest of all of their lives. And beyond that - the place was clearly a hot spot and Elix had been in it for weeks. She had information, information that might help the Jedi, might help Uncle Luke -- it was stuff they wouldn't get from anywhere else easily. So there was a personal mission, but there was also the larger mission that the galaxy might need what Elix had to offer. She was small and spry and currently potentially knowledgeable. They had to get her. "Where is she?" Lyric's voice was dark and quick as he moved in closer, watching Anakin with slightly fevered eyes. He had been searching for far too long on abandoned hope. And here this Jedi was saying that she might really still be alive, that somehow she had managed to get tangled up in this whole world that they were supposed to avoid. Nothing good ever happened from messing with bigger fish, Lyric had tried to tell her that how many times? Rikki's hand reached out, resting again against his arm as she quietly moved between the two boys. Spending more time with the Solo brothers meant Rikki was getting more than enough practice at mediating between strong personalities. And she knew that look, she knew just what Lyric was feeling and the desperation to just jump in without really thinking. But if they did it would risk a lot more than just Elix. "We'll put a plan together and we'll go." Rikki looked pointedly up at Lyric before looking back to Anakin. "We should probably get to slightly more friendly ground. I might be able to get us a back room at a topcaf for an hour or so." |