Ask Getaway Car (ft. 1D)

[Vesper T'Rahm]

All things considered, Worlport was a nice enough city. Well, at least to Vesper it seemed nice. She was used to undercity ghettos on Nar Shaddaa, so really anything that got at least some decent natural sunlight seemed nice to her.

Sitting at an outside patio table across from her partner - a padawan named Zayn - Vesper sipped iced coffee through a straw as her gaze ran over their immediate surroundings. Large neon signs blinked what seemed like every few feet along the main drag, most of them advertising casinos but also other things like massage parlors and restaurants. That's how Worlport made most of its money, tourists attracted to neon like mynocks to starships.

One of her friends back on Nar Shaddaa had passed some info along to Vesper about a small smuggling group working in FWA territory, gunrunning for the Imperials. Apparently a few of them had gotten a little too drunk and a lotta too loud and started bragging about how many credits they'd been making. Seemed typical of the type Imperials employed. Too fucking dumb for their own good.

Apparently, another run was set to happen today, though not for a little while. Enough time for Vesper and Zayn to figure out where the freighter was taking off rom and hopefully reroute those weapons to more suitable sources.. at least that was the idea. The only info they currently had was that the group was working out of a warehouse in Worlport, somewhere in the casino district.

How are your detective skills? Vesper asked Zayn before finishing up her iced coffee, a look of mild disappointment on her face. There was never enough coffee in the cup. We've only got a couple hours to figure out where this warehouse is. Where would you start?

They may have seemed like questions Vesper should have an answer for considering this operation was her idea, but Zayn was still just a padawan. It was a good part of their training to make them take the lead sometimes, get their minds working like a Knight's should.

Gaze turning back to her cup that was now just ice and vaguely brown water, Vesper stood up and went back to the counter to get another one before returning back to Zayn a few moments later.

Figured it out yet? She asked, tilting her head slightly. Walk and talk, Zayn. Vesper said, motioning for him to stand up and get a move on. Walk and talk.

@Altaris

 

[Zayn Talis]

Truth be told, Zayn was feeling right at home amongst the glittering, neon lights and urban sprawl of Worlport. From the endless rows of casinos and businesses to the jam-packed thoroughfares, the city was a fond reminder of the Padawan’s own home of Corellia. It was a welcome opportunity to get away from the Jedi Temple on Yavin, and the mission prompt he received sounded straight forward enough.

The Padawan sat across the table from Vesper, idly drawing from the smoothie in his hands. It was the Corellian’s first time meeting the older knight, and the fact that she was downright gorgeous aside, the woman didn’t strike him as the stuck-up type. Which, after extensive missions with his own Master, came as genuine relief.

The Padawan was dressed in civilian clothes for this leg of the expedition, both having decided that their usual Jedi robes were likely to draw far more attention than they would’ve liked in this situation. He wore ripped black jeans and a burgundy hoodie, accompanied by stark white sneakers and a black jacket pulled over the top. His hair was styled in its usual side face, and he sported a number of piercings - from the ring in his nose to the gauges in his ears. His lightsaber was safely tucked into his jacket, concealed and yet easily within reach if things went south.

He flashed Vesper a confident smile when the woman questioned his detective skills. “Couldn’t be better.” He said without missing a beat. Whether or not that proved to be accurate or not.. Was to be determined. But Zayn was certainly confident enough in his abilities. He paused for a long moment when she raised the question, hazel eyes turning out to face the casino-lined streets ahead of them.

He didn’t bother to score himself another smoothie, committed to keeping his macronutrients in order and still having about a quarter of beverage left in his cup. He glanced back towards Vesper when she returned, rising up out of his seat.

He walked alongside Vesper, falling into steady pace with the Knight as they made their way further into the city. He was silent for a few additional seconds before glancing towards the Knight. “I would start with any ‘abandoned’ or shut down facilities first.” He said. “I mean, if they are smuggling Imperial arms.. They probably aren’t going to want to draw too much attention to themselves or have to deal with regulators coming to knock and poke around.” He shrugged vaguely. “That should narrow down our search, too. Should be easy enough to find the the shut down warehouses and see if they, well.. Aren’t.”

“What do you think, ma’am?” He said, flashing the Knight a small smirk.

@Logan

 

[Vesper T'Rahm]

I think that sounds like a solid enough plan to start with, Vesper said in response to Zayn's question. Also, please don't call me ma'am. Your manners are appreciated but I'm much more... lowkey than most of the Knights and Masters you've met, probably. Like Zayn, she was dressed relatively casually, the more stereotypical Jedi trappings never really having been her style.

Vesper never cared much for the honorifics the Order seemed to find so important. All she cared about was mutual respect, which so far she and Zayn seemed to have. At least for now, anyway. In her experience the teenage padawans always found away to make her shake her head in parental disappointment. It was the main reason she hadn't taken on a learner yet.

Intel says the gun runners probably work with some local chapter of the Black Sun, Vesper said idly, sipping at her iced coffee as they walked. Which is both good and bad for us. Black Sun might be incredibly ruthless, but they're also stupid as hell.

As they headed to the more industrial part of Worlport, Vesper let her eyes wander as she scanned over the numerous warehouses that now surrounded them. Most looked to be bustling, ships and people going in and out. Vesper agreed with Zayn that it seemed implausible any of these places were what they were looking for. They needed to get to somewhere more dilapidated, somewhere more quiet.

Cutting down an alley, the area quickly turned from busy warehouses to nothing but empty buildings. Broken windows, smashed up hanger doors, everything they were looking for. Stopping for a moment, Vesper finished her iced coffee - that same frown from before returning now that it was empty. Looking up, she got an idea.

Vantage point might be good. Follow me. She said before chucking her cup in a nearby trash bin that was just starting to overflow.

With a few quick strides and a burst of the force, Vesper launched herself in the air nearly four meters before landing on the railing of a fire escape and then jumping again, going up another three meters and ending up on top of one of the warehouses. Expecting Zayn to follow her shortly after, Vesper walked to the edge of the roof and looked out for anything that might help them find what they were looking for.

Hmm, over there. She said, pointing at a warehouse a few blocks over. Looks like the only warehouse around with the lights on. Seems like a good place to start. Flashing Zayn a smile, Vesper got an idea. I'll follow you. See if you can get us over there without touching the ground again. Rooftops are a Jedi sleuth's best friend, after all.

@Altaris

 

[Zayn Talis]

Though he didn’t make it too obvious, Zayn nevertheless cracked a small, pleased smile when Vesper approved of his plan. The Padawan was largely running off of instinct and had made an educated guess as to their best path forward, and he wasn’t gonna deny that the validation was a welcome bit of reassurance. He couldn’t help but arch a brow when the Knight corrected him on calling her ‘ma’am’, blinking a few times before giving a simple nod of his head - his smirk fading into an entirely serious expression. “Okay, I won’t.” He said plainly, his tone entirely sincere and genuine. He didn’t say anything else on the matter, instead opting to listen as the half-Annfyn went on to elaborate on some details.

The Corellian heard as their connection to the Black Sun was revealed, but he didn’t look too concerned by the information. “Doesn’t sound like anything we can’t handle.” He smirked a bit. Perhaps it was a bit of arrogance on the Corellian’s part, but he was wholly confident in their ability to get the job done without issue. Zayn didn’t hesitate to take in the sights of Worlport as they walked - hazel eyes casually drifting around. “Wouldn’t be a bad place visit on some free time, yeah?” He said towards Vesper. “If you don’t mind burning some credits, anyway.” He grinned.

The Corellian Padawan continued to follow the Knight as they wandered down some of the side alleys. He didn’t miss the brief frown from Vesper when the Knight’s coffee ran out, though he didn’t say anything about it - his attention fixing onto the woman as she spoke. “Right behind you, Ves.” He said, promptly following after the Knight as she lept into the air. The Padawan drew the Light into himself and sprang up into the air, grasping onto the railing of the fire escape before pulling himself up - another, similar jump bringing him to the top of the warehouse. Zayn crossed his arms over his chest as he looked out towards the warehouse Vesper pointed out, knocking his head lightly. “Yup. Looks sketchy as fuck.” Which was, admittedly, exactly what they were looking for. He glanced back at her when the Knight laid out a challenge for the Padawan - one he met with nothing short of a wide grin.

“You got it.” Without another word, Zayn turned back ahead and drew the Force into his body - the Light flowing into his limbs and enhancing his physical strength beyond natural means. He bent at the knees and leaned forward, springing towards the roof of an adjacent building not far from where they were standing.The Padawan landed onto the building with a roll, ending his movement in a crouched position. He didn’t so much as glance back at Vesper - assuming she was, in fact, following him - before he picked himself up and made for the next rooftop - jumping forward and grabbing onto the shaft of a waterpipe that ran alongside a building - using it to swing himself to his next perch. A few additional jumps, and Zayn finally landed on the on the roof of the warehouse in question - the Force dampening his landing and ensuring that the noise wouldn’t be loud enough for anyone inside to hear.

He glanced back at Vesper and flashed the woman a grin, clearly pleased by his own success in sticking to her challenge. Of course, this meant that his attention was briefly drawn away from the path in front of him as he stepped forward - his feet slipping forward in a puddle of grease and water that had accumulated. His arms went out to grasp onto the nearest thing to him - barely managing to keep on his feet and leaving the Padawan with a comical look of shock plastered on his face. He blinked a few times, straightened back up and cleared his throat. “This is the spot.” He jutted his chin to a skylight just up ahead, trying very hard to pretend he didn’t just eat shit.

@Logan