Open Bastion The One with the Resistance

[Vanya]

Per my OP template, thread is death enabled​

To this day, Vanya regretted that she had not been here to defend Bastion when the Empire came. Combatting the Razeling abominations on Byblos, she had been fighting for her life when the Empire decided to capitalize. But she wasn't going to just let it happen. She wouldn't leave the people of this world to the tyranny.

A smuggler had gotten the Jedi on planet, and now Vanya knew they needed to find none other than Fera Stazanski, the Commander in Chief that she had previously met. The woman had reached out to Vanya - with a bit of accusation - over one of the few external communication networks available about getting the Empire the kriff off of her planet.

Vanya hadn't probably responded as well as she should have, but fortunately Stazanski had seemed to take a liking to Vanya. She liked the Jedi's spitfire attitude, and Vanya had taken it as a personal challenge to help the people of Bastion.

So that was what she was going to do.

The meeting point was inside of an old cantina that was rarely frequented by anyone of repute and where the Imperials didn't often come to hang out. Her own lightsaber and hunting knife were hidden under her clothes, and should things fall apart, she had already ensured an escape plan. The resistance in Bastion - thanks to the previous efforts of Vanya and Dim - was flourishing, and although the Empire controlled the planet, it was a tentative control at best. In other words, this area of town had more resistance friends than Imperials friends.

@LouJoVi

 

[Cornelius]

In the dimly lit cantina on Bastion, the entrance door swung open to reveal a figure that immediately stole the spotlight (or at least thought it did), even in the subdued atmosphere. Cornelius Vaspar Waxdrilliangorbameth II, musicians, poet, lover - his golden hair gleaming and an ensemble that screamed extravagance, sauntered in with an air of effortless confidence. His entrance drew a few curious glances, which he promptly acknowledged with a flamboyant and well-practised wave.

"Well, well, well! What do we have here?" Cornelius exclaimed, his blue eyes scanning the room, as he paused to kiss the hand of a passing young man, who snatched the hand away in horror. Corenlias ignored him, and focused on the young lady, Vanya "If it isn't the maiden who stole the light of the stars themselves. Bravo, darling! Bravo!"

His gaze settled on Vanya, a mischievous grin playing on his lips. He strolled over, almost tripping over a discarded chair in his ostentatious stride. "Who might you be?" He leaned in, as if about to share a secret. "I, Cornelius Waxdrilliangorbameth, you have probably already heard of me, am honored to be in the presence of such a vision."

Ignoring any potential social cues, he continued, "Now, what can I do to assist you?" he began "I'm always up for a good cause, an adventure perhaps? Oh, and do tell if you need someone to compose an epic just for you. I've got a symphony in my soul, m'lady!"

Cornelius seemed blissfully unaware of the gravity of the situation, his exuberance filling the cantina with an unexpected energy.

 

[Rain]

A late arrival, hoping that she was in the realm of fashionably late rather than disapprovingly late, Rain entered managed to extract herself from the bar just as the bard was making his introduction. She had always thought herself to be good with names, she had aced the elective she had taken on xenolinguistics back on Yavin IV. But this guy's name, it was like a tongue-twister had a love child with a concussion. And she wanted nothing to do with it.

So, ignoring the man, as much out of a desire to not have to say his name as her desire to get on Vanya's good graces, she slapped two drinks down on the table before Vanya and took a seat.

"How about a trade," she said as she pointed towards the hallikset he carried, taking a sip of her drink, "a song for a drink." A slight cheer went up as some of the patrons heard her words, and demands went up asking for specific songs.

Amidst the confusion she pushed the other drink towards Vanya, taking the opportunity to whisper to her over the raucous of the bardly requests.

"That wasn't your contact, was he?" She wasn't really supposed to be there, what with her being a padawan and all, so was unaware of the exact details of what was going to go down. She could just hope that she hadn't messed things up for the Knight in some way.

Rolled a dice to see how crowd reacts to asking for a song, 16/20

@Phoenix @Nor'baal

 

[Ephiny Daivand]

Ephiny arrived at the meeting place, an inconspicuous cantina in Bastion. The last time that the woman left the archives, the planet was still allied with the Order. Now, the Empire had taken control and the Jedi weren’t welcome anymore. Her presence there was dangerous, being necessary for her to dress like a civilian with her lightsaber hidden among her clothes.

Hopefully this would soon change and they were able to free Bastion from Imperial control.

When she crossed the door of the cantina, Ephiny searched for her partners on this mission. She saw two of them in a corner, with probably the strangest man that she ever saw. With the most bizarre surname too. It was so strange that the Archivist had no idea of how to pronounce it.

And the guy seemed to be interested in Vanya.

Wonderful, this was going to be one of these missions. Ephiny thought, while massaging her nose bridge and walking toward the group. At least Padawan Rain was clever enough to take the weirdo out for a time. “I hope that he isn’t.” she said, standing next to her fellow Jedi. He seemed to be a liability and she doubted of his musical capabilities too.

@Phoenix @Nor'baal @Wit

 

[Vanya]

Vanya took her seat in the cantina and before she even knew what was happening, some... guy was coming up to her. Granted, the guy was saying all kind of nice things, and for Vanya who literally never got flirted with by anyone, it was kind of nice.

You're very kind, she said, still not quite being able to suppress the smile that she felt like an idiot for having.

Of course, this was also Vanya who didn't really trust foreign people inside of a hostile-held world, and she was more than a little wary that this might be some ISB plant or something.

Rain, the Jedi Padawan up for this mission seemed quick to come up with a solution for the man and Vanya just kind of kept looking around for the moment. The Nightsister-turned Jedi was good at plenty of things, but dealing with people who were acting strangely wasn't really one of them.

Decidedly not, she said to Rain as the Padawan asked if he was her contact. On the bright side, if everyone was looking at Sir Waxdribble then they wouldn't be paying any attention to Vanya or the Commander in Chief of the Bastion military.

Her eyes flicked over the room for any sign of her actual contact as Waxdribble presumably started breaking into song.

@Wit @Nor'baal @LouJoVi

 

[Cornelius]

As more of Vanyas companions arrived, Cornelius took note of each of them in turn. He beamed at Rain, seemingly undeterred by her reluctance to engage with his eccentric name. What they proposed was music (literally) to his ears ""Ah, a trade! Ma'am, you drive a hard bargain," he said with a theatrical bow, reaching for his hallikset - a prized possession.

What this crowd needed was something to rouse them - of that he was certain.

Cornelius turned atop the bar-stool, and as he prepared to entertain the crowd, played a few chords on the instrument. Clearly engaged, the patrons erupted with requests for specific songs. "The Womp Rat Jive?" he muttered, before shaking his head. No, that song was not appropriate for such a venue. Then, it stuck him - something new he had been working on!

Gently, he began to strum a slow tune, to muster in a ballad entitled 'The Wandering Knight', a rousing story about a Jedi travelling from world to world, standing up for the lost and oppressed. Fortunetly, it twisted halfway through the second verse into a jaunty jig, the pace of the music growing, as he sang about the Jedis antics in a Tatooine baudyhouse. Normally, such a tune was good enough to get any crowd going.

However, it seemed the audience was not as captivated as he thought. Perhaps it was his choice of song? Perhaps it was something else? Cornelius assumed it must be because of their lack of character and breeding, refinement and class. He continued to play through the, watching as their disinterest grew. Maybe his next tune would interest them more?

"Rather slow crowd today." he said to his three new-found companions as he wrapped up his first song. "Tell me, where do you three hail from?" he asked, keen to see if there was any inspiration these 'newcomers' could spark.

OOC - Rolled 5, 2, 13 (17) (Song Choice, Audience Reaction and Performance) and I gave myself a +4 on the performance because its literally the only skill he has.

 

[Rain]

Rain was almost relieved at Vanya's confirmation regarding Cornelius. She knew not to judge a book by its cover, but she had formed an image in her head of meeting with some really cool looking rebel agent like she had seen in the holos, and she selfishly wanted her first experience with the Resistance to live up to her expectations.

"So," she leaned in to ask Vanya as Cornelius started playing, "does your contact have a cool code name?" Her eyes brightened as she followed the thought through to its logical conclusion. "Do you? Can I have one? Please, can I? Hardpoint? No, no, wait. Mynock!" She glanced eagerly from Vanya to Ephiny, waiting for their feedback on her suggestions. Meeting a real rebel and getting a cool nickname, this was shaping up to be an awesome day.

Amidst the chaos of the performance a woman had walked into the war, her features mostly hidden under a poncho, but the sternness of her face noticeable if you spent more than a few moments looking at her. Most didn't, her severity scaring them away, so she was able to observe the group from a distance. As the bard finished his performance and turned his attention back to the trio, Freya held back, waiting for the right moment to make contact. An encrypted message would send a buzz to Vanya's datapad, letting the Jedi know Fera had arrived, and waiting for confirmation to approach. The two women accompanying Vanya might seem like Jedi to Freya, but she was unsure of Cornelius and so waited for a word from Vanya before joining the group.

@Phoenix @LouJoVi @Nor'baal

 

[Ephiny Daivand]

Ephiny watched Cornelius tep away and start his performance. While it wasn’t terrible as she had expected, the crowd wasn’t too happy to hear him sing. The Womp Rat Jive. the Archivist never heard about it before, which wasn’t a surprise. She was never good with pop culture.

At least the strange man singing was attracting attention to himself, allowing the three women to talk about their mission. Rain seemed to be excited with it, even wanting to have a code name. Epiphany couldn’t avoid smiling. It was good to see a Padawan acting according to their age, and not like a problematic crybaby.

“Well, I think that will depend on our leader.” Ephiny said, turning to look at Vanya. “Would you allow us to have code names?” while it was silly of her to ask for it, the Archivist had also turned the other Knight in the target of Rain’s frustration if her request was refused.

@Phoenix @Nor'baal @Wit

 

[Vanya]

Vanya spotted her contact across the cantina, though the woman was smart enough not to approach with the bard doing his... barding.

Vanya was caught off guard about the whole... code names discussion, glancing around from Rain to Ephiny.

Um... no, I don't have a code name, she said, not even really wanting to voice that there would be a reason for code names here.

Mr. Waxdripping continued to serenade the crowd, and Vanya's eyes flicked over again to the woman at the far side of the room.

I need to go have a word, see if you can't keep our friend occupied, she said. Suss out if he really is who he says he is, she said. The Force could provide powerful insights into a person's heart and soul, and she hoped that one of them would be a good enough judge of character to discern what was true. A Justicar would have been perfect.

She slid out of her chair just as Mr. Waxdripping was beginning to return and started heading toward the woman she knew across the room, leaving the other two Jedi to have their game of cat-and-mouse with Waxdripping.

@Wit @Nor'baal @LouJoVi

 

[Cornelius]

As Cornelius finished his eccentric rendition of the Womp Rat Jive, he basked in the scattered applause, thinking that his musical brilliance had truly graced the ears of the fortunate patrons. Oblivious to the general antipathy the audience held him in, he walked off the stage and back to his newfound 'friends'.

Rain's excitement about code names and Ephiny's consideration of their leader's approval failed to reach Cornelius as he drew up, catching his attention away from his own impressive grandeur.

"This is all very clandestine." Cornelius mused, a dramatic twirl of his hallikset punctuating his words he gently placed it stop the bar. "Do I sniff the allure of deception! How positively thrilling! I, for one, have always embraced the allure of an enigmatic moniker. Call me the Galactic Virtuoso, if you will!"

His declaration, however, was overshadowed by Vanya's unexpected departure and the cryptic arrival of another woman across the cantina. The Jedi Knight's urgent departure prompted Cornelius to pause mid-twang, his eyes following her.

"Oh, my dear friends, leaving so soon? But the show has just begun!" he exclaimed, the disappointment evident in his exaggerated expression.

As Vanya approached the woman in the poncho, Cornelius found himself in a curious position. His attention toggled between the remaining Jedi and the unfolding drama across the room, unsure of the true nature of this rendezvous and how it might alter the whimsical course of his evening.

 

[Ephiny Daivand]

Ephiny smiled with the awkwardness of the situation. It was obvious that Vanya didn’t want to give them codenames, but she also didn’t deny the possibility of them having it. This way, the Padawan could choose any that she wanted and the other Knight would need to deal with it.

Unfortunately, the weirdo returned right on time to hear their conversation about codenames. It was a relief that the man seemed to be crazy enough to not think that there was anything strange happening. However, Ephiny would pay attention to him. He could be an Imperial agent working undercover.

As a very convincing weirdo.

While Vanya slipped away, Epiphany decided to cover her. “Mr…” she paused, not being able to remember the bizarre surname of the man in front of her. “Your performance was excellent! Can you tell me more about the music that you choose?”

@Phoenix @Wit @Nor'baal

 

[Vanya]

Vanya moved over to meet with her contact while the others continued to carry on with Mr. Waxdripping. Her attention was still on the rest of the room as she scooted in to speak to the woman.

Even in her mid fifties, the woman still cut an imposing figure, Vanya knew, but that was all concealed behind the life support systems she wore that mimicked other off-world species in order to obscure her features.

They spoke in quick and hushed tones about the state of the resistance on Bastion and the hits it had taken in the recent fight between the Jedi and the Imperials.

I know things have been bad, but we're here now, she said quietly as the woman slipped a piece of paper across to Vanya with instructions for contact and the place to go next. They were taking no chances this time, and Vanya couldn't blame them.

She rose and started heading back to the group in order to see what was going on with the others.

@Wit @Nor'baal @LouJoVi

 

[Rain]

Rain took the comments on codenames in stride, focusing on the fact that neither Knight had outright ruled out the possibility of code names. But for now she had to turn her attention to the matter at hand, the bard that seemed to be smitten with Vanya.

"Are you part of the peddler's guild," she followed up after Ephiny, "I hear a lot of performers join to get licenses through the guild. Does it really make that much of a difference whether or not you're with the guild?"

The guild wasn't really a thing, at least as far as she knew it was just something from a recent holomovie based on an old fantasy series. But a lot of people had assumed it was based on fact, and if this Cornelius was really who he said he was then his response to her question might give some hint about the veracity of his claims.

@Phoenix @LouJoVi @Nor'baal

 

[Cornelius]

"They're unique, bespoke compositions - every one." he replied politely, casually bragging about his musical prowess (despite the fact many in the Cantina had found his music somewhat lacklustre, clearly they lacked class).

He paused, confused by Rains question "Urm..." he had never heard of an actual peddlers guild, such a thing was a legend - the stuff of stories. "I do hate to burst your bubble my love, but there is no such thing as the peddler's guild." he replied.

"For sure, there are colleges you can join in order to train in the musical arts, but you do not need a licence in order to perform." he confirmed, matter-of-factly.

 

[Ephiny Daivand]

”I see, very good.” Ephiny smiled, but this wasn’t a real one. Like the rest of the people in the cantina, she didn’t like his presentation. It wasn’t because his voice was bad, it was really good. The problem was that the song was weird like the man that was singing it. At least it was her opinion.

Even then, she would continue saying that it was amazing. Ephiny had learned how to be fake with other people to not hurt their feelings.

Cornelius’ answer to Rain gave Ephiny the opening to ask more about the man’s life. “Did you learn musical abilities in college?” his answer could allow them to see if he was really a musician. While he answered, the Knight saw that Varya was returning. Hopefully her conversation went well.

@Phoenix @Wit @Nor'baal

 

[Vanya]

The other two were evidently better at being fake and playing the diplomatic game than Vanya was. She had her job she needed to do, and that was what she was going to do.

You'll have to excuse us, sir, but we have to be getting on our way soon, she said, tossing a glance to the others that said it was time to get a move on. Or at least one of them needed to get on their way, and Vanya would go alone if she had to.

She was still... skeptical about this man. He seemed too... interested. Although the Essence wasn't warning her that he was an ISB agent or a direct threat, something about him seemed... off.

And yet, something triggered her to ask something more. Call it intuition or the guidance of the Winged Spirit.

Are you from Bastion originally? she asked. What brings you here? she asked, leaving the question open to interpretation whether she meant this particular cantina if he was from Bastion originally or to the planet if he was not.

And all the while, she searched for lie or deception within him as best she could. She may not have been a Justicar, but the Winged Spirit was still a powerful ally to the truth for any Jedi.

@Wit @Nor'baal @LouJoVi

 

[Cornelius]

As Vanya expressed the need to depart, Cornelius, still caught in the midst of confusion as to their plans, paused in his efforts to understand them. His flamboyant gestures shifted into a more subdued demeanor, and he nodded with a smile that acknowledged their impending departure.

"Ah, a swift exit, my dear fellows. Duty calls, and the galaxy awaits your valiant presence!" he exclaimed, his words partially lost in the turmoil of the brawl.

Vanya's additional inquiry, however, caught Cornelius off guard. A subtle shift in his expression hinted at a momentary hesitation before he replied, "Bastion, my dear, is not the celestial cradle that witnessed my arrival. I hail from the illustrious embrace of Naboo, a world of opulence and vibrant indulgence."

He met Vanya's gaze with a gaze of his own, the mask of theatrics momentarily slipping to reveal a glint of curiosity. "Yet, the call of destiny brought me here, to Bastion. A planet of contrasts and untold stories," he added, his words carrying a hint of mystery.

As Vanya probed for more, Cornelius maintained a measured composure, his responses veiled in the same theatricality that adorned his every word. Whether it was a genuine narrative or an artful fabrication remained shrouded in the whimsy of his performance.

 

[Ephiny Daivand]

Once she was back among them, Vanya wanted them to leave immediately, much to Ephiny’s relief. The Archivist had no idea of how to continue talking with Cornelius. The man was too eccentric for her, with the Knight having no idea how to make sense of what the man was saying.

However, the leader of this mission seemed to have changed her mind immediately and continued the conversation with Cornelius. Epiphany wondered why she decided to give him more attention, while they needed to deal with this mission. She wondered if Vanya thought that this man was part of the Empire.

If it was the case, Cornelius really should be a master in disguises, because she would never think that an Imperial agent could be someone so eccentric. Although, being a bizarre individual could be a good disguise. “Do you plan to make more shows here?” Ephiny decided to help Vanya in questioning the man.

@Phoenix @Nor'baal

 

[Rain]

Unable to follow whatever instinct the two Knights were latching onto, the young padawan found herself standing awkwardly as they wound up their conversation with him to seeminly pick it up yet again. Unable to add anything, she simply slipped towards the bar under the guise of paying off their tab and then simply moved towards the exit. She didn't know how things would play out with the bard, but she did know that there was more work to be done here.

So she exited the bar and waited, looking around till she spotted what she was looking for, an empty speedercab, but one of the older ones driven by an actual pilot rather than the newer droid operated ones. Who knew what the droids might record, best not to take that risk.

"There's a cab waiting for us," she messaged the Knights on their comms, "we have that lunch reservation."

With that she waited, eyes on the door to the cantina, wondering if it would be two that would join her in the cab or three.

@Phoenix @LouJoVi @Nor'baal

 

[Vanya]

Vanya wasn't really sure what to make of the man, and being a Justicar had never been anywhere near the forefront of her mind.

Well, I wish you all the best, sir, she said with a polite nod. But as my friend said, it's time for us to take our leave, she said, extending a hand to shake. And with that, she would head toward the exit, the speeder, and their contact within the Bastion resistance.

//Exit attempt
@Wit @Nor'baal @LouJoVi