Constructing the Comms Center

Constructing the Comms Center
Date of Scene:	09 February 2025
Location:
Synopsis:	Syra oversees the first day of work on the comms center.
Cast of Characters:	159, Syralana, Baelin Kalregar

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Athena (159) has posed:
It's a beautiful day here on Tenoo in colony site - not a single cloud in the sky, and operations, for the most part, are running smoothly. The temporary infirmary has been erected and is functional, all portable housing units have been pitched successfully, and perhaps most importantly (especially for Syralana) the construction of the primary comms center begins today, this very afternoon.

She'd been notified to meet the team of engineers and construction workers on the far south side of the ridge bordering the valley the Jedi seem fond of venturing into. There, she'd exchange introductions, and help oversee their first day on the project. Rumor had it that the tech they would be installing was top of the line - the corporation well known for the invention of the EX droids some eighty or so years ago had sponsored this comms center and had bragged that the signal strength was good enough to receive holo-display calls straight from Coruscant. Now, whether that was true or not, would remain to be seen, once execution is complete.

Syralana has posed:
     A look over her datapad as she checks to see the specs again, "Hrm... Okay. Okay, that's looking pretty good." She looks up toward the site and the equipment. Then up toward the sky with a squint of her eyes. The Echani woman shifts a bit till she's standing a bit more under a tree than out in the open.

     Pale skin? Direct sunlight? NO THANK YOU!

     Pulling at her collar with one hand, while still looking over the datapad, she calls out to the engineers. "What do you expect will be our up time? How's the up down speeds? And will we have to worry about any intermittent outages due to weather or solar phenomena?" She taps on the datapad again, flipping through the spec sheets in her attempt to find more information on it while waiting for answers.

Baelin Kalregar has posed:
    Another shuttle from Kublop Springs has just arrived, and an unfamiliar group steps out. Among them is a red-headed man who bears some resemblance to the Jedi padawan Syra had met earlier, although much older. Probably around the same age as Dr. Cassias. He starts asking around for whomever is in charge, although some people give him a wide berth, because he looks strong and armed enough to do some damage if someone crossed him. Eventually approaches the Echani woman who seems to be bossing the workers around on timelines and such.

    "You sound authoritative enough," he remarks. "I don't suppose you're the one in charge here?"

Athena (159) has posed:
A tall and muscular Twi'lek woman nods at Syra, looking over the worksite contemplatively. "I'd say 90," she says absently, "as for the speeds, I'm not sure, but a cursory look at all the tech and I'd say confidently that I doubt you'll be disappointed. This tech is all brand new, and I never worked for the company that sent us the goods. Just unboxed 'em," she says, "weather's not up my alley, but you should come meet the team. We've got a meteorologist who specializes in that kind of predictive risk management."

She pulls off her gloves and extends a hand towards Syra. "I'm Harrah Farad'n, co-head of engineering. My wife is my partner in crime," she says, "you'll get to meet her later."

When the ginger haired fellow comes by, Harrah frowns. "The Marshal took a team offworld," she says, "and the others I think went to a nearby system to gamble. Unless you want the science sorts, who are probably buried neck deep in paperwork or in the infirmary. She then glances to Syra.

Syralana has posed:
     Syralana reaches up to pull back some hair, then tucks her datapad into a pocket. The hands pulling at the hair tie to disengage the snap, then pulling at her hair once more. The hair getting pulled back once more with her hands running her fingers through the hair before putting the tie around it. Looking to Baelin as he's walking in her direction, she's twisting the tie then pulling her hair through the elastic loop several times. "90%? Not bad." She nods her head to the Twi'lek woman, "Nice to meet you, Harah. One moment."

     Doing a fourth and final twist before pulling her hair back through the loop she lets out a sigh, extending her hand in return to shake the Twi'lek woman's. She looks toward the people being described before, then back to Harrah. "Oh? Awesome! I'd love to meet her. I'll have to find the meteorologists later to work that out. The Risk Management out here is going to be a beast. This far out and having to wait for parts? Eesh."

     As Baelin reaches them, she turns her attention to him. "Something like that. More like, I'll be mostly in charge of it once its assembled." Her head tilting a bit to the side she looks him over before focusing on his face for a moment. "Hrm. You remind me of someone - though I can't quite place who."

Baelin Kalregar has posed:
    Baelin smiles, and his interest is piqued at that complaint regarding waiting for supplies. "Yeah, not the greatest, right? Especially all the way out here. But not if I could be your runner. Bet I could get 'em to you in half the time." he remarks, winking. Then he sticks out a hand for a shake. "Baelin Kalregar."

Athena (159) has posed:
"We've got what we need to get the bare bones up and running," Harrah says, "The rest is on it's way and should be here within the next several weeks--" But then Baelin cuts in, and she frowns at his interruption.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to be rude, but we do need Syra for a bit urgently right now. We need to start work on the comms center asap," she says, once again glancing at Syra, "and we'd love for her to start by meeting the team and getting a good idea of what the big picture is going to be like."

Syralana has posed:
     Syra shakes Baelin's hand as it's offered, then gives another shrug, "Well, we can talk if you want." A glance toward Harrah, then back to the man with auburn hair, "But she is right. I'll need to talk to the team."

     Syralana crosses her arms and tilts her head to the side, "Tell you what, if you want, gimme your pitch as we walk. And you can send me your details so I can look over the offer. That way you get your time to make it, and get your foot in the door. But-" She points at him, a bit of a smile creaking at the corner of her mouth, "-no promises."

     Turning back to Harrah, she gestures with one hand, "Lead the way, my current taskmaster! For I am at your whims." She grins to Harrah.

Baelin Kalregar has posed:
    "Not much more to it," Baelin replies, shrugging. "You sign a contract. Whatever you need, I run off and get it, I bring it here in half the time your current suppliers can. You pay me a thousand credits a cycle."

    Now, that was dirt cheap. Anyone with half a brain would figure there was a catch, or...an agenda. Of some sort.

Athena (159) has posed:
Harrah frowns at the amount Baelin is offering to be paid, but she refrains from commenting. She instead shrugs and gestures for Syra to follow her over to the edge of the ridge, where a group of eight to ten engineers and construction workers have gathered. They look up when Syra, Harrah, and Baelin arrive. A couple of them seem to notice Baelin right away, but keep their expressions carefully neutral. "Hey everyone," Harrah introduces. "This is Syralana. She's gonna be in charge once the comms center is fit together, and will be supervising us a bit today. Say hello."

Syralana has posed:
     That number did catch her off guard, and she turns her head to look toward Baelin. Not outright scrutinizing him, but there's a definite further interest before she turns back toward Harrah as they keep moving. "Mmmm, well, it sounds like you are definitely quite the /bargain/." She adds as she comes to a stop near the group. A glance once more toward Baelin as the sees the neutral looks - she knows that look.

     And then back out to he engineers and workers in front of her. "Hello. I'm Syralana. Let me keep this really brief. I /am not/ an architect. Nor am I a builder or a foreman. If you have a problem, or need something, just ask. I'm only here to check the boxes and make sure that the project is done. Do it right, do it quick, but ultimately? Don't kriff it up and don't get injured. I /don't/ want to have to do paperwork for workman's compensation."

     Her brief speech said, she turns to look back at Harrah, her volume dropping back down to a normal one, "So. Who first and all that?" Another glance to Baelin, "And, sure. Send me your details and I'll look over the paperwork and proposal. Okay?"

Baelin Kalregar has posed:
    Kalregar glances out at those gathered, and finds that he actually recognizes some of these people...and not in a good way. There's also a fair chance some of them recognize him, too--and in an equally not good way. "Interesting crew you've got here..." he mutters under his breath.

    But his voice returns to normal volume when Syra instructs him to send her his details. "Right, I'll do just that--if you'd just provide me with your contact information...?"

Athena (159) has posed:
A bespectacled, perky looking Twi'lek lady comes up immediately offering her hand to Syra. "Hi," she says, reaching for Harrah's hand. "I'm Jacuru Besk. But everyone just calls me Jac for short." She laughs a bit nervously and adjusts her glasses. "Thankfully you don't have to be an architect, 'cos I'll be in that department for ya," she says.

Harrah smiles. "This is my wife, and the lead architect." She then gestures at a lanky looking Volpai with a pierced bridge. "This is the other co-head of civil engineering, Dresda Filk." The Volpai arches a brow at Syra. "Nice t'meet ya," he says, but his demeanor is distracted. "Thanks for the pep talk," he remarks rather sarcastically, "but I'm sure everything is gonna be fine, as long as everyone walks the talk they're talking," he says with a dark chuckle, "right?"

His gaze sweeps to Baelin, briefly, but then eyes two others near the back of the group who are in a heated discussion about...something. One of them Syra will recognize - the Zeltron private investigator who was rather infatuated with Navi.

Harrah is continuing to introduce the rest of the team, but Dresda suddenly says to her. "You know that guy?" he jerks his head in the Zeltron's direction. "He don't look like a member of our team. What's he doing out here, not on his turf? Looks like a civvie...heh.."

Syralana has posed:
     Syra takes the Twi'lek's hand for a shake and gives the other Twi'lek a bright smile, "Wonderful, glad to know that you'll be the one handling the design questions." A snerk as she adds, "Now, I hope you got my revisions for my office. I want at least a hundred gallon fishtank filled with critters from Manaan." This is said completely straight-faced before breaking into a grin, "Just kidding. I don't care if it's a broom closet, nice to meet you Jac."

     Then to Volpai, she gives a shrug of her shoulders, a toss of her head from side-to-side, "Yeah, yeah, don't worry, I can take the jabs. And hey, every time someone introduces someone 'special' you know everyone kinda fidgets until they say something. So I figured I'd keep it dirt simple, and fast as quick drying duracrete. The good stuff, not the cheap stuff they sell in the Mid-rim." Another half smile and she of course offers to shake his hand as well.

     With the moments pause, she looks back to Baelin, he wasn't forgotten after all. "Right, Syralana dot Cherek Cresh at Tenoo Front dot Rep." She flicks her eyes over toward the one that she sees and gives a chuckle. "Oh, you know what? I think I know the guy. He was a last minute addition." Then lying through her teeth, "He was some kid who seemed eager. I'm pretty sure I signed the paperwork on him, or maybe I just saw it. He might seem like a Core Worlder, but he's a good kid."

Baelin Kalregar has posed:
    "Right, thanks." Baelin quickly takes down the information. He glances over at the two people arguing, but he doesn't know either of them so he doesn't really pay it much heed. "I'll send you the contract. In the meantime, where'd you say the rest of the folks in charge are? Other than the offworld ones. Infirmary, right?"

Athena (159) has posed:
"Yes!" Jac says, enthused, "I did... and I added them all to my notes." She adjusts her glasses again, and takes out a datapad. "If you'd like a precursory look," she says with a nod, but then gets distracted by the Zeltron man and the angry Dug arguing with him. "Oh no," she says, "fighting on day one of the project..." And she peels off, waving her hands at them and trying to intervene.

The Volpai chuckles. "Oh izzat so? Eager for what, to be an intern?" He smirks. "Or did he just follow you down here 'cos, he's got some kind of crush on you?"

"Alright," Harrah finally says firmly. "Enough small talk, everyone, we gotta get to work. Today we're gonna be doing a hell of a lot of excavating - this location is ideal for signal broadcast but the ground isn't level and if we try to flatten it, we'll be getting some really terrible mudslides when rainy season comes. So, we've opted to just dig down real deep and make sure the comms center has some really solid foundation work so that it can firmly jut out like a plateau on the top of the ridge." She glances over at Syra. "You good with that plan?"

Syralana has posed:
     A look back toward Baelin and she jerks her head in the general direction of the Colony. "I'm pretty sure they're all back there. There's an Administration building, but sometimes they also head to the Medical... ward? Tent-ish? Whatever." She waves her hand, dismissing her attempt to find the right word. "This is just the Communications crew." She flashes him a smile, then turns back.

     "Wait! Jacs! I was kid- Oh never mind." Then back to the Volpai, "Eh, no. Not /me/, I think he has a crush on one of those mystical ones." She gives a little wiggle of her fingers, "The blonde. He was all tongue tied and tripping over himself. I swear, he might faint if he got in a few words." I mean, that's not entirely wrong, just not really true.

     Then a nod of her head as she listens to Harrah, looking at the ground, and then hills around with a little sigh, "I mean, I think I'd almost prefer it not to be an area we have to worry about mud slides. Walking through knee deep mud, even if the station is fine, never really brightens my day. But if this is the location, that sounds like our best approach."

Baelin Kalregar has posed:
    "Got it. Thanks, Syra!" Baelin waves and starts heading back toward the colony site proper, filing away the familiar faces that he'd seen just now in the back of his mind. He starts looking for the medical tent. Or infirmary, or Administration or whatever...

Athena (159) has posed:
Syra might notice that Jac is entirely unsuccessful in mediating whatever conflict had been going on between the Zeltron man, Vons, and the Dug, but when Harrah announces that they're going to start excavating, the two of them quit arguing.

"Oh, the Sephi?" the Volpai says. "She stirs the pot around, eh? Rumor has it she's basically glued to the Marshal's Padawan. Now, whether it's because the doc paid her under the table to do it because they're actually secretly related, or because she's got an affinity an for the little 'un though Jedi code forbids it, I wouldn't know. But people talk, yeah? I'm just saying what's going around." He leans closer to Syra. "I also heard, that there's been sightings of marauders here and there, and people been saying, she disappeared into the valley the night after folks started sayin' they were seein' 'em around. Perhaps she's got a secret lover."

But someone else is yelling her name. It's Vons.

"Hey! Hey Syra! You got a second?"

Baelin won't have to wander far to find the infirmary. It's just down the hill from the comms center work site, and the tent flap into the lobby has been pinned open.

Syralana has posed:
     Baelin of course gets a wave as he retreats, calling back to him, "I'll be sure to keep an eye out for the contract." Then she's back to those around her. Seeing the Dug, and Vons, then back to the Civil Engineer.

     "Yeah, the pointed eared one. Oh! Sephi? Kriff." Syralana shakes her head, rolling her eyes, "Man, they are a rare sort. I was wondering what she was." She looks back in the direction of Vons for a second while still listening to the Volpai. Her arms crossing and she lets out a 'Hmmm' before looking back to him. "Marauders? Hells. I'll see if I can't get Jacs to do some reinforcement at the base, this place is far enough away, might have to use it as a shelter." She lets out a long sigh, then murmurs to Volpai out of the corner of her mouth, "Yeah, he totally does. /Watch this/."

     Syra looks back at Vons as he's calling to her, looking right at him, then her eyes flick up and away as if looking beyond him. Her brows furrowing for a moment, then coming up, "Oh! Hi Navi!"

Athena (159) has posed:
The red skinned alien's brows shoot up immediately and he turns around, his eyes scanning the perimeter for the blonde Sephi girl. Then when he realizes that it's just a mean trick on Syra's part, he turns around, his cheeks and ears dark mahogany.

The Volpai snickers before he's called away by Harrah to help her start manning some of the excavating equipment.

Vons growls. "I'm not messing around right now," he grumbles, "we need to talk. Privately..."

Syralana has posed:
     When Vons turns, Syralana starts to cackle gleefully. Prank completed! She shoots a knowing look to the Volpai before Vons manages to turn around. She of course saw the way he looked back at her and the blush. She crosses her arms, drumming her fingers on her elbow as she's still grinning from ear-to-ear. "Yeah. I getcha, kid. Just... gimme a minute." She flicks her eyes off to where Jacs went.

     "Where do you want to meet? I'll catch you there, I just need to make a quick comment to our architect first." Then her eyes turn back to Vons as she waits to hear his response.

Athena (159) has posed:
"H--Excuse me!" Vons darkens even more, and folds his arms. "I'm a grown ass man, needing a grown ass conversation. So are you going to act like the grown ass woman you are and talk to me or not?"

He rolls his eyes when she says she needs a minute but waves dismissively. "We can talk here, just somewhere out of sight," he says, his gaze flicking towards a small grove of trees to their left.

Syralana has posed:
     Another chuckle and she nods her head, reaching out to try and pat him on the shoulder, "Yeah, sure. Just, you know, don't make it too obvious you're going to the trees. Can't have people spreading rumors about us. Wouldn't want it to get back to Navi." She flashes him another grin and the Echani starts moving away, saying back to him as a quick addition, "And /yes/, I /know/, but there other talks I need to have too. Two minutes tops."

     Turning back around she makes her way toward where she last saw the architect, "Jacs?" She calls out in advance, "Need a couple minute of your time if you please."

Athena (159) has posed:
He leans away from her slightly, but not enough to fully escape the teasing pat. "I'm not a kriffing idiot, you know," he grumbles, folding his arms around himself even tighter and averting his gaze, looking embarrassed. "... right. Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Just don't take forever, okay?"

The bespectacled Twi'lek looks up from her datapad and hurries over when Syra summons her. "Yes, Officer?" she says with a salute. "What can I do for you?"

Syralana has posed:
     "Officer?! Oh my! A step up!" Syralana's eyebrows come up and she puffs out her chest, before letting out a snort of laughter and slipping an arm about the Twi'lek's shoulders. Starting to guide her slightly farther away from prying ears. "First up. At least a two hundred gallon fishtank, at least!" A flicker of a smile and she murmurs, "And yes, I'm kriffing kidding. By the Stars don't you dare. Seriously."

     With a sigh, she lets the smile slip away for a moment, a quick glance out of the corner of her eyes to make sure that one is near by. "If you please though, Jacs. I would like you to see about ensuring that the walls are reinforced. Perhaps a couple speeder traps, decorative, to make sure no one can come in straight at a wall or door. A man trap at the doors too, you know, double up on them and ensure that the walls around them are reinforced. I want to make sure that the comm center is secure and a safe haven in case we need it. We're a /long/ way out, and communications will be vital if we /need/ them. Okay?"

Athena (159) has posed:
Jacs immediately starts taking notes, scribbling away furiously on the datapad, but then Syra says she's kidding about the fishtank. "Oh. Uh, alright! It could be nice to enjoy some of the local aquatic life here on Tenoo in your office, though! There's a lot of beautiful wildlife here..."

Then when Syra gets down to business and starts talking about security for the comms center, she starts to look a little intimidated. "Do... do you think we really need all that?" she whispers. "Is it really... that dangerous out here? We haven't run into any trouble... yet, anyway. Also, building security measures kind of aren't my thing. Harrah might know a little, Dresda's the expert. So I'd have to run all my designs past him. I mean, I'd have to run all my designs pasts the civil engineers anyway, but...I hope you know what I mean. Don't get your hopes up."

Syralana has posed:
     She nods her head in a long sort of gesture a couple times and then says in a bit more of a gentle tone, "I know, Jacs. I know you're the architect and that you'll need to get it cleared by the others. But that's /also/ why I came to you instead of the others." She tilts her head and glances about for a moment, just a surreptitious glance, then back to Jacs. "Do I think it is? No." Her head gives a little shake.

     "But, I do know that being this far out, if we /do/ run into problems, we need to make sure the communications center is able to stay up and running as long as possible." She stops, moving in front of Jacs then so she can make sure that people aren't walking up on them from behind, "And I also know, that someone that's a skilled architect can design things so they don't /look/ it. Harrah speaks highly of you." She tilts her head, "So I'm guessing you /are/ skilled. So of course, speak to who you need, but also do your best to design it so it doesn't /look/ it." She nods her head.

     "Sound like a plan?"

Athena (159) has posed:
Jacs searches her expression, her demeanor growing more concerned by the moment. "But... why? Don't the colonists have a right to know exactly where to go if there's trouble?"

But Vons is yelling her name again, waving, and pointing aggressively at his chronometer, mouthing that it's been five minutes now, not just two.

Syralana has posed:
     Rolling her eyes, she murmurs, "Seriously. I just wanted a personal assistant who didn't mind getting his hands dirty." A sigh, and she looks back to Jac, tilting her head. "Because, if we need it, then we tell them. We can do that from the Comm center. But, if we don't, I don't want them getting worried or to make it obvious that it's a reinforced target. Thinking ahead." She crinkles her nose, "Besides, after being shot at while acting as a Journalist? I'd like a place I could feel safe." A gentle pat to the side of Jacs', shoulder.

     "I'm trusting in you here. Not just because I think you're a good architect, that I'm sure of since Hannah is a good judge of character; but also because I think you can make something that looks beautiful, fitting, and /not/ like we've made a bunker if something strange happens." She pauses for a moment, "I don't /think/ or /know/ something will happen, Jacs. But I like to be prepared, and I believe in you and your talent."

     And with that, she starts to move away from Jacs and off toward the copse of trees that /VONS/ was supposed to be waiting in /COVERTLY/ instead of making it look like a /KRIFFING MEETING/. She rolls her eyes as she looks toward Vons, making a little 'go-go' gesture with her hand.

Athena (159) has posed:
Jacs laughs a bit uncertainly then nods. "Uh..O-Okay, I guess, you're right," she says, "I'll do my best, I promise. And I'll let you know what the civil engineers say after I run my designs past them."

She giggles softly when Vons yells at her. "I'll let you two get to it then," she says, "No time like the present to have a little 1-1 with the intern..." Then she wanders off, head down, staring studiously at her datapad.

The Zeltron man rolls his eyes again and disappears, though whether he goes to the copse of trees right away seems unlikely, as when Syra turns up, he's not there...

Baelin Kalregar has posed:
    At least the medical tent is obvious, it seems. Kalregar steps inside, looking for a certain doctor...

Syralana has posed:
     Just as he's about to sneak up on her, Syralana turns around and tilts her head, "Well," she says, without missing a beat and seeming to completely ignore his expression that says he's about to try and startle her, or play a prank. "At least you did a decent enough job getting here without making it too obvious. I mean, /except/ for the whole watch bit. Seriously, do they not teach you trade craft?"

     Sighing, she reaches up to flick the ponytail back over her shoulder as she arches her eyebrows, "So, what's up? I hope you didn't want to dish hot gos about Navi. Because all I know about her is that she is blonde and a Sephi, oh and that she's totes hitting on this guy-" A beat, a flicker of a smile, "-Just kidding. But, really, whatcha want, Vons?"

Athena (159) has posed:
The doctor is tending to a very pregnant Kessurian woman, who looks like she might go into labor at any moment. He doesn't notice Baelin when he comes in.

He takes a step back. "Ease up, /Sarge/," He wisecracks, rolling his eyes, flicking her hair with a thumb and middle finger. "It doesn't matter if they know we're meeting, just can't know what we're talking about."

He looks annoyed when she mentions Navi again. "The Dug. Weniscio Drell. I think he's trouble."

Baelin Kalregar has posed:
    Baelin approaches the doctor as he is tending to the pregnant woman, standing nearby as he waits for the man to finish whatever he's doing. After all, it would be rude to interrupt, wouldn't it?

Syralana has posed:
     Syralana lets out a drawn out sigh, rolling her eyes, "I haven't gone by Sarge since I was in the Merc Outfit. Besides, pretty sure they made me a Lieutenant or some nonsense-" she holds up a hand, waving it a bit from side-to-side, "No matter, no matter." Then the hands come down and she plants them on her hips while looking behind Vons again.

     "You might be okay with that, personally? I like to keep my clandestine meetings exactly that, next time, if you please? Trying to look like a Journalist turned Chief Comms Officer, not what I /actually/ am." Her eyes travel back toward Vons and she searches his face for a moment. A tilt of her head as her face drifts into more of a neutral expression.

     "Okay. Keep going? Or is this more just a heads up." Another flick of her eyes, "Because if it is just a heads up, then I swear I have no end to the number of pranks I can play." She looks back toward Vons again.

Athena (159) has posed:
Finally the doctor looks up from what he's doing. He frowns. "... how can I help you?" he says. "I don't have a lot of time right now, so if it's administrative, please find Luli, she should be around here somewhere."

He just smirks. "Yeah, sure," he says, waving a hand dismissively. "I'll try to be more... accommodating next time, but no promises, 'kay?"

He looks exasperated again. "No, I wouldn't pull you aside if it was just a 'heads up.'" He lowers his voice. "He's in serious debt. He was in serious debt before he left, and is amassing even more, as we speak. It's not just a one time thing, it's a character -flaw-. He's a pathological liar and gambler. And his debtors--" his gaze flicks to outside the copse, where the engineering team has gathered. "Are on the engineering team. Now I don't have exact numbers, but I'm pretty certain the number of credits he owes collectively is ... in the tens of millions. It's not good. Even if he owes a lot of people, like, let's say fifty, or even a hundred, that still means he might owe hundreds of thousands of credits to just one individual."

Syralana has posed:
     Sira gives a very slow and obvious roll of her eyes as she lets out an exhale through her nose as she crosses her arms, "You know, you say that? But you've /seen/ the people I'm being forced to work with. Those kriffing idiots from - whatever the hells they calls themselves - that are apparently," DEPLOY AIR QUOTES, "'Detectives'? For Kriffs sakes. I'd rather have a damn /droid/ that blatted at me whenever it had new information."

     Sira holds up her hand then, stopping him, "Nope, nope. Never mind. Look, okay. Yes, that's good work, and thank you Vons. I will not have the life size Hutt plushy that you purchased sent to Navi." She gives a beat, a long look at him, "This time. Seriously, I have plans, Vons. I have plans if people jerk me around." She sighs and throws up her hands for a second before letting them fall. Then she points at him aggressively for a few seconds before continuing in a totally normal voice. Almost like the hand gestures are all for show.

     Which they are.

             In case people are watching them.

     "Again. That was solid work, Vons. Thank you. Do we know anything else about this Weniscio Drell?"

Baelin Kalregar has posed:
    "How can -you- help? Oh, no no," Kalregar shakes his head when Soren asks how he can help. "I believe the right question is how -I- am going to help -you-, doctor."

    Actually, Baelin looks familiar. In fact, Soren has seen him before. At a conference back on Coruscant last year. However, his attire had been very different. "We should talk--in private." Then he lowers his voice. "It's about...your wife."

Athena (159) has posed:
The doctor shakes his head. "I'm afraid I don't have time for that right now," he says, turning away, peeling off the gloves he's wearing and tossing them in the trash. "Now, I know we've met before, but that doesn't make us associates and like I said, I'm rather busy. So if you'll excuse me..."

He sighs. "Look, I know you don't like them, and honestly? I think they're total assholes too. But you might be surprised to know that they actually do know how to do some shit. They went out this morning to investigate a solid lead on the whereabouts of the marauder ship a couple of contacts of theirs in Kublop Springs reported entered atmosphere a couple weeks ago."

His brows go up when she mentions a Hutt plushy. "Wow, -thanks-," he says folding his arms again.

"He's one of the colonists recruited off of Jedha. And so is half of Harrah's team," he muses, "meaning, we should see if we can't pull more intel on these guys," he says jerking his head in the direction of the comms center worksite. "The best question to ask is how in the hell did they just have hundreds of thousands of credits to even loan him in the first place. That kind of wealth is dangerous, and these folks don't look like Coruscanti bureaucrats."

Baelin Kalregar has posed:
    "You don't have time for her, hm?" Baelin arches a brow at him. "Heh, I guess it's true then, you really do hate her, and you never forgave her." A sigh. "She was always afraid of that..."

Syralana has posed:
     "I'll believe it, when I see them not being idiots that are better at running their faces into problems than doing a job." Syralana shoots back with a thin-lipped expression, "And considering I had to hear that from /you/, just goes to show." Another breath in, then releases slowly as she looks back over toward the others to see if she can spot the Dug. The look is a quick one, not wanting to stare for too long.

     "Yeah, don't mention it." She waves a hand, "I thought you would like the body pillow more than the plushy."

     She looks back to Vons and tilts her head again, crossing her arms once more as her mouth pulls off to the side. She gives a suck on her teeth while her eyes wander up and away. "If I wanted to just completely guess here, I would think that this whole operation would be a great way to launder money. And since the money is coming from the government, that makes it even better. Tie in those people? And I think that's one reason they might."

     A little jerk of her head, shaking it, "Idle conjecture aside. It's a place to start. Follow the money and we'll get somewhere. Worked for the Merc life, worked in the journalist life, works in the new life." She stares at Vons once more, "Do we have anything else? If not, no worries that's enough to work on."

Athena (159) has posed:
The doctor goes to wash his hands in the sink, still not making eye contact with Baelin. "What do you really want?" he asks softly. "Why are you even here..."

Vons lips press into a thin line when she quips about the body pillow. "Yeah, sure. Or a good way to ditch the old life, and start over. Not such a bad outlook if you're a criminal hanging out in the Mid Rim."

He opens his mouth to say something else, but both he and Syra might actually notice that Dresda and Weniscio have started arguing about something. However, Weniscio had been in the middle of manning a drill when they'd started arguing, and now the device looks like it's about to overheat and... cause some major damage.

"Shit!" Von says reflexively. "Harrah's inside the dugout--!"

Baelin Kalregar has posed:
    Now, that was more like it. Kalregar smirks slightly as the doctor goes to wash his hands, asking him what he really wants.

    "Don't worry, doc. I'll tell you. Just...not out here, all right?" he says, gesturing to the generally public and open nature of their current surroundings. "Please tell me you've got an office somewhere."

Syralana has posed:
     Syra reaches up to pinch at the bridge of her nose, making a sort of pained expression as he gives the possible solution, saying in a totally normal tone, "Yeah. Not a bad suggestion either. But I still think it leaves some questions. We'll see, but if we're right, I'll upgrade the body pillow to the nice cor-cotton for you. Thousand thread count or something."

     Of course then her ears pick up on something and her eyes are moving that direction. She could probably blame it on years of doing Merc work, but that would be a lie. She usually didn't have to run much, that's what the speeders were for. Long marches? Sure. Sprints? "Ahh kriff!" And the tension that had been building in her limbs go to work, bolting off in that direction. Feet pounding hard she doesn't have time to really think about it, or even really think about if she even knows what in the hells she'll do when she gets there.

     And so when she does, mostly slamming into the device to stop her from running instead of a nice easy stop, she looks down at the panel. AND--

     "OH!" She reaches out, tapping at one of the little buttons, then another, and finally pressing the last to turn it off. Making the device start to spool down, the drill stopped from overheating as the metal starts making that tick-tick-tick sound of hot metal in the air. "I'll be damned if that display didn't remind me of the oven on Ord Mantell!"

     A look back to Vons, then over toward the two arguing, "WHAT THE KRIFF IS WRONG WITH YOU?! I SAID I /DIDN'T/ WANT TO DO PAPERWORK!"

Athena (159) has posed:
The doctor finally turns around, his demeanor his signature calm. But then reaches forward and grabs Baelin by the collar of his shirt. He lifts him up, just a little. "No, actually. I -don't-." He then sticks a small card with a personal frequency on it in his front shirt pocket, then lets go of him. "You're done here. If you want, you can send whatever you wanted to say to me to my personal commlink. Otherwise, get out. I'm not allowing non medical staff in the infirmary right now."

Vons is right behind Syra, and nearly runs into her as she shuts off the device. He meets Syra's gaze, but doesn't say anything. Weniscio shrinks away from Syra, but Dresda just growls and looks away. A few small pebbles fall from the ceiling of the dugout, but nothing actually collapses. Harrah runs out, looking confused and worried, just as her wife flies to her side, hugging her in relief. "...you could have died just now!"

Syralana has posed:
     Syra turns a glare on Weniscio for a moment, and then off to Dresda as he looks away. "Do you have /any/ idea how kriffing stupid you two were just now? Next time you want to do something that dumb, just jump onto the drill instead and save us the kriffing hassle. Hells," She points a finger between the two of them, "I'm putting My Little Bantha sticks on your kriffin' hard hats. You hear me?! The really cheap ones that don't peel off nice."

     She gives another glare and then shakes her head, sighing before turning to Harrah, crossing her arms. She breaths in... Then breaths out, looking toward Jacs before Harrah gets her attention once more. "Harrah? When you have time, I need you to pull the records for those two droid-brained morons who couldn't find the rear end of a Orbak if one end bit them. And, please, change their duties to make sure we won't have them kriffing arguing and trying to get you killed."

Baelin Kalregar has posed:
    There it is.

    Kalregar doesn't look unnerved at all when the doctor grabs him with a surprisingly strong arm and lifts him up slightly. He shrugs. "This isn't about what I want. This is about you, and -her-."

    "Tell me, Soren....do you hate her? Have you made all of her worst nightmares a reality? If that's true, then I've wasted my time. Let her live a tortured existence, and die alone in agony. You think she deserves it, far as I can tell."

    He turns away. "I'll send you my details, in case you ever change your mind and grow some kind of heart or something."

    "Oh, and by the way," he adds over his shoulder. "I have the kid's missing medical records, too. In case you ever figure out how to get past your pride."

Athena (159) has posed:
The doctor doesn't respond. He ignores Kalregar as he turns away and exits the infirmary.

Weniscio still says nothing, but Dresda just brushes past her, his brow knitted. Vons watches him go, frowning as well.

"Uh, sure. Right away," Harrah says. "I'll make sure that doesn't happen again, Officer." Then she pats Jac and hurries off, pulling out a datapad as she goes. Just as she does that, Jac frowns. "Oh... dank farrik!! Where's my datapad...?" she cries, looking around frantically.

But as she starts to search for it desperately, a newcomer enters the worksite. Now, his face is certainly one worth not forgetting. He's a gorgeous Tholothian, dark skinned, with burning indigo eyes. He must have come from off world - he's wearing the robes of someone who's a Disciple of the Whills. He's carrying Jac's datapad. "Is this it?"

Syralana has posed:
     Sira glares once more at Dresda as he moves by her, watching him go for a moment before turning back toward Harrah. "Thanks, Harrah. It's appreciated." As Jacs then voices her complain about a missing datapad, her head swivels to look once more at Dresda. Searching him with her eyes for a moment before another voice carries to her. Turning, she stops and her eyes widen a bit. A low whistle, "/Woh/."

     A beat.

     "Uh... You- Uh, nice robes. That's a very nice set of robes there." Then toward Jac's, she's sort of gesturing to him, with her eyebrows arched. Not necessarily making it clear if she's motioning like '/YOU SEE THAT!/' or 'Is that your datapad?' It's a toss-up really between the two, and Syralana is in no hurry to clarify which she means.

Athena (159) has posed:
The beautiful Tholothian man doesn't say anything to Syra, but he does turn his unforgettably intense gaze towards the Echani woman, regarding her wordlessly while looking straight into her eyes. It's like he's staring right into her soul...

Jac glances at Syra, then back at the Tholothian man. It then dawns on her that he is, indeed, offering her a datapad that is hers. "Oh! Oh yeah," she says, "how'd... where'd you find it?" Then her brow goes up. "Waaaait a minute, you're not one of the colonists! What are you even doing here...?"

"I came for Navi," he says, ignoring the previous question. "Do you know where she is?" He looks back to Syra again.

Syralana has posed:
     She stares back, not flinching away in the least, just staring back into those indigo eyes. She could have let out a soft sigh, but she's /Syra/, she's above such things. She plays it cool, putting her hand on the edge of the drill console... And her hand slips off making her stumble a half step as she catches herself before looking back to the Tholothian. A bit of color rising on the back of her neck.

     And then he says Navi, "Oh, uh. Navi? Oh yeah I know Navi." She nods her head, still looking toward the indigo eyes. "Hey, Vons. Uh, you keep tabs on her, where's Navi?" She doesn't even look to Vons as she says this of course.

Athena (159) has posed:
Syra's slip up does not escape the Tholothian man's attention. His gaze flicks to her hand falling off the drill console, then back up to her face.

"What?" Vons says, scowling and caught off guard. "She's offworld. Probably won't be back for several weeks," he grumbles.

The handsome stranger's brows knit together softly, and he nods. "Would it be possible to tell her that I'd like her to come find me once she returns?" He then pivots on his heel gracefully and turns to leave, with a kind of lithe agility that felt... supernatural.

"Find you -where-?" Vons shouts after him irritably.

"She'll know," he says in parting, casting a brief look at Syra before he just... vanishes into the bushes like a tooka.