Flash was quite happy Mika had chosen to take the lead here.  He knew nothing about this Bothan, he'd never even seen her.  As far as he knew, this lady answering the door could have been the one who pickpocketed Mika.

He stood quietly, watching and waiting.

Mika gives the Bothan a little smile, appreciating the ability to cut right to it.  "I don't know her name, a young Bothan woman who was at a party at our hotel, she's damn good nicking things.  Anyway, we're not looking to stir up any trouble."

Flash suppressed a snort.  Trouble tended to follow them wether they looked to stir it up or not, especially given the mood Mika was currently in.

"We got lots o'young Bothan women here, little lady, but you're welcome t'come in an' have a look round, see if'n you can spot 'er."  She narrows her eyes, glancing from the Human to the Duros and back.  "Long as neither of you's gonna cause trouble.  Any trouble, we ain't gonna appreciate it.  We're simple folk here an' everyone's already seen more'n their share of trouble."

She doesn't open the door wider yet.  she seems to want a promise of good behaviour.

"Ma'am, I haven't got the least bit of interest in causing trouble." Flash replied.  It was the literal truth.  He wasn't here to rough up a bunch of refugees or even some pickpocket.  He was here because Mika asked him to come.

Mika nods agreement, "I got. no interest in causing trouble, I just want to get what was nicked and then I'll we it as no harm, no foul."

"Uh huh."  The old woman doesn't seem entirely convinced but she's mollified enough to open the door and step back, letting the pair enter.  "Oldest arrivals near the top of the building - they got the better view.  Top floor's administration, no residents allowed, so don't bother goin' up there.  Bottom sub-basement's storage, no residents allowed, so ditto on the not-goin'-there.  So there's four levels up an' two sub-basement levels t'hunt through.  Have fun," she smiles, a little unpleasantly.

Mika gives the woman a nod, "My thanks."

Unless Flash thinks otherwise, Mika's thought will be to start on this floor and work up.  If no luck, then work down.  While it's probably futile, she's hoping to make a small enough stir to not give the young Bothan (Fiarr) any more notice of their arrival then is absolutely necessary.

"A good a plan as any."  Flash followed Mika's lead.

After passing the third Bothan on the floor he looked to the human.  "You got a better description for me then a 'young Bothan female'?  I could pass your thief and not even know it.  Plus, I could ask a few of the locals."  He points to a group of Duros off to one side.


OOC: I'm assuming there's some Duros around, let me know if I'm wrong.

There are, indeed, a few Duros around.  Many species are represented here and Duros aren't exactly the least common non-humans in the galaxy.

The rooms around are small and cramped, poorly furnished but clean enough.  A gloomy atmosphere of depression clings to the place.  It doesn't look like a bad place but there are, the pair can estimate, probably a thousand or so desperate, shell-shocked people clinging together in the repurposed building.  Most of the people here are either very young or quite old, with a few adults and middle-agers scattered between.  It's a stark reminder of the ravages of war, of the depredations of the Empire and everything the Talons stand against.

Mika keeps to murmuring tones.  "She's about 1.6 meters tall and pretty non-descript.  I didn't notice any markings or anything.  She was wearing a simple party dress and a handbag when I saw her.  She had a Duros friend in tow, he seemed pretty shaky though, trembling and the like."

OOC:  There's no description for Fiarr under The Cast and nothing else that I see in the in-character thread.

Flash nodded.  "Well that's something I guess.  So did you want me to talk to some of the locals or just keep searching."


She also has grey fur according to her post.

"Might as well start asking around.  I'd best leave it to you though, from what I've seen they don't like humans all that much."

Flash moved over to the group of Duros he'd spotted earler.

[Language unknown: "Ear traei, icaastone ncshe u Onepreive ndons titic o she eraprefor allateall es ioie sewhch ourbleing.  Isssev dinersone erar weica dinnc o lo voratieaupreith firi n Ribenc tiure, re taare, wh ntinceain.  Rea eiio usetiliv beieon."]

The Duros cluster together slightly at Flash's approach but relax a bit when they see a member of their own species.  One of the Duros, a female, points downward.

[Language unknown: "Hatno yinstinti ted peno i hi korforeau pl si ineessredoutint ilsall, nd ilostrpl.  A korousera sti be thifo ounureore we kor ha il hiesel mi e ess iou ei st tedprefor ntiectmen.  Paprriho i hi oneamelat stou wil e eaudaying ratconsan al ernipr."]

One of the men, a very bitter-looking dude, sneers.  [Language unknown: "Wihis ithovestr pro n Hinifi Ugh icetwe der semi adtrtr.  Ecicne et ti neom wi, tiie il ac orelatbuteenthu, me ter omethuwer whe li reaearbutter."]

The woman shakes her head.  [Language unknown: "Nte iebeiv ouder tin ulriwh i mitin tedshewhi at pastr prefi intael?  Wi anceol eitrwa ie le lopess ithsanart."]  It sounds like an old argument they've had many times over.

Mika stands idly nearby while the Duros speak, waiting for Flash to let her know what was said.

Flash thanks the Duros and walks back to Mika.  Once they were out of earshot he mutters.  "I'm assuming you were listening, what now?  Want to finish searching the upstairs floor or head straight for the sub-basement?"

Mika considers.  "No reason to doubt what we've been told."  Though she thinks there's no reason to believe them either.  "Let's head on down to the sub-basement."

"Let's go."

Flash follows Mika, his eyes darting left and right.  He was having a mild sense of forboding as they descended.  There was no reason to suggest this would get violent or that the Bothan even knew they were coming.  Still, this was her own turf and the locals were likely to support their ally in a confrontation.  It wouldn't take much for the hunters to become the hunted.

He just hoped Mika knew what she was doing.

The trip down is slow because the turbolift is broken.  When they reach it there's a very worn-down repair droid working on it; the thing is so old and so patched up that the refuge people almost need to buy another repair droid just to repair the first repair droid.  It beeps at them in a very old droid language, a precursor to the Binary language, and points at a sign that directs them to - of all things - stairs.

It's a long way down to the lowest inhabited sub-basement but they know when they reach it because the stairs are blocked by a very locked door with a sign on it saying 'Authorised Personnel Only'.  Underneath it someone has written in Basic, 'New arrivals, this is your stop.'

As they step out into the main area of the refuge floor they can see a distinct difference.  The new arrivals are more paranoid and desperate than their more experienced fellows on higher floors.  There's more muffled crying from rooms as people come to terms with having lost everything and death, while no longer an immediate concern, is still not out of sight.  Most of the doors don't lock here so people guard their meagre possessions as best they can.

Flash looked around and didn't like what he saw.  Many of these people were desperate, and desperate people could do anything.  What's more the sheer desperation here made him angry, really angry.  It reminded why he was determined to wipe out every last member of the Imperial military.  Scum like that deserved to die.

It also made him review his opinion of the Bothan.  If she lived here or volunteered here he could actually understand why she'd stolen Mika's credstick.  If their roles were reversed he'd have done the same. . .or worse.  He idly fingered the piece of flimsi in his pocket and remembered what Heigren had said to him.  He wondered if the Zeltron was right.

He looked at Mika.  "How do you want to handle this K?  Looks like their may only be one way in or out.  Want to scope the perimeter or just find our girl?"

Flash looked around, seeing if he could spot the Bothan, or the Duros.


Spot: 12
This message was last edited by the GM at 07:49, Sun 03 Nov 2013.

Mikalooks about, saddened by what she sees.  Looking at the old repair droid, her fingers twitch with the desire to put it to rights.  At Flash's question, she sighs.  "I'm hoping to keep things frosty, let's try to find our friend without stirring up the locals any more than we have to.  After that, maybe I can take a look at that droid, or get them a new one....  Well, if I can afford it."

"Well start looking.  You know what you're looking for.  I've got your back."

Mika takes the lead, moving about and looking for a familiar Bothan female, doing her best to cause as little disruption as possible.

There is little way of not being noticed here.  Most of the people take careful note of the newcomers and simply pretend (rather poorly) to ignore them.  Others actually back into their rooms and close their doors.  Not a single human can be seen anywhere; most of the residents here are of the more common non-human species such as Twi'leks, Duros, Bothans and so on.

A couple of times Mika thinks she spots their quarry but it turns out they're not the Bothans they're looking for.

Then she hears a familiar voice.

"...stupid of me, I wasn't ready to go out.  I just made a fool of myself."  It's that Duros who had a meltdown at Mika's threatening stance.  "Stupid frackin' flashbacks," he adds with a frustrated growl.

The voice is coming from a small common area near the middle of the floor, an open space where people probably congregate to catch up with one another.  If this building used to be an office block then it's probably a lunch area or something similar.  It smells of mould slightly.

"Do you need to go back to your room?" comes a deep, warm, manly voice.

"No!  No," the Duros says in a slight panic, "enclosed spaces, y'know.  Just, um, just coming underground was hard enough."

"Okay," the man replies, "take your time."

"Bitch was probably an Imperial," comes a sour, waspish voice, a woman with a slight growl to her tone.  "Think they can run whole sectors..."