Rhijans stepped inside, with a curt nod.  "Shard and I were discussing our current...situation...when we got the message.  She's trying to round up Haarmon and Juragga."

Their absence gave him time to touch on another situation.  "Any progress on isolating our information leak?" he asked, moving closer to Kourene's desk.  "So far, I've got nothing but a set of probably false leads."

He glanced down at the desk, looking for some kind of writing stylus and something to use it on.  The possibility that Kourene's office was compromised still weighed on his mind...he didn't want to address his suspicions aloud.

"For the love of..."

Voidvoidvoidvoidvoidvoidvoid...

Growling under her breath, Shard stalks away from Haarmon's quarters.  Off to Juragga's, then.  Hopefully they're actually in residence at the moment, because if they aren't....

Fumbling in her over-robe, she locates her communicator and slips it on, thumbing it to her team's frequency.  After waiting a beat to check if anyone else is on the line, she activates the radio.  + Juragga, Haarmon, where are you? +
This message was last edited by the player at 14:45, Mon 16 Dec 2013.

Shard tries to contact Juragga and Haarmon, but there is no answer.  Which means one of three things.  Four if she counts their both being dead.  The other three being they're out of range, don't have their comms with them, or are in a heavily shielded location.

Kedra nods and reiterates, "Yes, perfume.  That'd be nice."

In his office, Kourene gestures towards a chair, "Sit down.  Might as well get comfortable while you wait."

"No progress yet, no.  But I have a question for you.  What can you tell me about this incident I've heard about?  The one in the hangar when a team member and yourself apparently came to blows."

He watches Rhijans carefully as he adds, "Is this a problem?  Is it going to compromise the efficiency of your team?"

Haarmon was blissfully unaware that there were stormclouds a-brewing all around him. And if he had, he probably wouldn't have had the focus to deal with it. He was still pretty floored by Juragga's sudden descent into full-fledged romantic poet.

He managed the translation okay. But after that he was pretty lost. More so.

"Um. Yeah. Perfume. This is a thing we can do. Err. That he can do. We'll pass it along. Rags? Shall we go find the man and tell him what's what?"

And maybe score some sweet tech while we're down there.

Rhijans shook his head.  "We're professionals...even Haarmon, in his own quirky way.  We'll get the job done.  It's the down-time periods that will be tough to get through."  As he stepped to the chair, he indicated the writing gear on the desk, with a 'May I?' expression.

Without waiting for a response, he reached down and grabbed a stylus and notepad.  Poking around, the universal nature of compromised missions indicates someone high up in the chain of command...someone who has access to most mission details.  He thought about adding an explanation of the situation with Haarmon...but his inherent suspicious nature held back.

There was no knowing who might walk in and see the rest of the note.  And, slim though it was, there was a chance that the leak was actually sitting across the desk from him.  Haarmon's ruse could stay active for a while longer...

He slipped the note to Kourene, watching the Colonel carefully to judge his reaction.

Kourene reads the note, and scowls, before nodding to Rhijans.  "Well, if you believe that, I'm not going to argue with you."  He carefully folds the note, and tears it into tiny pieces, some of which he drops into the waste bin, and the rest he pockets.  For disposal elsewhere?  It seems that he's being careful too.  "I need to stretch my legs, I think.  When the rest arrive, we'll talk about your next job while we take a walk."

There is no answer at Juragga's place either.  The Wookiee and the slicer are obviously off somewhere together.  Given that they're supposed to be hunting for a spy, that gives Shard lots of unpleasant possibilities to think about...

The two missing comrades are, in fact, just leaving the reactor chamber and heading for the Quartermaster Stores again.  Behind them, Kedra suppresses a chuckle, then crawls back under the panel to continue working...

Juragga gave a courtly nod to Kedra and then woofed to Haarmon.  "Let's go find Barsh," he said in his own language.

Haarmon nods. "Yeah. Totally. Let's do this."

As they walked away Haarmon looked up at his friend, his face thoughtful. "You think this is gonna be that simple? Seems like a long trip through hypedrive ride for a short day at the space station. You know what I'm saying?"

Rhijans nodded.  "Considering Shard and I were both just involved in the firefighting effort down in the hangar, you may not want all of us cooped up together in your office, anyway.  Not unless you want to clean up the soot we'll be leaving behind..."

It occurred to him, randomly, that he was rather thirsty at the moment.  Considering the events of the last hour or so, it was logical...he'd spent most of that time in the heart of a starship that was engulfed in flames and threatening to explode.  The heat and the tension of the situation were, individually, enough to induce a dehydrating sweat.  Together...

"You got anything to drink, while we're waiting?  I'm parched...need to rehydrate a bit."  Besides, it gave him a good excuse to look around Kourene's office a bit and see if he recognized any surveillance gear.  He suspected the Colonel had already done as much...but a fresh set of eyes couldn't hurt.

"Of course.  I should have thought of that sooner."  Kourene stands and turns to a table behind his desk to pick up a carafe and a glass, which he places in front of Rhijans.  "Help yourself.  It's just water, I'm afraid, I don't touch anything stronger while I'm working."

He seats himself again, "I heard that you did good work with the fire.  Always a worry when a ship comes in shot up like that, and worse still at the moment - most of them are reporting trouble out there.  I mean, it always used to happen, it's the nature of the work we're asking them to do, but nothing like it's been recently."

Juragga and Haarmon are about half way to the Quartermater's store when they actually run into Barsh, casually loitering in the corridor.  He smiles nervously at the pair as he steps out to intercept them.  "Did you speak to her?  Was she all right about it?  She doesn't hate me does she?"

Shard, meanwhile, stands outside Juragga's quarters, pondering her next destination...

Rhijans gave a thin-lipped grin that presented a rare sign of genuine humor lurking behind the stoic front he maintained.  "Water's great," he responded.  While he did imbibe, it was only occasionally, and sparingly.

"And, as for the firefighting...from what was said to us when we found out what was going on, it was a choice of either getting involved, or sitting back and waiting for someone else to determine our fate."  He paused for a moment, holding the carafe in the air, poised to begin poouring, and looked Kourene in the eyes.

"I've never been comfortable leaving my fate up to others.  If I'm going down, I'd rather it be fighting for my life than cowering in some corner, hoping someone manages to save me."

"This will probably only end in tears," Juragga warbled aside in response to Haarmon, as the duo set out to find Barsh.

But upon finding Barsh, the sardonic Wookiee said, "RaAAAAAAAAAAuuuurrrmmmf.  Frrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaa.  GrrrrrrrrRRRuuuuUUnnnnh!"

Which was to say, We spoke with her.  She finds her FirstGift acceptable to be Nlorna flower perfume, but you must gather it yourself - no proxies.

Haarmon snorts at Juragga's specific little speech. "First you're a romance poet and now you're a lawyer? A Wookie with layers, huh?"

He translates for Barsh. And then sits and waits for things to go start going south. He agreed with Juragga on that one. This could only end in tears.

Shard stops.  She has no idea where Haarmon and Juragga are, and can't raise them with her communicator.  She steps into an alcove, off the corridor, lit only by the flickering lights of instrument panels mounted on the walls, and lets the sofy susurrus of cooling fans in the equipment modules calm her.  She closes her eyes, and reaches out... 

Then the woman emerges from the alcove, walking through the base, her step sure and filled with purpose...

Barsh nods eagerly, then stops, and the burgeoning smile on his face crashes like a cheap program.  "Nlorna flower perfume?"  A datapad appears from his pocket, and he taps in the information.  His smile falls further, possibly not stopping until it hits his boots.  "Well... looks like the only place I'm going to get any of that is on Carodol.  Far side of the sector, and pretty much owned by Hutts.  Not a nice place to visit."

"But Kedra's worth it.  Isn't she?"

Kourene helps himself to some of the water, and sits while Rhijans talks about letting others decide his fate.  "Yes, I understand that.  I was always very active in deciding my own fate when I was younger.  Of course, now, the best I can do is try to pick the people that I think will shift my fate in the direction I'd like it to go.  Can't really get stuck in and do things for myself...  Too many other people depending on me."

"Have you ever thought about being in charge of a base or a station somewhere?"

Haarmon shrugs. "Yeah, she's pretty swell, all right. Can you, like, just get some shipped via Galactic Express or whatever? I'm sure the Hutts would make you an offer you can't believe, or whatever it is they do."
This message was last edited by the player at 00:12, Sat 04 Jan 2014.

Rhijans grimaced at the thought.  "No, I haven't ever thought about it, and the thought of it now isn't terribly appealing.  I'm still adjusting to the thought of a team relying on my actions and abilities...the last thing I'm ready to get saddled with is a whole base.  No offense, Colonel--but I lack the bureaucratic know-how to manage a base.  I'm a field man...it's how I think and it's what I know.  Putting me anywhere else is putting people in danger because of my lack of ability.  I'm willing to do that to myself...reluctantly willing to let a team agree to do it with me."  He shook his head with an unpleasant look on his face.

"Vehemently opposed to making people take that risk without any say in the arrangement."  He sipped the water...a sip, that turned into several long swallows as instinct took over and his body insisted on some immediate relief for the dehydration.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:57, Tue 31 Dec 2013.

Who knew that the training would prove of worth, even if her skill has deteriorated?  And it has, Shard has to admit.  It could be age, she muses as she paces the corridors, her destination firmly in mind.  But in all honesty, no.

"Boozing it up," the woman mutters to herself with some disgust.

Closer now, as she marches down the halls, the scent of smoke heavy in her wake.  Closer...she's heading for the quartermaster's.  Lovely.  Walking in all filthy and dusty isn't going to endear her to him, but then she's already in his bad books for some reason.  How much worse could it get?

There's the door.  She can feel Juragga beyond it, easy to spot amidst the flickering thoughts of the other species.  His own ponderings carry weight; not 'slow' precisely, but with mass, and a flavour to them distinct from the other beings on the base.

She passes the door.  No Wookie in there.  But up ahead?  "There you are," she mutters, and yes, poor luck, they're with Barsh.  "Lovely.  Haarmon!  Juragga!"

Barsh frowns, "I should be able to get some shipped here, yes.  Just need to work out the quickest way - we don't often have ships coming in from Carodol.  Tricky...  Hopefully Kedra won't think that's not playing by her rules."

He glances towards the Shard and murmurs quietly to Haarmon and Juragga, "Oh, here's your friend.  I'll leave you to deal with her, I don't think she likes me." then louder, "Look, thanks for finding this out for me.  I've got to get going, but I won't forget our deal."

"No offense taken.  I used to be a field man myself, during the Clone Wars.  I know what you mean about not wanting people to have to rely on your decisions." Kourene replies.  Then, with a laugh, "In fact, back when I was about your age, I'd have said exactly the same thing as you just did.  I remember when I got my first team command I lay awake the whole night before the first duty assignment worrying about all the things I might do wrong.  Came very close to walking into my commander's office and resigning my commission, because I was so worried about making a mistake and losing my commission."

Rhijans gave a narrow smile of understanding.  "I'm a long way from being ready to command anyone.  I'm still getting used to working as a team...overcoming a lifetime of running on my own."  It wasn't necessarily true...he wasn't an orphan, after all.  But most of his adult life had consisted of him being responsible only for himself, and it was a hard instinct to overcome.

The smile turned into a dry chuckle..."And I think my approach to most things is a little too unorthodox to fit well in a command structure.  I work better as a loosely-attached appendage than as part of the main body."  He took another drink of water.

"I guess you could think of me as a prehensile tail..." he quipped in a rare display of self-deprecating humor, as he refilled his glass.

Juragga glanced over as Shard announced herself, approaching.  He hooted a greeting, noting Barsh's comment about Shard not liking him.

Maybe there's a reason, he mused, suspicion awakened.  Having a traitor aboard could make anyone suspicious, but these were tough times.

Haarmon saw Shard come in and his face broke into a wide grin. It was only there for a moment, but it was certainly there, bright and shiny and real. And then he remembered himself and swallowed up all that happy and brought out the Scowl and made it work for a living.

Watch it there, cool guy, he told himself, You're a badass Agent now. Watch what you do.

He nodded at Barsh once his scowl was in place. "Well. I'm not feeling like I like them too much right at the moment neither. But, you know, good luck with that thing. Let us know if we can help."

He turned and watched Shard as she approached. He tapped Juragga and pointed. And then, in a voice loud enough to carry, "Looks like High Lord Tech Ninja sent over the morale patrol. Looking to herd us back into line, I spose."

He really, really, really hoped that Shard knew what was happening. Aside from the fact that he didn't want to go tangling with a Jedi if he could help it, there were... personal reasons... for him not wanting things to get muddy between them.

But all that same, in his own way, he knew there was a job needed doing, and to the Void with everything else.

"Hey, Juragga."  Her face brightens into a smile.  It slips as Harmon's own grin freezes and shatters, then she remembers Rhijans' explanation.  Right.  So Shard finds herself not unprepared for the coldness of his greeting.  But then...Deal?  What deal?  What's up with Barsh.

"Haarmon, look, I know things didn't go well last mission," she begins.  "But we're all on the same side, here, aren't we?" It's hard playing peacemaker this way; Haarmon is pretty good with that scowl, and she just wants to slap it off his face.  That wouldn't be good for the plan, she suspects.

All the same, there's something to be said for staying in character...

"You have a grievance?"  Her voice sharpens as her hands land on her hips.  "Kourene wants to see us - you can air it to him, if you figure he'll take the time."  The robed woman shoots a sidelong glance at Juragga. "Talk to him, Juragga, he'll listen to you.  We have a job to do, here, and I'm not going to let a load of bantha crap get in the way."
This message was last edited by the player at 12:41, Wed 08 Jan 2014.

Still more than a little worried that they weren't playing any more, that this would all dip into serious and never come out the far end quite right, Haarmon made a dismissive hissing noise through his teeth.

"Yeah. Sure. All for one, right. But answer me this, what do we do when the job is the Bantha crap? Huh? What then? Do I still have to choke it down and call it Corellian Ice Wine? No. No. Kourene can keep his summons. And you can too. You comin, Rags?"

He gave Juragga a significant look. This situation needed the voice of reason to get them all to Kourene. And if the voice of reason was going to come from somewhere, it had to come from the Wookie Wordsworth.

Haarmon looks at Juragga, his eyes begging for the Wookiee to save him.  For a moment Juragga briefly considers reminding his friend that this is all a ruse, intended to flush out spies...  He opens his mouth to speak, stops, and closes it again.

There's no telling if anybody else within earshot can understand what he says.

A little more thought, and then he lets out a long ululation, the tone rising and falling, shifting into a series of grunts, and finally dropping into a profound bass growl.  "Haarmon, you should at least talk to Kourene.  Maybe he hasn't been kept informed about what's going on outside his office, and will listen to you and do something to improve things.  And if he says he won't, you at least need to be in the same room as him to land a punch."

The Colonel himself laughs at Rhijan's "prehensile tail" comment, then grows a little more serious.  "I wouldn't refer to any of my people in quite that way.  I like to think they all have something more than blasters and brawn.  Brains are important too."

"I also tend not to care how unorthodox somebody's methods are, as long as what they're doing works."

Shard rubs her forehead as Haarmon puts on his act.  She hopes it an act, in any case.  If not...  Doesn't bear thinking about, Shard.  Let that go.  "Sometimes you have to take Bantha crap to get to the Corellian Ice Wine," she begins, a touch hot, but fortunately Juragga steps in before it turns into a shouting match.

He would have simply rolled over their cries, anyway, with his usual basso rumble.

Juragga, of course, comes equipped with logic and forebearance plug-ins.  His addendum is cause for some concern, but Shard lets it pass in the interest of keeping the act up...hopefully Juragga is simply concerned about eavesdroppers who speak his language, though it's a stretch.

"At this point," Shard mutters, "I could do with some of that ice wine.  Or whatever."

More likely 'whatever' around here.