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Space

You see a city in the clouds...

You snap awake when a klaxon inside the ship sounds.

"Master Jedi, we have arrived at Bespin," says the pilot.

It has been nearly a week since your assignment to handle the escaped prisoners aboard the Imperial prison vessel of the Empire of Pity. You would have come sooner had Lord Geful not insisted that you utilize his medical facilities before going on any rescue missions. At first you refused... but you sensed that whatever it is that Rand is up to... he will wait for you to be ready.

As a thank you for handling Borm, Lord Geful has tasked a ship with delivering you to Bespin. However, you are doing this alone- it is not an Imperial matter, so Geful has not sent any hitmen to assist you.

"Please report to the cockpit," says the pilot. "Star control is hailing us."

Rianna will head to the cockpit, still mildly irritated and impatient with not being able to set out as soon as she defeated Borm, and answer the hail.

The controller welcomes you to Bespin in a friendly matter! She wants to know what your reason for being here is.

"Coming to...see my family," Rianna simply replies.

The controller now cheerfully asks for identification.

Rianna grimaces slightly, before giving her real name. Sadly she doesn't have Lying to back up making up an identity or anything like that, even though she doesn't particularly want to make it known she's there.

"Oh! Wait just a moment, Miss Xi."

There is a pause on the controller's end. A long pause.

"Did you already make enemies here?" asks the pilot uneasily.

"I haven't been here since I was an infant. I don't remember this place at all," Rianna replies. "I only have enemies here if Rand has made them for me...or if the Jedi Council has been tipped off."

"Okay then..." says the pilot.

"This is Captain Zalt of the Wing Guard," comes a smooth male voice on the comm unit. "Did the person I am addressing give their name as 'Rianna Xi'?"

Rianna sighs and bites back a sarcastic comment. "Yes, I did. Why?"

"Land on pad 1138, please," the man says. "I have much to discuss with you, Miss Xi."

"Great..." she mutters quietly, before turning to the pilot.

"May as well do as he says," she says. "I don't like this, though."

The ship- a small transport- is flown to the designated landing pad with an escort of orange twin-pod cloud cars. The graceful airspeeders gladly fire off warning shots to alert the pilot that they are armed, and he does not veer from the course they direct him on.

When you land, you find a squad of men in blue uniforms with peaked caps waiting for you, outside the ship.

"I'm off as soon as you are," the pilot says. "Geful's orders. Good luck."

"No such thing as luck...thanks, though," Rianna says. She'll gather whatever few things she has with her, and step off the ship.

"Can someone please explain to me what's going on here?" she asks.

One of the men steps to the fore. In addition to his blue uniform and peaked cap, he is adorned with a gold-colored metal pauldron on his left shoulder. He removes his cap and holds it to his chest; the other hand rests on the butt of his pistol, snapped into the holster at his hip. He is rather handsome, with wavy brown hair and a strong jawline.

"Good day, miss," he says. "I am Zaltus Quar , Captain of the Wing Guard, protectors of Cloud City. I trust your journey was well?"

"Fine, though I would have rather it not been necessary. Obviously you know something of why I'm here," Rianna says.

"... you are aware of the situation here?" Captain Zaltus asks, puzzled.

"I received a message that my family had been taken hostage...that was about a week ago. And I know that the one responsible for it is a Dark Jedi. Is there more that's happened?" Rianna asks. "I only came for personal reasons."

"Oh, no," Captain Zaltus says. "I thought you would be unaware of the situation entirely. You seem to know more than I do, Miss Xi."

"Well...the person responsible did this to set a trap for me, more or less," Rianna says, somewhat uncomfortably. "And...I don't know Bespin. I don't remember my family at all."

"I see," Zaltus says. "You shall have to fill me in on this. Please, come with me."

Captain Zaltus and his men escort you from the landing pad and into the pristine halls of Cloud City! It is currently mid-day, so the sky outside is a creamy blue and speckled with voluptuous marshmallow clouds. People passing you in the halls seem generally cheerful, and you catch views of the upper city through great windows that line the hallways.

Zaltus offers small talk in the way of talking about the mining operation and the quality of life in Cloud City.

Eventually, the guards peel off and Captain Zaltus leads you into an administrative building in which his office is contained. The lobby is wide and spacious, with a strange statue in the center composed of interconnected half-circles that form some jumbled shape. You take a lift up to the office and are granted a view of the entire city through a circular window behind Captain Zaltus' desk.

"Now," Zaltus says, seating himself behind his desk. "I believe you have some explaining to do, Miss Xi."

"What is there to explain? I've told you what I know," Rianna responds.

Does she still have the comm unit from Borm's lightsaber with the message on it? If so, she'll show that.

It was a one-off communicator. It was programmed to burn out after you got the message.

"You've told me that someone has set a trap for you and that you do not know your family," Zaltus says. "That is... troubling, to say the least."

Ahh, okay.

Rianna sighs, this is becoming more complicated that she'd like. "Of course I don't know my family - I was trained as a Jedi. I was brought to Coruscant when I was barely two years old, I really don't remember anything before that," she says. She pauses for a moment.

"And yes. It's far too long and complex a story to really explain, but I think that the person responsible took them as bait for me. I know who did it, and I know that this isn't going to be easy. They're Dark Jedi, and they have no qualms about killing to prove a point."

"You're a Jedi?" Zaltus says. "Oh my. My apologies, Miss Xi. You don't exactly look the part.

"As far as this conspiracy against you... do you have any proof? I know little of such matters. My domain is Cloud City. It doesn't go much further."

"Proof...no, I don't have any physical proof on me. And I wouldn't so much say it's a conspiracy and more the actions of one very determined and twisted being."

"Who might that be?" Zaltus asks.

"A former Jedi Master named Nume Rand. He has a few followers, and one of them, Vash Bloodcarver, is the one that sent me the message saying they had taken my family."

"Can you describe them?"

Zaltus produces a vocal recorder from his desk.

Rianna will do that then!

(as I'm too lazy to actually type all of that out )

She'll also mention Gallador and Tanic, though she doubts they're here at all. Better safe than sorry, after all.

Zaltus takes record of each description, opening a criminal file for each in turn.

"Rand, Vash, Tanic, Gallador..." Zaltus says. "Looks like you have quite a few friends, Miss Xi."

"Rand is the most dangerous. Vash is simply violent, but Rand is...manipulative. And strong with the Force, far more than I am," she says. "And 'friends' are about the last thing I'd call them..."

"I will put out a city-wide search for their whereabouts," Captain Zalt says. "If they are in the upper city, they will be in our custody in no time. If they are in the lower city, however, it may take some effort to locate and arrest them. That is... if it can be proven that it was indeed they who committed the act.

"Do they have a ship?"

"Yes, they do," Rianna says, and she'll describe Arneth's ship that she had tracked down on Ord Coridari.

"I will put out a search for a ship that matches that description," Zaltus says. "Until then, how would you like to proceed?"

For starters, what do Rianna's senses tell her?

"I think I want to see where they were taken from...also, if there's any investigation that you've done so far, I'd like to see that information."

Depends, what are you sensing for?

"Of course," Zaltus says. "I'll arrange for you to have access to the crime scene- the Xis' apartment. I will need some time to give you security clearance for the investigation."

Zaltus pauses.

"Are you on official business from Coruscant?"

Anything that seems wrong. Rand's presence. That sort of thing.

Rianna hesitates at that question, before responding.

"No, I'm not. I doubt they know I'm here."

Hard to say. Nothing seems amiss. Then again, the Dark Side is good at that sort of thing.

"Ah, I see," Zaltus says. "Personal business then. Would you prefer that this stayed between us, as it were?"

"If possible...yes, I would prefer that, thank you," Rianna says.

Zaltus gives you a datapad containing information on the crime scene and its location.

"If there's nothing else, I will get those searches started," Zaltus says. "Let me know if there is anything else I can do for you. Even if you never knew your family, this still must be difficult to deal with."

"No, nothing else I can think of right now, thank you..." Rianna says, taking the datapad.

She'll read through the information on the datapad.

Zaltus shows you out of his office.

"It must be said," Zaltus says. "It is eerie how closely you resemble your sister. I didn't know if you knew."

The datapad outlines that your family lived in the upper city (the towers and such seated atop Cloud City) though in the lower levels, where apartments are cheaper. It also has profiles on each of them.

Your father- Jeric Xi- is a foreman on one of the more successful gas mining platforms. He is the sole breadwinner for your family and is doing decently enough to afford the apartment in the upper city.

Your mother- Melia Xi- is a stay-at-home mother.

Your brother- Dalen Xi- works as an engineer in your father's mining operation.

Your sister- Ailsa Xi- is your twin, and aspiring to join the Wing Guard as a pilot.

This is eerie, Rianna. You have a family.

"No, I didn't know..."

Eerie indeed. Rianna's always known, logically speaking, that she does have a family that she left when the Jedi took her to be trained, but actually being faced with that fact is just really strange for her.

Anyway, she's going to try and not get distracted with that and continue reading what info is there.

It states that the Xi family was taken from their home with no trace.

...

That is pretty much it.

Useful!

Well, Rianna's going to want to search there, then...she kind of has a feeling that if Rand and Vash are still here, one of them won't be too far from there.

You go to the apartment complex where the Xis stayed, then.

When you arrive, you notice there are two cloud cars parked out front- the Wing Guard is keeping tabs on the location, even if their initial investigation is at a stand-still.

Is there anyone in them?

Rianna will head into the complex, sensing around her.

No.

One of the guards is stationed at the entrance. When you approach, he escorts you inside. The apartment is on the twentieth floor of this high complex. Even though it is tall, it is still nestled between much taller buildings.

He brings you to the apartment, where two more guards are standing watch. The fourth is inside.

"You must be the Jedi," he says. "Mind your step. They used some sort of cutting tool to open the door. Hardly subtle."

"Don't worry, I'll be careful. And it was most likely a lightsaber they used," she replies. She'll step inside and take a look around.

"No one saw them leave?" she asks the guards.

He confirms that; they have turned up no witnesses. The guard finds it odd.

Rianna would find it odd if it had been anyone else but Rand involved.

"I'm not terribly surprised, but it certainly doesn't make things easy..." she says. "Has anything been found in here?"

She's going to use her senses to see if there's anything odd or out of the ordinary here.

Aside from the door being hacked through, the apartment's living area shows no sign of a struggle. The kitchen is likewise undisturbed.

"We think they left in the night," the guard says. "Their beds are unmade, except one."

"Which one?" Rianna asks, wanting to inspect everything she can.

"Erm..."

He shows you to the hallway where the bedrooms branch off from. There are four rooms.

"Have a look."

Rianna will go take a look, then.

Each room betrays who it belongs to in some way.

Your parents' room has a larger bed, and their wedding picture is on the nightstand.

Your sister's room has posters of cloud cars and recruitment papers on the desk.

Your brother's room is untidy and boyish, clothes strewn about the place.

The fourth room is totally empty with the exception of a single bed and an empty closet...

And now Rianna is entirely weirded out by the fact that she's standing in what must have been her room...

"Can I be alone for a moment?" she asks.

She wants to look around and see if there's anything that may have been left in there...she's half-expecting Rand to have left something for her to find, since he's done that before.

"Of course," the guard says.

You step into the room, with its lavender-painted walls and a single window looking out onto the street below. The bed has not been slept in for a long time, if ever; the mattress is like new. The wardrobe is empty; there is nothing hidden underneath it or behind.

There is nothing in here for you, in the sense that you are thinking.

Heh...purple, of course.

Rianna will leave that room, having found nothing and still feeling kind of strange being there. She'll make a quick search of the other bedrooms for anything out of the ordinary.

Nothing strange, no.

You would have expected Rand to have left something for you, as he has done before. This time, he hasn't. That or he isn't here on Bespin. You haven't a clue.

And do Rianna's senses tell her anything?

She doubts that he's not on Bespin, but supposes that it's possible that he had never been here to begin with, or had left already.

They do not. This is a dead end.

Well, Rianna's mildly frustrated at that.

"There's nothing here to find," she says to the guards, a bit snappily.

She'll head back to the starport, see if Zaltus has turned up anything or found Rand's ship.

Zaltus is elsewhere and busy, so he talks to you by comlink as you make your way to the starport.

"I have good news and bad news," he says. "Which would you like first?"

"Well, if there's bad news, may as well get that over with first..." Rianna replies, slightly moodily.

"Alright then. The ship you are looking for is not here. That's the bad news. The good news, though, is that it WAS here. It landed and took off about the same time that your family went missing."

"...so they're gone. Did anyone see anything at the starport? Any security recordings?"

"Yes. Beings matching the description of Rand and Vash disembarked when the ship arrived. Only Rand left. That is the good news, from a certain point of view."

"So then Vash and my family are still here, somewhere..."

Rianna doesn't admit out loud that she's also very glad that Rand isn't here. She's pretty confident that she can handle Vash on her own, but she already knows that she'd be more likely to lose to Rand than not.

"Unless they left by another means," Zaltus says. "We do not have much public transport and they would have been flagged as suspicious, though."

"Is there anywhere that they could be where they might not have been noticed yet? Rianna asks.

"There is," Zaltus says. "The lower levels."

Rianna sighs slightly.

"Well, then, I suppose we should search down there...I'm afraid I don't know where anything is in the lower levels, though."

"I can send men to accompany you," says Zaltus. "The lower levels are simply the living area for the majority of Cloud City's populace, and where the machines that keep this city afloat are located. It is not a horrid crime-ridden place, but it certainly is the darker side of our beautiful station."

"I've been through plenty of 'darker sides' of a place, but that will be helpful," Rianna says.

Zaltus tasks two Wing Guards to accompany you. In your time in the Galaxy, you have seen some pretty sloppy security details. This is not one of them. The Wing Guard each use elegant pistols and use them well (they have a Guns pool of 7).

In the streets of the upper city, they lead you toward what almost looks like a subway entrance- an access point that leads down into the lower levels of the floating Cloud City.

"Has there been any searching done in the lower levels yet?" Rianna asks as they head towards the access point.

There has not. They did not know who they were looking for.

Okay.

Well, Rianna's going to admit that she's not really sure where to start there...

Indeed, the lower levels offer quite a variety of places to search.

There are hangars (not that Rand used, though), a variety of entertainment centers (bars and casinos especially), living quarters (apartments and suites for residents, hotels for guests), and a great deal of restricted areas having to do with gas processing, the city's engines and anti-grav systems, etc.

Well, Rianna will rule out the hangars as somewhere to search, though if they can alert them as to who they're looking for, that would be helpful.

Checking over hotel records from the time period when Zaltus said Rand's ship landed would be a place to start, I think.

There are MANY hotels on those lower levels.

Ah. Hrm.

Well, as much as Rianna hates it, bars tend to be good places to pick up info...

There are many of those as well!

Then Rianna will ask her escorts where they believe the best place to start down here is, as they know the station far better than she does.

They can make some recommendations. They can narrow it down to about ten drinking establishments that serve as a good place for getting information. They promise nothing, though. You may not find anything at all.

Well, a chance is better than nothing, though. Rianna will start with the first on their list, and suggests that if the three of them split up, they can cover more ground.

They accept your recommendation.

The first bar is a smaller one, called Cloud Nine. It is very sleek and classy, with many of the patrons being well-dressed citizens. It feels more like a club than a bar.

The entrance leads into a greater room, with booths along the edges and patrons dancing to a DJ in the center of the room.

Rianna shall head up to the bar, since that's usually the best place to ask, and use Observation and her senses to get an good idea of the place.

The atmosphere is generally positive in here. Almost everyone is at some level of intoxication, as is the primary purpose of this place.

"What can I do for you?" the barkeep asks, a swarthy man.

"Well, I'm looking for some info, and I was told this would be a good place to ask," Rianna comments.

The barkeep studies you.

"What kind are you looking for?" he asks.

"Some leads as to the whereabouts of some people, one being a less than upstanding example of society."

"Why would we know anything about that?" the barkeep asks.

"I was simply told that this place is generally a good source of information, and I wasn't going to let any chances pass by," Rianna says. "Since all other attempts have led to dead ends and I'm not terribly familiar with things here, I can't afford to."

"What do you mean by can't afford?" the barkeep asks, raising an eyebrow. "Won't do me much good if you can't afford things..."

"I mean I can't afford to let possible opportunities pass by. Look, I'm a Jedi, and I'm attempting to find a missing family or their captor," Rianna says.

He had been hinting at bribery.

"You don't look like a Jedi," he says. "Bespin isn't part of the Republic anyway."

Rianna's probably got some money from the work she'd been doing for the Empire, right?

"Well, no. But this isn't Jedi business, technically, anyway. It's rather more personal."

"I wouldn't want to be in the way of Jedi with a vendetta," says the barkeep, casually.

"Vengeance isn't the Jedi way," Rianna says, "despite the fact that the one I'm looking for is responsible for far more deaths than I'd like to think about."

"Okay," the barkeep says. "I don't really know who you're talking about, or if I've seen anyone like that.'

Does Rianna sense any deception from him?

Scan for that sort of thing. Does Rianna have it?

Sadly, no...

Then you are unable to detect such things.

Darn.

"Nothing?" Rianna says. "Well, this place is probably too classy for them anyway..."

"You might want to check the Dragon's Crown," he says gruffly before turning away.

"Thanks for the advice," Rianna says.

Is that on the list that the Guards came up with of places that'd be good to look for info?

And does Rianna have any money on her?

It was!

Rianna has a small fund after doing work for Lord Geful.

Okay.

Rianna shall head there next, then.

The Dragon's Crown is away on the other side of the station, on lower levels. This one has some intimidating bouncers standing around the entrance, with a steady flow of people going in and out.

Rianna will join the flow of people heading in, then.

The Dragon's Crown is slightly larger than the previous place. Otherwise, the interior is not a whole lot different, with rustic metal walls matching much of how the floating city looks. These lower levels are short on windows and long on random vents and weird sculptures and a variety of patrons.

The bar itself is in the center of the room, with seating all around the sides on two levels. It is a little smoky in here, what with the hookahs and cigars being smoked. You gather some strange looks as you walk in.

Does Rianna look decidedly out of place there?

She'll head up to the bar, waving the smoke away from her.

Very much so. Many of these beings look pretty hard.

The bartender here is a dinged-up gray protocol droid of the CZ variety. It squarks at you when you approach, then gruffly asks what you want.

Rianna inwardly groans at the droid as it speaks.

"I was told that I might be able to find someone here..." she says.

"WHO IS IT THAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR, HUMAN," the droid squarks.

Rianna sighs with annoyance. "Quiet down, will you? I'm looking for someone by the name of Vash Bloodcarver."

Assuming she's got some actual money on her, she'll set a small amount on the counter as something of a bribe.

"SEARCHING..." the droid squarks again. "SEARCHING. SEARCHING. PLEASE WAIT."

It pauses in cleaning a glass, then resumes.

"I DO NOT REGISTER THAT NAME IN MY MEMORY LOGS. PERHAPS THE PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION OF THIS PROBABLE MEATBAG WOULD ENHANCE MY SEARCH."

It takes no notice of the money.

Rianna will describe Vash's appearance, then (since I don't actually remember how he looks or if it was described before ).

Vash is a sickly-looking fellow, gaunt and lanky and awkward. He wears all black robes and leather.

"HMMMMM," the droid buzzes. "SEARCHING... I HAVE SEEN INDIVIDUALS FITTING THIS DESCRIPTION. RESULTS ARE MANY. NEED MORE INFORMATION."

"He may have also been through here with a pale Nautolan by the name of Nume Rand," Rianna says.

"NAUTOLAN. SQUID-LIKE SENTIENT BEING. SEARCHING... SEARCHING... YES. NAME DOES NOT REGISTER, PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION MATCH."

The droid opens its palm upwards and a hologram of Rand and Vash sitting in a booth appears in it.

"So they were here..." Rianna says quietly.

"How long ago was that? Did they meet with anyone here?"

The hologram disappears.

"INFORMATION REQUIRES PATRONAGE AND BRIBERY," the droid says with sudden sharpness. "YOU WILL BE PROVIDING THESE THINGS."

"Fine," Rianna hisses with irritation. "Name your price, but I need that information."

"BRIBERY AND PATRONAGE," the droid repeats.

"You've got to be joking me...fine," Rianna snaps, completely hating trying to get info from people and wondering just why she had to deal with a droid here.

"YOU WILL PURCHASE A DRINK. CHOOSE YOUR DRINK. CHOOSE NOW."

You bastard

Not exactly being familiar with stuff like that, Rianna picks something that doesn't sound too nasty, mostly at random

In that case, the droid puts something green and fizzy in front of you.

Rianna looks at it distastefully before taking a drink, hoping it's not going to kill her

I like to think that the Jedi experience a twinge of danger when they consume alcohol. In small doses it is harmless, but it is still poison.

You drink from the cup. You don't like it and gag.

"YOU WILL FINISH," the droid says.

"Seriously?" Rianna says, making a face and forcing herself to finish it.

"I will never understand why people actually enjoy this sort of thing..."

"DID YOU ENJOY YOUR DRINK," the droid states. "DID YOU."

Before you can answer, he speaks again.

"GOOD. HOW MANY CREDITS DO YOU HAVE."

"Enough," Rianna replies, deciding to not answer the first question.

He repeats his question.

Since I'm no good at how much things are worth in SW...

Rianna will name a decent amount that should please him, but isn't going to hurt her available funds too much.

We shall assume a fourth of your funds, then.

The droid emits some sort of warbling noise. You think it is laughing.

"What now?" Rianna snaps.

"MORE CREDITS ARE REQUIRED."

Rianna is fighting the urge to dismantle this droid with her lightsaber...

This thing is obviously extorting you. If you were in the Republic, you could threaten it as a law enforcer. However, you don't have that authority yourself.

Rianna will up it to a third, then, taking her lightsaber in her hand and crossing her arms so that the weapon is visible. Bit of minor intimidation, there...

"MORE," the droid says. "INFORMATION IS A VALUABLE COMMODITY TO ALL."

"And what use do you really have for that much money?" Rianna replies coldly.

"YOU SPEAK TO ME AS IF I DO NOT FUNCTION LIKE A SENTIENT BEING. MONEY IS IMPORTANT. EXCHANGE THE FUNDS FOR YOUR INFORMATION OR I WILL HAVE YOU ESCORTED FROM THIS ESTABLISHMENT."