River Althea: Return to Coruscant

[FrithRa]

Going radio silent for a little while. Got something I want to do offworld. Not any kind of official Jedi business. I’ll be back in a day or two, don’t worry.
– Initiate River

This was the message River sent via the secure Jedi communications channel before turning off all of her communications that anyone would be able to try to reach out to her through. It would undoubtedly cause questions and concerns for the others. However she felt determined enough in her decision to see this through. She had been too imbalanced lately to properly focus on her training and yet despite the myriad of people on Viscara there wasn’t a single one of them she felt she could speak to in a completely open and honest way. Especially not with a fellow Jedi. No, she needed a different approach and there was only one person she could think of that she trusted enough.

Unfortunately they were back on Coruscant. The very place she had been trying to avoid having to return to.

River punched in some adjustments to the navigational system of the Astral Phoenix as the computer plotted the route through the hyperspace lanes. Making her way over to the galactic heart of the Republic would take some time but she had enough fuel for the trip. Might cost her some credits to refuel for the trip back but she had enough to spare. The trick would be what to do once she arrived. Though it had been almost a few years now since she left the planet she could potentially be in for some unpleasant questions from Coruscant security officers at the docks. She’d need to think of some kind of plan to get past the checkpoint in the upper city and then make her way down to the lower levels.

There was the possibility that any outstanding orders for her arrest had likely expired. By now they figured she was either dead or far offworld never to return. She could try to bribe her way through. Corruption on Coruscant wasn’t too hard to find. But that would largely depend on the kind of officer manning the post and she’d have no way to know for sure. Plus the idea of taking advantage of one of the very things she despised didn’t sit well with her. Another option was needed here. She could try being honest and play the Jedi affiliation card. They might need to verify it first. But then that basically would alert the order to exactly where she went.

Damned if I do, damned if I don’t. She started to muse to herself. There’s no time to find someone to forge me a false ID either. Not to mention the credits that would cost. Come on River, think. You’re clever enough to get past these security goons.

Suddenly the idea sprang into her head. What if she mixed the truth with a clever bit of deception? Sandra had been giving her information on current security systems and how to bypass them in order to bring her slicing skills back up to speed. Maybe this would be the perfect time to put it to the test. If she were to slice into the customs terminal without triggering the tampering alerts she could alter her Jedi clearance codes to pass herself off as a Knight. Nobody would ask questions then. Jedi were left well enough alone on Coruscant and had autonomy to do as they needed to within reason. It was one hell of a gamble, but it if worked it would give her a clear path down into the lower levels.

With a clearer plan in mind now River pulled back on the hyperdrive activation switch. Space began to warp around the ship as the stars stretched out into lines of light and the Astral Phoenix leap into light speed! She did another systems check as the ship entered the hyperlane. Everything was holding steady and the automation systems took over without a hitch. Nothing to do now but wait as she cruised her way along to the galactic core.

Better use this time to review those security protocols and see what the Republic is using these days. I’ll only get one shot at this.

Getting up from the pilots seat she wanders into the other side of the ship to study and plan. By the time her ship was ready to come out of hyperspace she’d be ready.

=====================================

Hours later…

River looked up as she heard the proximity alert go off in the ship. The systems were alerting her that she was nearing her destination and it was almost time to bring the ship out of light speed. She got up from her desk and left her personal quarters on the ship to quickly jog back around to the cockpit. Jumping back into the pilots chair she starts to switch the ship out of autopilot and ease it out of hyperspace. As it does the planet of Coruscant becomes visible out in the distance. River took a deep breath at the sight of her homeworld. She certainly had mixed feelings about coming back here but she put it aside in order to focus on the purpose of the trip.

No turning back now. Stick to the plan.

She kept the ship on a steady approach to the planet while the scanners alerted her of nearby traffic from other incoming and outgoing ships. There were always ships moving about at all hours. Merchants, military, privateers, transports, you name it. The act of getting down to the planet wouldn’t be hard at all. Her ship wouldn’t be flagged on any of the registries. With that knowledge she flipped on her ship’s communication systems and broadcasted her transponder signal for Coruscant traffic controllers to be able to see.

“Unknown vessel, please identify.” She heard a distinctly male voice say over the comm. River hit the button in order to respond. “Coruscant control this is private freighter the Astral Phoenix, requesting docking permission in upper city spaceport sector RH-11.”

“Standby.” Was the only response she got at first. By now they’d be scanning her transponder signal and running it through the registry to make sure it didn’t show up on the blacklist. After a moment the voice came back. “Docking clearance granted. Welcome to Coruscant, traveler. Please complete your ship’s registration at the customs checkpoint upon landing. You are go for Docking Bay C-27.”
River confirmed her instructions as data was transmitted to her navigational systems. Adjusting her course to follow the flight path provided to her she keep going at slow but reasonable speed further down towards the surface of the city planet. The spaceport she was heading to was one of the largest on the planet due to its proximity to such places as the Senate tower and the Jedi Temple. It would be plenty busy there and easy to blend into the crowds. She just had to hope that the data spike she prepared would be adequate enough to see her through customs.

As the entrance to the docking bay she was assigned to came into view she slowed the ship down gradually and extended the landing gears. The ship touched down smoothly as a small group of service droids entered the bay ready to offer fueling or maintenance as required. Now that was a luxury you didn’t get in the Outer Rim. Shutting down the systems she got up and checked over her gear once more. She was still dressed in her normal everyday clothing with her blaster and lightfoil equipped on her person. Since she’d be presenting herself as a Jedi nobody should give her any grief over her weapons. Though the outfit was uncharacteristic. But she figured she could bluff her way out of that by stating she’d been doing undercover work. She’d find a shop further in the city and change into something that would let her blend in better in the lower levels of the city. She didn’t want to get recognized down there either if she could avoid it.

With everything she’d need on hand River lowered the ramp from the ship and disembarked into the bay area. The droid service crew approached her with a series of beeps and whistles and she gave them a nod. “Just need fuel.” She says as she takes out the necessary credits and hands them over to the collection droid of the group. “Might be docked here a couple days so that should cover the fees.” The collection droid floated on over to a nearby terminal depositing the credits and updating the docking time before returning back with an access key. River took it with a nod and departed from the docking bay making her way down the long, expansive corridor that was full of other travelers on their way to and from other nearby bays and ships.

She had to take a moment to have a look around at all the different species she was seeing. This was definitely the side of the Republic that people were accustomed to seeing. Peoples from all over the galaxy living and working together. Trade, diplomacy, cooperation. The upper city did a good job of preserving that illusion. But she knew it was far from perfect. Shaking her head she refocused on her task and kept walking. The customs terminals weren’t far from here. The good thing about choosing a spaceport this crowded was it meant that nobody would pay her much attention as she was registering. Security services would be there but primarily to make sure everything went smoothly. They didn’t have enough officers to meticulously observe every new arrival. Which was why the terminals existed in the first place. The automated systems would alert them if there was anyone they needed to check.

It took several moments worth of waiting in line before she got her turn at once of the terminals. Glancing cautiously from side to side she made sure nobody was actively watching her before she slipped out the data spike and casually inserted it into the port on the terminal. The prepared subroutine took her existing Jedi access code and masked it while she tapped away at the controls to start the bypass. She felt herself tense up as the anti-tampering measures almost tripped but she reacted quickly enough to isolate and disable their protocol. It would only last for a moment, but that as all she needed. The scrambler she embedded in the spike managed to alter her access code and allow it to match with her desired persona. She was now posing as Knight Althea and the registration came back as accepted! She’d done it! Good to see Republic security was as lax as ever. Some things just never change.

Pulling out the data spike she slides it away as the console beeps and a light turns green allowing her to continue. Her falsified profile would now be displaying on the security officer’s datapad listing her as Knight Althea of the Jedi Order. As she approached him he would look to his datapad and then to River before giving her a nod. “Welcome back, Master Jedi.” She returned the nod and walked right on by without any issue.

Almost too easy. Better get down to the lower levels before someone decides to have a second look at that clearance code.

End of Part 1

[FrithRa]

It was a pretty normal day at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. Everyone was busy with their own tasks and training. Younglings and initiates attending classes as part of their routines. Masters conversing with each other or researching in the archives. As peaceful as the temple typically was there was always something going on during the normal daytime hours. Though it was usually quite predictable and boring. Not like the rest of Coruscant. As effectively the largest city in the galaxy you could always find something interesting going on if you knew where to look. That was part of what Jedi Knight Lena Keyste liked about being assigned here. This place was the beating heart of the Jedi Order and the Republic all in one. This often led her to meet interesting people to learn from and establish a rapport. A vital task given the overall opinion of the Jedi lately by the general public of the galaxy. Things may not necessarily be as bad here in the Core Worlds. But the further out you went the greater the dislike became. This much she had been able to glean from many a traveler coming from places closer to the Rim.

Lena was seated at a simple desk with a small console built into it in order to review various security feeds and reports. This was a part of her assignment on Coruscant. Though the Republic had its own security forces the nature of the war meant the Jedi were taking extra precautions these days. Thus her task had been to act as an added layer of protection against Sith infiltrators or sympathizers who may attempt to stage some kind of attack. They weren’t that common. But every once in awhile she’d find someone that slipped through only to be tagged later by facial recognition scanners or one of the other failsafes they had in place. Most of the time Lena would simply forward these findings on to other Jedi who would then intervene and arrest these individuals before they could start trouble.

Just then an alert came up on the feed. A customs terminal had been detected the use of a modified Jedi access code. Another would-be Sith assassin trying to use outdated clearance codes to make their way to the temple? They wouldn’t get far with Lena’s countermeasures in place. Opening the alert and investigating the recorded holocam feeds from around the area she saw a human woman dressed in a dark jacket, blue shirt, and dark pants with boots. She looked the part of your everyday spacer or mercenary. But then why was she using a modified Jedi clearance code? Lena pulled up the code in question and began to cross-reference it with the active Jedi roster list in the archives. She got partial matches on two entries. The closest one was Knight Althea, currently assigned to the group of Jedi that operate out of the temple on the planet of Viscara. This one was apparently the person this woman was trying to imitate in the system. As Lena unscrambled the original access code the result matched perfectly with the other entry. Initiate River Althea, also from the Viscaran Jedi.

Now this piqued Lena’s interest. Why would an initiate from so far away come here to Coruscant and attempt to pose as a Knight of a similar name? She had to admit it was a clever enough little trick to get through Republic security. Their codes would be alike enough that a decent scrambler spike could easily mimic it. But it wasn’t foolproof as evidenced by her own safety net of contingencies. This initiate must have something she wishes to conceal even from the Jedi. She didn’t want to immediately assume she was acting on Sith interests. Her instincts told her there was something else to it. Opening up the Republic security database she ran a query on the name River Althea and started to see what she could find.

The console beeped as her search came back with various documents and reports. River was a natural born citizen of Coruscant. Daughter of a politician and a soldier. Juvenile disciplinary record with Coruscant Security. Frequently ran away from home in her youth down into the lower levels of the city. Became a known gang member and data runner. Presumably escaped offworld almost three years ago when she completely disappeared following a bust operation that caused the majority of the gang to disband when roughly half of them were taken into custody for illicit information handling and transfers. Yet she was never convicted of any kind of violent crime.

“A former data runner…” Lena mused to herself aloud. This certainly explained why this girl had the kind of skill to slice a customs terminal and not set off the Republic’s anti-tampering alarms. But that was only one side of this. Three years away from Coruscant was plenty of time for her life to have changed in other ways. Such as becoming a Jedi Initiate when she found herself on Viscara. Switching back over to the Jedi database Lena began to query every related report she could pertaining to River. As she looked between the Jedi and Republic documents respectively her mind began to piece together a theory as to what the woman was up to.

“You’ve come here in search of something… or maybe someone. A part of your past you can’t quite let go perhaps.” She said to herself. Accessing the security feeds again she tracks River’s movements from the spaceport and confirms her initial suspicion. The woman made her way through the crowds and took transport down into the lower levels of the city. Down to her old sector even where the reports had indicated. Lena copied the information over to her datapad as she rose from her chair and grabbed her cloak. Time to go see what this wayward Initiate was up to.

====================

River carefully weaved her way through the smaller crowds in the street down in the section of the lower levels she’d finally made her way into. Even though it had been a few years it seemed as though nothing had really changed. A couple business has changed here and there. But it still felt as lost and forgotten as ever by the people above. So far she hadn’t seen anyone in particular she recognized, but that was also kind of a good thing. On her way here she’d stopped by a clothing shop in order to get herself a different outfit to better blend in. Now she was wearing a hooded tunic, tighter running pants with a good pair of shoes, and gloves with light arm guards. It was very much like what she used to wear in her data runner days and that was exactly the point. Runners were at home in places like this using the back alleys, rooftops, and support beams of the city around them to tread where they could go unseen. But sometimes you’d see them out in the open too. Nobody would think to give her a second look unless they saw her face fully.

Now that she was here though the tricky part had really begun. The person she was looking for was one of her oldest and most trusted friends from back in the days of the Astral Phoenix gang. The very group she decided to name her ship after in homage to her roots. But where was she going to find him? There were no guarantees he still hung around the same places three years later. Though she might find someone who does know where he is. Best place to start would likely be his favorite hole-in-the-wall cantina. A quaint little bar known as The Dusty Speeder. She’d start there.

It turned out that even this particular establishment hadn’t changed much in the past few years. The glow holo neon signing outside illuminating the entrance that led to a dimly lit little bar playing outdated jizz music inside. She never really understood what he liked about the atmosphere of this place. But at least it served actual drinks instead of watered down bantha bile. As she stepped inside the smell of smoke became more apparent as that was another pastime enjoyed by many of the patrons to this place. River looked around but didn’t see a familiar face or figure in sight save for the owner himself. A short, stocky Sullustan who was probably old enough to retire if he had the kind of credits to close up shop entirely. Then again maybe he was so used to running the place he just didn’t care to.

River casually walked up to the bar and had a seat as the old Sullustan man limped over with a grunt. “What’ll ya have, girl?” He asks with a rough voice. River looked at him intently as she leaned forward. “I’m looking for Tank. You seen him in lately?” The Sullustan gave River a wary look as he seemingly tried to focus and get a better look at her face. “I’ll be damned. That you, River? Barely recognize ya without the blue hair and all. Yeah Tank still comes around. In fact if you wait here awhile he’ll probably turn up before long. Tends to swing by for a drink or two after his shift before he heads home.”

River nods and orders herself a drink to help pass the time. “Thanks Goss. I’ll wait here for him then if you’re sure he’ll be here.” The owner, Goss, nodded back. “Sure thing kid. Forgive an old man for prying but where the hell you been anyhow? Tank said you got offworld. Never figured you’d come back.” River glanced around again making sure nobody was watching them. The only other patrons the bar had at the moment seemed to be keeping to themselves though. “I didn’t intend to originally. But I needed to see Tank. Always been able to talk to him about anything.” Goss grunted with another nod as he poured River her drink and set it on the bar in front of her. “Fair enough. You two were always thick as thieves around here. Well I won’t ask what it’s about outta respect for the old days. But you oughta know, the war is making folk pretty antsy down here. More creeps slithering around whispering of the Sith. You best watch yourself while you’re here, kid. Streets are even more dangerous than they used to be.”

The owner went back to his work as River waited. Roughly an hour or so would pass with nothing eventful happening. But then as Goss had predicted a large man entered the bar that she immediately recognized. Taynic Waldoe, more commonly referred to as Tank, was a human male of dark complexion with short trimmed black hair and a massive frame. He was tall enough that his head was about half a foot away from reaching the ceiling of the small establishment and was muscular enough that he took up most of the entryway on his own. Yet despite his intimidating size there was a certain friendliness to him that he displayed upon greeting Goss on his way in.

“Evening Goss. Good business today?” He asked as he approached the bar. The Sullustan smirked as he looked up at the tall man. “Same as it ever was. But a surprise did come wandering in today.” He said as he nodded his head towards where River was sitting. Tank looked over curiously, noticing someone in a hood leaned over on the bar nursing a drink. They were dressed like a data runner which immediately caused him some concern. River smirked as she looked over at her old friend. “Figures you’d still be coming by here like clockwork.”

Tank blinked in surprise as he looked closer. “River? What in the hell are you doing back down here?” He asked with equal parts concern and excitement. Even though he had seen her off three years ago there was definitely a part of him that was glad to see her again. River grinned at Tank and motioned for him to have a seat with her. “Long story. You’ll want a drink. Maybe a couple of them actually.”

There was a chuckle from the large man as he took a seat at the bar next to her. “Alright, fair enough. My usual Goss.” He says with a nod to the Sullustan owner as he leaned over to get a good look at River. “Look at you. You’re different with the natural hair color back. What’s that all about?"

River rolled her eyes. “Blame hair dye apparently being more of a luxury item out in the Outer Rim for some stupid reason. Tempted to pick some up while I’m here.”

Tank chuckles as he nudges her arm gently. “Just ain’t you otherwise, bluebird. But damn it is good to see you.”

“Likewise.” River said with a warm smile. “How’ve you been holding up down here?”

“Pretty good all things considered. Out of the gang business now and found honest work over at the shipping docks. Pay could be better but it’s enough to get by.” He explained.

River raised a brow in surprise. “You? A dockworker?”

Tank nodded. “It’s nothing glamorous but it’s enough credits to keep food on the table. I still got family of my own to look out for.”

“Yeah… I know. Still wish you could’ve come with me though. It’s been hard not having you around to watch my back.” River said in a glum tone. “I managed well enough going freelance for awhile and tagging along with spacer crews. But after I got out into the Rim things changed pretty quick.”

“What happened?” Tank asked curiously as he grabbed his drink.

“You remember how I just had this way of knowing if someone was being honest or trying to hide something?”

Tank nodded once at this question. “Yeah. You had a real knack for that. Always were able to tell if a deal was about to go sour. Saved our asses a few times too.”

River sipped from her glass as she glanced around again, lowering her voice some for the next part. “There was a reason for it. Apparently I’m Force Sensitive. I encountered Jedi who helped me confirm it. Then I ended up joining up with them.”

She let that news sink in for a moment as Tank looked visibly surprised. “You’re with the Jedi now? Damn bluebird… I always knew there was something special about you. But how come they never scouted you before? I thought anyone who could use that Force stuff typically got picked up by the order as a kid? That’s what they always say anyway. That the Republic basically just gives those kids to the Jedi.”

River nodded. “I’ve wondered about that too. I think mother used her influence to keep the Jedi away from me. They can’t just take a child into the Order without consent from the parents.”

“Now you’ve ended up with them anyway. Pretty ironic, huh?”

Over the course of the next hour River explained everything to Tank. Her arrival on Viscara. Encountering the Jedi. Learning about the Force. The missions she’d undertaken that showed her what the Sith were really like. She unloaded all of it. Tank to his credit took it all with a surprising calmness. He may not understand every particular detail, but he was a good listener. But the thing that she especially wanted to talk with him about were the details regarding Callista and how mixed up her feelings towards her had been.

“That’s why I had to come see you. I can’t talk to another Jedi about this no matter who it is. And there’s nobody else outside the Order I trust as much as you.”

Tank took a deep breath as he looked at River with a look of clear concern. “So this Callista girl. You said she’s basically your Jedi teacher?”

“One of them. The main one. But I learn different things from different people. Initiates kind of take what they can get until they can eventually become a Padawan with a dedicated Master to learn from.”

“But you can’t just talk to her about this?”

She gives Tank an annoyed look. “If it were that easy would I have risked coming out here to see you? I’m her student. If I told her about the kind of feelings I got when I’m around her or when I worry about her she’d push me aside based on the fact that she is the teacher alone. It would be too easy to dismiss as just a part of the learning process I am struggling with and she’d encourage me to just let it go and reject my feelings.”

Tank reaches over to gently place his hand on River’s arm. “But you don’t want to hear that do you?”

River looks back at him as moisture wells up in her amber eyes, showing she was on the verge of tears. “No…”

The large man let out a long sigh and then wrapped his arm around River to hug her. “You got it bad, bluebird. Don’t think I’ve ever seen you fall for any other girl like this. She must be something special.”

River nodded slowly. “She… has this warmth and this calmness to her that is just so pure. Anytime I’m around her I just want to spend as much time as I can with her. She’s the only other person I’ve ever felt like I could be completely open and honest with and she would accept me for who I am.”

“Except for this.” Tank corrected. “Because you’re both Jedi you’re afraid she won’t be able to accept something like this.”

“Not while I’m an Initiate. No way in hell.”

Tank nodded thoughtfully. “Well then, I think I know what you need. A goal. Something that’ll keep your mind focused until the time is right.”

River looked up at him curiously as she sat back up in her seat. “What do you mean exactly?”

Tank looked down at her with a smile. “Anytime something ever bothered you enough you’d find a way to make setting it right as your goal and work towards that. So if you’re worried she can’t take your feelings seriously while you’re an Initiate than that just means you need to focus on becoming a Knight just like her, right?”

River looked as though what he had just said flipped on a certain switch in her mind and she was starting to see where he was going with this. “I become a Knight even despite how I’m struggling with how I feel and that’ll prove how serious I am. That I can still put being a Jedi first. Then I’d be confessing how I feel to her as a true equal and not as a student to a teacher.”

Tank ruffled the top of River’s hood with a playful chuckle. “There ya go bluebird. You already knew what you needed to do. Just needed a little help seeing it.”

“Thank you, Tank.” She said with a grin as she straightened out her hood and moved her long hair out from in front of her eyes. “I knew it’d be worth it to come talk to you.”

“Anytime.” He said warmly. “I should be heading home though. Want to walk with me? Do some more catching up on the way?”

River beamed as she slid some credits across the bar to pay for the drinks. “Yeah. Let’s go.”

It really had been worth it. She only wished she could stay longer. But they both had their own lives to live. At least the walk would be good until she had to start making her way back to her ship.

End of Part 2