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| - You walk down the path to the beach. Hideaway Beach -- Plaxton City, Caspar As you walk along Hideaway Beach, you hear the violent crashing of the waves as they hit the white sandy shores. The water is a beautifal bright blue. The water is clear as air with a tinge of purple throughout it. A long stretch of a dock extends of the beach for vessels to take you underwater to the infamous SandBar of Plaxton City. Along the shore to the East are huge cliffs with lookout points to view the skies and ocean water. A large island extends off in the distant. Obvious exits: North - Hideaway Beach Resort West - The SandBar East - Fountain Square Kuxli comes down the path from the square. Kuxli has arrived. Kuxli pads in besides you.. he glances around, then over at you... he bites his lip, then asks in a soft, feline voice, "We don't have business... why didn't you want to stay with them Ms.Piper?" Piper remains quiet as she walks over to a set of benches and sits, waiting for the cub to follow. The Espos walk beside her, standing around her as she sits. Kuxli frowns some, his ears flattening down against his head, he pauses then heads over to the bench, sitting down beside Piper. Piper sighs a little and says, "Kuxli.. as friendly as they are, you really can't trust anyone here. Even people you consider your friends. Caspar is not on friendly terms with the CSA diplomatically, and as much as out personal feelings will want to get involved in situations like these, you have to remember your loyalty is to the Authority first, others falling far behind in a distant second." Piper pauses a moment, watching the cub for his reaction. Kuxli looks down, letting out a deep sigh before replying in a soft voice, "But, their our friends, why can't we trust them? I mean, they aren't going to do anything... and no one has minded me being friends with people in Caspar... or even the NR..." Piper shakes her head slightly, "I don't know why no one's talked with you about this before. Perhaps you and Dillon should speak about this in length and detail when we return to Etti IV.. as would have imagined he'd have said something to you before now. Trust is not an issue. There is no trust with them. They are not our friends. They are friendly to us, we are friendly to them. But they are not our friends, they are our enemies, and if we don't keep that in mind, the consequences could be very bad. Very bad indeed." Kuxli edges back a bit, and starts to shake his head slowly, a scowl forming on his feline face, "No, Jessalyn isn't an 'enemy', she /is/ a friend, and a good one, you have no idea." Piper sighs, "It's not an easy thing to separate, Kuxli. Di'an saved my life. As did Lotus and Rtufo. I have many aquaintances in the New Republic as well. But in the back of my mind, I must always remember that if the lines of war are drawn, I'll be on the opposite side as they are. It's as simple as that, albiet complex in it's simplicity." Kuxli's eyes narrow, and he lets out a frustrated grunt before speaking, "So what are you saying? Just to forget all my friends that aren't in the CSA or Empire? Ha! The Imperial's dont even like me." Piper folds her arms and says, "I'm not telling you to forget them. I'm just telling you not to be so trusting of people with such vastly differing political views and stands.. as it is now, I can imagine this planet is crawling with Imperial Intelligence agents. Having the word get out that the Executive Officer's personal aide and one of his VicePrexes were seen trapsing about Caspar, socializing with the locals.. it wouldn't be good. " She pauses for a moment before continuing, "Kuxli, I've seen the inside of an Imperial interrogation chamber, and I have no inclination to return there. It's best not to rock the boat you're sitting in.. if you'll pardon the slightly obscure expression." Kuxli stands from the bench, crossing his arms over his furred chest as he speaks, "Politics? This is a justa job Ms. Piper, I have my own 'views'. And as for those Imperial agents, well they already got an eye full on GDI. My point is, Jesslayn, and other people you don't 'trust' /are/ my friends, and I don't care if you don't like it, cause thats how it is." Piper stands and shakes her head at the Cub, sighing a little, "It's apparent you're not understanding the situation here. Perhaps a chat with Dillon might help you to better grasp the situation at hand. But until then, I just want you to remember that what we do while on planet as representatives of the Corporate Sector, is seen by all as actions fully represented by that organizarion. You need to be sure you act accordingly to the best interests of the Authority while here as it's representative." Kuxli uncrosses his arms, letting them hang down by his side, he scowls for a long while, then eventually says, "Fine, whatever." and turns his back, starting to walk away. Piper takes a slightly deep breath and lets it out slowly before calling out slightly to the cub, "And where are you going?".. her voice crisp with harsh overtones. Kuxli stops, and glances over his shoulder at Piper, he spits out, "Away from here." then turns again, starting to walk away. >Piper whispers to the closest Espo, "Power down to a low blast setting. " She turns to the other, "Set your blaster to heavy stun." Piper speaks quietly to the Espo on her left, nodding to his response. The two guards make their way over to the cub, inhibiting him from leaving the area by placing themselves in front of him to impede his forward movement. It is noted both guards have their hands on their holsters, yet to draw a weapon, but ready to if the need arises. Kuxli stops again, then turns totaly to face Piper, a smirk on his feline face, he asks, "What? You going to have them shoot me?" You notice Kuxli is looking from side to side carefully. Piper shakes her head slightly, "That isn't my intention, Kuxli. In the best interests of the Authority, I deem it necessary that they remain with you. " She pauses a moment, "Perhaps that's putting it a tad bit too delicately. You're to remain with them. Don't leave their sight. Follow where they lead. Stray too far and they're likely to take it as a hostile action and end that action abruptly, whichever way they see fit. It would be out of my control then." You say, "I don't want to see you get hurt, and I don't want to see you damage the image of the Authority in any way. This is the only solution I can find that can be implemented at this juncture." Kuxli turns his gaze back to you, his eyes narrowing to mere slits as he hisses out, "The /image/ of the Authority? Because I have friends that I can actually trust? But Dillon's allowed to have drinks with Chewbacca in public. Ya, whatever." as if passing some judgment of his own. Kuxli suddenly seems nervous, the fur at the back of his neck standing up... Piper raises an eyebrow, "Were you aware that Dillon's interaction with Chewbacca was seen by Imperial agents and a battle of words ensued, leading Dillon to leave the station early? He is on his way back to Etti IV now, leaving meetings early to do so." You say, "If that interaction between himself and the New Republic continues, he's likely to be killed over it." You say, "The Imperials don's take that sort of thing lightly." Kuxli lets out a frustrated growling noise, just glaring at you for a few moments before turning, and starting a brisk walk back towards the main road, away from the secluded beach. Piper sighs, then almost hesitantly motions to the Espos. The first Espo raises his gun and aims it directly at the young Horansi, the second aims for a spot just in front of where the cub is walking. The second Espo fires a shot into the sand, coming quite close to actually clipping the cub's leg in the process. The first Espo leaves his blaster trained on the cub, his finger slightly depressing the trigger, but not firing. Kuxli jumps in surprise as the shot nicks his leg, and hits the sand, then panics and breaks into an all out run for the road, his paws turning up sand behind him. The First Espo quickly fires off a shot that tags the cub directly in the leg not previously nicked. The second raises his blaster and prepares to fire again at the cub if necessary. Piper just stands where she is at, folding her arms and watching. Kuxli yelps out, and stumbling and almost falling, but not catches himself, and continues moving as fast he can, almost dragging the other leg behind him, now shouting out loudly for help. The second Espo fires again, nailing the cub squarely in the back. The first squeezes the trigger a few times in a row, managing for two blasts to connect with the cub's good leg. Kuxli doesn't even get out a sound as the multiple blasts hit him, his whole body stiffens, then he falls to the ground... remaining there unmoving. Piper remains standing where she is, arms folded across her chest, a bit of a scowl on her face. The Espos train their blasters on the young Horansi, circling him cautiously before determining him no longer a threat. Then they turn to the VicePrex for further orders. Piper sighs and finally makes her way over, not even stopping to give the cub a mere glance before passing him by, stating coldly to the Espos, "Take him to the ship," before making her way out of the area. Kuxli remains still, his ears layed back totaly flat against his head. The two Espos eye the Horansi cautiously, then holster their weapons and take the cub by the arms. They proceed to half carry, half drag the animal's body to follow in the direction of the VicePrex. You walk up the path into Plaxton City. Plaxton Fountain Square - Caspar The huge buildings in the background threaten to take over this small patch of green. A stone fountain--left over from another time--sits in the center of the square. It depicts a young woman looking into the sky. Water flares around her and bursts into a star pattern ten feet above her head. The inscription at the base of the fountain is written in the aging language of a more romantic time. 'Fare well, for all journeys that leave from this place shall always return to call it home.' Contents: Stefan Vance Caspar News Service Obvious exits: East - Blake Street West - Hideaway Beach South - Ventnor Avenue North - Ventnor Avenue Kuxli comes up the path from the beach. Kuxli has arrived. Vance nods to the newcomers Kuxli is carried in by his shoulders by two large human's, his head slumped forward, paws dragging under him. Piper walks through the area at a brisk pace, giving a cold, passing glance to those in the area. Two Espo guards carry the unconsious body of a young horansi and follow the young woman. You head south on Ventnor Avenue. South Ventnor Avenue -- Plaxton City, Caspar The southern reach of Ventnor Avenue is dominated by the SubPro towers and the Space Tower. The road here is wide to accommodate the huge crawler-type vehicles that transport newly finished star ships to the landing pads. High above is the huge needle-like tower that houses the corporate offices of SubPro. Two shorter cones sit on either side of the needle. An open hangar door on one reveals the inside of the planet based shipyard. The Space Tower sits to the east, reaching almost as high as SubPro. A small road to the south leads into the military base. Obvious exits: East - Space Tower Spaceport West - SubPro Shipyards South - Military Base North - Fountain Square Kuxli comes from the square. Kuxli has arrived. You walk into the Space Tower.
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