Scene #4262: A Light (sabre) in the Dark

Owner	Pose
Nasrin	The Desert Mountains, a fair distance from Alamut, were quiet, remote... deserted. AMongst ruins of some citadel long since fallen and lit by the bright morning sun. Tatters of cloth flicked and rustled in the wind, creaking like old women of memories half-remembered and whispered amongst each other. The sunbaked brick had bullet holes and long raking claw marks taken from it. THe location of the beacon given was here, int he middle of this abandoned tor, the beacon of Nasrin's signal struck to a post with twine, while its owner hid in the darkness, hood pulled over her face.
Juno Eclipse	Some might expect the person on the radio to arrive on foot, but that's really not Juno Eclipse's style. She's a pilot, so one can be sure she'll be piloting something when she arrives. Sudden wind is the first sign that the Assassin isn't alone here, followed immediately by the piercing electrical whine of engines. Not that Nasrin would know what that sound is. A moment later, the Rogue Shadow shimmers into existence from the dry desert air; cloak dropping and black hull casting a sudden shadow on the sand swirling beneath it as it alights delicately on a plateau big enough to support it. The boarding ramp descends out as the hatch opens, and two figures emerge from the ship as its engines shut down in sequence; one a man dressed in dark attire, the other a pale blonde woman. They seem to be talking to one another as they disembark. It's the woman whose voice is audible from a distance; it carries an accent strong enough to recognise, and that might identify as British. "--and this is where the beacon's supposed to be." The pilot looks confused, and her hands stray to her blasters, one holstered at each hip. "There's nobody here." The man doesn't question that this is probaly where the beacon was; he seems to trust her ability to fly the ship. He does frown, though, looking around. He's a wiry sort, a little taller than the woman, with dark stubbled hair and dark eyes. His face takes well to a scowl; he wears one now even as he surveys the unremarkable ruins. "Nothing." Taking something about the size and heft of a flashlight from his belt, he thumbs something on its side -- and with a hum and a hiss, the lightsaber ignites with the crisp blue of an autumn sky. "This feels like a trap. You're sure she can be trusted?" The pilot abandons her weapons, throwing her hands into the air in exasperation. "For God's sake, Galen, they're Union allies. They wouldn't lay a trap, and even if they did, they'd have the Union coming down so fast on the rest of them--" "Stop." He turns, leading with the lightsaber. She stops, this time unholstering both blasters. "I feel like someone's here, but I'm not sure." His eyes search out the shadows, but he fails to pick out anything, passing over them just as quickly. "Something's wrong."
Nasrin	Nasrin has seen star ships -- she's been in one, lived in one (for a mighty spell -- and Malcolm Reynolds said she was always welcome back as part of the crew), but she watches with curiosity as the wind shifts. She tilts her head, the cloak she wears subtlely moving as she peers from the shadows and watches the two exit the ship. She regards them with a mild sense of curiosity, watching the way they move. Warriors, the both of them, and him suspicious. Good. He should be. The Assassin steps out from the shadows, her hood still drawn down. She wears a dove-gray tunic, emblaxoned in blood red at the hood with the symbol of her order, a stylized blood drop and within the square labyrinth of the Levantine Assassins. She carries herself gracefully, but holds her gloved hands out, palms up, showing she is -- at least for now -- not armed. "Thank you for coming with such haste." she states, and draws her head up, showing the scar on her chin, another angry scar drawing down her cheek -- still fresh, still healing -- and her head tilts as she regards Galen and Juno. "I apologize for the locale. Some of my brothers disprove of... outsider interference." she explains. "I am Nasrin."
Juno Eclipse	In the time it takes Nasrin to draw breath and speak, there are now two blue lightsabers and two blaster pistols pointed at her. It seems Galen favours two of them, one in each hand; Juno, meanwhile, has two pistols at the ready. None of the four weapons so much as wavers until Nasrin introduces herself, though, and all four weapons lower. A second later, Galen extinguishes the lightsabers with a flick of each thumb, stowing them on his belt. "I almost shot you, you know," Juno scolds, holstering the blaster pistols. "Next time, you might want to wait somewhere we can see you..." Galen folds his arms, not quite glowering at Nasrin. Actually, he's impressed; he couldn't sense her through the Force, and apparently that's an intriguing thing for him. He flicks a quick glance at the surroundings, before returning his attention to the Assassin. "And you don't want them to know what you're doing." It's a statement, not a question, and he finally sighs and tilts his head slightly, arms still folded; a posture of resignation. Juno is a little more sociable than her companion. "Right. I'm Juno Eclipse. This is Galen Marek. We're... /technically/ not allied with the Union, but we're on friendly terms, you could say." Galen takes a few steps forward, stopping short of Nasrin. "You said you had some kind of lightsaber you wanted me to look at?" "Actually," Juno calls over the wind, "/I/ wanted you to look at it, because I know /you/ know your way around those things better than I do. And because doing something nice won't really kill you, you know." Very slightly, and with more subtlety than one might attribute to him, Galen Marek rolls his eyes. "Anyway, let's have a look at it."
Nasrin	Nasrin didn't flinch. She knew they wouldn't have harmed her -- or else she would have kept hiding in the shadows. Her lip curls just a bit at the scolding from Juno, and she reaches up, pulling her hood back further, now easily showing her hazel eyes and a few curling bits of hair, glancing between the two before she gives a nod to Galen. "It would be frowned upon." she admits, giving a slight nod to him, understanding the feeling of resignation... she would have much rather figured it out herself... but time, much like life, was fleeting. The Assassin peers to Juno, and she gives a wary smile, "I am familiar with the position. Officially, my brothers and I are similar. Just... less useful." she gives a euphemism, and as Galen approachs, Nasrin stands firm, her eyes snapping back to him, sizing him up. "Kindness can kill. Kindness can also cause one to be killed. He is right to be cautious." she replies, and from a sidepouch at her belt (which does, in fact, hold a /lot/ of small throwing knives), the young Assassin produces a moderate rod; it looks lieke it should be simple to operate, a very basic lightsaber-like weapon.
Juno Eclipse	"Well, I'm a former Confederate operative, so it's not exactly a surprise." Juno shrugs. "It's no secret that I was piloting for them before... you know, it really doesn't matter." Both of them frown when Nasrin speaks of kindness that way, but rather than pursue it, they both let it go -- but not without a quick look shared between them. It sounds like some kind of dogma or mantra, and there'll probably be no changing the girl's mind about that. Better not to waste their time or hers with it. In the meantime, Galen reaches out and lets Nasrin place the thing on his palm. Once he's got hold of it, he lifts it to his eyes, frowning and rotating it over to look for the activation switch. It's got to have one somewhere. "Well, it definitely looks like a lightsaber, but it's not much like mine." Galen turns it this way and that. "I can't say I'm an engineer, but it looks like it is a little different." Holding it out, he thumbs the switch, waiting to see if it springs to life like his lightsabers do. Hopefully it does not involve explosions.
Nasrin	No, Narsin's just used to giving out little kindnesses and finding trouble for it. Still doesn't stop her from doing it, mind you. Nasrin places the hilt on Galen's palm, and steps back to give him space. The weapon itself is fairly ordinary; unembelished, plain. When Galen thumbs the switch -- nothing happens. No power up. No humming, just... 'click'. The Assassin motions with a hand. "Hence," she begins, "the trouble with this weapon. It was in full operation when I severed my enemy's arm from his torso; and extinguished by the time it struck the floor. I do not beleive it to be damaged internally -- when you shake it," she shakes her hand, in example "nothing." She turns, pacing to rubble and taking a seat, watching Galen and Juno with curiosity. "My world... my home time in it, in any case, is not... advanced in technology. It is not a weapon I have much experience with."
Juno Eclipse	Nothing. It's not very impressive, and less than the former Imperial Inquisitor was expecting out of it. He gives the hilt a quick shake in his hand, but that doesn't seem to be enough to coax it back into life. "Guess it isn't going to turn on." Shrugging, he hands it back to Nasrin. "The switch should be enough, but my guess is that either it's damaged, or the fuel source is depleted. I don't know what this one uses, but then again, I'm no lightsaber engineer, either." Juno only shrugs. "Don't look at me. I'm a pilot, not a weapons fabricator." "Maybe it was damaged when it hit the floor. Who knows?" Galen shakes his head, eyeing the inert weapon. "I might be able to figure a few things if it were a lightsaber, but it's different enough that I wouldn't hazard a guess. Sorry to cmoe out here for nothing. I use them, and I can even work on a lightsaber, but this isn't the same. I don't know if I can help you with this."
Nasrin	The Assassin watches as Galen shakes it, and then tries not to let a frown show. Her lip gives a twitch downward, and she drops her gaze. "I see." Nasrin's shoulders give a little rise to a shrug, and she accepts the weapon back. Tucking it away into the larger pouch on her back, she returns her gaze to Galen and Juno, and exhales through her nose, peturbed at the waste of their time. "Thank you for your time. Journey safely homeward."
Juno Eclipse	"Sorry." Galen shrugs, shaking his head a little. "I could try to take it apart, but even then, I couldn't guarantee that would fix it. This isn't like what I'm familiar with, not really. It's /like/ a lightsaber, but the heft of it is wrong, and the activation mechanism looks a little different." "Galen," Juno calls, from halfway to the ship. He turns. "What?" "We'd better go. The Rogue Shadow's sticking out like a sore thumb." Juno turns to face Nasrin. "Better luck next time, I guess. Why don't you talk to other people in the Union? There might be someone better equipped to help..." She shows a lopsided sort of half-smile. "Sorry. I was hoping Galen might be able to help." "Yeah. Better luck next time. When we've got more time, maybe I can come take another look at it, just in case. I wouldn't get rid of it just yet, though," Galen offers. Turning, he heads for the ship, Juno falling into step beside him. "Nice meeting you," she calls, even as they step into the threshold and the ramp starts to pull itself closed. "Maybe we'll meet again." The ramp closes, then -- and with a surge and electrical whine of its engines, the Rogue Shadow lifts off, shimmering back into invisibility. Soon, only the whirling sand gives any indication that they were ever there at all.