The CorSec Chronicles: Ballroom Blitz

~ " Of all the gin joints, in all the planets, in all the Galaxy, she walks into mine."

He could only turn and smile as his icy eyes locked onto her unique gaze, a short wave of his hand offering for her to join him at the bar as he stood.

His jacket was of a darkened green. military-style, with a tailored fit, yet strangely lacking any sort of medals, insignia, or chevrons. A rather large pistol was strapped to the outside of his right thigh in a leather holster, the grip and chamber of the gun looking more like an archaic revolver slugthrower than a sophisticated and high-powered energy weapon. On the opposite leg was a stranger holster, cradling a heavy-looking cylinder of darkened brass, characters engraved around the edge of the round pommel at the top. His trousers were straight-legged, but somewhat loose, grey in their hue and ultimately unassuming, much like the plain, white T-shirt he wore. Black spacer's boots completed the ensemble, making Jago Pulastra look far more the part of mercenary fighter jock than Jedi Master.

He waved over the barkeep, fetching a drink for Adelle and himself (having polished his off just before his fellow Jedi approached him), and raising the following glass of ale to her as soon as it was set down.

" Adelle Bastiel," he said slowly, shaking his head at her with a cheeky grin, " When are you going to learn that your charming pick-up lines just aren't going to work on me?"

Jago preferred to stand when at a bar: a small quirk of his, opting not to rest on one of the many stools nearby. Instead he leaned against the solid wood frame (built from the trees native to Yavin IV itself), tilting his head at her with an inquisitive raise of his eyebrows, placing his teasing aside for the moment.

" I can spare some time to help you out, sure. What's the situation?"~

~ " Ow!" he exclaimed, placing a hand over his heart and gaping his mouth at her in a wounded expression.

" My pride! I never said I was the only one ... Just a very good one," he remarked, smiling briefly as he thought of a certain Zabrak that he had particularly charmed. At first, mostly out of a survival instinct, but lately ... a much more pleasant reasoning.

A party. Hm. Well, that was different. And he had to look sharp? That he could do.

Dancing?

Oh what in the Nine Corellian Hells has she gotten herself into this time?

" Ehrm ... Yeah, I can kinda dance," he said, " I learned a bit on Procopia, in the Tapani Sector. They're ... They're harsh critics."

He chuckled softly, remembering the large amount of etiquette he had needed to absorb in order to blend in with Tapani Nobility, so he and Ksandra Mallan could track down an insurrectionist. It wasn't much of a tutelage, but it had allowed him to blend in rather well enough.

Jago's eyes narrowed at her, a touch playfully, a touch with gravity.

" I don't like that smile of yours, cheeka ... But sure, I'm in. What's the catch? There's always a catch. Jedi Knights don't just wander into bars and pick up Masters for a 'working vacation'."~

~ CorSec shuttle? That seemed rather strange to Jago from the get go. He knew Adelle formerly was (currently is?) an agent for Corellian Security, but for them to loan her one of their ships ... That must've been why she was here. Trouble in the Five Worlds. Police forces tended to make their vehicles bare, with little to any markings, when they needed to go abroad. It was a smart move: the JPT's Black Robes, the BlackOps agency of the military, did much the same thing.

When Adelle then mentioned that she had come to Jago because of trouble involving the Governor, he knew that this was undoubtedly a CorSec issue. Normally, they didn't like their cases handled by other people: a matter of pride, for one, and also a statement on CorSec's phenomenal success rate. Short-change rent-a-cops, they were not. But for two Jedi to be assigned as security detail ... A question plagued him.

" Not to sound uncaring, but ... Why us? You and I, I mean? Surely a member of the See-Jay-Oh would have been easier to obtain, neh? Unless the Governor somehow specifically requested us to serve as bodyguards?"

What would they want with a Yavinite Jedi? 'Prettiness' aside?~

~" Sorta kinda maybe lover ..?"

Well that was a new one. He'd been on many an undercover assignment before, both as a Jedi and before he had even joined The Order, but never under the guise of being ... close, to someone, like that. That Adelle had particularly asked for him to be assigned as her partner, well ...

He smiled softly at her. That couldn't have been all too easy to tell him, and even he was blushing a bit at the notion. Blushing for the fact that out of any Jedi, she thought of him, first, to trust with something like this. When he had first met her, he honestly would not have thought of hearing something like that come out of her.

She trusted him. He couldn't turn that aside.

He leaned against a wall opposite her, able to feel the slight fluctuations in her emotion that at least gave way that while she was a bit embarrassed in requesting his assistance in a delicate matter like this, she certainly was quite alright with him filling the role.

Well ... I'm sure Lita would understand. It's just an act, after all ...

The nightmares ... He remembered those. Remembered the first time she lost control, how she had attacked him with unrestrained ferocity on his own ship. It took her a long time to open up to him as to what happened, why she had such violent occurrences, but after Coruscant? It seemed like most of the secrets were out in the open.

He was much happier for that. She, too, seemed to be.

Jago smiled.

" Well, you know me," he quipped, a bit of roguishness seeping into his features, " Always willing to lend a friend a helping hand. Sure, I'll be your boyfriend for a bit."

His tone was light, but gained severity as he took her dual-toned eyes against his azure ones.

" I'll help you out. You won't have to worry about the nightmares. Even if you just need me there to keep you comfortable and not do anything else, that's more than fine. I'm there. But."

He held up a finger in warning, his voice still impressively severe and earnest.

" There is one, major condition I have to lay out. You are not allowed to fall in love with me, under any circumstances. Whatsoever. At all."~

~ " Well you didn't have to be so mean about it," he chuckled softly after her laughter had settled down.

It may have seemed like a strange condition to put forth, but Jago had a bit of ... experience, in these sorts of matters. It's not like he asked the various women in his life to fall for him, they just ... did! It nearly ruined several assignments of his in the past, and one or two friendships. While it may have (and did) seem silly to Adelle, it was an honest and valid concern of his. That she had taken it so lighthearted was a relief.

And yet ...

What does she mean I'm not her type ..?

His face scrunched up momentarily as he contemplated that. Did she have a thing against super-platinum-blondes? Was it because he was around her height, whereas most women preferred a taller guy?

... What the hell! This was the first time there actually wasn't a danger of this occurring! He supposed he should have been happy about that, but it was such a different turn of events from what he was used to. Jago Pulastra was, effectively, stumped on how to handle it.

" Well ... Good. You're not my type, either," he shot back playfully, realizing how horrible of a comeback that was the moment he said it, but moving right along.

Apparently my 'type' is horned and aggressive, he chortled internally.

He drew a comlink out of his pocket, sending a quick message detailing where he was going and why to Dav Man'Sell, knowing he'd adjust for the gap in Yavin's and The Order's leadership. Considering that he just up and abandoned them to go look for Tebana for months without a single word back to them? Jago figured he owed him one. Once the message was sent, he slipped the device back into his pocket, brushed a bit of dirt off of his jacket, then stood with his arms spread out to her, palms raised as if he had just performed a magic trick.

" One Yavinite Hero, at your service. All set and ready to go, my love," he winked at her.

Spend some time pretending to date a girl who was pretending to be a Governor's niece, schmoozing up to the Corellian elite (whom he had bankrupted on more than one occasion in his younger days), get fed high class food and pricey drinks, and catch a baddie while he was at it?

Jago remarked to himself that sometimes, just sometimes, there were perks to being a Jedi.~

~ Inside a CorSec building.

Jago could feel himself shaking. Old memories of his didn't have a tendency of going away. The last time he had been in such a place, it was in handcuffs, and the duration had supposedly been for life. The police forces of Corellia didn't tend to look kindly on smuggling ... Or murder. Especially both together.

He had been entirely silent throughout the briefing. He was silent as Adelle and himself procured caf, Jago preferring his black with no additives. It almost appeared as if he had gotten into a staring contest with one of the walls, and somehow he was winning.

Corellia never brought him peace. He knew Adelle needed his help, and that said help would require him staying on the major of the Five Worlds for some time. He was a Jedi, and a friend, and so his personal matters were disregarded entirely. However, he had incredible trouble as a Jedi hiding his emotions and thoughts, and at the moment his unease was bubbling to the surface: the kettle about to cry with steam.

He didn't feel safe. He didn't feel comfortable. Jago Pulastra, Jedi Master, felt like a scared teenager being dragged to his fate once again. Only for the bomb to go off, in the ... South Eastern? Corridor? And they came in with guns and blasters and blades and the blood and burning and killing and that one agent who was so pretty, so very pretty, with a mask of crimson as the gash upon her forehead opened and she fell on top of him and he screamed and kicked and was grabbe---

No.

He took a long sip of caf, letting the scalding heat drag him painfully back into the present. It wasn't subtle, but it worked.

" Hey Jago,"

Adelle's voice caused his head to tilt towards her, noticing the flecks of brown droplets covering her datapad with an amused grin. Force, he had missed that? Shame.

" Lita doesn't do parties does she?"

An anvil dropped into his stomach, proceeded to spin around thrice, and then rest uncomfortably on its side.

" Uhwhatnow?"

He strode hastily across the room to her, practically tearing the datapad out of her hands, his eyes hungrily devouring every last word on it until he got to the two that made him wince.

Lita. Trykk.

" You've got to be joking me."

Their entire cover relied upon him acting the convincing, caring companion to Adelle as she impersonated the Governor's daughter. With Lita thrown into the mix, the woman to whom Jago actually felt love for?

But he was a Jedi. A professional. He was sure he could contain himself and get the job done. A man's life was depending on it, and a young woman had already suffered.

At least, he hoped he could keep his emotions in check.

" If she's on the list, then she's coming, Adelle," Jago observed woefully. He was delighted that he'd get to see her while on assignment ... He simply wished it had been any mission other than this one.

" She's not one to miss an engagement if she's been committed to it, whether by her hand or otherwise. This ... This complicates things ..."

Jago took a deep breath, handing the datapad back to Adelle and slumping into a chair next to her. His fingers tapped lightly against his cup of caf, exhaling slowly as he pictured what this might mean.

" We can trust her," he said slowly, " She wouldn't do anything to mess this up. She knows what we do for a living; she'd be more than aware of what was going on."

He nodded to no one in particular, as if affirming to himself that his words were true.

" She I trust. You, I trust. Some of these other people, though ..."

Jago shook his head, avoiding Adelle's eyes. He was ... ashamed.

" You may end up watching my back more than I yours, Adelle."~

~ Thirteen years ago.

Had it really been that long? How much further would he carry this unease about even setting foot on Corellia? Still, at least she was able to understand his anxiety. It seemed like she had looked him up after Coruscant, as well. In truth, it surprised him that she was still able to see him as a Jedi after going over his record. He knew it wasn't pretty: never had been. What his CorSec file failed to mention was that for as much harm as he had caused, he had been single-handedly responsible for weakening one of the major gangs that plagued Coronet. His cold blooded murder of Scur Ja'aldaan, the self-titled Khoehng of Crime in Coronet, destabilized a mob syndicate so badly that it never truly recovered and, within only two years later, had been wiped off the face of the planet by CorSec.

Should've never made me kill that kid, you miserable sonofa-

No. That was a different life, a different person. He was better now. Or so he told himself.

" Your lot may have forgotten about it, cheeka," he agreed with her initially, leaning back in his chair and tapping his temple twice with a sad smile.

" But this doesn't."

He sighed into his caf, taking a long drink. The steam wafted away much like he wished his memories would of the old, unhappy, faraway things in his life. He forced a grin.

" You know, you could always turn me in," he teased, " You'd be set for the rest of your life. What's the bounty by this point? Last I remembered it was around ... Two hundred fifty kay? Three hundred? You'd be a CorSec hero."

Jago could only laugh into his cup. If he didn't laugh, he would be crying. It was easier this way. Much easier.

He cleared his mind, taking a moment to close his eyes and reflect. When he opened them again, the distance in them was gone. Back was Jago Pulastra, Jedi Sentinel of The Order, ready to stop an assassin who thought he was going to pull one over on two warrior monks with a habit of pulling the impossible out of their cargo holds.

" So! Aside from my sorta-girlfriend showing up, did you learn anything else from the guest list? Any last-minute additions that look suspicious, anyone that seems like they're a plant there on behalf of someone else?"~

~ Hah! No.

For a Jedi, Adelle would be more than able to feel the tension that immediately consumed Jago upon seeing the officer who was to be his instructor. He had met him once. Once. For ... ten minutes? Tops? In that short time, Heren Bastiel had made an enemy of the young Jedi Master, a feat that Jago found quite impressive. Normally, he gave people at least a second chance. For this man? He was sure he had seen all there was to Adelle's father, and not one bit of it did he like. Not the way he treated his wife, especially not the way he treated his daughter.

A large part of it had to do with Jago's naive concept of what a "family" was. Having been raised by pirates, thieves, murderers, and gangsters, the Jedi had a strange, completely biased notion that families were like the ones you saw in HoloVids: they argued and disagreed, for sure, but they also shared meals together, they talked and laughed, they looked out for each other. It was practically half the reason he fought so hard as a spiritual warrior in the first place: to make sure another Jago Pulastra didn't happen. So that kids could go to sleep, safe and sound in their homes, knowing their mother and father were right next door and would be when they awoke.

Heren shattered every last idea of that. Heren challenged what it meant to be a Jedi to Jago. It was ... insulting, to think that one man, one ignorant, angry man could make the Jedi Master doubt.

Maybe his actions were meaningless. Maybe the lives he defended weren't worth saving. Maybe the lives he took didn't deserve to depart. A small piece of him sorely wished that Major Bastiel was one of the CorSec agents he had put into the ground thirteen years ago.

But those were the thoughts of an angry, young man, who hadn't had every aspect of his virtues already sorely tested, and proved his soul to be stronger. Better. He was a Jedi; He was a professional. Personal disputes served no place here. Jago didn't come here for CorSec, and he sure as Chaos didn't come for Heren. Adelle had asked for his assistance, admitted that he was someone she put her trust into.

He wasn't about to abuse that. Not by a long shot.

So, he swallowed his pride (surface thoughts still boiling but kept from bubbling over) and stepped forward, doing the gentlemanly thing and offering his hand to the elder Bastiel. An open palm: an offer of peace, at least for the sanctity of getting the job done and getting it done right the first time. He had dealt with plenty of people before that he didn't personally like. Heren was not the first, and he wouldn't be the last. As it stood, Jago was an ambassador of The Jedi Order. His demeanor, words, and actions reflected all Jedi, everywhere. He couldn't let them down. Ever the diplomatic epitome, he put on a small, warm smile.

" Major Bastiel," Jago greeted him with ease in his tone, choking down the strain and venom he would have enjoyed spitting at him instead.

" Good to be working with you."

And hopefully for the last time.~

~ " Adelle mentioned something about dancing back on Yavin Four ..."

Jago rubbed his chin thoughtfully, wondering just what he did remember. He assumed that, as they were attending a rather large and prominent gala in their undercover disguises, dancing would have to be part of that. He'd have to play the role of gentleman courtier, and a piece of that acting job would most certainly be gracefulness on the dance floor. Typical, he mused: he spent the majority of his life with rigorous training to be in peak physical condition, and the social elite got to drink and play to classical music.

How boring that sounded to him. Jago felt far more comfortable in hectic action than he ever did socializing, his own personal charm notwithstanding. Just because he was good at something didn't mean he necessarily enjoyed it. And yet, the last time he had danced, Jago remembered being quite fond of it. There was a rhythm to it, almost like studying a lightsaber form: there were steps and cadences, proper pivots, your partner following your movements and matching them in kind. It was ... rather fun.

" I had to learn a bit of ballroom dancing on Procopia, in the Tapani Sector," he admitted, wracking his brain a bit.

" A ... two-step waltz? Annnnd ... I think they called it a 'tango', of some sorts. Lots of sudden twists and turns, very close to your partner. But that was awhile ago. I might remember a bit."

He thought better on that. Reconsidered. Humbled himself.

" But you might as well treat me like I'm entirely new at this. Start with the basics: I'm a fast learner."~