Solasta stood inside the airlock and thrummed a low 'Mrrrr' from her throat as a means expressing her irritation while watching Gursan's ship pull away and jump to hyperspace once it had maneuvered a safe distance away from the station. Once the burst of light the ship's engines had created faded and disappeared, she put on her helmet and turned to walk towards the lifts that would take her to the station's main level.
I try to be spontaneous and let my impulses take over, and then I go and over-think it. Worse of all, Gursan completely called me out, she thought to herself.
When the lift arrived, Solasta stepped inside the empty capsule and pressed the button marked 'Main Level' before the doors closed again and she felt herself being carried up towards the heart of the station.
The lift slowed then stopped before the doors opened to a large open public area that was filled with vendor booths and a menagerie of species from around the galaxy who all seemed to be shuffling someplace without any sense of urgency. Solasta stepped out and looked around until she recognized a bright neon sign advertising holo booths. As she merged into the slow congested traffic she tightened her grip on the data pad Gursan had gave her with her left hand, while she kept her right arm pressed close against the blaster on her hip to be sure she could feel it in it's holster.
Stepping inside the holo booth, she plugged the credit stick Ypomeno gave her into the terminal and sent a message to one of the Alliance's dead-drop accounts with nothing more than her coordinates and a single use security code that would identify her as the sender. Retrieving the credit stick she realized the balance displayed on the monitor showed enough for a meal but not enough to pay for a private booth, so the Alliance better hurry if she couldn't safely take her helmet off.
As she stepped out of the booth the next patron pushed past her and she had to jump free of the door before it slammed shut behind her.
Solasta wandered around the station for nearly an hour until she found a bench with a half curled body cocooned in a mass of filthy robes, and enough space for her to sit at the person's feet. Sitting and watching the coming and goings of the space station's denizens, she let herself get lost in her thoughts.
Why would I think kissing Gursan would be a good idea in the first place? That Kasi'rit [dumbass] had me shackled and clearly isn't the same person I remember from the academy... then again, not leaving me to die or handing me over to Saresh does work in his favour I guess.
Relaxing her guard when she was certain it was safe, she began watching the holo news on the wall across from her. After the news looped almost three times there was an updated report of a brazen attack on the Eternal Emperor's treasury by a live reporter who read a prepared statement, "Last night, the treasury that funds the Eternal Empire was a target of a vicious attack by the rogue terrorist known as the Outlander who seeks to destroy our way of life and infect us with fear and chaos. Due to the Outlander's deplorable acts of terrorism, the formal gala that was planned for this week has been postponed indefinitely."
To Solasta's surprise there was a mix of cheers and derisive clamor among the people of the station and she looked around in wonder at the reactions. The person who had been sleeping on the bench next to her had sat up to watch the news bulletin and noticed her curious manner. "Confused at the reaction?" he asked.
"Yes... a little."
You must be new to the station. Welcome to the home of the lost and forgotten," the stranger said.
"The what?" asked Solasta.
"Here along the border, those who have lost most, if not everything, gather to hide from both the Eternal Empire in what you know as Wild Space, and those from the Republic and Empire in your known space. Supporters of both worlds coexisting out of necessity.
"Why doesn't someone report this to the Eternal Empire, or the Republic, or Sith Empire?" she asked.
There is a balance here that nobody wishes to upset. A direct challenge to the station by the Empire or Republic would draw the Eternal Empire's attention, and a challenge by the Eternal Empire would cast those who support it back into a life they came here to escape."
"How does one support the Eternal Empire but come here to hide from it?" asked Solasta.
"They are caught between two fears. The fear of letting go of a life they had perceived as perfect, and the fear of accepting a life where they believe they affect their own destiny."
Solasta looked at the man and noticed he was unshaven, disheveled, and his eyes betrayed a Zakuulan force user. In almost a whisper, Solasta asked, "Are you a Scion?"
The man simply smiled and said, "I am one of the lost and forgotten."
Solasta was about to speak when her attention was caught by an approaching assassination droid that paused a moment to study her.
Turning her focus to the droid instead, she shifted in her seat hoping to get in a better position in case she needed to defend herself, but the droid spoke.
"Salutation: I am HK-55. Declaration: I have been dispatched to return you to Zakuul immediately. Please follow me to my ship."
The droid turned and began to walk away. Solasta stood and adjusting her oversized armor heard the stranger said, "Good luck in your coming days," before she walked away, following HK to the shuttle bays.