A Date With Nobility

Space exploded, two new mighty shapes of matter bursting back into reality from the depths of hyperspace. Their decelleration was a blur, and for the briefest moment it looked as if they'd hurtle into an uncontrollable tumble - and yet, somehow, they remained in perfect balance, drifting in casual formation.

The largest and most imposing of the two shapes was the mighty, looming dagger of the Imperial Star Destroyer Warspite, stabbing with pristine white menace towards the rusted orb of Bespin. Dwarfed, and nestled protectively beneath the Destroyer's wing, lurked the blunt spear of a Carrack Light Cruiser, rugged and aged. Less than half the length, and a mere fraction of the volume and mass, the Cruiser Fading Sun almost escaped from notice and yet, ironically, was the more important of the two.

"Are you sure about this, sir?"

Hands clasped casually behind his desk, Ceto Rübezahl's gaze stared through the shimmering blue hologram that floated before him, his eyes instead drinking in the sights of the gas giant outside. Momentarily, he dragged them away, to focus on the projected face of Captain Stark - commander of the Warspite and, for many years, his most trusted military advisor. He offered the briefest of smiles to help asuage the Captain's concerns.

"Very sure, Captain. Taxi duty for a backwater politician is no job for a Star Destroyer." He glanced briefly to his right, where the Fading Sun's own commander was casually monitoring the sensor telemetry at an ancillary console. "No offence," he added.

The Commander quirked an eyebrow back towards Ceto. "None taken, sir."

"I still don't feel comfortable leaving you unprotected."

Ceto actually chuckled at that. "I'm sure Admiral North's Star Destroyers, and the sizeable garrison on Cloud City will be adequate, Captain." He sighed a little, having already had this particular discussion several times already over the last few weeks. "Now, get the Warspite locked down in orbit, so that crew of yours can have some much-deserved shoreleave. And once you're done reporting in to the Admiral, perhaps you can find me and cash in on that drink I owe you."

A thin, mirthless smile formed on the veteran Captain's face. "Would that be the drink for saving you at Bothawui, sir, or one of the ones from our subsequent Outer Rim skirmishes."

Ceto grinned. "All of the above, Captain." He paused, only for a moment, reaching for the comm controls. "Fading Sun out."

The hologram evaporated, and silence descended on the bridge again, the officers who had been trying to covertly eavesdrop on the conversation between Moff and Captain now trying in earnest to look as if they'd been performing their proper duties the whole time. Remaining silent, the Commander merely took a casual step closer, assuming - correctly - that he would be the next to recieve orders.

"Prepare a shuttle, Commander," Ceto instructed, eyes once again mesmerised by the swirling clouds of Bespin. "I have a date with nobility."

The view from the offices of the Baroness Administrator was stunning. Located at the colonies pinnacle, the balcony permitted an unhindered view of the cloud space that surrounded the city. With postcard-perfect blue sky and ever-fluffy clouds before you, it was almost possible to forget that Cloud City was in effect a glorified mining colony. The wealth of the tibanna industry had drawn hundreds upon thousands of businessmen, reputable and otherwise, to Bespin and for years depravity spread throughout the lower levels – but no more.

Even as she stood surveying the picturesque vista before her, the sky only marred by the presence of the shadows of star-ships high above, Sanya knew that agents of the Empire were scouring even the darkest corners of Cloud City. Her eyes tracked the progress of a shuttle as it emerged from cloud cover and she knew, somehow, that another of the Empress' servants would soon be arriving.

Ceto descended the shuttle's ramp with a casual swagger, eyes drinking in the sights presented to him. It seemed counterintuative that the skies above Cloud City should appear so crystaline blue when from orbit, the planet seemed to resemble a dusty red.

Luckily for him - or unluckily, given your perspective - the shuttle pilot allocated to this particular flight was one of the more talkative variety, and had been kind enough to inform him that because of the angle at which sunlight was striking the planet, the red light was bouncing off the atmosphere - lending its colour to the outside observer - while the blue was permitted to filter through. At least, that's as much of the explanation that Ceto could recall; science had never really been his strong point, but it had seemed like a useful enough piece of trivia to impress the ladies with at some point in the future, and so he'd filed a nominal explanation away in the back of his mind.

He noted the uniforms of the guards who had come to greet him: members of Cloud City's civilian security force, rather than of the Imperial Garrison stationed here. Both answered to the Baroness Administrator of course, but he allowed himself a brief appreciative smile that these had arrived rather than their Stormtrooper kin; it was nice to pretend that he was stepping into a civilian settlement, rather than the Imperial stronghold that Cloud City had effectively become.

He allowed himself to be led down the curving corridors of Cloud City, and caught a glimpse of himself in a mirrored wall that reflected the view from the cloudscape beyond. After a year spent touring the Hydian Way as an Ambassador of the Empress, he looked - and felt - a little odd dressed in the military greys of an Imperial Moff. Unfortunately, his first encounter with Sanya Tagge was one of those occasions where he should at least make the effort to look the part; given his track record, and Tagge's personal connection to the Empress, his attitude and performance would no doubt work its way back to Miranda Tarkin in a much more direct and efficient way than mere gossip and hearsay.

To that end, he allowed himself a moment to compose himself, taking a deep breath and smoothing down the front of his uniform, before stepping through the door into her offices.

Light streaming through the window behind her framed the Baroness - her silohuette sleek in an Aeien silk tunic – as she rose from a couch to greet her guest with a smile that touched her eyes.

“Moff Rübezahl. Welcome to Cloud City. Are you well?"

Ceto offered an easy smile; modest and restrained, just like the rest of the image he he radiated. He fell into a relaxed yet formal stance, and settled his gaze on the Baroness with calm confidence, making a conscious effort not to pay too much attention to Tagge's flawless fashion choice of the day.

"As well as can be expected after so long spent under the graces of Naval hospitality," he replied, his tone light enough to make it clear that his complaint was in jest - or at least mostly: the Imperial Navy was hardly renowned for it's provision of opulent passenger accommodations aboard military vessels.

He threw a slight gesture in Sanya's direction. "The cloudscape suits you," he offered: a casual compliment offered without too much flirtation, though it did carry a slight hint of Ceto's infamous suave and charm. "Though a little extreme as fashion accessories go, perhaps?"

Rübezahl's wit elicited a sparkle of laughter from the Baroness.

“I wanted an ur-diamond ring for my birthday, but all I got was this tibanna refinery. Evidently I shall have to be far less subtle about what I want in the future, lest I find myself in possession of another mining colony and with no return receipt.”

As she strode smoothly past Ceto - her gaze trailing over him just long enough to take in the sharp cut of his suit and his handsome features - Sanya gestured over her shoulder with a flutter of her fingertips, towards the couch that she had been perched so elegantly upon moments ago.

“Please, sit. Would you care for something to drink?”

"After a long-haul hyperspace trip like that, I most certainly would," he replied with a curl of a smile. He offered a gracious bow of his head in her direction. "Dealer's choice."

A three-way battle raged within Ceto: between the tactical mindset drilled into him by his father, the social graces impressed upon him by his mother, and the understanding of politics and diplomacy that his life thus far had given him. The gentleman in him was reluctant to sit while the lady was still standing, and the tactician implored him not to surrender the high ground; the diplomat meanwhile insisted that it would be politically unwise to decline her invitation.

Choosing to concede to all three, he made his way towards the sofa as slowly as decorum would allow, pacing himself so that he had only just begun to sit as turned back towards him. "Have you begun to miss the Core yet," he asked casually, "Or has the novelty of being out here not yet worn off?"

“I spent my time as a monitor for the Coalition of Progress in the Auril Sector. A number of years in fact... tasked with the sole purpose of suppressing... novelty.”

As she spoke, Sanya removed the stopper from a bottle of Bespin Port and decanted a small measure into two glass tumblers. Though it went unseen by Ceto, with her back turned to him, she punctuated the word 'novelty' with a lift of both thin eyebrows. With their drinks prepared, she returned the stopper to its rightful place and returned to Ceto's side, offering him a tumbler as she took her place on the couch.

“That's the trouble with the Outer Rim territories. Too much novelty, wouldn't you agree?”

Ceto offered a careful frown. "Novelty is not without it's value," he countered slowly, much thought put into his choice of words.

"I was in the Bothan Sector prior to it's -" he tried to find the least uncomfortable word for it. "- conquest. When surrounded by such a marked lack of humanity, it can be decidedly difficult to instill a sense of what is right and proper upon the local populace. A little novelty to sate the masses is sometimes enough of a concession to help speed things along."

He breathed in the scent of the fortified wine, letting the aroma linger on his palette before allowing himself a taste. His attention glanced back to the Baroness. "On the other hand, it is sometimes wiser to simply beat the novelty out of them through force of arms. That was unfortunately not an option available to me on Bothawui; perhaps had it been, I would find myself somewhere else right now."

His charming smile returned, another sip of drink taken before he spoke again. "I doubt I would be enjoying the view quite as much, however."

Sanya took only the smallest of sips. The taste of her predecessors beverage of choice had taken some getting used to, but she was beginning to like it. Though she couldn't allow herself to relax completely in front of this stranger, Sanya reclined against the arm of the couch and shared his smile with a practiced look of her own.

“Is that why you've come to Cloud City, then? To take in the sights?”

A wryness crept into Ceto's expression, almost turning it into a smirk. "Unfortunately not," he admitted, eyes fixing on her over the rim of his glass. "Though there are certain things I wouldn't mind coming back to see in a... less official capacity."

He let the statement hang in the air; a casual, harmless flirtation. By his measure, it hardly counted as a conversation if such things weren't uttered, and he would have said something to any woman; that the Baroness was such an enticing example of such was merely a fortunate perk.

A frown crossed his features. Unfortunately her question had steered them in the direction of business, and that always seemed to be a sure-fire way of ruining a perfectly good conversation. He allowed himself another sip, mustering the resolve and willpower to stop being Ceto the minor celebrity, and start being Ceto the Moff.

"I have spent the last two years as a special envoy on behalf of the Empress, trying to secure the loyalties of independent systems in the north-east corner of the galaxy. Now, she has asked me to do the same here, in the Greater Javin."

He tilted his glass slightly; an approximation of a shrug. "I'm sure you're aware how lawless parts of the Anoat Sector in particular can get. While you work to restore the Empire's authority on Bespin, I am tasked with helping to restore it in the surrounding space."

His arm came to rest against the back of the sofa, fingertips turning the glass slowly; his gaze however was fixed constantly on Sanya. "I have access to a Sectors-worth of Coalition funding; you control one of the most iconic localles for a hundred lightyears. Perhaps we might find cooperation to be mutually beneficial?"

Sanya offered no comment on Rübezahl's mention of visiting in a 'less official capacity.' She smiled nonetheless, letting Ceto draw whatever conclusion he would from her silence. It was, she had been taught, always better to say nothing at all than to say something that might risk offence.

Their shared goal was, however, a far more agreeable topic of discussion.

“How might I be of assistance?”

He made a vague gesture with his hand. "Even a token gesture of cooperation between us would go a long way to resolving some of Greater Javin's troubles. Bespin is an economic powerhouse; just knowing you're onboard with our restoration and rebuilding efforts will swing a lot of indecisive opinions in the Empire's favour."

He glanced out of the window, eyes sweeping across glistening towers of Cloud City's sunlit upper levels. It was a far cry from the rural backwaters of the Outer Rim he'd been forced to frequent of late; and the architecture was so wonderfully human, with none of the strange constructs that had made his eyes so sore back on Bothawui.

"I'd also like to look into renting office spaces on Cloud City, with your permission," he added. "Officially I am supposed to be based on Isde Naha; but I might as well be on Coruscant for all the proximity and class that backwater will give me. Being able to use Bespin as middle ground would help my negotiations considerably -"

He took a sip of his drink. "And perhaps in return I can arrange to have sector resources relocated to Cloud City, to help support your own law enforcement and economic efforts."