[To some, this face is familiar. To others, well...you're all evil, you're probably used to seeing nightmarish abominations like giant talking brains who suddenly fill your communicator viewscreens, which she does.]

Well well well! It seems to me that the spooky little city of Everglade now has a power vacuum!

[She came back too late to catch the Guardian elections, but that doesn't mean she hasn't been waiting for the right moment to make a move. With a new city that seems crafted especially for people (?) like her, this opportunity seems downright gift-wrapped and laid neatly in front of her tank.]

First of all, allow me to introduce myself. I! Am the powerful and fantastically beautiful Mother Brain.

[A long pink tentacle emerges from one of the silvery tubes fixed to the top of the massive jar, making a beckoning little gesture.]

How about a roll call? You want in on my plans? Better introduce yourself and let me know what you're good for. If we're going to rule over this miserable little kidnapping planet, then we're going to have to band together. Those pea-brained guardians and so-called heroes have us outmatched in numbers, but not in brains!

[OOC: Overdue, but here she is! If there's a particular assignment you want her to give you from the Board of Evil Deeds, let me know OOCly! She'll want to concentrate on infiltrating Everglade and earning public trust, i.e. setting someone up as a figurehead that will eventually get elected as Guardian by staging some crimes for that person to stop, so let's do some villainous plotting!]

Why do people hate clowns so much?

[Seemed like a rather odd question, to say the least, nothing seemingly prompting it either. But it had been something that the young man had been noticing for a while and it bothered him.]

I've seen horror movies that have clowns and just there seemed to be a lot of dislike towards them and I honestly don't get why. They aren't bad, they just want to make people happy. So I guess I'm just trying to understand why.

Looks like you've got yourselves a little election running with some big problems.

Well, nobody's going to be cheating their votes on my watch. Got it?

[Cad Bane's taken the bounty for guarding the voting terminals. He'll be hanging around with blasters ready. Rig the election at your own risk.]

For those who I haven't met before, the name's Cad Bane and I have been here before. Someone saw fit to bring me back.

Let's get one thing straight. You need any bounty hunting done? You want the best job done? You come see me.

You get what you pay for.

[He knows there's other bounty hunters out there but he does arrogantly consider himself to be the best. You wanna argue about it? He'll welcome a challenge.]

[Tulip's in the commons and well the sooner she's out the better. So she's on a mission in spite of still healing.]

Going job and place hunting so sell me on your cities?

But catching a bounty by sheer dumb luck, feels like old times.

[ Genessia City;]

[ If anyone finds the sight of a guy with a mask covering half his face odd, well - Kanan's wearing a mask, so he can't tell if people are staring. Probably. What's remarkable, though, is how easily he seems to get around, despite the fact that he clearly can't see, doesn't have a cane, and is new in town. He's not running into people or objects, merely nodding his head occasionally as he passes someone, stopping at a stall selling fresh fruit at one point to sniff the wares with interest.

It's only when he stumbles over a curb that he lets out a muttered curse and tries to right himself before causing a scene. ]

Well, this is just... great.

[ Network; voice; ]

Okay, new galaxy, new planet, I got the run-down. My only question is - anyone familiar with Phoenix Squadron?

[Yesterday, Mantis had found a replacement for her broken lamp at long last. It took a while given her meager paycheck, and while a lamp would have been a nice personal touch to her dingy poorly lit motel room, it wasn't a necessity.]

[It was sheer luck that she happened to pass a garage sale, and once she learned that it was not the garage but the items on the tables next to the garage, she found the most beautiful lamp she had ever seen. The shade was fashioned out of tiffany glass in greens, blues, and purples, with little dragonflies patterned upon it. She fell in love with the lamp and bought it, carried it home, and set it up next to her bed so she could look at it when she fell asleep.]

[Then the Paperboy CAME IN THE NIGHT.]

[She awoke with a start at the sound of shattering glass, twice: once as the newspaper crashed through the dirty motel window, and again as it collided with her lamp, knocked it over, and shattered the cunning glass work. Mantis sat up in bed with a jolt, and when she saw her lamp, her antennae drooped sadly. :c]

[Outside, she can hear the hotel manager bellowing in rage. 'BUG LADY! Did you break that window?! You'll have to pay for that!']

[And just like that, Mantis is in debt. She's swept up what she could of the lamp and placed it into a paper grocery bag. Perhaps she can get it fixed. She carries it with her up and down the streets in search of a repair shop, but no one seems able to fix it. She's told to just throw it out, but she can't bring herself to do it. Where else is she going to find a lamp with dragonflies on it?]

----------------------

[VIDEO]

[Mantis looks dejected, but she's smiling as hard as she can. It...doesn't look great. The dissonance is probably a little creepy.]

I would like a temporary job to earn more money. My skills are limited, but I will do my best for you.

[She will try. She will try so hard. Success is not guaranteed.]

 [video - backdated to the Genessia Tribune]

The extensive list of bounties each week has been making an unfortunate impression on my feeling of security. The rate of violent crime in the newspaper has been unsettlingly consistent since I arrived here.

I would like to hire a private bodyguard for the rest of the week. I have the funds necessary. Please apply promptly and I will waste no time with a background check, hiring, and delivery of payment. I would like to have someone working for me by noon tomorrow. This will be a trial, as my job is busy and I require a good fit that will not frighten my fanbase. 

Thank you for your cooperation.

[action / nova city]

[All of this has been sparked by the recent bounty "Hard Drive Harvest," where someone has been stealing hard drives from androids in Nova. Unfortunately, Ai works in Nova. He has no comment on the un/fortunace of himself being an android (though, he doesn't broadcast that fact.) 

Usually, Ai is calm and level-headed when he's traveling between jobs. He likes the alone time and uses the walks or bus rides to listen to his music. But with that bounty out, he's more jumpy than unusual. Rather than ignore people who stare too much or get too close, Ai bluntly addresses them today. Not fearfully, persay, but definitely with some caution.]

What do you want? [You're not going to hurt him, are you?]

[Behold, a man in his forties wearing a very dapper blue coat and trilby combination, strolling through Genessia City.

He seems to have all of the new-arrival gear with him as he's glancing about, though he doesn't seem confused or ill at ease. If anything, he has the air of being utterly fascinated by the city surrounding him. When he speaks, he's smiling, giving a faint air of playfulness in his tone of voice.]

Well then. I certainly don't believe I expected to be whisked off out of the blue quite like this. Or at least, rather, if it was going to happen, I wouldn't have expected to be somewhere quite so vast and interesting. What a curious place this is.

And what a curious device this is as well! It's rather convenient, I must say, being able to simply send one's face and voice out to the pockets of everyone in the entire city. I do hope anyone watching this might be able to give me some helpful information about this strange land I seem to have appeared in.

[With a slightly more serious tone, he asks:]

And I must ask if it is true that no one is quite aware of how to leave this place. I do think my students and fellow teaching staff would be rather put out if I simply stopped showing up to class.

Ahsoka stepped confidently through the portal out of the World Between Worlds, the convor she called Morai fluttering just above her -

- and found herself on her back, cushioned inside a silver ovoid, groggy as if she'd been drugged.

Using the Force, she leapt from the odd bed, landing a few feet away, lightsabers drawn but not activated. She was in some sort of cavern, but definitely not the Sith Temple at Malachor, and Morai was nowhere to be seen. Nor was the portal still open behind her, for a quick duck back and another attempt. A small box clattered to the ground, spilling open. She bent to examine the contents: a necklace, a flat glass rectangle, a jaggedly-cut piece of metal, and a pamphlet.

WELCOME TO GENESSIA

Sinister, but oddly polite? And likely this sort of arrival was a regular thing: why have all this prepared for a single accident from a mystical portal only a handful of Jedi and Sith had ever known of?

Since there was really nowhere in the galaxy but the ruins of an ancient Sith temple where it was at all safe to be seen with a not-red lightsaber, she secreted her weapons away, tugged her tunic down, and walked out of the room.

Having been undercover on dozens of worlds, she knew the drill: keep a steady pace, don't let your gaze linger too long on anything, keep your story simple and as close to the truth as possible. Time to be "Ashla" again, at least until she could connect back up with the Resistance.

She left the room, noted the rack of flimsy brochures, and activated the holographic display - something familiar, at least!

"Hello, my name is Weiss Schnee..."

Ahsoka - Ashla for the duration - read through the flimsies, settled on Nova City as the most likely place to find the resources to get herself out of this - collective kidnapping? harvesting? highly detailed hallucination? - and back to the people who counted on her.

She clasped the necklace around her neck under her montrals, and stepped out into Nova City.

(A slender, white figure is sitting on the shore of a peaceful river. She is dripping wet, her knees drawn up to her chest. Warily, she glances at her communicator, pushing back her thick mane of white hair absently.)

You mustn't move too much or too fast in this heat. When you feel overwhelmed, find the shade of a tree or cool water.

(Amalthea closes her eyes and stretches out in the grass, resting on her side.)

This forest is like mine. I could rest...

(If her skin wasn't so sensitive to sunlight...bugs... How do humans stand it?)

Does anyone remember me?

Who here would call themselves a professional bounty hunter?

FAMA LOBBY

While she doesn’t visit the office very often, she’s always ready to take advantage of the large airy lobby on days when she is around to meet up with her agent. This morning in particular, she’s poised, leaning forward on her elbows against end of a long white counter, ceramic latte tumbler in hand and script bright on the screen of her tablet as she swipes through the pages.

Each time the door opens, there’s a fair chance she’ll take a glance over her shoulder. Should it not be her agent, she simply gives a welcoming smile and turns back to her business, if they choose to go about their day. Should they choose to approach, however, they’ll have her full attention. After all, she’d really like to meet more of the talent represented around here…

FAYREN BEACH
Feet bare up and lightweight cardigan billowing gently about her, Dove makes her way slowly up the beach as the sun sets, eyes focused on the waves as they roll toward the shore. Her week has been busy in all the best ways, but she can’t deny the draw of a peaceful oceanside evening and a chance to clear her mind. It’s been raining, she’s been told, but the break in the weather seems perfectly timed, and the breeze tossing her hair reminds her that maybe it’s alright to slow down… even if it means being alone a little while to do so.

She really should do this more often, even if she does look a little too solemn from far off. That Light in her eyes is different, somehow, as she studies the ocean and the pull of the tide against the line of the sky in the distance. She doesn’t dare step any further into the waves- not while she’s alone, at least, and certainly not in such a state of mind…

HANGAR QUEEN

…She’s got to remember they like to play that song here.
Dove can be found sitting contently at the bar, bobbing her head and absently humming ‘Danger Zone’ as she lazily scans the crowd and stirs what’s left of her drink. She seems to be fairly mellow, but it might look like there’s a hint of mischief in her eye if one looks close enough.

AROUND TOWN
Dove never does get tired of seeing the final release of her work out in the wild. While she’s modeled for years now, she’s always curious to see what’s been done with her images or, in this case, footage.

Depending on the city, she might be found watching… well herself in the form of advertisements for various campaigns. While her Nova City appearances are sexy and playful (if, in her own mind, a bit odd), those seen in Attleton and Genessia are much warmer and relaxed.

Regardless of the promotion, she’s likely to be caught shaking her head or nodding in approval, should anyone catch her critiquing the editors choices… and her own performance and looks.

Who: Cad Bane, Faye Valentine & Gale Reinhardt
What: On a bounty hunt
Where: Genessia City
Warnings: Possible violence

( Meeting outside a club )

What can anyone tell me about the old Nova Trade Academy? You know the one that's currently in ruins with cryptic messages on its walls?

And is anyone conducting explosive science experiments nearby?

[When the feed clicks on, an unfamiliar face of what appears to be a kid no older than 13 or 14 with glasses lenses resting on his nose but with no visual frames for them to be attached to. When he speaks, its with a tone that feels more mature than should be coming from such a young person. He was meditating on a rooftop with his device in his lap looking up at him, betraying no hint of his location, just sky behind him.]

I have questions for anyone with any authority in this place, primarily regarding the bounty hunting work that I've seen mentioned in a few places.

[The feed cuts on, even though there isn't much to see, except a cloud of smoke. The loud scraping of a window opening and then some stumbling and coughing and then the opening of a door and slamming behind him, at least in the hall there isn't any of the strangely coloured smoke.

Peter is coughing and gasping a little bit, looking pale like his senses are completely overloaded.]

Ah... [His voice is hoarse.]

Would anyone mind- [Cough.] if I borrowed their couch for the night?

[What science experiment gone wrong, who said he did that? Nothing out of the ordinary here at all. The feed cuts out.]

[It's dark and wind blows across the microphone of Luke's device, causing slight static. He's sitting outside, wrapped up in a dark-colored cloak and perched up somewhere high. In fact, as the device angles a bit towards his face the rest of his perch can be seen. It's a roof. The roof of the Commonspace as might be recognized by most.

Why he's up there isn't immediately apparent but he seems comfortable for the moment, his expression easy and matter-of-fact even if his face is a bit pink from the cold.]

My name is Luke Skywalker and I've just arrived as of yesterday. Thank you for welcoming me here and offering your help, to those who did so.

I'd like to reach out to anyone who might know me or my home galaxy. If the planet Coruscant is familiar to you we might have something to talk about.

[He shrugs, his expression going a bit distant.] Don't feel obligated to respond, I'm just... hoping to find some kind of connection here. Thanks.

[The video feed ends and Luke still hasn't given any indication as to why he's on the roof.]

Due to circumstances beyond my control I may have to move out of my Genessia City apartment very shortly.

So tell me, where are the best places to stay? What city do you think is the best here?

Give me the pros and cons.