"Passport please. What's the nature of your visit, Mister...Lantner?"

"Pleasure. I'm want to play in the casinos."

"How nice. How long will your visit be?"

"One night."

"Everything looks in order. Welcome to Cloud City."

Stuffing the fake ID back into his pocket he carried on down the roped queue until he was once again stopped by another team of gentlemen with hand scanners who asked him to open his coat for inspection. Like the last time he pulled it open with both hands, revealing absolutely nothing but lint and black velvet. A thin tissue of illusion hid the weapons from sight that were tucked inside the coat. Smiling and waving, they welcome him into their city.

His trademark blacks and reds were gone, and in the place of a cloak a nice jacket. Shiny half-boots, a big belt buckle, too many bracelets, and silver earrings. His long hair was pulled back into a ponytail so as it not distract from the midnight blue scarf that was vaguely draped around his neck. It had taken some scrounging around his ship to find this particular ensemble. Something he had not worn since his undercover missions with the rebel alliance alongside Ashe. That felt like a lifetime ago, and whatever sentiment that had allowed him to hold on to it had long faded away.

Zereth was not here for pleasure, not really. Still, he wasted no time making a direct path for the Cumulus Casino. A place with a sordid reputation, located on a floating city with a equally sordid reputation. Cloud City. The Jewel Of Bespin. Nothing but beautiful cloudscapes viewed through immaculately clean viewports, but turning inward all he could see was rot. There was a sickness here, hidden behind white walls and clean faces. Like a wave of clawing rats it tried to crush him under it's filth. He might not even stay the night. The very thought of sleeping here...

That was far too much planning ahead for what was in store for him. He was here on Eleutheria business, as always. A man had been spotted frequenting the Cumulus Casino with a remarkable winstreak that bordered on the supernatural. As Lilaena suspected, the man could be using the force to influence the games. He would hardly be the first. However, it was a risky thing in a place like the Cumulus. If half the stories Zereth had heard were true, then the man was likely to end up tossed into several different refuse bins across the station, or if his force power uncovered turned over to the Imperial Garrison. No doubt they would enjoy getting their hands on such an adept; unless Zereth got to him first.

It didn't take long to find the Casino. There were signs all through the city. The main floor was a cacophony of noise as hundreds clawed desperately at machines hoping to win even a percentage of what they had put into it. Such a waste. He was not here to play, but he knew it was necessary for his cover. So he flitted about the floor, playing a slot here, a few rounds of a card game there, while keeping an eye out for the man he was looking for. He didn't even have a name. Only a holo to go off of. Eventually he found the man, an hour later and two hundred credits down. At the Sabaac tables, with a cluster of fans watching, the man played his cards against the rest of the table.

Zereth joined the crowd of onlookers. Clearly they had heard of the man's reputation for winning. It gave him something to blend into. Several games transpired, and the man won many hands, and lost with grace the others. This went on for some time, and Zereth watched with his eyes just as much as he felt with is heart. There was no force here, at least none that he could detect. There was be noise, interference. He even tried to disrupt any attempts himself, but there was no telepathy to jangle or telekinesis to resist. The man was just a good player. Nothing more.

Still likely to end up dead by tomorrow, Zereth thought to himself as he stepped back from the crowd, feeling the weight of wasted time, and looking across the floor as he turned, and catching a pair of eyes looking back. A young man, red hair, defiant look in his face. There was something familiar about it, and there was something uncomfortable about how the man was looking back at him.

Oh, no...