Past Redemption: Jaina's Quest
Chapter 2A week later, Jaina entered the cockpit to check on the time. Two hours left.
"Finally." She said to herself. Long space voyages were always boring. Long space voyages with no one to talk to…not even a droid? She hoped she would never have to do it again.
"But, in all probability, I'll have to do it again on the return trip." She thought…then sighed.
She settled down and accessed the info on the Targon system that she had downloaded before departing Yavin.
Unfortunately, there wasn't much more than what Liam had told them. It had started as a smuggler's layover, prospered under the Empire, found itself on hard times under the New Republic until some precious minerals had been discovered, and now they are trying to go legit. Pretty much as Liam had said. About the only new info she had discovered was its location and the fact that Targon V was the only inhabitable planet in the 14 planet system.
She sighed again, and turned her attention to her meditations.
They had been bothering her lately, only because she couldn't understand them.
She would find herself alone in a mist, then attacked by three black clouds. Sometimes she would be able to fight them off, sometimes not.
But, even when she was able to successfully defend herself, she wasn't comforted (as one is supposed to be from meditations). No, she would awake sweating and breathing hard.
She had been having these visions for over two weeks now, and she wasn't any closer to deciphering them than she had been after the first time she had them.
The timer buzzed at her, indicating she was three minutes away from exiting hyperspace.
She set aside her thoughts and settled into the pilot's chair, then caught herself about to ask her R2 unit for a status update.
She laughed and grabbed the controls as the view from her cockpit window reverted back into normal space, with a planet that appeared to be about a foot in diameter (indicating she was about thirty minutes from it) in front of her. One glance at the navicomp confirmed that she had arrived at Targon V.
She was about to order the computer to begin a search for landing zones when her communications computer buzzed, signaling that it was receiving an automated guidance beacon, directing her to the planet's only site equipped to handle interstellar ships…at least legal ones.
Although she laughed at that last, she still found it odd that a planet that size would only have one civilian spaceport.
"Oh well." She thought. "I guess any questions I have will be answered soon enough."
She set the controls to autopilot and ordered them to follow the beacon, then sat back and planned her actions for the remainder of the day (the beacon had informed her it was late afternoon, local time, where she would be landing). She would ensure the shuttle was refueled, resupplied, and the "used" water tank was emptied. Once completed, she would look for a hotel.
She suddenly realized that the presence of only one spaceport make actually make her mission easier than she had anticipated, simply because any wanted person (such as Liam's informant) would probably sustain themselves in and around spaceports…"marks" would be easier to come by there than around the neighborhoods where "locals" resided…and it would be easier to make any necessary escapes if he stayed near the spaceport.
She smiled at the irony of that last. "I guess it didn't work out the way he hoped." She thought.
Once checked in to a hotel, she would find the nearest restaurant and splurge. Although the rations she had been provided for travel were physically able to sustain her…they left a lot to be desired when it came to taste.
After dinner, she would get a good night's sleep and begin her mission in the morning, though she had no real plan for how to do so.
She noticed she was about to enter the atmosphere, and grabbed the controls, which caused the autopilot to disengage. She would fly the remaining few minutes to the spaceport manually, and she set aside planning out her mission to concentrate on that.
The beacon guided her to berth number 437, and she had to admit that the port was larger than she was expecting (700 berths in all, with construction currently underway to add more), and more active than she would have guessed from such an out of the way planet. As she looked around, she saw that almost every space that she could see was occupied.
She landed in the assigned berth and exited the shuttle to find a protocol droid who asked how long she would be staying and what services she would be requiring. After directing the appropriate line crews to provide the requested services, the droid provided her with a ticket and directed her to the Service Counter to sign the necessary forms and pay the required amount.
She waited until the crews were finished, then locked up and headed to the Service Counter, where she had to wait in line for half an hour before being able to talk to the representative, a rather bored looking human named "Garim", if one were to believe his nameplate.
"How may I help you?" He asked without smiling.
She smiled and handed him the ticket that the droid had given her.
"I see that you don't know how long you are staying" He said after inserting the ticket into the reader. "Weekly rate is two hundred credits, which much be paid, in full, in advance. Otherwise, twelve standard hours after the period is up, your ship will be confiscated and sold at auction."
"Kinda harsh, don't you think?" She asked.
"We get a lot of fly-offs." Was all he offered in the way of explanation.
Payment for the first week and the services Jaina had requested came to a total of 430 credits. When Jaina handed over a New Republic Government credit voucher, Garim looked at her suspiciously, then ran the number. When it came back valid…and registered to the Republic Navy (which is the department that the Academy fell under, for funding reasons), he eyed her even more curiously. Had he been in a more…reputable…space port, he would have inquired about her being in the Navy, given her youthful appearance (she was still in her flight suit, not her Jedi robes), but, in the end, he charged the voucher the required amount and handed it back.
"I hope you enjoy your stay." He told her. "Have a nice day."
"May the Force be with you." Jaina replied, more out of habit than anything else.
Garmin watched her go, and then gestured for the next in line to approach the desk.
Jaina was about to hail a taxi, but noticed a hotel across the street of a franchise she knew and enjoyed, so she headed that way.
Two hours later, she had checked in and eaten, and was currently lying in her bed, intending to plan out her steps for the following day.
The next thing she knew, it was 4 in the morning, and she looked at the clock in complete shock.
"It has been years since I slept that soundly." She thought to herself, but, since she was no longer tired, she got up, put on her robes, and did her morning meditations.
After breakfast, she sat down and made a list using the notepad available at every hotel in the galaxy.
Time of event: While she was tempted to begin her search as early as possible, the event Liam described took place at night. While she might be able to find the place it occurred during the day, she realized that her best chance of finding someone who knew about it would be after sunset.
Places: She had already determined that it likely took place near the space port, but she needed to narrow down the possibilities. Probably someplace off the beaten track…perhaps an alley, and probably in an area of…ill repute (for lack of a better phrase). She laughed when she realized that the last part could very well encompass the entire planet.
People involved: Liam had described a group of individuals attacking two people, so, most likely, she was looking for a gang. She would have to inquire about local gang activity…as least as it was 5 years ago.
She sighed, then went down to the hotel's gift shop and purchased a city map which she marked off into sections. She would cross each section off as she searched the area.
After dinner, she dressed in her robes and took a cab to that night's sector. She was dropped off in front of a diner named "Happy Hank's". Since it was still early, she decided to go inside and have a cup of coffeine in anticipation of the late night.
The man behind the bar eyed her as she walked in and took a stool near him.
"What'll it be?" he almost rudely asked.
"Coffeine." She replied, thinking that, if this was Hank…he wasn't very happy.
While waiting for her drink, she looked around. The only other two occupants that she could see where a waitress and a single customer. The customer was of a generic variety that one sees in these places all over the galaxy, but the waitress intrigued her.
She was of a species Jaina had never seen before: Humanoid in appearance, but with no hair and light green skin. But what really caught Jaina's eye was that she had four arms…which would come in handy in a busy diner…or to ward off unwanted advances (as was currently the case).
Her coffeine arrived and she turned to the barkeep. Human, about five and a half feet tall and muscular and, like the waitress, with no visible hair.
Jaina suppressed a chuckle and took a sip of her drink.
"Thank you." She told him, trying to start a conversation. "It's very good."
He just grunted and turned back to the sink to wash some glasses.
"How long have you been working here?" She asked.
"I'm the owner." He replied.
"Really?!" She did her best to sound shocked.
He just turned and stared at her.
"You must have named the place after someone else?" She continued.
"For the record," He sighed, "I am tired of your kind coming in here…looking for a thrill."
"My kind?" Jaina was completely perplexed.
"Jedi wannabes." He said.
That was the second time she had been called that, and it took every ounce of her Jedi patience not to "lash out" at him. Instead, she tossed a ten credit chip on the bar, then got up and left.
Republic Law 47329.027 sub-section D requires that all ships berthed in long term docking be checked against the Galactic Database of "fugitive" ships; i.e. stolen, used by known criminals, etc., within 48 hours of landing.
While the Targon government was fairly faithful about following the first part of the law…they gave themselves a lot of latitude about the second. As such, it was nearly two weeks before Jaina's shuttle was checked, and even then, the clerk checked it three more times before calling his supervisor, who checked it again, then contacted his friend in Planetary Security.
Lt. Terry was very anxious to learn why a shuttle assigned to the Jedi Academy was currently docked at the spaceport.
After two weeks, Jaina had developed a routine. She would get up around mid-day, do her daily exercises, eat lunch, sometimes take an afternoon nap, then eat dinner and catch a cab to wherever the next unchecked area of her map was, then return to her hotel room and start again the next day. She wished she could report to Uncle Luke that she was making progress, but that just wasn't the case.
She was even learning the cab driver's by name.
Tonight was one she had never seen before. Not only that, but he didn't act like any of the others, who were just interested in knowing where she was going and receiving their fare. This one was more alert…she would even say he seemed to possess the attitude of someone with military training.
Her senses where immediately heightened.
When the driver stopped at her destination, he reached into his jacket to get something.
"I wouldn't do that, if I were you." Jaina warned him as she tightened her grip on her lightsaber.
"Just reaching for my badge." He replied, holding it up so she could read it.
"Sgt Richard Maris." She read, "Am I supposed to be impressed?"
He turned to look at her.
"Your ship is registered to the Jedi Academy." He began. "Based on your attire, am I to assume that you are a Jedi?"
"You can assume whatever you want." She retorted. "But I am a Jedi."
"Why didn't you contact us when you arrived?" He asked.
"Excuse me?" She answered.
"We are on the same team." He continued. "If you are looking for a fugitive…we might have been able to help you."
"I'm not looking for a fugitive." She told him.
"Then…why are you here?" He asked.
"Jedi business." She said. "That's all you need to know."
"What I know," He countered, "Is every square inch of this sector. If you are searching for something, I can almost guarantee that, had you come to us, you would have already found it."
She stared at him for a few seconds before replying.
"There was an incident here, about five years ago." She finally said. "In it, an individual used an orange lightsaber. I am trying to find that individual…and I highly doubt that the incident was reported to local law enforcement." She waited a few more seconds before smiling and adding, "Now…how can you assist me?"
It was his turn to stare.
"There is someone you should meet." He told her, and then put the vehicle back in drive and pulled away from the curb…only to stop, twenty minutes later, in front of "Happy Hank's."
Hank looked up as they walked in. Because it was still early, the only other occupant in the diner was a waitress. Jaina noted she was a different one than before…though of the same species.
"Take a break, Flira." Hank told her.
Officer Maris locked the door behind Flira.
Jaina crossed her arms, placing each hand in the opposite sleeve of her robe, and secured her lightsaber.
"She has questions about Lison." Officer Maris told Hank.
"Let's talk in back." Hank replied.
They followed him to the back room. As Jaina was walking through the door, she saw Hank turn around, brandishing a pistol, and she "felt" Officer Maris, who was behind her, swinging a blunt object at the back of her head.
To Be Continued
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