Act III – Digestion break

Dramatis personae:

Aristocra Chaf'orm'bintrano (Formbi): Envoy of the Fifth Ruling Family of the Chiss People

Chaf'ees'aklaio (Feesa): Formbi's adjutant and niece

Luke Skywalker: Grandmaster of the New Jedi Order.

Mara Skywalker: Jedi Knight, former Hand of the late Emperor and now wife of Luke Skywalker – like Luke she was invited personally by Aristocra Formbi to guard the mission.

Bearsh: According to his own words Steward of the Last Geroons, who has invited himself and his people to this mission by himself – and Aristocra Formbi did not object

Estosh: A very young specimen of Steward Bearsh

Purpsh: Also a specimen of Steward Bearsh. He is spoken mostly of, but one time in this act he has a short appearance. Knowers know where.

Dean Jinzler: Alleged Ambassador of the New Republic, but the Jedi know better. He too had invited himself to this mission – and Aristocra Formbi did not object.

A short while later the dinner has ended and everybody heads towards his or her cabin. With the exception of Jinzler, who is strolling around the quarter deck. He enters an empty cabin and looks out into hyperspace. Estosh approaches to give him some company.

Estosh: „What do you do here, Ambassador?"

Jinzler: „I have to recover from all that praise hymns on Grandadmiral Thrawn."

Estosh (curious): „Why that?"

Jinzler: „Thrawn have had bombarded Outbound Flight. My sister was killed that time."

Estosh: „Alas, you're not the only one."

Jinzler: „I always have to think on Lorana. You must know, I did envy her very much, because my parents did like her so much more than me. I was just a simple Mechatronic, but Lorana was a Jedi Knight! That was so unjust! It wasn't my fault, that my Midichlorian count was too low to join the elevated Order of the Jedi. Each time, when I didn't make things as my parents had wished me to, they told me: "Lorana would have made it much better than you! Lorana would never have said or done such!" Lorana, Lorana, Lorana! I hated my sister! But then, before the start of Outbound Flight, She did say farewell to me in such a sad way. She had such grief in her eyes. That was the moment, when I asked myself for the very first time, if I perhaps was unfair to her."

Estosh (sighs and thinks): 'Humans!'

Jinzler: „But I keep talking about me and my sister all the time. But what about you, Estosh? You are still very young, but certainly you also did lose somebody, when I just think about that old, rusty ship, with which you and your specimen are under way for such a long time as refugees."

Estosh: „Most of my family are dead."

Jinzler (full of compassion): „Oh, I feel so sorry for you. Jest let me hug you to make it easier."

Estosh (thwarting): „Oh no, that's not necessary - not at all."

Jinzler: „I have to insist. Especially people, who are always so distanced need it most. Exactly this I did learn from Lorana. I should have been more open to her that time. But now I will make amendments for my mistakes of that time."

Jinzler embraces Estosh brotherly and hugs him sincerely. Estosh's arm is squeezed that way, that the Schostri-Bees, hidden there, go panicking and start to hum. Then they do sting Estosh.

Estosh (coughing for air): „I really do appreciate this, Ambassador. But … please excuse me."

The alleged Geroon leaves the cabin flight-like and heads to the Geroon's shuttle. Jinzler is going outside, wondering about what happened, to spot a shadow, which sneaks along the floor and disappears.

Later on the alleged Geroon ship

Bearsh: „Hi young one. What happened? Did Jinzler cause any problems?"

Estosh (agitated): „I don't want to be part of this anymore! I'm so sick of that whole masquerade as Geroons!"

Bearsh: „Just relax, young one. Everything is allright. Purpsh is back and he did install the sender aboard the Chaf Envoy, so that our fleet may follow. And now cool down, you are quite red in your face!"

Estosh (angry): „I'm not angry! That silly ambassador did hug me out of a palooza of compassion and meanwhile the Schostri-Bees did sting me! … Ahhhh … it is so aching!"

Bearsh: „Then we apply some cooling cream and everything will be allright soon."

Estosh: „No, it's not! I'm allergic against the stinges of Schostri-Bees! I could die, before our new Empire will arise yet!"

Bearsh (touching his spalted chin, then smiles): „In that case we don't need to shoot you down in the following part of the plan, young one."

Estosh (flabbergasted): „What?!"

Bearsh (unfazed): „You just pull youself together and then you enter the Chaf Envoy again! There you tell them, unknown persons did assail you and stinged you with an exotic bio-weapon. That will cement our humble victim role here and you will stay at the Medi-station of the Chiss, until our fleet arrives and you can take over the Chaf Envoy."

Estosh (whiny): „And what if the Chiss don't have an antidote?"

Bearsh (smiles fatherly with both mouths): „Then you let call for me."

Estosh: „Aye, aye, General Bearsh!"

Estosh is about to leave for the Chaf Envoy, but Bearsh is holding him back.

Bearsh: „Young one, before going to the Chiss, you should remove that Schostri-Bee colony from your arm. It will make us look bad, when the Chiss will examine your body and find them there."

Estosh (hits his forehead with his hand, that the Schostri-Bees do hum again): „Of course, General Bearsh!"

Later, after Estosh did head for the Chiss's medi-station without the Schostri-Bees to get his cure.

Luke and Mara Skywalker are in their cabin and discuss the exciting day.

Mara (reproachful): „Luuuuuke!"

Luke: „I don't like it when you stretch the u in my name like this and you exactly know why."

Mara (even more reproachful): „Why after the dinner you went to the shuttle of the Geroons, instead of coming to me directly?"

Luke: „But dear, you know why. I go through with Steward Bearsh all the planets of the New Republic, where the last of his people could possibly settle down, after their home planet was ravaged by the invasion of the Vagaari and became uninhabitable."

Mara: „That's not the whole truth!"

Luke: „O.k., I do admit: I just like the company of these people. They are so simple, straightforward and so sincere! Steward Bearsh is telling such thrilling stories and legends, while a firy drink is proffered. And his Geroon audience is going along with it so passionately. It is like that time on Tatooine, where that story-teller came to the Tosche-Station and everyone listened to him, while sipping on one's stimcaf."

Mara (pissed off): „Of course, I just forgot about, that you are but a gruff country bumpkin from Tatooine. No wonder you like it in such a pittoresk environment."

Luke: „It was just a pity, that Purpsh wasn't present this time. Usually he underlayed musically Steward Bearsh's stories with such a plucking instrument. That time we just had a drummer, but it was still very nice."

Mara: „Yaya, I still have to remember that explosion aboard the Chaf Envoy two days ago, when you did board the shuttle of the Geroons for the first time."

Luke: „Can it be that you just begrudge me this pleasure? Just come with me next time."

Mara (contorting her face): „After what you have told me? On such a sloppy ship, which is a mockery on any savety regulation? Well, in former times under Palpatine …!"

Luke (raising his hand): „Yes, I know: Under Palpatine everything was clean and neat! And Palpatine hated Non-Humans! Is it about that?!"

Mara (stretching out her hands denying): „No, no! Certainly not!"

Luke (conciliating): „Actually the Vagaari cakes at Formbi's dinner were quite tasty."

Mara: „Luke, something isn't right."

Luke: „Yes, I can feel it too."

Mara: „Somebody here is not what he pretends to be."

Luke (scratching his head): „About Jinzler whe know already that he is no ambassador. Well, the Chiss seem to be kind of strange."

Mara: „Especially Aristocra Formbi and his adjutant Feesa! When I was aboard the Chimaera, Grandadmiral Thrawn did never talk that ordinary about feces."

Luke: „Did you have dinner with Thrawn?"

Mara: „No, why that?"

Luke: „Then you can't know if Thrawn wouldn't have talked there about feces either."

Mara: „But something else isn't right! Somebody here at the Chaf Envoy is lying the hell out of it!"

Luke: „Then let's expand into the force to see, what the force will tell us."

Mara: „We'll do as you say, darling!"

Luke und Mara Skywalker expand into the force and meditate. After five minutes they end with their meditation.

Mara: „Now I do know, what's not right."

Luke: „So what is it?"

Mara: „Aristocra Formbi in truth is a clone of Grandadmiral Thrawn!"

Luke: „But that would mean, that Thrawn is on our side now, because he asked for our help during this mission."

Mara: „Well, you're right. What a character developement!"

Luke (embraces her): „Then everything is allright, darling!"

Aristocra Formbi and Feesa in the meeting room.

Formbi: „So what I could scheme else, to lure the Vagaari out finally? Sometimes I have the feeling, they are really Geroons and Car'das did lie to us that time. No Vagaari could take so many humiliations as I did inflict on them aboard our ship!"

Feesa: „What is also very suspicios. I really feel uncomfortable to say that, uncle, but I believe that your plan has failed."

Formbi: „But what shall we do now? Estosh has recovered, but I feel worse and worse. And now we have that cable crawlers on board, which do nibble trough our cables. They weren't present before the journey. I know, it was the Vagaari, but I don't have any proofs to use against them!"

Feesa: „I can't stand that game of cat and mouse anymore! That Estosh is unnerving me so much! He always looks at me contemptuously, whenever he sees me. I believe, Estosh does harbor contempt against women in general!"

Formbi (shrugging): „Well, my dear niece, to look on a Chiss contemptuously is not an official assault on the Chiss. Thus my hands are bound. Next time you look back contemptuously too."

Feesa (unnerved): „I did do that. Then Estosh did smile sleaziously and asked me, if I do this always when I like a boy. It is bad enough to hear that once, but out of his two mouths in two voices, was just too much!"

Formbi (wondering): „But ... Feesa! I did not know, that you have such exotic biases concerning men."

Feesa stomps with her foot angrily and is storming out of the meeting room. As soon as she had left, Formbi is rubbing his hands. Now the air is so full of tension, that the Vagaari will commit a mistake for sure and rat out themselves. But that does not happen. Thus Aristocra Formbi has to be patient, until they reach that little asteroid with the remains of Outbound Flight.