Callista stirred, and turned over groaning. The midday sun shone through the window, warming her face. She faintly recalled last night, and sat up, stretching sore muscles. Could one really be this sore from mental exercises?
"Breakfast jijtchi!" Xan called suddenly, as if he knew she was up. "Hit the fresher then come down." She let out a muffled groan, and got up, shuffling to the 'fresher. Her robed were rumpled, and she hung them to steam while she used the 'fresher. The hot water worked miracles for her aching muscles, and to clear the fog from her brain.
Xan was going through reports on the kitchen table where he had placed the morning's meal of nausage and grillcakes amidst flimsies and holo reports. A few minutes later, Callista padded barefoot into the kitchen, toweling her hair dry as she went, She noticed the reports strewn on the table. "What's all that?" she asked curiously.
"The day's news around the Empire....intelligence version. Care to read?" he asked. She gave him a long look. "You sure looking at that this early won't ruin my appetite?"
Xan frowned and replied. "It may..."
She sat down. "What's the situation?" "Empire to begin regular patrols in Outer Rim. Troops levels continue to rise. Hapan intelligence."
"Wait... I thought the Hapans kept to themselves..."
"For the most part, yes...but they have important trade routes with the Outer Rim....this affects them or they wouldn't report it" He frowned "Needless to say but things are continuing to get worse." She looked over at him, picking at her breakfast knowing she should eat. "Where do we come in...?"
"Naboo is situated in the Outer Rim, jijtchi. Our situation could become compromised."
"Fierfek...."
"See what excitement I got you into...you're one of us now." Xan said in order to lighten the mood.
"Great, thanks ever so much..." She waved her fork in a threatening manner.
"Well today you'll get to see the type of role you will have. From this moment on you are a Jedi in the service of intelligence," he said seriously. "You already have begun that journey."
"I have...?"
'The moment you chose to join me and leave Corellia," he said, waiting for her reaction.
"Oh...." She focused on eating for a few moments, trying to gather her thoughts.
"Out of a sense of morbid curiosity... what would you have done if I had stayed behind....?" she asked softly.
"Would you've wanted me to stay there as well?" he asks curiously.
"No.....I had plenty of problems....wouldn't have needed someone shadowing me all the time...." She smiled to soften the jibe a little.
"Well I would've made sure you were safe...I'm not about to lose a force sensitive and I'm glad I didn't have to make that choice." He said his face awash with pride in her strength. "And then again you lasted this long."
She flushed a little. "I did what I had to in order to stay alive..."
"And believe me I know what that's like," he nodded.
Callista nodded quietly. "Yeah.....Any more of those reports? And you said something about me being in the service of Intelligence...what exactly does that mean....?"
"Bounty hunters, Imperial personnel....so on..." he says straight. "These become your contacts....We go into hot zones and dig for information. All the time."
"What else?" She asked at length, knowing there had to be more....
"This is your life now...I can't stop digging jijtchi...I have a duty," he says sadly. She frowned, and then sighed. "Alright... I guess I can't back out, now, huh?" she grinned a little, trying to lighten the mood some.
"Well before we can settle down too much were going back to the Core," he said and handed her another flimsy from Lilly: We've heard from Giarc and he says the deal's gotten more complicated....We need you in the Core, Xamesh
"But, I just got here.....!" She sounded bewildered. She sighed, trying to get her frustration under control. "When do we leave...?"
"We leave ASAP...eat up...I'll tinker on the Blade and we'll be off." he said and headed off.
She sighed again, turning her attention to her breakfast which had turned cold. Privately, she wondered if it was always going to be like this...She was frustrated because she had just found a place that she belonged, and now she had to leave again. Finishing her breakfast, she rose, and padded back up to her room where she grabbed her small duffel. Then she went looking for Xan.
Xan was out in the private dock they had for the Star Blade, a Corellian freighter.....polished from head to toe. She stopped, and looked up at the gleaming freighter. She couldn't even begin to guess it's age... Xan felt this and chuckled. "She's old...even in my terms, jijtchi."
"Great.....that's very comforting..." she grinned. She wore a plain coverall again, her robes safely back in her room. Her hair was pulled back with a scarf, but a few errant strands had escaped and framed her face.
"You'll see she looks great and she's fast but...when she breaks down....watch the poodoo hit the fan quickly." He grinned and then said proudly, "Welcome to your second home." She shook her head. "Have I told you I think you're insane...?" She felt the comforting weight of her blaster against her thigh as she ambled up the ramp. Her lightsaber swung off her other hip, catching the wash from the bay's overhead lamps
"Not lately," he quipped back. "Well I see your ready....I'll brief you as you strap in." As she begins to strap in, she notices the system she has on a keyboard panel beside her in Coruscanii characters.
"Uh, Xan... what's this for? I can't even read Coruscanii..."
"Co-pilot's chai;r and we'll begin your language lessons on the way," he said. "Best way we communicate on this ship is in Coruscanii - you will begin to understand it soon."
"Why Coruscanii?"
"Mine and Lilly's race." He said. "We prefer it over Basic." She nodded, wondering, 'How difficult can it be...?' She shrugged, and leaned back in the co-pilot's chair, staring out the forward viewport.
"We're heading to Coruscant itself now....there we meet up with an old friend of mine," he smiled then cocked his head. "Ever been around a Mando'ad?" She flinched. "Yeah......" She had indeed, and been caught trying to steal from him. He had beaten her for that.
Xan felt the memory pulsate from her and sighed. "Not the best way to meet one....but I think you'll like Giarc," he said. She looked away briefly. "I hope so..." Her lips twisted. "That's why most of the Mando'a I know is curses..."
"You tried to steal from a Mando'ad, jijtchi, they don't like that 'cause they know what it is to be poor."
She flinched, and her face went crimson. "I know...."
"Other than that...they are a lot like we Jedi...you'll see that with Giarc," he smiled. "Anyway....let's take off here" he smiled and jumped into the pilots chair like a big kid "Don't worry I'll handle all the systems to you get a handle on it....but here's what I can do to help you now." She quirked an eyebrow at him in an unspoken question.
He pressed a key and the systems panel changes to Aurabesh. She grinned. "Thanks... I can read this...."
"Get used to the layout and feel cause as soon as you do I switch back..." She groaned. "Are the characters interchangeable? Or is the Coruscanii alphabet different?"
"Interchangeable....the spelling is different." "Well, that's helps some at least...Maybe it won't be as hard as I thought."
Xan eyed the chrono on the board and sighed. "13 hours flight time, even in hyperspace....get comfortable, jijtchi...walk around." She laughed. "I've had worse on public transit...." She looked carefully, and then propped her feet up on the console in front of her. "How big is the ship, anyway?"
"Not very big....smallest of the old Correllian freighters in the YT class," he says "We've made major modifications though, every system has been stripped and reprogrammed."
"Why? Software too outdated?"
"Partly....and partly cause we run an extensive library department on all info we have collected....that takes a whole system wipe," he said. "This is more than a ship to us jijtchi...it's our home and office."
She nodded, considering that. "Can we work on some lightsaber drills or something?"
He smiled and gestured. "All you needed to do was ask," he smiled and stood up heading to the passenger lounge. She trailed after him, mulling over what he had said. The enormity of what they were a part of still hadn't sunk in yet. She shook herself as she entered the passenger lounge, and saw Xan fiddling with something. "More lightsaber drills, or something else?"
"Drills will come later...it is something else," he ignited his lightsaber..
"A duel."
"You can't be serious...." She shook her head, and drew her own blade, turning to face him.
"Perfectly," he said with a smile. "Here is another way we hone our skills, jijtchi." She took a steadying breath, seeing that he was, in fact, quite serious. Her amethyst blade hissed to life, humming as she began to circle him slowly.
"Now the same thing applies here as in any other lesson....Relax, Breathe and rely on instinct," he says "You may have the first move." She nodded, reaching to the Force, and letting calm fill her. Slowly, she circled, cautiously taking a sweep towards his stomach.
Xan stepped back slightly arching his blade in to parry. She slid forward, her blade in a middle guard, as she blocked him and then stepped in to strike towards his neck. She ducked under his block and suddenly found herself inches from his face. Xan smiled."Hello..." And suddenly, Callista was pushed back slightly as though a wind pushed her. "Again."
She stumbled a little, not expecting the Force push. Steadying herself again, she watched him more carefully now as she circled. Xan compensated his style to the shorter frame of Callista. "This time rely on that same instinct...you can do that as well." She nodded, and reached out once more, trying to sense what he would do next.
This time Xan moved in a counter circle to Callista. "Let go and let's see what you can do." She paused, and then suddenly she crossed the space between them, her blade flashing as she struck at him. Their blades crashed together for a moment before she swung hers low, and kicked towards his knee.
He parried again, but he allowed the kick to land, switching his weight on to his other foot allowing the kick to turn him in a tight circle....using it's momentum he takes a cut at Callista's flank and when that was blocked, knees her in the gut hard but not to injure. She felt him turn, and suddenly she folded over, the breath forced from her lungs. She straightened breathing hard, and swept his trailing leg with her left foot.
Again Xan felt her move and allowed the sweeping foot to give him momentum to do a back flip away from her "Impressive," he breathes. She shrugged. "Had to survive somehow... though it's not as effective with some people..."
"Well you and I have similar fighting styles. You seem to know Teras Kasi movements by heart," he sighed happily. "I know a little... My father taught me some when I was little, and the rest I picked up on the street..." "Well it's certainly paid off....Still needs fine tuning though..." She nodded, and settled herself again. "Still want to use the lightsabers?"
"This is the Jedi way, jijtchi, so yes we continue," he smiled. "With the blades." Somehow, she knew he was going to say that... She felt a pulse in the Force, and sidestepped his next strike, blocking down with her saber as she punched him in the face. Xan's head spun back from the energy within the blow, and he groaned and spun away defensively. Xan's eyes flashed and then a grin brought on by knowledge. "Damn...let you in that time. Belek tiu," he said. She grinned openly. She hadn't expected that either...."Ni ceta..."
"You can be like that with me," he frowned, "But no one else." She sobered. "What do you mean...?"
"You play rough....like a Mando'ad," he said lowering his saber for a second. "Hate for you to continuing making enemies.....lethal in our line of work."
"Yeah.....Sorry about that...." She pulled a clean rag from her pocket and offered it to him, chewing nervously on the corner of her lower lip. "It's a survival instinct I guess..."
Xan eyes flashed caring more than that of concern. "Believe me I know...a risky one."
She sobered. "Guess I need to tone it down a little, maybe..?"
"Slightly....misdirection rather than elimination is your best plan in most circumstances" he said, his face looked up at him "I'll work on it...You sure you're gonna be ok..? I know that was a strong punch..."
"I'm fine jijtchi...takes more to bring me down." He smiled "And I've been at it longer than you." He refused to admit anything about the punch deliberately. She looked at him a moment longer, feeling there was something that he left out....."Do you want to continue...?"
Xan nodded. "Proceed." She settled again, her fingers gripping her saber firmly. She felt the pulse again but was a tad too slow this time... Xan began aggressively this time. He moved into Rushing Bantha form of Teras Kasi, arms coming in fast from different angles and the footwork designed to set up for a knee to the head or broken tailbone due the heel hook movements. "See if you can stop this," he cried.
She backed up a step, finding it very hard to keep track of him in the Force. He was everywhere....She ducked out of the way, raising her arm to block his strikes. Suddenly, she felt her balance disappear, and she fell, barely remembering to roll. She came out of her roll, and sprawled as he grabbed her ankle. Her saber bounced free of her fingers. She twisted, trying to break free, but he simply dragged her closer, her foot still trapped as he grabbed her left wrist and got her into a wrist lock.
"Well...I say the duel is finished now," he says expressionlessly. "Very good, Callista." She grunted as he cranked on her wrist a little, and slapped the decking with the palm of her right hand. "I'd have to agree there....." Slowly, she climbed to her feet.
"Will you be alright?' he asks as he gestured for her to give him her hand to lift her up. Callista took a steadying breath. "Yeah....I'll be fine... no harm done, I think..." She looked up at him, wondering the same about him. "You sure I didn't hurt you on that last one..?"
"I'm fine." Xan said with a hint of irritation. "I'll live." The sharp tone in his voice made her look up. "You're not ok, what's wrong?" she pressed gently. She made a tsking noise. "Hold this to your nose, its bleeding..."
Xan stiffened briefly before capitulating. "Yes, broken....that's worth a long meditation." She closed her eyes briefly in sympathy. "Ni ceta... Is there anything I can do?" "Yeah do that to someone other than your Master, preferably with a death wish to boot," he quipped.
She chuckled. "Yes, Xan....Do you want to go lay down?" The ripples of pain she felt from him echoed through her mind, and she opened her mouth to apologize again.
"No...only will take a moment." And suddenly the air seemed to hum with the force as Xan concentrated in pouring the Force into his body to heal his body. Without warning and shows no reaction he uses his hands and pops his broken nasal bone back into place then turns to Callista once finished. "All done."
Her eyes went wide. "How did you do that...?" She was surprised at his connection with the Force, but then, he had been at it for centuries longer....
"A powerful meditation concentrating the Force to where you hurt, then apply to area" he says simply. She pondered that a moment. "I felt it, its all so new..." She paused a moment. "How close are we to Coruscant..?"
"Coming up now," he said.
"Are you saying that we just spent ...13 hours training...?"
"Tends to go quick doesn't it?"He said. "Happens all the time." She put a hand to her forehead. "I think I need to go lie down.. unless we need to get going right away.."
"No...private dock..lower levels," he said. "There is a room for you here as well...well a bunk. No problem, jijtchi," he said and smiled. "You got time."
She felt silly. "Uhm, can you point me in the right direction, please, Xamesh?" She stifled a yawn.
"Third door on your left," he laughed. She quirked an eyebrow at him, and shuffled down the corridor, barely laying down before she was out.
Xan knew Giarc wasn't the one to disappoint him, and sure enough, a little while before 0600 the holocomm chimed. "All square?" a voice asked. "Affirmative....Grotto....by the Mountain."
Xan rose and walked over to the door, knocking softly. "Rise and shine, jijtchi."
She rolled over and stifled a groan. "I'll be out in a minute..." She felt as if she had run a marathon the day before...
"Well we haven't got more than that, jijtchi," he quipped. "Alright, alright, I'm coming..." When Callista came out, she noticed he'd changed from robes to a near bounty hunter type garb, his tattoos
prominently displayed.
"Uhm.. should I go change...?" She looked down at her coverall.
"No it's fine for the ruse...just get some grease on you," he said "Time to meet Giarc."
"Alright...let's go I guess..." She said a moment later. Her blaster rested low on her left hip, and her hair was tousled. Grease streaked her coverall, and there was a smear across her cheek. They walk quietly down the ramp and they begin to make out the figure of a man, wearing armor of some sort. Catching sight of the armor, her fingers drifted down to her blaster. She knew that armor..... She edged around Xan, muttering a curse in Mando'a. Xan was surprised but it seemed to be happening quicker than he could expect.
"So it's you, hut'uun...come back to try again?" the figure said.
"Ne shab'rud'ni... " she snarled. "You wish." She skirted around Xan, avoiding his gaze. The beating she had received from this piece of osik still fresh in her mind. She crossed the stone in two steps, and sprang at him. She collided with his armored form, grunting as the breath was knocked out of her. She dug her fingers in under the edge of the helmet, trying to choke him.
The figure merely reached and pulled away the fingers trying to crush his neck. Managing to get them away, he got his boots up and gives her a good double foot kick in the chest to get her off of him so he could move again. She grunted, tumbling away from him, and scrambled to her feet.
As he waited for the next time she struck, he slowly pulled out his beskad holding it tightly in his hand. She snarled, circling him. Her chest ached where his armored boots had impacted. She slid sideways avoiding the beskad, and dropped trying to kick his feet from under him. As she dropped though she didn't sense the armored fist heading towards her head, which landed hard. Suddenly, pain exploded behind her eyes, and her vision tunneled to blackness and she collapsed to the ground.
Xan frowned and ran over, paying attention to her prone form only. "Had to be that hard, Giarc?" he asked, still looking at Callista. Giarc removed his buy'ce. "You didn't inform me you got a friend now Jetii Xan. I'm not sure where you find 'em....but this one should be fun," he said a bit more jockishly. "Anything like, Lill'ika?"
"See for yourself Giarc...,.you tell me..."
Callista rolled over, a groan escaping her lips. Her vision swam for a moment, and then she saw Xan and the now helmetless Giarc looking down at her. She glared at Giarc, and scooted away from him, muttering some rather colorful Mandalorian curses under her breath.
"Well that was interesting, nehutyc!" Giarc said. "Not that I want to go messing with Padawans again." She glared at him, rubbing the back of her head. She felt Xan's gaze burning into the back of her head. All Xan did was laugh. "Well not bad for meeting Giarc the first time."
She looked up at him, feeling a little betrayed. "You're not helping...." She looked sideways at Giarc, and saw him watching her now. "I'm sorry, Xan, I let my emotions get the better of me.." she whispered. Giarc's reference to Padawans made her pause and look at him again. "What do you mean...?" she asked warily.
It was Giarc's turn to smile here. "I've known him nearly all my life, saved my shebs a few times. Any apprentice of his is a friend of mine." he said "How's your head?"
She groaned. "Not too bad...still aches though....."
"That's beskar'gam for you," he said. "And the first lesson you learned from me has paid off it seems." She flinched and quirked an eyebrow at him. "What do you mean? By the way... Ni ceta..."
"Don't try to lift something from a Mando'ad without forfeiting your life."
"Yeah....." She flinched again.
Giarc shrugged. "Well lesson learned so su'cuy anyway," he looked at Xan. "I'll get the netra'gal." He started walking towards the docking bay's entrance. Xan nodded and turned to Callista. "Well you learned your lesson the hard way it seems, so I believe we can get a drink now."
"Sorry, Xan... I guess I'm stubborn like that..."
"Yes well that may harm you in the long run...Giarc is a typical Mando'ad, if you can make friends with him now you are open to what the Force can show you."
She took a slow breath. "Alright..." She looked after him, remembering again what had happened so long ago, he hadn't killed her then, nor had he now....And Xan trusted him...
"Besides he's buying a drink...that's a good sign," he said. "Mando'ade don't use money without purpose."
She grinned then. "He's not so bad I guess... "
"Good...now let's catch up," he started to walk off. She followed him, looking around in curiosity. She had never been off Corellia, so this was all new to her... As they walk Callista got a living picture as to the reason the underbelly of Coruscant was like another world. seedy casinos and tapcafs, hustlers on every corner. it was not a pretty sight. They follow Giarc as he casually headed into a cantina. "He had to come here didn't he?" Xan pointed at the sign reading 'Sports Lounge'. "Shall we go in?"
She shrugged. "Why not? What's the big deal anyway?" "If we can keep his eyes off of the Galactic bolo ball final we should be ok," he shrugged. "If not.......well be prepared to drink a lot...." She groaned, "Great.."
They walk in and see him already propped up in one corner, helmet back on his head holding a glass of netra'gal. Xan saw Giarc nod and they sat down. The first words out of Giarc's mouth were, "50 creds says Naboo will go down 2-nil." Callista looked at him incredulously. "You're kidding..." Giarc turns to face her ."I never kid about bolo ball...."
She sighed. "I'm not much of a sports person... What's bolo ball?" Xan nearly laughed out loud at that but the establishment wasn't exactly the right place to be seen laughing with a Mando'ad. "So what do you have?"
"Well The Imps are determined to find someone in the Outer Rim now. All my sources say it after a former Imperial Weapons expert fleeing with a bunch of classified docs.." Callista listened closely. The bar was loud, and it was hard to hear sometimes. Xan said, "So? if that's all why drag me and my padawan out to the Core....what are these docs?"
"Well they all lead to a project called World Devastator..." Callista traded a look with Xan. That just sounded bad... "
Ok....and what else? Prototypes? Scale drawings? Anything supporting this out there"? Xan asked.
"Not from what I've seen but no one can find head nor tail of this guy, all is known is that he was heading to an unknown Outer Rim planet."
"Well what are you doing in the Core then? He's not on his way here, Giarc," Xan said annoyed. "What exactly do you need us to do?" Callista stared between them in confusion. There was something about this whole thing that nagged at her. Turning to Giarc she asked, "Have you been able to get any information on who took the plans? It would be a huge help..."
"I think he's a former Jetii you were looking for," Giarc said finally. "Gseran." Callista felt as if the breath had been ripped from her lungs. She looked to Xan, struggling to control the expression of surprise that passed over her features. 'It couldn't be....'
Xan felt her turmoil and said quietly, "Ik sjal khem Xa'jt," in Coruscanii. Giarc just nodded and sat back slightly ( it means 'it is this one's father'). She took a slow breath, and felt Giarc looking at her now. Slowly, she raised her eyes to stare into the visor of his helmet. She didn't know what to say, but her body language spoke volumes.
Giarc surmised the situation correctly. "Well this osik just hit the fan....Not exactly coincidence here is it? " he said half in mild surprise. "My question is then: do you want to come with me then?" Callista looked at Xan. "I'd like to, if that's alright..." She knew that was probably not the best idea, seeing as how she had a personal stake in the mission, but she couldn't shake the draw she felt. She had to know what had happened to her family....
Xan said, "Well then, our paths have converged so we really have no other choice now, do we?" with a look of hope on his face. Callista shifted a little uncomfortably. "I didn't mean to turn this into a personal quest, but I guess it just turned out that way...." She bit her lip and said quietly. "It's been a long time - I have no idea what state of mind he's in...."
Xan nodded and said, "This is more than a personal quest, jijtchi. This is intelligence on something highly classified as well, which will benefit the Alliance if found." She nodded. "You're right....We need to find him and what he's carrying..."
Giarc said "Shabla Jetiise....didn't take you guys long," his voice drolled. "Can I preflight the Kin'tya yet?" Xan nods. "Get going, scramble channels though till we get into hyperspace. We'll follow in the Blade." Giarc got up, flipping a cred chip to the bartender and walked out. Callista downed the last of her drink, fighting down a cough. "Well, that's it then?" She rose to her feet.
Xan rose and walked out of the cantina, Callista following. They slowly headed back to the docking bay and Giarc's ship was long gone. They headed up the ramp and into the cockpit and powered up before Xan said, "We're going to know when Giarc gets past the listening posts in the sector."
"How?" She slid into the copilot's chair, running through her preflight.
"Ever seen old spacer holos? Well the same thing continues, read the vents of the vehicle you are following, bear on his headings and hit hyperspace blind," he said knowing how dangerous the procedure was.
"That's insane.......and no I haven't....."
"It's routine...you get used to it. and I think I know where we are headed..."
She looked over at him in mild surprise. "You know? How...?" She was still reeling a little from the revelation that her father had been found after so long.
"Giarc is a man of routine....a true Mando'ad more of a farmer and warrior than bounty hunter, so it's somewhere where he knows he can get solid info....Tattooine."
She frowned. "That'll take several days won't it?"
"A few, plenty of time to train some more." he said and smiled. She gave him a half smile. "Somehow, I knew you were going to bring that up....what did you have in mind?"
Author's Notes:
beskar'gam - Mandalorian armor
Jetii - Mando word for Jedi (singular)
Jetiise - Jedi (plural)
nehutyc - gutsy
Ne shab'rud'ni - Don't mess with me
Netra'gal - Mandalorian black ale
Ni ceta - I'm sorry
Shabla - damn/screwed up
su'cuy - Hello