CHAPTER XX: Goto and the Exchange
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Meanwhile...
Mira was not happy that she'd been stuck with the Jedi's droid. Sure, at least part of her original plan was working, but she hadn't counted on Kiray's olfactory purifiers and HK-47. She struggled to hold the suit as she shuffled towards the Jekk'Jekk Tarr, amazed that there was no one standing guard over the doors.
They must've decided to leave them if a Jedi was comin' this way, Mira figured as she struggled into the suit. In an oddly gentleman-like manner, HK held the suit up so she could get in easily.
"Now, remember, you are going to keep that vocabulator of yours off, and if Visquis gets me, you do nothing, all right?" Mira warned before she placed the bulky suit's helmet on her head, HK seemed to chuckle as he replied, "Unconcerned Reply: And yet my master told me to protect you at all costs. I assume that order is voided as per what you say, hunter meatbag?"
"You could say that," Mira muttered, and she quickly put on the helmet and walked into the alien bar, with HK following and the door closing behind them.
(CUTSCENE...)
Visquis checked the cams again, Hanharr peering over his shoulder. The Quarren crime boss performed an approximation of a smile as he caught sight of the enviro-suited person, but his good mood was terminated by the sight of an assassin droid.
Didn't you tell the Jeedai to come alone? Hanharr growled. Visquis waved a hand in front of the hateful hunter and replied, "The Jeedai must have her reasons, reasons that we will discover soon enough." He turned to one of the guards in the chamber and ordered, "Inform the clients that they are not to harm the Jedi as she comes here. We do not want her harmed before we have had our say with her." The guard bowed before rushing out of the crime boss's presence.
When will I get paid? Hanharr rumbled, I have lured the Jedi into your little trap, and I expect my reward.
"Patience, my friend," the Quarren soothed the beast, "Soon you will be paid, and soon, the Jeedai will not be among us."
(End of CUTSCENE)
Mira was on edge as she opened the door and walked into the bar, with HK staying close and rifle at the ready. It was deathly silent inside, despite the many Twi'leks she could see through the mists of cyanogen. A few even shot her pitiful looks, and some with an avarice that just couldn't be measured.
That Jedi must have a very pretty credit on her head, Mira wondered as she passed the next few chambers, green-lit and crawling with Gand, She might have a hard time coming through if all goes to plan.
HK swept the area with his sensors every few seconds, ignoring all the looks he earned as well, and continued creeping along after Mira. One question kept scrolling through his cognitive module, however: Why was I left behind? Why am I, so sophisticated as my master made me, left to rust while my master vanishes? He still could not lose the musing he unknowingly created, even when they emerged into a final room, this time a blood-red color cast by the neon lighting.
Mira frowned behind the helmet as she not only caught sight of Visquis but also Hanharr. The crazed monster consistently attacked her across the moon, pressing her to collect on something called a life-debt. Sure, she'd spared him once, but that didn't mean that she wanted a furry, three-meter thing following her at every waking moment. She shuffled forward, and Visquis spread his arms wide.
"So you have come! And quickly too, I might add," he began before fixing a look at HK-47. "However, I requested that you come alone. But no matter, no matter. The air here is sufficient for you to breathe, I think, so you may remove that suit."
Mira quickly glanced over at HK, who quickly said, "Analytical Agreement: Yes, master, the air quality here is stable for a human meatbag to comfortably respirate." Mira gave him a small nod and, drawing a small knife, cut through the restrictive suit and threw off the helmet. Visquis saw her face without any visible surprise, but the stiff tentacles ringing his mouth were a sure sign that he was indeed taken aback. Hanharr roared furiously in his strange tongue, YOU!
"Yeah, me. Got a problem with that, furball?" Mira spat, eyes dangerously narrow before she turned to Visquis.
"Where is she?" he shouted, "Where is the Jedi?"
"First off, you're got going to find her. She's under my protection, and that means I won't talk," Mira answered coldly, "Second, I was just wondering why you want to claim the Jedi for yourself and stab Goto in the back."
"Those, I am sorry to say," Visquis stated with out even sounding sorry, "are questions that will have to wait until a better time."
"Eager Query: Can I shoot the unwitting crime boss now, huntress meatbag?" HK asked excitedly, leveling the rifle at Visquis, who stepped back and caused Hanharr to step in front of him, the swords in his hands ready to cut HK down. Mira readied her own pistols and said, "Just don't miss."
"You grossly overestimate your chances, Mira," Visquis chuckled, his hands on a control panel. HK powered up his rifle to deliver a powerful blast to Hanharr's chest while Mira hurried to stop him, and Visquis activated the trap. Electricity arched out from hidden circuit breakers, hitting Mira and HK hard and forcing them into unconsciousness, but not before HK fired the powerful bolt through Hanharr's legs, scoring a hit on Visquis's left foot. Mira knew that if the droid had been human, he would've been smiling from ear to ear.
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Kiray shot up like a bolt when she felt Mira pass out. Zez-Kai and Lonna had vanished after setting their plan, leaving Kiray alone in Mira's safehouse. Of course, until this new development. I guess that's my signal to go into the Jekk'Jekk Tarr, Kiray thought as she quickly outfitted herself with the dark vacuum suit and its near-infinite air supply when it was in atmosphere, firmly clipping her lightsaber to her belt and tucking the helmet under her arm. With a deep breath, she marched forward, and did not look back.
When she reached the entrance to the alien bar, Kiray could sense a fair bit of hostility coming from within, and very quickly, she placed the helmet on her head. The HUD came to life, and her lightsaber was already in hand as Kiray crossed the threshold.
The vacuum suit worked like a charm, funneling out the poisonous cyanogen gas and giving her clean, if not rather flat-scented, oxygen to breathe. Kiray activated her blades and opened the door before her. The red-lit room was filled with bounty hunters and Exchange thugs alike, and the ironic thing was, they were all staring at her in awe, apparently not noticing her lightsaber.
(CUTSCENE. Yes, I know, again...)
What is a Mandalorian doing here?! Hanharr growled, I thought they were all driven to extinction!
"This one certainly is bold," Visquis murmured, "We may not get a Jedi today, Hanharr, but we may gain a new ally. Let us wait and see what he does."
(End CUTSCENE)
Kiray quickly understood what was going on, and she silently deactivated her lightsaber and began strolling through the bar, not meeting anyone's gaze and following Mira's trail through the Force. None of the Twi'lek bounty hunters or Gand findsmen attacked her, and, if anything, avoided her. One Rodian stared at her before she passed through the door to the private lounge, and she growled, "Copaani mirshmure'cye?" The Rodian instantly shook his head and backed away, allowing her to pass without another word.
"Welcome, friend!" Visquis greeted kindly as Kiray sauntered in, maintaining an air of superiority as Visquis attempted to flatter her. "No one here was expecting that any of your kind remained, and yet you are here, proving that the Mandalorians are still alive!"
"All I want to know," Kiray growled, doing her best to sound like her father and succeeding admirably, "is where my friend is. I sent her ahead of me, to deliver a message."
"Do you mean to say that the bounty huntress Mira is in fact a friend of yours?" Visquis asked in alarm, "We were not aware she had made such an alliance!"
"Yeah, yeah," Kiray grumbled impatiently, "All I want to know is whether she gave you my message or not."
"And what message might that have been?"
"That the Jedi is coming for you, Visquis," Kiray whispered ominously, "and that when she comes for you, you may not even know it." The Quarren laughed, and for once, Kiray did not restrain her anger as she drew her lightsaber and stabbed Visquis herself. The crime boss's eyes went wide as he stared at her before filming over in death. Kiray tore off her helmet and growled, "And that was for putting a bounty on my head." She turned and noticed Hanharr, shuffling back so as not to face Kiray's obvious rage, and she jumped at him, shoving the seven-foot creature into the wall and placing her lightsaber at his throat.
"Where is Mira?" she hissed, pressing the blade close. Hanharr clammed up, and Kiray's eye narrowed dangerously.
"You will tell me where she is," she hissed, performing the trick easily. Hanharr still did not speak, but his arm rose without his own volition, and the tall brute fought to keep the arm down, but failing miserably as he pointed to the back door. Kiray smiled at him and said, "What is it that you would wish of me, if you could?"
To die, Hanharr rumbled, Mira refuses to honor her debt, but I will not stand for having two. Kill me well and honorably, Jedi. Kiray nodded and stepped away, then turned on her heel and stabbed just above his heart, but close enough to make him groan with pain before fainting. Kiray turned from the near-dead Wookiee and passed through Visquis's typical scum-lord bolthole.
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The first thing Kiray heard when she entered the tunnels was a burst of static from her personal datapad. Startled, she wrenched it out and saw that the map screen was nothing more than a swirl of gray, and a few choice curse words escaped from her mouth. She drew her comlink and tried Atton.
No response. She tried Mira, and she heard a crackle and the roar of blasterfire. Kiray held it close to her mouth and half-shouted, "Mira! Come in!"
"I'm here, Kiray!" Mira answered, speaking loudly and clearly, "HK and I got dragged down into some kind of underground HQ. It's downright crawling with Ubese, but we've taken care of most of them."
"All right, well when you're done playing around, I need a route to where you are, and you two need to get to Atton and tell him what's going on."
"Affirmative! Just finished with this batch, accessing terminal..." There was a short pause broken by a few taps on a keyboard before Mira called back, "Got it! All right, go forward to the next intersect, turn left and go straight as far as you can go. We'll go see your boyfriend."
"Atton is not my boyfriend!" Kiray shot back, but was only replied with a chuckle from Mira before the link closed. Kiray sighed and replaced the helmet, in case of gas traps, and followed Mira's directions until she came across a firmly locked door. No matter what security trick she tried, the door refused to open, and Kiray was ready to melt the lock when it opened.
Kiray marched forward and activated her lightsaber in case of a surprise attack from any Ubese that Mira had mentioned; but there was no one. Kiray wandered around the facility until she found another door, near which was a short note on a scrap of flimsiplast:
Kiray:
Droid and I off to find boyfriend. No Ubese left, but be careful; something doesn't feel right. See you later,
Mira
Kiray crumpled up the note and continued exploring. Her senses kicked in, however, when she got close to a door that led to some kind of gladiator pit. Once again she drew her lightsaber, and she opened the door. Before her loomed about half a dozen Ubese clansmen, all flanking a floating, spherical droid. Kiray carefully walked forward, lightsaber still ready, and the droid projected the image of a short man who remarkably resembled Zez-Kai.
"Ah, so you are the Jedi. It appears that we have lured you out of hiding."
"Hiding?" Kiray asked in disbelief, "I only just got here, Goto."
Goto's image blinked in surprise, but quickly replied, "Then maybe my sources were wrong, which would be the first time they have failed me. Perhaps there is another Jedi here, somewhere."
Kiray laughed, "You're never gonna find him." Goto cocked an eyebrow. Kiray cleared her throat in the awkward silence and asked, "So, what do you want me for?"
"I believe we should continue this discussion in private," Goto growled officiously, and he activated one of Visquis's lightning traps. Kiray yelped at the shock, and felt herself overpowered by the high voltage.
Haar'chak, Atton, help me! Kiray mentally yelled just as darkness claimed her.
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The creature was barely breathing, but still alive. He was full of hatred, of rage, and he would serve an excellent purpose. Kahned knelt down and laid his hand on Hanharr's forehead.
My weak sister was a fool in letting you live, he thought as he healed the Wookiee's wounds, but I can turn her mistake back on her. With his task finished, Kahned breathed, "Awaken, beast."
Hanharr quavered as he awoke and stood, but when he saw Kahned, he groaned loudly, No, I cannot have another life-debt...why did you not let me die?
"Because my sister did not let you, but it is of no consequence," Kahned barked, "there is another to whom you owe: me. And I have a job for you."
Do you want me, Hanharr began, to hunt the Jeedai, and kill -
"Did I say anything about my sister?" Kahned growled, settling a mental hand on Hanharr's throat. The Wookiee coughed lightly as the hand tightened, and Kahned spoke, barely holding his anger in.
"No, I want you to hunt the huntress. Mira, I think her name is." Hanharr growled at the name, and Kahned smiled.
"Good, beast. Now, here is what you must do..."