Chapter 23: Jazal

Kamino

The Consular-class corvette landed in Tipoca City in the midst of a rainstorm. This was the furthest Jazal, Shaak Ti, or Rel'skar had ever been from the Core.

When the three Jedi and two Naval officers confidently approached the door, it did not open. Rel'skar began moaning frustratedly.

"Calm down Padawan!" Jazal yelled through the torrential rains.

Shaak Ti began laughing.

"Masters Jedi, aren't we supposed to be greeted?" one of the pilots asked.

"Yes, we are. There was supposed to be someone right here at landing platform 47."

"47! Oh, my apologies Masters Jedi. I thought it was supposed to be 147," the co-pilot stammered.

"Well, back on the ship," Shaak Ti said.

Jazal sighed.

"Oh my, how did you get so wet?" a tall female Kaminoan asked the three soaking wet Jedi and two soaking pilots as they walked through the door.

"Landing pad mix up," Shaak Ti said serenely.

"All of your landing pads look the same ma'am," one of the pilots said.

"Not all of them," the Kaminoan said. "Come now, Dr Nala Se is waiting for us," she said with a slow graceful wave of the hand. "Pilots, the library droid over there will help you find your accommodation. You should get some sleep as you need to ferry Senator Burtoni to Coruscant and—"

"—We follow Galactic Republic rest regulations ma'am," the co-pilot interrupted sternly.

"Very well," the Kaminoan said as the two pilots left the group.

Kaminoans reminded Jazal a bit of her Master, Yarael Poof. They were tall and big-headed, but even more big-headed than Quermians. She also sensed that they were much calmer than Quermians, even Quermian Jedi. Unlike Quermians, they also had noses. Jazal had a sudden irrational urge to mind-probe a Kaminoan, wondering what their olfactory glands would be like—conquer your curiosity! Conquer your curiosity… conquer—

"—Master!" Rel'skar yelled from a distance to the right.

"Oh sorry," Jazal stammered, and jogged down the hall towards them. While not paying attention, she had walked straight ahead while Rel'skar, Shaak Ti, and the Kaminoan had gone to the right at a junction.

All of the structures on Kamino felt very curvy in the Miraluka's force sight. There were very few straight edges—the walls met the floor at a curve, and so did the ceiling. Right angles were almost non-existent, except for in the rectangular ceiling lights.

"You three seem very different from Master Kenobi," the Kaminoan remarked.

"You met Obi-Wan? Then you must be—"

"Yes, I am Taun We," the Kaminoan said.

"How are we different?" Shaak Ti asked.

"Well, none of you are trying very hard to impress me," Taun We said with a shrug.

"Ah, Dr Jazal, Dr Ti, my overseers," Nala Se huffed obtusely. "And you are?"

"Kev Rel'skar," the Bothan stammered nervously.

"No PhD?" Nala Se said, raising her head from a desk terminal.

"I—I, well no," Rel'skar stammered.

Jazal sensed a frown cross Nala Se's face.

"Kev Rel'skar is very young and has not quite decided what he is going to do," Jazal interjected.

"What is he doing here?" Nala Se asked.

"He is my Padawan," Jazal said.

"Ah. I see. An apprentice," Nala Se said dramatically. "In any case, there are other Bothans here from time to time. None who live here permanently, but thousands drop by. Kev Rel'skar, you will have some company."

"Bothans?" Shaak Ti asked curiously. "What do they do here?"

"Trade," Nala Se said with a shrug. "Kothlis and Bothawui are right down the Manda Merchant Route. Most of our foodstuffs and technical equipment comes down that way, passed Manda of course. Perhaps your Padawan could take up shipping as a career like all the other Bothans if he does not want to pursue an education," Nala Se said snootily.

"I am not uneducated," Rel'skar growled sternly.

Jazal sighed. "Please refrain—"

"—Dr Se," Shaak Ti said sternly. "We are not your enemies. Please treat us with respect. The Galactic Republic and Jedi Order wants oversight on this project which, as you know, we have spent billions of credits on."

"And we have spent billions of credits too," Nala Se said sternly. "Our profit margins are… well, actually I am not an accountant, but I assure you, these Clones cost a fortune to produce and we have plenty of oversight."

"We are not leaving just because you insult us and give us your assurances you will do the right thing," Rel'skar growled sternly.

"My Padawan is correct," Jazal said, trying to counter Rel'skar's growl by copying Shaak Ti's serenity. "We have travelled all the way from the Core to here. We are not leaving until the Council tells us we can."

"Dr Se?" Shaak Ti asked serenely. "Do you have recommendations for any sort of food facility near here?"

Jazal almost laughed from the question. Rel'skar snorted.

"Dr Ti, the library droids have a directory containing all of the locations for all restaurants and commissaries in Tipoca City and on Kamino itself," Nala Se said unhelpfully.

"Do you have any recommendations?" Jazal asked pointedly.

"That is not my responsibility," Nala Se said.

"What an unpleasant being," Shaak Ti said, eating a piece of a Fern Potato on the end of her fork, holding her knife in her other hand.

"Master Tide said that some cultures are 'negative face.' This means they…" Rel'skar paused. "Well she explained it better than I could, but it means they don't value being helpful or being liked by others, and instead value staying out of other being's ways and respecting other's spaces. The Kaminoans must be negative face I suppose. They are very quiet, typical of a negative face culture." The Bothan began munching on his Fern Potato, relishing the shavings of Nuna Bacon sprinkled atop.

"That is an interesting hypothesis, Padawan," Jazal said, eating a piece of her own Fern Potato which she had doused in spicy cream.

"Thank you," Rel'skar mumbled with food in his mouth. "Master Tide used Bothawui Bothans as the example of the most positive-faced culture she could think of, and Alderaanians as the most negative-faced. If Dr Se is a typical Kaminoan then Kaminoans must be even more negative-faced than Alderaanians."

The three Jedi ate in the aptly named Fern Potato Shop. It was the first place they saw on their way to the library. The restaurant was a sloping circular room, much like everything else in Tipoca City. It had very uncomfortable rounded chairs with no back support and served only customisable Fern Potatoes and drinks. A patron could order a large Fern Potato and get it sprinkled with Nuna Bacon, lavished with sauces of many flavours, or garnished with some vegetables.

"It is also possible that Dr Se is just unpleasant," Shaak Ti said pointedly.

"Yeah, possible Master," Rel'skar admitted. "Jazal could I take off from reading tonight?"

"Sure Rel'skar, but it is really 4 pm Tipoca City time," Jazal said, rubbing her hand on her ShadowSync datapad. "You should try to stay up a few more hours or you will get hyperspace-lagged."

"Huh," Rel'skar said. "You're right. My internal chronometer must be still on Federal District time. It's funny that you can tell time again Master," he said in a toothy grin.

"Yep, funny," Jazal said curtly, gazing accusingly in Shaak Ti's direction. "Very funny." Kriff. It does feel late.