CHAPTER TWO: JEDI DON'T GET DAYS OFF
"Are you planning on telling me where we're going?" Tahiri asked as they walked along the crowded streets of the Promenade.
Anakin smirked at her. "Don't you trust me?"
"Is that a rhetorical question or do I have to answer it?"
"I just thought we could grab something to eat. There's never really any time for us to go out anywhere, and I remember how mad you got that time when I told you I'd meet you for lunch and never showed. So, I thought maybe we could have, you know, like a real date," he said with a shrug of his shoulders, trying to pass it off as no big deal.
Tahiri pretended to be shocked. "I never thought Anakin Solo had a romantic side,"
"I never said I was paying,"
She elbowed him in the ribs. "You are if it's a real date,"
"Sorry, but saving the galaxy isn't a well-paying job," he joked as he avoided another elbow.
He continued leading the way to a small café at the end of the street. Tahiri recognized the place he was taking her as Chez Courscant. The line up nearly half a block long helped to identify it. She appreciated him making the effort to take her to such a nice place, but she would have long since starved if they had to wait in that line up to get in. But instead of waiting in the line, he grabbed her hand and led her to a small podium just inside the doors. She could feel the anger radiating from the beings that had been waiting in line for more than an hour as she and Anakin cut right to the front.
The bothan hostess at the podium looked at Anakin in mild annoyance. "I'm sorry sir, but you have to wait in line like everyone else," he said with irritation as if her had already several other waiting guests the same thing.
His tone didn't faze Anakin. "I have reservations. Check under Solo,"
The bothan scrolled through his data pad and then when he looked back up at Anakin and Tahiri, his entire manner had changed completely. "Yes, you are on our list. Please follow me. We have the spot you requested in our outdoor patio,"
They followed the bothan to the outdoor café area, Tahiri more than a little suspicious as to how Anakin was able to acquire reservations. Usually, one needed to make reservations months in advance for this place, but Anakin had never said anything about it to her before. Her curiousity continued to mount as they followed the bothan to the patio area.
Their host led them to a table by a beautifully designed wrought iron fence, allowing them to see out onto the streets in front of them. He left two menus with them and said a waiter would be along shortly to take their orders.
As soon as Tahiri was sure their host was out of earshot, she said, "okay, fess up, Anakin. How did you manage to get us reservations at the most exclusive café on Courscant?"
He shrugged, innocently. "I had some free time on my hands a few days back while I was fixing the holonet at home, when all of the sudden I found myself in Chez Courscant's reservation list. You're not mad, are you?" He said, seeing the look on her face.
"No. In fact, I was wondering when you were finally going to get around to putting those ingenious computer skills of yours to good use,"
Anakin laughed and Tahiri found her good mood increased until she looked at the menu and saw the prices. "Anakin, you can't pay for this,"
"Of course I can,"
"No you can't, and half the population of Courscant combined can't either,"
"Listen, Tahiri, when are we going to find ourselves on Courscant again, or any planet for that matter, with the opportunity to spend an uneventful evening together? Probably not for months," he said, answering his own question. "I may end up being my parents slave for the next ten years to work this off, but it'll be worth it," he assured her.
He was right. They should probably enjoy it while it lasted. She couldn't even remember the last time her and Anakin had managed to find time alone together. There was always something going on, some world about to be destroyed, someone in danger –
The thought had barely registered itself in her mind when she felt the all too familiar prick on the back of her neck that meant trouble. You have got to be kidding me, Tahiri thought in exasperation. She tried to shrug it off, hoping it was just her imagination, but the feeling only got stronger, as if the danger were getting closer. She glanced at Anakin, who looked at her apologetically before taking out his lightsaber from a hidden pocket in his jacket and jumping over the wrought iron fence.
Grimacing about the injustices of the galaxy, Tahiri took out her own concealed weapon before taking off after Anakin.
When she caught up to him, he was standing at a street corner in deep concentration, trying to find the source of the disturbance.
"This way," he said and took off without waiting to see if Tahiri was following him.
They could see no immediate danger on the streets in front of them, but when they reached a darkened alleyway, the commotion coming from it was enough alone to make them ignite their sabers, making visible the three other humans in the alley.
The shocker was when the female, dressed in all black, took out a weapon that turned out to be a lightsaber. The two males looked at each other, their expressions fearful at having three lightsabers being aimed at them. They went to run for it, but a force shove by the woman slammed them into the wall and knocked the two of them unconscious.
She looked back at Anakin and Tahiri, as if registering their presences for the first time. "Just your average muggers," she said indicating to the two still forms on the ground. Seeing their lightsabers similarly ignited, she pushed back a loose strand of blond hair and said, "you're Jedi too? Nice to meet you. I'm Lex,"
"I knew if I came to Courscant I'd be able to find help," Lex said to the room full of Jedi. Anakin and Tahiri had brought her back to Luke Skywalker's apartment after witnessing the way she had handled herself against the two thugs in the alleyway. For her part, Lex had been more than willing to see the Jedi Master, claiming she had vital information to tell him.
They had waited for everyone else to show up, excluding Jacen and Tenal Ka because nobody seemed to know where they were, before Lex proceeded with telling them her reasons for coming to Courscant.
"I was doing some smuggler runs a few weeks back on Borleias. I don't let people know I'm a Jedi, but there was this group who cornered me there and I had no choice but to break out my lightsaber and fight them. That seemed to be what they wanted because the second I took out my weapon they brought out a bunch of ugly-looking creatures in cages and I couldn't use my Jedi abilities,"
"Ysalimiri," said Anakin.
Lex looked at him, puzzled. "Never heard of them,"
"Their a creature native to the planet Myrkr," Anakin explained. "They create a ten-meter-radius bubble that prevents force users from using the force,"
"I guess that's what this group had. I'd never seen that creature before in my life. It weakened me and I was knocked unconscious. I woke up in a cell somewhere. They told me I was going to be taking part in some research they were conducting. They were introducing hosts – they called them symbiotes – into human and alien bodies that would control their minds and actions. I think I was the first force sensitive person they'd captured, and they wanted to see how the results would turn out,"
"How did you get away?" Tahiri asked.
"Luck," Lex said with a shrug. "They got some new guards who were sloppy – forgot to bring in their Yasmir – whatever you call those creatures – when they brought me my food and I took them out. I bolted out of there knowing it might be the only chance for escape I got,"
"What did the symbiote look like?" Ganner said.
"I never got to see one for myself, but the way they were describing it made it sound like some sort of leech that would attach to the host's back and from there, take control of the spine and work its way into the nervous systems until it had complete control of the brain,"
"Who were the people running the facility?" Anakin said.
"They weren't Yuuzhan Vong, if that's what you're thinking," Lex said to him. "They were human – same as you and me,"
"I think we should check it out," said Jaina. "The Tsirran have taken the Vong off our hands for the time being, so I say we use the time to infiltrate this operation on Borleias before things get really out of hand,"
"The situation already is out of hand," spoke up Zekk. He was standing by the window aloft from the others since the meeting began. "This isn't a Jedi operation – it's military. It isn't our job to go play commando and spy,"
"Last time I checked it was – especially if innocent people are involved," Jaina shot at him.
"I believe it is worth looking into," Luke cut in. "We didn't even know this was going on until Lex brought it to our attention. Our being blind to these experiments can only make them that more dangerous if we refuse to look into them," he said to those present. "But it's late. We will all think clearer in the morning once we have had a good night's rest. Then we'll discuss more about what actions need to be taken concerning this problem in the morning,"
Tahiri got up to leave with the others, when Master Skywalker's voice stopped her. "Tahiri, would you mind staying behind for a minute?"
She nodded silently, knowing what was to come. Ever since he had found out about her cutting herself, he thought they should spend time every once in a while talking. It was either that or talk to some stranger therapist about how she had died, been resurrected by the Vong, and then had started cutting herself because the pain had become too much to handle. Given the choice, she had been more than willing to choose Master Skywalker. Though it had been awkward at first, he hadn't been judging and that's what had caused her to open up to him over time. It wasn't the same as talking to Anakin, but that's what made it sometimes easier to talk to someone she was not as close to. She didn't have to worry about hurting his feelings or offending him.
Anakin knew about her 'therapy' lessons with his Uncle. She had told him about them right from the start. She felt he had a right to know. From the moment she had told him about her ordeal with death, and the heartache of seeing her parents again, he had been nothing but supportive. Though he had never said anything to her, she suspected he was the reason behind the rumours around the Jedi Academy about her wanting to kill herself had stopped.
She watched the others vacate the room, but none faster then Zekk she noticed.
He could feel her following him the instant he left the Skywalker home. He was hoping she would turn around and leave him alone but she didn't.
"That was a pretty good act you put on back there, Zekk. Pretending you didn't know me,"
"What are you doing here, Lex?" He said coming round to face her.
"Are you deaf? Didn't you hear a word of what I said back there?"
"I heard it. I'm just not sure I believe it. I wanted to bring you back here when I found you, remember? But you told me you didn't want to get involved,"
"I changed my mind. Being kidnapped twice can do that to a person,"
"Do you want me to feel sorry for you, is that it?"
"I don't want your sympathy, Zekk. I just want you to believe me – you know I wouldn't make this up,"
Zekk turned to walk away, not bothering to voice whether he believed her or not.
"So that was Jaina Solo, huh? She's even prettier then you made her out to be,"
"Can we not talk about her?" He growled, growing irritated.
"She doesn't know about us, does she? She doesn't know about what happened on Bimmisaari?"
"No, she doesn't. And the two of us aren't exactly on really great terms right now – in case you hadn't noticed. So there's no point in me telling her,"
"From what you've told me about her, she'd want to know,"
"Lex, just do me a favour and don't say anything to anyone, okay?"
She shrugged. "Have it your way,"
Without saying good-bye, he turned his back on her and boarded the nearest turbolift. It occurred to him as he rode the lift down to the lower levels, he should have asked her if she needed a place to stay. And maybe if he weren't in such a foul mood he would have actually cared.