"I still think this is a bad idea," Jaina murmured to Jag, looking across the hanger at Tek. "I don't think I can trust this kid with my life, if it comes down to that."
"It won't. Don't worry about it. By the way, you can hardly call him a kid. He's older than you by about a year."
"That's beside the point."
"Jaina, just cut him some slack. Give him a chance to either justify your concerns or prove you wrong."
"Just wait and see that I'm right."
She crossed to her ship and climbed in. "Okay, Cappie, run a quick test of all systems..."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Jaina stood on the hanger floor and looked around. It had been a long time since she had been on Tatooine. "I still find it hard to believe my grandfather and my uncle used to live on this dead rock. I don't know how they could stand it," she muttered to Danni. "Just sand, sand, and more sand, as far as the eye can see."
"Sand, Hutts, and Jawas. How can you ask for anything more?"
"So how do we start? Who do we talk to first?" Tek asked them.
"Calm down, kid. Your as jumpy as a gundark with a grenade shoved up his tail. We ask the locals a few casual questions while pretending to be traders from the far outer rim."
"I suggest one of the cantinas," Jag said. "A lot of people there, most are of sub average intelligence, so they might let some things accidentally slip."
"And it helps that everyone will probably be intoxicated," Danni added.
"Both excellent points," Jaina agreed. "Come on."
It didn't take too long to find a cantina. They were all over the place. The one Jaina chose was poorly lit and rather smelly. "Okay, spread out and see what you can find out," she murmured to her companions.
She opened her senses to the whole room. There were about twenty-five people in here, all in various states of an alcohol-induced stupor. She frowned slightly as she sorted through the thoughts and emotions she was receiving. She wanted to find someone who probably wouldn't remember her tomorrow but wasn't so drunk that they couldn't tell her anything useful.
Her eyes rested on an unshaven young man. He was hardly sober, based on the empty glasses surrounding him, and no doubt very shallow. This would work to her advantage. She walked over to him and tapped the table. "Mind if I sit here?" He stared at her for a moment, and Jaina knew he wasn't looking at her face. "If ye want," he mumbled, his speech slurred.
"I just got into port. Can you tell me if anything interesting has happened around here lately?"
"I ain't from 'round here. All I knows is that this glass is empty, so I need a new one. Care to buy me another round?"
"I'm afraid I'll have to decline." She stood and left, annoyed. So much for that being any help. She caught Danni's eye from across the room. The other woman shook her head. Nothing there, either. She jumped as Jag said from behind her, "I think I have found a lead. Come with me."
"Don't sneak up on me like that."
He led her over to a table in a darkened corner of the room where a Chiss in a military uniform was sitting. Two Rodian bodyguards stood behind the blue-skinned being. "Please, sit," he said, gesturing to two chairs across from him. Jaina obeyed. "You know something about attacks on departing vessels?" she asked. To her disappointment, he said, "That is a negative. I know nothing of that. However, I am eager to serve the son of the great General Fel, and since he serves you, I will tell you that there are strange things going on.
"Several things come to mind. First of all, though I doubt it is related to your search, the Tusken raiders are causing a lot of problems. People leave the city and get attacked. A group of traders is trying to hire people to, shall we say, put them down. They have an office a few buildings down from here. Second, there have been a few rumors of underground spice sales. Technically it is illegal here, but there is no such thing as an enforced law on Tatooine."
"Underground spice sales? That has a nasty ring to it. Where can I learn more about that?"
"If you think I would know that sort of thing, you insult me," the Chiss growled at her. "I assure you I have more class than that. Ask some of the low-lifes around here, they aren't that hard to find."
"Thank you, good sir. And my apologies if I have insulted you."
The Chiss officer stood and gestured to his guards, who followed him out of the shadowy cantina. Jag gave her a hard look. "Nice one, Jaina. Accuse him of associating with illegal spice venders."
"I wasn't accusing him."
"Whether you meant to or not, you did. And why did you shudder as he was leaving?"
"Did I? I was struck by how similar he looked to the holos I've seen of Grand Admiral Thrawn."
"And is there something wrong with that? Thrawn was a tactical genius, the quintessence of Chiss military."
"Yes, during a time when the Chiss were hardly aligned with the Republic. I think my reasons for disliking him are very much justified. But why bother digging up ancient history?"
"Jaina, we were both alive when he was still in power. That isn't ancient."
"Alive but infants. By the way, why are we trusting him?"
"I know him. He's on leave right now, but he usually serves as one of my father's advisors. Now let's go find Danni and Iod."
"It won't. Don't worry about it. By the way, you can hardly call him a kid. He's older than you by about a year."
"That's beside the point."
"Jaina, just cut him some slack. Give him a chance to either justify your concerns or prove you wrong."
"Just wait and see that I'm right."
She crossed to her ship and climbed in. "Okay, Cappie, run a quick test of all systems..."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Jaina stood on the hanger floor and looked around. It had been a long time since she had been on Tatooine. "I still find it hard to believe my grandfather and my uncle used to live on this dead rock. I don't know how they could stand it," she muttered to Danni. "Just sand, sand, and more sand, as far as the eye can see."
"Sand, Hutts, and Jawas. How can you ask for anything more?"
"So how do we start? Who do we talk to first?" Tek asked them.
"Calm down, kid. Your as jumpy as a gundark with a grenade shoved up his tail. We ask the locals a few casual questions while pretending to be traders from the far outer rim."
"I suggest one of the cantinas," Jag said. "A lot of people there, most are of sub average intelligence, so they might let some things accidentally slip."
"And it helps that everyone will probably be intoxicated," Danni added.
"Both excellent points," Jaina agreed. "Come on."
It didn't take too long to find a cantina. They were all over the place. The one Jaina chose was poorly lit and rather smelly. "Okay, spread out and see what you can find out," she murmured to her companions.
She opened her senses to the whole room. There were about twenty-five people in here, all in various states of an alcohol-induced stupor. She frowned slightly as she sorted through the thoughts and emotions she was receiving. She wanted to find someone who probably wouldn't remember her tomorrow but wasn't so drunk that they couldn't tell her anything useful.
Her eyes rested on an unshaven young man. He was hardly sober, based on the empty glasses surrounding him, and no doubt very shallow. This would work to her advantage. She walked over to him and tapped the table. "Mind if I sit here?" He stared at her for a moment, and Jaina knew he wasn't looking at her face. "If ye want," he mumbled, his speech slurred.
"I just got into port. Can you tell me if anything interesting has happened around here lately?"
"I ain't from 'round here. All I knows is that this glass is empty, so I need a new one. Care to buy me another round?"
"I'm afraid I'll have to decline." She stood and left, annoyed. So much for that being any help. She caught Danni's eye from across the room. The other woman shook her head. Nothing there, either. She jumped as Jag said from behind her, "I think I have found a lead. Come with me."
"Don't sneak up on me like that."
He led her over to a table in a darkened corner of the room where a Chiss in a military uniform was sitting. Two Rodian bodyguards stood behind the blue-skinned being. "Please, sit," he said, gesturing to two chairs across from him. Jaina obeyed. "You know something about attacks on departing vessels?" she asked. To her disappointment, he said, "That is a negative. I know nothing of that. However, I am eager to serve the son of the great General Fel, and since he serves you, I will tell you that there are strange things going on.
"Several things come to mind. First of all, though I doubt it is related to your search, the Tusken raiders are causing a lot of problems. People leave the city and get attacked. A group of traders is trying to hire people to, shall we say, put them down. They have an office a few buildings down from here. Second, there have been a few rumors of underground spice sales. Technically it is illegal here, but there is no such thing as an enforced law on Tatooine."
"Underground spice sales? That has a nasty ring to it. Where can I learn more about that?"
"If you think I would know that sort of thing, you insult me," the Chiss growled at her. "I assure you I have more class than that. Ask some of the low-lifes around here, they aren't that hard to find."
"Thank you, good sir. And my apologies if I have insulted you."
The Chiss officer stood and gestured to his guards, who followed him out of the shadowy cantina. Jag gave her a hard look. "Nice one, Jaina. Accuse him of associating with illegal spice venders."
"I wasn't accusing him."
"Whether you meant to or not, you did. And why did you shudder as he was leaving?"
"Did I? I was struck by how similar he looked to the holos I've seen of Grand Admiral Thrawn."
"And is there something wrong with that? Thrawn was a tactical genius, the quintessence of Chiss military."
"Yes, during a time when the Chiss were hardly aligned with the Republic. I think my reasons for disliking him are very much justified. But why bother digging up ancient history?"
"Jaina, we were both alive when he was still in power. That isn't ancient."
"Alive but infants. By the way, why are we trusting him?"
"I know him. He's on leave right now, but he usually serves as one of my father's advisors. Now let's go find Danni and Iod."