Tahiri sat at the unpopular end of the cantina's bar, watching the various beings move around, talk and do whatever they do for entertainment. She had her back against the wall, just observing the crowd, taking it all in. A big change from the kind of missions she had been on with the Jedi, she couldn't imagine Corran, Han or Luke letting her sit in one of these places by herself. She has never had the opportunity before to just sit back and see such a cross section of any population. Tahiri found it fascinating how different beings acted in this cantina, some where here for no other reason then to get drunk, some to find companionship, some to make money and others to steal money. Some Tahiri could feel the pain of their lives roll off them in waves or the joy that accompany the alcohol; others radiated Dark Side so powerfully she wondered if they were Dark Jedi who didn't know that they were Dark Jedi. Not many have bother her too much, one man wanted to sell her something called 'death stick', she wasn't sure what it was but she sent him away in her own special way after the fourth time he bothered her. Because she was wearing her 'man skin' she also had several women approach her, she was very glad that Rat wasn't around she would never let Tahiri live those encounters down.
The first time Kell had her wait in one of these places she was disgusted and insulted, plus a little fearful. She stayed pretty much to herself with her back to the wall, trying to figure out why Kell would want her to hang around with this kind of crowd. It didn't take her long to understand why Rat said Jedi stick out like a Wookiee at a Ewok party. There was something about her that made other leery. Many people sent her hostile stares, they all gave her a wide berth at the bar, and the bartender sneered at her and jeers at her selection of refreshment.
"A man drinks in here son, little boys should run along home to their mommies," the ugly man said to her, which got a big reception from the other customers in the cantina.
She had one or two drunks accuse her of being an 'oinker' ,whatever that meant, and had wished to engage in hand to hand combat with her. After a few hours, she finally got it, why Kell felt that she should sit in here by herself. She had leaded a shelter life; she didn't know how to deal with the various beings that made up the galaxy. Many that flirted with the wrong side of the law, many of the people that she would have to help one day.
Therefore, she turned this into a learning exercise, to learn how to deal with these people on their level and not as a Jedi. The bartender was the first challenge, insisted that she drinks 'real manly' drinks. Tahiri remembered a drink she overheard Mr. And Mrs. Solo discussing one day, an eye blaster; she figured if Han drank that it couldn't be very bad. She knew right away that something was wrong by the ripple of amusement that flowed around the bar as the bartender mixed her drink. However she had to go through with it, she was a Jedi after all she couldn't back out of something as simple as drinking. Therefore, with a salute to the other patrons, she took a large gulp.
Tahiri had been amazed that her skin didn't try to crawl away from her and the voice worm had survived. She went into a coughing fit as this ball of fire exploded in her stomach, and tears ran down her face. The only positive effect out of all this was the way the others treated her, no longer where they intimidated by her presents now they held her with a amused contempt. This would have pleased her more if she hadn't been dying right there and then. I'm so glad Rat isn't here, was the first thought that she could remember after she controlled her stomach; well that and that she need to talk to Mr. Solo about his taste in drinks.
Nevertheless, that had been two weeks ago and her training since had gone well she believed. She was no longer a Wookiee among Ewok, but now she blended in rather well, especially after she studied what alcohol drinks had in them and which ones she could handle. She would hang around whatever cantina, gambling parlor or drinking hole that they were near and pick up rumors, stories and gossip that the different people would tell her or that she overheard. She would share some that Kell had approved of ahead of time or tweak a story about some Jedi enough to get them to see them in a new light without reveling her past as a Jedi or making her sound too pro-Jedi. Tahiri knew that at some point she would be required to meet with the Peace Brigade and she didn't want a history of being too Pro-Jedi following her around, even if some of the stories made her want to scream in frustration.
The latest place they were at was "Nova Station", which sat on Perlemian Trade Route, it is a place for travelers to stop and refuel and to get supplies and to replace the planet Carida. Carida was the planet that Kyp had destroyed using the weapon Sun Crusher back before she was born. Because of the unique conditions outside the station, the still expanding and cooling shell of star matter, all ship had to drop out of dark space and search out the station. This allowed just about anyone who was interested enough time to do a scan on an incoming ship, to find out if they should run or stay. The station was one of the favorite places of those who didn't want to be found to hide, like smugglers, bounty hunters and others like them.
When she saw Piggy, still decked out in his guard dress, coming thru the door she knew class time was over, they had finally made contact with, well with who ever the other three had been looking for.
"Looks like it is time for me to get back to work, guys," she said leaving a few credits on the bar for the service and getting up.
"Is that thing here for you Dack?" One of the spacers she had been talking to earlier said as she walked by him.
"Belongs to the boss, he sends it out to fetch things for him." She said, telling everyone at the bar to have safe trip and hurrying to meet Piggy. She hated the way she had to treat him in public, to treat any intelligent being as property just made her skin crawl. Even if it was Piggy, who argued in favor of behaving likes this to keep in character. They had to act in a certain manner for the good of the mission he had told her.
"I understand Peacekeeper, it does make me feel pleased that you feel as you do but now is not the time to fight this battle."
"Injustice is a battle that must be fought all the time."
"Agreed," he had said with a smile on his face, "but which is the greater injustice? What some small minded people, without the brains to blow their own noses, say and treat me or what your people are doing in Hutt space?"
"The Boss is ready to burn jets?" She asked him to stay in character, Piggy just nodded and grunted. As he turns to lead the way out the door, she heard several cracks about him from some of the other customer. She really wished she could take off her skin and teach those cretins a lesson or two about respect. Nevertheless, that would have blown her cover and been one-step closer to the Dark Side; neither option would have helped Piggy or done any good. She just sighed and mumbled a small prayer to the gods.
"Yes," Piggy said quietly as they walked down a corridor leading away from the 'Big Boom' towards the inter station, "Prayers to the gods can help but so does remembering what we need to do for the mission."
"I know it's just … I don't think I will ever get used to this attitude towards you."
"Then don't, however remember to change such small minds you must educate with love and understanding not a closed fist or a hydro spanner up side the head. Violence is not always the best answer no matter how tempting it would be."
"You are going Jedi on me?" Tahiri said favoring him with a smile.
"No," he said with a grin, "but you don't have to be a Jedi to know good advice when you hear it."
They head into a lift going down eight levels then a side-traveling walk to the outer rim of the station where storage and warehousing district was, a low traffic area to say the least. Just the kind of place a paranoid person would meet other paranoid people without anyone noticing. Even the Security Forces were largely absent in this district. She let her Force sense flow out from her and scanned the area around her. Nothing was directed towards her but she still felt a twinge of something in the air. She hardly noticed that she was gripping her side arm a little too tightly with her right hand as she approached a hatchway with Piggy. When she walked through, she saw Kell and Elassar sitting in a couple chairs facing two men with a woman standing off to their right, the Wraiths between her and the door.
Fas! It was Lando Carlrissian, Talon Karrad and Shada, Talon's partner and bodyguard, all friends of her adopted family, watching her as she walked in. No not me something … she let her gaze drift off to her left. Standing off to the side was one of Lando's very successful and powerful Yuuzhan Vong Hunter droids. It had its blaster pointed at her head as Lando got up from his seat.
"Well 1A-1?"
"Species unknown, possibly human; wearing an ooglith masquer; other Yuuzhan Vong life form detected in the larynx regain; weapons detected pistol and a light saber."
"Interesting combination wouldn't you say, Talon?" Lando commented as he walked over to her, Tahiri kept her now brown eyes steadily on his dark eyes. She could feel the tension in the room go thru the roof, as he got closer to her. Tahiri kept quiet, waiting to take her cue from Kell.
"Fascinating," she head Talon say from his seat, "especially since the only humans that wear ooglith masquer are Peace Brigade members."
"We're not a Brigade members if that what you are implying," Kell said calmly from his seat, but she could start to feel his nervousness in the Force, "you do have those codes I sent verified?"
"Those codes only get you in the door to see me not to get free run of my stores. And codes can be intercepted." Talon said smoothly from his seat, "and you still have to convince me to allow you access to my information. I don't normally deal with private buyers anymore."
"So did you get that light saber honestly or did you just happen to find it lying around?" Lando asked her as he edged closer to the YVH1-A1. "Because I just don't remember seeing you at the last pow-wow the Jedi had.
"He went through a lot to get the weapon," Elassar said lazily from his seat, "I don't think it is for sale if that what you are after."
"Anyways those codes are your codes Karrad, do you think one of your codes could be broken so easily?" Kell asked.
"Ordinarily no but …" Talon let the sentence hang out there for all to draw their own conclusions, "now if you would be so nice as to tell us a story we might let you leave."
"The story is this; we have the codes that tell you all you need to know, end of story. We going to do business or do we just go on our own little ways?" There was no mistaken the hint of threat in Kell's voice but the nervousness was still there buried deep in him.
'Sorry but as you know I am in the information business and well you can understand why I would be interested in a person wearing a fake skin and carrying a light saber. You know many Jedi had been hunted down during the war and the Peace Brigade in particular was successful at that game. Therefore, I must insist that you answer my questions." When Kell and the rest didn't say anything, she heard a tired sigh come from Talon. "Very well, Lando if you would."
"1A-1 if you would please."
The droid took a set towards her, she knew now that she would have little choice, either surrender or destroy the droid. Once a Yuuzhan Vong Hunter gets started, it would not stop until either it was dead or his target was. Tahiri didn't want to fight the droid, it had done nothing to her except to follow it's orders; not at all different then what she was doing. She searched for another way out, just because it was an abomination was no excuse to destroy it. She closed her eyes and reached out with the Force, she used her powers to propelled the droid up against the ceiling, trapping it's gun against the ceiling and it's body. Over the electronic screams of the YVH1, she could hear the started remarks of the other three as they watched the Wraiths pull out their own weapons and cover them.
'Ok now, everyone nice and easy take your hands away from your sides." Elassar said from the other side of the room.
"Interesting so you are a true Jedi." Talon said recovering from his shock.
"Lando," Tahiri said, her voice distorted by the creature in her throat and by the strain of using the Force, "call of the droid, I don't want to hurt him."
"Uh … yea, YVH1-1A stand down." Lando said in a shaky voice.
Once the droid complied, she lowered him gently to the deck. When she opened her eyes, she drew her own gun and covered the other Wraiths as they backed out the door. Shada had a look of murder in her eyes, Lando was shaken to his core and Talon narrowed his eyes at the retreating Wraiths.
"I am sorry but I have lost a few associates to the Peace Brigade of late, we have to know who we are dealing with."
"Save it, the deal was the codes gave us access and not to be attacked."
"Understand who ever you are that …"
"Like I said we will be leaving now, no need to show us the way out we remember the route." Kell said as the door closed.
Piggy drove his axe into the control panel, shorting them out. All four headed back to the docking rings in silence. It was not until they launched an hour later and was safely in hyperspace did they speak.
"Well that was a fun time," Elassar said from behind her as Tahiri retracted her 'skin' and removed her voice worm.
"Sorry if I blew things back there …" she started to apologize but Kell cut her off.
"No, you did fine. That was a good trick; you took them off guard long enough for the rest of us to get our weapons out. They have no idea who we are so all of our covers are safe, not reveling our identities counts more then any information we could have gotten off them. Anyways we knew we couldn't keep your Jedi habits totally hidden forever."
"We can trust them you know."
"Luke and the rest may trust them but I don't and it is my decision." Kell said, not in a hostile tone but one that didn't invite further discussion, "Besides even if I trusted them personally I have to be aware of the fact that there are people in their organizations that I can't trust. We have to limit all outside contact with 3rd parities as much as possible."
"So why we were there is we hadn't planned on using them?"
"We have used them before," Piggy said coming up from behind her, she risked a glance back and saw that he had removed his disguised, "the codes should have given us access to the information we requested."
"But for some reason after Piggy left to get you, they brought in the YVH1." Kell said trading places with Elassar, who was also out of costume.
"The YVH1 was there for you only or else it would been there when we walked in," Elassar said strapping in at the co-pilot's seat, "since the only time you have had that thing off was when we left the base, I think you must had trip a sensor somewhere on the station."
"I agree which means that the trip was not a complete waste." Piggy said in satisfied tone.
"Uh, it seemed to be a waste of time to me." Tahiri said she was not following their logic.
"The fact that they had Lando and his bodyguard there and had special sensors hooked up to detect ooglith masquer tells us that the Peace Brigade has been taking shots at them too."
"Pretty good shots too if they are willing to spend that much man power to do check on us," Kell said from behind Elassar. "That course I entered will take us to Face's position; we can compare notes with him when we get there."
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I'm still alive! Gred thought as he approached his room. Earlier, just after he got on watch a Vong ship had existed hyperspace near Borleais, dead center in the middle of his watch area. He was able to blank his sensor logs and redirect all sensors in the area to his station without any one noticing. Even so, he sweated all-night, he was sure that someone had seen what he had done. But he was never questioned by anyone; the ship had slipped past and down to the Wraith base undetected. Then he had to go through the day until he had an opportunity to tell his control what he had done, his headaches had started just as he found his control. He heard what happened to the other two and didn't want to go through it himself, he had too much to live for to die by doing something as stupid as they did. After all he had that secret account with enough credits stashed away to make him a very happy man for a long time. Just a couple more years and I will be free, and then it will be drinks, food and women!
So lost in his thoughts that he hadn't notice that his lights were off when he walked in his room nor that he was not alone. His first hint at trouble was when he felt a hand cover his mouth then a sharp pain in his neck. It was as if molten lead was being pumped into his body.
"All Vong lovers will die!" A voice whispered to him and then it was nothing but pain.