Author's note: In case you haven't noticed, species names are capitalized the first time they are introduced and subsequently returned to their proper case (i.e. "human"). "Chiss" remains capitalized because it refers to the Chiss empire, not the species. It is to differentiate it from the Empire (of classical Star Wars reference), which will also appear later in the story.
Chapter 4: Fated Meetings
"I do not see why we are here, My Lady Akila"
Jern Ponn pulled his hood lower, casting a shadow over his stern brow and typical Kel-Dor breath mask as they stepped off the transport late into the interstellar evening. To him, the 5th hanger bay of the Purgatory Space Station was a dirty place, filled with the auras of malcontents that the lady he served was too gentle to walk among. He felt the energies of more than a few like himself; those that, for better or for worse, were tuned in to the power of the Force.
But standing next to him in her floating blue cloak, there was that same serene smile on Akila's soft face. He remembered that smile, being as it was the first thing he saw when she had found him, a broken man and lone survivor of the shipwreck that destroyed his Order. He trusted her judgment, though most times he didn't understand it. She turned her blind face up to him, and put a comforting hand on his arm.
"Be at peace, my friend. The Force guides us in all ways, and it is here that the disaster can be averted. Here is the place to save our home."
Beneath a scarf the color of the blue sky on that green land, Alderaan, she had no eyes; her face had all the beauty of a pale sunrise, porcelain skin with the slightest tints of warmth, rose gold lips, framed by a burnished mane of buttercup yellow hair. Many human women would have given much for her features, did they not consider her scarred. But she was not scarred, and she was not human. Akila was Mira-Luka kind, and she saw as well as Jern and beyond, for all her people had eyes in the Force and not only saw the present, but the future as well. That was why they were here.
He watched a nebulous path of dark force trail beneath the strangest of creatures, a little shrouded, glowing-eyed imp, the like of which he had only heard tales of from a barren desert world deep in Hutt space. The diminutive thing was covertly filching parts from ships it passed by way of levitating them into his garment pockets! Jern scoffed and shook his head. Who knew what manner of reprobates they would run into on this god-forsaken world? This had to be done; he just wished his lady hadn't insisted on being the one to do it.
"I trust you'll find this comfortable; I figured we'll have a more 'informal' interview here instead of going to my new office. Our work spaces tend to . . . intimidate . . .non-Chiss."
And the farghul thief was not a man to be swayed by intimidation; rather, Von discerned that enticement would be the way to his heart. On the trip up from the planet, he had impressed Mevrrir with the standard private transport his committee had set up for him until he allocated funds from the starting stipend to an interplanetary vehicle of his own. The next stage in wooing the prospective employee was to show off the exceptional accommodations his entourage had secured on the space station floating above the planet. The interview was taking place in the classy cantina at the Promenade, Ord Mantell's only off-planet hotel. Seated at one of the spacious, red velvet booths, complete with its own silence bubble, they could negotiate in privacy and security.
"The meal will be paid for, regardless of what you decide," he waved a long arm, motioning Mevrrir to have a seat, then climbed into booth with the farghul at his right. To allow another to sit at one's right hand was traditional Chiss respect for valued professionals. Taru took up position just behind the booth, more in a ceremonial capacity than actually guarding at this point, since the booth's low level force field provided a virtual wall against uninvited entry.
Lain Tee had scooted into a seat on Von's left. The Chiss lord noticed she had hardly taken her eyes off the farghul thief since she'd first made his acquaintance outside the jewelry store. Now, she was staring across the table at him, a dreamy expression in her large eyes, and her lips in full pout. For Mevrrir's part, he seemed to definitely be enjoying the attention. With this development added onto all the preparation, Von wagered his new talent was virtually in the bag. He sat back, relaxed, and let them ogle each other a moment longer before beginning. At last, he leaned forward and placed his folded hands on the table between them.
"Before business, a formal introduction is polite. We hardly spoke on the way here, and I'd like to present myself and my little group to you with some courtesy. As I mentioned before, I am Von Lormac of the House of Karn-fal, of the great family Inrokini. This is my loyal protector, Taru, and Lain Tee Eyan, a holovid performer in my employment."
"Paying for my meal, a deluxe suite at The Promenade, the Lain Tee Eyan on your payroll," Mevrrir let out a low whistle. "You're some businessman, Von Lormac."
"Indeed, so I've been told," Von replied, reclining again with a smooth, confident smile. "Actually by most of the Ord businessmen I had holo-conferences with on the way here from Chiss space."
The farghul nodded, his own grin widening
"Sheesh, you've covered bases I'll bet old Prometheus didn't expect you to get to for weeks. I'm Mevrrir, but you can call me Mev," he extended a hand.
Most Chiss would have been caught off guard, and even disturbed by the prospect of taking the furry palm in their own cool fingers; but Von had extensively studied the etiquette of the outside galaxy and shook Mev's hand with hardly a pause. He noted, by the new respect in the feline expression, that the gesture had not been lost on Mevrrir.
"You'll pardon me, Mevrrir, but I thought that Farrfin nobles had four names."
It was meant to be another show of his knowledge of non-Chiss cultures, but for a moment, Von thought he had horribly miscalculated. The farghul's mouth stiffened to almost a grimace, and something painful passed across the golden cat's eyes, causing them to glisten. Then it fell away, and Mevrrir regained his smug poker face.
"Just Mevrrir, if you please."
"As you wish. I have no need to pry into my employee's lives. And I do want you to be my employee, Mevrrir."
"Of course," Mev folded his arms behind his back. "I am the best sneak around here. And though I'm sure almost every business on Ord, legitimate or no, is thrilled at the idea of someone other than Prometheus running this place, they're also scared. The beast must be de-fanged in order to get the backing to 'retire' him. That will require some . . . subterfuge."
Now it was Von's turn to be impressed and amused. "Excellent deduction, Mev. I enjoy hiring individuals who can anticipate my plans."
"Oh, good! You are hiring!"
Nearly everyone at the table jumped, even Taru, who normally considered herself quite difficult to sneak up on. It wasn't even as if the blue haired girl had been quiet about her entry. She had simply stepped right through the force field and obviously heard right through the silence bubble, as if there was nothing there to obstruct her. The nagai fingered the hilt of her sword.
This was the work of a Force user, and one can never be too careful around such wizards. All those who lived under the dominion of Csilla regarded them with suspicion. Taru was aware that three main cults of the Force existed, and each had their own strange codes and notions of justice. But this girl seemed hardly a monk or cultist; on the contrary, from her drab green and brown fringer attire, Taru would have seen her as nothing but a common rogue if she had not penetrated the force field. No sense in acting rashly yet; if her lord deemed it necessary, she could probably handle the intruder, force user or no. She looked to Lord Von's reaction.
"A-and you are?" Von battled both anger and surprise, determined neither should show. On one hand, the young woman had rudely interrupted their negotiations; on the other, the very fact that she was able to do so was something to be understood before simply having Taru escort her out. His hands clenched on the table, and his mouth drew the hard line of forced composure.
"Neris," the girl replied, unperturbed and leaning one hand casually on the table directly in front of Von, "I represent a trio former Shadow Wing associates who are looking for a little spare cash these days. I think we would make a valuable addition to your club here."
Meanwhile, Lain Tee was nearly beside herself in irritation. They had been just about to sign on the handsome cat-man, and this dusty little gutter snipe has to come in and disrupt everything. Worse yet, she might even be competition for Mev, whom Lain Tee considered the one with obvious superior . . . qualifications. It would not be tolerated. She leaned closer to her lord.
"Boss," she wheedled sweetly in Von's native tongue, "Don't waste your time trying to talk to her. I don't like her. Make the annoying lady go away."
She shot a triumphant glare in the direction of the invader. If there was one thing Lain Tee Eyan could do, it was cajole and persuade.
"It's not nice to say things about people when you think they can't understand you."
Von's ruby eyes widened a bit, and Lain Tee jumped a second time. Neris's mouth hadn't moved, yet the Chiss lord had clearly heard her voice inside his mind; and from Lain Tee's reaction and startled expression, she had, too. This time, Von was quick to recover his carefully neutral expression. The usefulness of these types of abilities set his calculating brain in motion, which in turn fueled his inner calm. He allowed the girl a genuine smile.
"If you can wait your turn this time, I might have just found myself more employees than I bargained for; that is, provided both of you are interested."
"I'd be crazy not to be, Von Lormac," Mev had been watching the whole interaction with a mischievous grin. "Money's not what I need; it's just a plaything to me. What I crave is excitement and I have a feeling that working for you, isn't going to be boring in the slightest."
Neris, having won her gamble, perched on the corner of Mev's side of the booth with almost a sheepish expression on her heart-shaped face. To Von's relief, she managed to avoid talking out of turn for most of the rest of the evening, her associates sounded promising, and Mevrrir had no objection to signing a well drawn out Chiss contract.
He was to meet with Neris's pirate friends early the next morning, to see if they also measured up to his standards; though if they really were from the infamous Shadow Wing network, they would be welcome additions. Provided, of course, that he could secure their loyalty. Pirates, by their very nature, were more ethically tricky than even the worst Chiss businessman. But if they were anything like Neris, he figured that he had little to worry about in the department of guile. For a career criminal, she was the textbook definition of naïve. She'd told him all about their money troubles, and the ship they couldn't pay for, and he had sensed nothing from her but honesty. Von had quite a talent for discerning the motives of others, and he never let respect or even friendship get in the way; in fact, the better one knew one's target, the more one discovered.
Thinking on motivation he needed to know, Von was reminded of one more visit he had to make before retiring for the evening. He bid Neris a good night and allowed Mev to escort Lain Tee to her quarters (with a stern warning that that was all he was to do). Then, he turned to Taru, who had finally gotten used to the Force wielding ragamuffin at their table and was gradually relaxing her stance as the meeting was adjourning.
"Well, my friend, Lain Tee has gotten her presents. Let us see about yours."
Neris walked with the Chiss lord and his bodyguard to the doors of the cantina, bade them farewell again, and promptly rounded the corner. Then, she slumped against the wall and breathed a sigh of relief, feeling the cool titanium of the station seep into her back.
"What was I thinking? Barging in like that could've gotten me in trouble. It's a good thing he thinks I did it on purpose. . ."
Out of her pocket, she pulled her security blanket, a small white stone with a wave-like rune engraved on it in blue. It was the same wave that was tattooed on her forehead, hidden by a tousle of unruly bangs. She levitated it into the air, hovering it in front of her at eye level.
"Where do you come from?" she whispered, "Where do I come from?"
"I just felt something."
Akila stopped in the middle of the corridor, causing Jern to glance around abruptly. They were on their way to their accommodations at The Promenade, and all he could feel was the night heating up for gamblers and thieves at the local casino. He wondered if the lady had tuned into the source of the impending danger already.
"What is it that you sense?" he inquired quietly, hoping not to distract her from the proverbial "scent". But that serene smile returned to her face.
"A presence I have not felt in a long time. When I was a little girl, my parents did charity work on Tatooine, a planet in the Hutt systems. There was a slave child there that I played with . . ."
Her voice trailed off, and Jern could see that she was lost in so vague, lovely memory. How anyone could have lovely memories of a Hutt world, he did not know. He credited the lady's gentle spirit. For his part, the kel-dor could sense nothing but a vague dark energy lurking around the corner. But that was exactly the direction Akila drifted in.
Behind the bend, one of Purgatory's more Force adept malcontents was aimlessly toying with some sort of pebble. From the slight glow it gave off to his honed senses, he guessed it was a type of talisman. She stopped as soon as they came into view, and secreted the stone away. Then, her round sapphire eyes caught sight of Akila.
"Is it . . .is it really you?" she looked stunned, scrambling to her feet and taking a hesitant step forward.
"Neris! It is you!" Akila cried, and she rushed forward and embraced the surprised young woman, then held her out at arms length. "You've grown!"
"So have you," the girl called Neris was recovering herself and smiling. "Akila Menavoo. I never thought I'd see you again, after you and your parents left that harvest season so long ago. What brings you to Purgatory?"
"Work. We're looking for work."
Though Neris didn't know it, Jern recognized the faded tone of Akila's Force-trance voice. It was the only thing the kept him from demanding if she had gone mad. Obviously the Force was guiding her in the direction they needed to go, but beneath the cyanide mask his jaw dropped.
"What a coincidence!" Neris was exclaiming, "We are looking for new crew. You see, we ordered mods to our ship from the guys who run the station, but they turned out to be pretty pricey, and the rest of our crew decided to abandon ship – and us. Pirates tend to be a stir crazy lot, and we aren't leaving here for a while. So it's just me, the Captain, and Oowahm, the engineer-"
"Pirates!" Jern coughed.
"Yup!" Neris beamed with pride and fluffed her collar, "Former Shadow Wing,"
She wandered rather far into his personal space, peering under his low hood; he took a step backward, uncomfortable under the sudden scrutiny.
"You a Jedi?" she inquired, raising an eyebrow and pursing her lips in a caricature of intense concentration.
"No."
"Ok, that's good. I don't think the Captain would like me to bring her a Jedi."
Of course not, Jern thought, a Jedi would turn your entire band of brigands in. Neris's attention turned back to Akila, and he watched helplessly as one of the greatest seers the Republic had ever known made plans to meet at 0800 hours in Hanger Bay 5 to join a pirate crew, and signed him up right along with her. He trusted the Force, but this promised to be a long trip.