"Every single day, more than 30 million people pass through Coruscant's Customs stations. Less than one percent of one percent of them even have their belongings searched. Customs agents just don't have the time to do more than glance at your picture and wave you through. This calls for contemplation."
-Insurgent's Cookbook (banned)
18: The Professor
Kagura staggered, her ribs creaking with each agonizing breath. The unforgiving floor hurt her bare feet every time she set them down, but she barely noticed it amid the other aches and pains she'd picked up. It was all she could do to keep herself standing and in a fighting stance.
Times like this, she really regretted lying about her age to get into the Academy.
She tried to focus, to force her battered body to mount a counterattack, but the next blow was already rushing in. She blocked expertly—unfortunately, her tired, beaten arm just refused to stand against that dreadful kick. Her feet skidded across the rough floor and she fell with a painful thump.
Her opponent bent and held out a hand to her. Kagura moved to swat it away, but meeting the other's kind blue eyes cooled her anger. Accepting the proffered hand, the young recruit regained her feet.
"Some day, Sakaki." She smiled tiredly. "Just you wait."
Sakaki gave a faint smile in return, without a hint of condescension.
Kagura snapped back to the present. Remembering the sweet, humid air of Delnor, she almost choked as she drew a cold, smoggy breath. The sun was distant and aloof, hidden by a solid sheet of cloud and distorted by the planetary shield far above.
Coruscant. The cultural and political center of the Empire, indeed, of all civilization. Coordinates zero-zero-zero. And, in this soldier's humble opinion, it was also a big, filthy concrete wasteland that the rest of civilization could keep for all she cared.
She stood with Tomo and Yomi on a walkway over the Imperial Academy's sprawling main campus. Where she'd been watching, a large group of shirtless men and a few halter-clad women were doing forms on a broad, open-air ledge.
"Some real lookers over there, eh?" Tomo commented, waggling her eyebrows.
Kagura winced in surprise; the Honorable Captain had probably stomped up on her with all the grace and stealth of a wounded Dewback, but she'd been lost in thought again. "Sure," she replied disinterestedly.
It was nice that Tomo had forgiven her almost instantly for blowing up at the Valerian's dinner. If she didn't know any better, she'd think that the smuggler was warming to their cause.
"I still can't believe we got in here so easily!"
"Neither could I, honestly. I thought I was gonna have a heart attack when the guy looked at Kaori twice."
"I mean, I thought we were a bigger deal than that."
"Well, we were a big deal five sectors away. The galaxy's a big place."
Tomo grinned. "We'll just have to try harder next time, then."
Kagura stared at her for a moment, then chuckled and grinned back. "Sure. Let's do that."
"If we knew it was that easy to get in, we'd probably have come through here more often, huh, Yomi?"
The First Mate didn't respond. She was still a little sore over being "deputized" at blaster-point to make this trip, having her precious Red Spirit practically torn apart out of under her and rebuilt, and then, as if that weren't insult enough, having her forged documents identify her as being from J'T'P'Tan. She was big enough to be a Valerian, dammit!
"How long d'ya think the meeting will take?" Tomo asked, watching the martial artists alongside her friend. "I'm getting kinda nervous for some reason."
"Nervous? Relax. Nobody knows we're here."
"Yep, she's definitely on the Academy grounds," Kenichi said. "We don't have a fix on what room, exactly, but she's in the Faculty Offices. Don't think she's moved in a while."
"Daring little Princess, 'ey?" Shiro asked, leaning on the back of his chair. "I guess this means someone in the Academy's sour… what do you think, boss?"
"Eh?" Matsuyama was lost in his own work.
"Oh, our quarry is running around on the Imperial capital. What's so important over there?"
"Just another assignment from another evil bastard," the Intelligence Chief grumbled, turning his screen so the others could see. "Nochichi's having me work this up from his ship's sensors. Guess he has a particular interest in this fighter here…"
"The image's all screwed up," Shiro commented.
"In case you haven't noticed, his fighter isn't exactly standard," Matsuyama said dryly. "I'm trying to get a good picture of the pilot… this is the best I've got so far."
A blurry human form appeared on his screen. "A kid!" Kenichi yelped. "When did they start sticking ten-year-olds in fighters?"
"Doesn't even have a flight-suit! And pigtails?"
"They don't look right, do they?" Matsuyama observed, rubbing his chin. "Wonder if they're detachable…?" The others stared at him. "Never mind. It's just… something about her hair bugs me. The color, maybe, or… hm…" he shook his head. In fact, that particular shade of orange-red bothered him immensely. But where had he seen it before? "I'll let Nochichi deal with it."
"You think she's the Jedi?" Shiro asked.
"The what?"
"She looks like the kid that was with those smugglers… you know, that mess on Tatooine? That bounty-hunter we questioned, he said he heard one of them introduced as a Jedi. I just remembered 'cause it was such a weird thing to hear."
"There… uh, there aren't any Jedi anymore, Shiro. Even if there were people who had mystical powers, the Jedi Order's dead."
"A Sith, then, fine. All's I'm saying is no normal kid can fly a starfighter."
"And maybe that's why Nochichi's so interested in her. Maybe he wants an apprentice!" Kenichi suggested. "Another one of them! That thought of that just gives you chills, doesn't it?"
"But he's on our side, so it'd be a good thing, right?" Shiro asked uneasily. "Right, boss?"
Matsuyama's gaze had drifted to the viewport again. "Sure…" he said distractedly, "Just what we need." Then, with a muttered, "Goddammit!" he walked swiftly over and slammed the viewport's cover down.
"You okay, boss?"
"Peachy. It's just a headache. Shiro, you look into that with the Tatooine incident, you might be on to something. And does anyone know where Chihiro is? I haven't seen her in a while. Back to work, guys!"
"So you're Chiyo Mihama." Professor Kurosawa folded her hands on her desk, covering the disk that had caused them so much trouble. "I always wanted to meet you, but I never imagined it would be like this."
"H-hello," Chiyo replied timidly. The woman before her seemed like kindness, gentleness and wisdom incarnate, but something about her precluded becoming too familiar. "I- thank you. For the books, and, and the chance to come here."
"And I certainly didn't peg you as one for green hair."
"Oh, this…" Chiyo touched one of her pigtails. "For- it's for Customs. My eye-color's fake, too." She wore a black blouse and baggy pants of the current Coruscant fashion, though it would've been impossible to mistake her for a native the way she'd been running around and gaping at the sights.
The Professor smiled. "It makes you look like the Invincible One."
"I'm sorry?"
She waved a hand in the air. "Ah, never mind. Just an old story I heard. I'm glad you could make it, Princess."
Kaori nodded silently. Lately, she seemed to be trying to live up to Sakaki's example in more ways than one; eschewing the elegant costume demanded by her station, she dressed simply at all times. Currently, semi-permanent makeup subtly changed the shape of her eyes and mouth, making her an unsettling sight for her friends but no problem at all for the harried Customs agents.
"I would imagine you want to know why I had to see you in person." Kurosawa stood and walked to her window overlooking the green courtyard at the center of the faculty complex. "I'm afraid you won't like it."
"I'll do whatever you say," Kaori assured quickly.
"Oh, I don't doubt it. But this… this, I knew you wouldn't listen to from anybody less than me in person. Especially considering what you've been through."
This made the Rebel Princess a little edgy. The Professor herself, hesitant to give an order? "What is it?"
"I want you… to sit the war out."
"What?"
"I knew it," Kurosawa sighed and turned towards them, leaning back on the window. "But listen to me. You're trained as a diplomat and an official… those skills will be far more useful after the war, when we're trying to found our Republic. You're in the running to be Minister of State, in fact. But you can't very well do that if you get blasted in some Force-forsaken warzone, can you?"
"But… but I…" So much for Sakaki's example.
"I know you want to avenge your world… and Ms. Sakaki too, but what you want doesn't matter a whole lot to the galaxy." Kurosawa sat back down. "I'm sorry, Kaorin, but I order you to find some place to lay low for the time being. Keep quiet, don't stir up any trouble for the Imperials, just… wait."
"But the war could take… I mean, where should I go?"
"I don't know. Anywhere remotely associated with the Rebellion would be bad. Those smugglers you hired probably know many places safe from authority. We'll rehire them to look after you."
"Look after…?"
"Say, Chiyo-chan?" Kurosawa turned in her chair and addressed the girl so suddenly that both of her guests jumped. Kaori swallowed whatever she was about to say; the Professor had probably arranged her sudden shift for just that purpose. "You've been training to become a Jedi, I hear."
"Er… yes. It, uh, I haven't been able to…"
"I understand."
"But I had this dream of Sa—" Chiyo glanced at the Princess, "I had a dream that told me that there was somebody on Dagobah who could teach me."
"Dagobah, hmm?" Kurosawa took her completely seriously, which was more unnerving than any derisive comment she could have made. "You'd better look into that. You can keep the fighter you used earlier; I'll special-order you a flight suit. Have you had any other dreams?"
"Well, one, but it was pretty strange."
"Let's hear it."
"I was talking the Princess, and all a sudden, I noticed that there was an eye inside of her, like in her arm. There was a collar around it and a leash, and when I looked up, the leash was dragging a Star Destroyer behind her like a great big kite."
Kurosawa blinked. "Why… didn't you say anything earlier?"
"I didn't think anything of it at the time. The next thing I knew, Tomo and Yomi started kissing, and I know that would never happen, then this girl in a cape started throwing these wooly snakes at me and yelling 'Sea Cucumbers!' then this fish guy yelled 'It's a trap!' and we all blew up."
"Princess…" the Professor steepled her fingers. "Have you had a basic medical scan since you were rescued?"
"No."
Kurosawa sagged, her head sinking to her elbows on the desk. "What kind of a Mickey Mouse operation am I running, here?" she groaned. "What did Green do when he got you back, sit around and practice yawning?"
"What…?"
The Professor stood suddenly, leveling what looked like a blaster at Kaori. She jolted as Kurosawa pulled the trigger—but all that came from the device was a piercing click. "That's better."
"What did you just do?" Chiyo asked.
Kurosawa smiled a little. "I just ruined somebody's day."
"What?" Matsuyama stood from his desk and stared at his subordinates, eyes wide and murderous. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN, YOU JUST LOST THE SIGNAL?"
"Um, sir…" Shiro ventured.
"SIT DOWN!" Both men leapt to their stations; ever since his meeting with Madame Director, Matsuyama was not a man to cross. "You're not leaving until you get that signal back, is that clear?"
"Yes, sir!" they chorused.
The Intelligence Chief went back to his work, grumbling under his breath.
"Whelp," Kenichi said softly, "Our day is ruined."
"…and so," Kaori said in resignation as they started across the monstrous campus again, "We're going to hire you two to protect me until this blows over."
"Forget it," Yomi said sharply before her partner could respond. "We're not getting involved in your R…" bad thing to say out loud. "In your business."
"But Yomi…" Tomo protested.
"I said, forget it!"
"That's too bad," Kaori said, "Because my superior's offering 250 thousand credits for the job."
"Did you just say…?"
"You're right it's too bad," Tomo sighed. "Yomi said forget it, and when she says forget it you might as well…"
"We'll do it!"
"Uh?" Tomo stared at her partner. "But you just said… jeez, Yomi, you're way too concerned with money."
"Oh, shut up. I'm just looking out for us."
"I'm serious," the Honorable Captain turned to Kagura, "Seriously, one time I asked her what she wanted most for Christmas and you know what she said? A million credits! 'Be more realistic,' I said, and she was all like, 'So what'd be realistic, a thousand?'"
"What a greedy wench!" Kagura agreed, "How can you stand that?"
Yomi took a half-hearted swipe at her partner, but the smaller woman ducked easily. "So, we're supposed to, what, just hide somewhere?"
"That's about the size of it," Kaori replied with a hint of bitterness.
"I can't think of any good place off-hand, but—what are you two doing?"
They were just leaving the Academy grounds, along a pathway lined with statues of the Tanizaki line. It went all the way from Emperor Hiroshi the Wise to Emperor Daichi the Unpopular, Emperor Arata the Freshness to Empress Yukari the…
Actually, a group of elderly scholars were gathered at its base that very moment, harrying a lone mason as he labored over the inscription. It seemed they hadn't come up with an appropriate adjective yet.
"Well, she's something all right… the Beautiful?"
"The Vibrant!"
"The Bold!"
"The Plumb Loco!"
"For the last time, Hugo, we're not using that one!"
The mason just sat and patiently waited; he was being paid by the hour, after all. Tomo and Kagura had taken up positions at the back of their group. "How about The Awesome?" Kagura suggested.
"Yeah," Tomo said, "Or… uh… so… The So Awesome?"
"What are you talking about?" Kagura laughed and swatted her lightly.
"Get over here!" Yomi barked. They left just as the mason got bored and decided to take matters into his own hands. "It's eerie how well those idiots are getting along all of a sudden."
"A little," Kaori agreed.
Chiyo walked silently in their wake, the packaged flight-suit under her arm. It was amazing how fast things arrived here! In fact, everything about this planet amazed her… but now she took her cue from the more jaded members of their party and tried to restrain herself.
Still, as they mounted a moving walkway at the start of their long journey back to the spaceport, Chiyo couldn't help but lean over the rail, drinking in the two-thousand foot drop with a mixture of terror and glee. You never saw sights like this on Tatooine…
"I know just where we can go!" Tomo declared. "Bespin! I have a friend there who owes me!"
"She doesn't owe you," Yomi was the very picture of exasperation, "You owe her. Something to the tune of twelve-thousand? And our ship?"
"Ah, she'll forgive me. She has a heart as wide as the ocean! Or… at least as wide as, uh, the Gray Sea back home…"
"On Corellia? I thought the Gray Sea was pretty narrow…" Chiyo called, not taking her eyes from over the side.
"Yeah," Tomo agreed, "But it's full of Krakanas and stuff."
A heart full of Krakanas? "What kind of friend is this?" Kaori asked, vaguely horrified.
"Oh, the very best kind…" Tomo replied, creeping up behind the enthralled Chiyo. "She won't mind—YOU'RE SO TALL, CHIYO-CHAN! SO TALL!"
"AAAAHHHHH!" the girl flailed and wiggled frantically as the Honorable Captain hoisted her into the air by her shins. But before anybody could move, something happened; Tomo lurched back from her as if struck and Chiyo's feet smacked into the smooth rail.
"Wha- no!" Kagura took one running step towards the girl as she started slide forward—then hopped back, landing lightly in the middle of the walkway. The whole party stood stock-still for a few seconds as Chiyo dusted herself off.
"There, uh…" Yomi looked back and forth between her and the rail. "You realize there's no physical way you could've done that, right?"
"What hit me?" Tomo asked in bewilderment, sitting up and rubbing her head.
"I might be getting the hang of this…" Chiyo said, more to herself than anyone else. "Uh, are you okay, Ms. Tomo?"
"Come on. Let's get out of here before anybody gets killed," Kaori sighed.
