Chapter Five: Weapons of Defense
It was after the second of Tython's moons had risen that the Twi'lek made her move. In the abandoned Flesh Raider camp, everything was quiet and still. The Jedi must be sleeping. Too confident of their own power, as Jedi always were.
She slipped noiselessly down the path, to the outskirts of the camp. She saw the Jedi bedrolls. The female Jedi turned over in her sleep. The male didn't move. She hoisted her blaster and advanced.
Then froze at the hum behind her, as the area surrounding her was bathed in blue light. The Swordmaster's saber. She realized in an instant that it was she who had been too confident.
"Are you going to kill me, Jedi?" She forced herself to keep her voice calm. She wouldn't allow him the satisfaction of hearing her fear.
The female Jedi stood in a single move. "No one's going to kill you, child." The woman extended her hand. "Give me the blaster, please."
There was no option. She handed her weapon to the Jedi woman, who then nodded to the man. The hum ceased and the blue light vanished as his lightsaber was deactivated.
"What's your name?" the woman asked. "I am Kalisa, and this is – "
"Caecinius," the Twi'lek spat even as the green-skinned Jedi stepped into view. "All in Kalikori village know his name. The Jedi who assaulted our matriarch!"
"Is that how Ranna tells it?" Caecinius asked grimly.
"She says nothing," the Twi'lek replied. "But you entered her home. There was blaster fire. When you left, she was shaking with terror. All in the village know the truth, even if she won't speak it!"
Caecinius drew a breath, forcing his emotions to remain at bay. This girl was not his enemy, just a misguided fool who had leapt to conclusions that supported her prejudices.
"Truth and assumption are not the same thing," he said stiffly. "Our Grandmaster has worked closely with your village and your matriarch ever since the incident. Why attack us?"
The Twi'lek said nothing, her face set in a stubbornly sullen expression.
Kalisa stepped forward. "Let's go back to my question, child. What is your name?"
The girl sneered. "I am no child! I have walked The Thousand Steps and have received the blessing of Matriarch Kolovish. I have hunted beside Nalen Raloch, and have felled three Flesh Raiders in defense of our village."
Kalisa bowed her head. "I misspoke," she apologized. "But if you have done all that, surely you aren't afraid to tell us your name?"
The Twi'lek bit her lip uncertainly, then gave in. "I am Allia."
"Allia." Caecinius frowned. The name was familiar. "You mentioned Nalen Raloch. Did you cross paths with a young Cathar Jedi?"
Allia remained still, but her eyes reacted. He was right. This was the female Twi'lek Canlyn had encountered in her pursuit of Nalen.
"According to Canlyn's reports," he went on, "you helped Canlyn when she was tracking him. Why are you attacking us now?"
"Why has Nalen not been returned to us?" Allia snapped in reply. "I trusted the Cathar Jedi. But it has been a month, and all we have heard are words and promises. No one has seen Nalen, he has sent no word. Is he even alive?"
The last of Caecinius's anger vanished as he realized why this girl was here. This had not been a serious attack, just a rash act of desperation.
"What was your plan?" he sighed. "Were you going to shove this toy in our faces, threaten us to make us talk?"
Allia bit her lip again and glanced downward. To the extent that she'd even had a plan, he had just basically summed it up.
Caecinius took the blaster from Kalisa and removed its power pack. He returned it to Allia.
"Nalen Raloch is alive," he said. "Canlyn, the Cathar Jedi, talked him into surrendering. He was injured by the man who altered his mind. I killed that man, but no Jedi harrmed Nalen."
"If you'd gotten there first, you would have killed him!" Allia accused.
"Yes," he said calmly. "If I had arrived first, and he had threatened me or other Jedi, I probably would have. Fortunately, he had already surrendered by the time I arrived. You were right to trust Canlyn. She would not leave Nalen's side until we got him back to the Temple for treatment, and she continued advocating for him afterward."
He waited for Allia to speak or act. She looked at the empty blaster, then back at Caecinius and Kalisa.
"You said he was injured." Her voice was softer now, and =he could hear the worry that had been buried beneath the anger. "Was he hurt badly?"
"Not physically," Caecinius said. "His mind was badly affected. I'll admit, I haven't followed the details of his treatment. But the Council voted to provide counseling and to train him sufficiently to control his Force abilities. I don't know anything about his progress, either his recovery or his training. But I'm sure the Jedi Grandmaster has shared those details with your Matriarch. When we get back to the village tomorrow, you can ask her."
"Tomorrow?" Allia stiffened. "You intend to hold me, then. For attacking you."
Kalisa frowned. "We don't, do we?" she asked Caecinius. "She acted out of impulse, and didn't come close to doing harm."
"We're not going to press charges," Caecinius said. His eyes scanned the mountains. His senses were screaming warnings. "There are Flesh Raiders near. They aren't moving in. They're probably still afraid. But they are here, and they are watching." He turned back to Allia. "If we let you head back alone, I doubt you would make it to the village."
Allia swallowed thickly, then glanced at the power pack for her blaster.
Caecinius extended it to her. "Only in defense," he said. "Only if they attack us."
She nodded her agreement. Without another word, he handed her the power pack.
"You should rest," Kalisa told her. "We will keep watch until morning."
Allia started to insist that she wasn't tired. But as soon as she lowered herself to the ground, she felt a wave of exhaustion swallow her. Whether it was a Jedi mind trick, or simply the events of the day catching up with her, the result was the same: She was unconscious before she could say another word.
Darmas proved to be an efficient guide as he talked Mira's group to the warehouse. It was guarded, of course, and the entrance was accessible only by use of a security panel. Fortunately, they had come prepared for both problems.
The three men waited across the street while Mira approached. They all agreed that a lone woman would be less threatening than three men. She took care not to movedirectly toward the entrance, focusing on walking past it. She hunched slightly, shoving her hands inside her wraps as if to keep warm. The guards saw her, but they did not react. Why would they? She was just another refugee crossing their path.
As she moved past them, she pulled her hands free. In each hand was a small metal ball. She threw them at the guards.
Then ran to the end of the street, just in case the devices didn't live up to Darmas's promises.
She stopped after a few steps. The high-pitched whine and the lack of pursuit told her that all had gone to plan. When she turned back, she saw Corso, Cress, and Jorgan approaching. She trotted back to meet them.
The guards were frozen in place, motor skills paralyzed by the sonic wave. Thanks to the white noise emitted through Darmas' earpieces, the party was not similarly affected – though Mira felt as if the whine was stabbing at her brain. Cress actually stepped back, his lekku receiving too much input.
"My apologies, Sergeant," Darmas said over the earpiece. "Allow me to increase the interference for you."
"No," Cress said. "I need to be able to hear properly. I'll manage."
His features took on a whiter shade of blue, but he stepped forward, gritting his teeth against the effect. Mira was willing to bet he would have a killer headache later.
"One of those guards should have a clearance card," Darmas said unnecessarily.
Corso and Jorgan were already searching them. "Found one!" Corso exclaimed. He held up a keycard, brandishing it like a trophy.
Mira snapped it out of his hand and inserted it, chip first, into the reader. The console gave a beep, which made all of them wince. Then the door slid open.
"Let's find that slicer," Mira said.
"Be mindful," Cress said. "There might be more guards."
Mira grinned. "If so, then we'll throw another pair of Darmas's balls at them."
There were more Guild members inside, though they were clearly unprepared for attack. Sloppy. Two more devices incapacitated them before they could react to the new arrivals.
"Kixi should be upstairs," Darmas told them. "You'll need her to be able to move, so if anyone's with her… Well, you'll have to use less civilized methods."
Cress and Jorgan seemed happy enough at the thought. When they found Kixi with no additional guard, Mira thought she detected disappointment in the men's expressions.
Kixi was a young Mirialan woman. Very young, little more than a teenager. She was seated in front of a bank of monitors, with various keyboards and holo-interfaces surrounding her.
"Been following you on the security networks," she said as they entered. "You know how to make an entrance." She swiveled her chair toward them. "Please tell me Darmas sent you."
Corso gaped. "You were expecting us?"
"Of course." She seemed surprised they didn't know. "I hacked into Darmas's personal communications and sent a call for help. That was two weeks ago. Before he got back to me this morning, I thought it had been a bust."
"A call for help," Mira repeated. "You're a prisoner here?"
"I was hired by the Migrant Merchants' Guild for a job before the last election," Kixi replied. "I must have done it too well, because instead of paying me, they locked me in here. That was two years ago."
She stood and stepped toward them. "Can we go, please? I'm ready to be… not here."
Cress shook his head. "We have business first. Darmas - How long will those devices hold?"
"Probably another twenty minutes, no longer. I'd advise being clear of the area before then."
"Twenty minutes," Cress confirmed. "OK, Kixi. We have information that the Migrant Merchants Guild has military grade weapons at their disposal. We need to know where they're storing the weapons, and we need proof to make sure the authorities act."
"Is that all? No problem." Kixi turned to a holo-input, pulling up manifest lists and locations. She typed on a keyboard with one hand, while swiping through screens of results with the other. Mira had no idea how she could even process the information in front of her, she flicked through screen after screen so quickly.
"Here," Kixi announced. "Did you bring a data reader?"
Mira handed over a small device. Kixi glanced at it. "Been a while since I've seen one of those," she said. "It'll do."
She pressed a button on the data reader, then selected information and images from her screen.
"Done," she announced. "You have the full address – District, Sector, street, and building. The weapons aren't scheduled to be moved anytime soon. Your SIS should have no problems."
Cress nodded his satisfaction. "I think we're done here."
"Not so fast," Mira said. "I have my own reasons for being here, remember?" She turned to Kixi. "I'm looking for a Corellian named Skavak."
Kixi made a face. "Finding his trail is easy. Just look for the slime."
Corso snorted, ducking his head to hide his smirk.
"Skavak paid the Guild to wipe his identity record," Kixi continued. "They made me slice into the Republic's main database to delete his arrest warrants."
Mira let out a grunt of frustration. No wonder he had been getting around so easily. She was the only one chasing him!
Kixi turned back to her screen. Another flurry of typing and swiping, and then she looked back at Mira.
"Every mention of Skavak in the Guild database is on your device," she said. "There should be something that'll help."
Mira nodded. "Thanks." Then she smiled as an idea struck. "You cleaned up his records, right? Can you put something back in?"
Kixi shrugged. "Easy enough. You want me to make him Public Enemy #1?"
"No." Alerting the authorities would only drive Skavak deeper underground. Even if the Republic caught him, Mira's own record was far from spotless; there was no guarantee they would give her The Siren back. "No police," she said. "But let's him where it hurts. Make it so no woman in the galaxy will want to touch him."
Kixi grinned. "I'm good with that." She went back to work. "I'll register him as a plague carrier… No, wait – the Bothan Nether Rot! I'll make it go viral." There was obvious glee as she pressed a key. "That should keep him lonely for a while."
She glanced at the four, her face alternating between a nervous smile and an anxious frown. "Anything else?" she asked.
Jorgan cleared his throat and tapped his earpiece. "How are we on time?"
"Please do not tap the earpiece," Darmas said testily. "You have less than ten minutes."
"Ten minutes," Jorgan said to Kixi. "Enough for one more request?"
"Depends on the request."
"The members of HAVOC Squad. Harron Tavus. Vanto Bazren. Zora. Bex Kolos. Ryler Dorant."
Kixi's eyes widened. "The traitors?" Her hands shook slightly as she turned back. "I can do a quick search of Guild databases, in case they've had any contact. Get me out of here, and I'll scour the holonet for more – There's no way I have time now."
"The databases are good for now," Jorgan agreed.
Kixi did another search. Her nervousness only showed for a few seconds. Once she was navigating the information, her poise returned. Soon, her hands were again moving at a blur.
"Five minutes." Darmas' voice conveyed urgency.
Kixi turned back. "There's information, but I didn't have time to look at it. I moved everything to your reader." She glanced at Corso. "What about you?"
Corso looked surprised. "Me?"
"Why not? Everyone else got a turn."
Corso flushed. "Nothing I need from the Merchants' Guild," he said.
"Later, then," she said. "You think of a favor, hit me up."
"I… OK."
Darmas spoke again. "Four minutes." Now he sounded tense.
"We need to go," Mira said firmly.
Kixi jumped out of her chair and bounded to them. "You don't need to tell me twice."
Mira turned back to the computer station. She drew her gun and fired. "We can't have them see what we looked up," she explained. Cress, Jorgan, and Corso drew their blasters and joined her in directing concentrated blasts at the terminals. Kixi pointed out the data backup module, and they destroyed that too.
"Two minutes!" Darmas shouted.
"Hope you've kept in shape," Mira told Kixi, "because we are going to run."
Skavak was enjoying himself.
His record was clean. He had no need to look over his shoulder, and had every prospect of soon attaining riches enough to buy his own planet. And, for the moment, there was nothing requiring his attention, freeing him to enjoy a night at the cantina.
He had been plying the redhead at his table with his best moves. She was young, bubbly, and became tipsy at a single glass. Almost too easy, he reflected with contempt. With a girl like her, you just needed to get a laugh, then find something to compliment her on besides her looks. Pretend to be interested when she talked - but not too interested, so that she would worry that he might get bored. That was the exact time to throw in a few light digs. Compliments that doubled as insults, to make her doubt her own reactions, to make her eager to do anything to gain his approval.
No challenge at all. Then again, he didn't want a challenge. This was his first night out since leaving Ord Mantell, and he did not intend to spend it alone.
She had been responding exactly as intended, giggling at his every utterance and leaning toward him. He excused himself to visit the facilities, and made a last check that he had suitable protection. Then he sauntered out, ready to casually invite the girl back to his room.
She was gone.
He settled back into his chair, confused. Had she also needed to visit the ladies' room? He supposed that was possible.
Then he noticed other women looking at him. Some pointing and laughing, others glaring. What was going on?
His communicator beeped. It was the ship. An audio-only link. He tucked a receiver into his ear so that the conversation would stay private, then accepted the call.
A woman's voice, low and husky. "You might want to check the holonet, lover boy. You're making a splash."
Skavak frowned. That alien girl had wiped his record clean. But you can never trust aliens. She and that nonhuman guild might have double-crossed him. If so, his associates would...
He activated his wrist holo. There was nothing on the news.
"Check the social net," the woman clarified.
He did, and almost immediately found the posts about him. He absorbed the content, then chuckled.
"Hell hath no fury," he said.
"Glad you're taking it well. You might as well come back to the ship. I don't think you're going to find much company tonight."
"There's room in my bunk for two," he offered.
The woman laughed as she declined. "I think we already have the perfect relationship, Skavak. I have the information you need, you have the ship I need, and neither of us gets paid without the other. You keep your Nether Rot to yourself."
She ended the call.
Skavak shrugged and ordered another drink. Women continued to glare, but he ignored them. If they weren't going to provide company, then their judgment meant even less than usual. This was his moment to relax. Soon, the real work would begin.