Disclaimer: I only own Rae and her crazy.
QUESTION AT END OF CHAPTER!
Time-line: two years and seven months since Naboo.
Chapter 17: Christmas the Third
Returning to Courscant was... harder than Rae had anticipated. It wasn't the wind or rain that made it difficult, but the lives she was leaving behind. Each Clone she'd met had a slightly different Song, though they all held the underlying melody of Vode An, and it made her heart ache for them all over again. Even Jango's Song, while having a different base melody, echoed with the chant of brotherhood. To her great surprise, Rae found that she was even going to miss the beroya. He was bitter, angry, and hateful, but it stemmed from an old hurt left untreated. Once upon a time, perhaps he had been a kind and caring young man with a great capacity for love. It would certainly explain the bleeding pain she had Heard, carefully hidden behind ruthless efficiency and distrust. Once bitten twice shy, as the saying went. She shook the thoughts from her head and engaged Claire's hyperdrive. This would likely not be the last time she visited Kamino, and most certainly not the last time she encountered the infamous beroya Jango Fett. She just hoped the next time wouldn't involve a threat to one of her loved ones.
/*/
The days blended together for a time after that, Rae's mind preoccupied with her revelations on Kamino and her ongoing search for Dirttm on Palpatine. So much so that when Dex stopped her halfway through her shift and asked if she'd gotten her presents sorted she just blinked dazedly at him. "What?" Dex shook his head.
"You went on a month long vacation and didn't do your Christmas shopping?" he asked. Realization slammed into her like a Skywalkertm Speeder.
"Christmas is in two days!" she shrieked, causing her boss to chuckle. "I... Uh... Um... I'll get something once I'm off work!"
"Go. It's important to you." Rae gaped at him.
"I was just gone for a whole month and you're giving me a half day? Already?" she asked, incredulous. Dex nodded and Rae threw her arms around his neck. "I love you," she breathed before hanging up her apron and snatching her purse as she darted out the door. Dex watched with a fond smile. It was good to see that girl happy, especially after seeing that expression on her face when she got back. Whatever she'd done on that vacation... Dex didn't think it actually qualified as vacationing.
/*/
She had the presents and the cookies... but where did she gather everyone this time? Padme was swamped and had commed that she wouldn't make it for the day of, Blon was on mission for who knew how long, and Jazz could only spare an hour or so. Then, it came to her. "Dex... can I host my Christmas at the Diner?" she asked. The large cook easily agreed and they had a lovely Christmas lunch.
"So... where have you been for the past month?" Anakin asked as they were clearing away the dishes. Rae paused for a moment, then shook herself and carried on.
"Just checking up on something," she said, taking the dishes into the kitchen. A moment later and they heard the sink turn on followed by the sounds of plates being rinsed. Anakin and Obi-Wan shared a look and Dex sighed while Jazz shook his head.
"You know they ain't gonna let up on this, right?" Jazz called after her. The sound of rushing water got louder in response. The mechanic sighed and turned to the Jedi. "I've seen this kind of thing before. Don't push too hard or you're likely to loose her. If she wants you to know, she'll tell you." Anakin huffed but Obi-Wan nodded.
"I'll trust your judgment, Jazz," he said. Rae returned and they handed out presents, putting the topic of where she'd been out of mind... But everyone could tell that whatever it was, it weighed on her.
/*/
When the scraps of paper had been cleared away, farewells handed out, the Jedi gone back to the Temple, and Jazz returned to his garage, Rae sighed. "You know they care about you," Dex remarked softly, wiping down the table. She nodded.
"Oh, I do. It's just... what I learned on my trip. It was... more than I anticipated," she said, tired.
"Pitfall of being an information broker: sometimes you hear things you wish you hadn't," Dex agreed. Rae hummed... then snapped her attention back on the large cook.
"Hey now, who said anything about me being an information broker?" she asked. Dex grinned and took a seat once more.
"Rae, it's pretty obvious. Oh you might not be selling yet, but you're gathering. Hard to hide that in the beginning, especially from an old hand. So, what got you started?" he told her. Seeing she had no-where to hide and nothing to deflect with, Rae shook her head and sat across from her boss.
"So here's the deal: I have a pretty good idea that there's something coming, something big, and someone important in the Senate is going to be behind it. I'm trying to cut them off at the pass, so to speak, but it's proving... difficult. They're good at hiding their tracks, like a garden snake in fresh grass or, perhaps more aptly, a spider in the shadows. I haven't been able to find anything on their public persona and, more annoyingly, nothing linking them to their Dark persona. My trip? It netted me intel on what that 'something big' I can feel looming is and the Dark personas that are organizing it." Understanding and realization lit in Dex's eyes. "Oh yes, it's not just one person working on it. There are at least two names attached and at least one organization. Couldn't get the funding for it otherwise."
"What organization?" Dex asked.
"Ah ah~! That would be telling, now wouldn't it?" Rae sing-songed, wagging her finger. "Oh, but don't misunderstand. I will be sharing what I've learned about this plot, just not right now. I need to have the necessary evidence to cut the head off the snake before I go public or this menace will sink back into full obscurity and it will take a monumental amount of time and effort to suss them back out. Time that they may spend sowing seeds of despair, death, darkness, and destruction. That... that is something I cannot allow to happen. I will watch war break out before I let this Evil run free in the shadows!" Dex eyed the woman he'd hired on Obi-Wan's recommendation, the fire in her eyes and the steel in her spine.
"I believe you," he told her. "So, I'm going to help how I can."
"For now, just having a steady job helps a whole lot," Rae told him. "I may run ideas by you later but... for now, I don't want people knowing what I'm up to. Especially those I hold dear."
"Oh Rae. Everyone you count as a friend is already well used to danger," Dex told her solemnly.
"Be that as it may, I do not wish to use any of you. Nor do I wish to paint, or enlarge, targets on your backs. Please... don't ask that of me." Dex was clearly unhappy with her request, but nodded anyway.
"Well. When you decide you need more than just a job, you let me know," he told her. She smiled gave him a hug as best she could.
"Of course, Dex. I'd be a bleeding hypocrite if I didn't make use of the support network I have," she remarked. Dex chuckled and gave her a fairly gentle hug before sending her on her way. The next day was a double after all.
/?/
A/N: This... gave me trouble. It's short because I just... couldn't figure out what all of them would give each other and honestly, I considered skipping Christmas. But, I felt like there needed to be a scene where she gets asked about what she did so... this is what you get.
QUESTION! Should I keep this main fic just about Rae and her relationships with the main Star Wars characters or put in what she's doing with her aliases as well? There is a lot I plan for her to do but not all of it really fits with the tone and flow of this story. Honestly, I considered splitting it at Phantasm's debut but ultimately decided that the chapters I already have written didn't mesh well with the tone of a straight Phantasm story. SO! What do you think? Should I have spin-offs her her various alter-egos and just keep their introductions in the main fic or try to merge everything she gets up to into a single story? I REALLY WANT YOUR FEEDBACK! THIS IS AS MUCH FOR YOUR ENTERTAINMENT AS IT IS FOR MY OWN ENJOYMENT!
