Chapter 3: Zerir Vri'skar

In Orbit of Naboo

The Gungan Moon Ohma-D'un continued dying by the minute. Already the biocide had spread from the Western Hemisphere to the Eastern. From space, between the clouds, the area around New D'eeja now appeared almost black. Most of the visible patches of the moon were coloured with a dark red, growing increasingly blacker as the Separatist bacteria starved itself after eating the entire environment.

Amidst the debris of the Separatist and Republic fleets, Clan Askar's flagship, the Yu'tor, was now docked with the much larger Republic Acclamator, the Pursuer. The mandibles of the Kaloth-class cruiser almost appeared to be eating the Acclamator.

Captain Zerir Vri'skar had not agreed to be debriefed, but she had not quite refused either. It was clear that the Republic and Naboo were extremely unhappy with how things had turned out. She assumed they would not the let them go until their Naval Intelligence had painstakingly corroborated every last detail.

As debriefings carried on and on however, Zerir had gone from wanting to shoot at Separatists herself, to half-contemplating ordering her ship to fire on the Pursuer's tractor beams and punching into hyperspace. Perhaps even dropping a torpedo on Theed as a crude Spacer hand gesture for kriff you all!

"Do you find this funny?" asked Major Quarsh Panaka, the Royal Security Forces officer.

In a cramped dimly lit room aboard the Pursuer, Zerir sat with Panaka and a Republic Naval Intelligence Officer, Commander Blyes.

Zerir realised she had been smiling at the thought of torpedoing Theed. She took a deep breath and wiped the toothy grin from her snout. "No. I don't find it funny."

"Could you tell us from the top, what you told us yesterday?" Blyes asked firmly. "What precisely happened on the third day after you gave your ship to the Separatists?"

"Did not give my ship to the Separatists. That esh a lie," Zerir snarled firmly. "Esh. A. Lie."

"Well, however you want to frame it… Captain," Panaka huffed.

"You ask the same shtak every day. I did—"

"—We wouldn't have to if you and your crew had not EATEN doctor Selatti!" Panaka yelled.

Zerir pointed to one of the missing patches of fur on her snout with a scowl. During her first interview, Zerir had sobbed when she recalled Hayden and Teruka standing up for the Bothans and getting killed—killed even after the Bothans had, in turn, spent so much effort keeping those humans alive. By her fifth interview however, Zerir's tears were spent.

"I regret what happened to you and your crew," Blyes said consolingly. "You must understand—"

"—You are treating us all like criminals," Zerir interrupted with a despondent gasp. "We had no contacts with the Separatists prior to this. The Separatists tortured us. They killed Hayden and Teruka. You have the security footage—"

"—You mention Hayden and Teruka every interview," Panaka interjected accusingly. "So does Raskyer, Hagin, Zoc, Ben… Eshka has mentioned them most of her interviews, and so has—"

"—We are getting a little bit off topic," Blyes muttered impatiently, glaring at the RSF officer.

"Well, I don't understand. Why did you all care about those two so much?" Panaka asked.

"Do you want me to answer that question?" Zerir asked sarcastically. "Or do you want me to tell you the same information I told you yesterday and the day before?"

"Honestly…" Blyes sighed as he began tapping the stack of flimsiplast in front of him. "I don't see any utility in you starting from the top again."

Zerir wanted to exclaim finally but held her tongue.

"There is one thing…" Blyes muttered.

Zerir's fur began swirling nervously. She expected his next utterance to be a threat or a provocation of some sort.

"Zoc mentioned a 'Lord Sidious' when he recalled what Dr Selatti and the Nemoidian were discussing. Do you also recall hearing about a Lord Sidious?"

Panaka leaned forward towards Zerir eagerly.

With a sigh of relief, Zerir looked down and thought. "I think I heard the name… It sounded to me like… well maybe he was the one who paid Selatti to build the infection."

"Maybe?!" Panaka demanded.

"Well… Somethin' like, somethin' like," Zerir growled. It was an Askar Creole equivocation calqued from Bocce.

Panaka dropped his datapad on the table in exasperation.

o-o-o

The only positive to their circumstances Zerir could think of, was that they were still allowed to sleep on the Yu'tor.

As usual however, Zerir gave a saddened sigh as she took her first breath upon crossing through the airlock. Everything about the Yu'tor still smelled wrong. The Republic had cleaned the ship so thoroughly that every room, every closet, every crawl space smelled like sanitising spray. Most annoyingly for Zerir, the smell was somewhere between a sweet clean smell and a dangerous smell. It was difficult for her to decide whether the smell was sweet or dangerous.

Zerir hit the nearest comm terminal the in the hallway near the airlock. "Bridge, any messages for me?"

"Kiz." [Yeah,] Ben growled. "Grum wants to speak with you again."

"All right, I esh gonna call from my quarters."

o-o-o

Zerir did not bother standing for this call.

"Captain?" Azi'skar's holopresence asked from Zerir's desk.

"Kiz?" Zerir asked.

"Are you all right? All esh in order?" Azi'skar growled concernedly.

"Nokiz." [No,] Zerir sighed.

"Erz-hari-shlesk kor agkalaga tasha ham." [The situation is extremely bad here too,] Azi'skar muttered. [The Separatist Shadowfeeds are saying we spread the disease.]

Zerir closed her teary eyes in despair. Her fur fell flat in fear.

[The Republic knows it wasn't you. Don't be afraid,] Azi'skar growled optimistically.

Zerir took a deep breath and sobbed. [Dr Selatti tried to force me to sign a form admitting to it. I didn't sign anything.]

[Good, I know we didn't do this. It's complete nonsense. The Republic… well… They aren't doing very much to help, but they know it is nonsense too,] he muttered bitterly. [I want nothing more than to get you back at my side as soon as possible,] Azi'skar's fur swirled guiltily.

Scowling, Zerir's fur began swirling with suspicion. [Grum, what is it?] she growled, blinking the tears out of her eyes.

[The Spynet,] Azi'skar said slowly. [They… they want to ask you questions.]

[NO!] Zerir snarled. [I am done answering questions. We are done. My crew is tired of this shtak. You can tell Clan Alya to kriff themselves.]

[They have also agreed to let you all visit Kothlis…] Azi'skar growled with a nervous wince.

[I am not going to answer days more of questions,] Zerir growled firmly.

[You don't have to,] Azi'skar said reassuringly. [You won't have to answer questions for very long. An hour at most, I promise. Also, you can drop Edep off,] he added, as if dropping off that sole Bothan Diplomatic Corps envoy warranted such a long detour.

o-o-o

"Once the Republic lets us go, we have been ordered to fly to Kothlis," Zerir growled to the bridge.

Edep's fur danced excitedly.

"…to answer more questions," Zerir groaned.

Edep's fur fell flat. Ben stomped angrily on the ground. Hagin whistled furiously.

"So now Clan Alya esh gonna ask questions too?" Raskyer snorted.

"I know it's not fair," Zerir sighed. "Grum Azi'skar promised that the questioning won't be as long," she added in a hopeful growl. "Also, we get to visit Kothlis."

Hagin's fur suddenly danced. He stood up, unable to contain his energy as he leaned on his crew station. "Captain!" he yipped excitedly, "does this mean we esh gonna be the very first Askars on Kothlis?! Askars esh always the best explorers!"

Zerir snorted. "Nope. Azi'skar's been once."