Chapter 17: Shidar Zhol'skar
Thellus Asteroid, Dressel System
As the days went on with no bloodshed, in her more optimistic moments, Shidar wondered whether or not they really were here to kill anyone. They seemed certainly capable of murder, but they did not seem to be doing any murder. Maybe they are just here to rob the Askar Credit Union. I guess I'd be all right with that.
When Shidar looked at Pul in the right light, she could convince herself she actually liked him—at least, she liked him a lot more than any other Mandalorian she met. Out of this entire ethnic group of crazy hand-slicing humans, I like you more than around 66.6% of them, yeah. Definitely the foundation for a healthy relationship. Staring at Pul on the bed, Shidar smirked at her own joke.
Then, for the first time in a few days, Pul whipped out a death stick, put it between his lips, and lit up.
The smirk fell from Shidar's snout. Her fur twirled unhappily.
"Oh, not this again," Pul muttered. "Sometimes, a—"
"—If you esh gonna smoke like that, I esh gonna sleep on the couch," Shidar snarled, flashing her recently brushed and whitened teeth. For a fleeting moment, her fur stood on end in rage. Then, her fur flattened, her violet eyes widened in fear. Shtak, he might kill me!
"Fine," Pul snorted incredulously.
Shidar blinked in shock. Huh. He's not mad. "All right, well… I esh gonna," she growled in a whinier voice, recovering from her momentary fear.
"Go ahead riduur," Pul yawned. "The couch is by the dining room."
Shidar laid on the bed for a moment in complete uncertainty.
Then Pul puffed a smoky burning smell into her face.
Shidar grabbed her pillow, hopped out of bed, and headed out the door. "Jate ca." [Good night,] she said in Mandalorian, careful not growl either word. Whenever she did, the result was roars of laughter.
"Jate ca, riduur ner." [Good night, partner,] Pul said.
As Shidar slowly walked down the hallway her ears perked up. Is anything else going on?
Pul started muttering aloud in Basic. "She'll be back. Maybe not tonight, but she'll come around. That Bothan can't even go a few hours without smelling me," he chuckled to himself.
Shidar snorted. Yeah, maybe when you're not blowing death smoke into my face you shtak-head asshole.
"If you need a blanket, spares are in the hall closet!" Pul yelled.
Shidar opened the closet and grabbed a blanket. "Thanks!"
o-o-o
By the time she had settled onto the couch, the smell of death stick was wafting out of Pul's room, all over the ship.
Shidar looked down and buried her snout under her sheet, scowling in rage. This is so shtak Pul. If Ditmas were here, he'd beat you. She finally decided to just pull the sheets over her head and get some shut eye.
After a few minutes of pondering her completely appalling marriage to a human she had met a little over a week ago, she fell asleep.
o-o-o
Shidar awoke to the smell of fried Gartro eggs, caf, fried potatoes, and a conversation in Mandalorian. She pulled the sheets away from her face with her ears perked up.
Pul, Ditmas, and a female human Shidar had never seen before were standing in the kitchen, talking.
Yawning, Shidar relaxed her ears. It's too early to try and eavesdrop.
"The Bothan awakens," Ditmas said dramatically, spreading his arms wide as if to symbolise a sprouting tree. "Good afternoon," he added, emphasising that it was noon.
"Good afternoon," Shidar growled, her fur swirled nervously as she stood up in her nightwear. Shtak. I look useless. If there was one thing that made her feel deeply uncomfortable next to these humans, it was appearing useless.
"Hi, my name's Taekidethay," a young, silver white-haired human female said, extending a hand.
"Ni cuyi briikase urcir gar." [I am happy to meet you,] Shidar said.
"Quite a mouthful," Taekidethay chuckled, squeezing her hand firmly. She turned around and muttered something in Mandalorian. Shidar picked up the bit "…baji kaysh joha Ma'manda'yaim." […teach her the language on Mandalore.]
Her ears perked up and her fur swirled with suspicion. She looked at Pul, the human whose face she could read the best.
Pul's exhaled uneasily. [I didn't teach her,] he admitted in Mandalorian.
Ditmas snorted.
Taekidethay turned around and stared into Shidar's eyes with a frown.
Shidar understood began putting the facts together. Taekidethay doesn't want me to learn Mandalorian yet. Her fur swirled nervously again.
"Want anything to eat, Shidar?" Pul asked in Basic.
"Lek." [Yes,] Shidar sighed with relief, then stammered, "I mean… kiz… I mean… yeah." Yeah, we'll go with 'yeah.'
"You better keep your new riduur on the ship," Taekidethay muttered to Pul, her jaw locked firmly.
"Oh, she is staying here, with me," Pul said reassuringly.
Shidar winced as she walked past Taekidethay. It dawned on her that there was a major weakness in her interpersonal skills. Of course, speaking their tongue impresses all the men. Praising their prowess impresses the men. Again, the men. Only the men. It makes me more threatening to everyone else. She sat down at the table and helped herself some cold fried Garto eggs and potatoes, deep in thought.
Her ears perked up as she ate.
Taekidethay began whispering angrily in Mandalorian. Shidar could hear every word but could not understand much. It was—
"—Stop eavesdropping," Taekidethay said with a scowl. "Sometimes, the warriors don't want the non-warriors to know what we are talking about. It doesn't concern you."
"I esh sorry," Shidar mumbled with food in her snout.
"Are you sure she's really a schutta?" Taekidethay asked incredulously. "These Bothans… She seems smart. Too smart—"
"—Taekidethay, look at these ears," Ditmas muttered, brushing Shidar's ears without asking.
Shidar batted her ears involuntarily in a reflex but kept her face straight.
"I don't think she can help herself," Pul said. "Can you Shidar?"
"No," Shidar growled. "I am sorry Taekidethay, I will try to stop eavesdropping."
"Don't try. You'd better stop," Taekidethay said firmly.
o-o-o
While Shidar was washing the dishes, the ship's airlock opened. A fourth distinct voice was now chatting away. A voice Shidar had never heard. She fought the urge to perk her ears and continued scrubbing the soapy pan.
After a few minutes, footsteps began drawing nearer. It sounded like more than four sets of feet.
"Hey Shidar, I am Warux," said a tall, clean-shaven male with jet-black hair almost the same colour as her fur.
"Nice to meet you," Shidar said, drying her hands.
"Warux would like you to meet someone," Ditmas said with a ghost of a laugh.
Shidar's fur swirled nervously. What could be so funny?
An ominous, grey and black painted, RA-7 protocol droid lumbered in. "Hųmęlų phąm Shįdhąr." [Hello Shidar,] the droid growled in Bothese. His accent was flawless. There was no hint of droid-ness in his voice; his voice was not monotone, nor did it have any digital quality.
"Hųmęlų," Shidar growled, her fur flat in fear. She had heard of droids being used for interrogations. Are they going to torture me now? Make sure I am loyal? Why would Pul let them do that to me after all this? After all I've been through? "Pul," Shidar said in a quaky voice, "I esh scared."
"Why?" Pul asked in surprise, putting his hand on Shidar's shoulder reassuringly. "No one is going to hurt you."
Shidar's fur relaxed but began swirling nervously.
Pul ran his fingers through her loose neck fur playfully, grabbing the strands as they swirled through his fingers.
"Unlike you Shidar, QC-9 doesn't bite," Warux chuckled.
The droid looked curiously around the room, trying to understand what was happening.
Okay, what do they want then? Why introduce me to a droid? Shidar's ears raised as she stared curiously at the droid.
Pul's ears began turning red.
"Didn't know Bothans were so afraid of droids," Warux muttered worriedly. "This could complicate things… Uh…" he stopped talking when Taekidethay and Ditmas folded their arms.
"Don't worry," Ditmas said, slapping Shidar in the centre of her back. "These Bothans are afraid of just about everything."
Shidar staggered forward with a wince. "Uh yeah," she growled. Her fur swirled guiltily. I feel guilty about being afraid now… That's new.
o-o-o
Between the bulkheads, Shidar was now fiddling with the air-filters. A few hours had gone by and it was getting late. Ditmas, Warux, and Taekidethay were probably spending the night.
Pul had taught Shidar how to change the air-filters, but she had no idea what anything else down here did. Maybe I wouldn't have to change them if you didn't smoke on the ship, she thought bitterly as she pulled out a dirty brown fibrous filter. She sniffed it curiously and coughed. Yep, death sticks and dust.
After pulling out a clean one from her satchel bag, she slid it into the opening. Her ears perked up as someone stepped down the ladder. She sniffed the air and decided it probably wasn't Pul.
"Shidar," Taekidethay whispered harshly.
Shidar's fur swirled nervously. Kriff. What does she want? "Hey. Didn't expect to see you down here?" she growled in a question.
Taekidethay walked up to her holding a small personal mirror.
A ripple of confusion spread through Shidar's fur. Her snout opened slightly. A mirror? Is she gonna tell me to look in the mirror?!
"I don't care whether you are a schutta or not," Taekidethay muttered.
Shidar snorted. Yeah you do. It's the first kriffing thing you mention. "What esh the mirror—"
"—At 1536 tomorrow, you are gonna stand behind the pilot's chair and hold this mirror up facing the console. The droid will probably be at it."
Shidar blinked in further confusion. Her fur swirled with suspicion. "I—"
"Bothan, do you really want what they're planning to go down?" Taekidethay whispered.
"I… I don't know," Shidar stammered, then snarled angrily, "esh a trap! You are jealous! You—"
"—shut the kriff up," Taekidethay whispered furiously, pinching her snout shut. "
Shidar exhaled angrily and grabbed at the human's hands, wincing at the pressure.
"I know you don't want to really go back to Mandalore with that asshole," Taekidethay hissed, pushing Shidar up against a wall. "I don't care if you are really an actual prostitute or with the Spynet. Either way, you are in way over your head. You are going to help me stop them, got it? It's your only way out and it's the smart thing to do. Can you be quiet?"
Shidar gave up trying to pull her hands off and gave a Spacer nod with her right hand.
"Good," Taekidethay muttered, letting go of Shidar's snout.
"A mirror… for for esh a mirror—"
"—did I say you can ask questions?" Taekidethay hissed.
No, but did I agree that you are my boss? "No," Shidar whispered, an edge of anger in her voice.
"All right. Mirror. Hold it up above the console at 1536 tomorrow. Try to keep it held up for two or three minutes. Obviously, don't let the droid see what you are doing."
"Okay," Shidar growled uncertainly. Her fur swirled nervously. "Will you get me out of here?"
Taekidethay looked her in the eyes firmly. "Maybe not me, but someone will. I promise you that."
