Chapter 29: Ditmas Shar

Thellus Asteroid, Dressel System

"New target?" Ditmas asked incredulously. "The same day we commence?!"

"Yes," Titus Tarkin's holopresence answered. "Liska Gyar'trek."

"Who is she?"

"You don't have her profile yet? Huh. I am sending you her profile now," Ditmas muttered. He turned to someone out of view. "Lieutenant?"

"Yes Admiral?" a Clone voice answered.

"Send the Gyar'trek file to Thellus."

"Yes sir."

"Sir," Ditmas asked, "who is she? I don't want to wait until—"

"She's an Admiral in the Bothawui Navy," Titus said wearily.

"Navy? Does this mean the Bothans will have a capital ship in the system?" Ditmas asked in alarm.

"Certainly," Titus smirked. "We'll take care of that problem though. Her entrance into the equation will not influence your escape."

"All right," Ditmas snorted. He wondered for a moment how they would possibly take care that problem so casually. "What's this Gyar'trek doing on Thellus?"

o-o-o

Tav Mi'zya

A day had gone by since Tav was transferred from the hospital to prison. He had refused to answer any of Klayer's many questions about what happened to him, why he was unable to get them out, and why his right ear was covered in stitches.

The seven Marshals shared a six-bed cell separate from any of the other prisoners. A seventh bed had been brought in separately for Tac. As was typical in Bothan space, prisoners were not segregated by species or gender.

Tav's stomach rumbled as he waited to be let out for dinner. At 1730, the prisoners were let out for dinner and two hours of recreation and visiting hours. He was scheduled to see Nezir and the kids at 1800.

Then his fur fell flat as he smelled a familiar presence. Shtak. He sat up on his bed, hearing a group of footsteps approaching.

"Kiz. Erz pa Palkab Tav Mi'zya ham." [Yeah. Colonel Tav Mi'zya is right this way] growled a Thellus cop at the lead of the group.

Liska Gyar'trek and five Bothawui Navy sailors emerged down the hallway.

Mayer Ta'trek yelped in terror, [Grum, I didn't—Please! I—]

[—Tav,] Gyar'trek snarled.

Tav stood up nervously and faced the bars. [Good afternoon, Admiral, I—]

—The Thellus cop opened the cell door.

Tav's fur pressed tightly to his body.

o-o-o

At eighty-eight years old, Liska Gyar'trek was the oldest Bothan serving in the Bothawui military. She had been the oldest for the last fifteen years. Her physical fitness was better than most fifty-year old Bothan males serving in the Navy.

A closely guarded family secret was that Grum Gyar'trek's digitigrade legs, claws, unusually short snout, canines four centimetres longer than any other Bothan teeth in medical history, good health, unusual longevity, and unusual musk, were not, as the silly Bothans believed, the result of a random genetic mutation. Liska Gyar'trek was half Shistavanen. She was as different from the average Bothan as a Twi'lek-human hybrid was from the average human.

Her daughter Nezir, Tav's wife, lacked her digitigrade legs but had her jet-black fur, eerily glowing crimson eyes, similar teeth. Nezir was conventionally beautiful for a Bothan and never really had to explain her appearance. Shistavanen's could live to be over two hundred years old. Eventually, assuming Tav's mother in law continued on living, she would have to explain something. Today though, was not that day.

As Tav was led into an unmarked speeder, wearing an orange jumpsuit, he considered blurting this out. She's half Shistavanen! No that's stupid… Even if they believe me, they'll still probably listen to her. Nezir, Glazir and Ralosk might also face social stigma if I do. His fur twirled unhappily. Liska Gyar'trek may be completely vile but my kids aren't.

o-o-o

"Nokiz woks gin-tona! Pliz!" [Don't do it! Please!] Tav yelped, tears in his eyes. [I'll never do it again!] He was in pure fight or flight panic.

The stench of rotting garbage was overwhelming. Tav's nose was burning. Sludge sunk his to his shoes. He pounded on the airlock door, yelping.

Outside the door, Gyar'trek and five uniformed sailors stood looking in. None looked particularly troubled by this.

[Here is what will happen to you if I press this button,] Gyar'trek said, her fur danced with excitement. [All of the garbage will be vented into space, you included. Then—]

[—NO!] Tav yelped.

[Don't interrupt me,] Gyar'trek snarled. [Here's what will happen to you. You will be exposed to the hard vacuum of space. The light from Dressel's star will burn you, through your fur. You will have the worst sunburn of your life.] She walked closer to the door, giving a grin more terrifying than any Bothan could, and continued. [Veins in your body will crack. Under the stress, muscles all over your body will cramp. The moisture on your nose will sublimate. After thirty seconds or a minute of the most pain you will ever feel in your life, you will blackout.]

Tav swore, yelping and sobbing. She's going to kill me. Just kill me. She is going to just flush me out with the garbage.

[Do you understand?] Gyar'trek growled more calmly.

[What?!] Tav sobbed.

[What Admiral,] Gyar'trek snarled.

[What Admiral,] Tav yelped.

[Do you understand what will happen to you if I press this button,] she growled, cupping her clawed hand over a red button near the airlock door.

[I will be vented into space,] Tav sobbed.

[And?] Gyar'trek growled impatiently.

Tav could not remember all of the details. [Sunburn… sublimate… Please don't! Please Admiral!]

Gyar'trek scoffed. [He can't even remember eight things!] she growled incredulously. [What do you think of that, Lieutenant Commander?]

[I think your daughter could have done much better, Admiral,] a shaggy white furred Bothan growled, shaking his head animatedly.

[Agreed,] Gyar'trek grunted. [At least, in her defence, Tav is a looker. Even when he is covered in garbage, he looks sexy. Look at those speckled eyes,] she muttered, looking at Tav's figure for a moment. Then, she pressed a button.

Tav yelped, screaming in terror. He expected those to be the last words he ever heard.

Instead, the door into the station opened. Tav collapsed onto the ground, sobbing. A few plastic bottles and old batteries rolled out of the garbage heap with him.

[Get up!] Gyar'trek snarled. [You are a kriffing Colonel in the Marshalcy. If you were in my Navy, I'd flush you out just for sobbing like that.]

Tav stood up sobbing.

[Holy shtak he stinks!] one of the Bothans exclaimed, covering his nose.

[Yeah,] Gyar'trek agreed, deep in thought. [I didn't expect that! I guess he's the first we spared. Huh! Who would have thought that the first Bothan I spare would be Tav Mi'zya!]

[Thank you, Admiral,] Tav croaked. [Thank you for not doing those horrible things.]

Gyar'trek snorted. [I wouldn't have done any of it. Space is a cruel beast. Now Colonel, pick that up!] she snarled, pointing at the loose batteries. [We aren't littering on Thellus are we?]

[No ma'am,] Tav growled, hurriedly picking up the loose debris that had fallen out of the airlock with him, then threw the debris back behind the door.

Gyar'trek pressed the green button, closing the airlock door with all of the rubbish behind it, this time, not including Tav. [Since I spared you, you are going to get a demotion, probably some amount of time in prison,] she said matter of factly. [Probably a really big pay cut.]

Tav was too frightened for retorts to even cross his mind. [Can I still see Nezir?] Tav growled, sniffling, standing amongst the six sailors.

[Nezir? What do you mean!] Gyar'trek snarled. [How can you see her? She's on Bothawui. Do you mean a holocall?]

[No—no Admiral,] Tav stammered, his fur still flat. [She's on Thellus with Glazir and Ralosk. She was visiting me today at the Buli. I haven't seen her since the hospital. I really am sorry for my misconduct. It was unbecoming of an officer. It was—]

[—Shtak!] Gyar'trek snarled, her fur swirled nervously. [I—Holy shtak!]

[What is it Admiral?] one of the sailors growled nervously.

[We need to get Tav to the showers, now!] Gyar'trek stammered.

o-o-o

Aside from Tav and the six sailors, the garbage-level janitor's locker room was empty.

Tav hunched over in the shower, water running down his back. He winced as one of Gyar'trek's men scrubbed his fur with a bristly mop. Another squeezed a whole dollop of shampoo onto his head.

[Ma'am! The smell is not coming off,] he groaned.

[Well, keep trying!] Gyar'trek yelped in a panic. [Holy shtak, holy shtak, holy shtak…]

[Maybe call Nezir, Admiral,] Tav growled in a tiny voice, trying to be helpful.

[Good idea,] Gyar'trek growled, dialling a number into her datapad.

[Mom! I am at the Buli,] Nezir's voice snarled from the datapad, echoing into the locker room. [WHERE IS TAV?!] she yelped.

[You wanted to see Tav, well—]

[—WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH MY HUSBAND?!] Nezir snarled, more furious than Tav had ever heard her. [YOU KRIFFING PSYCHOPATH. I TOLD YOU, IF YOU EVER COME NEAR MY FAMILY, I WILL TEAR YOUR THROAT OUT. YOU ARE DEAD. I DON'T CARE HOW MANY—]

[—Tav's fine honey,] Gyar'trek growled consolingly. [He's just… he's here.]

[LET ME SPEAK WITH HIM!] Nezir yelped.

The Naval officer scrubbing his back stopped. Tav interpreted this as permission to turn around. He blinked the water out of his eyes as he stuck his head out of the shower stream for the first time in fifteen minutes.

[Hey,] Tav croaked.

[Thank goodness you're all right,] Nezir sighed in relief. She let off another exhale, creating static in the comm. Then Tav heard her snout open. [Are you taking a shower? Mom! What the hell is going on?]

Tav gulped. I have been nearly murdered, spared on the whim of your mother, an insane Shistavanen, who is the most powerful woman in the Bothan Slice. I have since been treated like a dirty droid—cleaned, again, by your mother and five complete strangers.

[Tav had a bit of a garbage mishap,] Gyar'trek growled cautiously after Tav said nothing for fifteen seconds. A few drops of water splashed from Tav's fur onto her uniform as she stood near the shower stream.

[A garbage mishap?] Nezir asked incredulously. [A mishap? Tav? Are you hurt?]

[No, I'm not hurt,] Tav answered.

Gyar'trek took the datapad away from Tav. [He's not hurt. Just stinky. I have good news,] she growled cheerfully. [You and the munchkins wanted to see Tav in jail? Well, how about we see him in the Black Hide Steakhouse? It's in New Aroo, a block away from the Maglev Station. Meet us there in…] Gyar'trek looked at her chronometer. [Forty-three minutes.]

[Fine,] Nezir sighed. [If you hurt Tav, mother—I can't believe—]

[—Tav is fine. Don't you worry about him. I love him too,] Gyar'trek growled consolingly. [Great guy all around.]

Nezir snorted in disbelief, then hung up.

[Admiral,] one of the sailors growled, holding up Tav's soaking shoes from the sink. [The muck won't come out!]

[Well throw those out,] Gyar'trek snarled.

Those cost 150 Zav.

[Sir, turn around again. I still need to scrub your back a bit more,] one of Gyar'trek's sailors said, awkwardly ordering Tav around while calling him 'sir.'

Tav obeyed, hunching his back as he stuck his head into the shower stream.

[Where is Lashka Kir?] Gyar'trek snarled. [I told her—]

[—Here Admiral!] a blonde-furred sailor panted, staggering into the locker room. She had clearly been running for quite some time. In her hands were a pair of Naval-issued work boots and a clean orange jumpsuit.

[I told you to get Tav's uniform!] Gyar'trek yelped.

[I am sorry Admiral!] she stammered, sputtering on the verge of panic. [I interpreted 'uniform' to mean prison uniform!]

[It's all right,] Gyar'trek snorted. [Damn. That's funny. Also, subtle! It'll send a subtle message to Nezir and the kids.]

Subtle. Yeah. Only YOU could find that subtle. Tav gave a snort himself, then accidentally sucked in water. He began coughing.

The sailor responsible for his shampoo began pounding his back as if to dislodge food from his windpipe.

Tav fought the urge to bite him. Relax. Stupid Bothans exist. Especially in the Navy.

[Aren't you meeting with Gavin Azi'skar in Black Hide Steakhouse?] one of the sailors asked.

[Indeed Sergeant,] Gyar'trek answered, pointing two fingers into the air. [Accomplishing two things at once. That is called multi-tasking.]

Once again, Tav scowled disapprovingly. He did not dare voice his internal outrage at his mother in law's 'multi-tasking' with her daughter and grandkids, but he continued scowling as water ran down his face. It hurt that she cared so little about his kids—her own grandkids.

o-o-o

On their way to the Black Hide Steakhouse, Admiral Gyar'trek quickly improvised a completely insane story which Tav was required to remember.

Tav's fur was still damp. Under his fur, his skin felt raw. It was nice to be in clean clothes though.

"I think we finally found a way to make Thellus smell even worse!" yipped a Bothan in Basic, whose first name, family name, and rank Tav had learned was Lieutenant Kilar Maj.

All of them yipped and snarled, roaring with laughter in the speeder van.

Gyar'trek doubled over, guffawing, tears forming in her eyes. "Ah this port is the worst!" she chuckled. "Don't make these jokes around Gavin Azi'skar though. He is quite defensive of his home."

"Don't worry ma'am, you can count on me," Lieutenant Kilar Maj said professionally.

Being in a speeder with these sailors made Tav feel like his IQ was dropping.

o-o-o

"Admiral, we have a dress code here," a Bothan in formal attire growled wearily, pointing at Tav.

At the entrance of the Black Hide Steakhouse, one of New Aroo's few one-story buildings. Admiral Gyar'trek and her sailors wore their dark grey working uniforms. Tav was of course still in orange.

"This is Colonel Tav Mi'zya," Gyar'trek growled matter of factly. "We are all here to meet with Grum Azi'skar. Are you going to risk—"

"—No! No!" the doorman stammered. "Come right on in," he growled with a beckoning spacer gesture. "Grum Azi'skar isn't here yet so you all have the table to yourselves."

The group walked across the restaurant. Tav's uniform was a serious head turner.

A human woman wearing Alderaanian braids accosted Gyar'trek halfway to their table. "Grum… Admiral Liska Gyar'trek?" she asked.

"Yes?" Gyar'trek asked.

"My name is Clahra Fair," she said, extending a hand. "I am investigating the Bothawui-9 incident, particularly as it pertains to Thrask Industries. Do you think you would have time to sit down for an interview?"

Tav blinked in shock. Wow. Human reporters… here?

Gyar'trek's fur twitched once with nervousness. "I don't—"

"—What's that smell?!" Clahra gasped, covering her nose.

"Even a human can smell it!" whispered one of the sailors. They all began guffawing in secretive whisper laughter.

"I had a garbage accident," Tav sighed, his fur twirling unhappily. He tugged his orange sleeve which was clinging to his wet fur.

"Can we discuss this another time?" Gyar'trek snarled.

"Certainly," Clahra fair replied. "It was nice chatting with you."

"Move," Gyar'trek ordered, beckoning her group through the restaurant to the reserved back room.

The restaurant had a lot more non-Bothans than it would normally have. With the Future's Symposium only two days away, the restaurant had not only off-world Bothans, but a table of Ithorians, a table of Rodians, and a mixed table of humans, Nemoidians, and Duros.

The back room of course only had one round table with fifteen seats.

Tav started taking a seat as far away from Gyar'trek as he could manage. In the corner of the table, facing away from the door.

"Phąm phąlkąbh." [Colonel,] Gyar'trek snarled. "Ghįn-zęsą wųkhs hąm!" [You are sitting here!] She gestured to a seat right next to her.

Ah, so you can make sure I remember how I had a garbage accident and fill in any gaps you might have overlooked. His fur twirled unhappily as he sat next to the Admiral. His seat was now facing the door and front window.

After what felt like an eternity, Grum Azi'skar finally appeared in the door with two bodyguards, Trigger and Freyir.

Tav had met Askar's Clan Leader once and had met Trigger and Freyir on that occasion too.

Azi'skar sniffed the air with a scowl as he approached.

"Ah, Gavin," Gyar'trek said excitedly, standing up to give him a hug.

Tav's ears perked up as he saw Azi'skar tilt his head towards Gyar'trek's ear.

Azi'skar whispered in her ear, "Why is Tav Mi'zya here? Why does he smell like garbage?"

"Oh," Gyar'trek said, stepping back from his embrace. "He is my son in law, and my daughter is visiting us from Bothawui for… for the Futures' Symposium," she explained. Her fur did not even betray one guilty twitch.

This is so insane.

Azi'skar grunted. "All right, he can see his family," he growled. "But—"

"—Grum, I am sorry about this awkwardness," Tav said as professionally as he could manage. His fur swirled with nervousness.

"You better not cause any more trouble," Azi'skar muttered, taking a seat. "And… Liska!" he yelped. "You are avoiding the question. Why doeshe sell like garbage? Did she try to kill you Tav?!"

"I—no—" Tav stammered.

"He had a garbage accident," Gyar'trek insisted.

"Liska," Azi'skar snarled his fur on end. "I told you not to ever space someone ever again, especially on one of my stations. We have laws. If we are incapable of obeying the rule of law with our own people, then… ugh. Sometimes, you just disgust me."

"Gavin. He had an accident," Gyar'trek growled more nervously. "He's alive," she added, pulling on Tav's shoulder as if to demonstrate.

"Well there better be no more accidents, fatal or otherwise," Azi'skar growled cautiously.

"Fine," Gyar'trek snorted. "No more accidents."

Almost as if on cue, Tav's family arrived just in time to miss Gyar'trek and Azi'skar's discussion of exactly what had transpired.

Tav's fur swirled nervously as he hugged Nezir and the kids.

Nezir narrowed her eyes as she gave him a kiss.

Tav rolled his eyes back in Gyar'trek's direction. Yeah. She hurt me. Let's talk about it another time though.

o-o-o

For having dinner while wearing an orange jumpsuit, this was not a bad way to do it. It might have been due to his recent intimidation, abuse, and imprisonment, but to Tav, this felt normal for the most part—normal except for how Gyar'trek was casually discussing top secret information over the table, even with waiters in the room taking everyone's orders.

Tav's ears perked up during casual conversations about consciousness transfer, subliminal casting, 'overriding' Clones, and what Tav suspected was Gyar'trek's schoolgirl crush on someone named Fen Kar'fon.

Gavin responded with a long divulgence of how Thrask Industries' latest armour prototypes are going, and how excited Grum Thot Ni'mai was to buy Mandalorian armour—

"—Mandalorian armour?" Tav mumbled with green beans in his mouth.

"It's Grum to you," Azi'skar snarled.

"Did I give you permission to speak?" Gyar'trek snarled. "I think it would be best if you speak only when spoken to Colonel."

"Yes Admiral," Tav muttered, suddenly deep in thought and hardly focusing.

"I do not appreciate you talking to my husband that way," Nezir said with a scowl. "Our kids are right here and—"

"—Well, it's a good time for them to learn their place in the system," Gyar'trek retorted.

"Their place in the system?!" Nezir yelped.

Tav ignored the argument and continued thinking. We assumed the Mandalorians were unarmed. We assumed—holy shtak! "Guys!" Tav snarled, dropping his fork. "There are eight Mandalorians loose on the station. This is what—"

"—What do you mean?" Azi'skar growled back.

"More than a week ago, we found out from Shidar Zhol'skar—"

"—SHTAK!" Azi'skar snarled.

"Whose Shidar Zhol'skar?" Nezir asked.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?!" Azi'skar yelped, his fur flat. "You Marshals are supposed to tell me things like this!"

"What's going on?!" Gyar'trek yelled. "You guys go from arguing to headless chickens."

"The Diplomatic Corps told my men that they, and the New Mandalorians have it under control," Tav snarled. "My men were at the Mandalorian Consulate. We were arrested. We were trying to rescue Shidar because—"

"—Shidar needs to be rescued?" Azi'skar growled. "How do I not know this?"

"We filed a missing person's report!" Tav yelled angrily.

"Who is Shidar?" Nezir asked again.

"Yeah dad, whose Shidar," Ralosk pipped up.

"Shhh!" Tav hissed.

Azi'skar swore under his breath then pulled out his datapad.

Gyar'trek was pulling out hers as well.

"Uh guys," Tav growled. His fur fell flat. "Don't act too alarmed. Akapu Dest, one of the Mandalorians, is right outside the window."