Chapter 41: Shidar Zhol'skar
Thellus Asteroid, Dressel System
Taekidethay and Shidar went to New Aroo. Shidar still a flight-suit and Taekidethay still wore her armour, albeit with her helmet packed away in her backpack.
The Mandalorian was certain she would need to be debriefed at the Consulate and would have a place there to stay. They rode the maglev for nearly an hour across the length of the asteroid. When they arrived in New Aroo, they walked through checkpoints mostly manned by Botha'ahir Marines, walked past burnt out speeders, past body bags on the sidewalks and unhappy crowds milling about. The smell of smoke was thick in the air. Rumours were that other districts had been hit even harder.
Along the way to the Consulate, Shidar saw two Askars in white coats accompanying a familiar face, standing in front of an apartment complex. Her fur rippled with uncertainty. Should I say—
"Shidar?" Yakis asked, approaching her and Taekidethay. He smelled like he had been in a fire. His tan fur was thinner and missing patches, to the point where it was difficult for Shidar to follow his emotions. "All esh in order?" he growled, eyeing Taekidethay up and down with deep suspicion.
"Kiz," Shidar answered, her fur relaxing. Good. We can talk. "Well, mostly. Jus' a broken hand. You?"
"Doing a census…" Yakis muttered bitterly. "Walkin' around with these doctors to see who is alive and dead. Tapurt, Marok, Ralosh, Rayer, they didn't make it. Our cruiser caught fire and…" his voice died.
Taekidethay fiddled with her glove nervously.
Shidar rubbed a tear from her eyes. It suddenly felt harder to breath for her. "They esh dead… You still have to work today after that?!" she sniffled in disbelief. Losing four people and still working.
"I volunteered," Yakis sighed. "Shidar, almos' everyone's dead or hurt. Glad you made it."
"Me too," Shidar growled. "I mean, glad you're alive. We need to keep movin' though. Have to get Taekidethay back to the New Mandalorian Consulate."
"The Consulate?" Yakis snarled incredulously, turning to Taekidethay. "Human, they wiped it out. No survivors."
"What?" Taekidethay gasped in shock.
"Yeah," Yakis said in a more consoling voice. "Haven't been myself, but from what I saw at a distance, it's been ransacked. No one to report to. Anyways, need to get goin' ourselves."
"Thanks for the info," Taekidethay sighed sadly.
"Nice seein' you," Shidar sniffled.
As Yakis and the doctors returned to the apartment complex, Shidar and Taekidethay continued their journey. When they arrived at the Consulate building, it had been ransacked as Yakis had described; the magnificent sparkly blue exterior was now pocked with blackened craters. A fire had ripped through the top floor, leaving square-shaped gaping holes where the windows broke from the heat. Lines of body bags were laid out on the sand.
Taekidethay's posture became far more rigid as she approached the edge of the sand.
"Halt!" yelped a Botha'ahir Marine in a camouflage duster, standing on the sand. He raised his Boola Carbine at Taekidethay, fur flat in fear.
"Erz pa Taekidethay pan protekor!" [Taekidethay is a Protector,] Shidar yelped back.
Taekidethay and Shidar had been ignored at all of the checkpoints up to this point however, in the context of the Consulate building, her non-Protector Mandalorian armour looked especially threatening.
A few more rescuers emerged from the building. Another Marine ran up to the first and pushed his blaster down, forcing him to lower it.
Three Bothans approached Taekidethay more calmly.
"I have a blaster in my right holster and a line cutter in my backpack," Taekidethay muttered, raising her hands.
One of the Bothans pulled the blaster out of Taekidethay's holster, then began patting her down. Another scanned her retina.
Shidar's fur swirled nervously.
"Lieutenant Bithisk something, forgot his last name, checked me in."
"She's clear," a female Bothan muttered, looking up from her datapad screen. "Have a good afternoon ma'am and stay clear of the Consulate's interior. It is hazardous."
"Thank you," Taekidethay sighed as one of the Marines returned her blaster to her. "Do you need me to ID any of them?" she added in a croak.
"Nope," the female Marine replied, flashing the red laser of the retina scanner on the white sand with a loud click.
"Have any of my people arrived yet?" Taekidethay asked. "The Protectors, I mean."
"I don't know, you'll have to contact Captain Uk Biad'tannen."
As Taekidethay tried to get brought up to speed, Shidar took her first nervous step over the Thellus border marker, onto the sand. It crunched under her feet as her shoes sunk in. Her fur swirled nervously at first, then relaxed as it began to feel safer. She had spent all of her life on concrete and carpet, with only occasional ventures into the grassy parks of some of the nicer districts.
So, this is what Mandalore is like. As she gazed down the line of bodies she sighed despondently.
o-o-o
After initially protesting when Shidar offered to let her stay at her place, Taekidethay did not speak much more. The two rode back on the maglev in silence.
Normally, Shidar would have looked a bit out of place with a cast on her arm. Today however, a third of the riders on the Maglev had casts or visible bandages. For the most part, their fellow riders ignored them, at least until Shidar took off her shoes and began dumping sand on the ground.
Shidar's fur twitched with guilt as an old Bothan with a bandage over her right eye frowned at her, her one eye flashing angrily. Shidar hung her head in shame, attempting to scoot the sand out of sight under the seat with her feet.
o-o-o
Well, that's annoying. "I am sorry. It's locked," Shidar sighed, fur twirling unhappily.
She stood in front of her apartment. Crime scene tape was plastered all over her door, along with a Gal'skar Docks Precinct crime missing person's notice, and a heavy police lock. Earlier in the day, as they went to and from the maglev station, Shidar and Taekidethay had passed the completely trashed Gal'skar Docks Precinct building. Odds were that her apartment was not going to be open anytime soon.
"It was very nice of you," Taekidethay said consolingly. "I guess I'll just head to the Grav'shtarn camp and sleep in a park with the other displaced beings."
Shidar turned around, looking Taekidethay up and down. While she had stowed away her helmet, she was still dressed in Beskar steel. That panicked Marine nearly shot her. A Mandalorian human sleeping in the park with Thellus residents who were all displaced because Ditmas and his friends did this… "No," Shidar growled sternly. "Not wise. Someone esh gonna kill you in your sleep."
"This is nice and all, but I think I can handle myself," Taekidethay muttered sternly, locking her jaw.
Exhaling despondently, Shidar's fur twirled faster. "I jus' don't want anything bad to happen to you."
"You stupid Bothan schutta," Taekidethay hissed, shaking her head.
Shidar blinked in surprise. Okay. Did not expect that. But fine, I guess you can call me that if you—
"—YOU KRIFFING IMBICILE!" Taekidethay screamed, tears welling up in her eyes. "WHY DON'T YOU HATE ME? WE FAILED! WE LET THEM… DITMAS SHAR—I WAS KRIFFING EMBEDDED ON HIS SHIP AND THIS STILL HAPPENED! WHY DON'T YOU HATE ME?!"
Shidar's fur swirled more nervously. She was completely baffled. "Calm down," she growled sternly, putting her hands on Taekidethay's armoured shoulders. "Don't hate you."
"But why?!" Taekidethay gasped in exasperation. "I am so angry with myself. What we did—"
"—You saved me Taekidethay," Shidar muttered with a Spacer shrug. Why is it so complicated?"Now, calm down. Can you do that?"
Taekidethay nodded.
"Lek." [Good,] Shidar said in Mandalorian.
Taekidethay's brow furrowed.
For some reason Shidar had not worked out, it always seemed to bother Taekidethay when she spoke Mandalorian.
o-o-o
"Pam Shidar, agrasa mu, yag erz-yekask woks." [Oh Shidar, we thought you were dead,] sobbed Herar, Shidar's mother.
Shidar sheepishly returned the hug, unable to do a full hug with one of her hands in a cast. Her fur swirling guiltily. Police notice on my door. My apartment is a crime scene. I probably should have stopped here the second Taekidethay broke me out.
Kanyut, Shidar's father, emerged from the living room and joined in on the hug. Five seconds into the hug he suddenly growled "Zų ęrz phąn thągh yųmąn?" [Who is that human?]
"This esh Taekidethay," Shidar growled simply. "Did save me."
[What happened to your hands?!] Herar gasped, grabbing both of Shidar's hands, looking from the one in a cast, to the one with a long furless scar running across it.
Shidar opened her mouth to say something, then closed her mouth and sighed, exhaling through her nose. Kriff it. No way I am telling them about Pul. They've been worried enough about me.
o-o-o
Zerir Vri'skar
Zerir and Hurk pulled into the Agkaworza 'Yobod District in one of the Mandalorian police cruisers. Along the sides of the tunnel, lines of residents and off-worlders waited for speeder busses to take them to Grav'shtarn or one of the docking districts.
With the Fort Otrek and its maglev station completely annihilated, and the Agkaworza 'Yobod Station thereby cut off from the network, the only way in or out of the district was by speeder. That, or from space through one of the only three surviving docking ports. More than one hundred docking ports were destroyed when Fort Otrek exploded, and fifteen were damaged beyond use when the Melan fired upon two docked KHGC vessels. The remaining three docking ports were now designated for emergency use. Surprisingly, picking up Zoc Azi'skar was not an emergency.
Zerir's fur swirled nervously as she imagined the quantity of hazardous debris that was now orbiting Thellus.
Besides the speeder lights, spotlights from rescue crews, lights at various police checkpoints, and the lights from the few buildings with internal generators, the district was pitch black. The fires that previously illuminated the Fort Otrek crater had been extinguished a few hours ago so, from this vantage point, most of the damage to the district was obscured by the darkness.
"Watch out," Zerir growled, noting all of the pedestrians wandering in the streets.
"I see them," Hurk muttered. He had removed his helmet after being told to at two different checkpoints and now laid it on the ground next to his feet.
The speeder slowed as it approached a police checkpoint. Zerir rolled down her passenger side window, the smell of smoke billowing into the speeder. "We esh…" she started, then stopped, blinking in surprise at the heterochromat in the dim light. He is not from here. Bothese or Basic, pick one. "We are here to pick up Zoc Azi'skar from shelter 47," she growled, pulling out her pilot's license.
Hurk pulled out his diplomatic ID card.
"All right, you're clear," one the Botha'ahir sailors growled, giving the Spacer hand gesture for proceed with caution.
They hovered beyond the checkpoint and drifted down C-Bisect. Every twenty or thirty meters, the cruiser would hover to a stop, allowing pedestrians to step out of the way or cross the street.
"Shelter 47 is…" Zerir muttered, opening her datapad map of the shelters. "Esh next to the Summit."
The speeder turned left as it came upon a series of barriers in the road, behind them, tents comprising a field hospital. A few Human and Bothan doctors were illuminated in the headlights for a moment, and one Mon Calamari in a doctor's coat.
Must be one of the visitors volunteering, Zerir reasoned.
"I suppose it's kind of nice to have darkness for once," Hurk sighed. "I haven't experienced this since being stationed on Thellus. A bit more like a planet, right?"
Scowling toothily, Zerir folded her arms. Well that's a kriffed thing to say.
"Sorry," Hurk stammered. "I didn't mean to sound insensitive."
"It's all right," Zerir snarled, her fur standing on end. "Nokiz esh offended, me. Let's jus' find them."
o-o-o
Zerir turned on her glowrod, expecting it to be dark inside. Opening the shelter door, she blinked in the well illuminated interior. Okay. They have lights on inside, she thought, turning off the useless glowrod.
Most of the beings in the shelter turned towards the door, staring at Zerir. Well, I can't take all of you with me. Where are Hakorsk, Sanda, Q'afillip and Zoc?
"Captain?" growled a familiar voice from the corner of the room.
Zerir sighed in relief. "Zoc? Where are Sanda, Q'afillip and—"
"Esh here," Zoc muttered, pointing into the crowd behind him.
Hakorsk, Sanda, and Q'afillip emerged. Hakorsk looked absolutely miserable to the point where it made Zerir feel downcast just looking at him. Not only was he sniffling, with large patches wet fur under his eyes, he also wore a shirt that said "Alone."
o-o-o
Taniar Trav'nel
With Bithisk overseeing the first transport of KHGC prisoners on its way back to the Melan, Taniar was now having to constantly interact directly with General Grar Mik'tiv. She, Tredessa, and the Bothans continued their search for escaping KHGC terrorists under the deckheads of New Aroo.
Gunnery Sergeant was the only enlisted rank in the Botha'ahir Marines which required an aptitude test to be promoted to. It not only required the typical leadership qualities any Sergeant needed, but also required proficiency in every piece of technology or equipment their platoon may be required to use—to train recruits in the use of new equipment, as well as to make repairs to that equipment.
For this reason, Taniar's fur continued to twitch in barely contained annoyance as Grar Mik'tiv continually referred to her as Sergeant.
"Sergeant," Grar whispered.
"Yes General?" Taniar panted, while continuing to scan ahead, then look to the left and right for hostiles. Her ear batted in annoyance at Grar's words as if shooing away an insect. It's Gunny.
"I sense something," she muttered, hand on her lightsaber blade.
"All right," Taniar growled, fur swirling nervously. She stuck up her right hand in the Spacer hand gesture for stop. "The Jedi sense something. Neyar Fav, you see, anything?"
Neyar tapped a button on her scanner. "I am not detecting anything Gunny."
Suddenly, Grar and Tredessa both ignited their blades. From the darkness up ahead, erupted a spray of blaster bolts.
"Contac' ahead," Taniar snarled, crouching low on the dirty ground.
Grar and Tredessa deflected the shots artfully. One of the shots returned through the darkened hallway, flying past three armoured figures.
Taniar's ears perked up as she heard the Mandalorians run, followed by the roar of a jetpack. What a surpise. Another kriffing chase.
Lokesk panted, swearing under his breath in exhaustion.
The two Jedi sprinted down the hall after them.
"Come on," Taniar snarled as she stood, running after the Jedi.
Her team reluctantly stood up and began following.
Time to look like we are involved in the Jedi capturing more Mandalorians. Time to run really fast and look extremely important.
If it were not for the fact Jedi could seemingly sense danger, Taniar would have never led her team on a sprint through the darkness like this. With anyone else it would have been an ambush waiting to happen.
Taniar's helmet comm went off.
"Phąm Ghųnį, khąth mų ųswų, yągh ųwą wųkhs dhų korn APC. Nųmįdh phąnam dzhędąy." [Gunny, we need you all to return to the APC. Without the Jedi,] Uk growled into her comm.
[Uh… Yes sir,] Taniar panted back, her fur swirling with suspicion. Raising her arm in the Spacer gesture for stop, she changed channels on her wristpad to her team channel. "General?"
"Yes Sergeant?" Grar panted back.
"We just got called back. Will you and Tredessa be okay ma'am?"
"I think we'll manage just fine," Grar panted, somehow managing to sound serene and somewhat exhausted at the same time.
"Rogue. Well General, it was nice working with you."
"You too Sergeant, and to your whole team," Grar panted, continuing her jog. "May the force be with you."
As Taniar and her team walked back to the street level, she could not help but wonder: why are we leaving the Jedi behind?
o-o-o
Taniar's snout hung open in shock when Bithisk opened the rear door to the APC.
Bithisk's fur danced excitedly. The Lieutenant was more excited than Taniar had ever seen him. Behind him, on the floor of the APC, were dozens of pieces of Mandalorian armour.
"Rogue!" Neyar yipped excitedly, clambering into the APC to get a closer look.
"Holy shtak," Gurosk swore in awe.
Taniar's fur swirled nervously.
"What's the matter Gunny?" Bithisk asked, ears perking up.
We are sneaking Mandalorian armour out of the site of the largest terror attack in Bothan space, probably in history, right from under the nose of the Jedi. "Nothing sir," Taniar said firmly. "I just hope Clan Askar can benefit from this in some way."
"Oh, don't worry about that," Bithisk growled with a toothy grin. He leaned forward and whispered softly, "we are dropping off half of this to Varnek."
"Huh," Taniar muttered. "I just hope this doesn't come back to nip us."
"In any case, EVERYONE!" Bithisk yelled to Taniar and her team, "we need to transfer this material to those crates," he added, pointing to some inconspicuous grey durasteel crates. "Let's get it done and get out of here."
