Star Wars: Return of the Sith
28: Binary Afternoon
By Nanaki
Tatooine, Mos Cinna
Jerin let his mind wander as he trudged through the dusty streets back toward Mos Cinna's main marketplace. Well, Mos Cinna was large enough that it had several "main" marketplaces, but the one closest to the spaceport was likely where the girls were. As Jerin had expected, there were no bounties around that could be tracked down in just a few hours, so he had settled for wandering around town, hoping to stumble into something interesting. In this, he'd been disappointed. If someone had asked him to explain why, he wouldn't have been able to, but he'd expected something interesting to happen while they were on Tatooine. In addition to having a reputation for lawlessness, it was the home world of both Anakin and Luke Skywalker. Plus, it was one of those rare worlds that had given rise to two distinct self-aware species. Plus, it had been a part of the Rakata's Infinite Empire. Taken all together, Jerin was disappointed that their stay so far had been so calm.
Although, calm was probably what the girls needed right now, he reflected. He wanted them to be able to relax and actually enjoy this trip, not to be constantly looking over their shoulders. On that thought, he rounded a corner into the heart of the market, where dozens of food vendors had tents set up, and many different mouthwatering aromas competed for attention. Tarps for shade were strung up from poles in between large groups of tables, and a lot of the tables seemed to be filled with his girls. He felt like he should probably go talk to some of them for at least a little while before heading back to the ship, but he wasn't sure where to start. He scanned the crowded, shady, somewhat smokey marketplace for Joona. She was the only red one, so she should be easy to pick out, but he didn't see her.
"Hey Captain! Over here!" Jerin turned to his right to see his three human girls seated at a table cluttered with far more discarded food wrappers than just the three of them could possibly be responsible for. It seemed several of the others must have just left. The one waving him over was the same on who'd spoken up at both of their "meetings" down in the Justice's cargo bay. "Wait, that one is ours, right?" She turned to ask the girl next to her, apparently confused because Jerin hadn't instantly started heading in their direction.
"Have you seen a lot of other Mandalorians wandering around here?" She responded with a raised eyebrow.
"Well no, but that doesn't mean there aren't any."
Jerin smiled, then took his helmet off as he walked toward them. "Yes, this one is yours." He said mildly as he sat down at their table.
"We haven't seen you since we landed, Captain. Were you being antisocial, or did you have something else to do?"
"Ah, a little of both." He admitted. He was a little concerned that he didn't see Joona around anywhere. He didn't see Tenn either, but Tenn could take care of herself. He was probably being overly paranoid anyway. This seemed like a pretty quiet town.
.
From where she sat with her four friends, Rayna felt a stab of jealousy shoot through her as she watched how easily the three human girls drew Jerin into a conversation, then she wondered why. She had noticed that she seemed to have a very short temper lately, which was understandable, given what she'd been through. Back home though, she'd been very calm, able to shrug most things off, and she wanted to go back to being that way.
Why should she be jealous, anyway? It was natural that Jerin should feel more at ease talking to women of his own species. Rayna hadn't gotten to know any of the three human girls well during her relatively brief time at the brothel, but she did a quick mental inventory of what she did know.
Candy belonged to the ethnic group that the humans themselves referred to as "black", a designation that mystified Rayna, as allegedly "black" humans always had skin that was some shade of brown. Candy was one of the largest of the girls, but being relatively large in an establishment that did its best to ensure that you stayed ten pounds underweight at all times was no big deal. Candy also had a million credit smile, on those rare occasions when she actually felt like smiling.
Romi, on the other hand, was what the humans called "oriental", another designation that Rayna didn't understand, as she didn't see how "oriental" people were oriented any differently from other humans. Some had eyelids that were shaped a bit differently from what most other humans had, but that was about it. Romi was generally very quiet, so Rayna knew even less about her than the other two.
Carina, the one who had waved Jerin over in the first place, was "white", which was closer to the mark than "black" was, though even white humans tended to have skin somewhere between beige and pink, unlike white Twi'leks, who literally were white. Carina had a serious look on her face most of the time, but now, as Jerin apparently told a joke that got all three laughing, Rayna realized she had a great smile too.
So why did that smile piss her off so much? Taking a deep breath, Rayna saw that there were several empty seats over at the human table, so what was stopping her from going over there and getting some of the attention she was apparently craving so much? Not a thing. Rayna started to stand up, until she saw the Tanisen twins heading over to say hello to Jerin. Just kriffing great.
.
Jerin realized pretty quickly that he didn't actually have to do much talking. Two of the girls, Candy and Carina, he thought their names were, did more than enough talking for all four of them. An occasional nod and a few words of agreement were all they seemed to want from him. Which was just as well, because the longer Jerin sat there, the more he was sure the Force was trying to tell him something.
It wasn't a sudden realization, like when he had sensed the danger posed by the Republic 5th fleet, more of a growing sense of unease that he hadn't even consciously noticed at first. While he continued to nod along with the girls, he tried to reach out in the Force to locate whatever this disturbance was. He wasn't very successful, but then, he had very little practice in using the Force this way. He only got a vague sense that something dangerous was close by, but not where.
So, Jerin switched to a sense that he had a lot more practice using: his eyes. Scanning the market as well as he could without being obvious about it, the only suspicious thing he saw was a hooded figure buying food about a hundred feet away. Not that there was anything inherently sinister about wearing a robe with a hood; on a world with sunlight as intense as this, it was common sense. But the way the hooded figure just hovered next to the food stall, not looking their way, was a bit odd. Jerin knew a few things about keeping tabs on someone without looking like you were keeping tabs on someone, and he was pretty sure that's what the hooded man was doing to them. Also, as the man brought his food up to his mouth, Jerin observed that the fingers holding the food were pretty thick, at least for a man who didn't seem to be thick in general.
Unease in the Force, possible stalking behavior, and thick fingers. Taken alone, each of those clues was pretty flimsy evidence of hostile intent. Together, Jerin was pretty sure they added up to trouble in the form of an Anzati. The Anzati were one of the most dangerous species in the galaxy, even more than the Noghri, the Barabels, or the Yuuzhan Vong, at least as far as Jerin was concerned. They loved to absorb the memories of other self-aware beings, which they did by inserting two razor sharp proboscises into their victim's brain, something which was nearly always fatal. To aid them in this, all Anzati, not just a select few, but ALL of them, could use the Force to muddle the minds of their victims in a manner very similar to the famous Jedi mind trick. They were also renowned as masters of stealth, even compared to Bothans. Suddenly, Jerin was a lot more worried that he didn't see Joona around anywhere.
He was about to ask if anyone knew where she was, when two of his green Twi'lek girls walked up to the table. "Hey, mind if we join you?" The one on the right asked.
"Sure Maya." Candy motioned for them to sit down. "Jerin, do you know these two?" She asked as they pulled chairs out.
"Heck, I didn't know you three until a minute ago." Jerin admitted.
"Well, Tenn and Joona have been doing an impressive job of monopolizing your attention." Carina observed.
"Ugh, that Joona." The one apparently named Maya groaned, but Jerin got the sense she was kidding. "I'd hate her if she wasn't so nice. And smart. And funny." Now she smiled at Jerin. "Anyway, hi. I'm Maya."
"And I'm Meena." The one on the left, clearly the quieter of the two, added softly. Mannerisms aside, Jerin was having trouble telling these two apart. True, a lot of his girls were green, and he hadn't gotten to know any of them yet, but even factoring that in...
"All right," he decided to just dive right into it. "Are my human eyes deceiving me, or are you two twins?"
They both laughed a little. "Well, now you know what HE'S thinking about." Maya observed.
"Maya, it's not nice to be so... honest." Meena tried to say in a scolding tone, but she was smiling by the end.
"Well... She's not wrong." Jerin admitted. If you asked any random straight, humanoid male to write down a list of things he wanted to do before he died, "threesome with Twi'lek twins" would probably be on that list every time. Mainly, Jerin was amazed that they could so casually joke around about something that must have been an unpleasant reality until very recently.
Maya laughed a bit before she responded, "See, the captain is clearly a very honest guy, so I'm just trying to fit in." Soon enough, the girls were talking to each other again, with Jerin returning to just nodding once in a while. Jerin scanned around for the hooded man, but the Anzati, if that's what he was, had vanished.
Before long, he spotted Tenn heading toward their table, and the girls quieted down to hear what she had to say. "So... we good to go?" Jerin asked calmly.
"It seems that w-" Tenn paused to wince as a collective burst of laughter erupted from a neighboring table. "I think so." She nodded. "I'll give you a full rundown on the ship later, when it's quieter."
"Sounds good." Jerin stood up, then lowered his voice so hopefully only Tenn would hear. Although, all five girls at the table were watching him intently, so that was probably a lost cause. "The Force has given me reason to believe our group is being stalked by an Anzati. So I need you to keep a sharp lookout on everyone here until we're ready to go."
"An Anzati?" Tenn raised an eyebrow. "If that's true, he'd be most likely to go after you or me first of all. They think the 'soup' of Force-sensitives is the most potent, you know."
"Oh, that's right." Jerin had forgotten about that detail. "But there's one more likely target for him then." He added quietly.
"One more?" Tenn seemed to have an almost amused expression on her face.
"Yeah. Haven't you sensed it? There's one more on board the ship like you and me. Well, more like you." He explained.
"More like me?" She definitely WAS amused, Jerin could tell, but he wasn't sure why.
"My ability to sense things with the Force may be limited, but even I can tell there's a pretty wide gap between my powers and yours." He shrugged. "And the other Force-sensitive on board, whoever she is, her power is a lot closer to your level than mine."
"She?" Tenn couldn't keep a grin off her face. "Are you sure it isn't Denan?" Of course Tenn had sensed the other Force-sensitive on board, as soon as they had entered the brothel, in fact. But she thought it would be good for Jerin's developing Force abilities if he figured that one out for himself. Besides, the girl in question clearly still had no idea herself, so it was nothing to get excited about.
"Yes, I'm very sure." It was Jerin's turn to smile now. "Anyway, has anyone seen Joona? I better make sure that Anzati isn't tailing her." He figured there was no point in sugarcoating it, since the girls had heard everything anyway. But, no one seemed particularly worried.
"Yeah, she said she was going to get a drink." Maya pointed toward a building on the other side of the plaza.
"All right, I'll be back soon. Probably." Jerin started heading that way. He was a bit surprised that Joona had headed for a bar, since none of the girls had expressed any interest in alcohol so far. Then again, no one deserved a drink more than they did.
.
Jerin was surprised by how clean the bar looked inside. Rather than the dark, dingy cave he'd been expecting, it was brightly lit, with large windows looking out on a small garden that was apparently situated out of direct sunlight. This was clearly a place that hoped to attract young people in the evening, and not just rely on a small group of hopeless drunks. He spotted two of his Zeltrons on barstools, at least, he THOUGHT they were his Zeltrons. He really did need to get to know his girls better, at least well enough to recognize them on sight, even if he couldn't remember their names.
Then he spotted Joona, sitting at a small table in the center of the room, a smile on her face as she talked to a young human male with fairly long blonde hair. The guy was smiling as well, apparently hanging on Joona's every word. He clearly thought he had a shot with Joona, the poor fool. Jerin thought it was a little cruel to jerk him around like that, but he couldn't blame Joona for savoring the chance to turn someone down, now that she had the option. Or hell, maybe he really did have a shot. If Joona didn't already realize that she was way, way out of Denan's league, she would soon enough. And anyway, they were leaving this planet in a few hours, so it didn't matter much either way. Now the guy was putting his arm around Joona's shoulders, but she didn't stop him or try to edge away, so Jerin figured it was none of his business.
At any rate, it seemed like everything was under control in here. Jerin had a seat at a barstool that seemed to be a respectful but not aloof distance away from the Zeltrons, and was starting to raise his hand to order a drink from the bartender, when he glanced back at Joona one more time. This time they made eye contact, and Joona instantly shot him a look that couldn't have said "Help me!" any more clearly if she'd actually verbalized it. Jerin realized he'd completely misread the situation. It wasn't that she was enjoying the opportunity to say no, she literally didn't know HOW to say no.
From Joona's perpective, it seemed that Jerin strode over to her table so fast that he might have used the Force to do it. Then, just as quickly, he was twisting the other human's left arm up behind his back. "Ow! Ow! What the-" But Jerin clearly wasn't interested in giving him a chance to sit there and argue. He used the leverage he had to force the guy up out of his chair, then marched him forward and slammed him into the wall, easily hard enough to knock the wind out of him.
"Augh! What the hell, man?!" The young human managed to say pretty well, considering that he was gasping for breath, while Jerin's armored right forearm was pressing his head into the wall at the same time.
"Funny, that doesn't sound like an apology to me." Jerin growled in his ear.
"All right, I'm sorry!" He croaked. Jerin let him go, but didn't back away very far. "You, uh, could have mentioned you've got a scary Mandalorian boyfriend." He shot a weak smile at Joona as he rubbed his head.
"She's not-" Jerin began, before quickly cutting himself off. "You know what? The nature of our relationship is none of your business."
"She's not?" The other human looked nervously over at Joona again. "Okay, so what exactly am I apologizing for?"
Jerin grabbed him by the front of his shirt, pulling him in close. "You're asking a lot of questions of the guy who just slammed you into the wall, aren't you?"
"Maybe?" He responded with a shrug. "Honestly, I have no idea what's happening here." The guy clearly didn't rattle easily, Jerin would give him that much.
"Jerin, hold on." Joona stepped forward now. "I appreciate the assist, but the punishment was out of proportion to the crime. He deserves an explanation, at least."
"If you say so." Jerin let go of the guy's shirt, and took a step back.
"An explanation would be appreciated." He said mildly. Joona thought about it for a second, then launched into a quick but brutally honest rundown of her life story. Her would-be suitor looked properly chagrined by the end. "Well, hell." He sighed. "Here I thought we were hitting it off, but I was just taking advantage of someone who's been conditioned not to tell a guy to buzz off when she wants to."
"You can see why I'm a bit protective of her." Jerin found that he was still itching for a fight, though it seemed pretty clear there wouldn't be one here.
"Yes... Though I don't see where you fit into this picture." The guy shot back.
"He's the one who set me free. Literally." Joona explained.
"Oh well, I'm supposed to be working anyway." He admitted. "Might as well get back to it."
"Working? In a bar?" Jerin raised an eyebrow. "Just what do you do, anyway?"
"Actually, I'm a bounty hunter." He replied. Jerin just barely managed to supress the derisive snort that wanted to escape from his nose. "My main function is being a scout." He looked pointedly at Jerin, seeming to guess what he'd been thinking. "I track down the bounties, then my partner handles the work of actually bringing them in."
"Partner?" Jerin automatically looked over his shoulder, even as he was sure that if this partner was nearby, he'd have been shot with a stun blast already. "Is he around?"
"No, he's... canoodling with his new Twi'lek girlfriend. Apparently I'm the suggestible type." He smiled. "I don't stand much chance of bringing in the bounty without him, so when Joona walked in here, it seemed like a good time to take a break."
"Just out of curiousity, what is the bounty?" Jerin asked, trying not to sound too eager.
"You too?" He raised an eyebrow now.
"This armor's not just for show." Jerin smiled.
"Then before I give out any information, let's talk percentages. I'm Kieran Yanner, by the way." He extended his hand.
"Jerin Danar." Jerin shook it calmly. "Sorry for the rough treatment, but playing bodyguard for thirty six young ladies tends to make me a bit edgy."
"Understandable." He nodded. "In the arrangement I have with my partner, I usually get forty percent."
Jerin's smile turned into a smirk. "Your partner must be a good friend. I was thinking more along the lines of thirty."
"Thirty five." Kieran countered.
"Thirty three." Jerin folded his arms.
"One third? All right, I can live with that." He shook Jerin's hand again.
"So, who are you going after, anyway?" Jerin prompted.
"An Anzati by the name of Chogus Wessig." Instantly, Jerin was a lot more interested than he had been. "He's responsible for a string of murders of around Mos Espa, and he apparently headed this way to lay low for a while."
"Chogus Wessig..." Jerin tried not to show how excited he was. "That's an odd name for an Anzati, isn't it?"
"Well, every Anzati name is odd, really." Kieran shrugged. "They don't actually name their young, but let each one pick their own name. So really, there's no such thing as a 'typical' Anzati name."
"Good point." Jerin nodded. "Now, 'a string of murders' doesn't tell me much, considering we're talking about an Anzati. What's the bounty on him?"
Kieran pulled out a datapad and tapped on it quickly. "Okay, hasn't changed since this morning. 250,000."
"250,000?!" Jerin failed to hide his surprise. "You're sure someone didn't make a mistake, when they meant to type in 25,000?"
Kieran held out the datapad for Jerin to inspect. "No mistake, 250,000 Republic credits."
Jerin let out a whistle. "Wow, this guy must be the real deal."
"Yeah, part of that 'string of murders' in Mos Espa included several bounty hunters who already tried to bring him in." Kieran admitted. "I suppose I should have mentioned that sooner. If you want to back out, I understand."
Jerin shook his head, even as his grin broadened. "I'm not afraid, just excited. It's been a while since I hunted a real challenge. Plus, I think our target is very close by."
"Oh yeah?" Kieran looked up from the datapad. "Gut feeling?"
"More than that. Not long ago, I noticed someone who seemed to be an Anzati looking a little too interested in my group of girls." Jerin explained. "I doubt there are very many Anzati on this planet, so odds are good that it's our guy."
"That makes sense." Kieran nodded. "Well in that case, let's get out there and find him! When we catch up to him, I'll hang back and cover you, then stun him as soon as I see an opening. Sound good?"
"Actually..." Jerin clenched his fists in anticipation. "When we find him, absolutely, you hang back and be ready to stun him. But... don't actually do it unless he's about to kill me. I want to try to bring him down myself."
"You're kidding." Kieran said flatly, but Jerin's expression didn't change. He turned to Joona, who had been quietly observing the exchange. "Is he always like this?"
"Well, yes, actually." Joona smiled a little as she realized it. She was still a bit dumbfounded that what had started as a confrontation had turned into a joint business venture so quickly.
"Don't get me wrong, I'm not suicidal." Jerin assured him. "Well, most of the time. But this will be good practice for someone even more dangerous I'll probably have to fight soon."
"Negian?" Joona wondered aloud.
"Yeah." Jerin nodded, before he turned to look at her. "Wait, why did you just say Negian, and not Seco too?" Joona shrugged, trying to look innocent, but she couldn't stop a broad grin from appearing on her face. "Don't go trying to plant ideas in my head, missy." Jerin tried to look stern, but he couldn't keep a smile from appearing on his face too. Then, he started heading briskly toward the door. "All right, I bet Tenn can sense where he is."
"Who's Tenn?" Kieran hurried to catch up. "A bio-scanning droid?"
"What?" Jerin laughed. "No, she's a Jedi. Or close enough."
"Seriously?" Kieran was suddenly struck with the thought that he'd been inserted into the middle of a holofilm, and somehow hadn't noticed.
.
Jerin walked back into the maze of food stalls, to see Tenn staring off into space as several of the girls talked around her. She didn't look up until he stopped right next to her. "Hey, who's this?"
"He's a fellow bounty hunter." Jerin explained quickly. "Can you sense where that probably-Anzati I told you about is?"
Tenn let out a sigh as she sat up straighter. "Most likely, but it'll be difficult. This is a crowded spot, and I didn't actually see him myself." She looked over at Kieran. "I take it he's got a significant price on his head?"
"If we can catch him, he'll pay for this whole kriffing trip." Jerin nodded. "And he should have a distinctive presence in the Force. It turns out he's a fairly prolific killer, even by Anzati standards."
Tenn seemed to mull that over for a second. "All right. Normally I wouldn't encourage you to go looking for trouble, but in this case, it sounds like it's worth doing." She closed her eyes, reaching out in the Force. It wasn't long before she opened them again. "Okay, he's close by. About a block down that alley." She pointed to the east side of the market. "But Jerin, he knows I sensed him, and he's still not moving. I think he WANTS you to find him."
"Well, he should be careful what he wishes for." Jerin smirked. "I'll be back soon. Joona, it's best if you stay here." He said over his shoulder. With that, he and Kieran headed quickly for the alley Tenn had pointed to.
"So... Do you run a Twi'lek modeling business on the side?" Kieran wondered. "I mean, Tenn isn't one of the former slaves, right?"
"Nope, it's just a coincidence that she's the same race as most of them. Although... I haven't ruled out the Force having a sense of humor being a factor here." Jerin admitted. Then, as he rounded a corner, he abruptly waved for Kieran to stay back. The hooded man he'd observed earlier was waiting at the end of the alleyway, standing completely still. Jerin strode calmly forward. "Chogus Wessig, let's do this without a lot of fuss, shall we?" He drew Jango's blaster from his holster as he walked forward, calmly looking down its sight.
The Anzati only slightly raised his head in response, clearly not concerned. "Here I was, thinking that I'd have to get creative to separate you from your group, and you come right to me. I should thank you for saving me a lot of trouble."
"You're saying that you were hunting ME, specifically?" Jerin was surprised. "When there were so many easier targets around?"
"Easier does not always go hand in hand with more satisfying. And you are the perfect mix of powerful, yet untrained." He observed.
"Untrained as a Jedi maybe, but not as a fighter." Jerin countered. "As you're going to find out the hard way in about two seconds, if you don't get your hands in the air."
To Jerin's surprise, Chogus did indeed put his hands in the air, but then drew back his hood to reveal a toothy grin. "Silly Mando'ade, I LIKE the hard way." Then, he seemed to vanish from view. The next thing Jerin knew, his head was being slammed into the wall so hard his helmet made the stone crack, while his left arm was twisted painfully behind his back. Somehow, his blaster had vanished from his right hand as well. Even as he noticed this, Chogus delivered a kick to the unarmored back of his right knee, and his right leg buckled. "So, why aren't you using the Force?" The Anzati asked casually. "We both know you have it. Are you saving it for when you really need it? Because guess what?" He pulled Jerin's helmet away from the wall, then slammed it back again. More cracks radiated out from the point of impact. "You really need it NOW."
As he blinked at his dimming vision, Jerin was inclined to agree. Chogus had moved so fast, Jerin hadn't even been able to see it. He wasn't sure he could move that fast even with the Force. However, from his current position, his options were limited. If he brought his right hand around to try a Force Push, Chogus would probably dodge it. He could use Force Lightning, and it would be guaranteed to hit, but he'd hit himself with it as well. So Jerin decided to try something new. In his mind's eye, he visualized a Force Push that emanated from every part of his body at once, and summoned up the energy.
It turned out, such a thing absolutely COULD be done. The Anzati went flying back into the opposite wall of the alleyway, while Jerin's armor made odd popping noises and flexed as it tried to fly away from him. Fortunately, the straps and buckles that kept it in place held tight. Huge cracks appeared in the wall that had already been damaged by Jerin's helmet. As Jerin spun back to his feet, he wondered if he should just use his lightsaber and end this really quickly. But, between his armor and his Force powers, he felt like he was cheating already.
"Now THAT'S more like it." Chogus shook his head to clear it. Jerin crouched down, ready to hurl himself at his target and beat him to a pulp, when suddenly, he was filled with the urge to flee. This was the kind of mental attack that Anzati specialized in, though it took Jerin a few seconds to realize it, he was so filled with panic at first. "That's right." Chogus nodded as he walked calmly forward, his razor sharp proboscises emerging from slits in his cheeks. "Your resistance is ultimately useless. After all, I've lived such a long time... I have so much fighting experience... A young human like you has no chance against me. You might as well surrender to the inevitable..."
Jerin had never experienced anything like this before. And yet, he had one solid defense against it. He understood, on a gut level, that it wasn't true. The Anzati might be fast, and strong, and a skilled killer, but that was all. Next to the power of the Force, whether it felt like an ocean of light, a hurricane of darkness, or something in between, mere physical strength and speed was nothing. Knowing that, Jerin found that he could move again, even with an odd kind of pressure still weighing on his mind. However, aside from standing up straighter, he didn't yet. He waited until Chogus' proboscises were actually probing under his helmet, then he snapped his head forward as hard as he could. Chogus staggered backward, his tendrils flailing in a way that would have been comical if Jerin didn't know how deadly they were.
The Anzati recovered remarkably fast, vibroknives seeming to materialize in his hands, and he charged forward without hesitation. However, this time, Jerin was ready for him. Even as he drew power from the Force to make himself stronger and faster, he could sense his enemy's hostile intent. For the first time, he understood why Jedi were so ridiculously dominant in combat, as he literally KNEW every move Chogus was about to make, before he even made it. He traded blows for a few seconds, wincing as a vibroknife made a high pitched screech when it failed to slice through his armor, forced his way in close, then, just as he had when fighting Seco, slammed his armored forearm into his foe's throat as hard as he could.
Chogus collapsed to the ground, loudly gasping for air. "Yeah... Turns out, no one's got an invincible windpipe." Jerin remarked calmly. Only then did he unleash the Force Lightning. It was probably unnecessary at this point, but given what kind of being his target was, Jerin didn't feel any moral qualms about using it. When he cut off the flow, Chogus was somehow still conscious, but he didn't seem to be capable of doing more than groaning. Jerin looked up as Kieran hurried down the alley toward him. "Hey, I don't actually have any cuffs on me. You got a pair?"
"Yeah, sure." Kieran reached into a back pocket and pulled them out. "Wow, I feel like a mooch, getting one third of the reward. I hardly did anything." He remarked as he rolled Chogus over onto his side, binding his arms behind his back.
"Well, if you feel that way, you could let me have the whole thing." Jerin suggested.
"Fat chance." Kieran answered with a grin.
"It was worth a shot." Jerin shrugged. "But no, a deal's a deal. And this bounty wasn't posted publicly, at least not here, so I wouldn't have gotten anything out of this stop if not for you."
"This stop..." Kieran looked thoughtful. "I know it's not my business, but just where is a Mandalorian not-quite Jedi going with a ship full of Twi'lek girls? A ship full of girls from KUAT, who are now on Tatooine. If you were aiming for Ryloth, you took a wrong turn."
"That's a fair question." Jerin admitted. "Come one, let's get him turned in, then we can get a drink and I'll try to explain."
.
Twilight was settling over the sky when Jerin finally settled into the pilot's seat back on the Justice. He took a moment to stretch thoroughly as Arfive got the engines ready. "Ah, what a great day." He remarked, mainly to Arfive, but to anyone else who might be in earshot as well.
"A great day?" Tenn turned toward him from the copilot's seat. "Almost getting killed by an Anzati is your idea of a great day?"
"Almost is the key word there." Jerin grinned. "The girls had a good time, I found some excitement, made some good money, and nobody got hurt. Well, except for me, but just a bit." It turned out, Chogus had sliced his left bicep pretty good, but he hadn't even noticed at the time. "By the very specific standards of our group, I think it was a great day."
Tenn thought that over for a few seconds, before she smiled. "Yeah, I guess it was."
.
"I could get used to this."
"Running around under assumed names? Not telling anyone where we're really going? Following orders Princess Leia might not actually have the legal authority to give?"
"Exactly." - Joph Seastriker and Greer Sonnel, Star Wars: Bloodline
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(Nanaki's note: I feel like I should say something about The Last Jedi here, but I imagine everything I could possibly say has already been said on dozens of interent forums. There is one item I really want to vent about, even so: Wait, ships in Star Wars can run out of gas? And we're just learning that now? Seriously?
Anyway, I recently read Bloodline and Lost Stars, both by Claudia Gray. I'm a bit late to the party there, I know, but wow is Claudia Gray a great author. I'd put her right up there with Matthew Stover and Timothy Zahn. I didn't have much interest in Leia: Princess of Alderaan based on the story, but now I may have to read it just because Claudia Gray wrote it. If you haven't read any of her books, I highly recommend them. Lost Stars is a particular standout, (In fact, I'd rank it as the second best Star Wars novel I've ever read.) but Bloodline is definitely worth your time as well. Odd as it is to read about a Leia in her mid-40s who apparently has no Force powers, it covers a time period that's so far untouched by any other novel or comic, and the new characters are very strong. I really hope we see Greer and Joph again in another book.
Next, I want to touch on two questions from recent reviews, both from PartyPat22: "Also, you didn't capitalize Humans amongst the other species. Do you have something against your own kind, buddy?" That's a good question, but I'm not the one who can answer it. I do it that way because that's how the actual Star Wars novels do it. Probably because in more earthly texts, species names aren't capitalized, so "human" isn't either. But in a galaxy where the name of every other self-aware species is capitalized, we Humans should probably get the same treatment.
Then, "Is Dantius a name you came up with for Palpatine? I agree that Sheev is a terrible choice, although it does justify his extreme hatred of his father." It's not a name I came up with, no. Years ago, in Star Wars Insider's Ask Lobot column (which is not a feature of the magazine anymore), someone asked "Is it true that the Emperor's first name is Dantius, and Count Dooku's first name is Jard?" Their response was, "Oh, the internet is not your friend." So assumed that the name "Dantius Palpatine" was a fairly widespread bit of misinformation. Still, I think it's a WAY better name than Sheev. I'm guessing the powers that be thought "Dantius" sounded a little too earthlike, in that it sounds fairly Greek or Roman. But in that case, I'd point out that "Palpatine" sounds a LOT like the Palatine Hill in Rome. In fact, I've long thought that Lucas gave him that name to subliminally conjur up images of the Roman Empire anyway.
At any rate, I should have another chapter for you all pretty soon, though I think my Gundam story will finally get some attention after that.)