The Winds Shape

Chapter 13: The Mirror

I own not those situations I borrow from Disney Properties, Lucas, Mechalich or Thomas Benjamin DeMayo. This is a dramatization from my mind on a character created from the meld of table gaming and so on. Special thanks to ideas Drew Karpyshyn and Tim Lebbon fermented. Special thanks to Morihei Ushiba who formed Petre with his wisdom. Like any mind construct this is an exercise and my own work building on other ideas from the past.

This is a Zeison Sha story, set in what is known as the Star Wars EU.

Skip 2 Smuggler's Run

3.4 BBA

Jahn took a deep cleansing breath as he strapped on two blasters and shouldered his staff, checked his Padre's diskblade was secure in his szaza pouch. He put on his darkened goggles a pair of bandanas to complete his look as he exited the craft with the art over his shoulder.

They gathered the shipment onto a pair of repulsor lifts that the boy, even with his burden handled in the bustling point with a calm confident ease as Malcomb, somewhat nervously walking checking his comlink while Streehn walked confidently providing security.

When they reached the Longrun freight dock the guards checked them over noting the weapons but not really doing anything as everyone was armed and the turret guns in the walls meant no foolishness was tolerated. Jahn took advantage of the glaze on his winter goggles to keep his eyes closed as he helped, with one hand place and set each box going out.

On the second to last one he stopped and held his head close to it, acting like he had heard something.

"Are you tracking things or is there a bomb in there?" He said before he demanded "OPEN THIS UP AND THIS ONE AS WELL!" he pointed to another.

"Boss does not let anyone open them up!"

"Really? Lets see!" He turned to the camera "I am L'kido, the artist you wished to meet. And one of your men is smuggling his own crap in here without paying you or so I bet, for those noises are homing a LOSS for both you and the carrier." He said in Huttese. Then he turned to the dock workers who held their hands to their ears "I expect you are getting orders to open them now?"

The workers opened the crates and indeed 3 had active beacons and the rest had inactive ones. As the workers began arguing Jahn stepped off the repulsor lift taking it all in before making his way toward a door waving his hand at the mirror. The door opened up and the female cyborg he had painted greeted him, as he expected. She led him to the throne room through the tunnels. When they reached the throne room Jahn walked in with her as she took her place with the other three slaves he had painted at their stations monitoring the Hutt's business networks.

Upon entering Jahn stood the mirror still with its shroud on an easel that popped out from its back, kneeled and bowed.

"Such reverence from an artist is unusual." Xerweg the Hutt said as he lay on his repulsor lift "Rise artist, I have wanted to meet you for some time."

"I know." Jahn responded, "You are my most consistent patron."

"What have you brought me today and how much will it cost me?"

"I brought you a Force dream, beautifully wrought but still a captured Force dream from the mists. One if read wisely will increase profits, reduce risk, allow you to outflank your competition, avoid the traps your enemies set and overall increase your profitability and empire."

"Bold claims, You have proof?"

"Well you saw some of the interplay on your terminal so you know I have not been able to alter this." He pulled off the smock showing dated swatches to be removed. "Lets see what is under strip one." And he pulled off a section that showed the events of today concerning Xerweg up to this point.

Xerweg looked at the interplay and subtle work as it told him his house cleaning was not entirely finished. He swiftly texted a message with his comlink to a new "chief of Security" as he replayed the days' videos with that man on the other eye. Then he sighed, he knew the boy was real and so far his visions as well. "Beautiful work, how do I know you did not manipulate events up to that point?" Xerweg asked.

"You don't have anything but my word as a twelve year old, who just arrived, who has a full plate of things to learn, do and know." Jahn admitted.

"What then is keeping me from keeping you here, forever?"

"Nothing but honor and the opportunity for a good relationship." Jahn sighed "You could keep me but eventually a collar or slave detainment device would fail. You could turn me in for the meager bounty but I would smash the mirror and we will see what happens in the future." He sighed again "I am all about a mission and you are not Jabba but greater, I can help you beat him."

Xerweg pondered this for a minute before making his next move "What is your price?"

"For me to ensure the future told in this painting is accurate I need" another swatch pulled off "these four underutilized slaves to be freed. Then I can make them an offer to aid a budding organization. You profit, I profit, we all profit." Then he cleared his throat "I have a mission, there is a weapon, a large ship capable of destroying a planet in a second I need to find and remove from existence. That includes plans, machinery and so many other things beside just the stinking device. It threatens you… no all Hutts as well if you stop me from pursuing this."

"Thus you need their help is all and I pay nothing else?"

"And you get exclusive rights for now to resell my exhibition art. I have been a busy artist the last few months, over 10,000 pieces are arriving" He waved his hand flipping his security feeds to four docks "as we speak. You have already found out, my art under those four names turns a quick and serious profit. Provided you just let me work and ask nothing of me like you normally do others." Jahn sighed "Bullying an autistic artist is so unsatisfying. We usually do not care what others think. So it is with me, I have a mission, roadblocks, foes, allies, people working toward the same goal and obstacles. Too much depends on the where, help if you would could profit us both. But me, I am a shell, a mission personified."

Xerweg thought it over remembering the idea he had profited on by L'kido's previous art and indeed how he had just done him a favor finding spies in his docks. He looked at the screen that showed the man peeing himself even as the rest of the Kanata crew headed back to ship his goods. Then he considered how much the boy risked just being here.

"Tell me first what is your mission." He demanded.

"Prevent and heal Force wounds, you should really keep the terrarium I made on Ruusan last week for a clue…. Even I do not fathom it fully but I have not the space to keep it. I also made a multi-disciplinary one on Christophsis, you should really look to it for financial leverage."

Xerweg's greed got him at the mention of Muun bankers, so he waved a device and the slave collars dropped off the four slaves. "Go before I change my mind."

"Your name shall be considered among the greatest of the Hutts when we are done your eminence." Jahn bowed Yanab style and before he turned away he put the sheet on the mirror. "Sir remember, the future is fluid and intel is only as good as it is rare. So I recommend hiding and tending to it yourself." A device floated to Xerweg. "This is the repulsor and easel control as well as a shutter built into the frame."

Xerweg smiled "I look forward to your further work."

Jahn bowed but before he left he asked one more boon.

"Sir, please do two things, ban Malcomb Bax from your gambling halls and buy up his debts, for they are owned by your competition. I am delivering to you a few pieces to pay off the debt, the terrarium and Christophsis work are yours gratis. Other works in the load will sell and pay off his debts, especially if you sell them to the Black Sun people he owes."

Xerweg knew there was something fishy "Done but do not ask for more." He said summoning a few more minions.

With that Jahn bowed again and led the freed slaves out of the throne room turning down a secret passage that emptied right to Maz's ship, as a kind of reinforcement for Xerweg.

Maz looked at him upon entry to the YT1300. Standing next to her was Rene and Zuvio. "The son of Petre Allyan, the Albulyaro Komoqua, walked up to Xerweg and walked out with exactly what he needed." she looked at him straight shaking her head "What possessed you..?" she began.

"A vision of what would happen if I did not." Jahn shrugged safe behind his goggles. "I brought some people to hire to make the journey a success." He waved his hand behind him and noticed Malcomb looking him over. "I also took care of some debts that needed to go away."

"How did you get the greedy vindictive Hutt to do that?" Maz demanded.

"To answer your question Xerweg came to his own conclusion. Hutts cannot be manipulated, I gave him my head and fate but pointed out his profit. He is after all, all about business even if he believes he owns me he knows my path is very good for business. My path stops events that are extremely bad for business. And he may control illegal enterprises, but his legitimate ones pay just as well."

Maz thought about it and the Force dream Zuvio had shaken her out of "You have a long road."

"And so much you can teach me." Jahn smiled inside "Just as long as you allow me my quirk of wearing my goggles and bandana, we will be good." He slumped a bit "I used to seclude myself except to a very small few, visions come at all hours, my reactions upset people." He waved at his getup "This is my smock and veil. It protects us both. You saw that in my eyes."

"Yes I did."Maz answered.

Jahn pressed his hand to a spot dropping the cyborg female like a sack of potatoes. "Malcomb, Ash, I need you to keep her alive. Her pain" he shook his head sadly "She needs fixed, not used this time." He turned to Maz, "Your next delivery was to Folor correct?"

Maz unsurprised nodded "And you need some time there?"

"She will, one week." With that he began drawing on the cyborg woman's metal parts.

"What is that?" Ced asked.

"Directions, explanation, demands. Someone owes my family a favor on Commenor, it is past time they pay." He said without emotion.