Disclaimer: The Following is a non-profit fanfiction. "Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic" is copyrighted to George Lucas, LucasArts, Bioware and Obsidian respectively. Please support the official release.
A/N: All facts, details and accounts were taken from the source Wookieepedia. Any disputes, corrections or claims about the continuity should be addressed in Private Messages.
Sentences in Italics refer to flashbacks.
Dialogue in "(Italics and parentheses)" refer to alien text translated to Galactic basic.
Mira's Last Job Chapter 2
Ask any representative in Czerka corporation whether or not their goals are humane, and they will respond, 'we work for human interests'. Making no apologies or retractions on their tactics or their methods, the corporation of Czerka is proud to work to their client's interests while building diplomatic relations and synergy. An employee could make an easy living by heading one of the Czerka branches, making deals with the local government as well as bounty-hunting licenses. However, the most prominent of these careers is persuasion. It's no surprise that presenters and lobbyists make an amount of money many would call 'ridiculous'. However, a Czerka lobbyist would convince you that he earned every bit of his credits.
Even now, a Czerka lobbyist was leading a group through his presentation. Not a group of Senators, as one might expect, but investors: stock brokers, wealthy clients and even the occasional prosperous merchant. Czerka corporation prided itself in making sure their investors were taken care of for life. Right now, they had past the rudimentary investment options in the stores and in the port business. However today, Vincenzo Lacer, was feeling rather excited to present something everyone had been excited about.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, we come to the end of our tour to reveal an exciting new product."
That's right, he told himself. Just like you practiced in front of a mirror. Everyday before and after work. Like brushing your teeth.
"As you know, Czerka corporation has been the head developer of many fine weapons and coordinator with Republic military. Together, we present a marvel of top engineering that is guaranteed to change the face of the battlefield for a long, long time. Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present…"
The stockholders gasped, a sign of purchase. There, the spotlights unveiled a mechanical monster, at least 20 feet in the air, with 'feet' the size of a small cruiser and a handheld gun that looked as if it could rip through an armada. Czerka had provided war machines before, but this… this was an accomplishment. Vincenzo had savored the clients' awe and was tempted to revel in it for 1 or 2 more seconds. But, he needed to make a potential sale into a sure-fire thing.
"The Breach Droid!" The audience clapped their hands, waiting to hear his presentation.
"Built with the top-class Durasteel alloy, the Breach droid has defenses no laser can penetrate, a Gatling gun able to destroy tanks and airships, and a new feature called, 'rapid leap' which I would like to demonstrate right now."
The presenter gave the signal. A remote programmer a distance off, inputted the coordinates and launched the droid what must've been hundreds of Kilometers. The droid quickly leaped back to its position, receiving an applause from the audience. He might as well rung up the register right now.
"We now conclude our presentation. Any questions?"
The investors raised their hands. Vincenzo smiled, as it gave him time to savor the moment. A lesser Czerka rep. would require 'plants' to be in the audience. Not Mr. Lacer.
"Yes, you there with the exquisite sense of style."
The noble woman chuckled, "Oh my! Well, I was wondering, wasn't Czerka corporation aligned with the Sith a while back, during the conflict between it and the Republic?"
He smiled, "We at Czerka corporation are proud to have many clients all over the galaxy, regardless of religious affiliation. Whether it'd be Sith or Jedi, we have a selection of fine services to offer anyone who needs supplies. However, if the Republic requires our services, we are glad to fulfill our patriotic duty and aid them, especially during their time of need."
A Duros raised his hand. Mr. Lacer picked it.
"(Yes, I've been wondering about Czerka's treatment of native species, especially against the Sand People on Tattooine.)"
"Czerka corporation is proud to have many outposts from the aquatic planet of Manaan to the deserts of Tattooine. We employ dozens of species from all over the galaxy for opportunities from the comfortable desk job to drilling on the site. Czerka does everything in its power to ensure our resources are protected such as hiring able individuals to employ diplomatic relations."
Vincenzo smiled. This would be easier than he thought. However, when he saw an Ithorian raise his hand, he sighed. Another activist, he told himself. Normally, amateurs are trained 'not' to spot these people in the crowd and 'not' to answer any of their questions. But, Mr. Lacer was far from an amateur. In fact, he was feeling rather lucky today, considering he had just knocked down two of the company's heavily criticized polices. He picked the Ithorian, as if to say 'hit me'.
"(I am most concerned about the planet you called 'Edean'. You are interested in the native species, but many of the local inhabitants refuse to comply. Many of the stockbrokers wonder if it is still a good investment, considering all the hostile life there.)"
He smiled, mentally patting himself on the back. "Our company offers many fine products, from the everyday Medpac to treat wounds to exotic wildlife for a variety of reasons. We take the Wookies that are too old or too sick to live out in the savage wild and place them in captivity for their own good. There, they may be sold to a loving family an be treated with the best of care. Of course, I'd be lying if I said things between the native population and our own have been stable. The natives have refused diplomatic relations and killed our emissary to go back to their savage ways. However, Czerka corporations says that the client comes first, as we are currently in the middle of pacifying the threat. Any more questions?"
The audience stood silence, completely absorbing everything Mr. Lacer just said.
"Thank you for attending this tour of Czerka corporation. We have analysts right through this next room, for those eager to get a quote or continue investing in our fine company. Thank you, and good day."
Mr. Lacer paused, waiting to get a good distance away from the crowd before letting his plastic smile relax. He breathed in a sigh of relief as his assistant gave him a datapad of future appointments. He looked through them, seeing nothing out of the ordinary, save one thing.
"Why am I needed in the Senate?" He asked, taking a quick drink of his energizer.
"The Senate has been receiving resistance, concerning Edean. Many are claiming that we're endangering the wildlife there…" she said.
Mr. Lacer shrugged, "The Ithorians again…"
"No, that's the odd part. We're receiving resistance from a Mr…. Bindo, was his name."
"Bindo? The Jedi? He's hardly worth our time…" He said, fixing his attire in front of a mirror.
"While that may be true, the board of directors is… concerned about Edean. They feel it is best to… liquidate assets and move on."
Vincenzo paused for a moment, only to stare at his assistant for an elongated period of time. His secretary knew that this could only mean one of two things and hopeful as she was, Mr. Lacer was simply not the romantic type. Her suspicions were confirmed when he tossed the datapad to the ground and began to pace frantically.
"Are they mad? Liquidate assets? Give up, pack up and go home? Nonsense, I say! We have a billion credit investment on Edean and I don't intend to present the shareholders with bad news how things have changed. We have a duty- no, a responsibility to our investors to ensure that we keep our promises and turn this planet into a profit. And I don't want to hear that our efforts to keep that promise were stopped by a bunch of filthy, savage, backwards-oriented people and their ancient customs. We will keep Edean and we will turn it into a profit!"
"But, sir!" The assistant said. "Aren't you afraid that the Senate may be full of Wookie sympathizers?"
He smiled and turned back, "An idealist once said that the Senate cannot be bought. I say, 'they haven't been given the right price yet…'"
She stalked him for the longest while, waiting for the opportunity to talk to him. Problem was, every time she found him alone, she felt it wasn't the right time. Eventually, all this stealth was becoming rather tedious, to say the least. Just when she found him simply staring at the galaxy map, she paused when the Zabrak came forward.
"You needed me, General?"
He smiled. "Yeah, can you help here? I can't fix these damn wires…"
"It's amazing that you cannot fix a simple fuse, even after 10 years. I guess some things never change, huh, General?"
"That's why I brought you along," he snickered, leaning back in the chair. Mira watched as the two exchanged silences. Bao-Dur was diligent at working on the broken wire while the Exile observed closely. She hesitated; she wasn't about to barge in on what could've been an important moment. However, her lack of interference paid off, seeing the Engineer finish with the wires.
"That should take care of it. Still, I wouldn't try crashing her on any more dead planets…"
"Very funny…" The Exile said. The two males shared glances as Bao began to walk away.
"I'm surprised you haven't asked to come." He said, clearing what was on both of their minds.
"I have my orders, General, and I'm not about to disobey them."
He walked over, looking at his former companion. "Even now, you don't question my judgment. Bao, you have no idea how glad that makes me feel… to have someone have faith in me."
"Someone has to. Can't have you moping all the time, can we?" The Zabrak said, chuckling.
"Well, thanks for putting up with my 'moping' for what its worth."
"Anytime, General…" He said, almost leaving.
"Bao, stop calling me General." The Exile said.
"You'll always be the General to me."
The Exile put his foot down. "Bao, call me by my name. Just once."
The Zabrak turned and chuckled. "Alright, Maison."
Her breaths were heavy, thick, and audible. She stood up, only with the meekest amount of confidence. Stripped of her saber and most of her weapons (she still had a blaster attached to her thigh), she waited for the natives to speak their mind. Hopefully, none of them would be out to claim for Hanharr's honor. As she stood silently in her always-too-bare outfit, one figure out of them all came through the horde and looked over her. He, or what gender Mira could make of the walking carpets, looked her over before speaking.
"(Who are you?)" He growled, in a somewhat friendly demeanor.
"Name's Mira. I just crash landed here and from the looks of this, I really need to get out."
One of the others spoke up. "(She's a spy! She has felled one of our great trees! Obviously, she was sent here to spy on us! Kill her!)"
As the rest of the clan began to chant with him, the leader let out a gigantic roar, asserting his dominance.
"(Silence! I am the Chieftain here and I decide what becomes of the outsider!)"
The redhead, not one for hearing Hanharr's angry roar, decided to speak up.
"Look! I'm obviously part of one big misunderstanding. And as entertaining as that sounds, I really need to get out of here. Look, I'm not a spy and wasn't paid to do anything to you. Lemme go, and I'll let you be on your way."
The natives looked towards each other confused. It was pretty obvious they had never seen anyone like Mira or dressed as Mira. They whispered, or growled softly, towards one another unsure what must be done with her. To her dismay, she looked to find the protester that had claimed her death still staring at her. She breathed slowly, waiting to see whether to draw her pistol or let it stay in its holster for now.
"(Forgive us, outsider. We are in the middle of a conflict, which I fear you may be a part of, too. However, as Chieftain I must ask: were you sent by the Republic or a grey Jedi?)"
Mira thought for a moment. She didn't know what a bunch of tribals would want with the Republic, and quite frankly she wasn't eager to find out. She was tempted to talk about Kreia, but even she knew that the Sith Lord probably didn't have anything to do with them.
"I wasn't sent by the Republic. And as for the Grey Jedi, we're probably not talking about the same person…"
The Chieftain sighed slowly. "(I see… Thank you for your honesty, outsider. I will tell the gate guard to-)"
"(I object!)" The protester from before said. "(There is one piece of evidence, still unaccounted for! Bring it in!)"
The rest of the tribals came inside and unrolled Mira's sack. Fear seized her from within, as the mystery of her lost items was revealed. Neither in a position to rescue it, nor reclaim it, she was frozen in place. There, in plain sight, were her robes as well as her lightsaber. Unable to hazard a guess from their faces, she had to use their angry growls to determine the mood.
"(You see! This woman is Jedi! She was probably sent her to eliminate us!)"
"(Silence!)" The Chieftain spoke, silencing his herd. "(It is clear that she does not work for the enemy. She could probably be an ally. But you are too narrow-minded to even realize that. Forgive us, outsider. But we must ask, are you a Jedi?)"
Out of all the questions the natives could've asked her, it had to be the one she was least willing to answer.
"N-no! I'm not a Jedi!"
"(She lies!)" The protester said, inciting the crowd. "(The items are clearly hers. There was no one else in the Shadowlands!)
Mira spoke up. "Wait! They're mine, and I used to be a Jedi, but I'm… sort of… Retired."
The natives looked at each other with confusion.
"(What do you mean 'retired'?)" The Chieftain asked.
"It means I used to be a Jedi, but not anymore." She said, quickly.
"(How does one not be a Jedi?)"
Mira shook her head. "Look, it's a long story and I don't want to talk about it. What do you need exactly?"
"(Please, outsider. Listen to us. We are in a desperate situation with the Tribe of Czer-ka.)"
"Czerka? Wait, they're not a tribe, they're… merchants." She said, trying to simplify things.
"(Which is precisely the problem. Czer-ka uses our members, our family, for their trades. Long ago, they came to our village with an offer. I refused but my son, Chuundar, overthrew me and took the tribe for his own. However, my son and his friend helped me, and we led our tribe to rebel the threat, casting Czer-ka out of our home.)"
"Wait, I heard about that…" Mira said. "I thought Revan came and took Czerka out."
"(While Revan indeed helped us in a dire moment, it was not enough… Soon, Czer-ka came in greater numbers, bringing an army with them and began raining fire on our homes.)"
"(Bah!)" The protester said. "(Your son should've brought an extra set of claws for this fight, instead of leaving like a coward, Freyyr! Face it; we have been forgotten by both of them!)"
"(Speak out against my family again, and we'll see who's the coward!)" The Chieftain proclaimed.
"Am I… missing something here?" The redhead said, turning around.
"(My son, his Twi'lek companion and the grey Jedi I spoke to you about left some while ago. They said they were going to talk with your 'republic', your chieftains to stop Czer-ka's advance.)"
"So… it's being taken care of, right? I mean, your son will take care of this." Mira said, unsure whether she was convincing the beasts in front of her or herself.
"(No, Jedi. Even if my son convinces the cheiftans to stop Czer-ka, I fear many of our tribe would fall victim to their tactics. Their… laws are strange. If we are attacked after my son's proposal is passed, Czer-ka is punished. But if it occurs before, then there is no fault. Very strange, indeed.)"
The Protester spoke up, hesitantly. "(We do not need their help, Freyyr! We are strong without them! We will succeed through combat and victory shall be hours!)"
He stirred up the crowd, causing loud growling to fill the inside of the room. Oddly enough, Mira almost distinguished it as… happy. However, this could've been against her better judgment. She thought it best not to test the waters and continue her conversation.
"But… it's being taken care of, right? Your son's going to talk to the Senators about your problem…"
"(I think differently, Jedi.)" The Chieftain said. "(While I have faith in my son, we would greatly benefit for your aid. Please, help us.)"
She paused at this statement. There, the furry beasts, or at least their leader, were asking for a helping hand. Problem was, it wasn't in Mira's nature to get involved in things. That was the Exile's job, his job. Mira? She looked out for herself, scoped out the best bounty and claim it before all of the others in Nar Shaddaa. She wasn't a hero, a martyr or anything like that. She was a bounty hunter; she did things for pay. Looking around, she knew that the natives couldn't pay her in anything she wanted. Hell, it was fortunate they could use currency. On top of that, she was risking her neck on the line for a cause she didn't care for. Clearly, her mind was made up.
"Look, sorry to hear about your… problem, but I've got my fair share to deal with. Give me my stuff and I'll be out of your hair."
"(See! The false Jedi would abandon us in our time of need! We have no need of her! Kill her, and prop her corpse as a sign to Czer-ka!)"
"(Never!)" The Chieftain cried. "(I will not resort to tactics Czer-ka would assign us. Are we no better if we took an innocent and killed her for sport? No! We are not savages!)"
Mira waited for the uproar to calm down before the leader spoke to her again.
"(Thank you for listening to us, stranger. I'm sorry I could not persuade you to aid us, but it is understandable. Please, take your leave. We have much to plan for…)"
She took the hint, rolling up her sack and her saber and exiting with what must have been the coldest stares she'd ever met. As she wondered slowly out the camp, the guards let her through with no fuss. She did, however, hear the door slam rather loudly behind her. Unconvinced by their cause, she walked on the wooden platform, searching for the nearest star port to use.