Mid Rim – Torolis
The hyperspace trip had taken its toll, as I finished off an entire bottle of Whisky. To ward off puking, I had to take some special herb that could only be found on Manda'yaim. I had only a small amount, but it seemed like an appropriate occasion to make use of it. The rest of the trip I sobered up, mentally numb. Fuck feelings, and emotions. Like picking up the wrong woman, they only caused trouble. As I viewed Torolis through the plexi-glass of my Basilisk, I was hailed on the ship's comm.
"This is the Command Ship Barukt. Identify yourself." The fellow on the other end ordered. I looked out the viewport, and spotted the Capital Ship port side. Several fighter wings circled us, waiting for me to make the wrong move.
"Strask Girov is expecting me." I replied calmly.
"I asked you to identify yourself." The man replied, his Bothan accent now clearly present.
"And I did."
"If you do not properly identify yourself, we will open fire!" The man warned. Before I could reply, a third party broke in.
"That's quite enough Admiral, thank you. I have been expecting this one. Run along now." The third man said. Strask Girov, most likely. Without another word, the warship and its fighters broke off. "I apologize, my forces have been on high alert for a long time now. That business with your Mandalorians, and now the return of the 'prodigal Knight' has left my people on edge."
"I see that. Strask Girov, I presume?"
"Indeed I am. I'll transmit landing coordinates to you, and meet you in a short while."
Before I could thank him, the Bothan had cut the line.
I took the Basilisk into Torolis' atmosphere. Scanners indicated the planet was not heavily populated, only some thirty million people. A Bothan colony world, it hadn't been founded too long ago it seems. As I flew closer, I could make out the lush environs of Torolis. This was in stark contrast to the coordinates provided – a giant industrial complex of a city, situated on a man-made island in the middle of a large, green/brown lake. I flew through a smog cloud, before descending further into the city. I reached a landing pad, and set the Basilisk down. I peered out the viewport.
The landing pad was connected to a much larger facility facing me, and was even suspended high in the air above the rest of the city beneath me. At the end of the landing pad, which led into the facility, there were two guards, both Bothan. No 'welcoming committee' this time around. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary…not yet at least. After grabbing my gear, rifle included, I warily exited the Basilisk and began walking to the door. Soon enough, a party of Bothans came outside to 'greet' me. Plumes of smoke from several stories down drifted up alongside the pad/facility junction as the Bothan in charge stopped me.
"Halt, Mandalorian."
"I already went through this with your pals up in orbit. My name is Douglas Fett, I'm here to see Strask Girov." I replied, annoyed. The door to the facility opened again, and out walked another Bothan. The Bothan speaking to me paused our conversation, as the newly entered Bothan conferred with another who walked out with him. He looked in my direction and smiled.
"Fett, sorry about this. Stand down boys, he's my guest." Strask ordered. The second welcoming committee backed down, as Strask approached me. He extended his hand and I shook it. "Strask Girov, at your service. And of course, welcome to Torolis, the finest Bothan colony world in the Mid Rim."
"A fine welcome its been." I replied, not bothering to hide my snark. Strask shook his head and began walking back. I followed alongside him, while his troops followed behind us.
"Once again, sorry about that. Fresh out of training, but lacking smarts I'm afraid."
"I'll say." I said, looking back to stare the previous Bothan in the eye from behind my visor. He blinked and looked away. "So what is this place?"
"Ah yes, I'll give you the grand tour. This city, Saiga, is the largest settlement here on Torolis." Strask replied, as we entered inside the facility. We began down a rounded hallway, passing by a massive window that peered out across the entire city. "When we Bothans colonized Torolis, Saiga was the first city to be constructed, but the second construction project here."
"What do you mean?" I asked, as a squad of Bothans passed us.
"The island that Saiga is on was created by our finest architects and engineers. After other worlds were colonized, we learned from previous experience how to properly settle new planets. So you might say Saiga is an experiment." Strask replied as we began walking. We passed by another window, and I watched for a moment as Police Forces, in speeders, pursued (presumably) a criminal, making a getaway in his own speeder. The Police unleashed blaster cannons, shooting down and killing the criminal. I raised my brow, marginally impressed. "Our Security Forces are the finest in this sector, as well."
"I see that." I replied dryly. Strask led us into a glass elevator situated within a clear durasteel elevator shaft, allowing us a clear view of the city – factories, houses, power plants, more factories, and skyscrapers. Strask peered out with me as the elevator descended.
"Progress, progress, progress. So far Saiga is an efficient experiment. We only need to import 40% of the goods the colony needs to survive. Everything else is produced here, or found in the wild as natural resources. As Baron Administrator of this city, I'm proud of our accomplishments. But…there are problems, of course, but that's to be expected." Strask explained. Despite my growing impatience, I was actually quite impressed with what the Bothans had going on. The elevator stopped, and Strask led us inside his office. Large and wide, complete with a full regalia of hardwood floors, rugs, book cases full of books, and leather couches. Even the man's desk was a treasure to behold. Or had my material side began taking over? Either way, it was an impressive office. Strask veered off to the left to the beverage cart, and began pouring two glasses of Scotch from a crystal decanter. "Of course, you didn't come here to be awed by our Bothan engineering exploits." Strask said, as he walked back to hand me one of the glasses. He sat down in a grandfather chair, and I on the couch. Feeling mostly comfortable, I removed my helmet to drink.
"Let's talk shop. Did Sud explain the situation?"
"In adequate detail. I have the information you seek, but you'll have to excuse me when I say it would be remiss of me if I didn't have needs of mine met as well in our deal." Strask replied. He looked me dead in the eye as he took a sip.
"Perhaps Sud exaggerated and gave you a false impression of me. I'm no bounty hunter."
"Of course not, don't be ridiculous. You wouldn't be paid to eliminate anyone. Call it, a favour for a favour." Strask replied as I took a sip of the Scotch.
"I'm listening." I replied. Strask set his glass down and walked to his desk, and looked out the giant window behind it. He held his hands behind his back as he spoke.
"I had mentioned our 'problems' earlier, if you recall."
"I do." I replied, still sitting on the couch.
"There is one problem I'd like you to correct." Strask began. The Bothan called up a holo on his desk, revealing a holomap of the region. I set my glass down and walked over. There was the city, in the middle of a lake. Strask pointed eastward, through a strait and to an even larger lake. Within that lake was a small chain of islands. "For several months now, a saboteur has been infiltrating Saiga and destroying basic infrastructure. Power plants, manufacturers, and the like. Our investigation has finally shown us the individual's hideout: this island chain. To the best of our knowledge, the individual is a Trianni, though we have no idea what his motives are."
"To the best of your knowledge, huh?" I asked skeptically.
"That's correct."
"And how do you know your friend is male?"
"He raped a little girl during one of his escapades." Oh.
"Alright. I'll get the bastard for you. Dead, if that's satisfactory."
"It is. There is a submersible ready for you. My men will escort you to the harbor, and let you be on your way." Strask said. He extended his hand and I shook it. I turned, walked back to the couch, finished my Scotch, replaced my helmet, returned to the elevator, and headed back upstairs.