"Is there anything you'd like to tell me?" Anakin folded his arms across the front of his dark overtunic while he narrowed his eyes at Obi-Wan. The two Jedi had made their way to the Crystal Palace's main hangar bay, waiting to be escorted to the hotel the Order had booked for them. A slight breeze swayed through the city, causing a ripple at the end of their robes. Anakin shifted his weight impatiently, waiting for his response.
Obi-Wan furrowed his brow and rubbed his beard, "I'm not sure I know what you're talking about."
"That mercenary…" Anakin widened his eyes in annoyance as Obi-Wan pretended to not recollect. He exhaled sharply, "The woman we just spoke to. There was something ugly going on there… How do you even know her?"
A mechanical screech in the distance interrupted the conversation, and a teal-tinted Christophsian shuttle landed at the station. The sliding door opened, inviting the men into the empty cabin; these type of transport vehicles were reserved for the aristocratic elite of the city, and the Chief had been kind enough to request it for the Jedi. Without returning to the conversation, Obi-Wan made his way into the shuttle, his hands hidden inside his sleeves. With a disgruntled sigh, Anakin followed.
Obi-Wan took a seat next to the tinted window, looking out over the city as the transport beeped, lifting itself from the ground. The world below grew smaller and the view blurred as they headed toward their location. Out of his peripheral, he noticed Anakin's impatient stare, and in response, he sighed, turning to face him.
"Fine, what exactly is it you want to know?" He rolled his eyes, bothered by having to explain his uncomfortable relationship with Viera. There was a reason he hadn't so much as thought about her in the last decade.
Anakin scooted closer, leaning in, "How do you know her? I've never heard of her before…"
"Because I've never told you about her," His eyes drifted to the blurred scene outside the window. "She is not someone I enjoy talking about."
"Did you…?" He scrunched-up his face, making gestures with his hands as he awkwardly attempted to express his meaning. He couldn't imagine his former Master with anyone, especially not someone as rugged and abrasive as Viera Satori.
Obi-Wan frowned, "If you're suggesting that I had an inappropriate relationship with Miss Satori, then you're wrong; it was nothing like that."
Anakin exhaled noisily, displeased with the minimal information he was receiving. Throughout his entire time knowing Obi-Wan, he had never met anyone that stirred such a strong reaction from him. And, if they were going to be working alongside her, he wanted to know what they were getting into.
"Master, I'm not fond of these vague answers."
"No, I assumed not," He took in a deep breath. He wasn't sure where to begin in telling the story of how he met Viera; he had not thought about her once in the entire time since they last saw each other. In fact, he had forgotten about her existence (oh, what a blissful time that had been).
"Many years ago, way before I had even met you," he began, reluctantly, "Qui-Gon and I were sent here on a diplomatic mission. One day, everything was going fine, until Qui-Gon fell to the ground beside me; he had been shot near his heart. From where I was, I could see the assailant, and chased after her.
When I caught up, I was able take her as a prisoner in case I needed to report back to the Council with her. So, I dragged both her and Qui-Gon's body to our hotel, and we waited there for nearly a week until Qui-Gon became unconscious again."
"What did Qui-Gon do to her?" Anakin asked, intrigued by the story.
Obi-Wan rolled his eyes as he reflected on the memory, "He did nothing. He paid her double of whatever the person who hired her paid and sent her on her way. I never saw her again until today."
"So, both you and Qui-Gon were willing to pay this unmannerly mercenary double of her original pay just to make her go away? Well, now I see why she's come back: you're easy to make money from," In response to his comment, Obi-Wan rolled his eyes, "But, I'm still not sure I understand why you hate each other so much."
"I don't hate her," he began, "but she nearly killed my master. And, spending a week with someone with her kind of attitude is not exactly how friendships are made."
He longed for the solitude of his hotel room so he could meditate; he was already feeling overwhelmed at the mere thought of having to force professionalism with Viera throughout the rest of the mission. His body was waning from the adrenaline high of the start of the assignment, and he remembered why he felt so miserable.
Only the Force knew what would kill him first: stress or Viera.
Viera pressed her back against the cracked seat of the transport vehicle. Beside her, a Rodian woman desperately tried to soothe her baby's screeching. At the other end of the shuttle, a man with a grease-stained shirt snored as the transport rocked his body back and forth against the seats. Viera grimaced as she took in the awful stench of the cabin, and her eyes fluttered as she pushed back a headache.
Her stomach rumbled as she remembered she hadn't had solid food for the past couple of days. She had spent the majority of her credits on vital upgrades to her ship, and the rest of her paycheque went toward renting a bunk in a local boarding house. She searched through her bag and swore under her breath as she found there to be no loose change she could spend at the diner across from her hostel. Maybe it would have been wise to accept Kenobi's credits...
It was a ridiculous thought; she had survived on much less than what she had now. There had been that time on Klatooine she treaded through the savanna with nothing besides her blaster and a few rounds of ammunition. Besides, she didn't want dirty Jedi money, anyway. They paraded about the galaxy promoting "peace" when they caused a good bit of destruction of their own. The allies of the Jedi were blind to their ruthless ways all because they admired their lightsabers and "honorable" code.
The Jedi weren't trustworthy, and she knew that working alongside Kenobi and his friend would only bring about unnecessary trouble.
"Next stop: Shars Hostel," A robotic voiced cracked through the transport's muffled speaker system. Viera let the shuttle jolt before she grabbed onto the steel bar above her head, waiting for the vehicle to land in front of the boarding house.
The sliding doors creaked open as the transport screeched to a stop. She gave the droid driver a slight nod of the head before heading out onto the pavement in front of the hostel. She slung her small bag over her shoulder as she walked into the building, the smell of Jawa bread filling her nostrils. Her stomach growled as she shook her head, trying not to think about how much a roll would cost her.
She made her way up the creaky staircase as quickly as possible to avoid the delicious scent that seemed to haunt her. The door to the bunk room had jammed again, causing Viera to have to kick the panel in hopes of not having to ask the innkeeper for help. With an awful groan, the door opened, revealing the dusty bunk room that was predominantly empty (most of the occupants spent their time in the lounge, smoking and watching the local Holonet news channel).
She sat down on the thin mattress, bending over to loosen the ties on her boots; when she received her payment, she would have to remember to buy a new pair. She stretched back onto the bed, thinking about how she could never allow herself to be this bad off again (that would mean she'd have to learn to stop losing at sabacc).
"That's my bunk, cheeka."
Viera looked to the side to see a hulking man with a bandolier strapped across his chest. She brought her eyes to his, unimpressed with his militaristic appearance, "Scratch gravel, laserbrain; this is my bunk," The man lifted the front of his shirt, revealing a blaster pistol tucked beneath the hem of his trousers. With a slight scoff, she added, "What? Am I supposed to be scared?"
"Someone's got a wise-mouth, don't she?" The man cackled to himself.
"I've also got a blaster clipped to my belt, and I'm sure I can use it a hell of a lot better than you," her nostrils flared as she stared at the man, her rifle now pointed at him. "Now, if I were you, I'd drop that weapon on the ground and never speak to me again."
With a disgruntled sigh, the man placed his blaster on the floor in front of Viera's bunk, and shot her one last glare before he headed out into the corridor. She smirked as she reached down to examine the laser, admiring the design and the amount of bolts it could hold. There was a chance that she could sell the weapon for at least a hundred or so credits.
Her stomach grumbled once again, reminding her of her persistent hunger. She sighed, swinging her feet atop of the bed, stretching her toes out. She leaned against the lumpy pillow, feeling the mattress underneath it. She curled on her side, closing her eyes, hoping that sleep would help her forget her yearning.
"Cha skrunee da pat, Sleemo," Viera opened her eyes, interrupted by the loud voice coming from the other side of the room. Through the bunks, she noticed a Pantoran woman huddled in the corner, pressed against the bedpost. A muscular man towered over her, brushing the length of her upper arm with his fingertips, occasionally twirling a strand of her purple hair. The girl turned her face away, her yellow eyes landing on Viera. With a pleading stare, she begged for her help since she was much too small to defend herself against the stranger.
With a sigh, Viera swung her legs over the edge of the bed, not bothering to lace her boots before walking over to the scene. Her blaster was tucked in its carrier, visible for the man to see when she approached. Reaching out, she tapped on his shoulder, rustling the fabric on his dark tunic.
"Beat it, space ape; she doesn't want you harassing her," she stood, her hands placed firmly on her hips, as she waited for the man to turn around and face her. It seemed as if every outlander in the galaxy wanted to get on her bad side.
The man snarled, exposing his yellow teeth, and turned to give the Pantoran girl a hard stare before sulking out of the room. The purple-haired girl turned back to her, her eyes wide in disbelief; Viera could hear her heart beating inside her chest.
"How'd you get him to go away so easily," She asked, speaking with a dialect native to her planet; she was much better at speaking Basic than Huttese.
Viera shrugged, "You get used to dealing with creeps like him out here," She creased her brow, squinting her eyes at the young girl, "You should probably take whatever credits you have and get to a better place. It takes practice to fend for yourself in these parts."
"I think I will," The girl smiled, her bright white teeth shining. "Thank you for helping me with that guy; you saved me from a lot of trouble. You're my hero!" She added playfully, stretching her smile.
She chuckled, shaking her head, "Don't worry about it; I mean, someone has to save people from those slime."
Nodding her head, the girl excused herself, wrapping her blue and gold coat tightly around her body before leaving the sleeping quarters. When the door had closed, and the room was empty once again, Viera exhaled, pressing her forehead against the wooden post of the nearest bunk, leaving a red indent on her skin. She looked down at the cracked screen of her chrono, realizing it was much too early to go back to sleep. Besides, the persistent rumble in her stomach wouldn't let her, anyway.
On the other side of the room, she sat back down on the mattress of her bunk, bending down to tie the laces on her boots. The brown leather was faded, and the soles were worn, but they were what she had; they were all she needed. When she stood, she stretched, allowing her back to slightly crack before retrieving her satchel and slinging it over her shoulder. She poked her finger through a hole in the material, frowning to herself as it seemed all of her belongings were run-down.
She trotted her way back down the creaky staircase, dreading the smell of the fresh pastries on the bottom floor. She entered the common area, noting the array of people that populated the room. In the center, a group of outlanders huddled in front of the Holovision, the smoke from their pipes covering the screen. The voices from the Holonet channel hummed, informing the viewers of important galactic events such as blockades, treaties, and civil wars. In the corner, another group were playing cards, speaking in hushed voices and pausing only momentarily to spit out their tabac. Behind the players, a trio of women, each a different species, rubbed their shoulders and gossiped to each other in between smacks of their chewstim.
The air outside of the boarding house had turned crisp, getting ready for the chilliness of the night. Viera tightened her cloak, containing all the warmth she could. Along the horizon, the sun had turned the clouds purple, creating a clashing gradient that reflected across the crystalline. She watched as an array of transport vehicles zoomed past; it was the time of day when most people were heading home from their jobs. Strangers passed by her, some in groups and some alone, and she listened to bits of their conversations as they walked.
Her stomach grumbled, reminding her she was becoming desperate for food. It was too late in the day to sell the gun she'd gained, that would have to wait until she could get in contact with her blaster dealer. At the end of the sidewalk, she noticed a group of giggling aristocrats heading her way. With a sigh, she stepped in front of them, offering her best smile.
"Would any of you be willing to spare a few credits? I haven't eaten in a while and-"
One woman in the group laughed, her red hair blowing slightly in the evening breeze. "By the Holy Stars! I swear, the homeless in the city sure are on the rise," She turned to laugh with her friends, who shook their heads in agreement, "Darling, I could give you some credits but how am I supposed to know you're not going to spend it on Spice beer or something! I can do you one better: get a job!"
She could feel her blood boiling beneath her skin, but she knew better than to show her anger. Throughout her life, it was no doubt she worked at least twice as hard as this woman ever had. She had been through alot, and she deserved better than to be patronized by a stuck-up wealthy woman on the street. The group of friends continued to laugh, almost as if they were encouraging Viera to retort; it was a joke to them.
"Now, you listen to me you arrogant harpy; it'll snow on Tatooine before I ever pretend to want to be like any of you. I don't need to be kriffing told what to do by someone who flashes their money about as if that's something to be proud of. Forget I even asked."
Before anyone in the group could even register what she had said to them, Viera turned on her heel, strutting off in the opposite direction. She was great at controlling her emotions; she'd been told by many she had the repressive instincts of a Jedi (Ha! She would think, That'd be the day). However, she couldn't stand the people of Christophsis who actually thought their wealth meant anything.
"Here," A voice mumbled, tearing her from her thoughts. She looked up to see a young man with his arm extended toward her, his palm facing up. In his hand, he held a handful of credits, just enough to buy something to eat for the night. "That lady was awful, but I hope this helps for tonight."
He placed the credits in her hand and gave her a slight nod, turning and heading down the pavement before she could say anything - as if she was going to, anyway. She stared at the money, a grin stretching across her face as she remembered the sweet smell of Jawa bread that filled the boarding house.
When she entered the building, a soft beep rang from the chrono wrapped around her wrist. Frowning, she pressed the button on her comlink, not eager to have conversation with anyone else for the rest of the night.
"Satori," Kenobi's accent was muffled and cracked due to the low quality of her device. Kriffing hell, she thought to herself, rolling her eyes at the sound of his voice. As if the second half of her day hadn't already been lousy. "Meet us tomorrow morning at the palace's hangar bay; we have some things to discuss before we head toward the mines."
"You better not even try to talk me out of this mission again," She muttered. "I already told you that there's nothing-"
Kenobi sighed, his sharp exhale cutting her off, "As much as I'd like you gone, I understand there's no rationalizing with you. Just meet us there tomorrow and we can settle this then."
With that, the comlink beeped, ending the conversation. She crossed the common room to find an empty chair in the corner, isolated enough so that no straggling outlanders would bother her. She pressed her back against the chair, pulling apart a piece of the bread and bringing it toward her mouth. The sweetness of the delicacy melted on her tongue, filling her with much needed energy. As she leaned back, closing her eyes for a moment, the only thing she wished for was a cigarra to ease her nerves, but that would have to wait until her paycheque. She sighed, her eyes getting heavy as she prepared herself for the walk up the stairs back to her bunk.
"Master, you ought to practice your patience," Anakin teased, giving Obi-Wan a sly grin as they stood on the landing platform overlooking the city. The mid-morning air was comfortable, much more pleasant than the chill from the night before. The spacescrapers were lighting up, indicating that citizens were filling up the buildings for their daily work. The sky had turned its circadian shade of dark purple, casting a shadow over the Crystal City.
The Jedi stood by their T-6 shuttle, which had just been washed thanks to the kindness of the Chief. Obi-Wan stood, huffing to himself under his breath, as he tapped his foot impatiently. When he had last looked at the chrono, five minutes had passed since the scheduled meeting time.
He sighed, sucking in his cheeks, "I don't put it past her to be late. She has absolutely no respect for-"
"Not sorry that I'm late, gentlemen," Viera appeared from the entrance of the hangar bay, smirking at the two men as she wrapped her cloak around her body. She had tied her hair up, choosing to wear it as a loose bun, giving a more stylish appearance than she intended. She approached the two, tilting her head to the side as she examined the shuttle.
"I've seen better transportation in my day," She chuckled, giving the starship a delicate kick. When she noticed the stern look Obi-Wan had been giving her, she held her hands up in defense. "Hey! I'm just saying, you don't think they could've loaned you something a bit better?"
He rolled his eyes, "It serves its purpose… Now that you're here, I suppose that we can finally head up to the mines."
"Hold it," Viera stepped toward him, extending her arm as a gesture to stop him. He paused, folding his arms across the front of his tunic, "Are we not going to be bringing any other reinforcements? Just you two ship-rats and my mediocre blaster?"
"You can stay behind if you'd like," He began, and she rolled her eyes at his comment. Before he continued, he shrugged, "It's just pirates, Satori; I don't know what you're really expecting."
She raised her eyebrows, "Don't pirates usually, I don't know, attack ships? This gang has guts if they're willing to take over an entire mining hub system. I think we're walking into something a bit larger than you're anticipating."
Though he wouldn't admit it, Obi-Wan knew that she was right. During the war, he had met quite a few pirates, most notably the Ohnaka Gang led by their Weequay leader, Hondo Ohnaka. Throughout the galaxy, pirates were known for their ruthlessness, but they weren't usually developed enough to go after anything other than starships.
He twisted his lips, the corners of his mouth twitching. "All right, we'll be careful then," He climbed the boarding ramp to the shuttle, but stopped to turn back to Viera, "Get on your ship and meet us at the rendezvous point just outside the X'lor Belt."
"About that," She began, causing both Jedi to turn to face her once again. She gave the men an empty smile, "My ship is in the shop undergoing some repairs. So, as of right now, I'm shipless."
Obi-Wan fluttered his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. She was becoming more of an inconvenience than the pirates were. Without responding, he closed his eyes and gestured toward the ship, waiting for her to climb the boarding ramp before he followed.
Viera let her fingertips graze against the metal walls of the interior of the main hull, making her way toward the cockpit. Her boots shuffled against the floor, a small hole in the sole exposing her foot to the coldness of the tile. When she reached the door, she pressed the bright blue button outside, waiting for the solid door to slide open, revealing the captain's seat.
The small room was white and the control panel was nowhere near as intricate as the one on her own starship (Granted, no other transports came with her modifications as they were, in fact, illegal). The two seats were fabricated with white Corellian leather, something she could tell by just touch. She plopped into the co-pilot's chair, propping her feet on top of the panel.
"I hope I'm not expected to pilot this thing," She chuckled, looking back at the two men, "I'm hoping it's you," She gestured toward Anakin.
He grinned, sliding into the seat next to her as he flipped a few switches on the board, "There's no way in hell I'd ever let Obi-Wan fly this thing. Not while I'm alive and well, that is."
Viera turned her attention toward the older Jedi, smirking as she took in the displeased look on his face. With a grunt, he turned on his heel, jamming his finger against the button on the outside of the door, not waiting for it to close before heading down the main corridor.
She swirled the chair in Anakin's direction, watching him for a moment as he went through the controls in his memory. "You'd think for a Jedi he'd learn not to stress so much," She noted.
"He's been through a lot," He kept his face down, pulling on a lever to allow the ship to hover.
She tossed her head back, letting it bounce against the seat, "Haven't we all?"
The X'lor Belt was the largest mining hub in the Christophsis asteroid belts, and it was the most prized possession of the wealthy mineral dealers on the planet. Throughout the cluster, various mines had been established, some still used, and some depleted of their natural alloys. There had been a rumor floating around that the government was searching for alien scientists that could discover a method for creating minerals from the unusable repositories of chanlon and quadrillium...
From the rendezvous point, a small transport vehicle was stationed outside one of the smaller mines. Viera removed her legs from the board, leaning closer to the front window to examine the ship. "That's definitely not a Christophsian shuttle," She stated, gesturing to the lack of design on the side, "You see that red square on the front? That means we've found the gang leader."
She wondered how many people she knew were in the mines. When she was a teenager and left the planet, she had lost touch with her old friends, and it was likely some of them were forced into the mining hubs for a chance to survive in the city. A sick feeling swirled in the pit of her stomach; the thought of what barbarous pirates could do to her loved ones was disturbing.
The door to the cockpit swished opened, and Obi-Wan stood behind the threshold, his arms folded across his chest. He walked to the front, standing in between the two seats as he stared toward the hub. Anakin twisted his chair to face him, informing him of Viera had just said. With a frown, he turned toward her.
"If you're right and that is the gang leader, then we need to be prepared for anything that could happen," He paused for a moment, biting his lip, "They could try to steal our ship while we're busy. So, I'm requesting you stay behind and guard it."
"No kriffing way!" She jumped out of the seat, standing in front of Obi-Wan, pointing a finger at his chest, "I'm not putting myself through torture by working with you just so I can bodyguard your lousy Republic shuttle. I'm going with you, and I'm getting those pirates out of the mines."
He opened his mouth to retort, but was interrupted by Anakin standing next to him, placing his hand on his shoulder. "Master, I agree with her; how do you think the pirates will feel if two Jedi come to speak with them? It will feel like an attack more than a negotiation."
"Fine," His jaw twitched as he spoke through gritted teeth, "But, Anakin I'm going to need you to keep your comlink active in case anything goes wrong."
With a slight nod, Anakin sank back into the pilot's chair, messing with a few of the controls in front of him. Obi-Wan made his way down the corridor, Viera struggling to keep up with his long strides. Swiftly, he turned the corner, heading into the main hull of the shuttle, keeping his back turned away from her. She leaned against the doorframe, watching as he tried to busy himself by sorting through items in a storage box.
"You're not going to get over what happened, are you?" She watched as his back tensed, his muscles freezing, "It seems sorta un-Jedi like to hold a grudge for so long."
He spun around to face her, dropping the tool he had loosely dangling in his grip. His eyes were exhausted, and the rest of his body surely felt the same. Over ten years had passed since she had last seen him, and she expected him to be different, but he was nowhere close to being like the young man he had once been. He was matured, fatigued, and on the brink of losing the control he had been trained so well to maintain.
"I'll never forgive myself for what could have happened back then," He shuddered as he remembered the way Qui-Gon had fallen to the ground beside him. The way he dragged his body back to the hotel, making sure he still had Viera in his captive. The way he felt when he thought Qui-Gon would never wake up. And, whenever he looked at her, he saw it all - over and over again.
"But, nothing happened; he was fine," She let the back of her head lightly hit the doorframe as she rolled her shoulders.
His bottom lip quivered so quickly she wasn't sure she had actually seen it. "It did happen, just at a different time."
Thanks to those of you who have read this far! If you'd like to leave reviews about your thoughts, that would be greatly appreciated! Anyway, I actually really enjoyed this chapter because I'm loving getting to write about Viera! I have a lot of things her her to come! Also, for the next chapter, things are going to get a bit more action-y; which I'm excited for! Thanks again to all the readers! :-)