Katya O'nai patted the sled with a clunk, sending the new hires off into the city on their little quest. They'd be in good hands with Lai Keeg and Tarnik. She'd get to know them a little later, vet them a little. There was only one other Cerean on the compound that she knew of and she hadn't seen another Bothan outside of her father since finishing school on Chandrilla, much less a male one. Curious, she flipped to their intake forms in her datapad. Jimi and Ros'cha: from Coruscant, she was surprised to note. True strangers, well out of their league here in the Outer Rim. They'd signed on as muscle; that was interesting. They weren't large or intimidating, and from a planet of soft political types. What was their angle? She read a little further. Assassins, maybe?
She glanced toward the hangar door but they were gone already. Turning back to her datapad, Katya flipped through order sheets, making marks and checking boxes for the orders. Check and recheck, check and recheck. She sauntered around the shipping yard, observing other pallets being assembled and disassembled by crewmen. Mama Ocha's operation made a little money from "junk resale" but Katya suspected it was a front. If it wasn't, probably most of the product was just a little bit illegal. Katya made it her business not to know. A thriving businesswoman on a shady planet like Ord Mantell? Shipping space junk? She'd seen false front operations like this a thousand times on Bothawui, designed to look busy and thriving to account for high revenues but really more of a show than a real income stream. Katya wasn't sure what the shipyard was a front for, though. Possibly Ryll or glitterstim hustling, possibly Mama Ocha was a madam. Katya smirked as she pondered the implications. If the latter, Katya wasn't sure if she should take her post as shipyard manager as a compliment or an insult. However, she was grateful she wasn't working her way up from the literal bottom of the ladder.
She sent a few more shipments off and directed a few returning sleds back towards the loading bay. Pretty smooth day so far. Rounding a corner, however, she barked as she tripped over something. A mismatched pile of scrap was scattered across the aisle, and the lid of a crate. She looked around – nothing else seemed to be out of place. Turning the lid over revealed a stamp. She checked the number on the datapad. Dammit. The shipment had already gone out. It was the newbies' and it was going to Rax Cor. Double dammit. Arsewipe Jawa would check the shipment immediately and raise hell if it wasn't all there, sniveling skinflint. She wished she could ignore the oversight but she couldn't have him taking his business to Ordo Chubarri. Mama would have a fit and Katya's head would be on the chopping block. Things hadn't been going well between the two main compounds in the suburban township of Cog Hive 7. She'd have to take it over herself, apologize, and possibly eat the cost of the crate. She'd have to see.
Katya snapped her datapad closed and shoved it in her pocket, pulling another crate over and tossing the scrap items in. She threw the crate on a hoverjack and pushed it towards the door of the hangar, pausing to take her white leather pack off a hook and sling it on. Spotting Sanja, the Rodian assistant manager, Katya whistled and tossed the datapad to her.
"What's this?" said Sanja in basic.
"Take over for a while, will ya? I'll be back."
"Where are you going?"
Katya gestured at the crate.
"Missed one."
Sanja hissed sympathetically.
"See you in a bit, boss."
"Don't call me that."
"Sure, boss."
Katya stuck her tongue out and squinted as she stepped out the door and into the bright Ord Mantell midafternoon. She flagged down a speeder and threw the crate into it.
"Where to?" said the droid driver.
"Rax's Patches and Parts."
"Four credits, please."
Katya swiped her stick and as they sped off she checked the balance. Payday. Daddy's money always came in handy. She had to say it went a lot farther on Ord Mantell than on Chandrilla. You wanted a Blumfruit cooler here you didn't have to pay out the nose. High quality booze came cheap on the Outer Rim...as long as you were smart enough not to get roped into fake stuff.
They zipped through the streets of CH-7, a warm breeze blowing through Katya's fur. The weather had been just perfect for the last few days, and she hoped it would hold until her next day off. She had plans to pop over to the capital city of Worlport, make some friends and enjoy good weather exactly as it should be enjoyed: drunk. The pale pinkish sandstone buildings whizzed by, dotted by the occasional stubby bush or tree. Balconies of above-store apartments bore occasional bursts of color from carefully-tended flowers or rugs hung out to air. Windows and doors everywhere stood open, letting in the dry breeze after a long rainy season in the shadow of the Worl Mountains. The drive wasn't long, and after a moment Katya got out of the speeder, lifted the crate, and walked around the corner toward Rax's.
There was the sled, that was good, but what was that Ewok doing sitting on top of one of the taller crates? She didn't have long to think about him, because there was Rax, hopping around and shouting angrily at Lai Keeg, who appeared to be just as pissed. The two newbies were leaning against the sled, watching, and Tarnik appeared to be trying to reason loudly with Rax. Katya put on a charming smile and lilted over as best she could while carrying the heavy crate.
"Hello, Rax," she said, walking up behind the livid, brown-cloaked creature. He whirled and puffed, ready to unleash his wrath - that is until he saw the crate in her arms.
"Looking for this?" she said sweetly. As she nodded down at the crate she was awkwardly carrying the new Bothan guy took it from her and set it down on the sled.
Katya didn't need to speak Jawa to understand that the chatter Rax unleashed on her was a stream of miniature curses.
"It was a simple misunderstanding, Rax. Something happened with one of the crates. And I wonder," she said, turning to the sheepish-looking Ewok, "if it had something to do with this."
Sredniy looked at her from under his brows. Her eyes were a pale green, peering at him not without kindness, a little curiosity, and amusement. He began to relax.
Katya turned back to the Jawa.
"I'll refund you on that one. It was our mistake."
"You refund me on two! Your guys were late and my time is valuable!"
Katya could feel her fur bristle but as she opened her mouth to reply the Cerean cut in.
"Nonsense, one will be fine."
The little orange eyes blinked once and Rax relaxed visibly.
"Ah yes, Miss Katya, one will be fine."
Katya closed her mouth as understanding sunk in. So they were Jedi. Made perfect sense. Muscle sans actual muscle, the connection to the Core. Letting the smooth-skinned Cerean's deception go carefully unacknowledged, she took the shipment datapad from Lai Keeg and made an adjustment. Handing it back to him, she motioned to Tarnik to help the Duros with the unloading. Jimi and Ros'cha followed suit and Rax followed them in, barking orders on where to put things. Katya turned her attention to the Ewok, helping him down from the tall crate as Tarnik grabbed it off the sled.
"Now then," she said brusquely. "Did Ordo send you?"
Sredniy shook his head fervently and Katya narrowed her eyes at him.
"Why should I believe you?" she asked.
Sredniy withdrew the holoprojector from where he had it tightly secured under his arm. He pressed down on the center of it and the wavering image of Katya appeared.
"Mama Ocha has a new initiative and we will need all hands."
She stared at it. A studied Bothan mask protected her features but inwardly she was agape. This was why they were careful about their communications. In thickly accented basic the Ewok spoke to her.
"Ma-ma," he said. "Fa-mi-ly."
This too, caught her by surprise, but she began to relax. He likely meant no harm. She chuckled.
"Family? You hear about Mama and you think it means family?"
He nodded enthusiastically. Katya frowned, mystified. Strangely enough the little guy wasn't exactly wrong, no matter how he had drawn the conclusion. Goodness knew the old Weekway had taken her in kindly enough.
"What's your name?" she asked.
"Sred-nee."
She cocked her head at him. He tapped the holoprojector.
"Sred-nee. It come, fly, go WHOOSH! I take."
He tapped the holoprojector again. Who had she sent that to? She bit her lip in thought.
"OH!" she said, loud enough to startle the little Ewok man. He clutched at the side of the sled, still clinging to the holoprojector as Katya started to laugh. "The Severed Knee. You met the crew of the Severed Knee."
That same earnest nod.
"Sredniy!" he repeated.
Katya laughed and shook her head.
"Okay guy, you got me, Sredniy it is."
He clapped, making little grunts of victory as the others came back out of Rax's.
"That's the last of it," called Lai Keeg, throwing a leg over the tow speeder. "Hop on, everyone, let's head back."