Chapter 3
The net tightens.
Terri woke up stiff and sore. Her back felt numb and her neck felt as if a thousand needles were taking turns to puncture her. Her mouth tasted as if a bunch of Ewok's had their shedding season in there. Groaning she got up from the chair and stretched to ease her discomfort, idly running her hands through her hair, from the room next to her she could hear the industrial level of snoring coming from Carth.
She put her hand on the glass tube in front of her. Melissa was still bobbing gently in the viscous fluid, she could not see any changes as the girl was still sedated, the room silence broken only by the soft hissing of the respirator, followed by slow soft regular breathing. Looking to the corner she noted that the doctor was sleeping on top of a hover gurney, clearly staying as close as possible to his patient as he could in case of emergency. Dropping her hand from the tank she walked to the door to go looking for a refresher.
She stopped dead outside the room noticing the approach of a full platoon of Sith troopers to the clinic through the glass windows and doors. Two Four man squads broke of and ran to the sides of the building presumably to secure any other exits. She casually walked into Carth's cubicle fully aware that the Sith might have seen her already.
Carth woke suddenly as a hand was placed on his mouth and nose, briefly cutting off his air supply. He tried going for his blaster but his hand was held in a firm grip. His eyes found Terri's face. She let go of his face when she noted he was awake.
"Sith platoon coming in. Exits are being covered. Stick to the cover story it will hold" Terri hissed
"You sure?" Carth whispered
"With what I paid for it, it damn well better."
Terri stepped from the cubicle, paying polite interest to Sith now entering the building and retaking the chair in front of the tank. She felt nervous anticipation rising up, in itch started developing between her shoulder blades as she sat with her back to the entrance. Taking a deep breath she settled down for the coming confrontation. She offered a quick silent prayer to the Elvenhan gods for luck and that Carth would keep his cool.
She kept her position as an alarm chime woke Zelka up. Her advanced hearing failing to hear the muted voices coming from the reception desk. She forced her hand back to the arm rest when she felt herself reaching for her pistol. The slight clanging of armour and deep steps of heavy boots came closer. She noted that Zelka had swung his legs to the floor, a quick look of surprise and fear quickly hidden behind a professional mask. The sound of marching stopped and a single set of footsteps continued.
Terri leaned forward touching the tank, deliberately letting her breathing hitch. From the corner of her eye she noted a Sith officer dressed in an immaculate grey uniform come to stop looking at the tank, before he turned to address her
"Citizen, may I have your attention?" He politely but firmly ordered
Terri looked away from the tank, in apparent reluctance. She gave a look to the officer, before pushing her arms onto the armrests to push herself up. Her ears twitched as a click came from behind her, indicating that at least one soldier had disengaged the safety catch
"Please stay seated, no need to get up." Came the polite response
Carth stumbled into the room pretending to rub sleep from his eyes. To his credit he did manage to fake a credible surprised expression on seeing the soldiers. He pointed to the tank.
"Any change?"
Terri shook her head before turning her attention to the officer.
"Sorry, sir, it is just…" She trailed off.
The officer lifted a gloved hand and waived her off
"It is understandable, however I will need your identification as well as that of your companion in the tank."
Terri tapped the packets on her utility vest as if searching for the cards, before pulling the cards out, giving a small fake sigh of relief. She extended it to the officer. A trooper stepped forward, yellow striping on the armour marking him as a master sergeant , taking them. He stepped back before swiping the cards on a datapad. The trooper showed the screen to the officer. The sergeant typed a short message before showing the screen again to the officer.
"Citizen Plant, can you tell me anything interesting about the history of Lothal?"
Terri appeared to ponder for a moment, she seemed to hesitate for a moment before speaking.
"Axelle Leasar is commonly credited as the scout to have discovered Lothal. However that honour really goes to a Twi'lek by the name of Cha're Syn'Dulla. Leasar was the first person to be savaged by a pack of Lothcats though, she made the mistake of thinking them to be cute and cuddly."
"And reason for this discrepancy?"
"Leasar was human, Syn"Dulla was not" Terri replied simply
The officer turned to the troops.
"Three nine two seven, is that correct?"
"Yes, sir. On both counts of the founder and the Lothcats"
The officer nodded before turning back to Terri.
"If I was to send to a message back to Lothal do you forsee any complications arising?"
Terri looked to the floor as if ashamed.
"Sir, you might find a warrant of arrest for me on charges of kidnapping and a placement order for my cousin at a communal farm settlement for my cousin." She said softly
The officer lifted an eyebrow
"Care to elaborate, citizen?"
"Sir, please! Believe me! We had no choice I could not leave her there." Terri babbled," I believed that was…"
He lifted his hand in clear motion to stop. Terri stopped mid sentence and looked down at the floor.
"Take a deep breath, citizen. Then slowly and calmly tell me. It may not be as bad as you think or maybe we can help you."
Terri took a deep shuddering breath
"Our fathers were brothers. As children we have always been close especially since Melissa's mother had died in an accident when she was four. My Uncle remarried and that is when things went to hell."
"Go On."
"My step aunt tried to keep us apart, she drove a wedge between my father and uncle. Then they started working at that damn farm. More of a sect if truth be told. They call themselves the Children of Gaia. Melissa tried to run away back to us a few times. It broke my heart every time we had to take her back, we had no choice the law was on their side and my uncle would not listen to our pleas"
She sat back wringing her hands in apparent agitation.
"My uncle and step aunt died in a landspeeder crash. His never updated his will when my aunt had died after remarrying, the will stated that Melissa was to be left in my father's care. The problem started when the leader of the commune disputed the will before the magistrates. We tried to fight it, but the commune could throw more credits around than we could. We lost."
Terri looked fixedly onto the floor
"We were told never to contact Melissa again, but I could not do it. I climbed the wall to their compound and snuck in. I found her locked in a room, her face was bruised and she had trouble breathing. I broke her out and stole a landspeeder. My father gave us all the credits he had and used a contact he had at the docks to get us hidden on a freighter heading for Alderan. If I have never to taste or smell yogan fruits again it will be too soon. On Alderan I found out that my father had transferred my uncles estate to my account. As the executor of my uncles estate he was authorised to do so. And as I was not convicted of a crime I could still access my account. Lothal law does not accept in absentia convictions, therefore no asset forfeiture could be used. Since then we have jumped from cargo ship to cargo ship."
The officer looked to the trooper again.
"Sir, again her story correlates. The children of Gaia are considered widely to be sectarian. However I cannot speculate on the legal aspects."
"Thank you, three nine two seven."
He turned back to the despondant looking young woman.
"And what led to you being here?"
"We joined the Wallowing Bantha on Thyfera. Melissa always had a mechanical bent and she made friends with the chief mechanic. She was helping him replace steam pipes in a crawl space. She was always doing that; helping the mechanics making credits under the table for us"
She shot Carth a venomous glare
"The some nerf herder, decided to activate a turbine from the cockpit after everyone had been notified not to activate any systems while maintenance was in progress."
"How many times do I have to say I am sorry, I made a mistake" Carth replied, defensively
The officer looked at the now clearly formed bruise on Carth's face. The sergeant was busy tapping away on his datapad. He snapped his fingers at the orderly who handed him a datapad. Zelka stepped forward, two troopers swung their rifle barrels to cover him
"I must protest, patient information is confidential."
"Patient medical information is confidential, not the information for payment for services." The officer corrected.
He tapped on the screen calling up the information
"Paid in full, drawn on Lothal Saving and Loans."
"Barely" The orderly sneered
Abruptly the officer pushed the pad back to the orderly, before turning to Carth
"That is a very orange jacket, very Republic, one might say."
"Bought it on my last trip to Coruscant at a fleet surplus store. This was the only colour they had in thermal jackets. It was that or fly to Hoth with no thermal clothing. We had a drop off for some idiots manning a science station."
The sergeant finished his typing and showed the screen to the officer again
"Mm, Let us see. Wallowing Bantha confirmed crew, medical emergency declared, medevac declined."
The officer looked back at Terri, tucking his arms behind his back in parade rest.
"Miss I would suggest you contact a law firm in regards to your problem on Lothal. Luckily for you I see no reason for interference in a civilian matter. I would urge you however to secure accommodation urgently, as there will soon be an announcement for a lockdown on all citizens."
"Thank you, sir. Thank you so much." Terri gushed.
"May I ask what the nature of this lockdown is for?" Carth asked, cautiously
The officer waved an airy hand
"Some form of virus, do not worry citizens. Lord Malak's scientist are already synthesising the cure and it will be dispensed shortly at no cost to the citizenry. Another clear indication of the benevolence of the Empire under Lord Malak. The lockdown is only to halt the spread of the disease. Should not take more than five to ten days. Full Martial Law will be applicable though."
"Will this have an impact on my cousins treatment" Terri asked anxiously of Zelka
Zelka studied the readouts on the kolto tank. He frowned for a moment while thinking hard.
"Not at all. She is responding excellently to the treatment."
The officer coughed to draw their attention.
"Citizens, thank you for your cooperation. Have a pleasant day."
The officer turned around and walked away hands firmly held behind his back, the troopers turned two at a time to fall into position, making sure someone had eyes on the rooms occupants.
Zelka was back at the terminal for the Kolto tank, intently studying the readouts. Looking up he noted that the orderly was still standing in the doorway.
"Drian, you can leave early for the day. The day staff should be here shortly. Do not worry you will be credited for the full shift"
The man turned and walked to the front door without a word or looking back. Zelka waited till the door hissed closed the behind the man before tapping a button. A containment shield jumped into life, obscuring visibility from outside. He walked to a wall and pressed against a segment. A section slid back revealing two Kolto tanks containing two people dressed in republic bdd's. Carth and Terri looked on in surprised amazement
"Next time you bring an injured Jedi into a medcentre, remember they heal a lot faster than normal people." Zelka stated deadpan
"Jedi? Melissa cannot be a Jedi." Terri responded, flabbergasted
Zelka looked at his readings again.
"I trained on Coruscant for my qualifications, I did a few shifts at the hall of healing in my residency. Granted her healing rate is slower than I remember from the Jedi I tended to. Hers is still faster than a normal persons, by a wide margin. That would indicate at least a high level of Force sensitivity. I will have to adjust her records considerably to hide the fact."
Terri nodded in thanks before pointing to the section of wall where the tanks were hidden.
"How are they doing?" She asked
"The woman will recover in time. The man however, no, I am sorry to say. All I can do is keep him comfortable till the end."
"Thank you." Terri said softly
"I will make sure the Republic hears of this, your bravery will be rewarded." Carth stated
Zelka pushed a button again and the containment shield collapsed.
"You need to prepare for the lockdown, they are quite ruthless in enforcing those. You will not be able to assist anyone in that time. Your compatriots will just have to survive on their own for a while."
Terri saw Carth taking that advice very badly and desperately tried to change the conversation before Carth could undo any progress they had made.
"Any truth to the disease story?" She asked
"The only rampant outbreak I carry knowledge off is the Rhakghoul disease. It started as a failed DNA altering medicine project, instead of it dying with the first subjects, they had a breakout and the labs were over run by aberrations. To everyone's detriment the disease is transferable through bites."
"And I am guessing there is no cure?" Terri mused
"There are rumours that the Sith have a cure, but no evidence to substantiate that"
Zelka pointed to the front door.
"There is a diner not far from here. You can go have a meal while I have to change the dressings on your cousin."
"Will you not need any help?" Terri asked.
"My practise partner should be here shortly, and before you ask we share the same believes as do the staff coming on duty"
Reluctantly Terri led the way from the clinic after a trip to the refreshers. Two diners stood in close proximity to one another. Not sure which one Zelka was referring to Terri chose the one closest to the clinic. On entering the occupants seated at the tables looked at them as they entered, most looked away indifferently, a few with condescending sneers. A teenage Cathar girl approached them and led them to the rear of the diner, despite there being tables available closer to the front, where the patrons were being tended to by human waiting staff. After seating them she handed a clearly less detailed menu to them than what they had observed walking through.
"I am sorry to say that as per management policy the bill is payable on placing of orders." The girl stated both apologetically and hesitantly
"Thank you for telling us." Terri replied placatingly
The girl visibly relaxed and moved away to give them time to make a selection.
"The longer we are on this planet, the less I like it." Carth stated
"Welcome to being non human on a non core world." Terri replied, studying the menu.
Carth chose not to respond. He studied his own menu, still visibly irritated. Minutes later the waitress retuned with two cups and a pitcher of caf and they placed their order. Terri handing over a chip from the rapidly dwindling stash of high denomination cards. By mutual agreement they ate in silence. Terri left a tip for the waitress under her plate before walking to the cashier to collect their change.
"Thank you for you patronage, hope to see you soon." The attendant spoke mechanically
"Not likely" Carth muttered.
They walked the promenade, Terri pretending to window shop, using the reflections of the windows to check if anyone showed undue interest in them. This was made easier by the fact that the Tarisians stepped wide from the offworlders, some going as far as crossing to the far side of the walkways.
"Got to give the Sith credit, the disease lockdown idea of theirs is a lot more subtle than what you would expect" Carth said softly.
"They need the appearance of stability for their Empire, making a financial hub planet unhappy will make that more difficult. By this they can hunt more easily for their targets while giving them credibility by appearing to care. The lower levels should be more challenging for them. But as long as the elite is not too inconvenienced, no one will care."
Terri paused and looked into the window of a boutique. She spotted a Rodian rapidly turning to look into another display. She pretended to point something out for Carth.
"Left forty degrees, green Rodian red tunic."
Carth looked at the reflection and nodded, Terri noted two Weequay coming from the opposite direction and a Sullastan sitting on a bench, news flimsy held upside down. Carth was lowly inching to his pistol, the four tensed up. Terri looked back into the reflection and got a wicked grin.
She turned around and flounced to an eight man patrol walking the pathway.
"Hello Officers, excuse me." She called out
The patrol stopped. Dramatically she pointed the four out, speaking as loud as possible.
"Officers, those four have been following me for the last half hour. Their behaviour is scaring me."
The four hurriedly turned to move, one soldier had a comlink in hand, speaking rapidly into it. A flurry of silver uniforms appeared from further away on both ends.
"Do not worry, citizen. We will take care of this. Enjoy your shopping."
Terri gave him a dazzling smile before kissing his helmet and flounced back to Carth. Subtly flicking a sign at the Rodian, needless to say it was not a very polite one.
They walked away as the four hunters had become the hunted. A gasp came from the onlookers followed by a few scattered cheers as one Weeqay was stuck down by a trooper as they were busy cuffing the aliens.
"I am starting to get whiplash from your personality changes" Carth mused," Just how many personas do you have?"
"As many as needed as the situation requires."
Terri looked around again for any surveillance and further trouble before leading the way to a food and general products vending store, the brand had franchises throughout several planets.
"We need to stock up, might as well grab extra if our numbers grow. No need to go hungry while we try to figure out our next steps." Terri stated
"It is not like we will be able to move around for several days, as much as I don't like it. We do not have much choice in the matter." Carth sighed in acceptance.
They grabbed two hovertrolleys by the door and proceeded to wander between the shelves picking up food and necessities. After paying and renting a closed container to transport their products, Carth offered to return to the hideout with the purchases and to sweep the unit for anything republic made in their remaining kit and dispose of it, leaving Terri free to return to the clinic. Terri accepted the offer only after reminding Carth to stop and pick up clothing for himself as it would seem suspicious if there was no luggage on the inevitable premises search by the Sith
The receptionist looked up from her terminal as Terri entered the clinic, holding two bags of fresh clothing for herself and Melissa.
"Miss Plant?" She querried.
"Yes?"
"Doctor Yin asked me to notify her when you came in, you can step right through to your cousin, she is busy attending to other patients and will be with you as soon as she can."
"Thank you."
Terri found the chair as she had left it, turning it slightly she could now observe both the tank and the door. Melissa was now dressed in a different colour gown and it almost sounded as if the respirator had been set to a faster rate. She was still bobbing calmly in the tank. Terri looked unseeingly at the tank, lost in thought. The events of the last few months churning through her mind.
What was the reason behind her accelerated retraining? Why can she not remember anything but her name? Why was she allocated to the Endar Spire, surely there were other trained operatives available. Why was she selected by the Jedi? Why was she getting so attached to the girl bobbing in the tank. What did Zelka mean by force sensitive? Wait was she moving her fingers?
She looked again and decided her imagination was playing tricks on her. Paranoia was getting to her
"Is it really paranoia is somebody is out to get you?" She thought wryly
She reached into her vest and pulled out a micro datapad the she had been given by the Ortolans, due to its design it was data only with limited memory, but it was big enough for the two files she requested. She hesitated looking at the names before prodding on the first one.
She quickly got a picture that the bland details conveyed. Carth Onassi, career soldier. Married; one child. Attached to the battle group under command of Saul Carath. Multiple listings of operations starting from the middle of the Mandolorian war. Off world on deployment when Saul Carath bombed Telos 4 to the stone age. Wife confirmed killed, son missing in action. Increase in reallocations between ships, frequent reason for reallocation irreconcilable differences with crew. Recommendation for early retirement on completion of tour on Endar Spire.
She sat back, the information she read answered quite a few questions she had, but it still did settle her dislike of the man's behaviour. She turned to the second name.
Melissa Carpenter found on a drifting colony ship by an anti smuggling patrol of the Alterran Rangers. All records had been wiped from the ships computers except for a passenger manifest, security footage from a secondary system showed that the craft had been boarded by a band of Ubese. Seventeen survivors of a passenger complement of four hundred found, all below three years of age, all found hidden in the ship. Residents of cabin found listed as Eoin and Marisa Carpenter, grandparents, no information on mother or father. Child allocated to Altera social services, placed orphanage two seventeen. School results showed high marks in all classes well above average throughout her schooling. Disappeared from orphanage two seventeen aged fourteen. Re appeared Republic fleet training academy Altera. Posted to Endar Spire on completion of basic training, recommendation for recruitment to naval intelligence.
Terri rubbed her eyes as she finished reading the file, sighing deeply. Her suspicions confirmed that the Republic had full knowledge of Melissa's true status.
"Just another cog for the machine." She muttered
She tapped a code into the pad and watched as the letters blurred as the files were being deleted. She pushed the device back into a pocket for later disposal. She looked contemplatively back to the tank and returned back to contemplating her own absent history. Realistically speaking she was sure her own history was probably the same as Melissa's.
Her attention was diverted as she heard approaching steps. The fairly attractive woman was short in stature, her slightly slanted eyes gave her an additional allure while still marking her as an offworlder in comparison to the average Tarisian.
"Miss Plant? I am doctor Yin. Doctor Zelka has fully briefed me on your cousin."
Her accent marked her as a native from Jedha. Terri briefly wondered again how she knew that, then dismissed it as unimportant.
"Thank you; doctor. Any updates?"
"Luckily her injuries were less severe than thought on admission." Yin emphasised" We should be able to stop the sedation in six hours and let her wake up naturally while keeping her suspended in the Kolto, considering her body mass and the type of sedation we are looking at another two to three hours on that time. You are free to use the gurney to get some sleep as it is clear you will not leave her alone, you can use the doctor's refresher down the hallway if you need it."
Terri nodded her thanks.
"We will discuss post care once we have decanted her and get her cleaned up, I assume you brought her some fresh clothing?"
"Yes"
"Then get some rest. Doctor's orders."
Yin exited the room, typing something onto a datapad and the containment shield drifted into place. Terri got up from the chair and approached the gurney. As she made herself comfortable she noted that she still had a clear view of all the entrances. She settled down and drifted into a light slumber.
Terri woke as the containment shield collapsed and got up from the gurney. The light entering the clinic windows was much reduced, indicating the approaching night. A quick look at her chronograph indicated nine hours had passed.
Yin and two nurses approached the kolto tank. Yin walked to the terminal and started manipulating the controls. Hydraulics hissed as the tank turned horizontal, the fluid bubbled as it slowly drained away into a container set in the floor. A nurse opened the opening at the top of the tube while the second nurse steered the gurney to the top of the tube. Gently they pulled Melissa from the tank onto the gurney. Yin approached and swept a scanning tool over her before administrating a stimulant to the neck
Melissa woke with a start and tried to sit up. Gently the two nurses restrained her.
"I know you are confused. Relax, you are safe." Yin spoke calmly," You are in a clinic on Taris after you had an accident. Take a few deep breaths and calm yourself."
Melissa's eyes frantically scanned the room till she saw Terri to one side and she stilled. Yin noted this and smiled gently.
"That is right, Terri is here. You are safe. Just breathe. Slowly does it"
Yin motioned Terri to step closer to the gurney. Melissa kept following her movement. Terri gently took her hand and felt Melissa squeezing it tightly. Yin motioned the nurses to step back.
"We will give you a few moments while we set up the showers. I will show you how to change the dressings while Melissa is taking a shower."
Yin pointed to the bags.
"Which one is for Melissa or are both for her?"
Terri handed a bag over and the trio left the room. Terri was about to brush her hands trough Melissa's hair but paused at the sight of the sticky mess the kolto had made.
"Hey, kiddo, how you feeling?"
"Like a herd of nerfs had run over me." Melissa croaked
"So perfectly fine then." Terri teased gently.
Yin returned to the room pushing a hoverchair, the nurse behind her pushing a trolley filled with supplies. They assisted Melissa into the chair and pushed her into a tiled room. Yin motioning for Terri to follow her from the room as the nurse helped Melissa to a shower cubicle with a chair set under the nozzles. Yin paused to check that the red light above the door activated, marking the room as locked
Yin led her to an office and motioned to a chair in front of a desk. After Yin sat down she picked a stylus and took a flimsy from a pile in a tray in the corner. She scribbled extensively on it before sliding over the flimsy
"A prescription for kolto dressings and bandages and some medications. I included a combination body wash shampoo as well that will not irritate the injury. You will have to apply the dressings twice a day for five days to ensure full recovery, no strenuous activity in that time as well."
Terri looked over the comprehensive list
"Where can I find all this?"
"There is a dispensary next to Kebla's. I already notified them that a customer will be picking up a large order. They confirmed they have sufficient stock."
Yin activated a hologram on the desk terminal. A human female figure took form.
"How much first aid training and experience have you had?"
"Extensive training, some experience."
Yin looked as if she was about to make a comment for a moment, before closing her mouth. She manipulated the hologram to move into higher resolution before giving a lecture on proper treatment and care of burn wounds, once ensuring all instructions were understood, moving on to the correct use of the prescribed medication.
Stepping from the clinic Terri noted shops closing up and locking down Public notice boards showing a countdown till the lockdown would go into effect. The dispensary was eerily empty and the pharmacist quickly filled the prescription. Walking to the gravtrain station laden down with packages, they were enveloped in a mass of people moving to the same place. Using the mob as cover, Terri entered a code into the micro data pad and dropped it into a trash container. A small thump and small smoke trail marked its destruction.
In contrast to the previous night the atmosphere on the gravtrain was tense as the nervous occupants kept to themselves, no one willing to make eye contact or engage in conversation.
Walking to their building it almost felt if thousands of eyes were following them, an overwhelming silence deepening. Both left out a sigh of relief as the lobby door closed behind them. The caretaker was at his counter, feet on the surface, snoring away. The Twi'lek merchant was closing his stall, giving them a curt nod. The ride up with the turbolift was again filled with tense silence as the occupants declined to make contact, and underlying air of anger seeping through.
Walking into the unit showed a clear difference from when they left. The smell of food hit them when they walked in. The cots were covered in sheets and blankest, though Terri made a note to undo the clearly military way in which they were made and to leave a few bowls in the washer unit unwashed to further enforce the image of civilians trapped in a building in a quarantine. Carth was appearing to be dozing in a chair by the table, the fact that his gun hand was under the table disproved the picture he was painting; as well as the fact that his head had moved in the direction of the door when it had opened.
Carth relaxed when the door closed and only the two of them had entered. He pointed to the stove.
"There is food in the oven unit, should still be fairly warm."
"Thank you." Terri replied.
Carth grabbed a pile of clothing from next to him and stood up. Visibly bracing himself he unbuckled his gun belt and left it hanging over his chair before moving to the refresher. He came out dressed in sleepwear moments later and walked to a cot and settled in for the night.
Terri placed the dispensary items onto a counter in a carefully constructed mess. Melissa was pulling the two food containers from the oven and placed them on the table. They settled down to eat the lukewarm meal, not being bothered to properly warm it up.
Finishing up Terri placed the containers in the washer before pulling sleeping clothes from the bags, handing a set to Melissa as well a datapad after knocking the pad against the table to scratch the casing slightly
"Pre set to have several emoti dramas on it. Just scroll throw some or actually watch. A pad with no browser history will only draw attention, the job is to seem as harmless as possible. Leave your clothing on the floor next to your cot and poorly hide your underwear in it"
Melissa nodded and left to change, coming out she picked the furthest cot and settled down, falling asleep shortly after ,the pad silently running a series of emotidramas as if she had been binge watching before falling asleep. Terri sat up for a while longer, waiting till an air raid siren announced the start of the lockdown. Looking to the cots she noticed that Carth was still awake. They shared a grim nod. Before she entered the refresher to shower and change, leaving her blaster on the chair next to Carths gun belt.
She came out of the refresher with her hair still wet and moved to the cupboards to do a last quick inspection, she spotted the pile of flimsies Melissa had taken from the security office. Taking one she slipped it into the pillow case of the sleeping girl. Carth lifted an eyebrow.
"Genuine embarrassment while having your possessions searched is better than fake embarrassment" Terri shrugged, explaining
"When do you expect them to come knocking?" Carth asked softly.
"Early morning, considering we are in an alien only building I expect a few repeat performances."
"Probably should have ditched the pistols as well. Too late for that now though."
"Spacers not packing some light heat will draw more attention than the cheap blasters we are carrying. As long as there is no heavy modifications they will let it slide after a few comments. Just play up the dumb spacer role as much as possible without overdoing it and we should be fine."
Terri settled herself onto a cot and toggled the light switch dimming the lights in the unit. She closed her eyes and started a relaxation drill she was taught in retraining, making a mental note to walk Carth and Melissa through it. The drill was designed to trigger sleep easily in any condition if you had practised it enough beforehand
They woke at the heavy hammering on their door. Terri walked barefoot to the door pulling the shoulder of her shirt down exposing more flesh. Tousling her hair to look more sleep worn. Activating the communicator set by the door, the camera showed a group of silver armoured figures by the door, an officer in a medical mask with them. She opened the door and faked a yawn, Behind her she heard Carth and Melissa getting up.
By curious coincidence it was the same officer from the clinic. Terri noted several other groups by the doors of other units. The officer placed a fake smile on his face as he recognised her.
"Sorry for the rude awakening, miss Plant. It seems we are destined to have akward meetings. I see that your cousin is doing better."
"How can we help you, sir?"
"Random health check, and unfortunately we have to search for contraband items."
Terri stepped from the door and waved them in. Troopers entered the room and started prodding and poking and opening hatches and cupboards. The officer stayed by the door.
"I would have thought you had returned to your ship by now" He idly stated
"We did think of doing that, then I thought it might be better to rent a place closer to the clinic for a while in case it was needed. So we don't have a repeat of the struggles to get out of the customs area like last time."
"And who informed you of this building?"
"I asked one of the protocol droids on the promenade for a place that was designated for off world visitors." Terri replied, innocently
The officer rolled his eyes before his attention was drawn to movement in the hallway. The caretaker was grumpily moving from unit to unit accompanied by a few troopers. He looked at his datapad.
"Unit seventeen eleven, fully paid for the week. Occupants three, human." He muttered unasked, before walking to the next unit
A trooper was patting down Melissa's bedding, he stiffened.
"Found a hidden object." He called out.
"On me trooper." The sergeant called.
The other troopers brought their weapons into ready position as the trooper carried the pillow to the sergeant. He pulled the flimsy from the pillow case and opened it. Muffled moaning came from the micro speaker. The troopers turned their heads to Melissa, their expressions hidden by their helmets, their weapons lowly being lowered. Melissa flushed red and looked at the ground.
"Pornography, sir." The sergeant reported in a dry tone
A trooper found the pile of flimsies in the cupboard.
"Another pile of documents here, Sir."
"Check the contents."
The air grew more uncomfortable as the flimsies were inspected and more frisky sounds filled the room. Terri glared at Carth, tapping her foot.
"Matt, how many times do I have to tell you to keep that filth away from Melissa?"
"Hey, not my fault she keeps stealing it. Talk to her about privacy and boundaries."
Terri turned her glare onto Melissa. She pointed a finger at her
"I am really disappointed in you right now." She said sternly
"I am sorry. I was only curious about what the big deal was." Melissa responded, realising her cue
"We will talk about this later" Terri threatened
Melissa nodded contritely looking down, trying to bore her big toe into the plastic officer looked to the sergeant, sighing.
"Anything else to worry about in here?"
"No, sir, nothing apart from two unregistered blasters in the room."
"Light personal defence weapons are allowed, so I take that as a no. Clearly no threat then."
The officer waved his hand.
"Clear out, move on."
The troopers filed out. And the officers stepped back fully into the hallway.
"Again our apologies for the intrusion and thank you for your cooperation"
Terri closed the door but kept the communicator by the door on. A short while later she noted a group of aliens being dragged past in restraints. She kept watching till all movement in the hallway cleared. She turned around to the other two seated on their cots
"First one down, unknown amount to go."
The other two did not reply, there was no need to.