Chapter 81
Aftershocks
Sith Empire Embassy. Manaan
There was a messenger waiting for Pearson as he entered the embassy. Taking the offered flimsy he read the message before placing it in his pocket for later secure disposal. Moving to the restricted turboleft he typed in his access codes before the terminal allowed him to select a destination. Stepping past the Ambassadors office he made his way to the secure room and stepped past the sentries stationed by the door.
Three technicians were working on a carbon and ion scored droid in a corner of the room. He stepped into the glass cube with multiple electronics embedded in the walls. Curiously the almost never used holocom nit was connected. As the door closed behind him he heard the noise of humming electronics indicating that the room was active, The electronics sending audio and electronic signals at random amking surveillance impossible.
A further indication that this was going to be an unusual meeting was that the head of intelligence as well as the ambassador were standing in front of the holocom. The ambassador pressed a button and a figure rose into view. Pearson felt an icy fear running down his back as he came face to face with Darth Malak for the second time.
"Lord Malak." Pearson got to attention
Malak waved a hand to him to step closer. Pearson did so rapidly, knowing full well that the fact it was a hologram in no way made it safe to get closer.
"Explain why you were assisting known enemies of the Empire." Malak demanded
"I was ordered to oversee them as they investigated the murder of an Empire citizen. My mandate was to look for and expose any attempt to twist the case into the Republic's favour." Pearson reported
"And your impression?"
"Despite the pressure they must have been under to secure a favourable outcome for the Republic, they performed their task with due diligence and neutrality. This resulted in a conviction of murder for the republic operative Sunry Crawzer. Execution is due within the hour at the oceanarium."
"The oceanarium?" Malak seemed surprised
"The condemned decided to insult the panel finding him guilty and to question the validity of his sentence by stating they had no authority over him and demanded his immediate release. He further claimed as an operative he had diplomatic immunity. The press present went into a frenzy and the Republic was very quick to disavow him The Selkath judiciary decided to make an example of him and sentenced him to death by firaxan shark." Pearson explained
Malak looked thoughtfull for a moment before visibly dismissing that issue. Pearson decided to press ahead
"The reputation of both embassies have taken a serious blow in this matter, though the republic is more affected by this than us. On the security angle we have nothing to fear, Hari was a secretary with no access to any secure information. Her terminal showed no signs of having information downloaded to a portable device. Her residential unit was clean of data as well as her personal and social media accounts." He reported
"Then how was it that a republic agent could interact so freely with an embassy member?" Malak asked
"Major Pearson had at several times suggested to intelligence to reassign assets to surveill embassy staff as training exercises, however it was declined as all available agents and assets were in constant use. Had we extra resources this situation might have been detected before reaching this point, the major suffered from a shortage of personell himself and they are untrained for covert action. That we chronically have soldiers in medbay or incarcerated and unfit for duty due to constant skirmishes with republic soldiers and supporters does not alleviate the matter." The Ambassador spoke up
" And hiring independent contractors is that impossible for you to do?" Malak asked
"We have nearly depleted the discretionary funding at our disposal to bail out or pay the fines the soldiers incur from the constant fighting. Confining them to quarters have them turning on one another. Requests to the armed services for more disciplined troops to replace the current units have been denied." The Ambassador replied
Malak rubbed his hand across the metal prosthetic that replaced his jaw
"It will be looked into. Do you have any successes to report."
The intelligence officer pointed to where the droid was being worked upon
"We have recovered a droid from the Republic. It is part of a very secure project of theirs. Our agent in their embassy was barely able to avoid detection as she activated a firewall on their server searching for information on this project. We suspect it is in relation to Kolto, our assets in the docks have reported large than average shipments to the Republic though their official purchase numbers have not altered. A joint venture between Intelligence and the Sith Academy is showing slow progress. " The officer reported
"The nature of this venture?" Malak asked
"The force users assigned here have found Selkath that have shown minimal force presence and is training and indoctrinating them, the idea is to start infiltrating them into the Selkath government and slowly take their government over from within. The find is highly unusual as the Selkath has always been though to be incapable of being force sensitive, the ones found are considered by the assigned personal as weak. We lost a few Selkath due to training accidents already but still have enough to start infiltration. As to the Crawzer matter the officer who decided to have the republic implicated has already been liquidated. He was acting on his own initiative."
Malak nodded as he assimilated the information before he gave his full attention to the ambassador
"We must be seen as superiour in morals to the Republic. A news statement will be released stating that you and your head of security have resigned as penance for the failures of the Embassy with immediate effect. A shuttle will remove the both of you from Manaan immediately, you are both being reassigned to Agamar. That planet is reconsidering their participation on the Republic and have granted us an embassy on their soil. They are the first of the rim planets to do so and their sector neighbours are also wavering but unwilling to commit. Careful handling will be essential."
"At your orders, my lord." The Ambassador acknowledges his orders
Malak looked to the intelligence officer
"You will assume the duties of interim Ambassador till a replacement arrives. Keep a very close eye on the republic and the fugitives. Failure will not be tolerated."
The image was shut down. The intelligence officer spun around and left the glass structure
"I had better go and pack with your permission." Pearson said to the ambassador.
"Proceed." The ambassador said
The Ambassador looked to where the intelligence officer was chivvying the technicians as Pearson left as well
"Why do I get the feeling I just dodged a turbolaser." He muttered
Jolee was waiting for them on the Hawke when they returned several hours later. He immediately got in Melissa's face
"Feeling proud of yourself ? Thanks to you a good man is dead." He spat in her face
He was down on the deck a moment later, his ears ringing. He was lifted from the deck and slammed against the roof of the vessel before being dropped by an enraged Wookie
"Zaalbar stop!" Melissa ordered
Zaalbar pressed his foot into Jolee's back pinning him to the deck. Melissa wiped the spittle from her face. She knelt down and looked himin the eyes, wiping Jolee's blood from her gauntlets with the same cloth moments later
"Your "friend" was a rapist piece of shit. That you are still defending him says a lot about you." She hissed
Juhani cocked her head to one side as she was leaning against the bulkhead
"His concern is not on the man but another. Curious, a woman." She said
"The wife." Bastila realised
"A woman you widowed and most likely lost her her husbands pension." Jolee snapped
"No, it goes deeper than that." Juhani said"So that is what caused you to intervene, what is the wife to you? An old lover perhaps."
They felt his shock to that question. Terri scoffed
"So much for the strict adherence to the code. Was she before or after your wife? You wish to preach to us about going dark and straying from the Order and its mandates, yet you break them at whim so you can get your rocks off. You had better hope your masters do not learn of this, they might start to wonder if you are the man they want as their spy."
Melissa looked at him in contempt
"The only reason I stopped Zaalbar from ripping you apart or ending you myself was for my grandfather. That protection just ended, you had your one free shot. If you come at me again you will die." She promised him softly
"And she will not be alone, you are on thin ice here and it is cracking under your weight." Bastila added
Jolee grunted as Zaalbar walked on him as he moved to the lounge. He got to his knees to get up. Blinding pain enveloped him as Mission got a boot into his groin and he dropped again before vomiting on the deck
"That was for Melissa." She happily told him
"Funny how the all powerfull Light side did not warn you that was going to happen." Carth commented , raising the boarding ramp
Carth paused as he walked past
"Get of this ship and go tell your masters you screwed up again. If you are lucky they will order you to stay on this planet, come back here? Your safety is no longer a consideration for the crew."
Terri closed down a message from the holomap as Carth took his seat in the lounge
" Message from the embassy, we have been ordered to report there immediately." She informed him
"Is that everyone?" Carth asked
"You, me, Bastila and Juhani as well as Bindo." Terri answered
"Not me? Do they no longer like me?" Melissa mock complained
"Is it because I am a Twi'lek that I did not get invited?" Mission demanded
"We will ask your questions once we go there. First on the agenda is Juhani's slaver problem." Terri replied
T3 plugged in and started playing a datafile on the holomap
"We have a name Arenek Baileshia, ship registered to Ryloth. Officially a trader." Carth said
Melissa ran the name and image against the bounty hunter database after uplinking to the holonet via the ship systems
"No active bounties. Listed as a person of interest suspected links to the Exchange. A notation is added to avoid or proceed with extreme caution when offered contracts by him." She reported
"Is that unusual for the bounty hunters guild?" Terri asked
"As far as I know that warning is only applied to contracters suspected of defrauding the guild or its members. That is to say they have no proof or a contract would already have been issued for his head." Melissa replied
Carth drew their attention back to the datafeed
"So far there has been a lot of movement to his ship by various beings all of them armed. The peacekeepers are ignoring all that activity for now. The group is now larger than the one that attacked here. With the docking bays being considered to not be part of the city we have to assume the selkath will not intervene if they try it again."
"So our choice is to hit them before they do us or we wait for them to come to us." Terri concluded
"I believe this is for Juhani to decide. She has the right to call for weregild for her mother." Canderous said
"Weregild?" Carth asked
"Right of restitution. She was hurt by his action and can demand justice for her family. The form is up to her." Canderous explained
"It is an old mandalorian tradition, she can ask for the death of those who wronged her or that they financially recompense her at the bottom end of the scale. Requests are normally mediated by Clan Elders." Melissa added
"I want to find out what happened to my mother. The piece of filth remembered me so he must remember her." Juhani said firmly
Melissa's pad gave a ping as it updated. She looked at the new data
"We got a hit on data given by the Keldabe relay system. It seems our slaver is a Vesalik collaborator under another name. My pad is linked to it and he triggered a facial recognition program on the system once it synced with the hunters database I am running "
"If he is known why has he not been hunted down already?" Carth asked
"He is listed as dead, according to this he was found by a republic investigator and a body was recovered after an explosion, as he was seen entering the building before it exploded it was deduced that the body was his."
"And of course a proper investigation was not done." Carth sighed
"Obviously." Canderous drawled
"And I am guessing that it is not the first time a dead person was found to alive, hence his presence in the system." Bastila remarked
"Strange how something like that can happen." Mission remarked sarcastically
Carth rubbed his hand along his chin.
"So we are going after him then, let us get suited up then and get you your answers." Carth said getting up
"I will run the faces of those in there against the database so long while you get ready. Odds are some of them might be worth a few credits. If the republic cuts us off we will need it." Melissa said
"So we are agreed, ruin a slavers day, shopping trip at the republic's expense after and then go see what the republic embassy wants." Terri summed up.
Changing the display to a sliced blueprint of the dock Carth opeded the floor for suggestions.
"Since all of us ware taking part we need a plan instead of just winging it as we usually do."
Canderous pointed to the sea side entrance.
"I suggest a two pronged attack. Me, Melissa, mission and Zaalbar infiltrate from there. The rest of you through the door. Tin can is to slice the ship systems and prevent it from taking off or sending out alarms while we deal with the scum, rustbucket is to cover its rear and deal with any trying to stop it. Once outside resistance is taken care off we breach the ship through its airlocks, the boarding ramp is most likely to be used as a chokepoint against invasion so we ignore it. Tails and Tin Can continuously slice the system to keep them from lifting of, block their coms and disable security systems. The sweep teams will be Zaalbar and Rustbuckets as heavy hitters for team one with Bastila and Juhani for Jetti support. I will take Melissa and Carth with me. Bastila it will be your job to protect Mission and Tin Can."
"Why this configuration?" Mission asked
"With our armour me and Melissa can take more hits. Zaalbar does not have that luxury that is why that team gets two Jetti to deflect fire while he shoots. Bastila is with you as she is best suited to sense when you will need cover. Terri Melissa and Juhani are all guardians and more combat orientated." Canderous explained
The stolen maintenance skiff came to a stop well below the docking bay entrance. The only noise disturbing the dark of the early morning was waves crashing against the hull of Ahto City. Running dark had them able to get close without detection. There was two soft whistles as pneumatic launchers fired, followed by two soft thunks as the heads attached to the micro wire penetrated the outside hull before deploying its anchor points. Four figures started their climb up the lines, three climbed while the fourth hanged onto the back of the larger third.
On climbing over the rim and taking cover behind some crates the fourth opened a backpack taking several items before crawling over to a dataport cupboard.
The residents of the dock had set up several defensive positions, but they had forgotten that not all approaches will be through the front doors. They did not notice the lights overhead slowly dimming to throw the dock into barely lit patches and a sea of shadows.
A Quirran was the first to fall. A microwire cut into his throat as he was pulled into the shadows underneath the ship and strangulated. Two rodians were next where they served a heavy repeater nest. The repeaters was shifted and aligned onto the far side of the dock where another nest had been set up. A trandoshan serving a third nest suddenly tasted fur before a blade was shoved up and through its heart.
The survivors suddenly had their attention drawn to the docking bay door as a bright yellow blade was stuck into the lock and was cutting away. They moved into their assigned positions. The door sprung open and they lined up on the door.
There was no movement from the open door. Flames bellowed as the far side repeater nest was lit up from behind before minor cover points were raked with fire. As the defenders turned to face the treacherous nests behind them. Three figures blurred into view as they cleared the doorway, coloured blades coming to live as they entered the dock, behind them laser bolts sprung forth as a second wave of attackers entered
The ship rocked as explosions ripped through the port and starboard airlocks and it was repeated moments later as the interior air locks were blown. The sound of heavy firing filled the ship, no return fire was audible from the interior defences with only sporadic return fire that was quickly cut of. The mercenary crew at the boarding ramp aimed at the ramp as it slowly lowered. One looked down as a rolling sound drew his attention
"Grenade!" He called out
The grenade blew behind them before sustained fire came from the hatch behind them.
Baileshia was ripped from his hiding place in the hidden compartment in his room and dragged face down by his ankles to the outside of his ship by two Mandelorians. The two ignored him as he tried to break free from their iron grips or the offers of credits he screamed over his shoulder.
They detoured from the main passageway and dragged him through the cargo holds where the merchandise were in their cages before returning to the main passageway. They dragged him through the remains of his crew and hired mercenaries before dumping him on the deck of the dock a distance away from the survivors of the criminal scum and mercenaries he had hired were already tied up by their hands and feet.
One mandalorian walked to the survivors and dragged him closer. Baileshia noted it was a trandoshan. She fired a microwire from her wrist launcher over a support beam and tied it to the trandoshans feet. Displaying a surprising amount of strength she hoisted the trandoshan into the air so that he was swinging face down a short distance to the deck. She walked to a landing strut to the ship playing out more microwire before tying it off, leaving the trandoshan hanging.
"Z. that one is for you alone." She spoke
A wookie beast stepped into view and looked at the swinging trandoshan several growls escaping it. Producing a vibroknife the beast stalked closer to its prey
"Wait." The woman spoke
She handed the beast a set of daggers
"They are sharper and it will take longer." She said
Almost reverentially the beast cut the fur jacket the trandoshan was wearing from it. It was ignoring the harsh hisses the Trandoshan was directing to it. It moved the fur jacket away. Baileshia studied the remains of the jacket, he realised what the fur was. A wookie pelt. The mandalorian male knelt down before him
" Arenek Baileshia. Weregild had been called against you by one of your victims." He was informed
Baileshia knew what that meant, acting as a third columnist for the Vesaliks in exchange for the right to hunt Cathar uninterrupted ensured that. He had had to camouflage his profitable and pleasurable activities once the war had ended but never had he thought one would go to the mandalorians for justice.
The trandoshan screamed in pain as the beast did something to it. His attention was kept on the male as his face was grabbed in a iron grip
"You have a choice in your death. Answer the questions put to you and it will be quick or we will see who screams louder. Your hire or you."
"I have important friends." Baileshia tried to bluster
"Your bosses will have two vying for your position when they find out you are dead. You see this is being recorded and will be send to them through the bounty hunters guild and through the Hutt cartel. Since this is not about infringement on Exchange business, they will cut their losses, demagolka"
The male chuckled darkly at his shocked expression
"Yes. We know what you are. Surprising even intergalactic crime draws the line at attempted genocide. Your bosses will replace you in a heartbeat and your peers will lament on missing out on an easy ten thousand credit score and a chance at advancement at your cost."
The man motioned to the woman
"You see me and my daughter have a bet. She is betting you will choose the hard option, though I believe it is more she hopes that you take that option. She has yet to skin a being alive before her training is considered complete. To tell you a secret, that is no longer considered a requirement but she does not know that."
The man stood up
"As for me. I have met your kind before. You consider yourself a hunter, a predator. And in the end all you are is a scavenger. Your kind believes they are strong. You will not last more than six cuts. Either way I win. I win the bet or I can sell the recording of your deaths to the Hutts, they really love this kind of shit."
A particularly harrowing scream came from the trandoshan and Baleisha shuddered
"What do you want to know?" He asked
Bastila looked up from where she was removing yet another explosive slave collar from a frightened youngling. Terri placed a firm but comforting hand on her shoulder.
"Not our laws." She said
" That does not make it legal."
"In the republic, no. By wookie law it is required. They believe in an eye for an eye. That Trandoshan skinned a Wookie alive for that pelt jacket, that is not something you can buy on market, the pelt is taken as the last insult to an enemy or a slave. Sometimes justice is a shade of grey."
Terri waved her hand around the cargo hold. It was exclusively filled with younglings from multiple species.
"Concentrate on the knowledge that these younglings will be spared a fate worse than death. That is what I am doing right now." She said softly
"And if the other one decides on torture will you still be okay with it?" Bastila asked
"After seeing what he and other collaborators did, I find myself not really caring all that much and that I find worrying." Terri replied
A howl of grief and pain reverbated through the ship. Hurriedly they rushed to what had been the master chambers. They found Juhani on her knees, sobbing in the trophy room attached to the main room. Two detached heads were kept in cryostasis in a display case. Mission was trying to console the keening Cathar as best she could.
"I find myself no longer caring either." Bastila admitted softly.
The two moved forward as one to comfort their grieving friend.
Terri was thoughtfully staring out at the undulating waves from behind the barrier to their dock. Manaan was quickly proving to be as corrupt and Coruscant and Nar Shadaa. The peacekeepers willingly looked away for credits as a small scale battle had been waged in area they were supposed to be patrolling. The crematorium they went to asked no questions about the two heads they processed, nor the other remains delivered from the trophy room. No questions asked as a body was found in front of the Charka corporation a tag reading slaver around its neck.
Their very low level of trust in the republic had taken yet another fatal blow as the officers dispatched to deal with the freed slaves were more interested in the thugs and captured mercenaries than the rescued slaves. Terri was sure they were already free and being shipped of to wherever the republic was sending those they recruited.
She scowled as she saw the sip that was being moved into their second docking bay. The Selkath had decided to grant them the slaver ship as " a gesture of appreciation for their help in defeating the scourge of slavery" as one local politician said before a pack of press members. Work crews were standing by to repair the damaged airlocks. Carth and Bastila was out looking for trustworthy pilots to fly the heavy freighter out to Arkaxis for refitting into a medical support vessel for the colony, the treasury found on the ship paying for that and the best equipment they could obtain from the winding down medical convention. She ignored another message from the embassy to her comlink, they were coming in at a rate of one every fifteen minutes now.
Still staring out over the sea she felt the presences of Melissa, Juhani and Bastila joining her an hour later. The last two had bundles of clothes with them. They launched the clothes into the sea. A robe came loose from one bundle and the iconic robe flared in the wind before touching down on the sea and started submerging
"There is no going back. We are alone." Juhani said
"We are not alone. We have each other and as long as we have that we need no one else." Terri corrected her
She extended her arms and the others joined in a group hug.
They were shown to a conference room to find Jolee sullenly glaring at them. Sitting as far away from his as they could they waited at the bottom of the table. An hour passed in silence and no republic official made its appearance. Terri got to her feet
"I am out of here. I do not have time for these childish power plays." She said
She looked directly at the room camera when saying others got to their feet and left the room. A protesting secretary tried to return them to the conference room. She was completely ignored as were the two soldiers who tried to step into their path to block them. Making their way out of the embassy they strolled across the boulevard to the café where the rest of their companions were seated
The owner quickly shifted two table together and produced menus for the newcomers. Orders were placed and They sat back to enjoy their meal. Across from the café a group of soldiers were in heated discussion with a suitclad being, a gaggle of press vultures camping out of the embassy entrance was moving closer in interrest
"Your handiwork, I assume." Canderous remarked
"Hardly, the flimsy pusher is probably getting told that dragging us back to the embassy will not look good on the holonews." Carth replied
"So what was so urgent?" Mission asked
"Don't know, we sat there for an hour and no one showed up. We left." Terri shrugged
She ignored the message she received on her comlink and lifted her glass to take a sip of water. The suit moved away from the soldiers and power walked over to the café. In short order he was in front of their table
"You are to return to the embassy immediately." He told them in an imperious tone.
"No." Carth replied
"What did you say?" The suit demanded
"I said no. we are under no obligation to respond to your demands. The Republic can make demands of the governments of the systems aligned to it but it does not give republic flimsy pushers such as yourself the power to order civilians to comply." Carth corrected the suit
The suit looked shocked at the impertinence of the reply
"You are interrupting a private function. Leave the premises." The owner said behind the suit
Servers brought out their meals obviously having rushed their order through. They also noted several items they have not ordered being placed on the table. Terri looked questioningly at the owner
"Several of the slaves rescued are of my species, this is but a small gesture of thanks for what you did." He said
He smiled at their surprise
"The gossip network here is as good as the holonet. We off worlders usually know if anything happened in minutes. Taking a predator of the streets have earned you a lot of goodwill, saving the slaves even more. It has been a while since anyone has done any good for no other reason than that they can. It may not seem like much but thank you from all the off worlders staying on this planet."
The suit was firmly grasped by its arms by two larger servers and assisted to the door. The owner nodded to them and left their table with a smile.
"Did not see that coming." Carth commented
"It is a pleasant surprise though." Bastila reacted
"There is truth in the saying then. A change for the better for the galaxy starts with a smallest of actions." Juhani said
"Are we going to philosiphize or eat?" Zaalbar grumbled
"Definitely eat." Mission said, reaching for her eating utensils.