CHAPTER 7 - Making Things Right

The Crescent Dancer crew flew to the capital city of Mora once again. Wazhay called around to TaggeCorp and several of the other mining companies to see about picking up a load of ore to deliver, since they were already here, and it was worth their time. She found a buyer at a locally owned mining company, Filoridis Ore Co. They have been habitually outbid by TaggeCo, whohave been taking massive contracts to lower their costs and get the biggest contracts on precious metals. The crew was able to fill their cargo bay with shipments of Auronium, Vonium and Chromium to one of the Ore company's biggest buyers, Reris Weapons Inc. on Drall in the Correllian system. It was worthwhile with the crew earningfifteen percent of the sale ofthirty thousand credits, giving them a forty-five hundred profit upon delivery and possibly a regular shipping gig, if all goes well.

After their loadout, the ship got underway and once again headed out to space. They plotted a route to the delivery location that avoided the major hyperspace lanes due to increased Imperial activity and instead headed down to the Commenor run to Exogen, and then the much smallerExoCorr hyperspace route direct to Correllia. It was going to take five days to arrive, so the crew got some well needed sleep, and then plan to question their prisoner about the possible whereabouts of the other two people on Nis' list part way through the trip. Nis, Ruu and Wazhay decided to stop the auto-navigation at theCommenor run-Perlemian junction. For now, they will let the Rodian smuggler sweat it out for a day or two.

The end of day two, after the auto-navigation took the ship to their allotted junction, theCrescent DancerandClak'dor's Fatereverted to realspace and Nis' starfighter docked with the freighter and he came aboard and met the rest of the crew, except for Ruu who kept an eye out in the cockpit for any trouble at the busy junction point.

The ship's captain took Ayala to the side. "Look. I know you have your beef with interrogation and violence, but I doubt this smuggler is going to cooperate and Trest and Nis may have to take some severe measures as a last resort. Trest will keep it from going too far, but they need to get some info out of her. It will take an awful lot to get justice. There is too much circumstantial evidence for the Bith government to come to a guilty verdict. It will be one smuggler's word against another, and a relative of the deceased who is far from partial."

Ayala appeared mournful but responded in a resigned voice. "I understand and see your logic and I won't interfere with the process. But, as part of the crew I will help you read the subject's reactions, body language, etc. as part of my job on this ship. I don't like it, but that is your decision. There is a point I will not cross though. Death, and mutilation are off limits. I would like to help finda solution to have them prosecutedlegally."

Wazhay nodded. "Those limits are mine as well, Ayala. Thank you for understanding and following my orders on this. Though, I would not hold it against you if you changed your mind."

She joined Trest and Nis as they approached the service airlock. The Rodian was cuffed by her right wrist to the outer bulkhead support strut and sitting cross-legged on the metal deck. She raised her head slightly at the visitors opening the door. "Ah, how nice of you to visit," she said sarcastically. "I really enjoy the two meals of insta-bread a day."

Trest frowned, "yeah, I thought it should be one. They are way too kind."

"Ah, the traitor again. In with the new, betray the old. Same old Trest. Soul for sale."

"I wasn't perfect, but I lived by a code of honor, you did not. I regret only helping your coup in taking the ship from El. She was three times the person you are."

"Ah, yes. Flattery will get you nowhere, Trest. It got nowhere with the Bith captain, either."

The Bith moved forward and pulled the woman roughly to her feet. "Enough. She has no remorse over what she did. She has admitted as much, I heard what she said at her friend's place on Filordis. She's guilty of murder."

The Rodian's antenna stood straight up, and she huffed. "I am not guilty of anything. I merely said that I wasn't sad she was dead. That's not a crime."

The Bis retorted, "no, but it is a very good motive for a crime, and a referendum on your lack of character."

"Well. Aren't you the sanctimonious one. You ARE related to Elalora."

The Bith held his large yellowish head up high. "I'll take that as a compliment."

Seepa laughed a strange, sputtering laugh. Then she replied, "you are about as interesting as a flake of rust. I'm done talking to you. I'll talk to whatever lawyer they give me. So, leave me alone."

Nis clenched his large fingers into fists as Ayala grabbed his shoulder. He shook her off andswung a backfist at the prisoner, but Seepa dropped and the Bith hit the coolant pipe she was attached to, denting it. She winced in pain, as the cuffs twisted her wrist during the maneuver, but she managed to blurt out, "Okay. Now you're getting more interesting, Bith. Bravo."

Ayala stepped between the two and forced Nis back a few steps away from the Rodian. She whispered, "I have a better plan." She motioned for Trest to come near. "Look, she's going to take the punishment and not say anything. As long as she thinks we are bringing her to Clak'dor. But what would happen if we brought her to the Crymorah."

Trest's eyes widened. "They would not give her a lawyer, that's for sure. I like it."

The incognito Jedi motioned toward Seepa with her head. Trest approached her. "Well, well. I guess you got the Bith mad. Perhaps we should leave him alone with you. But there is no need, I'm sure you will cooperate."

This time the Rodian's laugh was near maniacal. "Sounds like you've been dealing in someO'sikaspice if you think that, brainless wonder."

Trest looked down on the prisoner. "Tsk, tsk. We are going to do as you asked.I'm sureMafuu Rysun will be happy to supply you with one."

The Rodian's antennae went up straight and the open ends swiveled forward. "What? The leader of the Crymorah. You're insane. I thought you were bringing me to a trial on the Bith home world."

"That's a little too far for us. It's much closer to go to Bestine IV. I'm sure the syndicate will give you a chance to explain how you murdered your captain, raided their warehouse, killed some of their security guards. Of course he will give you the fairest trial ever."

"But you can't do that. You would be wanted as well."

Trest shook his head, making his braided beard flop from side to side. "No. I wasn't there. I left before the raid. I got out because you and your new captain went mynocO'sikcrazy.I figure they might even give us a reward for you. It's a win-win, Seepa. You've been very helpful. Have a nice ride. I am so glad you like your new bunking arrangement. This will seem like an exclusive suite at the Republica 500 district on Coruscant compared to the Crymorah's room and board option with a lifetime bonus job in forced hard labor."

He motioned for the others to leave the airlock, and they left the Rodian cuffed to the pipe.

Trest flashed a broad smile. "Let her stew on that for a while. Great suggestion Ayala. Maybe we should actually do it. It's justice any way you look at it."

Ayala shrugged. "That's for Wazhay to decide."

The Twi'lek came into the hallway outside of the airlock door. "I was monitoring the interrogation from the cam Puhl installed there. Nice job Trest. As far as the decision, unless we can get a confession out of her on who murdered her and who were accomplices, there won't be a conviction. I have no doubt the Rodian will change her mind and plead innocence if given a trial. I think Trest's idea is the best solution to actually get justice."

"It wasn't my idea, it was Ayala's," Trest corrected.

The captain flashed Ayala a raised eyebrow. "Let'sjust say it was a group effort," Waz concluded. "Be that as it may, my point stands. You are right, though. We are much closer to Bestine IV, and even if we were to get a signed written and vid recorded statement that she was involved and named the other people who released her out of the airlock, she can just claim she was coerced and it will all be nullified in court. This, truly, is our only option to deal out justice, other than spacing the womp rat Rodian ourselves."

"Or wring her scaly neck," added the Bith, though he said it without much anger or conviction. "But I will concede this would be better justice for her, than we would likely get on my home world. I don't know much about the Crymorah specifically, but I know what syndicates do to prisoners. It sounds like she'll get close to what she deserves anyway."

Ayala pointed out, "we still didn't get any intel from her regarding the other two people on the list though. If we take her to Crymorah, then we have nothing to bargain with."

Wazhay nodded and seemed lost in thought for several moments, contemplating what they could use as leverage. "We could offer to drop her off on a remote planet unarmed, with a very low population of primitive inhabitants. Something like a swamp world would be perfect. Rodians like heat and dryness. Though, we can leave that part out. Just offer to drop her off on a nearby world if she complies. Just don't promise we won't hunt her down again."

The Bith folded his arms. "I can assure you I won't agree with only dropping her off, but if we can hunt her down again that would be agreeable. I will hunt her down myself in that case. So, we can offer a drop-off to get the information on the other two. If she even has anything to offer. Then all sabaac bets are off."

"Well, that's settled then," the Twi'lek concluded. "We'll leave her alone until morning, and then maybe she'll be motivated to give us actionable information. We would need to verify the intel is good before dropping her off, of course. Nis are you okay with us getting the leads to find our two suspects? We need to get moving on our delivery and get back into hyperspace."

"Yes. I trust that you will get the information we need. We will catch up on Drall. Thank you, all." The Bith gave a slight bow of his head, in appreciation for the effort the crew was putting into helping with his goal.

"Wake up, wake up. It's time for lunch, Seepa," came the soothing call from the ship's captain to the Rodian huddled in the back corner of the airlock, just to the side of the outer airlock of the ship. The Rodian blinked several times and tried to focus. She appeared to have a paler shade of green complexion than the last time they visited. They had some freshly cooked yakka ribs, withAntarian peas and Corellian fried potato sticks, along with a few fruity fizz drinks.

The Rodian's eyes shifted past Ayala over to Trest. Her defiant voice was gone, and her tone was more subdued now. "Are you coming to rub it in now?"

Trest didn't answer, he allowed the Twi'lek to do the talking. He was there for security. Wazhay approached at a leisurely stride toward the prisoner. "Nobody is rubbing in anything.I came to give you abetter option, not involving the Crymorah."

Seepa seemed weary, her posture was downcast, but the smell of the food was enticing. "What is it youhave to offer?"

Wazhay stared at the Rodian, her jaw was set as she spoke. "We will drop you off on a remote planet. Leave you to your own devices in exchange for information on Luence and Nalker. It has to be good intel that we will need to verify before we allow you to leave. That's our final offer, or we continue on to Bestine IV."

Seepa had little fight left in her and she nodded. "I'll tell you all I know. Can I have some food, now?"

The Jedi gave her a small portion of each dish on a small, plastoid plate and gave her a fizz drink. They removed her binders, but Trest kept a blaster pistol at the ready, set to stun. The Rodian woman devoured the small plate of food with little sense of decorum.

"Pace yourself, you don't want to vomit," the captain warned. "The fizz drink will help settle it a little bit, but you need to take it will also give you time to talk. So, what is your intel?"

Seepa licked each of her sucker tipped fingers that were covered in juices from the food. After that she began to talk. "I have nothing on Luence, other thanhe loved brothels and cantinas, which is not uncommon for mercenaries and the like. We didn't get along and didn't talk except on the job. We just tolerated each other. Me and Nalker weren't exactly friends, more like teammates, but we talked several times. He contacted me a few weeks after the Crymorah's warehouseO'sik-show of a raid. He hooked up with a spice dealer on Christophsis and works as his enforcer. He asked me to come and work with this dealer, a Bith named Ceivv Ekiyes. Said he made some decent money from their illicit drug profits and also worked side jobs to shake down some business owners for protection money. I turned it down because I like the smuggling business and travelling to different planets. Staying on one planet is sofrakkingboring. I grew up on oneO'sik-hole, backwater mound of useless dirt, and I hated being stuck there, or any planet really. I will even give you his comm frequency. You can track Nalker on the planet."

"Thank you for thatbit of information. We will have to check it out, first. If you can behave, we'll let you stay in here with a bedroll and without the binders." The Twi'lek narrowed her eyes, "but if you tamper with anything or do any damage in here, I won't hesitate to flush you out of the airlock."

The Rodian simply bobbed her head in agreement and kept an eye on the food plate. Wazhay motioned to Ayala to bring the rest of the sat cross legged on the deck and began to savor the meal as the others made their exit. Ayala dropped in a plasti-weave bedroll and then lockedthe inner airlock hatch.