Chapter 4
True to his word, Niko did return to Evo's the next time he was in town, about a week later, and again the week after that. With Sinya in tow to tease him, he sat at the bar hopelessly flirting with any women who would give him the time of day, including Lorna more than once. During their weekly visits, Lorna came to see that beneath Niko's bravado was a harmless, if slightly overconfident, charmer. Sinya's initially hardened demeanor gradually softened, revealing a razor-sharp wit and brilliant intellect rarely encountered in Evo Chum's Tavern.
When Niko and Sinya grabbed drinks at Evo's, they always sat at the bar, and inevitably Lorna was drawn into the conversation. The three of them developed a comfortable familiarity that took the edge off her isolation. Though she rarely shared much about herself, she joined in their playful banter and enjoyed hearing the stories of their smuggling adventures.
They came in one slow evening, parking themselves in their usual spot. Niko attempted to seduce a Pantoran pirate woman who seemed like she was more likely to blast a hole in him than to take him to her bed, while Sinya provided her usual commentary.
"Listen, laser-brain. I said you're not my type," the pirate bit at Niko. "Now your Zabrak friend on the other hand…" Lorna saw her hand reach under the bar towards Sinya's legs.
Sinya swiped the pirate's hand away, her eyes flaring in anger. "Put your hand on me again, and you'll lose that hand."
The pirate's cheeks flushed with rage, an indigo color spreading across her blue skin. Her hand slid towards the blaster on her hip as she slowly began to rise from her barstool. "Seems you two could both use a lesson in manners," she growled.
Lorna thought quickly. She poured a shot of strong liquor and slid the glass towards the Pantoran. "What do you say to putting that blaster away, enjoying a round on the house, and finding a new seat?" She sent a pulse of calm and contentment to the Pantoran's mind through the Force, trying to dampen her hostility.
The pirate's eyes bore into Lorna's warily. "Yeah, alright. I don't have the energy for this tonight anyway," she said, downing the shot and shuffling away from the bar.
Sinya chuckled in relief. "You really have a way with pirates, Lorna."
"It's not that hard. All they need is a strong drink." Lorna smiled and waved a hand dismissively.
"Hey, don't sell yourself short," Niko added. "I've gotta admit, the first time I saw you I thought, There's no way this girl can handle herself in a place like this. But I can also admit I was wrong," he said, placing a hand on his chest.
"Well, that's a first," Sinya interjected.
"I'm serious!" Niko continued, ignoring Sinya's barb. "You've got a knack for reading people. That's a valuable trait in our line of work, you know."
Lorna shrugged. "When you work in a place like this, you learn how to deal with all types."
Just then, the door leading to the back rooms at the tavern slid open and Evo poked his head out.
"Hey, Lorna!" he called, "Bakti's got closing shift tonight. Finish up your side work and you can go home."
"Well, looks like I'm done early," Lorna said to her friends with a tired smile.
"Hey, we're gonna stick around for a bit longer. Want to join us?" Niko asked with a welcoming grin.
She hesitated only for a moment before answering: "Sure, sounds like fun."
Lorna grabbed a shot of Ryloth and two mugs of ale and led the two smugglers to a booth in the far corner. She slid into the bench seat and Niko swiftly claimed the spot next to her as Sinya sat down across from them.
She rarely indulged in the wares at Evo's, enjoying neither the taste nor the effects they had on her faculties. But she wanted to blend in with her new friends, so she sipped her mug of ale cautiously, struggling to maintain a neutral expression as she swallowed the sour ale.
"You know, Niko's right," Sinya said, fixing Lorna with a curious stare. "You're different from other people around here. More educated, that's for sure. More intuitive. Where did you say you were from again?"
Lorna had not, in fact, mentioned where she was from before. But this question she was prepared for. She had known that, due to her Jedi upbringing, she possessed more eloquence and poise than most in the Gorit Slum, and that she could only mask it so much. So she had spun her story in anticipation of inquiries into her background.
"I was born on Corellia. I never knew my mom - she died when I was a baby."
Not a lie - but she found that a lie that was part truth was usually more believable.
"My father was a top freighter engineer for the Corellian Engineering Corporation. He was offered a lucrative position here on Coruscant so he moved us here. But then he developed a nasty gambling habit. After a few too many nights at the Crown Casino, he lost everything we had. I had to drop out of university to help make ends meet." She sighed, feigning sorrow to match her tale, for the rest was entirely fabricated. Her father's actual profession had been far less prestigious–and more dangerous–than designing ships.
"Where is your father now?" Niko asked.
"He died of cancer from his death stick addiction last year."
"I'm sorry about your father," Sinya responded, with a sympathy that surprised Lorna. Through the Force, Lorna sensed a sadness rippling beneath Sinya's steeled exterior.
"So now you're stuck here?" Niko wondered.
"I am," Lorna sighed. "At least until I can save up enough credits to get out of this drukhole."
"Where would you go?"
"To be honest, I'm not sure. I have no more family. I may try to find some old friends from back on Corellia. Either way, I… I just can't stay here." Lorna tread carefully, once again mixing some truth in with her lies.
"I don't blame you. This isn't exactly the life I pictured for myself either." Niko spread his hands, gesturing around him.
"You mean smuggling wasn't your life's calling?" Lorna teased.
"My parents were farmers on Lothal," he explained, his warm brown eyes meeting hers. "Let's just say, Imperial occupation didn't work out so well for them and I was forced to find a new occupation." His expression was as close to serious as Lorna had ever seen it as he sipped his mug.
She swiveled slowly in the booth seat and propped her elbow on the table to look at him, her expression kind. "Why? What happened?"
Sinya inhaled sharply, breath hissing through her teeth in warning. She scanned the room warily but the tavern had emptied out while they'd been talking. Bakti must have gone in the back with Evo to check on inventory. They were alone.
"Will you relax? Sheesh, you're wound tighter than a repulsor coil" he teased, shooting Sinya an indignant smirk. "I mean, come on. Lorna, you're not drinking the Empire's moof juice, are you?"
Lorna kept her expression neutral. Most people were generally favorable towards the Empire, appreciating the stability it brought. To say otherwise was becoming increasingly unpopular as more and more institutions aligned with the new government.
She reached out ever so slightly with the Force, gently brushing their minds, seeking a sign that they were being deceptive. She found none. Could there really be others out there who did not approve of the Empire's rule?
"I am not," she replied, her jaw tight.
"See? I knew I liked her," Niko declared, flashing her a bright smile with a wink.
Sinya once again narrowed her eyes at Lorna in that discerning glare, but only nodded for Niko to continue.
"As I said, my parents were farmers. When the Empire showed up, we thought they'd bring prosperity to Lothal." He kept his voice quiet. "They discovered a deposit under my family's farm - some kind of crystal they were after. They evicted us, and when my parents tried to protest, they were arrested and thrown into an Imperial detention facility. Those of us who didn't want to work in the mines had to find other work."
Lorna reached out and placed a comforting hand on his forearm. "I'm sorry about what the Empire did to your parents."
"Thanks," he said, clearing his throat and looking away. "I'm glad you… you know… understand."
"I do." More than I could possibly tell you, Lorna thought, giving his forearm a squeeze before withdrawing it.
He shrugged his shoulders as if he could shrug his emotions off with them.
"It's more than just Lothal, though," he continued, perking back up to his usual cocksure demeanor, now that the topic of conversation had shifted away from his family. "Palpatine is cracking down on everything. The Senate, the economy… and anyone who speaks out against him."
"Just last week, a Twi'lek told me about how he lost his job after his employer overheard him criticizing the Emperor," Lorna added, shaking her head.
"And now they're introducing these chain codes. No one will be able to use public transport without it. They'll be able to track everyone everywhere."
This new detail made Lorna's heart sink. Chain codes for public transport? Even if she could eventually afford passage off Coruscant, how would she manage without a chain code? Her escape prospects felt bleaker than ever.
"It's tyranny," Sinya sneered, baring pointed teeth. "And now Marg wants to buddy right up to old Palpatine? It's bantha fodder. We were better off under the Republic."
"Marg?" The name was unfamiliar to Lorna.
"The leader of the Pyke Syndicate. Our primary client." Niko clarified.
She might have known. Niko and Sinya had mentioned that spice was their usual cargo - and the Pyke name was synonymous with the spice trade.
"All the crime lords are vying for the same deal the Hutt Clan has with the Emperor. They do the Empire's dirty work, and in exchange the Emperor turns a blind eye to the illegal activity. Marg Krim is no different," Sinya added, her voice laced with cynicism. "But I didn't sign up for this job so I could become some authoritarian government's lackey."
Lorna looked at the Sinya, mouth quirked in curiosity. "I see why Niko has so much dislike for the Empire. What's your reason?"
Sinya hesitated and leaned forward. "How do we really know we can trust you, Lorna?"
She hated to do it. Using a mind-trick on her friends felt wrong, nevermind the risk involved if they detected it. But if they really were harboring anti-Imperial sentiments… maybe they could help her.
Discreetly waving a hand under the table, she held Sinya's gaze and pushed conviction into her mind. "You can trust that I have no allegiance to the Empire."
Almost imperceptibly, the sharpness in Sinya's eyes softened as her suspicion cracked. But it was not yet broken.
"And what's your reason?"
Because the Emperor ordered the death of my Master and everyone I care about, she wanted to scream. Because he took away my home, my friends, my life! Pain and anger churned inside of her as her memories surfaced, but outwardly she still appeared steady and calm. Her friends remained oblivious to her outrage.
"My reason?" Lorna echoed, stalling for time while she considered her response. Her hand drifted to the back of her neck, instinctively working at the tension forming there. "The Empire claims to bring order and prosperity, but all I've seen is suffering. Nothing has changed for me or anyone else in this poverty-stricken place. They don't care about people down here, struggling to survive."
Though these weren't her real reasons, she knew them to be true. Her time in the Underworld had certainly taught her that. She just hoped it would be enough for Sinya.
Her speech caused a brief silence to fall over the table as the two smugglers considered her words.
"Nothing like a little Empire-bashing to liven up the evening," Niko said with a forced chuckle, raising his mug. "Cheers to that."
Sinya rolled her eyes at Niko's cheekiness, and her shoulders relaxed slightly.
"Well, you're not wrong. They don't care about the people down here in the undercity and they don't care about the common folk anywhere else. But it's not just that." Sinya leaned in, her voice growing cold. "Look what they did to the Jedi."
The blood drained from Lorna's face at the mention of the Jedi. Not once in her time at Evo's had anyone mentioned the Jedi's eradication with regret. Some were shocked, most were indifferent, but no one had questioned the Emperor's claims of Jedi treachery. It was all she could do to keep her truth from pouring out of her.
"It wasn't right," Sinya continued. "Say what you will about the Jedi and their ways, but they fought all those years with the Republic. They helped people. The Emperor accused them of treason without any real proof and then just… wiped them out. If he could do that to the Jedi, imagine what he could do to anyone else he deemed a threat."
A tiny bud of hope sprouted in Lorna's heart as Sinya spoke. At least one person had not blindly accepted the Emperor's rhetoric. That meant others might too. Others who might be willing to stand up against him. Others who she could find.
"You're right. They were peacemakers," Lorna murmured. It was so freeing to finally say something, to speak her feelings, if only a small part of them, out loud.
Sinya nodded soberly then drew in a shaky breath as if preparing herself for what she was about to say. "I… I had a son, back home on Iridonia. He was identified as Force sensitive and taken to the Jedi. He wouldn't know me, now. He was too young when they took him, and they don't tell the young ones about their family anyway. Something to do with avoiding attachment. But I think about him every day."
Her forlorn gaze fixed on some unidentifiable point on the other side of the tavern. "He was such a calm baby. He rarely cried - I would worry when he slept so peacefully at night without waking. I would hold him and he would stare up at me with these eyes that seemed to already understand so much about the world. We weren't surprised when his abilities began to manifest."
Her eyes fluttered shut, her jaw clenching as she wrestled with her emotions. Niko's usual vibrant energy had evaporated; he hunched over his mug, staring sullenly at its contents.
"He would have been seven years old when the Jedi were declared traitors. Palpatine has kept it quiet, but they say even the children…" Her voice broke and she left the sentence unfinished. Her eyes shone with unshed tears in the dull, yellow light of the fixture that hung next to the booth.
Lorna instantly remembered the terrified faces of the younglings in the Temple as they huddled behind Master Junda. A pang of grief and terror seized her heart as she relived the memory of that night. She squeezed her eyes closed, trying to shut out the images of fallen Jedi, including children, that assaulted her.
The hazy lights of the tavern flickered and she felt her emotional control slipping, the Dark Side of the Force bearing down on her. Her fists clenched under the table as she shoved those memories deep into the recesses of her mind.
Her eyes snapped open. Sinya and Niko were both looking at the light fixture with curious expressions.
"Looks like Evo really needs to get the energy supply checked soon or we'll keep having these power fluctuations," she said, steadying her voice as she recovered her composure.
If her friends sensed the depths of her distress, they gave no sign. They nodded, seemingly accepting her explanation for the dimmed lights.
"I'm so sorry…" Lorna continued, heart aching for both her own loss and her Zabrak friend's. "Do you think he might have escaped?"
She found herself once again wondering if Cere and Trilla had succeeded in getting them to safety. Had there been a small Zabrak child among them? She searched her memory but - no. Her own fear and need to survive had been too great for her to recall such a detail.
Sinya and Niko's eyes darted to each other at the same time, sharing some unspoken thought. Something they were still hesitant to say out loud, despite how much they had already shared with her. Did they know something about surviving Jedi?
Lorna's stomach fluttered with anticipation. Something like reassurance hummed in the Force, encouraging her to press further. She had to find out what they knew.
"The Emperor was unjust in his treatment of the Jedi - and in many other things. I understand the need for secrecy if any Jedi survived. If there was anything I could do to help," she spread her arms and looked at each of them kindly, "I would." She watched her friends' faces carefully as she spoke, her words accompanied by a gentle nudge through the Force - a subtle encouragement to trust and confide.
Sinya's face remained impassive, but Niko leaned in eagerly. "See, that's the thing. There's whispers in the Outer Rim of something called the Path. Folks who are helping the fugitive Jedi find someplace safe from the Empire. Since me and Sinya here aren't too fond of the idea of continuing our work with Pykes, we thought we might put our skills to other uses less friendly to the Empire."
"And I might find my son," Sinya finished, her voice set with determination.
"Where can this Path be found?" Lorna asked.
"We're not entirely sure. But the rumors keep hinting at activity on Jabiim. That's where we want to start." Niko answered.
The hum of the Force that Lorna had been feeling now swelled to a chorus of voices that seemed to be singing, Yes. This is your path.
Lorna couldn't help but grin, her heart lighter than it had been since her life as a Jedi had ended.
"I want to come with you."