Naira sighed in frustration as she made her way to the Jedi Temple. She had just parted ways with her battalion's commander Domino back at the designated military barracks on Coruscant, having no time to catch up with the rest of her men before being called out. All she wanted was to enjoy what was left of the shore leave that she and her soldiers had rightfully earned over the past several months of the Clone War. No rest for the weary indeed, she thought bitterly.
It was no real secret that Jedi General Naira Raadii hated the war and would have preferred to not engage the Separatists at all. Their reasons for leaving the Republic had initially made sense to her. However, when the terrorist attacks against Republic citizens started, the Jedi were asked to take up arms. Naira answered the call alongside her master, Vahxorr Surill, participating in the first official battle of the war on Geonosis. While she continued to be against the war itself, she served with fervor. Besides, there was some good that came of it: the Republic soldiers. Genetically enhanced clones of the notorious, albeit late, Jango Fett populated over ninety percent of the Grand Army of the Republic. Unlike the droids utilized by the Separatists, the clones could think for themselves in battle situations, act upon instinct when confronted by enemies, and provide tactical assessments during strategic planning among other advantages that could only be gleaned from organic sentients. Naira cared about them. Perhaps her favor went a bit beyond the allowed parameters of the Jedi Code, but she did it anyway and to hell with what anyone else thought about that.
Naira was a red-skinned Togruta woman about twenty-four-standard-years-old with patterns of white on her face and across her body. Her montrals and lekku weren't striped like most of her species. Hers looked more like someone splattered her with black paint that settled where it pleased while each tip looked as though they were carefully dipped in an inkwell. She was one point seven-three meters tall, not counting her montrals, and her eyes were the color of amethysts. She wore mostly traditional Jedi robes comprised of grey trousers, grey sashes that crisscrossed her chest over a sleeveless, thigh-length black tunic that hung open, exposing her midriff, and fingerless grey tactical gloves on her hands. She wore a simple headdress made up of five silver chains that draped between and around her montrals and connected to a silver-encircled amethyst gem that rested upon her forehead. She also had a simple piercing in her left brow with silver, casino-style dice at either end of the bar.
On a broad, black leather belt, Naira carried two guard-shoto lightsabers at each hip that emitted violet-hued blades. They were of fairly unorthodox design, but effective in her chosen saber form, Niman, in conjunction with the Jar'kai combat style. In addition to this, she employed a few non-Jedi weapons after some of her troops took it upon themselves to train her during a mission on Fondor. Along the back of her belt, she carried a set of EMP grenades, concussion grenades, and frags, and a standard-issue DC-17 hand blaster was kept in a holster affixed to her right boot. Even her footwear had been weaponized. She had durasteel plates cobbled into the tips of her boots after she had broken a toe kicking away a severed clanker skull that had been rigged to detonate. That was the same day she understood that the enemy didn't much care for following the rules of engagement, and she would have to be prepared to counter potential war crimes without committing any of her own. It wasn't as easy as it sounded, but she managed.
The young woman was still fuming as she approached the Jedi Temple. Her mind was swamp by all the atrocities committed in the name of peace while the very brief moments of peace allotted to her and her men were taken as quickly as they were given. However, all of it melted away when she noticed the man waiting for her at the temple's entrance. To any passersby taking even a passive interest, he was just another faceless clone beneath plastoid armor, but to Naira, he was so much more.
"Cas!" she exclaimed a bit too excitedly, resisting the urge to just give in and embrace the man, "I wasn't expecting to see you. What are you doing here?"
CT-777 "Casino" removed his helmet and grinned broadly at the Togruta as she greeted him. Okay, technically he was just another clone. After all, he had the same physical build, same angular face, same shining brown eyes. Hell, even his voice was the same as the others' if one didn't take the time to truly listen for the differences, but that was where the similarities ended.
Clone Sergeant Casino had six distinct scars on his face that he bore with great pride. There was a vertical laceration down the center of his right eye that he had gotten at some point during his training on Kamino before the war even started. Casino had been damned lucky that whatever had given him the scar—he never told anyone—hadn't taken his eye as well. He had two fairly superficial scars he had received during a melee encounter with a BX-Series commando droid on Telos IV. The droid had gotten him with a vibroknife above his right eyebrow just below his hairline and once more on the left side of his chin, right on the bone. Two blaster scars ran nearly parallel to each other above and below his left brow. The top scar began above the middle of the eyebrow and ran along his temple into his hairline. He had received that one from an overconfident tactical droid's holdout blaster. The lower scar was a point of contention for Naira. It was caused by a Valken-38x sniper rifle, and it had been fired by the Separatist General Toorick. The shot had been meant for Naira, but the clone had thrown her to the ground and took the blast himself, leaving a cauterized wound from the corner of his left eye, through his hairline, and almost connecting to the scar above it. Of all Casino's scars, the one on his left cheek hurt Naira the most as she had been the one to give it to him. They had been on Ord Mantell, and it was one of their first missions together since Geonosis. Naira had been meditating after an encounter with enemy forces when Casino came up behind her, startling her. Without thinking, Naira reacted with one of her lightsabers, cutting him diagonally from cheekbone to jawline. When she realized what she had done, Naira nearly collapsed in tears, apologizing aggressively. Despite that, Casino had actually laughed. He took responsibility for it saying it was his fault for coming at a Jedi from behind. Naira denounced this explaining that even in meditation, she should have been mindful of her surroundings. Even so, Casino had made certain that both Master Surill and Commander House assumed him in the wrong and that there was nothing the then-Padawan could do to persuade them otherwise.
"Couldn't say, sir," Casino answered with a shrug, "but General Windu asked for me by name, so I came swiftly without question. Seemed like the smart thing to do. He ordered me to wait here until you arrived then wait inside with you until called in by the Council. That's it."
Naira's excitement turned to confusion in an instant. Clones were rarely—if ever—called to the Temple individually. This was highly unusual, and if she was being honest, Naira had had enough of the sudden clandestine methods of her superiors. She understood the necessity on Kamino, but there was no reason for it here. At least, there wasn't one she could think of.
"Well, that's not odd or anything," she said sarcastically, "First the strange 'orders' to Kamino, now this? It's starting to feel like the right hand no longer knows what the left is doing."
"I'm guessing that means you can't talk about Kamino, then?" Casino asked.
Naira crossed her arms indignantly. "Afraid not," she confirmed, "Sorry, Cas. Officially, there was no gathering on Kamino, and all records of last week's event have been purged save for a hard copy that was hand-delivered to the Chancellor this morning. Otherwise, it was a pleasant visit. I imagine Kamino is quite beautiful when it's not raining."
Casino laughed heartily. "It's always raining on Kamino," he said, "with the exception of maybe five days out of the year. Even then, it's only worth seeing at night."
"I'll take your word for it, Cas," Naira said before changing the subject, "Well, we aren't going to get any answers standing out here. Let's go see what the Council wants."
Casino nodded. "Yes, sir," he said, "It had better be worth cutting our leave short."
"At least you actually got to enjoy some of it," Naira chuckled wryly as she led the way into the building.
They made their way down the long corridor of the Jedi Temple in reverent silence, stopping only once so Naira could drop her travel bag in her private chamber. She didn't go all the way inside; she just opened the door enough to toss her bag in before sealing it shut. Casino pretended not to notice the familiar trooper helmet sitting on Naira's nightstand, however brief his line-of-sight had been. House's bucket. His commander. His brother. Naira's best friend. House had been lost on Horuz a little over a month ago now, and while everyone seemed to have moved on, the pain still lingered on in the battalion. They all took solace in the fact that House had taken that bastard Toorick to the grave with him, but Casino wished he and the others could do more to comfort Naira.
"Hey," Naira gently called him back to the present, "you okay, Cas?"
The clone smiled warmly. "Yes, sir," he said, "just lost in thought for a moment."
"Ah, been there," Naira returned the smile and continued towards the Council chamber.
They arrived at the elaborate doors of the chamber a bit earlier than scheduled, so they would have to wait until someone came to grant them entry. The time was filled by Casino telling Naira what the battalion had been up to and any other prominent news that occurred while she and Domino were away on Kamino. As they spoke, Naira took notice of two other Jedi walking towards them down the hall. She didn't recognize either of them, but she took notice of their appearances, nonetheless.
The taller of the two was a Pau'an male with pallid grey skin and void-black sclera eyes. His face was tattooed with broad, jagged red lines that almost looked like an X, except the stripes did not connect at the center. The robes he wore were the traditional shades of muted browns and tans, his cloak being the darkest of brown. The fabrics had nary a blemish on them and even looked to have been recently pressed. This man had clearly never seen combat outside the training hall, a theory only made stronger by the gleaming silver hilts of the lightsabers on his belt. He carried two single-bladed sabers, though one had a shorter hilt—a shoto—and both were devoid of any carbon scoring save for the slightest blackening at the emitters. At two meters tall, the Pau'an towered over all nearby, but he lacked the presence and authority that would have otherwise given him an intimidating aura. Naira surmised that the man would dominate in a fair fight, but war was anything but fair.
The second Jedi was a young Mikkian person with light pink skin and deep purple eyes only slightly darker than Naira's. Their robes more or less obscured their shape, giving them a thin, masculine figure while their facial structure was more on the feminine side. A non-binary Mikkian wasn't exactly unheard of, but they were incredibly rare to meet. Like other Mikkians, this one had dozens of tendrils protruding from the back of their skull, and theirs flowed back, up, and out, almost as though they were floating in water. They were shorter than average for their species, standing at just one point six meters, not counting the tendrils, and their robes were exotic shades of green inlaid with gold filigree along the seams of the tabards and undertunic. On their belt was a lightsaber of a design that many found incredibly unwieldy: the cross-guard, a heavier, slower version of its traditional single-bladed cousin. Impracticality aside, it was also widely accepted that Jedi who mastered this weapon were exceptional warriors, especially in the Makashi saber form. Despite this, the Mikkian looked just as inexperienced in battle as the Pau'an.
It was evident to Naira that whatever the Council wanted, it would have nothing to do with frontline conflict. It was obvious these two hadn't seen much of the war, if any at all, aside from the holonet. You're doing it again, Naira chastised herself, Just because they happen to be here at the same time doesn't mean they're here for the same reasons. She gave the newcomers a courteous nod of the head and turned back to Casino to continue their conversation, assuming that the other two Jedi were merely passing by on their own business. Much to her surprise, however, they both stopped directly in front of her.
"Hello," the Pau'an greeted, his tone respectful but uncertain, "Are you also here to see the Council?"
It took Naira a moment to realize the question was directed at her as the awkwardness of the delivery threw her a little. "We are," she confirmed cautiously, "You as well?"
"Yes, though perhaps I am early. I was not expecting a queue."
The Mikkian checked their chrono. "I think we were all intended to be here at the same time," they said, "It's not like the Council to double-book…or triple-book in this case."
"Well, now I'm intrigued," Naira mused, "because it's also not like them to call together individuals who've never worked together before. Perhaps we should start with introductions. I am Jedi General Naira Raadii, and this is Sergeant Casino of the 77th Clone Battalion."
"Knight Kenla," the Mikkian said with a slight bow before stepping aside to reveal a rustic brown and egg-white astromech with blue trim that Naira had not noticed before, "This is Kaytee-Eleven."
The little droid gave a short beep of greeting.
"Nice to meet you, too, Kaytee," Naira responded then looked up at the Pau'an expectantly. The towering man seemed to be looking disapprovingly at Naira's companion, though Casino did not appear to notice. If he had, he was doing a damned good job of hiding it and keeping his detached, professional posture. After a moment, the Pau'an realized that all eyes were on him.
"Jedi Knight Kren'za Zadun," he said, clearing his throat and bowing deeply to Naira, "I don't suppose you know why we were all called here?"
"No, but it looks like we're about to find out."
As she said this, the massive chamber doors opened to them, and a young Chiss Padawan beckoned them inside. "The Council will see you now," she said, "You, too, Sergeant."
"He is not Jedi," Kren'za protested, though he kept his tone as calm as possible, "He has no—"
"Take it up with Master Windu," the Padawan interrupted, rolling her bright red eyes in teenage annoyance, "I'm just relaying his orders. But, hey, if you wanna tell the Grand Master of the Jedi Order who he can and can't invite in, be my guest. I'll be sure to have some snacks on hand for that show."
Kren'za shut up instantly, but the disapprobation never left his face as the group followed the Padawan inside. Naira liked this kid, undisciplined as she was. She had a bit of a mouth on her. It was a wonder how her master put up with her, but then again, Naira was known to be a little on the outspoken side herself. I'll have to shake her master's hand if I ever meet them, she thought with a grin.
Of the twelve members of the Jedi High Council, only five were present for this meeting. Grand Master Mace Windu sat in his usual seat in the middle flanked by Masters Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi on his right and Masters Ki-Adi Mundi and Depa Billaba on his left. Naira, Kren'za, and Kenla bowed respectfully to them while Casino gave a crisp salute. Even the little droid beeped courteously and bobbed its body in a simulacrum of a bow.
"Thank you all for coming so promptly," Master Windu began, "We know this feels a little unorthodox, but there has been a situation that calls for your unique talents to help resolve.
"About two weeks ago, a previously unknown planet was discovered in the far reaches of the Outer Rim; the Chancellor sent out a team to inspect the world and make contact with the inhabitants if any were present. Three days ago, that team and their clone protection detail stopped checking in, and attempts to contact them have been met with failure. Chancellor Palpatine has asked us to send our own team to investigate and possibly negotiate a hostage release, should that be the case.
So, this is a rescue op, Naira thought as she exchanged skeptical glances with the others. "Masters," she said, taking charge as was her nature, "the 77th is more than prepared to go in force to find this team. Just give the w—"
"You misunderstand your purpose, Naira," Master Mundi interrupted her, "While we want the team found alive and well, this is not a liberation mission. This mystery goes deeper than missing personnel."
"Indeed," Master Kenobi agreed, "We found it odd that the Chancellor elected to only alert us yesterday of this discovery and subsequent disappearance, so we did a little investigation of our own. We obtained the coordinates of this 'new world,' cross-referenced them with our archives, and found they may have been tampered with. The data for the whole system had been erased…just like Kamino had been. From what little we could find, it seems to have been done recently, at least within the last five years."
Kren'za scowled. "But only a Jedi Master would have access to do that," he said in disbelief, "Why would anyone of our Order do such a thing? Who would do such a thing?"
"Invulnerable, we are not, young Kren'za," Yoda said, "Very powerful, the call of the Dark Side can be."
"We have our suspicions on who," Windu said, "but we lack sufficient evidence to follow through. What little we have suggests one of the Order's oldest masters and/or one or both of their former apprentices. We still can't figure out why, but I—"
"Forgive me, my Masters," Naira cut him off, eliciting a gasp of shock and disapproval from Kren'za, which she effortlessly ignored, "but this sounds like a job best suited for local police. I command a battalion of soldiers who specialize in siege warfare, covert ops, and aggressive rescue. I fail to understand my and my companion's purpose here."
"You sell yourself short," Master Billaba spoke up, "Tactical warfare and dejarik do more for your observational skills than simply making plans and giving orders. Detective work is no different from studying a battle map and enacting strategy…except you are less likely to be shot at by legions of battle droids."
Windu nodded, his dark eyes focused on Naira. "Plus, you are an experienced leader and have spent most of your time in the field," he pointed out, "Kren'za and Kenla do not share this proficiency, having seen very little in the ways of combat or travel outside the Temple. Therefore, we want you to coordinate the investigation. Does that satisfy your curiosity?"
Casino cast a glance over at Naira, studying her posture carefully as she considered the Grand Master's words. Her face was scrunched into a scowl as she stared intently at the floor, one fist pressed hard against her chin. The clone was all-too familiar with this look to the point that he and the rest of the 77th had taken to calling it the "Dejarik Stare." It was a stance the general took whenever something seemed out of place, and her intuition was rarely wrong. She must have sensed Casino's eyes on her because she glanced over her shoulder at him and gave him a look that conveyed: "They're hiding something." Casino gave her a subtle nod, indicating that they could discuss it later away from prying eyes and open ears. Naira then nodded her acquiescence to Windu, beckoning him to continue. Windu in turn gestured to Kenobi.
"We were able to narrow down the massive list of suspects to three," Kenobi explained, "We found there were many who accessed the archives in general, but one code stood out as the most frequent visitor in recent years."
"That is circumstantial at best," Kenla observed, speaking rather brusquely, "and unjustly presumptuous. How do we really know the erasure happened in the time suggested? Without a proper timestamp of the event taking place, we're just grasping at straws. It could have happened as recently as last month or as far back as five thousand years. Hell, it could have happened at the same time as Kamino, in which case, Count Dooku did it; case closed. With, uh…all due respect…Masters."
Naira took mental note of the exchange. Kenla knew politics and seemed like they would be quite comfortable in a courtroom. Everything they said should have already been known by the Council, and they would have recognized that Kenla would have torn apart any argument they made. Furthermore, it was the most diplomatic takedown Naira had witnessed outside of the Senate. No wonder the Council wanted them on this mission. They had the tenacity of a prosecuting attorney and the defiance of a defense counsel, perfect for verbal negotiations.
"The simple answer," Billaba said, brushing by Kenla's lapse, "is the frequency in which certain parts of the Archives were accessed."
"The star maps in particular," Kenobi chimed in, "Ever since Kamino's files were tampered with, we've been keeping an eye on who's been viewing those files specifically. The traffic to planetary data has surged by almost seventy percent since the start of the war."
Kenla sighed and shook their head. "That's it?" they asked, trying unsuccessfully to hide their disdain, "You've made your accusation based on coincidence?"
"You are out of l—" Mundi began.
"With. All. Due. Respect," Kenla gritted their teeth, emphasizing their words, "I'm not finished. You mean to tell us you've been monitoring access for the better part of a year, but no one noticed an entire system being erased until someone else mentioned discovering a new planet? That's ridic—"
Naira stepped up behind Kenla and placed a hand on their shoulder. She shook her head respectfully at them and whispered something in their ear. Kenla took a deep breath and visibly calmed. They stepped back and nodded assent to Naira. She wasn't certain, but Naira thought she had caught conspiratorial glances between the Jedi Masters at her actions. It brought back the sense that this meeting went way beyond the subject matter, but she shrugged it off as she returned her attention to the Council.
"Forgive me, my Masters," she said, "while Kenla was overstepping, they have a point. A rise in visitors does not equate a breach in security."
"I agree," Kren'za joined her, "It could all be chance. Perhaps the influx is simply due to the war. I'm sure the need for planetary information has gone up in priority." He turned to Naira. "You've been on the front lines," he said, "Wouldn't you concur?"
Casino shook his head and answered for her. "That information is readily available to us whenever we're sent to strategic battlefields," he said, ignoring Kren'za's annoyed glare, "typically transmitted by GAR Intelligence."
Naira nodded. "Our Archives are not the only source of knowledge in the galaxy," she sighed, clicking her tongue, "we're just more thorough. That doesn't detract from the point, though. Not all Jedi have taken a mantle of command in the Grand Army. So, that brings us back to Kenla's question: how do we know this was a recent offense?"
The Masters exchanged looks that somehow looked both surprised and smug as though this were exactly how they expected the meeting to go. Windu then produced a data module and handed it to the Chiss Padawan with whispered instructions. The girl gave a respectful nod and made her way towards the knights. She didn't hand the module to any of the Jedi, however. Instead, she faced Casino and held the device out to him. The clone accepted it with a nod and immediately set to work as though he already knew what was expected of him. He did, of course; it was a point of pride among the cloned soldiers. His face contorted into a confused frown when he was done, so he checked again, apparently reaching the same conclusion twice more. He raised an eyebrow and regarded the Masters with a look that asked if his suspicions were correct. Master Windu simply nodded knowingly.
"What is it, Cas?" Naira asked, first looking up at him then down at the module.
"Redundant Protocol Worm," Casino answered skeptically, "and a damned sophisticated one. Typically, RPW's are used to recycle security holos and loop desired footage to fool anyone watching that nothing suspicious was occurring. Sometimes, they're used to recycle stored data to cover up tampering. This one is on a repeating timer that has been dumping data and resetting before anyone can detect it. That's why there's no appropriate time stamp. It was designed to hide when it was introduced to the system and when the original data was removed. To the untrained, it could be assumed that the system's been corrupted for centuries."
"But you know otherwise," Billaba stated, "don't you, Sergeant?"
Casino nodded the affirmative. "Yes, sir," he said, "While RPWs have been around for millennia, their simplicity makes them impractical for long cons like this. This program is too complex to be more than two years old. Most of its code is made up of encryptions that have only existed in that time frame."
Windu dipped his head in approval as he motioned for the Padawan to return the module to him. The corner of Naira's mouth twitched up into a subtle grin of pride. Sure, Casino was far from the only soldier who could have figured it out, but it said something about you when the Jedi High Council requests you by name out of ranks of millions of identical faces. Their confidence had clearly paid off. Even Kren'za couldn't hide how impressed he was, begrudged though it was.
"Well," Naira said, spreading her arms palms out in a conciliatory gesture, "you have stated that you do not wish to send the cavalry. What exactly is our mission?"
Windu leaned back in his seat in a more relaxed posture than he had been. "We are sending you to this new world," he said, "if for no other reason than to ease the Chancellor's conscience. However, your priority is to uncover the mystery behind who deleted the data and more importantly, why. What is so valuable on this Outer Rim planet that someone would erase all trace of its existence?"
"Find the missing team, if you can," Kenobi added quickly, "They may be able to provide additional information on the situation."
"We are hoping a smaller team will attract less attention," Billaba explained, "So far, we've heard no report of actual hostilities on the planet, which leads us to assume the Separatists have yet to get wind of it. If that is the case, we don't want them to know the Republic has a presence there, even if it's only as hostages. You will be travelling aboard a private freighter so as not to be easily identified as operatives for the Republic. You leave tomorrow morning. Be at Civilian Dock 10A at ten hundred hours."
"And what of the suspects?" Kenla asked, "You said there were three."
"Travelling with Master Lolani Idariel, you will be," Yoda artfully dodged the question, "More answers will she have for you."
Naira couldn't believe what she had heard. Kren'za appeared to share the Togruta's surprise as his back went rigidly straight as though he were about to undertake a test he hadn't properly prepared for. He could hardly be blamed for his reaction. Master Idariel was one of the Order's most renowned Archivists and was tasked with the formal education of the younglings. She was also a sitting member of the Council of First Knowledge and not just any member.
"Master Idariel?" Kren'za echoed reverently but with some hesitation, "The Caretaker of First Knowledge is…traveling away from Coruscant? From the Jedi Temple?"
"So surprised, are you?" the eldest Jedi asked with a wry chuckle, "Beneath the Council it is to travel believe you?"
Kren'za flushed and clammed up at that.
"You have your mission," Windu concluded, "Prepare as needed and be ready to depart at the appointed time."
The younger Jedi all bowed and turned to leave.
"Knight Kren'za," Mundi called before they reached the door, "please remain. We have a separate matter we need to discuss with you."
Kren'za stopped and looked back with confusion. After a brief hesitation, he gave a farewell bow to Naira and Kenla and made his way back to the center of the room. The rest took their leave.
"Well," Kenla said once they were back out in the Grand Hall, "they're not being suspicious at all, are they?"
"Noticed that, too, huh?" Naira asked, echoing Kenla's sarcasm.
"Kind of hard not to. I'm used to the Council playing things close to the vest, but with the repeating…proto…bug, thing—"
"Redundant Protocol Worm," Casino assisted.
"Yes, that…I mean, they really buried the lede with that one. And what about our little motley crew of a team, hmm? I don't care what their explanation was, you do not take a successful war general off the front lines and dump them into cop duty." They glanced up at Naira who had raised her brow in surprise. "What?" Kenla shrugged, "I watch news holos, too, 'Lady Luck.'"
Naira rolled her eyes at the nickname, but she couldn't suppress her grin. "What about you and Kren'za?" she asked, "Is this a job in your wheelhouse?"
"Me? Yes, definitely. I can easily understand why I'm here. I understand why your clone friend is here. Hell, despite my reservations, your being here isn't all that strange even if it's obvious the Council isn't telling us the real reason for it. But Kren'za? I can't for the life of me figure out why he was asked on this mission."
"Do you know him well?"
"Eh…we were raised in the same clan together as younglings—Hawk-Bat Clan—but we lost touch when we began training under our respective masters. It's my understanding that he spent most of his Padawan years either in the sparring circle or studying in the Archives. He's never even left the temple aside from harvesting his Kyber crystal and when he faced the Jedi Trials. Since then, he's remained sheltered here. He's a damn fine saber duelist, and he probably knows more about Jedi and Galactic history than Master Yoda. However, he is clueless when it comes to applying his skills outside of these walls."
"A dueling archivist," Naira pondered, "Perhaps he knows something about this planet we're going to. Or, maybe when we discover its name, it may trigger a memory of something he studied."
Kenla shrugged. "Maybe," they said, "and maybe not. We'll see. Anything you want me to do before we leave tomorrow?"
"You're asking me?"
"The Council put you in charge of the investigation. Figured it would be wise to defer to you."
"They have a point," Casino said brightly.
Naira couldn't really argue the fact. Besides, she already had a few things in mind that needed to be done before the team got underway. "Alright," she said, "since you seem to know a thing or two about Galactic Law, get me some information on the procedures and legalities of annexing a new world into the Republic, be they inhabited or not. We should probably all brush up on First Contact protocol as well."
"I'll get right on it," Kenla said as they checked their chrono, "I've got plenty of time before the Council wants me back here again."
This made Naira's lekku twitch with suspicion. "A separate matter they need to discuss with you?" she asked, echoing Master Mundi's words to Kren'za.
Kenla grinned sarcastically and tapped their nose with their index finger. "Got it in one, General," they said, "and no, I don't have the slightest clue what those matters might be. Anyway, since I'm more likely to see him before you, got any assignment for Kren'za?"
Naira did and passed the request off to Kenla to deliver to Kren'za. Then the two Jedi parted ways.
"I need a drink," the Togruta sighed.
"Council got you that bad, ey?" Casino asked.
Naira shrugged. "Not exactly," she said, a hint of uncertainty in her voice, "but I can't help but feel like the Council is hiding something else about this mission, something that is a part of it yet has nothing to do with it. That…that made more sense in my head than spoken."
"No, I see what you mean," Casino assured her, "Their body language was indicative of hidden motives. I noticed at least twice when something you said or did caused the Council masters to silently confer with one another via eye-contact. It was as though they were expecting your actions and studying them specifically. That is, of course, just speculating from my own observation."
Casino's speculation wasn't too far from the truth. Despite his lack of connection to the Force, his observational skills could rival that of almost any Jedi in the Order. It was a skill that aided him well in his role within the army, and Naira was grateful to have such talent on her team. However, it did not alleviate her concerns about the Council's odd behavior.
"So," Casino said, trying to lighten the mood, "Grobba's?"
"Hell yes," Naira answered with relief, "and get the boys. Maybe I can enjoy at least one day of shore leave."
Casino grinned and made the call while they made their way to their favorite bar on Coruscant.