Kismet Dineen and Torian Cadera
The ship touched down gently planetside. Kismet and Torian exchanged a long look.
"You ready?" he asked. Understated, as always.
"Yes," she said.
"Next time," he told her. Next time, or the next... surely someday they would get to be parents, as they had dreamed.
"Sure. Next time," she agreed.
The three children led them along a dusty road to a cluster of rough, tumbledown dwellings. Although it was clear they all knew the way, and although there was no clearly visible hesitation on the part of any of them, Kismet couldn't help noticing Lelleth was uncharacteristically walking a touch slower than her siblings. Kismet frowned slightly to herself. Was she grasping at nothing? It had been a long, terrifying day for all of the children. Still, she vowed to make absolutely certain the children were safe and comfortable before they left to return to Rishi.
They were about to knock on the door when it creaked open and a head peeked out - an elderly Twi'lek, green skinned like the children.
"Yes? What do you want?" the elderly woman demanded.
"We have your grandchildren here--" Torian ventured.
"Yes, I see that. What are they doing here? You think I need more mouths to feed? More trouble in my old age?"
Kismet, raised rootless in bondage, understood immediately, but it took Mandalorian through-and-through Torian another moment to catch up. "But they're your kin!"
"Yeah. Sure. They are. Alright, fine. I'll take Lilias and Tommen."
Lelleth's face fell with resignation and disappointment - but not, Kismet noticed, with surprise.
"Please, Grandma," the older girl said hastily. "I'll be useful. You'll see. I can cook and clean and take care of the little ones. I can work so hard..."
The elderly Twi'lek shook her head. "Nope. Don't want the likes of you around here. This is an honest, respectable house. You think I don't know what you done?"
Torian attempted to step in again. "I can assure you, she killed the slaver in self-defense..."
The grandmother shook her head. "I wasn't talking about that. But I can't imagine why it was necessary. Everyone here knows, Lelleth. You think the rumors wouldn't get back here? You flaunting yourself on the Promenade, selling your body? We're good, simple folk here, and it's too much. If you want to keep plying your trade, try the cantina, and if not there's work to be had hauling rocks down at the quarry, but you're not welcome in my house."
The old woman pointed down the road for emphasis.
Before Lelleth could turn to leave, the two Mandalorians stepped side by side so the children were completely hidden from view. Their blasters were suddenly in their hands.
"Change of plans," Kismet said. "The kids are coming with us after all."
If the old woman was intimidated by the weapons, she didn't show it. "Don't get your knickers into a twist over it. I said I'd take the younger two..."
"The offer is no longer on the table," Torian replied coldly. "All three of these children are under the protection of Clan Cadera. Permanently. Come on, kids. Back to the ship."
Kismet couldn't help noticing that the children's steps seemed much more eager headed back to the Wayfinder than departing it.
Lelleth awkwardly turned to her initial rescuer. Surely this unwelcome revelation required some kind of explanation? "Uh... Torian... I... uh..."
Torian paused for a moment, and gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. "I could tell as soon as I met you that you were strong," he said. "Come on. Let's get out of here."
Friends in High Places
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Monkey Kitty
- Posts: 799
- Joined: Thu Oct 29, 2020 7:31 pm
Re: Friends in High Places
The Evocii Market
The Evocii Market on Rishi was bustling. Was it packed with friends? With allies? Perhaps not. But bargain hunters were happy to frequent the sprawling array of colorful stalls all the same.
At a table in the café - the market's newest innovation, and so far a popular addition - a human woman who, despite her civilian clothes, had unmistakable military bearing, sat at a table drinking a caf as she idly flipped through the day's news stories on her datapad. It was the usual; frosty relations between the Republic and the Empire threatened to blow up at any moment, but had not yet resulted in outright war. What attracted her eye today - unexpectedly, as it wasn't her usual fare - was a rather dry story about recent budget negotiations in the Senate. More specifically, one small item at the end of a boring paragraph about the bureaucratic back-and-forth regarding various appropriations:
The final version of the bill also includes an 80 million credit deal brokered by Senator Keela Mahr with Volent Techology Systems Inc. for various items of peacetime technology.
She frowned, set down the datapad, and caught the eye of the the person working at the counter - the most unexpected person at the Market, at least to newcomers, a Rattataki in Evocii clothes.
"Another caf, Susanna?" the Rattataki asked with casual friendliness and familiarity, gesturing vaguely with the insulated pitcher in her hand.
The soldier shook her head. "No. Just a question. You ever heard of a Volent Technology Systems, Frenka?"
"Sure," Frenka replied, plopping into the seat across the small table and immediately falling into the relaxed posture of a business proprietor talking to a regular. "They sell technology, like the name says. Navigation, surveying, educational software..."
"Educational?" Susanna raised an eyebrow. "So stuff I'm going to find at my kids' school?"
A slight sardonic laugh from the Rattataki. "I doubt it. Not unless your kids go to a pretty fancy school. This stuff doesn't come cheap, and barring the odd tax write-off, they never give it away for free. It's education for the children of the rich, not for the masses of the galaxy. I doubt that your military pension puts you in that tax bracket."
"It's all totally above board, though?" Susanna felt a little silly continuing the line of inquiry, but something about the news story was sticking in her brain, and if anyone knew the truth, it was the former-Imperial-spy-turned-café-owner.
Frenka chuckled again. "Oh, no. Not according to the rumors, at least. They're arms dealers, too. They'll sell weapons to any side of any conflict as long as there are enough credits in it for them. Republic versus Empire, border skirmish in disputed regional territory, quiet local genocide on some backwater planet - it's all the same to them, as long as the client can pay. And of course there's worse."
"There's worse? Worse than that?"
Frenka nodded, without mockery but only because Susanna was a friend. There was that Republic naivete. Susanna had less than usual, having seen some of the most corrupt sides of the Republic military and political engine during her time in the service, but even with her it would flare up from time to time.
"Yes. Worse. A lot of people deal arms. If that warlord doesn't go to Volent, he'll go to someone else. No, the other stuff is a little more... specialized. And also a lot more hush hush. Genetic engineering. Artificial intelligence. Mind control. The Empire tried to get to the bottom of it, of course."
"In pursuit of justice?"
It was a joke, and Frenka laughed accordingly. "Of course not. The Empire wanted to buy it if it was any good. But Volent remained politely and cordially tight-lipped. That's all I know."
"Thanks," Susanna said. And then, "So what do you make of this?" as she slid the datapad across the table toward them with the line in question highlighted.
Frenka frowned. "Oh," she said. "That's... probably not good."
The Evocii Market on Rishi was bustling. Was it packed with friends? With allies? Perhaps not. But bargain hunters were happy to frequent the sprawling array of colorful stalls all the same.
At a table in the café - the market's newest innovation, and so far a popular addition - a human woman who, despite her civilian clothes, had unmistakable military bearing, sat at a table drinking a caf as she idly flipped through the day's news stories on her datapad. It was the usual; frosty relations between the Republic and the Empire threatened to blow up at any moment, but had not yet resulted in outright war. What attracted her eye today - unexpectedly, as it wasn't her usual fare - was a rather dry story about recent budget negotiations in the Senate. More specifically, one small item at the end of a boring paragraph about the bureaucratic back-and-forth regarding various appropriations:
The final version of the bill also includes an 80 million credit deal brokered by Senator Keela Mahr with Volent Techology Systems Inc. for various items of peacetime technology.
She frowned, set down the datapad, and caught the eye of the the person working at the counter - the most unexpected person at the Market, at least to newcomers, a Rattataki in Evocii clothes.
"Another caf, Susanna?" the Rattataki asked with casual friendliness and familiarity, gesturing vaguely with the insulated pitcher in her hand.
The soldier shook her head. "No. Just a question. You ever heard of a Volent Technology Systems, Frenka?"
"Sure," Frenka replied, plopping into the seat across the small table and immediately falling into the relaxed posture of a business proprietor talking to a regular. "They sell technology, like the name says. Navigation, surveying, educational software..."
"Educational?" Susanna raised an eyebrow. "So stuff I'm going to find at my kids' school?"
A slight sardonic laugh from the Rattataki. "I doubt it. Not unless your kids go to a pretty fancy school. This stuff doesn't come cheap, and barring the odd tax write-off, they never give it away for free. It's education for the children of the rich, not for the masses of the galaxy. I doubt that your military pension puts you in that tax bracket."
"It's all totally above board, though?" Susanna felt a little silly continuing the line of inquiry, but something about the news story was sticking in her brain, and if anyone knew the truth, it was the former-Imperial-spy-turned-café-owner.
Frenka chuckled again. "Oh, no. Not according to the rumors, at least. They're arms dealers, too. They'll sell weapons to any side of any conflict as long as there are enough credits in it for them. Republic versus Empire, border skirmish in disputed regional territory, quiet local genocide on some backwater planet - it's all the same to them, as long as the client can pay. And of course there's worse."
"There's worse? Worse than that?"
Frenka nodded, without mockery but only because Susanna was a friend. There was that Republic naivete. Susanna had less than usual, having seen some of the most corrupt sides of the Republic military and political engine during her time in the service, but even with her it would flare up from time to time.
"Yes. Worse. A lot of people deal arms. If that warlord doesn't go to Volent, he'll go to someone else. No, the other stuff is a little more... specialized. And also a lot more hush hush. Genetic engineering. Artificial intelligence. Mind control. The Empire tried to get to the bottom of it, of course."
"In pursuit of justice?"
It was a joke, and Frenka laughed accordingly. "Of course not. The Empire wanted to buy it if it was any good. But Volent remained politely and cordially tight-lipped. That's all I know."
"Thanks," Susanna said. And then, "So what do you make of this?" as she slid the datapad across the table toward them with the line in question highlighted.
Frenka frowned. "Oh," she said. "That's... probably not good."