The climate on Iego was tropical. So it was quite warm on the planet. Leaving the ship not far from the main city, which on the planet was named after the planet itself — Iego, I headed into it. I wasn't planning to particularly show myself, although I kept the same clothes. But they wouldn't be looking for the clothes so much, since Jorka was able to see them in general, and who knows who else uses hoods, especially on the Outer Rim. They would be looking specifically for the ship — the Star Trek. Perfectly understanding this last fact, I landed not at the spaceport; I didn't even report my arrival on the planet to the authorities in the city. Considering the fact that with the headquarters of the Judicial Forces on the planet, the semi-legal firm "Miracle of Iego" hauls botae back and forth, and apparently doesn't pay the proper taxes to the Republic treasury, my landing at the spaceport would immediately have given me away.
On the one hand, I could hope that Jorka would fly in personally to deal with me in that case. But… Considering how many years she's been a Vigo and how she rules her territories, and most importantly — who she feeds from her hand, she's hardly an idiot. Which means she would have sent mercenaries after me. I might not doubt my victory over them… But why would I need extra problems? So, as soon as I entered the city, I headed there on a gravcycle I had. I left the gravcycle outside the city at a parking lot. In the city, I passively used a distraction technique.
In other words, literally, their "eyes didn't catch on me." The technique was relatively light and inconspicuous during use. According to a message from Master Tivokki, which I received after a voice-link session — they were going to meet me on the outskirts of this city, near the spaceport. I went to one of the cantinas located in that area. Inside, the standard atmosphere reigned. As is usual in clichéd situations — someone was whispering about "dirty deals," someone was playing sabbacc or pazaak, someone had come with a friend to celebrate something, and someone was just getting drunk. A service droid rolled up to me when I took a table.
"Something you want, sir?" came from him.
He placed a miniature holoprojector in front of me, which brought up a menu.
"I'd like something meaty and something to drink," I said.
"I can recommend the seventeenth item," the droid said. "Our chef always makes that one best. As for drinks — we have a wide selection. From local ale to fine Corellian whiskey."
"Do you have alcohol from Tustra?" I asked.
"Yes," the droid immediately replied.
"Then, if you please, I'll have a liqueur from there," I said. I still had a couple of days to wait for Tivokki and Plo Koon anyway. And the Matukai techniques had made me highly resistant to alcohol. Of course, their essence was to neutralize the effects of poisons. But alcohol, as it happens, is a poison… I leaned back in my chair and seemed to withdraw into myself. But in reality, I never stopped analyzing my surroundings. When my food arrived and I began the process of stuffing my face, I was mentally turning over the thought of finding a room in the city or sleeping on the ship. The dish I was served was a meat steak with a vegetable side dish, and it was actually pretty good, pairing nicely with the alcohol. Then the cantina door opened, and many people noticed the newcomers.
Personally, I didn't care about seeing Mandalorians? I'd seen way too many of them as it is. Although… A woman in Mandalorian armor stood out — I'd say she caught the eye. A vibroblade on her back and a pair of pistols on her belt. And the blue color of the armor… Had I seen her somewhere before? The galaxy is a strange place; you can meet someone completely by chance… Then you wonder — is it because of your luck, or just by the will of the Force? The Mandalorian swept her gaze across the cantina and headed inside. Circling a couple of tables and drunks, she sat down at mine.
"Is this free?" she asked.
I looked at her, taking a sip of my alcohol.
"Considering you sat down, it's taken now," I shrugged and went back to my food. I didn't sense any threat from her.
"Then I'll take this spot," her voice came. She took off her helmet, and I was even a little surprised. Chiss are quite rare guests, and plus she's a Mandalorian? Probably one of the so-called foundlings.
"Take it."
"Just like that?" she asked, leaning in a little. Probably trying to look under the hood I hadn't removed, even while eating.
"I don't sense any threat from you, and besides, you're no rival to me," I said calmly.
"Well, I'd be surprised if you considered me a worthy opponent, although those who underestimated me," she brushed her jet-black hair back, "are long dead."
I looked at her face again. It had regular features, an overly straight nose, and peculiar tattoos starting above her eyes, in the shape of… something like vines, branches, running toward her crimson eyes. The tattoos continued below her eyes as well.
"Want me to bring them memorial wreaths? Or pray for them?" I asked.
"No," the girl smiled. "I want you to help me… Jedi."
"Hmm," I tossed one of the last pieces of steak into my mouth. "Interesting."
"You are a knight, and you wouldn't want to leave a damsel in distress, would you?"
"You don't strike me as a damsel in need of help," I said thoughtfully. "Mandalorian armor, a vibroblade, a pair of pistols. And those are just the visible advantages. What else you've got packed in that armor is a big question. If you haven't run into a Sith or some other dangerous Force-user, I doubt you need my help."
"The same as my companion," the Chiss told the waiter droid, which rolled away. "And you're pretty cold toward those who ask for help."
"I'm curious — what could make a representative of the Mando ask a Jedi for help? I have an idea of how you became a Mandalorian and what your new culture is about. What happened in your life that made you approach a Jedi?"
The Mandalorian smiled, accepted her order from the droid, and began to eat.
"Mmm, this alcohol is overly sweet," she noted.
"If alcohol isn't sweet, then there's no point in it," I said importantly. "But you didn't answer the question. I still have plenty of time, of course. But patience isn't one of my virtues."
"Well then," she smacked her lips. "My name is Lora," she said.
"Lora?" I asked.
"If you're wondering why I'm introducing myself with that name instead of my full Chiss name, then look at my armor. Can I use a full Chiss name, being a representative of a different culture and exiled from the Dominion?"
"Ha, I'm concerned about something else," I sighed. "A long time ago, I met a Mandalorian named Lora on Rishi."
"I knew it was you. Truly, the galaxy is a strange place, Jedi," she smiled.
"Yes, it's strange. Either it's the Will of the Force, or a 'strange galaxy.' Let's get back to your question, Mandalorian-Lora. What do you want from me? I have my own business here. Why should I get sidetracked by you?"
"So you don't want to help a lady…"
"I'm a knight, of course, but not an idiot, I dare hope. Help a lady? If thugs cornered you in an alley — no problem. But you don't look like someone that could happen to, and right now you're eating and enjoying yourself, not stuck in a dark alley. I'll repeat the question: what do you need, Mandalorian?"
"Hah, so cold," she sighed. "Well then… Helping me might be interesting to you too. But it's better to discuss my request somewhere without extra ears."
"You came to a cantina to ask me for a favor. Someone here," I swept my gaze across the cantina, "works for you."
"I'll leave that assumption unanswered, Jedi, but you're thinking in the right direction," she smiled. "I'll finish eating, since I already ordered, and then we'll go talk."
"You still haven't even given me the basic information…"
"Hmm…" she leaned over the table and brought her face close to my ear. "I think a Jedi would be interested in my work, since, effectively, I'll most likely run into someone important… from the Black Sun."
"Oh, you," I whispered. "You should have started with that. You'll tell me everything, Lora. But first, finish eating…"
The woman ate her steak and drank her alcohol.
"And you're not even going to pay for the lady?" she asked slyly.
"I'll cut your hand off and pay with your insurance," I snorted. "If you get too cheeky. I'll say it again: I'm willing to help women in difficult situations, as the weaker sex. But you don't give the impression of a woman in a difficult situation, Lora."
"Man, you're a lousy Jedi."
"You have a strange idea of Jedi. We are the Keepers of the Peace in the Republic, not 'gentlemen at the service of ladies.'"
"I could say something about 'how you keep the peace,'" she grinned, putting her helmet back on, "but I'll keep quiet."
"You won't tell me anything new besides the information you've already piqued my interest with," I stood up from the table, paying my bill. "Well? Shall we?"
I moved toward the exit of the cantina, making sure she followed me. Once outside, I used the Force to enhance my physical abilities and jumped, performing a backflip. The cantina was a single-story building, so I landed straight on the roof.
"You sure know how to make an impression," Lora said, landing beside me using her jetpack.
"Better kill all the electronics connected to you," I advised. "I'm going to pulse an ionization wave around us and conceal it with the Force."
"You're paranoid?"
"I can't say I'm a downright cynical paranoid," I sighed heavily, looking at Lora, "but I've had a couple of situations that taught me caution. Do as I say and don't argue."
She brought her left hand to her visor and pressed a couple of buttons, shutting down her tech. An ionization wave emanated from me, frying the circuits of the nearby electronics.
"You fried the cantina's electronics too," the woman noted.
"I left a slightly bigger tip than usual," I shrugged. "So, what do you want to tell me, Mandalorian-Lora?" I walked over to a structure on the roof and leaned my back against it.
"To be honest," she sat down on the roof, "I thought I could interest you and the Jedi Order with the information, and you'd start some kind of operation against the Black Sun. But now it seems to me that you originally came here for just such an operation — that is, you're already planning to act against the syndicate."
"I won't argue, you're thinking in the right direction. But who are you, and aren't you afraid to challenge the Black Sun yourself? Me, I'm a Jedi. They'd have to work hard to kill me, and not every criminal syndicate would come looking for me for revenge. But what about you? You're a solo operator. If you show up in an operation against the Black Sun, won't they come for you?"
"Oh, you're worried about me," the Chiss put her hand to her face, "that's so sweet. I'm practically blushing. Don't you want to take a look?"
"Your skin is blue; the most that would change is it getting even bluer…"
"Hmph, you don't know much about Chiss," she snorted, crossing her arms.
"Let's get back to business," I demanded.
"Alright, alright. You have beautiful eyes — but only when you're not looking at everyone with menace. Then they're scary… Ahem… Anyway — the point is, I'm not afraid of the Black Sun. I'm already fighting them…"
I even laughed. She's fighting them? Even the Jedi can't handle them. And she's fighting them.
"What's so funny?" Lora asked.
"Well, you're fighting the Black Sun. That's funny…"
"You don't know anything about me or what resources I have…"
"Again, no. You didn't notice it while you were eating and drinking, but I made an inquiry about you. Lora, a Mandalorian of the Chiss race. Currently a member of the so-called Moon Guild, under the command of Genra Zait. According to the information I was able to read — you position yourselves as a group that fights injustice on the Outer Rim. You've challenged the Black Sun and tried to fight the Pykes. However, you don't shy away from kill money and mercenary work, which probably doesn't spoil the overall impression of your group. Your composition — four dreadnoughts, I don't know how you acquired them, but that's a fairly significant force for the Outer Rim. Each dreadnought is commanded by a 'Squadron Captain.' You are one of them. In addition to the dreadnoughts, the 'squadron' has fighters, mostly Z-95s and various re-armed transports and gunships. Interesting — how did a Mandalorian warrior join sentients who declare 'supposedly high goals'? Did they buy you, or are you following your heart?"
"You don't know anything about me…"
"That's why I'm asking," I noted the woman's voice had grown serious.
"By heart," she answered. "Alright, we've strayed from the topic," she sighed. "Want to know what I want from you? Very well. We fight for the Outer Rim, trying to ease the oppression of many criminal syndicates that you Jedi," she pointed at me, "let run wild, obeying the orders of this idiotic Senate, which is bought and paid for. And yes, as you noted, we don't shy away from mercenary work! Because we also need to eat and put something into our missile silos and fuel tanks. My group was recently hired by the local Senator…"
"Senator? Nelson Kitar? He's covering for the Black Sun…"
"I know," she nodded. "As a member of the Committee on Organized Crime, he covers for the criminal syndicate. But for a bribe."
Really? The Black Sun database only had his name and some compromising data about Nelson. Apparently, to blackmail him…
"Well, why did he hire you?" I asked Lora.
"Because Nelson Kitar's daughter has been enslaved."
"Enslaved? By whom? Who has the audacity to enslave the daughter of a full Senator, and one on such a committee at that?" All these committees formed in the Senate are a bit strange. They seem to be something like Ministries, but there are also committees in the Senate. And they — both Ministries and committees — have essentially the same powers. Very interesting and sad are those cases when the Ministry of Justice reports the need, say, to conduct a raid against pirates. The Jedi are ready, the ships are ready, but then the Jedi receive a message from the Senate, signed by the Committee on Piracy, stating that these are not pirates, but simply "sentients making their own way in the Galaxy." Naturally, sentients who care about their work — and there are still some like that in the Republic — get a little annoyed by such treatment.
"It's not standard slavery," Lora noted. "It's… how should I put it? Will you even understand what I'm about to tell you? Or is it not something you Jedi even acknowledge?"
"Tell it like it is," I shrugged.
"She's in sexual slavery," she said. "Do you know what sex is?"
"Are you sick, or did you hit your head? I'm almost twenty years old. Of course I know what sex is. Both in theory and in practice… But… How does the daughter's nymphomania affect the Senator?"
"I thought all Jedi were celibate monks."
"And I thought all Mandalorians were great warriors," I shot back.
"One-one. She ended up in a rather strange situation with… the Vigo of this territory, who is known as Jarko Itari. The Vigo is an Anzati. And Nella Kitar considers Jarko something like a goddess."
"Yes," we finally got somewhere. "And I understand why. Jarko Itari is not like other Anzati you might meet in the Galaxy. She's not your average snot-nosed vampire. The essence of Jarko is that she has learned to control the process of absorbing victims' brains, stretching, as I understand it, the absorption over years, while simultaneously giving the victim orgasmic pleasure. In addition, she's Force-sensitive and a decent telepath, so she most likely also knows how to enhance those sensations with the Force for the victim. Hence Nella Kitar's attitude." And I thought Nelson was an enemy. Bribed… But my opinion of him was wrong. Jarko is probably blackmailing him with Nella's condition. And Nella herself can't understand what kind of dependency she's fallen into.
"A graduate of Alderaan University, one of the best, if not the best in her class," the Mandalorian said. "She graduated from that university's most elite specialty: 'Public Administration,' I think, coming in second in academic performance, losing only to a certain Taivi Lanian, as her father told me." Wow, and I was too focused on the aristocracy of Alderaan, so I didn't pay attention to Nella, or the others. But if I think about it — there was a girl like that in our group. A quiet one, a pacifist and a modest girl, who, nevertheless, studied almost as well as I did. "But what do you want?"
"We want to destroy the Black Sun," Lora said. "In this part of the Galaxy. The local Vigo rose to power by trading in botae, which she supplies from a certain planet. If we can find the planet, we can lure the Vigo out and force a fight on our terms. That's my plan."
"Yes, except I've already ruined it," I laughed. "The thing is, about a week ago I struck a bota farm. It was located on the planet Drongar, in the T-5 sector."
"Drongar?" she asked in surprise. "According to my information, the planet where bota is grown is a moon of Malagar. In the V-8 sector."
That's what life-giving knowledge of the canon does. She had to study intelligence data, rely on people who might have fed her false information — and they did. I knew from the start that the enhancement substance called bota was on Drongar.
"You have incorrect information. It seems the one who gave it to you is not clean."
"Or you want to send me on a false trail," the woman noted. "I haven't known you that long, but the sentient who told me about Malagar I've known for a very long time."
"I didn't know you were that old," I chuckled, tilting my head to dodge a punch from the Mandalorian.
"Don't tell a woman her age!" she almost snarled.
"But," I said, pushing the Mandalorian away with telekinesis, "this is indeed interesting. The fact is, I intend to destroy Jarko Itari, along with her compound. That will be a blow to the Black Sun. And a pretty strong one. Your forces would be useful."
"That's what I wanted to talk about," the woman snorted. "Hey, can you let me go?" I was holding her with telekinesis and immediately released her.
"A Master from the High Council will be arriving soon with his Padawan, along with forces from the Judicial Forces," I said. I didn't sense any lie from the woman, and my intuition persistently told me there was no 'hidden agenda' in her context. I'd need to observe her, of course. And find out a few things… "The forces will arrive at Jubilar, where we'll all gather and begin planning our actions against the Black Sun. I don't think anyone will object to seeing an extra dreadnought on our side. You came over to me because you were looking for allies, weren't you? You have a contract — to free Nella Kitar. Through your organization's mandate — to deal a defeat to the syndicate. We have common goals."
"At Jubilar?" the girl asked.
"Yes, in three days," I said. "I only dropped by Iego to replenish supplies."
"Then we'll meet there with your forces?"
"Yes, Lora," I grinned, "yes. As I said — your participation won't be superfluous."