Refuge

[Meira]

"Transport Bravo-86-Delta, please state your identity and purpose for visiting Prazhi."

"This is Jedi Transport Bravo-86-Delta. Two Jedi aboard, Knight Valli and Padawan Jho’zol’Fura. Requesting permission to land. We have an appointment with Security Chief Vrrnuk, clearance code 3414-Kilo-227."

A pause and static on the comm.

"Transport Bravo-86-Delta, you are clear to land at the coordinates being sent to you now. Please note that Prazhi is an independent system. All actions carried out on planet must be sanctioned through the Security Chief."

"Understood. Beginning landing sequence now."

---

24 Hours Earlier

Meira limped down the corridor, away from the training room. Shatani had certainly put her through her paces in that session. Once she was in the lift, she allowed herself to sag against the wall, relieving the weight that rested on her mechanical leg. When the lift stopped and the doors opened, she stood straight again and tried her best to walk smoothly until she reached the door to her quarters.

Inside the spartan room, she lowered herself onto a chair and twisted the leg at the anchor. With a click and a soft hiss, the leg separated just below the knee. Meira set it aside and gently massaged the flesh of her leg right above the anchor. She sighed. Even calibrated perfectly, she was still not used to the leg. The cybernetics were attuned perfectly to her nervous system, but it still felt like cold, dead matter. With care, she peeled away her sweaty robes and, using a crutch by her chair, moved to the refresher.

Later, clean and changed, she walked more smoothly to a meditation chamber. Here, she sat, eyes closed and breathing steady. She allowed her mind to move through the training Shatani had been helping her with. She concentrated on the trust she needed to place in the new limb. She needed to treat it as her own body, knowing that the cybernetics would respond as her own flesh had. Yet she also needed to understand that her connection in the force would no longer flow past that knee. She could run, but she could not use the force to augment her speed. Any assisted jump would have to focus entirely through the other leg. Her balance had to be adjusted. And through all of this, she had to battle. Frustration waged a war in her mind that she did not know how to combat. And then there were the phantom pains...

A soft tone brought Meira out of her meditation. She blinked, her eyes refocusing in the dim light. The tone sounded again and Meira realized it was her datapad. She lifted it from where it sat beside her and read the message. Then she stood and left the chamber. Perhaps a mission was exactly what she needed.

---

"Jho," she said over the ship's comm, "we'll be landing soon. Security Chief Vrrnuk will be meeting us at the landing pad."

She released the comm and initiated the automatic landing sequence before standing from the pilot's chair and moving back through the small transport to her bunk. Dawning her Jedi robe over her sleeveless tunic, Meira then tied back her dreadlocks. Her lightsaber was clipped to her belt at the side so that her robe would conceal it. It was common knowledge that the Jedi carried such weapons, but it was no necessary to display them at all times. Especially on an independent planet. While here, they would be following the Zexx's lead. She wanted Chief Vrrnuk to remain confident in his position of command.

She was at the ramp just as the ship settled down on the landing pad. When the sequence was complete, a light changed from red to green at the the ramp controls and Meira pressed the button to open the doors and lower the ramp. She paused a moment to wait for Jho, but then saw that Vrrnuk was already on the landing pad. With a sigh, she moved down the ramp. The padawan would simply have to catch up.

"Jedi Knight Valli?" Vrrnuk questioned as she reached the bottom of the ramp.

"Yes." she replied. "And you must be Security Chief Vrrnuk." she bowed. "I am glad to meet you in person after our correspondence."

"And where is your Padawan?" Vrrnuk asked.

[Dutch]

"Jho,” A loud thunk! would sound from the galley as the lounged devaronian’s boot slid off a small table onto the deck. Followed by a quick snort of waking padawan, a single baleful black eye would slide open to glare at the overhead comm speaker. One gangly leg still kicked up onto said table, the lad reclined back from his stool to lean against a cold durasteel corner again.

“We'll be landing soon. Security Chief Vrrnuk will be meeting us at the landing pad." Jho groaned and drowsily shifted to pull his tattered cloak’s hood up over his horns to cover his eyes. Surely this was a punishment, another of Master Vyshaan lessons to the merits of not sneaking off into Coruscant’s underbelly all night. The extra hundred credits earned from a dejarik game rested in the pouch at his hip had hardly been worth Verity sending him with the dreadlocked Knight on no sleep.

He could feel the familiar vibrations of a ship in its final stages of docking, though was in no particular rush to get moving. Slow and slumped Jho let his other boot fall to the floor with another loud thunk! before shifting to sit up. When his long arms rose to grip hands and stretch high an even longer yawn joined in tandem. The padawan’s tattooed arm dropped to pull back his hood, revealing the two short sweeping horns that were still growing from the fore of his head. He slid to stand with a stretch of his lanky legs, and instead of moving to where he heard Valli’s steps leading Jho shuffle off towards the fresher to relieve his bladder.

Even after hearing the ramp descend and the distant echo of voices Jho did not rush, instead choosing to use the small metal sink to splash cold water across his crimson visage. Toweling himself off with the frayed and torn edges of his cloak the padawan gave a resigned sigh and stomped away to join the Knight finally. His too long fingers retrieved a pack of cigarettes from a pouch, and a single white smoke was pulled out by rows of pointed devaronian teeth. A disposable igniter brought out from the pack too, the sound of Jho’s thumb clicking the igniter would echo in the cargo bay as he walked towards the ramp.

Over and over it clicked, clearly refusing to light even as his first boot hit the top of said ramp. Jho huffed in indignant disappointment, his scowl deepening as he began to descend. A fire in his chest over the lack of the igniter’s, the padawan carelessly flicked the dead igniter away then grabbed his lightsaber from where it hung at a belt. The iconic snap-hiss of the weapon would suddenly sound as the bronze blade was raised to touch the tip of Jho’s cigarette. The cherry flared to life, and a fresh wave of minty smoke would billow around the devaronian. Switched off once again Jho would spin the lightsaber by the ring at its base before returning it to hang off his belt.

Now standing just behind Meira, the padawan which stood nearly a head taller than her glared up at the security chief.

“... What’re you looking at?” Jho grumbled before exhaling smoke through his nostrils.

[Meira]

Vrrnuk was large, even by Zexx standards. Even in the slightly crouched position Meira understood to be a relaxed posture, he was taller than she was. This wasn’t exactly a difficult thing to accomplish, to be fair, but it said something about how formidable the Zexx could be. To say nothing of their imposing tusks and rough gray scales. Vrrnuk’s entirely alien features were hard for the Kiffar to read, as was the gruff growl of his voice. The force, however, was her ally and Meira could sense the emotions coming off of Vrrnuk as easily as she might have read a human face. There was slight impatience coming off of him, as well as a slight distrust. She pondered at that. Perhaps it was not his idea to involve Jedi in this investigation. They would have to be doubly careful if that were the case.

“Jho is-”

Snap-hiss. Meira’s eyes widened nearly imperceptibly, accompanied by the tightening of her jaw, at the sound behind her. The smell of smoke a moment later gave the apparent reason for igniting his weapon. Meira’s jaw tightened further. Jho chose that moment to make a less than cordial statement and Meira decided it was time to cut in before he could completely destroy their chances here before they even began their investigation.

“Chief Vrrnuk, please allow me to introduce Jho’zol’Fura, Padawan learner to Master Vyshaan. With your permission, he will observe and assist during this investigation.”

Vrrnuk turned his black eyes on Jho, his brow furrowing in a recognizable expression of scrutiny before looking back to Meira. “Very well.” he said, and then turned without further word and gestured for the two Jedi to follow him. Meira turned her head toward Jho before following after Vrrnuk.

“Would you rather spend these days confined to the transport?” she asked, but she did not wait for an answer. She turned and followed Vrrnuk toward the platforms entrance to the capitol city’s security headquarters.

The doors were large to accommodate the massive bodies of the Zexx. Meira passed through looking very much like a child. But in spite of her size, the Jedi Knight moved with confidence and authority. Vrrnuk lead them down a corridor to a lift, that then brought them down to the command levels, where his office was located. Once the door was closed behind them, Vrrnuk moved to his desk. Meira remained standing a few steps inside the door. Jho, on the other hand, appeared to not have read the brief she’d given him about the importance the Zexx place on property and ownership. He was almost settled in a chair before Meira could stop him. Moving quick, Meira took hold of Jho’s ragged cloak and pulled upward, stopping him from taking the seat.

At his desk, Vrrnuk had gone still, his eyes squinting in controlled anger at the two Jedi. Meira called on the force to augment her strength just enough to pull Jho back to a standing position and to move him a step or two away from the chairs. “Apologies, Chief Vrrnuk. Jho is ignorant of many customs.” She looked upward at the padawan with a pointed glare. “He is still very much a child and has a great deal to learn.”

Vrrnuk made a low grumbling sound that was hard to interpret, but he seemed placated. “You may sit.” he said a few moments later. Meira bowed her head slightly in thanks, and motioned for Jho to sit.

“Did you receive the data that I sent from Coruscant?” Meira then asked, after taking her own seat.

“We did.” Vrrnuk replied, tapping at something on his desk.

A glass wall to the side of the office went opaque, and then a screen appeared on its surface, displaying the correspondence that two had shared. From this, a file was opened revealing holo images of evidence collected from a suspected slave smuggling ship. The ship in question had been stopped by a Republic cruiser and boarded after its credentials were found to be forged. The ship’s manifests had logged large shipments of foodstuffs, but the cargo bay was found empty. Interrogation of the crew led to the suspicion of slave smuggling when logs showed the ship had made several stops on planets designated for refugee exfiltration. Reports of missing groups had been growing and the Republic was beginning to fear the worst. Interrogation of the crew led to many dead ends, and only one possible lead. The image of an olive green Twi’lek male then came up on the screen.

“This is the one you are searching for?” Vrrnuk asked, bringing the image full screen.

“Yes.” Meira said. “His name is Gul’Opauna, or Gulo as he sometimes calls himself. He has been connected to several illegal smuggling rings, and we believe he has information on the alleged trafficking of refugees from the mid rim worlds. Our sources indicate he recently arrived here for Nar Shaddaa.”

“Why would he come here?” Vrrnuk asked.

[Dutch]

Jho followed in sullen silence after being scolded. Meira was in charge, that had been made clear to him by his Master and now by her. Even with that though, as Jho admired the way her robes fell over her rear it reminded him that she wasn’t too much older than himself. As they walked the devaronian regularly rotated between long drags of his smoke, glaring at passersby and the quick glance to check out Meira. He hadn’t voiced his approval of her racial tattoos nor her fantastic dreadlocks, but wouldn’t deny it either. Despite being stuck on the mission and likely unable to sneak off to gamble somewhere, he had to admit it could be worse.

On entering the Chief’s office, two of Jho’s knuckled red fingers would put out the butt of his cigarette on the door frame behind everyone’s backs. In habit he shifted over to take a seat before Vrrnuk’s desk. To his surprise he was stopped, black eyes turned to see Meira with a fistful of his tattered cloak. He blinked then glared as the Force lifted within Meira and she moved him up and away from his intended seat. His lips formed a pursed scowl as he glared deeper in return to the kiffar’s. Jho huffed when the Chief allowed them to sit, and crossed his arms stubbornly when Meira motioned for him to.

Instead the padawan moved to stand behind Meira, his bony shoulder blades leaned against the wall. Still fuming silently Jho pulled his datapad from a pouch at his hip and keyed up his favorite dejarik simulator. As the Chief and Meira talked and discussed their task, he would keep one ear on the conversation. Their meeting would be punctuated by the occasional blip of a dejarik piece moving, and random poorly timed tiny shrieks of defeated monsters. Jho scowled as the sim outsmarted his Tulleman’s Gambit, mirroring Rikki’s own penchant for seeing a step ahead of him. Under his breath the devaronian grumbled something about a smug furball and shaving him in his sleep.

“Why would he come here?” Jho overhead, his pitch eyes sliding from the datapad to the Chief’s screen. Though at first the twi’lek looked no different than any other who’ve chosen the fringer lifestyle, the devaronian quickly noticed the man’s tattoos.

“‘Cause Prazhi is full of stupid, desperate people.” Jho piped in with a lackadaisical shrug of his wide shoulders before Meira could reply to Vrrnuk. He swiped away his dejarik sim to start punching in holonet search keys. The devaronian then shifted to hand Meira his datapad, a dossier pulled up on one of the Hutt Cartel families.

“Gulo is a Cartel yunashani. A ‘body hunter’. The blue hawkbat on his neck is their mark. The five black rings on both lekku, a sign of the Five Families. And the red teardrop means he’s owned by that Hutt” Jho said with a nod to the datapad Meira held.

[Meira]

Jho’s stubborn refusal to sit caused Meira to inwardly smile. He might think he was showing some sort of defiance in his gesture to suddenly refuse the seat, but he’d be wrong. If he had read the information she’d given him, he’d know that his behavior would be more likely interpreted as respectfully apologetic to the Zexx security chief. By remaining standing after his faux pas, he was silently telling Vrrnuk that he had been in the wrong and was now unworthy of the courtesy being shown to him. Meira felt no need to correct the padawan on this.

His interruption did, however, cause Meira to audibly sigh. Her shoulders sagged slightly, and she hoped that her eyes conveyed her continued apology to Vrrnuk. To his credit, the security chief seemed to be growing immune to Jho’s abrasive personality. He showed no outward signs of offense this time. This wasn’t to say that Jho was not still sabotaging their efforts with the Zexx, however. It was very possibly that Vrrnuk was approaching the limits of his grace. It might be best to send Jho back to the ship until she had something for him to do.

But before she could suggest that, Jho surprised her with a very succinct yet insightful analysis of their suspect’s tattoos. She took the datapad he’d offered, looking over the write-up on one Yaro Besadii Diori. The Republic had suspicion that the Hutts had been involved in the refugee disappearances, and when Gulo had become a suspect, that belief had all but been confirmed. The hawkbat and ring tattoos had been known as sure signs that Gulo was a Hutt vassal, but the teardrop had eluded their records. If Jho was correct, it would make sense. Yaro was a relatively low level player in the cartel, new to the game and mostly unknown outside the inner criminal circles. His personal calling cards would not yet be well documented. Vyshaan was right. The boy’s vices could be useful.

“Prazhi’s status as a neutral system is attractive to those who wish to remain under the radar with the Republic.” Meira said, turning her attention back to Vrrnuk. Your proximity to contested systems is another aspect that might appeal to him. And lastly, slavery is not a crime under Prazhi law.”

“Then what does it matter to us if he conducts his business here?” Vrrnuk asked, leaning back from his desk. Meira noticed this as a dismissal of concern. This would not help them. They needed Zexx cooperation. Without it, they were powerless to stop this abuse of the helpless. In response to his posture, she sat up straighter, leaning forward.

“The people this man has taken do not belong to him.” It would be a lie to say that she did not infuse her words with the force to give more weight to their truth. “They are free beings that belong to no one but themselves. Gulo and Yaro,” she placed the datapad on Vrrnuk’s desk so that he could see the image of the hut, “have taken advantage of Prazhi’s hospitality, and they are using your planet for their own gains without your knowledge or permission.

“We are here to help the people they have stolen.” Meira said, coming to her feet. “But we respect the autonomy of the Zexx and will not presume to do as we wish with what is rightfully yours. We request to complete our investigation with your support. These refugees are not the only ones who have been wronged here.”

She did not like having to spin their efforts in this manner. Meira believed the need to stop such a despicable practice was reason enough. But the last thing the Republic needed was to worsen relationships with independent systems. Fighting a war on two fronts was difficult enough. So they needed to cooperate with the Zexx, even if Meira personally found it distasteful. If the enemy of one’s enemy was one’s friend… then she needed make the Zexx see that the Hutts were no friend to Prazhi.

Vrrnuk was silent in his chair while Meira spoke. It was difficult to tell if her words had moved him. Based on physical appearance alone, she would think not. But through the force, she could sense at least a hint of indecision in him. She reached further, trying to sort out what it was that gave the Zexx pause. Below the surface, there was some conflict. Without personal knowledge of Vrrnuk, or the Zexx in general, it was difficult to understand the angles. There was concern, there, focused toward authority. Perhaps he was under pressure from higher ranking officials in certain areas. There was contempt, geared toward both herself and Jho. The Zexx were not necessarily a xenophobic species, but they were not known for their patience or their accommodation toward other cultural practices. It was possible that Jho had done more damage than she thought. There was anger, and Meira could definitely feel that anger connected to their suspect. Her words had appealed to that strongly held sense of ownership then. Good.

“Prazhi is neutral.” Vrrnuk said after a few moments. “What you others do to each other is not our concern.” He swiped his hand across a panel on his desk and the screened wall went blank. But it did not clear to the transparency it had before they entered the office. Vrrnuk paused again, his black eyes focused on Meira. “But you are not wrong that these criminals have overstepped their bounds. You may conduct your investigation, but you will do so quietly. And if you find this Gulo, you will contact me and we will make the arrest. You do not have that authority here. Once we have him in custody, we will transfer the prisoner over to you, and you will leave. Do we have an understanding?”

“We do.” Meira said, squaring herself toward Vrrnuk. “Thank you.” She bowed slightly and then straightened, waiting. When Vrrnuk gestured toward the door, she turned and motioned for Jho to follow.

[Dutch]

Jho returned to his spot against the wall as Meira and the Chief began to talk once more. The devaronian wasn’t surprised by the lack of kudos given for his obviously case breaking information. A padawan rarely received the credit, and Jho was used to being regarded as an idle punker. His hand retrieved the hilt of his lightsaber and began to fiddle with it.

Over and over the weapon would be rolled, flipped and played between long red fingers. Every wobble noted and each uneven roll accounted for. Even after his most recent retooling of the lightsaber, Jho figured the pommel ring could gain another gram to help balance out the emitter. He became keenly aware Meira would likely scold him again were he caught with the lightsaber out, and quickly spun the weapon to be hooked back onto his belt.

Arms crossed once more to further disprove any accusation Vrrnuk may make, the padawan merely stood there and listened to them talk on. He wondered what Master Verity and Rikkavi were doing, whether they too were stuck in endless talk or if on some grand adventure without him. A secret envy rose to Jho’s cheeks, and he huffed in disapproval.

When the conversation finally seemed to come to an end, the devaronian was sure to shoot the Chief one last dirty look before dutifully following. A step behind Meira, the slouched padawan let his gaze wander about casually. As they passed through the security office, Jho’s black eyes noted an neglected igniter upon an empty desk. Nimble fingers gave it a new home in one of his pockets, only to be retrieved once they exited the building.

A fresh cigarette was pulled from the box, and lit with the filched igniter before it was slid into the same pouch as Jho’s smokes. With a lengthier step the devaronian sidled up to walk next to Meira, a nod of his chin towards her given.

“Gulo gonna be in places you won’t approve. Scummy cantinas filled with fringers who’d have no problems bagging a pretty young Jedi. Lemme go find the tail-headed trash, and you can bring the local badges to arrest him.”

[Meira]

Meira was in her own thoughts as they made their way out of the police station. While it was true that the Zexx didn't have much patience for the cultures of other species, they weren't ones to turn down their business. So long as outsiders played by local rules, most were welcome on the planet if they made themselves useful. That meant that there would be a fair few places Gulo could be. Their only advantage was that those places were likely in the sectors near the space ports. Outsiders didn't tend to stray too far from those areas, welcome or not.

Jho was soon matching her steps beside her, and adding his own opinion as to their next move to her thoughts. Meira glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, arching a brow at his assumptions. But she did not reply to him just then. They were almost to the ship, and she preferred to do any discussing in private. They didn't really have anything to hide from the Zexx, but their distrust fueled her own. It was better to err on the side of safety.

Once on board the ship, Meira pulled up some information on the different establishments around the space port on the datapad. There were plenty of cantinas and gambling dens to choose from. Too many actually. If they took too long searching, they ran the risk of someone tipping Gulo off before they could find him. He'd be long gone and they'd be back at square one. She set the datapad down on a table and heaved a sigh. She turned her eyes on Jho, considering. She really didn't want to validate his less than diplomatic remarks but... crude or not, he was on to something.

"You can start on the north side of the docks." she said, sliding the datapad toward him on the table. She stepped away, removing her Jedi robe and laying it across the back of a chair. "I'll start at the docks themselves and see if there's anything to be found about the ship they were using." Sitting herself down in the chair, Meira began to lower the leg of the soft leather boot covering her prosthetic. She took her lightsaber from where it was clipped on her belt and pressed it in next to the mechanical leg, then pulled the boot back up to cover both. The boot leg was loose enough that it barely showed any sign of what it concealed. An adjustable strap along the inside of the top assured it would not fall down to give anything away. She stood then, taking a few steps around the cramped space to make sure the lightsaber wouldn't shift around as she walked. Satisfied, she moved over to a cabinet and retrieved two comms. She tossed one to Jho.

"Remember that we cannot be the ones to move in on Gulo. If you find him, you contact me and wait. This mission isn't about you showing off what you can do, or even showing off that you don't have to listen to anyone if you don't want to. It's not about you or me at all. This is about the people Gulo is exploiting." She turned to walk down the ship's ramp, but stopped about half way. "Make sure you hide that." she said, turning and pointing to Jho's lightsaber. "They might like to bag a pretty young Jedi, but I'd imagine they'd settle for you in a pinch."

[Dutch]

Jho huffed and shoved his free hand deeper into the belts at his waist as Meira seemed to utterly ignore him. The cigarette he had smoked quickly met an end in his frustration to be flicked haphazardly away after. He followed her in matched silence as they walked up the ramp into their ship, Jho’s boots noticeably louder than Meira’s on the metal. The devaronian lad watched Meira as she flipped around on a datapad, his lanky arms now crossed as he stood opposite from the table from her.

His black eyes would narrow suspiciously and Jho would shift in barely restrained impatience until her bright greens met his gaze. The padawan now stood awkwardly still and stared back at her, a single brow arched in uncertainty. He had become used to Verity; her expressions, nature, and general approach with him. But the kiffar before him was still largely an unknown. Right before he was to utter a rude and curt ’What? Meira finally spoke.

The devaronian’s eyes widened in surprise, stunned that a knight had finally agreed with him. Mostly. He didn’t retrieve the datapad pushed towards him, instead Jho watched Meira in stunned silence as she removed her robe and continued to speak. His eyes wandered the lines of her further revealed tattoo, but quickly looked away as they found their way to the skin-tight top she wore beneath her robe. Instead they found their way to examine Meira’s prosthetic, silently curious to its origins. He furrowed both brows as she hid her lightsaber, but quickly unknit them as it dawned she no longer appeared as a Jedi. Jho shifted to move out of her way as Meira tested her hilt’s security.

He caught the tossed comm easily with one hand, the device was stowed in one of Jho’s pouches and followed by the datapad he remembered to nab. A single nod given in confirmation to her directions, Jho’s own preparations came in wrapping his cloak more like a ragged scarf followed by the raising of his hood. With only the lower half of his face revealed, his lips twisted into a disapproving scowl at Meira’s taunt.

Jho un-clipped his lightsaber and shoved it into the back of his burnished leather pants so only half of the shining silvery ring was visible. He rotated his torso with both arms raised to ensure his hilt was secured, and shoved both hands into pockets. The devaronian sauntered down the ramp, only to pause for a second by Meira to huff a simple.

“Like to see them try.” Before his long powerful legs power walked Jho quickly into the port’s crowd.

[Meira]

Since she was facing away from him, Meira didn't have to hide the slight smile the padawan's response to her teasing elicited.

She took a roundabout way to the docks, working her way through a few neighborhoods rather than coming directly from the security station. She was fairly sure no one knew they were on the planet, but it didn't hurt to be a little cautious. With her shorter stature, it didn't take much to make herself an unremarkable face in the crowd.

After what felt like a decent amount of wandering through a small vendors market, Meira made her way toward the docks. Even with Prazhi's repuation as less than welcoming to outsiders, the docks were crowded and teeming with all manner of beings. She supposed the neutrality of the system outweighed the prejudice of its people. The docks themselves seemed well organized. There was a section for ships arriving at Prazhi as their final destination, another for ships just stopping through, and one for ships starting out their journey from the planet. This helped Meira narrow down her starting point, as she believed the ship transporting the hoodwinked refugees was only passing through Prazhi on its way somewhere else.

The offices for this section were housed in a well maintained, if plain, multi-leveled stone building. Meira entered and found herself gruffly directed to several different areas before told to wait for a dock supervisor. In a display of generosity, she was offered a small paper cup of water while she waited. Meira took it, gratefully, and sipped as she stood in the waiting area.