Private The Safest Place in the Galaxy

[Ishani Dinn]

"All right." Ishani scratched her head. "Well... should we go to Vestar together, or separately?"

Given that she had already bought a ticket home, and would have to get there in order to reach her ship, perhaps it would require a change in travel plans.

Tiland Kortun​

 

[Tiland Kortun]

Ishani Dinn

Tiland chewed at his lip for a few moments, considering. "Perhaps meet us there. I may need to arrange for some temporary security clearances to access the records of intelligence officers or their last effects, whichever one it really is."

 

[Ishani Dinn]

"Alright then." Ishani nodded. "I'll meet you at Vestar."

With that, she headed for her terminal, boarding a shuttle back to her homeworld. From there she would take her personal vessel, the Vixen, to Vestar to meet with Tiland and his friend...

Tiland Kortun

 

[Tiland Kortun]

Ishani Dinn

Tiland nodded, "Indeed, I shall see you at Vestar. I think the main spaceport. Give me.." He frowned for a moment, considering. "A week. That's how long it will take me, I think, to gain access to the records."

 

[Ishani Dinn]

Spaceport, Vestar
One Week Later

Returning home had been an emotional experience. Seeing her children again reminded her of what she had been running from. It seemed foolish to her now that she had ever tried to escape her old life, or at least the motherhood part of it.

Ishani's mother was waiting for her as well. Over mugs of hot chocolate she had sat and looked at her, really looked at her, for the first time in ages. Charisse's hair was going gray, her eyebrows lightening. She was developing wrinkles and jowls. She had a pillbox now, her days filled with medicines and vitamins. The process that had begun, for Ishani, with the death of her grandmother was accelerating. She was far more aware now that she couldn't afford to rely upon her mother so much. It wasn't fair to her.

"I'm taking the kids with me this time," she had told Charisse then. "We'll find a place to settle, one way or another."

Her mother had heaved a sigh. "I'd be lying if I said I never wished you'd settle close to home. But I knew you'd have to leave the nest some day, and I have faith in you. Even if you don't have much faith in yourself, I know you can do it."

It surprised Ishani when she felt that old familiar sting behind her eyelids and felt tears rolling down her cheeks. "I'll call you as often as I can," she'd said, wiping her eyes. "Marcus and Eloise can talk to you, too. Mom, I wish... I wish things didn't have to be this way too..."

"We all do," Charisse had replied, embracing her. "But all we can do is decide how to deal with what we have. I'm proud of you for what you're doing. Keep doing good, Ish, and you'll be all right."

In the present, as she made her way through the spaceport to the spot where she would meet with Tiland, Ishani was thoughtful. Once again, she carried no luggage, having left her belongings on her ship. Instead she guided two young children, a red-haired boy and girl aged three, by the hands.

Tiland Kortun

 

[Tiland Kortun]

Ishani Dinn

Tiland sat casually in a chair at the designated meeting point, once again cradling a cup of tea, with a small pot beside him, as well as several id-chips in a sealed envelope. It hadn't been quite as difficult as he had expected, since Kiyron was officially MIA, presumed dead. His personal records were easy enough to have declassify and gain access to.

As he caught sight of Ishani, he waved at their approach, then stood and bowed to the woman, and extra-low to the children. "Excellent! Very nice to see you were able to make it. And hello, small ones, it's a delight to meet you. You can call me Tiland. What are your names?"

 

[Ishani Dinn]

“Good to see you again,” Ishani greeted Tiland. The old man looked much the same as he had the last time they'd met, or at least he was no worse for wear. He expressed an interest in the twins, speaking to them and asking their names.

“My name is Eloise,” said the little girl, pointing to herself.

Her brother was much shyer, and had to be gently prompted by Ishani to reply, “Marcus.”

“Well,” Ishani began, holding the children close to her. “Were you able to find Kiyron?” Her gaze drifted to the sealed envelope on the table, taking in the small shape of the contents. Data chips or wafers, perhaps?

Tiland Kortun​

 

[Tiland Kortun]

Ishani Dinn

"Eloise and Marcus," Tiland repeated to himself before giving another bow. "Excellent names and delightful to meet you both." He straightened and considered, holding up the envelope, but shaking his head. "Nobody has heard from him, but I have access to his records and the key to his apartment, as well as permission to enter to see if we can find any evidence."

He turned, gesturing to them, "Not far at all. Would you want to go there or rest up first?"

 

[Ishani Dinn]

"I hope he left a substantial paper trail," Ishani said. The idea of sifting through the private records and belongings of a missing (and likely deceased) stranger to look for clues as to the location of a mysterious planet was... well, would it be weird or wicked of her to admit there was something oddly thrilling about it?

Tiland asked if she needed to rest first. "Let's go," she replied. "I'm very eager to see where this will lead."

Tiland Kortun​

 

[Tiland Kortun]

Ishani Dinn

"I suppose it is possible," Tiland admitted, letting the rhythm of the walking staff guide him out of the meeting area to a waiting speeder. "Although I suspect it's unlikely. He was deeply private and rarely seemed to be engaged in writing, but he may have left us a surprise."

Hopefully, it wasn't going to be a booby trap sort of surprise. Kiyron had been a sniper and scout, certainly fully capable of setting explosive traps or other deterrents. Those thoughts he kept to himself, however. He would just have to be aware and quite cautious initially.

The droid guided through the small community, out past the outskirts of town, and into the wilderness beyond. Wind whistled past the speeder until in the distance, a mountain ridge appeared on the horizon. Tiland pointed and called out over the wind whistling.

"He lived up there somewhere!"

 

[Ishani Dinn]

Rather than allow herself to dwell upon the possibility of this trip being far less fruitful than she hoped, Ishani focused on herding the children safely through the starport and into the awaiting speeder. The twins were fascinated by their new surroundings and easily distracted as they slowed down to stare at things and people they passed, only for Ishani to swoop in and make sure they kept moving.

“I want a dog like that,” Eloise announced, pointing to an alien in a neighboring vehicle who resembled a werewolf.

“Uh, we’ll see,” Ishani replied with a soft snort.

“You have too many pets,” Marcus complained. “And half of them want to eat Nostre!” He pointed to his pet snow mouse, who was currently hitching a ride on top of Marcus’ head, nesting among the boy’s ginger curls.

Eventually the speeder reached a rocky mountain ridge. Ishani looked up at it, feeling the height of the stone structure in her gut, then turned to Tiland and asked, “How are we going to get up there?”

Tiland Kortun​

 

[Tiland Kortun]

Ishani Dinn

Tiland let the speeder's engine wind down and the vehicle drifted to a stop at the base of the mesa. He paused to shade his eyes, studying the scrubbed slope above him, shaded by the cliff overhang. "Well, I suppose we walk."

He gave an ironic smile. "He always was a rugged sort. Scout-sniper, I believe, before he went into espionage." He stepped over the side of the speeder and adjusted the satchel around his shoulder, rolling his shoulders to get them loose. "Somewhere just below the ridge along that saddle, if I'm reading the terrain correctly. Shouldn't be more than an hour's walk, perhaps less if there is a trail up the ridgeline."

 

[Ishani Dinn]

Ishani found herself wondering if it might've been a better idea to leave the children in the care of their grandmother a little longer. Well, now it couldn't be helped. A walk certainly wouldn't kill them, and the trail up the mountain wasn't that steep.

Indeed, the children seemed happy to finally be free of the cramped, confining spaces of spaceships, buildings, and speeders. They ran around in the open, chasing each other and crouching down to look at various plants and insects or to collect unusual-looking rocks. Ishani kept an eye on them both, making sure they didn't venture too far or stumble upon any dangerous critters on their way up.

Tiland Kortun​

 

[Tiland Kortun]

Ishani Dinn

Tiland adjusted the satchel strap on his shoulder and tightened his grip on the quarterstaff. The other hand shaded his eyes as he scanned the side of the slope. He pursed his lips, eyes finally settling on a faint line that traced its way through the drab plant growth along the slope. His gaze traced it further down, until it disappeared into the shrub-land some distance away.

"I believe I have spotted a trail," Tiland said, lowering his head and double-checking the water bottles in his satchel. He would likely not need them, but the children would, he guessed. The trail was switchbacks most of the way up before it crested a ridge.

"Perhaps we will spot some wildlife," Tiland said towards the children. "Birds, maybe some sort of deer, if we're gentle. Can you all keep an eye out for them?"

 

[Ishani Dinn]

The walk was a zigzag up the mountain. Ishani had gone on hikes before, but this place was far from the lush forested mountains of her homeworld. The only signs of plant life were a few scraggly shrubs, and the trail was rocky and dusty. Kiyron must’ve been a hardy type indeed to have settled out here.

Thankfully the children didn’t complain. At Tiland’s instruction, the twins began to scour the wasted landscape, searching the slopes for animal life. Eloise in particular excelled at this task, pointing out various species of birds, some of them with natural camouflage that made them difficult to spot. Marcus’ eye was less keen than his sister’s, but he was the first to spot Kiyron’s abode from afar, pointing up and announcing, “House!”

Tiland Kortun​

 

[Tiland Kortun]

Ishani Dinn

Tiland nodded enthusiastically at each wildlife spotting, adding congratulations and a well done, even asking some questions about they thought some of them were like. When the one child called out house, Tiland looked up and shaded his eyes.

"Indeed it is! Well-spotted!" He adjusted the angle of his path slightly and picked his way up the slope. It was a rough duracrete structure placed just below the lip with a durasteel door and darkened windows.

After some time, he reached the doorway, and paused, probing the threshold with the bottom of his staff. No trip plate or other trap, as far as he could tell, at least unless it was a time-delay. He stepped forward and pressed his hand against the button on the door, rapping it with his knuckles.

A subtle application of the Force rippled through the door and pushed the lock open. With a screech, the door shuffled upwards.

"Ah, there we go." He stepped inside the door and squinted through the dim light that filtered in from outdoors. Everything was neatly organized and very sparse, but coated in dust.

"It's been a while, I think."

 

[Ishani Dinn]

The house was very plain and practical in design, looking more like the entrance to a military bunker than a home. As Tiland used the Force to open the door, Marcus exclaimed, “Magic!”

Eloise was fascinated as well, as was Ishani. “How do you do that?” she asked the old man, gesturing to the unlocked door. “Is there some trick to it, or do you just use the Force and hope for the best?”

She followed him inside, keeping the children close. While Tiland hadn’t mentioned that there might be traps, she noticed his cautious movements, and decided to mimic him, hanging back and letting the senior member of their group explore the place first.

Observing from the doorway, she saw that everything had been left untouched, though it was all covered in a thick layer of dust. Desert dust has its own character and scent—a parched, sandy, almost metallic quality that seemed harder and harsher than the fine particles of wetter climes. She sneezed into her elbow, blew her nose with a tissue, then muttered, “At least we won’t have to deal with mold or mildew in here, since it’s so dry…”

Tiland Kortun​

 

[Tiland Kortun]

Ishani Dinn

Tiland smiled at their excited exclamations, "Yes, I suppose magic is an apt descriptor." He paused for a moment after the other's question though, considering. "A bit of both. Sort of... feel the way that energy moves through the door and seek the path of least resistance, I suppose."

The monk paused not far from the doorway and stepped aside to let the others in. At Ishani's comment, he chuckled. "Indeed, you do not, although by my judgment, it may require new filter systems."

He moved his way through the room, studying the walls and niches for any supplies or materials that may have been left behind. "And perhaps a humidifier..."

 

[Ishani Dinn]

"The path of least resistance... huh." Ishani remained intrigued by Tiland's methods, but she let the matter go for the time being. The house remained to be explored.

"Where would Kiyron have kept his records and... uh, the other stuff we need to look for?" she asked, taking cautious steps inside the building.

Though she had done her best to rein in the twins, all it took was one momentary distraction. While Ishani was looking at a rather promising box, fearless Eloise slipped free of her grasp and took off into a dark room which the group had yet to examine. "Eloise!" Ishani exclaimed, her head jerking away from the safe and her feet already moving to intercept the child. She had no idea what might be in that room, but she certainly didn't want her daughter being the first to face it, much less on her own.

Tiland Kortun​

 

[Tiland Kortun]

Ishani Dinn

"Knowing him..." Tiland replied, standing on tiptoes to look on the top of a shelf. "Buried under a tree marked by a non-naturally occurring rock formation."

He turned suddenly at the sharpness in her voice and moved, with just the slightest application of the Force to move through the doorway. It was dark, but there was a faint light coming in from.

At the far end of the room stood a low bed, with a closet. Tiland found the switch on the wall and flicked it, activating the light. There was a firebox against one wall and he moved over to study it, tapping his fingers on the outside of the small box.

"Maybe in here," Tiland mused.