Veneration

[Laira Darkhold]

It was late standard time, the Outcast was zipping through Hyperspace and the ship was quiet. Laira had tried listening to music, she had tried counting sheep, even medicinal sleep aids but still she couldn’t calm her mind enough to rest. Everything was buzzing around in her mind, and so she sat and added to a letter she had been working on, now kept on a segregated datapad after Leo had found the first draft when he had hacked her station to check on her.

The fact that he cared enough to violate her privacy wasn’t lost on the redhead, but still, somethings were better kept to her own mind. This was one of them. It was everything she felt like she was leaving unsaid between her and all those she cared about. She didn’t have many friends, and her family was small without extended relatives so it wasn’t exactly a manuscript, but it was considerably lengthy. The redhead had tapped out a paragraph to Saeza most recently, when she sighed. Eventually she had hoped she would have the opportunity to start crossing things out rather than continuing adding page after page until it finally caught up to her.

Laira rolled out of her bed, her bare feet touching the cool, metal deck of the freighter. She pulled on a pair of shorts before making her way down the corridor to the galley, preparing two cups of tea. Saeza had declared her favorite drink to be Asahian Hot Tea, and so Laira pressed a few buttons on the processor and the two cups were quickly filled with steaming liquid. It wasn’t as good as the real stuff, but Laira didn’t keep enough of her money to afford to stock the ship up with delicacies all that often so it would have to do.

With the cups made she stealthily moved past Leo’s door and found Saeza’s room. She pressed the door button with her elbow, a second later it slid open quietly. Dim light from the girl’s lamp glowed through the threshold and Laira could feel her friend’s presence inside. She took a step inside the room, “Hi, I thought I’d check in on you. It’s pretty late.”

“Yes, I was almost finished with my book.” The yuuzhan Vong held up the datapad, the electronic-book upon it. “Decided to stay up to finish it. Come in.”

With the invitation, Laira smiled and made her way over to the bed. Saeza was already scooching out of the way to make space for Laira to sit down next to her. “I made some tea. Your favorite.” Laira said, adding emphasis to the final utterance. Saeza was only very recently deciding she had favorite anythings, and so the redhead was determined to remember them as best as she could.

“Thank you.” Saeza said, taking the mug in her hand as Laira slipped onto the bed. “What is keeping you up?”

The redhead sighed deeply, “A lot of things lately.” She sipped on her cup, careful not to take a gulp of the hot liquid as she did. Saeza put her datapad off to the side, pushing it away. “Which one was that?”

“Exile’s Honor. Its about Knights and queens and such. Knight gets captured by an enemy nation who help him through his issues and show him that there is good in everyone.” Saeza smiled, her bluish-grey cheeks forming dimples on either side of her mouth. “I thought perhaps if I read it, it might help me understand you better.”

Laira’s brow furrowed at the comment. “Is it any good?”

“I liked it. I’ve already downloaded the second book to start tomorrow.” Saeza brushed her hair out of her face and sipped her own drink. “Are you ready to talk?”

“No.” Laira muttered, her eyes starting to water. “But I don’t feel like I can take much more on my own.”

“Perhaps that is the root of your issue. You said you had resolved to be a Jedi, to make the galaxy a better place, and to save as many people as you can. Why not start with yourself? Why must it be you against the galaxy?” Saeza asked. In some ways, the Yuuzhan Vong was wiser than her mother and father combined, even if she was incredibly naive and not worldly in the slightest.

“Because,” the redhead started. “Because everytime someone helps me, they get hurt. Or worse, they die. I can’t let that happen anymore, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have bothered you.” Laira started to stand but was caught by the Yuuzhan Vong.

“Stay.” She said, big golden eyes practically begging the redhead to remain. “Did you know I never had a friend before. I’m still learning what it means to have one, and because of you, now I have a chance to have two. But from what I’ve read, part of being a friend is being able to support one another.”

“Yeah, but,-” Laira started.

“No, if you leave now and won’t let me help you, we are not friends according to every book I’ve read. Please, I know what it’s like to be alone.” Laira swallowed, nodding as she got comfortable on the bed again. It seemed like a guilt-trip, but Saeza wasn’t capable of manipulating someone in that way. She stated it like it was a matter of fact, either Laira stayed because she thought they were friends, or she left because they weren’t.

“I’m sorry, You’re right. It’s just that, all my friends get hurt. Elpsis, Stalgis, Leo, every wingman I’ve ever had. Now mom and dad are home, and I know they’ve taken precautions, but any day now they could be next.” Her mother had seen to appointing a Body Double, all the art and pictures on display were of that woman who was filling in for her. They looked similar, but different enough that side by side photos wouldn’t match. She’d been altered some surgically to match Laira’s medical records. But even with all that, there was still a chance of the worst happening.

“Yes, but is that your fault?”

“I’m the one who gave Leo the scars on his face. We’re just lucky he was the only one I hurt. Stalgis died because he was trying to protect me. Elpsis,” she paused, collecting her thoughts and steadying herself. “She needed me, and maybe I wouldn’t have changed anything that happened to her, but I certainly could have been there when we found her. Maybe that would have helped her in some way, but now we’ll never know. And my actions reflect on Alderaan as much as I don’t want them to. I’m not the princess my parent’s wanted, but I am still their daughter.”

“Yes, but if you could live with just hiding you wouldn’t be a Jedi.” Saeza answered. “Did you learn from these mistakes? That is the measure of a person's worth.”

“Read that in a book, huh?”

“Yes. Everything is in books, you just have to read the right ones.”

“Let’s say I’m trying to learn from these mistakes. I still can’t fix them. I can’t bring anyone back from the dead. I can’t go back and be there for Elpsis when she got found.” Laira retorted, unsure about continuing to spill her heart out. Saeza was trying to be helpful, and it felt good to finally be able to release all the pent-up trauma she’d been unable or unwilling to share with anyone else. Still, there was the looming shadow ‘What if she was right? What if the Galaxy was just turned against her?’

“Fix what you can. Learn from the rest. If you try with all your heart and it’s still not enough, all you can do is learn from the experience. That’s all anyone can do. It will be difficult, and we will fail sometimes. But that is what it is to be a Jedi. To try, and sometimes, we make the impossible a reality because of it.”

“And what happens if you die protecting me too?”

“Then it would be a good death. I would have no regrets.”

 

[Laira Darkhold]

The air was frigid, the temperature regulator had been acting up and Laira found herself underneath the unit with several open panels and tools scattered around her workplace. She was elbow deep in the device, working on checking her initial diagnosis while Rowdy sat nearby. Somethings the droid just wasn’t equipped for, mainly crawling in closed-confined spaces. “Hand me the eight millimeter please.” She asked, holding her hand out from under the regulator. A moment later the tool was placed in her hand and she resumed working. She could hear the sound of boots against the deck, too light to be Leo, approaching the little project. “Hi Saeza, just a little busy.”

The girl didn’t seem to mind and found a seat on a toolbox that wasn’t in use. She was wearing her masquer, as it did help keep her comfortable, and a large fur collar around her neck to keep warm. A heavy contrast to the greasy tanktop Laira wore, but since two hours ago the engineering bay had been forty degrees and pouring steam, it seemed like the sensible choice at the time.

“How is the machine? Will it live?”

Laira grumbled as she used the wrench on a hard to reach piece of equipment. “Probably. If we can’t get it fixed in an hour, I’ll stop at the next planet to get it replaced.” Not that she really had the money to afford a new regulator, but they could scrounge up some things to sell out of the cargo. Worst case she could sell her spare speeder bike for the work.

“Good. I had some questions for you.”

“Oh?” Laira asked, as if she wasn’t focusing on a difficult project.

“Yes, we talked the other night and I’ve been thinking about it.” Laira shuddered. She had more or less poured her heart out to the girl and Saeza had been remarkably helpful at the time. Still there was the looming shadow Laira felt around many of her friends. “About what happened to you on Tephrike. Leo doesn’t talk about it either.”

Laira slid out from under the regulator. “Now isn’t a great time, hun. I don’t know if you can tell, but we are about three hours from being a brick of ice if I don’t fix this.”

“I’ve already set course of Adumar in case you are unable to complete the repairs. We should be there in an hour.” Saeza responded, cocking her head to the side, “I think you should tell someone what happened to you. Not what you did wrong, but what you went through.”

“What have you been reading?” Laira grunted, sliding back under the temperature regulator to continue working.

“I’ve been studying a few books lately, but none about this. I do not really have a comparable experience. Azure was the first time I’d been forced to take a life. It was regrettable, and I am sorry it happened. But it does not seem to compare to Tephrike, so I would like to hear about it.” Saeza’s voice was the same soft, kind one she had used the other night.

“Fine.” Laira said, holding her hand back out from underneath the regulator, “But you have to pass me tools. The soldering gun please.” Saeza placed the tool into the redhead’s hand and then returned to her seat, waiting for Laira to begin.

“So, first I guess there was the fight above the Dominion’s capital. I was in charge of the fighter escort, we had a ton of them. Way better than the Z-ninety-fives the Dominion was using. Anyway, there was some kind of internal struggle with the Dominion. Some of them seemed to want to make peace, the rest tried to ambush us. I hesitated, tried to give them a chance to deal with the internal issues themselves and it was probably a mistake. We started fighting, and a few of us got shot down in the jungles while opening a hole for the diplomats Firemane had sent. Me included. Goggles.” She said, donning them as soon as she got them. Blue glow from the tool she was holding could be seen underneath the regulator as she worked.

“Anyways, there were a few of us. Six. We watched the Dominion kill some others they found before we could gather them up.” The redhead grunted as she affixed a piece of motherboard back together, snapping the piece into place. “We lost Disret, a Firemane trooper, early. Cix, one of Leo’s squadmates was slowly dying and we couldn’t help him. We got pinned down and had to fight with our backs against a wall. One of their Jedi lead a team to capture or destroy us.” She blinked away tears remembering their duel. “Kenth Hammer, he was a good Jedi. This looks good to me, Rowdy, give it a whirl.”

The droid clicked the device and waited for it to go through the startup sequence while Laira extracted herself from underneath it. “How do you know he was?” Saeza asked when the redhead was free.

“Because after I killed him, he went back to the Force. I’ve seen his spirit since then. He was good.”

Saeza shrugged her shoulders. “His alignment is still irrelevant. He was an enemy who sought to harm you and your friends. You kept them safe.”

“I know that. I’ve come to terms that he and I just happened to be on opposite sides that day, but it still sucks to know he’s gone because of me. Like I was saying, I killed him, and then some rebels showed up to help us. They made a corridor for four of us to run off. Cix couldn’t make it, so he sacrificed himself to hold the Dominion’s soldiers off while we escaped.”

“Do you think had you not confronted Kenth that he would have been able to subdue your friends?”

“Yeah. He pretty much had me beat.”

“Then we can assume you saved the lives of your allies through your actions.”

“I suppose, but it's not like I wasn’t taking other lives to do so.” Laira wiped her face, leaving a streak of grease and grim on her cheek. “We ran off. We spent a few days hiding in a hole before Firemane picked us up and dropped me in a bacta tank for a few more days. Naya, a woman I met told me ‘it is hard for a good person to be a good leader. You must decide whose lives you want to protect’ while we were hiding out. I guess I decided wrong, though.”

“Stay focused.” Saeza reminded the redhead, still just sitting on the tool box with one leg crossed over the other as she listened to the tale.

“Right,” Laira nodded, “Elpsis’ mom asked me if I wanted to go to Fort Purity or if I wanted to go look for Elpsis. I decided to go to Fort Purity.” Everything about that decision had been a mistake. The battle had been hellish and the repercussions for it still followed her everywhere she went.

“Why?”

“Because I was afraid she would be dead and I’d snap. Go crazy. Start killing people randomly.”

“And that was the only reason?” Saeza’s brow betrayed her quizzical nature.

“No," Laira paused, pursing her lips. She'd admitted to herself that her issues about her father's dark side had been the primary reason for her decision. That was not to say it was the vast majority or the singular reason, however. "I also wanted to be there if my other friends needed me. The ones I knew were still alive. I thought if I went with them I could help keep them that way.” She sighed, blinking tears out of her eyes to run down her cheeks, further smearing the grease she had rubbed there. “Purity was, awful. They made it rain to trap us there, they used pit traps, tunnels, ambushes. It was, messy. I don’t think you want anymore details than that.”

“I do not want them. But I think it might help if you say them anyway. If for nothing else, so you remember how it was there.”

“Been reading up on therapy?”

“Not recently. I once sat with an old Jedi Master who was going to die soon as one of my jobs. I had to change his bedpan and check him for one of the older students who was busy with their studies, but he liked to talk to me while I was there. He had been on Togoria when the Sith Empire sacked it, and so to help him I read several books.”

“What happened to him?”

“He died one day while I was doing other chores around the enclave.”

“Did he ever thank you?”

“I don’t know. Master Varon told me I helped his friend and so I believe that I did. Even if it was only a little, only to make the time go faster and feel easier before he passed.” Saeza batted her eyes, and Laira could feel the lingering tips of sorrow. Laira knew it must have been hard for a young teenager to sit with a dying man for his final days, she had likely been given the job as an insult and yet, she had been able to bring something good from it. “You were at Fort Purity.”

“Well, it was terrible. There was mud, dirt, blood, and death everywhere. I remember hearing the groans, they were the worst.” She shuddered, “We fought our way up the mountain as best as we could. I was working alongside a woman named Xalda as we moved up. She was an earth shaper like me, so we tried to work in tandem. When we got bogged down, it kinda slowed down for a little while. Turned into hiding from sharpshooters while trying to take out some of their soldiers when we could."

“When it picked back up, the Dominion sent out its elites. Big Force Users equipped with Force Imbued weaponry that they used in odd ways. I fought a few of them, Stalgis had to come save me. While he was helping me off the ground, he got impaled by one of them. He died before he hit the ground, in my arms. Ion, our medic stapled me back together just in time for the Dominion to get desperate. They sent out their younglings to charge us, I guess they thought it would panic us, make us retreat or give up. I’m not sure exactly why they sent them out, but for me, it worked.”

“What did you do?”

“I realized everyone was going to stand their ground, I decided those children deserved to be protected, and I slashed someone’s gun in half. I think I kicked someone else, but Leo tackled me to the ground before I could do much else.” She rubbed her arm, turning part of it black like her cheek. “Luckily he did before I actually hurt anyone too, but in the end I freaked and cut up his face while he was busy saving me from my own stupidity.”

“You went through great turmoil, Laira.” Saeza asked, awkwardly placing a hand on the small of Laira’s back. Laira was crying now, but she had the wherewithal to pull Saeza’s hand up to her shoulder instead of the small of her back. “It is over now, but there will be more to come. When you came through all that, you resolved to be a Jedi so that you could make the galaxy better. So that you could atone for what you did wrong, to honor the people you lost. It’s not going to be easy, but if you hold to your resolution you will in time. But you don’t have to face it alone anymore.” Laira hugged the raven-haired Yuuzhan Vong tight, getting grease and grime on her neck and tunic.

 

[Laira Darkhold]

“How long does this take?” Laira asked, her boots up on the rail in front of her. To her left was Saeza, and another seat down was Master B’rahk, bristling from having been left on hold for the last ten minutes. He was attending an Advisory Council meeting at the request of Chief of State Gul D’razi, but had been left on hold while ‘other matters’ were attended to by council.

He grunted an unintelligible response but Laira could tell he was annoyed. After another ten minutes passed the image of the Advisory Council appeared. Their faces and voices were distorted, as was the standard for their protection when meetings were attended remotely. Everyone who should be known, was already known.

“Thank you for your patience Master Jedi.” The only clear face and voice in the lot of them was the Duros leader seated at the head of the Council bench, his chair had a slightly higher back than the rest of them but they were all seated on the same level. Several department heads and military officers made up the small group of men and women of various species. “The next item on the agenda regards the use of nuclear weapons. I would like to hear from the Jedi Master first before hearing from other military personnel. If you would,” The Chief of State said, nodding to the Hologram of Master B’rahk.

“Absolutely not.” The whiphid retorted immediately. “Such weaponry is devastating in the long term, to soil, air, and groundwater. Their immediate uses if they could be contained to military targets could be useful, but other, more discriminate weapons fill the role with less long term issues.”

“As a rebuttal to the Jedi, some Sith Worlds are totally under the sway of their Sith Overlords. Every man and woman willing to sacrifice their children at their Dark Lord’s whim without so much as a second thought. Why not allow their use then?” The distorted voice came from a very well dressed woman seated at the Chief of State’s right, like the Secretary of State, but the Advisory Council had been known to mix up the chairs to ensure anonymity from time to time.

“Jedi cannot go massacring every brainwashed populace, no matter how many drugs Sith have dumped into their water supply.”

“Ah, but we are not discussing Jedi using Nuclear Weapons, Master. We are discussing the Resistance using them.”

“Cutting hairs. If you use them and I support you, I used them.” B’rahk spat, the hairs on his neck were standing on end with frustration.

Laira leaned forward, dropping her boots to the deck, “Yeah.” She added causing the faceless entities to turn towards her. Her name was spoken for the record, but not transmitted across the sub-space line. “Listen, we will deal with fighting brainwashed masses, we will deal with fighting civilians who rush us in the field, we will even deal with some collateral damage that happens. But at a certain point, it stops being about the greater good and starts being about punishing their populations. The line has to be somewhere or we aren’t better than they are.”

The Chief of State nodded, “Agreed Padawan, that is why we are discussing the matter. To discern where the line shall be drawn. We will now hear from General,” The name distorted completely.

The officer leaned forward to address the Council, his voice grating and robotic through the call. “I’m forced to agree with the Jedi. Orbital Strikes, ISBM’s, and other direct ordinance could suffice. If the goal was decimation of a large area, a sustained bombardment could be employed.”

Another councillor spoke up, “The Fleet cannot always be deployed to target worlds. A single explosive could decimate almost three thousand square kilometers and has the potential to be deployed by a small infiltration team. That level of destructive potential cannot be overlooked.”

“Then why aren’t the Sith doing it?” Saeza said suddenly, Laira raising an eyebrow to her friend. Saeza did not normally speak up, and certainly not with any authoritative tone.

“Excuse me?” The councillor asked.

“I asked why aren’t the Sith using small infiltration teams to deploy such weapons on enemy worlds.” She repeated sternly.

“They lack the same resources we have.”

“The Sith, lack, the same resources we, a small independent fleet with no planetary support possess?” Laira added with a sarcastic voice.

“Our infiltrators are some of the best-”

“Yes, yes they are. I’ve worked with them several times.” B’rahk said dismissively. “The Sith themselves are innumerable, some can use the Force to possess new bodies when one is destroyed. How many times has the Emperor been killed? Are you telling me they can’t, but we can?”

The councillor stopped, stammering for a moment before the Chief of State clapped his hands, “I believe that’s enough testimony. Supreme Commander, you are hereby ordered to dismantle any and all nuclear weapons in the Resistance’s possession and for all those discovered by Resistance personnel.” The bothan on the far end of the bench grumbled, muttering under his breath. Laira had heard stories, and assumed that the Bothan would complain and detest, but given what she had heard he wouldn’t defy the order. B’rahk prepared to cut the connection, “One moment Master. We have one additional item you and your team may be able to assist with. The next item on the agenda regards the use of cybernetic, genetic, and surgical enhancement. I believe your team has experience with enhanced individuals.”

Laira blustered angrily, blushing red in her cheeks. Even Saeza seemed uneased by the topic.

“Yes. That is correct. An enhanced being serves alongside several of my Jedi.”

“Excellent. Can you testify as to their mental stability?” The Chief of State asked.

“Well, I can tell you they betrayed their makers and killed many of them since deserting.”

The Chief smiled, but yielded the floor to the other Councillors. The bothan on the end was the first to speak. “Yeah, people tend to do that when you jab them with all sorts of chit. What about his performance, to what degree is it enhanced.”

“HE’S FINE!” she yelled out, the anger in her voice clearly translated through the distortion.

“Calm down Padawan.” The Chief of State said calmly and flatly.

“He seems to do fine keeping up with my Padawans.” B’rahk remarked.

The woman councillor spoke up next, “And he has no physical detriments?”

“No.” Laira pouted, crossing her arms around her chest with a huff.

“Hmm,” the woman mused quietly, yielding the floor to the General who had advocated against nuclear weapons a moment ago.

“Having fought enhanced beings several times, I can testify to their performance on the field. It is above expectations, but we've managed to counter them with traditional troops plenty. Its an advantage, but they aren't unstoppable. However I’m unsure about subjecting even willing volunteers to such experiments. Does this being have an idea on the risks posed?”

B’rahk raised an eyebrow in Laira’s direction, gesturing for her to speak. The redhead was upset, and it was clear to anyone who was listening, just the way she wanted it. “About fifty percent didn’t make it.”

The Chief of State slapped the gavel, “That’s enough on that. I refuse to allow such a procedure to be used, even on willing volunteers. Science-”

The female councillor stayed the Chief’s hand, “I motion we table the discussion rather than rule on it at this time. I would like to examine the specimen and the data more thoroughly to determine if a less risky procedure exists. I mean, we aren’t Imperials, we don’t cut corners when it comes to safety.”

“Seconded.” Several other councillors jumped at the opportunity, and the Chief slammed his gavel again.

“So ordered. Master Jedi, you may disconnect.” The Chief didn't seem pleased with the ending, but had relented to the rule of order among the Council. The image faded and the meeting for the Jedi was over.

 

[Laira Darkhold]

Laira bounced along the metal decking, a slight skip to her step as the redhead wove through the masses of people walking along Capital Row. She had brought the Rebel Outcast in with Chief of State D’razi earlier that day, dropping him off in the executive hangar to little fanfare, though there were some that praised her and her crew for their role in his rescue, the Chief had left on more somber terms, leaving to write letters to the families of his bodyguards who had died defending him from the unidentified assailant. After that, he and the Advisory Council would have to discuss their plans relating to reaching out to other planets and the security protocols for such acts. But to Laira, she had her requisition voucher on the way and that meant her repairs and resupply was paid for already, just waiting for the Outcast’s turn in the Hollow’s repair bays.

In the meantime, she was left with around two thousand credits burning a hole in her pockets, demanding to be spent on frivolous toys the redhead most certainly did not need, but definitely desired. She bore a broad smile, moving through throngs of refugees who bustled in the massive corridor. A full kilometer long, more than a hundred meters wide and four stories tall, Capital Row reminded her of large city streets with towers stretching up on all sides with great durasteel walls.

Laira moved towards the first shop, smelling the baked good deeply, letting the aroma of freshly cooked muffins mix with the stench of the enclosed space with thousands of people in the background of the scent. “Mmmm, they smell delicious.” she said, silver eyes turning up towards the Ishi Tib running the kiosk.

“Zank you,” the being said, pulling out a small blueberry muffin, “Here, for ze young Jedi, a sample.”

“OH!” Laira took the offered gift gingerly, “Thank you so much.” It was still warm and soft from the oven as the redhead carefully unwrapped the muffin and took a small bite from the morsel. It was fluffy and moist in her mouth as she chewed slowly, “Mmhmmm, so good! How much for a full size one?”

“For ze Jedi, seven credits.”

“Here, I want five, four in a box please so I can share them with my friends.” Laira scarfed her remaining bite and fished out her credit chips, passing the appropriate amount to the alien and receiving a box of her fresh baked goods in one hand, her own in the other before smiling and continuing on her way shopping.

Her gait was more of a bounce than a walk, excitement zipping through her veins and pouring through her body as she looked on at all the colorful clothes and exotic wares being pedaled within the great hall. Everywhere her silver eyes gazed there were different species from different corners of the galaxy brought together on the great ship all seeking to make a life for themselves. Laira skipped over to a clothing store, peering through the transparisteel window at the dresses, skirts, and tops that caught her gaze, mostly in the zeltron fashion. She pushed open the door, the little bell above it ringing as she pressed inside alerting the shopkeeper to another customer. A few people were inside, perusing the wares. A young woman and her friend were being fitted for wedding dresses, not an uncommon occurrence for the young generation of freedom fighters to get married between deployments. Laira stopped to look at the swimsuits when she was approached by an elderly Zeltron man. “May I assist you ma’am?”

“Oh, just looking. My last bikini got ruined on Manaan, and I was thinking about getting one for just in case I get to go on vacation.” She responded, pulling one off the wrack.

“A lady like you should never wear off the wrack,” the tailor insisted, pushing her hand back. His pheromones were flaunt, she could smell them in the air, an unconscious ability to make her more agreeable were she not a Jedi capable of resisting such effects. “Come, let me take some measurements, let you try some things on and then I can stitch the perfect swimwear for you.”

Laira nodded, allowing him to lead her off into the far corner and put her up on the tailor’s pedestal there. He carefully took her measurements from around her hips, waist, and bust, measured her bra size, inseam, and collar before musing to himself.

“Here, try these two.” He said, fetching a pair of swimsuits from a back room. “I will have to adjust them for your size, but tell me which you like first.” The zeltron handed her the two swimsuits and Laira escaped into a changing room to try on the first before walking out and doing a turn for the tailor.

“What do you think?” She asked, holding out her comlink, “Take a picture for me so I can send it off for someone’s opinion please!”

“Magnificent, perfectly complementing your physique without drawing attention away from your natural beauty.” He snapped the picture and handed her back the device, “The next one is more colorful, best accented with a sarong of sheer material around the waist, here this color will match your eyes.” He pulled a small piece of see-through fabric that was white with some blue sheen to it under the lights.

Laira took it and quickly changed before returning for the zeltron’s critique, twirling deftly on her toes. “This one is an excellent choice, young lady. Here, a flower for your hair to draw attention upward when needed.” His hand taking her comlink, “try leaning against that rail.” Laira did as instructed and waited for the flash then quickly rose with a grin, flipping through the options the Zeltron had given her.

“Hmmm, both are pretty nice. I probably won’t hear back from him for a while so I’ll have to pick myself and hope he and I like the same one.” She smiled at the Zeltron, turning back to change into her street clothes and finish her muffin while she sent a message off to a special someone with a few images attached.

When she returned to the floor, “I think, I’ll take the second one with the sarong. Though it may give me a weird tan the next time I go to a beach.”

“Superb selection. Here, let me,” He took the two outfits from her to return to his station before returning. “I can make the adjustments in an hour, and it will be ready for pick up then. Now, price wise I have a few options based on the materials.” He explained, ready to pitch her on the more expensive one, “The one you tried was handwoven fabric from Asteria, a cheaper option would be a blend of silk and synthetic, and then the cheapest would be synthetic, however as you know synthetic fabric is not as comfortable, especially not for swimwear.”

“How much for the asteria? It was super comfortable and well, I don’t intend to wear it only for short bursts.” Laira blushed, slightly embarrassed by her own implication.

“Six hundred, and not only is it the most comfortable, but it also cleans the easiest. The others are three hundred and two hundred twenty respectively.”

“Alright, I’ll take it!” It was only six hundred credits, that wasn’t the worst amount she had ever heard, she still head over thirteen hundred credits left and they would have a paycheck before they needed supplies again after the refit from the Resistance. “Any chance of a discount for a Jedi?”

“Oh, I’m afraid not ma’am. But, I’ll throw in the sarong for free.” It wasn’t a discount, but it was something.

Once Laira had settled up, she left to continue her shopping spree, purchasing a few knick-knacks, a nice anklet she could wear, and a few tools they had noticed needed replacing on the ship while she waited for her bikini to be finished, munching on some fried tubers in a diner not far from the Village at the end of the Row absent-mindedly with her bags in the chair beside her.

“Stop! Thief!” A female voice shouted in twi’lek from behind her closer to the village. A swarm of people were milling about, but Laira’s quicksilver eyes caught sight of a lone being running away from the crowd, ducking down a dark corridor towards a mezzanine. She grunted, but left her chair and began running off after the being, clutching her hand around her lightsaber, twisting the intensity down as far as it would go as she gave chase.

She turned a corner, the lights above the mezzanine to the side of Capital Row were out, flickering from lack of maintenance. Hundreds of people hid on this side, homeless refugees who did not have the money to afford a dormitory or the connections to get an apartment on the crowded capital ship. She darted through them, searching out with her Force senses for the perpetrator until she caught sight of them, noticing her following them. Of course they noticed the attractive, well dressed redhead in this place where few bothered to look.

He took to a ladder, running up it towards the balconies. Laira twisted her body and ran up the side of the building to cut him off, jumping onto the balcony in front of the ladder. To her surprise the being was shorter than her, and equally daring as he immediately turned and leapt across a chasm to the next balcony before continuing to sprint away from her. “Runner huh?” She mused, taking the distance with ease, brushing past people as she continued her pursuit. The being jumped to another balcony and then from that one hoisted themselves upwards to the one above them, with Laira chasing him at a steady jog.

Finally, he jumped and almost missed, his hands clasping to the railing as his body hung over the side. Laira jumped to him, grabbing his hands and hauling him up over the side. “That’s enough.” She grunted, exerting herself to pin him to the ground.

The young thrysian boy was barely a teenager, maybe thirteen. “Hey! Get off me, I ain’t done nothing!”

“Yeah, I saw you run off when that Twi’lek said thief. So why’d you run?” She asked, letting him sit up while she took a seat on the floor beside him.

“I just borrowed some food vouchers off her.”

“Borrowed huh? Let me see ‘em.” She held out her hand, the other still clasping her Lightsaber. The boy didn’t say anything for a moment, but then smiled to her.

“How about a kiss for the vouchers?”

“Sweet, but no. If you give them all to me the first time, we can share the rest of my fries though.” She retorted with a grin.

“Ugh, girls always eat all your fries.”

“Well, I’m buying them, so technically.” She trailed off, taking the handful of vouchers and going through them with a keen eye. She could tell he was truthfully handing them over through the Force, but she eyed him nonetheless. She could hear boots from guards closing in on their position. “What’s your name?”

“Byron.”

“Alright Byron, you stay quiet and let me do all the talking, kay.” She said, standing up as the guards rushed over. She didn’t like how they wore face visors, though she understood the need for protection, faceless enforcers weren’t a good look. “Its okay guys, I got the stuff.” The troopers looked at the young Jedi and the boy on the ground for a moment.

“Appreciated Master Jedi, we’ll take it from here.” One of them pulled cuffs from a pouch, “You have the right-,”

“Oh, Byron here didn’t steal them. He just grabbed them for me when the thief threw them. Thief musta known I was closing in and ditched the goods.” Laira lied, but she did it with a coy smile and a flirty flutter of her eyes. “But thank you so much! If I’m still on the Purpose tomorrow night, maybe we can get a drink at the Razor’s Cut?” She knew the local cop bar well enough, a den where the ship guards gathered to complain about living conditions, and to mourn their fellows lost.

“Um, nah. Night shift this week. Do you know which way the thief went?”

“Fraid not, I was focused on the vouchers. I think they bolted up towards Archon Spire, but I can’t be sure.” She held out the slips of flimsi for the guards to take, “I can return these if you want, gotta head that way anyway.”

“Sure thing sweetcheeks.” The older officer responded, patting his partner on the shoulder, gesturing for him to follow. The older guard seemed to have caught on to Laira's game but wasn't going to call her out on it.

Laira offered them both a dainty wave before turning her attention back to Byron, “Come on, let’s go get these returned and get some grub.” The vouchers amounted for about a weeks worth of food from the mess hall, nothing but nutrient paste, but it covered the calories and vitamins a person needed. Byron followed her closely for the long walk back to the floor level, looking on bashfully as Laira returned the vouchers to the Twi’lek woman who graciously hugged them both for recovering them.

When Laira led him back to the diner, she sighed, her bags missing and table cleared. “Hey, um, did you happen to grab the bags from this table?” She asked the waitress as she sat back down.

“No, sorry. I can check in the back for you though.”

“That would be great, my friend and I would also like two orders of fries, and I need a good strong drink. He’ll have a soda.”

“I could use a drink.” Byron retorted.

“But he’ll have a soda.” Laira doubled down on her young ward. The two sat and ate, Byron told her some of how life was on the Purpose for the poorest of refugees, and how he and his brother had their food vouchers taken by greedier refugees who knew they could pick on young boys, how spice could be traded to the kitchens for extra helping sometimes, and how he and his brother worked in the crypts running errands for Targa and his gang for a few spare credits. And of course, her bags were no where to be found, almost a thousand credits worth of shopping gone like dust in the wind.

When they were done snack, Laira stood to leave, “Alright Byron, here is three hundred credits,”

“WOW!”

“Ah, first you have to promise me you’ll spend it on food, and you won’t go back to Targa for work. I’ll see what I can do to find you and your brother something in the government sector, I’ve got a friend who owes me up there.” Laira winked, referring to her recent foray with the Chief of State.

“Okay! Promise!” He was telling the truth, at least for now, but three hundred credits wouldn’t last long. Eventually he and his brother would need food again, would run out of money and vouchers. If no one protected them from those who would take advantage of a pair of orphans, they’d end up right where she had found him. Desperate and hungry.

“Alright, here you go.” She handed him the last of her money and rubbed his head, giving him a hug before making her way back towards the clothing shop. At least she’d still get a nice bikini out of her day of shopping.

 

[Laira Darkhold]

Laira sat in the antechamber rather impatiently, rocking her foot up and down with her arms and legs crossed as she sat in the cushioned chair waiting to speak to the Secretary of Allocations about the Outcast’s repairs. The maintenance workers in the Hollows had moved her still damaged ship from the hangars to the tow-yard on the RNS Vigil following the Solemn Purpose last night after her costly shopping spree without explanation and so the redhead was determined to correct the mistake.

The feminine droid at the desk looked up suddenly, “Madam Secretary will see you now.” The door opened automatically and Laira rose from her chair with a haughty expression born on her face as she moved through the chamber to greet the secretary. The woman inside was a relatively young, maybe thirty, busty figure with flawless dark skin and wrapped in beautiful pink and purple silks. Her raven black hair had tints of purple dyed within it, jewelry hung from her forehead, neck, and wrists. The woman smiled warmly, looking down her nose at the teenage redhead.

The room itself was lavish as well, covered in silken drapes, bearing artwork on its walls and a pair of artifacts in either corner behind the Secretary. Gentle music played from a relic device through the room.

“A pleasure Master Jedi. Secretary Khessa Badonna Ella D’arua Lux Aurea, how may the Resistance assist you today.” She had an accent, bearing an uvular trill as she introduced herself without standing from her chair.

“Good evening Madam Secretary,” Laira began, annoyance already in her voice. “I stopped by because my ship got moved from the docks before repairs. The Chief of State assured me he would issue a voucher to have it repaired and resupplied. ID X-ray-Tango nine-nine-four-one-eight-seven Romeo-Oscar.”

“Oh? One moment, I’ll have to look up requisition requests. I don’t have a memory implant for such things,” The woman smiled, speaking sardonically through her teeth. “Here it is. ‘By request of the Office of the Chief of State, please see to repair and resupply of this ship at next availability.’ So I had to have it moved out of the hangar to make space for the RNS Redoubt and RNS Vigilance.”

“But they didn’t get here until after I did. I’ve already waited a full day to get on the list.” Laira retorted, resting her hands on the table and leaning over the woman, trying to display some authority.

“Yes, but they are more vital to the war effort. I’m afraid you are currently listed as number forty seven on my list. It shouldn’t be more than six to eight weeks.” The woman pushed the monitor enough that Laira could see the screen with the long list of requests. Hers wasn’t even half-way down the list.

“I can’t wait that long, I’m a Jedi, I need to be out there doing my job.”

“Can’t the Jedi repair your ship with the Force? Or perhaps they could loan you credits to have it paid for in the Hollows? That would expedite your repairs to get started sometime later this week.” The woman didn’t seem shaken at all by joking about the Jedi Remnant.

“No, they don’t cover freighters, only starfighters. Why is it taking so long to fix my ship?”

“Because there are many combat ships in the navy that are damaged every day that the navy cannot go without, young lady. So the Supreme Commander ensures that my needs are met, so that I can ensure that his needs are met. You are not as self-sufficient and thus have to wait.” Laira fumed, but the woman didn’t seem to be backing down.

“Fine, I’ll go to the Chief and see what he has to say.” The redhead turned to leave in a huff, upset she was being given the run around.

“I’m sure he’ll be happy to show nepotism for you. He’s always been known to play favorites.” Secretary Kessa said, sarcasm dripping in her tone of voice. Of course he was always heralded as above reproach, even by his detractors who disliked his policies.

“Ugh,” Laira stopped, letting her muscles tense and then continued to walk towards the closed door.

“A deal could always be struck of course.” The woman’s voice seemed to goad Laira into an altercation.

“What kind of deal?” Laira barely turned her head to look over her shoulder. She recognized the woman now from her holoconferences with Master B’rahk.

“I am led to believe you have an enhanced individual in your company. If he could be convinced to allow the science division to study him, I’m sure that would help move your request up the list.” A quid pro quo, the woman wasn’t even hiding it anymore.

“You want to dissect Leo?” Laira’s voice was filled with offense and rage as she snapped around to face the secretary.

“Well, obviously I don’t want to. But I have colleagues who are interested in studying what enhancements he’s been given.”

“HELL NO! I oughta punch your lights out for even asking!” Laira began stomping towards the woman, even going so far as to begin rolling up her sleeve.

“Now now, violence never solved anything.” The woman leaned back in her chair, placing her hands on her knee, “If it makes you feel better, I’d be heartbroken if they did any harm to such a handsome specimen. Perhaps I could arrange for them to fix his face?” She cocked her head to the side, seemingly understanding from Laira's expression she had scratched at a raw nerve of Laira’s and that the redhead wasn’t thinking rationally. “Ex-bee?” She said calmly though urgency in her tone, the wall opening to allow the YVH droid out of its security alcove. Laira was close enough to strike Khessa if she wanted to, and certainly good enough to take down a single YVH model but it did force the redhead to stop and consider her next move long enough for Khessa to offer a different solution to the problem.

“There is of course an alternative. Tomorrow night I’m hosting a gathering and I don’t have enough waitresses to carry hor d'oeuvres. Fill in at my gathering and I can see about your ship moving up the list to next week.” Laira stood over the woman, looking down at her with burning silver eyes. “Just a small gathering of influential donors, maybe thirty people. I’ll provide the uniform, and you can keep any tips you receive.”

“Plus a thousand credits. A girl needs spending money.” Laira demanded, her voice stern.

“At my parties, only billionaires attend. You’ll make more in tips than a thousand if you know what you’re doing.” The woman smiled slyly, but didn’t back down.

“Fine.” Laira turned to leave, stopping only to shove a crystal bowl off the desk and shatter it upon the floor as she left the secretary with a sly grin still upon her dark features.