Fandom Star Wars: Demesne [Closed]

[Lucyfer]

‘I need to talk….’

Those weren’t often words that someone wanted to read when in a relationship. It was somehow better than the terrible ‘we need to talk’, but Eli still felt his heart immediately sink at the sight of it. ‘What do we need to talk about?’ His mind went over the day, even as he was typing his response that he could meet her at her quarters.

Whatever it was, he wasn’t sure it was good for the caf. He might want to avoid an audience for both of them. ‘I fucked up somehow with her brother I know I did, this is over, she just didn’t want to say so before, fuck.’ He tried not to panic, but he couldn’t think of good things this could be.

Perhaps his response to losing the datapad had been off-putting?

In either case, he arrived at Cora’s door a bundle of nerves, but he still held his calm façade as he pressed the comm button to alert her to his arrival, and waited until she would step out to greet him and let him in so they could talk. He had to steel himself for the break-up he supposed was inevitable.

~***~

The driver let his brows arch at Skye’s introduction, but he wouldn’t question it. He had little reason to, only that she didn’t look the part of a bodyguard. Insinuations otherwise would be bad, and he wasn’t trying to get in trouble that day, so he just nodded and gestured her in, “It is good to meet you, Ms. Vind.”

When Skye got in, Adlai would follow, and the man would shut the door behind them before heading up to the front, and taking his seat, “Could you do a scenic overview? This is her first time in Serenno.”

“Of course, Count,” there was some attempt to mask the chuckle in his tone, but not entirely. Adlai heard it, but would pretend to ignore it as the driver did set a course that would give more of an overview of the city, for Skye to look at on the way towards the zoo.

It wasn’t a city quite like Coruscant.

There was no underground area, for one. They built up high, but spaced things apart so that there was not that sort of pollution going on below. It wasn’t only an aesthetic choice. There were, sadly, some areas of Serenno that did build up so high and so close together.

 

[cleopat]

If Cora were thinking clearly at all, she would have realized the wording of her message to Eli, and realized that it could have been better. But she didn’t, because she could only think of everything that could go wrong with the visit. Surely Eli wouldn’t want to stay with her after all that, would he?

Cora dreaded everything.

Finally, Eli arrived, and Cora opened her door to motion him inside. Heart pounding, she waited before he was inside before she blurted out, “My parents want to meet you.”

And he already saw what her brother was like. She loved her family, but they could be...very Core at times. And there were certainly no exceptions for the boy from Wild Space. She could only imagine what they would say to him.

“I know we only just started seeing each other, and this is so soon, so just say the word and I can try and find an excuse to get out of this,” she rambled, pacing around her quarters as she did so.

~~~

The driver also wanted to doubt Skye’s capabilities. She could feel it.

Skye bit back a huff, and kept the sincere smile on her face. He didn’t actually say anything, and so she had no reason to quarrel with him. “Nice to meet you too.” Even if he didn’t actually introduce himself. She was a guest. She had to play nice.

She had to mind her feelings.

And so she focused on the scenic overview, noting how different Serenno appeared from the Core Worlds like Coruscant. There seemed to be more space, certainly, and Skye already knew there were actual areas where nature still thrived. Even if Adlai hadn’t told her, she could feel it.

The Force felt different here. It felt stronger, and the song she heard sounded crisp and clear. “It’s quite different here,” she admitted, turning her head to look over at Adlai. “But a good different.”

~~

Grand Admiral Thrawn, I have some information that might be of use to you.​

An ‘associate’ of Thrawn, with the alias of Panzer, messaged him a few days later with information pertaining to the Prosperpina case.

Information that indeed was of great use to him.

But he needed more. He needed proof. He needed to confront the alien in question about the incident at the Coruscant National Gallery, and why, exactly, was Queen Breha targeted.

And so now he, along with Officer Ortell, were on their way to Jakku to meet with Niima the Hutt, something which Thrawn could sense did not sit well with Ortell. “Is something on your mind, officer?”

“Not at all, sir,” he said with a gulp. “I’m just not particularly fond of deserts. Or Hutts.”

There was a small smirk on the Grand Admiral’s face. “I assure you I do not know of anyone who is fond of the Hutts.” But there were some who liked desert planets. Strange, he thought, but then again, he preferred the cold. Cold planets, with ice and snow, is where he felt most at home.

The ship landed not far from Niima’s palace. “Just stay behind, and only intervene when necessary.” Thrawn had hoped that Ortell knew when that moment of necessity was happening. It was why he brought the officer along, after all. Thrawn certainly couldn’t go alone.

“Yes, sir” the young officer responded with a nod. He winced as they left the ship, with the brutal Jakku sun beating down on their bodies.

 

[Lucyfer]

Eli stepped into Cora’s quarters when she let him in. He could tell that she was nervous, which only compounded his own fears. He didn’t have to ask her to tell him what the situation was, at least. She slipped right into it, stating that her parents wanted to meet him. At first, Eli was confused about why this was an issue, before it all hit him.

He had been too relieved by the fact she didn’t want to break up, for that to sound like an issue.

The relief nearly translated to a laugh, but he was able to stop that, furrowing his brow as he watched her pace, before he finally reached out a hand to catch her arm, “Hey,” he would squeeze gently, “If it’s going to help, I’m willing to meet them,” he had met her brother, and so had a taste of how things worked.

He knew it was likely to be much worse, on their planet, in their home, where they had power.

“I’m sure Thrawn will understand, and we can arrange it at a time convenient for him, too. I’m sure your parents understand a busy military schedule,” though Eli also would try not to make them wait long. “It is…a bit soon, but…well, I imagine you won’t get much peace until it’s done, will you?”

~***~

Adlai looked at his own home as they flew over, but he also watched Skye, and her reactions to it, however subtle. He didn’t see hatred burn into her eyes for the history, which he felt some small relief for. He hadn’t seen it with Eira, either, but he still knew how old grudges held, no matter how logical one wanted to be.

“It’s this way in a lot of worlds further from the Core,” he noted, “we don’t have the infrastructure of the Core, and we’ve recognized some of the flaws,” pollution, among other things, that was still problematic in poorer worlds that tried to emulate Coruscant. Coruscant had its own host of problems besides that.

“It’s why I like coming back.”

The driver would get them to the zoo, of course, a small line to get in dotted mostly by parents or grandparents with small children. Though Adlai could have let the man come around and open the door, he opened it instead, “I’ll give you a head’s up when we’re departing.”

“All right,” the man said, “May you both enjoy your time here, Count Adlai, Ms Vind,” he bid, as Adlai stayed by the door, holding it open for Skye, in spite of their roles.

~***~

It had taken time to narrow down where Niima was. She did not advertise it, unfortunately, residing in a temple where she apparently had a cult following. None of this boded well for Eira’s mission. A hutt was one thing. A hutt with fanatical devotees was another thing entirely, and Eira knew she was not going to enjoy getting information from the woman.

The path that led to her opulent temple was already an eyesore.

It was dotted with those slaves, humans and aliens alike in naught but loincloths, hooks in their mouths making it so they couldn’t speak clearly. The sight of it disgusted Eira. More than that – it truly did make her angry. Slipping into the role of an Inquisitor was going to be, unfortunately, too easy.

She was also let in easily, no trick needed, though the answer as to why soon revealed itself when she came into the central area of the Temple where Niima herself was, lounging on a plush throne couch, a mottled brown hutt who startled at the sight of her, “What is this?!” The language was huttese, translated automatically through a translator. “You are not Thrawn!”

‘Thrawn?’

“I was told to expect Thrawn! Not an Inquisitor. You are not welcome here!”

A murmuring of gargled noises amongst the slaves suggested they would match Niima’s outrage.

“I don’t know what business you have with the Grand Admiral, and I don’t care. I need to know about Breha.”

Laughter. It sounded like glass being put in a blender. “Then you and Thrawn have the same mission. Why not get it from him?”

Problematic. He was on the same trail. ‘Of course he is, that’s why it was singled out.’

“If you’re willing to give it to him, you can give it to me.”

“We have no arrangements. Leave, or you won’t be able to.”

“Now, now, Niima. It’s no good to threaten me,” she pulled both sabers into her hand, and lit them, the golden color making one point immediately clear: she wasn’t an Inquisitor. The hostility showed in the hutt as she sat up more, curling her tail closer not out of fright, but more of a threat of movement. Of anger.

“Jedi,” she hissed.

“No. Nor Inquisitor.” She allowed, walking forward, calm, “I’m not playing by any rules except my own, so you’ll tell me what I want to know, or you’ll see everything crumble around you.” She just had to get the information before Thrawn showed up.

If only she knew how futile an effort that was.

 

[cleopat]

Cora sighed when she felt Eli’s hand touch her arm, and she gave him a small smile in appreciation. No, she wouldn’t get much peace until this was over. Not from her own mind, and not from her parents, who now have it in their heads that they must meet Eli Vanto.

“Thank you. I really don’t think I will get much peace until this is done. My mother is stubborn, and she won’t leave me alone until she meets you.” Even if it was too soon, her mother had her mind set on something, and it meant her father will get roped into it and will also want to meet Eli Vanto, the Wild Space boy.

“It’s more than likely going to be different than meeting my brother at an amusement park,” she warned, turning to face him instead of pacing relentlessly. “I can’t promise it will go well, but maybe I can warn you about a few things concerning my family that will help things.”

She was sure Eli already gathered that her family acted Core, since they were, well, Core. Core rich and tended to want ‘what was best’ for their children.

~~~

Skye could see what Adlai liked coming back, aside from the fact that this was his home. It was different. From what she could see, the planet was nice, ignoring the shared history between the Jedi and Serenno. It was way before her time, so Skye didn’t see any point in holding any resentment or prejudice for the planet.

Life was too short to hold onto grudges that she wasn’t even responsible for.

They arrived soon enough, and Skye exited the airspeeder behind Adlai, giving him a small smile as he held the door for her. Because of who he was, not because of their secret. “So where off to first?” She didn’t know where to begin, as she obviously had never been to this zoo before. Or any zoo in a number of years.

“The baby varactyl?” she chuckled.

~~~

If there was one thing Thrawn wished was to see the temple of Niima up in flames. The opulence, the slaves with hooks, all of it was too much, and he would rather see its destruction than to come and have a pleasant conversation with Niima.

“I think this is the right place,” Ortell spoke with a grimace at the sight. Thrawn hummed his agreement, not bothering on voicing his own opinion of the place at the moment.

It was immediately clear that all was not where it should be.

Such as his inquisitor friend being there. “I’m not playing by any rules except my own, so you’ll tell me what I want to know, or you’ll see everything crumble around you.”

“And what information is that, I pray tell,” Thrawn said, announcing his own arrival. Ortell was right beside him, blaster drawn and lowered, but he knew that would be next-to-useless with a Jedi in the room.

“Thrawn!” she gasped, “there is a traitor in our midst.”

“Just an old acquaintance.” His eyes narrowed on the Jedi. “Curious as to how you arrived before I did.”

 

[Lucyfer]

Eli had gathered that much, and assumed humoring Cora’s mother might help his case a little. It at least showed a willingness to be known to the family, and taken seriously. They may be early in the relationship, but Eli did want that. He figured he could at least hold off on introducing Cora to his family for a bit after this, though.

Not that his parents would mind…just that it would be too much, too soon.

“Yeah, I figured,” he said, letting his hand drift away from her arm. “I’ll be on their turf this time,” he rolled his eyes as he said it, aware of the shift of power, and how frustrating it could be to be in their home, given that imbalance, and what they thought was proper, compared to what he would think.

The small things they would pick on.

The small problems they would find.

“A few warnings would be more than welcome, though I can’t promise I’ll adhere to every one of them,” Eli wasn’t going to change himself entirely to fit their world. If Cora wanted that, she would have found that in someone else. They would learn to like him for who he was, or they wouldn’t.

They’d see what happened after that.

~***~

Adlai chuckled at her query, and guess, but shook his head, “The varactyls aren’t near the front of the zoo, if memory serves,” which he could be wrong, “I thought we would take the path left of the entrance and go around. Left starts with those things native to Serenno, before getting into other biomes and creatures.”

As such, it served as a good introduction to his world, before they expanded upon those worlds which held enough interest to attract Serenno’s citizens, and the work they were doing with species preservations on the galactic scale.

The line would move quickly enough, letting them in with a small fee that Adlai covered, before gesturing towards the left, as others went forward, or to the right – wherever it was their hearts led them to explore the zoo.

“We do not have many things that are terribly interesting, although we used to have tirra’taka, and one appeared recently,” he said, “unfortunately, it also died, but its skeleton was preserved, and it’s been mocked-up in our museum.” That had apparently been a wild day for Serenno. “It’s assumed they’re extinct, but given the long lifespan,” he shrugged. One could appear again.

“We do have spine-wolves, though. I think that may be as exciting as we get,” he chuckled, somewhat disappointed Serenno really did lack in interesting, dangerous creatures. Then again, what he found interesting might be skewed, given his opportunities.

Of course, they had a history of Sith creatures, but those were long gone, the tirra’taka the last.

~***~

Ae’lia was too late to Niima, Mitth’raw’nuruodo was entering as she made her demands. Her posture shifted, a lightsaber protecting her from Niima and Thrawn as she stood in profile to both, barely letting her attention stray away from Niima to view the Grand Admiral through the darkened lens of her helmet, as well as his companion who lifted a blaster. She humored grabbing the blaster and throwing it aside, but didn’t.

Niima was no true ally to either of them.

“More curious is that you are looking into the same thing as I,” Ae’lia would not give Thrawn an answer. She knew he was hoping to discern where she gathered the information. “Last I knew, your duties did not extend beyond Coruscant, yet I find you on Corellia, and now here.”

She relaxed her posture, only a touch. She may have been willing to feign threat to Niima, but Thrawn already knew from Corellia it was just that – a bluff. Her desire was not to harm where it was not necessary. “Allow me permission to hear the information as well, and nothing more need occur here today.”

Niima was the one to protest, “I only offered it to the Grand Admiral,” she sniffed, “more ears, more fees. And that includes this…officer you’ve brought,” the translator seemed to manage to indicate her disdain clearly enough.

Ae’lia cast her eyes back towards Niima, “Keeping your temple in tact seems a good enough price to me.” Do no harm, yes – but property damage didn’t bother her where she could avoid ending lives.

 

[cleopat]

Cora gave Eli a weak smile. He wasn’t wrong, he will be on their turf. There would be a significant power imbalance that Cora could only hope she could fix. Or help. Either way, she intended to give Eli some tips to try and help impress her parents and make them see past the fact that he wasn’t Core, that he was from Wild Space.

“Thank you for this.” For humoring her. For agreeing to meet with her parents, despite being so soon. Damn my brother.

She loved him, but his overprotective nature could be a nuisance at times.

“I can’t promise it will be a pleasant experience the entire time.” There may be some pleasant moments, but in general? Cora could just see awkwardness and tension all around. “But somehow, I’ll make it up to you for doing this.” She didn’t know what yet, but she had to thank Eli somehow. And a way to say sorry for dragging him into this mess.

~~~

Skye knew a little of the legends of the tirra’taka, but she was certain she didn’t know those that were more of Serrennian legends. It would have been interesting to see one in person, but there were plenty of other new and fascinating creatures for her to see.

She would follow Adlai’s direction, to the left, into the Serenno natives of the zoo. “Spine-wolves,” she hummed. “I think that’s exciting enough.” It was a creature she hadn’t had the opportunity to see before, and therefore, in her eyes, it was new and exciting.

Just like many of the creatures may end up being for her.

“What’s your favorite creature here at the zoo?” she wondered as they strolled into the Serenno area, where a few other people meandered about with their families.

~~~

Indeed, Grand Admiral Thrawn wanted to call out Aelia’s bluff on harming Niima, but her temple, he knew not. He knew she wouldn’t harm a life though, not unless it was a last resort. Ortell frowned when it was clear Niima was referring to him, as the extra ears, but he wouldn’t waiver from his spot beside Thrawn, as if his blaster could protect the Grand Admiral from the Jedi.

He’s seen the power the Jedi was capable of. He was powerless here. Which meant so too was the Grand Admiral.

Thrawn cocked his head slightly, as he gathered more information about who Ae’lia could be. The only thing he could discern from her outfit was that she had a slight figure, and rather small stature, especially compared to himself. And he was especially interested in knowing why exactly she wanted the information concerning Queen Breha.

Was she at the gallery that night? If so, then the number of possibilities for her identity was significantly smaller.

“What would be your fee to offer the information to us?” Thrawn inquired, his gaze flickering to Niima.

“Significantly steeper. Information does not come cheap.” And certainly not one that seems to be desired by more than just one. If she played her cards right, she could come out on top at the end of it all.

“Believe me, I can pay that price, and I believe we will all be happy in the end, would we not?”

 

[Lucyfer]

Eli doubted it would be a pleasant experience for most of the time. Ideally, he would change that, and change their opinion over people not from the Core, but he knew that was going to take work. So, he shook his head as Cora offered to make it up to him, “It was going to happen one day anyways, right?” He said with a smile, “I mean, I assume we were hoping this would be serious.”

A small laugh, before he gestured, “But if we’re going to talk about preparing me for the meeting, maybe we should do so when I’m not on an empty stomach. I’ll remember the tips better that way.” And it would help break the serious nature of talking in her room.

He thought they were through the worst of that, with the news broken and his agreement to accompany her to visit her parents soon, decided. Now they needed to breathe some fresh air, and consider it all in a lighter environment.

Consider it as if it was, indeed, something manageable.

It was something inevitable. Just like Cora one day meeting his parents. He hoped. He knew that would probably be significantly less problematic – and he wasn’t even going to think of the families meeting just now.

That was too much to think about.

~***~

The spine-wolf would not be the first creature they encountered as they followed the path that led towards Serenno’s creatures. The first would be an enclosure of herbivorous creatures, along with a few birds that could live in peace with each other, not terribly territorial, nor scavengers or predator birds. There were a few that preferred the ground – fat, fluffy birds that meandered around the horned herbivores.

Adlai hummed as he paused by that enclosure, thinking of what his favorite actually was. “I’d probably have to say the adars,” he chuckled at last as he figured it out, “I wanted one for a pet when I was little. I was told they would eat anything, so I thought they’d be easy to care for. Not to mention, they can fly, and they look like miniature dragons.”

He shook his head, still smiling, “I’ve learned now they’re more like a very intelligent rat, and they make a mess of any place they’re at. I don’t think I’d like one as a pet now, but they’re still rather fascinating, and I understand their intelligence does have some wondering if they’re sentient.”

He wasn’t sure he’d go that far, but he knew they were amazingly adapt at problem-solving, remembering patterns, and much else besides that. “Have you ever seen them? They’re a plague in some space stations and docks.” Though he said ‘plague’ like a term of endearment, still. His affection for them hadn’t worn off.

~***~

Thrawn humored the idea. Ae’lia had hoped he would. He seemed reasonable, and it would be another way for him to know what his enemies knew. They already suspected he knew that they had Eli Vanto’s datapad. He would now know that his enemies also knew the next step. Would they continue to end up pursuing it together? ‘To what end?’ Was he trying to uncover the truth to harm whoever was behind it?

Or to protect them?

‘Sith. Sith. Sith.’ She forced the thought to repeat, that Thrawn knew exactly who he was working for, and so, who he was protecting. He wasn’t on their side, even if he was pursuing information that could lead to knocking an Imperial off their high tower.

And yet, she relaxed her posture further as Niima and Thrawn debated price, before withdrawing the blades of her saber and putting them back on her belt as Thrawn seemed willing to pay the full price – whatever it would be. Given how steep a bounty had been offered for Breha, Ae’lia wasn’t expecting it to be cheap.

“10 million credits for each listener,” Niima stated, seeming to spit out as if she doubted Thrawn would be willing to cough that. “And I want it up front.”

Ae’lia considered threatening the structure in a more convincing fashion, but held. Thrawn was the one Niima wanted to speak with, and so, Ae’lia would see how he maneuvered with the demands.

She could have paid it.

She wouldn’t offer that, of course – Ae’lia didn’t have Eira’s riches.

 

[cleopat]

Cora did hope this would be serious one day. She didn’t go into relationships just for some quick fun; that wasn’t her. And now they could get rid of one unpleasant experience sooner rather than later.

If their relationship wasn’t damaged by the experience of meeting her parents, then Cora would be ecstatic.

She smiled and chuckled at the slight change in topic. “Yes, grabbing some dinner sounds wonderful right about now.” A change in scenery, a change in topic to one where they both weren’t talking about her parents.

Eventually they would have to talk about it again, but for now, Cora moved to the door. “I think we both need to relax.” It had been quite a day.

~~~

Skye smiled at the fat and fluffy birds that meandered around on the ground. Oh, if she could use the Force, she would want to get closer to them and maybe pet them. But she couldn’t, so she had to be satisfied in viewing them from a distance.

She could nearly imagine a young Adlai wishing for an adar, thinking he could have a pocket-size dragon as a pet. She chuckled and remembered the few times she had seen them in person. They were in locations he mentioned. In space stations, at some docks, both when she was a young Jedi, and during her years after.

“I’ve come across them a few times,” Skye answered. “Though I don’t think I found them as endearing as you do,” she chuckled. “They always seem to go everywhere in small packs, and I remember some sneaking aboard my ship once. Little stowaways, but they are interesting looking.”

Even she could deny their dragon-like appearance was neat from a distance. “Are there any Kiros here? I always thought those birds were adorable.”

~~~

Thrawn frowned at the price offered for the information. Thirty million credits was steep, and that size of a transfer would be noticeable to the Empire. To Tarkin. But if the information was worth it, he was willing to take that gamble.

And he was trying to keep the man as far from his trail as he possibly could.

Or worse yet, the Inquisitors would hear of the incident, with a Jedi now involved.

But first, he had to navigate negotiations. “I could leave the room if that would help things,” Ortell whispered to Thrawn, who shook his head.

“No, you can stay here.” Ortell shrugged and resumed his position, warily glancing between Niima and the masked Jedi. He didn’t know which one terrified him more.

“Five million each,” Thrawn offered up, “and I can give it right now. Don’t forget about the Jedi you have in your presence.” The silent threat hung in the air, and he would let Niima take that how she wanted.

He still didn’t think the Jedi would do anything other than petty threats, but Niima didn’t know that.

 

[Lucyfer]

Eli wasn’t sure how much he’d relax learning about tips to deal with her family, but it would still be nicer to do so outside of her room, and with a full stomach. So, he nodded, “Yeah,” he wasn’t sure what was available for food, but it was usually good enough. ‘And hopefully we’ll avoid the Inquisitors.’

He really wasn’t keen on meeting them that day to add to the chaos.

He would exit the room first, and wait to walk alongside Cora towards the cafeteria. Not wanting to bring up either of the stressors while they walked, he said instead, “I hope we get an assignment out somewhere in the Mid-Rim, once this Coruscant period is over,” it was an easy change, “I haven’t been to many planets out that way.”

Mostly the Core, Wild Space, and the Outer Rim.

The Mid-Rim was, oddly enough, less frequented.

It also didn’t have as many issues. That probably meant they wouldn’t get an assignment out there, of course. “I hear there are a lot of naturally beautiful planets there. Not as many that are as built up as the Core Worlds. Especially Naboo.” Naturally that one was highlighted. It was the home of the Emperor.

~***~

Adlai didn’t expect Skye to find them quite as endearing. Few people did, given they had more practical experience with them than Adlai did. Still, he chuckled at the thought of a few stowing away in her ship. He might have tried to keep them, though he knew better. They would be untamed and wild, and destroy absolutely everything. He wasn’t even sure they could be domesticated.

“They are that, though I know of their tendencies, now.” He agreed, “I’ve accepted it would be a poor idea to have them for a pet,” he would move them along from the birds as Skye seemed willing to, to move on towards other animals of Serenno while he mused over whether or not they had a kiros.

“Yes, I believe there are some kiros birds here,” he answered, “I know we have quite a few birds, actually,” Eira had been impressed with that, he recalled, on one of their own trips to the zoo. The thought that he’d taken her there, suddenly made him wonder how obvious this might seem, for him to be escorting another woman around the zoo.

Hopefully, not too obvious.

“I’ll make sure we stop by that area,” not that he had any plans to skip any areas, of course, as they came to the spine-wolves.

~***~

Well, Thrawn was willing to play up her position to get the information he sought at a lower price. When Niima scoffed, “Thirty. I won’t—” her words were quickly turned to an untranslatable sound as Ae’lia lifted her hand, and brought down a pillar near Niima. Rocky debris scattered, harming none, but making the threat for more explicit than it had been before.

Several of the slaves nearby scattered, their gargled screams painful to hear as they tried to express their fear with those hooks in their mouths. Yet, Ae’lia didn’t flinch, or so much as tilt her head to suggest she even noticed them.

She was, ever, a good actress.

“You are lucky to get a credit, Niima.”

“You will have to pay for that!”

“I will not, but you may want to consider taking the Grand Admiral up on his offer before I cause more than 15 million credits worth of damage.” Well, playing ‘bad cop’ was new, but she supposed it was the easiest way.

Niima wasn’t happy, but she growled out a consent in a, “Fine,” that held all its venom even through the translation, somehow. “I want the payment now, and then I’ll talk.” Ae’lia lowered her hand, the need to threaten no longer required.

 

[cleopat]

Cora easily agreed with Eli; she’s spent way too much time within the Core. She wanted to see the rest of the galaxy, which included somewhere along the Mid-Rim. She hadn’t been out that way too many times in the past.

“I can’t say that I have either.” Only a few throughout her life, when her parents wanted a nice family vacation to somewhere new. Of course, said family vacations weren’t always the most pleasant when she was little, for she and her siblings didn’t always get along when they were all younger.

How years and maturity can change people.

They walked alongside each other down the corridor. “I’ve heard wonderful things about Naboo though. My parents have visited before, though without me.” She had been young, too young for such a trip, they had surmised. “Where have you been able to visit?”

~~~

They easily moved along to the next exhibit, as Adlai mused over if they had kiros birds or not. They apparently did, which made Skye quite excited at seeing one of her favorite creatures.

Of course, she loved all living creatures, but some she found more appealing.

They come upon the spine-wolf exhibit, which was a creature she hadn’t come across before. She smiled at the sight of an unfamiliar creature, even if it was one that wouldn’t be pleasant to come across in the wild.

“This is a very peaceful place,” Skye commented while gazing at the creature. There were a few people milling about, but no loud noises; just others, like them, enjoying the day and the creatures in the exhibits at the zoo.

The song of the Force was especially calming.

“When was the last time you came here?”

~~~

Thrawn didn’t so much as flinch when Ae’lia brought down a pillar, unlike Ortell who did. But he was somewhat surprised that she was willing to help him in any instance, even though she had something to gain from this interaction as well.

The Jedi could easily have continued to threaten in the manner she did, with destruction of property, but she didn’t. Why not?

Thrawn pulled out his datapad. “The credits, as promised,” he announced after pressing a few buttons, effectively completing the transfer. “Now, the information as promised.”

Ortell wanted to leave as soon as they could. All Niima had done was prove to him that many sections of the galaxy needed order and control. The Hutts shouldn’t be allowed to control in the way they did, or allowed to own slaves, he further mused, throwing a quick glance at the gnarled hooks and any open wounds that were clearly visible.

“And don’t think of going back on your word,” Thrawn continued. “The consequences will not be fun.”

 

[Lucyfer]

“Not much,” Eli said, shaking his head, “Mostly places in Wild Space and the Outer Rim back with my family for trips and business,” but not all that much, in his opinion. Usually it was always ‘business trips’, too, so he didn’t get to see much of the world outside of a few ports and offices.

“Probably the most interesting place before all of this,” meaning the Empire, “was Zakuul. It’s…okay, it’s a swamp planet, but the technology it uses,” Eli shook his head, “I don’t understand as much of it as I’d like. It’s so much different from what’s in the Core. I’m sure it probably just found a way to turn swamp gas into energy, but it’s still fascinating.”

His father worked for someone on Zakuul, because his father had access to nyix, which apparently the people of Zakuul really wanted. Eli hardly understood why, he knew nyix was strong, but it was also terribly expensive and rare. Using it for anything but jewelry just seemed like futile.

Still, his father made his trips whenever he got nyix.

Eli would have thought doonium a better investment. “You honestly have to see it to understand,” he said, “the people there live like they do here – perhaps better.” Which was odd to say, but he was certain of it.

~***~

‘Did you think a zoo wouldn’t be?’ Adlai wondered, before it occurred to him that he didn’t know if Skye had gone to a zoo before. He wasn’t sure how ‘Jedi’ a pastime it was, nor if her master would have taken her to one. He really didn’t much understand what Jedi did and didn’t do, despite having been around Eira. She didn’t talk much about it. He hadn’t even known her name was Ae’lia, until it seemed like everyone else did.

Only a little before, really.

“A couple of years back,” and as he said it, he felt his cheeks flush a bit with embarrassment of what Skye might think, “with Eira.” He couldn’t ask if it was something Jedi shared, and so of course, he wouldn’t – but he wondered.

Just as he wondered how much of a headache this might cause, “I didn’t exactly think that part through,” he admitted, chuckling a bit, “It is one of my own favorite places, woman present or not.” His parents knew that, but he wondered if they’d be suspicious, anyways. He wanted to think not, but he knew they were both smarter than he gave them credit for.

There was a reason they were still around.

~***~

Niima did not answer them immediately, but checked to make sure the funds had, indeed, been received. Ae’lia shifted her stance, still defensive, waiting for Niima to say more. Waiting for her to be satisfied and offer them details. Eventually, the hutt gave a muddled huff, and spoke, translator offering what it could.

“The Zeval Syndicate hired me to get Breha. Don’t know where they got that kind of money, either, but they offered a substantial sum for her. Don’t seem to care now that the gallery’s past,” or she would have still been after Breha through others, but it seemed their interest was entirely gone, now.

“Who’s the Zeval Syndicate? Who’s leading it?”

Niima spat at the ground, “You want more details, you pay more,” she was still defiant as ever, and Ae’lia clenched her fists around her lightsabers, but they didn’t flare to life. No doubt, Shay could find out who was involved. That was all she needed – the name of the group. Shay would do the rest.

It would be better if Thrawn was left with nothing else, anyways.

So, Ae’lia turned from the hutt to walk off and leave with no further words.

 

[cleopat]

Eli hadn’t been able to travel much outside of his own region of the galaxy, very similar to Cora. And now they were both in the Imperial Navy with grand hopes of traveling more, instead of being stuck over Coruscant for a few months.

“Zakuul? Can’t say I know much of it.” She certainly didn’t know of the technology it uses. Her impression of the planet was exactly as Eli said. A swamp planet, and that was that. “Maybe I’ll have to try and visit one day.”

Just like how she wanted to visit the rest of the galaxy she hadn’t been able to explore before. She’s seen enough of the Core Worlds and Inner Rim.

“Especially if what you say of how they live is true.” Just another Core preconception she had that she needed to get rid of, and what better way than to actively travel and eager to learn about planets in the Outer Rim and Wild Space?

~~~

Skye smirked, quickly understanding why Adlai’s cheeks flushed a little. To anyone else, this may seem like a date. Even to her, deep down, she wanted it to be one, although they were only supposed to be colleagues to everyone else. A bodyguard and her employer.

“Well if it is one of your favorite places, then there shouldn’t be anything to worry about,” Skye assured him. Surely no one would question his visiting a favorite place, except for perhaps the really nosey.

Like the media.

She could see where he was coming from, but Skye wouldn’t linger on that thought. Just enjoy the moment.

“The last time I visited a zoo was on Coruscant, when I was seventeen.” It had been a quiet moment during the Clone Wars, and her Master decided to take her somewhere where they both could relax for just a few hours before duty called them on the other side of the galaxy. “Can’t say I’ve had much time since then to visit one.”

~~~

Niima accepted the funds with no further complaint, to which Thrawn was grateful. He didn’t want to have to deal with the Hutt any longer than he had to, and Ortell was of similar sentiment.

The Zeval Syndicate. A name Thrawn wasn’t too familiar with, but he had heard of it before. And as to where they could have possibly gotten that kind of money to hire Niima was a question to look into next.

He was gathering the brief idea that there was a long line of criminals he had to deal with before getting to the bottom of who wanted Breha gone. And Niima wasn’t too keen on providing more details without further pay, which was fine by Thrawn.

He could look into them next, and if he needed a little help, he knew where to find Niima.

The Jedi seemed to be satisfied enough to leave. Without sparing a glance towards her, his crimson gaze still remaining on Niima, Thrawn questioned, “You were there at the gallery, weren’t you?” His instincts told him that to be true, and even if Ae’lia would deny it, he just had to wonder.

This seemed too personal for a Jedi to get involved with, unless there was more to the Breha situation that even Thrawn didn’t realize yet.

 

[Lucyfer]

Eli wasn’t surprised that Cora knew little about it. Not many people did. He hadn’t known much until he actually visited. The fact his father wasn’t impressed with it still had him wondering if his father had been there before, or just knew other worlds like it – or if he just wasn’t impressed easily. “Well, if you ever want to go out to a swamp planet one day,” he chuckled, “I’m sure we can head out that way.”

Once they had time.

It wasn’t a place Eli was keen on visiting again, in spite of its technology and care. There was still something off with it that he couldn’t place, anymore than he could place their technology. It was just…weird.

“I still think we should visit Naboo first, since neither of us have seen it,” and it was in the mid-rim. It was the Emperor’s home world. It had to be gorgeous! As he said it, they reached the cafeteria, and could split to start getting food for dinner.

~***~

Shouldn’t be – but the likelihood of the world knowing it was one of his favorite places, or accepting that as good enough reason not to be suspicious of his behavior, seemed unlikely. He knew too well how the media worked, not only from Shay, though she definitely helped with his understanding of it all. He wasn’t too worried about needing to field anything, at least.

He and Eira were broken up.

Speculation would begin, no matter who he was with, eventually. It had already begun with Eira, after all. Then again, she was seen more often with both Lin and Thrawn. Lin was a terribly amusing option. Thrawn was the worrisome one.

“I’ve been to a couple of Coruscant’s zoos,” Adlai admitted as they continued on from the spinewolf exhibit, “They are substantially larger than most zoos out there; I think only Eriadu rivals it, and I think we all know why.” Tarkin. Eriadu also had one of the most well-known path-finding regions – and one area that was strictly off-limits to anyone but the Tarkin family.

Wilhuff had some odd soft spot for animals and nature.

Or something.

Adlai really didn’t understand it. He didn’t understand Wilhuff. “Although, I’m not a huge fan of how some of the zoos on Coruscant are run now, so I don’t blame you for not getting out to see them.”

Now they had wookiees and rancor.

~***~

Ae’lia didn’t pause as Thrawn through his question to her. She didn’t look back, either. She knew that she could have kept walking, and left him in silence. She also could have outright denied it. Eira was there, and Eira was not her – no matter how long she wore the mask of Eira and played the role, Eira was just another role.

Unfortunately, Eira was also terribly attached.

And denying it would be a lie – there had been a moment, she knew, where she had been at the gallery, where she had been prepared to act as herself and do what was necessary to make sure nothing happened to anyone present, even knowing the risks.

And so, the answer she threw back was, “For a brief moment,” with the vain hope it would confuse Thrawn more than anything else. It wasn’t as if he’d find her by going through surveillance cameras. Even if there were a few people who stayed very briefly.

And yet she knew that she also may have given him a key.

There was enough of Eira who still believed that perhaps he wasn’t entirely evil. Enough to cloud her judgment.

 

[cleopat]

Cora didn’t know if the planet would be number one on her list of planets to visit out in Wild Space. After all, she was keen on visiting Eli’s homeworld, but she hummed her agreement. She did want to see more, after all.

Naboo she could agree with more easily. “Oh yes, we definitely should visit Naboo. I’ve only seen it in holopics and some holovideos, and it just looks absolutely gorgeous.” The nature, the architecture, all of it was just surreal.

After that, Cora headed over to grab some food. Her mind was still on the amusement park, and how they were supposed to be eating dinner there, so she allowed herself a burger, something that she most likely would have chosen back at the park as well.

Once done, she would grab a table for the two to eat in peace, as she didn’t see anyone else they knew at the moment.

~~~

Skye was still woefully underprepared for anything to do with the media. She didn’t see why their visit at the zoo together should cause any speculation, even if it had every reason to do so. She only knew how to avoid questions about her own past, or to create stories to diverge from the truth.

Maybe later she would ask lessons from Adlai, or even, if she dared, from Shay.

Skye agreed with Eriadu’s zoo. She knew a little of the Tarkin family, and why the zoo would be well-funded. She knew enough.

“Yeah, the Coruscant zoos were definitely different when I last visited, but that was sixteen years ago,” she chuckled. A lot happened in that time. A lot has changed about Coruscant, as well as the rest of the galaxy, for very obvious reasons.

She barely recognized the planet she used to call home.

“Are there any other creatures in the Serenno section?” she questioned as they made their way away from the spine-wolves.

~~~

The answer was enough for Thrawn.

It didn’t confuse him. It was a fabulous clue into the identity behind the mask of the Jedi who had been a nuisance for him.

And if he did want to try and hunt her down, there were still the reports of people from the night. Surveillance cameras. Maybe they would help. Maybe they wouldn’t.

But all in all, Thrawn had another clue for the identity of the Jedi.

And so he would let her continue on without further interference from him. Trying to apprehend her, with just himself and Ortell, would prove fruitless, as he had learned before. He had to set up a trap for that.

And on Hutt soil was not the time for that.

“Thank you for your cooperation,” this time he spoke to Niima. “My officer and I will leave now, if there is nothing else you wish to disclose.” Now that the Jedi was gone.

 

[Lucyfer]

Eli went more with his standard fare, despite being on a ‘day off’. There wasn’t really much that was fried or overly sugary, which he might have made an exception for. He was disappointed in not getting to try more strange things at the park. ‘Another time….’ He had to keep hoping their would be other times, as he joined Cora.

He had to hope it really wouldn’t be that bad to meet her family this early on – that it wouldn’t ruin everything they’d established. And that her family could honestly learn to like him, too. That was mostly what he wanted. He didn’t want to be a wedge between her and her family.

As Eli took his seat, he did shift things back, “So, uh…those tips for this upcoming visit to meet your family…?”

Maybe she didn’t have things prepared just yet, but certainly a few things would come to mind from years of living with, and dealing with, them. As well as Core society. Although, being an insider, she was probably blind to some things, too.

~***~

A lot had changed in sixteen years. It was still baffling to think of it in that way. Sixteen years felt like a lifetime ago. Though, at Skye’s query about the zoo, Adlai just laughed and gestured ahead, “Oh, I don’t know, I suppose Serenno may just have those couple of animals on it….”

Obviously, that wasn’t so. There were plenty of animals up ahead in the Serenno section that Adlai would move them by. Really, the Serenno zoo had quite a range from the planet, only really missing aquatic life. Of course, that was true of other planets, as well. It had specialized aquariums to showcase those creatures.

Just, no aquarium in that town.

They would move on to other areas, the zoo loosely organized by climates, showing creatures of varying different climates in one area – though most were also segregated by the worlds they came from. Just because two creatures belonged to the same climate, did not mean same diet, or that they’d get along.

It would eventually take them over to the kiros birds, at least, kept in a cage with other creatures of kiros.

“Why do you like the kiros birds?” He thought to ask, once they were before them.

~***~

A low chuckle emanated from the hutt as Thrawn seemed to ask if she was going to be any friendlier than before. No, Niima was not in such a mood after being disrespected by Thrawn and the Jedi, after being threatened by them, and paid far less than she wanted to be paid for telling three people what she knew.

“I will tell you that you are lucky to be walking out of here unscathed, Grand Admiral. Do not test my patience further.” An obvious enough warning that Niima wasn’t likely to remain in a good mood for long if he continued to press her for information.

There also wasn’t the Jedi there to defend him, or threaten her, any longer. Mind tricks may not work on a hutt, but she knew they would work on her slaves. She knew a Jedi also had substantially more than that.

All Thrawn had was one person, and two blasters, or so.

Nothing she couldn’t deal with, in other words.

 

[cleopat]

Cora smiled as Eli joined her, and as she lifted her burger to take a bite, he asked about those tips for dealing with her family. She froze for a second, mouth on the burger in her bite, before she remembered, and finished up that bite.

“Of course.” She set the burger down and took a sip of water. “Very first thing that is probably already obvious, is that first impressions are everything, especially to my family.” And despite how the encounter with her brother may have ended, from what Cora could tell, Eli opened up strongly.

“So great my parents in a manner similar with how you did with my brother. Eye contact, firm handshake, nothing that indicates intimidation.” She highly doubted Eli would have done anything less, but still, she had to emphasize that.

Her dad was a businessman. He could pinpoint someone’s weakness within their first five minutes upon meeting, depending on how something introduced themselves.

~~~

The Serenno section had more to offer, and they easily moved from each exhibit, with Skye just as ecstatic at each one to see all the creatures. It had been all too long since she last let herself relax in public and truly enjoy what nature had to offer.

Funny how it was on Serenno. A younger Skye would’ve balked at the idea. But times change, and she no longer considered Serenno the threat she once did.

They came upon the kiros birds, and Skye set her gaze on the familiar teal and purple plumage. She wanted to tell Adlai the complete reason behind her fascination with the birds, but there was only so much she could explain in public.

Maybe later, if she remembered.

“Aside from being beautiful creatures,” she began, “they’re also highly intelligent, and some say they’re capable of understanding us.” Skye shrugged, and smiled at their elegant song they sang. “I just find them completely fascinating, and sometimes even entertaining.”

~~~

Thrawn suspected as much from Niima after the earlier threats. Sure, things could have gone better, but he learned enough. He could easily find out what was next in the investigation.

That is, if he isn’t hindered by Governor Tarkin or the Inquisitors. Both may be more than happy to question him about what happened today, if they caught wind of what did occur, which, Thrawn surmised, Tarkin would easily do so.

Then he could tell the Inquisitors.

“Fair enough,” he plainly said, before turning to Ortell. “We will take our leave now.” Ortell was more than happy to comply with that, and the officer eagerly followed behind the Grand Admiral as they made their way back through the temple and to the ship.

Thrawn had enough research to do when they got back.

 

[Lucyfer]

Eli could recognize the freeze reaction as soon as it happened, and he winced internally. Was he not supposed to ask right now? Was she not prepared? She probably just didn’t want to talk about it right now and he’d misread things. Still, she didn’t brush it off, and did start to offer him an answer.

First impressions were important. Eli had already suspected that, but he nodded, making the mental note more concrete. “I can do that,” that wasn’t hard. He had gotten used to it with the shipping business, and also with the Empire. He knew how to hold himself in front of people like Tarkin.

Cora’s parents’ couldn’t be that intimidating, right?

No one in the galaxy was quite as intimidating as Tarkin, except perhaps the Emperor himself. “I already kind of suspected they cared about those sorts of things,” admittedly, a Core bias, but it did seem to be true in many cases. And not just with the Core – with any elite. They were all about that handshake and eye contact if they were human.

Aliens were a bit different.

~***~

Adlai didn’t know too much about the kiros bird. He knew they could imitate human speech, but he wasn’t too sure if they actually understood. He also wondered if they could imitate most languages, or just a few.

He also knew there were some things that Skye wasn’t saying. It was getting easier to pick out those moments, so he wouldn’t press it further. He would agree, “They are beautiful,” who could deny that with their plumage? “Though I admit I haven’t been too entertained by them, unless they’re practicing mimicry at inappropriate moments.”

Which the birds seemed more interested in singing at the moment, rather than saying weird things at odd moments.

The zoo was probably thankful no one had taught them any swears. Yet. At least, none that had ever been reported or recorded, and Adlai knew something like that would blow up just for the entertainment value. Only then the birds might have to be moved – couldn’t have a kiros cursing at a child, after all.

~***~

As Thrawn was returning to the ship, Governor Tarkin was messaging the Inquisitors aboard the Chimaera to ask them about the mission on Jakku…which they were not a part of, but the Jedi was. Needless to say, it was enough to have the Inquisitors move from their quarters to move impatiently through the Chimaera, and be waiting for Grand Admiral Thrawn when his ship returned from an unauthorized mission to Jakku.

A place he shouldn’t be looking into.

Third Brother stared that ship down as it entered the hangar. He wanted to pull it in. He wanted to slam its nose down onto the hangar floor, but he resisted all of these urges, and when it landed, he walked around to the side where the ramp would fall, where the Grand Admiral would step out, and as soon as he saw that blue face, he snapped out, “Going Jedi hunting without us, chiss?” The status of alien was spat like an insult.

No title, no name, just his alien status. Something Third Brother should have been sympathetic too – but no longer. His own outsider status had been established long ago behind the mask. Othering others was now a part of his job, anyways.

 

[cleopat]

Cora had no doubt that Eli could make a great first impression. He’s done it before, and now that he was aware, he could do it again, right? She still worried, for anything could happen. What if he tripped? Or sneezed at just the wrong moment? Or-

Don’t worry. Everything will be fine.

Eli has handled himself quite well in stressful situations before. This would just be another one to mark off, and it’s not like he would have a blaster to his head, or lives to worry about.

“I think one of the biggest things I can think of right now, is to not mention Wild Space unless they specifically ask about it or your home. It’s a horrible bias, I know, but I think we can avoid a lot of the more unpleasant conversations if we wait until they ask about your home.” Avoiding the topic of one’s own homeworld couldn’t be pleasant at all, and maybe even infuriating to a degree. Cora would have to make it up to Eli somehow.

~~~

Skye threw a smile in Adlai’s direction. “You just need to spend more time with them.” Which she knew wouldn’t be happening, but one had to spend time with the birds to see their full personality.

One of the birds looked over at Skye with a slight tilt of its head, wide eyes gazing curiously at the woman who gave off a unique presence. “Well hello there,” Skye said to the bird, and she could’ve sworn she heard it respond back with its own hello.

“Thank you for bringing me here,” she told Adlai. The bird looking at her tweeted out its own mimic, thank you. She laughed, and the bird tweeted once more before diverting its attention back towards the other kiros birds in the exhibit.

~~~

If Fourth Brother still had feelings, he may have felt somewhat sorry for what Thrawn would be coming back to. Almost. Neither one of the Inquisitors were happy to learn of what the Grand Admiral had gotten up to in his time off.

Really, a Jedi? And without them?

He could feel the anger radiating from Third Brother as the ship landed in the hangar and Thrawn descended down the ramp. Ortell, immediately seeing the Inquisitors once he was about to step onto the ramp, slowly backed up into the ship.

Best wait this one out.

“No,” Fourth Brother barked out to the officer. “You should join us.” Seeing as there was no room for negotiation, Ortell slowly stepped back out and stood behind Thrawn, as if he could protect them both.

“We were not Jedi hunting,” Thrawn calmly said, ignoring the chiss remark. He was woefully used to that already. “We ran into a Jedi.”

 

[Lucyfer]

Eli did frown at Cora’s mention of Wild Space. Not that he intended to bring it up unnecessarily. He didn’t think he dropped it into conversation all that often anyways, but he couldn’t help but think that was going to be among the first things her family focused on. It was obvious they already knew, that was why they were demanding Cora come home.

“Do you really think your family is going to let it slide for long?” Eli asked bluntly. He was obviously quite prepared to talk about, and defend, his home and the worthiness of the people that came from Wild Space. Or from anywhere, really. The bias of the Core into thinking others were lesser or inferior never stopped grating on him.

“They know where I’m from,” he added, “I feel like one of their first questions is going to relate to ‘how a Wild Space boy like me got to where I am’, or if I was ‘totally lost’ when I first got to Coruscant, or any other sort of thing like that. If they don’t ask how long it took me to adjust to a datapad, I’ll be surprised.”

That was…a bit of an exaggeration, but he knew some people imagined all the technology outside of the Core was millennia old, if not older. He was used to people being surprised with how easily he could, in fact, work on ‘modern technology’.

~***~

The birds did seem to naturally respond to Skye. It was a bit endearing, and some of the others around were quick to point it out, which caused Adlai to chuckle. Although, he suspected he shouldn’t allow too much attention to end up focused on them, no matter how innocent the bystanders were. “I suppose that’s true of any creature,” he mused. Spending time around them was the only way to truly come to appreciate them.

He didn’t have such time to spend around kiros birds, or, admittedly, an interest. He’d let Skye handle that. Perhaps one day, when the galaxy was in a better situation, he could see more of them from her perspective. Get to know them, from her interactions with them. Unfortunately, that was not now.

“We should see more of what’s here,” he reached out to touch her upper arm, to guide her, only momentarily thinking the action was wrong. After it was already done. He wouldn’t let his hand linger there, but drew it away as he walked forward to take her through other parts of the zoo, and the many other creatures that it housed.

It would at least be a pleasant day spent in the zoo, little in the ways of chaos disturbing them. No work, and no messages from Coruscant, either.

~***~

“Really?” Third Brother sounded doubtful, “Not Jedi hunting, but out in bantha-fuck nowhere on Jakku. What were you doing on Jakku if not Jedi hunting, then, Grand Admiral?” Third Brother wouldn’t give too long for him to answer, adding, “I mean, the only other possible reason you could have to be there would be to work with criminals like Niima.”

They knew Thrawn had gone to see Niima.

How Tarkin knew that, didn’t really matter. The point was, Thrawn had gone there, to see Niima, on a mission that probably had very little to do with his rebel sect. Only now, it absolutely did have everything to do with this little rebel thing, because they had been there as well. Or at least, the Jedi they suspected was with the rebel group, was there.

Which meant they really needed to know more about this mission, and what Thrawn was doing. They also needed to be a part of his missions. “And why would you be out there with Niima, if it wasn’t part of the rebel mission here, and if that didn’t, inevitably, mean the Jedi mission, right?”

Third Brother did not pick up Ae’lia’s tact, at all.

 

[cleopat]

Cora shrugged, “Maybe they will immediately ask that, or maybe they’ll just want to watch you squirm first,” she said rather bluntly. Her parents weren’t cruel by any means, but it was their own way to test someone from outside the Core.

And Cora knew that Eli could pass their own weird test.

She didn’t think that they would ask him anything related to technology, though. Cora shook her head, “I think questions along of how you got to where you are will be the most common questions you’ll receive from them.” Even her parents knew questions about technology would be silly.

Wild Space had civilizations; it just wasn’t Core.

“But I think if you can pass their unspoken test, then they’ll welcome you well enough.” It was just passing that test that he had to manage.

~~~

Even if she did want to spend more time with the kiros birds at their exhibit, Skye easily followed Adlai’s gesture and continued onward to the next exhibit. The day continued to be pleasant, with no interruptions or any form of chaos to intrude on their time playing tourists.

She had a pleasant time seeing all the different creatures, and although she wished to spend an equal amount of time at every exhibit, Skye knew she had to pick and choose which creatures she wanted to spend an extra minute at. She didn’t want to bore Adlai, even if he didn’t appear to be bored.

There was also the matter of her wishing to see everything before the day ended.

And eventually, it did. “I had a pleasant time today,” Skye commented as they finished up the last exhibit and began to make their way to the exit. “Serenno has a lovely zoo.”

~~~

Thrawn’s gaze narrowed only slightly. His reasons to dislike the Inquisitors continued over their inane questioning of his mission to Jakku. It wasn’t any of their business, in his eyes. It only just so happened that a Jedi showed up, and then she left.

All he learned from the encounter was that she was indeed at the gallery that fateful night.

“I have my own missions outside of the realm of the Inquisitors,” he began, but he wouldn’t leave it on that. That would be foolish. “And it seems that my instincts were correct. The information I’ve been pursuing regarding the attack on Queen Breha does interest our rebel friends, as their Jedi pursued the very same information on Jakku.”

And they had already named the criminal Thrawn, painfully, agreed to meet with for said information.

Ortell really, really did not want to be there, but he remained motionless behind Thrawn.

 

[Lucyfer]

Eli could understand that rational, and despite the blunt delivery, he still managed a short laugh at it. He obviously wouldn’t be laughing in front of her parents like that, but he could imagine the slightly sadistic mindset, especially if he was in some sort of a test. How long until the little Wild Space boy acted up?

The laughter faded into a more exasperated sigh, “You know, I really prefer academic testing,” he shook his head, “Social testing is just…stupid.” He understood so much of where Thrawn came from. Unfortunately, he understood politics and head games. Thrawn coasted by on blissful ignorance.

Lucky bastard.

“I’ll certainly do my best to pass,” he added, “I don’t suppose you’ve seen anyone else do it? Like…any friends from the Outer Rim that they have, or…?” There could be some exceptions to the rule to give him hope, right? He didn’t really have to be the first one to pass the test and convince them people from outside the Core were decent, did he?

~***~

Adlai sent the message for the speeder when they were close, still smiling as the day concluded with the tour of the zoo, “We have many great things on Serenno,” Skye already knew he could boast endlessly about Serenno, of course. He couldn’t help it; he really did love his home, and wished others could see it.

Of course, he also wished others could take pride in their own worlds as their own things – and not as part of the Empire. Some of that Separatist personality still lingered, even if the war was over. He did believe in the core of it, after all.

He always would.

“I promise to show you more,” he added, as they stepped out of the zoo and towards the waiting speeder, which Adlai of course opened the door to, “tomorrow, and throughout our time here. Perhaps you’ll come to love Serenno as I do.” That was one of the hopes, in the long run, after all.

He really did want her to like his home.

He wanted her to be a part of it, after all.

~***~

Third Brother made a show of tapping his foot, arms folded over his chest, while Thrawn prattled on about a mission outside of their own. He was lying. His mission was to find and destroy the rebel sect based on Coruscant. All of his actions and attentions should be put towards that. When he finished, Third Brother took a breath, let his arms dropped, and stepped into Thrawn’s bubble.

“Your mission might be more nuanced than ours with the politics of dismantling a group so it doesn’t rise from its own ashes, but our missions are still tied. Keep acting cute, chiss, and we’ll start following you everywhere you go, no matter how much it might ruin your own plans. The Empire cares more about the eradication of the Jedi over your pithy rebel group. They’re just a nuisance compared to the threat of the Jedi.”

Although Thrawn wouldn’t see it behind the helmet, he did smirk, “Thankfully for you, Tarkin just wants us tailing on you on any missions relating to Queen Breha now. Apparently, you have the go-ahead you were denied.” He knew about that.

Tarkin divulged as much.

Tarkin knew how to feed spiteful and angry things like Inquisitors. He always knew how to play on people, and it seemed, he’d grown tired of Thrawn and his meddlings. “Since our Jedi is also interested in it, so why don’t we go somewhere you can disclose the information you learned – or I can just take it right out of this officer’s head?” He stepped a bit to the side, so Ortell wasn’t as protected by Thrawn’s own body, canting his head down just a bit to make a point.

Sure, he wasn’t that much shorter, but Third Brother knew how to intimidate.

 

[cleopat]

Cora offered him a soft smile. She placed her burger down, wiped her hands on a napkin, and reached one hand out to rest gently on Eli’s arm. “This social test may be tedious, but you’ll have me by your side.” And she could help, to some extent.

She won’t be able to give the answers once they were there, but she could at least try and control her parents some. Try and prevent some more passive aggressive comments.

At his next question, Cora shook her head. “Not that I know of. Any previous ex that my parents met, or anyone my siblings brought home, have all been Core.” It was just simply the social circle they were involved in, and even in the Empire, Cora and her other brother, who was also an Imperial officer, normally were around those from the Core.

It was just more common.

~~~

It was a shame Skye hadn’t been able to visit Serenno before now. It just...wasn’t possible. Not as a Jedi, and life after that had just been too chaotic, that all she could focus on was staying alive. And that path never led her to Serenno, until now.

“I can’t wait to see what else you have to show me,” she said, sliding into the speeder after Adlai had opened the door for her. She could see how much he loved his homeworld. Being so far away for great lengths of time, all the way on Coruscant, must be painful for him.

Maybe one day, he could come back permanently. And maybe you could join him, one day.

But first she had to deal with dinner with his parents, which, for some reason, she was nervous about. Her, a Jedi who had seen battle numerous times, nervous over dinner with some parents.

Skye did want them to like her, after all.

~~~

There was a tick in Thrawn’s expression as Third Brother stepped into his personal space. Fourth Brother watched from the side, a pleased smirk hidden underneath his helmet.

Really, any discomfort is what the Grand Admiral deserved for hiding this mission from them.

Upon the threat, Ortell shot Thrawn a concerned look. He didn’t think that the Grand Admiral would allow them to get inside his head, would he?

And no, Thrawn wouldn’t. For the moment, he ignored the fact that the Inquisitors would now accompany him on any mission relating to Queen Breha. That would be something to think more about later, and what it meant for him.

“We can discuss this further in my office,” Thrawn said. “Officer Ortell, you’re dismissed.” Ortell didn’t need to be told twice, as he quickly moved away from the tension and out of the hanger, nearly tripping over his own feet as he all but ran out of there and away from the Inquisitors.

Fourth Brother only scoffed at the officer’s cowardice. But yet he was proud of the intimidation they held over inferior creatures.

 

[Lucyfer]

Eli knew he wouldn’t be entirely alone, but he also knew that relying on Cora too much, or too obviously, would be a surefire way to fail whatever test her parents were giving him. He had to show he could stand on his own feet, and deal with them. He had to prove competent, and capable. It really shouldn’t be this hard, and he knew that. He also knew he was at a disadvantage by not knowing Core norms.

It was a shame he couldn’t just study art and figure everything out about a culture, like Thrawn.

He also sighed as it seemed none of her family had any non-Core associates. She and her siblings had only been with other people of the Core, before him. He supposed that did make him exceptional, but he wasn’t sure how good it should really make him feel that he was the first of her entire family.

He knew it was likely because of location, but it was still strange to him. “I’m not sure how I should feel that your family doesn’t even have any friends from outside the Core, but I guess it’s what I expected,” he chuckled a bit, and covered her hand briefly with his own, “Still, thank you,” for giving him the chance, and for being honest about her family.

At least she could recognize the upcoming issues.

~***~

Adlai couldn’t wait to show Skye, either, but he knew the next parts were just as important. Though he was not introducing Skye as his girlfriend, her relationship with his parents was important and he wanted that to be good. Navigating it might be a bit tricky at the outset, given the obfuscations, but he had hope.

The trip back would be quick, and once again Adlai would take time to get out and hold the door open, before thanking the driver and leading back into his home, not pausing to ask where dinner would be taking place. He knew where it would be, and led Skye to the small dining room, reserved for just family functions.

They weren’t hosting a lavish party, after all.

Eitana was there already, not yet sitting, but standing with a glass of wine in hand. She turned at their entrance and smiled, “All settled in yet?” She asked, and Adlai chuckled, shaking his head. Obviously, he wasn’t yet – he’d been too excited to get out to be settled.

“I will settle in tonight,” he promised, “and not run out on breakfast.”

Eitana just frowned, but let it easily melt, “He always gets this way,” she said, to Skye, “He’ll go run out to see his friends or new things – or old things. You’re going to have to get used to frequent running around while you’re here.”

~***~

Third Brother felt some gratification at that tick, and Thrawn’s mounting agitation. As well as his concern for his crew. He’d heard that Thrawn was a softer touch about his crew – even if he had high expectations. That would be useful to start using against him, if he continued to try and keep the Inquisitors out of his business.

Why would he want to?

The sooner they dealt with the Jedi, the sooner they could part ways.

Third Brother wouldn’t stop Ortell from running off, though he did step back and gave an overly dramatic gesture for Thrawn to lead the way to his office – even if he knew right where it was and could have led himself. Instead, he would follow Thrawn silently, his point sufficiently made for the time being.

He’d get what he needed from Thrawn, and he’d know the next steps in anything to do with Breha. He didn’t know why Ae’lia was involved, but he understood she was – and that was enough for Tarkin to okay Thrawn’s continued involvement in this.

 

[cleopat]

“I think my dad may have some colleagues from the Inner and Mid Rims, but beyond that?” Cora gently pulled her hand away. “None that I know of.” She didn’t want to think that it was because their biases were that strong.

They raised her, after all, and the guy she was dating was from Wild Space, and her Grand Admiral was a Chiss. She had tolerance and understanding that came from somewhere.

“But I think the biggest thing is to just be yourself, and don’t let any negative comments get to you. They can smell the fear.” She chuckled a little at her joke as she bit into her burger. The last part wasn’t really that serious.

Somewhat.

Her parents would be able to tell if Eli was getting flustered or annoyed by any remarks, and he had to learn to brush off comments, which Cora imagined he already knew how to do.

~~~

Skye felt some trepidation as they made their way back to his home, largely because of dinner time with the parents. His mother seemed pleasant enough, but she still couldn’t quite figure out his father and whether or not he disliked her because she’s seemingly from the Core.

Which wasn’t too far from the truth. She did spend much of her childhood at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant.

She followed Adlai from the airspeeder, back inside, and to the intimate dining room, where his mother was already waiting for them.

“Oh, no worries,” she chuckled, in response to Eitana’s comment. “I’m already used to a high pace lifestyle. I don’t think I would’ve taken this job if I hadn’t.”

~~~

Thrawn withheld the urge to roll his eyes as Third Brother gave an unnecessary dramatic gesture, as he led them onward to his office. Fourth Brother followed, opting to not utilize the dramatics like Third Brother did.

But he would use his anger if Thrawn continued to evade any real answers.

The few officers they passed in the corridors were quick to jump out of the way, or completely turn back around upon the sight of the Inquisitors.

Thrawn stepped into his office and made his way around his desk, but didn’t sit down in the chair. “As I’ve mentioned before, I went to Jakku for information concerning the attack on Queen Breha, and the Jedi was there, wanting the same information from Niima the Hutt.”

 

[Lucyfer]

Eli rolled his eyes a bit, but nodded. It wouldn’t be fear the family smelled, so much as agitation or anger. Eli wasn’t afraid of them. He was concerned of their opinion, but not enough to forgo who he was. There was little point in that. Cora liked him for who he was, and changing that to appease her parents wouldn’t work out.

“Don’t worry, I don’t plan to start this with lies,” he said. “I’m secure enough in who I am,” where he was from, what he was doing. He wasn’t going to let Core bias bother him, or else he would have been out of his current position a long time ago.

People had tried to get him removed from here plenty of times. Their promises, flattery, and connections had wrecked Thrawn’s early career, but in the end, they both came to stand high above many others, now.

He could hold it together, though.

And so he went back to eating a bit more peacefully, not having many more questions right then…and failing to change the subject.

~***~

Eitana maintained the grin easily, “I suppose that’s true if you deal with politicians, to any degree,” she accepted Skye’s response, “though usually it’s running around the same couple of buildings, not entire planets.” Usually being the key word, of course.

As she said it, Doron walked into the room as well, followed by a few of the staff who came bearing food, which was laid out upon the table, “Hopefully you won’t mind – I suppose we should have asked if you had any food allergies, apologies, dear.”

Not that there weren’t plenty of options even for just a family meal – it was more akin to a spread one would see for a holiday celebration. Though, Adlai’s return was well worth that, to them.

“Just don’t be a vegetarian,” Doron sighed.

“Dad….”

“Well it was tiresome catering to Eira’s palette all the time,” Doron noted. He hadn’t been too shy with it before, but Adlai still found it a little rude all the same. People were entitled to eat, or not eat, whatever they wanted.

Adlai wasn’t sure exactly how to remind his father that Skye was a guard, when she would, in fact, be leaving that role in the future. Doron wouldn’t give him much time to fill that in, asking instead, “How have you enjoyed Serenno so far, Skye?”

~***~

Third Brother walked to the desk, but unlike Thrawn, he did take a seat, “Then why do you mention it again? We’re not deaf,” he stated flatly, not impressed with the repetition that some would probably consider a polite courtesy. “We’re here to know what you learned from Niima, and what’s next on the agenda.”

Third Brother tilted his head up, “I know Ae’lia got the information,” though Thrawn couldn’t see the look, his gaze had turned hard. Serious. The Force stilled around him, like the air before a lightning strike. “She was a counsellor. A good one,” even if she left it all behind.

It was because of war.

Violence.

These were not things the pacifist could reconcile, in the end, and she left. That didn’t diminish her peaceful skills in the least, even with a hutt – he knew she’d be able to gather information. “I assume you didn’t leave empty handed.”