Today, I let myself sleep in for once and not wake up to go and train before anyone else got to my favorite spot. Sometimes... being lazy pays off, especially when I can feel the comforting warmth across my shoulder. Without thinking about it, I reached out and gently began stroking Vila's lekku. She had somehow managed to sprawl across half the bed and all of me, one arm hooked around my chest, her mouth half open, drooling a little. As I watched, smiling, her breathing was slow and even, and the textbook definition of peace was plastered all across her face. While watching, she probably sensed my gaze as her eyes finally opened, and the first thing she did was blink at me, then break into a smile.
"You didn't sneak off," she muttered, her voice telling me she was still half-asleep.
"I thought I'd try something new."
"Good..." She squinted at me, stretching and snuggling up to me even closer. "It suits you... You should turn it into a habit."
In the end, we just stayed like that for almost an hour before finally getting out of the sheets, showering, and dressing up. It was a sleepy, slow morning, but sometimes, that's what you need.
"See? You stay in bed one morning and the whole place feels lighter." Vila giggled as we walked out of the cafeteria, finishing our breakfast.
Yet, before I could answer, a service droid rolled up to us, beeping our names and projecting a small hologram.
Summons: Vila, Kael, report to Briefing Chamber B.
From: Master Katarn.
"Oh? A mission?" Vila muttered. "The Force always notices when we're comfortable, huh? Throwing us some curveballs right when I was, for one time, not going to drag you to the training fields." She smiled at me.
"True," I agreed, "That... seems to be the case."
Not dallying more than we had to, arriving at the specified spot within the temple's upper floors, Master Katarn stood at the back of the chamber, a dozen data-panes floating around him, held up by the Force, browsing through it. Without Ben around, as my Master was on his own mission, he looked more like a field officer than a proper Jedi, wearing anything but robes... but it fitted him well.
"Morning, you two," he said, glancing at us from the corner of his eye, "Hope you enjoyed your vacation, because from today on, it's over."
"Morning to you, too, Master," Vila said, dropping into a chair. "You could at least lie and tell us we're getting a... Medal. Or something!"
"For what? Being carefree?" Master Katarn smirked at her, "You'll get one if you come back with answers from this mission, though." He waved a hand, and a planet appeared from the projector, rotating above the table before him, showing us a sea of gold and buildings made of steel and glass. I glanced at the bottom, reading its name... Cantonica, one of the trade worlds along the Outer Rim, where people, wealthy ones from both the upper- and lower-class, that is, went and spent their credits...
"Oh? What's happened?" Vila asked, while I sat down and watched the projection.
"This," he continued, "is where you're going. You'll meet a contact there, an old friend of the Order, who has retired these days but is still in the loop. He just can't help it, really, not even in his old age." he smiled, "Right now, he runs one of the big casinos in the capital, innermost ring of the planet. Don't worry," he added, looking at Vila, "You'll like him... In fact, everyone does."
"Old friend or old gambler?" I asked, as owning a casino was no small feat.
"Both," Master Katarn answered, "He's the reason we even know something's wrong." He tapped the holomap, zooming in until the city's skyline appeared before us, "A month ago, Knight Iowi Mer'tak and Jalo were sent to follow up rumors about Force-sensitive artifacts being sold through the auction houses, and as their investigation deepened, they followed the trace back to Cantonica." Oh? Iowi and Jalo? A weird pairing, but it explains why I haven't seen them since returning from the Rakatan world. "They were supposed to rendezvous with our contact there." Master Katarn continued, "Instead, a week later, the contact received an encrypted transmission, baked in with Jedi codes and Iowi's signature, but neither he nor Jalo had ever arrived. The beacon pinged once from the spaceport, then went dark. "
"You mean..." Vila's smile faded at once, looking up at her Master, "A whole month went by with them... missing?"
"I am afraid so," Master Katarn nodded. "Officially, they're still 'delayed.' Unofficially, we are all worried. Everyone knows that things can come up, clues could appear, and more... but without any contact for a month? That's not normal."
"So," I leaned forward, "You want us to find them."
"And confirm whether that coded message came from Iowi or someone using his credentials." He looked at me pointedly, "I'm assigning this to you because you know both of them better than anyone here. Maybe they reached out in a way only you'll recognize."
That's one way to put it. Most of our talks were, in the past, arguments. When that was settled, it was quieter, and we even saw eye to eye sometimes. As for Jalo, I was much more friends with him than Iowi... But, I had to admit, yes. Both of them were familiar with me, and maybe I could indeed latch onto them more easily.
"Huh," Vila crossed her legs, "So… is this a rescue mission or...?"
"Depends on what you find. Also..." Master Katarn allowed himself a smile. "Don't enjoy it too much. The planet's law enforcement has zero tolerance for open weapons, so keep the hilts of your sabers out of sight. Not even Jedi are exempt from the rules."
"But if we don't show it... We can... keep it?" I asked, furrowing my brows.
"There are countless rascals, smugglers, bounty hunters, and other wealthy scum arriving there to spend their credits," He sighed, "Think of it as a nicer Nar Shadda. Everyone knows they will have concealed weapons, so they aren't reaching too far into their pockets, not wanting to lose their profits. But flaunting your weapons will get you jail time."
"So I will have to warn HK. Multiple times..." I moaned, making Vila giggle.
"Make sure of that." Master Katarn agreed, "You'll be traveling as independent security consultants for our contact, and we have already done the backgrounds for you two. I've filed the paperwork; your ship's clearance is already waiting." With that, he dismissed the holomap and gave us two datapads and a few credit chits. "Bring them home if you can, and if you can't, find out why. Two Jedi going missing is a serious issue. If you can't handle it, immediately contact us, and I will arrive personally."
"If it's that serious... Why don't you come with us?" Vila asked, making Master Katarn sigh.
"We are too few." He shook his head, "Most of us are already out on missions, and we need Masters to be present here, to teach the new Padawans. Sadly speaking... we are stretched thin as is."
"Don't worry," Vila said proudly, "We will get this done!"
"Mhm." I nodded, bowing towards Master Katarn, "You can trust us."
"We do. That's why we are sending you there."
...
....
...
Our ship waited under the wide stone arches of the eastern platform, from where fresh rainwater was still dripping onto the hull. This time around, though, unlike when we went to Christopsis, the hull itself was wholly restored, gleaming, almost blinding me when we walked out from within the shadows. Huh... A polish and elbow grease can do a lot, it seems, because it looked... luxurious. That's the Naboo design for you... Well, it will fit into our current personas, for sure, especially with the place we are going to. The last thing we need is to be refused docking because we look too poor to be allowed inside.
After climbing onto the Silverlight, I slid into the pilot's seat and began pre-flight checks while Vila secured the cargo hold, making sure we had everything that we would need for multiple weeks or even months of travel.
"Course plotted?" she asked as she entered the cockpit, coming to sit down on the co-pilot's chair.
"Cantonica, by way of the Crait corridor." I nodded, "It should take only a day from here as we are pretty close."
"I never went to a place like that," She leaned against the co-pilot chair, arms folded. "Did you?"
"Nope," I shook my head, "I may have been a noble on paper, but that's... different. Opulence like that place eluded my family. Look," I smiled at her, "Just don't let your mouth hang open for too long, and you won't look out of place!"
"Ugh..." She pouted, turning away from me, "Bully."
"Like Iowi was?" I joked, recalling the past with a weird nostalgia rising within me.
"And now you get to rescue him." She chuckled, her pout disappearing at once.
"Yeah..." I smiled wryly. "The Force loves irony."
Outside, the hangar lights shifted from amber to green, signaling that we were good to go. At once, we lifted off into the partially clouded sky, making them part around us as the temple fell away beneath the jungle canopy. Well, time for a new adventure... I just hope I will keep all my limbs intact this time around. Pushing the thoughts back to my mind, once we were clear of the atmosphere, the Silverlight tilted toward our target, and I eased the throttle forward. The moment I was done, the stars stretched into white lines, and the hum of hyperspace filled the cabin as we jumped into it, watching the blue swirls outside our ship.
"Bet you a week's rations that the first thing you do planetside is complain about the casino noise," Vila said suddenly.
"Bet you a week's that the first thing you do is try one of the tables."
"Hah!" she laughed. "Deal. I can resist that!"
...
....
...
I was wrong... It didn't even take a day to arrive, as only after half a day, I pulled on the lever and the stars snapped back into stillness, and the blue-white swirl of hyperspace vanished around us as it spat the Silverlight back into real space. We arrived relatively close, and from orbit, the planet looked like someone had poured sunlight over a desert and then decided that wasn't shiny enough, so they added cities made entirely of mirrors, to reflect the light... Haaah... It indeed looked like a gem.
"Beautiful," Vila said, leaning forward. "If you like being blinded."
While she was saying that, our clearance codes pinged through, and the control tower's polished voice came back with just enough courtesy not to insult us for having to make him do his job.
"Welcome to Canto City, flight three-nine-seven-B. Docking bay twelve has been reserved for your arrival. Please avoid scratching anything expensive; the insurance in your package does not cover it."
"Understood," I answered simply, not wanting to get into useless chatter, cutting the comms.
"Charming," Vila muttered. "I already like this place..."
"We are freelance consultants," I shrugged, "I don't think they have much of a reputation here because we are neither wealthy nor famous enough to warrant extra care."
As I began our descent through the atmosphere, the door slid open and HK strode in, his photoreceptors burning in orange, back to his usual form, without any issues in the past weeks at all.
[Statement: I have concluded an independent systems review during hyperspace transit,] he announced. [I have also optimized mission logistics.]
"Translation?" I asked, looking at him, "You messed with something, didn't you?"
[Clarification: I improved something.] Then, he thumped his chest plate and a hidden seam hissed open, revealing a narrow compartment. [Proud Announcement: Behold! Discreet internal storage capable of housing restricted armaments and sentimental organic contraband.]
Damn... That's... nifty! Looking into him, I could see two compact blasters nestled on a shock-mounted tray and enough space for our lightsabers.
"That's pretty nice!" Vila blinked her eyes, "You built a smuggler's locker in your chest?"
[Proud confirmation: Correct. My frame is cortosis-lined, and thanks to it, it is signal-scrambling. No scanner, customs officer, or underpaid dockworker can detect the contents. I am, as organics say, the perfect mule.]
"That's disgusting," she said.
[Flattered acknowledgement: Thank you.]
"Wait a moment," I leaned over to inspect the cavity, putting the ship on autopilot while following the tower's approach guidance, "You are made out of cortosis?"
[Acknowledgement: Partially. I was designed to kill Jedi, of course, I am made from a material that allows me to increase my success rate.]
"That... makes sense," I muttered, watching him, wondering if he remembered it... or was it something he just refused to share until now? No matter... "So you're telling me we hand you our sabers, and nobody on this planet can see them?"
[Assurance: Precisely. Local law enforcement forbids visible weaponry. You, however, travel with an unarmed protocol droid carrying personal trinkets. Proud Statement: Ingenious, yes?]
"Previously, you would have strangled us for calling you a protocol droid..." Vila groaned. "I can't believe this actually makes sense."
[Observation: My brilliance often does. Addendum: Previously, I was wielding protocol droid parts. Now, I do not. Conclusion: I am masquerading as one and not one. There is a difference.]
"Whatever," I sighed as I unclipped my hilt and set it inside his chest while Vila followed suit, and we watched as HK closed the panel, and the seam vanished until it looked like part of his armor.
[Declaration: Hidden. Secure. If I am destroyed, please stand at least five meters back. The resulting explosion can be devastating.]
"That's comforting," I said.
[Affirmation: I exist to comfort.]
"I think he is in a way too good mood." Vila moaned, pointing at him, while turned back towards the view as the ship was nearing its landing point.
"Let's copy him," I chuckled, "That way, we can mix in with the others."
[Advisory: I have studied the mission brief in detail. Primary contact: local entrepreneur, code name The Gambler. Objective: locate missing associates designated Iowi Mer'tak and Jalo. Secondary objective: avoid public disturbance. Probability of success: 43 percent.]
"Only forty-three?" I asked, looking back at him again.
[Statement: Optimistic rounding.]
"Improve your numbers," I grunted as we slowly put the ship down, noticing that there were people outside, already waiting for us... and as far as I could tell, they were the local law enforcement. "And make sure your frame works as well as you say it does. Because our first inspection is about to happen..."