The Fly hovered by the window, desperately working its wings and just as desperately cursing someone on the comlink. Upon seeing Nemo, he broke off the conversation, flew closer, and rasped: "Good day, Mr. Nemo. You have a peculiar reputation, it seems..."
"Misjudged information," the contr retorted imperturbably, looking for a chair or armchair. "I haven't killed anyone with fire yet."
"Sit down," Karvo waved his hand towards a chair against the wall. "What brings you here?"
"We have unfinished deals. And I would like to use your services in other areas," Nemo explained, took the chair, placed it a little closer to Karvo, and immediately sat down. "By the way, did you find out who planted the explosives?"
"I didn't find him," Karvo rasped. "Not yet."
"There's a suspicion that it's your neighbor upstairs," Nemo said innocently, "but according to my information, if it's him, you have nothing to worry about."
"How is it nothing to worry about?!" the Toydarian exclaimed indignantly, taking a turn that his glorious ancestor would have envied, and hovering in the air in front of the guest's face. "He almost blew up my office, and I shouldn't worry?! Not to mention that the girls could have been hurt!"
"He's dead," the contr shrugged, "an accident, racers from the lower levels. I think I heard it that way."
"Of course, of course," the alien said, now completely calm, in an understanding tone. Apparently, he didn't have the slightest doubt about who the racer was. "It's a pity, I won't be able to get revenge myself... What do you want for this, Mr. Nemo? Within reason, of course."
"A Hutt's spleen! Karvo! Don't try to make a monster out of me," he probably would have even laughed if he hadn't been afraid of scaring the mediator, "I'm just passing information to you. I broke Eugene's ribs. And that's all. Everything else was done to him by your common employers. And I want the usual. Discounts, discounts. I have a couple of requests, plus what we discussed earlier, plus I need access to a serious organization."
"And he still says he's not involved," the Fly grumbled, flying further away just in case. "We'll agree on discounts. Who do you need to find?"
"I have interesting information for the Black Sun. A trusted representative of the local vigo should be enough, I think," the contr calculated, "and I really have nothing to do with it. I even sympathize with Eugene in a way; he didn't work for money. And I advise you in the future not to make deals with people for whom one mistake means death.
"Good advice, especially from someone looking for the Black Sun," the proboscis twitched. "But I'm just a mediator, it doesn't concern me... Two thousand, Mr. Nemo, and you'll have a contact."
"Agreed," Nemo wasn't inclined to bargain now, "next question. Veymi."
"Do you want to buy her now?" Karvo clarified.
"Yes, definitely," the guy said, "and take her immediately."
"Money here," the Fly picked up the deck from the table, brought up the account number on the screen, and took out his comlink. "Veymi, stop wiping the bar counter with your tails. Come to the office."
"No problem," Nemo said, taking out his deck and starting to fill in the bank details, "by the way, Karvo..."
He grinned, taking out the memory card from the deck.
"How much do you think this info chip is worth? Just a guess. Consider it idle curiosity at your intuition level."
"Hmm..." the alien thought, forgetting to flap his wings and almost falling to the floor from a height of one and a half meters. "Since you're showing it to me, it means there's something related to me there. What could you have obtained that relates to me, that I wouldn't know about? Probably nothing. You were too busy, judging by the news. So, you could only have gotten the information from me... A copy of the drive you removed from the terminal, did I guess right?"
"Brilliant logical thinking," the contr was genuinely impressed by the Toydarian's train of thought, "I would like to return it to you to strengthen our future cooperation."
The Fly flapped its proboscis a couple of times, flew up, and grabbed the chip with its tenacious paw.
"I had already decided you wanted to blackmail me," he rasped. "A rare case in my practice."
The door opened, and a Twi'lek appeared on the threshold.
"Ah, Veymi... Come in, this is your new master. You already know each other."
Getting up from his chair, Nemo bowed to the entering girl, then sat back down.
"Next point, Mr. Karvo," he opened a couple of files on the deck, and general ship plans appeared there, "I need you to find me a ship. A Maka-Eekai L4000 transport. After you find it, before closing the deal, call me as your specialist, I'll check its condition. And I'll tell you the price."
The lekku were raised in surprise – Veymi was clearly not used to such greetings. But she didn't ask anything and didn't order anything to be done, and the girl quietly sat down in the corner so as not to disturb the conversation.
"Let's see," the alien had already forgotten about the slave and leaned with interest over the image, occasionally touching it with his proboscis to move or enlarge some area. "Not the most common model, Mr. Nemo. But I have one... A specialist in finding such equipment. I can't promise immediate results."
"Don't try to rip me off, Karvo," the guy smiled, but his gaze clearly hardened, "it's really not the most common model, but... I know the market conditions and the cost. That's what I'll pay. Minus the ship's condition, plus your commission. As for time... It shouldn't be delayed, but I'd like it a bit faster. So... That's probably it. Write down the number where you can contact me."
"Mr. Nemo, you disappoint me," the alien waved his proboscis. "I'll get my commission anyway, and we've already agreed on a discount. Immediate result means the ship is already in the hangar, and the key card is on the table in front of you. I can't provide that and I honestly warn you. And you've already made me out to be a swindler, although just recently you were unhappy that rumors were spreading about you."
"What can you do, Karvo... Nar Shaddaa makes me a nervous person," the guy shrugged, getting up. "Last question: do you know if they sell anti-vandal cases anywhere nearby?"
"One minute..." the alien rummaged through his deck and dictated the address. "The seller is a crook. But he won't sell the code to yours for less than the cost of five cases. And then he'll contact you and tell you he sold it."
"I like crooks," Nemo smiled and stood up, "especially when I know who I'm dealing with. Then I'll be waiting for your call, Karvo. And I wish you all the best."
He turned to the girl and gestured towards the door.
Already walking down the corridor, Nemo looked at the Twi'lek and carefully raised his arm at the elbow, offering it to the girl.
The answer was a surprised look, but the alien girl immediately concluded: the new master had chosen this manner of address, and she needed to play along. Otherwise, he might get angry.
Veymi carefully took his arm, easily adjusting to the smuggler's pace.
"Tell me, Veymi, is that your full name?" Nemo asked curiously, heading for the exit.
"No, master," the girl replied. "It's Vey Mia Narr. But my first master decided it was too long a name."
"Beautiful," the contr said the name, silently trying it on his tongue, "what does it mean? I've heard that you have very interesting relationships with names."
"It can be translated as 'Thread of Magical Pearls'," the Twi'lek replied. "That's one of the interpretations."
"Yes, that's a truly beautiful name," Nemo concluded, "and you can call me... Rick. It's short for Ricard. And don't call me master anymore. Okay?"
"Yes, Rick," she said, and the way she pronounced the smuggler's name clearly carried a forbidden address.
"See, it doesn't hurt at all," Nemo, who had just become Ricard, surprisingly quickly and almost painlessly underwent a transformation. He was someone again. "How did you end up in slavery?"
The word "master" almost made him nauseous. Especially when he thought about becoming the master of a slave. A female slave. It went against all his notions of morality and decency. But to tell the Lethan that she was free... He suspected it would be like pouring a ladle of ice water on a Bimm.
"I was born a slave," her leku twitched. "My mother's master bred slaves. I wasn't suitable for him, so I was sold."
"It'll be difficult with the girl..."
But no one ever said it would be easy. A clothing store sign floated by.
"A sad fate," he said with a sigh, "aren't you cold? The planet's climate isn't suited for such light clothing."
"A little cool," her tails twitched again. "I'm used to it, and besides, we were taught well..."
Behind that phrase lay an unspoken message: they were taught not to show when you're feeling bad, in pain, cold, or uncomfortable.
"Then let's go," Nemo himself turned into the store, carefully opening the door and letting the girl go ahead of him. "And for the future. I want you to speak up when you feel bad, in pain, cold, or uncomfortable. Okay?"
Surprise hung in the air, but Vaymi didn't dare to object or ask questions.
"Okay, Rick."
Dressed in a short green tunic, the girl entered the small shop, looking around the shelves and mannequins with curiosity. All her masters had only wanted to emphasize the beauty of the purchase. What did this strange man want?
"I think we need something simple and elegant," Nemo finally said after a few seconds of examining the mannequins, guessing that from the perspective he was looking at the question, the girl wouldn't consider it. "And at the same time, practical. I don't think we'll be at a social event, so dresses are out. Choose what suits you, and we'll decide what to buy together."
"O-okay," she almost blurted out "master." "Rick, and... If not dresses, then what? Pants, a jumpsuit?"
"You've never worn anything else?" his eyebrows involuntarily rose. "You'll need pants and a jumpsuit too. But not now. So..."
Nemo carefully examined the girl.
"Okay, the shoes will stay the same, you need pants. As I said, either trousers or capris. Choose what you like. For the top, I'd suggest a blouse, and I don't know... A jacket, a sweater, a windbreaker. Actually, you know, maybe you can even keep the tunic. Without a blouse, and a jacket over it. But you still need a change of clothes."
Vaymi raised her leku in confusion. She had to dress like a man. It was unusual, but she could probably manage...
"O-okay..."
Someone from the staff immediately rushed over to the girl, and for the next quarter of an hour, the rustling from behind the changing screen could be heard, and one stack of clothes after another was brought there.
When Vaymi finally appeared, she was wearing a thick dark cherry-colored jumpsuit, over which she had thrown a fitted jacket. The result was stunning – with the great effect she produced on men, she could only undress completely. The salesman carried a bag of clothes behind her.
Nemo smiled, suppressing a chuckle. Yes. She had followed his instructions exactly... But... Now, if snipers started hunting him, they would have a charming distraction. He paid the rest of his cash at the register, buying a pair of mirrored wide glasses in the process and putting them on immediately.
"You're charming," he said, taking the bags of clothes in his free hand, "but now I need a case."
With these words, he led the girl out, heading towards the scoundrel he had spoken of to Karvo.
They didn't have to fly far. Cases, safes, and other useful items were sold about a five-minute flight away.
Vaymi sat beside him like a quiet mouse, watching the buildings rush by.
"How are you? Would you prefer to sit in the car, or will you walk with me?" Rick asked, looking at the girl.
"With you," the choice didn't torment her. "The car could be stolen, and so could I."
The new master was strange, but he didn't seem evil. Better not to tempt fate.
"I'd like to see the one who would dare steal my car," the contr said with a smile, closing the door behind him. "But... You've brought up the right topic. You need protection. Have you ever held a blaster?"
He walked over to her to help her out of the car.
The Twi'lekka shook her head and, for emphasis, pressed her tails to her shoulders, leaning on his hand.
"Then we'll fix that," Nemo decided, heading towards the store with Vaymi. "Team members should be able to stand up for themselves."
Her tails shivered and wrapped around her shoulders, though she felt unusually warm in her new clothes. Vaymi was frankly afraid of weapons. But she couldn't argue with her master... Although he had told her not to hide anything from him when she felt uneasy.
"I'm not sure I can do it," the girl replied quietly. "I... I'm scared just thinking about having to pick up a pistol or a rifle."
Team? He said team member? But that was only for free people... Her leku hung limply – what was happening didn't make sense.
"Hmm..." this was new to him. He mostly interacted with those who were afraid of losing their blasters. "I think we'll reach a compromise... I've clarified your name. But I haven't found out what you prefer to be called?"
The girl was confused again for a few moments. What did she like? Her mother called her Mia – Little Pearl. But that was so long ago...
"I'm used to the name Vaymi," she finally said. "I have nothing to compare it to; masters always called me only that. But if you don't like this name, you can give me another."
"Give you? You're not an object," the contr didn't know whether to laugh or get angry. In the end, he did something in between, but maintained a good-natured expression. "For me to come up with a new name for you... Just... I want you to be comfortable. And for that, I need to understand who you are. Vaymi or Vay Mia Narr. Try to decide for yourself."
The girl thought seriously. The master wanted her to be comfortable – but she was already comfortable. She hadn't felt this warm in a very long time. What comfort could come from changing her name? This – Vaymi – was familiar and cozy, like an old tunic.
"Let it remain Vaymi," she finally decided. "If it makes me uncomfortable, I'll tell you."
"Okay," he agreed quickly, but after a few steps added, "although, to be honest..."
You couldn't joke with a Lethan. Not at all. Not in any way.
"Vaymi, in any dangerous situation, stay behind me, okay? Or better yet, behind some cover. This is for the future."
With these words, he entered the store, holding the door for the girl.
The alien looked around and decided that so many open safes were a dangerous enough situation. One wrong move and you could fall into one... She hid behind Rick's back and tried to make her presence as inconspicuous as possible.
"Mister?" the Togruta salesman rose to meet them. "What can I show you? Safes, reinforced doors, car protection?"
"A case," the contr said curtly, "I need a good case."
"Oh," the salesman led the potential clients to the display. "For weapons, tools?"
"Universal: documents, money, belongings, weapons," the answer was evasive. "I need a universal case that won't burn, is resistant to blaster fire and physical impact. With a good lock."
"Specialized models are always more reliable," the Togruta said instructively and clicked a button on a portable remote. A transparent box slid out of the display. "I can offer you this model. Increased durability, high-molecular-weight plastic alloy, reinforced with extruded metal. Lightweight, 26 centimeters deep, with a lifting frame. It's fireproof, has buoyancy, two locks, each with a separate key."
"I need to examine it," Rick said uncertainly, as if contemplating the advisability of the purchase. "What's its cost?"