Knight of the New Republic

Kavik sat in the darkest corner of the bar he could find, nursing his grievances as he tried to resist the temptation to order a stronger drink than the almost tasteless wine. He needed to keep his wits about him, in case some local thug would happen to stroll in and start looking for wanted faces.

Besides, he couldn’t really afford to spend any more money. By the looks of things, his pockets were going to be very empty for the forceable future.

Of course, there was also a very real chance he wouldn’t have a future, once they found him.

One kid. One dirty, scruffy little kid in a cage, had been enough reason for him to turn on Kuoyu, and kill one of the crime lord’s top enforcers as he helped the kid escape.

Now he had no cargo, no first mate to help crew his ship (should have never hired that coward Huang Shalung in the first place), a helpless orphan hidden in the secret smuggling hold of his ship, and a very angry criminal going to fill the streets with bounty hunters any minute.

He just hoped the bounty would be for his dead body. The only reason Kuoyu would want him alive would be to-

“A pai sho player I see,” a stranger suddenly pulled out the chair opposite him, and sat down, “Just the kind of man I’ve been looking for!”

Kavik had to ball his fists, to stop himself from reaching for the weapon hidden on his thigh. The anxiety had made him sloppy, otherwise he should have recognized the tall, willowy woman as she approached.

Though it was amazing how different she looked, without those prim and proper robes.

“This is a table for one,” he said tersely but quietly, as he scanned the room to make sure no one was watching them. “And I’m not exactly in the mood for games tonight!”

Lady Yangchen scooted her chair forward; her eyes almost twinkling in the soft blue light, as she smiled at him under her conical straw hat. “Come my friend, don’t you know it’s bad luck to turn down another player.” Skimming through her tiles, the young woman selected one and placed it on the board, opening the game.

“My luck couldn’t get worse,” Kavik left his own tiles untouched. “And a professional goodygoody like you might not want to be caught sitting at the table with me right now. I’m not exactly Mr. Popular around here.”

“Yes, I had heard something about that,” Yangchen placed another tile on the board, as if he had taken a turn. “Some unprincipled scoundrel suddenly grew a conscious, and yanked Kuoyu’s tail to help someone else. That was as stupid as it was valiant” She sounded genuinely impressed.

“That’s very nice of you to say,” the young smuggler deadpanned. “But the criminal thugs of this city aren’t gonna agree, and I don’t think the local authorities can help.”

“The authorities are most certainly NOT going to help,” The girl sat up a little straighter, smoothing out her skirt. He wondered if she was uncomfortable, outside of her normal robes. “Kuoyu has them in his pocket. I have it from a reliable source that your wanted poster is about to be handed out at the police station.”

If it weren’t for the lady-monk sitting across from him, Kavik would not have stopped the vile obscenity that almost came out of his mouth. “I heard rumors that old slug had bought off the cops.”

“That old slug is much slyer with investing his money,” she replied. “Instead of renting a few cops at a time he went straight to the top and bought the city magister.”

That did it. Kavik had been in this scummy place because he couldn’t launch his ship without at least one other person to help. Well, it looked like that kid he saved was going to have to learn quick, because he was out of time to find someone to hire.

“Okay, thanks for the warning,” Kavik said sarcastically, and started to rise. “Unless you’re here to help, I’ve got a ship to-“

“As it happens,” she raised a hand to stop him leaving. “I am in the business of helping people in need. It’s an occupational commitment.”

The young smuggler froze halfway out of his chair. He was quiet for a long moment, as he studied her round, annoyingly pretty face. In the soft blue light of the table between them, her guarded expression gave nothing away. But there was something open in her eyes, something that actually looked like sincerity.

With a sigh, Kavik sat back down. He didn’t trust this do-gooder on principle, or anyone else in her order, but a drowning man will climb aboard any ship. “I’m listening?”

“It’s a mutually beneficial arrangem-“ The girl stopped talking, eyes widening, as if hearing a sudden alarm bell no one else could; and she whipped around in her chair to look at the doorway.

Specifically, at the seven-foot-tall lizard-man who had just walked through it.

Kavik cursed, and let a hand drop down to the blaster pistol hidden on his hip. He recognized the mottled green trandoshan, one of Kuoyu the Hutt’s enforcers. The whole cantina had gone silent, all eyes watching him flick his long tongue, tasting the scents on the air. Two large humans stepped into the room behind him; men who looked exactly like criminal enforcers, except for the fact that they wore the mudbrown uniforms of the local police.

Thugs and cops looking for someone! Kavik and Yangchen both huddled down in their seats, suddenly very engrossed in the holographic pai sho table.

“We need to go,” Yangchen whispered quietly.

“There’s a back door, hidden in the wall,” Kavik had delivered some tax-free liquor to this establishment before. “There’ll probably be more in the alley.”

“Accountant,” the burly lizard stalked up to there table, a nasty looking blaster carbine cradled in his elbow. “You have an appointment with Lord Kuoyu to keep.”

A smart remark was almost out of Kavik’s mouth, but Yangchen beat him to it. “I’m afraid the good captain has found new employment.” She spoke pleasantly to the menacing enforcer, her posture deceptively relaxed; except for one hand, that she slowly waved at his face, two fingers raised. “And you didn’t see him here anyway!”

The trandoshan opened his mouth, but hesitated, like something was clouding his mind. But his gaze fell on Kavik again, and he seemed to gather himself. “He-he IS here!” His blaster suddenly swiveled to cover the girl. “Don’t stick your hand in the nexu’s mouth longhair!”

“Please,” she waved that hand again. “I just want to avoid an altercation. No one should get hu-“

“SHUT UP!” the reptile was tense; his senses telling him this willowy human girl was a threat, even if his logical mind couldn’t explain why. “One more word out of you, and these lawmen here are going to be filing a missing persons report that will never be solved.”

Kavik had his hand firmly on his blaster. He was itching to draw it, but one of the officers had own blaster out and was covering him. But he had a feeling that he was about to get an opportunity.

“You shouldn’t allow your mind to be clouded by anger,” Yangchen ignored the threats, with a voice that was as sweet as it was condescending. “It’s like trying to find your way in the dark.”

She waved a hand again; and on the far side of the room, the light switch flicked itself off.

The total darkness hadn’t even lasted a second, before Kavik had his blaster drawn and got off a shot at the cop next to him. Since they were in a crowded cantina, he had the decency to set for stun.

For one instant blinding ring of blue light silhouetted a man falling to the ground, and all hell broke loose. The pitch-black room was suddenly flooded with noise, as a crowd of beings of every size and description broke into a panic. Wincing at the sound of shattering glass and breaking furniture, the bartender groped his way clumsily along the wall, until he found the light switch.

Beings were still scrambling over each other to try and get to the door; but he was able to make out the fight in the increasingly empty back corner. To the bartender’s surprise, it was only the aftermath of the fight. The other human officer had joined his partner on the floor, and the muscular trandoshan was laid out on top of both of them. The young human women, who had apparently beaten them all senseless in the time it took to turn the light back on, looked unconcerned by either the panicked evacuation of the cantina, or her brush with death.

Yangchen primly readjusted the cone shaped straw hat she wore. The action would draw the attention of any remaining witnesses to the distinctive headwear, which they would mention in their statements to the authorities. She would ditch it as soon as she could, probably her outer robe too. “How close is your shi-“ her senses were alerting her even as the words were leaving her mouth, and she turned to find no one standing behind her. Well, she gave a sigh of the long suffering. A runner is what I need.

By the time the trandoshan’s body was hitting the floor, Kavik was already barreling out of the cantinas back door. Two aliens stood under an awning in the back alley, and they looked up in surprise from the deathsticks they were puffing. He’d expected to find someone covering the back door, but didn’t know for sure that they were Kuoyu’s goons; so he still had his blaster on stun when he put a laser bolt through each of them. Spinning on his heel, he took off down the alley. He needed to put a few blocks behind him, then he could slow down. A prolonged mad dash would draw too much attention, even in the back alleys.

He felt a little guilty about leaving the girl to face the Hutt’s goons alone; but a jedi could probably take care of herself.

All but leaping over a pile of suspiciously twitching refuse; Kavik was nearly knocked off his feet when something metallic flew past his head with a loud, electric whine. Staggering for balance, he saw the thing again out of the corner of his eye, and spun to backhand the small flying droid away. Ignoring the things crazy chirping, and the flair of pain from his hand, he turned down another alley when he felt a sudden tug behind him. At first he thought the droid had grabbed his shirt, but then his pounding feet suddenly stopped hitting the ground. In his panic he still tried running for a few beats, his legs peddling wildly as he hung suspended in midair.

The invisible hand that held him turned, and he was faced back the way he had come. The young woman was striding toward him, one hand raised as she gently lowered him back to the ground. Kavik managed not to fall over as he was set back on his feet. He still had the baster in one hand, but he didn’t even think about drawing it.  The jedi hadn’t drawn her lightsaber in the cantina, too conspicuous, but he didn’t care to find out if she’d risk it in the alley.

With an electric chirp, a small droid appeared overhead, and Kavik glared murder at it as it landed on her shoulder. He’d never seen the model before, but it appeared to be some kind of probe droid. Its small head was dominated by one large photo-cam, and flanked by a pair of audio-receptors. The earlike sensors, as well as its stubby legs and the repulsor wings attached to its arms, gave it the appearance of a batlike avian. Yangchen smiled fondly at the ugly little thing, reaching a hand up to pat it’s flat headplate. “Good job Pikpak.”

“Is this an arrest?” Kavik tried to keep his tone casual, even as his feet were itching to run. “I swear, I paid for that drink before I left.”

“If you aren’t careful, it might have been your last,” she took a step towards him. “Is your ship in the public docking bays?”

“It’s in a private bay, owned by a friend of mine.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Do you trust this friend not to turn you in?”

“No, not really.”

“Then we’d better move fast,” even though the darkening sky promised rain, the jedi removed her straw hat, as well as her gray traveler’s robe. “If I can get you to your ship, can you make it past the local patrols?”

“Of course,” in spite of his suspicions, Kavik slid his blaster back into its holster, as a gesture of goodwill. “But I missed the part where we agreed to that?”

“I mentioned a mutually beneficial arrangement,” Yangchen pressed casually, as if they were talking about commuting to work. “It just so happens I need immediate passage off world, and you need someone watching your back to even make it across town.”

“Subterrel is a New Republic world,” Kavik pressed. “Why would a jedi need help getting out?”

“Because it is New Republic in name only,” she admitted. “The Hutts are the real power here; you know that better than me. I need to report my findings on Magister Traxen’s corruption, directly to the Jedi Praxeum on Yavin 4.”

The smuggler’s jaw dropped. “Yavin is on the clear other side of the galaxy!”

“Then we’d better hurry,” suddenly it was the jedi who seemed impatient; she grabbed his arm, and began walking down the alley. “I assume you have the young togorian you rescued on your ship? Good, we’ll need to take off immed-“

“Twenty thousand.”

That brought the jedi to a stop. “What!?”

“I want twenty thousand,” Kavik insisted, hands on hips and feet firmly planted. “Paid immediately upon arrival.”

The little droid chittered angrily; almost hopping on her shoulder. The jedi gave him a look that could have made a reek flinch. “Most beings would agree their life is worth a one-way trip.”

“Most beings are idiots,” Kavik met her gaze directly. “Subterrel isn’t just controlled by the Hutt’s, every system around it is too. Plus a lot of the Outer Rim between here and Yavin. And it’s not as if any bounty hunters they send will respect astrographic borders.”

He took a step toward her. “Besides, everyone and their bantha already knew the Hutts were here. And it’s not like they’re at war with the New Republic. If you jedi are suddenly in a hurry to do something about it, I’d bet every credit I own that you found something else here. Something that has you scared!”

The young woman had gone still, her face as guarded and expressionless as a statue. That alone told him he was right. “And you think the Jedi have pockets deep enough to pay that?”

“Isn’t Master Skywalker the Chief of State’s brother,” Kavik countered. “I think he can scrounge up the cash. I don’t take credit.”

“I don’t know,” Yangchen tucked her hands into her sleeves, and turned her head thoughtfully. “Something tells me I could find a pilot for a much cheaper price.”

“Maybe; but not one you could trust to never turn you over to the Hutts if things go sideways. Besides, you don’t need a pilot.” A smirk broke across Kavik’s face; the biggest, most infuriating smirk he could manage, the kind that never failed to rile up criminals or cops. “You need a Smuggler!”

Kavik yawned, as he pushed open the door to their cheap hotel room. Reconnaissance had kept him out late that evening; and he was ending a long day with the frustration that he still didn’t have the information they needed.

He padded into the dimly lit room quietly; so as not to wake his partner. Adding to his stress, was the guilty knowledge that Yangchen had gone to bed on her own. Sometimes the other Avatars, her past lives, came out soon after she fell asleep. It was always better when they had someone to talk to.

“OH!” Kavik was almost startled to hear his partner’s voice, and with a casual snap of her fingers the Avatar sent a careful spark of flame to the candle next to her bed; the sudden light revealing her to still be very much awake and sitting on top of the covers. Kavik was thrown off by a look of genuine surprise on her face; until it slipped into a very non-monastic smirk. “And who is this handsome water tribe stranger, sneaking into the Avatar’s room?”

Kavik felt his weariness leave him in an instant. If this was how she wanted to end the night, he was more than ready to oblige her. “The Avatar!?” He said with mock alarm. “They warned me the spirits would punish my thieving. Well, I’m not foolish enough to think I can escape your grasp.” He tilted his chin up in defiance. “But you’ll never get me to talk!”

They often replayed the day they had first met, with a variety of creative alternate outcomes. Kavik wouldn’t admit it, but his personal favorite one was the interrogation.

Yangchen’s eyes widened with a surprise that seemed oddly sincere; but that mischievous smile came back as she rose from the bed. “You’re a bold one stranger; but I’ll admit I don’t have the stomach for interrogation.”

Spoilsport, Kavik grumbled to himself.

“I prefer to learn the measure of another man, eh, physically; matching strength for strength,” the Avatar strutted toward him, hands firmly on hips. “And you look like a worthy challenge; there aren’t many men tall enough to look me in the eye!”

Kavik’s brow furrowed in confusion at her choice of word play. Yangchen was tall for a girl, but not that tall. He had the sudden mental image of a towering seven-foot lady Avatar and . . . . wait . . . . . . what had she meant by “another man”!?

“If you were another firebender,” she was almost nose to nose with him now, her demeanor proud, and cocky. “I would challenge you to an Agni Kai for this insult. But I am an equal master of the bare hand and foot. Few can grapple with me and hold their own, though it’s always a pleasure to-“

Yangchen (or whomever she was now) had moved her hands to her side, right where the buckles would be on traditional fire nation armor, but her fingers froze when they grasped the light fabric of her robes. She looked down in surprise, only to drop her jaw in utter shock.

She placed her hands on her stomach, trailing them up until they came to the modest, but unmistakable, swell of her chest. “WHAT IN THE DRAGON’S NAME!”