While the story and the characters within it were created by me, the Star Wars universe belongs to George Lucas. No money will be made from this story, it was written for fun.
I hope you enjoy it.
Monday, 6 October 2008
Dramatis Personae
Tasendia Renolsin: Bounty hunter (Female human from Rori)
Tasak Lang : Swoop pilot (Male human from Coruscant)
Kosfi Bril’nilim: Swoop pilot (Twi’lek male from Corellia)
Syrees Grahrk: Information broker (Male Devaronian from Devaron)
Kirstine Voorson: Businesswoman (Female human from Rori)
Tayesen Ji: Cantina owner, information broker, smuggler (Male human from Rori)
Zuudene Ji: Cantina owner, Smuggler, information broker (Male human from Rori)
Yahwaakoo: Bodyguard (Male Wookiee from Kashyyyk)
Wurhl: Bodyguard (Female Noghri from Honoghr)
Jaraz Vel – Chef (Twi’lek Male from Rori)
Vas Vondar – Employer/student doctor (Human male from Corellia
Coryne – Droid co-pilot Class Five pilot droid
Tasak Lang : Swoop pilot (Male human from Coruscant)
Kosfi Bril’nilim: Swoop pilot (Twi’lek male from Corellia)
Syrees Grahrk: Information broker (Male Devaronian from Devaron)
Kirstine Voorson: Businesswoman (Female human from Rori)
Tayesen Ji: Cantina owner, information broker, smuggler (Male human from Rori)
Zuudene Ji: Cantina owner, Smuggler, information broker (Male human from Rori)
Yahwaakoo: Bodyguard (Male Wookiee from Kashyyyk)
Wurhl: Bodyguard (Female Noghri from Honoghr)
Jaraz Vel – Chef (Twi’lek Male from Rori)
Vas Vondar – Employer/student doctor (Human male from Corellia
Coryne – Droid co-pilot Class Five pilot droid
Hide and seek prologue (The hunter becomes the hunted)
38 A.B.Y
It had been a busy day; no make that a very busy day. So it was late by the time Tasendia Renolsin made her way through the surprisingly deserted back streets to get home. Financial restrictions limited her to living within the Blue sector in Coronet, so Tasendia always had to keep alert. Thankfully, the skills that she had developed in her upbringing, and as a bounty hunter meant that she was able to look after herself. But the almost deserted streets put her even more on edge than normal.
She had been out gathering information on her latest bounty. She had to make sure that she did not fail, as this was her first job that had been offered to her personally, rather than obtaining bounties from the open market. Tasendia had been getting information and making preparations all day, and was now exhausted. She could not let that show though, as you never know who is waiting in the shadows. She just wanted to get home as soon as possible, not just to get some much needed rest, but to also to change clothes; the heavy rain from not long ago had meant that she was soaking wet.
Tasendia was only two blocks away from home when she suddenly noticed that someone was following her, and they sounded like they were matching her pace for pace.
‘I have to protect my reputation…well, create the right reputation’ she thought. So that cut out running, as the last thing she wanted to look was scared. Tasendia rested her hand on her blaster, quickly checked around her and saw that there was no one nearby, before picking up her pace.
However, whoever was following her, also picked up their pace. Tasendia’s heart was now beginning to beat so loudly that it seemed to her that everyone would be able to hear it. She quickly checked over her shoulder again and could see no one following her, before quickly getting back to concentrating on getting home as quickly as possible.
One block from home, Tasendia muttered to herself that she must not become one of those one block from home deaths. She again checked to see if she could see who was following her. While Tasendia could see a few beings walking about, there was no one that looked suspicious. Well actually, everyone looked suspicious, but there seemed to be no one that was following her. She picked up her pace, only to find that it had prompted whoever was following her to do the same.
Tasendia eventually managed to get to the last corner safely, she could now thankfully see the apartment block where she stayed. Tasendia put on a last quick burst before she got to the doorway. She swiftly entered the code to get in, fumbling slightly with the door before managing to get in. Her adrenaline was now pumping as Tasendia quickly shut the door and looked around to check for what and who was following her. Once again she saw nothing too suspicious.
Tasendia decided that rather than wait for the turbolift, she just wanted to get to her apartment as soon as possible, so Tasendia bounded up the stairs two or three steps at a time. It was when she did that that her blood turned to ice. They had managed to follow her into the building, how the heck did they do that; she had been careful. There was no way that anyone could have got in without her noticing.
Tasendia ran for her apartment door, swiftly punched the code in, before shoving the door open and shutting it as quickly as possible. She scanned the room and listened intently as she checked the noises coming from the other apartments, from outside and in the hall. Tasendia strained to listen as she tried to catch anything out of the ordinary. By this time her heart felt like it was beating out of her chest, and she was slightly out of breath from running up the stairs. ‘I really need to work on my fitness’, she thought to herself.
It was only after a few minutes Tasendia felt safe enough to lower her guard slightly. However, it was as soon as she walked across her apartment to brew herself a very strong cup of caf, that she heard it again.
Tasendia instantly froze to the spot as soon as she realized that whoever was following her, had somehow managed to get into her apartment. She snapped up her blaster in an instant, ready to aim at whoever had followed her.
“Who the fierfek are you? You had better show your face, as I have had enough of you skulking in the shadows” she shouted out to the space behind her.
Once again there was an eerie silence. After a moment Tasendia dared to make a move, facing where she thought she had heard the movement. Like the time before, as soon as Tasendia moved, she heard them move again.
“You are going to regret this” Tasendia growled as she spun around looking for her target.
It was at that point when Tasendia noticed that there was something which was not quite right about the noise that was made when she spun around. It suddenly dawned on Tasendia who had been following her, or rather who wasn’t. Her face flushed and she slapped her hand to her head, as she now realized it was not in fact anyone that was following her, but the insides of her wet combat pants, rubbing against each other.
Tasendia suddenly laughed in embarrassed relief, and after taking a few moments to recover her composure, she headed over to brew herself a caf, as well as a strong Corellian Whiskey to go with it. As she poured herself a glass of whiskey, she thought to herself that while it is good to keep alert, there are times when it can work against you. Thankfully this time even though it was embarrassing, and her pride had taken a dint. It had been a rather painless lesson to learn.
At least tomorrow, when she went after her bounty, Tasendia would once again be the hunter.
*****
It had been a busy day; no make that a very busy day. So it was late by the time Tasendia Renolsin made her way through the surprisingly deserted back streets to get home. Financial restrictions limited her to living within the Blue sector in Coronet, so Tasendia always had to keep alert. Thankfully, the skills that she had developed in her upbringing, and as a bounty hunter meant that she was able to look after herself. But the almost deserted streets put her even more on edge than normal.
She had been out gathering information on her latest bounty. She had to make sure that she did not fail, as this was her first job that had been offered to her personally, rather than obtaining bounties from the open market. Tasendia had been getting information and making preparations all day, and was now exhausted. She could not let that show though, as you never know who is waiting in the shadows. She just wanted to get home as soon as possible, not just to get some much needed rest, but to also to change clothes; the heavy rain from not long ago had meant that she was soaking wet.
Tasendia was only two blocks away from home when she suddenly noticed that someone was following her, and they sounded like they were matching her pace for pace.
‘I have to protect my reputation…well, create the right reputation’ she thought. So that cut out running, as the last thing she wanted to look was scared. Tasendia rested her hand on her blaster, quickly checked around her and saw that there was no one nearby, before picking up her pace.
However, whoever was following her, also picked up their pace. Tasendia’s heart was now beginning to beat so loudly that it seemed to her that everyone would be able to hear it. She quickly checked over her shoulder again and could see no one following her, before quickly getting back to concentrating on getting home as quickly as possible.
One block from home, Tasendia muttered to herself that she must not become one of those one block from home deaths. She again checked to see if she could see who was following her. While Tasendia could see a few beings walking about, there was no one that looked suspicious. Well actually, everyone looked suspicious, but there seemed to be no one that was following her. She picked up her pace, only to find that it had prompted whoever was following her to do the same.
Tasendia eventually managed to get to the last corner safely, she could now thankfully see the apartment block where she stayed. Tasendia put on a last quick burst before she got to the doorway. She swiftly entered the code to get in, fumbling slightly with the door before managing to get in. Her adrenaline was now pumping as Tasendia quickly shut the door and looked around to check for what and who was following her. Once again she saw nothing too suspicious.
Tasendia decided that rather than wait for the turbolift, she just wanted to get to her apartment as soon as possible, so Tasendia bounded up the stairs two or three steps at a time. It was when she did that that her blood turned to ice. They had managed to follow her into the building, how the heck did they do that; she had been careful. There was no way that anyone could have got in without her noticing.
Tasendia ran for her apartment door, swiftly punched the code in, before shoving the door open and shutting it as quickly as possible. She scanned the room and listened intently as she checked the noises coming from the other apartments, from outside and in the hall. Tasendia strained to listen as she tried to catch anything out of the ordinary. By this time her heart felt like it was beating out of her chest, and she was slightly out of breath from running up the stairs. ‘I really need to work on my fitness’, she thought to herself.
It was only after a few minutes Tasendia felt safe enough to lower her guard slightly. However, it was as soon as she walked across her apartment to brew herself a very strong cup of caf, that she heard it again.
Tasendia instantly froze to the spot as soon as she realized that whoever was following her, had somehow managed to get into her apartment. She snapped up her blaster in an instant, ready to aim at whoever had followed her.
“Who the fierfek are you? You had better show your face, as I have had enough of you skulking in the shadows” she shouted out to the space behind her.
Once again there was an eerie silence. After a moment Tasendia dared to make a move, facing where she thought she had heard the movement. Like the time before, as soon as Tasendia moved, she heard them move again.
“You are going to regret this” Tasendia growled as she spun around looking for her target.
It was at that point when Tasendia noticed that there was something which was not quite right about the noise that was made when she spun around. It suddenly dawned on Tasendia who had been following her, or rather who wasn’t. Her face flushed and she slapped her hand to her head, as she now realized it was not in fact anyone that was following her, but the insides of her wet combat pants, rubbing against each other.
Tasendia suddenly laughed in embarrassed relief, and after taking a few moments to recover her composure, she headed over to brew herself a caf, as well as a strong Corellian Whiskey to go with it. As she poured herself a glass of whiskey, she thought to herself that while it is good to keep alert, there are times when it can work against you. Thankfully this time even though it was embarrassing, and her pride had taken a dint. It had been a rather painless lesson to learn.
At least tomorrow, when she went after her bounty, Tasendia would once again be the hunter.
*****
Hide and seek
Hide and seek
After the scare she gave herself the previous night, Tasendia did not get a good sleep, and she was not feeling well for it. Not at all helpful when hunting. Moreover, as she still needed to get more information, lack of sleep was not very good at all. She hoped that a strong cup of Caf and a very cold shower would help wake her up sufficiently to be alert, sharp and smart.
The most important information that she had gained so far was that her bounty was no longer on Corellia. Where he was, she did not know, but she intended to rectify this as soon as possible. He was worth 25,000 credits. That would get some very much-needed upgrades for her ship.
Tasendia had managed to obtain an old VT-49 Decimator for a price that she could afford. But due to the low cost of the ship, she had to get a lot of work done on it before she was even space worthy. Tasendia had also needed to get a Class Five pilot droid as a co pilot, so that she was able to fly it. It was worth it however, as after the initial work had been done, along with several modifications and upgrades. Tasendia’s ship, which she had now named The Rhamnousia or also known as Nousia, was performing like how she expected it to. The next set of upgrades that she planned would really make a difference. It would be another step toward getting her ship to the standard that she required it to be, and it would help her become an even better bounty hunter.
The cold shower and caf really worked their magic. So well in fact, that when she left her apartment, she felt fully alert and ready for business. Tasendia was meeting up with someone called Kosfi in the Fell swoop. She now needed to make her way to Treasure ship row, also known as the Row. She hoped that this Kosfi would give her the information that she needed about Tasak. Well, meeting up was not entirely the correct term. Tasendia knew he would be there, he just did not know that they had things to discus. If all went well then he would find out soon enough.
While walking along, Tasendia made sure that while she was thinking about the plans for the day, she was also aware of what was going on around her. Even after last night, Tasendia would not lower her defenses. To do so would be fatal.
The clothes that Tasendia wore were also influenced by what had happened the previous night; she had made sure that the pants that she wore were tighter fitting, so that would hopefully reduce the noise that she made. This was very useful when trying to be as quiet as possible. Tasendia needn’t have worried though, as now during the daytime hours, any noise that she made would not have sounded as bad as it had done before. As she walked along Tasendia decided that she actually preferred these pants the others, as they were tight enough to not get in the way but flexible enough to not impede movement. She made a mental note to buy more of the pair that she was wearing and get rid of her other pants as soon as possible.
Thankfully the people that Tasendia encountered on the way to The Fel swoop realized that she was not someone to be crossed, so they left her alone. After 30 minutes brisk walk, she arrived at the Fel swoop.
Tasendia walked into the bar to discover that even at this time of the day it was busy. She soon realized that they were not the new customers of the day, but old customers that were still here from the previous night. The reputation for this being a wild bar were definitely well founded. She decided that when she had the time, she would come along here and experience one of the wild nights for herself.
Tasendia found an appropriate table, sat down and waited for the serving droid to come over. When the droid came over to her table, she ordered a large Corellion whiskey with soda. Tasendia did not intend to drink much, but needed to fit in for now. The drink that she ordered would be enough to last for a good amount of time, but her senses would still be sharp to what was happening around her. Even if the others in the bar did not look like they would pose any danger due to the state that they were in, however she did not want to take any chances.
It was not long before she had located Kosfi. He was with a group of swoop racers deep in a conversation which Tasendia guessed was about racing by their animated body language. Unfortunately this was not what she wanted, as she needed him on his own. In the worst-case scenario, Tasendia would go over to him and attempt to separate him from the group, but Tasendia hoped that it would not come to that. Tasendia got herself comfortable, ready for a long wait for the right opportunity.
Thankfully, it was only 45 minutes before she got her opportunity. It was more perfect than she could have ever hoped for, as Kosfi was walking right past where Tasendia was sitting. She took a deep breath to prepare herself.
“Just the person I am looking for” Tasendia said as he passed her table.
“Who’s asking?” Kosfi growled
“I am” Tasendia said innocently “I have wanted to speak to you for a while, but I wanted to make sure that you were on your own” she added, putting on her most charming smile.
“Well, I am on my own now, what do you want? And make it quick” He said shortly, clearly not happy about getting into a conversation with her.
“I just would like to talk to you and buy you a drink...it would be an honor if you would join me” Tasendia said hoping that she could appeal to his ego
“Well in that case” he said with a cocky smile “I could not disappoint you could I?”
Kosfi sat down opposite Tasendia and looked straight into her eyes “I’ll have a large whiskey, neat, no ice”
She caught the attention of a serving droid, but maintained eye contact with Kosfi while waiting for the droid to come over and take the order.
“I have watched you race’ Tasendia purred ‘you are so good, how do you manage to stay on your speeder? I could never do that, I would just keep crashing“
“Well I am a professional, I would not earn much if did not race very well” He said with a cocky smile “Did you see me race yesterday?”
“You raced yesterday, I thought you were unable to race due to getting an injury from a fight” Tasendia said slightly puzzled.
They stopped talking as the serving droid passed them their drinks and while Tasendia paid for them.
“Just a little test, but while you are obviously not a fan, you know your stuff. What do you really want?” Kosfi asked leaning over
“Information” Tasendia replied, knowing that the direct approach would be the only one that would work with him.
“Ha, you and everyone else. It’ll cost you, information’s not...”
“Free. Tell me something that I don’t know” she snarled
“If you want information, you need to start being nicer” Kosfi purred as he leaned back in his seat with a smug expression on his face.
“Right’ she growled quietly ‘let’s just get on with this. I’ll pay you and you know it. So let’s just stop playing this game and wasting our time. I want to know where Tasak is?”
“You after him too?”
“No, I want to sing a duet with him’ Tasendia growled, sarcasm dripping of every word ‘what do you know?”
“Right comedienne you are, OK...OK I will tell you what I know” he said after Tasendia glared viciously at him, “The last I heard was that he was heading out to Naboo. He said that it would be the last place anyone would think of looking for him. When you catch up with him, I want you to get the 10,000 credits that he owes me”
“That will cost you” Tasendia said smiling sweetly at him
“Only if you get the money, but I am feeling generous today. So the information is half price” he said as he again flashed Tasendia a cocky smile.
“Your generosity amazes me” Tasendia said sarcastically “that should be more than enough” she added as she passed him a credit chit.
“That is satisfactory” he said as he stood and drained his drink “get me my money back’ he added growling as he put the glass down heavily on the table before walking away.
*****
Despite Kosfi’s attitude, Tasendia felt that the meeting went better than she had expected. She was still going to meet Syrees in the Card’s tapcaf. You can never have too much information when hunting. As Tasendia had dealt with Syrees many times, she felt comfortable meeting up with him to discuss things over lunch. It was also a good way to get two jobs done at once, as she was beginning to get very hungry now.
She wandered through the Row, taking in as much of the sights and sounds as possible. There was so much happening all around her, that it would take great skill to be aware of all of what was happening, the Row never failed to impress her. A place where you could easily lose someone that was chasing you. However, if you were the one pursuing; you had to make sure that you did not lose sight of your target.
It was not long before she was out of the area and onto the Blue sky boulevard. There was a big difference between the boulevard and the row. The boulevard felt like it was a place that you passed through to get from one place to the other rather than somewhere that you visited. It was not as if it was not a good place to be Tasendia thought, but it was just how it felt to her.
Twenty minutes later, she arrived at Card’s tapcaf. She walked around, scanned the room and quickly noticed that the Devaronian Syrees had already arrived, and was sat at a table.
As the tapcaf was very busy, it was a few moments of working her way past beings so that she could get to Syrees’ table.
"I am sorry Syrees, I thought I was on time” Tasendia said as she shook his hand and sat down facing him.
“Do not worry my dear” Syrees said as he raised her hand and kissed it “I am early”
“Where is the menu? I am ready for something to eat” Tasendia asked as she looked around
“I have ordered food and drinks for us both, I thought it would save time” Syrees explained
“I do not know how you manage it, but if it had anyone else that had done that, they would be in serious trouble, but not you” Tasendia chuckled shaking her head.
“It must be my charm” he purred before laughing
“Ha, in your dreams” Tasendia joked “you were right though about saving time. I will need to be off as soon as we are done here”
“Likewise, so shall we just get to business then? I’ve heard you are after Tasak” Syrees said as he leaned toward her.
Before she could reply, they both had to lean back as a serving droid came over and served them their food and drinks, before wishing them a pleasant meal and leaving them.
Tasendia and Syrees both leaned toward each other “It is true that I am after Tasak. I need information about him. I want to know where he is, what he is doing and if there is anything else that you think would be useful to know about him” Tasendia told him as she got ready to eat her lunch
“He has been busy. He does not stay in one place for long at all. He has managed to upset a few beings up to now, he is a wanted man. How he has not been caught by now, is a minor miracle. The planets that he has been spotted on are of course here on Corellia, Talus, Tatooine, Dantooine, Bellassa and even on Darkknell” he told her “The latest that I have heard is that he is hearing out to Naboo” Syrees added lowering his voice.
“You will have to be really careful and be smart when going after him. Tasak is a hunted man, and he knows it. He is using all the resources that he can get his hands on, and some more for good measure to make sure that he’s not caught. Tasak owes a lot of money to many people. If he gets even one sniff of someone being onto him then he will be gone. I have prepared some more information that I think will be useful for you” Syrees said as he passed her a datacard
“This is perfect, thank you very much, a professional as always” Tasendia said happily as she took the datacard “you may be expensive but you are worth every credit”
“And that my dear, is why others like you come back to me again and again for information” He said as smiled a predatory smile
“As for Tasak, do not worry about me. I intend to be careful. He will only know about me when it is too late for him to do anything about it. I will make sure that I get him, and when I get him, he will not escape me”
“Good, just as I expected from you” he said with a warm smile
“You mentioned that Tasak owes a lot of money” Tasendia asked “How many other bounty hunters are after him?”
“Not many, I have also put information on who I know are also after him on the datacard. Tasak has mostly been clever with who he has targeted for money. He goes for those who cannot afford a decent bounty hunter, ideally he will select those to con who cannot afford one at all. Well he did until he decided to tap your employer for money. Vas Vondar is a rich kid who was looking for excitement, but Tasak thought he was another wannabe swoop jock, so he conned him. You are the best that is after him so far”
“That is good to know” Tasendia smiled thoughtfully “not having tough competition from other bounty hunters should make my job a lot easier. However, I will keep alert to make sure that I am the one who gets to Tasak first”
“I do not doubt that” Syrees smiled as he leaned back in his seat.
As the business was over, they enjoyed a conversation over lunch about events that they had seen on the holonet news, politics and any gossip that they had heard.
After lunch, Syrees departed and Tasendia paid the bill before she too left. She now had all of the information that she needed for now, and Tasendia knew where she would be going to next. All she needed to do was get herself and her ship ready before setting off for Naboo.
The hunt had really begun now.
*****
While The Rhamnousia was being prepped for takeoff, Tasendia went to her apartment to pack, and make sure that there was enough to cover the rent during her absence. It did not take much time to pack, as she never left anything important at her apartment. She then primed the many alarms that were set up in various points around the place, alongside her security cameras that were alongside them. While Tasendia never left anything of value in the apartment, she was not going to tolerate anyone thinking that they could get away with breaking into it. Anyone who was stupid enough to do that would soon find out that it was a swift way to end their life.
Thankfully, everything ran smoothly for her. She encountered no trouble when getting to and from places, and she managed to get her jobs done in good time. Even with the good time Tasendia had made, it was still nearly two hours before she got back to the spaceport. When Tasendia had got to her ship, it was ready for takeoff.
She wasted no time, and after completing the pre flight warm up, she took off and headed out of the system. Thankfully, she encountered no trouble on the way out and it was not long before she was out of range of the planet. Tasendia told Coryne the coordinates needed to get to Naboo, and it was not long before Coryne had put them into the navcomp and the starts stretched out before Tasendia in the familiar view of hyperspace.
*****
Thankfully, the trip to Naboo was blissfully uneventful. This gave Tasendia plenty of time to not only make sure she was properly rested, but also for her to pour over the contents of the datacard that Syrees had passed onto her. She had learned a lot of very useful information on there. Tasendia learned about the places where he has been seen, those whom he associated with and even the types of women that he liked to get involved with. She also read about the other bounty hunters that were after Tasak. While Tasendia knew that she had nothing to worry about, it was not worth letting her guard down over.
While in hyperspace, Tasendia checked through her list of contacts that she had obtained from Syrees. This list informed her of contacts for many planets. It meant that she could arrive on a new planet, and know who would be able to provide her with information quickly. She also made sure that the list was updated as often as possible, this was a tough trade, the list could and did change quickly.
After landing at Keren, Tasendia made the necessary arrangements with the spaceport authorities and arranged for her ship to be refueled and cleaned. They offered to check the ship over but Tasendia flatly refused, as only those she trusted touched her ship.
Tasendia then set off to re-familiarize herself with the area. While she had been here before, she’d not really had chance to know the area that well. Armed with the map of the city that she had obtained at the spaceport, Tasendia quickly studied it, and soon found a good way to get to the cantina. That would be where she would be able to find someone who would hopefully be able to provide some information for her.
As part of re-familiarizing herself with the area, Tasendia decided to walk to the cantina instead of getting a shuttle. Tasendia briskly walked for around 18 minutes before she moved off from the main boulevard and into the back streets, which she found were a lot quieter. The advantage for Tasendia would be that they saved a lot of time. After a short distance, she turned into a deserted alleyway. Tasendia made sure that she kept one eye on her map to make sure that she did not get lost.
Tasendia was not far into the alleyway when she suddenly felt very uncomfortable; she quickly turned around to see if there was anyone behind her, when a blaster bolt shot passed by her so closely that it singed some of her hair. She had her blasters out in an instant, spun and saw the shooter start running. Tasendia gave chase and it was not long before she had caught up with him, he however was getting a little too close to getting away to safety for her liking. Fortunately, she was able to quickly take aim, and shoot him in the left knee. He collapsed in a heap, screaming in pain.
She walked over to him and was surprised to see that he was very young. ‘Just a kid’ she thought. Tasendia quickly pushed those thoughts back “not a friendly welcome, I think” she said coldly as she picked up his blaster and checked him over for any other weaponry. Tasendia removed a concealed blaster and a couple of vibroblades from him before she pointed her blasters at him “why?”
“Not saying” He grunted through gritted teeth
“Oh, I think you will” Tasendia snarled as she stood and ground her foot into his injured knee, which caused him to scream out loud again “ and if you think that is bad, it is going to get a whole lot worse for you, if you do not talk and fast. I do not take very kindly to those who try to kill me; you will soon discover that I am not a nice person to mess with”
He held his hands up, tears streaming down his face “All right, all right. I will tell you, please stop that...its agony”
She moved her foot and he quickly clamped his hands over his knee and struggled for breath as he got himself into a sitting position “I was paid by someone who said that there are others after him. He said that he wanted me to make sure that no-one got to him.”
“Who paid you and where are they?” Tasendia asked
“He said his name was Tasak, that’s all I know, I swear. He did not leave me any contact details. He just said that he would contact me when he was to pay me”
“You mean he has not paid you yet” Tasendia said incredulously
“Not yet, why” he asked quietly.
“Well...you are a fool for not taking money up front” she said contemptuously “you will not last long doing that”
“Tell me about it” he sighed as he flushed red “I do not know if it is any help to you, but I did overhear him say about heading out to Rori in the next few days. He will be there by now”
“Well at least you did something right, and as for that” Tasendia said as she pointed a blaster at his injured knee “this should be adequate enough to help you out until you can get proper treatment for it” she added as she threw him a bandage “we never saw one another...right” she growled as menacingly as possible
“Of course” he said as he caught the bandage with a disappointed look on his face “I have never seen you before in my life”
“Good” she smiled coldly “You are lucky that not only am I in a good mood but that I am also feeling gener¬ous toward you, which is saying something as you did try to kill me, I have some free advice for you...change your career” Tasendia said as she walked away from him.
*****
Tasendia decided that she no longer needed to visit the person in the cantina after what the shooter had told him. She could tell that he was being truthful. And another reason was that, even if she got to Rori and he was not there, she knew someone on the planet who was far more trustworthy who she could ask for help from.
When Tasendia walked back out onto the main boulevards, she decided to take a shuttle back to the spaceport. Tasendia no longer had any need to re-familiarize herself with the city; and she now had things on her mind. Tasendia could not trust herself to keep alert walking back, so taking the shuttle would give her the time to think about how this hunt was developing.
It had been five years since had last been on her home planet and while she could not deny she was looking forward to it, she was apprehensive about it as well. This was because two years prior to leaving Rori, her mother had been brutally murdered by some glit-biter, just for the one hundred credits that she had with her.
The police had handled the case, but they did not put much time or effort into it and Tasendia ended up looking for the person herself. It was her in the end that found the murderer, but sadly by the time Tasendia had caught up with her, she had died of an overdose. At the time, Tasendia felt nothing but disgust; it was like her mother had been cheated out of justice, she had also felt let down by how the police had handled the case. Tasendia had been in a serious relationship at the time with a Twi’lek called Jaraz, but sadly after what had happened to her mother the relationship had not survived. This was the last straw for Tasendia, who felt that she could no longer remain on Rori. It was also one of the main reasons why she became a bounty hunter.
Tasendia was pulled out of her thoughts as the shuttle approached the spaceport. When the shuttle stopped, she stood up and started walking toward the exit. As Tasendia neared the front of the shuttle she could not help but be drawn to the Jedi that had just got on. In her line of work she had little dealings with Jedi, which she was happy about, as she felt that they would not appreciate what she did for a living. In situations like this however, all she was able to do was put as much distance between them and her, but without drawing any attention to herself.
As she neared him, Tasendia not only found herself making eye contact with him, but also smiling at him. Much to her surprise, he returned a warm smile that lit up his entire face and especially his lovely eyes.
Tasendia carried on walking but just as she was about to step off the shuttle she found herself turning around to look at the Jedi, who was also looking back at her and still smiling before they both went on their separate ways.
Tasendia reluctantly got her mind back on what she was supposed to be doing. Getting off the planet and going to Rori. Another advantage of going to Rori was that she had somewhere that she could put her ship that would not cost her anything.
She was glad that she’d sure that the ship was refueled as soon as she had arrived. This meant that she could leave strait away. Rori was not far away, so it would not take long to get there. This was good, as Tasendia did not want too much time to think about going back there.
*****
Tasendia landed her ship in the estate where her friend Kirstine lived. Just before she left Rori, Kirstine told her that was welcome to keep her ship there and stay at her home any time she needed it. She could just treat the place like home. Until now, Tasendia did not realize how much she had missed her friend, and was very much looking forward to see her. They had come from different backgrounds, but they were still great friends.
Sadly, Kirstine was not in when Tasendia had arrived, so she left a note for her for when she got back. She then got ready for heading into Narmle.
Kirstine’s house was some distance away from Narmle so she took the landspeeder that was stored in Nousia. As Tasendia knew the area very well, it took her about an hour to get to Narmle.
As Tasendia approached Narmle, she was starting to feel very strange about being back on her home planet. It was good to be back, she could not deny that, but it was a happiness tinged with sadness. The pain that she felt was still there, it felt different though. It was as if her time away from Rori had helped some of her wounds partially heal.
Traveling through the city, she passed a march campaigning for city of Restuss to be rebuilt. The city was destroyed in the Battle of Restuss, which took place during the Imperial times. While there are lots of settlements scattered across Rori, there was only one major city left. She agreed with the campaigners that it would be much better for there to be two or more major cities on the planet. Maybe she would join the campaign as well.
That would have to wait though, as Tasendia was off to meet up with Tayesen Ji who would hopefully be able to help her put an end to Tasak’s running. If he was to be found anywhere, then it would be in Zephyr Base, the cantina that he and his son ran. Along with running the cantina he also dealt with information broking, as well as arranging for rare and exotic items to be smuggled. Tayesen really was a man of many talents.
She found somewhere to park her speeder before heading across to the Zephyr Base, which was thankfully not far away. She was very nervous about meeting up with Tayesen. After her father had died, he had looked after her like she were his daughter and she thought of him like her father. Again, like with Kirstine she realized how much she had missed him, his guidance, humor and how he cared for her. She wondered how he would react to seeing her again.
As Tasendia walked in she was immediately greeted cheerfully by a few people who were at the bar. She had not really expected to be remembered and she waved to greet them in return, before she made her way around to look for Tayesen. She walked through to one of the private rooms at the back of the cantina, where she was saved any further searching when she heard a voice behind her
“Tasendia Renolsin, you have got a nerve showing up here” the voice growled from right behind her, how could anyone sneak up on her like that she quickly scorned herself mentally.
Tasendia spun around quickly and came face to face with Tayesen Ji scowling at her. Her blood froze for a second, before his face broke into a huge grin and he pulled her into a bone-breaking hug.
“Oh Tasendia, it’s so good to see you again, I have truly missed you” Tayesen said affectionately
“I have missed you as well, Tay” Tasendia said trying her best to keep control of her emotions “I am so sorry for being quiet for so long”
He held her back and looked into her eyes “I understand why you did it and I am not upset at all, but you are forgetting who I am. I have made sure that I knew what you were up to and I was ready to help you out if you really needed it”
Furiously blinking away tears and unable to say another word the only thing that Tasendia could do was nod, before Tayesen pulled her again into another tight hug. They stood like that for a while before they broke apart wiping their eyes before they sat down at one of the tables near them.
“It has been too long” Tasendia said getting control of her voice once more, “I promise you that it will not happen again”
“That’s good to hear” He said warmly as he reached over and gently squeezed her hands ”So how are you? You are looking fantastic”
“I am really good thank you, work had been going very well. How are you? And I am not just saying this because you did, but you are also looking great” Tasendia said smiling
“Like you things have been going well for me, the businesses are going well. Zuudene is really doing well as well. He is married now, has two sons and twins on the way. He is running the smuggling side of things and he also owns several cantinas around Rori now. I just run Zephyr Base now; this has given me the chance to relax more...”
“You relax” Tasendia said incredulously “I do not think that is possible, but wow that is fantastic about Zuudene. I will have to see him at some point before I head back to Corellia. How does it feel to be a grandfather?”
“Ha ha, you could be right about not being able to relax, but it is always worth finding out first, as for being a grandfather, it is fantastic. I have managed to spend a lot of time with them now that Zuudene has taken on more. Do not forget though that is also means that you are an Aunt now” He laughed “so what brings you back to Rori?”
“Yes that is true, that was not something that I had thought would happen to me, I hope to get the chance to meet my nephews later” Tasendia said enjoying the idea of having nephews “The reason why I am here is business. I am looking for someone called Tasak, this is what he looks like’ Tasendia explained as she passed him a holo of Tasak “Have you seen him?”
“Yes I have seen him” Tayesen growled “saw him this morning, still here as far as I know”
“Oh that is wonderful, where is he?” She asked brightly
“Staying nearby, I will get you his room number and the entry code for it if that would help”
“That would be perfect, how much do you want?” Tasendia asked as she reached for some credit chits.
Tayesen looked at her raising one eyebrow “Do you really expect me to charge you for this” he asked crossing his arms
“I did not want to expect anything” she chuckled “but thank you”
“You’re welcome my dear. You do not know this, but when your father was ill, he told me to look after you after he had gone. This is just another way that I can do that. I think of you as my own daughter, I am so very proud of how you are getting on” He told her tenderly “And as for Tasak, another reason is that I will be glad to see the back of him is that I do not like him...I can tell ten klicks off that he is trouble. I want him gone” he added darkly.
“I will make sure that he is gone” Tasendia said determinedly
“Good, you will have to be careful though. He is a desperate man on the run who knows that time is running out for him, he is also a tough fighter. Not a good combination, and while I do not doubt your abilities, I want to you take two of my men with you as backup. It is better to be safe. They will be there in case he decides to play dirty or if he tries to make a run for it. I think it would be best if you lay in wait in a nearby building, and move in swiftly as soon as he makes an appearance, so that you will be able to approach him without him noticing. We will only have one chance though. So we will have to make sure that we succeed”
“We will succeed” Tasendia said confidently
“That’s my girl’ Tayesen said proudly ‘The hunt can wait until later, for now we eat” He added while rubbing his belly.
“Now that sounds like a plan that I like” Tasendia said happily “we will get something to eat, and then I will go hunting. Tasak will not know what has hit him” She added darkly
*****
Lunch indeed was very enjoyable, Tasendia and Tayesen caught up on what they had done in the last five years. She found herself realizing that she was in fact happy to be back on Rori, so happy in fact that Tasendia decided that she would not leave it so long before she came back. She might even buy and apartment and split her time between here and Corellia.
After lunch Tasendia changed into the Ubese armor that she had brought along with her. Tasendia had the complete set but she never liked wearing the helmet, as she did not like having her head and face covered in armor. She knew it would have been safer to wear it but decided to take the risk.
Tasendia along with a male Wookiee named Yahwaakoo who Tayesen had sent with her were waiting in a nearby building that had a clear view of the front and left side of the hotel where Tasak was staying.
A female Noghri called Wurhl was in another building with a view of the rear and other side of the building they were watching. This meant that if Tasak decided to not use the main entrance he would be spotted. Tasendia just hoped that he had not decided to leave already.
It was a long six hours before he eventually returned. She had been right to send Wurhl to a different location as Tasak indeed did not use the main entrance to get in. He used a staff doorway to get into the building.
Tasendia moved swiftly, as she needed to not only locate him but also to make sure that he did not see her until it was too late. She entered the building with Yahwaakoo and they split up to go and find Tasak. She silently and swiftly moved around the ground floor for about a couple of minutes before she located him. He was about to get into a turbolift.
Tasendia saw the stairs and ran up them as quickly as possible. So quickly that she had reached the floor where his room was just as the turbolift doors opened. She wasted no time and charged toward him and swiftly kicked him in the knees, sending him sprawling and yelping to the floor, he recovered extremely quickly and he came at her with such speed and ferocity that it took Tasendia completely by surprise. He punched her in the face and wrapped his legs around one her legs to send her crashing to the floor, thankfully she had also managed to catch him in the solar plexus, so that even though she was on the floor he was winded badly.
This gave them both time to recover. Tasendia was ready the next time that he came for her. Tasak came at her very quickly again, but as he closed she took a side step at the last minute and grabbed his outstretched arm, twisted it and easily dislocated his shoulder. She then brought her knee up into his face with so much force that his nose shattered. Tasak then slumped to the floor unconscious. Tasendia then quickly grabbed her stun cuffs from her utility belt and put them on him.
She dragged him to his room and tapped the code into the panel before she entered. Tasendia dumped him on the floor before she started looking around the room; she realized that it would not take long for her to check thorough it, as the room was mostly bare. Tasendia did find some security cameras that had been set up; which she quickly disabled. Next she found some clothes and one travel bag in which she found various ID cards and roughly 37,000 credits. “I wonder how many you have conned to still have this amount of credits left” Tasendia muttered as she noticed Tasak stirring in the corner of her eye.
“I see you have managed to con a lot of people out of their money, did you not realize that you would not get away with it forever” Tasendia said unemotionally
“You will regret what you have done, I am going to get you...and believe me you are not going to like what I have got planned for you. I am going to kill you and I am going to kill you very slowly” Tasak snarled
“And that scares me because” she laughed humorlessly “you are not in a position to make threats, and you certainly are not able to carry them out. Now be quiet” Tasendia snapped
“Or what” Tasak spat
“This” Tasendia said as she took out her blaster, set it to stun and shot a blue bolt into him “that’s better” she muttered to herself.
After double-checking the room to make sure that she had not missed anything Tasendia commed Yahwaakoo and Wurhl and asked them to come and help her take Tasak back to The Rhamnousia.
*****
Even with Tasak squeezed between them, both Yahwaakoo and Wurhl managed to fit in the back of the speeder. The journey to the Nousia was blissfully uneventful. Tayesen had asked Wurhl to stay behind at the ship to guard Tasak. Tayesen said that Tasendia was not going to leave Rori before she had spent some time at the cantina celebrating her success. Tasendia had not argued with him, as it had been far too long since she had really enjoyed herself.
It was not long before both Tasendia and Yahwaakoo were back at the cantina. As she approached the cantina loud music was coming from inside. There were scattered cheers for them both as they entered the building and some people went over to congratulate them on their catch. From what she had been told Tasak was making trouble for himself and trying to get money out of anyone that he could. He really must have been getting desperate she thought.
Tasendia saw Tayesen and walked over to him. They embraced warmly and Tasendia gestured for them to sit down at a vacant table nearby.
“I have got something for you” Tasendia told him happily “when I was searching Tasak’s room I discovered some money. I had to make some deductions but here is half of what was left” she added as she passed him some credit chits
He held up his hands and shook his head “I cannot accept this. As grateful as I am, I do not need it, however I think that you do, especially if you want to make those upgrades to your ship” Tayesen said smiling warmly.
“Hmmm, I can see that I am not going to change your mind. I can tell by the tone of you voice’ Tasendia said resignedly
“Haha, you know me too well Tasendia’ Tayesen laughed sounding very pleased with himself.
“I could always use this toward an apartment here” She said grinning broadly “do you realize that you are going to see a lot more of me from now on”
“Yes” Tayesen shouted out “Perfect, another reason to celebrate. I have a feeling that tonight will a night that we will not forget”
“I like the sound of that” Tasendia laughed “You are right though Tay about tonight. I think it will indeed be a wild night”
*****
To say the night had been wild would be the understatement of the millennium; Tasendia had truly had a wonderful time. For the first time in as long as she could remember, she’d had fun. Her friend Kirstine had been able to come along. Sadly she had not been able to stay for too long, this was due to having something very important on at work the following morning. It had been wonderful to see her, and they spent as much time as possible catching up. However, Tasendia knew that she would be back to Rori soon, so they would be able to spend some quality together then.
It was also an evening of romance. She rekindled her relationship with Jaraz. Tasendia had not expected to see him, but she was glad that they had. They spent much of the night talking, laughing, dancing and as she remembered happily, kissing.
The celebrations carried on long into the night and well past dawn. Tasendia had to delay leaving Rori due to this. She wanted to make sure that she was in a fit state to fly when she took off.
Tayesen had made sure that Tasak was properly guarded during the time while she rested, so she had nothing to worry about him either escaping or another bounty hunter stealing him from her. The delay was also good for making sure that Tasak got some treatment for the injuries that she had given him. The only reason for doing this was just because she just wanted to make sure that Vas Vondar had no reason to deduct any money for damaged goods. Tasendia also made sure that even though Jaraz was there with her, she got the rest that she needed.
Tasendia woke early on the morning that she needed to leave and as she lay curled into Jaraz he looked down at her and said “I want to come along with you”
“Will that be possible?” she asked looking up at him
“Yes...I...erm...got sacked from my job last night” Jaraz said sheepishly
“What happened?” Tasendia asked him
“I ended my relationship with the boss’s daughter a couple of weeks ago; he just had to wait until he had an excuse so he could sack me and not get into trouble for it. I made a mistake, I cannot deny that, but it was not something that I should have been sacked over. That was why I was at the Zephyr Base the other night. It could not have worked out more perfectly though, I would never have seen you had I not been sacked” Jaraz said as he leaned down and kissed Tasendia.
“Yes, it did work out well” Tasendia said as she rested her head on his chest “It will be great to have you with me, for the obvious reasons, but it would also be nice to have someone else there alongside my eccentric droid co-pilot Coryne. I have made some modifications to her and I think she has developed some interesting quirks. She can be rather eccentric at times” Tasendia chuckled
“I could be your co-pilot now” he said brightly
“Thanks, but no thank you. Yes, she may be eccentric, but she knows that ship as well as I do”
“Oh, OK then” Jaraz said sounding disappointed
“I am not saying it will never happen, but it will have to be after we have got back to Corellia. I need Coryne for this trip. There will be plenty of things that you can do to help me on the trip though. You can start to learn about how the Nousia works ready for when you do become copilot. There is also some work that I will be doing on the Nousia while we are in Hyperspace so you will be needed to help me do that. There is always work to do on that ship of mine, so please do not be too disappointed” She said reassuringly
“Ok then, that’s does not sound too bad then” he said sounding a little happier “I had better get ready then, I have to go back and pack some things. I will come back here as soon as I am done” Jaraz said as he got up and started to get dressed
“Just go straight to the ship. We should be ready to leave as soon as you are back” Tasendia said as she watched him getting ready “see you later” she added as he leaned over kissed her farewell before leaving.
*****
After Tasendia, Kirstine and Tayesen had had breakfast in a settlement nearby, they all walked over to the ship. Tasendia made sure that the sip was ready for takeoff, and by the time she was ready Jaraz had returned.
Jaraz said farewell to Tayesen and Kirstine before he left Tasendia to do so as well. She walked over to Kirstine and they embraced warmly “I cannot believe that you are going already. You have only just got back” Kirstine said as they parted
“I would stay longer, but I have merchandise to deliver” Tasendia explained “Do not worry I will be back as soon as I have got rid of him. I am planning on getting an apartment here. We will be able to catch up properly then”
“I will like that a lot” Kirstine said as they embraced again “see you soon, take care and have a safe trip”
“Thank you, you take care as well” Tasendia said as they parted and she walked over to Tayesen. They hugged each other tightly. As they held each other Tayesen whispered in Tasendia’s ear “It has been so good to see you again, it warms my heart to know that I will not have to wait so long before I see you again”
“Yup, you are stuck with me now” Tasendia chuckled
“Ha, I would not have it any other way” Tayesen said laughing loudly
“I did not realize how much I had missed you” Tasendia said warmly “I will be back as soon as I have got rid of that Sithspawn” she added contemptuously.
“As I had missed you my dear, I shall look forward to your return. You make sure that you get there and back in one piece” he said as they parted
“Thank you, I will do my best” Tasendia smiled as she then turned and walked up the ramp toward the ship. She turned and waved for a final time before going aboard the Rhamnousia.
*****
Tasendia joined Jaraz in the cockpit, and as soon as she had completed the pre flight warm up, she took off and headed off planet. Despite how Tasendia had felt when she was going into Rori, it had turned out better than she had expected. She had successfully completed her first job that had been given to her, had seen Tayesen and Kirstine again as well as rekindling her relationship with Jaraz. Returning home had indeed gone a lot better than she could have hoped for.
As Tasendia got ready to jump into hyperspace she turned around and saw Jaraz hovering over Coryne watching her intently as she worked her controls, and asking her many questions. Tasendia could tell that Coryne was not happy about this and was not being that helpful at all. Tasendia decided that she might have to find Jaraz something else to do in the ship instead.
Tasendia chuckled at the scene next to her as she pulled the hyperdrive lever. As the stars stretched out before her Tasendia had a very good feeling about the future.
*****
After the scare she gave herself the previous night, Tasendia did not get a good sleep, and she was not feeling well for it. Not at all helpful when hunting. Moreover, as she still needed to get more information, lack of sleep was not very good at all. She hoped that a strong cup of Caf and a very cold shower would help wake her up sufficiently to be alert, sharp and smart.
The most important information that she had gained so far was that her bounty was no longer on Corellia. Where he was, she did not know, but she intended to rectify this as soon as possible. He was worth 25,000 credits. That would get some very much-needed upgrades for her ship.
Tasendia had managed to obtain an old VT-49 Decimator for a price that she could afford. But due to the low cost of the ship, she had to get a lot of work done on it before she was even space worthy. Tasendia had also needed to get a Class Five pilot droid as a co pilot, so that she was able to fly it. It was worth it however, as after the initial work had been done, along with several modifications and upgrades. Tasendia’s ship, which she had now named The Rhamnousia or also known as Nousia, was performing like how she expected it to. The next set of upgrades that she planned would really make a difference. It would be another step toward getting her ship to the standard that she required it to be, and it would help her become an even better bounty hunter.
The cold shower and caf really worked their magic. So well in fact, that when she left her apartment, she felt fully alert and ready for business. Tasendia was meeting up with someone called Kosfi in the Fell swoop. She now needed to make her way to Treasure ship row, also known as the Row. She hoped that this Kosfi would give her the information that she needed about Tasak. Well, meeting up was not entirely the correct term. Tasendia knew he would be there, he just did not know that they had things to discus. If all went well then he would find out soon enough.
While walking along, Tasendia made sure that while she was thinking about the plans for the day, she was also aware of what was going on around her. Even after last night, Tasendia would not lower her defenses. To do so would be fatal.
The clothes that Tasendia wore were also influenced by what had happened the previous night; she had made sure that the pants that she wore were tighter fitting, so that would hopefully reduce the noise that she made. This was very useful when trying to be as quiet as possible. Tasendia needn’t have worried though, as now during the daytime hours, any noise that she made would not have sounded as bad as it had done before. As she walked along Tasendia decided that she actually preferred these pants the others, as they were tight enough to not get in the way but flexible enough to not impede movement. She made a mental note to buy more of the pair that she was wearing and get rid of her other pants as soon as possible.
Thankfully the people that Tasendia encountered on the way to The Fel swoop realized that she was not someone to be crossed, so they left her alone. After 30 minutes brisk walk, she arrived at the Fel swoop.
Tasendia walked into the bar to discover that even at this time of the day it was busy. She soon realized that they were not the new customers of the day, but old customers that were still here from the previous night. The reputation for this being a wild bar were definitely well founded. She decided that when she had the time, she would come along here and experience one of the wild nights for herself.
Tasendia found an appropriate table, sat down and waited for the serving droid to come over. When the droid came over to her table, she ordered a large Corellion whiskey with soda. Tasendia did not intend to drink much, but needed to fit in for now. The drink that she ordered would be enough to last for a good amount of time, but her senses would still be sharp to what was happening around her. Even if the others in the bar did not look like they would pose any danger due to the state that they were in, however she did not want to take any chances.
It was not long before she had located Kosfi. He was with a group of swoop racers deep in a conversation which Tasendia guessed was about racing by their animated body language. Unfortunately this was not what she wanted, as she needed him on his own. In the worst-case scenario, Tasendia would go over to him and attempt to separate him from the group, but Tasendia hoped that it would not come to that. Tasendia got herself comfortable, ready for a long wait for the right opportunity.
Thankfully, it was only 45 minutes before she got her opportunity. It was more perfect than she could have ever hoped for, as Kosfi was walking right past where Tasendia was sitting. She took a deep breath to prepare herself.
“Just the person I am looking for” Tasendia said as he passed her table.
“Who’s asking?” Kosfi growled
“I am” Tasendia said innocently “I have wanted to speak to you for a while, but I wanted to make sure that you were on your own” she added, putting on her most charming smile.
“Well, I am on my own now, what do you want? And make it quick” He said shortly, clearly not happy about getting into a conversation with her.
“I just would like to talk to you and buy you a drink...it would be an honor if you would join me” Tasendia said hoping that she could appeal to his ego
“Well in that case” he said with a cocky smile “I could not disappoint you could I?”
Kosfi sat down opposite Tasendia and looked straight into her eyes “I’ll have a large whiskey, neat, no ice”
She caught the attention of a serving droid, but maintained eye contact with Kosfi while waiting for the droid to come over and take the order.
“I have watched you race’ Tasendia purred ‘you are so good, how do you manage to stay on your speeder? I could never do that, I would just keep crashing“
“Well I am a professional, I would not earn much if did not race very well” He said with a cocky smile “Did you see me race yesterday?”
“You raced yesterday, I thought you were unable to race due to getting an injury from a fight” Tasendia said slightly puzzled.
They stopped talking as the serving droid passed them their drinks and while Tasendia paid for them.
“Just a little test, but while you are obviously not a fan, you know your stuff. What do you really want?” Kosfi asked leaning over
“Information” Tasendia replied, knowing that the direct approach would be the only one that would work with him.
“Ha, you and everyone else. It’ll cost you, information’s not...”
“Free. Tell me something that I don’t know” she snarled
“If you want information, you need to start being nicer” Kosfi purred as he leaned back in his seat with a smug expression on his face.
“Right’ she growled quietly ‘let’s just get on with this. I’ll pay you and you know it. So let’s just stop playing this game and wasting our time. I want to know where Tasak is?”
“You after him too?”
“No, I want to sing a duet with him’ Tasendia growled, sarcasm dripping of every word ‘what do you know?”
“Right comedienne you are, OK...OK I will tell you what I know” he said after Tasendia glared viciously at him, “The last I heard was that he was heading out to Naboo. He said that it would be the last place anyone would think of looking for him. When you catch up with him, I want you to get the 10,000 credits that he owes me”
“That will cost you” Tasendia said smiling sweetly at him
“Only if you get the money, but I am feeling generous today. So the information is half price” he said as he again flashed Tasendia a cocky smile.
“Your generosity amazes me” Tasendia said sarcastically “that should be more than enough” she added as she passed him a credit chit.
“That is satisfactory” he said as he stood and drained his drink “get me my money back’ he added growling as he put the glass down heavily on the table before walking away.
*****
Despite Kosfi’s attitude, Tasendia felt that the meeting went better than she had expected. She was still going to meet Syrees in the Card’s tapcaf. You can never have too much information when hunting. As Tasendia had dealt with Syrees many times, she felt comfortable meeting up with him to discuss things over lunch. It was also a good way to get two jobs done at once, as she was beginning to get very hungry now.
She wandered through the Row, taking in as much of the sights and sounds as possible. There was so much happening all around her, that it would take great skill to be aware of all of what was happening, the Row never failed to impress her. A place where you could easily lose someone that was chasing you. However, if you were the one pursuing; you had to make sure that you did not lose sight of your target.
It was not long before she was out of the area and onto the Blue sky boulevard. There was a big difference between the boulevard and the row. The boulevard felt like it was a place that you passed through to get from one place to the other rather than somewhere that you visited. It was not as if it was not a good place to be Tasendia thought, but it was just how it felt to her.
Twenty minutes later, she arrived at Card’s tapcaf. She walked around, scanned the room and quickly noticed that the Devaronian Syrees had already arrived, and was sat at a table.
As the tapcaf was very busy, it was a few moments of working her way past beings so that she could get to Syrees’ table.
"I am sorry Syrees, I thought I was on time” Tasendia said as she shook his hand and sat down facing him.
“Do not worry my dear” Syrees said as he raised her hand and kissed it “I am early”
“Where is the menu? I am ready for something to eat” Tasendia asked as she looked around
“I have ordered food and drinks for us both, I thought it would save time” Syrees explained
“I do not know how you manage it, but if it had anyone else that had done that, they would be in serious trouble, but not you” Tasendia chuckled shaking her head.
“It must be my charm” he purred before laughing
“Ha, in your dreams” Tasendia joked “you were right though about saving time. I will need to be off as soon as we are done here”
“Likewise, so shall we just get to business then? I’ve heard you are after Tasak” Syrees said as he leaned toward her.
Before she could reply, they both had to lean back as a serving droid came over and served them their food and drinks, before wishing them a pleasant meal and leaving them.
Tasendia and Syrees both leaned toward each other “It is true that I am after Tasak. I need information about him. I want to know where he is, what he is doing and if there is anything else that you think would be useful to know about him” Tasendia told him as she got ready to eat her lunch
“He has been busy. He does not stay in one place for long at all. He has managed to upset a few beings up to now, he is a wanted man. How he has not been caught by now, is a minor miracle. The planets that he has been spotted on are of course here on Corellia, Talus, Tatooine, Dantooine, Bellassa and even on Darkknell” he told her “The latest that I have heard is that he is hearing out to Naboo” Syrees added lowering his voice.
“You will have to be really careful and be smart when going after him. Tasak is a hunted man, and he knows it. He is using all the resources that he can get his hands on, and some more for good measure to make sure that he’s not caught. Tasak owes a lot of money to many people. If he gets even one sniff of someone being onto him then he will be gone. I have prepared some more information that I think will be useful for you” Syrees said as he passed her a datacard
“This is perfect, thank you very much, a professional as always” Tasendia said happily as she took the datacard “you may be expensive but you are worth every credit”
“And that my dear, is why others like you come back to me again and again for information” He said as smiled a predatory smile
“As for Tasak, do not worry about me. I intend to be careful. He will only know about me when it is too late for him to do anything about it. I will make sure that I get him, and when I get him, he will not escape me”
“Good, just as I expected from you” he said with a warm smile
“You mentioned that Tasak owes a lot of money” Tasendia asked “How many other bounty hunters are after him?”
“Not many, I have also put information on who I know are also after him on the datacard. Tasak has mostly been clever with who he has targeted for money. He goes for those who cannot afford a decent bounty hunter, ideally he will select those to con who cannot afford one at all. Well he did until he decided to tap your employer for money. Vas Vondar is a rich kid who was looking for excitement, but Tasak thought he was another wannabe swoop jock, so he conned him. You are the best that is after him so far”
“That is good to know” Tasendia smiled thoughtfully “not having tough competition from other bounty hunters should make my job a lot easier. However, I will keep alert to make sure that I am the one who gets to Tasak first”
“I do not doubt that” Syrees smiled as he leaned back in his seat.
As the business was over, they enjoyed a conversation over lunch about events that they had seen on the holonet news, politics and any gossip that they had heard.
After lunch, Syrees departed and Tasendia paid the bill before she too left. She now had all of the information that she needed for now, and Tasendia knew where she would be going to next. All she needed to do was get herself and her ship ready before setting off for Naboo.
The hunt had really begun now.
*****
While The Rhamnousia was being prepped for takeoff, Tasendia went to her apartment to pack, and make sure that there was enough to cover the rent during her absence. It did not take much time to pack, as she never left anything important at her apartment. She then primed the many alarms that were set up in various points around the place, alongside her security cameras that were alongside them. While Tasendia never left anything of value in the apartment, she was not going to tolerate anyone thinking that they could get away with breaking into it. Anyone who was stupid enough to do that would soon find out that it was a swift way to end their life.
Thankfully, everything ran smoothly for her. She encountered no trouble when getting to and from places, and she managed to get her jobs done in good time. Even with the good time Tasendia had made, it was still nearly two hours before she got back to the spaceport. When Tasendia had got to her ship, it was ready for takeoff.
She wasted no time, and after completing the pre flight warm up, she took off and headed out of the system. Thankfully, she encountered no trouble on the way out and it was not long before she was out of range of the planet. Tasendia told Coryne the coordinates needed to get to Naboo, and it was not long before Coryne had put them into the navcomp and the starts stretched out before Tasendia in the familiar view of hyperspace.
*****
Thankfully, the trip to Naboo was blissfully uneventful. This gave Tasendia plenty of time to not only make sure she was properly rested, but also for her to pour over the contents of the datacard that Syrees had passed onto her. She had learned a lot of very useful information on there. Tasendia learned about the places where he has been seen, those whom he associated with and even the types of women that he liked to get involved with. She also read about the other bounty hunters that were after Tasak. While Tasendia knew that she had nothing to worry about, it was not worth letting her guard down over.
While in hyperspace, Tasendia checked through her list of contacts that she had obtained from Syrees. This list informed her of contacts for many planets. It meant that she could arrive on a new planet, and know who would be able to provide her with information quickly. She also made sure that the list was updated as often as possible, this was a tough trade, the list could and did change quickly.
After landing at Keren, Tasendia made the necessary arrangements with the spaceport authorities and arranged for her ship to be refueled and cleaned. They offered to check the ship over but Tasendia flatly refused, as only those she trusted touched her ship.
Tasendia then set off to re-familiarize herself with the area. While she had been here before, she’d not really had chance to know the area that well. Armed with the map of the city that she had obtained at the spaceport, Tasendia quickly studied it, and soon found a good way to get to the cantina. That would be where she would be able to find someone who would hopefully be able to provide some information for her.
As part of re-familiarizing herself with the area, Tasendia decided to walk to the cantina instead of getting a shuttle. Tasendia briskly walked for around 18 minutes before she moved off from the main boulevard and into the back streets, which she found were a lot quieter. The advantage for Tasendia would be that they saved a lot of time. After a short distance, she turned into a deserted alleyway. Tasendia made sure that she kept one eye on her map to make sure that she did not get lost.
Tasendia was not far into the alleyway when she suddenly felt very uncomfortable; she quickly turned around to see if there was anyone behind her, when a blaster bolt shot passed by her so closely that it singed some of her hair. She had her blasters out in an instant, spun and saw the shooter start running. Tasendia gave chase and it was not long before she had caught up with him, he however was getting a little too close to getting away to safety for her liking. Fortunately, she was able to quickly take aim, and shoot him in the left knee. He collapsed in a heap, screaming in pain.
She walked over to him and was surprised to see that he was very young. ‘Just a kid’ she thought. Tasendia quickly pushed those thoughts back “not a friendly welcome, I think” she said coldly as she picked up his blaster and checked him over for any other weaponry. Tasendia removed a concealed blaster and a couple of vibroblades from him before she pointed her blasters at him “why?”
“Not saying” He grunted through gritted teeth
“Oh, I think you will” Tasendia snarled as she stood and ground her foot into his injured knee, which caused him to scream out loud again “ and if you think that is bad, it is going to get a whole lot worse for you, if you do not talk and fast. I do not take very kindly to those who try to kill me; you will soon discover that I am not a nice person to mess with”
He held his hands up, tears streaming down his face “All right, all right. I will tell you, please stop that...its agony”
She moved her foot and he quickly clamped his hands over his knee and struggled for breath as he got himself into a sitting position “I was paid by someone who said that there are others after him. He said that he wanted me to make sure that no-one got to him.”
“Who paid you and where are they?” Tasendia asked
“He said his name was Tasak, that’s all I know, I swear. He did not leave me any contact details. He just said that he would contact me when he was to pay me”
“You mean he has not paid you yet” Tasendia said incredulously
“Not yet, why” he asked quietly.
“Well...you are a fool for not taking money up front” she said contemptuously “you will not last long doing that”
“Tell me about it” he sighed as he flushed red “I do not know if it is any help to you, but I did overhear him say about heading out to Rori in the next few days. He will be there by now”
“Well at least you did something right, and as for that” Tasendia said as she pointed a blaster at his injured knee “this should be adequate enough to help you out until you can get proper treatment for it” she added as she threw him a bandage “we never saw one another...right” she growled as menacingly as possible
“Of course” he said as he caught the bandage with a disappointed look on his face “I have never seen you before in my life”
“Good” she smiled coldly “You are lucky that not only am I in a good mood but that I am also feeling gener¬ous toward you, which is saying something as you did try to kill me, I have some free advice for you...change your career” Tasendia said as she walked away from him.
*****
Tasendia decided that she no longer needed to visit the person in the cantina after what the shooter had told him. She could tell that he was being truthful. And another reason was that, even if she got to Rori and he was not there, she knew someone on the planet who was far more trustworthy who she could ask for help from.
When Tasendia walked back out onto the main boulevards, she decided to take a shuttle back to the spaceport. Tasendia no longer had any need to re-familiarize herself with the city; and she now had things on her mind. Tasendia could not trust herself to keep alert walking back, so taking the shuttle would give her the time to think about how this hunt was developing.
It had been five years since had last been on her home planet and while she could not deny she was looking forward to it, she was apprehensive about it as well. This was because two years prior to leaving Rori, her mother had been brutally murdered by some glit-biter, just for the one hundred credits that she had with her.
The police had handled the case, but they did not put much time or effort into it and Tasendia ended up looking for the person herself. It was her in the end that found the murderer, but sadly by the time Tasendia had caught up with her, she had died of an overdose. At the time, Tasendia felt nothing but disgust; it was like her mother had been cheated out of justice, she had also felt let down by how the police had handled the case. Tasendia had been in a serious relationship at the time with a Twi’lek called Jaraz, but sadly after what had happened to her mother the relationship had not survived. This was the last straw for Tasendia, who felt that she could no longer remain on Rori. It was also one of the main reasons why she became a bounty hunter.
Tasendia was pulled out of her thoughts as the shuttle approached the spaceport. When the shuttle stopped, she stood up and started walking toward the exit. As Tasendia neared the front of the shuttle she could not help but be drawn to the Jedi that had just got on. In her line of work she had little dealings with Jedi, which she was happy about, as she felt that they would not appreciate what she did for a living. In situations like this however, all she was able to do was put as much distance between them and her, but without drawing any attention to herself.
As she neared him, Tasendia not only found herself making eye contact with him, but also smiling at him. Much to her surprise, he returned a warm smile that lit up his entire face and especially his lovely eyes.
Tasendia carried on walking but just as she was about to step off the shuttle she found herself turning around to look at the Jedi, who was also looking back at her and still smiling before they both went on their separate ways.
Tasendia reluctantly got her mind back on what she was supposed to be doing. Getting off the planet and going to Rori. Another advantage of going to Rori was that she had somewhere that she could put her ship that would not cost her anything.
She was glad that she’d sure that the ship was refueled as soon as she had arrived. This meant that she could leave strait away. Rori was not far away, so it would not take long to get there. This was good, as Tasendia did not want too much time to think about going back there.
*****
Tasendia landed her ship in the estate where her friend Kirstine lived. Just before she left Rori, Kirstine told her that was welcome to keep her ship there and stay at her home any time she needed it. She could just treat the place like home. Until now, Tasendia did not realize how much she had missed her friend, and was very much looking forward to see her. They had come from different backgrounds, but they were still great friends.
Sadly, Kirstine was not in when Tasendia had arrived, so she left a note for her for when she got back. She then got ready for heading into Narmle.
Kirstine’s house was some distance away from Narmle so she took the landspeeder that was stored in Nousia. As Tasendia knew the area very well, it took her about an hour to get to Narmle.
As Tasendia approached Narmle, she was starting to feel very strange about being back on her home planet. It was good to be back, she could not deny that, but it was a happiness tinged with sadness. The pain that she felt was still there, it felt different though. It was as if her time away from Rori had helped some of her wounds partially heal.
Traveling through the city, she passed a march campaigning for city of Restuss to be rebuilt. The city was destroyed in the Battle of Restuss, which took place during the Imperial times. While there are lots of settlements scattered across Rori, there was only one major city left. She agreed with the campaigners that it would be much better for there to be two or more major cities on the planet. Maybe she would join the campaign as well.
That would have to wait though, as Tasendia was off to meet up with Tayesen Ji who would hopefully be able to help her put an end to Tasak’s running. If he was to be found anywhere, then it would be in Zephyr Base, the cantina that he and his son ran. Along with running the cantina he also dealt with information broking, as well as arranging for rare and exotic items to be smuggled. Tayesen really was a man of many talents.
She found somewhere to park her speeder before heading across to the Zephyr Base, which was thankfully not far away. She was very nervous about meeting up with Tayesen. After her father had died, he had looked after her like she were his daughter and she thought of him like her father. Again, like with Kirstine she realized how much she had missed him, his guidance, humor and how he cared for her. She wondered how he would react to seeing her again.
As Tasendia walked in she was immediately greeted cheerfully by a few people who were at the bar. She had not really expected to be remembered and she waved to greet them in return, before she made her way around to look for Tayesen. She walked through to one of the private rooms at the back of the cantina, where she was saved any further searching when she heard a voice behind her
“Tasendia Renolsin, you have got a nerve showing up here” the voice growled from right behind her, how could anyone sneak up on her like that she quickly scorned herself mentally.
Tasendia spun around quickly and came face to face with Tayesen Ji scowling at her. Her blood froze for a second, before his face broke into a huge grin and he pulled her into a bone-breaking hug.
“Oh Tasendia, it’s so good to see you again, I have truly missed you” Tayesen said affectionately
“I have missed you as well, Tay” Tasendia said trying her best to keep control of her emotions “I am so sorry for being quiet for so long”
He held her back and looked into her eyes “I understand why you did it and I am not upset at all, but you are forgetting who I am. I have made sure that I knew what you were up to and I was ready to help you out if you really needed it”
Furiously blinking away tears and unable to say another word the only thing that Tasendia could do was nod, before Tayesen pulled her again into another tight hug. They stood like that for a while before they broke apart wiping their eyes before they sat down at one of the tables near them.
“It has been too long” Tasendia said getting control of her voice once more, “I promise you that it will not happen again”
“That’s good to hear” He said warmly as he reached over and gently squeezed her hands ”So how are you? You are looking fantastic”
“I am really good thank you, work had been going very well. How are you? And I am not just saying this because you did, but you are also looking great” Tasendia said smiling
“Like you things have been going well for me, the businesses are going well. Zuudene is really doing well as well. He is married now, has two sons and twins on the way. He is running the smuggling side of things and he also owns several cantinas around Rori now. I just run Zephyr Base now; this has given me the chance to relax more...”
“You relax” Tasendia said incredulously “I do not think that is possible, but wow that is fantastic about Zuudene. I will have to see him at some point before I head back to Corellia. How does it feel to be a grandfather?”
“Ha ha, you could be right about not being able to relax, but it is always worth finding out first, as for being a grandfather, it is fantastic. I have managed to spend a lot of time with them now that Zuudene has taken on more. Do not forget though that is also means that you are an Aunt now” He laughed “so what brings you back to Rori?”
“Yes that is true, that was not something that I had thought would happen to me, I hope to get the chance to meet my nephews later” Tasendia said enjoying the idea of having nephews “The reason why I am here is business. I am looking for someone called Tasak, this is what he looks like’ Tasendia explained as she passed him a holo of Tasak “Have you seen him?”
“Yes I have seen him” Tayesen growled “saw him this morning, still here as far as I know”
“Oh that is wonderful, where is he?” She asked brightly
“Staying nearby, I will get you his room number and the entry code for it if that would help”
“That would be perfect, how much do you want?” Tasendia asked as she reached for some credit chits.
Tayesen looked at her raising one eyebrow “Do you really expect me to charge you for this” he asked crossing his arms
“I did not want to expect anything” she chuckled “but thank you”
“You’re welcome my dear. You do not know this, but when your father was ill, he told me to look after you after he had gone. This is just another way that I can do that. I think of you as my own daughter, I am so very proud of how you are getting on” He told her tenderly “And as for Tasak, another reason is that I will be glad to see the back of him is that I do not like him...I can tell ten klicks off that he is trouble. I want him gone” he added darkly.
“I will make sure that he is gone” Tasendia said determinedly
“Good, you will have to be careful though. He is a desperate man on the run who knows that time is running out for him, he is also a tough fighter. Not a good combination, and while I do not doubt your abilities, I want to you take two of my men with you as backup. It is better to be safe. They will be there in case he decides to play dirty or if he tries to make a run for it. I think it would be best if you lay in wait in a nearby building, and move in swiftly as soon as he makes an appearance, so that you will be able to approach him without him noticing. We will only have one chance though. So we will have to make sure that we succeed”
“We will succeed” Tasendia said confidently
“That’s my girl’ Tayesen said proudly ‘The hunt can wait until later, for now we eat” He added while rubbing his belly.
“Now that sounds like a plan that I like” Tasendia said happily “we will get something to eat, and then I will go hunting. Tasak will not know what has hit him” She added darkly
*****
Lunch indeed was very enjoyable, Tasendia and Tayesen caught up on what they had done in the last five years. She found herself realizing that she was in fact happy to be back on Rori, so happy in fact that Tasendia decided that she would not leave it so long before she came back. She might even buy and apartment and split her time between here and Corellia.
After lunch Tasendia changed into the Ubese armor that she had brought along with her. Tasendia had the complete set but she never liked wearing the helmet, as she did not like having her head and face covered in armor. She knew it would have been safer to wear it but decided to take the risk.
Tasendia along with a male Wookiee named Yahwaakoo who Tayesen had sent with her were waiting in a nearby building that had a clear view of the front and left side of the hotel where Tasak was staying.
A female Noghri called Wurhl was in another building with a view of the rear and other side of the building they were watching. This meant that if Tasak decided to not use the main entrance he would be spotted. Tasendia just hoped that he had not decided to leave already.
It was a long six hours before he eventually returned. She had been right to send Wurhl to a different location as Tasak indeed did not use the main entrance to get in. He used a staff doorway to get into the building.
Tasendia moved swiftly, as she needed to not only locate him but also to make sure that he did not see her until it was too late. She entered the building with Yahwaakoo and they split up to go and find Tasak. She silently and swiftly moved around the ground floor for about a couple of minutes before she located him. He was about to get into a turbolift.
Tasendia saw the stairs and ran up them as quickly as possible. So quickly that she had reached the floor where his room was just as the turbolift doors opened. She wasted no time and charged toward him and swiftly kicked him in the knees, sending him sprawling and yelping to the floor, he recovered extremely quickly and he came at her with such speed and ferocity that it took Tasendia completely by surprise. He punched her in the face and wrapped his legs around one her legs to send her crashing to the floor, thankfully she had also managed to catch him in the solar plexus, so that even though she was on the floor he was winded badly.
This gave them both time to recover. Tasendia was ready the next time that he came for her. Tasak came at her very quickly again, but as he closed she took a side step at the last minute and grabbed his outstretched arm, twisted it and easily dislocated his shoulder. She then brought her knee up into his face with so much force that his nose shattered. Tasak then slumped to the floor unconscious. Tasendia then quickly grabbed her stun cuffs from her utility belt and put them on him.
She dragged him to his room and tapped the code into the panel before she entered. Tasendia dumped him on the floor before she started looking around the room; she realized that it would not take long for her to check thorough it, as the room was mostly bare. Tasendia did find some security cameras that had been set up; which she quickly disabled. Next she found some clothes and one travel bag in which she found various ID cards and roughly 37,000 credits. “I wonder how many you have conned to still have this amount of credits left” Tasendia muttered as she noticed Tasak stirring in the corner of her eye.
“I see you have managed to con a lot of people out of their money, did you not realize that you would not get away with it forever” Tasendia said unemotionally
“You will regret what you have done, I am going to get you...and believe me you are not going to like what I have got planned for you. I am going to kill you and I am going to kill you very slowly” Tasak snarled
“And that scares me because” she laughed humorlessly “you are not in a position to make threats, and you certainly are not able to carry them out. Now be quiet” Tasendia snapped
“Or what” Tasak spat
“This” Tasendia said as she took out her blaster, set it to stun and shot a blue bolt into him “that’s better” she muttered to herself.
After double-checking the room to make sure that she had not missed anything Tasendia commed Yahwaakoo and Wurhl and asked them to come and help her take Tasak back to The Rhamnousia.
*****
Even with Tasak squeezed between them, both Yahwaakoo and Wurhl managed to fit in the back of the speeder. The journey to the Nousia was blissfully uneventful. Tayesen had asked Wurhl to stay behind at the ship to guard Tasak. Tayesen said that Tasendia was not going to leave Rori before she had spent some time at the cantina celebrating her success. Tasendia had not argued with him, as it had been far too long since she had really enjoyed herself.
It was not long before both Tasendia and Yahwaakoo were back at the cantina. As she approached the cantina loud music was coming from inside. There were scattered cheers for them both as they entered the building and some people went over to congratulate them on their catch. From what she had been told Tasak was making trouble for himself and trying to get money out of anyone that he could. He really must have been getting desperate she thought.
Tasendia saw Tayesen and walked over to him. They embraced warmly and Tasendia gestured for them to sit down at a vacant table nearby.
“I have got something for you” Tasendia told him happily “when I was searching Tasak’s room I discovered some money. I had to make some deductions but here is half of what was left” she added as she passed him some credit chits
He held up his hands and shook his head “I cannot accept this. As grateful as I am, I do not need it, however I think that you do, especially if you want to make those upgrades to your ship” Tayesen said smiling warmly.
“Hmmm, I can see that I am not going to change your mind. I can tell by the tone of you voice’ Tasendia said resignedly
“Haha, you know me too well Tasendia’ Tayesen laughed sounding very pleased with himself.
“I could always use this toward an apartment here” She said grinning broadly “do you realize that you are going to see a lot more of me from now on”
“Yes” Tayesen shouted out “Perfect, another reason to celebrate. I have a feeling that tonight will a night that we will not forget”
“I like the sound of that” Tasendia laughed “You are right though Tay about tonight. I think it will indeed be a wild night”
*****
To say the night had been wild would be the understatement of the millennium; Tasendia had truly had a wonderful time. For the first time in as long as she could remember, she’d had fun. Her friend Kirstine had been able to come along. Sadly she had not been able to stay for too long, this was due to having something very important on at work the following morning. It had been wonderful to see her, and they spent as much time as possible catching up. However, Tasendia knew that she would be back to Rori soon, so they would be able to spend some quality together then.
It was also an evening of romance. She rekindled her relationship with Jaraz. Tasendia had not expected to see him, but she was glad that they had. They spent much of the night talking, laughing, dancing and as she remembered happily, kissing.
The celebrations carried on long into the night and well past dawn. Tasendia had to delay leaving Rori due to this. She wanted to make sure that she was in a fit state to fly when she took off.
Tayesen had made sure that Tasak was properly guarded during the time while she rested, so she had nothing to worry about him either escaping or another bounty hunter stealing him from her. The delay was also good for making sure that Tasak got some treatment for the injuries that she had given him. The only reason for doing this was just because she just wanted to make sure that Vas Vondar had no reason to deduct any money for damaged goods. Tasendia also made sure that even though Jaraz was there with her, she got the rest that she needed.
Tasendia woke early on the morning that she needed to leave and as she lay curled into Jaraz he looked down at her and said “I want to come along with you”
“Will that be possible?” she asked looking up at him
“Yes...I...erm...got sacked from my job last night” Jaraz said sheepishly
“What happened?” Tasendia asked him
“I ended my relationship with the boss’s daughter a couple of weeks ago; he just had to wait until he had an excuse so he could sack me and not get into trouble for it. I made a mistake, I cannot deny that, but it was not something that I should have been sacked over. That was why I was at the Zephyr Base the other night. It could not have worked out more perfectly though, I would never have seen you had I not been sacked” Jaraz said as he leaned down and kissed Tasendia.
“Yes, it did work out well” Tasendia said as she rested her head on his chest “It will be great to have you with me, for the obvious reasons, but it would also be nice to have someone else there alongside my eccentric droid co-pilot Coryne. I have made some modifications to her and I think she has developed some interesting quirks. She can be rather eccentric at times” Tasendia chuckled
“I could be your co-pilot now” he said brightly
“Thanks, but no thank you. Yes, she may be eccentric, but she knows that ship as well as I do”
“Oh, OK then” Jaraz said sounding disappointed
“I am not saying it will never happen, but it will have to be after we have got back to Corellia. I need Coryne for this trip. There will be plenty of things that you can do to help me on the trip though. You can start to learn about how the Nousia works ready for when you do become copilot. There is also some work that I will be doing on the Nousia while we are in Hyperspace so you will be needed to help me do that. There is always work to do on that ship of mine, so please do not be too disappointed” She said reassuringly
“Ok then, that’s does not sound too bad then” he said sounding a little happier “I had better get ready then, I have to go back and pack some things. I will come back here as soon as I am done” Jaraz said as he got up and started to get dressed
“Just go straight to the ship. We should be ready to leave as soon as you are back” Tasendia said as she watched him getting ready “see you later” she added as he leaned over kissed her farewell before leaving.
*****
After Tasendia, Kirstine and Tayesen had had breakfast in a settlement nearby, they all walked over to the ship. Tasendia made sure that the sip was ready for takeoff, and by the time she was ready Jaraz had returned.
Jaraz said farewell to Tayesen and Kirstine before he left Tasendia to do so as well. She walked over to Kirstine and they embraced warmly “I cannot believe that you are going already. You have only just got back” Kirstine said as they parted
“I would stay longer, but I have merchandise to deliver” Tasendia explained “Do not worry I will be back as soon as I have got rid of him. I am planning on getting an apartment here. We will be able to catch up properly then”
“I will like that a lot” Kirstine said as they embraced again “see you soon, take care and have a safe trip”
“Thank you, you take care as well” Tasendia said as they parted and she walked over to Tayesen. They hugged each other tightly. As they held each other Tayesen whispered in Tasendia’s ear “It has been so good to see you again, it warms my heart to know that I will not have to wait so long before I see you again”
“Yup, you are stuck with me now” Tasendia chuckled
“Ha, I would not have it any other way” Tayesen said laughing loudly
“I did not realize how much I had missed you” Tasendia said warmly “I will be back as soon as I have got rid of that Sithspawn” she added contemptuously.
“As I had missed you my dear, I shall look forward to your return. You make sure that you get there and back in one piece” he said as they parted
“Thank you, I will do my best” Tasendia smiled as she then turned and walked up the ramp toward the ship. She turned and waved for a final time before going aboard the Rhamnousia.
*****
Tasendia joined Jaraz in the cockpit, and as soon as she had completed the pre flight warm up, she took off and headed off planet. Despite how Tasendia had felt when she was going into Rori, it had turned out better than she had expected. She had successfully completed her first job that had been given to her, had seen Tayesen and Kirstine again as well as rekindling her relationship with Jaraz. Returning home had indeed gone a lot better than she could have hoped for.
As Tasendia got ready to jump into hyperspace she turned around and saw Jaraz hovering over Coryne watching her intently as she worked her controls, and asking her many questions. Tasendia could tell that Coryne was not happy about this and was not being that helpful at all. Tasendia decided that she might have to find Jaraz something else to do in the ship instead.
Tasendia chuckled at the scene next to her as she pulled the hyperdrive lever. As the stars stretched out before her Tasendia had a very good feeling about the future.
*****
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