CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
--Coruscant--
Wallen felt his mounting apprehension as the Twi'lek clerk carefully regarded him and his companions, particularly the towering (and secretly comatose) Atha Prime, being held up by a disguised Shadow and Wran. With them were a cuffed Drikall and Xemer, the latter posing as a scarred Klatooinian, the both of them done up to look like crooks.
Flicking his headtails, the clerk said, "This is supposed to be Mujambo?"
"Yes," Wallen said. "He's placed himself in a life preservation suit due to his advanced age."
"And on whose order is it that he is to be incarcerated on Megalox Beta?"
"Director Loran," Wallen said firmly. "Mujambo was classified as a threat level three by him when he took office."
The Twi'lek pursed his lips. "I was not informed. Let me check his file."
Wallen struggled to keep his breathing even while the clerk perused his database. He only allowed himself to relax when the green-skinned alien let out a small sigh.
"My apologies. You are indeed correct: Mujambo is classified under threat level three." The Twi'lek then looked back up at him. "But first, before I let you pass, I must verify that he is indeed Mujambo."
Wallen blanched. "What?"
"For all I know, there could be a Bimm on stilts underneath that armor. Can you please remove his helmet so that I may see his face?"
Wallen frowned and glanced at Shadow -- disguised as a blonde security officer -- who simply shrugged. To the Twi'lek, he said, "We're not sure if removing his helmet will kill him."
"Hmm. If that's the case, we should send him to an infirmary. I'll have him escorted to one -- and the other two to the detention center."
Wallen opened his mouth to say something but was stopped by something rather unexpected. Atha Prime stirred suddenly and his scarlet eyes lit up, looking directly at the clerk.
"I'll have you know, you head-tailed freak, that I'd rather die a thousand times than be put under your care. I can think of no greater humiliation. Put me in an infirmary, and I will kill you. And the doctors. And these disgusting humans. So I suggest you let us through: it'll be beneficial for all of us."
The clerk stared at him, mouth hanging open -- an expression Wallen and the others shared. Clearing his throat, the Twi'lek gave a curt nod.
"Very well. You're clear to go."
--Takodana--
"He's back."
Goran looked up from his plate at Danjus, who was nodding towards the door behind him. "Kadar," the Pantoran said. "He's back."
Turning in his seat, Goran indeed saw the white Mandalorian standing in the entrance, surveying the crowd. He met the other Mandalorians' gazes briefly but simply met them with a barely noticeable nod before heading straight for a table occupied by his daughter Vessin and her crew.
"He's going to talk to her," Mirta murmured. "He's actually going to talk to her."
Goran smirked as he leaned back in his seat. "What did I tell you? I knew he would come around."
"Like heck you did," Danjus muttered, watching Kadar while he sipped the last of his wine. "How much you wanna bet this is only gonna make things worse?"
"It won't," Goran said confidently. "He'll be fine."
* * *
"...And then pow!" Jast slammed his fist into his open palm to punctuate his statement. "I take my chance and sock him right in the kisser!"
"He sure did," Borix chortled, nearly snorting on his drink. "I never knew he had it in him to punch the old dweezer. The look on his face was hilarious."
The five crew members of the Renegade simply stared at the two as they shared a hearty laugh. Ace silently stroked the fur on his chin while Bedo gazed with beady eyes, Vessin and Wiskin both looked like they wanted to be anywhere else in the galaxy but here, and Keera was preoccupied with ogling a crimson-clad pirate.
Once he had finally stopped laughing, Jast took another swig of his drink and let out a nasty belch. He started to crack up again only to freeze mid-laugh, his mouth hanging open as his eyes dilated.
"Thank stars," Wiskin harrumphed. "We've broken him."
But Jast was still moving. He slowly raised a trembling arm and pointed to something behind the crew. Perplexed, they all turned to see the object of his shock. Standing before them was Kadar.
"Oh, sweet Oobalok," Bedo squeaked.
"Excuse me," Kadar said, somewhat awkwardly. "I'm sorry to interrupt your... gathering, but I would like to have a word with my daughter."
All eyes fell on Vessin, who shifted uncomfortable, a wide range of emotions warring on her face. She avoided looking at her father and instead stared at her empty plate. Kadar watched her, waiting for a response before clearing his throat.
"Orde and Tessa are here," he said softly. "They miss you, you know. Would you like to see them?"
Vessin took in a deep breath and, after a moment's thought, got up from the table, much to the others' surprise. Without a word or so much as a glance to her father, she made her way over to where Kadar's fellow Mandalorians were sitting. Kadar himself waited a few minutes before following her, sparing a second to give Ace and the crew a curt nod.
Left in a state of bemusement, no one at the table said a word for quite some time. Jast was still in a perpetual shock and Keera resumed her admiring of the pirate, who had since caught her eye and was returning her flirtations.
Eventually it was Borix who broke the silence, slamming his emptied bottle on the table as he wiped alcoholic residue from his bearded chin.
"I'm off to get some more," the Narquois said. "Anyone else need any?"
Ace and Wiskin shook their heads while Bedo nodded eagerly. "Yes, please."
"You've already had five phibians," Ace protested.
"And now I'm ready for another five, especially after all of that." The Ortolan slid his empty glass across the table. "Fill 'er up."
* * *
Wiping the sweat from his forehead, the male Togruta did his best to keep a calm composure as he entered the castle. He could still hear the two bounty hunters searching for him outside, their voices getting louder as they got closer. While he was certain they hadn't seen him change appearance or enter the castle, he was nonetheless apprehensive.
Squaring his shoulders to maintain a strong image, he started to move towards the bar, where he saw a Narquois ordering drinks. Borix was perhaps the last person he could turn to; unlike Remar or Dax, he didn't seem to have any sort of vendetta against him or anyone.
However, when he got closer to the bar, he saw someone else seated at the counter: a blond-haired man in his thirties with a Nautolan woman on his arm, thoroughly enjoying a bottle of Phaedan ale. The Togruta's heart caught in his throat and he nearly choked when the human's eyes met his own.
Cracking a wide grin, Dax Goldam raised his bottle to the Togruta and called out, "Howdy, partner! What say you join me for a drink? There's plenty to go around!"
Having never truly met an inebriated Dax, the Togruta wasn't sure if he always greeted strangers this excitably. Regardless, he was not keen on joining him for recreating and instead turned to walk away, only to bump into a tall, crimson-clad pirate.
"Whoa, easy there, friend," the pirate said, putting a hand on either of the Togruta's shoulder. "Watch were you're going next time, yeah?"
"My apologies," the Togruta muttered. "I was just on my way o--" He then stopped mid-sentence, realization dawning on him as he studied the red-clothed being. "Wait... aren't you the Crimson Corsair?"
The pirate tilted his head. "Is that what people are calling me now? Last I heard, I was the Scarlet Scoundrel. Admittedly, 'Crimson Corsair' sounds a lot more pleasing to the ears...."
"Yes, I've heard much about you. Are you recruiting?"
"Um, not openly. I mean, there's always an opening on my crew--"
"Great. I need passage off of this world. I'll pay you anything, just name your price--"
"Whoa, slow down, partner," the Crimson Corsair said, chuckling. "Let's not say things we can't take back. Sidon Ithano needs more than just shiny credits to let some stranger onto his ship. I need a name and some credentials, you know what I'm saying? Records and whatnot. Savvy?"
"Right, I get it. Don't worry, I've got you covered." The Togruta glanced over Sidon's shoulder and saw Remar and Sharbrook entering the castle, evidently still searching for him. "Look, what saw we take this outside?"
Sidon stared at him carefully for a moment. Then, turning to a peg-legged Gabdorin seated nearby, the Crimson Corsair whistled sharply. "Time to pack up, Quiggold. We're leaving."
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