The Abiding Force: A Knight of the Empire (Star Wars)

13: Dialogue

Shojj shrugged, moving off in the direction of the nearest landing facilities. The merchant quarter of Ilhottar was probably the best hiding place in the sector. Among the endless throngs of desperate beings it would be a simple task to disappear. Val had a few advantages, his connection to the force being the greatest of them. Following his gut, he began his search by approaching the shadiest little surgery he could find. Well removed from the loftier clinics and more reputable parts of the city it seemed the perfect place for a fugitive to seek an invasive and painful operation away from prying eyes.

The diminutive alien proprietor shrieked something unintelligible as Val entered. "Sorry, only basic." Val explained, moving toward the desk. The small creature, Val had never seen its like before, rolled it's large orb-like eyes in frustration, clearing its throat. "A-I spek basik leetle." struggling with every word. "How helpy ou?" it added, leaning forward on the counter. Val smiled nervously, "I'm looking for a friend." Val said, pulling an image up on his datapad, a droid's reconstruction of Val's description of the woman. The alien shook his head, "No no don't wan trouble." It said, moving for the back door.

"You're going to have trouble if you keep walking." Jae Siddall said from the doorway behind Val. "Negotiations were short then?" Val asked as he turned back to his uncle. Jae was nursing a smoke-stick on its final drag, the smell of the alien plant cloying and viciously bitter. Jae smiled, "Well they paid of course." Jae added, stepping toward the counter. The alien was frozen with fear as Siddall's armored boots clanked against the metal floor. "You seen the girl?" Jae asked, placing the datapad on the counter.

The alien shook as it pulled the device closer to its face. "I see her, yes." He said, doing his best to calm himself. Val stepped forward, his uncle remaining a reasonable distance away. "Where and when?" Val asked, taking on a lighter tone, ingratiating himself as the trusted party. This felt somewhat unnatural to Val, but was one of the techniques that Jae had shown him on the journey.

The alien's eyes flitted from Val to Jae and then back again. "She need help, two weeks back, hard job." The alien managed to spout. Jae leaned in again, "She leave a name?" The alien hesitated but eventually cracked. "Aella." The small creature said somewhat sadly. "She very kind, please don't hurt she." Jae shared a confused look with Val. He wouldn't have described their previous encounter as "kind" per se.

Val looked down at the small proprietor, "You know where we can find her?", there was no threat in his voice now. The alien looked up at him with wide eyes, "She leave quickly, head for ships I think, long gone." The alien lied. Val gave the alien an accusing glare, knowing he had reached the limits of what could be taken painlessly. "Forgive me friend, but I do not have time for lies."

By the time he had released the alien's mind the truth had become immediately clear to Val. She was still on the planet, receiving daily injections to supplement her healing. Moreover, she had not arrived for her scheduled appointment yet. The alien collapsed, sobbing from the invasive procedure Val had inflicted on him. Val regretted having to do it, but it was the most expedient way of interrogating the fool.

"She's over due for an appointment." Val explained, pulling his comm. It was likely that she was still on her ship. Val hoped Shojj hadn't acted too rashly, if he'd found the ship at all. The link was dead, which immediately put Val on edge. Jae reacted quicker, moving through the door and back into the street toward the ramshackle spaceport where Shojj had last reported from. Val was hot on his uncle's heel, matching his frantic pace.

It was not an inconsiderable distance to the landing area. By the time the pair had reached the shambolic free-for-all that was the landing area Val was coated in sweat. He had become too used to the environmental systems in his armor and was now paying for it tenfold as he struggled to catch his breath. Jae was equally winded, but despite it he kept his eyes up as he scanned for the fugitive ship. Val began scanning as well when he was overcome with a sudden warning impulse.