Katrila pulled the cowl from her face as she settled into cantina’s corner booth. The dim, flickering light cast long shadows from the three lost souls posted at the bar; they seemed like fixtures permanently installed among the thick cloud of smoke that hung low in the air. The Togorian watched the entrance for a few moments before fishing a datapad from one of the many pockets her form-fitting armor somehow allowed for.
Activating the device with the pads of her fingers, she reviewed the parameters of her mission. It was the first assigned to her by the Inquisitorius, the Brotherhood’s elite task force and intelligence service. True, a more experienced agent had been charged with overseeing the mission, but nevertheless she saw this as an opportunity to prove herself. Just imagining the plethora of contacts she could make, or the safehouses and supply caches she could establish, well…it almost made her purr. The whole enterprise started with tracking down and eliminating Thal Gorin, a rogue Jedi affiliated with the Aurora Collegium who had absconded with one of the Shadow Academy’s valued artifacts. The latest intelligence placed the Mirialan here on Ord Mantell.
Of course, Katrila’s success depended just as much on her familiarity with her partner. Yuki Suoh’s dossier listed the vitals: a Nagai, 37 years old, 282 pounds and 8 feet 6 inches tall. (On the first read-through, Yuki’s height caused a double take.) The Primarch was a Jedi Sentinel who served Clan Odan-Urr. Katrila familiarized herself with Yuki’s headshot. A giantess might make stealth challenging, and do-gooders rarely cottoned to Katrila’s ruthlessly pragmatic disposition. Katrila would have to infer more on the job. Her gaze shifted again to the door as she awaited the rendezvous.
Yuki ducked into the bar and pulled her her helmet off. Clipping it to her belt, she shook out the folds in the arterial red cape and looked around. The Primarch fluffed her hair slightly, giving it a bit more of a bounce than the helmet allowed as she walked over to the bar. “Whiskey and water.”
As she waited, blue-gray eyes scanned the denizens as she looked for her companion. The Torgorian should be here by now but the giantess had little expectations of a Sith.
The bartender placed her drink on the counter and Yuki handed him a few credits and dismissed him with a wave over her hand. Taking a sip from the glass, the Nagai enjoyed the flavor of the amber liquid for a moment before her eyes fell on Katrila.
“Well, I see you are already here as well,” Yuki’s soft, lyrical voice sounded in the back of Katrila’s mind. “Do you want to be seen with a Jedi or shall we converse like this for now?”
Katrila looked up from the datapad as a strange voice echoed in her mind. The soft, lyrical tone contrasted sharply with the bar’s rough atmosphere, yet the cutting comment about the Sith betrayed a certain edge. If nothing else, this collaboration would prove interesting. She met the Nagai’s blue-gray eyes across the room and gave a slight nod. I doubt the poor souls rotting in a cantina on a weekday pose much of a threat, she projected telepathically.
She beckoned, waiting for the Jedi to join her before speaking aloud. “My contacts tell me they’ve seen our target near the mining tunnels outside the city. Last sighting was about 24 hours ago.” A pause as she returned the datapad to her pocket. “Do you have any thoughts about how we might proceed?”
Yuki shrugged her massive shoulders slightly and grinned looking down at the Togorian. “We could always just collapse the caves, wait a week and then just collect the pieces after the fact.”
The cold brutality of the suggestion would probably shock most people, but the giantess didn’t seem too overly concerned about it. She grinned slightly and shook her head. “Nevermind. We can start by asking around to make sure he hasn’t moved. And if he hasn’t, I can go in and try to convince him to surrender.”
Yuki took another drink from her glass and looked at Katrila from the corner of her eye. “How would you like to get this done? Want me to be the big shiny distraction?”
Katrila’s whiskers tweaked as the corners of her mouth curled into the semblance of a smile. The suggestion didn’t faze her at all; surprised her, perhaps, that a Jedi would suggest something so callous. She leaned back further into the booth. Maybe they could mesh together after all.
“That could work. Then, we come back in a few weeks as angel investors for the rebuilding efforts. Probably make a killing.” She tilted her head for a beat in that adorable way pets do, eyeing her interlocutor. “But I suppose the boring way is less likely to cause a ruckus.” Her smile fell back to an unreadable stoicism.
She sized up her interlocutor at the final question. The other woman towered over her, even seated. “I mean…blending in might prove difficult for someone of your stature.” She let the observation hang for a moment before continuing. “Your plan makes sense. We find out where he’s staying, you go to the door and keep him busy. Meanwhile I find a way inside to…” Her voice trailed off as she extended a claw from one finger and slid it lightly across her own throat.
Yuki smiled at Katrila, the movement seeming not so much as happy, but unpleasant. “A suitable design for a noxious problem.”
Yuki lifted her glass and finished the liquid with a grimace. Setting it back down, she tapped on the bar after getting the tender’s attention ordering more drinks for her and her new companion. “But first, we drink and blend in.”
Katrila nodded in agreement, eyes glinting with a mixture of excitement, determination, and cautious respect. Her new partner’s unorthodox approach admittedly assuaged her doubts, but the mission remained ripe with potential pitfalls and cross purposes. For now, though, a drink and some bonding might continue the trend of pleasantly upended expectations.
She took a swig from the new glass provided by the bartender. As the alcohol burned its way down her throat, she considered her next words. “I once had a run-in with someone from Clan Arcona who said he never drank on the job.” Another sip meant a pause for dramatic effect. “…I hope we never have to carry out a stakeout together or something.”
Yuki laughed and shook her head, flexing one massive fist. “I never drink on the job either.” She paused as she took a drink from her glass, draining it in a single swallow.
The giantess grinned at Katrila. “I’m not working right now though, am I? I’m sitting here with a pretty girl and having a good time.”
She tapped the bar again and another round of drinks was set before them. “Besides, some Arconans can be so terribly stiff and formal. They need to learn to loosen their belts a bit and enjoy life.”
Katrila chuckled softly at Yuki’s response, a hint of amusement flickering across her face as she regarded the towering Jedi. It may have been the libations, but the compliment actually made her blush. Thank the Force for her fur.
“Cheers to that,” she replied, lifting her glass in a toast before taking another sip of the potent drink. The camaraderie came easily. Yeah, this would be fun after all. “I’d have said the same about your lot just a few hours ago.”
The Nagai laughed and shook her head again. “And well you still should!”
Her laugh was deep and bawling, not a well bred lady’s laugh but closer to a guffaw. “Most Jedi are very stuffy. Even I can be stuffy at times. Pragmatism is important though.”
She took a sip of her new drink with a grin. Her eyes dancing wickedly. “I have many stories I could tell of all sorts of folks. After we get to know each other better, of course.”
Yuki lifted her glass and took another sip of the amber liquid and smile broadened quickly. “One would be truly amazed at what happens when a Jedi lets their robe slip a bit.”
Katrila’s ears flicked with interest at Yuki’s booming laugh. Her blunt demeanor was refreshing, a relief compared to the constant double-talk of businessmen and politicians or the characterless violence of street thugs she normally dealt with.
“And how will we know each other better without sharing stories of robe-slipping?” Katrila asked with a wink. “Do tell.”