#thank u to person who linked me to the unwanted guest

[felidaefatigue]

How I feel consuming locked tomb content when I dont feel like unravelling the metaphors and secrets knowing its what gideon would have wanted

[artificialqueens]

Taste of a Poison Paradise, Chapter 6 (Multi) - Joley

Chapter Summary: Lemon continues to cope poorly, Brooke Lynn, Kameron, and Vanessa realize that love triangles are out and triads are in, Nicky surprises Jan with a travel proposal, Jackie gets invested in Jaida’s OnlyFans, and Gigi is dealing with some unwanted attention (TW for mentions of stalking and sexual harassment).

ao3 link

Jan watched as Lemon packed her suitcases. “Maybe we should let the lease expire,” she remarked, hoping that distracting her friend with mundane conversation would keep her from getting upset again. “If you’re gonna stay with Rosé, and I stay at Nicky’s most of the time, it doesn’t make sense to keep paying for this place. And like, you’re always welcome to stay with us too, if you want.”

“No offense, but I don’t really wanna be around your beautiful, blossoming romance any more than I have to be. Also, don’t you think you guys are moving a little fast? I mean, it’s been like… a month. Vanjie’s a nut but even she waited a solid three months before rolling out the u-haul,” Lemon replied, throwing her body onto the suitcase to get it to close.

“You’re not wrong,” she conceded. “But her place is gorgeous, you can’t blame me for wanting to just stay there and get fucked for hours on end.”

She rolled her eyes but nodded. She couldn’t complain because she was the one that brought it up, but hearing how perfect things were for Jan and Nicky made her seethe with envy. “Guess we’ll just have to see if you guys can still stand each other once the honeymoon phase is over.”

Jan frowned. “Okay, I’m not gonna take that personally because I know you’re going through a hard time right now,” she murmured. “Is that everything?”

“Yep,” Lemon mumbled as she got up and dragged her suitcases to the front door. She then stopped and rifled through her purse, pulling out a flask and taking a swig, then offered it out to Jan.

“No thanks, not really up for day drinking today,” she said, then leaned over and sniffed the opening of the flask. “Is that straight vodka?”

She shook her head. “There’s sprite in there too,” she assured.

Again, Jan chose not to argue with her. She knew her friend was hurting and she hoped the worst of it would pass once she got settled in with Rosé. “Let’s get going,” she sighed.

Once Rosé had officially taken Lemon in, Jan’s nerves eased up, but her concern hadn’t. “I think this is the best place for her to be right now. Make sure she doesn’t fall off with her coursework, okay? This is her last semester and I’d hate for this to derail her entirely and–”

“Jan,” Rosé put her hand on her shoulders to try to focus her attention. “Breathe, baby. I love your love for her, but you don’t have to be her mom. I got it from here.”

Jan nodded, taking a deep breath in an attempt to quell the remaining concerns. “Okay, I’m good,” she told her. “How are you, by the way? Things going well with Denali?”

“Yeah, there’s not much to report,” she shrugged. “We’re just sleeping together, and neither of us has a boyfriend so there’s no downside.”

“You say that now.”

——-

Brooke Lynn sat in an uncomfortable silence of her own creation, her gaze fixed down on her plate. It was so much easier talking to Kameron when Vanessa was sandwiched between them – being alone with her made her feel exposed.

“I’m not trying to take Vanessa from you,” Kameron bluntly broke the silence. “I like her, I like spending time with her – with both of you – but I’m not interested in creating drama.”

She blinked, taking in what she’d said. Had she come off as threatened? Jealous? She supposed it wasn’t the most outlandish thought. “No, no it’s not like that. I trust Vanjie and I trust you. I’m just still kind of new to the world of relationships, let alone serious ones, you know?”

Much to her relief, Kameron nodded in understanding. “Listen, I get it. If you don’t have a lot of dating experience, someone like Vanjie can be… a lot. But I know you guys love each other, though I’m not gonna sit here and claim that I don’t have any feelings for either of you… I can get a little clingy after sex, what can I say?”

Brooke bit her lip and looked down. “I can’t say I expected this, but I’m not complaining,” she told her. “And I know you haven’t told Vanj yet, or I’d have already heard about it.

“I kind of figured you’d be a tougher nut to crack,” she admitted, rubbing the back of her neck. “I mean, I’m not oblivious, I know you weren’t thrilled with the whole open relationship thing at first.”

“You’re right,” she conceded. “But I’ve honestly warmed up to it… I’ve warmed up to you, anyway.” She pressed her lips together as she thought. “I think the three of us should talk. Because I don’t think she ever wanted an open relationship, she just wanted you. And I don’t blame her.”

Kameron arched her brow, a slight smirk tugging at her lips. “So, what, you’re thinking of trying a throuple situation?”

Brooke smiled and shrugged. “I think it’s an option worth considering.”

But to consider it properly, they did need Vanessa. So, once they were all together in their apartment, they opened the floor. “I think it’s a damn good idea,” Vanessa started. “Can’t believe it took us this long to think of it.”

The other two girls laughed. “I think we were expecting that answer,” Brooke told her. “I don’t think any of us are opposed to it, it’s more about working out the details. For example… Do we move Kameron in with us? I feel like it’s a bit awkward to have two-thirds of a throuple living together with the third somewhere else.”

“I’m not about to say no to not having to pay rent,” Kameron laughed lightly. “I rent month to month, so I just have to be out by the end of it,” she explained. “And besides, if I get sick of you guys, I could just crash in the guest room. Which, by the way, is like half of my entire apartment.”

“This feels like a business transaction,” Vanessa remarked, a bit of an annoyed whine in her voice.

“You know what they say, baby,” Brooke hummed, “business before pleasure.”

——

“Would you like to come with me to Paris?” Nicky asked as she laid in bed with Jan. “I’m going over there for a long weekend and I think you could use a little holiday.”

Jan beamed brightly and nodded. “Yeah, that sounds like fun. What’s the occasion?”

There was a hesitation before her reply that wasn’t lost on Jan. “I try to go and check in on my mother now and then. But I don’t want to trouble you with that, there’s plenty of things to do and–”

“Do you not want me to meet your mom?”

Nicky quickly shook her head. “It isn’t that. It’s just… I have never brought a girl to meet her before. She means well, usually, but she can be… judgmental. I don’t think she ever fully came to terms with having a gay daughter. It is like… she loves me, but not who I am.”

“And her gay daughter bringing home a stripper would give her an aneurism?”

“This isn’t about what you do, Jan,” she insisted, “she’d react all the same if you were a doctor or a lawyer or the fucking president. But I mean, come on, what do your parents think you do for a living?”

Jan frowned and crossed her arms. “They know I’m still trying to find acting work during the day, and they know I work at the club at night… They just think I’m a waitress.”

“You guys do not have waitresses.”

“But they don’t know that!” she pointed out, then quietly followed up with, “I get it, whatever, forget I said anything.”

Nicky sighed and sat up, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Do you want to meet my mother that badly?”

This time, it was Jan who hesitated as she thought for a moment. “I mean, I don’t wanna make things more difficult or stressful for you…”

She reached out and took her hand, squeezing gently. “Come with me, we will burn the bridge after we cross it. But I need you to understand that I am not ashamed of you, okay? Not at all.”

Jan smiled softly, picking her head up and resting it on Nicky’s shoulder. Ever since she had started working at the club, she had made a promise to herself to never date anyone that made her question her self-worth. Truth be told, if her parents ever found out about her career, their response wouldn’t be one of anger, it would be pity. They would take her in, give her money, treat her like a poor, lost soul that needed to be put on the right path. And to her, that was so much worse. “I have always wanted to go to Paris.”

——

Having consciously been in the closet since she was sixteen, Jackie was well adept at keeping secrets. But this time, keeping a secret felt so much more difficult, because it involved more than just herself. And as inconsequential as the secret may be in theory, it weighed heavily on her conscience.

She had waited a couple of days before creating an account to subscribe to Jaida’s OnlyFans, lest it look suspicious. But once she was in, she was checking her page almost obsessively. Sure, she had seen Jaida in every state of undress, but this was different, more intimate. It came with the territory, but seeing Jaida’s body in ways she had only fantasized about drove her wild.

Then she decided to get bold.

Maybe it was the extra glass of wine, maybe it was an overwhelming bout of horniness. But something compelled her to send Jaida a private message, happy to pay the five-dollar fee.

NYCdude1985: Hi, do you take requests for personalized videos? How much does it cost?

Jaida: As in you want me to moan your name while I touch myself? Yeah, I do thirty-second clips for $20.

NYCdude1985: Done. My name is Jack. But I go by Jackie, so use that.

NYCdude1985: Please, sorry.

Jaida chuckled softly as she read the messages. Even through the brief exchange, she could sense Jackie’s anxiety, the trepidation she had. She found it endearing and she was proud of her for being brave enough to take that step, even if it was under a rather uncreative screen name.

How had she known it was Jackie? It was a simple oversight on Jackie’s end - she had left her laptop open in her office, where the girls would frequently enter if they needed to refill the snack shelves or replenish the bathrooms. Jaida had merely gone to see if she had any extra zebra cakes when she noticed the tab in the upper-left corner of her browser. Suddenly, snacks were the last thing on her mind.

And she had considered bringing it up to her but realized it would do more harm than good. Instead, she would give Jackie exactly what she wanted. She filmed herself rubbing her clit while she moaned Jackie’s name. She didn’t bother timing it, she decided she was going to give her the whole thing, start to finish. Her gaze fixed on the camera, wanting Jackie to feel like she was looking right at her.

When Jackie watched it, she felt the intensity. Her heart pounded in her chest, she couldn’t even touch herself the first time she watched it, so utterly fixated on how Jaida’s body moved, how her name sounded spilling from her lips, how desperately she wanted it to be for real. She had to consciously get herself to get off during her second watch-through, though she was actively imagining being there with Jaida, with her head between her thighs, eliciting those moans herself.

“I have to tell her,” Jackie said to Nicky the next day. The two of them had formed a friendship since Nicky first arrived, Nicky, finding comfort in a fellow French speaker and Jackie appreciating having a confidant. “It’s gonna eat me alive until I do.”

“You should tell her,” Nicky replied as she took a hit off her vape. “You said it yourself, it is the only way you are going to feel any better. Besides, what is the worst thing that could happen?”

Jackie looked at her as if she’d sprouted another head. “I lose a close friend and incredible employee, not to mention the potential ethical ramifications of buying porn from an employee.”

Nicky tilted her head, thinking, before asking, “est ce que tu l'aimes?”

Her eyes went wide and her face went red at the question, at the mere suggestion. “Je ne pense pas pouvoir dire que… l'amour est un mot si fort.”

“Maybe so,” she conceded, “but consider that you could not say ‘no’.”

“I’d rather not,” Jackie chuckled dryly. “Listen, I gotta send some business emails out before the girls start coming in. You should go pack for your little getaway tomorrow.”

Nicky nodded and kissed the top of her head. “I will bring you back a souvenir.”

Jackie wasn’t left alone with her thoughts for long, not a minute after she finished her emails, she looked up to see Gigi walking in and sitting down on one of the chairs. But what caught her attention was their body language – they were looking down, fiddling with their hair, and swinging their legs. “What’s wrong, Geege?”

Gigi sighed and looked up. “Okay, like, this is stupid and whatever, but Crystal thinks I should tell you that I think a client I had a couple of weeks ago is stalking me. I made a composite sketch,” they explained, opening their messenger bag and pulling out a piece of paper. “Do you think if I give this to Kameron, she could make sure he stays out?”

“Gigi,” she said firmly, “that isn’t stupid at all. This is serious. Did he hurt you? What happened?”

They groaned, knowing this would happen despite any attempt to avoid triggering Jackie’s maternal instinct. “He kept asking about the VIP room and I decided I could use the extra cash. So, we were in there and I told him I’d give him a handy and he was like, okay cool. But after he paid for that he kept trying for more and was being really creepy about it, so, I left. He just… really didn’t like that I blew him off instead of blowing him. He found me on Instagram and started harassing me there, kept making fake accounts after I blocked them and he figured out where I go to school.”

Jackie’s eyes widened in horror. “Geege, this isn’t a matter for Kameron, it’s for the police.”

“But I hate the police,” they crossed their arms and whined.

“We all hate the police, but this is a serious safety risk. Kameron can’t follow you everywhere to keep him away. I need to know that he won’t get the opportunity to hurt you.”

Gigi sighed, chewing on their lip. “I don’t wanna give him that power over me, I don’t even wanna waste the time or energy,” they explained. “But fine, just for you though, okay?”

Jackie smiled graciously. “Thanks, kiddo.”

After Jackie had taken Gigi to file the report, she had offered them the night off, but Gigi defiantly insisted on performing, though after one set, they found themself tired, laying on the common room couch.

Jan sat cross-legged on the floor beside them. “You know, gorge, it’s okay to not be okay. That asshole put you through a lot. I had to take off a week after… you know, the incident. We’re in an industry that can attract real creeps, we gotta put our mental health first.”

Gigi shook their head. “Your incident was different, it got physical. The only time this guy touched me was to try to push down on the back of my head.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Denali chimed in, sitting on the arm of the couch. “It’s about boundaries. You made yours clear and he kept crossing them. And you don’t know what this dude is capable of, any of us would be scared in that position. I’ve dealt with a stalker too – he never touched me, but I sure as fuck didn’t feel safe.”

“I just don’t see the point in dwelling on it. Feeling shitty about it isn’t gonna make it go away,” they replied.

Jan frowned, putting her hand on top of Gigi’s and squeezing gently. “It’s not healthy to ignore your feelings either way. It’s better to work through it than let it manifest into some nasty shit.”

“Who gives a fuck about feelings?” The three of them looked over to see Lemon stumbling into the common room, setting a freshly-emptied glass on the counter. “And who gives a fuck about men? All they do is get in the way and think the world revolves around their ugly dicks,” she ranted, a bit of slurring in her voice.

“Speaking of what happens when you ignore your feelings,” Jan muttered under her breath, then turned to face Lemon. “You’re not getting back on the pole tonight, are you?”

Lemon furrowed her brows. “Why wouldn’t I? I still have one more set,” she scoffed. But when she started to walk towards the other dancers, she stumbled, nearly losing her balance on her already precarious six-inch heels.

Denali and Jan exchanged concerned expressions. “I’ll call Rosie to come and get her,” she said before Jan could suggest it, turning on her heel and going to get her phone from her locker.

Gigi, meanwhile, nearly got whiplash from how fast their head moved back and forth from Jan and Denali to Lemon. “You know,” they said to Jan, “maybe I should start working through my feelings. Even therapy seems like a better alternative to…” they gestured to Lemon, “that.”

“As her friend, I feel like I need to intervene, but I think anything short of breaking up Pri and her fiancé is going to be a waste of time,” Jan mused as she watched her sit on the floor and struggle to take her heels off, cursing and whining quietly. “Something tells me things are gonna get worse before they get better.”

“Maybe,” they shrugged. “Lemon’s stubborn and possibly a little unstable… she might need to hit rock

[spectraspecs-writes]

Kashyyyk - Chapter 70

Link to the masterpost. Chapter 69. Chapter 71.

@averruncusho @ceruleanrainblues @chubbsmomma thank u for reading you get a tag. @skelelexiunderlord thank u for support you get a tag

A/N: Okay, one more complete chapter to type before I drift into the abyss for another week or so.

-----------------

I think it is! It’s green, and it flashes quickly, accompanied by sounds of the beasts. Four at once, and they aren’t backing down. But before I get close enough to help, he takes out all four himself. Cool.

He turns and sees me. “Ah, the damnable racket of battle!” he swears. He sounds crotchety, but he’s got the same kind of attitude I have, which I love. “Watch yourself, even more of these crawling beasts are hiding in the underbrush.”

“Who are you?” I ask, “You’re not Czerka, are you?” He certainly doesn’t look like Czerka.

“I'm Jolee. Jolee Bindo,” he says, “Follow me to my camp and we'll talk a bit.”

“You use a lightsaber in battle,” Bastila asks him as he starts to head back to his camp, “Are you a Jedi?”

“Ah, don't start fawning just yet, I'm too old for it,” he complains, and then he sighs, “I…I know a few things, but we can talk about it at my camp. Keep close. It's nearby under a log.” He scoffs. “Yeah, I live like some burrowing rodent. I fought the Sith… now look at me. Hmph!”

We follow where he leads. He has a charming little hut-house, and he’s kinds enough to let us in as it starts to rain a little. The rain exacerbates my allergies, so I inject another of Canderous’s stim packs. Jolee huffs a little at that. “Well, welcome to my home,” he says, “such as it is. Pull up a stump and be comfortable. We should discuss a few things.” He offers us some fruit, being a kind host. 

Bastila and Canderous both take the offer in earnest, but I’ve got business on my mind. “No offense,” I say, “I’m sure you know a lot, but I don’t have much time.”

“You'll have nothing but time if you don't take what help you can,” he says gruffly, “I've been here for many years. I know things. Remember that.” He shakes his head and sits down. “My days of glory are behind me, but… perhaps there is something I can do for you. You must have questions.”

“I would like to ask about you,” Bastila asks, “If that’s all right.”

“Ah, what is there to tell?” he says simply, “Jolee Bindo is the crazy old man in the dangerous woods. I'm content with the impression I give.” My kind of guy.

“But you use a lightsaber in battle. You are a Jedi,” Bastila says.

Jolee sighs. “I follow the Jedi Way and I command the Force, yes, and I suppose that makes me as much a Jedi as anyone,” he says, sounding almost a little reluctant to admit as much, “… but what of it? Why should being what I am compel me to entertain others with tales of the 'good old days' huh?” Bastia doesn’t quite like his gruff manner. I like it, personally. “I've seen my share of the dark and the light. And frankly, both extremes annoy me. Of course… I have felt the rumblings of change… “

Bastila gets a small smug look on her face. “I can feel the power of the Force within you, old man,” she says - is she… trying to tease him? - “but I do not sense the taint of the Dark Side. I think you are a servant of the light, despite what you claim.”

While Jolee would certainly be understood if he gave her a talking-to, he doesn’t. “Well, I assure you, I see more grey than dark or light. I'm just a stubborn old man, tired of the foolishness of others.” I certainly agree there.

I’m here for a reason, though, and if he knows the area, I’m going to try to get the information I need to finish what I came here to do. “Chuundar, the Wookiee chieftain from R… Ruh-wook…”

“Rwookrroro,” Jolee finishes for me.

“Right, yes, thank you. He sent us after a crazed Wookiee,” I say, “Do you know anything about this Wookiee? Have you seen him?”

“Crazed? Maddened with grief, perhaps, but not crazed,” Jolee says. See, I didn’t think he was crazed, exactly. “I helped him pass to the lower forests where only a Wookiee could follow. Some other matters will determine if you can follow. There is a barrier that… well, we'll talk of that more in a moment.”

He’s a cool dude and everything, but the less time I spend on Kashyyyk the better. “I’m looking for a Star Map, mainly,” I say, “Do you know anything about it?”

He grins. “Now why would you be asking about that, hmm? Don't answer. I knew that had to be why you were here. The problems of a few Wookiees don't amount to anything before the concerns of the Jedi.” Now, that’s not fair. If I wasn’t allergic to this planet I would do everything I could to help the Wookiees. I’m just in mild agony and have been for several hours. “No,” he finishes, “you are here for the map.

“Kashyyyk is an interesting place, more so than anyone suspects. If Czerka Corporation knew,” he says with an ironic laugh, “the planet would be a strip mine.” Doubtless. Czerka is willing to destroy anything if it gets them a few more credits. “The Wookiees have their legends that they were not always here, but it is more than that. The trees themselves are strangers.”

Uh… what? “That sounds fascinating,” I say, “and I would love to hear more, but I’m confused.”

“What I'm saying is that there are literally walls in your way,” he says - and I don’t exactly see how that relates to the trees being strangers, but okay, “and you won't find what you need without my help. And my help has a price.” Of course it does. “You must do a task for me, and then allow me to join with you. I will then remove certain barriers in your path.”

“Oh, hell, no,” Canderous protests, “The port quarters are crowded enough as it is. You want to add a cryptic old man to your current entourage of a Wookiee, a Mandalorian, and your Republic boyfriend?”

“Canderous, Carth is not my boyfriend.”

He laughs. “You know what they say about people who protest too much.”

“Leave her alone, Canderous,” Bastila says, gently smacking him. She smiles at him but she doesn't like his suggestion any more than I do. “I’m sure we can accommodate you, Jolee.”

“Glad to have you aboard,” I say, “So what’s the task?”

“I’m glad you asked,” Jolee says, “Since they began expanding in the Shadowlands, the Czerka have left me alone, for the most part. Until recently, anyway. A group of them set up camp not far from here.” He scoffs. “Poachers, is all they are. I'd like them removed from this place.”

And this is supposed to be a difficult task? I’d chase the Czerka away for fun. “So you want me to get some kids off your lawn,” I say teasingly.

He takes the joke and returns it. “Yes, yes, I’m an old man that’s getting fussy,” he says, “Call me foolish if you will, I don’t care.”

“Perish the thought,” I say, “I’d do this just for fun. Czerka has absolutely no respect for the native environment or animals, I‘m sure they’re threatening the wildlife and the ecosystem balance, and I know some of the Wookiees hate the idea of them being down here.” Gorwooken expressed as much, and I get the impression he’s not alone. “Out of idle curiosity, though, if you want them gone so badly, why haven’t you gotten rid of them yourself?”

“Don't talk back to your elders, child,” he says, teasing a bit, “Look, they know me quite well, and are always on alert when I approach. The only way I could get rid of them would be violence, which would eventually lead to trouble for the Wookiees.” I can see that. The Wookiees know he’s down here. If he removes Czerka, Czerka may ask why they haven’t removed him. Any hint of conflict could exacerbate this whole situation. “I want them gone,” Jolee continues, “but with as little fuss as possible. They have already caused enough trouble as it is.

“Their camp is in the far northeast,” he says, “And remember, if I wanted them dead, I'd have done it myself. Find a better way.”

“Gladly,” I say, “I don’t like Czerka any more than you do. I’d love nothing more than to get them all off this planet.”

“Well, you can start with the poachers,” he says with a smile, “Go on, now. Shoo! Shoo!”

Ah, he’s not so tough as all that. Despite the rain picking up, I still head out. Bastila and Canderous reluctantly follow me out into the wet. The moss glows brighter in the rain, and helps guide me close to where the Czerka poachers are hanging out. It’s dark, but my eyes adjust quickly to the low light. And I’m honestly enjoying myself. This is the closest I’ve gotten to my old scouting lifestyle in months, and I was starting to miss it. The days when water was scarce so the closest you got to a shower were rain storms like this one. When you kept lights low at night so as not to disturb the local environment too much, and to keep unwanted attention away from you. When what you ate was what you could kill, harvest, salvage, or store for months at a time, and you never took more than you needed. You were only a guest. You lived off the land, surveyed, gathered information, traded with any locals you found, learned their methods for surviving. I was with a Republic-aligned corps - not in the same field as the soldiers but I followed some of the same rules - but when we met up with Mandalorian squads, Hutt-funded expeditions, or even Sith corps, there was never much conflict between us. It wasn’t worth it. We were all at the mercy of the planet, the changing conditions. Would we ever keep information to ourselves? Yeah, of course, but nothing that would risk anyone’s lives. We’d keep shortcuts, or secluded resources to ourselves - I know about a hot spring on Utapau I’ve only told a few people about - but if my group ever came across another, we’d trade stories and tips, advice about where to camp, what to eat, who the natives were. Much as I hate Czera, their scouts were even tolerable. For them, Czerka was just an employer, not a way of life. Czerka may have funded their trips and asked for reports, but their reports were no different than mine. They may have had Czerka gear, but when it broke down they made do and improvised the same as I did. They were there to explore, provide reconnaissance for whoever paid the bills, just like me. I tried not to think about the fact that their information would lead to the leeching of a planet. 

But Czerka scouts and Czerka yes-men are two different types of people. It’s not hard to find the camp of these Czerka poachers. All the light hurts my eyes. The moss doesn’t glow. It looks a bit sickly. There are no tachs here, no beasts of any kind. When an animal starts to approach, it shrieks painfully and runs away. And for any that aren’t deterred, there are mines. They have tarps set up over some of their equipment, keeping it dry. And beyond the small camp, I can make out… something. A massive force field. Must be the barrier Jolee was talking about.

Something hurts my ears. Gives me a headache. Not the allergies, but I can ignore it well enough. There are four Czerka grunts and one with a hat - only bosses get the hats. And the boss comes up to me with his blaster. “Who are you, another civil merchant like that core-slime up on the docking ring?” he asks derisively. Rude-ass bitch. “This is my territory. I don't make deals and I don't persuade easily, so go back topside. Mess with my profits and I'll see you dead.”

What a jerk. Is a poacher incapable of being a nice person? “Are you going to stop me? You’ll need more than a blaster to do that.”

He rolls his eyes. “Look, I don't care if you want to play tourist down here, but you behave yourself or we'll have a problem. I've got a job to do, and I won't be gentle if you get in my way, understand?”

Geez, okay, fine. I’ll get out of your way. I’m not going to get anywhere with him. And I don’t want to. He moves away and I go past him, further into the camp. I hunker down under one of the tarps set up. (There’s an open plasteel cylinder with only one thing in it, some animal organs. I have to assume they’re tach glands. It doesn’t smell, so I reach in and grab it before anyone notices. There we go, I got the tach gland for Griff and possibly inconvenienced some Czerka asshole. All in a day’s work.)

Under the tarp is a piece of equipment with a slowly rotating head. Weird, wonder what it does. I would start messing with it, but one of the Czerka grunts is standing close to it, I don’t want to tip him off. I try to read him, see what I can see. There’s a patch on his jacket, or rather a spot where a patch has been removed. The shape is distinctive, because I’ve seen it so many times before. That’s the shape of the patch Czerka scouts wear. Which means I’m cut from the same cloth as this guy. “Hey,” I say to him, “you a scout?”

He seems surprised to see me or hear me. “Used to be,” he says, “But then Czerka decided my skills would be more valuable here.” He scoffs at that. Yeah, you can’t get rid of the scouting bug. We’re not happy sitting still. “You?”

“Yeah,” I say, “Republic corps. They called me in to the fleet, put me on a ship. I hated it.”

“Not on that ship anymore.”

“Yeah, Sith blew it up,” I say, “But then I met a Jedi, one thing led to another, and here I am.”

He looks impressed. “How’s Jedi life treating you?” he asks, “I bet you don’t miss roughing it.”

“I do sometimes,” I tell him honestly, ”Jedi aren’t really explorers. I miss exploring. Dropping down on a planet and going where the wind takes me. How about you?”

He drops his blaster to his side, relaxed. “I wish I could be here as a scout, honestly,” he says, “I’d love to explore down here, see what’s hiding in these trees, Can I tell you something? Scout to scout?” I nod, and he comes close. “I hate what Commander Dern has us doing. He’s in the tach harvesting business, selling their glands to make stims.”

“You could put in for a transfer,” I suggest.

“Yeah, sure,” he says sarcastically, “And risk them sending me to one of their corporate offices? No way. At least here I get fresh air in my lungs.”

“Maybe you could ask about being stationed to the docks,” I say, “Out of the Shadowlands.”

“That’d be a lot easier if there weren’t operations down here,” he says, “I wouldn’t say this to anyone else, they wouldn’t get it, but these emitters take all the fun out of being down here.”

“Emitters?”

“Yeah,” he says, tapping the spinning-head device with his foot, “this stupid thing. This and those other three generate a sonic barrier that allows us to stay down here. It keeps the big predators away, mostly katarns.” Must be those big things Jolee was fighting earlier. “I don’t know how it works, really. I just know that if they go down, the camp would be overrun. They’re permanent, too - these things will run for years. They say it makes harvesting easier. Personally, I think they should just equip it with a blaster and station us all somewhere else.”

“Hang on, let me get this straight,” I say, “The emitters keep you safe down here. What would happen if someone… shut it down? Theoretically speaking, of course.”

He gets a little grin on his face, and reaches discreetly into his pocket. Then he says, a little louder, “These emitters can only be programmed with a special code, specific to each emitter. I would never share my emitter’s code.” He says, while handing me a small programming strip. Then he whispers, “Thanks,” and turns away from me. With that strip, shutting the emitter off is simple. Now my headache lessens - it must be these emitters that are hurting me.

“Well done, Rena,” Bastila says, “How did you know he was a scout?”

“I recognized a patch spot on his jacket,” I say, “Czerka makes all their scouts wear a certain patch. I got to know that patch pretty well after all the years I spent scouting.”

It doesn’t take much persuasion to get one of the other guards to give me his code, too (admittedly for different reasons - this one just really didn’t like waking up every morning to find a tach in his tent), and with just two emitters down, the field deactivates. It doesn’t hurt my ears anymore. Shouldn’t take too long before…

“Run! Run!” the commander shouts, as a small group of katarns overtakes the camp. And just like that, the poachers are gone.