Telerath, Sunday night [FT]
The fight didn't last too long. Zayne against two crazy Ithorian mercenaries? He didn't stand a chance. But he did spend most of the day trying to track the Moomos down before finally getting back together with his friends that evening.
"Those Ithorians have my father!" he yelled when Gryph and Jarael finally found him.
"The guys that took our banker also have your father?" Gryph asked, a step behind Zayne for once.
"The banker is my father!" Zayne explained.
"What, Arvan?" Jarael asked.
"Arvan Carrick, father of five... including one fugitive," Zayne said.
"You told me your father had a dead-end job at a nowhere bank," Gryph accused. "Telerath ain't exactly nowhere."
"I don't understand either. I'm just telling you," Zayne said, shaking his head. "I wonder if my mom and sisters are here, too. DId he mention a woman named Reiva?"
"No," Jarael said. "But... your father? Here? Now?"
"That's an incredible coincidence," Gryph mused. "This kind of stuff keeps happening to you. Maybe I need to take you to the casino."
"I don't know," Zayne said. "Have any of my coincidences been good? But it doesn't make sense! I mean, why would anyone want to kidnap my father, of all people?"
Jarael and Gryph exchanged a quick glance that decided that it would be better if she explained it. "To get to you."
"No," Zayne said. "No! I can't believe that. No matter how badly my masters want to catch me. Jedi hiring bounty hunters? I can't imagine any resorting to that. And targeting families is just beyond the pale."
"Oh, and killing Padawans is right there on the Good Jedi To-Do List?" Gryph prodded.
"Maybe they thought this would flush you out," Jarael suggested. "It's amazing that we lucked into your dad ourselves before the trap was set."
"I guess the Force is with me," Zayne said.
"Yeah, like a bad rash!" Gryph snarked. "Listen, the Moomo brothers. Did they get a good look at you?"
"Just the back of my head when they knocked me down," Zayne answered. "How are we going to find them?"
"Like I said, I know about these guys. If there's a tent on the planet selling a mind-numbing substance, count on them to smell it," Gryph said. "Let's hit the Last Resort. There might be a way to salvage this job after all."
*****
The plan was simple. Gryph found Dob Moomo in a cantina and explained how he could capture the huge bounty on Zayne's head when he was properly drunk and even dumber than usual. Dob stumbled out of the bar and took his time to get to the Moomo's ship, the Williwaw.
While Dob was slowed by his drunken state, Zayne hurried to the Williwaw and arrived in time to spy Del Moomo in the middle of a holo conversation with a familiar Togrutan.
"--actions have left us no alternative," the blue image of Master Raana Tey said. "The whole reason for bringing the boy's father to Telerath was that the outsiders would have been too visible on Carrick's homeworld. Here you could have watched indefinitely for Zayne Carrick to contact his family. But now, you've ruined everything. Arvan knows we were watching him, and he's seen me. You can't let him go. My associates want to wash their hands of this. Raise ship as soon as your brother returns and wait in orbit. I'm on special assignment to the Chancellor, but I'll be in your neighborhood in a couple of days. I'll rendezvous with you then, and we'll take care of the Arvan Carrick problem once and for all."
As the holo shut off, Zayne whispered to himself, "Okay, Master Raana, you've moved to the top of my list." With a quick breath, Zayne made his way silently through the Moomo ship, using his lightsaber to illuminate the darkness. Finally, he came across the storage hold where Arvan had been tied up and left. "Dad!"
"Zayne! What are you doing here?" Arvan asked.
"Cleaning up another of my messes, it seems," Zayne said, approaching his father to slice the bonds with his lightsaber. "Keep it down. Is Mom here, too?"
"No, she's back home with the kids, getting packed to move, "Arvan answered, rubbing his wrists. The rope had been tight. There was chafing.
"Move?" Zayne asked. "What are you doing here anyway?"
"The transfer came out of the blue. It was a few weeks after we heard about you," Arvan said. "All that time working without notice, and then just like that! A move to the corporate crown jewel."
"Just like that..." Zayne repeated. "Dad, that offer--"
"What, you don't think they noticed me on my own?" Arvan teased. "No, your mother and I figured it had something to do with what had happened to you. Since the news about you got out, it's been kind of hard at home. I figured they were trying to give me a fresh start somewhere else."
"Who owns your bank now?" Zayne asked.
"It's a consortium," Arvan explained. "Adascorp, Czerka Corporation, the Draay Trust..."
"Wait, the Draay Trust?"
"Yeah, they just bought in," Arvan answered. "What--?"
The question was interrupted by a loud KLUNK from somewhere on the ship, inspiring Zayne to stand up and start toward the hall. "Later. I need to get ready to do my thing. I think your other host just remembered where he parked." Arvan followed, but before they made it into the hall, Zayne turned to face his father with a thought that just crossed his mind. "Dad... You, um, never asked if I did what they say I did."
"No, we never asked," Arvan said. "We know you. You didn't do it. And if you did... Well, it was probably something you had to do." He put a comforting hand on Zayne's shoulder, lifting his son's spirit. "Let's go. I've always wanted to watch you work."
*****
Zayne stood in the shadows with his father behind him as the Moomo's got to arguing in their peculiar brotherly way.
"Where've you been?" Del asked Dob.
"I been thinking. I, uh, need to take the prisoner for a walk."
"What for? Stripes just called. She said we've gotta raise ship right now. Banker goes with us."
"He's a human. If they don't get exercise, they... uh... die. That's it."
"It's the middle of the night. What are you trying to..." Del would have continued his sterling detective work, but he was distracted by a voice from outside. "Who's that?"
"Dob, I got the Jedi right here! Bring the banker before your brother sees!" Gryph yelled up the ramp, patting Camper - wearing a large cloak that cast shadows on his face - on the back.
"What's going on?" Del asked Dob. "What are you trying to pull?"
"Nothing! It's just a couple of spiceheads acting crazy. Go back to sleep!" Dob answered. "Tell you what. Let me walk the banker and I'll get rid of them!"
"No you don't! We're leaving now!" Del's anger at his brother's sneakiness was set aside for a moment as a large crate flew past him, striking Dob in the back of the head. Zayne slipped back into the shadows before Dob could turn around.
"You assassin!" Dob yelled. "So that's it, is it? It's Bogden all over again!"
"I didn't do it! It floated up and hit you on its own!"
"Like this?"
"Ow!"
As the Moomos fought, Zayne turned back to his father. "Let's go."
"Don't you need to do any more?" Arvan asked as Zayne led him unnoticed down the ramp outside the ship. "Don't you need to brainwash them or something?"
"Nope," Zayne said. "Nothing to work with, really."
[OOC: Taken from Reunion Part 2 by John Jackson Miller and Harvey Tolibao.]
"Those Ithorians have my father!" he yelled when Gryph and Jarael finally found him.
"The guys that took our banker also have your father?" Gryph asked, a step behind Zayne for once.
"The banker is my father!" Zayne explained.
"What, Arvan?" Jarael asked.
"Arvan Carrick, father of five... including one fugitive," Zayne said.
"You told me your father had a dead-end job at a nowhere bank," Gryph accused. "Telerath ain't exactly nowhere."
"I don't understand either. I'm just telling you," Zayne said, shaking his head. "I wonder if my mom and sisters are here, too. DId he mention a woman named Reiva?"
"No," Jarael said. "But... your father? Here? Now?"
"That's an incredible coincidence," Gryph mused. "This kind of stuff keeps happening to you. Maybe I need to take you to the casino."
"I don't know," Zayne said. "Have any of my coincidences been good? But it doesn't make sense! I mean, why would anyone want to kidnap my father, of all people?"
Jarael and Gryph exchanged a quick glance that decided that it would be better if she explained it. "To get to you."
"No," Zayne said. "No! I can't believe that. No matter how badly my masters want to catch me. Jedi hiring bounty hunters? I can't imagine any resorting to that. And targeting families is just beyond the pale."
"Oh, and killing Padawans is right there on the Good Jedi To-Do List?" Gryph prodded.
"Maybe they thought this would flush you out," Jarael suggested. "It's amazing that we lucked into your dad ourselves before the trap was set."
"I guess the Force is with me," Zayne said.
"Yeah, like a bad rash!" Gryph snarked. "Listen, the Moomo brothers. Did they get a good look at you?"
"Just the back of my head when they knocked me down," Zayne answered. "How are we going to find them?"
"Like I said, I know about these guys. If there's a tent on the planet selling a mind-numbing substance, count on them to smell it," Gryph said. "Let's hit the Last Resort. There might be a way to salvage this job after all."
*****
The plan was simple. Gryph found Dob Moomo in a cantina and explained how he could capture the huge bounty on Zayne's head when he was properly drunk and even dumber than usual. Dob stumbled out of the bar and took his time to get to the Moomo's ship, the Williwaw.
While Dob was slowed by his drunken state, Zayne hurried to the Williwaw and arrived in time to spy Del Moomo in the middle of a holo conversation with a familiar Togrutan.
"--actions have left us no alternative," the blue image of Master Raana Tey said. "The whole reason for bringing the boy's father to Telerath was that the outsiders would have been too visible on Carrick's homeworld. Here you could have watched indefinitely for Zayne Carrick to contact his family. But now, you've ruined everything. Arvan knows we were watching him, and he's seen me. You can't let him go. My associates want to wash their hands of this. Raise ship as soon as your brother returns and wait in orbit. I'm on special assignment to the Chancellor, but I'll be in your neighborhood in a couple of days. I'll rendezvous with you then, and we'll take care of the Arvan Carrick problem once and for all."
As the holo shut off, Zayne whispered to himself, "Okay, Master Raana, you've moved to the top of my list." With a quick breath, Zayne made his way silently through the Moomo ship, using his lightsaber to illuminate the darkness. Finally, he came across the storage hold where Arvan had been tied up and left. "Dad!"
"Zayne! What are you doing here?" Arvan asked.
"Cleaning up another of my messes, it seems," Zayne said, approaching his father to slice the bonds with his lightsaber. "Keep it down. Is Mom here, too?"
"No, she's back home with the kids, getting packed to move, "Arvan answered, rubbing his wrists. The rope had been tight. There was chafing.
"Move?" Zayne asked. "What are you doing here anyway?"
"The transfer came out of the blue. It was a few weeks after we heard about you," Arvan said. "All that time working without notice, and then just like that! A move to the corporate crown jewel."
"Just like that..." Zayne repeated. "Dad, that offer--"
"What, you don't think they noticed me on my own?" Arvan teased. "No, your mother and I figured it had something to do with what had happened to you. Since the news about you got out, it's been kind of hard at home. I figured they were trying to give me a fresh start somewhere else."
"Who owns your bank now?" Zayne asked.
"It's a consortium," Arvan explained. "Adascorp, Czerka Corporation, the Draay Trust..."
"Wait, the Draay Trust?"
"Yeah, they just bought in," Arvan answered. "What--?"
The question was interrupted by a loud KLUNK from somewhere on the ship, inspiring Zayne to stand up and start toward the hall. "Later. I need to get ready to do my thing. I think your other host just remembered where he parked." Arvan followed, but before they made it into the hall, Zayne turned to face his father with a thought that just crossed his mind. "Dad... You, um, never asked if I did what they say I did."
"No, we never asked," Arvan said. "We know you. You didn't do it. And if you did... Well, it was probably something you had to do." He put a comforting hand on Zayne's shoulder, lifting his son's spirit. "Let's go. I've always wanted to watch you work."
*****
Zayne stood in the shadows with his father behind him as the Moomo's got to arguing in their peculiar brotherly way.
"Where've you been?" Del asked Dob.
"I been thinking. I, uh, need to take the prisoner for a walk."
"What for? Stripes just called. She said we've gotta raise ship right now. Banker goes with us."
"He's a human. If they don't get exercise, they... uh... die. That's it."
"It's the middle of the night. What are you trying to..." Del would have continued his sterling detective work, but he was distracted by a voice from outside. "Who's that?"
"Dob, I got the Jedi right here! Bring the banker before your brother sees!" Gryph yelled up the ramp, patting Camper - wearing a large cloak that cast shadows on his face - on the back.
"What's going on?" Del asked Dob. "What are you trying to pull?"
"Nothing! It's just a couple of spiceheads acting crazy. Go back to sleep!" Dob answered. "Tell you what. Let me walk the banker and I'll get rid of them!"
"No you don't! We're leaving now!" Del's anger at his brother's sneakiness was set aside for a moment as a large crate flew past him, striking Dob in the back of the head. Zayne slipped back into the shadows before Dob could turn around.
"You assassin!" Dob yelled. "So that's it, is it? It's Bogden all over again!"
"I didn't do it! It floated up and hit you on its own!"
"Like this?"
"Ow!"
As the Moomos fought, Zayne turned back to his father. "Let's go."
"Don't you need to do any more?" Arvan asked as Zayne led him unnoticed down the ramp outside the ship. "Don't you need to brainwash them or something?"
"Nope," Zayne said. "Nothing to work with, really."
[OOC: Taken from Reunion Part 2 by John Jackson Miller and Harvey Tolibao.]