OOM: Csilla - Csaplar
“-don’t care if you’re a Fel and ‘respectable’ now. You’re a Jedi and a Solo and will only get this company in trouble.”
Before Jaina can get in a scalding retort to the Devaronian businessman on the other end of the holo transmission, the connection cuts short and the Devaronian’s glowing red eyes are the last to fade out within a matter of seconds.
“Kriffing son of a Hutt!”
She glowers furiously at the holocomm, giving the machine a good hard kick before stalking off to the conform-lounger. She picks up her datapad from the caff table, scratching another job possibility off the list.
With the JV-21/D housekeeping droid (fondly nicknamed Jay-vee) now operational, Jaina’s days spent at home while Jag was at the CEDF have become longer. There was only so much time she could spend working on the scum-scrubers, M-MYDs, other farm droids, tinkering with her StealthX, and visiting Milliways. She had quickly been growing sick of it all during the past week.
Which meant, of course, that it was now time to find a job. Something she could do while Jag was at his work that wouldn’t interfere with her role as a Jedi and keep her skills in shape. So, after a long discussion with Jag, she had decided upon a slightly new, only semi-permanent career path: cargo shipping.
Now, if only someone would actually hire her. Maybe she had done too good a job making a name for herself as a Jedi a few years ago? Glancing down at the list of contacts Talon Karrde and Lando Calrissian had provided her, Jaina shakes her head. She needs a break from all this.
***
It’s easier to visit Csaplar with Jag. That’s when she’s not the only human among thousands of Chiss and clearly designated as the alien on Csilla, lacking the blue skin and red eyes that made the Chiss distinct. As far as she knows, the Fels - senior and younger - were some of the only humans allowed to live among the Chiss of Csilla. And while Jaina wasn’t xenophobic, having spent most of her life growing up along side the diversity of Coruscant and the Jedi Acadmy, this is something else entirely. It’s an isolating feeling, and she knows it will still take more getting used to.
But right now, as she watches the carriage that she had hired to take her from the Fel homestead to Csaplar stray down another iceway, the creeping feeling of ‘alien’ comes back in full force. Her pale skin, although mostly covered with layers of warm clothing and brown eyes and hair makes her feel like a walking holo advertisement of otherness. Hugging her poncho tighter around her body and pulling down her cap, she takes a deep breath and walks further in to the capital city. She’s a Jedi; she’s survived worse than the stoic Chiss.
When Jaina passes buy a store selling white snowwood furniture, she pauses for a moment, looking in particular at a desk that might look nice in their bedroom. She makes a mental note to come back at a later point with Jagged, next time they come into the city.
“Mrs. Fel? Jaina Fel?”
The unfamiliar male voice catches Jaina off-guard, and on instinct, she reaches for the lightsaber buried underneath the poncho. She blinks and then pulls her hand away from the hilt just as quickly. If someone had wanted to harm her, they would have done so already. If they had wanted to insult her, they would have called by her other title - Jedi Fel. She and Jag had previously encountered a group of spiteful Chiss soldiers on their last evening out in the city, still bitter over Jaina’s actions at the Battles of Tenupe and Qoribu. It hadn’t been a pleasant evening and left the Jedi on guard whenever she came to Csaplar alone.
“Mrs. Fel,” the voice said again and this time Jaina manages to pinpoint the voice with a burly middle-aged (or at least middle-aged by human standards) Chiss man walking from a small side-corner entrance. His black hair is cut in a fashion slightly long for the normal Chiss individual, but his clothing and manner are both impeccable Chiss in her opionion: ordered and grave.
His Basic is thick with a Chenuhan accent, making it slightly difficult for Jaina to distinguish the rest of his words as he approaches. “I hope you do not find me presumptuous,” the man continues, coming to a stop half a meter in front of Jaina, “but my niece mentioned you and Commander Fel had moved to our planet and it is highly rare to see a female human around Csaplar.”
Jaina gives him a sidelong stare in return, earning a grim and dry smile back.
“Shawnkyr Nuruodo. She served with your husband during the Yuuzhan Vong war.” The man’s tone made no attempt at arrogance or pride, only a simple statement of facts. “My name is Laen Nuruodo. It is an honor to meet you.”
“The honor’s all mine,” Jaina replies dryly, offering a weak smile she knows is out of place. She offers a hand for a brief shake. “Suppose I stand out like a tauntaun in the Tatooinian desert, eh?”
Laen looks blankly at her for a moment before dismissing her comment with a curt nod. “I suppose. Your husband is not with you today?”
She glances around the city block, stuffing her hands in her pocket. “What gave it away? He’s still at work. Should be home in a few hours, though.”
“Ah. And what brings you out to Csaplar today?”
Jaina shrugs and laughs ruefully, stuffing some strands of hair back under her cap. She’s not exactly one to admit to weakness and frustration over something as kriffing vaping stupid as trying to find a part time job to keep her busy when not on missions. But it’s not like she has anything else to reply with. Unless it was to get in some sort of trouble or another as a kid, a walk in the city had never been her thing.
“Guess taking a break from job searching sounds like a lame excuse,” she finally mutters, staring at the blossoming cannu flowers instead of the man.
“Job?” Beat. “Correct me if I am wrong, but are you not a Jedi?”
“Oh. Yeah.” Jaina smiles sheepishly again and tilts her poncho to the side so that the silver gleam of her lightsaber hilt can be seen in the light. “I am, but Jag doesn’t exactly like it if I’m repeatedly gone for weeks on end. And I’m not the stay-at-home wife type either.”
It’s probably hells of a lot more than Jaina needs to say, but right now she doesn’t care. The Chiss aren’t her friends, but they’re the people she lives among now. It’s a weird transition to get used to.
“And what sort of work are you looking for, if I may ask?” Laen gives her that look, that look that spells ‘you are a Jedi and aren’t to be entirely trusted’ and Jaina tries her best to shake it off. The man is being polite enough, after all.
“Something that I’d be good at,” is her first retort before rolling her eyes at how pathetic it sounds. She really has been spending too much time alone with only droids for company. “I’m hoping for something involving mechanics or flying. I have my StealthX here, and Jag and I have the Evasive Maneuvers. I like those things.”
And either would be better than sitting at home. Although nothing would ever compare to the thrill and contentment she gets from her Jedi missions and fieldwork, she wasn’t looking to replace it. Only to complement it in order to honor the compromise she had made with Jag.
“Shawnkyr had mentioned your piloting skills were above standard for a human,” Laen responds, holding his chin in his hand, scrutinizing Jaina with his red gaze. “She also said your levels of cooperation had something to be further desired. However, I suppose that has, ah, changed in recent months.”
Jaina doesn’t hold back the scowl that surfaces with the last comment. He must be referring to the time she spent with the Taat and the rest of the Killik nests, ultimately turning her into a Joiner, which had lasted up until recently. Some of the other Chiss she had encountered since arriving on Csilla had made no attempt to hide their scorn of that fact. And she would make no attempt to hide her own response.
However Laen Nuruodo choice to take her response, it doesn’t show and his face remains impassively grim. It makes the Jedi slightly uncomfortable and she runs her hands up and down her arms to conserve body heat instead.
“Still, you mentioned you have ships available and your family does have a certain, shall we say reputation, for shipping. Your, Evasive Maneuvers was it? Is she cargo worthy?”
Blink. Blink. Stare. That wasn’t the next words she had expected to come out of the Chiss’ mouth. Questions about her ships and talking about her family’s reputation - had to be her father’s - wasn’t exactly furthering any insults.
“What?” Jaina knows that standing there with a suspicious gleam in her eyes and mouth opened wide isn’t exactly the most proper posture for her to be taking right now, but she doesn’t care.
“Can your ship, the one that isn’t your snub, carry cargo?”
She blinks again when the question is confirmed and nods, still looking at Laen slightly suspicious. “Yes.”
“Excellent,” Laen replies, rubbing his hands together in a delighted (or as delighted as a stoic Chiss could ever be) manner. He gestures to the corner entranceway he had originally come from. “Please, if you have the time, I run a small export business and have recently been on the look out for new employees. We could go inside and discuss this venture further.”
“Really?” Jaina gives a laugh of delight and then flashes him a lopsided grin, nodding eagerly. This sounds very much like the job offering she may have been looking for. Talk about a stroke of luck. Thank the Force. “Sure. Kriff, yes. Not like I have anywhere else to be right now.”
Yeah. This could be very good after all, she thinks as she follows him inside the building.
Before Jaina can get in a scalding retort to the Devaronian businessman on the other end of the holo transmission, the connection cuts short and the Devaronian’s glowing red eyes are the last to fade out within a matter of seconds.
“Kriffing son of a Hutt!”
She glowers furiously at the holocomm, giving the machine a good hard kick before stalking off to the conform-lounger. She picks up her datapad from the caff table, scratching another job possibility off the list.
With the JV-21/D housekeeping droid (fondly nicknamed Jay-vee) now operational, Jaina’s days spent at home while Jag was at the CEDF have become longer. There was only so much time she could spend working on the scum-scrubers, M-MYDs, other farm droids, tinkering with her StealthX, and visiting Milliways. She had quickly been growing sick of it all during the past week.
Which meant, of course, that it was now time to find a job. Something she could do while Jag was at his work that wouldn’t interfere with her role as a Jedi and keep her skills in shape. So, after a long discussion with Jag, she had decided upon a slightly new, only semi-permanent career path: cargo shipping.
Now, if only someone would actually hire her. Maybe she had done too good a job making a name for herself as a Jedi a few years ago? Glancing down at the list of contacts Talon Karrde and Lando Calrissian had provided her, Jaina shakes her head. She needs a break from all this.
***
It’s easier to visit Csaplar with Jag. That’s when she’s not the only human among thousands of Chiss and clearly designated as the alien on Csilla, lacking the blue skin and red eyes that made the Chiss distinct. As far as she knows, the Fels - senior and younger - were some of the only humans allowed to live among the Chiss of Csilla. And while Jaina wasn’t xenophobic, having spent most of her life growing up along side the diversity of Coruscant and the Jedi Acadmy, this is something else entirely. It’s an isolating feeling, and she knows it will still take more getting used to.
But right now, as she watches the carriage that she had hired to take her from the Fel homestead to Csaplar stray down another iceway, the creeping feeling of ‘alien’ comes back in full force. Her pale skin, although mostly covered with layers of warm clothing and brown eyes and hair makes her feel like a walking holo advertisement of otherness. Hugging her poncho tighter around her body and pulling down her cap, she takes a deep breath and walks further in to the capital city. She’s a Jedi; she’s survived worse than the stoic Chiss.
When Jaina passes buy a store selling white snowwood furniture, she pauses for a moment, looking in particular at a desk that might look nice in their bedroom. She makes a mental note to come back at a later point with Jagged, next time they come into the city.
“Mrs. Fel? Jaina Fel?”
The unfamiliar male voice catches Jaina off-guard, and on instinct, she reaches for the lightsaber buried underneath the poncho. She blinks and then pulls her hand away from the hilt just as quickly. If someone had wanted to harm her, they would have done so already. If they had wanted to insult her, they would have called by her other title - Jedi Fel. She and Jag had previously encountered a group of spiteful Chiss soldiers on their last evening out in the city, still bitter over Jaina’s actions at the Battles of Tenupe and Qoribu. It hadn’t been a pleasant evening and left the Jedi on guard whenever she came to Csaplar alone.
“Mrs. Fel,” the voice said again and this time Jaina manages to pinpoint the voice with a burly middle-aged (or at least middle-aged by human standards) Chiss man walking from a small side-corner entrance. His black hair is cut in a fashion slightly long for the normal Chiss individual, but his clothing and manner are both impeccable Chiss in her opionion: ordered and grave.
His Basic is thick with a Chenuhan accent, making it slightly difficult for Jaina to distinguish the rest of his words as he approaches. “I hope you do not find me presumptuous,” the man continues, coming to a stop half a meter in front of Jaina, “but my niece mentioned you and Commander Fel had moved to our planet and it is highly rare to see a female human around Csaplar.”
Jaina gives him a sidelong stare in return, earning a grim and dry smile back.
“Shawnkyr Nuruodo. She served with your husband during the Yuuzhan Vong war.” The man’s tone made no attempt at arrogance or pride, only a simple statement of facts. “My name is Laen Nuruodo. It is an honor to meet you.”
“The honor’s all mine,” Jaina replies dryly, offering a weak smile she knows is out of place. She offers a hand for a brief shake. “Suppose I stand out like a tauntaun in the Tatooinian desert, eh?”
Laen looks blankly at her for a moment before dismissing her comment with a curt nod. “I suppose. Your husband is not with you today?”
She glances around the city block, stuffing her hands in her pocket. “What gave it away? He’s still at work. Should be home in a few hours, though.”
“Ah. And what brings you out to Csaplar today?”
Jaina shrugs and laughs ruefully, stuffing some strands of hair back under her cap. She’s not exactly one to admit to weakness and frustration over something as kriffing vaping stupid as trying to find a part time job to keep her busy when not on missions. But it’s not like she has anything else to reply with. Unless it was to get in some sort of trouble or another as a kid, a walk in the city had never been her thing.
“Guess taking a break from job searching sounds like a lame excuse,” she finally mutters, staring at the blossoming cannu flowers instead of the man.
“Job?” Beat. “Correct me if I am wrong, but are you not a Jedi?”
“Oh. Yeah.” Jaina smiles sheepishly again and tilts her poncho to the side so that the silver gleam of her lightsaber hilt can be seen in the light. “I am, but Jag doesn’t exactly like it if I’m repeatedly gone for weeks on end. And I’m not the stay-at-home wife type either.”
It’s probably hells of a lot more than Jaina needs to say, but right now she doesn’t care. The Chiss aren’t her friends, but they’re the people she lives among now. It’s a weird transition to get used to.
“And what sort of work are you looking for, if I may ask?” Laen gives her that look, that look that spells ‘you are a Jedi and aren’t to be entirely trusted’ and Jaina tries her best to shake it off. The man is being polite enough, after all.
“Something that I’d be good at,” is her first retort before rolling her eyes at how pathetic it sounds. She really has been spending too much time alone with only droids for company. “I’m hoping for something involving mechanics or flying. I have my StealthX here, and Jag and I have the Evasive Maneuvers. I like those things.”
And either would be better than sitting at home. Although nothing would ever compare to the thrill and contentment she gets from her Jedi missions and fieldwork, she wasn’t looking to replace it. Only to complement it in order to honor the compromise she had made with Jag.
“Shawnkyr had mentioned your piloting skills were above standard for a human,” Laen responds, holding his chin in his hand, scrutinizing Jaina with his red gaze. “She also said your levels of cooperation had something to be further desired. However, I suppose that has, ah, changed in recent months.”
Jaina doesn’t hold back the scowl that surfaces with the last comment. He must be referring to the time she spent with the Taat and the rest of the Killik nests, ultimately turning her into a Joiner, which had lasted up until recently. Some of the other Chiss she had encountered since arriving on Csilla had made no attempt to hide their scorn of that fact. And she would make no attempt to hide her own response.
However Laen Nuruodo choice to take her response, it doesn’t show and his face remains impassively grim. It makes the Jedi slightly uncomfortable and she runs her hands up and down her arms to conserve body heat instead.
“Still, you mentioned you have ships available and your family does have a certain, shall we say reputation, for shipping. Your, Evasive Maneuvers was it? Is she cargo worthy?”
Blink. Blink. Stare. That wasn’t the next words she had expected to come out of the Chiss’ mouth. Questions about her ships and talking about her family’s reputation - had to be her father’s - wasn’t exactly furthering any insults.
“What?” Jaina knows that standing there with a suspicious gleam in her eyes and mouth opened wide isn’t exactly the most proper posture for her to be taking right now, but she doesn’t care.
“Can your ship, the one that isn’t your snub, carry cargo?”
She blinks again when the question is confirmed and nods, still looking at Laen slightly suspicious. “Yes.”
“Excellent,” Laen replies, rubbing his hands together in a delighted (or as delighted as a stoic Chiss could ever be) manner. He gestures to the corner entranceway he had originally come from. “Please, if you have the time, I run a small export business and have recently been on the look out for new employees. We could go inside and discuss this venture further.”
“Really?” Jaina gives a laugh of delight and then flashes him a lopsided grin, nodding eagerly. This sounds very much like the job offering she may have been looking for. Talk about a stroke of luck. Thank the Force. “Sure. Kriff, yes. Not like I have anywhere else to be right now.”
Yeah. This could be very good after all, she thinks as she follows him inside the building.