Coronet City

[Tuskers]

It only took a couple of minutes for the communicator to beep. "Yes?" Kira sits down next to Tuskers to overhear.
"Mister Tuskers. There is a bounty on your head, as I'm sure you are aware. You will never get off the train at the next station."
"You have me there, sir. However, I think you know that I am worth talking to, perhaps even negotiating with, since you actually took the time to call."
"Let's just say that my boss doesn't like mistakes, and if he found out I messed this up, then I'd have to pay. So, what is it that you want?"
"I want in. The Black Sun is a large organization, and I'm sure we can help each other a lot."
"Wait a minute... Who says this is the Black Sun?" There is a muffled sound, as if he's speaking to someone with his hand over the microphone. "We can't talk like this, even scrambled, there is too much risk. Let's say that we arrange to meet."
"I'll meet your boss. At my ship, just let me know when."
"We will get back to you about that."
"Okay, but you'll tell your thugs to leave me alone, right? Because I'd hate to have to kill off more of your men."
"For now, Mister Tuskers. But don't try anything funny."
Tuskers turns off the communicator, then rips it open and pulls out the battery.
Kira crosses her arms, "You are insane."
Tuskers chuckles, "Perhaps. I have been many things in my life. I have been silly. I have been quiet when I should have spoken. I have been foolish. And I have wasted far too much time. But I am still Grey, and I am not afraid."
"I wish I had your... faith in the universe. I just don't see it sometimes." Kira looks up as the train slows and they are pulling into the station. "Shall we meet back near the CorSec station?"
"See you there."
She quickly disappears, and he pretends not to notice her. They easily spot the dozen men that watch his every step, but none try to interfere.

They meet briefly at the bar where they had first found each other, and Tuskers heads to his ship to check on it. He approaches the area slowly, catching site of every person that seems to take notice of him. He's being very careful of police, but there seem to be none.
He boards his ship, and checks on everything, and grabbing a extra change of clothing, Tuskers is on his way back to the Maglev.
Once he sits down on the train, Kira suddenly appears next to him again. "Boo..."
"Yeah, okay." He fakes a yawn. "Anything?"
"No police anywhere... And the station is right there. They must have been told to go away." She touches the lightsaber on her hip, "No one did anything stupid, but you certainly had a few Black Sun watching you at all times. It was a good thing you did not stay on the ship long, they were starting to call in for instructions."
Tuskers looks around, but they are the only ones there, "Did anyone follow us onto the train?"
"Well, since you didn't leave, I guess they trust you a little bit."
"Harumph," Tuskers frowns, "Not likely."
They arrive back at her apartment without any further signs of pursuit. They get more nervous every moment.
Leor Danal is no where to be found.

[Tuskers]

Tuskers puts the communicator back together, after making sure that they won’t be able to trace its location. Kira watches his efforts, “Having a past as a pretty good pilot comes in handy sometimes. You seem to know quite a bit about fixing equipment.”
“Have you ever been in a TIE? If something breaks, you have to work inside a pressure suit to fix it, before you get shot to pieces.”
“I’ll stick to flying in Meli, thanks.” Kira gets a far away look on her face. “Uncle, after the war, you were not here, and there were so many dead.”
Tuskers grabs her hand, “I know, Kira. That is why we are going to reform the Grey. The Galaxy slips into these patterns, and certain people will take advantage. Senators, criminal organizations, Sith, so many potential evils that threaten the average persons right to a peaceful life.” He looks at a galactic map that is hanging on the wall. “There was no way to anticipate the Yuuzhan Vong crisis.”
“There were signs.” Kira sits down next to him, “If we had gotten the right information.”
“Kira, you were how old? Seventeen at the time that we got our first clues?” Tuskers shakes his head, “No, do not blame yourself. None of us was responsible. If anything, someone like me should have tried some diplomacy.” He walks over and looks out the window.
“Tuskers?” Kira is looking at the floor. “He wasn’t really your brother, was he?”
He does not look away from the window, “Kira, let’s not talk about that. You are my niece, and I will take care of you.”
She chuckles, “I’m a grown woman, and I’ve taken care of myself for the last few years without anyone to help. Oh, Leor Danal has been around to help my training, but I’ve got a job and this place to live.”
“Your father would have been proud of you.” Tuskers continues to look out the window.
“He died bravely, fighting the Yuuzhan Vong. But they are our allies now. Zonama Sekot will not tolerate us fighting them on her surface.” She pauses, and walks over next to Tuskers. “But still, rebuilding the Grey Jedi would give us a larger purpose in life.” She looks around her small apartment. “Perhaps it is time to get out of here.”
“I think I’ll be here for a while yet. This Black Sun issue isn’t likely to just go away.”
“I will be here to back you up.”
“No, I asked to meet in Meli for a reason. If push comes to shove, nothing short of a Star Destroyer will stop me in that ship.”
“Well, the Black Sun may have such a ship available, but I don’t thing CorSec would tolerate them in system with it. Still... I could sneak into Meli ahead of time, and then I’d be there if things get bad.”
“That, my Genin, is a wonderful idea.”
“Genin? Wait a minute... If we’re reforming the Grey, I’m the first Kage. I’ll go down in the history books as the one that restores order to the unbalanced galaxy.”
“Delusions of grandeur will get you nothing, my Sith apprentice.” Tuskers looks over at her.
She stares at him for a moment, and then breaks into a smile. “Okay, Leor Danal can be the first Kage for the second time.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Tuskers looks around, “Where is the Kage? I’ve only just met him, but I miss him already.”
“His race must have some unusual sleep patterns. He’ll work for days, and then disappear for just as long. It makes for a strange Master during training.”
“Okay, so you head over to Meli, and I’ll not leave to go there until I get contacted. You remember the security codes, right?”
“Please, Meli would let me in anyhow. We’re family, remember?”

And so Kira gathers up some personal belongings, and leaves to find her way into the ship without the Black Sun noticing her.
Tuskers is left to sit, and wait for contact.

[Tuskers]

It took two days before the communicator beeped again. Tuskers looks that the device, and wondered why they didn’t wait longer. Obviously, they were playing with his patients.
Tuskers had just arrived from the tailor, where he’d had some material fashioned into the traditional Jedi robes, but with the Corellian twist of a green color.
Looking at himself in the dark green pants, and light green tunic, he smiled at the mirror, and then reached for the communicator.
There is a pre-recorded message from a woman, “Mister Tuskers, this is Zenda. I have agreed to your meeting, and I’ll meet you at your ship in two hours. Do not miss the meeting, or you will be shot on site.”
Tuskers acknowledges her message, and checks that his lightsaber is plainly visible on his belt, then leaves to go to his ship.

After a Mag-lev ride, and a short walk, Tuskers arrives at the shipyard. He walks around the area, looking for any signs of trouble. He finds his way to an upper level, and walks the area above Meli, looking down at his beloved ship.
Two men arrive, and walk the area. Then two more arrive, and they scan the area, probably looking for explosives or listening devices.
Finally, a woman with two additional guards walks into the area. She looks around, confident and possibly impatient.
Tuskers observes for a second, trying to size up her adversary. He is unfamiliar with her race. She looks mostly human, but perhaps a cross breed. The skin on her face looks puffy, and her ears are elongated, her skin is colored blue.
Tuskers jumps lightly down the wall, and lands lightly on his feet. The six guards bring their weapons around to fire.
“No.” The woman says. “He’s mine.” The guards lower their weapons. “So, you are a Jedi? And a Corellian also?”
“Greetings, Madam Zenda. I am Tuskers, and it is an honor to meet you.”
“Very well, Jedi. We can play the game, or not. I am Zenda, ruler of the Black Sun on this one of the Five Brothers.” She walks past the guards, and over to Tuskers and sticks out a hand. “I like you already. From the information I was able to gather, you are a pilot, and a Jedi. I wonder why you choose to negotiate with the Black Sun, rather than just make a run for it.”
“Madam Zenda, to run from the Black Sun today would be to be running for the rest of my life. I cannot live like that. I was hoping that the business minded part of the Black Sun would negotiate a way out of this. Certainly I can obtain some trinket, or remove some threat, or some other one time mission, that would allow me to clear the ledger, and remove this price that was put on my head.”
“I have reviewed the events, and while my subordinate probably should not have blamed you for the events during the space battle, you still killed three of my men.”
Tuskers looks embarrassed. “Well, Madam Zenda, I am guilty of having killed two of your men. I actually expected the third to live.” He raises an eyebrow.”
“He could not stand the shame of his failure.” Zenda’s snarled answer left no doubt that the man was killed for his failure.
“Well, whatever the case, if there is some service I can do for the Black Sun?” Tuskers gives a little bow, but does not allow his eyes to leave the woman.
“I want your ship.” Zenda says plainly.
“I’m afraid that my ship would not cooperate. This type of vessel is bonded to its pilot. It cannot transfer owners.” Tuskers looks over at Meli, then back at Zenda.
“And can you tell me where I’d be able to get one of my own?”
“To do so would cause the death of myself, and my ship. Betraying the source of this beauty is terminal.” Tuskers pauses, as if choosing the next words carefully, “Such loyalty is hard to understand. Perhaps there is another task I might perform for you?”
Zenda looks thoughtful for a moment, then gestures for the guards to disperse. “As you might know, the Black Sun do not always promote individuals based on their qualifications. This is not always a typical job.” She leans in closer. “I want you to eliminate my competition. I want to rule all of the Five Brothers myself.”
“You want me to kill four other Black Sun bosses, to clear my debt of killing three minor thugs?” Tuskers starts walking towards Meli.
“Wait, where are you going?” Zenda sounded confused, as if such a request was normal.
“Lady, I could simply off you right now, and nothing that you or your guards did would make a difference.” Tuskers lowers his hand onto his lightsaber, and her eyes track the movement. “Now, you came here with a purpose, right?”
Zenda seemed to look thrilled at the idea of fighting a Jedi. “You think you can take out seven highly skilled warriors?” She makes a hand motion, and the men start circling his position. “Now, about my associates, I’ve got a data crystal with information. I’ve just been waiting for the right resource to make a move. You are that resource.”
“What makes you think that I can take on your associates, but not survive a fight with you?”
She holds out the data crystal, “If you try any funny business, then you’ll have that price on your head. You won’t be able to live very long with thousands of Black Sun and bounty hunters watching for you every moment.”
Tuskers raises the hand not touching the lightsaber, and the crystal floats over to him. “How do I contact you, Madam Zenda?”
“You don’t. I will know as each of the others dies, and I will make sure that I am in position to take over.” She seemed to consider it for a second. “No, don’t kill all four. That would be too suspicious. Take out two and I’ll make my own power grab.” Zenda turns and starts to walk out. Two of the guards rush to be in front of her, while the other four watch Tuskers.
Tuskers is just looking at the data crystal in his hand. “Fierfek.” He turns and walks into the ship.

As soon as he enters the ship, a voice rings out, “Are you insane?”
Tuskers jumps slightly. “I’m not used to Meli speaking like that.” He looks at his niece with amusement.
“Do not change the subject. You just promised to kill two people to pay off the price on your head. Why do you think that such an action won’t cause a higher price on your head?”
“I don’t care about the politics of the Black Sun, except where the balance and peace are concerned.” Tuskers holds up the data crystal. “And I think I have a plan.”

[Tuskers]

The next few days were a flurry of activities. Tuskers assumed that he was being observed, so he boarded Meli, and then they took off for another planet in the Corellian system. He made a very public appearance at Drall, drawing attention in his green Jedi outfit. Afterwards, he took off for another of the five brothers.
(Meanwhile, an old Wookiee friend named Faath arrived, and he and Kira visited CoreSec for a day or two. Then they leave Corellia and actually go to the other four planets, following the same route as Tuskers. But Tuskers is not hiding himself, and he’s also checking the data on the crystal. Kira and Faath setup the communications for what will happen next.)

After about two weeks, Meli lands on Corellia. Tuskers walks out of the ship slowly but with a big smile on his face. He looks around, as if expecting company. The Dock Master comes by to collect his fee, but no one else arrives for a while.
He makes a big deal about going over every inch of his ship, inspecting for damage, just like he did when he arrived on planet a couple weeks ago.
After that, he makes sure the ship is closed up, and he heads into town. He finds a live musical performance, and purchases a ticket. After the show, he goes and finds a place to eat. Then he checks into a hotel room, making sure to reserve the room for at least three days, and saying that slightly loudly.
He then smiles as he walks over to the elevator and heads to his room for the night.

Late that night, Tuskers is sitting in the suite, catching up on the local news channel. Someone arrives at the door.
“I did not order room service.” Tuskers speaks to the closed door.
“No, you probably did not. Open the door.”
“Is that you, Madam Zenda?” Tuskers opens the door, and there is Zenda, along with two of the guards. “Oh, it looks like you may have lost some of your group. Should I arrange a search party?”
“Don’t be coy with me. You were supposed to take care of some business, but nothing has happened.”
“All in good time, Madam Zenda. I could not very well just ‘take care of business’ and then end up in jail. I needed to be more discreet than that.”
“How soon, and who are the targets?” Zenda seems irritated.
Tuskers shakes his head slightly, “Spoilers.” He reaches his arm around her shoulders, and starts walking her over towards the couch. “We would not want to ruin the surprises, would we?”
“Black Sun is not known for liking surprises.”
“That maybe true, but I love surprises.” He holds up a finger, “See this? It’s a paper cut, hurt like heck. But it’s just that kind of surprise that keeps us alive, and interested in life.”
“You are a very strange man.” Zenda pulls away from him. “And I’m going to take a lot of pleasure in killing you myself.”
“What about our agreement?” Tuskers tries to look shocked. “I thought you wanted your competition eliminated, so you could rule all Five Brothers?”
“Yes, I did. But frack that. I’m more interested in watching you bleed.” She pulls out a vibro-blade, and her guards pull their weapons.
“The game is up, Madam Zenda. You have failed, and now you will pay.” Tuskers takes on an air of confidence.
“Really? I seem to have the upper hand here.”
“Except that you did me a giant favor. You gave me the comm frequencies for all four of your rivals, so that I could track them down.” Tuskers gestures towards the desk, and the comm unit spins to face the room. Four very angry faces show on the screen.
“Zenda, we are going to have your head for trying to backstab us. We thought that we could trust you to keep the Black Sun strong.”
She turns to look at Tuskers again. “But you never contacted anyone. You just wandered around each planet. I had people watching you.”
“You did not have people watching my allies. They contacted everyone, and made sure that your plans were clearly communicated.” Tuskers gestures towards the screen, and it goes blank. “Now, you can go face your new enemies, or I can turn you in to CorSec. Which will it be?”
Zenda makes a gesture, and the two guards come running at Tuskers. He quickly ignites his Amber lightsaber, and finishes off the two guards. Zenda is trying to sneak into his defenses from behind, but he whirls around takes her hand off, the vibro-blade getting cut in half in the process.
Zenda collapses to her knees, “Finish it.” She looks very pale, but grits her teeth in anger.
“It is finished.” Tuskers walks away, and goes to the elevator where ten CorSec officers are waiting. “She’s all yours. Don’t lose her.”

The next day, Tuskers heads over to Meli to check on things. There is a crumpled old man sitting there peacefully. “I have a message for you Tuskers.” The old man clears his throat. “The Black Sun does not take kindly to the Grey Jedi interfering in our business.” The old man rises, and starts to walk away, “You have no price on your head, but do not allow yourself or any other Grey to get involved in the affairs of the Black Sun ever again.”
“I do what I must.” Tuskers watches as the man walk away.
Tuskers turns and walks back to Kira’s place to start planning the return of the Grey Jedi.

[Tuskers]

Tuskers next few days were spent looking around, trying to find a certain contact that had left a message with Kira. But Kira was offworld with Faath, and Leor Danal did not want to run around.
He went to the Corellian Space Museum, and while the various exhibits were interesting to him, the contact was his first priority.
The next day, he headed into the fringe of Blue Sector, and was looking for interesting trinkets at Treasure Ship Row.
Someone walked up behind him, “Tuskers. Don’t turn around.”
“That is a good way to die around here, friend.”
“Look, I don’t want to be identified. I have a message for your niece. Sekot wants her to come home.”
“Why didn’t Sekot send me a message?” Tuskers almost turned around.
“No...” The voice disappears, and the figure is gone.
“Fierfek. What was he so nervous about?” Tuskers thinks about the individual, and the lack of Force presence. “A Yuuzhan Vong. I am really curious as to what is going on.” His eyes catch a flash of orange a few booths away. “By the Force. Could it be?” He hurries over to that booth, and sees that there is indeed an orange crystal being put away by the proprietor.
Tuskers straightens his green Jedi robes, and clears his throat. “Excuse me?”
The thin figure looks up, “Business, or information, Jedi? Does not matter which, you will pay for either.”
“The orange rock?”
“This beauty?” The figure pulls out the crystal. “It shall make a lovely necklace for someone. But I have not had time to polish it, and hang it from a chain. Come back next week.”
“No, I’ll buy it now. Just name a price. I leave by nightfall today.”
And so they haggle, and Tuskers gets a decent price. The proprietor is happy, as he still made a profit, without even the added expense of the necklace.

Tuskers hurries back to his ship, and checks the communicator.
There are no messages. He signals Faath on the Whitestar to contact him.
Checking that he has his handheld comm unit, he heads back to the apartment to pack.

The next day, "Now please, listen to me... I've already visited several of the Core worlds. Coruscant, Anaxes, Skako, Tepasi, Kuat, Duro, and now Corellia. We don't need to double back. We should continue to move towards planets where we are likely to encounter old friends, or recruit new Grey."
Kira crosses her arms, "And you were sneaking around, trying not to draw attention. At the very least we should run back to Coruscant. Another brief stop over will not delay us too long on getting back to Sekot.”
“If we follow the list of places to visit, it will be months before we get back home.”
Leor Danal steps into the room, “Perhaps home first, then continue your search?”
Tuskers looks down at the little green figure. “You are wiser than I. The ship is ready, whenever you are. I have no intention of remaining here under the watchful eyes of the Black Sun any longer.”
They all agree that perhaps it is time to head back, but first they will make a stop at Sullust, as the hyperspace lanes will be easier from there to home.
A few hours later, the Black Sun watches as the three figures, dressed the part of Grey Jedi, climb into the ship Meli, and depart.