Decision Points

Karen stretched and slipped into her clothes. She had slept like crap the night before, but she was pretty sure that everyone had slept like crap. She pulled her boots up and stumbled out of the cabin that had belonged to her mother. She was still getting used to the ship and it took her a minute to navigate away from the bathroom and towards the lounge. Evidently she was the last to stir.


“Hey Sis.” Jake smiled as he slipped the cup of warm liquid into her hands.


“You seem...oddly chipper. Sleep okay?” Her eyes narrowed.


“It was a rough start, but yeah, once i found the right spot i slept just fine.” He offered her a seat around the giant table.


“Mhmm.” Something was up. She wasn’t sure what, but something had happened.


“I couldn’t sleep last night so i did a bit of inventorying.” Dosh said quietly. Zan gave him an odd look and Karen was even more suspicious.


“Find anything exciting?”


“Mom was weird. Below the deck with the cabins is a small prison cell and some storage bays with a host of weapons and armors and clothing that i can’t identify.” The trandoshan said softly. “The cargo bay looks like it can carry about twenty five tons of cargo, and has bays for that tank and a half dozen swoops.”


“Then you missed the hidden compartments.” Niner said quickly as he entered the room.


“What hidden compartments?”


“They are scattered around the ship and have a variety of things in them.”


“Why does this ship have hidden compartments?”


“Even with the Black Warrant, the ship used to go everywhere, and while Republic, and now Imperial forces aren’t going to search it, there are other places we travelled where it helped to have places where things could be stored out of sight.”


“What’s a Black Warrant?”


“An official writ from the Chancellor of the Old Republic permitting this ship to go anywhere within the boundaries of the Republic without being searched, detained or seized by Republic authorities. With the reorganization into the Empire, the Writ was extended.”


“So we can go anywhere we want?”


“We can travel unmolested by customs or security forces inside the Empire. That doesn’t mean we can go anywhere, there are places where imperial authority is not recognized, and if you get a little too rambunctious, they are just as likely to destroy the ship and move on.” The Droid answered Gael.


“What exactly was this ship used for, and what did Mom do?”


“Your mother was a part of a special operations group created at the behest of the Chancellor of the Old Republic after Palpatine came to power. He saw the blockade of Naboo as a part of a larger crisis gripping the galaxy and he knew that things were going to happen that might have to be dealt with at a speed the Senate was not equipped to handle. Your mother, the Hanar brothers, and a man from Ryo named Hanash formed the core of that team.”


“Mom was a spy?”


“Your mother was a soldier. Most of their missions were extractions, sabotage, or intelligence gathering, but they got into some rough scrapes over the years.”


“And then she became a trouble shooter?”


“After you and your brother were born, Karen, Your mom took you to Chiros to foster with your grandmother. The missions were important until the day that everything changed. That part of the mission is encrypted and you are not authorized to hear anything about it. However, your mother was the only one of the four of them to return to the ship, and she brought the three of you with her.”


“Us?” Dosh said quickly.


“What about us?” Gael pressed the issue.


“If i could tell you, I would. Your Father, Karen, turned up on Chiros a month later and after he and your grandmother tried to kill each other for a week, they settled into an uneasy peace.”


“Why were they trying to kill each other?”


“Something about putting a baby into her precious daughter upset your grandmother something fierce. Kal eventually became the caretaker of you and your siblings until your mother showed up in the middle of the night and took you all to Qwartar’an. She bought a small shop and settled into being a single mom with the five of you.”


“Why didn’t my dad come?” Karen asked him.


“Your father was shattered by the things they did in the war. He was not the same bright eyed jedi that showed up at the hangar all those years ago.”


“My father was a jedi?”


“I believe he was a jedi master, just like his brother.”


“His brother?” Jake asked.


“Your Father. You are the son of Bal-Hanar, Jedi Master of Chandrila.” He pointed at Karen. “And you are the daughter of Kal-Hanar, also a Jedi Master of Chandrila.” That took the wind out of everyone’s sails.



“Are they still alive?”


“Were they traitors to the Republic?”


“I know Kal is still alive, and still living somewhere on Chiros. Bal, i lost track of during the heaviest days of the Clone Wars. They had both left the order before the Jedi betrayal, and did not turn against the Chancellor.”


“Then we can go find Kal?” Karen said. Her chest felt tight all of a sudden.


“That is a question i pose to all of you. We have about 170,000 credits aboard and can operate for awhile on the funds available. You have some choices about where you want to go and what you want to do.” They looked at each other and stopped. The galaxy was such a big place.


“Where can we go?”


“Your mother left a list of suggestions for all of you. If you’d like, we can talk about them and then you can make a decision.”


“Breakfast first, then we can discuss things.” Jake said firmly. Karen noticed that her stomach was also rumbling.


“Very well, take your time, i will be in the cockpit making sure the ship is operating at nominal efficiency. I would suggest we get a new astromech at our next stop.”


“We’ll take it under advisement.” Dosh said quickly.


They split back up and Jake and Dosh headed back towards their cabins, and Karen joined Zan and Gael as they started to walk back towards their half of the ship. Gael’s door opened and Karen pushed her way in behind her. Zan tilted her head in curiosity and followed them into the room.


“What are you up to?” Karen asked her adopted sister.


“About what?”


“What are you and Jake up to?”


“No-Nothing.”


“Spill, sister.”


"Well, i couldn’t sleep last night so i went and found Jake.”


“And?”


“And i kissed him.”


“Oh for the love of…”


“And it was perfect.”


“And then?”


“I slept in his room last night.”


“You slept with my brother? Eww.”


“Not like that, just in the same bed.”


“Oh...Dosh and i did the other thing. Well, lots of other things.” Zan giggled softly.


Wait, what?” The two of them turned to look at Zan.


Elsewhere


“Jake, can i ask you a question?” Dosh walked behind his brother as they moved down the corridor.


“Sure, what’s up, Dosh?”


“Well you know that Zan and i sleep together.”


“Yeah, i noticed she started sneaking into your room late at night about a month ago.”


“Jake, what do i do?”


“About what?”


“Jake, i need a break from her. She’s constantly around me, and the pheromones Jake...they’re killing me.”


“Oh, right. You have a sensitive sniffer.”


“I can taste her in the air, Jake. It’s driving me nuts.”


“Have you tried talking to her about it?”


“Every time i get close to her, she starts emitting that smell and i can’t concentrate on anything. We end up naked and doing things to each other and I can’t get any work done.”


“Are you being careful?”


“As far as i know, our species aren’t procreation compatible, so there’s no need to worry on that end.”


"I’ll try and have a chat with her about giving you space while we’re working on stuff, but the rest of the night is between the two of you, buddy.”


“Anything would help at this point.” Jake nodded, and felt sort of bad for his brother. Having a Zeltron as a bedmate felt like a terrible burden.


“Come on, let’s grab breakfast and then figure out where we are going to go.”


After breakfast


“You have a variety of options on where we go next. The best choices i can see are Coruscant, Chandrila, Tatooine, Chiros, or possibly Mandalore itself.”


“What about Ryloth, or D’osha or Zeltros?”


“Honestly, Ryloth or Zeltros would be fine, though i would wait a year or two for the rest of you to hit maturity before we hit Zeltros.”


“Why?” Zan’s face crinkled into a frown.


“Because, the planet Zeltros is where i would retire and give up every concern i have outside of the joys and wonders of the body. You’re not quite old enough to wander outside of the spaceport yet.” Niner said softly.

“This place sounds like a lot of fun.” Jake said quietly.


“Oh it is, your mother took your fathers there for vacation at least once a year.”


“What?”


“I’m sure the pictures and holovids are around here somewhere.” The droid nodded before continuing it’s explanation. “D’osha is more of a problem. Dosh, since you grew up without Trandoshans in your life, i am not sure the culture would welcome you. You’re not a hunter, and you are a little more sociable than most Trandoshans i have met. If you would like to go there at some point, i would be more than happy to go with you.” Niner said firmly.


“Me too, brother.” Jake said with a nod. The rest of his siblings nodded their agreement as well.


“We shall see if we get there someday.”


“Ryloth is still an occupied world from the events of the Clone Wars, and i am not sure it would be the safest place. However, if you wanted to go there, Gael, we can make the arrangements.”


“I don’t need to see Ryloth.”


“Are you sure?” Karen asked her with concern.


“My people are right here.”


“Coruscant is the best choice i think right now. Your mother had a lawyer who maintained her investments and there are several banks we should visit while we are there.”


“Isn’t it dangerous?”


“It can be, but we should be safe, so long as we stay in the upper levels.”


“What about the Black Sun?”


“Krassit is the Vigo for the Outer Rim territories. Coruscant is in the galactic core, and outside of his reach. I do not think he would be bold enough to cross the rest of the syndicate just for us.”


“What about long term?”


“I have two solutions for that. First, we would have to travel to Tatooine and meet Jabba.”


“Jabba?”


“Jabba the Hutt. He did a lot of business with your mother back in the day and she has a holodisk for him. I believe it’s a short term solution for the Krassit problem, but it should keep you all safe.”


“What’s the other solution?”


“We kill the blue skinned son of a bitch and hang his head from a pike outside his house as a warning not to fuck with us.” The droid answered matter of factly. KAren almost spit out her coffee.


“What?”


“Push will come to shove, and he will not leave you alone without an incentive not to. The most effective one i can think of is to just end him and hope his replacement has better manners.”


“That’s murder.”


“Yes it is. Semantically you can argue self defense, but it boils down to it’s either him or all of you. I am more than happy to see him dead if it means all of you get to live happy lives.”


“That seems like a big step.” Karen said quietly.


“Tatooine will give you access to the criminal underworld and if you decide that’s a direction you want to go, you can find work there.”


“What about Chandrila?” Gael asked quickly.


“There might be a few family friends of your fathers that might be willing to help you on Chandrila, but it’s a long shot. The Hanar family fell on hard times after the death/disappearance of their four children.”


“Four?” Dosh asked him.


“Their were four Hanar children, Kal, Bal, Kir, and Gen. They were either killed or went missing during the Clone Wars.”


“What happened?”


“Kal and Bal i have already told you about. Gen and Kir are encrypted.”


“Why would we go to Mandalore?”


“It was an option, you are more likely to find allies on Chiros, as your grandmother rules a large portion of the world as an imperial governor, and as far as i know, Kal-Hanar is still in residence on the world.”


“Imperial governor?”


“She was appointed by the Senate after the way she handled a bunch of trouble making pirates. She moved her entire house there as well as most of her relations. That kept the clan out of most of the shit the rest of Mandalore sucked itself into. Chiros also has a sizable colony of Zeltrons on it as well.” That brought a bit of a smile to Zan’s face.


“What do you think?” Karen asked her siblings.


“Coruscant seems like an ideal starting place. From there we can figure out what we have access to and then what we need to do.” Zan said firmly.


“Agreed. Eventually we will need to deal with Krassit, but i suspect that will require a trip to Tatooine.” Dosh added.


“And dealing with the Hutts.” Gael added with a shudder. The Hutts were a problem throughout the galaxy.


“I have some other suggestions on things we need to do while we are moving forward.” Niner added.


“Such as?”


“We will need to finish your education at some point. You are all good students, but you’re going to need some practical skills.”


“Like?”


“Piloting a Starship, basic weapons training. Whatever skills you’re going to need for the careers you embark on.”


“I think we’re going to head to Coruscant first, and then we’ll handle the Hutt situation on Tatooine. “ Karen said firmly to the droid.


“Then we’ll see what happens, I’d like to visit Chiros, and then maybe Chandrila?” Jake added.


“And Zeltros!” Zan smiled.


“I would hate to visit a planet I could only see the spaceport of.” Karen smirked at her sister.


“When Dosh turns 20, we go to Zeltros, Deal?” Dosh was the youngest of them, and they had a reasonable idea what that meant. They all nodded in agreement.


“So we make for Coruscant?” Gael asked the group.


“Yeah, and see what’s going on.” Karen nodded to her.


“Good meeting, i suggest we get acquainted with the ship and figure out what exactly all this stuff is.” Jake said softly. “Zan, can you do me a huge favor?” The Zeltron beamed at the idea of a favor.


“Sure, what do you need?”


“There are three extra sleeping chambers and a bunch of storage containers on the habitat decks that we have no idea what’s in them. You were always good at finding a spot for everything and figuring out this kind of stuff. If you had time to inventory everything, that would help out a lot.”


“I can do that.” She nodded.


“Actually, if you wanted to check out my quarters, i have no idea what’s where.” Jake continued.


"Sure, if you don’t mind me in your personal space.”


“No, that’s fine. Let’s get everything inventoried and counted up and see what we can figure out.” Jake nodded at her.


“Any idea what i should be doing?” Gael asked him.


“Actually, if you and Karen could figure out how to fly the ship, that would be awesome.”


“What?” Karen turned her attention back to her brother.


“We are all going to have to eventually figure out how to fly the ship and make sure it works. That means taking turns on the ship systems.” Jake said slowly.


“What are you going to do?”


“I think Dosh and I are going to check out the mechanical systems and finish inventorying the cargo decks and see if we can find all the hidden cargo spaces.”


“Or one of the hidden cargo spaces.” Dosh said slowly.


“We have to start somewhere.” Karen answered the two of them.


“Then let’s get started.” Zan answered her.


Continued in Brothers and Sisters Part II Here

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