Ask Coruscant History Not Forgotten

Zaia Krodas

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Zaia stood, stony-faced as Bri revealed the hilt of her saber to the Rodian. Though she had to admit that the fear that appeared in his eyes made her smile just a little bit. He’s persistent. I’ll give him that much. She looked back at Bri, giving her a shrug. She’d been expecting this type of reaction from him anyway.

“Arrested? You can’t do that,” he spluttered to the Jedi, scrambling to his feet. “What are my children going to do without their father?” Zaia rolled her eyes from underneath her helmet.

“You’re getting this,” he gestured at the pendant, “over my dead body.” She exchanged an exasperated glance with Bri and pulled out a blaster. If he wanted to do this the hard way, fine.

“I’d be happy to oblige.”
One look at her unmoving stance and Aldo immediately backtracked.

“Ah, on second thought…” The Rodian hurriedly removed the pendant from his neck and held it out, looking pleadingly at Bri. Zaia had a feeling that the Jedi, while acting cool on the outside, was probably as frustrated with Aldo as she was.

“How about I give you this, and you forget what you saw today?” Zaia nearly laughed out loud at his offer.

“So you admit it.” Aldo turned to look at her, realizing his mistake. What a di’kut.

“I mean— I’ll have my own men rescue them.” Then he frowned at his own words. “I meant I’ll hire some. I, uh,” he let out a nervous chuckle as he withdrew his arm, “don’t have any men. Got a little ahead of myself there.” Zaia shook her head at Aldo’s fumbling. That arrogant demeanor he’d shown her and Bri earlier had completely disappeared, and right now he was only falling deeper into the hole that he’d dug for himself. It would have been funny to watch if she wasn’t so short on patience at the moment.

“I don't think so. Hand it over,” she said, holding out a hand. Aldo didn’t budge, and she extended her fingers just a little bit. “Well?”

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Brienna Lanaamer

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“Arrested? You can’t do that,” he spluttered to the Jedi, scrambling to his feet. “What are my children going to do without their father?”

Bri maintained a flat glance in the direction of the Rodian, obviously unmoved by the comments. It was almost laughable that Aldo was trying to continue with his now disproven lies about his 'kids'. That, or he had vastly underestimated the intelligence of Bri and her new partner.

“You’re getting this,” he gestured at the pendant, “over my dead body.” The Jedi looked over as the Mandalorian offered another glance in her direction. They seemed to be of the same mind, as Zaia pulled a blaster out of its holster attached to her hip.

“I’d be happy to oblige.” One look at her unmoving stance and Aldo immediately backtracked.

“Ah, on second thought…” Dash moved to untie the string keeping the pendant around his neck, holding it out in his palm towards the Jedi. But, just as Bri was about to reach out and take it, Aldo appeared to come up with another of his genius ideas.
“How about I give you this, and you forget what you saw today?”

Zaia seemed to stifle a laugh as Bri rolled her eyes. "Yeah, fat chance of that happening, buddy," she shook her head.

“So you admit it.”

“I mean— I’ll have my own men rescue them.”
Then he frowned at his own words. “I meant I’ll hire some. I, uh,” he let out a nervous chuckle as he withdrew his arm, “don’t have any men. Got a little ahead of myself there.”

The Jedi let out a sigh and shook her head. Zaia quite clearly caught Aldo in another of his lies, though this time practically admitting he had set up the whole sham of the evening. His arrogance that he had started out with was now gone. Trying anything to weasel his way out of getting arrested, or at least a beating from Zaia. Bri crossed her arms over her chest and looked over at the Mandalorian. They were both out of patience, and tired of dealing with Aldo's nonsense.

“I don't think so. Hand it over,” Zaia said, holding out a hand. Aldo didn’t budge, and she extended her fingers just a little bit. “Well?”

"Now," Bri commanded, holding Aldo's arm with a Force assisted grip that was probably exerting just a little too much pressure. "Ow ow ow ow ow," the Rodian winced, opening up his palm. The Jedi took the pendant in her right hand and released her grip. "Thank you," she nodded, satisfactorily.

"New plan. We're going to take this, I'm going to make sure she doesn't kill you," Bri tiled her head in Zaia's direction, "and I'll still be calling the police. Deal?" she offered no time for Aldo to reply, before adding to Zaia, "Deal."

The Jedi turned to Zaia, leaving Aldo still whimpering on the ground. "Good?" she asked, making sure her partner was content with the way things were ending.

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Zaia Krodas

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Bri took the pendant, leaving Aldo on the ground. His eyes turned to her, and Zaia was just about to punch him in the face for all the trouble he’d put them through when Bri suggested a new plan… that involved the Mandalorian not being able to kill him. She let out an audible sigh of disappointment, then crossed her arms as Bri confirmed(kind of) with Aldo.

“Sure,” she confirmed when Bri turned to her. As long as some kind of justice was served, Zaia would be happy with it. Then she turned to glare at Aldo through her visor. “Just know that you’re never going to do this again. And we'll make sure of that her way, or my way.” She patted the blaster at her side, and Aldo gulped. She reached down toward him with her other hand, and the Rodian instantly curled into a defensive ball.

“No no no!” His voice was nearly a squeal. Oh my god. Zaia removed the datapad from his pocket and withdrew her arm, rolling her eyes before she opened the device. Now the messages were starting to come in telling of how the men had failed to capture the children, and she grinned before tossing the datapad over to Bri.

“This can be used as evidence for when the police get here. With this and Aldo’s confession, I think we have more than enough to get him in prison for life.” Which is more than he deserves, anyway.

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Brienna Lanaamer

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“Just know that you’re never going to do this again. And we'll make sure of that her way, or my way.”

Zaia reached down, and just for a moment thought that Zaia was about to do something violent. Apparently so did Aldo.

“No no no!”

Instead, all the Mandalorian was doing was taking the Rodian's datapad.

“This can be used as evidence for when the police get here. With this and Aldo’s confession, I think we have more than enough to get him in prison for life.”

It was a smart idea. Bri nodded in affirmation as Zaia explained. The two exited the shop and stopping just outside the exit, Bri pulled her own datapad out of her back pocket. She tapped a few buttons and opened a channel of communication to the closest Coruscanti police precinct. Jedi and law enforcement authorities didn't always have the best of relationships with each other, but Bri imagined that they'd be interested in the case that she and Zaia had put together over the course of the evening.

Tapping a few more buttons she turned her attention back to Zaia. "The police will be here in just a few minutes." A short silent pause elapsed before the Jedi spoke again. "Thanks again for your help back there," it was a reference to dealing with Aldo, but also a general impression of their escapades. "And you know, not....," she made a gesture, indicating her thanks for not killing the Rodian.

Bri looked down at the pendant in her hands. Studying it with a sharp gaze of her blue eyes. She reached out with the Force and felt the same humming frequency she had sensed before. The Jedi looked back up towards Zaia and made a joke, "don't worry - still all yours - I just want to give it a once over with the Force."

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Zaia Krodas

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Giving Aldo one more look of disdain, Zaia followed Bri outside. She took her helmet off as she did so, wanting a breath of fresh air. As fresh as it could be anyway, on a city planet. As the Jedi contacted the police, Zaia crossed her arms on the railing and she leaned forward, casually observing the various speeders flying past them. Then Bri put her datapad away and confirmed that the police would be here soon. That was good; the sooner the better. Even though she doubted that Aldo had the means of escaping, she would rather not have to babysit him.

“Thanks to you too,”
Zaia responded with a smile, turning to Bri once the Jedi spoke. As for not killing Aldo, she let out a chuckle. “If not for you, he would have been dead long ago.” That was true. She was still annoyed at herself for apologizing to him earlier, especially since he hadn’t even been telling the truth. If anything, he was the one who owed them one.

The Mandalorian followed Bri’s gaze as the Jedi looked down at the pendant. It was in good hands now— literally. When Bri said that Zaia could have it once she was done examining it, she shrugged.

“Honestly? You can keep it if you want. It’s the history in it that makes it so special to me and my clan, and you’re a part of that now. You earned it as much as I did.” She had never, ever pictured herself saying those words about that pendant, especially not to a Jedi, yet here she was doing just that. But Bri had earned her respect today, and Zaia no longer minded the pendant being in the Jedi’s possession.

“But, if you don’t want it, I wouldn’t say no to taking it.”
She grinned at that, then looked back at Bri. “Your choice once you’re finished with it.”

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Brienna Lanaamer

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“Thanks to you too,” Zaia responded with a smile, turning to Bri once the Jedi spoke. She then let out a chuckle. “If not for you, he would have been dead long ago.”

Bri wasn't exactly sure if Zaia's comment was meant as a compliment, but she accepted it all the same, with a look down at the ground, a nod, and slight smile. "I guess that's true." It was clear the Mandalorian had a likely different view on taking lives than the Jedi. But, Bri had seen Zaia's actions speak for themselves. She had risked her own life to protect others, and do what was needed to keep kids safe.

Zaia seemed to shrug at the mention of getting the pendant back after the Jedi had finished her evaluation of it. The reaction was surprising, until the Mandalorian explained herself further.

“Honestly? You can keep it if you want. It’s the history in it that makes it so special to me and my clan, and you’re a part of that now. You earned it as much as I did. But, if you don’t want it, I wouldn’t say no to taking it.”

I don't know many Mandalorians, but I imagine that they probably wouldn't treat a Jedi they just met like Zaia has. It means something that she's willing to part with this piece of her family. The word rattled around Bri's mind. Family.

"I appreciate the gesture," Bri smiled. She rolled the pendant around in her palm for a moment. "But it belongs with you. And your clan. Keep it and pass it along to the next member of clan Krodas." She reflected for a moment, and added, "maybe we've gone a little ways to repairing some of the history between Jedi and Mandalorians." It was an aspirational thought. One that Bri hoped Zaia concurred with.

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Zaia Krodas

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“Hm. Maybe we have.” Zaia hadn’t thought much about mending the relationship between Mandalorians and the Jedi before. The only things she’d heard about them were negative, though it was clear now that those weren’t all true. Perhaps it was possible… but that would be a long way off yet. Still, a step forward was a step forward.

Bri hadn’t been lying when she’d said that the police would be there in just a few minutes. Only about two had passed when the police speeders came to a stop in front of Aldo’s shop, the blue, red, and white of their lights flashing against the dull metal of the buildings around them. A pair of officers got out, one carrying a notepad.

Explanations given and evidence provided, the cops went into the shop and came back out with a handcuffed Aldo, who didn’t seem to resist as they led him toward the speeder. However, as he passed the Jedi and the Mandalorian, he gave them such a dirty look that Zaia wondered how long he would survive in prison with that on his face. The inmates there certainly wouldn’t brush it off, unlike her and probably Bri. Frankly, if he was beaten up by a thug, she didn’t care much.

Once they left, she turned back to Bri and grinned. “Well, now we have a quiet place all to ourselves where you can look over it,” she said, tilting her head towards Aldo’s shop. “Unless you want to go somewhere else instead.”

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Brienna Lanaamer

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“Well, now we have a quiet place all to ourselves where you can look over it,” she said, tilting her head towards Aldo’s shop. “Unless you want to go somewhere else instead.”

Bri nodded and looked around. The alleyway outside of Aldo's shop didn't exactly scream 'peaceful place for meditation.' "Yeah...let's head back to my ship." It was more a statement than a question, not really providing Zaia an opportunity to decline. Her mind made up, the Jedi started off down the street, retracing their steps back towards the elevator back to the surface.

///

The two women arrived at the spaceport where Bri had left her ship, walking the short distance past numerous other crafts.
The Jedi's 3-Z light freighter was parked near the eastern side of the port, in between a few other larger vessels. It appeared that nightfall did not slow the planetary arrivals or departures, as the incoming and outgoing traffic appeared just as busy as when Bri had first arrived earlier in the day. The dull hums and gentle roars of thrusters punctuated every other moment. As the two approached, a small grey droid was busily rolling around the proximity of the ship. It noticed the two arrivals and sped over hurriedly.

Before Bri could even greet her droid partner, it lauched into an animated droidspeak explanation of how the Jedi was going to get a ticket for leaving the ship parked in one spot for too long, how it had to fend off others who also wanted to park their ships nearby, and how it had to ensure no exhaust fumes from nearby vessels damaged the 3-Z. Bri held a solid look of bemusement on her face, "this is my droid partner, NL-142." NL nodded in introduction to the Mandalorian.

The Jedi didn't usually invite guests to her ship, but after the events that she and Zaia had been through - namely saving her life - the Mandalorian was more than welcome. Bri gestured for her to follow her up the entry ramp. The ship was brightly lit as they entered, with the entry ramp depositing them in a tubular hallway. The cockpit was obviously to their left, while Bri turned to the right, passing the engine room and cargo hold, before making it to the crew quarters and the main hold.

The ship itself was an intimate view into Bri's life. More often than not, Bri's Jedi work took her 'on the road,' and she spent the majority of her time living on the ship compared to her planetary lodgings on Yavin. By force of habit, Bri took off her jacket and hung it on the rack that sat right at the entry of the crew and personal space, leaving her in just a tank-top. Despite the coldness of space, Bri was a warm-blooded individual, and liked feeling the cooler air. She reached inside the jacket, and fished out her saber, placing the copper tube of metal on a nearby shelf. A number of texts occupied the lower part of the shelf, seemingly in various languages and symbols. Bri also took off her boots, setting them next to each other in a neat fashion, alongside two other pairs. Bri was fine with shoes inside her ship, but, especially in her living quarters, she tried to make it feel more homely by leaving them behind. Her bare feet padded on the metallic floor as she entered the main hold. Next to the boots sat a small-ish device which Bri used to give the area a pleasant smell, often helping with her meditation.

A circular table with booth seating occupied the right side the main hold, while a chair and connecting series of screens and main keyboard sat opposing. The screens were currently showing an abstract series of blue waves, folding and waving in a silent, pleasing manner. Next to the table sat another shelving feature, though this one was much larger and reached up to the ceiling of the ship.

A few stray trinkets and baubles lay strewn on the table. A few looked to be complex puzzle devices, while others appeared to be strangely shaped pieces of interlocking metal. A datapad was next to them, forming the clear conclusion that Bri had been working on them previously. She picked all of the items up and held them in her arms, depositing each in an open spot on the shelf, which held similar looking objects. The only personal item of note was a small picture frame, containing a photograph of a smiling Bri, kneeling down with NL next to her, and a forest looking background. The whole atmosphere of the space was an extension of Bri. Clean and tidy, but a few stray items that seemed like they never had a permanent place of residence.

"Just wait here for one moment," Bri instructed. "I'm going to meditate with this for a few minutes, then its all yours," she grinned, holding up the pendent." She gestured around the ship, "Uhh, feel free to make yourself comfortable."

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Zaia Krodas

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“Alright. Works for me,” Zaia responded at Bri’s suggestion. She could tell that the Jedi had already made her decision and that her answer really wasn’t needed, but still.

Soon, they’d arrived at her ship at the spaceport, and Zaia was once again reminded of the fact that she was still yet to get one for herself. Ah, one day. Then her eye caught on a nearby droid, which rolled up to them and immediately started to tell a story about everything it’d had to do since Bri had departed. She couldn’t help smiling at the expression on Bri’s face, and when she introduced the droid, Zaia gave it a nod in response.

“Nice to meet you.” Maybe she could get a droid too, she mused as she turned to look at the ship. NL did seem like a good companion.

Just then, Bri gestured for them to board, and so Zaia followed the Jedi up the ramp. The space inside was neatly organized and clean except for a few small items on the table, and even if she hadn’t been told, the Mandalorian could have definitely marked this one as Bri’s ship. From what she’d seen from the other woman, remaining calm and controlled despite Aldo’s numerous attempts at deceiving them, the space they were in seemed to reflect it.

When Bri took off her boots, Zaia did the same out of respect, putting them a little away from hers.

“Thanks. Take the time you need,” she replied, giving her a thumbs-up before heading out of the room and finding somewhere to sit. She didn’t want to distract Bri while she looked the pendant over, and she also didn’t want to intrude on a personal space like this one. It was quite a change from her earlier attitude, she thought. Regardless of whether Bri knew it or not, she had quite significantly changed Zaia’s look on the Jedi. Once again, things had proven to not always be simply black and white, and the Mandalorian was left to think about what else was left to be discovered.

Perhaps Bri would find out what secrets the pendant might hold.

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Brienna Lanaamer

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Bri returned to her room and sat cross-legged on the bed. She placed the pendent down on the duvet and breathed in deeply, before a slow exhale. The pendent began to rise gently from the bed, hovering nearly perpendicular with the Jedi's face. She took the time to probe with her mind, reaching and feeling the history of the pendent. Like she had discovered over the course of the evening, the pendent had a connection to both the Jedi and the Mandalorians - a history that was not without violence. Bri's head twitched ever so slightly as she waded through the memories. Zaia was also right - not that I've got any reason to not believe her at this point - that the pendant had orginated with a Mandalorian clan. Clan Krodas to be precise.

Opening her eyes, Bri pulled a datapad over from a bedside table and started to type.

Perhaps my giving it back to her will set at least some of this right. It rightfully belongs to her, and everything I've learned from it, I can add to the Jedi archives.

Bri got off the bed and scooped the pendent up with her fingers. She exited the bedroom, and returned to Zaia in the common area. "Thanks again for letting me give it a once-over," Bri smiled. "but this belongs to you," she added, holding her hand and the pendant out towards the younger woman.

Letting a short pause transpire, she continued, "Also thanks for all your help tonight. I had a good time fighting alongside you." A short laugh accompanied the compliment. Bri judged that some sort of praise involving combat would likely be received the best by a Mandalorian. Or at least I think so.

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Zaia Krodas

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After a while, Bri emerged from the bedroom and Zaia greeted her with a smile in return. She hoped that Bri had gotten out of it what she wanted. It seemed that she did, and when the Jedi held out the pendant, Zaia took it with both hands and gave a nod in thanks.

“It belongs to you as much as it does to me,” she said, giving Bri a grin. “But who would’ve thought? I had a good time too— it’s reassuring to know that there are good Jedi out there.” She tucked the pendant into her pouch before looking back at the Jedi.

“I hope we’ll meet again someday. Maybe, ah, under better circumstances.” She paused, then picked up her helmet and boots as she stood up. “Until then… may the Force be with you.” Wasn’t that what Jedi said? She hoped so, or else it probably would have been a pretty awkward goodbye. Either way, Zaia gave Bri a nod before heading out to the landing platform and gearing up again and looking up at the sky. There were so many opportunities out there, just waiting for someone to come along and act on them.

And, it was quite a thought for a Mandalorian to have, but maybe, through some distant, seemingly unattainable hope, there would be the possibility for peace in the galaxy.

//Exit character

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