"Atoan I suppose, I've been told there's no other language like it. Droids can't even translate it. I've learned a little, but not enough to get by." That would have to change.

Zee sighed. "Its going to be a long ride, then." She straightened. "We're coming out of hyperspace soon; I'm going to have to let you go. We'll be on the Hydian Way--not sure which route you decided on."

He nodded. "I'll let you know when I've reached the first objective."

"Safe travels." The comm line went dead.

Raia's arms were crossed; she squinted at the strange person in front of her. She'd never seen anything quite like her, though she supposed the galaxy was a very large place and she'd had the same reaction when she had seen Sirejj for the first time. What possible function could those fleshy tails on her head have? Why were her eyes so black and her skin so moist? What other creatures populated the Galaxy beyond the Ghost Nebula?

Zee caught her staring and raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"I can't understand you," Raia said sharply, then stood up and strode out of the room before the stranger could reply. She wanted to check on her people.

Sirejj went to find a change of clothes if there was one. His shirt was soaked in sweat and he found there was a little blood splattered on his trousers from when he'd caught the Inquisitor with his staff. He chuckled. He'd escaped mostly unscathed. His staff had a little blood on the sharpened end. He'd have to clean that.

He found a shirt, cleaned up a bit, and changed before returning to the seat up front. Eriadu was not a long journey. He had an hour or so to rest before that, but he found his mind racing once the focus of battle had worn off.

Vader knew he was alive and was actively hunting him. That was trouble in and of itself. The Inquisitor he'd sent had been a formidable one. Sirejj would have to give more thought to him later. Thalassa and her entire operation were now in jeopardy. Her actions had been quick- he might even say she acted rashly. What had she to lose by allowing the Atoans to die and remain herself out of the Empire's focus? Sirejj frowned at the thought. He suspected...he knew he would have felt guilty if he had known about the plan to destroy Atoa and done nothing. He remembered the desperation he'd felt meeting Raia the first time. They deserved a second chance.

He wondered, as he sat and watched the stars fly by, if he'd made the right choice joining the Treacle. Quick reflection led him to believe that he had. He would have ended up on the bad side of the Empire eventually, and it was better to have allies than nobody at all.

He'd lived too much of his life that way. It was refreshing to have a little reliance on someone other than himself.

Spoiler

Taking that as a cue to skip.

The Inquisitor tracked Sirejj along the Rimma Trade Route before he determined where he was going.
"Eriadu," he announced as Sirejj's Force signature flashed into his mind. "He's stopping at Eriadu."

---

Tarkin raised an eyebrow; he was seated in his office on his Star Destroyer, also in hyperspace. Atoa was a mess of flame and melted crystal; he'd sent troopers down to gas the tunnels to be certain no one got out alive. The distressed signals from the Imperial outposts there had fallen on deaf ears, and the officers and miners had either evacuated or died on the planet's surface. He would be hearing from the senators in the Ghost Nebula, he was sure, but Emperor Palpatine would see to it this genocide was swept under the rug like the others.

He hoped.

"What does he want there?" Tarkin mused, drumming his fingers on his desk.

"That is unclear, Governor. Shall I set down and follow him when he lands?"

"No." Tarkin shook his head. "Make sure he never sets foot on the planet--shoot him down."

"Yes, Governor." The line cut off.

Tarkin leaned back, blinking his bleary eyes. He must he doing something for Thalassa. That was the only explanation. That begged the question...what did Thalassa have on Eriadu that she needed so urgently?
He had a couple thoughts, none of which he was prepared to take as gospel. She'd kept secrets since the day they were married, just as he had. Who knew what she'd tucked away in his home? Or homes...

Tarkin reached over and tapped the comm button. "Commander Darcc."

"Sir?"

"Set a course for Eriadu, please."

"Yes sir."

Spoiler

yep

Sirejj exited hyperspace over Eriadu and immediately headed for his first destination. As he descended, the jungle was below him, slowly thinning out to expose a great, grassy plateau. He'd not been here for a year, and he didn't want to spend any more time here than necessary.

As he stood up to stretch before entering the atmosphere he suddenly stopped, a coldness coming over him. He quickly flicked on his scanners, but they picked up nothing at first. Still, his senses told him there was something wrong. Could he have been followed? Did this ship have a cloaking device? He sat down quickly and powered up his read shields proactively. There was nowhere to hide and the atmosphere was clear and devoid of clouds. If he was being followed, he was in a bind.

All was still; the whole world seemed to cease turning for a moment as Sjrejj paused. Then the Suture descended. Swift and silent, it was a gleaming custom job that made no sound other than a faint whir. Whomever the Inquisitor had acquired it from must have been very rich indeed.

The vessel spun in a lazy barrel roll as it oriented itself toward Sirejj's shuttle, hovering for a split second before a wave of energy burst from the engines and it shot toward him at a tidy clip. The Inquisitor opened fire.

Sirejj lurched forward and swore as his shields took a heavy blow. He shot down towards the surface. He was almost certainly going to be shot down, and the closer he was to the ground when he lost control, the less likely he was to die. He turned on the targeting computers, but he had no gunner. He had a bad feeling about this.

He punched in Zee's comm code. She was the closest. Maybe she could reach him in time.

The comm crackled faintly. "Yes--Sirejj, are you on Eriadu yet? We're still en route to Phelarion; had to take a couple detours--is that blasterfire?"

The Inquisitor followed him closely, continuing his barrage and matching Sirejj's maneuvers turn for turn.

Spoiler

STAR WARS QUOTE DETECTED

Spoiler

ABSOLUTELY

"Remember what I said about not being followed? I was wrong, I've got trouble on my tail." Another blast rocked the ship and he cut the engines and spun the ship around, attempting to fire the front guns at his attacker. As agile as his ship was, it was nothing compared to the Inquisitors.

"How much trouble?" she asked.

For a brief moment, the Inquisitor's face was visible through the viewport--at this distance one could make out the white-bearded, stony face of an older man locked in an expression of intense focus.

The Suture dipped down to avoid the attack and slid neatly underneath Sirejj's shuttle, turning midair to come back up behind him.

Spoiler

Sirejj's weakness is old men who hate him

Spoiler

lol it is, and his strength is apparently forming strong allies with angry powerful women. his matriarchal society is showing.

"It's the Inquisitor. He's got a better ship and better guns, so I'd say a lot!" His shields took another blow and the alarms went off. He dipped back down and headed for the surface. It was clear he was next to useless in a dogfight. He may be able to duel him on the ground if he could avoid dying in the crash. That was first priority.

Spoiler

Lmao
Gotta send him some more; I've got a female Harch drug lord now who operates out of Hutt Space. She's decidedly less genteel than Thalassa though

"I can try to send reinforcements, but there's nobody who'd reach you anytime soon..." There was the sound of clacking buttons. "How long can you draw it out?"

The ship ceased fire for a moment, focusing on gaining ground rather than downing Sirejj.

"No idea, I'm going to try to get to the ground and maybe lose him, but there's nothing here but trees!" If it were mountainous terrain nearby he might stand a chance, but the ship attacking him was faster and more maneuverable. He could fly, but he was no star pilot.