Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order "Hearts of the Inquisitors" Episode 1

Chapter 6

Kuuma's ship was an older, Corellian model. Another angry bulky cargo relic, resembling the ship his partner had used. Shan imagined they were created by the same manufacturer, and used for his operations, before becoming outfitted for deep space travel. The stabilizers, engines, and cockpit had been reformatted and customized to add armor, speed and stealth. It's underbelly, once utilized for hauling stone cargo, was now a storage space for rare minerals and gems, no doubt used to fund his master's operation. 

Shan and the Second Sister now found themselves in this very chamber, surrounded by crates of roughly shaped, twinkling cubes cut from the caves. Items which would eventually be ground and melted down to reveal their valuable cores, and then sold back into the underground market; nearly untraceable, especially if you had the right help. They had left Coruscant a short while ago, having dragged the Captain of Kuuma's garrison by the neck all the way to his hide out, with the crew still holding themselves at gunpoint outside the complex. Upon leaving the area, Shan finally released his grip and freed them all of their misery. The riffle shots rang out like a burst of fireworks before a deathly silence. It was art.  

Although the ship was an unsteady, bumbling mass, the inner quarters were surprisingly outfitted. A personal medical bay, stocked kitchen, plenty of crew areas and supplies, a weapons cash of smuggled arms, and a quite powerful computer system equipped with a curiously well informed data bank. 

While the ship hovered over the bustling traffic of Coruscant, Shan was already busy at work analyzing the ink on Kuuma's severed tongue, holding the wriggling organ between his fingers under a scan of red lasers. Meanwhile, the Second Sister was seated in the captain's chair near the helm, punching buttons and scrolling screens. "Anything?" Shan asked turning his head in her direction.

She shook her head, tapping the screen in front of her with frustration. "No, my lord. This system is heavily coded. I cannot retrieve any valuable information." 

"It would seem Kuuma's masters are far more intelligent than we had imagined." Shan remarked, placing his focus back on the analysis. 

At that moment, the Second Sister almost dared to ask him about removing his helmet. Perhaps by wiring his system into the ship, they may be able to override something. But she cast the feelings away. She knew she could do this herself. For him. For herself. And besides, this was not the moment she wished to see his face for the first time. If in fact that time would ever come. "It would seem," she said quietly. "And yet, I have a few more paths to attempt." 

"Very well." Shan responded. "And what of Kuuma's weapon?" he asked. "You mentioned taking a piece with you."

"I have," she said. "The analysis should be complete by now." She motioned to a square box above Shan's head that was glowing with white light. Shan reached up and unlocked it, placing it on the counter in front of him. He popped the top open, revealing a shinny piece of metal taken from Kuuma's blade inside. After removing the information chip, he slipped the small disk into a computer port and waited for the data to display. "Hm," he thought to himself. "Unfortunately, I see no information which would lead us to a specific planet. However," he looked closer at the screen. "It is Beskar. Very interesting."

"Beskar? Mandalorian iron?" The Second Sister repeated, twisting herself around to see the screen. "That is nearly impossible to obtain. Or smuggle."

"Again, the shroud of mystery around this enemy grows thick. I sense...power." Shan was ashamed to admit it. "Yet, it is elusive to me. A strange sensation. An abstract feeling."

The Second Sister pondered this notion. Even Shan seemed to feel shifted out of place as this puzzle was solved. What exactly was waiting for them at the end of this maze? He was right. It was a new, creeping feeling. Like taking a step in the dark. Submerging into waters neither of them may have experienced. "Yes, I feel it also." She admitted.