Earthlings

32

19 BBY, Ord Mantell

"So where is this... bartender?" Chan asked.

"Right around the corner," Kendall replied. "If you see a building titled 'Cid's Parlor', you're at the right place."

"Cid's Parlor... " Chan repeated before glancing to the right. "That one?"

Kendall nodded. "That's the one."

They headed inside the building to be met with several customers, but no sign of the bartender. Two customers were arguing over a holochess table, which got Chan's attention.

"That's not fair!" The Weequay pounded his fists against the table. "You cheated!"

"I didn't cheat!" The Ithorian snarled. "You're just an idiot!"

"Idiot, huh? Idiot this! " They started to get physical.

"And I thought things would get more interesting," Chan remarked.

"What, you were expecting a full on bar fight?" Kendall quipped.

Chan chuckled nervously, remembering witnessing a bar fight at 79's while meeting with Captain Jay. "No, of course not."

"I doubt this informant is available at the moment," Rampart opined. "We should turn back and find another way."

"She may be in her office." Kendall led the group to the back of the bar before knocking on the door in front of her. "Cid? Are you in there?"

The doors slid open to reveal Cid, the informant. "Good heavens, can't ya see the button that opens the door? How old do you think this building is? We've had these doors since the beginning of the Republic!"

"We need your help," Kendall said. Chan glanced around the room. It wasn't much, just a shelf full of goods on the left, a holotable in the middle, a desk with artifacts in the back, and a stack of crates beside it.

"Well... this room is quite... antique," Rampart quipped beside her.

"You don't think it's the rust speaking?" Chan asked softly.

"Cut the gossip, you two," Cid snapped. "I ain't here to listen to you sharing bedroom design ideas. I'm here to help you." She turned to Kendall. "So, what'd ya want from me this time, Candy?"

"Candy-?" Chan repeated, raising a brow.

"I once bribed Cid with a box of candy," Kendall explained briefly. "She's been calling me that ever since."

"Cute." Chan walked forward before turning on the holotable. "You see that man 'gossiping' with me a minute ago? His children were recently kidnapped by a bounty hunter." She pulled up the image. "Well, only one of them was taken by her. We don't know about the other one."

Cid crossed her arms. "If you take one kid, it's highly likely you'll take the other too."

"So do you know who and where this bounty hunter is?"

"Her name is Korah Glie. She's a cousin to freedom fighter Gobi Glie, but she got abandoned as a little baby. So she survived on her own." Cid tapped the holotable. "My sources say that she frequents this very planet a lot. And she cheats at dejarik. But anyway, if she's kidnapped 2 kids, that means she's doin' it for someone else. She has no personal need for them."

"Who is she working for?" Rampart cut in.

Cid eyed him sharply. "Look, Fancy Pants. If I knew, wouldn't I say? Now if you got what you need, get going."

"Do you have any leads?"

"Well, the Black Sun syndicate operates here. All the way in the big stronghold on the surface of this rock." Cid pointed upstairs. "Though... why they want to take kids I have no idea. They're not even facing any recruitment shortages, are they?"