Connection - a star wars fanfic

The Temple of Eedit

"No surrender."

Devaron: one of the first planets that had joined the Galactic Republic all those years ago. Its lush jungles were webbed with giant thick vines that served as bridges between spaceports and settlements, roping across the planet like green train tracks. It wasn't the most exciting place. But that was fine. Nik trailed excitement wherever he went.

The bounty hunter studied the holomap of the planet, which glowed in colours of jade and emerald as it twisted to the side with his fingers.

Thoughts about Nik's target - the Temple of Eedit - continued to be interrupted by the warm feeling of having been reunited with Avem. Their friendship prevented him from being dragged under the surface; Avem's sudden presence was such a pleasant shock that Nik had been reliving the moment since morning, over and over again.

A rustle of feathers brought him back to the task. Pijon had landed on the panel that stretched around the cockpit in an elongated semicircle, his claws grasping the yellow-banded edge while he jabbed his beak into Nik's fingers.

"I already gave you food," Nik muttered vaguely. He folded his hand over his freckled chin and examined the entrance to the Jedi Temple and military outpost he was about to infiltrate. It was lightly staffed; with one Jedi and their padawan in command, and-

Another peck.

Nik sighed, dragging his gold and amber eyes over the restless pigeon. The bird gave an innocent coo and cocked his grey head to the side expectantly. Pijon had gotten used to the lavish life in Senator Amidala's apartment, where there was no shortage of food and plenty of time to relax. Now that they were on a mission, however, Pijon was reluctant to do much at all and prefered to gorge himself while binging show after show.

"You'll have to wait until I return to the ship," Nik told the pigeon - though he knew that the bird would gnaw into the food store as soon as he left - before deactivating the hologram and stretching. He eyed the cockpit carefully, a slight smile returning to his lips. One of Avem's early conversations came to mind - they had sat together in the interior of his ship, and she had spent hours asking him to lift her onto a crate and back down again with the Force.

This time it was Nerezz who forced Nik to continue moving with a quick sharp jab to the mind. "You'll see Avem later. Now, get the hell out of here. You need money, and I'm skrogging tired of sitting here without any entertainment whatsoever."

Nik smirked, tugging on his gloves. "Don't be silly; I'm hardly boring."

They traded a few insults, before Nerezz passionately promised that he'd give Nik a hard time that night during training. It still failed to remove the smile from Nik's face. A familiar buzz of rogue excitement had filled his veins like electricity.

He had taken the bounty because Padmé had left to travel; nothing about the form indicated that he needed to go with her to cook. The mission would yield him a fantastic sum of credits that made his usual work wage look like shit.

After heading into the back of the ship, Nik packed some extra knives - hidden in different invisible pockets along his shirt. His fingers stretched on their own, yearning for the lethal hilt of his lightsaber. But if he took it, he would be making a grave mistake. And he knew too well of the consequences of grave mistakes. They were like an old enemy, always heading out and returning - but never really gone.

Nik directed his thoughts elsewhere. Mask - right. His fingers fluttered over the storage cupboard that stretched across the right wall, before landing on a slot near the centre. He pressed the tip and it hissed open, revealing the elaborate object. The mask was nice (he'd never go into a fight without looking his best), was sturdy, and contained filters should he ever encounter gas. Most importantly, it would conceal his features. If someone saw him, of course; which they probably wouldn't.