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| - “I don’t see why you were so insistent on contracting him,” Brigadier General Havenstrite folded his arms and fixed Toryn in a firm gaze. “He was with the Alliance for what, a few months? A few months until he deserted? Seriously, Commander, if you were that intent on hiring a findsman, Ooryl Qrygg is certainly a better choice by far. He has been a member of Rogue Squadron for far longer and is younger—” “With all due respect, Sir,” Toryn Farr held up her hand, “I stand by my decision. Due to his career as a bounty hunter, I feel that Zuckuss would have more experience and thus be better prepared for this assignment. Plus, with the training he received while with the SpecForce, I am more confident with contracting him. I have history with him, more so than I do with Qrygg.” Havenstrite snorted. “I’d beware, Commander. Personal feelings have no place in this galaxy, particularly not here and not now. Don’t allow your so-called ‘history’ to cloud your judgment.” With that, he turned on his heel and left the room in quick, purposeful strides. Toryn turned away from the door and crossed the room to peer out the large window. She was making use of an empty office in the Senate Rotunda, needing to prepare to voice her reasons for opposing the reemergence of an old act from the final days of the Old Republic. The Enhanced Privacy Invasion Bill had seen renewed interest and was thus rewritten and making its way throughout the offices of the New Republic. Since such a bill, if it passed, would require the assistance of the Special Forces, then as commander, Toryn was privy to such information. She opposed the bill, however, feeling that it hearkens back to a darker age and unfairly targets non-human citizens and immigrants. If such a bill were to pass, a being’s comm records, finances, and other personal information could be searched without their consent. Financial transactions, particularly those of non-humans and other foreign entities, would be restricted at the discretion of the Treasury. And, most troublesome to Toryn, law enforcement and Immigration would be granted leniency when it came to reasons involving the detainment and deportation of immigrants and non-humans. It seemed too similar to the Imperial regime that she worked so hard to overthrow years before. Thus, Toryn was an outspoken opponent of the bill, which drew the ire of its supporters, particularly Brigadier General Havenstrite. Toryn’s opposition, however, earned her a spot on the committee, a high-profile position indeed. Her commanding officers, though, had concerns for her safety, as a veteran of the Battle of Hoth would be a prime target for disgruntled Imperial sympathizers, so she was advised to hire a bodyguard. After some deliberation, Toryn agreed, though for reasons known only to herself, she wanted to hire an outside contractor, someone not officially affiliated with the Republic’s military forces. Seeing as how Zuckuss still stopped by—even for a fleeting moment—to accept jobs and collect payment, and considering that Toryn had known him since Hoth, then she made the arrangements, her advisors handled the communications, and once a payment was decided upon, Zuckuss accepted the contract. Havenstrite was not content with Toryn’s decision, citing that Zuckuss was a deserter. “Once a bounty hunter, always a bounty hunter,” he often remarked, having a dislike for the lawless profession. Zuckuss never formally left Alliance service, his records were still on file. After a mission that left his longtime partner, 4-LOM, in pieces, he started to become withdrawn, focusing solely on repairing the droid. However, when a memory wipe destroyed 4-LOM’s idealism and loyalty, Zuckuss was noticeably depressed. Soon after 4-LOM‘s departure, the Gand quietly left, relocating to the Outer Rim for a time. Toryn, however, knew that Zuckuss still felt a connection with the Alliance and later the New Republic. Every now and then, she would see him meeting with an official to accept a bounty contract. They would occasionally pass in a hallway, Toryn would smile at him and Zuckuss would bow. Beyond that, however, they each had their own lives and priorities to attend to. No moment could be spared for anything more than a formality. Another reason why Toryn was insistent on hiring Zuckuss. She wanted the chance to catch up with an old friend. Toryn watched the traffic go by outside the window. She had been living on Coruscant for quite some time and had seen it even before then, but the whole concept of how the entire planet’s surface was so overpopulated and built up over the centuries still staggered her. Billions upon billions of people resided there, and those were just the documented residents. There were countless of immigrants who remained unaccounted for, hiding in the city’s underlevels. Squatters and refugees from war-torn worlds, sneaking in under the planetary radar and blending within the myriad of citizens from a multitude of species. Toryn had heard about the shanty towns that have formed in the ruins of abandoned buildings; colonies of homeless eking out a meager existence, overlooked or outright ignored by Public Assistance. The public welfare system in the core of the Republic was outdated and therefore ineffective when compared to the agencies on some worlds. That was something else Toryn would like to see improved. Coruscant was to be the symbol of galactic wealth and prosperity, and yet it had the highest level of poverty and homeless populations. The cost of living in some areas was so high that poor immigrated citizens had little-to-no hope of ever getting back on their feet. So, they retreated to the labyrinthine underlevels, adding to the ever-increasing undocumented population of society’s forgotten. Toryn turned away from the window and sat at the desk, keying up the information regarding the Enhanced Privacy Invasion Act. Reading it, she let out a sigh, hearing the door signal her to a visitor. “Enter.” The door opened, Zuckuss stepping inside. He was still as Toryn remembered him, clad in that familiar grubby robe and cumbersome breath mask. He bowed. “You sound upset.” “Oh...” Toryn didn’t realize that she had growled out the response, having momentarily assumed that Havenstrite was behind the door. “Oh, I’m sorry about that. It has been a long day...” She closed the information she was reviewing, such things were not meant for the public’s eye, then sat back, smiling. “So, what can I help you with?” Zuckuss bowed again, averted his gaze, and crossed the room to peer out the window. There was something on his mind, Toryn could tell, something that he was hesitant to share. The traffic outside was silhouetted against the purple sky by the setting sun, clouds gathering on the horizon. “The WeatherNet is calling for snow tonight. Six inches by the morning.” He traced the path of a passing speeder with a gloved finger. Toryn watched him for a moment. “What’s wrong?” The question seemed to catch Zuckuss by surprise. He coughed, cleared his throat, and returned his gaze to the window. “Zuckuss meditated this morning,” he said quietly after a moment, referring to himself in third person, “it was not clear, but...” He trailed off, then fixed Toryn in his gaze. “He asks that you be careful, Toryn. Be vigilant.” Toryn nodded slowly, the hairs on the back of her neck prickling. She would ask, but she knew better than to pry. Zuckuss was withholding details for a reason. What ever that reason was, however, was only known to Zuckuss and could be a multitude of things that all related to that he just wanted to protect Toryn from the details that his intuitive knowledge had revealed to him this morning. “I’ll be careful, Zuckuss. This is a tense situation, this bill and all. Emotions run high. That’s why I hired you.” Zuckuss stepped closer and put his hand on Toryn’s shoulder. “It’s not that. Please, be careful. Tread lightly.” He released her and started for the door. “This… this may be something that is beyond Zuckuss’s control. The mists surrounding it were not clear.” He paused, turned, and again looked at Toryn. “Please, be careful.” He bowed deeply and left the room to return to his duties. Toryn stared at the doorway for some time after Zuckuss had left. Zuckuss’s meditations granted him with information that most would not otherwise be privy to; an intuition that was oftentimes completely correct. His accuracy was almost unsettling. That was one of the reasons why Toryn was insistent on hiring him. Zuckuss was known by his peers as “the Uncanny One,” his skill and reliability had earned him respect from employers and fellow hunters alike. And for her position on this committee, Toryn wanted to make use of Zuckuss’s findsman training. Though, there was still something that stood in Toryn’s mind. “This may be something that is beyond Zuckuss’s control.” Toryn could only hope that such a warning was benign.
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