Work Text:
2 ABY
Imperial Loyalty Officer Sinjir Rath Velus stood in the office of his immediate supervisor reviewing his latest assignment. Normally very astute, Sinjir found himself reading the order twice to comprehend its meaning. He raised his eyes to the woman in front of him. “I’m not sure I understand what I am being asked to do.”
“You are to go to Naboo and question this Miri Jinn Kordesy. You are to ascertain if this is a valid missing persons report.”
Sinjir shook his head slowly. “With all due respect, surely the local authorities could handle this…”
“Young man, these orders come directly from the Grand Vizier himself. I suggest you refrain from speaking any further and do what you are told. Yes?”
Sinjir sighed. “Yes, sir.”
“Your talents have not gone unnoticed. That is why you got this assignment. Now, go. I’m sure I will have more exciting work for you when you return.”
His supervisor laughed quietly to herself as Sinjir exited the room.
***
If there was one thing Sinjir hated, it was being bored. Usually, a nice strong drink would alleviate the restless feeling currently threatening to take hold. This trip so far had been so very dry and so very dull.
It was midday when he arrived on Naboo. The sun was annoyingly bright and shiny. Sinjir wanted nothing to do with the sun, the smartly dressed people, the elegant architecture, the gourmet food, etc. No. All he wanted in that moment was a bit of shade and a cool drink, or a hot drink, or a tepid drink. It didn’t matter what the temperature was exactly.
But first, he had to visit a little old lady who had apparently misplaced a couple of family members.
His preconceived notions were discarded as soon as the woman opened her door. First, Miri Jinn Kordesy was not little. Depending on her footwear, she could easily stand eye-to-eye with him.
Nor was she old. Sure, she was older. The datapad he carried listed her age at 58 standard years, but there was nothing wizened about her appearance. She had pleasant features with laugh lines and some slight softening of the skin at her jawline and neck.
She was dressed simply in a flowing purple garment that could be mistaken for a dressing gown, if not for the thickness of the fabric. Silver-gray hair was upswept neatly into a simple style favored by many women of Naboo. Her eyes narrowed when he announced who he was, but she politely ushered him inside the Jinn-Kordesy home.
Sinjir quickly scanned the room. Part of what made him so good at his job was his ability to take in many details from a single glance. If he was not obvious in his assessment, then he was less likely to put his subject on guard.
What he saw did not surprise him. The living space seemed clean, if a bit cluttered. In the corner of the great room stood an easel with a canvas. The subject of the painting (which looked half-finished) was of a mother and her child. Containers of paint and paintbrushes were piled on a small table nearby. The room opened out onto a veranda with a table and four chairs. An infant cradle-swing sat empty save for a small blanket draped to one side.
He also noticed what looked like a well-stocked bar of spirits on the other side of the room. He hoped his hostess would offer him a drink—which he should decline, as he was technically on-duty. Sinjir set that thought aside and followed Miri to the table. He pulled out a chair and sat down at her invitation.
“You will have to excuse me for staring, Mr. Rath Velus. I didn’t think filing a missing persons report would warrant the attention of an Imperial Loyalty Officer. You have caught me off-guard,” she said with a chuckle as she removed a slim metal case from her pocket.
“I understand, madam. This is a bit unusual, but I assure you, the whereabouts of your family is of great concern to the empire.”
Sinjir watched as she opened the case to reveal a neat line of stim-sticks, ten in total. Extracting one and balancing it between two fingers, Miri gestured towards him.
“Do you smoke, sir?”
He shook his head with a mild expression. “No. That is not my vice of choice.”
Miri smiled ruefully. “I should quit. I really should.”
From another pocket, she produced an antique-looking lighter, one with a flint and open flame. Sinjir sat quietly and watched her light the stim-stick and inhale. After a moment, she exhaled, turning her head to the side to avoid blowing smoke in his direction. “So what, may I ask, is your ‘vice of choice’?”
Sinjir relaxed his shoulders and smiled slightly. “I enjoy drink, spirits of all sorts. It’s quite a hobby of mine, I must say.”
Miri raised her eyebrows and stood suddenly, leaving her stim-stick on a shallow tray. “Then you, young man, are in luck. I happen to be one of the finest distillers of spirits on this world or any other.”
“That’s a bold claim.”
She crossed the room to regard her collection of bottles and decanters. “I wouldn’t say it if it wasn’t true, but I’ll let my product speak for itself. Just a moment.”
Sinjir knew he needed to maintain control of this situation, but what harm could one drink do? He also found it quite curious that Ms. Kordesy had not yet asked if he had new information about her nephew and his family. While waiting for his libation, Sinjir clicked through his datapad and brought up their files.
Miri returned to the table carrying a tray with a bottle and two small glasses. The bottle itself was clear, which allowed Sinjir to see that the liquid inside was a rich golden color. Miri poured two shots and set one in front of him. He lifted the glass, pausing to take in a floral aroma with just a hint of spice. It would be sweet—of that he was sure. Trusting that Miri was in fact a good imperial citizen and not trying to poison him, Sinjir tipped the glass back and drank.
It was sweet, but not overwhelmingly so. A pleasant warmth cascaded smoothly down his throat to his stomach. It took about 30 seconds before he felt the true strength of the elixir.
“Could this be what love feels like?” he thought to himself as he stared at the empty shot glass in his hand.
“Would you like another?”
“Absolutely, thank you. Your accolades are well deserved, madam. I have never tasted anything quite like this before. It’s… excellent.”
Miri smiled while she refilled his glass. “We should talk about the reason for your visit,” she said retaking her seat.
Sinjir winced slightly as he realized he had momentarily forgotten his purpose. “Yes. Please tell me everything, from the beginning.” He pulled his datapad closer, resolutely ignoring the shot glass in front of him.
“Every year, my friends and I take a cruise to celebrate a prosperous season at the farmer’s market where we sell our products. Not just spirits, mind you, but cheese, artisan bread, handwoven textiles, pottery, artwork and crafts… you get the idea.”
Sinjir nodded for her to continue.
“We were gone for two weeks. When we returned, Eder, Talia and the baby were gone. At first, I thought they were away visiting friends. But I contacted everyone I could think of, and no one had seen them for weeks. That’s when I knew something was wrong. You see, most of their things are still here.”
Sinjir looked down at his pad and skimmed the missing persons report again. “So you filed the report how long after you returned home?”
“On the third day.”
Everything appeared to be exactly as documented. Also, so far, he could find no indication that Miri Jinn Kordesy was being anything but open and truthful. He glanced briefly at the golden liquid and forged ahead. “Please continue.”
Miri spread her hands in front of her on the table. “Well, that’s it. I filed the report and received confirmation that someone would follow up with me within the week and here you are.”
“Just for clarification. You have not heard from your nephew or his wife, at all, for almost three weeks now, correct?”
She sighed as if losing her patience, “Yes, that is correct.” From yet another pocket, Miri withdrew her own datapad. She pressed the screen pulling open a message and then pushed the pad across the table towards him.
Sinjir picked up the pad and turned it clockwise so he could read it as Miri continued speaking.
“After I filed the missing persons report, I found this comm. It was for Talia, from the office of the Grand Vizier, ordering her to appear at the Imperial Palace on Coruscant with her daughter. Tell me, Loyalty Officer Rath Velus, what does the emperor want with an infant?”
Sinjir was aware of the order. What he couldn’t say to anyone was that he found it rather odd and disturbing in a way he was not quite able to articulate. Normally, he had little regard for human larvae. Having been a child once himself, he knew that they weren’t all that great or special. Same could be said for adults most of the time, as well.
He picked up the shot glass and slammed the liquid to the back of his throat, swallowing quickly. “I can’t say.” It was a lame response, he knew, but it was all he had at the moment.
“You can’t say because you don’t know? Or you do know and you aren’t allowed to say?” There was steel in her voice now and a flinty light in her dark eyes.
Sinjir nodded and reached for the bottle to pour himself another shot. The drink was producing the most delightful sensation of warmth and euphoria, with just a little fuzziness. “Madam, I can honestly say that I do not know why the emperor wants to examine the child. I am sure his reason is well above my pay grade.”
Miri seemed slightly satisfied with that, her posture shifting just a fraction. She picked up the forgotten stim-stick and took a long drag before stubbing it out on the tray. She exhaled through her nostrils and picked up her own shot glass to drink.
“Have you any reason to suspect that they may have run off to join the rebel cause?”
Her expression was incredulous. “Join the rebellion with a baby in tow? No. My son, Eder’s cousin, Keller, was stationed at the Death Star when it was destroyed. This family is loyal to the empire and we have paid for that loyalty in blood.”
Sinji held up his palm. “I mean no disrespect. Truly. But I am expected to ask these questions. Can you think of anywhere they may have gone? To friends or extended family, perhaps, off-world?”
“No, I am all the family they have. Talia’s people died off years ago. As for their friends, they are all here on Naboo.”
Sinjir was thoughtful for a moment and then leaned forward handing her datapad back. “Let me ask you this: if you had found that comm sooner, would you still have filed the missing persons report?”
Miri’s expression became pensive as she refilled her glass. “That is a good question. One that I am not sure I can answer.”
He didn’t press her for an answer. It wouldn’t make a difference to the current situation. The report was filed and that was a fact. Eder, Talia and baby Ava were missing, that also was a fact.
He remained silent and continued his observation. He suspected that the Jinn family must have felt threatened by the emperor’s order. Technically, because of the extension of her maternity leave, it would be months before Talia Jinn would be considered AWOL. For now, they were simply unaccounted for.
Forensic accountants have already gone through the Jinn family holdings. Unless a number of credits had been stockpiled in a safe somewhere, they left with very little funds. That struck Sinjir as unwise. The empire would continue to monitor the bank accounts for activity, which would provide clues to their whereabouts.
Sinjir took a deep breath. “You can be assured, madam, that we are taking this situation seriously. The empire is actively looking for your family.”
“Why?”
“Excuse me?” He asked, as if shocked by the question, but not.
“Eder is retired. Talia is just a sculptor. So why the trouble?” Miri frowned fidgeting with the stim-stick case.
“Again, I do not think I am qualified to give you a satisfactory answer under the circumstances.”
She nodded. “Understood. May I ask, what will happen if they are found?”
Sinjir sat back and crossed his legs. “If they are found before the end of Talia’s leave, they will be questioned and that is it, I suppose. It would be considered an administrative matter. She may or may not receive a reprimand, but nothing too severe.”
“I see. And if they are found after ?”
He cocked his head slightly to one side. “That would be a different matter entirely, I’m afraid. You see, in a little over four months, your niece will be considered absent without leave. With the emperor involved, we can assume that she would be considered a fugitive at that point. She would be charged with desertion. Your nephew would also be charged for aiding a fugitive. There would be a trial… and if found guilty, they could be executed for treason.”
Her worried expression changed little though she closed her eyes and exhaled slowly. After a moment, she whispered, “And the baby?”
“I don’t know.”
Miri picked up her shot glass again and drank. Setting the empty glass down in front of her, she raised her eyes to Sinjir. He recognized fear in her gaze.
“I appreciate your honesty, Mr. Rath Velus,” she said evenly.
He held up his shot glass and smiled slightly. “And I appreciate your hospitality.”
Miri stood and smoothed the fabric of her gown. “I have a bottle you can take with you. And please feel free to look around the house, if you think it will help your investigation.”
Sinjir felt an annoying pluck of sympathy, but smiled again, more naturally this time, and thanked his hostess. He departed shortly thereafter, with a bottle of Miri’s Liquid Love tucked under his arm. He had been ordered to investigate the validity of the missing persons report and he had done just that.
His job was finished and yet from time to time, he would find himself thinking back to this odd case and the little family that got caught up in the emperor’s machinations. He would wonder whatever happened to them-- but never enough to bother checking the files. And he would smile slightly, remembering the taste of Miri Kordesy’s magic, because he will never find it’s equal… though he most certainly tried.
-end-