Chapter 7

Deltina was sourly kicking her feet in a zigzagging line, scowling at the ground half the time or silently letting tears fall during the other. It has been a week since she woke up in that hospital room. She didn’t remember much at all, but from what Kahama had told her, she had almost assumed the worst.
It was an awful sight, Deltina. You were taken by surprise and knocked out by a heavyset man with a club. I tried to fend them all off, and if Arbinger hadn’t shown up, you and I would no longer be alive. I tried my best to help Arbinger, but they soon had him isolated, and most of my strength had left me. Before I knew it, big man picked me up and hurled me against the wall. The last thing I saw was the huge mass of people piled on top of the last place I had seen Arbinger. I’m sorry, Deltina.
She had cried until dawn that night. She continued to cry still. But somehow, she had found strength in her. Strength to carry out on single and solitary purpose: to find Arbinger. She kept telling herself he wasn’t dead. He couldn’t be. She would feel so much more sorrow if he truly was. Somewhere, deep down in the bottom of her heart, she could feel his presence. She didn’t know where it was, but she knew it was him and he was alive. And so she pressed on.
Her search, though, had so far only led to dismal results. She had been unable to detect any difference in the prince’s story, but she knew there was something wrong there. So she hit the streets, checking out every bar she could. She first checked out the upper class pubs, but that had yielded no leads. Then she checked out the middle and lower class taverns and bars. No luck there, either. Finally, she checked out the scum halls, the places where she had taken some of her most dangerous work. Kidnapping or killing not only one Jedi, but two, had to have come out of places like these. Yet still, she found out nothing. She had heard all sorts of rumors coming from all the bars, the more flamboyant and outrageous ones coming from the pubs. The prince had been murdered by the Jedi. No, it was the prince who had killed the Jedi. No, the Sith had come back and killed everyone in the palace. She scoffed at all of these before turning to more likely news. Bits and pieces began floating around in her head. Everyone seemed to believe the Remnant forces in the forest were planning an all out take-over of Sigma IV. The lull in raids had made the people uneasy. And rumors of the Sith from the nobility seemed to be filtering their way down to everyone else, too. The people were tense, and fights became a more frequent event between anyone two people who sat together drunk. But other rumors began finding their ways to the ears of the people. Word of the prince doing nasty deeds to some of the housemaids soon became a common topic for joking. And thievery of the nobility also was joked about, but only among the lower class. And a few whispers in a dark corner overheard left a few people whispering more. And the whispers grew louder until everyone among the lower class had heard by now. The Queen was returning. Many people had many views on this, but it was the elderly folk who actually voiced their opinion loud enough.
“Return the Queen!”
“Down with Rocknai and tyranny!”
“Long live the Queen!”
“Death to the tyrant!” Not many folk lived long enough to voice their opinion a second time, another thing that set tongues wagging.
All of this weighed heavily on Deltina. She was easily able to discern complete foolery from what might be the truth. It was finding what was actually useful that was hard. That was always Arby’s job. His name trickled into her mind at that thought and the tears began to come again. But she refused to cry. Not here. Not out on the streets. She looked up to find where exactly she was.
She had stopped at the Diluted Wine. She had never seen this place before. She looked up and down the alley to see a few people walking by. She hadn’t just wandered out of town, but she still didn’t know where she was. She looked at the sign, wine and water intertwined to form one. She felt a small piece of comfort enter her. Fate must have led her here, or she would have never found it. With a steadying breath, wiping away any tears that might still have been riding in her eyes, she stepped into the bar.

Death of the music greeted the Tybaltian’s arrival. She looked around and saw fear, hate, and strangely enough, recognition, in the eyes of the drinkers. She saw, deep in the shadows on her left, a group of Gran, glaring daggers at her. She stepped slowly into the room and took a seat on one of the barstool. Still the music remained quiet, and all of the surrounding patrons got up and walked away from her.
“Bartender? Bartender!” she said quickly, her voice ear-piercing in the silence. The man came around from the other side hesitantly.
“Yes, um, what can I get for you?” he kept his distance from her, acting as though she were a deadly and contagious disease.
“Strongest ya’ got. Clean glass,” she said into the silence. She noticed a shuffling of the group of Gran, and one said something in his native tongue. His fellows laughed, it obviously forced. The speaker got up and came up to Deltina.
“So, you’re a Jedi. The one with him, I take.” The ‘him’ they were talking about was clear to everyone in the room. Deltina sat up slightly straighter and swallowed before answering.
“Yes. I am a Jedi. And, if you mean Arbinger, the other Jedi, than yes, I am here with him. Sorta.” The Gran chuckled softly before slamming a fist down on the bar hard.
“Good,” he glared at her with all three of his yellow eyes, blazing with heat. “Now I can exact my brother’s revenge. What would you prefer? A silver or gold platter for your head? Or perhaps a spike?”
“Now, Dibicus,” the bartender said hastily, “Take it easy now. Your brother got what was coming to him, and if you don’t step lightly I-” he froze mid-word as a blaster pistol was pointed at his head.
“Shut your hole, Cardy. I ain’t gonna cause too much trouble.” He turned his pistol to slowly point Deltina’s head. “Bye sweetie.” As his finger tightened on the trigger, Deltina’s own instincts kicked in. She instantly pushed up the gun with one hand and cleanly sliced Dibicus’s head off with one quick flip of her hand, lightsaber drawn. Her eyes followed the head as it bounced inside the bartender’s area as the body slowly fell to the floor. For the second time, the group of Gran came and silently hoisted the body away. The music and chatter came back slowly.
“I’m terribly sorry about that, miss, er, Jedi. He’s been upset ever since that other Jedi, Arbinger you said? Since Arbinger came in here and put a hole in ‘im. Was his own fault, really. But those two were one to kill anybody who crossed their path. But they’re done now. Shame really. They did a good job too… Now, what did you say you wanted?” The bartender smiled kindly at Deltina, but something in her mind told her something wasn’t right. She ran through what he had just said.
“What was their line of work?” Cardy began to look flustered before quickly answering in a rushed tone.
“Oh, nothing really. Garbage collecting and whatnot. Odd jobs.”
“Odd jobs? Like maybe, something worth carrying a pistol for? An Imperial pistol?” The bartender recoiled as if from a poisonous snake, before sighing and looking around quickly. He leaned forward on the bar before speaking in hushed tones.
“They worked for the Resistance. Well, sorta. They were my contacts to the Resistance. Through them, I was able to pass along important information. Or what I deemed important. But now it seems I have to have them replaced. They were growing rowdy anyway,” He stopped and looked Deltina up and down quickly. “Say, you wouldn’t be interested in the job, would ya’? Not much in the way of pay, but the Queen never forgets anyone in her service.” Deltina looked back into the eager eyes of the bartender.
“No thanks. I’m afraid I have more pressing matters at hand. Thank you though.”
“No problem. Least I can do for you. But, would you mind passing this along to that friend of yours? We haven’t seen him in some time.” He slipped her a small envelope. She picked it up quickly and slid it in her pocket before turning back to the bartender. “That all?” He stood up and resumed the indifference of his trade.
“Yes. Thank you.”

She stepped outside of the dingy darkness of the bar into the shadows of the alleyway. She hurriedly stuck her hand in her pocket and grabbed the note before she looked up and saw the Gran walking towards her. They were talking amongst themselves, but if she was seen here, stooped over a piece of paper, they might start getting ideas. So she took her hand out and started to walk towards the street, trying to find a secluded place. She came out into the daylight and saw that she was near the park, so she turned that way. She all but ran in the front gates and she walked right off the path into some thick bushes. She ducked down and looked around before she pulled the note out and ripped it open, careless of the seal.

Jedi,
It seems that the times are growing more dire. I need to see you. The person you got this from. Find him again. Midnight. I’ll see you the day you get this.

The note wasn’t signed, but for the first time in a week, Deltina felt an uplifting sense of hope enter her. She finally had a lead to Arbinger, and nothing, not even the oblivion of the universe, would stop her.