First Impressions

[Teran Atrix]

Teran couldn't have been the only person in the galaxy who saw the potential advantages offered by the United Protectorate to the rest of the galaxy. For the first time in generations there was a chance to have actual, genuine freedom in the galaxy. It wasn't a system built entirely on oppression and subjugation of its people.

It was a chance for a revolution. And if it was a chance to make the galaxy something better, then the Jedi should certainly be paying attention to it. With Senators being selected from all over the Core and Inner Rim, there were numerous politicians suddenly becoming targets of radicals, extremists, and all sorts of unsavories. That meant they needed security, and Teran thought that was a prime opening.

The young (yeah, who was he to talk?) Keira Zale was by all accounts not only brilliant, but also seemed to have run on a platform of "power to the people" which made her the perfect candidate to bring into partnership with the Galactic Alliance. He just needed to get his foot in the door.

The Force must have been watching out for the young Padawan from Taris because it just so happened that there was a job posting for security work on the new Senator's escort team. He just needed to actually prove he knew what he was doing... no pressure.

His arrival for the interview was punctual, dressed in a respectable suit with his lightsaber hidden far away. He hadn't brought along his usual gear on a job interview, and as soon as he walked into room with the other candidates, he realized he was going to have to really show up.

Men who were several inches taller than him and 50+ pounds heavier than him (all muscle, mind you) were sitting in the room waiting to be seen as well. He did his best not to gawk and tapped his foot nervously as he took a seat. Noooooo pressure, Teran. You've got this. You're a Jedi after all. Or at least, a Jedi intern. That still counts, he thought to himself, realizing that he'd never actually done a job interview before. He could only hope he wasn't going to be asked absurd questions. Oh man, he probably was... yikes.

 

[Keira Zale]

Keira was just as nervous, if not more, about getting a bodyguard. The idea seemed absurd, and she wasn’t even sure how that would work. Could she become friends with this person? Or would they be like the temp guards she was assigned that never talked to her? She arrived at the interviews, having gone through a few already.

She had an assortment of burly, older men come in. They all had the personality of a rock, and she couldn’t imagine hanging around someone she could never talk to. Her advisors told her repeatedly that bodyguards weren’t friends, but she was adamant. She may have been young, but she was no pushover. She would either have someone she could at least have two lines of conversation with or no guard at all.

After her third ‘macho’, she was close to giving up. Keira looked down down at the description, surprised to find someone her age on the list. She called him in, surprised by the smaller frame and build than the others. Keira was sitting behind a desk, clearly feeling out of place there. She managed a smile as she looked at him.

“Hi, I’m Keira Zale,” She motioned for him to sit across from her before she shook his hand.

“Can you tell me a bit about any previous guard or combat experience?” Keira had a list of questions to run through, and she would see what he had to say.

 

[Teran Atrix]

Teran's name was called and he let out a quick breath before standing and putting on his most confident face. Noooooo pressure, he repeated to himself mentally. What was the worst that could happen? He didn't get the job and went back to full time Padawan-ing. That wasn't so bad, and Force knew he could probably use the training. But he wanted to do something for the Alliance. For goodness sake, he just wanted to do something at all. Enough with the perpetual training.

He smiled warmly as he entered, sticking his hand out to grip hers and shaking it. Teran Atrix, nice to meet you, he said before taking a seat across from her. He had this vague impression that she was uncomfortable as well, and that somehow made him feel better. It also seemed to amplify the nervous energy in the room, and it was all Teran could do not to tap his leg furiously.

He figured there would be questions about his past experience, and this would be the tricky part. He couldn't just outright say that he was a Jedi, but he needed to try to sell this nonetheless.

Well, I probably don't have quite as much of it as some of these other... gentlemen I saw in the lobby, but I know how to handle myself pretty well. On Taris, I spent a lot of time protecting a clinic in the Lower City. Things could get rough there, and I made sure that everything was secure, he said. It was... partially true. Enough of it was true that he didn't feel like he was outright lying anyway. His parents had owned the clinic, and he had helped watch out for it, though most of his fighting experience was from his own scrapping rather than "defending the clinic."

I've also gone on some expeditionary operations in the past. We were doing some historical mapping and ran afoul of pirates. That and helping some miners clear out a cave of Killicks. Most of my work has been contracts here and there, he said. Again... partially true. Most of those "contract" and "expeditionary work" had been done on behalf of the Galactic Alliance, but coming out and saying that in the first question probably wasn't the best idea.

 

[Keira Zale]

As he described what he had done, she found herself listening intently. Everything the others described thus far had been boring. They usually escorted people from one function to another, and almost never ran into any trouble. This man sounded like he really got out there and came into trouble. Keira found herself trying hard not to smile.

“So you have no issues with going into seedy and questionable districts?” Keira asked before she could stop herself. It wasn’t often diplomats actually sought out such destinations, but with her platform being focused on the poverty-stricken public, she didn’t exactly frequent luxury establishments. She took the time to gather her thoughts, “I often go to very dangerous territories because I try to improve things for the less fortunate. A lot of times that means going into war-torn areas. A lot of the candidates I’ve talked to don’t have much experience with that because their clients usually don’t go to those areas.”

She looked down at his file, not seeing anything that suggested he had a military or any related background. However, she wondered about taking a chance on him just as her people had taken a chance on her. Keira looked back up at him, “Why do you think you’d be a good fit for working with me and what I do?”

 

[Teran Atrix]

She seemed to be liking his answers... or at least as best he could tell. It was always so difficult to tell how you were doing in these interviews and he didn't have enough experience to know "yay" or "nay." Keep plodding on. If you're not doing well it'll be over soon, he reminded himself, forcing his leg to stop the incessant bouncing that it had begun all on its own.

The next question was a bit surprising. He had always assumed politicians did some shady things, but... oooooooooh, that's why she was asking. Okay, that made more sense. That made a lot more sense with what she had publicly said. He really hoped she was who she said she was. He had a habit of not trusting politicians, but he could hope.

Not at all, he answered. I have no problems with being in... disreputable establishments. Many of the patients at the clinic were... he paused to think of the right word ...of questionable repute, he said, trying not to make it sound too shady.

As for why I think I'd be a good fit, I've seen your campaign, and I like what you stand for. I've met a lot of people who want to help others, and I want to be a part of that, he said. The "lot of other people" included his parents of course, but more importantly the Jedi and the Galactic Alliance.

And I think we might get along better than the other guys in the lobby, he said with a smile and a little bit of a laugh. It was a joke to lighten the tension and let out some of his own nerves, but it held some truth to it. They were about the same age, and he blended in a lot better than the Wookiee-sized men outside.

 

[Keira Zale]

Keira was already liking what he was saying, but she was especially surprised when he mentioned he liked what she fought for, “You….you know about what I campaign for?” It was shocking to her, as none of the other candidates had any inkling as to what she cared about or what her role was. They were here just to do the job and they didn’t care who the client was.

“All right Teran,” She beamed, “You’re hired,” She was actually giddy about this. Keira rose from her desk and walked over to shake his hand. She smiled widely at him, “I can’t wait!” Keira turned back and grabbed a big stack of files, plopping them into his arms, “My next target is the welfare of Gamorreans,” She said proudly, “I’m sure you’ve noticed, but they’re very misunderstood and treated and regarded so poorly. I’m going to go to their planet and offer aid and food. I want to fight for more Gamorreans in the workplace and maybe even try to get one of them elected to office!”

To any normal person, this idea would sound absolutely disastrous and insane. If Teran knew to keep a poker face, this would test him to his limits. Keira looked positively thrilled, clapping her hands together, “This will be great. Everyone is advising me against it, but I know you and I are more than enough to get this done. I want to leave tomorrow.”

 

[Teran Atrix]

He got the job?! That was great! He could tell she was excited about working with him, and he found the energy was infectious. He was all the more excited about getting started now.

He shook her hand eagerly and quickly had filed plopped in his arms that... he didn't know what to do with. Were these his homework to read tonight or was he supposed to file these? He opted to just stick them under his arm as she talked about what they had planned. I'm certainly excited, he said, not even considering that her plan might be a really bad one. He was always ready for a new adventure, and that was bound to get him - and both of them for that matter - into all sorts of trouble.

Yep, we've got this, he agreed with a nod and a smile. Time would tell, but they really probably didn't have this.

---​

The diplomatic shuttle set down on Gamorr, and Teran looked out the window of the ship. The "space port" was actually just a big, empty field that ships (the very few ships that came here) used to land. It wasn't maintained, there was no air crews, and there was very little by way of advanced civilization. Beyond the field was jungles as far as the eye could see, and he could already practically feel the humidity just by looking outside.

Senate security had wasted no time in getting him a fancy uniform that was surprisingly comfortable and practical for something that actually appeared professional. It marked him as a member of Senate Security, and allowed him to hide his lightsaber among the belt pouches.

I'll follow your lead out there, he said, though it probably went without saying. He wasn't sure how exactly to go about escorting a Senator, but he figured the less he said the better, right?

I... uh... was brushing up on my Gamorrean culture and history on the way here, and they aren't always known for their... hospitality, he said, hoping she had a plan for dealing with that. Also, he didn't speak the language, so he really hoped she had brought along a protocol droid or they might be gored.

He hit the button for the exit ramp and made his way down first to get a lay of the land and make sure there wasn't anyone down there to shoot her. That was what guards did, wasn't it?

There wasn't anyone to shoot them, but he could see a trio of very large, very tusked gamorreans heading their way in extravagant armor and with axes either in hand or hanging from their belts. They came up to the pair and promptly began to... squeal. That was really the only word Teran could think of to describe it, and he waved a hand for the droid to head down.

Oh my, yes, these are the ones we're here to visit! the protocol droid explained. Oh dear, they seem rather disgruntled by our presence here, Miss Zale. What ever should I tell them!?

 

[Keira Zale]

Keira said nothing as Teran made the remark about their hospitality. She had known about that for a long time. There was no doubt that this would be an uphill battle, and she only hoped that she could avoid having them charge and gore her. But hey, she could rely on Teran to protect her. Right? She looked over and noted his slim stature. She was screwed.

She remained silent as she watched the trio walk over. Each step seemed to shake the ground underneath them, and their weapons looked like they weighed more than she did. Keira hadn’t been on the planet before - the Gamorreans here somehow seemed much larger than the ones that she had seen outside of this planet. As the protocol droid panicked, Keira grimaced.

“Stop freaking out,” She hissed at the droid, “We can’t show fear. Even from a droid,” She said as she kept her gaze locked with the Gamorrean up front, the biggest of them all, “Tell him we come in peace. I am Senator Keira Zale and I am here with food and supplies for the poor Gamorreans of district 13. On top of that, I would like to set up trade relationships between Gamorr and Tirahnn.”

Keira stepped back slightly to stand slightly behind Teran. What kind of idiot guard was he to have her lead the way? Shouldn’t he be on the lookout for danger? She scowled at him, silently motioning for him to look remotely intimidating and step up.

 

[Teran Atrix]

Yeaaaaah, so the closer these guys got, the more intimidating they looked. This could easily turn badly, and if it did... well, he had a lightsaber, right? It kind of took away any chance of concealing who and what he was.

He saw Keira motioning toward him, evidently unsatisfied with how intimidating he looked, but he gave a nod. He didn't actually do much except take another step toward the center of the group, and one of the perimeter guards shot him a wary, drooling glance.

He watched as the droid - he was a panicky one, wasn't he - turned to translate a series of grunts and squeals that must have been what Keira had just said. There was a tense moment as the Gamorreans stood in silence. Then there was an ear-piercing squeal, and the three began marching off again.

He says that we should follow him back to the village, the droid said, and promptly started wandering off.

Are you sure about this, Senator? he asked, moving forward a bit and rubbing his hand along his hip to keep it from dropping down to his pistol. He tapped his fingers along his hip and took a deep breath.

I have... a bad feeling about this, he said. He couldn't come out and say that his Jedi senses were tingling, but there was something here that felt very off, and he was 90% sure they were walking into a trap. Whatever her decision, he was going to go along with it, and he was already pretty sure he knew her answer would be a resounding "yes" seeing their invitation as a complete win.