Private Hymn for the Missing

[Zenitha Chuma]

The way the racer woman quickly picked up on vague directions, the easy manner in which she asked questions and offered advice, all seemed to put the young heiress at ease. She found herself nodding along, a simple smile accompanying her calm and satisfaction. All by herself, Zenie had found the resourceful Dani Stellaris, who was meeting all of her expectations.

She was sure that they would soon find all the answers she was looking for.

Zenie took in the sights as they traveled past, quickly leaving the last glimpses of the town behind them. Everywhere she turned, the land wore the same haggard expression of its people. Piles of excavated dirt and debris had grown vegetation, sitting around long enough to become part of the landscape. Gullies ran a murky green, shimmering with a cast of light off the runoff floating on top as they made their way into the closest river. Abandoned equipment sat by the side of the roadways, looking not very old to the Belazuran girl's eyes, given over to the elements despite it all. Decay lay bare all around them, numbing the young heiress into another somber tone to answer the woman.

"That's what Tanja keeps telling me, that I have to prioritize. She's our Head of Strategy, though, and much older than me, so she's had a lot of time to work it all out." Zenie almost felt disappointed in that fact for a moment, wondering if Tanja had figured out priorities when the managerial wonder woman had been her age. It wouldn't surprise her in the least, everyone in ZINO was so good at what they did. Only Maylon was open about his past struggles. Maybe that was why the teen heiress liked him the best out of all of her campaign's leaders. "I just want to prioritize Belazura, and getting it back."

A moment later, Zenie realized how self-serving that sounded, tacking on, "To how it was before. Or..."

Something better?

The Belazuran girl wasn't sure what that could look like. People like Tanja and Haavi had those visions, and so did Ms. Sun. They had the chance to travel all over the galaxy, with different jobs to bring them into contact with new or novel ways of life. They knew what Belazura could look like, and Zenie knew they could make it happen. Not that they were telling the teen heiress, except for what to do and where to go.

"No, to better than before. That's my next steps."

Zenie made the promise to herself, even as it hung in the air between them. The noise of the speeder cut through the silence, muffling the soft, nervous giggle from the teen heiress. She turned to Dani again, pressing a hand against her sternum for a moment. "I must be confusing you. I'm used to talking with people who already know who I am, I'm sorry."

She nodded firmly, braids bobbing against the slippery fabric of her jacket. Then Zenie started explaining to Dani, "My dad was the governor of Belazura, Kjell Chuma, before he was assassinated in a coup which put Diviak Manfloon in his office instead. So I grew up on Belazura, most of the traveling I did was with my dad, and for different events or appearances. I guess you could say I grew up all over Belazura, but really I lived in the capital city and grew up with almost anything I could dream of."

A breath of air came out from the teen's nose, her hands spread to indicate everything beyond the speeder itself. She squinted, thinking she could spot a familiar landmark ahead, continuing on in the meantime. "None of this makes sense to me. We use to have enough for everyone, my dad worked hard to make sure of that. People loved him, the tourism brought in credits, and it all went into keeping Belazura beautiful. That's what ZINO is all about, making Belazura beautiful again, it's why it's called Zcenery Is Not Obscene. Like 'scenery' but with a Z, because..."

Zenie indicated herself, her cheeks turning a rosy pink. She was glad the farm was quicking approaching on the road ahead, feeling suddenly awkward next to the woman. She could make this pitch so much easier to a high-class sponsor, with Dani it almost felt like an embarrassing secret to reveal. "Well, every movement needs a face. That's me, Zenitha Chuma, the rightful heir to Belazura."

Awkward as it felt, as she said the words aloud, even Zenie found herself believing it all over again.

Dani Stellaris Kal​

 

[Dani Stellaris]

It helped to be a bit worldly. That was what she was hoping she could bring to the girl with her. But not just her, anyone really. This galaxy needed healing and she was here for it. Healing the worlds, healing the citizens. However that meant wherever she went. Working on one's own took a lot, but it was worth it. And she could help this kid.

At least for the day, maybe for the long term. This world needed someone to help it. And while Dani was traveling on the circuit and on her own discovery journey, Belazura would be home for now. She had a person to help, and there was good work to be done here. She could fill the Pick Up with a lot of things if she had a place to keep her gear. Bring back some fertilizer, seeds, water, nutrients… Bring it to other worlds damaged this way. Worlds that needed fixing.

The wind in her pulled her back to where she was. "Well, you need to know what you want, you set that goal up, and then you break parts of it down…" Dani spoke. She didn't have much knowledge in approaching something without a fighter squadron. "Same as any mission. You find your ultimate goal, then you break a team into smaller goals to get there…" Simple, really.

Not that she was a commander.

One thing that Dani didn't do, was question most people. She wasn't from this world, and who knew how long she'd stay. What she saw was a girl handing out food, and that girl became very … complicated very fast. That wasn't a bad thing, but it was just… a thing.

Smiling as the girl was speaking, and getting a small chuckle out of her when Zenie indicated herself with the Z for Scenery bit, Dani nodded. "There is normally enough to go around, if the ones at the top let them. Sounds like those who moved in following your father… they've done a lot of damage. But just like the farms that are out here, it can all be regrown…"

The speeder slowed to a stop as they found the destination. And Dani knew she'd be staying on this world a bit longer.

Zenitha Chuma Kal

 

[Zenitha Chuma]

Zenie had never seen grass long enough to bloom. Grass, to the Belazuran girl, meant lawns. Well-manicured plots of grass meant to be seated by, or played on, and then mowed to a crisp, short height. The stalks that waved along the sides of the road —by this point marked only by the worn-down ruts made by heavier vehicles — had mostly reached budding height, and among those a few had begun to flower. The petals were a dull color, nothing stunning by horticulture standards. Zenie had been exposed to both botanical gardens and urban ornamental landscaping that far surpassed the roadside display here. Yet passing alongside the long rows of the grass flowers she had ever seen, Zenie couldn't help but stare agape at the sight of them.

The teen heiress was so entranced, she nearly missed the entrance to the farming commune, only recognizing the color of the vivid scene out front. The road was left to its own devices, but the sign was given as much care as the rest of the farm. As Dani navigated the speeder in through the entrance, Zenie found herself welcomed by the brightly painted buildings and dappled hues of the livestock herded close to the main complex. None of it carried the worn, battered look of the buildings and people in town. Here Zenie discovered a new breed of chaos, seeming so haphazard and disorganized, but no less cared for than the lawns of Belazura Past.

Life.

"Oh, pull over there, let's ask someone." Zenie waved the racer woman to drive alongside one of the workers, the closest person to them so far. The Arcona was attending some kind of a machine, one not quite like any droid that she recognized. Now the young heiress wished she had paid closer attention the last time Haavi brought her here, she didn't know what or who to ask for. Zenie was beginning to realize just how impossible a task it was to find someone, even in a community as small as this one. "Hello? I'm looking for someone, can you help me?"

The Belazuran girl wore a smile as she waved the reptilian worker over, nodding and beckoning several times before the Arcona stood to shuffle over to them. She started in before he could ask, "Your farm sells to Haavi, right?"

"We do?"

"I remember coming here with him once, we picked up supplies for the Tioli Center." She hesitated, unsure about the Arcona's blank expression in response. Zenie had expected, or at least hoped for, a better reception than this. She prompted again, "The Tioli Center in town?"

"We aren't sure, one moment." The blonde girl settled back into the speeder, tossing a questionable glance over at Dani as the worker shuffled away. They were back in a few minutes, accompanied by another farmhand, a Human woman this time. She stripped off her gloves before stepping over to the speeder, where Zenie leaned forward again with an eager face.

Now this person would be helpful, she just knew it.

"Do you know Haavi? He runs the Tioli Center in town." The woman bobbed her head, and the teen took that as a prompt to continue. "Well, I'm looking for him. I came here with him one time to pick up supplies, so I remembered you sell to him, and thought you might have some idea where he is right now."

Careful eyes stared at the young heiress, looking her over like a droid with a broken motivator. The woman gently shook her head. "I'm sorry, child, Haavi hasn't been here for a while." When Zenie's shoulders slumped, she quickly added, "I remember that old Togruta, blue head-tails right?"

Zenie brightened again, nodding eagerly at the farmhand. Maybe finding Haavi wouldn't be so difficult after all. "You've heard from him?"

The woman wavered, glancing over to Dani in the driver's seat before looking back at the bright-eyed girl. Then she made a sound that cut the teen heiress to her core, and Zenie was grateful to be sitting down. Her words were slow and drawn out, and the farmhand inclined her head toward the main building, "I think you two had better come inside, meet Soont Ki. She has something you'll want to hear."

"I think we should..." A somber voice came low and quiet from the teen heiress, suddenly too small for her seat. She felt so suddenly small, the enormity of her task looming over once again. Zenie wasn't afraid of it now, she wanted to know Haavi's fate more than anything, yet still it loomed large in her mind. No one would tell her if he was hurt or even still alive, only glimpses at something ominous. It reflected in the teen's voice, couched only by something Dani had told her earlier.

Smaller goals.

Zenie took a breath, and sat up, perching at the edge of the seat. Her hand gripped the side of the speeder, ready to get out and follow. All she had to do was follow this woman, the helpful farmhand, in to meet this Soont Ki. Then she'd hear something important about Haavi.

That was easy, right?

"I need to hear this," Zenie was decided now, pointing toward the colorful main building. She wasn't suggesting or pleading this time, as she had to do with Montin or Tanja. Zenie was taking charge. "Let's go in."

Dani Stellaris Kal​

 

[Dani Stellaris]

Seeing a world like this reminded her of a few things. A few topics that Dani herself didn't feel comfortable breaching with many others. Her history in this galaxy was one thing but her true history, was a little bit outstanding, almost outlandish to others when she had to bring it up. It was better if they just understood a few things, her honest connection to Corellia, to the Alliance, and a few other odds and ends. This part of Belazura though, it was reminding her of the past that she held onto, yet protected as strongly as she could.

If she was even allowed to go back, she was unsure.

When Zenie called out to move closer, Dani smiled and nodded. "Sure thing!" And slowed down the speeder to bring it to an easy stop. Turning her head to see who Zenie was talking with, she was listening as this was the official request for direction. Dani had no idea where they were exactly going, but with a destination? She could learn. As the conversation continued, Dani removed her helmet and took a more relaxed position on her speeder.

Didn't sound good, though, a missing Haavi… Maybe no missing, but it seemed similar to missing for Dani's definition. And being called inside. She looked quizzically at Zenie who seemed eager, and nodded back to the younger woman.

"Sure thing." She took her helmet and propped it next to the speeder, and moved it into a more off-the-path location before powering it down. "Just let me know if you need me to watch anyone specific." When they had a moment before entering, Dani offered to Zenie.

Zenitha Chuma

 

[Zenitha Chuma]

Anticipation held her in complete suspension. When Zenie got out of the speeder, it was gingerly, as if any sudden movement would shatter the moment. She drew in careful breaths, nodding demurely to the farmhand's pleasantries and words of endearment as they headed inside the main building, Dani close behind. The young heiress was caught surprised by the racer woman a moment before they entered.

"What do we need to watch for?" The Belazuran girl peered curiously at her new friend, wide eyes open at Dani's implication. Her muscles tensed as she drew in a quick breath, stepping back into something that squished under her foot. Zenie's voice was a whisper as she asked, "Do you think they're...lying to us?"

The teen heiress shook her head, looking down at her shoe for the first time. Her heel was covered in muck, looking distinctly organic of some kind. She frowned at it, wrinkling her nose at the heavy suggestion of odor wafting up from the newly-disturbed pile, drawing out an, "Oh gross." Zenie realized she wasn't talking about her shoe, looking back up to Dani, "They want to help us, why would they be lying?"

A sound drew Zenie's attention inside, a voice growing louder as it approached the door. "You're the little girl asking about Haavi?"

Zenie nodded enough to toss her braids again, ignoring the remark about her age. She lifted her chin higher, climbing the few steps to meet the threshold of the door, and the woman standing behind it, face to face. Soont Ki was an older woman, aging gracefully into her years, though wrinkles lined her temples and forehead as she squinted down at Zenie standing in the outdoor light. The teen heiress held out her hand, level with her shoulder as she was taught, making a silent request for others to meet her height. "Yes, I'm Zenitha Chuma. You might have heard of me, I'm working with a—"

"ZINO, yes, yes, yes. Not everyone is so quick to forget your father, Zenitha." The woman drew her lips into a line, blowing out air forcefully through her nose. She took Zenitha's hand, shaking it more firmly than the teen heiress expected for her age, and ignored the relief on the teen's face when she let go. "I didn't expect it to be you to be asking about Haavi, but I suppose if anyone is entitled to answers, it's you. Come in."

Zenie took a step forward, sparing a glance back at Dani. She hadn't expected such a forward invitation at the sound of her name, and it fit neatly into the insinuation the racer woman made earlier. Before she could ask, Soont Ki called after her, "Would you like some tea? You seem a little young to be drinking caf yet."

"Oh! Yes, ma'am, please." Zenitha nodded to nobody in front of her, stepping inside the main building. She paused at a mat, wiping off her shoes as best she could, grimacing slightly at the soft manure embedded deep in its treads when she looked. Shaking it did nothing, so the Belazuran girl simply set it down and looked around.

The great room of the main building boasted a large table in front of her, with chairs for at least a dozen people. It wasn't like the posh or fancy dining rooms Zenie was used to, or the sparse trappings from her time spent with Denon's discrete. The dining set was made of wood, and it seemed real underneath her fingertips, firm and well-crafted. There were devices and modern conveniences scattered around, but the table centerpiece spoke volumes about the kinds of people living here.

They were the kinds of people Belazura needed.

Her mouth hung half-open, with a smile to match her bright eyes. Zenie might have come in to hear about Haavi, but now she was excited about something else. Here she didn't see people eking out an existence at the edge of despair, nor were these the vaunted elites the teen heiress was used to treating with. Soont Ki's farming commune were not just people capable of standing on their own two feet, from what Zenie was already seeing, they had something she had been working hard to rebuild on Belazura.

Hope.

"Here you are, Zenitha." Soont Ki was back with two steaming mugs of tea, and she set them down in front of her visitors. The woman sat down at the table, the crafted chair fitting her like a glove, and gestured for them to join her. "I've worked with Haavi for many years, even before your father's passing and Governor Manfloon's installment. He came to me when Vysh-Kolluri's operations here started to expand, and we made an arrangement."

Zenie sipped from her mug, hesitating at the hot liquid burning her lips and the tip of her tongue. She had tried tea before, and remembered liking it. The teen hadn't remembered how the scalding heat numbed her tongue to the taste. She set it down on the table again, alternating from wrapping her hands around the mug and keeping them close by. "You supplied the Tioli Center he started, didn't you?"

The woman nodded, as if there was more to say about it. Zenie decided to finish anyway, "Unfortunately, it was closed down. I don't know why or how, nobody in town will tell me. They just know that Haavi disappeared without a trace."

"That's why he hasn't come to pick up his latest shipment." Soont mused on the new information, staring solemnly out the front windows. The farmer woman's mouth was back in its tight line, and now Zenitha was sure it wasn't because of her presence. She sighed, staring directly at the young heiress with a look of resignation. "There was another part of our arrangement that I would have rather nobody known about, but it might be too late for that now."

Zenie leaned in, the tea forgotten at once. This was everything she had come for, her day's purpose since discovering the abandoned center in town. If Soont Ki knew where Haavi was, then she could go to him, convince him to come back. ZINO could help arrange for protection or better supplies, and then everything would go back to the way it was before. She was breathing quickly now, Zenie's eyes eagerly awaiting the woman's next words.

"You see, Haavi was deeply in debt to Vysh-Kolluri."

Dani Stellaris Kal​

 

[Dani Stellaris]

The challenge with being Dani was that she had so many gifts, but her people were not well known in this galaxy. She had a secret, well, several, to keep. Mostly for her own protection. She had gifts in the Force, but there were parts of her own story that even among her own people made her a bit extraordinary.

The plight of Belazura was one thing that finally gave her more drive than even supporting the Alliance. She was all for the Alliance and their message, but serving in a military? That was counter to what she was taught as a child. To heal and to help. To rebuild. But as a person with some military training, she was going to be able to help this heiress.

Her caution was getting the better of her and she looked to Zenie. "No… I don't think so. A few too many years traveling alone, it makes you look at things differently, and not always for the better." Shaking her head, the blonde ran a hand up and adjusted her ponytail. "No. They have no reason to." Yet. Get it together, Dani, don't get Zenie afraid of all who sound honest.

The call from inside definitely brought Dani's focus forward. The fact that this woman knew Zenie's father was a good sign. And not forgetting him? Dani was trying to feel if she was being honest, but the chance to reach out into the Force to touch the mind of the woman. Following the pair in, Dani could only smile as she saw the new room. Wood, and alive, warm. Not full of metallic alloys and compounds. Around the home, it should always be something sustainable, or pulled nearly raw from the planet. Zenie would be able to see the smile on Dani's features as she looked around.

Taking the mug of tea, the blonde hybrid smiled. She was going to allow Zenie to speak, but the warm tea, in ceramic as opposed to an alloy or plastoid materials. Watching Zenie, she nodded as she calmly sipped the brew.

The debt was concerning. "How?" Dani blurted out before even thinking about it.

Zenitha Chuma Kal

 

[Zenitha Chuma]

It took a moment for the shock to register on the Belazuran girl's face, a storm of emotions swirling just beneath the surface. Haavi was a good friend to her, someone she could look up to. He set an example for the entire community, too. To learn that he was deeply indebted to the very corporation that now effectively ran the town was more than a shock to her. Zenie sat dumbfounded, staring past Soont Ki to the wall behind her, head reeling with thoughts.

Haavi still wasn't someone she knew very well. What was it Ms. Sun was always teaching her? Every person she met was playing a character, either fictional or close to the truth. Zenie hated thinking that everyone around her was lying about themselves. It made sense for politicians, or business-people like Montin, their jobs relied on convincing other people to agree. Actors, too, she knew they were technically lying about themselves but it was supposed to be entertaining. Regular people like Haavi, or even her best friend Daiya, they didn't always lie to her about themselves.

Did they?

"Haavi wouldn't put himself in debt. Not to them." Not to Vysh-Kolluri, the one group dedicated to breaking down his community and pushing his friends and neighbors past burnout. The teen heiress was convinced Haavi was a force for good, she had seen so with her own eyes. Zenie trained those eyes now on Soont, her gaze a silent plea to the commune's matron.

"It's not quite as simple as that." The older woman let out a weighty breath, placing her palms flat on the table. She considered Dani first, letting Zenie's defense hang in the air unanswered. "It's been hard for a lot of folks around here, ever since," Soont Ki glanced at Zenie pointedly, "since your father left the planet to Diviak Manfloon."

Zenie drew in a sharp breath, her body gearing up for a word of protest. Soont wasn't the first misinformed person the teen heiress had ever met, there were many politicians and business-people, even ordinary people, who repeated the official story. Some of them didn't know any better, that was why ZINO existed. To prove it was wrong, that Kjell Chuma would never have turned over his beloved world to such a destructive villain, that it belonged in the care of someone better taught. She had her mouth open, ready to say the words, and it snapped closed instead.

Something in the way Soont Ki accused her father felt like she blamed him.

"When visitors stopped coming on vacation, so many of the jobs vanished. People couldn't afford to eat or pay rent, and many of them left. Those who stayed, for family or because this is all they know, took the meager jobs corps like Vysh-Kolluri offered." The woman motioned casually, as if that was nothing more than typical on Belazura. Across from her, the teen's gaze narrowed, more words bubbling up inside her. Words that Tanja would be very disappointed by. Zenie was supposed to convince people, not argue with them.

"Couldn't they work here?" the teen heiress asked carefully, realizing a moment later she had interrupted as the woman was about to continue. Zenitha swallowed her words back to a small chuckle from the farmer woman, shrinking against the chair. Every ringing sound of laughter stung as it hit her, making her feel even smaller. All the people around the young heiress could withstand far worse, why couldn't she?

"I hired as many as I could, young miss. Everyone on this farm has to pull their own weight. You've come from town, so tell me. How many of them could handle a day in our fields?" The words rang harshly around Zenie, who sat forward again but found her eyes fixated on the mug of tea in front of her. Soont looked back to Dani, shifting the conversation back to the previous topic as Zenie listened carefully. "Haavi was more than welcome to pitch in. Only he had loftier visions, a kinder heart. He started the community center in town to start giving away the things he had, and then some."

Soont seemed to leave the words there, expecting they could explain everything. Zenie looked up, confusion written on her face, fighting back a reflex as the older woman turned her gaze back to her. "I was happy to sell food to him for a reasonable price, even at cost for some of it. Our farm relies on the town, and Haavi was doing his best to keep it going." The woman sighed. "Haavi's tab got quite long, and Vysh-Kolluri offered double what it was worth...and we weren't the only ones they made that offer to."

Every muscle in the teen's body shook, and hot tea splattered over the rim of her mug. Zenie gasped and looked down at it, staring in bleary confusion at the redness growing on her hands before tucking them into her lap. Her world grew blurry until she wiped at her eyes, looking over to Dani in desperation. She was at a loss now, wondering what could possibly be the next steps from this.

"Our farm needed the credits too, as much as we try, we're not entirely self-sufficient. What was I supposed to do?"

Dani Stellaris Kal​

 

[Dani Stellaris]

It would take a bit of time to understand the intricacies of Belazura and even more to understand ZINO. Dani was willing to learn and where she could help out. But with so many other challenges? Where she came from, as a kid, it wasn't like this galaxy. Sure, there was conflict, but her parents were scavengers, and that was a decent job. Scavenging the old world that she was from, in that companion to this galaxy. She didn't want her own history to come in and change what people thought of her, lest they'd try to head to Besh for… whatever they wanted. No, the Houses of Ralos were working very similar to what she was gleaming from ZINO.

Or at least Zenie's approach.

Help the world, help each other. Dani could really get behind this. Age did seem to temper her, didn't it? A student of a Fallanassi inspired sect, and learning the ways of the Matukai, she had some tricks up her sleeve should she need it. If she needed to protect this girl, she'd let her skills show. Until then, she was going to be a traveling trader, looking to find odd jobs around the galaxy.

What she was going to do was listen.

Dani knew how hard it could be in some places. The systems outside of Rolas, the system of Corellia, or Coruscant, any of the planets in the main galaxy seemed to have issues with short supplies and even shorter tempers. Watching the woman that Zenie was speaking to, and furrowed her brow when she mentioned the kid's father… left the planet to someone? There was a bit of emotion rising and Dani figured now wasn't the time.

"There are always challenges… With more needing work away from the corporations… is it possible to purchase more land? To help heal the world and stick it to the corporations?" She had ideas of maybe even trying to hire a few… There were ideas in her mind. She had some meager winnings coming to her, a transport or two, and an import and export of food stuffs, seeds, and water could be beneficial… But of course she was just spit balling.

It'd need some capital, but they could use the farm or farms to help the nearby towns and region, and maybe even use the ships to extend their reach…

Zenitha Chuma Kal

 

[Zenitha Chuma]

The racer woman was calm!

Dani's even tones and tactful words drew bitter thoughts from the young heiress, a violent departure from all of her skills and training to this point. Anger flashed hot through her body, and Zenie had to clasp her hands in her lap to keep them from shaking. The teen was bursting at the seams, ready to unleash, and her only ally sounded far too understanding. Why wasn't she mad like Zenie?

"You didn't have to sell him out!" Zenitha lost her calm, the professional demeanor that had carried her through the day since finding the Tioli Center abandoned and ransacked. Those around her taught the teen heiress to speak and act maturely, expecting her to act like an adult in order to get any recognition. Now she sat in front of one woman admitting to pure selfishness while another seemed to be endorsing it, neither of which seemed very adult to her. "Haavi was just trying to do what was right, and you said yourself he helped your farm survive. And then you just turned your back on him, and for what?"

The teen didn't care that her outburst was turning eyes toward her, or that it was reaching outside of the farmhouse building.

"Credits!"

The teen slumped back in her chair, her arms folded against her chest. She clenched her jaw, as if that quell her body's tiny shakes or douse her fevered nerves. Her hard eyes stared down the older farmer, whom she'd interrupted halfway through answering Dani's question. "More land would need more hands to work it, and the mining companies have plundered the droid markets on Belazura. But if we—" Her sharp gaze turned to take in all of Zenie's words, lips pursing to consider the small girl in front of her. "Those credits are our lifeblood, young lady. We aren't all born with a bronzium spoon in our mouths."

Zenie opened her mouth to retort, but Soont Ki was faster. "I can't spend my days pretending and dreaming of what could be, Miss Chuma. I have to live in a galaxy that runs on credits, and that means I can't always do what I want to."

Now her training was kicking in, the words and practice under Ms Sun's tutelage stewing at the front of her mind. She didn't wither under the farm woman's spiteful gaze, or glance over to Dani for help this time. The young heiress sat up in her chair, resting elbows on the table as she faced down her debate opponent. A discussion on the issues? Now that was something Zenitha could handle. "No one gets to do what they want to, not even me."

And Zenie wasn't going around complaining when someone threw a problem in her face, either.

"And you don't just live in a galaxy, Ms Ki. You live in a community," the teen pointed out, emphasizing the word. That was what she wanted her campaign to be known for, why she desperately wanted to locate Haavi today. He was a better role model than she would ever be. Soont Ki was right, Zenie's wealthy childhood and connections afforded her privileges no one here had. She would give it all up if she could see Belazura beautiful again, its people happy and healthy once more. With Manfloon's corporate stranglehold on the planet, the only way they could get there now was by working together, one community after another. "And Haavi was just as much a part of that as you and the people in town. He was a bridge from you to them, and you let Vysh-Kolluri tear it down. No one knows where Haavi is now, Ms Ki, but everyone knows who was involved. If you're scared of them, that's because it's working! They want everyone scared so it's easier to keep destroying all the land and people here without anyone else speaking up."

"I wondered what the sales pitch was for your little campaign, Miss Chuma. Now that I've heard it, I have to say. I'm not impressed." The clipped tone of the farm woman told the young heiress she wasn't getting through.

Zenitha laid her palms flat on the table, feeling more steady now. The woman's reply washed over her, the teen heiress even managed to smile. If it worked the way Ms Sun promised, to make Soont Ki uneasy or to reconsider, the woman wasn't showing it. "You know, I don't get to touch any of my father's accounts. They're all frozen, and it's only a matter of time until Governor Manfloon gets the courts to agree that my late father's entire wealth belong to him. ZINO is built on donations from true Belazurans and a few philanthropists, but mostly on the good-will of strong communities. I didn't come here with the intent to ask you to join us, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't hoping I could."

This time Zenitha was the one who kept talking, pushing past the farmer's need to retort. Her voice rang clear and steady now, the young heiress shining despite her drag, field clothes. "I came here to find Haavi, to enlist your help with that task, but all I found is someone who wants to feel right even when she's in the wrong. You are right about one thing, this farm relies on the town, just like they were relying on Haavi. That's why ZINO came here to work with him, and that's why I wasn't going to give up on him like everyone else has. But I was wrong to think I'd find someone here who really cared about Haavi."

She drained the rest of her mug, the tepid drink was too cool now to be flavorful. The young heiress strained to keep from reacting to the bitterness she could now taste in earnest, the smile back on her face when she set it down. Zenie wanted to break down, to scream and hurt the farmer woman who stared her down, but she held her chin up instead. "I think I'm ready to go now, Dani."

Dani Stellaris Kal​

 

[Dani Stellaris]

The thing is, Dani was not being as forthcoming with Zenie as perhaps she should be. It wasn't anything bad. The woman was just a bit older than she let on, and not from this galaxy. She wasn't from a whole different place, just Companion Besh. A world there that was more utopian than she had seen in this galaxy. People had jobs, if they wanted them. There wasn't too much to worry on. And with her and her people being a bit… well, much longer lived than the regular humans in this galaxy, life definitely was looked at from a different view.

Stepping a little forward, she gave Zenie a glance and wished she could do something to calm her. The blonde hybrid did reach to the Force and tried to spin it to affect the younger girl's mood, but she didn't think it was going to do much good. "There are better ways than selling out a friend…" Or even an acquaintance. She'd seen this galaxy at its best, and at its worst. This was more the latter.

"If we don't focus on what could be…" She whispered but bit her tongue. She wasn't going to finish that thought. The galaxy seemed to thrive on strife. She did not want that to be the status quo for Zenie. She wasn't going to let it be. Dani had the chance to be many things. She had chosen the Force over bio- and cyber engineering like her brother did. She went to find the purpose in the galaxy. Zenie was right though, they lived in a community, not just the galaxy, and big change started at the ground.

Dani nodded when Zenie pointed this out to Ms. Ki. The Wayfarer could step in, but Zenie had plenty of her own gusto at the moment. Stepping in as she could feel the emotions boiling over, Dani put a hand on Zenie's shoulder. "Zen, Ms. Ki here may not have considered that far. She is working to keep her own people safe." She turned her view to the elder. "Its not that Ms. Ki was looking to get rid of Haavi, but perhaps, what was in her power to assist, the people she cared for, were the ones she was able to help. And sometimes, helping a group at the harm of one is, sadly, worth it." She eyed the woman and the kid.

"We can leave, but I'd really hate to see a bridge burnt when Ms. Ki was looking to do what was right by her own people…" Dani's voice kept calm.

Zenitha Chuma Kal

 

[Zenitha Chuma]

The young heiress had been halfway to standing up, her chair pushed back with an awful screech. It felt good, doubly so when Dani finally leveled some pointed words at Soont Ki. The farmer woman took them with a patented gesture, a little wave with the shrug of one shoulder, her earlier words easily echoing in Zenie's mind. No, this woman certainly didn't spend her days dreaming of what could be, and she felt bad for her.

And if everyone else on Belazura felt that way, the young heiress was going to start to feel really bad.

"I am focused—" the teen began to protest, the words out of her mouth as she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned her eyes to the racer woman, feeling the words fall on her shoulders. Those shoulders drooped and hazel eyes fell to her shoes. Zenie knew when she was being scolded, yet that wasn't what left her downcast. The words she heard from Dani's mouth were the same things she wanted for the people in town, for the people of her whole planet, and it left the teen heiress shaken.

"I'm sorry," she told the floor. Her small shoulders rose, then fell, with a breath of courage in the young heiress. She looked up to face Dani, and said it again. "You're right, I'm sorry."

At last, Zenie looked at Soont Ki. She tried not to turn away from the farmer's steady, piercing gaze, knowing just how right the woman was to judge her right now. The young heiress nearly lost her nerve, ready to deliver her speech to the floor again. Her chin rose, making one final push to deliver on the promise of ZINO and the legacy of her father. "I'm sorry, Ms. Ki. I was too harsh and it was not my place to judge. I'm sure you feel the loss of Haavi as much as I do, I can tell very much that you understand what an asset to the community he was."

"Ms. Chuma, if you had walked in here with nothing more than the shadow of your father looming over you and a half-assed charity pitch, we would have had a pleasant chat over a cup of tea and then gone our separate ways." The woman stunned her with blunt honesty, and Zenie wondered why she hadn't seen it before. Soont Ki smiled, almost knowingly, and sat forward in her chair. "You give a chit, and hardly anyone does on Belazura these days. I think we understand each other a little better, and I accept your apology."

Zenie nearly winced at the woman's crass language, forcing herself to maintain her composure. It finally weakened at Soont's formal phrasing, extending a courtesy as well as her hand toward the teen heiress. She took it gladly, shaking the farmer's hand with a broad grin on her face. "So does that mean you'll still honor your offer to the community?"

The older woman let out a snort, but Zenie decided to push her luck here. It was one thing to make a friend. The teen heiress had plenty of those, all she had to do was utter her name and a dozen more crawled out of a skyscraper or starship to applaud her. Zenie didn't need friends as much as ZINO needed allies, or as much as this town needed Soont Ki's farming commune. "I know Haavi isn't around anymore, but I think we both know he was really just buying for his neighbors and those less fortunate around him. My organization can handle the logistics, if you can continue supplying them foodstuffs for the town?"

Soont Ki sat back in her chair again, appraising the teen in front of her. She shared a glance at Dani, but Zenie kept her eyes on the woman herself. The teen had opened the floor, she wasn't about to look like she needed help maintaining it. Later on, she promised herself, she would thank Dani for all of her help. There was room in ZINO for someone like her, with a solid head on her shoulders and ambitions that were clearer than mud. The teen could hope someone like Dani would be willing to consider it.

"I'm open to discussing that," Soont Ki said at last. Zenie watched her, her expression open, waiting to see if the woman would drop any additional clauses. Belazura's gilded elites wanted limits or stipulations on their contributions, little came from them to ZINO that wasn't earmarked or funneled in anonymously. This farmer seemed to have no such inhibitions, and so the teen nodded to her, braids bouncing on her shoulders.

She caught her wrist as it vibrated for the dozenth time, and Zenie finally brought it up to look. The name was expected, with far more notifications than the teen remembered missing. She mouthed the name 'Montin' to the racer woman, tossing her eyes rather than rolling them. The enby's timing was useful for once. "And I know just the person to talk it out with you!"

Zenie was certain that Montin would suspend their lecture when she showed up with a new contact for the area.

Dani Stellaris Kal​