I sighed and climbed out of the back of the cargo-hauling aircar. I need to get my armor built again... renting a droid driven aircar version of a cargo van just to haul me around... and even that damn thing was cramped. No room for a pillow.
I could have found a taxi with the room for a Hutt, I would fit in that to... but honestly, this was significantly easier, not to mention cheaper.
Stretching my wings I yawned before I looked around. In the distance, the Jedi Temple could be seen towering over the expensive blocks of shopping and living areas. The Jedi Temple was in the same general area, only ten or so kilometers from the Senate... meaning that the highest areas of this part of the city was packed with an even richer bunch of idiots.
I walked around the front of the aircar and reached in through the window to pay for the rental before sending it back to where it came from. I can always order a new one when I need it to get back... having it park here and wait for me would be more expensive than it would be worth it.
Stretching my wings I started to make my way along with the walking areas, slowly making my way towards the Jedi temple.
We arrived at Coruscant two days ago and I finally had all the orders for parts and equipment filed with delivery dates up to a week into the future. Enough to fill the drone bays when assembled as well as finish my armor... that will require a good amount of time to do though.
Still, I gave my crew a week off. They might as well enjoy their time on the planet as sit around the ship and do much of nothing.
Tel'te even managed to drag Sarah out of the machinery.
Which left me to my own vacation.
While I might not like Jedi in general and more specifically Dooku, I did want to see Yoda again.
Twitching I suddenly pulled my tail closer, looking back at a large, brown and bumpy humanoid alien as he almost stepped on my tail feathers.
He raised his arms and whistled at me. A second late a small droid strapped to his belt spoke up, "We deeply apologize. We meant no offense."
I sighed and nodded before turning back forward, continuing on my way, this time holding my tail tip lifted a bit higher. Just this stretch of the neighborhood was crowded, apparently some kind of high tier shopping districts.
Looking around curiously I made my way through the crowd to look in through the window into the closest store to peek inside. It was a clothing store of some kind.
Shaking my head I pulled away and continued along the promenade. Each of those items in the store... well, if the store was in this area of the planet, they likely cost as much as a small freighter.
I'm hardly poor, I own a successful medium-sized shipping company... but no, I'm not buying anything in this place. Way too overpriced.
Towering over most of the crowd I slowly made my way towards the Jedi temple, spending my time mostly people watching as well as enjoying the sights. Seriously, this was the most mixed crowd I had seen anywhere and that includes Nar Shaddaa.
Aliens of all species, wearing all kinds of strange clothes. The humans wore things just as strange as well...
I didn't even attract much attention. It says something when a big feathered dragon bird walks along the street and barely gets a second look.
Soon I stopped outside the outer gates of the area of the Jedi temple. You never have seen it in the movies, but the area is cordoned off from the public.
"Can I help you... sir/ma'am/other?" the human guard wearing a republic uniform asked as he looked up at me, looking like he really would see me walk away without causing any problems.
I tilted my head and nodded as I looked down at him. "Yes. You could open the gate and let me through. I am looking for Jedi Master Yoda."
"I'm sorry, Sir/ma'am/other. The Jedi Temple is closed to the public. If you wish, I can direct you towards the service department where you can set up a meeting," he said with the tone of somebody who had said the same thing a thousand times already today.
I could contact Yoda or I could glamor the annoying dustling. Or I could use my universal entry ticket.
In retrospect though, bullying their doorman might not be the best idea in the world.
Shrugging my wings I gave him a nod. "Thank you for your assistance. I will call ahead instead," I spoke before turning to find a place with some shadow and maybe some fruit to eat while I contacted my friend.
XXXXXXXXXXX
An hour later I was curled up on a large pillow beneath a large parasol, trying a large variety of fruits from a tray.
Being a rather high-class place, this meal cost me more than resupplying my damn ship with food for a month, but being a high-class place on a planet like Coruscant it actually had the gear to serve somebody like me in relative comfort.
Overpriced as hell. But at least they did serve a large amount of fruits I never have seen before along with a nice selection of cooked meats.
I tried a small orange piece of fruit with the texture of watermelon only to find that it tasted like a wet dog.
Resisting the urge to throw it away I put it back on the tray and looked for the next thing to try. Nope. All my nope.
Still, I had already located several new fruits I liked and would have to get the names of before I left this place so I could purchase them for the ship.
Trilling, softly I took another piece of something green I already knew I liked just before I heard the soft clicking sound of a cane against the stone floor of the building.
I looked over and bowed my beak as I saw the owner of the cane.
"Master Yoda. It is a pleasure to see you again, My friend," I said, my feathers spread happily.
The small green dustling smiled and leaned against his cane. "Good to see you as well, it is," he spoke as a servant walked over with a hoverchair before leaving with a bow.
Another nice thing about a place like this is that the service is generally rather nice.
Yoda jumped up to sit in the chair. "Got your message, I did. Show your lightsaber to the guard, you could. Let you in, He would have," he said with a smile before he frowned. "Heard of your ship, I did."
I nodded and shifted my wings. "With the destruction of my ship, the debt to the Jedi is paid. While I am not happy with the attitude of Dooku, I do not blame the Jedi as a whole. But the debt is paid."
Sighing Yoda nodded. "Understand your feelings, I do. Skilled, Jedi Dooku is... but maybe take the trials to early, he did. My student, he was."
I offered Yoda the tray of fruits and meats as I shook my head. "I do not blame you, My friend. It was his own choice, his mission was likely murking his mind. I understand it was important."
The small green alien sighed and picked a slice of orange fruit from the tray and I was about to warn him about the taste when he spoke up, "Important, the mission was. Drug causing rage in potential force users... disastrous if it got out. But destroy your ship, no right to he had. Rash, he acted," he said before he took a bite from the orange fruit, chewing happily.
I tilted my head as I watched him eat the outright evil fruit. He looked like he enjoyed it.
Well, I supposed some species must like it or they wouldn't serve it here...
"Reimburse you for your ship, the Jedi will," Yoda then said as he finished the slice of fruit.
I shook my head and offered him another. "No thank you, Master Yoda. I have a new ship and my debt with the Jedi is paid. While I am not happy about the loss of the Clear Skies, we are as even as we can get. I did owe you for taking care of me when I first arrived."
He took another orange piece of evil and took a bite, looking at me as he sighed. "Throw you out, we could not. Will of the Force, your arrival was."
Well, I wouldn't say that. Still, he was the expert so who was I to argue.
I picked a red something with blue spots from the tray and gave it a try. It tasted like Pineapple dipped in BBQ sauce... not good but eatable.
Shrugging my wings I popped the slice of fruit into my beak as I changed the subject. "How are things going with the new students?"
Yoda smiled and picked another piece of evil from the tray before he responded. "Much potential they have. One student, unusual species she is from. Just joined the republic, they have..." he started to answer.
The rest of the evening was spent discussing far less serious subjects than before.