_CLUNK_

The shuttle lurched as it rose from the spaceport and headed out over the city.

“Hey, I don’t want to lose my lunch over here!” Aexod called over the pilot of the shuttle, his face a mixture of frustration and mischief. The Commander turned his head to Aul sitting next to him and winked, a grin spread across his face.

“Yessir! I think our refuel line was caught in the landing gear. All’s good now. Will be at our landing spot in a few minutes,” came the reply from the cockpit.

“Bunch of amateurs,” Aexod mumbled to himself. The rest of the crew giggled.

“Promotion getting to your head?” Jade asked Aexod, laughing as she poked fun at Burgoo.

“Who doesn’t like to flex their powers a bit, right?” Aexod replied, as he sat back in his seat and took a bit from an energy stick. He chomped loudly in an apparent attempt to annoy everyone around him.

“Why didn’t _you_ just fly us, then?” Aul inquired of the Clawdite.

“Long night at The Boom. Too many girls on my mind,” Aexod replied, nudging Aul in the ribs with his elbow. The smell of Corellian Rum heavy on his breath.

“Ah, a little celebratory escapade, say no more,” Aul laughed.

“So, tell me straight, Celsus, what do you think of Traveler?” Aexod asked Aul, his face betraying a subtle undertone of skepticism.

“What do you mean? It’s simple, I think he’s the best man for the job,” Aul replied confusedly.

“No, no, no, that’s not like you at all. I’ve been around you enough to know that you don’t just throw your support behind something as big as a political race; I’d expect you to consider it a waste of time. Some nonsense about your research being more important. So, why is this different?” Aexod shot back, his question a little more aggressive than before.

Aul was taken aback. He hadn’t expected Aexod to be so pushy on the topic. Maybe it was a mixture of fervent political pride and alcoholic inhibition, but he decided to give in to the question. There was no room for causing a rift in the team with the mission ahead of them; they had to identify the source of unrest before the population fell into complete disarray. Though Aul was primarily along as a medical support so the team didn’t have to reveal their location by traveling any great distance to another facility and not a combat or intelligence role, he felt the need to keep the team tightknit.

“Ok… here’s the thing. I’m tired of the establishment. I’m tired of career politicians who at the drop of the hat will lie to your face in order to push forward their agenda. Maya is fine; she’s nice and she’s been working for Kel Rasha for quite some time. But I just don’t trust her. Her family is too influential. It’s because of people like her that we have to handle these criminals in the first place. Why wasn’t it under control?

“The Traveler is different. He stands not on his image, because he has no image to stand on. Only his message matters, and his message rings true to me. For example, his support for veterans means a lot to me, because those willing to lose their lives for the safety and betterment of others is a greater message to the people than promising a better economy, or stronger infrastructure. If the people aren’t behind you, then none of those promises matter. Traveler puts his support behind the people, not behind the political machine. Done and done. What more is there?” Aul finished with a sigh.

Aexod looked at Aul quizzically, his head cocked to the side.

“That… doesn’t sound like you _at all_,” Aexod blurted out. “Where is the talk about statistics? Where is the talk about numbers; and over-analysis of all the ways one would help and the other would fail? Where is _Aul_?”

The Mystic laughed. Aexod was right; even he didn’t sound like himself to his own ears. Something was different now, and he couldn’t quite place a finger on it. Why didn’t he care more about the critical analysis of options? Why was it that Traveler motivated him to action when historically Aul would have been as complacent as an off-worlder?

“You’re right. And, honestly, I don’t know. All I know is that Traveler is the only one in the race that doesn’t give me the glob-damned heeby-jeebies. If Maya wins the office, I fear for the future of Kel Rasha. Why? I have no idea. This isn’t what I would normally say, I know, but right now I’m trusting my gut. It’s done me well recently, and I guess I’m learning to trust myself. With all that’s happened recently, how could I not?” Aul explained.

“Aul, you’re full of surprises, you know that?” Aexod chuckled.

“Even to myself,” Aul smiled back.

“Engaging landing gear. We’re here,” came a call from the cockpit.

Seng Karash
Aeotheoran
Orian System

Rain fell, scattering the crowds. The public had been listening to one of the Mayoral candidates speak. Not all of them had managed to gain access to the building it was held in, so they watched it via a holoscreen that cast a shadow over the town square.

The Traveler stood on the stage, the robed figure had been discussing the situation that the city found itself in. There had been many incidents during the election campaign. Too many to discount as mere coincidences. It had begun with rumours and whispers about the past of both candidates. There had been claims that one had committed criminal acts. Another rumour had been that they were defrauding the local tax authorities. Sanguinius didn’t believe them to be true however, they were most likely products of the rumour mill.

The Augur had taken great interest in the result of the election. He was determined to ensure that there was a free election. Sanguinius believed it was in the best interest of the public that they knew that the Warhost and Naga Sadow were not dictators. They were there as protectors of democracy and peace.

Sanguinius was standing in a doorway, using the porch as cover from the rain as he continued to watch the debate. The two mayoral candidates were continuing to argue over the finer points of their manifestos. The Proconsul had favoured the Traveler originally, as he believed that Maya Nikeisha was not the leader Seng Karash needed.

His mind wandered back to the rumours that had spread across the city as the election had progressed. They had turned serious when an intern on Nikeisha’s election team had disappeared, only to turn up dead two days later. Sanguinius had used his position to gain information from the local authorities. The peacekeeper’s investigation was still ongoing, but the preliminary report believed the cause of death was homicide.

The Entar pursed his lips as he watched the debate moderator pause the ongoing discussion to take another question from the audience. Passers by hurried past the Jedi, protecting themselves from the rain with umbrellas. The death of the intern had only been the beginning of something much worse.

Upon learning of the murder of the intern, Sanguinius had informed his fellow Sadowan supporters of the Traveler. Rumours and accusations had flown, blaming the Traveler for the death of the young man. The Sadowans knew better. They knew it was the work of the criminal element who were determined to keep their hold on Seng Karash. The Sadowans had investigated further. Jades and Darius had visited several seedy establishments, made a few contacts and spread a warning for the criminals to back off.

They hadn’t listened...

No, it had escalated. Financial information had been leaked that made it seem like Maya really was committing tax fraud. The paperwork claimed that she hadn’t paid taxes for over eight years. Despite the upheaval that the Orian System had gone through, the authorities had demanded that the populace continue to pay taxes to help rebuild the cities and provide services to the public. The paperwork was damning, but the Sadowans supporting Maya had found out the records had been falsified. It had been a close rung thing though, Maya almost had to withdraw from the race.

She had bounced back from the forgeries, but it showed that the criminals were getting smarter. Smarter and more courageous. Next they had targeted rallies and disrupted them. They had threatened supporters, warned them away from the polls. They had even bombed the Traveler’s campaign office. Luckily no one was there at the time, otherwise there would have been several deaths.

The rain slowly ceased, which led to more people stopping to watch the televised debate. It was good that so many members of the public had engaged with the election process, but the continued existence of these criminals was a blot on the well being of the city. Sanguinius’ com-link beeped, drawing his attention. His left hand rose to his left eye to press the receive button. “Yes?”

“We have him in our sights.” Aul informed the Augur.

“Are Aexod and Jades in position?” Sanguinius enquired.

“As instructed.” Aul replied.

“Excellent, I’m on my way,” Sanguinius moved out of the doorway and began to move out of the square, “Take him down if you get the chance.” the Augur instructed.

“Understood.” Aul ended the transmission.

The group had gained information on the identity of the bomb maker via a combination of bribery, informants and peacekeeper cooperation. With luck, the capture of the insurgent would lead them to the leaders of the criminal underworld. Sanguinius was determined to ensure a free election would occur. Regardless of the outcome, democracy would reign supreme over fear and violence.