16 BBY
Kwymar Sector
Planet Jelucan
12 Weeks After Deployment
——— ——
"One could always wonder how these people and this planet had retained its independence from the Empire after being allied with the Confederacy just a mere four years ago," Elam Tenit remarked, glancing at me with a dry humor I'd come to expect from him.
We were walking through the busy market district of Jelucan's main city, a narrow canyon of stone and steel adorned with colorful banners and holographic signage advertising everything from fresh produce to grav-cycles.
Merchants called out in singsong voices, hawking their wares to locals and visitors alike.
It reminded me so much of the markets back home but would markets really change in this regard though?
I let the comment linger in my mind for a moment.
Jelucan was indeed curious in that sense. Despite its strategic location along a minor hyperspace choke point, it had never been fully occupied by the Empire after the war.
Perhaps its cooperation or lack of hostility had earned it favor. Perhaps it had something else entirely that kept it autonomous, a subtle threat or a political leverage point that even the Empire didn't care to dismantle.
"Not all planets are eager for conquest," I said finally, letting my gaze roam over the crowd.
"Sometimes independence is just a matter of mutual convenience. They provide resources and strategic advantage without needing a garrison or an army stationed in their streets."
Elam merely nodded at that. "Pragmatic as ever, Lieutenant. But you can't deny, it's strangeness"
'Well not really'. I thought it was rather quite common.
I shrugged my shoulders before walking beside him to a stall of artisan-crafted energy tools, their surfaces etched with intricate filigree.
A Jelucani artisan glanced at us, offering a polite nod before returning to his work. It struck me as almost quaint, this level of civility amid the obvious presence of a massive Imperial cruiser overhead.
The Stark Harrow hovered like a silver sentinel above the city, its hull reflecting sunlight in sharp slices. The natives, by their expressions and demeanor, seemed mostly unfazed by our presence. Unlike the heavy-handed approach of other planetary governments we'd visited, Jelucan's authorities didn't flinch at a passing fleet. They maintained a quiet dignity, a kind of practiced ease, as though they'd lived under the shadow of larger powers before and had learned to survive by keeping their heads down without losing face.
"This market," Elam continued, gesturing broadly, "it's quite… expensive, more than I had expected."
"You find everything expensive Tenit, you're just cheap",
"I am not! " He rebuffed
"Yes you are," I replied again.
"I am just humble with my spending thats all , and its not cheap", He says as we continued to walk pass a few more stalls.
I followed his gaze. The Jelucani police, dressed in muted bronze armor with soft luminescent trims, patrolled casually. Children played nearby, weaving between their legs, some darting behind carts to hide from the occasional small grav-car that rumbled through the cobbled streets.
Merchants laughed and shouted, bargaining with practiced enthusiasm. It was all surprisingly… human. Despite the years of war.
I allowed myself a moment to enjoy the calm.
"Thane stop the running!"I heard a woman call out.
"Ouch!" The young lad yelped as he bumped into me .
I looked down at him for a second my gaze unmoving and set in stone before brokering a smile.
It seemed I had frightened him.
"Up you go my lad", I gave him a little help.
"I'm sorry dear sir!" The mother came to me to say.
"Its alright mam, children do as they do", I smiled to her as she grab him by the arm.
'Thane' The name sounded so familiar.
"Ah yes I remembered perhaps this was the younger Thane Kyrell'.
He looked perhaps six seven here.
How funny fate was.
She bowed her head before pulling him along.
These assignments observing, reporting, subtly asserting influence were among the rare times the galaxy felt less like small battlefield and more like a living network of civilizations for exploration and survey.
The weight of command, of political maneuvering, seemed to lift slightly in moments like these.
I watched their backs as they moved through the crowd before vanishing from my eyesight.
"We are to see the southern parts of the city as well but we have but two hours remaining before we return to the ship", Tenit spoke up.
"I know", I told him.
Elam raised a brow. "Oh? And what is your directive, oh wise Lieutenant?"
"We'll go back to the station, get our speeders bikes and leave shortly",
"By your command then sir", Elam says before turning to pause at a stall selling small ornamental grav-drones. He picked one up, spinning it in his hands. "
Elam rolled his eyes but didn't press further when saw the price. He was looking for some kind of personal souvenir.
I allowed my gaze to wander over the market again, noting subtle indicators that Jelucan, despite its calm, had underlying tensions. Minor arguments broke out frequently not between citizens and officials, but between merchants, families, and laborers. Nothing violent yet, but these were the subtle pressures that, if left unaddressed, could escalate into more serious disturbances. I filed each observation mentally, storing data to report back later.
"Elam," I said quietly, "keep your ears open for gossip. We'll be leaving the market in the next 15 minutes , so whatever other information we can attain then we shall attain it"
Elam gave me a sly smile. "You mean you're not just here to enjoy the exotic fruits and its women?"
I allowed a brief chuckle.
"Lets leave you punk."
As we continued through the crowded thoroughfare, a minor incident caught my attention. A grav-cycle had clipped a merchant's cart, sending crates of produce tumbling. The merchant shouted, a few bystanders rushed to help, and the grav-cycle operator—a young Jelucani male—looked genuinely mortified. The planetary guards arrived quickly, but without aggression, merely facilitating restitution.
This, I noted, was the kind of effective, restrained governance that kept Jelucan stable. Problems were addressed before they festered. Enforcement existed, but it was not oppressive .
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