CH-5

Harry grinned and a mocking greedy look crossed his face as he rubbed his hands together. "Well, let's see if any of these fine upstanding gentlemen have bounties anywhere on them, and see if papa is gonna get himself a brand new navicomputer!"

Ahsoka had just been watching, but frowned at that statement, feeling the need to interject. Surprised that he had mentioned turning the men over for bounties. "Master, shouldn't we turn them over to the Jedi Temple?"

Harry turned to look at her, and for the first time she was struck by the vibrant emerald in his eyes, which she hadn't noticed before. As if by looking in his eyes she was able to focus on him, his features which she hadn't really catalogued before swam into view. An amused smile on his face, "A little young for the kinky master stuff aren't you?" he asked.

Before she would have said for certain he was male, with dark hair… but realized that she wouldn't have been able to get a better description of him than that, and wondered why she would have been so wishy washy on her observations. Her drink hadn't had any alcohol in it after all. Now the haze that seemed to be on his features faded. Overall she would certainly classify his face as handsome for a human. There was a scar that was faded white and marred his forehead but didn't seem to detract from his looks, but rather added to them.

However, it was at that point that his reply caught up with her and she found herself simultaneously sputtering and blushing.

His eyes danced in amusement, "Besides, why would I hand them over to the Jedi? Did I miss some announcement from those stuck-up old men that run the Order about them finally paying bounties for bringing in morons like these?"

Ahsoka found herself completely at a loss and managed to reply, somewhat lamely, "Well… no?" Though her tone was filled with confusion.

She had never seen this Jedi Master before, and while she had certainly heard Masters criticize the leadership of the Jedi in the past, it was usually in quiet murmurs. Occasionally, her Master… former Master… Anakin was a tad more vocal about his dissatisfaction but even he had never spoken so bluntly and so negatively about the council. This man took it to a whole new level.

Harry snorted at her response and rolled his sleeve back. Underneath he activated what looked like a comlink embedded in an elaborate leather bracer that seemed to contain a dozen different small bulges in it.

Ahsoka tilted her head curiously as from the mini-communication link floated the image of a droid that vaguely reminded her a protocol droid. However the torso seemed bulkier at the shoulders, and the head was oddly shaped, with a jutting overhang over the eyes of the droid.

"Minnie, can you check and find if any of these bozos have any bounties on them? I'm sure someone, somewhere wants at least one of them in some form."

The reply was a very prim and matron-like sounding voice, that seemed slightly out of place on the droid she was seeing, "What trouble did you get yourself into this time?"

Ahsoka frowned slightly, despite the obvious mechanical undertones, the droid reminded Ahsoka of the voice of the librarian in the central archives.

Harry continued speaking, as if he hadn't been chastised by a droid who attempted to act like a school teacher, "While you're at it, find out which system has the highest payout for them if for some bizarre reason, more than one person actually wants any of them. I'm not averse to some travelling to turn these screwballs in some place."

Harry turned his arm slightly and a light came out of his bracer and scanned the features of each of the thugs still lying unconscious on the floor. One of them was face down and Harry was forced to nudge that one with his boot to flip him over on his back so the scan could continue.

"You… you're going to turn them over for bounties?" Ahsoka finally found her voice, once more, though was no less confused. This was not Jedi behavior. The Order would typically go through proper legal channels to ensure that the criminals were properly tried. It was rather unthinkable to see a Jedi Master lower himself to turning in a bounty in person, much less collecting the money for himself.

"Meh, it depends on whether any of them have bounties that make it worth hauling them around anywhere." Harry shrugged lithely, his tone mostly apathetic. "If not I'll either leave them here at the tender mercy of the patrons of this fine establishment. Ones that they just endangered."

Harry seemed to consider that a moment before he shrugged again. "Or I'll just chuck 'em down one of the canyons here in the older districts. They'll just fall down to the lower levels. I'm sure something down there that's never seen sunlight will end up disposing of the bodies. I doubt anyone will miss these fools."

He blinked and seemed to realize he forgot something, holding out his bracer once more, and pointing it to the other patron that had tumbled out of his chair unconscious. "Minnie, that one too. He was the signaler." Harry gestured with his arm as another brief scan ran over the face of the downed person.

"Running recognition algorithms now and cross referencing with all known bounty profiles." The mechanical voice responded and then once more turned crisp and matronly. "Do not think this lets you off the hook. You will explain exactly what you did and how you ended up with a pile of unconscious ruffians, young man."

"I knew programming you with that personality would eventually irritate me." Harry muttered.

The mechanical voice started to reply, but only got as far as "Mis-" before Harry cut it off and rolled his eyes in response. "Minnie, save the lecture for later...or never. Besides, I have a feeling I'm about to receive a lesson on morals from my new friend here, so you can skip the one you intend to give me."

Harry shot a look at Ahsoka but before either of them could say anything there was a beep from the comlink.

Harry tilted his arm and a picture of the bounty hunter that had been the spokesman, and also incidentally the one that Harry had not so gently nudged over with his foot, floated in the air.

Minnie's clipped mechanical voice recited, "Tiddle Pon Tonk. Human. Male. 20,000 credits. Wanted in the Corusca Sector for suspected multiple instances of murder, property destruction, fleeing authorities and er… yes."

Harry's eyes narrowed, "And what? Minnie?"

"It is hardly pertinent..." came the clipped reply.

"Indulge me." Harry replied with exaggerated patience.

There was a pause and then in a very disapproving tone of voice, "Sexual molestation of what was classified as a religious artifact, thereby desecrating it."

"…. huh." Harry responded eloquently. Whatever he had expected, that had not been it. It took him a few moments to gather himself before he turned with a wide smile towards Ahsoka. "How does that make you feel? The man who molests religious things had his blaster up against your head."

Harry shuddered theatrically, "Who knows where he puts that thing when he's not shooting at people."

Ahsoka went to answer, but Minnie's voice broke in "The religious artifact that he molested was a Gamorrean Matron's-"

Harry cut off the audio on the comlink and visibly gagged, before he reactivated the comlink. He actually started to giggle in response. "I hope they got pictures. Cases like that really really should be beyond reproach."

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