Sarian worked her fingers through the dirt and found the roots of the large weed that had planted itself in the garden. She pulled on them careful not to let any part of them remain. The last time she had left part of the root in the soil, a several new plant had sprouted and killed the crops. She had received a long lashing with the fire whip for that. The droids on the farm were not thorough enough to get the whole plant out so it had to be done by hand. Her hands.
Sarian sat back on her knees and wiped the sweat from her face. The hot Arillian sun beat down on her back. She was almost done. It had taken her 12 hours already to clear out the large field, and she was thirsty and hungry. She had been doing work like this for 10 years since her father died when she was eight. She had been sent to live with her cruel aunt who treated her like a slave. Her aunt had always hated other children besides her own daughter who had been ugly and deformed from birth.
Behind Sarian Brrrlowick growled at one of the droids who was poking him in the back with a sharp stick. Sarian had rescued the Wookie from slavery when he was still a young adult and he had pledged a life-debt to her. Her aunt only saw this as another slave to work the farm for her and had immediately put Brrrl to work. Sarian didn't mind this as long as Aunt Willon wasn't cruel to him. Brrrl saw this as keeping his life-debt, so he did the work.
Sarian reached into the soil and pulled out the last of the weeds. She threw it into a large pile for the droids to pick up and decompose. She stood up and let the sun wash over her face. Brrrl walked over to her and barked a sentence.
"Yes, I'm done," Sarian answered. "We can go in now." She pulled a loose piece of her light brown hair behind her ear and started toward the servants quarters. She stopped at the water pump and washed her face and hands. Brrrl rinsed out his fur and shook himself dry. Water droplets splashed onto Sarian's face and cooled her off. She pulled her hair out of its bun and shook it out. She waved to Brrrl and started for the house again. When she reached the door, her aunt opened it and glared at her.
"What took you so long," she spat.
"The weeds aren't exactly easy to get out."
"Well hurry up and help with dinner. Elsia is getting hungry. Then I want you to go to town and buy some things for me."
Sarian hurried to the kitchen. Brrrl followed close behind and growled at Willon. Sarian put her hand on his shoulder and urged him inside. When they were safe in the kitchen, she turned to him.
"Don't growl at her! She'll put us on the street and leave us hungry if you insult her. You know I don't speak Arillian. We have to be grateful she keeps us." Sarian told herself this many times a day, but didn't believe it herself. She hated her aunt with a passion, but couldn't survive without her. This only made her hate her more.
Sarian stirred the pot of soup that had been simmering on the stove all afternoon. The sun was going down outside as she hurried to dip the soup into two bowls. Carrying the bowls, she hurried out to the dining hall and placed them in front of her aunt and her cousin, Elsia. The girl's deformed face twisted into a glare as Sarian hurried out of the room.
"Mother, do we have to keep her? Why can't we sell her?" she asked. Elsia dipped her spoon into her soup and stirred it thoughtfully.
"I have been considering it myself, Elsia. That girl only gives us trouble and since she ruined the early harvest this year, we have considerable debts to pay. If we cleaned her up a bit, I suppose we could sell her on the market for a few thousand credits. That Wookie would go for a few hundred himself," answered Willon.
"The slave market is open tomorrow. We ought to take her then. Let her sleep tonight. We can pick up whatever you need tomorrow." An evil grin crossed Elsia's crooked face.
Willon thought for a moment. This was a chance to get rid of that little troublemaker who had been thrust at her when her brother died. "Yes. That's what we will do. Such a smart girl you are."
"Thank you, Mother." Elsia ate happily as she thought of her cousin being sold like livestock in front of all those people. How humiliating.
Sarian sat down at the small table in the kitchen with Brrrl. She placed a bowl in front of herself and the Wookie and began to eat. Her aunt walked into the room and watched them for a moment. Willon felt the hatred for her brother's child well up inside her. Sarian was pretty for her age and made her own daughter look even more ugly in comparison. Elsia was older and was past the age of marriage, yet no one had asked for her hand. Willon had been approached by many men in request for her niece and she was not yet old enough to marry. Every time she thought of it, she felt like striking Sarian.
"Sarian," she said. "I have decided not to send you to town tonight. I will take care of it myself tomorrow. I want you to go straight to bed after you finish eating. Tomorrow you must get up early and bathe yourself and that animal of yours. Put on your best clothes. You must be presentable when we go to town tomorrow."
"Yes ma'am." Sarian grew suspicious of her aunt. She was never allowed to go to town with Willon and Elsia. But she dare not question the old woman, or she would be whipped. The fire whips burns took weeks to heal and were very painful. Sarian knew that her aunt took pleasure in inflicting pain on her and that questioning her would only give her more motive to hurt her.
Willon threw a disgusted look at Sarian and pranced out of the room. Sarian went back to eating. Brrrl growled.
"I don't know, but I don't like it either. There is something wrong," Sarian answered him.
The next day, Sarian and Brrrl were up early. They bathed and Sarian put on her nicest white tunic and her brown pants. She shined her boots and put her hair back in a braid. She helped Brrrl comb the tangles out of his fur. He pulled his bowcaster out of a cabinet where he kept it. He always brought the traditional Wookie weapon with him when they went to town. One of the other servants, Aliac, brought the landspeeder out in front of the house where they were waiting.
When Sarian and Brrrl got into the speeder, he looked away. Sarian could tell he was upset. He was one of her only good friends. They often spoke and had formed a mutual friendship, but now he wouldn't even look at her. Before she could ask him what was wrong, Aunt Willon and Elsia got into the speeder. Her cousin shot her a cruel smile as she headed toward the covered part of the speeder to sit down.
Aliac was silent the whole ride. Willon and Elsia were vainly chatting about buying new things for themselves. They acted like they had all the credits in the galaxy when her aunt had bought herself deeply in debt. And of course she blamed it on Sarian.
When they reached the town, Willon led Brrrl and Sarian to the small square in the middle of town used for slave trade. She left Sarian and the Wookie standing next to a large post with a sign written in Arillian. Willon approached a man who held a fire whip and pointed towards Sarian and Brrrl. Sarian was beginning to understand what her aunt was up to. She turned to Brrrl who growled in Willon's direction. The man with the fire whip approached them with two pairs of binders. Sarian panicked and grabbed Brrrl's arm. She ran back towards the speeder and dragged Brrrl with her. Several other large men blocked their path. Two of them grabbed at Sarian. Brrrl brought up his bowcaster and prepared to fire on one of the men. The man with the fire whip and the binders shot Brrrl with a blaster on stun and grabbed Sarian's arms. She pulled one of her arms free and hit him as hard as she could in the nose. The man grabbed his nose and blood leaked through his fingers. Another man grabbed the binders and put them on Sarian's wrists. The man with the whip was furious. He screamed something in Arillian to the other men. They dragged Sarian up on a platform and tied her down. The man extended his fire whip and brought it down on her back. Sarian screamed in pain. Aunt Willon glared at her.
After a long painful whipping, Sarian was lead to a sort of stall where she was chained along with Brrrl to a post. Brrrl was still weak and could not break his binders. Tears streaked down Sarian's cheeks. Several men had passed her and looked her over, but had turned away at hearing that she had just attempted escape. Willon stalked over to her and glared at her. She slapped Sarian across the face and glared at her.
"How will I ever get the pay I expected since you pulled a stunt like that? Now no one will buy you! You stupid girl! After all I have done for you THIS is how you repay me?" she spat. Anger flared up in her eyes. Sarian slowly lifted her head and glared at her aunt. "You evil woman," she started slowly. "My father asked you to take care of me and you sell me?" Sarian felt her voice grow louder as she filled with rage. "If I had enough strength, I would KILL you on this very spot!" Several other people turned and stared at the pair.
Willon's face turned red with anger and embarrassment. She slapped Sarian again. "How dare you!" She stalked away. A young man stopped her. He pointed to Sarian and Brrrl and said something in Arillian. Willon replied with an evil look and they shook hands. Sarian had the feeling she had just been sold.
One of the large men who worked at the slave market lead her and Brrrl in chains toward the town's small spaceport. They were led to one of the hangers where the young man met them. He had dusty blond hair and bright green eyes. He was fairly taller than Sarian and had a larger frame. He appeared to be about Sarian's age, give or take a few years. He handed the slaver a credit note and the slaver left. The young man spoke something to her in Arillian.
"I don't speak Arillian," she answered. "Only Basic."
"Good. My Arillian isn't too good anyhow," the man replied. Brrrl growled at him. "My name is Alec Tarasia." He extended his hand to her.
"I'm Sarian and this is Brrrlowick." Sarian just looked at his hand.
Alec drew his hand back. "Why don't you come on the ship and let's see if we can get your back healed."
Sarian stared at him in disbelief. "Heal my back? But I'm your slave. Didn't you hear what I did?"
Alec reached down and took off their binders. He led them up into the Corrilian Freighter that was parked in the bay. "Actually, I saw what you did. Frankly, I would have done about the same thing." He paused and turned back to them. "Let's get one thing straight. I don't have any slaves, not you or your Wookie, not anyone. I don't believe in slavery. The reason I bought you is because I didn't want to see you beaten anymore by that witch."
"My aunt." Sarian stared at her feet.
"Well since you know Basic, you might be of some use to me. You can stay with me if you want, or you can get off on my next stop. I could use a little help around the ship. Do you or the Wookie know anything about ships?" Alec touched a panel on the bottom of the ship and the ramp lowered. He walked up the ramp with Sarian and Brrrl close behind.
"Brrrl was a slave mechanic for the Empire when he was still with them. He's taught me a little and I've kinda gotten a knack for computers and stuff."
"Good." Alec led them into a small rec room with a holo-game board and some chairs. He helped her sit in one and pulled a jar of healing salve out of a cabinet. "Um. You need to take your shirt off."
Brrrl growled at him. Sarian spoke up. "No, Brrrl. It's ok. I can cover up with what's left of it."
Sarian pulled her torn shirt of her back slowly and with much pain. She used the shreds of the tunic left to cover up her front. Alec put some of the salve on his fingers and spread it gently over her back. Sarian let out a whimper and Brrrl growled at Alec. The salve stung at first, but then soothed her burns and cooled them. Sarian touched Brrrl's paw to calm him.
When Alec was finished applying the salve to her back, he left to go to his quarters and came back with one of his shirts. "I know it's kinda big, but I don't have anything else but my clothes."
Sarian managed a weak smile. "Thanks."
She pulled the shirt on and laid her head in her hands on the game table. Alec stood up and watched her for a moment.
"I'm gonna lift off. I'm about ready to get off this planet. If you need anything, I'll be in the cockpit." He paused a moment then turned and headed for the cockpit. Brrrl sat down next to Sarian and stroked her hair. He growled low in his throat and purred to comfort her.
"Thanks, Brrrl. I'm sorry I dragged you into this."
He barked a reply.
"Yes it is my fault. I shouldn't have tried to run away. Then we wouldn't be in this mess."
Brrrl whined.
The ship shook and Sarian was nearly thrown from her seat. Sarian got up and ran in the direction of the cockpit. "What's going on?" she asked Alec.
"The Imp's aren't happy we're leaving. Strap yourself in. It's gonna be a bumpy ride."
The ship shook again and Sarian was thrown against one of the chairs. Her back erupted in pain and she let out a short shriek. She strapped herself in as fast as she could in the co-pilot's seat. She found the sensors and watched several little dots on the sensors get closer to the center as Tie Fighters approached the ship. The ship shook again and much larger dot came over the sensors.
"Uh-oh," Sarian mumbled.
Alec looked at her. "What?"
"Did you happen to check your sensors?"
Alec stared at the panel. "What the…?"
"Civilian ship, this is the Star Destroyer, Executioner. You are under arrest. Surrender or be taken with force," a voice said over the com. Alec ignored it.
The Star Destroyer came fully out of the shadow of the moon and pulled out in front of them to intercept. "What exactly did you do to get a Star Destroyer after you?" asked Sarian.
Alec smirked. "You didn't guess I was a smuggler I see." He steered the ship sharply to the left.
"Well, I wasn't exactly educated in the ways of the galaxy in my life of slavery. We're almost in tractor range."
"Well you certainly know your way around the ships controls."
"I just look at the little flashing lights. Any possibility of us getting out of here?"
The beam warning light on the panel went red.
"How about we use plan B?"
Sarian was puzzled. "I'm not familiar with plan B."
"Me either. But we had better think of it quick."
Alec's ship was pulled into the forward bay of the Imperial Class Star Destroyer, Executioner. A group of stormtroopers escorted the 2 humans and the Wookie out of the ship. There was a man of about 20 and a pretty woman about the same age or younger behind him. Captain Virnaook looked them over as they were marched towards him. The lead stormtrooper saluted him.
"What do you have to report, Lieutenant?" Virnaook asked.
"This is the pilot reported to have been smuggling guns to the rebellion."
"His name?"
"Cedrin Marsion. The woman is his wife, Alana, and the Wookie is their slave."
"Were any illegal substances found on the ship?"
"I conducted a thorough search, but found nothing."
"Any trace of possible communications with the rebels?"
"None were in the ship's logs."
Virnaook turned to the man. "Why did you not surrender when we gave you the message over the com?"
"Our com is down. We can't receive messages," the man replied.
Virnaook studied the pair of humans for a moment. "Is this so Lieutenant?" he asked the stormtrooper.
"We tried their com and it isn't working, sir."
Virnaook watched them for a moment and considered. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience, sir. As we can see you were falsely accused. You and your wife are free to go, when you please. I will try and prevent further inconveniences to you."
"Thanks," said Alec. "If you don't mind, we'll be on our way."
"You are welcome to leave, but might I request dinner with you and your lovely wife in apology for this mistake?"
Sarian glanced at Alec. "Captain, we would be honored, but we are on our way to visit my family. My mother is on her death bed and I wish to be there for her." Please believe this. The thought ran over and over in her mind.
"Of course. Well then, you must be on your way. I apologize again for the mix up."
"No problem." Alec took Sarian's hand and pulled her toward the ship. Brrrl growled at the captain and followed them. Sarian shot him a look and continued to the ship.
Once they were safe on the ship, Sarian let out a large sigh of relief. She and Brrrl got the boxes out of the smuggling compartments and put them back in the cargo hold. The cargo was in sleight boxes so she and Brrrl couldn't tell what the cargo was. After they finished, they headed up to the cockpit. Alec was just taking the ship into hyperspace when they arrived. Sarian sat down in the co-pilots seat.
"What exactly are you smuggling in those boxes?" she asked Alec.
"Weapons for the rebellion on Tarsallia."
"Tarsallia?" Memories of her home planet flooded Sarian's mind.
"Know the place?" Alec looked at her curiously.
"I should. I was born there."
"What were you doing on Arillia?"
"My mother died when I was very young. My father died when I was eight. My aunt is my only living relative, so I got sent to her."
"Lucky you." Alec could see the pain in her eyes.
Sarian sat for a moment. Brrrl whimpered and headed back to the rec room.
"Alec, what made you buy me and Brrrl? I know my aunt must have had a pretty high price on us."
"I don't like slavery. My mother was an Imperial slave. She had an unfortunate accident with an Imperial officer and that's how I came along. My father disowned me and left my mother to fend for herself in the street. I can't stand to see a woman mistreated for trying to fend for herself."
There was an uncomfortable pause. Sarian studied Alec for several minutes. "Thanks," she said to him quietly.
He looked at her. "What for?"
"For buying us. And letting us stay with you. I know having more people to account for is just extra trouble. Brrrl and I can get off on Tarsallia. I have friends there who can help us out." She stared at her feet.
Alec looked back down at the controls. "You can stay on if you like. I could use a little help. You're pretty good at last minute excuses."
Sarian smiled. "Thanks."
"Really. It gets lonely sometimes. I could use the company." He ran his fingers through his hair.
"Maybe. I'll talk to Brrrl."
Alec smiled at her. This was the first time Sarian had seen him smile. Something about his smile captivated her. Sarian caught herself staring and rushed out of the cockpit. Brrrl spotted her when she came into the rec room. He growled questioningly at her.
"No Brrrl. I'm fine."
Brrrl barked.
"Really. He didn't hurt me." She sat down in a chair to catch her breath. She hadn't even realized she was breathing hard.
Brrrl whined.
"Nothing Brrrl. He only asked if we wanted to stay with him instead of leaving when we get to Tarsallia. I told him I'd talk to you."
Brrrl shrugged.
"I'm not sure what I want to do."
Alec walked into the rec room and sat down in one of the chairs. He put his feet up on the game table. "Well, we should be getting to Tarsallia in a couple of hours." He looked at Sarian. "We're gonna be there a couple days, so I figured you could visit your friends and decide if you wanna stay or not. It's gonna take those Rebels a while to come up with my payment. How's your back Sarian?"
Sarian had almost forgotten the fire whip burns on her back. The salve had nearly healed them and they no longer bothered her. "I'm fine. It's healing pretty fast."
"Good. Well, I'm tired and need some sleep. You two probably do too. I'll show you to the crew bunks."
Sarian and Brrrl followed Alec down a corridor to a room with 2 bunks and a refresher unit in it. Sarian pulled herself up onto the top bunk and lay down on her side. She was asleep almost immediately. Brrrl whined a soft thanks to Alec and put his hand on Alec's shoulder, then he curled up on the bottom bunk. Alec stood there and watched them for a moment. He ran his fingers through his hair and walked down the corridor to his own bunk.
Sarian awoke. Brrrl was shaking her. She sat up. "What is it Brrrl?"
Brrrl barked and whined.
"We're there already?"
Brrrl nodded.
Sarian jumped off the bunk and headed toward the cockpit. Alec was bringing them down into a docking bay. Sarian looked out of the view port at the city below them.
"What city is this?" she asked Alec.
"Tarsallia City."
Sarian smiled. This was where she had spent 8 years of her life. Her parents had a home in the suburbs of the large city that her father had left to her in his will. Until now, she had not been old enough to claim it. She turned to Alec. "This is where I grew up. I have a house here my father left me when he died. I want to go claim it at the Imperial Bank. He also left me some money."
"I'll take you there after we drop of our cargo. I have to meet a guy at a cantina downtown. You and Brrrl can come along. It be less conspicuous for 3 people to walk into a bar than just one."
Brrrl growled a question.
"I'll be fine. Brrrl, you'll be with me and so will Alec," answered Sarian.
Alec nodded.
Brrrl whined an affirmative.
Sarian looked down at herself. Her shirt was clean, but the rest of her body was dirty. "Do I have time to clean up?"
Alec smirked. "Yeah. We've got a couple hours before I have to meet the representative."
"Ok. Well I'm going to take a shower." Sarian headed down the hall to the bunkroom. She took a quick shower. When she came out of the shower, a clean pair of pants and a shirt was sitting on the lower bunk. She changed and headed to the rec room. Alec was sitting at the table shining his boots.
He looked her over and smiled. "They fit. Good."
"When did you get these?"
"There was a shop near the spaceport so I got you some clean ones. My shirt was too big for you and those pants were a little dirty."
"Thanks again." Sarian felt herself blush.
Alec checked the chrono on the hull. "Just in time. I supposed to meet the Rebel guy in the cantina in 10 minutes. Where is Brrrl?"
Brrrl growled from the doorway.
"Ok, let's go."
Alec led Sarian and Brrrl into the Mid-Way Cantina. Alec led them to a table in the back of the smoke filled room. They sat down and Alec waved to the waiter droid.
"May I help you?" the machine asked.
"Corrilian Ale," said Alec.
"And for you ma'am?"
"The same," said Sarian.
"And for the Wookie?"
Brrrl barked a negative.
"I will return with your drinks in a few min." The droid scurried off.
Sarian sat back in her chair and looked around. She didn't recognize anyone. A man walked up to their table. He looked at Sarian and Brrrl for a moment then nodded to Alec. He grabbed a chair and pulled it up to the table. He stared at Sarian a moment more and sat down.
"Good to see you again, Alec. Do you have the cargo?" he said.
"It's in the ship, Derric. Send your men for it when you're ready. I'm in docking bay 31," replied Alec.
Sarian felt her mouth drop. "Did you say Derric?"
The other man turned to her. "Yes, that's my name Larn Derric."
"Larn?" Sarian smiled. "You don't remember me do you."
The man turned pale. "Sarian?"
Sarian nodded. She got up and Larn gave her a friendly hug.
"I thought you left. To live with your aunt." Larn smiled as he sat back down.
Alec was looking back and forth between the two.
"I did. But she sold me into slavery and Alec bought me. And now I'm with him."
"You're his slave?" A look of disapproval crossed Larn's face.
"Of course not. He set me free and now I'm helping him."
Larn turned to Alec. "I have more respect for you now."
Alec grimaced. "Thanks. I see you two know each other."
"Larn was my neighbor and playmate as a child. We knew each other for 8 years."
The four of them sat for a while and talked. Larn checked his chrono and got up. "Well, I'll have my men get the boxes off your ship in few hours. They'll bring the payment. I have to be going." He turned to Sarian. "It's good to see you again. Come see me sometime. I'm still where I have been for the last 10 years."
Sarian smiled. "I'll make sure I do."
Sarian got out of her seat. She embraced him. He smiled and turned. Sarian watched him walk out the door. Alec sat staring at her, frowning. She sat back down and glanced at Alec. He looked upset. She stayed silent. The droid came with their drinks. Alec paid it and stared down in his drink.
Sarian drank a little and looked around the bar. In the other corner, a bunch of men were sitting and laughing. One of them turned around and smiled at her, showing off his rotting teeth. She gave him a disgusted look and turned away. She heard the men laughing harder and a chair scrape against the floor. Alec turned and watched the man walk over to them. Brrrl growled.
"Hey sweetheart. You look like you need to have a little fun," he said as best he could with slurred speech.
Alec watched him for a moment. "The lady's having plenty of fun with us, thanks."
The drunk frowned. "I was talkin' to her." He pulled Sarian up by the arm. She yanked her arm out of his grip.
"Yeah, well she's with me." Alec got up.
The drunk glared at Alec. "I really don't care, sonny boy. I want to talk to the lady and have a little fun with her and I will." He pushed Alec into the table. Alec caught his balance.
Brrrl got up and growled. He prepared to lunge at the drunk, but was stopped by the table. Alec put up a hand to signal him to stop.
"Is that right?" asked Alec.
"It most certainly is kid."
The sound of a blaster rang throughout the cantina. There was sudden quiet. The drunk doubled over and fell to the ground. Sarian spotted Alec's blaster. The smell of ozone filled her nose. She looked at Alec. He holstered his blaster and turned to her and Brrrl.
"I think its time to go," he said quietly.
Sarian nodded and she and Brrrl quickly followed Alec out of the cantina and back to the ship. It was dark outside and few people were on the streets. The small group was able to reach the ship without trouble. When they reached the ship, Alec lowered the ramp and started up. Brrrl and Sarian followed. Brrrl headed toward the cockpit. Alec closed the ramp and locked it. He turned and saw Sarian watching him. She gave him a weak smile.
"It seems like every time I turn around, you're saving my life," she said.
Alec smiled. "I guess it's my job."
Sarian approached him and touched his arm. "Thanks, yet again."
Alec stared at her for a moment. His arm tingled at the feeling of her touch. There was a noise outside of the ship. Alec turned at the sound of Brrrl's bark.
Sarian turned toward the cockpit. "He says there's something on the sensors."
Alec's comlink beeped. He turned it on.
"Hey Tarasia, you gonna open up your hold for us or do we have to pry it open?" a voice said.
Alec relaxed. "Hold on you guys. Be patient. You'd better have my payment."
"Sure do. Derric sent half of it with us. You get the rest tomorrow."
"Good." Alec opened the ramp again. He signaled to the head of the group of 5 men waiting out side and ran to the cockpit to open the hold. Sarian stood at the top of the ramp and watched the men unload the boxes. When they were finished, she closed the ramp and headed to the crew quarters and went to sleep.
Sarian walked into the cockpit to see Alec talking over the comsystem. He turned it off and sat staring out the viewport with his head in his hands. Sarian walked up to his chair and put her hand on his shoulder. He jumped at her touch and turned quickly.
"I didn't mean to startle you," she said.
"I'm just a little jumpy after last night, I guess," he answered.
"Who was on the com?"
"Derric's group. They'll have the payment this afternoon. I figured we could go to the bank and claim your inheritance."
Sarian smiled. "Sure. I'm ready whenever you are."
"We can leave in a minute. Go get Brrrl and ask him to stay with the ship."
Sarian turned and headed for the rec room where Brrrl was messing with his bowcaster.
"Brrrl, stay here on the ship. Alec and I are going to the Imperial Bank and to get his pay. We'll be back after that."
Brrrl whined and tilted his head.
Sarian smiled. "I'll be fine, Brrrl. I'll keep my comlink with me and if there's any sign of trouble, I'll call. I promise."
Brrrl barked and got up and hugged her.
She laughed. "It's ok, Brrrl. You act like I'm walking into an Imperial base with a convicted criminal."
Brrrl grunted sarcastically.
Alec walked into the room. "Hey, you ready to go Sarian?"
"Yeah."
"Meet me outside, I'll be there in a second."
Sarian watched him for a minute and then left the room.
Alec turned to Brrrl. "I'll take care of her Brrrl. I know you have this life-debt to her, but I need you here with the ship. After last night, we don't need to leave it alone. I won't let her get hurt. I promise."
Brrrl whined and nodded. He motioned for Alec to go. Alec left the room and headed to the ramp. When he got there, he found Sarian opening it. She turned to him and smiled. The ramp stopped and she walked down. Alec followed.
The streets were full of peddlers and merchants of all sorts trying vigorously to sell their goods to as many passer-bys as possible. Several stopped Alec and Sarian with jewelry, food, and other strange things. The pair pushed their way through to the doors of a large building. Over the door was written "Imperial Bank of Tarsallia" in blue letters. Sarian took a deep breath and walked inside. She approached one of the clerks.
"Excuse me. I am here to claim my inheritance," she told the older woman.
The woman looked over Sarian. "Your name and a proof of identification please."
She handed the woman her ID. "Sarian D'lorik."
The woman's mouth dropped open. "Did you say D'lorik?" She quickly checked the ID card.
"That's what I said." Sarian turned to look at Alec. He also wore a look of surprise.
The woman walked around the counter and stepped in front of Sarian. "Please, Miss D'lorik. This way." Several other clerks and customers turned to look at Sarian as she followed the woman. Alec caught up with Sarian.
"You're a D'lorik?" he asked, stunned.
Sarian nodded.
"Was your father Barret D'lorik of D'lorik Enterprises?" he asked.
Sarian nodded again.
"But doesn't that make you a millionaire?"
"No," she answered. "My father gave much of his money to charities and to research. He only left me some of it."
The clerk glanced over her shoulder with wide eyes, then turned forward again to the glass doors they were approaching. She stopped when she reached the doors. "This is the bank President's office. He will take care of helping you acquire your inheritance ma'am."
"Thank you," answered Sarian. She led Alec into the large office. At the far end in front of a large window, was a man sitting behind a marble desk reading a datapad. The clerk approached him and whispered to him. His eyes widened and he motioned for the clerk to leave.
"Please, Miss D'lorik. You and your friend have a seat. I am Marsh Daderng'lyy, the president of this bank. I understand you are here to claim your inheritance."
"That is correct," said Sarian as she sat down in one of the satin covered chairs in front of the desk. She could feel herself getting nervous.
"I will have to run extensive checks on your background and DNA to make sure that you really are who you say you are. It's bank policy for large inheritances like your own."
"Of course."
The bank president hit a button on his desk and a small droid entered the room from a door on the side of the office. It approached Sarian and stuck a syringe into her arm, then left the room. The three sat in silence for a few moments. Another clerk came in with a data card, which the president stuck into his datapad. He scanned it and looked at Sarian's ID.
"Well, Miss D'lorik. It appears you are who you say you are. Your father has left you his whole estate, which has been kept up by the bank over the period of 10 years, along with a vast sum of credits. You are a very well off young woman."
Sarian couldn't think of anything to say. She looked over at Alec. He was staring out the window behind the large desk seemingly deep in thought.
"Here is the key to your estate," said Daderg'lyy as he handed her a 2 cards. "Along with the card you will need to use to withdraw money from this bank and others. Please come back and see us sometime."
Sarian stood up. "Thank you." She turned and Alec got up and followed. The two walked out of the building and onto the street in complete silence. Sarian approached an airspeeder that was labeled as a taxi and got in. Alec stood outside and watched her. She stared at him for a moment.
"Get in. You are coming aren't you?" she asked him.
"I suppose." He hopped into the speeder beside her. Sarian gave the driver the address and the vehicle began to move. "So when were you going to tell me you're a millionaire?"
Sarian shrugged. "I figured you would eventually find out. Like you did." She turned and looked out the window.
Alec looked at the floor. "I guess that means your staying here, then."
Sarian turned and stared at him.
Alec continued to stare at the floor. "You'll probably be happier here than with me anyway."
Sarian was speechless. "Alec…"
He turned and gave her a weak smile. "It's ok. I'm not hurt."
Sarian knew he was lying. She almost said something, but the driver stopped. Alec stepped out. Sarian followed him. Before them stood a large house with a steel gate. A high stone wall surrounded a large amount of land. To each side of the estate was a house also surrounded by a wall, but smaller in size.
A flood of memories came back to Sarian as she stood in front of her father's house for the first time in 10 years. She walked up to the gate and slipped the keycard into a slot in the stone wall. A camera swiveled to point at her. It began a security scan and lights flashed as it sent information to the gate. It swung open.
In the front garden, an old man worked in the flowerbeds pulling weeds and planting more colorful flowers. Sarian approached him and he turned around.
"Can I help you?" he asked. Sarian recognized his face.
Sarian smiled at him. "Jordon? You don't recognize me. Of course after 10 years you can't be expected to."
The man got up. "Sarian? Is that you, you little monster?" Sarian nodded. The old man embraced her. Alec watched the scene. The old man wiped his hands on his jumpsuit. "I thought you would never come home. We were counting on you being dead with that witch of an aunt of yours."
"No. She sold me into slavery." Sarian nodded to Alec. "This is Alec. He bought me and set me free."
Jordon smiled at Alec. "Thank you. I don't know how to thank you for helping this little squirt of mine." He offered his hand to Alec.
Alec shook his hand. "It was nothing."
Jordon smirked. "A lot more than nothing if you ask me."
Sarian looked up at the house. She walked over to the front door and opened it. The house was exactly as she remembered it. It was in perfect shape. Alec and Jordon followed her in. Jordon led them to the kitchen were a large woman was busy making a soup on the stove. "Enda, hun, look whose home?"
The woman turned to the three. A look of shock crossed her plump face and then the lines of age formed a smile. "Sarian!" She ran over to Sarian and embraced her. Sarian returned the hug.
Sarian turned to Jordon. "Jordon, do we still have the landing pad and hanger out back?"
Jordon nodded. "That, and your father's ship. We have it in the hanger and the pad's empty. Why?"
"Alec needs a place to put his ship. We're going after it and then we'll be back. Do we still have the speeders in the garage?"
"Of course."
Sarian took Alec's hand and led him out of the kitchen and down a corridor to a door. They walked in.
In front of them was a row of airspeeders, all polished and painted with the emblem of D'lorik Enterprises. Sarian chose a small one at the end and jumped in. Alec took the seat next to her. "Do you know how to drive one of these things?" he asked.
"Of course. When I was with my aunt, one of her servants taught me how to operate one."
"Ok. If you say so."
Sarian started the speeder's engine and pulled it out of the garage. She drove it out of the gate and down several streets back to the spaceport. When they reached the hanger with Alec's freighter, they found a squadron of stormtroopers standing at the door. One of them turned to Alec and Sarian.
"This is a restricted area. Only Imperial personnel are aloud passed this point. I will have to ask you to leave."
Alec stepped forward. "The hell you will. This is my ship." Sarian grabbed his arm.
The stormtrooper turned on his helmet comlink and spoke quietly into it. He turned back to Alec and Sarian and waved them in. Inside, two stormtroopers were trying to get the ramp to lower. Alec stepped in front of them and opened the ramp. Sarian heard Brrrl growl and saw him prepare to launch at the intruders. She waved to him to get him to calm down. A man in an Imperial officer's uniform approached them.
"This is your ship?" he asked Alec.
Alec nodded.
"You were reported to be causing some trouble in a local cantina last night. I'm afraid I will have to take you in for interrogation."
Sarian stepped in front of Alec. "He wasn't causing trouble. He was protecting me. Another man was causing the trouble and tried to hurt me. He stepped in and stopped him."
Alec stared at Sarian. The Imperial officer did the same.
"I'm going to have to see your ID's," said the officer.
Sarian and Alec pulled their ID's out and gave them to the officer. He looked at Sarian's and returned them both. "Miss D'lorik. I was just informed of your returning. I'm sorry for the inconvenience. I didn't realize this was one of your ships. I'll call the troopers away now."
Sarian nodded to the officer and headed up the ramp. Alec followed. When they got in the ship and the ramp was closed, Sarian headed toward the cockpit. Alec grabbed her hand and stopped her.
"How did you get him to let us go so quickly?" he asked.
"My father made several generous donations to the Empire before he died. That was before it got out of control. One of our development teams also helped develop the TIE's. That was a long time ago though. I don't believe in the Empire anymore after going through slavery, which they promote."
"Oh."
Sarian looked at Alec's hand on hers. She looked up at him. He stared into her eyes for a moment then pulled away. He walked past her into the cockpit. Sarian stood leaning against the corridor wall.
Brrrl came out of the cockpit and stopped next to her. He grunted softly.
Sarian turned to look at him. "I don't know Brrrl. I'm just confused."
Brrrl walked over to her and stroked her hair. He whined.
"I'll be ok." She gave Brrrl a weak smile and walked into the cockpit. She sat down in the copilot's seat and looked out the viewport. She spotted her house and pointed to it.
"That's the house. You should be able to pick up a frequency from the landing pad. Jordon should be waiting on us."
Alec switched the com's frequency. Jordon came over the com. "Sarian is that you?"
"Yes, Jordon. We're landing. Make sure the pad is clear."
"All clear squirt. Bring her in."
Alec brought the ship down and turned off the systems. He hopped out of his chair and walked out of the cockpit. Sarian watched him leave and got up herself. She walked slowly to the ramp and watched Alec descend it. Jordon looked up from the bottom of the ramp.
"Coming, squirt?"
Sarian managed a smile. "Yeah. I'll be down in a second."
Brrrl came around the corner with his bowcaster and cocked his head. He growled softly.
Jordon jumped. Sarian smiled.
"Jordon, this is Brrrlowick. He's a friend of mine. He won't hurt you."
"If you say so. It's been a long time since I've seen a Wookie. I guess I was just a little surprised."
Sarian and Brrrl walked down the ramp and into the house. Sarian went upstairs to her room and found some clothes to change into. Brrrl settled into her father's workshop to do some work on his bowcaster. When Sarian came back downstairs, Alec wasn't around.
"Where's Alec?" she asked Jordon.
"He was outside with his ship a little while ago. He said he had some adjustments to make to the hyperdrive."
Sarian walked out of the house and onto the landing pad. She found Alec's ship empty.
Suddenly, she heard a noise coming from the hanger. She rushed over and found Alec standing at the door looking at her father's ship. Sarian walked passed him to the Y1300 freighter and touched it's sleek, silver hull.
"The Sarian's Wings. My father knew about my love for the ships, so when he got this one, he named it after me. I still remember riding in it for the first time. It was our personal freighter. We took it everywhere."
"It's in excellent condition." Alec ran his hands over the bottom of the ship and approached the ramp.
Sarian smiled. "My dad kept it that way. It was his second love. If he wasn't doing business with the company, he was working on his ship. I always got to help. Of course I didn't learn much. I just handed him his tools and easy stuff like that. He promised me that when I was older, he'd teach me how to fly. But then he got sick, and died."
Sarian's heart ached at the painful memory of her father on his deathbed. She felt tears streak down her cheek as she remembered holding his hand when he passed away. Alec saw her tears and hugged her close to comfort her.
"I'm sorry. It's been so long and I shouldn't cry about the past. It just hurt so much…" she whispered.
"It's ok. You've had it inside so long, you need to get it out. I know the feeling. I have a bad habit of keeping my feelings bottled up inside," Alec comforted.
Sarian looked up at him. He wiped a tear from her cheek with his hand. He stroked her face and held it in his hands. Sarian placed her own hand on top of his. Their lips met in a kiss that seemed to last for ages. Alec pulled away and looked at Sarian for a moment. He walked toward the door and stopped in the doorframe.
"I shouldn't be doing this to you," he said, running his hands through his hair.
"Alec, I… don't understand. You're not doing anything wrong…" Sarian pleaded with him.
"Yes, I am. I know you're happy here with your friends, in your home. But I can't stay. I would only endanger you if the Imperials find out who I am. Besides, I've never been able to stay in one place for long. I just want you to be happy. It would never work."
"Alec…" Sarian touched Alec's shoulder. He pulled away and quickly left the hanger. Sarian stood in one place for what seemed like forever. She looked around the hanger and her eye's fell on the ship's ramp. She walked over to the controls and entered the password to lower it. It lowered slowly and the entered her father's ship.
Everything had been left exactly the same. The cockpit smelled like her father, and somehow, Sarian could almost feel his presence around her. She walked into his quarters and sat down on the bunk. On the small desk in the room, a light blinked. There was a com message from 10 years ago still waiting to be answered. She punched the button to bring the message up. A holo of her father appeared before her.
"Sarian. I know this must be you receiving this message. You were the only other person who knew the password to get into the ship. So this must be you. If you are receiving this message, I must be dead. I prepared this when I began to get sick so I could explain a few things to you," said the image. "I know how hard for you this must be. I wish I didn't have to send you to your aunt. She was always the jealous type, but you would have been put in the government's hands had I not sent you to a blood relative. I hope she will love you as much as I do.
"In my will I have left you several things, including the house, the ship, and a large sum of money that should keep you alive and happy for a while. I have something else for you. I never told you, but our family is strong in the force. I was training as a Jedi when I met your mother and married her. We never finished our training and that is something I regret. There was many a time when I wish I could have used the force to protect or heal. I know that you also have been blessed with this gift. I have felt it in you. I hope that you will be able to train as I did and further your abilities. Until you do, remember to trust your feelings. They will lead you on the right path.
"Before I leave you, I must tell you one other thing. Your mother, also being a Jedi, asked me to give you something when I thought you were old enough. This may not be the time, but hopefully you will use what I give you wisely. Dearest, open the third drawer on this desk. Inside there is a small box with a keypad on it. Type in the star date of your birthday and it will open. Inside is what your mother left you.
"Remember honey. I know that I am gone and so is your mother, but we will always be with you.
And we will always love you. Be good. May the force be with you, Sarian."
The image blinked out. Sarian stared at the drawers of the desk. She pulled open the third one down. A small, rectangular, black box was inside. On its side was a keypad. Sarian punched in her birth date and it clicked open. Inside was a silver cylinder about a six inches long. One end was open as if you inserted something into it. On its side was a single switch. Sarian pushed it up and out of the open end burst a light-blue blade of light that lit up the room. A lightsaber. On the side, next to the switch was some writing. Sarian turned off the blade and wiped off the dust covering it.
For my Sarian, May the force be with you, love.
Her mother's handwriting. She could recognize it anywhere. She had seen it many times on the letters she had written for her father. Tears rolled down her cheeks. She went back over to her father's bunk and curled up. She slipped into a long dreamless sleep.
Alec wiped the sweat from his brow as he reconnected the wires of the hyperdrive controls. He had been working at upgrading the hyperdrive for almost 3 hours now. He heard foot steps in the corridor behind him. Jordon peered down at him.
"Hello Alec. Have you seen Sarian? It's been a while since I saw her last. She was looking for you."
"She was in the hanger with me for a while. I didn't see her leave. You might check there."
"Well, Enda's done with dinner. You're welcome to join us. The soup's gonna be delicious."
"I was actually planning on leaving tonight."
Jordon raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Does Sarian know?"
Alec sat up. "I haven't told her."
Jordon scratched his head. "It just may be me, but I think she's pretty fond of you."
Alec blushed a little. "Well it's mutual."
"May I ask why you're leaving then?"
Alec shook his head. "I'm not right for her. I couldn't make her happy."
"Now how do you figure that?"
Alec shrugged.
"I think you ought to let her decide that. Of course that's just my opinion. Well, I gotta find Sarian. See ya at dinner, Alec."
Alec watched the old man go. His stomach growled. Jordan peeked back in the room for a second.
"Oh, and you might want to clean up a little first."
Alec looked down at his grease-covered shirt and got up. He headed toward his quarters to change.
Sarian awoke to a clatter outside the ship.
"Sarian! You in here?"
She pulled herself off of the bunk and out of her father's quarters. She found Jordon looking up the ramp at her.
"There you are! I've been looking all over for you."
She rubbed the back of her neck. "I was just looking at the ship and fell asleep."
"Well come on to dinner. Enda's got it ready and you know how impatient she is." He turned and walked toward the exit of the hanger.
"I'll be there in a second." Sarian turned and walked back to her father's quarters. She picked up the lightsaber and clipped it to her belt. She looked around the room and headed back to the ramp.
As the ramp closed, she walked out of the hanger. Outside, Alec was coming out of his ship heading for the house. Sarian stopped and watched him go in. When he reached the door, he stopped and turned around. He saw her watching him. The two stood in place a moment watching each other. Alec walked down the stairs and headed toward her. She slowly approached him.
"You coming to dinner?" she asked.
"Yeah," he answered. "It's been a while since I've had a good meal. Jordon invited me so I figured it was ok."
"Of course."
There was a long uncomfortable silence.
"Alec, I know you think you can't make me happy but your wrong. I know you don't like to stay in one place for a long time and neither do I really. It gets boring…" Sarian looked down.
Enda peered out the door. "You two coming? Dinner's getting cold."
Sarian looked up and smiled. "We'll be there in a second, Enda. Don't wait on us."
"Well hurry up." Enda went back inside.
Sarian looked at Alec. She reached down and took his hand. He smiled. The two went inside for dinner.
After dinner, Sarian took Alec out to the hanger. She opened up the ramp of the Wings and took him up into the ship. She sat down in the pilot's seat and ran her hands over the controls. Alec sat down next to her.
"Does she still fly?" he asked.
"As far as I know. If I knew how to fly her, I'd find out, but Dad never got around to teaching me," she answered sadly.
"I could teach you."
Sarian's face lit up as she looked at Alec. "Really?"
Alec shrugged. "Sure. This model is pretty close to my ship. The controls are the same except for a few modifications. This one's a little more recent than mine."
Sarian smiled and got up from her seat.
"Where are you going?" asked Alec.
"To open the top hanger door."
Alec waited a few moments for Sarian to come back. He heard a rumble as the top of the hanger opened up. Sarian came back into the cockpit and sat back down. Alec reached over in front of her and pushed some buttons.
"These start up the systems. Watch this display. See the lights next to each of those system names? Those are the ready lights. When they all turn green, then your ready to go."
Sarian watched each of the lights turn green. Alec stood up and came around behind her. He reached around her shoulders and pointed to another switch.
"This activates the repulsorlifts. They lower and raise the ship according to which direction you use. Push the switch up and we should lift off."
Sarian moved the switch forward and it shook as the repulsors came online. The ship lifted itself upward smoothly.
"OK. Now these are the directional controls," Alec said as he pointed to a new set of switches and buttons. "These take you right, left, forward, backward, etc. Put the repulsors in the hover position. Then you can move around as you please. I suggest you stay in this area so we don't raise any questions from towers and spaceports in the city."
Sarian moved her fingers across the controls turning the ship in all different directions.
"Easy. Don't over do it," coaxed Alec. He put his hands over hers and moved her fingers for her. His hands overlapped her small ones easily. She could feel their warmth as they moved across her own.
Alec showed her a few other things, then sat down next to her in the copilot's seat. Sarian flew the ship as though she had years of experience behind her. She felt as if she was one with the huge machine. Alec was shocked with her natural talent as she preformed complicated loops and turns that had taken him years to learn.
After about an hour of flying, Alec helped Sarian bring the ship back down into the hanger. The doors closed automatically after they came in. Sarian could feel the adrenaline rushing through her veins as she ran her hands over the controls. Alec's hands were still resting on top of her own from helping her land it. He squeezed her hands and picked them up off the controls. She stood up and turned around to face him. He was smiling down at her. He pulled her towards him and held her around her small waist, and kissed her. Sarian ran her hands up his arms and rested them together behind his neck.
A loud explosion shook the hanger. Sarian was knocked out of Alec's arms and fell to the floor. She looked up at Alec as he helped her up.
"What was that?" she asked.
"I don't know. An explosion of some kind."
The pair rushed out of the ship and out of the hanger. A bright flame was coming from over the wall to the right. Sarian gasped.
"That's Larn's house!" she screamed as she rushed around the house and out the front gate. Alec ran after her. They ran next door up to the gate to see Larn's house on fire and the gate wide open. She rushed inside and spotted several stormtroopers marching towards them with their blasters ready. The same officer that had been at the hanger approached them behind the stormtroopers.
"Miss D'lorik. I will have to ask you and your friend to leave here," he said.
"Why did you do this?" Sarian screamed at the officer. Anger welled up inside of her.
"Larn Derric was found guilty of conspiracy and treason against the Empire. He is being punished."
"You killed him?! Isn't he entitled to a trial?" Sarian felt herself lunge at the officer. Alec grabbed her arm and held her back. His other hand fell to her side. He grabbed onto the lightsaber that hung at her side and unclipped it. Sarian was so upset she didn't notice.
"He will have his trial as soon as we find him along with the smuggler that was supplying his Rebel faction with guns," the officer replied.
Sarian froze in her place. Alec put his hand on her shoulder to comfort her.
"He was reported to be in the Mid-Way cantina at the same time you were a few days ago. Did you happen to see him or who he was with?" the officer questioned.
Alec stepped forward. He thought for a moment. "I don't remember seeing him. The cantina was pretty full that night. Did you find any of his accomplices?"
"Not yet. When we do, we will interrogate them. This Rebel sympathizer must be found. He has caused the Empire much trouble. He will be punished as harshly as Derric when he is found."
"I'm sorry we can't be of any help," lied Alec. "I need to take her home. She's pretty upset that one of her friends could turn on the Empire like this."
The officer nodded. "I understand."
Alec put his arm around Sarian and led her back over to her house. He took her inside and set her down on a chair. "Sarian, I have to leave. If I stay, those idiots will find me. I'll only be endangering you and your friends by staying her."
Sarian threw herself into Alec's arms. "Alec…" Tears streaked down her face.
Jordon and Enda walked into the room. Enda kneeled down and hugged Sarian. Jordon put his hand on Alec's shoulder.
"Alec, you have to take her with you," he said to Alec. "She was seen with you and she admitted being with you. Brrrl will have to go too. They will only be in danger by staying here with us."
"You two have to find Larn. I have a feeling he's hiding in the city," said Enda. "He'll know someplace you can hide out."
Sarian looked up at the old couple. She hugged Enda and Jordon. "Thanks. I hate to leave again, but it's for the better. I'll leave you the deed to the house and some of the money."
"We have no need for the money. Your father left us a gracious sum. You take the money and use it. You'll need it," said Jordon.
Enda managed a smile. Sarian could see the tears in her eyes. "Come back and see us sometime."
"I promise." Sarian hugged her again. She turned to Alec. "I'm taking Dad's ship with us. I couldn't stand to leave it."
Alec nodded. "We can sell mine. The Empire has seen it too many times. Is you ship marked with a D'lorik Enterprises ID number?"
Sarian shook her head. "No. It was his private ship, so he didn't have it marked."
"Good. That makes it unidentifiable. No one could have seen it for years. We can take mine to a ship dealer I know. He'll give us good money for it."
Brrrl came into the room with his bowcaster in hand. He roared.
"Brrrl says he can help me pilot the Wings or he can take your ship and let you help me with Dad's ship."
Alec looked at Sarian. "I'll go with you on the Wings. Brrrl can take my ship. I'll give him the coordinates over the com. We'd better get out of here as soon as possible."
Brrrl nodded.
"I'm going to get something, then I'll be ready," said Sarian. She rushed up the stairs and out of sight. Brrrl went out the door towards Alec's ship. Enda and Jordon turned to Alec.
"Take care of Sarian for us. She's the closest thing we've got to a daughter," said Enda, her eyes filled with tears.
Alec smiled. "I promise. I'll make sure you see her again soon."
Enda hugged him.
"Alec, you had better go prep the ship for take-off and get those coordinates to Brrrl," said Jordon. "The ship is unlocked. You two forgot to close the ramp after you ran off."
Sarian came running back down the stairs. She hugged the old couple once more and grabbed Alec's hand. They rushed out of the house to the ship. Sarian jumped into the copilot's seat. Alec raised an eyebrow.
"You don't want to pilot?" he asked.
"No, you had better do it. I haven't had enough experience. We have to get away fast. I'll raise Brrrl on the com."
A growl came over the com.
"Brrrl head off planet, we'll give you the coordinates when we get away from the planet," Sarian replied.
Brrrl growled an affirmative and Sarian saw Alec's ship take off.
Alec was bringing the ship out of the hanger. Sarian spotted Jordon and Enda waving from the doorway. She waved back and felt her eyes fill with tears. The old couple had been like second parents to her. They took care of her when her father was away on business. She loved them as much as she did her father. And now she was leaving them again.
"Sarian, are you ok?" Alec asked.
Sarian managed a small smile. She looked out of viewport again. They had exited the planet's atmosphere and the sky around them was pitch black, dotted with stars like diamonds spread out on black marble. Alec started the navicomputer calculating a course to the ship dealer. Sarian transferred the coordinates to the com and sent them to Brrrl. Alec checked the console.
"We're ready to jump. Ready Brrrl?" he asked over the com.
Brrrl whined an affirmative.
"Here we go." Alec pulled the hyperdrive lever and the stars turned into starlines. Sarian let out a sigh of relief. Alec reached over and grabbed her hand. Sarian's other hand dropped to her side, to her lightsaber, but it wasn't there. She jumped out of her chair.
"Oh no!"
Alec got up. "What?"
"My lightsaber. It's gone. I must have left it. We have to go back. It was my mother's."
Alec hugged her. "It's ok. I have it. I took it off when we were talking that Imperial. They don't take kindly to Jedi. They would have killed you on the spot if they had seen it." He pulled the lightsaber out of his pocket and handed it to her.
Sarian let out a sigh of relief. She took the saber and clipped it to her belt. "Thanks."
"I try."
Alec walked out of the cockpit. Sarian followed him. He went into the small room in the middle of the ship that served as a dining room and a rec room. He sat down in a chair next to the table. Sarian stretched out on the couch and stared up at the ceiling.
"You ok?" Alec asked.
"Yeah. Just thinking."
"About what?"
"My parents. I remember being with my dad in this same room. He taught me how to play Sabaac in here. I beat him so bad. He couldn't bluff. He had to pay with letting me go with him on some of his trips. I went with him about 5 times. Some of my fondest memories of him are in this ship." Sarian ran her hand over the bulkhead behind the couch. Alec got up and walked over to the couch. Sarian sat up. He sat down next to her and put his arm around her waist. She laid her head on his shoulder.
"I hope Brrrl's ok," she whispered.
"He'll be fine. We'll see him in a couple hours." Alec stroked her head. He smiled. "You know I never thought I'd be like this."
Sarian looked up at him. "Like what?"
"Well, sitting here next to a beautiful woman, running from the Empire."
"You're just lucky." Sarian got up. "I'm tired. I'm going to bed. There are 3 cabins. Mine, my fathers, and the crew quarters. You can take my dad's or the crew quarters. Whichever you like."
"Alright. I'm going to check on the ship. I'll see you in the morning." Alec got up and kissed Sarian on the forehead. He walked out of the room and the door closed behind him.
"Fine man you've got there, Sarian," said a voice from behind her. Sarian whipped around.
Larn was standing behind her leaning against the wall. Sarian felt herself breathing hard.
"How… how did you get in here?"
"When you went over to my house, I slipped over the wall and into the hanger. You left the ship open so I hid in here."
"You scared me half to death."
"Well I figured I had better not scare Alec or the Wookie because I would wind up dead."
"Probably so. Well, I guess that means you'll want a place to sleep."
"That might be nice."
"Well you get whatever Alec doesn't take. I'll tell Alec you're here." Sarian reached up on the wall to the comunit. She pressed a button. "Hey Alec, we've got a stowaway. Somehow Larn found his way on the ship. Which cabin do you want?"
"Which one is closest to yours?"
"My dad's."
"Ok, that ones mine."
"Ok. See you when I wake up. Good night."
"Good night. Make sure you lock your cabin door. I don't trust Larn."
Sarian turned off the comunit. She showed Larn out of the room into a corridor. "Go left. It's the first door on the right." She headed off to the right.
Larn smiled. "Good night, Sarian."
Sarian awoke to a knock on her cabin door. She sat up in her bunk and looked around. There was another knock.
"Sarian?" said a voice. "You awake?"
Sarian got up and unlocked the door. She opened it and saw Alec standing outside. "Sorry. I just woke up."
"That's ok. I just came to tell you we're here. I've landed the ship at the used ship lot and I'm going with Larn and Brrrl to sell my ship. You can get dressed and catch up with us. Or you can stay here. Whichever you like. I'll have my comlink on so you can find me."
"Ok. I'll call you if I need anything." Sarian reached up and kissed Alec on the cheek.
"Ok. Bye." Alec turned and walked out of the room. Sarian shut the door and went to the refresher unit to take a shower.
After she had showered and dressed, Sarian grabbed her lightsaber and went down the corridor to the ramp. She lowered the ramp and exited the ship. Before her was a large fenced-in plot of land paved over and covered in used ships, from junkers to some nice ones close to the Wings in quality. Sarian locked up the ship and headed in the direction of a gate. She clipped her lightsaber to her belt and pulled her comlink out of her pocket.
"Alec you there?"
"Hey. Good to see you got up. You ok?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Where are you guys? I was coming to meet you."
"We're in the main office. The big building on your right in the middle of all the ships."
"Ok I'll be there in a second."
Sarian flipped off her comlink and stuck it in her pocket. She started walking in the direction of the office. Before she reached the office, a small alien stepped in her way.
"May I help you ma'am?" the Rodian asked.
"I'm on my way to meet my friends in the office." Sarian began to walk again.
The alien stepped in her way again. "Certainly I can interest you in something."
"No, thanks. I'm fine." Sarian tried to push around him. Another Rodian stepped out from behind a ship.
"Oh, I'm sure I have something that might interest you."
Sarian felt a cylinder being jabbed into her stomach. The Rodian was holding a blaster and had it stuck in her side. A third Rodian came out from behind another ship. Sarian's heart nearly leaped out of her chest. The other 2 aliens pulled their blasters up to point at her. Sarian's hand went to her comlink.
"Nuh, uh, uh. Keep your hands in front of you. Head back to your ship. We'll conduct our business there." The Rodian jabbed the blaster into her stomach again. Sarian turned around and started walking towards the ship. She could feel her lightsaber bumping against her thigh as she walked. The other 2 Rodians joined them as they escorted her to the ship. One of them tripped over a pipe sticking out of the ground and the other two turned to see what happened. Sarian saw her chance.
She pulled her saber off her belt and ignited it. The lead Rodian cursed and fired a shot at her. Anger flowed through her body and gave her a sort of energy to defend herself. Sarian reached moved the blade and deflected the bolt. She lunged at the closest of the Rodians and cut off the end of his blaster in one quick stroke. The power cell ignited and blew up. He screamed in pain. The second Rodian fired at her. Sarian dodged one of the bolts and deflected the other back at the alien's head. He shrieked and fell dead to the ground. The third Rodian ran at her and tried to knock her saber from her hand. A bolt from another blaster hit him in the chest and he fell to the ground on top of one of the others. The bolt had come from Alec's blaster. Brrrl launched himself on top of the remaining Rodian and crushed his throat.
Sarian stood there breathing hard and staring at the 3 dead aliens. She switched off her saber and watched Alec run toward her. He grabbed her arm.
"Are you ok?" he asked. His face showed a worried expression as he breathed hard from running to her.
"I… I guess." Sarian was confused. "How… did I do that?"
"I was wondering the same thing myself," said Alec with a worried look. "I guess you're pretty strong in the Force."
Sarian felt her legs get weak and she grabbed onto Alec for support.
"Come on. You need to sit down." Alec led her back to the officer where Larn was arguing with a salesman over the price of the ship. Alec helped Sarian into a chair and glared at the salesman.
"I don't suppose you realize that there are thieves hanging out on your lot. They just attacked Sarian." He pointed to Sarian.
"Look buddy, I can't control the whole lot. My security has gone down cause I've had to let some people go. I can't help it if some bandits sneak on and attack your girlfriend. She shouldn't have been walking around here alone anyway. This isn't exactly a safe place," the salesman countered.
Larn stood between the two men. "We're here to sell a ship, not get into this. Alec, let's get this done with and then you can bruise this guy."
The salesman looked back to Larn. "I won't take it for anymore than 5,000. There's already a watch out for it. All it would be good for is scrapping for parts. And that's my final offer."
Larn scratched his head and looked to Alec. Alec nodded.
"All right," Larn said. "5,000, no less. And we want the money now in credit notes and chips."
"I don't know if I have 5,000 cash on me. You'll have to wait."
"Now or never. We can always report to the authorities that you hired thugs to mug your customers. I don't think you'd be getting much business after that."
"That's blackmail."
Larn leaned over the desk into the smaller man's face. "That's life buddy. Take it or leave it."
The man mumbled something and went into a room in the back of the office. He came back out with a handful of credit notes. "There 5,000. Don't ever come back."
"No problem. Good doing business with you. Come on guys. Let's get back to the ship."
Sarian sipped some lythil root tea and watched Brrrl work on his bowcaster. Alec and Larn were in the cockpit preparing for the jump to hyperspace. The two had been bickering over where to go. Alec wanted to go to a backwater planet, somewhere they wouldn't be found. Larn insisted on going to the main base of the Rebel movement. Sarian had left them alone to bicker and come back into the rec room to do something more interesting. She had been watching Brrrl for about an hour now, working with the electronics trying to improve the accuracy of the weapon.
Sarian finished her tea and headed up to the cockpit. Alec and Larn had stopped fighting and Alec was just pulling the hyperdrive lever as she entered.
"I thought you two would never stop fighting."
Both Alec and Larn turned around. Larn had a smile on his face, but Alec didn't look so happy.
"Larn won?"
"Sure did," Larn grinned even wider. "We're on our way to Yavin now. We should be arriving in a few hours."
Alec got up from the pilot's seat and walked over to Sarian. "I'm going to have to hear about this from ego-trip here for the whole trip."
"Well Alec, look at it this way. He lost a bigger prize," Sarian said with a smile.
Larn looked puzzled. "What's that?"
"Me of course."
Alec turned to Larn and grinned as he took Sarian into his arms and kissed her. Larn smirked.
"That is one loss I truly regret," he said with a smile.