ALLIANCES 5 by Shayne
/ /Why am I here? Why am I doing this? Why did I marry a lunatic?/ /
They were all fairly pertinent questions, considering the situation. Leia watched the big freighter as it moved towards the entry port at a slow crawl.
"I can't do this. I've just discovered I hate heights."
The asteroid's spin and size gave it a near-normal gravity, so her mate's plan had definite dangers - they couldn't just float down to a soft landing on the freighter's hull. Their suits came with small thrusters that were designed to be used in a gravity-free vacuum, and they provided a limited amount of power in a ninety percent gravity field. Han and Chewbacca had put together two sets of ropes and attached them to ringed pegs which Han had knocked into the lip of rock above the entry way. They would need to climb down, swing over the freighter and drop to the deck.
However, they hadn't had enough ropes to make it all the way down. . .and all the way down looked just too far to Leia. One tear in the suit, one wrong landing that broke bones, and they were finished. It was crazy.. . And she had agreed to do it because there was no time to come up with anything less dangerous.
As the big bulk passed beneath them, Han took Leia's hand, smiled encouragingly at her through his faceplate, and helped her to climb out from behind the rock to stand on the edge of the upper lip. They did a mutual silent count of five - and then pushed off.
They swung out together from the rock face and curled downwards and to Leia it seemed like a plummet - the grey expanse of hull came up very fast. As she reached the full length of the rope she unclipped herself and ignited her vertical thrusters to full power. Leia was glad the suit communicators were off - Han couldn't hear her scream as she hit the deck and rolled over.
Han had also rolled on impact and came to a stop beside an aerial housing, grabbing it desperately to stop himself from rolling further. He twisted around towards Leia as she was cutting her thrusters to crawl upright and hang onto another nearby housing with both hands. Han switched off his own power and, as the freighter moved into the tunnel, he carefully crawled across the metal surface and took hold of Leia. By touching their helmets together, they could just hear each other - using standard channels would alert the sensitive communications sensors set all around the Rock.
"You all right?"
"Just fine. Every bone in my body aches and I think I twisted my ankle, but nothing bad. You?"
"Nothing broken." Han moved until he had a firm hold on both Leia and the housing then looked up at the tunnel wall passing around them. "I hope this driver doesn't hit any bumps or we might get scraped off."
"Just thought of that, did you?" Leia said through a suddenly dry throat.
* * * *
Things weren't t looking too good to Moab. He'd d been running on a losing streak for weeks, his debts were beginning to seem insurmountable and he'd been caught with his hand in Chag's pocket. It just wasn't fair - Chag had a lot of money, and Moab had none. Not only that, but it seemed as if all of Moab's problems would soon be over. Chag and his equally ugly brother Cram, were taking serious professional interest in beating Moab to a small and messy pulp.
Moab cried out for help without really expecting any - no-one helped anybody on the Rock without there being a profit in it. Yet he'd cried out anyhow, out of desperation and hopelessness, from pain and fear. As foolish and useless as his life was, it was still all he had left, and the two big reptilian aliens seemed intent on taking that from him.
Luke and Merril were passing the dimly lit side cavern when Moab made his hopeless call for help, and although Luke couldn't understand the words, the sound of terror and pain needed no translation. He could no more pass by and ignore it than he could turn into an Arachniad. Before Merril could even begin to try and stop him, he'd dived into the fray.
Chag and Cram hadn't expected any interference either, and were equally surprised when the small human came charging down the passage and threw himself at them. They tried to brush him aside, tried to crush him into the unfeeling hardness of the wall, but somehow he dodged their big scaled fists. In a flashing moment Luke jumped into the air and threw himself feet first at Cram.
The impact knocked the almost three metre tall alien into the wall - the thick gray-green skull hit the wall with a flat thud and he fell face forward, unconscious before he touched the ground. Luke jumped to his feet and turned to take on Chag and found himself locked in a rib-crushing hold, his back pressed against Chag's broad chest. The reptilian Nemmen's big arms pressed inwards as he ignored the human's wriggling and began to exert his strength against the more fragile body.
Even as Luke began to release the Force in an effort to break out of the hold, Chag's grip slackened and both Luke and the reptile fell to the ground, the reptile on top. Merril pulled Luke out from under the still body and hauled him to his feet.
"What the Cress do you think you're doing!!" Merril's voiced throbbed with anger.. "Are you crazy!"
Luke ignored the infuriated pirate and turned to help the little thief to his feet. Wincing, Moab staggered up right and nursed an obviously broken arm.
"Are you seriously hurt?" Luke asked, checking the man over. Moab winced and shook his head, immediately wishing he hadn't. It hurt, too.
"No, don't think so. Not as serious as I wouldha been. Dunno who you are, but thanks," Moab said in slurred Standard.
"He's a crazy person who needs seeing to," Merril muttered, thumping Chag on the head with the butt of his blaster when the other seemed to be coming to. "Can we get out of here now, before an Arachniad or something equally nasty peeks in to see what's happening!"
The three men moved back up the passageway and, after checking to see if anyone had hurt the scuffle, and where was no obvious sign of interest, moved out into the main gallery.
"You need a medic," Luke said, as he watched the pain flicker across Moab's blood-streaked face. The boy - and he could hardly be more than sixteen, was biting his lip as he cradled his arm. "That arm is obviously broken."
The boy shrugged. "It hurts, n'truth, but I got no credits and medics gotta get paid. That's why Chag and Cram was beating up on me. I tried to lift some of their money. I aint eat in a week."
Merril saw it coming before Luke even finished turning his head. Skywalker bore all the markings of a first-class easy mark.
"No. Forget it. I got better things to do with my limited finances that support every beggar in the Rock..."
Luke didn't even attempt to manipulate Highstar -he simply looked. It was the expression of someone appealing to a conscience Highstar continually denied In the end, he would justify his reaction by thinking of it as a release, a way to rid himself of Moab's dangerous presence. Sighing, he dug into his belt pouch and tossed a couple of credits to the thief.
"All right, take it, and keep your hands out of other people's pockets in future."
Moab looked at the coins then back at Highstar. Surprisingly he was frowning. "I'm no beggar. "A thief yessa, but no charity piece."
Highstar sniffed. "For a thief, you got mighty high principles. If you makes you feel any better, I'm feeling like I've been taken."
Moab crinkled his pleasantly ugly face into a smile. "OK. But if you need help or information, call on me. I know the Rock better than anyone 'sept the Spiders." He bowed slightly to Luke, then turned and limped back up the Gallery, disappearing into the crowd.
"If I felt like running for a popularity contest, I'd know who to call on. You are certainly one strange kid."
"Someone else who calls me a kid," Luke murmured as' they turned to continue their interrupted journey. "I wish I knew why."
Remembering that look of wide-eyed cajolery, Merril wondered who was kidding whom. . .
/ /Why am I here? Why am I doing this? Why did I marry a lunatic?/ /
They were all fairly pertinent questions, considering the situation. Leia watched the big freighter as it moved towards the entry port at a slow crawl.
"I can't do this. I've just discovered I hate heights."
The asteroid's spin and size gave it a near-normal gravity, so her mate's plan had definite dangers - they couldn't just float down to a soft landing on the freighter's hull. Their suits came with small thrusters that were designed to be used in a gravity-free vacuum, and they provided a limited amount of power in a ninety percent gravity field. Han and Chewbacca had put together two sets of ropes and attached them to ringed pegs which Han had knocked into the lip of rock above the entry way. They would need to climb down, swing over the freighter and drop to the deck.
However, they hadn't had enough ropes to make it all the way down. . .and all the way down looked just too far to Leia. One tear in the suit, one wrong landing that broke bones, and they were finished. It was crazy.. . And she had agreed to do it because there was no time to come up with anything less dangerous.
As the big bulk passed beneath them, Han took Leia's hand, smiled encouragingly at her through his faceplate, and helped her to climb out from behind the rock to stand on the edge of the upper lip. They did a mutual silent count of five - and then pushed off.
They swung out together from the rock face and curled downwards and to Leia it seemed like a plummet - the grey expanse of hull came up very fast. As she reached the full length of the rope she unclipped herself and ignited her vertical thrusters to full power. Leia was glad the suit communicators were off - Han couldn't hear her scream as she hit the deck and rolled over.
Han had also rolled on impact and came to a stop beside an aerial housing, grabbing it desperately to stop himself from rolling further. He twisted around towards Leia as she was cutting her thrusters to crawl upright and hang onto another nearby housing with both hands. Han switched off his own power and, as the freighter moved into the tunnel, he carefully crawled across the metal surface and took hold of Leia. By touching their helmets together, they could just hear each other - using standard channels would alert the sensitive communications sensors set all around the Rock.
"You all right?"
"Just fine. Every bone in my body aches and I think I twisted my ankle, but nothing bad. You?"
"Nothing broken." Han moved until he had a firm hold on both Leia and the housing then looked up at the tunnel wall passing around them. "I hope this driver doesn't hit any bumps or we might get scraped off."
"Just thought of that, did you?" Leia said through a suddenly dry throat.
* * * *
Things weren't t looking too good to Moab. He'd d been running on a losing streak for weeks, his debts were beginning to seem insurmountable and he'd been caught with his hand in Chag's pocket. It just wasn't fair - Chag had a lot of money, and Moab had none. Not only that, but it seemed as if all of Moab's problems would soon be over. Chag and his equally ugly brother Cram, were taking serious professional interest in beating Moab to a small and messy pulp.
Moab cried out for help without really expecting any - no-one helped anybody on the Rock without there being a profit in it. Yet he'd cried out anyhow, out of desperation and hopelessness, from pain and fear. As foolish and useless as his life was, it was still all he had left, and the two big reptilian aliens seemed intent on taking that from him.
Luke and Merril were passing the dimly lit side cavern when Moab made his hopeless call for help, and although Luke couldn't understand the words, the sound of terror and pain needed no translation. He could no more pass by and ignore it than he could turn into an Arachniad. Before Merril could even begin to try and stop him, he'd dived into the fray.
Chag and Cram hadn't expected any interference either, and were equally surprised when the small human came charging down the passage and threw himself at them. They tried to brush him aside, tried to crush him into the unfeeling hardness of the wall, but somehow he dodged their big scaled fists. In a flashing moment Luke jumped into the air and threw himself feet first at Cram.
The impact knocked the almost three metre tall alien into the wall - the thick gray-green skull hit the wall with a flat thud and he fell face forward, unconscious before he touched the ground. Luke jumped to his feet and turned to take on Chag and found himself locked in a rib-crushing hold, his back pressed against Chag's broad chest. The reptilian Nemmen's big arms pressed inwards as he ignored the human's wriggling and began to exert his strength against the more fragile body.
Even as Luke began to release the Force in an effort to break out of the hold, Chag's grip slackened and both Luke and the reptile fell to the ground, the reptile on top. Merril pulled Luke out from under the still body and hauled him to his feet.
"What the Cress do you think you're doing!!" Merril's voiced throbbed with anger.. "Are you crazy!"
Luke ignored the infuriated pirate and turned to help the little thief to his feet. Wincing, Moab staggered up right and nursed an obviously broken arm.
"Are you seriously hurt?" Luke asked, checking the man over. Moab winced and shook his head, immediately wishing he hadn't. It hurt, too.
"No, don't think so. Not as serious as I wouldha been. Dunno who you are, but thanks," Moab said in slurred Standard.
"He's a crazy person who needs seeing to," Merril muttered, thumping Chag on the head with the butt of his blaster when the other seemed to be coming to. "Can we get out of here now, before an Arachniad or something equally nasty peeks in to see what's happening!"
The three men moved back up the passageway and, after checking to see if anyone had hurt the scuffle, and where was no obvious sign of interest, moved out into the main gallery.
"You need a medic," Luke said, as he watched the pain flicker across Moab's blood-streaked face. The boy - and he could hardly be more than sixteen, was biting his lip as he cradled his arm. "That arm is obviously broken."
The boy shrugged. "It hurts, n'truth, but I got no credits and medics gotta get paid. That's why Chag and Cram was beating up on me. I tried to lift some of their money. I aint eat in a week."
Merril saw it coming before Luke even finished turning his head. Skywalker bore all the markings of a first-class easy mark.
"No. Forget it. I got better things to do with my limited finances that support every beggar in the Rock..."
Luke didn't even attempt to manipulate Highstar -he simply looked. It was the expression of someone appealing to a conscience Highstar continually denied In the end, he would justify his reaction by thinking of it as a release, a way to rid himself of Moab's dangerous presence. Sighing, he dug into his belt pouch and tossed a couple of credits to the thief.
"All right, take it, and keep your hands out of other people's pockets in future."
Moab looked at the coins then back at Highstar. Surprisingly he was frowning. "I'm no beggar. "A thief yessa, but no charity piece."
Highstar sniffed. "For a thief, you got mighty high principles. If you makes you feel any better, I'm feeling like I've been taken."
Moab crinkled his pleasantly ugly face into a smile. "OK. But if you need help or information, call on me. I know the Rock better than anyone 'sept the Spiders." He bowed slightly to Luke, then turned and limped back up the Gallery, disappearing into the crowd.
"If I felt like running for a popularity contest, I'd know who to call on. You are certainly one strange kid."
"Someone else who calls me a kid," Luke murmured as' they turned to continue their interrupted journey. "I wish I knew why."
Remembering that look of wide-eyed cajolery, Merril wondered who was kidding whom. . .