Chapter 1: A Costly Load
I lifted off from Kessel with my precious load of glitterstim spice. Then sped away from it, not wanting to attract attention from Imperial cruisers. I soon neared the Maw where I saw streaks in space that looked like strands of something being sucked slowly into a whirlpool.
Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw it, a gray and white object streaking along side me. An Imp cruiser.
Red bolts of energy lanced out of it, aiming only to disable my ship, the Rebel Hawk.
"That figures," I thought to myself. I'd heard from my acquaintances on Nar Shadda that there was a sizable Imperial bounty on my head for my brother and me alive.
The bolts hit my shields. It didn't damage them that much, but it was still a hit.
I coaxed more speed out of my freighter and sipped along showing the Imps my output of blue energy from my engines.
"Yavin!" I shouted to my brother who was fixing something with a hydrospanner, "get to our guns! Imps are on us!"
"Can't we outrun 'em?" he called back.
"I'm not sure, but I feel like takin' out some Imps today anyway!"
"Okay," he yelled as he squeezed the trigger on one of our gun turrets mounted on the sides.
Green energy lashed out and struck the Imperial vessel dead center. As it blossomed with fire, Yavin and I shouted in triumph.
"Great shootin' bro'!" I yelled, but he was too busy concentrating on the second Imp to answer me.
Suddenly, shots rained in from the right. I spiraled while turning right to come up behind it, Yavin knew the old trick that we had made up a while ago and shot the vessel down immediately.
There were four more ships on our tail and I couldn't shake them. My flight gloves were plastered to my hands with sweat. The only option I had was to head into the Maw.
"What are you doing?" bellowed Yavin, "Alera, we're not gonna make it out of there alive if you attempt this!"
"If we aren't, then they won't, and that'll be a few less Imperials to terrorize everyone," I called out shakily, "and if they don't follow us, well, then we've lost 'em," I added.
As a matter of fact, two ships followed and two decided to stay behind.
I swerved and skirted around the black hole clusters. If I had been going any slower, I would have been pulled into them.
Just as I was passing the last and biggest black hole cluster, I felt a jerk, and the Rebel Hawk stalled.
Yavin came up from the guns and sat in the copilot's seat.
"I told you we wouldn't make it," he said solemnly.
I grimaced and tried to coax more speed out of the Hawk. She shifted to the left, closer to the black hole.
"Yavin," I said with a light going on in my head, "Punch in a hyperspace jump to right outside Nal Hutta in the Navicomputer."
He began to argue, but after another jerk toward the black hole, did it anyway.
"The jump is ready, but how can this be possible?" He said in a few moments.
"Anything is possible, engage hyperdrive NOW!" I shouted just as the Hawk gave another lurch toward the black hole.
Then the stars became star lines as we left the Maw and slammed against our seat backs.
1 Chapter 2: Meeting With Jabba
"You're crazy," Yavin said simply after a few minutes of relieved silence.
"Thanks," I said, smiling lopsidedly, "now we get this spice to Jabba, collect our credits, and thank the stars we're alive." I finished.
"That was great flying back there. Alera. I'm surprised we're alive. I don't know any pilot that could have done that," he said.
Yavin was never the person to compliment, so I sat there in shocked silence for a moment then thanked him quietly. Then I slumped back in my seat and sleep claimed me instantly.
Sometime later, the Hawk shuddered, and I awoke instantly. Before me loomed the planet of Nal Hutta which meant that Yavin had brought us out of hyperspace.
I switched on my comlink and heard the voice of Ausha, Jabba's secretary.
"Greetings Captain Karrde of the Rebel Hawk," she said, and told me where to land. She also informed me that some of Jabba's workers would take the cargo the Jabba's hold.
Twenty minutes later, Yavin and I walked into Jabba's reception room to report.
"Alera, Yavin, how was the run? You came in later than expected," said Jabba in Huttese.
Yavin had taught me the language, so I knew vaguely what Jabba had said.
"Well, Your Excellency," I began, "We had a bit of trouble with those darn Imperials!" I exclaimed with disgust.
"Did they board you?" asked Jabba with concern.
"No, we blasted two out of the sky, two got sucked into the Maw, but the others did get away."
"Surely the Imperials aren't stupid enough to get close to the Maw to chase you. How did they get sucked in?"
I looked to Yavin in confusion because I didn't understand what Jabba had just said.
"Well Jabba," Yavin said, deciding to take over, "Alera flew us into the Maw,"
"Ho-HO!" laughed an amused Jabba.
"It's no laughing matter, Jabba, we were almost killed," I said.
"You can't be serious. You wouldn't have gone through the Maw for this spice!" Jabba said, and began chuckling again.
"It wasn't for the spice, it was for our lives," Yavin put in.
"Well, I can understand that, but at least by putting your lives on the line, you still got the spice. For this, I will give you a bonus,"
Yavin grinned, though I just rolled my eyes. Hutt bonuses meant that you would probably have to work harder after the so-called bonus.
The Hutt lord continued still, "I have heard of the bounty on your heads," he started, "I will try to deter any bounty hunters that look for you, but you must do more runs,"
"At least that was something," I thought, and Yavin and I soon left the palace.
We then made our way for our home on the Smuggler's Moon, Nar Shadda.
I lifted off from Kessel with my precious load of glitterstim spice. Then sped away from it, not wanting to attract attention from Imperial cruisers. I soon neared the Maw where I saw streaks in space that looked like strands of something being sucked slowly into a whirlpool.
Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw it, a gray and white object streaking along side me. An Imp cruiser.
Red bolts of energy lanced out of it, aiming only to disable my ship, the Rebel Hawk.
"That figures," I thought to myself. I'd heard from my acquaintances on Nar Shadda that there was a sizable Imperial bounty on my head for my brother and me alive.
The bolts hit my shields. It didn't damage them that much, but it was still a hit.
I coaxed more speed out of my freighter and sipped along showing the Imps my output of blue energy from my engines.
"Yavin!" I shouted to my brother who was fixing something with a hydrospanner, "get to our guns! Imps are on us!"
"Can't we outrun 'em?" he called back.
"I'm not sure, but I feel like takin' out some Imps today anyway!"
"Okay," he yelled as he squeezed the trigger on one of our gun turrets mounted on the sides.
Green energy lashed out and struck the Imperial vessel dead center. As it blossomed with fire, Yavin and I shouted in triumph.
"Great shootin' bro'!" I yelled, but he was too busy concentrating on the second Imp to answer me.
Suddenly, shots rained in from the right. I spiraled while turning right to come up behind it, Yavin knew the old trick that we had made up a while ago and shot the vessel down immediately.
There were four more ships on our tail and I couldn't shake them. My flight gloves were plastered to my hands with sweat. The only option I had was to head into the Maw.
"What are you doing?" bellowed Yavin, "Alera, we're not gonna make it out of there alive if you attempt this!"
"If we aren't, then they won't, and that'll be a few less Imperials to terrorize everyone," I called out shakily, "and if they don't follow us, well, then we've lost 'em," I added.
As a matter of fact, two ships followed and two decided to stay behind.
I swerved and skirted around the black hole clusters. If I had been going any slower, I would have been pulled into them.
Just as I was passing the last and biggest black hole cluster, I felt a jerk, and the Rebel Hawk stalled.
Yavin came up from the guns and sat in the copilot's seat.
"I told you we wouldn't make it," he said solemnly.
I grimaced and tried to coax more speed out of the Hawk. She shifted to the left, closer to the black hole.
"Yavin," I said with a light going on in my head, "Punch in a hyperspace jump to right outside Nal Hutta in the Navicomputer."
He began to argue, but after another jerk toward the black hole, did it anyway.
"The jump is ready, but how can this be possible?" He said in a few moments.
"Anything is possible, engage hyperdrive NOW!" I shouted just as the Hawk gave another lurch toward the black hole.
Then the stars became star lines as we left the Maw and slammed against our seat backs.
1 Chapter 2: Meeting With Jabba
"You're crazy," Yavin said simply after a few minutes of relieved silence.
"Thanks," I said, smiling lopsidedly, "now we get this spice to Jabba, collect our credits, and thank the stars we're alive." I finished.
"That was great flying back there. Alera. I'm surprised we're alive. I don't know any pilot that could have done that," he said.
Yavin was never the person to compliment, so I sat there in shocked silence for a moment then thanked him quietly. Then I slumped back in my seat and sleep claimed me instantly.
Sometime later, the Hawk shuddered, and I awoke instantly. Before me loomed the planet of Nal Hutta which meant that Yavin had brought us out of hyperspace.
I switched on my comlink and heard the voice of Ausha, Jabba's secretary.
"Greetings Captain Karrde of the Rebel Hawk," she said, and told me where to land. She also informed me that some of Jabba's workers would take the cargo the Jabba's hold.
Twenty minutes later, Yavin and I walked into Jabba's reception room to report.
"Alera, Yavin, how was the run? You came in later than expected," said Jabba in Huttese.
Yavin had taught me the language, so I knew vaguely what Jabba had said.
"Well, Your Excellency," I began, "We had a bit of trouble with those darn Imperials!" I exclaimed with disgust.
"Did they board you?" asked Jabba with concern.
"No, we blasted two out of the sky, two got sucked into the Maw, but the others did get away."
"Surely the Imperials aren't stupid enough to get close to the Maw to chase you. How did they get sucked in?"
I looked to Yavin in confusion because I didn't understand what Jabba had just said.
"Well Jabba," Yavin said, deciding to take over, "Alera flew us into the Maw,"
"Ho-HO!" laughed an amused Jabba.
"It's no laughing matter, Jabba, we were almost killed," I said.
"You can't be serious. You wouldn't have gone through the Maw for this spice!" Jabba said, and began chuckling again.
"It wasn't for the spice, it was for our lives," Yavin put in.
"Well, I can understand that, but at least by putting your lives on the line, you still got the spice. For this, I will give you a bonus,"
Yavin grinned, though I just rolled my eyes. Hutt bonuses meant that you would probably have to work harder after the so-called bonus.
The Hutt lord continued still, "I have heard of the bounty on your heads," he started, "I will try to deter any bounty hunters that look for you, but you must do more runs,"
"At least that was something," I thought, and Yavin and I soon left the palace.
We then made our way for our home on the Smuggler's Moon, Nar Shadda.