Chapter Two
There was still a lot of distance to travel to Jum Katar. By surface, it would still be well into the following day before Soraa, Ja'Ina and the band would get to the outskirts of the large spaceport if they stopped for rest at night. Given the situation with the Imperials, everyone decided it would be best to drive straight through to Jum Katar without stopping.
Other than the occasional speeder zipping by, the group did not encounter any traffic. Not many people traveled between cities on the surface, but for those who couldn't afford going by air it was the only option.
Twilight approached and the light shining onto Galathu began to turn a rich purple as Viinn took over for the setting sun. Everyone was getting tired, so Ag'ran took to driving overnight. The Bith race did not require sleep in the same manner as many other beings, so he had no problem staying up. The others would go in and out of sleep, occasionally engaging in quiet conversations.
At one point in the middle of the night, Soraa and Raelin were quietly conversing with each other. Ag'ran was still driving along, bobbing to music he was hearing inside his head. Everyone else was asleep.
Soraa tried to answer all of Raelin's questions about her. He was impressed with her blaster skills and she told him all about Goan and his tutelage. Still, it was hard for her to talk about her mentor with the wounds of his arrest and uncertain fate still very fresh.
"Anyway," Raelin redirected, "I remember seeing you at all of our shows in Sim Katall these last couple of years. I'm glad I finally got to meet you." He smiled warmly.
"Ina told me that she met you guys the first time she danced for your shows. At that time, I was still adjusting to being out of the orphanage so I spent most of my time with Goan when I wasn't home. Ina made me come out to see her dance, not just to see her dance but she figured I might like your music. We both know now that she was right."
Raelin nodded. "Yeah, she was right. Irsann got to know Ja'Ina first. The first time she danced with us was just for a couple of percussion-only jam songs. Irsann would actually improvise with Ja'Ina dancing to the beats. That turned out so well that we had her dance for our regular shows. Between you and me, I think our shows got more popular because of her."
"I wouldn't be surprised," Soraa agreed. "She's always been an amazing dancer, even when we were little."
"Oh, I'm sure of that. Anyway, we would have loved to have Ja'Ina tour with us but she wouldn't have any of that. She didn't want to leave you alone."
"Ina never told me she had turned down such an opportunity! I had no idea. I would have insisted she go with you."
"She must have known that. Well, don't tell her I told you about it."
Their conversation continued for a while until Soraa grew sleepy. Raelin offered her his shoulder, which she gladly accepted. She fell asleep leaning against him and holding his hand, which gave him the best night of sleep he'd had in a long time.
Dawn was just breaking when Jum Katar was within sight. Ja'Ina awoke first. Ag'ran was still driving along with no sign of fatigue. She made her way to the front compartment where Doren was still sleeping in the passenger seat. Ja'Ina couldn't believe the sight through the windscreen.
Ja'Ina leaned over to Ag'ran and whispered, "That's it, isn't it?"
Ag'ran turned to her and nodded affirmative. She returned to the passenger compartment and woke up Soraa.
"Soraa, Soraa! Look, we're almost there!"
Soraa was slow to rouse. "W-w-whaa? What is it, Ina?"
"We're almost to Jum Katar! Go take a look!" She pointed to the front compartment.
Soraa stumbled to the front and looked out the windscreen. She blinked hard a couple of times. Ahead of them towards the right, nearly one-hundred kilometers away lay the spaceport of Jum Katar. It was the only spaceport on Galathu and by far the largest place Soraa and Ja'Ina had ever seen.
To say Jum Katar dwarfed Sim Katall would be an understatement. The majority of Galathu's population resided in the spaceport. The rest lived in small towns and settlements, such as Sim Katall, that dotted the land around the spaceport no farther than a few hours' travel by airspeeder.
Amongst Jum Katar's sprawl, the tallest structures dominated one side of the skyline. Soraa could see many ships of many kinds flying above the spaceport. Traffic on the road increased as they got closer and more airspeeders could be seen flying not far overhead.
Soraa couldn't contain herself anymore. She cried out, "There it is!"
Her exclamation startled poor Ag'ran. Doren jumped out of his seat, wide awake and not happy. He growled and bared his sharpened teeth at Soraa.
To keep things civil with Doren, Soraa retreated to the passenger seats. Raelin and Irsann woke to Soraa's exclamation. They smiled at the young woman's excitement.
Raelin took over driving for the final stretch. The Imperial checkpoint would be coming up soon and he preferred to deal with them.
Surface traffic was backed up on the road leading up to the Imperial checkpoint. The checkpoint's prime features were two tall spires on either side of the road, which were embedded with a suite of sensors and surveillance equipment. Next to it was a small compound with a couple of small buildings. Two troopers with tripod-mounted blaster cannons stood next to the entrance, one inside the checkpoint and one outside. On both sides of the checkpoint were several troopers with speeder bikes parked off to the side and a Lambda-class shuttle sat on a landing pad next to the compound. Four troopers with heavy blaster rifles handled the incoming traffic. Tension rose inside the band's van, but the young women were the most nervous of the group.
Raelin turned back to Soraa and Ja'Ina. "Don't worry, we always have to go through this at the spaceport. Let me handle it and everything will be okay. Just keep your weapons out of sight, especially the blasters."
Soraa quickly stowed her blasters away in her rucksack. She had no intentions of using them anyway.
A trooper with rank insignia of a sergeant motioned them forward to the entrance. Raelin stopped the van right in front of him. Another trooper stepped up and ordered everyone out of the van. Raelin, Irsann, Doren and Ag'ran stood side-by-side. Ja'Ina and Soraa nervously joined them next to Ag'ran. Raelin handed a card to the sergeant, who then took it and inserted it into a hand-held reader. It was an Imperial registry card for the band. Another trooper searched the van.
"What is your business in Jum Katar?" the sergeant gruffly asked.
"We have a show to perform here and then we'll be taking a transport to Krrad for a couple more shows." Raelin always acted as the band's spokesman.
The trooper read the display on the card reader. "Hmmm, 'Sea of Lights'... You're listed as 'Scarlet' with the Imperial Board of Culture. You do not perform any music that is critical of the Empire's authority?"
"Look, we don't get involved in politics," Raelin answered.
"However, since you don't promote Imperial authority either and have these non-humans here, you have a license fee of one-thousand credits in order to perform in Jum Katar."
It was only within the last standard year that the Empire had established a presence in Jum Katar. The band had to go through this kind of thing every time they dealt with the Imperial authorities and it never ceased to irk Raelin. The singer couldn't help but respond in a terse manner.
"Yeah, yeah I know."
"Watch your tone or you will be arrested for contempt."
Raelin quietly nodded.
The trooper read more of the band's dossier from the card reader. "Wait! The registry lists four members here. Who are these two?" He pointed at the young women.
Raelin was prepared for such a question. "These lovely ladies are our new back-up singers and dancers – Ja'Ina and Soraa. We just recently hired them and I hadn't had the chance to update our identification."
Raelin shot a glance over to Doren, worried he might say something. The Zabrak stood there stone-faced.
The trooper closely looked over the women. He paused as if he was able to see right through them with his helmet's optics. After a tense moment, he gestured the third trooper.
The new trooper stood at attention, "Yes, Sergeant!"
"What do you think about their story, Corporal?"
The tension in the air skyrocketed higher than the traffic over the spaceport. Soraa and Ja'Ina nervously smiled at the Stormtroopers, unable to tell what they were thinking underneath their helmets.
The corporal looked over the young women for a few tense moments. "I think we need a demonstration of their talents."
"I agree, Corporal." The sergeant pointed at Soraa and Ja'Ina. "You heard him! Let's see what you've got."
Raelin stammered, "I assure you sir, that won't be necessary!"
The sergeant turned to the singer, pointing a finger in his face. "One more time, and you all will be spending a couple of nights in detention! Do you understand?"
Raelin quietly responded, "Yes…" He hoped the women could convince the Stormtroopers of their talents.
Unnoticed by the troopers, who were focused on Soraa and Ja'Ina, Doren whispered to Irsann, "This'll be interesting."
Irsann responded by giving the Zabrak a quick back-handed slap on the shoulder.
Soraa and Ja'Ina looked at each other and nodded, trying to look confident.
Ja'Ina counted them off, "One…Two…Three…Four."
She started to dance and snap her fingers to the tempo, then started singing one of the Sea of Lights' songs. While she moved with alluring grace, her voice was shrill and quite out-of-tune.
Quickly, Soraa joined in with her vocals. Luckily, she actually had a decent voice and could sing on pitch. Unfortunately, she could hardly dance. All she could do was shimmy her narrow hips a little bit and turn around in place. Had the circumstances been different, the display would have been comical. The band mates tried hard to conceal their nervousness. They weren't certain the ruse would hold up.
The trooper sergeant held up his hand. "Okay, that's enough."
Soraa and Ja'Ina stopped abruptly and awaited the verdict. The Stormtroopers stared at the young women then spoke amongst themselves. It seemed an eternity before the sergeant addressed the group again.
"Alright, you're free to go." The deception somehow worked.
Raelin breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Officer."
The sergeant continued with a rude tone. "However, the short dark-haired girl should keep her mouth shut and the tall skinny one should stand still..." The trooper pointed in turn at each woman as he spoke. "…Unless you want the audience to throw rotten muja fruit at you!" He laughed mockingly at the women.
The singer smiled nervously. "Thank you for your constructive criticism, Officer."
The other trooper returned from searching the repulsor van. "Everything seems to be clear, sir."
The sergeant turned back to Raelin, handing him the card. "For having two unregistered people in your group, your fee is now doubled!"
Upset, Doren blurted out, "What?!"
"Would you like it doubled again?"
The Zabrak shook his head with a grumble.
"Sorry, officer," Raelin said. "My horned friend here can get cranky sometimes."
"If you can't keep him properly controlled," the Stormtrooper sergeant barked, "then put him on a leash!"
Raelin chuckled, trying to make light of the harsh comment. "That might not be a bad idea, officer!" Raelin turned to his bass player. "Doren, you behave yourself now," Raelin said to the Zabrak with a wink.
Doren scowled back at him. Raelin then paid the trooper.
"Move along," the sergeant said. "And keep your noses clean. We will be watching you."
"Great! We'll reserve a couple of tickets for you," Raelin hit back.
The sergeant stepped into Raelin's face. "Don't get cute, nerf-herder!"
Raelin silently nodded as the Stormtrooper turned and walked away from him. The group got back into the repulsor van and slowly drove through the checkpoint. Spread out before them was the spaceport city Jum Katar.