Chapter Four

Hide and Seek

"Thisss one killed our brother. She must die." Bruuz, one of the surviving three Transdoshin brothers, hissed. Beside him stood his last surviving brother, Lruuz; with only one hand remaining.

Lruuz roared over his brother. "The Jedi boy mussst die firssst! He took my hand."

In front of the two Transdoshin brothers sat the current Exchange leader over Nar Shadda, Zenzo the Hutt. He licked his grotesque lips with his large tongue, reaching for another gizka to eat. Even for a Hutt, Zazz was extremely overweight; he could barley even move across the floor without some assistance. After swallowing the gizka whole, Zenzo seemed to suddenly hear their complaints.

"Why did you let Mesco—" Before the Hutt could begin his verbal assault on the two Transdoshin brothers, he was interrupted by a more commanding voice.

"You let that incompetent informant get away!" Emerging from the shadows, a fully armored Mandalorian warrior pulled out a long vibroblade and pointed it at the Exchange leader's throat. That is, if Hutt's were considered to have throats. Lruuz and Bruuz cowered in fear.

"My lord, if I may explain-" Once again Zenzo was cut off by the imposing Mandalorian.

"You may not explain, you fat slug, you let sorry excuse for a being slip through those disgusting fingers of yours with our secrets! Mandalorian secrets!" The Mandalorian let the words hang in the air. Slowly, he lowered his custom made vibroblade and walked past the two Transdoshins.

"We will recover them, Commander." Bruuz bowed.

The Mandalorian grunted. "I highly doubt that. My superiors decided that an alliance with the Exchange may be useful, seeing how the information we shared could be very valuable to both sides. Though I do not agree with these new…tactics, I still follow my orders."

The Mandalorian turned to face them.

"I gave you specific orders not to get caught. And what did you do? You let a Jedi boy, a girl, and a Ho'din capture that pathetic excuse for a life form. If the boy gets the informant to Coruscant…well let's just say Demogal with have fun you."

The three Exchange cronies said nothing, simply because they were afraid. They had learned early not to cross a Mandalorian.

"You will recover Mesco and bring him back to me. Take the Zabrak Jedi with you. Am I understood?"

Lruuz, Bruuz, and even the great and mighty Zenzo the Hutt replied in unison. A universal "yes."

"To make sure you do recover him, I am sending some Mandalorians with you." The Commander said. Lruuz and Bruuz exchanged glances.

"Forgive me for assssking, my lord, but how do we find Messsco?" Lruuz asked.

"We implanted him with a tracking device. My men will know where to find him." The Mandalorian made his way back towards the shadows, leaving the two Transdoshin brothers worried and the Hutt extremely worried.

***

The entire interior of the quirky, old ship was dimly lit. The rest of the Sunseed's strange and last minute crew were asleep in their respective quarters, including Mesco. Jove was surprised the Aleena had actually shut up and stopped yelling. It was beginning to get real irritating to her. Jove snuck out of her bed, tip toeing to the cockpit of the ship. She flopped into the pilots chair and let out a sigh. Through the transparisteel she saw that the ship was in hyperspace. It had always comforted her to watch the expansive blue and black walls go past in a whirl, even when she was a kid. She smiled, remembering those happier times…simpler times.

"Commandeering the ship?" A friendly voiced asked from behind. Jove turned around to see Aaryn leaning against the doorway of the cockpit.

"I was thinking about it." She smiled back.

"Do you care if I join you?" Aaryn questioned.

"By all means." Jove replied, watching the young man slide into the co-pilot seat. She returned her gaze to the hyperspace beyond. After a few moments, he finally spoke.

"I never got a chance to really thank you. You know, for saving my tail back on Nar Shadda. So, thank you Jove." Aaryn nodded.

"Don't mention it," She said.

"Jove, what is your last name?" Aaryn inquired.

She was silent for a moment, as if she were mulling over the decision to tell him her last name. "It's Sunflare. Jove Sunflare."

Aaryn smiled, repeating the name to himself.

"I like it." He surmised.

"Why did you want to know?"

"Just curious, that's all." Aaryn replied. Jove saw out of the corner of her eyes that he kept looking at her. It was beginning to make her a little uncomfortable. There was no doubt Aaryn was very attractive, and very polite, but Jove wasn't into the nice guys, especially the ones that were making a vow of no attachments.

"So, tell me about yourself. Favorite color, food, where you came from, and how you got so good at piloting." Aaryn laughed.

"You are very inquisitive." Jove folded her arms across her chest.

"If I'm bothering you-"Aaryn seemed genuinely sorry.

"No, it's okay. I'm just not use to people asking me, that's all." Jove forced a smile. "But my story would probably bore you."

"I don't think it would…" Aaryn said. "How about I start?"

"Sounds like a plan."

"Well it started a long time ago, in this galaxy-"Aaryn jokingly started. Surprisingly it garnered a laugh out of Jove. "I don't really remember my parents, since I was given up to the Jedi when I was four."

"That seems kind of harsh, don't you think, to be ripped away from your family like that, taken away from the only people in the galaxy that love you." Jove shook her head.

"Well when you put it like that, then yeah. But I really don't even remember anything about it. My earliest memory is being in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant."

"I don't know how you Jedi do it. I could never be a Jedi."

"I think you'd be a terrific Jedi," He said honestly. "You certainly showed that back on Taris. Just ignore the fact that you have no Force potential at all, and you'd make an awesome Jedi."

She laughed out loud, covering her mouth to make sure she didn't wake up Ta'sa or Mesco. Silence descended on the cabin. Aaryn felt the Force leading him to say something to her, something that she needed to hear.

"You're a good person, Jove. Don't forget that." He said. She didn't say anything back, continuing to watch the bluish-black wall of hyperspace go by.

"I think I'll save my story for some other time." Jove broke the silence. Aaryn took that as his cue to leave.

"Goodnight, Jove." Aaryn left the cockpit, leaving Jove once again alone. She stared out at the transparisteel. She did not know why Aaryn had said that, but it certainly wasn't the truth. The Padawan didn't know her, not really. He did not know all the things she had done. The things she had done to survive. She closed her eyes, remembering those times.

***

The streets of Kad Feera were extremely crowded as a large parade made its way across the streets and the lanes in the sky. A hood draped over her long, brown hair, a younger Jove folded her arms across her chest to keep warm. It was in the middle of winter on Kad Feera, and the annual Feast of Feera parade was in full swing. It provided the prefect cover for her to catch a transport of this planet.

It was cold enough to see one's breath. Jove was chilled to the bone, but was determined to make it off this planet. She had not found what she was looking for exactly, but she knew what she had to do now. What sacred her most was the fact that she didn't care about what she had to become to see that there was some sort of justice in the galaxy.

"Hey girl, why don't you come with me? I'll make sure you are warm." Laughed a human male, along with his Gotal friend.

Jove ignored the comment and kept walking towards the docks.

"He was talking to you." The Gotal stepped in front of her.

"I heard him. Just please let me go." Jove clinched her teeth. She didn't know what to do in this situation.

"It's the Feast of Feera, it's the time to give a little." The human smiled, showing what little teeth he had. He took hold of her arms.

"And get a little." The Gotal licked his lips, coming closer to Jove.

"Step away from her." A voice called out. The human and Gotal turned towards the sound of the voice. A smaller man approached the three.

"Who are you, little man?" The Gotal insulted him.

"I'm Calo Nord, and if you call me little again…you're dead." Calo smiled.

The Gotal squinted his eyes, looking at the blasters on Calo's hips. The human whistled through what was left of his teeth.

"I found her first." He said, taking his arm around her neck and pulling out a vibro knife.

"Close your eyes, kid." Calo told Jove. She didn't question him, slowly closing them.

"You have three seconds to let her go." Calo gave his ultimatum.

"What are you going to do? Kill us in the public? With the Feast going on? I don't think so." The Gotal laughed.

"One." Calo started.

"This guy thinks he is bad." The human laughed, his horrible breath making Jove almost gag.

"Two."

"This little man thinks he will kill us. You kill me, she dies." The Gotal pointed at Jove. Jove's heart felt like it was going to come out of her chest. She couldn't die here, not like this. She still had much to accomplish.

"Three." And then it happened in a blur. Before the Gotal tried to pull out a hold out blaster, but before he even got half to it a blaster blot went right between his two horns. The human didn't even have time to think about cutting Jove's throat because two blaster blots pierced his skull. The two thugs hit the ground at the same time.

"You can open your eyes now, kid." Calo said.

Jove did so, seeing the two dead men on the ground. The smoke was still rising from their heads.

"What is your name?" He asked.

"Jove." She answered.

"I thought so." Calo kept his blaster trained on her. She cursed herself for trusting this man enough to give her name away.

"You're a bounty hunter?" She put her hands up.

"The best."

"So I guess you are going to take me away?" She asked.

"Actually, no." Calo put his blaster away. He laughed at the expression on her face. "I read your file, kid. Me and you have a lot in common. It must have been hard for you, to have them turn on you like that."

"Stop it." She ordered him.

"You can't keep playing hide and seek, kid. You need to train yourself for vengeance. Get back at them for what they did to you." He said, turning away from her.

"Why would you let me go?" Jove asked.

"Because someone once let me go." Calo answered. It sent a shiver down her spine. Was this what she would become one day? A ruthless killer?

Jove didn't need to ask twice though, and started for the docking bay. Calo called out to her one more time.

"Next time we run into each other, I won't go easy on you."

***

"Hello there."

Jove woke up to Ta'sa smiling at her from upside down. Jove rubbed her eyes as Ta'sa backed away from the pilot's chair and folded his arms. She saw that they were still traveling through hyperspace.

"I'm sorry—"Jove started.

"Don't be. It can be comforting in here sometimes, with the hum of the hyperdrive and all." Ta'sa smiled. Jove stretched, smelling the nerf sausage cooking from galley area.

"It's breakfast time, if you'd like to join us." Ta'sa told her, exiting the cockpit. Jove sat there for a while. Both Aaryn and Ta'sa had showered her with kindness; it was something she really wasn't use to. Perhaps she could trust these two, and help them get Mesco back to Coruscant.

"You coming?" Aaryn asked, passing by the cockpit.

"You bet." She smiled. It was nice to have friends.

Author's Notes: Jove is nineteen years old, but her encounter with Calo Nord took place three years prior to her meeting with Aaryn, making her sixteen at the time. When meeting with Calo she had only been on the run for a couple of months.