Well, here it is, Chapter Nine. If you made it this far, that must mean I'm doing something right, though I wish you guys would give me feedback...anything at all to tell me I'm doing something right. Or maybe it's so well written that there's no room for improvement...? *snorts* Yeah, even I had trouble believing that one! lol

This chapter was harder to write because I didn't want Mika's emotional state to come across as trite. Plus, she's still young in terms of learning to control her emotions so that she can better control the Force, though her rage comes through a little too easily which frightens her. I'm trying to be subtle with it, though, because it's better to be conservative, I think, than to overdo the whole, "I'm still a noob at being a Force-user" plot device.

Let me know what you think, please! There's free beer! Okay, there's beer, but it's not free. ...Okay, there's no beer, but still...lol Enjoy!


Chapter Nine

Asha had chosen a slinky black dress that was open along the length of its sides and hugged her modest curves. Her cha'andar was black leather with gold trim, and she wore closed-toe stiletto heels. She grabbed a black sequined clutch and her floor length black, cher-silk cloak with a deep, cowled hood. As long as no one looked too closely, it was impossible to tell that her outfit had come from a thrift store, though the collar ruined the glamorous appearance. The cloak, however, was the real deal.

"Where in blazes did you get that?" Danya asked, fingering the cloak. "This is cher-silk! It's worth more than my airspeeder!"

"Um, it fell off a cargo lift?" She grinned

"You're such a liar!" She shook her head. "Let's hope that 'cargo lift' wasn't from around here." Danya wore snug black pants of a soft dura-fiber that clung to her curves, high-heel boots, and a thin white t-shirt with three undone buttons at the neck. This accentuated her cleavage, which was assisted by a lacy black bra that could just barely be seen beneath the shirt's fabric. She grabbed her black nerf-wool p-coat. "Come on, Mika. Let's go have some fun."

"Hold on," Mika said, sliding her cha'andar on. It completely covered her lekku in warm, white synthsilk, and the sleeves were stitched to the leather headband with golden thread. She reached under her bunk.

"What in blazes—" Danya started to ask. Her eyes widened when Mika pulled out a large vibroblade.

She no longer had her hold-out blaster since Beriska had confiscated it, but at least there was this. "Never leave home without it," she muttered, tucking it into the back of her waistband.

Asha suddenly found something interesting on the ceiling to look at.

"You know those are illegal without a license, right?" Danya asked.

"So is slavery," Mika shot back, a little more vehemently than she had intended, then felt sheepish for being so defensive.

"Touché."

She grabbed her leather jacket with its spiked epaulets, then headed for the door. She didn't really believe she'd need the knife, but better to have it and never need it than to need it and not have it.

Beriska was waiting for them, standing in the open door of her office with her arms crossed. "You three are up to no good," she said, hiding a grin as she looked them over. Her eyes widened when she saw Asha's cloak. "Is that cher-silk?" she asked. "Nevermind. I don't even want to guess where you got that from. And as for you," she said, turning to Danya. "I expect you to keep everyone out of trouble."

"Of course!" she answered, grinning.

"Don't be coy with me, girl. Stay under the speed limit in that souped up pod racer of yours."

She did her best to look innocent, but no one was fooled in the least. "Come along, then. Syren is waiting."

As Mika walked past Beriska at the end of the line, the Feeorin held her back. "I'm glad to see you at least attempting to fit in, Mika," she said, patting her on the back. "Now, go have fun, and remember to keep these visible." She tapped Mika's collar where a tag had been added displaying the Blue Nebula emblem. Beriska was well-known in the Gnaw, and anyone who bothered her slaves had a nasty way of falling off a sidewalk and into airlane traffic. "Don't try to be a hero if someone's bothering you." She gave her a meaningful stare.

"I'll try," she said noncommittally.

"You better." She gave her a gentle nudge. "Go on, then."

The night air was chill as they stepped out the back door of the Blue Nebula. Asha climbed into the back of Danya's little red SoroSuub CX4-S, and Mika took the front passenger seat. The interior was a burgundy velour and smelled faintly of them fruity air freshener hanging from the rearview mirror.

"If it was warmer, I'd put the top down," Danya said, starting the engine and gunning it, making the airspeeder vibrate. She turned on the heater and the defroster, then turned on the radio, and heavy alloy music blared out of the speakers. "Sorry," she said, turning the radio down.

"Can we stop at Biscuit Baron? I'll treat," Mika said, suddenly wanting a bantha burger.

"No way. You're my guests tonight." She feathered the throttle and shot out of the parking spot, then turned hard into the alley, flying between the buildings at breakneck speed.

Asha let out a screech as she was thrown into the side of the back seat.

Mika gritted her teeth and gripped the armrests tightly to keep from wincing. "Why do you have the grav-chairs turned off?"

"Makes for a more exciting ride," Danya laughed. "Besides, my driving isn't that bad!" She slammed on the airbreaks, stopping at the mouth of the alley, then let the airspeeder inch forward to see the flow of air traffic.

"I think I'd need to change my microbriefs," Asha said, buckling her seatbelts. "If I was wearing any."

Blushing furiously, Mika followed suit, and felt just a little safer.

"She's incorrigible," Danya said, grinning at Mika.

"Oh, cool down. You can't wear any in a dress like this, or they would show through on the sides," turning to slap her bare hips through the open sides of her dress. "Not only that, they would just be targets for some sleemo to grab at."

"Here we go!" She throttled the accelerator and the airspeeder's engines roared to life, causing them to take off like a shot. The vehicle rocketed into air traffic, darting around several taxis and finally settling behind an airbus.

"I think I might need to change my microbriefs," Mika muttered. She smiled shyly and raised an eyebrow at Asha, still feeling a bit awkward interacting with women that only a week before, she was sure looked down on her.

Asha stuck out her tongue at Mika and laughed.

"Will you two old women relax?" Danya protested. "I know what I'm doing! Now, where is the nearest Biscuit Baron?" She ducked her head down and looked up and out of the windscreen to see the higher levels.

"What time does Syren start?" Mika asked.

"Uh, eight-thirty, I think," Asha answered, examining her reflection in the rear vanity mirror built into the back of the front seat. She applied some lip gloss. "We still have time."

She checked her chrono. "I guess, if we hurry."

"To hell with this," Danya growled, slamming the throttle forward. The SoroSuub shot forward as she pulled back on the control yoke. They rose several levels in seconds as she weaved deftly around traffic. Several taxis honked at her in annoyance, and in moments, a Biscuit Baron appeared up ahead. She leveled off, pulling in behind an air taxi. She patted Mika's hand. "Relax, chicha," she said. "I won't let anything happen to you."

"How reassuring," she deadpanned.

"Let's go in," Asha said. "I'd like to use the refresher after that little ride."

They pulled into the parking lot of the Biscuit Baron, and when Mika set foot on the ground, her knees trembled. She'd never been so glad to stand on solid ground. She took a deep breath, taking in the smells of fried bantha patties and cool night air.

"All right. We've got twenty minutes before Syren starts," Danya said, getting out of the airspeeder and stretching. "So, let's be quick and—Mika? What's wrong?"

She slowly turned, looking into all the shadows of the parking lot, into the empty airspeeders, then into the mouths of the alleys. Seeing no one, she shifted her gaze to the Biscuit Baron, and up at the surrounding buildings. Her lekku twitched nervously. She had the distinct impression that she was being watched, but she could see no one actually observing her. When she reached out through the Force, she only sensed a vague malevolence, but couldn't pinpoint its location.

She jumped when Danya put a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, you okay?"

She nodded, her face and lekku flushing in embarrassment. "Come on. Let's hurry. I want to catch Syren's opening song."

Danya shot a suspicious glance at Asha, then shrugged and followed.

Inside the entrance was a cardboard cutout of the Baron, a bearded human wearing a fool's grin and a gaudy crown, dressed in even more ostentatious clothing that looked like someone had held at blaster-point the designers for Naboo and Alderaanian royalty and forced them to collaborate. There were half a dozen people inside, most by the windows looking out onto the airlane traffic.

Mika walked up to the counter. "I'd like a double bantha burger, hold the cheese, a large fries, and a large gizer ale, please."

The human, a young kid dressed in an ugly brown and yellow striped shirt and black pants, asked, "To go?" He looked all of fifteen.

"Yes." She stepped out of the way.

"It'll all be one order to go," Danya said, pulling out an aurodium credit chip with EMERITUS BANKING written across the top. Underneath that was a strange line of triangles and dots forming a geometric pattern running horizontally across the length of the credit chip.

Gooseflesh appeared on Mika's lekku when she saw the credit chip, though she couldn't say why. It had nothing to do with the fact that in order to get an aurodium credit chip from Emeritus, you had to have quite a bit of money in the bank. She reached out with the Force, but the watcher had vanished.

"I'll have the bantha wings and a blue-milk shake," Danya continued, looking up at the menu displayed above and behind the counter.

"I want the Jolly Meal with a large fries," Asha said. "Large gizer ale, too."

"Really? A Jolly Meal? What are you, eight?"

"What?" she asked sheepishly, then laughed. "I want the Clone Trooper toy!"

Danya paid for the meal, then turned to Asha and raised one of her white brow lines. "Clone Trooper toy?"

"I collect them, you know."

"I do, now!" She took the two bags from the kid behind the counter and handed the Jolly Meal box to Asha. "Let's get out of here."

Mika followed them back out to the car, still trying to feel out that secret observer through the Force. Cal Shara hadn't gotten around to teaching her how to fine-tune her awareness through the Force, and sometimes, it felt like she was casting out a net that was too loose, so her awareness was often hit-or-miss.

When they were back in the airspeeder, Asha said, "You may want to drive a little slower so we don't end up wearing our food."

"With as little as you're wearing," Danya said over her shoulder, "clean-up should be a breeze."

Mika snorted, trying not to laugh with a mouth full of food.

"Ha, ha. I'm the one wearing cher-silk, remember?" Asha asked smugly.

"That doesn't make you Naboo royalty, chicha," Danya said, starting the engine and pulling out of the parking lot. She entered air traffic, smoothly sliding behind a cargo-speeder, then pressed a button on the dash, activating the autopilot. She set the destination for one level directly above the White Room Club. "Parking is always better just outside the Gnaw," she explained to Mika.

As Danya and Asha chatted and ate, Mika ate in silence. It was all a new experience to her, this "hanging out." So much of her life had been alone but for Kai, and now, the feeling of being an outsider persisted. Yet, she was glad, in a way, that Danya had seen her at her worst because from that point, things could only get better. At least, she hoped.

It would also make it that much harder to leave Denon and the Blue Nebula behind. The first friend besides Kai, who was her sister, and now she had to leave Danya behind. It was better this way, she tried telling herself. Would Danya still be so accepting if she found out that she was a Force user? Or would the Imperial bounty be too much of a temptation for her? The Togruta obviously like wealth and the trappings that came with it.

"You're kind of quiet over there," Danya said to Mika.

"Just thinking," she said, finishing her food. She sipped her gizer ale.

"Don't get all moody, now. We're going out on that dance floor to have fun, not brood."

She smiled and put her trash in the bag, then set the bag on the floor. "I, uh, actually can't dance." She blushed at the admission. Who'd ever heard of a Twi'lek that couldn't dance?

"What?" Asha sputtered, covering her mouth in surprise.

"That's all right," Danya said. "Just grab a cute guy, swing your hips around, and give him a smile. You'll do fine."

Flushing, she looked out the window, smiling sheepishly.

They passed by the White Room on their way to the level above it, and the place looked packed, with a line of people waiting to get in. The front façade of the building was painted white, and a large black awning hung above the entrance, which was guarded by a hulking Devaronian dressed in a tight black shirt, black cargo pants, and boots. Written on the awning in large white letters was White Room Club.

"Stang! The line is too long!" Asha groaned. "We'll never get in!"

"Lucky for you that I know the bouncer, then, huh?" Danya said, turning off the autopilot. She pulled into a parking garage directly above the White Room Club and rolled down the pilot-side window.

The garage was attended by a battered 5YQ protocol droid working behind a mag-sealed pane of glass. "Five credits, please," it said in Basic as Danya came to a stop.

She reached into her pocket and counted out five credits, then tossed them into the collection funnel and rolled the window up. The plastoid barrier painted black and yellow lifted and she flew through.

"How do you know the bouncer?" Mika asked.

"Fane comes in at night, sometimes," Danya explained. "He likes it when I bring him his drinks."

"You do more than that," Asha snorted. "I saw you sitting on his lap one time, and –"

"Hey, he tips well, so he gets an occasional lap dance." Danya's lekku and montrals flushed slightly, though, as she said this.

Mika smiled. She hadn't thought Danya was capable of embarrassment.

"I saw where his hands were!" Asha laughed.

"Anyways," Danya said archly. "Getting in won't be a problem." She parked next to an expensive Mobquet business-class 1c sedan that was wine red with black and chrome trim. "Careful getting out. My insurance premiums are high enough."

"Can't imagine why," Mika muttered softly.

"I heard that."

They could hear the dance music thumping outside of the club as they walked past the people waiting in line, some of whom gave them unpleasant glares. Most of the people were human or near-human, though there were more thn a few Twi'leks, Balosars, Rodians, and even a Sakiyan.

"Miss Kotara, how nice of you to come visit me," the Devaronian Fane rumbled in a deep voice, grinning as the tall Danya stood on tiptoe to give him a kiss on the side of his mouth. "And you brought friends."

"I heard Syren is playing," she purred, pushing her shoulders back and taking a deep breath to accentuate her chest.

Fane cleared his throat nervously and unhooked the velvet rope. "You owe me, little one," he said, grinning.

"We'll see," she teased, winking and grabbing Mika's hand. "Come on, chicha. Thanks, Fane!"

Inside, it was dark and warm. They walked down a short, narrow corridor, past a droid detector, and then past a set of doors on either side that were marked MALE and FEMALE in Basic, Huttese, and Bocce. The corridor opened into a large, square room with a sunken dance floor in the center, separated from the rest of the club by a low railing on all sides. Tables dotted the raised area, and along the wall on the right was a long bar staffed by several well-muscled human males, wearing tight white shirts and black pants. Along the left wall were booths, and along the back wall was the DJ booth and band platforms. Dozens of people were on the dance floor, hands in the air and grinding against each other as the lights flashed in time with the bass line. More people were scattered amongst the tables and booths, and a dozen or more lined the bar.

"Oh, there he is!" Danya said, pulling Mika over to the bar where one human was pouring a drink for a Rodian woman.

Mika had to admit he was cute, with short dark hair and dark eyes. His arms were large, and his chest was very well-defined. She was suddenly very self-conscious.

"Hi!" Danya said, grinning at him. "Uh, is there somewhere that we can put our things?" She slid a ten-credit note across the bar.

He smiled and took the money. "Sure is." He took their coats and purses and tucked them safely under the bar. "So, what'll it be?"

"Comet duster, for me. Put it on my tab." She handed him her credit chip. "Theirs, too."

"I'll have a nova-bomb," Asha said, grinning at him and making no attempt to disguise where her eyes were looking.

"And you?" he asked Mika.

"Uh, just a Bespin Lite in a bottle," she stammered, forcing herself to look him in the eye.

He set out a bottle of the pale amber beer in front of her, then made Danya's comet duster and set it in front of the Togruta. Asha's drink came next; he poured beer into a tall mug, then poured a single shot of a bright red liquor into a clear shot glass, and dropped that into the mug of beer, making it foam.

Asha downed it in one go as Danya and Mika watched agape. "Wow!" she gasped afterwards. "That kind of burns!"

They laughed.

A voice came on the loudspeakers. "Ladies and gentlemen," it said, "the White Room Club is proud to present the galactic sensation, Denon's very own Syren!"

The crowd erupted in loud cheers and whistles as the music began.

"Whoo!" Danya screamed. "Come on, girl!" She grabbed Mika's hand and made a bee-line for the dance floor before Mika could take more than a sip of her beer.

Her stomach tensed in self-conscious embarrassment as she found Danya's hands on her hips, pushing her one way, then another, forcing her to dance.

"Like that!" she shouted over the music. She took Mika's hands and lifted them up, holding them above their heads as the crush of the crowd pressed them together.

Feeling foolish, and laughing nervously, she forced herself to relax. She focused on the music act. Led by a human woman with short purple hair, Syren, the band played loud. Syren's vocals were full of echo reverb, giving them a haunting quality, and were laid over a hypnotic, repetitive beat. The song was called, "Rule the Night," and it was one of her favorites.

Asha stood behind her, grinning. "I thought you didn't know how to dance?" she laughed.

Danya grabbed Mika's hips again. "Just like that!" she shouted, guiding her movements. "There you go!" She spun and backed into Mika.

"Hey!" Mika laughed, blushing.

Asha put her hands where Danya's had been on her hips, holding her close behind. "This is great!" She threw her head back and let her lekku flail, twitching them in time with the music.

She fell into the rhythm of the song as Syren sang, the beat of the music pulsing in hypnotic syncopation. She closed her eyes as more bodies pressed against her from people flooding the dance floor, and focused on the music. Feeling Asha's hands on her hips, she placed her own on Danya's hips to keep track of her as the Togruta ground against her. The bass beat in her chest as she danced in time with the music, and it surprised her to find that she was actually enjoying herself, though her self-consciousness only faded a little.

Danya turned to face her and put her arms over her shoulders as a new song came on. "You little liar!" she laughed. "'Oh, I don't know how to dance!' Ha!"

She blushed as she opened her eyes, suddenly conscious of how close to her Asha and Danya were, and tried begging off. "I need a drink!"

"Oh, no, you don't!" she said. "Asha and I aren't done with you, yet!"

She laughed. "You can't hold me hostage!"

"Just watch me!" she scoffed, pulling Mika back between them.

They ended up dancing for the entire two hour set that Syren performed, though it seemed much shorter to Mika, who'd managed to work up a sweat in the process. Danya and Asha would occasionally pull a random guy into their midst for a song or two, then push them away and it would just be them again. Asha seemed to find Mika's nervousness amusing, as Mika had never danced with a guy before, let alone so many cute ones. She'd never danced with other women, for that matter, either. Her face stayed warm with a blush the whole time.

Finally, after cheering for Syren at the end of the set, they returned to the bar for fresh drinks. This time, Mika was determined to enjoy her beer, which Asha also ordered. Her legs ached, and it felt great to sit and catch her breath.

"That was fun, chicha!" Danya said, smiling. She put a hand on Mika's back. "What did you think?"

She grinned back, unable to stop. "Not as bad as I'd feared."

"My girl!" she laughed, wrapping an arm around her for a hug.

"Let's go back out there!" Asha said. "I see a guy I wouldn't mind snogging!"

"Me, too!"

Mika, smiling and blushing at their brazenness, shook her head and sipped her beer. "You two—" she started to say, then froze, her eyes widening.

"What?" Danya looked around. "What is it, Mika?"

Her smile fell as she suddenly felt that malevolent gaze again, stronger than ever. Whomever it was, was here, in the club. Icy dread tingled down her spine as she reached out with the Force and spotted him immediately. A tall human wearing tight fitting black pants and a red tunic stood on the opposite side of the dance floor, looking for her.

"Kiff!" she swore, ducking down, fear making her heart race. "We've got to go!"

"What? Why?" Danya asked in confusion.

"Give us our stuff!" she shouted at the bartender. If that human wasn't a Force user himself, she'd eat her cha'andar. She grabbed her jacket. "We're in danger! Because of me! Just trust me on this, okay?"

Asha grinned. "She's joking, right?"

"No, I'm not! Let's go!" she yelled.

Staring at her in fear, Danya reached for her coat and credit chip. "Do as she says, Asha! It's time to go!"

"Stang! I hope he didn't see me!" Mika muttered, tossing Asha's cloak and purse to her.

"Who?"

"Human male in black pants and a red shirt. Other side of the dance floor." Why did he have to show up, now? she fumed. He'd ruined what was going to be her first perfect night in—well, ever. Everything had been going so well for a change. It wasn't fair! She only hoped he didn't know about the Blue Nebula, but if he caught them, he would because of the tags on their collars.

"The dark haired guy? He doesn't look so tough," Asha said, fastening her cloak. "Who is he, anyway?"

"A bounty hunter," she lied, pushing them towards the exit.

"A bounty hunter! What in blazes would he want with you?"

"It's a long story. Now, move!" She could still sense him back there, searching for her. That wouldn't last long, she knew; he'd home in on her with the Force because she wasn't skilled enough to mask her Force presence well, though she was trying with all her effort now. What in the void was she going to do with a vibroblade against a lightsaber? Too bad Beriska hadn't let her keep hers; it would certainly be handy, now.

She felt his glare zero in on her, then heard not one but two snap-hisses of lightsabers igniting. Panic fluttered in her stomach, and she fought to control her fear as the crowd began screaming and stampeding towards the exit. "Move!" she shouted, pushing Asha ahead of her and through the door. Hand locked around Danya's, she pulled the Togruta through with her.

The Force user had to be an Inquisitor, and he was none too gentle about clearing a path through the crowd to reach her. As Mika and her two new friends ran out onto the street, she could feel him calling on the Force to push people out of the way, breaking bones and injuring many. Her only concern was getting her friends safe, knowing that she didn't really stand a chance against the Inquisitor. Tears rose in her eyes as panic swept over her. "In here!" she shouted, ducking into an alley. "Run!"

Half-way down the alley, she stopped. "Get home! If I don't return in an hour, tell Beriska to get everyone out!" She drew her vibroblade and turned.

Danya stopped and started to run back. "No! You're coming with! You can't face him!"

"Go!" she shouted, her vision blurring. "It's me he wants, not you!"

The Togruta hesitated, reaching for Mika.

Her heart broke as she forced herself to snarl at her. "Go, damn it!"

Danya grabbed Asha's hand and ran around the corner.

At least they will be safer this way, she thought, terror constricting her throat.

The Inquisitor appeared at the mouth of the alley. "Your running is over, Mik'aventura," he said quietly. "Surrender or die."

A tear spilled down her cheek as her eyes narrowed in anger. "E chu ta, chuba D'emperiolo stoopa!" Calling him an Imperial fool might not have been the wisest decision, but she didn't care.

"As you will," he snapped and charged at her.

Struggling through her paralyzing fear to stay open to the flow of the Force, she watched him draw ever closer, thinking she would die from the fear before he ever reached her. At the last possible moment, though, there was a flicker in the Force. It was barely perceptible, but she followed its urging, stepping aside and ducking as he swung his two crimson lightsabers through the space where her head had been a moment before.

Then, she reached out through the Force to touch him, and she nearly gagged at the darkness she found there. It was like a mouthful of oily filth, and only through sheer determination was she able to keep her focus. As he spun, she pushed as hard as she could, and he flew sideways into a dumpster with a loud crunch, leaving a dent in the metal. As he fell to the ground, she moved towards him, knowing that one of them would have to die. She'd never actually killed anyone before, but she knew that she would now have to. The realization in the split second it took to ready her next attack filled her with a quiet resolve that was startling in its tranquility. There was no dread, no fear, just action.

She launched the vibroblade without thought, calling on the Force to speed its flight. It streaked towards his chest as he was standing up, and only his Force-attuned reflexes saved him. He rolled out of the way and it struck his left shoulder with a bone-jarring impact, and only the blade's tang kept it from going all the way through.

He roared in pain and dropped the lightsaber in his left hand.

Before the lightsaber actually touched the ground, she was already reaching for it through the Force, and it flew to her hand. She ignited it and struck, but he was faster, deflecting her slash with his other lightsaber. He pushed back, but she rolled with it and hit the side of the building hard, but not as hard as the Inquisitor intended.

"You Jedi scum!" he snarled, his rage palpable. He jumped up and pulled her vibroblade out of his shoulder, then cast it aside. "I'm going to kill you and your friends!" He charged.

Rage fueling her, she charged, too, and fought like a nexu. The mention of hurting Danya and Asha made her see red. She launched a series of slashes, but they were awkward and badly timed because of her lack of extensive training. He parried and blocked them, and countered, but she, in turn, parried and blocked as well. Their lightsabers flared and sparked with each block. He came in high, and she turned it aside, causing his blade to shear off a corner of a dumpster in a spray of sparks as the metal crashed to the pavement.

Asha screamed.

Suddenly, she realized that her friends were still nearby, watching from around the corner. Fools! she cursed, suddenly on the defensive as the Inquisitor grinned and stepped up his attacks. It was all she could do to keep him at bay. "Go!" she screamed back over her shoulder. Only the fact that she sensed them finally fleeing gave her some peace. She would sell her life dearly if she must, and it wouldn't be in vain. Her only regrets were the promises she broke—Kai to find her, and Beriska to not call on the Force.

The Inquisitor was faster than she was, and it would only be a matter of time until he was able to strike her fatally, but she would not give a single centimeter to the darkness that already tainted her. She'd nearly given into the Dark Side when she'd tried killing Nerah; to do so now would be a betrayal of all those she held dear.

As his lightsaber blade drew closer and closer to her, she felt the end rapidly approaching. This is it, she thought sadly. She turned his lightsaber aside one last time, then sensed a twinge in the flow of the Force. She lashed out with a fist, striking his left shoulder as hard as she could.

He screamed and jumped back. "You bitch!" he roared, then ran at her.

Giving herself over to the Force, she spun and stepped to one side, whipping the lightsaber around behind her in a scarlet blur.

The Inquisitor screamed again, though this time, it was a gurgling roar of pain.

She spun again, and crouched in a defensive stance, coldly watching as the man staggered two steps and dropped his lightsaber, which shut off. Blood sprayed from the side of his neck, spattering against the side of the building as he turned to glare at her hatefully. His mouth worked as if he were trying to say something, but only blood came out. He fell to his knees as his hands went to the side of his neck, then collapsed and lay still.

The enormity of killing him fell on her with crushing weight. She'd taken a life, something that could never be undone. Tears came to her eyes as she tossed the lightsaber away and looked at her hands in horror. She wiped them on her pants as if they were dirty from touching his lightsaber.

She looked up and down the alley, then staggered away in a daze as the tears fell from her eyes. Overwhelmed with fear and unsure if she should even go home, she leaned against the side of a building and retched. She knew on some level that the guilt she felt was illogical, but that did nothing to dispel it. He would have killed her, and then he would have gone after Danya and Asha, and killed anyone that got in the way.

Another part of her mourned the fact that Danya and Asha would never look at her the same again; they would only see a Force user, a Jedi. Maybe they were on their way to pick up the bounty on her head right now.

She'd chosen turns at random, and was at least half a kilometer from where she'd killed the Inquisitor, but she stopped and leaned back against a building, then covered her face and wept. Things could never be the same. Did she dare return to the Blue Nebula? If she didn't, Beriska would come searching for her, and the collar that she couldn't remove would give her away. But perhaps more importantly, Danya and Asha would never trust her again.

In the distance, she could hear the sirens. Cold, frightened by the prospect of being discovered by the Imperials, she slid down and hugged her knees to her chest. The part that hurt worst is that she'd blown her chance at having some actual friends. Why do I even bother? she cried.

An airspeeder came into the alley. She tried to hide in the shadow of the dumpster she was huddled next to. Go away, she willed it. No one here, just go away.

It stopped on the other side of the dumpster and someone got out. Trance music could be heard coming from the stereo. "Mika!" Danya's voice called out.

"Danya?" she whispered in disbelief, wiping her eyes and carefully peering around the side of the dumpster.

The Togruta was standing just outside of the airspeeder, one leg still in it, and was scanning the shadows for her. "Mika!"

Asha sat in the front passenger seat, and Mika didn't need to reach out with the Force to sense her emotions; she could clearly see from the girl's wide-eyed expression how frightened she was.

Fear froze her in place; would Danya turn her in for the bounty?

Danya spotted her. "Mika! There you are!" She jumped out and rushed over.

Mika jumped back, suddenly unsure of what the Togruta was up to.

"What's wrong? Mika, it's me! We gotta go. That alley is crawling with Imperials, and there was a tracking beacon on my airspeeder." She took another step towards Mika. "Chicha, we got to get out of here."

She was still terrified, thinking that maybe there was a chance that this was all just some elaborate ruse to get her in the airspeeder to take her in for the bounty.

"What—you think I would turn you in?" she asked, reading Mika's mind. "Are you nuts? The money isn't worth it. I have way more than that just on my credit chip!" She grabbed Mika's hand lightly. "We have to go, chicha!"

She had way more than the bounty on her credit chip? That raised more than a few questions, but one pressed itself forward. "You aren't mad?"

"For what? Why would I be angry?" she asked in confusion. "I have a few questions, but those can wait."

"What about Asha?" she asked.

"What about her? She's just as spooked as anyone else would be, but neither one of us is going to turn you in, or say anything to anyone." She squeezed her hand. "Trust me, Mika."

She let Danya pull her back to the airspeeder. "I'm sorry, Danya. I should have told you, but I didn't know who I could trust with that."

"It's okay. I'm still your friend, and so is Asha." She pulled her seat forward so Mika could get in.

Mika climbed into the warm interior, shivering as she shook off the damp cold. She looked up sheepishly at Asha.

Asha only smiled. "Seeing you in that alley," she started to say, then shook her head and sat back. "I'd need to change my microbriefs…"

"If you were wearing any," she finished for her, smiling a little easier.

Danya got in and the door hissed shut. She feathered the throttle and the airspeeder rocketed forward. "I can't believe those blasted white hats tried putting a tracker on my speeder," she growled.

"You saved our lives," Asha said quietly, looking ahead, then glanced down at her fingers. "Thank you."

"Does this mean you still want to hang out with me?" Mika asked.

"Hell, yeah!" she said quickly, grinning over her shoulder at Mika. "Now, I at least know that if any sleemo tries anything, I've got a Jedi to kick him square in the choobies!"

Danya snorted. "I don't think it works like that," she chuckled. She turned into the air lane, eliciting a horn from the taxi she cut off.

"Now that I know you can do all that cool stuff, it occurs to me that you were holding back on Isara."

"You have no idea. Can I have a tissue, please?" Mika asked. She had held back on Isara, but not only because of fear that she would kill that stupid girl, but because she was afraid of how quickly her rage flared up. She didn't want to give into the Dark Side of the Force. That was the one thing that Cal Shara had driven into her head above all else.

"Oh, sure." She opened the glove compartment where Danya kept a package of them. "Here you go," she said, handing a couple back to Mika.

"Thank you," she said, blowing her nose, which was cold. It also helped mask her relief as tears sprung up. She still had her friends, after all. "You know, I wasn't even supposed to call on the Force." She gave a brief description of how Beriska had caught her in the warehouse and swore her to stay quiet until she could find a contact of hers to hide her off-planet.

"Wait, so you have your own lightsaber?" Asha asked. "What color is it?"

"Green. It's in Beriska's safe."

"That explains why you were so moody that night," Danya said. "Did your sister know?"

She nodded. "Before she performed the kolo tandar."

"Kolo-what?" Asha asked.

"It's a Togruta rite of bonding," Danya explained. "It made Mika her blood-sister."

"Yeah, but Mika isn't a Togruta."

"Which is what makes me trust her even more. Her sister would only have done that if she trusted Mika with her life, because in essence, that is what she was giving her."

Two police cruisers went shooting past in the opposite direction, their sirens flashing and blaring.

"You really stirred the hornet's nest, Mika."

"Don't remind me," she muttered, slumping in the back seat.

"Well, we won't say anything to Beriska, right?"

"Right," Asha agreed.

"But if Beriska asks, you've got to tell her. Remember, it wasn't your fault. Beriska will most likely just be happy you're still alive." She turned a corner. "And I'm going to make sure we don't have any tails."

Mika could sense no one following them through the Force, for which she was thankful. She was so glad that she hadn't lost her friends and hadn't brought the danger to the Blue Nebula. With a little luck, she might make it off Denon a free woman and could pick up the search for Kai once more. She didn't want to leave her new friends behind, but there was nothing preventing her from staying in contact with them, and once this was over, who knew? If they were still there, maybe she would come back and buy them out of servitude from Beriska.