Chapter Nine: Destination Alderaan

Aari shifted in her seat, trying to retain feeling in her right leg, which was starting to go numb. She'd been sitting in the cantina since dawn, and now it was mid-afternoon. When was that lousy, no-good traitor going to show up? Aari sighed and removed one hand from the blaster lying on the table. She rubbed her leg, wincing at the uncomfortable tingling sensation that indicated she was regaining feeling.

The sound of someone new entering the cantina caught her attention, and her own discomfort was forgotten. She watched the entrance with renewed purpose, feeling in her gut that he had finally arrived.

The male human that walked down the steps and spoke easily with the bartender was facing away from Aari, but she would have recognized his swagger – his irritatingly calm sense of self – anywhere. It was Vic.

He spotted her after a few moments and made his way over to her table. As he came closer, Aari noticed the humor in his gray eyes. It infuriated her that he could possibly find amusement in this situation. Surely he should be confused and startled to find her here, alive.

"Hello again, beautiful," Vic greeted Aari as he began to lean in close to her.

"Don't you dare," she hissed, hazel eyes flashing. Vic halted, unsure of whether to sit down or remain standing.

"What? What did I do?" he asked innocently. He ran a hand through his dark hair, laughing at some obscure joke. "You're a real piece of work—"

"Shut up! Don't you dare laugh at me," Aari growled, picking up the blaster. "How can you even talk to me after what you did?"

Vic's body went rigid as he stared in disbelief at the blaster that was now trained on him. "Aari," he whispered. "Why—"

"Just sit down," she ordered, waving the blaster. The middleman complied, his eyes clouding with bewilderment. How could he go on pretending like that? "I should shoot you right now."

"What are you talking about?" Vic demanded.

"You know damn well what I'm talking about. You betrayed me! You tipped me off to the Empire," Aari ranted, feeling her voice crack slightly. "You did nothing but lie to me from the beginning."

Vic leaned forward across the table, wary of the blaster. "Aari, that's not true. I—"

"Stop it! You're lying right now!" She would not cry, even though that was what she felt like doing. She felt like crying and shooting him at the same time.

"Would you just let me—"

"No! I don't want to hear it anymore!" Aari glared at him, holding back the tears. She was too good to cry in front of a traitor. "I don't want to listen to your lies—"

She was cut off abruptly as Vic lunged forward and snatched the blaster up before she could react. Aari punched him in the jaw, hoping that the impact would force him to release the weapon. Vic stumbled backward but managed to hold onto the gun. With his free hand he grabbed one of her shoulders and forced her back into her seat. Pointing the blaster at her, he took in a shuddering breath.

"Stars, Aari, that's one hell of a punch you've got there." He rubbed his jaw gingerly, wincing at the pain. She glowered up at him as he spoke. "Now just listen to me. I have no idea what is going on here. What got you so riled up?"

"You sending the Imperials after me at Rodia, that's what!" Aari exclaimed.

Vic frowned. "You were jumped at Rodia?" He looked at Aari as if trying to figure out what to say. "It wasn't me, Aari, I swear."

"How can I believe you?" She folded her arms across her chest, daring him to come up with an answer.

Vic hesitated for a second, looking at the blaster in his hands. With one fluid motion, he extended his arm, offering the weapon to her. "Take it."

Aari watched him with suspicion. Why was he giving her the blaster? She reached out and took it from him.

"Now do you trust me?"

Aari glanced up at him reluctantly. "If it wasn't you, then who was it?" she murmured hesitantly.

"I don't know," Vic sighed wearily. "But I swear it wasn't me."

Aari didn't know what to think. She really wanted to believe what Vic was saying, but all her logic and instincts told her not to trust him. "I can't…" She trailed off as a commotion broke out near the bar.

"Hey! No droids allowed! Take it outside, kid."

Aari and Vic spun around to see what was going on. A tall young man was clutching a small droid protectively, refusing to let go as the bartender pointed toward the exit. His face had a wild look about it, almost frantic and frightening in its intensity. Aari stood up.

"What are you doing?" Vic whispered.

Aari avoided answering the question. "I'll be right back." She pushed her way toward the bar. "Hey you!" The tall kid turned toward her. "Where have you been? I've been waiting for you to bring that droid."

The bartender looked back and forth between Aari and the young man. "Listen, miss. The policy is no droids allowed. You'll have to take your business outside."

Aari brought the blaster up to her side, just high enough for the bartender to notice it. "I don't think you want to tell me where to take my business, sir." She glanced over at the young man. "Let's go." His pale blue eyes seemed to pierce right into her heart, discerning her intentions. He nodded and followed her back to the table where Vic was waiting.

When they sat down, the young man set the droid on the table. "Thank you," he murmured softly, as if afraid to speak too loud in the cantina.

"Don't mention it," Aari replied, extending her hand to him. "The name's Aari Zalash."

The young man shook her hand firmly. "Cal Nightrunner. I'm looking for passage to Alderaan. You wouldn't happen to be a pilot?"

Aari felt a glimmer of something mischievous and adventurous spark inside of her. "Actually I am," she answered, noticing the disapproval on Vic's face. The expression only fueled her desire to spite him. "Alderaan?"

"Yes."

"I hate to tell you that it will cost a little to get you there."

"It's not a problem. How much?"

Aari didn't want to be too demanding. "Five thousand," she offered.

Cal nodded slowly. "You'll get it." Vic shifted in his seat, grunting something unintelligible. The boy glanced at him. "I give you my word."

Aari smiled despite herself. "That's good enough for me." She could almost feel Vic's disbelief at her answer.

Vic leaned toward her. "You trust him, but you don't trust me?" he whispered.

Aari smiled again. "That's right. Get used to it."

Cal cleared his throat. "Uh, I think there's something I should tell you." Aari and Vic looked at him, eyebrows raised. "Well, there might be an Imperial problem."

Aari gave Vic a meaningful glance. "We seem to be having those frequently these days. What's the problem?"

"To put it plainly…they're going to be after him." He pointed at the droid resting silently on the table. "I have to get him to Alderaan. To the senator."

Aari swallowed uneasily. "Well…that certainly is a problem. You won't hate me terribly if I raise the fee, will you? This sounds like a ten thousand credit job."

Cal looked unsure for a moment. He gazed at the little droid. "You'll get it."

"All right," Aari breathed with some hesitation. "Deal?"

"Deal."

"Meet us at docking bay ninety-four in half an hour."

"Ninety-four," Cal replied quietly, picking up the droid. "I'll be there." Without further delay, the boy hurried out of the cantina.

Vic looked over at Aari after Cal had gone. "What did you mean by 'us,' Aari?"

Aari shot him a warning glance. "You think I'm going to let you go free and cause more trouble for me? Forget it. You're coming with me. Now let's go and get the Blade ready." She placed her blaster in its holster and stood up from the table. In her rush to get to the docking bay, she missed the grin that flashed across Vic's face.

.

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"Hey, kid. You hungry—"

Han Solo stopped in his tracks as the bright blue laser sword flashed dangerously close to his head. He ducked out of instinct, but a light chuckle from the girl indicated that she knew full well what she was doing. She wasn't going to decapitate him. Not unless she was insane.

Settling into a seat by one of the Falcon's nav consoles, Han scanned the screen to make sure everything was running smoothly. They would be arriving at Alderaan shortly, if everything went as planned. The distance between Imp Center and Alderaan was not so great when compared to some of the trips he'd taken, and Han was currently thankful for that. He didn't know how much longer he'd be able to put up with Leia.

Han glanced over at her as she continued to practice with that lightsaber thing. He didn't claim to know a whole lot about galactic affairs, but he did recognize the weapon of a Jedi when he saw one. And the Jedi were supposed to be dead. Which meant that Leia was either on the run from the Empire – doubtful for one so rich who obviously lived on Imperial Center – or she was somehow linked to the only man living who possessed that kind of weapon: Darth Vader.

He didn't really want to believe that he was carrying a high-ranking Imperial on board his ship, but the evidence was overwhelming. Leia was a pretty young woman with lots of money and enough attitude to more than match her wealth. Han knew that there was some kind of royal family or something on Imperial Center. On the fourteenth Empire Day, Emperor Palpatine had introduced Prince Shade and Princess Ember via live HoloNet. That day the royal children, so called because of their status, had been named the Emperor's heirs. Han remembered thinking it strange that the prince and princess had kept their faces hidden under their hoods. Maybe they were deformed, like Palpatine. Either way, they preferred to elude the spotlight. Leia was probably a bodyguard or close companion of the princess. That would explain the lightsaber, as well as her wealth. Why she was eager to get to Alderaan was anyone's guess. Han only hoped that once he got her there he would be able to wash his hands of the whole affair and pretend he'd never encountered her.

From his seat at the round game table, Chewie growled softly at Han, gesturing toward the girl.

Han nodded his head. "Tell me about it," he mumbled.

Leia deactivated the saber and removed the helmet that had obstructed her view. She hooked the saber on her belt and looked at Han with her curious brown eyes. "What did he say?"

Han exchanged an amused glance with his Wookiee companion. "You don't want to know," he snorted. He held out a piece of fruit from the tray he'd brought in. "Want some juza fruit?"

Leia eyed the soft pink fruit suspiciously. "Juza? Never heard of it."

"Have you ever been to Gan-juzen?" Han questioned.

"No."

"That's why you've never heard of it." He handed her the fruit and bit into a piece of his own. "It's really good, if I do say so myself."

"Sure," Leia replied, taking a timid bite out of the juza. She held it in her mouth for a moment and then swallowed. "Not bad." She shoved the rest of the fruit into her mouth. Han gave her a humored look, and Leia blushed slightly. "I was really hungry. Thanks."

"No problem." Han turned back to the console, checking the ship's vitals. Leia put the helmet back on her head, and her saber snapped to life. Han watched her deflect numerous static charges. Chewie woofed softly. Han shook his head. "It's just luck," he informed his companion.

The temperature in the room seemed to drop a few points as Leia once again removed her helmet. "Luck?" she asked incredulously. The hum of the lightsaber filled in the silence between her words. "There's no such thing as luck. Have you even heard of the Force?"

Han rolled his eyes. "Kid, I've flown from one side of the galaxy to the other, and I've seen a lot of strange stuff. But I've never seen anything to make me believe that there's one all-powerful Force controlling everything." He looked to Chewie for support. "There's no mystical energy field that controls my destiny. It's just a lot of simple tricks and nonsense."

Leia's eyes narrowed indignantly. "You didn't look so confident when I nearly took your head off with this saber."

"That didn't have anything to do with any Force. You just have bad aim," Han retorted, ignoring the outraged look on Leia's face. "Besides, hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid." He reached for another piece of juza fruit, but it flew off of the tray and into Leia's outstretched hand.

"Hokey religions? I'll have to remember that one, Captain Solo." Munching on the fruit, Leia deactivated her saber and exited the room.

From his corner, Chewie rumbled a question.

Han glanced over at him before returning his attention to the nav console. "I'm trying not to, pal."

.

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The speeder salesman – or alien, Cal supposed – grunted something unintelligible under his breath as he considered Cal's proposal. "Three thousand credits is a bit pricey, kid," he spoke in his halting, staccato dialect. "Make it two thousand and you've got a deal."

Cal shook his head. "It's been well-kept. Look, I just had a new antigrav system installed a few weeks ago," he argued, pointing at the speeder.

The alien waved his hands in the air. "Do you want to sell it or not? I've got a whole stock of the new XP-36's that just came in. Trust me, two thousand is the best offer you'll get anywhere for this old thing."

Sighing audibly, Cal beckoned the dealer to give him the credits. Tucking them into his pocket, he grabbed Veethree and headed toward the nearby hangar bay.

Veethree beeped rapidly, and Cal looked down at the translation screen. We are being followed.

Cal resisted the urge to look behind him. "Are you sure?" he whispered.

Yes. But he will not attack.

"No, the stormtroopers will," Cal retorted.

Have I offended you?

The question made him laugh despite his concern. "Sorry. I'm just anxious to get off of this planet before the Empire rains down on us." Not that he had ever seen any rain on the forsaken desert world.

The former farm hand and the droid entered the hangar bay as discreetly as possible and found Aari Zalash fiddling with the hull of the ship. She tightened something back on near the main hatch and wiped her brow. "Finally," she muttered. "Damn Imps." She twisted around as Cal came closer to the ship. "Oh good, you're here."

Cal whistled as his eyes ran over the curiously shaped Firespray-31. "Nice ship," he commented brightly.

"Thanks," the young pilot replied. She seemed to notice the urgency under Cal's congenial tone. "Maybe we'd better get going."

"Yeah." Cal tightened his grip on the little droid in his arms and then ascended the ramp. The sound of scuffling feet distracted him, and he turned around to see what the commotion was.

"Stop that ship! Blast—" The muffled voice died off as laser blasts erupted throughout the hangar.

Aari already had her blaster drawn and was picking off stormtroopers as she ran up the ramp. "Vic, get us out of here!" She spotted Cal staring in disbelief at the troopers. "Come on, kid!" She grabbed his arm and pulled him aboard as the hatch door slid closed.

Cal raced up to the cockpit with Aari, where Vic Phancil was already at the controls. The ship lifted into the air and began to spin around until the entire craft was upright. Without hesitation, Aari slipped into the pilot's seat and hit the thrusters. Cal grabbed the back of Vic's chair as the entire ship rocketed out of the hangar. Veethree tumbled out of Cal's grip and flew backward out of the cockpit, beeping insanely.

"Hold on!" Aari shouted as the droid crashed into something behind them. Cal hugged himself against the back of the chair, and he barely even noticed Vic giving him a strangely amused look.

The young Tatooinian watched in awe as the ship escaped his homeworld's atmosphere and journeyed into the black depths of space. He knew his mouth must be hanging open in amazement, but he didn't care. It was the most breathtaking thing he could imagine.

"We've got trouble," Vic informed, pulling up the coordinates for Alderaan on the nav computer.

"What is it?" Cal asked, feeling the danger of the situation begin to hit him.

"Two Imperial cruisers. They've been waiting for us," Aari returned quickly. "We'll be safe once we make the jump."

"The jump to hyperspace?" Cal felt his eyes widen.

"That's the one, kid." Aari flipped a switch and looked over at Vic. "You have the coordinates yet?"

"It's setting up," Vic replied, his fingers flying over the panel.

"Well hurry up already!"

"I'm trying!" Sweat began to bead on the man's forehead as he raced to find the quickest route. "There! Punch it!"

Aari pulled a lever back, and Cal watched in astonishment as the tiny pinpricks against the black of space elongated and became thick white starlines. Both Aari and Vic sighed in relief.

Cal sat down on the floor behind the cockpit seats and leaned against the wall. "Wow," he whispered. An urgent beeping caught his attention, and remembering the droid, he got up and headed for the corridor. "Veethree?" Twin red orbs lit up in front of him. "There you are." He reached out, picked the little droid up off of the floor, and carried him back into the cockpit.

Aari swiveled around in her seat and stared at the farm hand. "You didn't say anything about Imperial Star Destroyers, kid."

Cal shook his head. "I didn't know they'd send destroyers after him. He's just a tiny little droid. He's carrying a message for a Rebel. I didn't think they'd send two warships after him."

"Calm down, kid," Vic said as soothingly as possible. "We're not mad. We just want to know what we're up against."

Aari nodded. "Right. So maybe we'd better start by finding out what all this message entails."

All three of the humans stared down at Veethree. The droid seemed to squirm uncomfortably. I am not authorized to give this message to anyone but Bail Organa or an identifiable member of the Rebellion.

"Veethree, if you don't play the message, they might not take us to Alderaan at all. Please do it," Cal urged. The pleading in his voice was not lost on the droid, who seemed to respond to emotion as well as logic.

Very well. A stream of blue light shone from a scope on the droid's body, and at the other end was a hologram of a young man in the white robes of an Alderaanian diplomat. The man stood with his arms folded across his chest. His face was grim, yet determined.

"There is little time left for me. Inside this droid's memory system is information vital to the survival of the Rebel Alliance. I regret that I am not able to present it in person, but my ship has been attacked and captured by the Empire."

The man's eyes focused on something outside the field of the hologram, and he smiled bitterly.

"They will be coming for me very shortly. If this message reaches a Rebel, I urge you to take this to my cousin, Bail Organa of Alderaan. He will know how to retrieve the data."

Here the man's voice began to crack, revealing a layer of emotion.

"Bail, if you hear this, I just want to say how much I am grateful for everything you have taught me. I love you very much, Cousin, and I will miss you. I'll die before I reveal anything to the Empire."

The sound of an explosion could be heard in the background. The man leaned closer to the recording device.

"Tell my father that I love him and that I'm sorry I didn't say it more often."

The message disappeared in static and Veethree shut of the projector. The three humans sat in silence, soaking in the implications of the message. Cal felt colder than he had before, wondering what fate had befallen this man and whether a similar fate awaited his mother.

I love you, Mom. I'm coming.

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