== Chapter Ten ==
The entire crew of the Queen Valkyrie gathered outside near a second, much smaller ship landed in the valley not far from the Corellian Corvette. The ship was a GX1 Short Hauler owned by Kath, which he had christened the Fool's Pride. The GX1 was originally built as a compact star yacht, but the middle-aged man had removed some of the amenities to make the 27-meter-long ship more utilitarian. He also improved the sublight engines' performance and upgraded the dorsal turbolaser turret to a military-grade level for providing adequate defense. It wasn't a very big or stylish ship, but it suited Kath well for his needs.
Ja'Ina and Kurloh had their belongings gathered at the base of the Fool's Pride's entry ramp, eager to get underway. Their crewmates stood back a few meters waiting for their chance to say goodbye. Berini carefully watched Kath as he puttered in and out of his ship loading Ja'Ina and Kurloh's things. She didn't know what to make of the older man, but from his outward appearance he looked ragged and shifty. She didn't like the fact that he had a couple of missing teeth, and his sloppy mop of grey hair didn't help her impression of him either.
Ja'Ina and Kurloh walked up to their comrades and proceeded to say their goodbyes. They promised to return in about two standard months. Ja'Ina wanted to run just a few races to see what it was like on Etti IV. With the greater purses promised by Kath, winning a few races there would bring in almost as much money as the entire season on Yuulin did.
Aurelia approached with Ja'Ina's sheathed cortosis scimitar in her hands. "Here you go, Ina. I hope you don't have to use it while you're there."
Ja'Ina accepted the sword with a smile. "Of course I won't have to use it. But just in case…"
Indeed, Ja'Ina hoped that she wouldn't have to use the weapon. The last time she wielded it was when she killed the Imperial officer who had mortally wounded her life-long friend Soraa. When she struck him down with the scimitar, she was lost within her rage, lured by the power of the dark side of the Force. Deep in her heart, Ja'Ina had a difficult time separating the action from the object. She struggled with the notion that using the sword would cause her to fall again; perhaps for the final time.
While Ja'Ina never voiced those concerns, Kurloh could feel the struggle within her friend. One night a few months back, Kurloh confronted Ja'Ina about it and they talked about it for a long time. After their talk, Ja'Ina felt much better about the scimitar, which she had apparently inherited from her parents, whom she never knew. Still, the permanent stain on her being from touching the dark side of the Force hurt enough to serve as a reminder of what had happened.
Ja'Ina slung the scimitar over her shoulder and gave Aurelia a big hug. "Make sure you take care of Berini."
The teen smiled and snapped a playful salute.
Kurloh and Ja'Ina approached Rann.
"We won't be gone long," said Ja'Ina.
"I know," Rann replied. "We'll keep the running lights on for you, in case you get lost." She punctuated her quip with a smile and wink before embracing her friend.
Fitty then led Ja'Ina and Kurloh up into the ship. Berini confronted Kath, standing nearly a head taller than the older man.
She glared down at him. "You'd better make sure no harm comes to my girls, or I will personally hunt you down."
"I don't doubt it. But don't worry, Madame Captain. I will return them to you in better condition than they left in."
"That's right you will, Mister Ulundo." She put her hands on her hips.
Kath chuckled as he studied Berini's flashy pseudo-uniform. "Let me guess; ex-Imperial Navy?"
"Emphasis on ex," Berini gruffly added. She eyed him suspiciously. "How could you tell?"
"It takes one to know one, Madame Captain," he answered with a twinkle in his eye. "Now if you excuse me, we have an appointment on Etti IV." Kath tied his long hair back into a ponytail with some wayward grey locks escaping the tie to flop down either side of his face. He gave Berini a respectful nod and walked up the Fool's Pride's ramp.
The internal layout of the Fool's Pride was not spacious by any means, but suited Kath well. His modifications did actually create a few extra square meters of usable space by removing some of the unnecessary amenities that came with a stock GX1.
The starboard side of the ship housed the narrow cargo bay, in which sat Ja'Ina's swoop, repaired and now sporting a more powerful accelerator. The center of the main hold housed a small galley, a refresher and an array of supply cabinets for the various items necessary to support travel that could last up to a standard month. The port side of the ship contained the compact crew quarters, each containing little more than a bunk to sleep on. Kurloh and Ja'Ina each claimed one of the quarters, and entered their respective rooms to put their belongings down before takeoff.
Ja'Ina set her rucksack and sword down on the bunk and turned to leave. Before she walked out into the corridor, a pulse registered through the Force, originating from somewhere around the bed. She turned around and slowly approached the bed, keeping her eyes peeled for the source. It was some sort of a life force, but she couldn't tell from what. It felt like nothing she had encountered before. After a moment, Ja'Ina was able to pinpoint it at the head of the bunk, next to the pillow where a lump showed under the blanket. She stood over the bed for a moment, apprehensively considering removing the covers.
Slowly and carefully, Ja'Ina reached down and moved the covers back from the pillow. She noticed a strange ball of brown fur about 30 centimeters in diameter sitting just below the pillow. It did not move as the young woman stood there staring at it. Ja'Ina focused her senses through the Force and verified that this thing was definitely the source of the life force.
Is it alive? She wondered.
Ja'Ina bent over the bed to get a closer look at the object. She slowly reached her extended index finger down to touch it. Suddenly, a mouth popped wide open on the ball of fur, displaying rows of numerous small, yet sharp teeth and a nasty, screeching growl emitted from the maw. Ja'Ina jumped back with a piercing scream.
In an instant, Kurloh appeared at the doorway. "Ina! What is it?" Fitty quickly followed behind with his electro-prod extended, eager to hurt whoever attacked his mistress.
Ja'Ina stuttered incoherently as she pointed to the bed. Kurloh's eyes followed her friend's gesture toward the brown fur ball that turned around in its place to face those who disturbed its sleep. Fitty made a quiet whine, but the others didn't bother to look at his translation screen to see what he was saying.
It stared at them with its dark, beady eyes, which sat just above a small nose above its wide mouth. It yawned, showing jaws that opened wide enough to easily fit a person's hand inside. Then it got up on stubby, barely visible legs and tottered towards the foot of the bed, this time showing no signs of aggression. Kurloh and Ja'Ina slowly approached it.
"What is that thing?" The Togruta asked.
"He's a fitzgik," Kath answered from the doorway behind them. "His name is Skink. Come here, boy!"
Ja'Ina and Kurloh spun around to face the man who startled them; Fitty let out a loud blat. Skink quickly rolled like a fuzzy ball past their feet over to Kath. The fitzgik then jumped up into his arms and nuzzled him with a cute-sounding whine.
"A what?" Ja'Ina repeated.
"A fitzgik. I found him on a remote world in the CorpSec many years ago. A little research yielded his species' name, but not much else. Luckily he took a liking to me, and we've been together ever since."
Kurloh carefully approached Kath, and Skink reacted with a warning growl. "How come we've never seen him before?"
"I never take him to the track, and I guess he just never came up in our conversations. It slipped my mind to mention him to you before you came aboard. Sorry!" He gave Ja'Ina and Kurloh an apologetic smile. "Despite his small size, he's actually a good home guardian, as well as companion."
Ja'Ina apprehensively studied the sphere of fur in Kath's arms. "H-he's kinda cute, I suppose."
Skink looked straight at the young woman and purred as if he were responding to her compliment.
Kath laughed. "And he's very smart too! Sometimes I wonder if he's got some sentience about him."
Kurloh and Ja'Ina traded incredulous looks.
"Anyway, we should lift off. Etti IV's not getting any closer!" He put Skink down and made his way to the cockpit with the fitzgik rolling right behind him.
Kurloh, Ja'Ina and Fitty followed right behind into the Fool's Pride's cockpit. Kath sat at the pilot's station. Ja'Ina made her way to the co-pilot's station next to him, but was unexpectedly cut off by Skink, who quickly jumped up onto the chair and gave her a warning grunt. Kurloh snickered through her hand as she sat at the communications station, having watched the exchange.
"That's Skink's seat," Kath said matter-of-factly.
"Skink's seat?" asked Ja'Ina. "Surely he can't fly the ship, can he?"
"Of course not, but it's still his seat. Just go sit at shield ops." He thumbed back at the seat behind him.
Ja'Ina complied and Fitty rolled up next to her, sounding out a string of beeps. She read on his screen, "I am not comfortable with that animal around. What if it attacks you or Kurloh?"
"You're worrying again, Fitty. I don't think Skink will harm us."
"Of course he won't harm you," Kath called over his shoulder as he entered in commands for the launch sequence.
The astromech blatted again. "That remains to be seen."
Ja'Ina lightly slapped the top of the droid's domed head. "That's enough," she quietly ordered.
A deep hum filled the cockpit as the engines powered up. The ship shuddered slightly as she lifted off of the landing gear and rose into the air. Within a few minutes, the Fool's Pride crossed the transition from the atmosphere into space. At that point, the bumpy ride became smooth as shimmersilk.
Even though Ja'Ina traveled into space many times since then, her thoughts went back to the day when she and Soraa first left their homeworld over a year ago – that first experience of breaking out of the atmosphere. The lifelong friends were in absolute awe with the expansive view of the stars in front of them and the sight of the world they called home behind them. Back then, they were innocent and naïve, having no idea of what lay ahead, that they would be brought aboard the Queen Valkyrie. It seemed to be a lifetime ago. Over the months that followed, they lived the life of adventure they had been longing for, and that memory made Ja'Ina smile.
But then she remembered Soraa's death again, and she had to fight the sadness that washed over her. She called on the Force to help her find peace. Focusing inward and connecting with the power that binds all living things together helped pull Ja'Ina back to the present and the new experiences she looked forward to. It also helped her to focus more on all the good times she had with Soraa and she smiled again, the bad things all but forgotten.
Ja'Ina looked over at Kurloh, who had been watching her the whole time. Having felt Ja'Ina's pain and recovery through the Force, the Togruta knowingly nodded with a slight smile.