Okay, a nice long chapter to make up for the short one. I hope you all enjoy this chapter – I had a fair bit of fun writing it.
Lokori, Gaulus Sector, Outer Rim Territories
15BBY
Avethelia strolled beside Corrin, her poncho fluttering in the wind as she cast her eyes over the orange dirt. It reminded her of Vaklin – the toppled ruins, the dust, the handful of people. It was hard to believe this planet had been called 'pleasant' before the war. Had it truly had this much of an impact?
Corrin led Avethelia to the plateau that stood in the centre of the small town (for lack of a better word). He led her through the labyrinth of small tunnels and winding narrow staircases until they came to a large expanse within the rock. A bazaar of sorts – almost bigger than the town outside, somehow. With vendors openly selling spice, peddling scrap and hosting fistfights for money, Avethelia looked to Corrin. How else could one survive Lokori without a sense of cynicism?
"So, who is it we're going to see?" Avethelia asked.
"Dax," Corrin replied, "he wants off this rock more than anyone else I know."
"So why's he still here?"
"It costs a fortune to leave," Corrin shrugged, turning back to her, "and he needs to sell something to get that fortune."
"Who's this Dax anyway?"
"A friend," Corrin replied, taking Avethelia's hand and pulling her around a crowd of clicking, multiple-eyed creatures with thick hairy bodies and six arms.
"Your friend wants to kill you?"
"No, Jaikil wants to kill me."
"Who?"
"She's got this gang- it's a long story."
"Okay, so broad strokes – she wants you dead, but has the parts I need?"
"If anyone has them, trust me, it's her."
"But if she wants you dead…" Avethelia frown as Corrin arrived at an archway off the main strip. "What's the plan here, exactly?"
Corrin frowned. "Find Dax, let him sort this out."
"He's in here?"
"No, Minzi's in here," Corrin said simply, climbing up the stairs.
Avethelia sighed, scratching her forehead. "Oh, I've got a bad feeling about this…" she mumbled, following him up the stairs until they came to a cantina. The bar was rock, as were the tables, the shelves that held the drinks (apart from a few glass ones). On the other side of the cave was an opening that looked out across the planet's dunes and mountains. Strange… it almost looked pretty.
Avethelia walked past another spiked creature with multiple eyes, clicking at Corrin loudly.
Corrin leant on the bar, where an elderly woman stood on her toes, straining to put bottles away on the shelves. "Minzi, you got a second?"
The woman turned around – she had kind eyes, Avethelia thought. Deep-set wrinkles and a warm smile upon seeing the young man. "Corrin, how's the jaw?" She asked, reaching out to touch it with her frail hand.
"Clicks like a Lokorian," Corrin muttered.
"And who's this one?" Minzi asked, looking at Avethelia. "Bit old for you, isn't she?"
"What?" Avethelia frowned.
"Min, I'm looking for Dax-"
"Old?"
"-Have you seen him?"
"Not since last year," Minzi replied.
Corrin caught Avethelia's puzzled expression. "She means last week," he explained.
"I'm thirty-three."
"You free to work, Corrin? I'll throw in a free meal for you and your-"
"I'm a little busy today, sorry, Min."
"Oh, but not too busy to drop in with your squeeze and have a drink? Just too busy to work and leave poor old Minzi on her own?"
Corrin rolled his eyes. "Dax?" He asked.
"He was trying to barter passage up to the North End…" Minzi gestured to the mountains in the distance.
"I'm alright to borrow your speeder?"
"Don't go causing trouble with him again Corrin," Minzi said, a stern look on her face.
"What are you talking about?" Corrin asked innocently.
"I heard about you and Jaikil."
Avethelia narrowed her eyes at the young man (who pretended not to notice). "What exactly did you hear?"
Minzi raised her eyebrows before someone called her over further down the bar. Corrin rubbed his neck as he turned to face Avethelia again.
"Why exactly does Jaikil want you dead?"
Corrin paused. "It's not important- it's nothing."
"It's nothing or it's not important?"
"Pick one."
A shriek scattered across the bar as red and blue streaks pierced through the glass shelves in front of Avethelia. She turned around and, a second later, Corrin leapt behind the bar, pulling Avethelia with him. They covered their heads as the bottles shattered and fell above them.
Eventually, the barrage of laser-fire ceased.
"Corrin!" A woman's voice called. "I've got your friend, Corrin! Come out here right now!
Avethelia peered through the cracks to see a tall, slender woman standing in front of a dozen armed thugs. Trandoshan, Vodran, Twilek, Human – even a Devaronian and a Kaleesh. They all paled in comparison to the largest creature there – a Barabel.
The woman's black hair was tied into a simple ponytail resting on her faded purple pauldron. Green monolid eyes scanning the bar as a hand of scrap metal held a heavy blaster pistol. Her other hand was gripped the shoulder of a dark-haired man: Dressed in dark pants and a collarless white shirt beneath a tan poncho, he held a simple, small hold-out blaster in hand. His nose was swollen and crooked, his green eyes calm and relaxed.
"Hey Corrin," the man said, "how you doing, buddy?"
Corrin frowned, turning around to peer through a crack in the bar before hanging his head. "Not as bad as you, from the look of it!"
The man frowned for a second. "Oh, the nose- yeah, that's fair."
There was a pause. "Dax, what're you doing with her?"
"I like you Corrin, but this is my life we're talking about here!" Dax shrugged. "I… I kinda like living, you know?"
"The problem is that I do too!" Corrin turned to Avethelia, who mouthed to him the question of what they were going to do. Corrin shrugged. "Dax, I thought we were friends!"
"We are!" Dax responded. "But as I said, loyalty only gets you killed."
Avethelia shook her head. What a spineless toad… "Jaikil, I have a-"
"My name is Gauntlet!" Jaikil shouted back. Avethelia frowned and looked over to Corrin who rolled his eyes.
"Sure. Look, this is about money, right? You have parts I need-"
"This isn't about money," Gauntlet shouted, "that slime took my hand!"
Avethelia looked to Corrin, aghast. "You took her hand?" She whispered.
"She tried to take my lightsaber!" He hissed back.
"So, you took her hand?"
"I didn't take it, I cut it off."
"If you don't come out here right now," Gauntlet called, "I'm shooting him in the head."
Avethelia looked through the bar to hear the pistol whirr when pointed at Dax's head.
"You know, I feel like you don't need to do that, saying it is enough…" Dax began to mumble. Gauntlet placed her metal finger on the trigger. "…And you shouldn't put your finger on the trigger unless you're going to fire – that can be very dangerous, Gauntlet…"
"Fine, okay!" Corrin shouted, standing up and holding his hands palm-up to the gang. "See? Now just… let him go."
"Aw, you do care," Dax cooed.
"Shut up, Dax."
"Yeah, fair enough."
Gauntlet shoved Dax away to the Barabel, who hissed into his ear. She pointed the blaster at Corrin. "Where's the other one?"
Corrin glanced down to Avethelia, who shook her head before standing beside him, holding her hands up as well.
"Gauntlet," Avethelia greeted the woman, "I hear you have some scrap I need. I'm willing to pay you well."
"I'm going to gut this one," Gauntlet said, pointing to Corrin with the blaster. "Then I'll deal with you."
"I'm afraid I can't let you do that," Avethelia said, vaulting over the bar.
"Don't…" Corrin hissed as the gang all raised their blasters high and took aim.
Avethelia waved her hand, finding her centre and spoke calmly, "You're prepared to give us the parts we need and let us leave in peace."
A tense silence hung in the air as Jaikil kept her blaster on Corrin, her green monolid eyes fixed to Avethelia. "You're…" she frowned, shaking her head. Avethelia remained calm – she knew that the only reason she could remain calm was knowing what might happen if she didn't…
Gauntlet smacked herself in the temples repeatedly, shaking her head before glaring at Avethelia. "She's a Jedi as well- Take her as-"
A humming filled the room. Avethelia looked over her shoulder to see Corrin vaulting over the bar, lightsaber in hand as he charged forward. As Gauntlet fired her blaster, Avethelia's open palm closed as the wooden hilt of her lightsaber jettisoned into her hand. Her thumb closed around the switch and the bright orange blade ignited into the blaster bolt, deflecting it across the cave.
Corrin and Avethelia moved forwards together; she spun the lightsaber around – an impassable wall of orange and Corrin swung the blade back and forth, batting the streaks of red and blue back towards the gang.
Avethelia saw the Barabel cast Dax aside and thunder towards her. She took up her stance, ready for the creature's strike…
It howled and fell to the ground, clasping it's sizzling hand. Dax stood there, firing into the creature. He picked up the Barabel's dropped blaster and fired another shot into its leg. "That's for the nose, trashbag."
Avethelia turned around to see a Trandoshan had caught Corrin's sword-hand and the two was pushing against each other. Corrin flexed his broad shoulders and swung the Trandoshan around, shielding himself from the incoming fire. The Trandoshan hissed and Corrin plunged his lightsaber into their heart before spinning around them, slicing off their head and moving onto the others.
Avethelia stood poised as the two Twilek sisters held their blasters out, waiting for the first move. One of the sisters shot first, and Avethelia deflected the bolt, sweeping across the floor and grabbing her arm. She ducked under another blaster bolt and kicked the other sister in the face before turning around and throwing the Twilek girl to the floor.
Corrin charged at the Devaronian, whose blaster clicked empty. As he swiped with the blaster, Corrin ducked, grabbing him by the neck and slicing the man in two. He turned back to continue his charge at Gauntlet. Avethelia saw the two collide as Corrin deflected blue streaks and sliced the blaster in two. Gauntlet grabbed something from her belt and, the next second, blood flew across the room. Corrin touched his face as blood seeped out from his cheekbone.
Avethelia felt it – the boiling hot rage, the drive and sheer will it gave him – the focus. She grabbed the arm of the Trandoshan and leveraged it against her lightsaber hilt. She spun around the Trandoshan, keeping their arm on her shoulder, and brought the hilt down in a swift motion. The Trandoshan howled, their arm hanging in an unnatural way. Avethelia turned back to see Corrin grabbing Gauntlet's metal hand, keeping the knife out of his stomach. Gauntlet, in turn, had her hand on the elbow of his arm, keeping the blade from slicing her neck.
As the Vodran came closer to Corrin, Avethelia breathed in, filling herself with air, closing her eyes and truly feeling the Force again. She struck forwards with her hand and sent the Vodran soaring out of the open view.
Corrin flourished the lightsaber, slicing through Gauntlet's metal arm. As she fell to the ground, her other arm flailing to keep him away, Corrin grabbed her remaining wrist and twisted before bringing the blue blade down on her elbow. He held the hilt with both hands and sliced across her leg, dismembering it at the hip.
Gauntlet twisted and howled in pain as Corrin flourished the lightsaber again, holding the blade aloft.
"Corrin!" Avethelia snapped. Corrin turned to face her as she stepped over the bodies of wounded gangsters. "She's beaten."
"That's what I thought last time," Corrin said, his gold eyes running over the broken body of Jaikil.
"This isn't the Jedi way."
Corrin glared at Gauntlet before turning back to Avethelia, breathing heavily. He pressed the switch of his lightsaber and deactivated the blade, taking a step back from the woman. Avethelia noticed how his hand was still clenched around the hilt, his thumb still near the switch – as if he was still contemplating it.
A loud laugh echoed across the cave as Dax walked up to Corrin, slapping him on the shoulder. "Made short work of that, didn't we?" He whistled, looking at the bodies before pointing at Gauntlet. "Two for two, scrap-hand!"
"Oh, now you're friends again?" Avethelia asked.
"What?" Dax asked innocently. "Oh, you're not going to hold that against me, are you?"
"We should leave," Corrin said.
"Right," Avethelia nodded, walking with him towards the doorway. She saw Dax follow them. "Wait, what are you doing?"
"…Walking?"
"Where?"
"Wherever you and Corrin are-"
"No," Avethelia said firmly. "I'm not having you on my ship."
"Ave-" Corrin began.
"No, I don't trust him," she said bluntly. "He stays."
"Did I hear you saying something about needing Jaikil's scrap?" Dax asked. The two turned back to face him. "If only you knew where a speeder full of junk is…"
Avethelia stormed towards him. "I could make you tell me."
"What happened to your 'Jedi way'," he repeated in a calm, albeit falsetto, voice.
"I'm quickly forgetting it-"
"Okay, okay," Corrin said, getting between the two. "Dax, you can get to this speeder, right?
"Right."
"Okay, so, you do that – we'll meet you back at the ship."
Dax let out a laugh and smacked Corrin on the shoulder, stuffing the blaster pistols into his belt. "Love it when a deal comes together."
Avethelia rubbed her forehead. "It's my ship…" she muttered to herself.
Yup – not that long, but long for this series. Anyhoo, next up we go to see Ruv! Review and whatever.
R.