Title: Intellivore
Author: Gillian Taylor
E-Mail Address: gillianpicard@yahoo.com
Rating: R
Category: UST, Horror
Characters: Han, Original Female
Feedback: Definitely. It's the greatest high out there.
Summary: "I'd say that you're paranoid."
"What if I'm not?"
Disclaimer: Money? Ha! Acknowledgement from the powers that be? Ha! I
do this not for these things. I do this for fun. Yes. I do this
because Lucas will not. Fun this was to write. Fun should be to read!
Enjoy!
Author's Notes: Well, before we get into the insanity that follows,
this story was inspired by a challenge from Per'agana. Basically, she
asked me to create a whole new genre of Star Wars fan fiction. She
wanted to see me bring in my skills as a X-Files fan fic writer to the
Star Wars universe in a special fashion. She wanted to see a horror
story...and the rest, as they say, is history. Be prepared to be
frightened, amused, and entangled in the lives written about below.
And please, enjoy! Special thanks go to my betas, Per'a, Siduri, and
Crysta. You three rock!
"I'm a wardrober, man. I can tighten anybody's pants." - Ziggy
**********
"Intellivore"
by Gillian Taylor
It had been there for a long time. So long, in fact, that it had
seemed like it had been eons since it had last seen a warm body in its
metallic tomb. But all of that would change.
With the hunger growing deep within its form, it sent out the repeating
distress signal.
The Talween had returned.
******
Two Millenia Ago...
Republic Cruiser Talween
Jistera Celaani, sometime Captain, sometime Counselor, and sometime
Friend to her crew of eight was tired. It had been months since she
had seen anyone outside of her cruiser crew and she ached to see a new
face. But, between the Core Worlds and the newly explored 'Outer
Rim' and at the achingly slow pace of hyperspeed, there was little
chance of meeting anyone this far out. She rubbed the bridge of her
nose absently as she examined the thin layer of dust that coated the
Bridge instruments. It was the cause for much bemoaning on Deen's
part. The man was convinced that any speck of dust on 'his' ship was a
personal insult to his honor.
She laughed at the thought of his face when he saw the Bridge. He
would probably end up with an ulcer...
*BEEP*
Jistera jerked out of her thoughts with the suddenness of a laser bolt.
Behind her, Deen Ula and Fitz 'Buddy' Hitcets hurried onto the cramped
Bridge.
"What is it?" Deen asked, taking his position at the small engineering
console.
"A transmission," Fitz responded, looking at his master situation
monitor, "Unlike any I have ever seen before." Coming from Fitz, or
Buddy as he liked to be called, that was saying a lot. He could boast
of being to every world in the Republic even given his youthful
appearance.
"Is it understandable?" Jistera asked.
"It seems to be some sort of mayday..."
"Drop us out of hyperspace, I want to check it out."
"But Jistera, what if it's hostile," Deen asked, a small shudder
evident in his voice. He had heard the ghost stories revolving around
this particular section of space and had no wish to have something
happen to him here, on this ship, this far from home.
"We'll take it as we get there. I just want to see if we can help..."
she explained.
With a sigh, Deen nodded, knowing that once she made up her mind there
was no going back. The Talween slowed out of hyperspace to emerge
thirty klicks from the bow of the strangest looking vessel that Jistera
had ever seen. It was oblong and covered with a green tinged material
that she had never seen before. But it was ultimately alien. There
were curves that should have been corners had she designed the vessel
and mounds where she would have put nothing at all.
"What the hell is that?" Fitz whispered in a mixture of awe and a
primal fear of anything different.
"Open a channel to it. We could help it..."
Fitz looked at Deen and Jistera, indecision etched across the planes
and angles of his face. He turned the knob to open the channel.
.....
Republic Cruiser Prostera
One Year Later
"Incoming transmission," Justin Celaani reported to the Captain of the
Prostera. He could only hope that this mission would reveal what
happened to his beloved sister...
The voice was scratchy, fear permeating its tone to the point where it
raised the small hairs at the napes of the bridge crew's necks.
"Talween...Deen...Jistera...They're dead. All of them. It killed
them. Oh God...what...please, get out of here! Don't stay here! Go!
Oh GOD!!!!!!" The voice rose into a bone-chilling scream before the
transmission was suddenly cut off.
The crew of the Prostera looked at each other in shared fear and
uneasiness. They knew that something horrible had happened to the
Talween...just as they knew that no one on that ship would ever come
home...
******
Present Day
Centauris
"Give me an ale, you slimy pile of worm ridden filth!" a large
Gundarian bellowed from the other side of the long bar. Sometimes,
well, most of the time, she wished that she could just pull her blaster
and shoot those patrons that were too loud for their own well-being.
She had been working in 'Slimy's' for the past week and a half, and she
had hated every minute of it. Just because she came into Centauris
with a beat up ship thanks to the Imps, she had to lay low and get
cash. She wiped the bar one more time before being grabbed from
behind by Slimy himself, a ten armed monster of a being with a temper
to match his appearance.
"Ssssserve him!" Slimy growled into her ear, "Or fire you I will for
ssssslacking on the job."
Gabrella Rotiri bit back the sharp retort that was her first thought.
'Yes master,' she thought bitterly, bringing an ale to the Gundarian.
If Slimy was a pleasure to work for, this forced labor would not have
been so bad. Instead, it was a living hell.
Gabrella turned away from the Gundarian, and headed back to the center
of the bar. She was grabbed by a tall excuse for a human male, and she
forced herself not to put her fist through his too-perfect nose.
"Hey honey, want to have some fun?" the man asked her with a slight
slur. Gabrella shook off his hand and snapped, "Not with the likes of
you, I don't."
"Too bad, once you've had me, there's NO going back." He leered at her,
his grin appreciative as he took in her slender form.
Gabrella shook her head. She had heard more pick up lines, innuendo,
and blatant sexual comments in Slimy's than she had heard over the past
25 years of her life. Grumbling under her breath, she continued down
the bar's length until she was pulled to a stop by a familiar voice.
"Correllian ale," the rich tone was as familiar as it was the day that
he had left. She closed her eyes for a moment against the all too
familiar sting of tears. She should have known five years ago that he
could never have stayed with her. He loved her, and she loved him, but
it could never have worked out. He was a free trader (read smuggler)
and she was a planetbound historian and barkeep. He belonged to the
stars while she...she stayed on the ground.
Gabrella poured the requested drink and carefully made sure that her
hands did not shake enough to spill. "One Correllian ale...Han," she
said, placing the glass on the bartop.
Han Solo started as he stared into a face from his past. He had left
her because he was scared of commitment, scared of anything that tied
him down. But in so doing, he had ripped both of their hearts to
shreds. "Gabrella," her name was an exhale of breath from shocked
lungs, "How have you been?"
"How do you think I've been, Solo?" she said harshly, for the moment
the concerns of serving drinks to the crowd diminished in the ever
growing desire to finally pound her fist into that once loved face for
what he had done to her, "Do you have ANY idea, you bastard, of what
you did to me?"
He winced at her tone, "Gaby..."
"NO. Don't you dare call me Gaby. You lost that right the instant
that you walked out of my door. Drink your damn ale, Solo, and go to
hell," she snapped at him, but beneath the words even Solo could see
the pain was still there, as was the love.
"I'm sorry. I...I wasn't ready for any commitment..."
"Oh, and now you are? You going to beg for my forgiveness? Beg for me
to fall at your feet and tell you that I love you? I would no sooner
do THAT, you Triskani Fludge, than I would become an Imp."
"No," Han shook his head vehemently, "I'm still not ready. I'm sorry
for what I did to you, and I deserve your anger," he held up his hands
as she opened her mouth to retort, "Please, I just came in here for a
drink..." His voice trailed off for a moment before he regarded her
curiously, "What are you doing here, anyway?"
"You're damn right you deserve my anger, Solo. But I believe you. I
lost my job two months after you left...and I've been planet hopping
ever since, doing odd jobs here and there." True, the last bit was
only a partial truth, but who was she to explain to her ex that she
had turned privateer...and treasure hunter?
Han nodded thoughtfully and was about to respond to her when a large
and scaley arm wrapped itself around his shoulders. "Hhhhhhan Ssssolo.
I have a jooobb for youse."
"Why Ri'ian," Han said, turning towards the Mixiri with a grin, "What a
surprise."
'Sith,' Gabrella thought the instant that she recognized the Mixiri. He
had hired her before to grab treasure or just about anything else she
could get from ships, planets, people... And Han had no idea about her
new life. She looked around the bar, frantically searching for someone
who needed anything, some real reason why she could ignore the Mixiri
for now.
"Gaaaabrelllaaa, sooo good to seeee you again," Ri'ian hissed from
beside Han.
'Sith,' she thought again, and waited for something to hit the roof.
However, the expected explosion never came. She turned towards Han,
and his only expression was one of intense curiosity rather than the
one of raging disbelief and perhaps anger that she was expecting.
"Ri'ian," she acknowledged him with the tilt of her head, but she did
not say anything more.
"Diiiiiid you get it?" he asked, ignoring the fact that an even more
curious Han Solo was next to him.
"Not here. Not now," she whispered to him, studiously avoiding meeting
Han's eyes, "Tonight, 2100. Eastside docking berth 92. Ri'ian,
Solo." With those words, she turned and lost herself into the crowd of
people gathered at the bar and served drinks again.
*******
Eastside Docking
Berth 92
2050 Hours
A chill wind blew through the docks, lifting a small piece of litter
and twirling it as if it were a child's toy. Gabrella wrapped her
cloak tighter around her slender form, the only protection that she had
against the icy fingers of the breeze. The package was hidden nearby,
where only she would be certain to find it. Ri'ian owed her money for
what he put her through, not to mention the damage incurred to her ship
getting his package.
Her sharp ears picked up a slight scuffle behind her and she spun,
pulling her blaster in one smooth movement. But there was nothing
there.
*CLICK*
The cold metal of a blaster pressed into her cheek and she froze,
silently damning herself for not paying more attention to her
surroundings when she had turned towards the sound. It was an old
trick that she should have known.
"Drrrrroooppp it," Ri'ian hissed into her ear and she complied with a
mental groan. "Kick it awaaaayyy." She kicked it towards a stack of
crates.
"Nooowwww, youssss will tell me wheeerree the ssssstatue issss."
"No," Gabrella responded, and immediately grimaced as the Mixiri
pressed the blaster harder against her cheek.
"I will killll yousss if yousss do not tell."
"Go ahead," she smiled a secretive smile, "And you'll never find the
statue."
Ri'ian growled at her response, knowing that she was right. She was an
annoying woman and he would take pleasure in killing her once he got
his statue. She had out lived her usefulness, "Telll!"
Gabrella took her life in her hands and remained silent.
"Biiitch!" the Mixiri shook her violently, his hands leaving painful
reminders of their large claws.
"I suggest you release her, Ri'ian," a cold voice spoke from near the
crates, "Before I decide to do the universe a favor and shoot you."
She was ready to collapse from relief. Han Solo, blaster carbine
firmly aimed at Ri'ian's head, stepped into the light cast by the
glowrod above the docking berth doors.
"Ssssolo," Ri'ian growled, "I will killll herrrr." The blaster moved a
fraction of an inch from her cheek and in that instant of almost
relaxation, Gabrella made her move.
She dropped towards the floor and brought an arm up to sweep the
blaster from her head. Ri'ian squeezed the trigger, but the brilliant
red beam blasted harmlessly several inches from her head. Han took
advantage of the Mixiri's distraction to take a shot at him, which was
deflected by someone that he didn't know was even there. The carbine
clattered onto the floor as a fist slammed into his face.
Gritle, Ri'ian's second mate and henchman, grinned in the harsh
lighting at Han's expression. Han lifted his hand to touch his lip, his
fingers coming away coated in crimson. He smiled at Ri'ian's cohort
for a moment before making his decision. He feinted an attack and
jerked his arms down on Gritle's shoulders, stunning him. Quickly
pressing his advantage, he let loose a round house kick that toppled
the hulk of a man to the floor. "*Don't* do that again."
While Han was occupied with Gritle, Gabrella managed to worm her way
out of Ri'ian's grip and to knock away his blaster in one fell swoop
but her luck was beginning to fail her. Ri'ian was on the attack. She
rolled to avoid the kick that was heading her way, striking out with
her own foot towards his leg. Ri'ian yelped with pain as her foot
crashed into his shin, falling to one knee before getting up again.
She could see rage burning in his beady eyes and vowed to do whatever
she could to keep that rage there. An angered man, or Mixiri, makes
mistakes that a calm person would not.
A fist that she didn't know was there rammed into the side of her face,
and she was moved a few feet to the side from the force. She moved her
jaw with care and touched her lip. Her finger came away tinged with
red.
She raced towards the Mixiri, firing her leg towards him in a
round-house kick...which he caught. He laughed at her, his huge hands
completely surrounding her ankle. He had assumed that he could throw
her now, but she wasn't about to let that happen. Using her other foot
she dropped a few centimeters before jumping, snaking her leg around
the burly alien's neck. With a twist of her hips, she made him loose
his balance and fall to the floor.
Gabrella rolled away from the felled Mixiri, and stood carefully, her
breathing slightly labored from the fight. Before she could say
anything to Han, he ran towards her and grabbed her hand.
"Come on, we've got to get out of here before they wake up and get
their pals."
"Wait," she said, pulling away from his hand. She raced to the crates
and carefully pulled the statue out of its hiding spot and ran after
him.
Gabrella let him lead her towards his docking berth, knowing without a
doubt that if she stayed on Centauris she would be living a very short
life indeed. Her ship could remain there for now, but she had to get
off the planet in short order. And Han and the Millennium Falcon would
do nicely to provide that transport.
When they reached the Falcon's berth, a familiar Wookie growled a
greeting to Han before picking her up in a bruising hug.
"RRRRAAAAARRRR!"
Gabrella laughed for what seemed to be the first time in so many years,
"Chewie! Put me down you overgrown carpet." The Wookie laughed and
put her down.
"I hate to interrupt guys, but we've got to get out of here."
The Wookie growled something that she interpreted as meaning 'Again?
What now?'
"Ri'ian decided to attack Gabrella, I attacked him..."
Chewbacca shook his head at him and opened up the ship,
"Rrrroooowwwrrraaa."
"No," Han said firmly, ushering Gabrella and his friend inside the
ship.
"Rrroowwaa?" he responded, heading for the cockpit.
"Listen flea-bag," Han threatened.
"Look, boys. I don't know what you're arguing about but we need to get
out of here. Ok?" Gabrella interrupted them. If they were going to be
like this, maybe she would be better off finding herself another ship.
Hell, she might be better off waving her hands over her broken ship and
hope that it'll get her off the planet.
Han shot her a look before heading into the cockpit to power up the
ship. Feeling useless, Gabrella took one of the seats behind Chewbacca
and Solo. Her entire body itched to get off of Centauris, and out of
this docking berth. Something told her that Ri'ian was on his way
here, with a lot of his 'pals' in tow.
"SSSSSSSSSOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOOO!" even through the bulkheads,
they could hear Ri'ian's outraged voice. Han and Gabrella shared a
concerned look. This could not be good.
Han turned towards Chewie, "How much longer?"
"Rwa," Chewie responded as he flipped switches.
Through the portholes, Gabrella could see Ri'ian and Gritle aiming
something that looked suspiciously like a rocket launcher at the
Falcon. Han muttered a colorful Corellian curse as he flipped another
switch and the Falcon roared to life. "Shoot at them!" he told Chewie
as he activated the hover field to lift the ship.
Chewie activated the lower guns and Ri'ian and Gritle were forced to
dodge the blast to avoid being hit. However, before they dodged, the
rocket was launched at the Falcon. Han hit the sublight drives and
shot the ship out of the berth, barely avoiding being hit.
As the Falcon climbed higher into the night sky, Ri'ian screamed at the
rapidly shrinking vessel. "I'll get you Gabrella and Solo! And I'll
have my statue! I swear it!"
The trio on the Falcon never heard his vow, nor did they see him and
his second in command hurry towards their docking berth and climb
inside their ship. Instead, after reaching orbit safely, they jumped
to hyperspace after running their calculations. Centauris was soon a
rapidly fading memory.
******
Millennium Falcon
"...So, want to tell me what was up between you and Ri'ian?" Solo's
honeyed tones were still able to cause her skin to tingle and Gabrella
silently cursed her body's reactions. Should she tell all? Tell him
exactly what it is that she does now to make a living? Tell him just
how his abandonment made her turn privateer? Tell him how his leaving
left a huge hole in her soul? Tell him how, no matter how hard she
tried, she could never stop loving him?
"I was working for him," she told him, deciding to tell him most if not
all of the truth, "I found a statue for him...something that his
culture holds to be the source of a great deal of psychic power."
Han looked at her, confused, "Found a statue for him? You were a
historian, a barkeeper. What on Corellia could have made you work for
someone like him?"
"What makes us do anything, Solo? Money. I'm a treasure hunter now,"
Gabrella said with a shrug.
Han's much loved features reflected shock, and he remained silent for a
few moments before continuing. "Who'd you steal it from?" he asked
quietly.
She felt a pang at his assumption, no matter how true it might be. Had
he changed so much that he always assumed the worst from her? "An
Imperial Moff who had taken interest in the Mixiri culture. I left him
an exact replica, but somehow I was found out. The Imps shot up my
ship and I ended up basically crash landing on Centauris."
"Where you contacted Ri'ian?"
"No," Gabrella shook her head, "I never contacted him when I got to
Centauris. I had no money, no place to stay, and no communications
device that could even get me in contact with anyone on the planet
surface let alone to Ri'ian. I needed to get my ship repaired, but
that would require money, so I found myself a job at Slimey's. What I
don't understand is how Ri'ian managed to find me."
"I'm afraid that that might be my fault. He contacted Chewie and I a
few weeks ago about a job, and we agreed to meet on Centauris to
discuss exactly what he wanted us to do and for how much. It was
chance that he found you there too," Han said, rubbing his hand across
his chin.
"What sort of job did he want you to do?" she asked, regretting her
words even as they left her mouth. She really had no right to ask him
what sort of business he might be conducting with Ri'ian, but she had
to know. She had to know if, after his show of rescuing her, if he
really wasn't working for Ri'ian.
"I think it was to transport him and the statue. He was going to
contact us tonight for the transport. That obviously hasn't happened,"
he responded with a lop-sided grin.
"Obviously," Gabrella responded dryly, "Then I'm going to have lay low
for a while...as are you, until Ri'ian calms down..." Even as she
spoke, she realized that there was a greater likelihood of Han spouting
wings and dancing in a pink dress than there was of Ri'ian ever calming
down. If there was one thing that Mixiri were infamous for, it was
their capacity of holding grudges.
Han was about to respond when the ship shook rather violently. Han and
Gabrella were on their feet in seconds, Han a split instant before she.
When they entered the cockpit they found something that they hadn't
expected.
Chewie growled in frustration as he pounded his fist against the nav
computer console, "Rwwaaa Rowwrrr Raaa."
"What do you mean the hyperdrive went out? We just had that fixed!"
Han said in shock.
The wookie made a non-commital sound as he gestured at the inactive
propulsion systems panel, "Raaa."
"I take it that this is a usual occurrence nowadays?" Gaby asked dryly.
Han shook his head and turned towards his copilot, "Chewie, see what
you can do from up here. I'm going to check out the hyperdrive."
Chewie nodded and began to flip switches, growling at them when nothing
happened.
"Han, I might be able to hel..." Gabrella began, but she was
interrupted by a chime, "What's that?"
"Distress signal," Han responded, hurrying towards the now frantically
beeping console, "I've got the Falcon's com system set up to report any
distress signals in the region, it helps to know where the Imperials
might have attacked and possible traps. But this one..." he flipped a
few switches, "Appears to be genuine...but old. I've actually never
seen this code except..."
"Is it audio?" Gabrella asked curiously.
"It does have audio attached to it. Mostly it's an automated signal.
It's cycling through again."
The radio came to life with a crackle, and Chewie twisted a few dials
to clear up the signal, "Talween to any ship in the vicinity. This is
Captain Jistera Celaani. We have encountered an unknown alien vessel
in distress. If there is anyone in the vicinity, please, we need your
help. Message repeats."
"Jistera Celaani?" Gabrella repeated, her tone curious as she attempted
to search her memory for just where she had heard that name before, "Oh
my God...the Talween."
Han turned towards her in askance, "The Talween? You say that as if it
means something to you."
"It does," Gabrella confirmed, recalling all too well the tales that
she had heard in Slimey's and from her own research into the subject a
long time ago. "Over two millennia ago, a small Republic cruiser called
the Talween disappeared somewhere between the Core worlds and the newly
discovered 'Outer Rim' worlds. They were carrying supplies bound for
the Rim worlds. Back then, travel took many months at a time to reach
what by today's standards would be a week's jump. It took a year
before the Republic sent out a search party, following the same path
that the Talween took. But all that they found when they arrived
almost half way between the sectors of the galaxy was a transmission
from an unidentified source. The transmission was supposedly from the
Talween, and it was full of moans of pain and the voice said that
everyone else had been killed. It ended with a scream. The Talween
was never found again."
Han snorted, "I've heard of that story. There are millions like it.
'Here there be dragons' and the like. This region of space was called
the Haunted Corridor because of the frequency of ship disappearances
among smugglers and from other races with histories around here.
Surely you don't believe in that."
"The Captain of the Talween was named Jistera Celaani."
Han felt a shiver run down his back, but he ignored it, "So what? That
was two *millennia* ago. Its possible that some descendant got named
the same thing in tribute."
"Justin Celaani, Jistera's only brother, died a year after the
discovery of the transmission, unmarried and no survivors. However,
there was extended family that survived them. It is possible that a
descendant was named after Jistera."
"There, see?" he responded, strangely relieved.
"There are other species that have had ships disappear in this region.
Sure, some of them are probably pirates, but even if you can explain
away most of them, there still are 3% of the disappearances that cannot
be explained by any piracy or mutiny or science. Some think that
there is some sort of creature that lives out here that has destroyed
the ships," she told Han, her passion for history and yes, even strange
occurrences, causing her eyes to gleam in the harsh lighting of the
cockpit.
"Right," Han said, shaking his head, "And there's such a thing as the
Mandaloor Cuxtori."
"Han," Gabrella sighed, exasperated. This argument reminded her of the
dozens of disagreements that they had had when they were together.
They were both too stubborn for their own good, "I'm just saying what
I've read and heard about. I didn't say that it actually existed.
But, anything is possible. There's a lot of space out there. You
should realize that. Always expect the unexpected. Wasn't that your
creed? What happened to that?"
"Gaby, look, right now, I could care less about ghost stories and your
conviction that there's something 'out there.' I want to get my ship
repaired and get us the hell out of here. And the Talween here might
be the only way that we're going to get any help. Unless you really
want to die out here?" Han told her between clenched teeth.
"No," Gabrella said, "I don't want to die out here."
"Good," Han stated firmly, "Chewie, scan the area, try to locate the
source of the signal."
"Rrrwaaa." Chewie grunted as his paws drifted over the controls,
expertly manipulating the sensors as he searched for the proverbial
'needle in the kotir root system.' Space, contrary to what many
people assumed, was actually alive with signals. Pulsars and Quasars
emitted signals that could confuse starships, black holes emitted
signals from the matter that they consumed; even the smallest particle
of dust emitted a signal that in the end resulted in a cacophony of
interference. Separating one source of sound, specifically the
transmission from the Talween, was delicate work. Here he skirted over
the radio broadcast from a pulsar, here he dismissed the interference
of a black hole located over fifty light years away, there he ignored
the vibrations from a nebula until he came upon the signal itself.
Using the signal, which was now locked into the computer's memory, he
ordered the sensors to trace the path towards its origin.
The screen in front of him flashed a 'Signal Source Detected,' and
Chewbacca bared his teeth in a feral grin. Success. "Rwwaaa naaaa
grrraaa."
Han took the pilot's chair and fed the coordinates that Chewie had
found into his terminal, "Thanks Chewie. Let's go find ourselves the
Talween."
*******
Centauris
"..I don't give a Friggle's Assssh if you can'ttttt get a crew on this
ssssship. I want the Millenium Faaaalcon and Gabrella Riotiri NOW, and
this sssship is going to take me there!" Ri'ian roared at Hernat, his
Paxil contact on Centauris.
Hernat sighed, 'It would have been much easier if he would calm down.
There is no reason for a fight.' Paxil civilization was well known for
the pacifism and Hernat in particular was a fine example of his
species. Bright red hair cascaded down his back and black and white
stripes lined his face, giving him an almost clownish appearance.
However, Hernat knew that there was little chance of Ri'ian calming
down. If he did, Hernat swore to himself that he would cut off half of
his mane, a powerful status symbol on Paxilus. "I apologize, Ri'ian,
but there is no one to crew this ship. I gave everyone a standard
month's leave..."
Ri'ian growled and gripped Hernat by his throat, "I ssswear, Hernat, if
you didn't have so many contactsss, I would kill you right now. If
there issss no crrrrew to be had, then YOU will remain with the sssship
to pilot it. Gritle will aide you."
Hernat's eyes widened comically at the suggestion even as they were
widening from the lack of oxygen to his lungs. His paws clawed
frantically at Ri'ian's hands until the Mixori chose to release him.
The Paxil collapsed to the ground and rubbed at his throat, his heavy
wheezing echoing through the YT-1300. "I...I cannot..."
Ri'ian's foot caught the Paxil in his stomach, "Can't? You WILL,
Hernat. You will." The Mixori smiled, his teeth gleaming in the harsh
lighting of the ship, "Get up, Paxil. You willlll pilot this
sssssship. NOW."
Hernat realized the futility of his situation, and rose, his paw still
clutched around his throat. With a glare directed in the general
direction of Ri'ian, Hernat walked into the cockpit, leaving Gritle and
Ri'ian alone.
"Gritle, go into the cockpittttt and make sure that Paxili sssscum does
not try to do ssssomething he will regret. I will be there shortly.
There is something I need to do beforrrre we leave." Ri'ian directed
his second in command.
Gritle nodded once and disappeared into the darkened doorway that lead
into the slowly lightening cockpit.
Ri'ian sighed as the 'Kvorak' shuddered once before lifting off of the
planet surface. "Sssssoon, Gabrella. Sssssoon, Han Solo. You both
will be mine."
The main chamber of the YT-1300 echoed with his reptilian laughter.
******
Millenium Falcon
10 light minutes away from bow of the Talween
Gabrella stared at the ship in open awe. For a ship as old as she
thought the Talween was, she was in excellent condition. The old
design for Republic Cruisers placed the command center towards the
middle of the thick ship, and from her position on the Falcon's bridge,
she could see flickering lights shining through the viewports. The
Talween was all engine, which she needed to be given the distances she
needed to travel and how much time it would take to traverse it. It
was history coming to life before her, and Gabrella couldn't help the
shiver of almost excitement that traveled up her spine.
"So this would be the Talween," Han muttered to himself, impressed
besides himself. The ship was at least two times the size of the
Falcon and had to have a power curve to match. Impressive was an
understatement.
"Rwaaa," Chewie told Han as he flipped a switch.
"No alien vessel, huh? Why am I not surprised..." Han said softly, his
initial impression of the Talween fading to unease.
"Rlllllaaaaaaaa grrrraaaa mmmmmmrrrrrr."
Solo stared through narrowed lids at the ship that would be his
salvation and frowned. Chewie had confirmed that this ship was the
origin of the message, however, from the scans that he was able to
perform, there was no discernable sources of power that were active on
the ship. It was dead in the water, yet somehow someone had sent out a
message. He did find, however, that the replacement parts that he
needed to repair the Falcon were indeed present on the Talween. "I'm
going to open a channel to our friends on the Talween."
Gabrella watched Han with interest as he flipped a switch,
unconsciously admiring his familiar features. However, she was filled
with unease. She wanted to see the Talween as much as Han did, but she
felt something pulling her back, telling her to flee this area of space
as fast as the Falcon could take them.
"Happy Go Lucky to the Talween. Captain Celaani, this is Paul
Riggrands, Captain of this freighter," Han said as he continued to
watch the cruiser. The lie fell easily from his lips after a lifetime
of smuggling necessitated using false names and false ship
identifications. He was gaining a name for himself and while on one
hand it made him more popular among the clients, on the other it meant
that his enemies would be more likely to know exactly who he was.
The comm unit roared to life with a response,
"Riggrands...need...assistance. Trouble on board. Can supply with
anything you need if you could help with refugees. Alien
vessel...destroyed..." The transmission faded into static.
"Rwwwaaaa grrrr laaaa," Chewie told Han as he manipulated his console.
"Piggybacked signal? Lets hear that one."
The piggybacked signal was grainy and barely understandable, but under
the hiss of static what they heard would cause chills to run down all
of their backs.
"Oh God...what...please, get out of here! Don't stay here! Go! Oh
GOD!!!!!!" The voice rose into a bone-chilling scream before the
transmission was suddenly cut off.
Gabrella, Han, and Chewie shared a nervous look before staring out of
the viewport to the now uncomfortable expanse of space. The questions
raised by the piggybacked transmission ran rampant through the Falcon's
crew's minds. What could it mean? There was no place for them to go
except for onto the Talween unless they wanted to drift in space
forever.
Han shook himself once before breaking the silence with a terse
question, "Chewie, do you see any docking ports?"
Chewie stared at him, "Rlllaaaaa GWOR!"
"I don't care what you think about that signal, we need those supplies
that that ship carries. Otherwise, we're going to be spending a very
long time out here. Alone."
"Han, you're nuts!" Gaby told him, her words sounding harsher than they
should. She had a very bad feeling about this ship.
"You think it's nuts to want to save ourselves? You think its nuts
that the only way to get out of here is to go on that ship?" Han said,
though truthfully, he felt the same way. He didn't want to go on that
ship, but he knew that he had to.
"YES!" Gaby responded, before softening her tone, "But I know we have
to..."
He shot her a wry smile before steering the ship towards the airlock.
*******
Republic Cruiser Talween
She didn't know what she had expected to find when she and Han entered
the ancient starship, but she knew that what she found was not it.
Instead of cobwebs, corpses, foggy mists and the smell of decay there
was brightness and a smell of flowers that accompanied her every
movement through the Talween. However, underneath the beautiful
exterior, she felt that there was something seriously wrong.
"This place is a little too nice looking," Gaby commented as she looked
around.
"Yeah, normal starships get some rust or wear and tear after long use.
This place reminds me of a hospital...a brand new hospital," Han
agreed, "No one came to meet us..."
As if in answer, a sound echoed through the gleaming corridors--a sound
oddly reminiscent of a footstep. However, after that single sound,
they could hear nothing else.
"Hello?" Gaby said, pitching her voice so that it would carry.
Silence.
Han shifted his feet, an almost unconscious gesture of his nervousness.
"Well, c'mon, Gaby. We need those parts, and standing here isn't going
to help us any."
Somewhere deep within the Talween, the ancient entity would have
smiled. Soon...all too soon, it would take what had been denied it for
so long...food.
******
Republic Cruiser Talween
Her breathing sounded louder in her ears as she and Han ventured
further into the too-clean bowels of the Talween. After hearing
footsteps earlier, now the only sound was made by themselves. Gaby
shook her head at her own thoughts, realizing that all she was doing
was a very good job of scaring herself. It was true that it was
strange that no one had come to meet them, and that no one had even
contacted them as they walked through the deserted hallways. But from
her studies, she knew that the Talween only had a main crew of eight,
along with a massive hyperdrive section. It was towards this that she
and Han traveled.
*CRASH*
She and Han stopped in an instant and turned towards the noise, back
from where they had come. A large container had turned on its side and
was rocking against the wall in a steady 'tap, tap' noise.
"Hello?" Han said, "I know someone's back there. Come on out."
They waited in a tense silence, but nothing revealed itself, indeed it
seemed as if the entire ship was waiting in anticipation of their next
move. With his blaster in hand, Han slowly approached the rocking
container.
From where she stood, she could see beads of sweat appear on his neck
as he closed in on the object. Fear pounded through her veins though
it was for no known reason. It was the fear of the unknown, and there
was much to fear on this ship.
"Gaby," his voice was hushed as his hand gestured for her to join him.
When she reached his side, she couldn't prevent the gasp of
astonishment that escaped her lips. Where once there was a white wall,
'Danger' was scrawled in a child-like hand behind the container in what
appeared to be blood.
"Who did this?" she asked, and even her voice betrayed the tremors that
now shook her body. "There's no way someone could have come up behind
us, knocked over the container, written that, and disappeared. NO
WAY."
"Maybe it was written before?" Han suggested, his eyes sweeping the
empty hallway.
"How could they have known we were coming this way? There were two
ways we could have gone."
"It could be written in two places..." he began, before shaking his
head, "It's probably nothing but tricks to scare us. Come on, we need
to get to the hyperdrive section."
Gabrella nodded reluctantly. She longed to return to the relative
safety of the Falcon, where though she would just as surely die after a
lifetime of being isolated in no-man's land she knew that it was far
safer than the ship that she had just entered.
Now, instead of one following the other, Han and Gabrella walked side
by side, their hands gripping their blasters with sweaty palms. The
only sound was now of their heavy breathing and the ever fainter 'tap
tap' of the container.
"Why did it say 'danger?'" her voice was a shock and caused Han to
jerk in response.
"Sorry," she apologized after he glared at her, "I just was wondering."
"I don't know."
"Could it be because something had happened to the Talween? Something
that they had never expected could happen? Something that could still
be on this ship?" she mused.
"I'd say that you're paranoid," Han muttered, but inwardly he had to
acknowledge that she might have a point.
"What if I'm not?"
He had no answer.
****
YT-1300 "Gambit"
One Hour from the Talween
"Are you ccccertain the Falcon came thissss way?" Ri'ian demanded and
his reptilian features contorted into a scowl.
Hernat was beginning to wish that he had never left the green hills of
Paxil. He nodded again and cowered as he awaited the next blow that
Ri'ian was sure to give him.
"Excelllent," he hissed, "Lettt me knowww wheeeennn we ffffffind them."
****
Talween
Somewhere near the hyperdrive section
The air had grown steadily colder the closer they had gotten to the
hyperdrive section. Even now, with every breath, she could see the air
vaporize in front of her. An odd fact drifted to the forefront of her
mind, "Lore has it that the air gets colder when there are ghosts
about."
Han snorted in response, but before he could speak panels of lights
began to wink out down the corridor, moving in a steady progression
towards them. Inky blackness lurked beyond the last pool of light, and
it grew darker if it was possible with each light it consumed. It was
as if the dark were a living thing, consuming the light as it grew ever
closer to Han and Gabrella.
"Han..." Gaby said in a hushed tone, "We've got to get out of here..."
Fear spurned her voice, and her instincts screamed at her to run.
Danger lurked in that darkness, she could feel it with every beat of
her heart. If they stayed, they would die. It was more than a
conviction to her fear-struck mind; it was a fact.
Without bothering to respond, Han grabbed her hand and pulled her
through the corridor. Their feet were lent the wings of fear, urged
onward by each panel of light that succumbed to the darkness behind
them. He pulled her through a doorway and hit a panel, causing the
door to woosh shut behind them.
In the brilliant light of the new room, her earlier fear seemed
childish and weak. She began to laugh, but it was not a laugh of joy,
but a laugh brought about by fear that had affected her far too deeply
to merely be dismissed by light. It was a laugh of hysterics,
"I...can't...believe...we...were afraid...of...the dark!" she gasped
between laughs, but her laughter refused to stop.
Han grabbed her arms and shook her gently, "Gabrella, listen to me. I
felt it too. There was something out there. What it was, I don't
know..."
He was speaking but it seemed as if she was no longer listening to him.
Instead, her crystal blue eyes stared in abject horror at a point
beyond his shoulder. The hairs at the nape of his neck rose as he
slowly turned around. Behind him, on another white wall, a message was
scrawled in the same child-like hand: 'Soul Eater.'
Gaby was trembling like a leaf in his hands, the once strong woman now
reverted to a scared child. "No, no, no, no, no, no," she mumbled over
and over again and if she could rock back and forth she would have.
"Gab, GABY," Han said in an attempt to shake her out of her shock,
"What is it? Come on, hon, I can't do this alone here. PLEASE."
"S...soul eater. It wrote soul eater. Oh God...Oh God... It's real."
He was convinced that she was going to shake herself apart, and he
pulled her into a rough embrace.
"Gaby."
"Um..." she mumbled against his chest, "Soul eater...it was what my dad
used to use to scare me with to get me to behave... I never
thought...it was real...until now. Oh God...Han, don't let it eat me."
Her voice had died into a little girl's plea for some reassurance, any
reassurance, that the monster that lived under her bed was not going to
get her.
"Nothing's going to get you, you hear?" he said strongly, "I'll protect
you, Gab. I won't let anything happen to you, ok?"
"P...promise?"
"Promise," he said softly, hugging her gently.
She released a shuddering sigh before pulling away from him. Smiling
tremulously, she thanked him in a small voice. She had never broken
down like that before, and it scared her. "I'm sorry, Han. I didn't
mean to do that...I saw...saw that being written. The words
just...appeared. And when they said...what they said..." her voice
died away and she shrugged in frustration.
"Can you tell me...what the soul eater is?" he asked carefully, not
wanting to send her back into shock.
"It's a horror story told to scare young children into behaving, or so
I thought. Basically, the story starts out one of two ways. The first
one is about an evil old man who died tragically in his home and since
then has gone after little children and will eat their souls if they
aren't in bed or aren't behaving. The other way just tells of an
ancient evil that had been born sometime in the beginning of the
universe. At first this evil thing was not evil as we know it, but
something spurned it to hate all of creation and it chose to do all
that it could to destroy what had been created. It picked on any form
of intelligence, and used their life force to survive and grow
stronger. The Soul Eater went up against a God, and after a horrific
battle, the Soul Eater was banished. However, in constant defiance of
the God that had punished it, the Soul Eater will come back every
millennia to feed."
"Do you believe that there is such a thing?"
Gaby frowned and then nodded, "I believe that every myth has a basis in
fact. Or else it's to explain something that the culture couldn't
originally explain, like rain. This, however...This seems to be far
more than a simple 'I don't understand what's going on so I'll create
some God to explain this away.'"
"Well, is there any way to get rid of this...Soul Eater? That is if
that's what we're facing here?"
"Other than destroying this ship? No," she responded.
Han frowned, "Then we're going to have to destroy this ship. But
first, we're going to have to find the parts that we need so we can
both get out of here and away from the ship when she blows."
Gaby tried and failed to suppress the shudder that ran through her
slender form at his words, "But we're probably going to end up facing
it..."
"Then face it we will," Han said grimly, "And then we'll destroy it."
****
YT-1300 "Gambit"
Coming out of Hyperspace
"Look!" Hernat said, pointing towards the large cruiser that lit up the
sensor panel like so many Hapian fire gems.
"Whhheeeerrreee did tttthhaaatttt commmeee frrooom? Youssss ssaid that
thissss wasss wheerre Ssssolo was," Ri'ian growled from behind Hernat.
The Paxil reflexively cowered in his seat, knowing that he was about to
be injured again. Somehow, he found the courage to continue speaking,
"It's there. Solo's ship is docked with the cruiser."
"Iiiinteresting..." the Mixiri said quietly, "Peeerrrhaappss, we
miiighttt fiiind sssssomethinggg of vvvalueee hhhhheeeerreee. Isss
theeerrreee aaaaannnottther dddocking pooort?"
"Yes, next to the other YT-1300," Hernat responded, perhaps he might be
able to survive this encounter after all.
"Dddddooocckkk usssss. Gritle aaannnddd Iiii wiilll expllloorreee
theee shhhiipp. Bbbuuutttt, yyyooouu wwwiiilll reeemmaainn withhh
theee shippp," Ri'ian suddenly grabbed his hand in a steely grip, and
Hernat gasped in shock, "Yyyousss wwiiilll nnnott attempttt to
llleeaavve uusss. Iiii hhhaaavveee inssstalled a bbbomb iiinn the
sssshipp. Yyyyouss will dieee wittthhoutt theee rightttt codes iffff
you usssee thee hyyyperdrivvee. Uuunndeerstaaand?"
"Y…yes," the Paxil said in a small voice, "I won't leave without you."
"Goooddd. Dddooocckk usss."
"Yes, Ri'ian."
****
Hyperdrive Section
Republic Cruiser Talween
'Food,' the massive creature that was the Soul Eater coiled itself in
the engineering core. The ancient entity could sense the approach of
more morsels to fuel its never-ending appetite for the delicate
thoughts that whispered in the minds of those puny mortals that its
enemy so favored. Banishment still stung it, still angered it, for it
was the rightful master of the universe. These creatures that crawled
upon it were it's food, it's right.
At the door to the engineering bay, Han and Gaby paused in what
appeared to be fright, but instead was great trepidation. The creature
that lurked beyond the seemingly solid doors had destroyed so many of
their counterparts. 'We have to kill it,' the slender woman reminded
herself forcefully. 'Or to at least destroy it.'
Without any effort on their part, the engineering doors slide open and
they were greeted by a sight that caused both of them to stop in shock.
Something was in there, and it coiled and wafted around the massive
hyperdrive engines that supplied power to the Cruiser. More gaseous
than solid, the creature almost completely filled the room.
Fear sent a spear through her heart, and behind them, the doors to the
engineering deck slammed shut with a resounding *BANG.*
*****
Docking Port
Republic Cruiser Talween
There were little words traded between Ri'ian and his second in command
once they determined that there was only one life sign on the
Millennium Falcon. It would not be necessary for them to take over the
Falcon just yet. Firstly, he yearned for blood. But only the blood of
those that had betrayed him would appease his desire. Solo and
Gabrella would pay. He would see to that.
He glanced around the gleaming corridors around him with narrowed eyes.
The entire ship tasted/smelled wrong to his reptilian senses, but
above the sickly sweet taste of the ship he could sense the stench of
human prey. They had passed this way. He growled at his companion and
together they stalked down the hallway.
Solo and Gabrella would soon be his.
****
Hyperdrive Section
Han and Gabrella moved back towards the shut doorway behind them,
keeping a wary eye on the thing before them. It seemed to pulse and
writhe around the massive hyperdrive of the Talween, only now tendrils
were snaking ever closer to where she and Han stood. She knew that if
one of those tendrils brushed against her, she would be eaten, so she
kept an eye on them.
"Welcome," the voice rumbled throughout the engineering bay and
vibrated in Gaby's chest. The voice was dark sounding, and infinitely
old.
"Are you the Soul Eater?" Gaby asked, unsure why she responded, or why
she asked an obvious question.
"I am that and more. I am the past, the present, and your future. I
am the beginning and the end. I am hunger and I am pain. I am hatred
and anger. I am the dark of night and the fear of the unknown. I am
a world's torture and another world's destruction. I AM," the last two
words echoed through the large chamber as the being shifted again.
While Gaby talked to the creature, Han searched the doorway behind him
for the panel to release its lock. He did not know how long it would
talk, but he planned on making use of the distraction to free himself
and Gaby.
"Why have you returned?"
"WHY? I am the one that was banished long ago, damned by the Shining
One to the darkest places of the cosmos. I was doomed to walk through
space without nourishment, but I have defied the One and have returned.
I have claimed this vessel for my own and with it I shall return to
take what is rightfully mine. But now I tire of speaking, your souls
are what I desire." The being shifted again, only this time Gabrella
could see a pair of glowing eyes moving closer to them. "The time for
my revenge has come at last."
In an instant she could see her life passing before her eyes. She saw
her parents, her brother, and her pet tribble...and then she saw
nothing. Her life had become a blank slate; a landscape of white that
stretched from horizon to horizon. Then came the Presence. It
appeared as a dark spot that tainted the purity of her mindscape. It
called to her, coaxed her, and pleaded with her all in the space of a
heartbeat. 'Come to me; I will give you what you have always wished.
Your memory will be with me forever. Forever will be as long as you
shall live.'
Forever stretched across an infinity of worlds, and she saw far more
into the mind of the Presence than she sensed it would ever want her to
know unless she was a part of it. Soul Eater was but one of its many
names, but the one that had stretched across the eons was Intellivore.
It was far more than it seemed, and far more evil than any mortal mind
could fathom.
Evil had a name and form to her now, beyond Ri'ian, beyond the Emperor,
and it was Intellivore.
It was the essence of all that was vile, and the stench of all that was
tantalizing in her darkest part of her mind. It was an offer of
infinity and an offer of eternal torment. It was the easy offer of the
dark, and she found herself tempted by it. Her mental self stepped
closer to the darkness, and then she was wrenched from that world by a
siren's call. Once, twice, she fought against the compulsion in an
attempt to return to the voice that called to her. Then that world
faded to be replaced by the one that she had left.
"GABY!" Han yelled in a voice that implied that he had been calling her
name for quite some time. She nodded in his direction and he visibly
breathed a sigh of relief. "Get over here!"
She joined him near the door, and away from the tentacle that had been
poised to grab her. A shudder passed through her at the idea at how
close she had been to falling; how close she had been to death. The
being shifted its great mass and another tendril edged its way closer
to the pair.
'There is no escape...there is only I left for you, Gabrella...come to
me...'
"Gaby," Han said urgently, "Gaby, ignore it."
She turned frightened, and horribly tempted, eyes back to the smuggler.
How could he fight against it when she was barely succeeding herself?
A sharp hiss interrupted any further conversation and the doorway slid
open behind them. They turned, but not before a familiar voice
interrupted them.
"Nnnnooooo fffffuuuurther moooovesss, Ssssolooo."
****
Millennium Falcon
It had been more than six hours since he had last heard from Han, and
Chewbacca was worried. He knew all too well the almost uncanny ability
his friend had to find himself in trouble. Of course, that wasn't
even considering the fact that it usually happened when he wasn't near
enough to get him out of it. He flexed his paws over the familiar
controls of the Falcon and sighed. Patience was a skill that he
excelled in, but even for someone like him, there comes a point when
patience is no longer an option.
He was rapidly approaching that point.
Chewie had attempted to contact Han and Gabrella only a few moments
ago, to warn them of the second YT-1300, but major interference had
erupted from the comm panel. Even if he wanted to, he couldn't contact
the Falcon's sister ship now.
"Grrrrrrrrrrrrrnnnnnnaaaaagggghhhhhhhh," he muttered under his breath
as another precious second slipped away. If he didn't hear from Han
and Gabrella within the next few minutes, he would go after them.
He had a life debt to enforce.
****
Hyperdrive Chamber
"Why Ri'ian, fancy meeting you here. I guess you didn't come to check
out the paintings."
Han's voice was a splash of cold water to her, and she marveled at his
ability to sound so calm...so cocky...so HIMSELF in the face of such
danger. In front of them lay certain death in the embrace of the
Intellivore, and behind them lay death by a pissed off Mixiri. 'What a
wonderful situation,' she thought sullenly, even as she waited for
Ri'ian's response to Han's obvious bravado.
"Sssssoooollloooo...I caaammeee fooorrr myyy revenge."
"Revenge is highly overrated," Gaby surprised herself by saying,
"Especially when you decide to have your revenge on a two millennia old
cruiser. You never know if you might be making the ghosts mad."
"Ssshhuuttt uppp, biiitttcchhh," Ri'ian hissed angrily, "Wheerreee isss
mmmyyy statue?"
"Far away from here, Ri'ian. Too bad you'll never find it."
She could sense the Mixiri before she felt the hard jab of his weapon
in her back.
"Yyyooouuu willll giveee itttt too mmeeee nooowwww."
Gaby stole a glance at Han before she steadied herself and faced the
Intellivore.
"Real brave, Ri'ian. Real brave. Just poke her with a weapon to see
if she'll behave? Why don't you try it with that?" Han asked
sarcastically, gesturing at the Soul Eater that coiled around the
hyperdrive.
"Thheeerrreeee isss nothing theeerrreee," Ri'ian said as he looked in
the direction that Han was pointing, appearing confused.
'How could the Mixiri not see it? Not see the malevolence that existed
in this room? Was he that blind...or that much like it that he could
never see evil for what it was?' Gaby thought, surprised. Maybe it was
her chance...the last chance that she might ever have to at least get
Han off of the deathtrap that was the Talween.
"You want your statue, Ri'ian? It's right over there," she said,
pointing behind the hyperdrive unit where most of the mass of the Soul
Eater lay in wait.
Ri'ian hissed, "Goooo gettt ittt, Gabrella."
Gaby stiffened, and she felt Han do the same beside her. In her mind's
eye, she could see just what needed to be done...but she could also see
the inevitable conclusion. Grimly she looked at Han, willing him to
forgive her what she would do now.
"I'm going to need your help to do it, Ri'ian. It took both of us to
move the panel," she explained, hoping that the fear that was eating
away at her insides wouldn't show in her voice or her face.
The Mixiri growled, but pushed his weapon harder into her back,
"Moooveee, Gabrella. Iiii willl follow."
She braced herself and moved forward, toward the Soul Eater and toward
her destiny.
The ancient entity seemed to gather itself as she and Ri'ian moved ever
closer. Behind her, she knew that Han was bracing himself to try and
rescue her from the Intellivore, or from Ri'ian, but Gritle's carbine
prevented any movement on his part. He was a mere spectator while she
was a major player in this game of life and death.
Tendrils of gray crept around her feet, and she felt a corresponding
weakness fill her and she almost stumbled. The white mindscape was
curling around her mind but she knew that she had to move further in,
to give Ri'ian to the Intellivore in some sort of macabre offering.
She stepped closer, and she heard Ri'ian's gasp and felt the carbine's
muzzle falter at her back. It was her chance, and she knew it might be
the last one that she would ever get.
Ri'ian gasped again, and she thought she heard the carbine clatter to
the floor. The weakness grew stronger around her, and she felt as if
she were moving through thick molasses. She turned as quickly as she
could and she brought her foot out in an arch that connected solidly
with the Mixiri's knee.
An expression of pure horror crossed Ri'ian's face as he slowly
collapsed to the ground, but not before his fingers clutched
reflexively at the carbine's trigger. Agony speared through her side
and she almost fell to her knees next to the Mixiri. Darkness tinged
the edges of her vision and every breath hurt, but she stole a glance
at the alien beside her.
His reptilian eyes held hers, and she could almost, *almost* see the
intelligence in them bleed away until all that was left was an empty
shell. Ri'ian's mouth opened once in a grotesque scream, but she knew
that it was only a reaction much as her slow movement back to the door
was. 'Han' she thought groggily as she continued to move. But the
entity had other plans.
She felt the tentacle wrap around her chest in a strange parody of a
lover's embrace. And the weakness swept over her again.
This time she didn't fight it, instead she welcomed it.
It was eternity...
It was temptation...
It was the sweet offer of release...
It was...
****
Hyperdrive Section
Republic Cruiser Talween
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" The scream was torn from his gut as he saw the
woman that had been his lover, and his better half, have what seemed
like half of her side vaporized in a single blast from Ri'ian's
carbine. He took a few steps in her direction before Gritle's vice
like hand gripped his shoulder, locking him in place, "Damn you, let me
go!"
"No," Gritle said grimly, "It is their fate."
He watched in abject horror, still struggling against Gritle's grip, as
Gaby attempted to move towards them. Each step was obviously agony for
her, and his own side ached in response. "Let me help her!"
Gritle didn't bother to respond, using only his grip to tell Han his
answer.
That was when it happened, and that was when everything changed.
"WATCH OUT!" the smuggler yelled, hoping against hope that she wasn't
too far-gone into the pain to be unable to hear. Gabrella didn't
struggle as the tentacle wrapped around her torso, and it seemed as if
she had surrendered to the entity. And something inside of him
snapped.
He roared and dropped under Gritle's grip, wincing as his shoulder was
wrenched in response. But the pain didn't matter; all that mattered
was that he needed to take out his anger, to take out his pain, on the
only enemy that he could attack. Which he did, with berserker rage.
Gritle grunted as Han punched him in his gut, trying but failing to
subdue the grieving man. He had the strength of his grief to fight
with, and slowly but surely he was wearing him down. Somehow, Ri'ian's
former second had managed to keep his grip on his carbine and he used
it to crush into his opponent's head.
Han Solo promptly collapsed, unconscious. He wasted a precious second
glancing with trepidation at both the creature in front of him and at
the body at his feet. Somewhere within him was a spark of decency,
and with a muttered curse, Gritle picked up the body in a fire man's
carry and left the room.
If anything, he would make a good slave.
****
Corridors of the Talween, near Hyperdrive section
Chewbacca was well on his way to being ready to tear Ri'ian from limb
to limb. He had salvaged the parts for the Falcon from Ri'ian's ship
after rescuing a Paxil from his prison. The Paxil, Hernat, was
currently settled into his cabin on the Falcon so he could search for
Han.
His lips curled back from his teeth as the strange stench of the
Talween entered his nostrils. He smelled old death, and a strange
fragrance that clouded his senses. He wanted nothing more than to
leave the Talween and return to the more comfortable surroundings of
the Falcon, but his worry for Han and Gabrella drove him onward.
At first it seemed as if all was well on the ship save for her missing
crew, but that was before it began to shake. If he were prone to
flights of fancy, he would have mentioned that the ship seemed to be
shaking in fury like one of the ssskorrr plants when they devoured
their prey. He proceeded down the corridor with difficulty, pausing
only when the ship bucked.
He heard the footsteps before he saw their owner, and he pressed his
bulk behind a small bulkhead. The steps skipped a little, almost as if
the person was carrying something heavy and was shifting his weight to
accommodate it. Chewie gripped his bowcaster grimly and held it at the
ready.
A man, dressed in what appeared to be a standard spacer's suit, walked
past him carrying someone over his shoulder. He didn't have to even
smell the other person to know that it was his life debted friend.
With a roar, Chewie showed himself and knocked Gritle's blaster away
from his hand. "GRRRRAAAGG GGGGGRRRRRRR!"
"I don't think so," Gritle responded with a grim smile as he flicked
something with his wrist. A massive explosion rocked the Talween and
he tossed Han into the stunned Wookie's arms. Distractions were his
specialty, especially when it meant that he could walk away from a
disaster unscathed. Unconcerned, he charged down the corridor,
heading for his ship. He had to get out of there before the rest of
his explosives blew.
There were some things that even Ri'ian didn't know about his
subordinate, and that was exactly how Gritle preferred it.
"Gaby..." the whisper was painful, and wracked with emotional pain.
Chewie looked down at the burden in his arms, which Gritle had wisely
done to promote his 'escape.' He would have laughed at the irony when
Gritle learned that his hyperdrive was partially dismantled, but he had
more important things to concern himself with.
"Rrrrwwwaa?" he asked gently.
"Dead...eaten...it got her, Chewie, and I couldn't do anything. I
couldn't even save her...." Han's shoulders shook with suppressed
tears.
"RRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!" his howl
echoed through the empty corridors, a Wookie tribute to the dead, and
an expression of his own sorrow at the loss of an old friend.
"I tried, Chewie, but...but Gritle kept hanging onto me, I couldn't
move to her, couldn't protect her."
The Wookie's attention was no longer on his friend's pain; instead it
was on the wall behind him where something had appeared in a childlike
scrawl. 'Love is salvation enough. Thank you.'
Wordlessly, he directed Han's attention to the wall and waited for him
to read it before he unceremoniously picked him up and ran through the
hallway to the Falcon. They had to get off of the Talween, before the
Talween got rid of them.
****
Millennium Falcon
Ten Minutes Later
Chewbacca placed his groggy friend none too gently into his seat in the
cockpit before taking his own familiar chair. He ran the preflight
checks quickly, not even sparing a glance at the shaking vessel before
him. Already he had unclamped the Falcon from the Talween and had set
the docking thrusters to push them away from the death trap.
Han rubbed his head gingerly before he looked at the Talween. As if in
response to his vicious look, the Talween rocked with another massive
explosion. Only this time, the explosions didn't stop until the entire
ship was a mass of flames. He might have been imagining it, but he
thought he heard a mental scream of agony before being silenced as the
ship disintegrated completely. "Go to hell, you bastard," he said
softly, "And good riddance."
"Did you get the hyperdrive fixed?" he asked, realizing that even as he
rejoiced at the death of the Intellivore, he also lost all chance of
fixing his ship in that one fiery blast.
"Drrrraaaggghhhh."
"Why you furry fiend," Han said with a half-hearted grin, "I guess
Gritle's not going to be too happy about being stuck around here..."
"Aaaaaaffffffffflllll."
"And good riddance to him too. What do you say we get ourselves out of
here?"
"Gggggllllaaaaarrrrr!"
Han nodded his agreement and pressed the controls for the hyperspace
calculations. They had spent enough time in the Haunted Corridor,
just as they had lost more than enough there.
'Goodbye, Gaby,' he thought as he stared into the expanding fog that
was once the Talween.
A second later, the Millennium Falcon was gone.
****
Somewhere in the Haunted Corridor
Time Unknown
Time bled away. Days, months, years, they meant nothing to the
fragments that had been scattered upon the solar winds. Destruction
meant nothing to an entity that had been in existence since before the
beginning. Indeed, someday it would return more powerful than ever.
The mortals that lived in the mere space of a nanosecond as it regarded
time would love, live, and die with none the wiser to its existence.
But those that dared to venture through space needed to remember its
presence. There might not always be man or alien.
But there would always be...
Intellivore.
~*FIN*~
*****
Author's Notes: Well, when you work on something like Intellivore, it
tends to take a part of you and shake it around like Chewie's ssskorrr
plant before letting you go when you're finished. This was a labor of
love for me, and I enjoyed every minute of it. Per'a, I can't thank
you enough for that challenge you gave me. Thanks again, to all of
those people that betaed for me, and indulged my questions. Who knows,
maybe there'll be an Intellivore 2... ~Gillian
"Well, goody, goody." - H