The first thing Nelkf noticed when she awoke was that she was tied down. For a split second, she feared that the entire escape had only been an elaborately crafted dream. Then she remembered that in dreams you don't get hit on the head quite so hard. As the pain subsided she recalled she had been controlling the ship like a maniac and Jax had had to club her out. She turned the idea over in her mind of letting Jax find out what was inside a black hole. It seemed to hold a certain amount of appeal, but she dismissed the thought. If I send him floating away, I wouldn't be a very grateful friend, would I?
She squirmed vainly against the ropes and stared at the entrance to the cockpit. They were in hyperspace, she could tell, but where they were going was a mystery to her. She would have preferred being able to sneak up on Jax and scare him for tying her up, but given her current position, she would settle for his coming down to untie her. It soon became apparent that Jax was not going to notice her on his own. Funny, Klway always said the amount of noise I make when I wake up could cause a sarlacc to pick up and move. Maybe that doesn't apply to coming conscious. "Jax!" she called, "hey, Jax!" Nelkf was beginning to get fed up. "Yo, bantha brains! Over here!"
Jax came and stood in the doorjamb. He smiled and shook his head at her. "Temper, temper. It's nice to see you, Nel."
By this time, the Sklinth was plotting just which internal organ to rip apart first. "Forget the happy talk! Sith take it! Get over here and untie me!"
Jax clicked his tongue at her. "Is that any way to treat the captain? I think you should thank me."
"THANK you?! I'm going to kill you! Let me loose!"
Jax muttered something in a language Nelkf barely understood.
"Don't play games with me Jax. Just because you can annoy me in some other language doesn't make me feel any better! I had to fly the ship, I couldn't come back to check on you! Besides, you weren't tied up!"
"But you're tied up for your own safety." Jax walked over and began to undo the knots binding Nelkf.
"Safety?! Safety from what?" She rubbed her sore wrists. Perhaps she wouldn't kill Jax after all.
Jax gave her a sly wink. "Wouldn't you like to know?"
Nelkf shook her head doubtfully. "Hyperspace, right? Jax, I appreciate a man who worries for a girl's safety, but tying me up?"
Jax grinned. "Consider it payback for locking me out of the cockpit. Besides," he pointed to the blaster hanging from her belt. "Not too many girls who carry blasters around with them need protection. Actually," He laughed. "It was so you wouldn't jump me and take control of the ship again."
"You crazy smuggler! How did you figure that?"
Jax shrugged. "Lucky guess." A light buzzed and Jax glanced behind him. "Whoops. Looks like we're coming up on Tatooine."
"Tatooine?"
"Yeah," Jax said, walking into the cockpit and brought them out of hyperspace. "Hey, Nel, you might want to see this."
The Sklinth came and stood beside him in the cockpit, struck dumb by the brilliant yellow glare of the desert world bellow. Something form deep inside her, some long suppressed instinct warned her away from the dry, deadly world preparing to swallow them. "I have a bad feeling about this, Jax."
"Bad feeling?" Jax laughed. "This is my home world. Why would you have a bad feeling about it?"
"Your home world? That explains it." It was simple for Nelkf to shrug off such fears, but deep inside, she knew there was danger here. Real danger. Nelkf tapped her finger on the controls in annoyance. "Well, if you lived on a moisture farm, I'll scream."
"Naw, my family owned a mechanic shop on the outskirts of Mos Eisley."
"Good," Nelkf said, "Because I'm sick of all these pilots coming out of Tatooine who grew up on moisture farms."
"Uh-huh." Jax said, only half listening. They had entered the atmosphere and were heading for what looked like a tiny smudge on the yellow sandy surface. Nelkf noticed it instantly. "What's that?" she asked.
Jax flipped a few switches and the ship began to descend on the smudge. "Mos Eisley."
Nelkf bit her lip for a moment. "We aren't going there, are we?"
Jax replied only by opening a link to the spaceport. "Mos Eisley spaceport, this is the Galaxy Casino requesting permission to land."
"Fmen pevion neonf," A nasally voice buzzed.
Jax rolled his eyes. "Same to you. Look, just give me a docking bay."
"Prevev," the voice hissed, "neen, pictona."
"Thank you!" Jax exclaimed, shutting down the link. He turned to Nelkf. "We need to refuel, and there's a friend of mine who'll help us out here." under his breath he muttered; "If he's any better then he was last time I met up with him anyway."
The Galaxy Casino set down noiselessly in the dirty docking bay in the heart of Mos Eisley.
"Okay Aarx," Nelkf said, purposely using his real name. "Let's get going then."
A scowl crossed the smuggler's face. "Don't call me that! I hate it when people call me that!"
Nelkf grinned defiantly. "And I hate it when people call me 'Nel'."
"Yeah, but it's not as humiliating as 'Aarx'!"
Nelkf narrowed her eyes. "Learn to speak Sklinthi."
"Can't you just get used to it? I mean, it gets a little annoying to call you Nelkf all the time."
"Oh, I guess so. Alight, I won't call you Aarx, and you don't call me Nel in front of my people. I owe a favor to you at least. You probably saved both our lives in that dogfight."
"Good. Now watch yourself around here. I know you could crack the spine of anyone who gets in your way, but Mos Eisley has a reputation for being the armpit of the Galaxy."
Nelkf rolled her eyes. "Well, we could be stuck in somewhere that has reputation for being lower on the anatomy," she laughed. "Don't worry Jax. I have my blaster off safety and I still have three grenades, the disrupter and a vibroblade if I'm in a jam."
Nelkf threw the disrupter into small leather bag and pulled off her flight suit to reveal a dark gray jumpsuit underneath. She threw the bag over her shoulder and smiled at Jax. "From what I hear, in Mos Eisley, you don't broadcast whose side you're on."
Jax nodded. "You're telling me. Shall we leave?"
Nelkf made a mock bow. "Most certainly."
They left the ship, and Nelkf noticed a tall, black-haired female Rodian watching her curiously. Nelkf had a strange feeling of deja vu, but ignored it. Instead, she kept her eyes peeled for familiar faces. If she could find someone she knew, she could get off this rock all the easier.
With a start, she realized Jax had disappeared into the crowded streets. She thought she saw him a few meters away and started to walk calmly after him. She couldn't run. Drawing attention to herself was the last thing she wanted to do. People always tell you to walk "quickly and with a purpose." That makes no sense. It's like telling criminals you're afraid. Nelkf shook her head. She was twenty-five and she still couldn't figure out some people.
