Location: Orbital Dry Docks in the orbit of Coruscant
Six hours after the arrival in the system and
docking the ships at one of the repair facilities in the orbit of Coruscant,
the members of Hellcat squadron were sitting in a shuttle, that would
bring them to the building of New Republic Fleet Command.
While Zekk and Jaina were piloting the shuttle
through the atmosphere, the rest of the squad chatted animatedly about their
free time on Coruscant.
"So Mav have you anything planned for your stay
on Coruscant?" Jacen asked Maverick, while he had his arms around his wife Tenel
Ka. Both of them would catch up with their parents, which were now on
Coruscant.
"Oh nothing special Jacen." Maverick answered
Jacen´s question. "Just sleeping a lot to recharge my battery´s and …
Anakin interrupted him there. "Maverick, you can´t
be serious! Just sleeping? No, no you will stay with your squad mates and have
some fun."
"Anakin, I don´t think that watching you
married or engaged couples sitting together would be much fun. Besides that, I
thought that our Wookie friends would visit their parents on Kashyyyk, so not
all of the squad would be here for having fun."
"Maverick, this is stupid and you knew it."
Tenel Ka said in her usual stern and dead serious voice. "Or are you just a
little bit upset, that you´re the only one without a partner?" Tenel Ka asked
him teasingly.
"Upset that I´m a single? I doubt that you have
noticed it Tenel Ka, but that was a real nice joke." Maverick repeated to Tenel
Ka´s suggestion.
There was just one little problem. He wasn´t
able to cover his light sad mood totally up, so that his friends could tell by
his sight, that this whole situation had an effect on her usual funny friend.
"Anyway friends, I think it wouldn´t be that
bad to spend some free time with you all. On the other side during our last
mission I had your faces all the days in front of me and …"
At this point all of the pilots started to
laugh and they could barely stop it. "OK Mav we got your point, but you have to
admit that it´s different if you wait for combat in the ready room or if you
have free time to enjoy it." Anja said, barely able to catch her breath.
During Anja´s speech, Jaina had entered the
passenger compartment and looked now a bit perplexed at her squad mates. "What
the hell happened our decent friends? Had Jacen bombarded you with his bad
jokes or what?" Jaina asked the group.
Looking up at Jaina, with tears in his eyes
from all the laughing Raynar told her "Nothing special, just that our only
squad single had planned to spend his free time sleeping at home."
First Jaina stood just in the doorway and
simply gaped at her friends, but after a few seconds she joined the laughter
and now had real problems to stop herself. "Zekk and I wanted to inform you
that we approach the Headquarter. We are supposed to report for active duty
after 21 days from now on. So, I think after we have dealt with the paperwork
we grab our bags and start the fun." Jaina finally told them.
Location: Imperial Palace; Solo Family Quarters
After the departure of Raynar and Anja, who
wanted to spend their free time with Raynar´s mother on the Tradewin,
the flagship of the Bonaryen Fleet, the rest of the friends bit their farewells
to Lowie, Raaba and Sierra for their journey to Kashyyyk, the homeworld of the
Wookies.
That left the Solo clan and Maverick alone, who
had finally agreed to stay with them at their place in the Old Imperial Palace.
While the couples were settling in their respective quarters, Maverick used his
time to take in the incredible view from the balcony.
"Incredible isn´t it Maverick?" Lea Organa Solo
asked Maverick from his back, tacking by surprise.
"Whoa, Madam President …"
"Maverick, please leave the president title in
the back. Here at home I´m just Lea. Please do me that favour."
"As you wish Mad…, sorry Lea." Looking at the
leader of the New Republic Maverick had to admit, that Jaina was a striking
image of her mother. 'Even in her early 50´s she looks absolutely great.'
While Maverick thought so to himself, Lea
started smiling. "Why thank you Maverick. A woman always loves compliments."
"Oh no, I totally forgot, that you are although
a Jedi. Sorry that I thought such a thing Madam Pre …"
"No need to apologise Maverick. I have to admit
that I like it when young men think of me as still attractive. Anyway Maverick,
can I ask you something?"
"Sure Lea, just go ahead."
"Don´t take this the wrong way, but I and my
family had noticed that you´re very often alone. Jacen and Jaina told me that
even on the Megalodon you keep often alone for yourself. Why don´t you
separate yourself so often from the others?"
"So my squad mates have come to the decision
that they should do something about me. Yeah that´s my friends, always looking
out for others."
"Maverick, they haven´t done it to invade your
privacy, they just want you to be happy."
"I know Lea. I´m not upset or angry with them.
It´s just that in my past something happened, which made me so closed up. Lea,
what I´m now telling you only a few people know. When I was 16 I met a very special
girl. Her name was Jessica and we were totally in love with each other. For
three years I was the happiest boy or men in the galaxy, just like Jacen and
Tenel Ka admitted their feelings for each other. After those three years I
discovered something by accident. The woman I loved with all my heart had
during the whole time cheated on me. Shortly before we started seeing each
other she had met another boy. To make a long story short, just say that I was
only the one for her fun. Shortly after that discovery and my break up with her
I started my training to be a pilot, in fact I had only that in my mind,
nothing else mattered for me at this time. During one of my first real space
flight in a Z-95 Headhunter I received a distress signal from a private space
yacht. They were heavily damaged by meteor impact and had a hull breach. I
called a rescue team to assist them and then stayed with them as long as
possible to make sure nothing more would happen. After the arrival of the
rescue team we tractored the yacht to a nearby space dock were I wanted to met
the passengers. Over the com-system I already was informed that they had a
casual; it was Jessica. When I discovered that, everything inside me went dead.
To make it short, I decided there for myself that I would never let anyone,
especial a woman as close to my heart as Jessica. I will never give anyone
again the chance to hurt me like she had done it."
During Mavericks speech Leas eyes had begun to
water up. Now she stands beside him and put one arm on his shoulder to let him
know she understood him. 'I wish I could help him, but such deep wounds can
only healed by time. Maybe with a little bit of luck he will find a woman that
loves him although with all her heart.'
At this moment the balcony door swung open and
Jacen and Tenel Ka stepped out on the balcony. They sensed immediately that
something had to be wrong, considering Leas red eyes and Mavericks dark mood.
"Did something happen Mom, Maverick? Are you
two allright?" Jacen asked the two with a worried voice.
"I´m sorry Jacen, Tenel Ka that I will ruin
your plans for the evening, but I have to be now for myself. See you tomorrow."
With that said, Maverick left the balcony and two confused friends behind.
"Mom, what happened out here? Why is Maverick in
such a dark mood?" Jacen asked his mother, while Tenel Ka eyed her friend
through the glass doors when he left the Solo residence.
"I told him that we are worried about his
closed up feelings. He finally told me why he had decided be so often alone. I can´t
tell you what he told me, that you must ask him yourself, just this, he was
deeply hurt by someone who he really loved with all his heart and who had
betrayed him."
After that said a heavy silence fall over the
small group which were soon joined by Leas husband Han, Jaina&Zekk and
Anakin&Tahiri. All together they decided that they would Maverick let
decide when and if he would talk to them.
Maverick had after a long walk through the
streets of Coruscant finally reached a city level, that most of the planets
visitors never visit. There he entered a bar called "The running Dewback". He had decided to let himself get filled up,
to forget about that miserable time of his life.
Around 4 o´clock in the morning he had reached
again the Old Imperial Palace. At first the palace guards won´t let him enter
the building, but after they had comfirmed his identity they let him in.
Because of this he Solo quarters at 5 o´clock in the morning. He was soberly
enough to notice the moving shadow in the hallway toward the young Solo
couples, but he wasn´t soberly enough to react to the assault by the mystery
person. In an instant he was out cold and never heard the stranger talking into
his com-unit.
Location: Imperial Palace; Medical Station Time: 2 PM
Slowly Maverick recovered his senses. He
had a terrible headache from his drinking of the previous night, but beside
that he noticed that his left side was immobilised. After several moments he
heard the door open and someone stepping inside the room. He wasn´t to surprised
to see his squad mates arranging themselves around his bed.
"Oh buddy, you have the rare gift to bring
yourself into trouble." Anakin teased his friend while he gave him one of the
famous Solo grins.
"Ha, ha very funny Anakin, I was totally fine
before I entered your residence, but than I was attacked by some crazy …"
"Yeah, that's why we a here now Maverick."
Tenel Ka interrupted her friend. "As you know my parents, the Queen and King of
Hapes and Dathomir are visiting Coruscant. Together with them is a special
security team from Hapes to protect them from any possible threat. One of the
team was now detached to look after Jacen and me. Unfortunately for you
Maverick, she didn´t know you and thought, that you were an intruder.
"I see … a did I understand you right, that it
was a WOMAN that knocked me out?"
"Maverick, have you forgot that the Hapes
Cluster is ruled by woman? Even I follow Tenel Ka …"
At that point Tenel Ka slapped her husband playfully
on his head. Rubbing his head Jacen smiled at his wife, as always captured by
her beauty.
"Yeah, I can see what you mean Jacen." Maverick
couldn´t withstand the urge to laugh at the scene in front of him. "I really
hope, that my 'conqueror' wasn´t punished for this little fault Tenel Ka, or am
I wrong?"
"I had hoped that you would see it this way
Maverick. Your 'conqueror' is at this moment at the other side of the door
waiting to come in to apologise for her fault."
"OK, let her in."
At that Tahiri started walking toward the door
to let her in, but abruptly stopped at Mavericks voice. "Hey has this woman
although a name or is she nameless?" Maverick asked his friends, while he
smirked.
"Right, I almost forgot that. Her name is
Angelica Kan´Do. She´s one of the best bodyguards in the service of the Royal
Family of Hapes. Her history is quite interesting, but I think that she will
tell you sometimes." Tenel Ka informed her friend.
"Strange name for a Hapan woman, but sounds
really interesting for me. So, let her in."
After that Tahiri finally opened the door, to
let the mysterious bodyguard in the room.
Maverick was prepared for the sight of a
dangerous looking warrior woman. Instead of this expected person a striking
beautiful woman entered the room. She wore a tight fitting bodysuit, which
allowed her to move with a feline gracefulness, that would enrapture every
human male in the galaxy. Around her waist were a thin leather belt on which
hung a short, richly silver trimmed vibro sword and a heavy blaster, obviously
strong enough to penetrate duracrete walls. Her long black hair hung loosely
down her back all the way toward her hip. The most impressive thing on this
woman were her glowing emerald green eyes. One look in those bright points in
her face and you couldn´t look away from her, even when your life would depend
on it.
For a few moments Maverick couldn´t do anything
else than just gaping at this dream of a woman in front of him. Suddenly he
heard a low chuckling in the room. Turning toward his friends, Maverick could
see them looking knowingly at him. It seemed as if they had expected such a
reaction form him.
"Have I done something stupid or why are you
all laughing at me?" Maverick asked his friends, his voice containing a little
bit of anger.
End
of Part 1
I really don´t know how many parts will follow,
but I think it will be no less than five to six, maybe even ten to twenty. Who
knows how the force will guide my mind.
I hope you enjoyed the reading, please keep in mind
that as a German my English knowledge might be not very well, so please don´t
be to hard with me. Any comment or well meant criticism is appreciated.
You can contact me under D-J79@gmx.de or daniel79_de@yahoo.com or you just write
a review here at Fanfiction.net, what ever you chose I would be really glad for
your comments on the story.
Until next time.
May
the Force be with you all the time of your coming life!!!
Afterword
For all of those who are wondering. The
story Maverick told Lea is a true life experience, change a few details into
our world and you have a part of my past in front of you. I sincerely hope that
no one out there have to feel what I had to feel during this time.
The Cruiser name Megalodon comes
from a prehistoric shark, the Megalodon. Those sharks were the true rulers of
the ocean during the era of the dinosaurs. Discovered tooth from those
predators of the sea let us come to the result that a Megalodon must have been
at least about 20 to 25 meters long, for our American friends means that 70 to
80 feet.
