They were nearing her home now and Lysrina grew more excited with every step. Sure, she wanted to learn and experience the new ways. And sure on a conscience level but pushed all the way to the back of her brain she knew that slavery was wrong. But still she had just captured her first male slave and that was a huge step. Her mother might respect her as an equal now, and I she respected her she might listen to her ideas, which she considered to be extremely radical and if she listened to her who knew what could happen. She also could not stop thinking about that experimental kiss. It felt good, better than anything she had ever dreamed and she had dreamed for years of what her first kiss would be like. Now that it had finally happened she was so giddy. Lysrina was so deep in her musings that she didn't notice the approach of another woman.
Tarana Kis, one of Teresa Ki's subordinates, was walking through the village when she noticed a sister with her slave, but there was something different about this slave. Something dangerous. She couldn't quite place the feeling, but she knew that it was important. She had better bring this male to Teresa Ki.
Lysrina was snapped back to reality by the voice of Tarana Kis, "Excuse me. I would like to purchase your slave."
Startled Lysrina asked, "Huh? I'm sorry. What did you say?"
"I would like to purchase your slave. I will pay you 100 dinars."
Lysrina shifted her weight from foot to foot. 100 dinars was a lot, but she really liked this male. She understood that she did not love him... at least not yet, but she had spent the better part of the day with him, they had talked abut a lot, and she really liked him. It could become so much more. "But I've only just captured him," she protested sounding just like a child, who wanted more than anything to play with a new toy, but having a very attractive alternative placed in front of him. "Perhaps we could discuss this again in a few weeks."
"No, that will not do," was the answer. "It's either now or never. 300 dinars."
300 dinars was enough to buy two of the best slaves in the village, but no. There was something different about this male. Something special. "No, I am sorry, but I can't do that."
"500 dinars."
Lysrina gasped. 500 dinars was enough for her to move to the other village and be financially secure for most if not all of the rest of her life. "May I have a few minutes."
"Of course," Tarana Kis smiled as she turned her back and retreated a few paces. She had him.
Lysrina started, "Look..."
"Wes. My name is Wes. Lysrina smiled her sweetest smile up at him and Wes felt his pulse quicken.
"Wes, I wouldn't normally do this." She looked down and blushed slightly. "I like you, I really do, but 500 dinars is enough for me to move to the other village without help from my mother. I'm sorry. I still wouldn't, but something tells me that it is the right thing to do. I'm sorry." She went up on her tiptoes and quickly yet passionately kissed Wes for what she believed would be the last time.
Wes, struck speechless, for very possibly the first time in his life, by the sweetness of her kiss and the need to keep his mission a secret finally managed only, "I understand." There was an exchange of something similar to New Republic credits and Janson was all of a sudden with Tarana Kis and walking back toward the place that she called home with one added accessory: A blind fold.
Corran watched something resembling a sale being made. Janson then started off in a new direction with a different woman leading him and this woman had a couple of bruises where blood vessels had popped just like the Nightsisters of old. They entered a passage that led underground. Corran ducked into the formerly secret passageway and slowly followed the two down, taking great pains not to be seen. The woman had put Janson in a primitive prison cell with bars of some sort of metal encaging him. She had left two male guards armed with blasters to guard him. Corran reflected that there was an awfully small number of guards around here for such a large fortress. They probably relied on secrecy more than force, hence it was all hidden underground. Corran was just getting ready to jump the guards and spring Janson when his comlink beeped.
Wedge looked up as a man walked in through the door "Well, hello, Hobbie. I don't suppose you had any more luck than normal today?"
"Actually, I think I did. I'm pretty sure... but here," Hobbie thrust a picture at Wedge, "Do you recognize this shuttle?"
Wedge shook his head, but Tycho who had come across the room to look at the picture positively stated, "That's the shuttle we passed on our way down here."
Wedge frowned then gasped when he read the caption, "You're sure?"
"Positive, sir."
Wedge stroked his brow in thought, "Hobbie, you've had some time to think about this. What do you suggest we do?"
"Well, it's not good..."
Tycho interrupted, "As Wes would say if he were here, 'It seems as if nothing good ever happens when Derek "Hobbie" Klivan is involved.'"
"Hey," Hobbie started, "It's not my fault..."
"Shh," Wedge interrupted. "Hobbie, just give me your suggestions."
"Ok. As I was saying," Hobbie turned to stare at Tycho, "It doesn't look good," Hobbie faced back toward Wedge. "I've been thinking about this the whole way back here, but the I can only come up with one option. We still have the vector hat they were headed on. We can try to figure out where they were going to drop out of hyperspace."
Wedge grimaced. It was a very low percentage plan, but it was the only thing that Wedge could think of too. "Ok, we'll have to go with that." Wedge pulled out his comlink. "I'll call Corran and Wes and tell them that we're all pulling back to our X-Wings."
Corran grunted as he reached for his comlink, "5 here."
"5, it's lead. We've got what we came for. Bug out."
Can't do that lead. 3's been captured."
Wedge swore, "Ok, we'll be right there to help with the jailbreak."
"No, no. That's negative, Lead. I can break him out fairly easily. But I'll need you, 2, and 4 to do a little strafing run. A few proton torpedoes should do the job. It doesn't look very well armored. Transmitting coordinates now."
"Affirmative. Give us a signal when you're clear. Lead out."
Corran swapped his comlink for his lightsaber, then changed his mind and pulled out his blaster.. Corran checked the setting on the blaster, changed it to stun, and stepped around the corner. He fired two quick and very effective shots. The guards were down before either of them even had a chance to draw their own blasters. Corran drew his lightsaber and was about to slash through the bars of Janson's cell when Wes spoke up, "No, wait. Just take the key from the guards and unlock the door. Then we can take away their comlinks and lock them in here."
"I show up and save you life and instead of a thank-you I get a lecture," Corran said jokingly.
"Well, it would've been an imperfect rescue if I hadn't stopped you," Wes said with fake seriousness, "You wouldn't want to be known as an imperfect rescuer, would you?"
"No, I suppose not." Corran said with a smile.
It was the work of nearly 3 minutes to free Wes and lock up the guars minus their comlinks and blasters. Another 8 minutes before they reached the surface. Surprisingly they had so far faced no guards, but that wouldn't last. "Lead, it's 5," Corran said into his comlink. "Please commence strafing run now."
"Affirmative, 5. We're on our way. Get back to your fighters now."
"Yes, sir." Wes and Corran never saw the explosions or the X-Wings. They were too busy running through the forest at break-neck speed back toward their X-Wings, but they certainly heard the noise.
Jerran Llomm did not miss the explosions. One minute he was sitting at his desk and the next he was lying on the floor in extreme pain. Fires were burning all over the place and the fortress was surely going to be destroyed. He looked down and saw that he was missing a leg. He dismissed the fact as unimportant. He glanced out the huge hole that was now in the ceiling and saw the machine fighters, the abominations. Explosions once again shook the compound. One more pass and everything would be destroyed. Jerran Llomm, however, knew that his plan would continue on without him and he knew his duty. He picked up his now detached leg and crawled toward the nearest of the fires. He paused in front of it. He knew that he could not allow even his body to be found recognizable and so with his last breath he crawled into the burning flames.

To Be Continued