*
* *
Wesley
tip-toed to the boxes stacked in the corner. Someone had moved them
around to conceal the 'forbidden' crate that Espen protected. Wesley
set a crate aside, searching for the one he was not supposed to open.
Ten
minutes passed, and he was still shifting the merchandise around.
"Dammit, where is it?" he muttered, looking around him at
the scattered wooden cubes, hands on hips.
Wesley
groaned. The crate he sought sat in the corner with a duffle bag.
He hopped over the re-arranged crates, then knelt in front of the box
of unknown contents. Stretching his arms in anticipation, he did not
notice the doors hiss open behind him. Wesley set to deciphering a
mode of entry. Although it looked wooden, it turned out to be metal.
He discovered that there was a holographic projector in the lid.
Turning it off revealed a keypad.
"Password,
password, what's the password?" he wondered aloud.
"Want
me to try?" Deanna broke in, making her brother jump.
"Don't
do that!" he yelled at
her.
"What
are you doing, Wes? Dad said - "
"I
wanna know what Espen's hiding. I don't like that guy, Bushroot."
"I
don't like him either, Scruffy, but we have to deal. Dad knows what
he's doing." she knelt beside him, and scanned the keypad for
fingerprints. "Four, three, eight, six, two," she read off
the numbers.
"But
in what order?" Deanna shrugged at him. "Well, I guess
it's guess and check, then," he sighed.
"You
touch that, and you'll be floating among the stars, my friends,"
Espen replied coolly from the hangar doorway.
The
twins got to their feet and spun around. "We're not friends,
Espen," Wesley shot back.
"Aw,
I'm hurt," he sneered, whipping out his blaster. "Step
away from the box."
"Not
until you tell us what's in it."
"Scruffy
- " Deanna touched his arm uncertainly.
"I
will kill your sister
without a second thought, Boy."
"Then
you'll be the one floating among the stars."
"Brave
words coming from someone on the receiving end of a blaster."
They
glared at each other, neither one flinching.
"Please,
you two, I don't like being the one in the middle," Deanna said
quietly.
"Yeah,
get out of here," Espen stepped aside, not breaking the eye
contact.
She
tugged on her brother's sleeve, then exited the cargo bay. As Wesley
passed him, Espen let off a shot that barely missed his head. Wesley
spun on his heel, and Deanna grabbed his arm to hold him back.
"Sorry,"
Espen held up his robotic left hand. "It's evil."
"Come
on, Wes," Deanna pulled him away.
"My
father will hear about this," he called down the hall.
"Indeed
he shall," Espen nodded.
Wesley
turned around, no longer wanting to face the despised man. "Let's
blow him out the airlock," he grumbled.
"I
don't think that's a good plan," Deanna shook her head. "How
about you just avoid him as best you can for the next couple of days?
The Light's a decent
enough sized ship."
"I
like my idea better."
"Yeah,
me too," she shrugged. "But what can ya do?" Wesley
grinned deviously. "Other than that," she added.
Wesley
laughed.
Espen
looked down the hall to make sure no one was coming. Seeing nothing,
he carried the duffle bag over his shoulder and the box to his
quarters, where Wesley would not have such easy access to it.
"Need
a hand, Espen?" Giles inquired.
"Where
did you come from?" he did not stop, or slow down for the
Captain.
"I
just saw my son."
"I
hope so."
"He
was not pleased with you."
"I
expect not."
"Wanna
tell me what happened?"
"No."
"Not
even to defend yourself?"
"I
told him to stay away from my things."
Giles
was outraged by this man's blatant uncaring for anyone other than
himself. "You do not
come aboard my ship and threaten my children
over a box of merchandise!"
"Be
careful, Giles," Espen set the box down, then entered the code
to grant him entry to the quarters he had been assigned. "My
employer would do more than threaten."
The
Captain watched the man disappear into the room. He shook his head,
wondering why he agreed to transport this man in the first place.
"Credits, Gerard. You only ever agree to do anything
for credits," he muttered, heading back the way he had come.
Wesley
stood up, seeing his father approaching. "Well? What did - "
"Wes,
listen to me very
carefully," Giles clamped his hands down on his son's shoulders.
"I don't care
how much you despise Espen. You stay away
from him. You stay away
from his stuff. Get it?"
"Yeah,"
Wesley nodded slowly.
"Good.
Now go to bed."
"But
Dad - "
"I
mean it, Wesley. Espen is a huge
pain in the ass, and I know that, but I - we
have to complete this mission. On time. With no setbacks."
"He
threatened Bushroot," he was beginning to feel defeated.
"He
gave you a fat lip and a black eye," Giles said.
Wesley
met his father's eyes. "I never - "
"I'm
not stupid, Wes," the Captain continued down the hall.
Wesley
stared after him.
* *
*
"Captain
Lindsey, we've got issues," Breckin stated, trying to mask the
panic in his voice.
Lindsey
was not really listening, staring out the window. He had barely
moved except to shift position in the eight hours they had been
traveling.
"Kane?"
Nordat pulled the Captain out if his thoughts. He met her soft gaze.
"We're not going to make it to Aria."
"Why
not?"
"We're
out of fuel," Breckin answered, as the engines cut out. He
turned around in his seat. "We're dead."
"No,
we're not," Simpson said. "I've sent out a distress
signal."
"What?"
Breckin's expression was panicked. "What if a bunch of TIEs
find us? What then? Brilliant plan, Corrina, brilliant."
"Calm
down, Lance. It's
coded for Alliance reception only. Unlike some of
us, I think before I
act," she threw a look at Lindsey, but he did not catch it.
Nordat
did. "Hey! We had to get out of there, or we would have been
killed. Kane did the right thing."
"Kane?
You're on a first-name basis with our Captain now?" Breckin
attacked.
"Cut
it out, all of you," Lindsey cut in. "First off, we are
not dead, Bracklin. I know these stars, this is a well-used shipping
route. Thousands of smugglers pass this way every day. Secondly,
this is a small, confined place, but we have to cope. The longest
we'll have to wait is a few more hours. So just relax."
"This
coming from you," Simpson muttered.
Lindsey
looked away from her angered expression. "Alright, you three
work on getting us rescued. I'm going to go lie down," he went
into the sleeping quarters behind the cockpit.
"Why
did you have to do that, Simpson?" Nordat asked quietly, after
the door had slid shut.
"Do
what? Snap him back into reality? I didn't see you volunteering,"
she sat in the Captain's vacated seat.
"Snap
him back? He never left! He's never had to leave his crew behind
before, Corrina, he's trying to deal with
reality!"
"Oh,
please stop yelling," Breckin pleaded. "This doesn't help
us."
"What
do you suggest, my dear?" Simpson arched her eyebrow.
He
blushed, and looked away. "Let's...watch for ships."
"If
that's what you want," she shrugged.
"Well,
uh..." he remembered Nordat.
Nordat
shook her head, then joined Lindsey in the bunk room.
"Well,
isn't that
interesting," Simpson said.
"It
would appear that we are alone. Together."
Simpson
caught the underlying intention in his words, and she grinned at him.
"What happened to watching for ships?"
Breckin
leaned closer. "I think we've got some time before anything
shows up, don't you?"
Nordat
sat on the mattress across from Lindsey. He was lying on his back,
tears leaving trails on his cheeks. She tried to think of something
appropriate to say, as she moved over beside him.
"There
isn't anything you can say, Clar. But thanks anyway."
"I'm
sorry, Kane. I wish - "
"We
all wish. It doesn't change anything."
A
long silence followed Lindsey's words. Nordat put her hand on his,
and he entwined their fingers.
"Hey,
look!" Breckin pointed out the approaching ship. "We're
saved!"
Simpson
looked up at him. "There'll be another one." She pulled
him back down to her.
"But...what...if...there...isn't?"
he managed between her kisses.
"Oh,
Lance, you're such a damn pessimist," she muttered, as he
righted himself.
"Dad,"
Deanna spoke over the comm to her father's room. "I'm picking
up an SOS on the Alliance frequency."
"I'll
be right there."
"You
can see the ship outside. They're dead in space. Should I call them
back?"
"I'll
do it, hang on. Slow us down, so they know we're going to stay
awhile."
"'Kay.
Bridge deck out."
Wesley
stepped through the doors onto the bridge. "What's up,
Bushroot? Any sign of the Ugly Jerk?"
"No.
I think he's retired for the night."
"I
wish he'd retire for good." Wesley sat down at the
communications board. "Are you aware that we are receiving - "
"A
distress call? Yeah, I know." Deanna pointed out the window at
the small craft gradually drawing nearer. "It's from them.
They ran out of fuel trying to escape some Imperials."
"Well
how much does that
suck."
"Dad's
on his way up here to call them back, as it were."
"What
affiliation are our stranded guests?"
"Alliance."
"Oh,
great. I thought we were staying neutral in this stupid war?"
Wesley shook his head.
"We
are," Giles replied.
"Helping
the Alliance kinda puts us on their side, as far as that Emperor
guy's concerned, Dad."
"Well,
then I suppose having an Imperial smuggler aboard evens it out."
"Espen's
Imperial?" Deanna's mouth hung open.
"From
what I can tell, he may as well be."
"That
makes so much more sense now," Wesley said.
"I'm
going to call them now, so don't talk. I don't want to freak them
out with the youth of my crew," Giles grinned at his children.
"Hey,
we are a more capable crew than any of those dumb Alliance people,"
Deanna snapped.
Giles
chuckled, "I know, but they don't need to. I like my crew just
the way it is, and I don't want to lose you."
"Aw,
thanks, Dad," Wesley grinned cheesily at him.
"Yeah,
yeah. Shush." Giles tuned the radio to send a reply to the SOS
call from the battered ship hanging in space to his right.
"Captain
Lindsey, we're receiving a transmission from the ship right next to
us," Breckin called over his shoulder.
Lindsey
joined him and Simpson in the cockpit. "Let it through."
"No
kidding," he muttered.
A
man's voice took over from the silence in the ship, "Alliance
ship, I am Captain Gerard Giles. My ship, Watcher's Light,
is capable of carrying any members of your crew to Coruscant, or any
nearby planet. I need to know how many you are, and if anyone is
injured. Please respond using this channel."
"Like
they were going to use another one," a younger male voice broke
in sarcastically.
Giles
sighed, "Don't mind my son. He's in another of his moods."
"Put
me through, Brecklin," Lindsey stated.
"It's
Breckin."
"Sorry,
Breckin."
"Talk
away."
"Captain
Giles, this is Captain Kane Lindsey of the Alliance Interstellar
starfighter, Angel.
Your assistance is much appreciated, let me assure you," he
chuckled.
"Nice
to make your acquaintance, Sir."
"And
yours. We are four, no injuries."
"Excellent.
We will connect with your cargo bay to pull you to Coruscant."
"Actually,
we were on our way to Aria. If it's not too much trouble - "
"Oh,
no, of course not. I'm sorry, I forgot that that is not a place that
would welcome Alliance affiliates."
"Exactly."
"Aria
is not out of our way, not really. But we are on a bit of a
schedule, so we'll have to hurry."
"No
problem. Thank you, Captain Giles."
"Umm..."
Breckin tapped on the console nervously. "I found a problem."
"Excuse
me, Captain," Lindsey bent over to better see what he was
indicating. "What, Brecktin?"
Breckin
huffed, but held his tongue. "We didn't run out of fuel. The
system's jammed."
"So...?"
"So,
it just ignited. We have about three minutes before we are all
engulfed in a great ball of fire."
"That's
not good," Giles said. "We can bring you aboard. We'll
have to bring you
aboard."
"That
would be absolutely great, Sir," Breckin replied. "Two
forty-five left."
The
ship shifted slightly, as the other ship docked with theirs.
"Deanna,
go meet our guests," Giles said, heard over the radio.
"Everyone
to the cargo bay, now,"
Lindsey ordered.
"Already
there," Breckin followed Simpson out of the cockpit, after
cutting the communication with the other ship.
Lindsey
poked his head into the crew quarters. "Come on, Clar. We have
to get off the ship."
She
sat up in bed, bewildered. "Already?"
"Yeah,"
he held out his hand to her. "Right now."
Nordat
took his hand and followed him off the ship.
Deanna
unlocked the cargo bay doors, then traversed the room to meet the
newcomers. She was looking forward to meeting that Brecktin guy. He
has a sexy voice.
The
first to enter Watcher's Light
was a blonde haired woman. She looked around the bay, taking in the
crates and boxes stacked all over the place.
Deanna
stepped forward, and introduced herself.
"Corrina
Simpson," the other replied, a slight edge to her voice. "What
is your ship called?"
"Watcher's
Light," Deanna answered
amicably.
"Really,"
Simpson ran her fingers along the edge of the nearest crate.
The
girl decided she did not like this woman. Something about her put
Deanna's back up.
Right
behind Simpson was a man, not much older than Deanna, she guessed,
with blond tousled hair and blue eyes. She tried not to sound
flustered as she offered her hand and introduced herself.
"I'm
Deanna Giles. Welcome to the Light."
He
shook her hand, "Lance Breckin. Looking forward to my stay."
"I
can show you around the ship after." she offered.
"That
would be good." he nodded.
"Okay."
"Okay."
Simpson
latched onto Breckin's arm. "That would be very
kind of you."
Deanna
looked away. "Right."
Lindsey
and Nordat joined the others on the other ship. Deanna sealed the
hatch, then called to the bridge that they could leave.
"Twenty-five,
twenty-three..." Breckin counted down the remaining seconds.
"Come
with me, I'll take you to the bridge, so you can meet the Captain."
Deanna took the lead, scowling at Simpson as she passed her.
"I
think someone's jealous," Simpson whispered to Breckin.
He
blushed, but said nothing.
"And
we are outta here! Thank you, thank you," Wesley was saying as
the others entered. He turned to face them. "Please, don't get
up."
Lindsey
arched his eyebrow at the young man seated at the piloting controls.
He noticed that they were already far enough away from their smaller
ship not to be affected by the explosion.
"One,"
Breckin concluded the countdown right on time.
Wesley
turned to watch the ball of fire erupt among the stars.
"Good
work, Wes," Giles patted his son on the shoulder.
"I
know," he grinned. "Told ya I was the better pilot."
"Wow,
Scruffy, your head actually
fit through the door? I'm amazed," Deanna berated her brother.
"Don't
start with me, Bushroot. I
just saved our lives. You
just navigated the corridors. Now, I ask you, who
has bragging rights?"
Giles
laughed, "Oh, come off it, you two. I'm surprised your high
horses don't buck to throw you off." He offered his hand to
Lindsey. "The man behind the voice, hello."
The
other Captain shook. "Thank you for your hospitality, Sir."
"Please,
call me Gerard."
"Kane,"
"You've
already met my daughter, Deanna. My son, Wesley," he gestured
at his pilot. "And Espen is asleep."
"Where
we hope he will stay for a long
time," Wesley put in.
Lindsey
introduced his three crewmates, then left with Giles for a tour of
the Watcher's Light.
"So,
how did you guys come to be stranded like that?" Deanna asked.
"It's
a long story," Simpson stated flatly, hoping to kill the
subject. She examined one of the control stations beside Wesley.
"We
were attacked by Imperial fighters. They destroyed our ship, killed
our crew," Breckin explained. "We're all that's left."
"And
Lou, wherever the hell she is," Simpson muttered.
"And
Park, Jenkens, and Taggart," Nordat added.
"Right.
Forgot about them," Breckin nodded.
"I'm
sorry to hear that," Deanna apologized.
"Yeah,
well, I guess it would have impacted me harder if I actually knew
anyone else," he shrugged.
"Did
you say Park?" Wesley asked.
"Yeah,
why?"
"He
helped me to my feet after an evil monster attacked me."
"Oh,"
"You're
lucky he didn't run away." Simpson scoffed.
"Well,
he wasn't much help, anyway."
"That's
our Park alright." she muttered.
Wesley
furrowed his eyebrows at her, but dropped the topic.
Breckin
asked Deana, "What about you? I mean, big ship like this, and
only the three of you runnin' it? Must be hard."
Deanna
and Wesley exchanged uncertain glances.
"Captain
Dad gave the others some time off," Wesley answered. "For
personal time. We're picking them up in a couple of days."
"Oh,"
Breckin nodded.
"Yeah.
So, do you want to see where you will be staying for the next day or
two?" Deanna offered.
"Lead
the way."
"With
pleasure."
"You
comin', Cor?" Breckin asked Simpson.
"Umm...sure,"
she followed the two out into the corridor.
Giles
keyed in an access code, and the Hydroponics Garden doors slid open
for he and Lindsey. "So, Kane, you said that your ship was
called the Angel?"
"Yes,"
the other answered sadly.
Giles
sensed Lindsey's distress. "You captained her for a long time,
did you?" Lindsey nodded. "I recognized the name before,
but it has only now come back to me where I heard it. I encountered
three of your crew the other day on Léonna VI. The one - Park
- quite possibly saved my son's life."
Lindsey
raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Are you sure it was Park? I
mean - that's not like him, sticking his neck out for other people.
Not that he's a jerk, or anything, he's just... passive."
"I
see. Well, that's how he introduced himself, Mortimer Park. Strange
little fellow, anyway."
"Who
else was with him?"
Giles
thought back to that day on the planet surface. "Jenkens,
and...I can't recall the other one."
"Taggart?"
"Maybe,"
Lindsey
shook his head. "I'll kill them all if I ever see them again."
"They
didn't tell you they left?"
"Well,
Taggart told me they were leaving, and not to follow or try to stop
them. He didn't say where they were going." There was a pause,
and Giles waited for Lindsey to collect his thoughts. "Dammit,
why didn't he tell me they were going to Léonna? I would have
just taken everyone along."
"I
see there are some unresolved issues between the two of you."
"His
wife was murdered there, he must have gone to search for the spy."
Lindsey shook his head. "I would have gone with them."
Giles
patted Lindsey on the shoulder, as he ordered drinks for them from
the synthesizer.