Majiri:
"That was way too close," panted the young palace guard as he followed quickly behind Majiri through the dusty streets.
Indeed it had been one of Majiri's closest calls; not only did she save the guard from the Bloodtracker - she did it right under its nose! Her heart was still pumping vigorously, and underneath the facemask her eyes sparkled wildly. She wanted to reply something like "yeah it was, wasn't it", but instead exercised a little self-restraint and kept moving silently. The palace guard spoke up again.
"So who was that Bloodtracker anyway?" At this question Majiri stopped walking and turned to look at him.
"You mean you don't know who was after you?" She asked, her voice made strange and buzzing by the facemask. He looked back at her with a look of confusion and licked his dry lips.
"No," he answered earnestly, shaking his head. Then he gave a short laugh. "I don't even know what a Bloodtracker is, and here I am following you around when I don't even know who you are. So who are you anyway?"
"The middle of the street in Mos Edaan is not the best place to hold this kind of conversation - we can talk about this once we get indoors." Majiri turned and started to walk again. What was she going to tell this guy anyway? Certainly she couldn't tell him the truth. The guard continued to follow her but didn't let the question slide.
"Come on," he said, "I need to know something about you: a name, a nickname, anything!"
"All right," said Majiri, thinking quickly, "a name's not too much too ask. Breka."
Well, it wasn't the truth but it wasn't exactly a lie either. Majiri didn't say that her name was Breka, so what did it matter if this guard thought that was her name? Besides, she couldn't tell him the truth. That could, and would, ruin everything that Majiri had worked for in an instant. She had to maintain a cover, with this guard or anyone else, at least until the exchange had been made. Still, the half-lie did leave a little echo of guilt.
"Okay then, Breka," he said, "how long 'til we get wherever we're going?"
"Funny you should ask - this is it."
They had arrived at the back of her technological antique shop. Majiri punched in a code and the back door made a soft grinding noise as it slid open. She walked inside and the guard followed hesitantly. Majiri shut the door and reset the door's code (she always made a new code every trip), then turned to look at the guard. She watched as he glanced around at the piles of merchandise for a moment, then looked straight into her facemask.
"Welcome to my humble abode," Majiri said, "now why don't we get a few details straight?"
"Sounds like a very good idea," he said with a slight hint of sarcasm that Majiri could have imagined.
"First of all," said Majiri, "let's introduce ourselves like civilized beings."
"Um, okay," he said. The word "beings" instead of "people" seemed to put him a little on edge, but he shook it off. "My name is Silus."
"Silus," Majiri repeated, "I'm Breka." PANG - the guilt hit a little harder when she made the half-lie a complete one. "So what brought you to that nasty inn tonight? Mos Edaan slums don't seem the proper place for a palace guard. You are a palace guard aren't you?" She pointed to the insignia on his jacket.
"Well," he said, "I was the Chief of the Palace Guard, until this morning." Majiri cleared some odds and ends off of two cushioned chairs and set them facing each other.
"Here, have a seat," she said. Silus sat down and she did likewise. "Now please, go on."
"Like I said, it happened this morning. Everything was going fine until one of the guards noticed Jabba's Ynarian gem missing."
"Wait a minute," said Majiri, her mind racing, "you were the Chief of the Palace Guard at Jabba's Palace?"
"Yes," he said. She should have known - she'd seen the palace guard insignia and suspected he was from Jabba's palace but for some reason the thought hadn't connected until now.
"Ah, of course," said Majiri, "sorry to interrupt you. Please continue."
"The gem was just gone, no trace of whoever stole it." Though still in shock over the realization of Silus's identity, Majiri couldn't help but smile at her handiwork under her facemask.
"You mean, no one had any leads as to who stole the gem?" She asked.
"Not at all," continued Silus, shaking his head, "it was like the thing just vanished into thin air." He threw up his arms to demonstrate. Well, Majiri thought, at least that was some good news - she had made a clean getaway.
"So the gem disappeared, then what happened?"
"I got out of there fast," said Silus. "Luckily Jabba hadn't arrived back at the palace yet, because if he had been there at the time he would have had my head."
"But you did nothing. Why would Jabba punish you?"
"I guess it was my responsibility," said Silus. "Jabba liked that gem, so if there's no thief to take the blame for stealing it the Chief of the Palace Guard is blamed. Someone has to give Jabba the satisfaction of revenge, and I was the next in line."
"I'm sorry," said Majiri, and she meant it.
"Hey, it's not like you could have done anything," he said with a bit of a smile. "Anyway, I hightailed it out of there and stayed at that inn, and from there on I think you should do the explaining. Who was that Bloodtracker?"
"My best guess is that it was a bounty hunter hoping to earn some credits by bringing you back to the palace. Probably trying to make a quick name for itself so it could get more work."
"Okay, that makes sense. So why didn't you let it?"
"You mean, why didn't I let it take you back to the palace?"
"Yeah, I mean, unless I'm mistaken we haven't met before, so why save my life?" Majiri tried to think of a reply, but she couldn't quite find words for her feelings. She had thought of doing it just for fun, but that couldn't have been reason enough to risk tangling with a Bloodtracker. So she asked herself the question, why had she saved his life?
"Perhaps I'll tell you that later," she said at last.
"All right," said Silus with a shrug, "I mean, I certainly don't mind that you did. But you're sure the Bloodtracker won't be able to find you here?"
"Yes," said Majiri, "pretty sure. The gas bomb I bought at the chemical weapons shop to use on the Bloodtracker contained Gliclorisin B7. It's a powerful anesthetic and also numbs any extra-sensitive nerves. Our friend the Bloodtracker won't wake up for a while, and when it does its nose will be as numb as ice."
"Will that wear off?"
"Eventually, but with all the dust storms around here it shouldn't be able to track our scents."
"Wow," said Silus, "you sure know a lot about chemical weapons and Bloodtrackers and whatnot for a plain old shopkeeper in Mos Edaan."
"Well," said Majiri, "one gets around in one's time." Silus raised an eyebrow slightly, and Majiri wondered if she had said too much, but then he just smiled, seeming to dismiss a thought.
"So what now?" He asked. It was a good question. Majiri quickly mapped out what she needed to do in her mind.
The exchange with Bona Shaiir was tomorrow, but she couldn't have it here with the Chief of Jabba's Palace Guard around, even if he was an ex-palace guard. Also, she had planned to make the exchange in her best disguise so she would need to convince Silus that this disguise was another person staying at the antique shop. That way when she went out to meet Bona Shaiir in disguise it would not seem like a completely new person had appeared. Within seconds Majiri's plan was complete. She would arrange tonight to meet with Bona Shaiir at a different location, and now she would introduce Silus to her other disguise.
"Now," she said while standing up, "you are probably exhausted, as am I. You may look around the shop if you'd like, and I'll send up my servant to prepare a room for you in a moment."
"That would be wonderful," said Silus. Majiri walked over to the door that led to the basment stairway.
"And I hope you don't mind staying here tomorrow while I'm out on business?"
"Not at all," said Silus, "and by the way, thanks for saving my life and all."
"You're welcome," replied Majiri. She closed the door behind her and went down the dark stairway. Once in her basement room she wasted no time in changing into the disguise she planned on using the next day for the exchange with Bona Shaiir. It was her least-used disguise and yet her most effective because no one would ever recognize it: she would go as herself.
Silus:
That Breka is quite an interesting character, thought Silus as he glanced at the different objects in the darkened shop. The store and everything in it looked authentic, but Silus didn't buy that Breka was just an antique dealer from Mos Edaan. There was just too much mystery about him for Silus not to be suspicious.
For one thing, Breka wouldn't tell Silus why he had saved him from the Bloodtracker. Besides why, how would an average merchant know how to bribe an innkeeper, which streets in Mos Edaan to wind through to complicate tracking, and even what chemical compound was needed to knock out a Bloodtracker? It didn't make sense to Silus. There had to be more that Breka wasn't telling him, and if Breka wouldn't tell him, then Silus would find out for himself.
Silus was just thinking of this when he heard a creak from the door that Breka had closed a few moments before. He remembered that Breka was going to send up a servant to set up a room for Silus, and decided to question the servant about Breka. Silus turned to speak with the servant to see what he could find out and his jaw immediately dropped.
Before him stood a rather beautiful young woman with dark black hair and bright silver-gray eyes that met with his for only a second. Then she blinked as if out of a trance and looked downwards, bowing her head.
"I am Breka's servant Majiri, and you must be Silus. It is good to meet you," she said. Her voice was calm and soothing to Silus, especially compared to all the barks and grunts of voices he had been hearing recently.
"Is something wrong?" She asked, looking up at him. He blushed as he realized how rudely he was behaving and quickly shut his mouth.
"Uh, yes," he stammered, "I mean no. I'm sorry, I guess it's just been a while since I saw another human."
"No apologies necessary," said Majiri. "If you will please follow me there is an upstairs room that you may stay in."
Silently he followed her and together they ascended the staircase. Majiri opened a door at the top of the staircase and Silus followed her in. She flicked on a lamp-switch and began to clear away dusty piles of antiques as Silus watched quietly. He remembered his intentions to interrogate the servant (although somehow he hadn't expected 'the servant' to be like this girl Majiri).
"So," he said, "who is this Breka really?"
"Excuse me?" Said Majiri without looking up from her work.
"Well, what's his deal? He can't just be some antique shop owner."
"And why not?" Said Majiri with a quiet smile. Still she would not even glance at him as he stood there.
"I don't know," said Silus, "there's something that doesn't quite fit. You've probably known him for a while. Is there anything he's not telling me?"
"It's not my business to tell such things," said Majiri. "Besides, why would I tell a complete stranger?"
"But there is some secret," said Silus, trying to catch her eyes again. Majiri just sighed and kept moving away old clutter covering something that Silus now recognized as a bed.
"Well, anyway, we aren't complete strangers, are we? Breka told you my name was Silus."
"That's true," she answered, "we know each others names, but I'm afraid that wont earn you any more information about Breka."
"Oh no, I didn't mean it like that," said Silus.
"Then what did you mean?"
"Just that I don't want us to be complete strangers, that's all."
When she didn't answer, Silus moved over to help her with a large old microwave contraption. As they lifted it together he finally caught those sparkling eyes and when they put it down he spoke. It was as if he was listening to someone else say the words - they came without thought or hesitation.
"You know," he said, "you are far too beautiful to be a servant." Majiri was caught off-guard by this. Her mouth moved but no sounds came out for a second or two until she blushed and moved towards the doorway.
"If you need anything just knock on the door downstairs," she said with a quick glance back at him. "Sleep well, Silus."
"Thank you," he said. "Goodnight, Majiri."
With that she bowed and left the room, and Silus began to think. His conversation with Majiri had only proven two things. Now he knew that there was something definitely going on that Breka wouldn't tell him about. However, the second thing he had discovered concerned him much more than this. He realized that for the first time in his life, he was in love.
Meanwhile:
"So you couldn't find any way inside the palace?" asked Leia as she sat in the co-pilot seat of the Millenium Falcon.
"Not unless we were invisible," answered Lando. Chewbacca let out a low moan. "But hey, don't worry. Today I found an old friend around here who says he might know someone who can get us in."
"Really," said Leia, "who's that?"
"Just a sleazy scum-bag I used to work with - an old smuggler called Bona Shaiir."
"Sounds like a charming character," said Leia, "but if he knows someone who can help us get Han out I don't care who he is."
"Well," said Lando, "he says this friend of his is one of the more elusive types, but he'll try to arrange it so that we can meet tomorrow. In the meantime, let's all try to get some sleep."
Majiri:
As she shut the door to Silus' room Majiri felt dizzy as if she'd taken to big a breath. Her usually perfectly ordered thoughts seemed to have evaporated and were replaced by thoughts and feelings she couldn't describe. She wanted to laugh or cry or both and had no idea why.
"Okay Majiri," she said to herself in a hushed voice, "let's remember what's happening."
Only, she didn't seemed to care so much about what was happening as what had just happened. As she tried to think what she was supposed to do next she only came up with the memory of the past few minutes. Silus and his eyes and how he'd spoken to her and what he'd said - she was overwhelmed to the point she had to close her eyes. Desperately she searched her mind for some solid ground, some reason and meaning for it all.
"I was meeting Silus so, so that I wouldn't seem suspicious tomorrow when I leave to, leave to meet Bona Shaiir," she said carefully, piecing it all back together. "So I met Silus and, and then, and now, now I…" she concentrated hard for a moment trying to finish the thought, and then suddenly opened her eyes.
"I think I love him."
Almost unable to believe what she had just said, Majiri started quickly for the stairs but stopped at the top. Her sudden confession had brought forth another thought; she loved Silus, and she had lied to him. No, it was worse than that. She had stolen the gem that had placed the bounty on his head in the first place and then given him false identities to keep him from finding out the truth he had every right to know. Disgusted with herself, she glanced back at the room he was sleeping in.
"Some hero I made tonight," she said, "I destroyed his life and wont even tell him." But as much as she hated the idea, Majiri reminded herself that she couldn't tell him. She had stolen the gem and until she'd finished what she'd started he simply could not know the truth.
Looking down at the floor, she pushed all thoughts of Silus from her mind. Right now all she had to think about was contacting Bona Shaiir to rearrange their meeting place for the next day. Only then would she be able to make the exchange, and only once she'd made the exchange could she tell Silus everything.
Slowly she walked down the stairway toward the door to the basement and let out a sigh.
"Well," she said, "time to take care of business." She opened the door and walked down the basement stairway. First she noticed the fake Ynarian gem's case exposed on the table. She nodded to it as if it were a diligent soldier standing at attention and then walked over to the far right side of the basement. Then she grabbed her voice modifier and com-link from behind an out-of-date spacehelmet. She blew on the voice modifier to clean it a little and carefully placed it in her mouth.
"Testing, testing," she muttered. There was too much static and the voice still sounded like her own, so Majiri made a few adjustments.
"Testing, testing," she said again, and this time it was as if a whole other creature had spoken. Despite the fact that Majiri had programmed the voice modifier personally and used it plenty of times, hearing the gruff bark of a voice coming from her mouth still seemed strange and unreal. She took a few moments to focus herself, then pressed the button that would alert Bona Shaiir that she wanted to speak with him. The com-link beeped once every five seconds or so until a familiar voice sounded.
"Hello?" Said the silky voice.
"Good evening, Bona Shaiir. I hope I am not disturbing you?"
"Oh no, not at all," replied Bona Shaiir. "In fact, there is something I wanted to ask of you."
"Really?" Said Majiri curiously.
"Yes, but it can wait. Now why is it you contacted me? Is there something wrong with the gem?"
"No," said Majiri. "I have the gem here and it is perfectly fine. However, circumstances have changed. If it is no great trouble to you I'd like to move the location of the exchange for, security reasons."
"Not a trouble at all," said Bona Shaiir, "where would you have it instead?"
"How about Shlickitt's Pub near the space station in Mos Edaan?"
"That filthy wreck of a place?" Bona Shaiir paused. "Sounds perfect."
"Good," said Majiri, "I'm glad you think so. Now, you mentioned something you wanted from me?"
"Yes," replied Bona Shaiir. "An old friend of mine arrived this morning asking for help with a job. He told me a bit about the situation; the gist of it is that he and a few friends of his want to break a man by the name of Han Solo out of Jabba's Palace. Have you heard of him?"
"He's the one frozen in carbonite in the main chamber?"
"Why, yes," said Bona Shaiir, "I should have guessed you'd have known that already. Anyway, they don't know exactly what they're going to do to get him out and, considering your profession and abilities, I thought that perhaps you could assist them."
"You flatter me," said Majiri. "Is there a specific time and location where I can send my servant to discuss this venture with your friend?"
"Why not at Shlickitt's Pub, after the exchange has been made of course."
"Hmm," said Majiri considering his proposition. It would be most convenient if she didn't have to meet Bona Shaiir and his friend at separate locations. At last she asked, "What is your friend's name?"
"Lando Calrissian," answered Bona Shaiir.
"Well then, I will send my servant to meet you and Mr. Calrissian at Shlickitt's Pub around 9 o'clock standard time tomorrow. Then you will hand her a card containing 100,000 credits, and she will produce the Ynarian gem."
"Excellent," said Bona Shaiir.
"Again, it has been a pleasure doing business with you, honorable Bona Shaiir."
"And again the same to you," said Bona Shaiir with a short laugh, "and again, I wish we could meet in person." With that Majiri cut the com-link and yawned. She thought she heard a noise and looked around, but heard nothing else. It dawned on her that she'd left the door to the basement open. Again she yawned, and then pulled the voice modifier out of her mouth.
"I must be more tired than I thought," she said to herself. She slowly climbed the basement stairs, pushed the door fully open and glanced around the shop. She could have sworn she'd heard something, but everything looked just as dusty and boring as normal. Searching for an explanation she remembered the tiny earpiece she was wearing, so well concealed she hadn't given it much thought in the past few hours. She'd known it to make a soft blip occasionally, which she paid no attention to normally. Had that made the sound, or could have been something else? Were her instincts trying to tell her something, or was exhaustion making her more paranoid than normal?
After one last glance over the store she closed the basement door, then went back down the stairs and laid out a small mat and blanket next to the table with the fake gem's case sitting on it. Finally she set an alarm clock to wake herself up, turned out the one dim lamp lighting the room and collapsed on the mat. It had been a very long day.
Silus:
Silus had listened closely to the last of Majiri's faintly audible footsteps as she walked down the hallway, paused, and then proceeded down the flight of stairs. Now he sat alone in his room, the silence pressing in on his ears as he thought. For a moment he thought of attempting to get some sleep, but he felt rested enough and besides, how could he sleep not knowing what was going on? What was it Breka was hiding? Why was Majiri helping him keep it hidden?
At this he stood up - he had to find out. He would go downstairs, knock on the door Majiri had told him about and ask Breka flat-out what was going on. He would tell Breka that he was tired of this veil of mystery and simply couldn't stand it any longer. Mind made up, Silus opened the door and stepped out into the dark hallway.
For a brief moment he felt the urge to step right back into his room and forget about it, but he had to know the truth. He walked quickly down the hall to the stairs and immediately noticed that the basement door Majiri had said to knock on was slightly ajar. Slowly, quietly now, he walked down the stairs until he was standing right next to the door. From behind it he heard a muffled voice speaking which he had never heard before. It was a harsh, barking sort of voice that brought to mind some ferocious beast. Silus listened as closely as he could now, but could still only pick up snatches of what seemed to be a conversation between this first gruff voice and another over com-link. He thought he heard the name Bona Shaiir, and was wondering if this was the one on the com-link when he overheard a phrase that peeked his interest.
"I have the gem here…" said the gruff voice. Silus' eyes widened. Whoever this was couldn't be talking about the Ynarian gem, or could they? Silus listened harder, hardly breathing, but it seemed the gruff-voiced stranger in the basement had instinctively lowered his voice. It was either that or the thoughts racing through Silus' head that kept him from hearing anything else clearly. His mind was spinning, but he did manage to catch something else about a meeting tomorrow at a pub involving the gem.
Judging the conversation near an end, Silus moved quickly back up the stairs and shut his door perhaps a little too loudly. It was all just so unexpected. There was someone else at this antique shop that neither Breka nor Majiri had told him about. And from what he could piece together from the conversation, Silus knew that this person or creature had the Ynarian gem.
Suddenly the conversation Silus had with Breka came to his mind - Breka had seemed interested in who had stolen the gem, hadn't he? Or rather, if anyone had any leads as to who stole the gem. Why hadn't Silus seen it before? Breka had the skills and brains to steal Silus from the Bloodtracker. Stealing the Ynarian gem must have been easy for him.
It was as if puzzle pieces had just fallen into place, and if Silus had tried to imagine any explanations of Breka's secretive behavior, they would not have come close to the picture that was now forming in his mind. Breka was the thief working for the gruff-voiced stranger downstairs, who was probably some sort of criminal leader. Breka had stolen the Ynarian gem, and now the leader had it here. All Breka had said was that he was going out on business tomorrow, but now Silus understood this to be business involving the gem. He was probably trying to arrange a way to smuggle the gem off-planet.
But what about Majiri? She had been keeping this from him, but did that mean she was involved in all this plotting? It seemed unlikely to Silus - she must just be trying to save her own neck and protect her boss. Either that was the truth or Silus was just choosing to believe what he wanted to, because he wanted to believe that she was innocent. A thought then came to his mind then that had been haunting him since he had spoken with Majiri - did she feel as he did, or…? But no, Silus could not afford to entertain such thoughts until he had taken care of more pressing matters at hand.
Another very important question remained. If everything he'd theorized so far was all true, then why had Breka saved his life? It seemed clear now he must have wanted to make sure that no one at the palace was onto him. Silus had told Breka exactly what he wanted to know, and yet…why wouldn't Breka just get rid of him once he had given up the information? What reason did the criminal leader have for Silus' continued existence? Was it that he wanted to turn Silus over to Jabba himself for a few extra credits, and if so would Breka or Majiri be able to or even want to protest?
This new information had brought more questions than answers. However, at least now Silus was aware of the danger and saw a clearer path ahead of him. If he wanted to ensure his survival he could not stay here with an unknown criminal leader and he could not stick around town or try to get off-planet with bounty hunters on his tail. That left him with the option of the one place he had so recently escaped from, and his ticket in was the gem lying just two floors beneath him. It was insane going back to Jabba's Palace, even if he did manage to get the gem, but what other options did he have now if Breka's boss was going to turn him in anyway? He at least had to try to get to Jabba with the gem first, and tomorrow when Breka was away could be the only chance he got.
"I'm crazy," Silus muttered to himself as he climbed into bed and turned out the small lamp in the room, "but if I can help it I'm not going to be dead."
Keta:
A dark fog was lifting from Keta's mind. Gradually, the feeling of the dusty ground beneath her was returning, along with the slight prickle of the sand against her bare back. Suddenly she was fully alert, although still groggy and aching as she lay on the ground, and she heard voices above her that could only belong to two of the despicable creatures known as Jawas. She tried to open her eyes, but they burned slightly so she kept them closed for the moment and just listened to the two chattering Jawas.
"Yanloo mato…hutini?"
"Kioska nichu, banlee. Mai kosini lu."
Something hard was poking her in the side, probably a stick of wood. It stopped for a moment, and then the voices spoke again.
"Shawona, ki hoti luta!"
"Shabachi, yno tali kosa hutini…"
With that a small, shaky hand began fingering at one of the rings on Keta's ear as if to try and remove it. This could not be tolerated. Using all of her might, Keta tried to summon a bark to frighten the creatures off. It came out as more of a cough or wheeze, but it had worked. The hand instantly let go of the earring and its owner let out a shriek of surprise. Keta could hear footsteps and the two voices fading into the distance.
She was alone now. Slowly she pushed herself up to a sitting position, wiped some sand off of herself, and again tried to open her eyes. For a moment she was afraid that the gas bomb had blinded her, but in a moment the stinging subsided and her vision returned. With it came the full memory of what had put her into this situation in the first place.
By the faint growing light on the horizon she could tell she'd been unconscious for several hours. She noticed the empty gas bomb at her feet, but the note had blown away. Desperately she searched for some tracks or sign of the masked stranger and the palace guard, but no, any tracks that had been left had also been blown away. Trying to pick up a trace of their scent in the air Keta sniffed for the first time since she'd awaken, and smelled nothing. Nothing. She couldn't even feel the air run through her nostrils. There was only the slightest cold prickling sensation.
Now a rage filled Keta that went beyond anything she had felt before, even her frustration at not being able to track the gem thief. She had been beaten. She had lost what should have been the easiest catch of her life. It was supposed to have been so simple, and yet here she was. Not delivering the palace guard to Jabba but lying senseless and defeated in an alleyway. And it was all because of the creature in the mask. Whoever he was, he had outsmarted her, and Keta hated losing.
It must be some conspiracy, she thought. The guard helps the thief get into the palace and then he sends someone to save the guard. Unless, maybe, there wasn't someone else involved. The guard helps the thief and then the thief helps the guard. Yes, not a conspiracy, a partnership, and they'd just managed to escape from Keta twice. Keta snarled weakly, stood up and staggered for a moment, then kicked the empty gas bomb shell across the alleyway.
But no, blind rage was not Keta's way. As she stood in the alleyway taking deep breaths of the cool early morning air, she gathered her strength and her thoughts. If they thought they had lost Keta, she would make them think differently. They were lost for now, perhaps, but she would not end her search. Instinct told her they were not going to try and leave anytime soon, so she would just need a little more patience and perhaps some assistance. Somewhere, sometime they would make a mistake. In the meantime she would go to Jabba, and when they slipped up she would be there, she would be the one to bring them in.
One defeat was nothing to Keta, for she knew that in the end she always won.
Majiri:
Majiri woke with a start to the sound of the alarm clock buzzing next to her. It had not been refreshing sleep, but she could not rest any longer. She quickly shut off the alarm clock and turned on the basement light. Within five minutes she was dressed, had the Ynarian gem safely stowed in a bag with a few other necessities, and had hidden every suspicious item in the basement (except the fake gem of course) from view. An old-fashioned but still-operating clock showed that she still had half an hour until her meeting with Bona Shaiir and his friend. She had allowed herself extra time for explaining her leaving for the day to Silus.
She climbed the basement steps swiftly and closed the door behind her, then proceeded more slowly up the steps to the second floor of the shop. For a moment she paused in front of Silus' room, then knocked on the door softly. After a few seconds the door opened, and there was Silus. Majiri looked into his eyes and noticed immediately the signs of fatigue around them that told of a lack of sleep. He had experienced many troubling experiences lately, and after his last rude awakening she could understand his difficulty in drifting off at night in a strange bed. There was also another look in them, but she quickly looked down as any servant would.
"Good morning," she said calmly, though she could sense him looking at her still.
"Oh, um, good morning," he said. Majiri wanted to look up into his eyes again, but that would be breaking character. Furthermore she had the inexplicable fear that if she did she might not be able to look away again.
"I..." she started, but she couldn't stop thinking of the look in his eyes. After a moment of grasping for the words that had suddenly evaporated she involuntarily looked up at him once more. Though she tried to continue her explanation, nothing more came out after that hesitant 'I', and Silus looked into her face curiously.
Completely frustrated with the difficulty she was suddenly having she shut her mouth for a moment. Then she gave a short laugh and looked away. Her emotions would make it impossible to speak to Silus directly. Instead she continued speaking to the ground, which was much easier for her to talk to while making eye-contact at the moment.
"I wanted to inform you that I will be gone today on an errand. Breka has already left and I am to go meet with him, so you will be here by yourself."
"I see," said Silus, his tone a forced neutral. "And when will you be back?"
"I do not know that for certain, but I will try to be back as soon as I can."
"Hm," he said distractedly.
"Are you all right?"
"Yes," he said, "it's just that…" He let the sentence hang unfinished.
"I am sorry for all this," said Majiri earnestly, "all the mystery and secrets. But please believe me, it cannot be helped. After this errand it will all be explained, I promise. Until then, though, you must stay here where it's safe. There are probably still bounty hunters out looking for you."
"All right," he said at last. "Take care."
"Goodbye," she said, and with a bow she walked back down the hallway and the stairs. She wondered what had caused Silus' change in behavior. He must suspect something, she thought, and a mixed feeling of longing and dread came over her. After this exchange it would be a relief to be able to tell him the truth, but then again, the truth was that she'd lied.
Silus:
Silus watched Majiri go down the hallway and disappear down the staircase. He heard the back door grind open and shut as he stood silently in the doorway to his room, thinking over Majiri's words. She had seemed upset or distracted somehow - the way she'd looked away from him and her strained tone of voice - but why was she acting like this?
The first thing he thought of was guilt, but guilt for what exactly? Maybe she felt bad for not telling him the truth about Breka and his boss, Silus thought. Or maybe it went beyond that. She may have felt guilty because she hadn't told him that Breka's boss was going to hand Silus over to Jabba. That could make a person guilty - knowing someone was going to get it and not telling them.
It made Silus wonder. What part did Majiri play in all this? Was she an actual innocent servant dragged into the whole mess against her will, or was she just a pawn that Breka's boss was using to keep Silus in line? He was pretty sure he'd heard concern in her voice, but how could Silus tell if it was genuine or just a convincing act? There was just no way to be sure, and he couldn't wait around here pondering any longer.
Silus walked slowly towards the stairs and then down, listening intently for any other sound in the building, but the only sounds he could hear were his footsteps. Breka and Majiri were gone, and it seemed the leader had left too. He was alone, for now, but he wasn't sure how long that would be true. If his plan to redeem himself was going to work he had to find the gem, and fast.
He spent the next half-hour rummaging around the shop, but with no luck. There was just too much old junk lying around the place; it would take days to search through it all, and Silus wasn't even sure he had another hour. Dejectedly, Silus sat back in one of the cushioned chairs and let out a sigh. He glanced around the shop, and for the first time noticed something that was so obvious and yet he had overlooked until now: the basement door.
It was where he'd overheard the com-link conversation about the gem in the first place - why not try it? There was no way it could be more of a hopeless mess than what he'd encountered so far. With that thought Silus stood and approached the door. He knocked softly and there was no answer, not that he'd expected any. After a brief pause he tried the handle, and to his surprise it turned. Not wanting to waste another second, he opened the door.
"That was way too close," panted the young palace guard as he followed quickly behind Majiri through the dusty streets.
Indeed it had been one of Majiri's closest calls; not only did she save the guard from the Bloodtracker - she did it right under its nose! Her heart was still pumping vigorously, and underneath the facemask her eyes sparkled wildly. She wanted to reply something like "yeah it was, wasn't it", but instead exercised a little self-restraint and kept moving silently. The palace guard spoke up again.
"So who was that Bloodtracker anyway?" At this question Majiri stopped walking and turned to look at him.
"You mean you don't know who was after you?" She asked, her voice made strange and buzzing by the facemask. He looked back at her with a look of confusion and licked his dry lips.
"No," he answered earnestly, shaking his head. Then he gave a short laugh. "I don't even know what a Bloodtracker is, and here I am following you around when I don't even know who you are. So who are you anyway?"
"The middle of the street in Mos Edaan is not the best place to hold this kind of conversation - we can talk about this once we get indoors." Majiri turned and started to walk again. What was she going to tell this guy anyway? Certainly she couldn't tell him the truth. The guard continued to follow her but didn't let the question slide.
"Come on," he said, "I need to know something about you: a name, a nickname, anything!"
"All right," said Majiri, thinking quickly, "a name's not too much too ask. Breka."
Well, it wasn't the truth but it wasn't exactly a lie either. Majiri didn't say that her name was Breka, so what did it matter if this guard thought that was her name? Besides, she couldn't tell him the truth. That could, and would, ruin everything that Majiri had worked for in an instant. She had to maintain a cover, with this guard or anyone else, at least until the exchange had been made. Still, the half-lie did leave a little echo of guilt.
"Okay then, Breka," he said, "how long 'til we get wherever we're going?"
"Funny you should ask - this is it."
They had arrived at the back of her technological antique shop. Majiri punched in a code and the back door made a soft grinding noise as it slid open. She walked inside and the guard followed hesitantly. Majiri shut the door and reset the door's code (she always made a new code every trip), then turned to look at the guard. She watched as he glanced around at the piles of merchandise for a moment, then looked straight into her facemask.
"Welcome to my humble abode," Majiri said, "now why don't we get a few details straight?"
"Sounds like a very good idea," he said with a slight hint of sarcasm that Majiri could have imagined.
"First of all," said Majiri, "let's introduce ourselves like civilized beings."
"Um, okay," he said. The word "beings" instead of "people" seemed to put him a little on edge, but he shook it off. "My name is Silus."
"Silus," Majiri repeated, "I'm Breka." PANG - the guilt hit a little harder when she made the half-lie a complete one. "So what brought you to that nasty inn tonight? Mos Edaan slums don't seem the proper place for a palace guard. You are a palace guard aren't you?" She pointed to the insignia on his jacket.
"Well," he said, "I was the Chief of the Palace Guard, until this morning." Majiri cleared some odds and ends off of two cushioned chairs and set them facing each other.
"Here, have a seat," she said. Silus sat down and she did likewise. "Now please, go on."
"Like I said, it happened this morning. Everything was going fine until one of the guards noticed Jabba's Ynarian gem missing."
"Wait a minute," said Majiri, her mind racing, "you were the Chief of the Palace Guard at Jabba's Palace?"
"Yes," he said. She should have known - she'd seen the palace guard insignia and suspected he was from Jabba's palace but for some reason the thought hadn't connected until now.
"Ah, of course," said Majiri, "sorry to interrupt you. Please continue."
"The gem was just gone, no trace of whoever stole it." Though still in shock over the realization of Silus's identity, Majiri couldn't help but smile at her handiwork under her facemask.
"You mean, no one had any leads as to who stole the gem?" She asked.
"Not at all," continued Silus, shaking his head, "it was like the thing just vanished into thin air." He threw up his arms to demonstrate. Well, Majiri thought, at least that was some good news - she had made a clean getaway.
"So the gem disappeared, then what happened?"
"I got out of there fast," said Silus. "Luckily Jabba hadn't arrived back at the palace yet, because if he had been there at the time he would have had my head."
"But you did nothing. Why would Jabba punish you?"
"I guess it was my responsibility," said Silus. "Jabba liked that gem, so if there's no thief to take the blame for stealing it the Chief of the Palace Guard is blamed. Someone has to give Jabba the satisfaction of revenge, and I was the next in line."
"I'm sorry," said Majiri, and she meant it.
"Hey, it's not like you could have done anything," he said with a bit of a smile. "Anyway, I hightailed it out of there and stayed at that inn, and from there on I think you should do the explaining. Who was that Bloodtracker?"
"My best guess is that it was a bounty hunter hoping to earn some credits by bringing you back to the palace. Probably trying to make a quick name for itself so it could get more work."
"Okay, that makes sense. So why didn't you let it?"
"You mean, why didn't I let it take you back to the palace?"
"Yeah, I mean, unless I'm mistaken we haven't met before, so why save my life?" Majiri tried to think of a reply, but she couldn't quite find words for her feelings. She had thought of doing it just for fun, but that couldn't have been reason enough to risk tangling with a Bloodtracker. So she asked herself the question, why had she saved his life?
"Perhaps I'll tell you that later," she said at last.
"All right," said Silus with a shrug, "I mean, I certainly don't mind that you did. But you're sure the Bloodtracker won't be able to find you here?"
"Yes," said Majiri, "pretty sure. The gas bomb I bought at the chemical weapons shop to use on the Bloodtracker contained Gliclorisin B7. It's a powerful anesthetic and also numbs any extra-sensitive nerves. Our friend the Bloodtracker won't wake up for a while, and when it does its nose will be as numb as ice."
"Will that wear off?"
"Eventually, but with all the dust storms around here it shouldn't be able to track our scents."
"Wow," said Silus, "you sure know a lot about chemical weapons and Bloodtrackers and whatnot for a plain old shopkeeper in Mos Edaan."
"Well," said Majiri, "one gets around in one's time." Silus raised an eyebrow slightly, and Majiri wondered if she had said too much, but then he just smiled, seeming to dismiss a thought.
"So what now?" He asked. It was a good question. Majiri quickly mapped out what she needed to do in her mind.
The exchange with Bona Shaiir was tomorrow, but she couldn't have it here with the Chief of Jabba's Palace Guard around, even if he was an ex-palace guard. Also, she had planned to make the exchange in her best disguise so she would need to convince Silus that this disguise was another person staying at the antique shop. That way when she went out to meet Bona Shaiir in disguise it would not seem like a completely new person had appeared. Within seconds Majiri's plan was complete. She would arrange tonight to meet with Bona Shaiir at a different location, and now she would introduce Silus to her other disguise.
"Now," she said while standing up, "you are probably exhausted, as am I. You may look around the shop if you'd like, and I'll send up my servant to prepare a room for you in a moment."
"That would be wonderful," said Silus. Majiri walked over to the door that led to the basment stairway.
"And I hope you don't mind staying here tomorrow while I'm out on business?"
"Not at all," said Silus, "and by the way, thanks for saving my life and all."
"You're welcome," replied Majiri. She closed the door behind her and went down the dark stairway. Once in her basement room she wasted no time in changing into the disguise she planned on using the next day for the exchange with Bona Shaiir. It was her least-used disguise and yet her most effective because no one would ever recognize it: she would go as herself.
Silus:
That Breka is quite an interesting character, thought Silus as he glanced at the different objects in the darkened shop. The store and everything in it looked authentic, but Silus didn't buy that Breka was just an antique dealer from Mos Edaan. There was just too much mystery about him for Silus not to be suspicious.
For one thing, Breka wouldn't tell Silus why he had saved him from the Bloodtracker. Besides why, how would an average merchant know how to bribe an innkeeper, which streets in Mos Edaan to wind through to complicate tracking, and even what chemical compound was needed to knock out a Bloodtracker? It didn't make sense to Silus. There had to be more that Breka wasn't telling him, and if Breka wouldn't tell him, then Silus would find out for himself.
Silus was just thinking of this when he heard a creak from the door that Breka had closed a few moments before. He remembered that Breka was going to send up a servant to set up a room for Silus, and decided to question the servant about Breka. Silus turned to speak with the servant to see what he could find out and his jaw immediately dropped.
Before him stood a rather beautiful young woman with dark black hair and bright silver-gray eyes that met with his for only a second. Then she blinked as if out of a trance and looked downwards, bowing her head.
"I am Breka's servant Majiri, and you must be Silus. It is good to meet you," she said. Her voice was calm and soothing to Silus, especially compared to all the barks and grunts of voices he had been hearing recently.
"Is something wrong?" She asked, looking up at him. He blushed as he realized how rudely he was behaving and quickly shut his mouth.
"Uh, yes," he stammered, "I mean no. I'm sorry, I guess it's just been a while since I saw another human."
"No apologies necessary," said Majiri. "If you will please follow me there is an upstairs room that you may stay in."
Silently he followed her and together they ascended the staircase. Majiri opened a door at the top of the staircase and Silus followed her in. She flicked on a lamp-switch and began to clear away dusty piles of antiques as Silus watched quietly. He remembered his intentions to interrogate the servant (although somehow he hadn't expected 'the servant' to be like this girl Majiri).
"So," he said, "who is this Breka really?"
"Excuse me?" Said Majiri without looking up from her work.
"Well, what's his deal? He can't just be some antique shop owner."
"And why not?" Said Majiri with a quiet smile. Still she would not even glance at him as he stood there.
"I don't know," said Silus, "there's something that doesn't quite fit. You've probably known him for a while. Is there anything he's not telling me?"
"It's not my business to tell such things," said Majiri. "Besides, why would I tell a complete stranger?"
"But there is some secret," said Silus, trying to catch her eyes again. Majiri just sighed and kept moving away old clutter covering something that Silus now recognized as a bed.
"Well, anyway, we aren't complete strangers, are we? Breka told you my name was Silus."
"That's true," she answered, "we know each others names, but I'm afraid that wont earn you any more information about Breka."
"Oh no, I didn't mean it like that," said Silus.
"Then what did you mean?"
"Just that I don't want us to be complete strangers, that's all."
When she didn't answer, Silus moved over to help her with a large old microwave contraption. As they lifted it together he finally caught those sparkling eyes and when they put it down he spoke. It was as if he was listening to someone else say the words - they came without thought or hesitation.
"You know," he said, "you are far too beautiful to be a servant." Majiri was caught off-guard by this. Her mouth moved but no sounds came out for a second or two until she blushed and moved towards the doorway.
"If you need anything just knock on the door downstairs," she said with a quick glance back at him. "Sleep well, Silus."
"Thank you," he said. "Goodnight, Majiri."
With that she bowed and left the room, and Silus began to think. His conversation with Majiri had only proven two things. Now he knew that there was something definitely going on that Breka wouldn't tell him about. However, the second thing he had discovered concerned him much more than this. He realized that for the first time in his life, he was in love.
Meanwhile:
"So you couldn't find any way inside the palace?" asked Leia as she sat in the co-pilot seat of the Millenium Falcon.
"Not unless we were invisible," answered Lando. Chewbacca let out a low moan. "But hey, don't worry. Today I found an old friend around here who says he might know someone who can get us in."
"Really," said Leia, "who's that?"
"Just a sleazy scum-bag I used to work with - an old smuggler called Bona Shaiir."
"Sounds like a charming character," said Leia, "but if he knows someone who can help us get Han out I don't care who he is."
"Well," said Lando, "he says this friend of his is one of the more elusive types, but he'll try to arrange it so that we can meet tomorrow. In the meantime, let's all try to get some sleep."
Majiri:
As she shut the door to Silus' room Majiri felt dizzy as if she'd taken to big a breath. Her usually perfectly ordered thoughts seemed to have evaporated and were replaced by thoughts and feelings she couldn't describe. She wanted to laugh or cry or both and had no idea why.
"Okay Majiri," she said to herself in a hushed voice, "let's remember what's happening."
Only, she didn't seemed to care so much about what was happening as what had just happened. As she tried to think what she was supposed to do next she only came up with the memory of the past few minutes. Silus and his eyes and how he'd spoken to her and what he'd said - she was overwhelmed to the point she had to close her eyes. Desperately she searched her mind for some solid ground, some reason and meaning for it all.
"I was meeting Silus so, so that I wouldn't seem suspicious tomorrow when I leave to, leave to meet Bona Shaiir," she said carefully, piecing it all back together. "So I met Silus and, and then, and now, now I…" she concentrated hard for a moment trying to finish the thought, and then suddenly opened her eyes.
"I think I love him."
Almost unable to believe what she had just said, Majiri started quickly for the stairs but stopped at the top. Her sudden confession had brought forth another thought; she loved Silus, and she had lied to him. No, it was worse than that. She had stolen the gem that had placed the bounty on his head in the first place and then given him false identities to keep him from finding out the truth he had every right to know. Disgusted with herself, she glanced back at the room he was sleeping in.
"Some hero I made tonight," she said, "I destroyed his life and wont even tell him." But as much as she hated the idea, Majiri reminded herself that she couldn't tell him. She had stolen the gem and until she'd finished what she'd started he simply could not know the truth.
Looking down at the floor, she pushed all thoughts of Silus from her mind. Right now all she had to think about was contacting Bona Shaiir to rearrange their meeting place for the next day. Only then would she be able to make the exchange, and only once she'd made the exchange could she tell Silus everything.
Slowly she walked down the stairway toward the door to the basement and let out a sigh.
"Well," she said, "time to take care of business." She opened the door and walked down the basement stairway. First she noticed the fake Ynarian gem's case exposed on the table. She nodded to it as if it were a diligent soldier standing at attention and then walked over to the far right side of the basement. Then she grabbed her voice modifier and com-link from behind an out-of-date spacehelmet. She blew on the voice modifier to clean it a little and carefully placed it in her mouth.
"Testing, testing," she muttered. There was too much static and the voice still sounded like her own, so Majiri made a few adjustments.
"Testing, testing," she said again, and this time it was as if a whole other creature had spoken. Despite the fact that Majiri had programmed the voice modifier personally and used it plenty of times, hearing the gruff bark of a voice coming from her mouth still seemed strange and unreal. She took a few moments to focus herself, then pressed the button that would alert Bona Shaiir that she wanted to speak with him. The com-link beeped once every five seconds or so until a familiar voice sounded.
"Hello?" Said the silky voice.
"Good evening, Bona Shaiir. I hope I am not disturbing you?"
"Oh no, not at all," replied Bona Shaiir. "In fact, there is something I wanted to ask of you."
"Really?" Said Majiri curiously.
"Yes, but it can wait. Now why is it you contacted me? Is there something wrong with the gem?"
"No," said Majiri. "I have the gem here and it is perfectly fine. However, circumstances have changed. If it is no great trouble to you I'd like to move the location of the exchange for, security reasons."
"Not a trouble at all," said Bona Shaiir, "where would you have it instead?"
"How about Shlickitt's Pub near the space station in Mos Edaan?"
"That filthy wreck of a place?" Bona Shaiir paused. "Sounds perfect."
"Good," said Majiri, "I'm glad you think so. Now, you mentioned something you wanted from me?"
"Yes," replied Bona Shaiir. "An old friend of mine arrived this morning asking for help with a job. He told me a bit about the situation; the gist of it is that he and a few friends of his want to break a man by the name of Han Solo out of Jabba's Palace. Have you heard of him?"
"He's the one frozen in carbonite in the main chamber?"
"Why, yes," said Bona Shaiir, "I should have guessed you'd have known that already. Anyway, they don't know exactly what they're going to do to get him out and, considering your profession and abilities, I thought that perhaps you could assist them."
"You flatter me," said Majiri. "Is there a specific time and location where I can send my servant to discuss this venture with your friend?"
"Why not at Shlickitt's Pub, after the exchange has been made of course."
"Hmm," said Majiri considering his proposition. It would be most convenient if she didn't have to meet Bona Shaiir and his friend at separate locations. At last she asked, "What is your friend's name?"
"Lando Calrissian," answered Bona Shaiir.
"Well then, I will send my servant to meet you and Mr. Calrissian at Shlickitt's Pub around 9 o'clock standard time tomorrow. Then you will hand her a card containing 100,000 credits, and she will produce the Ynarian gem."
"Excellent," said Bona Shaiir.
"Again, it has been a pleasure doing business with you, honorable Bona Shaiir."
"And again the same to you," said Bona Shaiir with a short laugh, "and again, I wish we could meet in person." With that Majiri cut the com-link and yawned. She thought she heard a noise and looked around, but heard nothing else. It dawned on her that she'd left the door to the basement open. Again she yawned, and then pulled the voice modifier out of her mouth.
"I must be more tired than I thought," she said to herself. She slowly climbed the basement stairs, pushed the door fully open and glanced around the shop. She could have sworn she'd heard something, but everything looked just as dusty and boring as normal. Searching for an explanation she remembered the tiny earpiece she was wearing, so well concealed she hadn't given it much thought in the past few hours. She'd known it to make a soft blip occasionally, which she paid no attention to normally. Had that made the sound, or could have been something else? Were her instincts trying to tell her something, or was exhaustion making her more paranoid than normal?
After one last glance over the store she closed the basement door, then went back down the stairs and laid out a small mat and blanket next to the table with the fake gem's case sitting on it. Finally she set an alarm clock to wake herself up, turned out the one dim lamp lighting the room and collapsed on the mat. It had been a very long day.
Silus:
Silus had listened closely to the last of Majiri's faintly audible footsteps as she walked down the hallway, paused, and then proceeded down the flight of stairs. Now he sat alone in his room, the silence pressing in on his ears as he thought. For a moment he thought of attempting to get some sleep, but he felt rested enough and besides, how could he sleep not knowing what was going on? What was it Breka was hiding? Why was Majiri helping him keep it hidden?
At this he stood up - he had to find out. He would go downstairs, knock on the door Majiri had told him about and ask Breka flat-out what was going on. He would tell Breka that he was tired of this veil of mystery and simply couldn't stand it any longer. Mind made up, Silus opened the door and stepped out into the dark hallway.
For a brief moment he felt the urge to step right back into his room and forget about it, but he had to know the truth. He walked quickly down the hall to the stairs and immediately noticed that the basement door Majiri had said to knock on was slightly ajar. Slowly, quietly now, he walked down the stairs until he was standing right next to the door. From behind it he heard a muffled voice speaking which he had never heard before. It was a harsh, barking sort of voice that brought to mind some ferocious beast. Silus listened as closely as he could now, but could still only pick up snatches of what seemed to be a conversation between this first gruff voice and another over com-link. He thought he heard the name Bona Shaiir, and was wondering if this was the one on the com-link when he overheard a phrase that peeked his interest.
"I have the gem here…" said the gruff voice. Silus' eyes widened. Whoever this was couldn't be talking about the Ynarian gem, or could they? Silus listened harder, hardly breathing, but it seemed the gruff-voiced stranger in the basement had instinctively lowered his voice. It was either that or the thoughts racing through Silus' head that kept him from hearing anything else clearly. His mind was spinning, but he did manage to catch something else about a meeting tomorrow at a pub involving the gem.
Judging the conversation near an end, Silus moved quickly back up the stairs and shut his door perhaps a little too loudly. It was all just so unexpected. There was someone else at this antique shop that neither Breka nor Majiri had told him about. And from what he could piece together from the conversation, Silus knew that this person or creature had the Ynarian gem.
Suddenly the conversation Silus had with Breka came to his mind - Breka had seemed interested in who had stolen the gem, hadn't he? Or rather, if anyone had any leads as to who stole the gem. Why hadn't Silus seen it before? Breka had the skills and brains to steal Silus from the Bloodtracker. Stealing the Ynarian gem must have been easy for him.
It was as if puzzle pieces had just fallen into place, and if Silus had tried to imagine any explanations of Breka's secretive behavior, they would not have come close to the picture that was now forming in his mind. Breka was the thief working for the gruff-voiced stranger downstairs, who was probably some sort of criminal leader. Breka had stolen the Ynarian gem, and now the leader had it here. All Breka had said was that he was going out on business tomorrow, but now Silus understood this to be business involving the gem. He was probably trying to arrange a way to smuggle the gem off-planet.
But what about Majiri? She had been keeping this from him, but did that mean she was involved in all this plotting? It seemed unlikely to Silus - she must just be trying to save her own neck and protect her boss. Either that was the truth or Silus was just choosing to believe what he wanted to, because he wanted to believe that she was innocent. A thought then came to his mind then that had been haunting him since he had spoken with Majiri - did she feel as he did, or…? But no, Silus could not afford to entertain such thoughts until he had taken care of more pressing matters at hand.
Another very important question remained. If everything he'd theorized so far was all true, then why had Breka saved his life? It seemed clear now he must have wanted to make sure that no one at the palace was onto him. Silus had told Breka exactly what he wanted to know, and yet…why wouldn't Breka just get rid of him once he had given up the information? What reason did the criminal leader have for Silus' continued existence? Was it that he wanted to turn Silus over to Jabba himself for a few extra credits, and if so would Breka or Majiri be able to or even want to protest?
This new information had brought more questions than answers. However, at least now Silus was aware of the danger and saw a clearer path ahead of him. If he wanted to ensure his survival he could not stay here with an unknown criminal leader and he could not stick around town or try to get off-planet with bounty hunters on his tail. That left him with the option of the one place he had so recently escaped from, and his ticket in was the gem lying just two floors beneath him. It was insane going back to Jabba's Palace, even if he did manage to get the gem, but what other options did he have now if Breka's boss was going to turn him in anyway? He at least had to try to get to Jabba with the gem first, and tomorrow when Breka was away could be the only chance he got.
"I'm crazy," Silus muttered to himself as he climbed into bed and turned out the small lamp in the room, "but if I can help it I'm not going to be dead."
Keta:
A dark fog was lifting from Keta's mind. Gradually, the feeling of the dusty ground beneath her was returning, along with the slight prickle of the sand against her bare back. Suddenly she was fully alert, although still groggy and aching as she lay on the ground, and she heard voices above her that could only belong to two of the despicable creatures known as Jawas. She tried to open her eyes, but they burned slightly so she kept them closed for the moment and just listened to the two chattering Jawas.
"Yanloo mato…hutini?"
"Kioska nichu, banlee. Mai kosini lu."
Something hard was poking her in the side, probably a stick of wood. It stopped for a moment, and then the voices spoke again.
"Shawona, ki hoti luta!"
"Shabachi, yno tali kosa hutini…"
With that a small, shaky hand began fingering at one of the rings on Keta's ear as if to try and remove it. This could not be tolerated. Using all of her might, Keta tried to summon a bark to frighten the creatures off. It came out as more of a cough or wheeze, but it had worked. The hand instantly let go of the earring and its owner let out a shriek of surprise. Keta could hear footsteps and the two voices fading into the distance.
She was alone now. Slowly she pushed herself up to a sitting position, wiped some sand off of herself, and again tried to open her eyes. For a moment she was afraid that the gas bomb had blinded her, but in a moment the stinging subsided and her vision returned. With it came the full memory of what had put her into this situation in the first place.
By the faint growing light on the horizon she could tell she'd been unconscious for several hours. She noticed the empty gas bomb at her feet, but the note had blown away. Desperately she searched for some tracks or sign of the masked stranger and the palace guard, but no, any tracks that had been left had also been blown away. Trying to pick up a trace of their scent in the air Keta sniffed for the first time since she'd awaken, and smelled nothing. Nothing. She couldn't even feel the air run through her nostrils. There was only the slightest cold prickling sensation.
Now a rage filled Keta that went beyond anything she had felt before, even her frustration at not being able to track the gem thief. She had been beaten. She had lost what should have been the easiest catch of her life. It was supposed to have been so simple, and yet here she was. Not delivering the palace guard to Jabba but lying senseless and defeated in an alleyway. And it was all because of the creature in the mask. Whoever he was, he had outsmarted her, and Keta hated losing.
It must be some conspiracy, she thought. The guard helps the thief get into the palace and then he sends someone to save the guard. Unless, maybe, there wasn't someone else involved. The guard helps the thief and then the thief helps the guard. Yes, not a conspiracy, a partnership, and they'd just managed to escape from Keta twice. Keta snarled weakly, stood up and staggered for a moment, then kicked the empty gas bomb shell across the alleyway.
But no, blind rage was not Keta's way. As she stood in the alleyway taking deep breaths of the cool early morning air, she gathered her strength and her thoughts. If they thought they had lost Keta, she would make them think differently. They were lost for now, perhaps, but she would not end her search. Instinct told her they were not going to try and leave anytime soon, so she would just need a little more patience and perhaps some assistance. Somewhere, sometime they would make a mistake. In the meantime she would go to Jabba, and when they slipped up she would be there, she would be the one to bring them in.
One defeat was nothing to Keta, for she knew that in the end she always won.
Majiri:
Majiri woke with a start to the sound of the alarm clock buzzing next to her. It had not been refreshing sleep, but she could not rest any longer. She quickly shut off the alarm clock and turned on the basement light. Within five minutes she was dressed, had the Ynarian gem safely stowed in a bag with a few other necessities, and had hidden every suspicious item in the basement (except the fake gem of course) from view. An old-fashioned but still-operating clock showed that she still had half an hour until her meeting with Bona Shaiir and his friend. She had allowed herself extra time for explaining her leaving for the day to Silus.
She climbed the basement steps swiftly and closed the door behind her, then proceeded more slowly up the steps to the second floor of the shop. For a moment she paused in front of Silus' room, then knocked on the door softly. After a few seconds the door opened, and there was Silus. Majiri looked into his eyes and noticed immediately the signs of fatigue around them that told of a lack of sleep. He had experienced many troubling experiences lately, and after his last rude awakening she could understand his difficulty in drifting off at night in a strange bed. There was also another look in them, but she quickly looked down as any servant would.
"Good morning," she said calmly, though she could sense him looking at her still.
"Oh, um, good morning," he said. Majiri wanted to look up into his eyes again, but that would be breaking character. Furthermore she had the inexplicable fear that if she did she might not be able to look away again.
"I..." she started, but she couldn't stop thinking of the look in his eyes. After a moment of grasping for the words that had suddenly evaporated she involuntarily looked up at him once more. Though she tried to continue her explanation, nothing more came out after that hesitant 'I', and Silus looked into her face curiously.
Completely frustrated with the difficulty she was suddenly having she shut her mouth for a moment. Then she gave a short laugh and looked away. Her emotions would make it impossible to speak to Silus directly. Instead she continued speaking to the ground, which was much easier for her to talk to while making eye-contact at the moment.
"I wanted to inform you that I will be gone today on an errand. Breka has already left and I am to go meet with him, so you will be here by yourself."
"I see," said Silus, his tone a forced neutral. "And when will you be back?"
"I do not know that for certain, but I will try to be back as soon as I can."
"Hm," he said distractedly.
"Are you all right?"
"Yes," he said, "it's just that…" He let the sentence hang unfinished.
"I am sorry for all this," said Majiri earnestly, "all the mystery and secrets. But please believe me, it cannot be helped. After this errand it will all be explained, I promise. Until then, though, you must stay here where it's safe. There are probably still bounty hunters out looking for you."
"All right," he said at last. "Take care."
"Goodbye," she said, and with a bow she walked back down the hallway and the stairs. She wondered what had caused Silus' change in behavior. He must suspect something, she thought, and a mixed feeling of longing and dread came over her. After this exchange it would be a relief to be able to tell him the truth, but then again, the truth was that she'd lied.
Silus:
Silus watched Majiri go down the hallway and disappear down the staircase. He heard the back door grind open and shut as he stood silently in the doorway to his room, thinking over Majiri's words. She had seemed upset or distracted somehow - the way she'd looked away from him and her strained tone of voice - but why was she acting like this?
The first thing he thought of was guilt, but guilt for what exactly? Maybe she felt bad for not telling him the truth about Breka and his boss, Silus thought. Or maybe it went beyond that. She may have felt guilty because she hadn't told him that Breka's boss was going to hand Silus over to Jabba. That could make a person guilty - knowing someone was going to get it and not telling them.
It made Silus wonder. What part did Majiri play in all this? Was she an actual innocent servant dragged into the whole mess against her will, or was she just a pawn that Breka's boss was using to keep Silus in line? He was pretty sure he'd heard concern in her voice, but how could Silus tell if it was genuine or just a convincing act? There was just no way to be sure, and he couldn't wait around here pondering any longer.
Silus walked slowly towards the stairs and then down, listening intently for any other sound in the building, but the only sounds he could hear were his footsteps. Breka and Majiri were gone, and it seemed the leader had left too. He was alone, for now, but he wasn't sure how long that would be true. If his plan to redeem himself was going to work he had to find the gem, and fast.
He spent the next half-hour rummaging around the shop, but with no luck. There was just too much old junk lying around the place; it would take days to search through it all, and Silus wasn't even sure he had another hour. Dejectedly, Silus sat back in one of the cushioned chairs and let out a sigh. He glanced around the shop, and for the first time noticed something that was so obvious and yet he had overlooked until now: the basement door.
It was where he'd overheard the com-link conversation about the gem in the first place - why not try it? There was no way it could be more of a hopeless mess than what he'd encountered so far. With that thought Silus stood and approached the door. He knocked softly and there was no answer, not that he'd expected any. After a brief pause he tried the handle, and to his surprise it turned. Not wanting to waste another second, he opened the door.