Kit Antilles leaned into the twisted tree root she was hiding behind as she watched sporadic foot traffic passing by on the street below the Hutt Council building. Even under the shade of the tree, the incessant Nal Hutta rain washed over her rain cover, and even her breathing mask failed to remove the entirety of the stench from the planet's polluted atmosphere. Through the rumble of the downpour, she could hear the conversation unfolding within the chamber through her headset, and the thinnest sliver of optimism – which was more than she had dared to afford herself before today – emerged as she listened to Leia making the case for aid from the Hutts.
Next to her squatted the cloaked and masked figure of Zhey'la Vendez, an excommunicated Jedi who left the order and joined the Resistance shortly after Supreme Chancellor Bolsko assumed control of the Republic. Zhey'la had proved a powerful, insightful ally, and together they watched over the street on the backside of the Council building, ready to carry out their contingency plan should the situation inside take a turn for the worse. Kit was no Jedi, but even so she could still get a sense of Zhey'la's unease and disgust at sitting under a twisted, malformed tree soaked in stinking chemical rain while their leader negotiated aid from a notoriously corrupt criminal enterprise with the Republic bearing down on them.
"What's the latest?" Zhey'la asked, her voice thick as she continued to strain her senses toward the council building.
"Rotta's thinking it over," Kit said. She looked down to her data pad to see the progress on its sensor scan of the building. Greasy smears of water had mucked up the screen, but the data pad dutifully finished its scan, showing the location of the carbonite storage facility located on their side of the building. She had pinpointed the location of the room where the Hutts kept their trophies, and now, should the meeting go sideways, she was ready to act if the need arose.
She listened a moment longer as Threepio completed another translation of guttural Huttese. A smile spread across her masked face, and she reported to Zhey'la, "Rotta just agreed. . ."
She then paused, listening to the follow-up translation. A pit of dread blossomed in her stomach as she heard Threepio's translation.
"What is it?" asked Zhey'la, her body tensing as her senses noticed the shift in Kit's emotions.
"Disgusting," Kit said, then after taking a deep breath, reported, "He wants Kira as a slave."
"Good luck with that," said Zhey'la dryly.
"Well, still. That's our cue," Kit said. "Work your magic, Z."
Zhey'la reached her hand out and closed her eyes. A large, circular device fused with multiple thermal detonators lifted off the ground in front of them and drifted slowly from their shelter, across the street above the streetlights, and down toward the wall of the council building. With a faint zhunk, the device sealed itself to the wall. Zhey'la reached down to pick up the detonator, activated it, and placed it in Kit's hand.
"Nicely done," Kit said in appreciation. Kit then spoke into her own wrist device, saying, "Hey Rogers, looks like things are getting pretty tense in there. We're ready to do this the hard way."
"Copy, Commander," replied Rogers' gravelly voice. The older woman added, "We're on standby alert. Send word if the shooting starts."
"Copy," Kit affirmed, then she pulled her binoculars up to her eyes to look back to the street. The speeder that Zhey'la had maneuvered to a spot just outside the potential blast range was untouched and ignored, and the large harness attached to the back was primed for them to attach a carbonite sarcophagus, should the need arise. With everything in place, Kit directed her attention back to the conversation unfolding within the chamber.
Kira felt fury rising within her as Rotta's demand that she turn herself over to become a slave lingered in the air, adding multiple layers of tension to an already contentious meeting. Even Leia seemed alarmed, but she recovered quickly as her decades of diplomatic training and knowledge of the Force quelled her emotions.
"I'm sorry, Rotta, but that's a condition we cannot agree to," Leia said gravely.
Threepio provided the translation of Rotta's long, rumbling response, saying, "Then there will be no bargain. The Hutts have long memories, and they remember when you and the Jedi Skywalker feigned to bargain, only to kill my father and destroy his business on Tatooine. I doubt your trustworthiness unless you are to part with something dear to you. Plus, I have my own interests for the girl."
Kira felt a surge of anger and loathing. She looked around at the chained women linked to the male Hutts, and she felt revulsion and anger at the prospect of being a bargaining chip in an issue of galactic importance. She looked to Leia, whose face was set in an attitude of calm defiance. Leia responded to Rotta's request, saying, "Kira plays a critical role in our struggle against the Order of Ren's tyranny. She would do you, the Resistance, and the galaxy little good if she were chained to your rostrum. Furthermore, she determines her fate. Not me. Not you."
Rotta responded, which Threepio translated as, "Then, you leave me with no choice but to contact the Republic. We will tell the Republic that you arrived uninvited, and the Hutts, being conscientious friends of the galaxy, captured you to await justice." Threepio paused, then his circuits catching up with his translation, added, "Oh, dear…"
"Interesting," Kira interjected, breaking the silence she had maintained since she entered. She knew that Leia had requested that she did not speak unless directed. Leia turned sharply toward her, looking more alarmed than she had when Rotta had demanded her servitude. The other Hutts turned to her as well, curious at her sudden interjection. Kira's anger and disgust at the Hutt had overwhelmed her diplomatic calm. She did not have the decades of experience, and even with her training, her anger broke through her practiced Jedi serenity. She continued, "for a species with long memories, you seem to have forgotten what happened the last time you tried to capture a Jedi."
There was a collective gasp from the audience, and Oarnoosh's eyes narrowed. Rotta turned toward her, directing a malicious, threatening glare in her direction. In the thick, tense silence, he held her gaze, and she returned it unflinchingly. As the moment stretched on, Kira became aware that Panga Meesh had unlocked the safety on her blaster, and the Gamorrean guards had raised their axes into a ready position. Rotta broke the silence with a hearty laugh, which the rest of the audience took as a cue to laugh as well. Nervous laughter followed Rotta's response, which Threepio translated as, "The girl is strong-willed. I will find this most enjoyable."
Kira was ready to argue, but Leia raised a hand, signaling to Kira to stand down and refrain from speaking further. As the laughter died down, and Rotta settled back into a relaxed posture, Leia stepped forward and addressed Rotta directly. "Your highness. As I mentioned before, Kira's part in the next phase of this struggle is too vital. However, I might be able to offer something even more valuable to you."
Rotta leaned back in a posture of skepticism, then nodded a curt invitation to explain.
"In Kira's stead, I offer myself," Leia said. Kira turned sharply toward Leia with a look of shock.
"Leia, no!" Kira said, forcefully, but Leia did not meet her eye. Her eyes were locked on Rotta's, who stared down at her suspiciously.
Leia, interpreting his suspicion, added, "No tricks. No games. No lightsabers hidden inside droids. Just me at your mercy."
The Hutts shared curious glances, wondering what decision Rotta would make. Rotta spent a full minute considering her offer to see if the calculus worked to his favor. Finally, he broke the silence with another short statement, which Threepio translated as, "We have a deal."
"No!" Kira called, a surge of anger and fear spreading through her. She had counted on Leia, needing her guidance as she faced new, terrifying challenges. How could she navigate the challenges ahead without her there? "Master, you can't!"
Leia turned toward her with a sad, regretful expression on her face. She said, sadly, but firmly in response, "I'm sorry Kira. Decoding these recordings is critical. Without it, you know what happens."
Fear and anger peaked inside Kira as a pair of Gamorrean guards approached Leia. They grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her closer to Rotta the Hutt for inspection. As Kira watched the inspection unfold, a distant, hollow sensation stole over her. A faint ringing in her ears preceded a sense of dread as she became aware of a presence that she had not felt in some time. She knew he was on Coruscant, but here in the heart of Nal Hutta, she felt his presence growing stronger, as if he was already there beside her. She could sense his will and intention pushing through her efforts to hide herself as he tried to grasp onto her, reach her, find her. Knowing that her emotional state was now too volatile to shut him out, she turned to her right to see a vision of Ben Solo sitting in the courtyard of the Jedi Temple, surprised and alarmed, looking at her curiously.
"Kira?" he said, tentatively.
Ben rose from his favorite meditation spot beneath the remains of the ancient uneti tree and strained his senses through the Force to embrace the sudden, unexpected burst of emotion radiating from Kira. Over the past year, Kira had become more adept at masking her emotions to him, which made it impossible for Ben to fulfill the Jedi's and the Supreme Chancellor's orders to track and locate Kira through the bond he formed with her years ago as a child. Ben had been grateful when the Masters acknowledged the futility of the continued effort, and he had gladly given up trying to find her in this way, instead devoting his attention to becoming stronger in the Force. He had worked tirelessly since then, training and building his skills, meditating constantly – all in the service of shedding the weakness that had led to his father's death and his defeat at the hands of the dark Jedi, Veryx.
And yet, despite walking away from his attempts to find Kira, his sense of her grew clearer and clearer. He could tell that she was angry and scared. Something unexpected and shocking had just happened, and her emotional barriers had fallen unexpectedly. Reaching out through the Force, he tried to push past her remaining defenses, searching and reaching as if trying to wave away fog, until finally he could see an image of her before him. She became aware of him regarding her, and she turned to him, startled and alarmed.
"Kira?" Ben said tentatively.
Her face hardened, and he could sense that she was trying frantically to shut him back out. However, now that the connection was open, she could not close it. He deepened his concentration as a clearer picture of her emerged. He could see that she was damp, and he had a sense of his mother nearby.
"Where are you?" Ben asked, straining as he attempted to bore through her defenses.
Kira did not respond. In fact, she was acting as if she could not see him or notice him. As she did so, Ben stretched out his senses to get a better feel for her surroundings. He heard a shapeless, formless noise that could have been multiple beings talking all at once just as it could have been waves crashing on the ocean. He saw that her skin was wet, almost greasy, and that the thin light shining from above her was weak and almost sickly. It gave him the sense that she was underground.
"You can't hide forever, Kira," Ben said, and then, attempting to assure her, added, "I just want to talk with you."
Kira continued to try to ignore him and push him away, but it was clear that her effort was failing. And as Ben's consciousness penetrated further into the space Kira was inhabiting, he started to get a more distinct sense of the voices and sounds tied to the place. As he strained his senses further, he became aware of a booming, guttural voice that said, "Widd shulu bargon. Uba seel doo Krax duba oays."
Ben froze, his mind registering the sound of the voice and the cadence of the sentence. He did not know the meaning of the phrase, but he knew enough to recognize the language and the tone of the voice speaking it. He had heard voices like this first-hand on a handful of visits to different corners of the galaxy with his father.
"You're with the Hutts," Ben said, probing the scene for confirmation.
Kira shot a sudden, anxious look at him that all too plainly confirmed his suspicion.
"You're on Nal Hutta, aren't you?" Ben asked, his suspicions broadening into emerging certainty. "My mother is with you."
Ben heard his mother's voice call Kira's name, and she looked away suddenly. The vision ended abruptly, and Ben was left standing alone in the courtyard, attempting to process what he had just seen. With increasing certainty, he concluded that she was with the Hutts, and he knew from the latest intelligence that the Hutts had all but abandoned their various palaces, hideouts, and pleasure gardens throughout the Outer Rim. The Republic was whittling away their territory faster than they were able to retreat, and numerous Hutts and Hutt operatives had been imprisoned. The only place left to them was Nal Hutta, and its moon Nar Shaddaa. Kira had to be there.
"Ben?" Ben spun around to see Jedi Master Ferrer Melso stalking toward him. Ben felt unease at the man's approach, as he was the last Jedi Ben had hoped to encounter in this moment. Melso had taken an increasingly militant approach to the Resistance, even to the point where Ben was starting to worry about his objectivity and balance.
"I sensed a disturbance," Melso said, his face stern.
Ben knew that he could not unsee what he saw, nor could he hide what he had just learned. Melso already knew he was disturbed, and he may have even sensed a connection forming. Ben hesitated, saying, "I'm not sure. It might have been a vision of the future, or. . ."
"Do not lie to me, Ben Solo," said Melso, stern and disapproving. "I can always tell."
Cornered, and without any other explanation occurring to him, Ben admitted the truth, saying, "I saw Kira. And my mother."
"Where?" Melso asked, eagerly.
Ben hesitated again, feeling a powerful wave of resistance against telling Melso anything more of what he saw. The Master's eyes bore down on him, hungry and greedy to know their location. Ben knew that the second Melso knew where Leia and Kira were hiding was the second the Republic would launch an all-out assault to apprehend them. Ben knew his duty to the Republic, and yet, after a year of seeking to find his mother and his friend, he sought to escape that duty.
"Ben Solo, if you wish to walk the path of Mastery, you must abandon your attachments," Melso admonished.
Feeling a wave of shame and guilt, Ben disclosed the last piece of truth. "They're on Nal Hutta."