"Why do you keep an extra set of sparring equipment on the ship?" Kima asked

curiously as she strapped on the fingerless gloves.

Zekk shrugged. "Back when I was with the Academy, my friend Jaina would

sometimes accompany me when I went away on trips, you know to deliver cargo and

stuff. I learned pretty quickly to pack an extra set."

"Jaina," Kima said thoughtfully. "You were just thinking about her, weren't

you?"

"Guilty," he said softly. "We were good friends."

"Were you just friends?"

Zekk looked at Kima sideways. "Hey, I thought you wanted to spar," he said.

"That was only because I didn't have anything to talk about. C'mon, I wanna

know."

"There's nothing to tell," Zekk told her. "We were good friends. Whether we

would have progressed beyond that, I don't know."

"Oh. Well, why did you leave the Academy?" It was an innocent question but

Kima saw a brief look of pain flash across Zekk's face. "I- I'm sorry," she said. "I don't

mean to reopen old wounds."

"No, its alright," assured her. He sighed. "I'm not really in the mood for sparring

right now."

Kima smiled understandingly and reached over to put a comforting hand on his

shoulder. "Its okay Zekk, I mean, I don't really feel like sparring either."

For a brief instant, their eyes locked and somehow, despite having just recently

met Zekk and under bad circumstances at that, she felt an odd connection with him, as if she'd known him all his life. The room was silent.

"I'd better go check on the ship's systems," Zekk finally said. "If you like, there's

some scalleot casserole in the fridge."

Kima smiled even wider. "Anything but those stale food rations."



***



"Whoa, was that Zekk?"

Jaina Skywalker had been tinkering around with Emdee's broken repulsor

systems as a favor for her friend Lowie, but at the sound of her departed friend's name,

she dropped the translator droid and rushed to her brother's room.

"What, what is it?" She asked the instant she opened the door.

"Shhhh." Jacen held up a silencing finger to her but was considerate enough to

turn up the volume on his holovision. Jaina didn't even bother to sit down, she just stood

there, staring wide-eyed at the special news bulletin.

". . . And I think it's a rotten thing this kid's gone and done," the unshaved man

on the screen said into the reporter's microphone. "Breakin' the Bounty Hunter's code

and all. Humph, a cryin' shame."

"Excuse me sir," the reporter interjected, "But didn't this 'code' you refer to

expire when the Bounty Hunters Guild disbanded?"

"Well, yeah but still, its just unethical to go say you'll deliver a bounty and not

deliver it when ya' get it, especially if the bounty's a terrorist." The man waggled a finger

at the camera. "I used be a bounty hunter ya' know and I tell ya' I woulda never done

somethin' like this."

"Well, there you have it folks, a look at the quickly developing situation involving

bounty hunter Zekk Raleigh and suspected terrorist Kima Li from the prospective of ex-

bounty hunter Grig Malo. At the top of the hour, we will show the live press conference

that multi-millionaire Foln. Jacen turned down the volume when the reporter began to

talk about a hovercar accident on Coruscant.

"What- what was that all about?" Jaina asked, her brow furrowing.

Jacen shrugged. "I dunno. I just them flash his face on the screen." He chuckled.

"Zekk finally lost that ponytail in exchange for a more reasonable haircut. Boy, I thought

I'd never see the day."

"Jacen!" Jaina reprimanded her brother. "Something is seriously wrong here." She

walked over to the door.

"Hey, where are you going?"

Jaina turned one last time before walking out the door. "I'm going to find Zekk."

Jacen thought about telling her just how impossible that was but decided against

it. His sister had pulled off harder stunts before and, well, she just might pull this

off too.

***



Kima finally found the refrigerator and was instantly gratified to see plenty of

microwaveable scalleot casserole packages in and took one out. She'd never heard of

scalleot casserole before but it sure looked good enough from the picture on the package.

"There we go," she said to herself once the package was unwrapped and in the

microwave. The timer was set for three minutes so she walked into the main room on the

ship and plopped herself down on a couch. She had only been there a couple seconds

when Zekk walked in from the pilot's room.

"Hey Zekk." Kima patted the spot next to her on the sofa. "Sit down, you look

like you could use some company."

Zekk complied, but sat rigidly. There was obviously something on his mind. "I

was actually wondering if you have any suggestions," he told her.

"About what?"

Zekk looked blankly at her at first before realizing that he needed to elaborate. "I

just saw the news. They're talking about us," he explained. "I can handle pursuit from the

law but I'd rather not be forced into that predicament and rumor has it that that's what we'll be dealing with."

"I-I don't know." Kima told him truthfully.

Zekk sighed. "Well then I have an idea. I have a friend named Lando Calrissian

and I think you'd be safer if I left you with him." Kima opened her mouth to protest but

Zekk raised a hand cutting her off. "Don't worry. Lando's completely loyal. He won't rat

you or me out."

Kima shook her head. "That's not what I meant, Zekk. I want to stay here, with

you." Kima didn't know why she felt any kind of loyalty to Zekk, but she did. She

couldn't describe the feeling but it was there nonetheless. She smiled. "Although those

food rations of yours make leaving a very attractive prospect," she placed a hand on his

arm, "I'm staying."

Zekk looked at her for a long time and then blew out a long, deep breath. "I don't

want you getting hurt Kima, I mean, I can't have that on my conscience."

"Its my decision," she said. "Listen, I practically grew up on Foln's mini- world. I

don't know where my parents are and I don't have any where to go."

"You're point being?"

"My point being that I am probably the most safe with you. I mean, hey you're an

ex-Jedi, a great fighter, and you can levitate chairs. Can Lando do that?"

Zekk raised an eyebrow. "That is a rather moot point Kima, considering the fact

that Lando has his own security force, he owns a city." Kima looked like she was about

to say something but Zekk raised a hand, cutting her off. "However, I will be there with

you on Cloud City- that's Lando's city he owns. We'll both be safer there and it will be

better than sitting around in space."

"OK," Kima said. "Are you sure you're friend will be OK with this?"

Zekk nodded. "Pretty sure."

The timer on the microwave sounded out just then.

"You want to go get that?" Zekk asked.

Kima got up and walked to the microwave, removing the casserole from the tray

inside. She smiled at Zekk once more and then went to the cargo compartment that was

doubling as her makeshift room.

Zekk pulled a packet of food rations from his pocket and popped one in his

mouth.

"My God," he muttered, spitting out the white food. "These things really are

stale!"

"Told you so," Kima called from her room.

"So you did." Zekk got up and walked over to the trashcan, throwing out the food

ration wrapper. How could he have ever liked those things?

AN/ I don't know what Zekk's last name is so bear with me here. 'Raleigh' just came off the top of my head.

-Godfather