Homeward Bound
by Mei-Mei
A/N: I do not own Star Wars or any of its characters, locations, and peoples. Liana, Derek, Marian, the Dancing Pirate, New Calma, Beshwaar, H'aigoto and its denizens, and anything else you don't recognize belongs to me. Marian's sayings are based on Roa's Rules; Roa was one of Han Solo's early mentors. When this story takes place is not really important, but it's probably in the early days of the New Republic. Enjoy and please review!
Boom! Boom boom! The freighter rocked violently and two more blinking lights appeared on the control panel. Through the viewport, the dark of space was lit up by red laser fire. She gritted her teeth as a bead of sweat trickled down her temple. That was too close. One more hit and we've lost the rear shield…
"Great job, Liana!" Derek shouted over the din. "Really stunning!"
"How was I supposed to know the stuff was hot?" she yelled back, not taking her eyes from the viewport. Her black-gloved hands jerked the stick to avoid another concussion missile.
"That's why I'm the captain!" He braced himself as the ship shook again. "I'm the one that takes jobs, you just fly—" He was cut off by a blaring alarm.
Liana slapped it off. "That's right, I fly, so unless you're going to help, get your ass to the turret and shoot these tri-wings off me!"
Still grumbling, Derek nevertheless unstrapped himself and disappeared. Moments later, he hailed her over the in-ship comm. "Any orders, Miss Pilot?"
"Just buy me some time. We're almost clear…"
She rolled the ship slightly to port to make for an exit vector. As she juked and jinked, she saw red laser fire from the dorsal turret join the blasts shooting from the tri-wings. Although Derek didn't actually hit anything, the return fire gave the Beshwaar Planet Security pilots something more to think about, and Liana used their lack of concentration as an opening to accelerate the ship into open space.
"We're clear! Coordinates set for Coruscant. Jump in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…"
The bright pinpricks of stars turned to lines in the viewport as the Tiburon jumped to lightspeed.
* * *
Even at 7:30 in the morning, Galactic Standard time, the streets and space lanes of New Calma, Coruscant's biggest city sector, were already bustling with people and aliens of all different species, some going to work, others buying items from street vendors. The bright light and colors and movement hurt her eyes. She shaded them with a hand as she walked, stumbling every now and then. "Sorry, sorry." She held up her hands to placate the burly green-skinned humanoid being she had bumped into and moved on quickly. A furry little Chadra-Fan vendor trilled at her and waved some sort of orange fruit in her direction; she brushed him away. She managed to push her way through the eclectic crowd a few more blocks to the spaceport; her head was pounding by then. Liana felt relieved as she entered the cool, dark building and made her way to Bay 27, where the Tiburon was docked. They always docked at Bay 27; it was her lucky number.
As she approached the only-slightly-beat-up Kuati J-1370 freighter, she found Derek already at work. He and some of the port's loading droids were busy lifting a flat of boxes into the cargo hold. When he saw her, he stopped loading and wiped his brow with an arm. He wore a blue jumpsuit that matched his eyes and his light brown hair was spiked up with gel. On his right shoulder was a patch identical to hers, reading "Tiburon Trading Co." with a picture of a shark.
"Where were you last night?" He started lifting the boxes again as he eyed her rumpled flightsuit, long, tangled black hair, and bleary dark eyes. She couldn't tell if he was teasing her or actually had been worried when she hadn't come back to the ship.
"Well…" She tried to recall, to think back to last night…she had gone to the bar…it had been a stressful day…it was the Dancing Pirate, one of her favorites…it had been dark…maybe she had drunk a lot?…oh, yeah, there was that guy, the one with the pretty eyes, another spacer…did she leave with him?…yeah, that was it…
"Never mind, I don't want to know." Derek's voice jolted her back to reality. He was standing there, half-smirking, as she struggled to remember. "We got another job." He indicated the boxes.
She shook her head slightly to clear her mind. "Where to?" She moved as if to board the ship.
"H'aigoto."
She froze.
Interpreting her shock as confusion, Derek continued, "Yeah, some Rim planet out near the Tion Cluster. I guess there's a civil war there in some tiny country somewhere. This stuff must be food supplies, or something, 'cause the guy assured me it was legit. We'll be loaded and ready in about a half hour, so maybe you should…"
But she wasn't listening. The sound of his voice trailed off completely as she walked mechanically toward the boarding ramp.
H'aigoto.
The word echoed in her head. H'aigoto. It couldn't be; she'd heard wrong. But…how long had it been? H'aigoto. She shook her head fiercely. It doesn't matter. All she had to do was just play it cool. I never did do homecomings, and I'm not about to start…
* * *
"Everything all right, Li?" Derek casually sauntered into the cockpit.
"Huh? Oh, yeah." Liana, sitting despondently in the pilot's chair, jerked to life as her partner entered. Outside the viewport, space swirled by at the speed of light. "Yeah, everything's fine. Coordinates set for H…," she couldn't say it, "…destination. We'll be there in a little over two hours." She settled her thin figure back into the padded seat and resumed her listless fiddling with one of the dials on the control board.
"Okay, well, I'm gonna go catch some sleep." He jerked his thumb in the direction of his cabin. His blue eyes narrowed as he looked at her more closely. "Sure you're okay?"
"Wha…? Yeah, I'm fine." She waved him away. "Go get some sleep."
"Okay," he responded dubiously, then turned and sauntered back through the doorway.
She watched him go, then lowered her head again and let her dark, almond-shaped eyes unfocus. She tried to think about something else, anything else, but her mind kept wandering back… Why'd he have to take this job anyway? But it's not really his fault, he didn't know…and he wouldn't know either if she had anything to say about it…just keep cool… She wondered if it looked any different, that white-picket-fence neighborhood and those grimy streets, since the war. The war. If my parents…NO! There is no family, just me. I don't need anyone but ME. There was a reason she'd left and hadn't gone back. There's a reason…
She stood up suddenly and pushed her long, silky black hair out of her face. Maybe we've got some Amarian whiskey somewhere. Yeah, that sounded good, whiskey. Her long legs strode off toward the galley.
* * *
As soon as the green orb filled the viewport, Liana suddenly remembered what it was like to feel fear. The lush planet hung there so serenely. Willing her voice not to crack, she triggered the comm. "Tiburon, requesting permission to land."
Derek had strapped in next to her for re-entry, but he was reclining casually in his chair, a pair of headphones over his ears, head nodding with the beat of the music, completely oblivious.
The comm crackled to life. "Tiburon, you are clear to land. Docking Bay 18," the curt female voice replied.
"Copy. Bay 18. Tiburon out."
She guided the ship in with a practiced air; it was just a routine landing. Once she set the freighter down gently, she looked over at Derek, who rose as he removed the headphones.
"Good thing you're here to supervise, Captain. Don't know how I'd manage without you."
As though he hadn't heard the sarcasm, he turned and started to leave. "Let's get the stuff unloaded." He lowered the boarding ramp.
She lagged behind him as they disembarked. She was breathing heavily, and each step felt like a lead weight…she could hear her heart thumping…and then she stepped off the ramp and onto the ground. She was on H'aigoto.
Suddenly she became aware of her surroundings. The spaceport was a swarm of people, humans and aliens both. Smells…mmm, familiar foods…and noises, a general hubbub of voices and machinery. It was just like she'd remembered…
"Liana!"
Oh. "Coming, Derek!"
They quickly hired a small vehicle to use as a transport and enlisted the aid of the spaceport's robots to move the boxes onto the vehicle, a quick process. Derek climbed into the transport and stuck his head back out the window. "I promised delivery by 3:00. You coming?"
"Um, no, actually, I'm not feeling too good. I think I'll just go lie down for a while." She shifted her weight from foot to foot. Normally lying wouldn't faze her, but it was Derek…
He shrugged. "Suit yourself. I'll be back in a couple hours." And with that he sped away.
She watched until he was absorbed by the masses of people and robots. Then she looked around again. Half of her wanted to bolt back up the ramp, but something made her stay. Could it be, curiosity? What could be the harm in just looking around? No one knows I'm here…and I'll never be back again…
It took about ten seconds to secure the ship, and about three more to check that her blade was hidden in her boot. Since the port security would probably not be too happy about her walking around with her firearm holstered to her thigh, she wanted some sort of protection in case she did run into trouble…or someone recognized her.
Thankfully, though, her spacer garb helped her blend in with the rest of the denizens as she meandered around. She turned left to walk down the port's commercial wing. On both sides of the wide, crowded walkway, shops and booths with splashy signs advertised jewelry, souvenirs, spare parts, native foods, and on and on. Her head constantly swiveled back a forth. Samira used to own that junk shop…there's Takeo's old restaurant…still greasy…
As she reached the end of the wing, the crowd thinned. Mostly offices down here…ooh, a new travel agency…
Suddenly she stopped. The Devaronian walking behind her nearly crashed into her with his horns. "Oh, sorry," she said distractedly. He issued a short growl but moved on.
She was standing in front of an old, boarded up office. Plywood had been nailed all over the door and window at crisscrossing angles, and a few pieces were hanging down. The white lettering over the door was nearly worn off, but Liana knew what it had once read: Marian's Transportation Service.
If Liana had been a sentimental person, her eyes might have gone all misty. But she was not, and so she just stood there, remembering. The face of her old mentor filled her mind: the close-cropped hair, the scar on her temple. She remembered all the sayings: Never fly under the influence, Always wear gloves, Check the hyperdrive before you take off… Marian had given her her first job, in that office; just a routine trade run, but still… Marian had given her the best chance she ever had: the chance to get off this rock and do what she wanted with her life. Would she be proud of me, of what I've become?
A light touch on her arm startled her. "Excuse me, can I help you?"
Liana whirled around to stare into a pair of brown eyes. There stood a port security guard, looking very official in a crisp uniform. She took a step back. "Um, no, that's…" she paused. "Well, actually…do you know long this office has been empty?" She indicated the boarded up window and door.
The officer shrugged. "As long as I've been here; a couple years I guess." He had a nice face. "A lot of businesses left when the war started."
Liana hesitated again. "Can you tell me about the war? Like, where the front is now?"
His eyes clouded over. "The Populists aren't doing so well. The death toll has been high lately." He sighed. "Most of the fighting right now is taking place in the old suburban section, Hyman Hills."
Her heart skipped a beat. Hyman Hills? Then her parents could be…
He looked at her curiously. "Why do you want to know? There aren't many spacers that are interested in politics here."
"Uh, just curious," she replied with a weak smile.
"Oh. Well, the Populists may get some help soon. Rumor is there's a shipment of high-powered arms and ammo arriving today." He consulted his watch. "Actually, about now."
Her breath caught in her throat. "What's the name of the ship?"
He looked at her curiously again. "I guess it won't hurt to tell you. It's called the Tribute or the Tiberian or something. I don't know exactly." He leaned in closer. "I'm really not supposed to know about it, and I'd like to pretend that I don't."
She quickly flashed him a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, it's safe with me." Her mind was whirling. Did Derek really know what was in those boxes?
After a moment she realized that they were just standing there. The silence was awkward. "Well, I've got to get back to my ship. Thanks for helping me out." She smiled again, then turned away.
"No problem!" he called after her.
* * *
Derek didn't return to the ship for another hour. She met him in front of the boarding ramp. "Did everything go okay?"
"Yup, easy as pie." He grinned at her. "Nice big payment, too. Got your half right here." He handed her a small brown envelope.
"Thanks." She took it, but didn't open it.
His eyes met hers again, but this time he had a conspiratorial look on his face. "Hey, Li, what do you say we go blow some of this? I found this great little place…"
"Actually, Derek," she cut him off, "I'm still not feeling too great. Would it be okay if we headed back to Coruscant instead of waiting here for another job?" Please say yes, she silently pleaded.
He instantly looked concerned. "Oh, sorry, I forgot. Sure, we can leave; right now, if you want."
She breathed a small sigh of relief. "Great, let's go."
He put his arm around her as they walked up the ramp. "You really haven't seemed like yourself today…"
As soon as they blasted off, Liana felt the knot in her stomach begin to unravel. She stared out the viewport at the beautiful green planet. I know the Populists could really use those weapons. Maybe I even helped save my parents' lives…maybe it's better that I don't know…better that they don't know. How deceptively peaceful the planet looked. Good-bye H'aigoto. Forever. And this time, I mean it.
"Hey, Li, what's the holdup? Let's go!" Derek was fidgeting in his seat next to her.
She rolled her eyes. "Yes, sir!" She swung the ship around towards the vast infinity of space. "Jump in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…"
And once again the brilliant specks that were distant stars seemed to stream by them.
A/N: Thanks for reading. Please tell me what you thought, because I plan to write more using the same characters. Arigatou!! ^_^