The next morning found Saeryn and Kaybin at one of the local
tapcafés, a rather run-down establishment called The Virydia Palace. It
hardly lived up to its name, but it served the best Lomin Ale on Tatooine
as far as Saeryn was concerned. And after consuming three of them to
Kaybin's one, she was feeling much less sorry for herself than she had been
this morning when she had woken up aboard the Lady Rebel to hear Kaybin
tell her she had been shot twice in the right leg and was filled with more
transparisteel than a Jawa's junkshop.
The Bothan had exaggerated slightly, of course, but one thing he wasn't joking about was the fact that she needed immediate medical attention. She knew from just the way she felt that he was right. They had sought the help of a grizzled old man who claimed he had been a medic for the royal family on Naboo before he had been dismissed for unspecified reasons. Recalling the way he had pulled the pieces of freighter canopy from her, Saeryn had a good idea as to what those reasons were, and she was going to have the scars to prove it.
"So what are we going to do now?" Kaybin asked as he sipped his second drink slowly. "We don't have the kind of creds we're going to need to replace those guns, and the Rebels aren't likely to pay us in advance for another shipment after the fiasco we just pulled off. I think it's time we got out of the business while the going was good."
"And do what?" Saeryn retorted scornfully, perhaps a little more sharply than she would have if she were sober. "Go back to my father?" She took another swallow of her fourth Lomin Ale. "He'd shoot you right off, with the excuse that you were a bad influence on me. Then he'd have me locked up on some penal colony for betraying the Empire, likely for the rest of my life." She shook head and lowered her voice a bit. "There's no going back for us, Kaybin."
"So what do you propose we do?" the Bothan prompted. "We can't just sit here in Mos Eisley and rot!"
"I don't intend to," she replied, with a note of certainty in her voice that made him fall silent and wait to see what she said next. "We're going to discover who sold us out to Black Sun, and then we're going to make them pay for it. Maybe we won't get the money for those guns, but at least I'll feel better about this whole thing."
Kaybin looked at her for a moment, and then the full import of what she was saying struck him. He gave a nervous, incredulous chuckle. "Saeryn, come on, you're drunk, you can't be serious!" He paused and looked her in the eye. She just glared back at him. "You're serious! Saeryn, we can't go up against Black Sun! We'll be turned into Bantha fodder for sure!"
Saeryn set her glass back on the bar top and stood, checking her blasters out of habit. "I'm dead serious, Kaybin," she replied, looking back up at him. "I am not going to let these creeps ruin my life and keep me looking over my shoulder every time I'm on a job. Black Sun is going to learn they can't mess with me, and it's going to start with whoever sold us out. Now are you with me, Kaybin, or are you going to retire early?"
Kaybin winced and looked away, his furry brow creased in thought. "Dead serious," he muttered. "Well, the 'dead' part is all but guaranteed." He gave a mirthless chuckle and shook his head. "We've been partners for a long time, Saeryn," he went on finally. "And I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to put a bolt through whoever betrayed us. So I guess I'm with you. Where do we start?"
Saeryn grinned. "I think we should give old Chjivjeebs a visit. If he didn't sell us out, he'll know who did. Come on, it's almost noon. It's time to start stirring up some trouble."
As she strode out of the tapcafé, Kaybin was right behind her, and the two gunrunners started down the street, ready to take on the galaxy.
Author's Notes: Well, that's it for now. Hopefully, I will have future episodes involving Saeryn and Kaybin, as I would very much like to explore the plotline as to who is behind the fiasco involving the guns and the ambush, etc. I don't have anything written yet, so I can't say when it will be posted. Thanks for reading, and I hope you've enjoyed doing so as much as I did writing it. Your reviews have been quite helpful, and I thank you for them. Please continue to post any reviews that you may have.
The Bothan had exaggerated slightly, of course, but one thing he wasn't joking about was the fact that she needed immediate medical attention. She knew from just the way she felt that he was right. They had sought the help of a grizzled old man who claimed he had been a medic for the royal family on Naboo before he had been dismissed for unspecified reasons. Recalling the way he had pulled the pieces of freighter canopy from her, Saeryn had a good idea as to what those reasons were, and she was going to have the scars to prove it.
"So what are we going to do now?" Kaybin asked as he sipped his second drink slowly. "We don't have the kind of creds we're going to need to replace those guns, and the Rebels aren't likely to pay us in advance for another shipment after the fiasco we just pulled off. I think it's time we got out of the business while the going was good."
"And do what?" Saeryn retorted scornfully, perhaps a little more sharply than she would have if she were sober. "Go back to my father?" She took another swallow of her fourth Lomin Ale. "He'd shoot you right off, with the excuse that you were a bad influence on me. Then he'd have me locked up on some penal colony for betraying the Empire, likely for the rest of my life." She shook head and lowered her voice a bit. "There's no going back for us, Kaybin."
"So what do you propose we do?" the Bothan prompted. "We can't just sit here in Mos Eisley and rot!"
"I don't intend to," she replied, with a note of certainty in her voice that made him fall silent and wait to see what she said next. "We're going to discover who sold us out to Black Sun, and then we're going to make them pay for it. Maybe we won't get the money for those guns, but at least I'll feel better about this whole thing."
Kaybin looked at her for a moment, and then the full import of what she was saying struck him. He gave a nervous, incredulous chuckle. "Saeryn, come on, you're drunk, you can't be serious!" He paused and looked her in the eye. She just glared back at him. "You're serious! Saeryn, we can't go up against Black Sun! We'll be turned into Bantha fodder for sure!"
Saeryn set her glass back on the bar top and stood, checking her blasters out of habit. "I'm dead serious, Kaybin," she replied, looking back up at him. "I am not going to let these creeps ruin my life and keep me looking over my shoulder every time I'm on a job. Black Sun is going to learn they can't mess with me, and it's going to start with whoever sold us out. Now are you with me, Kaybin, or are you going to retire early?"
Kaybin winced and looked away, his furry brow creased in thought. "Dead serious," he muttered. "Well, the 'dead' part is all but guaranteed." He gave a mirthless chuckle and shook his head. "We've been partners for a long time, Saeryn," he went on finally. "And I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to put a bolt through whoever betrayed us. So I guess I'm with you. Where do we start?"
Saeryn grinned. "I think we should give old Chjivjeebs a visit. If he didn't sell us out, he'll know who did. Come on, it's almost noon. It's time to start stirring up some trouble."
As she strode out of the tapcafé, Kaybin was right behind her, and the two gunrunners started down the street, ready to take on the galaxy.
Author's Notes: Well, that's it for now. Hopefully, I will have future episodes involving Saeryn and Kaybin, as I would very much like to explore the plotline as to who is behind the fiasco involving the guns and the ambush, etc. I don't have anything written yet, so I can't say when it will be posted. Thanks for reading, and I hope you've enjoyed doing so as much as I did writing it. Your reviews have been quite helpful, and I thank you for them. Please continue to post any reviews that you may have.