In Darkness
The figure in the Shadows watched as a fat man approached the other two. They spoke in low whispers one handed the other some Credit chits and was given a small package, before with furtive glances, the two groups parted company. She smiled as she stepped out from behind the crates. Dark eyes twinkled in triumph before darkening at the sound of a Security sweep. She melted away into the dark night, leaving the lingering scent of Cheri blossom hanging in the air.
Talon Karrde watched the dingy bar with eyes made wary by years of such watchfulness. Opposite him sat the lovely Shada. Her eyes too swept the room. His own paused on a pretty girl standing at the far end of the bar, mostly hidden the shadows. She had thick dark hair pulled back from straight shoulders. A dark outfit and her choice of weapons said she was a bounty hunter. As she turned towards him he blinked. She was more than beautiful. Her face was perfect, until you looked at her eyes. He'd seen eyes like those before. Her dark eyes reflected a bitter pain he knew on the faces of those who had nothing left worth living for.
She smiled slightly. Her dark eyes matching his own, their caf dark depths focused on him. He kept her gaze. Strangely she didn't look away, most of the crooks in this joint slipped their eyes away from yours if they caught you looking at them. She raised her small glass in front of her, as though she were about to drink. As she did she winked and gave a slight toast in his direction. Then a pair of Rodian's passed in front of her and when he looked back across the crowded room she was gone.
He shook a strange feeling of Déjà vu and turned back to Shada. She was still raking the room with her eyes. N over the top gray outfit with silver beads and matching pieces in her hair. Talon smiled slightly as her hand stroked his absently in her role as sycophantic female companion. He felt a stir of hunger and glanced again at the grimy bowl of equally grimy nuts, making a face he pushed them towards Shada. She rolled her eyes at him while somehow making it look as though she was gazing up at him adoringly.
He made a small noise in his throat as he saw a tall dark skinned man step through the door. Nor Cherum was the worse kind of crook and smuggler. His greasy face split into a fake smile when he spotted Karrde, he began manourvering his enormous girth though the.
"Talon!" he boomed as he slipped in to the chair between Shada and Talon, distributing his poundage onto the chair. "How are you?" he asked with fake interest.
"Well." Said Karrde shortly, his eyes sweeping the room again. Something about this meeting was off. Karrde frowned. Nor Cherum had a rather disgusting greasy, ingratiating expression on his face, but his greedy, pig like eyes looked triumphant. Perhaps he thought he was going to make Talon Karrde pay him exorbitantly for a piece of small information. "Too business?" suggested Karrde. A slight moment passed as Nor glanced sideways a little uncertainly.
"O-of course." He said slightly more uncertain. Shada too was tense Karrde noticed. He brought out a small datacard and placed it on the table with a slight thunk. Karrde looked from the card to Nor's sweaty face. He frowned slightly. As he reached for the card a passing figure put a gun to his temple. He heard Shada's shocked gasp as another gun was placed at her temple. Karrde watched as others in the room brought their guns to bear on Karrde and his people. He looked up at pale eyed young man. He saw a figure nearby in dark a bounty hunter's outfit close her eyes.
He frowned and looked at the others in the room quickly. All his people were covered and at least three guns were trained on Shada. Karrde whistled as his brain went into over drive. He felt a hand snake around and grab his gun. Leaning back in his rickety chair he looked at Nor Cherun. Surprisingly Nor's face wasn't twisted into a triumphant grin, in fact it wasn't showing anything much.
Except fear, mortal fear. The pale eyed young man holstered his gun; his face did have a triumphant smile on it. He flicked icy blonde hair off his face as he smiled down at Karrde. "Ah the man himself." He said in what had to be one of the most compelling voices Kardde had ever heard. The man himself was little more than a boy yet his features and mere presence were like a drug. Kardde felt a strong compunction to like the, which was completely irrational he told himself as he took note of the man's people still had guns on everyone of his people in the room. As he returned his gaze to the young man he noticed a hand clenching into a fist.
The young man's icy eyes were… friendly. He shook his head slightly. And looked back at the young man. One moment he was a deadly and unknown enemy the next Karrde felt like he was looking at a friend. At someone he could trust implicitly. As he shook his head again a rustle passed through the room as men in dark clothing stood or stepped close to the men who had guns trained on Karrde's people. New guns leveled.
Karrde sucked in breath and looked up at the young man. All his benevolent feelings disappeared like they were being sucked away. The young man's icy eyes widened but before he could do anything a slender silver blaster was pointed at his head. Over his shoulder Karrde noticed the dark eyed bounty hunter was the one holding the gun. The young man was pulled backwards into a slightly open space. The young woman suddenly let go of the man and ducked just as he turned.
Karrde jumped upright. A sharp hiss crack filled the room as a red blade appeared where the young bounty hunter had just been standing. She rolled over her shoulder and stood up a distance away. Her face was set in a taunting grin, dark eyes dancing.
"Consider yourself a Jedi do you?" she asked. Her voice was rich, just as Karrde had imagined. The man slashed at her with the 'saber. She ducked away from the blade. Laughing. He followed after, his blade carving patterns of light around her.
"Stupid girl!" he growled as he chased after her. In a sudden move that Kardde could never later remember exactly the young man was stepping forwards, preparing to finish of the young girl. Suddenly her foot was where his knee had been straightening. A sharp snap was followed by a scream from the young man. The lightsaber was plucked from nerveless fingers and deactivated.
The young woman grabbed the man by the front of his shirt and dragged him across the room she backed him into the table and but the deactivated saber to his neck. The man was shaking, his face white from pain. She looked at the others in the room her dark eyes meeting each of the attacker's eyes, challenging them.
"Anyone else thinks they're a Jedi?" she asked dangerously. Silence answered her as those of the young man's supporters who still had their weapons handed them over with bad grace. "Good." She said turning back to the young man. She looked down at him and then smiled sweetly at him. He was sweating now his face contorted with pain. "Hurts does it?" she asked. "Good. I don't like people calling me stupid…" She grinned lopsidedly, it wasn't a pleasant grin.
Karrde looked over at Nor, his pig like eyes were looking at her with fear and amazement. She stepped back a bit and pulled out her blaster. Aiming carefully she looked down the silver sight at the young man. Karrde recognized her intention and stepped forwards his mouth opening. A single red blast hit the man between the eyes.
Karrde's words died in his throat as the body slid off the table. Karrde watched as though in slow motion as the girl pulled open the light saber case and laying it on the table she blasted it as well. He turned to cold dark eyes in an equally cold face. Around the room he realized dead men were sliding to the floor. Without a word the girl then shot the Data card. Slipping her blaster away she smiled at the silent room. Those not involved with the brawl waited to see what either side would do next.
She turned away and walked to the door, stepping over a body as though it were a puddle in the street. She turned back towards Kardde for a moment. Her dark hair and eyes a contrast to her icy expression. She smiled coldly and said.
"Goodbye Karrde." He sucked in a breath.
"Who are you?" he croaked after her.
"A friend." She replied before disappearing. Out the door into the night. Several of his men had recovered enough to run out the door after her. After a minute they returned to find Kardde sitting at the table staring at the blasted datacard. What, he asked himself, had been on the card that had caused all this murder? Who was the man with the lightsaber and who was the dark haired girl? The questions danced through his brain as those who had not taken side quickly disappeared leaving Kardde and his people alone in the dark and even more shabby bar with the dead bodies, the smell of ozone and the faint scent of some exotic flower.
Luke woke again to the sound of Mara crying out in her sleep. He began to reach for her and stopped. Her green eyes were open and staring at the ceiling as tears leaked from their corners. "No," she murmured over and over again. He watched in anguish as she shuddered and rolled away, curling into a protective ball as she wept her apologies to the darkness.
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