Chapter 7
A New Life
"Who is this?" A voice said over the Radio station. "My name is Tylift Simpka and I bring my wife Sabe Simpka to land on Corescant we are from Tatione we wish to start a new life here." Anakin said into the Radio. "Oh you'll get a new life. There's a new ruler in this land and new laws since Leia and Han Solo have been taken captive and dethroned by the Empress. Do you wish to continue your landing and what is the name of your ship." "The Falcon." Anakin lied. "All right you have been granted permission to land. If you and your wife seek employment and a place to live head to the recent builded white apartments called The Crown Homes. The management will see what kind of jobs you are suited to and what your apartment number will be. That is all." Anakin took the controls from Kerri. "Are you okay we haven't been talking much I'm sorry." Anakin said. "It's okay." Kerri said putting her arms over his shoulders. "Now you're acting like my wife. And actually I've sensed that there are security cameras everywhere so we will have to er sleep on the bed both of us." Anakin said blushing. "Oh brother I liked your brother/sister excuse." "But then we'd be separated." Anakin pointed out. "Maybe." "I don't want to have to find you and my parents." Anakin said. He opened the landing hatch. Kerri followed him down the ramp.
Kerri grabbed his hand as a person in charge with Storm Troopers by him waved them through. Corescant was a huge planet where almost nothing but a few night clubs were on the ground. Transportation was pretty much in the air. It was amazing Kerri had never seen anything like it before. Twice Anakin had to tell her to quit gawking and get a move on but he did so kindly. "Come on. We're headed to the very heart of the city." Anakin said. They walked into a Lobby of a Hotel like building where the wealthy stayed. "Taxi." Anakin said. "Where too?" "The Crown Homes?" Anakin asked. "Twelfth floor." The alien replied in a bored voice. Anakin led Kerri swiftly away. "If anyone asks you are my wife." Anakin whispered as they stepped onto the lifts. "Duh I know that." Anakin rested his arm on her shoulder. "Right but remember the rule or I'll use your Lightsaber against you." Kerri said. "I will."
They stepped out on a hallway missing the outer wall. Where different drivers and Taxi's stood waiting between pillars. Depending on how far and how fast you wanted to travel cost and transportation varied. "I'll pay. I've got some money from my allowance left over." Anakin said. "Good because I was wondering what we'd do if you didn't." Kerri said. "All right." "Name?" A burly bald haired man asked them. "Tylift and my wife Sabe." "Just moved here?" "Looking for work to be productive citizens of the Empress new Empire." Anakin said. "The Crown Homes are for those who don't come from here. Arian will take you." A small blue car in the shape of a cloud pulled beside them. "They'll be expecting you." Kerri slid in the car next to Anakin. "Come on it has to be better than the life we left behind." Anakin told her softly kissing her on the cheek. Kerri just nodded not trusting herself to speak. They floated to a stop a few inches above the ground where three large white towered buildings stood up. The Crown Homes were written in gold letters on the top of the building. "How could you miss it?" Kerri muttered. Anakin seemed surprised when she reached for his hand a second time out of sheer nerves. "We'll be okay all right? I promise I'll get you out of this alive." Anakin whispered as he opened the door to the lobby.
The Lobby was bright white marble floor with a red and gold square carpet on the floor. Handsome oak desks stood in the center with two people in white uniforms were waiting. Behind it in black letters against a white sign were the words: The Crown Homes. "Names please?" The woman asked she had hard black eyes pale white skin and worms for her hair. "Tylift and Sabe Simpka. Humble farmers from Tatione seeking a better life under the Empress." Anakin said. "One bedroom apartment available. First months rent due at the end of the month. What kind of work do you do?" The woman asked coldly. "I do bar tending in night clubs there was only one where we lived but I worked there for twelve years." Kerri said. "We have a night club down the street looking for a worker you'll do. Average wage of seven dollars an hour. Plus whatever tips you pick up. You work night clubs?" "Yes." Anakin said trying very hard not to look surprised or at Kerri to see if she knew what she was doing. "Well only hiring one I'm afraid but you'll be allowed to escort your wife to and from work so she gets home safely and they ain't looking for a replacement. Now you mentioned farming done any mining before?" The woman asked. "No." "Well its easy enough wage is six dollars per hour and you work till five p.m,. in the evening and are given time to hang out at the men's club or be with your wife. Divorce is not an option." The woman said. "I'll take it." Anakin said. "Good. You'll be overseeing the prisoners that are sent under the mines. You'll be taken in a taxi at six in the morning from your room apartment D12 on floor four. Take the lift please here are your keys." Kerri glared at Anakin as the lift doors closed. "What?" Anakin asked. "Mines?" Kerri hissed at him very aware of the four video cameras in the corners of the lift. "Oh please don't get hurt." Kerri hugged him. "I'll be careful come on. Let's go see our home sweet home." Anakin said.
The walls in the hallway were made out of wood but painted white. The carpet was red and gold and covered a marble floor. Anakin looked for number D12. It was on the corner of the building. Each floor went around the lift in a square. There was a Taxi exit at the end of each hallway to take them to various work stations if they needed too. Anakin opened the door with a copy of their two keys.
The walls were dark brown inside the room and there were three small rooms connected. Like a hotel room the bedroom was in the forefront. A double bed was the only furniture visible besides a writing desk beside it. "Mum and Dad must have escaped and to get captured again." Anakin said sitting down on the bed. "Well there's a bathroom and a small mini kitchen for me to cook in." Anakin came in to look at it. "You cook?" Anakin teased her. "Yes cook unless you'd rather." "I don't want my food poisoned accidentally." Anakin said slyly. "So long as I don't have to cook." Kerri said kissing him on the cheek. "Somebody's happy. But don't worry we shouldn't be too long. Mom and Dad might be some of the prisoner's I have to over see in the mines. For now I think we should get some shut eye." Anakin whispered hugging her. "Good night." Kerri said laughing and claiming her side of the bed.
When Kerri woke up and saw Anakin on the bed beside her she almost freaked. "You're not on your side!" Kerri hissed in his ear waking him up. "You okay?" Anakin asked scooting quickly to his side before she hit him or something. "No I completely forgot about all of this you know so when I saw you I guess getting married takes some time to get used to." Kerri said the last part loudly in case any security who saw this go suspicious. "That's what I said." Anakin chuckled. Kerri tackled him. He kissed her. Kerri raised her eyebrows. "Part of the act." Anakin said. Kerri smirked and got up and was the first out of the two to be ready. Anakin laughed at her when she returned from the bathroom. "What?" Kerri asked. "Come on we don't have any groceries yet but I bought some supplies from the ship so we'll be okay till we get our first pay." Anakin said. "I hope you find them soon." Kerri said.
Once Anakin set off Kerri wasn't quite sure what to do with herself. She had at least another five hours till she had to be at work. Anakin even though he'd be exhausted said he'd accompany her to work and then stay till closing he'd even pay to get in just to keep her safe like he promised. Kerri took her key and left the hotel room. She wasn't going far she wasn't dumb. One of the good ways to get lost was to stray far from home base. Well lost or hurt one of the basic rules taught even on earth.
"Ow!" "Oh I'm so sorry I wasn't paying attention to where I was going." Kerri exclaimed helping a woman who had just gotten off the lift with a load of clothes neatly folded and pressed. "No it's all right I'm dead klutzy anyways my husband Tolan has to help me a bit." The woman said. "I'm Sabe." Kerri said catching herself on time before she let Kerri slip. "Ilethena." Ilethena said. "Are you new?" "Yes my husband Tylift and I just moved here yesterday." Kerri lied. "How wonderful. Newly married then?" Ilethena asked. "Yes." "Well it's hard work not to scare you or anything but it is." "Do you need some help?" Kerri offered. "Yes. I just like to get a few chores done before I go to work tonight that way I don't have to wake up in the morning." "Where do you work? Can I help?" Kerri asked. "Sure. I work at a night club down the street." "I'm working there also but I don't know what I'm doing." "Follow my lead I'll show you the ropes. Oh and after close on Saturdays us girls bring out one of the gambling table and play games with tips we can get." Ilethena said. "Cool." Kerri said. "Is your husband walking you to work?" Ilethena asked. "Yeah." Kerri said. "Good. Mine doesn't and it's a hard journey I'm lucky to make it as often as I have." Ilethena had long blonde hair and yellow eyes and a long thin scar across her right chin. Kerri walked her to her door which was D18. "I'll show you how things work here and how you can add to your possessions. Pay day is always on Friday. We'll walk over there together say eight because most don't start till nine but ours is eight thirty and stays open later than most." Ilethena explained. Kerri nodded and walked back to the room where she felt bored and restless. Kerri sat on the edge of a bed where she pretended to read a book but concentrated on trying to find out where Han and Leia might be through the Force though she could let know one know what she was doing.
Han's eyebrows were covered in dirt in fact his whole body was. Well now Leia couldn't complain about his best clothes getting dirty in the mines. Beside him his wife Leia's hair had been cut off and she was given a brown dirty rag dress instead of the white one she had worn. Every day at four in the morning a guard would open the cells in the prison and lead the prisoners down to the mines that this so called Empress had set up. Actually the mines had been closed down by Leia and Han back when they had the Old Republic coming back together again.
The attack on Corescant came so sudden that Leia and Han had no time to get any troops into battle. Leia and Han were thrown into the prison and now were sent down to mine for gold every day even though the mines had been shut down for public safety issues. The Empress was demanding. All the more gold no matter what the cost the better. In fact the higher the cost the better. The prisoners were given a five minute break to eat their food if they had any or just to rest. Han and Leia were on one of those breaks. They were on the second to the bottom level of the mines with a hundred of other top prisoners. Mostly these people had been friends of Han and Leia who tried to help them when the invasion of the Shadow Academy had come in led by a woman strangely. Well a woman under a man but no one caught the man's name. The Empress as she was called ran things her way in Corescant as the planet had been her reward for serving the Dark Side of the Force faithfully.
The whistle blew for the five minute break. Most sat on the dirt floor deep in the mines too exhausted to get out till the end of the day. "Han Anakin's in the mine!" Leia whispered jerking her head up off her husband shoulder. "What?" Han asked startled. "He was being given a tour I saw him but he didn't recognize me." Leia whispered. "Why would he be working here?" Han asked. "To find us?" Leia whispered. "Good old Luke must have sent him in. If they're all on Corescant where are they hiding?" Han asked. "No they all aren't. Just Anakin and Kerri." Leia said. "Honey whoever said you didn't have the Force is wrong." Han sighed. "Back to work and no talking while you work or you will be whipped!" A passing guard snapped as the whistles blew again. Sighing Han picked up his hammer and other mining tools and continued to whack at the rock.
Anakin felt excited his mother and father were in the mines he knew it. It was an awful place to work but the prisoners were so exhausted by the end of the day they'd either die in the mines or of illness but not of killing each other. Anakin was in charge of the overseeing the prisoners closest to the surface. The guard had told him that the prisoners could earn well the woman could earn money by sleeping with an overseer and sometimes that bought them freedom and the men pleasure. "It works they get their freedom we a get a lass on our knee." Anakin didn't make a disgusted face till Astolin left and he was in charge. At five oh clock Anakin was more than ready to go home. He clocked out to see what news Kerri had for him.