In Search of a Refuge
Commander Warrick had stood with Queen Soyala and her handmaidens, while his men moved about the corridors of the palace. The eight handmaidens stood motionless behind the Queen, waiting. Dressed in long hooded robes with cloths that covered their nose and mouth, only the handmaiden's eyes were visible.
Kirn stifled a grunt. He was sick of just standing around here. It wasn't in his nature to hide by standing in the enemy's presence . . . dressed like a handmaiden, Ugh. Jerica stood next to him in the line of young women. She shifted slightly when the troopers came in, but other than that, she had shown no emotion.
Kirn was stiff from slouching and trying to make himself smaller. He was taller than all the other handmaidens and obviously was built different. He was more muscular, and his shoulders were broader. Even the over robes they wore couldn't disguise that fact. He had looked at himself in the mirror before coming out here, and he looked ridiculous. He knew then that this was never going to work.
Warrick had fortunately been distracted, first by the defiant queen and then by ordering his men around. Now, however, there was nothing to divert his attention, and he turned, scanning the faces behind him. Kirn knew what was coming next. The Commander's glance rested on him a beat longer than all the rest.
Jedi or not, Kirn decided, it is time to make use of some of his jedi skills. He made a slight gesture by his side. Good, Warrick wasn't as strong minded as he looked. This was going to be easy.
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Commander Warrick scanned the faces of the handmaidens. Their expressions were hidden beneath the shadowed hoods and the cloths they wore over their faces, but he could tell by their eyes that they were anxious. Wouldn't it be easy for Jerica to hide among them? Nubian politicians have used their handmaidens to deceive their enemies since the dark ages. The thought came to him, as he scanned the faces.
Then his gaze fell on the last of the woman. She was broader, her shoulders were more rigid, and she seemed to be hunching overEven her face, though hidden, did not have a feminine quality to it, and her blue eyes were set in a hard piercing gaze. Warrick moved to confront the matter, this handmaiden was very suspicious and-
Suddenly, Warrick forgot what he was thinking about it. He looked over the crowd that stood before him, but nothing caught his attention. Hmm.
"Commander," the Queen asked. "Must I be present for this exercise? It is the middle of the night, and if you are not in need of my assistance, why should I be prevented from retiring?"
Warrick considered a reply, before hearing himself say, "Of course." Wait.
The Queen nodded, and she and her entourage turned away, moving back through one of the many corridors.
Warrick regained possession of his thoughts, "I- they-"
"Sir," came the voice of one of the troopers, "we may have found something."
Warrick shook his head, and turned to the trooper. He was still not quite sure what was going on.
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"You can not stay here any longer." The Queen said, once they were all safe inside her lavish chambers.
"Ya think?" Kirn asked harshly. He was stretching, bitterly trying to work the kinks out of his back. Besides, it had been a close call in the throne room, and he was now fairly certain he was the only competent being in the room. If not for him, they would probably all be prisoners on their way to the Imperial stronghold.
The Queen disregarded him, turning back to Jerica. "Teraé will show you the way. There are safe houses in the abandoned lower country. You can stay there until these Imperials end their search."
"No where is safe to hide," Kirn said matter-of-factly. "She might as well just hide in the closet or the refresher. They're going to search everywhere."
"Do you have a better suggestion, Master Torek?" The Queen asked, matching his terse tone. "Those safe houses do not exist as far as anyone is concerned. You will have an easier time hiding there than anywhere on the planet, and since leaving the system is out of the question-"
"It's fine," Jerica said, surprising everyone. "We'll go. We won't put you in further danger by staying in the palace. If we are found, at least we'll be far away from here."
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The safe house was hidden away beyond the waterfalls of Theed, in the deep canyon that lay beneath the palace. Hidden by a thick surrounding of trees, the house remained unseen until at last they stood before it. The journey here was tiring, and it was the early hours of the morning before the handmaiden had bidden them farewell and left them in their hiding place.
Standing there in the common room, Kirn and Jerica surveyed their temporary home. There was small foyer before the front door, which led to the open common room. Off to one side was a small kitchen, and the opposite wall held the doorway to two bed chambers. Directly across the common room from the front door was a separate parlor that lead out onto a large veranda with a sheltered lake view.
It was the nicest hiding place Kirn had ever seen. He had always found the safest places to be in the shadows, where most people didn't dare to go looking for you. Refuges were found in dangerous places that were only safe because whatever thugs were there didn't notice you. However, politicians had more resources. Apparently they could afford luxury even when they were incognita
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Stepping out of her chamber, Jerica distinctly heard Kirn snoring. With an amused sigh, she crossed to the parlor, where a small comm station was set up. She knew something suspicious was going on, and she need information. Queen Soyala, the officials and advisors, none of them had offered her any information about her father.
When she had left for the senate, he was still at the palace, staying in the senatorial wing. Going to his old apartment, she had found it abandoned with no explanation. The Imperial agent had ruined her chance at finding one. Now her only chance was the news net. Each system had it's own information system, and perhaps the Nubian archives would give some clue as to the fate of Dren Galak, the Nubian Architect.
Hours would pass by as Jerica searched through the data, looking for any piece of information. Everything she read troubled her. There were logs about the Imperials shutting down interplanetary communication. Logs told of the purge of the Gungans, and finally of the tunnel that bridged the core. It was in such an article that she found the facts she was searching for.
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Kirn rose from his bed and surveyed his surroundings. The chronometer told him that it was after mid-day. He sighed, realizing he had overslept, and stretching, he working the stiffness out of his muscles. It had been a long night, and he was awaiting any news of the outside world.
A display screen in the far corner of the room blinked, displaying a coded message. What now? Kirn wondered, before treading to the screen. Wiping the last of sleep from his eyes, he studied the message. It brought an old cliché thought to mind. Good news and bad news. Can't the galaxy be at peace, even just for a moment?
Knowing it was a stupid question, Kirn abandoned his thoughts. Once he was dressed, he went to the common room, thinking he could meditate there. He didn't think Jerica was awake, but he was wrong. There she was, sitting on the sofa with her back to him.
He considered retreating back to his chamber, but he was overcome with a strange guilt as he studied her. She was still dressed in the simple tunic and pants, and he could sense that she was absolutely exhausted. Nice Kirn, he thought. You sleep like a hibernating Wampa while your charge doesn't get a single moment of rest.
By the appearance of the comm station, it was apparent that she had spent her time searching the news nets. Though what she was looking for, he couldn't imagine. Suddenly he sensed something else from her, a fresh swell of sorrow, but it was raw. Her emotions had been dry a moment ago, and now a swell of anguish filled her, so depressing that Kirn felt himself cringe.
Occasionally in the past seven months, Kirn had sensed that she was mourning something, but not like this. Something terrible had happened.
Without another thought, he moved forward, stepping around the small sofa so that he could see her face. The words left him at the sight of her. All he could do was stand in silence.
"The holo-net was dismantled," she said suddenly. Her voice was dry from having cried for so long. "They've torn down all public communications."
"It was only a matter of time," Kirn offered. That can't be all that's troubling her. She just dodging the subject . . . again. "Anyway," he began again gently, "a message came from Queen Soyala. We're safe for now. They don't even suspect we're here."
"How do you know?"
"The message came through the Nubian communications, just minute ago."
"Oh," she said. She still hadn't looked back at him. Her head had remained down, as she studied her hands in her lap. "But what I meant was . . . how can they be so sure we're safe?"
Kirn knew there was no way to make this any easier to hear. "A handmaiden," he began tentatively, "was taken into custody. They suspect her of being Jerica Darred."
Jerica shook her head, clenching her eyes shut. She put her face in her hands and remained silent.
"Listen," Kirn tried. "A simple DNA scan will disprove that. She'll be returned."
Jerica lifted her face from her hands. At last she looked back him, determination in her tear-filled eyes. "I want to end this. I want to stop this Empire. I would do anything. . . . If my death would end this, then I would be more than willing to die."
"Don't talk like that." Kirn said, before realizing that he had spoken more harshly than he intended.
Jerica looked startled, "Why? Wouldn't you? If your death could stop this, wouldn't you die for freedom?"
"One death won't stop this," he tone was considerably softer. Then, he gave a sigh, "Except Palpatine's."
Jerica rose suddenly from her seat, "I want to go back to the Rebellion. I'll do whatever it takes. I'm not going to just sit by."
"You're not thinking clearly, just calm down." Kirn said.
Escaping now would be a mistake. Kirn had learned long ago that you don't run from safety. But how could he make her understand? He couldn't just tell her. She wouldn't listen to him, she didn't listen to anyone. He doubted she even listened to her parents.
He considered that fact. Jerica had said her father smuggled them away all those years ago. He must have told her it was best to hide when you can. "What would your father say," Kirn said, having found a reasonable argument, "if he heard you?"
Jerica's reaction was unexpected. "Stop! Don't bring him into this!" She sounded defensive, but Kirn sensed another wave of sorrow wash over her.
"Why?" he asked, not taking the time to consider his words, "Because you know that he'd tell you how stupid you sound!"
"You don't understand," she accused. "He's dead! They killed him!"
"What?" Kirn asked, trying to put this whole conversation together. "Who? Who are you talking about?"
"My father," she said, bitter and yet sad. "They found him. He always said we couldn't stay hidden forever." She shook her head, "He was always warning me, and I never listened. But he knew. He's gone." It was all she could say before bursting into sobs again. She turned away, putting a hand to her face.
Kirn watched her, seeing how broken she was. He found himself stepping toward her, before wrapping his arms around her and holding her in a comforting embrace.
For a long moment they stood there. Jerica's head rested against his chest, while he rested his chin on the top of her head. Suddenly out of the silence, he heard Jerica speak. "I don't want anyone else to suffer like this. I will do whatever it takes to end Palpatine's rule. I have nothing left to lose. I've lost everything."
Even as he held her in his arms, Kirn couldn't help but think. I'm still here.