See disclaimer in prologue.
Ok, here is the next installment of Misery. I hope that if anyone is following this, that it was worth the wait. I'm really sorry it took so long for me to get this one out, but I've been really busy... I know, I know, that's no excuse... :) Thanks so much to my reviewers, you don't know how much I love it when I know that people are actually reading. Keep 'em coming! Please, any new readers, feel free to drop in your two cents worth also. Now, on to what you are actually here for...
CHAPTER 6
Tenel Ka sat staring at Dathomir as it faded away beneath her. She sighed with relief when they shot into hyperspace right after the Lightning Rod. The Lady Luck had left the day before to secure their passage into Hutt space.
She was glad to finally be doing something. She hated sitting around and planning. She wanted to take action and she was growing very tired of watching people hurt her family.
*
Varuna the Hutt floated on her repulsor sled into her receiving room. Her guards would arrive soon with the intruder they had captured on Ylesia. T'landa Til were not very bright, but they got the job done, and hired for almost nothing, which was really all a Hutt could ask for.
While she was waiting, Varuna let her offspring come out of its pouch and wander around on the floor. Varuna was newly turned female, and had another hundred standard years before the baby Hutt reached the age of sentience and Varuna went back to being Lord of her clan instead of Lady.
Varuna was startled out of watching her offspring when the t'landa Til entered the chamber, dragging a small, bound creature behind them.
"Lady Varuna," the head said in Huttese. "We have captured the intruder from Ylesia and brought it to you for judgment." He was proud; plainly, he expected praise, and perhaps even a reward. The Hutt floated down to them to inspect their prisoner.
"You fools," she said in her booming voice. "This is nothing but a human juvenile!" It opened its eyes slowly, whatever drugs they had given it starting to wear off. It looked up at Varuna with terrified blue human eyes. About the same height as Varuna's offspring, it was much slimmer. It spoke in Basic, asking for release. Moisture gathered in its pale eyes.
"I have no use for this," Varuna said. "Dispose of it." The human understood the meaning, if not the words, and began to struggle. Lazily, the chief t'landa Til hit it on the head, knocking it unconscious. In doing so, he knocked something off its clothing.
"Bring that to me," Varuna roared. It was a black, metallic cylinder. It belonged to that human, Kanyen Elbakni, who thought he had allied himself with her clan. In reality, it would take far more credits than he had to offer to become a true and permanent ally, but it amused her to allow him his illusions, and perhaps she could get a few more credits out of him before his feeble human brain allowed him to catch on.
So how came this small human to have Elbakni's lightsaber?
"Throw it in with the human slaves," Varuna said. "If there is anything else on it, give it to me." The t'landa Til looked over her new slave and came up with two more lightsabers and a book, which was quite puzzling. Varuna tossed all of these aside to look at later when one of her many slaves came in to announce that she was receiving a holo-net message from some other human named Lando Calrissian.
*
Lando signed off, feeling pleased with his acting ability. Varuna the Hutt was expecting a couple of ships representing him to arrive in three standard days to discuss trade negotiations. But was he doing the right thing, sending his friends' kids into danger? He sure hoped so. He always had the option of calling Coruscant, of course, but then he'd have to explain himself to Han and Leia, Luke and Mara, and probably the King and Queen of Hapes. Compared to those six, whatever they faced in Hutt space would probably be downright easy.
*
Ty looked down at the new slave the guard had thrown in his cell. Child slaves usually slept five to a cell, but since Gad and Brakka had died a few days ago, he, Nara, and Dioni had plenty of extra room.
She was younger than five, which should make Dioni happy. Now she wouldn't be the youngest in the cell. The new slave had dark hair, and her skin was pale. She must have been a slave a long time, because she didn't look like she'd been outside very much. Ty had been born a slave and had not seen the sun himself in four years.
The new girl was bruised and scratched all over, so she must have been punished for something before she came to Ty's mistress. The Hutt had more painful and usually fatal ways to deal with disobedience than beating her slaves, but Ty had heard that some masters did it.
Ty didn't have a chronometer, but he knew that it was about time for his shift to start. He dragged the girl over to Brakka's old bed. Nara and Dioni would take care of her when they got back.
She looked so fragile. Ty didn't think she looked much like a slave. He hoped she would be a good slave. She wouldn't be there long if she wasn't.
*
"Ty, what are you doing? Your shift isn't over yet!"
"I finished my assigned work. Brant sent me to take the new slave to the work station."
Nova heard sounds before she opened her eyes. She didn't want to wake up. She was so tired, and she hurt all over.
"Hey, new kid, get up." Someone was shaking her. It was a boy.
"Leave me alone, Luc," she said before she remembered that Luc wasn't with her anymore. She opened her eyes. There was a boy standing over her. He had brown eyes like her brother, but while Luc's were the colour of brandy, this boy's were more like chocolate.
"You'd better get up," the boy said. Without waiting for her to do anything, he grabbed her with one hand and set her down on the floor. Nova stared at him. She was a little bit tall for her age, but he was a whole lot taller. He didn't look much older, though. There were two girls in the room who were both ignoring them. Looking down, Nova saw that all three of her lightsabers were gone.
"Where are they?" she cried. "My—" She suddenly shut up. She had to think, just like Lady Misery said. If this boy didn't know about the lightsabers, she shouldn't tell him. She didn't know if she could trust him, and even if she could, what about the two girls? And could someone else be listening? Nova decided she would keep it a secret for now.
"Come on, new kid, let's go," said the boy.
"My name is Nova. Not new kid."
"My name is Ty, new kid. Now let's go."
"Nova!" she insisted as she followed him out the door.
"I get it, new kid," Ty said.
"I'm Nova!" she screamed. Then she realized what he was doing. He was trying to make her mad! Well, she decided, no matter what he said, she wouldn't talk to him again. He was just a dumb boy, anyway. But then he surprised her.
"I know that, Nova." She didn't reply, but watched him out of the corner of her eye as they walked. Finally, they got to some kind of office. A droid was there.
"845-8246," it said. "This would be Mistress Varuna's new slave?" Ty nodded. "Species?"
"He's asking you," Ty said when Nova didn't answer.
"Can't he tell?" she wondered.
"Just answer him!"
"Fine, I'm human," Nova said.
"Gender?"
"I'm a girl."
"Female," Ty supplied.
"Number?"
"I don't have a number," Nova said.
"Who was your last owner?" Ty asked. Owner? Nova shrugged. "Are you saying you're fresh?"
"A fresh slave, 8246?" The droid's inside parts made a whirring sound. "New slave must be assigned a number. Name?"
"Nova…" Did she have a second name? It would be the same as her daddy's, but she couldn't remember that. Should she use Lord Elbow-head's name, in case he wasn't a big fat liar and really was her daddy? Would that make her Nova Elbow-head? Too late.
"New slave Nova, assigned number 847-9138. Memorize the number and report to the inner office for work detail."
"Thank you, sir registration droid," Ty said, grabbing Nova's arm. "Hope you get something good, 9138."
*
"Lady Misery?" Jaina looked around, almost panicking. There were so many echoes. She couldn't tell where the sound was coming from. She saw…bodies. Her entire family, from her grandfather Anakin Skywalker to the unborn daughter she carried inside.
Only Luc and Nova were still standing. Someone stood over them, wearing black Jedi robes and brandishing a blood-red lightsaber. The twins caught sight of Jaina, and looked at her with pleading eyes.
"Help, Mommy!" they screamed, but Jaina could only stand, rooted to the spot, as the lightsaber crashed down, and their terrified screams were cut short.
"You see, little one," the robed woman said to nobody in particular. "Those who follow the Dark Side always win."
"No," Jaina whispered. She could hardly get the word out. She was so cold. Her breath made clouds of white, and her bare feet were almost completely numb. It began to snow, quickly covering the many bodies.
"Yes, little Solo," the woman said. "The Dark Side always wins." The lightsaber rose. "And you will never be rid of me!" The lightsaber swooped down, coming closer and closer to her face, to cut her in half. Jaina screamed—
And found herself in bed on the Lightning Rod. Zekk was beside her, breathing steadily. Jaina cuddled up to him and tried to go back to sleep.
*
Tenel Ka walked into the cockpit of the Rock Dragon. Jacen sat in the pilot's seat. He had been monitoring their progress for about an hour. Tenel Ka suspected that he had really just wanted some time alone to think.
"Jacen?" Tenel Ka walked up behind his chair. He turned and looked up at her, smiling. She sat down in the co-pilot's chair. They sat in silence for a while.
"Are we doing the right thing? I mean, should we be walking into something that could be a trap and get us all killed?" Jacen turned to face his wife. Worry was etched across his face. "What if he gets hold of Jaina again? Who knows what he would do to her!" Tenel Ka moved toward him and perched on his lap with her arms around his neck.
"What if it were Kirinna or Kassy there? Would you want to go then?"
"Yes, of course, but I'd still be worried," Jacen informed her. "You're right, as always. We can't leave Nova with him. It's not that I want to. She's my niece and I love her…but I don't want to lose my sister again." Tenel Ka leaned her forehead against his.
"You won't. We won't let that happen."
*
"Serving girl!" Nova stomped over to the Veubg cook.
"I have a name," she informed her.
"Not anymore," the cook said. "Now listen up. In one standard day, Mistress Varuna will be receiving human guests. I will prepare food for them, and you and one of your cell-mates will serve it."
"Why?" Nova asked.
"Because Mistress Varuna orders it," the cook said sharply. "Remember that you are a slave. You must never question orders. And Mistress Varuna's guests are always served by members of their own species. I know you are new, but you must learn all the rules, and quickly. Break the rules or make a mistake, and you likely won't live to do it again." She sighed. "Ahhh, maybe that would be best for you."
"What do you mean?" Nova asked, alarmed.
"Only that you have a pretty look. Now you must only serve and carry, but if you live to your adolescence…You may be lucky, little human, and only be made a dancer. Only to be looked at, that is the best that you can hope for. Ah, but you're far too young to know what I mean. Go on, back to your cell. Your cell-mate will instruct you in how to serve the guests."
*
Anja Gallandro walked outside to see a bunch of children playing together. Corrie was delighting his cousins and friends by doing tricks on a skimboard. He hadn't fallen yet, but Anja kept an eye on him, just in case. Only Luc wasn't playing. He was sitting by himself, staring up at the sky.
"Something on your mind, kid?" Anja asked, sitting down next to him.
"They should be getting there real soon," he said softly. "I can't wait for them to get back. I miss my sister."
"Don't worry, kid," Anja said, giving him an awkward but friendly pat. "They'll be back soon. You'll get your sister back, you'll see."
*
BUZZ!
Nova heard the loud buzzer that signaled the end of a shift. For every three hours that a child slave worked, they got one hour to rest. The buzzer buzzed every hour, even at night. Some people like Ty did their work at night, while most others were asleep. The slaves had to keep track of how much time had passed because if they were ever found somewhere they weren't supposed to be, they would be accused of trying to escape. Nova wondered if anybody ever really tried to escape.
"Well, playtime's over," Dioni said. She was a year older than Nova, and the one who would serve with her tonight.
"Is this going to be hard?" Nova asked as they left the cell.
"It won't be if you remember the rules. Don't talk to them unless they ask you a question, and make your answers as short as you can. And don't look at them, no matter what. I mean, even if you think it's your dad or something." Nova thought about what she would do if Lord Elbow-head showed up at dinner. "It won't be, and you'll just get in trouble. They're not allowed to look at us, either. Mostly it's annoying, not hard. 'You there!'" she cried in imitation of the guests, snapping her fingers. "'Bring me some more of that pie, and don't take your time with it. And while you're at it, bring me my spaceship. I may have left my golden toothpicks in my huge bedroom and I want you to bring me exactly seven of them. And don't upset my dog Pooksie, or she'll chew both of your arms off.'"
Nova giggled. "They can't be that bad!"
Dioni smirked. "Wait and see."
*
The Rock Dragon and the Lightning Rod came out of hyperspace at the edge of Hutt space…right in front of a star destroyer.
"What the…?" Zekk's voice came over the Rock Dragon's comm unit.
"Kanyen," Jacen stated grimly. Anakin leaned forward from the seat behind Jacen.
"I think it's about time he got what's coming to him," he said, his voice trembling with fury. Miri placed a hand on his shoulder, both calming and restraining.
"Lightning Rod, you go on ahead and keep out appointment with the Hutts. We'll take care of things here."
"What? Are you crazy?" Jaina retorted. "It's our daughter we're talking about! You go have dinner with the Hutts!"
"Jaina," Tenel Ka started, not at all affected by her sister-in-law's outburst. "You must think about this. It makes more sense that we go. He has too much control over you. You have not yet regained all your strength—"
"Yes, I have! I'm fine! I can fight him. I'm ready. I—"
"You have a seven-year-old child in your care." That stopped her. Jaina could never intentionally put the little girl in danger, no matter how much they both might want to go.
"You're right, Tenel Ka," Jaina agreed, though they could hear her reluctance clearly. "Just—please bring our baby back."
*
The Lightning Rod lowered its landing gear and set down on the ground of Nar Shada. Jaina clenched her teeth and looked at Zekk for support.
"I hate Hutts," she muttered. Zekk squeezed her hand. They stood and helped Maya, who was supposed to be their daughter for the day, out of her crash webbing. The child had been sleeping and was barely awake as it was, so Zekk picked her up.
"Come on, Rusty," he said. "Let's get this over with."
*
The Rock Dragon's passengers walked cautiously down the boarding ramp. They'd had no trouble docking with the larger ship, so they knew that they had to be careful now.
There are no other ships in the docking bay, Jacen thought as they walked through the ship. Something's wrong here. As they rounded a corner, someone stepped out in front of them.
Kanyen Elbakni. He held his lightsaber ready. Anakin noticed the bandage tied around his arm, just below the shoulder, as if he were just recovering from an injury.
He'll have a lot more to worry about than that when I'm done with him.
Everyone, excluding Miri, raised their lightsabers, signaling the beginning of battle.
*
Zekk and Jaina strode behind their escort, Maya now walking between them. They were being taken to Lady Varuna's receiving room. She wanted to meet with them as soon as they arrived, they had been told.
They entered the room. A rather large Hutt on a repulsor sled was watching them from the other end of the room. The Hutt said something to them in Huttese. A translator droid stepped forward.
"Lady Varuna assumes that you are the humans who are here to discuss trade between Lando Calrissian's facilities and her own." Zekk exchanged a glance with Jaina and nodded confirmation. "My lady asks that you join her for dinner. She wishes to…" The droid droned on, but Jaina was no longer listening. She was watching Maya, who had wandered over to a small table and was putting something in her jacket pocket. She wanted to reprimand her cousin—daughter for now—for touching other people's things, but she was afraid to call attention to the little girl. When she tuned back in to the conversation, she realized that Zekk had agreed to dinner.
Varuna's droid opened a door and led them through it. Jaina hung back with Maya.
"What did you take from the table, sweetie?" Jaina asked. Maya reached into her pocket and pulled out the items. Jaina gasped.
Her lightsaber and her diary.
*
They lunged and parried. Though it was three against one, Kanyen held his own. Miri stood back, watching fretfully. She knew she couldn't help, not without the force, which was out of her reach. However, she couldn't stand being helpless.
She drew her blaster. It wasn't large, just for emergencies really, and only good for two or three shots. But she could make them count.
Miri aimed, almost squeezed the trigger, then stopped. She was an excellent shot, but she couldn't risk hitting one of the others. She had to get closer.
Circling to the back, Miri thought she had a shot. But suddenly, Anakin was in front of her. Kanyen had somehow maneuvered him into that position. He was a better fighter than they had ever thought. And he was clearly not underestimating his opponents, which was the only weakness she had ever known him to have.
Miri moved away from the fight. Her blaster was useless here. Just like her.
"No!" she shouted suddenly. Just because she didn't have the Force didn't mean she was useless. Didn't she help teach the kids at the Academy? Hadn't she seen as much fighting as her friends? Hadn't she been taught by the very best? She didn't have a lightsaber, but she was a fair enough sword fighter.
Glancing around, Miri spotted a discarded metal rod. She picked it up. She saw Kanyen block Tenel Ka's lightsaber with his own while holding back Jacen and Anakin with the Force.
Repressing the urge to yell, Miri charged and—Looks like he's swatting a fly—
For a second, Miri didn't realize that the sound she heard was made by her body when it connected with the far wall. Then she felt it, and lay on the floor, gasping.
"Son of a Hutt!" Anakin screamed. The brothers drove their lightsabers down almost as one. Smiling evilly, Kanyen whirled around. He took Tenel Ka's lightsaber, and would have taken her head if she hadn't ducked. Miri watched the lightsaber spin gracefully through the air until it came to a stop in the shadows, dead. Continuing the motion, Kanyen slashed both Anakin and Jacen as if they were one person, beginning at Jacen's right hip and ending at Anakin's left shoulder.
They both fell.
Dimly, Miri heard Tenel Ka scream "Jacen!" and she heard more anguish, more despair, than she had ever heard before in the warrior woman's voice.
Weakly, Miri reached for Anakin. Then, darkness pervaded.
*