Chapter 6
Hyperspace – Outer Rim
The Alderaan – Leia Organa Solo's personal Star Yacht
Leia awoke as the Alderaan approached the Hyperspace Marker outside the Ithor System.
She sat bolt upright in the large bed she usually shared with Han. Her eyebrows furrowed with confusion as she automatically scanned the cabin for danger, wondering what had woken her. The room was dark, still and empty. The only noise was the low hum of the air recyclers in the ceiling.
/What woke me/
She relaxed, lying back into the plush pillows of her bed. Reaching out tentatively with the force Leia could sense only herself and Threepio aboard her ship. She could sense no danger, although there was a slight strangeness to the way the force swirled around her that the princess couldn't quite put her finger on.
Focusing she sunk deeper and more surely into the force. The strangeness remained. It was not threatening or dangerous. Just… different. /Perhaps I am just becoming more attuned with the force? Luke said the more I practiced the easier it would come to me…/ Thinking of her brother, she unconsciously reached out for the dark empty place in her heart where she should have been able to feel him. It had become a reflex over the past few years, usually sensing her twin through their force bond was a source of strength and reassurance for her, but over the last week it had bought nothing but pain and loneliness.
Catching herself, she almost withdrew from the Luke-place within her before she could feel the horrible emptiness. She was too late though, and her force sense continued to reach for him. Sadness swelled in her as she waited to feel nothing, but instead his warm light reached out towards her.
Leia's breath caught in her throat, Luke had woken her. He'd called for her. He was alive!
/Luke/. Her fledgling force abilities pushed her joy along the bond linking her and her brother, she felt a surge of love in response. /Thank the Force you're alright/ Her face broke into a broad grin and she bounced a little bit up and down on her bed, (very regally of course ).
Luke's response was weak, and it was obvious he was not 100, but he seemed mostly unharmed. /Leia! I've missed you…/ She paused before replying, scanning him as best as she was able. She could feel no great pain or injury from him.
Leia rolled her eyes and hid her relief behind her usual sarcasm, /YOU'VE missed me? You've been unconscious this whole time! How could you miss anyone? Do you know how WORRIED I've been/
/…I was not 'unconscious'… I was in a Jedi Healing trance for your information…/
Leia smiled as his semi-retired 'whiny-Tattooine-farm-boy' tone entered his voice as she teased him. In retaliation she used her indignant-smothering-Princess voice, /A Jedi Healing Trance! That's even worse! You were too badly hurt to stick it out? WHAT did you this time/
/..stop that../
/stop what brother dearest/
/teasing me!.. it's not fair! Here I am, wounded, feeble, trying to reassure you out of the kindness of my heart…/
The whiny farm-boy was making quite the come back, Leia chuckled to herself, /It's my duty, as your older wiser sister my sweet innocent little jedi…/
/Ah! Not this again! You are NOT any older Leia/
/Hmm.. I note you are not arguing the 'wiser' part though…/
/…/
/Luke/
/…Fine. YOU can be the older, wiser twin… I'll be the younger, better-looking one…/
/more like the younger, whinier, scruffier, delusional one./
She felt him sigh, or shrug. /Okay. I give up. You win Leia…/
/Aha! I've waited a long time for this day little brother./
/yes, I'm sure you have…you always were the evil twin…/
/Now Now Luke, don't be so juvenile. We'll have none of that./
Another sigh. /Yes Maam./
/So, where should your selfless, long-suffering elder sister come and pick you up from/
/um…yeah… I'm…/
The joking tone had left his voice, he sounded a little worried and embarrassed.
Leia's voice took on a real over-protective sisterly note, /Luke Skywalker. WHERE are you/
/…in a ship/
/…/
/…er.. In a Med-Bay/
/Is that all you can give me/
/… a Big ship?…/
/…/
/..um…well, I'm a guest of Captain Talon Karrde…He seemed familiar…/
Leia's voice became ominously monotone, /Talon Karrde... You… Are on a Ship. A 'big' ship. In a Med-Bay. As the GUEST OF CAPTAIN TALON KARRDE! Are. You. Insane/
/Aww, he seems alright to me Leia.. although after that incident with Mara he may kill me…/
/mara? Mara? Who's mara/
/oh. Umm.. no one. Forget I said anything…/
Leia sighed, /my brother is such a dork…/
/Hey! I heard that/
/.. opps. Sorry./
Leia knew she was only a few hours away form landing on Dalhir and finding Han, going after Luke now wouldn't be the wisest thing to do. But leaving her accident-prone twin brother in the custody of a Pirate wasn't either. Still, he didn't sound concerned, and Luke could look after himself. Sort of. And Leia had a feeling she'd need Han's help to get him back anyway. /Are you safe Luke/
/Yes, for the moment Karrde and his crew seem to be treating me as a 'guest'. I've been lying in the med-bay all week. Apart from my artificial arm, which is a bit squashed, I'm healed, so I think everything is under control. That's really all I wanted to tell you anyway actually…/
/oh Luke! I was so worried…/ Her voice was serious this time.
/I'm sorry Leia, I didn't want to worry you../
/I know.. It's just, when I could feel you.. I thought maybe you were…you know… And then the republic made me declare you officially 'Missing, presumed Dead.'.. Oh! Wedge was so upset!…and Han and Chewie were gone… Then Borsk said all those horrible things../
/Slow down Leia! I've been unconscious all week remember? I'm behind on the holo's… Han and Chewie are missing/
/Yes, but I found them! Or at least, I've almost found them. Stuck on some dustball on the rim… I should be able to rescue that nerf-herder husband of mine in the next few hours. Hopefully by then you'll have more precise co-ordinate on your whereabouts hmm/
/what? The Great Leia Organa Solo herself can't plot a jump to: 'a ship..with a med-bay.. in space…somewhere'/
Leia grinned, /Actually, I probably could! The Great Leia Organa Solo found her Nerfer-Herder Husband Han Solo by doing just that…/
/what do you mean/
/I used the force to find Han. And it worked/
/wow! Really? That's great Leia! Plotting Hyperspace jumps with the force isn't easy… You have so much potential, I'm glad you're using it. /
Leia could feel his pride at her radiating from him through the force. She smiled. /yeah well, no reason to hold back on my Jedi-studies anymore../
/why/
Leia sighed, her smiled vanishing, the Borsk- Vader controversy could wait, / It's a long story. Let's just say Borsk Fey'la is NOT my favourite Bothan right now../
/Leia! You don't actually mean… you HAVE a favourite Bothan… do you/
A small giggle escaped her, /no! of course not/
/Good luck with Han Leia. I'll comm you when I get the chance okay/
/Okay, be careful of Karrde Luke, he's .. not as simple as he might appear./
Luke's presence faded to a tiny little flicker in the corner of her soul. It was a tiny thing, but she knew he was there, and that he was safe and her heart rejoiced.
She bounded out of her bed, feeling better than she had in weeks. /Luke's alive and I'll be with Han and Chewie soon/ Leia didn't let thoughts of the Vader scandal and Borsk Fey'la sour her mood anymore. Her family was safe and alive, and that was all she truly cared about
The Golden Blaster – Tap-Caf of ill repute,
Tortugaa Galactic Space Port, Dalhir, Meridian Sector (shh! It's a secret!)
Han looked over his Lum Ale out a new grimy tap-caf window. He could see smugglers, pirates, bounty hunters and every other unpleasant sort of spacer going about their business in the narrow dusty alley outside.
He was reminded of Mos Eisely. A den of scoundrels in the middle of a desert on a third-rate outer rim dust-bowl. /Except this place is much much worse… No Jabba though, which is nice…. And I bet you could play a good game of sabaac in a place like this…/
They'd followed their unwitting guide's approach and found the infamous hidden Pirate Space Port of Tortugaa to be a massive sprawling city entirely encased in a deep crater in the middle of the Dalhiri Desert. It was composed of stone for the most part, and the crater walls were tunneled. Above the crater huge shield generators projected a holo shield of unbroken desert floor. It was obvious that it had been around as long as the myth's surrounding it had. Hundred's of years. The place was hidden in the most obvious sense of the word. /Mind you, it's a micicle no ones found it with idiots like that twi-lek in the know…/
Chewie and Han hadn't had any trouble fitting in, Han had just frowned a bit more and Chewie maintained a threatening low rumble under his breathe that had scared the tap-caf waitress, almost.
"So Chewie, shall we make some inquiries? See if we can find this Ship Yard?… subtle-like?"
Chewie sighed. Han couldn't do subtle. He continued his ominous rumbling and checked he had plenty of ammo for his bowcastor.
His companion took that for a yes, "Alright! Let's do this thing!"
Tortugaa Galactic Space Port, Dalhir, Meridian Sector
The Lucky Karrde – Republic Class Dreadnought
The ship had landed smoothly and expertly. Impressive for a ship of it's apparent size and age. Luke wasn't sure what exactly the ship was, judging from the layout and style of the medbay it was old, at least pre-empire. Mapping it out I the force it felt almost as big as an old Republic Class Dreadnought, a little smaller than a Star Destroyer.
The NR often came across old Dreadnoughts serving sovereign systems, war lords and cargo shipping companies. The Old Republic had been in the process of introducing Star Destroyers into it's navy at the breakout of the Clone Wars, and a lot of the decommissioned older dreadnoughts had been stripped of military arms and shielding and sold to selected member systems and respectable shipping conglomerates. It was probable that Karrde had one of these.
/I didn't know you could land one of these…/ He felt a twinge of jealously that he's never gotten to try piloting something as massive as a Dreadnought into a Space Port.
He had found his clothes in a locker beside his bed and changed into them after using the tiny 'fresher.
His pants were more or less serviceable, but his outer tunic had a few tears and bad scorching over his right arm.
/At least they cleaned them…I guess/
With no razor he'd had to leave over a weeks growth of scratchy beard. He was a little embrassed by that. He'd never been able to grow a proper beard, he's tried once during the rebellion and the result had been patchy and inexplicably red in places.
/At least they didn't shave my hair though…/
He'd had an unfortunate experience at an Outer Rim med-centre two years previously that had resulted in a buzz cut. Han had paid him out for weeks and Wedge had complimented on it a little too enthusiastically.
Fifteen minutes after the ship had landed Luke still hadn't heard from anyone. So he stood silently at the viewscreen, his hands clasped behind his back and his feet a shoulders width apart, ready and waiting.. for… whatever…
He stretched out with the force. Most of the crew had disembarked. There were half a dozen in the corridor outside and a smattering of others throughout the vast ship. Mara Jade was nowhere to be found. Captain Karrde however, was heading towards his room.
Luke continued to stare out of the viewscreen, which was currently showing the innards of an impressive, if quite ancient, ship dock. Droids and mechanics crawled like tiny ants along the catwalks and around the turbolifts. It was different to any Outer Rim space port ship dock Luke had ever visited. It looked too old. The dock the lucky karrde had settled into was definitely Old Republic architecture. It was huge for starters, but it had a far more decorative and well-made style to it. Not like the boxy utilitarian Imperial Space Ports that had popped up all over the Outer Rim during Palpatine's reign and certainly nothing like the ramshackle Mos Eisley. It was, however, incredibly run-down. /Still, if this place was important enough to have a decent Space Port in the Old Republic, that means I can't be at a complete back-water…hopefully finding transport off here won't be too hard…/
He was roused from his musings by Karrde's entrance.
He sensed disappointment. The Captain had obviously hoped his arrival would have a more dramatic impact on his 'guest'.
Luke turned and nodded casually in greeting, "Captain. Whereabouts have we landed if you don't mind me asking?"
The Captain smirked, "The Lucky Karrde's home port. On.. Dalhir…"
Luke sensed he was deeply amused by something. He started to feel uneasy. The Planet Dalhir was one at least he'd heard of. He wasn't too far from the Tion Cluster. "Dalhir? In the Merdian Sector? I didn't realise Dalhir had a space port like this."
The Captain had turned towards the door, he spun back with a flourish of his feather hat, "No one does. This is a… special sort of Space Port…"
Luke gritted his teeth, Captain Karrde's flair for the melodramatic was grating against him. "I see. Does this 'Special Space Port' have a name?"
Karrde snorted, "Why, Tortugaa Galactic young Skywalker." His teeth flashed very white in a fierce grin.
Luke's stomach dropped. "Tortugaa!" /oh great../
Karrde's grin remained, his sharp teeth bared, "One in the same."
Luke's composure was lost. He'd heard of Tortugaa. Heard from Han, Lando, and others of similar history. Tortugaa. The Hidden Pirate Port. /Good thing I Leia doesn't know I'm here…/
"But… Tortugaa is a myth!"
Karrde laughed, "A secret Skywalker. There's a world of difference between a myth and secret… as I'm sure you can appreciate…"
Luke ignored the obtuse remark. His mind spun as he tried to assimilate everything that had happened to him since getting into that ill-fated X-wing on the Star of Naboo.
/Captain Karrde. The Lucky Karrde. Pirates. Tortugaa. Captain Karrde…..The Pirate King! The 'Scourge' of the Meridian Sector'! The one the Star of Naboo's information brief listed under 'possible threats'..The pirate all the holo's talk about!…./ Luke Skywalker was a 'guest' of the Meridian Sectors Pirate King. "Sith!".
"Now Now Skywalker, there's no need for that. You're my Honored Guest." His grin had returned, it reminded Luke of a Kyrat Dragon, "I'm here to escort you to my Humble Abode." He paused, "Perhaps we can come to an agreement over dinner regarding the future of our… association."
Luke sighed, wondering how he managed to get himself into these situations. /And where does Mara Jade fit into all this?… Pirate-Jedi/
Mara Jade was first off the ship when it docked at Tortugaa. Anger and confusion hung around her like a black cloud. None of the other crew said anything to her as she strode away from The Lucky Karrde and up through the massive dock towards the nearest turbolift.
A hapless maintenance droid got in her way as it trundled along towards the ship behind her. She booted it off the catwalk, savoring the high pitched whistle it emitted as it sailed through the air before hitting the side of the Lucky Karrde with a loud booming metallic thud. /Stupid thing./
She had credits to burn and a Jedi to avoid. Obviously, she was heading for the nearest Tap-Caf.
AN: Sorry that took a little bit longer than i thought.. and again, i didn't have time to check, sooo.. if anyone feels like pointing out errors.. (i'm sure there's typos.. and i have a baadd feeling i've randomly changed places names.. opps..) i would appreciate it!
Thank you to the lovely people who took the time to review. Mara look-a-like, ginchy-amand, aznstarwarsgrl, and ahmira...twice...;)
(yeah... it's true... reviews DO make me feel guilty and get off my ass and post!)
I will try to get a nice long chapter out next weekend for you!