He had been watching her for years from behind the veil of the long black cloak he had come to think of as his trademark; he had watched her struggle on Kel'Shebbol under that dimwit, Karr. It had been his duty, his assignment, and in the beginning he had followed orders without complaint or question. Inside he had been screaming for more, feeling his tremendous, evolving talents were being wasted. He really had felt his master was a fool to squander him on such a task; or was he?
Years of watching had led to this point. His master had finally given him an order that thrilled him to the core. He was to see she was able to escape and he was to follow her-guiding her from the shadows, making sure she ended up in his master's hands. So he did what he was told and set the scene for her escape from Kel'Shebbol; her run-in with the old couple was not coincidence and he knew when the time came they could easily be overtaken.
He had followed their jagged course for the last few days, making his presence known, but not completely. He wanted to be a hint of danger, a looming presence. He felt a perverse pleasure in this, knowing fear caused most beings to abandon logic and reason. He knew if he could unease her enough, she would fall quickly and easily into the trap that was laid.
He found he couldn't fault his master for his plan any longer. And though his strength and power was growing exponentially every day, he waited to make his move. The path he would soon be taking was laid out clearly in his mind, the end point as plainly visible as the first step. The next few days were crucial. By the time anyone could realize what was happening, his carefully devised plan would already be in motion and there'd be no one to stop him.
He allowed himself a moment's pleasure as he plotted a course, in his small but efficient ship, which would get him to Tatooine about 4 standard hours ahead of Kianna's Dream. He grinned in spite of himself, anxious for things to progress but knowing he had to learn patience.
It would be many years before the results of his brilliant plan could be enjoyed; he had to be cautious for a little longer. The last thing he wanted was to reveal his agenda to his master. It hadn't been difficult to keep the vision buried deep in his mind but still it was a concern he had to keep aware of, his master was a very powerful Sith. But, he knew he had already surpassed his master in virtually every skill. It was only a matter of timeā¦and he had no problem biding his time for a little while longer.
"Back to Tatooine," Sky sighed as he settled next to Ana, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her too him. They both giggled like teenagers on a first date and Shmi couldn't help but smile.
"This job for Hurilla will give us enough credits to take a good, long break," Sky grinned, turning to Shmi.
"So, where d'you want t'go?" he asked her, and Shmi laughed at the thought and shrugged casually. She looked to Ana and Sky to join in the laughter-but they remained silent.
"Uh, you aren't joking?" Shmi stammered as her laughter died in her throat.
"No, I ain't jokin'," Sky looked at her earnestly, "yur a parta this crew now, and since you ain't been nowhere but where we took ya, I figure 'tis only fair that you pick the R&R destination."
"Well, thanks," Shmi felt her cheeks flush as she dared to dream of the possibilities. "I'll have to think about it since I don't know much of anything about, well, the whole Galaxy," she offered a half smile as she thought of the worlds they had visited so far; she could only imagine what wondrous worlds still awaited her discovery.
Arrival at Motesta was uneventful and Shmi kept herself busy with research. She wanted to find the perfect place to rest. She felt that Ana and Sky hadn't had a break from work in a while and the least she could do was select a nice planet.
Sky and Ana set off to meet Hurilla, under Shmi's insistence, without her. She wanted to stay behind and continue her research for the perfect planet.
As they left, they insisted that Shmi lock herself within the Kianna's Dream for safekeeping. Her heart warmed at their concern, and she followed their instruction, securing the cargo door behind them as they left the ship for Hurilla's.
Not long after they had departed, Shmi moved to her bunk to peruse the data on the worlds she had to review. Not long thereafter, she smiled and decided on a destination. After reading through the natural history's of hundreds of planets, she'd come across Alderaan and she knew she'd found the spot. It was a peaceful, natural world, with rugged, pristine mountains and deep, startling blue lakes home to white sandy beaches. A veritable paradine. Shmi couldn't wait for Sky and Ana to return so she could break the news. She only hoped they hadn't been there before.
Moving forward in the ship, Shmi finally settled in the co-pilot's chair and watched the bustling activity of the docking bay through the thick window of the cockpit. The organized chaos was amusing and she found herself even trying to guess what kind of planet some of the beings may have come from, or even if they were male or female. Many times she had no clue.
As she watched the crowd there seemed to be a break, splitting the group of beings below here into two distinct halves. Shmi's eyes naturally followed the path that formed and settled upon a familiar face; a face of one she had been very close to. It took her a few moments to register the fact that he was there, in front of her, but when she did her heart swelled with immediate joy and relief. Sprinting to the back of the ship, Shmi unlocked the cargo door and lowered the ramp, Sky and Ana's warnings and her fear of the cloaked man nothing but vague memories. Shmi bounded down the ramp and out into the crowd. She wove her way through the alien beings, each tending to their own business and offering Shmi nothing more than a passing glance.
Reaching the far wall where she had sighted him, she stopped and surveyed the surroundings. There was a group of blue-skinned Twi-lek's rummaging through a large crate of material with various levels of gaudiness; there was a group of humanoid looking men with dark tattoos on their foreheads that were huddled over a glowing crate; there was a conglomerate of hairy and not to hairy beings talking animatedly and flashing large blasters at each other.
Her eyes saw all this and more, but didn't register any of it. She sought out the one face she wanted until finally her eyes found him, and she knew for certain that it wasn't a dream. Her dear friend, and confidant, was here, and Shmi felt things could not be more perfect.
He was watching the mixed group of beings with the loud voices and the blasters with a look of innocent wonder and Shmi smiled. Then unable to contain her joy at seeing her friend again, she made herself known.
"Walker!" Shmi exclaimed as she leapt into the young man's arms. He turned to her just in time to catch her as she exuberantly clutched at him. The arguing aliens paused for a moment at Shmi's exclamation, but lost interest just as quickly.
Shmi felt Walker loosely return her embrace, than his arms fell away. Shmi's joy faltered as she pulled back from him. Something told her he wasn't quite as happy to see her as she was to see him.
"What's wrong? I can't believe you're here!"
Walker just stared at her, a grim, unhappy expression on his face. Slowly he started shaking his head, "I'm sorry, Shmi. I was forced to do it, I'm sorry. Please know this is not my choice."
Shmi felt panic rise in her as she suddenly realized the docking bay was almost empty. The throngs of beings that had been shoulder to shoulder just moments before were now gone. Their goods and their ships remained as if the people themselves had simply been plucked from the docking bay by some giant hand. The nape of her neck tingled as the hairs stood on end. Turning slowly as she viewed the deserted docking bay, Shmi found herself face to face with Karr.
"Shmi, I knew it was only a matter of time before you returned," Karr grinned, chilling Shmi to the core.
Shmi was at a loss, her voice left her, her rational thought left her. After everything she'd gone through to get away from Karr, to escape her captivity, it was now all going to end and she'd be back where she started. A resistant anger suddenly rose within and Shmi steeled her back. She would fight with everything she had. She wasn't going to go back with him.
"I'm not going back with you, Karr. I'm not your slave any longer," Shmi tried to sound as strong and fearless as she felt inside, but by the look on Karr's face he wasn't convinced. In fact he looked almost amused which fueled Shmi's anger further.
"Well, m'dear, you have no choice," Karr's smile was gone, his eyes narrowed and piercing.
"Grab her and let's go," he said to Walker. Shmi looked to her friend, at his wide eyes and face full of fear. Shmi felt a pang of pity for him, but it faded as she realized he was here, helping Karr. Shmi's expression hardened towards Walker, and as he looked at her, she slowly shook her head, willing him to resist Karr. She felt a moment's hope as he wavered.
Karr smiled wickedly. "Remember what I told you, Walker. Grab her, and let's go!"
Walker's face seemed to collapse and he moved towards Shmi as if under another's control. His face betrayed his feelings. But his actions followed the order of Karr. Shmi slowly backed away until she was cornered between two large stacks of cargo. Walker continued towards her, and with strong hands he lifted her and slung her body over his shoulder.
"Walker! Stop! Please stop!" Shmi was desperate, close to tears but Walker ignored her. "I know you don't want to do this! Stop and we can escape Karr together! Please!"
If Walker heard her cries, he didn't show it and there was no pause in his step. Walker continued to carry her across the docking bay and Shmi watched her future happiness, and the Kianna's Dream, grow more distance as her new life was cruelly and abruptly taken from her. Shmi wanted to scream as loud as she could. She wasn't going to return to Kel'Shebbol, she didn't care if Karr killed her. She would rather die then be his slave again.
"Hey! Hey you, stop there!"
Walker paused at the new voice and Shmi felt her heart warm with affection as she recognized Sky's gruff old tone.
"Leave now, old man. This don't concern you," Shmi heard Karr say, his voice dripping with warning.
"It does concern me when yur trying to take one of my crew," Shmi heard Sky reply. She wished she could see what was happening. Twisting at the waist she struggled to see around Walker but to no avail. She wished now more than ever that Ana and Sky carried blasters like every other civilized smuggler.
"Please let her go!" Ana's frightened voice piped in and pleaded with Karr. Shmi heard him laugh and her blood boiled at the sound.
"Sorry, she belongs to me, has ever since her and her brother were sold to my father," Karr said and Shmi caught her breath. He did know something about her past. She forgot her anger, and found her desperation for information about her past prevailed over everything else.
"Who's my brother Karr?" Shmi yelled her voice thick from her inverted position.
"Why would I spoil the fun by telling you?"
"Because I have the right to know!" Shmi yelled angrily, trying to struggle out of Walker's grip, beating his back with her fists. But he held her legs tight and Shmi gave up, panting from the exertion.
There was a soft chuckle of laughter that Shmi knew came from Karr and the sound infuriated her.
"You're an evil man," Shmi heard Ana speak angrily.
Karr's laughter stopped and there was a thick silence.
"Evil, you say?" Karr finally spoke. "If you say so."
Shmi, without the advantage of witnessing the scene before her thought she heard a sharp intake of breath and then suddenly the docking bay was echoing the unmistakable sound of a blaster being fired. The anguished cries of Ana followed shortly thereafter. Shmi had a flash of the nightmare she'd suffered only the day before and felt her heart breaking.
"What happened? Ana!" Shmi was panicked, and she struggled again in Walkers arms. This time he didn't restrain her and she fell to the ground. Her heart broke again as she witnessed the havoc Karr had wreaked on her newfound friends.
Ana was sitting on the ground, Sky's head in her lap. The front of his shirt was black with charred material and he wasn't breathing. Shmi felt her throat close up as her eyes pricked with the threat of tears. There was a slight scent on the air of burned flash and Shmi fought a sudden urge to be sick.
Karr stood with the blaster in his hands. Slowly he holstered it, leaving Ana weeping over her dead husband.
"Yes, I suppose I am evil as you say," Karr spoke lowly and evenly. "Walker, bring her."
Walker reached down and grabbed Shmi under her upper arm and pulled her after him.
"Ana!" Shmi called as Walker dragged her behind him, but the woman didn't look up. Shmi tried desperately to pull free from Walker's grasp, ignoring the burning pain as his fingers tightly gripped her flesh and he pulled her roughly towards a ramshackle, disc shaped vessel.
She was now being pulled up the ramp, and as it started to close Ana finally looked up. Shmi met her friend's eyes for just a moment before they were separated. Shmi stopped resisting and allowed Walker to drag her further into the ship for in Ana's eyes she saw blame and hatred, and Shmi knew it was true; everything that had happened had been her fault.
Shmi sat defeated on a bench in the belly of Karr's ship. Walker was seated next to her and Karr was pacing in front of them both. Shmi could hear engines warming and she assumed there must be a third party aboard who was piloting the ship.
"This has taken a most unfortunate turn. I didn't want to hurt that old man. Just wanted to bring you back where you belonged," Karr stopped in front of Shmi, his voice now gentle. Shmi wasn't fooled and she stared at her hands resting in her lap.
"I belonged with Ana and Sky," Shmi murmured fianlly, "they were my family."
Karr didn't respond and Walker was silent beside Shmi. She wondered what was wrong with him. The Walker she had left (and promised to return for) would never have submitted to Karr like he was doing now.
"Well, what about your brother?" Karr teased, "Is he no longer your family?"
Shmi grew frustrated. "I don't even know who my brother is!" She exclaimed, her voice rising. "And you won't tell me!"
Karr grinned, obviously enjoying holding the knowledge of her brother over Shmi. "Well, what if I told you what you wanted to know?"
Walker stirred next to Shmi and for the first time Shmi let herself imagine that Walker was her brother. It would make sense with the way he was acting and his willingness to do Karr's bidding. As she considered the idea it also occurred to her that her necklace was engraved with SW. Did that mean Shmi and Walker? Her heart sped up as she slowly turned her head to look at Walker. He was looking back at Shmi with an apologetic grin.
Karr laughed but Shmi barely heard. She was experienced such a range of emotions she didn't know which to express first. Joy? Rage? Sadness? She had so many questions.
"Well, I can see I didn't need to tell you anything. Guess you figured it all out!" Karr started pacing again as the ship shifted beneath them. They were taking off, leaving Ana and Sky's lifeless body on Tatooine. Shmi, despite her joy at finally knowing that which she had been seeking, paused a moment to mourn for the two people she had grown to love like a family.
"Or, did you?" Karr's laughter increased as Shmi and Walker turned to him with uncertainty.
"W-w-what?" Shmi stammered, the cruelty of dangling Walker before her as her brother then pulling him away was just more than she could bear after the pain of losing Sky, and Ana.
"Yeah, what are you saying?" Walker echoed, his anger evident in his voice.
The ship was now airborne and Karr, still laughing, shrugged his shoulders and moved forward towards the cockpit.
"Karr! You can't do that to us!" Shmi stood and started to go after him but Walker reached out and grasped her hand, stopping her.
"Leave it Shmi. True or not, I choose to believe it. You were always protecting me like a big sister, so let's just believe that he was telling us the truth. Please?"
Shmi sighed, but nodded and returned to the bench. Her heart longed for the truth, but now that she knew Karr had knowledge she had a brother, she was going to be sure she got the truth from him before they landed back on Kel'Shebbol.
"I feel like I need to explain-," Walker started, but Shmi just shook her head and patted his hand which was still grasping hers.
"Well, I'm sorry if I hurt you. It's just, well, he told me after we left Kel'Shebbol for Tatooine. He threatened to kill you if I didn't help him recover you. I'm sorry!" Walker's eyes pleaded for forgiveness. "Sister by blood or not, I couldn't let him kill you so forgive me, I helped him."
Shmi nodded, not trusting herself to words just yet. Walker was right about one thing, blood or not, she did feel a sisterly responsibility for him and she would consider herself his sister whether Karr proved it untrue or not.
They smiled, and as they reached to embrace they felt a hard jolt like something had collided with the ship-or they had been fired at. The ship started shuttering and groaning around them; sparks began flying from the control panels on the far wall. Shmi could sense the ship was in an uncontrolled dive as she fumbled with her lap belt. Finally secured, Shmi grabbed at Walker, not out of happiness or joy, but out of fear and panic.
