Chapter Eight
"I don't know why your panties are all bunched. That was some skillful flying, right there. None of those crap pilots you would've hired if I hadn't been around could've done that. You'd be in little scorched bits, floating around the universe."
Buffy answered Bal's boasting with another round of barfing into a beautiful Nabooian bush.
He wasn't wrong, he'd done some amazing flying. But she should've gotten a little time to ease into that crap! You just don't throw a girl into a whirling, twirling flight for her life on her first visit to space! It had been like watching wobbly home movies or those first person shooter games Xander had liked – but times, like, a thousand.
"Slayer gets flight sick. Don't think I'm not passing that embarrassing piece of info around."
"Don't you dare. I'll-"
She heaved again.
After another few minutes of deep breathing she decided she was done with the vomit-fest and moved a few feet from the tainted bush before plopping down on her butt to stare morosely up at Bal.
"Okay, I'm ready for plan time."
He rolled his eyes and handed her a bottle of something. She swished the first mouthful around and spit it out and took a deep drink of the second.
"Ooh, fruity. Wait, that wasn't booze, was it? Weird alien booze?"
"No," he snorted a laugh. "You think I want to deal with you when you're drunk? Do that shit on your own time."
"I'll have you know I'm an adorable drunk," Buffy lied huffily. "Okay, any plan type thoughts going on in your head or is that all reserved for picking on me?"
"My head is a vast and amazing place - plenty of room for both in there. Plan is just that you go kill that red and black bastard and I wait here a certain amount of time before I decide you're dead and leave without you or your dead body."
"Oh, that's a nice crappy plan," she scowled up at him. "I was thinking more along the lines of - I go get Maul, do my Slayer thing, and you go get Alec while I'm doing that."
"Alec? You really think this is the time for a visit?"
"Have you looked around?" She asked throwing her arms out. "It's war time around here!"
They both looked around at the quiet, green expanse of forest.
"Okay, so not right here, but you know what I mean. Those Trade guys are moving in and I'm not leaving him here with that going on!"
Bal rolled his eyes again. "Fine, I'll go get the kid, you go get the bad guy. Good?"
"Very good," she chirped with a smile.
"Let's gear up," he said, walking back into the ship.
A moment later he poked his head back around the door to look at her with narrowed eyes.
"You do know how to use a blaster, right?"
"Not so much," she shrugged. "Don't want to either. Buffy and guns aren't mixy."
"You're kidding me right now," Bal said, closing his eyes and looking like he was getting a headache. "You can't go after that guy without a blaster. And what about the Trade Feds? You realize they'll all have blasters, don't you?"
"Oh, I have something better than a blaster," Buffy said with a slow devious smile.
Reaching to the small of her back, she pulled out the metal tube she'd squirreled away. She was lucky the thing made it out of the water with her. With a light flick the thing burst into all its red buzzy glory.
"I've got a cool light sword… laser… thingy," she said, giving it a twirl and grinning as the tone of the humming changed to a high whine. "Haven't quite worked out what to call it yet."
A loud commotion drew her eyes back to the ship where it looked like Bal had tripped over his own feet trying to get back down.
"It's called a lightsaber, you crazy-" He said, eyes wide as he moved closer and mouth opening and closing a few times as he lost words and found them. "Where the hell did you get that?!"
"Oh, so this is a thing? A known type thing that other people have? I thought Mr. Red and Black was special or something," she pouted. "If I'd known anyone could get one I would've picked one up ages ago. Maybe it would've come with an instruction manual… You know I almost lost an arm when I turned this thing on? And the corner of my bed is all weebly wobbly now…"
"Not anyone can get one," Bal hissed. "That's a Jedi weapon. They make them personally with some special crystals that are supposed to be tuned into their souls or something. You have to be able to use the Force to use it."
"Oh, no worries there. I can use plenty of force," she said with a feral grin, giving in to making it sing with another intricate maneuver. "It's just a weapon. A wicked cool weapon, sure, but it's just got an on/off switch, no soul control going on. It was tough to get the hang of because the weight distribution is pretty much nonexistent, but- Wait did you say it's a Jedi weapon? Like, only Jedi, if they're actually real, use them?"
Bal nodded, looking like the revelation of the sword had just flipped his world upside down.
"You took that from that asshole we tracked here?"
"Yeah, back in the Factory District, when we met."
"You took that from a Jedi and fucking learned how to use it?"
"Quit looking at me like that, it's creeping me out," she said distractedly. "Wait, Jedi? That guy is a Jedi? So much for Protectors of the Universe."
She really hadn't thought they were real at all, but if they were and Maul was one… Well, she hadn't liked the mythical Jedi already, so if they really were real this just made her hate them even more.
"Well, maybe you actually have a chance at surviving this after all," Bal said, giving the sword one last wide eyed look and a head shake before heading back in the ship.
"Thanks for the vote of confidence, ass!"
She spun the… what'd he call it again? A life saber? Whatever it was, it was way cool and she used in a series of complicated moves before turning it off again with a sigh. She wasn't sure how long those crystal things lasted or if it was supposed to be recharged or something (she was already saying all kinds of thanks that it was apparently water proof). It would go in line with her previous meetings with Maul if the damn thing ran out of juice in the middle of their fight…
She'd practiced with it a bunch in her tiny new apartment (not many, well any quiet and secluded places in Crimson Corridor), which wasn't ideal but… She couldn't really explain it. Maybe it was her affinity for all things weapon-y but she found using this weird weightless light sword so natural. She wasn't so sure that feeling would continue in a fight, but she was looking forward to finding out.
Bal interrupted her thoughts a moment later by walking down the ramp leading two hovering… motorcycles? At her confused look, he shook his head and stopped a few feet away.
"You've never seen one of these either? Sometimes I wonder just where the hell you came from. You live underground or something? Or maybe you've just been hit in the head too many times and can't remember stuff?"
"We can do an experiment on the effects of getting hit in the head if you want," she said with a sickly sweet smile.
"This is a speeder bike," he quickly moved on. "Get over here and I'll show you the controls."
"Why couldn't we just fly in closer?"
"I can keep them from tracking us, I can't keep them from seeing us. It'd be a lot harder to spot us on these than in that," he said, motioning towards the ship.
"Note to self – hire a pilot with access to invisibility next life or death mission…" She muttered, sidling up next to him to look at the controls. "Where did you even have these? I thought I'd seen the whole ship?"
"I'm a smuggler, kid, you haven't seen half that ship."
After a brief run through where Buffy caught the basics (maybe…), she climbed on the bike with a worried frown. It sounded easy enough, but her and driving were about as mixy as her and guns. It would really go with the kind of day she was having if she were to wreck this thing and die before she even got to Maul…
"Can I hold it? You know, before we go?"
"Hold what?" She asked distractedly as she mentally ran through the controls again. "And if you say something dirty, I will punch you."
"The lightsaber, can I hold it?"
"Oh," she said, feigning thoughtfulness. "No."
Then she pushed the forward control and shot off with a cackle.
The moment was ruined though, when a second later she heard Bal yell from behind her.
"That's the wrong way!"
Along a river just outside the Capital of Theed sat a picturesque home that practically glowed with goodness. Bal hadn't been lying when he told Buffy the place was like a fucking intergalactic greeting card.
But as he stared at it, hands shoved in his pockets, all he felt was annoyance. Partially because of the trio of droids patrolling the grounds, but mostly because Buffy hadn't let him hold the damn lightsaber.
He'd flown her all the way to Ralltiir, saved her ass when she got it kicked into the sea, followed a freaking evil Jedi to Naboo, dodged the Trade Feds, lent her a top of the line speeder he'd stolen at great peril to himself and she couldn't let him hold the fucking lightsaber!
Feeling his irritation reach a high, he snatched a blaster out for each hand and marched from the trees into the meadow the orphanage sat on. Screw all that sneaking around crap, he'd rather take a straight up fight.
As soon as he breached the parameter the droids were apparently patrolling they all stopped and swiveled to look at him. The one on the right was rewarded with a quick blaster shot that took off its head. He took out the other two without breaking stride. Stupid useless droids – couldn't they make some that would offer a real fight? They should've employed some of those crazy bastards from the industrial zone – now those droids were more than decorations to scare civilians. Those things were vicious.
Just as he was starting to wonder if there were more droids inside, the door flew open and the couple that ran the place came scurrying out. They were nice enough, but kind of prim and proper. And detached, which he didn't like, but could understand. Guess you kind of had to be when kids came and went like they did at an orphanage. He'd gotten along pretty well with them the few times he'd been here before, but this time they looked pretty ticked off…
"What have you done!" The woman said, looking around at the downed droids with wide eyes. "They'll know something happened to them and send more to investigate!"
"Oh you've done it now!" The old man hissed, looking torn between furious and terrified. "They'll kill us all for sure now!"
"Don't everyone thank me at once," Bal muttered, hanging the weapons back at his belt. "I doubt they give a crap about some tiny orphanage, they were probably just patrolling the area outside the Capital."
As he said it he knew that wasn't true. Or at least wasn't all true. They probably didn't really give a crap about the orphanage. They were looking for something. Or someone. Were they looking for him and Buffy? Or the evil Jedi? Did that thing go around killing people in his spare time and then go save planets from invasions to satisfy his Jedi duty? Before he could think on it more a small blur bursting out of the house caught his attention.
"Bal!"
Alec hit his leg full speed, almost knocking him off balance. The smile that crept on his face was completely without permission, as was the traitorous hand that ruffled the kid's hair.
"Hey kid, looks like there's a little excitement going on around here."
"You can go now," Alec said, shooting the couple a hostile look from the side of Bal's leg.
"Alec, what the hell? Show some manners kid," Bal scoffed, entertained but trying not to show it.
The couple gave them both scathing looks before looking around nervously and deciding it was probably safer inside anyway.
"What's with the attitude?" Bal asked, looking down at Alec as the kid released his leg. "You worried about the droids?"
"Those aren't scary droids," Alec said with an eye roll.
Bal grinned. "Yeah, they don't make 'em here like they did in the Factory District, huh? If you're not bothered by the droids, what's the problem?"
"I just don't like it here," he said, small mouth curled down in an angry frown.
"What's not to like? Look at this place! You're little hands should be all curled up from all the drawing you've been doing!"
Alec looked at his feet with hunched shoulders. "I don't wanna draw anymore."
"What? Why not?" He asked, afraid he already knew the answer. It was the reason he hadn't asked why Alec hadn't had any new pictures to show off during his visits.
"Things aren't pretty anymore," he said, making Bal's heart clench despite the lack of surprise. "Not since…"
Squatting down in front of him, he ducked his head until he forced Alec to meet his eyes.
"There's lots of stuff out there that's real ugly. You saw some of that. But that doesn't mean there aren't some really nice things out there still. Your pictures show people that."
But Alec was already shaking his head. "It's stupid. I don't wanna."
Bal stood up, throwing his hands out to the side in exasperation. He'd just exhausted all his kid talk – giving pep talks and being optimistic weren't exactly his strong points. And truthfully, while Alec's pictures were great and all, he never had the faith that it was something the kid could make a life out of. Not that he wasn't good enough, it's just the universe wasn't that kind. Stupid Buffy, she should've taken the kid – that horned bastard gutting him would've been better than this.
"Well, what do you want to do, then?"
Bal knew he was in trouble when Alec looked up at him with those big eyes and a huge smile.
"I wanna be a smuggler, like you!"
Well, shit…
"Kid, you don't know what you're talking about. Smuggling's dangerous, someone always wants to kick your ass, or rip you off, or…"
That was all he had, actually. He wasn't going to tell the kid, but smuggling was fucking awesome. Apparently he didn't need to tell Alec that though, because despite his words against it, the kid was still smiling.
"You're just saying that. You always told me smuggling was fun! You get to see lots of planets and meet all kinds of people and make tons of money and get to keep all the cool stuff!"
Had he said all that? It was all true, but damn…
"Yeah, well," he coughed and rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. "Doesn't matter, kids can't be smugglers. You need a ship and contacts and-"
"I've got you."
Bal's breath hitched at both the words and the guileless look the kid was giving him. This was the shit that got him trouble. Damn Buffy and damn this kid for drawing him into these things. He should've stuck to just dealing with liars and cheats.
But as he looked at Alec and thought of Buffy he couldn't say that he wished he'd never met them.
That would probably come later.
Still…
"Smuggling's a solo act, kid," he said, shaking his head and trying to find a way to dissuade the kid.
"Solo?" Alec asked, tilting his head in question.
"Solo, as in one person. The only person you can count on is yourself, so it's better to just work alone so you know stuff doesn't get screwed up."
Plus, Buffy would nut-punch him.
"Then just teach me," Alec said with an easy shrug, like he wasn't talking about changing both their lives and risking death and dismemberment by a certain blonde human. "Then you can be a solo and I can be a solo."
Kids and their stupid kid logic.
"We'll talk about this later, let's go."
Even though he knew it was a bad idea, he was actually considering it. And from the look on Alec's face as he scrambled on the speeder, he knew he'd won already.
"Ughhhhhhh," Buffy whined and moaned at the same time as she came to another hall that curved in the wrong direction.
She could sense that assclown Maul but just sensing the direction he was in wasn't enough in this stupid twisting turning mess of a place. It was like being in hedge maze with an excellent sense of direction – just because you knew which way you were supposed to be going didn't mean you could just go there without finding the right turns. They should put up maps on the walls with little "You are here" stickers.
And if that weren't bad enough, she'd had to kill some droids that looked like doggies. They had little Snoopy faces and floppy ears! She was pretty sure part of her died when she snapped one's head off…
She turned back the way she'd come and took one of the doors she'd passed earlier, hoping it would take her closer to where her spidey senses were pointing her. Maybe she should've asked Bal for a timeline or something. And a watch. Or maybe she should've let him hold the damn life-saver thingy, maybe that would've bought her a little more time before he up and left her ass on this planet. Alec would be there though, and Alec wouldn't let Bal leave her, right?
A pang of uncertainty followed that thought. She hadn't seen Alec since the Factory District massacre and had no idea how he felt about things now that he'd had time to get over his shock. Did he hate her? Blame her? Maybe he didn't want to see her at all…
"Oh thank god," Buffy breathed out as she rounded a corner and saw the black robed figure at the other end - nothing like a good life and death fight to keep the angst at bay.
Maul was standing in front of a pair of doors and turned to look at her, eyes glinting from the darkness of a hood.
"I was hoping I'd run into you again," she called out to him, leisurely walking down the hall toward him. "Think you can just kick a girl into the ocean and leave? Kick it and split? Do I seem like that kind of girl to you?"
His face was expressionless as he turned to fully face her, robe sweeping the ground gracefully. Buffy took a deep breath, mentally steadying herself. She wouldn't let this time go like the last two. She was ready.
As she reached to the small of her back and pulled out the stolen metal tube, she felt a strong sense of déjà vu wash over her. Suddenly she was back in Sunnydale waving Faith's knife at a huge snake during graduation.
The shock and outrage from Maul as he laid eyes on his previous possession was more felt in a rising tension in the air than it was seen on his face, but Buffy smirked anyway.
"Wanted to thank you for the shiny new toy," she said turning it on and feeling a little giddy at the electric hum that accompanied it.
The slight snarl on his face smoothed out as he pulled out his own metal tube, letting the robe slide off of him in the process. His was slightly longer and thinner than the one Buffy currently held, but it flicked on with the same sound. A second later more important difference made itself known as a second blade zipped out of the other end. Double the blade, double the fun.
"Well," Buffy pouted, feeling a little put out. "That really takes some of the fun out of it…"
She had more banter for him, but he didn't seem interested in hearing it. Suddenly he was in front of her, red blade arcing toward her in a hum that seemed lower and more sinister to her sensitive ears and highly developed imagination. The swords met in electric sizzling burst, the noise making Buffy jump.
"That… is so cool," she grinned, looking from where the blades met to her opponent.
"I can't sense you, yet you seem to have access to the Force," he said, surprising her again with his deep cultured voice. "Why is that? What are you?"
"Why's everyone keep saying that? As I said before, I have access to loads of force."
To prove her point, she kicked him in the stomach, separating their blades and pushing his away with a spin, which she used to elbow him in the face at the same time.
"See? Totally forcible. I mean, force is pretty much what I'm all about. Not too good with the diplomatic stuff. Is that what you were looking for? Wanna talk this out?"
He answered with a series of blows from his sword which she was barely able to parry. Damn, that double blade was really cool. If things went the way she was hoping, she'd be taking that bad boy home with her.
A droid rolled around the closest corner just as she'd managed to put some space between them. She quickly dispatched it, the light sword easily detaching its top half and leaving her to roll away from Maul's next attack.
"So, heard your name is Maul," she chatted, executing some of her own stylish moves and putting him on the defensive for the moment. "You know, where I'm from that's what rabid dogs do. Are you a rabid dog, Maul? Need put down?"
He didn't seem to appreciate the reference, because then things got extra wiggy. With a wave of his hand the downed droids head flew off and zoomed right at her. She had to dodge to keep from getting hit full on in the face with it. The distraction was enough that she wasn't able to roll out of the way quickly enough to completely avoid the downward stroke from Maul, who took full advantage of the diversion. The lightsaber carved a burning line down the back of her shoulder.
"Oh, so that's what that feels like," she said through gritted teeth from a crouched position a few feet away. "And that was totally cheating, by the way."
She could swear she saw a slight smirk flash across his face, but it was gone so quickly she wondered if she'd imagined it. And more important things were demanding her attention. Such as the fact that the light saber left a sizzling, burning wound in its wake, like she'd backed into a giant frying pan.
Maul didn't give her any time to recover, coming at her with some sword work she'd call beautiful under other circumstances and combining it with some acrobatic moves that left her increasingly ticked off.
"Will you please stop with the bouncing around? Did someone give you too much sugar?"
As she said this she could have sworn she heard Juan call her name. Wow, so not a good time to have inappropriate fantasies. Shaking it off, she launched her own attack, ignoring the painful stretching and pulling of the wound in her back with each strike.
Then, suddenly, it was like a Christmas laser light show – a green blade appearing in the middle of their battling reds. A guy with longer hair and some scraggly facial hair shot her a kind smile before spinning between them and fighting Maul himself.
"What the- Hey! You don't just steal a girl's fight!"
As she moved to take her fight back a hand clamped down on her uninjured shoulder. Dropping the sword into her left hand (which protested a little at her using the arm attached to the barbequed shoulder), she swung her right fist around at the grabber. To her surprise her hand was deflected deftly to the side by a light grip.
"Well, this feels familiar," Juan smiled.
"What- You- Huh?"
"Eloquent," he smiled, tugging her lightly out of the way as the bearded guy and Maul zipped by exchanging a flurry of zapping blows.
"What the hell are you doing here?" She asked, then, seeing the other two getting further down the hall took off at a run. "And that's my fight! Both of you are getting your ass kicked in a minute!"
Glancing back at Juan, who was keeping pace with her, she gave an impatient hand twirl.
"Go on with the quick and dirty of the 'splaining before I steal my fight back."
"Um, well, see I don't think you'll be very pleased with me so I have to ask something of my own first. Where did you get that lightsaber and who taught you to use it?"
"This? I stole it from him in the Factory District," she said, sliding around a corner and almost running into the fighting pair.
Dropping low, she slid between the two, taking beard guy's legs out from under him and jumping up to block Maul's next strike herself.
"And I taught myself," she finished, smiling in triumph at having her opponent back. "Why-"
And then Juan was there with his own laser sword in blue, going at Maul as well.
"Does everybody have one of these things?" She pouted. "I thought they were some special Jedi weapon but even you have one?"
"I am a Jedi," Juan answered, showing some impressive moves himself before beard guy jumped back in the fray. "And what's that supposed to mean?"
"You're a Jedi?! And him? And him? Is this a joke?"
The bearded guy was laughing and Juan was looking about as put out as Buffy felt.
"No, it's not a joke. I'm a Jedi, and he's a Jedi. He's most certainly not a Jedi," Juan said, pointing at Maul last as he kicked the bearded "jedi" in the stomach and flipped over him, bringing his sword down at Buffy.
Buffy was ready though and met his strike and returned one to him along with a sadly ineffectual off balance punch.
"He is correct, I am not a Jedi. I am a Sith," Maul said, spinning so his back pressed against hers as he tried to stab her from behind.
Using his back as leverage, she ran up the closest wall and flipped over him.
"I don't know what that is," she said, trading a few more blows with Maul before beard guy swept in again. "But I thought this freaky light sword was something special only Jedi used. And dammit stop stealing my fight!"
"You're using one," beard guy pointed out.
She replied by kicking the back of his knee and replacing him in the fight for two more seconds before Juan was in her way again.
"We can discuss this later," he said. "This isn't your fight, I have to insist you leave this to us."
"Funny, I thought that was my line," she hissed, running after them as they took off through another set of doors into some sort of huge space with walkways spanning the room at different heights.
She watched in shock as Juan (damn, he was really good – it was kinda hot…) jumped a gap while fighting Maul. Seconds later beard guy followed. Well, screw that. After how long she'd chased this guy, no way were they taking this fight! A running leap landed her right behind them just as Maul kicked Juan off the walkway.
"No!"
She reached out to grab him a second too late and ran to the edge with her heart in her throat. A gusty sigh of relief was released as she saw him land safely with a tuck and roll on the walkway below. She gave beard guy a sly glance and looked down at the angle of the walkways below again. Certain (well, almost certain) she could pull it off, she moved up swiftly behind the dueling duo and kicked Juan's friend's legs out from under him and preformed a running tackle on Maul.
She got a slight glance at the look of shock on his face before they were airborne – hitting the one of the walkways far below her estimation seconds later with a whoosh of lost air from both of them. Both their lightsabers went skidding in different directions, but while Buffy dove to grab hers before it could disappear over the edge into the black below, Maul just threw his hand out, calling it back with his freaky magic powers.
"Don't suppose you'd show me how you do that before I kill you?" She asked, trying not to pant as she stood to face him.
"There are many things I believe I could show you. It is a shame there can only be two…"
"And that's not super cryptic at all," she said with a raised eyebrow. "Okay, well let's get this show on the road. I'm thinking we'll have company again soon and I don't like to share. How about we finish this before those two get in our way again, huh?"
His dark grin was answer enough.
