Chapter 7

After almost forty-five minutes, the train finally came to a halt. Both Jacen and Ariela didn't know if they could have held on for another minute. The train was so long that it had to move forward several times to unload all of its passengers into the underground station. Jacen tried to divert the people's attention as they slid down off the top of the train, but they got a few double takes. Jacen was glad that they weren't on Coruscant. The entire city-planet looked the same, and there were no significant divisions that allowed you to know exactly where you were relative to any other point. This planet had separate provinces, and each city was separated by expanses of beautiful countryside, allowing each area to retain its individuality and a place on the map.

For all the uniqueness that existed on Estassia, Jacen still didn't know where they were. "Where are we?" he voiced his thoughts to his companion.

Ariela was looking around the crowd and shook her head. "I don't know yet. Let's go topside." The couple glided through the crowd, with Jacen leading the way, giving some of the more lethargic pedestrians a few gentle, mental nudges.

As was most of Estassia, the crowd here was exclusively human. Estassia was so elitist that it hadn't opened its arms to the galaxy, and the galaxy likewise ignored it. Jacen didn't feel any xenophobia or racism amongst the people, but it was difficult to tell with only one race present. Jacen knew that if this planet were to enter the New Republic, they would have to accept New Republic heroes like Ackbar and Chewbacca. Jacen made a mental note to bring this up in his report to his mother. In all the activity of the past few days, Jacen tried not to forget why he was here.

Several rising stairways carried the patrons to the surface, and Jacen and Ariela soon found themselves squinting at the late afternoon sun. Jacen took a look around and was pleased. The city was a little smaller than Rencrin, where his hotel was waiting for him but with the same level of sophistication. It was right between Coruscant and Yavin IV. Jacen laughed at his mental analogy. Those two places defined either end of the spectrum, kind of like saying that the number was between zero and infinity. While those were the only two worlds that Jacen had extensive knowledge of, they were, in reality, good bookends for this planet. If Coruscant and Yavin IV were extremes, this planet was smack in the middle of ordinary. The streets were located at ground level, and while there were towering buildings, they were not omnipresent and were generally centrally located in a big city. The buildings around the downtown area decreased in size until they dissolved into a cozy residential section that, in turn, evaporated into a rolling countryside with a patchwork landscape of farms.

Ariela was also surveying the scenery as the two of them began walking in a random direction supported by the flow of people. "I've been here before," she said, searching her memory. Jacen thought about suggesting they check out the local museum to jog her memory but decided against it. Ariela kept up her survey until her eyes wandered across a billboard advertising a local sports team. "Ah," she said, "this is Forhienge. It's the capital city of the province just to the west of where we were."

Jacen nodded at her assessment of their location, unable to do anything else. The billboard that had jogged her memory was advertising a professional smashball team. On a planet where everyone is a perfectionist, Jacen thought, I wonder what the athletes are like. "So, where do we go now?"

Ariela didn't hesitate in her answer. "Far, far away. Trinxon would be good."

"Okay," Jacen said, "where do you want to get a spaceship?"

Ariela looked at him with a look that said, "I thought you were rescuing me." Out loud, she said, "Don't you have a spaceship?"

"Yes," Jacen said, holding back all the sarcastic replies that came to mind, "but it is back in Rencrin." Jacen now regretted coming in a diplomatic shuttle and not the ship he shared with his sister. Jaina and Lowbacca had programmed a very sophisticated autopilot in the vehicle, and Jacen could summon it with the homing devices that Jaina had placed in his lightsaber handles. His mother, however, had put the kibosh on that plan, saying that she didn't want her son giving the people a bad example of New Republic technology. Granted, the ship looked like it was slapped together by a couple of students who stole parts from abandoned space ships, but, well, that is precisely how it was built. But as far as advanced technology, it was probably the best ship of its size in the fleet, with its only competition coming from the Falcon. Regardless of whether he had flown it here, he didn't have either of his lightsabers with him, so it was a moot point.

"Oh," Ariela said, feeling a little stupid for not realizing that herself. "Do you have any money with you?"

"No," Jacen said, "and I know that you don't have any money on you." Ariela blushed at Jacen's unintentional reference to the fact that not only did he know exactly what things Ariela had on her, he also knew what she looked like without them. "The Master said that he was widespread. Certainly, he would have a branch of his terror campaign in the capital city of the neighboring province."

Ariela nodded as she remembered her last visit here better. "Yes, yes, there is. In fact, I think it's just a few blocks away." Ariela picked up their walking pace, and Jacen fell behind the motivated woman. Jacen noticed a very lively step in Ariela's stride, and he knew that she was breathing free air for the first time in a while. Jacen was glad that he could bring such happiness to the former captive, but he wondered what would happen to her now. She mentioned going back to her home planet of Trinxon, but she had already told Jacen that her family was dead, and although the planet was probably several million kilometers away, it was a bit too close to Borgan and his goons for Jacen's liking. That was where Borgan had caught her. Jacen didn't doubt that Ariela would go with him back to Coruscant, but then what? Jacen was constantly going on diplomatic missions for his mother, and the remnants of the Empire always kept him and his sister busy. Would Ariela just join in the fray? What about an independent lifestyle? Jacen knew that you could be quite successful in this galaxy on your own if you had the know-how. Ariela definitely had the brains to survive, and she could easily take care of herself if their rooftop battle were any indication of her prowess.

What about the two of them staying together? Jacen couldn't deny the way he felt about her, and he had caught her staring into his eyes on more than one occasion. To Jacen, it seemed too much like a storybook ending. You rescue the damsel in distress, she melts into your arms, and you both live happily ever after. Jacen knew it didn't happen like that. But what if . . .

"It's right up there," Ariela said, interrupting Jacen's pondering and pointing toward a rundown-looking pawnshop.

Jacen looked at the front and knowing what it actually held made it look very out of place. It also sent warning bells off in his mind. He grabbed at Ariela's wrist, a motion that had become all too common between the two of them. Jacen's caution or confidence versus Ariela's over-confidence or lack of trust. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" Jacen absorbed the look of confusion that Ariela gave him. Hadn't they just reached a game plan a few minutes ago? "I mean, aren't these the people we're trying to run from?" Jacen tried to clarify.

Ariela smiled at him mischievously. "Don't you trust me?" she asked coyly, exchanging roles. Jacen responded with a deep sigh but motioned with his arm for Ariela to lead. She walked up confidently to the front door of the shady establishment and pushed the manual door open with a practiced gesture. Jacen heard a faint chime go off in the rear of the building and a distant call that someone would be right with them. Jacen eased the door closed behind him and was awestruck with the montage of absolute junk that struck his eyes. There were fake, cracked, antique lamps and vases, incredibly inauthentic figurines from some fictional culture, several ornamental weapons that Jacen doubted would stand up to a piece of paper, and thousands of other assorted trinkets.

A fat, bearded man made his appearance behind a counter in the back of the store. Jacen's head stuck out above most of the shelves, and the man addressed him. "See anything you like?" Jacen was about to think of a reply when Ariela walked from behind a shelf and up to the counter. The man's mood changed quickly as he caught sight of her. "Ah, I see you two are here on more professional business," the man said aloud and then lowered his voice, but Jacen could still hear him, "or is this personal?"

Ariela smiled back at him, keeping her good humor. "No, Trent, this is strictly business, but thanks for prying."

"How was the last one?" he asked, not closing the subject.

"He was all talk."

"And this one?"

Ariela looked at Jacen, who had picked up a clay mug and was trying to put the pieces back together as it had broken instantly. "He's shown some potential, but we'll have to see."

Trent picked his voice up and projected it toward the front of the store, where Jacen was fiddling with his accidental jigsaw puzzle. "You break it; you buy it."

Jacen held the five big pieces up for the store clerk to see, and they floated out of his hands and formed a perfect mug, spinning slowly in the air six centimeters above his hand. Jacen reached out to it slowly, grabbed the handle, and placed it back on the shelf. Trent turned back to Ariela. "Yea, I'd say he has a little potential."

Jacen walked over to the counter, and behind him, the mug collapsed back into pieces. "We've got a new pilot, and Borgan wants me to show him the ropes. We just came in on the sub-rail, and I wanted to show him our ships here and maybe take him for a spin. I thought maybe I could borrow an aircar to zip down to the port."

Trent nodded. "Sure, babe. There are a few out back. Take your pick."

"Thanks, Trent," Ariela said and walked past the counter toward the back door. Jacen followed, but Trent put a restrictive hand on his shoulder, and the Jedi stopped.

"Don't be too rough with her, understand?"

Jacen mimicked the man's grip on the clerk's own shoulder and squeezed with a Force vise grip. "Don't worry, buddy; I'm always gentle with people I care about." Jacen observed the pain on the man's face for a brief second and then let go. From the front of the store came a distinct crash. "Cheap mug," Jacen said and walked after Ariela, leaving the man massaging his bruised shoulder.

Ariela was already inspecting one of the cars when Jacen got outside. "You know how to operate one of these things?" Jacen asked.

"Don't you trust me?" Jacen bit his tongue at the expected retort and got into the passenger's seat as his female counterpart climbed in behind the driving console. The car hummed to life and rose a few dozen centimeters off the ground. Ariela moved her fingers in a confident pattern of instructions, and the vehicle moved forward gently. She expertly swung the car down through the alleyway, and in a few moments, they were out on the street, moving at a decent clip.

Jacen looked at Ariela and tried not to let himself get caught up in her optimistic outlook on the situation. Apparently, Ariela knew what Jacen was thinking. "Relax, hon," she said, throwing the endearment at him to break his resolve, "Trent didn't suspect a thing, and Borgan is 500 kilometers away. In a few minutes, we'll be millions of kilometers away."

Jacen tried to relax, but the feeling that they were being watched was still nagging at him.

Trent listened to Ariela's words of encouragement over the tiny speaker in the back room of the pawnshop and chuckled to himself. He reached over to a switch on the radio to change channels. His arm quivered as a bolt of pain shot down from his shoulder. That punk had really done something to his arm. Trent changed channels and waited for confirmation. "They're on their way," he spoke into a microphone.

"Good," Borgan said from the other end of the line. "We're waiting for them." Borgan put the com unit down and looked at Herink next to him. The smaller man was looking through a pair of microbinoculars.

"Here they come," Herink said and offered the vision enhancers to Borgan.

Borgan declined, accepting Herink's word. "Are your men in place now?" Herink nodded. "Just remember, there is no need to take either of them alive."

"I understand," Herink replied.

The aircar glided smoothly up the ramp toward the spaceport. There was quite a bit of traffic, but Ariela steered the vehicle into a private section of the complex. They pulled up to a separate building from the central area of the spaceport, and Jacen saw that other wealthy individuals or organizations owned several different private sections. This system was much more organized than on most planets, where people could land just about anywhere, and the skies were always filled with unauthorized spacecraft. Here each ship received clearance from the main spaceport and a trajectory that they should follow when leaving the atmosphere to minimize interference with other crafts.

Ariela parked the car in a designated area, and the two of them stepped out and approached the front of the building. The structure wasn't massive. It was connected to a medium-sized hanger where Jacen guessed about two or three relatively small ships were housed. "All we have to do is say 'Hi, we're here to take out one of the ships,' and they should say, 'Okay, take one of the ships in the hanger.'"

Jacen looked at her with disbelief. "That sounds a little too easy."

Ariela shook her head. "Borgan runs a tight ship. He doesn't want to have to bog everyone down with a whole bunch of odd regulations. There are plenty of security measures, such as bioscans, but I shouldn't set off any alarms, and as long as you're with me, they won't suspect a thing."

They climbed the stairs and entered through glass double doors. Jacen saw that the main room of this building was basically just a waste of space. These private sections of the spaceport were likely built in a cookie-cutter fashion where everyone was the same. Most other businesses had to cater to special guests and visitors. This wasn't the case with Borgan's group, and the main room was basically empty except for a refresher unit in the corner, a small restaurant, and two men with blasters firing at the two people who had just entered the building.

Jacen's senses had been alert, doubting that they were going to get away this easily, but Ariela was caught totally off guard as Jacen shoved her violently to the left, and he rolled to the right. Ariela quickly recovered and managed to compose herself into a ball, and moved away as two bolts of energy disintegrated the doors they had just walked through. She flipped out of her roll and came up behind a support pillar just as another shot exploded into a window behind her.

Jacen dove to his hands and vaulted himself over the second shot of his assassin landing right next to him. The goon didn't bother with the blaster at close range and whipped out a vibro blade. Jacen locked his hand on the wrist with the weapon, and the two men grappled. The other thug saw that Ariela had good cover behind the pillar and turned his attention to the other combatants. He saw that Jacen and his partner were locked in close combat, and he took a careful aim at the pair, liking the fifty-fifty chance of his hitting his target. The chance was much less than that as Jacen sensed the shot coming and spun his opponent around as a shield. The bolt of energy tore into the betrayed thug's back and still had a bit of energy as it passed through his body and smashed Jacen in the chest. Jacen flew back a couple of meters, stunned.

The man who had fired the wayward shot aimed again, but Ariela had bolted from her cover when she had seen that she was no longer the center of attention. As the man fired again, Ariela delivered a flying kick to the center of his back. The gunman's arms flew up as he fell, and his shot went high as he hit the ground. The man flipped over onto his back, and Ariela kicked the gun out of his hands as it came to bear. The man tried to scramble to his feet, but she swept his legs and clipped him hard on his head with her elbow. His head went foggy, and he wasn't able to catch himself as his head rebounded off the thinly carpeted floor. His body slumped as he slipped under.

Ariela looked over at Jacen and saw that he was getting up. "Let's go!" she screamed.

Jacen was rising when his eyes went wide. "Ariela!" She turned and saw that Borgan had come into the room. Her initial shock that the monster had been here waiting for them disabled her from any escape routine. Jacen saw the blaster of the man he had been fighting lying nearby, and he beckoned to it with his hand. He got to his feet as the gun flew into his hand. He swung it over onto Borgan. The big man was on his knees, so he and Ariela were the same height. Jacen tried not to laugh as the giant hid behind Ariela's slight frame. Jacen found it particularly easy to dispel the laughter when he focused on Borgan's massive forearm across Ariela's throat.

"Put your weapon down, boy."

"I think not. Stop hiding behind a woman. It doesn't suit you. Step out from behind her, and I'll give you a chance at a rematch."

"I don't think so," Borgan said with a smile on his face. "I believe I have the upper hand here. I could kill her and still use her for an effective shield."

"What shield?" Jacen asked without a hint of sarcasm.

"Don't kid yourself, Jedi. You don't have the balls to shoot through your girlfriend just to take me out."

"With my eyes closed," Jacen disagreed with a voice like ice as he thumbed the power setting to maximum.

Borgan had never known fear before. He didn't like it very much. Herink saved him. "Jacen, behind you!" Ariela managed as Borgan's forearm had gone slack.

Jacen had been square with Borgan, but now he turned his body 90 degrees and swung his right arm, holding the blaster 180 as he fired. Herink had aimed right between Jacen's shoulder blades and had fired just as Jacen started to turn. His shot flew parallel with Jacen's outstretched arm and shoulders, searing a gash in his shirt. Jacen's arm didn't waiver as the bolt passed within microns of ripping his flesh off. The Jedi's shot was true on target and tore the blaster from Herink's grasp.

Ariela screamed again, and Jacen turned his attention away from Herink. Instead of turning his body around, Jacen merely turned his head and lifted his left arm toward Borgan. He let go of the blaster in his right hand, and it traveled the width of his wingspan into his waiting left hand. He was too late because Borgan was dragging Ariela outside through a side door when he caught the weapon. Jacen was about to give chase when he sensed Herink charging him from the side. Jacen was still turned 90 degrees away from him. With the blaster in his left hand, away from the rushing Herink, Jacen brought the weapon down, thumbed the power to stun, and shot from his left hip. Herink was a meter away when Jacen fired, and the shot took him full in the chest. The thug was lifted off his feet and fell hard on his shoulder blades, not to get up for a while.

Jacen turned back in the direction Borgan had taken Ariela and gave belated chase. Through the door, Jacen found himself between the main building and the hanger. He crept cautiously, knowing there weren't too many places to which Borgan could run. To Jacen's left was the front of the spaceport, which was bound to be swarming with people, and to his right was the wide-open airfield, offering no cover whatsoever. Jacen thought he heard a noise coming from the hanger, so he walked straight ahead to the door on the side of the building. Jacen opened the door and nearly got his head smashed into a pulp as he fell and rolled forward under a tremendous swinging pipe. Jacen completed two full somersaults before he came up and turned to face Borgan. The man was holding a large coolant pipe that measured one and a half meters long and eight centimeters wide. Jacen wasn't even sure if he would have been able to fit his hand around the thing, but Borgan was holding it like a short sword. Jacen had little time to contemplate the situation when Borgan charged him. The smaller fighter took a quick step back and found himself up against a spaceship. He ducked at the last second, and Borgan punched a massive hole in the metal above Jacen's head. The Jedi scrambled out from underneath the giant as he tried to wrestle the pipe out of the ship.

Jacen looked about the hanger. It was a square building, 30 meters to a side, with two ships inside that took up about a third of the hanger. Jacen saw Ariela slumped in a corner and, with a quick Force scan, sighed as he sensed she was just unconscious. He also saw the pile of pipes where Borgan had found his weapon. Jacen summoned one of the smaller tubes, half a meter shorter and a couple of centimeters thinner than the pipe Borgan had now freed from the ship.

Borgan turned toward his adversary, seeing that Jacen now had a weapon, and smiled slowly. The big man twirled his pipe in front of him briefly, going under his left arm, around his back, and back around his other side into his right hand. Jacen swallowed slowly, realizing that Borgan was no slouch in formal combat. Jacen had entered several swordsmanship contests all over the galaxy and had always won, and he always felt confident that he walked into each situation with the most skill, but he'd never met anyone who was even a fourth as strong as Borgan. His bulk didn't slow him down or encumber his movements either. Borgan charged again, but instead of falling back or standing his ground, Jacen met the charge with a rush of his own. Jacen held his weapon high, obviously going for the taller man's head. Borgan repositioned his grip to meet the blow and issue one of his own. At the last second, Jacen sidestepped and dropped his shoulders. Borgan's swing sailed through the air as Jacen was now beside the giant instead of in front, and Jacen swung full into Borgan's gut. To Jacen's credit, the swing stopped Borgan's momentum, but to the big man's credit, he didn't even grunt.

Jacen cursed silently to himself. If he had his lightsaber with him, he could have just cut his opponent in half. Jacen had kept his charge going past Borgan, and they turned to face each other again. Borgan was smiling. "Is that the best you've got, Jedi?" Jacen saw through the last attack sequence and realized that Borgan had let his defenses slip on purpose, allowing Jacen to see how futile this battle was. Jacen had other ideas.

The two walked together slowly, weaving their crude weapons before them so their opponent wouldn't know where the attack would be coming from. Borgan attacked first, using the rotating pipe in his grasp to come down on Jacen from above. Jacen had kept his pipe high on his body, knowing that any actual attack from his tall adversary would come from above. The Jedi positioned his pipe at a 45-degree angle with the ground, rebounding the attack away from his body. Jacen let the impact shoot his weapon across his chest and returned the pipe in a backhand swipe aimed at Borgan's ribs. Borgan's initial blow had deflected wide and low, and he brought his weapon back in and up, knocking Jacen's attack high, so the pipe swept centimeters in front of Borgan's face.

After the two attacks and parries, both weapons were now at their respective owners' shoulders and in position for a strong forehand swing. Both men unloaded their attack with incredible ferocity, their arms snapping taut like durasteel cables on a buckling suspension bridge. Borgan had half a meter on his opponent, he weighed almost 150 kilograms more, and his weapon was a half meter longer and over twice as heavy as Jacen's. Jacen had the power of the Force. Borgan's weapon was blasted from his hands, and his incredible bulk was thrown backward from the impact. Jacen stood calmly with his pipe bent and nearly sheared in half.

Borgan got up very slowly, not hurt but incredibly cautious. Jacen tossed his now very warm weapon aside. "Is that the best you've got?" Jacen said coolly. The Jedi had played his cards correctly, and now Borgan was furious. Throwing caution to the wind, the monster bull-rushed Jacen. The Jedi remained calm and dropped to one knee. Borgan's fists swiped the air above Jacen's head, and the younger man placed his hands on Borgan's waist and rolled backward, translating Borgan's forward momentum into rotational motion. The giant flew ungracefully through the air and crashed into shelving which had until now held a wide assortment of tools.

Borgan picked up an electro-spaning wrench and hurled it at Jacen. The Jedi deftly caught the speeding projectile and flipped it back at the prone figure. The wrench flew like a bullet into Borgan's chest, surely cracking a few titanium-coated ribs. For the first time during the fight, Borgan registered pain. He also realized that he was way out of his league. With a feint toward Jacen, Borgan pivoted and ran toward Ariela. The large man ran past one of the ships in the hangar, which was undergoing repairs and was jacked up. Jacen shoved at the jack with the Force, and the nose of the ship came crashing down right on top of the running Borgan, pinning him to the ground. For all of the metal monster's strength, he could not budge the several-ton spaceship.

Jacen ran over to him, careful to keep his distance, tried to figure out how long it would take to knock him out, and decided, for time's sake, he would leave him how he was. Jacen scooped up the still unconscious Ariela and ran back out of the building. He paused briefly and gave a mock salute back toward the pinned giant. "Be seeing you."

"In Hell," the grunting man responded.

"Sorry," Jacen apologized, "I plan on going in the other direction." Jacen ran out of the large door to the hanger and surveyed the ships out on the airfield. He didn't recognize any of them. He finally settled on a medium-sized ship that looked ready for take-off. He carried Ariela up the lowered entryway, and a brief search located him small crew quarters where he laid her gingerly on a bed. He raced back to where he had seen the cockpit and settled into the chair, trying to familiarize himself with the controls. He raised the outside door and signaled the flight controller for immediate take-off. He was given a priority departure and left within thirty seconds, following the designated coordinates fed to his nav computer. "Just a few more minutes, Ariela," he said, as much to himself as to the woman asleep in the bunk.

Herink came into the hanger a few minutes after Jacen had left. He took one look at Borgan pinned beneath the ship and knew things were not looking up. "Give me a second, and I'll get that thing off you, sir."

"Never mind about me," Borgan huffed, "I can get a service droid to get this thing off me. Go after them," he said and gestured to the sky where Jacen had just flown. "Take my ship. And Herink," Borgan added, halting the man who had already started toward the airfield, "either come back and tell me that they are dead or don't come back at all."

Herink swallowed, realizing the implications of his assignment - no room for failure. He was glad Borgan had told him to take his personal ship. It was the ship they had flown in from Rencrin, and it was the fastest and most heavily armored on the planet. The ship was highly polished black with ultra-friction-resistant coating. It was the perfect camouflage for space fighting. It was shaped like a triangle with the wings swept back and quad ion engines located two under each wing. A few minutes later, Herink was in hot pursuit of the runaways.