The sky was red, the air smelled of carbon scoring and blood. There was screaming, barely drowned out by the TIE fighters above as they rained deadly fire on the Rebels and defiant natives.
She ran, ran as fast as she could. Towards Death itself she ran. "GET OUT! GET OUT!" She screamed into her comm, while the explosion ripped through the Imperial factory. Suddenly big, furry arms grabbed her around the waist, she was twisted around, the bulking figure of a wookiee covering her like a shell.
She screamed. The fire burned, shrapnel plunged into the ground around them. And then it was over.
Blood soaked her, but it wasn't her own. The wookiee lay limp, still covering her body, keeping her safe. Safe, but alone.
Alone, scared, hopeless.
~~~
Tallis sucked in a breath of air, her eyes wide, the light blinding her momentarily as she covered her face with her palms. Her blue fingers came away wet.
Quickly Tallis swiped at the tears, sniffled, and got up to the refresher. Rolling up her sleeves, she gently splashed water over her face.
"Just a nightmare . . ." She murmured to her reflection. "It wasn't." Came the same answer everytime.
Tallis shook her head at herself and rested her elbows on the edge of the basin, her head in her hands as she breathed slowly. In through the nose, out through the mouth, as Obi-Wan instructed when her nightmares got bad. A few minutes passed, and Tallis went back to the bunk Han had offered her, fixing the bedsheets before pulling on her boots and heading out for the cockpit.
"Good mornin' sunshine." Han chimed in mocked cheerfulness as Tallis got in the seat behind him.
"Same to you." She said dryly as the smeared stars continued to whirl around in an endless dance. "How far out from Nar Shaddaa are we?" She asked curiously. They had been travelling for a day, and while Tallis knew space travel was long, she was getting a bit impatient to start the investigation.
"Just a bit longer." Han said, checking the screens before grinning. "Ever seen Nar Shaddaa?"
"No. What's it like?"
"Ever been to Coruscant?"
Tallis snorted. "Coruscant? Imperial central? I was born after the Empire's rise, I've barely ever been to the Inner Rim, much less Coruscant."
"Alright alright." Han raised his hands for peace. "Imagine dirty buildings and scummy people. Times a hundred at least."
"Lovely." Tallis said, sarcastic sweetness coloring her tone as the Falcon came out of lightspeed. And the dim planet appeared straight ahead.
~~~
"You're bad at descriptions." Tallis muttered as she jumped over a puddle of what she really hoped was just muddy water. Nar Shaddaa was a bit more than just scummy and gross... it was hideous, and that did not even begin to describe the place. Heaps and heaps of trash were pushed into the sidewalks and alleyways, the roads were covered in potholes filled with thick mud and other filth. The people were as dirty as their planet. They made the patrons at the cantina in Mos Eisley look like a teen party. That is how revolting Tallis found them.
Gingerly the youngster pulled Han's lent rain poncho tight around herself, keeping the hood low. Han had expressed concern for Tallis' identity, after all Darth Vader had seen her and probably had Imperial spies keeping a look out for Jedi. The cleanly kept exotic Togruta would be easily spotted in this mess without some sort of disguise. Han had his own cloak, as the bounty on his and Chewie's heads were at large, and Nar Shaddaa was simply not the greatest place for wanted smugglers and hiding Jedi.
Eventually Han stopped in front of a cantina, it was dirty and looking about ready to fall apart. The roof seemed sunken and the foundation looked about ready to give way. Tallis grimaced. "Do we have to?" She asked as a burly gamorrean tossed a slimy looking Rodian right out the door.
"Hey, do you want to find Luke's bounty hunter?" Han asked.
Tallis' kept her arms folded tightly, a sigh escaping her lips. Chewbacca wuffed softly in resigned agreement and together the trio entered the cantina.
Immediately Tallis had to refrain from physically revolting as the most foulest stench ever attacked her nose. Alcohol had never smelled nice to her, but this smell was ridiculous. It was as if the cleaners were using their own beer to polish the tables and floors. They could at least use wine...
Han and Chewie however were easily in their element as they sauntered along to a table further out from the dim lighting and sat down comfortably. Tallis kept her hands to herself as she took the last seat and decided to watch the people around them.
It was crowded here, but not loud yet as it was only midday, the entertainment had not arrived yet.
"This places smells."
Han shrugged. "I've smelled worse."
"Of course you have." Tallis said as a particularly sleazy looking Pa'lowick swished her hips all the way to the table.
"May I take your orders?" She asked, the big lips on the end of her several inches long snout puckering into a slanted grin.
Han spoke up. "I'll have some whiskey, Chewie here will take a mead. What about you Blue?"
"Water please?" Tallis asked.
The Pa'lowick barked a laugh, her long fingered hand giving Tallis' shoulder an amused pat before walking off.
Han had his knuckles pressed against his lips in obvious amusement.
Tallis frowned. "What did I say?"
"Water ain't a thing in these sorts of bars, don't worry you'll learn quick." Han said with a smirk, leaning back while Tallis glowered at him.
"Well let's get down to business I guess. Why the kriff do we have to be here of all places?" Tallis asked in annoyance.
Han smirked and shrugged. "Most cantinas have anything you want. You just have to know how to find it and get it." The Pa'lowick came back with a whiskey and two meads.
"Will that be all?" She asked humorously.
Han grinned and leaned forward, sliding two silver credits to the alien before pulling out a gold one. "Not yet, I'm looking for some information."
The Pa'lowick's eyes seemed to bug out though she swished her hips and smirked, playing it cool. "Well ask and I'll answer." She said, undertone painfully seductive.
The smuggler knew he had it now. From his pocket he took out the metal Tallis had given him before leaving the Falcon. "My friends and I are hear on business for Jabba the Hutt, we need new weapons and heard of a high quality place 'round these parts."
The sleazy alien leaned close and thoughtfully stroked her bottom lip before snapping her fingers. "Ah yes, I do know these people. They don't got a name, just an insignia like this! Last I heard, they were operating on the fourth level, very near here in fact." The Pa'lowick smirked slyly. "Add a bit more in it and I'll give you a contact."
Han glanced at Chewbacca, who shrugged. Han added in another gold credit. The alien clapped her hands.
"He's an old Weequay by the name of Seb-Zakk. Go to the nearest tunnel and down to the fourth level, he hangs around there lookin' for possible customers."
Nodding, Han passed the credits to the alien, who happily bounced away with the money jingling in her thin skirt. "Alright, we got ourselves a lead."
Tallis shook her head. "Unless she just played you like a flute."
"Nah, when you do what I do long enough, you get to knowing when someone's pulling banthacrap or not." Han said, taking a long sip of whiskey before glancing at Tallis. "We got a real lead now. We'll check it out tomorrow."
"Why tomorrow?" Tallis asked curiously.
Han shrugged. "No reason."
"Sure." Tallis said, giving Solo a look as she leaned back in her seat.
~~~
Han frowned as he finished off checking the Falcon's haul. Something was off, he felt like he was being watched. And that feeling caused him to delay the trip into Nar Shaddaa's lower city. He wanted to find out why he felt this way. Who was causing it. But in the end Han found himself laying half asleep in the bunks, Chewbacca snoring in the bunk underneath, and Tallis curled up on the bunk furthest away from the snoring.
When morning came Han finally shook off the feeling and took the controls, piloting to the fourth level of Nar Shaddaa. Down here was where Coruscant and Nar Shaddaa really became similar. The more levels you go down, the worse it gets. The fourth level might as well have been hell. At least in Tallis' eyes as Han glanced back to see the kid jumping over puddles and keeping her skirt high.
"All right, where's that Seb-Zakk guy?" Han asked, looking to Chewbacca for help. Aliens walked two and fro, a unique and diverse population. Finding a Weequay in all this was not especially promising. But Chewbacca's height may help in finding that alien.
They walked around the docking bag and the edges of it most of the morning. It was probably closer to noon when when Tallis groaned in impatience.
"Aren't Jedi supposed to have unlimited patience?" Han asked in sour amusement.
"The real ones maybe, but I'm sure even they would be exhausted by now." Tallis whined. Han only grinned. At least she wasn't a robot, he'd half expected as much for a while.
"Well Blu-"
Chewbacca suddenly roared, pointing ahead. There, lounging on a box of crates and smoking some sort of stick sat a Weequay, an old one too by the looks of it.
The trio shared a triumphant smile before heading forward. Han eventually stopped and told his friends to wait as he approached the Weequay.
"Know a place where I can find one of those?" Han asked cheerfully as he leaned up against a tall crate.
The Weequay glanced at Han. "I'm not interested in games." He said in a wheezy voice, broken down from years of drug abuse no doubt.
Han shrugged. "You Seb-Zakk?" The Weequay gave a small nod. "The Pa'lowick said you'd get us some weapons. Jabba the Hutt is looking for new security measures."
Moments of silence passed before the Weequay stood. "C'mon." He said simply, and the trio followed Seb-Zakk to a beaten down speeder. The Weequay got in the driver's seat, Han up front while Tallis and Chewie climbed into the back.
And off they went, the speeder hitting top speed within horrifying seconds. However Han remained calm as they whisked by building after building, down alleys and over bridges. It was an exhilarating ride to say the least, however the distance was beginning to put Han on edge as they just kept going. There was no telling when they would stop, and when they did, would this guy actually have taken them where they wanted to go? It was too noisy to talk and Han was pretty sure the Weequay had no interest in talking. Best to be patient, Han figured as an hour past before finally, finally the Weequay stopped the speeder. Ahead was a warehouse of sorts, definitely a temporary setting.
"Here it is." The weequay said, climbing out of the speeder and waving. Han figured it was a camera he was waving at as he followed the alien's lead.
Seconds passed before the door opened. Four aliens came out. There was a a younger, burly Weequay, a dirty green Twi'lek male, a human male with a mullet and several facial piercings, and a skinny Rodian not too unlike dead Greedo.
"Who's this Sebby?" The human asked curiously, his eyes looking black in the dim light.
Seb-Zakk waved to his passengers. "Jabba the Hutt wants weapons from us." He said cheerfully.
The human glanced at his buddies. The Twi'lek grinned as he looked at the people before him. Han remained stoic, although the uneasy feeling began to churn in his gut again as the Twi'lek came up to him. "What're ya gonna pay?" He asked wickedly.
Han gave the Twi'lek his sabacc face. "Credits, spice, whatever you want Jabba has." He said with a casual shrug.
The Twi'lek licked his jagged teeth, beady little eyes looking past Han. "Let's pat ya down and get ya inside." He said, gesturing for his buddies to come over before he pushed past Han.
Looking back, Han frowned as the Twi'lek grabbed Tallis by the arm. The girl was indignant but also compliant for now, playing the part well as Han raised him arms to let himself get checked. Now that they knew where this place was they could probably ask around for some information, after Han made some friends of course. Tallis might be able to find a record, if they kept any. All in all it was going pretty well as hiw blaster and Chewie's bowcastor was taken.
Suddenly there was a sharp slapping sound. Everyone looked towards where it originated. Tallis' hand was out to the side, an obviously show of a completed backhand as the Twi'lek held his cheek. Han bit his lip. When did he forget about the main pervert in every ring of scum?
The Twi'lek was angry down, balling a fist, pulling it back and lunging it forward. Tallis stepped to the side, grabbing his wrist with one hand, his shoulder with the other, and placing her foot behind his. In this position she easily tripped him onto his back.
"Tal-" Han was suddenly interrupted as the human who as checking him pulled a blaster and fired. Tallis reacted quickly, though not in a desirable fashion. One of her lightsabers suddenly flew from out of her skirt slits, right into her hand. The green blade ignited as she deflected the blaster bolt back, hitting the human square in the chest.
That was it.
Han grabbed his blaster back and shot the younger Weequay and the Rodian before they could even react. An alarm from inside the building suddenly sounded as the Twi'lek ran away to get his friends. Chewbacca grabbed his bow castor.
"Come on let's go!" Han shouted, turning back to the speeder only to see Seb-Zakk take off in it. They were stranded.
And a whole warehouse of angry, hardened criminals were coming out to meet them.
