The Force's Shepherds
Chapter 108
A Whole Lot of Tricks and Nonsense
Every time the Falcon emerged from hyperspace, something new always managed to steal Kjelle's breath away. The first time she experienced faster than light travel, she had been taken to a pretty empty portion of the galaxy in order to help Han make his smuggling delivery. And she had been absolutely spellbound by the stars twinkling in the vast expanse of darkness beyond the cockpit.
The second time she experienced hyperspace, she was treated to her first view of another planet. It may have been a criminal cesspool and hellhole in Ord Mantell, but just seeing that massive, dark gray sphere suspended in the darkness by forces unknown to her had been a jaw dropping sight. Then seeing Naboo from beyond the planet's atmosphere, that blue and green jewel that sparkled with a gem among a million sparkling stars, had been just as breathtaking.
Somehow, each new planet they came across had the same effect. This one, Numidian Prime, looked very similar to Naboo. Kjelle could see lush, dense forest surrounded by vast waterways that snaked across the planet's surface like hundreds of blue arms. But it also did not have the obvious landmarks and cities that Naboo possessed. This world seemed much more wild and dangerous.
Han spun around in his chair to look at her.
"This place may look pretty, but it might as well be as dangerous as Ord Mantell." He explained quickly.
Kjelle glanced over at Hondo, who simply nodded in agreement.
"If you're going to walk on the surface," Han continued, "You do exactly as I say, when I say it. I don't want any nonsense like on Ord Mantell." He spun back around in order to help Chewie guide the ship down to the planet's surface. The Falcon rumbled as it started to enter the atmosphere. All the while, the red light blinked on the console, "I'd rather not be shot at again."
Chewie groaned in agreement.
"I thought you said we were meeting a friend of yours." Kjelle asked, "So why would we be shot at?"
Han sighed in front of her, "Because friends, in the smuggler world, is a very loose, vague term."
"He's not wrong." Hondo nodded, "One moment, you could be sharing a drink with someone you call your best friend, maybe even sharing an intimate moment or two, then next, after you give them your heart, they'll try to kill you or sell you."
Kjelle eyed the Wee'quay, both disturbed and puzzled. Hondo noticed her appalled look. He straightened up in his seat and cleared his throat.
"A bad ex-girlfriend." He clarified.
Han uttered a small laugh as he fiddled with some buttons on the console, "Sounds like it." He noticed the comm link light blinking, "Alright, we're being hailed by the spaceport. Kjelle, go tell Nah and Windu to be ready for landing. And make sure they follow the same rules as you when we do land."
Kjelle snorted as she undid her seat belt, "I doubt Windu is going to follow your rules."
"A guy can hope. If he did, I would be a lot less stressed out."
Kjelle got to her feet, "Why do you care anyways? The guy wants to leave us completely once we land."
"I don't care about him." Han called to her as she exited the cockpit. Chewie groaned next to him, "Damn right, pal. I care about what kind of heat he might bring down on us."
Kjelle shook her head as she heard that last bit while striding down the corridor towards the Falcon's small lounge.
Nah sat across from Windu in the lounge, a book from their home open in her lap. A weathered, cracked leather tome given to her by her father, Ricken. Whenever Nah opened the tome, hardly anything could pull her free from its words. Yet this time, Kjelle could see the little Manakete glancing away from the beloved pages and flicking her eyes up to Windu. She would quickly avert her gaze whenever Windu noticed her looking. But after a few moments, the pattern would repeat.
Kjelle could understand why Nah seemed so fascinated with the battered Jedi Master. What he told them earlier… it was still difficult to believe. Master Kenobi, the protector of Ylisse, the Mad Swordsman, Lucina's teacher and the man that was like a second father to her, was an alien. A spaceman who was actually far older than either Kjelle or Nah thought possible. She could still hardly wrap her brain around it.
And yet, Windu was not lying. He knew too much about Master Kenobi for him to be lying. He knew how Master Kenobi acted, what he looked like, and he shared the same powers Old Ben used so effectively against Grima. It was no wonder Nah could not stop looking at Windu with both awe and curiosity. He had lifted a veil from both her and Kjelle's eyes. Opened them to a truth hidden from them and their friends.
Wait until Luci hears about it all. Kjelle thought to herself as she took a seat beside Nah, She won't believe it for a second.
The ship shuddered once more. Kjelle heard the landing gear creak open beneath her feet. The engines died with a dull whine. One more shudder, and the Falcon came to a stop. Han emerged from the cockpit with Hondo and Chewie.
"Alright, Kjelle, you're with me and Hondo." Han ordered. He then pointed at Nah, "You're staying here with Chewie."
Nah frowned, "Why?"
Han let out an exasperated sigh, "Because little girls are very attractive to bad people." Nah's frown deepened, "And unfortunately, there are a lot of bad people around here." He turned to Windu, "And you are-"
"Leaving." Windu winced as he got to his feet. He staggered a couple steps towards the main corridor that led to the Falcon's exit ramp. The man did not even bother to look back at Kjelle, Nah, or the others.
So much for being a friend of Master Ben's. Kjelle thought to herself.
She started walking towards the bunkroom so she could put on her armor, but Han held out a hand and stopped her.
"You'll stick out like a sore thumb." He sighed and shook his head, reaching into a locked compartment on the wall.
Chewie uttered a nervous groan.
"I know." Han muttered, "I can't believe I'm about to do this either." He reached into the compartment and withdrew a beat up looking blaster pistol and holster. He tossed it over to Kjelle, who easily snatched it out of the air, "Strap that to your hip. It's better protection than any armor can give you."
Kjelle blinked in surprise, "Y-your giving me-" She shook her head, "Are you expecting a fight?"
Han paused as he turned on his heel and started towards the exit, "I wouldn't put it past anyone in this place. Besides, that Slaver is probably still after us. And at this point, Jabba might have put a hit out on us. So yeah, I would expect a fight. Better to expect it than to be caught off guard by one. Now come on."
Kjelle flicked her eyes down at the beat up blaster pistol. It did not have the shine or tender care that Han's obviously had, but it was better than nothing. She was loathe to exit the Falcon without her armor, but she also knew Han was right. The last thing they needed was to be easily singled out on a dangerous world like this one. If Han was giving her a blaster as an extra precaution, then she would need to be discreet and on her toes at all times.
"Nah." Kjelle said, "Don't do anything stupid."
"I won't." Nah hummed back, returning her attention to the pages in her tome.
Kjelle nodded and followed Han and Hondo off of the ship. Once those three were gone, Chewie grunted over at Nah.
Nah's ears twitched. She glanced up at Chewie, "I can't understand you like Han and Hondo can."
Chewie shrugged and jabbed a furry paw over at the cockpit.
"You'll be in there?" Nah asked.
Chewie nodded.
"Okay." Nah muttered, returning her eyes to her book.
Chewie's heavy footsteps pounded away from her as he disappeared to the cockpit. The door to the cockpit hissed closed.
Once Nah heard the door click shut, she smacked her tome closed. A long sigh left her lips as she darted her eyes back and forth, a slight pang of guilt entering her. Kjelle would want her to stay put. But… her curiosity was getting the better of her.
As quietly as she could, the little Manakete crept past the closed cockpit, slipped down the corridor to the exit ramp, and entered the buzzing hive that was Numidian Prime's spaceport.
Numidian Prime… yet another wretched hive of scum and villainy. This one just happened to be in a better neighborhood in the galaxy. The mid-rim had a tendency to be a mixed bag. There were beautiful worlds with rich cultures in this portion of the galaxy such as Naboo; poorer worlds with strong people such as Ryloth; then this place. A shelter for pirates, smugglers, and criminals. A place for bounty hunters to gather and gamble without fear of interference by any sort of local authority.
Mace had been to his fare share of hellholes in his life. War torn places with surfaces and cities torn to shreds by blaster fire and flames. Dirt poor planets where the local populace were desperate to make a sliver of a living. Scraping by on whatever scraps they could manage. Places like that mostly populated the Outer Rim. And Numidian Prime belonged among them. Instead, it sat in this belt of the galaxy. And Mace could not help but scowl at the scum moving around him.
All of these beings, from far flung out places in the galaxy, all of them were more focused on their own lives, their own greed, rather than making a difference. Instead of focusing on resisting the Empire.
A pang hit his heart from out of nowhere. Flashes of Naboo hit his mind. The words that girl, Ragana, spat at him seeped into his mind like a slow poison.
"You hid away while others died for your own ends." Her pain filled voice, laced with venom and hatred echoed through his thoughts, "Who is really the coward, Jedi?"
"You are consumed with a lust for vengeance." Darth Sidious's vile croak replaced Ragana's voice, "How far the mightiest of the Jedi has fallen."
No!
Mace's fist clenched at his side. The gears in his cybernetic arm whirred and spun as he clenched his fist tighter. Waves of fury rushed through him. The force fluctuated around him. Out of the corner of his eye, against the wall of a nearby cantina, he noticed a crate starting to shudder.
He quickly reined in his emotions. And the crate stopped shuddering. A long breath left the old Jedi Master's lips. Too close. One wrong move, one show of the Force, and any one of these criminal scum surrounding him would be in for one hell of a pay day. The bounty on a Jedi was high. Collect a bounty on a Jedi Master as prestigious as he once was, that criminal would never have to work another day in their miserable life.
He glanced at the half burnt out neon sign for the cantina. Half of a drink buzzed in hues of bright green and red. He noticed several patrons chatting outside of the cantina entry.
Mace glanced up at the sky, the sun was setting. And he had nowhere to stay, nor a way off of this planet… yet. If he wanted to hitch a ride out of here, his best bet would be to enter the cantina and listen in on the criminals that gathered there.
Begrudgingly, he entered the cantina. Loud, pulsing music blasted against his ears, thrummed in his chest, vibrated in his mind. He used the force to dull the sensation. He came here to find a way off of this rock, and maybe to find a small measure of peace. Not to be bombarded by terrible music.
He quickly spotted an open stool at the bar. Once he took a seat, the bartender, a rather tall Duro with big, bulbous, orange eyes greeted him. Mace quietly ordered a simple brandy then sat still and listened.
A drink in a small, crystal glass slid up to him. Mace glanced down at the amber liquid and nodded a quiet thanks to the bartender. He reached into his pocket and withdrew a couple galactic credits. The Duro behind the bar glanced at them with slight disgust, but swept them off the counter anyways.
They value any currency here, unlike the Hutt controlled worlds. Mace thought to himself as he plucked his drink from the counter and took a small sip.
The door to the cantina opened again. Probably some more pirates and gangsters coming in for a drink. Mace sniffed to himself and reached out with the force, trying to find which scum in here would be the easiest to manipulate into a ride.
A bright light pulsed in the force near him. Mace furrowed his brow. The light stopped beside him, drawing his attention away from finding a way off of this rock, and to the previously empty barstool beside him.
A long, disapproving scowl filled his face.
"You shouldn't be here, Nah." Mace grunted before sipping his drink again.
"As far as I am aware, I can do what I want." The little girl with strange ears commented.
She glanced at the drinks behind the counter. As she looked the Duro bartender approached her. He uttered some words in his native language. Nah arched an eyebrow, puzzled.
"He's asking what you want?" Mace muttered.
"Oh?" Nah remarked, surprised, "There isn't an age limit?"
Mace glanced at her, "Look around you." He nodded at the crowd filling booths and standing tables throughout the cantina, "Do you think any of them actually care?"
Nah pursed her lips. She glanced at the bottles of liquor again and opened her mouth to speak to the Duro.
Mace slapped a credit chip on the counter, "Unfortunately for you, I do care a little bit." He glanced at the Duro, "Water for her."
The Duro nodded and swept up the credit. As he poured Nah a glass of water, Mace sipped on his drink again. The bartender slid the glass of water up to Nah. The little girl needed to adjust her stool in her order to reach it. Once she managed to grasp it, she took a long sip. Her eyes never left Mace as he stared forward at the bar in complete silence.
Nah lowered the glass back onto the counter. Her feet swung to and fro as they dangled from the bar stool.
"So…" Nah finally began. Mace bowed his head, "You claim to know Master Ben."
"I don't know a Master Ben." Mace grunted. He sipped his brandy again, "I know a Master Kenobi."
Nah furrowed her brow, "The way you described your Master Kenobi matches the description of my Master Ben." Her long ears twitched, "And I didn't sense a lie from you when you told us how you knew him."
Mace frowned a little bit, "Sensed a lie?"
Nah nodded, "A little gift myself and other Manaketes have. We are very good at sensing other people's intentions and auras." She sipped her water then let the glass hover near her lips, "Although, I'm not nearly as good at it as Lady Tiki was."
Mace furrowed his brow as he glanced over at the girl. She called herself a Manakete. What species was that? He had never heard of such a thing before. On top of that, she said she was able to sense intentions and auras. An ability that sounded awfully similar to using the force.
There were entire species born with an innate connection to the force in the galaxy. The two most prominent were the Night Sisters of Dathomir, and Mace's own species, the Korunnai; a small subset of humans from the planet Haruun Kal. But Manakete was not one of the species Mace had studied in his time at the Jedi Temple.
"What exactly is a Manakete?" He asked, allowing his curiosity to get the better of him for a moment.
Nah flicked her green eyes over to him, "Well, if you want a simple definition, we are dragons in human form." Mace gave her a puzzled look, "If you want a more complicated explanation, I'm not the person to ask."
"Why not?" Mace asked her, growing more curious by the second.
"Because I am a very young Manakete." Nah explained with a slight shrug of her bony shoulders. She sipped her water, "And… I never really got the chance to learn about my heritage back home." A melancholy washed over her for a brief second before she quickly returned to her neutral nature both physically and mentally, "What about you? What exactly is a-"
Mace's gaze hardened, silencing Nah.
"You can't throw that word around." Mace warned her, "Any one of these people," He gestured at the cantina patrons, "would love the chance to hand me over to the Empire, either as a prisoner or as a corpse." he sipped his brandy, "And because you know me, you'll likely be targeted to." He noticed her face pale, "So keep quiet on what I am." He pursed his lips, "Or what I used to be."
He downed the last of his brandy, smacked a credit chip on the counter, and ordered another drink. Nah took another quiet sip of her water. She gripped her cup in both hands as her feet continued to dangle off of the bar stool.
"So… what was Master Ben like?" Nah asked, "Before he arrived in Ylisse."
Mace furrowed his brow.
"Ylisse?" He wondered out loud.
Nah nodded, "My home. And Kjelle's home. It's called the Halidom because it is ruled by Naga's Exalted Bloodline." Mace gave her a curious look as she explained, "Oh, and Naga is basically god where I'm from."
Mace narrowed his eyes at her, "God?"
Nah nodded, "She was once a Manakete too, you know. Probably the most powerful that ever existed. From what I understand, the only people I know of that could have ever challenged her were Lady Tiki and…" Nah trailed off as a glaze washed over her eyes. Mace detected fear spike inside of her.
"And who?" Mace asked.
Nah swallowed hard, "Grima, the Fell Dragon."
Mace opened his mouth in understanding, "Your planet's devil?"
Nah nodded, "Basically." She gulped down the last of her water and set the glass down with a trembling hand, "He's the reason why me and Kjelle are here, lost."
Mace furrowed his brow, "Lost?"
Nah nodded again, "Me and Kjelle, we ended up here thanks to some sort of mistake in the ritual Lucina performed. A ritual meant to send us back in time to before the Fell Dragon's return." Nah shook her head, "I don't really understand it myself, even though I should. The ritual was made by a Manakete, and yet I don't get it at all. I don't understand how it could have deviated from what it was designed to do."
Mace gave her a hard look. He felt very puzzled by what she was rambling about. If what she was saying was true, then not only was she and Kjelle from a place he had never heard of before (which is saying a lot given his one time status as a Master of the Jedi High Council), but that they were from a different time period completely. That they and their friends performed some ritual to move back in time in order to stop some strange evil on their homeworld sounded baffling and implausible.
Yet, just like she did to him, Mace sensed her intentions, and he did not detect a lie.
She's either convinced herself of a false truth, or she is telling me a real truth. Mace pressed his lips together, The real question now is, why should I care?
"The reason I am so curious about you and Master Ben," Nah continued, "Is because Master Ben was the strongest person we had left to face down Grima, once Lucina's father and Lady Tiki were slain. He rallied us. He stood against the darkness and kept it at bay for as long as he could." She fiddled with the strap to a satchel she had over her shoulders. Mace glanced into the satchel and saw a large, heavy book inside of it, "I was hoping, that maybe you could help us figure out how he did it and maybe you could-"
"No." Mace answered.
Nah blinked in shock, "N-no?" Her lips quivered a little bit, "Why?"
Mace glanced at her, "Because," He sipped a new drink given to him by the bartender, "My concern is-"
Not helping innocents of the galaxy anymore. Vengeance, against Sidious, against Vader, against everyone that helped wipe out the Jedi. Making sure I survive to see that vengeance through.
His grip tightened on his glass.
"Who is really the coward, Jedi?"
The door to the cantina opened. A dark presence in the force flared to life. Mace froze in his seat as the dark side of the force ebbed in silent, seething rage throughout the cantina.
"I'll be taking that little girl." A woman growled. A woman that sounded strangely familiar.
Nah gulped beside him as she spun around in her chair. She fumbled with her satchel, only for it to be ripped away by the force. Mace remained seated, facing away from the door, fingers brushing along the ridges of his glass of brandy.
"Stay away from me!" Nah cried as she reached into a pocket in her shirt.
What does she have? A blaster?
Nah drew a simple, pale stone. Barely the size of her palm. Mace raised an eyebrow.
What do you plan on doing with-
Bright light blinded him. Mace fell from his bar stool. The Force burst into brilliant light around him. Patrons around the cantina cried out in alarm. Their cries were drowned out by a mighty roar.
A blast engulfed the cantina. Rubble rained down all around Mace. He shielded his head with his arms. Patrons ran away screaming from the cantina all around him.
With a shaky head, Mace opened his eyes and looked over at Nah.
The little girl was gone. In her place, was a giant winged lizard. Glowing energy surrounded her as she floated off of the ground with one great flap of her green wings. Burning white fire leaked from her jaws as she stared down a Nightsister standing in what had been the cantina doorway.
Mace's eyes narrowed as twin red lightsaber thrummed to life in the Nightsister's hands. Now he knew why that voice sounded so familiar.
His teeth clenched tight. The glass of brandy shattered in his hand as he clenched it into a tight fist.
"Ventress."
"Aha!" Hondo cheered happily as he led Han and Kjelle through the double swinging doors. Both doors swung back and forth, creaking ever so slightly, as the other two followed him in. Hondo placed his hands on his hips and took a deep breath of the smoke filled, putrid air, "Nothing like a casino to swindle idiots in."
"A particularly dirty casino." Han grumbled as a pair of beat up slot machines whirred near the door. He glanced over and watched two toydarians chortle happily as a credits amount popped up on the screen, "But this is his preferred kind of hang out."
Kjelle frowned next to Han as she observed the cramped place known as a Casino… whatever the hell that was. To her, it seemed quite the garish place. Bright lights flashed all along the walls. Some were connected to strange machines that various humans and aliens were huddled around. Those machines would flash numbers, and the humans would either cheer or sag in defeat. Those confused her quite a bit. Then there were the obvious alcohol signs glowing in half burnt out neon signs along the walls and near the horseshoe shaped bar at the center of the small casino.
Beyond the bar were several tables, where groups of people gathered around, drinks and smoking devices in hand. Hondo led the way past those tables, chattering about cheating something out of someone in days gone by. Kjelle hardly noticed what the pirate was talking about. Preferring instead to observe her surroundings and maybe figure out just who Han's friend was.
What was he like? What did he look like? Was he an alien like Hondo and Chewie? Or a human like her? Was he nice, or abrasive? The only thing she knew about him, beyond his friendship with Han, was that he was a conman. Kjelle recalled Anna described what a con artist was to her and Owain a few years ago, when one of them actually swindled Owain on a piece of crap sword. Now that she thought about it, Kjelle really started to dislike this old friend of Han's.
A cheer rang out from one of the tables. Kjelle's gaze darted over to it. She noticed a bunch of playing cards on the table. Various metal chips were tossed back and forth between different people seated at the table. One alien, an extremely large, reptilian creature with wicked jaws, pounded his clawed hand against the table and threw what had to be an accusation at another reptile in their native language. Before she could even blink, the accused surged over the table and a brawl ensued.
Han snapped his fingers near her face.
"Keep your eyes to yourself." He advised, his voice low as he observed the growing brawl, "or you'll get sucked into some of that nonsense."
Kjelle snorted, "Given that I'm following you around, I'd say I'm already in some nonsense."
Han rolled his eyes, "Just stay close."
Kjelle gave him a small nod and followed him and Hondo further into the casino. They passed a few more tables, these ones more sparsely populated before winding up at a set of small doors near the back of the room. Two, large, pig like creatures with sharp tusks protruding from their large lips stood next to the door. Both wielded weapons that appeared to be a strange cross of a pike and a spear. They clacked both together as Han, Hondo, and Kjelle approached, barring the door from them.
Han and Hondo raised their hands.
"Relax, my Gamorrean friends." Hondo chirped, "We're just here for a, shall we say, high stakes game?"
The Gamorrean's eyes each other. The one on Kjelle's right snorted at Hondo.
"No blasters?" Hondo said, aghast, "Since when has such a lovely institution not allowed us to-"
The pig like creature uttered a snarl. Hondo sagged.
"Fine, fine." He leaned over to Han, "You heard the pig." He whispered so that the Gamorrean couldn't hear him.
Han uttered a heavy breath before unstrapping his blaster. He nodded for Kjelle to follow suit. Although, Kjelle was reluctant to part with her "new" weapon. Begrudgingly, she undid the holster and handed the weapon to the hulking Gamorrean, who placed it on a table beside the door. Both Gamorrean's removed their pikes and allowed all three to pass through the doors.
"Many thanks, my friends." Hondo smiled.
"Yeah, thanks." Han grumbled, "For taking away what makes me feel safe."
"Oh relax, as long as you don't say the wrong thing, you'll be fine. You know that, Han, my boy." Hondo reassured.
"Yeah, you shouldn't be nervous if this guy is your friend." Kjelle nodded as Hondo put his hands on the doors.
She heard Han inhale.
"We didn't part on the best of terms."
Kjelle sucked in a breath, "Oh."
Before she could ask any more questions, Hondo pushed the doors open.
The first thing Kjelle saw was a long, luxurious, gold colored table spanning the length of the room. Rich, red carpets lined the cracked wooden floors, hiding any blemishes beneath a thin veneer of luxury. Various aliens of all shapes, sizes, and colors sat around the table. All of them had playing cards in their hands, claws, or tentacles. And at the head of the table, flanked by two more guards (these ones reptilian in nature), was a dark skinned man with jet black hair and a smug smirk on his lips.
Kjelle followed Han and Hondo around the room to one of the darker corners. Hondo clicked his tongue at her, grabbing his attention.
"Quite the game." He muttered.
Kjelle furrowed her brow, "What game is it?"
"Sabacc." Han answered for Hondo.
Hondo's eyes gleamed, "So you know it, eh?"
Han nodded, "How do you think I got the Falcon?"
Hondo's eyes practically sparkled. A low chuckle rumbled from his chest. He smacked a hand against Han's shoulder, "I knew you were a better piece of scum than I initially thought."
A guard near the door grunted, causing all noise to fall to a hush. One at a time, the players around the table tossed chips into the center of the golden table. The last one to push chips in was the human at the head of the table. Kjelle's eyes widened as he pushed all of his chips to the center. Hondo whistled low.
"Ballsy." He whispered.
"As always." Han muttered.
Kjelle blinked. She focused on the dark skinned man again as he kicked back in his chair and leisurely brought a cup filled with a rich, red liquid to his lips. For a split second, she noticed his eyes flick over to her and her friends. Something flashed in them. Recognition? Maybe, but Kjelle definitely saw hints of surprise in his brief gaze.
"Show hands!" The dealer, a rough, scarred human, commanded.
Cards flashed on the table. Several aliens uttered disgruntled growls. A few gasped in disbelief. Kjelle heard a furious roar. And the man at the end of the table laughed.
"Thank you." He put a hand to his chest, "Thank you so much. Truly, you all played a lovely game." A droid buzzed to the center of the table and pushed the chips towards him. His dark eyes sparkled as they stopped in front of him, "But I believe I have won this round."
Many of the other players stormed out of their seats in a huff before he could continue gloating. A few gave him rather venomous stares before leaving their seats as well. The human leaned back in his seat and spread his hands outs.
"You can always win it back." He chirped to the exiting players, "Just stop by the desk for some more chips." He chuckled and sipped his drink, "I'll be waiting right here."
He continued chuckling even as Han took a deep breath and moved towards the man. Hondo and Kjelle followed. As soon as they got close to him, both reptilian guards reached for blasters at their hips. Han screeched to a halt and slowly raised his hands. Before he could even say a word, the dark skinned man's grin raced away. He swirled his cup, staring down at the red liquid in it.
"You've got a lot of nerve showing up here. After what you pulled." The man growled, setting the cup down.
He rose from his chair, a slight snarl on his lips. His dark eyes burrowed holes into Han as he took a few steps towards the now very nervous smuggler. Hondo tensed behind him. And Kjelle curled his hands into tight fists. The reptile guards' claws twitched near their blasters.
Han gulped and appeared surprised, confused, and a little afraid all at once. An expression Kjelle had never seen on his face before. But after how much he had helped her and Nah (even if it was only reluctantly), she would be damned if any "old friend" harmed him.
The man stared down Han for a moment. He suddenly reared back with a fist. Han flinched. Kjelle started to move. Then to her immense shock, the man threw his arms around Han and started laughing loudly.
"How are you doing you damn pirate!?" The man cried cheerfully, a beaming grin on his face as he embraced Han.
The tension died. The guards moved their hands away from their blasters. Hondo folded his arms and laughed a little bit. Kjelle still felt wary, but let her fists relaxe as well. Meanwhile, Han returned the man's embrace.
"Good to see you Lando." Han chuckled patting the man on the back, "I did not expect you to be at the head of the table now."
Lando pulled back, "Well when you run the place you sure as hell can be at the head of the table."
Han's eyes widened, "You run-" He looked around, "Huh?"
Lando laughed some more and patted Han's shoulder. He glanced past Han to Hondo and Kjelle. He did not even bother addressing Hondo, instead sweeping around Han in order to stand in front of Kjelle.
"Well hello there." He hummed, voice suddenly silky smooth. Which made Kjelle cringed on the inside, "Who have we here?"
"That's-"
"Kjelle." She said stiffly. One fist tightening at her side again as Lando drew a little closer.
"Kjelle… such a lovely sounding name."
He reached for her hand only for Kjelle to raise her fist. Lando froze in place, flashing her a bright smile. A small, amused laugh left his lips.
"Feisty one. I should have known. Only feisty girls stick around Han."
Han rolled his eyes, "Whatever, you smoothie."
Lando gave him a good natured chuckle, continued to ignore Hondo, and gestured for Han and Kjelle to take a seat. He motioned at the guards, who both moved to the wide open doors and shut them.
Kjelle exhaled as she sat down. She stared over at Lando. For some reason, despite his friendly attitude, she could not help but feel like something was very off about him. She kept her guard up and one fists half clenched, ready to pound any threat into the dirt.
"So," Lando kicked his feet up onto the table, showing off quite fancy blue and black boots. Boots that made Hondo's jaw drop, "What brings you back to these parts Han? Last I heard, you were about to start working for old Jabba way out in the outer rim."
Han bobbed his head, "Yeah well… you know how the life is. Plans tend to get derailed."
Lando threw his head back and laughed again, "All too well." He nodded, "All too well. So what derailed everything this time?" He leaned close to him and nodded over at Kjelle, "Don't tell me you married that one."
Kjelle coughed hard and wheezed, surprised by the sudden topic. Hondo snickered beside her, causing the Ylissean to jab her elbow into his ribs.
Han's eyes bugged from his skull, "N-no!"
Lando flashed a glance to Kjelle, "Well, wouldn't blame you if you did. It is not a common occurance to find such a lovely looking lady out in the outer rim." He sighed, "Girls out there tend to be… well…"
"Enslaved." Hondo suggested.
Lando nodded, "About sums it up."
"Well she isn't. In fact…" he took a breath, "She's part of my crew."
Lando drew back in surprise, "You've got a crew now, do you?" He glanced over at Hondo and Kjelle, "How many?"
"Me, those two," Han gestured at Hondo and Kjelle, "A friend of Kjelle's named Nah, and Chewie."
"Chewbacca is still running with you!" Lando said happily, "No wonder you're getting along so well. A little Wookie muscle goes a long way. If they weren't so damn rare, I'd hire one around here. There would be no problems at my door if one was around." He reached for his glass and sipped on it, "Well, Han, I doubt you'd come out here just to say hello."
"Not wrong there." Han admitted.
"You need something." Lando folded his hands in his lap, "So how can I help out an old friend?"
Han took a deep breath, "Well, first the Falcon-"
Lando's entire demeanor changed, "What did you to to my ship?" He asked, voice suddenly stern.
Kjelle blinked. The Falcon was Lando's ship? Since when?
"My ship." Han corrected. Lando cleared his throat and returned to his smiling demeanor, "You know I won it from you, fair and square."
"Of course." Lando said through his smiling teeth, "So what is wrong with her?"
"Hyperdrive leak." Han replied.
Lando nodded, "Not too complicated. Easy fix really. So why come here when you could just go to any spaceport and get that done? Probably for a lot cheaper too."
Han swallowed hard, "Jabba."
Lando's eyes became laser focused. He leaned forward in his seat, voice dropping low.
"What did you do, Han?"
Han pursed his lips, "I um… well, the Falcon has an order of spice in her cargo hold-"
Lando frowned, "I don't recall ordering any so…" His eyes widened, "Oh don't tell me you screwed up one of Jabba's jobs!" He saw Han pale. Lando exhaled and massaged his eyes, "Kriff, Han!"
"It wasn't my fault!" Han cried defensively, "Everything was going according to plan until some nonsense on Ord Mantell, slavers, the Empire-"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Lando raised a hand, stopping Han in his tracks, "The Empire? How are they involved in this?"
"They aren't. But we had a close brush with them. And that caused me to miss the drop." Han admitted, "In all likelihood, the buyer is long gone. Which means-"
"Which means Jabba will want your head." Lando finished for him. He shook his head, "Han, you should not have come here. You should have found a hole to hide in. You and your crew. Once word gets around here that you're here, every bounty hunter on the planet will want a piece of the reward on you."
"Assuming Jabba has placed a price on my head." Han replied.
"Oh, I guarantee he has." Lando shot back, "This is Jabba the Hutt we are talking about. You don't mess up a job for the Hutts and expect there to be no consequences." He shifted nervously in his seat, "If they even know I'm entertaining you right now, they could come after me and my establishment."
"They won't." Han reassured, "I'm going to pay him back."
"How?"
Han took a breath, "Starting with finding another buyer, fast."
Lando furrowed his brow. His jaw worked back and forth as he crossed one leg over the other. Kjelle watched in silence as Han's friend studied the nervous smuggler.
"You want me to buy the spice." Lando correctly guessed.
Han exhaled, "That was the hope."
Lando bowed his head and thought for a moment. His thumbs tapped the armrests of his chair as he pondered Han's proposition. Kjelle's stomach dropped as Lando shook his head.
"I'm sorry, Han." Lando breathed, "I can't do that."
Han swallowed, "Why?"
The doors opened. Kjelle, Hondo, and Han's gazes snapped over to the doors. A lone figure stood at the other end of the table. He was a blue skinned alien. Scarlet, pupiless eyes stared at the group from beneath the bill of a large, round, black hat. A weathered, black duster sat over his shoulders. And two, metal breathing tubes protruded from his sunken cheeks.
Han blanched. An audible gasp rushed from Hondo's lips.
"Kriff, Cad Bane." Hondo gulped.
Han snapped his gaze over to Lando. Lando gave Han a defeated look.
"Jabba already put the hit out." Lando admitted, "Due to your rotten luck, you got here just after he did. And he was asking about you."
Kjelle clenched her fists beneath the table as the blue alien moved around the table towards Han. Han spun in his chair, one hand reaching on instinct for his blaster. Only to realize it was no longer there.
"Rookie mistake kid." Cad Bane drawled, drawing his own blaster pistol, "Never give up your blaster around here." The blaster primed, "I expected better from you, Hondo Ohnaka."
Hondo chuckled nervously, "Eh, I'm a bit rusty."
Cad Bane hummed. He glanced over at Kjelle.
"Who the hell are you?"
"No one!" Han quickly said.
Bane snapped his head back to Han, "She's someone then." He waved his blaster at Kjelle, causing her to tense up, "You're coming too. Jabba wants a word with all three of you."
Before anyone could move from the table, the ground rumbled. Lando's glass trembled then clattered to the ground, spilling its contents all over the red rug. A massive boom reverberated all around them, sending all of them to the ground.
Cad Bane knelt on the ground, head ducked as another explosion rocked the casino, "What in the-"
Kjelle acted first, she dove across the table and slammed into the skinny alien. One hand smacked the blaster from his hand. She drove her fist into his chest. A loud hiss erupted from her lips as her knuckles smacked into armor plating.
And I'm not allowed to wear my armor!
A blue fist hit her side. Kjelle winced, grabbed Bane's outstretched arm, and threw him with all of her might against the table. As she pinned him to the table, Han rushed for his and Hondo's blasters. Lando remained seated, hands folded, an unsurprised look on his face.
"I'm guessing those explosions are being caused by your crew?" Lando asked Han as the smuggler managed to retrieve his blaster amidst the chaos from the main room. He tossed Hondo his blaster as well.
"Y-yeah," Han stammered back, "Sure."
Kjelle grunted as she struggled to keep Bane pinned, "A little help!" She exclaimed.
A dark hand slammed into Bane's cheek. The bounty hunter slumped against the table, unconscious. Kjelle glanced up in surprise at Lando.
"What?" Lando shrugged, "Can't let the lady do all the work, right?" He glanced over at a droid moving to deliver him another drink.
Another explosion rocked the casino. Screams echoed from outside. Blaster fire screeched beyond the walls. A dull roar sounded, causing Kjelle's hairs to stand on end.
"Nah." She breathed.
"Uh oh." Hondo gulped as he heard the roar, "Little lizard girl didn't stay put."
"Apparently not." Han breathed. He primed his blaster. Hondo and Kjelle did the same, "Stay sharp."
All three charged towards the exit. As they ran, Lando's voice followed them.
"Good luck with the hyperdrive!"
Ventress expected many things when she landed on Numidian Prime. She expected to find the crew of the ship she was after taking refuge there. As she followed them across the mid-rim, thanks in large part to her annoying force sensitivity and the alarmingly bright presence on board the ship, she received a communique on her ship's console. A bounty placed on a Han Solo and the crew of the Millenium Falcon, by Jabba the Hutt. A bounty that she wanted badly. Because now she could get paid for her vengeance.
When she landed, she expected for the crew to try hiding in plain sight. Blend in with the other criminal scum in order to avoid being caught. A foolish gamble, but one that could pay off if done correctly. Unfortunately for them, and fortunately for her, the little girl she was after did not have the same caution as the other crew of the Millenium Falcon. She just waltzed into a cantina, in broad daylight, without a care in the world. Ventress could hardly believe her luck.
She was reminded of her bad luck when that same little girl turned into a monstrous, winged creature that spat fire from its jaws.
Upon her transformation, the green haired girl destroyed the cantina. Ripping the roof and walls apart with furious blasts of fire and swings of her scaly tail. A tail, Ventress barely dodged as she remained in the ruined remains of the cantina doorway.
She thinks a party trick like that can stop me. Ventress snarled to herself.
"Ventress." A voice growled near a pile of rubble that was once the cantina bar.
Ventress's eyes darted towards rough looking Korun male. One with a cybernetic hand and a furious gleam in his eyes. If she were a lesser being, the expression on his face, the fury in his eyes, would have intimidated her. But the lack of weapons in his hands made her want to scoff at him.
Before she could scoff, or even taunt, Nah's tail whipped towards her head once again. Ventress ducked beneath the blow then used the force to leap towards the beast's back. Just as she was about to land, a different force yanked her from behind and slammed her down to the ground.
Stars danced in the former Nightsister's eyes. Stars she quickly forced away as white fire rocketed towards her. She grit her teeth as she flipped back away from the flames. The ground shook as the ball of fire impacted and caused a small explosion. Through that explosion, the Korun male leaped at her, fists raised, a roar erupting from his open mouth.
Ventress jumped to the side, but not before she felt a hand smack against her hip, removing something extremely important. In a flash, she reached for her other hip and drew her lightsaber, igniting the scarlet blade with a snarl.
"You dare to-" She trailed off when she saw the Korun with her other red blade drawn in his hands. The fury in his eyes now caused her some concern. The force whipped in a frenzy around her as both the winged beast and the Korun stared her down.
"You'll pay for everything you helped cause." The Korun snarled, "Justice will be done in the name of the Jedi."
Ventress's eyes widened. Justice for the Jedi?
"Oh…" Ventress started to cackle, "You're a jedi, are you? If you are, then you certainly know who I am. And you will absolutely know my reputation. I doubt a little pissant like you could best me."
The Korun scowled at her but said nothing.
"I'll handle her." He said, no doubt addressing the lizard-monster, "Go find the others and get to the Falcon."
Blood rushed through Ventress's viens. She did not recognize this Jedi, but her adrenaline pumped through her as if she was fighting an old, long forgotten foe. It had been far too long since she needed to draw her blades for combat. As her eyes focused on her new foe, her old quarry soared up into the air with a roar. She briefly followed its flight, watching where it zipped to in a hurry.
Towards the casino. She thought, I'll get her in a minute.
Before she could even formulate a strategy of doing so, the Korun snarled and charged at her. Ventress grinned and raised her blade.
The first blow shook her arms. Her muscles groaned. Her bones shuddered. The heat from the lightsabers clashing rushed over her hands and forearms as she struggled to hold off the powerful strike. The Korun's eyes burned hot with anger as he shoved Ventress back.
Ventress danced lightly backwards then lunged forward with a stab of her own. The Korun easily parried it, adjusted his posture, then slashed hard down at her head.
She managed to block the strike, but the power behind it sent her down to one knee. Worry filled Ventress. Two strikes and she already noticed a substantial difference in strength between both of them.
"I don't recall if you and I ever fought before." The man growled, "But I remember seeing every single grave. I had to stand at every funeral as a member of the high council." Ventress's eyes widened in shock as he spoke, "I had to give eulogies to young padawans you slaughtered for fun. Back then, I might have shown you mercy if we fought. But now, never!"
The blades shrieked as they slid apart. Ventress surged to her feet as some panic filled her. This Jedi claimed to be a member of the high council. Those were the only Jedi that ever gave her some pause. The Jedi of the High Council were powerful enough to challenge her long dead master, Dooku. And this one had strength in spades. Who exactly was he though? Was he stronger than Masters such as Kit Fisto? Saesee Tiin? Kenobi?
That question was answered when, instead of parrying her next attack, he shoved her with the force. She flew backwards, then slammed into the wall of a nearby building. The concrete cracked and sank when she impacted. Her head swam and she slumped down to her hands and knees. Her lightsabers hissed off as it clattered out of her hands.
She snapped her head up as boots stomped towards her. Another dull roar rang out as blasters fired at the winged creature soaring overhead. But that barely garnered her attention. Ventress's entire focus remained on the Jedi Master storming towards her with all the fury of an enraged Rancor.
Her hand shook as she reached for her blade. Before she could grab it, a red glow filled her vision, causing her to freeze.
"Do you know who I am now?" The Korun growled.
Ventress raised her gaze up to meet the man's dark, enraged eyes. She gulped and slowly shook her head.
"If I don't know you," She said, "Then that must mean you were too cowardly to step foot on the battlefield."
His eyes flashed. She smirked. At least she got one barb in before the end.
An enormous boom filled the atmosphere. The Korun froze and looked up. Ventress followed his gaze.
An unmarked imperial star destroyer lumbered in the sky. Clouds rippled around it as it burst free from hyperspace inside the planet's atmosphere. A shockwave ripped through the air, taking the Korun off of his feet and shoving Ventress down into the ground.
The Force turned black as night. A frozen chill swept through the air. Any light from the little lizard girl shrank away in the face of the Dark Side of the Force. It was a feeling that caused chills to run up and down Ventress's spine. Fear gripped her heart as she felt the raw power boiling in the Star Destroyer above them.
"Windu!" A voice called, making Ventress freeze against the ground.
Windu? The Master Windu!? She raised a shaky gaze up at the Korun as he slowly rose to his feet. The wanted smuggler, Han Solo, and two more of his friends rushed up to him. The lizard girl soared overhead, rushing towards the small spaceport.
"We need to get out of here!" Han shouted.
Windu glared across the rubble covered ground at Ventress. The Nightsister paled beneath his gaze. She saw murder in his eyes, and she knew that if he wanted to, he could have his justice right now.
A sharp tug on his sleeve by Kjelle drew Windu's attention.
"Bounty hunters and the Empire are here! We need to go!" Kjelle shouted.
Windu glared again at Ventress. Starfighters screamed overhead now. An imperial shuttle lumbered from the belly of the star destroyer. Ventress watched it slowly descend down towards the surface.
She whipped her gaze back to where Windu was… and he was gone, along with his new friends. In the distance, Ventress heard engines fire up. A hunk of junk, the Millennium Falcon, burst into the air and rushed to escape the planet. Several TIE fighters pursued, but the shuttle continued its descent.
It landed only a few dozen meters away from Ventress. The Nightsister remained still as the ramp hissed and lowered. A Deathtrooper and several stormtroopers surged off of the shuttle. Following them was a young girl wearing a purple, black, and gold coat. Her hood was drawn. But Ventress could see glowing yellow eyes beneath that hood. In the force, she could sense the darkness generated by the little girl. She shivered.
"My friends!"
Ventress glanced over to see Lando Calrissian, the man in charge of this hellhole, quickly moving to greet the Imperials. A large, albeit nervous grin, plastered his face.
"What can I-"
"I don't believe we have met." The young girl interrupted. Her lips curled into an amused smirk as Lando's grin faded, "And I'm very careful as to who I call friend." She lowered her hood, revealing a face even younger than Ventress thought it would be, "My name is Ragana. I'm tracking a wanted Jedi Master. And last I sensed, he was here."
She glanced up at the sky as the Falcon raced out of the atmosphere, pursued by TIE fighters.
"He didn't happen to be on that ship, did he?" She asked, a dangerous gleam in her eyes.
Lando swallowed hard, "Well-"
"He is." Ventress spoke up.
Ragana's gaze snapped over to her. The Stormtroopers and Deathtrooper aimed their blasters at her as Ventress slowly got to her feet. As she stood, something wormed its way into her thoughts. Ventress winced and tried to push it out. For a moment, whatever was trying to invade her mind resisted. Then it relented, and her mind felt free once again.
Ragana raised a hand, gesturing for soldiers to relax.
"And you are?" She asked Ventress.
Ventress dusted some dirt off of her, "A bounty hunter. One that wants the prize on that crew's head."
Ragana's eyes sparkled, "Oh? Who placed the bounty?"
"Jabba the Hutt." Ventress answered quickly, before Lando could butt into the conversation.
"Interesting." Ragana hummed, a smirk still on her lips. Her yellow eyes flicked over to Lando, "You will be compensated for your assistance."
"What?" Lando muttered, shocked.
"And you," Ragana pointed at Ventress, "are coming with me. We have some business to discuss."
Ventress stayed put as Ragana marched back to her shuttle. The Deathtrooper followed her. She wondered if she should follow the young girl. The force shrouded her in a midnight black shell. One that set Ventress on edge. She worked very hard to get away from those types in the wake of the Clone Wars. Did she really want to get involved with the Empire and their dark adepts now? Especially since there was also a small price on her head due to her work with the Separatist so many years ago.
"Come along, Asajj Ventress." Ragana hummed nonchalantly, "You do want the bounty, don't you?"
Ventress's mouth fell open as the girl disappeared into the shuttle. The ramp to the shuttle stayed down, as if it was patiently waiting for her to board.
Well… it looks like I don't have a choice.
Lando remained quiet as Ventress stepped by him. He appeared a touch pale, and exceptionally nervous. Understandable really, he was a criminal and the Empire just paid him a visit. He was likely thanking his lucky stars the Empire was after more important prey at the moment.
She entered the shuttle and took a seat across the holding bay from Ragana. Ragana's yellow eyes gleamed as she sat down. The girl then glanced at Lando and the rubble that rested where the Cantina previously stood.
"Lovely establishment you have here." The ramp started to rise, "Very minimalist."
The ramp closed. The shuttle's engine whirred to life. Lando watched as it rose off the ground and lumbered back up to the unmarked Star Destroyer.
One of his guards rushed up to him, a comm link in hand. Lando grabbed it and put it towards his mouth.
"Han…" He breathed into it. The Star Destroyer's engines burst to life above him, "Jabba is the least of your concerns now."
And chapter! This was a fun one to write. We got some action. And we will get some more later on as the chase continues. A few interesting moments between Nah and Windu, as well as Han and the others. And we get an introduction to another character who will pop up again in the future, Lando Calrissian, one of my favorite Star Wars characters. Also a small cameo from an infamous bounty hunter, because why not?
Anyways, let me know what you all think of this chapter! As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!