Chapter Twelve:
Darth Vader stood before the large window that overlooked the vast docking platform that had been designed for the explicit use of the royal family and military personnel assigned to Vader's flagship, the Executor.
Below him was the shuttle that would take him to his ship which orbited the planet, awaiting his feet to walk the bridge once more and take command. And soon that would happen, for he had a wayward son to find.
Behind him crisp footsteps sounded until Vader heard a snapped salute. "Your Majesty, you called for me?"
He turned to see Commander Cody standing at perfect attention, his squad that completed Vader's Fist— or the 501st— behind him three paces. Vader nodded once, but didn't speak yet, also awaiting the arrival of his naval officer.
Just then the turbolift at the end of the hall opened to admit a man to which Vader had entrusted his flagship and thus the overall command of his navy when Vader himself wasn't at the helm.
He was dressed in a perfectly tailored black uniform with blood-red piping along the shoulder and neckline. Insignia adorned his chest to designate him a Grand Admiral, and by far this man had proven his worth many times over in Vader's eyes.
"Admiral Piett," Vader greeted the man— one of the few in the entirety of the galaxy to have earned his respect to be greeted first— and the man stopped beside Cody to bow deeply.
"I came as soon as you summoned me, Your Highness," Firmus Piett answered clearly.
Vader gestured for the pair of officers to join him and he moved closer to the window while the men stopped a pair of paces back. "We are going on a manhunt, and I want the target alive and unharmed."
"Very good, Majesty," Piett said. "May I ask who we are looking for?"
Vader didn't answer immediately, and he felt the slight confusion of those behind him. Finally Vader turned away from the view and spoke. "My son. Prince Luke has gone missing, and I will not stop until I have him back where he belongs. However, I do not want it common knowledge just yet that he is gone, just in case there is a reason he has not returned. Perhaps he has gone dark due to a complication in his mission."
Piett and Cody shared a look, and Cody spoke after removing his helmet. "Forgive my bluntness, Majesty, but... you don't sound very certain of that."
Vader sighed. "What I say to you both stays between us, understood?"
At his warning tone of voice, the men nodded crisply.
"Luke has more than likely abandoned his post. I do not, however, want the public to see this and try to paint my family as weak in any way. We will find him, and Prince Luke will be returned home where he should be."
Admiral Piett looked thoughtful while Cody was clearly disapproving of anyone who would leave his position without consent. Vader allowed that from the clone, knowing Cody could and would put his duty before his opinion.
"You have something on your mind, Admiral?" Vader asked mildly after a time.
"Forgive me, but I am only trying to form a strategy." Piett straightened. "Where would you like to begin this search?"
"His ship has been tracked to Ylesia, though this only occurred after I overrode Luke turning the transponder off." Vader replied. "We will begin there. Commander, I want you to prepare the 501st and another contingent of men to search the surrounding area where we find the boy's ship. I want nothing left unturned, but again I do not want Luke's identity revealed."
"Yes Your Majesty," Cody saluted sharply, as did the admiral.
"Admiral, prepare the Executor for my arrival, I will be there in two hours," Vader commanded.
"As you wish."
Vader left them then, and made for his personal quarters. There he found his wife, and he paused to see her lounging in a babydoll of a shimmery blue upon her favorite couch in the gardens. Her legs were placed just-so, and the Sith Lord felt his heartbeat quicken. With a swipe of his hand and usage of the Force, Vader locked all the doors before he approached his wife.
"Hello Beautiful." He purred, sitting down and sensually stroking her leg.
Padmé favored him with a glittering smile. "Hello yourself, Handsome."
Vader leaned forward to give his wife a steamy kiss and then pulled back with an apologetic look. "I'm afraid I will be off Coruscant for a while, Angel."
Padmé frowned some. "What for?" But even as she asked— and saw his expression darken— Padmé knew why. "Luke ran away." It wasn't a question.
"Yes." Vader grated. "And when I find him..."
Padmé touched his cheek. "He will be taught a lesson. I agree with you there. I will admit I never expected Luke to go off the deep end. Certainly he's hesitant, but to run away... it's not like him."
Vader snorted. "I suppose so, though more often than not I don't understand what goes on in that boy's head."
Padmé shifted, exposing more of her luscious body to her husband, who openly showed his desire. "Well, you will find him, I believe you will. Just try not to terrorize too many of our poor citizens in the process." She added playfully.
Vader's lips quirked. "Who, me?"
Padmé chuckled. "Yes you." She closed her eyes as Vader let his hand wander some more along her exposed skin. "How long do you have until you leave?"
"A few hours," Vader responded.
"Hmm," Padmé whispered, grasping his tunic and pulling him closer. "That leaves more than enough time for us to say goodbye properly."
Vader smiled, already shifting to remove some of his clothing. "You read my mind."
00000
A few hours later, the Executor and a few escorting vessels departed from Coruscant, and with it a shiver echoed across the galaxy, even the Force itself.
00000
Luke paused in his work when the Force shifted ominously, and he took the time to figure out what it meant. What he got in response frosted his blood somewhat. Vader was now on the move.
Looking for Luke.
The mechanical part in Luke's hand wobbled as his fingers trembled, and Luke willed himself to be calm, though he was only partially successful. He had known all along that his father wouldn't just sit back and let Luke leave. But he'd somehow managed to convince himself that maybe... just maybe he could get away with more time.
But reality was back to slap him in the face, and Luke was left to battle the instinctual fear that reared its ugly head.
Closing his eyes, Luke set aside his physical task and worked to find his center, an anchor. Surprisingly, or perhaps not so much, Luke found himself seeking out Shmi's counsel, and her voice... and finally, the memory of her soothing presence.
Be strong... brave... You cannot live in constant fear of Darth Vader...
Luke took several deep breaths, wishing he knew the Jedi art of meditation. Vader hadn't held much stalk in it, but something about meditation had always called to Luke, though he'd never done it formally before.
"Be strong," he whispered, holding to his grandmother's memory as his rock. "I will be strong... and brave."
Then the name she'd given him resurfaced, bringing with it a measure of courage he'd never before experienced.
Skywalker...
But though that was his surname from his grandmother, Luke didn't feel... worthy of that name. Not yet. He wanted to go by that name, more than anything he wanted to, but not yet. He had to earn it, or at least be more worthy of it.
But still, he could begin that road... but how?
For now, Luke supposed he would simply let the Force guide him, and not worry incessantly. But that fear still niggled at him...
Luke knew it would hamper him, and in an effort to remain focused, Luke chose to look at his situation as though he were on one of his missions: focus or you would get bitten.
With that determination set, Luke pushed his fear away and chose not to dwell on the future to the point of going crazy.
He slowly resumed his work on the droid parts and once finished he collected the garbage and took it to the receptacle onboard the Falcon. Then he found an empty box and put his trade-worthy parts inside it for later use.
Finally he was left with the head piece and other appendages he'd salvaged. One of the arm-like parts had turned out to be far more gone than he'd realized, so that left him with one arm and two stubby leg protrusions.
But he wasn't certain he would use the legs.
With a sigh, Luke began to gather the rest of his things to store away. That was when the landing ramp opened, and Luke sensed his companions' return. Luke straightened with an armful of his gear and turned in time to see Han appear, his own arms filled with wiring.
"See, I told you he'd still be here, Chewie!" Han called back down the ramp triumphantly.
A series of growls sounded, and Luke smirked. Han just rolled his eyes and moved deeper into the ship.
He frowned when he at last noticed Luke's load. "What is all that?"
Luke glanced down. "Droid parts. I'm going to build myself one."
Han stared. "I've never seen those parts in my life, where'd you get them?"
Luke's lips lifted a hair. "I went for a walk and found a wrecked ship. These were inside."
Han's eyebrows lifted. "A shipwreck?"
Luke saw the possibility of making money catch in the smuggler's gaze. The young man shook his head. "It wasn't salvageable for parts, trust me. I only got a few usable things off the wreckage myself."
Han eyed Luke. "I can be the judge of that."
"No," Luke said firmly, not wanting to have the site where he'd met his grandmother to be torn apart by scavengers.
Han's gaze hardened. "What's the matter Kid? It's just an old ship, no one will care."
Luke thought fast and decided to play penitent. "I... actually can't remember where I found it. It was by chance, and I didn't think to map out my route. I was just wandering, and happened upon it."
He felt the man's eyes on him, and now Chewbacca's, as the Wookiee had joined them partway through the conversation. Luke held firm, though he wasn't really lying. Luke in truth didn't think he could find his way back without help from the Force. After all, he hadn't been looking for the ship in the first place.
Finally Han sighed. "Ah, fine."
There was something in the other's countenance that gave Luke pause. He tilted his head a fraction. "Why are you so upset about a downed ship, anyway? It's not like it would fetch all that much even if you did manage to get something off of it."
Chewbacca harned something, but Han scowled, throwing the Wookiee a look. "Now isn't the time. Let's get the Falcon repaired before Zolar catches up to us. We can have heart-to-hearts when we don't have Jikati pirates breathing down our necks."
Luke thinned his lips at the clear deflection, but didn't call the man on it. Luke instead went to put his parts away and reappeared to assist the two smugglers with the load of gear they had brought back.
Luke blinked to see a speeder laden with food also. "Are we planning to return the speeder?"
"Yeah, it's a rental," Han grunted as he lofted a crate of foodstuffs.
"I can return it while you and Chewbacca work on the ship, since you don't want me doing that." Luke offered.
Han considered. "Maybe. You don't know your way."
"I can figure it out, Han; I am not helpless." Luke barely managed to not lace his voice with sarcasm.
Han shook his head. "Fine. Let's get the stuff on the Falcon, and then we can worry about getting the speeder back."
Luke heard the 'alright fine' in the response and hid a satisfied smile behind a pair of crates he hefted up and walked with. The process of unloading the speeder thankfully took less time than the spice shipment had, and it was time to return the rented vehicle within an hour of Han's return.
Han gave Luke directions and as soon as he had clearance, Luke was gone. Trees sped past at a swift rate, and Luke relished the feeling. He loved to fly, and he could pilot anything he came across.
The ride to the city of Port-Esta took Luke four solid hours by speeder, and he remembered Han saying the hike would take all day. This didn't faze Luke, though he did entertain the thought of buying a speederbike for himself.
A few years ago Luke had set up a secret bank account for himself, where he siphoned a percentage of all his money made— from allowances and such that his parents gave him, as well as any money he earned for himself— so that if he needed the money without his parents knowing, he could access it.
And since he hadn't touched it much to use since he had set it up all those years ago, Luke had a healthy sum of money saved up. Not even Leia knew about it, though that wasn't due to a lack of trust. Luke hadn't said anything mostly to protect Leia if for some reason things went sour with Luke and his parents.
Such as now.
But maybe, just maybe Luke could find more droid parts that he needed while in town. Then he could begin assembling his droid.
When he came into town, Luke was surprised to note that many of the buildings were made up of earthen clay and had thatched roofs of straw. There were only a few buildings that were made of more... modern material, and these seemed to be the major centers for most of the shopping, though Luke saw a few locally-owned businesses as he made his way to the rental place for the speeder.
He arrived at last and was met by the dealer, a male Arcona with dark skin and a triangular head.
His golden almond-shaped eyes regarded Luke oddly. "You are not the one who rented this vehicle."
"I know, that was my friend." Luke soothed calmly, handing control of his speeder over to the man. "I am returning it for him."
The other tilted his head at a peculiar angle Luke guessed was meant to be the Arcona equivalent of lifting an eyebrow. "Well, what happened to the man and his Wookiee is of little concern to me so long as my property is returned."
Luke snickered to himself, but didn't argue with the other. "Can you tell me where I would go to find droid parts please?"
"There is a large dealer by the spaceport, as well as a smaller dealer owned by natives," the alien's voice gained a disdainful edge. "But you'd be better off not buying their junk. Go get quality items that will last."
Luke kept his face impassive, and nodded once, even though he didn't feel like this man's assessment was wholly accurate. Or unbiased. Besides, something in the way the man had tried to put the larger dealer on a pedestal didn't sit right with Luke.
And why not try to support the local vendors and thus their economy? They had families to support too, didn't they?
"Thank you," Luke replied. "I may be back to look at another vehicle."
"Then I will see you upon your return," was the reply.
Luke parted ways with the fellow, lifting his hood for privacy before he walked casually down the street in search of the shop indicated. Luke pursed his lips as he wondered on the local dealers, and decided he wanted to find it for himself.
He received a few looks as he passed by the locals, but Luke didn't sense any hostility; merely curiosity and even some wariness. Luke stopped one elderly couple on the street— a pair of Icarii, one of the native species of the planet— on a corner and asked for directions to the local parts dealer.
"You mean Kiida's place," the man answered, a being with pale, crystalline blue skin that marked his old age. "She's the fairest dealer in these parts."
"Kiida will treat you fairly." The woman added.
The Force affirmed their honesty and Luke smiled kindly. "Thank you."
After receiving their advice, Luke left the main avenue, and half an hour later found himself near the edge of town. He finally found the shop, though the sign was almost completely blocked by piles of parts.
Luke paused outside the shop and considered the establishment before him. He had seen junkshops before, yes, but had not been in one by himself much because his father insisted on giving Luke only the best of the best.
But Luke had a good feeling about this shop, something that had been building the closer he came.
At last he entered, allowing his eyes to adjust to the lower light within since the establishment was lighted naturally during the day. What had looked to be random piles of stuff from a distance Luke now saw were in fact organized by part.
There were components laid out systematically and with obvious attention to detail if the cleaned parts were any indication. Luke lowered his hood, taking in the overall space and noticing there was a door to a backyard section also.
Luke didn't see anyone working the floor, however. Supposing them to be in an office or perhaps a backroom, Luke began browsing the store at his leisure. He began with the parts nearest him, taking stock of the wiring and other hardware needed to build a droid's insides.
Luke suddenly felt like a kid in a candy store, and realized he would he returning to the Falcon with a large load of parts.
"Hello."
Luke spun at the sudden, youthful voice and had to drop his gaze several inches from his own height to meet a small blue face framed with crimson curls. "Hi," he replied with a smile for the child.
"Are you here to buy from my mother?" the girl asked innocently.
"Boorie, you should not ask such things!" another, older child reprimanded as he appeared also, his red hair short and spiky. "It is rude to ask customers such things!"
Boorie looked to her brother. "I wasn't being rude! I was only curious!"
Luke held up a calming hand. "It's alright. And yes, I am here to buy parts for a droid build. Is Kiida in?"
"Our mother," the boy answered. "And yes, she is in the back. We will get her for you."
"Thank you," Luke replied, though he returned to his perusal of the store once the two kids were gone. Luke spied an empty crate and picked it up to use for carrying his items.
He went through each and every pile, picking out everything he felt and knew he would need, and then a little extra just in case.
00000
Three figures stepped off a shuttle once it had landed and the ramp lowered. The first figure, a male Krish, paused to take in his surroundings.
"Doesn't seem to be too busy," Nu-ada Quorr commented as his fellow pirates set their feet on the soil.
"That makes it an ideal place to hide out," the female Elomin replied, her red skin a beauty to behold. Her head-horns protruded prominently while she carried herself with pride.
"Indeed it is, Thea," Nu-ada replied.
The pair of them looked to their human companion, Jouran Wyttle, who had his eyes fixated on a datapad. "Boss says to check the unusual places too, not just the obvious hideouts."
Nu-ada and Thea exchanged a glance and then nodded. "Will do."
Jouran pocketed the 'pad and looked around. "Let's start with cantinas, and then make our way to repair shops if we get no luck there."
Nu-ada laughed. "Jouran, there is probably only one cantina on this rock, two if you're lucky since we're in the 'big city'."
His remark garnered a laugh from Thea too, while Jouran merely rolled his eyes. "Then that part of our search should prove swift."
"We could just wander the streets claiming we're looking for a lost friend," Thea offered only half-seriously. "Show a holo and see who reacts."
Jouran gave the woman a look, and then the datapad. "By all means, do that. Nu-ada and I will do something productive and search the stores first."
Thea glared at him, but snatched the datapad from his grasp. "Fine, I will do that. Just wait, I'll be the one to find this Jedi-wannabe, and Joras will reward me instead of you."
Nu-ada silently wished such a thing would happen, since in his opinion Jouran needed to be knocked down a few notches on his self-imposed pedestal.
The trio split up to begin their search, agreeing to comm. each other if they found anything useful.
00000
"May I help you find something?" asked a more adult female voice.
Luke again looked up from his search to see an Icarii woman with reflective, crystal blue skin and deeply red hair. She wore a pair of cargo pants and a simple, if dirty shirt, but Luke didn't mind. In her hands was some part or another she was cleaning with a rag.
"Do you have droid body parts also?" Luke inquired. "I need a body, arms and possibly some legs."
The woman eyed his crate with no small amount of surprise. "You must be building one from scratch?" she asked knowingly.
"I am," Luke shrugged somewhat sheepishly. "Though I don't really have a full design in mind. I have a head but not much else."
"Well, let's take you out back where I store all my appendages for droids." The woman gestured for Luke to follow, and spoke to her son in their native tongue.
The child nodded and disappeared, to return soon after with a larger cart.
"Here are the main body pieces I have collected." Kiida told Luke as they neared the fourth section out from the main building. "Do you have a color in mind? I have them sorted by such."
"I want something in a white-gold with yellow tones if you have it." Luke said as he carefully browsed the selection. It was larger than he had been expecting, with some of the items clearly being retired models.
"Well, I don't have much of the fancy stuff, that's more the large-business's deal." Kiida answered without ire, though there was a new note of hesitation in her voice now.
"I'm not looking for the shiniest thing available," Luke assured her softly. "I just want to build something that I created. But I am not above using recycled parts if they work just fine."
Kiida eyed him, and Luke had the distinct sense of being studied. "You are... unique for a human, I must say. I have not met many of your kind who are so down to earth. Most of my customers are other natives of Vestar."
Luke simply shrugged, blushing somewhat at the woman's words.
Kiida smiled softly, patting him on the shoulder briefly. "Don't you worry; we will get you taken care of. And if you're really purchasing all this, then I thank you. My children will eat well for some time after today."
Luke felt unexpected warmth spread through him at that pronouncement. He hadn't ever experienced taking care of the less-wealthy like this. He had always been under his parents' shadows. But it felt indescribably good to be making such an impact on someone's life like this.
"I'm glad to help," Luke murmured, humbled.
Kiida dipped her head. "Let's get the rest of your gear, shall we?"
Luke didn't argue, though he was having trouble finding a mechanical body he liked. Most of them were far too bulky or large. He knew he wanted something more streamlined and small. He sifted through each model, turning the more promising ones over in his hands with a keen eye.
00000
Thea didn't care if she'd agreed to contact Jouran: let the fool flounder for a while. But once Nu-ada had contacted her with negative luck in his chosen cantina, Thea had offered to let him join her in flashing the holo of the Force-user.
They had been at it for a little while when they approached a café with outdoor seating. There they paused, leaning in over the gate towards those seated at tables.
"Have you seen this fellow?" Thea asked.
"No, sorry," a human couple replied.
"How about you?" Thea asked across the pair since there was a man at the table next to theirs.
"No."
Nu-ada rubbed at his chin. "This isn't working. We need to flush him out if he's here."
"First we need to know that he is here." Thea reminded him.
The two of them caught movement in their peripherals, and they glanced across the patio to see an elderly couple just turning away. Thea shared a look with Nu-ada and they made their way over to the Icarii natives.
"What about you, huh?" Nu-ada asked as he stood over the male. "You seen this guy?"
Thea held up the holo and watched as the man's eyes flickered knowingly, but he tried to deny it.
"I don't think it's any of your business where this young man is."
Thea narrowed her eyes. "He's a friend of ours, we're just trying to find him before someone else does." The woman shifted, and Thea laid it on. "And if we find him first, we can warn him of the other man looking for him."
"You don't talk of him as a friend," the elderly Icarii noted.
Nu-ada rumbled low in his throat and began to take food from the man's plate, helping himself to slices of meat.
"Old man, let me lay it out for you. You help us..." He grabbed the woman by her graying red hair. "Or she gets beaten."
The man paled considerably, even as his wife whimpered in fear. "Alright! Just leave her alone!"
Thea smirked imperiously. "Where is he?"
"We sent him to the southern end of the city," the man said resignedly. "Kiida's shop. It'll be faster for you to get there by speeder."
Nu-ada leaned forward, pulling the elderly woman forward by the hair as he did so. "If you're playing us, we will find you and finish this... and it won't be pretty."
"That's where we sent him when he asked for directions," the man insisted. "I don't know if he actually went, but he walked that direction."
"Walked?" Thea perked up. "He's on foot? Was he alone?"
"Yes to both," the man replied.
Thea eyed him and then nodded to Nu-ada, who jerked the woman's head forward some more as he let her go. "It's been a pleasure."
Thea contacted Jouran then, and the man told them to wait and that he would pick them up in their speeder.
00000
Luke was beginning to have his doubts that he would find something he could agree to when the parts in the pile shifted. He felt a warning in the Force seconds before the parts began to landslide downward.
Kiida had reached to grab at his arm, but Luke was already moving, making sure they were both clear.
"I am sorry!" Kiida was saying once the dust settled. "I take great care in placing items, but sometimes they fall!"
"It's fine," Luke said.
"You aren't injured are you?" the woman fretted.
"No." Luke pacified her, holding up a hand in a gesture of peace. "No damage done..."
He trailed off as something caught his eye, and Luke waded into the mess to get a closer look. As he drew closer and got a better look at the item excitement bubbled near the surface of his control.
Luke carefully but eagerly lifted the part from the pile and grinned. "This is the one!"
It was actually a three-piece body piece that made Luke think of an oversized insect. The chest-portion was angular, with wider shoulders and a tapered torso. The part looked to be connected by torn hosing that could be replaced with powerful electromagnets or even fresh wire tubing. The middle portion of the trio was almost like an oblong cylinder about the size of an oblong, Ithorian melon. The final and smallest part was like an oversized ice cream cone, and the look of the whole assembly pleased Luke.
"I did not realize I had that thing," Kiida mused as she too inspected it, openly maneuvering it as if to check for anything she needed to fix before she let a customer walk off with it. "It isn't the color you wanted, though. It's more ivory than white-gold."
"I can paint it if I need to," Luke assured her. "Now I need appendages... and, do you carry weapons for droids at all? Or modifications?"
Kiida hesitated. "I do not believe in equipping droids for war, if that is what you mean..."
Luke shook his head. "Nothing like that, I assure you. I merely wanted to give it a means of self-defense."
Kiida considered. "Normally I wouldn't even have this conversation," she began softly. "But in light of how much business you are bringing my family, I will allow you to browse what I have... scavenged from the jungle over the years. Some of it you may find useful."
Luke dipped his head in thanks, and finished collecting all his needed parts before he finally went with Kiida to a locked door. She opened it for him and led him in. Within was a small assortment of items one might consider questionable when placed in a droid.
Luke perused her selection and took a shock probe, a small blaster, and a splicing module.
"Thank you, I think I am done now," Luke said, and he took his large amount of product to the counter.
Kiida eyed the content and input the numbers into a datapad, then looked to him. She hesitated only slightly, as if she wasn't sure how any customer would take such a large price. "Your total... is two thousand credits."
"Alright," Luke pulled out his own datapad and accessed his account, keeping the screen out of Kiida's view for privacy. "The funds will be transferred to your account. I just need the number."
Kiida gave it to him and Luke showed her the confirmation and then waited for her to check her own account. "Aright, it's in. Thank you for your business."
Luke hesitated then, wondering how he was supposed to get all this back to the Falcon.
At that moment the two children came hustling in, fear etched on their faces. "Mommy, Mommy!"
Kiida was instantly alert, coming around the counter and dropping to her knees as her son and daughter sought her for protection. "What is wrong?"
"There are mean men coming!" the girl cried.
"They have a black speeder and they look like..." the boy hesitated, looking down uncertainly.
"Like what, Calan?" their mother urged patiently.
"Like pirates," Calan whispered.
Luke sucked in a breath. The Jikati were here? Luke slapped his forehead. Of course they were, the gang of pirates would have sent out scouts to the planets nearby Delrakkin. They knew the Falcon was damaged and would have to land for repairs somewhere close by. Now they were sending out small search teams, and once the target was acquired, the rest of the group would join in the take-down.
"They are here for me," Luke informed Kiida apologetically. Her eyes snapped to his, widening in horror. "Take your children, and hide in the back."
When Kiida didn't immediately move, Luke ushered them to obey. "Hurry! I will deal with them!"
Kiida thinned her lips, but was smart enough not to question him again. She picked up her daughter and barked a command to her son, who followed as they vanished. Luke took up a place in a small alcove created by a cluster of shelves and waited for the pirates to enter.
They would be coming in from the outside and thus the brighter sun, so that would give Luke a momentary advantage while their eyesight adjusted.
Luke heard the scrape of boots on the threshold and peeked through a slit in the shelves to see a human, a Krish, and an Elomin appear. The trio of pirates looked around, blasters drawn. Then the human motioned and the trio split up to search the shop.
Luke decided that the Krish, since he was the strongest-looking being of the enemy, would be his biggest threat. The woman, however, was closest to Luke's position, so he ducked below her immediate line of sight and watched her feet move. She moved cautiously, the boots she wore turning every so often as she looked here and there.
When they paused for a long moment, Luke held his breath, thinking she had spotted him, but he only heard something being taken from a shelf.
"I could sure use a few of these parts," she said aloud, and Luke's mood darkened when he heard her take things at will. Her greed caused her to become careless, however, and she wandered around the shelf without really paying attention. Luke sprang on her, clamping a hand over her mouth and an arm around her neck before she could scream.
She struggled, and Luke barely kept her from kicking anything, though that didn't stop the things in her hands from clattering all over the floor.
That of course drew the attention of the others, and as the two males rushed toward the sound, the woman elbowed Luke in the gut, hard. He grunted in pain and fell back some, releasing his hold on her.
She doubled over gasping as the Krish rushed around the shelves. Seconds later he was charging Luke, who was forced to shove away his pain and leap aside. The Krish barreled into the mound of parts that had been behind the teenager, and Luke kicked out at him.
A meaty hand snapped out to catch his foot and Luke suddenly found himself being twisted. Luke moved his body with the action so the Krish didn't break his ankle, and as he did so his free foot slammed into the Krish's face.
The other swore as his nose began to bleed, but he released Luke. The Shadow felt a warning in the Force and grabbed the lightsaber off his belt just as the woman shot at him. Instinctively he deflected the shot, and it went into her chest, downing the Elomin woman with a shriek.
That, of course, was when the human arrived. He charged at Luke with a vibrosword, and Luke found himself locked into a melee-weapon scuffle. To his surprise the weapon caught the lightsaber, and this man clearly knew how to wield his blade.
But so did Luke, and the pirate didn't have the Force. Luke didn't want to kill these people, and he already regretted killing the woman, but he also knew he was defending the innocent and himself.
If these pirates were left alive they could harm Kiida and her family, though the rest of the gang would probably follow anyway.
A swipe of the man's vibroblade came close to Luke's waist, and he dodged in the cramped space, finding himself between the two men as the alien regained his feet. The Krish grabbed at Luke, who ducked and spun at the same time. With a swipe of his red blade, Luke removed one hand off the Krish, who screamed and fell back.
But the distraction of dealing with the Krish allowed the human to get under Luke's guard. White-hot pain lanced across Luke's bicep as the pirate's sword touched flesh, and Luke screamed.
Anger threatened to boil for Luke, but he pushed it away. He dodged a follow-up strike and as he came up, Luke flew into an offensive series of attacks. This had the other man backpedaling swiftly; though to his credit he kept pace.
The two made their way through the store, knocking over parts and such as they moved. The pirate, seeing Luke was gaining the upper hand, began to grab up parts and hurl them at Luke.
Luke dodged or deflected each one, and yet he opened himself to the Force even more. The lightsaber came down in an overhead strike and when the man moved to deflect, Luke dipped his hilt in a manner that shifted his blade to be a little lower and to the left. As the man tried to compensate, Luke moved again and came in under the man's defenses.
The pirate gave a shocked shout when Luke sliced his weapon's hilt in two. That stopped the vibrations, and Luke tried to end the fight cleanly by knocking him out, but the man dipped away at the last second. The pirate threw his broken weapon at Luke, and as the young man avoided that, his opponent grabbed up several dangerous objects and threw the entire handful at Luke with the intent to kill.
Trapped between towering piles and unable to dodge, Luke again reacted instinctively, throwing up a hand and shoving at the incoming projectiles. The items changed direction in a heartbeat, and before the other could move, the pirate's own barrage returned to him.
He screamed as the wall of metal approached, and Luke realized a second too late what was about to happen.
"NO!" Luke cried, throwing up a hand, but it was too late.
The pirate was impaled by several pieces and Luke felt nauseous as the other gurgled wetly before collapsing to twitch on the ground. Unable to let the man suffer further, Luke ended his life, though he felt even sicker. He hadn't wanted to kill!
Luke, caught up in his inner battle, missed the warning in the Force. Something hit him over the back of the head, and Luke saw stars. Momentarily blinded, Luke relied solely on the Force, and from his position on the floor he spun onto his back, ignited his lightsaber and thrust up and to the right.
Something suddenly weighted the end of his weapon and then a heavy body fell atop Luke, now lifeless. The air left him in a wheeze, and Luke did his best to work past his pain to remove the heavy body lying atop him.
His lungs begged for air and Luke's injured arm shook as he worked to remove the alien. Then, with a mental rebuke to himself for not thinking of this initially, Luke resorted to using the Force. Seconds later Luke gasped in great gulps of sweet oxygen, his chest heaving.
He coughed, rolling over and taking a moment to clear his mind. He looked up to see the carnage and swallowed with difficulty. Resolutely, and with the gut feeling that he needed to get out of there, Luke rose to his feet. When his gaze happened upon the counter where Kiida had left her datapad, Luke paused.
His training kicked in moments later and Luke strode over, plucked up the device and moved to erase all traces of his bank account. Just before finishing, however, Luke's attention was brought to the mess all around him.
Guilt formed a lead ball in his stomach, and Luke pursed his lips, finger hovering over the 'delete' button. With a decision made, Luke took out his own datapad and sent another helping of credits into Kiida's account to both pay for the mess and to help her stay afloat should Vader happen here also and wreck her business.
Then Luke erased all his information and replaced the datapad. And not a moment too soon, because Kiida appeared then, staggering at the mess and blood.
"Who are you?" Kiida demanded roughly.
"Someone who never wanted you to be caught in the middle of this," Luke replied vaguely. "And I am so sorry. I will get rid of these pirates and be on my way."
Before she could object, Luke did just that, using the Force to levitate the bodies... before he stopped. Instead of hiding them, Luke placed them behind the shelves he had hidden in before and turned to Kiida. If he hid them and Zolar came, he would take his anger out on Kiida, but if Luke left the scene as it was, she would have a better chance.
"Call this in to Zolar of the Jikati pirates, and when he comes, tell the truth," Luke instructed the woman as he instead levitated his gear. "And if anyone else comes looking for me, tell them the truth also. You must think of your family first."
"If I had known you'd bring death and destruction into my home, I would have never helped you to begin with," Kiida remarked angrily.
Luke looked away. "I don't blame you. Goodbye, and again, I am so sorry."
Luke spied the speeder the pirates had come in and, since it was no longer under their care, took it for himself. He loaded it up and took off soon after; hoping Han and Chewie were having better luck with repairs to the Falcon.
