Rescuers
- Zaalbar -
I gripped tightly onto the edge of the long maroon benches that graced the Ebon Hawk's common room as the ship shot out of hyperspace. I was not yet accustomed to that queasy, nauseous sensation, and it did nothing to alleviate the gnawing hunger in my empty belly.
"Ugh," Mission muttered next to me. "Don't think I'll ever get used to that feeling. It's so weird."
I nodded in agreement with my young charge; she was curled up next to me, rifling through her pazaak deck. I was just glad we had finally reached Manaan, and soon I would be standing upon unmoving ground again.
Mission looked up at Canderous briefly. The Mandalorian was sitting opposite us, engrossed in what he was doing; which appeared to be pulling his heavy repeating blaster to bits. The leap from hyperspace into realspace hadn't affected his concentration at all; obviously Canderous had spent some time in space before.
"Canderous, want a game of pazaak?" Mission asked eagerly, waving her deck in what she probably thought was an enticing gesture. Canderous glanced up briefly, snorted once, and then looked down at the parts of his gun which were currently decorating the bare table in the centre of the room.
"No thanks, kid," he muttered, snapping a new power pack into his gun. "You probably cheat."
"Cheat?" Mission sniffed, glaring at him. "I do not! Well- only if I have to. And stop calling me a kid, you old geezer!"
I groaned inwardly as Mission shot her mouth off once more. Does she have to argue with Canderous? He is probably the only one here who will take offence. I did not wish to go up against the Mandalorian, but sometimes Mission acted as if it were a given. To my utter surprise, Canderous merely chuckled and then proceeded to ignore her.
Mission poked her tongue out, but when that achieved no response she sighed heavily. I knew the sheer boredom of the space journey had begun eating at her nerves, but I longed for the day when she would develop some patience. She then turned hopeful eyes on me.
"What about it, Big Z? Wanna play to pass the time?"
"(Mission, we are almost there,)" I reminded her. We were already in Manaan airspace, it would not be long before we landed. Already I could hear the winding down of the ion engines, to be replaced by the steady hum of the repulsorlifts. Soon I could get some food.
"Aww, come on! It's not- " Mission's words were cut off by a loud explosion that rocked the ship, tossing us wildly from side to side. Mission screamed in terror, and I landed on her forcibly. Wailing emergency sirens bit into my hearing. Mission!
"Get off me!" Mission shrieked, struggling underneath me in fear. I felt the sickening rush of descent, and realized in horror that the ship was falling. Frantically I clawed for the safety belts that lined the benches, yanking one tightly around the squirming Twi'lek and belting her in.
"Haar'chak! My kriffing gun!" Canderous yelled angrily over the sirens as the dismantled pieces of his gun clattered across the floor, and joined the other loose cargo that was rolling chaotically underneath our feet. Mission's pazaak cards flew from her hand across the room, and I saw a handful of them whack into the Mandalorian's face as he struggled to get up. He cursed again, and thumped noisily into the table. "What's that Republic idiot doing? Getting spiced up to land?"
A high-pitched whirring from the sublight engines initiating once more competed with the shrieking sirens for dominance, but if anything the plummeting of the ship increased. Mission screamed again, and I dragged myself off her, hurriedly searching the worn benches for another belt. My empty stomach heaved and protested, and I swallowed the acrid, sharp taste that had risen in my throat. Canderous had starting cursing in his own language; I could not understand a word, and was rather glad Mission could not as well.
The whirring noise dissipated, to be replaced with the struggling hum of the repulsorlifts that had failed earlier. The ship was still falling rapidly, but the descent seemed less severe. Whatever happened, it took out some of the repulsorlift engines, and disabled the sublight drive. Had someone sabotaged the ship? Carth Onasi had hired mechanics to fix it back on Tatooine – could something have happened there?
"Hold tight!" Carth's voice yelled from the intercom, although it was something I did not need to be told. Canderous had finally returned to his senses, and was settling himself on the opposite bench, bracing for whatever came next.
Mission shrieked as the ship thumped solidly into what I presumed was the ocean, and I felt the impact jar my very bones. The restraining belt bit deeply into my waist, and I was glad of the restriction; otherwise I would be rolling on the floor amongst the other cargo.
Canderous had managed to belt himself in also, but he made a frantic grab for a part of his gun as it rolled idly by his feet. He had stopped cursing, but I saw a hard, angry glint in his steel-grey eyes.
I could feel the Ebon Hawk slow down as it landed a second time into the ocean, and breathed out a sigh of relief. It could have been worse. Fortunately Mission is okay. If only I knew where Jen was.
"Rescue won't be far away," Carth Onasi's voice broadcasted throughout the ship. "I've contacted the Republic forces, so just hang tight guys- hey! What the-? The escape pods are ejecting!" The transmission cut off abruptly, just in time for me to hear a choice word from Bastila I did not expect.
Escape pods? Jen? No, it could not be her; she would not run like this. I knew of her desire to leave – particularly to break off contact with Bastila Shan – but she would not do so without my companionship. I had sworn a life-debt to her after all, and Mission was becoming rather attached to the slightly unbalanced human. I must make sure.
I turned to face Mission, who was pale and gasping, and laid an arm on her shoulder. The ship's movement had slowed considerably, and was now merely heaving from side to side. "(I will be right back, Mission.)"
She nodded, and gave me a weak smile. Sometimes I marveled at how brave the young girl was.
"Well I, for one, want to know exactly what happened, and why we've got a crazy idiot for a pilot," the Mandalorian growled from the other side of the room, as he rose to pick up the remaining pieces of his blaster. I ignored him as I stood, personally believing that Carth Onasi had done a respectable job of landing, considering the damage that explosion seemed to have inflicted on the Ebon Hawk's engines. The Mandalorian was smart enough to realize that, so perhaps he was merely looking for a target to curse.
I picked my way gingerly over datapads, blaster pieces and pazaak cards that were sprawled over the durasteel floor. The unsteady bobbing of the ship compromised my progress as I left the room, and further increased the gnawing sensation in my stomach. For all that I was hungry, the idea of a meal was beginning to lose its appeal.
I could feel the weak hum of the surviving engines underneath my feet, and surmised that the ship had just enough power to stay marginally above the water. As I neared the cockpit room, I heard raised voices.
"What do you mean, Jen's in one of the escape pods?" Carth's voice; unnaturally high and angry. No! It could not be true, could it? Horror slammed into me. Mission will be heart-broken. She has only just lost Griff. And I had a life-debt to honour.
"She is running. She is also unconscious, I can feel it." Bastila Shan's voice was tightly clipped, but I could hear a blend of panic and anger in the aristocratic tones.
"Feel it? Is this that bond she was waffling about?"
"I-I am surprised she spoke of it. It is true, we share a mind-link of sorts." Bastila sounded as if she'd rather sleep in a sarlaac pit. My hackles rose at her tone. She was a Jedi – someone to be respected – but I did not like the antagonism between her and Jen. Jen ran! I have to find her!
"But if she's in the escape pods- do you mean to say that Jen caused the explosion?" Carth said in disbelief, his voice choking.
"Of course she did! Do you think it occurred all by itself?" Bastila snapped.
"No, but I- dammit! Damn that traitorous woman! I knew I couldn't trust her, I knew she was crazy, but how could she do something like this? We could have died!"
A howl wrenched itself from my lungs, born out of misery and anger combined. I owe a life-debt to you, Jen Sahara! How could you dishonour me by running? Bastila and Carth jumped in their seats at the sound, and turned to stare at me in surprise. Bastila opened her mouth to say something, but a piercing beep from the controls grabbed her attention.
"Good," Carth muttered, turning back to the consoles. "Looks like our rescue has arrived. There's a Class-A salvage craft above us; moving into position to pick us up." He frowned. "I'm surprised they didn't announce their presence first."
"(We have to get Jen!)" I howled in distress. Bastila turned to nod at me, and I could see the worry darkening her eyes.
"We will, Zaalbar. We will find her," she told me softly.
Carth flicked a few switches and opened a communication channel. "This is Captain Onasi of the Ebon Hawk. Might we know who our rescuers are?"
There was no response. Our quiet waiting was interrupted by an abrupt jarring of the entire ship, as something clunked loudly onto the hull. That must be the towing clamps. Bastila gave out a little gasp at the movement.
"Hello? This is the Ebon Hawk, can you respond?" Carth repeated, and the Ebon Hawk was jerked to the side as another magnetic towing clamp latched onto the ship. I was pushed against the chrome doorway at the movement.
"Alright, what's going on? I always knew the Republic were lousy fighters and worse pilots, but you really take the cake, Blaster Boy," Canderous drawled behind me. Carth stiffened, but to his credit did not even turn around.
"They're not answering. This isn't good, a rescue team should be checking on the survivors before towing the ship away," Carth muttered as he scanned over the readouts. Another two clunks sounded against the Ebon Hawk's hull; and as the ship was yanked upwards I stumbled back into the Mandalorian. Canderous grumbled as I straightened myself abruptly.
"It is either the Selkath or the Republic, surely," Bastila said. "Who else would be rescuing us? Perhaps they simply do not have adequate transmissions onboard."
"Yeah, now that sounds plausible," Canderous said sarcastically, and I wondered if the Mandalorian was trying to pick a fight. But he has a point. Even the lowliest vehicle has a transmission device.
I saw Carth tap something into the communications console, and lean forward to speak again. "Republic HQ, this is Captain Onasi of the Ebon Hawk. Can you acknowledge?"
The crackle of static filled the room, broken quickly by the response. "Captain Onasi, we have received your distress signal and are on our way."
The noise of engines directly above us was ominous, and the Ebon Hawk began to lift upwards. I stumbled again, and this time made a grab for the tiny seat directly behind Bastila. It did not adequately fit my frame, but it was better than continually falling into the Mandalorian's arms.
"Republic HQ, your salvage craft has already picked us up, but is not responding to our communications," Carth said flatly into the receiver. I heard a tone of worry enter his voice, and felt my hackles rise. This must be a Republic rescue. Who else could it be?
"Uh- Captain Onasi? Our salvage fleet is en route to your ship and the escape pods we detected. We are approximately ten minutes away from your destination," the response cut through the air, and Carth's shoulders tensed. The Ebon Hawk continued to be dragged upwards.
"Repeat – we have already been picked up," Carth stated. "If not by you, then who?"
"A moment, Captain Onasi," the response fired back. "We are scanning the area."
"It must be the Selkath," Bastila said softly. "If it's not the Republic, then it has to be the Selkath. Right?"
Carth shook his head angrily. "The Selkath would at least respond to our transmissions. I don't recognize the make of this ship, but it reminds me of -"
"Captain Onasi?" A different voice crackled over the speakers, and I peered worriedly at the consoles. Ship technology I was unfamiliar with, but the green dots seemed to blink a warning at me. "This is Lieutenant Waltzar of the Salvage Freighter Oceanic Bounty; we are on our way."
An angry sigh expelled from the Republic pilot, as he leaned forward to respond once more. "Lieutenant Waltzar, we are already being towed! By what appears to be a Sith freighter!"
"The Sith?" Bastila exclaimed in horror, and I felt my muscles tense. From everything I'd seen on Taris, the Sith were people to be avoided. And I doubted they would take a liking to either Bastila or Carth. Or Jen. Wherever she is. Why did you run, Jen? Why?
"Nice landing, Republic," Canderous drawled behind me. "Right into the laps of the Sith."
Lieutenant Waltzar's voice shot back from the console. "Captain Onasi, we are aware of the situation, and are dealing with it. Sit tight, we will be there soon." The transmission was abruptly cut off, and Carth cursed under his breath.
"Sit tight? While we're dragged away by the Sith?" Carth muttered angrily.
"The Sith," Bastila repeated. I caught a pale, shocked look on her face as she blinked rapidly. "No. Jen, what have you done?"
"Jen?" Canderous barked in confusion. "What's she got to do with anything?"
Bastila was holding a hand over her mouth, her face devoid of colour. "They will not take me," she said softly as a new sort of determination appeared in her eyes. "They will not."
"Now that's the sort of attitude I like to hear," Canderous said in approval. "If the Sith want us, we'll give them a worthy battle."
Bastila yanked off her safety harness, and stood upright in the crowded cockpit, removing her lightsaber from her belt. "I will not be captured again! Carth, open the top hatch."
"Are you crazy?" Carth stared in her in surprise. "Sit down! It's not like you can do anything."
"I will not just sit by and let the Sith capture me, Carth!" Bastila clenched her hand tightly over her deactivated lightsaber, and started to climb over my legs that were jutting into the middle of the cockpit. I looked at her apologetically as I tried to move out of the way. "If I have to climb outside and cut through those towing clamps myself, then so be it!"
"Bastila! There's no way you can hold on to the top of the ship! You'll fall into the ocean!" Carth protested, his voice rising in confused desperation.
"Republic's right," Canderous grated, but to my surprise he actually sounded a little admiring. "You ain't gonna do nothing up there bar feed the fishies."
A cold, determined look tightened the Jedi's face. "You both underestimate how the Force can aid me. I cannot let the Sith capture me. Carth – you of all people should understand that!"
"Bastila – wait!" Carth called desperately as the impassive Jedi moved passed Canderous in the doorway. "There's another salvage craft coming near! I think it's the Republic."
I saw Bastila tense, and turn back around.
"Well, don't just sit there," Canderous growled. "Find out what they're gonna do about this."
"Who's piloting this ship, Mandalorian?" Carth snapped. My shoulders drooped at the incessant bickering. Why is everyone fighting? If Jen was here, she'd probably laugh at them all. Why did you run, Jen?
Carth flicked on more of the communication channels, and static filled the room, followed quickly by angry voices.
"Halt!" came the voice of the Republic Lieutenant Carth had spoken to earlier. "This is Lieutenant Waltzar of the Republic. You are stealing Republic property. We demand that you release the Ebon Hawk at once."
A different, lower voice replied, "we are a salvage crew for the Sith empire. You know the rules of salvage – first in, first served."
"None of them will budge. And we're the prize," Carth muttered. I felt a strong desire to check on Mission, but considering my precarious place on the chair I decided to stay put.
"The rules of salvage do not apply to survivors, Sith scum! This is Manaan – theft is dealt with justly! Hand over the ship!" Waltzar's proper tone had turned angry over the transmission.
"This is not theft, you weak Republic idiot! The Ebon Hawk is the flagship of the late Davik Kang – an entrepreneur who owes the Sith Empire a sizeable amount of cash. We are taking his ship as compensation, and if you try to stop us we will consider it an act of hostility." The responder sounded smug, and I felt the growing of fear claw within me. What will they do to us? What will they do to Mission?
"You try to take our people hostage and we will be forced to fire on you!" Lieutenant Waltzer shrieked, all vestiges of control gone.
Carth winced. "Someone has to teach that boy the fine art of diplomacy."
"We ain't gonna get out of this without a fight," Canderous commented.
No more fighting. I just wanted a little bit of peace, time to relax and bring that cheeky smile back to Mission's face. And time to find Jen. I must find her.
"Hey!" Carth said in surprise. "There's another squad of ships heading this way. A host of them. One's a light starfighter. Heh, we're certainly attracting attention." For all that his tone was light, Carth did not really sound amused.
"Desist your hostilities at once!" a different voice sounded through the computers, and this one appeared to have as much trouble speaking Basic as I did understanding it. The voice was low and jumbled, like someone who understood that thrown-together language well, but could not quite reproduce all the sounds. I know exactly how that feels. "This is Leader Al'hini of the Ahto City Civil Authority. Violence will not be tolerated! Release the ship in question!"
"Well, ain't this turning into quite the tea party," Canderous drawled.
"What is going on?" the quiet voice of the Cathar emanated from further behind the Mandalorian, crowding out the doorway into the cockpit. Bastila crawled over me once more to resume her place in the co-pilot's chair.
"Leader Al'hini, this is Captain Jerome of the Sith Empire. We are towing this freighter against the debt that the late Davi-"
"We heard your reasons, Captain, we have been listening," the Selkath cut in impatiently. "You will not violate the Manaan neutrality laws! This will be judged at the courts. For now, the Ebon Hawk will be impounded, and its occupants are free to stay where they wish."
"Impounded?" Carth burst out disbelievingly, and flicked on the transmission. "This is Captain Onasi of the Ebon Hawk, and this is my ship! The Sith can't just come-"
"Captain Onasi, you're arguments can be heard in the Ahto City courts. You will be fully entitled to an arbiter when the time comes. For now, everybody disperse! We will tow the Ebon Hawk back to Ahto City."
"Bloody Sith," Canderous muttered behind me, but I wondered if I heard a faint tone of amused respect in the warrior's gravelly voice.
xXx
Carth angrily chased all of us out of the crowded cockpit, and we sat silently in the Ebon Hawk's circular common room, a gloomy quiet residing over everybody as the ship was slowly tugged to shore. Even Bastila, after failing to contact some person called Karon, had been yelled at to leave. The Republic pilot seemed to feel the effects of Jen's betrayal deeply, if his temper was anything to go by.
"I can't believe she'd do this," Mission whispered brokenly next to me. A fist clenched my heart at her voice. Why, Jen? You knew how awful Mission had been feeling. You must have known how she would react to this. How well did I really know this strange human I was indebted to?
"She is running," Juhani interrupted softly, and I stared at the Cathar warily. "Running from anything that will make her face herself." Juhani lowered her voice, and whispered under her breath, her shoulders tensing, "running from the Dark Side."
I stiffened as the words filtered through my ears. I doubted anyone else had caught the Cathar's sentence, but a Wookiee's hearing was naturally sensitive. Is this Juhani correct? Is this all about the Force? Jen Sahara had not been trained to be a Jedi, and yet suddenly she was wielding awesome power blindly, without control. And her rage... Is she running because she fears the Dark Side? Or worse...? I had to find her. I had a duty- I was obligated to help her. I will find you, Jen Sahara. I will stand by your side, and help you with your battles. But how much could a Wookiee do against the mystical, frightening power of the Force?
"But why? Why did she leave without me?" Mission's voice was pitifully weak. "I trusted her."
"That's the problem with trust. It always gets broken," Carth stated coldly from the doorway. Bastila stared up at him, and threw a pointed look back towards the cockpit. He shrugged. "I have no engines, and we're being towed. There's not much I can do in there other than wear out the seats." He barked a harsh laugh, but his eyes were bleak. "Well, at least we're still alive. I'm not sure if we were meant to live through that explosion."
"Don't add stupidity to your other faults, Republic," Canderous snapped angrily. Even the tough, unflappable Mandalorian seemed upset. "If she wanted to kill us, I'd say we'd be pretty dead by now. Well, you lot would be," he grunted, and threw aside the blaster he had been toying with. "I'd like to punch her for this as much as the next guy, but she deliberately didn't kill us. HK's missing, ain't he? I'd bet my last cigarra that these explosives were precisely placed so as not to hurt us."
"I will find Jen," Bastila muttered, seemingly to herself. Again, another sentence that I doubted anyone else in the room heard. "She will not escape."
The hairs on my back stood up as I stared at the Jedi. Escape? Jen wished to leave Bastila Shan, I knew, but Bastila almost made it sound as if Jen were a prisoner. Mission always believed the Jedi had another agenda. I had wondered myself, particularly when Jen had been acting so strange back on Taris. What do the Jedi want with Jen? I understood that she was a Force user who needed tuition, but at times her circumstances seemed far more ominous.
Mission stuffed her hands in her pockets, and curled her legs up on the battered bench next to me. I'd made her wear the safety belts once more, although considering the slow crawl with which we were being towed to safety, it didn't really matter. "Guess it's just you and me again, Big Z," she muttered, a distraught frown pleating her young face. "At least I know I can count on you."
"(We will find Jen,)" I rumbled softly, reassuringly.
Mission shrugged, and I saw a stubborn, mulish look pass over her face. "If she wants to be on her own, then let her. We would've followed if she asked. I don't need her."
Her words, although defiant, failed to cover up the misery in her tone. I did not often feel angry, but I was starting to. I wanted to shake Jen for the pain she was causing Mission, but part of me wondered at Jen's reasons for running. Maybe she had just cause. "(I must find her, Mission. I have a life-debt to honour.)" But if Jen was running from Bastila, then I couldn't trust the Jedi for help. I would have to find Jen by myself.
"If you can find her. I don't think she'll wanna be found," Mission shot back. I saw Bastila blanch at the words, and wondered myself. Where have you gone, Jen Sahara? How can I aid you if you run away? I would not leave Mission; could not leave the only person who believed in me. But the heavy weight of the life-debt dogged me with obligation.
How do you find someone who does not wish to be found? And what will I do if I cannot find her?
xXx
