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Chapter Nineteen: It's been a Slice of Sugar-Cake
As Marney and his crew disembarked from Ackbar's vessel onto the base at Kelmoon, Han Solo and Chewbacca were there to greet them. Marney, Jalleck, and Lyna shook Chewbacca's hand and thanked him for his courageous actions in freeing his people and rescuing the crew of the Carp as well.
The Wookiee simply grunted.
"Chewie isn't into receiving compliments," Han explained, "His main goal was to free the wookiees, but he was happy to help you guys as a by-product of his little revolt..."
Chewbacca interrupted his friend with a series of growls.
"He says that Yabecca and her younglings, together with your two kids Sal and Rixxi, helped them with the attack on the atrium so it was a fair trade," Han translated on Chewbacca's behalf.
"I know," Marney replied, "the kids have been amazing; but I had to say something to Chewbacca. Lyna and I have been rescuing people for fifteen years, and so it was nice to have someone rescue us for a change."
Chewbacca had stopped listening to them, as the direction of his gaze drifted towards Yabecca. The female wookiee was in the middle of organizing the freed prisoners, but when she saw the big male looking at her she gestured to him to come over and speak with her. Jalleck watched the pair sorrowfully.
"Well, Cap'n," Jal said, "I guess Yabecca won't be joining us on our new venture—whatever that may be. One of the escapees who was traveling with us on board Ackbar's ship was a priestess of the Kashyyk Order, and she just granted Yab and me a divorce."
"Oh!" Lyna gasped in horror, "Jal, I'm so sorry! With all that's been going on, I didn't even know that you and Yab were having trouble with your marriage. I would have tried to help you to stick with it—that's what Marney and I have done, in spite of all our differences."
Marney could tell by looking into Jalleck's eyes that he and Yab had no intention of "sticking with it".
"Thanks, Lyna," Jal told her sadly, "but you see, Chewbacca kind of reminded Yab that she was a wookiee and not a human. I think they kind of like each other..."
"But Yabecca's not coming with Chewie and I when we fly out of here in the Falcon," Han interrupted Jalleck, "She told him she was going to stay on Kelmoon and try to find someplace for the escapees to start a new, free colony. Chewie's kind of broken up about it, but I think Yab is the independent sort...luckily for me, or I'd lose my best buddy in the whole damn galaxy."
"Not so lucky for me, though," Jalleck countered, "because I am losing my best buddy in the whole damn galaxy...even though it was only ever a marriage of convenience with me and Yab. I just married her so that her father the Chieftain wouldn't kill me. Still, it's going to be rough losing her. She kind of grew on me, if you know what I mean."
Marney put a webbed hand on his engineer's shoulder. In the short time that he had known them, Jal and Yab had become their steadfast friends. He hated to see them break up, but he knew that it was probably for the best.
There was another series of growls from Yabecca as she called for her younglings and ex-mate.
"Sorry, guys, when Yab calls, I have to answer immediately," Jalleck called to them as he jogged over to where Yab and Chewbacca were conferring.
Oola, Lando, Sal and Rixxi had been busily engaged in retrieving Lando's Minista craft from the Millennium Falcon while the couple had been listening to Jalleck's sad news. When they had finished their task, they left the little star-fighter in the hangar and came out to the base's waiting area to join their fellow revolutionaries. The two half-sisters, Oola and Rixxi, were walking arm in arm, happy to have an opportunity to be together at last.
Lyna gave Oola a hug.
"Oola, thank you so much for helping us escape," she told her, "And you too, Han. I know that you're both like Chewbacca in that neither of you want me to shower you with gratitude, but you and Han saved our lives by holding off the stormtroopers so that we could all escape to the Carp."
"Lyna, you and Rixxi, and even Sal and Marney, are my family," she told them, "so I don't want to hear any thanks, especially since you all helped me to escape the clutches of that ogre Tarkin and that fool Mokk. I could not stand them another minute! I can't believe that the Alliance is going to trust that self-serving turncoat Mokk enough to send him back to Ron 12 with his half-assed mercenaries. They should shoot him!"
"But, Oola, this could be Mokk's chance to turn himself around," Rixxi protested, "He and his men should get another chance, just like Papa did."
"You're far kinder than I am, Sister," Oola replied, putting her arm around Rixxi's shoulder and giving her an affectionate squeeze, "and I hope they don't betray you all to the Evil Empire. If Mokk turned so easily to the Alliance to save his own skin, he could just as easily switch back to the Wicked Ones again."
"Oola," Lyna suggested excitedly, "Forget about Mokk and his gang of idiots for now. I just had an idea: Yabecca is going to be leaving us, and so we have a spot open for a new crew member. Would you like to join us?"
Rixxi jumped up and down in anticipation of having her sister join the Polar Carp family, but Oola shook her head sadly.
"Rixxi, Lyna," she said, "I'm so sorry to disappoint you, but lugging trash is not what I want to do with my life. I am a dancer, and I long to dance on behalf of myself rather than for some snotty slave-master. I would like to try my luck on another planet somewhere, but haven't decided where yet. I have received two other offers to help me get there..."
"What do you mean, two, Oola?" Han asked in dismay, "I thought you'd already decided to come with me and Chewie."
"Han, my dear fighting-mate," Oola soothed him, "You know that I would love to join you and Chewie, but you see I've discovered through my recent contact with so many of these hairy wookiees that I am actually allergic to their fur. You wouldn't want me along when I was sneezing and wheezing all the time, would you? Lando has kindly offered to bring me with him in his Minista."
Han glowered at Lando, who was standing beside Oola with a triumphant expression on his face.
"Why, you double-dealing spy-smug!" Han exploded, "I was the one who helped her escape while you were pushing us around as Stormy-the-stormtrooper."
"Sorry, Han," he apologized, "better luck next time; but really, I think Oola just wants a ride from me. There's nothing for you to be envious about."
"Yeah, I'll bet," Han muttered, "looks like Chewie and me are both going to be dateless again tonight."
Lyna and Rixxi listened to the men's banter without enthusiasm. Marney knew that they were both disappointed with Oola's decision, but the reality was that the Carp might not be able to find any more work contracts anyways. The use of droid ships to perform the galaxy's menial tasks was beginning to displace the work of biological beings, and the compacting technology was now able to minimize large amounts of garbage into tinier and tinier recyclable energy bits. He supposed that it was a good thing in practical terms, but it did leave Marney with that increasingly familiar feeling of uselessness.
His thoughts were interrupted by Qualle, who strode over to him with TT2.
"Captain Marney," he said, "You must come with me. Your father wishes to speak with you, and so do our mothers."
"What?" cried Marney in surprise, "You mean, over the base's communication channel?"
"No, I mean they're here, on Kelmoon," Qualle explained, "and we must go immediately to see them. My mother Quille knew exactly what was happening to us during every step of the mission, because of the information chip that she implanted in TT2. You remember, the spy-box program that she and TT2 call QQ2, after the initials of me and my father Quorr? My mother helped us to program the droid while you were visiting with your own mother Rallen. At any rate, Quille contacted Rallen after TT2 sent her the message about us being eaten as seafood meals by the Imperials. She and Rallen took a transport to Kelmoon in order to get after your father to send a rescue team. Your father had already sent Ackbar, so their visit was unnecessary, but..."
"All right, all right, Qualle!" Marney replied anxiously, "Let's just go...by Thorus, I can't believe Mama actually came out here. She's probably killed my poor father!"
"I can jump into my stormtrooper's armor again and arrest you, Marney," Lando offered, "if you think it will help."
"We're coming with you," Lyna insisted, ignoring the former Stormy's remark.
They bid a sad but hasty farewell to Oola, Han, and Lando before following Qualle to go see the parents.
"I'll say G'bye to Chewie for you," Han called after them, "it's been a real slice of sugar-cake working with you all!"