CHAPTER FIVE – WE GET PUNCHED BY PUNCH

AHSOKA

"Ahsoka," Sierra moans, curling against Lux. "Why didn't you tell us the punch was spiked?"

"I thought you wouldn't drink it anyway." I defend myself.

Kira looks like she wants to say something, but she goes green and leans back against the chair, holding her stomach.

"No," Sierra takes over like she's read Kira's mind. "Kira and I were grifting. You're supposed to establish positive neural connections with the mark and one of the best ways to do it is -." She dry heaves.

"One of the best ways to do it is by raising a few toasts to the mark and sipping a drink every time they have a positive reaction to something." Lux finishes her thought, rubbing Sierra's back. "It's classical conditioning; eventually just the grifter's sipping will trigger a positive emotion."

Oops. "All right, I may not have told you two, but I'm really curious about Steela, who spiked the punch and still drank it."

"Atai wouldn't have drank it if I didn't." Steela groans. Saw tries to combat her nausea with a cold pack, but she swats his hand away. "I had to. You owe me big, Ahsoka!"

"I've never been happier that pregnant women aren't allowed to have alcohol." Hero muses.

Mina ties Kira's hair back with an elastic band, then walks into the kitchen. She returns with a glass of water.

"Here, drink this."

Kira eyes it suspiciously. "What is it?"

But Mina leaves no room for discussion. She hands Kira the glass, watching her with a mother's hawk-eye.

"Medicine," she admits when Kira's throat contracts from swallowing. "It should start working in a few minutes."

Sierra can't swallow her dose fast enough. Tandin offers Steela hers. "Have the symptoms lessened at all since you drank the punch?" he asks.

Steela drinks the medicine, moans, and rolls over to face the back of the couch. Drama queen.

"Well, if the drug works this well on the mark, then no one will show up at the auction." Lux says weakly.

"No joke," Sierra grumbles.

Kira speaks up. "I've had food poisoning before, and it pales in comparison to this."

"The medicine will kick in soon." Mina soothes, and makes sure Kira's ponytail is tied tightly before slipping a headband on Sierra.

"Mom, what are you -?"

Just then, Kira jumps to her feet and runs for the refresher. Realization dawns on Sierra's face but before she can say or do anything, she takes off after Kira. Steela opts for the kitchen trash can.

I raise an eye marking at Mina.

"The only way to halt the effects of the drug is to get rid of it," Mina says. "When Lux was four, he ate a flower and the pediatrician told me to make him drink this."

"What is it?" I ask in horror.

"Salt and water."

I mentally file that away for the (Force forbid) possibility that Tav eats something toxic.

Steela straightens up and gulps water from the sink about the same time Sierra stalks back into the room, looking markedly healthier.

"Feel better?" Lux asks. She glares at him.

"Mom, why didn't you tell us?"

Mina crosses her arms. "You wouldn't drink if I did. Lux didn't."

Kira returns a few minutes later, a bit ruffled but not excessively so. One look at Mina, and she knows not to press the matter further.

"Now that you three are back in working order, we should focus on the job." Mina says. "Lux?"

"Right," Lux clears his throat. "Saw and I have drained one million credits from fines and renovations to suit the fire code. I doubt many who drank the punch are willing to take the … less glamorous treatment option, so they're likely still sick and won't attend the auction. And if they don't attend the auction, they won't buy slaves."

"Without a doubt, Atai will be in attendance." Kira says. "The Royal Slave Auction is too important for him to leave to chance."

"Does he have some sort of system to order slaves via the HoloNet?" Hutch asks.

Kira bleaches. "Possibly. I never heard anything of the sort."

"I'll check it out. If there is, I can remotely disrupt the purchases." He goes off to his computer.

"All right, so we've taken out his building." Saw says. "We've taken away his buyers. What else is there to take?"

I would answer, but my thought process is interrupted by the sound of little hands smacking against the floor and little legs plodding by.

It's Tav, crawling around the common room and making little noises of effort as he drags his baby body over to Lux.

"Da-da."

"That's right Tav, it's Da-da." Lux holds out his arms. "Come to Daddy."

The baby smiles his mostly toothless grin and changes his trajectory until he's coming head-on to Lux's legs. As he picks up momentum he comes faster, and faster, and faster, and -."

"Bonteri, is he going to be able to stop?" Saw asks.

"Oh, he'll be fine. I'll catch him before he -."

Spoke too soon.

While Lux's eyes are raised to talk to Saw, Tav gains a second wind of energy and crashes headfirst into the couch.

There is the awful split second of silence, and then it comes.

"WAAAAAH!"

Tav rolls back into his diapered bottom while he screams about his sore noggin. Lux picks him up under the arms and sets him on his lap.

"I'm sorry buddy. I know that hurts."

"Poor kid," Steela frets.

I shake my head. "At least he doesn't have montrals."

"Anyway, about the job?"

I cross my arms. "I can think of one."

"What?"

"His stock."

Most of the color returns to Kira's face.

"If he doesn't have slaves, then he has nothing to sell." I say. "And if he doesn't sell anything, then he's lost millions from catching and maintaining the slaves alone, not to mention any of the other overhead costs of his business."

"You're suggesting breaking into the Zygerrian palace and carrying out a massive rescue mission." Tandin says. "How do you propose we get in? Where are we to hide the slaves afterward?"

"I know it sounds far-fetched, but it's our best option. If he loses slaves, then he has to purchase more. It's a double hit."

Kira speaks up.

"Atai's security measures are extreme even in the circle of slavery." She says. "Shock collars are exclusive to Zygerria; the Hutts don't use them. Even the way he groups the slaves is meant to discourage rebellion. He never places teenagers or young adults together, instead he groups them in with older people to temper their anger."

That reminds me of something I need to address with Kira…

"This man's security system is top-of-the-line." Hutch interrupts. "I can get into most of it, but it'll take time. The main thing I'm concerned about is a biometric lock on one of the containers. It's digital, so Steela can't pick it. This thing has a constantly revolving, twenty-digit combination. I hate to say this, but I cannot hack it."

"But you can hack anything. You're the Cashier from Hell." Katooni says.

Hutch sighs and lifts his daughter onto his lap. "Kat, in this case it doesn't matter if I'm the Cashier from Mortis. The only way to get the lock open is if one of Atai's guards does it."

"Do you know what's behind the door?" Lux asks.

Hutch glances at the screen. "Not explicitly. It's just a serial number but I can track it if you want. However, I fail to see the point."

I share a look with Lux and a smile spreads across my face.

"If Atai bothered to put a biometric lock on it, it's bound to be valuable. Probably the most valuable thing in the palace."

"We're going to steal it, aren't we?" Steela asks.

"Yes, we are." Lux replies. "Hutch, nail down the building schematics and the security system. Everyone else, go back to your rooms and start brainstorming. We'll reconvene in an hour to go over the plan."

STEELA

I'm absolutely thrilled to have a break. In my head, "We'll reconvene in one hour" translates directly to "Nap for Steela!"

"Steela?"

"Yes?"

Mina gestures to the couch. "I need to talk to you."

Oh, boy. The last time Mina said she needed to talk to me, it was because of my smooth move with Ahsoka's prenatal vitamins. That talk is probably what got us to bury the hatchet into something other than each other's skulls.

Mina sits down serenely next to me, channeling every fiber of the senator she used to be.

"Steela, I understand that you love the people on this ship, and I appreciate everything you do for all of us. I really do," she says. "You're kind, you're brave, but above all you are selfless. And right now, you're scaring me."

What? How am I scaring Mina? Have I done something wrong lately, besides yell at Saw when he blared his rock music while Tav and Sierra were sleeping? Well, there was also that time I stepped on Kira, but that was an accident. I would never do something like that on purpose.

"Scaring you?"

"I don't think there's a contest as to who Sierra's primary caretakers are, and it's you and me."

Well, that's true. "Is there something wrong with that?"

Mina puts a hand on my shoulder. "I can handle some of this."

"She's three feet away from me. It only makes sense. I mean, she trusts me and I can't just lay there and listen to her cry."

Mina smiles sadly. "I know."

"You do?"

"I do. Because I was like that when I was young, too. The difference is that I didn't have someone to tell me what I'm going to tell you."

"Tell me what?"

"That you need to be selfish for a while. Steela, if you keep this up you are going to hurt yourself." She insists. "You aren't getting enough sleep. You drink too much caf to compensate for that sleep. Between Sierra, Tav, and possibly Kira." She bites her cheek "The last thing we need is another patient."

"Mina I'm fine, I swear."

"No." Her voice grows sharp. "You only have one working kidney, Steela. If it goes into failure, Tandin doesn't have another to give. No one else in our crew is a match, and I don't know how many people in the Rebel Alliance that would be willing to donate a kidney have type O negative blood. And forget the kidney, what if something happens to you on a job? What if your body gives out while you're in the ventilation system? Or in front of the mark?"

She takes both my hands in her own.

"You are a lovely person, a good sister, and you are going to be a wonderful mother someday." She says, squeezing my hands. "I just want to make sure that when that day comes, you're all in one piece."

Maybe it's because my mind is fried from no sleep. Maybe it's because of the punch. Maybe it's this talk, plus the last dregs of my teenage hormones pinging off every neurotransmitter in my body. But for some reason or another, I find myself pushing back tears.

"They're not leaving for the job for a few hours," Mina says gently. "I think you should get some sleep."

"I have to check my gear."

"Ahsoka will check it for you if she knows you're napping." Mina releases my hands and covers me with her shawl, pulling me into her arms like a small child. "Shh, close your eyes and get some rest. You deserve it."

"Are you sure?"

"Oh yes I'm sure," Mina says, some of her doting mother voice being pushed aside by the indomitable will of BonScary. "Now go to sleep. I've knocked you out once before, and don't you think I won't do it again."

A/N: Mina really doesn't mess around with anyone's welfare. Even if she has to fall back on BonScary to get it done.

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Until next time,

Lux's Sister