Hey there! Alice again, back with chapter 4 of Star Wars: Revelation for you guys!
Both Danny and I'd like to thank everyone who's been following and liking our story, and a very special thanks to 'Use Your Illusion Act III' for our VERY FIRST REVIEW! I woke up this morning and it was honestly the best feeling ever to hear from one of our own readers. We love feedback, and we appreciate advice from those of you that have it! Now, without further ado, let's bring on Chapter 4 of the story!
Nina had to admit, Barrett was a nice guy when he wasn't being attacked by Imperial soldiers or held at gunpoint. Easy on the eyes, yes, but a little too cocky for her. Maybe if she was prettier he might've taken an interest in her, and led her away from whatever fate this 'client' had for her that took her away from that smelly, sticky bar.
A thought dawned on Nina as she rounded the corner, entering into the refresher with a barely-contained smile on her face.
She was out. She was out of that hell hole forever, hopefully. Maybe this guy was more of a gentleman than Chalmun and those other men were to her. Didn't require a groping with the start of every day, didn't force her into those horrid excuses for uniforms, and didn't let the men around her drool over her skin as if it was a delightful meal for the first time in a week.
Before she had worked in the bar, she was a household slave to Chalmun, cleaning up around his house, dodging the torturous beatings he bestowed upon the slave that didn't do the most work that day. She still held the scars from a few of those lashings across her back, a painful reminder of what she was to that beast.
A reflection of a tiny girl crossed Nina's gaze as she looked up to find locks a shade of deep red falling down the thin face that was once full of wonder and delight, but now harbored feelings of fear and lost hope for the galaxy. As Nina's eyes traveled farther down the mirror in front of her, the thin evidence of ribs protruding from her bare stomach made her feel ugly, made her feel skeleton-like.
It was what brought in the paying customers, Chalmun had said.
That starved, malnourished look. She valued the days she was allowed to eat something, but slowly, she became a shell of what she used to be. A weak, powerless shell that wore the uniform of a bastard's establishment.
Tiny tan blotches marred the area below her hip where she could still feel the man's hands sliding up and down, up and down, each time growing closer to her...
"Stop!" She whispered at herself, tearing herself away from the mirror and towards the shower in the 'fresher, slowly turning it on and watching the water pour out. She shed the uniform for what may have been the last time, tossing it away from her triumphantly. A tiny twinge of freedom and excitement filled her.
The last time. The very last time she would wear it. She could barely contain her overwhelming joy.
With a smile, the girl bounded into the shower, slowly and smoothly washing the sand off of her with each shaft of water that hit her. Delicate fingers went to her braid as she undid the simple twist and let the dark ruby tresses fall against her body, barely reaching to the base of her shoulderblades.
Thoughtfully, with almost a reverent mindset, Nina washed every inch of her body, scrubbing the skin harder in some places than in others as she held no thought of her future in her head. For a rare moment, she felt she could be at peace by herself, even while another man was aboard the ship.
"You almost done in there?" The voice of Barrett called through the shower room, as she turned off the running water and reached for a towel on a rack a few feet away.
"Um, yes!" She replied, drying off quickly as she heard an 'alright' from beyond the door.
Silence filled the refresher as she stepped out of the shower, wrapping the towel around her body and reaching towards the pile of clothes that had been shoved through a small crack in the door. She quickly shed the towel and pulled on the clothes that sagged over her small frame, tying her hair in a simple knot on her head. The clothes, while a tiny bit large, did their job. Barrett had picked out a black tunic and some green cargo pants, along with a pair of boots and a few different mismatching undergarments. After choosing what suited her best, Nina returned to the mirror once more.
Nina smiled as she looked back at the girl, realizing the strength and perseverance she had lost before this and emerged from the refresher a new woman.
Barrett left the clothing where Nina had requested, then returned to his chair in the cockpit next to his droid partner. He looked out over the rolling sands of the Dune Sea, admiring the desolate beauty of the landscape. The emptiness. He had grown up on Coruscant, the glittering metropolis that marked the capital of the former Galactic Republic and the current Galactic Empire. It was always so busy. Speeders zoomed above the already towering buildings in marked lanes, the streets were crowded, there was hardly any room for anything that was not fuel for industry or civilization. Barrett frowned when he thought back to his days when he ran with the Black Sun, their rowdy parties always preventing him from getting sufficient sleep every now and then. But this quiet, remote scene was one of the most beautiful things he had ever witnessed. Nothing for miles around but banthas, womp rats, and nomadic Sand People. No factories, no speeder traffic, no loud celebrations, just silence. The stars were so extremely clear. Back on Coruscant, it's nearly impossible to see them against the night sky thanks to the neon and fluorescent glow of all the lights. But seeing the stars on this night was therapeutic to Barrett, easing the fear of the future consequences his earlier adventure could bring upon himself and those in his care. While observing the sky, the smuggler recounted the events of his job back in Mos Eisley.
Jeight bleeped questioningly, breaking the silence that pervaded the cockpit of the Gorskin.
"Nina's taking a shower," Barrett replied, still staring at the stars. Another series of beeps came from the droid. "No, I don't know how long she's staying with us. We've gotta take her to the Rebellion. Who knows, maybe they can help clear my name after all that crap that happened back there…"
There was another moment of silence before Barrett spoke again.
"There's something… Odd about her. She did this… Thing… Back at the port. She picked me up without touching me and was deflecting the shots from the stormtroopers… And I've got no way to explain it. At first, I thought this would be just some ordinary job, but now… We need to get her as far away from the Empire as possible. Whatever she is, she's got power, and the Empire would only abuse it. The Rebels may be able to keep her safe."
R2-J8 chirped smugly at his creator, nudging him slightly. "I know, you think I'm crazy, but… She's special. And she needs to be kept safe." Barrett said, hoping his companion would sympathize. All Jeight did was make a noise akin to a catcall. "Great, thanks buddy. Real great talk." He replied sarcastically.
He slid down the ladder and bumped into Nina, all dressed and clean. He was taken aback by her looks, which were already apparent the moment he laid eyes on her, but were accented now. And that hair, those eyes…
"You look… Great! I hope what I picked isn't too bad. There wasn't much." Barrett smiled, admiring her figure and appearance.
"Yeah," she mumbled, fiddling with the hem of her shirt. "Thanks for the clothes. Much better than those stupid uniforms."
"Don't mention it. Are you hungry?"
She nodded a little, stifling a yawn with her delicate hand. "A little bit."
"Starboard cargo hold has a pantry in it. Sure, it may all be preserved stuff, but it's edible," Barrett said, heading over to the cargo hold door.
"Food is food." Nina replied, crossing her arms over her chest and following the man through the dimly lit ship.
The door hissed open as soon as Barrett stood in front of it. He proceeded down the stairs and onto the hold floor, where he shoved a crate full of mechanic's tools to the side to access the food storage. Sliding open a compartment on the wall, he found several standard-issue Imperial field rations along with some dried jogan fruit. Looking around again, he found an out-of-place refrigerated container full of bottles of water and a variety of fruits and vegetables. "I really need to organize this someday…" Barrett mumbled, turning back to Nina, "Well, help yourself."
Nina looked at the food with wide eyes as she took the jogan fruit and a bottle of water. "Haven't eaten this well in years..." She replied, taking small bites of the food and savoring every last bit.
Barrett sat on top of an empty barrel, reaching down into the refrigerated crate for a manta pear. He hadn't even realized how hungry he was himself till he had seen the aftermath of a rather large bite. "So," Barrett began, gulping, "how do you like the ship?"
She swallowed, looking around her shoulders before returning to her meal. "It's big. Wouldn't think a smuggler would be able to afford something as extravagant as this."
"Well, you're right. I couldn't afford something like this. I won it in a game of sabacc from this Rodian on Nar Shaddaa a few years back," Barrett said, surveying the cargo hold, "and now, she's mine. I've made a few modifications over the years, made her my own. She's no YT-series freighter by any means, but the Gorskin always gets the job done." He pounded on the walls of the hold like a parent would reassuringly pat a child.
Nina gave a small laugh, before smiling back at Barrett. "Well, it's much nicer than a smelly old bar with handsy men, if you ask me."
"You'll find we're not too smelly around here. Or handsy. Watch out, though. That astro droid is a real scoundrel." Barrett winked as he took a final bite from his pear before tossing it in a garbage chute.
A beat of silence passed while the two chewed their food. Nina felt the awkwardness of the entire situation fall over her as she struggled to start a conversation. "So, um, do you get many passengers on the Gorskin often?"
"I've had my fair share of passengers, but they're nothing like you." Barrett thought back to the spaceport incident where she saved his life, which sent a slight chill down his spine. He tried not to show it. "You take orders in dangerous situations a lot better than some of the other people on this ship. You helped us get out of there as smooth as we could have in a situation that dicey. So, thanks for that."
Before she could speak again, Barrett asked, "But would you mind telling me what the hell that was you did back in Mos Eisley?"
Nina cast her eyes downwards, watching her toes with fake interest. "I-I don't... I mean... I don't quite-"
"If you don't know, then guess. What happened?" He asked, the playful demeanor gone and a stern shine in his eyes.
Nina furrowed her eyebrows. "Look, I have no idea myself. I felt my eyes shut, and then I was holding onto your jacket and you weren't by the stormtroopers anymore." She replied, frustration evident in her tone.
"Okay, alright. I'm sorry." Barrett stood up and took a few steps closer to Nina. "I won't be nosy."
She remained silent, shrugging her shoulder as she returned her interest to the rest of the fruit in front of her, though the thought remained in her head.
Her eyes returned to his as she ran a nervous hand through her hair, letting her bangs fall over her eyes once more. Barrett sighed and glanced out one of the cargo hold viewports, thinking of something to say. He turned toward it, swearing he saw something moving against the sky.
"Barrett," Nina began, her eyes falling to the floor once more. "Who is the client that wants me?"
"The client? Oh, yeah. I was hired by-" He cut himself off when he realized what he saw. "…There's a Star Destroyer out there! … Damnit, it's searching for us. We gotta get outta here, now!" Barrett sprang to action, getting to the door and motioning for Nina to follow.
"Escape first, talk later, remember? Come on!"
"Hey!" Nina yelled, following Barrett out of the cargo hold and towards the cockpit. "What-wait, why is a Star Destroyer outside?"
"Well, we did shoot our way out of their curfew, but-" A blast from the Star Destroyer rocked the Gorskin, tossing Nina and Barrett against a wall of the hallway. "Jeight, amplify the deflector shield and begin the takeoff sequence!" He called, helping his companion to her feet. Barrett scrambled up the ladder into the cockpit and sat in the pilot's seat, frantically flipping switches and preparing for a bumpy ride. Nina hopped into the gunner's console, strapping herself in before another volley of fire rocked the ship. The freighter lurched up from the ground and zoomed across the desert, flying low and fast in an attempt to outmaneuver the capital ship on their tail. A hail of laser cannon blasts rained down upon them, most striking the sand around the Gorskin or being buffered by the deflector shield, which wouldn't be able to make many more hits like that. Eventually, Barrett's ship was out of the Destroyer's firing range. But Jeight's bleeping only heralded a new problem.
"They're scrambling fighters, I'm gonna have to get tricky here!" Barrett said, veering the Gorskin into the Jundland Wastes' labyrinth of canyons. "Hey, Nina! You a good shot?"
"I've worked in a cantina as a slave all my life and you think I know how to fire a gun?!" She screeched as they flew through the sandy cliffs.
"I figured you'd say something like that! Anyways, you're sitting at the gunner's console. Remember what I said about the remote turrets? Well, those are TIE fighters, and they are way faster than we are. Hopefully putting 'em in tighter quarters'll keep 'em from taking evasive action. You need to shoot them down if we wanna get out of here alive." Barrett shouted, flicking switches on his console. "Don't worry, it's easy. Just point and shoot. It's us or them, now!"
"Us or them?!" Nina screeched as she took hold of the controller and felt the trigger beneath her fingers. The screen popped up with a view of the enemy's ship in front of her, the tiny triangular cursor flying around the screen. "Wait, just press the button?"
"Line up one of those fighters and press those buttons on the stick!"
With a shaky nod, Nina watched the terminal, pressing the buttons haphazardly. Bursts of scarlet blossomed outside of the ship, the sand and stone falling like rain around them.
"Careful, now! Use your instincts!" Barrett called, maneuvering swiftly in-between the canyon's walls.
"Instincts!" She said to herself as she watched the small screen, the image of a distant Star Destroyer staring back at her menacingly.
With a short stroke of courage, Nina pressed a button, striking the fighter behind her. An explosion that rocked the cockpit came from behind as Nina looked to find the ship she had shot at, now shattered and deep within the canyon as they lifted out of the cliffs.
"I did it!" She exclaimed, her eyes widening as they took off towards the twinkling stars. "I hit the ship!"
"Keep it up! There's still three more on our tail!" Barrett took a sharp right and slipped past a stone pillar, which an unsuspecting TIE got a little too close to. With its right wing clipped, it spun out of control, smashing into the cliff wall. "Make that two! Deflector shield is holding for now, but those TIEs sure aren't making things easy!"
"Okay!" Nina called out, her mouth twisting into a concentrated line as she watched the small screen where the enemy's ships were weaving in and out. She pushed the button a few more times, letting out a small scream as she watched another ship sink to the sandy bluffs of Tatooine.
In a last-ditch effort, Nina held down the trigger button of the laser cannon and let the fire rain down wildly over the last ship as it sent tiny green beams back at the Gorskin. Despite the close quarters, it bobbed and weaved with relative ease, still firing.
"Don't let up! He's good, but things are gonna get pretty tight up ahead!" Barrett shouted, eyeing the narrow section of the gorge ahead with concern.
"Um…" Nina breathed out as she watched the enemy ship, and recognized the tiny tingling coming back to her fingers, much like it had earlier this evening at the hangar. "Barrett! I think we should get out of here!"
"What do you mean?" He called back to her, as she released her grip on the controller, her hands going to her temples.
"Just get as far away as possible!" She screeched back, the tingling growing until a sharp pain filled Nina's senses once more. She struggled to gain the upper hand of her emotions, the fear and anger and stress of the situation pushing her fingers to the brink.
Use the Force, Nina. Use the Force.
In a spurt of the moment decision, she shut her eyes and pressed down on the trigger once more, letting the fire engulf the ship behind her. Her eyes blinked open to find the ship that had been tailing them was now only a crushed, smoking ruin at the depths of the canyon. Nina's shoulders slumped forwards, as she began to heave out the breaths she didn't know she was holding in, the faraway voice of Barrett calling to her from the other side of the cockpit.
"Nina!" Barrett seemed to echo in her ears as the tingling sensation left her fingers and her eyes struggled to stay open.
Thinking quickly, Barrett pulled out of the canyon and began exiting Tatooine's atmosphere before the Destroyer could send any more fighters after them. "Jeight, set the the nav computer!" Barrett shouted, frantically staring over his shoulder at Nina's dazed figure, struggling to stay upright in front of the gunner's station. The astromech whined and jittered at him. "I don't know, anywhere but here!"
Suddenly, the ship broke from the planet's gravitational pull. Jeight calculated the coordinates, giving Barrett a positive whistle. Without any hesitation, the pilot slammed down the switch initiating lightspeed. Time slowed momentarily, then burst into a race of stars and azure light streaming past the cockpit. Whatever was scheming on Tatooine trying to capture them or kill them was now lightyears away… For now. Barrett sighed with relief, then rose to check on Nina. "Hey, you alright?"
Her eyes slowly, but surely began to blink open, clouded by fatigue and confusion. "W-What…" She mumbled as she let her head fall back to the seat, looking up at Barrett. Her auburn locks fell into her eyes as she struggled to keep her eyes open. She could barely focus on what was going on. "Did, did we get 'em?"
"Yeah, you got 'em. That was some good shooting back there. Can you stand?" He turned the seat around and helped the girl to her slightly unstable feet as she focused on her breathing, her head still fuzzy. He slipped her arm over his shoulder, then wrapped his own arm around her, helping her out of the cockpit, slowly down the ladder, and into the crew quarters, sitting down on one of the bunks by her side.
"Ugh..." She mumbled as a hand went to her forehead. Her brain seemed to vibrate within her skull, just like it had when she saved Barrett. "Everything's fuzzy…"
"Here, lay down. Make yourself comfortable."
Nina nestled herself within the bunk, threadbare blankets and thin pillows conforming to her position as she rolled away from the light. Barrett frowned, scratching the back of his head and wondering what he could do. He rose and leaned against the bunk, watching Nina's sides rise and fall with each breath she took.
Things were getting crazier every passing minute, and Barrett only knew the half of it.
Well, thanks for reading another chapter of Star Wars: Revelation, and I hope you all have a wonderful, Star Wars-filled day! Please don't forget to review, follow, and favorite this story to get the latest updates when we release a new chapter. Anyways, thanks again, and may the force be with you! :)