[FYI – Vacy & company got to Tatooine BEFORE the plague hit. I'm just behind in writing stories. Sowwy!]
Landing on Tatooine was a cinch compared to Nar Shaddaa with all its traffic. Even Taris had been busier, given its location and the fear that the rakghoul plague would spread off-planet. There'd been a cloud of Republic military ships hovering over the spaceport. Fortunately the controls on the XS were incredibly responsive – sometimes Vacy thought Flashy might get jealous of how much she gushed about how sensitive they were – which made the Wonder impressively maneuverable given its size and weight.
Vacy locked the controls, picked up her Darmas-bag and slung it over her shoulder, and headed off the bridge. She smiled as she passed Corso. "Got everything?" she asked.
"Just about!" he called as she headed left through the comm center toward the exit.
The hangar bay on Tatooine was about the same as anywhere else, except hotter. Vacy tugged at the heavy padded collar of her reinforced jacket, sighing. She could already feel her skin beginning to prickle uncomfortably.
But right then, the thunk of heavy boots on the metal ramp caught her attention, and she looked up to see Corso clomping down toward her with a grin so broad it threatened to split his face. "Ready to go, Captain!" He turned around, arms out to the side. "How's she look? Ain't she fantastic?"
Vacy felt her left brow arching sharply as her mouth pulled to the side. "I'm reserving judgment for now," she grumbled. She threw her leg over the seat of the speeder, scrunched forward to make room for Corso, and flipped the repulsors into gear. She always tensed, just a touch, when he wrapped an arm around her waist to brace for the sudden jerk when the speeder lurched forward. But a moment later, they eased into each other and were racing through the spaceport.
When they passed through the archway out into Anchorhead proper, Vacy felt like she'd had a pillow shoved into her face. The heat was so stifling that it was hard to breathe, and the sand drifting up from every direction didn't help. Vacy leaned the speeder to the side, heading off the entry/exit path, and paused to let her eyes try to adjust. Tatoo One and Two weren't powerful individually, but combined, and with the refraction from the sea of sand all around, the glare was intense.
Shading her eyes, she noticed movement of a different sort. She squinted – it was a rather portly fellow waving his arms. She checked the path, then released the brake and the speeder lurched a bit before humming easily toward whoever had been trying to get her attention.
He jogged toward them, puffing even just the few meters. "Whew! Hot enough for you?" he said with a weak chuckle. When Vacy just sighed, he shrugged. "Hey, it was worth a try. I'm Sheriff Encott. You look like a capable sort, and we could use some help. The Twin Suns pirates have always been a problem, but lately they've stepped it up a bit. Guess they've gotten away with murder for so long that it got to be old news. Now they're selling our people as slaves and we won't stand for it."
Vacy considered this for a few moments. Encott didn't seem the sort who'd have a lot of resources at his disposal, so the pay for completing the job was likely to be low. On the other hand, 'pirates' usually meant weapons stockpiles and various other items of value that wouldn't be missed by anyone other than their former owners.
She felt Corso fidget behind her, and she twisted, looking over her shoulder at him. He just looked at her for a long moment, then at Encott, then back to her. And he lifted his brows in a silent, hopeful question.
Shaking her head, Vacy chuckled. "All right, Sheriff. We'll take care of it." She felt Corso's arm tighten around her waist and her grin broadened as she revved the motor.
"Captain, shouldn't we've taken that path heading north?"
Vacy shook her head, shouting back at him over the noise of the wind and the whine of the motor. "Nah – we need to hit the cantina first. I didn't realize just how bad it was. Figure we'll need heavier canteens. We can leave 'em on the speeder so they don't get in the way while we're in the middle of things. I just don't want to be heading back to a base every hour or so for more water."
They reached the entry to the cantina and Vacy twirled the speeder around expertly before activating the security features and then shutting the speeder down.
Corso stepped off first, then offered Vacy a hand. "Spose that makes sense. Still, the sooner we free those slaves, the better. Even if it's just a few minutes' difference – that's a few minutes more of freedom, y'know?"
She smiled wryly, stepping down as well. "I promse, Riggs, we'll get there as soon as we can." They stood there a moment; it took a conscious decision to let go of his hand before heading into the cantina.
It was crowded, dark, and dingy. Vacy felt bile welling up her throat from the sour smell that hung in the air. When her holocomm buzzed, she nearly jumped. "Hey, will you go get us a couple of canteens? Nice big ones. I don't care if they're filled or not. I'll be quick with whoever this is, and we can head out?" Corso nodded, heading over to the bar to see what was available for purchase, and Vacy took out the comm and opened her channel.
Her eyes widened just a bit. Well, hello, handsome. She wasn't sure what caught her attention first, whether it was his gently shimmering eyes or the soft curve to his full lips. But she felt her heartbeat speeding up either way.
And then he spoke, and that just made everything even worse. "Name's Syll Fauler. I've got a rather interesting problem and I heard you might be able to lend a hand. Unofficially, of course."
"Well that depends." Vacy heard the purr in her voice and debated dialing it back a few notches. But what was the harm, really? She let a slow, seductive grin tug at the corners of her lips. "What're you prepared to offer in return?"
Fauler looked over his shoulder, then back at the holocam. "There's a good bit of money involved, but more importantly, there's an awful lot at stake. I'd really rather not say more over an open comm. Any chance you could meet me somewhere in person?"
Vacy's brows lifted. "It sounds like you've already got something in mind," she said with a small smirk. Oh, sugar… this better be going where I think it's going.
"I've got a sort of … embassy … downtown here in Anchorhead. Given the ambient noise – you're at the cantina, right? – it shouldn't be far. I, ah… hope to see you soon." His mouth – luscious mouth, her devil-voice interjected – curved up in a quiet smile.
"My partner and I will be there shortly," Vacy replied, biting back a grin when she saw his smile falter. Bingo.
He nodded sharply. "Fauler out."
Vacy flipped the comm inactive, and turned around, looking over toward the bar. But Corso was approaching already, and he smiled broadly when he saw her looking his direction. "Everything green?"
It seemed only natural to smile right back. "Leafy," she said with a chuckle. They walked back outside; Vacy linked her datapad to the mailbox and downloaded the coordinates Fauler had sent her. "We've got one more stop before we're on our way. Shouldn't take long, though." She closed the connection and unplugged the datapad, slipping it back into her jacket before hopping on the speeder and scooting forward. She keyed in her code and wrapped her fingers into place, and the speeder hummed to life.
Vacy felt the vehicle lurch a little as Corso secured the canteens underneath the seat – clearly he'd already had them filled. And then, once more, as he slid on behind her and wrapped his arms around her. When he leaned close, she could feel his breath whisper past her chin, and she swallowed thickly.
"Any time you're ready, Captain." His voice was low and gentle. Then again, it always was, of course.
But for some reason Vacy couldn't quite convince herself that it was the thought of Fauler that had made her heartbeat quicken as they sped toward the coordinates she'd been given.