New Blood Strikes Back

By Michael Weyer

Not So-Restful Stops

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"Wow."

It may not have been the most eloquent description of Cloud City but it was the best Willow could come up with. She stared out from her position on the landing pad overlooking one of the massive valleys of the city, enjoying the glorious morning view. Despite all the wonders she'd seen in her journeys in this galaxy, a city in the clouds was something else.

From the brief talk Kasen had given her while they landed, Bespin was a mostly gas-filled planet, its surface for the most part uninhabitable. Thus, any cities had to be in the sky. The sheer logistics of creating an anti-gravity field this powerful boggled Willow's mind. Just when she thought this galaxy was backward with its computers, something like this feat of engineering showed her how incredibly advanced they could be.

She'd gotten a look at the city from the distance as Kasen swept the Y-Wing over to the far side, an area that appeared slightly less pristine. The pilot was talking to a figure at the far side of the dock. He was a slovenly being whose pants and shirt barely fit over his sizeable belly, one hand stroking his chin, the other scratching his back and the last two on his hips.

"Get a Rebel ship repaired under wraps and without anyone knowing?" he rumbled. "Gonna cost you, Kasen."

"You know I'm good for it, Dex," Kasen said. "I wouldn't be asking if it wasn't important. We just need repairs and a place to lay low for a few days and then we'll be out of your hair."

Dex sighed. "Taking advantage of my good nature again…Figured I was free of all that when I left the Imperial center."

Kasen smirked. "Come on, Dex, you're never free of helping folks. You know that."

"Suppose you're right." Dex waved toward the building behind him. "Well, come on, I'm getting some lunch together anyway. Might as well give you two a meal while my techs get the ship in the garage." Kasen nodded to Willow, who quickly rushed up to join them.

The main building appeared to be a mix of a shop and diner with a few customers around, a mix of humans and aliens. Kasen had paused long enough to get out of her orange flight suit, now clad in a dark tunic and pants that nicely showed off her curves. Willow had taken off her bulky winter clothing and thus her red suit was more comfortable than usual.

As they sat together at a booth, Willow took a look out the window to see a strange orange fighter with two pods connected together flying by. "Are you sure we can trust this guy?" she asked.

"Dex is okay," Kasen said. "He used to be a nice source of info in the Republic days. He got out just after the Fall, bounced around for a while before setting up shop here."

Willow nodded. "Okay. Doesn't seem like the Empire has much of a presence here."

"They don't," Kasen confirmed. "It's a key reason why it gets a lot of under the radar traffic. It's not Nar Shadda by any means but it sounds like the folks in charge has a nice business going for themselves."

"Then that's all we need," Willow said. "Lay low, get the ship fixed and get on our way."

Kasen glanced at her, noting the tension the young woman had. "You're worried for your friends."

Willow nodded. "I am. Oh, I know Buffy's…special and Xander's got Han and the rest to help but I still worry." She shrugged. "I guess I get it from my mother."

Kasen cocked her head to the side. "Never really heard you talk about her."

"She's not exactly the type you talk easily about," Willow admitted. "We were a bit…distant. I mean, I love her, she's my mom and all but we just never really had much mother-daughter bonding."

Kasen nodded. "I can understand that. My mother passed when I was young. My father did his best to raise me as his only child. I guess that's how I turned out the way I did."

"Military man?"

She nodded. "He was, a good pilot himself, first for the Republic, then the Empire. He believed it in it, you know. He believed the stories that the Jedi betrayed us and Palpatine needed to change us like he did in order to let our way of life survive."

"What made you realize the truth?"

A humorless smile came across Kasen's face. "Be at the forefront of the Imperial forces and you see what the Empire really thinks of alien life. I knew there was corruption but I didn't realize how great it was until…" Her voice trailed off.

"Alderaan," Willow whispered.

Kasen looked out at the window. "My father was there. He'd been wounded, was at our home recovering when the Death Star arrived. I wonder sometimes what he was doing…If he was awake and saw it and realized at the last minute what his glorious Empire was like…Or if he was asleep, never knew, died believing in it all.."

Seeing the pilot's eyes cloud with tears, Willow reached forward to rub her hand. "It's okay," she whispered. "I know how it feels."

Kasen wiped her eyes off. "Sorry…I don't…I'm supposed to be more professional."

Willow gave her a smile. "Ah, I'm used to unprofessional behavior, trust me."

Kasen managed to smile back. "Got any credits on you?"

Willow started. "Ah, a bit. Why?"

Kasen shrugged. "I figure we might as well look around the city for a while. Have a little fun, you know? We're supposed to be tourists, might as well act the part."

Willow thought about it before nodding. A little distraction might be just what she needed and at least she had some company for it. "Why not? Might as well warn you, never been known for my party girl ways."

"That's all right," Kasen said with a smirk. "I'm a good teacher."

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Xander wiped his brow as he entered the cockpit of the Falcon. He sat in the secondary chair behind the two pilot seats and ran through a checklist of buttons on the board before him. He glanced to the side to see Leia sitting in the pilot's chair, staring out the window. "How's the repair work coming?" Xander asked.

"It…looks okay," Leia answered in a flat tone.

Something in her voice caught Xander's eye and he studied her, noting the slight redness in her cheeks and how she was rubbing her face. "Ah," he said. "Looks like you and Han got a little hot and bothered."

Leia shot him a glare usually reserved for stormtroopers but Xander kept his smile up. "I was in high school long enough to recognize the signs of a hookup in a close space," he said.

Leia shook her head. "It wasn't like that! That…that…ruffian kissed me!"

"But did you kiss back?"

Leia looked away. "I am not discussing this with you."

"Then who else are you going to talk to? I don't see you and Mara exactly doing the girl bonding."

Leia was forced to agree to that. "Even if…and understand I'm talking about a remote possibility light years away from even the slightest chance of occurring…if I was interested in him. It wouldn't matter. I have responsibilities to the Alliance. Not to mention, it just wouldn't work out."

"Why?" Xander asked. "Because he's a smuggler and you're a princess? Come on, you can't judge by stuff like that. Believe me, I once connected with a girl who was not only beyond my social status but who spent years locked with me in a mutual condition of hating. And then I hooked up with a girl who was…well, a lot older than me but couldn't get enough of me. You can't decide these things, Leia."

"It's not smart."

"True," Xander allowed. "But…and I can't believe I'm actually repeating something Spike said…love isn't brains, it's blood. You can't control it, Leia. You can't predict it, all you can do is just go along with the ride."

"Even if it means going off a cliff?"

Xander shrugged. "Hey…it's what love is."

Leia looked away. "I…still don't know. I mean…"

What she might have been about to say was interrupted when something smacked onto the window of the cockpit before them. Xander let out a loud yell as Leia jumped. They stared at what looked like a green tentacle rubbing against the window before yanking away, leaving a long trail of slime behind it.

"Han!" Xander yelled as he leapt out of his seat. Leia was already racing into the main bay where Han, Chewbacca and Mara were hanging around a work console. "There's something out there!" Leia exclaimed.

"What?" Han asked as he rose up.

"It's true, boss," Xander confirmed. "I don't know what it is but it's out there for sure."

Han frowned as he moved to a nearby locker. "All right, we'll check it out. Chewie, you stay here, Mara and Xander, you two are with me."

"We're going outside?" Mara asked.

"Sensor sweep said there's an atmosphere," Han said as he took down some oxygen masks from the shelf. "I just put this baby back together, I'm not going to let something tear her apart."

"I'm coming too," Leia said, grabbing a mask.

"Princess getting her boots dirty?" Mara smirked. "Well, looks like this trip has a few surprises in it."

Leia fixed her with an icy glare. "Don't make me leave you out there."

Xander couldn't help having the brief wish that the ground outside was particularly muddy in case things between the women got physical.

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The musky feel of the cave hit them the instant they left the ramp. Han took the lead as they carefully paced the ground, eyes alert. A thick layer of mist hovered over the ground with a thick feel to the air that could be smelt even through their masks.

"This is some weird ground," Mara noted as she tapped a foot. "It's not solid but not quite mud either. It's too squishy and slick."

"Warm too," Xander pointed out as he crept around the hull. "Anyone see anything?"

Leia lifted her head to examine the hull. "No…it seemed to have been right over the cockpit."

Mara was just walking around a landing strut when a creature flew over her head. She yelled, waving her hand and it seemed to be thrust away, flapping its wings wildly. More of the same creatures flew about, screeching and howling wildly. One came near a window, both Threepio and Chewbacca trying to wave it away.

Han aimed and fired a trio of shots. They struck home as the creature collapsed to the cave floor in a smoking heap. Han nudged it with its toe. "What is it?" Xander asked.

"A mynock," Han answered. "They cling to ships, chew on power cables. Xander, go around, make sure there aren't more of them." Xander nodded and looked around as Han looked around. Mara was following him when a mynock swept right before her. She yelped, reflexively pulling the trigger on her blaster and discharging a blast right into the ground.

A huge rumble shook the entire cavern, everyone thrown off balance as the ground shifted about. "Earthquake?" Xander asked, used to such things.

"Maybe it got hit by another rock outside," Leia suggested.

"No…" Han remarked as he aimed his blaster at the ground and fired a shot. The ground shook even harder, the shaking continuing this time. "Back in the ship!" Han yelled as he raced to the ramp. "Mara, Xander, get ready for immediate takeoff!"

"But we've still got the fleet out there!" Leia yelled.

"I've got no time to debate this in committee, sweetheart!" Han yelled.

"I am not a committee!" Leia fired back as they entered the ship. Xander and Mara tried to keep up, Xander sealing up the ramp as Han made it to the cockpit. He immediately began to hit buttons and switches to fire up the engines. Leia and Mara entered the cockpit behind him as he lifted the ship up and swung it around.

As the Falcon blasted down the tunnel, they could see the field of stars ahead. It took a moment for them to realize that the opening was starting to slide shut, the white rocks on each end closing fast. "The cave's collapsing!" Leia exclaimed.

Han shook his head soberly. "This is no cave."

Mara and Leia were confused but Xander's eyes widened. "Oh, you've gotta be kidding…"

Han banked the Falcon to the side to slide between the rocks and sped out into the asteroid field. As Han threw the ship to the side, everyone could see a massive slug-like creature exiting the hole they had come out of, its huge teeth snapping to try to get at the ship.

"Only us," Xander said, rubbing his temples. "Only to us! Only we could pick a space slug to hide out in!"

"Well, it did the job, didn't it?" Han retorted with his ever-present logic. "We're clear, we've got repairs done, we've got our health----"

A loud flashing echoed as Xander checked the scanner. "We've got a Destroyer on our tails!"

Han smirked at Leia. "Looks like we're back to a rocky flight, sweetheart!"

"I'm going to kill you for all this," Leia said. "I really will."

"Only if you beat me to it," Mara snapped as she went into the back.

Han glanced at Xander, who just shrugged. "I'm not dumb enough to defend you here, boss."

Han just glowered as he went back to the flight.

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Willow wasn't quite sure what to expect from the Cloud City nightlife. Truth to tell, partying at clubs had never exactly been her forte. Even back in Sunnydale, she'd felt out of place with going to the Bronze. Alderaan had been much more laid-back with really not that much of a party scene and she'd been rather busy as of late trying to help the Rebellion. So she was rather surprised at how good a time she was having.

Despite Kasen's urgings, she had decided to take the better part of valor and skip any heavy drinking. Instead, she sat back in her booth, sipping a light juice as she glanced around the club. She was feeling good in a nice dark red dress that flowed easily over her body. Kasen was next to her, having switched to a dark green dress that actually showed off curves Willow hadn't really noticed on her before.

"Having a good time?" Kasen spoke over the noise of the bar. It wasn't as loud as Mos Eisley but still filled with plenty of music and loud conversations. Willow was surprised to see the number of aliens around, a rarity for the more refined worlds of the Empire. There were plenty of humans, however, many in the dark blue uniforms of Cloud City security, keeping an eye for any trouble.

"Trying to," Willow answered back. "Hard to really let go and unwind when there's so much danger around."

Kasen nodded. "I know the feeling. Believe me, it was downright painful not being able to let loose after some missions when I was with the Imperial forces. At least the Rebellion is a little looser."

Willow nodded as she sipped her drink. "Maybe…"

Kasen studied her carefully. "You mind if I ask a personal question?"

"Is there any way I can stop you?"

"Nope. Anyway…heard some stories now and then from others who have seen you on missions. They say you have…a gift."

"Um…I'm a gift-giver," Willow said. "You have to narrow it down."

"Throwing stormtroopers around…conjuring balls of fire out of thin air…Even the stories of the Jedi didn't have them doing that."

Willow shuffled. "It's…complicated."

Kasen held up a hand. "Look, I'm not trying to pry, I'm just honestly curious. I mean, if you have gifts like that, why do you prefer…"

"Being on the back lines?" Willow smiled. "Well, part of it is that I just don't like fighting that much. But the other…" She stopped and looked down, her face serious.

"Willow?" Kasen asked, leaning in. "What is it?"

Willow let out a long breath before looking up. "When I use that…ability…I tap into something big. Maybe it's the Force, maybe…it's something else. But every time I do, I feel the power there and I'm tempted to draw on it even more. And that scares the hell out of me."

Kasen bit her lip. "The Dark Side."

"As good a name for it as any," Willow said. "It's stronger here…the power…and thus so's the darkness around it and the temptation to keep using it. And I'm really afraid that if I start using it more and more…I'm going to start liking it."

"You don't want that."

"Old saying from my planet, Kasen. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. I've gone over the stories of the Jedi and the Sith and I've read about so many good people turned evil because of this Dark Side. I don't want that to happen. So if I have to limit myself in order to keep from flipping over…I consider that a necessary sacrifice."

Kasen gazed at her, truly impressed. "You have wisdom behind your years, my young handmaiden."

Willow grinned sheepishly. "Awww, thanks. My mom would appreciate that…well, if she wasn't in another galaxy…and she hadn't been ignoring me for the last ten years…and if she's still alive…"

Seeing the worry return, Kasen was about to speak when a figure appeared by their table. "Good evening, ladies." They looked up to see a dashingly handsome black man with dark curly hair and mustache standing before them. He was clad in black pants and a blue shirt with a cape, his teeth bright with his smile. "Lando Calrissian, Baron Administrator of Cloud City."

"Ah, hello," Willow said. "Um…no offense but shouldn't you be, ah, running this city rather than hanging out at a club?"

"Just finishing a meeting," Lando replied. "I just wanted to check in, see how the visitors to our fair city are handling things."

"Handling them well, thank you," Kasen replied. "But we would appreciate if you didn't ask what our business is."

Lando appeared utterly non-plussed. "Fair enough. We get that mentality a lot. If you need any help, my office is always open." He bowed his head before leaving.

"Wow," Willow said. "I think I finally know what an old riverboat gambler acted like. Only without the funny hats and Southern accents."

"Men like that are always charming," Kasen said. "They think it's attractive…as those two by the bar are thinking."

Willow glanced over to see two orange-skinned figures with stick-like bodies, long necks and bald heads eyeing them both. Wincing, she spoke. "We'd better go before the hit-on parade begins."

"Maybe not." Kasen stood up, reaching to take Willow's hand and pulling her toward the dance floor. Willow was thrown, not even realizing what she was doing until Kasen came close. "Whoa…invasion of personal space!"

"Relax," Kasen said as she moved in. "It'll keep them off our backs, trust me."

"Um…as long as I'm not on my back and I can't believe I just said that, I really can't, maybe Xander and Mara are rubbing off on me too much, I just----"

Kasen put a finger to her lips as she moved in closer to dance. Willow slowly let herself work to the beat and try to match Kasen's moves. The former Imperial was obviously experienced and Willow had to admit her body looked nice as it moved and gyrated. Before she knew it, Willow was starting to get into the feel, the heat of the club and the noise of the music pushing her in. She heard a laugh and realized it was from her, the first time she'd laughed like that in a long time.

Kasen smiled as she came in close. "You look amazing tonight," she whispered. She paused and then leaned in, her lips touching Willow's. The redhead froze in place, her mind, for the first time she could recall, an utter blank. Then her eyes closed as she slowly responded to the kiss, her arms reaching around to embrace Kasen.

They remained that way for several moments before Willow's clarity returned and she realized what she was doing. She pulled away, touching her lips and staring at Kasen. "I…um…" She turned and bolted toward the nearest door, leaving behind a pilot who was starting to realize she may have made a huge mistake.

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Piett was starting to realize that high command of a fleet was not a goal any sane officer would want. Managing the Executor was hard enough but keeping together a fleet of Destroyers searching through an asteroid field for one lone ship was enough to make him wish he was a drinker. Now, he had even more on his plate to handle.

As he entered the bridge, he saw the motley group assembled at the far end and tensed. He leaned in toward a lieutenant. "These are hired killers who hold no loyalties but to themselves. I want them watched at all times."

As the lieutenant nodded and moved off, Angelus came behind Piett to study the newcomers. "Interesting bunch."

"Bounty hunters," Piett sniffed disdainfully. "We don't need that scum."

"I actually agree with that," Angelus said. "We've got a whole fleet not to mention me. I don't see why he needs to outsource."

Piett threw him a look, surprised they were actually agreeing. Shrugging, he turned back to study the group before him. At the far end was a tall and thin droid that seemed to resemble a vaporator machine with legs that went by the code name of IG-88. Next to him was another droid, this one shorter and squatter with an insect-shaped head named 4-Lom. Beside him was a squat insect like alien in robes called Zuckuss. By the way he and 4-Lom stood together, Piett guessed the reports of the two now being partners were true.

A heavily-built human in a dark grey battlesuit with a complicated backpack was next to them. His head was heavily bandaged, the little of his face showing marked with scars of gladiator battles long past. Dengar, Piett recalled his name being. Next to him was Bosskk, a lizard dressed in a yellow suit, his clawed feet perched over the edge of the control bay. From what Piett had heard, Bossk had a personal grudge against Han Solo and Chewbacca which made his entry in the group a natural.

But the figure that drew the attention of everyone was standing to one side. He held a blaster in his hands which fit in with his blue-grey armor that covered him from head to toe. A helmet dominated by a large visor with a scope on one side allowed him a clear view of everyone. On his back was a large rocket pack and his armor was marked with what looked to be a braid made up of various hairs.

There were many stories around the galaxy of Boba Fett, all supposedly the true tale. Some said he was the last of the Mandalorians, that once-great clan of warriors who had terrorized the galaxy before being destroyed by the Jedi. A popular rumor was that he was a descendant of Canderous Ordo, one of the most famous of all Mandalorians. The more fanciful claimed he was Ordo, still alive after four thousand years. Others said he had been a stormtrooper drummed out of the corps who had found the armor and used it to start a bounty hunting career. Another tale was that there were actually a number of men who took turns using the armor, often doing jobs at other ends of the galaxy to gain more money and notoriety. No one was quite sure and some believed that Fett himself had started the various rumors in order to add to his mystique and thus his price.

Piett believed that the simplest story was the truth: Boba was the son of Jango Fett, a noted bounty hunter who'd perished in battle with the Jedi at the start of the Clone Wars. Of course, Piett had also heard the story that Boba was actually a clone of Jango raised to be his son but wasn't quite sure whether to believe that. Regardless of his origins, no one could argue with Fett's record. His list of captures was greater than the rest of the hunter combined, with very few of them alive.

He brushed aside those questions as he turned to check the status of the other ships in the fleet. Angelus watched the hunters carefully, each one returning his gaze without fear. Each appeared to be a professional and a killer and were more than ready to accept the challenge the vampire could bring. Angelus realized he could get to like them.

Vader was pacing before them, speaking out. "Hear me, all of you. There is a substantial reward for whoever finds the Millennium Falcon and its passengers. This on top of the reward Jabba the Hutt is offering for Solo. You are free to use any methods you choose but I want those passengers alive." He stopped before Fett, pointing a finger in his helmeted face. "I will tolerate no disintegrations, is that clear?"

"As you wish," Fett said, showing no intimidation to Vader at all. At a curt nod from the Dark Lord, the hunters began to file out, each already thinking of plans on how to spend the money.

"It's been my experience," Angelus stated as Vader approached him. "That outsourcing for something like this doesn't really end well."

"I will use my own methods," Vader stated. "They will do their job for both the money and because they know what will happen if they fail me."

Angelus faced him. "That gets us Solo but what Skywalker and the Slayer?" He paused. "Damn, I'm gaining a gift for alliteration."

"Once we have their friends, we will have the leverage to get the Jedi to us," Vader said.

As if on cue, Piett hurried up. "My Lord, we have a message from the Avenger. We have them!"

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Yes, I know you expected the Buffy/Faith talk but decided to hold off on that for next chapter. Keep all the great comments coming, hope to have more after my holiday weekend off.