Day 15 of the New Galactic Empire
Corellia
An industrial workhorse of the galaxy and it showed.
They dropped out of hyperspace behind Gus Talon! Hiding behind the moon, while Maze completed scans. Not that he needed to, the Star destroyers orbiting Corellia told them what they were up against.
Maze leaned back from the scanner and took a deep breath.
"There's multiple battalions down there. And anybody's guess how many ARC 170s they have on board. This isn't a pit stop for them."
Essie covered up a sleeping Del with a blanket, as he finally succumbed to his tiredness. She smoothed his hair away from his forehead. Bracca had frightened them both.
"I suppose it was a long shot." He admitted, feeling he was talking to himself.
They weren't safe yet; he had to do better. Be better.
"Saleucami, Felucia, Ryloth, Christophsis. All occupied by the Republic by the time of Order 66'. They have significant numbers of stormtroopers stationed there, including the new intake." Maze listed their problems, "and they are an unknown quantity."
Zey looked at him, they had never discussed where the new clones came from but they were part of Palpatine's plan all the time. "Ord Mantell?" He suggested.
"I'd rather not, full of Bounty Hunters and mercenaries. We will already have warrants out. Me, you and Essie."
He looked over to her, she was fussing with Del and ignoring him. He preferred her anger; he could deal with that.
"Qiilura, full of Geurlanins." Maze continued, looking at Zey.
"Palpatine wouldn't be popular there." Zey commented, "but then neither would we."
Something happened to them there, before I knew them, thought Essie, still listening to their conversation.
Essie finally looked up at him, "Ansion?" She suggested. Any planet she could think of that was away from Coruscant, although she didn't have their experience of travelling the galaxy.
"It's an option. Not as industrialised, as many. We could disappear." Zey suggested.
"Yes, we need somewhere off the grid, Ex Separatist." Maze thought out loud. "Ansion's rural, although there is some Hutt influence."
Maze pointed to the hologrid that popped up from the cockpit.
"Jelucan! Outer rim. Sided with the CIS but no Clone War battles there. Off the Hydian Way. It's cold but the main city is going to have somewhere where we can repair the ship and take stock. Somewhere safer."
He looked at Del who lay there fast asleep. Then at his two companions. Logic said he should be alone. He could blend in, disappear and move quickly when needed but he couldn't leave them. They needed him.
Zey nodded, as did Essie.
He rubbed his hand down his face, trying not to let the tiredness get to him. He may be out of practice but this was what he had been bred for.
"Get us out of here. Set the navcom, then get some sleep." Advised Zey. Maze was on the way to collapsing, if he didn't get some rest. "I can keep an eye on it."
Essie felt guilty, she had done little to help; Maze was taking all this on board. He walked past her to one of the crew bunks. She went to the galley, to pull something out for him, checking the rations while she was there; they would need to stock up soon. They had only been able to stock up on so many ration packs and Maze had to keep up his calorie intake. Jab had once explained to her about the rapid ageing and the clones' need for extra calories, especially if they were out in the field. They could fight for prolonged periods without rations but at some point they would just drop.
Angry as she was, logic told her they needed him. He had the expertise to get them away.
The nanowave pinged, disturbing her thoughts.
Balancing the meal and drink, she opened the door; Maze was flat on his back and looked as if he had fallen asleep, as soon as he hit the bunk. He always said he could sleep anywhere. She looked at him, sleeping there. She wanted to thank him again for rescuing Del but instead she covered him with the thin blanket, left the food at his side and closed the door behind her quietly.
Zey was in the cockpit studying the controls.
"He's asleep. Everything okay?" She asked.
"Yes. Fine, not sure how long it will take but it's fine?"
"I've left him something to drink and eat for when he wakes up."
"Good. Although the clones were bred to withstand battle conditions including reduced rations. He has been taking the brunt on this. He won't have to any longer. I can help now."
"You still don't look well."
"None of us look our best and I can draw on the Force to sustain me." He turned to her, "I know you were angry when we left your parents behind but Maze had to make a split second decision to get us out."
She nodded, the anger was dissipating; it came in waves now. Interspersed with grief.
"If I could have taken their place. I would have." He said.
She didn't know how to respond.
He put his hand on hers. "Talk to Maze."
Essie understood what he was saying but thought he was being optimistic about being able to help; she tried not to be so angry, to help them all.
"Now get some rest, yourself." he ordered.
She slid onto one of the seats and pulled a blanket over her.
"On one of the bunks." He grumbled at her.
She reluctantly headed to one of the other berths, next to the one where Del was asleep. He looked so peaceful; she bent over and gently kissed his forehead, anxiety pulling at her as to how close she was to losing him, then climbed into the next bunk and pulled the blanket over her.
.
Maze woke, he checked his chrono. Five hours. He had not meant to sleep that long; he pulled the thin blanket back.
"Must've been really tired, don't remember getting that."
He saw the food and drink next to him. It was cold but it took him less than a minute to eat it. It barely touched the sides of his throat.
He scrubbed his face with recycled water. The ship had sonic showers but he didn't really have time for that, not after five hours. He headed to the cockpit. Seeing Essie and Del asleep in the other berths. He let himself have a small smile, remembering.
Zey sat there, gazing out. "Good rest?"
"Yes. I needed it. Thanks for the food and water."
"Not me. Essie. She still cares about you, and you her. So you ought to talk."
Maze grunted his reply.
.
Several days later…..
They dropped out of hyperspace again.
"Hyperdrive's overheating." Maze declared, "again."
Another planet, thought Essie, apart from Bracca, they were all beginning to merge into one.
"The jumps are getting smaller. We have to replace that part soon. It's not going to get us to Jelucan, it could drop us anywhere."
"Anywhere?" She asked, worried.
"I'm afraid so." Zey answered. "The one from Bracca is as bad as the original. Jelucan is a jump too far, at the moment."
"At this rate, it will take us weeks to get there and all the time we're at risk of being picked up by the Empire." Maze added.
She knew he was being his blunt self but it did nothing to alleviate her anxiety.
"Kashyyk's out of the question, too much Imperial activity there."
They went through every planet near to them.
The latest Intel on Pantora, confirmed it was in the midst of an occupation by the Imperials. They only lasted hours there to replenish their water, fuel and some rations and could not return.
Many of the other planets they considered were in a similar position; the only other sectors were Hutt space or wild space. They could head there once they replaced the part but Essie hoped it didn't come to that. Although Maze had said there were any number of planets we could settle on, it depended on what they wanted and where the Empire was.
Essie wanted Del to grow up as safe as possible.
"Raxus secundus." Maze announced, after looking at the galaxy holomap again and listening to chatter on the holonet. There was still some Holonet activity that had not been closed down by the Empire.
The Empire was spreading outwards, as he said they would but Raxus was one planet they could jump to from here, with reasonable safety.
"It's a sep…..was a separatist planet." Essie said, hesitantly, feeling helpless.
"Unlikely to have Jedi or clones here. Palpatine will need to secure his Empire and build bases in the Core first. That will be the core worlds first, Alderaan, Naboo, Chandrila. Although he was unlikely to invade them, given their status then he'll move outward." Maze explained.
Thank goodness it wasn't Jabiim, thought Essie.
"We should be able to get the replacement part here."
"Then we go to the Outer Rim?" She asked him.
He nodded.
"My aunt….." she was still holding onto the hope she had survived.
"She's dead Essie. Your Aunt is dead. I felt her die. I'm sorry." Zey interrupted. "She may have been in the Outer Rim but no longer."
He looked even more deflated.
Essie clamped her mouth shut. She had said enough already about not going back for Nat and Sol, and that anger was still there, gnawing away at her, in her quiet moments. She felt they were still alive.
She glared at the back of Maze's head. They needed to find somewhere safe for Del, her son came first. Always.
Maze turned and looked at her; she turned away, not seeing the pained look on his face.
Maze turned to look at Zey; his eyes were closed again doing that force healing he'd heard about. He had never thought of the General in that way. He had always seemed so practical. A soldier's General and he had thought he was recovering; this was taking longer than he anticipated. He kept saying there was something different with the Force.
Perhaps that was a good thing.
Maze checked his com. They hadn't been hailed yet. He expected it any minute. He had to keep on his toes.
"Raxus ATC. State your designation and business."
Essie tensed; they would know immediately if there was a problem.
Maze gave the transponder code designated to their craft. He could always change it later, they had transponder code generator. He liked some of the additions that Duq had made.
"Business?" The voice asked again.
He thought for a few seconds.
"Please state your business."
"We are seeking refuge from the war."
The com went silent then static.
He looked at Essie; she still wasn't looking at him. He had messed up there and they neededto sort it out. But that could come later, when they were safe; they were all alive so far and it was his job to keep them so.
"Permission to land granted. Please head to the coordinates I am sending you. Welcome to Raxus Secundus—and good luck."
Essie relaxed a little on hearing it.
Maze breathed out.
How long they could stay here was another matter. He fed the coordinates into the navcom and brought the ship round to land. Descending, they headed to the coordinates, coming to land in the outskirts of the capital city. He wondered if there were any droids still left functioning around here; he couldn't see any on the ground. From what he had picked up on the little bit of coms chatter he could access, they had all been closed down.
Essie gazed out of the window catching sight of a green and gold landscape. She held onto Del, he was still recovering from what happened on Bracca. It had shaken him up. He was very subdued.
Maze swung the ship around to hit the coordinates they had been sent; there were many buildings in a built up area, he slowly entered the hangar bringing the ship to a halt at the designated docking area.
"Fifty credits a night docking fee!" Another voice came over the com.
Essie checked the bag. They were fine, so far.
Maze looked around at her. She nodded. He hadn't had that much experience of credits, other than the little he spent on Coruscant and he was relying on her to look after that part.
"We're fine so far but we'll need to find work soon, if we stay here any length of time." She added, "or somewhere cheaper to dock."
He nodded.
.
Day 20 of the New Galactic Empire
Essie checked the credits again, they had been here a few days and were going to be fine unless something drastic happened. They needed to stock up again.
The part had been ordered and was due today.
"I'm going into the centre again to see what I can find out about the current state of the Empire and pick up that part." Maze said.
Zey nodded, "I'll come with you, see what I can sense."
Essie frowned.
"You okay?" Maze asked.
"Yes. I'm going to have a look around to see what there is here. Stock up on rations. Here's your credits."
She dropped the credits into his hand. He couldn't argue with that.
"Be careful. We'll meet back by 16:00." He automatically moved towards her, then stopped himself.
She nodded. He looked as if he was going to embrace her but she moved quickly away from him.
Del slipped his hand into hers.
"Can I go with Maze and the General?" He asked. It was the first time he had wanted to be apart from her since Bracca.
Essie looked at the two men, but on seeing the expression on their faces.
"Not this time. Another time."
She checked her com and it was working.
"See you later." She said as they walked out of the ship heading towards what looked like the shopping district and sounding to an outsider that all was fine.
.
They walked slowly, her eyes flicking from side to side; she was hyper vigilant despite it looking so normal with people going about their business as if nothing had happened. As if the Empire had not happened.
It was an outdoor market.
She wandered in.
"Hey love. Do you need some fruit and veg. It's all fresh and locally grown." A wizened old woman dressed in the local clothes shouted to her.
Essie wandered over to her stall.
"I'm new here. What is this place?" She waved her hand around.
"It's the Farmers Market, we bring our produce here to sell. Here, try this!" She sliced a small red fruit open and gave them half each."
Del looked at his piece, confused.
Essie examined it, bright red skin covered white flesh. She smelled it; it smelt sweet. She licked it. Acidic, with a hint of sweetness almost perfumed. She bit into it and it was crisp and juicy. The juice ran down her chin. It was delicious, better than anything she had tasted at home.
She nodded at Del, he tried his and eyes went wide, he smiled and then crunched away.
"Can we have some?" Asked Essie. "How much?"
Essie handed over the credits and looked around the other stalls. There was a good selection of fruit, veg and meats, even some clothes. She could make something with all this food. The galley was well equipped. It would be better than ration packs with their indeterminate sludge and innumerable preservatives.
By the time she finished she had two full bags but still wanted to walk along the road and see what other shops there were.
They wandered slowly along the road; it was populated by a number of small shops and then at the end she saw it.
A Book shop.
She was drawn to it.
Del skipped next to her, yet another fruit in his hand,
They stopped outside and looked in through the large windows; for a second it reminded her of the Oola, only full of books. She was suddenly nostalgic for the Library, years ago and light years away from the war. There was a hand painted sign hanging inside the door - 'closed.' She stared for a little longer, it looked a mess inside but a fascinating one. Books everywhere, in piles, on shelves, on tables. There were big comfortable chairs as well, with books on them. She hovered, not wanting to leave the sight.
"I'll be open in a minute if you can wait." An accented voice said in basic.
She turned to face a Devaronian; taking a step back when she saw him. Pointed ears and horns didn't immediately make humans feel at home with this race. They were known to be strong and fierce fighters.
She took several breaths, as Del hid behind her legs, before she replied.
"Yes. That's fine."
He struggled with the keys and she could see his hands appeared deformed, "I won't take a minute. Is there anything in particular that you're looking for?"
"Not really. Not seen any flimzi books in a while."
"Well, we've got a bit of everything and some holobooks, of course."
He pushed the door open. "They're not in any order, I'm afraid. That was my partner's job and he's no longer here. Just have a look around and pick up what you need."
Essie looked around for any indication of what subjects were on what shelves but there was no shelf titles.
"It's a mess, I know, just help yourself."
She couldn't sense any malice from him, just confusion and sorrow. She tentatively walked inside, holding Del's hand.
"Let me!" He took the bags from her and put them to one side, "just while you look around.
Del watched the devaronian carefully. He had never seen one before.
"Come on, let's look for a book for you." Essie said, distracting him.
They found some children's books but they were in the middle of a shelf with non fiction mechanical engineering text books and on the same shelf was a few historical fiction. She recognised the authors. She automatically moved them to another shelf as there were more on that one and then found two cookery books in the middle of that shelf. She looked around for the cookery section; there didn't appear to be one.
There was no way this was following any logical storage or even the Galactic Library Classification System, she was used to using.
"Ralossirc Vihrk. At your service." The devaronian came up behind her; she jumped in surprise.
"Sorry." He apologised, "I didn't mean to startle you."
"I've moved some books. They were out of order."
"Ah yes. My partner was the bibliophile."
"Are they coming back soon?"
"No. Never."
The sorrow hit her again.
"I'm sorry. I didn't realise." The partner was dead. "If it's okay, I'll sort through some of the shelves for you." prompted by a mixture of wanting to help him and being irritated by the lack of order.
"It would be most helpful if you could do that. Would you like a Caf?"
"Please." She replied, eyeing up the shelf nearest. She pulled out the books and put them on piles on the floor. Del sat on an over large chair engrossed in a book about animals.
.
Two hours and four cafs later, she looked at her chrono. It was past 16:00 and she had missed messages on her com.
"Another caf?" He asked.
"I'm sorry, we have to go."
"Oh you've made great progress. Would you….this is very forward of me but would do the whole of the shop? I will pay you." Ralossic asked.
Essie didn't even think.
"I can start tomorrow."
.
They were late and Essie had not answered his messages. Maze paced outside the ship, contemplating going to search for them; then he saw them, hurrying around the corner.
"Where the bloody hell have you been?" He demanded as they approached.
Essie swung the bags around, nearly hitting him, "Getting some food for you."
Del watched them, eyes flicking from one to the other.
"And getting a job so we don't keep digging into the credits we have. They aren't bottomless." She added, pushing past him, dragging Del with her and storming up the ramp.
Maze pinched his nose.
He was worried about them.
"Job? What do you mean by job?" He shouted after her, following her inside.
Essie was already putting the food in the small conservator in the little galley when Maze reached her.
"I asked you a question."
"I found a job in a bookshop. If we're staying here we need credits to pay for everything."
He couldn't argue with anything she said; if he was undercover it's what he would do.
"Where is it? I'll check it out!"
"Fine. It's three shops down from the Farmers Market."