Chapter 8

Dark Spaces, Dark Places

Leia, Winter, and Biggs found themselves blasting out their first breath of air in a series of horrified coughs. Leia and Winter, who were particularly used to the fresh mountain air of Alderaan, found themselves nearly retching at the putrid scent that surrounded them on the Smuggler's Moon. Boba Fett merely strolled right past them, the filters in his helmet giving him protection against the stench.

"Welcome to Nar Shaddaa," he said. "The only place worse smelling in the galaxy would be its next door neighbor, Nal Hutta."

"You might have warned us before we took in the stench," Winter said.

"If I had my way we wouldn't be here at all," Fett said. "But if you're going to insist on stupid moves like coming to Nar Shaddaa then I'll let you reap the rewards you've earned."

Leia rolled her eyes and forced another breath through her nose. The smell became no less bearable but it was preferable to breathing through her mouth and she wasn't going to give Fett the satisfaction of seeing her gag any longer. Coming here was her call and she was going to own it.

"What a dreadful place," C3P0 muttered as he walked out onto the docking bay.

Sometimes such pronouncements from the droid came off as his foppish hyperbole, but in this particular case, Leia completely agreed with the fussy droid. Nar Shaddaa was dreadful. She looked over the cityscape and almost felt like she viewed Coruscant through a warped and cracked mirror.

Tall city spires rose up to touch the sky but they did so through a layer of smog and pollution. Grand walkways stretched from building to building but cracks and crumbling coatings of ferrocrete threatening anyone that ventured on or below them. She wasn't even entirely comfortable leaving the ship on the platform they landed on, fearing it might break away while they searched the city.

"So I hate to be the one that says it," Biggs said as he joined Leia in looking over the city. "But where are we going to start?"

Leia looked around a minute, knowing all too well that now that they were on Nar Shaddaa, everyone looked to her for their next step. Had she left it up to the others, at this point they would likely almost be to Alderaan. So, as she had done her entire life, she decided to press forward and find a way to do what she needed to.

"Systech," Leia said. "That's the key to all of this. If we can find any remnant of Systech then we can find who took Kenobi."

"But Mistress Leia," C3P0 said. "Systech hasn't existed for nearly four thousand years!"

"Not to mention the other part of your Systech riddle," Biggs said. "Is the Sith. Last time I checked the number two man in the Empire was Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith."

"I'm not saying that the answers will be easy to find or learn," Leia said. "But we have to start somewhere."

They all stared at her for a moment and a twinge of nervousness prickled at the back of her spine. She knew Biggs and Winter wouldn't abandon her out of duty and Fett wouldn't out of greed. But seeing them now, so unsure as to the path she had chosen, forced doubt into her mind.

This was a puzzle nearly twenty years old that had ties to dark forces that might have been around for millennia. And here she was saying that the four of them could tackle it and drive it out into the light, all just to find one man she wasn't even sure still lived.

"I know someone we can talk to," Boba Fett finally broke the silence. "Been on Nar Shaddaa for a long time and know about its lore."

Leia cocked her head to the side and narrowed her eyes on the bounty hunter. She'd always known that if anyone could track down Kenobi it would be him, she just never expected him to offer his services. And though she couldn't see his face behind the helmet they found in Kenobi's place, he certainly could see hers.

"Don't give me that look," he said. "Whether I like it or not, we're here. The sooner I can get you to give up this ridiculous quest of yours the sooner I get you home and get paid. Now come on. Keep close. You may be wearing tattered Jedi robes but your face will look shiny to anyone of the predators that stalk these streets."

Fett turned and lead the way out of the docking platform, leaving Leia, Biggs, and Winter to all exchange curious glances at each other.

"You want me to keep a blaster trained on him at all times?" Winter said.

"He'd know it if you were," Leia said. "Just be ready for a shoot out without any notice. We need him, that doesn't mean we have to trust him."

"Well you can forget about those slow moving slugs, I told you we'd lose them," Han said as he came into the main hold. To his great surprise he saw Jade sitting across from Chewie playing dejarick while Skywalker stood in the middle of the room swinging a lightsaber around at a remote. Not quite something he'd expect from a couple on a joyride.

Of course he knew they were anything but a couple off to vacation on Coruscant so maybe this shouldn't have surprised him.

"Don't everyone thank me at once," he muttered and sat at a nearby console.

"No," Jade looked up from the dejarick board. "You're swinging at where the remote is. A Force user can sense where it will be. You should feel it flowing through you."

"You mean it controls your actions?" Skywalker said.

"No, that was a Jedi belief," Jade said. "The Force is yours to use, to obey your commands. True, it can give you some foresight but you are its master."

The Force? Han shook his head. So these two weren't just trying out ancient fighting techniques, they were trying to resurrect crazy hocus pocus too. He'd consider them loons if it weren't for the fact that the redhead screamed imperial agent with her every move.

Han watched as Skywalker tried to stop the remote but got a blast to the leg for his efforts. He didn't even bother trying to restrain his laugh as the kid winced at the jolt. He'd barely seen anything of the kid, but as much as the girl screamed trouble with a capital 'T', he shouted out naiveté with his every move. Especially with the way he cast love sick eyes at her.

"Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side kid," Han said, hoping to feed the boy a little sense.

Skywalker deactivated the crimson lightsaber and looked to Han. "You don't believe in the Force?"

"Look kid," Han shrugged. "I've flown from one side of the galaxy to the other, seen a lot of strange stuff but I never seen anything to make me believe there's one all powerful Force controlling everything. There's no mystical energy field that controls my destiny. It's all a bunch of simple tricks and nonsense."

"Tricks and nonsense he says," Jade said as she got up from her game. Chewie howled but she just glanced over her shoulder at him. "Oh stop you're screaming, you'd already beaten me anyway, there was no sense in continuing the game."

"By the way," Han said as she approached Skywalker. "Been meaning to ask, you don't look so good. You don't get space sick do you?"

"There was a… disturbance a few minutes ago," Jade said. "But it doesn't matter. As for you Luke, I think that you should try it again, and that we should up the stakes."

"What do you mean?" Skywalker said.

"Well first of all," Jade said as she grabbed a helmet from off to the side and placed it on Skywalker's head. "You need to trust your instincts. Secondly…"

Jade reached over and took the remote from where it hovered. Quietly she entered in a few settings then tossed into the air. Han narrowed his eyes as he watched. What was she playing at?

"I've programmed the remote to help motivate you," she said.

"But with the blast shield down I can't even see," Skywalker said. "How am I supposed to fight?"

"Let go of your conscious self and act on instinct," Jade said matter-of-factly, as if the kid should have already figured that out.

"Alright…" Skywalker said as he ignited the lightsaber.

Han sat back and watched as the remote darted around. Skywalker, to his credit, followed the noise but he was completely blind and the when the remote swerved right in front of him and decided to shoot, the blast went right past his defenses.

For the first half second, Han was ready to laugh again and offer a well deserved 'I told you so'. But when the blast hit Skywalker, he dropped the lightsaber and pressed a hand against the blast, cringing in pain. Unconsciously, Han sat up in his seat.

"What the hell did you do to that thing?"

"Y… yeah," Skywalker said through clenched teeth.

"I turned the power up," Jade said as she handed the lightsaber back to him. "And it's set to increase every time you miss."

"How… how far is it going to go?" Skywalker said, pulling the blast shield up.

Jade responded by sliding the shield back down. "You're practicing deflecting blaster bolts Luke. Now try again."

By this point Han caught Chewie giving him that look. The one that he usually got when the Wookiee thought they should be stepping in and helping people instead of minding their own business. Still, Han remained where he was and watched.

Skywalker lit up the lightsaber again. To his credit, he followed the remote with his blade almost as well as if he was looking right at the thing. For a moment, Han actually fooled himself into thinking that the kid could actually do it. Then the blast came and knocked him off his feet.

Han frowned as the kid lay there cradling his side. The helmet sat just a couple feet away, thrown off his head, leaving a clear view of the pain written on his face. Jade stood over him looking disappointed but otherwise unfazed. Chewie grunted as Jade helped Skywalker back to his feet.

"You're still over complicating it," she said. "You have to try and feel where it is, not just think about where it's going."

"Right now all I can feel is sore," Skywalker muttered. "Are you sure this is really necessary?"

"You're the one that wants to learn this stuff," Jade shrugged. "We can stop any time you like. But I can't have you fighting alongside me if you can't keep up."

He locked eyes with her for a moment and deep down, Han hoped that the kid had some sense. But in the end, Skywalker grabbed the helmet and clapped it back on. Jade held the remote in her hands, waiting for him to get ready.

"It's really important that you stop it this time Luke," She said. "This next blast is going to have the same punch as a low powered blaster."

"Now hold on," Han said. "This isn't some medical frigate, if your boyfriend gets hurt I have a bunk and a couple of bacta strips to help him, nothing else."

"I'm not so sure about this Mara," Skywalker said.

"He won't get hurt," Jade said looking to Han then she neared Skywalker. "Will you Luke?"

Chewie barked his own complaints at the situation causing Jade to slide up right alongside of Skywalker, by now his hands shook as he tried to hold the lightsaber steady to block the next shot. Her hand covered his and the shaking stopped and he took a deep breath.

"Okay," he said. "Okay, I'm ready."

Jade didn't respond, she just stepped away and tossed the remote in the air, all the while watching Skywalker with fascination but no external signs of concern. Han tightened his lips, it wasn't his place to do or say anything. He just needed to get them to Coruscant and get his money. He didn't have the luxury of worrying about how an Imperial Agent was manipulating a dumb kid.

He was just going to have to watch as the kid took the abuse.

The remote fired and Han stood up when the kid missed the blast and it sliced right through the cloth on his leg. Two more blasts shot out and Han actually went for his blaster to blow the little remote out of the air. But he didn't need to. Miraculously, the kid blocked the shots beautifully, followed by one more.

Smiling, Jade called the remote to her and pulled Skywalker's helmet off.

"You see!" she patted him on the shoulder. "You can do it, or would you like to think of it as luck Captain Solo?"

"I think it's crazy," Han said as Chewie grunted his agreement. "And if you have any bacta patches of your own I suggest you use them, you're boyfriend is staining those white pants of his."

Jade glanced down at Skywalker's leg where a red patch slowly expanded where he'd taken that final shot. Jade motioned for him to follow her and Han sighed and started going for where he knew the medkit was kept when the floor around them lurched and the ship was plunged into darkness.

With every step they took, her hand edged closer to her blaster. She even considered leaving it unclipped from her holster; but she couldn't exclude the possibility that they would turn a corner and some thug might try and swipe it. So Winter kept herself ready at all times to draw her blaster at the blink of an eye.

She had to, especially given the fact that nearly an hour earlier they left the 'respectable' part of Nar Shaddaa and descended into the lower levels. A place that made Mos Eisely look like a vacation spa and where blood was almost worth as much as Imperial credits. And that wasn't even what really had her worried.

No, what really had her worried was the fact that they were being led down there by one of the galaxy's most notorious bounty hunters. She reasoned that the Empire hadn't yet put a bounty on Leia as they either thought she was dead, or wanted to keep news of her continued existence a secret; either way, Winter couldn't dismiss the possibility that they were walking into a trap.

The other thing that bothered her, and she hated that it kept assaulting her mind like a pesky zess-fly. But every time she glanced back at Biggs she noticed how quiet he'd grown since leaving the docking platform. She found that over the last few days that she'd grown accustomed to his occasionally witty banter. Yet he hadn't said much during their trip to Nar Shaddaa.

She knew she had better things to worry about but it nagged her nonetheless.

"Explain to me again what we're doing down here?" Leia said, standing right behind Fett.

"Got a contact," Fett said. "May know how to find Systech."

"And you couldn't have him meet us topside?" Winter said.

"No."

Leia glanced back at Winter and rolled her eyes.

"Any idea on how much longer it will take?" Leia said. "I'd rather not be down here at night."

"Oh heavens!" C3P0 moaned. "I hadn't even considered that! Mistress Leia, perhaps I should return to the ship! From there I should be able to make contact with your father or sound the alarm should-"

"You stay with us," Fett said. "We might need that electronic brain of yours for more translation."

The droid muttered a few 'oh dears' but continued to shuffle dutifully behind them. But Winter's eyes quickly left him as she noticed… shadows… no, not shadows… people… creeping near every time they passed an alley way or walked by a dark alcove. Whenever she looked directly at them however, they slunk back into the actual shadows.

"Are we being followed?" She said just quiet enough that Fett could hear her but hopefully not their new tails.

"Yes," Fett said.

"Okay. By who?"

"Underdwellers," Fett said.

"Could you please give more than a one word answer?" Leia said. "What are underdwellers?"

"Beggars, thieves, vagabonds, war orphans," Fett said. "The kind of people that your kind never see in your palaces. Nar Shaddaa's lower levels are a dumping ground for the Galaxy's undesirables."

"That's horrendous," Leia said. "But of course the Empire would simply cast off those it could not exploit."

"The underdwellers gathered here long before the Empire," Fett said. "They were here when your vaunted Old Republic was still young. They'll be here long after the Empire too."

"You sound like you have personal history with them," Biggs finally broke his silence.

Fett paused and even glance back, for a moment it even looked like he would respond to Biggs, but in the end he just put his back to them and continued walking. Winter caught Biggs eyes and shrugged before slower her steps just enough to walk alongside him.

"I'm sorry about your friend," Winter said. "I know it's cold comfort, but the assassin didn't kill him which means she likely won't. Maybe someday you'll be able to find him again."

"And he'll put a blaster bolt through my head for my effort," Biggs said. "I saw the look on his face. He somehow felt betrayed, for some reason that assassin has got him all twisted up."

"You think he'll join the Empire?"

"Ordinarily I'd say no," Biggs said. "But with his aunt and uncle gone, and him tagging along with that assassin, I really don't know what he'll do."

"Well I for one hope that-"

"We're here," Fett said, stopping them in front of what looked like a burnt out hotel.

"And where's here?" Leia said.

"My contact," Fett said then looked over his shoulder. "Conceal your lightsaber, do not breathe a word about Kenobi and let me do the talking."

"Who is this contact?" Leia said.

"Someone that you don't want to get on the wrong side of," Fett said and led them into the hotel.

The inside couldn't have looked any different from the outside. Instead of a burnt out lobby, they walked into what appeared to be a very happening nightclub. Patrons of all races sat at the bar, crowded around droid cage fights, or huddled at private booths. Winter wrinkled her nose at the sight of twi'lek dancers standing above them of hover platforms. Somehow she found herself preferring the dingy cantina she met Biggs in.

Fett led them to a large circular booth. A droid waitress rolled by and asked them for drink and Fett ordered them all a shot of juma. Winter tried to protest but he insisted they have a drink for appearances. Winter could only sigh as she exchanged looks with Leia. This got worse and worse as they went. Until they could be certain of the Princess's safety they needed to avoid shady dives like this.

A figure stepped into Winter's field of vision and at first she thought it was the droid with their drinks, but then the barrel of a blaster grazed the side of her head. Leia and Biggs went for their weapons but Fett remained completely still.

"Hmmm it is you," a dark, feminine voice said. "I don't recognize the outfit but you didn't flinch when I held my blaster to this girl's head… Hello Boba."

The blaster disappeared and Winter glared up at the newcomer. Her pale, almost translucent skin shimmered in the flashing lights of the nightclub. The effect showed even more as it reflected off her completely bald head save for the top knot. The woman holstered her blaster and took a seat next to Winter, cupping her chin in her long, slender fingers.

"So tell me Boba," she reached across the table and removed Fett's helmet. "What can Aurra Sing do for you today?"

For a few moments the darkness that filled the cabin was only interrupted by bickering shouts and the bellowing of a wookiee over everyone. Then, crimson light stabbed out, filling a small area with the face of Luke Skywalker; still holding Jade's lightsaber. She sighed and walked over to him.

"I'm seriously considering docking your pay Captain Solo," Jade said, staring his direction. "You said your ship did the Kessel run in record time? Did you do that in the dark too?"

"Don't get mouthy girl," Han said. "I never claimed this was a luxury liner, but I did promise I'd get you to Coruscant. And for the record, this isn't normal."

"What do you mean?" Jade grabbed the lightsaber from Luke.

"I mean the Falcon has never lost power midway through hyperspace, something's wrong."

"Maybe one of the hits we took shorted something out," Skywalker said.

"Not likely," Han said.

Another light pierced the darkness, this one coming from Chewbacca, who had found his way to a storage locker and got some flashlights. The wookiee handed one to Han then tossed another to Luke.

"Do we at least have any power?" Jade said holding her hand up in refusal when the wookiee offered her a light.

"I can hear the ventilators so we still have life support," Han said. "And we dropped out of hyperspace without being thrown around, which means inertial dampeners are on. We're probably running on partial back up right now."

Chewbacca growled something and Han nodded.

"You said it Chewie, this all seems a little too clean."

"Artoo!" Jade said then looked to Luke. "Where's your droid?"

"The droid?" Han said. "You think the droid did this? That's one hell of a loose wire if it did."

"That little R2 unit has been nothing but trouble since we got it," Skywalker muttered. "I have no idea where he is."

"Use the caller," Jade said. "What's the point of using a restraining bolt if you don't use the caller?"

Again the wookiee let out a set of growls and groans, Jade narrowed her eyes when she saw him pull a small device out of his messenger bag. Even in the dark, Han noticed the deep glare she fired Chewie's way.

"What do you mean you removed the restraining bolt!? Chewie you… okay fine…" Han said and the wookiee howled in defense. Han could only shake his head deliver the news. "Chewie here says that the droid was stuck in a corridor lying face down. When he tried to move it, your little droid told him that the restraining bolt was overloading its primary motivators so he took it off."

"Why the hell would you do that!?" Jade said.

Chewie barked at her and Han held up a hand.

"We're on a space ship, where was he supposed to go?" he said. "Besides, we had no idea you had a psychotic little droid along with you, how was he supposed to know it would lose it and sabotage my ship?"

Jade rubbed her eyes. "Fine, fine, we need to find him before he does anymore damage. I'll head to the starboard side of the ship and start there."

"I'll come with you," Luke said.

"No." Jade said. "You'll just get in the way."

"Don't sweat it kid," Han said. "We'll start at port and meet up with her. Chewie will get to work on getting power restored."

"Fine," Jade said and ran off into the darkness.

Han waited a couple of moments before letting out a slow, quiet whistle and looking to Skywalker. "That's some crazy girlfriend you have there kid."

"She's not… she's not my girlfriend," Skywalker said.

"No kidding," Han said then looked to Chewie. "Get to work on the ship. We need power before she starts carving up the place that glowstick of hers."

"She wouldn't do that," Skywalker said.

Han considered just letting the comment go but in spite of himself he kind of liked the kid; even if his naivety bordered on childish and suicidal. After paying another quick glance over his shoulder he nodded for the kid to follow him portside.

"Look kid," he said. "I know she's pretty and all but you have to be blind to not see that's she's trouble. If you want my advice, I'd get away from her as soon as we land on Coruscant."

"But Mara saved my life," Skywalker said.

"Maybe she did," Han shrugged. "Doesn't mean she isn't also playing you. Trust me, you can find plenty of girls at Coruscant, you don't need one that is making you knock away blaster bolts from a remote. No girl's worth that."

"You don't even know her."

"Do you?" Han said. "All I'm saying is that no matter how she looks at you kid, she's not on your side."

"And you are?"

"No," Han shrugged. "I'm on my own side, but the difference between her and me is that I'm up front about it."

"She's… she's the only one I have now," Skywalker said as he looked at the floorplating.

Immediately Han regretted ever bringing it up. He wasn't some sort of counseling droid. Apparently this kid had been through some rough stuff, he needed someone to talk to that actually gave a damn. All Han could do at this point was get his mind off it and hope he came to his senses when they landed.

"Come on kid," he said. "Let's find your astro-droid."

….

"So," Aurra Sing said, her eyes danced over Boba and the assorted misfits with him. Two women, a man and a droid wearing a Jedi cloak. "Boba Fett and his new crew descend to the lower levels of Nar Shaddaa seeking my help. You know my help comes with a price right?"

"I don't need you to track anything for me Aurra," Boba said, knowing all too well how his dealings with the woman typically went. "Just information."

"That has a price too," Aurra leaned back in her booth. "But first you need to tell me what in space you're dressed as."

"Not important," Boba said. "Couldn't wear my armor for a job. Now I'm using what was at hand."

"What was at hand hmmm?" Aurra tapped one of her long fingers against her lips. "And where were you that Jedi armor from the Clone Wars was handy?"

"Not important."

Aurra smiled. She'd known Boba since he was just a kid thirsting after Mace Windu's blood. A kid that didn't know what it took to survive in the Galaxy, much less thrive in his father's trade. That, of course, had changed a long time ago, but she knew two things never changed about Boba Fett. He kept to his own strange moral code no matter what, and he would never trust the Jedi.

"Perhaps it isn't," Aurra said. "But you can't blame me for being curious. This… isn't your style."

"My style is whatever the job is. This is the job. I need information, will you help me or not?"

Aurra's eyes went to his companions the silver haired woman and the mustachioed man were of little consequence, but the dark haired girl… now she was interesting. Just like Boba, she wore the trappings of a Jedi, but unlike him, she wore them like she was meant to have them. The bounty hunter could see no lightsaber on the girl but that didn't mean she didn't have one. Perhaps it was a job, but the fact that it apparently involved Jedi meant it was so much more.

"Tell me what you want," Aurra said.

Boba motioned to Mustache, and the guy pulled a scrap of metal from his pack. Slowly he slipped it across the table, never taking his eyes off her. She just met his gaze and smirked at him, hoping to let the young boy know she could eat him for lunch if she so desired.

"A chunk of metal?" she looked it over. "Maybe you should find a Jawa."

"It came from a droid we're looking for," Boba said. "There's a manufacturers label from a company based here on Nar Shaddaa-"

"And you think that just because I live here I can locate it for you?"

"That is why we're here," the dark haired Jedi wannabe said, and Aurra's eyes went to Boba as he tightened his fists.

"What is this corporation?"

"Systech," Boba said. "We're looking for a company called Systech."

Aurra narrowed her eyes. That was not what she had expected. "There's no such thing."

"This droid plating was manufactured by the Systech corporation!" the girl said. "My protocol droid read it off the plating. He said it was here on Nar Shaddaa"

"Maybe get him a tune up then," Aurra said. "I've dealt with every player in this town and there's no such business as Systech. At least not anymore, I'm sure if you accessed the Imperial Database you could find a record of some company called that. The only thing that I can think of now that it might be is what's spoken in rumors."

"Rumors? What sort of rumors?" the silver haired girl said.

"Nar Shaddaa has many legends, especially in the lower levels. One, says that there is a factory whose location has long been forgotten. They say that it produces droids that come out at night and snatch people up. Some even say they work for the Collector."

"A bedtime story to frighten children?" Mustache said. "That's what you think Systech is?"

"If the Factory ever existed then perhaps this Systech is the company it belonged to," Aurra shrugged.

"And do you think there's even any truth to those rumors?" Jedi Wannabe said.

"There's a sliver of truth to virtually every rumor," Aurra said. "But in this case, I would think it is as your Mustachioed friend said. If anyone is getting snatched off the streets it's by serial killers, kidnappers, and slavers; probably not rogue droids."

"There has to be more," Jedi Wannabe said. "We've come all this way. Do you know anything about a Jedi that may have come here-"

Boba grabbed the girl's arm, his face twisted in anger. Aurra couldn't help but smile at the scene playing out before her. She'd almost never seen Boba this tightly wound up. He always played things close to the vest but rarely this tight.

"Let go of me!" the girl said as she ripped her arm away and looked to Aurra. "We're looking for a Jedi that might have been brought here by a droid nearly two decades ago."

"That's a long time for a scent to go cold," Aurra said. "And if any Jedi came here that long ago, it's doubtful anybody remembers it. Might as well be as much a rumor as the droid factory."

"This was your contact?" the Jedi Wannabe said. "A lot of help she's been!"

"Okay," Boba said through clenched teeth. "Out, all of you go outside and wait for me."

"What?" Mustache said.

"Wait. Out. Side." Boba didn't shout, he didn't draw his weapon, he didn't even look at the guy. He merely stared at Aurra. But his voice dripped with violence and murder. It was the kind of voice that anyone with brains knew to pay attention to. Aurra simply smiled and slipped out of the booth, allowing the others to leave. Once they were gone she scooted back in, this time closer to Boba.

"It's obvious who they are," she said. "The only question is why you're working for the Rebellion now?"

"I have my reasons," Boba said.

"You're trying to find that Jedi of theirs aren't you," Aurra said. "You know it's not Windu. He died."

"I know it's not Windu," Boba met her gaze. "But it might be the next best thing. So I need to know right now Aurra, is there anything you're not telling me?"

"Only that you need to be careful mentioning Jedi and Systech here on the Smuggler's Moon. People that do tend to go missing."

"From the scary droids," Boba said.

"Maybe," she said and took one of the unfinished glasses of juma. "All I can say is that I only ever knew one person that went looking for Systech, they found her in the pits months later; every bone in her body broken."

Boba took the helmet he had worn and pulled it over his head. "Then I'll be on my guard."

"No Boba," Aurra reached across the table and took his hand. "You'll be dead. Think long and hard about whether getting revenge on this Jedi is really worth it."

"It's not just about the Jedi," Boba said as he walked off.

Aurra remained in her seat, sipping the juma and running over the tales of the droid factory in her head, secretly knowing she would likely never see Boba Fett again.

Mara kept her lightsaber doused as she crept through the corridors. Her senses in the Force guided her well enough that she didn't need the light. At least until she could find the blasted little droid. Nearly an hour gone and no sign of it. Unless of course Solo and Luke had stumbled onto it and hadn't told her.

No, Luke would tell her. She knew that much. He had allowed her to practically shoot him just a couple hours earlier. She needn't worry about him suddenly becoming disloyal, and if she did she knew exactly how to encourage him.

In the end all men were the same after all. Even bright eyed innocents from backwater worlds.

Still, Mara knew to be careful about how much she pushed him with her charms. If he got too attached to her, that would make training him difficult for whatever handler's the Emperor assigned to him. She needed to keep him at arm's length, but only just.

Somewhere in the back of her mind she wondered at Luke's ability. Her trainer's methods were every bit as harsh as hers, she had the marks to prove it, but Luke latched onto it like he was born with a lightsaber in his hand. It was impressive and even a little unsettling.

But she couldn't afford to ponder on Luke's ability at the moment. Right now she needed to focus on finding that little droid. A couple of times she thought she had heard the rolling of wheels or even an occasional 'beep' but in both cases it was Solo's pet wookiee trying to get the power restored.

Mara rounded a corner and the Force twitched in the back of her mind. Droids were trickier to sense than organics, not really having a Force signature, but they were detectable. And suddenly she knew she was coming up on the little astro-droid.

Crimson light stabbed out into the darkness and Mara realized just exactly where the droid was and raced to the end of the hallway, stopping just inside the main cargo hold. The little R2 sat there, his main scomp link 'arm' slotted into a computer terminal. Mara narrowed her eyes at the droid. With the power out there was no computer to interface with. So what in blazes what it doing?

"You there," she said. "That's quite the chase you've led me on. But there's nowhere else for you to go now."

The R2 whistled something almost as though mocking her, then Solo's voice fired out from her comlink.

"Chewie's found the problem," Solo said. "Looks like that droid put the main computer into sleep mode."

"You mean he didn't break anything?" Mara said.

"Still not sure about that," Solo said. "I think he may have damaged the hyperdrive, but Chewie says that the computer is programmed to turn back on any second now. Solo out."

"The power will be coming back on…" Mara narrowed her eyes and clipped the comlink back on her belt. The lights above flickered and she took a step toward the droid. Then it hit her, in the same instant it took for the lights to come back on she suddenly realized why the droid just sat in there.

The lights blinked on and the droid hooted and rotated the scomplink. Mara ran for the door she came from but it was too late. The main cargo doors burst open, exposing the pair of them to the vacuum of space.

Air whipped around Mara and threw her off her feet. All the while the droid remained put; magnetically fastened to the floor. Mara flailed her arms about, trying to grasp at anything she might get her hands on. But the droid had planned her murder perfectly. The only thing close to her at the point of depressurization, were cargo cylinders already flying out into space.

Mara clawed at the floor but she tumbled and spun around, seeing the empty blackness of space opening wide to take her. Then, she just stopped. She stopped dead in the middle of the air, just barely still inside the ship. Her hair whipped around her as she turned to see Luke.

The farmboy stood just outside the cargo hold, half his body secure against the threshold, the other dangled in the air. He held his arm out straight and he gritted his teeth, straining to maintain his hold on her with the Force.

Given the couple of seconds she needed to focus, Mara summoned her own power and 'pushed' the Force in front of her, sending her backward, almost reaching Luke's outstretched hand before the vacuum took her again. But then the doors swung back and clamped shut, allowing Mara to drop on her back, panting and wheezing for air.

Luke ran to her, pulling her away from the doors while she heard the R2 unit beeping and whistling frantically. Luke held her tight and Solo's voice came through the comlink again.

"What the hell happened down there?! Chewie just had to do an override on the cargo doors!"

"Artoo…" Luke said. "Artoo just tried to space Mara."

"… is she… did he do it?"

"I got her," Luke said. "I got her."

Mara just glared at the little droid as its scomp arm spun around, no doubt trying to do more damage. She flattened a hand out and the droid flew backwards with a scream, smacking against the doors. It would survive, but Mara vowed to have the thing torn apart the moment the Empire recovered the information it carried inside.

"I got bad news," Solo said. "Hyperdrive is shot, no way to repair it here. We're going to have to get to the nearest system on sublight power."

"Is it far?"

"Not too far," Solo said. "Alderaan is only a few hours away."