Part 11- Hyperspace Confinement
Carth settled into the pilot's chair and numbly regarded the controls in front of him. He blinked a few times but couldn't seem to remember just what it was he needed to do.
"You okay, Onasi?" Ev asked, sitting down in the chair to his right.
"Just tired, I guess," he shrugged and began to move his hands over the controls.
"You look more than a little tired," Ev observed and stared evenly at him. He couldn't stand to return her gaze for more than a second. He looked away mumbling.
"Are you sure you don't need some rest before you pilot this thing out?" Ev asked. She sounded genuinely concerned. "Heck, Bastila had us up at the crack of dawn. It's so late now, the moon is already setting."
"How is it that you look so alert?" Carth asked.
"I know a little Force trick," Ev replied, "Call it a Jedi power-nap, if you will."
"Great," Carth chuckled wearily, "Care to teach me sometime?"
"Get yourself a stronger connection to the Force, and we'll talk," Ev replied with a light laugh herself.
Carth yawned deeply. "Well, let's get this show on the road," he said through second yawn.
"Sir, I know you're the hot-shot pilot and all, but why don't you let me fly this one out?" Ev asked politely.
Carth wanted to argue, but his vision was growing blurry with weariness again. "Fine, she's all yours," he submitted and flicked the switch that transferred primary functions to the copilot.
"Thanks Onasi," Ev said, already beginning to initiate the takeoff sequence. "Just don't you start nodding off on me yet. I'll still need a copilot and someone to get the navacomputer calculations worked out for our trip to Tatooine."
"Tatooine?" Carth asked blearily, "That's our next stop? It's a good three day journey from here."
"Add decoy jumps to Taanab, Duro, and Rodia on the way, and that will make it four," Ev added, "Only, just jump to the outer part of those systems so we won't be picked up on any planetary sensors."
"You're going to have to say that again," Carth laughed, "Once I get the navacomputer running."
"Oh, come on," she teased. "I thought I was the one with the bad memory."
Carth smiled a little, "But you've also had your power-nap and I haven't."
"I'll cut you some slack just this once," Ev promised with a grin. She fired up the engines, eased on the repulsorlifts to raise them off the landing platform, then took off through the woshyr canopy. Stars glittered like diamonds in the sky while a huge luminous moon glowed just over the horizon. Their departure stirred up only a few night birds as the Ebon Hawk soared up into the sky. They rumbled through the atmosphere and into silent space.
"Nice flying," Carth commended her. She certainly did know how to handle a ship well.
"It wasn't anything fancy. We'll be clear of the planet's gravity well pretty soon," Ev announced, "How are the hyperspace coordinates coming? Need me to remind you where we're going?"
Momentarily distracted, Carth got back to work, "They're coming. Give me a few more minutes. The computer whirred through the calculations and finally gave an acceptable output. "Alright, we've got them," Carth announced.
"Ready?" Ev asked, although she didn't have to. Sliding forward the control that engaged the hyperdrive, the Ebon Hawk accelerated and snapped into hyperspace.
Ev reclined back in her chair. "We'll come out in the Taanab system in four hours or so," she calculated, "You get some sleep. I'll wait up for it and turn the ship around for the next jump."
Carth smiled thankfully back at her and rose slowly from his chair. "Thanks Ev," he said and turned to go, then added, "It's good to have you around."
"You too, Carth," Ev replied gently. "Sleep well."
"Will do," Carth chuckled and retreated down the corridor towards his bunk room where Canderous, Zaalbar, and Jolee undoubtedly already snored peacefully. Jolee looked like the sort of man who would snore too. Carth was too tired to care.
Carth slept through the turn about at Taanab. In fact, he slept the clock around. Jumping from planet to planet with varying day lengths and changing time zones was disorienting. Traipsing through the Shadowlands, fighting countless beasts, and instigating a revolution was exhausting. Carth wasn't the last one to rise, however. When he woke, Zaalbar still lay folded up in a bed much too short for him, snoring away.
"I guess it was even harder on him," Carth mused dully. He made his way to the 'fresher and washed off before getting dressed and appearing before the rest of the crew. Stretching, he sauntered into the central part of the Ebon Hawk. Jolee and Mission were already deep in a game of Pazaak.
"Good morning, sunshine," Jolee regarded him humorously, then scolded Mission, "Hey! That wasn't a fair move."
"Sure it was," Mission retorted slyly, "And it means that I just won again."
"Blast it all," Jolee shook his head frustratedly then joked, "I'm just out of practice, that's all. You'll see kiddo. I'll have you on your knees by the end of this flight."
"Sure you will," Mission replied sarcastically. "How about another 'practice round'?"
"You're on," he replied, eyes dancing.
"Say, where are the Jedi?" Carth asked, "Did they all sleep in too?"
"Off meditating, or something of the sort," Jolee said dismissively. After playing down a card, he added thoughtfully, "Only not that Ev girl. Bastila had her up to her ears in warnings of the Dark Side this morning. Are those two always at each others throats?"
"I think she's off listening to Canderous's war stories again," Mission put in.
Carth chuckled. "They've got some sort of Force bond," Carth explained, trying to remember what Ev had told him. "I don't know how much anyone has filled you in, but Ev and I rescued Bastila down on Taris right before it was destroyed, and—"
"Taris was destroyed!" Jolee exclaimed and slammed his hands down on the table. "Those Wookiees never tell me anything. You'd think Czerka would be all abuzz about it. I guess they must not have had many investments there. Those blood-suckers only care when there's money to be made or lost."
"Malak wiped out the whole city, trying to get at Bastila," Carth explained, "We barely got out alive. But, the thing is, when we brought Bastila back to the Jedi, they announced that she and Ev had this bond and that Ev needed to be trained as a Jedi. That wasn't even two months ago."
"She's got a knack for it then," Jolee nodded thoughtfully. His mood lightened again, "But, frankly, I wouldn't want a Force bond with either of them."
Mission laughed, "Me neither. Ev's great and all, but..."
Carth settled into a nearby chair and watched them play. He wasn't hungry enough for breakfast yet.
In between rounds, while Jolee and Mission shuffled their cards, Mission asked, "Hey Carth, do you know where we're going next?"
"Tatooine," Carth answered simply.
"Tatooine," Mission echoed, "That's where Lena said Griff would be. Do you think we'll have time to look for him?"
Carth shrugged, "That's up to the Jedi to decide. But, I really don't think they need all of us to look for clues about the Star Forge."
"You're right," Mission nodded, "I'll ask Ev about it. I hope Griff's doing okay." Her tone turned suddenly venomous, "After what that space tramp did with him. I can't believe what Lena said, that Griff would try to leave without me. It was all her idea, that's what he said. He wouldn't just abandon his little sister on Taris."
"I don't know, Mission," Carth shook his head, "She seemed pretty sincere to me."
"Sincere-sinsmear," Mission short back, "That slinky slut has been lying real smooth for a long time. I don't know why Griff hooked up with her in the first place and let her drag him around. It wasn't right. She said she'd stay away from him now. Good riddance! I don't need her rotting up my brother any more. What she said just can't be true..."
"I guess you'll find out the truth when you see him on Tatooine, won't you?" Jolee put in, "If this brother of yours is still there."
"If not, someone will know where he went, I bet," Mission said confidently.
Just then, Ev sauntered into the room, Canderous behind her. Her arms were full of knobby yellow fruit. "How about some Wookiee funny-fruit?" she offered and tossed one to Carth. She stopped and the pazaak table and dropped one in front of each of the players. That left one for herself. She took a relishing bite.
Mission eyed it suspiciously, "Are these things any good?"
"I'm not dead yet, am I?" Ev pointed out and took another bite.
"They're yinnesks, a fruit that grows way up in the canopy on Kashyyyk," Jolee said, jollily taking his up, "A regular Wookiee delicacy. Where'd you get these? You didn't go fruit picking in your escapades, did you?"
"They're a gift of thanks from Rwookrrorro," Ev replied, "They were meant for export, but their buyer got scared away."
Ev turned her attention to Carth. "How are you doing this morning, Onasi? Feeling any better?" she asked.
"Yeah, much better," he replied, "You?"
"When am I not fine?" she replied jokingly.
"Thanks for last night," Carth said.
"Oo! Last night? What happened?" Mission butted in.
Carth felt himself blushing, he looked away. "Nothing like..." he stammered.
"I flew the ship so the lieutenant could get his beauty sleep," Ev replied. She hardly seemed flustered.
"That all?" Mission teased.
"I'll," Ev stammered, "I'll go find some more of these funny-fruit." With that, she hurried out of the room, half-eaten fruit still in her hand.
"They're yinnesks!" Jolee called after her. "Funny fruit? Hrumph."
Canderous looked between the doorway where Ev had gone and back at Carth. "Huh," he uttered, and then went his own way.
The Ebon Hawk was not big enough for eight irritable crew members. Carth sighed. This is going to be a long flight.
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