Thanks for the feedback! It seems that we have wishes for pairing Cole with Ash. Hm... we'll see... Oh, and I would like to say that I love writing TI-29 and pervy Tobias (you'll meet him at the end of the chapter). Toby is my favorite character and I only hope you can come to like him as well.
Here we get to see a little bit on the background of Aishlinn. Flashbacks are love :)
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Star Wars, but these characters are mine. Use them if you wish, but please credit me!
Chapter 2
"Master, I do not understand our plan." TI-29 said to Colton as they both made their way out into the desert. "Do you expect the Tusken Raiders to simply allow us to enter their village peacefully? The sand people are a violent race; I do not believe this is wise."
"Don't worry, Tee-eye; we'll be fine." Colton assured.
"But, Master—"
"Trust me. I'm sure they'll listen to us if we—"
Colton was interrupted by a harsh, intelligible roar. Seven warriors dressed in the Tusken Raider's traditional robes appeared, brandishing gaffa sticks and rifles.
"Oh dear…" TI-29 muttered miserably.
"Tell them we mean no harm and that we are here to help them with their dark Jedi problem." Colton whispered. TI-29 roughly interpreted his Master's words in the Sand People's language, startling them and causing them to speak amongst themselves in confusion.
"They're speaking of how there was once another who came with a droid that could speak their language; they say it was many years ago and that she helped them. They're discussing if they should take us to their chief or not." TI-29 interpreted. After much deliberation, one of the Sand People barked at the Jedi and motioned for him to follow. "He's going to take us to their chief."
Colton smiled to himself. It had worked, and so far no bloodshed was necessary. The Tusken Raiders were wary of him, but they weren't trying to attack or injure him. That had to be a good sign.
"I told you we would be fine." Colton said to his droid. TI-29 nodded, still unsure about the whole situation.
"Regardless, I wish the council had sent a Jedi Master with you as well, just in case. I don't fancy becoming scrap metal in a Tusken's hut!" the droid said sharply, catching the attention of one of their escorts.
"I want to help them; these people are only misunderstood, nothing more. Why cause war when there can be peace amongst them?" Colton's face hardened as he walked with purpose amidst the Tusken escorts. "The dark Jedi want something from them and they will kill as many Tusken as they can to get it."
The Tusken Raider that had been listening only managed to understand a few words, but it was enough to hear the sincerity and genuine want to help. They smiled under their mask and continued forward, feeling better about taking the strange outsider with a droid that spoke their tongue to the chief.
"What is the purpose of bringing an outsider into my camp?" the chief roared. Colton lowered his head in submission, trying to maintain peace. Inside, he was shaking uncontrollably; the young Jedi knight was terrified of what these creatures could do to him.
"He has a droid that understands our language. He says that he wants to help us against the warriors with red light blades that slaughter us mercilessly." The one who could understand little basic said. The chief stared at the warrior, anger rolling off of him in waves.
"What are you doing outside the camp? You aren't allowed to leave while the warriors with red blades roam our sands!"
"But, father—" the warrior tried, but his father cut him off.
"Get back into the camp and do not attempt to leave, or else you will be punished."
The chief's son was taken away and Colton turned to Tee-eye in confusion.
"He was the chief's son; apparently the chief doesn't want his son out while the dark Jedi are around." Tee-eye explained. Colton nodded.
"What does and outsider think he can do to help us?" the chief asked. Tee-eye translated.
"Those dark Jedi are searching for something that you have. Once they have it, they will slaughter all of you, regardless of whether or not you agree to their demands."
"And you believe you will be able to help us?" the chief demanded harshly. "How do I know you won't turn on us and be just like those other red bladed warriors? You have the same weapon as them!"
"True, but I am different. How can I prove to you that I want to help?" Colton pleaded. The chief hesitated and turned to one of the warriors beside him.
"What if he is like Revan?" the warrior questioned. The Chief shook his head.
"Than he shall prove himself like her." He turned to Colton and Tee-eye.
"Please, tell me what the dark Jedi are searching for. Once I know, I can try to help you."
Once again the chief hesitated. "They wish to obtain ownership of one of my people who they say has 'force powers'. I refuse to give them up, so they attack and kill our men in an attempt to sway us."
"They want to use one of your people?" Colton asked. The chief nodded.
"Yes. I refuse to give them my child, so I hide them away from the evil warrior's eyes. But in return, the rest of my people suffer."
"What if I were to take your son with me and hide him away from those warriors? They would sense that your son had been moved, so they would leave you alone. Once the dark Jedi leave your planet, we can return him."
The chief roared angrily at Colton's proposition and brandished his chieftain's stick threateningly. "You shall not take my child away from me! First the dark warriors and now one who says they are good want them! How do I trust one who tried to take what is mine?"
"I meant no disrespect."
"Leave! I shall not give my child to you. I never wish to see your face among my people again."
Colton nodded his head in defeat, taking Tee-eye with him. The Sand People watched him warily; they were unsure of whether or not he would attack them. The Jedi knight kept his head low as he left the Sand People's village, not looking up until he was many miles away from them. Tee-eye hadn't spoken a work either.
"Master, I do believe we have failed."
Colton nodded. "Yeah, so do I." he looked up into the bright blue sky. "I wonder how the council will take the news? I'm sure my old master, Master Rand, would be very displeased with me."
The droid nodded solemnly. "Yes, but perhaps this was meant to happen?"
"I may not understand how a father would feel to loose a child, but I know he's conflicted about either offer. He thinks that the dark Jedi may leave if he gives them his son, but he also knows he'd never see him again. If he gives his son to me, then the dark Jedi may still slaughter them. It's a loose-loose situation for him."
"It… not." A muffled voice said from behind them. The Jedi whirled around to come face to face with a Tusken Raider, one who spoke some basic. Colton was surprised; was he really so out of it that he didn't sense the warrior's approach…?
"Who are you?"
"I chief child. Capture you. Spoke out. Want to help." He said in very broken basic. Colton nodded. This was the chief's son, one of the men who had captured him, and one who stuck up for his cause.
"What do you wish to speak with me about?"
"I… leave. Save Ruktorian. You."
"You want to come with me?" Colton asked, attempting to understand the Tusken Raider's broken speech. He nodded.
"I come. Clothes?" he tugged on his robes. "Attack me."
"What is he trying to say?" Colton asked his droid. The Tusken Raider roared something in his own language.
"Master, he says that he needs some normal clothes or else the people in Anchorhead will attack him and try to kill him for being Tusken." The droid interpreted. Colton nodded and shrugged out of his cloak. He held the thick material out to the Tusken Prince.
"Will this work?"
"Yes." He slowly began to unwrap his headpiece, the material coming apart quite easily. When he finished removing his mask, he revealed something startling; two orange eyes and tattooed gray skin covered a surprisingly feminine face. Instead of being a 'he', the Tusken prince was actually a Tusken princess. Colton politely turned away as she removed her robes and slid on the Jedi's cloak.
"You look." She said. Colton turned to see that she had wrapped his cloak like a dress around her body, her light brown hair cascading around her shoulders in deep, caramel trusses. She smiled at him with ruby lips and motioned towards the gate.
"If you are a girl, why did you dress in male clothing?"
She shook her head, not understanding, so Tee-eye translated. She roared something in Tusken and Colton wondered how such a rough sound could come from her lips.
"She says that her father wanted to protect her better by disguising her as a man. The dark Jedi were searching for a female princess, not a male warrior." Tee-eye translated. Colton nodded. "She also says that her name is Sol of the Ruktorian tribe."
"Tell her my name is Colton and that it is a pleasure to meet her."
—
Aishlinn entered the cantina and took a seat at the bar, ordering some Tarisian ale. After the reconstruction of Taris several years ago, Tarisian Ale was once again back on the market. When the glass filled with yellow liquid slid across the counter towards her, she greedily drank it down. Tegrit jumped from her shoulder to the stool beside her, his head barely reaching over the counter.
"Juma Juice for my friend over here." Ash said to the bartender as she pointed to the Kushiban. The bartender nodded and sent a smaller glass full of an orange liquid Tegrit's way before going back to cleaning dishes. The two friends sat in comfortable silence before Aishlinn's ADD kicked in.
"Hey, I wonder what the Jedi wanted to get out in the desert." She commented and took a drag from her still lit cigarette. Tegrit took another swig from his glass.
"I do not know; Jedi are quite mysterious and tend to keep to themselves." He shot the female smuggler a look. "Though, you seem to bring out irritation in him."
"What can I say? I'm a natural."
Tegrit rolled his eyes and fixed his belt so his blaster wasn't pressing painfully into his side. "Though, if I would have to hazard a guess, I would say that the Jedi is probably looking for an item that the Sith wants." He said. Ash stared at him curiously, finishing off her Tarisian Ale.
"What'd ya mean?"
"I mean," Tegrit emphasized exasperatedly, "that those fighters and that Hangar ship weren't friendly; they're probably here looking for something. Our Jedi companion wants to stop the Sith, therefore it would make sense if he came to this Sith-infested planet as well." He explained. Ash nodded uninterestedly.
"Yeah, uh huh, whatever you say. Now, can we go to the swoop tracks? I've got a hundred credits that are burning a hole in my pocket."
Tegrit sighed, knowing his words had fallen among deaf ears, but he nodded and followed the young woman out of the cantina and over to the swoop tracks nearby.
"Yo! Slug-face, set me up with a race." She announced to the Hutt as she walked in. There was collective silence as everyone watched the cocky pilot lounge about in a chair and awaited Sollad the Hutt's answer. He chuckled darkly and pressed several buttons on the screen to his left.
"Well, if it isn't my favorite schutta. One race, or two?" he asked in a manner that showed he wasn't angry at her for her comment. The rest of the people in the room collectively let out the breath they were holding in and resumed talking amidst themselves. Ash grinned at Sollad.
"You know me; three in a row, or I ain't biting."
"Three it is."
Ash, being an excellent pilot, also happened to be pretty decent on the swoop track. Her first race she came in third, but the next race she tied first, and the final race she won by a long shot. She grinned at Sollad and took her racing bonds with pride.
"It was good doing business with you, you miserable vomitous mass." She commented and gave him a two finger salute. "See you in a couple moon cycles."
"Just remember, there aren't many places where you can hide from me. Two months, and then your mine." He laughed heartily as the young pilot left the swoop tracks. She shivered involuntarily at the thought of becoming that slug's slave.
"Yeah, but believe me, you'll be dead before my time's up."
She made a mental note to hire a mercenary the next chance she got. Tegrit hopped up on her shoulders, his tail curling around the front of her neck.
"I told you not to make that deal with him." He chided. Ash waved it off.
"Yeah, well Hutts are tricky business partners." She said dismissively. "Let's get back to the cantina; it doesn't matter anymore anyway."
—
"I have a job for you, young racer." The Hutt running the tracks said to the new champion, a young girl of eighteen with her hair in a ponytail. She glanced at him with hooded green eyes, unsure of what it was. "If you are as good of a pilot as you are a racer, than I have a deal for you."
"I'm listening."
The Hutt laughed. "Yes, I assume you are. For 10,000 credits, I want you to deliver me a Twi'lek slave girl. She is on Nar Shaddaa in the possession of a man named Tobias Aeon. If you bring her to me, then you will be compensated for your efforts."
"Don't do it, Ash." A dusty white, almost gray, Kushiban said in his native language from her left. "Hutts are tricky; if you take this job, you never know what might happen."
"I'll get filthy rich, that's what." She hissed back in his own language. She turned her attention to the Hutt and spoke in basic: "You've got yourself a deal, Slug-face."
"Don't get so cocky that you think you can get away with insulting me." He warned before chuckling darkly. "I have eyes everywhere; if you try to cross me, you will pay."
"Yes, sir." She said with a mocking salute. "I'll be back ASAP, so don't get so horny that you buy a different slave girl."
The Hutt laughed again. "I'm beginning to like this pilot; she could become useful in the future."
The Kushiban walked on two legs beside his companion, shaking his head in dismay. "You don't understand what you've gotten yourself into, Aishlinn. This is a very bad decision."
"Well, it's a bit too late to go back on it, huh, Tegrit? I'm gonna bring the slave and be done with it."
She moved to the cockpit with her friend in tow. She took the pilot's chair and Tegrit took the co-pilot's, not very enthusiastic about their next money offer. Illegal guns and spices? He could deal. Bounties? No problem! But bringing in poor, young slave girls, he drew the line at. Sure, he was a smuggler, but something about taking a girl from her home and putting her into the arms of a giant slug made him feel… guilty.
Ash glanced over at her friend and noticed that his white coat had darkened to an even ashier gray.
It wasn't too long of a trip going from Tatooine to Nar Shaddaa, and the two smugglers landed the Fancy Fox and went off in search of this "Tobias Aeon". Aishlinn decided after she got to the planet that asking for a description and profile probably would have helped her out with finding the guy.
"Looks like the cantina is the best place to start." She said to no one in particular. Tegrit hopped up on her shoulders to keep from getting lost as they walked through the crowds; Nar Shaddaa was a busy planet; it was easy to get lost and extremely hard to find someone.
The cantina was like most: filthy and full of scantily dressed women and horny men. Aishlinn took a seat at the bar and struck up a conversation with a male Rodian.
"Yeah, one time I had to fly through an asteroid field just to escape from a bunch of Republic ships that threatened to board me." She said, causing the Rodian to laugh with her.
"That must have been fun." He said sarcastically, taking a swig from his glass. "I like you human. You different from others, more easy talk to."
Aishlinn grinned. "Thanks, Tor Fleck. Anyway, I have a question."
"I have answer."
"Have you heard of a man named 'Tobias Aeon'? I'm looking for him." She said. The Rodian sighed and chuckled.
"Everyone look for him eventually. He is hit with ladies. You find him in cantina; tall man, brown hair, brown eyes. Usually dress in black jacket." Tor scanned the cantina before pointing out a man to Aishlinn. "That him there."
Ash grinned and offered him her hand (which he shook). "Thanks so much. It was nice meeting you."
"You too." And he returned to his drink. Aishlinn made her way across the room toward the man. He had his back to her and was speaking with a white colored Twi'lek. She was young, younger than Aishlinn, and the smuggler's heart clenched at the thought that she might be the one she was supposed to transport to that Hutt.
"Hey, are you Tobias Aeon? I've been looking for you." Aishlinn said. She wasn't prepared for the cocky scoundrel a few years her senior that turned around and looked her up and down. He had a handsome face with shaggy, dark brown hair that hung in his eyes. He flipped the hair away, revealing smoldering, mocha orbs, and leered at the young smuggler.
"Well, not that I'd mind having someone as hot as you share my bed tonight, but I'm afraid that someone else got to me before you." He said, curling his tongue behind his teeth. "How about tomorrow night?"
With an indignant shriek, the young pilot lifted her hand and smacked him across the face before storming off.