"Now or never," Ari
whispered to herself as she watched Han saunter up the ramp of the ship, which
looked like a number of parts melded together in a hurry. She wondered if
the ship, if it could be called one, would make it off Tatooine, let alone to
Alderaan.
Looking over her shoulder and seeing no
one in sight, Ari rushed to the ramp of the ship, her boots sliding slightly
across the thin layer of sand that had made it into the hanger.
She held her breath for a moment, letting
it out slowly, trying to quiet her pounding heart, her back pressed up against
the smooth cold metal of the ship interior wall. Concentrating on
listening for any sounds coming from anywhere else in the ship, Ari held her
breath, hoping it would help.
She heard the sharp yet soft sound of
footsteps on the metal flooring retreating from where she was and Ari counted
to three before silently sliding a bit further into the hallway, taking one
last glance around the docking bay.
Almost certain that she was safe, for the
moment, Ari slid down the hall, the cooler air was welcome to that of the
scorching hot desert, though it seemed a bit stale from the ventilation
system. She carefully walked, concentrating to make sure her boots made
no sound. The lightening system cast a few shadows along the hall and
among a few crates and other objects, which Ari tried to stay in as much as
possible.
She could hear Han moving around in and
area she assumed was the cockpit and paused, hesitant, not knowing if she
should hide and wait or continue further into the ship.
The decision was made for her as she heard
Han coming back down the narrow hallway to the wider hall that ran through the
entire ship. She ducked low, lying on her stomach, feeling the cold metal
through her tunic and she hoped her light colored clothing wouldn't show in the
shadows, or from behind the two crates blocking her from view, though her cloak
helped slightly.
She watched as Han confidentially strided
down the hall and then he stopped for a moment, eyes glancing over the hallway,
seeming a bit uneasy for just a moment. Ari held back a gasp as he turned
and she could see him through a small crack between the two crates as his eyes
fell on them.
Instinctively, she pulled back into the
shadow as much as she could, hoping he hadn't seen her. She watched as he
took a step closer. 'Please don't let him find me,' she shouted in her
mind, silently pleading with someone or something to help.
He took yet another step closer and then
paused. His sharp hawk-like eyes darted over the area and he shook his
head. "Settle down, Solo. You're as jumpy as that wet behind
the ears kid," he muttered with a snort.
Ari forced herself to bit her tongue and
stop herself from shouting at him. "That 'kid' is my best
friend," she muttered so softly it was almost mouthed as Han swaggered
away.
She stayed still and quiet, as she much as
she wanted to speak up in Luke's defense. She knew though, that Han would
more than likely shoot first and ask questions later.
The smuggler whistled a few bars of a song
Ari had never heard before as he made his way deeper into the ship, black boots
clicking confidently on the metal planks.
As the steps faded, Ari got to her feet,
wiping her shirt off as she crept down the hall in the same direction Han had
disappeared to. She knew that she could get caught at any moment, but
that following him would be less dangerous than being the one followed.
Ari stopped when she heart Han's footsteps
stop, pressing her back up against the wall and she carefully slid to the
corner. She listening intently for any sounds and heard a small scraping
sound, like metal against metal. This was followed by a slamming sound a
few minutes later, causing the floor to vibrate slightly. The sounds were
then repeated once more and Ari could no longer hold back her curiosity as she
heard the scarping sound for the third time.
The girl ducked down until she was almost
on her knees and slowly leaned, glancing around the corner. She didn't
see Han for a moment but what she did see was a panel of thick metal plating
slid over revealing a decent sized opening to a hidden compartment. 'I
should have known with smugglers,' she chided to herself.
Ari leaned a bit further, making herself
more exposed as she considered going to investigate. Then there was a dull
thud, and a grunt followed by a string of curses in a number alien
tongues. The few Ari knew shocked her, though she knew smugglers and
others used this type of language, as she raised her eyebrows slightly.
'He has quite a wide range of languages,'
she chuckled to herself as she slid back slightly but still able to see a hand
appear from the compartment, pulling Han up to his feet. He reappeared
rubbing his head with his other hand and glared down at the compartment.
"At least I don't have to worry about
anything hidden on my baby here by that giant slug," he muttered to
himself.
Ari pulled back even a bit more into the
shadows with a slight smile. It seemed even Jabba's employees disliked
him. She wouldn't have put it past Jabba or any of the others to kill
anyone by 'accident' or in cold blood. That or slip illegal cargo,
tracking devices or listening devices on board. Everyone knew that Hutts
weren't to be trusted.
Han slid the paneling back into place and
Ari then panicked. If he were to go back the same way he had come, he
would certainly see her. There was no place close for her to hide.
She glanced around, eyes darting down the
hall and back before it came across a pile of netting used to hold storage in that
stretched rolled up messily for a length of about 12 feet. The only
problem was that it was down the hall a few feet, and across from the side she
was at, which would make her exposed completely for a few moments.
"I have no other choice. Force be
with me," she muttered, using a phrase her mother had often used when she
was frustrated and was trying to be patient with Ari or Jett. Ari knew it
had to do with the Force that the Jedi had used, but her father had frowned on
any mention of the Jedi or the Force, though Ari know knew they were real.
The thought of her family and their brutal
deaths caused tear to well up in her eyes but she blinked them back
fiercely. She leapt from the deep shadows and ran the few steps on the
balls of her feet.
As she jumped and vaulted herself in the
small space between the wall and main roll of netting, landing among some that
had become loosened, her feel hit the floor with a solid clank. Wrapping
herself with a few layers of netting, lying flat between the netting and wall,
Ari mentally kicked herself.
"Who's there? Show yourself,"
Han demanded after a quick moment of absolute silence, appearing around the
corner with his hand on his blaster in his low slung holster, ready for action
if needed. Ari tensed her nerves all screaming with anticipation as she
tried to snuggle deeper into the netting as he neared.
Han paused looking up and down the hallway
as Ari held her breath, her heart pounding wildly and she wondered if he
couldn't hear it as she waited.
Suddenly Han turned to the netting and
kicked it hard, hand on his blaster, his finger itching to pull the trigger.
Ari held her breath, feeling the blow through the pile of netting glad she was hidden between it and the wall as she silently told herself to remain still and silent.
Han looked over the netting again, cautiously and Ari was certain he could see her though she could barely see him through the netting and shadows.
Instead, Han shrugged slightly and quickly marched down the hallway to the ramp to meet the guests that would soon be meeting Chewie out front.
When his footsteps had faded a bit, Ari took a gasp of air, lungs burning and she laid there a moment, taking a few more deep breaths.
"What a piece of junk!" Ari sat up quickly, finding herself tangled in the netting and she quickly started to pull it of. That was Luke's voice! It was somewhat distant, probably from the hanger bay. A smile showed on Ari's face but then faded as she remembered that he didn't know she was even in the area. If anyone were to find her aboard she would be kicked off more than likely, probably at gunpoint if it were Han or Chewie.
"She'll make point five past lightspeed." Han's response was confident and cocky, though quieter than Luke's proclamation as it echoed slightly down the hall.
Ari stumbled to her feet, kicking off the netting, trying to replace it as best she could to the way it was when she had jumped in among it.
As she slid it off her arm, her bracelet snagged, yanking her wrist with it, pulling the netting apart to free it and scanned her wrist. Luckily, her bracelet wasn't broken though her wrist had two red marks over it from where it had been caught.
She heard footsteps echoing from the ramp and she scampered around the corner then paused, trying to weigh her options. She knew she had to hide if she wanted to come with them. She doubted they would throw her out into deep space, or at least she hoped not. It was then that her eyes fell on the panels over the hidden compartments and she smiled.
She went to the furthest compartment, the one that she had seen Han in and she slid her fingers along the small crack, working to get a grip between the panel and wall.
Her back arched as she strained the heavy metal upward. "There has to be an easier way," she muttered as the metal lowly groaned in protest.
Hearing footsteps approaching she slid under it, landing in a compartment that went halfway between her elbows and shoulders in height. She carefully lowered the panel with a deep sigh as the entire compartment became darker than a starless night. The compartment had a musty smell that mixed with that of the goods that had been transported in these holds. This made the air somewhat stuffy yet not too unpleasant to breath.
Ari felt a wall behind her with her hand that was searching blindly for anything and moved so she was resting in a crouch on the balls of her feet
She could hear footsteps echoing from down the hall. There was a pause and she strained to listen as she heard a shout from somewhere and the sharp clang of boots running and she felt a small shudder run through the ship.
She heard the whine of the engines starting and heard Han yell "Chewie, get us out of here!"
"We're being attacked," Ari whispered as her breath caught in her throat.
The initial ascent was fast and unexpected, the force of it causing her to fall back, her shoulder and the back of her head slamming into the wall behind her with a bang.
She rubbed her right shoulder with the opposite hand then switched with a small wince as she struggled to regain her previous position as the ship sped faster.
Briefly, Ari wondered how the planet looked compared to when her family had landed on it a decade ago.
She didn't have time to dwell on the idea though as she slid across the floor and then slammed into the opposite wall.
"He could use some pointers," she muttered, bracing herself for any more movement. She could hear the dull thudding sounds as blaster fire hit the ship's shields.
"Come on, come on go to lightspeed," she muttered, looking up as if someone would hear her.
There were a few more moments of blasting and she could hear a siren sound start. Ari held back a whimper, not being able to imagine dying like this. She sat and waited listening to the booming outside until Ari felt herself slide to the back wall no matter how much she tried to stop. She held her breath for a moment and then sighed in relief when she no longer felt anymore fire.
"We're in lightspeed," she sighed, feeling relieved and falling back slightly so she was on her back, leaning on her elbows. The day's events were all adding up to pure exhaustion. From her realization of her feeling for Luke last night to narrowingly escaping capture throughout the past day, had been draining physically and emotionally.
Especially on the emotional plane as she thought about her family and their tragic end. Her parents had left Naboo to save her and Jett, spare them from the impending dangers. Instead though, it had found them.
She felt tears burn her eyes again and she let then fall, hot and silent as they cascaded down her cheeks.
When they finally stopped, dry sobs made her shudder on the floor, exhausted. She moved slowly and laid her cloak down, arms curled under it as a makeshift pillow, legs pulled up slightly towards her chest.
With a small shiver she closed her eyes, her last conscious thought being that she would be sure to wake up before they reached Alderaan.
Thanks for the reviews everyone! Keep them coming and I will keep the chapters coming. J