**IMPORTANT** - If you read the last chapter (25) on the date it was published, you may have read a version with a scene missing (Sia's introduction). That scene has now been edited in.
Disclaimer: I do not own The Force Unleashed.
Note: When I said 11th...I meant the 10th. Thanks again to reviewers/readers and subscribers alike. And, as always, a big thank you to Liisiko for all her help with this chapter.
CHAPTER 26 - Normality
Location: Corellia / Corellian Shipyard
In the end, it turned out that Galen couldn't take a shuttle down to Corellia until the following day; the demand for shuttle space understandably great.
The journey felt longer than it actually was, mainly due to how uncomfortable it was; the ship stuffy and crammed with people. He spent much of the time dozing in his seat, as did most others around him. Then, as the planet neared, conversation began to pick up all around him, stirring him into a state of semi-wakefulness. Out of uniform, he couldn't tell what the others around him did for work, but they'd clearly been away from home for a while, now excited to get back and be with their families.
They, at least, had a real reason to put up with the heat and the uncomfortable chairs.
Struggling out of his seat – his legs having also gone to sleep – Galen left them all to their conversations and moved back out into the open areas where those who had been unfortunate enough not to find a seat stood – along with a large gathering of droids who had accompanied their masters to the planet's surface.
PROXY found him a moment later.
"How long left, PROX?"
"Twenty minutes…approximately."
"I'm beginning to think we should never have left the ship. What was Juno thinking? Why did I even agree to this?" He frowned, leaning back against a supporting wall and flicking his eyes out across the crowds.
PROXY turned to look at him. "We've not even arrived yet, Master. Besides, I don't think the captain was giving you a choice in the matter."
"No." He agreed. "She wasn't."
"Perhaps, Master, you should have chosen a less strong-willed female."
Galen gave the droid a look that said, quite clearly, that the very idea of choosing any other 'female' over Juno was absolutely ludicrous.
Still, as the shuttle came to land and the crowds began to file out of the impressive spaceport, he couldn't help but feel the overwhelming sense of being lost; the lack of direction more than a little disturbing. He paused to gather his thoughts, only to find an angry crowd of people being held up behind him. Hastily, he stepped to the side of the main walkway to let them by. PROXY, unaffected, followed his master's lead, standing patiently next to him.
So…what now?
There was no job to complete. No target to take down. No orders at all except the one from Juno telling him to take some shore leave. But for what purpose? He didn't need anything that this city could offer, did he?
More people pushed past him, shoving him further to the side and, after another pause, he allowed himself to be carried along with the other arrivals. He didn't exactly have a plan, anyway. Perhaps it was better to 'go with the flow', so to speak.
"You've not been to Coronet before, have you, Master?" PROXY asked, the droid hastening to keep up.
"No. Not here." He'd been to Corellia before, of course, but not to this particular city. "Never had any reason to. Cities are all the same anyway, aren't they?"
"Not at all." PROXY seemed both disappointed in his master's narrow viewpoint and excited at the prospect of enlightening him. "You may find Coronet to be quite unlike any other city you've been to before."
Galen rolled his eyes, casting a look around him. "It's just as overcrowded and noisy as any other place."
"Not so." The droid replied. "I can share some information I have, if you like?"
"Save it for later."
By now, the mass of crowds had begun to divide, filing off down into different sectors of the city. Ever decisive, he took the central route; a wide walkway that sloped down between a throng of tall and impressive buildings. Unlike Nar Shaddaa – or many other cities he had been to – this place seemed clean, the buildings lit up and extravagantly designed. Above the towering spires, the skylanes hummed with activity and beyond them the sky was a deep, impenetrable blue.
Okay. So maybe walking around for a while wouldn't be too bad.
Further along the main boulevard - the trees casting a dappled shade across the ground - merchants were out on the streets, encouraging people to buy their wares. One woman, with an elaborate green decoration pinned in her hair was selling jewellery that was equally as decorative, her high, chiming voice working well at drawing the eye. Across from her stall, a large, open-fronted cantina was brimming with customers, the sounds of their chatter and laughter flowing out into the street.
This city was different. It felt…safe. Though how safe it truly was, Galen couldn't say. Without even meaning to he kept his eyes peeled for any sign of something darker lurking beneath the surface.
"Is there a plan, Master?"
"A plan?"
The droid paused as if to collect his thoughts. "Surely there must be some reason—"
"—No." Galen interrupted. "There really isn't."
"Then perhaps I could make some suggestions?"
Just in front of them a pair of Selonians hefted a crate of produce between them, their greater height making them near impossible to miss. The sight of them brought only bad memories; memories that Galen hastily retreated from.
Failure. Defeat. Death.
"Master?"
He snapped his gaze forcefully back to the droid and mumbled an apology. "What were you saying?"
"I have some possible tourist recommendations I could share with you."
Galen almost laughed. "I'm not a tourist, PROXY."
"Technically speaking, Master, that's exactly what you are."
"Okay, look, just lead the way and I'll follow."
After another moment of silent walking, the droid picked up the conversation again. "You don't seem yourself, Master. If you excuse me for saying so: perhaps your repairs were insufficient?"
"Do you think we've done the right thing, PROXY?"
"I do not think I can tell you that, Master. But everyone needs to answer to someone. Better it to be the Alliance than Vader?"
"And what if it was neither?" He grumbled under his breath. He hadn't expected to get much else out of a droid, whose very purpose was to serve.
That wasn't the only thing preying on his mind, though. The other thing bothering him was the fact that having a new crew member meant that he and Juno now had to keep their relationship strictly 'professional'. The only thing that had consoled him was that she had been as equally upset about the whole situation. He could understand the reasoning but that didn't mean he was happy about it. But happy or not, he wasn't about to stir up any more trouble for her. She'd been through enough already.
Oh, he supposed he ought to tell PROXY about that, too.
"PROXY. About me and Juno."
The droid turned his head to look at him.
"That Sia woman can't know that we're…well, you know…"
"Romantically involved?"
Galen made a face. "Yeah. That."
"No need to worry, Master. The captain has already spoken to me about it. The flight officer will not hear it from me."
They reached the end of the main road and PROXY led them down a flight of sweeping, elegant stairs that wound down past a leisure complex. Close by, a group of youngsters burst into amused laughter. They were younger than him, perhaps around sixteen years of age with untroubled faces and eyes that knew nothing of pain. Galen found it hard to believe that such people could exist, even young people like them. How could people achieve such tranquility in a time when there was so much war and fear and death? Did they choose to ignore it or did they know nothing of what went on outside of their homeland?
He wanted to ask someone, but he didn't think PROXY would be able to give him a satisfactory answer.
Instead, he asked: "What exactly do…normal people do?"
"I'm not sure I understand your question, Master."
They passed under an elaborate, arching gateway and into a courtyard that separated three impressive looking apartment buildings. Each towered so high that looking up at them made Galen feel slightly dizzy. At the very center of the courtyard was a bronze-colored fountain, a gout of water shooting up from the gaping mouth of a coiled sea serpent. The carving was so exquisitely detailed that it looked as if it might come to life at any moment.
"What I mean, is…whilst we're all out fighting for the galaxy, what does the rest of the galaxy do? All these people that just..." He paused. "What do they do?"
"Civilian life consists of many things: work, education, raising families – to name but a few." PROXY replied, leading them around the edge of the fountain and into a narrow walkway that opened out into another complex of impressive buildings; the road curving upwards in a gentle spiral. "There are an extensive amount of occupations one can have, Master, though they vary from place to place. On Corellia, the dominant workforce revolves around ship building and maintenance."
"So they all have someone to answer to as well?"
"Correct. Or…mostly correct."
For the first time, Galen dared to think of what the galaxy would be like if the war were to come to an end and the Rebels emerged victorious. What would that future hold for him? Would the Jedi Order return? What would he do if it did? He certainly had no intention of joining them or befriending any cowardly Jedi who had chosen to run and hide instead of confronting their enemy. But if his future was not with other Force-users, what was it? Could he choose to become a civilian? Would that life be better? Did he have any other skills to use in non-military employment? Could he even learn? Would he be happier?
He didn't have the answers to any of those questions.
No one did.
"What are you still doing here?" Sia asked as she slumped into a chair on the opposite side of the desk.
Juno glanced up from her work looking slightly frazzled. Ja-Ran Leed was proving quite the task master and the list of jobs he had given her to do to aid him in getting the Rogue Shadow fit and ready for service had been…daunting, to say the least. Currently, she was trying to identify and compare data between the Rogue Shadow before and after the additions Kota had made on the ship and whether they had hampered more than helped.
"Working. There's a lot to do."
"Doing what, exactly?" The woman was clearly bored, slumped across the desk, chin cradled in her palm.
With a small sigh, Juno twisted the display around so that Sia could see. The woman's dark eyes flicked from side to side as she scanned the report.
"Wait? Isn't it his assistant's job to do this?"
"Have you seen the poor kid?" Juno asked. "That Ja-Ran's got him running all over the place."
"Okay. Listen. You finish up here real quick and I'll let you come with me to Corellia, hm?"
"I was planning to head down to Coronet later on today to meet with Starkiller and PROXY."
"Well then, it won't hurt to leave a little earlier and come shopping with me beforehand. I need to buy something pretty for our assignment in Nar Shaddaa. I'm betting you do as well, right?"
"Something pretty?" Juno shook her head. "No. I'm not going to be down on the ground. I'll be monitoring from the ship. There's no need."
"Don't be ridiculous. There's always a need. A woman does not require a reason to buy something pretty. Besides, even if you don't need it for this mission, you might need it for something else."
"Like…?"
"Our celebration party when the mission goes off without a hitch." The woman smiled widely. "Come on, you know you want to. If we get moving in half an hour we can be down on Coronet and hit the shops before they close."
"I really should—"
"Come on, Eclipse. I'm not going to take no for an answer."
"Okay, okay, fine. I'll just finish up here and meet you down by the shuttle."
"Excellent." Sia clapped her hands together, already turning to depart. "Bay seventeen! Don't forget!"
Juno sighed, checked the time, and wondered how much more she could get done before she had to meet with her new team member. Certainly not enough to get everything done and track down the assistant, Kito, to let him know how far she had gotten.
She spent the next five minutes finishing off her current compilation of data on upgraded wing panels and then went in search of the assistant to update and handover. The guilt of dumping him with even more work whilst she abandoned her post to do something totally unnecessary slowed her pace.
In the end, she was forced to run to make it to the shuttle on time.
"So, what do you think? I need an honest opinion." Sia turned this way and that in front of the full length mirror, the vibrant green dress she was wearing flowing loosely around her ankles. It was perhaps the fourth or fifth dress she had tried on in this store alone.
Juno tried her best to look fully engaged, but it was getting harder by the moment. "It's very nice. The color suits you." And to be fair, it did look good. It fitted Sia's stocky build perfectly; the bodice embroidered with a shimmering, silvery thread.
"I can't decide." She replied. "I think this one is nicer but then I'll have the issue with finding the right pair of shoes."
Juno sagged back against the chair she had taken up residence in and tried not to keep checking the time. At this rate she was going to end up being late for meeting with Galen and then he'd be in a foul mood, too. Shore leave was seriously overrated.
"Come on, Juno. You haven't tried anything on yet. There's so much here, there's bound to be something that you like. Get one of the ladies to help you, if you want."
The shop assistant, who had been attempting to help Sia, was looking just as bored as Juno – though she brightened a little at the idea of helping someone who might be more decisive.
"No. No, that's quite alright." Juno could already feel herself getting flustered at the very idea of it.
"Please, Juno. Just try on one dress? One little dress? You never know. You might actually have fun!"
"I'll take a look at them." Juno replied, deciding to meet her half way when it was clear she wasn't going to give up. Getting to her feet she moved across to one of the rails and idly began to search through. Outside the sky was darkening and she wondered what Galen had spent his day doing. Had he found something to do? Was he managing to relax? Whatever he was up to, she just hoped that he was having a better time than she was.
She paused in thought, looking down at the dress that had found its way into her hands. The fabric was soft to the touch but not as shimmering and vibrant as the ones Sia had picked out for herself.
Appearing at her side, the shop assistant smiled helpfully across at her. "Would you like to try that one on, honey?"
"I…uh…" She faltered. Could it really hurt? She wasn't obliged to buy it and it would probably look awful anyway. "I suppose I could try it."
Sia, who had moved to try on some shoes, threw her a wide grin. The flight officer clearly enjoyed it when a 'plan' came together.
"She's late." Galen complained, tilting his near-empty glass to peer at the remains. "Where is she?"
"Perhaps she got waylaid?"
He gave a sigh and cast a long look down the street. They were sat outside, partially hidden by some huge, leafy pot plant. As daylight faded, a distinct chill invaded the air. Galen had closed up the fastenings on his jacket. PROXY – unaffected by the change in temperature – seemed quite happy to wait for as long as it took.
He finished his drink, set it down against the table and considered his next options. Either he sat there and waited or he attempted to go and find her – though where she could possibly be, he had no idea. Perhaps she'd just got caught back at work and lost track of time?
Setting his hands against the table, he pushed himself up to his feet and was surprised at the wave of light-headedness that followed. Steadying himself, he glared down at the empty glass on the table as if looking to place blame.
"PROXY, how many of those have I had?"
"Too many, if you need to ask that question, Master. The alcoholic content must be greater than what you are accustomed to."
He growled. "Perfect."
Defeated, Galen dropped back down into his chair and resigned himself to waiting. A waitress came and collected his glass but he turned down any offer for further drinks. He didn't like the lack of control that came with being drunk. How Kota had ever found any comfort in it, he didn't know. Perhaps he never had.
"I do believe that's them coming now, Master."
"Them?"
He lifted his head and what should have been a feeling of relief and joy was tainted by the fact that Juno wasn't alone. The Sia woman was with her.
"I'm so sorry." Juno called out to him as she moved around the table to take a seat next to him. "We got caught up."
"My fault." Sia explained, holding up her shopping bags to show him. "But we're here now. Shall I get the drinks in?" Her eyes touched over their faces, seeking their responses.
"Uh, yes please."
"Starkiller?"
"No. Not for me."
As Sia moved into the cantina, Juno leaned closer to him and smiled knowingly. "You've been drinking already."
"I had to do something whilst I waited."
"I'm sorry." She said again. "I couldn't get her to hurry up."
"Why'd you bring her with you?"
"I could hardly turn her away, could I? Besides, she's not all that bad."
He wanted to tell her that it didn't matter whether Sia was nice or not. With her there they couldn't let up on their 'just friends' façade and he felt strangely needy for some affection after his rather weird day. She found his hand under the table and held onto it fast.
"You're cold." He replied, squeezing her fingers.
"The temperature's dropped. Why are we sitting out here?"
He indicated the sign above the door that read in bold, clear letters: 'NO DROIDS'
"Ah."
"I did inform him that I didn't mind waiting outside." PROXY added.
"So what did you two get up to? No trouble, I take it?" Juno asked.
"No trouble at all. We took some time to explore the city. I had to explain to the master that not every city was alike. I think I was successful in convincing him."
"Of course they're not." Sia interrupted as she swept back up to the table and set the drinks down. "I love cities, especially ones like this. Could you imagine living out in the middle of nowhere?" She shook her head, lifting her drink to take a sip. "How boring would that be?"
"It's a different pace of life, I suppose." Juno shrugged, thanking her for the drink.
"So." Sia fixed her gaze on Galen. "Did Juno tell you what we have been spending the last couple of hours doing?"
"Losing track of time?" He answered sarcastically.
"Ha! No…well, yes. That, too, I guess." She grinned. "We went shopping."
Galen looked confused; as if he were missing the point of why she was even speaking about it.
"For things we'll need for our mission." Sia elaborated.
"Something that the Alliance couldn't provide?" He blinked, not sure what they might possibly need that couldn't be provided for them. Sia's burst of laughter had him gritting his teeth in frustration. She was much too loud.
"We weren't buying weapons!"
He glowered at her. "Whatever."
"You aren't curious? Not at all?"
"I can safely say that I'm not."
"Ah well, I guess you'll find out soon enough." She nudged Juno with her elbow as if to include her in the joke. The blonde pilot shuffled awkwardly in her chair and Galen's eyes snapped questioningly to her. Wait. Was she…blushing? Or was he just imagining things?
Okay, so now he was a little curious.
"Will we make it back to the starport in time for the next shuttle?" Juno asked.
"Well I don't know about you, but I don't intend on going back until tomorrow morning."
"I should really get back and see how the repairs are going…"
"And give up the chance of spending a night in a comfortable bed without the sounds of maintenance work and the smell of oil?" Sia made a face. "Don't you ever get homesick?"
"Corellia isn't our home." Juno pointed out.
"No, but…just the normality of being on a planet instead of a ship? The sun? The fresh air?"
"Honestly?" Juno asked, looking mildly worried. "No. Not at all."
"And you?" Sia asked, turning her eyes on Galen.
Perhaps if he hadn't felt so fuzzy headed from the alcohol, he would have replied with silence or a sharp: 'mind your own business'. As it was, the question only stirred up memories of his earlier inner debate. What was normal and could he ever fit into that world?
"This isn't normal for me."
Juno's hand tightened against his but he didn't look her way.
Juno was wide awake; lying on her back, staring up at the ceiling of the tiny hotel room she had found herself in. Truth be told, she would much rather have just forgone the overnight stay and made the trip back to the ship.
She'd have gotten a much better night's sleep if she had.
The walls were thin enough that she could hear Sia snoring in the neighboring room. Clearly she was not having any issues with sleeping in these annoying, overly soft beds. Growing frustrated, Juno kicked off the sheets and pushed herself up onto her feet, running her hands through her already tousled hair. If she couldn't sleep, perhaps she should try to work? No. No good. She'd left her datapad back in the ship. Maybe she could...no. No. That wasn't a good idea. She couldn't sneak across the hall to Galen's room now. She was a grown woman. Not a teenager. Besides…he was probably asleep…maybe. But what if he wasn't? What if he was pacing, too? Would he mind if she dropped by to check up on him? Would it be possible to do that without getting caught?
Even as she debated, her hand was reaching for the door handle. It would be fine. Of course it would. Sia was sleeping and there was nothing wrong in checking up on a 'friend'.
Right?
Right.
She grabbed her jacket as she opened the door and almost had a heart attack as she realised someone was standing just outside her room. She muffled a cry of surprise as she realized, after a split second, who it was standing there.
"Galen!" She winced at the volume of her own voice, reminding herself that sound traveled.
"Uh, sorry."
"You almost scared the life out of me. What's wrong?"
"I, uh, I couldn't sleep." He admitted, looking slightly sheepish standing there in his rumpled shirt, his eyes glazed. Then his line of sight fell to the jacket hanging in her hand. The corner of his mouth twitched up in the beginnings of an amused smile and he added: "Going somewhere?"
Instant relief had flooded through her at the sight of him and, without warning, she threw herself at him, hooking her arms around his neck and pulling him down for a kiss. He leaned into her, responding with equal fervor and a swell of heat filled her chest.
Without breaking from him, she dragged him into the room, turning them around so that she could close the door behind them. His hands came up to run through her hair and she tilted her head to deepen the kiss, forgoing breathing for as long as she could just to prolong the attachment between them.
Light-headed, she broke apart from him momentarily, nuzzling her face in against his neck and murmured softly: "Couldn't sleep either."
And then they were kissing again, edging across the room until the back of Galen's knees hit the side of the bed. Juno gave him a playful shove and he fell back against the mattress, leaving himself open for a further 'attack'. With a somewhat wicked smirk, she straddled him, pinning him there beneath her. The pulse in his neck fluttered beneath the touch of her lips and he growled low in his throat, pulling her harder against him.
Juno drew back for breath, the tips of her hair brushing against the side of his face. "We'll have to be quiet." She warned, tilting her head towards the wall. And, as if on cue, another loud snore emanated from the room beside theirs.
He smirked up at her – accepting the challenge – and, with his hands on her waist, attempted to dislodge her from her position. This time, however, she held fast, refusing to budge; her knees pressing into the mattress on either side of his hips.
"Not today." She chided gently. "You can follow my lead this time." And she leaned forward to kiss him again, her fingers tightening their hold on his shoulders to enforce her point.
To be continued...
Next update: 24th March