And now the Princess makes an appearance...soon their paths will meet! Thank you to all readers, followers, and reviewers! Your support is always appreciated :)
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Princess Leia's heart was pounding hard and fast. She had known this mission would be dangerous, but now it had taken an unexpected turn and she had to think fast. Blood rushing furiously in her ears, she turned to Captain Antilles.
"When we're boarded, follow my lead."
The Captain's eyes narrowed. "With all due respect, Your Highness—."
"That's an order, Captain." She didn't like to give orders with no explanation, but this was an exception. Undoubtedly, he and the rest of the crew found her too young and sheltered to take on this responsibility. She would prove them wrong.
Leia spun on her heel and sprinted to the crew quarters. Rifling through the locker at the end of the first bunk, all she found were men's clothes that would be far too big for her petite form. In the second locker, she found what she was looking for.
She held up the small, black, stretchy jumpsuit and was pleased to see that it would fit her. As fast as she was able, she stripped out of her white dress, shoved it inside the locker, and pulled on the jumpsuit. The collar rose to just below her chin and the sleeves were very short, but the bodice was a good fit. Her own low, white boots looked a bit odd, but she pulled the bottoms of the pants over them as far as she could.
Now, she needed a weapon. She rushed from the quarters and went to the engineering station. All three pairs of eyes rose to her, fell away then did a double take. She imagined she had never looked less like a Princess.
Pointing at the nearest crew member, a human male no older than herself, she snapped, "You. I need your blaster and your holster."
The young man looked completely flustered, but Leia had no time for hesitation.
She held out her hand. "Give them to me." She was aware that she sounded as demanding and haughty as one might expect her to be.
Mouth hanging open, he began removing his holster. There was not much time left. The tractor beam was drawing their ship in quickly.
"Hurry!"
His movements quickened and he handed the holster and blaster to her, almost dropping them in the process.
With steady hands that did not betray her fraying nerves, she fastened the holster around her waist, cinching it on the last hole where it just stayed on her hips.
Don't speak like a Princess, she told herself, heart thudding wildly. You can do this.
A sudden jolt and a loud thud later and they all knew they had been docked inside the larger ship. Leia hurried back to the bridge to join the Captain and Co-Pilot.
"Let's go," she said, voice steady. "I'm the lead. Don't forget." She affected an air of confidence that she did not feel. It was bad enough that, at the tender age of nineteen, she knew she looked no older. Her small stature did not help. But, after many hours arguing on the Senate floor, she also knew that her voice was commanding enough to make up for her appearance. She was banking on that today.
Hitting the panel to lower the boarding ramp, Leia swung one hip out to the side and bent her leg, a defiant stance. She steeled her eyes, set her jaw, and hoped that she looked even remotely hard and rough.
When the ramp lowered, she strode down it, met by a group of rag-tag humans, blasters drawn and turned on them. Captain Antilles and his Co-Pilot, Broan, followed closely behind her.
"What's the meaning of this?" she asked in a hard, commanding voice.
An older man, tall with a scruff of a gray beard and a long scar winding down one cheek responded. "What's your business in this area?"
"I'm not answering to you," she growled.
The man laughed shortly and it was not the least bit amusing. "Oh, don't force me to make you eat your words, Missy."
One hand on her blaster, mouth dry with anxiety, she walked right up to him and stared unflinchingly into his eyes. "I have business in this sector."
"Only ones who have business in this sector are slave traders. You a slave trader, lady?"
She faltered for just a moment, a lapse she hoped would go unnoticed. Words fell from her mouth, unplanned and automatic. "Of course." She deliberately kept her gaze away from her own companions, silently thanking them for not intervening.
He looked her up and down and seemed to find her lacking. "You? You're in the slaver business?"
"Not in the business, exactly." Her mind raced frantically before an idea struck like lightning without thunder. "I'm looking to buy."
The man's eyes lessened to slits as he seemed to gauge her. "You're lookin' to buy slaves?"
"A slave," she answered in a tone far more confident than she felt. If there was anything politicians knew how to do, it was bluff. "I just need one."
"Wookiee or human?"
A bitter taste, much like bile, rose in her throat and coated her mouth. She couldn't even bring herself to say Wookiee in relation to slavery. So many of their species had suffered at the hands of the Empire. "Human," she replied smoothly.
"For what?"
She couldn't think of a fast enough reply that would make sense. "For personal matters," was what came to mind.
A slow grin spread across his face. "Oh, I see. That's how it is. For good times." He winked at her with a leer.
For a moment, Leia couldn't fathom his reaction. Understanding crashed down, staining her cheeks. His implication was that she planned to buy a sex slave. She hoped the dim lighting covered her mortification.
"Can you help me?" she asked, head held high.
"Baby, I could sure help you." His eyes raked over her form again and this time he let out a low whistle.
Her regal bearing set in with a bang. "Trust me, you could not," she said with stiff anger.
His responding chuckle was crass and grating. "Okay, we'll get you your slave. You can enjoy our hospitality while we go see the Boss. Come."
With a nod of his chin, he beckoned them to follow. Looking back, Leia noticed that half of his group stayed behind to guard theirs. She halted.
"I trust you won't be harassing the rest of my crew."
The man turned back to where she, Antilles, and Broan stood, flanked by his remaining men. "Don't worry. They're just makin' sure they don't cause any trouble."
Resuming their pace, Antilles stepped very close to her. "I hope you know what you're doing," he said under his breath.
Me too, she thought wryly.
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They had landed on Nar Shadda, well known as the Smuggler's Moon. From what Leia knew of it, there was good reason to be anxious. It consisted primarily of illegal dealings and dangerous characters; smugglers, pirates, bounty hunters. It was not a place she had ever expected to visit.
In a tram, on their way to the slaver's den, she tried to appear nonchalant and unaffected. One leg raised casually on the back of the chair in front of her, arm draped across it, her expression remained impassive. Inside was a maelstrom of tension and uncertainty. She had never been so far out of her element before. She wasn't sure if having Antilles and Broan with her made her feel safer or more nervous. If she screwed this up, she would get them all killed.
The city of Nal Hutta was terrifying, to say the least. It was late at night, but lights came from everywhere at once, and a hazy fog seeming to bathe the atmosphere. Distant, mysterious sounds of chaos and violence rose in the distance and she couldn't help the flash of concern and guilt that flew through her at the sight of an Ithorian slumped on the filthy sidewalk, either drunk or dead.
Citizens of all species streamed through the dark, grungy streets, some looking like potential victims, more looking like potential villains. The overall impression was one of corruption and defilement.
Arriving at a stop in a highly questionable area, they were led to disembark the tram and follow the group into what appeared to be some sort of bar. The glowing sign over the dark, double doors read, 'Peril's Palace.' Leia had a bad feeling about this.
With an impervious set of her jaw, her eyes scattered the large, dank room that had several, darker alcoves in the back. Acrid smoke drifted through the air, evidence of the various illegal substances being ingested. A quick glance at Antilles and she knew he was as worried as she.
The patrons of 'Peril's Palace' made the streets look safe and friendly. She was torn between making eye contact to show no fear and avoiding contact out of genuine fear. Avoidance won out and she kept her gaze straight ahead.
Through a corridor in the back, they entered a lift and Leia felt the jolt as it lowered into the bowels of the awful place. It stopped with a low hiss and the door slid open to reveal a large, dark room where two Twi'lek females with chains attached to a collar around their necks danced against twin poles on either side of a raised dais against the back wall. Low music played in the background.
Fury and outrage begged for release from deep down, but she squelched it with a hard swallow that brought a dull throb to her throat. There was nothing she could do. There was too much at stake.
In the shadows of the alcove where the dais resided, she could just make out a large form. As they drew closer, she saw that it was a red-skinned, Jablogian male. His obese form sat back languorously as his small, narrow, yellow eyes and pointed ears sat over a blubbering, double chin.
The wrinkled lines in his face tightened as his beady eyes fell on Leia, her companions, then back to her. A Gamorrean flanked him on either side, wide holsters covering their massive bellies, blasters sheathed inside.
"Boss," that infuriating slaver called. "Little lady here wants a human slave."
The Boss' eyes travelled up and down her body, slowly, in a way that made her feel unclean. Drool trickled from his mouth and Leia's stomach turned.
His voice was deep, slow, and gravelly. "A human slave," he said in accented Basic. "Whatever for?" His short legs dangled from the large, throne-like seat, disproportionate to his massive torso.
"I owe you no explanation." She angled her chin upwards, pretending not to feel intimidated by this whole situation.
The slaver grinned salaciously. "She's lookin' for a sex slave."
Having already steeled herself against this particular dilemma, she remained unflinching, eyes steady.
"Heh!" the Jablogian expelled. "Really now?" He appraised her again, grinning. "You'd make a great sex slave yourself." He made a low, guttural sound from his throat.
She had never wanted so much to draw a blaster. From beside her, she could practically feel Antilles seething. She knew he was outraged that anyone would speak to the Princess in such a way. Thanking him silently for both his concern and for holding his tongue, she bit back the fury building inside.
"Enough!" Her voice rang out loudly in the large chamber. "Can we do business or not?"
He regarded her for a moment, mouth tightly closed, eyes tiny slits. "We have just a few humans." He turned to the Gamorrean on his left. "Bring the finest human specimen!"
The Gamorrrean squealed a response and waddled from the chamber. Leia's head remained still as her eyes followed him then returned to the Boss.
"Please," he said, leaning forward slightly. "Go enjoy our hospitality. We will summon you when we are ready for the inspection." He gestured towards the 'lift.
Leia bowed her head in acknowledgement, although she wanted nothing less than to return to the bar above them. "Thank you."