Leannon looked out of the cockpit windows towards Nar Shaddaa. She remembered descending towards Coruscant and feeling a faint sense of the masses of life on the planet. All the glowing lights and teeming energy. Nar Shaddaa felt like that, too, but she felt something different. She couldn't place it. It wasn't the foreboding darkness of Korriban, either.
Korlan started arranging their landing with a dock operator as Eric scanned the holonet frequencies. Without much time to plan, a lot remained up in the air. They knew they needed to get rid of their ship and as many of their electronics as they could to rid themselves of tracking devices. As they flew through hyperspace, Korlan told a few stories about the criminals and worse on Nar Shaddaa. Eric emphasized that they must not be recognized.
Korlan would wear a hood and cloak until he could get himself a new set of armor. Eric and Korlan would do most of the business, with the two sisters guarding Monte, Kura, and whatever belongings they decided to keep.
"We can't afford to be sentimental," Eric said. "What's important is that we have each other. We protect each other. All of these things can be replaced." Ahlea didn't want to see her mother's clothes go. Eric allowed her to keep a few pieces. Leannon didn't remember her mom wearing any of it, but she grabbed a black leather jacket anyway.
They landed in one of the nicer parts of Nar Shaddaa and stayed in an expensive hotel. Kura and Monte didn't plan to leave the hotel room at all. Kura said she was too easily recognizable and Monte didn't seem to have the energy. Eric urged his daughters to stay in the hotel room as much as possible and to completely avoid using the Force in front of others. He would try to part out and sell the ship in a few days and Korlan put himself in charge of getting them all off the planet undetected. Ahlea made her dad promise to save as much of 5R-Zed as possible.
Eric got them a large suite, with two bedrooms, two bathrooms with gold plated sinks and pastel pink toilets, a common area with brightly patterned wallpaper and almost inappropriate paintings and sculptures of dancers and performers, presumably from the shows hosted at the hotel every night. Kura and Monte shared a room, each with their own bed, and Ahlea and Leannon shared a bed in the other room. Eric and Korlan said they'd just sleep on the couches if they came back, but they might need to stay out through the night.
"We'll keep in touch so you don't need to worry. Nar Shaddaa is usually chaotic enough that no one pays you any attention, but keep your eyes open for any strange behavior." Eric checked the blaster and its holster under his jacket. Korlan went through the weapons and money in his backpack. Korlan wore a hood and Eric put on an old, brimmed hat and flight goggles.
"Stay safe, ok?" Ahlea fretted over her father, touching his jacket and straightening his collar. Monte watched from the couch with a blank expression. He seemed to be healing well and was able to move around the room on his own, but he'd been sleeping a lot on the ship as he recovered.
After Eric and Korlan left, Kura and Monte told several stories about their run-ins with Hutts and their gangsters. After a few hours, Eric returned to the hotel room. He seemed to be in a good mood. "Nar Shaddaa was a good choice. Plenty of buyers, I actually sold for more than I expected. Ship parts sell well these days. How is everyone?"
"We're talking about the gangster life," Leannon said, grinning.
Eric smirked. "Am I to be the proud father of two Hutt enforcers? Maybe Nar Shaddaa wasn't such a good choice after all."
Ahlea said, "Someone's got to make money to pay for our lavish lifestyle," as she lounged on a massive couch that could probably hold the bulk of a Hutt.
"That's it, we're leaving as soon as Korlan can arrange it," Eric said.
Ahlea sat up, "What about Zed?"
"Oh, I have a project for you, girls. We're going to rebuild Zed." Eric sat down and picked up a hotel menu.
Leannon perked up but Ahlea looked apprehensive. Eric continued, "I kept his memory core, though I had to wipe a few parts just to be safe. He'll still mostly be Zed, but there will be holes in his memory. I bought a bunch of parts, too. I can teach you girls how to put together a droid."
"That sounds like fun!" Leannon and her father had done some basic repairs and maintenance on the family's training droids in the past. All the fighting wore the droids down quickly. Ahlea helped as well, but without much enthusiasm. The training droids didn't have as much personality as Zed, who was more expensive and had a more advanced memory core, but they still seemed appreciative of the repairs.
"Good," said Eric, "We'll have plenty to do, I'm sure." He put down the menu, looked over everyone in the room, and said, "Anyone want me to pick something up? I'll head out to help Korlan with the last few tasks. If we are lucky, we'll get out of here before the evening."
"You must really dislike Nar Shaddaa, Dad, don't you want to catch a show?" Leannon said.
Eric smiled, "I think I've already gotten enough slime on me. Not sure I want to pay for the pleasure of more Hutt entertainment. See you all soon!"
After he left, Ahlea busied herself with double-checking that everything was packed up, but that didn't take long. Soon, they were talking again. Monte fell back asleep and Kura seemed to be sleeping as well.
Leannon tried to convince Ahlea that they should go back to Aylayl.
"But that means we'd be camping," said Ahlea with a slight whine in her voice.
Leannon laughed, "We could build you a Hutt shaped hut out of tree branches!" Ahlea was amused, but not convinced. They talked over their options for a bit longer, considering a few planets they'd been to or heard of, but didn't settle on anything and eventually settled into watching a few holovids.
After a few hours, Eric came back. "Alright, let's get ready to go. We've hired a ship that leaves when we are ready." He looked around the room and saw that most everything was ready to go. He nodded. "Looks great, girls, thanks. I'll go grab a lift and we can move everything to the spaceport."
After loading their luggage into a large taxi, Leannon and Ahlea helped Kura and Monte down to the lobby and into the vehicle. A short trip to the spaceport and soon they were all either riding a hover-lift with several large boxes on it or walking alongside. Everyone wore some kind of simple disguise. Large, tinted glasses, a hood, or in Korlan's case, a new helmet and mismatched armor. His species were not common in the galaxy, so he'd picked a few pieces from various vendors to make a set.
They didn't talk much as they moved from the glitzy side of the busy spaceport towards the private hangers and shipping terminals. They avoided a massive Hutt floating along on a gilded hoverlift and surrounded by his procession of at least thirty guards, dancers, and attendants in extravagant clothing. Heavily armored bounty hunters of a variety of shapes and sizes, merchants with their own retinue of guards, and a few robed figures skulked from shadow to shadow. Even in the less crowded side of the terminal, neon lights lit up every spare bit of space, making those with tinted glasses glad they had worn them.
The terminal with their ship was smaller than most, so the craft filled the whole landing bay. They couldn't see it very well as they entered, mostly just the bottom of it and one side, but it seemed to be in decent shape. A short, blue Ortolan waddled up to them wearing a pair of flight goggles and a black leather cap. A formidable bodyguard droid stomped along behind him, carrying a heavy repeating blaster with a wide metal ammunition strap leading to a metal box on its back.
Korlan stepped forward and muttered a few words of greeting to the Ortolan, who appeared to be the ship's captain. He wore golden epaulets on the shoulders of his jacket. The captain squeaked out a few sentences through his long nose. Korlan and the captain shook hands and, soon after, a loading droid marched down the ship's ramp and began to pick up their luggage.
Eric led most of them up the ramp, while Korlan stayed behind to supervise the loading. The captain jogged up the ramp and showed them to their quarters. It was a spartan room with small bunk beds closely stacked and a few drawers at the bottom of the beds. He said a few words, but none of them understood. Still, with a few waves and gestures, he pointed out the common area with a couch and gaming table and then the restroom. He waved 'no' to a few doors and they all nodded. Soon all their luggage was aboard and Korlan joined them.
The captain, followed by his bodyguard droid, soon disappeared behind one of the forbidden doors and left them alone in the common area.
The teenagers helped Kura and Monte onto the couch. Korlan walked in, took his helmet off and shrugged. "Not too bad," he said.
Eric sat down at the round gaming table and turned it on. Dejarik holograms lit up on the table and started to move slightly in place. He said, "Anyone want to play?"
"I will," Leannon said and went over to sit down across from Eric. She made the first move. While Eric pondered his move, he said, "If this ship is bugged, we are already in trouble. So I think we can talk about where we want to go."
Ahlea asked, "The captain doesn't know where we are going?"
"I told him to take off and make a jump to the middle of nowhere. We're paying him by the hour and parsec. Not cheap, but the captain is known for keeping his mouth shut," Korlan said. He went and sat next to Kura on the couch, who seemed to be slowly improving. "Or should I say, for keeping his snout shut."
Kura chuckled. She spent more time awake each day and was relearning how to walk with the assistance of crutches. Still, Ahlea walked next to Kura everywhere she went and she helped her teacher go up stairs and ramps. She said, "I'm sure our captain has an ego to match his shiny shoulder decorations, but if he's a good pilot, then maybe he's earned it."
"Eh, I'm sure I'm a better pilot," Korlan said, "but if we managed things alright on the Smuggler's Moon, he'll just need to fly straight and true."
Eric made a move on the dejarik board, causing Leannon to bring her fist to her mouth and consider her options. He said, "Right. So where to? I know Leannon mentioned Aylayl. Nice place."
Monte said, "Isn't that still in Hutt space? I don't know if that's a good idea. Might not be safe."
"If you hadn't noticed, not a lot of safe places left," Eric said as he watched Leannon direct a piece on the board. "At least in Hutt space, the Empire and the Republic don't control things. A bit of lawlessness might work for us."
Monte frowned. "No, there aren't a lot of safe places left. I have nothing in particular against Aylayl, but I know a couple of good places to disappear and…"
Eric cut him off, "You would." He made a move on the board.
Kura said, "Gentlemen." Eric shifted in his seat and forced his lips into a thin line. Monte closed his eyes.
Leannon didn't even look up. She took one of her father's pieces and grinned at him as the two holographic monsters fought, hers winning.
Ahlea said, "Aylayl was ok. But I don't want to stay in a tent forever. I mean, a few days, maybe." She looked between Eric and Monte.
Leannon continued to watch the dejarik board, waiting for her father to respond to her attack. She said, "We don't have to stay forever and I'm sure we can do better than a tent. I remember a resort town we flew over."
Eric said, "Let's try Aylayl. Like Leannon said, we don't have to stay long and it has enough traffic on and off world that we can easily hire another ship if needed."
Korlan shrugged, "Hutt space, Republic, Empire, not much difference, really. We got money and blasters. As long as no one comes looking for us, we'll be alright." He stood up and put his helmet back on. "Want me to talk to the captain?"
No one objected, so Eric said, "Sounds like a plan." He finished the game with Leannon, winning, but only just. Most of the creatures were dead by the end of the game. Aylayl wasn't far, less than a day's journey, so the others watched the game or spent their time looking up places to stay on the Holonet and talking over their options. Leannon wanted to stay in the middle of nowhere, Ahlea wanted to be closer to civilization. They debated for a while, but because their goal was to avoid attention, they ended up renting a large, secluded house that was about a thirty minute speeder trip from the nearest resort town.
"If things seem quiet after a few weeks, we can go into town like normal tourists, but we, well, things just aren't safe for us yet. Sorry, Ahlea," Eric said.
Ahlea shrugged. "Oh, I grew up on a moon with just Leannon. So this isn't too bad. But I still blame you for how weird I am."
Eric grinned, "I should just admit that this is mostly about keeping you away from boys. I'm a very protective father."
Leannon interjected, "Don't worry, Dad, Alli will scare the boys away herself."
Ahlea flushed and said, "I'm a Jedi, anyway. And I think Leannon's the one who will beat all the boys away with a stick. Literally."
Leannon laughed, "That's right. The good ones will come back for more."
Eric gave Kura a look that said, 'Help me.'
Kura just shrugged, a twinkle in her eye. So Eric announced, "Time for a rematch," and started up the dejarik board. Eric played Leannon again and they passed the time until the ship came out of hyperspace above Aylayl. Being in the passenger area, they didn't have any windows, but Leannon became excited, meaning distracted, and she lost badly to Eric as the ship flew down into the planet's atmosphere and landed.
The captain came into the passenger area and honked a few instructions, waving his arms towards the offramp. The bodyguard droid stood silently behind him. He found his passengers ready to disembark. Korlan asked about offloading their gear as everyone else filed off the ship.
They walked off the ship into bright sunlight streaming down through tall pine trees. As their eyes adjusted, they saw two steep mountain walls on either side of them, blanketed in green trees and topped with knife-edge peaks laden with snow. Leannon noticed several places where avalanches had shattered hundreds of trees and left the mountainside strewn the tree trunks.
Ahlea looked out of the small spaceport towards gleaming luxury hotels. Each had tall, well-manicured living walls of trees or hedges about them. Each wall was at least thirty feet tall. Two of the buildings appeared to mostly be made of glass or transparisteel. One had swooping lines like a river, another was blocky. The third that she could see behind the first, was covered in ornate golden statues and bright mosaics and stained glass. Eric and Korlan noticed the guards. Beings of various shapes and sizes, all wearing armor, all wearing helmets with T-shaped visors. They clustered around and in front of the resorts.
Eric and Korlan went ahead to negotiate with a taxi driver while the other four slowly worked their way off the ship and watched the ship's loading droid bring their luggage off.
Kura said, "Beautiful planet. Look at those buildings, they are only a couple dozen stories tall. Someone tell the Hutts their buildings are defective."
Ahlea grinned, "Got to wonder where the Undercity is here."
Kura smiled at Ahlea, "Oh, I have a knack for finding the Undercity everywhere I go."
Korlan came back to inspect their luggage and make sure nothing was missing or broken. He wore his helmet and a bandolier of grenades and carried a blaster rifle on his back. Once he did all that, he went up to the Ortolan in his fine jacket and paid him. They shook hands and the captain and his guard droid went back on the ship with the ramp closing behind them. Leannon noticed one of the planet's armored guards approach the landing dock on the speeder. He watched them through his visor as they prepared to leave.
Soon they loaded their gear into the back of two taxis and set off into the forest. Aylayl had larger cities, but they landed at a small spaceport near one of the resort towns. They didn't go into the resort area, turning from the space port straight into dense, green trees.
Their taxis shot through the forest, trees blurring in their peripheral vision and hanging over the road. Growing up on a wintry moon with only a handful of houseplants, Aylayl had been a shock when they first visited not long ago. Ahlea and Leannon felt a little claustrophobic with all the trees standing so close together, thick branches and needles blocking out the sun, and the lower branches like an unending cave roof spreading out in all directions. Leannon remembered climbing the trees to see the sky. They had hiked miles away from anyone and camped, so Ahlea would carefully float herself up to the tops of the trees, with Leannon shouting that she was cheating.
Sitting in the tops of the trees, feeling and watching the breeze float by, leaves and trees gently swaying, made the forest seem much more personable. Ahlea said it felt like the forest had two personalities. Sunny and gloomy. Eric didn't climb high into the trees, he weighed much more than his daughters, but he would point out birds with his binocs and teach them how to recognize animal tracks.
These memories came to them as they whizzed through the trees. Leannon and Ahlea began planning a hike. They convinced Korlan to go with them.
In the taxi behind them, Eric stared quietly out the window. Monte said nothing, and fidgeted as he looked out the opposite window. Kura watched them both, her eyes almost shut as she relaxed on the seat.
After thirty minutes, with the last twenty minutes climbing up mountainous, switchback roads, they arrived at the house they were renting. It was quite large, with six bedrooms, and perched on a rock outcrop overlooking a grand valley carpeted with green and topped with bare rock faces and snow. The house itself was built in a classical style, with a grand staircase in the entryway and a beautiful patio facing the valley.
Ahlea ran through the house looking at all the rooms, dragging her sister behind her. Leannon pretended not to care, but she couldn't resist excitement when she saw the views out the bedroom windows. The mountain peaks across the valley called to her.
Monte, who was recovering faster, helped Kura up the front steps into the house. Eric and Korlan hefted everyone's luggage into the house. Eric called out for his daughters to help with the luggage. By the time the two teenagers came outside, the taxis had driven off, leaving them alone in the forest.
Ahlea looked around and, not seeing any strangers, concentrated on the largest, heaviest boxes, and started floating them towards the rental. Eric walked up to her and shook his head. He pointed towards the side of the house to a small row of much smaller dwellings. Ahlea softly let the luggage fall to the ground.
"People live there?" Ahlea examined the buildings. They were in the same style as the grander house, but simpler. As she looked, she could glimpse a clothes-line in the back with shirts and pants up to dry.
"Yes, this house can provide a chef and a butler. A gardener as well. But I asked that we be given as much privacy as possible. Still, let's be discreet."
"Oh, ok." As Ahlea grew up on Menetet, her home became increasingly busy. Her father's mining business kept growing, and with her mom gone, Eric hired a chef, two maids, and a butler to keep the house running while he worked. He paid them well as not everyone wanted to take a job on a frozen moon, and the rodian who took a job as their butler got a pay raise when he took the job. He'd been one of Eric's hardest working miners and ended up as Eric's personal assistant and butler. It turned out that both of the maids were wives of two of the miners, allowing their families to reunite.
She and Leannon picked up one of the bigger boxes together. They could use the Force to make themselves stronger and unless some stranger tried to pick up the box, they would have no idea how much they were lifting. Before long, everyone moved into their rooms in the house. Ahlea took a room with Kura, but everyone else picked a room of their own.
Eric took his time unpacking his luggage. They'd sold or thrown away most of their possessions on Nar Shaddaa. After the sale of Menetet, he had plenty of money, so he treated himself to a few things. A top of the line set of blasters and vibro-knives. He pulled them out, disassembled them, and started cleaning them. They were already spotless, but it calmed him. In the solitude of Aylayl, with just a few animal calls and the wind in the trees, the house was quiet except for the occasional noises of his family and friends moving and talking through the house. For the first time in over a month, he felt like he could breathe.
He heard someone walking down the hallway towards his room. He knew the different gaits of his family, Korlan, and Kura. This person walked slowly and heavily on one leg. Monte. Eric grit his teeth and started putting his rifle back together.
Monte knocked on the door. Continuing to reassemble his weapons, Eric said, "Come in."
Shuffling in, Monte looked at Eric, surrounded by his weapons, and then out the window to the view outside. Monte took a deep breath and turned to face Eric, pushing down his anger. He'd been Sith. This man shouldn't make him feel scared. Weak. But his relationship with Eric wasn't why he was here.
"Eric, I need to tell you something." Monte stood as tall as he could and spoke firmly.
"I know," Eric grunted.
Monte frowned. "What do you know?"
Eric looked up at Monte through his thick eyebrows. "I. Know."
Shifting his weight from one foot to another, Monte nodded. He clasped his hands and rubbed his palms back and forth. "I need to tell her, Eric. I can't keep hiding it. I don't know how much longer…"
Eric, who had begun fine-tuning the edge of one of his vibro-knives, cut him off. "Fine. But you have to tell her the whole truth. Or I will."
Monte's breath caught in his throat. "Fine." He looked at Eric for a few more moments, but Eric ignored him. Monte could sense Eric's anger and shame. He felt those feelings himself. Monte exhaled slowly. He turned and left the room.