CHAPTER SEVEN

It was not often that Inez Recillos had much opportunity to visit the Cordoba Imperial out post but Ezra had come to learn that it was usually the result of some urgent business that could not wait until his next visit to the Four Corners’s tavern. When Claire announced that Inez was requesting permission to see him, he immediately dispatched his first officer to the odious task of conducting a surprise inspection of the base hangar bays, an undertaking that would expend her time quite completely for the next few hours. Unfortunately it would do nothing for her disposition. Nevertheless, Ezra’s autonomy over his command was something she could not disobey if she wanted to remain his first officer for any length of time. Though fuming as she went, Julia had complied with the order and ensured his audience with Inez was conducted in privacy. 

Claire showed Inez into Ezra’s office shortly after all the arrangements had been completed. The arrangements being Julia, who was now on her way to the far side of the base and the activation of the devices installed in the room that would ensure their conversation was not being monitored by any covert means. It was a measure he had been force to adopt prior to Julia’s arrival at the base, since he was painfully aware that her purpose here was as more than just his second in command. Claire who had affiliations with the Rebel Alliance herself, made sure that he was protected from any such implications and Ezra in turn ensured that her loyalties were never questioned. They made a good team and sometimes, Ezra wished he could take her completely into his confidence but knew that was not wise. If either of them were placed under any form of duress, they might unwillingly give each other away. 

Claire showed Inez into his office and then made a discreet exit. The young adjutant had no idea about Inez’s affiliations with the Alliance and Ezra wanted to ensure that state of affairs remained. As far as she was concerned, Inez’s presence in his life was merely romantic. It suited Ezra for her not to know otherwise. Once Claire had departed, Ezra ensured all his security devices were activated before he gestured Inez to sit at the chair he had pulled out for her, in front of his desk. It felt somewhat odd for him not to see her in the reassuring confines of the tavern but he was nevertheless pleased to see her. She was still dressed in the clothes she wore while tending bar so whatever had brought her here, must have been important enough for her to leave the establishment abruptly. 

"What has happened?" He asked immediately, albeit in a low voice. 

"Bucks’ been taken by Jabba the Hutt." Inez answered in turn, keeping her tone just as hushed. 

"The gangster?" Ezra’s brow cocked in surprise. "What interest would Nal Hutta have in a rebel pilot?" 

"According to the Alliance, they want him to fly through the Maw." Inez’s expression shuddered visibly at the thought and the fear in her eyes surfaced despite her best efforts to hide it. She remembered when Buck had undertaken the crossing the first time and never regretted her love for the pilot until then. She had not been able to imagine anyone taking such a ridiculous risk. It was part of the reason why they had went their separate ways. She had been unable to tolerate him taking so many risks with his life especially when he thrived on them.

 "What pray tell is the Maw?" Ezra looked at her, never having heard the term before.

 "I don’t have time to explain it to you now but it’s a treacherous area of space that no one has been able to cross except Buck," Inez explained in one breath. "Mary wants you to rendezvous with a rebel ship within the hour and take command of the Purgatory. She needs you to go after Buck. Chris and the others are on their way to Tatooine."

 His expression became nearly ashen from disbelief. He wondered if they knew what they were asking of him but supposed they did if they were desperate enough to ask. "I do not understand, I thought Buck was kidnapped by Jabba the Hutt. If that is so, he will be on Tatooine."

"They’re not sure." Inez explained, becoming agitated because she was being revisited by old fears, especially about the Maw. She had remembered how uncomfortable Buck had been discussing the place, even after he made it across successfully and became the only pilot who had ever managed the feat. However, he had spoken about it enough for Inez to know that he was terrified of going through the Maw again and anything that frightened Buck was something she ought to fear as well. "Chris thinks he might have been taken to Tatooine but there’s also a possibility that he might be taken straight to the Maw. If he’s in the Maw, you can’t help him but if you can catch him before he gets there…." 

"I see what you mean." Ezra nodded in understanding. It was likely that after Buck had taken his perilous journey through the Maw, Jabba might decide to kill him anyway or worse yet, turn him to the Empire. "Where exactly is this Maw located?"

"Between Yavin and Almania." Inez answered automatically. 

Ezra made a few calculations and came up with a figure immediately. "That is almost a three day round trip."  

"Ezra," Inez implored. "He needs your help." 

"I know," Ezra sighed, aware he could not turn the rebellion down on this matter but the logistics of this were still going to be difficult to work. "He is my friend, I will of course do everything I can."  

Walking over to his desk, he pressed the com unit at the edge of the table and asked Claire to come into the room before facing Inez again. "Is Mary certain she wants me to take charge of the Purgatory?" 

"Yes," Inez nodded. "She was specific about that. Something about you knowing how to get around the Empire if the Hutt has already contacted them about Buck." 

That made sense, Ezra supposed but did not have time to debate the issue any further because Claire entered the office.

"You sent for me?" She asked politely, trying not to seem too interested in what was transpiring between the commander and his lady, even though Claire could not deny her curiosity as they seemed like such an unlikely pair. 

"A situation has arisen." Ezra said firmly. "Miss Inez and I need to take a quick trip off world to tend to some private business."

 "I see," Claire said as a matter of factly. "Shall I make your arrangements for travel?" 

"No," Ezra shook his head immediately. "In fact, I would prefer if the powers that be assume that I am still in the Territory."

Claire met his gaze and began to understand. She shifted her eyes towards Inez for the barest hint of a second before turning to him again. "Our listening post in the Feris sector appears to have developed a down transmitter. They had been out of contact for almost a day." She offered a suggestion after much thought. "I was going to suggest we send out a patrol to investigate since the area is rather remote."

"There is a great deal of rebel activity in that area," Ezra pointed, catching onto the scenario she was offering him. "Perhaps I should investigate myself?" 

"I think so," Claire retorted. "It would be unwise for us to send a task force out there prematurely if there was nothing to report."

"I trust you can take care of the incidentals?" Ezra stared at her, allowing everything that he needed of her conveyed through the unspoken words between them. 

"Yes Sir," she nodded. "If you are to depart, it would be best if you did so immediately, before the inspection of the hangar is completed." She added.

Ezra understood perfectly what she meant. Claire was telling him to leave before Julia came back where his alibi would come under the first officer’s formidable scrutiny. If he wanted to do this thing with the rebellion then now was the time to depart.  

"Yes," he turned to Inez and gestured towards the door. "I think you are right." 

Inez said nothing, deciding that it was best if she commented on the situation as little as possible. Obviously Claire had some idea of what her commander was involved in although she was unaware of how similar the adjutant's situations was to Ezra’s.

 "How long will you be away Sir?" Claire asked as Ezra and Inez proceeded towards the door. 

"Four days at the most." He answered. "Are you able to handle things until then?"

"One way or another I shall manage it Sir." She offered him a little smile of confidence.

"Good," Ezra flashed her a return smile before walking out of the room.

**********

Vin Tanner felt it the moment of he arrived on Tatooine. 

It was like a strobe of light through a thick fog that the former bounty hunter could not help but feel drawn to. Unlike the desolate feeling he had encountered when Vader had pierced through his defences on Zhar, this was a different kind of invasion. This was like being filled with a light so intense and brilliant there was no recourse but to allow oneself to become lost by the pure beauty of it. He had felt many things since becoming a Jedi, some he would never have dreamed when he first realised that the Force was with him. However, all those experiences paled in comparison to this one. If anything strengthened his resolve or brush away the doubts that still lingered in his mind about what business he had being a Jedi in the first place, it was the sensation of that incredible power filling him the moment he stepped onto the baked soil of Tatooine. 

"Is that what I think it is?" Vin asked Chris shortly after their arrival in Mos Eisley. The Tracker and the X wing had entered Tatooine's airspace where the rebel fighter set down on the outskirts of the city, allowing Chris and Mary to board Vin's ship in order to make their arrival into town together. They had left what passed for the main space port in these parts and blended in with the rest of the locals. In Mos Eisley, that was not hard to do. The planet was a veritable mix of different life forms whose paths intersected in a most cosmopolitan surrounding.  

"Yes," Chris nodded, feeling it himself but with a little more restraint that Vin. "It's the boy."

"How strong is he?" Vin whispered as Alex and Mary walked ahead of them attempting to look inconspicuous as they decided their next move.  

"He is Anakin's son." Chris pointed out. "I'm assuming his level of adeptness will be the same." What Chris did not mention that the boy had to be exceptionally gifted because the Force was exuding from him even though the child had little or no control over it.  

Vin could finally understand why Chris had been so adamant about ensuring that there was no rebel or Imperial presence on Tatooine. The child's anonymity was the only thing that was keeping him alive. If Vader ever had reason to come here, Vin shuddered to think what the consequences would be. If an apprentice like him could sense the boy then there was no way Luke Skywalker could hide anything from his father.  

"I had no idea." Vin remarked softly and somewhat in awe. 

"Now you understand," Chris looked at him. "Why he has to be protected at all costs." 

"I do," Vin nodded. "Is your friend here too, the Jedi Master?" 

"Ben's here." Chris answered. "He won't be as easy to find as Luke mostly because he knows how to shield his thoughts. Trust me, if a Jedi Master wants to hide, there's no way in the universe anyone is going to make that different." 

Vin could well believe it. "Well let's stick to why we came here then." 

"Good idea." Chris nodded. "How do we get to Jabba?" 

"Well he has a fortress on the Dune Sea. It's not all that far from the Pit of Karkoon." Vin answered after a moment. 

"The Pit of what?" Mary asked as she and Alex paused and waited for the two men to catch up. 

"Karkoon." Vin replied as a matter of factly. "Problem is not where he is, but how we are getting to him. There's a reason why they call it a fortress."  

"Can't you get us in?" Alex asked.

"Jabba's extremely suspicious," the apprentice answered after a moment's consideration. "The Hutts are always killing each other, jockeying for position so he's very well protected. Surrounds himself with Gammoreans and anything kind of hired help than don't mind killing and are good at it." 

"Sounds charming." Mary grumbled. "If we go in there with a full frontal assault so to speak, we're going to get Buck killed." She pointed out.

 "She's right." Chris nodded. "Somehow, we're gong to have to get in quiet." 

"I can get in there without any trouble," Vin confessed and then turned his eyes at both Alex and Mary with a predatory smile that sent shivers up both of their spines. 

"Why are you looking at us that way/" Alex asked suspiciously. 

"I got an idea of how I can smuggle Alex and Mary in." Vin replied, that smile becoming a full-blown smirk, particularly when it was directed at Alex. 

Judging by the look on his face, Chris did not need his Jedi senses to know that it was a method that neither woman would find particularly palatable. "Go on." 

"I would have to bring him a gift." Vin cleared his throat and dropped his gaze to his feet momentarily before adding further. "Actually two gifts." 

"Oh no," Mary started to protest. "Don't even think about it!" 

"Is this really a plan or some misogynistic fantasy of yours?" Alex demanded angrily. "Because you can just forget it right now!"

"It's the only way!" Vin exclaimed in desperation, his earlier amusement subsiding now that the idea was out there for all too see and not being received with much favour. Unfortunately, it was the only plan he could think of and thus their only option. "He likes women! Pretty ones. Especially, those who ain't got a lot on!"

"Vin," Mary said firmly. "I am not going to be presented to a Hutt as a gift!"  

"It won't be for long." He returned. "I mean if you want to get inside Jabba's palace that's the only way. As it is I have no idea how Chris is going to be able to manage it. I've known Jabba. Hell I've even worked for him but he still doesn't even trust me enough to let me bring all of you in!" 

"I can get in on my own," Chris said confidently before turning to Mary. "You said you wanted to help. If this is the only way in, we don't have much of a choice." 

"Damn!" Mary swore again, turning away. "Are you telling me that I'm going to have to do this? Wear a slave girl's outfit and prance in front of that that oversized slug!" 

"Don't forget oversized drooling slug." Alex pointed out. 

"Well thank you for that necessary observation," Mary glared at her friend.  

"What are you mad at me for?" Alex retorted. "I have to wear the same stupid outfit and I'm as out of practice at prancing as you are. Just be grateful that he's incapable of doing anything else but look." 

"What do you mean....." Mary trailed off before wrinkling her nose in disgust. "That's appalling! You just had to put that picture in my head didn't you?"

"Actually," Vin cleared his throat again. "What Jabba lacks in anatomy, he tries to make up for....."

"Vin," Chris spoke up before the apprentice could finish his sentence. "We don't need that much detail." 

"If I end up having to defend my virtue against a Hutt," Mary turned on Vin. "You will never live to become a JEDI!" She hissed.

"What she said." Alex added sweetly.

Vin suddenly had a feeling this was going to be a really long day.

***********

The trip through hyperspace was normally a period of inactivity that Buck Wilmington loathed because there was little he could do but wait until his ship had passed through the dimensional realm that allowed for faster than light travel. However, on this occasion, Buck felt grateful for the prolongation of his stay in hyperspace, mostly because it would delay his inevitable arrival at the Maw. For a man unaccustomed to fear, the Maw terrified him beyond belief mostly because to him it was no legend, no figment of someone's fanciful imagination. The Maw real and its reality was far worse than anyone's nightmares.

Perhaps the most disconcerting about a black hole was the fact that beyond the swirling masses of the event horizon was an area of space that was so black that it seemed not like the entrance to a singularity but a gateway to some dark hell. Certainly Buck felt that way when he first made the journey through it. It had been the only time in his life where he had been afraid of being inside that cockpit and it was a feeling that he never wanted to feel again. It froze the insides of his soul to think that he would ever be afraid of flying unfettered in the sky. As a child, he knew instantly that he belonged there and through the space that was his playground, he would always be free. To feel chained by something one loved so much was a terrible thing indeed and those were just one of the terrors he had faced that fateful trip. 

"You sure you boys are ready for this?" Buck asked as he sat in the pilot's seat, ruminating on the Maw and its effect upon his life. He had lost Inez because of this spacial monstrosity and though he was forever recognized as the man, who crossed the Maw, all he could think about was the loss of the only woman who had ever meant more to him than his sainted mother.  

"I think you talk big Weelmington." Nardo declared from the co-pilots seat. "I think the Maw is nothing and that you make it out to be so terrible to keep the rest of us from trying." 

"Fine," Buck snorted in disgust and removed his hands from the controls. "Why don't you fly her then? When we come out of hyperspace and you'll know it when we do, you can take the controls." He challenged the Rodian with every intention of letting the fool try. 

"I am not the one whose pup Jabba is warming for the Sarlaac's belly." Nardo hissed with a malevolent smile. 

"Jabba ain't as dumb as you." Buck retorted. "He can't get his payoff unless I make it through and if I even think that JD is dead. I'll fly the Rogue straight into hell and take his goddamn cargo with me."

"Enough." Selkik grunted in annoyance. "Jabba will honour his agreement if you honour yours." The Gammorrean looked at Nardo, defying him to say anything further to aggravate their pilot, especially when they were so close to the Maw. "Now you will concentrate on getting us there." He ordered. 

Buck started to smile. "Ain't no reason to concentrate," he said smoothly and eased back into the captain's seat. "The Maw will tear you out of hyperspace. You see, the gravitational fields from those super black holes are like nothing you can possibly imagine. They destabilize hyperspace. It's like trying to hold a bubble together in water during a typhoon. It's just not possible. The Rogue will come out of it alright, pulled out of hyperspace like a screaming baby from its mama. Once we're out, you don't see anything except swirls of white, moving round and round. For a few seconds, it almost looks pretty until you stare into its dark eyes and see nothing there. You know what's worse than the most terrible thing you can imagine? Nothing. That's what you see in the eye of a black hole, nothing. It almost feels like it ain't got no soul, which of course it doesn't. It just looks back at you and tries to draw you in. If you caught, you won't even know it. You think you're getting away and sometimes, when time stretches it almost feel like you have until you realise that you're being pulled into a singularity, atom by atom." 

"Shut up!" Nardo broke first. "You are just trying to frighten us." 

"No I'm not Nardo," Buck said seriously. "You want to come with me into the Maw, then that's what you're going to be risking." However, the devil in Buck Wilmington could not resist adding with a wicked smile. "I just thought you ought to know."

CHAPTER EIGHT

"I can’t believe I’m wearing this thing." Mary Travis grumbled as she sat in the back of the land speeder as the terrestrial vehicle took them through the Dune Sea towards Jabba’s fortress. It was bad enough that the heat on this world with its twins suns was hellish to say the least, but to be wearing this outfit made of leather and string was beyond humiliating. 

"I think you look great." Vin looked over his shoulder and smiled. In truth, both she and Alex looked extremely delectable although he was not about to make any more specific observation about Mary when Chris was around.

 "From the voice of morons." Alex grumbled, similarly disgruntled at the scanty garments she was forced to wear. She stared down at her exposed cleavage and felt another need to pull the material up in order to cover herself further.  

"Be nice," Vin met her eyes with a wicked smile. "Or I’ll tell Jabba you have a thing for Hutts." 

Alex glared back at her and said sweetly, "do that and Jabba won’t the only one who lacks the anatomy to deal with human females."

 "Ouch." He chuckled obviously enjoying her discomfiture.

 "You’re having way too much fun with this." Chris gave him a look from where he was seated in the back with Mary.

At present, they were travelling at high speed over the Dune Sea, an area of Tatooine known to be inhabited by the Sand People. Chris felt a little uneasy because it also the residence of Ben Kenobi but shrugged off the concern because the Dune Sea was almost thousands of miles of open desert and the chances of their confrontation with Jabba the Hutt spilling over into Ben’s location was remote. Chris could tell that despite Vin’s jokes at the expense of the ladies, the former bounty hunter was being visited by images of home. This was after all, the world where he had been born a slave, the world he had been forced to escape in order to know any taste of freedom. Chris saw the parched desert sands running as far as the eye could see and thought how different from Corellia this was and could not imagine anyone growing up in such a harsh place. However, Vin’s hardiness had everything to do with the fact that he had been a native of this planet. Growing up in an environment like this tended t o make a man tough and Vin had grown up under the tutelage of the Sand People, Tatooine's most resilient folk and had survived his slavery learning their ways.

"Nothing about Tatooine is fun." Vin remarked quietly as he drove the land speeder over the endless crests of dunes that seemed to be ahead of them.  

"You were born here weren’t you?" Mary asked recalling something about Tatooine being in Vin’s past.

"Yes I was," Vin answered, allowing his gaze to sweep across the horizon in the direction of the moisture farm he could not see from here but had been the place where he and his mother had lived. It had been months since he had been back to Tatooine but Vin could not help thinking if his father had been from here too. Since meeting Chris and discovering the Force inside of him, Vin wondered if Chris was right; that perhaps his father had been a Jedi. One of these days, he was going to have to make a serious effort to find out although the trail to begin was almost non-existent.

Alex could tell that Vin was uncomfortable about speaking about so personal a subject and surprised herself at her empathy with his feelings. "So what happens when we get to Jabba’s palace?" She asked, in an effort to change the subject.

Vin glanced at her briefly, sensing the real reason for her question and allowed a faint smile to cross his lips. This was one meant for her specifically, devoid of cockiness and humour but something that came from the heart and had more power to move her than she had thought possibly. She turned away; feeling slightly embarrassed at having been caught out.

"Well once we get to the security perimeter we’ll go according to plan and let Chris out. It’s about a mile or two to the fortress so you should be able to make it in good time once I’ve found JD." Vin replied looking at Chris.

"The kid’s there." Chris said firmly. "Now that we’re closer, I can feel him."

"What about Buck?" Mary asked automatically. "Can you sense him?"

A visible frown crossed over the Jedi’s face and he shook his head slowly. "I don’t sense anything from Buck. Not a goddamn thing." All he could sense was this empty void where Buck should be. It was almost as if that whatever surrounded Buck was not of the galaxy but seemed to exist a part it because it was beyond the power of the Force. In all his life, Chris had never sensed anything like it and his reason for finding Buck other than the obvious was to learn what was the nature of this mysterious void. Was it a weapon to use against Jedis? A new toy that Palpatine had fashioned to continue his war against the Jedi. Chris did not know for certain but he could not deny that it frightened him a little.

"I’m sure he’s alive." Alex declared optimistically. Alex did not know the young man very well but was aware that he was something of a favourite among the six men that made up the Magnificent Seven as Mary secretly called them. "If Casey is right, getting into more trouble than he’s worth." She added, recalling what Casey had said to her prior to their departure from the rebel base.

"I suppose if they wanted Buck to cooperate with them, taking JD would make sense." Mary mused as she considered what the young man was doing on Tatooine. "I mean what else would make Buck agree to fly the Maw if he barely made it through the first time."

"She’s right." Vin agreed. "It would explain why Dengar took off in his own ship and Buck took of in the Rogue. He probably delivered JD to Jabba for safe keeping so that Buck would do as he was told. Its sounds like Jabba’s style alright," Vin added with a hint of distaste.

It would also explain why he could sense JD and not Buck, Chris thought silently to himself. Even now, he could feel the young man’s presence in the Force. Earlier on, it had been difficult to detect because of his proximity to JD and the lack of any long established link between them that allowed for easy detection. While Chris could not pinpoint exactly where JD was, he knew they were getting close to his present location. Buck was an entirely different situation. Other than the factual data of knowing that he was needed to fly through the Maw, Chris had no sense of him as at all.

"Did you work for him long?" Mary asked as she brushed a loose strand of gold hair from her face. Her hair was bound into a thin braid that spilled over her bare shoulders.

Despite all his efforts not to, Chris could not help but admire how lovely Mary looked in her rather scandalous clothes. The outfit had been designed to show every bit of curve she possessed and to its credit, Chris had to confess that she looked utterly spectacular. From the way the material seemed to cling to her slender form, to the way the slit on either side of her revealed, long, supple legs, it was enough to shake the resolve of even the most disciplined Jedi Knight. It was hard to picture her as the responsible rebel leader when once saw her like this. At the moment, she seemed more comfortable lounging about in one of those luxurious pleasure resorts that were prevalent in the core systems. He also found himself thinking in very un-Jedi like fashion that if Jabba the Hutt laid one slimy finger on her, it would be the last thing the Hutt would ever do in his life once Chris was through with him. Chris did not want to admit to being possessive or territorial for that matter but a lad y of her standing deserved to be treated with respect and while the situation required her to carrying this façade of playing the slave girl, Chris did not like it any better than she did.

She was simply too good for it.

"I worked for him on an off for a couple years," Vin replied. "He was one of my first few clients after I gave up playing bodyguard."

"You played bodyguard?" Alex stared at him. That part of Vin’s history was unknown to her since his reputation was mostly based on his career as a bounty hunter.

"For a while," Vin replied shortly. "It didn’t work out too well so I gave it up." 

Chris turned to Vin at that statement, sensing something veiled behind those few words. The apprentice was keeping his inner shields firmly in place in regards to that subject and Chris had too much respect for his privacy to delve further into what the younger man was hiding.  

He supposed that like everyone, Vin was entitled to his secrets. 

***********

Ezra Standish wanted to know what the hell he was doing on the bridge of a rebel ship in command. 

When Inez had made the request of him, Ezra had not even needed to think twice. Buck was in trouble and he needed help, Ezra had not thought beyond that. Obviously Ezra could not conduct any search through Imperial channels without compromising himself thus the provision of the Purgatory at the time had seemed like a sensible idea. However now that he was here, seated in the chair normally taken up by Mary Travis, Ezra decided that perhaps he ought to have given this more thought before assuming command. While the rebels around him understood that he was someone to be trusted, they could not get past the fact that he was not exactly a member of the Alliance and when he left the bridge of this vessel, it would be to assume command of an Imperial Command. 

Fortunately, the first officer of the vessel, Lieutenant Commander Chano was well aware of who Ezra was even if he did not make that revelation known to his wife who was Ezra’s own adjutant. When Chano had learned that Claire Moselley was not brought into Ezra’s confidence regarding his rebel sympathies, Chano had chose not to tell Claire about it as well. Obviously Ezra had his reasons and Chano guessed that it might have to do with his wife’s protection as well as Ezra’s own. As far as Chano was concerned, if Mary trusted her ship to Ezra then that alone was good enough for him. So far, the man had made no ill decisions and had taken Chano’s opinions in good stead. He displayed all the earmarks of a good commander and Chano was convinced Mary had done right entrusting the Purgatory to Ezra. 

Inez had opted not to follow Ezra onto the Purgatory and they had parted company shortly after she had brought him details of the rendezvous he would have to make with a rebel shuttle in order to be taken to the Purgatory. Ezra noted her worry for Buck and could not help feel a tinge of jealousy at the possibility that her feelings for her ex-husband might be deeper than she let on.  

"Does the data base have anything on the Maw?" Ezra asked following their jump into hyperspace. 

It would take several hours to reach the stretch of space where the Maw was supposed to be. Ezra knew if that had been Buck’s original destination when he had blasted off Gammorr using those tell tale registration codes then their hopes of catching up to him were next to impossible. Even as they travelled to the wilderness between Almania and Yavin, the reality of the situation was that the Rogue could already be battling the Maw. What made the whole thing worse was if that were indeed the case, Ezra could do nothing to help Buck until he crossed the treacherous terrain.  

"Not really." Chano answered. "My grandfather used to say that it was the gateway to hell." 

"Not entirely an inaccurate description." Ezra remarked with a smile. Chano had made some mention of his grandfather being and ore captain in his day. It appeared that like most spacers, Chano’s grandfather had his own theories as to what the Maw was. "A cluster of super black holes can be considered that if one is unfortunate to wander into its path."

"It’s going to disrupt sensors severely." Chano said grimly. "Its will be difficult to locate Captain Wilmington if he’s already in the Maw." 

"I believe he already is," Ezra returned without hesitation. "He had a head start on us and if he is under coercion to enter the Maw, I find it very unlikely if he has not already arrived there." 

"So what are we going to do?" Chano stared at Ezra, unhappy to think that they would be completely helpless when they finally arrived at their destination. 

"The only thing we can do," Ezra glanced at him. "Wait." 

"Wait?" One of the junior officers on the bridge blurted out. "What about the Captain?’ 

Chano glared furiously at whomever had spoken and identified immediately a furry Bothan with the bad habit of speaking out of turn. The first officers turned to the navigation officer with a scowl because Mary would not be treated with such insubordination and Ezra should not have to put up with it either. "Ensign, we are well aware of the Captain’s situation without requiring your input." Chano said sharply, already writing that reprimand in his head.

"The ensign’s question is noted," Ezra spoke up smoothly, grateful for Chano’s annoyance for his sake. However, Ezra could appreciate how the crew of the Purgatory looked upon him with suspicion and Buck Wilmington had legendary status among the rebel junior officers who were well aware of the man’s skill as a pilot. Turning his direction to the Bothan, Ezra met the young officer’s gaze and explained himself, aware that he was not required to but hoping the gesture would mean something to the others on the bridge who had doubts about him.

"A ship the size of Purgatory does not have the manoeuvring capability to survive the Maw. If what I was told about the area is accurate, the intense gravitational forces would tear us apart if we made any attempt to retrieve Captain Wilmington. In truth, he would have better chance of navigating the Maw than we would. I also have no intention of risking almost a thousand people on this ship to rescue one man. No matter how valuable that man might be, I am sure Commander Travis would agree with me if she were here. Our mission is to assist the Captain once he makes it through the Maw. With Nal Hutta being involved, there is a chance that once the Captain makes the trip to the Maw, those who have coerced him into this situation may no longer have any need for him. They may choose to dispose of him and take his ship. We will be on hand to ensure that does not happen." 

"Does that satisfy your curiosity, ensign?" Chano asked the navigator with an icy edge to his voice. 

The Bothan swallowed thickly and answered. "Yes Sir." 

"Good," the first officer retorted, his voice dripping with promise that when this trip was over they were going to have a private discussion about this matter.  

Ezra saw the slight prickle in the Bothan’s fur and was glad that he was not on the receiving end of that irate voice. The Imperial officer had no doubt that while Mary sometimes came on board and took charge of the Purgatory, it was Chano that ensured that everyone and everything on it ran smoothly for her to perform her feat of devilry on the Imperial fleet. With a smile, he realized that Chanos’ wife Claire, played the same role for him on the Cordoba base and could see why they were so well suited. 

"You always run such a tight ship Commander?" Ezra asked with the faint hint of a smile. 

"I have to keep things from falling apart around the center seat don’t I?" Chano returned just as jokingly. 

Ezra would only offer him a sidelong glance before remarking. "I see where Claire gets it from."

*******

The wind rushed at JD as he forced the pod through the narrow valley that made up part of the racing course. Flanking him on either side were the jagged edges of the valley walls threatening to tear him and his vessel apart if he made one error in judgment. The young pilot banked hard, narrowly avoiding a protrusion of rock that seemed to come out of nowhere as he turned the corner, gliding effortless over the obstruction and then through the eroded pathway out of the treacherous enclosure of rock and sand. JD could feel grains of sand ingrained in his skin as the powerful engines of the pod racer blew dirt in all directions. He could feel his face burn from the feel of sand rubbing his skin raw and was glad that his eyes were protected for the gust of sand and heat would have surely blinded him otherwise.  

It was almost the best time he had ever had in his life.

The pod was a dream to fly. The Twileki mechanic who had built and designed her was in JD’s opinion the best pod man he had ever seen for this vehicle was not just a racer, it was a thing of beauty. If anything reminded him of what it was he had abandoned when he had decided to join the rebellion, it was being in this small craft, ripping through the landscape, challenging fate and sense as he sped through course at speeds no human ought to be travelling on land. He was almost euphoric as he guided the pod through the racing course that he would be required to race for real in a day or so. Initially, this had been a bid for escape but now JD was having so much fun he almost forgot all about that.  

When he had met the Hutt, the Twileki had spoken on his behalf as promised when JD first encountered him and beseech the gang lord that the human was capable of winning him the pod racing championship about to take place only two days away. Jabba had not been that impressed with him but was willing to give it a chance for the prestige of winning the race. He had JD fitted with a tracer, a device won around the wrist that would automatically detect JD wherever he was and if where he was happen to be anywhere he was not supposed to be, the tracer also had the ability to discharge enough energy to kill him. JD had studied the object in private and was certain that he could disarm it if necessary but first he had to bide his time and wait for the opportune moment. The opportune moment, he had decided would be during the race.

Sooner than he would have like the treacherous terrain dissolved around him and JD found himself in open and flat country ounce again. Beyond the laborious canyons where most of the race would be run tomorrow was nothing more than flat craggy terrain, covered in sand and rock. It did not take him long to see the small party of Jabba's employees for waiting for his return. If it were not for this stupid tracer around his wrist, he would have kept going and left that far behind. Certainly none of their land speeders could keep up with the pod if he were to escape. Unfortunately, for the moment, he would just have to tolerate being in their company for a while longer and began slowing the pod to a crawl as he approached them. 

JD climbed out of the pod and was immediately greeted by Orran Kah, the Twileki who had pinned his hopes of victory at the race tomorrow. JD had wondered whether or not Kah would be willing to help him escape but decided against making the inquiry. Besides, if what he heard about Jabba was true, the consequences to Kah if he should help JD escape would be fatal to say the least and JD was not prepared to sacrifice someone else's life for his own.

"Not bad for a human." Kah declared when JD pulled of his goggles and climbed out of the pod's cockpit. 

JD could tell that despite that understated compliment the Twileki was very impressed. However, JD noticed that none of these non-humans seemed to think that humans were capable of anything lately. He had a feeling that much of this sentiment was due to the backlash from Palpatine's segregation policy. During his one evening in Jabba's throne room, he had heard the discussion between the Hutt and his employees about the segregation policy and how quickly it was spreading throughout the quadrant. While the Hutt himself seemed relatively concerned, JD noted that the same could not be said of the aliens who frequented Jabba's court.

"That's what you say." JD replied cockily. "I saw my time on the chronometer, I was 2 seconds faster than the winner in the last race."

"There's a difference between running the course alone and doing it with others." Kah retorted, not about to concede that the human was promising enough to win the race tomorrow despite all evidence to the contrary.

"He did good Kah." Dengar rumbled next to him. Although the tracer that JD wore ensured he could not escape, Jabba had nonetheless assigned Dengar to watch him in case he made any foolhardy attempts during this training run through the course. "Better than the last winner I might add."

"Who was this guy?" JD asked.

"Don't remember," Dengar met JD's gaze with a little smile. "The only reason he won was because he was the last one to crash."

"You're kidding." JD asked, certain the man was attempting to frighten him but when he turned to the Twileki and saw the man stroking his leku, the appendages that grew from his head rather nervously, JD realised that it was the truth.

"How often does anyone finish the race?" JD demanded, starting to get a very bad feeling about this whole thing.

 "Does it matter?" Dengar replied. "If you finish the race, you can give yourself a few days before Jabba decides to kill you and if you die on the track, it works out just the same."

JD let out a deep sigh and looked at his tracer, reminding himself he had better think of some way to get the accursed thing off his arm before tomorrow because this deal with Jabba was getting worse by the minute.

CHAPTER NINE

Buck knew it the minute they entered the Maw. 

Actually, in all truth they all came to the realization at more or less the same instant. The ship shuddered violently whilst travelling in hyperspace and Buck who had been keeping a vigil inside his cockpit immediately began shouting at his passengers to fasten themselves into their seats. Nardo, determine to posture to the very last struggled into the compartment that was the brain center of the Rogue and took the co-pilot’s seat, an act with incensed Buck to no end. Unfortunately, kicking the Rodian out of the seat customarily reserved for JD would have to wait. Right now, they had bigger problems to contend with.  

"What’s happening?" Nardo demanded. 

"We’re being pulled out of hyperspace." Buck retorted, his hand flying furiously over the controls of his craft as he responded.  

The evidence of his claim was apparent because through the cockpit window, the sparkle of the iridescent interdimensional nexus was starting to dissipate like a gale breaking up a particularly persistence gathering of cumulous clouds. Hyperspace was dissolving around them and the instruments revealed that varying degrees of intense radiation was bombarding the ship. Buck had been prepared for this ever since they had begun the journey to the Maw. While he loathed being in this situation again, he was not about to let the Maw claim him like it had tried all those years ago, even if it meant taking Nardo and Selkik with him. 

Emergency klaxons began screaming throughout the length and breadth of the ship mostly and every piece of equipment whose purpose was to inform the pilot of a problem was sounding their alert as well. The sound of structural bombardment could be heard by the heaving of metal as it was plied with forces it could not possibly withstand for too long a time. The ship rocked dangerously as its ability to maintain course became seriously impaired by the tremendous pull of the multiple black holes beyond its hull. The computer repeated its warnings in a calm and serene monotone, a stark contrast to the pandemonium that was taking place inside the ship. 

Suddenly, the Rogue lunged forward in a power burst of speed before slowing again. Around the freighter, the last vestiges of hyperspace dissipated into nothingness and the travellers found themselves in normal space. Stars revealed their sparkling gaze in the indigo sky but for once their brilliance was overshadowed by the awe-inspiring magnificence of the Maw. It was like watching a dozen whirlpools painted onto the canvas of space, currents of event horizons swirled around in continuous circular patterns while at the heart of each one was a single black eye staring back at them indifferently. One could almost be forgiven for being lost in the beauty of what was before them if not for the knowledge that each of those dark eyes staring at them was death in the most lingering manner possible. 

Buck had already seen the sights in the Maw. When he had first made the Maw Run, he had observed in silent awe as Nardo was doing and undoubtedly Selkik too, from wherever in the Rogue he was presently seated. However, the beauty of the place was fleeting because it was soon replace by the danger as gravitational forces began to exert themselves and the cluster began stripping the hull from the superstructure of the ship like an onion being peeled back, layer at a time. Buck had already pre-programmed the navigational computer to take control of the guidance system because only automation could safely navigate the tremendous forced tugging at the ship without pulling her apart completely. Buck’s main purpose was to maintain his ship on that course because the external forces beyond the ship could easily drag it from its path if there was not a human agent at the controls. Either way, they still had a fifty-fifty chance of getting out of the Maw alive.  

"Is this what it was like Weelmington?" Nardo asked, trying not to appear afraid even though it was apparent to Buck that he was quite apprehensive indeed. The tapir like snout of his face twitched intermittently, a clear sign of agitation for a Rodian.  

"No," Buck shook his head; his hands fixed firmly on the controls. "It was worse. Smaller ship gets tossed around easily. The best way to manoeuvre in this place is to get yourself a ship that isn’t too big to move around or too small that its going to get caught easily in the gravity wells." 

"How long will it take us to get across?" Nardo stared at him. 

"In normal space? Ten hours." Buck answered automatically, having done all the calculations prior to coming here. 

"Ten hours?" Nardo exclaimed, his dark eyes sweeping across the cockpit, as if he could see the perilous tides tearing at the ship mercilessly. "We will be destroyed in ten hours." 

Buck turned to him sharply and said with a smile. "Well you wanted to cross the Maw." The pilot hissed. "I warned all of you what it was going to be like but you just had to take JD and force me to it didn’t you? I guess you got more than you bargained for on this trip."

"You’ll get more than you bargained for if you do not shut up!" Nardo shouted, the fear making short work of his temper. He drew his gun and pointed it at Buck.  

Buck stared at the barrel of the gun for a millisecond of time before he started chuckling, not at all intimidated by the Rodian’s threat. "Sure," he said cockily as he faced front again. "Shoot me Nardo. Kill me right here and now and then bend over and kiss your ass goodbye because you’re not getting out of here alive if I ain’t flying this ship."

"Do not be so confident Weelmington," Nardo hissed but clearly, he was in a corner and he knew it. "I could fly this ship of yours."

"You sure about that?" Buck asked, not looking at Nardo because he already had his answer. "You sure you can fly this crate through all that hell outside? If you think you can, then go ahead, pull the trigger." 

Nardo stood there for a moment, trying to decide as if there were really any choice in the matter. Buck knew that he would lower the gun soon enough but the Rodian’s arrogant manner would pretend as if he were actually considering the idea. Nardo glanced briefly through the cockpit window again at the chaos beyond before he turned back to Buck again. "I will let you live for now Weelmington," Nardo responded, trying not to sound as impotent as he appeared. "But there will be a time when it will be my pleasure to kill you and your little pup." 

Buck bristled at the reference to JD but reminded himself that he had taken action on JD’s behalf. Hopefully, the Imperial network would pick up his departure from Gammorr and Ezra would be notified of the situation. Once that happened, Buck could be assured that Ezra would get in contact with the Alliance who would in turn go to Gammorr and investigate for themselves. With any luck, it might even be Chris who came after him. This would not be so unpalatable if Buck could simply understand what the purpose of all this was. Why go through the Maw to ferry a crate full of furry creatures that had no value except as pets? It made no sense.

Why would an Imperial Grand Admiral expend his time in such an endeavour in the first place, to risk going to a gangster like Jabba the Hutt for help? The more he tried to figure it out, the more confusing it got until Buck started to think that perhaps there was no discernible pattern at all and the Admiral was almost as bad an instrument of chaos as the Maw he had sent Buck too. 

Or perhaps, this was never about the Maw at all but something else entirely. 

**********

The security devices that Vin referred to were hardly noticeable until one arrived at huge metal door at the base of Jabba’s palace. Upon first sight, Jabba’s palace did not appear so much as palatial as it did a temple of worship, although what the Bomarr Monks practiced could hardly be called a religion. However, the edifice they had erected to be the center of their religion was quite impressive indeed. The structure had obviously been built to accommodate the barbarity of the worst sandstorms that made up Tatooine’s harsh climate. There was an earthy feel to the place and the circular shaped walls of sand stone allowed the fortress to blend into the backdrop of the vast desert landscape.  

Unlike its palatial surroundings, the main entrance was hardly ostentatious. It was little more than a heavy slab of iron but was nevertheless most formidable when employed in the process of keeping people out. It would take a whole day to cut through it and blasting it would require more explosives than worth the trouble. Not that any one would want to invade a Hutt’s palace anyway. Even if Jabba were killed, the Hutt clan who spawned him would no doubt send killers from Nal Hutta to exact revenge for his death. 

The land speeder was allowed to approach the huge doors and Vin told Mary and Alex, shortly after they had deposited Chris at the perimeter of the sensor grid, that it was most likely that Jabba’s security people had identified him. When they neared the foot of the doors, a slot in the corner of the door suddenly slid open and allowed the circular head of a inquiry drone to emerge. Little more than a sphere of collared lights attached to a thin metal case containing its circuitry, the drone spoke in spurts of static and words.

"Tell Jabba its Vin Tanner." Vin said coolly, with every expectation to be let in. 

The drone seemed to think otherwise and babbled electronically again in its peculiar language. 

"These girls are gifts for Jabba," Vin responded to the drone’s query about his female companions. "I just picked them up cheap from Bespin. I thought his Excellency would enjoy them." He stretched out an arm and slid it over Alex’s bare shoulders before speaking again. "This one," he threw Alex a wolfish grin, "is quite a spitfire." 

Mary rolled her eyes and Alex groaned in disgust, engendering a chuckle from Vin as he turned back to the probe once again, awaiting its decision to allow him entrance. The probe deliberated for a moment before abruptly disappearing into its slot once again. The minute it disappeared, Alex turned over to Vin and swatted him on the side of the head gently.

"Dream on." She said sarcastically. "That’s the closest you’ll ever get to that ever happening." 

"Okay," Mary interjected quickly before the duo began arguing again. This outfit was way too uncomfortable, the heat too unbearable for her to have to tolerate their bickering as well. "Let’s just get inside. You two can continue the foreplay later." 

"Hey!" Alex cried out. "Take that back." She glared at Mary playfully. 

"Or what?" Mary asked with a raised brow. 

"Or I’ll tell him what you did with that bottle of Rylothian syrup, that warrant officer and the bathtub." Alex threatened her with a wink.  

"Oh I have to hear this," Vin joked looking over his shoulder unable to believe that prim and proper Commander Travis could be engaged in something so salacious but then he has also heard about Chris and the four girls on Coruscant so nothing surprised him these days. 

"Not if you want to live," the rebel leader said dryly. "And you," she turned to her oldest friend. "Did you have to tell him that story?"  

"As your best friend, of course." Alex replied with a perfectly unrepentant expression on her face that did not surprise Mary in the least. It was nice though, to have someone around who did not see her merely as Commander Travis but rather as Mary. It made her somewhat sad to know that Alex would soon be returning to her covert activities.  

Mary’s attempt to respond to Alex’s mischief came to an abrupt halt when the activation of large machinery shattered the silence of the desert afternoon. Heavy grinding sounds were heard emanating through the walls of the structure when the doors before them began raising itself from the ground. Only until it lifted itself above their eye line did the new arrivals capture a glimpse of how dense the door actually had been and how formidable it would be if they had been required to breach it by force. Beyond the door there was only darkness with the light from the outside world creating dark silhouettes as Vin directed the speeder into the breach that had opened for them. 

"I guess we’re in." Mary mused quietly as the speeder glided into the darkness. 

"I’m still trying to decide if this is a good thing or not." Alex muttered, less than optimistically. 

Vin could not blame them. He had no idea what rumours might have reached Jabba in regards to his affiliations these days. He seriously doubted he would be welcomed if Jabba knew he was a Jedi Knight and was glad he kept his sabre hidden underneath his clothes. As they entered the stygian confines of the fortress, Vin brought the speeder to a halt in the underground compound. The dark silhouettes that they had seen earlier were mostly remnants of old druids, vehicle parts scavenged and other assortments of machinery. At the corner of the large room, a door slid open and a troop of Gammorrean guards marched towards the speeder. 

"They’re here to take us to Jabba," Vin explained as the guards made brisk pace towards them. "When you see him, don’t say much. Jabba likes his women but he also has a quick temper and doesn’t mind killing people just for the amusement and always address him as Your Excellency." 

"You’re joking." Alex whispered in disbelief at the arrogance.  

"Believe it." Vin retorted. "He’s killed people for less."

Mary did not doubt it. If half the stories about Jabba the Hutt were true, they had to tread very quickly if they wanted to make it out of here alive. She was not at all happy about placing herself in the power of the gangster. A lot depended on Jabba assuming that she was just a slave girl from Bespin. If he were for a moment to discover who she was, the trouble that JD and Buck were in would be minute in comparison. It made her extremely glad to know that they had a back up plan in case their attempts to locate JD went askew. As she saw the Gammorreans reached the speeder, Mary looked over her shoulder and gazed longingly at the outside world disappearing beneath the lowering door and hoped that somewhere out there, Chris was watching.  

**********

A strange thing happened to Chris Larabee on his way to Jabba’s palace. 

He had been continuing the trek across the desert, following his penetration of Jabba’s defensive perimeter making good time towards the Hutt’s palace when suddenly out in the middle of this barren wilderness, he felt himself nearing what appeared to be a life form. It was a single consciousness, alone in the desert, which quickly omitted the possibility that it could be one of the indigenous Sand People that Vin told about. The Sand People travelled in packs and to find one alone was rare unless it was in trouble. The mind was hungry and it was alone and its state was so primitive that Chris assumed that it must be in dire straits indeed. He could not tell if it was sentient or not because the famine it felt was great that it made intelligible thought impossible to make out. However, it was obvious the creature was in some need.

Chris let the Force guide him forward, even though he was required elsewhere and could ill afford to be distracted. However, the life form’s proximity indicated he would still be journey towards Jabba’s palace when he encountered it. He could feel the strength of its life as he neared the creature, crossing rocks and sand in order to reach it. In the distance, he could see the barest hint of shape that was Jabba’s palace. The creature was close. He could feel it. Chris was about to peak over the crest of a sand dune when suddenly something slid out of nowhere and wrapped itself around his foot. It happened so fast that Chris barely had time to register its presence until he felt his legs pulled out from under him. He cried out indignantly as he hit the sand and became conscious that he was being dragged forward.

Chris had presence of mind to reach for his light sabre and immediately felt the life force’s thoughts becoming urgent. He tried sitting up but the slithery tentacle wrapped firmly around his foot would not give him leverage enough to do so. He had almost resolved himself to wait until he was in a better position to attack when suddenly he was sliding down an incline and with a realization of horror, decided that he was out of time. He had no idea was it was but there was no doubt in his mind as he slid towards what appeared to be a mouth full of lengthy teeth gasping for air through the sand and a meal, that was the life form he had sensed.  

The life form that was hungry.  

The blade came to life in his hands and the incline gave him enough leverage to swing the beam of energy towards the tentacle that had him in its clutches. Chris could see the edge of its mouth coming terribly close to him and Chris had firmly decided he was not cutting its way out of the creature’s innards. The lightsabre sliced through the tentacle easily. The mouth did not squeal or make any sound of pain but the spasmodic shudder that ran through it and the attached part of the severed tentacle flayed wildly in an expression of agony. Chris kicked the remains around his ankle away and scrambled up the side of the pit that the creature had taken up residence. The pain the creature had suffered was screaming through his mind and though Chris hated to deal so harshly with any creature that was merely following its natural impulses to feed, he was glad its pain was preventing it from trying to recapture him. 

Chris reached the top of the pit and saw the creatures other tentacles inching out of the gaping mouth, attempting to recapture the meal that was lost now that the pain had subsided. Instead of giving it a target to seek, the Jedi hurried away, continuing the journey towards Jabba’s palace where his companions were awaiting him.

"Next time Larabee," Chris told himself as he put more distance between himself and the mysterious beast, "a little less curiosity." 

*************

Aside from being known as a ruthless intergalactic gang lord who killed without discrimination or conscience Jabba the Hutt was also known as a being who loved a good party. Those who were fortunate to be in favour and in residence of Jabba's palace could personally attest to the fact by the permanent tenure of jizz bands, dancing slave girls and an assortment of entertainers whose talents raged from promising to downright macabre. Jabba liked to show his people a good time and by that extension enjoy himself as well but his temper was a knife's edge and one who found himself in favour today could find themselves languishing in the Pit of Karkoon the next.  

Vin Tanner was all too aware of this when he entered the throne room and found himself facing the Hutt for the first time in almost a year. Fortunately, they had not parted on any ill feeling because Vin had always made it clear that whilst he on occasion took on jobs for Jabba, he was not an employee. He liked to think that Jabba respected him for that eccentricity but that was taking too much for granted. It was never wise to assume anything when it came to a Hutt. The throne room was filled with customary music with Goran Fars Galactic Crooners taking the stage and the attendants at court were chatting amongst themselves while Jabba lay strewn across his dais, dipping into his collection of nala tree frogs at regular intervals. 

The music stopped playing when Vin, Mary and Alex were brought before the Hutt. An abrupt silence followed the cessation of music and the cheerful chatter died down just as surely. Mary and Alex stayed closed to Vin. Although both were capable women in their own right, they felt equally vulnerable and exposed in the scanty revealing clothes. Mary shuddered as she saw a pretty Trianii seated on the pedestal with Jabba, tethered to him by a thin chain and a choker around her neck. The Trianii were a feline race and this one with her silvery pelt, still mottled, told Mary she was barely passed her second moulting, a teenager by human standards. Unfortunately, for the moment, there was little the rebel leader could do to secure her freedom since she herself was here to play the part of pet slave. 

"Vin, my boy, it has been a long time." Jabba's deep voice rumbled and though the language was unintelligible to Mary and Alex, Vin understood perfectly well what the Hutt was saying. One did not spend the first seventeen years as the property of a Hutt without learning the language.  

"Its good to see you again Jabba." Vin answered. He was one of the few people who were actually allowed to call Jabba by his name. "Things don't look like they've changed much around here." 

"But you have changed." Jabba remarked, his huge yellow eyes narrowing as he spoke. "I hear strange stories about you." 

Vin tensed. "What sort of stories?"  

"They say that you've gone spiritual" Jabba pointed out. "They say you travel now with a Jedi." 

"I was hunting one." Vin lied. "I didn't get him. The Empire put out a death mark on me for that." 

"That is unfortunate," Jabba rumbled with what sounded like genuine sympathy. "You were the best bounty hunter in the galaxy. I have sorely missed having you talents at my disposal." 

"Well I had to go to ground." Vin replied. "The Empire's crazy about the Jedi right now. I really pissed them off by not getting the one they wanted." 

"I find it hard to believe that there was a bounty you could not claim," Jabba retorted. "But now you are back?" 

"Yeah," Vin answered with a grin. "The heats off me now and I figured I can still do the work, provided I keep my eyes open just a little more than usual." He glanced at Mary and Alex and then added. "I brought you a little gift to show my good faith."

Jabba cast his gaze on Alex and then Mary. He started to laugh a deep throaty laugh that resonated throughout the chamber. His court seemed to laugh with him and for a moment, both women were perplexed by what they found so funny.

"Forgive me my boy," Jabba responded after a moment. "I never thought you were capable of selecting such handsome women. After all, how long has it been since Atura?" 

Although neither Alex nor Mary could tell what Jabba was saying, the reaction in Vin was apparent. The Jedi apprentice stiffened and his face deepened into a frown. 

"Atura was a long time ago." Vin responded. "I have moved on since then." 

"I am glad," Jabba wagged at finger at Vin almost as if he were a father trying to teach his wayward offspring some sensible lesson. "You are too young to be brooding for one woman, especially one that is married and wife to an Imperial governor." 

"I didn't come here for a history lesson," Vin said sourly. "I brought you two gifts as a gesture of friendship and a continuance of our working relationship."

 "Of course, of course," Jabba returned enthusiastically and turned a leery eye at Mary. "Bring the golden one." 

Mary swallowed hard, reminding herself that this was just a temporary situation until they found JD. Vin's hand enclosed her upper arm, ushered her forward with just enough force to indicate to Jabba that she was a prize bought. Vin led her right onto the dais until she could feel the bloated belly of Jabba's bulk against her bare skin. Mary fought her revulsion because she had seen worse as a soldier but still could not deny being this Hutt's slave even briefly was revolting.

"You must have paid quite a bit for this one." Jabba asked. "But I have all the pretty ones I need for a time. Perhaps I will feed her to the sarlaac." He dismissed Mary with a wave of his pudgy fingers.

"Pretty one?" Vin thought quickly, completely aware that the gang lord was not above doing that. "I didn't buy her for her beauty Jabba, I mean I knew you have a dozen women who are prettier, I bought her because she can sing!" Without missing a beat, he turned to Mary and spoke in standard galactic. "Sing something, quickly."

 "What?" Mary stammered. 

"Sing!" He hissed. "Sing or he's going to feed you to the sarlaac!"  

"What's a sarlaac?" Mary demanded.  

"Trust me, you don't want to know. Sing!" Vin ordered. 

Mary gulped visibly and started singing an old folk song that she remembered as a child. She had no idea whether or not she could carry a tune but the song was sweet and sentimental and the melody of it was enough to reach the soul even in the hands of an amateur who could not carry a tune. Mary seemed to think that suited her. The audience chamber was silent as she continued through the entire song and all its verses. Jabba's lids were half closed as she sang and to her surprise, noticed Vin staring at her with something that was akin to astonishment. Alex was merely smiling, possibly because she was recalling how they used to sing to their favourite songs when they were teenagers.  

After what seemed like a torturous eternity, the song ended and Mary stared anxiously at Jabba, wondering if he was going to feed her to the Sarlaac just for mutilating that song, she certainly deserved. Instead, the Hutt blinked with a sudden start as if the song's end had snapped him out of the peaceful lull he was presently occupying. Composing himself a second later, the Hutt seemed to laugh, only this time it was not a laugh of derision but rather one of approval. 

"You are no fool Tanner," Jabba replied. "She can sing."  

"Thank you Jabba, I thought you would like your gift." Vin let out a sigh of relief and exchanged a brief glance with Mary who was similarly relieved by the Hutt's approval.  

"You may keep the other one for yourself." Jabba answered after a moment, regarding Alex. "I will put a chain on her if you wish."

Vin looked over his shoulder and saw Alex telling him with her eyes that he would die if he dared. With a smirk, he turned to Jabba and grinned. "Your Excellency is too kind."

CHAPTER TEN

Chris knew that JD Dunne was not there when he arrived at Jabba’s palace.

He had a sense that the boy was close but JD’s exact location remained unknown to the Jedi for the moment. It did not matter really because a tremor in the Force told him that this was only a temporary state of affairs and eventually JD would be brought back to the palace. It was just a matter of time and waiting him out. As Chris approached the gang lord’s bastion, the twin suns of Tatooine was already descending beyond the uneven horizon. The temperature was starting to drop rapidly and he had no doubt that while the days on this world were hellishly hot, the nights were bitterly cold. Desert worlds seemed to all share that common trait and Chris had no intention of remaining out here to experience a first hand view.

His ability to penetrate Jabba’s fortress was not in question. The advantage of being a Jedi was the ability to pass through places without being remembered. Thanks to a little mental suggestion and a few little feats of illusion, he could go unseen for quite some time. So far the situation warranted his remaining anonymous. Vin’s ruse to infiltrate Jabba’s court had transpired smoothly and for the present, their plan to rescue JD was in a holding pattern as they waited for the young man to arrive. Although their communication nothing that could be really considered speech, Chris knew Vin's situation nonetheless. They had been attuned to each other from the very onset of their meeting. Chris had told himself that it was because the Force was strong in Vin but he was no longer so sure of that. Perhaps it was the fact that Vin reminded Chris so much of himself at a more innocent time of his life that had forged their friendship.

Whatever the mechanism that allowed Chris and Vin to know each other's thoughts, at the moment the Jedi sensed that neither Vin, Alex or Mary was in any immediate danger. Still Chris wanted to be close by, unable to feel any ease with Mary in the equation and was unwilling to take any risks when it came to her safety. Jabba had no idea the valuable commodity he had in his presence in the form of Mary Travis. Whatever the gang lord was being paid in order to force Buck through the Maw would be a pittance in comparison to the king’s ransom he would get if he delivered Mary to the Empire. Chris intended to see that he never got the chance to do that.

Chris finally found himself standing at the entrance to Jabba’s fortress.

For a few seconds he paused and took stock of the enormous doors that sealed the palace from the outside world. He had not been there for more than a second when the same drone that had emerged for Vin Tanner made its appearance. It sputtered forth the same chattering noises at Chris until the Jedi turned his steely gaze at the drone’s spherical eye and silence it with a wave of his fingers. The drone froze for an instant, its sensors being bombarded with visual information that did not seem right and but was powerless to accept thanks the parameters of its programming. Chris focused another second on the device before it retracted into its slot and disappeared into the steel doors. The Jedi waited for another second before the sound of gears and machinery creaked into motion. He could not sense the presence of anyone immediately behind the doors so when the huge slab of metal raised enough for him to enter, Chris crouched down and stole inside.

Confident that his entry had remained unseen, he turned around and glanced at the door briefly, pausing its attempt to open completely with a little exertion from the Force. A brief pause followed as it stopped short in its upward ascent and then resumed movement again, only this time it descended towards the floor again. The area immediately after the doors was a large passageway that led to the other parts of the building. Chris had a feeling that Jabba had not occupied this place for long because it appeared as if the gang lord was not quite settled in his new home by the way objects were strewn about as if left were they there merely for the sake of expediency. The structure itself made Chris somewhat uncomfortable because the traces of past violence were strong in these walls.

The terror left behind by those who had been ‘purified’ by the Bomarr Monks who had built this temple was very strong indeed. Chris wondered what it was about belief that could turn a sane man into a monster because certainly the Bomarr’s had crossed that line long ago. Their involuntary initiates were probably still alive in their mechanical receptacles, if not having been driven utterly insane by their circumstances. Chris shuddered at the thought of being encased forever into metallic hell where there was no sense of awareness that was vital to being corporeal.

He crossed the darkened entrance and paused when he heard footsteps approaching. Receding into the darkness of the many shadows in the passageway, Chris allowed the two Gammorreans who were on their way to Jabba’s throne room to pass without incident. They emerged from one door way and disappeared up a turn of stairs that lead upwards. Waiting a short time after they had gone to see if any more would follow, Chris emerged from his hiding place and ascended the same stairway they had taken. The corridor and the stairs it contained appear to have been carved out of the rock. Chris wondered if the palace had not been once a mountain that had been shaped to suit the needs of the Bomarr of perhaps that of the resident that might have predated the Order.

It did not matter he supposed, such thoughts served to occupy his mind instead of worrying about Mary even though he sensed that she was in no immediate state of peril. He just did not like the idea of her being in a place like this. It was just so, so sleazy, he thought feeling a little prudish when the thought ran across his mind. It was true through. Mary was too good to be in the company of the likes of Jabba and his cohorts. Chris knew he was being silly. This was a woman who had infiltrated the Black Sun impersonating a hired gun. She had fought battles and stood in command of a rebel base. If anything she proved she was quite capable of adapting to any situation but Chris knew he was not being guided by logic when it came to Mary. One of these days, he might get around to telling her what exactly dictated his thoughts when it came to her.

The stair twisted through the building emptying out at corridors along the way but Chris kept going, interrupted occasionally by the need to slip a suggestion to those who came across him that they had seen nothing. It was relatively easy for him to do so in this company because Jabba’s surrounded himself with thugs. He realized that he was almost to the throne room when he started to hear music and a decidedly female voice singing the rhythm. The voice was melodic and strangely familiar. Chris tried to place it and gave up, brushing it aside as unimportant and choosing instead to focus on reaching the throne room. He pulled the hood of his robes over himself, concealing his face in the shadows that had become more prominent with the onset of twilight upon Tatooine. As he approached the throne room, he could hear voices chattering behind the backdrop of music and tried to make his entrance into the room as unnoticed as he could manage. Smoke and liquor drifted to him as he reached the last leg of his journey and the mood indicated that a party of some intensity was taking place.

When he emerged into throne room, he was hardly noticed because it was filled with people from an assortment of races. Jabba’s court was clearly in a mood for entertainment with lithe and graceful dancing girls prancing in the middle of the floor for the Hutt’s viewing pleasure. Droids serving drinks moved through the room carrying exotic concoctions. Chris found it relatively easy to lose himself in the crowd and helped himself to one of the cocktails so as to not look suspicious. He spotted Vin almost immediately. His Padwan learner was seated next to dais where Jabba was perched and on the floor next to him. No doubt cursing a dozen ways she could disembowel the young man was Alex because of the choker she wore around her neck had a chain attached to it which was presently in Vin's hand.

Vin knew the instant he was in the room but did not show overt signs of recognition. However, he still managed to briefly shift his attention away from the chanteuse who had captured most of the room’s attention and glance at Chris in acknowledgement. Both he and Vin had agreed that nothing would be done until JD was here and they could both knew that he was not. However, his thoughts about the youth were driven away when Chris turned his attention to who was singing. His jaw fairly dropped when he saw Mary at the head of the jizz band and was stunned at the realization that it was her voice that he had been hearing.

She was standing in front of the band, singing quite confidently to a group of people. She had dispensed with the slave girl's outfit he had last seen her in and was wearing a skin-tight gown of cryosilk that shimmered when she moved. Chris swallowed thick, never having seen her look so female. He had become accustomed to seeing her in a uniform or in fatigues. The dress kept her shoulders bare and her blond hair shimmered just as breathtakingly against the alabaster of her skin as the shiny material she wore. She moved on high heels, the part in the front of her dress revealing a set of incredible legs that almost made him forget what he was here for.

Get a grip, Larabee. He told himself as he watched her commanding the audience with the same ease that she commanded him, all the while thinking that he never even knew she could sing.

*********

JD was starting to have a real bad feeling about this whole notion of racing tomorrow. Hearing the stories about the track on Tatooine, particularly the last winner who had earn the distinction simply because he was the last person to be killed before reaching the finish line had a tendency to put a damper on JD's racing spirit. Still, his entire plan of escaped hinged on being inside the pod tomorrow. Unknown to Dengar and the other guards who had been keeping close eye on him during his practice runs, JD had managed to steal a hydro spanner hoping that he could use it to remove the tracer that kept him trapped in Jabba's power. As much as he would like to race, he was more concerned with escaping so that he could help Buck.

Realistically, JD knew that it was probably too late for that.

By now Buck would already be crossing the Maw and though JD could not begin to imagine what that might entail, he did remember the fear in his friend's face when he was forced into it and that was that stayed with JD the most. Buck was never afraid of anything but he had been afraid of the Maw and that told JD a great deal. JD also knew that if anything happened to Buck out there, he would personally lead the rebellion to Tatooine and to this place, to string up Jabba's worm ridden hide. That was the one thing in all this that JD was absolute on. Buck was his best friend, not to mention the one person who had given a damn about him when he needed it most. If Jabba's schemes got Buck killed, there would be nowhere in this life or the next that Jabba could hide from JD's vengeance.

Returning to Jabba's palace, JD tried to hide his impatience as his guards led him into the structure. JD hoped they were taking him back to his room. He wanted to get started on disabling this tracer so that he could remove the explosive component that kept him trapped with no room to manoeuvre. However, instead of being led to his comfortable cell, they went instead to Jabba's throne room. JD had to confess that for a ruthless gang lord, the Hutt sure knew how to throw a party. JD had spent his first night in the place being hit on by the beautiful women who seemed to be a staple of the court and was a source of great amusement to Dengar and Jabba when he was too shy to do anything about it. Strangely enough, he wondered what Casey would think about it if she knew that beautiful women found him attractive.

She'd still call him a peasant.

Peasant, he snorted to himself as they approached the room and the sound of singing filtered down the passageway. What does she know? JD sighed and knew that perhaps he was just wanting to her to know more than he was willing to admit.

"His Excellency has a new singer." Kah pointed out and returned JD's attention to the here and now.

"How do you know?" JD asked the Twileki mechanic.

"He had our last one killed." Kah retorted with a frown. "Didn't like the song she was singing."

JD shook his head, not bothering to hide his disgust and hoped that the next chanteuse fared better because he liked her voice and the song she was singing. It reminded him of some of the songs his mother used to sing to him when he was a child. JD suddenly felt a deep sense of longing for her even though the time and the place were completely inappropriate for it. He wondered what she would have thought of his life now and decided that on some level he did not really want to know. JD doubted that the life of a rebel fugitive would have been her first choice but was confident that she would have at least approved of his friends who would do anything for him.

When JD stepped into the throne room and saw Mary Travis singing, he realised that he was completely right about that.

JD tried to hide his shock, aware that she was here for a reason and that reason was probably to rescue him. He had to remain silent and not give her away. Mary's eyes met his and though she was in no position to stay anything, he knew by the hard stare she sent in his direction that she was giving him an order and it took no fear of genius to guess what that was. Stay calm and remain silent. After that, he barely noticed being pushed into the room by the Gammorrean who was impatient at his sudden pause and wanted him to get moving again. JD' eyes quickly darted across the throne room and found other familiar faces in the fold. He saw Vin sitting and talking to Jabba with Commander Styles at his feet. The former bounty hunter shifted his gaze long enough to make eye contact with him and JD felt his inside swell with pride.

JD.

JD almost stumbled but managed to compose himself in time following the whisper he just heard in his mind. Without doubt, JD knew then that Chris was here as well. He wanted to search for the Jedi but was terrified of giving Chris away as well and so remained indifferent, wondering if Chris would talk to him again. He thought about initiating contact with the Jedi himself and then knew that it was a simple matter of reaching out and letting Chris hear him since it was obvious that he had a conduit into JD's brain already.

Chris. JD called out.

We're here to help you, he heard Chris say.

JD believed it and knew that Chris would communicate with him no more because it was dangerous to do so when they were in such hostile surroundings and secrecy was an imperative. Thus, JD turned his attention to Kah in front of him and followed meekly as the mechanic led him to Jabba. Both Vin and Alex looked at him with indifference as he approached even though he knew inwardly that he was their sole reason for being here. Dengar next to him, seemed affected by Vin's presence and JD wondered if he was not slightly intimidated at there being another bounty hunter in the Hutt's presence beside himself. For his part Vin toasted his glass at Dengar's direction only to have Dengar snort gruffly at the gesture, his jealousy showing on his craggy face at being upstaged by a bounty hunter he could not possibly best on any level. Vin Tanner's reputation was formidable despite the Empire's bounty on him.

"And how is my newest pod racer?" Jabba asked in that language that JD could not understand but whose words were dutifully translated by the protocol droid next to him.

"He is sure to win your Excellency," Kah retorted with much aplomb and pride. "The boy does not underestimate his skill. He is one of the best I have ever seen."

JD turned sharply to Kah, somewhat surprised by that glowing recommendation when the mechanic had grunted something about him being adequate for a human earlier on. However, JD had come to understand that if Kah did not produce a glowing report for Jabba then the mechanic would suffer a fate decidedly worse than simply losing his job. For that matter, JD could not see Jabba being very forgiving if he lost the race, which only confirmed his need to get this tracer off himself before tomorrow. Still with Chris and Vin here, JD felt decidedly more at ease and hoped that the Jedi and his apprentice had some kind of plan.

"That is good because if you do not win," Jabba's rumbled with amusement in his voice. "I will feed you both to the Sarlaac."

JD saw Kah shudder visibly and whispered to Dengar, "let me guess, I don't want to know right?"

Dengar only snorted in response.

***********

Vin excused himself after JD had been returned to his cell aware that it would be impossible to reach the young man with Dengar and all those guards around him. Dengar did not like Vin as it is and any approach Vin made to JD would give Dengar reason for suspicion. JD was no fool anyway, he would know that Vin's presence here was for his benefit and would have come to the inevitable conclusion that they had ad plan that required patience to carry out. However, JD's participation in the pod race added an extra wrinkle unanticipated and Vin saw an opportunity to take advantage of the situation that was too good to resist. Telling Jabba that he would like some time to enjoy his 'gift', an excuse he was certain Alex would make him pay for later, the duo returned to the suite that Jabba had provided them with so that Vin could contact Chris telepathically.

"If I live to be a hundred, I'll never forgive you for this." Alex grumbled as she entered the room and glowered at Vin who finally relinquished hold of the chain.

'Oh come on," he grinned, "it isn't that bad."

"You try being led around like a pet on someone's leash and see how much you like it." She glared at him.

Vin turned to her and let out a sigh, all his cockiness and teasing discarded for the moment as he approached her. His gaze dropped to the plush carpeted floor as he gathered the nerve to say what he felt. They had been battling each other since they met even though it was obvious to everyone else how much they cared for her. Vin did not just care about Alex, he cared about her a lot. Ever since she had entered his life he had not felt so strongly for any woman since her, the one whom he could never talk and about whose memory had became a shadow in his heart since he was driven away from her.

Alex had the power to be all that to him and more. Vin knew it with a sense of awareness that was frightening. He looked at her and not only did he see himself falling hopelessly in love with her, he saw that they were bound somehow across space and time, linked through the dimensions. He was aware that it sounded like romantic claptrap, inspired by the force of his passion but it was true. No matter where they found themselves in this life or next, he would always love her and without doubt and in this he was absolute, she would always love him. It was a sobering thing; meeting someone your instincts told you was your mate in any existence and the idea that she would soon be leaving made him sick to his stomach.

"Alex, I didn't want him giving you to anyone else." Vin found himself saying after a great effort that required all his courage.

She was surprised by the admission and saw that it had taken much for him to expose his feelings like this. "Vin," she said gently, "I can take care of myself you know?"

"I know," Vin raised his eyes to meet hers. "I didn't want anyone touching you."

"Really?" She smiled, feeling a wave of emotion as she saw the depth of feeling in his eyes.

He nodded and for an instant of time, they stared at each other and the heat of that first kiss returned to haunt them taking advantage of the moment. Vin reached for her and Alex plunged into his arms as their lips met in hot furious passion. His hands slid over her almost bare back as her warm mouth opened up to him and the surge of need that came over his instincts as her tongue duel hotly with his was beyond belief. Lifting her gently off the ground, Vin took her to the bed with every intention of taking her even though their present circumstances was wholly unacceptable for such a tryst. He did not care, he had not felt this way about anyone in so long. He had little experience with women in general but since meeting her, he knew that together they were right.

Alex had never known a need for any man as she had whenever she kissed Vin Tanner. His lips sent wave upon wave of aching need through her. She wished he would make love to her right there and then as his mouth took from her all it wanted and she relinquished it willingly. She felt his tongue duelling with her own and felt the softness of the bed as he lowered her onto it. Alex lay willing on the soft material as she felt his mouth slid down her chin and tasting her neck like a meal to be savoured. Her fingers clawed at his back as she felt him pressed against her, taut muscle against her flesh that was threatening to splint her reason.

"Alex," he whispered in her ear. "I want you so much."

"Hell yes," she moaned languidly as her fingers ran through his satisfying dark hair....

**********

If Chris could have blushed he would have.

The Jedi has seen Vin's retreat and though it was tactically unwise to continue their discussion face to face, Chris knew they could communicate in other ways. With another Jedi, even a Padwan learner, Chris could establish a mental link with someone who was Force adept and speak to them on a limited basis. He had disappeared to the back of the throne room, away from the revellers who were very taken with Mary's performance and attempted to establish the mental bond he knew Vin had left in order for him to make. Like Vin, Chris had deduced that the best time to effect JD's rescue would be during the pod race tomorrow. Away from Jabba's fortress and the bulk of his guards, Mos Eisley was the perfect place for their escape.

He retreated into the shadows, Mary still lilting the crowd with her melodic voice and giving him clear indication that she was for the moment safe. Easing into the darkness, Chris closed his eyes and tried to make mental contact with Vin to inform him that the bid to rescue JD would be best served during the race tomorrow. He lapsed into a meditative state despite the distractions and knew that for Vin it would have been impossible to do because one had to have a high mastery of the Force to be able to filter out the sounds and drop spontaneously into meditation like this. Chris stretched out his thoughts in this limbo state and began a search of the apprentice.

When he found Vin, Chris realised that Vin's mind was somewhere else completely.

Emotions bombarded him. Hot erotic waves of desire surged involuntarily into the Jedi's mind, making him feel the passion that the apprentice was experiencing at that exact moment. It came with such a violent rush of feeling that Chris had no choice but to be swept away by it. He felt desire, burning hungry need and an almost blinding sense of love that its intensity was staggering. It was in this vortex of emotion that Chris realised what he was sensing was Vin's love for Alexandra Styles. He guessed early on that his friend harboured some intense feelings for the operative but even Chris was somewhat staggered by the power of it. It was rather disorientating if not a little embarrassing. Chris had no wish to intrude on Vin's private emotions but he had to.....

**********

Vin lips were still feasting on Alex's own, his hands were gliding down her curves, exploring her body like a man lost while her knee hocked around his hip, pulling them closer to each other. Her body arched languidly into his and he could feel her melding perfectly against him as if they were interconnecting parts made for each other that had only now found their perfect niche. His mouth fell upon her hungrily, wanting to take all it could from her because everything was not nearly enough when it came to her. The smell of her, the way she moaned as he nibbled on her neck, he never wanted to stop experiencing her this way. His senses were alive with everything that was Alex and for the first time in his life, he felt truly completed.

Vin.

 Vin's eyes shot wide open as he heard a voice in his head that was definitely not his. He disengaged his lips from Alex and gulped. "Chris?" He spoke out loud even though he was thinking it.

 "What?" Alex stopped short, looking at him in question at why he had suddenly stopped his delightful ministrations. 

Vin, this really isn't the time for this.

Vin swallowed hard and almost scrambled off the bed realizing that Chris had been in his head trying to communicate and had a very good idea what he and Alex was doing. Alex was staring at him in confusion after seeing him pull right away from her and Vin knew he would have to explain himself later although he doubted she was going to be any more happier about it than he. 

"Sorry," Vin replied, thoroughly embarrassed and was gratified when he sensed Chris feeling just as awkward and was eager to get to the point. He glanced at Alex and let out a deep sigh. "We'll have to continue this later. I feel Chris in my head."

Alex's eyes widened in shock and then embarrassment. She was infinitely grateful that her colour hid her the furious blush of her cheeks at present. "I think that would be a good idea," Alex muttered straightening her clothes and trying not to feel as mortified as she should that Chris Larabee had been an unwitting observer to their passions. "Much later."

Vin looked at her and said firmly with a little. "You can count on that."

CHAPTER ELEVEN

It was race day.

Despite being considered a barren wasteland in the backwater of space, Tatooine knew how to provide the pageantry necessary to make their race day something of a spectacle. Although Mos Eisley had appeared to him to be rather worn and lacking in any atmosphere, all that had changed on the day of the race. People were out in force; faces that were usually dour with having to exist on such a harsh, uncompromising world were filled with excitement and enthusiasm for the coming festivities. There was a kinetic energy moving in tandem with the people on the street as they made their way to the stadium where the race would begin.

Peddlers setting up their stalls to take advantage of the crowds that had come out today; adding to the already festive atmosphere flanked the road to the Stadium. Merchandise of every kind was being sold, expensive fabrics, trinkets, pottery, salvaged and most likely stolen ship parts, toys and eve life stock. Aromas from exotic foods that could be eaten at the stalls of their cooking or taken away drifted through the meandering streets and side alleys to give Mos Eisley a more enchanting scent than its usual stench of bantha manure. It was hard not to get caught up in the fanfare of the moment when one saw children of different races chattering happily among themselves as they went either with their parents or in large groups, waving flags of their favourite racers.

The stadium where the race would begin was filled to the brim with spectators. They came in all sizes and all species; eyes fixed on the pre race preparations being carried out at center court. Chris Larabee, who had stowed away with the rest of Jabba's entourage, peered down at the collection of vehicles in an effort to see JD. The young man was there of course, along with the pod he would be racing and the mechanic who had built it. Although it appeared as if he was focussed on the race ahead, Chris could tell that JD's mind was far from it. The young man was staring at Jabba's private viewing gallery, trying to see if his friends even though they would be little more than a small speck from that distance.

Chris remained hidden among the bulk of Jabba's entourage, keeping a close eye on Vin, Alex and Mary who would be viewing the race from within Jabba's gallery. So far his Jedi abilities had managed to keep his presence anonymous although he knew the time was coming when he would have to make his move. So far, Chris had come to the conclusion that JD's plan of escaping in a pod during the race was a good one. The only thing that he had to do was to ensure that when the time came, Jabba's men would have little opportunity to go after the young man. The Tracker was awaiting them in Mos Eisley's spaceport and JD had been instructed telepathically by Chris the night before to make his way there following his divergence from the rest of the contestants in the pod race.

The only thing that really concerned Chris at this time was the tracer that JD had been unfortunately fitted with. JD's attempts to remove it had proved unsuccessful and Chris had recalled Vin saying that such devices were extremely difficult to remove. The only way to really ensure the tracer's safe removal was for JD to be beyond the range of the activation device when he escaped. Somehow, they had to keep Jabba from detonating the tracer once learning JD had made his escape. As much as Chris disliked the idea, Vin was the only one who could keep that from happening because he was closest to Jabba. It would be up to Chris to get Mary and Alex out of harms way once Vin made his move.

His attention was momentarily distracted by the voice of the race announcer suddenly blaring through the audio amps placed throughout the stadium. Chris shifted his gaze to the racetrack and saw the pods being moved into place in a neat row. Mechanics were reluctantly pulling themselves away from the vehicles while the racers themselves started climbing into cockpit. JD's eyes searched once again for any sight of his friends before he too disappeared into the cockpit of Kah's prized masterpiece. He was one of two humans participating in the race and Chris hoped he was nearly as good as he believed this to be. All this would be for nothing if JD crashed.

There were easily a dozen pods, all ranging in colour, size and sophistication. All were unique in their design even though the fundamentals of pod racing had to be adhered to. They made a curious line of vessels and as the race official at the starter raised a dark green flag and waved it around, each pod began to ignite its engines. The powerful sound of combustion, charged ions and all other modes of propulsion employed by these vessels filled the air with a near deafening roar that was amplified by the stadium’s design. The activation of the engines ignited the crowd’s enthusiasm with a cheer that equalled the powerful intensity of the engines firing. Previously they had rumbled with impatience waiting for the event to begin but the pods coming to life seemed to infuse them with similar animation and now Chris could see their attention fixed singularly on the pods about to race.

The revving of engines died down to a low rumble that kicked up dust clouds and filled the air with the noxious smell of chemicals as the pods began to hover above the ground, preparing to go at an instant’s notice. A hushed silence fell over the stands as the spectators waited with abated breath for the signal to go. Chris saw JD inside the cabin of his pod; his eyes fixed on the path ahead, oblivious to all other contestants. Good, Chris thought to himself. He was focussing on what he had to do instead of the other competitors. If he could have finished the race that tactic would most likely win it and Chris could understand why JD was one of the best gunners in the rebel fleet when he displayed this kind of concentration.

Suddenly a bright orange flag appeared from the corner of the track, it’s colouring a stark contrast to the dull hues of the dirt ground. Its appearance precipitated all kinds of noise, an explosion of sounds that trembled the walls of the stadium in its intensity. The crowd roared with excitement as the race began and engines fired with simultaneous bursts of energy as the pods surged ahead, moving so fast that blinking would make one lose sight. Chris felt his own anticipation swell and then inflated with satisfaction as the race got underway.  

There was no leader at this infant stage of the race and at the moment, the pod drivers were more interested in navigating their crafts out of the stadium to run the course rather than make any headway for a lead. JD’s pod was lost with the others as it surged forward, carried away on a tidal wave of propulsion. There were stragglers of course, some who had been left behind because of engine failure or some other mishap. Fortunately, JD was not one of these and was fast rapidly making his way out of the stadium confines. The crowd followed their progress with wild cheering that did not seem to abate once the group left the stadium. 

With the pods departure, the spectators’ attention moved to a large screen at a central location above them, giving them a birds eye view of the race as it progressed beyond the stadium walls. Now in open spaces, the speedsters were jockeying for position and while this tactical manoeuvring was taking place, Chris made his move towards Jabba’s gallery. His personal entourage occupied the surrounding viewing boxes around the gangster’s gallery and it was here that Chris had been viewing the race so far. As he glanced at the Hutt, he could see Vin making similar moves as well. It would be up to Vin to prevent Jabba from activating the tracer when JD finally made his bid for escape.

The Jedi nudged his way past the gangster’s guests, keeping especially away from the Gammoreans guards who were also in attendance. The heavyset sentries were mediating their attention between the big screen and the surrounding area. It was their job to ensure that Jabba did not come to any harm whilst beyond the safety of his fortress. However, the Gammorreans were a slow-witted lot and it was easy for Chris to get by them without being noticed. Unfortunately, it was not the Gammorreans that Chris was most concerned with, rather the bounty hunter Dengar whose angry emotions were like a beacon in the night to his Jedi senses. He would not be so easy to fool. Dengar seemed to be focusing on Vin Tanner and Chris imagined that the bounty hunter felt slighted somehow because of Jabba’s clear favouritism towards his padwan learner.

It occurred to Chris that he would have to neutralize Dengar first or Vin would never be able to place himself in a position to be of any aid to JD. This was not an easy thing to do since this entire escapade relied so heavily upon timing. Neutralizing Dengar now would mean tipping their hand too early. They needed JD to make his move before they could act. Chris thought quickly what he ought to do and came to one conclusion; he would take Dengar out but only after JD had broken off from the race. This necessitated a slight alteration to his own plan. Instead of going after Mary and Alex, he would instead take position near Dengar, who would surely react the minute Vin made his move towards Jabba the Hutt. Chris intended to ensure that Vin’s back would be clear when the time came to attack.

Thus for the moment, he would wait for Dengar to attack and then he would.

************

JD had forgotten how truly exhilarating pod racing could be.

When he had been practicing alone on the course the feeling had eluded him. However, now that he was here, in the heat of competition, pushing his pod faster than it ought to be going, with competitors on either side attempting to keep him from getting any further, JD remembered with a torrent of elation, just how much he used to love the race. He was one of the four pods that had clearly staked out the distinction of being the race leaders. He had slowly nudged past two of the racers and had edged into third position. Up ahead but not far enough to give him any real concerns of catching up was a Rodian in a souped Triset Booster pod, distinct by its trio of engine nacelles in comparison to the standard two. The power he had at his disposal made him formidable but JD saw that his manoeuvring capabilities did not match the potential of his craft.

The leader was the only other human in the race. Surging forward in a pod that was little more than a collection of scrap metal held together by spit and will, it was painted in Corellian colours. JD had seen the boy, no more than a teenager, if that even, prior to the race. A lanky boy with russet collared hair and the cocksure attitude that reminded JD so much of Buck that it send shivers up his spine remembering what his friend was presently enduring for his sake. Kah had claimed that the odds on the boy, named Solo was fifty to one because he was just another wannabe from Corellia who was most likely to get himself killed in the first leg.

Kah was wrong. Not only had survived the first leg of the race, he was ensuring that JD did not overtake him. The skill behind the controls of the pod left JD in awe. The kid was good, JD thought to himself. He was really good. Solo was keeping his pace no matter how impossible the obstacles ahead of them seemed to be and no matter how much JD tried to force his pod past him, the Corellian managed to maintain his lead and to JD’s amazement, even lengthen it. The course was a dangerous series of dips and turns through meandering rock and high walls that soon narrowed into little more than slits where a human much less a pod would have trouble passing through safely.

JD pushed his own pod harder in an effort to catch up. The others had disappeared behind him and suddenly the race had become him and Solo. Around them, high canyon walls came and went in a blur, huge boulders that allowed them only the barest fraction of space to avoid it and still the two combatants sailed through the deadly track with ease. At the stadium, the crowd was going wild over the battle as the two humans went head to head in order to reach the finish line first. However, JD and Solo were oblivious to this. All they knew for certain that one of them would win and one would not.

Reaching the return marker, the two pods arched gracefully around the signal tube, vibrant in its colour as it stood out against the sandy desert terrain. Solo's craft was still in the lead by a good pod's length and JD was determined not to let him widen the distance between them. Forcing his pod to go faster, JD knew he was in danger of exceeding the craft's capacity to maintain this devastating pace. Already, he could see lights flashing across the console panel, issuing all kinds of warnings. The constant adjustment he was making to his trajectory was bombarding him with gravitational forces arising from such high velocity. Solo who was in the lead and maintaining a steady course was unaffected by this because of minimal changes in his trajectory; however, JD was starting to seriously get disorientated by it.

JD was almost half way back to Mos Eisley and the stadium when he came to his senses and realised that what he ought to be doing was making his escape, not trying unsuccessfully to beat this demon in the pod in front him. Damn he was good, JD kept muttering to himself as he forced his pod ahead, trying to catch up with this boy who handled the controls as if they were an extension of himself. JD had only been able to achieve that kind of unity when he was in a gunnery turret although he had seen it in only one other person and that was Buck.

Solo flew like Buck Wilmington, with absolute confidence that he was the best.

With a powerful insight he might almost call the Force working its will upon him, JD came to another realization as well. He could not beat Solo. Even if he was willing to gamble his life and that of Buck's to complete the race, he knew deep inside that he could not win. Solo was better than him and JD was a man enough to admit it. Taking a deep breath, JD closed his eyes and disconnected himself mentally from the race. It was hard to do. The compulsion to win had damn near overridden his senses but the fact of the matter was, Chris, Vin, Alex and Mary had risked themselves to rescue him and he would not let him down.

Telling himself it did not matter how this went down, JD pulled his pod away from the rear of Solo's ship and tried to believe it as he fled for Mos Eisley.

************

"WHAT IS HE DOING?" Jabba demanded of one in particular but it was obvious that he wanted an answer.

On the large screen before the spectators showing the race being run beyond the walls of the stadium, the crowd had stared in muted silence as the close race they had been watching suddenly became an easy victory for Corellian pod piloted by the youth called Han Solo. Jabba was confused at first wondering whether or not it was engine trouble that caused his pilot to pull away from the neck to neck competition with the Corellian, however, it soon became evident that there was none of the customary signs that indicated malfunction. Jabba's pod had veered away from the race trajectory and had altered its course to head directly for Mos Eisley's space station.

Vin Tanner had been close by watching Jabba in anticipation of this exact moment. Mary and Alex had already moved into position. Neither woman was armed as there was no way to allow for it without bringing suspicion upon themselves. The best that they could do was stay out of the firing line when everything came to a head. Jabba was screaming angrily, his huge body shuddering with each furious demand to know what was happening. His guards were running to him, attempting to explain the unexplainable while Vin held back, preferring to keep watch for the Hutt's eventual retaliation.

"Where is Kah?" Jabba roared in Huttese and Vin had to admit feeling a pang of sympathy for the mechanic who would surely pay dearly for recommending JD to play the part of pod racer. "I'll have them both skinned alive!"

"He has the tracer your Excellency!" One of the Gammoreans guards reminded and Vin saw Jabba's large eyes narrow in calculation.

"The fool," the Hutt rumbled in pleasure realizing that he was not as powerless to let JD escape as he might be. "He will never get off this planet alive."

Mary and Alex did not understand Jabba's words but the look that Vin gave them was indication enough that something was about to happen. Vin let go of Alex's chain and Mary had withdrawn behind one of Jabba's bodyguards, unnoticed because of the drama unfolding. He watched as Jabba reached down to the platform upon which he was resting and removed a pentagonal shape object that Vin recognized almost immediately from a compartment on the floor. Even with Jabba's next to useless hands, the Hutt lord only had to twist the mechanism into place for the detonation device to activate. This was the appearance that Vin was waiting for and upon seeing it wasted no time in acting. He had kept his light sabre carefully hidden because Jabba's guards had taken his gun as expected. Like the rest of the Hutt's organization, the guards had no idea that Vin was a Jedi, not that they would have been able to take his light sabre from if they had discovered it. Especially after how long it took him to build the damn thing.

The beam of light appeared suddenly and caught everyone by surprise. Vin ran forward with Jedi abilities fully displayed and swung the blade with expert precision, slicing the device in half with a small explosion of energy as it was torn apart. Jabba let out an indignant howl as the energy burned his hand and glared at Vin Tanner in absolute disbelief. His Gammorreans guards were quick to react and immediately opened fire. Vin deflected this easily enough because the guards were sluggish and not all that accurate with their aim. Had they been Imperial storm troopers, he might not be able to deflect them as easily. Pandemonium broke out as the rest of Jabba's companions ran for cover, leaving the hired guns to do the hard work. Jabba himself had managed to slither to the corner of the gallery, trying to avoid the ricocheting blasts of energy that were spreading out in all directions.

Alex saw one of Jabba's Weequay warriors emerging from the corner of the room that led into the gallery floor, taking aim at Vin and swung the chain in her hands in his direction. The links of metal snapped easily around his weapon and Alex yanked back hard, pulling the blaster out of his reach. The Weequay screeched at her in anger but Alex did not give him much time to do anything else. She ran forward and delivered a high kick to his chin and sent him sprawling to the sandstone floor. In less than a second after that she was on him, the chain in her hand snapping around his throat in a vise like grip that blocked off his air passages. She yanked viciously and heard an awful snap as bones splintered and connections to the creature's cerebellum were severed. Wasting no time, she reached for his weapon and immediately shot off the link of chain from her choker.

"TANNER!" Jabba growled. "I will kill you for this!"

Vin was hardly listening to Jabba's tirade because for all his bluster, the Hutt was physically incapable of being a threat. The Hutts were dangerous because they were sly and conniving and usually had money for hired guns who would do their killing for them. They neither had the physical disposition or capability to do it themselves. No, all Jabba would do here was posture. The threat was not him but rather the men he surrounded himself with. Vin had never thought he would be comfortable using the light sabre to fight the way Chris had and this was the first time he had employed it in combat. It did not take the Force for him to know that he was lucky to begin his initiation with such easy targets. Still, vigilance was required and he somersaulted into the air as he saw the blast from another Gamorrean weapon coming at him. Vin landed a foot away from the shooter and swung wide, the light sabre ending the threat with a squeal of agony as the blade tore through organs.

"ALEX THE DOOR!" Mary shouted. She was still unarmed and unable to reach a weapon because all the stray bolts of energy whizzing around the gallery was making it difficult to emerge from her hiding place.

Alex glanced at the huge doors and understood immediately. No doubt their shooting would bring all sorts of attention. It would not be long before Imperial storm troopers would be called to deal with the violence. Below them, the spectators had forgotten all about the race and were staring at the commotion taking place in the Hutt's viewing gallery. The operative ran forward, blasting away anyone that might be a threat as she reached the door and fired at the controls that could open it from the outside. The metal shattered with pieces flying in all directions and Alex turned her face away, feeling hot embers on her skin from the eruption. However once she was done, the panel was very much fused, ensuring that anyone attempting to get into the room would first have to cut their way through.

Alex saw a Gamorrean taking aim at her when a powerful side kick from Mary landed in the guard's side, throwing off his aim as he stumbled clumsily from the blow. Mary lacked the physical strength to do any significant damage but she had kept the bulky alien from putting a considerable hole in her best friend's torso. Alex gave Mary a look of thanks and took aim. She hit the guard square in the chest and toppled him with a loud indignant scream. Once he was down, Mary relinquished him of his weapon and the two women joined up to finish what was left of the guards in the gallery that Vin had not dealt with.

"Watch out!" Mary pulled Alex down as they emerged into the open gallery and barely missed being hit by a blast of energy coming from one of the private boxes that located on a slightly lower level than the gallery itself. Both women shrunk back to safety and saw other guards from the surrounding boxes attempting to shoot Vin. The former bounty hunter was doing quite well defending himself although the margin of time where they could remain here without risking their escape was starting to dwindle. They would have to leave and soon if they were going to rendezvous with JD and get off the planet before the authorities were able to identify them and notify the Empire of their presence.

"VIN!" Mary called out to the apprentice but he was not hearing her. Vin was on the wide railing at the edge of the gallery, leaping from one end to another with the skill of an acrobat before he landed deftly on one knee and flung his light sabre at the guard that was taking shots at him. The weapon moved through air like a Catherine wheel before savagely cutting down its target. Vin heard Mary call and was about to answer when suddenly he saw a circle of red heat permeating through the doors that led into the gallery. The metal had become crimson, a clear indication that someone was attempting to get through.

"You are finished Tanner!" Jabba shouted again, his eyes wide and full of fury. The blubber of his worm like form shuddering with rage as he bellowed at the Jedi. "I will hunt you down until I have your head!"

You and everybody else, Vin thought ruefully. At the moment however, he was more interested in where Chris Larabee was at this time.

**********

 Chris was making his was towards the gallery following the outbreak of violence.

He was a little side tracked by the sheer amount of Jabba's guards that were attempting to stop a Jedi from reaching their master, unaware that there another was already there. As anticipated, Chris had kept close eye on Dengar, guessing that the cyborg bounty hunter disliked Vin enough to be suspicious of him and waiting patiently for the opportunity to discredit him. The minute Jabba had discovered that JD had double crossed him and was making a run for the Mos Eisley space port, that opportunity came like a gift from heaven. Dengar saw Vin going for his light sabre before any of the guards that were in Jabba's immediate presence. He had attempted to shout a warning when Chris send him sprawling with little a slight exertion of the Force.

The bounty hunter sailed through the air; scattering the unarmed members of Jabba's court and bringing the attention of those who were his guards. Dengar slammed into the hard sandstone floor, the mechanical attachments of his body making a terrible crunch when it impacted. Sparks and blue ribbons of errant energy from the power source of his cybernetic self spasmed through his body as he jerked ungainly about on the floor. Chris' light sabre flew out off his belt and landed neatly on his hand without the Jedi even reaching for him. That alone was enough to scare some of Jabba's guards into turning tail and running. The Jedi was not that much of a myth yet that they did not know what one could do in battle.

The blade came alive with a low hum in its usual understated way but it still had the power to capture the imagination of anyone who was present. Some of the Gammoreans started to fire in his direction but Chris deflected them out of his way with ease to the experience he had which his padwan learner did not. Dengar in the meantime took advantage of Chris' preoccupation with Jabba's inept guards to make some sort of recovery following the Jedi's surprise attack. The cybernetics in his body had conditioned him to ignore pain but his sensory receptors acknowledged its existence nonetheless. His creators had ensured that when he was angry that rage would transcend its normal limitations and turn him into an unstoppable monster.

After his humiliating defeat at the hands of this Jedi, Dengar was very angry indeed.

He went for his weapon while Chris was distracted, very nearly taking the Jedi's arm off when he fired. Only Chris' superior reflexes averted that debilitating injury and Chris leapt into the air, somersaulting twice before landing behind the remaining Gammoreans that were attempting to kill him. Chris knew he had to dispense with this group quickly because now that the alarm was sounded, they had to get out of here and fast. It was not so much Jabba's people that concerned Chris so much but rather the Imperial troops that were stationed on Tatooine. Chris did not want Vader to take an interest in the planet if it were reported that a Jedi might be in the vicinity. Chris concentrated hard and sent two of the Gammoreans squealing past the railing. He did not see them land but felt a pang of sympathy for whomever might be beneath the bulky porcine sentries when they landed. The other two immediately started to back away at the sight of the light sabre but fear of Jabba's wrath for letting t he Jedi get away overcame that reservation and they moved in to attack.

It was a fatal mistake. Chris cut them down as easily as he had done the others. Dengar once again found himself faced to face with the Jedi and this time the box was empty except for the two of them. He moved with lighting fast reflexes but the Jedi was faster, leaping out of reach of the blue streak of energy he had fired.

"Don't make me kill you." Chris said suddenly, breaking the pattern of combat.

"What makes you think you can?" Dengar sneered, his gun raised and poised to fire.

"Believe me," Chris gave the bounty hunter his most intense gaze. "I can."

Dengar found his throat going dry because the Jedi's voice made him believe it. "I can't let you walk away. Jabba will have my hide!"

"Jabba will try to kill you someday." Chris declared firmly. It was true. Chris had seen it in the man's future. Dengar would escape but barely and he had much to live for in his future.

"So what?" Dengar returned. "He won't be the first."

"There is still good in you." Chris replied. "I can feel it. You need to stay alive. You need to stay alive for Manaroo."

"Who?" Dengar was starting to falter. The Jedi was getting to him. This was a trick. It had to be!

"Your wife."

"My wife?" Dengar stared at him in disbelief. "This is a trick!"

"Try to kill me and you will never find out." Chris said firmly. "I don't want to kill you but I will. You leave now and that will be the end of it. You kept my young friend alive and I'm grateful to you for that but you attack me and it will be the last thing you do in this life."

Dengar's weapon was poised to fire but somehow he knew the Jedi was right and a smart man knew when to walk away when the odds were against him. Not knowing what was in his head but unable to shake the imperative that that survival was far more important that ego, Dengar considered his position. Jabba had contracted him to deliver JD Dunne to Tatooine. He had done that. It was not his problem if Jabba could not hang on to the boy nor was he contracted to fight any Jedi. He was perfectly within his rights to walk away.

And he would.

"Alright," Dengar nodded and lowered his weapon. "Until next time."

Chris lowered his light sabre and responded with equal respect. "Until next time." 

CHAPTER TWELVE

Despite the gallery being partially in the open, the smell of smouldering metal was filling the air as more of Jabba’s people as well stadium security attempted to breach the door leading into it. Between themselves, Vin, Mary and Alex had more or less dispatched all of Jabba’s guards in the room but had no wish to engage those who were cutting through the doors in order to reach their master. The Hutt did not seem the least bit concerned at being unprotected, perfectly aware that while he was alive, the trio had a chance of using him as a hostage if their avenue of escape suddenly disappeared as it seem to now. They could all see the hot rivulets of molten metal rolling towards the stone floor as more and more heat was applied to the doors in the enemy's efforts to open it. 

"We’ve got to find another way out of here." Mary stated the obvious as she noted the progress of Jabba's guards to reach them. They were less than ten minutes away from having the room filled with a fresh guards and Mary knew that even with Vin’s Jedi abilities, those were odds she did not wish to face.  

Vin went to the edge of the railing and gazed down, measuring the distance between them and the ground. It was at least a fifteen feet drop. Thanks to the Force, he could make it and he might even manage it carrying someone else but it was not an undertaking he wanted to attempt more than once. The spectators in the stands below were scattering having lost all interest in seeing the conclusion of the pod race now that gunfire was erupting overhead. Besides, the outcome was more or less a foregone conclusion now that JD had pulled out of the race. The Corellian dark horse who had appeared out of nowhere was certainly the clear winner.

From across the narrow space between the gallery and the smaller private boxes, Vin caught sight of Chris facing off with the bounty hunter Dengar. The apprentice felt a moment of fear as he saw the Dengar taking aim at his friend and wondered why Chris was not defending himself or making any attempt to move. However, seconds passed and Dengar still had not fired. Vin's confusion was starting to escalate into panic when suddenly, he saw Dengar lowering his weapon instead of firing it. The bounty hunter and the Jedi regarded each other for a brief instant before Dengar turned away and exited the box, leaving Chris very much alone and unscathed. Vin wondered what magic words Chris had spoken to the hardened cyborg to make him withdraw but supposed it did not really matter. Vin saw Chris make eye contract with him across the space before the Jedi made a running start towards Jabba's gallery. He leapt across the distance effortlessly and left Vin in awe at how much experience he would need before he attained that level of expertise.

Chris landed on the railing, perfectly balanced as his deep green eyes scoured the area and took stock of the situation. His face became a frown at the smell of burning metal that had become almost stifling. White clouds of billowing smoke was drifting out of the room and dissipating when it reached the open. However, the sting it left in their eyes told them to see how close the doors were to being breached. Vin had a worried expression on his face and Chris immediately honed in on it and understood why.  

"There are Imperial storm troopers behind that door." Chris pointed out. 

"What?" Mary stared at him sharply, her worry over their situation had suddenly reached a new degree of fear. Now she no longer concerned about being killed but rather terrified at being caught alive. 

"It doesn't matter," Vin said abruptly understanding her fear all too well. "We're getting the hell out of here right now!"  

Jabba's laugh rumbled through the air and it was a chortle of triumphant glee that filled their ears as he emerged from the shadows where he had been hiding to avoid being hit by incidental fire. "You're finished Tanner." He rumbled in Huttese, his derision made his worm like face giving him a truly sinister visage. "You'll never leave Tatooine alive and even if you do, I'll hunt you down and kill you. You'll never be able to come near a civilized star system for the rest of your life."

"I can live with that," Vin shrugged it off but could not deny that on some level, Jabba's threat affected him more than he would like to admit. However, he was not about to give the Hutt the satisfaction of seeing that Jabba had hurt him. He would give no one that pleasure.  

"Not for long." Jabba sneered. 

"Maybe we ought to just kill you now!" Alex turned her gun on him, seeing the silent pain in Vin's eyes and more than prepared to kill this overweight piece of slime just to spare Vin being branded a marked man any more then he already was. "How much do you think you're going to pay anybody if I spray your guts all over the floor?" 

"Alex," Chris said putting a hand on her arm and giving her a stern look that told her to desist. "We don't have time for this. We need to leave. Vin, take her." He ordered even though he could sympathise how she felt at the moment. Her emotions regarding Vin were easy for him to read and Chris knew that she would have carried out her threat, no matter what the consequences. She cared about Vin that much.  

"Yeah," Vin nodded, shaking away Jabba's venomous words because that's all it was, word. He was already a marked man thanks to the Empire and that did not stop his life from taking turns he never imagined possible. Jabba's bounty on his head could not change that any more than the Empire's had been able to.  

"Come on Alex," he deactivated his light sabre and went to the lovely operative. Sliding his arm around her waist, he gazed into her eyes and felt profoundly happy when he noticed she did not pull away. "We're going over the edge," he gestured towards the stone palisade. 

"You're kidding!" She exclaimed with just as much doubt as he had shown a second earlier. "We'll be killed." 

"No we won't," he said confidently and pulled her up against him, his hand sliding beneath her smooth thighs and lifting her into his arms. "Trust me." He gave her a little smile.

 Alex was afraid but complied by sliding around his neck and holding on for dear life. She had little experience with the Force and even less with the Jedi. Putting her faith in the supernatural frightened her but if Vin said they could do it, then she believed him. "Okay," she nodded, trying to hide the quiver in her lip which betrayed her anxiety. "Just don't make us a stain." 

"Oh and thank you for that picture." Mary retorted before adding. "Now get out of here you two."  

"We'll see you on the ground." Vin called out and glared at Jabba one last time. "Jabba I'll see you in hell." 

"You'll see it long before I do." Jabba glowered. 

Vin ignored that last jibe and climbed onto the narrow ledge of stone with Alex in his arms and took a deep breath. Without saying anything further, the Jedi leapt off the edge and plunged towards the ground below. Both Mary and Chris hurried to the edge to see if Vin and Alex had made the jump safely. At the last minute, Vin had used the Force to cushion his landing and the two of them rolled across the ground unceremoniously but were unhurt. Mary sighed gratefully for that before she turned to Chris as it was their turn and judging by the spread of heat across the door, they had not a moment to lose if they intended getting away at all.  

"I will hunt you all down!" Jabba growled, not about to let them leave without a final parting shot. "I will deliver you to Palpatine Jedi." 

Chris Larabee paused and looked up at the Hutt and for a moment, Jabba was frozen into silence by the steel in those eyes. As much as the Hutt liked to think he was in control, for a brief instant the gleam that surfaced in the Jedi's eyes made him regret having said anything at all, that he should have been glad just to see the back of the man. The light sabre hanging on the Jedi's belt was deactivated and Jabba wondered how long that would last. 

"I have a gift for you Jabba," Chris uttered coolly, a smile of equal malevolence as one Jabba had so often used himself to kill countless victims, crossed his face as he regarded the Hutt. "Consider it a preview of your future." 

"Chris?" Mary started to speak wondering whether there was really time for such soothsaying but he silenced her with a gesture.  

Chris stepped right up to the Hutt who instinctively tried to recoil but could not move fast enough. "Pray that you never cross the path of a Jedi again because the next time you see one of us in the flesh will the last day of your life." 

It was true. He did see it. He closed his eyes and saw a future where a Princess would prove quite irrevocably that there were no chains to bind her which she could not use to her advantage. He saw a Jedi, the last of the Jedi standing before Jabba the Hutt in the final hours of his life. The name screamed at Chris with shocking clarity and the face of the future salvation of the galaxy burned itself into his memory. 

Skywalker.

"What trickery is this?" Jabba snorted in disbelief. "Is that a threat?" 

"No," Chris shook his head slowly. "That is your destiny."

And with that, the Jedi swept his lady into his arms and departed, leaving Jabba unable to decide whether he had given the truth about his future or a lie whose power to frighten him was becoming surprisingly potent.

Nevertheless, he was adamant about one thing; a Jedi would never be allowed in the presence of Jabba the Hutt again.

************

 The Rogue could not take much more of this.

 How he had managed to hold his ship together in this maelstrom was beyond his ability to explain. Gravitational forces tore and pulled at the Correllian freighter as siren songs of differing frequencies tried in vain to lure the Rogue into the many singularities of its heart. The freighter was still maintaining its distance from the soul crushing destruction promised by the black holes it could not see but felt with every second that lumbered torturously by. It was a battle between David and several Goliaths’ with David prevailing so far through of sheer will and stubbornness of refusing to be defeated. The ship's battle was not just with the singularities inside the Maw but also had to contend with avoiding everything else that was being pulled towards it.

Buck Wilmington’s arms were strained and aching after hours of wrestling with his controls to keep his ship on its pre-programmed course. They were almost out of the perilous area but the Maw was not going to let them escape easily. Now that they had crossed its expanse, it almost felt as if it was becoming harder and harder to navigate, as if the Maw was consciously aware that their escape was eminent and was marshalling its forces in one final desperate act to ensnare them. The Rogue was screaming from a thousand wounds and yet the craft was still holding its own despite the fact that it was being subjected to stresses it was never designed to cope with. Behind him, his passengers had become strangely quiet since their journey through the Maw had began, which was just as well. Buck did not think he had the patience to deal with their histrionics and what was surrounding his ship as well.  

Even his patience was not that infinite.

Unfortunately, with it becoming evident that they would soon be escaping the Maw, the Rodian and the Gammorean were finding their voice again. With Nardo, the typical bluster that Buck had come to know and loathed surface with a vengeance with the Rodian attempting to hide that he ever been afraid at all, even though Buck knew only a fool would not be afraid of being inside the Maw. Still, that was Nardo he supposed. Selkik was a little more reflective and clearly affected by his close proximity to what would have been a terrible death indeed. The Gammorean was rather reserved with his claims of having no fear. Buck himself was rather amazed that they had come as far as they did and was not entirely convinced that their safety assured yet. 

"How long until we are clear?" Selkik asked. The enforcer was trying to keep his voice neutral but Buck recognised the underlying thread of fear in it nonetheless. 

"Another ten minutes." Buck answered offhandedly, keeping vigil over the gauges on his cockpit control panel. "We’re passing the last of the singularities. The gravitational fields have started to ease up a bit. Just as well." He sighed sweeping his gaze across the stern of his ship, secretly glad that she had held together as well as she did and somewhat astonished that she had not been pulled apart. There was a point when he was not entirely certain that the Rogue would not buckle under the gravimetric pressures. "My ship’s taken all that she’s going to take on this trip. I hope your Grand Admiral’s pets were worth all this."

"It was not that difficult," Nardo grunted arrogantly. The familiar bluster was returning to his tone and Buck rolled his eyes in disgust.

"I think you make yourself look like a great pilot by claiming it is so difficult to cross." Nardo continued his derisive words. "Any pilot worth his salt could manage it." 

"Well," Buck felt his anger get the better off him and snapped his eyes over his shoulder to glared icily at the Rodian. "I guess you won’t mind taking centre seat. I’ve been at it for the last few hours, I could use someone taking the helm for a while. Since you seem to think that you’ll have no trouble managing it, I don’t see why you couldn't get us out of here." 

The Rodian turned a shade pale at the idea and barked back at Buck, hating that he had been caught but seeing no other way out of it. "I would not presume to try and fly this bucket of bolts of yours."

"Of course not," Buck retorted sarcastically and turned back to the controls, satisfied that he had put Nardo in his place. However, something else was concerning him now that they neared the edge of the Maw.  

Buck began to wonder what Jabba had planned for him once they left the Maw. There was no guarantee that the gangster would release JD and with two of his hired thugs on board, Buck had no assurance that Nardo and Selkik would not kill him either. In fact, he had a feeling that part of the reason that Nardo had agreed to go on this insane mission through the Maw was because killing Buck Wilmington would be his ultimate reward. Buck and Nardo had crossed swords enough in the past for the Rodian to find that to be more than adequate compensation for risking his life in a venture as dangerous as crossing the Maw. Despite himself, Buck realised that he had better start thinking of a plan or he was going to be no safer out of the Maw than he was in it.

*********

It felt odd being on the bridge of Mary Travis' ship. 

Ezra Standish had never aspired to commanding a warship even though his instructors at the Academy claimed that he certainly had the talent for it. In truth, the responsibility of so many lives, depending so much on what he did was too daunting for a young Ezra Standish whose greatest fear at the time was failing those who might come to mean something to him. Of course things changed, they almost always did and he was not so young and responsibility was something he had been accepting a great deal of late. He was commander of an entire outpost on Cordoba and somehow, he had become responsible for keeping the rebel cell in Wild Space safe from the notice of Imperial authorities. It was puzzling how one could unconsciously become that which had been avoided all throughout one's life without even being aware of it until the deed was done.  

Ezra certainly felt that way as he sat on the bridge of the Purgatory, keeping watch on the area of space which would be the most likely venue the Rogue would emerge once it crossed the Maw successfully. Even though many of the bridge crew did not believe that the Rogue would ever be seen again, especially after witnessing the awesome fury of the phenomenon themselves from this safe distance, Ezra had faith in Buck's ability to pilot through this maelstrom. Even if he did not, he was not about to demoralize his temporary command by showing them that he had lost hope in their mission. Such behaviour could be as devastating as a fleet of warships waiting to vaporize them into solar dust. No, Ezra decided, he could not show doubt in regards to Buck's continued existence and he would not.  

Besides, Ezra was gambling on the Corellian pilot because if there was anyone who could tame the Maw, it was Buck Wilmington. Even if Ezra had no faith in anyone's ability to survive the phenomenon, he had absolute faith in the fact that Buck was the best damn pilot he had ever seen and there was not an inch of space that the man could not master. Ezra refused to believe anything else because he had no wish to entertain the possibility that he might have to go to Inez and tell her that he had failed to save Buck. Ezra tried not to think too deeply about the concern he had seen in her eyes when she worried about her former husband. He tried not to think about it because he had seen something that gave him the ominous feeling that Inez's affections for Buck was more than that of an ex-wife for her one time spouse.  

"Captain!" One of his junior officers cried out from his station.  

Ezra turned to the attention of a young female ensign who had just come on shift less than an hour ago. "What is it Ensign?"  

"I am detecting a ship at the extreme range of our sensors." The human female directed her gaze to both Chano and Ezra, her eyes wide with her discovery. 

"Boost your signal by switching to a narrow band." Chano instructed automatically, trying not to be over eager about the order even though he wanted very much to believe that it was Captain Wilmington. 

"Aye Sir." She responded and let her fingers fly over her station controls as both officers waited impatiently for her to glean further data regarding the ship they all hoped was the Rogue. Even though it was a matter of seconds, it felt like an eternity before she spoke up again.  

"It a freighter," she answered firmly with more than a little growing enthusiasm in her running commentary. She alternated her gaze from her commanding officers to the readings on the screen before her as she continued to ply them with information. "And Correllian." 

A swell of pleasure seemed to ripple through the bridge at the first positive news they had received since embarking on this mission to find the rebel hero. Buck Wilmington was one of the best pilots in the Alliance and his exploits were a thing of legend, a legend which had since become all the more glamorous now that his crossing of the Maw was a matter of public knowledge. Especially now that they all had seen for themselves what the Maw actually was and how difficult it must have been for Buck to cross it safely.  

"Can you get a fix on its type?" Chano inquired, trying to maintain an air of professionalism even though the mood was extremely optimistic about the craft they had detected being the Rogue.  

There was a slight pause as the Ensign sought to answer him. Everyone's breath including Ezra's was held as they waited with the seconds ticking by so loudly in their ears that it was deafening even though nothing was actually audible. There was an air of anticipation that even Ezra was unable to escape from. He too hoped that the ship was indeed the Rogue, he would hate for the crew to be disappointed when it felt that they were so close. Ezra was trying to main a professional demeanour about all this even though personally, he hoped that the ship was indeed the Rogue. Buck Wilmington was one of his closest friends and for a man who did not have many of them, Ezra did not wish to lose the few he had.  

"Its an Incom Corsair!" She finally exclaimed with an almost triumphant tone in her voice.  

"Yes!" Chano cried out in an uncharacteristic show of emotion as he forgot himself. A second later, he was straightening the collar to his uniform and scrambling hard to maintain the front of the professional soldier once again.  

"Sir?" He turned to Ezra unable to suppress a grin. "What are you orders?" 

"Move to intercept of course." Ezra returned that infection smile but was still restraining himself even though the news was so positive. "Take us to maximum speed." 

"Sir?" Chano met his gaze in question because they were already cruising at an adequate speed that would see them intercepting the Rogue in a matter of minutes. 

"Captain Wilmington was coerced into taking his ship across the Maw," Ezra spoke up, not only for Chano's benefit but also for that of the bridge crew. "It is highly likely that the parties acting on behalf of Jabba the Hutt's are still on board the Rogue with him. If we should suddenly appear, they may react badly. Worse yet, the Rogue is still far enough away from us at this point to jump to light speed if those parties attempt to abscond. The only way we can ensure that the Captain is no longer subjected to the Hutt's ministrations is to take the Rogue quickly, before they have a chance to think. Once we have taken the freighter, it would be far more expedient for them to negotiate with us if they had a hostage and alive one at that." 

Chano could not fault the commander's logic and once again decided that Mary had chosen well in turning command of the Purgatory to Ezra Standish. "You know something Commander?" Chano remarked with a little smile in a softer voice beyond the hearing of the others. "I'm going to hate to see you go." 

"Thank you," Ezra said somewhat surprised and genuinely touched by Chano's words. "Commanding this ship has been interesting." 

"You're very good at it." Chano pointed out honestly. "I actually think you might be better at it than playing spy." 

"I might not be playing spy for very long if I am caught." Ezra muttered under his breath, allowing himself for the first time since this all began to think about what his disappearance these past days would do to the already growing suspicions that Julia Pemberton had about him. No doubt, when he returned to the Cordoba base, she would ply him with a dozen questions in trying to ascertain his whereabouts. Julia's tenacity was something that not even Chano's formidable wife Claire could keep at bay for very long. "The time is fast approaching when I think I will have to make a choice about my associations with the Alliance. A smart man knows when to gamble and when to take one's winnings and run. I am starting to feel that I should be thinking of the latter." 

"Commander!" Someone called out worriedly and kept Chano from asking Ezra any more about his prophetic words. "There's something wrong with the Rogue!"  

************

The Rogue shuddered again, sending tendrils of fear throughout its passengers. Emergency lights that had been silent since the ship left the Maw suddenly returned to life once again with a vengeance. Across Buck's cockpit control, warning lights blinked continuously as the shrill noises of warning danger screeched in their ears. The same powerful jolt that had cut short their euphoria at escaping the Maw repeated itself with enough intensity to cause the superstructure of the craft to groan in protest at the rough handling. The forward momentum of the vessel was disrupted and suddenly the Rogue was no longer on course but drifting.  

"What's happening?" Selkik demanded, polarized by the idea that they could be in jeopardy so soon after escaping the Maw. Somehow it felt like a cruel trick of fate that they should survive the trip across the Maw only to lose their lives upon returning to the relative safety of normal space. 

"Its an engine core overload." Buck snapped, not at all happy to be answering questions when he had bigger problems to deal with at this juncture. The cockpit was bathed in crimson glow of the emergency lights and it seemed to be a rather ominous shade considering the nature of their troubles. "I told you my ship was going to get torn apart going through the Maw!" 

"But we emerged fine!" Nardo quickly accused, refusing to believe that they were in trouble, not after surviving such a trial already. "We made it!" 

"We made it because my ship held together long enough for that to happen!" Buck glared at the two passengers behind him. "But she's been through a beating and a massive failure like this was just a matter of time." 

"How massive?" Selkik grunted the brow over his porcine face furrowed and he exchanged a nervous glance with Nardo. Even though he was not usually shaken, Selkik could not deny how powerless he felt when in the Maw and hated the resurgence of that same futility right now. The Maw had taught him how truly fragile life was out here and the Gammorrean had no wish to die in a vacuum filled void. .  

"I can't shut it down!" Buck explained frantically. "I need to be able to land to do that. The shut down connections for the core is on the outside of the hull. I'd have to go out there to do it and we don't have the time!" 

"We're light years from a landing site!" Nardo cried out, the tension in his voice indicating that he was just a hair's breath from full blown panic. 

"We have to abandon ship." Selkik stated with some measure of finality as if it were a decision he had deliberated upon heavily and no made on the spur of the moment. 

"I'm not leaving her!" Buck shouted angrily. "I'm not leaving my ship!" 

"You can stay but we are abandoning ship!" Selkik retorted, caring little about the pilot's attachment to his ship. It was after all an inanimate object. If Wilmington want to die here, that was his business. Selkik had no intention of ending his life here. He had seen the life pods on Buck's ship and had to confess that the pilot equipped his craft with the best. Any one of the two pods were more than capable of taking them back to civilized space.  

"I need your help to get this thing under control!" Buck pleaded as Selkik and Nardo leapt out of their seats, already moving out of the cockpit. 

"You can stay and die with your ship if you like," Nardo said cruelly. "It makes no difference to me." If the Rodian could have smiled, Buck was certain he would be seeing a broad grin on Nardo's face by now.  

"What about your cargo?" Buck called out to but seeing only their backs as they pushed their way out of the cockpit. 

"We can get some more." Selkik shouted as his enormous bulk passed through the doors with Nardo in tow.  

Buck stared after them and suddenly felt confused. After everything they had been through, Selkik was willing to simply abandon the yslamiri to their fate? Suddenly he was revisited by everything that Selkik had told him about a Grand Admiral being involved in all this. What was the point of this entire exercise in the first place? Buck did not have long to ponder the situation closely because he faced the cockpit controls once again; he saw the signal lights for one of the life pods on the Rogue blinking its activation. The pods were a completely autonomous system from the rest of the ship, allowing initialization to be engaged in the event of significant damage to the cockpit. Buck registered two life forms entering one of the pods before the detachment sequence was initiated.  

"Look I need your help!" Buck implored into the ship's speaker, making a last ditch effort to stop his passengers from leaving the Rogue. 

A burst of static preceded Nardo's curt response. "See you in hell Weelmington, too bad you'll get there first!" 

With that, the docking clamps on the pod was released, the sound of explosive locks detonating through the hull with a sudden bang. In a matter of seconds, the small capsule was surging away from the Rogue at top speed. Buck watched its progress on the small-digitized console before him. Their departure was little more than a green blip on a dark screen. A slow smile stole across his face as he started disengaging the systems he had sabotaged in order to give the appearance of danger. Lights stopped flashing and the klaxons fell immediately silent. No more than ten minutes after all the pandemonium had sounded, Buck found himself in total command of his ship again, with no hint of the danger that had sent Selkik and Nardo scurrying off the Rogue like frightened children. 

"That was almost too easy." He chuckled. 

***********

 "I don't understand," the ensign stared at Ezra and Chano in confusion as the readings on her terminal altered radically. "A minute ago I was reading a multiple systems failure on the Rogue. I am almost certain that the freighter was nearing a core implosion. Now everything is functioning at nominal." Her blank expression was followed by a unfathomable shrug of her shoulders. 

"I take it these systems stabilized shortly after the life pod was ejected?" Ezra asked, trying to keep a straight face because he had a good idea what Buck had just done. It was just the sort of thing the Rogue (and he did not mean the ship) would do.  

"Yes," Ensign Ferra nodded mutely, having the feeling that this was a punch line to a joke she did not understand. "Almost immediately."

Ezra and Chano exchanged a look and both men smiled knowingly at each other before Chano turned to Ferra once more. "Can you get an accurate reading of the life signs in the pod?" Both he and Ezra knew what they were going to find but it did not hurt to confirm it nonetheless. 

"Yes Sir," she replied facing front momentarily as she called up the information. "It looks like Rodian and Gammorean."

Another smile crossed Ezra's face and this time, he did not bother to hide it. "Ensign are we in tractor beam range of the pod?" 

"Yes Sir." She answered. 

"Good," Ezra eased back into his command chair and responded. "Lock on to the pod and bring it on board." 

As Ezra gave that order, Chano went promptly to his station and flicked a switch. "Security, I want a detail in the landing bay to secure two passengers on the life pod. Expect a hostile reaction. Passengers are most likely armed. Use whatever force necessary to restrain them." 

On the large viewing screen that afforded a panoramic view of the stars before them, Ezra saw the faint shape of the Rogue coming into view across the nose of the Purgatory. Despite the chaotic readings earlier, there was no sign of any of the malfunctions that had caused Ensign Ferra's concern earlier. In fact, the Rogue's trajectory and speed was somewhat leisurely as if its pilot had recently unburdened himself of some great weight. Seeing the craft infused the bridge crew with a deep sense of relief at knowing the party for whom they had made this journey was in one piece. 

"The Rogue's hailing us Sir," one of the officers announced happily.

 "Put it on screen," Ezra answered and was rewarded with the image of Buck Wilmington's face. 

"Ezra!" Buck exclaimed with surprise at seeing him on the bridge of the Purgatory. "You're a long way from Cordoba. What are you doing on Mary's ship?" 

"Well apparently someone had to come and retrieve you Captain." Ezra grinned, genuinely pleased to see the smiling face on the screen. "However, it does appear that you are quite capable of handling your own retrieval." 

"Oh don't feel too bad, its the thought that counts." Buck said cockily before adding with a sardonic smile. "Although I could have used you guys a little earlier. Hey any chance of getting my life pod back?" He asked. 

"The Purgatory's tractor beam already has it." Ezra replied quickly, putting to rest any questions Buck might have regarding the duo that had just left his ship. "Might I inquire whom our security team will be greeting when it is brought on board?" 

"Yeah," the Corellian grinned rather pleased when he imagined the look of Nardo and Selkik's faces when they emerged from his pod to find rebel guns aimed in their face. It convinced him that there was a higher power guiding things and it had a good sense of humour. "A smuggler named Nardo and Jabba's enforcer Selkik." 

"Charming." Ezra retorted. "I imagine some time in the brig will do them some good. Perhaps keeping them might be a preferable solution then cutting them loose later on. Considering how things have transpired, it may be more merciful then releasing them." 

"Seeing how this caper has gone down, I would love to be a fly on the wall when they have to explain to Jabba the Hutt how they managed to get taken by an rebel warship." Buck chuckled.

"Commander," Chano who had been called away to the communications station during Ezra and Buck's conversation returned with news to report. "Captain Wilmington," Chano stared at Buck through the view screen. "Its good to see you."

 "Thanks Chano," the pilot said graciously. "Its good to be seen." 

"I've got some news for you," Chano continued, aware that this would be of great interest to Buck. "We've just had word from Commander Travis that Ensign Dunne is safe and sound. Chris Larabee and Vin Tanner rescued him from Tatooine."

Buck let out a relieved sigh at the news of JD's well being and eased back into his chair. "That's good to hear." He said softly, glad that he could finally discard the fear he had felt over JD's continued well being.  

"Well Mr Wilmington," Ezra took a deep breath, satisfied that things were more or less resolved with the receipt of that intelligence from Tatooine. "I think its time we went home, unless of course you would like to take another trip to the Maw." 

"I think I'll pass," Buck gave him a look and then added. "Still," he grinned with an utterly roguish smile. "Its nice to know I'm still the best." n, I would love to be a fly on the wall when they have to explain to the Hutt how they managed to get taken

EPILOGUE

It was almost a full day before the rebels returned to their secret base deep in the heart of the Territory. Even though Buck wanted very much for Ezra to return with them to the base, the Commander of the Cordoba outpost sensibly declined the offer, citing that it was safer for everyone if he did not know its location. With Julia Pemberton becoming more and more suspicious about him, Ezra was unwilling to risk the safety of his friends by risking their lives if he should be captured by the Empire and tortured for what he knew. Thus the Purgatory returned him to Pzob where he had discreetly returned to Cordoba once again. At the same time, Nardo and Selkik were also released on Ryloth so that they could make their way back to Tatooine. Buck was almost sorry he could not see how they would explain to Jabba their tremendous blunder but supposed the Maw had the tendency to unnerve anyone, although he did not think Jabba was going to be very forgiving when he heard that excuse.  

"So what are these things?" Nathan Jackson asked Buck shortly after his return to the Siraj base.  

Buck had removed one of the cages containing the ysalmiri in order to show the rebel captain what had been the reason for his being coerced into entering the Maw. Unsurprisingly, Nathan was somewhat sceptical that the furry little creatures could have been the sole purpose for his being forced into making such a dangerous trip. As Buck placed one of the cages on the workbench in the corner of the hangar, he noticed that the little creatures immediately enchanted a small group of passers-by. It reasserted Buck's belief that these yslamiri indeed had no value other than as pets. The yslamiri themselves did not like the attention and shrunk back at the first finger that tried to pat their sniffing noses. Buck could hardly blame them they appeared unhappy at being removed from their natural habitat.

"They're called yslamiri." Buck repeated himself as he opened the cage and wrapped his hand around one of the creature's elongated bodies. He extracted the small creature from its cell and tentatively tried to feed it with some vegetables he had stolen from the mess for the purpose. He had no idea what he was going to do with them but he was certainly not letting them starve in their cages. The little yslamiri in his hand picked up the morsel of food it had been given and began gnawing on it immediately. "Some Grand Admiral by the name of Thrawn was adamant that these were taken through the Maw."

"Grand Admiral Thrawn?" Nathan asked, unfamiliar with the name. The Alliance made it their business to know every high-ranking officer in the Imperial Fleet and Thrawn was a name he had never come across before.

"Yeah that's what Selkik said." Buck answered offhandedly as he lowered the yslamiri back with the others and started emptying the rest of the food into the cage. "Some kind of master strategist. Apparently, he's non human." 

"That's impossible." Nathan retorted. "Palpatine doesn't have non-humans in the Fleet. Especially one with the designation of Grand Admiral." 

"I wondered about that." The Correllian answered as he kept a close eye on his new charges as they devoured the food he had provided in their cages. "Selkik was pretty sure too. He's also pretty sure that this Admiral was a species he's never seen before with blue skin and red eyes and looks mostly human." 

"I've never heard of a species that looks like that." The soldier frowned, disliking this Grand Admiral the more and more he heard about the man. "I'm going to report this to the High Command. If there's a Grand Admiral out there we don't know about, it could mean Palpatine's keeping him a secret for a good reason." 

"Hey looks like Chris and the others are back." Buck remarked as he saw the Tracker gliding into the landing pad in the distance. Technicians and astrodroids were gathering in small numbers, preparing to take charge of the ship once it had landed. "I hope JD is okay." Buck found himself admitting. "I really hated those guys for taking him." 

"Relax," Nathan answered scratching the nose of one of the yslamiri that was peeking through the cage and sniffing to find more food. "From what Mary says in her last transmission from the Tracker, no one got hurt and it looks like the kid convinced Jabba to keep him around by taking part in some kind of a pod race." 

"Pod race?" Buck raised a brow at that familiar with JD's prowess as a pod racer. "Did he win?" 

"Mary didn't say," the rebel captain shrugged. "I think she was mostly glad to be getting off Tatooine in one piece."

Buck did not press the issue, deciding that when Chris and the others emerged from the Tracker in a few short minutes, he would get further details regarding their dealings with Jabba, though Buck could not imagine that any encounter with a Hutt gang lord to be pleasant. Still, he was grateful that his friends had come away from this unscathed and JD had not been harmed while being kept a hostage because of something Jabba needed Buck to do. That had been the worst part of this whole business with the Maw, the fact that they had taken JD in order to coerce him into cooperating. Buck would never have forgiven himself if anything had happened to the young man because of him. Fortunately, everything had turned out well but he still needed to see for himself. Leaving the yslamiri to their meal, Buck and Nathan approached the launch pad and waited patiently while the Tracker went through the motions of disembarkation.

Suddenly from the corner of the hangar, Buck caught sight of a ravishing beauty with sultry looks and magnificent red hair walking towards them on a set of spectacularly shaped legs. She did not wear a uniform but the bars he saw on her clothes indicated that she was definitely a member of the Alliance. She met Buck's gaze with hazel collared eyes and the twinkle in them as she looked upon him was a clear indication that she liked what she saw. Buck could not fault her for that because he certainly liked what he was looking at. He liked it a lot. 

"There's a new woman on base and you didn't tell me?" Buck shot a furious glare at Nathan as he saw her approach, nudging Nathan in the ribs for his trespass. 

"Hey, do I look like your dating service?" Nathan growled annoyed. "That's Captain Perkins. Our new morale officer."  

"Well," Buck grinned. "She's doing wonders for mine." 

Nathan rolled his eyes sarcastically. "Yeah I'll bet."  

"Captain Jackson," Louisa said smiling at Buck as soon as their eyes made contact, barely noticing Nathan even though she was talking to him. "I take it this is the famous Captain Wilmington?" 

Before Nathan could open his mouth to speak, Buck was already stepping forward to respond. "You can call me Buck, Captain Perkins is it?"  

"Louisa." She batted her eyes as she answered. "Louisa Perkins. I'm pleased to meet you." 

"The pleasure is all mine." Buck responded, taking her hand in his and raising it gallantly to his lips in a most gentlemanly greeting.

 "I had no idea that Corellian pilots could be so charming." Louisa smiled at the handsome pilot.

"I've got lots of talents that you'll find just as charming, Louisa." Buck drawled suggestively but Louisa did not seem offended, if anything she was rather taken by it. "Has anyone given you the tour? It would be my pleasure to escort you and familiarize you with every aspect of this base." 

"Well I have seen it," she remarked coyly. 

"Not the way I show it." Buck retorted and offered her his arm.

"Now who can resist an invitation like that?" She beamed radiantly at him. 

Nathan thought he was going to be sick but had the politeness not to say it out loud. "Uh Buck, didn't you want to see how JD and the others are doing?" He reminded. 

"Oh yeah!" Buck exclaimed. "This will only take a minute." 

"Glad to see you priorities are intact Captain," Mary Travis declared as she approached with Chris, Alex, JD and Vin. "I see you've met Louisa." The ice in her voice was unmistakable. 

"I've had the pleasure yes." Buck replied, noticing some tension between the two ladies in question but quickly disregarded it when he saw JD. "Hey you!" He grabbed JD in a headlock and ruffled the boy's hair playfully, perfectly aware that JD abhorred it. 

"Quit it Buck!" JD grumbled but could not deny that he was too happy at seeing Buck safe and sound to get mad.  

"I'm glad to see you kid." Buck laughed when he let JD go. "I was worried about you." 

"Me too." JD admitted freely. "If it weren't for Chris, Mary, Vin and Alex, I'd still be stuck there on Tatooine." 

"Well Mary, it appears your trip away did wonders for your dress sense." Louisa stepped to the front of the group and let her eyes move over Mary and Alex's attire. Neither woman had the opportunity to change and both were still in the slinky clothes that they had been forced to wear during their tenure as Jabba's slave girls. "I had no idea your tastes ran so glittery." 

"How would you like to be reassigned to quarters on the same level as the sanitation center?" Mary snapped. 

"You really need to lighten up." Louisa retorted and Buck looked questioningly at Nathan who simply shook his head to let it go, lest he wanted to be caught in the crossfire between two extremely formidable women. 

Suddenly, Alex noticed that neither Chris nor Vin had said anything since they emerged from the Tracker. Both men appeared disturbed somewhat. Chris was actually the worse of the two. He appeared pale almost as if he were sick. "Chris? What's the matter?" 

Everyone's attention turned to Chris immediately. The Jedi's breathing was shallow and it almost looked as if he was having an anxiety attack. "I can't sense anything." He whispered. 

"Is it Buck?" Mary asked, remembering the same thing occurring before.  

"No," Chris shook his head meeting his old friend's gaze. "Its not Buck but there's something here. I can't feel anything. I can't sense any of you." 

"Chris," Mary took his arm because it appeared as if he might pass out from disorientation. "Take it easy. You're starting to panic." 

"I don't panic!" Chris hissed but the truth was, he did feel panic. It was like going blind! He had never known a day in his whole life when the Force was not with him and to feel it gone so suddenly was like being robbed of one's sight. 

"I don't understand." Alex stammered as she saw Vin with the same kind of distress on his face although the effect of this 'Force blindness' did not seem so marked on him. "You guys were fine until we arrived here on the base." 

"Something's different." Chris muttered, trying to quell the anxiety that was bubbling inside of him. "I couldn't sense Buck before but that was different. I could pull back but this is strong. I can't pull back and I can't feel anything!"  

"Chris calm down." Mary's voice said firmly. 

"Does he need a medic?" Louisa asked, all traces of smug mischief disappeared. At this moment, she sounded very much like an officer of the Alliance.  

Buck's mind was whirling. Suddenly, he realised why a Grand Admiral was so interested in the planet Mykrr. Buck had been unable to fathom why the yslamiri was so important to the Empire, especially when they held no discernible value whatsoever. But the Chandra Fan named Elera had said something about a warning on the Jedi relic he had found which told the Jedi to stay away from Mykrr. At first, Buck had thought it was because there was something on Mykrr that was dangerous to the Jedi. Perhaps a weapon of some sort but now, it became so clear and it made perfect sense why Chris and Vin had been affected the moment they arrive on the base. 

"Oh hell!" Buck exclaimed. "Its the yslamiri!"  

"What?" Nathan shot him a look of absolute disbelief. "Those furry little things?"  

"Yes!" He hissed and turned to Chris. "You couldn't sense me because I've been on the Rogue with these yslamiri since this all began. Come on!" Buck turned on his heels and strode towards the cages holding the animals in question, leading the others to see what he was talking about. 

As they approached the yslamiri, Chris required both Mary and JD to keep him from passing out. The sheer number of the creatures had the effect of dropping him into a sensory deprivation tank. Vin who was only in the early stages of his training felt his head swim and needed Alex's support to stand.  

"He's right," Chris managed to say. "This is where its' coming from." 

"Wait a minute!" Mary gasped, recognizing the creatures as Laurel Chase's pets during her time with the Black Sun criminal organization. "You said you felt this way once before? When you came after me at Star's End?" 

"Yes." Chris nodded, closing his eyes and trying to focus on the Force to no avail. 

"Laurel had one or two of these creatures in her fortress." Mary stated. 

"You're telling me these cute little things are capable of rendering a Jedi completely helpless?" Alex asked with clear shock in her voice.  

"Not helpless," Vin grunted. "Just unable to use the Force." 

"That's why this Grand Admiral wants it." Nathan deduced suddenly. "With just one of these, this guy can protect himself from any Jedi that comes after him!"

"Its more than that." Mary replied, her mind grasping an even more devastating possibility. "With these creatures, he can block out the Emperor and Vader."

"But why take them through the Maw?" Buck asked. "I don't understand why I had to go through the Maw with them. It don't make sense...." 

************

"It makes perfect sense Lieutenant." Grand Admiral Thrawn explained from behind his desk on board the star destroyer Nimbus.  

The young lieutenant freshly transferred from Coruscant was one of Thrawn's more promising junior officers. Although Lieutenant Pallaeon was as inexperienced as they come, having spend most of his duty on warships close to Coruscant, Thrawn believed the young man had potential and had requested his transfer to Thrawn's personal ship, the Nimbus. Those who served on the Nimbus found it an especial privilege to be working under the command of an admiral who was easily considered one of the most brilliant commanders in the Fleet even though his existence was generally kept a secret because he was non human. Palpatine had forgone his usual rule of keeping the Imperial Navy strictly human because Thrawn' s brilliance was a resource to precious to waste. His staff was unswervingly loyal because Thrawn was not merely a brilliant tactician, he was also the kind of commander that sought to teach and though he was ruthless in his dealings, he recognized that initiative, bravery and innovative thinking. That alone made anyone who served with Thrawn ready to die for him. 

Pallaeon had served only a few months on board the Nimbus before he was given one of the most coveted promotions on the ship, that is being Thrawn's personnel assistant cum adjutant. It was a position that Pallaeon felt singularly honoured to have earned, though he wondered why Thrawn had elected someone as young as he for the purpose. He even dared to ask once, only to Thrawn reply simply that he had potential that required cultivation. That was the highest praise that Thrawn could give anyone, least of all a nobody like him. On this occasion, he did not feel that his potential as Thrawn had put it was living up to his best because he still felt some confusion as to the Admiral's dealings with Jabba the Hutt. Personally, Pallaeon felt that the like of Jabba was simply beneath the Admiral but Thrawn had an agenda and his agendas usually held some intricate web of planning whose ultimate purpose was beyond Pallaeon's ability to understand, let alone conceive. 

"But we lost the shipment." Pallaeon responded, repeating the words that Jabba the Hutt had used to explain how the mission went awry. 

"It was never about the shipment, Lieutenant." Thrawn said with a little smile. "I can send a squadron of my best fighters to Mykrr to retrieve the yslamiri if I required it. I did not need Buck Wilmington's ship for that." 

"Then why send him through the Maw?" Pallaeon wanted desperately to see Thrawn's overall plan. However, he was starting to realise that perhaps he simply did not have the ability to think on Thrawn's level.  

"To see who would come after him." Thrawn explained, aware that he had lost the young man and decided to be a little more basic. "Buck Wilmington's value to me was not the fact that he could cross the Maw but rather that he was the friend of Chris Larabee, a Jedi knight. I was aware that the yslamiri are able to repel the Force but I had to be certain of it. I have my confirmation that Larabee was unable to track his old friend because he went to Tatooine in search of Wilmington. If he had full use of his Jedi senses, he would have instantly known that where Wilmington was going. The fact that he ended up on Tatooine while Wilmington carried the yslamiri proves that Larabee could not sense him and that is a very valuable commodity indeed." 

"So you sent him through the Maw because he'd think that's the reason why you picked him?" Pallaeon ventured a guess. "Because he crossed it before?" 

"Exactly." Thrawn nodded, pleased that his young protégé had grasped some measure of his plan. "But in truth, he was chosen because he was Chris Larabee's friend. The Maw was a convenient excuse." 

"But why Sir?" Pallaeon asked, now that he understood that the real purpose of the plan was test the yslamiri on Chris Larabee. "Larabee is a Jedi. Wouldn't it be more expedient to let Lord Vader deal with him?" 

"Yes it would," Thrawn answered. "Unfortunately, at this time, Lord Vader and I are at cross purposes." 

"How so?" The young man asked, shuddering slightly to think that Thrawn might be coming into conflict with a Sith Lord on any issue.  

"Vader wants Larabee because of his apprentice Tanner. Apparently Tanner knows something of great value to Vader and the Emperor. While it would serve my purpose to find out what that is, I have no use for Jedi secrets. I prefer something more tangible. If Vader finds Larabee he'll most likely use him as bait to lure Tanner to him. However, I have my reasons for wanting Larabee neutralized." 

"Why?" Pallaeon inquired, unable to imagine what Thrawn would do with a Jedi knight. 

"Larabee is in the rebel enclave commanded by Travis." 

Pallaeon gulped involuntarily. "Mary Travis?"  

"You know her." Thrawn stated not a all surprised. Despite the fact that Mary Travis was one of the most wanted rebels in the galaxy, her prowess as military commander was a source of some awe among the Imperial fleet. It was considered a challenge and an honour to be able to defeat an enemy of her calibre. 

"Only by rumour Sir," Pallaeon remarked feeling somewhat embarrassed at being caught out.  

"Well the rumours are true," Thrawn confirmed. "She is the best military mind the Rebel Alliance has and the Emperor has charged me to bring her in. I intend to deliver Mary Travis to the Emperor and when the time comes, no Jedi will get in my way. Thanks to the yslamiri, I now have a weapon against Chris Larabee and any other Jedi that tries to stop me. One way or way or another, I will have her."  

Pallaeon stared at Thrawn's crimson collared eyes and knew that if anyone could best Mary Travis it was the Grand Admiral.  

Wherever she was, Mary Travis had better watch out because Thrawn was coming for her.  

THE END

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