| Kat stared out the view port. Tears still threatening to over whelm her. She was getting upset at herself because of it. She couldn't wait to get out of hyperspace and distract her mind. She walked back to the living area and turned on one of the remotes... "Tell Lord Skywalker that I've found her!" Evya ordered. She smiled. The competition between the Jedi hunters was fierce. Everyone wanted this Jedi, and she was going to have her, if it was the last thing she did. "She's on Corellia." Kat spent most of her time practicing with her remotes or tinkering on her 'toys', weapons that accented her Jedi training. She already had a double bladed saber. The blue-violet blades sprung out as she did one more practice run adding a few gymnastics in with the routine. Tabby had bought her a blaster, but she refused to wear it, so it remained in its holster hanging on a wall in the ship. Kat jumped as the console beeped letting her know that it was time to come out of hyperspace. The remote took advantage of the distraction and zapped Kat from behind. Kat leaped and hit her head on the roof of the ship. "I'll get you for that!" Kat mumbled to the remote and went to the cockpit and prepared to exit hyperspace. "3 . . . 2 . . . 1!" she counted mentally and pulled the lever. A moon hung just above her and Tabby's ship just to the left. "Nar Shadda Traffic Control this is Tabby's Pride request permission to land." "Hey Tabby! Where ya been?" a male voice replied. "On Corellia dropping of a load of spice, brought a friend back with me, too!" "That the ship that came out of hyperspace right after you?" "Yea. Umm, Kalex, I need a favor-" "Lemme guess, you want me to give her a job, right?" "Something like that, yea." "I'll see what I can do, meetcha in landing bays 54 and 55." "Thanks!" "Who was that!" Kat asked when the transmission ended. "Your new boss, kay?" Tabby answered. "No more questions until we've landed, alright?" "Alright." "Good," Tabby replied and set her ship down, Kat did the same and was a bit timid coming off the ramp. Her Jedi trained senses and instincts told her this wasn't a really good place to be and her danger sense was sounding off the wall, but what better place to hide from the bounty hunters than among them? As long as she didn't answer any questions this was the place to be . . . as long as she didn't tell anyone she was a Jedi. "Kalex!" Tabby's voice came from the other side of her ship. "Tabby! Long time no see! Where's your friend?" "This way," Tabby led Kalex around her ship to Kat's. "Kat this is Kalex." Kat popped her head out from behind the open entry ramp. "Hello," she replied. Tabby glared at Kat. "Hi!" Kalex answered back. "Tabby tells me your in need of work, well I have a load of spice I need taken to Corellia, I'll have the compartments installed in your ship for free, alright?" "Get me the parts and I'll install the compartments myself," Kat replied stubbornly. "I'll get you the parts and you can install the compartments yourself," Kalex replied. Ha! Jedi mind trick, If all the smugglers are this weak minded I should do well Kat thought. "Thank you," she replied as if nothing had happened. Tabby stood there in amazement staring at Kat for what she did, Kat convinced Tabby's mind that it was a trick of her imagination. "How soon will you be ready?" Kalex asked. "How soon can you get me the parts?" Kat replied. "Tomorrow morning?" "If I really push and work all day, It'll be done by dinner time." "Great. Care to join me for dinner?" Kalex offered. "And since it's your first time here I'm buying." "Food sounds like a really good idea to me!" Tabby replied jealously before Kat could answer. "Follow me," Kalex led the threesome out of the landing bay and into the streets of Nar Shadda. Kat kept her senses at full alert, she didn't like it here and figured as long as she had a smuggling run or bounty to catch she shouldn't have to stay here more than a few days at a time. She smiled, Of all places to hide from the bounty hunters, right among them seems the most illogical and craziest place to hide! Good thing they don't know I am that crazy! Kalex led them into a dimly lit place and ordered something for all of them. "Where d'ya wanna sit?" Kat looked around and saw a booth in the far corner that well hid whoever decided to sit there. "How 'bout there?" she asked pointing to the corner. "Kat if there's one thing you don't wanna do is be hidden when you come into a place like this, they all think you have something valuable and will try to mug you when you leave," Tabby reprimanded. "How 'bout there?" she pointed to a place in the center of the room. "Fine with me!" Kat replied trying to hide her reluctance then she looked at Kalex who was holding a plate in each hand and trying to balance the third on his head. She laughed. "You want some help there?" Kalex smiled. "Yea, that would be kind nice!" Kat laughed again then took the plated from Kalex, one in each hand and then force levitated the third plate slightly above the one in her hand. Walking over to the table Kat received many glances from the spacers, she didn't like them one bit and was willing to take all of them on if need be. "So," Kalex started when they sat down. "Where ya from and what's yer past?" "I'm from Corellia and I grew up on the streets in one of the main cities," Kat replied hoping her wouldn't want anymore detail. "So how did you know Tabby?" he continued. "We grew up together. Tabby and I got out of many a scrape together," Kat answered. She made the idea of not saying a word a very good one in Tabby's mind. "I see. Tabby's told me about you, said you disappeared four years ago . . ." he trailed off. "I was found by a relative, who lived on the other side of the planet, and taken in. I missed the streets and didn't have enough money to make it back till a couple weeks ago," Kat answered. "Interesting . . ." Kalex replied and they ate the rest of their dinner quietly. Alerik smiled. He had followed the tracer that Nicko and Shrinas had left in the ship that the little Jedi apprentice had built. He had to admit he didn't expect to find her at Nar Shadda. "Inform Lord Vader that we have found another Jedi, and that I think he'll find a special interest in this one." "How ya doin' Kat?" Tabby asked. "Well if you'd quit talkin' to me I'd be goin' a lot faster!" Kat snapped. She didn't want to or feel like snapping, but if she wanted to hide and blend in she needed to act like everyone else, and that included pretending to get annoyed at Tabby. "Alright! All right! Cool yer jets! I was just curious!" "I know, but if your not helping you hindering." "Well what do you want me to do?" "Well, you could hand me the hydrospanner," Kat replied wryly. Tabby handed the hydrospanner down to Kat. Kat had been working all day and it was almost dinnertime. "Thank you. I'm almost done." "What are you doing down there?" "Why don't you come down and see?" Kat invited. Tabby slid down into the hole. "Wow! You planin' on livin' down here?" "No, but if I need to hide it's deep enough that I can hide in the shadows." "Makes sense, I wouldn't wanna hide down there if I had a load of spice though." "Don't plan on it," Kat replied. Kat pulled open another panel off the wall revealing another secret compartment, about big enough for two people to fit in comfortably. "You plan on smuggling slaves? It's big enough!" "NO! No slaves! That's the one thing I won't do! If need be I'll hide down here, or If I need to smuggle rebels or even . . ." "Jedi?" a female voice cane from behind Kat and Tabby. "I never said that!" Kat protested. "But you thought it," the female replied then turned to Tabby. "I think you can go now," she said in a monotone voice. Kat recognized it immediately as a Jedi mind trick and would have been taken in as well if she hadn't been so strong willed. "I think I'll go now," Tabby repeated. "See ya later, Kat!" "Bye!" Kat replied then turned to the stranger. "Ok who are you? And how did you get past my mental blocks with out my sensing it?" "My name is Lilathera, I'm a Jedi Knight," she noticed Kat looking after Tabby and felt her worry. "Don't worry, she thinks this was all a dream, to her we never met." "Thank you . . . I think," Kat replied. "I owe you one." "Don't worry about it. My friends and I need transport to Bothawui." "Your friends?" The female gave a series of whistles and four other females came out from behind various ships. Though different heights, Kat noticed they all wore similar attire: tight top, black pants and spacer's boots that came out to their knees. They each had a belt that slanted on their hips one side had a holstered blaster and on the other side hung a lightsaber. "You aren't afraid of bein' caught wearing those? I mean your on Nar Shadda and there are hundreds of bounty hunters here," Kat commented. "No we're not afraid of who we are and what can do," one answered. "I'm not afraid, but I'm kinda trying to hide," Kat answered. "And, umm, just so I know who I'm working with can I please get your names?" "You already know me," Lilathera answered. "This is Kira, Lana, Kasandra, and Rika." "Nice to meet you," Kat replied. "I don't mean to be rude, but I also need to be paid . . ." "Fifty thousand credits now fifty thousand when we reach Bothawui," Kira answered promptly. "Sounds good to me, I'm gonna have a load of spice in there soon, I suggest that you get some food tonight and meet me here at midnight," Kat continued. "Alright, see you at midnight!" Rika replied and the five of them walked off Kat concentrated on their presence's and noticed that one of them had a strange presence in the Force. "Hey Kat! You ready for dinner?" Kalex asked teasingly. "Yep! And the compartments are finished, too. I can be ready to leave by midnight," Kat replied. "Excellent! The goods will be in a locker near your ship by then," Kalex replied between bites. "Hey Kat who was the lady you were talking to?" Tabby asked. Looks like Tabby has a stronger will than she thought! "That was someone who wanted me to smuggle something to Bothawui," Kat answered. "Any idea what?" Kalex asked. "Need to know basis . . . and you . . . don't need . . . to know!" Kat smiled. Tabby laughed and Kalex looked like he'd been hit by a lazer bolt, then he laughed too. "You are certainly a mystery, Kat! One of these day's I'll figure you out!" he answered. "I hope not," Kat mumbled then finished eating. Midnight finally came and Kat met the five Jedi and they all packed the cargo on the ship. "Thank you," Kat told them as she went through pre-flight. "No problem," Kira answered sitting in the co-pilot seat. "I have a question," "Yes?" "One of you has a strange presence in the force, why?" Kat asked lifting the ship off the ground and leaving the moon's atmosphere "That would be me, I'm a clone of one of the Sith. I'm not sure which, but I was created for her to pass her presence into me, but I somehow escaped from her and became a Jedi instead," Kira answered. "Ah! Don't you ever worry that you'll become a Sith your self?" "No, I know why I turned and have avoided what made me turn last time." "Makes sense," Kat commented as the ship leaped into hyperspace and sighed. "What happened to you?" Kira asked. "Huh?" "Something happened recently that made you hide at Nar Shadda." "You're right, something did happen. You'll excuse me that I don't want to talk about it right now." "Of course!" Kira replied. "Don't worry 'bout me" "But I do! There's something about you Kat, something wanting to get out," Kira replied. Kat just sat there and stared off into space. "It'll get out sometime." "I hope it gets out soon." Kira put her hand on Kat's shoulder. "I'm sorry Kira, I really shouldn't involve you in this!" Kira looked into Kats eyes and saw the pain locked within, she knew that Kat could see the pain locked within her eye's aswell. "Make sure you bring her back alive," Vader ordered over the holonet "Yes milord," Alerik replied. Yes! he thought. Finally I get to bring down a Jedi! This shall be a game worth playing! |