| Kat was still crying. Christa and she were more like sisters than friends, the young lioness had a fierceness that came naturaly to her and it had helped her in many situations. Christa would always have a special place in her heart, just like Kira, Janrok, and . . . her parrents . . . The trip to the Rim was uneventful in terms of being attacked. Kat was about to Rip Svem's head off if the didden't arive soon, and when they finally arived Kat was extatic. Svem had been driving her crazy the whole trip. If she wasn't insane by now she never would be! "Thank you," she replied politely back to Svrem as she got off. "No problem, if you ever need a lift agian-" "I'll buy a ticket and take a shuttle," Kat cut him off with a grin. Svrem just shook his head and laughed. "Was it really that bad?" "Yes!" she answered. "If I'm not insane by now I never will be! Now go! Shoo! Get outta here!" "Alright, alright!" Svrem walked up the exit ramp and started to take off. "Thank you!" she wispered with a sigh of relief. She was now free from the insane grin that now haunted her. "Now to find a place to stay for the next few days." Kat wandered throught the streets of the town that they had landed in, she observed that there wern't many placed for her to stay. She felt a tap on her shoulder and truned abruptly ready to grab her lightsaber. "Your a Jedi aren't you?" the creature asked. He looked kinda like a sheltie, his long fur hid some of his movements. Kat tilted her head to the side a little, "What makes you think that?" "The way you walk, and your unfarmillaity to the area, all Jedi around here know the terien," the little canine replied. "There are Jedi here? Don't they worry about the Empire comeing and destroying them?" Kat asked above the growing hubbub of people. "No, we're far enough out here that most of the galaxey dosen't even know we exist, as to how you got here I bet one of out natievs that chose to go out and see the galaxey brought you here, am I correct?" "I don't know weither he's a native or not, all I know is that I'm here and need a place to stay till my ship arrives," Kat answered. "Uh huh, well come with me then, young Jedi, and I'll give you acomodations for the night," the sheltie answered. "Thank you," Kat replied and followed the canine. They walked to the outskirts of town where Kat saw a large fortress-like building. Four towers sprung high in the air at the four corners of the building. The entire outside seemed to be built of stone, but Kat wasn't sure. "You live there?" Kat asked. "All us Jedi do," the sheltie replied. "By the way what is your name, young Jedi?" "Would you believe me if I told you Kasady Mankris?" she replied as they neared the fortress' "No." "Didden't think so. My name is Kat Kariena." "What dose Kat stand for?" "I don't know, Kat is all I can remember from my past. The Jedi Master that trained me called me Kat Kariena when I first met him so I figured it was my last name." "I see, well welcome Kat Kariena, I am Zankit Patrouski," Zankit introduced himself as they finally entered the fortress. "Thank you," Kat replied "You are welcome at all our facilities and I'll have Christa take you to the dineing hall," Zankit told her as they entered the large building. "Thanks." A young lioness steped foreward at her name being called. "Kat Kariena this is Christa. She will take you to the dineing hall and show you to an empty room as soon as your done." Kat looked at the lioness nodded then turned to Zankit, "Thank you, but I'm not hungry, I just want to rest." "Follow me then," Christa replied leading Kat to an empty room. Tabby was still a few day's away from Mobius in Kat's ship, though she may be a smugglar she would never foget and desert her friends, Jedi or not. Besides she and Kat had grown up most of thier lives together! "I see why you never let anyone but Kira on your ship Kat," she spoke to the ship. "There are to many stubble things that give you away!" "What is your report?" Skywalker asked. "The bounty is out, we should be seeing results soon," Hershia reported over the holonet. "Well done, keep me updated." "Yes sir." Bobba Fett climbed into his ship, he had been watching Kat for a while hopeing a bounty would come out for her. She almost seemed equal to his abilities and strength. The love of the thrill of the hunt seemed to radiate from her, and now she would see what it was like to be the huntetd. He smiled benieth his mask. It would be fun to see how long she could keep out of his grasp! Kat had made use of Zankit's offer to make use of the acadmey during her stay. She worked and improved on her double-bladed saber. Most of the studen't were impressed, a few offered to spar and wondered who had tought her. Kat told her story and sorrow filled the room, though a few were surprised that her Master had been killed when she was fourteen. Her abilities far surpased someone with only four years of training. "You abilites! Not one of us who has been her for four years have half the skill you do!" one of them exclaimed. "As I said I grew up on the streets of Corellia. The streets can be pretty rough and you need to be able to fight and fight well," Kat replied. "When did you start training?" another aswered. "Weren't you paying any attension? I started when I was about eleven I believe," Kat replied. "And your how old now?" another asked "Fiffteen, why?" Kat answered. "Woah!" Christa exclaimed. "That would make all this have happened about a year ago . . except . . . maybe . . . Kira?" "Your right," Kat sighed. "Kira died about four months ago." "I'm sorry," Christa apallogised, feeling she opened and old wound with her words. "Don't worry about it, Christa," Kat replied putting her hand on the your lionesses shoulders. "That's in the past while it still hurts there's nothing we can do about it now." "There you are!" a voice came from behind Kat. "I've spent the past two day's looking for you!" "Tabby!" Kat exclaimed wirling around. "What took you so long?" "I had to dye my fur black and wander around a little bit to make people think you were still on Nar Shadda, then I finally took off!" Tabby replied. "I'm so glad you're here!" Kat exclaimed. "Oh Krista, Tabby, Tabby, Krista." Krista bowed slightly, "Hello." "Hey," Tabby replied then turned back to Kat. "'Nother Jedi friend, Kat?" "Yea," Kat answered. "Is there a problem?" "Do they know that their bein' hunted?" Tabby asked. "We know all Jedi are being hunted down, we also know that our small planet is reletively unknown. How you found us will remain a mistery," one of the student's Kat had been talking to answered. "'Nother chose this planet. He possably could of been a natieve," Tabby replied turning to the tiger. "More than likely," Zankit answered from the doorway he had been standing in. "So you ready to go?" Tabby asked turning back to Kat. "Any time your ready!" Kat replied and then truned to Christa and Zankit. "Thank you for everything. Tell the rest of your students I said good-bye, Zankit. Christa, I hope we can meet up agian someday." "I do to, good-bye, Kat," Christa replied and gave Kat a quick hug. They had become good friends in her short stay. "Christa why don't you go with Kat?" Zankit said suddenly. "I'm sure there are things she could teach you that I can not." Christa's eyes lit up with excitement and she turned to Kat waiting for her answer. "I'm not so sure about that, I'd love to take Christa with me, but there's not much I could teach her 'cept how to be a good smugglar," Kat replied causiously. "'Though she might need that ability if the Imps ever discovered you're here. Sure come on Christa, pack you things and lets get going!" Christa jumped up and down a few times then regained her composer and raced to get her few possesions. Kat laughed watching the eager young lioness. They were about the same age yet Kat seemed to be the older one. Christa ran back down the steps carying a small pack and her lightsaber. "I'm ready!" she said comeing up to Kat. "Good, let's go!" Kat replied and lead Christa to her ship. "And thanks agian, for everything!" "It was nothing, come back soon," Zankit answered. "I will," Kat replied then turned to Tabby and Christa. "Let's go guys." "It's been over a month! Why haven't we heard anything?!" Skywalker yelled. "I don't know, she seams to of disapeared. We will find her, mi'lord, just be pacient," Hershia replied calmly. "Pacience appears to be a virtue I lack! Find her!!" Kat entered her ship, it felt good to be in a farmillar ship without another cat to drive her up a tree! "Ok Christa, lesson one, learning to fly an overmodified ship. Tabby you gonna help here?" "Yea, com'on Christa, let's show you how to fly this bucket," Tabby sighed and got out of the chair she floped down in. "Hey!" Kat exclaimed laughing. "You built the thing!" Tabby replied laughing as well. "Just help me show her how to fly this thing!" Kat answered sitting down in the piolit seat. Tabby sat down in the co-piolit seat and started doing her half of the work to take off and the calculations for hyperspace, "So where ya wanna go?" "I was thinking of takeing a trip back to Corellia for a small vacation, but concidering we have a newbie got any runs that your suposed to have by now?" Kat replied. "Yea, theres a shipment of rations that was suposed to go to some rebels," Tabby answered. "Where's the pick-up point?" Kat asked. "Near Tattione," Tabby answered. "Tattione?" Christa asked. "A small desert planet on the rim, it's twin suns are close enough to make the entire planet a waistland, it's sparsly populated and the few spaceports are filled with people that don't want to be found," Tabby explained and looked over at Kat for the last part. "Yes, Tabby, I don't want to be found but I'm not staying there, where do you think one of the first places bounty hunters look when tryin' to find a bounty? especily a smugglar?" Kat replied "Tattione?" Christa asked. "You pick up fast!" Tabby answered teasingly. "Rule number one: when in a jam never go to Tattione, that's the first place they'll look for you," Kat explained jokeingly. "You got the calculations done Tabs?" "Already fed into the nav-comp," Tabby replied. "Thanks," Kat laughed and puled a lever that made her ship leap into hyperspace. "Wait, isn't this . . . illegal?" Christa suddenly asked. "Very, but what can we do? Jedi are being hunted, but both the Imps and the bounty hunters. Where would you least expect to find a criminal?" Kat asked. "Among the law enforcers," Christa replied. "So where would you least expect to find a Jedi? Who's job is to protect the innocent and enforce the law?" Tabby asked Krista. "Among the very people that hunt them," Krista replied. "Correct, but none of us are willing to become mindless Imps, so most of us are smugglars or with the various fractions of the rebels," Kat explained. "There's a vast new galaxey out there Christa, and aslong as no one knows your a Jedi, it's right at your fingertips!" "Our hunters have found what remanis of her trail on a small planet on the Rim they know she was there several days till someone came to pick her up," Hershia explained. We lost her path agian. Also there is an expected rations shipment heading for the rebellion near Tattione, should we intercept?" "Yes." "You sure about this Tabby?" Kat asked. "Yea, we're suposed to meet in Mos Esiley, right here in this cantina- Oh wait there's Kalex right there!" Tabby exclaimed and ran over to Kalex. "What took you so long?" Kalex asked jokeingly, then saw Krista. "And who is this?" "This is Christa, shes a friend of mine," Kat replied. "Oh, uh huh, ok, well about that shipment, I have a ride back to Nar Shadda, Tabby all you have to do is take the ship to Dantione, someone will meet you there," Kalex explained. "Ok," Tabby replied, then turned to the bartender. "Whadda ya want Kas?" Christa gave Tabby a puzzled look when she had called Kat Kas. -Kasady Mankris is my public name now, if she had called me Kat I would have bounty hunters all over me!- Kat answered Krista's inspoken question in her mind. "Corellian ale of corse, and if it's watered down I'll kill the man that served it!" Kat replied. "You heard the lady, and I'll have some of your Lemorian specialties," Tabby told the bartender. He reached down under the counter and grabed a couple glasses, and poured their orders. Once he handed Kat her she looked it over carefuly. It looked alright, but sometimes looks can be decieving. She siped the liquid and was pleased to find her threat worked. Krista kept quiet the whole time just abserving. Obvously, she thought, Kat, Kalex, and Tabby were good friends. After that there was some unimportant talk then Kalex asked Kat about her trip. "Where did you find that lunitic?!" Kat asked. "We know a few smugglars that are partial to your kind and asked one of them if they'd be willing to take you away from Nar Shadda, he accepted, why?" Kalex replied. "'Cuz he drove me crazy the whole trip!" Kat replied. "But you owe him, he saved your life back there," Tabby repremended. "You know how the system works." "Yea I know, and I won't argue that I owe him, I just think he's a lunitic," Kat replied. "May I ask who your talking about?" Christa cut in. "The piolit that brought me to your planet," Kat replied. "Oh, would I know him?" Krista asked. "Not unless you know a pure white cat," Tabby asked. "Yea, Kas!" Christa replied. "I'm not pure white though. See?" Kat answered holding up her tail. "I had dyed my fur black for a while, and when I washed the dye out he though I missed my tail. My tail is naturaly black." Christa looked at Kat in surprise, she hadn't noticed Kat's tail, it was an identifying feature that coulden't be erased when Kat was in her natural colors. One identifying mark that could pick her out of a croud and have the bounty hunters on her in an instant if they knew. They didden't obviously, or atleast most of them didden't. There might be a few who did, and they obviously weren't here, or if they were they were waiting for a moment when they had her alone, or virtualy alone. All this and more raced through Christa's head. "So Kas where are you headed from here?" Kalex asked. "I'm going to Thilan agian," Kat replied useing her code word for Corellia. "Wish I could come with you, it sounds like such a beautiful planet," Tabby replied. "It is, I'm meeting a friend there already though," Kat answered. "Svrem?" Kalex teased. "No!" Kat almost yelled. "I never wanna see that lunitic agian!" Kalex and Tabby laughed. "And just what's so funny about it?" Kat glared at the two of them. "I was about ti ring his neck!" The two of them just laughed and finnished thier drinks. "Well, I'll see ya all back on Nar Shadda," Kalex said when he finished. He stood up and walked out. "See ya," Kat replied blankly. "Bye Katlex!" Tabby replied. "I'll see ya later, Kat, Chris." "Bye Tabby, I'll be on Thilan if you need me," Kat answered standing up and walking out with Christa. "Kas is there something wrong?" Christa asked. "Not that I know of-" Kat paused abruptly. "TABBY!!" Kat spun around and ran back after Tabby. "Kas what's wrong?!" "Christa! Get back to the ship and try to get it ready for take off!" Kat yelled sill running after Tabby. Christa spun around and headed back towards the ship trying to remember how to start the ship and put it thought preflight. Kat ran after Tabby trying to get to her as fast as she could, "Tabby!" Tabby turned seeing Kat running at her and knew something was wrong, "What is it?" "You can't go though with this shipment! Somethings wrong. Seriously wrong," Kat answered. "Like what?" Tabby asked placing her hands on her hips not believing what she was hearing, yet a part of her knew Kat could be right and proably was. "Like that!" Kat pointed at the ship Tabby was heading towards and stormtroopers started running out fireing at her and Tabby. "Oh my-" Tabby grabed her blaster and started fireing at the oncoming soldiers. |