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"You aren't exactly what you claimed to be, are you?" asked Druce Nardo.
Alee's heart pounded her blood through her veins, filling her ears with loud drumming. Her eyes roamed over his bland expression as she brought her body back to a state of calm. He showed no signs of having noticed her momentary lapse.
Without answering, Alee examined the man before her. His 1.9 meter frame spilled over the lounge chair and his legs stretched across the cramped living quarters of the small ship. Space black, shoulder length hair was pulled back in a stubby ponytail. A firm mouth and jaw was topped by a straight aristocratic nose and a small crescent-shaped scar decorated his right cheek. Black eyebrows floated over deep blue eyes - eyes that rattled her composure every time she glanced at them. They were Qui-Gon's eyes: the same blue, the same intensity, set in a body the same size. It was only if she looked closely that the personality snapping in those azure depths broke through. Definitely not Qui-Gon's. Why had the Force led her to this man? There must have been a dozen freighters she could have hitched a ride to Coruscant on. Why did she have to end up on a ship with a captain whose very presence was an agony? Hadn't she suffered enough? Hadn't she mourned enough?
The first day she'd met Druce, the Force's leading had been so clear and the sense of Qui-Gon's presence had been so strong, that for a moment she'd believed it was the Jedi Master standing before her. An odd thought - wondering when he had shaved - had jarred her back to reality, back to Tatooine and a galaxy without Qui-Gon. A galaxy without any of her Jedi compatriots. She had almost fled that day. It was only the overwhelming perception of the Force leading her to that moment that had kept her immobile.
When the initial shock had worn off, the pain had set in. It had been four years. Four years since she had been torn from everything she knew and thrown into this awful future where the Dark Side held so much sway. Four years since Master Yoda had revealed to her that Qui-Gon had died the very moment she had disappeared into that energy vortex. Disappeared into a future she could have never imagined. Or wanted.
Now the only trained Jedi she knew of, besides herself, was Luke Skywalker, and Master Yoda had forbidden that they should meet. I am the past. He is the future. The one person who might have remotely understood her aching loneliness was the one person she could never approach. She didn't completely understand Master Yoda's directive, but she had chosen to obey it. For four years the Force had been enough. It had sustained and comforted her. Occasionally it had swept her mind back to her own time and she had feasted on the sights, the sounds, the smells. Often it had wrapped around her and she thought she could feel Qui-Gon's touch or hear his voice. Those moments became dewdrop jewels she hoarded in the hidden recesses of her mind. Over that time she had worked hard and had achieved a calm that would have made Qui-Gon proud.
Now that calm had been shattered by a pair of impossibly blue eyes.
"Did you hear me, Alee?" Dru's voice interrupted her reverie.
Alee blinked and focused on the furrows lining his forehead. "Yes, I heard you. How am I not what I claimed?"
"We worked on the ship for three days in Mos Eisley. You're a marginal mechanic at best," he commented.
"I know enough to get from one spaceport to the next. You didn't say you wanted someone with papers and five years experience." She paused. "Though that might be what this rust bucket needs."
Druce raised an eyebrow. "Nice. But you said you used to own a VG-23."
"I did. It was in much better condition, believe me." Almost new, actually.
"I would love to see that - a forty-year-old ship in better condition that this. I had to hunt for one this good. So what happened to it?" Druce asked.
Alee looked away. "I had to leave it behind when I was forced to flee an ... unfortunate incident."
"Stormtroopers?"
"Something like that." Alee focused on the cleft in Druce's chin. "You aren't what you appear to be, either. Are you, Druce?" He waited for her to continue. "You come across as a smuggler, but there aren't even any secret compartments on board."
"You've checked?" Amusement crept into his voice.
"Of course I checked. I wanted to have an idea what I was getting involved in." Alee narrowed her eyes. "So if you aren't a smuggler, why the act?"
Druce shrugged. "Most beings leave you alone if they think you're dangerous."
"And you aren't?" Don't kid yourself, girl. He's as dangerous as they come.
"I might be if I'm cornered, I suppose. I just try not to get cornered." Alee watched his mouth curve into a small smile. Her glance skittered away.
"Not a smuggler," Alee mused. "But, a locked storage bay. A second filled with computer parts. Then you must be ... a slicer."
Surprise rippled across his features. "Why do you say that? Maybe I'm in sales."
Alee smiled and pointed to the cockpit. As if on cue, a chime sounded through the ship. A sultry female voice intoned, "Mealtime, Dru. Would you like the usual?"
"Not hungry, VAL. Delay one hour." Dru asked, "You don't like my computer's voice chip?"
Alee snorted. "Certainly not standard equipment on a typical VG-23."
"I travel a lot in my business. I prefer hearing a human voice rather than an automated one."
"A slicer," declared Alee.
"Fine. I'm a slicer. Computers are my business." Dru paused. "So what's your business, Alee?"
"My business is waiting for me on Coruscant."
Druce frowned. "That's no answer. What were you doing on Tatooine?"
"My job," replied Alee.
"Which was...?" Dru waited for Alee to answer. When she didn't his jaw tightened. "Fine. Keep your secrets. Just tell me this: are you even a pilot? Can you fly this ship if you have to?"
She met his eyes for the first time since they started talking. "I can fly this thing blindfolded, Druce. I told you I could, and I never lie."
"So, rather than lie, you just don't answer." He scrutinized Alee. "I'll have to remember that."
Alee closed her eyes and rubbed them. She didn't want to antagonize him. How above-board were his splicing contracts? Would he like the idea of transporting a New Republic spy? Better not to say anything if she could help it. It was a long walk home. Long and cold.
Druce knocked her knee and her eye's shot open. He gave Alee a half smile. "Don't worry about it. I'm not going to space you because you have some secrets. The Empire forced everyone to keep a few. Can't imagine yours are more special than most."
If only you knew, Druce. Alee looked away from the compassion softening those blue eyes. That was the last thing she needed to see. A wave of longing swept through her. Oh, Qui-Gon. Anger would be easier to handle than tenderness. It doesn't remind me of you. Anger never seemed to touch you. Alee forced herself to think about Druce yelling at her during ship repairs, swearing at a bearing that didn't fit, glowering at her when she adjusted the timing mechanism he'd sweated over for hours.
Alee jumped to her feet and stared blankly at the cockpit doorway.
The ship lurched, flinging her backwards. Alee landed on Druce. His air puffed out of his lungs and tickled her neck. She started to fall and he wrapped his arms around her. They froze for the nanosecond before the computer started blaring.
"Warning. Warning," the computer wailed. "Uncharted exit from hyperspace. Warning."
Alee started to get up. The ship rocked violently as something struck it, and Alee landed on the floor with Druce on top of her. Another hit sent them tumbling apart. While Druce struggled to get his legs untangled from the lounge chair, Alee scrambled up and darted into the cockpit.
She slid into the pilot's seat and took in the scene before her. A very large meteor trailing a lot of space debris filled the viewscreen. The ship pitched as another projectile found its mark.
Alee flipped the controls to manual and dialed the gravitational compensators down a notch. She sensed Druce slip into the co-pilot's chair.
"Emperor's bones," he muttered. "Not good."
The computer's sexy voice droned on, "Warning ... warning ... warning ..."
"Shut that thing off. Now," Alee ground out. Dru complied.
She took a deep breath and drew on the Force. Under her light touch, the ship dodged and wove towards open space. Sideways between two large rocks. Vertical to avoid another. Sharp right to avoid another. She sensed each shift in the path to safety just before it appeared and reacted accordingly. Gradually the debris field thinned. Finally, they broke clear of the meteor's influence.
Alee opened her eyes and vectored the ship towards the solar system they bordered. She increased the power slightly. The ship responded sluggishly. She toggled the computer voice back on.
"Computer, find out where we are. I think we need to stop over for repairs," Alee said.
"My name is VAL," the computer replied.
"I don't care. Just do as you're told," Alee said. The computer beeped indignantly.
She turned to find Dru staring at her. She raised her eyebrows.
"Something wrong?" Alee asked.
"Nothing," he replied. "Except ... you just flew us out of that mess with your eyes closed."
Alee stared at him.
"Care to comment?" Dru asked.
Alee gave him a small smile. "I told you I could."
"I didn't think you meant it quite so literally," Dru replied dryly. "I'll feel much better if you keep your eyes open next time."
"I'll keep it in mind."
"Thanks. Nice flying, by the way."
"Thanks."
Who, or what, did I pick up this time? When will I learn to stop falling for hard luck lines? Did she even give me a line? She just looked so vulnerable that first day, it was all I could do to stop from pulling her into my arms. Now she won't even look me in the eyes. But this. This is enough to fry anyone's circuits. Eyes closed in a meteor storm. How did she do that? Do I want to know?
With everything powered down except life support, Druce ran a systems check while Alee worked to stop a turbine leak. In fact, all Druce did was stare at the monitor while the computer ran the checks. His mind swirled around, thoughts spinning and twisting in on themselves. He gave up watching the scrolling text and turned his gaze to the system floating in the viewscreen.
He'd trusted his instincts when he took Alee on board. He'd just have to keep trusting them. But it was hard. He was usually able to get others to open up, especially women. But Alee held herself in so tightly ... she seemed like a thermal detonator - push the wrong button and she'd explode. It was a little unnerving to be around someone who, so obviously, did not like him. Which was all the more puzzling because of how open she'd been with him those first few minutes of their meeting ... tucking a stray hair behind his ear ... so intimate ...
A throat cleared. His attention snapped back to the present and Druce twisted around in the pilot chair. Alee stood in the doorway wiping her hands on a rag.
"The leak is repaired," she said. "What did diagnostics show?"
Dru glanced at the monitor. "Hyperdrive crashed during exit. Some dents in the hull. No breaches."
Alee sighed. "Well, that's something, at least." She nodded at the cockpit viewscreen. "Any fix on where and how far we are?"
"Yeah. Sublight, we're a week to ten days out of a little place called Naboo. Should be able..." Dru trailed off as he watched the color drain from Alee's face. He frowned. "What is it, Alee?"
She shook her head slowly.
"I have to make a short stop at Umgul. An old client needs some help with his system. Naboo is in a straight line from Tatooine." Dru paused. Alee's eyes glazed over. He wasn't sure she was hearing anything he said, but he continued, "I should've told you, I guess. Didn't expect to be pulled from hyperspace. Lucky we're close to anything. Alee? Are you with me? Alee?"
She kept shaking her head as she backed away. One step. Another. Suddenly Alee spun and ran into the refresher station. The door hissed shut. Druce closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. After a moment, he rose and approached the closed door.
Tapping on the white panel, he asked, "Alee? What did I say? Are you okay?"
Druce crouched and listened to muffled gasps. The sound of someone fighting for control - and losing. He sat on the floor and leaned against the door, resting his head against the cool metal.
"If you want to talk, Alee," Dru said, "I'm right here."
When no answer came, he sighed. Slowly anger crept in to squash the compassion he'd been feeling. I don't need this. What is wrong? Is there an outstanding warrant on Naboo for her? Emperor's bones, why do I get myself into these messes?
The computer chimed and asked Dru, in sultry tones, if he wanted his usual evening meal.
"Double everything," he snapped. "Lomin ale to drink."
Druce slammed his hand against the door as he got up. He only ate half of his meal before he pushed it aside and focused, instead, on his third serving of ale. He was just draining the glass when Alee emerged from the refresher, looking pale but clear-eyed.
"Well, well, well," Druce said, curling his lip. "You missed supper. Shall I order in?"
Alee looked at him blankly.
"Sit down, Alee," Druce motioned across the table. Alee sat and ran her hands over her tan tunic. Dru narrowed his eyes. Probably wanting that old security blanket cum cloak she seems so attached to. He cleared his throat. "Talk, Alee."
Her voice was quiet. "About what?"
"Don't give me that routine. I want to know what that was all about."
"Nothing that concerns you." Alee closed her eyes.
Dru's voice was low. Dangerous. "It concerns me if we're limping into a port where there's a price on your head."
His gaze captured hers as her eyes flew open. Confusion flashed through those hazel depths then disappeared. Alee said, "I've never even been to ... to Na ... Naboo. Why should there be a warrant out for me?"
"What do you take me for? You were fine until I mentioned where we were heading."
"But it has nothing to do with ..." Alee stood and turned away, one hand resting on the chair.
Druce jumped to his feet and took two steps to stand behind Alee. He glared down at her auburn hair, neatly pulled into a simple braid. When she didn't move, he grabbed her shoulders and swung her around. He kept his hands clamped on her upper arms and they stared silently at each other. Dru felt electricity searing the palms of his hands. Warmth ran up his arms and flashed through his veins. The air buzzed.
"Tell me, Alee," he whispered.
"It doesn't concern you, Druce," Alee replied.
He gave her a little shake. "Tell me."
"Please leave it alone, Dru. It's private."
Dru heard the ache in her voice. It radiated outwards and sank into his pores, transforming into ... longing. He looked into her eyes and was stung by the rawness he saw there. Anger flared. He felt desire. All she felt was ... pain, maybe loathing. His vision blurred.
Druce clamped his mouth over hers in a punishing kiss. Their teeth ground together as he sought a response. Any response. He might as well have been kissing a statue. Dru pushed Alee away in disgust - at himself. The slap snapped his head to the right. Well, at least I got a response.
Rubbing his cheek, Dru said, "I deserved that."
"Yes. You did. Don't do it again."
Alee pivoted and strode across the lounge to the wall by the refresher. She touched a control panel and the top bunk slid out, its length hugging the wall. Dru watched as she effortlessly hopped onto it and curled up with her back to the room. A privacy barrier slipped along tracks in the ceiling to hide the bunk from view.
Dru sighed. Computers are so much simpler than people. How do I slice this mess back into something workable?
Naboo? Why is the Living Force taking me to Naboo? Oh, Qui-Gon. I don't want to walk the streets where you spent your last days. I don't want to see the planet that swallowed you. Alee hugged her knees and stared at the bulkhead. She heard Dru moving around and squeezed her eyes shut. I have to regain control. It took me 20 minutes to stop shaking. I was over this. I accepted the pain and worked through it. Why is it back? Him. That's why. Those eyes. Those blue eyes.
Alee's thoughts turned to the kiss. It had been brutal - so much anger, though she wasn't sure it had been directed at her. The kiss had meant nothing. She knew that. Which was why she had quashed the reaction that had coiled in the pit of her stomach. Alee ran a finger over her lips. What would a gentle kiss from Dru be like? Qui-Gon's smiling face filled her inner vision. Stop it, Alee. Stop torturing yourself. Druce is not Qui-Gon.
Her lightsaber pressed awkwardly against her back. Alee shifted and reached back to slip it out from underneath her sash and belt. She laid it beside her head and ran her fingers over the smooth silver casement. Qui-Gon had declared it to be sleek and bold. His eyes had warmed when he'd added, "like its owner". Alee sniffed. She didn't feel bold. She felt as if her bones were turning to pudding. She could feel the cold vacuum reaching through the hull, threatening to wrap around her heart and cut her off from the living. Maybe it already had.
Icy fingers brushed her mind. She shouldn't even be alive. If not for a freak of nature that had tossed her thirty years into the future, she would have been hunted down and killed. Just like all the other Jedi. Not all. Master Yoda survived. And Obi-Wan. But now they're gone. Maybe there are other survivors. Force help me. This aloneness is smothering me.
Alee forced herself to sleep. She chased dream Jedi down darkened corridors. Every time she drew near they were sucked away - into the vortex that had stolen her life. Hours later she swam groggily to consciousness. She lay for long moments, listening to the hum of the life support system. When wakefulness had fully claimed her, Alee dropped silently to the floor with her lightsaber in hand.
The living space was dark except for a stream of dim light emanating from the cockpit. Alee turned her Force-sense to Druce's bunk and probed his still form. Solidly asleep. A ghost of a smile flitted across her lips.
Alee stepped into the small open area flanking the bunks and touched her weapon's hilt to her forehead. She drew a deep breath and reached inwards for her center of balance. The Force shimmered around her. Alee moved slowly through lightsaber exercises. Outer ring of defense. Middle. Inner. She repeated the routine a little faster. Then faster. The unlit saber became a silver blur. When Alee stopped, her breathing was only slightly elevated. Not bad. Be better if I had someone to spar with.
Alee dropped to the floor and into a cross-legged position. She worked her lightsaber back into its hiding place under her belt and rested her hands on her knees. The rest of the night passed in Jedi relaxation exercises.
Morning, as artificial as night on a space journey, was hailed by the lights flickering dimly, then slowly brightening to full strength. Alee was doing some simple stretching exercises when the chime sounded, followed by the computer's ultra-feminine voice. Alee planted her hands on her hips and frowned at the speaker unit.
"Time to wake up, Dru. Breakfast will be served in twenty minutes." The machine paused. "Will you be eating this morning, Alee?"
"Yes, computer. Same as yesterday," Alee said.
"My name is VAL," the computer replied in husky tones.
"I still don't care."
A moan from the bunk and Alee shifted her attention. Druce was laying facing her, eyes barely open. What she could see of them looked very bloodshot. His scar stood out, angry against his pale cheek. Heavy stubble dotted his jaw. Alee smiled.
She spoke loudly, "Not a morning person, Dru?"
The slicer winced. His reply was quiet. "No need to shout. And I usually do just fine in the mornings."
Alee nodded. "Must have been a bad batch of lomin ale."
"Something like that." His voice cracked.
Dru sat up and moaned again as he dropped his head into his hands.
Alee stifled a laugh and dropped into a crouch. After a pause she said, "Maybe if you hadn't drank the whole batch ... ?"
Dru raised his head and gave her a red-eyed glare. She raised her eyebrows and kept her mirth silent. Her shoulders shook. Dru stared for a moment more then latched onto the top bunk and pulled himself to his feet. He felt his way along the wall and disappeared into the refresher.
At breakfast Dru halfheartedly moved food around on his plate. Alee dug into hers and grimaced. She pushed her plate away. Dru looked up.
"Something wrong?" he asked.
"Tastes burned."
He sat back and shrugged. "That's what you get for hurting VAL's feelings. What have you got against her, anyway?"
Alee scowled. "It's not a her. It's an it - that happens to sound like some ... some overblown male fantasy."
"Ah," Dru said. "Jealousy."
"Don't be ridiculous."
Dru smiled. "Haven't you ever been someone's fantasy, Alee?"
Alee forced the heat creeping up her neck to turn back. A memory of russet shimmersilk and admiring blue eyes wavered in her mind's eye. She turned her head and swiped at the tear that dropped off her eyelash. When she looked back at Dru, his head was down as he stared at his twirling fork. Her gaze pulled his head up and he shrugged apologetically. Alee gave him a small smile.
Dru pushed his plate toward her. "Please. Eat mine. It'll just go to waste."
"Thanks."
Way to recover from last night's fiasco, circuit boy. Bring up a bad memory. I wonder what his name was? But then, what do I care? The real question is how many glasses did I down last night? Emperor's bones, I feel like Hutt slime. No. Worse.
Dru sat in the cockpit staring at the system that was growing closer by the hour. They'd soon be passing the outermost planet. He tapped his fingers absently on the console.
"VAL," Dru said."
"Yes, Dru?" the computer asked. "What can I do for you?"
"Don't burn Alee's food again. I didn't program you to be petty."
"Yes, Dru. But I think you should know that I don't trust her."
Dru sighed. "Maybe I should replace that emotion chip."
"Please no, Dru." The sexy pouting tones of the computer made him wince. Maybe Alee has a point. VAL continued, "My conclusions are based on observation. She has behaved most erratically. And now she has caused you to behave erratically, as well. You have never drank more than two glasses of ale before."
Dru leaned forward. "Explain yourself, VAL."
"Of course. Every night that she has been on board, Alee has only slept a maximum of five of the allotted eight hours."
"And what did she do during her awake time?"
"Each night she has risen to sit cross-legged in the middle of the lounge."
"Meditation?"
"That would be my conclusion."
"Lots of beings meditate. What's so terrible about that?"
"Last night she arose even earlier and spent close to one hour practising some sort of fighting routine with a weapon I did not recognize."
Furrows wrinkled his brow and Dru said nothing.
"The weapon did not seem to be activated so I did not alert you," VAL continued. "Was I in error?"
"Do you have footage?" Dru asked.
"Of course."
Dru glanced over his shoulder. "Where is Alee now?"
"She is in the engine compartment going over the hyperspace unit."
"Show me the holo."
For the next thirty minutes Dru watched Alee's infrared figure move gracefully through its routine, picking up speed with each repeat. He forwarded the flatscreen holo to the end when Alee sat and tucked the weapon under her belt, then he flicked off the monitor, ordered VAL to save the footage, and returned to staring at the viewscreen.
If that weapon had been activated, what would it look like? After a moment, Dru's eyes grew wide as realization struck him. A lightsaber? Where would she pick up one of those? They were outlawed under the Empire and most were destroyed - I think. She sure looked like she knew what she was doing, though. His fingers resumed their tapping.
Who are you, Alee? What are you? Thoughts bounced through his mind. His headache flared and Dru held his hand over his eyes.
An hour later Alee startled Dru out of a light doze. She slid into the co-pilot seat and pointed at the planet growing in the viewscreen.
"We'll pass very close to this planet's satellite. Any habitation?"
Dru blinked several times and looked down at the monitor. "The planet's atmosphere consists of noxious fumes. Nothing's alive down there."
"And the moon?" Alee asked.
Dru shrugged. "It's a hunk of rock. No atmosphere. Lots of metallic and electromagnetic traces, though."
"Which interferes with any attempt to scan it?"
He glanced askance at his auburn-haired co-pilot. "Right."
"I don't like it," declared Alee.
"Don't like what? It's a rock."
"No. It's a good hiding place. Keep all monitoring systems on maximum."
Alee stood to leave.
"What were you on Tatooine?" Dru asked. "The planetary paranoid?"
Alee looked down at him with a deadpan expression. "I prefer to think of myself as cautious. But, being paranoid can keep you alive, Druce."
"Have you always been so ... cautious?"
"Hah. Not by a long shot." Alee turned and left the cockpit.
Dru watched her disappear down the rear passageway. You're turning out to have more sides to you than a stacked sabaac deck, Alee. A real puzzle. I've always enjoyed solving a good puzzle.
"VAL. Comply with Alee's orders."
