CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
--Takodana--
Maz Kanata's castle was hardly ever open at night -- there needed to be some time to clean up after the patrons -- but tonight, Maz had decided to make an exception, leaving her doors open so that others may visit and potentially be recruited into the Smuggler's Alliance.
So far, this tactical had worked. A substantial influx of ships had arrived on the planet and were throwing in to Karrde's operations. Among them, Jast Kyjar saw some familiar faces from his smuggling career, and only one of them was one he was ecstatic about.
"Borix Thorne!" Jast exclaimed as he patted the blue-colored Narquois on the back. "Stars, its been ages."
"That it has," Borix chuckled, his voice hoarse from eighty years of age. "I think the last time I saw you was on... Ord Mantell, wasn't it?"
"Ord Cantrell," Jast corrected him, grinning widely as he slapped his friend on the shoulder. "So, how's the rest of the gang?"
Borix arched an eyebrow at him, stroking the dark blue filaments growing from his chin. "Gang?"
"You know, the gang! Harfran, Meila...." Jast frowned. "Don't tell me your memory already gotten that bad."
"Oh, those guys!" Borix belted out a guffaw. "Oh, they're dead, son. Very, very dead."
Jast felt his jaw drop. "Dead?!"
"Yup. Gunned down by Death Enforcers on Da Soocha. Happened 'bout three years ago."
"Wow," Jast said quietly, still stunned. "How did you manage to survive?"
"Some bounty hunter happened to be after Harfran and got a bit mad at the Death Gang. After the carnage, he was about to give me the same treatment when his partner stopped him. Apparently he knew about my exploits as an artifact collector and offered me a job on his crew." Borix spread his arms. "And so here I am."
"Blast," Jast muttered. "I wish I had stories like that to tell my grandkids -- if or when I have any."
Borix laughed. "I don't have any either, but it is a good one to share."
Jast smirked. "It sure is. So where's the rest of your crew?"
"Uh, good question." Borix raised a hand to his forehead and looked around the crowded castle. "They were just with me."
"Well, you can introduced them to me later." Jast slung an arm around the Narquois' shoulder and led him towards the bar. "Right now, there's a bottle of urelian wine you just have to try...."
* * *
The moon and stars were Kadar's only source of light as he walked through the Takodana forest. Despite having been out here for hours, he hadn't actually gotten far from the castle or his ship. He had simply been wandering in one place, unsure of what to do or where to go.
What had he left to live for? His wife and son were gone. His daughter resented him. His people had shunned him. All he had now was a reputation of murder and a lineage seen as abhorrent. He had hoped joining Goran's revolution would bring him some form of vindication, but after hearing his daughter's venomous words, he was no longer sure anything would.
Even if they won tomorrow, what then? Where would he go from there? Where could he go? What was left for him to do?
"Not another move, Kadar."
The ex-Mandalorian froze, the familiar smooth voice ringing in his ear. Well, he thought, there is that.
"Salvan Tai," Kadar said aloud, keeping himself still. "It's been a while."
"Yes. Too long, in fact," came the icy reply. "Credit where credit's due: in spite of all your reputation, you are incredibly difficult to track down."
"If I wasn't, I probably wouldn't have a rep. Especially with everyone trying to kill me."
Salvan chuckled. "Point taken. However, I'm afraid it ends here, Kadar. This is the end of the line. Oh, and don't even think about pulling something smart: I've got you surrounded."
Kadar glanced to either side of him, seeing an armored male and a Wookiee pointing blasters at him. To give his former partner credit, Salvan was never one to come unprepared.
"It's been a good run, Kadar," Salvan said, his blaster whirring as it charged up. "I can't say I'm sorry it had to end like this though. If you ask me, you had it coming for a long--"
A bolt of plasma shot over Kadar's head and struck a nearby tree, sending sparks flying. Hearing Salvan turn around, Kadar jumped through the small window of opportunity presented to him and turned on his jetpack, shooting straight up into the air. The bounty hunters fired at him, but he avoided all their shots. He then dropped down and landed right behind Salvan, throwing an around the Sakiyan's neck and putting a pistol to his head. The other two mercenaries trained their guns on him but hesitated to fire.
"What was it I always used to tell you?" Kadar hissed into Salvan's ear. "Something about saving your quips for after the job is done?"
Snarling, Salvan roared at the other two, "Don't just stand there! Shoot him!"
The two exchanged looks. However, before either could do anything, another blast whizzed past them and the source of the shot made itself visible. A Mirialan woman in smuggler attire emerged from the foliage and aimed her blaster at the bounty hunters.
"I advise you don't," she said icily. "Or else your friend's brains get split."
Kadar shot a sidelong glance at the Mirialan, recognizing her as the captain of the ship his daughter had been on. He said nothing however and returned his focus to the two hunters, who were now looking contemplative.
"You know, we could kill 'em both," the man said to the Wookiee. "Baron Salvan Tai still got a hefty price on his head."
The Sakiyan's eyes nearly bulged out of his skull. "Remar! We're partners!"
The Wookiee growled something, to which the man called Remar nodded. "You're right, Dax still doesn't know about Salvan being with us. He still knows him as Fefar Flashblade, the Nosaurian. Should I give him a call?"
"Come on, guys," Salvan said weakly. "You're not seriously thinking about this. You're just... you're just stalling."
"I don't know, pal," Remar replied. "I mean, Dax is going to find out sooner or later. It might be best we kill you now to spare you his wrath."
"Ha ha ha! You're hilarious!" Salvan clenched his teeth, beads of sweat covering his black forehead. "Now how about dropping the act and shooting these two? Sharbrook can handle the woman while you can--"
"Kill you and Kadar? Yeah." Remar raised his rifle and aimed it at Salvan's head. "You've read my mind."
Salvan opened his mouth as Remar pulled the trigger, but no sound came out. Instead, the Sakiyan suddenly vanished from the view and the plasma bolt grazed past Kadar's shoulder.
"After him!"
Kadar looked to see Remar and Sharbrook chasing after a small critter, which he supposed Salvan had morphed into. He was about to follow them when the Mirialan stopped him.
"Don't," she said. "Unless you have a personal vendetta against him as well, it's not worth it."
"Right," Kadar muttered, before looking at the green-skinned woman. "How long have you been out here?"
"Pretty much since we arrived," she replied, looking around the forest. "I've been waiting on the ship while the rest of my crew went into the castle. I got bored waiting so I decided to go for a walk."
"You didn't want to go in yourself?"
"I'm not on the friendliest of terms with the proprietor. I felt it would be best I not let my presence spoil the mood." She then returned his gaze to Kadar, her blue eyes searching him. "You're probably wondering why I saved you."
"So you could collect the bounty yourself?"
She shook her head. "So I wouldn't have to live with the guilt of letting you die when your daughter is part of my crew."
Kadar snorted. "She wouldn't miss me."
"Right," she said with a humorless chuckle. "We always tell ourselves that. Just like I convinced myself that I wouldn't miss my brother when he went off with the Lok Revenants. Then I found out how wrong I was when he died.
"We can fight and argue and even hate the people we love, but like it or not, they're just as much a part of you as your skin. We might think we can do without them some days, but truth is, we can't. Because they are more important to our lives than we realize."
Kadar looked at her, head cocked to one side. "I never had you pegged as a philosopher."
She laughed as she started to walk away. "That always used to be one of my dreams as a little girl: to be that or a poet or some rubbish. That was before I knew what kind of galaxy we lived in."
"A cruel and unfair one?"
"No," she said, looking over her shoulder to smile at him. "A free one."
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