Between Sand and Stars 9

The tension in the hall had ramped up to the point where the air seemed to shimmer. The last lot up for auction had finally finished and when Mawbro had announced the winner a collective sigh had run through the hall.

Most of the lots had gone for nominal prices, mostly junk which many of the off worlders were not interested in but one item had fetched a surprising price and that had been a holograph of Anakin Skywalker. We had seen it on the table and it had made me smile. The image had been taken of him just after he had won the Boonta Eve Classic. Baraq had spoken softly about that day, he had watched the race. I had stared at the holo image of the smiling young boy, with bright blue eyes full of joy and bright innocence. It still amazed me that this young boy had twisted and turned into one of the galaxies most feared and cruel leaders.

I had wavered for a moment about bidding on the holo but in the end I decided not to. I had memories of Lord Vader and many of them were also of him before the suit, before the mask. I didn’t need a holo to remind me of my time working for him the memories were more than enough. The holo had made me sad, dredging up an ache of loss which I thought I had buried. The only thing that countered this was the fact that here, on Tatooine, Anakin was still regarded as a hero. I had watched that auction with interest and had smiled when the holo had fetched a hefty price, thirteen hundred credits to a very pleased looking Gotal.

As he had promised, my uncle bid on several of the glass bowls for me and just as Baraq had predicted as soon as people saw who it was they were bidding against the bidding dropped off a bit. In the end Uncle Vahlek managed to win three at a reasonable price. I am not sure the Barabel was too pleased but in the end I thought the prices I ended up paying were fair because without any expert there to verify the Barabel’s claims it was hard to say if the bowls were authentic Tusken artefacts or not. I just liked them because they were extraordinarily beautiful and would look good in my rooms on Nirauan. I stayed put to keep our places while my Uncle went to finalise payments and pick up the bowls he had won.

When the last auction was cleared from the main stage and Mawbro announced the auction for Killik Twilight would now begin a subtle change fell over the hall. With a gesture that struck me as overly majestic she waved her hand and the crew of Gamorreans who had been doing guard duty earlier marched onto the stage surrounding the Codru-ji who carried the painting in carefully in all four arms, setting it down carefully on an easel that had been set up just for this purpose. It looked much smaller and more fragile than I remembered from the viewing but of course on a large stage the painting which was only fifty centimetres wide was tiny. All heads tilted to look at the giant holo projection of it that was now being displayed. We were standing further back in the hall because we were not bidding and I wanted to see the crowd as well as the painting.

Mawbro got the bidding underway by asking the Imperial officer who identified himself as Commander Quenton if he was willing to start it. He did so at a quarter of a million credits. There was a moment’s pause and then a squib over bid him and the whole show was off and running.

It was like watching some weird sport and even couldn’t help but get caught up in the excitement being generated between the squib, Commander Quenton and a few other bidders. The bidding war seemed to last forever until suddenly the price shot up to five million credits and things got a bit tense when people were asked for funds verification. It looked as though quite a few people had suddenly lost their fund transfer chips. There were some scuffles and some protests but soon enough the bidding began again and the price jacked up to Thirteen million. I gasped at the sum, which was a lot of money. When the bidding climbed to fourteen-nine I glanced at my uncle who was watching the entire thing with a bemused look on his face.

“Your mate said it might get expensive but I doubt he was expecting this.” He murmured.

I nodded. “Well I am not surprised. The rebels want this painting pretty badly.” I whispered back smugly.

Just as the bidding reached the ridiculous price of fifteen million credits Mawbro appeared in the stage. I watched the Imperial officer closely, he had begun to suspect that something wasn’t right and things were not going to go his way. I could see him communicate with his people and then he upped the bid to fifteen-five but Mawbro ignored him. I glanced at my uncle who was slowly backing us away from the majority of the crowd.

“What are you doing?” I hissed.

“The Commander just called for back up. My guess is it’s about to get ugly in here and I don’t want to have to explain to your Ta’kasta’cariad why you were in the middle of it all.”

I made a face and was about to argue when Mawbro who had continued to ignore Commander Quenton’s bids began to speak. “The owner has decided it would be an outrage to sell the painting to the same empire that destroyed Alderaan.” She said loudly enough for all to hear.

I opened my mouth in surprise and then all hell broke loose, just as Uncle Vahlek had predicted. He was in the process of trying to pull me further away from the crowd which had gone nuts to someplace a little safer when blaster fire sheared through the noise.

“Oh crap!” I hissed. “This is really going to piss Za’ar off.”

“Come on, time to go.”

I didn’t resist when Uncle Vahlek yanked on my arm to get me to safety just as someone set off a thermal detonator. The explosion was loud and violent but had taken place right up front by the stage where the painting was. The shock from the blast ripped past me but there was no serious harm done. Still holding onto my arm my uncle managed to navigate us through the chaos and get us outside to someplace fairly quiet as well as safe.

“Did someone just blow the painting up?” I asked in utter disbelief.

“They tried to.” He nodded looking around.

“So much for Thrawn’s theories that the auction would be safe.” I said a little crossly.

“Why is it that where ever you go something insane happens?”

“No my fault, I swear.” I retorted. “Are my bowls still in one piece?”

Uncle Vahlek grinned and pulled the wrapped bowls from under his coat. “Yes.” He said as he handed the bowls all wrapped up in some sort of soft paper to me to hold on to.

I grinned at him. “I’ll have the credits transferred when we get home which I hope we are doing now, or is there more excitement still to come?”

Uncle Vahlek just shrugged as we headed in the direction of the spaceport to try and catch a transport back home.

The Spaceport in Mos Espa is busy and usually full of people. Mos Espa was a large city and today was no exception; if anything it seemed even more busy than usual. My guess was the auction had brought a lot of off worlders and even more of Tatooine’s inhabitants. Now that it was over, everyone was trying to go home or on to their next destination. I sighed as we nudged our way through the crowds to the ticket vendor. My uncle had just started to punch in the destination code when a stormtrooper approached and clapped his hand on my shoulder.

“Miss Gabriel?”

I nodded.

“Would you please come with me?” The trooper said calmly.

My uncle gave the stormtrooper a look which said ‘why?’ but before he could utter this thought the trooper added, “The Admiral wishes to speak with you, it is a matter of urgency.”

For a moment no one moved. I wondered if my uncle would try to fight this but something about the trooper’s manner calmed me. I nodded, “I’ll be fine, Zte’sa.”

My uncle didn’t really like it but in the end relented. “I will expect her back in one piece.” He said as he took the package from my hands again.

The stormtrooper nodded curtly. “Yes sir, those were my orders.”

Without further argument I followed the stormtrooper to a private dock and a waiting shuttle. Without waiting for a sign from the trooper I entered the shuttle and waited until the door had shut before I asked for an explanation.

“If you would take a seat Miss Gabriel, I am certain the Admiral will explain everything once we reach our destination.” Was all the reply I got.

“And that would be?”

“Sir,” The trooper said into his comlink, ignoring me and my question, “We are a go.”

“Where are we headed?” I asked again, phrasing it a little differently this time.

“I am not at liberty to say.” He replied.

I made a face, sighed and did the only thing left to do, strap in and wait to see where I ended up. The stormtrooper strapped him self in opposite me and in silence we stared at each other as the shuttle lifted up from the ground, freeing itself from the grip of Tatooine’s gravity. I smiled to myself as the shuddering came to an abrupt halt once we left the last vestiges of the atmosphere behind us. If the stormtrooper seated across from me noticed he gave no indication.

I was tired and the sudden turn of events at the auction had done nothing to improve that. I sighed and closed my eyes allowing the sensation of motion from the ship to flow through me. Time always seemed to slow down when I left a planet’s surface and headed into the space. There was something magical about being in the black and despite the ship’s artificial gravity I still felt the lack of a planet’s pull, especially my home world. Without meaning to I fell asleep.

The journey took roughly forty minutes and the shuttle landed with enough of a bump to wake me up. Without being asked I unbuckled and got up, waited for the ramp to unlock and release before following the Stormtrooper onto the deck of a Star Destroyer. I looked around for the waiting Deck Officer but there was none.

“This way, Miss.” The trooper said as he walked across the unusually quiet deck to the turbo lift.

I did as he asked and followed him without saying anything else until we arrived at guest quarters in a quiet end of a deserted hallway. When the door closed and folded my arms across my chest. “Can we dispense with all the cloak and saber stuff now?” I asked.

The trooper waited a split second and then removed his helmet, revealing blue skin, blue-black hair and glowing red eyes that held just a hint of amusement in them.

“You knew.” It wasn’t a question.

“Yes.” I said.

“How, your force powers?”

I shook my head. “Your voice gave it away for me. No one else speaks Basic quite like you do. ”

“The Tze’yusha’Jin did not appear to know.”

“Maybe not, hard to say with Uncle Vahlek sometimes, and I think he was more interested in just getting out of Mos Espa since he just saved us from a thermal detonator and a stampeding crowd. I don’t think he was expecting you to be running around the place dressed as a lowly stormtrooper. The comm unit in the helmet disguises your actual voice well but it’s how you say certain things and the cadence of your speech that gave it away. And really, Za’ar, I knew it was you how could I not?”

“Thermal detonator?” He asked removing his gloves and gesturing for me to sit down on the couch in the living area of the quarters.

“Someone blew up the painting.” I said, remaining standing.

“Well, they tried.” Thrawn nodded, setting his helmet down on the table and pouring two cups of something hot and steaming from the carafe that had been set out. I had been expected.

“Tried?”

“Actually the painting was stolen before the detonator could do any damage. A man named Kitster Banai, if my information was correct.” Thrawn handed me a cup of tea and motioned for me to sit and this time I did smiling a little as he sat beside me awkwardly in the armour he was wearing. It looked decidedly uncomfortable.

“So my dear, what is it about that painting that has someone trying to destroy it rather than let it fall into Imperial hands?”

“It carries a shadowcast code key, what ever that is.” I said simply. “An old one by the memory of it.”

Thrawn’s eyebrow arched as he smiled slowly. “Ah, well now that explains many things. I had suspected as much but it is always nice to have these things confirmed. Shadowcast is a code one we suspect the rebels have been using for years but without the keys to slice it is virtually impossible to break. Even an older one would allow my slicers insight into how it works and breaking it would be a huge step into discovering where the Rebels have spies.”

“Well I guess that explains why they’d rather destroy it than have it fall into Imperial hands.” I nodded.

What else did you learn?”

“Nothing unusual aside from the code key. It hung in the palace on Alderaan until it had been taken off world for an exhibition, on the return journey it was stolen by a guy named Threkin Horm who hung on to it until he thought it was safe to unload it. I saw lots of little flashes but nothing extraordinary.”

Thrawn nodded and then said. “And what is it you’re not telling me about the painting?”

I sighed. “You mean aside from the fact that I didn’t like it one bit and touching it made my skin crawl, or that the artist took months to create it at the expense of his health, or that Princess Leia was fascinated by it or that my mother had touched it once because she had wanted to see what the mossy surface really felt like?” I sipped at the tea. “I am not keeping anything back.” I added crossly.

“Well hopefully we can retrieve the painting before the Rebels manage to remove the code key, if not then I hope to still obtain the painting, it would go well with my collection.”

I made a face, “Sometimes I think you do these sorts of things out of spite, just so that Princess Leia can’t have it.”

He raised his eyebrow at me again, disdainfully. “Tekari, really….”

I just rolled my eyes. “Why the big show to get me here. I could have told you all of this stuff on a secure line.”

“I need you to do a job for me.” He said casually.

“What about the painting?”

“Don’t worry about that, it is all being dealt with.”

I sighed noisily. “You hauled me off planet just to tell me this?”

“I wanted some privacy.” He said studying his fingernails for a moment. “I need you to courier information to Ged Larsen. I did not want to risk anyone on the ground hearing his name.”

“Oh?” I said flatly letting him know I had sensed the lie.

“Just as no one knows who I am at the moment outside of a very small circle, neither do many know that Admiral Larsen is still alive and building up his own Imperial fleet. I have vital information for him concerning the up coming campaign I will embark on and I do not wish to trust it to just anyone, not even my own people.” He took a small sip of tea. “You will be flying a non Imperial ship, you have underworld connections and you have certain skills that …”

I held up my hand. “I get the idea. You want unofficial and harmless.”

“You may be unofficial, my dear, but you are anything but harmless.” He quipped. “And perhaps I just wanted to make sure that you were still in one piece after that somewhat unusual auction.”

“You were there.” It wasn’t a question.

“Yes, though not actually in the main hall, the weequay was quite firm about allowing no troopers inside. Very shortly I will return to the planet so let me brief you on what I need done.”

“You make it sound as though playing courier will be dangerous.”

He smiled and reached over to caress my face. “Anything you seem to be involved in turns somewhat dangerous. Now shall we get to work? I do not have much time.”

I nodded and then listened as he briefly outlined what he needed from me. By the time he was finished I wasn’t sure who was nuttier, him for the plan or me for agreeing to follow through with it.

When he was done I sat back and stared at him. I wasn’t overly happy with the idea he had presented to me. “Why am I not using my own ship?” I asked, “It would save time.”

“Because I am not sure you’d forgive me if it was damaged during this mission.” He replied, “And it is possible that your ship is known to the rebels, on this I am taking no chances. You will travel on board the frigate Tornado. No arguments.”

“A frigate?” I made a face. “How much time do I have to make sure she actually flies then?”

“You don’t need to do that, you will not be piloting you will be a liaison on board. I’d like you to be ready to leave as soon as I am done with Tatooine and this ridiculous art chase. In the mean time I want you to stay here, study the plans and the information on this.” he handed me a data disk.

“Why do I need to stay here? You can use my skills on Tatooine.” I asked staring at the datadisk in my hand.

“I will have all the help I need, my dear. The Tze’yusha’Jin is more that willing to aid in the search for Killik Twilight.”

I gave him a look. “You are keeping me here to keep me safe?”

His smile was slight and not overly friendly. “I need you to be very clear on what I am asking you to do. You need to study the information on the disk and I doubt very much that you will concentrate on Tatooine. Knowing you, you will find some excuse to come running after me and the painting and maybe get yourself killed in the process.”

“You don’t trust me?”

“No,” He smirked. “Not in this instance, no and your uncle more than agrees with me. When I have the painting secured I will return, it shouldn’t take that long and then we can discuss in more detail what this job entails.”

“I don’t have clothes here for an extended stay! I don’t have anything here that I need!”

He pointed to a large bag that was sitting on the floor. “That has been taken care of.”

I opened my mouth then closed it again. “You know….” I began but he held up his hand.

“I do, but you won’t win this argument.” He leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees, the armour clacked as he did so. “Do not make this complicated. You went to the auction at my request and if I had known they would be trying to blow the painting up I would not have made that request. It is part of my job to keep you out of harm’s way which is what I am doing now.”

“What’s on this disk that you don’t want it going off the ship?” I asked sensing another lie underneath his truth.

“Very sensitive data on Ged Larsen for one thing and some details about the up coming campaign which I think you will need to know in order to pull off the ruse.”

“Ruse? What ruse?”

He did not answer my question, “The Tornado is currently in orbit around Chenini on a survey mission. Captain Daurma knows to expect you. The official story is that you are there as a liaison from Captain Pellaeon to make sure the courier drop off to Larsen goes smoothly.”

“And the unofficial story?”

“You are working for me, top level security.”

I frowned, “And just how is this supposed to work?” I asked. “No one will believe that I am anything other than your mate.”

“Actually you would be surprised at how few people on my fleet know about your more intimate relationship with me and those that do either think it is a rumour or know enough to remain silent about it.” He said, “There is a reason why I have not allowed you to travel with me and keeping our relationship private is one of them.”

“So I am not on the Chimaera then?”

“No you are currently on board the Death’s Head.”

“Can’t you come up with better names for your ships?” I asked trying not to get more annoyed than I already was.

“I did not name her, for that you would have to discuss Imperial ship naming policies with Palpatine and that might be a tad difficult at this time. Merlyn, really it is just for a short while.”

I made a face. “So just why will the captain and crew of the Tornado believe any of this story?”

“Because, my dear, they will all believe you are one of the dreaded Emperor’s Hands. That knowledge alone will terrify them into believing what ever you tell them.”

“But I’m not an….”

Thrawn held up his hand. “I know that and you know that but the official data which is available to those with high enough clearance will say otherwise.”

“You’re using Uncle Vahlek’s ruse to get me in close to Ged Larsen so you can spy on him?”

He laughed. “Oh Sj’iu tekari you really do read too many Holloway novels. I don’t need you to spy on him at all I need a liaison who is, shall we say, able to cut through the ….”

I interrupted, “Ged’s force sensitive you know, he’ll soon see through any games.” I sighed, “And I don’t want to lie to him. I won’t lie to him.”

“Perhaps if I were playing games that would be something I would worry about but I assure you, there are no games. I need his help as much as he requires mine. It is a mutually beneficial relationship which you will help facilitate. He liked you, he’ll work with you, which will make my job easier, and because you will not be someone the rebels will immediately watch out for, you can move back and forth a lot easier than any imperial could. Plus, I don’t trust anyone else with this.” He regarded me for a moment, “You won’t have any reason to lie to him from me.”

I digested his words, sifting through them for any untruths but I found none. “The dispatches I will be carrying, will they be real?”

He nodded. “Very, so be mindful of this.”

“Navaari will be so pissed about you using me like this.”

“Yes, well I will deal with his wrath should it ever come up and you can say no. I am not forcing you to do this job. You have a home and work enough waiting for you on Nirauan if you want it but I got the impression that you were a little bored there as well as on Tatooine and when you get bored I start to worry, when you get bored….”

I sighed deeply and let the air out noisily. He was right and he knew it. I was curious about all of this and he knew that as well. “Okay, you win.” I said cutting him off.

He smirked in a fashion which said, Yes, I usually do.

I waved at the Stormtrooper helmet, “This disguise…you’re using this whole painting thing as a training exercise for the fresh meat on the Chimaera aren’t you?” I said changing the subject while shaking my head slightly and finishing my tea.

“How well you know me my dear.” He said with a tight smile and before I could comment back or make some sort of retort he shut me up with a kiss that was too short and left me wanting an awful lot more. I didn’t like this, any of it and I let him know with a look. He just smiled and stroked my cheek with the back of his fingers.

I nodded. “How long do you think it will take? This painting thing I mean?”

He gave me a slight shrug as he pulled on the armour gloves and reached for the helmet. “I do not know, hopefully not long. While I do enjoy spending time on your planet, running around after known criminals in this uniform is not the most efficient use of my time but as you pointed out it is a good way to initiate some training and to evaluate the ground troops, something I do not often get the opportunity to do. They will have to be ready to face a hell of a lot in a short amount of time, many of the troops we have are far too young and inexperienced for my taste and even Pellaeon will not argue with me on this point. We’ll just have to see how this plays out. Now that I know why the rebels want the painting so badly it gives me a better idea of what they’ll do to get it.”

“You don’t think that this Kitster Banai was working with them?”

“No.” He said but didn’t elaborate. When his comm peeped he made a slight face. “Time to go.” He said as he picked up the helmet and stood up. “In this armour I am simply a squad leader escorting you back to the planet. Try not to give the game away my dear.”

“Have I ever given your games away?” I asked following him to the door.

He didn’t answer my question instead he reached for me, cupping my chin with one hand. I didn’t resist when he drew my face upward and gave me another kiss, this one a little more intimate than the last one had been. “Do not doubt your importance in my life, tekari but do not doubt the importance of what I now must do and the campaign that lies ahead. I can just as easily shut you out and send you to Nirauan for the duration or perhaps Hjal which ever you’d prefer. I thought you might like to take a slightly more active role, but perhaps I was mistaken.”

I shook my head. “You know me too well and I’m not sure how much I like that.”

“It’s part of being bound and you should know that by now.” He chided gently “Now will you do as I have asked and stay here until I return, study the data and try to relax a little?”

There was a second of tension as he waited for my answer and then I nodded. “I will.”

“if you get particularly restless I have assigned Rukh to spar with you and you’ll find everything you need in the bag over there.”

I shook my head, “I don’t need a babysitter.”

“No you don’t but I was thinking you might enjoy some time in the training suite with my Noghri body guard. You might want a diversion from reading for a while and I have no use for Rukh on Tatooine.”

“Bet he’s just as happy about this as I am.”

“Actually he said he was rather looking forward to teaching you some more Noghri moves.”

I rolled my eyes; I knew what that meant, me spending a lot time spent flat on my ass while he laughed in that husky creepy way of his. “Okay, have it your way, just come back in one piece and keep my uncle out of trouble while you are at it.”

He kissed my forehead and smiled, “I shall endeavour to do so. Wish me luck.” He said as he slipped the helmet over his head and then vanished without waiting to hear my reply.

The soft richness of his voice had been swiftly transformed behind the helmet’s microphone. He sounded just like every other stormtrooper I had ever heard except for the ever so subtle and unusual cadence in his voice which I doubted many others would even notice. It made me smile, his penchant for dressing up in disguises. Thrawn was like no other Imperial leader I had ever known. As the door shut softly leaving me alone, I wondered if any of his men really knew just how lucky they were.

Between Sand and Stars 8

The day of the auction arrived along with crappy weather. Uncle Vahlek has insisted on walking out to Wayfar as it wasn’t that far from the house much to my annoyance. Fine sand-grit whipped up by strong winds stung any surface of skin not protected and somehow managed to find its way underneath all protective clothing to scratch and irritate. I hated it most of all when it got in my mouth. Fine grit that crunched on my teeth when ever I bit down or spoke sent unpleasant shivers up and down my spine so that by the time we had reached the shuttle-port at Wayfar I was more than ready to turn around and go home. I was happy when the shuttle arrived and we could get out of the misery of the sandstorm.

“You’ve gotten spoiled, Lei’lei.” Uncle Vahlek said with a grin. “Living away from Tatooine has made you soft.”

I just glowered at him as I tried to discretely brush sand off myself.

The shuttle ride was bumpy and unpleasantly full. The air smelled of sweat and sand mingled with all the other odours from all the various beings which permeated the air. Usually I enjoyed shuttle runs but this was an exception and by the time we landed in Mos Espa I was quite nauseous. I had to cup my hand over my mouth and practically ran off the shuttle.

“What’s wrong?” my uncle asked. “You look positively green; you don’t usually get travel sick. You’re not pregnant are you?”

I gave him another fifthly look. “No.” I said shaking my head, trying to breathe slowly, willing the queasiness in my stomach to settle down.

“You’re sure?”

“Yes, I am quite sure.” I snapped, grateful when the waves of nausea passed. “I just don’t do well in crowded spaces, especially when they stink like that.” I explained. “It reminds me of Mattri and of Nar Shadda too much.”

“I see.” Said my uncle sadly. “Even though he’s dead Jyrki’s actions still have their effect.”

I nodded. “So, where are we going?” I asked, changing the subject, “And will we have time to stop for something to drink? I could use a cup of tea, my mouth is full of grit.”

My uncle slung his arm around my shoulders and we headed in the direction of auction following a group of laughing Rodians who seemed to be headed the same way.

Mawbro’s Performance Hall was not nearly as glamorous on the inside as it’s name made it sound. Once we had been allowed to pass by the Weequay who was guarding the door, making sure people checked their sand covered wraps and weapons we wandered into a large spacious hall.

Scattered throughout the huge room were several stages where I assumed dancers generally performed on while customers sat and drank, enjoying their evening. Clean circles on the dark floor gave away that usually the place was littered with tables and chairs surrounding the stages. Currently these stages were occupied by food and beverage stalls selling all manner of things to eat and drink, filling the air with an assortment of aromas.

“How’s your stomach?” My uncle asked as we rounded on a stall that was selling pastries and cha’rae, a sort of milky spiced tea.

“Hungry.” I answered, “When does this stupid auction start anyway?”

“Probably after everyone has had a chance to view the painting and validate it. Do you want to see it?”

I nodded. That was one of the reasons Thrawn had wanted me to come, he had felt I should look at this work of art seeing as how the method and materials to make more were long gone and never coming back. It was considered a priceless one of a kind and seeing in person was a chance that might not come around again. He had other reasons for me getting a first hand viewing as well but I didn’t want to think about them at the moment.

“Food first and we can see what else if up for auction then go stand in line.” Uncle Vahlek said as he ordered two zucca fruit pastries and two cups of cha’rae, one of each he handed to me.

We wandered around the hall looking at the booths that were situated along the walls. I was surprised at the variety of stuff people were auctioning off, most of it was junk. We idled past a stall selling glitter-glass panes that were supposed to have been owned by Jabba the Hutt. I giggled. “Usually Jabba likes his art a tad more realistic, by realistic I mean way more uhm….crude and erotic.” I told my uncle, “This is a bit more abstract than he would understand. He has a thing for twi’leks not this.”

Uncle Vahlek just made a face. “I won’t ask how you know these things.”

I just grinned and we continued to look at the wares up for auction. I stopped briefly to look at some sort of sand-sculpts cast in abstract shapes which reminded me a lot of some of the eerie rock formations that could be found in the North West of Beggar’s Canyon. Next to the stall with the sand sculpts was a stall being run by squibs, small furry beings who were as annoying as they were persistent. My uncle tugged at my arm making sure I didn’t go near them. I looked over my shoulder and watched as they sucked in a Devaronian and a twi’lek to look at their stuff, making them pay to do so.

“Oh Lei’lei, you will want to see these!” With his hand around my wrist, my uncle led me over to a stall run by a Barabel. What he was showing took my breath away. Colourful bowls made from some sort of material so delicate that light showed through them.

“Alasl bowls found in the Judland wastes, made by Tuskens.” The Barabel said. “Very rare.” They were beautiful and they took my breath away.

“If you really want one I can bid for you.” My uncle said quietly.

I nodded, “I would love at least one, and I am certain that Za’ar would also like one as well. It’s the sort of thing he likes to collect.”

“No one will bid against the Tze’yusha’Jin if they are being smart.” A voice said from behind me.

I turned around to come face to chest with Baraq, the Ithorian archivist from Mos Espa. Without thinking about it I threw my arms around him and much to his surprise gave him a hug which made my uncle laugh.

“Baraq what are you doing here?” My uncle asked, “I thought you could not come.”

The Ithorian shrugged, “And be missing a chance to see a galactic treasure as well as my good friend, Akosh, here? For today the archives can be closed.”

“We were about to go and view it, want to join us?” I asked.

Baraq shook his head. “I have already seen it. It is a thing of wonder. You would be liking it I think.” He said. “But you should be lining up now, already it is taking almost an hour for a viewing.”

At Baraq’s advice we set off, meandering around the rest of the auction stalls before standing in line to view Killik Twilight. Halfway around the hall I spotted the Imperial officer that Thrawn had sent, quite literally, to do his bidding. I didn’t recognize the man’s face but the air of contempt he had for us as we passed him was unmistakable. I smirked a little knowing that he would have been more than polite had he known who I was, who I had worked for and who my mate was but wisely I kept my thoughts to my self.

“Where there’s one there are more.” Uncle Vahlek said softly making me look around to play spot the Imperials in disguise. It was pretty straightforward. They were the people who looked very obvious because they were trying so hard not to look obvious.

“Guess he’s expecting things to get interesting.” I mumbled as we waited in line for our turn to view the painting.

It took over forty minutes before we were allowed to step through the mirrfield straight into a gaggle of Mawbro’s thugs dressed in the ugliest clothes I had ever seen all pointing blasters at us.

“Security.” Said a Rodian as blindfolds were placed over our eyes and we were led on a somewhat convoluted trip to a room that stank from thaq smoke which made me sneeze. Once our blindfolds were removed we were directed to the wall where the painting hung, flanked by two Gamorreans. It was smaller than I had imagined it would be but also more vibrant.

“You can verify it if you want, but only brush samples. No clipping. You got two minutes, don’t waste ‘em.” A voice said from out of the dimness.

The technique of moss painting creation had been lost when Alderaan had been destroyed. There weren’t many of these paintings left in the galaxy and as far as I knew the ones that had survived were mainly in private collections. It was eerie and beautiful but it left me feeling cold with a slight sense of dread for no good reason at all. The strange stormy sky and the insectoids turning to stare into the storm was melancholy.

Killiks had been the inhabitants of Alderaan but had vanished long before humans had colonized for no reason anyone could ever figure out. They were one of the great unsolved mysteries of the galaxy

I glanced at my uncle who nodded slightly, this was what I was here for, and then I reached up and brushed my fingertips ever so lightly over the mossy surface of the painting. It felt like a lifetime as the images from the painting’s memories shot through me even though it was only seconds. Images like that of the artist painstakingly creating the image, the memory of his hands lovingly cultivating each piece of moss in exactly the right place. There were lingering images of the many people who had touched the painting’s frame while it hung in the palace in Alderaan including the princess as a small girl and much to my surprise my mother as well. But the images that stunned me the most had nothing to do with the painting and everything to do with the Rebellion. I sucked in a breath involuntarily and staggered back slightly. My uncle stood behind me placing his hand on my shoulder, an anchor back into reality.

“I know….” I began in an urgent whisper.

“Shhhh.” Uncle Vahlek put a finger to his lips and shook his head ever so slightly. “Not here.”

A sense of urgency washed through me. “I have to tell….” I pressed.

My uncle gave me a tight smile and repeated his previous statement.

I was about to argue when the same gruff voice told us our two minutes were up and that we were holding up the ever growing queue.

“Let’s go and get something to drink shall we?” Uncle Vahlek said, taking my arm and leading me out of the room.

The main hall was more crowded when we stepped back into it and the line up to see Killik Twilight had more than doubled since we had stood in it. We left the performance hall and I trailed behind my uncle as led me to a small café which was far enough away from the main strip that it wasn’t hopelessly crowded. A tired looking waitress took our order and then returned a few moments later with drinks.

“Do you want to hear or not?” I asked crossly after a long silence had passed.

He shook his head. “Yes but not here, not in any language, too many people around and there is no telling who can speak what. Besides if our friend wins the auction you can tell him then. It will be an added bonus to the prize.”

I scowled. “And if he doesn’t win it?”

“Do you think that is likely with all the resources he has at his hand?”

I shrugged. “No one thought the Emperor would be killed or that the death star battle station would be destroyed but the rebellion has had remarkable luck in turning disadvantages to their advantage. At this point I would say anything is possible and I never take anything for granted any more, not when it comes to the rebels anyway.”

My uncle nodded and conceded the point. “Well the auction is supposed to start in an hour so I guess we’ll see how it all turns out then, won’t we?” He sighed and looked at his chrono, “Do you still want those bowls you were looking at earlier?”

I nodded remembering the eerie beauty of the delicate bowls the barabel was displaying.

“I’ll bid for you, just let me know your limit. Most of what was on display is junk, but you know that anyway. The main attraction is the moss painting. I wonder is actually auctioning it off.”

I replied without thinking, “Some guy named Threkin Horm.”

My uncle blinked at me in surprise and then made a face, remembering my talent. “That guy happens to be the president of the Alderaanian Council.”

I raised my eyebrows, “And he’s auctioning off this priceless work of Alderaan art here?”

Uncle Vahlek nodded over his drink.

“Bet that will go over well with the New Republic types.” I said quietly.

“Probably not.”

I just shook my head. “Guess he better hope that no one finds out.” I said as I finished my drink.

“It’s not something I would advertise out loud Lei’lei. The last thing you need is to make a new enemy; your mate would never forgive me if that happened while I was supposed to be keeping an eye on you.”

I made a face even though he was right and in the end it wasn’t any of my concern anyway.

“Come on, we should be headed back. If you want me to bid on some of those bowls the barabel was auctioning for you then we need to get a decent spot on the floor.”

I finished my drink and nodded, lost in thought about how I would get a hold of Thrawn to tell him what I now knew. He wasn’t going to like it much.

Between Sand and Stars 7

I was in the middle of my morning ‘caf when my uncle returned home. He had decided to try and get some more detailed information about the upcoming auction and had gone to see his Ithorian friend, Baraq at the local archives in Mos Espa. I poured him a large cup of ‘caf while he shed his coat, shaking the last of the sand off before sitting at the table and handing me a data pad.

“Thanks,” He said wrapping his hands around the cup gratefully. “Bloody big storm coming in. That’s the second one in the last two weeks, unusual for this time of year.” He took a sip of ‘caf, made a face and then reached for the honey. I always made it too strong for his tastes. “Baraq asked after you, sends his condolences about Kit.”

I smiled. Baraq had helped me find information on Anakin Skywalker many years prior and it always surprised me that he actually remembered who I was but really, it shouldn’t have, Ithorians had long memories and Baraq was no exception. “That’s kind of him.”

Uncle Vahlek smiled. “He took a shine to you, it seems.”

I nodded absently while I scanned the datapad’s contents. “Wow, there’s going to be a lot of people at this auction.” I commented, “And Killik Twilight is definitely the star piece.”

“Yes, Baraq said he has been inundated with information requests about both the painting and the auction.”

“Has the painting been verified?”

“Apparently it is the genuine article; your mother would be saddened to see it auctioned off like this.” Uncle Vahlek replied. “You know it used to hang in the palace on Alderaan? It was on loan for an exhibition on Coruscant when Alderaan was destroyed and then it vanished from sight now it’s reappeared only to be auctioned off in Mos Espa. The painting is priceless really since the techniques for growing moss paintings of this kind were lost along with Alderaan.”

“Mmm.” I said as I took a mouthful of ‘caf. I had seen images of the painting in some of my mother’s art books and it had given me the willies for some strange reason. I didn’t like it very much but I could never have said why. Although, as I thought about it, my reaction to Killik Twilight had been much the same as to the very odd painting that Thrawn had once shown me in his flat on Coruscant. I wondered what had become of that because it had never been hung in the flat and we had never spoken of it again.

As if he could read my mind and know who I was thinking about my uncle said, “By the way, I received a message last night from Thrawn while you were asleep, he said not to wake you; he wanted to let you know that he will be returning to Tatooine four days prior to the auction. He had some pretty choice words about your running off to Naboo by the way.”

I looked up at my uncle crossly, “You told him about that?”

“He said he’d been trying to reach you on your comm. I merely explained why you might not have been answering as I recall you said it had accidentally been turned off?”

“Naboo was not on the list of planets I am forbidden to explore list.” I retorted a little too hotly.

My uncle chuckled. “No, but he is not stupid Lei’lei, he knows you just too well and he also knows that you never seem to do anything without some sort of risk involved, danger follows you around like a hungry jax .”

“Yeah, because visiting Naboo is so darn risky.” I said flatly.

That remark earned me a stare from my uncle which usually froze his prey in their tracks, I wasn’t impressed and just went back to staring at the data pad.

When I didn’t answer him he pressed, “And where was it you decided to go sight seeing while on the lovely, safe home world of our late emperor?”

I blew out a noisy breath. I had told him after I had returned home where exactly I had been but not what I had found there, I didn’t want to run the risk of him up and vanishing to go Wayland hunting before I got a chance to tell Thrawn as well. “I told you, the Retreat was completely deserted.”

“Uh huh. Well I will let you explain that to your Ta’kasta’cariad when he returns. I am quite sure he will be equally as understanding as I was.”

That remark made me sigh and roll my eyes. Uncle Vahlek had hit the roof when I had told him what I had done and where I had been. All of the jaxes had gone running for cover because he had yelled at me so loudly.

“I doubt it, Thrawn doesn’t shout at me.” I mumbled.

Uncle Vahlek shook his head. “Maybe he should start; it might get some sense through to that thick headed skull of yours. You still have not told me what you found there, if anything, which was worth the risk you took.”

I shrugged. “It can wait until Thrawn gets here.”

“It won’t soften his anger you know.”

I shrugged, “I’m used to that.” I said with a little smirk; while the fights were unpleasant the making up part was always fun. “Do you want breakfast?” I asked quickly changing to topic.

“Only if I cook it, the last time I let you near the stove you damn near burned the kitchen down.”

I laughed. “Navaari always says the exact same thing!”

He shook his head at me, making his long silver hair ripple about his face. “How is it, child, that you can fight like a crazed rancor, pilot like a maniac smuggler and survive working with the most feared men in the galaxy but you never learned to cook?”

“Talent can only stretch so far…?” I suggested.

“Maybe if you spent less of your talent getting into trouble and more time learning how to work a stove…”

I just shrugged I didn’t have an answer for that and I was quite content to let others, much better at cooking than I would ever be, do the job and eat well. I went back to reading about the auction while my uncle pottered about making my favourite breakfast. The jaxes mewed loudly as they wound their way around his legs in figure of eight patterns until utterly distracted he looked at me.

“Did you feed them?”

“Yep.” I nodded. “But it seems they have learnt the art of deception well.”

“Well, give them a handful each then.”

“That only encourages them to beg, you know.” I retorted but got up to do as he asked. With their tails high the jaxes stopped pestering Uncle Vahlek and sat happily in front of their bowls munching on the small treats.

“This thing is being held at Mawbo’s Performance hall?” I said with some surprise.

“Only place large enough for the crowds this particular auction is going to draw and she has the best security if you discount Imperial Stormtroopers but Baraq thinks it’s got more to do with Mawbo doing a favour for one of her old flames.” He shrugged slightly. “I take it you are planning on attending?”

It was my turn to shrug then, “I guess that depends on Za’ar but I’d like to see it. I am betting it will be interesting to people watch, if nothing else.”

That earned me raised eyebrows from my uncle as he put food filled plates on the table and sat down to eat. “As I said…you and trouble seem to go hand in hand.”

“Well we’ll find out soon enough, won’t we?” I remarked happily, munching my breakfast in contentment.

***

Thrawn, true to his word, arrived on the planet four days before the art auction was scheduled. He showed up at my uncle’s house in the middle of the night dressed in his Dantassi clothes which hid his identity as an Imperial Officer. He had sent a cryptic comm in Cheunh so we knew to expect him and we were both waiting in the kitchen for him to show up.

In the confines of the base on Nirauan or onboard an Imperial ship I had always been restrained in showing my joy at seeing Thrawn after a separation, we had made it a point to keep our displays of affection very, very private but in the quiet of my Uncle’s kitchen I had no such inhibitions. Once Thrawn had come in, taken off his long coat and mask I made it quite plain just how happy I was to see him again. He suffered my squeal of delight with a smile returning my kiss unabashedly before he untangled himself from my arms in order to greet my uncle.

“Tea or something stronger?” My uncle asked not quite able to wipe the smirk from his face in time.

“If you have brandy that would be most welcome.” Thrawn said, “I take it you won’t mind if I change out of these clothes before we sit?”

“You know where the bedroom is.” I told him with a grin.

“Indeed.” He replied with a bemused smile, picking up his backpack and leaving the kitchen to regain some of his composure.

Once he had washed and changed, then come up to join us in the living room the conversation began in earnest. The first topic on the table was my foray into the Imperial Retreat. I had half expected Thrawn to be angry but instead he listened with his usual quiet calm. I told him everything I could remember including the part about finding the strange book in the little house at which point he frowned and sipped at his brandy thoughtfully.

“So there was nothing on the Retreat Databanks at all?”

I shook my head, “No, even Lord Vader’s secret files were all wiped out. My guess is that Pestage took care of it because he needed to concentrate all of his efforts working from Coruscant. He had consolidated his power and abandoned the smaller, lesser imperial command centers.” I said, “The Retreat was Palpatine’s personal play ground because he loved Naboo and wanted to spend time there. It would have been a terrible blow if the rebels had found it and managed to raid the computer core for information.”

Thrawn nodded slowly. “For all his faults Pestage thought a lot of things through and he was closer to Palpatine than anyone else, closer perhaps than even Lord Vader.” He paused to take a sip of his drink, “What about this mysterious book you found?”

I shrugged, “I left it there but I have the small ident chip and that came from Obroa-Skai.”

That earned me an arched eyebrow.

I nodded at the unasked question. “I know that Palpatine had the great libraries raided for all materials concerning sith and jedi subjects. It’s my guess that this book was part of that. And before you say anything I didn’t want it. I don’t want anything that has Palpatine’s touch on it. He may be dead but he still scares the hell out of me.”

“So you think that the Obroa-Skai facility will have the location of Wayland?” It wasn’t so much a question as it was a confirmation of something he had already considered.

“Don’t you think that’s possible?” I asked, “Palpatine had the power to have the star maps changed and all information pertaining to the location of planets he didn’t want people to know about removed but Obroa-Skai was never part of the Imperial rule, they remained neutral, he actually had no real power over the Obroans no matter what he liked to think. He only managed to take the jedi related stuff by force but the repositories of information on the planet are vast and even he was smart enough to let well alone. Attacking the Obroans flat out would have been a very big political mistake.”

“Yes, I think I will find what I need there.” He replied thoughtfully then turned to look at my uncle, “So, you mentioned getting more information about the auction?”

My uncle smiled and handed Thrawn the same datapad he had given me to read and the conversation switched to the topic of the art auction. About an hour into the discussion about the dance hall’s lay out I fell asleep, my head resting against Thrawn’s shoulder. When I woke up I was in bed and he was asleep beside me.

I watched the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed in and out, resisting the temptation to stroke the graceful lines of his body. ‘Caf first I thought and got out of bed to slip upstairs along with the jaxes, who always knew when someone was up. They gathered around me mewing and purring their undying affection in the hopes of food. I started the process of making ‘caf and then shoved food in their bowls, watching with a sleepy smile as they all ran to their dishes, chirping their appreciation. When the caf was done I poured two cups and made my way back down to my bedroom to wake Thrawn up. I didn’t really care what time he had finally gone to bed or gotten to sleep, if he complained about it I would simply remind him about is famous Chiss stamina. I didn’t really have to worry though; he was already awake and waiting for me.

He cupped his hands around the warm mug I offered and sipped the steaming hot drink carefully. “Before you ask, you have me to yourself until after dark tonight then I have to return to the Chimaera and prepare.”

“Do you think that someone from the New Republic will show up for this painting?” I asked, sighing at the shortness of his visit but not saying anything about it.

“Don’t you?”

I shrugged, “I think it would be a pretty risky thing to do.”

“And if I were to tell you that this piece hung in the Palace of Alderaan?”

“I know that already.”

“And who grew up in that palace and saw that painting every day?” He prompted without a trace of sleepiness in his voice.

I yawned. “Ah… you think that Leia Organa will come.”

“Leia Organa Solo.” He corrected.

“Oh yeah…right”

He smiled. “She married Han Solo and not the Hapan prince remember.”

“The galaxy’s most famous bachelor got hitched. How could I forget?”

Thrawn chuckled. “How indeed, any way I suspect they will show up in one disguise or another and I wish to be ready for that.”

“They’ll probably come in the Falcon then. Solo doesn’t trust any other ship, at least he didn’t the last time I saw him which was a very long time ago, and that wookiee he travels with won’t fit in anything else, the Falcon was specially outfitted for him. He’ll have a dozen false transponder codes for sure.” I said thoughtfully.

Thrawn nodded, “Yes, I have already taken care of that possibility.”

“You plan on blowing them out of the sky?”

“Hardly my dear.” He said tartly, “I plan on allowing them to pay for that painting and then I shall apprehend them.”

“Oh.” I frowned.

“The painting is priceless and it would look very nice in my private war room.” He said with a shrug letting me know he wasn’t telling me the whole story, but I didn’t much care.

“So do you want me there?” I asked looking up at him from the over the rim of my cup.

“Yes, I will have my people there and I have no doubts that they will be made easily enough, in fact I am counting on that but they will not suspect you. Do you have any contacts in the organisational group?”

“No but my uncle might. He spends way more time in Mos Espa than I ever have.” I replied. “Do you want another cup?” I asked pointing to the empty cup he held in his hand. He nodded as he handed it to me. When I returned with refills he took his cup from my hands and stared at it thoughtfully for a moment.

“After the auction I’d like you to return to Nirauan, unless of course you wish to remain here.” He said.

“No, I’m just hanging out here because of this stupid auction. Most of the time I feel as though I am in Uncle Vahl’s way or worse. I need to get back to work before boredom makes me do something crazy.”

“Crazy?”

I nodded, “Yes crazy like try to find Wayland, try to find out if the Emperor really has come back to life, that sort of crazy.”

That annoying eyebrow of his arched about as high as it could. “And you think that me putting you to work on Nirauan or under Ged Larsen’s watchful eye will counteract this destructive behaviour?”

I gave him the sweetest smile I could muster and nodded.

“I wish I could believe that.” He said with a shake of his head. “You seem to delight in taking risks at every turn why should that change now?”

“Because there are no more people trying to hunt me down and turn me into some sort of elite jedi producing baby factory?” I retorted.

“So you decided to head off to the Imperial Retreat to change that?”

I rolled my eyes and made a face. “It was perfectly safe.”

“Lucky for you.” He quipped.

“You didn’t seem too worried about it when I told you last night?”

“You were expecting fireworks?” He asked coolly. “It seemed a bit pointless to display my displeasure, the deed was already done and, as you so smugly pointed out, Naboo was not forbidden to you. I did, however, think you might have a little more common sense than to go charging off to a place that could have been very unsafe on a whim.”

Suddenly I found my nails very interesting to look at. “It wasn’t a whim.”

“Oh?”

I sighed. “I can’t explain it, I can’t.”

“Try.” He insisted.

So, as best I could, I told him about all of the dreams I had been having concerning the Emperor, some of the details he already knew and some of them I had never spoken of before. When I was done he was quiet for what felt like too long and I shifted uneasily in the bed, picking at invisible lint from the blanket.

“If, and I stress this part greatly, if Palpatine is alive why in Da’hajn’s name would you want to seek him out?”

“I don’t but it doesn’t seem to matter what I want, I get sucked into it anyway.”

“That’s the worst excuse I have ever ….” He began but I cut him off.

“No, it isn’t.” I countered crossly.

His mouth tightened into a thin line of displeasure but he refrained from arguing with me on a point he knew I would not concede instead he switched tack somewhat and asked. “Very well then what do you suppose will happen should you happen to have the misfortune to discover you are right, he has returned from the dead?”

I shrugged miserably. “I don’t know, I hadn’t thought that far ahead and anyway if he is alive and he really did want to gather up all the force users around the galaxy to twist them into his dark little minions there wouldn’t be much I could do about it would there?”

For some reason this made him laugh. “You have the most vivid imagination of anyone I have ever met. Do you want to know what I think?”

I nodded reluctantly.

“I think you’re avoiding the real issue which is for the first time in a very long time no one is chasing you, trying to kill you, abuse you or use you in some underhanded way and you have no idea what to do with yourself.”

I opened my mouth but he placed his forefinger on my lips to silence the string of protests he knew would tumble out.

“From the moment you left your home and started to work at Jabba’s palace until you eliminated Jyrki Andando, it’s been one crisis after another and you haven’t had time to breathe, let alone find some measure of peace. Working with Vader put you on a blade’s edge you have not yet managed to step off, so now you go looking for danger because for the last ten or so years it’s all you’ve really known with maybe the exception of the time you spent on Hjal and you were far too messed up to realise what peace and quiet meant at the time.” He paused and studied my expression for a second. “I don’t say this to hurt you or to anger you but honestly, tekari, you have to stop hunting danger down, given enough time I am quite sure it will find you but for the love of what ever deity you regard as important stop looking for it at every turn.” He emphasised this speech by caressing the side of my face gently.

I sat back against the headboard of the bed noisily, feigning annoyance and anger but really I was stung by the deep truth in his words. He was right but I had absolutely not seen it. I swallowed hard against the tears that wanted to come, as if crying was a release for the anger and fear I had been hold inside of me since forever. Instead of allowing that to show I snapped at him, petulant and scared.

“And working for you isn’t dangerous?”

“Perhaps it has some level of risk but not to the extent you have been placing yourself in as of late.”

“What about having me attend this stupid art auction then, isn’t that risky?”

His smile was disarming. “It’s an art auction, sj’iu tekari, what could go wrong, a disgruntled buyer running amok and rampaging through the hall? I hardly think so and even if that were to happen as I understand it the local security will be tight and I am sure there will be an Imperial presence as well. So, in all seriousness, just how dangerous do you think it will be?”

How indeed, I thought. “This is Tatooine, remember…anything can happen.” I said, jabbing him in the ribs.

“Then perhaps,” he said with a smirk I wasn’t sure I liked, “I should have you confined to a cell and make Rukh stand guard.”

I just gave him a dirty look and finished my ‘caf. “So, tell me what you want me to do at the auction.”

“Attend and observe.” He replied casually.

“That’s it?”

“What did you think I wanted you to do, my dear? Steal the painting?”

I rolled my eyes. “That’s not very exciting you know, you can get one of your minions to do that for you.”

“Yes but one of my minions, as you so amusingly put it, will be spotted by the rebels within a few moments as they will no doubt stick out like a Hutt at an ewok convention, you will not. You are to observe what happens and those who are attending, nothing more.”

“I see.” I wasn’t impressed but Thrawn wasn’t going to let me get around him on this either.

“Would you rather I forbade you to attend at all?” He asked, arching one eyebrow.

“Well if you put it that way….”

“I do.” He cut me off before I could finish then reached over to take my empty cup out of my hands and place it beside his. “Now, are you going to waste the short amount of free time I have with you on an argument you won’t win or would you like me to show you some of the more pleasurable aspects of a non combative conversation.”

He stroked my bare shoulder and smiled as I shivered. “I would not call these types of conversations non combative, you know, sometimes they get very… uh… physical.”

“That’s because you insist on fighting against me.” He murmured in my ear.

I didn’t really have much to say in my defence and what he was doing with his hands and his mouth had more or less rendered me speechless anyway. I decided that he was right and the easiest thing was to let him have his way, this time, it was certainly more enjoyable than arguing. Who knew what would happen at the auction and if he wasn’t actually going to be there then he would not be able to control what happened either.