Jedi Princess

STAR WARS - ROTJ Infinities: Jedi Princess

By The Great Shaggy



AUTHOR'S NOTE: * segment is from Shabby Blue’s The Slave Princess; Chapter Eight







Chapter Six: Hidden Salvation



It was said that a lone spacer’s worst fear was that of being stranded in the middle of nowhere in the galaxy, being years or even decades away from the closet inhabitant planet. Doomed to a miserable existence of passing the sublight trip trapped in the confines of their ship without even a fellow being or droid for companionship. Many had gone insane, some claimed their own lives, and some had even died of natural causes. Very few, if any, ever lived to tell their tales of those long years of transit with anyone else amongst the living.



It had taken Mara half of the first day scanning the nearby systems for a inhabitant planet, hoping that maybe some smugglers or criminal organization, hell she would even take a rebel encampment, had set up an outpost on a nearby planetoid. When that searched failed, she programmed the capsule’s navigational computer to set course for the nearest known hyperspace lane. Setting the navigational controls on automatic and leaving the sensor on a repeat communications and ion trail scan, she took a seat on the opposite side of the pod, and watched the Rebel Princess in silence.



For the first couple of days, neither woman had spoken to one another. Neither had the strength to talk as the first symptoms of spice withdrawal started to wreck havoc on their minds and bodies within the first few hours of escaping the Hutt ship. It had started off with shakes; first small and barely unnoticeable twitches in the fingers, hands, and feet, but slowly they built into complete, uncontrollable spasms. Soon after that was the increasing urge for the spice that both women consumed everything edible in the pod’s emergency stores to try and satisfied the craving, but nothing could. So they both sat in silence, sweat pouring down their faces and their semi-nude bodies, soaking through the flimsy fabric of their slave outfits.



Finally, on the third day, Leia turned to face the red-hair woman. “You’re Arica, right?”



Startled by the sudden break in silence, Mara blinked her eyes as she looked at Leia. “What?”



“Your name. Arica, right?” Leia smiled softly.



Mara didn’t know on how to respond. Arica was her cover name that she used to infiltrate Jabba’s Palace during her mission to kill Skywalker and his friends, including the Princess. She succeeded in her mission overall, but the Princess was captured during her attempt to strangle Jabba and soon imprisoned. But instead of killing her, as she figured the vengeful Hutt would do, he turned her into a willing sex slave through an experiment that his majordomo created to please his Hutt master. Impressed, the Hutt had the same thing done to her which ended in her still being in his captivity when Vader slew her master and proclaimed himself the new Emperor.

Now her she was, five years later after the death of Skywalker, trapped in the small compartment of an escape pad that she used to escape Jabba’s doomed ship when it was attacked and destroyed by two Imperial warships with a former leader of the outlawed Rebel Alliance that her master worked so vigorously to destroy. Both were enemies, although Leia didn’t know it, and also sex slave girls used for the enjoyment and entertainment of the scum of the universe. So did that mean she owed her anything of companionship now?



Ah, what the hell. I’ll probably die along with her in this crate. Who would mourn two forgotten women that both played such a vital role in the affairs of the galaxy before crossing paths in the harem of Jabba’s Palace, she thought. “It’s Mara.”



“Mara? But I was sure that it was Arica.”



“No. It was just a stage name that I used.”



Nodding, Leia took a deep breath and let it out. “You think we’ll get out of here?”



Mara shrugged. “Can’t say.” Then a sudden thought hit her. She knew glitterstim was not only a highly addictive drug, but also had the sudden side effect of destroying the long term memory of the user. Although she hadn't seem to suffer from that severe side effect, she began to wonder about the Princess? Could her entire memory have been wiped like that of a droid going through a routine memory flash? “Leia, where you from. You’re an Alderaani I take it?”



“I guess so. Of course that is what Master Fortuna kept telling everyone I was. My memory isn’t the best these days.”



“So you can’t remember anything?”



“Not much. I get a few vague images, a few memories and thoughts, but that’s about it.”



Then it suddenly occurred to Mara that if what she was hearing was true, then the Princess Leia Organa that the galaxy had come to known was officially dead. Before her was the new Leia Organa, former sex slave of the now late Jabba the Hutt. Her long mission was finally completed at last.



“Is it true that I’m a princess?”



“What?”



“Some people called me princess. Was I one once? Can you tell me?”



Without any hesitation, Mara shook her head. “Those scum called every girl they fuck princess.”



“Oh,” Leia replied with downcast eyes. Maybe this wasn’t a good idea, asking this strange woman she barely knew to try and fill in most of her memories. What if she was nothing more than a slave girl used for satisfying her master’s clientele her whole life?



“Leia, do you remember the first time we met?” Mara asked, feeling more curious on how much she could indeed remember.



That seemed to brighten the brunette Alderaani woman up. “I was coming into the hydroshowers from I guess servicing Master Jabba and....”

**********



*Leia staggered into the hydroshowers while Lando returned to his guard duties in Jabba’s main chamber. Her legs were still a bit shaky from having a monstrous tongue between them. Inside, Leia found another dancer already showering, her long red hair draped wetly down her backside as she soaped up her body. She turned to see Leia approach the neighboring showerhead.



“Have a good time with Jabba?” the redhead asked with a bit of sarcasm, smirking as she looked at the short brunette beside her.



“I’d rather be the Emperor’s lap dog. I doubt he would fuck me with his tongue,” Leia replied.



The redhead looked at her coldly, choosing not to respond to that remark. Instead, she continued rinsing the soap off her breast.



After a couple of minutes of silence, Leia asked, “What’s your name?”



“Arica,” Mara answered.



“Has Jabba... done things to you too?”



Mara laughed. “Are you kidding? I wouldn’t let that fat slug lay a finger on me. I’m a hired dancer, not some slave whore like you.”



Leia was shocked by Arica’s word and the cold-hearted tone of her voice. “How dare you! Have you no compassion?”



“For you?” Mara glared. “No.”



“How can you say that? What have I ever done to you?”



“What have you done to me? I’ll tell you.” Mara shut off her shower and turned to face Leia. “I know who you are, Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan. You walk around thinking you’re better than everyone else. You had a life of privilege and that makes you think you know better than the rest of the galaxy. Well guess what? You’re finally getting what you deserve and I’m glad to be here to see it. Your planet is gone, your friends in the dungeon will soon be dead, and you’ll be Jabba’s whore for the rest of your pathetic life. When it’s all over, the only thing left of you will be in the shit of Jabba’s pet Rancor.”



Stunned by Mara’s word, she watched the dancer dry off with a towel, rubbing it across her large breast and over her long muscular legs. Leia fumed with anger as Mara’s words sunk in, so when the dancer moved past her, Leia extended her foot behind her, suddenly tripping Mara to the floor. The Princess was on her in a flash, slapping at Mara’s face with her hands, unleashing the rage that had been building inside.



“You’re wrong! I am not Jabba’s whore!” she screamed, clawing at Mara’s face.



Each of their wet naked bodies rolled around on the tiled floor, struggling for dominance. It didn’t take long for the stronger woman to twist out from under the Princess and push her across the floor. Both of them climbed to their feet and lunged at each other again, wrestling under Leia’s still-active showerhead. Mara shoved Leia against the wall and painfully slapped her across the face, leaving a red mark on Leia’s cheek. Two more rough slaps followed, then Mara grabbed Leia by her long dark hair and pulled her close.



“Unnngh, let go!” Leia screamed in pain, grabbing Mara’s arm and trying to pull them away from her head.



Mara stared fiercely into Leia’s eyes, hatred burning within her. She wanted to kill this Rebel bitch right now, here in the shower room, but there was something else stirring inside her, another feeling almost as strong as the desire to kill. Without thinking, Mara locked lips with the Princess, her tongue forcing its way into Leia’s mouth as she passionately kissed the weaker woman. The kiss only lasted for a few seconds, broken when Leia pulled back in astonishment. Realizing what she had just done and feeling disgusted by it, Mara pushed Leia to the floor. Speechless, the Princess looked up at the naked redhead standing over her, afraid of what she’d do next....

**********



“....And then Melina came in, demanding to know what was happening. You said nothing and then left.” Leia paused and then look back up at Mara. “I can’t believe I remember that much, although some of it is still hazy.” Then she became sober. “You said that I had friends in Jabba’s dungeon. Are they.... are they dead?”



Mara slowly nodded her head. “Yes. Soon afterwards as a matter of fact.”



A tear started to rundown Leia’s face as she slowly nodded her head. “You also claim I was a Princess of Alderaan and my planet was gone. Is that true as well?”



“No. I was angry at that moment and confused you with someone else that I once knew.” It wasn’t much of a lie but it seem to satisfy the woman’s curiosity for the moment.



“What happened to her?”



“The real Princess Leia died when her planet was destroyed.”



“When was that?”



“A couple years ago.”



“How?”



“I don’t know,” Mara suddenly blurted out, feeling quite irritated of her nonstop questions. “It wasn’t like I cared that much about her anyway.”



Leia hung her head and whispered, “Sorry.”



Silence again return to the interior of the capsule. Turning away from the redhead, Leia grabbed a blanket and draped it over her bare shoulders before lowering herself to the cushion padding of the acceleration couches. She laid there in deep thought, trying to remember anything of her past. A few minutes later she slowly drifted into the blank of nothingness of deep slumber.

**********



Reaching into the smallest of places, the hyrdospanner barely clutched between her fingertips, she grunted in effort to reach the stubborn electrical outlet panel with the tip of the tool. It made contact for barely a second when she let out a surprise shriek as a small surge of energy cross through the spanner and into her body. Unconsciously her hand immediately released the tool, which fell with loud metal clangs deeper into the bowels of the ship. Holding her tender hand against her chest, she heard a low chuckling from above her.



Glaring up with the most nasty of looks, she saw the dog-like furry features of her Wookiee companion. “Oh shut up, furball. I’m not an electrical mason you know. Now just give me another one or you can come down here and do this yourself.”



The dark cinnamon fur Wookiee just laughed again as he pass down the third hydrospanner to the redhead human female below. Bracing herself and making sure not to touch anything metallic with either her feet or hands, Talia Loro took a deep breath and tried again. This time when she made contact there was no jolt of energy and her fingers didn’t slip on the grip of the spanner as it did the first two times. When a matter of minutes, the panel was secured and she rewarded herself by blowing a lock of tangled red hair away from her face.



Offering the little woman a furry paw, Groznik pulled her up out of the access hole and secured the grated paneling back over it. Once completed, Talia took a seat by the engineering console and punched up the diagnosis on the main sensors. She let out a triumphant hoot when the readings came back up.



“Well, that’s does it. Everything is repaired.” Her grin quickly vanished when Groznik let out a scornful wail. “Well how was I suppose to know that the Imps were now blockading all of Hutt space?”



Groznik just threw his shaggy paws up and stormed off towards the bridge.



“Hey, I did listen to him. I just didn’t believe him is all,” she cried out to the departing Wookiee. Cursing silently to herself, she followed the two meter tall alien back to the cockpit of the Cilpar Eagle, a heavily modified Corellian YT-1300J tramp freighter. “Oh come on, lighten up, will yea?” she said as he entered the cylinder-shaped cockpit.



The Wookiee just crossed his massive paws across his chest and huffed.



Rolling her crystal blue eyes, Talia plopped herself into the pilot’s chair and looked back at her friend. “Will you stop ignoring me and help me in trying to figure out a way to get to Toydaria from here?” Then it hit her that she didn’t know their exact coordinates after making the blind jump to lightspeed. “Umm, by chance did you run a galactic plain scan to pinpoint our location?”



Groznik nodded and pointed to the lit console and howled his response.



Talia closed her eyes as the Wookiee’s response seemed to invisibly knock the wind from her. Of all the luck, she thought as she glanced at the display.. “So we’re somewhere in the middle of the Dead Zone, huh? Okay, let’s see here. The main approach routes are out of the questions, since we found out the hard way at Lansik and I’m sure the Abrion Way through Gamorr is the same. So that leads us to the more unknown routes the Hutts use.”



Punching up the navi-computer, she made the needed adjustments in the coordinates before showing her Wookiee companion, who just slowly shook his head but said nothing. Stubborn Wookiee, she thought as she activated the hyperdrive. How her late-husband had ever fallen in with Groznik in the first place, she’ll never know. She just hoped they could make it to Toydaria to rendezvous with their contact and pick up their shipment. Of course with the latest development of Imperial interest suddenly on Hutt Space it might well just be the last for a very long time to come. All they needed now was for the route between Moonis Mandel and Nal Hutta to still be free from Imperial vessels.



Feeling the Wookiee’s eyes on her, she flashed him a smile and winked. “Hey, trust me!”

Groznik again just huffed and looked back at his controls. He had a bad feeling about this.

**********



The duel twins that hung above Leia were as bright as they were hot, forcing her to shield her eyes from the glaring rays of light. Slowly she walked across the burning sands, grimacing in pain whenever particles managed to find their way into the openings of her soft, purple jerba leather boots. She walked on forever, never stopping as she trudge over the endless dunes of the barren desert. Then she felt a sudden breeze behind her, turned, and threw her hands up to shield her face as a sandstorm suddenly appeared out of nowhere to wash over her. Then she felt a sudden new feeling.



Coldness.



Lowering her hands, she glanced around to see the desert landscape had been replaced by frozen white tundra. The wind whipped white flakes of snow into her face as she hugged her arms across her chest as she started walking again. Soon, she was volatility cold with the skin on her exposed face turning a pale blue and her lips started to tremble as she fought to keep the precious warmth of her body from fleeing. Taking one last step, Leia closed her eyes and took in one last breath of air then she realized something was wrong again.



The air was humid.



Opening her eyes, she stared up at the gaping opening of a massive stone temple. Turning, she saw the dense jungle line just slightly behind her. Looking back at the temple, she started forward, crossing the open grassy field that encompassed the area around the massive stone pillar and through its gaping black maw. She followed the only visible light across the dark interior of the ancient temple into a corridor.



And then she suddenly stopped. The corridor that she found herself in was metallic, pure gray in color with a sense of despair and hopelessness in the air. On either side she saw small, black doors with glowing numbers just above them. And they seem to stretch on forever in front and behind her. Slowly, she started down the corridor of eternity when a door to her right suddenly opened as she drew near.



With nowhere else to go, she turned to go through, pausing for a moment to read the number above the door: 2187. Entering, she again found herself in a new environment. She was standing in the cockpit of a starship, the horizon beyond nothing more than a swirling mass of whitish light that marked passage through hyperspace. Stepping up behind one of the chairs, she ran a hand over the well worn leather, feelings its rough edges and dark color.



Leia.



Hearing her name, she whirled around, but no one was standing behind her.



Leia!



Swallowing hard, she cautiously walk out of the cockpit and down the corridor. The lighten grew dark as she turned the corner into the crew hold and stopped. Sitting in the chair directly in front of her was a man in his early twenties with sandy brown hair and crisp, blue eyes. Dressed completely in black attire, he smiled up at her when she entered the hold. Grasping the hand rest, he stood up from the chair and Leia’s eyes grew wide as she watched him morph into a two meter tall helmet figure.



A red blade of energy suddenly sprung to life from the pitch darkness of the figure as its mechanical breathing assault her ears. Screaming, she turned to flee, tripped over a power cord, and fell to the deck. Looking up, she watched in horror as it raised the saber it held aloft above its head, pause for a brief moment, and then heaved it downwards towards her. Leia screamed again, flinging her arms to ward off the blow, when a beam of purplish light cut across the red blade’s path, stopping its fall. Knocking the blade away, a human female with brown hair stepped between her and the dark figure. Lashing back, she drove the dark beast away from her where the two suddenly paired off, facing each other. Glancing towards her savior, Leia couldn’t believe what she was seeing.



It was her!



Leia!!!



Hearing her name again behind her, she broke her stare at the two combatants to again see the sandy brown hair young man. He smiled at her as he offered her a gloved hand.



Take my hand, Leia. And I will show you the truth that has been clouded from your thoughts.



But she didn’t take his offering, instead she coward in fear, shaking her head.

**********



You will kill Darth Vader!



Mara awoke with a start with beads of sweat running down her face. Reaching for the bottle of emergency water with shaking hands, she took a gulp of the cool liquid and let out a long, deep breath. When the Emperor had died, she heard his last command before losing her sensitivity to the Force and the months after. But within a year of his death the voice had died and she heard nothing since then. So why all of a sudden in all places would she hear her former master’s last command in a cramp, drifting coffin now?



Brushing a lock of red hair from her eyes, she looked up to see the sleeping form of Leia thrusting periodically in her deep sleep. Sweat glisten over her entire body as she muttered meekly to herself. At least I’m not the only one with the bad dreams, she thought to herself as she took another sip of water before attempting to get some more sleep. Instead she found herself watching Leia’s glistening body. Even after four and half years of misery as a sex slave, somehow the Princess had managed to retain her beauty and perfect form with only a hint of aging in her features. The same had happened to her, which she assume to be a unknown side effect of the elixir that Jabba’s majordomo was using on them. As she watched the Alderaani woman, she suddenly felt that strange, powering feeling she first felt during their altercation in the hyrdoshower room in the harem so long ago returning. She tried to ignore it but the more she did the more powerful it got.



Then she felt a new sensation between her legs and silently curse her weak body, but the feeling was too much. Keeping her gaze on the brunette Princess, Mara spread her legs and allowed a hand to move towards her crotch. Her body shuddered, yearning for release as the tips of her fingers moved between the folds of her pussy and her outfit. Slowly, she rubbed her aching clit as she leaned back, allowing the pleasure to fill her thoughts. Moaning, she pressed two of her digits into her warm love canal and started to buck her hips, her eyes now locked on Leia’s glistening tits. Then she began to wonder what her pussy would taste like.



That thought snapped her out of her sexual blissfulness. What am I doing? I’m not a damn whore like her, she thought, but her eyes betrayed her thoughts as they eyed hungrily the exposed glistening crotch region of the slumbering princess. Mara then realized that her pleasuring herself had in fact only added more to that burning desire deep within her.



“Jedi spit, now I’m hot and horny,” she muttered weakly to herself.



She sat unmoving for a few more seconds, eyeing Leia, before sliding off the seat and crawling over to the sleeping woman. Sitting in front of her, she gently parted her legs and moved closer to the princess’ crotch. With trembling hands, she slid the purplish-red material off to the side to reveal in all its splendor Leia’s glistening womanhood. Although Mara had seen it from a distance and close up once, she found herself trembling with renew excitement. It was as perfect as her breast were; the lips were a light pinkish color, her skin was devoid of any pubic hair that her former master so despised, and her slit was equally tight looking. Moving closer, she filled her nostrils with her scent, basking in its sweet aroma.



Leaning forward hungrily, Mara slowly opened her mouth, allowing her tongue to reach for the brunette’s slit. It felt like a jolt as the tip of her tongue made contact with the folds of Leia’s pussy, causing her whole body to shudder as she ran her tongue from the bottom up to the top of her sweet smelling pussy to her smooth creamy flesh. She repeated the motion, her tongue pressing harder a bit more with each pass until the tip broke into the moist interior of Leia’s sweet cunnie. Parting the flesh with her fingers, Mara’s tongue danced joyfully over the moistening pink flesh, teasing the sweet knob from its secret hiding spot and then attacking it in a frenzy.



A soft moan escaped the slumbering Princess’ mouth, her hips bulking slightly to Mara’s deep tongue probes, but she didn’t stir from her restless state. Mara shoved her face between the Leia’s ass cheeks, her tongue pushing deeper into the dripping dark interior of her womanhood, drinking in the stream of juices flowing from the Alderaani’s clenching vagina. Rubbing her own pussy vigorously with her free hand, Mara thrust two fingers into the girl’s glistening slit, pumping them deeper into Leia’s warm cunt, the woman’s tight pussy pressing tightly upon them.

Mara’s eyes shot open as an orgasm tore through her body, snatching her breath away as her pussy spew a stream of sticky honey that coated her hand. Her other hand plunged deeper into Leia’s cunt, releasing its own tidal wave of sweet honey nectar onto Mara’s face. Hungrily, she drink in every morsel of juices then proceeded to clean Leia’s pussy free of sticky nectar before happily tasting her own sweet, sticky nectar.



“Mara, what are you doing?”



Hearing Leia’s meek voice, Mara smiled as she rose up and crawled over the top of the Alderaani woman. Looking down at the sleepily eyes, Mara lowered her body on hers and locked her moist lips over Leia’s. The Princess didn’t fight her abrupt embrace, instead she welcomed it by shoving her tongue to encircle the redhead’s own in a tangle of joyful dance and wrapping her arms behind Mara’s, pressing her body tightly against her own. After such a disturbing nightmare, all she wanted to do was hold onto someone to comfort her. And what better person than another woman who could relate to her.

**********



Pulling back on the levelers, the whirling white tunnel that outline the cockpit’s transparent durasteel canopy suddenly became white outlines which quickly receded into distance stars, Talia took a moment for the navi-computer to cross reference the star horizon before showing a line of coordinates on the display.



“See, what I tell yea. No problems.”



The words were barely out of her mouth when the scanners started to scream at her. She took a quick moment to look at the sensors when Groznik roared a warning. She barely had time to glance up to see them running straight into the path of a twisting piece of wreckage before putting the Eagle into a downward spiral away from the obstacle only to run into a large debris field.



“Shields,” she cried out as she ducked the ship under yet another piece of wreckage and nearly clip another on the other side. “Give me a full sensor sweep. Did we run into a Imp battlefield or what?”



Wiping around, Talia cringed as a frozen body of a Gamorrean bounced off the cockpit’s deflector shields. Unless both sides were now recruiting aliens into their ranks, she began to think that something else had happened here besides being a battlefield between the warring Imperials. It was confirmed when Groznik reported the sensor sweep.



“Two ion drive signatures big enough to be Destroyers leaving the area, huh?” Clearing the debris field, she put the Eagle in a tight turn and glance at the wreckage through the cockpit’s canopy. “So who was the unfortunate souls to cross path with two Imp Destroyers way out here in the middle of nowhere?”



Judging by the size of the debris field, Talia figured that the ship had to be a fairly descend size, maybe capital ship in length, but definitely not a warship judging by the lack of starfighter and weaponry debris. Since it was way off the normal hyperspace routes she started to think it might’ve been one of the more larger smuggler vessel, or a mother ship to a group of pirates, maybe even a Hutt ship.



“See if you can pick up any emergency beacons. Maybe a few escape pods managed to jettison before the ship was destroyed.” Talia frowned when her co-pilot figured it be a waste of time judging by what they both knew to be standard operating procedures for the warring Imperial factions. “Look, I know the Imps would’ve either picked them or blasted them. But it’ll only take a few minutes then we can leave. Okay?”



Groznik just shrugged and did what he was told. He was extremely surprised when only a few seconds the sensors’ reported a positive contact. and gave her a new set of coordinates.



Listening to the new coordinates, Talia brought the Eagle around on a new course heading. “Well let's see if anyone can give us some answers in that pod. How knows maybe there might be something valuable to salvage in that debris field they can tell us about.”

**********



Leia lay prone on her back, her tongue sliding wetly up and down Mara’s cunt as the redhead pressed her dripping crotch over Leia’s lovely face. Mara held tightly to the hand straps of the acceleration couch, her creamy tone skin beading with sweat as she gasped with sensual pleasure from Leia’s attentions. Leia reached up with her hands, squeezing and fondling Mara tight ass while the redhead bit her lip and rubbed her large breasts against the smooth synthetic fabric of the couch.



“Ah, it's so good,” moaned Mara as she gyrated her hips, grinding her slit against Leia’s sucking mouth.



The Alderaani woman groan loudly in reply as she thrust her tongue deeper into Mara’s vagina, licking the quivering walls of her fuck tunnel until it clenched involuntarily. Leia licked up and down the redheaded dancer’s snatch, rubbing her node in the small mound of red pubic hair, inhaling the panting woman’s musky scent as she slid her tongue up against Mara’s small ass hole, coating the orifice with glistening saliva. Mara pressed her left hand against the bulkhead of the escape pod as she reached down with her right, rubbing her fingers between her firm ass cheeks, plunging a long finger into her anus while Leia buried her mouth inside her lover’s dripping cunt.



Mara’s naked body shook as erotic tremors assaulted her hot flesh. The red-mane woman turned around so that she laid across Leia’s nude body, her head between Leia’s outspread legs. She positioned her face over Leia’s crotch, then leaned forward to begin a lewd oral assault on the brunette’s girl’s pussy. The former Hutt sex slave moaned loudly with pleasure, then moved her head forward so she could continue her ravishing of Mara’s sloppy wet twat, The two naked females licked and sucked each other’s pussies endlessly, their naked bodies writhing together in an erotic ballet as their minds melted into one powerful sexual waterfall.

**********



“There it is,” Talia announced at the small cone shaped object directly in front of them. “Cut back the drives forty percent but keep ‘em hot. I suddenly got a bad feeling about this.”



Cutting their vector speed, the two smugglers expertly readjusted the Eagle’s flight path to correspond with that of the escape pod. Recovery operations between ship-to-pod where extremely dangerous without the use of a tractor beam. A slight miscalculation could rupture the hull of the escape pod killing all within or, even worse, slamming into and breeching the cockpit of the recovering starship.



With Groznik calling out the remaining distance, Talia dropped the Eagle’s rate of speed down to almost nothing, creeping the freighter closer to the port cargo bay hub using the lateral thrusters. She killed the remaining thrust when the Wookiee howled a perfect line-up as he activated the tiny tractor beam that laid just outside the cargo bay hatch to pull the escape pad firmly against the hull’s hatch. Getting a confirmed acknowledgement from her Wookiee co-pilot, she gave the ship a gently nudge to make sure there was a secured connection before engaging the autopilot.



“Shall we go pay a house call?” she asked with a smirk.



Making their way back to the port side cargo hatch, they waited until the computer ran a full scan of the pod to make sure there wasn’t anything nasty hitching a ride. The Dead Zone was notorious for mynocks and other space pest. Unsnapping the leather retention strap on her holster, Talia got a good grip on the hilt of her blaster as she hit the cargo hold hatch. Stepping back next to Groznik, who raised his bowcaster, the computer activated the release code and the pod’s seal hatch blew its explosive bolts, causing the durasteel hatch to fall free from the pod’s hull.



While walking back to the hold from the cockpit, Talia thought that she wouldn’t be surprised if a motley group of hired mercenaries or a handful of Hutt cronies debark the pod. Hell she figured even a small Hutt could be in there. Instead she blinked her eyes in astonishment as two human females dress in skimpy dancing outfits exited the interior of the pod. Groznik wrinkled his black hose and bark softly. Talia could smell it too.



Oh great, of all the things the Imps could’ve ambush it had to be a Hutt slave ship, she thought. And filled with horny as Klatooine Frogs in mating season females. Taking her hand off her blaster she sized both of them up. Both were about the same height with the redhead being about an inch taller, same built, and appeared to be in peek physical condition judging by their flat stomach and well shaped hips. Hell their breast seem to be almost perfect. A wave of jealousy sudden overcame Talia as she stared at the two perfect women standing before her. I’d kill the Emperor again to have a body like that, she thought.



Taking a step forward, but making sure she had amble amount of space to react if they tried something, Talia crossed her hands across her chest. “Okay, first things first. Would you mind telling me and partner what the hell happened here and who the hell you two are?”

**********



Sitting in the forward cargo hold, the smuggler duo listened as the two women told their stories. The redhead, who called herself Mara, pretty much did all the talking while the brown head, Leia, pretty much keep mum, only adding a few corrections here and there. The more she listened, the more she started to hate her dealings with the Hutts. Oh she knew of the slavery that the Hutts controlled, but she never got an inside point of view from anyone who had been a slave to them. She and Groznik didn’t actually like slavery or participate in running slaves, but they pretty much gave the practice much of a second thought while running spice and weapons for the Hutt cartels.



On the other hand, the Hutt that got blasted by the Imps, Jabba, was serious bad news. The Desilijic Family was one of the biggest, wealthiest, and most influential of the Hutt crime clans. If the Empire was now moving against the Hutts, then Jabba’s death would underscore how dangerous the Imperial Civil War was getting. But then again, why would the Empire be specifically targeting the Hutts. What did they do to procure the full wrath of Vader?



When Mara finally fell silent, Talia took a deep breath and let it out. “Well that for sure was one hell of a story. We were headed into Hutt space with a shipment but after hearing this I think it would be wise to avoid doing business with any Hutt for awhile.”



Smart girl, Mara thought. Of course that lead her to her question. “Where will you go now?”



Talia shrugged. “Oh I’m sure our shipment that we got someone else will pay most generously for it. The real question is what to do with you two? Me and Groz don’t believe in slavery and all, but we don’t have the time to babysit you two either. I guess we’ll drop you two gals at Tatooine before we move to our next port of call.”



Mara would hardly believe what she just heard. Of all the planets to choose from this side of the galaxy. Still, maybe she could persuade her to another planet. “But Tatooine was home of our former master. Surely some of his minions still remain there and are unaware of his death. They might try to capture us again if they recognize us.”



Groz yelp in agreement and Talia threw her hands up. “Fine. We’ll take you as far as Silver Station by the Dragonflower Nebula. After that you’re on your own.”



Please with that, Mara nodded her head in agreement when Leia suddenly spoke. “I don’t want to go. I want to stay here.”



“What!?!” Talia and Mara said in unison.



“I want to work for you.”



Talia shook her head. “Oh no. I’m not going to have a former Hutt slut trying to be smuggler. We don’t have time to baby sit you until you get a hang of things.”



“I’m not a Hutt slut,” screamed Leia in such fury that astonished Mara and caused Groz to rise from his seat.



Talia rose and glared down at the Alderaani. Pointing a finger, she said, “This discussion is over!” With that she turned and headed for the cockpit without uttering another word.



Undeterred, Leia jumped to her feet and ran after the smuggler. Mara cried out to her to stop but shook her head. What did it matter to her what she wanted anymore? She was going to dump the Princess once they reached Silver Station anyway. So much the better if she wanted to stay with these two space scum, she thought. Now all she had to do was try and learn who was leading the Loyalist forces against Vader and offer her services to them. Then she could begin to fulfill her master’s last command to her.

**********



Leia slowed her pace as she neared the entrance to the freighter’s bullet-shape cockpit. Talia was sitting in the pilot’s chair, adjusting some controls on the panel as she waited for navi-computer to finalize a course to Silver Station. She didn’t respond when Leia slid into the co-pilot seat across from her.



“Please, let me show you I won’t be a bother to you.”



She just doesn’t take a hint. “Save your words for someone who cares.”



“Why won’t you just give me a chance?”



“Because I don’t need too.”



“Why?”



Cursing silently, she turned to face the Alderaani woman. “You play sabacc?”



“No, but I know of the game.”



“Good,” she replied. “If you get a bad dealt you can either fold or play the hand that you have. If your good enough you can always turn a losing hand into a big score. It's just how well you play it.”



“And that’s your opinion on life?”



Talia nodded as she found her anger slowly subsiding as she spoke. “You were dealt a bad hand and you’ve decided to play it. My ship, and especially myself and or Groz, isn’t a card in the skimmer for you to try and draw a winning hand.”



“But it life is a game of sabacc, then every choice should be in play. You can’t call your ship and yourself out of the deck.”



The redhead smuggler mouth drooped slightly. She using my own rhetoric against me. “Damn, if you're not just the most stubbornness woman I’ve ever met.”



Leia smiled. “I get that a lot.”



Talia blinked her eyes in surprise. “What did you say?”



“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that,” Leia answered, meekly.



Her responses confused Talia. One minute she was a scared former Hutt slave begging to tag along on her ship, the next she was a sarcastic little bitch and then right back to the former self. If she didn’t know any better there might be another side to Leia that she didn’t know about. Something buried deep within her maybe? This line of thought brought up a interesting question.

Who was she really before Jabba had her enslaved?



“You got three standard months to show us your worth keeping on. If not your planet bound, no if ands or buts. Get me?”



Leia gleefully jumped out of her seat and wrapped her arms around Talia, squeezing her tightly. “I won’t let you down. I promise.”



“That’s great.” Now how am I going to explain this is Groz, Talia thought?

**********



The Cilpar Eagle shuddered slightly as its docking legs touched down within the docking berth Silver Station’s Landing Control had assign to the ship. Unfastening the restraints, Mara stood up from the acceleration couch and made her way to the main boarding ramp. The sooner I’m off this piece of junk the better, she thought. Slamming her hand on the release, the heavy durasteel air lock door swung upward as the hydraulic systems whined as they slowly lowered the ramp to the platform’s surface.



She was about to make her way down the ramp when she heard boot falls running down the corridor from the cockpit. Sighing, she turned and wait for Leia, who appeared around the corner and nearly ran into her. Like her, she had change out of her dancing outfit and into more appropriate clothing that Talia had allowed them to choose from. Mara had chosen an outfit that would allow her to blend in with the environment; black pants with matching knee high boots, a tight fitting white shirt top with a nerf-hid blue jacket. She had pulled back her long red hair and fix it into braided pony tail.



Leia, on the other hand, had cut her long hair to shoulder length and dressed simply in black pants and ankle high boots, a loose fitting tan shirt with a brown spacer vest. All throughout the trip to Silver Station she had tried in vain to talk Mara into remaining on the Eagle. Mara at first simply said no, than politely that she wasn’t interested, than by the end was yelling at her. But still she kept pressing her. She figured as much that she would try one last chance to change her mind once they landed.



“Mara,” she started, “won’t you at least think about it?”



“I have, Leia. You haven’t allowed me more than a hour’s thought on it before asking me again all throughout the voyage and my answer is still the same.” With that said she started down the ramp. “I’ll see yea around.”



“What is so important that you can’t wait to leave?” shouted Leia. “Did you promise someone that you would do something for them?”



Mara paused, turned, and glared at the former Rebel Princess. “You wouldn’t understand even if you believed me.” Then she soften her stance. No, she wasn’t her enemy anymore. Vader was now her enemy. “You got a new life ahead of you now, Leia. Don’t be me and dwell on the past, live in the present and worry about the future instead.” Then she waved her hand once, turned, and strolled across the platform.



Leia walked down the ramp and watched her friend disappear through the exit before vanishing into a bustling crowd on the other side. “Hey, Leia, if your done saying goodbyes, get your ass back up here and help us unload this cargo,” Talia yelled from the top of the ramp.



“Goodbye, Mara,” she half whispered, a tear rolling down her cheek as she turned and headed back up the ramp into the Eagle to start her new life.





TO BE CONTINUED......