Kanan Jarrus (
notallofus) wrote2018-12-26 10:54 pm
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They finally depart the crawler at sunset, just outside Mos Taike. The Jawas settle in for the night, planning to make their rounds among the moisture farmers and the town's small market in the morning. Tsedec leads them out, shaking each of their hands and bowing quickly before heading back into the crawler. In the distance, the twin suns burn white and orange, the sky now dusted in purple and gray, the shadows of the dunes and of the small farm homes that dot the landscape cut darkness across the bright sands.
No more than a klik away is Mos Taik – compared to Mos Elrey, it looks rather run down. It's also surrounded by walls, but they're lower, and clearly chipped and crumbling in places. There are fewer earthen towers, most buildings also low to the ground, and while there had been plenty of activity outside the walls of Mos Elrey, here there's only one other vehicle, a speeder just at the wall, two figures piling sacks into it. Beyond the city, much, much farther in the distance, a cliff rises up from the sands, and perched on it the dark, miniscule outline of what must be the Hutt's palace.
But Kanan only glances over this, before turning back, out to the desert. Something about the color of the suns, the shadows, the wind rising over the desert makes Kanan pause. He looks out to the horizon, to the twin suns, one gleaming white hanging high above the other, deep orange and already beginning to fade as it dips deeper in the sky. The wind ebbs, but then picks up once more, whistling around them, chilling the otherwise warm evening. And beneath it – Kanan can hear it, like a voice, familiar yet changed somehow, calling out to him across the dune sea –
No more than a klik away is Mos Taik – compared to Mos Elrey, it looks rather run down. It's also surrounded by walls, but they're lower, and clearly chipped and crumbling in places. There are fewer earthen towers, most buildings also low to the ground, and while there had been plenty of activity outside the walls of Mos Elrey, here there's only one other vehicle, a speeder just at the wall, two figures piling sacks into it. Beyond the city, much, much farther in the distance, a cliff rises up from the sands, and perched on it the dark, miniscule outline of what must be the Hutt's palace.
But Kanan only glances over this, before turning back, out to the desert. Something about the color of the suns, the shadows, the wind rising over the desert makes Kanan pause. He looks out to the horizon, to the twin suns, one gleaming white hanging high above the other, deep orange and already beginning to fade as it dips deeper in the sky. The wind ebbs, but then picks up once more, whistling around them, chilling the otherwise warm evening. And beneath it – Kanan can hear it, like a voice, familiar yet changed somehow, calling out to him across the dune sea –
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"Stay back, reimenja," she hisses at him.
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The Gamorrean squeals in return, snorting loudly in his own panic that his employer -- or his employer's representative -- might die on his watch, actually stumbling into Fortuna and getting blood everywhere.
"I think that's our cue," Kanan says, reaching out toward Hera, ready to grab her wrist and tug her out behind him.
You know, if she refuses to go herself. (He's braced for her to whirl on him, too, given that Fortuna was just trying to grab her, but he really doesn't want to use her name just now.)
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The other patrons practically shove themselves out of the way as Hera and Kanan head for the door, if they're not running for an exit themselves. No one wants to be anywhere near this.
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Behind them the Gamorrean staggers, axe dipping toward the crowd, and more screams go up. He turns quickly, though, hefting the axe back upright as he moves in Fortuna's direction, wiping the last of the blood out of his eyes.
"After them!" Fortuna shrieks, turning to glare at the Quarren, who appears to have been trying to lose himself in the crowd. Then Fortuna and the Gamorrean, at least, begin to give chase.
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Once they're over the threshold, she flips it on. "I'm sending you coordinates now, meet us there -"
Chop's beeps in response nearly sing song 'I told you so.'
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"Less jumping onto the landing ramp that way."
And Gamorreans aren't the world's fastest stair-climbers, given the lack of flexibility in their knees.
One comforting thing is that so far, blasterfire hasn't followed them, just . . .
Okay, just the axe, and the screaming Twi'lek, but they both know that lack of blasters isn't going to last. "Laundry!" He ducks under heavy bed-hangings that are still wet, tugging down on the line behind them in hopes that it'll collapse on Fortuna and his crew.
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There's a pulsing from her comm, Chopper signaling. Hera looks around, trying to find the tallest spot she can, but with the suns gone and darkness fallen over the town, it's hard to make out the buildings against the dark sky.
Lights are on in a few of the windows, and she finally spots one above the others. "That's probably the highest we'll get."
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It's probably as close as they're going to get.
"You're not going anywhere," spits the Quarren, who drops down from an adjacent rooftop, brandishing a blaster.
There are other footsteps in the alley, and some more grunting, doubtless the frustrated sounds of a Gamorrean fed up with running. And, of course, Fortuna himself, huffing in deep lungfuls of air and looking remarkably put out.
This is . . . bad.
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- and she can hear it. A sharp turn of the wind in the distance.
But still she says, low, to him, "I'm sorry about this."
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"Never a problem," he says, even though maybe it's about to be. Life's full of surprises.
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And the dust road between them explodes. Lights blink on in the building around them, and she can hear the three calling out in surprise, scrambling away. Now she's the one who grabs Kanan's arm.
"Now, let's go!"
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"Looks like it's jumping onto the loading ramp again, huh?"
There are worse fates. So, so many worse fates.
And behind them, amidst the fountaining cloud of dust and the smell of ozone, rises a shrieking scream in Huttese. "The master is going to have you all killed!"
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Her other snatches her blaster from her ankle holster.
"I can cover us, just help me get to the roof."
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He can only hope that it'll be fast enough, but for the most part it seems to be.
"Hold on," he says sharply once they near the top, shoving Hera down flat and throwing himself down next to her. At practically the same instant a blaster bolt -- actually several blaster bolts -- spatter and scorch the awning they're just barely resting on.
"Right," Kanan says, after a moment, "up we go." They're almost there.
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But again, she stops herself.
And then Kanan's pulling her down, and up, into the light of the Ghost above them, and Hera can't make out their pursuers any longer.
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Kanan takes a moment to hope that no one decided to take a few hours to watch the stars tonight, but --
"You all right?" he asks instead, rolling to his feet while keeping himself between Hera and the edge of the ramp. Not for any good reason, it just makes him feel better, and right now he'll take that.
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"Some bacta bandages," she says, lowering her hand and looking back up to him. She feels the Ghost rising again, as Chopper takes them up toward the atmosphere. "I've had worse.
"I'm sorry."
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"And -- " He makes sure to say this while turned away and fishing through the first aid supplies for bacta, bandages, and some cleaning wipes, "I'm pretty sure he had it coming."
Fortuna, that is. But probably the rest of them, too.
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Even if she knows, as she says it, that she was never going to let Fortuna take out his anger on that Rodian, either.
"... and I did something else."
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Because of course.
Kanan turns at that point, medical supplies clutched in his hands, to stare at Hera.
"Something . . . else," he repeats warily. "What kind of something else?"
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"We probably shouldn't come back to Tatooine for a while."
After one more trip into the desert, maybe.
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"I would be on board with that plan," he agrees, after another second of stunned silence.
"But even before that, let's get your hand bandaged. You're dripping."
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"Chop, I'm sending you new coordinates. We'll have to be fast."
It takes a few seconds for Chopper to send a very annoyed response. Hera just slides the comm off again, and holds out her bleeding hand to Kanan.
"I felt it in his robes when I rushed him." She takes a breath. "And I know I - already wasn't thinking clearly."
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"I don't know, it's not bad that we're going to be keeping whatever this is out of the hands of the Hutts."
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Hera sighs slightly as the bacta is spread over her hand, the pain already lessening.
"But you're right. And if we're going to be stealing..."
Well, after the Empire, the Hutts are pretty high on the list of those she'd want to steal from.
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