Author: Emimar
Chapter 9: Ruin
Shiba dressed in the darkness and crept out on to the landing, keeping Zak close by. The first room she came to was occupied by her children. She heard movement behind her. Light from outside reflected off Mandalorian armour. "Fett. What I surprise." "Drop the blaster," Fett’s voice was harsh and lacked emotion. Shiba did so and pushed it away. "You’ll regret this Fett. If anything’s happened to Nova or any of the kids, your life won’t be worth living." "Nothing’s happened to them," Zardra stepped into the bedroom behind Fett. "Bitch," Shiba snapped. "I should have killed you when I had the chance." "Yeah, you should have, but your precious wolfman would be dead now, along with that Rebel you helped escape," Zardra said. "Maybe he’s dead right now. He’s entertaining Bossk and Gorm." "Bossk? Bossk couldn’t kill an unarmed Jawa." "Why do you think Gorm’s down there with him?" Shiba heard footsteps on the stairs and something or someone being dragged. Shiba gasped as Gorm and Bossk entered, dragging Flik’s unconscious body. Ignoring Fett and the other bounty hunters, Shiba rushed forward to see if he was still alive. She got the reassurance that he was still breathing before she felt a heavy blow to the back of her head. Then darkness consumed her.
***
"Fett’s ship," Flik answered Shiba’s question when she finally regained consciousness. Flik was in a cell opposite her, sat on the floor. He was close enough that she could reach out and take his hand if he did the same, but knew that the force field wouldn’t allow it. "The children?" "They were with me when I got captured, other than that I don’t know," she shifted forward so they could be as close to each other as the invisible barrier would allow. Flik did the same. He was still only dressed in trousers. He reached out to her with his hand, even though he knew the force field wouldn’t allow it. Sharp pain ripped through his hand and the air shimmered between them as he made contact. "Flik, you can be a moron sometimes." Flik’s face contorted into a frown. "Thanks, I think." "Where do you think they’re taking us?" "The Empire. Nal Hutta, who cares? The result will be the same." "Well, it was fun while it lasted," Shiba said. "My only regret is that I never got to tell Vader to fuck himself personally, nor tell Palpatine where he can stick his New World Order." "At least we’ll die together. Rather romantic, isn’t it? Two lovers being put to death for just wanting to be together," Flik sniffed the air. "You could say that. It was a long shot, anyway. I’ve no desire to die yet. It might be the dream of every Shistavanen, but it ain’t mine." "I thought Corellians never had any use for odds." "I’m not Corellian, Flik. Alderaan was my home. I just moved to Corellia because it was closer to the centre of trade in the galaxy and that was where Chan would have most of his business." Flik watched her with dark eyes as she drew her knees up into her chest and rested her chin on them. "So when Alderaan blew you didn’t just loose your family, you lost your homeworld too." "Yep," Flik wanted to take her into his arms and hold her as he had done before. "That sucks," he said instead, his voice full of sympathy. "Life sucks then you die." "Will you two shut the fuck up!" Bossk snapped at them. "Well your stench annoys us, lizard breath," Flik rose to his feet. "You know Fett is going to double cross you eventually and one hundred thousand ain’t much when it’s split four ways. Let us go and me an’ Shiba here’ll give ya double that." "Two hundred thousand?" "You’re as stupid as you look if you think we’ll give you that much. I’m talking about doubling twenty five thousand." "We’re taking you to the Hutt, not the Empire." "Think about it, Bossk. Be smart for once instead of a retard. Fett’ll double cross ya, taking all the money for himself." "Fett’ll waste me if I try anything like that." "He’ll waste you anyway," Shiba interjected. "What kinda fool do you think I am?" "One that gets screwed by Fett all the time, even when he already knows that Fett is gonna dupe him," Flik replied. Shiba added, "I’m sure Zardra will take it." The Trandoshan just ignored them and went up the ladder into the cockpit. Flik shrugged as he turned to sit back down again. "It was worth a try." "Bossk is so dumb that even if you killed him, chopped him up into little pieces and scatter his remains all over the galaxy he still wouldn’t realise he’s dead." Flik chucked at the image. "I love you. Even in situations as hopeless as this you still manage to make me laugh." "I learnt along time ago that you can’t argue with idiots. It’s best to make the most of the time you have left." "I can’t imagine why anybody would want to kill you Shiba. You’re witty, beautiful and deadly." "Well at least now we know why Zardra wants to kill me. She’s as jealous as hell." "Cena mei neu, Shiba." "Cena mei neu, Flik," Shiba blew him a kiss and gave him a smile that sent the blood rushing to his groin.
***
The Trandoshan shoved Flik so hard that he fell forward, unable to stoop himself because his hands were bound behind his back. They were in Clagula’s court. Darth Vader and a consignment of stormtroopers were also present. "Well lizard breath, I guess I was wrong. Looks like it’s gonna be your lucky day. For once, Fett hasn’t doubled crossed ya." The Trandoshan ignored the comment and Flik rose awkwardly to his feet. If he was going to die, then he would do so on his feet. He looked at Shiba beside him. Standing with his partner at the end, his partner in more ways than one. Surprisingly, especially to himself, he wasn’t angry at the inevitability of his death, nor was he frightened. He accepted it, almost welcomed it. At least he would be in the Great Forest, reunited at last with Auoura and most of all, his son. Shiba was different, however. He could see it by the tense set of her jaw and the rigid ness of her muscles that she was as mad as hell at confronting the murderer of Chan, the killer of her homeworld. She wanted nothing more than to get her hands on Vader. She would die, most probably in the attempt, but that would be better than a meaningless death, which was as sure to happen as the Smuggler’s Moon orbited Nal Hutta and if she could take him with her, then that would be worth more to her than all the bounties in the galaxy. She wasn’t afraid of the tall dark man in the black armour. She hated him with all her being just as much as she loved Flik, but Flik was forgotten now as she faced him. There was nothing else in the universe that existed at that moment, but her and the Dark Lord of the Sith and the hate and anger she felt for him. Flik looked away from her, what he was feeling now shouldn’t be how she should be spending her last, remaining moments of her life. He wanted to say to her "Life is too short to spend it being angry and full of hatred. If you spend the last moments of your life hating him, then he has won," but some how, he just couldn’t get the words out. Unexpectedly, Zardra was brought to stand with them. Then Flik remembered Zardra had accidentally killed a Hutt and what better way to capture her than pretend to join her on a hunt? "Well, it looks like we all have the same problem here," Flik said.Shiba had gotten over her shock at coming face to face with the murderer of her family and of Alderaan. "Now you know what it feels like to be double crossed."
Chapter 10: Julbier
Kessel, Shiba thought as the shuttle hummed through hyperspace. Why in all the galaxy did it have to be Kessel? She and Flik and a bunch of other convicts were crammed into the passenger compartment. There were ten in all, including her and the wolfman, with a pilot, co-pilot and six heavily harmed storm troopers. She was the only woman on board and kept having snide remarks directed at her from the male convicts, mostly human, with one Bothan, a Mon Calamari and a Wookiee. The Wookiee was locked in a cage and very angry. The non humans she guessed were most likely to be Rebels or had some connection with them. The humans were probably a mixture of Rebels, smugglers and other riff raff. From the way a couple of them kept goading her, she guessed they had sexual offences added to their list of crimes, though some of them were so ugly that no woman in her right mind would want to shag them. If one so much as looked at her the wrong way, a growl would rise in Flik’s throat, only to get a shock from the stun cuffs he was wearing for his trouble. Once, he even got the handle of a blaster rifle shoved in his stomach for growling at them. "Shut up, you alien freak!" "You’re the freak, you and your whole, stinking, fucking Empire," Shiba shouted at him. She got a slap across her face. "You are lucky I have these stun cuffs on. You’d be dead right now if it were otherwise," Flik growled. "Is that a threat?" the trooper asked. "Wha! Give the boy a cookie! Of course it’s a threat," Shiba said, sarcastically. "Jerk." "What did you just call me?" "Have you gone deaf all of a sudden? Maybe it’s that helmet. Take it off so I can see what you look like. If I like you, maybe we can meet in the toilets." "You think I’m that dumb?" "I’ll not answer that. Just take off your helmet." The storm trooper did so and Shiba burst out laughing. "Forget it! I don’t want my kids looking like that. Dumb and ugly! Bring one of your buddies back here instead." That brought smiles on everyone’s faces, or at least the equivalent of a smile, depending on the species. The storm trooper went away, humiliated. "Thanks, Shiba" Flik said. "No problem, Flik," Shiba said. "Just providing on board entertainment." "Maybe I could show you some on board entertainment of a different kind." "I don’t think so, hog nose," Shiba retorted. "I don’t want my kids looking like you either." "Hey. I think she likes aliens! You four had better watch out." "When in the human male population there’s only the choice between those Imperial jerks and you losers, I’d take the aliens any day."
***
The rest of the journey passed without incident. They were herded off the shuttle once they touched down. Shiba followed the big form of the wolfman down the ramp. "This is not Kessel," Flik commented. "Welcome to Julbier. You are going to be sold to the Forum for Gladiatorial Combat," said the officer in charge of the shuttle. A man, Shiba took to be a rep from the Forum stepped forward to inspect the line up. "A good looking bunch, except for the Bothan and the Mol Cal. Oh what’s this?" his gaze rested on Shiba. "Have you never seen a woman before? I’m not surprised though," Shiba said, as he scanned her with the instrument he’d used on Flik only moments before. "You’d do to keep the wealthier clients happy." "I bet I can prove that I can fight better than half of these losers," Shiba said to him. "Take off these stun cuffs and I’ll take on all six storm troopers at the same time. If I win, then you’ll partner me with the wolfman." "I believe in equal opportunities here. What if you loose?" Shiba glanced at Flik. She had never been in a fight with more than one opponent without him at her side. But she knew she couldn’t be without him and this was her only chance. He shook his shaggy head no. He didn’t want her dying in the arena. He didn’t want her dying at all. "If I loose, then I’ll sleep with you every night for a month. You’d win either way." Flik shot her a look that said but you’d loose either way. The Forum guy considered what she had said. He imagined her naked body lying next to him after they’d had sex. Then he imagined her wearing only a bikini on the battle field, kicking ass. Either way, it would be beneficial to him. Then he thought she had more chance loosing against the stormtroopers than winning. "Do it then." What they didn’t know was that Shiba was used to sparing with Flik, a man twice as strong as any of the storm troopers and that she won as many fights with him as she lost. And of course there was the sex. Not many human women would be able to stand love making with a wolfman. Flik shook his head again. He didn’t like this one bit. The stun cuffs were deactivated and removed. Shiba got into a fighting stance, one that was very familiar to the fuzzy wolfman. She appeared small and delicate to everyone present, everyone accept Flik of course. He knew what she was capable of. Her long dark hair was blown by the breeze as she waited for one of the armoured storm troopers to make the first move. They had an advantage over her that was not just their size or numbers. They were wearing armour which gave them more protection. Can’t back down now she thought. I’m damned if I do and I’m damned if I don’t. Every nerve ending tingled and she seemed more aware than ever of her surroundings. Adrenaline coursed through her veins and she could hear her heart pumping blood around her body, feeding her body with much needed oxygen and glucose in preparation for the fight ahead. The attack commenced. Shiba didn’t so much as see the blow coming but felt it and rolled out of the way before the blow was struck. Coming on to her feet, she kicked out with a sharp blow to the chin. Anticipating the attack coming from behind her, Shiba flipped the storm trooper over her head, throwing him into the first storm trooper that had attacked her, aided by the invisible hand of the Force, provided by Flik. The wolfman stretched out with his feelings, using slight, barely detectable nudges with the Force to confuse and influence the minds of the storm troopers. She was totally in her element now as she spun around and kicked a third trooper in the midsection so hard that she heard the crack of armour. She blinked the dust out of her eyes from the resulting impact as the storm trooper hit the ground. She didn’t see the attack coming from the fourth storm trooper who punched her in the face. She sprawled on to her back, but ignored the pain in her jaw. As the storm trooper bent down to bring her to her feet, Shiba flipped her body up and hooked her legs around his neck and using the momentum of her movement for leverage, she slammed his head hard into the ground. His helmet cracked and punctured his skull. The force of the impact drove his spine into his brain, killing him instantly. "Enough!" the Imperial Officer said, stopping the fight claiming another life. For a moment, Shiba thought there was compassion for his men in his voice but knew she was mistaken. More like he didn’t want people to see how incompetent they were in being defeated by a lone woman. Removal of the helmet revealed the face of the trooper who had attacked Flik in the shuttle. Part of her felt karma. Blood trickled down her face from her nose and she breathed deeply, trying to catch her breath, coughing once or twice when she inhaled her own blood. "You’ve made your point," the Forum guy said. There was disappointment in his voice as Shiba realised she had won the contest. She gave Flik a shy smile. Flik wasn’t smiling. Instead he had a frown on his face.
***
"Why did you do that when I told you not to?" Flik asked her when they were alone in what only could be called a cell. He was free of his stun cuffs and wanted to let loose his anger on her. "I don’t want you to die alone out there," Shiba told him. "We have a better chance fighting at each other’s side than alone." Flik looked at her with that perpetual frown on his face that he had worn all the way from the spaceport. "I don’t want you to die alone either, alone or otherwise," he said. "I know Flik," Shiba said. "But I have a surprise for you," She produced a sheathed vibroblade from underneath her clothes, between her breasts. "I took it from the stormie I killed." Flik’s face softened dramatically. "You never cease to amaze me, Shiba. Wish I’d thought of it." "It wouldn’t have worked if you’d tried to do it. Unless he bends both ways and as a thing about aliens." "I get the picture," he said, some what irritably. "Most human males think with their testes and not their brains. Even the suggestion of sex and their putty in your hands." Flik moved forward and took hold of her hands in his. "You could have been killed, though." "If I looked like I was loosing I’d have involved you somehow. I thought it was time I showed you that you had taught me well." "All you need to do now is teach me how to be a doctor and then we’ll well away," he smiled at her. "I don’t need to do that, Flik. You already know how to heal, only in a different way to what you think," she brought his hand up to her chest and placed it in the hollow between her breasts. "You taught me something more valuable than how to fight and kill and hurt, you taught me how to love again." Flik mirrored her gesture. "I think we taught each other," he let go of her hand and slipped his own round her back as he bent his head down to kiss her. He felt her hands around his neck and he slipped his other arm around her buttocks as the kiss intensified. His heart raced as he pulled her closer to him and be became breathless but he kept the kiss going until his lungs began to burn and his need for breath became more intense than his need for her. He laid her down on the bed - or rather the hard pallet that was to be used to sleep on and rested on top of her. They said more to each other in that kiss than they had at any other time of their being together. The anger he had felt towards her had melted away, replaced by love. He didn’t know why he had laid her on the pallet and got on top of her like this. He didn’t feel the need for sex, didn’t even want it because he had said all he wanted to tell her in that one kiss. Sex he figured would only spoil the moment for them. It had been a natural response. He shifted on to his side resting his elbow on the poor excuse for a pillow to hold his head up so he could look down at her. With his other hand he reached across her body and rested it on her hip. "You know that we’re going to have to think of a way out of here."Shiba nodded . "I know that, Flik. They will make us fight tomorrow and keep on making us do it until we are dead," she lifted her head up off the pillow and slipped the vibroblade under it to conceal it. "We’re going to have to do it at night. It will be a long and slow process and we’ll have to take it in turns while the other sleeps." Flik stroked her face with a claw. "I won’t leave without you unless you are dead." "I won’t leave without you either. If one of us stays, we both do while there is still breath in our bodies," Shiba replied, stroking the fur on his head. "Flik, just promise me one thing. If I die, take care of my children." Flik nodded. "I promise you this. That I will get you out of here alive so that you can take care of them yourself." Shiba kissed the side of his muzzle. "That we can both look after them and Zak too," she corrected. "Yes," Flik said, gently, kissing her back. "Get some sleep now, my love. When it is dark I will wake you." "Cena mei neu, Flik," she said, repeating the familiar phrase. "Cena mei neu, Shiba," he said, getting up off the pallet. He covered her with the thin sheet on the pallet. "Cena mei neu." He kissed her again, on the forehead this time and he looked out of the barred window to the streets above. Across the street some children were playing and he watched them, thinking of Zak, Jeana and Chan. Whatever it took, he would get himself and the woman he loved out of this hell hole so they could be reunited with them. The Force help anyone who dared stand in their way. Whatever it took.
Chapter 11: Battleground
Both Flik and Shiba woke up next morning when the Forum guy from the day before came into their cell. Flik had finished the attempt to escape at first light, putting the ferrocrete block back into place and scattering the dust evenly on the floor to mingle with that already there. Then he’d curled up beside Shiba on the pallet and went to sleep. Flik was instantly alert when he entered and Shiba stirred beside him. "Did I introduce myself yesterday?" Flik shook his head sleepily, annoyed at being woken up. He didn’t recall the man telling him his name. Thinking about it, Flik didn’t even care. "I’m your manager, Creed Teel." "So that’s what they call creeps like you, managers now is it? I think I’ll call you Creep Teel," Shiba quipped. "I can take you two to the top." "So what are we now? Professional wrestlers? What if we don’t want to be at the top?" Flik said. "You either get to the top, or you die." Shiba cocked her head to one side. "Makes sense in a megalomaniac sort of way." "Here you will be wearing this on the battlefield," he ignored her remark, passing a bag to Shiba. Flik was now on his feet and Shiba sat on the edge of the pallet. She emptied out the contents of the bag. She held up the bikini he had envisioned her wearing. "You have got to be kidding me." "People don’t come to see you fight in an iron overcoat. They come to see you half naked." Flik growled menacingly but didn’t say anything for the moment. It was just too ridiculous to believe. "You’ll make me a lot of credits. Sentients from all around the galaxy will come to see the beauty and the beast fight side by side--" "Yeah well, how would you like to see beauty kill the beast?," Shiba asked, a threatening gleam in her eyes. "With you as the beast." "Don’t you want to be famous all over the galaxy for fighting and killing?" Shiba yawned, bored with this already. They already were famous all over the galaxy for fighting and killing. "I have no problem with killing. I’ve killed for money, everything you can think of, but I will not lower myself to killing for entertainment," Flik growled. "Like I said before. You either fight or be killed. It doesn’t bother me either way, accept I’ll loose money if you die in your first fight," Teel said, then turning his attention to the bored Shiba. "Put the costume on. Let me see what you will look like with it on." "Not while you’re here I’m not," Shiba retorted back at him. "Anything you say, my lovely," Creep left the cell, closing the door behind him. Flik growled menacingly at his retreating back. "He’s lucky I didn’t smash his skull in." "He’s lucky I didn’t castrate him without anaesthetic," Shiba said dryly as she stripped off her clothes. "Just as long as you don’t try castrating me, I’m not bothered." "Why should I want to do that, Flik?" "I just don’t want you getting any ideas that’s all," he said as he watched her pull the bikini crop top style bra over her head and cupped her breasts inside. "It doesn’t feel that bad, actually," she said. "It doesn’t look bad either." "Are you finished yet?" Creep opened the door a crack. Flik slammed the door back in his face. "I wish Vader had just killed us. It would have been better than having to put up with him." Looking back at her, he saw Shiba on the pallet, pulling on the high heeled knee high boots. "You’d better let him in now, Flik." Flik reluctantly opened the door. "Wonderful! You’d better get ready people. You’re due in the arena in ten minutes." Flik glanced at her, the perpetual frown back on his face as their "manager" walked away. "He is really beginning to annoy me," he said. "I want to slit his throat already." They followed a few paces behind him. "You’d be doing the planet a public service." Shiba flashed him a smile. "I’m surprised you don’t want to do the job." Flik shook his shaggy head, his lips curling up into a faint smile/grimace. "I had my fill of creeps like him when I killed Agar. Besides, I think he’s gay." "You think that I haven’t?" "Cen Natura, Shiba," he said in his native tongue. Good Hunting, Shiba. Since being with him she had picked up a lot of the Shistavanen language and understood what it meant. "Cen Natura, Flik," Shiba replied.
***
They emerged into the sun light of the arena armed with archaic weapons, sword and daggers, not vibroblades. The arena was large, with row upon row of benches from shoulder height if you were standing on the arena floor soared to about a hundred metres in the air. The most expensive seats were in the front rows, going cheaper the further up you went. The richest clients were in the front rows, protected from the combatants by thick reinforced transparisteel. Near to where they had existed the dungeons was the royal box, occupied by the Regional Governor. Shiba spotted Teel up there with them. A beautiful woman dressed in the finest diplomatic robes and expensive make-up, and jewels not seen since the last days of the Old Republic was holding on to the Governor’s arm. Must be his mistress, she thought dryly. Teel was engaged in a conversation with the Governor, indicating them. "Showing off his new toys to the Governor," Shiba said to Flik. "Yeah," Flik agreed. "And his nose so far up his arse that it’s coming out of his mouth." They heard their name mentioned by the Commentator as they looked around the arena. It was packed, mostly with humans, with the occasional alien dotted at the very top. They were all yelling and screaming for a blood bath before the first fight of the day had begun.
***
Flik closed his eyes and found himself in another arena, far away from that place, Jedi Knights fighting for their lives against war machines all around him. He heard the cries of those in pain, felt the pain of the dying. He fought at the side of his Master, swinging his blade through the air, cleaving through the body shell of a Destroyer Droid, sensing the forthcoming death of a Jedi nearby, desperately trying to reach him. But as he sliced his blade through the Super Battle Droid, he realised he was too late and the life drained out of Kish, the Bothan Padawan of his father. Beside him, Master Naja blocked the blaster fire that would have taken Flik’s life. "Never let down your guard!"
*** Flik was back in the present again. "Barbarians," Flik growled. "Then they have the cheek to call us animals." "You are what they say you are," Shiba announced as rest of the teams were introduced. "The thing is, they don’t realise that it takes one to know one." "Well, Ladies, Gentlemen and Aliens, look down at the computer screen in front of you for a list of crimes these people have committed. All raise for the Imperial Anthem to celebrate the Reign of our Glorious Emperor and to welcome Governor Trin Agar and his lovely lady wife, Cresentina Bremia-Agar." "Excuse me while I puke," Flik said as the music began.
***
"You should have seen the woman fight yesterday, my Lord. If the wolfman is any good then they should win this fight. Here they are now." Shiba and the wolfman came into view. Shiba looked small and vulnerable by the side of the big wolfman. They heard the commentator introduce them over the microphone. "You didn’t tell me it was them," Trin said. "They killed my brother a couple of weeks ago." He looked at the computer screen and selected the information they had on those two. Every crime they had been known to have committed and suspected to have over the past two years came up. The destruction of an Imperial Medical facility. Aiding Rebels to avoid capture by Imperial Forces. Murders, mostly of smugglers and pirates. "Looks like this is going to be an interesting fight. If they survive I might consider investing in them. Maybe have them as my personal body guards." "They are not to be trusted. They killed your brother, remember." "I never liked him anyway. If what you say is true about the woman killing an armoured storm trooper unharmed then I think I’d rather have her working for me. The wolfman would just be the distraction, while the real killer, the woman gets them before they realise it." "That might work, my lord." "I will pay you four times what you paid for them."
***
The music died down and the fight began. A man came at her. She threw a dagger at him, catching him in the neck. Flik was engaged with fighting off another attack as she scrambled to regain possession of her weapon. She curled her fingers around the handle but was knocked down from behind. She freed the dagger from the dead man’s neck only to have it kicked out of her hand. Her attacker was just about to run her through when Flik, having dispatched his attacker cleaved him in half. "Now I owe you one," she said to him as he helped her to her feet. "Consider it a down payment on what I already owe you," he said, flipping her over his head so she could hook her legs around an attacker’s neck and throw him to the ground. Flik cleaved another man in two, the fur of his torso getting splattered with blood and finished of the man Shiba had stunned, driving the sword deep into his heart. He had failed Kish. He wasn’t going to fail Shiba. They looked around for more opponents, fighting to defend themselves and each other, saving each others’ lives time and time again. The difference was, that they trusted each other, knew each others’ moves even to the point of knowing what the other was thinking and feeling. They knew each other so well that Shiba, without any Force abilities at all, knew him as much as he knew her. They fought almost as one entity. The other teams were fighting against lacked what they had together. That didn’t mean the others weren’t sensational fighters. They were and both Flik and Shiba had minor wounds to show for it. Shiba came face to face with Hog nose and the Wookiee from the shuttle. The Mon Cal and the Bothan had died with in the first couple of minutes, slain by another team. Shiba slashed at Hog nose with her dagger while Flik dodged a swipe of the Wookiee’s unsheathed claws. Shiba caught Hog nose a glancing blow with her dagger across the cheek. He grabbed her arms and Shiba kneed him hard in the groin and slashed his throat. He clasped to the ground, choking as his blood turned the sand of the arena floor red with blood. He gave one more gargle and died. Flik was still grappling with the Wookiee and was loosing. A large gash ran across his chest where the Wookiee’s claws had connected. Shiba leapt on to the Wookiee’s back in a desperate move to save Flik’s life only to be shrugged off just as quickly. However, it did distract the Wookiee enough for Flik to behead him and Shiba had to step to one side to avoid the Wookiee’s headless body. Soon there were only two teams left, them and a team of two Barabels. What they lacked in the intimacy that existed between the wolfman and the woman they made up for in shear strength, size and brutality. One of them alone would have been more than a match for the more seasoned fighter, Flik. They stood back to back, trying to catch their breath. Shiba could feel Flik’s heavy gasps as he panted. Both of them were cut and bruised in half a dozen places. It was only their determination and stubbornness that allowed them to keep standing. Shiba wielded a sword she had taken from one of her fallen opponents. Her original dagger was somewhere in the arena, lost almost as soon as the battle had commenced. The two large reptiles came at them. Flik lunged out of the way as his opponent whipped his tail around to take his feet out from under him and cut him in two, his Jedi reflexes saving him from injury. Shiba wasn’t quick enough and thumped heavily to the ground, unconscious. Flik kicked the Barabel in the mid section before he could finish her off, using the Force to aid him. The Barabel sprawled to the ground and picked himself up immediately and swung a sword at the wolfman. Old instincts took over as Flik blocked it and they begun an epic parody of a Jedi lightsabre duel. Flik was tiring, that he had to admit as they locked swords, pushing and straining against each other. The crowd, if he had not been too focused to notice, was on its feet, clearly enjoying the battle raging on the arena floor. They wanted more bloodshed. Flik’s movements were now only pure instinct, a mechanical action that had the cold effectiveness of a machine. His arms ached, his legs ached. His lungs and abdomen burned, his breathing coming in short, harsh rasps. The Barabel pushed him to the extreme, searching for an opening, trying to cause the wolfman to make a mistake that would allow the Barabel to take his life. Flik had forgotten about Shiba, about Zak and the human children. All his strength went into preserving his won life even as his body wanted to shut down, every nerve ending screaming at him to stop. The only sound he heard clearly was his Master’s voice, instructing him in the techniques of using a lightsabre. He wanted to join him, to end his pain. Then his strength failed and the Barabel got the opening he was looking for. Flik felt pain burn its way through his body as the Barabel’s blade slashed his ribs. Flik tripped and fell backwards. He knew his time had come to die and he welcomed it. At last he could be with Auoura and his son in the Great Forest, where he could see his Master again and his father and at last say sorry to Kish for failing him, it was where he belonged. Flik closed his eyes as the Barabel raised his sword and he waited for the end...
*** ...that didn’t come. Shiba had regained consciousness and reacted quickly when she had seen Flik fall. She cleaved the Barabel in two and knelt down beside her fallen friend. He sensed her love. "Auoura?" He opened his eyes, saw her and remembered her. Biting back pain, he rose slowly to his feet, holding on to her for support. She kissed him and he enjoyed feeling the closeness of her body before he allowed her to take him out of the arena.
Chapter 12: Imperial Creeps and Rebel Spies
Shiba helped her stricken friend and lover back to their cell and took off his shirt to examine his wound. The cut was deep and went all the way to one of his ribs, which fortunately had stopped it from damaging a lung or piercing his heart. It would need bacta therapy or stitches to help it heal. Shiba turned round when she heard someone come in. It was Teel, carrying a med pak and the Governor was behind him. She had not noticed him at all as she snatched the med pak from Teel’s hand. "It’s good to see you’re not totally useless," she said sarcastically. She opened the med pak and found what she was looking for. She sedated Flik and gave him pain killers because what she was about to do would hurt like hell. Blood had mattered all the fur around the wound as it dried and clotted. She would see to cutting that out later. He was still conscious enough to know what was going on and she was warned him that it might hurt. He nodded his head slightly in acknowledgement. Then she set to work closing the wound with the laser cauteriser. It would leave him with a nasty looking scar, but that was only one of many that he had received over the years, concealed by his thick covering of fur. She then gave him a shot to kill off infection and watched him as he drifted off to sleep. The combination of the pain, sedatives, pain killers and exhaustion taking its toll on the wolfman’s body. "Are you a trained medic?" Shiba turned her head to look at the Governor for the first time. "Used to be," Shiba replied. "The man you killed two weeks ago was my brother." "The planet your Empire killed two years ago was my homeworld. My husband was on it, in fact, all my family but my daughter and the son I was carrying were. Guess we’re even now, eh?" She replied coldly. "You did me a favour killing him. Wouldn’t be Governor now." "That figures. Oh my brother is dead now and I get to take his place," Shiba said. "Why am I not surprised that an Imperial creep like you would think like that?" "That’s no way to talk to your new boss," he levelled a blaster at Teel and shot him. "You really didn’t think that I’d let you fuck my wife?" He kicked the body to one side. "Now, wake our partner and we’ll be on our way out of here. I must warn you before we go on that things are not what they seem." Shiba reluctantly obeyed him, waking the near senseless Flik. "You’ve done me a favour by killing him," Shiba said, indicating the dead Teel. "He was really beginning to annoy me." Shiba eased Flik on to his feet and let him lean on her as she followed Trin out of the cell.
***
In the safety of hyperspace, Trin revealed to them who he was. He was the Governor, but he used it to cover his real identity as a Rebel spy. Shiba turned to look at Flik, who had recovered a little by now and was almost back to his old self. He wore a sceptical frown on his face, not really wanting to believe what he was being told. His old suspicious nature that had served him well as a bounty hunter had risen to the surface. Shiba was inclined to side with Flik but she wasn’t totally willing to dismiss his claims as lies. If he’d wanted them dead he could have killed them in the cell when she had been unharmed and Flik unconscious.
***
They touched down in the Governor’s Palace on Trin’s homeworld of Eriadu. It had once been the home of Grand Moff Tarkin. Now, it was the centre of Rebel activity in the Outer Rim and all under the Empire’s nose. On the surface it looked like just another Imperial Garrison, but in the Catacombs underneath, it was filled with hangers and medical centres for the Rebels. "Most of the weapons, food and medical supplies that are produced for export are actually smuggled to the Rebels," Trin explained. "We just send enough to supply the Empire so they don’t suspect anything is going on." "Why don’t you just join the Alliance openly?" Flik asked, still suspicious of him. "I’m in a position where I can leak information to the Alliance and the people of this planet would suffer the repercussions if I ever openly joined the Alliance. There are too many people that suffer because their leaders have done that. Think of Alderaan." Shiba nodded. He was right in a way. "You don’t have to join us here of course. You can go any time you wish." "Flik and I need to talk this over between ourselves before we can decide on anything," Shiba said. "I understand your caution," Trin said. "I think once you have seen the holo waiting for you, you will decide to stay with us. Now, if you will excuse me, I have business to attend to. Cresentina will show you around."
***
"So what do you think we should do?" Shiba asked Flik when they were alone in the room they had been given. "Go away. Go back to what we were doing before all this happened. I don’t trust him." They were going over the same argument all over again. It was the first major disagreement they had since the tiff they had over Zak. Even though the message waiting for them had come from Shara Kre’lar and the Vader in Clagula’s court had been a Shi’do, Flik still wasn’t sure about the whole thing. "If Trin had planned on killing us he would have done it by now." "What makes you think he’s not spying on the Rebels? We killed his brother. There has to be a catch somewhere." "If he is, then we can warn the Rebels. We need to find out first," Shiba said. "What better way to find out the truth about this whole operation? We could save a lot of lives if we do." "Have you forgotten about the children?" he asked her. "Of course I haven’t," Shiba said. "Don’t you think that we should find out what’s happened to them before we decide our next move? If the bounty hunters tracked us there, then surely the Imps have and we still need to get them to safety." "You’re right. They should be our main concern," Shiba said. Flik enfolded her in a hug, crushing her against him. He winced at the pain in his ribs but held her to him anyway. "Just as long as one of us is right, then we can never go wrong," he kissed her. "It’s getting dark now. We can set off in the morning." For once they just slept, no sex, just sleeping together, their bodies entwined for warmth and comfort. It seemed they had gone beyond the sex marathon stage in their relationship, that it had been replaced by something deeper and much more meaningful.
***
Shiba told Trin their decision the next day and boarded a transport for Corellia. They had to travel in the third class compartment because of Flik’s species. "Do you ever get the feeling of da ja vous?" Shiba asked him as they once again used fake IDs to get past customs. Flik nodded his head in agreement. This was really getting stupid now. They’d probably end up back on Nar Shadda again or Coruscant where the entire thing had started. They had one thing going for them. They were presumed dead now (arranged by Trin) and no one was looking for them because Shiba looked at the news stand again. That was the theory, but this time they wouldn’t let their guard down. The plan was simple. Collect the children and get off the planet all in the same day. No stops, no side tracks. No getting a bite at the cantina again. Less than two hours later they were travelling in the safety of hyperspace, away from all the evils and pains and suffering in the galaxy, ready to start their new lives as a family. But Shiba had one last thing to do before they could do that, one thing that would sever her links to the past so that they could start their future together.
Epilogue: Graveyard
"Why did Lak never become a Jedi?" Shiba asked. They were in the cockpit on the Warrior. The kids were sleeping in the cabin and Lobo had shut down to recharge. "He never got a chance to, I guess. That’s the problem with the Force sensitives born around that time and later. Palpatine and his Empire robbed them of their heritage. Some don’t even know, others have lost people close to them without ever knowing the real reason. When I killed my son, I vowed never to use my lightsabre or the Force again." "If you ignore what you are then you will be no better than those who blindly follow the Empire and Zak will never know what it is like to be a Jedi." "I will join the Alliance but I will not use my Jedi heritage. I’ve done too many questionable things that I Jedi would never do. There is too much darkness inside of me that if I ever use my powers again that I could become another Vader." She took his hand in hers. "I love you, Flik Sivrak and I will not let you destroy yourself over this." "Even though now you know the truth?" "Especially now that I know the truth," she kissed him lightly on the lips. "Is loving me something a Jedi wouldn’t do?" "Don’t make me answer that." "Answer me." "Would a Jedi protect you? Yes. Would a Jedi fight for you? Yes. But a Jedi would never love you. Passion for someone is against the Jedi Code, possession is against the Code." "But a bounty hunter would?" He turned away from her. He didn’t know what he was anymore. "Not even a Jedi can do without love. That was one of their flaws. Everyone tried to deny that it existed. The reason being that almost every Jedi who turned to the dark side had a family of some sort, that it was because they loved them that they turned to the dark side." "It happens to those of us who aren’t Jedi. Just because there is a danger of loosing someone doesn’t mean you shouldn’t love, that you shouldn’t care." "Love can bring you back from it. Loving you is something a Jedi would do," he sealed the door to the cockpit and turned to look at her. He kissed her deeply. "Let me love you one last time as the bounty hunter. For when I start being a Jedi again, I won’t be able to." He recited the Jedi Code, giving her a kiss each time he said something that was forbidden for a Jedi. "How can I love you without emotion, without passion?" She grinned at him teasingly. "Then I’ll feel it for the both of us." She kissed him and got him to sit down in the pilot’s seat. She discarded her trousers and unfastened his. Taking his member in her hands she rubbed it until it was hard with blood. Then she straddled him and felt him penetrate. He slipped his hands under her top and tickled her spine with his claws. She bounced up and down on him slowly. She heard him growl softly in appreciation. He lifted her top up and exposed her breasts. He licked her nipples with his tongue until they were hard and erect. Shiba buried her hand in his chest fur, feeling its wiry roughness with her fingers, tracing the new scar tissue from the battle with the Barabel. The fur around that had only just started to grow back but it was still thin and short and it would take a while for him to get a decent pelt again. A warm feeling grew up inside her and it spread throughout her body. Seeing the expression on Flik’s face, she knew he was feeling something too. He let out a breath he had been holding when he ejaculated.
***
They came out of hyperspace several hours later. The children had been woken up, Chan sat on Shiba’s knee. Zak and Jeana were sat on Flik’s lap, his large form big enough to accommodate them both. They sat quietly so Flik could pilot the ship. It had been the first time she had been home since the planet was destroyed. She hugged Chan closer to her and kissed him. Tears were already forming in her eyes as she stared out the view port. "We don’t have to do this if you don’t want to," She heard Flik say.Shiba reached across to him and squeezed his thick bicep. "I have to do this sometime, Flik," she said. "I just want to get this over with and out of the way." Flik nodded. He understood. "Are you going to do it or shall I?" "I’ll do it Flik. I don’t need you protecting me from myself." She fired the box containing the holograms she had packed on Corellia out into space and then shot them with the Warrior’s laser cannon. The box exploded like a miniature Alderaan when the Death Star fired its super laser at the unsuspecting world. Flik flipped on the comm. Shiba spoke into the comm. "Goodbye, Chan my love and father of my children. My memories of you may fade but my love for you never will," she glanced over at Flik. "I have come to love another and I hope that you can forgive me. You will always have a special place in my heart and the children though they will not remember you, I will make sure they love you. Your body may be dead but you will live forever in our hearts." Her voice cracked and though she wanted to say more, she couldn’t. She was over come with emotion and the tears came in torrents. Flik turned the comm off and did the calculations to Eridau. Soon they were leaving the broken planet of Alderaan behind. Flik let the children down and went over to her. He hugged her to him fiercely, not wanting to let her go as she cried her last good bye to her lost husband. Finally she was ready to begin her new life with Flik. "I think we should all get something to eat," he said to them all. "Then you, Shiba should try to get some sleep." Shiba nodded. "But you need to rest too." "I will get rest later." Shiba nodded and allowed him to take care of her. The End
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