Chapter 5 - OUT OF THE KRAYT'S MOUTH AND INTO THE SPACE SLUG'S

Aria waited at docking bay 93, watching construction of some more docking bays through a cordoned-off area. Hovercrafts brought materials to crews waiting to weld and add circuitry. She marvelled that there was even any need to add more docking bays.

Who would want to come to this planet? Or perhaps the better question is, who is crazy enough to think that there is going to be a sudden commercial or trades boom that would cause them to want to add more docking bays? What a waste.  Aria knew that the money could have been better used somewhere else, because of her own situation and because of others less fortunate than herself. But she also knew where the money was coming from, so she wasn't surprised. That's the way it is on Tatooine; those with the power and the credits are primarily the Hutts or other scum. Why would they want to share any of that with the other inhabitants on this chlorophyll-forsaken planet?

The sound of an incoming shuttle landing nearby grabbed her attention. It was Charlebbekka, come to take her away from this rock. There was nothing keeping Aria here now.

"Hey, you ol' furball!" greeted Aria, warmly. Charlebbekka gave Aria a Wookiee hug that pushed the majority of the air out of her lungs. Rubbing her ribs, Aria looked up at her friend with a rueful grin on her face. "So, I doubt you want to hang out on this hateful over-heated sandpile. You game to take right off again? I have all the stuff I own." She pointed at her meager luggage.

Charlebbekka's eyes softened somewhat, and she nodded, warbling something in Shryywook. Without another word she went around behind Aria and picked up her tightly-packed duffle and then headed back to the shuttle.  Aria took one last look around her, and then wondered why she did, as she followed Lebbie up the ramp into the shuttle.

Aria settled in beside the Wookiee.  "Nice shuttle, Lebbie," she commented.  The Wookiee made a snorting sound.  "Well it looks nice to me," Aria shrugged.  "But I don't get out much."

Lebbie harnessed herself in and motioned Aria to do the same.  Then --- lift-off.

Aria's stomach lurched momentarily and she felt her head sway as she saw the ground fall away, receding, and then the buildings shrank and she could see everything around Mos Eisley and outside of it including the horizon, all the creatures looking tiny and insignificant.  The horizon fell away and it was nothing but sky, and a feeling as weightless as gossamer.  She fought vertigo as they lifted nearly straight up and then shot forward , the planet pulling back on every bone in her body.  Then there was the bouyant vacuum of space and the lightness of the atmosphere disappeared, and darkness was everywhere and infinite except for the pinpoints of stars that somehow were not consumed by this massive nothingness, spread out like shattered glass and diamonds.   This was like the time her father had taken her and mother into orbit to see the sunrises.

Charlebbekka glanced at Aria's face and chuckled.

"What?" asked Aria, not tearing her eyes for one moment from the window in the cockpit.  "Like I said, I don't get out much."

All too soon, it seemed, The Tusk came into view, and Charlebbekka shot Aria a cautionary glance.  Aria took a deep breath, and let it out slowly.

"Yeah," she shrugged.  "I guess I'm as ready as I'll ever be.  I know all the stories about your loving Captain Rugar.  Like we rehearsed: I'll just keep out of his way, stick close to you, and try to keep my big mouth shut.  And I know, no huggy-cuddly-wuddily stuff while on board.  I gotta act tough."

Charlebbekka nodded, and then punched the communique button and warbled a request for docking. 

"Ah!  Charlebbekka, you are clear to dock," a loud and boisterous voice proclaimed. "Welcome back.  I understand you have some extra baggage!"

"I'll take that as a greeting," ventured Aria. "I take it you are the Phindian."

"Why is it that everyone guesses that before they even see me?  Yes, Woro's the name.  I take it you are the baggage: human, female, Aria -- Reissem's offspring."

"That would be me."

"Well, you sound nicer," said Woro. "Perhaps you smell nicer as well. Welcome aboard!"

There was a slight bump as the Wookiee maneouvered into the hold. 

Aria followed Lebbie out into the hold and met up with Sishik the Verpine, who peered curiously at her with a many-faceted gaze, antennaes quivering just over Aria's head. "Welcome to the fold, Reissem's offspring," she hissed, clicking her mandibles together simultaneously. "Rugar sent me to take you to your father's old quarters, and to basically... shall we say, size you up."

"I see," said Aria, keeping what she hoped was an even tone and stoic expression.  "And what do you determine at first glance?"

"I see a female version of Reissem, much longer hair, toned musculature, composed expression, although somewhat elevated heart rate," she rattled off, as Charlebbekka and Aria headed down a narrow hallway.  "But I am the wrong species to ask about any creature with a skeleton underneath a layer of skin. I find it intriguing that mammalian creatures spend so much tedious time tying up and decorating dead growths of hair as you do, as it looks cumbersome all tied up like rope and hanging down as it does.  It looks to me like the first thing an enemy would grab to pull up your chin and get a good angle at your throat.  I also wonder that, unlike my species, the mammals' females all tend to be more finely built and smaller-"

"And that's why the females developed brains," interjected Aria.

"Ah," Sishik murmured. "Perhaps that is the case.  Here are your quarters. Charlebbekka is directly across from you.  We have breakfast, such as it is, at 800 hours, if you are so inclined.  The captain would like to see you after he comes back from the Black Market, most likely tomorrow. Unless he finds the ale he was looking for, and then it may be an extra two or three days. I'll leave you to your own devices, as I am sure Charlebbekka can show you around as much as any of us."

The insectoid bowed her head slightly and left the two ladies at the end of the hallway. The door slid open and Aria saw her father's former room.  As she entered, she heard her footsteps echo slightly in the nearly hollow room.  It was washed clean, but a few remnants of his remained.  So this was my father's home away from home...  She thought, and turned around to get a full view of the room.  It wasn't much bigger than their storage room back home, but she didn't care.  This was where her father had been.  On the small table beside the twin bed was a bandanna.  This must have been dad's.  She picked it up and put it around her neck.

"Hey Charlebbekka, this drawer has a lock on it," Aria said excitedly, attempting to shake the small cabinet. "You wouldn't happen to know where the-"

She laughed as the Wookiee produced the key and handed it to her.  "You are a clever Wookiee, my friend," she grinned and tried the key.  The drawer opened this time...   It seemed empty, but Aria rapped the bottom of it and noted that it sounded hollow.  A false bottom, eh dad?  She looked up at Charlebbekka and smiled mischievously.   The Wookiee winked at Aria.  "Right, I'll figure out, um... where everything goes later." said Aria, not wanting to look under the compartment at the moment.  She didn't want anyone else to find out about this.  "Can you show me around The Tusk now?"

Lebbie chuckled at Aria's unabashed enthusiasm, but then her expression hardened somewhat.  As the two began walking back from the direction they came from, Charlebbekka growled a low warning.

"Huh? Whattaya mean 'don't act too happy?'" Aria's brow rose. The Wookiee continued to explain.  "Ah, because if I act too keen, they might start getting annoyed, or they might start giving me too much to do?"  Charlebbekka smirked.  "Ah... Both.  I see.  Right then, I'll try to look a bit more cool and detached.  How's this?" She tried to make herself look bored, and was startled by the sound that Lebbie made.  "Are you laughing at me? What now?"  Charlebbekka wiped a tear away with a hairy finger and composed herself long enough to explain.  Aria rolled her eyes, "Sheez, so now I look like a drugged Bantha...  Should I try wearing a mask?"

Aria noticed the Wookiee stopped laughing and began walking in a more purposeful gait, so she tried to follow suit.  She saw why. They were evidently heading toward the common area, where she saw Cale, the human, was playing Sabacc with Gid, the Shistavenen, and Woro, the Phindian, and a Togorian whose cards thrown face down on the table, had already folded.  The other two felinoid Togorians were doing some sort of arm wrestling that involved pinning down each other's forearms, while Sishik and the reptoid Trandoshan oversaw.  All the ship's crew members were actively doing something, that is, until she walked into the room. 

There was an awkward silence.

"Well, don't stop all the fun on account of me," snorted Aria, with what she hoped sounded like a casual tough-sounding grunt.  She returned the penetrating gaze of the Trandoshan.  Charlebbekka barked an introduction. 

"Yeah, we can tell she's Reissem's kid," said Cale, chewing on a piece of metal that he seemed to be using to pick his teeth.  "Surprised you decided to hang with the gang, little thing like you.  Your old man was tops in my datapad-"

The Trandoshan suddenly looked away from Aria and hissed at him, "Really, Cale?" the reptile's teeth revealed a hideous grin.  He looked back at Aria and elaborated, "Personally, I got the impression that he wanted to kill off Reissem first chance he-"

Cale's large fist connected with the Trandoshan's eye.  "'Scuze me, Karnic," he said shaking the pain from his bleeding knuckles, while the reptile snarled at him.  "Don't be so rude,"  Cale snarled back at Karnic. He looked back down at Aria from where all six foot eleven of him stood.  "Yeah, I'll admit, I said that when I first saw 'im.  But we all say that about everyone new face who comes aboard...  Present company excepted, of course. So no hard feelings?"  He offered a friendly handshake to Aria.

Aria looked at the proffered hand and grabbed it, intending to shake it, but was caught off guard when he yanked her toward him.  Off-balance she fell toward him and he skillfully spun her around so that she leaned back against his chest.  "Easy there, Big Sis," he growled at Charlebbekka whose hackles were raising.  "I just want to get to know the little lady."

"Of course," Aria sighed. She rolled her eyes and grimaced, smelling rather than feeling Cale's ale-sodden breath in her ear.  "I should be more careful.  Fortunately," she said as she shot back her elbow into Cale's stomach, winding him, "My father told me..." And then brought up her fist into his eye,  "..all about you!"  She turned and saw him bending over, one hand clamped over his stomach and another over his eye. "And now that we've gotten to know each other..." she finished off her sentence with a quick kick to his groin. 

Cale crumpled onto the floor, squinting.  "Point taken," he gasped from his fetal position on the floor.  "Truce."

After a silent heartbeat of astonishment, laughter from the rest of the species erupted.  She turned to look at the group at the tables who were hooting and cheering.  Charlebbekka smirked, crossed her massive arms, and nodded in approval. One of the two male Togorians planted a large stein of some sort of foul-smelling ale down, and motioned for her to sit there.  "Hyah!  It is not often that, anyone, let alone such a small human like yourself, can put Cale in his place. We need a fourth for Sabacc," he growled, but to Aria it sounded like he was trying not to laugh too hard.  "Please honour us."

"Well, I'm willing to learn," she said gamely.  She wondered if any of these brutes knew how often her father and Charlebbekka played Sabacc with her.  "How do you play?"
 

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