Chapter Four
The ship creaked and sputtered as they made their exit from hyperspace, bits and pieces of metal drifting out into the vacuum of space. Merokia floated in the void before them, its vast deserts cut in two by the crystal blue rivers that twisted between the land masses. Lylaa stared out the window in awe, amazed by the scattered patches of green that were speckled across the dull tan surface. She couldn't help but stare, wondering where her best friend was on the massive planet. Not even the clicking and beeping from Bo's gloved hands on the control panel could snap her out of her daydream. How long had it been since they had seen each other? Was she still with her secret Republic lover after everything? As Lylaa's mind raced over every possible thing that could have happened Bo took the opportunity to chart out their landing zone just outside the main village. She looked toward her passenger, her softened gaze lingering a little longer than she should have allowed. Her eyes fell down to her lap and clouded with a sadness. A feeling she hadn't let herself feel since she was a girl dug itself into her chest. Longing.
Bo nudged Lylaa, springing her from her dazed state. She looked over at her, a slight grin still stuck on her face. The red head gave a weak half smile in return, lightly squeezing the now healing wound on her thigh to snap herself out of her ridiculous thoughts. She pointed to the words that were now lining the small screen to her left, indicating their landing area.
"This space looks clear enough to land, we need to find your friend get the parts to repair the fuel tank. Once I fix the ship I'll see if I can find you a transport to take you wherever you need to go." The grin faded from Lylaa's face and all she could do was nod. She hadn't thought about her next destination and wasn't sure where she would go from here. The spacecraft was nearly a pile of scrap and she knew it would take more than a fuel tank to get it back in shape, but Bo was desperate and she knew that.
They crept their way into the atmosphere, the green of the forest around what looked like a fairly well put together town coming into view. Bo struggled with the controls, the last of the fuel spilling out behind them as they made their descent. The ship made contact with the ground in a small clearing and nearly crumbled apart right there. The clanging stopped but the engine continued to shutter for a few moments before fizzling out. Bo sighed as she reached for her helmet, sitting it in her lap before leaning her head back against the seat of her chair. Lylaa unbuckled the straps of her seat and grabbed her pack from the floor. She swung it over her shoulders and made her way to the door, pushing the ramp release button quickly. She wanted to reach the village as soon as possible, holding onto the hope that Aldra Naldara was still here somewhere. The ramp slammed open and she took off running.
She could hear the light thumping of Bo's footsteps closing in behind her but she didn't slow down. She wanted, no, she NEEDED to find Aldra. She had gone into hiding shortly after Palpatine had declared the formation of the Galactic Empire and the death of her dear friend senator Amidala. She was the senator for their home world of Vardos, but she knew that the Emperor would sink his claws into the core world eventually. And he did. It was now completely consumed by and loyal to the Empire, leaving all who opposed it to either flee or die. They kept in contact for a brief period after, but with the risk of being caught and tried for treason too high they decided to part ways. Agreeing to only reach out if they had no other choice. And Lylaa had finally run out of options.
The rooftops of the town came into view as she ran through the thick tangle of tree limbs and bushes, encouraging her to run faster. She neared the edge of the forest, slowing and stopping when her feet hit the rough dirt road that ran up the tree line. Panting and wiping sweat from her face she turned around, spotting the shine of blue armor crashing through the brush behind her. She couldn't help but smile as Bo arrived by her side, taking her helmet off as she tried her best to catch her breath.
"Are you insane? Taking off like that without warning?" the Mandalorian's face now red with a mix of anger and exhaustion. "What if there was danger? The Empire is everywhere, don't you ever stop to think before-" Her words were cut off by Lylaa grabbing the gauntlets on her forearms. She looked at the soft hands gripping her wrists before lifting her worried gaze to her blue opal eyes. There was silence for a moment, nothing but the chirping of birds overhead. Bo looked at the other woman confused before realizing why she had stopped her. In the distance the faint sound of children laughing rang in her ears as she looked across the fields in the direction of the town.
A smile lit up Lylaa's face as she snaked her hand into Bo's. She locked her fingers with hers and pulled her froward, nearly dragging her over the road and through the field. A mix of tall grain and what looked like Chandrilain grain swooped around the town in beautiful laced patterns, the farmers stopping to look at the two women trampling through their harvest. Lylaa held the older woman tightly as she pulled her from the field into the street, nearly crashing into a shopkeeper wheeling his cart to his stall. She continued on, yanking Bo with her as she weaved through the crowd of people looking for the one place she knew Aldra would be if she were here. They rounded the street corner and began to slow down, a small run down cantina catching Lylaa's eye. She looked to Bo, a wide smile on her face as she squeezed her hand and pointed.
What was with this girl? And why did Bo find her so frustrating yet so damn charming? She smiled at the green haired woman, bumping a few locals as she was pulled forward. They stumbled up the steps and past the swinging doors of the cantina, music and the smell of cheap ale wafting over them. Lylaa dropped Bo's hand and made her way to the counter, grabbing the bartender's attention. He nodded and mumbled some words she couldn't make out before turning and walking into the back room. Bo let her eyes linger on Lylaa for a moment, her excited expression lighting up the dim bar. She made her way past the tables of patrons, sneakily swiping two drinks from a table of drunken Weequay. She sauntered over to Lylaa, taking the seat on the stool next to her. She slid her the stolen liquor and placed her hand on her arm.
"Well, someone is excited. Where did the bartender go?" Lylaa smirked, picking up the drink Bo had put in front of her. She took a sip and turned her body to face her armor clad escort of sorts. Bo had that same maddening smile as she took a swig from her glass, raising her eyebrows awaiting a response.
"I asked for Aldra. Last she told me she was working here in exchange for the loft upstairs, but I know her better than that," she sipped her drink again, scanning her eyes across the room of drunken swindlers and farmers. "Name a better way to get intel than getting a bunch of pirates drunk for a living." Bo chuckled, her eyes not leaving Lylaa for a second. It was different seeing her in a place like this. She felt as though she could stare at her forever without getting caught.
Her hand still rested on her arm, the clinking and bustling sound of the other patrons fading into nothing. All she could focus on was the woman in front of her. How her soft green hair framed her face, and how her eyes reflected the lights hanging overhead. She couldn't look away, and she was almost angry at herself for it. She allowed herself to get lost in the moment, flinching hard as the office door slammed open and ripped her back into reality. She yanked her hand away from Lylaa at the sight of the person across from them. A shorter woman with brown hair and deep coffee eyes stood in the doorway. She wore a faded grey tunic, her worn tan pants met at her calves by tight wrapped boots. Lylaa shot up form her stool, nearly climbing over the bar as she clumsily made her way around the counter.
"Holy hell Aldra!" she ran up to the woman, nearly knocking her over as she engulfed her in a tight hug. "Maker you had me worried, I thought you were gone." Aldra groaned, returning the hug before pushing Lylaa back to look at her.
"Lylaa you have to stop crushing me every time you see me or I'm going to have to explain to Rex why I ended up in the infirmary again." Lylaa laughed and her smile grew wider. The continued talking quietly, leaving Bo to sit alone awkwardly. They appeared to be talking about her, Aldra glancing behind Lylaa to look at her every few seconds. This made her uncomfortable. She still wasn't used to strangers knowing her business so freely. She swallowed the rest of her drink and left her seat, walking over to where the two women were standing. Aldra smiled as she reached Lylaa's side, extending her hand to shake Bo's. She took it, giving her a polite smile in return before turning to look at Lylaa.
"You must be Bo, a pleasure to meet you. I'm Aldra. Lylaa and I go way back," she smiled at her, making Bo twitch slightly. Was she jealous? No, she couldn't be. She barely knew either of them. "What do you say we go upstairs so we can talk in a more... secure location." She motioned to the stairs to the left of the office and Lylaa nodded, turning to Bo and motioning for her to follow them. As they walked upstairs the two continued to catch up, leaving the older woman to walk silently behind them.
They reached the top of the winding stairs, entering a small room that she assumed was Aldra's living room. Plants and shelves lined the walls along with framed photos of who she guessed were friends and family. The two women found seats on a small couch, sitting to talk more as Bo took a look around. She wandered down the hall taking in all of the happy memories before her. Her eyes caught on a particular photo almost instantly. It seemed to be from an after session senate dinner, the people in the photograph smiling and having conversation over drinks. Among them was Aldra, senator Bail Organa, Mon Mothma and Padme Amidala. But she wasn't focused on any of them. In the far right of the photo was a blonde woman she hadn't seen since before the siege. There she was, smiling with her arm linked with senator Amidala's. Satine.
Tears pricked her eyes as she removed the photo from the wall, rubbing her thumb over the image of her sister. It had been so long since she had seen her face and even longer since she had seen her smile. She turned toward the room where the two women were sitting and slowly made her way back to them, still clinging to the photograph. She stopped just in front of them, looking down at them with a sorrow expression. Aldra looked at the woman then to the object in her hands nervously.
"Is that one of my old senate pictures?" she asked, extending her hand to take the photo form Bo. She jerked away, not wanting to let go.
"You knew her? The Duchess of Mandalore?" the lump in her throat grew when she spoke, making it harder to keep her tears from spilling over. Aldra looked at her with a sad expression, knowing exactly where this conversation was going.
"Yes, I knew her. She was a good friend. They all were," she moved down on the couch, allowing Bo to squeeze in next to Lylaa. She nearly collapsed next to the smaller woman, her eyes never leaving the small framed image in her hands. They sat there for what felt like an eternity before she continued. "How did you know her?" It took her a moment to to swallow, her mouth now dry and her hands shaky. She looked up at the brown eyed woman, her lips forming a deep frown.
"I am Bo-Katan of clan Kryze. Satine Kryze was my sister." her voice cracked, earning a sympathetic look from Aldra. She sighed, looking down at the ground before standing.
"Lylaa told me about your mission. Come with me, I know someone who can help you locate your people." She led them to another room, typing in a code on the wall mounted keypad. The door slid open and she ushered them inside, letting the door slide shut behind them. Inside was like a Republic time capsule, untouched by the plague of war. A small holoprojector sat in the center of the room.
Aldra double checked the door, making sure it was secure before turning to the projector. She took a deep breath and clicked a few buttons before a blue silhouette appeared in front of them. The man on the other end of the call wore a ripped cloak and what looked to be old damaged trooper armor. It wasn't until he spoke that Bo recognized the hooded figure, his face obscured by his cloak.
"We have to make this quick love, I haven't got much time," he removed his hood and looked at Lylaa, giving her a warm smile. "Hey kid, long time no see." She smiled at him before turning her gaze to Bo, her smile fading as soon as she saw her face. The Mandalorian's mouth dropped open as the blue glow illuminated the room. She took a step forward in disbelief, confusion clouding her eyes.
There, after all these months of wondering what had happened to him and his commander after the siege and the purge of the Jedi, was captain Rex. He met her gaze, a surprised smile rising into the creases by his eyes.
"Hello red, didn't think I'd ever see you again."