May the Fourth be with you
In honor of Star Wars Day, two of my favorite SW fics -- and one WiP.
Mixology: A princess, a droid and a fighter jock walk into a bar... Written for the ‘Behind Every Good Woman’ RareHet Challenge. (Leia/Wedge, Leia/Han)
Tipping Point and Entropy: Mara seeks equilibrium. (Mara/Karrde, Mara/Luke)
Iteration: The ultimate EU AU that I always wished someone else would write. (WiP, A selected scene below the cut)
Whatever else might have happened to the galaxy over the past few years, Karrde could still set a pretty fine table when the occasion warranted it. It wasn't as easy as it used to be. Food was often in short supply these days, and the price of alcohol had soared back up to where it had been during the height of the Rebellion. It was important, though, to maintain form, to treat Billey like an honored guest.
In the two weeks since Billey had last come calling, they'd spoken once, via long-range comm. Karrde, liking this deal less and less the more he thought about it, had wanted some reassurances - which Billey, understandably, had been reluctant to give him.
“I'd like a little more information about what I'm getting myself into here...”
“I think,” Billey had said, in a tone that was not at all reassuring, “that you'll find Maddoc to be exactly what you need.” He paused, whether intentionally or because of a hiccup in the feed, then said, “There aren't any guarantees, though, Karrde. You of all people ought to know that. I'll keep my end of the bargain, I'll try to help you make some smart decisions, but there's no hard and fast guarantee that this is going to work.”
Which brought them to today, and a very nice meal.
Karrde had managed to get his hands on a pretty decent bottle from one of the last vintages of Alderaanian wine, from the collection of some minor Imperial governor who'd fallen on both political and financial hard times. The price had been more than a little inflated, and the wine itself was likely to be lost on Billey, but he'd appreciate the rarity and the gesture nonetheless.
“I know you usually prefer whiskey,” Karrde said, pouring a glass for each of them, then hovering over the third glass on the table in an unspoken question.
“I asked Maddoc to wait a bit so you and I could get the niceties out of the way first,” Billey said, and Karrde filled the glass anyway. “I do like my whiskey, but knowing you this is something esoteric and damned expensive, so I'll play along.” He took a drink and shrugged. “Not bad.” Then, “Where's Aves? I hoped he'd be here for this.”
“We're spread pretty thin these days, unfortunately...”
“Well, we'll just have to do another round of introductions in a less formal setting then. You didn't have to go to all this trouble, you know.”
“I know I didn't. I prefer to.”
“Good, I'm glad to see that some things haven't changed, at any rate.”
The door slid open, and Billey beamed at the entrant.
“There you are, Zillah. Perfect timing...”
Contrary to Karrde’s expectations, Maddoc was a young woman, olive-skinned, slight and lean. She was certainly striking, but a little cold, with a stern mouth and black hair knotted severely away from her face. She stood all of about five foot nothing and looked like an especially strong breeze might knock her over. On top of that, she appeared to be maybe a year or two past adolescence - at the maximum.
Maybe Billey had taken that babysitter crack literally.
“No,” Karrde said flatly, and the girl raised an eyebrow in Billey's direction.
“If you'd excuse us for just a moment, Zillah?”
“No,” Karrde repeated once she'd left the room. “I thought you were going to bring me some tough old vet who could keep people in line.”
“And so she can...”
“She's barely old enough to remember the first Death Star."
“Don’t exaggerate.”
“Fine, but she's still too young."
“Mara was younger,” Billey pointed out mildly.
“That situation was entirely different."
Billey looked sidelong at him, his mouth set in a firm line. “I suppose I’ll have to take your word for that.” He continued, “At any rate, she's not as young as she looks - and even if she was, age isn't as important in this line of work as experience. She's got that and then some.”
Time has never been as important to the universe as ability and results...
Memories had a way of doing that to him lately, cropping up, unwanted, when he least expected. That particular memory was sharp and clear, painful - Mara, back when she'd still been just an interesting puzzle. He shook it off with an effort, and took a rather generous drink of wine.
“There's more to it than that, though, isn't there? Let me guess - she's another one of your adoptees? What's her sad story?”
“None of your business,” Billey replied, unperturbed. "What matters is that she's one of my best people, and she's loyal."
“Loyal because you rescued her from some tenement slum or back-alley brothel...” It figured. Billey had always had a bit of a soft spot that way. His own daughter was safely packed away at some fancy boarding school, deep inside the Core and far away from her father's business.
Billey actually laughed. “I dare you to call her a whore to her face and see what happens. It might adjust your attitude.”
“Fine, maybe that isn't her story - but there's something. There always is with you.”
“Well, there certainly was when I found you all those years ago, so you might be right.”
“That's a little over the line, don't you think?”
“Just reminding you that you weren't any different from her not so long ago, and look at how far you've come.” He set his wine glass down with a decided thunk. “You take her on, or there's no deal - and you need this deal, you need a ship.”
Karrde sighed, accepting the inevitable. “Fine, she gets three months.”
“I reserve the right to pull her out any time - or to send her back to you if things still aren't where they need to be after three months.”
“Fine, fine. I doubt it will be necessary, though.”
“Have you looked around at your organization recently?”
“Now that's really below the belt...”
He softened a little. “I'm not blaming you, Karrde. The universe really has conspired to put you in a bad spot, and it doesn't help that on top of it you lost someone...” He paused a moment, considering his choice of words. “You lost someone valuable.”
“That's a rather politic way of putting it.”
“I've been there, you know that. The personal side is, well, personal. It only makes it that much harder when that person was central to the professional side of things, too.”
Karrde really, really didn't want to talk about this - especially not with Billey, who knew him well enough to spot a lie or evasion easily. “I think we've left your associate out in the corridor long enough, don't you?”
“She's patient,” Billey said. “Another useful trait. But, yes, let's invite her back in.
“Things all resolved now?” Maddoc asked Billey when the door slid open for the second time, her face and voice carefully neutral.
“For the moment...” He patted the back of the chair beside him, looking rather paternal. “Come sit and have some of this wine - Karrde says it's a good one, and he'd know - and then we can talk about what comes next.”
This entry was originally posted at http://viola-dreamwalk.dreamwidth.org/1495.html
Mixology: A princess, a droid and a fighter jock walk into a bar... Written for the ‘Behind Every Good Woman’ RareHet Challenge. (Leia/Wedge, Leia/Han)
Tipping Point and Entropy: Mara seeks equilibrium. (Mara/Karrde, Mara/Luke)
Iteration: The ultimate EU AU that I always wished someone else would write. (WiP, A selected scene below the cut)
Whatever else might have happened to the galaxy over the past few years, Karrde could still set a pretty fine table when the occasion warranted it. It wasn't as easy as it used to be. Food was often in short supply these days, and the price of alcohol had soared back up to where it had been during the height of the Rebellion. It was important, though, to maintain form, to treat Billey like an honored guest.
In the two weeks since Billey had last come calling, they'd spoken once, via long-range comm. Karrde, liking this deal less and less the more he thought about it, had wanted some reassurances - which Billey, understandably, had been reluctant to give him.
“I'd like a little more information about what I'm getting myself into here...”
“I think,” Billey had said, in a tone that was not at all reassuring, “that you'll find Maddoc to be exactly what you need.” He paused, whether intentionally or because of a hiccup in the feed, then said, “There aren't any guarantees, though, Karrde. You of all people ought to know that. I'll keep my end of the bargain, I'll try to help you make some smart decisions, but there's no hard and fast guarantee that this is going to work.”
Which brought them to today, and a very nice meal.
Karrde had managed to get his hands on a pretty decent bottle from one of the last vintages of Alderaanian wine, from the collection of some minor Imperial governor who'd fallen on both political and financial hard times. The price had been more than a little inflated, and the wine itself was likely to be lost on Billey, but he'd appreciate the rarity and the gesture nonetheless.
“I know you usually prefer whiskey,” Karrde said, pouring a glass for each of them, then hovering over the third glass on the table in an unspoken question.
“I asked Maddoc to wait a bit so you and I could get the niceties out of the way first,” Billey said, and Karrde filled the glass anyway. “I do like my whiskey, but knowing you this is something esoteric and damned expensive, so I'll play along.” He took a drink and shrugged. “Not bad.” Then, “Where's Aves? I hoped he'd be here for this.”
“We're spread pretty thin these days, unfortunately...”
“Well, we'll just have to do another round of introductions in a less formal setting then. You didn't have to go to all this trouble, you know.”
“I know I didn't. I prefer to.”
“Good, I'm glad to see that some things haven't changed, at any rate.”
The door slid open, and Billey beamed at the entrant.
“There you are, Zillah. Perfect timing...”
Contrary to Karrde’s expectations, Maddoc was a young woman, olive-skinned, slight and lean. She was certainly striking, but a little cold, with a stern mouth and black hair knotted severely away from her face. She stood all of about five foot nothing and looked like an especially strong breeze might knock her over. On top of that, she appeared to be maybe a year or two past adolescence - at the maximum.
Maybe Billey had taken that babysitter crack literally.
“No,” Karrde said flatly, and the girl raised an eyebrow in Billey's direction.
“If you'd excuse us for just a moment, Zillah?”
“No,” Karrde repeated once she'd left the room. “I thought you were going to bring me some tough old vet who could keep people in line.”
“And so she can...”
“She's barely old enough to remember the first Death Star."
“Don’t exaggerate.”
“Fine, but she's still too young."
“Mara was younger,” Billey pointed out mildly.
“That situation was entirely different."
Billey looked sidelong at him, his mouth set in a firm line. “I suppose I’ll have to take your word for that.” He continued, “At any rate, she's not as young as she looks - and even if she was, age isn't as important in this line of work as experience. She's got that and then some.”
Time has never been as important to the universe as ability and results...
Memories had a way of doing that to him lately, cropping up, unwanted, when he least expected. That particular memory was sharp and clear, painful - Mara, back when she'd still been just an interesting puzzle. He shook it off with an effort, and took a rather generous drink of wine.
“There's more to it than that, though, isn't there? Let me guess - she's another one of your adoptees? What's her sad story?”
“None of your business,” Billey replied, unperturbed. "What matters is that she's one of my best people, and she's loyal."
“Loyal because you rescued her from some tenement slum or back-alley brothel...” It figured. Billey had always had a bit of a soft spot that way. His own daughter was safely packed away at some fancy boarding school, deep inside the Core and far away from her father's business.
Billey actually laughed. “I dare you to call her a whore to her face and see what happens. It might adjust your attitude.”
“Fine, maybe that isn't her story - but there's something. There always is with you.”
“Well, there certainly was when I found you all those years ago, so you might be right.”
“That's a little over the line, don't you think?”
“Just reminding you that you weren't any different from her not so long ago, and look at how far you've come.” He set his wine glass down with a decided thunk. “You take her on, or there's no deal - and you need this deal, you need a ship.”
Karrde sighed, accepting the inevitable. “Fine, she gets three months.”
“I reserve the right to pull her out any time - or to send her back to you if things still aren't where they need to be after three months.”
“Fine, fine. I doubt it will be necessary, though.”
“Have you looked around at your organization recently?”
“Now that's really below the belt...”
He softened a little. “I'm not blaming you, Karrde. The universe really has conspired to put you in a bad spot, and it doesn't help that on top of it you lost someone...” He paused a moment, considering his choice of words. “You lost someone valuable.”
“That's a rather politic way of putting it.”
“I've been there, you know that. The personal side is, well, personal. It only makes it that much harder when that person was central to the professional side of things, too.”
Karrde really, really didn't want to talk about this - especially not with Billey, who knew him well enough to spot a lie or evasion easily. “I think we've left your associate out in the corridor long enough, don't you?”
“She's patient,” Billey said. “Another useful trait. But, yes, let's invite her back in.
“Things all resolved now?” Maddoc asked Billey when the door slid open for the second time, her face and voice carefully neutral.
“For the moment...” He patted the back of the chair beside him, looking rather paternal. “Come sit and have some of this wine - Karrde says it's a good one, and he'd know - and then we can talk about what comes next.”
This entry was originally posted at http://viola-dreamwalk.dreamwidth.org/1495.html