Jad: Here we are with another chapter!

Jaid: Lemme get this straight, you were driving my car, Naga?

Naga: Only took it for a little spin.

Jad: *to reader* Um, go ahead and read. You don’t want to know what’s coming.

Jaid: Define little.

Naga: It’s relative. That’s a nice car by the way.

Jaid: Yes, and I’d like for it to stay that way, comprende?

Naga: You spelt that wrong.

Jad: *he’s still talking to you* Trust me. You DON’T want to be here right now.

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Disclaimer that I forgot to put in the first chapter (It was all Naga’s fault, I swear!): I don’t own anything. Star Wars and it’s characters, ships, worlds, etc. belong to George Lucas and a ton of talented people such as Kathy Tyers, Timothy Zahn, Michael A. Stackpole, etc. Gundam Wing belongs to…that dude in Japan (I can never remember his name). I only own the various minor characters who will show up here and there (but not Kyle Katarn! He’s not mine!)

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Relena looked up from the report to Dorothy.

"This is true?" she asked. Dorothy nodded. Relena stood.

"But how could it have happened so fast?" she asked. "Without us knowing…" her voice trailed off. Dorothy nodded. They both knew the answer: a traitor.

* * *

The man with brown eyes was seriously considering leaving the catina. He had been waiting for two hours past the set meeting time, and he feared that his contact was gone; captured by Imperials or worst. Sighing, he looked down at his drink, then looked up to where the band played. He decided to wait until the young lady on the stage stopped singing; she was rather pretty, with delicate features, large grayish purple eyes and soft auburn hair that curled around her shoulders. The girl’s voice wasn’t so bad either. No, the man decided, he wouldn’t leave just yet.

* * *

"We got anymore?" Duo asked. His partner, a short, pixie-like girl shook her head.

"Nope. We’re done here." She answered.

"Thank the Force." Duo grinned. "I hear they got some great catinas around here."

"I’d rather go shopping."

"Hiiiildee!" Duo cried. The girl laughed merrily.

"I’m just kidding…this time." Hilde linked arms with her partner. "Let’s go. I’m parched."

* * *

"Where you off too, boy?"

The tall, slender young man stopped at the hangar door then turned.

"To see my sister." He answered blankly. "She works near here."

His boss took the cigarra he had been smoking and tossed it away. "Don’t be long. We may have a job in a few hours."

"I won’t." the boy answered, not mentioning the fact that they had just finished a job and gotten back to Darknell. "I’ll be back by morning."

Without waiting for an answer, he walked away.

* * *

"I apologize for being late."

The man with brown eyes turned to see a slender young man with sharp features and black hair tightly tied back in a small ponytail.

"I was getting worried." The man admitted as the boy took a seat. "Kyle Katarn."

"Wufei." The other said without blinking. "You have it?"

"Yes." Kyle answered. "Do you have my money?"

Wufei’s mouth tightened visibly, but he brought out a slender holder full of credit chips.

"It’s all there." He said.

"I wasn’t going to count." Kyle told him honestly. "But I’m on hard times. And without money, I don’t find my father."

Wufei’s features relaxed somewhat. "I apologize." He said again.

"Don’t. I understand your reaction. The Rebellion has to deal with too many fringe types, I imagine." Kyle said, then handed Wufei a datacard holder. "There it is. May the Force be with you."

"And with you." Wufei answered softly as the man walked away. The girl on the stage began to sing again, a beautiful haunting melody. His wife, Meiran used to sing that and he…Wufei shook himself and stood, nearly bumping into a tiny young woman with great dark blue eyes and a pixie like face.

"Oh excuse me." She said. Wufei glared at her, even though it wasn’t her fault. He quickly walked away.

"Wonder what that dude’s problem was." Duo wondered. Hilde shrugged.

"He left an empty table." She grinned and sat. Duo smiled back and sat as well.

* * *

"We just about ready?" Quatre asked. Midii looked up and nodded as she stood.

"I’ve got everything packed. The landlord put up a stink about the broken viewport, but I paid him off." She answered. Quatre came over and put his hands on her shoulders.

"Are you all right?" he asked. "You’ve been jumpy all morning."

Midii looked at his dark eyes, filled with concern, and smiled. "Yeah, just got used to living here, that’s all. I’ll be fine."

"Okay." Quatre smiled back. "We’d better go. Abdul’s meeting us at the spaceport."

"He has our passes, right?"

"Don’t worry, Mids. I’m sure Abdul has it all under control."

* * *

Wufei walked through the dusty streets grimly, the song still playing in his head. He remembered Mieran singing it the day before she died. The day before the Imperial governor had-

He broke off his thoughts, realizing that his fist was clenched hard, hard enough to drive his nails deep into his skin.

I will not think of this. Not now. Not when I have a job to do. Taking a deep breath, he turned the corner to his bay-

And promptly drew back as he saw what seemed to be a good number of stormtroopers surrounding his ship. Somebody had leaked information. Wufei felt the sharp edge of the datacard holder in his jacket. He couldn’t let this mission fail; too much depended on it. Silently, he retraced his steps and barely missed the other half of the stormtrooper group marching his way. Wufei felt the slight edge of panic creep up on him and shoved it away. Maneuvering behind the various machines and pallets that littered the hallways of the docking bays, he waited for them to pass by. When they entered his docking bay, he quietly crept away, wondering how in the galaxy he was going to get off this planet.

* * *

Catherine ended her song and accepted the sparse applause with a smile. Stepping off the stage she sighed in relief and headed towards her dressing room. Closing the door, she leaned her forehead against it for a moment, then turned.

"Triton!"

The young man barely smiled as she ran and threw her arms around him.

"Oh, I missed you."

Triton didn’t answer her, but simply returned her hug. Pulling back, he said, "I can’t stay long. Boss said to be back by morning."

Catherine frowned. "Couldn’t you just quit? I hate you running off like that all the time."

"It’s a good job." Triton told her. Catherine went over to her mirror and began taking off her makeup. "It pays well."

"I know, but I don’t like the idea…I mean what if something happens to you?" Catherine turned and looked up at him. "You’re the only family I have left. I don’t want to lose you."

"You’re not going to lose me." Triton said, kneeling and taking her hand. "But I just…I don’t like to stay in one place. You know that."

Catherine looked away.

"Look, can we just not argue about it tonight?" Triton asked. His sister looked back at him.

"Okay." She said. "Let me get changed and we’ll go get something to eat.

* * *

"Abdul said to meet him here." Quatre said, as they entered the spaceport. Midii looked around at the milling crowd.

"Over there!" she said, pointing. They picked up their luggage and walked towards the tall man.

"Hey, thought you’d never get here!" he grinned. "I’ve got your passes here. Ready to go?’’

"Where do we put the luggage?" Midii asked.

"The droids’ll take care of it." Abdul said. "It’s labeled, right?"

Midii nodded.

"Okay, you got nothin to worry about then. Just put it on one of the carriers over there and then we board."

Midii and Quatre walked over and began loading the cart.

"Another new step, huh?" Quatre asked, looking sideways at her.

"Yup." Midii said. "Seems we’re always moving."

"I’m sorry." He said softly.

"Don’t." Midii put a hand on his arm. "It’s not your fault. I don’t mind you dragging me into this whirlwind that you call life. If it wasn’t for you, then I’d be dead on Tatooine somewhere."

Quatre smiled back and put his hand over hers. "Thanks." He said.

"Hey you two!" Abdul shouted. "We don’t got all day!"

"We’re coming!" Quatre answered. Midii grabbed a case and handed it to him.

"Bring your violin." She said. "You haven’t played in a while; I’d like to hear it again and we’ll be stuck in that ship for a few days."

"All right." Quatre agreed. He took the instrument case from her and they walked towards the passenger line.

* * *

Wufei walked through the streets. The dark look on his face cause many to simply scatter out of his way. Wufei didn’t care, in fact it was easier to maneuver through a crowd that didn’t block his way.

Kyle Katarn had already left the planet; Wufei had found that out. An Imperial grounding order was in play, preventing all ships from leaving without being inspected. Wufei wasn’t worried about the ship he had come in; everything in it was manufactured to make him look like a simple trader who was on hard times. No, it was actually getting off the planet.

He couldn’t hook a ride; nobody would take him on such short notice and agree to let him jump ship somewhere else. Nor could he risk stowing away. That left him three options: steal a ship, buy a ride or wait until the Imperials satisfied their curiosity. The first one wouldn’t do; he’d just be attacking unwanted attention to himself. The third wouldn’t work either; time was of the essence on this mission and Wufei was already behind schedule. That left buying a ride. Grimacing, the young man pulled out his wallet and checked the quantity of credits he had left.

"Not enough." He murmured. Stuffing the wallet back in his pocket, he began to angrily walk, when a thought struck him. All his papers were in order; what if he were to approach the stormtroopers? It was foolhardy; there was most certainly a traitor. But then again, what choice did he have? Wufei sighed and began to walk again, hands in pockets and head down.

Passing by a stormtrooper questioning a lady, he heard the customary, "Have you seen this man…etc." He took no notice until he heard the name they were looking for. Lei Shen-chin. His cover name. With difficulty, Wufei strolled by casually, knowing it was too late to go another direction without causing unwanted attention to his person. He passed by, and almost thought he was in the clear when a machine distorted voice of a stormtrooper demanded, "Hey, you! Stop."

Wufei did as told, and heard the two troopers walking up behind him.

"Could you turn around, sir?" one said. "We need to check-"

He got no further as Wufei turned and planted a laser bolt in his abdomen were the armor split. His partner got off a shot before Wufei’s laser bolt hit his neck. Unfortunately, Wufei fell to the ground, blaster bolt in the upper chest. Grimacing against the pain, he saw more white-armored troopers headed towards him. Struggling to his feet, he began to run.

"You! Stop!" one yelled.

"Like hell." Wufei muttered between gritted teeth. Skidding, he turned a sharp corner into a back street, three of the stormtroopers hot on his heels. Wufei wasn’t sure where he was headed, he just ran.

"Gah!" Wufei fell as another bolt hit him in the calf. This one was lower grade; instead of burning through the flesh, it drew blood. Wufei was beginning to feel faint from the pain but got up anyway. He couldn’t be caught; too much depended on him.

* * *

"Well, that was an evening well spent." Duo grinned, jiggling a pocketful of credits.

"One of these days, you are going to lose." Hilde warned him.

"Not likely, babe." Duo said, putting his arms around her shoulders. "Not likely- what in the blue hell?"

A figure crashed into them, and without stopping to apologize, continued to run. His haste was understood as five stormtroopers came around the corner at full pace.

"That was weird." Duo scratched his head as he helped Hilde up from the ground. "Hey wasn’t that the guy who-"

"What’s this?" Hilde drew from her jacket pocket a data card holder. "This looks like it has eight to ten cards in it."

"It’s not yours?" Duo asked. Hilde shook her head solemnly.

"It must have belonged to that man. I wonder why…" Hilde’s voice trailed off. Duo looked uncomfortable.

"I don’t know, hon, but I’d say we get rid of it. The last thing I want is the Imperials on my tail again."

"We could just look at it." Hilde argued. "No harm in looking."

"Wanna bet?" Duo raised an eyebrow. Hilde frowned at him.

"Okay." Duo grumbled. "Better get back to the ship first, though."

* * *

Great. How’d I get back here? Wufei thought irritably, as he panted, looking around the docking bay area. He’d been shot in the side as well as the other two places and the pain was beginning to make him see spots. He couldn’t last for much longer, especially after he had fallen down those stairs. Wufei looked in vain for a place to hide. At this point, somewhere where he could collapse, safely. He’d palmed the cards onto that girl; he didn’t want to involve innocents, but it had been a split-second survival instinct. Now, he was at the point of collapse and wondering if all the stories of Imperial interrogations were true. Falling, he hoped that they weren’t and then the darkness took him.

* * *

"Is it me or are there stormtroopers everywhere tonight?" Duo asked.

"It probably has to do with that man." Hilde said softly.

"Yeah." Duo said. "I think we should lift off pretty soon; maybe even tonight."

"If we can." Hilde reminded him. "They’ve probably impounded all ships."

"I hope not." Duo commented as they approached their ship, the Lady Helen. Duo started to mount the gangplank, when a low moan was heard. He turned to Hilde, to see that she was as mystified as he was. Another moan sounded and Duo realized that it came from under the gangplank. He and Hilde exchanged looks, then Hilde ducked under to see what it was, as Duo walked back down.

"What is it?" he asked.

"It’s that guy." She answered. "I think he needs help."

"Oh, no. No, no, no, no." Duo shook his head. "We don’t need to invite trouble, babe."

"But he’s going into shock." Hilde said. "And he’s badly hurt. Come on Duo, you can’t just leave him here."

"Yes we can-" Duo was cut off as the man groaned again. "Let me see."

Hilde moved out of the way and let Duo have a look. The wiry brunette sighed, then with difficulty, hefted the slightly taller man over his shoulder. Hilde smiled and preceded him into the ship. Duo climbed up, wondering, How do I let myself get into these things?

* * *

When Wufei came too, he was lying in a ship’s med bunk. Starting, he sat up. He was shirtless and there were bacta bandages on his wounds. Quieting himself, he realized that the ship was humming. That meant he was in space.

Well, he thought wryly. This is certainly not an Imperial interrogation. I wonder who saved me?

Standing up, he opened the door and walked through a short, narrow hallway into a living area. No one was in there. Wufei walked past that and opened another door. The pilot’s station.

A young man was seated there, leaning back, with his hands behind his head and a cap covering his face. In the other chair was a young woman, chin in her hand and headphones on her ears. Neither had noticed his entrance.

"Who are you?" he finally said. The girl jumped and whirled around, while the young man sat up, his cap falling.

"Huh, what?" the young man asked, dazedly.

"Who. Are. You?" Wufei said again. The young man rubbed his eyes.

"Duo. Duo Maxwell. This is my partner Hilde Schbieker."

Hilde smiled at him.

"What am I doing here?"

"We found you near our ship." Hilde explained, then took something from her pocket. "Is this yours?"

Wufei’s chest constricted and then felt light. His mission had not failed. With an uncharacteristic look of relief, he gratefully took the data card holder from Hilde’s hand.

"Yes." He said. "Yes, this is mine." He looked up. "Where are we headed?"

"Smuggler’s Run." Duo answered.

"I need to get to Krelth." Wufei said. "It’s urgent."

"Krelth is in the other direction." Duo objected. "I ain’t turning around now."

"You don’t understand." Wufei said, rapidly losing his temper.

"I don’t have to understand." Duo stood, so that he could face Wufei eye to eye. It didn’t exactly work, as Wufei was taller than him. "This is my ship, and we’re headed to Smuggler’s Run!"

"Why do you have to get to Krelth?" Hilde asked. Wufei glanced at her.

"I have to deliver this data card." He answered.

"Well, surely it can wait." Hilde smiled. "We have to pick up a cargo there and then we can head to Krelth if you wish."

Wufei shook his head. "No, I cannot do that. I am late as it is and-" he sighed with difficulty and frustration. How could he explain to these people just how much those data cards could mean to the Alliance, to the galaxy? "It is hard to explain." He looked at Hilde and then at Duo, as if measuring if he could trust them. He decided he knew too little. Crossing his arms, he looked down at Duo.

"I can see that you are amply recompensed if you take me to Krelth now." He said. Force knows that his commander would be harsh about promising the Alliance’s meager funds away, but it was his only choice now.

"Define amply." Duo countered, crossing his own arms.

"I’ll make sure you get paid what you lost, plus two thousand for my passage."

"Six."

"Two."

"Six."

Wufei grimaced. "Three."

"Five."

"Four."

Duo cocked his head, then grinned. "Done." Sitting back in the pilot’s chair, he called the nav computer up and began to set a course for Krelth. Wufei had the feeling that he had been duped and was consequently rather annoyed. Hilde turned her chair back around, releived that they had been able to come to terms.

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