The Adventures of Nomi Darklighter

Chapter 79 - Unexpected Helpers

The trip to Coruscant was uneventful. No one took notice of the moisture farmer widow Yslana Windrider.
The Queen of Empire wasn't a luxury passenger freighter, but it was good enough for Nomi's needs.
The young woman looked out the window as they exited hyperspace and saw the main planet. Coruscant glittered like a Corusca gem that was its namesake. The sight was breathtaking, but Nomi didn't have an eye for it because it wasn't a pleasure trip for her.
When the ship landed, she took a deep breath, knowing she was about to step into the rancor's den. Nomi unbuckled, rose and left the Queen. She made her way to the checkpoint, fearing that this time her fake ID card would be discovered. But like on Tatooine, it worked.
The stormtrooper fixed his gaze on her from behind his visor as he handed it back to her.
"The purpose of your stay?" He asked brusquely.
"I want to visit friends of my late husband," Nomi replied politely.
"Move along," the stormtrooper said, pointing to the exit.
The young woman immediately followed the request, happy to have cleared the first hurdle. But that was the easy part of her plan.

Nomi exited the spaceport and found herself surrounded by a teeming crowd. During her time as a smuggler, she was often on Coruscant. So it wasn't difficult for her to find her way around in the planet wide megacity. She took a speeder taxi and had it stop two levels above the Southern Underground. After paying the Bith driver, she got out of the taxi and continued on foot.
Half an hour later she reached her destination and entered the Southern Underground.
The area had changed a lot since her last visit. It was never the best part of Coruscant, but now it was much worse. It seemed as if the dregs of society were concentrated there. The pilot covered her mouth and nose with a cloth because the stench coming towards her was almost unbearable. She didn't remember that this part of the capital planet was so ugly. Nomi slowly made her way to the place indicated by Chalmun, her hand lingering next to her hidden lightsaber. Beggars stretched out their hands, claws, or whatever they had for grasping organs, begging. The sight of this misery, for which the Empire was also responsible, was almost unbearable. Nomi couldn't help but turn away in disgust. The young woman walked cautiously through the dimly lit streets and alleys, using the Force to create an atmosphere of aloofness around herself, just as she had learned from Luke.

After a while she finally reached her destination without incident. It was a small marketplace that was like an oasis in all this suffering and misery. The air was relatively clean and fresh, and Nomi removed the cloth covering her mouth and nose. There were many small shops that offered a variety of goods. It wasn't difficult to find the Ho'Din's shop because of the beautiful flowers and plants in the window.
Nomi entered and faced a 3-meter tall alien with yellow skin, pink snake-like "hair" and green eyes.
"Welcome to my humble shop, ma'am. How may I be of service?" The alien asked, looking down at the little woman.
"Master Gardener Spero?" The pilot asked to make sure she was talking to the right person.
The Ho'Din nodded his head.
"A mutual friend sent me," Nomi said, smiling.
"A mutual friend? Who is that?" Spero looked at her questioningly. But then he noticed her clothes and he thought he knew who had sent her. "You are from Tatooine."
Nomi Darklighter nodded.
"Is there somewhere we can talk without being overheard, Master Gardener?"
He went into the back room and motioned for her to follow him. After entering the room the Ho'Din sat down.
"Please have a seat," he said, pointing to a chair.
The young woman followed the request.
"You said a mutual friend sent you. What's his name? And who are you?" The Master Gardener asked.
Nomi felt she could trust him.
"Chalmun sent me. He said maybe you could help me. My name will mean nothing to you. I'm Nomi Darklighter. Here, however, I go by the name of Yslana Windrider for personal reasons."
The alien laughed.
"Your name shouldn't mean anything to me? You're wrong, Captain Darklighter. After all, your wanted poster is hanging all over the planet. However, you don't look very much like the picture on it." Spero leaned back. "You were smart to create a false identity. To be honest, I have a lot of sympathy for the rebellion. Look, I know the personal reasons why you're going under an assumed name. And I know even more. You are on Coruscant to rescue a rebel in ISB custody. Chalmun told me you were coming."
Nomi smiled and thought gratefully of her Wookiee friend who had made contact with Spero possible.
"Yes, I'm here to rescue this rebel, Master Gardener. He is my husband. Please help me. I need weapons. Chalmun told me you could put me in touch with the right people."
Spero nodded.
"Yes, I can do that. You must love your husband very much," he paused for a moment before continuing. "You must be aware that the chances of rescuing him are very slim and you may be killed trying. But you dare anyway."
Suddenly his eyes fell on her lap, where the outline of the lightsaber was visible under the cloak.
"What are you hiding under your cloak, Captain Darklighter?"
She unhooked the lightsaber and handed it to him.
"This is a lightsaber, a Jedi Knight's weapon, Captain Darklighter." The Ho'Din looked at the weapon in astonishment.
Nomi looked at Spero and felt joy in him as he held the lightsaber in his hands and realized what that meant. When he spoke his voice was thick with emotion.
"You are a Jedi. I thought the Jedi were extinct. And now a Jedi is sitting in front of me. Tell me what you need. How can I help you?"
Feverishly, Nomi thought about what she would need for her rescue attempt.
"I need a blaster, a blaster rifle, enough ammo and three thermal detonators. Also, I need information on how to get into the Imperial Palace. Can you determine if the Outrider is still in the spaceport and the droid Leebo is still on board? Of course I'll pay you well for your services, Master Gardener."
Spero smiled at the young woman and shook his head.
"I don't want any credits from you. It is an honor to serve a Jedi. Come back in three standard hours and you'll have everything you need to save your husband."
"Thank you, Master Gardener. My husband and I owe you." Nomi rose, went to the door and left the back room. Shortly afterwards she was back in the marketplace.
After leaving Spero and the little oasis in all the misery, Nomi again covered her mouth and nose before making her way to the higher levels.

Without incident she reached the more civilized parts of Coruscant, where she rented a room in a small hotel. She had turned on the holonet messages. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw the image of Dash with bruises on his face. The newsreader announced that the rebel Dash Rendar would be publicly executed the next day as a deterrent. She only had one day. Nomi knew that if she failed, her husband would die.

After three standard hours, Nomi was back at the Southern Underground, where she entered Spero's shop.
"Come on, you're expected, Jedi," the alien said, smiling, leading her into the back room.
The pilot raised an eyebrow at the comment and her hand lingered next to the hidden lightsaber. But then her demeanor changed the moment she saw who was waiting for her.
"Talon! What are you doing here?"
Karrde looked at her with a grin.
"I'd say it looks like we're trying to save Dash's butt, Nomi," replied the notorious smuggler, pulling his friend into a hug.
More smugglers appeared behind him and Nomi noticed that all of her friends had come from Nar Shaddaa. Nomi wriggled out of Talon's embrace.
Then she saw someone she hadn't expected.
"You are here too, Salla?"
"Yes, I'm here too. I have something against your children having to grow up with only one parent." Salla Zend laughed despite the seriousness of the situation, showing pearly white teeth.
Nomi looked at her friends gratefully, glad that she wouldn't be alone in her attempt to save Dash. But at the same time she was surprised that they were here on Coruscant.
"How did you know I'm here?"
"You might not believe it, but every once in a while we see the propaganda - um, Holonet News from the Imps," Talon answered her question. "We owe you for your help on Nar Shaddaa. When we landed here, our first route was to Spero, who told us that Dash's wife, who's a Jedi, is already here. You're a Jedi, Nomi?"
She nodded and showed them her lightsaber. It would have been too complicated to explain to her friends that she has not yet completed her apprenticeship.

Suddenly a voice came from behind that she hadn't heard for a long time but recognized immediately.
"May I join the party?"
Nomi turned and saw a dark-skinned man in expensive clothes and with a winning smile.
"Lando!" She cried in surprise.
Calrissian, the former rebel general, rushed over to her and gave her a quick hug.
"Hi Nomi, I thought you might need help when I heard about Dash. What's your plan?"
He looked at her expectantly while the others gathered in the room watched their reunion.
His friend swallowed hard before answering.
"I have no plan," she replied hesitantly.
Lando Calrissian and the smugglers looked at her in surprise.
"You don't have a plan? You really thought you could just march into the Imperial Palace? Elite units and commandos are stationed there and I don't know what else. How were you going to get in and out alive?" He asked after recovering from the surprise.
"I don't know, Lando," Nomi replied, avoiding the older man's gaze. Suddenly she felt less confident than before.
"But I know how," Calrissian said. "As you remember, I've been on Coruscant before. I know the sewers inside and out. When I was here with Luke to rescue Leia from Xizor's clutches, I noticed a branch canal that led straight to the Imperial Palace. The detention block is one level up. Walking through the sewers will be a walk in the park. Once we're in, we'll see how it goes."
When Nomi heard that, she breathed a sigh of relief and had new hope.

In the meantime, Spero had brought in the requested weapons.
"Thank you, Master Gardener," said the young woman, bowing her head.
"I enjoyed doing it, Jedi," The Ho'Din looked kindly down on her. "By the way, the Outrider is still here at the spaceport and the droid Leebo is on board. I wish you and your friends that the rescue succeeds. May the Force be with you."
"Thank you, Master Gardener," she said again, before turning to Talon and Lando.
"We have enough weapons now. When will we go?"
She looked at the two men expectantly.
"We're leaving early in the morning, Nomi," Karrde replied. "The execution is scheduled for noon. By then we will have freed Dash."
Nomi didn't like the answer, but she knew there was no point in rushing things.
"See you tomorrow," she said firmly before leaving the shop.

Nomi went back to the hotel. There she sat in her room, staring at the chrono set in the wall. It was midnight. She shivered to think that her husband would die in 12 standard hours if the attempt to free him failed.