Author's Games: Star Wars

Task Three: SulJuuk, Kiernan and Mazhdar

A tug on his arm woke him up. He jumped into a crouched position and felt it again. Confused, he looked down and saw a shackle on his wrist. "Just like old times," he muttered.

Someone cleared their throat. He looked over and found Sul-Juuk glaring at him. A human male stood behind her, his arms crossed. "Get up," Sul-Juuk ordered. "We need to move."

"Where's Kazumi?" Kiernan asked, pushing himself to his feet.

He looked around and found they were in some sort of large corridor. Grey metal walls glinted under a line of bright lights. The whole place was empty except for a bunch of people who were chained in pairs and a bunch of different colored doors in a row. He spotted Kim-Ny and Kazumi in a group of people being herded toward a small black door.

"They're over there," the human said, pointing to the group. "So I suggest you move before we lose sight of them."

That pulled Kiernan out of his stupor. He nodded and they headed for the droids.

Kim-Ny was about to be pushed through the door when Sul-Juuk shoved the droid behind her out of the way and pulled her back. "Ama!" Kim-Ny said, throwing her arms around her mother.

Kiernan watched the two embrace and remembered a time when he had that kind of relationship. Before life became a complicated, jumbled mess. Before he and Zillah had lost everything. He longed for a friend he could really talk to; wished Sul-Juuk could be that person. But if they made it out alive things would just keep going the way they always had before. She would sell him, he would run away, and she would find him again.

He supposed he should be grateful he even had that. Someone who would always search for him. Someone who would find him no matter what. Sul-Juuk might not see it, but that was something Kiernan had come to treasure. She never came after him because she cared about him, but over the years he'd come to see that she did, even though she tried to hide it. She was the closest thing she had to a mother, and although their relationship was certainly strange, he wouldn't change a thing.

Kazumi leaped into his arms and he hugged her to him. "Hey girl. Sorry I took so long."

She purred and stretched in his arms. A droid approached them, trying to keep the small group moving through the door. Kiernan faced it with a harsh glare. Kazumi hissed, pawing at the air in front of it.

"They go through last, got it? You get your way, we get to say goodbye. Now go handle the others."

The droid didn't reply, but it backed off, so he figured it must have understood.

"I'll find you again, Peyna. I promise," the voice of the other guy chained to their small team caught Kiernan's attention. He turned to see the guy embracing another human, this one female.

"Don't die ,Mazhdar," Peyna whispered back.

Mazhdar nodded and stepped back, releasing her. One of the droids stepped between them, directing Peyna through the door with its blaster. Kim-Ny and Sul-Juuk were talking, so Kiernan held Kazumi and waited, uncomfortable being forced to stand so close to Sul-Juuk and Mazhdar.

Sul-Juuk stepped away from Kim-Ny and Kiernan knelt to hug her before the droids could force her away. He handed Kazumi to her. "Take care of each other, okay?"

"We will," Kim-Ny promised.

She looked at Sul-Juuk, who watched them from behind. Kiernan could tell she was worried about her mother. "Hey, don't worry, Kim-Ny. I'm going to bring her back to you alive, okay. I'll keep her safe, I promise."