Star Wars: Skywalker's Revenge

Chapter Four: To Vendaxa

The three bounty hunters exited the Crimson Axe and soon returned to their own ship. Deliah went to look for any repairs or fixes that were needed on the ship while Jariah went out to look for a more permanent place to park the ship while they stayed on Socorro. Cade returned to his own quarters, but it wasn't long before Deliah came to retrieve him.

"Jariah's out in front of the ship," she said. "Apparently someone wants to speak to us."

Cade followed Deliah out to the front of the ship, where Jariah was talking to two women. One was Human and beautiful, and was obviously very rich. The other was a blue-skinned Twi'lek, and looked poorer yet very familiar.

"What can we do for you?" Cade asked them.

"My name is Marasiah Fel," said the rich woman. "I'm the the daughter of Roan Fel. This is my hand maiden Astraal Vao. We're being chased and we need to board your ship immediately."

Cade blinked, looking between the two women and not believing his eyes. There was a princess before him, asking to board his ship. She was the daughter of the Emperor of the Fel Empire and one of the most powerful people alive. And she was standing right in front of him. What were the chances of that? Not likely. Cade was about to question the woman when he noticed both Jariah and Deliah both vigorously nodding their heads to the idea. He was confused for a moment, but then he realized that the princess had used a Jedi mind trick on his friends.

"Listen, woman..." he started, but then his eyes shifted and he spotted something in the distance. Someone was flying quickly toward them on a bike. Cade squinted and saw that the person was wearing a dark cloak. "Is that..."

"The Sith?" asked the princess, glancing back. "Yes, it is."

Of course. It was the Sith who were following Marasiah. As Cade looked between the princess and the Sith he was forced to make a split decision. "Okay," he said. "Get on the ship."

Cade, Jariah, Deliah, and the two women boarded the Mynock. Cade quickly closed its ramp and he and Jariah began to lift the ship off the ground.

"Thank you," said Marasiah. "You're very kind."

"Yeah," Cade muttered, "and now we're being chased by Sith."

"We need to get to Vendaxa," she said.

Cade turned and narrowed his eyes. "Why?"

"That's where family is," the maiden, Astraal, answered.

Marasiah raised her hand and spoke in a slow voice. "You will take us to Vendaxa."

"Yeah, let's take them to Vendaxa," Deliah nodded.

"Off to Vendaxa," Jariah agreed.

Cade was about to protest, to tell their two new passengers that no one bossed him around on his ship. But then he realized he couldn't. If he showed that he'd resisted the mind trick, they'd get suspicious and might out him as a Jedi, which couldn't happen. But perhaps this new situation would work out for the better. Cade had been looking for a way out of Rav's grip, and this might just be it. Roan Fel was very rich, and would probably pay well if his daughter was returned safely to him. After he'd collected that cash, there was nothing stopping him from turning around and handing over Fel to the Sith. The Fel Empire and the Sith Empire were both fighting for control of the galaxy, which was why the Sith were chasing after Marasiah. If they were putting this much effort into capturing his daughter, the Sith would pay as much as they owned for Roan Fel. Cade didn't really want to do direct business with the Sith, but it would be worth his while. Between those two transactions, he'd have more than enough to buy himself completely out of Rav's debt.

"Yeah," Cade said as this plan sunk into his head. "Vendaxa it is. Deliah, our two guests will bunk in your quarters."

"That works," said Deliah. "I'll show them to it."

"Great," Cade said as he and Jariah were left to pilot the ship.

Once Marasiah was gone and the mind trick wore off, Jariah frowned uneasily. "Why are we going to Vendaxa?"

"To do what we always do," Cade said as the Mynock took off into space. "Collect some bounties."