The Flame [3]

Chapter 3

I jump out of lightspeed, at our destination. Below me the planet Ephemera stood, beautifully.

"Wow," I gawk at the beauty.

CB-23 beeps an agreement.

"Poe?"

"It is beautiful," he says over coms. I hear BB-8 ask a question.

"No, I've never been here," Poe tells BB. BB-8 asks me the same question.

"No, Beebee-Ate," I tell the droid. CB-23 and BB-8 both ask about the planet. I laugh softly.

"It was once a mining planet, like Bespin. You know Bespin, right? But here they mined the tibanna gas to extinction. After it was all gone, the Empire abandoned it's colonies and most of the settlers ran with them. Good riddance, from what I hear. It left the planet in the hands of its original inhabitants and a few holdouts who weren't there to cash in but had grown to love the place. And then, surprise, they discovered tuusah. Ree, your turn."

The droids are intrigued, so of course, I had to finish the planet's history. 

"Tuusah is the residue from the mine runoff. It also has medicinal properties, so that created a new industry. It wasn't as lucrative as the Empire strip mining tibanna. It helped the planet's flora and fauna." 

BB whirls, and I hear Poe laugh.

"You're right, the Empire has never been kind. But the planet is a resort destination now, and the capital is called Wish. What a name, right? It used to be Outpost 665 or something boring like that. But now, Wish,"

"It's also one of the largest spas in the galaxy. They have mineral baths, healing treatments, and legendary oxide therapy that makes you look younger. I don't really think the last bit is one hundred percent true."

CB sounds offended and BB sounds distressed. I laugh at the two droids.

"You look pretty good yourself, my friend. For being a Jedi's droid before I saved you."

"Oh really, at least I made sure he didn't have a bent antenna."

"I do! But we're here to see Maz Kanata, not to get pampered."

"Although getting pampered does sound nice," I counter. "The history of the planet is incredible."

"Sure is."

A transmission comes through.

"Poe, you getting this?"

"Yeah."

CB-23 opens the channel after Poe speaks.

"Welcome to Ephemera airspace," a wispy voice states. "Please identify yourself so that we can grant you landing clearance."

"This is..." Poe stops himself, but why?

"Poe Dameron, is that you?" Maz Kanata, now, is on the other side of the channel. "Oh, give me that mike, dear, I can take it from here. I didn't hire you to..." Sounds of struggle and muffled voices. I hear a thump.

"Maz?" Poe asks after a minute.

"What? Of course it's me, you fool. Who else would have asked you to this backwater?" I chuckle at Maz's statement.

"Is that Brianna?" she asks.

"Hi, Maz," I say.

"You didn't tell me you were bring your girlfriend, Poe."

"She's not my girlfriend."

"Since when did you get married?"

"Maz, we aren't dat... married. We aren't married, yet," I tell her going along with her charade.

"Just let me know when the wedding is and I'll be there." 

"It sounded like you were having problems," Poe says changing the subject.

"Bah. Just some people getting a little possessive with the equipment. Nothing to concern yourself with. I've handled it. Now hurry up. I haven't got all day."

"Uh, we'd land, but I don't see anything that looks like it'll hold the ships up. Am I in the right place?"

"Oh, you're right. Isn't that funny? Some kind of security measures, the locals assure me, but really I think they're just partial to the undulation."

"The undulation?" I ask Maz.

"You'll see. Everything here sways a bit. Now... let me..." I hear shuffling then a click. I look down, and see a solid landing pad appear from the unsolid landing pad it was before.

"What in the..." Poe mutters.

"It's perfectly safe. Now are you going to land or not? I thought you were on urgent Resistance business."

"Copy," Poe and I say. "Coming in now."

"Good, good. See you soon. Oh, are you hungry? Have you eaten? I should have food brought up, shouldn't I? I'll have to ask them to prepare something special unless... you do have time far a psychedelic experience do you, Dameron, Solo?"

"Not today, Maz. Like you said, urgent business."

"Of course. Okay then. Tah." The tranmission is over just as quick as it started. Hopefully, Maz will help.