FLYING SOLO ➳ luke skywalker

TWENTY-SEVEN! ASSASSIN'S LIFE

THE metal gate groaned like a cautionary siren as it rose slowly to allow Analia and Kaz entrance to what had once been Jabba the Hutt's Palace, accompanied by their Weequay escort, whom they had tried to make conversation with to little avail. The only response they had gotten from him on the walk from the centre of the city was a growl of aggravation when Kaz dared to crack a joke.

Analia had all of her senses tuned in and on high alert. She was mentally prepared to seize her blaster at a millisecond's notice. They were led through a wide, dimly lit stone corridor, one that Analia had traversed with her heart in her mouth more times than she could count. The last time she had stepped foot inside the Palace was several years before, when Jabba had given Han strict orders to not fail him again. That was only days before Analia first met Luke. She pushed the intrusive image of his soft face away.

They started down the winding staircase that led to the throne room. Analia's heart skipped a beat when Kaz slipped his hand inside hers, squeezing gently, before letting go once more. She gave him a tender smile that he couldn't see beneath her helmet and continued on. They paused at the foot of the stairs, flanked by two green Gamorrean guards, and watched as the Weequay hobbled over to the dais on which Bib Fortuna was perched, all pale skin and thick lekku. Chained to the dais and sat on her knees was a blue Twi'lek girl, stripped almost bare and staring fixedly at the floor beneath her. Analia took note of the fact that the dais was rolled back, leaving the viewing grille over the pit uncovered.  

When Bib Fortuna spoke, it was in fluent Huttese, a language that Analia mostly understood but could not speak well. 

"The famous Trix," Bib Fortuna greeted, extending two long-fingered hands. "When my patrol guards told me you were wandering about Mos Espa, I thought they must have been mistaken. But here you are, in the flesh, back from the dead."

Analia gulped down the sour taste of anxiety. Her helmet clicked as she removed it, and she tucked it under her arms, staring up at the throne with a hard, expressionless face. Her chest swelled with exstrinsic conceit when Fortuna's mouth fell open, eyes widening drastically. For a long moment, he said nothing, stunned into complete silence. The chamber was so quiet, Analia was sure she could hear her own heartbeat. 

"Solo," Fortuna said at last. "What a pleasant surprise. And you've brought a friend."

"This is Kaz Charez." Analia took care to force any identifiable tone from her voice. She noticed as Fortuna shot a second guarding Weequay an anxious look. "We've come to pay off Han Solo's debts."

"Don't bring me into this," Kaz grumbled under his breath, lips almost unmoving.

A Quarren with a beard of tentacles standing proud behind Fortuna leant forwards and whispered something in his ear. Analia's fingers twitched by her blaster. 

"This is quite the unexpected reveal," Fortuna said. "The galaxy thought Trix was dead."

Analia's stare and detached tone did not waver. "The debts. And then we'll be on our way, Your Excellency."

Fortuna's cheeks puffed as his mouth formed an indignant frown. He was quick to wipe his expression clean, however, as he rose to his feet on the dais and forced an admissible grin.

"Jabba the Hutt is dead," Fortuna elucidated. "Killed by Solo's friends. As far as I am concerned, the debts are clear. Let us start fresh together, you and I, as employer and employee."

Analia cracked her neck.

"I'd rather not have anything hanging over my head that could be used against me in the future," she said. "I'm sure you understand."

Behind the Daimyo, the two Weequays grunted threateningly. The Gamorrean guards raised their axes, ready to strike. Fortuna's jaw tightened. His patience was clearly growing thin. But he was not as conniving as his predecessor Jabba the Hutt, nor as wily. He revealed his plan without knowing it. Analia saw his eyeline momentarily flicker towards the grille in the floor.