Broken Codes

Double Crossed

Tatooine: 19 BBY
Jabba's Palace
Lesia Mirri

Snow and ash flew before her eyes. All around her was the sound of screams and blaster fire. She couldn't tell what was happening. Lesia gripped her lightsaber tightly and ran. A shot flew past her.

Lesia activated her cyan blade and deflected the next shot. More came. Still, she ran on. There was nowhere for her to go. The far end of the bridge was covered with droids. She skidded to a stop and stared over the edge of the bridge. She could make out nothing in the dark abyss. Lesia bit her lip nervously. To survive a fall like that, she'd have to slow herself using the Force. She'd never done that before, not even during her few training sessions with her master, Ki Adi Mundi.

Lesia risked a glance back. The clones were still inbound. Smoke flew from the muzzles of their blasters. Her gaze landed on one clone in particular, Cole. He had only arrived on Mygeeto a few weeks ago, but had quickly become her friend. Lesia no longer saw any sign of that friend in his cold blue eyes.

She took off running once more. Shots hissed as they struck patches of snow. Lesia screamed with pain as a blast caught her ankle. She went down hard, her lightsaber clattering out of her hand. She reached for the saber just as the clones reached her. Lesia tried to call out with the Force. Her gaze met Cole's. She found no sympathy there. He raised his blaster and...

Lesia jerked awake, gasping for breath. She tried to rub her forehead, then paused, realizing that her hands were shackled together. Subconsciously, her hand fell down towards her ankles, hidden inside of her boots. The scars that marred them were still fresh.

The events of the night before returned to her as her eyesight adjusted to her dimly lit surroundings. She scanned the walls of her cell, but found no sign of her satchel. Her blasters and all of her hidden weapons had already been removed from her as well.

The cell door hissed open a moment later. Two Gamorrean guards entered and grabbed her by the arm. They roughly escorted her out of the cell. Great, Lesia groaned to herself. Gamorreans mean Jabba the Hutt. She grimaced as snot dripped from one of the guard's noses onto her arm.

They ushered her into a large chamber. Jabba lounged on a raised dais. A Kowakian sat on his tail, cackling at absolutely nothing. Scattered throughout the room was a host of bounty hunters, smugglers, dancers, and many others. Jabba's gaze landed on Lesia.

"Sa this thief?" He asked. One of her guards grunted a reply. "Haku makes uba tinka uba can moocha tuta je?"

A protocol droid approached and began to translate. "The Mighty Jabba asks why you thought you could steal from him."

"Because he stole that spice first," Lesia replied.

Jabba let out a throaty laugh and stuffed a frog in his mouth. Lesia hid her disgust beneath a disinterested mask. "Tagwa jee did. Jee stole it tuta du pirate."

"Hondo Ohnaka?" Lesia asked, not bothering to let the droid translate first.

Jabba nodded. "He naga it bata, so jee-jee made du bargon."

Lesia raised an eyebrow. "What kind of bargain?"

"Wanga of ma whirlee was taken by du Zygerrian."

"One of his Excellency's favorite dancers was given to the Zygerrians a few months ago. She was...troublesome...and my master wanted her to learn some manners before she is returned to us," the droid said, now translating as Jabba spoke. From the look on Jabba's face, Lesia guessed this would be the droid's last time translating anything.