A Lesson in Pazaak - Chpt. 1

Dust and grit swirled around her, crunched beneath her boots and between her teeth. She spat and flipped her Bothan visor down, squinting under the glare of the too-close sun. She couldn’t remember what planet she was on – she could barely remember her own name.

She hunched her shoulders under the long coat and decided it didn’t matter – her name, the planet’s name – this was her last attempt.

Swimming in the reflection of the yellow sun’s heat, a tiny settlement shivered in her vision. Nestled between sand dunes, only the peaks of strangely slanted roofs could be seen. The exile hooked her light sabres to her belt, pulled up her hood and set off towards the only signs of habitation she could detect on this dirt-ball of a planet.

She lost track of time, each step feeling exactly like the last – hot, painful, futile. She turned her face down, away from the scouring wind and sand and watched her feet leave prints that blew away before the next step had even begun. She staggered, and thirst tore at her throat, but she left her life-support kit in her pack. Her need would be greater later.

How long had she been trudging through this scalding, clutching sand? Her body was limp with exhaustion when she finally raised her eyes to discover a wall looming before her. No matter how she leaned back, she couldn’t seem to see the top of it in the dust clouds that hovered overhead.

Closer inspection revealed a small portal, just above her head. She reached up and rapped sharply on it with dry, cracked knuckles. After a moment, it slid open and, although she could see nothing through the tiny space, a rough voice addressed her from the other side of the wall.

“Wat’s yer bizniz?”

“I have an appointment to keep.”

“Wat’s d’password?”

Password?There had been no mention of a password. The exile fought to keep her temper in check – and failed.

“I have no need of a password,” she snapped.

“You have no need of a password,” repeated the voice obediently, and a small door appeared in the wall and opened.

He had said she would know where to go – that it would be unavoidable.

The narrow streets of the tiny settlement were completely abandoned, but she could feel eyes on her from every window – barely more than slits sliced into the permacrete walls. She kept her face lowered, deep inside her hood.

She listened.

Nothing.

She tamped down her rage – but the pain and futility of her search rose up inside, choking her. Countless worlds, countless seedy space ports, barren seas – to her amazement, she felt a panicked sob rise up from her chest. She ground her teeth around it and swallowed it.

There is no emotion, there is only peace.

When her hands stopped trembling, she began to walk. A flash, like the sun reflecting from one of the distant rooftops, caught her eye. With nothing left to follow, she turned and started off in the direction of the setting sun.