From kkeisel@columbus.rr.com Sun Aug 24 14:55:11 2003 Date: Tue, 29 Jul 2003 00:28:39 -0400 From: Ken Keisel To: foe@deathstar.org Subject: FoE: molithauv's cantina (han) 5 The Pink Falcon Part 5 "There's something in the Carnadyne Way." Jonuta stated firmly. Han studied his old school pal for a moment. Jonuta was scared. Han could tell. Years of growing up with the future space slaver had given him an unique perspective into Jonuta's personality. If Jonuta was aware of Han's insight he had never shown it, which meant he probably wasn't. Captain Cautious would not have enjoyed such intimate perceptions. If Jonuta was scared it was bad. Han had seen him in many moods, angry, vengeful, calculating, lustful, few good, fewer weak, and never scared. "What," Han asked, "is in the Carnadyne Way?" The Carnadyne Way was the smuggler's freeway, though in actually it was more of a short cut. A "glitch" in space that noone could explain (and many good minds had tried). A passway, it was visible as only a distortion, and only on the finest scanners. The "Way," as it was casually called, could take a ship approaching it at the correct heading and at the correct speed, a distance of over 70,000 light years, practically to the other side of the Galaxy, where it's opposite lay. Not a gate, for you had to travel down it. Not a wormhole either, for that was easy to detect, but something else entirely. Something unique in all the Galaxy, and for those who relied upon it, very, very fortuitous. Traveling the Carnadyne Way meant plotting a course just under light speed through an area only three thousand clicks long, and barely fifty wide. At times the congestion rivaled that of a surface freeway, as smugglers, traders, trackers and thieves all traveled it's narrow (on a Galactic scale) throughway. You never could tell just who you might run into, sometimes literally. It was not the exclusive domain of the disreputable, though it was they who derived the most benefit from it. Han had traveled the Carnadyne Way more times than he dared count. Always with shields up. "What is it?" Jonuta shook his head. "I don't know. It was big. Real big. A thousand meters, easily" "What did Mate think about it?" Han asked. "Mate couldn't ID it." Han was growing more worried. "Hell, man. You're computer's as big as my ship!" Han exclaimed, which was not entirely true, though not much of an exaggeration. "If you can't ID it, what do you expect me to do?" Jonuta grew quiet for a moment, thinking. Han knew the look. "I watched a Corellian freighter come out of the Way. A big one." Jonuta said, whispering as they sat in the corner booth. "This thing, this ship was just sitting there, in the Way. Waiting for the freighter to pass. As I watched, the freighter came to within eighty clicks of it. It didn't get to seventy five. Whatever it was, it opened up on the freighter with more hellfire than even I can deliver." "Blew it up?" Han asked. "No, it didn't finish it off. First it knocked out the power supply. Than it closed on it." Han nodded, "Pirates." "That's what I thought too, but they didn't act like pirates. Pirates would want the crew alive, for slave sale, or worse. I know I would. This "thing" kept punching holes in the hull until there were no life signs registering. Then it did the strangest thing I've ever seen. Instead of sending Scatter Boats over to pillage her, it closed on the freighter. The whole thing, all thousand meters of it, and when it got to within a few dozen meters it started chopping her up!" Han shook his head. He didn't care if Jonuta could see the confusion on his face. That was just another difference between the former friends. Why would it do that? Han thought. There was no rational for attacking a freighter loaded with prime "booty," knocking out it's defenses, than ripping the whole thing apart, cargo and all. "When it was done," Jonuta went on, "it went back to its original position. Just sitting there, in the Way, waiting for the next ship to come out." "A spider in a web." Han said. "Ya, that was my thought." "What can I do about it?" Han said, as much to himself. "Unless the answer is "a lot" then the fun's over for most of us, but word in the Spaceways is that you can do "a lot."" Jonuta replied. "Franj, Han! You've got connections all over the Alliance, maybe even more. I'm not talking about the "Falcon." I didn't track you all the way here for that bucket of bolts. Pink bolts, too. If this thing is intent on closing down the Way then we're going to need a battle force to take it out. Not just the "Coronet," or the "Falcon" but big ships, and lots of them, and none of them pink" Han ignored him. "What makes you think the Alliance would have any interest in keeping the Carnadyne Way open?" "Because there's a lot more that comes and goes down that path than slaves and spice, and I'll just bet some of it finds its way into the Alliance's stockpiles." "Maybe I can help you." Han said. "But the Alliance isn't going to send ships into the "Way" on just your word. Especially not on your word. They'll want intelligence. They'll want to know what they're up against" "Fine. Your ship or mine? "Both," Han replied, "and anyone else we can round up. I'll want more than just two ships if we're going to have a good look at this thing, and I'm sure you do too....Captain Cautious" Han and Jonuta both looked about the room. Jonuta saw several spacers he recognized, none he feared, and none he trusted. It was getting late, and the room held only half its usual compliment of pirates, smugglers, and spies. Candles flickered on the tables giving the cantina a dim, primitive glow, and an atmosphere of intrigue that was so evident, yet so difficult to put one's finger on. Han broke the silence. His eyes had landed on a figure reclining at a distant table. "There's Crackpot." Leia was talking casually to HReenee at the bar as Han and Jonuta got up and strolled casually over to the table where Crackpot lay. He wasn't Corellian, you didn't have to be an expert on Galactic races to figure that out. Even without seeing his eyes, which were, at the moment, covered under thick solar shades. He was long, gangly, and awkward, with fingers long enough to be creepy, and legs thin enough to be dangerous on a 1 G world. His hair was a long, unwashed mess, poorly tied in a ponytail. Above the solar mask a pair of goggles pressed tightly to his forehead. The look was humorous, and it suited him. Over Crackpot's head a large solar lamp glowed with a flickering blue green light. It was the brightest thing left in the Cantina. The thought of sitting in a cantina on Corellia with one's eyes completely covered sent a chill up Jonuta's cautious spine. Crackpot didn't care. He had slept in hundreds of them. Han broke the silence. "Rise and shine, Crackpot." A long arm raised itself from the bench, its fingers extended in a universal sign of peace. "Peace and love to you my friends." Crackpot said, the words slightly slurred through a mouth too big. "Crackpot, what are you doing?" Han asked. Crackpot shrugged. "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm drinking my wine, and catching some rays." "Wake up," Jonuta said, "We have a mission for you." "That voice....I recognize it." Crackpot lifted the solar shade revealing eyes that bugged from their sockets. They suited him too. They also gave him a good look at the pair of Corellians standing over him. "Oh, not you two! Dis cannot be good!" "Your ten minutes are up." HReenee said, approaching Jonuta and handing him a drink. In a fraction of a second Crackpot's eyes had covered her from head to toe. "Well, well, well, well....What do we have here? Such a pretty little thing. Let me get you a cushion and order you a bowl of warm milk. Hummmm?" Crackpot turned to a fellow sitting next to him. A short, stocky human, twenty years Crackpot's elder, with the faintest remains of hair on his head, and an oversized nose. "Meoooowoooooo," Crackpot wailed. "Dat's my kitty imitation!" "Crackpot!" Han shouted, growing impatient. "Hummmm? Ya, Solo, so you were saying dat' you were going to pay me for something, wasn't that it?" "We need you, and your ship for a short mission." "Well, ya know my boys and I, we don't come cheap. That is if we were available, which we are not." Crackpot reached to the table and picked up the stump of a cigar, which had gone out. "Is that real tobacco?" HReenee scowled. "It is, my little furball, and at this very moment I have a ship full of it, so you see my friends, I cannot help you. Sorry." "You've become a tobacco smuggler!!" Han exclaimed. "It pays da way, and in about thirty minutes we are on da' way." The bulbous little man sitting next to Crackpot jumped. "Thirty minutes! What are you crazy! I told you we still have to purge the condensers, and that landing strut still has to be locked down." Crackpot rolled his eyes up. "There ya' go, Maury. Always with you that negative shit!" "Still flying the "Fet?" Jonuta asked. "The "Fet?" She is my lady, she is my love, she is my life, unlike you Maury!!" Crackpot shouted at the little fellow. In truth she was none of the above. What she was, was an Old Republic armored assault ship transporter. An aging relic from an ancient time when men still protected themselves with metal more than they trusted shields. She was big, and she was heavy, with armor thick enough to take a direct blast from a laser cannon and not depressurize. The "Fet," had shields, good ones, but they there were more to set aside her occupants fears than to actually protect her. Metal, three feet thick, would do that very well, and had on several occasions. The "Fet" had started out life as the "General Fetish," but through the years, and pauses in Crackpot's moods, she had gone through being called the "General Fet," the "Lady Fet," and now finally just "The Fet." "Planning on using the Carnadyne Way?" Jonuta asked. "Well, I could just sail straight there, but since it's about seventy thousand light years away I wouldn't look nearly dis' beautiful when I get back, now would I?" "How well would the "Fet" do against about fifty highly focused laser cannons?" Jonuta asked. "About as well as the "Coronet" would. Repeat after me, KA-BOOM!" Han crouched over, leaning into Crackpot's face. "Well, if you use the Way....KA-BOOM!" "What are you saying?" "I'm saying there's something out there." Jonuta added. "Something sitting in the Way, and at this moment it's waiting for you." "Something like what?" "Well, that's what we need you to help us find out." Han replied. "Just the three of us, and da' kitty?" "Ya," Han said, "and the kitty." "And you think we can check it out safely?" "Ya," Han said nodding, "with you along we can." "I like that," Crackpot nodded. "Dat's a positive attitude. I like dat'. Ya, hear them, Maury? They're positive people! Alright, ya got a ship, but as soon as that thing is gone I'm down the road, guys." "Agreed." Both replied. "Could you boys use another ship?" The voice came from behind. Han and Jonuta turned simultaneously. "Hello S'Lara." Han said.