Author's Webpage: http://adult.dencity.com/lianne/
Pairing: Lu/Lando
Rating: PG
Series: The Vacation Series, #4
Summary: Luke and Lando hit Pole City for a night of fun and gambling, and run into some unexpected problems.
When it came time to dress to head to Pole City for a night of entertainment, Luke quickly found that none of his clothes met Lando's standards for him.
"No, Luke. You need to dress to catch the eye, not fade into the background," Lando said, arms held out to the side as if to say 'look at me'.
And look, Luke did. Lando was wearing a shirt of elonian silk, a rich cream in color. The warm undertones made his dark skin glow and his black eyes twinkle. The loose shirt gathered at the wrists, then spilled out almost to the tips of his fingers. The shirt tucked into breeches that were almost the same color as his skin, and they in turn tucked into soft kama-hide boots that were just a hair darker. Around his waist hung a belt that matched the boots, with hooks that his blaster would have hung from if it hadn't been impounded on their arrival. With a half-cape slung over one shoulder, he looked the picture of a dashing rogue. Luke smiled at the sight fondly.
"Well, since I didn't bring anything else with me..." he said, gesturing towards the bags he'd brought with himself from Yavin 4.
Lando grinned, and whipped out a package. "Actually, I arranged to have this delivered. Now, get dressed."
Luke took the bundle, and watched with a bemused expression as Lando left the bedroom. Shrugging in surrender, he opened the package and started putting on the clothes inside.
The breeches were the same style that Lando wore, and almost the same color. The high-collared shirt was also similar in style, but in a dark green, with the faint gleam of gold-thread woven through it, and the sleeves ended in tight cuffs. The boots were of an even darker green, so dark that they almost looked black. For over it all was a sleeveless vest that matched the color of the breeches, but which had a complicated pattern picked out in gold thread along the edges and seams.
When he pulled on the vest, he found that it went almost to his knees, and was loose enough that when he hung his lightsaber from the back of his belt, it wasn't obvious to the eye. The folds of cloth wouldn't interfere with drawing the lightsaber, since he could use the Force to help.
Strictly speaking, he shouldn't be wearing the 'saber at all. Sandrica was supposed to be a peaceful, weapon-free world. His status as a Jedi Master was the only reason that the customs station had been willing to even let him keep it with him while on the world. But after all these years, he felt naked without it.
As he left the room, he didn't even notice that the lightsaber he'd picked up was the one he'd found at Tronin's excavation site.
Lando was pacing in front of the cottage door, wondering if they would be able to make it to the shuttle on time, when the bedroom door opened and Luke stepped out.
He stopped dead in his tracks and stared. He probably had a foolish grin on his face, but he didn't care. Suddenly, making it to the shuttle in time didn't seem quite so important.
Luke looked fantastic. The soft breeches were tighter than nearly anything he'd ever seen the younger man wear, and they showed off every line of his strong legs to perfection. The green of his shirt made his hair glow even more golden than usual, and they made the blue of his eyes even more intense.
Luke raised an eyebrow, and turned in place, arms held out from his side.
"So, do I pass inspection, General?"
Lando swallowed. "Yeah, Luke," he said, his voice cracking slightly and his own breeches becoming tight. "Definitely."
"Good. Let's go."
Lando grabbed Luke's arm as his lover headed past him, and pulled him in for a brief but intense kiss. When they pulled apart, Luke's lips were slightly bruised, and a bright smile lit his face. Lando opened his mouth to suggest that maybe they should stay right where they were for the night, but Luke beat him to it.
"No, Lando. You wanted a night out. Dinner, entertainment, some gaming, remember? There will be plenty of time when we get back."
Lando grinned, and snapped his fingers in an expression of regret. "Busted," he said, sliding his arm around Luke's waist as they headed for the door.
His eyebrows went up in question when his arm hit the lump that was undoubtedly Luke's lightsaber. Luke just smiled, so he shrugged his shoulders and didn't comment.
Besides, he felt a little better knowing that one of them was armed at least. He had to admit that he felt naked without his blaster hanging from his belt. Having spent half his life fighting the Empire, which wasn't exactly known for playing fair, he cheerfully admitted to being paranoid.
They just barely made it to the shuttle in time.
Coruscant, throne world of both the New Republic and the Empire before it, is essentially on large city. Nearly every available landmass is covered in structures layered one on top of the next.
The top layers are where the elite live, with open plazas and access to sun and starlight. Below that are the levels where the army of bureaucrats live, the grease that keep the wheels of government running. Even further down are the levels where manufactories run non-stop and the workers that labor there live.
And at the bottom levels live the rejects of society. The hunted. The desperate. The forgotten.
In many ways the North Pole of Sandrica was built on the same model as Coruscant.
The main function of Pole City was to entertain visitors. Bright lights tantalize and lure the visitor, pulling them to the clubs where they can gamble their money away. Even more pull them to the establishments where they can spend what little money they have left, be it on goods like fine clothing or jewelry, or vices like alcohol or drugs or companionship that comes at an hourly rate.
But beneath the bright lights and glitz is the under-city. This is where the people who keep the planet running live, always keeping to the background.
It is also where the less than legal professions and entertainments reside.
Luke wasn't overly impressed by Pole City. In his time spent as a diplomat in service of the New Republic and as a Jedi Master in search of those with the talent, he had traveled to the far ends of known space. He had seen the ancient stone temples of Yavin and the delicate crystal Cathedral of the Winds on the planet Vortex. He had seen the underwater cities on Mon Calmari and Cloud City, floating high above the gas giant, Bespin. He had seen the raw splendor of a volcano erupting, and the royal court of the Hapes Cluster.
Compared to that, Pole City was just another city.
What made it special was Lando's obvious enjoyment. Despite his own travels, Lando had the ability to look at any experience as new and exciting. Despite the fact that he was the younger of the two, Luke sometimes felt old compared to Lando.
But when he was with the man, the excitement was infectious.
The first thing they did on their arrival was to find a restaurant and eat dinner, since neither of them had eaten since lunchtime, despite their... afternoon activities.
In that department there was a wide selection available, serving every type of cuisine known to humankind, not to mention most of the other known races. After a brief consultation, they selected a restaurant that served the local seafood, rather than trusting imported food.
After that, they wandered. Moving paths and regular transports allowed visitors to see most of the city which covered a large part of the northern regions of the planet, but they decided not to get carried away. They would limit themselves to the areas reachable on foot from the shuttleport they'd arrived at. They would enjoy themselves, but not allow themselves to be completely sucked in by the atmosphere.
Luke followed as Lando led the way from one club to another. In one they watched a woman sing ancient ballads for a while. In another they watched as a troupe performed a routine that was almost salacious enough to make Luke blushed.
Then Lando followed a crowd that was headed for a dance club, and they spent a pleasant hour dancing together -- something they hadn't done yet.
The night was more than half over before they finally made their way to a gambling hall where never-ending games of chance and skill were played. Lando quickly bypassed the brightly-lit halls where most tourists found themselves, instead heading for one of the lifts that led down to the lower levels. There, he led the way to a small, smoke-filled hall filled with hard-faced men and women who were obviously professional gamblers.
Surprisingly, Lando passed the sabacc tables without hesitation. The man was an excellent sabacc player, despite having lost the Millennium Falcon in one such game. After all, he'd also won Cloud City in a game of sabacc, and then proceeded to turn it into a profitable operation, until the Empire had taken notice.
Instead, he headed for the tables at the back where blank faced players sat around tables holding rectangular pieces of stiff plastic with pictures printed on them. Luke's memory perked up, reminding him that Lando had mentioned an antique game called pah-karr.
The game didn't look too different from sabacc, but a light touch with the Force told Luke that the 'cards', as he was told they were called, did not change their settings. That would eliminate the random factor that existed in sabacc, making it even more a game of strategy.
Lando waited until the hand ended, then slipped into an empty seat. The only acknowledgement as he put down the chips he'd stopped to purchase on their way in was a few nods. A couple of them even greeted Lando by name. No one showed any expression, though, presumably to prevent anyone from knowing whether their 'cards' were good or bad.
"What about him?" one man asked, jerking his chin towards Luke. He was almost as obese as a Hutt, and just as unpleasant smelling.
"He's with me. Is that a problem?" Lando asked, his eyes narrowing. Playing along with the image, Luke moved to stand behind Lando and placed his hand on the man's shoulder. Just on impulse, he moved his thumb in a slow caress on the side of Lando's jaw.
He felt the jaw muscles flex as Lando smiled, and one of the man's hands came up and held his for a moment, stopping the motion.
Luke just smiled and settled down to watch.
It didn't take long to pick up on the card combinations and their relative values. The bidding sequences were not far different from sabacc, and he spent a while fondly remembering both Han and Wedge teaching him how to hold his own in a game.
As time passed, players left and arrived until the only one still at the table who'd been there when they'd arrived was the obese human who'd challenged Luke's presence.
The man was good. Very good in fact. So good that Luke had lightly touched the Force to check that the man wasn't cheating, although he was sure that the club's surveillance made that impossible. He wasn't. He was just a very canny player.
He had also continued to watch Luke, not bothering to conceal his interest.
This was new to Luke. He'd been looked at in many ways. In hatred, by those he fought against. In fear, by those who knew nothing more than that he was a Jedi. In friendship, by those who he'd flown with or worked with in the past. In love, by those closest to him.
But now he was being watched with open lust, and it made him uncomfortable.
It was getting close to the time that they'd agreed upon as quitting time, and Lando was doing well. He'd won more often than he'd lost, and the pile of chips in front of him reflected that.
Lando's current hand was very good, and the betting was going high. One by one, the other players dropped out, until the only one left was the Hutt-like man. He just raised every addition that Lando made to the pot, until it came down to the two of them.
As the last player folded, he suddenly smiled. "Why don't we make this hand really interesting," he said in a voice that oozed like oil. Lando's eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"In what way?" he said, distrust plain in his voice.
The man reached into his robes and pulled out a large Corusca gem, the largest that Luke could ever remember seeing. Corusca gems were the hardest substance known, and could cut through anything, even transparisteel. They were also very rare, which made them extremely valuable.
He tossed the gem onto the table in a casual gesture that had onlookers gasping. "I will see your bid, and raise it with this."
Lando looked down at the still sizeable pile of chips in front of him. While it was enough credit to buy a small ship, it was nowhere near the value of the gem. He frowned at the other man.
He was greeted with a smile even oilier that the man's voice. "Yes, you can match it. All you need to do is put up your... companion as a stake."
Luke's hand tightened on Lando's shoulder as he fought the urge to laugh. In his mind he saw Jabba's floating barge, except that instead of Jabba reclining on the platform, it was the gambler, and instead of Leia in next to nothing at the other end of a chain, he was there, wearing a skimpy loin-cloth and nothing else.
Lando obviously didn't see the humor in the situation. "No," he said curtly.
"Why not? Don't you have confidence in your hand? Are you just bluffing?"
"That has nothing to do with it. I will not bargain with a person's life, especially not my lover's."
"Well then, unless you can match my bid..."
Lando glared at the man for a moment, then tossed the nearly unbeatable hand onto the table, cards facing up.
"I fold," he said, then collected the chips left to him. "It's been... interesting, but it's time for me to go."
He stood, and moved away from the table, but the other man spoke again. "Is he that good? How much?"
Lando tensed, and Luke grabbed his arm to restrain him. "I'm not for sale," Luke told the man. "At any price."
The man laughed. "Everyone is for sale, boy, whether they know it or not. What price is the only question."
Luke just shook his head, and tugged Lando away from the table. As they headed for the cashier to convert Lando's chips back to credits, Luke looked over his shoulder. The obese man was talking quietly to a man with the look of a hired-thug.
Luke frowned. "I think we should head back right away," he said to Lando in a low voice.
Lando looked back at the table, just as the thug was leaving. "I think you're right," he replied.
At the counter, it only took a moment to get Lando's credits. As she passed them through the forcefield that protected her from would-be robbers, she whispered, "Watch yourselves. Timorin doesn't give up, and he doesn't like to be defied."
Lando slipped the cash into a pouch inside his shirt and nodded. "Thanks," he said, and his eyes said that it wasn't just for the cashier service.
Outside the gambling hall, they turned and headed directly for the lift to the upper levels and the shuttleport. They were halfway there when a scream stopped them in their tracks. Luke glanced over at Lando.
"You realize that it's probably a trap," the older man said.
"Almost certainly."
"You willing to take the chance?"
"Nope. You?"
The man shook his head. "I've been in the hero business too long," he said ruefully.
The scream echoed again, and they turned and headed in that direction.
Pole City being what it was, no one else was paying attention to the screams. The fact that they weren't at the upper levels meant that there were none of the peace-keepers who were supposed to prevent crimes from intruding on the enjoyment of guests. People just got out of the way of the two men as they ran in the right direction.
The screams led them to a small alley, more a passageway between to buildings, barely wide enough to move a speeder through.
The alley was empty.
Luke and Lando stopped, just inside the mouth. Lando cursed, while Luke looked around. There was no victim and no further screams.
"Let's get out of here," he said, and they turned around. That's when they realized that they weren't alone.
There were three of them, all either results of genetic experiments or cross-breeding with Gamorreans. In other words, ugly, belligerent and oversized. Checking behind him, Luke saw two more coming from the opposite end of the alley, leaving him and Lando sandwiched between the two groups.
That in itself wasn't a problem. Both Luke and Lando were used to back- alley fights, both having done their fair share of undercover work for the New Republic on worlds controlled by the remnants of the Empire. What was worrying was the fact that the five men were all carrying blasters.
That was a problem.
It also suggested something about their employer. Security at the space station that all visitors passed through was very strict. As a Jedi Knight, Luke had been allowed to keep his lightsaber, mainly because it wasn't a distance weapon. Lando, even as a highly-respected general, had not been allowed to keep his blaster. It was on board the Lady Luck, waiting for when they left.
Now, that wouldn't stop planet-bound thugs from turning scrap metal into blades, but blasters were a different matter. For them to have blasters, they must have an employer with enough clout to get permission to bring arms onto the planet, since smuggling was supposed to be impossible.
On the other hand, Tronin and his students had been able to get excavating equipment to the surface, so maybe it wasn't as impossible as it was claimed.
The lead thug smiled; not a pleasant expression on his face. "This can be simple, or it can be hard," he said. "Blondie comes with us. You," he added, indicating Lando, "can leave, as long as you don't do anything stupid."
Then he smirked. "'Course, anyone stupid enough to run towards a scream is probably too stupid to just leave, which means we get to have fun."
Lando rolled his eyes. Luke already had his hand underneath his long vest, ready to grab his 'saber. While he could use it to stop blaster bolts easily, it was a little more problematic when there were five blasters firing from two different direction.
Lando dropped his weight slightly, moving into a fighting stance. "While I'd like to stay and chat," he said, keeping his tone light, "we really don't have the time. Perhaps some other time?"
The leader chuckled, and gestured his fellows forward.
Like most such fights, it was fast and furious. Lando quickly disarmed the first goon, dropping him to the ground with a blow that broke his nose, while Luke's saber sliced through the second goon's blaster before the man could fire off a single shot.
Then, working as a seamless team, they each grabbed one of the ring- leader's arms and slingshot him between them into the other two goons coming from the other end, knocking them to the ground.
"Idiots," Lando panted as they headed for the shuttleport as fast as the crowds would let them.
"They usually are," Luke replied. "Good thing for us."
They both breathed a sigh of relief as they moved into the brightly lit area that marked the start of the resort shuttle service area. Ahead, they could see the next shuttle for the Andos resort waiting. They headed for it.
As they neared it, a figure stepped in front of them, and they both tensed.
This man wasn't the same type as the ones who'd ambushed them. With his small stature, skinny build and pinched features, he look more like an accountant.
"General Calrissian?" he said in a prissy tone.
Lando frowned at the man. "Yes?" he replied suspiciously. The man smiled thinly.
"We do hope you are enjoying your stay on Sandrica. But..." The man paused. "We suggest that in the future you confine your interests to the present, and leave the past alone."
He nodded politely, then walked away.
Lando glanced over at Luke and sighed. "I don't like the sound of that. Some vacation this is turning out to be. Sorry, Luke."
Luke smiled, and stepped in close. He gave Lando a lingering kiss, then pulled away. "Don't be. It's certainly been interesting so far."
There was a call for the shuttle, and they boarded, arm in arm, and found themselves a seat.
Lando shifted, checking his pouch. "Well, I think we should cut our stay here short. We can go someplace else for the rest of our vacation. Just as soon as I check with Tronin."
Luke nodded. "I didn't like the sound of that last comment. We definitely need to warn your friend that he may have attracted the wrong attention.
Lando sighed, and shut off the communication equipment.
They'd arrived back at the island resort just after dawn, and had headed for their cottage right away. He could hear the sound of the shower running, and fought down the arousal at the memory of what they'd done in that shower just the day before.
The water stopped, and Luke reappeared, wearing one of the robes that the resort stocked each cottage with.
"Anything?" the Jedi asked.
Lando shook his head. "There's not only no reply, Tronin's comm unit isn't even registering. Either he's turned it off..."
"Or he's in trouble," Luke finished for him. "Get us an island-hopper, while I get dressed. Then change and we'll head for Tronin's island."
"You remember how to get there?" Lando asked, remembering how complicated a route Tronin used.
"Of course. Now move."