DISCLAIMER: Star Wars and all publicly recognisable characters, names and references, etc are the sole property of George Lucas, Lucasfilm Ltd, Lucasarts Inc, 20th Century Fox, Timothy Zahn, Barbara Hambly, YKW and the other writers of the expanded Star Wars Universe. This fan fiction was created solely for entertainment and no money was made from it. Also, no copyright or trademark infringement was intended. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author. Any other characters, the storyline and the actual story are the property of the author.
Larin didn't know too much about space travel. What he did know had only come from his time with Cal Saphringer. And Saphringer hadn't exactly been trying to teach him about space travel. All Saphringer had cared about was letting Larin get his revenge against the people who had murdered his parents. The only thing that really stuck in Larin's mind as odd was the fact that Saphringer had never demanded any sort of payment. As if the fact that the mission was for blood was payment enough for him.
Now, as he sat in third class steerage on board some kind of cruiser, heading for some planet called Naboo, a lot of things were seemingly odd about Cal Saphringer.
Of course, Saphringer was not Larin's first choice on his list of things to think about. For the moment, however, he happened to be the clearest thing. Maybe that was the Psyenergy prodding him. Vaiya had told him many things about Cal, all of which were disturbing but none of which were surprising. He had been Vaiya's mother's---Mara Skywalker's---lover for a considerable time before she had returned to mainstream society as a smuggler, working for Talon Karrde, probably the only other name in the galaxy Larin was familiar with. Then, he'd returned when Vaiya was a child, and something had happened---even Vaiya didn't know the details. She just knew that he had found a solid place on the wrong side of her parents' feelings. And then, mysteriously, he'd shown up again, a good 13 years later, posing as his own son, Jaid Saphringer, with the youth to prove it--even though physics demanded that he look like a 50-odd year old man.
How he had done that they just couldn't figure. But before they could ask him, he'd done his damage and taken off. But not before Vaiya discovered him and took off on her own.
Which was where she had come into his life.
He sighed as he pulled himself to his feet. The cruiser had landed, and it would probably be a good idea to get as ready as possible. Besides, the thought of Saphringer was pressing on his mind, like the man was waiting for him out on the dock. He knew they weren't at Naboo--they hadn't been on the ship long enough, he didn't care how fast hyperspace was. In fact, he was pretty sure they hadn't even gone into hyperspace. So what was the deal? They were docked somewhere--maybe some bigger ship had captured them. Funny, no warning lights had gone off.
Also funny...no one else was moving.
He picked his away around the many lifeforms that littered the floor. They were pathetic, these wretches. Larin felt sorry for many of them, seeing how young and small some of them were. He passed by what looked like an old woman with long blue tentacles dangling from her head, holding a little boy that was almost a miniature of her. He bent over to put some credits in her lap, but a sudden surge of fear stopped him. He glanced over his shoulder and saw a dozen greedy eyes gleaming out at him. He withdrew his balled fist, but not without his own surge of anger.
For maybe the first time in his life, he was glad that his planet had banished Offworlders. If this was the usual lot, Durran was better off without them. But that didn't really concern Larin much anymore, since he, too, was banished.
Without even a last name.
The door slid open about twenty feet ahead of him, off to the right side of the cargo bay so that Larin could only barely make out what lay beyond. He knew he saw cold grey metal--not much else.
Still, no one in the bay was moving.
Larin moved down the short corridor to the exit ramp. He saw that they had been taken into some huge landing bay, some kind of supercruiser that could hold smaller cruisers. There were people all around, none of them looking like respectable types.
He slowly made his way down the ramp. There was no one from inside the ship posted at the exit, no one making any effort to follow him. In fact, as his feet touched the landing bay floor, the ramp immediately retracted, the hatch sealed, and the ship lifted up again.
As if the only reason it had landed was to drop him off.
For a moment, Larin could only stare. But that moment passed quickly under the knowledge that Cal Saphringer was standing right behind him.
He looked younger than Larin remembered. He was grinning from ear to ear, his bright white teeth practically shining. By appearances, he was barely Larin's age, and oozed of charm and grace. His dark hair and eyes were perfect bait for those unsuspecting types--male and female alike.
Larin counted himself lucky he'd known Saphringer a bit. Maybe if he was less prepared he would be a lot worse off right now. Saphringer hadn't really done anything to him, not directly. He had helped him, however, during a very dark time in Larin's life, so that may mean that Larin owed him a debt.
"What, I don't even get a chance to speak and you're already suspicious of me?" Cal said, extending his hand to Larin, who took it. He fought back a brief flash of embarrassment, his own grimy hand in Cal's elegantly black-gloved one.
"Good to see you, Saphringer," Larin said in his most polite voice, using the last name as an honorific. If anyone who knew him from his life on Durran, they would have accused him of blasphemy, since his own last name had been stripped from him. But Cal....Cal had insisted that Larin call him that.
"You too. Boy, you've grown up a little bit, haven't you?" Cal slapped him lightly on the shoulder, a guesture which mean to make Larin fall in beside him as he turned back toward his own ship, a big, sleek, gleaming ship the color of liquid silver.
"Not so much, not really," Larin replied, keeping his voice even and low, but falling in step beside Cal anyway. After all, his own ship was gone...."What about you? You look...younger than ever."
The big white grin returned. "You don't miss anything, do you?" Then he laughed. "Yes, I guess I couldn't expect my little charade to last forever. I mean, when you're in my kind of business, people look at youth and think they can cheat you. I originally wanted everyone to think that I was my own descendant, but that has turned out to be the last thing that works for me."
"So what are you doing out here?" Larin asked. "I mean, I thought your hangout was by Durran. I thought they were paying you to watch their territory--unoffically, of course."
Cal shrugged. "All that flying in and flying out that little Skywalker spawn did kind of get my fired. But I take losses very well."
"Apparently."
Cal glanced over at him. "You've gotten stronger since last time, Larin. I can't read you like I used to. And I don't ever admit to that. But you know, you still have so much potential."
"As what, a heavy for you?"
"You have to admit that you play the part well."
Larin shuddered. "No thanks. My days as a killer are done."
"Does Vaiya know that?"
Larin stopped in his tracks. Cal got a few steps ahead of him before he finally turned around, the expression on his face serenely calm, almost innocent. "What?" he asked.
"Maybe you could tell me," Larin said, his even tone more of a struggle now.
Cal shrugged. "Come on, son. I'm not stupid. I know all about everything that's gone on over the last week or so. I know that you left Durran with Vaiya--how else would you have gotten here from Coruscant? I imagine that she probably took a liking to you--she hovers around your thoughts, no matter what you're thinking about. You probably haven't really noticed it." The dark eyes narrowed. "But yet you left. Do you know why?"
Larin could only stare at him.
"Because I called you." He started to smile. "I called you, Larin. You knew your path with me wasn't finished. You've been thinking about me since your ship came into range. You've been thinking about how much you owe me, how I had never asked for anything when I helped you fulfill your need for vengence."
"I..." It was getting a little hard to think. "I've given all that up, Saphringer. I paid my debt when my people cast me out."
"Not to me." Cal's grin was almost gentle, paternal. "You know it and I know it. Even if you've given up the synthol you still have to pay the tab." He slapped Larin's shoulder again. "You should be so lucky that you fell in with me. Most other smugglers would have killed you the second they saw you again. But not me, no. I believe in second chances. And I believe that you have a lot of potential."
Larin resisted the urge to step back. "What's going on, Saphringer?" he murmured. "Why a sudden interest in me? Are you just trying to get to Vaiya and her family again?"
Cal snorted. "It would be all too easy to get to them now, wouldn't it? What with the delightful little drama taking place there." He grinned, as if seeing it. "Alas, I would love to take part. In fact, it may almost be worth my while to finaggle my way down there. With the state that Mara is in, it wouldn't take much to convince her that it was all a 'rebel ploy' and that she had 'married' Skywalker and produced an heir for him out of some ultimate scheme for revenge. When the time was right, I'd even convince her to kill Vaiya right before Skywalker's eyes. How satisfying would that be for me, eh?" The gleam that accompanied the words made Larin wince.
"That's monstrous," he whispered.
"Ah, yes. That's why I'm probably not going to go through the trouble of doing it. If I have something else to occupy me." Cal's eyes focused on Larin. "What say you? Are you willing to sacrifice yourself to save them?"
Larin wanted to be suspicious. He could tell by the way his mind kept resisting the sudden urge he had to follow Cal into his ship. Cal was backing away now, as if knowing that Larin would follow. Cal knew what Larin was going to do. He could feel Cal in his head, touching every weakness he had.
Protect Vaiya. Protect Vaiya's mother....you know you've sold your soul already, boy. Your last name was only a formality.
He felt very tired. Maybe Cal had a nice place to lay down on board that big, beautiful ship........