The Gambler's Den (Month 8, 57BBY)

“Several hours yet, I’ll get you some food and then you should rest,” he said in that tone he took on when he did not want her opinion. He sat with her for a while longer and ate a ration pack with her. She wouldn’t lie down but she had agreed to sit in the co-pilot’s chair so he could keep an eye on her. He had some of her clothes on board and he suggested some of the nicer sort. He dressed in a dark gray suit and he gave her his Lightsaber. She had tried to argue but she finally relented. They both knew who was the better swordsman and Tarian wasn’t exactly helpless. He was strong in the force.

“You’ve been cleared to land on pad 41 Beta,” the woman said on the comms and Tarian wheeled the ship around to make the landing. As soon as the landing struts bounced they were down and the ship's engines powered down. “I’d ask you to remain here but I’m detecting an unusual amount of defiance in you Amara. We’ll go together,” he said. “We’ll have to get our currency exchanged. I doubt I have enough for a new hyperdrive,” he said.

As they exited the ship he asked R2 to remain behind and fix the other, smaller things they did have parts for. The R2 unit complained but relented in the end.

The settlement on Vorzyd V was like a massive nightclub. As they made it into the main courtyard the area seemed to come to life. There was music and performers. Stalls of goods by the hundreds with criers hawking their wares and prostitutes who danced and rubbed up against them as they passed. In several areas they saw slaves being sold and in dark corners they detected men and women who watched those in the courtyard with hungry, dangerous looks. There were large platforms above them where the various gambling games and clubs were. The wealthier sort spent their coin up there and that was where they needed to go.

In the elevator they were approached by drug dealers and it took Tarian to get physical with one for the rest to leave them alone. Once the elevator reached the platform they stepped out into what looked like a large gambling hall filled with games of all sorts and lights and sounds so bright and loud that he could barely hear what Amara said to him. There were large, colorful silk tents here and there on this level and as they passed by they got a good look at what was going on in one of those tents. Tarian grinned as he saw and it took Amara pulling him forward for him to look away from the debauchery that was happening in the tent.

“Those machines are coded, we’ll have to play something controlled by a person,” he said as the exchanged their credits into Nova Crystals which seemed to be the currency of choice here. Tarian was a very good Sabacc player and he saw several games going on here and there around the level. He paused and turned to face her.

“Take your rings off,” he said and he adjusted her dress so she showed alot more cleavage than before. “I think your breasts have grown my love...I’d take a closer look at them if we weren’t busy,” he said as he looked at them. He also took her hair out of the ribbons it was tied up in and fluffed it out so it was free on her shoulders. He pocketed their rings.

If she weren't pregnant, Amara would have felt more comfortable being on the planet. Being pregnant made her more vulnerable however. She followed Tarian off the ship and they made their way through the streets. Tarian planned to gamble in order to get the money they needed to buy a new hyperdrive. The streets were loud and crowded with hawkers selling their wares, buyers, prostitutes, and slaves. She followed Tarian closely and ignored the looks from the people they passed.

They boarded an elevator to go up to the areas where the wealthier gambled. A drug dealer attempted to sell them some of his wares, but Tarian quickly made him realize that they would be left alone. They stepped out into a gambling hall and Tarian exchanged their credits for Nova Crystals. She hoped they would get the money they needed. Tarian suddenly turned to face her and quietly instructed her to take her rings off. He adjusted her dress so it showed off more cleavage than it had before. She smiled a little when he commented on her breasts.

"Well, I will be feeding two babies in four months."

She watched him as he pocketed her engagement ring and then looked at him. "You know we could just sell my ring. That gemstone is rare. It would certainly bring us the money we need."

Tarian smiled at the thought of her breastfeeding. A babe on each nipple, now that would be a sight. His smile alluded to he wanted to do that too and right now but what she said next shocked him. “And I’ll try and forget you just said that wife,” he said. And then he raised a hand just above her face. Tarian concentrated a moment and Amara felt the force surge into him. He waved his hand down slowly and she felt a slight tingle on the flesh of her face. He smiled and then he did the same to himself. When he moved his hand away so she could see he smiled at her gasp. He no longer looked like the Tarian...her husband that she knew and loved. He looked like someone else. Handsome with dark hair and dark eyes but different without a hint of the dark side’s influence in his features.

“Alright, you are Orlana and I am Kessan,” he said. “I assume you remember how to get men to notice you?” he asked with a wink from another man’s face. All the players were men. He nodded and when she did they sauntered over to the table.

“Sir, the table minimum is 4NC,” he said and Tarian shrugged and handed him the 4 Nova Crystals that he had used to exchange his credits. It was their entire stake If he lost here they’d have nothing

Amara knew that Tarian would never let her sell that ring. She truly didn't want to, but if it got them the money they needed in order to get their ship fixed and get their unborn children to safety then she would do it. However, she trusted Tarian to get them what they needed.

Suddenly, Tarian raised his hand to just above her face and he concentrated for a moment. She felt a tingle on her flesh and then down her body. She watched him then do the same to himself. She gasped when he pulled his hand back and his face looked different. He was still handsome, but he did not look like himself. She realized that she must look different as well. She then looked down at her body and saw that her pregnant belly had been disguised as well. When he asked her if she remembered how to get men to notice her she simply grinned.

They walked over to the table, which was all men. She watched 'Kessan' as he sat down and felt a twinge of nervousness when she realized that the minimum was all they had. If he lost, then he would lose everything. She slowly began to walk around the table. As she did she gently ran her fingers across the back of their shoulders. As the men looked at her she smiled and winked.

Sabacc was a game of guile, luck and the ability to keep ones features in an absolute calm. Tarian waited for the cards to be dealt. He had a terrible hand but with a wave of his hand on the face of 2 cards, he suddenly had an incredible hand. He was indeed pleased that no other players for force sensative but they were a mixed bag of races. The bets went around the table and the exchange of more cards though Tarian asked for none.

When Amara moved past the chubby Twi’lek she got a ham fisted goose on her bum as she passed by him. He chuckled and exposed his horrible teeth. Another player, a Rodan pulled her down onto his lap.

“Chobi, chobb, to chab,” he said. He had said. ‘You can sit here for my good luck.’ She quickly noticed he too was very free with his hands but he had asked for too many cards and his once good hand got much worse. After all the cards and betting moved, two humans folded and the others stayed in the bet. The cards came down and Tarian won the hand and a sizable purse on this hand. The Rodan grumbled and let her up. Obviously she wasn’t the good luck he wanted right then.

Amara had seen what Tarian had done with his cards. She gave him a little smile and suddenly felt better about the game. She allowed the males to touch her, as long as they didn't get too handsy. However, a Rodan grabbed her and pulled her down into his lap. She smiled at him when he touched her, but didn't tell him to stop. She could see his cards and glanced at Tarian and gave a very slight shake of her head. When he lost the hand he allowed her to get up and she gave Tarian a smile. she walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck from behind. She rubbed his chest a little in a flirtatious way.

And so the game continued. Tarian made it so he didn’t win every hand but he won enough so that the men around the table thought they could win. At the end 4 of the 6 players left the table with nothing and Tarian had enough Nova crystals to buy another whole ship. Several seedy looking characters were watching them as he collected his winnings.

“Hey, I’m looking for information on anyone that could repair or have the parts for a G-Type Aurora,” he said as the man handed him the small case that held all of his crystals. He handed the man one.

“There’s a merchant in the Lorell wing of the complex. He’ll fix you up sir,” the man said and Tarian nodded and stepped away. Back down in the elevator several men got on with them and both he and Amara saw enough bulges in the wrong places to know they were going to hold them up. When the first man turned around with his weapon drawn Tarian pulled it from his grasp with the force. The others pulled their weapons but Amara whipped up her lightsaber.

Amara continued to walk around the table and 'distract' some of the other males while Tarian played the game. She took notice of his technique of not winning every hand, but by the end of the game he had more than enough money to buy a new hyperdrive. She pretended like she was only leaving with him because he had won, and not because they were together. They boarded the elevator and Amara took notice that several men got on with them. She could immediately sense danger and was already prepared when the first man turned around with his weapon drawn. After Tarian pulled it out of his hand using the Force, she pulled out her lightsaber and easily destroyed the weapons.

In the face of a glowing red lightsaber real terror was painted on the men’s faces. Tarian smiled and then proceeded to used the weapon he held against them. One by one he blasted them though 2 of them jumped off the elevator platform to their deaths. Tarian tossed the weapon aside and straightened his shirt as the elevator stopped.

Those that had waited to get on stepped back in shock as he and Amara stepped off and dead men were in a heap behind them still on the platform. It took them several other skybridges, platforms and elevators to finally make it to the Lorell wing. The merchants here looked much more well-to-do and Tarian spoke to one of the dealers and negotiated a replacement hyperdrive and manpower to affect the repair.

All in all they ended up repelling 2 more attempts at robberies against them before they were back at their ship. When they arrived the parts and men to make the repairs arrived in a small shuttle. He looked at Amara. “Go rest, I’ll oversee the repairs,” he said.

Amara and Tarian had to fend off several more robbery attempts as the made their way to the Lorell wing. There, they found a dealer and negotiated a price on a replacement hyperdrive and also on the labor to make the repair. They made their way back to the ship, fending off two more robbery attempts. As the men and parts arrived, Amara realized just how tired she was. Carrying twins was exhausting on her body and she did not argue with Tarian when he suggested she go lie down and rest. She nodded and gave him a little kiss before heading into the ship and going to the cot to lie down. She quickly fell asleep.

Amara woke to the sound and feel of the ship taking off once more. Tarian piloted the ship out of the atmosphere and once he confirmed his course he made the jump to hyperspace once more then had R2 pilot the ship so he could go back and check on his wife.

He found Amara on her side with her hand over her swelling belly. He knelt down beside her and kissed her forehead. “How are you feeling my darling?” He asked. She looked tired but otherwise she looked hail. “We should be at Belderone in a couple hours,” he said as he gently pushed back a few strands of hair behind her right ear.

“We lost our base, but we did not lose one another or our family,” he said. “You are everything Amara, you and the babes,” he said.

Amara felt the ship's engines start up and her eyes slowly opened as the ship took flight. She felt the comforting feeling of the ship jumping to hyperspace and she smiled as he walked back to check on her. She moved over and gently pulled him down onto the bed with her. He lay on his side so he was facing her.

"We will persevere. As long as we have each other, we are home."

She became quiet a moment before speaking again, this time more seriously. "Earlier, when I was unconscious I had what I believe was a vision." She went on to explain the dream she had involving their daughter. "I have this strong feeling that it wasn't just a dream. I just don't know what it means."

Tarian listened to Amara carefully. When it came to visions and waking dreams. Sometimes the force allowed a person to see the future or at least, one possible future. His old master, Darth Plagueis was able to stop a person from dying and in some cases, bring someone back after they had died if the death had just happened. No other person could do that to his knowledge. He frowned when he looked at her.

“Talzin is very old and very powerful. If there is a link between her and our daughter, I don’t know what we can do to prevent them from meeting,” he said honestly. Talzin was the nightmother. A witch on Dathomir. She had nightsisters and nightbrothers to do her bidding and she was well versed in the dark arts and in the dark side of the force.

“Perhaps this is something we need to address directly. Perhaps I will go and speak to her about this,” Tarian said.

Amara knew a little about the Nightsisters and Nightbrothers, but she wasn't sure how she felt about this vision of their daughter on the throne of Dathomir. She looked at Tarian when he told her he would go and speak to the Nightmother directly. "Have you met her before?"

Tarian winced. He had met them before. He also had been chosen to ‘participate’ in one of the nightsisters ‘rituals’. “I’ve been to Dathomir. When I was younger, just an Apprentice,” he said carefully. “I’ve seen Talzin but I never spoke to her,” he said not wanting to really get into that to much. He wasn’t proud of that experience.

“The sisters were after force sensitive people to breed with them. Maybe they still are,” he said. “Their witches and take their rites and rituals seriously,” he said.

Amara didn’t know why but she got an odd feeling about Talzin and the Nightsisters. She had a feeling that this was not going to be the last she heard about them. She sighed and moved into Tarian’s arms.

“Just be careful. I have a strange feeling about all of this.”