Broken Codes

New Tricks

Tatooine: 19 BBY
Dune Sea
Nakoa Sen

It didn't take long for him to return to the ship. Oni was waiting on the boarding ramp when he arrived. He spotted a small group of Jawas close by, eyeing the Mythos greedily.

"Took you long enough," Oni called. She holstered her blasters. "How did it go? I tried contacting you again."

Nakoa held up his arm and gestured to the now bare spot on his vambrace, where his comlink had once been. "She'll take us to Baja. I left my comm with her so she could reach us."

"Why didn't she just come with now?"

"She's working as one of Jabba's dancers. The palace is too crowded. We don't need Jabba's cronies chasing after us. I told her we'd be back tonight and she'd better have a plan for her escape."

"All right. Did she ask for anything in return for taking us to Baja?"

Nakoa nodded. "She wants off Tatooine which won't be hard and she wants us to help her get some payback against Hondo."

"Why?"

"He traded her to Jabba for some spice."

"Ugh, pirates." Oni watched the Jawas for a bit. "I'm bored and those creatures are annoying me."

"Oni," Nakoa warned. She ignored him and drew her blasters. "Oni!" She rocketed into the air.

He watched her touch down beside the Jawas. They screamed and took off running towards a sandcrawler. Oni blasted at the ground behind them. She didn't stop until they had all disappeared into their mechanical fortress.

Oni holstered her blasters once more and returned. Nakoa shook his head at her. "What if they decide to destroy the Mythos as retribution?"

"They won't. Jawas are cowards. It's the Sand People who run before returning in greater numbers."

"How do you know so much about Tatooine?"

"My mother used to be a slave here. I was born long after she was freed, but she still told me everything about life here. I suppose I just remembered her stories and learned a few facts from them."

Nakoa smiled a bit, even though Oni wouldn't be able to see it. It was a rare occurrence to get her to talk about her family and her life before the covert. He still didn't know what had happened to her. He remembered the day Galaar brought her to the covert. He hadn't promised to care for Oni, as Ketei had for Nakoa, but he still checked in on her from time to time.

Oni shook her head after a moment. "What are we going to do until nightfall?"

"We can do some sparring. You had a new move to show me, I thought."

"I do." Oni let a blade slide free of her vambrace. Nakoa drew his vibroblade and fell into his usual stance.

Oni lunged at him, jabbing her blade towards his neck. Nakoa blocked with his forearm just as she kicked at his feet. He jumped and used his jetpack to flip backwards. Nakoa reversed the blade in his grip and launched his own attack. Oni blocked and struck as she could.

Nakoa kept his senses alert. She would try that new move soon. She always tried them when he least expected it. This time, he was determined not to be taken by surprise. He grunted in surprise as Oni somehow twisted the vibroblade from his grasp. In the next instant, she had kicked one of his legs up and flipped him over her shoulder.

He grimaced and rolled back onto his feet. "Was that the new trick?"

Oni picked up his blade and tossed it to him. "It was. Care to learn it?"