Volume Two
The heavy speeder glided slowly through the black sky of Smuggler's Moon, crossing the night side. Below stretched a sea of lights, above sparkled indifferent stars.
Between them was the perfect place for invisible flame, connecting lips, souls, hearts...
The stars, twinkling over Nar Shaddaa, remained high above the bluish-gray haze of smog, into which, as the machine descended, all levels of the Moon were plunged. But in Sher's eyes, when she discreetly glanced at the pilot, their high light flared, for which love was too little.
Nar Shaddaa closed in on their car more and more from all sides, and the girl seemed not to notice. She was simply experiencing something that was difficult to express in words – tenderness for the person she loved, tenderness almost to the point of pain, which beat in her heart like a hot spring, admiration and a desire to protect him from grief and bitterness… She was experiencing her happiness, the happiness of loving, the feelings no longer tormented her with their unspokenness… Happiness from Nick's presence. So close that her head was spinning… Happiness, whatever happened…
After some time, the machine landed in a sector where people from the lower and middle levels rarely went, and most often not of their own volition. Nar Shaddaa had its own elite, and this elite did not want to be bothered with trifles. They eyed the strange couple, but Nick remained calm and confident, as if he had every right to be there. They were allowed into the garden on the roof of one of the skyscrapers with a small cafe in the center – the rule of not bothering confident visitors worked. One could seriously get into trouble by disturbing the wrong person.
There were almost no free tables, but the pilot found one in the depths of the garden, guided by his supernatural intuition, and this finally reassured the guards: he clearly wasn't here for the first time if he knew his way around. Pushing a chair for Sher, he waited for the girl to sit down, and snapped his fingers to call a waiter.
This cafe in the garden was truly a paradise, and not just by Nar Shaddaa's standards. The real rustle of green leaves, the gentle fragrance of bushes, whose white and crimson flowers with translucent petals of a peculiar shape were gathered in large inflorescences… A fantastically beautiful vine twined around the trunks of some trees, hanging down from them with five-winged cups of bright purple color. One wanted to breathe here… Ani Wedge could only get to such a place in one case. But she never considered this possibility.
"Nick, you'd think you come here every day," she whispered with a smile, before their table was rushed to be served.
Yes, he was not like everyone else… And not only because he was gifted. His eyes… Like the foliage of these trees in the garden. Green…
"Not every day, but I've been here before," he replied in kind. "The most important thing is to make the interface a plastiblok in time..."
Nick winked at the girl and took the menu from the waiter.
"What will you order, Sher?"
Did she need anything else? Sher smiled, raising her gray eyes to Nick.
Although, no, probably needed.
"Kaf, very strong and very hot," she said.
"To wake up, if this is a dream."
Although she really didn't want to wake up...
"Make two Hapan-style," the pilot ordered. "With lemon ice cream and a spoonful of brandy. Biscuits with coffee filling."
The waiter repeated the order, a slight bewilderment audible in his voice. Usually, people ordered something else... but his job was to convey the visitors' wishes to the chef.
When he left, Nick clicked a small lighter and placed it on the table.
"I love Hapan cuisine," he said quietly. "Unusual. And delicious."
Sher shook her head with a smile.
"And I haven't had the chance to try Hapan cuisine, Nick. Neither in the cadet mess nor later, in the officers' mess, were we introduced to it," she admitted with a laugh. "Well, and here I sometimes didn't even notice what I was eating."
With one movement of her head, she tossed unruly strands of hair behind her back, and as she looked at the lighter, sparks danced in her eyes.
"I hope we're not going to set anything on fire here, Nick? It's so nice here..."
An unclear play of light reflections on the trembling foliage, the subtle aroma of mixed herbs... But perhaps it wasn't entirely about that...
"This is from a special cosmetic kit," the pilot grinned. "I don't want us to be overheard. A portable soundproofing dome..."
He covered the girl's fingers with his palm.
"Honestly, I also love Hapan cuisine by reputation," a boyish grin played on his thin face. "But lemon ice cream and brandy can save the worst kaf."
The girl's fingers trembled at Nick's touch.
"Your establishment is full of surprises, Nick," Sher said quietly, averting her gaze from the interesting lighter. Her fingers slipped out from under his palm to gently touch Nick's long fingers.
"And brandy too..." she said barely audibly, looking at the pilot with gray eyes that took up half her face.
"Just one spoon," the pilot assured her. "But maybe I should order a decanter for two?"
A smile slid across Sher's lips.
"Well, yes," she confirmed. "It's common knowledge – medics guzzle pure rectified spirit, and military medics even add kaf to it. To get everything at once. And then they operate, treat, save with brilliance... Although..."
The girl smiled, looking at Nick:
"Just like pilots after the Whyren's – they fly even more virtuously."
Shadows from the lacy foliage of the trees slid across Nick's green eyes...
"Regarding medics, I'm afraid that's just a legend, so let's not test it on me," she laughed.
The waiter who appeared glanced at the lighter. The pilot grinned, took a flat cigarette case from his breast pocket, and took out a cigarette, crumbling it in his thin fingers.
"I'm quitting," he explained to the girl, although the phrase was addressed to the overly observant waiter. "And I don't want to spoil the air with smoke..."
Two cups of dark liquid, smelling strongly of spices, with two icebergs of golden color floating in them, were moved from the tray to the table. A plate with tiny, bite-sized biscuits was also added. The waiter clarified if anything else was needed, received a negative nod, and left.
Nick immediately sipped the drink and grunted, surprised and amused.
"I thought it would be something terrible, but it's delicious."
The aroma of freshly brewed kaf and spices… This combined smell seemed strange to Sher… and alluring. She touched the cup with her lips, taking a tiny and very slow sip, listening to her sensations.
"The aftertaste is unusual… But very pleasant. Very tasty, Nick, you're right," the girl looked at Nick.
"And the cigarette case, Nick," she remembered. "Is it also – not just a cigarette case? And the cigarette – not just a cigarette?" Sher grinned, aiming for a biscuit.
"Of course," the pilot grinned. "Useful little things, just in case... Enjoy, Sher. You won't even get this at 'The Haven'."
He smiled conspiratorially.
"Shall I tell you a little secret?"
"A secret?" Sher's eyes sparkled. "A professional one? Of course, Nick! You can even reveal a bigger secret."
She tossed her hair back:
"I'm all ears, I've even lost my appetite," the girl announced, placing the cup on the table.
"That's an absolutely unacceptable loss!" the ex-ISB operative objected. "And the secret is very simple. When you find yourself in such a place, boldly demand something special. Even a Hutt tail in Gallimard sauce. You don't necessarily need to know how this dish is prepared or what it looks like – they'll make it anyway, if only out of fear of losing their reputation, even if nothing like it has ever existed in the galaxy before... Today, the chef of this cafe invented Hapan-style kaf, and I wouldn't be surprised if a new item appears on the menu of exclusive drinks."
He laughed at his own prank, light and joyful, listening to himself with surprise. All his previous experience told him that he was behaving unacceptably. Too frivolous. Too careless. Too... free.
It was just that the taste of this freedom was such that it was impossible to refuse.
The taste of hot southern wind...
Sher laughed, her adoring gaze fixed on him.
"Nick… Thank you for the advice. I suspect you've added to the menus in many establishments in a similar way! Judging by the taste of the Hapan-style kaf…"
His laughter echoed in her heart with a hot surge of happiness. He's laughing, he's happy! That's what Sher had secretly dreamed of since their first meeting. And now even Nar Shaddaa seemed bathed in sunlight to her, just because he was sitting here next to her. And with his smile, he reminded her more of a boy from Corellia than an adult man…
Sher looked at the bottom of the cup, where only dark kaf sediment remained, and looked up hopefully, where the leaves rustled.
"What do you think, Nick, are there any insects around here?"
"Flies are everywhere," the pilot stated with the air of a seasoned entomologist. "Do you want to pretend there was an insect in the cafe and demand another portion as compensation?"
"No," Sher smiled, shaking her head. "I just remembered… It won't work now," she raised her laughing eyes to Nick. "It would be funny here, nothing more. But when we were perpetually hungry cadets, we sometimes used it. And the indignation looked quite natural, because the guys really wanted to eat," she pushed the empty cup away from her with one finger.
"But you, Nick, probably never did that…" Sher looked at him with a smile.
"I was a model student," her interlocutor assured her. "Believe it or not – the whole course took me as an example..."
What kind of example he preferred to keep silent.
"You know, Nick, that's probably the easiest thing to believe," Sher admitted, not taking her eyes off him. "And can you tell me what you particularly excelled at? Or is it…"
The intercom interrupted her again mid-sentence. And she again declined the call, pushing away the intrusion from outside into her happiness. At least for a little while…
"Excuse me, Nick," Sher put away the intercom, feeling a burning desire to drop it right off this skyscraper.
"I'm a pilot," her interlocutor reminded her. "That's what I've truly excelled at. When we fly away from here..."
The call made him pause.
"I'll show you what it means to fly for real. If, of course, the captain doesn't mind."
"I really want to see that, Nick," Sher said, looking up at him. "To see the stars not from the transport or hospital ship, and to know what it's like," she mechanically moved the cup closer to her, "to fly with a pilot who reached for the controls of my speeder, saying: 'I am a pilot,' even while losing consciousness… And to see what you are like, Nick, when you fly," she finished, not noticing how she was twirling the cup in her hand. "That was the decisive argument when you offered me a place on the crew… Although no," she corrected herself, smiling. "That was the only argument…"
"Show you?" the pilot squinted at her playfully and looked like the same gray-haired boy she had called him. "A speeder, of course, is not a ship, but on Tatooine, even a sand toad will do for trout..."
"Nick, are you still asking?!" Sher exclaimed with shining eyes. "Of course!" – it seemed she could no longer sit still in anticipation of the flight. Even the charms of the green garden paled in comparison.
"Then shall we go?" the pilot snapped his fingers, and a waiter appeared next to the table. Nick paid, reasoning that his partner wouldn't go broke from two portions of kaf and dessert, and casually threw in: "It's not quite like what I drank before, but not bad..."
And he led the girl to the exit.
Sher didn't keep him waiting, easily sliding off her chair. The corners of her lips twitched and crept upwards at Nick's remark about the Hapan-style kaf, but she restrained herself and walked beside the pilot, melting laughter in her eyes and a heart pounding in anticipation of the flight in her chest.
At the car, Nick paused for a couple of seconds before opening the door for Sher. A safety check, which he had been forced to undergo for so long, relying only on simple human feelings and the mercy of the Force... Now he could afford this luxury. Thanks to this girl, who didn't care that he was no longer young...
It was amazing. Strange. Incomprehensible and incredible, and he would never have believed that such a thing was possible. That positive emotions could give no less than someone else's life force. More than anger. Rage multiplied by fierce hunger of the Force would quickly restore his strength, but would leave an emptiness inside that could not be filled. This abyss within him would grow until it consumed him from within.
The abyss was gone. The gap in his memory was healing, like a properly healed wound, filling with living tissue. This couldn't be.
It was.
"Fasten your seatbelts, Sher. We're going to dance now..."
The blue speeder shot into the sky, as if it too couldn't wait to show Smuggler's Moon what real flight, bursting from the very soul, was like.
It seemed the speeder had as fiery a temper as she did, judging by how impetuously it soared into the heavens… No, it wasn't about the car at all. Sher looked at the pilot. Nick was always beautiful. Even there, on the road, almost unconscious. And when he had icy eyes. And when he sculpted figures from plasticine. And when he slept in the chair by her bed. But he had never been like this. He was flying. And the feeling of flight was akin to happiness. His eyes, lit from within, his face, almost youthful... She had to make an effort to look away.
"Show them, Nick!" she said excitedly, reminding herself of herself, just ten years younger.
And Nick showed them.
In the murky sky of Nar Shaddaa, music seemed to erupt, a symphony that seized the whole body and soul, merging them into one with the metal body of the machine, subordinating breathing, heartbeat, every movement of sensitive fingers on the controls to a single rhythm...
Sher's emotional response became the last straw that broke the dam, an unstoppable torrent of feelings broke free – and perhaps only the sky could contain it entirely...
The speeder wasn't flying – it was truly dancing, soaring and falling like a fallen leaf in the wind, circling and flipping, and with it, the pale stars of the terminator, the lights of Little Coruscant…
And the lights of the machines flying below.
Sher watched with amazed, burning eyes… What he was doing… It was impossible! No human could do this… Only Nick? But how beautiful it was… This dance captivated her too. And her heart flew, falling down with the machine, trembling with delight mixed with cheerful horror… She herself soared in an intoxicating feeling of complete freedom. An almost ghostly dance of stars around the speeder… a fall into a bottomless ocean, where lights glowed strangely… Where were they? In what world? Who were they? Her heart beat and sweetly froze…
"Oh, Nick…" a whisper escaped her, like a moan.
The pilot, now completely open, could not help but perceive what the girl was experiencing. The depth of feeling, which she herself was unlikely to have realized, echoed in the dark depths of his own soul and returned doubled, sweeping away natural barriers of consciousness, threatening to drown, to make one choke on the force of emotions.
A resonance, destructive and unifying, cleansing souls of all superficiality, rang and beat between them, reaching an unimaginable purity and height, leading the people involved in it along.
"Old man, right?!" a triumphant silent exclamation flew over Nar Shaddaa.
This fusion was deeper and more complete than any, even the closest embrace...
Barriers were swept away, boundaries erased… A high note of resonance rang out, freeing consciousness. No obstacles could withstand this hurricane of feelings. Sher felt as if she would die now, exhausted by the unimaginable force of what she was experiencing. She no longer existed separately. But she felt Nick as herself... And the pain, the depth of which she could only guess at before, and the exultation, and the fear of loss, and the desire to protect her, and what lay as a weight in the depths of his soul. Amplified by resonance to incredible strength, this stream pierced her consciousness and merged with it. And there was no need to tear her heart from her chest and give her soul – her heart and her soul already belonged to Nick… This was a frightening closeness, comparable to the loss of one's own "self." This was what he was protecting her from. He was afraid of scaring her. And this was like a continuation of their dance among the stars… A rise of emotions to an unimaginable height… a fall into dark depths… Boundless tenderness bordering on pain…
Exhausted by the force and depth of the feelings that had crashed down on her, she turned her head and looked at the pilot with a weak smile. A tear rolled from the outer corner of her eye and continued its journey down the girl's cheek. What she felt could not be called mere happiness. It was beyond that feeling…