Tales From the New Republic

by Peter Schweighofer

  that was rumored to be the source of the legendary gambler's astonishing luck.

  It was yet another piece of evidence that suggested that this man was really

  who he claimed to be.

  The Herglic watched his shifting sabacc cards and nearly grinned. The

  Four of Coins had reformed into the Mistress of Staves, with a value of

  thirteen. He already held the Nine of Staves. Doune dramatically pushed the

  metallic cards into the neutral stabilizer field. "Twenty-two."

  Vo-Shay began laying out his cards. The Ace of Flasks, the Master of

  Flasks, and the Nine of Flasks. A total of thirty-eight. A low murmur rippled

  through the crowd. Nyo winced and looked away. The gambler was about to go

  bust.

  Chuckling, the Herglic reached for the pot... fifteen thousand credits.

  Vo-Shay played one more card into the neutral field. The Evil One.

  Negative fifteen. That brought his hand down to twenty-three. "Sabacc," he

  said, grabbing Doune's hand just as it reached the thick stack of credits at

  the center of the table. "I believe that's mine."

  The Herglic snarled. "Your luck cannot last forever, impostor."

  But it did.

  In another hour, Vo-Shay held over one hundred thousand credits. The

  crowd not only began to believe, they had completely shifted allegiance. Vee-

  Six was the lone supporter remaining in Doune's corner, and the droid was not

  exactly encouraging. "Please, Master," Vee-Six implored, "you must end this

  before-was

  "Shut up!" the Herglic roared, shoving the droid away. He slammed a cred

  stick onto the table. "One more, human... double or nothing."

  "Don't risk it," Nyo whispered, eyeing Vo-Shay's winnings. "Let's just

  cut and run."

  The gambler smiled, his pale violet pupils dilated with excitement. "I

  never back down from a challenge." He eyed his opponent. "Ready?"

  Doune nodded, nostrils flaring.

  The gambler spun the obsidian pendant on its chain, and the stone danced

  as if it were alive. More than one observer found himself transfixed by the

  sight as Vo - Shay reached for his cards....

  Nyo and Vo-Shay walked out of the gambling hall with nearly a quarter of

  a million credits.

  The young man was so excited, he couldn't stop talking. "If I hadn't seen

  it with my own eyes, I never would have believed it."

  "Well, Doune actually played the game and I'm betting he still isn't sure

  what happened." The gambler patted the youth on the back and handed him the

  small electronic stick containing two hundred thousand credits.

  "All yours, my boy. I kept the change for expenses... hope you don't

  mind."

  "Are you kidding?" Nyo's hand was shaking as he held the cred stick. "I

  can't thank you enough for this... you've literally made my dreams come true."

  "That's a lot of money you've got there." Vo-Shay studied the young man.

  "You obviously don't frequent places like that, so I'm assuming you were

  trying to win for a reason."

  Nyo glanced off into the distance, shuffling his feet uncomfortably.

  "Sorry... I have a bad habit of sticking my nose in where it's not

  welcome. Curiosity is just one of my many vices, but it gets me in trouble

  more than any of the others." The gambler squeezed Nyo's shoulder. "Whatever

  it is, I hope it works out for you."

  Vo-Shay pulled up the hood of his cloak and effortlessly slid into the

  crowd.

  "Wait!" The gambler turned, just as the youth caught up. "If you hadn't

  been nosy back there, I'd be walking home with one credit in my pocket... can

  we talk?" Nyo glanced around the bustling street. "In private?"

  Vo-Shay shook his head and laughed. "Now you've gone and done it. I never

  could pass up a good confidential chat." The gambler gestured to a dingy

  cantina in the distance. "After you..."

  The duo sat at a booth in the rear of the cantina, with a bottle of

  Corellian whisky and a good deal of space between themselves and the next

  patrons. Vo-Shay blended in so well with the shadows that it seemed as if Nyo

  was sitting alone at the table.

  The gambler downed another shot of the tangy drink and stared at his

  companion. "Well, have you imbibed enough liquid courage, yet? Or am I going

  to be sitting here all night?"

  Nyo chuckled, then grew serious. "Are you really Kin nin Vo-Shay?"

  "Last I heard."

  "Then how is it that you're-was

  The gambler held up a gloved hand. "I thought we were here because you

  wanted to reveal your secrets...."

  "Point taken." The young man took a drink and then a deep breath. "The

  reason I need the money is-promise not to laugh?"

  "I never make promises, son. I only deal in cards. Not words."

  Nyo didn't respond. He was staring into his glass, as if mesmerized by

  the smooth contours. After a few more moments of silence, he finally spoke.

  His voice was a whisper. "I want to buy a lightsaber."

  The gambler's eyes widened. "Really?"

  "You think it's stupid."

  "No! That's just the last thing I expected to hear. I figured it was

  something more mundane... a sick family member in need of an expensive

  operation, a beautiful girl you couldn't afford to marry, maybe a debt to a

  nefarious crime lord."

  Nyo shook his head. "No, nothing like that."

  "So where do you intend to pick one up? They're not exactly standard

  stock for equipment shops, you know."

  "I've heard about a black-market dealer who has one for sale."

  "Where?"

  Nyo was obviously reluctant to answer.

  "Come on, son," the gambler said, reaching for his glass, "it's not as if

  I'm going to race there ahead of you and snatch it up...."

  "Nar Shaddaa."

  Vo-Shay nearly spat out his drink. "The Smuggler's Moon!" The gambler

  narrowed his eyes and gave the young man an appraising glance. "Just how old

  are you, anyway?"

  "Twenty standard years," he said proudly.

  "And you've lived here on Morado all your life. Have you ever been

  offworld before?"

  "Well, no... but I've seen plenty of holos-was

  Vo-Shay burst out laughing.

  "What's so funny?" Nyo said, obviously annoyed.

  "Nothing! What could possibly be funny about a boy who's never been off

  his home planet traveling by himself to one of the most dangerous hives of

  scum and villainy in the galaxy with two hundred thousand credits on him to

  purchase an illegal weapon from a shady black-market dealer?" He leaned

  forward. "Are you even carrying a blaster?"

  The young man's silence answered his question.

  The gambler wiped tears from his eyes. "By the Force... you must be

  either an overconfident fool or a half-wit. Your star may be fiery, but it

  isn't going to burn long in this galaxy if you keep up this sort of behavior."

  Nyo abruptly stood, slamming his fist against the table. "I don't need a

  lecture! Especially not from somebody who's supposed to be dead because he was

  too lazy to pilot his ship around an extremely dangerous area of space..." The

  young man started to leave, but wasn't through yet. "And you may be the

  greatest gambler who ever lived, but you have a lot to learn about dealing


  with people. See you around." With that, Nyo promptly stormed out of the

  cantina.

  You never change, do you. Shay? The disembodied voice was hauntingly

  beautiful, caressing the gambler's cheek like a cool breeze.

  "Listen," Vo-Shay took a final swig directly from the whisky bottle and

  walked to the door, "if you want to put your two credits in, just leave them

  on the table... I don't have change for a tip."

  "So, how much for passage to Nar Shaddaa?"

  The Barabel captain quickly calculated his figure, then grinned at Nyo.

  With all those sharp teeth, it wasn't a comforting sight. "Twenty-five

  thousand. Paid in advance. No refund under any circumstances..."

  The young man stumbled over his words. "I... I don't know. That seems

  like an awful lot."

  "That's because it is."

  Both the Barabel and Nyo looked up at the new voice. Vo-Shay stood at

  their table, arms folded across his chest. "The boy could get a better deal

  from aJawa... and on something far nicer than the garbage scow you're passing

  off as a tramp freighter."

  Enraged, the captain stood, towering over the gambler. "You insult me....

  "

  "No. You insult him," Vo-Shay said, indicating Nyo. "And if you want to

  live to prey an another easy mark, I suggest you leave immediately. Or else

  you'll be insulting me."

  Barabels, however, are not easily intimidated. "And why should I care

  about that, little man?"

  Vo-Shay shifted his position slightly, flashing the two hold-out blasters

  he held tucked under arms.

  The captain snorted and took a threatening step forward, "I could make

  you eat those."

  "If you were that good, you'd have already done it instead of just

  talking about it," the gambler said, refusing to give up a centimeter of

  ground. "Now go; find some nerfs to herd."

  The Barabel shoved past Vo-Shay and slipped into the crowd milling around

  the bar.

  Still chuckling, the gambler slipped the blasters into his cloak and

  dropped into the vacated seat.

  "What do you want now?" the young man asked.

  "Just to talk."

  Nyo started to get up. "I don't have anything else to say to you."

  Vo-Shay reached out and quickly yanked him back into his seat.

  "Hey! Lemme go..."

  "Not until you've heard my offer."

  "What kind of offer?"

  "I'll fly you to Nar Shaddaa."

  Nyo couldn't believe it. "Why would you do that?"

  "To make sure you get there without dying," the gambler said, rocking

  back in his chair. "And so you can pay me ten thousand credits."

  It didn't take him long to consider the offer.

  "Deal," Nyo said, smiling.

  "Let's get going, then."

  The young man was already headed for the door, giddy with excitement. "I

  can't believe this...."

  Vo-Shay shook his head as he followed Nyo out. "Join the club," he said

  softly.

  "There she is." The gambler's voice was filled with the pride only a

  parent or ship captain could ever know.

  Nyo stepped into Docking Bay 49 and his mouth promptly fell open. "The

  Ashanda Ray..."

  The two men circled the graceful curves of the light freighter. Vo-Shay

  carefully slid a hand along her smooth underbelly. "She was designed by a good

  friend of mine... a Mon Cal engineer with a great eye."

  Like most ships designed by the Mon Calamari, the Ray was a model of

  efficiency, structural strength, and aesthetic appeal. More than a spacecraft,

  it resembled a handcrafted piece of art. With myriad pods, bulges, and bumps,

  the ship almost appeared organic rather than constructed-like a great ocean-

  dwelling creature.

  "She can be a headache for maintenance and repair, but other than that...

  "

  "Quite a beauty," Nyo agreed, "but I don't see any weapons... or sensors.

  Or anything."

  "What would an exotic woman be without her secrets?" The gambler laid an

  arm around the young man's shoulders. "Now come on... let's go get your

  lightsaber."

  Exhausted from his exploits, Nyo spent most of the trip in one of the

  Ray's extremely comfortable bunks.

  Vo-Shay was resting in the cockpit, half asleep himself. The ship would

  warn him if anything came up, and the smoothly accelerating starlines

  oflightspeed always made the gambler drowsy. When he heard the lilting voice,

  he wasn't sure if he was dreaming or not.

  You definitely have your moments.

  His eyes popped open. Definitely not dreaming...

  "Was there ever any doubt in your mind?"

  Do you want me to be honest, or nice?

  "Nice," Vo-Shay grinned. "So, what's the word?"

  It's hard to say right now. I need more time.

  "Don't we all."

  He's coming.

  Vo-Shay craned his neck up over the top of the chair. "Well, well. Look

  what the gundark dragged in...."

  Nyo entered the cockpit, still rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He

  unceremoniously plopped down into the copilot's seat. "Are we there yet?"

  The gambler checked his displays. "Almost You get some rest?"

  The young man nodded, surveying the cockpit.

  "Good." Vo-Shay leaned back in his chair, absently twirling his pendant.

  "You'll need to keep your eyes wide open in a place like Nar Shaddaa. Bad

  things can happen to people faster than you can even think about pulling your

  blaster."

  "That's okay," Nyo answered with a grin. "I don't have one, remember?"

  The gambler chuckled. After a few moments, he grew serious and turned to

  face Nyo. "You never told me why you wanted a lightsaber."

  "You never told me how you survived your untimely demise in the Tyus

  cluster," the young man countered evenly, "or how come you're not over a

  hundred years old."

  "An even exchange, huh? Okay, but I asked first."

  The gambler immediately recognized that distant look that crept into

  ationyo's eyes. It was the one that always prefaced the resurfacing of a

  lifelong dream and usually culminated in trouble.

  "I want to become a Jedi Knight," the young man said in a voice just

  above a whisper.

  The gambler was silent for a moment "I thought they built their own

  lightsabers when they were actually ready to wield one...."

  That seemed to deflate Nyo slightly, but he quickly recovered. "I just

  wanted to have something... connected with them. I mean, it's not like there's

  anyone around to train me. I don't know...." He stared out the viewport, at

  the stars rushing past. "I guess I thought that if I felt a lightsaber in my

  hands, there'd be some kind of magic, you know? You have to take your first

  step somewhere, and this was the only path I could find."

  Well spoken, young one.

  "Huh?" Nyo snapped out of his reverie and glanced back at Vo-Shay. "Did

  you say something?"

  "Wasn't me," the gambler said with a wink.

  "So, I held up my end of the bargain... now, let's hear your story."

  Something caught Vo-Shay's eye. "It'll have to wait."

  "Why?"

  The gambler's hands were already dancing over the controls, abruptly

  dropping the Ray out of
hyperspace. "Because we've got company...."

  "I've got a bad feeling about this." Vo-Shay tracked the three incoming

  ships on the Ray's sensors.

  "Who is it?"

  "They haven't introduced themselves yet, but somehow I don't think it's a

  welcoming committee." The gambler eyed the display and frowned. "One Ghtroc

  freighter and two Z-95 Headhunters. Could be worse, I guess...."

  "How? We're already outnumbered."

  "But never outclassed." The comlink sounded its shrill call, drawing Vo-

  Shay's attention "It sounds as if they want to talk. That's always a good

  sign."

  "This is Captain Yarrku of the Night Raider...." came the filtered voice.

  "He sounds familiar," Nyo said.

  Vo-Shay grunted. "It's that Barabel from the cantina."