Life Goes On (Sequel to 'Incurable') **Updated 3/08**

WOOOOOOOO!! I am finally done with marching band!!

FREEDOM!!!!!!!!!!! *dances*

 

From marching to dancing? You're feet are not free!

 

LOL.. good point, Casp.

 

Ay?Tasha wrinkled up her nose at the putrid scent that seeped from the walls of the ship. They had broken into the spacecraft of Xavier Carillyo, scavenging through the ships for any leads. So far, all they had found was dirty clothes, broken bottles, and heaps of trash. ?Are you sure he wasn?t half Gamorrean?? she mumbled as she stepped over a heap of rags.

She had found no leads in the cockpit, minus the fact that Xavier was obviously no mechanic. The lounge and food unit was too disgusting to touch, Ay?Tasha simply sifting through things with the barrel of her blaster.

She could tell that his ship was that of a smuggler?s: certain areas were too neat and pristine to match those of the lounge. She tread carefully down the hallways, listening to her footsteps as she went. Some ulterior motive was behind Xavier; no bounty hunter would be stupid enough to take his own life for a simply job. What is he hiding?

She could hear Kimbal?s loud footsteps coming up the hallway, eyeing him as he came out of the cabins. ?Anything?? He shook his head, giving a small sign as he clipped his saber onto his belt.

?Nothing. No records, no paperwork, not even a spare credit laying around.?

Tasha frowned as she continued walking. Something was up, she knew that. She stepped onto a floor board, hearing a hollow echo beneath her. She froze, stepping backwards onto the previous panel, which caused naught a sound but the click of her boot against it. She stepped forward again, hearing the hollowness beneath her. ?Helllo?? she drawled, stepping back once more then crouching down beside it. ?What have we here??

?What is it?? Kimbal asked, coming to her side and kneeling down. Ay?Tasha pulled out a viroblade and ran it along the edge of the floorboard, gently pushing until the floorboard popped up. ?Jackpot,? she mumbled, putting the knife away then pulling open the panel. She slid it off and set it aside, peering down into the deep hold below. ?Grab me a glow rod,? she demanded, stretching out her hand while she waiting for Kimbal. She felt him place one in her palm, snapping it to life as she lowered it into the hold, finding large crates scattered throughout the bottom.

Shifting her position, she put her legs into the hold, slowly lowering herself inside. The green light bounced off the walls, Ay?Tasha calculating that there must have been fifteen crates down below. She brushed off the label of a first box, frowning as she could not read the print. She grabbed an edge of the lid, pushing it up with all her strength. The lid slowly gave way, hissing slightly as air was released from it. Finally the lip popped off, a strong scent escaping from the crate. Ay?Tasha swore under her breath as she ran her glow rod over the contents, seeing them shimmer in the green light.

?Well,? she proclaimed as she eyed the crate of glitterstone, ?this explains a lot.? She replaced the lid and continued to search through the hold, examining all the labels to discover it was all glitterstone. Finally, she came across a smaller box, popping it open to find old pieces of parchment, names written on all of them. She shuffled through the list, her eyes fixing on a single name. ?That?s interesting,? she breathed. She grabbed the paper then headed back to the hole. She shoved the glow rod into her belt and bit down on the corner of the paper. Climbing onto a crate, she reached up to grab Kimbal?s hand, the Jedi pulling her out quickly.

?What is it?? he asked, eyeing the paper warily.

Ay?Tasha pulled the parchment from her mouth. ?A list of clients. A rather interesting list of clients, at any rate.? She placed her finger next to a name and held it up for Kimbal to read. His eyes shifted towards the name, slanting dangerously as he saw the name Junuh Ekstein staring up at him.

~~~~~~~~

After turning the ship over to the authorities, Kimbal and Ay?Tasha made a mad dash back to the Temple. He quickly inquired with the front desk as to Junuh?s whereabouts, th

 

Damn! Due to JCF guidelines I can not vent my true feelings on this turn of events, but I'm glad Kimbal punched Junuh, ( yes I know he had nothing to do with the kidnapping), but it felt good any way. , and thank you dear author, it's about time he kissed that girl, even if it was just a little one. guess you can tell I'm still a fan. 7

 

Heheh, thanks 7.

 

Up!!! for AULD LANG SYNE 7

 

*throws confetti*

Happy New Year!

 

RISE!!!!!!!!

 

And I found this again! Woohoo!!

Splendid, Miana. Now find her!

 

Thanks 7 and Ty!

Alas... school has taken over once more. However, it shall not reign for long (I hope).

 

Not the worlds greatest post, but it does give some insight (and also the reappearance of a sorely neglected droid).

*********
?Where is she??

Kimbal stood back as he watched Ay?Tasha work. At the present, she held a fellow bounty hunter by the throat, pressing him tightly against the wall. Slowly, but surly, they had begun the long process of hunting down the infamous Mancirith. Kimbal watched as the portly man quickly squealed out a name, assuring Ay?Tasha rather rapidly that it was the one she needed. They were close now... according to the bounty hunter, they almost had her. He winched slightly as he saw Ay?Tasha knock the poor man unconscious. He had to admit, he had never seen her so dedicated in their months together.

?Let?s go,? she demanded, leading the way out of the dingy alleyway back into the lower levels of Coruscant. She spoke not as she marched back to the Tiegel, punching in the security numbers with an overdose of ferocity. Her boots clomped loudly against the durasteel as she entered her ship, heading into the lounge. ?Ike!? she yelled up to the cockpit, not waiting for the droid to answer her before commanding, ?get this ship into orbit. Then, set a course for Corellia.?

Kimbal, having just entered the ship, closed the hatch behind him and entered the lounge, finding Ay?Tasha peeling off her black gloves in disgust and throwing them down onto the table. She then stomped up to the cockpit, yelling back at Kimbal to strap in, a feat that the Jedi had already accomplished.

She grumbled quietly to herself as she sat herself in the pilot?s seat, boosting the ships thrusters to lift off and enter Coruscant?s thick traffic. She quickly ? and rather illegally ? made her way up into orbit, sterring the ship clear of the planet before setting in the ship?s course. Beside her, WD-4G said nothing, Ike quietly replotting Ay?Tasha?s messy course. She shot him a silent glare, then pulled the ship into hyperspace, grumbling to herself even more.

?Problem, Captain?? Ike asked after a moment. Ay?Tasha leaned back in her seat, letting off an annoyed sigh.

?Who doesn?t have their problems nowadays, Ike? It?s the ones without problems that you have to worry about, for they have to be hiding something.?

Ike nodded his metallic head. ?Where to on Corellia?? he asked, quickly changing the subject.

?Smuggler?s Row,? she mused silently, staring at the bleakness of hyperspace. ?Just a few more ?Old Friends? we need to visit. Then we have her,? she said, her voice barely an audible whisper. Her lekku twitched at the thought. So many years of pain... they soon would be over.

Ike could sense his captain?s thoughts. ?You should go rest, Captain,? he said. ?You?ll need your strength.?

?Kriff off,? Ay?Tasha mumbled, glaring at her droid, yet at the same time rising and heading out of the cockpit. She entered the lounge, finding Kimbal seated in a chair with his feet propped up on the table. She scowled slightly, approaching the table and knocking his boots off. ?Where?d you learn your manners??

Scoffing, she sat down opposite Kimbal, propping her own boots up onto the table. ?Honestly,? she mumbled.

Kimbal smiles warily at her. ?What?s our ETA??

?It?ll take us a few days to reach Corellia. After that, two days at the least to find our last contacts. Then we?ll have her, unless she jumps planet. But that?s not Mancirith?s style. She?d rather stand and fight then turn tail and run.?

Kimbal raised an eyebrow at the Twi?lek?s bitter tone. ?And how do you know so much about her? Old friend, I presume??

Ay?Tasha glared at Kimbal with her piercing yellow eyes. ?Hardly. I?ve spent most of my years trying to find her, just so I can kill her.?

Kimbal laughed quietly. ?I?d sure hate to be your enemy.? He shifted in his seat, propping his arms behind his head. ?So tell me, what did she do to earn your hate??

Ay?Tasha averted her eyes, looking down towards the durasteel as if it held interest. ?She killed my husband.?

Kimbal

 

For some unknown reason I have a uneasy feeling about this up coming meeting. Please can we have some more 7

 

Thanks 7. I can't promise when the next will be, but I'll try not to make it that long!

 

UP

 

Well, it gives me an uneasy feeling, too, but it's not a really vague unease...

 

Hi and upsy daisy. 7

 

DUDE.. yesterday was creepy..

I took my cousin Tony to the beach... coming home, we passed by Disneyland...

Yesterday, March 7, was when Julie went to Disneyland... and today, March 8th, was when she died.

Kinda creeped me out.

 

7

 

*whistles nonchalantly and kicks it up*

 

?Smuggler?s Row. You shall never find a more disgusting, flea-ridden, maggot invested pile of vermin in all the galaxy.? Ay?Tasha grinned broadly as Ike finished powering down the ship. ?God, it?s good to be home.?

?Should I keep the reserve running, Captain? In case we need a quick getaway??

?Good thinking, Ike. You never know who you?re gonna meet in this town.? Ay?Tasha pulled out her blaster, checking the power supply level. With a satisfied smile, she twirled them back into their holsters, getting to her feet and grabbing her long black overcoat that hung over one of the chairs. ?I?ll call you if anything happens, Ike. We?ll head over to Vek?emen?s first, then go from there. I doubt that little weasel has skipped-planet by now.?

?Have fun, Captain,? Ike called, turning off the last of the main engines and gearing up the reserves.

Ay?Tasha headed down from the cockpit to the lounge, finding Kimbal ready. He had donned an extra black coat of Tasha?s, making sure his lightsaber was hidden from view in all the fabric. ?You ready kid??

Kimbal nodded glumly, following the Twi?lek as she led the way down the entry plank. The docking bay smelt of mildew and rust, Kimbal wrinkling his nose at the odor. Ay?Tasha seemed not to mind it, throwing a few credits at a parking droid and walking out into the city.

It was a dark city lit only by dingy lights. Everywhere Kimbal stepped, he saw garbage and waste, and he wasn?t sure he wanted to know what was squishing beneath his boots. There were hundreds of people of all races everywhere, several glaring warily at Kimbal and Ay?Tasha as they passed. Tasha ignored them, holding her head high as she swaggered down the street.

The buildings were jammed together, looking like old, run-down shacks instead of proper facilities. Ay?Tasha headed for a small bunching of them, turning down an alley with such lack of light that Kimbal marveled that she could see at all.

They came upon a small building, an old metal sign hanging above the door. The metal was so twisted over with rust that Kimbal could not make out what it had once said. Ay?Tasha pushed open the old door, revealing a small, dingy, empty bar. The floor was covered with an inch of dust, the two present tables broken in half in a corner. Only the bar stood, a smaller, green Twi?lek standing behind the bar. A piece of dirty cloth covered his eyes, the creature tilting his head towards the door.

?What... what can I do for you?? he asked, a slight detection of fear in his voice.

Ay?Tasha smiled wickedly, strutting towards the bar. She stopped right before the bartender, chuckling under her breath before reaching across the bar and grabbing the being by the throat. ?Hello, Vek?emen.?

The Twi?lek gulped, his voice becoming frantic as he squeaked out, ?Hello, Ay?Tasha. My, what a ple... pleasant surprise. I didn?t know you were here. It?s hard to know who?s who when you can?t see.?

?Didn?t know I was here?? Ay?Tasha repeated, mocking him slightly. ?Then tell me, Vekie... if you couldn?t see me and didn?t know who I was, then why was there fear in your voice when I entered??

The Twi?lek fumbled with his words, turning his head from Ay?Tasha to Kimbal, who was standing back with his arms crossed over his chest, watching in amusement as she worked.

?His vision is not impaired,? Kimbal announced. ?He seeks to fools those who enter.?

?Really now?? Ay?Tasha commented, ripping the cloth off of the Twi?lek?s face. He winced as she did so, trying to bring his arms up to protect his face. ?Aww, Vekie, why were you trying to hide those pretty yellow eyes of yours?? Ay?Tasha asked, sarcasm dripping from her words. ?Trying to act even more pathetic than you already are??

?I... haven?t done anything to bo... bother you lately, Steruuda....?

Ay?Tasha chuckled once more. ?No, you haven?t, Vekie. You?ve been your good wormy self.? With that, she let go of the man?s throat, grabbing a chair and propping her boot up on the bar. ?We?re here for informat

 

Nothin like a saber at your throat, to encourage conversation. 7

 

A post to tie you over for a while...

*********

The housing district of Smuggler's Row seemed too quiet to Kimbal. His eyes moved incessantly, watching for the slightest detection of movement. He and Ay'Tasha had crept into a small alley across from building 4, waiting.

Behind him, Ay'Tasha was smoking a cigarra. Her apprehension was visible in everything she did; the way her hands slightly shook, the distant look in her eye, and her uncomfortable slouch. Kimbal battled down his fear as he watched the bounty hunter take a few more anxious puffs. A Jedi knows no fear...

Ay'Tasha caught his eyes, blowing the smoke out of her nostrils. "Nervous kid?"

"My only unease comes from your nervousness," Kimbal admitted.

Ay'Tasha snorted. "Don't worry about me. Just the adrenaline rush."

Kimbal knew she was lying. "With both you and I, she should be no problem."

Ay'Tasha eyed him, letting out a small sigh as she flicked her cigarra to the floor and crushed it with her boot heel. "Look, kid, about that..." Ay'Tasha slowly walked over to him, eyeing the ground. "The only person going up again Mancirith is me. I want you to find the kid, grab her, and go. Get out of here as fast as you can."

Kimbal narrowed his eyes. "Two can fight easier than one."

"Look, you don't know Mancirith," Ay'Tasha snapped. "You don't know what she's capable of. I've seen her take out five bounty hunters single handed. I've even seen her take down a Jedi."

"Then what good do you think you're going to do by yourself?" Kimbal asked, raising his voice.

"I'll distract her. That's it. Ike already has the ship ready. Just get the kid and go." Ay'Tasha lowered her glowing eyes once more. "Look.. I want you to tell Ike that... tell him to stick to our agreement. The Tiegel goes to Gaffer. He knows what to do with everything."

"Tasha..." Kimbal started, baffled at her words.

"Look, don't go soft on me kid," she growled, looking up at the building. "It's time to go. Let's move."

Ay'Tasha began walking out into the open, Kimbal catching her arm.

"Tasha... look, if I don't ma..."

"No talking like that kid. You're gonna make it." Ay'Tasha gave her best attempt at a smile, pulling her arm from Kimbal's grasp. "Let's go save the kid."

Kimbal nodded, taking in a deep breath before stepping out into the street, falling instep beside Ay'Tasha as they crossed. They entered the dingy lobby, Ay'Tasha glancing at a directory quickly, the punching the panel for the lift. The doors quickly opened, the two filing in.

Ay'Tasha eyed Kimbal as the lift doors closed, sticking out her hand. "Kimbal Underwood, it's been my privilege."

Kimbal shook her hand. "Ay'Tasha Steruuda, may the Force be with you."

The lift doors reopened, revealing a bleak hallway. The two silently filed down the corridor, stopping as they reached a door marked "BI345." Ay'Tasha paused, pulling out her blaster from its holster and turning the safety off. Kimbal unclipped his saber from his belt, fingering it on. The blade snapped to life, hissing in the silent hall. Ay'Tasha nodded at Kimbal, who nodded in return. Then, using the Force, he opened the door.

Ay'Tasha lunged forward, taking an aggressive stance as she held her blaster ready. Kimbal was right beside her, his hands holding his saber tightly. They looked around the room.

It was empty.

Kimbal eyed several scattered bags, diapers and what looked like old bottles scattered over the bed. Kimbal could feel Corra's presence in them, knowing she had been near them recently.

Ay'Tasha checked the closet and freshner, Kimbal scanning the room and declaring, "They're gone." His eyes strayed to the open window and the old fire escape present. His eyes continued looking upward until he was staring at the ceiling. "Roof. They're on the roof!"

Ay'Tasha leapt out the window, clamoring up the first few flights of stairs. Kimbal was hot on her heels, the bounty hunter slowing to a creep as she neared the

 

AHHH!!!! Miana it's not nice to attempt to induce heart failure in your faithful readers tsk tsk tsk!
That post was so thrilling, I actually did yell AHHH when Cora was dropped over the roof, and became a little teary when Kimbal went back to save Tasha, but I just knew you would'nt leave her there with that evil bounty hunter. Just a great action packed post, but who hired the bounty hunter/kidnapper, and why go through all of this drama? 7

 

LOL, thanks 7.

And as to who would hire the bounty hunter, bitter grandmother, remember?