[Last Of The Jedi] - 07(13)

“No, it’s the best place for now,” Solace said. “Dex has a good setup. And he keeps his ear close to the ground. When it’s time to move, he’ll be ready. The asteroid was no place for Lune. And he’s the most important thing.”

Astri and Clive exchanged a surprised look. It seemed so out of character for Solace to demonstrate concern for a child. Astri hadn’t even been sure that Solace remembered her son’s name.

Or maybe Solace only cared about him because he was Force-adept.

Clive grinned at Astri, and she ducked her head before he saw her answering smile. She was still trying to sort out if she liked him. She certainly didn’t trust him. According to Trever, Clive had been something of a con man before the Clone Wars, despite all his boasts about being an industrial spy for the good guys – whoever they were. As a slicer, Astri hadn’t always been on the proper side of the law, either, but she’d been on the run from a nasty ex-husband and had her reasons.

The last thing she needed in her life was another smooth-talking charlatan. She’d made the mistake of marrying one once. Bog Divinian had swept her off her feet – straight into a life of misery. All Bog cared about was climbing the ladder to political power, and once he’d gotten a taste of Success, he did anything to keep it. He prided himself on loyalty, but basically that meant that others had to be loyal to him. He’d failed at every business he’d tried, but he turned out to be a genius at politics. Relying on his wealthy friends, keeping grudges, paying back favors, speaking sentences with all the right words but without any real meaning, he’d succeeded past anyone’s expectations. Including her own. It infuriated her that Bog had turned out to have the last laugh.

She couldn’t believe what a dope she’d been to fall for him in the first place. Her father had tried to tell her, in his sweet, bumbling way, but she hadn’t listened.

A longing for Didi swept over her, almost blinding her for a moment with sudden tears. Her adopted father had always run a scheme, usually behind her back. He’d been a gambler with a loose connection to the truth who’d won his business - a cafe - in a game of sabaac. He was an unscrupulous liar, a delightful person, and a wonderful father.

“Dex’s alley. Don’t make any sudden moves, they can get touchy around here,” Solace warned. “We’re under constant surveillance.”

Astri brought Lune closer. He was as necessary to her as breath, but she had to admit that he had basically made her a coward. When she remembered the girl who had shaved her head and gone off with a Jedi, Obi-Wan Kenobi, to track a bounty hunter, she could hardly believe she was the same person. Now she never put herself in danger. She would never risk her life again. Her life was Lune’s life.

The alley was narrow, the buildings around them seeming to crouch over it protectively. They had no windows, only slits, which gave them an ominous air. The alley twisted and turned, leading to dead ends. There was only one way in and one way out as far as Astri could see.

Solace stopped in front of a door that seemed indistinguishable from any of the dozens they’d passed. She stood in front of it for a moment. Then she heard a slight click, and the door slid open. They walked into a small, dark entryway. A short flight of stairs led to a closed door. Astri shivered. What if it was a trap?

Suddenly a door opened, and a column of yellow light shined down. Dexter Jettster’s massive bulk filled the doorway. He rested on a large lounge with a repulsorlift motor.

“Welcome, welcome,” he boomed. “Come upstairs where you’ll find friends.” He powered away to make room for them to ascend.

“Good to see you again, Solace, it is,” he said, nodding at her. “And Clive Flax - you may not remember, but we’ve met before.”

“I do remember,” Clive said. “I’m still digesting your sliders.”

Dex chortled a laugh. “They stick to your ribs, that’s for certain.”

“That’s one way to put it.”

Dex then turned to Astri. He cocked his head to one side. Astri couldn’t believe that such a massive creature could project such buoyant charm.

“And there you are, prettier than ever,” he said. “I remember the day I bought the diner from your father. I heard of his passing. I’m sorrier than I can say. He was a good man. You must miss him dearly.”

“I do,” Astri said with a smile.

Dex chortled. “Left me a good business. I changed a few things, but everyone who came in still asked for you and Didi!”

“Thank you for taking us in,” Astri said.

Dex bent over. “And this is your son.”