Part 3: The End
Nicodemus and Saede had finally said goodbye. This ending, like most others, was not as grandiose as it should have been. There was a lot of crying, but in the end, they both knew it was for the best. He was still trying to push the bad details out of his mind. Emotional baggage like that was never a good thing, especially when Nico had other things to think about. He had spent most of the day packing, so when the morning came he was ready to leave. They had said goodbye to each other, he got into his speeder, and then she was gone.
Nico was trying to concentrate on driving to the starport, but of course Saede was the only thing on his mind. He had no idea what he would and would not need, so he probably had gone a little overboard. Packing started light, but quickly snowballed into packing what would most likely amount to too much. He had most of his clothes, leaving only the formal attire behind such as his uniform and more elaborate evening ware. He had also packed some odds and ends, such as desk accessaries, as well as a few things that he had become emotionally attached to. His furniture and few pieces of artwork were left in a small, 2 room house that he bought about a week after he talked to the old woman on Tatooine. He had arranged for utilities to be drawn straight from his bank account when they were needed, so in theory, the meager cost of the house would take years to drain his savings. After moving the larger things into the house, he also packed away and boxed up the rest of his things, using the house for storage. He left Bantam, his little mouse droid, inside the house to clean and act as security while he was away. He made sure Bantam knew where to plug in when his battery was low and gave him instructions that if anyone other than himself were to come into the house, he was to summon the authorities. With that, he had locked the door behind him, knowing he might never see this place again.
As he thought about Saede and Bantam, Nicodemus was wracked with sadness. Perhaps he was feeling a little too attached to this place and these people. After all, he had only known them all for a relatively short time. However, that short time was the span of his whole life, his whole memory. There was still one more goodbye to say, and it was going to be no easier. Nico pulled his speeder into the small spot at the starport next to the Star Stealer and began loading it with what he was taking along for his trip. Not long after, Greenbacca pulled up on a speeder. Nico had told Greenbacca to meet him here, but had been intentionally vague as to the reason. Greenbacca saw what was going on and immediately pitched in, helping Nico finish loading his possessions onto the ship. Nico worked in silence while Greenbacca chatted idly about recent events. While it was true that Green and Nico didn’t spend enough time together, they had an understanding that some amount of space was needed. The finished loading and Nico closed the door to the storage space where his material life was now packed.
“Well, that should do it. Thanks a lot by the way,” Nico said while rubbing his hands off onto his pants. Greenbacca grunted his approval and asked where he was planning on going. Greenbacca must have assumed that Nico was going on some big hunting trip, as that is where they usually went together when they did decide to spend some time away.
“Nah, sorry big guy. I’m going on this one by myself.” Greenbacca nodded and for a moment, Nico almost reconsidered telling Greenbacca that he may never be coming back. Green had sworn a life-debt to Nico before his accident, so as long as Nico could remember, Green had always been looking out for him. It had taken quite a while for Green to forgive himself for letting Nico get hurt in the first place. If Nico told him that he was going away, presumably forever, then Green would all but insist with going with him. If Nico just left thought, he would probably never forgive himself for tricking Greenbacca as well as never really saying goodbye.
“See, I have to head out pretty far. Near the outer rim actually. You wouldn’t want to come even if you could. I don’t really know how to explain it so you could understand... think of it like I am going off hunting... to prove that I am a man. I think wookies have something like that in their culture. Anyway, I have to do this one by myself.” Greenbacca was quite for a moment before questioning where exactly he was going, and what he had to do for his ‘right of passage’.
Nicodemus sighed heavily before beginning, “Listen, buddy, I wish I could give you all the details, but I really can’t. I don’t even know exactly what is going to happen. I just have to meet up with somebody and they are going to help me out on this... right of passage. I just wanted to say goodbye... and for you to wish me luck.” Greenbacca nodded quickly several times and stayed quiet, thinking things over. Nico was quick to interject before Green could say anything, “Look, I know about the whole life debt, but you don’t need to worry. I am going to be fine. And anyway, if something does happen,” Nico choked on the words, realizing for the first time that he could seriously meet with ill fortune where he was going, “then I want you to look after Saede for me. You know you owe her as much as you owe me. I need you to take care of her. I think... you should worry about her more than you should me.”
They were quiet for a bit longer before Greenbacca caught Nico in a big hug. Nico could only return it. They finally let go, Nico looking a bit more pressed from the wookie’s great strength. Nico looked up at the wookie and scratched him behind his ears. Greenbacca let out a soft grunt of approval before exiting the ship. Nico pulled out of the station and gave his friend one more look. A short wave later, Nicodemus was pulling away from the station, Dantooine, and everything he had ever known.
Nico gave a long sigh as he continued away from the planet. The computer was calculating the coordinates for his long trip. He thought about Saede. All the time they had spent together had finally ended. All the shopping trips and picnics on different planets. All the time they had spent together was finally over. He began to think about the little things about her that he had fallen for. Her soft, strong smile. The way she would giggle at him when he was acting silly. The more he thought about her, the more it felt his heart was being pressed inside his chest. The light on the computer indicated the course was plotted. As soon as he flipped the switch, he would enter hyperspace.
He thought then about Greenbacca. All they had gone through, both the good times and the bad. Whenever he had a problem, it seemed that he could always talk to him over a glass of ale at the bar. They great times that had hunting on different planets. The way he always seemed to act like a big brother, making sure that Nico came first and was always looked after. Greenbacca was his big, wookie guardian angel.
He even gave a passing thought to Bantam. The little droid was relatively new, but was good for house work. He kept the place clean, but seemed to have a little neurotic personality to match his twitchey behavior. Nico was even leaving his little droid to fend for himself while he was on the other side of the galaxy.
Nico looked down at his lap, tumbling what memories he still had around. With a passing glance, he reached up and pulled the switch on control panel toward him and entered hyperspace.
- - -
The trip was going to take several days, even hurtling through hyperspace. During that time, Nico did everything in his power to try from going stir crazy. His ship, Star Stealer, was actually a SoroSubb Personal Luxury Yacht 3000 with only a few modifications. While it was true that Nico could have done a lot more with the ship, he simply never got around to it. The only thing that he ever really concentrated on was the hyper drive and sublight engines, which were a little faster than stock, but still far less powerful than could be added to the ship. It was Greenbacca that had taught Nicodemus most of his flying ability, and both were still a far way from Ace. Nico did, however, have the basics such as landing and takeoff down to reflex. Heavy maneuvering after that was still rather novice.
The Star Stealer was equipped with the standard entertaining supplies, such as a wet bar, lounge deck, and a small observation deck. The observation deck was Nico’s favorite, as it provided a three hundred and sixty degree view of space around the top of the ship. Nico would sit up there for hours and meditate wile he was in a gentle orbit around any number of planets, or even on long hyperspace trips like this one. The only problem with this was the location of the observation deck. If anything would happen, It would be a long mad dash to the controls of the ship. For this reason, a crew of more than one was usually recommended for a ship this size. That way, at least one person could always be at the helm while the others relaxed in relative luxury.
Nicodemus had only added a few things to the interior of the ship. He had stocked the bad with a few drinks and some non-perishable food, added some sparse furniture for relaxation in the lounge, and decorated a small cabin with a bed and desk. He had also packed the cargo hold with some survival supplies, as when Greenbacca and he would go out into the wilderness they would usually take the Star Stealer. What was packed was a little better than an average crash kit, but was by no means intended to establish any semblance of permanent residence. It was enough to get by for perhaps several weeks before the distress beacon had brought somebody to the rescue.
Nico checked the coordinates several times an hour before he rationalized that watching his progress only made the time pass slower. He spent a good amount of time trying to meditate, but he could not concentrate on anything but the life that he had left behind. It was ironic to him that he had indefinitely lost his past once, and now he was leaving what he had rebuilt remembering a life voluntarily. He tried to sleep, but encountered the same problems. The unsureness of the situation he was headed into plagued him. What if he got to his destination and nothing was there? What if he found this Mottikazzuk he was supposed to meet, and he or she wouldn’t teach him anything? There were too many unanswered questions and things that could go wrong for Nico to feel comfortable with this situation. However, he could feel something pulling him away from the life he had known. Events had been set into motion, and now that the wheels of fate were spinning, Nico couldn’t slow down his life. He could only speed these events to a conclusion.
Continue onto Part 4
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