KAYLIRA TRAMINO

Soon, they arrived at the Cliff. Kaylira showed them towards her method of getting up into the trees: a system of ropes that would pull you up towards the platform at an incredible speed.

But Han didn’t know that.

Turning her face away so that he wouldn’t see her smirk, she checked the single sturdy rope woven of vines. Satisfied, she turned back to the group. “You have to hold on to the rope in order to get up. Whatever you do, don’t let go.”

She handed it to Han. He got a good grip on it, and, as she cranked the lever, he asked, “What does this do…!”

Before he could finish, the rope yanked him up towards the platform, and his question turned into a yell. No longer hiding her smile as he shot upwards, and even chuckling a little, she led Leia and Luke towards the dumbwaiter system, which was also made up of the vine rope, as well as wooden planks. It was slower, and better if she was lifting some cargo up to the tree house, but she personally preferred the exhilarating ride that the first option provided.

“Now, if you’ll please follow me, I’ll take you up the less frightening way,” Kaylira said. Luke had a smile twitching at the corners of his mouth, and Leia was trying to hide her grin behind her perfectly manicured hand. She looked over at the young Jedi, and something in her smile must have cracked his impassive cover, then dissolved it. He smiled too.

She pulled the lever, and the lift began its ascent. In a moment or two, she heard Han land and roll, to absorb the impact, on the platform above. Muffled curses cut through the air. Luke and Leia said nothing, apparently used to this. It was then that she noticed that they were holding hands.

She suddenly felt that pang of longing again. She wanted so badly to be in Leia’s place, her place in his heart. It took all her self-control to maintain her calm expression and keep her breathing slow. She indulged herself a degree by turning away, and letting a single tear slip down her cheek before wiping it into oblivion.

But her state of sorrow was broken by the very thing that caused it. “Did you build all of this?” Luke asked, looking in wonder at the platforms and systems of ropes between them. “Because it’s amazing.” It had taken her months to complete, and she flushed happily at the praise.

The platforms, made out of wooden planks and bolts to hold them together, were no particular technical ingenuity, but they had taken some thought to build. Each had a tent made of the enormous dried leaves of the parpari plant, native to the moon, sheltering it, and walkways connecting them to the others.

The largest platform, which was anchored between two trees because of its size, housed her spare parts, taken from crashed ships on the moon, which would fall victim to the asteroid field three or four times a year. The second one, which was slightly smaller in size, housed her supplies and dried preserves. The third and central one was where she slept, ate, and tinkered on her various projects. There was another small one built in the highest branches of the main tree, which served as a lookout base and a storage place for secret things...

Han had landed on the main platform, and was there to greet them, still cursing and now scowling, when the lift came up. “What the hell was that for?” he yelled.

Ah, Kaylira thought, apparently my little prank wasn’t taken that well.

“To answer your question, can’t you take a joke? I rarely see anyone around here, and can’t remember the last time I laughed like that. If a ship crash-lands on Uluno, then usually the people in it are killed. Which is a compliment to your piloting skills, by the way.” His scowl lightened a little bit. Then, addressing the group, she said, “Now come, we can look over the parts that you need after dinner.”