Act III
The rebel ship narrowly makes it through an asteroid field on its way to Ophuchi. CJ Thorpe pilots the ship through the thicket of space rock; afterward, Prince Luke exits the ship in a spacesuit to make repairs to damaged portions of the hull.
After this, the battered vessel finally limps to Ophuchi, and its infamous floating Cloud City of Tarna.
Tarna! The very name strikes fear into the heart of most citizens of the galaxy, in Alliance and Empire alike. For the kings of Tarna are in fact the most feared slavers of the space-lanes. Their black spaceships descend like locusts on defenseless planets, carrying off women and men to be sold in the thrall-markets of Ophuchi.
The outlaw city of Tarna is ruled by the House of Windom; its current king is Vance Windom, Mace’s half brother. Mace Windy, an illegitimate son of the prior King, left to make his fortune in the wider galaxy. Now he returns, asking his brother the King for aid for the people of Aquilae.
The King scorns his request; there is clearly a long-held grudge between the brothers. Lord Windom makes it clear that he will not endanger Tarna’s long-held neutrality in the Galactic Cold War by interfering in this proxy conflict.
Mace replies that Tarna’s neutrality is built on blood—the blood of innocent men and women stolen from their home planets and sold into slavery. Vance tells him that slavery is not merely a necessary evil, but a positive good for Tarna: it will provide the means to protect the city against the Empire.
When Mace asks him for an explanation, King Vance reveals that he has arranged to pay a tithe of slaves to the Imperial household annually… and the Emperor’s delegation to take possession of these slaves is even now being feted as guests of the King in Tarna.
All the rebels tense at this – but King Vance states that he will not allow a breach of the peace in this scrupulously neutral city. During their stay on Ophuchi, he says, Mace and his fellow fugitives will not have one hair of their heads harmed by the Imperial soldiers. (Of course, the state of affairs once they leave the planet is a different story!)
It soon transpires that, along with the group of Imperial officers sent to Ophuchi, there is an “honored guest” of the Imperium: golden-haired Cora Sunrider, daughter of Crispin Sunrider, the Consul of the Grand Tribunal of Alderaan. She is here as a “goodwill ambassador” whose presence on this diplomatic assignment is meant to increase ties of alliance between Alderaan and the Empire of Decarte.
(This makes for some amusing background scenes, when Imperial diplomats hit on another blonde woman attending their delegation. This woman is actually an Imperial officer, and has blue eyes in contrast to Cora’s brown.)
Mace and the other rebels are summarily dismissed from the royal presence. Afterward, though, Lord Vance’s judgment is questioned by his sister’s daughter, Mara Windom – one of the few in the royal court who can challenge the King without fearing for their position, if not their neck. (Like Mace and Vance, Mara Windom is what Darths & Droids would call “Space Japanese.”)
Mara thinks Ophuchi should not be allied with the Empire: its naked territorial aggression is too great to be stemmed even by a tithe of slaves. Vance rebuffs Mara’s criticism, and it becomes clear that his diplomacy is driven more by hatred of his brother Mace than by any sensible policy decisions.
As the rebel party leaves the royal audience chamber, an aide draws CJ Thorpe aside. Chuiee learns that his father’s Alliance cruiser, the Tarnack, has disappeared in a volatile region of deep space pocked by gravity storms: Han Dardell Thorpe and all the rest aboard have vanished, and are presumed dead.
Thorpe takes the news stoically, but it is clear that this report has devastated him.
That evening, as the sun sets over Ophuchi, CJ Thorpe meanders morosely through the beautiful streets of Tarna. As he does so, he is accosted by a beautiful girl with red hair, no more than 16 years old, clad in a coarse gray woolen shift.
She introduces herself as Zena, an escaped slave who had been scheduled for sale in the great market tomorrow. Her former master was a good man, she says, but he was greatly in debt; when he died, she was sold to pay his debts with the rest of his “property.”
Zena begs for Thorpe to take her with him and secure her freedom. While Thorpe hesitates, knowing how precarious his group’s freedom is in Tarna, three security officers approach and fire a stun-bolt at Zena, knocking her unconscious.
The officers thank Thorpe for his help in apprehending this runaway slave. As they drag away the young redhead, Thorpe stands silently, his conscience gnawing at his stomach.
The next day, the Great Market of Tarna boasts a sizable crowd watching the slave auctions. Cora Sunrider is here, among the Imperial delegation, trying vainly to hide her disgust at this display of human chattel. So is Vantos Coll, a burly, loud-mouthed, bearded champion of the pod-race circuit; the other mysterious blond woman; and CJ Thorpe, watching intently for any sign of Zena.
The Imperial officers get first pick of the choicest slaves – strong laborers and experienced concubines. Afterward, the market is thrown open for bidding on the remainder of the “stock” by the general public.
When Zena is led to the auction block, it’s clear she has been beaten in retaliation for her escape attempt: one eye is swollen shut and several of her teeth are missing. Zena is stripped for the crowd to see, though the auctioner keeps a tight grip on her upper left arm.
Vantos Coll places a high bid on Zena. However, to his great surprise, Coll is immediately outbid by CJ Thorpe. A bidding war ensues, which Thorpe wins by pledging to pay an outrageous sum of credits. Unfortunately, Thorpe does not actually have these credits.
He is rescued from this problem by the outraged Coll, who is infuriated by Thorpe having bought “his” slave girl. Vantos not only belittles Thorpe, he insults his father, Han Dardell Thorpe – and his grandfather, Chuiee the Elder, who died in battle opposing the Empire.
At that, CJ Thorpe challenges Coll, champion of the pod-race arena, to a race. Coll accepts – on the condition that they make a bet. If Thorpe wins, Vantos Coll will pay off the cost of Zena’s freedom. But if Vantos wins, he can have Zena and Thorpe as his slaves.
The pod-race is fast, long, bloody and brutal – more Ben Hur by way of Rollerball than Phantom Menace. At the end of it, Vantos is left not only defeated, but seriously injured, like Messala in Ben Hur. Thorpe now has the money to pay for Zena’s freedom.
Zena, now clad in a white gown and boots, joins Mace’s party. However, King Vance is outraged by Thorpe’s “insult to our honored guests from the Empire,” and declares that the whole group of fugitives will be arrested on the spot and turned over to the Imperial soldiery.
Mara reminds Vance that this would be breaking his sworn word, and that Thorpe has done nothing wrong by the laws of Tarna. Nonetheless Vance lets his order stand.
Tarnan soldiers move to surround the rebels. Thinking quickly, Prince Luke, who had been watching the podrace, takes Cora Sunrider hostage. Using her as a human shield of sorts to prevent the Tarnans and Imperials from attacking, the rebels make their way back to their ship.
With Cora still held as their prisoner, Mace’s party blasts its way out of Tarna. Imperial ships follow in hot pursuit. A tense conversation about where to go next erupts in the cockpit of the stolen rebel vessel.
Mace advises that the rebels make for Norton II, an ice planet ruled by Kane Highsinger, a former Jedi and good friend to the wizened Mace Windy. The others agree, and lay in a course for Norton II.