The wind swept through the air in loud gusts. Dust cloud cluttered the air as grainy fog in the desert. A human trudged alone through the cooler air, a bag strapped across her chest and her face completely covered, goggles over her eyes. Her beige and grey-brown clothes whipped and flapped in the high winds. She stopped, and tightened her belt for the fifth time that hour. Her goggles clouded over again, so she wiped them off. This planet was hard to live on, but it was home for her. Her. That was her name now. No real name to her employers at the Tosche Station or Chalmun's Cantina, even Jabba- her main employer- didn't really know her name anymore. Better for her though. Better for Sara Lance, descendant of the leader of the Mandalorian Knights, Dorjander Kace.
Sara held her saber close to her heart, walking to Mos Eisley for work again. She came up to the houses at the outskirts of the town. Maybe she could get some food from Mick and Leo while she had usually spent a lot of time in Mos Eisley, home away from home for them. Sara wiped the sand off of her goggles again as she neared the small manors. She glanced at the house numbers, searching for the correct address before rapping on the wooden door marked 2490. A bald man opened the door, a rag tied around his neck. He smiled and pulled Sara in by the collar.
"Where have you been?" Mick asked.
"Working." Sara laughed, removing her goggles and mask.
"Luckily we don't have to clean up after you." Leo joked from the doorway. "Here for another refill?"
"And to catch up. I'm not that much of a mooch." She sighed pulling her hair back into a bun again.
"You should really settle down. Find a friend to share while you're working." Mick suggested, searching for some older rations that had to go.
"Then I'd have to actually spend my money on food and shelter."
"See, you really are a mooch." Leo smirked. "So where are you coming from?"
"Jabba's Palace."
"Again?"
"He's just needing someone to smuggle droid parts onto Tatooine from… Naboo, I think. I've just been going from here to his palace for the… fourth time. What have you been doing?"
"The usual. Stealing droids and fixing them before resell. Makes good money."
"Here." Mick cut in, holding a bag of food. "Some dewback jerky, hubba bread, and the rest of our womp rat soup -which I would eat first. Here." He smiled handing the bag to her.
"What would I do without you guys."
"Get food from someone else." Leo smirked hugging Sara. "Now go on your way, bother another bounty group."
"Wait, come on, I haven't seen you guys in months. How's it been going with Ray?"
"Great, really. Kind of weird." Leo began.
"He means that he's deep in love and doesn't know how to act." Mick explained nudging him with his elbow.
"Okay, that's enough. What about you and that guy. The rich boy?"
"Oliver? Nothing. I don't see him. I moved on to this other girl, but she's too busy with her family's business to have any sort of relationship."
"We should tell her." Mick broke in.
"Why did you make it sound so ominous?"
"Tell me what?" Sara asked.
"There's a large group of people who are getting together in secret trying to overthrow the Empire. You know, the sith. They've been coming here to recruit as many people as they can. Apparently there have been some older kids joining. We've been thinking of going as well."
"I never would've thought that you'd be apart of a rebellion."
"I'm not usually serious, but life is only so long, Sara. We need to do something with it before we die. This is way bigger than us, bigger than everyone. It's important." Leo said, crossing his arms and grabbing a medallion from his pocket. He glanced down at it and sighed before looking up at Sara. "Now I know that you may not care, but by next month, Mick, Ray and I will be gone."
"So this is goodbye?"
"Hopefully not, but maybe."
Sara nodded and hugged Leo and Mick. "You guys have been like brothers to me. You saved me and brought me here. I'm so glad that I got to meet you two. Thank you."
"I hope we see eachother again, and that this isn't really goodbye."
Sara nodded and turned away. "I'll think about it."
"If you change your mind, they're planning to come back by the end of the year."
"Okay." Sara nodded. "Well, I'm going to the cantina to get a drink, you wanna join?"
"Of course, but you're buying."
"My treat then."
The loud music from the group of musicians in the corner livened up the dark room. Aliens of many races drank and talked at the bar, the tables or against the wall. People walked in and out, pushing and stealing from one another as they passed by. It was shaddy and suspicious, but it was home for these people, she guessed. Maybe hold her belongings a bit closer. That'll work. Hopefully. A blonde woman walked up to the bar. Her hair tied back in a tight bun, obvious that she didn't actually belong on Tatooine even though she was wearing a traditional long dress and poncho to protect her skin. She tapped on the the bartender's shoulder, waiting for him to turn around. He glanced at her, looking her up and down before nodding.
"Tatooine Sunset."
He grunted in response and filled a glass with the sweet liquor. He slid the drink to her, waiting for her to pay him before letting go of the glass.
"So what's your name sweetie?" A young rodian asked in his native tongue.
She smirked at the alien and chuckled "Yeah I'm too old for you, tyke."
"Just tell me your name."
"Ava."
"Beautiful. I'm Greedo."
"Well, Greedo, while I'd like to sit and chat, I don't have a lot of time to… play." She smiles. "Sorry."
Greedo cocked his head to the side, turning away to a corner where a few other shaddy aliens are. Ava watched him talk with his friends. She shook her head with a slight grin and went back to her drink. A hand roughly grabbed her shoulder and turned her around. The alien garbled at her in a foreign language that she couldn't really understand. Ava turned back to her drink, finishing it in a swift tilt of the glass. A young humanoid alien tapped her on the shoulder.
"He doesn't like you." He explained.
"I'm sorry." She apologized with a scoff.
He clutched her arm, yanking her back into the conversation. "I don't like you either. Don't insult us." He hissed tightening his grip on Ava's arm. "You just watch yourself. We're wanted men. I have a death sentence in 12 systems." He bragged.
"I'll be careful then." She smirked getting a bit annoyed and turning away.
"You'll be dead!" He yelled with a vicious grin.
Another human, quickly walked between them. She pressed her hand against Ava's shoulder, pushing her away. "This little one isn't worth the effort. Let me buy you something-"
The alien pushed the human into Ava, pulling out his blaster. Ava reached for the lightsaber at her hip. The blonde looked at her and put her hand over the weapon.
"You can't use that here." She whispered.
"No blasters! No blasters!" The bartender exclaimed.
The two aggressive aliens turned away and walked out of the bar. Ava turned to the blonde and smiled.
"Thank you."
"It was nothing. You're not the only tourist I've had to save."
"Why can't I use my saber here?"
"Tatooinians don't really like… us. In fact most people don't trust us or anyone who wields a lightsaber. You have to be very careful." She explained in a hushed tone. "So obviously you're not from here. Where are you from?"
"Nowhere you know."
"Try me."
"Is it usual here, bar fights?" Ava asked switching subjects.
"Of course. You're most definitely not from here. Tatooine is a very shady place, but it's home. People are always fighting. I'd be suspicious if an hour went by without a fight. " Sara smiled. "Well, hey, if you're not too busy, my friends and I are having a quick drink. Wanna join?"
"... Why not." Ava nodded.
"Great." Sara smiled, sliding back over to her friends. "This is Leo and Mick, and I'm Sara."
"Hi, Ava." She greeted them.
Leo smiled and drank from his tall glass, leaning against the bar. "So what brings you to Tatooine? Obviously not the weather or people."
"Just a new adventure."
"Well you must live on the wild side then if this feels like an adventure and not just a death sentence."
"Don't mind his sarcasm, here, have this." Sara offered, sliding her drink to Ava.
"What is it?"
"Bantha Blaster" She smiled.
"What does it taste like?"
"Very sweet and fizzy." Leo explained. "They drink it all the time."
"I swear by it." Sara grinned, leaning towards Ava as she ordered another drink.
Ava sniffed the drink; Endor, she thought, it reminded her of Endor. She inhaled and took a swig from the pink and green liquor. The bubbly concoction fizzed and popped on her tongue before a very sweet sugary sensation coated her taste buds. It burned at first, but then warmed her throat and became tart at the end. Ava coughed at first, and chuckled, shaking her head.
"A little strong?" Sara asked.
"Yeah, but good. A very fun drink, though." Ava smiled, covering her mouth.
"So you're from this area?"
"Not really. I've spent the past 6 years here but I'm originally from a different planet."
Leo leant over to Sara, whispering to her. "You know, it's great to see you head over heels. I haven't seen you reveal this much since we all met."
"What are you talking about?"
He pulled away, turning to Mick. "I think we should go back home. We need to get packed before out trip."
"Leo." Sara asked being ignored.
"I know, but we have to, see you around little canary." He sighed walking out of the cantina.
"Mick!"
"Sorry, gotta go."
Sara huffed as she watched her friends leave, shaking her head and drinking the bantha brew. Ava also finished her drink and cleared her throat.
"Well, I'm glad that we had this time to talk. Sorry for driving your friends away-"
"Huh? Don't worry about them, Leo's just weird like that. You know, I can always show you around Mos Eisley if you have time."
"Yeah. Why not."
Hours seemed to pass as minutes to Ava. She'd never met anyone like his woman. Maybe there was something about her, the mysterious way that she knew everyone and yet they never really knew her name. Sara wasn't offended abou that, only laughed and would say, "Yeah, Her." like some kind of mononym. The midday suns lowered to the evening. She felt the end of this journey with her new companion nearing. Ava sat on the edge of a short wall dividing a long road, secluded from the main streets. The few people who did pass by seemed focused on other things, focused on surviving or thriving in this city. The suns were finally setting, cooling the air again as it had in the morning. Sara watched the citizens pass by.
"You know, I really don't know much about you, Sara." She admitted.
Sara sat down next to Ava, shrugging and looked her in the eye. "No need to. We don't need to know everything to be close. Just enough to understand one another."
Ava smirked and placed her hand on the stones between them. There was a part of her that didn't really know what she was doing, but a larger part was really just looking for anyone to help her, or at least be with her so she wasn't alone. Anyone so she wasn't alone. Sara turned to her and pursed her lips. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head before she eventually fell to the ground. Ava rushed down to her before feeling electricity stun her. Her body tensed as she dropped to the sandy ground. A pair of feet approached her before reaching down and pulling her up by the collar. A pair of pink eyes glared at her. Their smile revealed sharp teeth behind thin lips. It sighed and whispered something to someone behind them.
