Chapter 1:
It was a very hot summer on Tatooine. Hotter than normal. Most beings stayed inside during this time of day. The streets of Mos Espa were empty except for two figures. One of the humans was dressed in black robes while his companion had on thick wrappings, to protect himself from the sand.
"Luke, do you even know where to start looking?" Han asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Don't worry about it, Han. I'm searching for a, quieter cantina." Luke said
"Finding a quiet cantina won't be easy, kid. A quiet cantina normally means trouble." Han said
Luke knew Han was right. The former smuggler had more experience with this sort of thing than Luke did.
"Let's try this one then." Luke nodded to his left.
A sign hung above the door with the words The Drunken Dragon on it. They entered the cantina and headed for the bar. Luke took a seat with Han sitting down next to him. A shorter man with receding black hair approached them, presumable the bartender.
"What can I get for you gents?" He asked in a gruff voice.
"Corellian ale, if you've got it." Han replied
"Nothing for me." Was Luke's response
"Then what can I do for you? People only come to cantinas for drinks or information." The bartender said
"I'm looking for anyone that could take us through Krayt Canyon." Luke replied
"Not many are willing to go there, but you might be able to recruit one of the local swoop gangs to help you out. There's only two here in Mos Espa. The Black Krayts and the Rouge Riders." The bar tender replied
"Do you recommend one over the other?" Han asked.
"I prefer not to get involve with the gangs. If one of them realizes I help one more than the other, well it's not good for business." The bar tender pointed to the back corner where an elder man sat by himself. "Over in the corner there is Spencer. He could tell you about both gangs."
Luke walked over to his table. He noticed the man was blind in his right eye.
"Hello Spencer, I was told you could tell me about the Black Krayts and Rouge Riders."
"Sure. Is there anything particular you want to know about?" the old man asked in a soft voice. He reminded Luke of Ben.
"No, nothing in particular." Luke responded.
"Well, the Black Krayts are the meaner of the two groups. They're led by two boys by the names of Viper and Jett. Viper's a big burly kid, while Jett is lean and lanky. There's only one way to identify the Black Krayts. They ride swoops with Krayt dragons breathing black fire on the sides." Spencer stopped to take a drink.
"The Rouge Riders are the newer of the two. Lot nicer too. They are led by a kid named Ari, the one who started the group. Pretty strong I hear. Anyways, they ride swoops and bikes. They have a gold and aqua armband and on their right arms with the Rebel Alliance insignia on it."
"How can we contact the Rouge Riders?" Luke asked, deciding to go with the nicer of the two groups.
"Their second in command, Fang, comes in here for lunch every day. He's a red-furred Razor. He should be here soon. Shows up about the same time everyday."
"Thank you for your help." Luke said and walked back to Han
"Well?" Han asked.
"The Rouge Riders sound like our best bet. One of the leaders should be here soon. Keep an eye out for a red-furred Razor." Luke replied.
"I think he's already here." Han said pointing to the entrance of the cantina.
In the door way, stood a wolf like creature, with red fur, big muscled arms and piercing yellow eyes. He walked to the bar.
"Want your usual, Fang?" the Bartender asked
"Nah, surprise me, Marko." The Razor said in a gruff, yet kind voice.
Fang turned and saw Han staring at him.
"What are ya lookin' at?" Fang asked
"Um, we were wondering if you could possibly take us into Krayt Canyon." Luke interrupted
"Me or the Rouge Riders in general?" Fang asked, with his eyebrow raised
"The Rouge Riders. We need to find something in the canyon." Luke said
"Hmm...I've gotta check first. Give me a minute." Fang said and walked outside. A minute later, he re-entered.
"Ari's willing to talk to you. Follow me." He said
Outside the cantina sat a flat black speeder car, with two red stripes going from the hood to the rear.
"Nice car. You came to a cantina in this though?" Han said.
"One of the other Riders dropped it off. I doubted you had rides of your own." Fang replied as he hopped into the driver's seat.
Luke sat in the front passenger's seat, while Han sat in the back.
Fang drove off through the city, and stopped in front of a salvage shop. Fang hopped out and led Luke and Han inside.
"Wait here for a sec." He said and walked into the back.
Luke looked around. He knew is father work as a slave in a similar shop here in Mos Espa. He wondered if this was possibly the one he worked in.
"Only one is permitted to meet with Ari. Two people present too much danger. We've been attack too many times by outsiders hired by the Krayts." Fang said
"I'll go." Volunteered Luke.
"Follow the hall to the very back room. If you pull something, you'll be dead faster than you can say Kreth." Fang said.
Luke followed Fang's directions and walked into a poorly lit room. There was a desk and two chairs in the room. One chair was in front of the desk, the other behind it. The figure in the chair behind the desk was in the shadows; Luke couldn't make out a face.
"Fang says you are looking for someone to take you through Krayt Canyon." Said a female voice
Luke was surprised to hear a girl's voice. But he didn't let his face show it.
"Yes, my friend and I need to go to the Temple of Black Sand." Luke explained.
"I can take you there. But it will be a long journey. The canyon is vast with many perils. Do you think you can handle it?" She asked in an icy voice
"I believe my friend and I are up to the task."
"Alright then. Meet me at The Drunken Dragon tomorrow at 0600 hours." She replied
"Thank you." Luke said.
He got up to leave but then stopped.
"How will I know who it is I'm looking for?" Luke asked facing the shadowed figure
"You'll know me when you see me."
"Alright." Luke then turned and left the room.
After he walked into the main room, Fang turned and went to the back room. Luke and Han left.
"Well, what happened?" Han asked
"She's agreed to help us." Luke responded
"She? Wait a minute, the leader of a swoop gang is a girl? That's not common." Han said in disbelief
"It surprised me too. But she sounded confident that she could help us. Let's go back to the cantina. I want to find out some more information on this Ari." Luke said.
Once the two men were back at the cantina, Luke looked for Spencer, hoping he could tell him more about Ari. But Han went looking for two speeders they could rent for the trip.
Luke went to the corner where Spencer was earlier, but to his disappointment, he was gone.
Luke went back to Marko, the bartender.
"Back again, eh?" Ari turn you down?" Marko asked, while cleaning a glass.
"No, she agreed to help us. I was wondering if anybody could tell us about her."
"I don't like associating with the gangs, but almost everyone knows Ari's story. It's a rough one." Marko sighed.
"Oh?" Luke said shocked
"Ari's father was supposedly a Jedi who served under Vader, then turned against him. He was along the lines of an assassin. He died before she was born, fighting the Emperor and Vader. Her mother was a former Captain of Black Squadron. She later was his personal pilot. After he died, she joined the rebellion. From here, we know the actual facts. Her mother was killed in a battle when Ari was two. The girl's uncle, as she called him, brought her here. He raised her until imperials killed him when she was six, something about him being a Jedi. The father's droid continued to raise her until she was 13. It disappeared into the desert, saying its programming wasn't complete. I think it went crazy in the end. Ari then joined the Black Krayts."
"I thought they hated Ari?" Luke asked, puzzled
"No, back then, a young man by the name of Jacobi was leader. They were respectable then, but now with Jett and Viper leading, they are trash. Anyways, she lived with them. One girl is a boy's gang. I think the only reason she was safe was because Jacobi protected her."
"What happened to him?" Luke interrupted
"He went out into the Jundland Wastes and was killed by Tuskan Raiders. This happened about a year and a half ago. That's when Jett and Viper took over and Ari left to form her own gang. Her life has been filled with nothing but loss and hatred. People have been mean to her, especially Jett. Even when they were little, he would harass her. She finally gave up one day and punched him in the nose, breaking it. When she was with the Krayts, the boys were mean to her, when Jacobi wasn't around of course. She doesn't trust easily. Fang is really the only one whom she does trust."
"Why?" Luke asked again
"Nobody is sure why. He just showed up with them one day."
There was a minute of silence. Luke broke it with another question.
"Does anybody know her last name?"
"I'm not sure, but, I think its Marek. At least that's what somebody said."
Luke's eyes widened with that information. The only Marek he knew of was indeed an apprentice to Vader, but he turned on him when Vader almost killed him. He was the one who formed the Rebel Alliance. Galen Marek. Luke knew that Galen's pilot turned her back on the Empire and helped the Rebel Alliance. Everything seemed to fit together. But he couldn't be sure until he saw the girl.
"Thanks for the info."
Luke dropped a few coins on the bar and left to go tell Han this information.