Full Summary: In the WEST more territory means more power. The REPUBLIC sent settlers with promises of provisions, hoping to expand their land. As the Civil War broke out, The IMPERIAL COMPANY promised to double those provisions to anyone willing to give over the rights to their land. But as the years go by, what was the Wild West is shrinking as civilization bleeds from the east. In the new state of ALDERAAN, the city of SCARIF has annexed several small towns and villages nearby, most recently the small village of JAKKU. In the nearby TATOOINE, Sheriff LUKE SKYWALKER and Mayor ACKBAR worry their dusty town is next.
Leia couldn't find the mayor anywhere. She had been given leave early from her job at the mayor's office that day-which had frustrated her enough. Only for her to not, first, find her brother at their small shared home or in his office. She had checked the saloon and the town meeting hall where she found that the mayor was also missing. This was very suspicious, and unlike her brother. Though Luke wasn't the most open man, he didn't believe in keeping the goings on as sheriff a secret. Especially now, after receiving the news of Jakku's annexation, Leia felt secrecy wasn't going to get them anywhere.
She checked the bank next, poking her head into the open door only to take it out quickly when she saw who was inside. A voice called her back in as she turned away: "Can I help you, Miss Organa?"
She turned back to face Threepio, the town's banker, and stepped into the building.
"Mr. Threepio, sorry to bother you, but have you seen the sheriff or the mayor?" She asked, taking her wide-brimmed hat off and holding it to her chest.
"Thought you had them both on a tight lease." The voice belonged to the very man Leia had tried to avoid seeing. Two men stood at the other end of the counter, one filling out a form. They were covered from head to toe in cotton and leather, as well as dust of course. Everything west of the Dagobah River was covered in dust, especially in Tattooine. There wasn't a door in town closed all day and night, except the town meeting hall and her brother's office. With such infrequent rain, the townspeople had never felt the need to shy from any kind of weather except the occasional dust storm. Leia remembered girls in school back east who had squealed and shrieked at dirt, lifting their skirts up at the mention. If only they could see her now with the dust on her boots, dust on her skirts, dust in her hair, and-she was sure-even dust in her teeth.
"Mr. Solo, Mr. Chewbacca, a pleasure as always," she said to the two men. Upbringing and decorum in this situation dictated that she not say what she actually thought when at the sight of these two men. Which was, in fact, the complete opposite of what she had said.
The cowboy tipped his hat slightly, leaning on the counter with a smirk. "Ma'am." The Indian at his side also bowed his head slightly, but any other movements were imperceptible by the buffalo fur poncho he wore.
"Haven't seen a cattle train in months. What brings you two gentlemen to Tatooine?" Cowboys in town meant yet another thing Leia would have to worry about, as if the news about Jakku wasn't enough.
Mr. Solo seemed to finish whatever he was doing and brought his paperwork to Threepio. "Business."
Leia narrowed her eyes and tried not to curl her lip. "What business would bring you here?"
Threepio stamped his document and handed it back to him. "None of yours, sweetheart. Nice to see you." Mr. Solo walked past Leia with no more than a tip of his hat, Chewie on his heels shortly after. She watched them both walk away, chewing on the past few minutes.
"What did they want, Threepio?" she asked, finally.
"I'm afraid that's confidential, ma'am." Threepio had always been a stickler for the rules, and normally Leia agreed with him, but these were desperate times... Leia leaned over the counter and grabbed the receipt for Han's paperwork. She got one good look at it before Threepio grabbed it back out of her hand.
"He opened an account?" Threepio shoved the receipt into a drawer and started to give her some sort of lecture, but she was barely listening. Han Solo had always been a drifter; he was a steer driver for Jabba the Hutt. He only stopped in town to wet his whistle at Mos Eisley's Saloon or harrass Luke with general cowboy tomfoolery. If he'd opened an account, it must mean he planned on staying in town for a long period of time. Town law stated that a bank deposit was necessary to start a tab at Mos Eisley's or the hotel. It was to discourage drifters from drinking the town dry and leaving with the next cattle train.
Threepio had gone on as Leia pondered this revelation. "It is generally expected that a level of decency be upheld in this business. After all, things aren't what they used to be for good reason. You can't just point a gun at a teller and expect the sheriff not to be called."
Leia nodded at Threepio's comment, but two figures caught her attention as they walked up the main street past the bank. She dashed away as Threepio kept talking, catching up next to Luke as she fit her hat back on her head.
"Afternoon," Luke said to her, tipping his own hat and the Mayor extended her the same greeting.
"What are we to do?" she asked, not wasting any time with pleasantries.
"Well, the mayor and I were just about to get a drink over at Mos Eisley's. You're welcome to join us, Leia."
"No, I mean about Scarif."
Luke sighed, but kept walking. "I reckon you heard the news about Jakku then."
She nodded. "You know what that means, don't you? Jakku is a scrap a land with nobody and nothing in it, but the area has gotta be 30 parsecs across. They're trying to acquire more territory to gain more power in the state legislature."
"They haven't been the first, have they? There was the Imperial Company's death squad coming at us last year, trying to take our land out from under us," Mayor Ackbar reminded them, huffing as sweat dripped down his red face. He had never been the most athletic of men.
"We took care of them then, didn't we?" Leia asked, as they passed the barbers.
"Then they had at least 20 hired guns coming at us," Luke huffed. He needed no reminder of the events that occurred over a year ago. "Things are different now, the folks over in Scarif are using bureaucracy and in that crapshoot you can't just point a gun at someone who don't like you. That don't hold up in a court of law." He sounded firm, and she knew he had thought long and hard about this.
"I wasn't suggesting we point a gun at anyone." A sharp gust of wind kicked up a cloud of dust, and the trio leaned their hats into the cloud to shield what they could of their faces.
"Then what're you suggesting, Leia?" Ackbar had always stood up for her, always believed in her. When the denizens of the town had expressed distaste in a woman being so close to him, he'd asked if anyone with more experience in secretarial work could come forward, they could have her job. Between finishing school and private tutors, there were few men even east of the Dagobah River as qualified as Leia. He had faith in her, and she hoped not to let him down.
"Beat them at their own game somehow." Luke stopped then to look at her. She brushed what little dust she could off the front of her dress and cleared her throat.
"It isn't just our little town against the elements and the raiders anymore. Alderaan's transition from territory to state should mean that the state should take care of us. And if we don't want to be a part of the city of Scarif, we shouldn't have to be."
"So, you're suggesting we go up to the capital and ask all pleasant-like to not be annexed pleased?" Luke asked.
She knew he didn't mean to denigrate her, but his words were still harsh. "No, but there has to be some recourse through the government. We just have to find it."
Luke nodded in understanding. "I'll chew that cud for a while, we'll think of something." They continued to Mos Eisley's. The player piano always played the same tune at Mos Eisley's, but in a town such as Tatooine, everyone still did their best to keep it wound up and in good condition. It played the same tune it always had as the trio entered the saloon. Luke ordered whiskey for the three of them, and the bartender whistled in acknowledgement. Leia hung her hat on the small hatrack by the door, smoothing down her pinned back hair as she took a seat next to her brother at the bar.
Several people approached Luke, asking if he'd heard about Jakku. Luke answered yes he had heard about it, that it was a crying shame, and not to worry about the town.
"But what if we're next?" Wedge Antilles asked, clearly concerned. "First those Imperial thugs last year, and now Scarif itching at our border? What'll we do, Luke?"
"Luke'll take care of 'em, just like he did with those Imperial bastards." The voice came from the other side of the crowd, Kes Dameron most likely, but Leia couldn't see.
Luke shook his head. "This ain't the same kind of fight, folks. And don't nobody be worried about annexation until I says so. Got it?"
That seemed to pacify most everyone in the saloon, they soon returned to light conversation and dispersed. Leia went back to her drink. Someone was now standing at her elbow, and she could smell cows.
"Didn't think this was your kind of place, sweetheart."
She took a sip of the watered down whiskey, still not looking at him. "And what kind of place did you picture me in, Mr. Solo? All the good flophouses are back east."
"What's a girl like you doing west of the Dagobah River anyway? Got lost on the way to a dinner party?"
She only smiled, finally looking at him. "I should ask you a similar question."
He raised his eyebrows. "Oh? Picturin' me at a dinner party?"
She scoffed. "As if they'd let you in the door. No, what I want to know is why you opened a bank account here? Our town charm finally convincing you to settle down?"
"Spyin' on me, sweetheart?"
Leia took another drink. "See, you're wrong, Mr. Solo, about what you said in the bank. Anything that happens in this town is my business. And if you want to continue living in this town, I suggest you get comfortable with that."
"Who says I wanna live here?"
Leia shrugged. "I have no idea, Mr. Solo. The nearest brothel isn't for another 8 miles or so. WE don't have the best saloons or ties with the Hutts. And yet you opened an account here."
"Guess they don't teach you to not be nosy at fancy grammar schools. Came into some money. Wanted to make sure it's kept safe."
Leia tossed back the rest of her drink. "Liar."
His smirk fell. "How-"
"There are plenty of banks in Scarif with better protection and nobody would question some scruffy-looking steer herder putting money in there."
"Now you wait just a moment-"
The swinging doors to the saloon burst open, hitting the wall with a smack as someone ran in and straight to Luke. "Sheriff! Sheriff! There's a wagon seen coming towards town!"
"Who is it?" Luke asked.
"No idea!"
Luke slid off his stool, and set his hat back on his head. "Leia, go home. Wedge, Ezra, let's go." He headed out the door at a fast pace with the two men in toe. Leia also slid off her stool, running after them, her skirts balled up in her fists.
"He said to head home, sweetheart!" Mr. Solo's voice called out behind her.
She heard his footsteps behind her, and only raised her skirts higher to run faster. By the time she had caught up to the trio in front of her, they had reached the wagon in the center of town. It was pulled by two horses that bucked and kicked at the cart.
"Stay back, Leia!" Mr. Solo spit at her as she slowed to a stop and he hurried to help calm the horses down.
Holding the reins of the horses was a young woman, no more than Leia's age, in a white cotton nightgown and shawl. Her hair was long and not tied back. She looked as though she had just gotten out of bed. Her cries and tears were furious as Leia climbed the side of the cart to help her down. Some of the wives had come out and one produced a cotton quilt to wrap the hysterical woman in.
"It's alright, you're alright," the women told her, rubbing the stranger's arms and back.
"What happened to you?" Leia asked, but the woman only babbled and cried.
The horses had calmed down now, and the men were slowly coming around to take a look at the lady they'd saved.
"We should get her to Doc Madine." It was Luke who spoke.
"C'mon." Leia took the woman in her arms and she ushered her to the Doctor's house with Luke shortly behind.
"You're sure it was the Imperial Company?" Luke asked, thumbing his own arm. He stood on the opposite side of the small room, Leia sat next to her, a concerned look on her face.
The young woman nodded, holding the mug of coffee in her hands. She had changed into one of Leia's spare gowns, and had calmed down shortly after entering the doctor's house. The doctor had checked over her briefly, and told them she was fine, just shaken up. He'd left them alone and the young woman told them her story. She was Jyn Erso, the daughter of a wealthy man who owned a plantation less than 50 parsecs away from town. She thought her father must've gotten on the wrong side of the Imperial Company, because they had come last night. Her mother had woken her up in the middle of the night and instructed her to grab as much as she could carry and put it in the wagon. Soon her mother put her in the wagon too, and told her to ride until they sent word for her.
"But how are they going to find me all the way out here? How will they know where to send the message?" she asked, sobbing again.
Leia rubbed her back as she looked at Luke. He was sure she was thinking the same thing as him, that it would be very unlikely the Erso's would be able to send any sort of message now.
"You can stay with us as long as you'd like," Luke told her. "Forever if it suits you. We'll be able to find you some work in town. We could even arrange a wedding, if you're looking for that sort. Maybe we'll be able to send a party out to check out what might be happening to your house."
There was a knock at the door, and Luke peered out and then opened it fully. It was Ackbar.
"Forgive the intrusion, but the men found something in the wagon I thought the two of you might be interested in this." Ackbar held out five books to Luke, who took them in his hands Leia appeared at his elbow to take one in her hands.
"Books?" he asked. "Why might we be interested in books?"
Leia took one and turned it over in her hands. It was brand-new, freshly bound, with only a thin coating of dust from the road, none inside. Luke could barely remember the last time he'd seen something so clean.
"'State laws'?" Leia asked, reading the spine. "They're law books for the state of Alderaan."
"My father got those from the governor himself," Jyn said. "I didn't even remember taking them." She sniffled. "Why are they going through my things?"
"I asked my men to take your things to my office, and they'll be locked away and safe there." Luke showed her one of the five volumes. "Have you read these?"
She shook her head, taking one and opening it. "No, I- I never even paid any mind to them before now. Why?"
"We could sure use someone who knows about state law right now," Luke said.
"What do you need to know?"
The twins looked at each other before looking back. Leia spoke first. "A city near our borders is threatening annexation of our town. We don't want that to happen. If there was a law regarding that…"
Jyn flipped through the pages. "I'll find it for you."
"You don't have to-"
"Please, it's the least I can do for helping me."
"You have no idea how much of a favor that is to us, ma'am," Luke said. "I should go and make sure all your stuff is alright, hope you feel better, ma'am. Leia, put her in the spare room and don't wait up for me." He hoped she would listen this time, it was getting too late for her to be running around town like she did.
A/N: Doing something different, hope it pays off