The Solos and Jixtons sat at an outdoor café enjoying some of Tatooine's delicacies.
They were upset that the Imperials had taken the Killik Twilight but Leia felt some relief that she had the foresight to remove the datachip containing the codes with the Force and now the chip was in her pocket.
She had told Corray to get report personally to Mon Mothma about what had transpired on Tatooine. They all had a feeling that they hadn't seen the last of the former Imperials.
Leia laughed as Bail as he licked his fingers in an effort to get every last drop of Ruby Bliel
Suddenly Ahsoka stared to look around.
"Where's Ailyn?" She asked, fear in her voice.
Everyone stopped and looked around, there was no sign of the toddler.
Ahsoka started to stand but Jix beat her to it. "Stay here with Denis and Shaak Ti. I'll search for Ailyn." Jix said and hurried off.
"We should have never brought the children." Ahsoka said softly.
Twenty minutes past, then thirty.
Finally Jix returned looking grim.
"According to some local children she was lost and a man said that he would bring her back to her mother." Jix reported.
Ahsoka stood, fear in her eyes.
"We must report this!" She exclaimed.
"To who?" Han asked. "There really isn't any type of law here."
"We ask the locals about this man and find out if he is someone we should be worried about." Leia stated and stood.
xxxx
They walked to where the local children were playing. By this time parents were watching the children including Kitster Banai.
Jix walked right up to him.
Leia couldn't quite hear the exchange but by the way Kitster's face darken said that he knew the man and not in a good way.
Jix turned and gestured for them to come over.
"The man might be Aza Reeders," Kitster said. "He has been accused of taking young woman, mostly prostitutes and giving them to the Tuskens. However there is no proof."
Ahsoka moaned.
"We will search the city for him."
xxxxx
It took a bit before someone said the Reeders had left Mos Espa in a speeder, headed for the Dune Sea with a Togruta youngling in the front seat.
Ahsoka screamed and cried for several minutes.
"I know two swoop bikes that could catch up to him/" Kitster Banai said. "One belongs to a friend of mine the other to my ex wife."
"Why are you helping us?" Leia asked.
"It's what my childhood friend would have done." He said.
Considering that her father apparently had been his friend Leia just nodded.
xxxxx
They made their way to a parts shop near the edge of the city.
"Wald, I need to talk to you." kitster said as they entered the shop.
A Rodian turned from behind the counter.
"What do you need to talk about?" The Rodian, apparently Wald, asked.
"Reeders took a little Togruta and these people need your swoop to catch up to him." Kitster explained.
Wald grimaced.
"Reeders is slime and should have been shot years ago." He spat. "He tried to take my little Lolo earlier today for who knows what purposes. And everyone knows he has a connection to the Tusken Raiders!"
Leia felt a scowl come to her face.
Ever since her father had shared what he was feeling when his mother had died in his arms due to beatings she had received from the male Tuskens she had felt no love for them.
She didn't condone what her father did to them but if it had been her mother she would have probably slaughtered them too.
"So, which of you gentlemen is going to take the swoop?" Wald asked.
Han and Jix exchanged glances and Jix stepped forward. "I will."
Wald nodded.
"It's in the back." Wald said and led Jix into the back of the shop.
A short time later they returned with Jix leading a swoop bike.
"Now it's off to see Ulda." Kitster said without enthusiasm.
xxxx
They arrived at the Pod Racing Arena that also doubled as a Swoop Bike Racing Arena twenty minutes later. Leia could feel Ahsoka become more anxious as time went by.
"You might want to stay out here. Things could get ugly between me and Ulda." Kitster said. Leia nodded and stared at the arena
So this had been the place where her father had competed in a pod race.
It must have been incredible to watch.
Suddenly Kitster reappeared with a Kuat woman.
The Kuat woman gave them a cool look.
"So which of you females mate is going to ride my swoop?" She nearly demanded.
"My mate." Leia said, stepping forward.
The Kuat woman, Ulda, snorted.
"Well, let's see how good he is." Ulda said and started to walk away.
Leia picked up Bail and followed Ulda to the the front of the arena.
There was Han just getting on a thing that barely resembled a swoop bike.
Leia watched as Han finally geared the engine and took off.
A smile came to her lips as she watched Han show off.
"Looks like your man knows how to handle swoop bikes." Ulda said.
"He's just showing off." Leia told her.
Finally Han came over with the swoop.
"Nice ride." He commented.
"I hope you and your friend catch up with that slime Reeders" Ulda said. "He tried to take one of my girls last year."
"We will." Jix said as he mounted Wald's bike.
With that the two were off.
xxxx
Leia held Ahsoka as Kitster piloted the speeder through the streets of Mos Espa.
"I'd take you to my place but we are in the midst of selling it." Kitster said. "So I'll take you to a place where you can stay for free, no one will bother you and you can stay for as long as you need."
Leia glanced at the part of town they were now in. It screamed poor and the some.
Finally he stopped the speeder and walked up to a door of one of the many huts stacked on top of each other. He typed in a code and the door slid open.
They followed Kitster into the hut.
Leia could feel something familiar about the place.
Kitster ran a hand on the table and laughed when it came back covered in grime.
"This place hasn't been occupied in years." He commented. "Wald doesn't believe in slavery and the last owner of the shop sold his last slave five or so years before the out break of the Clone Wars."
"It will have to do until we hear from our mates." Leia said.
Kitster nodded.
"So what made you come to the auction?" Kitster asked.
Leia looked at Ahsoka before answering.
"We were asked by the Republic to see to the retrieval of Killik Twilight." Leia explained.
Kitster nodded.
"I can see why they would be interested in the painting." He said.
Ahsoka wandered the the hut, obviously upset.
"If you can arrange it with your mates I know a good place to rendezvous with them." Kitster said.
xxxx
Jix and Han stood surveying a sand crawler in the distance.
"Do you think we should comm them and ask them to stop?" Jix asked. "We have nothing to lose." Han said and pulled out his commlink.
xxxx
Leia dreamed that she was a revered and feared fleet commander and she was returning home to free the slaves of her home. She ran to a woman to embrace her but the woman vanished before she could reach her.
xxxx
Jix punched the side of the sand crawler, a dead end.
xxxxx