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Rose of Naboo
Chapter Four: "Assumptions"
(o)-,-'—
She didn't trust him, but then, she didn't trust anybody. Every single person she had ever met seemed determined to hurt her. This man was no different. Even though his appearance spoke otherwise, it was misleading. Leira was sure he had an ulterior motive. Most men did; which is why she was grateful for the security of the blaster pistol strapped to her leg. She'd use it if she had to; anything to keep from going back to that cell.
And so she pretended to trust him, to go along with his plan. This place he'd told her about – Tatooine, seemed like her type of environment: No Empire and no Stormtroopers hunting her down. That's all she knew about it so far, but she hoped it was a place where she could earn some credits, possibly get a job or find a home; essentially, start a new life.
When they landed and Leira got a good look at the place, she shoved back any disappointment. As far as she could see in all directions save one was sand. It swirled about her feet, blew into her face and hair, and was even on her tongue.
"This is Mos Espa," Bail explained as they exited the ship. "Capital city of Tatooine. There are plenty of opportunities here and you should have no trouble as long as you stay within the city limits."
"Why? What's out there?" Leira asked, looking in the direction of the bluffs on the horizon.
"Wild things, dangerous things. Tusken Raiders, sarlaccs, krayt dragons. Most dangerous of all are the slaverunners. As long as you're not an unlucky gambler, you should be safe from becoming part of the Hutt's revenue." Bail smirked seriously in her direction, his brows arching in a smug manner.
Important intel, thought Leira, although the man didn't actually know anything about her. She was confident in her gaming abilities and had a good feeling this was the place she would make a name for herself and live quite comfortably. Surely, the more talented gamblers in the galaxy played in better places than this. Here, she'd become a big fish in a small pond, so-to-speak.
"I can't take you any further than here, so this is where we part," Bail stopped just short of stepping onto the docking station.
"Thanks for the ride," she halfheartedly told him. After securing her pack and checking her pistol, she started heading in the direction of the taller buildings without looking back.
For a city filled with sand and heat, it sure was crowded, Leira thought as she made her way, bumping into every species imaginable. Why they all chose this place, she couldn't imagine, unless they were all like her – simply wanting to be left alone and to stay alive.
When the double suns hit the midpoint of the sky, the temperature had risen dramatically and she sought out some shade, as most beings were doing. She had spent her morning investigating the shops, clubs, offices, restaurants, and gambling dens, but had yet gotten that gut feeling that told her she'd found the place she belonged. Specifically, she was searching for any active gambling joint with full tables and high stakes. Unable to find such a place, she decided to start asking and approached a wrinkled old woman selling some type of dried bean.
"Where's the best place to play cards?" she asked the woman but was met with a scowl and silence. Fine. Leira purchased a handful of the beans and asked again.
The face remarkably became even more creased as the woman revealed a toothless grin. "Mos Eisley is where you want to be, honey, but a little girl like you doesn't belong in a place like that."
Leira chewed on one of the bean pods and spat the coarse hull onto the sand. "Why not? What's wrong with me?"
The elderly woman chuckled, the large girth of her belly jiggling in rhythm with her laugh. "Are you a murderer or thief? A bandit or slaverunner? If not, then you should stay right here."
Leira thanked the woman for the advice she didn't need and walked away, chuckling to herself. She took another bite of the bean pod. What was funny is that she qualified for almost all of the woman's descriptions. Perhaps Mos Eisley was the place for her after all.
First, however, she needed to purchase a ride. And since this may be the place she ended up staying, she might as well make a long-term purchase.
Having been pointed in the direction of a shop she'd passed earlier, the young woman entered a relatively empty establishment. They weren't doing much business but supposedly had what she was interested in.
"Hi," she interrupted the clerk who was making use of his time by reading. The Lutrillian peered up at her with its wideset, beady eyes and waited for her to speak. "I'm interested in purchasing a vehicle of some type. Perhaps a landspeeder?"
"Sure," the clerk told her with a definite lack of enthusiasm, "follow me."
Out back, behind the shop was a large collection of landspeeders, varying in sizes and models, but not a single one grabbed her attention. Against a back wall lay a rather rusted speederbike, which had been blue in color at some point.
"Does that run?" Leira asked.
"If it doesn't, you'll have to," the Lutrillian joked, making a snorting sound through his noise which she imagined was his strange laughter. "Pardon me, yes," he replied before blowing out his nostrils into a dirty cloth. "Five thousand parsec guarantee on parts and labor."
She took a look at the price painted on the gas tank and grinned. It would take most of her winnings she'd gotten in Chandrila, but those would be easily replaced. "Sold," she told him, feeling a small amount of pride well up. This was her first independent purchase since her escape. Things were definitely starting to look up.
The credits were exchanged for the key and Leira swung her leg over the seat. She only needed to know one thing first. "Can you tell me how to get to Mos Eisley?"
It had taken some practice, and once or twice she'd lost her balance and tilted over, but the sand on the road to Mos Eisley was soft and forgiving and she finally made it there without too much damage to her or the bike.
Once within the town, she parked near a couple of dewbacks tethered to a pole, pocketed the key and began looking around.
The looks of this particular place were similar to the one she'd just left, only on a smaller scale. It was also less crowded, but what pleased her most was that Bail Organa had supposedly told her the truth. In either city, she'd seen no sign of a Stormtrooper.
Relieved and confident, she strode through the main thoroughfare before hearing blaring music coming from a nearby cantina. She stepped into a circular room lit by spikes of sunlight filtered through dust and sand. In the center of the circle was a round bar that was crowded with customers, as were the tables along its circumference. This was a busy place and exactly what she'd been looking for.
There were a variety of games being played but eventually, she discovered an active sabacc table. In order to watch the game and reserve a spot as soon as a seat opened, she pulled up a bar stool.
"Seats are for customers only!" the barkeep growled at her.
"Blue dwarf," Leira ordered, tossing her credits onto the counter. The server was missing an eye and didn't even bother patching it, she couldn't help but notice with a bit of disgust. A customer at the other end of the bar was missing an arm, and come to think of it, there wasn't a single being in here who didn't appear to be afflicted with some type of disfiguring anomaly or scar.
"Tough joint," she murmured to herself without any further concern.
Finally, after watching a fairly competitive game, two frustrated players got up and left and Leira immediately took a seat. She kept a hand on her blaster as she pulled her ante out of her pouch. However, when she tossed it on the table, a few of the competitors laughed. One of them, an emaciated Defel who looked like he had mange spoke up.
"It will take double that meager sum," he hissed through his fangs.
"No problem," Leira replied, reaching in, well aware she was quickly running out of money.
The game began and it was a struggle from the opening draw, but she'd won before with hands worse than this. She simply had to use some strategy. Half an hour later, all but three players had dropped out. Herself, the angry Defel, and a silent Arconian were all that was left.
She looked at her hand and at the cards discarded upon the table. Just one more decent draw and she'd win, although it had to be perfect. It was the Arconian's turn and he took forever, but finally laid down two and picked up two. Leira reached out to adjust the cards to see what he had tossed just as a dagger was thrust into the table between her thumb and first finger. The Defel sneered at her and leaned over.
"One at a time!"
His breath smelled as rotten as the room and Leira leaned back in her seat. "I couldn't see what he dropped, that's all," she responded, holding her free hand up in the air to prove she wasn't cheating.
Again, she studied her cards and the table and carefully drew one, which ended up being exactly what she needed. Her heartbeat sped up. In response, the Defel glared at her.
"Call," he grumped, laying down his bet. "Twenty-two," he announced proudly, which was an excellent hand but didn't beat hers.
"Pure Sabacc," Leira grinned happily, laying her cards face up on the table.
The Defel angrily stood and kicked his chair to the side while the Arconian silently dropped his cards, nodded his triangular head and slipped away, leaving Leira to the winnings; a substantial amount on any planet. Joyfully, she scooped up the piles of credits and placed them deep in her pouch. She needed to find a suitable place to stash them, but first, she needed to rent a room; at least until she found something more permanent.
As she walked down the street, temptation overwhelmed her and Leira pushed her hand into her bag and fondled her winnings. She could buy almost anything she wanted now. Nothing could stop her!
"I've never seen you here before," a child-like voice emerged from the shadows between two buildings. When the body of its owner stepped out into the light, Leira released a sigh. It was the quiet Arconian from the sabacc game.
"I just got into town," she told him.
"Oh? You have family here? Someone to stay with?" he asked her politely.
She wondered if he knew of a decent room to rent. "No, I don't have any family here. Or anywhere for that matter," Leira answered. "Are you from here? Would you know of a decent place to spend the night? I can pay."
"Yes, I know you can," the friendly green face pinched together to form a smile with an oddly shaped little mouth. "This way. Come with me and I will lead you there."
The young woman carefully glanced behind her to make sure she wasn't being followed and turned back to find an impressive vibroblade mere centimeters from her throat.
"Drop your blaster, please," the Arconian insisted.
Leira quickly visualized a strategy to either fight or flee and thought it best to attack. The problem was, she wasn't sure how quickly this being could move, or how well he handled that blade. Maybe she could talk her way out of this.
"Listen," she pleaded. "I won fair and square. I need this money to start a new life. Without it, I'm broke. I've got no one to turn to or to ask for help."
"Good. That's what I'm counting on."
His words were an ice cold threat which caused her adrenaline to spike. Why is it always the quiet ones who are the craziest, she wondered as the vibroblade jabbed toward her chest. She managed to move quickly enough to deflect any injury, only to be caught on a backswing that sliced through her waist, sending her scrambling in pain to the ground. The flare of agony once again fired her adrenaline but she could feel blood oozing out of her side and was too stunned to move.
"You should've stayed where you came from," her attacker whispered in her ear as he leaned over her and began carving on her back, shoulders, and throat. She cried out, but her voice was stifled by a moderate amount of blood gurgling in her throat. Before passing out, through a red haze she watched in despair as the monster stole everything she had - even the boots off her feet.