It Will Be Enough

The streets of Mos Eisley were always busy this time of the day, but Optal had no trouble hearing the young noise arguing with the used-speeder sales-being across from his hortical stand. "Look, take a look at the condition of this engine," the young noise pleaded.

The sales-being gibbered something in Huttese, the ruling language on Tatooine, a planet ruled by the notorious gangsters known as Hutts.

"Well, yeah, the cowling's missing," the young noise admitted. "But that can easily be replaced with something off one of these other junkers."

Optal heard an amused snort and footsteps from someone approaching his vegetable stand. "Hello, gentle-being," he said in Basic. "Can I interest you in a bowl of karakas for your pre-first twilight meal?"

"Not today, Optal, my old friend," an aged, yet strong masculine voice said. "But maybe a pallie if you have one or two."

Optal recognized the voice. "Ah, good to see you again, Ben," he joked with a smile. "Unless Bartow has been sleeping, I should have a whole basketful over here." Optal's chair swiveled and his hand pawed at the air. "Bartow, where are you?"

Just behind him, a trained fizzgorra toad lashed out it's tongue to tap the back of Optal's hand. He continued his turn as the tongue tapped his hand again, but gentler, indicating to Optal that he was getting closer to the fizzgorra. When Optal's hand was just above the creature's head, it slowly licked his palm.

"Ah, there you are," Optal said, patting the bulbous creature's wedge-shaped head. "Thank you." He reached pass the lounging toad's body and into a basket of pallies, just as Ben Kenobi had asked for. "Two pallies, my friend," Optal declared, turning to where he last heard Ben's voice. "That'll be fifty centi-creds."

The two slightly dried pieces of fruit in his hand were replaced by the requested payment. "Thank you, Optal," Ben said before sinking his teeth into a pallie.

Optal nodded acknowledgement as he returned his repulsor-chair to its original position, his left hand searching for another fizzgorra toad. He didn't call for it, but the creature shot out it's tongue to help guide his master back to where he wanted to be. "Easy, Fastious." Optal patted the creature's massive head. "I know you won't let me get lost, but I have no intention to wander far, anyway."

Five times larger than the other fizzgorra toads guarding each basket of Optal's wares, Fastious seemed to "hurrumph" in reply to Optal's assurance that he wouldn't wander away.

"Your reptilian-friend doesn't seem to believe your words," Ben Kenobi said from the other side of the low counter. "Have you been wandering off without them?"

That was one of the things Optal liked best about the old hermit. He always seemed to have a friendly lightness in his voice unlike anyone or anything that wandered through Mos Eisley. "No," he answered. "I think they're worried about something else. Do you noticed anything unusual happening around here?"

Ben stopped eating his pallie. "There does seem to be an unusually high Imperial presence in town."

Optal inclined his head, absorbing Ben's words. "I thought I heard an abnormally high amount of armor clanking going-on. Either that or Jabba has hired some pretty dangerous sounding guards for himself." He cocked his head in thought. "There have been some murmurs about-"

One of the fizzgorras watching a basket to his left cried out. "BRAHK, BRAHK!"

Optal snatched the stun-baton he stored beneath the counter and reached to his left. "Get away, you!" he shouted, striking the hand of a surprised Jawa. "And don't think my toad caught ya, because I could smell you coming from a mile away!" The Jawa scurried away while Optal reached into a deep pocket in his jacket. "There you go, Worfo," he cooed, feeding a treat to the creature who had called the alarm. "Good job."

"Ever alert, as always," Ben observed with a smile in his voice.

"The best trained fizzgorras this side of Nar Shadda," Optal declared with more than a hint of pride in his voice. Ben started into his second pallie just as Optal asked, "Do you see that Kubaz, Garindan, anywhere near here?"

Ben's chewing slowed before he answered Optal just a few seconds later. "There is a Kubaz just up the alley. Looks like he doesn't want to be seen."

Optal shook his head. "Standing too casually?"

"Yes," Ben answered.

Optal stroked Fastious' head. "I wonder who he's spying on this time."

"How did you know he was there?"

"Well, for one, you just told me," Optal chuckled. "But I can smell him as well," he said, tapping the side of his nose with a callused finger. "Look at how foot traffic flows around him, you see?"

"I see," Ben answered, his voice steady and cool. "People are indeed giving him a wide berth."

"Right," Optal nodded vigorously. "Everyone in town knows what he is and what he does, and in this town people will do practically anything to see guys like him fail at their appointed task. That's just the way of things in Mos Eisley."

The sale between the young noise and the speeder sales-being seemed to be ending. "But the X-34 is much more practical than the XP-38."

Optal's brows beetle as a thought dawned on him. "Say, Ben. Are you with that boy trying to sell the speeder across the way?"

"Yes," Ben answered with a slight hint of surprise in his voice. "He's the son of an old friend of mine."

"With you showing-up here from out of the Jundland Waste just as that kid did, I figured just as much," Optal said, answering Ben's unasked question. "Sounds like he's not going to get a whole lot for that speeder of his."

"No," Ben declared with that hint of a smile in his voice. "We're going to have to work on his persuasion skills. It's been nice knowing you, Optal," Ben added, his tone becoming serious. "May the Force be with you."

A slightly surprised Optal hesitated before offering his hand. "Sure thing, Ben. Keep an eye out for that stinkin' Kubaz."

Ben gripped the offered hand. "Thank you, Optal, I will."

"Alright, give it to me, I'll take it," he overheard the boy grumble as Ben's hand slipped from his. "Look at this. Ever since the XP-38 came out, they just aren't in demand."

A chill breeze swept through the alley as Ben Kenobi spoke the last words Optal would ever hear him say. "It will be enough."

End