Disclaimer: The Mighty Flannel-Clad One owns Star Wars, not I. Sihiqua the Twi'lek belongs to my friend Danielle. Oia Sai belongs to my other friend Sarah. All other original characters are mine.
In Light of Hollow Sons
Chapter One
"This is dangerous."
Veeg looked back, disbelief flitting across his face. For a Rodian, he was surprisingly expressive. Krenn, on the other hand, maintained his façade of disapproval, just barely masking a gleam of excitement mixed with fearful anticipation. "We're gonna be seen, and either some thug will make slaves out of us, or the bucketheads will shoot me. And then they'll probably shoot you, too. For loitering, or something."
Veeg laughed, his antenna swiveling. "You're not still on about what happened last time are you? That fight wasn't your fault, Sunscriber."
Krenn stared at him, and Veeg winced. "Well…Maybe you helped make it worse…I mean, you kinda…"
Krenn sighed, leaning heavily on one crutch so that he could wipe some sweat away from his eyes. "Kinda what, Veeg? Kinda used my vibro to slice a guy's arm off? Kinda smacked him in the face with it?"
"Well, yeah, but…"
"No buts, Veeg. I am absolutely sure that I am not welcome in the cantina. You can go in there and get your fool head blasted off, but I'm staying right here." Krenn straightened, carefully making his way across the busy street in order to lean heavily against an abandoned landspeeder. An older model, he noticed, with a gaping hole in one of the thrusters. A few rerouted wires, a little paint, and it'd be good as new. Idly, he began to prod at the exposed wiring, only looking up when he noticed Veeg was approaching the two stormtroopers guarding the door of Mos Eisley's cantina.
˚˚˚˚˚˚
"Hiya, fellas!"
Krenn groaned, grabbing his crutches and hoisting himself into the landspeeder. If they needed to make a fast getaway, it was their only hope. And somehow Krenn knew he would be recognized. There were only so many cripples on Tatooine, and all of them were elderly. All of them…except for Krenn.
Veeg swallowed hard as the stormtroopers turned in tandem, looking down at the alien with undisguised contempt. "Scram, kid. We're soldiers, not babysitters." Veeg nodded slowly, blinking larger-than-usual eyes as the stormtrooper on the right turned his head in Krenn's direction, then dropped his hand to the blaster rifle on his belt. Veeg, being both young and a Rodian, was much smaller than the stormtroopers. This time, though, his size was an advantage. Quickly making a decision, Veeg stepped in front of the stormtrooper with the rifle, pulled back his fist, and punched forward with as much force as he could muster…
…right into the stormtrooper's codpiece.
The soldier doubled over, clutching his groin and wheezing pitifully while the other quickly wasted no time in drawing his own blaster. Veeg was already bolting, ducking as several streaks of red light flew past his head. He vaulted into the landspeeder, laughing, and Krenn paused in trying to start the engines. He didn't see what was so amusing about this. He wondered, as he eyed the ignition, if the suns had finally baked Veeg's brain into a fried egg. He yanked on the wires in front of him, twisting them together and whooping as the engine groaned and then roared to life. Sand kicked up around them as the old machine picked itself up off the ground, showering the fast-approaching stormtroopers with grit as Krenn again twisted the wires and the speeder lurched forward, skimming over the sand like a snake. The air whipped around them, and Krenn realized why Veeg was laughing, because he was laughing, too. Behind them, one stormtrooper was still gallantly firing after them (though with an aim like that he couldn't hit the broad side of a bantha) while the other pulled out a commlink.
Krenn would never remember precisely what he said. Some ancient curse, some sort of blasphemy, the words flowing as easily from his mouth as water would flow from a river. All he knew was the wind tossing the beads braided into his hair, bone-white against red like ancient blood, Veeg's laughter like grating rocks in his ears, the sun in his eyes and the sand in his mouth as he shouted back to the stormtroopers,
"Long live the Alliance!"