Can everybody do me a favor and review? Honesty is appreciated, as are constructive critiques. Praise is cool too. Thanks to FurryLittleBantha and elecktrum for your support. Glad you like it!

I'm looking for a Beta. Email me!

Dealer

Chapter 4: Pride

By the time I was 25 I was wise to the ways of the world, a world that continued to push my flat on my rump instead of helping my stand. I was a wheeler, a dealer, a smart, street-savvy young woman who ran her business with a ruthless attitude. The economy was flourishing in the aftermath of the Empire and in the birth of the new Republic. People had a newfound faith in the government and in Coruscant. Now, I had another two hands working in the shop – a middle aged woman named Mariett and a young teenage Twi'lek girl who I simply called Cee, after her futile attempts to teach me her name. Things ran smoothly between the three of us, and they were both well payed and happy.

It was a hot summer day, and I blotted my forehead with a clean rag as I worked on the hyperdrive of a ship that had been brought in for repair. The oil incident had taught me a fair lesson, and I never worked without a pile of washed cloths within an arms reach. I chewed on my lip, sautering a delicate fuse with a tiny welding rod.

"Hello Mister Skywalker!" I called out, as if on cue as Luke walked in the door. Every 8 weeks like clockwork he showed up for his oil change. That much had failed to change. "You can pull in hangar 3." I said, not looking up from my work. "Cee, can you open the door?" She nodded, wiping at her own blue skin with her forearm as perspiration beaded on her forehead. I heard the cranking of the hangar door sliding open and a comfortably familiar hum as Luke maneuvered the speeder into the dock. I finished up my work on the hyperdrive, pulling a few sweating pieces of hair out of my line of sight to go and see Luke.

"How are you?" He said happily, pulling me into a one-armed hug. Touching a dirty, oil-stained version of myself never seemed to bother him – I was a good friend, and he was greeting me as he would anybody. As a result, his tunic was now a mirror image of the snug sleeveless shirt I wore in the summer heat. He didn't give it a second glance. I smiled at him when he released me.

"Oh, coping, coping. And yourself?" I asked, killing the engine on his bike and popping the hood so I could get to work.

"I can't complain."

"Everything's well at the temple, I take it?" I asked, triggering a lever in the oil valve and nudging a pan underneath with my foot to catch the murky-colored liquid that dripped into it.

"Yes. Actually –"

"Sorry to interrupt, but did you notice a difference with the different oil I used last time?" I said, perusing a small shelf of bottles for the correct oil.

"Eh, erm, now that you mention it, yes. It made the engine a little quieter on acceleration."

"Cool." I said, pausing before I realized that I didn't have the oil I needed. "Hey, Cee! Could you grab me a 250 unit bottle of S-35?" The female twi'lek looked up from the hyperdrive she was bent over, finishing the work that I had started early.

"Sure thing!" She called back, disappearing into the front of the store.

"Oh, you were saying?" I said, looking at Luke before grabbing what looked like a dirty rag on a stick and shoving it into the engine.

"Oh! Actually, we're getting ready to have the knighting ceremony at the temple. I was going to talk to you about it today. I was hoping you would be able to come."

"Sounds good. Thank you!" I said, taking the bright blue bottle from Cee and twisting the top off of it. "When?"

"Tomorrow night. I know it's kind of short notice but we only chose a date yesterday."

"Oh, I should be able to make it; we close at 1200 on Natunda anymore." I said, watching the pitch-black oil pour smoothly into the depths of the oil valve, disappearing from sight. "What time?"

"1800 standard." He said.

"Bah, rush hour." I complained. "All right, where is it going to be?"

"In the ceremony hall. It's about two blocks down from the senate; you won't miss it. It's attached to the temple."

"You know, you could probably do this on your own by now; you've seen me do it so many times." I teased gently, crushing the empty bottle with my palm and tossing it towards the garbage. It ricocheted off the side, and I was able to nudge it enough to get it back into the can. Luke laughed, pulling his wallet from in the folds of his tunic and knowing not to mention anything about my use of the Force.

"Yes, but then when would we catch up? 11 times out of 10 I'm always tied up at the Temple and you're up to your neck around here. How much?"

"250 for you, Luke. 300 for anybody else." I sighed, shoving my hands in my pocket and savoring the opportunity to rest. He held out three bills to me, and I checked them to make sure he wasn't trying to slide a tip in there. "Alright, you're good to go. I'll see you tomorrow night, then?"

"Undoubtedly." He said, turning over the engine on the bike. "Bye!"

"Later!" I called as he disappeared out the corner. "Hey, Cee, how's that hyperdrive coming?"

It was a rare occasion that I got to dress up and truly look like a girl. The next day after closing, I hopped in the shower, scrubbing all of the oil and grime from my skin and washing my hair. I changed into a fitted cotton dress and flats, and Cee hung out long enough to weave my long hair into a braided crown. I slipped her a 5-credit bill for her troubles and gave her a glass of Bantha milk with a piece of bread I'd baked that morning before she went home. I looked in the mirror, admiring my reflection. I was perfectly out of place in the outfit, and I twirled around, watching the skirt catch around my legs. I was a mechanic. I was a dealer. And here I was, twirling around in a skirt like a youngling. I stared longingly at my own eyes, wishing for a moment that somebody would bring me a chance to relive my life. That chance never came, however, and soon I was kicking my speeder to life to navigate my way to the ceremony hall.

On a good day, it would have taken me 45 minutes, maybe 40 to get to the Temple. On a bad day, driving hour on a Sunday, when people took their bikes out for leisurely cruises and executives who didn't know the meaning of vacation were heading home, it would easily take me the better part of two hours. I was swearing a blue streak at some sort of male life form who had nearly clipped the side off my speeder, taking my leg along with him, as I lowered myself into a parking place two blocks down from the temple. On solid ground again, I was thankful to still have both of my legs as I prodded around for the entrance to the building. I stopped to examine my reflection in the glass doors, trying a bit futilely to de-frizz a bit of the helmet hair before opening the door.

Immediately I felt awkward. There was a tiny reception in the front hall, and I counted about two dozen people plus another dozen in full Jedi garb. One of the first people I recognized was Leia Organa, from her images on the holo-tube and Luke's whiny description of her trademark Nubian hairstyle. With her was Mon Mothma, the chancellor of the New Republic, and a scruffy-looking tall man who was holding Leia's hand, leading me to assume that he was her fiancé Han Solo. I hid my hands behind my back. I was a worker. What in space was I doing here?

"Hey! Glad you made it!" Luke popped out of nowhere and declared happily, clapping me on the back. I sighed, a bit relieved to hear his familiar voice.

"Yeah. Traffic was a bitch, but I'm here."

"Come on, I want you to meet my sister." He said, grabbing my arm before I could protest and dragging me over to a group. Leia gave me a serene smile, and for some reason it unnerved me. Luke made our introductions, and I was nervous to say the least, bowing respectfully to the Chancellor and Senator.

"You the mechanic Luke is always running off to?" Han asked, cocking an eyebrow at me. I swallowed, freezing.

"Well, uhm—"

"Yes, she is. She's brilliant." Luke said firmly.

"I sold him his speeder and do maintenance on it. Although at this point I'm quite sure Luke could do it himself." I said with a bit of a laugh. Han grinned and nodded.

"Have you ever done any work on a hyperdrive?"

"Oh, yes, all the time! Droids tend to have a lot of problems with them so we have clients bringing them in all the time. I just finished up work on one yesterday. Turns out the combustion fuse was shot – I've never seen that before – and the polarity balance was entirely out of whack. Cee, my shop hand, and I had it up and out in no time though."

"Really? I'm having problems with my ship, the Falcon – maybe you could take a look at it? My first mate is at his wit's end with it."

"No problem! You can drop it off if you want, or I can come out next week – I don't do a lot of commissions, but on Natunda we take early days so I can travel if I have to." I said talkatively, smiling now. At that point Luke had brought over one of the young Jedi, and wanted to make a point of introducing me to Mara Jade. A fiery red-haired young woman who had a few months, maybe a year on me, she had a tongue and a personality and to an extent we clashed. I was fighting to be polite, because Luke seemed so enthusiastic about her and her training, but the other girl and I eyed each other distrustfully the entire time. Soon it was time to start though, and I sighed in relief as Luke and Mara Jade moved away.

It was a solemn ceremony, but solemn like a baptism – filled with joy. As each of the initiates had their braid sliced apart, we clapped politely. Tears pooled in the corners of my eyes, because that could have been me. I could feel a connection to every person in that room, and it made me uncomfortable. I shifted my weight uneasily.

Eventually the lights turned back on and a dozen Jedi knights left the room, followed by the Master Luke Skywalker. His blue eyes clicked with my chocolate ones, and his smiled. I watched those eyes spill over with pride.