CHAPTER THREE
Leia's eyes widened. Luke stammered out a decent "Uh… hi?". Both were taken off guard, but were on their feet in seconds. Leia's hand ghosted towards the lightsaber on her hip. Luke made an identical movement.
"Who are you?" Leia asked. It came out harsher than she meant it to, but she brushed it off. They couldn't afford to be nice right now.
The man lowered his hood. "I am nobody now. I think the real question is who are you two, and why are you all the way out here?"
"Our ship crashed." Luke gestured to the smoking pile of debris and rubble at the base of the sand dune. "We need transport off this planet, and quickly."
Leia shot him a look. "We're nobody, either. We just need a ship. No questions asked."
The man's lips tilted in the ghost of a smile. "You remind me so much of them," he said.
Leia's heart dropped. She flicked her gaze to Luke. Did this old man know who they were? Would he turn them in?
Leia was about to high-tail it down to the spaceport and away from this hermit, but her brother had other ideas.
"Who? Who do we remind you of?"
Leia inhaled and resisted the urge to kill them both then and there. "This isn't helping, Luke," she hissed under her breath.
The man smiled again. "Although, of course, your personalities are very much switched."
What? This time, even Leia couldn't restrain her curiosity. Even so, they had a Rebellion to get back in touch with, and they couldn't waste any more time.
"I'm terribly sorry, but we really are nobodies. Now, if you'll excuse us, we must be heading out before it gets dark -"
"It's still early here," the man said. "Leia Skywalker."
In half a heartbeat, Leia's lightsaber flew from her waist and was pointed directly at his throat. "I'll give you one more chance. Who are you, and why are you so concerned with us?"
The man chuckled. "All right, all right. But first -" Leia's saber floated gracefully away from his face until it was pointed at the ground. It then shut off. She looked up at him in shock. "-let's talk in a more civilized manner."
Luke's mouth gaped open. "Who are you? You have the Force, don't you?"
The man nodded. "I'm sure you thought your father was the only one left. I assure you, there are more of us, just far too little to be sensed. I, too, have things to hide. I've been hiding since the day the Empire was formed. The last day I saw your parents, and the last day I was a Jedi.
"I am Obi-Wan Kenobi. Dare I hope your father has at least mentioned me? Because I can assure you that he did not save my life ten times, it was only nine, Cato Neimoidia doesn't count -"
"Wait, you're Obi-Wan? Dad's old master?" Luke asked, eyes shining in excitement.
"I would use the term 'old' carefully, young man. I see he's begun training you two?"
Leia clipped her lightsaber back onto her belt. "A bit." She still didn't quite trust this man, not nearly enough to reveal the full extent of their training.
"Then I am sure the Alliance is in need of you immediately. Come with me, and I will find you both a transport."
Obi-Wan started off towards the town. Luke and Leia followed. Luke looked ecstatic about meeting him, and Leia could see where those thoughts were coming from. Growing up, the only Jedi they knew was Dad. He was certainly exciting, but to know there were more of them out there - it was an exciting prospect.
But still, a lifetime of being on the run had given Leia enough survival skills to know not to trust just anyone they met. Even if he claimed to be a Jedi.
The trio trekked into town not long after. Both the twins were in awe of the vendors and the shops and the beings all over the place. It was so far from anything they had known.
"Pardon, Obi-Wan, but where exactly are we? I mean, I know we're on Tatooine, but what is this place?" Luke asked.
"This," Obi-Wan said, "is Mos Eisley. A wretched hive of scum and villainy, but the best place to get under-the-table transport and black market goods in the Outer Rim. Think of the most populated place in the galaxy, now as far away from it as possible. That's Tatooine."
Leia nodded slowly, biting her lip. She didn't love the idea of being so far in the Outer Rim, but she did suppose it was lucky they had landed in a spaceport.
"How do we go about getting a ship?" Leia asked, swatting away the dirty hand of a pickpocket.
Obi-Wan chuckled. "Follow me."
He led the way through several more streets, all the while dodging stormtroopers with suspicious ease. Leia couldn't help but wonder if Obi-Wan was doing something to keep them away.
The twins followed Obi-Wan into a noisy, bustling cantina. Luke looked utterly overwhelmed and a little anxious, but Leia couldn't help but smirk. This was perfect for keeping their whole operation under wraps. Also, the fact that their parents had never let them in one of these was reason enough to start liking the old Jedi a little more.
Leia drifted towards the bar, wanting a drink, but Luke tugged on her sleeve and led her away.
"Are you crazy?" he asked.
"What?" Leia replied, eyes wide with innocence.
"You know what. We can't afford to talk to anyone we don't need to interact with. Stay here!"
Leia rolled her eyes and searched the crowd for Obi-Wan. He, she noted with spite, had gotten a drink, and was now striking up a conversation with a green humanoid Leia didn't know the species of.
The green figure led Obi-Wan to a table, and he gestured at the twins with his eyes to come. They walked over, taking care to avoid the gazes of anyone - which was rather difficult, Leia thought, in a crowd full of drunk men - to take seats at the small corner table.
Obi-Wan was sitting with a man, who looked slightly older than Luke and Leia, and was lounging on the seat. A wookie, tall and hairy and cheeky, stood beside him. He had a self-aware smirk on his face that made Leia so irritated for reasons she didn't quite understand, and when their eyes met and his widened almost imperceptibly, Leia couldn't deny that he was quite attractive.
Then, brushing off the unwanted feelings, she hardened her features and looked to Obi-Wan. "Who's this?"
The man leaned forward. "Captain Han Solo of the Millenium Falcon. This here's Chewbacca, my co-pilot."
Leia raised an eyebrow. "The Millenium Falcon?"
"You've never heard of the Falcon?" Han turned, insulted, to Chewbacca the wookie. "Can you believe that?"
"Would you care to tell us anytime soon?" Leia muttered through a clenched jaw, drumming her fingers on the table.
Luke looked at her warningly, but Leia didn't care at the moment. Obi-Wan looked far from surprised. She turned her attention back to Han.
"Why, Princess, it's the fastest ship in the galaxy. Have you heard of the Kessel Run?"
Luke joined in. "Yeah, but it's dangerous."
Han scoffed. "I flew it in twelve parsecs."
"That's impossible."
"No, Princess, it isn't, actually."
The two would have kept bickering if Obi-Wan didn't take the time to lean forward in his seat and say, "These two need passage across the galaxy. Under the table, with no Imperial complications."
Han furrowed his brow. "Where, exactly, in the galaxy?"
"We'll enter the coordinates, thanks." Leia said.
Han shrugged and leaned back, propping his feet on the table. Leia wrinkled her nose.
"D'ya mean you'll have to fly us?"
"Of course. I ain't about to let the two of you take the Falcon out for an undisclosed joy ride around the galaxy without me."
Leia sighed. "Will you do it or not?"
"That depends. How much are you willing to pay me?"
Obi-Wan stepped in. "Three thousand up front."
Luke flicked his gaze to Obi-Wan - they didn't have any credits on them - but then Han started talking.
"Not enough. What else?"
"Three thousand up front -" Leia said, "-and twenty thousand after safe delivery."
Luke whipped his head to her. "Are you crazy? We'll find our own ship - I'm sure it's not hard - Leia, twenty-three thousand credits?"
"I'll do it."
The twins looked at him, blinking owlishly.
"Safe passage across the galaxy, free from Imperial detection, for twenty-three thousand credits. I'm in."