Chapter 17: Double Sunburn

Echo Base was up and running months ahead of schedule, already servicing rebel ships in between missions. Already the rebels achieved several small victories over the Empire, raiding imperial convoys and transports along the Outer Rim. Substantial losses in the area hampered the Empire's plans for expansion, and considerably increased the rebels' supply cache. Covert operations deeper in imperial territory were in full operation, gathering vital intelligence for the rebels to act on later. As a whole the rebels were better than ever, finally getting the momentum they would need for the long haul.

There was still a long road ahead, even with the new base on Hoth. The Empire still held far greater territory and resources, leaving them the option of simply grinding the rebels into dust through attrition. They were going to need more people and resources to have a lasting effect, and the only way to get them was from outside support. There were other groups in the galaxy that didn't work with the Empire, potentially willing to help the rebels bring it down. Sure they were the undesirable citizens of the galaxy, but Leia was willing to take what she could get.

"And you're sending me… why?"

Sokka was more confused than anything else, currently meeting with Leia in a conference room. Leia was sitting with her elbows on the table and her hands folded. "Everyone else is busy. There's a short window of opportunity to get you in. And it's about time you got some field experience."

"Good to know you're desperate," Sokka noted. "What about Katara? Isn't she around?"

"Just sent her off world," Leia answered. "She has own mission, and you have yours."

Sokka sighed. "So when do I leave?"

"Immediately," Leia answered.

A few minutes later Sokka was in the hangar, looking at the ship he would have to board. It was a small saucer shaped ship fifty feet long, its hull a dark gray and beaten up in places. "What a piece of junk."

"That is the point."

Despite having seen this person around the base from time to time, Sokka still felt uncomfortable around that golden mechanical man. C-3PO may have been a pleasant fellow and polite all the time, but it took forever for Sokka to wrap his brain around the idea of a protocol droid. The concept of building an artificial person was so far beyond Sokka's imagination it was unbelievable, yet to everyone here C-3PO was a rather mundane aspect of life. And it seemed that C-3PO was going with Sokka, judging by his presence just outside this small spaceship.

"We are heading to one of the galaxy's many backwater planets," C-3PO continued. "It is expected that our vessel look like it was pulled out of the scrapheap."

"So who's flying this thing?" Sokka asked. "I have kind of a poor record with spaceships."

"We've got an astromech for that," C-3PO answered. "Believe me, R2 is nearly as good as any organic pilot out there."

"I'll take your word for it," Sokka said.

Inside the ship the little astromech droid R2-D2 was waiting for them, and Sokka remembered it from when Luke rescued him in space. It still reminded him of a trash can, but knew better than to say it out loud. R2 made a series of beeps, something Sokka still didn't understand as a viable language, but C-3PO responded like it was normal. C-3PO told R2 that they were good to go, and the little droid plugged into the pilot's console for direct control. Sokka sat down in the copilot's seat, and C-3PO stood in the space behind the seats.

The ship's engines came to life and the hangar doors opened, and in minutes the ship was soaring through the sky and heading out into space. The deep blue sky faded away into the black void, and the stars quickly came into view. R2 turned the ship to the right constellation, engaged the hyperdrive, and the stars turned into streaks and were replaced by the blue void of hyperspace. In that instant Sokka felt his still newfound waterbending fade away, but was grateful to be spared from the suffering that Katara endured every time.

When looking at the void became boring Sokka tipped his seat back, closing his eyes to take a little nap. But his thoughts remained on the loss of waterbending, a power that seemed ever fleeting to him. Yet he was okay with it, having grown up without waterbending, and certain that he would die without it. Unlike his sister waterbending wasn't an essential part of his person, just something extra that could be lost as easily as it had appeared. He wasn't very good at it anyway, even with Katara giving lessons whenever they both had free time.

Eventually Sokka fell asleep, and he woke up just in time to see the blue void change back into stars. "Hey, are we there yet?"

R2 beeped a few times, and C-3PO was there to translate. "Yes, we are at Tatooine."

Although the planet was directly ahead of the ship, Sokka couldn't see it at first. It was lost in the glare of two suns to the right, one slightly bigger and farther away than the other. After the ship flew past the suns Sokka got his first view of the planet, and it looked like an even harsher world than the one he just left. The entire thing was various shades of brown, a planet covered in deserts greater than any on Earth. Sokka spotted a couple of moons orbiting this planet, but whatever waterbending they could provide would not matter on a world seemingly devoid of water.

"So this is the armpit of the galaxy," Sokka said, leaning forward in his seat for a better look through the windshield. "I would have thought crime lords would pick some place more hospitable than this."

"The Empire claims all of the better planets," C-3PO said. "Imperials only come out to places like this when there's something they want. Since we don't have secret battle station plans, we should be fine."

"Okay," Sokka said, not wanting to know the story behind that. He got up and headed for the back of the ship. "I'm going to get ready. Please tell me when we're about to land."

"Okay," C-3PO said.

There was a change of clothes for Sokka to use, a light brown outfit meant to deal with the desert heat. Once he had that on he attached his space sword to his waist, and then strapped his space shield to his back. Sokka hesitated to grab the blaster on loan from the rebels, hoping that he wouldn't have to use it. Sure the rebels had given him shooting lessons at a firing range, but he was nowhere near good enough at it yet to be of use in a firefight. Still he strapped the blaster in its holster to his waist, opposite side from his space sword.

By then there was a gradual shift in the gravity, followed by C-3PO's voice. "We're almost there."

Sokka hurried back to the cockpit and sat down. "Okay, let's land."

Although there was a ramshackle city in plain view, the landing site wasn't in that particular spaceport. Instead the ship was heading for a plateau a few miles away, casting a long shadow on the desert sands below. The ship landed near the plateau's southern edge, facing the center where they would be meeting their contact. After the landing Sokka was the first to exit the ship, shortly followed by C-3PO while R2 stayed in the ship. Sokka had to shield his eyes at first, needing a moment to adjust to the light from two suns.

When he looked at the landscape Sokka was reminded of the Si Wong Desert, except that this desert was several orders of magnitude bigger. "Hey, should I not be expecting to see giant worms out there?"

"Those aren't on this planet," C-3PO said. He faced the center of plateau, spotting someone approaching from the opposite side. "That would be our contact now."

Sokka hadn't been sure of what to expect, but it wasn't what he saw now. Instead of someone looking like a human or close approximate, it was a group of short folk in brown robes that concealed most of their physical features. Only the little yellow eyes could be seen underneath their hoods, making it next to impossible to read any expressions they might have. They were speaking to each other in a strange language, one that Sokka had no hope of ever understanding. Fortunately C-3PO could understand the Jawas perfectly, and employed his services as a translator.

The lead Jawa said something, and C-3PO translated. "Good, you are early. We can head out now."

"Don't you even want our names?" Sokka asked.

The Jawa shook his head, and again C-3PO translated what he said. "We're just the intermediaries. Our client will want to speak with you personally. And he is not far from here."

"Fine, let's go," Sokka said, though making sure the Jawas saw the blaster on his hip. "Just don't try any funny business while we're here."

"Like sell me off for parts," C-3PO said.

The Jawa didn't respond to that remark, instead gesturing for Sokka and C-3PO to follow. They walked across the plateau to the far side, climbed down a set of stairs carved out of the side, and reached the desert sands at the bottom. Waiting for them was a vehicle resembling a brown metal box on wheels, well over a hundred feet long and just as tall. C-3PO hesitated to follow the Jawas inside, remembering the last time he had been inside one of these sandcrawlers. This time he got to ride in the top front compartment of the sandcrawler, right next to the Jawas controlling the big machine.

The sandcrawler took them away from the plateau and toward the ramshackle city, slowly making its way across the desert. To pass the time C-3PO told Sokka all about the Jawas, how they were scavengers that repurposed and sold whatever tech they could get their hands on. Fortunately there was plenty of scrap machinery to go around on Tatooine these days, evidence being the completely full cargo hold in the sandcrawler. The ride was over sooner than C-3PO expected, since the sandcrawler stopped before the ramshackle city instead of reaching it.

When the Jawas led Sokka and C-3PO outside it seemed like they were in the middle of nowhere, nothing but sand dunes surrounding them. The illusion was dispelled when a large patch of sand began to drain into a hole, revealing the entrance to a hidden cave in the bedrock beneath the desert. The Jawas entered the cave first, and little lights inside came to life. Sokka and C-3PO followed into the cave, and a false cover moved back into place to conceal the cave again. There was no going back now, only forward to completing the mission.

At the far end of the cave was a larger chamber, filled with several different kinds of aliens lounging about. The only one that mattered was sitting in the far back, the leader of this small band of criminals. About the same height as Sokka, but with three times the girth, was a slug-like alien with itty bitty arms and rather large eyes. This alien spoke with slow grunts that barely resembled words, yet another language that Sokka couldn't understand. Fortunately there was a protocol droid standing next to the alien, providing a translation for his owner's guests.

"The soon to be great Rotta the Hutt welcomes agents of the rebellion," the droid translated. "He hopes that it will be the beginning of a mutually beneficial partnership."

"We hope that too," Sokka said. He stood in front of Rotta the Hutt, having C-3PO stand beside him and translating into the alien's language. "I understand this will start with something simple, a favor for a favor. And then we will see where this goes from there."

Rotta nodded, spoke some more, and the droid translated. "Someone new is interfering with Rotta's efforts to rebuild his father's organization. He wants you to investigate this new faction."

"Where could we find it?" Sokka asked.

Rotta laughed before answering. "Where else? Mos Eisley. That's where this problem began. Upon arrival the newcomer killed many of my people, and then started taking over what was left intact."

Sokka nodded. "Is there anything else I should know before seeking this person out?"

"Only rumor and speculation escape the spaceport now." Rotta signaled his protocol droid, and it walked over to Sokka while still translating. "We need new information first and foremost. Take this communicator. Use it to report back what you discover. And if you find an opportunity to eliminate the new threat, do not hesitate to take it."

C-3PO took the communicator from the protocol droid, storing it in his hip for later use. "We appreciate the courtesy. And we will be on our way now."

Their business settled here for now, Sokka and C-3PO left Rotta's cave and returned to the surface of the desert. The Jawas accompanied them back to their sandcrawler, and soon the big machine was moving again. This time the sandcrawler took them the rest of the way to the ramshackle city, the spaceport of Mos Eisley. The sandcrawler stopped at the edge of the city, its usual spot for selling off the tech salvaged by the Jawas. There Sokka and C-3PO left the Jawas behind, entering the city and starting their search.

Mos Eisley was filled with just about every kind of alien one could imagine, and a few that Sokka couldn't even conceive of. He couldn't help but try to look at each and every one of them, being ever curious about what they might be. The aliens in turn didn't even notice Sokka, as he was just another person stuck on this craphole of a planet. There were also plenty of other things to draw their attention, like the various muggings in every other alley. Everywhere they went Sokka could see some form of violence, and tried to keep his distance as much as possible.

"Ah, this spot will do," C-3PO said. He pointed to a cantina up ahead. "I am told such places are where everyone looks for useful information."

"Sure, why not," Sokka said, not having a better idea. "We might as well get a drink while we're here."

Getting that drink wouldn't be easy.

Someone, somewhere, slugged someone in some specifically sensitive spot. That person punched right back, hitting in another equally sensitive area. In turn the aggressor drew his blaster and shot the guy, killing him and leaving a body dead in the street. Several other people heard the shot and drew their own blasters, promptly shooting the aggressor from multiple directions. Even more people heard the shots and assumed they were under attack, shooting at everyone they saw holding a blaster in their general direction.

Things escalated from there.

Sokka had just gotten inside the cantina when it started, and he ducked under a table while blaster bolts crisscrossed overhead. "Come on! We just got here!"

C-3PO had tried to get down as well, tripped in the process, and fell to the floor face first next to Sokka. "Oh dear. This place sure had gotten a lot more violent."

Fortunately the shootout did not last long. Everyone not shooting was taking cover somewhere, and everyone shooting was out in the open. When the shooting stopped a few dozen bodies were scattered around, most outside the cantina and several inside. Only one shooter was still standing at the end, a wookie who now had a few blaster wounds in one arm. Said wookie put away his blaster and walked away, apparently to go find medical attention somewhere. Afterward everyone else was emerging from cover, with a calm demeanor that suggested this kind of thing was all too common these days.

"Okay…" Sokka muttered, getting up and seeing the cantina considerably emptier now. "So glad we didn't get mixed up in that."

A bartender saw him over there, looking more annoyed than anything. "Hey kid, help clean up the mess and your first drink is on the house."

Sokka eyed the bodies on the floor, still warm to the touch and certainly disturbing to think about. "Where do you want them all?"

"Out the back," the bartender answered, pointing a thumb at a door. "Your droid can stay if it helps."

It took a few minutes to haul the bodies out of the cantina, and Sokka did not like it when he saw the spot labeled 'corpse pickup' outside. A few other cantina patrons helped out, if only to get that free first drink. When the work was done Sokka took a seat at the bar, and C-3PO stood next to him and leaned against another chair. The bartender handed out a glass of something Sokka assumed was liquor, the only thing he could tell for certain was that the drink was green. He was just about to grab the glass when someone took the seat next to him, leaning on the bar and looking right at Sokka.

"Is there something on my face?" Sokka asked.

"You're not from around here," the stranger said. He looked like a regular human, slightly taller than Sokka and wearing brown desert robes. "That's an interesting loadout you've got there."

Sokka fingered the hilt of his space sword, and eyed the blaster the stranger had holstered. "Alright, I'll bite. What do you want?"

The stranger smiled, showing off semi-rotten teeth. "The last strange newcomer really shook things up around here. I'm just wondering if it's going to happen again."

"Don't bet on it," Sokka said. He picked up the glass and sloshed the drink a little. "I'm still trying to figure out what's going on. I'm told it's been chaos since a crime lord died, but I'm missing specifics."

"Ah yes, Jabba's death was most unexpected," the stranger said. "All the smaller bosses are carving out pieces of that pie. They are always looking for new muscle, and I happen to know one boss personally."

Sokka gulped down his drink in one swig, feeling his throat burn on the way down. "Sure, why not?"

"This won't go well…" C-3PO grumbled.

They only made it a few blocks from the cantina when C-3PO was proven right. A handful of people crossed their path, running as quickly as their legs could take them away from danger. The stranger looked in the direction those people were running from, and he saw the reason why. Several dozen tusken raiders were charging into Mos Eisley, slaughtering any and all civilians that happened to be in their way. The raiders were using spears and daggers on their rampage, and one threw a spear right through the stranger's face.

"Oh come on!" Sokka said, backing away from the stranger's corpse. He took out his space shield in time to block another thrown spear. "We just met the guy!"

With his free hand Sokka drew his blaster, took a few shots with it, and then tossed it to C-3PO. Sokka drew his space sword and got to work, slashing at the raiders while blocking with his shield. Meanwhile C-3PO fumbled with the blaster, his digits not being designed for handling weapons. Sokka had cut down a few raiders by the time C-3PO started shooting, aiming for raiders coming at him instead of Sokka. Other people in adjacent streets were shooting at the raiders too, and didn't seem to care if anyone else happened to be in the firing line.

"Where'd these guys come from?" Sokka asked, in the middle of cutting down another raider.

"Tusken raiders, aka sand people," C-3PO answered. He was having trouble finding his mark, missing every other shot he made. "They usually aren't so bold as to attack a city like this."

By now a few dozen raiders had fallen to sword strikes or blaster fire, and several dozen bystanders had died at their hands. The raiders made one last push to kill more people, slew a few more bystanders, and had a few more of their own fall to the space sword. By then a large group of mercenaries arrived to deal with them, shooting at the raiders with lethal precision. Half of the raiders remained when they retreated, and a dozen more fell before they got out of the city. The streets were littered with bodies when it was over, and some of the survivors did inappropriate things to the tusken raider corpses.

Sokka put his sword and shield away, and then took the blaster from C-3PO and put it away as well. "Is anyone else going to get in the way today?"

The mercenaries that drove off the raiders walked up to Sokka and C-3PO, taking an interest in someone that survived the attack. "That's quite the swordplay you have. I think you should come with us."

"I was kidding!" Sokka complained.

Not in a position to argue with the mercenaries, Sokka let them lead him and C-3PO away from the area. The mercenaries brought them deeper into Mos Eisley, heading toward the spaceport near the other end of the city. Along the way Sokka noticed a more militant demeanor among the populace, particularly around the most fortified buildings around the spaceport. Sokka figured that these mercenaries worked for the person Rotta told him to investigate, and hopefully this would be a chance to see that person up close.

"I hope you have a plan," C-3PO asked.

"I'm kind of winging it here," Sokka admitted. He saw the entrance to the spaceport up ahead, doors opening to let the mercenaries through. "Besides, I think these guys don't want to hurt us."

As they entered the spaceport they heard some screams, along with curse words only C-3PO understood. "You might want to rethink that."

Inside the spaceport they were brought to one of the landing areas, which appeared to have been converted into an arena of sorts. The circular space meant for parked ships had a tall throne placed in the center, surrounded by people and aliens standing in formation like an army. Cages were lined up along one side, half filled with prisoners that had refused to obey the new authority in town. In between there was an audience blocking part of the view, but not the screams of someone desperately pleading for mercy.

"Wait here," one mercenary ordered.

"Kay," Sokka said, perfectly willing to stay away from whatever was going on.

A few of the mercenaries walked through the crowd, reaching the person in charge on the other side. Sokka couldn't see what was going on over there, but could assume that the mercenaries were telling their boss what had happened with the raiders. While he waited Sokka looked around the place, not liking the piles of charred corpses scattered about. C-3PO wasn't quite as bothered by it, until he saw the remains of droids half melted into slag. After a few minutes the mercenaries came back, and they seemed to be in a good mood.

"The boss will see you now," the mercenary said.

Sokka and C-3PO made their way toward the boss, reaching the crowd and passing through it. Along the way some poor shmuck in a cage made a ruckus, getting the attention of the boss in the process. Sokka happened to be looking in the shmuck's direction when he got through the crowd, right before an incredibly bright light blinded him. His eyes adjusted in a few seconds, and he could no longer see the shmuck or the cage. They had been consumed by a gigantic plume of flame, one that was a very familiar shade of blue.

All other eyes were on the boss, and Sokka's jaw dropped when he saw her. "Azula?"

Hearing a familiar voice where it couldn't possibly be, Azula was equally dumbfounded. "Sokka?"

They stared at each other, and they had the same question. "How did you get here?"

This was not the place to answer that, not with so many prying eyes and ears. Azula got down from her public throne, and gestured for Sokka to follow. "Come on, quickly."

Along the way C-3PO tagged along behind them, understandably confused over the relationship these two had. "You know this woman?"

"She's from Earth," Sokka said, following Azula to a door. "No idea how she got out here."

"Quiet," Azula said. She brought them into another part of the former spaceport, into a room that used to be an office. "Okay, we can talk here."

Sokka closed the door once all three of them were inside. He then looked at Azula, noticing the fancier desert clothes she was wearing. "I'm assuming there's a story behind this?"

"There is," Azula said, sitting at a table and gesturing to another chair. "You might want to sit down."

Sokka did exactly that. "Let's hear it."

"Well after we failed to defend Ba Sing Se, the imperials captured me," Azula said, remembering those days vividly. "They put me on a ship and sent me into space. I got sick when they went to lightspeed, so they stopped to turn around. My bending came back better than before, so I disposed of the crew and took the ship for myself."

"Wait, your bending was better?" Sokka questioned. Then he remembered the big plume of blue fire he saw earlier. "Right… different suns would affect firebending."

"So there I was stranded in space," Azula continued. "Some pirates showed up, no doubt thinking they had found an easy score, and hijacked the ship. They thought they were taking me prisoner, and brought me here to sell as a slave. I disposed of them when we got here, and I've been steadily taking over this place one band of mercs at a time."

"Impressive," Sokka said, folding his hands. "How have you been convincing people here to obey you? I doubt that firebending, even enhanced firebending, would scare everyone."

"There's a superstition here that I've been taking advantage of," Azula answered. "When I use my lightning, they say I'm a Sith Lord. Granted, I have no idea what a Sith is, but it terrifies these people. That's good enough for me."

"And it seems to be working out for you," Sokka said. He glanced at C-3PO, and was reminding of why he was here. "You know, this is kind of awkward."

"Why is that?" Azula asked.

"We are on a mission," C-3PO said. "If I understand your relationship correctly, there is a conflict of interest. It may prove difficult to proceed."

"Mission's over," Sokka said, and he looked back at Azula. "I'd rather deal with someone I know than that slimeball anyway."

"I'm touched," Azula said. "Say… does your mission involve annihilating the invaders that took our home away? Because that's what I was planning to do with these mercs once I have enough of them."

"More or less," Sokka answered. He pointed a thumb over his shoulder at C-3PO. "This guy works for a rebellion against the empire. We were supposed to go back with support from organized crime."

"Just give me a few more months," Azula said. She leaned back and crossed her arms behind her head. "I'll be running this town by then."

"Sounds good to me," Sokka said. "That just leaves one thing left to take care of."

Rotta the Hutt was pleasantly surprised.

It hadn't even been a day since the first meeting with the rebel envoy, and already they were coming back to his little lair. Rotta eagerly awaited their report, wanting to know what information they had gathered on his newest rival. His protocol droid announced their arrival, and then the human and the droid entered his main chamber. There was a happy demeanor around the young human, a promising sign that he had found out something very important. Rotta made his greetings, and his protocol droid translated for him.

"Welcome back," the droid translated. "Rotta the Hutt hopes that you come with good news."

Sokka smirked. "Well… that depends on your point of view."

He stepped out of the way, as did C-3PO, and let Azula step into the light. "Goodbye."

One punch was all Azula needed. Her first spawned a gigantic plume of blue fire, enough to fill most of the chamber with the inferno. Rotta was in the center of it all, and he simply ceased to be. The aliens in the chamber with him were consumed by flame, reduced to nothing more than ashes. The droids and other machinery present were melted into slag, only barely recognizable as the remains of once sophisticated technology. The walls of the chamber were scorched black, and everything that remained inside was coated in soot.

The inferno was gone as quick as it appeared, and Azula blew smoke off her knuckles. "I'm still getting used to making so much fire."

A lot of the oxygen had been consumed, leaving Sokka with some trouble breathing. "I thought we were just going to scare him off, not incinerate the guy."

"You wanted him to disappear," Azula said. She pointed at the blackest scorch mark. "He disappeared."

Sokka groaned and shook his head. "Let's go before the stink sets in."

Staring at the scorch marks, C-3PO hesitated to leave with the two humans. "Oh dear… what have I gotten mixed up in this time."

Ignoring that remark, Azula walked beside Sokka as they headed out of the cave. There was a nagging question that she wanted to ask. "Sokka, did anyone else get launched into space? I have no idea what's been going on back home since I left."

"Katara is on some other planet right now," Sokka said. "I don't know about anyone else. We've been cut off from Earth too."

"Why didn't you bring your sister?" Azula asked.

"She has her own mission right now," C-3PO answered.

"The boss lady wouldn't tell me what it is," Sokka said. "Who knows what she's doing now."

A/N: R.I.P. Carrie Fisher. May the Force be with you.