The sound of Jizz rang in Luke's ear. Figrin D'an was really on tonight, they were playing one of Luke's favorite songs. He was humming along just low enough that no one would hear. Normally Ackmenna would share the night shift with him. But she'd been sick, so Luke had taken over. He was in the bar serving patrons, and occasionally tossing idiots out. Serving scum drinks was more favorable than scraping the scum out. Especially if said scum got too intoxicated and in turn violent. Unfortunately he had both jobs. Luke was well liked among the people here, though. He gave them alcohol. That made him right in their books. Just then two of Luke's best friends came in, he hadn't seen them for almost standard year! Han Solo raised his hand to say hi, and Chewbacca gave a respectful nod. Han Solo was the captain of the Millennium Falcon, Chewbacca was first mate. Han walked over to the bar, oozing cockiness.
"Hey, kid!" Luke grimaced at the nickname, but it melted into smile.
"Hey Han, Chewie! Can I get you something?" He asked. Just then he was serving two particularly good looking women.
"Yeah, get me one of those!" He said pointing to one of the girls. The one he pointed at looked at him. Luke read her expression; Coy.
"Sorry Captain," Luke said hoping to help his friend along in his quest. "I can't get you one of those." He said winking at the other one after he finished giving them their drinks.
"Well in that case I'll have some Correllian rum." Han said, still eyeing the girls.
"Coming right up." Luke said. "How 'bout you, Chewbacca?"
{No thank you, cub.} Luke's attitude was pleasant with Chewie. He didn't care that he called him that. Chewbacca was almost two hundred years old, as Opposed to Han who was only in his mid twenties.
"How's the fast lane treating you guys?" Luke asked with true interest.
"Well, I've officially got the new all-time record on the Kessel run." Han answered with pride in his eyes. "Twelve parsecs." Luke thought about that as he gave him his drink.
"I thought a parsec was a unit of distance?"
"It is." Han said obscurely. Luke raised an eyebrow at that. "I managed to skirt closer to the black hole. Cut off six parsecs." Han took a swig of his rum.
"Wow," The Luke said. "Sounds fun!" Han smirked at his enthusiasm. Most people he told about that affair called him crazy.
"You know my offer still stands. If you ever want to ditch those kids, Chewie and I are more than ready for an extra hand on deck." Luke knew a fight would come after this conversation.
"Han, you can't se-" Just then he noticed Han looking at the view screen behind them. Luke looked too, it was a news cast about Darth Vader chasing the Rebellion. A blonde human woman with a strange accent was broadcasting.
"The Imperial Star Destroyer Devastator is in pursuit of the Rebel ship the Tantive IV.
We have just been informed that Lord Vader himself is overseeing the chase,
and that it might be resolved over the skies of Tatooine itself."
The bar had almost gone silent, except for the band, hearing that news. Most people here were criminals of some sort. Luke got the feeling that the population would downsize for the next week or so. The noise picked back up once the woman went on to more local news. Luke grimaced. Obi-wan, the man who saved him, had told Luke once that Vader killed his father. He didn't want that bastard anywhere near him. He knew Vader killed people all the time. But no one Luke knew, so it didn't affect him so strongly. But knowing that, for whatever reason, the murdering psychopath killed his father really pissed him off. Somehow, someway, he would get back at him. Han, noticing how upset Luke had gotten, started talking.
"So, I heard you got a new squeeze." Luke looked up at him and gave him a lop-sided smile.
{Mates should hardly to be addressed as a 'squeeze'} Chewbacca said. His seriousness and Han's cockiness always seemed to balance each other out. Luke thought they made perfect friends.
"Yeah, I did. Her names Chumi. She isn't my mate, though." Luke said with an impish look at Chewie.
"Chumi..." Han repeated to himself with a brooding face. He looked up in Luke's eyes. "What species?" Luke didn't know why it was important so he answered.
"Human, like me. She has short black hair and tan skin, upturned nose. Brown eyes. Bit shorter than me." Luke smiled thinking of her. Han shared a nervous glance at Chewie as Luke turned to get a regular more drink. Han shifted. But Luke saw. 'He's uncomfortable.' Luke thought. "Why's it important?" Han shifted again.
"Ah... kid... there's an... Well there's a bounty hunter by the name of Umi. And... well. And she fits that... that description."
Luke stared at him. Not comprehending his words. "You think my girlfriends a bounty hunter?" He hissed in a hushed tone, in case someone was listening.
"Hey Luke, I'm not saying she is. I'm not saying she's not either. But umm... how long has she been around you and the kids? You weren't with 'Chumi' last time I was in town."
Luke didn't particularly want to tell Han anything else. But something told him he should. "Almost a year. Ten months or so." Han cursed under his breath.
"Kid, I'm pretty damn sure this 'Chumi' you're dating is a twenty eight year old bounty hunter. Last time I saw her she said she was going after a prize. That was last time I was here. A year ago." Luke narrowed his eyes at him. Chumi never told him her age, he just assumed she was a teenager. But he didn't really have a hard time believing she was older than him. But he was still skeptical.
"Why would a bounty hunter go after a street kid?" He asked, his voice cold as ice. He really didn't want Han to be right.
"Listen, Umi and I have known each other for a while. Whenever she goes after someone she changes her name, just in case her prey has heard of her before. I'm not saying that 'Chumi' is Umi. I'm just saying you should be careful. And I have no idea why a bounty hunter would be after you," Han lowered his voice and leaned in. "Unless you've gotten caught in your little late night activities."
Luke stiffened. He had wondered if Han knew he was a thief. Now he knew he did. "I've never been caught. And besides, Chumi's been with me on a few of those." Han looked doubtful.
"Well then she's probably not interested in your stealing. Anything else you've been up too?"
Luke thought about that for a bit.
"I guess I can think of a reason, yeah. But this isn't the place to talk about it." Han and Chewie exchanged a nervous look. "My shift's over in an hour, I'll see you outside."
XxXxXxXxXxX
I walked up to the blood testing facility. I had finally saved up enough creds to get some long wanted information. I walked into the building expecting it to be like everything else on Tatooine: Old, run down, and covered in sand. I was shocked when I came in and it was completely white and sterile. A nice looking woman behind the receptacle desk looked up as I walked in. The lobby was empty so she looked excited for stimulation.
"Hello there," She said in a warm voice. "How can I help?" That must be a required line, what else could I be here for? I held back my sarcasm.
"I don't know who my parents are, and my guardians were killed." I said biting my lip, but I figured being upfront was okay.
The woman gave him a look of sympathy, she probably saw kids like me all the time. She took me to a back room where she had me sit on a cold hard bed.
"The doctor will be in soon." I smiled at her, she seemed an alright sort. And it didn't take long for a large, tan, balding man to come in the room. He didn't seen nearly as kind as the receptionist.
"So, Jami tells me you need a blood test for parents, right? Don't know who they are?" Again I held back my sarcasm.
"Yes, sir." I replied. I didn't want this guy to get mad. I'm no wimp, but I knew it would be a hell of a fight between us. The man just grunted. He grabbed a needle and my hand.
"Won't hurt a bit, kid." He stuck the needle into my finger and drew a drop of blood. It didn't hurt at all. The man went to the other side of the room where he had a datapad attached to a computer. and looked at it for a minute before he spoke.
"Almost done... there we... oh." His eyes widened as he looked at the answers I so desperately wanted to see.
"Well?" I asked, why was he shocked? I ran through probably all the possible answers before he spoke.
"No wonder you don't know..." He detached the small datapad and threw it at me. "Kid get out of here, run as fast as you can. You need to hide, got it?" The man looked distressed, whether it was for him or for me I couldn't tell. He really scared me, so I grabbed the datapad and ran. I ran out into the lobby. The receptionist, Jami, looked at me. Her eyes full of concern. I didn't stop to look at her though. I just ran. I ran like the Dr. told me too. I ran at least two blocks away before ducking into an alley. I saw a small group of Storm troopers run by. I looked at the datapad in my hands, it read:
Mother: Padme Naberrie, Naboo.
Father: Anakin Skywalker, Tatooine. JEDI.
I looked at the datapad, my eyes wide. 'My father was a jedi?'
xXx
Luke was considering ditching out on Han. Han might be his best friend, but he really needed money. He knew the Empire had very well paying bounties on Jedi. What they did to Jedi kids he didn't know, but it couldn't be good. If Luke's father had been a Jedi that would mean he got killed when Luke was born. During the time of the Jedi purge. And if the blood test was correct it would make sense that Vader killed his father like Obi-Wan told him. The last of the bar-goers had just left, Han and Chewbacca would be outside waiting for some answers. Answers Luke didn't want to give. He was still tossing the idea over in his head that Chumi might be with him to kill him. Or to capture him... he wasn't sure which would be worse. Being killed, or being tortured and trapped in a small room. He was wiping down the bar from all the drunkards who had spilled their drinks and barfed on it. Han came in with Chewie. 'Womp rats!' Luke thought. 'There goes any chance of ditching 'em.'
"Well? No one's in here, spill." Han sat down at a booth. Chewie hung back, instead leaning against a wall.
"I don't... I'm not sure where to start." Luke was looking down. He really didn't know where to start. Luke stepped out of the bar, him and went to sit down in the booth. Han wasn't exactly a father figure to Luke, but sometimes Luke thought he tried.
"How'd you meet 'Chumi?'"
"About a year ago on a job. She helped me carry a lift back to the homestead. The kids took an instant liking to her. She told me she was an escaped slave. The kids begged me to let her stay. And... I mean... what was I supposed to do? Let her scrounge by herself? I just... I just couldn't do that to her." Luke's shoulders sagged and his eyebrows knit together at the thought of being callous to an innocent. Or at least one he thought was an innocent. Han thought about Luke's words for a second before he spoke.
"Even if you gotten caught, Umi's never been one for small time bounties. What else have you got goin' on?"
"I umm... I got a blood test taken two months before I met 'er." Luke said with truth.
"Well? You find out you're some noblemen's kid?" Han laughed out loud and smirked inwardly at the thought of Luke being related to royalty.
"No. Not royalty. Not exactly. My... father," Luke said with a small grin at the word. "Was apparently a Jedi knight. Anakin Skywalker."
Han and Chewbacca where dumbstruck for a while.
"The hero with no fear? So you can do the Force hocus pocus thing, right?"
{Han,} The two humans both looked at the Wookie. {The Force is hardly 'hocus pocus'. I used to know a fine Jedi before the purge. He was a noble man, one I wish was still alive.} Chewie growled. Luke turned his attention back to Han.
"Listen Han, I don't care if you don't believe in the Force. That's your opinion." Luke grabbed the datapad he always kept with him out of his boot and tossed it to Han. "But the blood test I took says my father was a Jedi."
Han caught the datapad and examined it with wide eyes. Luke figured that's what he looked like when he saw it.
"Where'd you get tested?"
"I forget the name of the place, but it was in the Southeast quarter."
"Female receptionist? Dark skinned sultry voice? Ugly Dr.?" Han asked.
"I wouldn't say sultry... but, yes and yes."
"Well damn. That's one of the most accurate places you'll find on this hellhole. Listen kid, if your pops was a Jedi that good reason as any for a bounty hunter to be after you."
"Chum- I mean Umi's going to kill me?" Luke asked. Would he have to kill her first? She knows where he lives, would she let the kids live?
Han noticed the look of panic running rampant on Luke's face.
"I still don't know if the girl you're with is Umi. If you assume that and you're wrong it could get messy though. I'd be willing to go with you to your place to see. Come up with an excuse for me being there. I confirm, I shoot her in a non-vital organ if it is her. If not I'll just leave."
"You'd shoot her?" Luke asked, not wanting her harm, even if she did want to kill him.
"Well assuming this test is correct, the Empire probably hired her to capture you alive. A Jedi kid is too rare to just kill one off. The Empire captures them and trains them to serve the Emperor."
"You mean King Ugly?" Luke asked, only partly joking. The Emperor was basically the ugliest thing humans had ever brought forth. "I would rather clean up bantha shit for the rest of my life!"
"I'll go with you to the homestead." Han concluded.