Based in Standard Galactic Grid square I-18 in the Outer Rim Territories, The original Sunspot Prison had been the Alliance's only "rebel jail" in the years following the Battle of Yavin. Back then, very few people had been aware of the space-bound prison, and it was known as a place that didn't officially exist. Luke had visited the penitentiary exactly once, and considering what happened back then, it was a rather embarrassing memory.

Over the years, several other Sunspot prisons were built around stars of uninhabited systems, and Sunspot-5 was probably the largest one. Located near the red sun of the Dortama System, the space-bound penitentiary continued to hold many of the New Republic's most dangerous prisoners, although it was much emptier now after the prisoners exchange program with the Empire.

Luke's X-Wing approached the space station at a steady pace, and it didn't take long for the prison's flight control to ask him to transmit his clearance codes. Signaling Artoo to send them, Luke quickly landed inside the prison's hanger and jumped out of his cockpit to land gracefully on the floor.

"Master Skywalker." Warden Mardron greeted him before shaking his hand. "It is an honor having you here. I hope your trip was uneventful."

"Thankfully, it was, Sir." Luke said with a friendly smile "And the honor is all mine. I take it General Antilles has already explained why I am here?"

"That he has. Although I can't say I understand why you're interested in this particular prisoner, considering he doesn't seem to have anything else of value to offer." The Warden noted "But I suppose orders are orders, even if having you here is highly irregular now that you're a civilian. Please, follow me." he said before leading Luke out of the hangar at a brisk pace.

"We had to build a special cell for him once we knew he'd be transferred here from Akiva. We don't exactly deal with prisoners his size often." Mardron explained as they walked the corridors between all the cells. "I understand that you have history with this particular gangster?"

"I…..wouldn't go that far." the Jedi answered, his thoughts briefly revisiting those early months following Yavin. He sometimes couldn't believe how inexperienced and naive he'd been back then. "I ran into him on Nar Shaddaa a few years ago. He held me captive for a week, but I haven't seen him since."

"Well, Whatever it is that you wish to extract out of him, I hope you manage to get it out of his slimy carcass." Mardron said as they approached the abnormally large energy barrier of one cell. "I know that you asked for this to be a private conversation, but are you certain you don't want some guards with you?"

"I appreciate your concerns, Warden. But I should be fine." Luke said confidently. He knew that the being he was about to meet was formidable, but this was something he needed to do himself.

"Very well. If you need us to step in, you know how to signal us." Mardron said before nodding to one of the guards, who entered the necessary codes to open a gap in the energy barrier. Luke steeled himself as he walked into the cell, and the energy barrier closed behind him.

It was a large room with fairly humane conditions for a being as large as the Hutt who huddled in one of the corners. Despite his years of imprisonment, the being still retained his muscular physique, although the Spider-like mechanical legs he sported seemed to have lost their shine. He eyed Luke with a mixture of curiosity and resentment, until recognition seemed to dawn on him.

"Little Jedi." Grakkus said with something Luke couldn't quite place "I'm surprised you're still alive. The Galaxy isn't known for being kind to fools."

Luke gave a confident smirk. "I think Captain Solo would argue that you being here is proof of that point."

The Hutt's face seems to darken considerably at the mention of Luke's friend, his mind no doubt recalling the way The Corellian had tricked him into revealing the location of his safehouse on Teth. Without warning, he lunged at Luke. But time seemed to stop for the Jedi as he raised his right hand and reached out with the Force without so much as flinching.

Leaving a very confused Hutt inexplicably floating mid-air.

With a gesture of his hand, Luke placed the gangster down with an air of complete serenity. The Hutt stared at him with a mixture of awe and resentment. "Guess you've come a long way since your time in my arena." He said with an air of respect before a hearty laugh escaped his mouth."Look at you; a real Jedi now. Oh, What I wouldn't give to test this version of yourself against The Galaxy's finest."

Luke's smirk returned. "While the offer for a professional career as a gladiator is tempting, it isn't exactly what I'm here for. I'm afraid I'm in need of your help."

"My help?!" The Hutt spat. "You brought my entire life crashing around me when the Empire descended on my Palace! Then your friends imprisoned me in the catacombs of Akiva for years. Why would I possibly help you?

"The Empire was always going to come for you. They knew you collected Jedi artifacts long before my arrival." Luke reminded "And we both know that your imprisonment here is nothing compared to being The Empire's prisoner."

"Duly noted, Great Master." The gangster said sarcastically. "But you shouldn't mistake my fascination with the Jedi for a sign of adoration, or for something that could buy you my compliance. I have nothing that can help you, little Jedi. Not anymore."

"I know that the Empire took away the Jedi artifacts in your palace." Luke conceded. "I also know that they destroyed your collection, and that they suspected it to be incomplete. Since you kept a lot of your assets off Nar Shaddaa, I think I share that suspicion."

The Hutt gave the closest thing to a smirk his face could manage. "Very well, Jedi. Perhaps you're right. And perhaps you're wrong. Either way, you'll never know. Your mind tricks won't work on me, and I doubt you're willing to resort to the more unjedi-like methods."

"Correct on both accounts." Luke admitted "But I can make your life here a bit more comfortable than it is now."

Another hearty laugh escaped The Hutt. "Afraid that isn't good enough for me, boy. But I'm nothing if not a good sport, so I'll give you a hint. You will find what you seek where the sun meets the sea. But you have to pay Urmangoth his due."

Luke frowned at the riddle. "Not a whole lot to go on," he noted. "It could also lead to nothing, or worse, to a trap."

Grakkus shrugged "Correct on both accounts." he said wryly "But it's all I'm willing to give, boy. If you are indeed a Jedi, you will find what you desire. If not,...then not even your precious Force can save you from Smuggler's Moon."

Luke stared at the former gangster with perfect Jedi calm. He briefly contemplated pushing the Hutt more, but he could sense that he wouldn't get anything else from the giant. Keeping his senses trained on the criminal, he turned around and walked out of the cell to the sight of three dumbstruck guards and a very impressed Warden.

"We almost ran in when he lunged at you." Mardron said with a raised eyebrow. "I'm certainly glad to see that the tales of what you are capable of weren't exaggerated. Did you get what you came here for, Master Jedi?"

"I'm not sure." The Jedi said, resisting the urge to tell the warden that he wasn't a master yet. "But I'm fairly certain that I got everything I could out of him." He continued, his thoughts already drifting to suns, seas and something called Urmangoth. Although one thing was even more clear now.

He would have to return to Nar Shaddaa.

Leia could never, in good conscience, say that she missed the war. And she certainly didn't. But ever since the formation of the senate, she realized that she hadn't exactly missed politics either. For it seemed like every day, a dozen fires just had to erupt across the New Republic, and it was up to her to make sure the senators got anything done. And the situation for the past week had been even worse, thanks to the attack on their convoy.

Settling into a comfortable chair, Leia glanced out of her apartment's window at starlight city. It was a beautiful settlement combining the architecture of dozens of worlds, symbolizing its role in uniting the people of the New Republic. The city had been built fairly quickly, with construction beginning shortly before the signing of the concordance. But beneath that beautiful surface, existed all the petty squabbles of politicians. Many were only interested in their people's needs, and some were only interested in filling their own pockets.

Leia sighed. By the time of Palpatine's declaration, the original Republic had been even worse in that regard, at least according to her late father. And the imperial senate had been practically toothless. She, Mon Mothma and others had worked hard to place safeguards against corruption and to ensure transparency, but there was only so much they could do. Not to mention the fact that many of the new senators were novices, and some of them came from worlds that had never even been part of the original Republic.

Pouring herself some tea, she wondered if Drome had to deal with some of the same issues. The Empire was now rather different from what it had been like under Palpatine, but the power there was still very centralized. The Moff Council very much had the ultimate say over things that actually mattered, although the imperial senate seemed to have more power now compared to back when she'd served in it.

In contrast, the New Republic continued to give most of the power to the senators. It wouldn't really be a democracy otherwise, and there were safeguards in place to ensure that no one person could accumulate too much power. Nobody wanted another Palpatine. And although Mon Mothma held immense power as Chief of State, that was more because of her charisma, wisdom and experience, rather than the new constitution. The ministers serving under her helped guide the senate and handle some of the burden, but they had no where near the power held by the Moff Council.

Leia grimaced as she took a sip from her tea, before adding some honey. She sometimes wondered what her father would think of the situation. He had been one of the rebellion's founders, and was instrumental in bringing together a great many individual cells. But he hadn't fought The Empire out of pride or vengeance for the original Republic. He'd fought the imperials because he wanted better lives for the people oppressed by them. Leia sometimes hated the idea that the Empire had survived, but she still believed that peace was the right choice to make. The Galaxy simply needed healing. They had to stop destroying and start building, and even Drome and his cronies understood that.

Yes, she liked to think her father would be proud.

"Rough day, huh? Did you manage to get those vultures to stop screaming for bloodshed?" Her husband said as he hugged her from the back.

"A little less rough at the moment. And yes, that situation has been handled for now." she replied with a grin. Her evenings with Han were by far the best part of her new life. And she certainly didn't know what she'd do without him.

"At least, we have the evening to ourselves before I head to Bespin tomorrow." He noted with that lopsided grin Leia loved so much.

"I take it you're covering for Lando while he's on that trip to Corellia?" She asked.

"Indeed, I am." The ex-smuggler. "Don't worry. Lobot is staying with me to make sure I don't run Golden Saber to the ground."

Leia gave a relieved smile at that. Golden Saber was the modestly-sized shipping company Han and Lando had started after the war. She still wasn't entirely sure how Lando had gotten the funds, but he and Han managed to get it off the ground with some help from their contacts. The fact that they were both heroes of the Rebellion had also earned them a nice little government contract.

The princess shook her head in disbelief. If someone had told her on the first death star that the shaggy-haired loudmouth rescuing her would end up becoming a respectable businessman someday, much less a General, she would've laughed. But like her brother always said, The Force worked in mysterious ways. It certainly seemed to always have a surprise for her.

Then again, that day she probably would've laughed even harder at the thought of marrying the laser-brained smuggler. Yet here they were, and she couldn't imagine another life for herself.

From outer space, Nar Shaddaa couldn't have looked more different from the planet it orbited. For while Smuggler's Moon looked like a glowing, beautiful eceumenopolis, Nal Hutta was an ugly swamp of a world that people rarely set foot on. And despite the planet being the homeworld of the powerful Hutt family, everyone knew that the actual business was conducted on Nar Shaddaa.

Approaching the moon in the nondescript corellian freighter he'd borrowed from Han, Luke stared at the world and reached out with The Force, hoping for any hint regarding what he came here for. He knew that The Force was pulling him towards Nar Shaddaa, and he had a feeling that it was about more than the occasional piece of Jedi lore.

The puzzle Grakkus had given him wasn't particularly hard to crack. It didn't make much sense on a superficial level, considering Nar Shaddaa didn't have a sea for its sun to meet. But some quick research had revealed that Urmangoth came from Corellian myth, where the being was often depicted as a demon-hound dragging the wicked into the nine hells…..and the Corellian Sector of Nar Shaddaa was partially under the control of The Black Sun syndicate.

Of course, he had no idea what the "sea" was in that context, or whether or not Urmangoth had any other significance. It was possible that Grakkus hadn't even been referring to Nar Shaddaa, or that the whole thing was a wild bantha chase. But between his recent vision and the inexplicable pull he was feeling, he had little doubt that something was waiting for him on Smuggler's Moon. And so, with a somewhat grim expression, The Jedi steeled himself again and maneuvered the ship towards the moon.

Using the false credentials and FFI transponder Han had given him, Luke managed to land the ship currently going by the name Spear of Dashi on a landing pad in the Corellian Sector's main Spaceport. He walked down the ramp with Artoo trailing behind him to find a bulky Besalisk waiting near the ship.

"Welcome to Nar Shaddaa. Name's Dom. I run this part of the spaceport." the alien welcomed off-handedly. "Now, your codes seem to check out, but this particular landing pad is reserved for the Winter's Claw syndicate, and they should arrive to use it within three days. As a friendly warning, I would clear the area before then, unless you want your ship, and possibly your life, to be forfeit."

Luke gave the alien his best sabacc face. "I'll keep that in mind." he said, knowing that the credentials Han gave him were unremarkable for Nar Shaddaa, and marked him as a small-time smuggler for anyone curious. He also doubted this Winter's Claw syndicate was actually going to show up, assuming they were even real. "How much for one day?" He asked.

"Five hundred." Dom said, drawing an outraged sound from Artoo. And the Jedi resisted the urge to smirk at the attempted shakedown. The pricing system on Nar Shaddaa was certainly far from consistent or reliable. "Sounds pretty steep considering I'm not staying for long." He noted with just enough amusement to throw the Besalisk off guard.

Dom shrugged. "Guess you're new to Smuggler's Moon then. Ain't exactly easy keeping your ship from getting stolen on a world full of low-lifes such as yourself. And it certainly ain't cheap." he said, trying to sound intimidating.

Luke simply smirked and handed him a credit chip, which the Besalisk smoothly inserted into his large datapad. Seemingly satisfied with the transaction, the alien gave an approximation of a smile. "Hope you enjoy your stay. Try not to get killed, kid."

With a nod, Luke gestured for his droid to follow him and led the way out of the spaceport.

Walking down the streets, Luke noticed that the Corellian Sector didn't look much different from the other areas of Nar Shaddaa he'd visited, at least at a cursory glance. Much like Hutta Town, it was made up of huge tower blocks with a patchwork of shanty town structures called skyslums filling almost every available space between the towers. Although the Jedi did notice a disproportionate amount of Falleens in the area, which made sense given Black Sun's presence in the sector.

When a pair of shady-looking aliens gave him a curious look, Luke used The Force to subtly draw away any attention from himself. He'd opted out of wearing his Jedi robes for obvious reasons this time, instead choosing gray pants, a basic black shirt and the leather brown jacket Han had given him.

A couple of beeps escaped his astromech friend as they continued to explore the area, drawing a sigh from him. "No, Artoo. I'm not sure where to go from here. Just…give me a minute. I'll think of something."

Closing his eyes, Luke reached out with The Force for any clue. His senses were trained on his dangerous surroundings, but a part of his consciousness sunk deeper into The Force, searching for anything that might lead him to his mysterious query.

At first he felt a sharp…presence? No, it wasn't alive in the Force. But it was…resonant. It felt like the common song of kyber, which probably marked the presence of lightsabers or holocrons from Grakkus's collection. He couldn't quite pinpoint it, but he could tell it was relatively near. He was getting close, although it still felt that something was missing. The Jedi was about to retreat fully into the physical world, when a wave of anger and fear assaulted him. It wasn't a presence he was familiar with, but it called to him in some way.

Without hesitation he rushed down the street, ignoring the surprised shriek of the Astromech now rolling at top speed to keep up with him. Taking a right turn into one of the alleys, he used The Force to jump over a small fence in his way.

Ahead of him, he could see that the long alley opened into another street parallel to the one he'd come from. Two Klatoonian thugs armed with blasters and vibroblades were just ahead of him, and one of them was holding a disturbingly familiar-looking Tholothian girl by her tunic. The other one seemed to notice the sound of the Jedi hitting the ground. "Who's there? show yourself." He said as he aimed his blaster in Luke's general direction.

Despite not having his lightsaber and being armed only with a small, concealed blaster, Luke stepped out of the shadows with perfect Jedi serenity and stared at the thugs.

And The Force raged like a storm around the terrified girl.

Author's Note:

I had a lot of fun writing this one, especially with all the callbacks to Jason Aaron's run on Star Wars comics. I'm a big fan of Luke surprising people with how far he's come, so the scene with Grakkus was definitely my favorite to write. Although the scene with Han and Leia left me a bit fuzzy.

Either way, I can't wait to hear your thoughts about this one guys, be it your theories, likes or dislikes. Reviews are the fuel we need to keep going, so let me know what you think.